Rachel Ryan, director of Media Relations for the Meadowlands Racetrack, has commented on the recent decision to cancel the 2009 edition of the Hambletonian Parade

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In an article today in the South Bergenite, Rachel said that after having calculated the cost-effectiveness of the event, an '09 edition just wasn't financially feasible.

"[The parade] had a decent turnout as far as spectators go," Ryan was quoted as saying. "But we felt the parade wasn't bringing enough people to the track."

According to the article, Ryan said that officials even had a way of measuring how many people went from one event to the other since it could determine what the redemption rate was on passes to the racetrack events that were handed out at the parade each year. The number of people who used those passes at the track were always very low, she said.

The report states that $41,000 was spent on the parade in '08.

According to Rutherford Downtown Partnership manager Robin Reenstra-Bryant, the event could return in the future.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

(With files from the South Bergenite)