Charles Town - Friday, December 18

[miesque]

I am heading up for the races at Charles Town next Friday evening, December 18. I know there are a few PA members who live in the general vicinity of Charles Town so I wanted to see if there were any interested in joining my table for an evening of racing. If there is any interest, please shoot me a PM so I can get a head count. Also if there are any HANA members out there who would like a chance to talk with a HANA Board member in person this is an opportunity for you to do so as well as when I will also be at Penn National this Friday and Saturday (Dec 11 & 12).

Before anyone gets on my case regarding my less then stellar choice of tracks I am visiting the next two weekends, please note that (1) these are two of the three closest tracks to me and the only two that are open now and not all of us live next to tracks like Del Mar and Santa Anita and (2) its where the majority of my ownership activities have taken place the past six years.

[cj's dad]

Looking forward to it.

PA members in the Baltimore, DC, and Va. areas, give it a thought.

[adwplayingfool]

May be around, got some comps from the slots side I have to use by christmas.

[bisket]

i was introduced to the game for the first time at charlestown. its a nice little track around some of the best the country getaways in the midatlantic. unfortunatly i can't attend, but hope everyone has a good time. i've spent many a weekend in the western md, pennsylvania, and west va area.

[Track Collector]

I hope to arrive at CT by 9:30 p.m. (Will miss the nice buffet. :( )

It is always nice to meet up with fellow PA members. :)

[miesque]

i was introduced to the game for the first time at charlestown. its a nice little track around some of the best the country getaways in the midatlantic. unfortunatly i can't attend, but hope everyone has a good time. i've spent many a weekend in the western md, pennsylvania, and west va area.

Charles Town was the first track I ever attended as well even though I had been a fan of horse racing since I was young kid. You comment actually triggered a few thoughts on how I started playing which I should probably add to that thread that was started a few days ago.

[proximity]

Before anyone gets on my case regarding my less then stellar choice of tracks I am visiting the next two weekends, ......

miesque, i will be at pen on friday night. now i reckon that a jet-setter like yourself will be down in the dining room but should you find yourself lost amidst the steerage of the clubhouse and see an uglier fella with ridiculously messy hair who is wearing about half a can too much of proximity scent axe bodyspray.... don't be afraid to stop and say hi....:)

[miesque]

miesque, i will be at pen on friday night. now i reckon that a jet-setter like yourself will be down in the dining room but should you find yourself lost amidst the steerage of the clubhouse and see an uglier fella with ridiculously messy hair who is wearing about half a can too much of proximity scent axe bodyspray.... don't be afraid to stop and say hi....:)

I think I might stick out more then you since I have a tendency to stick out like a sore thumb at Penn, especially if I am wearing one of my coats. :D

I will shoot you a PM because I will be roaming around at least a little and one of the evenings I will be there for the full card and the other I will be there just for the beginning of the card since one of those evening I want to have dinner at the Golden Sheaf at the Harrisburg Hilton (great restaurant by the way for those who like that sort of thing), but you do have me pegged right as I am a dining room kinda of chick for most of the time I am at the track. :cool:

[takeout]

Check out the tote board while you’re down there. Should be good for a laugh. It’s a “new” one yet is missing a ton of features that the old one HAD. Just last week they had a 5-figure tri and nowhere on the board to show the payoff. Also nowhere to put the super payoffs and they were running supers when they built it! :faint:

[proximity]

Check out the tote board while you’re down there. Should be good for a laugh. It’s a “new” one yet is missing a ton of features that the old one HAD........ :faint:

hey takeout, did they put the wire back up yet??:D

[takeout]

I wish they would! :D I know it was just a rough guide but I kind of miss that thing.

[proximity]

well my fellow fanatics of the fractions, i am relieved to report that i did indeed survive last night's pen encounter with miesque and her little cohort (herself a former "MassCap" princess)....although not without some anxious moments as this duo of divas tried both (a) getting me drunk and (b) actually drugging me with a "hyperbaric" super-trainer needle(that the girls really did find in the ladies room)..... all in what i'm sure was a vain attempt to get a peek at my (ahem) "enhanced" sam "houseton" pps no doubt.

now it would have been nice if someone had warned me that i was actually meeting up with 2/3 of charlie's angels and not your average plain jane railbirds here.... i mean i could have at least tried to corral the "ridiculously messy hair" (see post #7 above)...... although with the way the wind was whipping through the parking garage on my walk to the racino i'm sure that any efforts at this would have been to no avail!!

anyhow i did find out that these chicks aren't really into messy hair and "smelly" people.... and that they're still fighting personal cold-wars against all of those russian horseplayers that are out there. HOWEVER i did learn that they do have a thing for chalk bettors with fake tans and gaudy gold necklaces!!

seriously though thank you to miesque and her p.a. lurking "comrade" for the drink, the conversation, and the h.a.n.a. hi-liter they gave me.... which actually doubles for a ninja throwing star!! h.a.n.a. is very fortunate to have her in such a prominent position.

finally, lest this tale fails to inspire p.a. members in the tri-state area to make it out to ct on friday night (and to hit the tanning salons hard this coming week) i will also say that i've been blessed to meet both track collector and cj's dad at tracks here in 2009 and can say that they are both real good guys that i'm proud to know!!

good luck at ct!!

[shoelessjoe]

I started out at CT as well some 40 years ago,back then Shenandoah Downs was also running as well.I remember that the top purse for an allowance race was 2700.The dining room is one of the nicest around.

[proximity]

I started out at CT as well some 40 years ago,back then Shenandoah Downs was also running as well.I remember that the top purse for an allowance race was 2700.The dining room is one of the nicest around.

here is a link to a short four part youtube documentary on the history of charles town racing created by a man named jim surkamp. shenandoah is covered towards the end of part 2 and continuing on into part 3.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1laVK8edLVs&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isVjaSIj3-g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IDvPfggM7Y&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_RYxkLEMU&feature=related

[takeout]

here is a link to a short four part youtube documentary on the history of charles town racing
Thanks for that. Pretty interesting. Even got to see the wire again in part 4, about 2:50 in. :D

[shoelessjoe]

Thanks

[proximity]

Even got to see the wire again in part 4, about 2:50 in. :D

i do confess that the old eyes got a little misty during that part. :D

loved those elaborate betting records of george washington right in the beginning too!! wonder what the takeout was for that race!?!

[miesque]

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that due to the impending snow storm approaching the Mid-Atlantic, I am regretfully going to have to have to cancel my trip up to Charles Town tomorrow evening. According to Accuweather.com they are forecasting 3-6 inches of snow Friday night and an additional 6-10 inches of snow on Saturday for where I live and lets just say they will not win any positive awards for winter weather road maintenance in this area.

[Track Collector]

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that due to the impending snow storm approaching the Mid-Atlantic, I am regretfully going to have to have to cancel my trip up to Charles Town tomorrow evening. According to Accuweather.com they are forecasting 3-6 inches of snow Friday night and an additional 6-10 inches of snow on Saturday for where I live and lets just say they will not win any positive awards for winter weather road maintenance in this area.

Thanks Miesque for the heads up, it is certainly understandable.

Please let us know if/when you re-schedule a trip to CT.

[Grits]

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that due to the impending snow storm approaching the Mid-Atlantic, I am regretfully going to have to have to cancel my trip up to Charles Town tomorrow evening. According to Accuweather.com they are forecasting 3-6 inches of snow Friday night and an additional 6-10 inches of snow on Saturday for where I live and lets just say they will not win any positive awards for winter weather road maintenance in this area.

Stay in for the weekend. Eat and drink well. Build a fire. Enjoy the snow from inside.

[miesque]

Stay in for the weekend. Eat and drink well. Build a fire. Enjoy the snow from inside.

Thanks, Grits. I am going to do just that and make the most of it. Between a trip to the grocery store this morning, nice selection of wine at home, a wood stove and about third a cord of firewood, I will be prepared to be cozily snowbound (and if it has to happen its much better on the weekend because they I can enjoy the beauty aspect of the snow and it is beautiful in the country when it snows)

I just can't believe how rapidly the forecast changed, I swear I looked at the forecast two days ago and it was just a cold weekend not one with 12 inches of snow.

[cj's dad]

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that due to the impending snow storm approaching the Mid-Atlantic, I am regretfully going to have to have to cancel my trip up to Charles Town tomorrow evening. According to Accuweather.com they are forecasting 3-6 inches of snow Friday night and an additional 6-10 inches of snow on Saturday for where I live and lets just say they will not win any positive awards for winter weather road maintenance in this area.

Copy that !!

My old guy's car - a Merc Gr. Marquis hates the snow.

[miesque]

Copy that !!

My old guy's car - a Merc Gr. Marquis hates the snow.

:lol: I had old '81 Mercury Grand Marquis for almost a decade (it was my first car) and that thing was just awful in snow. I still have a sedan but one of the reasons I moved over to Lincoln Continentals after that Grand Marquis was in fact because they were front wheel drive cars with traction control but were still big enough and heavy enough and had enough V8 power (285 hp) to deal with all the fun things you have a good chance of running into on country roads aka deer and pickup trucks.

[cj]

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that due to the impending snow storm approaching the Mid-Atlantic, I am regretfully going to have to have to cancel my trip up to Charles Town tomorrow evening. According to Accuweather.com they are forecasting 3-6 inches of snow Friday night and an additional 6-10 inches of snow on Saturday for where I live and lets just say they will not win any positive awards for winter weather road maintenance in this area.

This reminds me of the crazy trips we used to make to CharlesTown as a teen. There were several times we would call from Pimlico and told the card was still on, only to have it canceled after we arrived. We'd eat at the Golden Corral and maybe go bowling at the Shenendoah Lanes, then head back. I can remember being in blinding snow and on highways that were sheets of ice, but we always made it safe, usually while listening to recorded race calls on cassette. Yes, we were sick.

[cj's dad]

This reminds me of the crazy trips we used to make to CharlesTown as a teen. There were several times we would call from Pimlico and told the card was still on, only to have it canceled after we arrived. We'd eat at the Golden Corral and maybe go bowling at the Shenendoah Lanes, then head back. I can remember being in blinding snow and on highways that were sheets of ice, but we always made it safe, usually while listening to recorded race calls on cassette. Yes, we were sick.

Hopefully this was not while Mom and I were paying for your upkeep.:faint:

[proximity]

Please let us know if/when you re-schedule a trip to CT.

well every cloud has a silver lining.... maybe i'll actually be able to attend if she does reschedule!! (probably not the silver lining everybody was looking for though)

and while we're on the topic of ct, has anyone down there heard anything from relwob owner lately?? he/she used to post a lot on here and was especially interested in and knowledgeable about ct related topics. hope relwob is ok.

[Saratoga_Mike]

well every cloud has a silver lining.... maybe i'll actually be able to attend if she does reschedule!! (probably not the silver lining everybody was looking for though)

and while we're on the topic of ct, has anyone down there heard anything from relwob owner lately?? he/she used to post a lot on here and was especially interested in and knowledgeable about ct related topics. hope relwob is ok.

Relwob is still around. I had lunch with him at LRL a few days ago.

[bisket]

for everyone "riding out the storm" a new item to buy at the grocery store before a snow storm: drano. just drove to giant for a few bottles :D good luck to everyone.

[miesque]

for everyone "riding out the storm" a new item to buy at the grocery store before a snow storm: drano. just drove to giant for a few bottles :D good luck to everyone.

Drive to the store? What a luxury at this point. There is at least a foot and a half of snow approaching two feet and I have a quarter mile drive way and its still coming down hard.

[bisket]

its powder. getting through is not a problem. although i drove my minivan and not a lincoln or mercury ;)

[Track Collector]

well every cloud has a silver lining.... maybe i'll actually be able to attend if she does reschedule!! (probably not the silver lining everybody was looking for though)

I for one hope you can make it!

I hope the re-schedule is a SATURDAY night, in which case I would likely be able to the entire card. (Nothing like more races to help reduce, ahem, I mean grow one's bankroll. :p )

[proximity]

I for one hope you can make it!

I hope the re-schedule is a SATURDAY night, in which case I would likely be able to the entire card. (Nothing like more races to help reduce, ahem, I mean grow one's bankroll. :p )


thanks track, but with two furlongs of driveway to shovel and the snow nearly over her head (not that i'm ralph sampson or anything).... it may be awhile before we see miesque. of course i guess if it gets bad enough she could summon the h.a.n.a. corporate helicopter or something...:D