Derby’s a whole different scene this year for J-Dub, aka Joey Wagner.
Now that he has Prime Lounge, he’s his own boss and will be calling the shots. “With Prime being locally owned, we don’t have to go up the corporate ladder to get a bunch of stuff approved,” says Wagner, who worked for Felt and Lucky Strike last year. Wagner has events planned Wednesday, April 29, through May 2, and will also be helping Churchill Downs with the new Infield Club, in addition to assisting the track in booking DJs. Among Wagner’s events for Derby Week are Bowl for the Roses at the Sports and Social Club at 4th Street Live on Thursday, April 30, and the Jockey Bartending Charity Event at Prime, 104 W. Main St., on Wednesday, April 29. “It’s going to be chaos. But the good thing about it is, I’ve assigned a point person for every single event,” Wagner says. “My staff consists of about 10 people. One person will be in charge of Bowl for the Roses, one for Prime, one for the Churchill Downs events. &hellip It makes it work so much more smoothly. I’ll just be bouncing back and forth.” Courier-Journal file photo
Joey “J-Dub” Wagner has a full plate for Derby Week.