BALLSTON SPA — Anyone can become a pilot. 

This is the mantra, of sorts, for Hewison Aviation, a company that offers flight lessons and recently expanded its services to the beautified Saratoga County Airport.  

“The general, typical, day-to-day person—they don’t know that they can become a pilot,” said Maura Hewison, the aviation company’s operations manager. “Unless you have an uncle or a neighbor or someone who is a pilot, it’s not on your radar. You don’t know how to do that.”

Hewison’s staff of instructors can teach just about anyone how to pilot an airplane. Their teachers have anywhere from 500 to thousands of hours of flight time experience, a qualification that Hewison says sets them apart from competitors. In addition to the nuts and bolts of manning an aircraft, these instructors also emphasize a “disciplined attitude toward aviation” that aims to keep pilots well-trained and passengers at ease.

“What you’re doing in flight training is you’re learning how to stay calm in the event of an emergency,” Maura said. “It’s called aviate, navigate, and communicate. That means fly the plane, figure out where you’re going to land, and talk to whoever you have to talk to… It teaches you how to stay calm and how to focus instead of everyone freaking out.”

Hewison is interested in teaching these lessons not just to hobbyists but also to the next generation of pilots. The company hopes to get more high school students involved in flight lessons, perhaps via a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) program.

“These are going to be the people that are flying you and your family around for the next 30 to 50 years,” Maura said.

Hewison’s mission to share a love of the skies with young and old pilots alike stretches back to the company’s founder, Chris, watching his father and uncle soar through the heavens. Chris’ father was a private pilot and his uncle was a fighter pilot in the Korean war. When Chris created his flight school 11 years ago, his first plane was purchased from his father. Since then, the company has grown slowly but surely, expanding but attempting not to expand too rapidly. In New York State, Hewison now operates out of the Griffiss Airport in Rome, where they have about 30 students per year; the South Albany Airport, where they tally around 60 students per year; and, as of January 2025, the Saratoga County Airport.

The company offers a wide range of courses, from introductory “discovery flights” to commercial pilot licenses. To learn more, visit hewisonaviation.com.

CLIFTON PARK — The 2025 Love Our Locals campaign officially launched on Oct. 30 and will continue until the end of the year, Dec. 31. The annual campaign by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce is part of an ongoing effort to support local businesses and nonprofits.

During the campaign, customers can shop at, dine in (or take out), pay for a service, donate to, or hire a local Saratoga County business or nonprofit—and if they spend $20.25 or more, they’ll have the chance to win $100 in gift cards from Saratoga County businesses.

To enter:

1. Spend or donate $20.25 or more at any Saratoga County business or non-profit organization from now through Dec. 31.

2. Take a photo of the receipt, including the purchase total and name of the business or non-profit organization.

3. Provide contact information and upload the receipt photo through the chamber’s online form.

Each week during the campaign, the chamber will randomly select winners for $100 in gift cards to businesses from across the county. Winners will be notified and also will be posted on the chamber’s social media channels and on the Love Our Locals website.

To learn more or to submit a receipt, visit www.saratoga.org/love-our-locals/.

Photos of Paula Perpall and Brendon Teetor provided by Roohan Realty.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Roohan Realty recently announced the addition of two new licensed real estate salespeople: Paula Perpall and Brendon Teetor.

Perpall is a graduate of SUNY Albany and NYU Medical School’s Diagnostic Program. She spent 31 years in medical sales, where she honed her skills in communication, negotiation, and client care. An active real estate investor in both Saratoga Springs and the Adirondacks, Perpall has hands-on experience with short and long-term rentals, renovations, and resales. Originally from downstate New York, Perpall has called Saratoga Springs home for more than 25 years.

Teetor is licensed in both New York and Florida with more than a decade of experience spanning residential sales, property management, and real estate investment. After founding and leading Sterling Teetor Realty Group in Fort Lauderdale, Teetor expanded his practice to Upstate New York, bringing his understanding of both the South Florida and Capital Region markets to Roohan Realty. Teetor and his wife relocated from Fort Lauderdale to Saratoga Springs in 2021, where they’re raising their two children.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Indulgence Bakery at 63 Putnam Street in downtown Saratoga Springs celebrated its new owner and pastry chef, Elise Soto, with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 6.

Under this new leadership, the bakery will continue its tradition of crafting custom cakes, artisanal desserts, and edible words of art while also introducing new designs and flavors.

Indulgence was founded as a woman-owned business. For more information, visit bitesofindulgence.com.

BALLSTON SPA — A long-awaited Ted’s Fish Fry location in Ballston Spa opened its doors on Nov. 1 at 2103 Doubleday Avenue, the former home of a Pizza Hut.

Plans to open the outpost were first unveiled in March of 2024, with an anticipated opening of fall 2024. Then in March of 2025, the Albany Business Review reported that renovations of the former Pizza Hut had begun in February and that the location was set to open in late spring or early summer of that year. Then in October of this year, an opening appeared imminent as the structure’s exterior was transformed, and job postings appeared on the company’s website.

The new Ballston Spa location is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Ted’s Fish Fry has been a Capital Region mainstay for decades. The chain also has locations in Albany, Troy, Clifton Park, Latham, and Watervliet. The eatery specializes in fried seafood and chowder.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Adelphi Hotel was recently awarded a Michelin Key, which the Michelin Guide says is akin to a restaurant receiving one of its famed stars. 

“Our Inspectors take into account five universal criteria when awarding MICHELIN Stars, and they have five universal criteria when selecting hotels: excellence in architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, overall personality and character, value for the price, and a significant contribution to the neighborhood or setting,” Michelin states on its website. “Our Key hotels don’t just fulfill one of these criteria. These are the best of the best in all categories.”

The Adelphi was the only hotel in Saratoga Springs to receive the honor and one of about 30 hotels in New York State to be named a “one-key hotel.” In a social media post, the Adelphi called the award a “significant milestone in our commitment to excellence in hospitality.”

The Adelphi has expanded significantly in recent years, putting the final touches on a $75 million construction project in the summer of 2025, which grew the hotel from 32 guest rooms to 65. Last year, the hotel also opened 79 new luxury residences.

 Photos of Molly Brindle, Kira Karbocus, Stuart Kaufman, Nicole Messier-Marino, and Ellen Sheehan provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, established in 1977 to preserve and enhance the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of the Spa City, recently named five new members to its board of directors: Molly Brindle, Kira Karbocus, Stuart Kaufman, Nicole Messier-Marino, and Ellen Sheehan.

“We are excited to have the Foundation benefit from their expertise and knowledge,” said Executive Director Samantha Bosshart in a news release.

Brindle most recently served as director of corporate partnerships for the New York Racing Association (NYRA) from 2008 until her retirement in 2018. She also worked in media sales and promotion at WROW and Time Warner Cable before joining Discover Saratoga. A “serial volunteer,” Molly first joined the Foundation when Carrie Woerner was executive director, and in retirement she continues to volunteer for Community Hospice, Wellspring, and several organizations that support the track’s backstretch workers and retired racehorses.

Karbocus currently provides strategic consulting to nationally recognized nonprofit and independent organizations in the music industry, with a focus on business operations and finance. Her current work spans performing arts centers to a major stadium concert featuring some of the world’s top artists. From 2018 to 2024, Kira served as CFO and COO of Newport Festivals Foundation, where she co-produced the legendary Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals during a period of growth and impact. Prior to that, she held the same leadership roles at Fingerpaint Group, helping to guide the company through years of high growth. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and Caffè Lena.

Kaufman is a managing attorney at the Saratoga Office of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, where he provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals, focusing on tenant rights and homelessness prevention. He’s an active member and past president of the Saratoga County Bar Association. He also volunteers with Cindy’s Comfort Camp, a grief support program for children.

Messier-Marino is the managing director of corporate communications for Publicis and MSL, where she leads strategic communications and corporate reputation programs for Fortune 500 companies. A Capital Region native, her family purchased 2 Clement Avenue in 2023, a home built in 1885. The house is celebrated by art historian James Kettlewell in “Saratoga Springs: An Architectural History” as “the most impressive example of the Shingle Style variant of the Queen Anne Victorian.”

Sheehan has lived in Saratoga Springs since 1992. She worked for Catholic Charities, drawn to its commitment to the poor and vulnerable, but architecture remained a strong interest. She took AutoCad and construction materials classes in the Civil Engineering Department at Hudson Valley Community College. She also worked on various committees for Habitat for Humanity and helped with builds. She was appointed to the Saratoga Springs Design Review Board (DRB) in 2019. She recently finished her term.

For more information about the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, visit www.saratogapreservation.org.