Far Hills Races 2012: 92nd Annual Running of the Races

Another year of the 92nd Annual The Far Hills Race (known locally as The Hunt) has come and gone!

As the leaves of the Somerset Hills start to turn their glorious, bright colors and the fall chill enters the air, (not this year - it was in the 70s!) around 50,000 spectators converge on Moorland Farms in Far Hills to watch the Steeplechase Races, see friends and mingle. They come by car (287, 78 and 80 are all nearby), bus and train (Which drops them off right outside the gates.) Tailgate setups can be as simple as some catered sandwiches on a card table and beer in a cooler; all assembled out of the back of one's SUV. Enter one of the corporate tents, the atmosphere gets much more upscale, where one may see white-gloved servers, ice sculptures, carving stations and food items one would normally see at a wedding and not a tailgate. And an added benefit of the day: proceeds go to the Somerset Medical Center.

For the past 11 years, I have been attending this event and have a great time every year; all while enjoying a day off from politics. I already look forward to next year's "Hunt" and recommend to my readers to come to the Somerset Hills of New Jersey to experience The Far Hills Races - it will be a day you won't soon forget!