Camluck and the Black Donnellys on CRIBS

In Grand River Raceway’s latest episode of CRIBS, we spent the afternoon at Seelster Farms in Lucan, ON. Since we were already making the trek, I decided to pack the car with staff, and make it a Grand River field trip

.

Our promo staffers, Tom, Hilary, Jane and cameraman Tyler are all relatively new to racing. But, they’ve all seen Camluck’s name enough time in ink to know he’s the man. We discussed his accomplishments at length during the car ride, and by the time we arrived, they greeted him with rockstar wonder. That alone was pretty cool.

I too was charmed by the great Camluck. Smothered in dapples from head-to-toe, he commands your respect at first glance. As Karen and Walter indicated during our interview, after nearly two decades of outstanding service at Seelster Farms, Camluck is clearly the head honcho. He watches the comings-and-goings of the busy operation from his paddock in the middle of the farm, and enjoys a stall sized for a king.

Seelster Farms is located on Roman Line — the same rural road immortalized by the Black Donnellys. If you’re not familiar with this dark snippet of Canadiana, it involves a local family being slaughtered by a vigilante committee in 1880. The slain Donnellys are buried directly across the road from Seelster Farms, and the site of the original Donnelly homestead is just a few clicks down the road. Every year, thousands of gawking tourists pass by Seelster Farms to revel in the sordid pioneer tale.

Karen and Walter took us to the gravesite, and Karen and I shared a few girly moments freaking-out one another with Donnelly ghost stories. It was a great afternoon — informative and entertaining — and as expected, the Seelster crew were gracious hosts.

We hope you enjoy the latest installment of CRIBS, brought to you by the Tarmac Show at Grand River Raceway

P.S. The purple girl with the balloon . . . not real.