SC Rewind: The '87 Dresden Reunion

​In this week's edition of Rewind Robert Smith recalls an event from nearly 30 years ago when a number of veteran horsemen were honoured at a special evening hosted by Dresden Raceway. The event was appropriately called 'The Dresden Reunion.' His recollections are first-hand.

C​ast of horsemen: Left to Right - Wilf Duford, Ross Johnston, Bill Habkirk, Alfred Moore, Duncan Campbell, Lyle Bogart, Stan Williams, Fred Goudreau, Gordon Lawrence, Marshall Moore, Stew Howard, Ellis Dell,​ Levi ​"Jiggs" McFadden (Weese Photography)

Back on Monday August 3rd, 1987 the small-town track Dresden Raceway, often referred to as "Little Saratoga", put on a very interesting evening. It was called 'The Dresden Reunion.' It was a rather unique and special format to honour and remember a group of 13 "senior" horsemen and their families. All of the honourees were well-known locally; many hailed from the immediate area. Each of them had been a part of the grassroots foundation that had helped to build the sport into what it had become at that time. It was my pleasure along with my wife and our oldest daughter (who took many pictures) to be an invited guest and part of the festivities that memorable evening.

Each of the honoured horsemen (or pioneer horsemen as they were referred to) had a race named in their honour and most of them led the post parade for their special race, driving a horse pulling an old high-wheeled sulky. After the race, a family picture was taken trackside and a framed picture of Dresden Raceway was presented to each family. Thankfully I have a number of photos that further tell the story of this memorable evening, now close to 30 years ago.

All of the older drivers wore their silks and most donned the old style soft hats that were once a part of the driver's attire in days gone by. The high-wheeled sulky was a very special vehicle supplied by local horseman Elwin Dell of nearby Becher, Ont. Elwin's father Ellis was among those being honoured. Restored to mint condition, the vintage vehicle was built in 1885 by renowned carriage maker William Rudd, whose shop stood just a few blocks from the Raceway.

This evening undoubtedly could have been held in any number of areas as each region had its own local well-known horsepeople. All of the people involved in this evening were those who dated back to a much different era of the sport. They travelled from one small Town to another racing at the fall fairs and holiday weekend special race days. They knew tougher times than we see today but they persevered.

List Of Honoured Drivers (in alphabetical order) with their current age as of 1987 in brackets and their hometown.​​

• Lyle Bogart (84) Shedden​

• Duncan Campbell (87) Ailsa Craig

• Ellis Dell (71) Becher​

• Wilf Duford (69) Nipawin, Saskatchewan (transplanted to Dresden)

• Fred Goudreau (64) Wallaceburg

• Wm. Habkirk (70) Kincardine

• Stewart Howard (76) Chatham

• Ross Johnston (72) Rutherford

• Gordon Lawrence (86) Blenheim

• Levi "Jiggs" McFadden (72) Dresden

• Alfie Moore (72) Sarnia

• Marshall Moore (69) Sarnia

• Stan Williams (60) Southwold​

Also honoured was Hall of Fame Trotter Claybrook Van (23 years old at the time). This venerable old performer made a cameo appearance with his owner Wilf Duford, who was also part of the special group.

Much of the preparation and organization for this event was done by a lady named Jean Lekavy who handled publicity matters for the Dresden track for many years. ​She and several others spent countless hours preparing for this evening and their efforts were greatly appreciated by all. ​ I still have a lovely letter from her and enjoyed reading it as I prepared this story. Unfortunately hand-written letters done in beautiful penmanship have subtly become a thing of the past.

​At the time of this event I was writing a series of monthly stories for Trot magazine. ​The following is the closing paragraph from my submission to Trot dated October 1987​:​​

"As the 13 veteran horsemen closed out the evening by posing for a group photo, it marked the conclusion of a unique celebration. The evening had passed so quickly. In total their combined ages added up to nearly 1,000, but their memories and good feelings discussed during the evening were beyond measure. We are making great strides in keeping statistics on computers but for the foreseeable future our sport's past glories are being stored in pretty good hands. I am glad that I was there to be a part of it all."

This was a truly great evening and one appreciated very much by everyone involved. It brought together a group of extraordinarily nice folks. The fact that so many family members and friends attended only added to the success of the gathering. Today as I personally reflect on that evening, I think of it in a nostalgic way. I recall visiting with nearly every "celebrity" and going over memories of their careers. Today understandably all of these fellows have passed away; the last being the youngest at that time, Stan Williams who left us in 2014. It was a great idea that turned out well, beyond the expectations of all I am sure. Even the weather was close to perfect. ​
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​A number of great old photos shown below further tell the mood and theme of the evening.

These gentlemen enjoyed the evening from start to finish. From left: Jack Campbell, Duncan Campbell (in silks), Gordon Lawrence and Ray Campbell. Jack and Ray were of course Duncan's sons. (L.M. Smith)

 

​This foursome were obviously engaged in a round of reminiscing. From left: "Smiling" Fred Goudreau, Helen Lawrence, her husband Gordon Lawrence and Harry Eisen, longtime racing writer of the London Free Press (Weese Photography)​

 

It was my honour and privilege to present a commemorative picture to horseman Stan Williams, originally of Southwold, Ont. He raced many good horses but will forever be remembered for a very tough mare named Coronation Derby.

 

An elated 84-year-old Lyle Bogart flashes a smile as he enjoyed the evening sitting on a bench in front of the Dresden grandstand greeting old friends.

 

Family members of Alfred Moore, originally from Sarnia gather for a picture. Of note is a very young James Cameron, Alf and June's grandson who is attired in a set of matching silks for the occasion. (Weese Photography)

 

​The Ellis Dell family ​with several sporting the family's black and white silks gather trackside as their patriarch is honoured (Weese Photography)