The Wesley Community – a 37-acre senior living campus with more than 700 residents in Saratoga Springs – today announced plans to host a trip back in time, courtesy of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The program is free for Wesley residents and comes just months before the Belmont Stakes temporarily relocates to Saratoga Race Course.
Victorian-era opulence and the founding of Saratoga Race Course – home to an annual thoroughbred race meet since 1863 – are some highlights of the program that will feature a 400-year snapshot and real artifacts from the museum. It will also include some exciting details about the imminent arrival of the Belmont Stakes and conclude with a question-and-answer session.
The program comes to Wesley on the precipice of new Saratoga history being written this June with the unprecedented arrival of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Saratoga will host the third leg of the Triple Crown for the first time in the race’s 156-year history while Belmont Park, the Long Island home of the Belmont Stakes, undergoes renovations.
“We are truly looking forward to this traveling history program from The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and grateful to be chosen as its audience,” said J. Brian Nealon, CEO of The Wesley Community. “Many of us are aware of key elements of Saratoga’s storied history, but this version is sure to offer a unique perspective that will undoubtedly teach us something new.”
The museum will offer hour-long history presentations at Wesley’s Woodlawn Commons, Life Enrichment Center and Embury Apartments.
“Saratoga Springs is home to a rich history of famous and infamous characters, high-stakes sporting events, healing waters and is even the birthplace of Saratoga Chips, the original kettle chip,” said National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Manager Cate Masterson. “We are thrilled to bring this trip back in time to The Wesley Community, whose residents likely have fond memories or family stories of this wonderful city’s past and present.”
The history presentations will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Woodlawn Activity Room; from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Life Enrichment Activity Room; and from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Embury Café.
For more information about the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, visit www.racingmuseum.org.
For more information about The Wesley Community, visit www.thewesleycommunity.org.