Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Obituaries.
GREENFIELD — John “Jake” LaButta, age 73, passed away on July 25, 2021, at home, with his life partner Diane L McQuigge at his side. John was a co-owner/operator of Point Breeze Marina on Saratoga Lake with his best friend Tom Carringi for many years. For online condolences, please visit www.compassionatefuneralcare.com.
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Obituaries.
GLENVILLE — Earl K. Stewart, age 91 of Glenville, formerly of Queensbury, and Chatham, MA passed away peacefully with his family by his side on July 23, 2021. Memorial Service to be private at the convenience of the family. For online condolences, please visit www.compassionatefuneralcare.com.
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Obituaries.
WATERFORD — Amy Patricia Gilbert, age 51, passed away on Sunday, July 25, 2021. A celebration of life was held on Friday, July 30, 2021, at The American Legion in Cohoes.For online condolences, please visit www.compassionatefuneralcare.com
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Obituaries.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Stephen Sean DiGiovanni, 45, of Saratoga Springs died unexpectedly on July 26. There will be no services held but a Celebration of Life will be held at a later time. www.compassionatefuneralcare.com
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Obituaries.
BALLSTON SPA — Thomas Francis Corbett, 78, passed away on August 1, 2021, following a courageous battle with cancer. A private family celebration of life will be held later in 2021. Memorial donations to Saint Kateri Shrine in Fonda, NY (www.katerishrine.org). www.burkefuneralhome.com
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Obituaries.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Jan Aitken Park, 77, passed July 21, 2021 with family by her side. She was laid to rest with her loving husband Robert at the Saratoga National Cemetery. Memorial was held July 21, 2021 followed by a day at the track. Memorial donations: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. www.burkefuneralhome.com
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Families Today.
Do you ever get stuck in the vicious cycle if worry and fear in your life? As a published author of a managing fear book, I struggled with fear and anxiety for over 20 years. Here is a brief summary of what I did to overcome cycle of fear and anxiety in my life:
I got advice from the professionals. The first thing I did was to talk to various counselors since they know how to conquer fear and anxiety. Whenever I talked to the counselors, I would bring a notebook and take notes so I would not forget the advice that was given to me.
I became an expert on dealing with fear and anxiety. I did everything possible to learn as much as I could in removing my fears and anxieties in my life. I talked to professionals, read books, joined support groups, and learned from experiences.
I surrounded myself with helpful people. I made it a habit of surrounding myself with supportive people who understood what I was going through. This really helped me out when I was really struggling with my anxieties and stresses.
I learned how to manage my fearful thoughts. The key in getting the edge off of your anxieties is by managing your fearful thinking. Whenever I would get a negative and fearful thought, I would challenge that thought with positive statements and realistic thinking. I also made it a habit to focus on the facts of my current situation and not on my negative thinking.
I was persistent. There were times I felt like giving up because my fears and anxieties were so powerful and I didn’t know what to do. I worried about what would happen and that just made my fears that much stronger. During those times, I would consult with a professional and I made it a point to learn from my experiences so that I would be better able to handle these situations in the future.
I did not make excuses. With a lot of practice, I became very good at reducing my fears and anxieties. I realized that the answers to my problems were out there, however it was up to me to find those techniques that would get my life back on track. Making excuses would not improve my situation.
I realized that you can’t predict the future. I realized that there are always factors and circumstances that I cannot predict or anticipate that could make a difference in my stressful and fearful situations. A person may be 99% correct in predicting the future, but all it takes is that 1% to make a difference. The key is to focus on the present.
I made the choice to get better. You have to make the effort to find the answers to overcome your situation. It will not always be easy, but you can overcome the cycle of fear and worry with hard work and a willingness to learn from your everyday experiences. It is important not to give up.
Stan Popovich is the author of the popular managing fear book, “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear”. For more information about Stan’s book and to get some free mental health advice, visit Stan’s website at www.managingfear.com.
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in History.
The Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW) has been active in Saratoga Springs for 96 years. Known as the “Black Elks” among its membership, the Frederick Allen Lodge No. 609 was chartered August 5, 1925. The Lodge was named in honor of Frederick Joseph Allen who was one of the first Redcaps employed by the Union Station in Albany. Mr. Allen worked there for many years, and later became Custodian of Saratoga Springs City Hall. The Mary A. Carter Temple No. 362, woman’s auxiliary was chartered September 17, 1925.
It is presumed that in the early years, meetings were held in member’s homes as there is no record of the organization in any one location. The “Ladies Elks Restaurant” is listed at 48 Congress Street in the 1929 city directory. The Mary A. Carter Temple probably met there, as well as the Frederick Allen Lodge. Forty-eight Congress Street later became the location of the well-known Golden Grill. The first record of a formal location for the IBPOEW lodge was in 1940 at 101 Congress Street on the northwest corner of East Beekman Street. From 1942 through 1966, the lodge was located at 88-90 Congress Street, just west of the railroad trestle that once bridged Congress Street.
The Frederick Allen Lodge sponsored the Royal Antlers Junior Herd 326, for younger members. Ernest Bonner, Exalted Ruler of the junior group, and member of the drill team, remembers practice sessions in the middle of Congress Street and on the third floor of City Hall. The Royal Antlers Junior Herd 326 award-winning drill team, organized and directed by Will Smith, traveled all over the country to perform in various competitions and march in numerous parades. Mr. Bonner believes that The Drill Team was a very worthwhile activity that provided a focus and outlet for children, teenagers and young adults while also teaching responsibility and teamwork.
A fire on May 7, 1966, destroyed the lodge at 88-90 Congress Street, devastating what little remained of the neighborhood that had already lost so much to urban renewal.
The Frederick Allen Lodge and the Mary A. Carter Temple relocated to 69 Beekman Street, in the building that once housed Fusco’s Restaurant. The Lodge became increasingly active in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s hosting several national and state conventions. Longtime local resident Mable “Biddie” Anthony fondly remembered events in the early days being held at Convention Hall on Broadway, before it burned in 1965.
In 1973, approximately 4,000 members from the New York State Association and Auxiliary of IBPOEW marched in the annual parade. The parade made its way through the city, from the east side recreation field, to Broadway, continuing on to the Lodge on Beekman Street. Membership in the organization has always been marked by families with multiple members from different generations. In 1969, four generations of the same family were all members of the Elks organization, including Mrs. Z. Mary Evans, Escort of the Mary A. Carter Temple; her daughter, Mrs. Florence Sharp, Vice Daughter Ruler of the Temple; and Mrs. Sharp’s daughter, Mrs. Sherryl J. Moore, Recording Secretary; and Sherryl J’s daughter, Sherryl D. Moore, a member of the Rosebud Class.
Ms. Anita Turner shared her memories of the Annual Grand Elks Ball at the Casino in Congress Park, with Courtney Reid, for the West Side Oral Narrative Project in 1999. Ms. Turner remembers that it was held the day after the Whitney Ball, and the organizers were able to utilize many of the same decorations and supplies. Because it was held in the height of the summer season, attendees came from many states and Canada. The Ball always began with the Grand Elks March, with people dressed in their best finery. Despite the heat of August, many of the women wore mink stoles. Ms. Turner remembers as a child watching in awe as people marched in. The Casino was always filled to capacity, and they were entertained by famous bands, such as the Cab Calloway Band, and the Duke Ellington Band. The Ball would continue to the early morning hours often followed by breakfast at Hattie’s, a ritual for many.
Ms. Turner observed “as time got on, like everything else, the older people died out, the younger people did not want to pick up that torch and carry it on as the older people had done.” Just after the New Year in 1989, the Lodge on Beekman Street was gutted by a fire. Through hard work and dedication, members were able to repair the damage done to the building and continue to utilize their Beekman Street location. With 96 years of history and service in Saratoga Springs, the Frederick Allen Lodge No. 609 and the Mary A. Carter Temple No. 362, continue to host dinners and jazz fests while participating in the many neighborhood events of the Beekman Street Arts District.
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — There was a place in Saratoga Springs on the cusp of the dawn of this most recent century that stood on the east side of Broadway and just north of Congress Park where locals consumed mugs of gourmet coffee and nestled into wingback chairs.
“’Breakfast At Madeline’s,’” says Matt Witten, recalling both the name of the Saratoga cafe – Madeline’s – and the title of his book published in 1998 that was written at least partially there.
“I was in a time in my life when I was thinking: what do I really want to be writing?” Witten says. “I started out as a playwright and had three plays that were published around the world, but my favorite thing to do would be to put my feet up, have a cup of tea and read a mystery. I thought: Why don’t I try writing a mystery? So, I wrote what I knew.”
Around the same time, he was hired to write an episode for the television series “Law & Order.” It went well. He was hired to come on staff and subsequently packed up his Saratoga Springs residence and his family and relocated to Los Angeles.
This month, Witten will return to Saratoga Springs with his soon-to-be-released book “The Necklace,” and for the first time in a long time stage a book-signing event in this local community. Events will take place in-person at Northshire Bookstore and at the Ballston Spa Public Library, as well as virtually at Saratoga Springs Public Library, and other area locations.
“The Necklace” is showcased as a fast-paced thriller starring a small-town waitress from upstate New York who fights to prove that the man who’s about to be executed for killing her daughter is actually innocent. The real killer is still free and as the clock ticks down, the woman takes on the FBI in a heart-pounding crusade for justice. “The Necklace” – which has been optioned for film by Leonardo DiCaprio – is set in Lake Luzerne, where Witten spends the summer months.
“The story of ‘The Necklace’ was something I was just passionate about,” Witten says, explaining the novel was inspired by a local newspaper article he had read published here nearly a decade ago. “I read this article about a woman who was raising funds to witness the execution of guy who had killed her daughter. The story just stuck with me, and nine years later I wrote the book.”
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Witten wrote a number of books under the Jacob Burns mystery novel series and worked writing for television shows for about 20 years – Law & Order, House, Pretty Little Liars, and CSI: Miami, among them.
“It was fun, but it was writing somebody else’s vision. After about 15 years I got tired of it and started writing pilots, which was great, and I got paid well, but they never got made, which is a very common thing,” he says. “Like NBC will order 100 drama pilots to be written and they’ll only shoot 8 of the pilots and only 4 of them will make it to air. It was a little discouraging in that way, so I decided I was just going to go back to what I love best. My favorite thing is to read psychological thrillers. And this particular story (which became ‘The Necklace’) just drew me in.” He has also written ‘The Necklace’ as a screenplay, which was bought by Leonardo DiCaprio’s company.
While there is a consideration in thought of what the market will find enticing, Witten said he mostly writes about something he finds appealing with the hope that others will, too.
“I have tried on occasion in my career to write something that I thought would be commercial, but those different occasions did not work out. For me, with ‘The Necklace,’ I started out with the beginning and the end. I knew what the beginning was, and I knew who-done-it. In general, everything else I find out along the way,” he says. “As I’m writing, I’m five to ten pages ahead of myself. I’ll know what happens five to ten pages from now, but I might not be too sure what happens twelve or fifteen pages from now. So, I’ll write in the morning and in the afternoon, or in bed at night I’m thinking, ‘Oh, OK I know what I want to write for the next five or ten pages.”
Reflecting on his Saratoga days and the medium in which he works, he acknowledges it’s been a long time gone and a lot has changed.
“With ‘Breakfast at Madeline’s,’ it was something I loved. My book was about a wannabe writer with two young sons and a wife who taught at ACC. It was fun to write. I wrote this book sitting at Madeline’s about this set at Madeline’s. It was such an amazing thing,” he recalls.
“My first book signing was at the mall in downtown (Saratoga Springs) a couple of blocks over from Madeline’s and there were about 200 people there. It was such a good feeling, and all kinds of funny things happened. Dee Sarno – who was the head of Saratoga Arts Council – was very gracious that I had a character in there who was the head of Saratoga Arts Council, even though I kind of lampooned the Arts Council. Just a joyful experience. And there were also two guys who worked at Madeline’s, each of whom came up to me privately and said: ‘It’s so cool you based the murderer on me,” Witten says with a laugh. “Two different guys. So, I told them both: yes! I wrote three more books at Saratoga. One was after I was kind of ticked off at the elementary school principal at Division Street school, so I killed him off.” In subsequent books, a variety of residents and officials were also similarly “killed off,” with the creative use of a pen.
Much has changed in the world since the time Witten spent his days writing in Saratoga’s cafes, but some things have also remained. “What hasn’t changed: You just try to write a good story.”
Matt Witten will be at the following venues:
– Book Talk with Matt Witten and the Los Angeles Times bestselling author Patricia Smiley, at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12 – virtual event, go to www.sspl.org.
– Reading, Q & A, and book signing, 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 14 at Ballston Spa Public Library on Milton Avenue.
– Book signing, 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 20 at Northshire Bookstore Saratoga, Broadway Saratoga Springs.
Also: Reading, Q & A, and book signing, 2 p.m. Sept. 5 at the Book Cabin in Lake George; Book club, 6 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Stony Creek Library in Stony Creek; Reading, Q & A, and book signing, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Easton Public Library on Route 40, Greenwich.
Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.
The Fasig-Tipton 100 Year Saratoga Sale auction celebration for selected yearlings will take place August 9-10 Monday and Tuesday evening at 630 p.m. On the grounds of the Humphrey S. Finney sales pavilion on George Street in Saratoga Springs with a kickoff ribbon cutting. This years selected yearling sale offering the best of the North American yearling crop will be one of historical significance. Due to last year’s pandemic shut down of the 2020 Saratoga Sale and the fact that the horse industry itself has maneuvered through a lot during these restrictions, it will be a celebration of genuine joy this August. The President and Chief Executive officer of Fasig Tipton Co., Boyd Browning summed up the excitement, “All of us at Fasig-Tipton are eagerly anticipating our 100th Saratoga Yearling Sale! We hope to have the sale of a century and erase the disappointment of not being able to conduct our sales last year due to COVID.” Manuel Hernandez, Plant manager from Fasig-Tipton relished the same mantra, “We are so happy to be reopening and to welcome everyone back to Saratoga for this historic sale. I also would like to thank my crew for all their hard work to get everything ready for the sale.” The skill and care that the horse industry has shown throughout this past year has been a model to follow for any industry. With fortitude and grace, they come to this celebratory kick off of 100 years with a grateful attitude. The fact that people will be able to watch in person is just a small blessing that will have huge rewards. Economically and socially, this will be a win. And in horse racing that is the word of the day! The ultimate goal is to WIN.
Back in the 1940s, Clarence Knapp, former Saratoga Mayor stated, “When I was young, I was strong in conviction, that Saratoga was the most beautiful place in the world. My conviction is stronger today.” This very well could be what The Saratoga Sale is creating on this historic year for horse owners, breeders, consignors, and observers. With the closure of the 2020 sale, this current year’s 100th selected yearling sale will be sure to be a beautiful evening with a major significance of magical proportion and commitment to quality.
This harkens back to the WWII years, when due to cargo transport limitations imposed on breeders, the Saratoga Sale was suspended from 1943-45. One can imagine what it felt like on the reopening of this sale in 1946.
The auctioneers voice following you as you walk under the shadowed trees on the revered grounds. The dark green barns creating a cinematic backdrop right out of a film set. The moon high in the sky watching over patrons as they wander the barns with hundreds of stalls, row after row, down dirt paths. Viewing these majestic equine animals, looking into their mystical eyes, peeking out from their stalls one after the other, awaiting their turn to be sold by the auctioneer to the highest bidder. Perusing their breeding lineage for any recognition of stardom knowing that this may be the one that will eventually win a top Stakes Race or possibly become a rare Triple Crown Winner. It is like being in a microcosm within a moment that all the onlookers are connected by one thing, this thoroughbred force of nature. The equus animal and human bond. We don’t understand why, but we are drawn to it. Ultimately, this is why this Saratoga Sale is a moment of moments that will be one for the history books.
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Fasig-Tipton is the oldest auction company in North America. In 1917, The Saratoga Sale began annually with the exception of the mentioned WWII closure and the current pandemic shut down from 2020. This timeline brings this auction house to the 2021 hundred years yearling crop to be auctioned this week. According to Clark Brewster, Thoroughbred Horse Owner, “When major stakes races are run in this country, and for that matter around the world, one often sees entrants that were purchased from the Saratoga yearling sale. More than any other yearling sale, Saratoga stands out as the venue with the best offerings to purchase a champion. It’s 100-year history is a testament to that consistent excellence.” The prestige, the excitement wrapped with the tradition of The Spa is something irreplaceable. This year’s sale may be the biggest celebration yet.
There are many selected sale offerings from the best of the North American yearling crop that is anticipated to bring in millions of dollars this season. Over 200 yearlings will be auctioned. The great Man o’War sold as a yearling at the 1918 Saratoga Sale. Of the 13 Triple Crown past winners, two of the three offered at public auction were sold at a Fasig-Tipton sale. The Triple Crown 2015 American Pharaoh was sold at the 2013 Saratoga Sale. The anticipation for the upcoming sale doesn’t get more thrilling than that, knowing a future star may be sitting in the auction barns this week. Which one will be a Kentucky Derby entry or a Traver’s winner of the Midsummer Derby here at Saratoga Racecourse? There will always be a surprise horse with exceptional quality. This is what makes it exciting. There is value in what is sold here.
The legacy of this sale is rich in tradition. Starting with this 100 Year catalogue, Hip No. 1, will be a Dark Bay or Brown Colt from Empire Maker who sired 15 crops and 65 Winners including Royal Delta, champion Breeders’ Cup ladies Classic. In addition to Pioneer of the Nile, Emollient, Grace Hall, Bodemeister, Mushka and Acoma. Look for Hip No. 10, a Chestnut Colt from Justify who was the horse of the year champion, Kentucky Derby, Belmont, Preakness, Santa Anita Derby winner. His first foals are yearlings of 2021. The list goes on and on in the full catalogue of exceptional quality that will be viewed in the 100 Year edition.
With the pandemic economic recovery still looming in our minds, our small business community has been on an upswing and feeling economic vibrancy on their doorsteps. One restauranteur, Bob Lee, owner of the treasured Wishing Well Restaurant on Route 9 and the Brook Tavern on Union Avenue, only blocks away from the Fasig-Tipton pavilion, stated that, “Saratoga is fortunate to have six weeks of world class racing every summer, and sales week is the busiest, most exciting time of the meet. We’re glad it’s back.” His words ring true to all of us in the horse industry in addition to the natives and tourists of Saratoga Springs. We are certainly happy that this tradition is back and in full swing.
There will be electricity in the air on Monday evening. There will also be a feeling of gratitude to the consignors, the owners, the buyers and to Fasig-Tipton who make it all possible with these high-quality horses. As Hip No.1 is led from the walking ring through the doors of the auction pavilion, the gallery will be crowded with a group of horse worshipers singing out their litany of adoration, waiting for this defined moment. The lead up is a rite of passage in Saratoga’s social scene but more importantly, this year it will be more than that. It will be a moment of gathering in a world where we don’t take it for granted anymore. We will savor it and simply say “We’re glad it’s back.”
