Racing Hall of Fame to Reduce Winter Hours

Due to significant increases in energy prices, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in January and February of 2006.

The museum will be open during the normal winter operating hours, Wednesday through Sunday, during those months. The Wednesday through Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sunday, the museum is open from noon to 4 p.m.

The museum's pre-school program will not be affected by the schedule change and will continue to be held on Monday mornings.

Museum officials have also decided to close the McBean Gallery for the winter on Dec. 31 to save on energy costs. The gallery is tentatively scheduled to re-open in April.

"After an extensive analysis of our expenses in the winter, we reached the conclusion that in order to stay within our operating budget it would be necessary to close for the two days," said museum director Peter Hammell. "The spike in energy prices had everything to do with the decision."

The exhibit "Peb: The Art of Humor," a career retrospective of the Daily Racing Form caricaturist Pierre Bellocq, will complete its run in the gallery as planned on Dec. 31. The "Golden Memories" exhibit will remain on display in 2006 when the gallery reopens.