Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Janice Dean, senior meteorologist for FOX News Channel and morning meteorologist for FNC’s FOX & Friends, will be promoting her latest book, “Make Your Own Sunshine: Inspiring Stories of People Who Find Light in Dark Times,” at Encounter, located at 482 Broadway.  The book signing will take place 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 17. 

A pre-order signed copy of the book is $25 and includes entrance into a giveaway that includes gift cards, gift baskets, and more, as well as 20% off all Encounter purchases made on the day of the event. Day-of-event book purchase price is $30. A portion of proceeds will go to Multiple Sclerosis and an unnamed charity of Dean’s choice.

The book signing will be preceded by a VIP meet and greet hour from 9-10 am. Admission to the 9 a.m. event is $50 and includes signed copies of Dean’s books “Make Your Own Sunshine,” and “Mostly Sunny,” entrance into a giveaway of an Encounter gift card, a Samantha Sung Dress, or gift basket. VIP guests will also receive 20% off all purchases that day. 

Both pre-orders and VIP Meet and Greet opportunities can be secured by going to the encounterboutique.com website, or by emailing encounter@pasofny.com by Friday, July 2.

GLENS FALLS — After a year of uncertainty and performance limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Park Theater has announced its inaugural summer concert series at the Crandall Park Bandshell each Friday evening in July 2021. Concerts take place 7-8:30 p.m. This is a free concert series that will serve to enhance the accessibility of the arts within the local community.

The Crandall Park Bandshell is located on Fire Rd, Glens Falls. The Park Theater will be following all NYS and CDC guidance to maintain utmost safety.

 For more information, visit: parktheatergf.com, or phone The Park Theater Box Office at 518-792-1150. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Two new exhibitions – Sprit Rappings, and Brighten the Corners – will run concurrently at Saratoga Arts from July 1 to Aug. 14. 

Spirit Rappings features collaborations and work by artists Judy Glantzman and Jeffrey Hargrave, Ben Gocker and Helen Macro, telling and retelling familiar stories and history by repurposing imagery and/or objects.

Spirit Rappings is borrowed from a song with the same title published in 1853 describing the Victorian practice of spirit rapping to communicate with spirits, which began in western New York State in the 1840s with the rise of spiritualism. Messages received through a series of knocks or taps were interpreted by a medium and shared as truths. This exhibition asks us to reexamine commonly held truths and reconsider what we hold as valuable.

Brighten the Corners: Art of the 1990s from the Tang Teaching Museum Collection, is part of All Together Now, a regional collections sharing project organized by the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College, with support of the Henry Luce Foundation.

This exhibition features more than 15 works of contemporary art including painting, sculpture and photography from the Tang collection with a focus on identity, race, gender and storytelling by artists such as Nayland Blake, Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler, Wendy Ewald, Glenn Ligon, Kerry James Marshall, Frank Moore, Lorna Simpson and Tim Rollins and K.O.S.

An opening reception will be held at Saratoga Arts noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 3, and an Artist Talk takes place on July 10 at 2 p.m. 

Saratoga Arts is located at 320 Broadway. For more information, go to: www.saratoga-arts.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — At its annual meeting on June 17, Saratoga Performing Arts Center reflected upon the challenges and opportunities presented by 2020 and looked ahead to its reopening in 2021. 

“On Monday, May 18 of 2020, SPAC did the unthinkable. In the middle of glorious high spring weather, after 53 continuous years of presenting on our beloved and legendary stage, we cancelled an entire season and left the doors to the amphitheater locked — a profound and solemn acknowledgement during some of the darkest, early days of the pandemic,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president & CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Annual Meeting. “And yet, here we are. After what now seems an eternity, the amphitheater is open, the lawn is thick and green.”

SPAC’s season kicked off on June 5 with its signature education event, The Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists, celebrating the artistic achievements of more than 200 local student dancers, singers, musicians, poets and visual artists. Trey Anastasio kicked off the pop music season with a trio of shows June 18-20. 

Following a year of a shuttered amphitheater stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SPAC will welcome back all three resident companies – New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center — in addition to hosting its iconic Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, a popular concert lineup presented by Live Nation, the return of Caffè Lena @ SPAC, and a special evening dedicated to Health Care Workers. 

During 2020, SPAC completed its major new capital project, The Pines@SPAC. The project restored park-like aesthetics to the grounds and opened up original site lines from the Route 50 Gate to the Victoria Pool, provided new and vastly expanded restrooms and concessions areas – and new measures for safety and security. Funding was provided by Live Nation, Empire State Development, and NYS Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation. 

SPAC’s total operating income for 2020 was $4.37 million, total operating expenses were $3.95 million, resulting in an operating surplus for the year at just over $400,000. That surplus will be used to navigate the 2021 season. 

“Nowhere is SPAC’s transformation more dramatically evident than in the presence of our new Pines@SPAC facility,” Sobol said. The project will have its official ribbon cutting later this season.

Carl DeBrule, Sean Leonard, Chris Mackey and Dr. Oliver Robinson were welcomed as new members of the SPAC Board of Directors. 

DeBrule has over 22 years of experience in business, operations and technical leadership experience driving high performance teams and operational innovations. His current role is with Johnson and Johnson Corporation as Vice President Global Applications Development Engineering Processes and Testing. 

Leonard is currently Chief Investment Officer and Partner with Graypoint LLC with 13 years in finance. He is a pragmatic, growth oriented and execution focused leader. 

Mackey has 34 years of diversified wholesale and retail automotive experience and success in the management and development of all aspects of franchised retail automobile dealership operations. He is 95% owner of Saratoga Ford and Saratoga Subaru. 

Dr. L. Oliver Robinson is currently the Superintendent of Schools for the Shenendehowa Central School District in Clifton Park.

2021 Season Dates

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: June 13 -August 29 at Pitney Meadows Community Farm
New York City Ballet: On and Off Stage, July 14 – 17
Opera Saratoga: Man of La Mancha, July 8-10
The Philadelphia Orchestra: Aug. 11 – 14

For tickets and more information, visit SPAC.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival, in collaboration with Temple Sinai, presents “Jews, God, and History,” a one-man virtual show courtesy of Zoom, at 7 p.m. on June 27. 

“Jews, God, and History” is written and performed by Michael Takiff and directed by Tony nominee Brian Lane Green.

“Geared to mature audiences, Jews, God and History is introspective, and provides us the opportunity to laugh while stimulating our brains to reexamine core beliefs, not to change, but perhaps to reaffirm. You be the judge,” said Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival Coordinator Phyllis Wang, in a statement. 

The show provokes people to think and to laugh, employing a breadth of comedic forms: stand-up, sketch, character, impressions, and just plain jokes. Dialogue, rant, and insight fill out the show’s rich dramatic material.

Takiff will take questions after the performance.  Registration is required:  sjca.sjcf@gmail.com  Further information on program can be found  at www.saratogajewishculturalfestival.org  Donations are welcome to Temple Sinai, 509 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, or at saratogasinai.org.     

BALLSTON SPA — Free concerts will be staged Thursday evenings from 6-8 p.m. in Lions Music Park at the historic Iron Spring Park on Front Street in the village of Ballston Spa from July 1 through Aug. 26.

The concerts are presented by the Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association (BSBPA).

2021 Concerts in the Park Schedule

July 1: Ballston Spa Community Band
July 8: Erin Harkes
July 15: The North & South Dakotas
July 22: The Lustre Kings
July 29: The Rogues
August 5: Annual Ice Cream Social with Union Fire Co. Band
August 12: SIRSY
August 19: Geo Beat
August 26: Ballston Spa Community Jazz Band

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on. Concerts follow any continuing New York State guidelines for safe public gatherings that may be in effect at the time of the event. These may include social distancing measures, face masks and limited capacity in the park. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Ramblin’ Jack Elliot returns to Caffe Lena on July 25 when he is scheduled to perform one week prior to his 90th birthday. For ticket information,
 go to: caffelena.org.