The Big ToDo: Q&A with Kim Jinks, Executive Director of Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens

What is your most memorable experience with Steeplechase?

My most memorable experience was getting a phone call at 5:30 on a Thursday morning that the River Mill Event Center was on fire and that's where our ball was supposed to be the next night.

What did you do?

We ended up having it at Claudia Garrard's house. It worked out fine. Aflac brought a tent in and security guards. We had 100 volunteers running around taking care of things, and everything turned out fine. That's just how volunteers and sponsors come together. They were there to make it happen, and it turned out great.

What is your role at Steeplechase?

As executive director, my No. 1 goal is raising sponsorship dollars. Secondly, I put together a team of volunteers to keep the event fresh. That's why we have rotating race directors. If I did everything I wanted to do year after year, it just wouldn't work. We get together different volunteers every year and they come up with their own ideas and bring their own supporters. It makes it a different event every year. It has a different flare, a different look, and a different feel.

You said you typically have about 100 volunteers. Is that the case this year?

This year we actually have closer to 200 volunteers. I want to add that one of my biggest responsibilities is to be a cheerleader for these volunteers. You know, it's a big job. What our race director (Marie Arnold) is doing is huge. She is working so hard. It's a full-time job that these volunteers take on and they're not getting paid. They're doing it for whatever reason -- because they love the arts or because they need to step up and use their talents for our community. They come through.

What is your personal history with the race?

I have been here for 12 years. I was the general manager for nine years and I've been executive director for three years.

Was executive director a new title? Was the difference between that and general manager?

The general manager job is part-time and you work three or four months out of the year. My job is full-time. I am here year-round. The general manager and I are the only two paid employees.

When you started as general manager, what was that like? Had you done anything like it before?

I have always done a lot of work as a volunteer. When I first got married, I worked at Total System. I quit working when I had children for five years. During that time I was heavily involved with the Junior League and also fundraising through Columbus Regional Hospital for their Celebrity Classic, which is a tennis event. I did that for about 20 years. Then, Mason Lampton came to me and asked me to be the general manager of Steeplechase. I told him, "I don't know anything about horses. I've been to the event and I love the event, but I don't know why you'd want me." He said, "I want somebody that can plan a party."

I mean, that's what it is, it's event planning. It's a big part of it because you have to have a great event. But you can't have the great event without the sponsorship dollars -- not just sponsor dollars, but people attending. I think I probably lost focus of that my first year as executive director. I was so focused on the big dollar and getting the sponsors that I lost sight of the fact that it's the people who attend who really bring it the energy. It's the people who are buying $270 reserved rails that are coming out with their families and starting a tradition that will eventually buy Terrace Boxes and then eventually may own a company that will sponsor it.

So Mason Lampton is how you got into Steeplechase, then?

Yes. Mason started Steeplechase 31 years ago. He is from Louisville, Ky. He grew up playing polo and racing. He is still playing polo at over 60 years old. I don't know how much you know about steeplechasing, but I have just learned this over the past few years: Horses race in flat races, like the Kentucky Derby, and then steeplechase is a second career. They can only race those flat races for so long and then they become a stud and raise money, or they can take on a second career and steeplechase. You take your horse out and they teach them how to jump.

That's what Mason's family did. They started a steeplechase in Louisville called Hard Scrabble. Then, Mason ended up marrying a Hardaway, Mary Lou Hardaway Lampton, and that's how he got to Columbus and went to work for his father-in-law, Ben Hardaway, at the concrete company. Mason was president of the chamber of commerce and wanted to start an event that would raise money for the arts. This was 31 years ago, when the arts really needed it. So he brought steeplechasing to Columbus and partnered with Callaway Gardens, who provided the property. We are still supporting the five organizations that he initially supported 31 years ago.

What organizations are they?

It's the Columbus Museum, Historic Columbus Foundation, Springer Opera House, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and the Callaway Foundation. Then in 2014, we added the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts because we just feel like they are a cornerstone for the arts here in Columbus.

How does Steeplechase directly benefit the arts? What happens? All of this money is raised, and then what?

After we pay all of the bills, all of the proceeds go back to the arts foundations. So if we net $150,000 each, art organizations will get a sixth of that. It is split evenly six ways. In addition to giving them money, we also give away $160,000 in purse money as prizes for the owners, trainers and riders.

How much money did Steeplechase give back last year?

Last year, each art organization received $30,000. We raised over $182,000 and all of it went directly back to those six arts organizations in Columbus.

Is there anything else like this event in the area?

There are certainly other fundraisers for the arts. I think Toast of the Town does well. But I think that what is unique about our event is that it's been running for 31 years. We are the longest standing event and we are by far the largest supporter of the arts. I will say, though, it's not like we're just giving them money. They work for it. It's a real partnership. For example, the RiverCenter is in charge of our auction. Springer Opera House is in charge of Horace the Horse marketing. Any time we are out in public, the Springer provides someone for the costume. The Historic Columbus Foundation is renovating part of the Carriage House at the Rankin House for our permanent office. Columbus Museum is in charge of the after-race sale. Columbus Symphony Orchestra is in charge of souvenir sales on that day. They provide the volunteers to sell things on race day. They also all provide volunteers. The lady here today is from the RiverCenter. They each have a day that they have to provide volunteers in our office.

So let's go back to the actual event. What's it's all about? Horses? Or a party?

It is both. I had always thought it was more about the party. Then last year we lost a race due to not getting enough entries into one of our races. I said, "That's no big deal. That saves us $15,000 because if we don't have the race, we don't have to spend the purse money." We also don't print the program until the day before the race. We don't know what horses are racing until Tuesday before the race.

Is that nerve-racking?

Yes. But I don't really worry about things I can't control. That worries the Lamptons, but I don't worry about that part. We're going to have a party regardless. So we get the entries on Tuesday, we put them into the program Wednesday, we proof it Thursday, and then it prints Friday. No big deal, right?

Well, we send out an electronic survey after the race to our patrons, and I cannot tell you how many complaints we had that there were only four sanctioned races. I was like, "There's people there who are actually watching the races!" So anyway, it is a great sporting event and people are there to watch the sport. The response we got to that survey really worried us. This sport is declining and we are the southernmost race and we are the last race of the season. Horses that have been racing since September are getting hurt, getting worn out, and it costs more for them to ship their horses so far south. Most of the races are in Virginia, Carolina and Pennsylvania. We've had to be creative and offer money to help them get their horses down here. The big thing that we did this year is that young Mason, Mason Lampton's son, raised close to $50,000 in a syndicate from people buying into (it). Our syndicate is named Hard Scrabble. It was close to $5,000 a share, and we had close to 20 people involved with that. We bought two horses that raced in the Spring Circuit and did pretty well. We have one that is racing this fall. We hope he does well. His name is Grant. He should be at Callaway, so we are really excited about one of the Hard Scrabble horses racing for the first time.

Do you have any new events this year our readers should know about?

We do. We have the I Love Juice Bar Fancy Pants Contest. That's going to be a lot of fun for the men. We have expanded our college corner and have a fraternity coming down this year. They are bringing 170 coeds down for the race and are staying at Callaway Gardens and having a semi-formal. We have also hired a professional company to run our Jack Russell Terrier Race this year. So if we don't have a lot of local entries, they will bring 20-25 dogs down. I always want to brag on Marie, our race director, who is not only a leader in the community but is also an artist. She did the beautiful horse painting on our poster this year and has also painted a couple hundred wine glasses for our auction.

What is the best way to go to Steeplechase and get the most bang for your buck? What should our readers know?

Get there early. Get there at 10 a.m. and dress in layers. It's always cold in the morning and then usually heats up in the afternoon. I also tell people to really get the most of it, you have to get excited about it. Bring your kids. Dress the part, wear the hat, wear the fancy pants. You're welcome to bring your own beverages and picnic basket, but we will have great vendors and food trucks there as well. It's just a great event to spend a Saturday out in the beautiful foothills of Callaway Gardens.

BIO

Name: Kim Jinks

Hometown: Eufaula, Ala.

Education: Auburn University, Bachelor of Arts

Family: Two children, a daughter at Georgia Tech and a son at the University of Georgia.

Occupation: Executive Director of Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens

Hobbies: Travel, entertaining, tennis

Favorite place in Columbus: Uptown and living at the Eagle & Phenix.

Favorite thing about Steeplechase: The beauty of the venue and watching the volunteers create a new event each year.

IF YOU GO

What: Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens

When: Nov. 7

Where: Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga.

Cost: Prices vary.

Contact: 706-324-6252 or www.steeplechaseatcallaway.org

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "The Big ToDo: Q&A with Kim Jinks, Executive Director of Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens ."