by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — The U.S. Trotting Association, with the cooperation of the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, will offer a live webcast of the 2011 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Sunday evening (July 3).

USTA/Mark Hall photo

The 2011 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will take place July 3.

The webcast will begin at 6:45 p.m. (EDT) and will be available on the home page at www.ustrotting.com. Master of Ceremonies Roger Huston will again preside over one of the sport’s most glittering evenings, conducted on the lawn of the Museum, located in historic Goshen, N.Y.

Jim Simpson of Hanover Shoe Farms and Walter Russell, a longtime leading racing official, will be inducted into the Living Hall of Fame. In addition, Eternal Camnation, Gallo Blue Chip, Artistic Vision, J Cs Nathalie and Tsunami Hanover will be inducted into the Living Horse Hall of Fame.

Also to be inducted are the newest members of the Communicators’ Hall of Fame, the late publicist Joe Hartmann and television personality Gary Seibel.

Owner and breeder Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg will receive the Pinnacle Award and Steve Oldford will be honored as the Amateur Driver of the Year. The 2010 Horse of the Year, Rock N Roll Heaven, will also be cited.

Tickets for the dinner are still available at $100 per person and includes a cocktail hour, open bar and dinner. Call Kim Green at 845.294.6330 for reservations.

The Museum invites everyone to wander through to discover the harness racing story that made Goshen well-known world round, and gave reason for it to be called, “The Cradle of the Trotter.” Visitors will also enjoy the new exhibit, “Sulky Slicks: Harness Racing as an Advertising Icon,” featuring nearly 150 years of harness racing’s appeal to sell popular products. In the Currier & Ives Gallery, see the newly-acquired Salvador Dali prints and his unique interpretation of a Currier & Ives harness racing scene as well as “A Bevy of Bronzes” spotlighting the Animalier style by artists Isidore Bonheur and Pierre Junes Mene.

The Museum gift shop will be open with all sorts of unique, reasonably priced horse-themed items and on Saturday, July 2, the “steals and deals” table, located in front of the Museum, will offer special bargains for all. Of course, everyone will have the opportunity to engage in a virtual harness racing experience by taking a free ride on the world-famous 3D Harness Racing Simulator.

The Museum is located at 240 Main Street, Goshen, N.Y., and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information call 845.294.6330.

— with files from the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame