The Equestrian Games Want You

About 195 Franklin countians have registered as volunteers for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington ” expected to have a $150 million statewide economic impact.

And Jamie Link, CEO of the Equestrian Games, said Thursday evening at the Capital Plaza Hotel he’d gladly take as many volunteers as he can.

“We’ll give you a shirt and feed you every day,” Link said at the Frankfort Rotary Club’s 12th International Dinner.

More than 9,000 volunteers from every state in the U.S. and more than 40 countries have registered so far, “and we’re going to need every one of them,” Link said.

To register online as a volunteer go to www.feigames2010.org and click on “Get Involved.”

The games run from Sept. 25 to Oct. 10 at the Kentucky Horse Park and “16 days is an awesome undertaking,” Link said, with 640,000 expected to attend – 40,000 daily.

He said 84,000 hotel room nights have been booked and Frankfort has committed 355 hotel rooms so far.

After the Rotary dinner, Frankfort Tourism Executive Director Joy Jeffries said, “We will definitely commit all the rooms we have.”

Link said it takes 30 minutes or longer to drive from the south side of Lexington to the Horse Park, and 30 minutes or less from Frankfort….

Read the entire story by Charlie Pearl
Date: 2-20-2009
By:  www.state-journal.com