Princess Anne Hunt Launches Centennial Year Celebration
Katherine Mitchell, Centennial Chair
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Masters, we are pleased to announce the launch of Princess Anne Hunt’s Centennial Anniversary Year!
This Fall, we begin our 100th season of mounted foxhunting. In true PAH-style, we will celebrate this important milestone for a full year! All of our events during this time will be infused with the spirit of this special anniversary, and we will be celebrating in many different ways. We will keep you posted as details unfold through our eNews and Facebook, but below you will find a few events and highlights that we wanted to be sure are on your radar.
First, it bears saying that we begin this milestone year with 127 membership units; a seasoned and beloved Huntsman and Professional Whipper-In who take good care of an award-winning pack of 25 couple of well-trained English and Old English hounds. Renovated kennels, exercise yards; and a new Puppy Whelping Shed were all funded by our Hunt Preservation Fund donors. Our hunt territory is particularly special. It’s been hunted since the 1600s, most notably by our founding fathers, many of whom, like Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and George Washington, had family ties in this area and/or attended the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg. We are very grateful to all of our landowners who support the continuation of this historic tradition today.
Since we began in 1927, it hasn’t always been easy. We’ve weathered economic depressions, territory challenges caused by real estate development, World Wars, and pandemics. Today, we feel strong and optimistic as we approach this next century of foxhunting the farmlands and historic properties of Southeastern Virginia. And we’re ready to celebrate!
Centennial Events — The full list of event highlights for the year can be viewed with details in the event section at princessannehunt.com. Each event will be updated as more information becomes available. Fixture cards are sent to the membership in October and December. Save the date for the calendar highlights and you can register for the September 27th Annual Foxhunting Clinic HERE.
Be a Member! If you haven't already, consider joining us for this special year as a member. Different memberships are available HERE. Hunt supporters can cap in three times and all trail rides are free. Be sure to get your application in time for the Board vote on October 13th. Be a riding member for Opening Meet! You can contact membership chair Gina Sybert at gina.sybert@gmail.com with questions.
Volunteer! Volunteering is a great way to catch up with friends, meet new people AND be a part of the excitement. Take a look at the event list and email kmitchellrva@gmail.com with 1-2 events (or more!) you can help with this year.
Look for Princess Anne Hunt in the community this year at Berkeley’s First Thanksgiving Parade on horseback, November 1, and also at Westover’s Pilgrimage Tour on Saturday September 26. Tickets can be purchased HERE. The Westover Autumn Pilgrimage is being co-chaired this year by PAH landowner and supporter Andrea Erda. The Erdas’ home, Historic Westover, will be featured among others, including PAH Member Yogi Singh’s property, Granville; and Ed and Katherine Mitchell’s new property Harden’s Bluff. At Hardens Bluff, PAH will host a Stirrup Cup and Presentation of Foxhounds from 9-9:30 before the house tour begins. PAH Members with colors are invited to participate on horseback and then hunt with staff next door at Dogham Farm. Contact masters@princessannehunt.org if you’d like to participate.
The Centennial Opening Meet at Sherwood Forest is Saturday November 7. Our Opening Meet will formally open our 100th hunt season with the traditional Blessing of the Hounds at 10 am. The Stirrup Cup at 9:30 am, Tailgate at Lyon’s Den and Breakfast catered by Robin Daniels will all feature recipes from the Centennial edition of the PAH Cookbook, which will be available for sale at Opening Meet.
Sherwood Forest is an important part of Princess Anne Hunt’s history. In 1988, longtime and enthusiastic member Paynie Tyler donated the land for our kennels to be relocated from Surry County to where it is today on Tylers Mill Road. She hunted with us for many years, along with Kay Tyler and other family members. Today, William, Kay and the Tyler family carry on Paynie’s legacy by participating in events, hosting Opening and Closing Meets, and making it possible for us to hunt several fixtures on thousands of acres of beautiful fields, forests, and rolling hills, along the James River. We are very grateful for the Tyler family’s historic contribution and ongoing support of Princess Anne Hunt.
The Centennial Hunt Ball is Saturday March 20, 2027. The Hunt Ball this year will be “Roaring Twenties” themed and located at the Cavalier Hotel for the first time in 75 years, and maybe ever! This venue is special to Princess Anne Hunt, as it was where our kennels were located when we were incorporated in 1927. Over the last ten years, PAH has hosted several Christmas parties in the Cavalier’s Hunt Room, which was named for OUR Hunt. Hunt Ball Chair Pam Ault and her committee are planning a fun party that will be “the bee’s knees” with a great new band, an open bar and some very cool, new silent and live auction items. It’s going to be a hot ticket, and we expect to sell out.
The Annual Mint Julep Party is Saturday May 1, 2027. The Mint Julep Party is a PAH social calendar favorite. Plan to join us as we dress up in our dapper suits and fancy hats and cheer on the horses at the Kentucky Derby with our equestrian friends. This year’s party will be organized by former Ball Chair and fancy hat winner Natasha Gealey. Your ticket will not only include a full bar, delicious mint juleps, dinner, and a full evening of entertainment, but also your very own PAH centennial mint julep cup—which you can bring to this great party for the next century.
Princess Anne Hunt Centennial Party will be on Saturday, September 11, 2027. Our Centennial year will culminate in September 2027, almost exactly 100-years following the formal adoption of our bylaws and first Opening Meet. PAH President Jim Daniels and Vice President Lisa Langenhennig will lead a committee in planning a special anniversary event to celebrate. Let us know if you’d like to be included in planning this special event.
$100,000 for the 100-Year Anniversary—During our 100th year, we'll be having fun and positioning the hunt for strength for the next 100 years with a goal of having $100,000 in the Hunt Preservation Fund by the end of 2027. We are starting with nearly $50,000, now with only $50K to go. You can make a donation to the Hunt Preservation Fund any time by contacting Tim Watson at tdwatson2@gmail.com and you are invited as well to leave a legacy donation to PAH in your will. Cumulative gifts of more than $500 are recognized on a plaque at the Kennels. Proceeds from merchandise and books will be used for this goal as well!
· The new centennial polo shirt, baseball cap and totebag are available to buy now and can be viewed HERE. Merri Musso and the merch team will have these and other items available to look at and buy at events throughout the year.
· Centennial Edition of the Princess Anne Hunt Tally Ho Cookbook –At long last, we have updated and will be publishing the PAH cookbook! At Opening Meet, you can look forward to buying your copy, and more for holiday gifts! Linda Vonhof Immordino and her committee have been working hard on putting together this anniversary edition,and will send it to print soon. Many thanks to Linda, Dick and Nancy Nance, all who contributed recipes in the past and this summer.
· PAH Centennial Coffee Table Book-- Martha Culpepper, Ed Mitchell, Joe Svetina, Troy Arnold and others are researching our history for a photography book with Princess Anne Hunt’s history and foxhunting that will be available in 2027.If you have stories to share, contact information for PAH alumni who we should be engaging, or photographs we could use, please reach out to kmitchellrva@gmail.com.
· Rita Mae Brown is publishing a mystery novel that will be available in February featuring Princess Anne Hunt fixtures and members! We will keep you posted on when exactly this will be available for purchase and any opportunities to meet Rita Mae and get your book signed. We are honored and thrilled to be recognized in this special way during our special year.
A shout out to Merri Musso and her committee and everyone who supported this year’s Centennial Hunt Season Booklet this summer. You can get your copy at the Hunt Clinic or through the mail. We had a record year of ad and sponsorship sales--$21,000, up from $15,000 last year. We have already begun to get ready for the year by kicking up our heels and raising a glass at the Stock the Bar party on Sunday. Many thanks to Jim Daniels for hosting and the help of Charles Bonner, Lisa Langenhennig, Troy Arnold, and many others. If you weren't able to make it, you can donate a bottle for the PAH bar and give it to the Masters at any hunt function or drop it by Dogham Farm. We especially need champagne to celebrate this exciting year.
In closing, I want to thank the Board of Directors, everyone who is working on these exciting events and projects, and everyone who will be signing up as a volunteer to make this milestone year special, for us all.
Cheers and Tally Ho!
