from the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame

Goshen, NY — The box closes on Wednesday, June 29, for reservations to the annual Harness Racing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and Dinner in Goshen, N.Y.

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 $100/person and include a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by a three course dinner. Additional information, including the Hall of Fame Weekend schedule, is available at www.harnessmuseum.com.

The 2011 honorees are Living Hall of Fame: Judge Walter Russell, Jim Simpson, Eternal Camnation, Gallo Blue Chip, Artistic Vision, JC’s Nathalie and Tsunami Hanover. Communicators’ Hall of Fame: Joe Hartmann and Gary Seibel. Pinnacle Award Honoree: owner/breeder Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg. The 2010 Horse of the Year Rock N Roll Heaven and 2011 Harness Racing Museum Amateur Driving Champion Steve Oldford will also be recognized.

The Museum’s Spring Newsletter is available on the website and provides information on events during the entire Hall of Fame weekend such as Historic Track’s racing program and biographic sketches on Hall of Fame inductees as well as others being honored during the Hall of Fame Dinner; donor acknowledgements, project updates, promotional opportunities and educational program notes are also included.

The Newsletter is sent automatically to Museum members. We invite everyone who cares about harness racing’s past, present and future to join us and help support our efforts to protect the memories, cheer the victories and welcome tomorrow’s great times! Membership information can be obtained by calling development director Joanne Young at 845.294.6330 or visiting the Museum’s website at www.harnessmuseum.com.

From Friday, July 1, through Monday, July 4, post time is 1 p.m. at Historic Track for bucolic afternoons of superb racing complete with the traditional fair fare — cotton candy, lemonade, sausage & peppers and brewskis. On Sunday, Hall of Fame Day, July 3, the Hall of Fame Invitational Trot in memory of Mr. & Mrs. Elbridge T. Gerry, Sr. is the featured race. Slated to drive in this annual competition are Jimmy Doherty (2003), Herve Filion (1976), Wally Hennessey (2007), Mike Lachance (1996), Cat Manzi (2002), Bill O’Donnell (1991), Ray Remmen (1998), and last year’s Hall of Fame inductee Dave Palone.

New exhibits to be found at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame include a reprise of the internationally acclaimed presentation of “The Story of Harness Racing by Currier & Ives” together with the first-time exhibition at the Museum of Salvador Dali’s American Trotting Horses #1. Supporting the exhibit, located in the Museum’s main gallery, is “A Bevy of Bronzes,” a never-before-seen 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” first seen in 1985, returns and can be found in the Haughton Hall Way and a brand new exhibit “Sulky Slicks – Harness Racing as an Advertising Icon,” debuts in the Museum’s Carriage Room.

A beautiful surrey, owned by Mrs. Dorothy Haughton, a Museum trustee, will be auctioned off during the evening with the proceeds designated for the Museum’s important Restoration Fund to repair and acquire precious harness racing mementos. Those interested in owning a pristine surrey and contributing to a good cause should visit the Museum’s website at www.harnessmuseum.com or call the Museum at 845.294.6330 for details on this great opportunity.

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.