Races and Burgers Found at York Fair
Click here for a one-minute video clip of the races by Bil Bowden for the York Daily Record/York Sunday News.
Well, I accomplished my mission last evening of going to the York Fair and having a Bury’s hamburger and seeing the harness racing. Both experiences were good and I’ll be back for both next year.
The races are fun, especially if you pick a horse and root for it until it crosses the finish line. We were lucky enough to be sitting near the owner of one of the horses. Her gracious answers to our novice questions were really helpful, but you don’t have to know anything about racing at all to enjoy watching the beautiful horses trot or pace around the track.
You’ll have to wait until next year, because the races are Monday nights at 6 p.m. (two-year olds) and Tuesday mornings at 10:30 (three-year olds). Make sure you pick up a free program at the track office once you are in the grandstand area. It gives you lots of information on each horse, so you can even pretend you know how to pick them. I understand there are always at least a dozen heats at each racing session. There were 17 last evening, but since the racing is free with fair admission, you can stay for as many or as few as you wish.
I’m told there are two stands that claim to sell authentic Bury’s famous hamburgers. I only had time to find one before race time, so I tried the Johnny Eagle stand opposite the firehouse. The burger was just the right size for me. The sauce in which it was simmered gave it enough taste, so I didn’t dress it up with any offered relish, ketchup or mustard. They have good fresh tasting fries too.
I don’t know what went into their sauce, but if you read my previous posts on Bury’s you know there are many recipes floating around claiming to be “the one.” Fellow blogger Jim McClure has published several more. He claims that his wife makes the best ones. My family swears by my mother-in-law’s recipe. If you care to give it a try, it is transcribed below:
Grandma’s Burgers in Sauce
Mix one lb. hamburger with one chopped onion and 1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal. Make into patties and fry. Simmer them in the following sauce.
1 cup ketchup
1 cup chili sauce
1 tsp. mustard
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
