Sifting Through the Sands of Time Courier Archives 80 Years Ago 2 Sept. 5, 1930

Over 600 Pack Grandstand

A crowd conservatively estimated at 2,000 witnessed the horse and mule races at the Driving Park in this village on Labor Day afternoon and everyone was thoroughly satisfied with the entertainment provided from 1:30 until nearly six o’clock.

It was a record crowd for the first season of the Putnam County Driving & Riding Club and would undoubtedly have been larger if the weather had not been threatening. There were 1,006 paid admissions at the main entrance gate and the three hundred club members with their families besides the children who were admitted free swelled the attendance to well over 2,000.

Automobiles covered all parts of’ the grounds from south of the grandstand to the northern boundary on Fair street as well as the large parking area east and south of the Dineen residence. Several estimated the number of cars to be one thousand.

The grand stand was completed and used for the first time and it was crowded shortly after the racing program opened with many standing at the fence along the track in front. There were 632 paid admissions to the grand stand while hundreds of people lined the fence around the west and north sides of the track. The grand stand made a colorful picture filled as it was with people in varicolored clothing and reminded one of the balmy days of the Carmel fair.

A half mile race using the high wheel sulkies of forty years ago opened the program of the afternoon and was a sight to many of the older persons present that brought back to them their boyhood days on the old track. In the seats of these historic sulkies were Eugene Towner, president of the Driving Club, driving Sadie Forbes, and Samuel McMillan, official starter, driving Addie Temple. For this race Towner drew the poll and with W. Boynton Towner as starter they were off. Towner won the heat in 1:11. Starter McMillan took his place in the stand and announced the officials of the day as follows: Judges—Martin Horton, Edward S. Agor and Raymond Weeks. Timers—Dr. C. W. Marshall, Dr. Albert Towner and Wm. Crawford, Seven started in the Class A trot and pace, the fastest of the afternoon and Fred H. Smith, driving Sir Zandt, owned by Butler, and an added entry, took the first two heats and race in 2:18 and 2:12.