C4-Lancuter Farming, Saturday, May 2, 1998
Devon Enjoys
DEVON (Chester Co.) - The
Devon Horse Show and Country
Fair is in the forefront of a wave
of prosperity that is sweeping
over the horse show industry.
Devon is the largest, oldest,
and most prestigious outdoor
horse show in the country, but
due to the large number of
entries received annually, Devon
now limits most classes to those
horses who have amassed the
most points in other horse shows
during the previous year.
The horse show, May 22-30,
benefits the Bryn Mawr
Hospital to which it donated
almost $9 million over the past
eight decades.
Attendance at the popular
Main Line event has grown
every year, and paid attendance
last year was 109,798. Adding
to this number exhibitors, own
ers, trainers, and riders would
more than double it.
The enthusiastic crowds, plus
exhibitors that come from all
over the country and from as far
away as Florida and California,
have resulted in sponsorships
from both local and national
companies and corporations.
Last year, there were 27 com
panies that supplied sponsor
ship ranging from $l,OOO to
$50,000. And this year, there
are already eight new sponsors
anxious to jump onto the boom
ing Devon bandwagon.
Along with many local busi
nesses, a number of national
corporations, including such
giants as Anheuser-Busch and
British Airways, are also major
sponsors.
The cost of sponsoring a fence
at Devon begins at $2,000, and
having a banner on one of the
buildings surrounding the Dixon
Oval ranges from $lO,OOO up.
Leonard A. King, Devon pres
ident, a member of the sponsor
ship committee chaired by
Richard M. O'Donnell, a vice
president, and his co-chairman,
Robert McKiernan, with the
other committee members, lead
an active effort to recruit new
sponsors.
James M. Ballengee, vice
president and treasurer, has
begun a massive campaign to
raise corporate money, and Mrs.
Philip L. Kampf, vice president
and secretary, is responsible for
another big money-maker, the
advertising in the horse show
program.
Sponsors reach not only the
spectators and exhibitors at the
show.
In 1997, 82 papers reaching
more than 8.2 million readers
generated 349 stories on the
Devon Horse Show and Country
Fair. In addition, four papers
devoted special pull-out sections
to the show, plus there were
daily television and radio
reports on the show.
Devon is the tip of the ice
berg. There are thousands of
horse shows annually through
out the country, and every week
end in Chester and Delaware
counties, as well as surrounding
areas, anywhere from four to 11
horse shows are held every
weekend.
During the winter, local
shows move into indoor arenas,
most of which have heated
observation rooms.
But many Delaware Valley
exhibitors pack up and move to
Florida for the 10 weeks of the
Boomin
Winter Equestrian Festival in
Wellington and Tampa.
Underscoring the booming
economy of horse shows, entries
in Wellington have swelled by
more than 500 percent over the
last 10 years.
Due to space constriction,
Devon can't accept the huge
numbers of exhibitors.
However, through its qualifica
tion system, it accepts only the
best.
Horses and ponies that com
pete at Devon are worth hun
dreds of thousands each, with
the prices of top jumpers reach
ing $1 million.
Devon not only draws the
creme de la creme to compete in
its main arena, the Dixon Oval,
including Olympic veterans and
World Champions, but the show
also brings million of dollars
into the local economy.
Hotel and motel rooms in the
surrounding area are sold out
months in advance of the show
and restaurants enjoy a huge
boost. Business that profit from
Devon exhibitors include rental
cars, air lines, cleaners, liquor
stores, and local convenience
stores.
The Devon Horse Show and
Countiy Fair begins with junior
weekend May 22 and Saturday,
May 23.
The Carriage Pleasure Drive,
beginning as usual at Blackburn
Farm on Sunday, begins seven
days of exciting competition
between top hunters, jumpers,
three- and five-gaited horses,
fine harness horses, hackneys,
Winners Of Public Speaking
SUNBURY (Northumberland
Co.) Robert F. Pardoe Jr.,
chairman of the Northumberland
County Conservation District
board of directors, announced the
top three place finishes in die Zim
merman Dodge Public Speaking
contest held recently, cosponsored
by Zimmerman Motors, Sunbury,
and the conservation district
Joy Lesher, a 12th grade student
at Line Mountain High School,
was the top scorer with her
speech, ’‘Erosion: Washing Away
a Dirty Problem.” The speech dis
cussed the causes and effects of
soil erosion.
Placing second was Tim Fur
man, an 11th grade student from
Sunbury Christian Academy,
whose speech, entitled “Magnet
ism and Improved Plant Growth,”
discussed the effects of biomagne
dsm and an experiment he con
ducted using magnets.
Corey Kinger, a 12th grade stu
dent from Ml Carmel Area High
Huge Growth,
g Economy
> v
Contest Announced
roadsters and four-m-hand
coaches.
Two new divisions are fea
tured this year, Pony Pairs, with
three classes Monday evening,
and a Country Pleasure horse
section. Nine four-in-hands will
compete in evening classes
Monday through Friday.
On Sunday evening, three of
the four-in-hand exhibitors,
John Landon, Louisa Plummer
and Harry Witteveen, will pre
sent an exhibition of random
driving in which three horses,
only one of which is in shafts,
are presented one behind the
other. It is the height of difficul
ty in driving.
Two world champion frisbee
dogs, the National Capital Air
Canines, will perform Saturday
evening, May 23, through
Monday evening.
The Budweiser Clydesdales
will perform in exhibition
Wednesday through Saturday.
The Country Fair, featuring
almost 40 shops and boutiques,
includes a wide variety of entic
ing merchandise. For young
sters, the fair features a Ferris
wheel and merry go-round plus
many games.
General admission for adults
is $5 if purchased in advance or
$6 at the gate. Children under
12 are $2.50 in advance or $3 at
the gate. Senior citizens are $4.
Reserved seats are available at
an additional cost. Tickets may
be purchased in advance at the
show grounds.
For ticket information, call
(610) 688-2554.
school, placed third with her
speech on “Our Precious Waters,”
dealing with threats to water
quality.
Six students presented speeches
for the contest, which was held
Feb. 3 at Line Mountain High
School near Mandata. Speeches
were first judged on the basis of a
written manuscript submitted pri
or to their oral presentations.
Scores from both the written and
oral segments were combined to
determine final scores.
Zimmerman Motors provided
the three place finishers with cash
awards in the amounts of $l5O,
$lOO, and $5O, respectively. The
conservation district provided
recognition certificates to all stu
dents who entered the contest
First place finisher, Joy Lesher.
will give her speech at the North
umberland County Conservation
District annual awards banquet
scheduled for March 12, at Shikel
lamy High School, Sunbury.
Caramel apples, the ferris wheel, and boutique shopping plus
exciting show Jumping competitions draw huge crowds annual
ly to the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, May 22-30.
Simmental Juniors
Face Busy Summer
BOZEMAN, Mont. Junior
members of the American
Simmental Association (ASA)
are looking forward to a summer
filled with enjoyable, beef indus
try-related competition.
Four Regional Classics dur
ing the month of June, followed
by National Classic XVIII, are
on the upcoming calendar of
events.
Regional Classics, patterned
after the National Classic, are
planned at four wide-ranging
locations. "There is a regional
event within reasonable driving
distance of almost 90 percent of
our membership," said Ryan
Altenburg, the American Junior
Simmental Association (AJSA) •
president from Fort Collins,
Colo.
"Regional Classics are a great
way to become involved and to
get warmed up for the National
event," Altenburg explained.
"We urge our members to pre
pare for the National Classic by
studying and working at home,
and by attending one or more
Regional Classics.:
Regional Classics are sched
uled as follows; south-central
region, June 18-20, Springfield,
Mo.; north central region, June
18-20, Minot, N.D.; western
region, June 22-24, Prineville,
Ore.; and eastern region, June
25-27, at Clemson, S.C.
National Classic XVIII, tradi
tionally the highlight of the
AJSA year, will be held July 6-
10 in Columbus, Ohio. ASA staff
members are working closely
with the Ohio Simmental
Association (OSA) and Ohio
State University Animal Science
faculty in coordinating the
event. It is being jointly planned
in conjunction with the
American Gelbvieh Association's
annual youth event.
The Radisson-North in
Columbus will serve as ASA
Classic Headquarters, while all
cattle events will be centered at
the spacious Ohio Expo Center,
site of the annual Ohio State
Fair.
Up to 250 AJSA members are
expected to participate in junior
and senior divisions
Competition is held in a variety
of cattle-related categories,
including a herdsman s quiz,
sire summary quiz, beef bowl,
public speaking, sales talk,
heifer exhibition, showmanship,
advertising and promotion, and
job interviewing.
Extra curricular activities on
the schedule include a dance, a(
volleyball tournament, a barbe
cue cook-out, and a feshje
awards banquet. Also, the OSA
is coordinating an area in whic
parents can congregate.