Philadelphia, MS — USTA members were recently in action during the annual Neshoba County Fair, held during the last week of July near Philadelphia, Miss.
The historic fair is widely known as “Mississippi’s Giant House Party” and since 1922 has featured harness racing over one of the state’s two remaining licensed racetracks. Founded in 1889 near Philadelphia, Miss., it was recognized and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Walter Miller has been a licensed trainer and driver for 20 years and participates almost exclusively at the weeklong fair. In 2024, he had an impressive .458 UTRS and .444 UDRS with less than 20 starts.
Looking to the next generation, Miller believes in giving back to his community and has started a mentorship program at the track involving a wide age range of youth participants. The oldest is his 16-year-old grandson, Micquel, who just passed his test to become a USTA licensed qualifying and fair driver. Micquel has driven this week in four races, gaining experience with each turn of the red dirt half-mile oval.
USTA outreach and membership team representative Jourdan Miller provided support for Walter and his program by sending educational materials to support his initiative. Information included free USTA Youth Membership applications, educational materials, stickers, and copies of Youth Beats magazine.