EDGEWOOD SPEEDWAY
(Alexandria Bay, New York)
The racing history in Alexandria Bay dates back way before they opened the Edgewood Speedway. In 1936, the Automobile Club of America sanctioned it's first event in "A-Bay", on a street course set up in the town. Thousands of spectators were on hand for the event, which lasted for until 1940. There were many different manufacturers that participated in this event, which feature sports cars including MGs, Austins, Willys77, Ford V8 Special, Bugatti, Alpha-Romeo, Jaguar, BMW and others. Racing ended in 1940 when series officials deemed the track unsafe to race. The drivers remained willing to race, but the series officials were not willing to risk further injuries to any more if the participants involved.
Many years later, a group of area businessmen, decided that it was time to form a club, and bring racing back to Alexandria Bay. In the fall of 1949, Eighteen men attended a meeting that was set up at the West Carthage Village Hall. At the meeting, the Adirondack Stock Car Club (ASCC) was formed. In the next meetings that followed, Al Mosher was elected Club president, George Loomis was elected vice-president, and Deforest L. reed was elected secretary/treasurer.
The club was in place, now they needed the track to run on. In early 1950, George Clark, and George "Bud" Hebert arrived in Alexandria bay from Wethersfield, Connecticut. They purchased Edgewood Park, which consisted of the Edgewood Hotel, and the shore property, as well as the race track that was there. For several months, Clark, and Hebert debated on what to do with the track. Horse racing, or auto racing were the 2 obvious choices.
The ASCC met up with the new owners, and finally, a decision was made to run stock cars at Edgewood. The first race was held on February 18, 1951 before a crowd of nearly 3000. Mid 30-degree temperatures, and an overcast cloudy sky were the elements that the fans and participants faced on opening day. Earlier snowfall had left the grounds completely white for the days events, but that didn't last long, once the cars hit the track. The surface remained slippery, despite the loads of sand that was applied to the track, which made the event even more exciting for everyone involved. Tom Kennedy was the winner of the first event.
The next race was held two weeks later. The track was in much worse condition, as rain and warmer temperatures left the track in very muddy conditions. The speedway raced just a couple more events, and a meeting was held, and a decision was made to stop racing until the frost had left the ground. The track was a complete mess, which was a result of early competition at the track. The track resumed May 19th, and the admission price was $1.20. This was the first points night under the ASCC competition.
Racing continued at the Edgewood Speedway through the 1954 Season. Many Great drivers participated at the half mile, D-shaped track, and it became a favorite to many participants and spectators alike. The Speedway track crew used calcium chloride as well as water, and it made for a well groomed track surface. The pits were located in the infield between turns 1 and 2, giving the spectators a great view of the action in the pits as well as on the track. off the backstretch, there was a natural slope, and cars would park there to watch the event in the comfort of their car if the chose to do so.
In early February of 1955, owners George Clark, and Bud Hebert informed everyone that the track would not be available for use by the ASCC. Two weeks later, Clark and Hebert announced plans to build a "Wild West" themed amusement park. When shown to the area Chamber of Commerce, it was agreed that this was a much needed shot in the arm for local tourism, and much more profitable than the race track. "Adventure Town" was born, and the racing in Alexandria Bay came to an end.
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