Research Memo

The source that I have found would be one that is the Keeneland website itself. The website shows the race events and when they are planned, and it shows ticketing and where you are able to dine. It also has a link that says "Discover Keeneland" which gives information about Keeneland and how it started. I found out many different things about Keeneland, such as when the races are and how Keeneland was founded and who it was founded by and why it was founded. I found out you can take a tour of Keeneland and find out behind the scenes secrets of the racecourse. Looking at the website about Keeneland has made me change my way on how I am going to go about the subjects on what I am going to talk about. Keeneland is such a large area to cover and has so many options to choose from. I am going to go more in depth on some of the things Keeneland has to offer. I wouldn't necessarily use a direct quote from this website, although I would refer to it quite a lot hence the information that it gives about Keeneland.


"Discover Keeneland." Keeneland. Keeneland Association, Inc., n.d. Web. 18 Sep 2013. <http://www.keeneland.com/discover>.

Blog #3

Keeneland

As you enter Old Clubhouse Lane, there’s an abundance of trees and other plants hiding the view of Keeneland, making you antsy to see what is behind. As you drive down the road, you begin to see building after building all labeled with a different name. These buildings all look similar and each is themed with a different area of interest. Following the directory signs will lead you to the area you want to go. These buildings are fancy and look old-timey, although you can tell they are kept up very well. They are metal and mostly are all white and green. Having that old-timey look to the buildings gives the guest a comforting feel and being welcome to the racecourse. Keeneland is a huge area and there are all kinds of events you can attend.

When you enter into Keeneland and are walking around, you see a variety of people. Most everyone dresses up and looks very classy when watching these horse races. Having said this, it symbolizes that a lot of higher-class people attend such events. You look around and can see the diversity in the area. There are those who look like they are official and are owners of horses and then there are the locals who go for entertainment.

You can hear the horses walking across the road and eating their hay almost anywhere you go in Keeneland. Knowing they allow you to see the horses and not make everything such a secret around the racecourse allows you to feel more invited into Keeneland. The small children will run up to the horses and just look at them with excitement and look forward to seeing them on the racecourse. You are able to talk to the jockeys and the owners of the horses that are racing depending on where they are placed. You can even visit the Sales Stable and buy horses to place into the races and hire jockeys to ride the horses. You can even just go to the barns and ask people any type of question you want. These aspects of Keeneland are very humbling.

Although I say these aspects of Keeneland are humbling, the workers of Keeneland are smart. You could get the feeling that they want you to feel welcomed and to visit more, but by doing so they are providing these stables for information and other services so they can make profit off of such events. You can buy horses elsewhere, but Keeneland sells the “best of the best” I heard someone say in the gift shop.

Planning for the months of April and October each year, you see workers of Keeneland preparing their selves and the racecourse for an enthusing race season.  As these individuals are all dressed in the same attire, you know that they are the employees. As their job is to make sure that the tourists of the racecourse are satisfied, they are always enlightened with a smile on their face. From directing traffic, working with sales in the Gift Shop, feeding horses, painting buildings, cleaning floors, serving food, and other duties that occur at this course are all completed by these staffs.

As I visited Keeneland I noticed a lot about the space, how much time and effort is spent on making the place look nice and to make the guests want to come back more and continue to spend money so that they can make the place even better. When you enter into Keeneland it feels as if you are entering into a secret world as if you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into and then you arrive at the entrance to all of the buildings and its as if you are in a whole other community or town. There is so much you could do and they make it that way so that everyone will be interested in something. Having the directory signs and being allowed to see the horses and interact with the jockeys and other people that are associated with the course allows you to feel invited and want to come back. Going to a racecourse that doesn’t provide these things will not make you want to go back, but with Keeneland, their cultural space is very different and heartwarming.

Blog #2

My choices are Keeneland and the Johnson Center.

Blog Post #1

Marche, "Facebook"
"The more connected we become, the lonelier we are..."
This quote got me to think about how we interact with social media. We always look at what others post and either feel like we are better than them or vice versa. Having said this, the more connected we become with social media such as Facebook, we become lonely. The loneliness that the connection can cause is from waiting on someone to respond to a post, not getting a response at all, or a friendship could be deceived. I don't think that Facebook is the only cause of loneliness, but Facebook promotes loneliness by allowing others to boast and have other interactions with other people who don't have as big of a social life.


Mathieu, "Coffee"
"Starbucks undoubtedly benefits from its provision of benefits and charity work as a form of self promotion."
I had no idea that Starbuck's donated charity to all of the countries that their coffee comes from. If more people were to know that the money spent on their gourmet coffee at Starbuck's went to a good cause to help other countries better their atmosphere, then Starbuck's would be an even more successful business. Just like with the Tom's shoes and Bob's, lots of customers go for the Bob's shoes just because they donate a free pair to Africa to help children. Helping with charity allows you to have a better self esteem knowing that you are helping someone else. I would much rather work for a developing business that donated some p