Wednesday, June 19, 2002

The Virginia Celebrity Freestyle: A Celebration of Music and Movement
by Tigger Montague

It was hard to tell who was having more fun at the third annual Virginia Celebrity Freestyle: the celebrities or the riders. While over 185 people dined in an elegantly appointed tent, nearly 500 spectators filled the seats around the arena, with a tailgating party also in attendance.

Forty thousand dollars was grossed at the event this year, a whopping increase over the $28,000 raised the year before. "It takes time to build support for a show like this", Chairwoman of the event, Marlene Eagleburger, said. "The first year was like shooting in the dark; the second year we changed venues and came to Keswick, so in a way we were still finding our legs, but this year we've really established ourselves in the community. We're here to stay."