LEXINGTON, Ky. (WHAS11) -- The woman who created the first lavish, star-studded Derby Eve party has died. Anita Madden was 85.
The socialite and her husband had a dinner party on their Hamburg Farm outside downtown Lexington for ten people in 1955. That party grew and continued every year into a massive affair under tents that drew the major celebrities of the day and 2,500 guests.
In 1979, the party became a charity event for the Kentucky Heart Fund.
Anita Madden's last party was held on the farm in 1998. A large part of Hamburg Farm is now an upscale shopping and residential area.
