Thursday, 09 May 2013 14:16

SaratogaArtsFest Releases Family-Friendly Lineup of Events

By Chelsea DiSchiano | Families Today

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A plethora of family-friendly events will abound at this year’s SaratogaArtsFest, an annual four-day festival dedicated to the celebration of the arts in Saratoga Springs. The festival, set to take place June 5-9, will host several events sponsored by different community organizations catered towards youths in their effort to generate interest in the arts, no matter what kind.

“SaratogaArtsFest seeks to reach out to a broad audience and especially to young people to get them interested in any kind of art at a young age and stay interested for the rest of their lives,” said Bob Kimmerle, media coordinator for SaratogaArtsFest. 

Family-friendly events will kick off Wednesday, June 5 with the opening reception of a student art exhibition in Burgess Café at the Case Center on the Skidmore campus at 5 p.m. This juried arts exhibit will feature the works of students from kindergarten to 12th grade who were selected by a team of arts educators, administrators, curators and other professionals based on creativity, execution of the assignment and improvement in skills, along with overall talent. This event is free and open to the public. 

Budding writers will have a chance to showcase their work through SaratogaArtsFest’s first-ever high school short story contest. Area students in grades 9-12 are invited to submit a work of original, short fiction of up to 1,000 words. In keeping with the festival theme of “Celebrating 150 Years of Arts in Saratoga,” the stories should envision Saratoga Springs 150 years in the future, in the year 2163.

The deadline for submission of stories is May 15. Entries should include name, grade, school, English teacher, entry title, and word count. Stories may be sent in by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mail at SaratogaArtsFest, Short Story Contest, P.O. Box 451, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 12866.

The stories will be judged by local award-winning authors Steve Sheinkin and Jennifer Armstrong. The top three submissions will receive prizes and be honored at an awards ceremony and reception on Wednesday, June 5, 5:30-6 p.m. at Skidmore’s Zankel Music Center. The first prize story will be published in Saratoga Living magazine. The awards ceremony for the contest will take place Wednesday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the Arthur Zankel Music Center at Skidmore. 

Young literary fans will be thrilled to hear that the author of the extremely popular “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid” book series, Jeff Kinney, is coming to town Wednesday, June 5 for a discussion and book signing. Kinney’s talk will take place on 6-9 p.m. at the Arthur Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College. He will discuss how he became an illustrator, how he got his books published, and what is in store next for his main character, Greg Heffley. The event is presented by Northshire Bookstore and Abrams publishing.

Kids interested in the art of glass blowing will get a chance to view a free glass blowing demonstration at

Gary Zack Studios on Bolster Lane and Van Dam Street from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. In a small intimate setting, observe the process of creating beautiful handmade glass paperweights, perfume bottles, bowls, vases, and large objects. 

A ‘Story and Filly Hats’ program will take place on Saturday, June 8 at The Children’s Museum at Saratoga, 69 Caroline Street from 11–11:30 a.m. for $6 or free with ARTSPASS, Festival Pass, or Youth Pass. This horse-focused event will honor the 150th anniversary of the race track and will host three art workshops that celebrate horse racing. These workshops will start off with a horse story and end with a functional, take-home project. Children can create paper bag horse puppets, make racing horse puppets and fashion filly hats in celebration of ArtsFest 2013.

If your kids are more into music and cowboys than horses, be sure to attend the Tiny Tots program presented by the Albany Symphony Orchestra at Universal Preservation Hall at 25 Washington Street from 11–11:45 a.m. Admission to this event is granted with an ARTSPASS, Festival Pass, Youth Pass, or single event ticket. Cowboy Dave, the roughest, toughest cowboy conductor of all time will have an action-packed, interactive musical trail-ride. This event is suitable for ages 2–8.

The Beekman Street Art Fair will be sure to please kids of all ages as it offers a variety of different activities to enjoy. The fair will take place all day on Sunday, June 9, in the city’s Beekman Street Art District. The fair will include a juried art show along with displays and demonstrations by local and regional artists, along with family-friendly performances under the big tent featuring the Saratoga Children’s Theatre, a sale of fine art and craft works and a variety of food vendors and food trucks.

A ‘Kids Do Art’ program will take place nearby at the Universal Preservation Hall, just a little walk away from the Beekman Art Fair. The program will feature multiple stations with a variety of art forms, including clay, illustration, crafts, magic, fun with science, music, and much more. Music, fiddlers, and an improvisation performance are also included in the afternoon fun. Music and fiddler performances will feature Seth & the Moody Melix and The Mop and Bucket Co.

The youth programming will continue with a presentation and book signing by author-illustrator Annette LeBlanc Cate, who will be at the SaratogaArtsFest Center and Gallery, 38 Van Dam St., on Sunday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cate will discuss her book “Look up! Bird Watching in Your Own Back Yard,” an illustrated, humorous introduction to bird watching that encourages kids to get outdoors with a sketchbook and look at the world around them, presented by Northshire Bookstore.

ArtsPasses can be purchased by visiting www.saratogaartsfest.org. Youths aged 17 or younger are granted free admission to all events. 

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