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The National Sporting Library & Museum Announces Carriage Day

The National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) is proud to present Carriage Day, a free community and family event featuring carriages of all shapes, sizes, and eras. Carriage Day will feature over twenty historic and refurbished carriages from the Piedmont Driving Club displayed across the grounds of the NSLM. Area carriage experts will give walking tours on the lawn at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and the afternoon will feature a “drive-by” in the front circle of the Museum. At 2:00 p.m. Paul Bennett, Director of Coach and Livestock at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, will give a featured talk on two refurbished carriages currently in use at Colonial Williamsburg. The pair of colonial carriages will be displayed in the front circle of NSLM throughout the day. Carriage day will also feature children’s activities, a five dollar book sale in the Library, and free admission to the Museum. NSLM is proud to partner with the Piedmont Driving Club, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Virginia Tech Middleburg Agriculture Research and Extension (MARE) Center for this singular event.

About the Piedmont Driving Club

Founded in 1972, the Piedmont Driving Club is believed to be the oldest continuously active carriage driving club in Virginia. The Club is affiliated with the Carriage Association of America (CAA) and typically organizes and attends 40-50 drives per year. Most of these are “picnic drives,” occurring on the many beautiful roads and private estates in Northern Virginia. The Club also traverses to “offsite” venues such as Fair Hill, Maryland; the Green River Trail in West Virginia; and Acadia National Park in Maine.

About Paul Bennett

From delivering two metric tons of beer with Shire horses for Newcastle Breweries, to driving Mrs. Barbara Stockton’s magnificent hackney horses to an 1860 Marsden Park drag out of Windsor Castle, Paul Bennett has done it all. Bennett, now Director of Coach and Livestock at Colonial Williamsburg, has driven traditional carriages through some of the most amazing cities across Europe; London, Berlin, Vienna, Sienna, Como, to name but a few. He also drove a 19th-century hansom cab in the 2009 Sherlock Holmes movie.

The National Sporting Library & Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Middleburg, Virginia. Founded in 1954, the renowned research Library and fine art Museum highlight the rich heritage and tradition of country pursuits. Angling, horsemanship, shooting, steeplechasing, foxhunting, flat racing, polo, coaching, and wildlife are among the subjects one can explore in the organization’s general stacks, rare book holdings, archives, and art collection. The NSLM offers a wide variety of educational programs, exhibitions, and family activities throughout the year, and is open to researchers and the general public. While there is no admission fee to the Library, the Museum charges $10 for adults, $8 for youths (age 13-18), and $8 for seniors. NSLM members and children age 12 and under are free. Library & Museum hours are Wednesday-Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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