Ben Lomond in Dunnsville, VA, built c. 1730, was the venue for this year’s Preakness Party on May 19, 2018. The wettest May on record did not dampen the mood of the guests, who gathered under the tent on the lawn during a spring rain shower. Eight of our area’s top restaurants served gourmet appetizers, the auction tables overflowed with amazing items, and the Preakness race streamed across a live feed. The annual Best Hat Contest was joined by a Best Rain Boots contest for this year’s event and guests obliged by wearing their finery!
Sandra Vallie and Mary Ramsey.
Gourmet fare was provided by these top restaurants and caterers: Eckhard’s (Topping); Indian Creek Yacht & Country Club (Kilmarnock); Java Jack’s (Tappahannock); Lancaster Tavern (Lancaster); Larry’s BBQ (Dunnsville); RCC Culinary Program (Glenns); Thai Pot (Gloucester); and Tommy’s (Reedville).
Over the past fourteen years, the RCC Preakness Party has provided more than $800,000 in support of the mission of Rappahannock Community College (RCC), the only institution of higher education with the 12 counties of Virginia’s Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. Proceeds from the event provide funds for the RCC student
Bugler William Gill is set to announce the Preakness race.
scholarship program, RCC faculty and staff professional development grants, and unrestricted program support of the RCC Educational Foundation, including Good Luck Cellars, General’s Ridge and Ingleside, while Angelo’s restaurant in Montross sponsored the bar and the Chesapeake Bay Ice Company sponsored ice for all drinks.
2018 Preakness Sponsors