Indianapolis, IN — Harness racing heads to downtown Indianapolis for the fourth consecutive year as the National FFA Convention takes over the city the week of Oct. 28. The National FFA Expo will be open Wednesday-Friday (Oct. 29-31) at the Indiana Convention Center, with the harness racing booth in spot #510.
The 10-by-30-foot area includes a race bike and 360 video experience, “Are You Standardbred Savvy?” education station, feed trivia and advisor gifts and literature.
Guest drivers to do meet and greets and sign autographs include Lexi Sarkine, Jordan Ross and Marcus Miller, who will be on site Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, respectively, midday.
The booth would not be possible without the sponsorship, committee member involvement and volunteers who work the event from the USTA, Harness Horse Youth Foundation (HHYF), Indiana Standardbred Association (ISA) and Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association (OHHA).
Other sponsors include the Delaware Standardbred Owners Association (DSOA), Indiana Standardbred Breed Development Fund, Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (MSOA), Minnesota Harness Racing, Inc. (MHRI) and Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey (SBOA-NJ).
Those interested in learning more about FFA convention and harness racing’s presence there can contact Jessica Schroeder at 614.224.2291 or jessica.schroeder@ustrotting.com.
The National FFA is a school-based youth leadership development organization whose membership exceeds 1 million students across 9,407 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Michigan, Florida and Wisconsin saw the highest growth rates in membership compared to last year; the top five states for membership are Texas, California, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.
The National FFA Convention attracts around 70,000 people for the week-long event each year. The convention was first held in 1928 in Kansas City, Mo., and was in that city for 70 years. It has also been held in Louisville, Ky., and will be in Indianapolis through 2040.