When spring is here, the temperature is just right, and the hours of daylight are finally in our favor, we can’t get enough of Forbidden Drive.
The name sounds spooky but the winding trails along the Wissahickon are anything but. Joggers, bikers, pedestrians, dog owners, and horseback riders have been finding respite from the busy life of the city in the shady sanctuary that stretches from Ridge Avenue to Northwestern Ave at Bell’s Mill Road. Once while jogging on the trail, I spotted a Bald Eagle gliding across the tree canopy and have seen chipmunks and ducklings crossing the paths right in front of me.
So many people enjoy this territory but don’t know the story behind it. Today, Erdenheim Farm celebrated the beauty and tranquility that is Forbidden Drive by acknowledging the riders who made it possible almost 100 years ago.
Every year, on the last Sunday of April, the community comes out to recognize the year that Forbidden Drive was closed to automobiles. In 1921, there was a proposed road change that would allow development and traffic on the stretch of trail we know and love today. After the plans were made public, 600 riders and their horses protested on the trail making it impossible to drive down and the action was dropped.
Today’s celebration started with a horse show at Northwestern Stables, featuring carriages, and English and Western riders. Our very own Jenna Marie competed in the Western class and won second place with one of our own Morgans, Whisper. After the horse shows and a fancy hat competition, the parade started joined by four of our own Morgans with riders, and the Generals pulling the Erdenheim Carriage.
