Williams' cookout started small, now a Trials tradition
3/15/2008 10:18 PM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By RACHEL JOHNSON

Staff Writer

What happens when you mix a spring breeze, galloping horses, fried turkey, kebabs, burgers, good friends, lots of laughs and even a Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker? You get the Aiken Trials -- Lindsey, Doug and crew style.

For the past 20 years dropping by and saying hello to Lindsey, Doug and the rest of the crew has been a staple of the Trials.

It all began one March about 20 years ago when Lindsey Williams decided to see what all the fuss was about at the Aiken Training Track. The next year he was back, only this time with his son and a small grill in tow.

"The next year my wife said I am going with you and she was amazed at how many people I knew, but I had been by myself and met a lot of nice people," explained Lindsey with a smile.

And so a tradition was born. One that grew each year until it reached its current status with more than 40 people expected each year, not to mention the hundreds who drop by including members of the Sheriff's Department, the reporters and workers.

Lindsey Williams and Doug Williams have been close friends for years as they grew up in Aiken together. The two faithfully arrive every year as the gates open and start setting up the grills and cook all day. The rest of the crowd trickles in throughout the afternoon bringing with them delectable dishes, smiles and good times.

At almost 70 years old Robert Wheeler, a self-confessed "old race tracker," attends to see family and to keep in touch with his horse racing roots. Wheeler grew up in Aiken and started working around the race tracks at the age of 16. "It is a part of my life. I groomed Shoe V trained by Mike Freeman... one of the greatest horses to ever come out of Aiken."

Donel Williams has been coming ever since he was a kid and helped start the tradition with his father. "I have to be here no matter what. It is the first day I take off work," he animatedly stressed the importance of the day.

Then there is the famous treats brought by Mr. Arnold Harrison. He stays up until 3 a.m. the morning of the race, making sure his fried turkeys have reached perfection. The general consensus around the group is that no Trial would be complete with the mouth-watering turkey, and it is always the first to go.

In addition to bringing some of the best eats to be found at the Training Track, Harrison also makes sure his family is with him. His daughter Arnee comes from Atlanta and his son Arnold takes time away from his position as a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The event doubles as a birthday celebration for himself and his wife.

"I have been coming for years. It signifies the first picnic of the year and is always festive. Lindsey and I grew up together and our parents were dear friends," explained Harrison as he encouraged everyone who passed by to stop and try the turkey.

Around the corner are the friends from New Hampshire, Ellen and Vincent Salerno. They first joined the celebration nine years ago when as newcomers to the Trials mistook Lindsey and Doug's set up as a vendor.

"I stopped and asked what time do you open," laughed Vincent. "Lindsey looked at me and asked 'Are you my friend?' and I answered yes. He told me to drop back by later when everything was ready."

"We were embarrassed to come back later and being new we didn't know there were hot dogs for sale at the track. I built up my Irish pride and I went back. He fed me and asked, 'What about your wife?'" chuckled Vincent as he recalled their first visit. "We come back every year." The women even keep in touch all year long and they look forward to the yearly gathering.

The Aiken Trials has become the annual get together for family and friends (some new and some old). The group includes relatives from Atlanta, Charleston, Martinez. Augusta and even New Hampshire. They have never met a stranger and so they continue to grow in number each year.

Stop by and say hello to Lindsey, Doug and the crew next year at the Aiken Trials, they are always in the same place and once you meet them you will always come back.

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