The 44th annual Harness Festival will be held April 7-8 at the Hawkinsville Harness Horse Training Center, 290 Abbeville Hwy., Hawkinsville.

Activities will kick off Thursday night (April 6), with festival sponsors and horsepeople invited to a fish fry and meet and greet with the 2017 Harness Festival queens and princesses. Recognition awards and certificates will be presented at that time to trainers with top money earners on the 2016 race circuit for horses that had trained the previous season at the Hawkinsville Harness Horse Training Center. The top money-earner names also will be added to the Winner's Circle Board located at the front of the training centre.

Friday night activities begin with the Yard Bird chicken cook-off held each year at the festival. New to the competition this year will be a chili cook-off category. The Midlife Chryslers Band will take the stage at 8 p.m., performing classic soul and rock and roll for patrons to dance the night away. Those feeling brave may want to try out the mechanical bull ride that is new to the festival this year. The mechanical bull will be available Friday and Saturday during the regular festival hours. The night will close with a fantastic fireworks display sponsored by Com South.

Twelve qualifying races have been drawn for Saturday with a 12 p.m. post time beginning on the track with the parade of the Harness Festival queens. Bourbon Chase, who took a mark of 1:50.3 in 2016, will be making his 2017 debut in the eighth feature race of the day. The feature trot in the ninth will see trainer Dan Shetler's Fawn De Savage, winner of more than $237,000 in 2016, go up against Hoosier Park track record holder for three-year-old trotters, Fly Jesse Fly, trained by Ron Otto. The impressive field rounds out with Shetler stablemate Fireballs Prayers, winner of more than $82,000 in 2016 and Sally Gilbert's open/invitational trotter Captain John Henry.

Along with the harness races on Saturday, additional activities throughout the day include arts and crafts, a fun zone for all ages, photo booth, rock climbing wall and numerous food vendors.

(Brenda Valiante)