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Edwardsville racing fan patronized Downs track since Day 1

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Seminary presents service awards

<p>The last half century has been eventful at Pocono Downs, and not just for racing records and the track&#8217;s eventual status as home to Pennsylvania&#8217;s first legal casino. Over the years, the harness racing facility endured scandal and survived recurring financial challenges but managed to reopen each spring.</p><p>It also was the venue for concerts by iconic rock bands ranging from Motley Crue to Aerosmith.</p><p>In June 1972, Pocono Downs took on a completely unfamiliar role as an evacuation center, infirmary and supply hub during the first days following the historic Agnes flood that devastated the Wyoming Valley. As described in the book, &#8220;The Wrath of Agnes,&#8221; the track was part of the unsuccessful fight to hold back the Susquehanna River&#8217;s raging waters when the call came in for empty feed bags that could be filled with sand and used to reinforce the valley&#8217;s defenses.</p><p>After that effort failed, the expansive grounds became the site of frantic activity as helicopters carried flood survivors rescued from rooftops to safety. The clubhouse was turned into a makeshift field hospital and trucks brought in tons of food and clothing for the thousands left homeless. Track staff pitched in, preparing food and helping wherever needed. It was estimated that 10,000 refugees passed through, receiving tetanus and typhoid vaccinations, being fed and, in some cases, staying until they could find other lodging.</p><p>Other evacuation centers were set up throughout the region and racing resumed just a week after the dikes gave way. Ed Gilkey, general manager, said he felt it was important to project a sense of normalcy, and to provide income for the employees and horsemen who depended on the Downs for their livelihoods at a time when thousands of people were without work.</p><p>Here are some other memorable events in Pocono Downs&#8217; 50-year history:</p><p><strong>Rockin&#8217; the house</strong></p><p>The spacious infield and generous parking lots made Pocono Downs a prime location for rock concerts in the decades before other venues appeared on the local scene. Among the acts to appear were hard rockers Motley Crue and Whitesnake in 1987, up-and-comers Guns N&#8217; Roses opening for Aerosmith in 1988 and New Jersey neighbor Bon Jovi the next year.</p><p>The track&#8217;s rock period kicked off with a memorable six-band concert in August 1979 that included Ted Nugent, the Scorpions and Edgar Winter, and drew an estimated 40,000 fans. The eight-hour event had all the hallmarks of the genre, including massive traffic jams, gate crashers and dozens of people being taken to area hospitals after overindulging on drugs and alcohol.</p><p>The experience led the Plains Township Planning Commission to consider banning concerts, or at least ones that would attract such large crowds. It would be four years before Joan Jett, Cheap Trick and Foghat would take the stage at the Downs, to disappointing attendance.</p><p>Today, the Downs presents more modest concerts that have featured performers such as LeAnn Rimes, Hall and Oates, Randy Travis, Pat Benatar and a solo appearance by Vince Neil, long-time lead singer of Motley Crue.</p><p><strong>Winning by losing</strong></p><p>Little Luke, the favored horse, slowed dramatically near the end of a May 28, 1971 race and was passed by long shots Le Lion and Linc Hanover, according to a report in the Times Leader, Evening News. Only one person had picked the two horses to come in first and second as part of a &#8220;Big E&#8221; bet. The bet paid $28,492.</p><p>The state Harness Racing Commission investigated for more than a month. On July 7, more allegations of race fixing surfaced and resulted in a riot. That night, more than 200 racing fans ripped down fences and burned benches while screaming &#8220;fix&#8221; and &#8220;barn job.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;These stories have shattered public confidence in harness racing, just when the sport was soaring in popularity,&#8221; Philadelphia Daily News sports writer Jack Kiser wrote in a July 21, 1971 article that ran in the Times Leader.</p><p>At a state Senate investigation the next year, two drivers described how they had fixed the race in return for payments of $240 each.</p><p>Race-fixing was not uncommon in those days in part because it was hard to earn a living in the industry, said Dale Rapson, vice president of racing operations at what is now known as The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.</p><p>&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t just at our track but all tracks,&#8221; Rapson said. &#8220;Back in those days purses were $800 and winners only got half. Today, that&#8217;s not an issue because the purses are high enough, it gives people an incentive to win.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pocono Downs under construction 1965.  Times Leader file photo</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Pocono-Downs.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pocono Downs under construction 1965.  Times Leader file photo</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ron Bartizek</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Significant dates at Pocono Downs</strong></p><p>July 15, 1965: The track, which cost $7 million to build, opens under the ownership of James Durkin Sr. A crowd of 12,469 watches Satin Queen win the first race.</p><p>Aug. 30, 1973: Starlark Hanover sets a world record for trotters that will stand for eight years. It is the first of many world records to be set at the track.</p><p>1981: Phone betting and limited simulcasting is authorized, raising the volume of betting and thus the purses available to horsemen.</p><p>1983: Local businessman Joseph Banks, who has managed the track in financial receivership, purchases Pocono Downs for $2.5 million.</p><p>1988: Off-track betting is legalized. Pocono Downs will eventually build five OTB parlors around Pennsylvania.</p><p>Nov. 26, 1996: Pocono Downs is sold by heirs of the late Joseph Banks to Penn National Gaming Inc. for $47 million.</p><p>Jan. 25, 2005: The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority of Connecticut purchases Pocono Downs for $280 million and announces plans to spend $175 million to build a casino on the site.</p><p>Oct. 9, 2010: Pocono Downs hosts the Breeders Crown Championships, with a betting handle of $2.3 million, more than twice the previous one-day record.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Ron Bartizek by calling 570-991-6114.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

From cool bands to fast trotters, Pocono Downs has wowed crowds for decades