As we pause to celebrate the holiday season, we also ponder the upcoming new year and its prospects for Maine’s harness racing industry.

Last month, the Maine Harness Racing Commission held hearings and issued race dates for 2001. At the daylong date hearings, the MHRC approved a total of 226 live, parimutuel race dates in 2001 for eight racing agricultural fairs and two extended meets.

Scarborough Downs, Maine’s largest racetrack, was granted 140 live race dates, beginning on Saturday, March 3. During the month of March, Scarborough requested racing two-day weekends, adding an additional race day a week for succeeding months – three-day weekends in April, four days in May, and five days during the prime tourist months of June, July, and August, and the request was granted.

After a three-week shutdown beginning in mid-September to allow three Maine racing fairs to operate unimpeded, Scarborough resumes its live racing extended meet in early October and has requested a final racing date on Dec. 30, 2001.

Bangor Raceway, Maine’s other extended race track, requested and received from the racing commission, 30 live race dates, commencing Sunday, May 13. Bangor Historic Track’s racing schedule is: Sunday, Wednesday in May; Wednesday, Friday, Sunday in June and July. On the final week of racing at Bangor, track management will add Saturday and complete its 30-day live race meet on Sunday, July 22.

The 2001 schedule for Maine’s eight agricultural, parimutuel racing fairs are:

Northern Maine Fair, July 27, 29, 30, Aug. 1, 2, 3;

Topsham Fair, Aug. 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, (rain date, Aug. 8);

Skowhegan Fair, Aug. 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18.

Union Fair, Aug. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25;

Windsor Fair, Aug. 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and Sept. 1, 2, 3;

Farmington Fair, Sept. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22;

Cumberland Fair, Sept. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30;

Fryeburg Fair, Oct. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

The Down East Harness Horsemen’s Association will hold its annual winter meeting and awards banquet on Friday, Jan. 12, in the Crystal Room at Miller’s Restaurant in Bangor. Fifteen special awards are earmarked for people and horses who excelled during the past racing season at Bangor’s extended meet or at the racing fairs.

In addition, another special award will also be presented – The Bangor Daily News Harness Horse of the Year. This annual NEWS award has been part of the DEHHA winter meeting since 1985 and, each year, the winner is selected by BDN readers. Last year, BDN readers voted Gypsy, Roosevelt Susi’s outstanding Maine Sire Stakes filly, as their selection for the top newspaper-sponsored award. Time to cast a ballot for your favorite horse is growing short. The official ballot appears at the end of this column and the final entry date is Saturday, Jan. 6, 2001. This isn’t Florida, it’s Maine and there will not be any hanging or pregnant chads and we won’t have a recount.

The guest speaker for the DEHHA winter meeting and awards banquet is Robert W. Spear, Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. Gov. Angus King Jr. swore in Spear as commissioner on April 1, 1999. Spear is a third generation dairy and vegetable farmer and spent eight years in the Legislature as a state representative for District 59, representing Jefferson, Nobleboro, and Waldoboro. He served on the Agriculture (chair) and Taxation committees. He lives in Nobleboro with his wife, Janet. They have two sons and two grandchildren.

Tickets for the Friday, Jan. 12, DEHHA winter awards meeting and banquet are $13 each. For reservations, write to: DEHHA, P.O. Box 1963, Bangor 04412 or call Wendy Glaster at 588-0581, Joan Corbett at 942-6197 or Dotty Ward at 989-4739.

Enjoy the Christmas holiday season and may Santa leave you the best 2-year-old stakes colt/filly to ever step on a racetrack.