CRANBURY: Museum focuses on local equine treasure

By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
   CRANBURY — The Cranbury Museum’s latest exhibit is bringing the community’s attention to a local equine treasure most residents may not realize is based in their own backyard.
   The exhibit, which opens Sunday, is titled The Hambletonian: Its Trotters, their Connections and the Racing Event, 1926-2009.
   The Hambletonian Society, located on South Main Street, is a nonprofit organization originally established to sponsor the Hambletonian Stake, an annual harness race for 3-year-old trotters.
   Although the race was initially held in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1926, it was eventually relocated to the Meadowlands Racetrack, where it has remained a widely popular attraction for more than two decades.
   The exhibit will feature medals, trophies, racing equipment, photographs, posters, newspaper articles and magazines.
   The idea of the show was first brought to organizers’ attention by museum docent Sue Saravalli, whose husband, Tom Charters, is the president and chief executive officer of the society, said Lisa Beach, a co-curator at the museum.
   Adding to the Cranbury-Hambletonian connection, curators soon learned that a winning horse had come from resident Mark Mullen’s Fair Winds farm, located in Cream Ridge, N.J.
   With the help of Mary Lou Dondarski, an office manager and coordinator for The Hambletonian Society and Mr. Mullen’s contributions, the museum’s walls now house an intricately laid out history of the race, Ms. Beach said.
   ”It’s a connection to Cranbury,” she said. “We’ve never done an exhibit like this before. It’s exciting. It’s informative. It’s something new to the museum.”
   Aside from the exhibit’s pieces, Sunday’s guests will have the option to view a video on the history of the race as well, Ms. Beach said.
   The public is encouraged to drop by the Cranbury Museum, 4 Park Place East, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. from this Sunday through June.
   For more information on the exhibit, contact representatives at 609-395-0420 or visit the museum’s Web site at www.cranburyhistory.org. The exhibit is free.