Everything about Good Time Park totally explained
Good Time Park was a mile-long
race track in
Goshen,
New York that hosted the
Hambletonian harness race from
1930 to
1956.
History
A largely unmaintained field for the first century of its existence, the area that would become Good Time Park was originally called Fiddler's Green. At the beginning of the 19th century it was a common meeting place for local races, training, and breeding. Use died out around 1820, and it was largely forgotten until 1899, when it was refurbished to be used to train trotters. Sports promoter and horse owner William H. Cane bought the land in 1926, named the new track Good Time Park, and began to hold races there. By 1927 it had become a Grand Circuit track, with a large
stables and a 2,224-seat grandstand.
The first Hambletonian in Goshen was held on
August 27 1930, and was broadcast on the radio by the
Columbia Broadcasting Company. The victory purse of $58,859.00 was won, after three heats, by Tom Berry driving
Hanover's Bertha. The Hambletonian was held at Good Time Park for the next 26 years, with the exception of 1943, when wartime gas shortages caused it to be moved to
Empire City Track in
Yonkers. After Cane's death in 1956, conflicts over the administration of the sport caused the race to be moved out of New York State, to
DuQuoin, Illinois. It was intended as a two-year stopgap measure, but the Hambletonian never returned to Goshen.
Decline
Good Time Park remained open after the Hambletonian moved away, hosting other, lesser horse races. In 1981, an attempt to bring back the Hambletonian failed; it went instead to
The Meadowlands in
East Rutherford, NJ, where the race is still run. The last races were held at Good Time Before the 1960s, and the grandstand was finally taken down before the 1980's There was also a fire there before 1970.
Today
Although it has gone back to woods and fields, Good Time Park's unusual triangular shape is still visible from the air, with
New York State Route 17M now cutting through the southern part of the track. The footings of the grandstand can still be found as well as the rail on the inner circumference of the track. A single reviewing stand remains as well. It is visible from the nearby rail-trail. Developers have coveted the area since at least the 1970s, when a massive development was proposed: 137 single-family houses, 308 multi-family units, 150 rental apartments and two strip malls. Some construction actually took place, but was abandoned. Land prices in Goshen and surrounding areas have soared in recent years, however, and a new development of 116 single-family homes has been proposed, despite community opposition.
(External Link
)
Other uses
Auto races were occasionally held at the park; the
Goshen 100 was run three times, in 1936 and 1946-47.
(External Link)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Good Time Park'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://good_time_park.totallyexplained.com">Good Time Park Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
