BALLSTON LAKE — Peter Enn Ratsep, Sr., 85, passed away at his home on April 13, 2021. Service will be held privately for the family. Burial will be in Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs.
Visit Peter’s Book of Memories at TownleyWheelerFH.com
SARATOGA SPRINGS — James D. Monaco died, Thursday April 16 at home. He was 94 years old. Jim and his wife Cecelia owned and operated Valley Acres Garden Center. A private burial will be held at St. Peter’s Cemetery, West Ave., Saratoga Springs.
Online remembrance may be made at burkefuneralhome.com
SARATOGA SPRINGS — James Edward Donohoe, 79 (b. January 31, 1942), beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away peacefully after a short illness on Friday, April 16, 2021. Calling hours were April 22, 2021 at Burke Funeral Home, services are private. Memorial donations to St. Jude’s Research Hospital. burkefuneralhome.com
Saratoga Springs — The Saratoga Farmers’ Market, the area’s longest running farmers’ market, will open their 43rd outdoor market season on Saturday, May 1 at its current location at the Wilton Mall, in the former Bon-Ton and Bow Tie Cinemas parking lots. Their Wednesday market will open on May 5 at downtown Saratoga’s High Rock Park.
This year’s Saturday markets, weekly from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will feature around 65 local vendors selling fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meats, flowers, baked goods, prepared foods, and more. At Wednesday’s markets, weekly from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., 20 vendors will be providing a similar range of items.
The decision to start the summer season in two locations was made to keep market vendors and customers safe while the COVID-19 pandemic still requires social distancing. A survey conducted among customers, which gathered over 700 responses, indicated an even split in their location preferences.
The markets will continue to follow current COVID-19 safety guidelines for farmers’ markets by hosting socially distanced markets, offering hand washing and sanitizing opportunities, and following mask requirements for vendors and customers. The Saturday market will continue to offer its online preordering and curbside pickup service. Market staff will continually assess market safety and updated operational guidelines for farmers’ markets and do not rule out moving back downtown when it is deemed appropriate to do so.
For more information about The Saratoga Farmers’ Market visit www.saratogafarmersmarket.org.
If you plan to preserve your harvest this year by canning, now’s the time to plan ahead. In 2020 canning jars and lids were hard to find, so shop now for these items. Only buy what you need for this year, resist the urge to hoard equipment. The shortage last year was due in part to many people buying more than they needed.
Lids: The lid system that the USDA has tested extensively and stands by is the two-piece metal lid and screw band. The design of these lids has changed recently to be BPA-free. The new lids no longer require heating before applying to the jar which is an advantage. You may still have older lids, so check the direction on the package for preparing the lids for canning. This style of lid is meant for one-time use.
Reusable lids are made by a few companies, these lids may be easier to find. Both plastic and glass lids with rubber rings are marketed. Obviously, the advantage of using these is that they are reusable, so you don’t have to buy more every year. Research done at the University of Georgia showed slightly more seal failures within 3 months of storage for the reusable lids compared to the two-piece system which in this study had no seal failures. (1)
Jars: Do an inventory of the jars you have noting the sizes and whether they’re regular or wide-mouth jars. Make sure you have lids that match the jars. If you plan to make a lot of jam or jelly this year, be sure to have an appropriate amount of half-pint jars, and try to estimate how many pint and quart jars you’ll need.
Pressure Canner Dial Gauge Testing at CCE: The manufacturers of pressure canners recommend that dial gauges be tested annually before canning. CCE of Saratoga County and Albany County will test dial gauges at no charge. Contact Diane Whitten at 518-885-8995, or dwhitten@cornell.edu.
Last Season’s Canned Goods: Take a look in your pantry for last summer’s canned goods. Check the seals on the products, and discard any items if the seal is not intact. Make plans to use up last summer’s products (including frozen) to make room for new products to prevent food waste. If you have a lot of canned beans left over from last year, maybe you should can fewer this year, or visa versa. Only can what you will reasonably use within a year for best quality.
On April 15, 1842, Henry A. Vrooman, a forty-one-year-old farmer living in West Charlton passed away in his home near the intersection of what is now Eastern Avenue and Sacandaga Road.. He was laid to rest in the nearby West Glenville Cemetery. Only eight months earlier he had married forty-year-old Eliza McClelland, a widow with two children from nearby Blue Corners on the western edge of the Town of Charlton. It was a roller-coaster eight months.
Only a few months after their marriage, Henry’s new bride packed her belongings in a sleigh and left just before their first Christmas together. Henry started telling friends that he did not want her to return. However, calling it just a family visit, Eliza was back after only a month.
During the winter, Henry became ill. Dr. David Low, the attending physician, informed him that his case was “perfectly hopeless” and that he should make arrangements for the disposition of his property. The day before he died, Henry Vrooman asked his brother-in-law, attorney John Brotherson, to take down his will where he gave everything to his wife Eliza. Others present that day was his cousin Cornelius V. D. Wendell, Eliza’s friend Mary Mott, and Henry’s brother John.
After the will was placed in the hands of the Surrogate Court, Henry’s brother requested an investigation to prove its validity. Though present when his brother had spoken his will, John had been sick and in bed on the other side of the room, unable to hear his brother’s whispered words.
Two months after Henry died this proceeding was held in Surrogate Court , with those who had witnessed the signing of the will and other interested parties attending and giving testimony. They were all to offer different perspectives on the short marriage of Henry and Eliza.
The first to testify was Henry’s cousin, Cornelius V. D. Wendell. After being sworn in, Cornelius said that he was present when Henry Vrooman made known his desires about the distribution of his property and “made his mark,” to sign the document.
The next to give testimony was Mary Mott, Eliza’s friend and neighbor of her father. Before her marriage to Henry, Eliza had lived with Mary and her husband. Mary gave a woman’s perspective in her words of support for her friend:
Know there were some difficulties between the deceased and his wife but what they were I can’t tell anything about. Deceased told me that his brother John W. caused a great deal of difficulty between himself & his wife. He went so far as to say that there never would have been any difficulty between himself & wife if it had not been for his brother. He told me that his brother said that he did not like it that he should get married. He told me once that his brother had behaved so badly to him that he did not intend he should ever have a cent of his property.
When it was John Brotherson’s turn he stated that when the will was made, Henry was asked if his brother should be called to sign as a witness to his will. His response was a (negative) shake of his head. When the will was read back to him, he said that it was as he wished it, and then he smiled.
Peter Saunders next offered the first testimony concerning the break in the relationship between Henry and Eliza. Saunders and Henry Moore had visited the Vrooman farm in early 1842 to purchase property that Henry and his brother owned in Glenville. When asked about having Eliza sign the deed, Henry then said she had left him and that she would never be back “as long as I have strength to keep her out.” He also stated that she was extravagant and would have more company than he could afford. Sanders also testified that Henry stated that she had abused him when he undertook to correct her children.
John Anderson was another neighbor who testified about Henry’s relationship with his brother John. Anderson was a close friend of Henry’s brother and had once been asked by him to help “settle a difficulty” between him and his brother after Henry and Eliza had married. Anderson also heard Henry say that his wife had gone away and that he “never wanted to see her in the house again, she or none of her tribe.”
But Elizabeth Odell, the daughter of Philip Brotherson’s second wife Alice told a different story. She recalled that it was Christmas week in 1841 that Eliza moved back to Blue Corners. Once Eliza had returned to Henry, Elizabeth visited and was told by Henry that he and Eliza “live as happily as two birds together.”
Next, Alletta, daughter of Philip Brotherson and his second wife Alice told of Eliza’s care of Henry during the final months of his life. During her visits to their home, she saw Eliza “nurse him, procure his victuals for him & take care of him as well as any baby.” Mary Mott in her testimony supported this claim, even telling that after the funeral John had said that he thought Eliza must be “very much fatigued as she had been very faithful & kind to my brother & had nursed him and taken good care of him during his sickness.”
The hearing ended with Henry’s will being admitted to probate and filed. Apparently, the judge sided with those that testified that the couple’s marriage had conformed to the old adage that “All is well that ends well.”
The source of material and illustration for this article is Saratoga County Wills, Volume 12, pages 425 through 449
Dave Waite has had a lifelong interest in New York State and Adirondack history. His research has been published by historical organizations across upstate New York. His most recent article “With Energy and Success, Thorp & Sprague’s Mohawk Valley Stage Line,” is featured in the Winter 2021 New York Archives Magazine. David’s email is davewaitefinearts@gmail.com
SARATOGA SPRINGS — An iconic Saratoga Springs market that has served community life for nearly a century has re-opened after extensive renovations with a new look, an upgraded menu and a new name.
Located just east of Broadway where Park Place and Lincoln Avenue meet Clark Street and Jefferson Street on the city’s east side – the Little Market at Five Points has re-opened in a space formerly occupied by Five Points Market & Deli.
“Going back to the 1920’s, it has always been a market of some sort,” says co-owner Jim Morris. “It’s nice to keep the tradition going.”
Husband-and-wife team Jim and Kerry Morris, and co-partner Michele Morris – “We all have the same last name, but we are not all related” – he points out, opened in late March, following an extensive 7-monyh-long renovation that saw the installation of new floors and windows, a new awning at the entryway and a new name.
Jim and Kerry Morris started the popular Scallions restaurant in the 1980s. Michele had worked at the restaurant, eventually purchased it and operated it for a generation, first on Broadway, and then on Lake Avenue, before selling it a few years ago.
Jim and Kerry meanwhile in 2007 bought the building that houses the Little Market at Five Points, making what they call the natural move to operate the deli downstairs.
“For us, we created a menu and basically started from scratch,” says Jim Morris. “We kind of upped the game on how we do things. We kept the beer, and we have the dairy.”
“We’re looking to catapult on what already was here – the breakfast sandwiches, the lunches – but adding to it,” says Michele. Those new offerings include cappuccinos and grab-n-go prepared dinner meals. “Some nice cuts of meat to take home and put on the grill and just a little more upscale than it was before,” she says. “There’s also a lot of vegetarian and vegan offerings which wasn’t something that was available before.”
Menu to-go includes a bevy of signature sandwiches, make-your-own sub and sandwich choices, salads and other fare; morning nourishments comes via breakfast sandwiches and cappuccino.
The Little Market at Five Points offers indoor and outdoor seating and is currently open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Those hours are seasonal, the owners say, and will increase moving forward into the warmer season.
For more information, visit thelittlemarket5.com or call 518-450-7068. Little Market at Five Points is located at 42 Park Place in Saratoga Springs.
Jim Morris and Michele Morris (not related), inside the newly opened Little Market at Five Points on the city’s east side. Photo by SuperSource Media.
Three local travel ice hockey teams are beating the odds.
Troy Albany Ice Cats
The Troy Albany Ice Cats, a local girls’ travel ice hockey team, took second in the Northern Region Sectionals, losing 2-1 to Canton who would end up taking second place in the state championship behind Amherst. However, they also headed to Buffalo for the New York State Hockey Championships where they had one win, lost in overtime, and had a seven-round shutout loss – just missing the final four.
“It was huge to have the support for the program,” said Coach Derrek Tuthill. “It kept the girls focused on the goal they set to get to Buffalo. Now we are working on achieving more and more goals.”
Two girls from Saratoga, Chiara Tuthill, a sixth grader, and Ursula Obstarczyk, a fifth grader, play on the team alongside girls from surrounding counties. Rich Scammell started the program back in 1993, and Coach Tuthill says that it is a great program for any girls, regardless of area, looking to play hockey.
Adirondack NorthStars
The Adirondack Northstars Girls 16U Hockey Team won the NYS Championship, and will be heading out to Denver, CO at the end of this month to compete in the USA Hockey National Championships.
“In a season so out of the ordinary, the girls were able to accomplish so much,” said Renee Lochner, team director/president.
The girls on the team are all local – 4 from Saratoga Springs and 15 others from across Saratoga and Warren county.
A fundraiser has been set up on Go Fund Me to help send the team to Nationals in Denver. They have raised over $8,000 so far, but have not yet reached their goal. To donate please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/send-the-16u-northstars-girls-hockey-to-nationals.
CP Dynamo 08
CP Dynamo 08 will be heading to Buffalo for the NYS Hockey Championships for Tier 1 Hockey this weekend.
The team is made up of boys who live in a 2-hour radius of Saratoga. Their dedication is unmatched – traveling four-hour round trips to Utica just for practices back in July when no hockey rinks in the area were open.
From back, left to right: Clara Corbin, Derrek Tuthill, Chris Obstarczyk, Jason Hunt, Elaina DelRio. Middle row Caitlynn McGlothlin, Ursula Obstarczyk (Saratoga County), Katie LeBoeuf (Saratoga County), Chiara Tuthill (Saratoga County), Reese Hunt (Washington County), Alaina Winther front row Nicole Stipe, Taber Hunt(Washington County), Giada Barna, Miriam Felton (Washington County), Malia Kesick. Missing is Shea Thompson. This picture is edited with each player and coach standing by themself then edited to resemble a team photo due to Covid 19.
Photo provided.
GALWAY — Galway Central School District is proposing a $3.1 million dollar Capital Improvement Project for urgent repairs.
On March 29, the Galway CSD Board of Education passed a resolution to put forth a Capital Improvement Project for voter consideration. The NYS Education Department requires districts to complete a Building Condition Survey (BCS) every five years, and this Capital Project is addressing problems that arose in the most recent. CSArch, the district’s architects, categorized all recommendations in the BCS as an immediate need and called for them to be addressed in the first year of the project.
The project includes the following to be done at the bus garage:
Replacing underground gas and diesel tanks with above ground storage tanks. Replacing the fuel dispensing system with a modern system that will help with fuel use and efficiency. Replacing underground fuel oil heating tanks with above ground storage tanks. Remediating soil as necessary. Replacing two vehicle lifts. Repairing concrete floors in service bays and providing epoxy floor in service bays and parts room. Reconstructing pavement with heavy duty asphalt at various locations. And, replacing the oil/water separator that is too small and not functioning well.
Galway CSD emphasizes that these improvements will assist their mechanics, Scott Hollbrook and Denis Ryder, in their efforts to keep the district’s fleet, drivers, and students safe. And, that getting students to school safely takes commitment and effort from many professionals. At the foundation of it all is having a fleet of safe buses and a safe facility in which to work on them. Galway CSD is rated as a Preferred Carrier by the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT).
The project will also:
Replace an underground fuel tank in front of the Junior/Senior High School that was installed in 1988. Replace the pavilion at the track that collapsed in the winter of 2020, shifting its location to add two separate restrooms, a sink and storage for future concessions, and with a custodial closet. Replace the storage shed near the track with a larger building that can accommodate storage for athletic equipment.
To maximize State Aid, the proposed 2021 Capital Project will contain minor renovations to the following areas that were not touched in the 2016 Capital Project including: restrooms near the auditorium, restrooms near offices, and flooring near the entrance to the auditorium and gymnasium.
The full cost of the proposed capital improvement project will be $3.1 million. The district will utilize $100,000 from the Capital Reserve, which results in $3 million bonded over 15 years. For aidable expenses, New York State Building Aid will reimburse 78.7% of the proposed Capital Improvement Project. After subtracting retiring debt and funds from the Capital Reserve, along with NYS Building Aid, the net local share will be approximately $65,000/year.
If the proposed Capital Improvement Project is approved, design and construction documents will be finalized in the Fall of 2021. Approval by the NYS Education Department will be in Winter 2021-22. The bidding process will take place in Winter 2022, and construction will begin in Spring/Summer 2022.
Residents of the Galway Central School District will have a chance to learn more about the proposed Capital Improvement Project during the following information sessions:
Galway faculty and staff: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. Virtual, link will be posted on www.galwaycsd.org.
Residents of Galway CSD: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 7:15 p.m. Virtual, link will be posted on www.galwaycsd.org.
Annual Budget Hearing: Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. In-Person, HS Library
Residents will vote on the proposed Capital Improvement Project during the regular school budget vote on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Arena football games at Albany’s Times Union Center. Rangers hockey at Madison Square Garden. The New York City Ballet at SPAC.
Venues gearing up for the safe welcoming of an increasing number of attendees have begun to put requirements in place in an effort to minimize the risk of spreading the COVID-19 infection among those entering their respective facilities. Those vaccinated may show proof of vaccination. Those not vaccinated or unable to be vaccinated may show a negative COVID-19 test. The guidelines vary state-to-state, and combating the potential threat of phony vaccination cards are complicating matters.
When the Saratoga Performing Arts Center announced its re-imagined summer ballet season this week, it came with a series of safety protocols. Seats will be sold in designated pods of two inside the amphitheater, and designed pods of two and four on the SPAC lawn. Show attendees will be required to complete a health screening questionnaire, pass a mandatory temperature check prior to entry and wear a face mask at all times.
Additionally, all attendees are required to show proof of a completed vaccination or a negative 72-hour COVID-19 test.
In late March, New York became the first state in the country to introduce a digital pass to seemingly make it easier for attendees as well as for venues to validate the authenticity of that proof.
Anyone vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 in the State of New York is eligible for an “Excelsior Pass,” and the passes provide proof of vaccination, a PCR test, or an Antigen test. According to the state, users are able to store their “pass” digitally on their smartphone with the Excelsior Pass Wallet app – which is free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store – or to print the pass from the Excelsior website and bring it to the venue with them. Businesses and venues can then scan and validate the pass to ensure COVID-19 vaccination or testing requirements are met for entry.
To facilitate the pass, the website collects a person’s COVID-19 status as well as their name, date of birth, zip code, vaccination or COVID-19 test type, date and location. The state says that personal information will not be used for marketing purposes. Some privacy advocates are concerned, however.
“It is a little bit scary in that you put your information in, verifies that you’ve had the vaccine, and gives you a kind of pass that has a QR Code on it. The question then is that every time you go in to somewhere that requires you to show proof of vaccination, you could be tracked,” said Greg Rinckey, co-founder of Tully Rinckey law firm.
“There could be a database of what type of venues you’re entering, when you’re going and when you’re coming. It’s not the same as just showing someone your vaccination card at the door. When someone is scanning a QR code, a database can be built that shows who went and what time you went. That’s where a lot of privacy advocates get concerned,” Rinckey said. “It’s one thing to require proof of vaccination, it’s another thing to say that you have to be scanned in with some mechanism that can track you,” he said. “I think as long as you can provide proof you’ve been vaccinated, that should be sufficient. Where a lot of people have problems is with the ‘passport.’ The passport can track you.”
The state currently says that participation in the Excelsior Pass is voluntary, and New Yorkers can always show alternate proof of vaccination or testing – like another mobile application or paper form – directly at a business or venue. The small print related to the Excelsior Pass carries a lengthy list of disclaimers that includes notice that the state may disclose personal information without an applicant’s consent in certain instances related to legal matters.
“We’ve all seen what can happen with the E-ZPass,” Rinckey said. “It’s meant to be used for paying the toll, but how many people have gone through an E-ZPass toll plaza a little bit above the speed limit and then suddenly get a letter in the mail that says you’ve exceeded the speed limit going through the plaza?” In 2015, the New York Civil Liberties Union revealed that wireless E-ZPass tollbooth transponders were being read routinely throughout New York City to systematically collect location data about drivers.
“Unfortunately, what we’re starting to see now are fake proofs-of-vaccination, so I think there is eventually going to be a mechanism where you’re going to have to have ‘official’ proof of vaccination. And that is what the Excelsior Pass does do,” he said.
“It’s an interesting area of law with privacy concerns. You know that the government has an interest in making sure that there aren’t health concerns. And in order to reopen the economy and in order to reopen these venues – especially where there are going to be thousands of people – you really do have to have a mechanism to know that the people you’re allowing in who are going to be in close proximity with others, have either been vaccinated or have had a negative test,” Rinckey explained.
The potential solution? “Probably a mix. Having proof of vaccination in a system where you can verify you’ve been vaccinated, but in a way that can’t be tracked. It’s the act of scanning – that tracking mechanism – that makes people nervous.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced starting April 26, museum capacity will be raised to 50% and movie theater capacity to 33%. On May 19, indoor large arena capacity will be raised to 25%. “The numbers are stable and going down, so we can open up more economic activity,” Cuomo said.
In Saratoga County, nearly half of the county’s overall population of 230,000 have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Breaking it down further, over 60% of county residents over the age of 18 have received at least one dose, topping the national average, which is just over 50% for that category, according to the CDC.
The guidelines regarding so-called vaccine passports are being debated at state levels, with some states – Arizona, Florida and Texas among them – already expressing their opposition to the idea, citing mostly privacy concerns. In the future, particularly when international travel begins to ramp up, Rinckey says he can see the federal government offering guidelines to instill a higher or enhanced level of proof than the states.
At SPAC, the ballet schedule takes place in mid-July, and the venue says proof may come via either a card or a digital pass. It is unclear how the state’s indoor/ outdoor capacity designation may relate to Saratoga Performing Arts Center which has a capacity of 25,000 as an amphitheater (pavilion) and outdoor (lawn) venue.
There has yet to be an announcement regarding other traditional SPAC programming – such as the Saratoga Jazz Fest – or the summerlong pop concert schedule which is tentatively slated to feature Dave Matthews Band, Rod Stewart and others, and is coordinated by concert promoter Live Nation.
