First ever sleigh rally to take place at Spec Pond

Date: 2/16/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



WILBRAHAM -- On Feb. 28, residents will have the opportunity to see the lyrics of "Jingle Bells" come to life at Spec Pond.

Horse owners will be "dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh" at Wilbraham's first ever sleigh rally, a wintry exhibition that showcases everything from mini horses to draft horses pulling decorated sleighs around a ring for spectators to enjoy.

Melissa Graves, a member of the Wilbraham Community Garden and the Friends of Recreation, is organizing the event,.

"[Sleigh rallies] started as something fun, going around a farmer's field, showing off," Graves explained. She said the rally is a competition, but not a race, and that winners are decided by appearance.

Horses at the event will be pulling everything from bobsleds to cutter sleighs, some of which are over 100 years old.

"I think a variety of people will be drawn to the event," Graves told Reminder Publications. "It's for kids who don't get to see horses that often, for teens who likes horses but maybe can't own their own, for grandparents who maybe remember using horses to get around."

She added that the most popular class in a rally is often the Currier & Ives Class, which Graves described as "highly costumed."

"It feels like you stepped back in time," she said. "They all have the jingle bells on them...It's a very classic feeling. It's so different."

The sleighs in this class follow the themes of the classic duo's prints, which depict American life in the mid-1800s.

The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved of the event at their Jan. 26 meeting.

"It sounds like a unique, different experience," Selectman David Barry said.

Graves said that Hampden used to host sleigh rallies over a decade ago, and that the nearest events she's attended this winter were in Stockbridge and Brattleboro, Vt. She added that there are no other rallies that she knows of taking place in Massachusetts, which is why she wanted to host this one in Wilbraham.

The sleigh rally will be taking place Feb. 28 from 11 a.m. until about 4 p.m. at Spec Pond. There is no fee to attend the rally, and refreshments and sleigh rides will be provided for nominal fees.