The Graw Days Festival
Come join us for our annual Graw Days Festival. With a wide variety of delicious food, live foot-stomping music all day, horses from the Susquehanna State Park Mounted Patrol reminding us that horses and horse racing are the theme of the Festival, lots of kids games, a wheeled horse parade, artisans and craftspeople displaying their handicrafts and talents, pumpkin making, historic presentations and displays, and our local merchants' doors swinging all day, we can say only one thing: Put this date on your 2009 calendar! Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Third Annual Graw Days Festival!
The Graw Days represent a colorful time in Havre de Grace's history beginning in 1912 with the construction of the Havre de Grace Racetrack, affectionately called "The Graw." The track was considered on the of the best racing strips of the American turf and was the main training ground for owners who hoped to win the Kentucky Derby. It also made Havre de Grace a popular stop-off for travelers and gamblers up and down the East Coast.
The timeframe of the Graw Days Festival is the Roaring Twenties, with period music and costumes, a wide variety of food, beer garden, historic displays and presentations, and artists and craftspeople in booths along downtown streets closed to traffic. Havre de Grace Main Street, Inc. draws thousands of visitors to this event, which will be held rain or shine.
Family-friendly daytime events took place downtown from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Games and horse-themed activities for kids of all ages including free pony rides, a Wheeled Horse Parade and Contest and the Havre de Grace Library had fun projects for children.
Horse-drawn carriages take visitors on tours of the downtown area.
The History Tent featured speakers: David Craig Harford County Executive as well as expert on the Graw; David Pietrusza respected author and historian will speak on the notorious criminal kingpin, Arnold Rothstein (Graw owner); Mitch Shank, Havre de Grace Councilman shared the history of the street names in Havre de Grace; Ryan Kelly, MD Jockey Club historian; Dr. Ken Unruh, History of Havre de Grace; Donna Miller, Havre de Grace tales of ghosts.
There were live music performances throughout the day from the Peabody Ragtime Ensemble, Swanee River Ragtime Band, Jack Fox and Mojo Daddy.
Pictures from our first Graw Festival:
And They Were Off. . .
To the Grand GRAW GALA
We had an enchanting, swingin evening at the Graw Club House. Located on Old Bay Lane, this was the happening place during the 1920's where you could find many famous and notorious characters hanging out such as Al Capone and movie stars like Jane Russell.
Remembering the Graw's colorful history is not only interesting but great fun and you can either dress in 1920's costume or black tie. The Swingin Swamies provided the music, questionable gaming in the back rooms, a large selection of silent auction items
, Coakley's provided an exquisite meal with Mt. Felix Wine and a cash bar. Don't miss out next year! Be sure to purchase your
tickets in advance as the seating is limited!
Last year's Gala was a big hit:
A large group of revelers in the nostalgic history of the Havre de Grace Racetrack showed up at the original Clubhouse of the Track (on Old Bay Lane) for a five-star Graw Gala reminiscent of the 1920's. Having been masterfully decorated by Bill and Gay Lynn Price of the River City Garden Center, the Clubhouse couldn't have looked better. And more than one gangsta was observed with an AK-47 lying casually on his table (what did the babysitter think when Dad took little Johnny's favorite toy when he was leaving?). The Swingin' Swamies showed that they knew what jazz was and the 1920s-attired crowd shimmied the night away. To whet your appetite for next year's Gala, take a brief look at the fun.
