Living Social Gold Cup Deal!

 Waited to decide what to do for Gold Cup?  Lucky you!  Living Social has the following deal posted:

"For just $145, the 86th annual world famous steeplechase in The Plains, Virginia gives you a starring role on May 7 with half off four VIP Members Hill Badges to the event, one North or South Rail Parking Pass, four official Gold Cup souvenir cups, and postage and handling of tickets (a $290 value)."

Hurry - the deal ends soon!

Invitation from University of Richmond

Our friends at University of Richmond have invited JMU alums to attend University Row at Virginia Gold Cup. Here is the UofR sales link and a discount offer for volunteering:

http://www.showclix.com/event/33433/

"University Row is volunteer-run. If you volunteer for a day-of shift,
you are eligible for a discounted ticket! To sign up, visit the
volunteer link below and email Braxton Bragg
(bragg.braxton@gmail.com); he will provide you with discount
information that you may apply toward your ticket purchase.

Richmond:http://www2.mysignup.com/richmonduniversityrow
Password: horses"

The End of an Era

We've got some good news and some bad news.  First the bad news.  JMU's Office of Alumni Relations has decided to withdraw funding support for the MetroDukes Virginia Gold Cup event.  As you know, we have always priced our tickets at cost to keep prices as affordable as possible for our alums.  As a result, the event has never been a fundraiser for the MetroDukes.  In this bad economy, the Office of Alumni Relations wants to focus efforts on events with more fundraising potential. 

What's the good news?  You don't need us to go to Gold Cup and there are still tickets available!  Here is our advice for a great race day experience with your friends.  Get a North Rail car pass ($85) which gets your car, your friends, your food, and plenty of beverages in non-glass containers into Great Meadows.  When you get there, go all the way to the end of the North Rail - to the left if you're facing the races.  There, just past the tents, is an open space right along the rail.  If you get there right when gates open, you have a perfect, unobstructed view of the races!  If you pack the max 6 people in your car, it's only $14 per person!

If you have a bigger group and want a reserved spot, you can snag a 12 x 20 reserved rail parking spot in Row 1 on the South Rail for $525, nice and close to the races.  The reserved rail parking also comes with two additional car passes, and 6 Members Hill badges which can be shared.  If you pack the max 15 people in there, it's only $35 per person!

Don't want to drive?  No problem!  Lindy can hook you up with roundtrip bus transportation from Arlington or DC for $45 - but buy tickets soon because the price goes up as the event gets closer!

JMU alums have had a party at Gold Cup for the past 12 years (at least!), and we're sad to see our official event end.  We know you'll keep the JMU party going though!  If you want to link up with fellow alums going to the race, join our Facebook group JMU at Virginia Gold Cup and use the space to organize!

Don't forget to keep supporting the MetroDukes!  The MetroDukes are working hard on some new initiatives.  Stay up to date by friending the MetroDukes Chapter on Facebook.

Getting Excited for Gold Cup!

Hi everyone!  Snow is on the ground and Gold Cup seems a long way away, but we just got our tent renewal information from the Virginia Gold Cup Association, which means plans for 2011 are now underway!  We got some great feedback after the event last year, but we welcome your thoughts any time on how to make this event better than ever.  Leave a comment or shoot us a note if you have any ideas.

To get you in the race spirit in the middle of winter, we suggest using snow as the perfect crushed ice in your winter mint juleps!  Avoid the yellow snow!

Happy Holidays!

Crabfest 2010!

The MetroDukes have lots of great events to pass the time between Gold Cups, but none is bigger than Crabfest!  If you've never been, Crabfest is best described as an all-you-can-eat, 6 hour, claw cracking, beer swilling bonanza!  What more needs to be said??  Crabfest will be September 18, but you want to register early to take advantage of the $16 discount.  Before Sept. 3 tickets are only $29!  Steal!  Get more details and buy tickets here.

Time to buy your own cornhole set!

With warm sunny weather on us and tailgating season coming up in the fall, it's time you got your own cornhole set! We got our set from Baggo and we LOVE those guys! First, the set is great. The boards pack up flat with pockets for the bags, latch together, and carry like a suitcase making it the easiest set to transport and store. It has a built-in score keeper running along the side, and customizable and replaceable screens to cover the board. If you want to customize your board, the graphics designers are very creative and easy to work with. We love the design they came up with for us! Because Baggo boards are made of slick durable plastic, playing on a Baggo board requires extra skill and strategy to work with the slide of the bags on the board, so it's more fun than playing on wood. A customized set is only $120, so check them out at www.baggo.com!