The Tampa Rough Riders will bring history to life on Friday, June 5, during its Night at the Rough Riders Museum, a community event blending education, live performance and a touch of Hollywood.
The 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment – Rough Riders Inc. was formed for the purpose of creating and perpetuating a living memorial to the unique accomplishment of President Theodore Roosevelt and the members of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment known as ‘the Rough Riders.’ The Tampa Rough Riders are a Florida nonprofit corporation and a Federal 501(c)(3) charity. Since 1978 the Regiment has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars both financially and in volunteer hours. Whether providing material goods or manpower, Rough Riders live to get up close and personal with the community where they live and work.
Billy Hogan, volunteer curator for the Rough Riders Museum and lead organizer for the event, said it’s an evening you won’t want to miss.
“The Rough Riders’ Teddy Roosevelt Museum is a series of 10 exhibits chronologically arranged in our hall,” said Hogan. “We will have docents in period attire at the exhibits explaining from the Ten Years’ War in Cuba (1868-78) through the end of the Spanish-American War and about our present-day organization.”
This year marks the second time the Rough Riders have hosted the event.
“We accomplished this for the first time in June 2022 in what we then called History Week, the period of time in June corresponding to when the original Rough Riders were in Tampa in 1898,” Hogan said.
Doors open at 5 p.m., and visitors will be guided through the museum before entering a food and beverage area. Hogan said the evening’s most distinctive feature will be historical reenactors.
“The most unique part of this event will be actors impersonating Teddy and Edith Roosevelt,” said Hogan. “They will conduct their performance about 6:20 p.m., and they will be followed by book author Mark Barry. At 7 p.m., we will play the movie Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller and Robin Williams. The Roosevelt actors are making their first appearance at one of our events, and we are excited to hear their recreations of Teddy and Edith.”
Organizers hope to draw at least 150 attendees. The entry fee for the event is $5 or a new teddy bear — 12 inches or larger.
Hogan emphasized the Rough Riders’ long-standing charitable mission.
“Each year the Rough Riders collect, sort and store thousands of teddy bears for our teddy bear program,” he said, noting that the organization donates bears to hospitals, nursing homes, foster programs and other community partners. “We also donate about $50,000 annually through scholarships and other charitable donations to nonprofit causes.”
The Teddy Roosevelt Museum was recently named a Blue Star Museum — one of five in Tampa — and offers free admission to active-duty military families. The 2026 program runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 7.
The Rough Riders Night at the Museum event runs from 5-10 p.m. at 601 N. 19th St. in Tampa. For more information and registration, visit www.tamparoughriders.org.