For Immediate Release

Contact: Kara O’Keeffe
608-261-9596
[email protected]

July 29, 2019

Hoof it to Wade House for annual Carriage Driving Days

Greenbush, Wis. – The site of Wisconsin’s largest and most diverse collection of horse-drawn vehicles will showcase a new generation of equestrians this August. Wade House, a Wisconsin Historical Society historic site, hosts its annual Carriage Driving Days from 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 17-18. Horses of every size, shape, and color, hitched to elegant carts and carriages, will compete for division championships in front of a captivated crowd.

“We are excited to bring this popular event back,” said Alli Karrels, Wade House site director. “With the state-of-the-art Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum on-site, combined with Wade House’s history as a frontier stagecoach stop, there really is no better place to bring horses from around the Midwest to celebrate the art and science of horse driving.”

Spectators will be able to take a horse-drawn wagon ride from the Visitor Center and Carriage Museum over to the competition ring, where they will enjoy watching many different breeds of horses hitched to all types of carriages; antiques, reproductions and modern. Guests can sit right next to the ring and watch the action up close, feeling the footfalls of the horses as they steam around the ring, showing off their different gaits at the subtle command of their drivers.

Ladies wearing elegant hats and gentlemen in dapper boaters will drive their horses in a series of competitive classes designed to test the skills of the drivers and the athleticism of the horses. The devil is in the details of this competition, as drivers aim to impress the expert American Driving Society certified judges and win the coveted blue ribbon.

Admission for adults is $17.00, seniors ages (65+) $15.00 and children ages (5-12) $8.50., children under five are admitted for free. Wisconsin Historical Society members receive a 10% discount on tickets to this program. Tickets are good for one day and include entry into the entire Wade House historic site and the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum. Tickets can be purchased on-site or online at wisconsinhistory.org/calendar.

Questions about the event can be directed to 920-526-3271 or [email protected].

About Wade House
The Wade House historic site is one of 12 Wisconsin Historical Society historic sites and museums and is an 1850s stagecoach inn built to serve traffic along the plank road that connected Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, tells the story of frontier entrepreneur Sylvanus Wade and his family during the Civil War years. In addition to the inn, the historic site includes the recently reconstructed Herrling sawmill, one of the few working, water-powered sawmills of its kind in the nation. Wade House is also home to the Wesley Jung Carriage Museum, which houses the state's largest collection of antique carriages and working wagons. For more information, please call 920-526-3271 or visit www.wadehouse.org.

About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.

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