Event: Stewart Mathias – Homing Pigeons

When – 

May 24, 2015
2:00 pm – Social Time                                                                                          2:30 pm –  Meeting Begins

Where –

GANDER MTN  Store                                                                                                (in the community room in the rear of the store)                                                                                                                                                                                      5005 Jonestown Road                                                                                Harrisburg, PA 17109

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Stewart Mathias

Back in the 50’s on High Street in Hummelstown, a group of us boys got together and thought raising Homer Pigeons was a good idea.  With the help of my uncle, he got us some birds to start with.

On our bikes with the birds in the baskets, we would ride out of town, release the birds, and try to beat them home.

Now some 60 years later, I thought – “Let’s do this again”.   Joining the Harrisburg Pigeon Club and with help from my mentor Lou Clesser, I am now raising and flying young birds again.

Sitting on a chair on a Saturday afternoon and watching the sky for your birds to come back from Roanoke, VA (269 miles away) or from Marion, VA (356 miles away) is pure pleasure!

This is a hobby along with bookkeeping that I surely enjoy!

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Homing pigeons (Columba livia) have been prized for their navigational abilities for thousands of years. They’ve served as messengers during war, as a means of long-distance communication, and as prized athletes in international races.