Tupelo country club hosts Tom Evans memorial Kentucky derby party

TUPELO,Miss. (WCBI)- Outrageous hats and colorful sport coats were in style at a popular fundraiser this weekend in Tupelo.

The Tupelo Country Club hosted the “Tom Evans Memorial Kentucky Derby Party.”

Guests could bet on their favorite horse in the big race, with monopoly money.

There was also a silent auction, and all proceeds from the annual event go to the Regional Rehabilitation Center.

The Regional Rehab Center provides physical, occupational, speech therapies, and other services at no cost to clients.

And events like the Kentucky Derby party help the Regional Rehab Center provide its services each year.

“This past year we saw 1, 168 people at the Rehab Center that equaled over 55,000 services. We have the largest staff we ever had. We have 23 staff members now, and you compare that to five years ago, when we had 15 staff. It’s been the community’s support and events like this for us to be able to do that and we cannot thank people enough for allowing us to continue our mission,” said Robby Parham, the Executive Director of the Regional Rehabilitation Center.

The event is named in honor of Tom Evans, the Tupelo pharmacist, who hosted the event at his home for years.

The event was moved to the Tupelo Country Club after Evans’ passed away