Where is this harness track?..

[kiwi steve]

First opened it doors for standardbred harness races October 2, 1889.
Tradition abounds here and the beauty of the layout is unparalleled. Still standing proud in the centrefield is the original judge's stand built in 1889. The judge's stand was restored to its original glory in 1999 and declared a national historic site

[kiwi steve]

[Raisencain]

have not been there in a while, but is it the historic track at goshen???

[kiwi steve]

No not Goshen track.



Goshen USA's oldest working track. Goshen track dates back to 1838, and if you think, that I got the century wrong, look again: We are talking 164 years ago! That is a lot of history. Another way to put it into perspective: Abraham Lincoln may have watched Harness Racing at Goshen as a 29-year-old.

We know for sure, that Ulysses Grant did--at least if the historic plaque on a house at the track is to be believed. And he was only 16 years old when the first meet was held there.

Goshen is known as the Cradle of the Trotter, as it was home to the great foundation stallion Messenger. His legendary son Hambletonian lived just a few miles down the road.

In the years that have passed, countless great horses and horsemen have raced towards the finish line of this dirt oval, and that will continue for many more years to come.

[gradysfalcon]

Harold Park IN NEW ZEALAND ?

[timmy]

could it be CAMP TOWN?

i'm only going by the song.

[gamblertony]

I wanna play...

Deleware Fair Track....home of the Little Brown Jug!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday and am looking forward to 2003!

bets of luck to all.
Tony

[Raisencain]

nice guess tony, that was my second choice.

wanted to wish everybody a happy and healthy new year too!

[kiwi steve]

No not Harold Park which is in Sydney Australia not NZ so heres your history lesson for today:



THE New South Wales Harness Racing Club is celebrating 100 years of existence, and we are taking a brief look back at the history of one of the best sporting venues in Australia today.

The New South Wales Trotting Club was incorporated on October 10, 1902.

Few of the small but sedate crowd which attended Harold Park's first meeting on 19th November, 1902, visualised that in 1960, 58 years later, on the same course a world record crowd of 50,346 would tear down partitions in the grandstand to get a better view of a big event.

Few at that first meeting visualised that in 1975, some 78 years later, trotting drivers from North America and Europe would compete against Australian and New Zealand drivers on a racing strip, described by the visitors as the "best lit trotting track" in the world.

Then in March 2002, the biggest Inter Dominion crowd in a decade gave the Bathurst pacer Smooth Satin a standing ovation as he fought on to take a last stride victory over the Victorian, Shakamaker.

However the crowd at that first meeting would marvel at the magnificent sporting area, which Harold Park is acclaimed in its centenary year.

The Harold Park course in 1902 was known as Forest Lodge, and for the first meeting there were five events with total prizemoney of 99 sovereigns.

Just prior to the turn of the century, and before meetings commenced at Forest Lodge, the present Harold Park course, trotting and pacing was confirmed primarily to match races between enthusiasts without and serious attempt at organisation.

Following some preliminary discussions, 33 of the sport's keenest supporters met together on 4th June, 1902 at the saddlery shop of J.McGrath, a well-known harness maker of the day.

Between them, those present at the meeting raised the sum of x19.7.9 to launch the proposed Club. The general contribution was 2/6 per person, while the maximum donation was x10.10.0 by Mr.J.A.Buckland, owner of the famous horse "Fritz".

A week later the Club was incorporated on 10th October, 1902, with 22 members paying a subscription of x2.2.0 each, and the inaugural meeting was held on 19th November, 1902, the Forest Lodge course it was then known, being leased from the Metropolitan Rugby Union.

Following two meetings at Forest Lodge, racing was continued at the old Kensington Pony course where it was conducted until June 1904. Racing was then resumed at Forest Lodge, which had in the interim period became Epping.

1911 was an eventful year in the history of harness racing in New South Wales. It marked the recognition by the Colonial Secretary of the Day, of the New South Wales Trotting Club as the Controlling authority of the sport in the state. From that year onwards, successive Governments have continued to give that recognition, until 1976 the control was transferred to the Trotting Authority of NSW.

1911 also included the Club purchasing the course from the Metropolitan Rugby Union for x10,400.

The track was known as Epping until 21st March, 1929, when, due to the confusion of the name with that to well-known Sydney suburb, it was renamed Harold Park, after the imported trotter Childe Harold – one of the great progenitors of the stock of the early night trotting days.

Childe Harold was bred in Kentucky, and was imported from Glasgow, Scotland, by Mr. Andrew Town of Richmond, New South Wales.

October 1st, 1949, saw the sport and the Harold Park track receive its greatest impetus in New South Wales, with the advent of night racing, as the result of legislation enacted with the support of all parties in the State Parliament.

The progress since then has reached heights undreamt of by those who attended Harold Park's inaugural meeting in 1902, and from its early obscurity, Harold Park has become known world-wide as the venue of one of Australia's most spectacular night entertainments.

Since night trotting commenced, harness horses at Harold Park have achieved worldwide recognition, and there have been some thrilling and exciting races conducted at the track.

Without doubt the most memorable is that which took place on 13th February, 1960, when the "mighty atom" Caduceus from New Zealand defeated Australia's Apmat in the final of the Inter Dominion before a world record crowd of 50,346.

The scene was set that night for the very best in thrills, excitement, competition and drama. The previous week, the best pacers in Australia and New Zealand had opposed each other in three series of grueling and testing heats.

Caduceus and Apmat had been singled out as the best two chances in a star-studded final field, and throughout the heat series, it could be seen that the rivalry which existed between these two great horses had been carried on to their drivers Jack Litten of New Zealand on Caduceus, and the local champion, Bert Alley on Apmat.

People crammed every vantage point to watch the race. They were jammed on every square inch of the inside greyhound circuit and packed into what is now the centre-course carpark.

Those who were unable to see in the grandstand tore down timber and three ply partitions in the main grandstand.

In a spectacular finish, Caduceus passed the post half a length clear of Apmat, with the Victorian Maestro's Melody a neck away third and Fettle a close fourth.

Caduceus received one of the most deafening ovations ever heard on a racetrack, but whilst the cheers were still sounding, the news was announced that a protest was lodged by Bert Alley against Caduceus being declared the winner.

This produced a most unfavourable reaction from the crowd, strange in the circumstances for they had turned against their own local horse. The Stewards, however, dismissed the protest and Caduceus was the winner of one of the most exciting sporting events ever held in Sydney.

The list of champions who have raced at the famous "Glebe" circuit reads like a "Who's Who" of harness racing.

Champion standardbreds from all parts of Australia and New Zealand have achieved great feats in the track and re-written the record book before appreciative crowds.

Those few enthusiasts that attended the first meeting back in 1902 could have hardly visulised the changes, which would come to the historic Harold Park course.

Harold Park, in the year 2002, still continues to be a huge success – living up to it's name as the premier harness racing track, and one of the best sporting venues in Australia.

[kiwi steve]

No not Camp Town:

The song, “Camp Town Ladies” was derived from a colorful era of horse racing in early America. In the decades of 1850 through 1900, harness racing became a top horseman's sport in our country. It was, in fact, a glorification or spin-off of the old buggy and carriage race. It seems since the days of the Romans, horse racing has captivated the hearts of people everywhere. In the 1950's, era, I drag-raced on back roads. In 1850, my Great Grandfather “Elisha Beatty”, no doubt raced his neighbor, “Jeremiah Hagenbuch” to town in his two-seater buggy. I shall never forget the movie where Gary Cooper played the part of a gentle Pennsylvania Quaker, who raced his buggy to church. I believe the movie was entitled, “Friendly Persuasion.” At any rate, sulky racing has its roots in early America. Today, it is one of America's greatest sports. The “Little Brown Jug,” harness racing's greatest event, is ran at Delaware, Ohio, just 18 miles from my back door.

During the middle 1800's, and after 1900, there developed a circuit of itinerant horse racers. They took their steeds from town to town to race. In the South, wherever there was a track, events were held. Usually, the races were held on weekends and holidays. The owners and handlers would pitch tents on the back side of the track for living quarters and shelter for the horses. Very few tracks had barns to accommodate the owners, so they used tents. Thus, we have the title, “Camp Town,” as they were called, as they were like small towns. Besides the participants, there were cook tents, harness makers, blacksmiths and other vendors. To be sure, the Patent Medicine Man was there to sell his Liniment, good for “Horse or Man.” The local farmers would sell their hay and grain to the horse owners. So, it was a busy, buzzy, exciting time at the “Old Camp Town Races.”

In the North and Midwest, the harness races took up with the county fairs. Today, in Ohio alone, there are 70 out of 88 counties that offer harness racing at their county fairs. Those early fairs had a little barn space, making the camp towns necessary.



It was during the period of 1854 to 1861, that a horse stole the hearts of Americans far and wide. This horse is honored in more museums than any other horse in history. In a moment, you will see why. The name of this horse was Flora Temple. She was the “Darling” of the harness racing circuit. People came from miles around to see her race. The fact that Flora Temple was a mare, taking on all comers, made for even a more exciting race. She was one of the great trotters of all time. Flora Temple was the first horse to break the time of 2:25 and 2:20 for the mile distance. And the amusing and remarkable fact was that she did not possess one drop of “Trotter Blood.” Her ancestry was not wholly known, but was of Thoroughbred and Saddle-horse stock. She stood only 14 1/4 hands tall, and beside other Trotters of her day, looked like a midget. She was “long for her inches,” compactly built, and had endless gaminess and stamina. She loved to run and was a born-winner. On October 19, 1859, at Kalamazoo, Michigan, she, for the fifth, “yes, I said fifth,” and last time, posted a new world mark. It was for this mark or 2:19:3/4 that she was honored by the Lancaster Glass Works of Western New York, with her very own flask. Thus, the reason she is in more museums than any other horse. Not only will you find her where horses are honored, but in every major glass museum in the country. No flask collection is complete without her.

[timmy]

keep em comin kiwi!!

now that my choice is wrong can you find anything on the history of harness in illinois?

i though there was a "camp town" race track in kansas, oh well.

[kiwi steve]

No not Delaware track home of the Little Brown Jug:



Luc Ouellette drives Million Dollar Cam to the finish line Thursday to win
the 57th Little Brown Jug in a world record half-mile time of 1:50 2/5.


The Little Brown Jug, the premier pacing classic for 3-year-olds, provides a fascinating chapter in the more-than-a-century-old history of harness racing and the standardbred sport.
The Jug, enriched by the tradition of the famed Grand Circuit and the picturesque backdrop of the Delaware Ohio County Fairgrounds, steadily maintains the flavor of the sport and competition from the days of its origin.

The founding of the Jug, which actually set its roots more than 50 years ago, is as unique as it is interesting.

It began in 1937 when the Delaware County Agricultural Society's members, at their annual meeting, voted to move the County Fair, held since its inception at Powell, to Delaware on a tract of land at the northern edge of the city.

Two years later a half-mile track was built and provided the stage for harness racing. R.K. McNamara, a local contractor, designed and built the lightning fast track.

Enter attorney Joe Neville, whose family had been identified with the standardbred sport for many years, and his friend, Henry C. "Hank" Thomson, sports editor of The Delaware Gazette.

Neville, who had campaigned horses on the Grand Circuit and was familiar with its officers and stewards, was successful in obtaining Grand Circuit dates for the new Delaware track.

Neville, concerned over the years by the emphasis placed on the trotter, turned his efforts toward showcasing the pacers, particularly the 3-year-olds.

The Little Brown Jug Society was formed to stage the Grand Circuit meeting. Neville headed the organization with Thomson as secretary-treasurer.

Then came the birth of the Little Brown Jug, named through a newspaper contest, with its previews in 1944 and 1945.

The initial Jug in 1946, with a purse of $35,358, was won by Ensign Hanover with Delaware's Wayne "Curly" Smart driving. Smart, a most successful trainer-driver on the Grand Circuit, was later to become an integral part of the Jug's operation as the track superintendent.

Over the years the track monopolized the half-mile record section with world standard performances, mainly through Smart's skill in maintaining the fastest racing strip of its size in the country.

Through its humble beginnings, the Jug grew slowly to become perhaps the most traditional stake on the pacing gait. In 1956 the Jug provided the anchor for the newly designated Triple Crown of Pacing to go along with The Cane Pace at Yonkers (N.Y.) Raceway and the Messenger Stake then at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, N.Y.

A review of Jug winners over the years produces the names of many of the all-time greats in the sport.

The great Tar Heel, driven by Del Cameron, produced the first two-minute mile in 1951. Adios Butler, reined by Clint Hodgins, broke the two-minute barrier with a 1:59.2 clocking in 1959 and went on to become the first triple crown winner.

Bret Hanover, with Frank Ervin in the sulky, added to Jug lore in 1965. After Smart-directed track maintenance crews scraped the racing surface following 24-hour rains, Bret Hanover won in the sensational time of 1:57.

Bret's time remained the fastest until 1977 when Governor Skipper, driven by John Chapman, won in 1:56.1. Hot Hitter was the 1979 victor in 1:55.3, Niatross in 1980 in 1:54.4, and Million Dollar Cam set the Jug record in 2002 in 1:50.2.

This pacing stake has maintained its impeccable reputation through the efforts of the Little Brown Jug Society with the cooperation of its host, the Delaware County Agricultural Society.

The Little Brown Jug is a part of Americana. And it shall ever remain so.

[gradysfalcon]

The entrance gate at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds proudly
displays its claim as home of world-class harness-racing


Patrick Rodman
Belleville Township High School West, Belleville

American harness racing is thought to have originated in the early 1800s. In this sport a standardbred horse, cousin to the thoroughbred, pulls the driver in a lightweight two-wheeled vehicle. There are two types of horses in harness racing, pacers and trotters. The difference between the two is found in the horses's gate, or foot pattern. Strangely enough, the history of this sport, which had its beginnings in New England, is also connected to a little town in southern Illinois named Du Quoin. Harness racing flourished for more than twenty years in Du Quoin, as it played host to the nation's most prestigious stake for three-year old trotters, the Hambletonian.

The breed of standardbreds that gave harness racing its beginning got its start when a grey thoroughbred, Messenger, was sent to America from England. Messenger ended up being the patriarch of a great family of trotters that included a descendant named Hambletonian. Hambletonian, owned by William Rysdyk of Chester, New York, is often referred to as the "great father" of harness racing. Hambletonian did not gain his fame as a trotter. He became famous because he could sire great horses with virtually any mare. In his twenty-four seasons as stud, Hambletonian sired 1,331 horses. In fact, 99 percent of all the horses that raced in 1953 were related to him in some way. Hambletonian made such an impact on the sport that it was a logical decision to name harness racing's greatest crown after him.

It was Chicago businessman Harry 0. Reno who had the idea for the Hambletonian race. He wanted to increase the popularity of harness racing by staging a race with the best competitors and with the biggest purse. He gathered the best breeders, train-

60
ILLINOIS HISTORY / APRIL 1996




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ers, and other horsemen in preparation for the event. Syracuse, New York, won the Hambletonian with the highest bidding, and in 1926 the first race was held there.

Meanwhile, in Du Quoin, a community similar to other southern Illinois communities with its industry primarily based in coal mining, a local entrepreneur started to reclaim a piece of land that had been stripped by coal miners into the later lush and green Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. The man responsible for the development of the fairgrounds was W. R. Hayes. Hayes's successful Coca Cola Company and dairy business financed the project. Small-town appeal made Du Quoin a perfect site for a state fair since many enjoy the setting of a big fair in a little city with its fresh air and friendly people. These fairs also seemed to be perfect sites for harness racing because the United States Trotting Association serviced roughly four hundred fairs in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and New York.

Even through the Du Quoin State Fair always had harness racing, it was not until the mid-1950s that the Hambletonian came to Illinois. In 1957 W. R. Hayes's two sons. Gene and Don Hayes, brought the Hambletonian from New York in open bidding. Du Quoin's first Hambletonian was held in 1957 with the winner, Hickory Smoke, receiving $111,126 in prize money. The Hambletonian prospered in Illinois until the early 1980s. The last Hambletonian was held in Illinois in 1981. The next year the race was held in the Meadowlands, New Jersey, because a larger purse was offered.

Even though the Hambletonian is now at the Meadowlands, harness racing is still held annually at the Du Quoin fairgrounds. Every summer for twenty-five years, however, harness racing's greatest race prospered in Du Quoin. At the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds the Hambletonian's purse steadily rose as the racing times consistently dropped, commonly setting new world records. Obviously, Du Quoin has played a major role in the history of harness racing's most famous event, the Hambletonian.—[From: student historian's interview with Pat Feazol (former assistant to the Du Quoin State Fair's treasurer), Feb. 3, 1996; "The Hambletonian Trotting Classic," 1980; Fred Huff, ed., The Hambletonian 1926-1975; United States Trotting Association, "Harness Racing," (no date).]

[gradysfalcon]

kiwi is it freehold?

[kiwi steve]

No not Freehold track





CAPSULE HISTORY OF FREEHOLD RACEWAY


DECEMBER 1853 - Monmouth County Agriculture Society was formed to hold an annual fair with harness racing in the Township of Freehold. Annual Membership fee would be $1.00 and one-time payment of $10 would permit a person to be a life member. It has been researched that racing was held at the same site as early as the 1830's.

1854- Society rents a 10-acre plot of land from Hudson Bennett for a sum of $50 a year. That land is currently the site of Freehold Raceway. The first fair meet after expenses showed a balance of $286.06.

1858 - Society purchases 20 acres, including the original 10 acres for $3,000 from Col. W.D. Davis. In 1875 improvements at a cost of $983.70 were made and two years later the half-mile track and Grandstand were built at a cost of $1,650. One of the first polo matches ever held in the United States was played in 1884 during the fair week.

1863 - A trotter named George M. Patchen, the "Pride of Monmouth County", set the world record for trotting-under-saddle with a two-mile mark of 4:56 at age 14.

1888 - The Monmouth County Agriculture Society passed out of existence due to financial problems. The track was idle until 1896 when the Freehold Driving Club was formed.

DECEMBER 1895 - 52 local men held a meeting and formed the Freehold Driving Club, leasing the track for $174 a year. The club held frequent trotting meetings and trials on the track until 1902, when the Freehold Driving Club was incorporated and purchased the grounds for $4,500. At this time, a golf course was also developed on the grounds.

1909 - Freehold Driving Club was disbanded and the Freehold Driving Association was organized and incorporated. The first item on the agenda was rebuilding the old track, which was considerably lopsided and was believed to have kept many horsemen away from racing there.

The annual fair was the major racing activity for years with occasional races between local horsemen. In July of 1917, the first major meet was held at the track for five days with over $1,000 in purses.

1921 - Interest in trotting meets had waned and Joseph Donahay purchased the track for $10,000. In 1923 the grandstand was rebuilt in anticipation of an innovation that became a major problem. In that year the newly formed Freehold Driving Park offered both a week of trotting races and a week of running races. There had been a previous ruling outlawing racing from the early 1900's but the Freehold group had never listened to the ruling and because of poor publicity concerning the ruling, which trickled down to the racing fans, the yearly meets at Freehold started a downward trend.

1936 - Harry Gould, sportsman and woven label manufacturer from Park Ridge, NJ purchased the track and, along with his wife and son, began repairing and improving the track which reopened as the new Freehold Trotting Association on September 15, 1936.

1941 - Harry Gould said he was too much of a sportsman and did not wish to own the track if there was to be gambling and sold his shares. Freehold soon became the first pari-mutuel track in New Jersey with a 13-day meeting featuring betting machines and an infield tote board that cost a total of $35,000. There were 24 betting booths and 15 cashier's cages. The track had been sold to Fred Fatzler, a Newark, NJ contractor from Maplewood, NJ for $65,000. He ran the track until 1943 when racing was halted during World War II, and resumed on July 22, 1944 by the Freehold Trotting Association.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1946 - Freehold starts 24-day pari-mutuel meeting with a record crowd of 4,000 fans who wagered $78,873 on 10 races. The meet ended with more than $1,423,657 wagered over the 24 days.

1960 - Fred Fatzler sells Freehold Raceway to Harold and Bernard Sampson of Milwaukee for a reported $5,000,000. After racing steadily for nearly 14 years, slowly increasing the number of racing days each season, Freehold grew in popularity, featuring the best drivers and horses in the sport. On August 11, 1962 a record crowd of 13,206 patrons wagered $758,719. The meet ended that year with total wagering at a record $25,152,981.

1965 - Gibraltar Pari-Mutuel of Canada buys Freehold Raceway from Harold and Bernard Sampson for a reported $8,000.000.

1967 - Freehold Raceway reconstructs the racetrack to allow for eight horses to start behind the starting gate instead of just six horses with two trailers as Freehold enters the modern age of racing.

1970 - The grandstand was enclosed so that Freehold could offer year-round racing featuring such outstanding drivers as Stanley Dancer, William Haughton and Herve Filion. Many of the top horses ever to race including Albatross, Cardigan Bay, Su Mac Lad and a host of other world champion performers, competed at Freehold. Major stakes races, like the James B. Dancer and Helen Dancer Memorial, attracted the best three-year-old pacers in the nation every year.

MAY 4, 1984 - Freehold Raceway grandstand and dining room is destroyed by an early evening fire caused by an electrical short in an odds board.

JULY 29, 1984 - Racing resumes at Freehold under tents, featuring 19 nights of simulcast harness races from the Meadowlands. Racing concludes on September 30.

DECEMBER 31, 1984 - The Wilmot Family of Rochester, NY purchases Freehold Raceway and all of its attached acreage from Gibraltar Pari-Mutuel of Canada.

JULY 15, 1985 - Wilmorite, Inc. begins rebuilding the new grandstand and dining room at an estimated cost of over $12,000,000. Racing goes on under plastic "Bubbles" to extend the season to January 8, 1986, along with simulcasting from the Meadowlands at night.

OCTOBER 22, 1986 - Wilmot Family holds gala affair to mark the opening of the new Freehold Raceway facility.

AUGUST 1, 1990 - Wilmorite, Inc. opens the new Freehold Raceway Mall across the street from the track. Mall features its entire motif on harness racing.

SEPTEMBER 25, 1990 - Kenneth Fischer, owner of local Gaitway Farm in Englishtown, NJ, one of the finest training centers in the country, buys Freehold Raceway from Wilmorite, Inc. and becomes the first harness horse owner to own the track in 30 years.

DECEMBER 13, 1994 - International Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., parent company of Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, NJ, announces that it has exercised an option to purchase Freehold Raceway for $23 million.

JANUARY 29, 1999 - Freehold Raceway is purchased for $46 million by Pennwood Racing. Pennwood is a partnership between Penn Gaming and Greenwood Racing.

[maria sharapova]

the term "centrefield" indicates british spelling influence.
that helped. Charlottetown Nova scotia

[maria sharapova]

eastern canada (nova scotia,quebec) has heaps of
trot tracks,Including one where they race around the ice.
that reminds me. you might catch a charlottetown shipper
running at that scarborough track in maine every once in
awhile,or the vermont fairs. Does blue bonnets in
montreal still exist?? anyway here's a toast
to Nickawampus Leroy and Jack.E.Lee
Ciao

[kiwi steve]

Very good maria sharapova you should have been a detective.

The Charlottetown Driving Park first opened it doors for standardbred harness races October 2, 1889. Since then it has kept abreast of the changing times and woven itself into the fabric of Prince Edward Island, where harness racing continues to grow and thrive. We've travelled a long way since opening our doors and have firmly established ourselves as "Atlantic Canada's Fastest Racetrack".

Tradition abounds here and the beauty of the CDP is unparalleled. Still standing proud in the centrefield is the original judge's stand built in 1889. The judge's stand was restored to its original glory in 1999 and declared a national historic site. On special occasions you will still see the stand being used by the race announcer and the presiding judge. As well you may see our original motorized starting gate leading a post parade. Lovingly restored in 1999, this starting gate, the first of its kind in Canada, was put into use originally in 1948. On sight you can enjoy the races from the Gold Cup and Saucer Restaurant or go to the licensed lounge at the top of the grandstand, fondly known as The Top of the Park.

Drive down many of the red clay back roads of PEI and you will be sure to see evidence of the standardbred harness racing industry hard at work breeding, raising, training, and yes, even racing. This hard work and dedication has earned us the title of, "The Kentucky of Canada." Come and see it for yourself and join in the fun! Be a part of history.

[maria sharapova]

There's this winter horse racing festival on a lake at St.Moritz
in switzerland.they race on snow and ice,or as the locals
refer to it the "white turf". although i have been to a number
of tracks in europe i never have made it to this gem.
I just want to sit on a deck,with an ersatz schweiz racing
sheet in hand and say "i can't believe their letting this
horse go off 15-1,he's bred up and down for the ice!!!!"
anyway,here are a few links if i can get them to work.
event
picture
here's a rudimentary site(german only sorry)site

ciao from maria