Racing in North Carolina

By Steve Joneli

Clear Lake , WA .

 

            Two of our favorite Futurity races are held each year in North Carolina .  The Lou McElroy and the Blue Ridge Challenge.  We have traveled to these races and can vouch for the quality races that they are.  Both of these races are some of the best for keeping breeders informed with weekly news letters via e-mail, and have handlers all with years of experience.

            Last year Linda and I spent two weeks in North Carolina attending races and visiting friends.  We started our trip by staying with Everett and Renee Kennedy, in Martinsville , VA.   Everett and Renee treated us like royalty.  We met some of their club mates and saw one of the cleanest, well designed lofts I have ever seen.

            From there it was a day’s drive to Asheville , North Carolina and The Blue Ridge Racing Pigeon Club.  The BRRPC is located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains , around Asheville .  This is some of the most beautiful scenery in America , and with any trip there the Blue Ridge Parkway , one of America ’s most scenic drives is a must.  Ashville is fast becoming a popular vacation spot and welcomes travelers.  But the highlight for us was meeting the Blue Ridge Boys. 

            While we didn’t get to meet all the club members we did spend a couple of days with our “Challenge” handlers and touring their lofts.  Lee Taylor was the first Blue Ridge flyer I had got acquainted with and I think he is the only native.  Lee works at a local hospital keeping their computers running smoothly.  Bill Morris is a retired Detroit Cop and for years flew in the “Hey Days” of pigeon racing when there were hundreds of flyers in Detroit .  David Valez is from Porto Rico and is the head Civil Engineer for the state Parks and Recreation Dept.  David, being single never takes a vacation, but take hours off so he can train his birds.  Bill and David are neighbors.  Butch Leyson is a retired New York Taxi driver, and Irish.  And Tony Trezza is retired from Long Island and is Italian.  This is important as Butch and Tony love nothing more than arguing.  It’s quite comical when these guys get together and spend the hours picking on each other.

           We were able to tour all the lofts and came away extremely impressed.  All of these flyers have raced pigeons most of their lives and between them have over two hundred years of racing experience, from the hot beds of pigeon racing, Detroit and New York .  The race birds were all in top condition and had been all trained out and ready to race.  We were not able to stay for the race as it was flown the same weekend as the AU Convention.  But the race was a great success with good returns.

            On to the Lou Race.  The Lou McElroy Race is held in honor of past pigeon flyer Lou McElroy.  Most of the handlers live around the Raleigh Durham area, but include flyers as far north as the Virginia border and south to Wilmington , N.C.  

            While in the Raleigh area we stayed with our friends Larry and Janice Newcomb.  Larry and Janice while not pigeon flyers are very close friends.  Larry is a retired Sheet Rocker, and now works part time as a clown.  One weekend we attended a National sanctioned rodeo where Larry was working as a clown.  One evening we all went out for dinner and I discovered a new love.  Pan fried Cat Fish.  Wish we could get that in Washington .

            Of course we spent time with our handlers and toured their lofts.  And like the Blue Ridge birds, all the Lou birds looked great and ready to go.

            Basketing for the race was held at Ben and Janice Pleasant’s lofts.  The hi point of basketing was the feed and “Pig Picking”  Bud Paulk, the club chief did his magic to a whole pig.  Slow cooked all day.  Then all afternoon everyone just “Picks” at the pig. Everyone handled their birds and the afternoon was spent pooling and eating.

            While we have several friends with this race such as Danny Macchia, Tom Janolis, Bud Paulk, Kenny Oliver, Richard Clark, Darryl Glover, and “Smitty”, William Smith, we went to Kenny Oliver’s to wait for the birds on race day.

            Linda has talked in length with Janice about pigeon racing and every week Janice is waiting for our race results, but she and Larry had never seen a pigeon race.  So Janice, Larry, all their children, and all the grand children invaded Kenny Oliver’s loft to watch the race with us.  They weren’t disappointed as Kenny had very good returns. 

            Later that day knock off was held at Bud Paulk’s and Linda, I, Kenny Oliver, Kenny’s son Justin, and Danny Macchia all piled in our little rental car for the trip.  Wish I would have had a van.  The Lou Race was another great success with good returns.    

            This year the Lou McElroy Race will be flown October 19th, and the Blue Ridge Challenge will be flown October 25th so there you go.  Enter birds in these two races and then take a week or two and visit North Carolina .  The sightseeing is some of the best, and the people are some of the friendliest we have ever met, and you can participate in two really good races.  For information on the Blue Ridge Challenge call Lee Taylor, 828-693-1588 or look at http://brrpc.homestead.com/futurity.html.  For information on the Lou McElroy Race call Danny Macchea, 919-851-1307 or look at http://pigeonracing.homestead.com/THELOURACE.html.

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