Van Dyne retires at Bangor Houston is interim track superintendent

Forget the “track man” and veteran railbirds with a hot tip. For the last 15 years, the guy who literally had the inside track on Bangor Raceway was Arnie Van Dyne.

That distinction will become someone else’s, however, now that Bangor Raceway’s longtime track superintendent has decided to retire from that position at the age of 69.

The Dover-Foxcroft native cited health concerns and this spring’s ongoing track drainage problems – which forced several race day cancellations – as reasons for his decision.

“I was going to work another year or two, but the track issues made me retire early,” Van Dyne said. “I had wicked chest pains and took time off.

“I had an echocardiogram and stress test and they both turned out good, but they thought it was stress related because I was putting in a lot of hours seven days a week starting back in March. I was also having wicked headaches and getting a little dizzy. I had a brain scan, and that turned out all right too, but I figured it was time to start easing up a little.”

The Milo High School graduate, who made it his business to know every earthen inch of Bangor Historic track since 1993, will continue to be the track superintendent for Farmington Fair, but said he wanted to start enjoying his free retirement time a bit more.

“I’ve got a place and a couple acres in Valdosta on the Florida-Georgia border. There’s also a harness track in Hawkinsville I go to now and then, too, and I can’t get down there as early with Bangor having fall racing now,” Van Dyne said. “Besides, if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it right or to the best of my ability or I’m not going to do it at all.”

Race secretary Fred Nichols, who has worked with Van Dyne during Van Dyne’s entire tenure at Bangor Raceway, said Van Dyne was the equivalent of an umpire who called a great baseball game: He was rarely noticed and attracted little attention, for good reasons.

“If I had to use one word to describe Arnie, it’s dependable. He was very self-motivated and we didn’t have a lot of contact because he always knew what to do,” Nichols said. “He was pretty much self-contained. He didn’t come around with every little problem that surfaced.”

Nichols said Van Dyne was very easy to work with and someone he always had the utmost confidence.

“He took care of most things himself and in the years we had very little staff, that was greatly appreciated,” Nichols said. “He knew his job and did it very well. I’d tell him about a problem and just turn him loose.”

Van Dyne credits longtime Windsor Fair track supervisor Erland Danforth for showing him the ropes.

“I learned everything I know from him. He was probably the best track man in the state,” Van Dyne said.

Van Dyne’s position was part time, but there was nothing part time about the time and work necessary to have the track ready for racing.

“I’d usually start the last week in March and I’d end it around the 24th of July, just before the [Bangor] Fair, but then the city hired me to work at the fair too,” he explained. “Then I’d help Erland do the Windsor track and we’d both move on to Farmington.”

When asked about what he’ll miss most and what he’ll miss least about being Bangor’s track superintendent, Van Dyne had the same answer.

“Oh, I don’t know. You have to listen to a lot of bull from the horsemen and everybody,” he said with a chuckle. “But I’ll miss the horsemen. I got along good with all of them and most are pretty nice people.”

Van Dyne made a point of complimenting Penn National Gaming, Inc., which operates Bangor Raceway.

Bangor Raceway parimutuel director Corey Smith said Brian Houston has replaced Van Dyne on an interim basis for the rest of this season. The nature of the job could change in the near future.

“We’re shooting for having it be a full-time position next year,” said Smith.

aneff@bangordailynews.net

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