THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 24, 1996 TAG: 9607240372
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
DATELINE: CHINCOTEAGUE LENGTH: 84 lines
Little girls - as many as could squeeze along the fence - reached to pet Black Mist on the nose, or finger her shaggy mane.
The spotted pony accepted their admiration with regal indifference, as befits a great-granddaughter of an American icon.
Black Mist is descended from Misty of Chincoteague, the wild pony made internationally famous by Marguerite Henry's classic novel. And hundreds of well-wishers had gathered in a tent under the pines on Tuesday to celebrate Misty's 50th birthday.
The number of enthusiasts is expected to swell to about 50,000 this morning, as folks gather to witness the 71st annual ``pony penning.''
At slack tide - probably sometime between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. - saltwater cowboys, most affiliated with the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, will drive a herd of about 125 horses across the channel between Assateague and Chincoteague islands.
``Chincoteague is a magical island,'' said Wendy Weiler of New Jersey, who attended the party for Misty with her young daughter. Weiler said Chincoteague and the ponies draw them like a magnet year after year.
Magic. The word floats around Misty's birthday party like a mantra. For 19-year-old Becki Giusti, co-founder of the Misty of Chincoteague Foundation, it's the reason for a seven-year struggle to preserve a part of that legend.
In 1989, when she was 12, Giusti read a newspaper article that said developers were building vacation homes on Misty's old grazing grounds.
``I was devastated,'' Giusti said. ``It was such a magical place for me. I just couldn't believe they'd develop Misty's homeland into condos.''
At that point, young Giusti was already a pen pal of Marguerite Henry. She started writing to the famous author when she was 7 years old and living with her parents in Morocco, where her father worked for the State Department.
Giusti read ``Misty of Chincoteague'' there, and ``King of the Wind,'' another book by Henry, which begins in Morocco. Giusti's mother, a librarian, found Henry's address, and the child wrote to her.
At that time, Giusti said, moviemakers were filming ``King of the Wind'' in Morocco. Henry replied to her young fan, asking Giusti to take pictures of the horses and send them to her.
``That's when we started our correspondence,'' said Giusti, who has visited the 94-year-old author in her home in California. ``Every once in a while, I'll call and say hi.''
When Giusti learned about the condo builders, she called Henry and asked what she could do to save the land. Henry said Beth Sutton of Charlottesville, was also interested in preserving the land.
Giusti, still only 12, wrote to Sutton, who suggested that they start a foundation to raise money to buy a piece of the property. Sutton contacted lawyers to get the ball rolling.
``She did all the dirty work,'' Giusti said. Sutton is now treasurer of the Misty of Chincoteague Foundation.
The foundation raised more than $100,000 over the next few years, mostly through raffles and auctions of limited-edition model horses.
``People pay an enormous amount of money for a one-of-a-kind horse,'' said Giusti.
They bought a portion of the original Beebe Pony Ranch from Richard Conklin, a Chincoteague resident and businessman, and named it Misty's Meadow. It's a small piece, 100 by 200 feet, surrounded by condos, trailers and townhouses.
``Misty did roam on some of this land, possibly with her three foals,'' Giusti said. ``We're going to keep it exactly as it is.''
Conklin donated another 100-by-150 foot parcel across the street. The foundation plans to put a $35,000 bronze statue of the young Misty there. At some point, they may build a museum or try to buy the burned husk of the old Beebe house, said Giusti, but that's a long way off.
Meanwhile, having the land as a memorial park, and celebrating Misty's 50th birthday, is magic made real for Giusti and many, many others.
``I am so happy,'' she gushed. ``I've been waiting for this for seven years now - to finally have a piece of Misty's homeland to call our own, and everyone else's.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by CANDICE C. CUSIC/The Virginian-Pilot
Becki Giusti, co-founder of the misty of Chincoteague Foundation,
feeds Misty's great-granddaughter an oat birthday cake.
CANDICE C. CUSIC/The Virginian-Pilot
Kearsten Trunzo, 2, waits outside the pony pen with her father,
Dennis, while Katye Allen, 10, prepares to saddle Misty's Mayday
Twister at Misty's 50th birthday party Sunday. by CNB