THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 27, 1995 TAG: 9508250061
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TRAVEL-WISE
SOURCE: STEVE HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
A COUPLE of years ago I drove up to Oatlands, an old plantation near Leesburg in Northern Virginia, just to see a mule jump.
Draft horse show and mule jumping is what they were advertising.
I've never heard of a mule doing anything it didn't really want to do. Certainly not jumping.
Well, that shows you what I know.
Turned out these runty little mules with cowboy saddles on their backs were what's called coon mules - I don't think these people were pulling my leg - and what they were supposed to be doing in this show was replicating the days when farmers, riding on muleback, tried to catch raccoons.
Occasionally, they had to jump fences, of course. Sort of a poor man's fox hunt.
Anyway, these two mules had stage fright. Or basic mule personalities. Or they didn't want to make fools of themselves. They were probably saying, ``Who ever heard of a mule jumping?''
Their handlers, two young girls whose initial embarrassment gradually turned to disgust, finally managed to get them to jump a barrier about 2 feet high.
So that's mule jumping. I don't think it exactly changed my life, but it was interesting to see.
If you want to see this for yourself, Oatlands' 11th annual ``Draft Horse and Mule Day'' is scheduled for Saturday (10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). The focus is on the importance of the work horse in America's argicultural history.
The real show is the draft horse competitions.
These stocky animals, used since the Middle Ages in Britain, France and Belgium, were the lifeblood of American farms during the 18th and 19th centuries before steam and gasoline tractors came along.
Used to be people would say, ``Real horses weigh a ton.'' These do. They also can drag a ton. Teams of them can pull a sled carrying upwards of 6,500 pounds. Quite a show. Good country fun.
Oatlands is on U.S. 15, six miles south of Leesburg. Admission is $7 (children under 12 free); no pets allowed. Info: (703) 777-3174. MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Also in Virginia in September:
Cavaliers and Roundheads, re-enactors of course, go at it Sept. 9-10 to mark the 350th anniversary of the Battle of Naseby, which more or less ended the English Civil War. It's all part of the Frontier Festival at the Museum of American Frontier Culture at Staunton (I-64 in the Shenandoah Valley). More than 200 artisans, craftsmen, musicians, dancers and exhibitors will be on hand. Info: (540) 332-7850.
Historic Occoquan Fall Arts and Crafts Show, Sept. 23-24, Interstate 95 Exit 160 in Northern Virginia. More than 375 artists and craftspeople display their creations in this rejuvenated old river town. Info: (703) 491-2168.
Grayson Highlands Fall Festival, Sept. 23-24, is a celebration of traditional mountain culture at Grayson Highlands State Park (U.S. 58 in Southwest Virginia). Learn the secret of making sorghum molasses, apple butter and cider as well as other homestead skills and crafts. Plenty of bluegrass and gospel music, too. Info: (540) 579-7092. ALL HALLS OF FAME
Americans love heroes. The proof is in the more than 1,000 halls of fame across the land, and on Labor Day, the newest, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, opens in Cleveland. A star-studded concert will be held Sept. 2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, a stone's throw from the $92 million I.M. Pei-designed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
``By inducting America's heroes into halls of fame, we bestow upon them the American version of royalty,'' said Paul Dickson, co-author of ``The Volvo Guide to Halls of Fame'' (Living Planet Press, $12.95). These hallowed halls celebrate athletes, astronauts, clowns, cowboys and even the Barbie Doll.
The guide lists some 200 of the best, including the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in Portsmouth, the Virginia Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame at Sandston (near Richmond Airport), the U.S. Slo-Pitch Softball Association Hall of Fame Museum in Petersburg and the National Jousting Hall of Fame at Mount Solon in the Shenandoah Valley.
Look for it at a local bookstore (if it's not in stock, ask them to order) or call (800) 345-6665. SPECIAL NEEDS
The mail-order company called Magellan's has something for every traveler including those with special needs. Included are a folding wheelchair that weighs only 22 pounds ($895), easy-to-use wheelchair cinch straps ($4.85), a steam inhaler for asthma sufferers that runs on foreign current ($39.85), a diabetic travel kit with gel packs to keep insulin cool ($36.50), an adjustable folding cane ($24.85), a walking stick with fold-out chair for those who can't stand for long ($24.85) and ``Able to Travel,'' a book featuring over a hundred stories by disabled travelers ($19.95). The fall catalog also includes a brochure on some of the best specialized newsletters and magazines. For a free catalog, call (800) 962-4943. MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The
Virginian-Pilot/The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449; phone (804)
446-2904. by CNB