The Off Season
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.”
– John Heywood
The same is true of Upperville. Eleven months of work go into ensuring that the historic grounds are show-ready by June 1st and able to support the two weeks of the annual Upperville and Loudoun Benefit shows. Those eleven months entail dismantling, assessing, repairing, replanting, improving, and finally rebuilding the showgrounds for the following year.
In charge of facilities since 1982, Tommy Lee Jones knows the historic showgrounds “like the back of his hand.” Now assisted by Tim Stephan, the duo create an annual punch list of work to be done in the off-season so the grounds will be in show condition each June. The list and its attendant costs are then discussed and approved, as finances allow, by Upperville’s Board of Directors.
Thanks to the Jump In! Capital Campaign, the show has finally been able to tackle major projects such as its water supply, internet service, electric and water systems. (Long-timers will remember the year the show forbade excess bathing of horses because the water supply was struggling to keep up with exhibitors’ demands!) The most recent major improvement to the grounds is a recently completed permanent bathroom facility with handicap accessibility on the Grafton side. The memorial fountain to honor Robert and Clarice Smith has also been upgraded and will make the fountain an even more restful place to be enjoyed by guests to the show in June.
Remaining true to its heritage of being “under the oaks,” Upperville takes its trees very seriously. The trees have their own committee, which includes tree experts Tom Armstrong, Nina Fout, Bill Van Wie, and Michael Gaige, who work closely with Tommy Lee, Show President Joe Fargis, and Executive Director Emily Day. Each year the committee assesses the health of the trees and schedules removal of diseased or dead trees before they become a potential danger. Dead trees are repurposed as mulch, to place around the new and living ones.
The show has recently started opening the grounds in celebration of Arbor Day, so the community can appreciate their unencumbered beauty. They include a tremendous variety of trees, including White Oaks, several species of smaller oaks, and long-lasting Black Gums. Over a dozen new trees, including some newly dedicated ones, will be in the ground by this year’s 172nd anniversary of the show. Dedicating an Upperville tree is a very special way to honor a loved one, while also giving to the future of the show. No extra charge for feathered bodyguards (see photo)! To learn more about dedicating a tree, click here. And to celebrate Arbor Day, plan to visit on Sunday April 27, any time between 1 and 5 pm.
Picking up branches left by winter winds is always a big job on the wooded grounds, as is ensuring that our resident wildlife are safe and secure. If you attended the show last year, you might recall an only partially cut, dead tree between the two hunter rings. As Tommy Lee and the tree removal team watched the top half topple after the first saw cut was made, a family of raccoons ran scared out of the hollow center! An easy, unanimous decision was made to suspend the remaining work until late fall, or until these woodland friends moved safely out.
Final, finishing touches this year include reworking in-gate area for Grand Prix ring, where flooding during rain has become an issue. Seeding bare spots for new grass to grow and adding gravel, as needed, to the network of roads throughout both sides of the grounds will be done by May. Then the tent crews will return and the grounds will start to resemble a horse show, and Joe, Emily, Tommy Lee, and others will be working seven days a week to ensure that we can all enjoy the show.
“If you build it, they will come.” -Field of Dreams
That is our goal! See you Under the Oaks!