from the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame

Goshen, NY — The box closes on Wednesday (June 27) for reservations to attend the annual Harness Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and dinner.

This is harness racing’s most important event of the year so don’t get shut out! Call Kim Green at 845.294.6330 and make your reservation today. As this is a catered event we cannot guarantee accommodation of last minute reservations. Tickets are $125/person and include a cocktail hour with open bar service at 5:30 p.m. and three course dinner. Additional information including the Hall of Fame Weekend schedule is available at www.harnessmuseum.com.

The 2012 honorees are Living Hall of Fame: Jimmy W. Takter, Rainbow Blue, Rocknroll Hanover and Arterra. Immortals: Lucas Brodhead, Jr., William H. Wilson and Classical Way. Communicators’ Hall of Fame: Jean Emerson and Moira Fanning. Pinnacle Award Honorees: The Chronicle and The Goshen Independent, local weekly newspapers. The 2012 Museum’s Amateur Driving Champion, Steve Oldford and 2011 Horse of the Year San Pail will also be recognized. Standardbred owners and Roosevelt fans Jerry Silva and Bill Mulligan will be recognized for their level of giving at the Harness Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies with the presentation of Roosevelt Raceway Legacy Project Founders’ Plates.

Hall of Fame Weekend is full of great activities for the harness racing fan. From Friday (June 29) through Monday (July 2) post time is 1 p.m. at Historic Track for bucolic afternoons of superb racing complete with the traditional fair fare of cotton candy, lemonade, sausage and peppers and brewskis.

On Sunday, Hall of Fame Day (July 1), the Hall of Fame Invitational Trot in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Elbridge T. Gerry, Sr. is the featured race. Slated to drive in this annual competition are Hall of Famers including John Campbell (1990), Jimmy Doherty (2002), Herve Filion (1975), Mike Lachance (1995), Cat Manzi (2001), Dave Palone (2009), Ron Pierce (2004) and this year’s inductee Jimmy Takter.

New exhibits to be found at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame include a reprise of the United States Trotting Association’s internet connection, especially for children is an audio-visual race crash scene, complete with sound, a presentation of newly acquired Roosevelt Raceway memories, and the history of driving colors “Winning Styles.” Encore productions include the internationally acclaimed presentation of “The Story of Harness Racing by Currier & Ives” accompanied by Salvador Dali’s American Trotting Horses #1. Supporting the exhibit, located in the Museum’s main gallery, is “A Bevy of Bronzes,” a first time display of a selection from the Museum’s world-class historic bronze horse statues dating from 1850 to the present. “The Spirit of Harness Racing: Historic Track” returns and can be found in the Haughton Hall Way and “Sulky Slicks–Harness Racing as an Advertising Icon,” can be found in the Museum’s Carriage Room.

The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame is located at 240 Main Street in Goshen, New York, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Last tour 4 p.m.) Thanks to United States Trotting Association support free admission is currently offered to walk-in visitors. For information on the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner, the Museum, special events and educational programs the Museum offers, please call 845.294.6330 or visit www.harnessmuseum.com.