…. And they’re off! Foxy Lady is looking good, but Tom is right on her tail… Now Bubba Gump is coming up on her left. … They’re neck and neck, but she’s pulling ahead, and it’s Foxy Lady in the lead! Foxy Lady is going all out. … Foxy Lady wins! Foxy Lady!

It could be any acclaimed horse racing event, for the crush of spectators, the punters’ anticipation of cashing in on a long shot, the high-priced high-society fashions, the sleek animals, and the day’s overall hoopla. It could be the Melbourne Cup, Royal Ascot, or the Kentucky Derby.

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The Kiwanis Charity Ball opens the curtain on Port Vila’s race week. It’s the place to see and be seen—and have a great time.
	A Vanuatu National Marching Band trombone player aims his music skyward, entertaining the crowds between horse races. Fresh floral arrangements make fashion statements as Fashions in the Field accessories.
Children claim places on the fence, ensuring them a front-row view of the racing action. More than 10,000 spectators attended the most recent races, about one-third of Port Vila’s population.

But this is the Kiwanis Charity Race Day in Vanuatu, and it is unlike any other horse race in the world.

Set on the tiny tropical South Pacific Island of Efate, one of the 82 or so island dots that make up Vanuatu, the Kiwanis racing event is part country picnic race, part sophisticated jet-set scene, part national social event, part fundraiser, and pure fun. Now 21 years in the running, the event actually is a three-entity, three-day trifecta consisting of a grand gala ball, a “Calcutta” gaming and auction night, and race day itself.

It’s all the brainchild of the Kiwanis Club of Port Vila, Vanuatu’s sole Kiwanis club (Port Vila is Vanuatu’s capital). The Kiwanians and their friends handle all race week details, from planning to promotion to putting it all on. To be sure, it’s no small undertaking. Consider: When the Kiwanians initiated the race, there was no horse track on Efate. The Kiwanians had to build one from scratch.

“The race started because the Kiwanis club thought it would be a fun event,” explains the club’s immediate past president, Ethel Chapman. “There are a number of horse enthusiasts in Port Vila.”

So, each year for the first 20 years, the club had to find land suitable to build a race track, clear it, and prepare the track and spectator surroundings, including erecting (out of natural, renewable materials such as palm fronds) fencing, grandstands, vendor stalls, corporate and sponsor tents, and even restroom facilities. Most recently, however, the club has been given a 10-year lease on a plot of land, allowing a semi-permanent setup.

“When we first started, the track was probably the most basic horse racing track in the world,” says Kiwanian Ken Hutton. “Now we’re looking more like the Melbourne Cup.”

Indeed, the race is the place to be. The most recent Kiwanis race day hosted an estimated 10,000 spectators—everyone from awestruck tourists to barefoot children, giggling and scampering the grounds in comfortable cutoffs and T-shirts to stylish ladies, dripping in designer labels and perched in their high heels and couture, arms linked to cool chaps decked in crisp summer suits.

“This is really the only event that pulls everyone in Vanuatu together,” says race-goer Elizabeth Lysons. “Race day is always good. Everyone comes, and it’s a massive event for Vila.”

And the Kiwanis club does its best to ensure everyone can come: tourist, ex-patriot, indigenous (Ni-Vanuatu) person, and everyone in between. Admission to the races is free of charge, and the Kiwanians rent out Port Vila’s bus system for the day, providing free rides to and from the track for anyone who wishes to witness the “sport of kings.” For an affordable price tag of nothing-at-all, families can enjoy the day’s eight horse races plus between-race entertainment: a motorcross demonstration, a flashy performance by Vanuatu’s national marching band, a “monster” prize raffle, and, of course, “Fashions in the Field.”

“Fashions in the Field” is not for the faint of heart. These ladies and gents know exactly what they’re doing when they create a “look,” and the competition is good-naturedly fierce. Here and there, the crowd virtually explodes with bursts of color, style, and an occasional fresh floral hat decoration. Throughout the day, fashion spotters select finalists in different categories—best-dressed man, woman, couple, and child, and best hat (it is, after all, a horse race, where hats traditionally are a must-have accessory)—and then the finalists are paraded onto a flatbed truck for all to behold. It’s an honor to win and a relief for all participants to afterward change into comfortable shoes.

“Race week is really the only event where we can pull out all the stops,” says Ethel.

Children take their places on the makeshift stage as they receive prizes for “best dressed” during Fashions in the Field.

A Ni-Vanuatu mother gives his daughter a boost so she can see the horses above the crowd.

Everyone lends a hand to hoist the all-important race tote board.

Starting with the annual gala Charity Ball. Known as the highlight of Port Vila’s social calendar, normally laid-back islanders spiff up in their spangles, tuxedos, evening gowns, and professionally coiffed updos for the grand affair. It’s a who’s who of the South Pacific.

“There are very few occasions here for people to attend fancy dress events,” says club president Peter Wilson.

And, as ball guests dine, dance, and sparkle the night away, they are doing so for a good cause. The profits generated through the race events, including ball ticket sales, a series of raffles, a portion of proceeds from the Calcutta night auctions, and more, are put back into the community.

“If you live in a country like (Vanuatu), you have to give something back to it,” Ken Hutton says.

“The name of Kiwanis is known as something that helps Ni-Vanuatu,” says Vanuatu resident Trevor Siddall.

More specifically, Ni-Vanuatu children. The Kiwanis club used past funds, for example, to construct thatched roofing over a handicraft marketplace called Mamas Haus, where Ni-Vanuatu women sell handmade items to pay for their children’s education. The Kiwanians also support many village schools in Efate and the outer islands, providing materials, repairs, and other needs. In one village, a water tank supplies clean water for students and teachers, compliments of the Kiwanis club.

And, in partnership with Kiwanians from New Zealand, the Vanuatu Kiwanians distribute books, desks, computers, sports gear, and other educational tools to schools throughout the nation. New Zealand Kiwanians amass the supplies, which are carefully cataloged and packaged into shipping containers. On the receiving end, the Port Vila club ensures the items go where they are most needed.

Though the Port Vila club is a small club in a small nation, it is doing big things to respectfully assist the people who have called the islands home for centuries. In fact, when it comes to constructing the temporary vendor stalls, tents, restrooms, and the like for the race venue each year, the Kiwanians employ Ni-Vanuatu for the work, which brings jobs, and thus economy and a sense of ownership to the event within the island.

In addition, the club rents race day booth space at an affordable rate to Ni-Vanuatu vendors who turn a profit selling their wares to hungry race-goers.

“Kiwanis Port Vila has the reputation of being a real ‘hands-on’ club,” says Kiwanian Jim Kyle, who is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Matamata, New Zealand, friend of the Port Vila club, and who has attended several Kiwanis Charity Race Days. “Members are a mix of men and women of all nationalities, all sharing common attributes, such as their ‘can-do’ attitudes, lots of energy, and a sense of fun which causes larger Kiwanis clubs from all over the world to express amazement at the range and success of their events.

“Race day in Vanuatu is one of these.”