SARATOGA SPRINGS — For the first time in 23 years, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman will perform as The Guess Who during their Takin’ It Back tour. Their adventure includes a stop at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on July 14, when they’ll be joined by Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles).
“Randy and I are incredibly grateful that our music has endured all these years,” Cummings said. “Knowing that people still want to hear these songs live means everything to us, and when we go out on stage, our goal is to truly honor the music.”
The Guess Who, sometimes referred to as “the Canadian Beatles,” released 11 studio albums, all of which charted in both Canada and the United States. They’ve placed 14 singles in the US Top 40 chart and more than 30 in Canada. Some of their classic tunes include “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature,” and “No Time.”
General on sale begins on Friday, March 6 at 10 a.m. at TheGuessWho.com.
The Academy for Lifelong Learning continues its 34-year tradition of presenting educational and social opportunities for adults 55+ by offering twenty 6-week, noncredit courses starting in March and April. Registration will be open in-person at the free Open House at 2 p.m. on March 19 at the Knights of Columbus, 50 Pine Road, Saratoga Springs, NY. More information and the course catalog will be available later that day at www.allsaratoga.org
Catalogs will also be distributed to local libraries, YMCA’s and retirement communities or by request after March 19 at (518) 290-6988 or jeff@allsaratoga.org. Registrations will be accepted throughout the term until courses are full. Some courses will sell out. Annual membership is $75 and goes for 365 days from join date. Six-week courses are $50 each.
Topics for these 20 volunteer-led, noncredit courses include music, literature, Tai Chi, Belly Dance Moves & Music, writing, hiking, Chinese history, iPhone basics, wildflowers, foreign policy, poetry, the Beatles, local walking tours, and a variety speaker series. Courses are offered on location in local classrooms or outdoors.
Founded in 1992, the Academy is a nonprofit membership organization whose members share a love of learning. A self-funded entity, A.L.L. is designed to offer lifelong learning and comradery among seniors. A.L.L. also offers a fall and winter term, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and special events held throughout the year. If you would like to support the Academy by becoming a member or for more information, contact the Academy at (518) 290-6988, email jeff@allsaratoga,org, or go to www.allsaratoga.org.
MALTA — Malta resident, composer, and percussionist Donald Knaack (aka The Junkman) is celebrating more than 40 years of composing music for contemporary dance companies by releasing a compendium of 12 of his most popular compositions.
Knaack’s long and productive career includes performances and commissions from The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, The Discover Jazz Festival, and the Kansas City International Jazz Festival. He’s also toured with Eminem, The Black-Eyed Peas, Ice T, and Phish. He’s created music for television commercials for brands such as Nike, ESPN, the NBA, Airbnb, and Electronic Arts.
More than 25 years ago, Knaack, a classically trained musician, stopped using traditional music instruments in favor of using junk and reused materials.
“The timbres of these materials instantly gave my music an original uniqueness, like someone being given a set of new and different colors to paint with,” Knaack said.
For a preview of the new album’s tracks, visit junkmusic.online/dancealbum/.
SCHUYLERVILLE — A joint exhibition featuring functional and sculptural ceramic works by local artists Maria Rosenblum and W.D. Pitney will premiere on March 21 (with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m.) at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center’s Schacht Gallery. Admission is free. The exhibit, titled “Objective Form : Subjective Disorder,” will run until May 2.
Pitney and Rosenblum have been firing atmospheric and reduction kilns together for the past five years.
“Trained as a potter, I am now devoted to meshing functional and sculptural concepts to produce pedestal vessels and naturalistic shallow bowls,” said Rosenblum. “This precarious balance is rooted in my youth exploring the extraordinary tides and shallows of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.”
“With my functional pieces, I’ve been working with porcelain slip to create surface textures to invoke gesture, expression, and energy,” said Pitney. “Ultimately, I believe craft serves community by elevating, inspiring, and uniting people through form and process.”
The Schacht Gallery at Saratoga Clay Arts Center is located at 167 Hayes Road in Schuylerville.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Fire Hockey Team will present the second-annual St. Baldrick’s Cup, a charity hockey game between Saratoga Fire and the Albany Firefighters hockey team, on Sunday, March 15 at the Weibel Ice Rink in Saratoga Springs (30 Weibel Avenue).
All proceeds raised will go to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which has the goal of conquering childhood cancer by funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers, develop better treatments with fewer long-term side effects, and help survivors lead long and healthy lives.
The day begins at 10 a.m. when doors open, offering attendees the opportunity to participate in head shavings, a signature St. Baldrick’s fundraising activity that raises additional funds while symbolizing solidarity with children undergoing treatment. Admission donations will be collected at the door to directly benefit the cause.
The hockey game itself has a scheduled puck drop time of 11 a.m. During the game, there will be multiple fundraising activities going on, including a 50/50 raffle, various donations being raffled off, and the jersey silent auction. The Saratoga Fire hockey team will be wearing a special edition St. Patrick’s Day theme jerseys which will be auctioned off and given to the winners after the game.
Following the game, the celebration will continue at King’s Tavern, where a portion of food sales from 1 to 5 p.m. will be donated to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Last year’s inaugural St. Baldrick’s Cup, which featured the Saratoga Fire Hockey Team against the Worcester Firefighters, successfully raised $7,000 for childhood cancer research. Building on that momentum, the goal is to raise more than last year with all proceeds going to help fight childhood cancers.
For more information, visit www.stbaldricks.org/events/sbcup2026/teams.
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) hosted a Belmont Stakes Racing Festival job fair in the 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course last Thursday. Prospective workers met with NYRA, Dyehard Fan Supply, Integrated Staffing, and Levy Restaurants, among others. Available positions included restaurant hosts and staff, premium experience team, mutuel clerks, cashiers, merchandise clerks, customer service, maintenance and grounds crew, white caps, parking attendants and security guards. Photo provided by ELA, Inc.
BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga Peace Pod, a group of crafters who create and deliver warm handmade items to those in need, is celebrating its six-year anniversary.
The Peace Pod was established by Rachel Baum during the pandemic, when meetings were held virtually, and handcrafted items were collected from Pod members in the parking lot of the Saratoga Automobile Museum.
Currently, the Saratoga Peace Pod creates warm items for local organizations, including To Life!, The MoonCatcher Project, Wellspring, WAIT House, and the Veterans & Community Housing Coalition. Donations are also sent to the umbrella organization Knitting4Peace, to be distributed wherever there is a need.
The Saratoga Peace Pod is an offshoot of Knitting4Peace, whose mission is to harness the power of love through compassionate creative action that invites, involves, and serves all women, children, and families in communities and countries around the world. It is comprised of thousands of knitters, crocheters, quilters, and supporters in the United States and Canada. Items created include hats, scarves, mittens, booties, baby blankets, baby bibs, afghans, quilted sleeping mats, Peace Pal dolls, shawls, and washcloths.
Members of the Saratoga Peace Pod meet one Sunday per month at Corina Contemporary Jewelry at 10 Washington Street in Ballston Spa. Saratoga Peace Pod Coordinators Amy Thomas and Laurie Bouchard collect donations at this time and welcome interested crafters to join them there for tea and conversation. Crafters may also drop off donations at the shop anytime it is open.
Those interested in joining the Pod and receiving a monthly email notifying members of their next gathering can contact Amy and Laurie at saratogapeacepod@gmail.com.
This beautiful Dublin Square Townhome at 119 Grand Ave in Saratoga Springs was listed by Jane Mehan and sold by Anny O’Neil from Roohan Realty and sold for $760,000
BALLSTON
Samantha Healy sold property at 4 America Way to Michael Zotta for $585,000
Eastline Holdings LLC sold property at 32 Tamarack St to Kristopher Caraher for $779,980
GALWAY
Bradley Arnold sold property at 6307 Greens Corner Rd to Victoria Walton for $299,900
GREENFIELD
Annemarie OHearn sold property at 73 Pepper Lane to Elizabeth Lee for $559,000
Brian Fox sold property at 339 Green to Scott Shepard for $716,000
MALTA
Bertrand Belanger sold property at 2180 Rowley Rd to Forty Acres and Family for $875,000
Ramdeo Balliram sold property at 74 Pepperbush Place to Donald Knaack for $218,000
James Kennedy sold property at 19 Kozy Lane to Kozy House LLC for $490,000
Robert Behan sold property at 187 Thimbleberry Lane to Linhart McMullin for $320,000
MILTON
Anthony Giacomaro sold property at 632 Stark Terrace to Sean Flanagan for $725,000
SARATOGA
Kathyrn Guetti sold property at 109 Green St to Michelle Perkins for $200,900
Saratoga Lake 1226 LLC sold property at 1226 Rt 9P to 1226 Lake House Partners LLC for $1,250,000
SARATOGA SPRINGS
Walton Szczurco sold property at 12 Curt Blvd to Nicholas Lobosco for $339,000
John Capelli sold property at 8 Frederick Dr to Kincaid Capital Partners for $318,000
78 Church St LLC sold property at 78 Church St Unit 401 to Kristen McLoughlin for $1,369,593
Dato Ventures LLC sold property at 29 Newton Ave to John Alexanderson for $1,210,000
James Devellis sold property at 40 Fifth Ave to Matthew Bergeron for $2,710,000
Shayne Foley sold property at 5 Woodland Ct to Alexa Miller for 470,000
WILTON
David Crawford sold property at 40 Pheasant Ct to Joan Wilmarth for $295,000
Bradley Moss sold property at 12 Deer Run to Keith Egbert for $689,900
sold property at 62 Gailor Rd to Levi Holcombn for $296,000
Kyle Roberts sold property at 181 Traver Rd to Amanda Done for $650,000
New York Development Group sold property at 40 Cannon Royal Dr to Cobblehill Development LLC for $325,000
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) recently announced the stakes schedule for the 2026 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which will open July 3 and continue through Labor Day, Sept. 7.
A few highlights include:
• Leo O’Brien on July 5
• Diana on July 18
• American Oaks on July 25
• Jim Dandy on Aug. 1
• A.P. Smithwick Memorial on Aug. 5
• John Morrissey on Aug. 6
• Whitney on Aug. 8
• Christophe Clement Turf on Aug. 15
• Alabama on Aug. 22
• Travers on Aug. 29
• Jonathan Sheppard Memorial on Sept. 2
• Spinaway on Sept. 5
• Spendthrift Farm Hopeful on Sept. 6
The full schedule is available on NYRA’s website here: https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/stakes-schedule/.
In a video posted to Facebook, Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi announced that he is not resigning and will be returning to office after a brief hiatus due to health reasons
After a brief hiatus due to medical reasons, Mayor Frank Rossi announced his to day-to-day duties in Ballston Spa.
The announcement was made in a speech posted on Facebook on February 26. In the speech, Rossi talked about the reasons he took a leave of absence and said that he was feeling better.
“I feel a lot better.” Rossi said. “My blood pressure is much better. My sleep schedule and sleep consistency are much improved. I would have said I was perfectly ready to return to work without hesitation.”
Rossi had previously announced his decision to take a leave of absence in January, citing mental and physical health issues. His announcement came days after a lawsuit was filed alleging that a building owned by the Rossi family had failed to pay water taxes, as first reported in the Times Union.
In addition, a second lawsuit has been filed seeking to reverse an ethics board decision taking no action after a company Rossi’s brother works for received a contract to renovate Wiswall Park in Ballston Spa.
In his speech Rossi addressed the two lawsuits, pushing back on the allegations and saying that in both cases, the ethics board ruled in his favor. He also talked about the personal toll, saying that while he doesn’t care about his reputation, he cares about the reputational harm to the village and his family caused by the allegations.
Rossi announced that he would not be resigning, citing the positive work he’d done over the last four years and the desire to continue not just his own work but that of past mayors and residents.
“Would me resigning tonight resolve these issues and solve the problems the village is facing?” Rossi said “No in fact, resigning would exacerbate the problems and the harm, in my view, it would derail what we’ve worked so hard to achieve, not just in these four years, but during Christine Fitzpatrick’s time, Larry Woolbright’s time, John Romanos time, Jim Capasso’s time, Burke Grandon’s time and Jim Capasso’s father’s time as mayor.”
