Simply Saratoga Summer 2021

Summer 2021

Simply...

Simply

Complimentary

SARATOGA

™

THE PEOPLE • THE PLACES • THE LIFESTYLE

Summer

2021

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Knowledge, experience, and a true commitment to the Saratoga Community.

New Construction Listings:

Whether you’re buying for the first time, upsizing, downsizing, or even investing,

Sharon can get you to the next place!

WALK TO DOWNTOWN SARATOGA Prime location to build with Belmonte Builders in the City of Saratoga Springs. These home sites are close to everything; State Park, SPAC, Raceway, Racino, Downtown, Popular Dining Spots and convenient to the Northway.

CITY SQUARE Brand New Luxurious townhomes and single family homes; first floor master suite floor plans available. Two blocks from Downtown Saratoga. Maintenance Free Community.

Sharon Byrne

Licensed Associate R.E. Broker

cell.

518.527.4914

sharonbyrne@howardhanna.com web. www.sharonbyrne.com

MEADOWBROOK Estate homes on approximately 2 acres of private, heavily wooded property.

Your Neighbor. Your Realtor.

REGATTA VIEW

saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com 505 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Saratoga Lakeside Community where Saratoga Lake & Fish Creek join. Carriage Homes. Maintenance free living, beach access, walking path along the water, boat marina/docks only a few feet away, and sidewalks.

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SARATOGA ™

THE PEOPLE • THE PLACES • THE LIFESTYLE

Owner/Publisher Chad Beatty General Manager Robin Mitchell Creative Director/ Managing Editor Chris Vallone Bushee Magazine Designer Kacie Cotter-Sacala Advertising Designer Kelsey Sherman Advertising Sales Jim Daley Cindy Durfey Contributing Writers Donna Bates Samantha Bosshart Himanee Gupta-Carlson Colleen Coleman Nicolina Venice Foti Meghan Lemery Fritz Carol Godette John R. Greenwood Wendy Hobday Haugh Charlie Kuenzel Patrice Mastrianni Bill Orzell Colleen Pausley Megin Potter Kathleen Quin John Reardon Ginny Smith Theresa St. John Ralph Vincent Photographers Brien Bouyea Susan Blackburn Photography Sharon Castro Pattie Garrett Tom Garrett Wendy Hobday Haugh Randall Perry Photography RMP | NYRA Bridget Shevlin Theresa St. John Super Source Media Heather Bohm Tallman

Published by Saratoga TODAY 2254 Route 50 South Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 tel: 518-581-2480 | fax: 518-581-2487 saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com SimplySaratoga.com Simply Saratoga is brought to you by Saratoga TODAY, Saratoga Publishing, LLC. Saratoga Publishing shall make every effort to avoid errors and omissions but disclaims any responsibility should they occur. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the publisher.

Copyright © 2021.

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FROM THE EDITOR Chris Vallone Bushee • Creative Director/ Managing Editor cBushee@SaratogaPublishing.com • 518-581-2480 ext. 201 simplysaratoga.com | saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!

I am so excited about this summer! When SPAC sent their info over, I immediately entered the performances I want to attend in my calendar, and then I read that we can TAILGATE at the track, (Yes! See page 16) – AND we can now walk Broadway without a mask – (oh, how I miss smiles) – yes, this is going to be a wonderful summer!

Thank you, Saratoga, for being the best little city to cover and providing all this amazing content – we won BEST MAGAZINE (by the New York Press Association) again! I loved these Judges Comments...

"Outstanding magazine, especially since this was published during the pandemic. Makes me want to visit Saratoga!”

"Wonderful celebration of ‘Sense of Place.’ Good, strong, clear writing. Well researched and presented in compact, straightforward pieces.”

Oh, before I forget, the Soroptimist’s Secret Garden Tour, is Sunday, July 11 (page 128) – hope to see you there!

Our coverage for the 25th Anniversary of the Saratoga Showcase of Homes continues, starting on page 130.

In this issue we say goodbye to two beloved columnists… Dr. Joel Goodman (page 74) who has been making me (and countless others!) laugh for years. He’s moving on to a new phase in his life – retirement and more time with the family. And speaking of more time with those we love, Meghan Lemery Fritz also submitted her last column.

I loved it when Meghan wrote her goodbyes in Saratoga TODAY, mentioning how this article has been her personal “therapy” – and here I thought she was MY therapist all these years!!

Meghan, we will miss you, and Joel – yours was the one piece I giggled through while reading – THANKS to both of you!

On a more personal note, I could not have been more thrilled when I read that Putnam Market, (Broadway’s gourmet grocery) was named to a list of the 50 Greatest Food Stores in the World by the London-based Financial Times. I had just started working (1995?) as an “ad rep for the local paper” when Cathy and Gloria took that massive building on Putnam Street and transformed it into this chic, lofty space -exactly as they had envisioned it! They were so impressive, so cool, and yet so mellow about the whole process - such a thrill to think I was there when it all started.

Of course, their Broadway digs are just as trendy, but I do think they were paving the way for this sophisticated city we all enjoy so much. Congratulations Putnam Market!

As always, THANK YOU! to our advertisers for helping us provide this beautiful magazine – free of charge. Saratoga TODAY was built on the premise of being able to provide local news - for free - and we couldn’t print our publications without our advertisers, so please mention us by name when supporting them…

Simply Saratoga, the Saratoga TODAY magazine.

Be sure to check out SimplySaratoga.com for all this, and more!

COVER PHOTOS: (clockwise) Saratoga With Kids | Photo by Heather Bohm Tallman Saratoga Race Course | Photo by RMP, courtesy of NYRA “Spirit of Life” Fountain in Congress Park | Photo by Michael Nelson Sacandaga Outdoor Center | Photo provided saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

Chris

Can you tell how excited we are to be OPEN and having guests again?!

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MEGH A

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Meghan Lemery Fritz, a native of the Glens Falls Saratoga region, is a psychotherapist with a passion to provide her clients and readers with the tools necessary to live a life grounded in peace and emotional well-being. She is an author and writer for various publications in Upstate NY and State College, PA. She is also the co-host for a monthly radio segment focused on how to improve relationships.

She currently resides in State College, PA where she enjoys spending time with her husband and son.

Charlie Kuenzel is a native Saratogian who spent 36 years as a Science educator in the Saratoga School District before retiring 6 years ago. Charlie, along with Dave Patterson are the co-owners of Saratoga Tours LLC who for the past 16 years have educated and entertained thousands of visitors to the city with stories to tell the exciting history of our great city.

Colleen Pausley is the writer behind the blog; Life on Kaydeross Creek where she shares unique ideas to decorate your home on a budget, DIY projects, furniture makeovers and thrift store up-cycles. She and her husband have been do-it-yourselfers for 25 years and she believes that creating a warm, inviting home that you LOVE and that reflects who you are can be done on any budget.

Megin is an expressive writer and artist with work published in books, newspapers, corporate communications and online. A resident of the region for over 20 years, she continues to discover anew the interesting people, places and products it has to offer.

As a mother to her active young son, she is inspired to explore even more.

John Reardon purchased Compliments to the Chef in July of 2004 and has enjoyed selling over 6,000 high quality cookware and cutlery items to his Foodie Friends ever since. His wife Paula - as well as being a college professor - helps out along with their son John and daughter Aubrey …and they fit right in to his Foodie Team! If you ask John or Aubrey to cook up a special dish, you’ll see a gleam in their eyes! John reminds us... “Life Happens in the Kitchen” and yes…

“Anyone can cook!”

Theresa is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in Saratoga Springs. Even though history was not on her radar while in high school, she has a deep interest in all things historical now. She has been on assignment for several magazines and is published in both print and online venues. Last year she traveled to Ireland on assignment, which, she states " was a trip of a lifetime." She is the proud mom to two young men and Nonnie to six rescued dogs, two chinchillas, and a bird. Life is good, she says.

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Nicolina Foti is the Farm to School grant coordinator and agriculture educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension Saratoga County. She has a B.S. in Agriculture and Sustainability from SUNY Empire. She lives with her husband in Galway, NY where she grew up on the family farm. There she developed a love of horses and other farm animals. She says it’s extremely fulfilling to work in agriculture, helping farmers in this important Saratoga County industry.

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John Greenwood is a leftover Saratoga Springs milkman who loves capturing stories about the people and places that surround him. John and his wife Patricia have been holding hands since high school. The couple recently retired and are looking forward to having more time to enjoy the nooks and crannies of the surrounding area. You can explore more of John’s writing at rainingiguanas.com, where you will find the glass half full and the weather mostly sunny.

Northville freelancer Wendy Hobday Haugh’s short stories, articles, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and regional publications, including Woman’s World Weekly, Highlights for Children, and WritersWeekly.com. Her stories have appeared in 15 different Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. To learn more, visit wendyhobdayhaugh.com.

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Born and raised in Saratoga Springs, Carol Godette’s fascination with neighborhood stores began at age 11 when she frequented Rowland’s. A passionate educator, Godette taught elementary school in the Saratoga School District for 31 years. Carol is a co-owner of the local Ben & Jerry’s franchise. Godette and her husband live in her childhood home where they raised their two children. She welcomes your comments and stories/photos on neighborhood stores via email: saratoganeighborhoodstores@gmail.com

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B TH A OS ART

Colleen Coleman is the owner of CMC Design Studio LLC and is well noted by her clients for bringing high energy, attention to detail, organization and more to each project. Her collaborative efforts with clients, as well as others in the industry, translates to a comprehensive design to completion for her clients. Her unique approach to defining each space matured into what she has coined as “Creating Environments for Life” - reach her at colleen@cmcdesignstudio.net.

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Samantha Bosshart joined the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation in 2008. As Executive Director, she advocates for the preservation of the unique architecture and rich heritage of Saratoga Springs. Samantha previously worked at Historic Albany Foundation and Galveston Historical Foundation. Samantha completed her coursework for a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University and received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Indiana University.

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CONTRIBUTORS

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Ralph Vincent is a lifestyle writer enamored with the Spa City. As an enthusiastic contributor to Simply Saratoga Magazine, he enjoys writing about a variety of topics including home entertaining, cooking, and cocktail crafting. His body of work also includes articles on subjects of special significance to him such as his experiences as a pet parent, gardening, and Yaddo.

He resides locally with his partner Steven and their adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

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CONTENTS

Simply...

Simply ...

SARATOGA Summer 2021

WELCOME (BACK!) to SARATOGA!

OUT & ABOUT

16

Welcome Back to the NEW Saratoga Race Course!

84

River Walk at Speculator

18

Lawn Jockeys!

88

River Rafting

20

Saratoga with Kids

91

Leave No Trace

22

The Jockey “Y”

94

Family Travel Tips

24

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

96

Artists Spotlight: John Kingsley

28

Swedish Hill Farm and Spa

99

Erik Johnsen Goes to the Norman Rockwell Museum

32

SPAC is Open!

34

Walt & Whitman Brewing

FASHION & SHOPPING (More Looks Than Ever!!)

41

Summer Fashion ideas from Caroline + Main, Lifestyles, Lucia, Pink Paddock, Spoken, Union Hall, Violet’s, Saratoga Trunk and Embrace the Race!

60

Don’t Leave Town Without These!

A GOOD READ 38

Luxe Salon

40

Meghan Lemery Fritz

58

The Company Salon and Spa

64

Preserving Saratoga

68

Pies & Tacos?!

70

Pine Grove Church

72

Saratoga Peace Pods

74

Join us as we say Goodbye to Dr. Joel Goodman

76

Summer Book Suggestions

78

Meet… Mountain Climber Jonathan Neville

92

The Future of Lacrosse

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H&G 100

Architecturally Speaking

116

Life on Kaydeross Creek

118

In the Kitchen with John Reardon

120

Entertaining with Ralph Vincent

122

Homesteading 101

126

Saratoga Farmers’ Market

128

SAVE THE DATE Secret Garden Tour July 11

130

25th Anniversary Coverage of the Saratoga Showcase of Homes Continues!

OUR HISTORY 145

Charlie Kuenzel

150

Carol Godette

156

Bill Orzell

158

John Greenwood

160

The Quinn Family Needs Us

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The Mercantile Kitchen & Bar

Welcome Back...

We’ve Been Waiting For You! PHOTO BY THERESA ST. JOHN

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Named one of the world’s greatest sporting venues by Sports Illustrated, the past comes alive in the historic grandstand every summer.

THREE NEW HOSPITALITY AREAS FOR THE 2021 MEET! The Spa Verandas at The Top of the Stretch provide covered outdoor sections for groups with outstanding views of the racing action!

Tailgate at the Turn drive-up picnic area to offer new casual trackside experience overlooking picturesque first turn!

Newly expanded section of The Stretch to provide additional lounge boxes and access to exclusive amenities!

INFORMATION AND PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NYRA

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced three new hospitality areas at Saratoga Race Course set to debut during the upcoming 2021 summer meet.

The Spa Verandas at the Top of The Stretch, Tailgate at the Turn picnic area and the newly expanded section of The Stretch will welcome fans for the first time on Opening Day, Thursday, July 15.

Reservations for all three areas will be available beginning Thursday, June 24 at 10 a.m. at NYRA.com/Saratoga.

“As we prepare to welcome fans back to the Spa for the first time in two years, we are excited to introduce three additional areas where our guests can enjoy a day at Saratoga,” said NYRA Senior Director of Communications Pat McKenna. “The Spa Verandas and Tailgate at the Turn will undoubtedly be popular additions to our group hospitality offerings. And as one of our most in-demand destinations, the expansion of The Stretch will be met with equal enthusiasm. We look forward to the debut of these areas this summer.”

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Spa Verandas at The Top of the Stretch offer modern amenities and casual setting with trackside views A reimagining of one of Saratoga’s most popular spots, the Spa Verandas will replace the former Top of the Stretch reserved picnic areas with six new, partially covered sections offering a modern and casual outdoor experience.

Designed to accommodate up to 45 guests each, the Spa Verandas will feature comfortable lounge furniture, mounted televisions, betting machines and private access to the track apron for uninterrupted rail side viewing as the thoroughbreds round the final turn and head for home.

Each package comes with admission and programs. Food and beverage packages may be purchased separately.

Tailgate at the Turn drive-up picnic area to provide new trackside experience for racing fans The all-new Tailgate at the Turn drive-up picnic section will welcome fans to experience a day at the Spa from a casual atmosphere offering a unique vantage point of Thoroughbreds rounding the first turn. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

The hospitality area will feature a total of 16 designated picnic areas where parties of up to six fans can drive up to their trackside reserved section overlooking the rail adjacent to the 1863 Club. Fans may bring in their own food and beverage.

In addition to a private picnic table, fans in the Tailgate at the Turn area will enjoy a hospitality tent with largescreen televisions, betting machines and bar service.

Each six-person section must be reserved in full.

The Stretch to feature 15 new lounge boxes.

As a result of its continued popularity since being introduced during the 2018 season, The Stretch will expand to feature an additional 15 lounge boxes located in Section T of the Grandstand.

The private hospitality area – which is located at the Top of the Stretch – features modern and upscale amenities in a casual environment with outstanding views of thoroughbreds rounding the final turn.

Each lounge box seats four to six guests with comfortable bench seating and access to personal tablets. Ticket holders to The Stretch enjoy exclusive access to a fullservice bar, kitchen and concessions, high-definition televisions and video screens, and private restrooms.

Fans also enjoy a relaxed dress code at The Stretch. Fans can explore the new section using Saratoga Virtual Venue at NYRA.com/Saratoga.

With 70 percent of adult New Yorkers now vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced the immediate removal of COVID-19 protocols and restrictions for nearly all activities and industries, including outdoor sports and entertainment venues. Accordingly, NYRA will open all sections at Saratoga Race Course at 100 percent capacity.

The lifting of all COVID-19 protocols, including the requirement for fans to provide vaccination status, applies to all hospitality areas and venues within the facility, including these three new sections as well as the popular Saratoga backyard.

Non-vaccinated individuals will be required to wear a facial covering during their day at Saratoga Race Course, in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

NYRA reserves the right to amend admission protocols based on updates and adjustments by New York State.

The 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses highlighted by the 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers on August 28 and the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 7, as the anchors of two of the most prestigious racing days in North America.

Following the four-day opening weekend from Thursday, July 15 through Sunday, July 18, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day. For additional information, visit NYRA.com/Saratoga. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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LAWN JOCKEYS ...Still the

Favorite

WRITTEN BY PATRICE MASTRIANNI | PHOTOS PROVIDED

A

s a graphic designer, art teacher and art business owner, I have always been a “go-to” resource for artistic creations.

When I was asked to hand paint a lawn jockey as a wedding gift, I had no idea that I would develop such enthusiasm for this long standing tradition. The process is fun and stimulating and apparently… lawn jockeys are not just a passing phase!

A few years ago, I launched SaratogaJockey.com. Now I get orders from around the world. Requests are usually for a jockey done in the colors of a stable, sports team or business. They are often given as a wedding or house warming gift. The reasons are very heartfelt.

One customer dreamed of having a statue for years and chose to unveil it at his Derby party. I once painted a shamrock jockey to celebrate a father’s Irish heritage. I also designed a Charlie Brown jockey for a witty Saratoga friend, just to make people smile. I always feel that I have created something very special.

The physical statue has evolved over the years in both design and material. Originally made of concrete or cast iron, statues often crumbled from age. New statues are cast in aluminum and if done right, will last for many years. For sentimental reasons, vintage statues are sometimes worth preserving.

I recently spoke with the daughter of the late Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Croll. She asked how to ship his antique jockey from Florida to his grandchildren in Virginia. Normally I would say, just get a new one. But in this case it was a symbol of what he brought to the racing industry and it was to be treasured for future generations.

Not only has the structure evolved over the years, but the jockeys they represent have evolved as well. More and more women are demonstrating their exceptional skills as professional riders. They needed representation on the lawn as well as on the course. Robin Schumacher, another local jockey painter, fabricated and copyrighted a female lawn jockey statue in 2019. Her name is Lea and is only available here in Saratoga! Now the possibilities are endless.

There are unconfirmed theories of how the lawn jockey originated. Tales circulate involving brave African-American volunteers in George Washington’s army. Some say statues were also used to mark safe havens along the Underground Railroad. While we do not know the exact roles that lawn jockeys have played in history, it’s clear that they have always been a symbol. They have always gestured a greeting. And they have always carried a message.

I look around my house and see jockeys in various phases of completion. I give them names and talk to them like family. I even use them to keep an eye on my grandsons when I leave the room. (Don’t laugh, it really works.) These silent statues are a real part of history and I’m thrilled to be a part of their future.

Artist, Patrice Mastrianni, owns SaratogaJockey.com and resides in Saratoga Springs.

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SARATOGA with Kids OFF TO THE RACES

WRITTEN BY GINNY SMITH | PHOTO BY HEATHER BOHM TALLMAN

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oing to the Saratoga Race Course for an afternoon of watching the races is a quintessential way to spend a summer day in Saratoga. For families, a great alternative to bringing kids to the afternoon races is to go to the track for morning warmups. Mornings at Saratoga have all the excitement of the races, without any of the crowds and noise that can be overwhelming for little ones. The 2021 Saratoga meet will run from July 15th through September 6th, Wednesday through Sunday, and the track is typically open in the mornings any day that the track is running.

From 7 until 10 am, spectators can visit to watch horses do their morning workouts. The warmups take place on the main track when racehorses leave their stables to exercise. For kids, it can be just as exciting to stand along the fence to see the horses gallop down the final stretch during mornings at the track as it is during the races. Kids often won’t get a better chance to see the action up close.

Being at the track in the morning also allows you to better appreciate how beautiful NYRA’s grounds are. Without crowds of people around, it’s easier to enjoy the walking paths with the huge trees and historical architecture that dates back to the 1860s.

NYRA has historically offered a Breakfast at the Track—a breakfast buffet served on The Porch, which is in the Clubhouse. Spectators are also able to bring in a breakfast to watch the horses in the mornings.

During mornings at the track, NYRA provides a free tram tour until 9am. The tram brings visitors to the backstretch area where some trainers have their horse stables. Guides bring fans on a walking tour of the area and discuss the workings behind the scenes that help to run the track. My kids have enjoyed watching the stable workers care for the horses up close… feeding, showering, and grooming them.

The track’s wonderful playground right next to the main gates on Union Avenue is on my kids’ must-visit’ list. Themed in NYRA’s signature red and white, the playground has a slide, a replica Travers Canoe for kids to climb into, a mini starting gate with lanes for kids to run around the playground, and a giant Adirondack chair to sit in.

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When you leave the track, if you want to do additional horse-related activities with the kids, there are three other places close by to check out. The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is right across Union Avenue and has a wonderful children’s room called Horse Play. The Oklahoma Track is also across Union Avenue, where you can climb the Whitney Viewing Stand and watch more horses work out. Finally, Old Friends at Cabin Creek is a farm for retired racehorses about 20 minutes west of Saratoga where you can take tours and meet the horses. SS

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THE JOCKEY “Y” WRITTEN BY BILL ORZELL

The rich history of Saratoga Springs is enchanting to comprehend. The forum of global Thoroughbred competition has spawned distinct local architecture, our palpable link to a splendid past. This makes it so admirable when familiar style-lines can be replicated in new structures, such as the Backstretch Clinic, a complementary design to the neighboring Recreation Center.

This attractive building on the Oklahoma side of Union Avenue was an early twentieth century concept, providing backstretch workers 22 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

amusement where they domiciled.

The Y.M.C.A. was firmly established in Saratoga Springs, and folks discerned the need to spread the message of righteous living and good health at the track. A subscription drive was launched to build a facility, and a primary donor was the architect, Samuel Adams Clark, who donated his time and the design. Mr. Clark’s family were race fans and Saratoga summer cottagers, leasing Cady Hill before Marylou Whitney’s father-inlaw purchased the famous estate.

Mr. Clark left a significant record

of creativity at the Spa, having also designed the present Turf Terrace and Clubhouse at the track, and the War Memorial pavilion in Congress Park.

During construction, the project became known as the “Jockey Y,” the term used interchangeably with the appellation Recreation Center.

The facilities opened in 1928, with ‘separate but equal’ services. It was exactly that, a paired building preventing racial integration of the patrons. The only link between the two factions was a shared kitchen.

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Conventions that were accepted at the time seem very out of place today, such as the strictures of racial separation, which was a rarity in upstate New York. It is difficult not to agree with Edward Hotaling, who stated in his landmark publication, They’re Off! Horse Racing at Saratoga, that the Jockey “Y” was, “an outpost of formal ‘segregation’ that evoked memories of the ancient Southern colony at Saratoga.”

The grounds provided a ball diamond, and the back of the structure offered a fine space for an outdoor illuminated boxing ring. The activities for boxing training, including running, speedbag, heavy-bag, and sparring, are complementary to those required to keep a jockey fit. Both sports require strength, speed, and endurance, and also require the participants to make weight. The squared-circle of the boxing ring, and padded gloves, also provided an outlet to vent those small differences that arose in the close quarters on the backside. For many years boxing matches were staged at the Jockey “Y” between amateurs, which included jockeys, exercise riders and grooms.

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During the Great Depression, economic failures placed the Jockey “Y” under the operation of the Saratoga Association. The 1930s also saw the entrance of Francis John “Jock” Labelle, Saratoga native and star High School athlete, despite an unlikely 5’2” stature. He gained his lifelong nickname after he ran away from home with ambitions to become a jockey. Jock operated a lunch counter on Church Street and was a basketball official at scholastic/college games, where his humorous demeanor enchanted fans and earned him a tour with the Harlem Globetrotters. He acted as personal trainer to heavyweight boxing contender and Saratoga resident Bob Pastor and was in his corner as a second, in his championship challenge with Joe Louis in the Brown Bomber’s hometown of Detroit. Jock LaBelle organized the boxing programs at the Jockey “Y” and often acted as both announcer and referee.

Jock also launched successful recreation programs at Hialeah, Delaware Park and Atlantic City racetracks.

The decade of the 1940s began with the affable George Bull as President of the Saratoga Association and Anna Clare, who had recently been appointed Track Supervisor upon the death of her husband Tom, both strongly behind the broad operations of the Recreation Center. In the 1950s, established trainers such as Max Hirsch and Lucien Laurin would look to bring on exercise riders and grooms with boxing abilities, to improve their stable’s ring chances during August at the Spa. The public was always welcome at the bouts, and real interest was shown by many prominent persons in racing, who would sponsor prizes for the fighters. Notables included Prince Aly Khan and Alfred G. Vanderbilt, who even qualified as a boxing Ref! The boxing matches continued into the 1960s, but with jockeys more often acting as judges, rather than combatants. NYRA began a two-year modernization project at the Saratoga Race Course in 1963. The updates included ending the segregation at the Jockey “Y.” The next time you drive down Union Avenue, look for these notable buildings. SS

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AMERICAN

TODD PL ETCH ER

American Pharoah at the 2015 Belmont Stakes.

Photo coutesy of NYRA.

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PHAROAH,

& JACK F IS H E R

elected to the National Museum of Racing & Hall of Fame

T

riple Crown winner American Pharoah (KY), seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, and 13-time champion steeplechase trainer Jack Fisher comprise the National Museum of Racing’s 2021 Hall of Fame class. American Pharoah and Pletcher were elected in the contemporary category in their first year of eligibility and Fisher was chosen by the Museum’s Steeplechase Review Committee, which meets once every four years.

The class of 2021 will be enshrined along with the 2020 inductees — trainer Mark Casse, jockey Darrel McHargue, horses Tom Bowling and Wise Dan, and Pillars of the Turf Alice Headley Chandler, J. Keene Daingerfield, Jr., and George D. Widener, Jr. — on Friday, Aug. 6, at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the Museum website at www.racingmuseum.org. An announcement regarding public attendance at the ceremony will be made at a later date.

American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile—Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman) ended racing’s 37-year Triple Crown drought when he swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes in 2015. A bay colt bred in Kentucky by owner Zayat Stables, American Pharoah was trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and ridden by Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza. Beginning his career in California, American Pharoah won the Eclipse Award for Champion 2-YearOld Male in 2014 thanks to Grade 1 victories in the Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner Stakes.

As a 3-year-old, American Pharoah won the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby before becoming America’s 12th Triple Crown winner. Following the Triple Crown series, American Pharoah went on to win the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, setting a track record of 2:00.07 for 1¼ miles at Keeneland in the Classic. Overall, American Pharoah posted a record of 9-1-0 from 11 starts and earned $8,650,300. He was voted Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Male for 2015.

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“He’s certainly among the all-time greats. I don’t think there is any question about that,” Baffert said. “He did everything so effortlessly and with such class. The way he moved; his mechanics were absolutely flawless. He also has such a wonderful personality. Pharoah is really a sweet and kind horse, and he loves humans. I went and saw him the other day (at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud) and he looks as good as he’s ever looked, if not better. Winning the Triple Crown with American Pharoah was the greatest sports moment of my life. It was so emotional and such a terrific thing for racing. He deserves all the accolades he gets.”

Todd Pletcher, 53, a native of Dallas, went out on his own after working as an assistant to Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas from 1989 through 1995.

He won his first race in January 1996 with Majestic Number at Gulfstream Park. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Pletcher owns records for career earnings ($405,791,977) and Eclipse Awards (seven) and ranks seventh all time in wins (5,118).

He has won the Kentucky Derby with Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (2017) and the Belmont Stakes with Rags to Riches (2007), Palace Malice (2013), and Tapwrit (2017).

Pletcher has won 11 Breeders’ Cup races, including the 2019 Classic with Vino Rosso. He has led all North American trainers in earnings 10 times.

“I’m really humbled to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

It’s an incredible honor and something that doesn’t happen without having great support around you,” Pletcher said. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a great team to work with and my family has been there every step of the way. There have been so many great owners who have trusted me with their horses and those horses have meant everything to me. Along with my family and team, I had amazing opportunities to learn from the likes of Wayne and Jeff Lukas and working winters alongside Kiaran McLaughlin, who taught me a lot about horses and also how to work with owners and communication skills. It really was a stroke of good fortune to come up with people like Todd Pletcher (above) and Jack Fisher (below). that around me."

Photos by Brien Bouyea.

Pletcher has trained 11 Eclipse Award-winning horses — Hall of Famer Ashado, English Channel, Fleet Indian, Lawyer Ron, Left Bank, Rags to Riches, Shanghai Bobby, Speightstown, Wait a While, Uncle Mo, and Vino Rosso — and 20 horses that have earned $1.8 million or more. He has won a total of 60 individual meet training titles: 17 at Gulfstream, 16 at Belmont, 14 at Saratoga, six at Aqueduct, five at Keeneland, and two at Monmouth.

According to Equibase data, Pletcher has won 708 graded stakes, including 166 Grade 1s. He is enjoying another standout year so far in 2021 with 81 wins and earnings of $7,686,786 through May 4. He recently won the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks for the fourth time in his career with the

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undefeated Malathaat. Pletcher has also won four or more editions of the Beldame, Champagne, Coaching Club American Oaks, Florida Derby, Mother Goose, Spinaway, Spinster, and Wood Memorial, among others. He has won four Canadian Triple Crown races.

“Training horses is all I ever wanted to do. I remember being 11 or 12 and telling my mom I wanted to train, and she said it was wonderful.

From that point on with her endorsement I never thought of doing anything else.”

Jack Fisher, 57, a native of Unionville, PA, won his first race as a trainer in 1988 at Middleburg, Va., with Call Louis and has been a consistently dominant force atop the National Steeplechase Association standings for the past 20 years. Fisher topped all steeplechase trainers in wins for the first time in 2003 and has led the list an additional 12 times since. In 2004, he led the earnings list for the first of eight times to date. Fisher has ranked in the top five in both NSA wins and earnings each of the past 20 years. Through May 4, Fisher has won 593 career steeplechase races and ranks second all-time in purse earnings with more than $17.8 million (behind only Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard).

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Fisher is the only trainer in steeplechase history to surpass $1 million in purse earnings in a year, something he has accomplished five times. He trained two-time Eclipse Award winner and Hall of Fame member Good Night Shirt, one of only three horses to earn $1 million in steeplechase racing (along with Hall of Famers Lonesome Glory and McDynamo). Good Night Shirt won a total of 10 graded stakes, including eight Grade 1 events, and twice set the single-season NSA earnings record. Fisher also trained Eclipse Award winners Scorpiancer (2017) and Moscato (2020). He has trained an additional 18 horses that have won NSA division championships: timber champions Bubble Economy, Call Louis, Charlie’s Dewan, Doc Cebu, Gus’s Boy, Saluter, and Two’s Company; novice champions All Together, Paradise’s Boss, Moscato, and Snap Decision; filly and mare champions Footlights and Ivy Mills; and 3-year-old champions Hope For Us All, Ice It, Machete Road, Schoodic, and South Of Java.

“I’ll never forget horses like Call Louis and Woody Boy Would and Saluter that made my career at the beginning.

They got the ball rolling for me. Saluter was really the one.

My license plate says Saluter on it. He meant everything.

I’ve had some wonderful and patient owners and great talent in the barn. To have horses like Good Night Shirt, Scorpiancer, Moscato, and Snap Decision has been incredible beyond words. I’m pretty darn lucky.”

For more information about the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, please visit www.racingmuseum.org or call 518-584-0400 SS

Fisher has won the Temple Gwathmey six times (including 2021 with Snap Decision), five editions of the Iroquois, four runnings of the A. P. Smithwick, three renewals of the Lonesome Glory, and both the Colonial Cup and Grand National twice. With timber champion Saluter, Fisher won six consecutive editions of the Virginia Gold Cup and four runnings of the Virginia Hunt Cup. Fisher has won the Virginia Gold Cup 12 times as a trainer and nine times as a rider — both records.

Fisher rode Saluter to each of his Gold Cup victories. According to Equibase, Fisher won 57 races as a jockey with earnings of $953,243, including $394,189 as Saluter’s pilot.

“I’ve always loved being around horses. It’s been my life,” Fisher said. “I was terrible in school and didn’t want to be there. I loved riding and I love training.

I learned a lot from my father (trainer John Fisher) and from guys like (Hall of Fame trainers) Mikey Smithwick and Tommy Voss. They were examples to me of the work it takes to be successful and also how they built a good team. You can’t do it alone.

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SWEDISH HILL Where athletes that push for high-caliber performance go to feel relaxed, restored, and revitalized.

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY SHARON CASTRO

B

oth human and equine athletes train to become strong, agile, and fast for high-stakes competition.

The physical and emotional pressure is intense.

Spending time at Swedish Hill Farm & Spa relieves that tension.

CALM CONTENTMENT Scandinavian life is synonymous for creating a sense of well-being. To understand why, speak with farm owner Anna Hollander. She moved to the US from Sweden in 1983, yet it’s clear that she still carries with her a feeling of calm contentment.

“Since I was an athlete myself, I understand their aches and pains. I really do like to help them feel better.

I’m good at what I do, but also, I like it,” said Hollander.

A TRANQUIL TRANSITION Anna Hollander worked at the Saratoga Race Course for 25 years, riding, training, and exercising the

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horses. She’s endured minor and major injuries (some of which were life-threatening). When she wasn’t with the horses, she was providing people healing as a licensed massage therapist and esthetician.

Now she runs Swedish Hill Farm & Spa, a relaxing escape just five minutes from downtown Saratoga Springs that treats both people and horses to a revitalizing experience.

Through her non-profit, After the Races, Hollander provides six retired racehorses care, boarding, and a tranquil transition to their second career on her 11-acre property.

SENSE THE SATISFACTION Despite their previously competitive lives, there’s no hint of aggression or anxious behavior in these impressive animals. They seem to glisten with satisfaction.

It’s as if they are matching the demeanor of their primary caretaker.

Peaceful and gentle, Hollander

gives each one individual attention and eight acres of paddocks in an enjoyable environment.

“Horses are giving and telepathic.

They sense and feel things and connect with the people around them,” explained Hollander.

WELCOME COMPANIONSHIP You would be surprised how these fit, strong and trained-to-win horses enjoy the company of visits from Hollander, After the Races volunteers, and guests using the farm’s rental suite and spa services.

Swedish Hill Farm has a romantic guest suite available for rent through AirBNB. Located on the ground level of the two-story ranch style home, visitors can choose to sit on the suite’s front porch watching the horses in the barn, see them running in their paddocks from the home’s huge wrap-around porch, or even while getting a massage inside its threeseason relaxation area.

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FARM & SPA...

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The property is also used as a venue for weddings and events (of less than 100 people), which is often when children are around and able to visit with the horses.

“When children come, I can see how happy the horses are to see them and how much the children like the horses.

It’s a win-win situation,” said Hollander.

SOOTHING SANCTUARY Entering into the spa at Swedish Hill Farm is like being transported into a soothing sanctuary.

You’re met with a delectable scent and soft music. There are a variety of beneficial health treatments offered including facials and organic skin remedies, foot-pressure (a shiatsu), deep pressure, hot stone and couple’s massage, among others.

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The infrared sauna and complete privacy of this beautiful place add to its comfortable charm.

“Nobody sees anyone else. When you come here, it’s only you and me.

It’s small, personal, and they have my undivided attention,” said Hollander.

She even talks you through ways to incorporate healthy eating and exercise habits into your regular routine after you leave.

“What you do at home matters more than the hour you are here,” she said.

That time, however, is something that you’ll never forget.

INTUITIVE HEALING Perhaps what makes Swedish Hill Farm so memorable is how intuitive it is. Everything here just seems to make sense.

That’s part of the reason why, when Hollander has overnight guests, they sometimes don’t even go downtown into the bustling summer city, preferring instead to stay and walk the trails around the farm, accompanied

by Luke and Mia, the two friendly German Shepherds that gallop through the grounds.

“Especially since COVID, people’s perspectives have changed a little bit. They’re actually looking forward to going to less stressful places.

They need to relax and destress, and they find it serene, quiet and peaceful here.”

Learn more by visiting swedishhillfarmandspa.com For more information on their rehabilitation and rehoming of horses, go to www.aftertheracesny.com SS saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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SPAC Reawakens!

George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo courtesy of SPAC.

The amphitheater stage comes alive with appearances by New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra

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fter more than a year of a shuttered, silent amphitheater stage, Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) lifts the curtain on its 2021 season, inviting audiences back to its beautiful grounds for live performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

A popular concert lineup presented by Live Nation including performances by Trey Anastasio and Dave Matthews Band and worldclass productions including the musical Man of La Mancha by Opera Saratoga will round out the summer cultural offerings. More than just a performance, a visit to SPAC is an immersive experience combining the Center’s natural setting – the perfect confluence of man-made and natural beauty – with world-class artistry.

SPAC events will be presented in compliance with the current 32 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

guidelines from the Governor of New York to ensure the health and safety of artists, audience members and staff.

For more information, please visit spac.org/covid-guidelines.

HIGHLIGHTS! NEW YORK CITY BALLET “NYCB ON AND OFF STAGE” An intimate, up-close look at selected excerpts from the Company’s extraordinary repertory of ballets.

Never before been presented for Saratoga audiences, NYCB On and Off Stage will showcase two distinct programs suitable for audiences of all ages. Both programs will feature an ensemble of fifteen New York City Ballet dancers in costume performing excerpts from the Company's worldrenowned repertory, alongside insights from Principal Dancers and live musical accompaniment provided by pianists from NYCB. The presentations will be approximately 75 minutes long with no intermission.

“Bringing this intimate presentation to SPAC marks an emotional and historic moment for us and our community. Not only are we thrilled to once again see live dance on our stage, but we also have the opportunity to experience highlights from the company’s repertory in a completely fresh and new way for the first time in our 55-years together,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. "Our devoted ballet fans and newcomers alike, will delight in seeing excerpts from Balanchine's most iconic works and some of the company's beloved story ballets, alongside unique commentary directly from the NYCB Principal Dancers."

SHORT STORIES: July 14 & July 15 • 7:30 p.m.

July 17 • 2 p.m.

Short Stories explores beloved narrative ballets like Firebird, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Western Symphony, Fancy Free, and The Concert. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

ALL BALANCHINE: July 15 • 2 p.m.

July 16 • 7:30 p.m.

July 17 • 7:30 p.m.

All Balanchine illuminates the expansive repertory of Founding Choreographer George Balanchine with excerpts from masterworks including Apollo, The Four Temperaments, Agon, Jewels, and Who Cares?.

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA The Philadelphia Orchestra returns to Saratoga Springs for a diverse week of performances, highlighted by seven SPAC premieres. Led by The Philadelphia Orchestra’s acclaimed Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, performances will be 90 minutes in length, without intermission.

August 13 • 8 p.m.

August 14 • 8 p.m.

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Composerin Residence Gabriela Lena Frank mixed elements from western classical and Andean folk music traditions in Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout. The work will receive its SPAC premiere alongside the Mozart’s clarinet concerto, performed

by Philadelphia Orchestra Principal clarinetist Ricardo Morales. Another SPAC premiere and a piece that is “unjustlyunderperformed” according to Maestro Seguin, Louise Farrenc’s stunning Symphony No. 2 closes the evening.

Joshua Bell returns to SPAC to perform the illustrious Beethoveen Violin Concerto. A new arrangement for string orchestra of Florence Price’s lovely Adoration opens, while Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 – a work written when the composer was just 17, that has never before been performed at SPAC– closes The Philadelphia Orchestra’s residency in Saratoga.

Visit spac.org for tickets and more details or call 518-584-9330. SS

“From the opening notes of a Mozart Piano Concerto, with Yannick himself at the piano, to a closing concert featuring Joshua Bell in Beethoven’s sublime Violin Concerto – and powerful SPAC premieres by women and BIPOC composers – throughout the week, we will savor every sweet and precious note of the Orchestra’s 2021 residency,” added Sobol.

August 11 • 8 p.m.

For The Philadelphia Orchestra’s opening night, Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin will simultaneously play and conduct Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12, followed by the SPAC premiere of Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1, the first symphonic work by a Black woman to be played by a major American orchestra when it was premiered by the Chicago Symphony in 1933.

August 12 • 8 p.m.

The evening opens with the SPAC premiere of Seven O’clock Shout, composed as a tribute to frontline workers during the pandemic, by composer Valerie Coleman, followed by Bach’s Double Concerto in D minor with Concertmaster David Kim and violinist Juliette Kang. The evening concludes with Brahms’ lyrically lush, Symphony No. 1.

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BEST.. BEER BEST BEER..

EVER.

A bold declaration for a town saturated with craft brews.

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WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER PHOTOS BY BRIDGET SHEVLIN

WHAT MAKES WALT & WHITMAN BREWING THE BEST? It’s a thought-provoking question.

Yet, after just a year in business, Walt & Whitman Brewing has already won recognition by a leading industry publication, Hop Culture magazine, and been named as America’s 8th Best New Brewery by USA Today’s readers.

WHAT IS CRAFT BREWING? Crafting implies the specialized skill of combining action with an energized creativity to make something extraordinary.

“It’s the people behind it and their creative vision about how to use simple ingredients.

They are not afraid to push the norm and extend the palette of tastes,” said Kathy Crager.

Kathy and her four children; Will, Katie, Jane, and Lilly, always loved incorporating trips to craft coffee houses and breweries into their travels.

They took the best of what they learned and put it into one of Saratoga Springs’ prime locations.

It may still say “The Saratogian” on the brick building downtown, but many Saratogians know it’s actually now Walt & Whitman - a café, lounge, taproom, and brewery.

“We marry a really great beer with a really great in-house experience which gives us a leg-up on other breweries,” said Will.

PURPOSEFUL CHOICES There are 11 beers on tap and a new variety coming out every week at Walt & Whitman.

They strive for a balanced beer board that includes an IPA, sour, gluten-free seltzer, lager, lite, and saison selection.

Soothe a hangover with a beer mimosa in their upstairs café – it’s open early and is super spacious, offering approximately 60 different seating options.

Enjoy a traditional beer-flavored-beer like the Dick Murphy lite on the outdoor patio, or head downstairs in the evenings for a comfortable seat at the wall-length booth, the long butcher block tables, or by the fireplace in a room where you’re accompanied by photos of inspiring musicians, artists, and writers.

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FIT TO BE SEEN This summer, Walt & Whitman invites you to get adventurous with a sour and fruity BerlinerStyle Weisse, or a refreshing Hefeweizen, recommends Meg Thompson – who does everything from rubbing hops (releasing their aroma) to designing the beer’s labels and social media marketing.

“It’s unbelievable how many breweries you see popping up everywhere now. It’s an industry that’s gotten so big and there are all new styles of beer, everyone is making something different,” she said.

Through the glass, you can watch Brew Master Nick Meyer at work in the three vessel, 10-barrel brewhouse.

Here, they make 300-gallon batches of beer to fill kegs and churn out 140 cases of 16-oz. beers per day.

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SEIZE THE DAY Originally built in 1902, renovations to the impressive 18,000 sq. ft. brick building,

by Bonacio Construction and the Phinney Design Group, has yielded shining results.

“There were a lot of miracles they pulled off in this building for us,”said Will.

The changes continued when the pandemic caused fewer people to venture out, last year.

Walt & Whitman began offering take-out.

Brew Master Nick Meyer finished assembling their canning machine himself and they began rolling out to-go beers – the production of which will continue for the foreseeable future.

“Happiness, not in another place, but this place…not for another hour, but for this hour.”

Walt Whitman wrote these words, which are emblazoned across Walt & Whitman coffee cups, but it’s the Cragers who are living them – grabbing happiness by the horns and refusing to let go.

“That’s a large part of the excitement around it. It’s the passion of a quality-crafted product. It shines through everything we have.”

For menu, hours, and more information, find them on Facebook, Instagram and at waltandwhitmanbrewing.com

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A Thing of Beauty WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

T

here you are, heart racing because you’ve caught sight of yourself in the mirror.

“Is my hair getting thinner?” you ask the image staring back at you while you scrutinize those strands of hair sprouting unreliably from your head.

Anxiously you wonder, “Was this much of my scalp always showing?” Insecurity increases as you contort into unnatural positions to get a better look. Bad idea.

“What exactly is happening here?!”

The question haunts you.

WHAT’S ON YOUR HEAD: IT’S WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND This is the conversation so many of us are having with ourselves every day.

For men and women, fine and thinning hair is accompanied by feelings of depression, shame, and embarrassment. We worry that people will notice and fear they won’t find us attractive.

“If your hair doesn’t look good, you don’t feel good,” explained Alyssa Hatin, owner of Luxe Salon|Spa in Saratoga.

Her goal is to give people of all ages an affordable alternative.

FEELING FABULUXE You don’t have to resign yourself to hair loss and just tolerate feeling terrible. If you have thin hair caused by aging, alopecia, postpartum, thyroid conditions and other chronic diseases, you can still feel fabulous.

“I’ve had numerous women and girls leave crying after they’ve gotten the Fabuluxe extensions. It gives them instant results and totally transforms people. They’ve never worn their hair down, and many, not even in a ponytail before, and now they have this thick, full head of hair,” said Hatin.

REMARKABLE REVITALIZATION Alyssa Hatin has always had fine hair and there was never a solution. She has traveled to New York City to get extensions because no one offered them nearby.

After years of experiencing all different types, her goal became to have her own line and method of installation.

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Alyssa Hatin, owner of Luxe Salon|Spa

After experimenting with the method, she trademarked and launched The Mane Extension Method and Fabuluxe last year. Now, more than 100 clients are thrilled with their revitalized new look.

The Fabuluxe brand extensions were created by Hatin and are completely customizable. To match your hair and to achieve the look you want, Hatin picks and chooses strands from 30 different colors of Remy brand doubledrawn wefts made from 100 percent human hair, available in stock at Luxe Salon|Spa. The unique MEMethod installation attaches these extensions.

Because they are made from real hair, Fabuluxe extensions can be cut and styled normally. Hydration is key; so, cut-back on washing, use sulfate-free shampoo, and the lower heat settings.

A monthly move-up appointment as your natural hair grows will ensure your extensions will continue looking great for up to nine months.

ALL TYPES OF HAIR SOLUTIONS Removable Fabuluxe ponytail extensions give both kids and adults cascades of flowing locks.

After having two little girls of her own that are obsessed with pretending to be like Elsa, Anna, and Rapunzel, she developed a children’s line of ponytails that will be launching soon, called “Ary&Avy”.

“Every little girl’s dream is to have long, luscious hair,” said Hatin.

Fabuluxe ponytails are easy to put in (it just takes a bobby pin or two) and last for years.

Training other stylists about The Mane Extension Method is ingrained in Hatin’s long-term vision.

As is turning a trying time around. Hatin has also created a line of Fabuluxe wigs.

“Sometimes people are going through a difficult time and I want to focus on making those people feel good. I want to turn the fitting into a celebration. It’s like a mini-party that happens when the salon is closed so the experience is personal and intimate,” she said.

Consultations are always free at Luxe Salon|Spa. For more information, go to www.luxesaratoga.com

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SIMPLY NOTHING How to Unplug & Refresh this Summer Season MEGHAN LEMERY FRITZ LCSW-R

Meghan Fritz is a psychotherapist practicing at Fritz, Stanger & Associates. For more information email meghanfritzlcsw@gmail.com

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s we ease out of pandemic living to the hope of a summer filled with adventure, travel and making up for lost time with friends and loved ones, one of the best gifts we can give ourselves in the summer season is the gift of rest.

We live in a world where we can be available 24/7 through our phones, email and social media.

It’s challenging to unplug and go off the grid for an hour let alone a few days. However, taking a break from our day to day lives and unplugging is good for the mind, body and soul.

Have you ever noticed that when you take a week off and have some do-nothing days you feel refreshed, more patient and your creative energy comes back?

I realize most of my major life decisions came after I had some down time to create space to come up with new ideas, identify my needs and wants and explore the next season of my life.

Unplugging creates space for creativity and inspiration to lead us. Have you ever tried to make an important decision when you are tired and over extended?

It feels nearly impossible to

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problem solve in the midst of fatigue and detachment.

This past year and a half called on us to take on more responsibility and stress than we have ever had to manage in our lives. Multitasking, working remotely and childcare with no breaks, brought us to the brink of stress, automatic pilot and complete shut down mode. We desperately need -individually and in our families- a time to unplug and refresh.

As we enter the summer season, take some time to truly unplug from the day-to-day grind. Allow yourself some do-absolutelynothing days to give yourself the space you need to let creativity and inspiration flow more easily.

Some of the best songs in history have been written when artists were on vacation and simply taking space to enjoy life and refresh.

A FEW CONCRETE WAYS TO UNPLUG AND REFRESH: • Put the phone down.

• Put the computer down.

• Turn the TV off.

Try this for at least ONE DAY. Then Repeat. You can do it.

YOU ARE WORTH IT.

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2021

SUMMER FASHION PGS. 42-57

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SUMMER 2021 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | 41

Woodenships Star Fish Sweater $118 CarolineAndMain.com

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Blowfish Vegan Flatform Sandal $55

Faherty Women's Collection Asst.

Blowfish Tie Dye Slip On $40

Woodenships Knits Vacay Sweater $124

Joules Annika Print Tank $23

Sundry Ombre Heart Sweatshirt $118

438 Broadway, Saratoga Springs • 518.450.7350 • CarolineAndMain.com saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

SUMMER 2021 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | 43

lifestyles {clothing.accessories.shoes}

lifestylesofsaratoga.com

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lifestyles {clothing.accessories.shoes}

lifestylesofsaratoga.com

Caddis Miklos Readers $95

Lilla P Knit Puff Sleeve $95

Mer Sea Soy Candles $29

Eileen Fisher Sustainable Separates $78-$198

Mer Sea Recycled Paper Hat with Linen Ribbon $48

Asportuguesas Cork Thong Sandal $160

Hammitt Ricotta Raffia Bag $195

Lilla P Elevated Tee $68

Scout Jasper Bracelet $16

436 Broadway, Saratoga Springs • 518.584.4665 • LifestylesOfSaratoga.com saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Kayla is wearing…

Heiress Floral Dress by ASTR The Label Mona Handbag in French Rose Jewelry by Nikki Smith & Admiral Row

LuciaBoutique.com

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Emilie Dress by MinkPink $88

Tropez Jumpsuit by Gentle Fawn $138

Cream Striped Shorts $46 Cable Knit Tank $44

Lava Coastal Tie Dye Top & Dress

by Project Social T $78 each

Dream Crossover Slides $32 Matisse Valley Slides $40

Parker Dress by Amuse Society $66

Dresses by ASTR The Label & MinkPink

Straw Sun Hat $56

Taupe Padded Top $48

454 Broadway, Saratoga Springs • 518.587.7890 • LuciaBoutique.com saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Lilly Pulitzer Nova Stretch Midi Dress in Shaka Shaka Shake $248 PinkPaddock.com

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Lilly Pulitzer Silk Elsa Top $158

Lilly Pulitzer Mila Stretch Shift $198

Lilly Pulitzer Jody Sweater $138

Lilly Pulitzer Shelli Stretch Dress $178

Lilly Pulitzer Bria Maxi $278

Lilly Pulitzer Lana Top $98

Lilly Pulitzer Jansen Sweatshirt $138

Lilly Pulitzer Renay Sunguard $98

Lilly Pulitzer Greer Tank $58

358 Broadway, Saratoga Springs • PinkPaddock.com • 518.587.4344 saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Graceful dress in vivid florals $179 SpokenSaratoga.com

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Eye-catching top in bright blues and red $98

Flounce and Circumstance white twist tank $64

Waikiki Dress in 100% crinkle voile $152

Handwoven belts with exuberate colors and embroidery $79

Shades of summer beaded earrings $41

Bold faux skin clutch with chain handle $54

Talia top with colorful embroidery stitching $111

Floral print top in bright contrasting colors $148

Ruffle sleeveless tank with shirring details in soft denim $74

27 Church Street, Saratoga Springs • 518.587.2772 • SpokenSaratoga.com saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Pig & Hen Salty Steve Bracelet

Faherty Native Design Hoodie

Faherty Stretch Terry Pant

Faherty Batik Short Sleeve Button Down

Faherty Salt Wash Tee

Faherty Whitewater Sweatshirt

Pikolino's Leather Trainer

Billy Belt Adjustable Woven Belts

Brax Shorts

437 Broadway, Saratoga Springs • 518.450.7025 • UnionHallSupplyCo.com saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Rena is wearing…

Free People Park Slope Maxi Dress $148 Lack of Color Val Diamond Hat $129 Seychelles Practically Sandal $79 Photo by Super Source Media.

VioletsofSaratoga.com

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Rails Caralyn Dress $178

Lack of Color Rancher Hat $129

Bella Dahl Cap Sleeve Tie Front Shirt $124

Billini (coming August '21!)

Novena Boot $100

AGOLDE Parker Shorts $128

Brave Leather Kasi Belt $98

Velvet by Graham & Spencer Edith Maxi Dress $148

Show Me Your Mumu Flora Dress $154

KAANAS Alana Wedge $139

494 Broadway, Saratoga Springs • 518.584.4838 • VioletsofSaratoga.com saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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"The Wind" by Joni Sarah White (mixed media) Emerald Fascinator by Christine A. Moore Millinery Emerald Silk Dress by Allen Schwartz, Designer Photo by Super Source Media.

493 Broadway, Saratoga Springs • SaratogaTrunk.com • 518.584.3543 56 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

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Time for a New Look?

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTO PROVIDED

WE ALL NEED A CHANGE RIGHT NOW. ADMIT IT, YOU’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT, WE ALL HAVE. Dream a little, what do you see? A bold now look perhaps. Go ahead, it’s time to act on those hopes and wishes for the hair you’ve imagined!

A NEW YOU EMERGES The stunning results that are born from Brandon Scott’s talents are transforming lives and winning hearts.

He is more of a hair engineer than a hair stylist. His expert attention to detail has transformed his clients into more attractive, confident people, who are comfortable in their own power.

One reason is because of Scott’s training, which includes being certified in the Deva cut, a specialty cut that is designed to produce stellar results for any type of curly hair.

“Once you get a Deva cut, you’re a Deva cut person for life,” said Scott.

A WORLD OF SULTRY CURLS Right from the start, you’ll notice the difference between the fabulous Deva cut and every other haircut out there.

First, the cut is done on totally dry hair.

“When hair is dry, it falls differently than when it is wet. I cut it dry so I can see exactly where it’s falling,” said Scott.

Secondly, he doesn’t use a comb.

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“The Deva cut is a sculptural and defined cut, so I’m literally going in and cutting your hair curl by curl into whatever shape you would like.”

Finally, he teaches you how to care for your hair.

“I train the customer to properly style their hair for wonderful, beautiful curls. For example, a lot of people try to style their hair when it’s too dry.

Even towel dried is too dry. It needs to be very wet when you add your product to style it. That’s just one of the many tips I tell people,” said Scott.

ENTER A NEW ERA Get ready to redefine your hair with show-stopping color.

"The Company Salon and Spa has some of Saratoga's best stylists and colorists," said Scott.

“We all are color specialists and can create a natural balayage look or a gorgeous mermaid hair look in as many fun colors as you want and even in sections of geometric shapes,” he continued.

“Our hair is an extension of how we feel inside, and we can be a lot of different things.”

If you'd like to achieve a lighter look with your hair, he and his team gently remove your existing tones with Olaplex or Wellaplex lightener, which leaves the lightened hair stronger and healthier than before.

In the business for 21 years, Scott has seen hair styles and techniques evolve organically into the future.

“We are going into a new era of hair design and as hairdressers, are able to do new things with new technologies and products. We’re always growing, creating, and updating the new hair trends.”

WALK INTO A WORK OF ART The Company Salon and Spa’s innovation and artistry is apparent as soon as you walk in the door.

“It’s like a beautiful art installation in itself – I’ve never seen another salon like it,” said Scott.

Everywhere you look is easy glamour amid the backdrop of the lovely Italian Roberto Cavalli wallpaper.

Opened in January 2020, the salon soon had to close because of the pandemic, but has since reopened and is now thriving.

Hair is performance, but so is being a stylist. When Scott trained at Dramatics NYC, classes included cutting, coloring, and acting (to give people the tools to style hair but also to entertain them in the process!).

Scott’s wit and talent are appreciated by his clients, which include the burlesque legend April March.

For more information, find The Company Salon and Spa online on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and by going to thecompanysalonandspa.com SS saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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FROM SOUVENIRS

e v a e l t Don’ t ou th i w n tow ! se e th

Down-Filled Rabbit Hair & Linen Pillows ranging from $280-$390

CURTAIN AND CARPET CONCEPTS 46 Marion Avenue, #7, Saratoga Springs CurtainToCarpet.com | 518.886.1389

8’x10’ Hemp, Wool and Goat Hair Area Rug $3800

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TO DÉCOR… IMPRESSIONS OF SARATOGA 368 Broadway, Saratoga Springs ImpressionsSaratoga.com | 518.587.0666 Maps represent where we came from, where we have been and where we are going!

This charming rendering of a map of Saratoga Springs is screened with eco-friendly water-based inks on 100% cotton products…

Pillows, tea towels, tote bags and zippered pouches -plus notecards and a frameable print!

Made in the USA in a small studio just for Impressions!

Prices from $4 - $60

THE FURNITURE HOUSE 1254 NY-9P, Saratoga Springs TheFurnitureHouseNY.com | 518.587.9865 Revitalize those small spaces and make them inviting and colorful with this Grantham Settee by Wesley Hall!

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e v a e l t ’ Don t ou th i w n tow these!

SILVERWOOD HOME & GALLERY 398 Broadway, Saratoga Springs SilverwoodGalleries.com | 518.583.3600

Cheese and charcuterie boards celebrating our region’s favorite places make great entertaining gifts!

MENGES & CURTIS APOTHECARY Paintings & prints on canvas available by local artist, David Keenan

Stop in for a tube of Outdoor Fragrance, an essential companion for the track, SPAC and all your outdoor activities.

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472 Broadway, Saratoga Springs MengesAndCurtis.com | 518.306.5343

Introducing an exquisite line of essential oils and artisan crafted hydrosols from Grillo Essentials.

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TAILGATE AND PARTY 33 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs TailgateAndParty.com | 518.886.9015

Hangover Recovery Kit After a great Saratoga Night make sure you are supplied with headache and stomach remedies …and the all-important prayer card!

TOGA HERITAGE 322 Broadway, Saratoga Springs TogaHeritage.com | 518.944.8951 Trackside Essentials! All you need for a day at the races or strolling along Broadway.

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P�inally P�ila is Preserve�!

65 & 69 Phila Street

preserving

SARATOGA WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA BOSSHART, SARATOGA SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION | PHOTOS PROVIDED

W

ho owns those two houses? Are they for sale?

How come the owners don’t do anything to preserve them? These are questions that I asked when I moved to Saratoga Springs in 2006 and walked by 65 & 69 Phila Street for the first time. These were the same questions that neighbors were regularly asked by passersby.

Each time, hoping that one of the interested people would purchase the buildings and save them.

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When I joined the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation in 2008, I learned that these two properties had been on the Foundation’s endangered list since its inception in 1998. After learning about the significance of “The Gut” neighborhood, the history of these two buildings, and the reasons for their deteriorated condition – willful intentional neglect, I knew that they must be preserved!

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Supporters of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation showed love to 65 & 69 Phila Street during the annual “Heart Bomb” campaign.

Alexander A. Patterson, who built 65 Phila Street, became the proprietor of the Patterson Mineral Springs Company in 1889 after building a spring pavilion on Phila Street.

The two properties are located in the heart of “The Gut,” a neighborhood that was home to many working class and Jewish families. The white, wood-clad Italianate style house located at 65 Phila Street was constructed in 1851 by Alexander A. Patterson, an architect and builder who later became the proprietor of the Patterson Mineral Springs Company in 1889. The house remained in the Patterson family for 90 years. Following the Patterson’s ownership, the house became a boarding house and then was owned by a Jewish congregation.

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The same year that 65 Phila Street was built, the adjacent brick Italianate style house at 69 Phila Street was constructed by mason Robert Hunter. This house is significant because it was later the home of Reverend Hawley, a Methodist minister who established the Hawley Home for Children. While the orphanage no longer exists today, the Hawley Foundation continues to serve underprivileged children of Saratoga County through its financial support. These buildings represent the early development of our city and have associations with springs, the Jewish community, and philanthropy.

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The original columns were found inside the living room.

The decorative newel post at the bottom of the stairs remains intact.

Helen and Case Simpson purchased 69 Phila Street in 1994 for $41,000 and 65 Phila Street for $125,000 in 2002. Not only did they fail to maintain the structures and remove architectural features and portions of the buildings as they deteriorated, they also made inappropriate “temporary” repairs that have now been in place for several years.

During the Simpson’s ownership, the Foundation was approached by countless potential buyers who were interested in purchasing the buildings and preserving them.

Unfortunately, no one was able to negotiate a purchase.

While they were unwilling to sell at reasonable prices, they were willing to pay thousands of dollars in fees as well as hire legal counsel and design professionals to represent them in court and before the city’s land use boards.

Most recently, the Foundation vocally opposed the owners’ proposals to demolish both buildings to construct new buildings. At the Design Review Commission meeting on March 24, 2021, the owners withdrew their application to demolish 69 Phila Street because it was sold to owners who plan to restore it. The Foundation was pleased that the new owners contacted the Foundation shortly after closing to share their excitement about owning an important piece of Saratoga Springs’ history and their plans to make it into a home for their family.

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At that same meeting, the Design Review Commission, which is charged with preserving the historic, architectural, and cultural resources of Saratoga Springs, unanimously denied the proposal to demolish 65 Phila Street.

Any proceeds from the future sale of the house will support the Foundation’s mission to preserve the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs and allow it to undertake another special project that benefits the community.

On May 27, 2021 at a press event, I announced that the Foundation purchased 65 Phila Street and that it and 69 Phila Street will phinally be preserved!

Soon this building and 69 Phila Street will no longer be an eyesore to the neighbors – many of whom have diligently invested and lovingly preserved their buildings. I thank the neighbors for not giving up on these two buildings.

The purchase would have not been possible without Mark Haworth, an investor and a member of the Foundation. “Since moving to Saratoga Springs, I have wanted to see the buildings preserved. In fact, many years ago I attempted to purchase both for the purpose of preserving them, but was unsuccessful in negotiating a reasonable price with the owners,” said Haworth. “I believe in the mission of the Foundation and with the reduced price I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for the Foundation to take the lead in preserving the property,” he continued. He provided the necessary low-interest financing to allow the Foundation to acquire the property for $235,000, a price that was well below the list price of years ago.

It is hard to believe that I was the one to phinally sign on the dotted line so many years later. There were times that I was not certain preservation would prevail, but I am certainly glad it did! I hope you will join us in reviving 65!

To learn more and to make a donation please visit www.saratogapreservation.org or call 518-587-5030.

SS

The Foundation plans to start by making necessary structural repairs and installing a new roof. It will then restore the exterior – repairing and painting the clapboard as well as restoring windows and the front porch – before listing the property for sale. Our goal is to remove the challenges associated with the property and sell it to someone who will complete the interior and be a good steward for years to come.

Our friends and members rallied when the houses were proposed to be demolished. It is our hope that our community will rally to revive 65. The Foundation’s initial goal is to raise $250,000, the preliminary estimated cost to complete the identified scope of work. However, that number could change once the house has been thoroughly inspected and cost estimates are received. With the investment that will be made these buildings will contribute more to the tax rolls as they should have been doing for years, providing important revenue to our city and schools, rather than being a drain on our city resources of code enforcement, city attorneys, and planning staff.

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Meet Blogger

Camila Hurst

THE FORCE BEHIND THE INSTAGRAM SENSATION...

WRITTEN BY THERESA ST. JOHN | PHOTOS PROVIDED

“The first thing we should probably talk about is my grandmother,” Camila tells me with a far-away look in her eye.

We’re sitting together enjoying a strong cup of coffee and fresh pastry at Mrs. London’s – one of my favorite places in downtown Saratoga and the perfect spot to talk about fond childhood memories.

“She owned a bakery for 50-plus years, down the street from my house. I remember visiting the shop every day while growing up.”

I love stories like this one; strong family ties, one generation learning from the one before. I have a gazillion heart-warming recollections myself. Listening to Camila fills me with a myriad of emotions – all of them tied to nostalgia.

“Grandmothers are voices of the past and role models of the present.

Grandmothers open the doors to the future.”

- Helen Ketchum

“My grandmother was such a hard worker, waking up before the sun each morning to bake her selection of bread. She only took one day off during the year, which was Christmas. She worked tirelessly, and her work ethic? It was insane – something you don’t always see today.” I can hear both pride and love in this granddaughter’s voice.

“Grandma moved from Portugal to Brazil when she was just a child.

I admire how she was an immigrant who found her way in another country. Being an immigrant myself, helps me relate to some of the things she must have gone through all those years ago.”

“Her story must inspire you,” I say.

“It does!” Camila replies. “My grandfather was also an immigrant, and at one point, they both owned bakeries. Grandpa eventually sold his business and went to work with my grandmother and her siblings.”

I ask if the bakery still exists. I wonder if the family still owns it – would it someday be passed down?

“My grandmother just turned 81,” Camila confides. “But my grandfather passed away a few years ago, and all of the siblings are older now, so the family decided to sell the shop.”

Camila shares recollections of her grandmother’s dedication to baking – and how she’d look at the shop’s glass cases filled with a variety of tempting sweets. “It’s funny,” she tells me. “Every time I bake, I see the past and find myself striving to make something worthy to be in a bakery’s window too.”

Camila explains how, when she first started her blog/business, she loved pies and tacos. “I still love them,” she grins at me over her coffee cup.

“But you’re all about macarons now!” I smile back at her.

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“I know. But because I started on Instagram in June of 2017, then began my blog in October of that same year, it made sense to keep the brand. Everyone seems to know me under that name.”

A petite woman, Camila, comes from Brazil. She was born in 1989, and English is her 2nd Language.

In December of 2011, she came to America on a student exchange program, working at a few different places – like McDonald’s in Latham and The Golden Corral.

“From the moment I arrived in the US, I felt like I’d found my place in the world.”

I can hear so many emotions in her voice as she speaks. At the moment, Camila is studying to become a US citizen.

“I’m excited to say my test to become an American citizen is right around the corner – May 25th, 2021.” Congrats!

If you look at Camila’s Instagram feed, you’ll see it’s filled with amazing photos and videos of macarons - and none of them are ordinary.

My favorite shaped one is the penguin but she’s designed several others as well.

She also works on original recipes. “I’m all about experimenting with flavors, textures, the best ingredients,” she tells me.

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“There’s something magical about creating specialty macarons that are my own. And I love arranging them for photographs afterward.” I’d have to agree with that – food-styling is so much fun for a photographer!

Camila doesn’t sell her baked goods, but her blog is all about teaching you how to bake like she does, with purpose, love and determination. Spending time on her blog is like spending time with her… over pastries and hot cup of coffee!

Now she’s working on a book about the very best macarons. (Are you drooling yet?) When Camila shares that the publication date is March 1st, 2022, I assure her I’ll be standing in line to buy that one as soon as the doors open.

Down the road, she tells me she might teach an online course. She’s a smart cookie (no pun intended), and I’ve no doubt she’ll do just that!

Camila has already published a cookbook - all about cupcakes. I bought a copy for my son and daughter-in-law.

They’re obsessed with it.

I’m impressed to learn she recently taught at the 1st virtual Bakersfest, sharing ways other bakers can write and publish a cookbook themselves.

When I ask about her husband Brian, Camila grins from ear to ear. “We met through a mutual friend,” She takes a bite of her pastry and continues. “We have a son, Lucas, who’s five years old.”

The family hasn’t been back to Brazil since 2018, but they look forward to a time when things have settled down from the pandemic and travel is open again. “I miss my family and hope to give them all a great big hug soon.”

She works full-time on her blog and is an affiliate to many big companies.

Anyone who’s in the blogging world understands that monetizing your brand can pay your bills and then some.

“In general, people hold back, afraid to do what they love,” Camila looks thoughtful when I ask what advice she’d give others. “I would tell them to be authentic and follow their passion.

Have the courage to create something extraordinary, the courage to share that with the world.”

Talk about the wise words of young people.

Places you can find Camila: Camila@piesandtacos.com Instagram.com/piesandtacos Twitter.com/piesandtacos Facebook.com/piesandtacos Pinterest.com/piesandtacos SS

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Welcome to Pine Grove Where Church Truly is All About Community WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY THERESA ST. JOHN

I love meeting new people along life’s journey. Everyone has their own story, and I find myself grateful when they decide to share parts of it with me.

Mark Kehrer, Pastor of Pine Grove Community Church in Saratoga Springs, grew up on a farm in Michigan. “We’ve always been a close-knit family,” he says of his two brothers and parents.

I ask if he always wanted to be in the ministry, and Mark chuckles. “Becoming a pastor was never on my radar,” he says. “I mean, never.” I’m kind of surprised. Obviously, when he says it like that, I’m compelled to learn more.

“I grew up wanting to be a marine biologist,” he continues, explaining he’d joined the Navy in 1982, sharing 24 years between being onboard four submarines and serving with three shore commands before retiring as a Master Chief in 2006.

Mark met his wife Jody on a double-blind date. They fell in love and married in September 1986. The couple raised three kids – two boys and a girl, in the Catholic Church but left when sexual allegations arose against priests in the faith.

“It was a difficult time for parishioners everywhere – the truth was brutal, nearly impossible to wrap your head around.”

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Like many other married people, Mark and Jody had put most of their focus on making the children a top priority. But little ones grow up, eventually leave home, have families of their own, and then what?

These two parents grew apart. They even separated for a short time. “My mom and I had a conversation at one point,” Mark candidly tells me. “And she told me things could work out. She encouraged me to concentrate on fixing my marriage.”

His honesty is refreshing – you don’t always hear ministers, pastors, or priests speaking so matter-of-factly. I appreciate thinking of Pastor Mark as a human being first, a person of the faith second.

In 2012, while home in Michigan for a funeral, Pastor John Vermilya pulled Mark aside. His message was clear; “God wants you to know he’s not done with you yet,” he stated to the young man. “He wants you to believe he has plans for you, that everything’s going to be just fine.”

Jeremiah 29:13 came to Mark’s mind. “You will seek and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Not surprisingly, the marriage’s relationship began to heal quickly. “Now it’s stronger than ever.”

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The couple found Revelation Church in Connecticut and began attending services in 2012. By 2013, Mark was contemplating retirement from the pharmaceutical/biotech company he was working for. “I felt this calling on my life to become more involved in the ministry. Over time I grew in faith, transitioned to an executive pastor with Revelation Church, and relocated to Saratoga in 2017.”

Pine Grove was Living Springs at the time. But membership had dwindled to nothing, and the church was forced to close. Revelation Church took the property over as a Campus Ministry, and this is where Mark became Pastor with his wife, Jody, in January of 2018.

Over the next nine months, the church underwent extensive remodeling and re-opened in September of the same year. In 2019, they transitioned amicably from Revelation Campus Church to Pine Grove Community Church, where the mission is centered around community outreach.

Pine Grove has partnered with many others to do just that – places like Wellspring, Birthright, Healing Springs, and Alberto Matos, who works for the NY Race Track Chaplaincy as Chaplin of the Backstretch.

Mark and Alberto walk me through the campground, where backstretch workers can bring their families to live during track season. The housing is more affordable here. I see several cabins, each offering a warm welcome, all tucked into the woods next to the church.

This year is Alberto’s 11th season, and he’s quick to tell me about his love for the ministry and outreach to the community. “The men and women who work the backstretch during Saratoga’s track season take part in our Monday night service there,” he says. “We refer to this as ‘Twice fed’ because Christ’s message feeds our souls and the meal we serve feeds our bellies.”

The campground is beautiful, and it’s easy to picture children playing, moms cooking and families laughing with the simple joy of being together in such a peaceful area.

But I can also see it needs some TLC. Both Mark and Alberto express the need for volunteers to help get the property ready for the upcoming 2021 season. “Pretty soon, families will begin to arrive here,” the men tell me.

“They settle in before the track opens and remain for a few weeks after it closes. We need help with minor repairs and cleanup from the fall and winter seasons.”

Pre-Covid, membership at Pine Grove Community Church was 100-plus. Now, Mark says the numbers are climbing through the high 60s. “Little by little, people are feeling better about coming back to our services. We’re happy about that.”

When I ask Mark what message he would give to others, this is what he says. “You can’t always be sure of the path you are taking. I’ve learned not to put my trust in plans but instead, be obedient to the call on my life. It’s led me to the most amazing experiences and wonderful people.

Listen to your heart, and it will guide you.” SS Places you can reach the Pastor: Mark@thegrovess.com • Thegrovess.com Facebook.com/thegrovess • Instagram.com/thegrovess saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Busy Hands, Happy Hearts WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY SUPER SOURCE MEDIA

Saratoga Peace Pod volunteers display a sleeping mat crafted by Christa Rittner for donation

Peace Pals knitted by Amy Thomas.

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Crafters can work from templates available at the Saratoga Peace Pod website.

Handmade infant sweater for donation.

Volunteer Amy Thomas.

ast March, while isolated at home, a small revolution was beginning to take shape.

Studies show approximately 45 million Americans know how to knit or crochet, and last year, many of them used their knowledge to knit their way through the pandemic.

The repetitive movement, gentle clicking of the needles, and soft yarn passing through their fingers is a therapeutic form of meditation that reduces anxiety, replacing it with a welcome sense of calm and connection.

“I call it my Zen. My true Zen is fishing. I love to fish but when I can’t get out because of the weather or when I’m not feeling well, I can knit,” said Rachel Baum.

Rachel came down with COVID-19 last March which then stretched into long-haul COVID. Despite her illness, within a couple of hours, while watching shows like Bridgerton, she was able to create a warm hat, a small baby blanket, or a soft scarf.

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KNITTING TOGETHER THE COMMUNITY Many organizations accept handmade donations of knitted, crocheted, woven, and quilted items, including Knitting4Peace, whose mission is to bring hope, healing, and peace by providing warmth for people in crisis one stitch at a time.

So moved by the Knitting4Peace cause, Rachel decided to start a local chapter with others who wanted to help.

The Saratoga Peace Pod was born.

The Saratoga Peace Pod now has approximately 40 men, women, and children, ages 10 to 80 years old. Some are retired like Rachel; others are busy professionals.

“It’s amazing, when you have a busy person, they’re also very productive about making things and they make it with love,” said Rachel.

RULE OF THREE To reinforce their mission and the magical symbolism of doing things in threes, Knitting4Peace encourages items containing this element within them.

It represents the trifold connections of the creator of the item, the recipient, and the Spirit of Life that unites all of Creation, as well as knitting the three Abrahamic faith traditions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (which represent two-thirds of the world’s population)- to compassionately coexist.

“When you’re making something, you’re thinking of the recipient, how precious and wonderful it will be for them.

You infuse it with these three elements, of hope, peace, and healing. You make it because you care and you want to help,” said Rachel.

BEING OF ONE HEART Because of community partners like Albany’s Up-Stitch, donations of yarn to the Saratoga Peace Pod have been plentiful, sending the completed items to the Knitting4Peace Denver headquarters however, is expensive.

Luckily, there is no postage when the Saratoga Peace Pod donates to local groups; their blankets are being distributed through Wellspring, their hats through To Life! and their baby items through Wait House.

The group has met virtually but the Saratoga Peace Pod is excited for the future.

“This is not a one-person operation, it’s a collective effort.

The biggest thing I’m hoping for is when we can get together in-person, sit, talk, and have coffee. This should be a very social thing. When this pandemic is past us, I’ll be so delighted. All these people have the same heart, one heart, and I’m so grateful,” said Rachel.

The Saratoga Peace Pod is always accepting new members and invite non-profit organizations whose clients might benefit from their work to contact them.

Find them on Facebook, or go to rachelrbaum.wixsite.com/saratogapeacepod

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Humor Capitalized WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY SUSAN BLACKBURN PHOTOGRAPHY

By the Numbers 10:

Books written by Dr. Joel Goodman, including Laffirmations: 1,001 Ways to Add Humor to Your Life and Work

Nearly 4 million: People reached

through the HUMOR Project’s Speakers Bureau presentations

7,000+: Appearances in television and radio

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e can think about it as much as we want, but the reality is, we feel our way through life.

Millions of people around the world have gotten to feel good because of author, educator, and entrepreneur Dr. Joel Goodman - and that’s just good business.

FILLING SARATOGA WITH LAUGHTER AND JOY Since 1968, Dr. Joel Goodman has been teaching people practical ways to develop and use their sense of humor and creativity.

“The ability to play with serious situations is at the heart of humor,” says the laugh doctor.

For more than four decades, that heart has been located in Saratoga Springs, where Goodman and his wife, Margie Ingram, founded The HUMOR Project in 1977.

Hosting conferences at the City Center for twenty consecutive years, they brought more than 23,000 attendees to the city while honoring comedic legends including; Steve Allen, Sid Caesar, Victor Borge, Jay Leno, The Smothers Brothers, Gilda Radner, Bob Newhart, David Hyde Pierce, Elmo, and Lucie Arnaz, among others.

Because of their vital contribution to the community, Goodman and Ingram received the first Hometown Heroes Award from the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau in 1997.

Now, Goodman and Ingram are moving to Silver Spring, Maryland to begin the HUMOR Project 2.0.

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shows, newspapers, and magazines in 175+ countries, including: The TODAY Show, PBS, ABC NEWS’ prime-time special on The Mystery of Happiness (aired nationally three times), BBC, Latenight America, Donahue, CNBC's Management Today, All Things Considered, the front page of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, Readers' Digest, Successful Meetings, and numerous AP national features.

What made his kids most proud was Joel being highlighted on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

500:

Grants given to schools, hospitals, and human service agencies to help them develop services and resources to tap into the positive and healing power of humor

5: Prestigious awards to mark significant

achievement in his field: the International Lifetime of Laughter Achievement Award, the International Punster of the Year Award, the Beacon Humor and Peace Prize, the LOL (Legacy of Laughter) Award, and the International HA (Humor Achievement) Award

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HEALTH, HISTORY, HORSES & HUMOR Through his work, Goodman has reached millions of people in all 50 states, on all 7 continents, and even into space (with an Apollo Moon-walking astronaut).

In 2006, he brought Hello, Dolly! star Carol Channing to the area. On her packed visit, she stopped into Saratoga Springs High School and spoke with the cast rehearsing that year’s play.

“The students were sitting around her, enamored, entranced by this legend being literally, right there,” said Goodman.

The 50 students wrote her notes and that evening, Channing responded to each one personally.

“It’s all the behind-the-scenes things that these people do that touched me so much. They have incredible talent and incredible humanity.”

“To be in the presence of these comic icons, I was just in awe.

Being with them, I was like a kid in a candy store. It was like, ‘Wow! It doesn’t get any better than this!’”

THE HUMOR PROJECT 2.0 Mementos of all the beautiful personal relationships that have been forged through his work, made sorting through the memorabilia Goodman’s collected over the years sweetly sentimental.

Professionally appraised with a value of $350,000, the funof- a-kind collection of 20,000 pieces is being donated to the National Comedy Hall of Fame in Florida.

“We are delighted that The HUMOR Project will be part of their ongoing laughing legacy library. This donation fits in with our goals of downsizing and uplifting at the same time.”

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The HUMOR Project continues, the next chapter revitalized by the inspiration of being closer to their four-year-old grandson, Jakobe, and one-year-old granddaughter, Zoe. Find humor articles, resources and more information at www.humorproject.com SS

5 Joel Goodman Quotes to Remember: “Take humor seriously and yourself lightly.”

There’s humor to be found in any situation, so develop your Comic Vision.

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2 3 4 5

“Turn AHA’s into HA-HA’s” Delight in surprises.

“Jest for the health of it!”

Humor is healing.

“Seven days without laughter makes one weak.”

Make a habit of humor in your life.

“Do Well and Do Good.”

Your success today leads to a world of good tomorrow.

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LOOKING FOR

Summer Reading Suggestions?

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t age 50, happily married, with a successful nursing career and two grown healthy children, Clifton Park resident Susan Frances Morris received a diagnosis shared by one in eight women – breast cancer – but what she discovered after led her down a unique path. The months to come found Morris exploring the connection between risk of breast cancer and adverse childhood experiences, trauma, and long-term stress exposure– all of which she experienced in her formative years.

On sale this August is Morris’ memoir, The Sensitive One (On sale 8/24/21, She Writes Press), a story of redemption—of a woman who manages to escape harrowing circumstances and start anew, but it’s also a story of how our legacy lives within us, and how healing from the adverse effects of childhood can truly take a lifetime.

Save the Date VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH EVENT Northshire Books in Saratoga Springs Tuesday, August 24 at 6:00 PM ET

Susan Frances Morris

While Morris’ story is in part a reflection of the effects of her trauma, it is ultimately an inspiring story of redemption. In other words, The Sensitive One “will open you to the possibilities of a reclaimed life. This is a book that will bring you tears, but good tears, as Morris shows you her path through self-awareness to compassion and forgiveness" (Judy L. Mandel, New York Times bestselling author of Replacement Child). SS

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aratoga Springs resident Monika LaPlante’s story “Home Invasion” is included in Chicken Soup for the Soul’s second humor collection, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Read, Laugh, Repeat.

(Available wherever books are sold.) The book consists of 101 laugh-out-loud stories, all true and told by the people who lived through these embarrassing, hilarious, and truly human experiences.

LaPlante’s story tells of coming home late one night and hearing her sister’s frightened cries. They think they are being robbed, but there’s a hilarious twist we won’t spoil here.

LaPlante and the other contributors who wrote these stories selected four nonprofit organizations they want to support with the royalties from this book. These nonprofits use comedy and clowning to bring laughter to places where it’s most needed—to hospitals, hospice, and other healthcare facilities—helping people of all ages who need a reason to smile—from the patients and their families to the frontline workers who care for them.

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Monika LaPlante is the owner of The Worker's Club, a boutique coworking space in downtown Saratoga Springs. She is also a Data Manager at Archbold Biological Station, a research field station based in Florida. You can become a member at her coworking space by visiting www.theworkersclubny.com or check her out on social media @theworkersclubny. SS saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

A BOOK REVIEW WRITTEN BY DONNA BATES, retired English teacher, volunteer at Yaddo Garden and the Saratoga Room at the library

Annandale, The Early Years D

r. Hollis Palmer’s new book, Annandale, the Early Years, takes us into the Gilded Age of Saratoga Springs and introduces us to three prominent families and their glorious lifestyles. It shows us how they lived and how they loved, both what it looked like on the surface and what was under the chatter and the silence, broken and deeply disturbing.

Harriet Lathrop, sister-in-law to Leland Stanford, one of the richest men in America; a railroad baron and Governor of California.

She is a widow and the matriarch of the Lathrop family, fueled by the businesses of her late husband and Stanford’s deep pockets. Her goal in life is to make sure that her daughters “marry well.” Jeannie, Tina, and Aimee, and the men who yearn for them, fill the pages with both love and hate, marriage and divorce, life, and death.

Next, The Batchellers, George and Catherine. “She is the one who came into the marriage with money. He is the one who came with political ambition.”

They have one daughter, Kate, who enjoys helping her father with his political ambitions, and has “something different about her.” Although their home is in Saratoga, they spend much of their lives in Washington D.C. and Europe.

The third family consists of recent widow Anna Davidson and her precocious daughter, Beatrice, who is wise beyond her years and feels no compunction in letting everyone know how right she is. She will grow into her brilliance. Other characters populate the novel, including the titans of Saratoga society, the gold diggers, the con artists, the bitter dowagers, and the earnest servants, as well as the predatory underworld of the city.

Dr. Palmer uses the houses (or more correctly, the mansions!) to tell the stories of the Saratoga families who inhabited them, the time-period and the society that they lived in, and the interactions between the contemporaries. The mansions are still there, and when I walk by, I imagine the Lathrops, the Batchellors, and the Davidsons as they lived, worked, thrived, and struggled.

I feel like I should wave when I pass.

This book is a novel, but it is hard to classify.

There is romance, action and adventure, mystery and suspense. There is a fine line

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between historical fiction and non-fiction. In this novel, it is hard to tell where storytelling begins, and hard facts recede. In fact, I am starting to realize that there are times when truth really is stranger than fiction. I initially thought that the “ax scene” was added for dramatic effect, but then I found out that it was reported in the newspapers of the time.

It is hard to imagine that the elite and wealthy Saratoga families were filled as much with tragedy as they were with parties and balls.

Dr. Palmer twists the traditional plot structure to move from non-fiction to historical fiction. In the style of Joseph Conrad or Mary Shelley, the novel is a “frame tale,” a story within a story. It’s being told by an old Lady, (a Lady with a capital L), who is relating memories to an unnamed ghostwriter. She is a rascally old broad, given to snide comments and philosophical observations weathered by time and experience. Her nuggets of wisdom, learned over a long life, and with the value of hindsight, enable her to use her sarcastic wit to show us the inner motivations of the characters, not letting any of them get away with a glossy coating or whitewash. I feel like I’ve met her, and I know that she is somewhere in the story herself.

A motif of silence keeps popping up throughout the novel, starting with the opening poem by Dr. Palmer’s granddaughter, written at age 10. Silence tries to hide spousal abuse, prejudice, theft, infidelity, rape, and deceit. A broken silence, at times deafening, unnerving and snakelike, is fed by conduct and sharp objects. Outward appearances hide inner secrets until “there is the scream of silence.”

When reading history, it is easy to think of the characters as old-fashioned, outdated, and backward compared to our modern society, but these families could be plopped right down into our 21st Century lives, and we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them and the other high-class, low-class, and in-betweens that we see daily in the street or on the news.

Annandale shows us human behavior and motivation, goals and longing, strength and weakness …and a glimpse of real life on both sides of the money.

Available on Amazon beginning August 12, 2021

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West Virginia

Ultimate Rock-Climbing The

Road Trip WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED (UNLESS NOTED)

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Mexico

IN 2019, JONATHAN NEVILLE set out on an epic road trip to climb America’s best rock. It was a journey that would last 500 days and where he would trade in comfort for pursuing his passion.

"I'd rather wake up in a Prius, psyched on life, than wake up in a queen-sized bed, in a mansion, and full of apathy," he said.

ANSWERING THE CALL TO CLIMB Jonathan Neville first experienced the exhilarating sport of rock climbing in 2012. His passion quickly grew and he sought bigger and bigger challenges.

“Living on the East Coast, I’d heard lore and legend about how great it was out West and of the famous locations I’d always wanted to see,” he said.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in Adventure Education from Plymouth State University, Neville outfitted his Prius for a long-haul road trip.

“A Prius is the smallest vehicle I’ve ever seen anyone live in, but realistically, that’s what it was going to take to allow me to climb all the time.”

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HOW TO LIVE IN YOUR CAR

Photo by Super Source Media

Jonathan Neville was still recovering from a shoulder injury, but that wasn’t going to stop him – he was determined to learn just how good of a climber he could become.

First, he headed south, into the hills of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Each week, he’d climb for four days and rest for three.

At first, he simply laid the Prius’ back seats down to sleep, but his legs were under his kitchen supplies, which wasn’t very comfortable. By removing the back seats completely however, he discovered there was enough room for sleeping, a solar generator, a refrigerator, a water tank, and his other equipment.

Living in his car kept his gear close and his expenses low.

Photo by Super Source Media 80 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

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Mexico

“I was living a lifestyle that would’ve cost hundreds of thousands of dollars if I was staying at hotels and eating in restaurants. Instead, I spent less than $1,000/ month and had the best time and the best experience ever. Car insurance, the phone bill, and food were really my only expenses and food is cheap when you buy things like rice, beans, and oats.

Americans are hilarious about how much they spend on food.”

Eldorado Canyon, Colorado

To supplement the money he’d saved, Neville took a temporary part-time job as a kayak guide through an underground mine.

ENDLESS BEAUTY During the colder months, Neville traversed the southern states, climbing in Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.

“This experience changed how I look at life and at parts of America. These places are a testament to how awesome God is, and how the world He created is so endlessly beautiful.”

In Mexico however, he experienced a trip high – literally, climbing 1,000+ft. up, and found a perfect place to relax.

“On the days I wasn’t climbing, I liked to sleep in, cook a really delicious breakfast and just do a whole lot of nothing. Mexico was so laid back. I found it to be so much cheaper there, the pace so much slower, and it was always sunny.”

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PANDEMIC, PAIN, AND PERSEVERANCE

COMFORT: THE ENEMY OF GROWTH

When COVID peaked, Neville had made his way up through Arizona and was experiencing the incredible climbing outside of Las Vegas, Nevada.

By spending his precious funds on chiropractors, he was able to continue on to South Dakota, Idaho and beautiful California before finally returning to Ballston Lake, NY with some major lessons learned.

“It was a really strange environment. As soon as the casinos shut down, everybody decided to go hiking,” he said.

Leaving Las Vegas and travelling through Utah, and Colorado, he then landed in Wyoming.

“It was the best thing ever. It was like an oasis.

It’s a really low population state, so life carried on very normally, like nothing had happened.”

He topped Devil’s Tower, the Grand Teton peak, and by the summer of 2020, he’d found a landscaping job.

“Some people love to be in a different place every week, but when I found a place I really liked, I’d stay there for a while.”

Unfortunately, he began experiencing debilitating sciatica leg pain.

“It feels like being electrocuted. It was demoralizing. Just walking was painful. That was really tricky and the biggest downside of the whole trip,” he said.

“Comfort is not inherently bad, but as an end goal or a destination, it’s an enemy of growth.

It’s the same way with your muscles: beat them up and put them through the ringer and they come back stronger,” said Neville.

He spent Spring 2021 at the Saratoga Ninja Lab. “It’s the perfect job. I naturally trend toward being an instructor and educator and I love Ninja exercise because it's really fun and is great cross training for rock climbing.”

This summer, Neville plans on returning to Kentucky for steep overhang climbing, and to winter in Mexico. For Spring 2022, he’s got his eyes set on Yosemite Valley, CA - a destination that’s always been at the top of his bucket list.

Go with Jonathan Neville on his crosscountry climbing adventures, subscribe to his YouTube channel, and find him on Instagram @jonnyneville. SS

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Wind River Range, Wyoming Garden of the Gods, Colorado

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THE RIVER WALK AT SPECULATOR... a Summertime Delight!

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Speculator’s beautiful lakeside park beckons to visitors.

WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY WENDY HOBDAY HAUGH

Every summer, when the temperatures climb and the soft ice cream stands open for business, my husband, Chuck, and I head north on Route 30 to stroll along the peaceful River Walk in the Village of Speculator. This community-built mix of boardwalk, gravel, and hard-packed dirt pathways enables visitors to explore enchanting stretches of forest and wetlands along the Sacandaga River.

For us, it’s a summertime rite of passage to walk the quiet trails, savoring the lush forests, blue skies, and joyful mix of diverse birdsong. While walking, we search for seasonal wildflowers like partridgeberry, turtlehead, spotted touch-me-not, and calla lily.

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Boardwalks meander through forests and wetlands.

The Sacandaga River Community Park, as the trail is officially called, attracts nature enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. Located just off Route 30 as you enter the village, at the far end of the Speculator Pavilion Park’s ball field, this 1.5 mile trail with 850-feet of boardwalk is handicapped-accessible and stroller-friendly. Signage along the pathways identifies the many different plants, trees, birds, fish, and animals found in the area. Other educational placards contain historical information, photos, and illustrations about the Indian tribes that once lived there, the logging industry, and Adirondack trail guides of yore. Numerous benches dot the paths, and two viewing stations situated along the Sacandaga River provide picture-perfect spots for reflection and photographs. Stand quietly on the riverside dock, and you’ll see fish and ducks swimming among the waterlilies. Tread softly in the forest, and you might even spot a doe foraging among the ferns with her fawn.

A rustic Adirondack sign welcomes visitors to the river walk.

A vintage Route 66 village takes us back to yesteryear.

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In addition to the river walk, Speculator’s ball field park offers visitors a large picnic pavilion with grills, a gazebo, a playground for young children, riverside put-in for kayaks and canoes, abundant parking, and plenty of open fields for kids to romp and play. Restrooms are available both at the pavilion and across the baseball field at the firehouse.

You’ll find another intriguing part of the park, called ROUTE 66, located just beyond the children’s playground. This quaint village in miniature, built by John Van-Buiten and Richard Koert, is comprised of buildings from the 1940s, including an authentically staged church, school, barber shop, general store, post office, gas station, and ice cream shop. The detailed structures were built to commemorate the eight-State honeymoon trip that New Jersey residents John Van-Buiten and his wife, Hester, took along Route 66 in 1948. The Van-Buiten family had been vacationing in Speculator since the 1920s, often tenting at nearby Camp of the Woods. As longtime enthusiasts of the area, the family donated their unique Route 66 village to the community in 2014. Spend a little time window shopping in this charming pintsized village, and you’ll surely feel a fleeting sense of nostalgia for simpler times and bygone eras.

Watch an interview with one of the builders of this charming destination, by the town historian! The most enjoyable 13 minutes you’ll have all day! www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAMCu4t6MZI …and check out SimplySaratoga.com for even more photos J

The Village of Speculator’s Public Park and Town Beach is located directly across Route 30 from the pavilion park. With its sandy beachfront, public swimming area, benches, picnic tables, flower gardens, and spectacular views of Lake Pleasant, it’s the perfect place to relax and unwind after your hike in the woods. And before you leave town, be sure to check out Speculator’s bustling business district! The village has numerous eateries and ice cream shops, a must-see department store, and a distinctive grocery called Charlie Johns. Part market, part general store, Charlie Johns carries camping and fishing supplies, dishes, hardware, postcards, souvenirs, craft supplies, an amazing selection of Adirondack books for all ages, and just about anything else you might be hoping to find.

Without a doubt, a summertime trip to Speculator will leave you eager to return again and again. So, gas up the car, get out your GPS, and head north to celebrate the splendor of summer in the Adirondacks!

For more information, visit www.speculatorchamber.com/ speculator or call 518-548-4521. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Be the

Cool P a r e n t s …

Take the Family

River Rafting

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

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ant a memorable adventure the whole family will love this summer – it’s time to go river rafting!

“It’s almost universal. A wide variety of people (of all ages and backgrounds) are getting on the water and doing something they never thought they’d do and they just have a great time,” said John Duncan, owner of Sacandaga Outdoor Center.

When was the last time you did something that made everyone smile?

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Watch as people leave a theme park and you’ll see mixed reactions. Maybe it’s a combination of spending too much money, waiting in too many long lines, or the exhaustion that comes from spending the day in separate areas because the little kids are too small to go on the same rides as the older ones.

River rafting offers a different way to experience the water.

Amid the splendid backdrop of the Adirondack mountains, this 4-mile soul-satisfying journey is set to the music of babbling rapids, wildlife, and the wind blowing through the trees. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

Because the Sacandaga River is dam-released, the water here is predictable and guaranteed to have only Class II and III rapids: moderate waves in medium-quick water where maneuvering is required but is interspersed with clear, open, smooth, flat passages.

This is not the intense, powerfully violent Class V whitewater rafting you might be imagining.

“Unfortunately, as in many things, Hollywood makes all whitewater seem extreme,” said Duncan.

“People who are new to whitewater rafting have no concept

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of how much fun it’s going to be. At the end, they’ve just had a ball and really appreciate that it’s not just whitewater, they’ve had just as much fun in the flat-water.”

What to Expect The Sacandaga Outdoor Center is centered in a prime location, where the Hudson and Sacandaga Rivers meet in Hadley, just 30 minutes from Saratoga Springs.

Their shop offers stellar equipment and a picnic area.

Surfaces are cleaned regularly and masks are required unless you’re out on the water.

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Instead of filling a raft with people from different parties (as they did pre-pandemic), each raft is now privately reserved for your group only. Two sizes are available, the 14’ raft holds up to six adults and the 16’, eight to ten.

A guide, trained in CPR and the ways of the water, steers each raft, offering insights and entertaining banter along the route, which includes a whitewater section known as the “Dragon’s Back.”

“They give people the experience they want. A lot of people request the same guide year after year because they like them so much,” said Duncan.

Plan Ahead The Sacandaga Outdoor Center is seeing six times the number of reservations they normally would for their rafting trips, which depart every hour beginning at 10 a.m. seven days a week from just below the Stewart’s Bridge Dam, so planning ahead is recommended if you’re looking for a refreshing escape from the heat this summer.

You’re almost guaranteed to get wet on this exhilarating ride, if not from the splashing current, then in the flat-water section where there’s a chance to swim and the water cannons come out.

“Even our experienced adults become like children again. It’s a lot of fun! Even after all these years, when I go on the water, I still enjoy that more than anything.”

For more information, go to www.4soc.com 90 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

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Leave

No Trace WRITTEN BY CHAD BEATTY

It sounds simple, but apparently it is much more difficult in reality. I am still shocked, and saddened, every time I hike or climb in the Adirondacks.

The mountains are a virtual cornucopia of natural beauty and majestic scenery, yet strewn garbage is a constant reminder of the laziness of man.

I challenge all of you to go above and beyond, and pitch in to make a difference over the next year.

Many hands make light work, and together we can keep our mountains as nature meant them to be.

BELOW ARE A FEW SIMPLE STEPS TO GET US STARTED: • Always carry a few trash bags with you.

Pick up garbage and debris each time you head out. Parking areas seem to be some of the worst spots. I know it isn’t a glamourous task, but if we all do our share, the results will be wonderful.

• Make sure you pack out all of your own trash, leftover food and litter. Even a wrapper from an energy bar or a banana peel (takes up to two years to decompose) makes a negative impact, so inspect your area before leaving.

• Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.

• Last but not least, teach your kids and educate your partners.

Together we can all make a difference!

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So remember, leave only your footprints.

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STICKING POWER WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

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redominately played on the East Coast, lacrosse is now the fastest growing sport in schools and colleges across the country.

Lacrosse is a relatively low-cost, high-energy, full-contact sport where the ball is always moving. Shots are clocked going faster than 100 mph, and lots of goals are scored in every game.

THE HIDDEN EXPENSES As interest in lacrosse has grown, some veterans of the sport see this popularity bringing with it hidden expenses.

“The focus is growing the number of participants, not growing the game. They modified and messed with the traditional aspects of the game,” said Brent Coye, a 1991 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School, who played lacrosse on the Nazareth College 1992 National Championship Team. Coye has also coached lacrosse at Union, Skidmore, and Hudson Valley Community College.

“A soccer mom mentality has taken over in the last few years that’s limited the smash and grab pace of the game.

It’s supposed to be fast, up and down. That’s what gets people saying, ‘Holy Cow! Lacrosse is cool!’” he continued.

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Now working as a security contractor, Coye continues to coach lacrosse privately, preparing his players for highimpact collisions like he experienced.

“It was a very tough game in the ‘90s and early 2000s when I played. Your metal was going to get tested. If you weren’t ready to get hit, you weren’t ready to play. The lacrosse player was an anomaly; unique, and part of a certain clique. You had to have a certain coordination between the upper and lower body and not everyone had it. You’re running with the ball and the stick. You have to pass, shoot and catch on the run. It’s not just something you can pick up and do if you’re used to playing another sport.”

ANCESTOR APPROVED Invented by the Iroquois nation, lacrosse is a game that reflects the value of coming together as a team to achieve a goal.

The Iroquois believed that if they played well, it would please the Creator and He’d look favorably upon them.

Handmade wooden sticks were presented to a young boy as a symbol that he was entering into manhood. Upon their death, some players were even buried with their sticks.

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“One thing I do like, is that finally the Native American community is getting recognition for the creation of the sport. In lacrosse, an obligation to history is deeper and required, more so than in other sports,” said Coye.

Adopted by European settlers to the continent, early reports compared lacrosse to everything from baseball and field hockey to badminton.

According to the Lansingburgh Historical Society archives, one of the earliest exhibitions of lacrosse in the United States was played in Saratoga by the Indians of the Six Nations of Canada in August 1867. It was followed by a game at Rensselaer Park in the Village of Lansingburgh in October.

The “savages” are lithe and active and throw a great deal of spirit into their play, thus rendering La Crosse more exciting than so simple a game would be expected to prove. They are all well-formed, athletic fellows, and run as gracefully and as rapidly as reindeers. - Troy Daily Whig.

October 17, 1867.

Shortly after this report, the “Mohawk Club of Troy,” one of the earliest American lacrosse teams, was formed.

PASSING DOWN THE TRADITION Despite lacrosse’s long history, it was baseball that earned the title of “America’s Pastime.” The names of great players, like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, remain so well-known they are woven into the fabric of the sport.

By comparison, it is a challenge for those interested in lacrosse to name even one of its superstars.

Twenty years ago, Coye wanted to help change that.

With a $50,000 investment, he formed Under the Helmet Productions to make a 32-minute film, “Only the Strong Survive.”

This video focuses on the history, precision movement, and strategy that made the game what it is today.

It features clips of brutal plays and interviews with Team USA stars Tim Soudan and Charlie Lockwood, Cornell University Coach Richie Moran, and Herkimer County Community College Coach Paul Wehrum.

At the time, a line of posters, equipment and apparel was also released. Coye is now planning to re-release the film on DVD and as a digital download. He is currently looking for an internet-savvy intern to help bring this project to fruition and to introduce lacrosse to the next generation of players in a new way.

For more information, find Under the Helmet Productions on Facebook or UnderTheHelmet.net. SS saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Family Travel Tips for 2021

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER

IF YOU’RE ITCHING TO GET OUT and do a bit of traveling, you’re not alone. When the pandemic shut down the borders and tourism came to a screeching halt last year, many rescheduled their plans for this summer instead.

Before you set off on your next adventure, there are some important things to keep in mind.

Here are the Top 5 Travel Tips from Anne Gordon, Founder and President of Live Life Travel, LLC:

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1. PLAN AHEAD

Find your passports. Check their expiration date. Adult passports are valid for 10 years, but kids’ passports expire after five. Passport renewals (like many things) are taking longer than they previously would, some up to 6 months to process. Opt for the expedited service and renew when there is one year of validity remaining.  There’s good news - the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has postponed the deadline for the REAL ID driver’s licenses or identification cards (used to board domestic flights), from October 2021 to until May 3, 2023, so you’ll have a lot more time to get this done.

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2. GET VACCINATED

The pandemic is not over just because places are reopening. Keep in Mind - Once you’re vaccinated, you still need to be respectful of all COVID guidelines, including mask-wearing and social-distancing.  Pack Your Vax - Although it’s not mandated everywhere, always remember to pack your Vaccination Card, just-in-case.

“Vaccinations are a miracle of science. They are a standard, normal, and wonderful thing that protects us from all sorts of diseases,” said Gordon.

3. BE FLEXIBLE

Prices, rules and regulations are constantly changing.

Adjust to the mindset that the travel world is still in a state of flux. Avoid undue stress and be flexible. Hotels, airlines and restaurants are still recovering, and many are not yet fully-staffed or at full capacity. Make reservations well in advance and be patient.

 Now’s not the time to go too far off the beaten path, Instead, change your itinerary to book US destinations through your favorite local travel advisor to places whose economies rely on tourism such as Hawaii, Alaska, and Key West.

4. BE AWARE

Read the fine print for all cancellation policies, especially for home rentals (which are extremely popular this year but are less regulated than other options).

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 Buy travel insurance and ask your travel advisor about “Cancel for Any Reason Insurance” in case you have an unexpected change in plans.

5. STAY LOCAL

For ease and safety, short road trips can’t be beat. It’s been a rough year for all small businesses and there’s so much to do locally, even if you’re not comfortable travelling far from home yet, you can still get something on the calendar to look forward to this summer.  For this summer It’s too late to start thinking now about visiting the US National Parks out west, but for an outdoorsy adventure, consider Alaska! Great air fares are available and land tours to see the Denali National Park, the Humpback whales, and the Northern Lights make beautiful memories.

PLANNING AHEAD:

Plan now for your 2022 trips!

The increase in demand from families looking to use travel credits and get in those special occasion trips that were missed last year will cause places to fill up quickly. Working with a professional advisor is a good idea; someone who knows all the dates, challenges and guidelines …and has your best interest at heart.

Don’t delay, start planning TODAY.

Go to www.livelifetravel.world and click “Let’s Start Planning” SS

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Artist Spotlight:

John Kingsley WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

Welcome to the Retrofuture There is an extraordinary place that exists suspended on the tension wire between the past and the future.

History is full of moments where the world was poised for change.

The anticipation of its promises dangled before a population eager to believe in the promise of possibility.

The beginning of the Industrial Revolution in America was one of these moments.

As the Industrial Age faded, the Information Age was ushered in, reshaping our understanding of the artifacts that have remained.

John Kingsley rolls up his sleeves and redesigns these pieces of history into practical and fantastical contraptions.

Tinkering with technology, his work puts an original spin on the science of the extraordinary.

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THE WIZARDING WORLD In the mid-to-late nineties, John Kingsley combined the magic of woodworking with the science of entertainment.

He became the Grand Wand Master, Titus Grondahl, and invited you into Grondahl’s Wizard Workshop, his 10’x10’ tent where you could witness the wizard at work.

“I wanted to make it interesting for kids. I wanted to entertain them, so it was a visual explosion of sight and sound,” he said.

CAN’T STOP PROGRESS Four years ago, Grondahl’s Wizard Workshop moved into a 25’ refashioned school bus.

Stepping into the steampunk style mobile magic factory, young apprentices delight in the spectacle of flashing lights, the wonderful whirring of mechanical machines and automated apparatus, while Kingsley turns them one-of-akind wooden wands.

When stationed on the Juckett Park grounds for the Hudson Falls Farmer’s Market, Kingsley crossed paths with local artist Kendall McKernon.

“We made an instant connection. He was blownaway by the bus, the woodturning, the instruction, and the steampunk works of art I create.”

John Kingsley’s work is now available at the McKernon Gallery in the Sandy Hill Arts Center.

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TRANSFORMATION MAGIC: THE SANDY HILL ARTS CENTER The Sandy Hill Arts Center opened in September 2020. The five-story renovated masonic temple houses the McKernon Gallery, as well as a repurposed furniture and more store (formerly a dance studio), restaurant, a private office for the Council of Prevention, and two floors of artists’ studios, event and performance space.

“It’s a really unique building. I fell in love with that building, even when it was in its derelict state, years ago,” said Kingsley.

This is a sensational setting for the various utilitarian objects that Kingsley creates.

ILLUMINATING THE PAST By combining a retired musical instrument with the electric wiring of a light, Kingsley has created Instralamps.

The wood and shining metal are material opposites, yet flow together beautifully. The contrasts present remind us to reevaluate the product’s intended purpose with what it has become.

It demonstrates technology’s ability to both empower and alienate.

This tension is fundamental to the steampunk style of art.

Kingsley began exploring the idea of Instralamps with a recorder he found, but has since crafted other wind instruments into lamps; a trumpet, clarinet, flute, French horn and trombone.

“I like working with instruments because I understand their outline.

When I saw a Holton Farkas French horn (the same one I played as a teenager) it brought to mind the songs I played on it then. It brought it all back and I was like, Oh my God, I’m 18 again!”

Kingsley is currently refashioning stringed instruments, adding a violin and a guitar into his repertoire.

CLOCKPUNK PIECES

THE MELODY OF CONTINUOUS MOVEMENT

Change is as sure as clockwork, yet the inner workings of it are a wonderous and fantastical pattern of composite parts.

As a master woodworker and member of the Northeastern Woodworkers Association, Kingsley’s imagination has activated the creation of live-edge hardwood bowls, finished with food-safe walnut oil, that are also for sale in an assortment of sizes and shapes at the McKernon Gallery.

The turning wheel of the wood lathe has been replaced with the spinning dials of time in Copper Reflections, Kingsley’s collection of gears surrounded by a copper pipe frame, in which resides a reflecting mirrored clock.

Movement and transportation are also evoked through the pieces he’s created with car emblems and parts.

“There is a germ going through all of my creations and if you can grapple with that, you can get what I was trying to do,” he said.

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As an instructor and member of the Board of Directors at the Adirondack Folk School, Kingsley taught 13 classes this year.

In addition to continuing to teach, Kingsley plans to devote more time to learning more welding techniques and to incorporate more metal into the flow of his future pieces.

See John Kingsley’s work in The McKernon Gallery, 216 Main Street, Hudson Falls and on Facebook @SandyHillArtsCenter

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On the Prowl...

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

New exhibit demonstrates how imagination invites the impossible.

The urge to create has been stalking artist Erik Johnsen his entire life.

“It’s uncontrollable, like a sneeze. That’s how all the great art pieces come, there’s no stopping it. It has to happen. There’s just a need to create and you just can’t help it,” he said.

WHERE FANTASY MEETS REALITY Through his fantastical sculptures, Erik Johnsen illuminates a world full of wonder.

His piece, Galaxy Cat, will be joining a collection of unique and original works in Land of Enchantment, a celebration of mythology and fairytales activating the grounds of the Norman Rockwell Museum this summer in Stockbridge, Mass. This juried outdoor sculpture installation is being held in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibition Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Art, which opened in June.

PLAYING THROUGH THE BLEAKNESS A defining characteristic of Erik Johnsen’s work is how he plays with our perception of what is possible.

During the last year, reminders of the world beyond the one before us were a welcome sight. Johnsen remained productive during the pandemic, living and working outof-state since his divorce and the closing of the Fantasy Workshop, his extraordinary home and studio of 20 years in Argyle. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

One project Johnsen did last year, a series of 22 fun dog sculptures, found their way to select storefronts on Broadway in Saratoga.

“I was trying to take a grey, dismal period and show people there is still something colorful out there and to not be afraid of bleakness,” he said.

CREATOR AND CARETAKER OF MAGICAL CREATURES Unimaginable brightness exudes from Galaxy Cat, a wonderous 9 ½ ft. long beast that reflects stunning spectrums of light from every angle when the sun hits it.

To achieve the broken prisms of rainbows that radiate from Galaxy Cat, Johnsen wrapped a sawhorse in wire screen, covered it with spray foam, aluminum flashing, and a speciallytreated holographic film.

“Galaxy Cat is a star beyond my capability. He was born inside me but has a life of his own. All I do is care for him.

I’m just the guy who drives him around,” said Johnsen.

The construction of Galaxy Cat is similar to Johnsen’s earlier piece, Hell Hound, which was on display at a variety of locations, including at Saratoga Comic Con in 2017.

The Land of Enchantment exhibition will open July 10th and run through October 31st at the Norman Rockwell Museum. For more information, go to www.nrm.org.

To see Erik Johnsen’s latest work, follow him on Facebook.

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Randall Perry

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Randall Perry Photography

H&G Step Inside…

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Randall Perry Photography

cturally SPEAKING Follow us as we explore some of the area's unique spaces...

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Randall Perry Photography

Looking Up A Victorian home renovation affords classic comfort by tying together the old with the new.

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY RANDALL PERRY PHOTOGRAPHY

Victorian homes are loaded with lots of detailed

woodwork and odd-shaped spaces, so to the modern family, they tend to feel more regal, than comfortable, more elegant, than easy to live in.

When Colleen Coleman, Principal Interior Designer of CMC Design Studio LLC, was brought in as the interior 104 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

designer on the remodel project in 2018, substantial reconstruction on the property had already been underway

by Courtney Enterprises, as directed by the homeowner’s architect, Phinney Design Group.

“The architects did a beautiful job redesigning the space.

My job was to take those spaces and bring them back to life,” she said.

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Uprooting the Kitchen

Originally built in 1883, the now six-bedroom, five-bath, 4,439 sq. ft. home has been preserved in a way that makes sense for Colleen’s clients, John and Michelle.

“In listening to my clients and working through what is important to them, they are the ones who design their spaces, I am the one who facilitates their dream into a reality!” saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

Previous owners had used the building as both a private residence and a dentist’s office. Two additions were built on in the early 1900s, moving the kitchen each time.

Now, the kitchen has been returned to the center of the house, making it convenient for entertaining, as is the impressive butler’s pantry that leads up to it, housing Michelle’s large collection of dishware.

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Randall Perry Photography

True Blue

Queen Victoria herself would’ve likely approved of the Oval Room Blue paint chosen for the cabinetry, a hue selected from the Farrow & Ball Collection.

It’s a color Colleen knew her clients would appreciate, as is the library ladder that Michelle dreamed of installing in her kitchen one day.

“It was a simple request that set the tone for the whole kitchen,” said Colleen.

“The ladder can be easily rolled to reach the high storage or display cabinets, even down the hallway to the den where an additional rail was installed!”

To retain the essence of a Victorian kitchen, the modern refrigerator was hidden behind panels, disguised as French cabinet doors with three lower drawers.

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Randall Perry Photography

Randall Perry Photography

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Celestial Ceilings

Throughout the first floor of this threestory home, the ceilings take center stage.

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In the kitchen, a metal beam is hidden within a circular display of coffers. Colleen created the ceiling detail by combining three different heights of beams to create a sphere unbroken above the semi-formal dining area of the home.

The substantial brass light fixture above the table carries the eye upward without appearing too heavy or impeding the view of the garden beyond.

Replicating History

Historical homes are filled with the history of past occupants.

Colleen played off some of these historical elements, as in the new vent hood above the kitchen range, which mirrors the lines of the vintage fireplace insert in the semiformal dining area.

2254 Route 50 South Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518-581-2480 saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

The kitchen windows were designed by Colleen and manufactured by Marvin Windows. By replicating the ratio of the historical parlor windows, they appear as if they are original to the home, accurately enough to have been approved by the Design Review Commission of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.

Using the same ratio, Colleen designed the upper glass fronted kitchen cabinet and butler pantry doors.

They also synchronize with the windows in the game room. Here, Colleen secured an authentic gaming table which once resided at the Saratoga Casino, taking center stage while being surrounded by chairs that will keep you playing for hours!

A watercolor of the Casino (not shown), purchased at Minnie Bolster’s estate sale, overlooks the table that once dwelt within.

The wonderfully refurbished wainscot, originally a dark oak, was dismantled by the builders and skillfully remastered within the kitchen and butler’s pantry (as were the columns framing the fireplace in the den). They fit so naturally into their new location, it’s as if they’d always been there.

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Randall Perry Photography

Do No Harm to the Charm

The golden rule to a historical renovation is to make mindful choices.

When working in a home that’s been changed significantly by past inhabitants, a remodel can often turn into a "remuddle.”

Rather than trying to erase the past, Colleen capitalized on the elements each owner brought to the home.

The once golden-topped, faux-painted Corinthian columns were painted white instead of being removed altogether. Likewise, the layers of crown molding were painted to blend in with the tray ceilings (that were added to incorporate plumbing and electrical components), allowing your eye to focus on the updated light fixtures surrounded quietly by the home’s old-world charm.

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Purposeful Design

Randall Perry Photography

Also in the parlor, the soothing symmetry of the ceiling is accentuated by the gracefully installed custom drapery and cornice boards. Majestically, they weave in and out of the window seat area, reflecting the columns at the entry to the room.

In the adjoining music room, the cornice boards gently move to the sound of a symphony being played. Colleen said she found inspiration in researching famous opera houses throughout the country and in Europe.

Color and pattern have a huge part to play in the front stairway, where the large, modern floral printed wallcovering by Thibaut carries in the darker greens and charcoals from the exterior of the home. It also serves to lighten up the entry in an effort to retain the original dark oak, patinaed wainscot and staircase.

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Randall Perry Photography

Randall Perry Photography

Randall Perry Photography

Crafting Comfort

Without sacrificing its past, this Victorian is now a very personal reflection of the current homeowners.

“It was very dark. It had a neat look, but, boy, was it dark! We were concerned that even after the renovation, the Victorian wasn't going to feel like a comfy, cozy home," said John.

"With all the design choices that Colleen helped with, the feel has totally changed - it has become a very comfortable and beautiful home." SS

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It's Garage Sale Season!

10 Things to Look for WRITTEN BY COLLEEN PAUSLEY OF LIFE ON KAYDEROSS CREEK

What better way to find budget friendly home decor than to shop garage sales?!

Choose pieces with good bones and things that you can update with paint to make them your own.

Here are the top 10 things I look for:

1

Books

I love Books! Whether they are current coffee table style books (think decorating, fashion or local history) or vintage books with a wonderful warn patina, they add so much interest to any space. They can make great conversation pieces and can add color, texture or height to any vignette.

2

Baskets

Baskets come in a ton of different shapes and sizes and are great for storage in any room. They add wonderful warmth, color and texture to any vignette and in any season.

3 4

White Vases/Pitchers

These are perfect for styling any vignette with faux or real flowers. Put them in grouping for a pretty look.

Art

Art can be so expensive so garage sales are a great place to look. Stick to the same style and you can't go wrong when you are mixing pieces together in your home.

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8

Cutting Boards

I love using these for creating table risers or for decorating shelves. Don't worry if they have a ton of cut marks. Simply break out the palm sander to smooth them out and even give them a coat of stain to match the ones you already have. Hang them on a wall in a collage to create a unique look in your kitchen.

9

Mirrors

Mirrors are a great way to brighten up any space and even make small spaces look bigger. Use one large one on a wall or use a few to create a pretty collage.

Wooden Boxes & Crates I cannot get enough of these. Great for storage and creating a vignette by themselves or adding height to one.

Bonus item: Christmas decorations This takes a little planning, but you can save a ton of money on holiday decorations by picking these up at garage sales. Stick to your color scheme and you’ll easily mix things in with your old decorations.

If you know what to look for and you stick to your style and color scheme, you can save a ton of money and create your own unique look for your home with garage sale finds! SS

5

Picture Frames

Choose frames that have a similar width and style (chunky, beveled wood or clean straight lines). Don't worry about the color because you can always paint them. You can use them for so much more than just framing family photos or art… like creating a collage, framing a piece of architectural salvage or a flat basket with flowers.

6

Trays

Great for creating easy vignettes by grouping things on one place plus they make it easy to remove from a kitchen table for meals or a coffee table for games

7

Candlestick Holders

Look for interesting shapes and sizes. Don't worry about color as they can be painted. I like to have neutral colors like white, black and stained wood so that I can swap them out from room to room and use them for every season.

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In the Kitchen WITH

JOHN REARDON

H ello my Foodie Friends!

Summer is such a wonderful time. During my childhood, summer signified freedom from the structure of the school day and gave me more time to play. It also provided my parents more opportunity for the five Reardon children to take part in the upkeep of the lawn and outside gardening duties. Among my fondest memories includes Sunday afternoons typically being spent pulling dandelions from our yard for my mother’s dandelion salad. My mother dosed her family with generous amounts of dandelion greens as soon as she discovered their bright leaves poking up through the thatch of the back lawn. An incentive from my father, to get us children to go out and dig up the dandelions, was a penny for every dandelion brought in. So, I am really showing my age – a penny was worth a lot back then, especially when you were saving your pennies to go to the local candy store. Once my brothers and I had enough money to buy our sweet treasures, we would hop on our ten-speeds and ride a mile to the tiny market in our town, each of us with ten cents in our pocket, intent upon one thing: buying candy. The postage-stamp sized store had the best selection of penny candy around. We’d huddle in front of the register where the candy was in full view of the friendly clerk and deliberate. Choosing which ten pieces to buy took time. One couldn’t rush such an important decision.

There is a very good use of all those annoying dandelions growing in your yard. Just so long as you don't have a dog.

Top them with your favorite dressing!

I prefer hot bacon dressing. And it also makes a fun outdoor family activity! Dandelion greens should be thoroughly washed and dried after picking. The most common way to eat dandelion greens are raw in salads or to sauté or fry them as a fried green.

Harvest by picking off the small leaves and eating straight away. Dandelions can also be used to make: • Fried dandelion greens • Fried dandelion flowers • Sautéed or braised dandelions • Dandelion salad • Pesto • Scrambled eggs or a quiche

• Dandelion tea • Dandelion wine • Dandelion jelly or jam • Dandelion syrup • Dandelion coffee (from the roasted roots) • Soups

Creating imaginative salads was always a favorite to do by my children. When they were young (and still occasionally) our eldest child, John would be accused (by his sister Aubrey) of not wanting to help in the kitchen with the making of the salads. One of the best and fun solutions was to get a Salad Spinner. This tool assisted us back then and still does today.

Why would you consider using a salad spinner? No one likes a wet salad. But there are two important reasons that go beyond personal preference that make spinning your salad a necessity. The first is that most salad dressings are oil-based. Water repels oil, and so salad greens covered in water will repel dressing. This will result in the dressing pooling at the bottom of your salad bowl instead of coating the greens.

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SEVEN LAYER SALAD RECIPE DRESSING:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

SALAD:

• 1 Cup Sour Cream

• 6 Cups Spring Mix Lettuce (spun clean). Add Dandelions for flavor!

• 2/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese • 1 Tablespoon Sugar

• 2 10 Ounce Containers Grape Tomatoes, Cut in Half

• 1 Teaspoon Salt • 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

• 8 Hard Boiled Eggs Sliced • 1 16 Ounces Bag Frozen Petite Green Peas, Thawed • 1 Small Red Onion • 1 16 Ounce Bag Cauliflower Rice

TOPPING: • 8 Ounces Bacon Cooked and Crumbled • 4 Ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese Shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large glass bowl, layer all the salad ingredients, in the order listed, one at a time in rows.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until smooth. Spread the dressing over the top layer of salad, sealing the edges. Sprinkle the top with cheese and bacon.

3. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. Toss and serve.

The second reason to remove water from your salad is to retain its freshness. The more moisture that's in your salad, especially if you're not dressing the whole thing at once, the more quickly it will go bad. The leaves will turn brown, and everything will lose its crisp texture if it sits in excess moisture. If you're not planning on consuming all of your salad immediately, make sure each of its components is as dry as possible before combining them.

If those two essential warnings against wet greens have not convinced you that you need a salad spinner in your life, fear not, there are plenty of other reasons to get one. Many people think of salad spinners as one-trick ponies that only serve a single purpose and otherwise occupy more than their fair share of precious space in your home, but they actually have quite a number of alternate uses. Salad spinners are useful for washing and drying a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. They are ideal because you can wash and dry things in a single container, and the spinning action they use is delicate enough that it won't damage

or bruise your produce. The next time you need to wash berries, broccoli, green beans, or mushrooms, try using a salad spinner. You're sure to delight in how dry its contents become, and how quick and easy it is to use. You can also use the internal compartment of your salad spinner as a colander for fresh-cooked pasta. If you're making a cold dish like pasta salad, spinning the noodles to remove the excess starchy water will cool them more quickly and also help keep them from sticking together.

One of our favorites and best sellers is the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner. The OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner was selected as one of People Magazine’s 2017 50 Food Faves.

Salad Spinners, they bring siblings together!

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad place to check out our salad spinners and an assortment of other cool tools for cooks. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen!”

Take Care, John & Paula saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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Entertaining with

Ralph Vincent

ideas for relaxed gatherings your guests will love and you will too!

TIME FOR A COOKOUT! Hello everyone! Summer is here and it seems life is beginning to return to normal. At last, we can gather with small groups of friends and once again enjoy life, and each other!

It is time to party, and to me a summertime cookout is a fabulous way to celebrate!

I have put together a cookout menu that is simple to prepare and serve. We start out with a festive new libation called Saratoga Sangria. This white-wine based drink is spiked with Grand Marnier, sweetened with orange juice, and flavored with fresh fruit.

A Saratoga Chip “bar” with assorted dips is an easy and fun way to serve pre-dinner nibbles to your guests. And there is nothing wrong with saving yourself time and effort by using premade dips.

For a main course my “Black and Green Burgers” are delicious and, believe it or not…meat free! Made with plant-based protein, scallions and Gorgonzola cheese, these yummy burgers are flavorful and satisfying. Served along with the burgers is a crisp and refreshing Pineapple Laced Coleslaw. For dessert, an easy to make jewel-like fresh fruit tart will dazzle everyone at your table.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Until next time, have fun in your kitchen, enjoy cooking (and making cocktails!) for the people you love and don’t stress yourself out.

Remember… it doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to taste good!

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Saratoga Sangria • One 750 ml bottled of Sauvignon Blanc. I like to use a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with notes of citrus flavors such as Matua.

• ½ cup of Grand Marnier Liqueur • 1 cup of fresh orange juice • 1 orange thinly sliced • 1 lime thinly sliced • 1 cup of hulled and sliced fresh strawberries • Seltzer DIRECTIONS: In a large pitcher combine the wine, Grand Marnier, orange juice and fruit. Stir to combine and refrigerate until well chilled. To serve, add a few ice cubes and scoop some of the fruit into a white wine glass.

Fill with the sangria till about 1 inch from the top then add a splash of seltzer. The only thing left to do is sip and enjoy!

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Black and Green Burgers • Two 16-ounce packages of Beyond Beef Plant Based Ground • 1 cup of thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts • 1 cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese • 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.

• 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl and using very clean hands, mix all ingredients until well combined. Divide the mixture into 8 patties and place on a platter.

Refrigerate until ready to grill. Lightly oil your grill rack and preheat the grill to approximately 400 degree. Cook the burgers for 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve with your choice of burger buns, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. I like to add a dollop of chili sauce to my burger.

Pineapple Laced Coleslaw • One 14-ounce bag of shredded coleslaw mix • One 8 ounce can crushed pineapple drained • ½ cup minced red onion • 2 tablespoons of white vinegar • ¾ cup best quality mayonnaise • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl mix the pineapple, onion, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the coleslaw blend and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust the flavor with additional mayonnaise, vinegar, salt or pepper. I like to garnish my coleslaw with a light sprinkle of sweet paprika just like my Mom does.

Fresh Summer Fruit Tart • 1 disk of prepared refrigerated pie dough • 1 cup of heavy cream • 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened • ½ cup confectioner’s sugar

• About 2 cups of fresh fruit such a blueberries, sliced strawberries, sliced kiwi or plums • 2 tablespoons of apple jelly whisked with 2 teaspoons or more of water to make a smooth glaze

• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS: Line a 9-inch tart pan (with a removable bottom) with the pie dough, be sure to gently press the dough into the fluted sides. Trim off the excess and prick holes in the bottom and sides with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and then bake as per the dough package instructions for a single crust pie, until golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Using an electric mixer combine the heavy cream and cream cheese until well blended. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and mix until well incorporated. Spoon the mixture into the cooled tart shell and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the fruit on top of the tart to cover the filling in any pattern you decide, such as in concentric circles or in a stripe design, whatever you like.

Brush the fruit lightly with the apple jelly glaze. Refrigerate until serving time. When ready to serve, gently remove the tart from the pan sides and place on a serving platter and cut into wedges. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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The Importance of

Livestock Water

Quantity & Quality WRITTEN BY NICOLINA VENICE FOTI

Spring has sprung and we are getting into the full swing of summer. Days are longer and the nights are warmer. But with these warmer days comes the even hotter weather of the months ahead. For those of us with livestock it is refreshing to not have to trudge through two feet of snow to get the morning chores done and animals fed, but the heat brings other concerns to the surface.

Providing enough fresh water is extremely important. When livestock do not receive adequate amounts of quality water, they produce less and are at risk for dehydration, which could require medical attention and in severe cases be fatal.

Water requirements vary by breeds of livestock and age of the animal; however, all livestock should always have access to clean water.

For their specific needs see the charts below provided by the North Dakota State University.

Table 1- Beef Cattle Table 2- Dairy Cows Table 3- Horses Table 4- Sheep Table 5- Swine

Table 1: Estimated daily water intake (gallons per head per day) for beef cows based on temperature and level of production.

Growing Cattle Temp.

400 lb

600 lb

800 lb

40

4

5.3

50

4.3

5.8

60

5

70

Finishing Cattle

Pregnant Cows

600 lb

800 lb

1,000 lb

900 lb

6.3

6

7.3

8.7

6.8

6.5

7.9

9.4

6.6

7.9

7.4

9.1

5.8

7.8

9.2

8.7

80

6.7

8.9

10.6

90

9.5

12.7

15

Lactating Cows

Mature Bulls

1,110 lb

900 lb

1,110 lb

1,110 lb

6.7

6

11.4

6

6

7.2

6.5

12.6

6.5

6.5

10.8

8.3

7.4

14.5

7.4

7.4

10.7

12.6

9.7

8.7

16.9

8.7

8.7

10

12.3

14.5

17.9

14.3

17.4

20.6

16.2

Adapted from Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle: Eighth Revised Edition: Updated 2016, 2016, NRC

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Table 3: Estimated daily water intake (gallons per head per day) for horses based on class, activity level and temperature Class

Activity Level

Body Weight (lbs)

Temp.

(F)

Water Intake

Yearling

Moderate

661

14

4.8

Moderate

661

68

5

Pregnant

1,102

68

8.1

Lactating

1,102

68

13.5

Yearling

Mature

Idle

1,102

-4

11.1

Mature

Idle

1,102

68

8.2

Mature

Idle

1,102

86

12.7

Mature

Moderate

1,102

68

10.8

Mature

Moderate

1,102

95

21.7

Adapted from Nutrient Requirements of Horses: Sixth Revised Edition: 2007, NRC

Table 5: Water requirements (gallons per head per day) for swine

Table 2: Water requirements (gallons per head per day) for dairy cows based on level of production Class

Age

Calves

1-4 Months

1.3 to 3.5

Heifers

5-24 Months

3.8 to 9.6

Milking Cows 24+ Months Milking Cows 24+ Months Milking Cows 24+ Months Milking Cows 24+ Months Dry Cows

24+ Months

Milk Production Water Intake (lbs milk/day)

30 50 80 100

18 to 22 23 to 27 30 to 36 35 to 41 9 to 13

As mentioned above, water should be fresh and clear, free of debris, and not “stale” or “stagnate.” Water tanks should be emptied, cleaned, and refilled on a regular basis, especially if livestock never completely empty it. Dirty water is a host for disease organisms.

Growing up my dad had a rule when it came to animals’ water. “Would you drink it?” this has become

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Class

Water Intake

Nursery (up to 60 lbs)

0.2 to 0.5

Grower (60-100 lbs)

0.5 to 2

Finishing (100-250 lbs)

2 to 3

Nonpregnant Gilts

3 to 5

Pregnant Sows

3 to 6

Lactating Sows

5 to 8

Boars

3 to 6

Table 4: Water intake (gallons per head per day) for sheep Class

Weight (lbs)

Water Intake

Lambs

5 to 20

0.1 to 0.3

Feeder Lambs

60 to 110

1 to 1.5

Pregnant Ewes

175 +

1 to 2

Lactating Ewes

175 +

2 to 3

Rams

175 +

1 to 2

a statement that echoes in my head while filling or cleaning my water tanks.

For more information about livestock water consumption and quality, or any livestock or homesteading questions contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office of Saratoga County by phone 518-885-8995. Or reach out via email to Nicolina Foti nvf5@cornell.edu SS

SUMMER 2021 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | 123

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Coming Home

TO HIGH ROCK WRITTEN BY HIMANEE GUPTA-CARLSON | PHOTO BY PATTIE GARRETT

It’s Wednesday 3 p.m. The sun is shining, the heat is sizzling.

Something magical is about to happen at High Rock Park.

A bell rings and the Saratoga Farmers’ Market springs to action. This midweek favorite is back.

Live music fills the air. Customers line up for vegetables, fruits, bedding plants, prepared foods, and meats.

Volunteers with the Cornell Cooperative Extension offer recipes and samples; master gardeners give advice on planting. Kids hand local farmers their Power of Produce coins and get a healthy $2 treat in exchange.

It is like old times, almost.

The market was forced to relocate last year to the Wilton Mall because

126 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as nearby construction of a new parking garage that made the market pavilions inaccessible. Even now, the much-larger Saturday market remains at the mall while market staff and board members work to bring that market back in a safe manner to its longtime home.

Meanwhile, the Wednesday market with its 20 vendors, live music, and community is rekindling its relationship with Saratoga.

“Wednesday afternoons are all about unwinding from the first half of the week and getting motivated to tackle the next few days,” says market manager Emily Meagher. “The Wednesday market has a special place in the community for being a gathering space to do exactly that.”

The market also has a larger proportion of agricultural vendors, Meagher added. “This gives shoppers a chance to get what’s fresh off the land for mid-week meals. They don’t have to wait until the weekend to get all of what they need.”

Market sales are a primary source of income for local farmers. Interacting with market goers and forming relationships with customers helps sustain farmers while providing healthy food to locals as well as visitors. Even as our year of pandemic alters how we interact, the Wednesday market offers a new sense of home.

“Customers walk over from their houses or bicycle in from streets like Broadway to spend a little time with our vendors,” Meagher says. “It’s like a return to something we all shared before.” SS

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Save the Date 26th Annual Soroptimist

Secret Gardens Tour SUNDAY, JULY 11 PHOTOS BY BRIAN HOFFMAN

Summer is here, hooray, and we can get outside and enjoy it! So, mark your calendar and reserve your ticket now for the Soroptimist Secret Gardens Tour on Sunday, July 11.

This 26th tour features a dozen unique gardens in Saratoga Springs (including three on one street, talk about being neighborly), Ballston Spa, and Schuylerville.

It promises to be a wonderful day, whether you’re a master gardener, a perennial newbie looking for inspiration, or simply seeking to appreciate these creative gardeners’ labors of love. You’ll stroll through pergolas, follow a path to a monarch butterfly waystation, wander along a pond, meander past fruit trees and brush past grasses. Gardens offer a variety of designs and plantings for both shade and sun. Some include water features, and others offer landscapes that incorporate one-of-a-kind mosaics and sculptures in both stone and metal.

Reserve tickets now for this all-volunteer event.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on the day of the tour (if still available).

128 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

This is a self-guided tour, which will take place July 11 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine.

Garden descriptions, a map and suggested driving directions are provided with the ticket, but you go at your own pace in the order you like. The gardeners and Soroptimists are thrilled to be all-systemsgo for July 11, after last year’s COVD-sparked cancellation.

“Every garden offers something special, with so many truly amazing features,” said Barbara Lombardo, a longtime member of Saratoga Soroptimists who helps organize the tour.

“When people ask which gardens they should be sure to visit, I answer honestly: All of them!”

Visit www.soroptimistsaratoga. org to purchase tickets online, find locations for retail ticket sales and learn more about Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, a professional women’s service organization whose mission is to improve the lives of women, girls and their communities. Reserve your ticket online or stop in at Northshire Bookstore on Broadway, all four Cudney’s retail locations and Faddegon’s in Latham. SS

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The Showcase judges visit each home to judge in seven categories including layout/floor plan, interior design, architecture, landscaping, craftsmanship, best kitchen and best master bath.

Randall Perry Photography

THE SHOWCASE OF HOMES'

TA K E U S B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S

WRITTEN BY COLLEEN COLEMAN | PHOTOS PROVIDED

130 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

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L

ong before I earned a degree for interior design, I was always fascinated by the construction industry.

What it took to put a beautiful home together; the kitchen and bath elements, the flooring, the light fixtures, everything! But as I dove into the industry, I discovered that what went on behind the wall was just as important as what was seen when the construction was complete. This is the life of a “Showcase of Homes” builder.

From the drawing board to the day thousands of visitors pass through their Showcase entry to reveal upcoming trends, color palettes and overall styles for the coming year.

With the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Showcase of Homes, we took this opportunity to chat with a few of the builders… pour yourself a glass of wine and join the conversation!

BELLA BUILDERS Bella Builders, participating in the Showcase of Homes for the last 14 years, is always noted for their specialty kid’s rooms. Dave DePaulo, founder, loves designing and building these spaces himself. “My favorites are the1920 Pick Up Truck, the Crist Craft Mahogany Boat, the Cinderella Carriage, the Airplane room and the Ski Room. They take a tremendous amount of time and effort, but the public seems to remember my homes by these special rooms we’ve done.” Maybe you even remember these spaces over the years?! It is these creative touches that win the hearts of the viewers as they tour these homes and dream, get inspired and even call on these builders to make their dreams come true!

Dave goes on to mention the relationships he has built with the great vendors he’s been lucky enough to work with… Curtis Lumber, Marcellas Appliances, Old Brick Furniture, Hudson Valley Tile, PMD Destiantikov, JP Paving, WinSupply, Wolberg Electric, Legacy Timbers, Floor Master -Queensbury, GSL Landscaping, J&R Propane and Fast Signs Saratoga Springs to name a few.

BELMONTE BUILDERS Belmonte Builders, one of the original builders since the Showcase of Homes began, asked Lindsey Belmonte, Vice President of Customer Relations, to offer her fond memories of this special Saratoga event which she grew up participating in and eventually being a large part of. As she recalled that first home entry, “The house was a twostory home located in The Woodland’s neighborhood in Saratoga Springs. I was 11 years old at the time and it was the house my dad built for our family. I remember sitting in my room during the Showcase tour and saying hi to all the people. We rented a grand piano for the music room that played itself and my brother and I would sit there pretending to push the keys. The memories make me laugh!” It must have been magical for a young girl to see her dad work so hard at creating a family home then seeing all the people come through and admire his work. Lindsey continued, “We moved into the home after the Showcase tour concluded and were so proud to live in a Belmonte Builders masterpiece!”

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One of the ways these homes come together is through a vast network of suppliers, installers and interior designers from around the Capital District Area.

2014 Showcase Builders

Lindsey was very quick to give credit to all who help make each of their homes possible throughout the years, “Every year we strive for perfection and everyone that helps to bring the home to completion does a magnificent job. We love the collaboration, appreciate everyone’s hard work and are always very proud of our Showcase Homes.”

When asked which homes were her favorite entries, she stated “In recent years our Castleton ranch home, located in Sonoma Grove, along with our Weston Master Down home, located in Spencer’s Landing.” I’d have to agree. They were some of my personal favorites as well!

Being in the construction industry myself, I know that there are stressful moments where you need to use a little ingenuity to make the final result happen. Lindsey recalled that first house again, “I remember my mom standing on a ladder holding the curtains in the family room up as the judges walked through. We had so many great laughs finishing that house.”

2015 Showcase Builders

Everybody loves awards night!

2015 Showcase Awards Night featuring The Rat Pack, The Beatles.

2014 Showcase Awards Night.

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BONACIO BUILDERS Another builder who has been around since the beginning is Bonacio Builders, entering a mix of different style homes throughout the years; condos, single-family houses, townhomes, apartments, and historic restorations. They too credit many of the local companies who make their homes comes to life such as B&B Plumbing and Heating, Curtis Lumber, WinSupply, Best Tile, Capital Stone, Signature Cabinet Group and Marcella’s Appliances. Over the past years, many interior designers have also been involved such as Shelly Walker with Finishing Touches Home Decor, Denise Palumbo with Plum & Crimson Fine Interior Design, and Janet Longe from 23rd [and Fourth].

Although they have loved each of the homes they have entered in the showcase, they do remember a year when the painters were leaving through the back of the house while the judges were entering through the front door! “It was a bit nerve-wracking!” stated Sonny. But he added,” It’s always great to be involved with the Showcase of Homes and the causes it supports. Both Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together Saratoga are organizations we work closely with and support throughout the year. We also enjoy connecting with people in our community; getting to see our homes through their eyes is a powerful experience. Every year is a chance to learn something new that we can apply to our future projects.”

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WITT CONSTRUCTION And last but not least, the father of the Showcase of Homes, John Witt of Witt Construction, who has participated in every Showcase since he proposed the idea many years ago. “I was inspired by a builder I had met at a convention. It was a great opportunity for the local builders to show the public their work firsthand, while raising funds for great organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together.” I know from my personal experience of volunteering at the Showcase models during the tours that it has become an annual event for families… especially the ladies as they collect a “honeydo list”! John even mentioned that with each year, the builders drive each other to have a WOW feature, “It keeps us on our toes and pushes our imagination to top what was accomplished the prior year!” he stated with a laugh! John’s favorite homes were 10 Saratoga Farm (2003) and Hyde St. (2021) Needless to say, these are his personal homes within the Saratoga Area! One unique aspect of a Witt home is the internal design team made up of Kennedy Flack and Hanna Volpe. His daughter, Aspen Witt once contributed to the team as well. John is no stranger to working the Showcase homes personally. He even recalled sodding a front lawn until 3am the morning of judging. But his homes were always ready for Showtime!

Happy 25th Anniversary Showcase of Homes!

Most sincerely, Colleen Coleman

Colleen Coleman of CMC Design Studio LLC AKBD, CAPS & True Color Expert colleen@cmcdesignstudio.net

This year will be exceptionally welcoming as we once again will have the opportunity to tour these magnificent homes in person! It’s just what Saratogian’s do in the fall and I am confident that this year will be one of the most memorable! We all look forward to seeing what these builders come up with for 2021 and the inspiration it gives us all for our own homes.

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WHEN YOU OWN A SHOWCASE ENTRY

Photo By Tom Garrett

I

n the fall of 2017 my husband Adam, children Kai and Hannah, and I were living on the island of St. Thomas.

Little did we know that things were about to take a drastic change with the arrival of category 5 Hurricane Irma. The children and I were extremely fortunate to secure seats on one of the last flights out of St. Thomas before Irma made landfall. That flight got us as far as Ft. Lauderdale. We had to make our way up the east coast, just ahead of Irma’s path, till we arrived safely back to our family in Saratoga.

Adam stayed behind in St Thomas to watch over the family business and to lend his assistance, and boat, to relief efforts being coordinated out of Puerto Rico. In an unprecedented turn of events, a second category 5 hurricane, Maria, crashed into St Thomas two weeks later.

With no operating airport or hospital, and our house destroyed, it became apparent that the children and I would not be returning to St Thomas anytime soon. I began looking for a new house for our family. We looked through the limited supply of condominiums available around town at that time. While there were some beautiful options, the lack of a yard for Kai and Hannah caused me to keep looking.

We looked for months. Adam had finally been able to make his way back to Saratoga and our realtor was able to arrange some showings. It was at that time that our realtor Lisa Licatta came up with the suggestion that totally changed our situation. She proposed that, considering Adam’s family’s

136 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | SUMMER 2021

The Israels extensive experience in historic rehabilitation, we might want to consider rehabbing an older home. We were open to that idea and within hours, we were walking through 184 Spring Street. This was a home that had housed a loving, growing family that had been an integral part of a neighbourhood. It provided wonderful memories to the kids that were raised there. As they had grown up and moved on and their aged mother had passed away, the house had fallen into a state of disrepair.

As soon as we saw it, however, we were drawn to the house, its possibilities, and the neighbourhood. We immediately made an offer. We learned that we were not the only ones interested in this house and there were several other offers. We had to anxiously wait to see if our offer was the one to be accepted. To our great delight, those children who had such fond memories of growing up in that house chose our offer, hoping a family would live in the home and love it as much as they had.

That was the easy part! We had to find someone to take this neglected property and turn it into our dream home.

We were extremely fortunate to team up with James Ackerman and Amanda Santy of Bonacio Builders. During planning stages, our realtor suggested that there would be significant benefits in allowing Bonacio to submit our house as their entry into the Showcase of Homes. With the opportunity to display their wares to thousands of visitors, vendors supplying materials, furniture and appliances were willing to provide us much appreciated discounts.

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As anyone who has been involved in a rehab knows only too well, anything that can go wrong probably will. We are grateful to James and his team for taking care of everything and taking our worries away!

We have taken such pride and joy in creating our home. Its “quirkiness’’ – hot air balloon wallpaper, secret doorways in dark blue bookshelves, sauna complete with dousing shower, full size wood burning fireplace on the back porch – reflects us and our lifestyle. We envisioned a home that would be open and welcome to our family, our friends, and our children’s friends. Therefore, we were more than happy to share it on the Showcase of Homes house tour and had no hesitation about the prospect of hundreds of visitors.

It was a treat to hear the reactions of the visitors. It appears that one of the most intriguing features in our home is our refrigerator from Earl B. Feiden Appliances that opens with just the touch of a finger. It got touched by a lot of fascinated fingers!

We were not unfamiliar with the experience of opening one’s home to a home tour. My husband’s family home has been on the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation House Tour a couple of times. We were aware and comfortable with the fact that when an organization such as the Saratoga Builders Association asks to use your home, they are dedicated to making sure your property is enjoyed and respected. But, most importantly, our participation provided us the opportunity to lend our support to the charitable mission of The Saratoga Builders Association. We were honoured to be included and thrilled to be able to support this great cause.

Three and a half years later, after living through two hurricanes and a global pandemic, we are looking forward to resuming a normal, routine, life at 184 Spring Street.

Although with Adam’s recent decision to get involved in, and give back to Saratoga, as a candidate for Commissioner of Finance, our lives might be anything but normal and routine! But, as you can see, that is the life we live and love! saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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WHEN YOU OWN THE COVER HOUSE!

The Ethiers

B

uilding a home was far from our original plan.

However, after finishing my family medicine residency and moving from Long Island to Saratoga that dream slowly became a reality.

After following the advice of multiple patients, my Saratoga born-and-raised husband Louis, and I ventured out to find the location of our dream home. We would drive through town and throughout neighborhoods in awe of the beautiful houses in Saratoga Springs. Slowly we started noticing the details that just years prior would have been overlooked. Then on the advice of a realtor about checking out a neighborhood off Loudon Road we found ourselves driving through Rose Terrace for which I immediately turned to my husband and stated, “I can

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see us living here.” Fast forward a few weeks and we were meeting with David Trojanski, whom was at that time, with Bonacio Construction and we set the wheels in motion to build our first home!

During the initial stages of signing our contract we attended the Showcase of Homes. It was such an inspiring activity. I remember taking notes about details from all the homes we visited.

Fast forward a few months later, we finalize our contract with Bonacio Construction, and we were asked if we would be interested in being a showcase house.

We excitedly replied “YES!”

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Now from talking to different families whose homes were in the showcases, apparently the process is different for each builder. For us it came with some added perks which aside from some upgrades, it was also mainly getting the opportunity to work with decorator and owner Shelly Walker from Finishing Touches Home Decor. Shelly accompanied us with all our selections and directed our choices to coordinate them together. She had a vision of it all working together – much more than what we could have accomplished, with our complete inexperience in building a home. Having Shelly help Louis and I could not have come at a better time because it was around this time, we had found out we were expecting our second child. Working as a primary care doctor, pregnant, and running around after a 2-yearold, while building a home – yes, having assistance in the decision-making process was most beneficial!

one negative word that might have been said if somebody did not agree with our choices. We stopped by briefly at the end of the first day, then waited patiently through the three weeks of the showcase till the stagging could be undone, the house was cleaned, and we could finally move to our dream-come-true home!

Our home was not only beautifully crafted and decorated but was an award-winning home! But the biggest prize came with getting to know our neighbors… who have turned into not only our best friends, but our family.

Yes, I would recommend being a Showcase Home!

It was a 9-month process, (both the house building and baby making!!)

For the house it was picking Every. Single. Thing. From the fixtures, lighting, doors, floors, windows… Everything!

Then… Shelly went to work decorating for the Showcase!

It was stagged with a mixture of furniture bought for our new home (such as our toddler’s room) with the help of Finishing Touches and some pieces strictly for stagging purposes.

Of course, after seeing our home decorated so beautifully, I had to buy some (most!) of those pieces too!

In addition to our home being the entry for Bonacio Construction in the 2017 Showcase of Homes, it was chosen as the Cover House for media sponsor Simply Saratoga Magazine (a Saratoga TODAY publication) and appeared in the commercial with local anchor and SOH Spokesperson, Liz Bishop.

It was also the home where the judges’ lunch was held.

Our house was viewed and admired by many before it became our home.

I can now admit, I did not want to be around when people toured my new house. It is realistic to understand that different people have different taste, but I did not want to hear

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Cabinet Roll-Out Shelves

Mixer Lifter

Swing-Out Shelving

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Pull-Out Cabinets & Pantries

Now more than ever

we are spending a great deal of time in our kitchens.

For many of us it is no longer just the place to make great food and memories with the people we love -it has also become a classroom and/or a home office.

For some, their newly acquired home needs a kitchen that meets their lifestyle.

Regardless of what inspires you to upgrade the most important space in your home, your cabinets are an excellent place to start the process.

If you are looking for ways to truly enhance the time you spend in your kitchen, here are a few cabinet features to consider.

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Lighting

Photo by Alice Corey Photography

BEHIND THE COVER In addition to the volunteers that put on the Showcase of Homes, the builders, craftsmen, and designers who create these beautiful homes and the advertisers that enable us to provide these beautiful magazines for free… we couldn’t do this without these two!

A Note from Our Cover Girl…

There’s just something about a new home—its shiny promise of happy times, and the lure of open floor plans and gleaming kitchens, designer tiles and acres of closet space! From the minute I first heard about the Showcase of Homes nearly 20 years ago, I knew this was the Saratoga event for me--admiring the craftmanship and creativity of local builders and picturing myself burning another meal in the kitchen or entertaining throngs in the dining room.

For me, the Showcase of Homes has always been a license to dream. If you make the tour often enough, you earn “regular” status, and that’s how the dream got even bigger when the amazing Chris Bushee asked me if I would like to be on the cover of Simply Saratoga magazine’s Showcase edition and emcee the annual awards banquet. Oh, the fun we’ve had since then!

It all starts with a photo shoot…

Well, actually, it starts with a shopping excursion to find just the right outfit to go with a range hood or a quartz countertop—most of my covers have been in kitchens (which my friends find quite ironic since I’m the first to admit the only thing I know about a kitchen is how to unload the dishwasher or open the refrigerator door!)

Both Pam Worth at Spoken and Heidi West at Lifestyles have this uncanny knack of finding “just the right thing” that will complement a farmhouse sink or a stone fireplace.

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And then it’s hair and makeup. One year, clever stylist Diane Palma even gave me long extensions that I think scared everyone a little bit—including me!

And that sets up an annual reunion with some of the most fun people I know--brilliant photographer Randall Perry who has this uncanny knack for getting me to hold my arm at a completely unnatural angle and have it look exactly right when he snaps the picture. Thanks to his vision, I become one with the room. Fun-filled Barry Potoker each year takes not-so-secret delight in each one of my many bloopers that accompanies the filming of the Showcase commercial— waiting to pounce on each one for the blooper reel on the website! Chris Bushee is both gentle and supportive, and the voice of reason as we plan the shots that will make the cover of the magazine. They do all the work—long before I even show up, the shoot is choreographed, and I just step in to let all seeing it know that this is the Showcase of Homes edition!

I am always amazed at the talent and thoughtfulness that goes into making that cover happen. As I tell the team each year, they’re so good that I don’t even know myself when they get through with me! And what they don’t know is that, while I’m reciting my lines, I’m secretly checking out the floor plan and calculating closet space to see how it fits into my latest Showcase dream.

See you on the tour!

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From Behind the Camera…

Randall Perry has been the “Behind the Cover” superstar that quietly brings the splendor of the Showcase of Homes to life! In fact, Randall is known worldwide for his excellence in photography from architectural details to exquisite interiors. He began his 35-year success story as a photographer in High Point NC, the furniture mecca of the interiors’ world, shooting some of the most impressive layouts in showrooms throughout the city. From there, his expertise was sought after by interior designers and architects, business owners wanting to show off their new enterprises and more! From coast-to-coast and around the world, he has flown to capture impressive spaces such as the newly renovated rooms, dining venues, conference rooms, visitors center, and outdoor hiking activities of the Yosemite National Park - all with a broken foot!

Or his 5-year venture with the New York State Culinary Team in London and Birmingham England. He would traverse the cities and local towns photographing everything from the landmark monuments to the International Culinary Competition against other countries.

Randall’s attention to detail and commitment to every shot has produced some of the most stunning photography for our yearly Showcase of Homes cover. In addition, he also pauses his schedule to shoot Simply Saratoga’s “Architecturally Speaking” feature. Being on set with him is impressive… His attention to detail is bar none - the lighting, setting the stage, making sure every element is just perfect - and he is a joy to work with!

Looking back, Randall can recall riding the bus with the judges to each Showcase property.

“I’d have to run in before them to capture the main spaces of each home. These photos were used for the award ceremony held each year to honor the Showcase Best of the Best.” He quickly realized his photography required more time and began arriving at each house prior to the judges. This made for some interesting moments…he even spotted a painter hiding under a master bed with his paint can and all, pleading to not be revealed to the judges! Oh, the stories this man could tell from behind the scenes! The finale each year is the photoshoot with Liz Bishop. “It’s the highlight of everything coming together,” said Randall, “Liz and everyone on location is so much fun to work with!”

It's safe to say… Simply Saratoga Magazine couldn’t do this without Randall J Most sincerely, Colleen Coleman

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l ou fee Can y e and v my lo iation?! c e r app

2016

Photo by Alice Corey Photography

2019

Photo by Alice Corey Photography

2017

Photo by Alice Corey Photography

2018

Back row: Barry Potoker, Maxwell Reagan, Lisa Licata Front row: Chris Vallone Bushee, Liz Bishop, Randall Perry, Shelly Walker, Lindsay Phillips, Diane Palma, Eli Conklin SUMMER 2021 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | 143

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HISTORY WRITTEN BY CHARLIE KUENZEL PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE GEORGE S. BOLSTER COLLECTION

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The Streets of Saratoga Springs The Story They Tell

WRITTEN BY CHARLIE KUENZEL | IMAGES FROM THE GEORGE S. BOLSTER COLLECTION

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he history of a city can be told in many ways. I have always thought a fun way is to look at street names and work backward to find the story behind each street and why it was so important that it was added to the list of streets in that city.

When discussing the names of city streets in Saratoga Springs, I generally start with the one that gets the most attention, Broadway.

This thoroughfare was laid out by the founders of our city, Doanda and Gideon Putnam. When Doanda Putnam put an “X” of whitewash paint on the trees in the forested

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area of today’s downtown, she was marking which ones would be cut down to make a broad way in this new village. Her husband, Gideon was a lumberman by trade and operated a sawmill in the northern section of the soon to be village. She marked them and he cut and hauled them away to be made into useful lumber for construction of houses and barns.

The first maps of the village described the street as Broad Street. Over time Broad Street was described as Broad Way and eventually spelling changes made it Broadway on future maps. It was by far the widest street planned in the village at 122 feet wide while the other streets planned by the Putnams were to be a mere 66 feet from curb to curb.

To make a street “circular” in shape was a very different proposition. It was so unique that once a gentleman living in a western state addressed a letter to Fredric Menges, Circular Street. No city or state was listed on the envelope. In time the letter was delivered to Mr. Menges and the story was told that it made it to Saratoga Springs N.Y. since it was the only city known to have a “Circular” Street. The circular path of the street was the vision of John Clarke. Unfortunately, as the street made it to the intersection of Broadway, landowners of the westside of the village would not sell land for this unique purpose. Today we have Circular Street and a West Circular but without the required shape of a true circle around the city.

It was a real “vision” for the Putnams to make the central street of this new village so wide that it would years later support four lanes of car traffic with parking on each side.

Another curious street name is found in Phila Street. Named after a daughter of Gideon and Doanda Putnam it was many times incorrectly reported that it was a shortened form of Philadelphia and not named in honor of their daughter. I have even heard visitors of today think that it is a shortened version of Philadelphia. Some street names have their history lost from clear view in present day Saratoga Springs.

Another curious street that has a unique story is Circular Street. In the early 1800s almost every city in America that was laying out new streets did so in a grid pattern that had straight paths.

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Lake Avenue, today, does not go to Saratoga Lake and Church Street does not have a single church on it, but they used to be the path to the lake and also had many early churches. Maple Avenue was originally named Front Street until Thomas Haywood Tompkins planted a large number of Maple trees on the street and the name was changed in the 1850s to reflect those plantings. During the same time period new streets on the westside of the village were being named after other tree species such as Elm, Ash, Oak and Walnut. Those names reflected the types of trees that were originally part of the landscape in the village.

In the same theme of name changes, Spring Street was originally named Bath Street. Near the site of today’s carousel was a bathhouse operated by Gideon Putnam called the Hamilton Baths. In 1868 the Hathorn Spring was discovered when they were building the ballroom for the Congress Hall.

The owners of Congress Hall asked permission to move Bath Street 60 feet north to its present location and renamed it Spring Street. It made more sense to name the street Spring Street since the bathhouse had disappeared from operation and the Hathorn was a popular mineral spring.

Marvin Street reminds us of the Marvin brothers, Thomas and James. The Marvin brothers were very instrumental in the early development of the village and were so loved that one of the first upscale sections of the village was suggested to be called Marvin Square. The humble Marvin brothers suggested that a more fitting tribute to a true American hero would be to call it Franklin Square and therefore Franklin Street. Jumel Place is named to honor Eliza Jumel, who lived on Circular Street but was one of the largest landowners in the village in the mid-19th century. After the death of her husband Stephen Jumel she remarried Aaron Burr only to divorce him as he squandered her fortune.

Jumel was smart to use Alexander Hamilton’s son as her divorce attorney.

Many other streets were named after famous figures in early city history. Bryan Street was named after Alexander Bryan who was the first permanent settler in Saratoga Springs and operated a tavern and boarding house near the site of saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

today’s Old Bryan Inn. Walton Street was named after the largest landowner in the early settlement, Henry Walton. Walton originally owned all the land in the city north of Congress Street and east to the Yaddo property. Walworth Street was named after the last Chancellor of the State of New York, Reuben Hyde Walworth who lived in a house on Broadway called Pine Grove.

also helps to remind us of the many “presidential” streets in the city like Lincoln, Madison, Jefferson, Adams, Monroe and Harrison. Benjamin Harrison visited Saratoga Springs many times as a guest of the Walworth family and his first wife was the first President of the Daughters of the American Revolution, founded by Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth also of Saratoga Springs.

John Clarke was the first person to bottle and distribute mineral water from Saratoga Springs in the early 1800s, and his fame lives on with a spelling change to get Clark Street near Union Avenue today. White Street intersects Clark and is named after the other early family involved with bottling mineral water.

When Mr. White died, John Clarke married his widow and the bottling business was called Clarke and White.

Many streets don’t tell a fact of history as much as being self-explanatory such as South Street, North Street, Middle Avenue, and East and West Avenues.

These streets helped to define the extent of the city in earlier days.

Greenfield Avenue was the original road to Greenfield and Nelson Avenue was a road to the Nelson Farm. Union Avenue and Federal Street were named after the Union during the Civil War. Division Street was a boundary of farm property and also divided Broadway when it was shorter in length. Rock Street was named to denote the location of the High Rock Spring, but later the area known partially as Willow Walk would become High Rock Avenue.

Warren Street was named after Judge Warren who was the son of Captain John and Betsey Warren. Captain Warren was a figure in the American Revolution and his brother General Joseph Warren had died at the battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. It is said that Betsy danced with Washington at the Victory Dance in 1783 at Newburg N.Y. Thoughts of George Washington might help us to understand the naming of Washington Street, but in this case is was named for Washington Putnam, son of Gideon and Doanda Putnam.

George Washington visited Saratoga Springs’ famed High Rock Spring with Governor George Clinton (Clinton Street), Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton Street) and General Phillip Schuyler (Schuyler Drive) in 1783. Washington was so impressed with the water that flowed from the High Rock that he made an attempt to buy the spring and surrounding property. That offer was refused in 1783. Washington’s visit

A lesser known passage in the city is Gardner Lane. Gardner Lane connects Broadway to Putnam Street on the north side of N. Fox Jewelry. This lane was named after Robert Gardner who bought property on Putnam Street in 1830. As Gardiner walked from his property to spots on Broadway, he wore a path. For many years others used the path as a short cut to Broadway until it eventually became Gardner Lane. Van Dam Street and Beekman Street were named after Rip Van Dam and Johannes Beekman who were two of the original 13 recipients of land in 1708 from Queen Anne in a royal land acquisition called the Kayaderosseras Patent. The queen bestowed on loyal subjects and friends of the crown over 800,000 acres of land in this area of New York in an effort to get settlers to build homes and by claiming ownership it helped to keep the French out from the north.

The streets of any city tell a history.

The older streets of Saratoga Springs tell the unique history of this area while new ones are added for different reasons. Our local history is so rich that as Saratoga Springs continues to grow there is no worry that we will run out of names for new streets. SS SUMMER 2021 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | 147

Rarely Seen Photos of OLD SARATOGA Springs WRITTEN BY CHARLIE KUENZEL IMAGES FROM THE GEORGE S. BOLSTER COLLECTION

DIPPER BOY AT HIGH ROCK Early summer visitors came for the waters. It was much faster and easier to have dipper boys or girls at each spring to help pass glasses of mineral water to those visitors. Those that “dipped” the water worked for tips only.

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EXCELSIOR SPRING 1877 This advertisement for the Excelsior and Union Springs appeared in 1877.

Those springs were located in Excelsior Park. Because there were eight other springs near them it was referred to as the area of “The Ten Springs.”

HIGH ROCK SKETCH This sketch depicts the famed High Rock Spring in the late 1700s. Members of the Mohawk tribe visited this spring for hundreds of years before it was discovered by European settlers.

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On

SPOT. This

111 SOUTH BROADWAY WRITTEN BY CAROL GODETTE | PHOTOS BY SUSAN BLACKBURN PHOTOGRAPHY UNLESS NOTED

S

topping by Anne’s Washington Inn

on a recent weekday morning Lenny Muller, lifelong property carpenter was expounding on his favorite Sir Isaac Newton quote, “If I have seen farther, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” He clarifies, “We have these beautiful buildings and history because of those who lived in Saratoga before us.”

Pun intended; Lenny has hit the nail on the head. Saratoga’s presentday Anne’s Washington Inn has stood on the shoulders of four sets of giants-John K. Beekman (a.k.a.

Theater Jack), Jennie and John B. Thompson, Richard H. McCarty, and the Bokan family.

This restored 1927 Buick, is the property mascot and has served as the perfect photo op for many brides. Originally owned by Judge Cody of Greenfield, it was rebuilt by mechanic Vince Smero and given to his “helper” Joe Bokan. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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The hilltop “spot” of the Washington Inn had initially been the southern edge of a 150-acre summer estate called “Woodlea.” John K. Beekman, a wealthy 1920s NYC theater investor, purchased the estate circa 1827.

He summered in Saratoga and built a stone mansion on the site of the current day Ballston Avenue Price Chopper. Beekman’s great-niece, Aletta Finlay, became executor of Woodlea in 1869. To support her colorful lifestyle, Aletta had the land surveyed and subdivided into building lots in 1870. By 1873, the year of her early death, the land is subdivided into 547 small building lots.

Few lots were purchased in the 1800s.

The ranch-style homes of Spa Drive and Spa Circle weren’t developed until the early 1960s. Perhaps the frequent newspaper ads touting Woodlea’s low-priced, choice building lots caught the attention of wealthy NYC businessman John B. Thompson.

He purchased 11 lots- a total of 4 acres- on the south side of Woodlea.

In the center of the property, he built a hilltop cottage, “Sunnyside.”

The surrounding undeveloped area allowed views spanning to Saratoga Lake. We now know this “cottage” as Anne’s Washington Inn. A New York Times 1874 article stated, “From last October, no less than 264 cottages have been erected. Those are only cottages technically, being in reality very fine mansions.”

In 2004 Lenny was pulling up a second-story floor to install the Inn’s air conditioning system. He noticed a board signed in pencil with the date 1885. After extracting the nowframed artifact, he turned it over and inscribed, “119 years ago, who were these fellows so long departed?”

This discovery from the past is the only proof of the building’s 1885 construction date.

These are the 11 lots purchased in 1880 by John B. Thompson from the Woodlea estate.

Dr. Richard McCarty

This area was very rural in 1931.

The Avenue of Pines had recently been paved and began at the Inn. The actual address was “at the Avenue of Pines.” Photo provided by The George S. Bolster Collection.

Life at Sunnyside was short-lived for John B. Thompson. He died in late 1886. Four years later, his widow Jenny sells the property to Dr. Richard H. McCarty, a doctor initially from Schuylerville. McCarty converts the cottage to a hospital and builds a home for his wife and eight children south of the original structure.

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The Saratogian reports, “In 1905 he purchased the estate out South Broadway which he transformed into McCarty Hospital the first such institution in the city.” Until 1895, Saratoga lacked a hospital. McCarty’s became the third hospital for area residents. No one was denied medical help. The hilltop sign boasted, “Free for the poor on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” He also offered $100 to the parents of the first set of twins born at the hospital. The prize money sat untouched for 30 years. Finally, in 1937 a set of twins was born there.

Customers sometimes bartered for services. Saratogian Kathy DeVivo was one of many residents born on the building’s second floor. She shares, “My father paid for my birth and my mother’s two-week stay with four cords of wood.” Perhaps because of his generosity, McCarty fell behind in paying his property taxes. After he died in 1940, the property went up for sale due to unpaid taxes. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

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McCarty’s misfortune opened the door for the next set of “giants”Anne and Joseph Bokan. Born Elizabeth Anne Russell, Anne grew up in the hotel business. Her father, Charles Russell, owner of the Hotel Russell at Franklin Square, was looking for an overflow venue for his guests.

In 1943, Anne and Joseph were living in Schenectady with their newborn daughter. To bring them back to Saratoga, Charles seized the tax sale opportunity and purchased the property for $28,000. It was named the Washington Inn for its proximity to the Washington Baths.

The Washington Baths (now the National Museum of Dance) were a stone’s throw from the inn. Tourists flocked to Saratoga to “take the cure.” The East German government paid Holocaust survivors reparations with a 28-day prescription of mineral baths. Other tourists enjoyed the three state-run bathhouses as much as horse racing.

Lenny Muller with the signed wooden boards, discovered when installing air conditioning. They date the original structure to 1885.

With 92 boarding houses and 41 hotels as competition, Joseph needed to put his engineering talents to work to redesign the hospital into an inn. Challenges were many. The main structure and the annex each only had one bathroom. Joseph designed a bathroom to accompany each of the ten bedrooms in the main building and eight bedrooms in the south annex.

Photos accentuate how rural this area was at the time. It was indeed the outskirts of town. The address was simply The Washington Inn at the Avenue of Pines. Until it was rerouted in the mid-1960s, the Avenue of Pines began just outside the Washington Inn. Like the giants before them, the Bokans were very civic-minded.

In the early 60s, Joseph’s friend Dr. Jacob Feynman and a dozen other Jewish families wanted to reform their synagogue. Joseph, a practicing Catholic, offered a large downstairs room of the inn for them to meet. The twelve Jewish families met weekly at the inn until 1965, when they established the Temple Sinai.

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Anne and Joe Bokan. Photo provided.

Joe and his mother Anne enjoyed many visits together on the wrap around porch.

Photo provided.

Kathy DeVivo, one of countless babies birthed at McCarty Hospital, proudly sits in the room she was born in.

Anne was a people person and mastered the art of making each guest feel special. Anne positioned the hotel register on a lazy susan. As guests entered, Anne distracted them with small talk, turning the register for them to sign in. This gave her time to check her upcoming guest list and warmly greet them by name.

Each summer, the six Bokan children vacated their bedrooms so guests could rent the rooms. Peggy, Susan, Patrice, Marianne, Joe Jr., and Beth lived in the basement for June, July, and August each year while helping out taking reservations, cleaning, doing laundry, and taking care of the grounds.

Anne spent 50 years doing what she loved best- interacting with people. In 1990, she took her son Joe and his wife Kathy out for breakfast with a motive in mind. She had decided it was time for her to step back and have them take over the family operation. Joey and Kathy were naturals.

In a stroke of marketing genius, Joe renamed the property “Anne’s Washington Inn.” This rebranding put the inn at the top of alphabetized listings. It also honored his mother, the original heart and soul of the operation.

Today, Joe and Kathy have capitalized on their beautiful hilltop spot by offering their location as an event venue.

Reunions, fundraisers, and weddings fill their calendar alongside regular summer guests who relish this spot’s hospitality and rich history. Anne’s granddaughter, Madeleine Bokan, handles the Inn’s marketing and media relations.

It looks like we can keep the current family “giants” on this spot for a while to come!

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Gertrude Whitney: INNOVATIVE PATRON WRITTEN BY BILL ORZELL

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney with the clay model of her sculpture 'On The Top.' Library of Congress Control No. 94508907

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was a force in the art world, as well known in that environment as her spouse, Harry Payne Whitney, was as a Sportsman.

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rs. Whitney, descended from the Vanderbilt fortune, and the daughter-in-law of Saratoga savior William C. Whitney, had the means to support causes she championed without needing to consult anyone. She was not only an artist herself, but also a philanthropist and patron. She conceived of many ways to raise funds for Allied War Relief during the First World War, and she staged a competition termed “Indigenous Art” at her famed Whitney Studio in Greenwich Village (which evolved into the Whitney Museum of American Art), involving young sculptors who were given equal amounts of clay, and a shared 48 hour time limit to produce an original design, which would be auctioned to benefit the cause. In addition to the required art supplies and studio space, Mrs. Whitney, whose contributions to the war effort are legendary, provided sumptuous feasts and an unlimited supply of cigarettes, good cigars and liberal quantities of liquor in an effort to produce good times and good works from the artists. She staged a second

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show where painters were handed a blank canvas, and all they could eat and drink, to create works sold to benefit the war effort.

Before the First World War ended, and certainly afterward, Mrs. Whitney created a number of War Memorials.

An upstate New York example of her work is installed in the Adirondack Village of Long Lake and is titled “On the Top.” The sculpture depicts the awful conditions of trench warfare, with suffering Doughboys outside of this protected furrow to rescue an injured comrade. The image left depicts the sculptor modeling in clay what would become this work, captured by Jean De Strelecki, one of the photographers she recognized as part of the modern artisans. The photo above shows the actual sculpture, a long revered tribute in Long Lake.

A minor, yet significant cultural milestone, was made in 1902 at Saratoga Springs by Gertrude Whitney and her investment partner Ellen Duryea, when they launched the first female racing stable in the United States, under the name of “Mr. Roslyn,” which allowed the fledgling

syndicate to conform to the norms of that age. This decision by the two ladies resulted from their interest in Thoroughbreds being demeaned and minimalized by their husbands, Harry Payne Whitney and Herman Duryea, partners in a successful racing enterprise. The August 18, 1902 Saratogian stated, “The latest and most choice bit of racing news was the announcement on Saturday that Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney and Mrs. Herman B. Duryea are to form a racing firm. Mrs. Whitney and Mrs. Duryea are the first women in fashionable life in America to own a racing stable, although in England there have been some. There can be no doubt that when the colors of "Mr. Roslyn," as the new firm will call themselves, first appear upon the tracks they will excite as much attention as the first appearance of any colors that have been borne in races in this country.”

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and Harry Payne Whitney purchased the Cady Hill estate, establishing their family as residents of Saratoga. Their son, C.V. ‘Sonny’ Whitney and their posthumous daughter-in-law, Mary Lou Whitney, perpetuated their legacy. SS

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Adirondack Ike’s home "HI-N-DRI”Brooks Bay, Town of Day

ADIRONDACK IKE COMES HOME WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN R. GREENWOOD

Ira Gray, October 18, 1886-August 1, 1982, was best known for being a skilled woodsman. He was also an author, storyteller, historian, and, more importantly, a well-respected citizen.

I was 15 years old when I met Ira "Adirondack Ike" Gray at his home in 1970. His home called "HI-N-DRI" was in Brooks Bay on the Great Sacandaga Lake in the Town of Day. My parents were staying at a friend's camp across the road. My father brought me over to meet Ike and maybe hear a story or two.

The two paperback covers taken from Jim Palmer’s paintings.

2000 Saratoga County Historical Marker in front of Ike’s home.

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On that day in 1970, Ike treated me to a handful of stories, some of which I would later read in his book, "Follow My Moccasin’s Tracks." His writings were short and anecdotal but always entertaining. He loved sharing his experiences growing up in the Adirondacks. With a twinkle in his eye, Ike turned his adventures into gold nuggets. He left no stone or log unturned in his many years hunting and fishing the mountains and streams of the Adirondacks and beyond. He was happiest when donning a pair of snowshoes, his checkered wool jacket, and carrying his favorite deer rifle. His stories make his early hard-scrabble years sound heaven-sent. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

In one of Ike's used books, I purchased online, I found an envelope with a short note addressed to John Truman.

John must have been a friend of Ike's. The note read: Dear John Heard you liked my jacket. This is similar. I don't know if it will fit. Good for wearing while sitting in front of the stove reading Follow My Moccasin Tracks Regards, Ira (Ike) Another envelope in the book contained a letter that mentions a black and white checked jacket shown on page #150 of that same book. I can only assume that is the same jacket Ike gifted to his friend.

Ike had ties to Saratoga Springs too. In a story titled "My Visit to The Casino," Ike tells of his mother working at the "Vermont House" on North Broadway, where the Saratoga City Center sits today. She tells of a man who lost all his money at the Casino. He returned to the boarding house, went to his room, and shot himself. His mother remembered the chambermaids running down the stairs two at a time yelling, "He's shot himself!"

I have carried the memory of meeting Ike with me like a treasured memento for decades, which leads me to the title of this piece. I have a signed copy of Ira's original self-published book titled "My Memories 1886—1 to 91—1977 by Ira Gray." A few years ago, I was searching the internet for another copy to give to a friend. It was then that I discovered that there were two paperback versions of Ike's stories. That led me to Ike's great-niece Sandra Gray Loychik and her maternal cousin Carol Brown who helped market the books. Luckily, Carol had remaining copies for sale. Jump ahead to 2020.

I contacted Carol looking for another copy. In that conversation, she mentioned that Sandra possessed the paintings used as the covers of his two paperbacks.

Always searching for MY next story, I mentioned how great it would be to see those paintings. She said she would contact Sandra in Orlando, Florida, to see what she could do. Last spring, as Covid-19 was upon us, Sandra sent me photos of the two paintings.

Subsequent conversations led me to ask what her plans were for them. I told her I was interested in buying them. Her response was a history lover's greatest joy.

"I'm not interested in selling them, but I would donate them for historical purposes."

David Cranston Kinnear Museum Curator and HadleyLake Luzerne Historical Society Vice President

Photo of note found in my used copy of Follow My Moccasin’s Tracks Envelope was addressed to John Truman.

I contacted members of the Saratoga County History Center. Rachel Clothier, President of the Corinth Historical Society, suggested I contact the HadleyLake Luzerne Historical Society. She said Ira was an active member there for many years. She said he donated many of his items to them when he was alive.

It made sense to us that the paintings should go back to the roots of their subject. Thanks to the generosity of Sandra Gray Loychik and the help of Carol Brown and Rachel Clothier, those paintings will soon be on display at the Frances Garnar Kinnear Museum. The Kinnear is also the home of the Hadley-Lake Luzerne Historical Society. I made the informal presentation to the museum's curator, David Cranston May 27, 2021.

As with many local museums and historical societies, Covid-19 has hampered their reopening. The Kinnear Museum is no exception. Please visit their website or Facebook Page for more details on when you might be able to see Ira Gray's "Adirondack Ike" Collection.

The story of the two paintings doesn't end here. Sandra and Carol both wanted to be sure that I acknowledged the paintings' artist James "Jim" Palmer. Jim was a longtime friend of the family who had done commercial designs for Quaker Oats and Ralston Purina. He retired in 1988 after a long and varied career in the Glens Falls area. He was involved in many art societies and taught painting classes for local seniors. He passed away in 2008.

My goal in sharing the journey and history of these two paintings is to renew interest in all museums and historical societies throughout our area. Space here does not allow for a more detailed background on author Ira Gray or artist Jim Palmer. My goal was to spark the curiosity of a new generation of historians.

More information is a Google away. I understand that the Kinnear Museum still has copies of Ike's books for sale. If interested, I would contact them via their website.

I suggest starting your "Adirondack Ike" journey by visiting the Saratoga Room Digital Exhibits on the Saratoga Springs Public Library's website. There you will find many recently added oral histories. A search for "Adirondack Ike Interview" will bring you to a 1972 audio recording that Saratoga County Historian Violet Dunn did with Ira Gray. Don't be discouraged by the audio quality of the 50-year-old interview; the honesty and raw content of Ira's vintage stories more than make up for it.

STAY CURIOUS.

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The Quinn Family hopes that readers of Simply Saratoga Magazine can assist in our search for

Missing Family Portraits WRITTEN BY KATHLEEN QUIN

Ann Brady Quinn born and raised in Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland. While in Albany she married James Quinn. After he passed, she remained in the house on North Ferry for a couple of years.

Jim Quinn started it all. Worked hard as a cooper, then somehow learned to make mash and finally, opened his own brewery.

I

n the early 1840s our family emigrated from Ireland, by way of Canada to Albany, New York. James Quinn, from Gurteen, County Longford, opened the James Quinn Brewery and Malt House after working in Albany as a cooper for several years.

He married Ann Brady, of Edgeworthstown, County Longford. They married in Albany. Their son, Terence John Quinn (TJ), worked in the brewery with James.

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After James’ passing in 1866, TJ and his brother-in-law, Michael N. Nolan (Mike) opened the Quinn & Nolan Brewery at the same site, enlarging it considerably and finally, to make Lager, they built the Beverwyck Brewery in 1878. It stood on North Ferry Street, right next door to Quinn & Nolan.

While in Albany, TJ was in the Common Council, State Assembly and finally, was the first Irish Representative from Albany in Congress. In 1878, while in his first term in Congress, TJ passed away. His three children joined the Nolan household, meaning that Ann

Nolan, (TJ’s sister) had 8 kids to raise.

While she tended to the household, Mike was busy with politics, becoming the first Irish Mayor of Albany. He was also elected to congress, serving for a time both in congress and as Albany’s Mayor. Both Mike and TJ were also Trustees at now historic St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands.

The family had a large home in Albany across the street from the old St. Joseph’s Church. James Quinn had donated large stained-glass windows and Mike served as choir director with his rich baritone voice. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

Michael N. Nolan After Mike lost his beloved hunter jumper, Burke Cochren, in a terrible racing accident he was devastated and went out of the business. His son Francis (Frank) took over the stable and was very involved in racing. He also ran the brewery after his mother passed. Sir John Johnson was his prized horse, and images of Sir John can be found in Beverwyck's advertising.

The Nolans later purchased a large home on Circular Street in Saratoga Springs, as a summer home. The house still stands, in use by the Presbyterian Church. The family attended The Church of Saint Peter in Saratoga Springs and donated several large windows and the organ.

late 1950s. We assume the paintings remained in the house until then.

Blanche passed away in 1965 and there was a large, multi-day auction of her belongings, with profits going to St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. We have the auction brochures. The paintings are not listed, so were not auctioned off.

While the family lived in the house, portraits of Ann Elizabeth Quinn Nolan’s family members hung inside.

We have a little photo album that contains small black and white photos of the Nolan rooms, with large painted portraits hanging on the walls. We’ve done our best to enhance the images, but they don’t do justice to the paintings. Mike Nolan and his son, Frank, were very involved in the horse racing industry in Saratoga Springs, and several paintings of their horses also hung in the house.

For the last five years, two of the Quinn cousins have searched and searched for the paintings of our elders, and their horses. We found one painting, of Reverand Proudfit as a baby, hanging in the Saratoga Springs History Museum, noticed by a volunteer a few years ago. The VanZandt painting of Mike’s prize horse, Bourke Cochran was sold in an online auction about 10 years ago. The auction house graciously contacted the purchaser, but no response was received.

The last of the Nolan children, Blanche Nolan, lived in the house until she donated it to an order of nuns in the

So, the search continues! We’ve placed images of the paintings with antique dealers in the area, published an

James Quinn Jr. (Uncle Bibby) saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com

Maria Teresa Quinn

Blanche Nolan, the last of the Nolan family, who donated the house on Circular Street (The Lawns) to the order of Nuns.

We have only two photos of Blanche.

article in the Maine Antique Digest, contacted museums and genealogy societies, all to no avail. We are sure the paintings are out there waiting for us! They depict James Quinn from Ireland and his wife Ann Brady Quinn, and at least two of their children, James Quinn Jr. (Uncle Bibby) and the lovely Maria Teresa Quinn who returned home from school at age eighteen and died of a fever.

If the current owner would rather not part with the paintings, we understand.

All we would ask is that they allow us to have a photographer take good images of our elders’ portraits. The paintings are large and would be difficult to ship and display. If the owner no longer cares to display the Quinn elders, and would be interested in donating them to a museum, we have an avenue for that.

Please contact Kathleen Quinn through this magazine. SS

Unidentified. Our hope is that if it is found there is a name plate on the front, or something written on the back.

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