New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Macon has the Cherry Blossom Festival, and Goochland has the Commonwealth Cup.

Communities can either love or hate the events they host—some people leap into the spirit and revel in the shared camaraderie. Others jump into their cars and head out of town until the crowds go home.

Last Sunday I decided to try the first option, and give in to the excitement.

I went to my first polo match here in Goochland. I’d heard about the hats, but other than that, I didn’t really know what to expect.

But as I watched the horses and hounds trample the dirt beneath their feet, and saw dogs wind their way through agility trials and children sit in wagons pulled by more staid steeds, I noticed a theme: horses and dogs!

Someone recently told me that there are more horses in Goochland than there are registered school children.  This isn’t hard to believe; if you spend any time at all driving through the county’s backways, you’ll notice horses to the left, and horses to the right, as an integral part of this area’s pastoral appeal.

What I admire in what the founders of this event have created, is that they discovered a way to rally the community with a shared passion, to benefit a shared cause.

Knowing that all the proceeds are going to a cause as noble as the Goochland Free Clinic and Family Services makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable.

Next weekend I’ll be trying out another celebration, one some of my friends in Richmond told me I can’t miss—Field Day of the Past.

I have to confess, as a history major, and specifically, someone who focused on material culture—well, I sense there’s going to be a lot for me to love about corn grinders and stave mills, a 1930s service station and a model of a homestead.

I’ve always been fascinated by what people do, and where they choose to do it!

Here in Goochland, there are several events coming up that celebrate the county’s past—with its exhibits of machinery and tools, Field Day of the Past will show us how people worked. A few weeks from now, the Goochland County Historical Society’s House Tour will show us where people lived, and even where they went to school.

Last week I drove to a few of the houses on the tour, and I turned off Rte. 6 and ventured onto the narrow gravel roads that lead deep into the county. I realized how much there is to Goochland, how many unexpected surprises that, like the breath-stopping charm of The Old Mill house rising from behind a twist in the path, are waiting to be discovered.

In the meantime, if there is something you would like to share about Goochland, let us know about it. The Gazette is ready to hear from you, about the topics that matter to you and to your community.