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Author: Jonathon Norcross

A Spooktacular Summer: Ghost Tours Return to the Canfield Casino

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Entertainment.


Images provided by the Saratoga Springs History Museum.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A spinning roulette wheel. Doors slamming shut. A whiff of lavender perfume. Apparitions in the windows.

Over the years, there have been dozens of people who have reported seeing, hearing, and feeling the presence of otherworldly spirits in Saratoga’s Canfield Casino, which is now the site of the Saratoga Springs History Museum.

Saratoga TODAY collected just a few of these experiences, as relayed by the museum’s Executive Director James Parillo:

° Three people heard the chiming of crystals dangling from a lamp stationed in an empty room;

° the sound of what could be casino chips hitting the floor, heard “over and over again”;

° pounding on the side of an elevator that was once used inside the Adelphi Hotel;

° mediums communicating with unknown entities that smelled of perfume;

° people who feel pressure in their chest or have difficulty breathing when they reach the museum’s third floor;

° a woman who felt a room become ice cold before seeing the apparition of a man who descended a staircase;

° people in Congress Park who say they saw a woman in Victorian clothing looking out one of the casino’s windows;

° seven people who heard audio over a radio receiver of gamblers placing bets;

° three staff members who saw a “lady in a white dress,” believed to be the spirit of Reubena Walworth, a nurse who tended to Spanish-American War vets and later died of typhoid fever. 

Whether one finds these stories to be convincing evidence or not, there’s no denying that Canfield has become a hot spot for ghost investigators and paranormal enthusiasts. In 2010, the “Ghost Hunters” TV series on the Syfy network featured the Canfield Casino in one of its episodes, helping to popularize the site’s status as a haunted locale. Nowadays, Parillo said he gets biweekly requests from YouTubers hoping to film inside the museum. 

In an effort to satiate the public’s curiosity, the museum has announced the return of its popular “Ghost Tours of the Canfield Casino,” running from July 2 through August 29, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

This season’s tours will aim to “immerse guests in Saratoga’s spectral history with new stories, local legends, and chilling accounts of real paranormal encounters,” the museum said in a press release. Participants will be guided through the “opulent yet eerie” halls of the casino, hearing tales of mysterious events, often from people who have experienced them firsthand.

“It’s important to us that whoever is telling the stories has experienced something,” Parillo said.

The tours are for visitors ages 10 and up. Advance reservations are strongly encouraged. For tickets and more information, visit www.saratogahistory.org/ghost-tours-summer-2025.

Ice, Ice, Baby! Grasso’s Italian Ice is Back

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Business.


Photo via Grasso’s Italian Ice. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Grasso’s Italian Ice is officially back in business this summer, despite the company’s signature 1954 International Harvester truck still undergoing repairs. 

Grasso’s announced on Monday that it would partner with the folks at Olde Saratoga Miniature Golf and Rustic Pizza to sell Italian ice at their location at 556 Maple Ave in Saratoga Springs beginning Wednesday, July 2. “Old-school” flavors like lemon, cherry, root beer, and black raspberry will be available.

Last year, Grasso’s launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to fix its aging truck. The company said it didn’t quite raise enough and that repairs are still ongoing. The truck is expected to hit the streets next year.

“To everyone who donated to our GoFundMe: thank you from the bottom of my heart,” the company said on its Facebook page. “You helped keep this tradition alive.”

As previously reported by Saratoga TODAY, the Grasso family traces its Italian ice origins back to the 1920’s, when Ralph Grasso emigrated from his native Tufino, Italy and settled in Brooklyn with his brother, landing in Saratoga Springs a few years later. Grasso worked in the construction and masonry trades and began making lemon ice, which he sold on his off-days and weekends as a side business. 

Saratoga County Airport Completes $35.9 Million Construction Project

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Business.


Two airplanes inside the airport’s new 20,000-square-foot hangar.
Photo by Aidan Cahill.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Airport unveiled its new terminal building and hangar during a ribbon cutting ceremony last Thursday, marking the completion of a $35.9 million construction project that began last year.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here on behalf of Governor Kathy Hochul as we celebrate this incredible milestone today,” said New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez. “It is truly, truly breathtaking,” Dominguez said of the terminal’s interior space.

Although the airport does not host commercial flights, the facility features spaces and amenities open to the public, including a conference room, outdoor patio, and upstairs restaurant that provides views of the runway.

“This space is for everyone to enjoy, especially people who live and work here in Saratoga,” Dominguez said.

To fund the project, the county was awarded $27 million by the state, with an additional $2 million coming via federal funds. The remaining balance of the $35.9 million budget (the price tag was initially quoted at $35.2 million in 2024) was provided by Saratoga County. 

“Data from the state DOT indicates that Saratoga County Airport alone, before all this transformation, generated over $9.7 million in local economic activity,” Dominguez said. “But, with this transformation, we anticipate that this investment will yield even greater returns moving forward.”

According to Dominguez, the construction project generated 390 local jobs.

The new terminal building includes several waiting areas, rental car facilities, and office space. The entrance/lobby area is adorned with artwork depicting mountains and horses, as well as posters promoting the Saratoga Battlefield’s augmented reality feature. The hangar includes 20,000 square-feet of space and has solar panels on its roof to help reduce the airport’s carbon footprint.

Skidmore Alum Having Best-Ever Season with Blue Jays Minor League Team

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Sports.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Jackson Hornung, a Skidmore College baseball alum, was promoted on Tuesday to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The move comes after Hornung’s stellar start to the season, in which he earned a career-best .855 OPS in 159 at-bats with the Vancouver Canadians, the Blue Jays’ High-A affiliate.

Hornung, a 2024 Northwest League All-Star, had a .308/.396/.459 slash line after 44 games this year, racking up 9 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, and 24 RBI. 

On May 27, Hornung doubled off the top of the right field wall to bring home a run in the Canadians’ 9-5 win over Hillsboro. A couple days later, he crushed a 3-2 pitch into the right field corner for a triple that solidified an 8-1 victory. On June 6, he had a three-hit game (including another triple), and on June 14 his solo homer helped secure another W for the 38-30 Canadians, who are currently at the top of the Northwest League standings.

In 2024, his first full season with Vancouver, Hornung led the team with 105 hits in 112 games. He also had 27 multi-hit games, a team high for the season. He finished the year with a .714 OPS, 25 doubles, 6 homers, and 47 RBI.

Hornung was selected in the 16th round (484th pick) of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Blue Jays. He was the first Skidmore alum to be drafted by a professional sports team.

BERNIE WILLIAMS INTERVIEW: Yankees Legend Talks Saratoga, Baseball, Music, and Wine

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Sports.


Photo of Bernie Williams’ concert at Millbrook Vineyards & Winery in 2024
courtesy of Nicole Puckett.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The list of things Bernie Williams hasn’t accomplished in his 56-year-old life grows shorter by the day; four-time World Series champion, Latin Grammy Award-nominated jazz musician, five-time MLB All-Star with his number retired by the New York Yankees, “Seinfeld” guest star, winemaker.

If you’re a Yankees fan, you’re likely familiar with all these feats, save one: since when does Bernie Williams make wine?

In 2021, Williams stumbled upon the Millbrook Winery in Upstate New York while cruising around on his motorcycle. His visit led to a chat with David Bova, the winery’s vice president and general manager, which in turn led to a collaboration: a 2022 vintage called “Bernie’s Blend.”   The red wine is a mixture of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. Williams also had a hand in blending the winery’s 2023 chardonnay and 2021 pinot noir varietals.

These wine bottles are wrapped in a custom label created by Williams’ daughter, Beatriz Williams, a Brooklyn-based artist. The artwork features a symbolic guitar held by two sets of hands, representing the passing of musical knowledge from one generation to the next.

It’s a fitting piece of symbolism. Williams has not only collaborated with Millbrook on the wines, but he’s also returning to the vineyard for a summer jazz concert on Saturday, June 28 at 6 p.m. $10 from every concert ticket sold (as well as a portion of wine sales that evening) will be donated to the music programs at Dutchess Community College. Members of the school’s jazz ensemble will also open for Williams and join his band during the concert’s second act.

Ahead of this event, Saratoga TODAY was able to chat with Williams about a range of topics, including Saratoga, baseball, wine, and music. Without further ado, here is our Q&A with the Yankees legend, edited for length and clarity.

Saratoga TODAY: Your manager said Saratoga is one of your favorite cities, and I know you’ve visited a few times. Can you tell me what you like about the city, and if you have any fond memories of your time here?

Bernie Williams: I’ve been there a few times. I used to go more often. I remember bringing one of my daughters there for basketball tournaments. After that, I remember playing a couple of music gigs downtown. The one thing that I enjoyed the most about Saratoga is going to the Roosevelt Baths and getting some treatments there. The water there is just amazing. And especially in the summer, there’s a lot of things to do and have a great time.

ST: Pretty much everyone knows you were a baseball player and that you’re a musician, but I don’t think a lot of people knew that you were also a wine guy. Can you tell me a little bit about how you got into wine?

BW: Well, the whole wine situation with Millbrook was not planned at all. I mean, we literally stumbled upon the winery one Sunday afternoon. We were just kind of cruising around in my motorcycle, and we ran into the winery and decided to stop. We really fell in love with the place. It was so beautiful and [I] ended up talking to the manager at the time, which put us in contact with the marketing department, and then next thing I knew, I was blending my own wine and playing a concert there. [laughs] So it was something that was not really premeditated. It was something that kind of happened over time. I definitely have developed a great appreciation for the process [of making wine], and the people that have that responsibility, because there’s a lot of things that have to come into place. Some of them are within our control and some of them are not. So it’s kind of like where work meets art, as far as being able to find a place where you can find that level of appreciation about making a good bottle and [making] something that could last for years and still be drinkable.

ST: If you could share a bottle of wine with any member of the New York Yankees, living or dead, who would it be and why?

BW: I probably think somebody like Joe DiMaggio. His whole persona beyond the baseball field was a cool thing. I would say Babe Ruth, but if I would have chosen that, I probably would’ve had to hang out until three or four in the morning. [laughs] I think Joe DiMaggio, I would pick his brain about playing centerfield. He carried himself with so much class that I think it would be cool to have a bottle of wine with him.

ST: This concert is going to benefit music education programs. Can you tell me why you think it’s important for younger people to be educated about music?

BW: I think it’s really important for young people to be educated about music, first of all, to have a greater appreciation for the process of making good music. It’s something that a lot of people take for granted, but it’s a very intricate process and it’s an art form. It might be a little polarizing to say this, but I just don’t think that young people these days have an opportunity to really experience the process of making music and they may not have an appreciation for how hard it is to make music that touches your heart and your spirit. You don’t have to become an instrumentalist, but you can definitely be able to appreciate how hard it is to be able to do that and be in a better position to support live arts and live music. It seems to be sort of a lost art. I do know for a fact that especially young kids that are exposed to music, it enhances their learning capabilities. They do better in other subjects like math and writing and all the things that have to do with the creative part of the mind. I think music and having the opportunity to learn music, it’s a really important part of that process.

Tickets for the June 28 Bernie Williams concert are now on sale at the Millbrook Winery website (https://www.millbrookwine.com/bernie-williams/). The winery is less than 2 hours away from Saratoga. 

Saratoga Jazz Festival Returns Headliners, Upgrades, Hidden Gems 

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Entertainment, Featured.


2024 Saratoga Jazz Festival photo by IronGlass Productions.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The much-anticipated Saratoga Jazz Festival returns this weekend to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) with a new sponsor, upgrades, and a slate of performers encompassing almost every musical genre in existence.

Crafting such a diverse lineup of artists is no easy task, and festival producer Danny Melnick has been at it for more than a year.

“It’s bananas because we are getting inquiries about next year already,” he told Saratoga TODAY.

Musicians are especially eager to perform live nowadays, both to compensate for lost income during the pandemic and because the loss of album sales has necessitated busy touring schedules. This means that finding musicians to take the SPAC stage is not a struggle, but whittling down a list of hundreds of interested artists certainly is.

“One of the great challenges for me is that the festival has 22 sets and not 200 sets,” Melnick said.

The competitive, behind-the-scenes booking process is probably beneficial for festival-goers, however, who will be treated this year to headlining acts like Gary Clark Jr., Trombone Shorty, Cory Wong, Cassandra Wilson, Gregory Porter, Lettuce, DJ Logic & Friends, and Veronica Swift. Just this group alone encompasses a blues/rock/soul fusion, a contemporary spin on New Orleans-style jazz, funk, Grammy Award-winning vocals, nu-jazz, and bebop. Experience levels range from up-and-coming names to established pros. And it’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Melnick’s picks for gems hidden inside this year’s lineup include Julius Rodriguez, a young pianist/multi-instrumentalist performing at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday on the Charles R. Wood “Discovery” stage.

“He is this literal genius of music,” Melnick said. “He’s put out two of his own albums already and he is mind blowing.”

Another of Melncik’s buried treasures is Brandee Younger, a harpist who just released an album earlier this month. Younger will be the second act on the Discovery stage on Sunday.  

“She played Alice Coltrane’s restored harp at Carnegie Hall and it was totally fantastic, brilliant, amazing, wonderful, gorgeous; everything you could ever imagine,” he said.

In addition to a robust schedule of performers, this year’s fest comes with some upgrades, including more food vendors, new speakers, and larger video screens.

“This winter, Live Nation installed new speakers in the amphitheater facade going out onto the lawn,” Melnick said. “They also installed new high-definition, larger video screens on the amphitheater facade.”

The upgrades provided by Live Nation come at a time when locals have responded less than enthusiastically to the company’s new policy that bans all outside lawn chairs. However, this rule only applies to Live Nation-produced events. The Saratoga Jazz Festival is produced by SPAC, and the venue continues to allow attendees to bring in their own lawn chairs, lawn umbrellas, food, drinks, and blankets.

Also new this year: GE Vernova will sponsor the festival for the first time after agreeing to a $1 million, five-year partnership with SPAC. Although the lead sponsor name on the banner has changed, the festival will still feel familiar to past attendees.

“I think people should feel like the festival that they love is happening again,” Melnick said.

Amenities at this weekend’s Jazz Festival include a fine arts and crafts fair, as well as artist merchandise signings. Parking for the event is free. Performances will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 28 and at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 29. 

Tickets are still available at www.spac.org. Children 12 and under receive 50% off tickets in the amphitheater and are free on the lawn. Full-time students with a school issued ID receive 25% off tickets in the amphitheater, or $28 on the lawn (student ID must be presented at will call).  

2025 Jazz Festival line-up 


Saturday, June 28

Amphitheater: 

Gary Clark Jr.

Gregory Porter

Lettuce

Veronica Swift

Michel Camilo Trio

Kenny Garrett

Charles R. Wood “Discovery” Stage: 

Artemis

Nicole Zuraitis

Keyon Harrold

Julius Rodriguez

C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band

The String Queens


Sunday, June 29

Amphitheater:

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Cory Wong

Cassandra Wilson

Al Di Meola Acoustic Band

DJ Logic & Friends featuring Vernon Reid, Cyro Baptista, Emilio Modeste, James Hurt, Felix Pastorius & Terreon Gully 

Charles R. Wood “Discovery” Stage:

Gary Bartz

Bria Skonberg Quintet

Brandee Younger Trio

La Excelencia 

Skidmore Jazz Institute Faculty All-Stars Celebrate their Heroes featuring Clay Jenkins, Jimmy Greene, Steve Davis, Dave Stryker, Bill Cunliffe, Todd Coolman & Dennis Mackrel

Airport Updates: Saratoga Nearly Finished, Albany Makes Progress

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Business.


Photo of the Saratoga County Airport exterior via LeChase Construction. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Two local airports are in the midst of renovations, with work on the Saratoga County Airport due to be finished as soon as this week, and the Albany International Airport repaving its main runway, installing new escalators, and launching a partnership with Breeze Airways.

Saratoga County Airport Nearly Done

The private airport’s $35.2 million construction project, which was officially announced in May of last year, is nearing completion. Supervisor Matthew Veitch had announced at the Saratoga Springs Preliminary City Council Meeting a ribbon cutting ceremony that took place on Thursday, June 26 at 10 a.m.

The airport is getting a new terminal building, restaurant, 20,000-square-foot hangar, and various interior spaces for concessions and rental car facilities.

To fund the project, Saratoga County was awarded $27 million by the state, with an additional $2 million coming via federal funds. The remaining balance of the project was provided by Saratoga County itself.

According to Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Phil Barrett, the airport has an overall economic impact of more than $10 million.

Albany Coming Along

Meanwhile, the Albany International Airport continues its $100 million construction project, which will include the expansion of the airport’s terminal, the modernization of its entranceways, the expansion and relocation of the security area, the addition of seating and waiting areas, updated conference facilities, an expanded airside marketplace, a public arts area, and a children’s play zone.

Work on the project was initially expected to be completed early this year, but is still ongoing.

Earlier this month, the airport’s 8,500-foot-long, 150-foot-wide main runway was repaved, and the first of four new escalators was installed. Last month, two brand-new jet bridges arrived. In April, Uncommon Grounds—a coffee shop chain that first opened in Saratoga Springs in 1992—opened its newest location in the airport just past security.

Albany International also recently announced a new partnership with Breeze Airways, which includes the launch of non-stop service from Albany to both the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and the Charleston International Airport. The airline also offers connections to Fort Myers, Florida via Raleigh-Durham.


A new escalator is installed at the Albany International Airport. Photo via the airport.

Ballston Spa Native Shines in Pro Softball Inaugural Season

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Sports.


Ana Gold high fives a teammate during an Athletes Unlimited Softball League game. Photo via the AUSL’s Blaze.

BALLSTON SPA — Six games into the debut season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), Ballston Spa native Ana Gold was among her team’s leaders in a number of offensive stats, including hits, batting average, and OPS. The numbers tell a tale familiar to those who have followed Gold’s exceptional career at the high school, college, and now professional levels.

With the AUSL’s Blaze, Gold has thus far earned a .444 batting average and 1.085 OPS in 18 at-bats. On June 7, she smacked a double and drove in her team’s lone run. On June 14, the Duke University grad hit a triple, earning 2 RBI. Her fielding, meanwhile, has been flawless, with no errors recorded across all six games.

Despite the rookie’s best efforts, the Blaze have struggled collectively in the early going, ranking last among the league’s four teams with a 1-5 record.

Since April, when Gold was one of a handful of the top college softball players in the nation to be awarded a golden draft ticket by the AUSL, the nascent league has received the backing of Major League Baseball (MLB), which made a first-of-its-kind “strategic investment” in the organization. The AUSL also landed an impressive broadcasting deal, which includes televised games on ESPN2, ESPNU, MLB.com, and the MLB Network. Kim Ng, the former general manager of the Miami Marlins and a former assistant general manager for the New York Yankees, was also named commissioner of the AUSL shortly after presenting Gold with a golden ticket.

Gold was drafted 9th overall by the Blaze after an impressive college career at Duke, where she had a career slash line of .306/.408/.614. She hit 54 homers, 7 triples, and 29 doubles for the Blue Devils. She also stole 53 bases and totaled more than 200 hits in 666 at-bats. 

In 2024, she set a number of Duke softball records, including smashing two grand slams in one game and knocking in 8 runs in a single game. She also set the program’s all-time career home run record while helping to lead her squad to the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

At Ballston Spa High School, she was ranked the No. 39 prospect in the country (according to Extra Innings Softball), was named three times to the Suburban Council’s First Team, and was a two-time Second Team All-Stater. She batted .411 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI as a freshman before improving to .418 with nine home runs and 34 RBI as a sophomore.

Gold’s older brother Luke was an All-ACC baseball infielder at Boston College before being selected in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Another brother, Joe, currently pitches for the Amsterdam Mohawks.

UNPRECEDENTED: Saratoga Springs and Spa Catholic Win State Championships

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Featured, Sports.


The Saratoga Central Catholic baseball team celebrates after winning their first-ever state title. Photo by Holden Goodridge, 8th grade student photographer at SCC. 

Photo of the Saratoga Springs varsity baseball team celebrating its state title win via the Saratoga Springs City School District.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In a remarkable moment in the city’s history, two Saratoga Springs-based high school baseball teams won their respective class state championships last weekend. Both title victories were the first in each program’s history.

“We may need to change the City of Saratoga Springs’ slogan from ‘Health, History, and Horses’ to ‘Health, History, Horses, and Baseball,’” wrote Mayor John Safford.

According to the latest Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, plans are currently in the works for a celebratory parade on June 25 that would run on Broadway from Congress Park to City Hall.

Saints Make History

The Saratoga Central Catholic varsity baseball team won the Section 2 Class C Championship last Saturday, defeating Deposit-Hancock 4 to 0 at the SUNY Binghamton Stadium.

It was the first baseball title in the school’s history, and only the second state championship for any sport in school history.

In the state title game, junior Pierce Byrne (who has already committed to Siena College) had a stellar performance on the mound, racking up 11 strikeouts and allowing only one hit in 7 innings of work. At the plate, Spa Catholic took an early lead after Ryan Gillis socked a three-run homer in the first inning. Brian Selig Jr. and Ronan Rowe each contributed two hits in the victory.

“I’m proud, humbled, grateful, and blessed to coach these guys,” said Coach Alphonse Lambert in a message posted to social media. “They are a resilient group who I [love] so much.”

“This victory is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and teamwork of our student-athletes and coaching staff,” Saratoga Central Catholic said in a statement. “We are incredibly proud of their performance and the way they represented SCC on and off the field.”

In the state semifinal game, also in Binghamton, the Saints defeated Section 9 champion Burke Catholic, 5 to 2. In that contest, Rowe hit a triple and an RBI single, while Max Britten drove in two additional runs with his own single. On the mound, Carson Moser allowed just one earned run, striking out 5 and allowing 2 hits in 4 innings. Luke Dejnozka pitched 3 additional innings in relief, earning the win and allowing no runs.

When leaving for their pair of games in Binghamton, the baseball squad was treated to a police and fire-escorted farewell that saw a packed crowd of students, teachers, and parents cheering outside the high school on Broadway. 

Prior to their victories in the state final four, Spa Catholic captured their sixth sectional championship by beating Granville 5 to 2 at the Joe Bruno Stadium in Troy.

The Saints finished 27-1 on the year, tying the school record for most wins in a season.

Offensive statistical standouts this season included Britten (slash line: .386/.463/.421), Byrne (.395/.489/.645), Kihl Kelly (.405/.520/.544), Jason Pescetti (.471/.553/.571), Rowe (.474/.550/.645), and Selig Jr. (.382/.560/.500).

Pitchers Byrne (1.33 ERA in 42 innings), Dejnozka (0.51 ERA in 27.1 innings), Selig Jr. (0.41 ERA in 34 innings), and Tyler Weygand (1.14 ERA in 24.2 innings) shut down the Saints’ foes all season.

Four members of the Saints’ historic 2025 baseball team will soon graduate: Rowe (Oswego State commit), Hunter Fales (St. John Fisher University), Gillis (SUNY Adirondack), and Weygand (Barton College). But in a news release, the school said that a “talented underclassman group stands ready to carry the torch.”

Blue Streaks Stun Ketcham

The Saratoga Springs High School varsity baseball team capped off a successful 21-6 season with its first-ever Section 2 Class AAA state championship last Saturday, vanquishing Ketcham 8 to 5.

Jack Rigabar got the Blue Streaks’ party started with a triple in the first inning before being brought home off a single by Alex Landau. Brady Mills later added an RBI hit of his own, again driving in Rigbar. Cooper Villiere added a sac-fly in the third before Saratoga was able to capture the lead, 6 to 5, following a few wild pitches by Ketcham. From there, the Blue Streaks squeezed and didn’t let go, crossing home plate twice more to secure the W.

The victory was far from assured heading into Saturday’s game. Ketcham was appearing in its third-straight state final, having captured a title of their own in 2023. 

Prior to the historic victory, Saratoga earned its spot in the title game after a 2 to 1, extra-innings win in the semifinals against Niagara Falls.

The state title victory came after an unusual season that saw Saratoga lose 6 of its first 12 games before then winning 15 straight. Although some may have counted them out, the Blue Streaks never stopped battling.


Photo of the Blue Streaks departing for the state championship game in Binghamton via
the school district.

Students, teachers, and parents gather outside the Spa Catholic High School to cheer on the baseball team en route to the state championship game in Binghamton.
Photo provided by Aiden Lambert.

Jontavious Willis Brings the Blues Back to Caffe Lena

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Entertainment.


Jontavious Willis takes the stage at Caffe Lena on June 15.
Photo by Jonathon Norcross.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Grammy-nominated bluesman Jontavious Willis seemed amused with himself as he used a glass Saratoga Water bottle to play slide guitar during his set at Caffe Lena last Sunday night.

The fingerpicking traditionalist interspersed comedic moments like this one with more sincere songs about our “tangled” world, delivering an always-entertaining performance that made it easy to understand why legendary musician Taj Mahal once called him a “wonderboy.”

Willis, who was mentored by both Mahal and Keb’ Mo’, regaled the Spa City crowd with stories about growing up in rural Georgia, where his younger self sang gospel music at a Baptist church before falling in love with the blues.

“To me, the blues is the most important musical genre and the roots of many others,” Willis says on his website. “Deeper than that, it is a cultural thing for me and my heritage. I feel when I play the blues I am connecting with those before me and presenting it to others, a spiritual type thing.”

Willis’ stripped-back playing style keeps it simple: his voice, a guitar, a harmonica, and the occasional tapping foot. It’s a modus operandi that cuts through spectacle and allows the audience to focus on the words, stories, and sentiments Willis expresses.

“When you start focusing on your instrument more than vocals, you are forgetting the purpose of the blues, which is to tell a story,” Willis says.

Not yet 40, Willis has already released three studio albums: “Blue Metamorphosis” (2017), “Spectacular Class” (2019), and “West Georgia Blues” (2024). Upon its release, “Class” appeared at No. 12 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart before being nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards. His original composition, “Rough Time Blues,” appears as the last track on “Room on the Porch,” an album by Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ that was released on May 23 to rave reviews.

Prior to Sunday, Willis had appeared at Lena in Feb. 2019 as part of the “Bright” series, alongside Blind Boy Paxton in Nov. 2019, and once again as a headliner in April 2020.