CANTON -- Many North Country residents have enjoyed a day at the Saratoga racetrack, where the spectacle is the excitement of the race and the fancy dress of the spectators. Folklorist Ellen McHale …
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CANTON -- Many North Country residents have enjoyed a day at the Saratoga racetrack, where the spectacle is the excitement of the race and the fancy dress of the spectators. Folklorist Ellen McHale has spent years behind the scenes at the Saratoga and Belmont racetracks, getting to know the workers who care for the horses out of the public’s sight.
What she found was a tight-knit community whose love for the animals in their care is the basis for a rich occupational culture. That research is the subject of an exhibit now on display at The TAUNY Center called "Stable Views: Life in the Backstretch of Thoroughbred Racetracks."
The exhibit opened recently and will remain on display through early November at TAUNY, 53 Main St. They are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The exhibit consists of photos, artifacts from the backstretch, and quotes from the workers presented in English and Spanish. Underwriting support for the exhibit was provided by Potsdam Agway.
McHale summarizes the world in which she immersed herself this way: “From the second week in July through Labor Day, Saratoga Springs experiences the carnival known as the Racing Season. During this six-week period, thousands of spectators throng into a city of 60,000, swelling its population into the millions.
Aside from the seasonal, visible "frontside" workers, the betting clerks, parking lot attendants, food service workers, groundskeepers, tip sheet hawkers, security guards... there are the thousands of workers in the "backside." These track workers, the grooms, "hot walkers," trainers, assistant trainers, and exercise riders, become temporary residents of Saratoga Springs, but they are permanent employees in the business of racing, and their lives are inextricably linked to the horses."
Info: www.tauny.org