HITS with horses and a local Guinness record?

You can meet some of the top Grand Prix riders competing this week at HITS (Horse Shows in the Sun) in Saugerties during an autograph session at Mirabella's Restaurant on Partition Street starting at 6 p.m. Saturday. Among the riders expected to appear are Hillary Dobbs (daughter of CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs) and former Olympians Todd Minikus, Margie Engle and Federico Sztyrle.

The event is part of the HITS Block Party, which is free and open to the public and takes place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Here's some fun -- the party includes a Guinness Book of World Record's test at 6:30 p.m. for the World's Largest Skateboard in front of Dallas Hot Weiner's on Main Street. The board measures more than 33 feet long and took John Kahn, Ken Benson and members of the Saugerties Skatepark Junior Committee five months to build. A world-class skatepark is coming to Saugerties in the spring of 2009, across from the HITS show grounds. You have to check out the video of the GIANT skateboard.

Other highlights: from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. there will be free pony rides at Stella’s Station on Main Street, courtesy of Sharon Bach and Vertical Limit Stables. The band Powerhouse will perform from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the intersection of Main and Partition Street.

Here is more info from HITS:

Most businesses will bring the party into their stores. Participating businesses include M&T Bank (crafts from the Saugerties Art Lab), Arcadia (light snacks and cocktails), Central Hotel (light snacks and cocktails), DIG (DJ Caviar spinning live in the store), Dutch Ale House (musical performance at 9 pm), Exchange Hotel (free pizza), Michael Nelson Photography (student photography opening), Partition St.Wine Shop (wine tasting), The Pig Bar & Grill (musical performance), Shelley K (art opening and light snacks and jazz piano with John Esposito), Stella's Station (musical performance), Sweet Lili (chocolate fountain), Trillium (wine tasting) Village Pizza (fried dough) and Main Street Restaurant (balloon animals).

Parking is available in all of the municipal lots in the village, including the lot adjacent to M&T Bank and behind Mirabella's. The parking lot at Cahill School may also be used, as well as the parking lot of Sawyer Savings Bank. For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com