THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605100071
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
STEEPLECHASE RACING comes as close as it gets to Hampton Roads on Saturday with the fourth running of The Races at Marengo.
Steeplechase racing, you should know, is not just about horses. In fact, it is only incidentally about horses. They do run over an undulating grass oval and jump over a bunch of fences, and for five minutes or so every half hour when they are running, some spectators actually stop and watch.
I have heard ladies say things like, ``Isn't he lovely. . . . Oh, he's lovely . . . just gorgeous,'' and I'm never really sure whether they are talking about the horses or what.
The rest of the time they watch each other and talk a lot - Hiiiyh, how ARE you! - and drink and dawdle at elaborate tailgate spreads. This is a giant lawn party.
And the tailgating can be quite intense: silver candelabra and chafing dishes, stemmed wine crystal, flower vases on white tablecloths, enormous wicker picnic baskets, folding wooden lawn furniture - behind properly yuppie motor vehicles.
Marengo is a beautiful setting. It's an early 19th century plantation on the Pamunkey River a half-hour west of Williamsburg off Interstate 64. It's named for the site of a Napoleon victory in 1800. The adjoining property, incidentally, is called Waterloo; Napoleon did not fare as well there.
There's no better time or place - springtime in Virginia - to do it than alongside a plantation pasture when the sun is shining, the grass is green and the breeze is mild.
You'll see women wearing brimmed hats with silk ribbons and chiffon rosettes, men in rumpled linen and blazers with straw hats. Don't be intimidated by these elements of style. They think they're at Ascot. Seriously, you don't really have to dress fancy. Think of this as a come-as-you-are party, or more precisely as a how-you-see-yourself affair. It's great fun.
But don't go cowboy. That just isn't done.
Gates open at 10 with post time for the first of seven races at 1 p.m. In between, there's a Jack Russell terrier race at 10:30, a parade of antique carriages at 11:45 and lots of fashion statements.
The races are held to raise funds for Historic Richmond Foundation, one of the oldest and most effective preservation organizations in the United States.
To get to Marengo, take Interstate 64 west to exit 211, then north on Va. 106, Va. 609 and Va. 606. It may sound confusing, but it's not difficult. The roads are well marked. It's about 1 1/2 hours from South Hampton Roads.
Advance tickets ($13 for adults, $5 for children 7-12; parking $5 a car) are available through Thursday at the following South Hampton Roads locations: Beecroft & Bull, 200 E. Main St., Norfolk, and 3198 Pacific Ave., Virginia Beach; and Prince Books, 109 E. Main St., Norfolk. Adult tickets are $20 at the gate on race day. Info: (804) 343-RACE. HERITAGE FESTIVAL
Ever wonder how a blacksmith molded tools from metal in early America?
Blacksmith? Oh, you thought tools came from a hardware store.
Well, did you ever wonder how coopers made barrels and buckets from white oak trees?
Cooper? Huh?
Maybe you should go to the American Heritage Festival Saturday and next Sunday (9-5 both days) at the Yorktown Victory Center. Throughout the weekend, craftspeople will be demonstrating various trades and handicrafts that were pretty important in daily life during the 18th and 19th centuries - even tomahawk throwing, although there's not much demand for that these days.
The state-administered living history museum is located on Old Route 238, just off U.S. 17, in Yorktown. Admission is $6.75 for adults, $3.25 for children 6-12. Info: (804) 253-4838. OTHER GOINGS ON
If you're into big bands and the swing era, boogie up to Orkney Springs, near Woodstock on the western edge of the Shenandoah Valley, for the first concert of the 34th annual Shenandoah Valley Music Festival, 8 p.m. May 24, for a performance of the Kings of Swing, a 13-piece band from Richmond. I think Orkney Springs is one of the most pleasant places in Virginia to spend a weekend. Info (800) 459-3396.
There are almost as many strawberry festivals as there are strawberry patches - it's hard to beat the one at Pungo in Virginia Beach, May 25-26 - but the one at Sky Meadows State Park in Northern Virginia, May 26, caught my attention. In addition to the eating, they have a ``husband calling'' contest, which is sort of like hog calling but not quite, and famous personalities who live in the surrounding ``Hunt Country'' will take their place in the dunking tank. If I knew for sure that one of them would be Jack Kent Cooke, I'd go. Actually, no names were mentioned, but Mrs. Willard Scott is the publicist. Sky Meadows is near Paris (Virginia, of course), where U.S. routes 17 and 50 intersect. Info: (540) 592-3556 or 364-2772. HERE'S TO 200
Tennessee will be the last state to have a bicentennial in this century. The Volunteer State will celebrate its 1796 admission as the 16th state in the Union on June 1, with the opening of the Bicentennial Mall near the Capitol building in Nashville. Fireworks, tours and other events will salute the outdoor mall's amphitheater, granite state map, fountains that represent the state's rivers, a farmer's market, and so on.
The statewide celebration will last all year, with every county doing something special, and will include new or improved attractions and many special events. For a list of all the bicentennial events and other events, write for the Tennessee 1996 Vacation Guide, available free from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, P.O. Box 23170, Nashville, Tenn. 37202; or call (800) TENN-200. UPS AND DOWNS
Attention coaster fanatics: Hersheypark in Hershey, Pa., is building a wooden roller-coaster called the Wildcat, scheduled to be ready Memorial Day weekend. The first lift will be 90 feet, followed by an 85-foot drop at 45 miles per hour. The speed will hold at about 40 mph for the rest of the one-minute, 45-second ride. Info: (800) 437-7439. 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,
Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449; phone (804) 446-2904. by CNB