Muhlenberg County Public Libraries will host another Kentucky Chautauqua program this week as part of their ongoing “Thursdays at Thistle” series, this time in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America exhibit at Thistle Cottage.
Eddie Price will present “Roscoe Tarleton Goose: Kentucky Derby Winner” at Thistle Cottage on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Roscoe Tarleton Goose, a native of Jeffersontown, Ky., began working with horses at a young age and quickly showed his natural abilities. By the age of 19 in 1910, he was one of the leading jockeys in America and the highest-winning jockey at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Three years later, at the age of 22, he rode Donerail to a victory at the Kentucky Derby. The win came as a surprise to the racing world; odds were 91:1 on Goose and Donerail, which still holds the record for longest odds of any Derby winner.
Goose retired from racing in 1915, only two years after his Kentucky Derby win, when his brother was killed while jockeying during a race. However, Goose stayed active in the racing industry. He advocated for the use of helmets to improve jockeys’ safety, and many years later, in 1961, he made waves by inviting African-American jockey Jimmy Winkfield into his private booth at Churchill Downs, which was still segregrated at the time, for that year’s Derby.
Eddie Price of Hawesville portrays Roscoe Tarleton Goose for the Kentucky Chautauqua program. Price is an author and former high school and college history teacher.
This Kentucky Chautauqua program will be presented free of charge. Light refreshments will be provided.
This program is presented in conjunction with the Hometown Teams exhibit currently on display at Thistle Cottage. The exhibit features national and local sports-related memorabilia, including items from many of Muhlenberg County’s current and former school athletic programs. The exhibit, which is open at Thistle Cottage until Sept. 29, is also free to visit.
Other upcoming programs to be held in conjunction with the Hometown Teams exhibit include:
- “Nostalgia Night” – Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. at Thistle Cottage; local sports enthusiasts are encouraged to gather and share their own stories and memories of local sporting events
- Tommy Eades presentation – Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Central City Convention Center featuring nationally recognized NCAA basketball official Tommy Eades
- Family Movie Night – Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. at the Central City library featuring a classic PG-rated sports movie
For more information about the Hometown Teams exhibit or upcoming programs, contact Muhlenberg County Public Libraries at 270-338-4760.
Kentucky Chautauqua is a presentation of Kentucky Humanities. Local funding is provided by the Felix E. Martin Jr. Foundation.
Hometown Teams has been made possible at Muhlenberg County Public Libraries by Kentucky Humanities with additional support from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Hometown Teams is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state Humanities Councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.
