While the racing action on the track will be fierce this weekend at the Meadowlands with eliminations for the Hambletonian Oaks, Jim Doherty Memorial, and Peter Haughton Memorial, fans will have no shortage of options to keep them entertained off the track as well.

The inaugural Brews, Blues & BBQ festival will take place Saturday in the Meadowlands Backyard and will feature 15 different food trucks and vendors, plus a competition that will feature five of the area’s premier BBQ teams. Gates will open at 11:30 a.m. with events continuing throughout the afternoon and evening. There will also be product and food demonstrations, plus live music by the Bob Lanza Blues Band, beginning at 6 p.m. Admission to the Backyard is $5. Other areas of the racetrack offer free admission, as usual.

The weekend festivities begin Friday night with the annual Million Dollar Ball Drop. Five hundred numbered golf balls will be dropped from the top of a fire truck ladder onto a target set up in the infield of the racetrack. The contestant’s golf ball that is closest to the centre of the target will have a chance to win $1 million if their number matches a pre-selected number. Even if the contestant does not win the $1 million grand prize, they will still be guaranteed to win $4,000. The 25 closest golf balls will all earn their contestant a cash prize ranging from $50 up to the $4,000 first prize.

Fans are invited to come out to the Meadowlands on Sunday to bet the Haskell without the hassle. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will make his return to the races in the $1.75-million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. With the huge crowd expected at Monmouth and reserved seating sold out, local fans are invited to watch and wager on New Jersey’s biggest day of Thoroughbred racing in the comfort of the Meadowlands. Victory Sports Bar, with its massive 12-foot by 20-foot TV screens, is the ideal setting to watch ‘Pharoah’s return. Meadowlands Players Club members will receive double points on all Monmouth Park wagers on Sunday. First-race post time for Monmouth’s card is 11:30 a.m.

Live racing at the Meadowlands will begin Friday at 7:15 p.m.

(Meadowlands)