Derby Museum will reopen in April

The Kentucky Derby Museum will reopen April 18 after being closed since last summer after incurring some $4 million in damage during a severe flood Aug. 4 in Louisville, Ky.

The museum is undergoing $5.5 million in renovations and will reopen with nearly all new exhibits, many of them interactive, it was announced Thursday. About 2,500 items were lost in the flood, including such valuable Derby artifacts and memorabilia as photographs, clippings, racing programs, and other records. Some items were recovered and are currently undergoing restoration.

The museum has been located adjacent to Gate 1 on the property of Churchill Downs since 1985. It will reopen the Sunday before Churchill begins its spring meet April 24. The 136th Kentucky Derby is set for May 1.