The Stanley Cup on display at the Jockey Silks Porch at the Saratoga Racecourse on Saturday, August 31. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Amidst the hustle and bustle of a Saturday afternoon at the track, you’d be forgiven for missing an unusual sight: the NHL’s Stanley Cup being driven down East Avenue on a golf cart.
Such was the scene on August 31, when Vincent “Vinnie” Viola, the principal owner of the Florida Panthers, brought his team’s championship trophy to the Saratoga Racecourse. The Cup was on display for about an hour, and visitors were able to take photos with it for free.
“We are grateful to Vinnie Viola for bringing the iconic Stanley Cup to Saratoga Racecourse, an appropriate setting where champions compete every summer,” said NYRA President & CEO Dave O’Rourke in a statement. “We thank the Florida Panthers organization for allowing us to share in the celebration of their success.”
Viola, in addition to owning the Panthers, owns the thoroughbred racing operation St. Elias Stable, which produced the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming. In 2016, the billionaire businessman was briefly President Donald Trump’s pick for the United States Secretary of the Army, before he withdrew from consideration.
The Stanley Cup last visited Saratoga in 2015, thanks to upstate New Yorker Kevin Dineen, who was assistant coach of the Chicago Blackhawks during their championship season.
Photo of Stillwater’s Scott Salvadore via the USA Mullet Championships.
STILLWATER — Scott Salvadore, a Stillwater resident and two-time USA Mullet Champion, placed second in the adult men’s category of this year’s best mullet competition. Salvadore had been hoping to earn a three-peat with his locks, which he calls “The Lord’s Drapes.”
The 2024 mullet champion, Todd Grubb of Michigan, was announced on the The Pat McAfee Show on August 29. Despite placing second, Salvadore earned more votes than Grubb, beating him by a count of 3,739 to 2,387. But Grubb had a higher judges score and raised considerably more money for charity, both of which are factors in determining the annual mullet champ.
“Win or lose we must remember that this is the God show, not the Scotty show,” Salvadore wrote in a Facebook post. “These Lord’s Drapes are more than just a haircut to me, they are a symbol of my faith in Christ. These Drapes are unique witness to the transformation power of Jesus!”
Salvadore is the owner of Salvadore Services LLC, a Stillwater-based landscaping company that specializes in outdoor living spaces. He also owns Salvadore Firewood Company.
A misplaced goose was nearly trampled to death during the fourth race at Saratoga on August 28. The feathered fella apparently survived the attack, judging by a frame-by-frame video analysis, though he likely suffered some pummeled plumage. Fox Sports analyst Acacia Courtney Clement also reported that the gander withstood the equine assault.
The goose in question is not to be confused with Spa Infield Goose, the popular X account that chronicles the daily goings-on at the track. Nor should it be mistaken for Goose, the jam band that’s playing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 6 and 7.
Photo of an under-construction St. Mary’s School playground by Jonathon Norcross. Photo of Charlie the therapy dog via Saratoga Central Catholic School. Photo of the newest Saratoga Springs School District educators attending New Teacher Orientation last month via the district.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — By the time you’re reading this, the 2024-2025 school year will have already begun. Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, and Schuylerville School Districts are all holding their first day of classes on Thursday, September 5. Although the summer may have been rejuvenating for the students of Saratoga County, local schools have been busy hiring new teachers, renovating their facilities, and securing the services of a Golden Retriever.
St. Mary’s School Renovations
St. Mary’s, a pre-K through 5th grade Catholic school in Ballston Spa, upgraded its playgrounds, enhanced its security, and revamped some of its facilities during the summer break.
According to Principal Allen Hills, a larger window has been added to the vestibule area so that visitors can show their identification and sign in before being allowed inside. This added layer of security is in addition to the cameras installed last year. Principal Hills said that St. Mary’s is the only private school with a full-time School Resource Officer in the Capital District.
Improvements have also been made to the school’s playgrounds. Both the main playground and the smaller preschool playground had their pavement replaced with softer surfaces. White fences were added around the playgrounds for privacy and safety.
The school also added new flooring to its entire first floor.
“The money that was raised during our gala has covered most of the [renovation] costs,” said Principal Hills. “Parents, their involvement and their hard work raising that money, has manifested itself in these beautiful improvements.”
Saratoga Springs Welcomes New Assistant Principals
The Saratoga Springs City School District appointed three new assistant principals last month.
Katie Ehmann was named Assistant Principal at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School, and Kara Likar and Christine Vilardo both joined Maple Avenue Middle School as Assistant Principals.
Ehmann is returning to the district after serving as the Assistant Principal at Stillwater Elementary School. She began her career as an elementary teacher at Dorothy Nolan.
Likar most recently served as the Assistant Principal of Castleton Elementary School. Prior to that, she worked as a social studies teacher and administrative intern at Shenendehowa’s Acadia Middle School.
Vilardo joins the middle school after serving as both an English teacher and a conduct and restorative instructional coach at Saratoga Springs High School. Prior to that, she worked as an English teacher at Queensbury Middle School.
Spa Catholic Adds New Teachers and Therapy Dog
The Saratoga Central Catholic School added a number of new educators over the summer, including Ann Costantino (Interim School Counselor and Health teacher), Jennifer Isele (6th Grade English Language Arts and 6th Grade Writer’s Workshop teacher), Patrick Gormley (Art Teacher and Girls Golf Coach), Thomas J. Horn Jr. (part-time Theology Teacher), and, last but certainly not least, a 3-year-old Golden Retriever therapy dog named Charlie.
Costantino has been teaching a range of subjects at Spa Catholic for the past six years. In her new position, she’ll focus on supporting students both socially and emotionally, as well as assisting them with academic guidance and preparation for their future endeavors, whether that involves college or entering the workforce.
Isele holds a Master’s Degree in Education from The College of Saint Rose and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Fairfield University. She previously taught English at Queensbury High School from 2008 to 2016. Prior to her teaching career, Isele worked in the publishing industry at Thomson Delmar Learning.
Gormley’s experience includes 25 years as a tenured teacher at Queensbury High School, along with positions at Averill Park and Williamsville South High Schools. He also served as Principal of St. Mary’s-St. Alphonsus School during the last academic year. He is an alumnus of the Spa Catholic Class of 1985.
Horn Jr. will be teaching Theology 10, Theology 11, and Theology 12. He began his teaching career at Mohonasen High School, where he taught for two years. He then spent 28 years at Fort Edward School. Most recently, Horn Jr. served at Catholic Central High School for 11 years, where he taught Theology.
Charlie is a therapy dog certified through Therapy Dogs International. He will be joining the Guidance Office most Mondays from 1 p.m. until the end of the school day.
New Family Outreach Coordinators
The Franklin Community Center in Saratoga Springs added Isabella Ronda and Erica Riekert as Family Outreach Coordinators. Both will contribute to the center’s prevention-based afterschool program, Project Lift.
Riekert’s previous roles include Education/Curriculum Coordinator at Saratoga Independent School and Education Director at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. Ronda was previously a substitute teacher at Van Schaick Grade School in Troy.
Ronda will be overseeing the Project Lift program at Division Street and Dorothy Nolan Elementary Schools, while Riekert will manage the program at Caroline Street and Lake Avenue Elementary Schools.
BALLSTON SPA — A post in a local Facebook group has sparked awareness of ongoing power outages occurring in the area of Ballston Spa and Malta.
The outages, while brief, have been impacting homes and businesses. Residents reported that air conditioning units turned off, lights flickered, and appliances needed to be reset.
One business owner said the outages disrupt her company’s credit card machine.
It’s unclear exactly how long the outages have been occurring, but some residents said it’s been an ongoing issue for at least the past few months, if not longer.
Patrick Stella, the National Grid Communications Manager for Eastern New York, told Saratoga TODAY that National Grid would be “installing monitoring equipment in the area to better diagnose the root cause of these shorter outages. We will use this information in the coming weeks to come up with a more permanent fix.” Stella also said that the outages appear to be contained to the area of Ballston Spa and Malta.
Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi said he’s previously reached out to his municipal contact at National Grid regarding an outage in Malta and another one at the Village Green Apartments in Ballston Spa. On Monday, he created a Google Form asking Ballston Spa residents to share details about any outages they’ve experienced. The form can be found on his Facebook page.
“While it is not in the Village’s abilities to resolve such issues,” Rossi wrote, “we have a good working relationship with National Grid — and they have historically worked with us to try to identify issues and resolve them.”
Malta Town Supervisor Cynthia Young also said she had contacted National Grid. She requested that Malta residents email supervisor@malta-town.org with their address and the exact time and duration of any outages.
The interior of High Peaks Canna, Saratoga Springs’ second cannabis dispensary. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new cannabis dispensary, High Peaks Canna, held its grand opening last Friday morning at 137 Maple Ave, the former site of the Towne Law Firm. The pot shop became the second dispensary to open in Saratoga Springs after Silver Therapeutics opened its doors at 75 Weibel Ave in July.
High Peaks is open seven days a week; from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The store offers a wide variety of products from popular brands, including Jaunty, Off Hours, and Ayrloom.
The first application for a dispensary in the Spa City was filed with the city’s planning board in July 2023. That proposed location at 95 West Ave has yet to open. Last month, an application to open the first pot shop in Ballston Spa was withdrawn due to concerns over parking, increased traffic, and possible on-site consumption.
A therapy horse enjoys the company of humans inside a paddock near the new arena. Photos by Jonathon Norcross
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga (THS), a nonprofit that provides equine-assisted psychotherapy, unveiled its new, year-round indoor arena and group therapy space on Wednesday morning. The facility will allow THS to increase the number of annual clients from 60 to 100, and expand its total number of annual therapy sessions from 680 to 1,200.
Construction of the new arena began in mid-June, and finishing touches were completed in early September. The facility was funded by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) through the Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Program (NICIP). THS was selected as an awardee of a NICIP investment in April.
“The innovative programs of Therapeutic Horses are a perfect fit for the Saratoga community, and I am pleased that our organization is able to play a part in supporting their important work,” said Robert J. Rodriguez, President of DASNY, in a statement.
A number of local elected officials attended the unveiling. Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford and State Senator James Tedisco both praised the organization for assisting veterans. Assemblymember Carrie Woerner thanked THS for aiding survivors of trauma. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik was slated to appear but did not attend.
THS is located on a 27-acre horse farm on Lake Avenue, which is currently home to 29 horses (plus two Saratoga Springs police horses). On the same property is an office for ECS Psychological Services, a practice that oversees therapy sessions between patients and horses. THS also allows any individual or group to book “horseplay” sessions, which are not necessarily considered a form of therapy but nonetheless allow both adults and children to enjoy the company of a horse in a tranquil setting.
“When somebody walks [into a paddock] with anger, with fear, with anxiety, which is the number one diagnosis of people that come here, the horses sense it and they are completely unnerved. They don’t attack, they just disappear,” said Kim Weir, THS’ director of strategic growth. “This is the magic of horses generally. Horses trust humans. If we are confident, then they’re completely confident. That’s why they fought our wars and dug our ditches and built our civilizations.”
In order for the horses to help humans feel more confident and less anxious or fearful, the horses themselves need to be well taken care of, Weir said. “We need them to feel safe
Photo of “The Bear” actor Edwin Lee Gibson via Empire State University.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Actor Edwin Lee Gibson, a 2012 graduate of the Saratoga Springs-based Empire State University, has hit it big thanks to a recurring role in the Hulu series “The Bear.”
The show, which revolves around the staff of a fictional restaurant in Chicago, features Gibson in the role of Ebraheim, an East African war veteran line cook.
Gibson earned a B.A. from Empire State University in the arts and social theory while simultaneously pursuing an acting career. “The flexibility that SUNY Empire allows people at whatever juncture they’re at in their life is really wonderful,” he said in a statement.
Gibson has also starred in a number of other acclaimed shows, including “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” “Fargo,” “Shameless,” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” At one point, he also ran the Musical Theater Workshop at the Rye Arts Center in Westchester County.
Joe Bokan Jr. and his wife Kathleen pose with their three children in front of Anne’s Washington Inn in Saratoga Springs. Photo by Lawrence White.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Many businesses advertise themselves as “family owned and operated,” but Anne’s Washington Inn takes the concept to another level.
In 1943, hotelier Charles Russell purchased what was then the McCarty Hospital in Saratoga Springs for $7,500 and transformed it into the The Washington Inn. His daughter, Anne (Russell) Bokan ran the place for more than forty years. In 1985, Anne’s son and daughter-in-law, Joe Jr. and Kathleen Bokan, took over operations. Today, the couple’s oldest daughter Madeleine oversees the inn’s wedding and events operations with her toddler in tow. That’s five generations of family members who have sat on the inn’s famous front porch across 80 years of busy Saratoga summers.
If Anne’s Washington Inn feels more like a family residence than a resort, that’s probably because it was. Joe Jr., the current owner/operator, spent his childhood there with his five sisters.
“All of us ran the front desk, all of us made beds, all of us cleaned bathrooms; whatever it took,” Joe Jr. said. “As kids, we all grew up doing it.”
As the decades have gone by, not much has changed in the way the Bokans do business.
“We all pitch in,” said Joe Jr.’s daughter Madeleine. “One day we’ll be in the rooms. One day we’ll be in the dining room, doing events, checking people in. It’s kind of all-hands-on-deck.”
Originally called The Washington Inn, the business was renamed in honor of Anne (Russell) Bokan in 2007. “It’s amazing to hear from longtime Saratogians. They’ll say, ‘Your mom was one of the first women to have a business in Saratoga.’ She really ran it. She’d always done it, but it never hit me. Back in the 50s, women were not running businesses,” Joe Jr. said.
There were a couple other reasons for the name change as well. Adding “Anne’s” made the inn easier to find in web searches. It also moved the business up the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s list of lodging establishments, which resulted in more referrals. In the first year following the name change, Joe Jr. said his sales went up 30%.
Nowadays, Joe Jr. said he leaves much of the marketing and public relations work to Madeleine. Although an heir to the inn has not been officially proclaimed, Joe Jr. said that his daughter may one day emerge as his successor. “She loves the hotel. She loves the people. She gets it,” he said.
“But he’s not allowed to retire anytime soon,” said Madeleine. “This place runs because of him.”
“I’m having too much fun [to retire],” said Joe Jr.
Anne’s Washington Inn, currently celebrating its 80th year in business, is open April through October. Events are offered year-round. Located on four acres of land off South Broadway, the inn is within walking distance of the Saratoga Spa State Park and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). For more information, visit www.anneswi.com.
Photo via the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Adelphi Hotel held a ribbon cutting ceremony last week to celebrate the opening of the hotel’s new luxury residences. State Senator Jim Tedisco, Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi, Mayor John Safford, and members of the Shannon McCarthy Realty Team were on hand to mark the occasion.
Some of the 79 units, priced from $800,000 to $4 million, began selling at the beginning of the year. Some buyers were able to move in as early as June. The condos range from 800 to 2,500 square feet.
