There’s bourbon-tasting and hot air balloons, fashion shows and fireworks, a belle and a ball, and the event that started it all, the Pegasus Parade. From the time the Kentucky Derby Festival starts in mid-April, the party doesn’t stop — not until the horses run for the roses on the first Saturday in May. The Kentucky Derby lasts only two minutes, but the legendary race at Churchill Downs has spawned an extended celebration with more than 70 events drawing more than a million people to the Louisville area. Festival officials say it pours nearly $130 million annually into the economy.
With snow still on the ground from the post Christmas blizzard, New Jersey readies for several inches of additional snow from a storm expected Friday into Saturday morning.
A snowstorm that could bring 5 inches to parts of the state began Friday morning, but most of New Jersey was expected to see less.
Gov. Chris Christie, who was criticized for vacationing at Disney World during the last storm, joked that he would be out "shoveling myself ... that's the state's plan," — a mocking reference to Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who personally helped dig people out during the last storm.
Even former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani--a fellow Republican--made a crack at Christie for leaving New Jersey in the cold during the blizzard.
"Chris should've come back" Giuliani said on Morning Joe on Friday. "I mean, if he asked me my advice, I would've said 'They elected you governor, they've got an emergency, they expect you to be there."
Press scretary Mike Drewniak said that Christie's office has no response to Giuliani's comment.
The National Weather Service forecast the heaviest snow for Bergen and Passaic counties, and western parts of Union county, where 3 to 5 inches was expected.
Hudson, Essex, eastern Union, Sussex and Warren counties all were predicted to get 2 to 4 inches.
Between 1 to 3 inches was forecast for Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer and western portions of Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Morris, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem and Atlantic counties were expected to get around an inch of snow, and little to no accumulation was forecast for Cumberland, Cape May and coastal Atlantic counties.
Some schools are planning to let out early, and slick roads and scattered traffic accidents were already being reported in northern parts of the state. But the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike were in good shape, and had not needed to be plowed during the morning rush hour.
New Jersey activated its emergency operations center at 6 am Friday to coordinate a response to the storm.
State Police say there will be more troopers out on state roads Friday to assist plow drivers.
Usually, troopers focus on the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and Atlantic City Expressway.
Spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones tells The Star-Ledger of Newark that troopers will also focus on trouble spots from last month's storm — Routes 80, 78 and 280 — where more than 500 motorists became stranded; that storm dropped nearly three feet of snow in some parts.
