Spring Ahead
Atlanta Steeplechase Offers An Idyllic Country Getaway

By Julie Clark

    When the first hoof thunders through the grass and launches into the opening jump of the day, you can forget all about that pesky groundhog’s prediction — spring has officially arrived in Georgia. Welcome to the largest lawn party around, otherwise known as the Atlanta Steeplechase, where people watching is as much a celebrated spectator sport as horse racing. Just follow the river of fanciful summer hats and swinging picnic baskets to Kingston Downs to see what the hullabaloo is all about.

Room to Roam
     It is a Southern springtime ritual that is an experience unlike any other. On the third Saturday of April, racing enthusiasts, fashionistas, young professionals, and families with children of all ages will converge upon Kingston Downs — an expansive meadow stretching 435 acres between the historic country towns of Cartersville and Rome. With just one look at all the pomp and parade, it’s clear this is so much more than simply a horse race.
    “It just has such incredible energy, it’s a rite of spring,” said Jean Bird, executive director of the Atlanta Steeplechase. “People have been indoors all winter, and it really is the first big event that brings everyone out.”
     Now luring more than 20,000 race hungry spectators, it’s hard to imagine it all began with a group of local foxhunters looking to share their love of horse racing with Atlanta.
    “We didn’t know what was going to happen,” recalled George Chase, one of the Atlanta Steeplechase founders. “We didn’t expect more than 500, but those cars just kept coming and coming. We finally just said ‘no charge, just come in.’ Next thing we knew, people just started calling and wanted to get tickets for next year, and it just caught on.” Well, that 500 bloomed into about 3,000, making the 1966 inaugural event a stomping success. “It was really more of a cocktail party, because people didn’t know what was going on race wise,” he chuckled in reflection.
     The Atlanta Steeplechase quickly became a family tradition that passed down from one generation to the next. As the families expanded, so too, did the event, which outgrew multiple locations, including its former quarters at Seven Branches Farm in Cumming, before digging its hooves into Kingston Downs in 1993.
    “Atlanta Steeplechase roots were built along the 400 corridor because that’s where the course really took off and where Steeplechase gained its notoriety,” Bird added. “Those people have remained loyal and have traveled west to the new location between Rome and Cartersville.” Also, Kingston Downs is quite promising because it provides something the previous sites could not — room to grow. Expecting more than 20,000 attendees this year, Atlanta Steeplechase is hoping to embrace even more horse racing fans and swell the attendance to nearly 50,000 in the coming years.
     With a purse now reaching $165,000 and an impressive racetrack, the charity event benefiting The Atlanta Speech School has gained notable esteem in the racing industry. “Atlanta Steeplechase traditionally has been one of the strongest in the United States,” said Hal Barry, chairman of the board of stewards of the Atlanta Steeplechase. Chase added, “One of the leading trainers said we have the ‘Belmont of the South.’ ” Tipping their hats to the event this year are Governor Sonny Perdue, who will be on hand to present the Georgia Cup, as well as Atlanta Journal-Constitution sportswriter and local legend Furman Bisher as the steeplechase’s honorary chairman.
     But no matter where they race or what movers and shakers are in attendance, Chase still gets the same thrill today as he did when the first jockey mounted 41 years ago. In fact, he’s been to every single steeplechase … except one. “I just couldn’t duck that wedding,” he joked.

And They’re Off
     Revelry abounds before the first steed even takes the field, turning Kingston Downs into a festival for granddaughters to grandpas and everyone in between. The steeplechase mingles carnival frivolity with metropolitan sophistication with ease, from the parade of the bear creek hounds and the aeronautical feats of its annual air show to serenades by Scottish bagpipers and shopping through rows of vendors peddling handmade jewelry, artwork and even gentleman’s cigars.
     Never is that more evident than in the fashions that parade through the country field before, during and after the races. “It is an event to see and be seen,” Bird said. “Even if it’s 32 degrees out, you still will see women out there in their spaghetti strap sundresses and beautiful hats just braving the cold. Beauty is pain, I guess.” And of course, what respectable racing event would be complete without the much-admired “My Fair Ladyesque” racing hat. “A woman who won the hat contest one year looked like a model balancing books on her head,” Bird recalled. “She had a hat made of fresh flowers that was 3-feet tall off the top of her head. Really the hat contest says it all, people go all out trying to win it.”
     But with that air of posh elegance comes a warm breeze of whimsy. Before you cheer on those majestic thoroughbreds, be sure to root for the underdog during the Jack Russell Terrier’s race. And just in case you picked “a dog” in that heated race, you can court lady luck once more as pot-bellied pigs scramble to the winner’s circle.
     Since the Atlanta Steeplechase is truly a family event at heart, there are oodles of events to entertain the most finicky youngster from hayrides, petting zoos and pony rides to a rock climbing wall, bungee jumps and moonwalks. And who could forget Buttercup the bull? Children of all ages scramble to his side to get a souvenir snapshot of their day at the races.
     You would think the horse race might play second fiddle to all this merriment, but it appears the most magical moment of the day occurs when the clock strikes 1:30 p.m. and these noble steeds take the field for the first of six races. “My kids sit up on the rail and we dole out dollar bills so they each can pick a horse,” Bird said. “The horses are so powerful and majestic, it really is amazing to see them race just 10 to 20 feet in front of you.”
     The chance to be such a part of the action offers spectators a one-of-a-kind, up close and personal experience not available at typical horse races. “This course allows you to see the horses run the entire track, so you never miss the action,” Barry pointed out. Once the last horse crosses the finish line, the party doesn’t end. The nightcap to the day’s festivities is a raucous after-party that should not be missed.

Country Roads, Take Me Home . . . Eventually
     After your fun-filled day at the races, you may find your eyelids too heavy or your cheeks too rosy to head straight back home. That makes it the perfect time to spend the night and soak up more of the area’s rural charm before heading back to the rat race of Atlanta’s highways.
     Village shopping, quaint eateries, natural wonders, rousing art exhibits and good old-fashioned Southern charm tempts even the most hardened city slicker to stop and stay a while. If you made the journey to Kingstown Downs, it would be a hangable offense not to explore the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville. You might scratch your head and ask, “A western art museum in the heart of Dixie?” But once you mosey inside, it will take your breath away … promise. With the artful savvy of the High, yet the down-to-earth charm of a lone cowboy on the range, the museum can easily tie up your whole day in town. One minute you will be staring down an authentic stagecoach, and another you’ll be face to face with “The Duke,” courtesy of Andy Warhol. The artwork is so impressive that each would make a proud addition in the nation’s most respected art museums or even in Wyatt Earp’s living room. For little buckaroos, the Sagebrush Ranch offers a chance to ride in a stagecoach (bumps and all) or participate in a working ranch complete with a farmhouse, barn, bunkhouse and corral.
     But the museum’s true gem is a most unexpected surprise — The President’s Gallery. Here, a handwritten letter from each of our 42 Presidents (from George W. to George W.) is on display and guaranteed to make any history buff’s heart clippity-clop. This room alone could take more than an hour to peruse, and as Seth Hopkins, the museum’s executive director said, “They are like potato chips, you can’t stop with just one. Some of them are pretty historic and some are even funny.”
     Before the Booth Western Art Museum lassoes you, be sure to check out some other sights in Cartersville. You can step back in time to 1894 and inspect the first outdoor painted wall sign for Atlanta’s own Coca-Cola at Young Brothers Pharmacy. Thirsty for more? Head inside this historic pharmacy to learn how the original sign was discovered under 25 layers of paint and see photographs of the restoration. By then you should have worked up enough of an appetite to check out the legendary dining at D. Morgan’s and Appalachian Grill. If it’s a sun-filled day, explore the Etowah Indian Mounds, home to several thousand Native Americans between 1000 and 1500 A.D. complete with six earthen mounds and an artifact museum, or head off to Red Top Mountain State Park for some hiking or boating.
     You may think it’s funny, but Rome, Ga., and Rome, Italy have more in common than you may think. Standing guard outside the town’s historic city hall, the Capitoline Wolf with Romulus and Remus was a gift from the Roman Governor (by order of Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini, no less) when the Chatillion Corporation Silk Mill relocated from Milan to Georgia’s Rome. Interestingly enough, this must-see statue has survived town controversy, kidnapping and threats of dynamite during World War II. It is an exact replica of the Etruscan art that stands on Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy.
     You may not find handmade Italian pumps, but there are countless locally owned shops and restaurants to peruse at your leisure. Rome is also home to the celebrated Georgian Martha Berry — a woman of remarkable conviction who dedicated her life to educating rural Appalachian youth — and the picturesque Berry College.
     For a walking trip, some might enjoy a stroll through time in the historic Myrtle Hill Cemetery, which is the final resting place of Civil War soldiers, both Union and Confederate, and First Lady, professional artist, social activist and Rome resident Ellen Axson Wilson. For a bird’s-eye view of the town and all it has to offer, climb 107 spiral steps to the top of the clock tower, the official symbol of Rome, and be sure to check out the Clocktower Museum, which is open on weekends.
     Just one day in these two towns won’t be enough to satisfy your wanderlust, so don’t be surprised if the words “Y’all come back now, ya hear” echo in your ears on your way back home.
     So pack your picnic basket, don your best hat, and saddle up for a day (or weekend) in the country at the Atlanta Steeplechase. “It’s the thrill of the chase, it’s watching these horses go over jumps at speeds you wouldn’t believe,” Barry concluded. “It’s a celebration of spring, celebration of the horse, and simply just a lot of fun!”