Yesterday I had a full day -- driving (more than 300 miles) and meetings with Mike Sweeney at Scarborough Downs and Jean Emerson (publisher of Northeast Harness News) in Saco. After these meetings I ventured to Buxton to meet with Lou Emery in order to return the 1893 premium book of the Buxton and Hollis Agricultural Society. After my meeting with Lou I was scheduled to return to the Maine Mall to meet Dennis Danie who was accompanying me to Gonic, New Hampshire to deal with my lost 67 Chevy Pickup (another story). Being a nondirectional (new word) sort of person I set my GPS and set off from Skip Road. I ended up calling my ISP man and as I spoke with him I couldn't hear my GPS directions. My GPS kept recalculating. Finally, I started paying attention and set off on the new course. As I was bombing my way to the Payne Road in Scarborough, I suddenly realized that I was driving by the Beech Ridge Speedway (location of the former Ling Trotting Park from the 1880's). At some point I knew that I would be taking pictures of the speedway. I suddenly realized today was the day! I quickly stopped my car, got out my camera, and started taking pictures. After the first round of pictures I noticed an open gate to the main office. Here I spoke with Ralph Cusack, the father of Andy Cusack,the current owner. Ralph gave me permission to take pictures of the track. I drove up on and around the track taking pictures as I stopped along the way. Therefore, the unintended slideshow of Beech Ridge Speedway!
Ralph provided me with the trail of ownership for the speedway. Jim McConnell built the speedway around 1950. Calvin Reynolds became the second owner of the speedway. Ralph purchased the speedway in 1981 and sold it to his son in the mid 1990s. In the near future we may have more posts on the Ling Trotting Park and the Beech Ridge Speedway.
The aerial view of the Beech Ridge Speedway was saved from Google Earth.
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