Metro Spirit 03.06.2003

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28 M E T R O S P I R I T M A R 6 2 0 0 3

Clearance Items Up to 1/2 Off Quantities are Limited!

Photo Courtesy of Dogwood Stables

A carriage horse parade is part of the fun at the Aiken Trials. continued from page 27

It’s a Clean Sweep of a Sale! First Time In Our History…Savings You Won’t See Again! We have the largest selection of Broyhill furniture on display in this area and it’s now Clearance Priced!

Don’t Miss It!

Many Items One of a Kind!

Large Selection to Choose From!

Savings On Now! We’re preparing to remodel this areas only Broyhill Showcase Gallery. Instead of moving the furniture we would rather offer it to you first at substantial Savings.

Floor Sample Savings On Broyhill Bedrooms, Entertainment Walls, Living Rooms & Dining Rooms

12 MONTHS SAME AS CASH

speculate you can buy the same earning power with Standardbred to Thoroughbred at a 90-percent discount,” McGhee said. Speaking of finances, there was a note on money and the harness race that McGhee felt it important for the general public to know: “Every cent that comes in on that day goes to the USCA athletic department. We charge nothing for putting this thing on.” A Brief History of Aiken Racing McGhee told an interesting story about how the harness races started. “Back in the ‘40s, I was 12, 13, 14 years old,” he said. Young men back then liked to take out their best girl for rides, and when they came to stop lights, he said, they often came upon other young men out with their best girls. Their eyes would meet and a challenge would be given. Inevitably, a contest would ensue, to see who could go the fastest. In fact, he said, he is positive it still happens today. “But this was before the automobile,” he said. “And then they’d race from one church to another. The competition is in the mind of the young person.” In a three-part article series written in 2000 for The Backstretch magazine, Howell wrote about Aiken’s racing tradition, following the town from its inception in 1835 to the present. In the second article, “Training Track Has Served as Cradle of Champions,” she points to the opening of the Aiken Training Track in 1941, where the Aiken Trials are held, as the birth of Aiken as a horse racing town. By the 1970s, the article goes on to say, the training center had a reputation as a training ground for champions. In 1971, more than 15 trainers were stabled in Aiken, working with over 300 horses, Howell wrote, and goes on to say in the last article of the series that in 2000, there were just as many horses training in Aiken as there were in the ‘70s. Take Me Out to the Races

Financing Available

Hours: Mon & Thurs 9:30-8:00 Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat 9:30-6:00 Sun 1-5

The Aiken Trials March 15, 2003 Sponsor: The Aiken Jaycees Post Time: 2 p.m., with gates open at 10:30 a.m. • Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the gate, with children 6 and under allowed in for free. • Advance general parking is $5, $10 at the gate for infield or outfield parking. • Camper/motor home parking is $20. • There are limited reserved parking packages

available and you can only reserve spots on the back row. Those are available at the Aiken Chamber of Commerce. Phone (803) 641-1111. • For info call the Aiken Training Track at (803) 648-4631. • For ticket info call (803) 278-4TIX. The Aiken Steeplechase March 22, 2003 Sponsor: Aiken Steeplechase Association Post Time: 1 p.m. • Gates open 9:30 a.m. • Advance tickets $10, at the gate $15. • Children 6 and under free. • General admission reserved infield parking $25. • Powderhouse Polo Field parking $10, race day only. • RV parking $100, includes two tickets for 20’ x 45’ infield space. • Guarantor Package: $300/$75 per person. includes four tickets, tent party, luncheon, entertainment and parking, adjacent to the tent. • Subscriber: $150, includes four tickets and parking on the rail. • General admission railside package: $100. Includes two tickets and parking on the rail. Railside reservations limited. Call for availability. • Steeplechase Association office hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (803) 648-9641. Also visit www.aikensteeplechase.com. • Race is for the benefit of Helping Hands and the Aiken S.P.C.A. The Aiken Harness Race March 29, 2003 Sponsor: USCAiken/USCA Pacer Club Post Time: 1 p.m. Gates open 10 a.m. • Advance tickets $8 for adults, $5 kids 6-11 years. Tickets $10 at the gate for adults, $6 kids 6-11. Children under 6 free. • Railside Parking Package: First row is $85, which includes four adult tickets and programs. Second row is $60, which includes four adult tickets and programs. • General admission parking is $2, which includes program. Additional programs are $1. • Reserved Parking: Campers/motor homes back row only. No tents first and second rows. • For info call the Aiken Chamber of Commerce at (803) 641-1111.


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