If you like banners and horse racing, you are going to love being around Arlington Hts. starting in August and going straight through October.

The village is going to be bannered up a storm with 200 of them on streetlight poles and anywhere else the Breeders Cup Task Force 2002 can find to put them. They will promote the Breeders Cup horse racing week set for Oct. 19-26 at Arlington Park.

And the village's business community is participating. As of late June, sponsors for most of the 200 banners had been secured, and $16,000 of the estimated $24,000 cost of them had been raised.

""We should sell them all in the next few weeks," said Kris Stabler, vice president of community relations for Arlington Park Racetrack, where the Cup races will be held on Oct. 26.

"The banners are plumb-colored and depict the Breeder's Cup logo on them," Stabler said. "They will go up about Aug. 1 all over the village."

She also said companies and families are invited to be sponsors. "They cost $225 each, and a family's photo or portrait can be on them if a family buys one," she said. "Sponsors may keep their banners after Cup week."

Stabler also said plans are complete for additional seating at the park, and construction is set to begin the week of Aug. 19, after the Arlington Million race on Aug. 17. Temporary seating for 40,000 additional spectators will be installed along the first turn and stretch sections of the racetrack. About 60,000 fans are expected to attend Breeder's Cup events in October, including many horse racing officials and fans from foreign countries.

The banner effort is one of several promotional initiatives planned by the Breeders' Cup Task Force, which is chaired by Village Trustee Mark Toljanic. Members are Nancy Kluz, village public information officer; Sharon Romack, executive director of the Arlington Hts. Chamber of Commerce; Neil Scheufler, chairman of the Arlington Hts. Special Events Commission; Stabler; and Debora Whisler, public information officer for the memorial library. Village Trustee Bert Rosenberg is an ex-officio member; and Martha Harley, village economic development planner, is staff liaison.