Continuing a tradition that has endured for more than half a century, the Monticello-Goshen Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association made their annual donations to the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame and to the neighbouring Goshen Historic Track.
Track president Steve Jones met with chapter president Chris Tully at the recently concluded Standardbred Horse Sale.
Jones stated, “We truly appreciate the consistent and generous support of our local harness racing writers. They help us to continue to operate during these difficult and unprecedented times. We lost considerable revenue with the postponement of our regular Grand Circuit meet in July, so these funds could not have come at a more crucial time.”
Harness Museum president Max Hempt echoed those sentiments.
The third generation horseman noted, “The Harness Racing Museum is fortunate to have such a dedicated group of writers that have consistently raised thousands of dollars annually on our behalf. Absent much of our primary fund-raising efforts this year, we are grateful that Monticello-Goshen Chapter had sufficient prudent reserve to continue their enduring doctrine of benevolence.”
Forced to postpone the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony until 2021, and coupled with New York’s current pandemic restrictions, the Museum has remained closed through much of 2020.
In addition, due to current social distancing requirements, the Monticello-Goshen Chapter will be unable to hold its 62nd annual awards banquet this year.
The practice of raising money and donating funds to Historic Track and the Hall of Fame began in the mid-1970s with Monticello Raceway publicity icon John Manzi, and has continued ever since.
Fortunately, due to the generosity of the chapter’s past sponsors and advertisers, the writers were still able to give $3,000 each to the Harness Museum and to Goshen Historic Track, two separate and distinct entities which share the same hallowed ground and a united mission to preserve, protect and promote harness racing.
(USHWA/Monticello-Goshen Chapter)