Horseshoe Pitching Starts Independence Day Off With a Clank

On an overcast and muggy morning, 188 participants turned out early for horseshoe pitching as part of the Bel Air Independence Day celebration at Rockfield Park.

“It gives me a chance to do my thing,” said Ed Hall, 55, of Forest Hill. Later, he said, he would “browse around town” with his wife and grandchild, taking in the rest of the festivities.

Most of the participants, like Justin Wooters, welcome the early start to their day.

“It’s good because you have the whole day and you’re not sleeping,” the 25-year-old Oxford, PA, resident said. “Usually I’d just sleep all day.”

During the registration period, the air was filled with amiable conversation between the players, with laughter and people catching up with one another, but once 8:30 a.m. rolled around, the sound of clanking horseshoes dominated.

“We’ve done this for three or four years and we’re expecting total domination,” Ron Clarke of Bel Air laughed. When describing the rest of his day, he joked that he expected to spend some time at home preparing a room and lighting for his trophy.

But as for the day itself, he said, “It’s a good family day. You get out with the locals and you meet the locals."