SARATOGA SPRINGS — It’s been nearly two years since the Western Sun Foundation, a charity run by fans of the jam band Goose, raised a record sum for Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga. And now, with Goose storming the SPAC stage on Fourth of July weekend, the charity is back and ready to raise more funds for a local nonprofit.

A golf tournament dubbed “Red, White & Birdies” will be held at the Saratoga Spa Golf Course on Independence Day. It’s a sequel of sorts to “Goose on the Green,” the fundraising golf event held at the same course in 2024, when Goose last played at SPAC. But this time, everything promises to be bigger. Two years ago, 18 tee times were available. This year, there will be at least 20. Two years ago, Western Sun was a relatively new charity supporting a relatively new band. This year, all that’s changed.

“We’re getting more awareness and we’re getting more trust,” Western Sun’s president Sarah Blazincic told Saratoga TODAY. “We used to have to fully explain what our mission was and what our intentions were to the community, and now people know us. People are trusting and knowing what we do and what our mission is. We less have to convince people that we’re up to good because they have seen the proof.”

In 2024, the proof was $7,500 raised by Western Sun for Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga. At the time, the sum was the fan-run charity’s largest gift yet. But Western Sun likes to spread the love around and generally doesn’t donate to the same nonprofit twice within two years. That means they need another beneficiary for their upcoming “Red, White & Birdies” event.

Beneficiaries need to be based in the Capital Region and meet the following criteria:

• Classified as a “Public Charity” with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (individual or private foundations are not eligible)

• Operating budget less than $1,000,000 

• Focuses on one of the following areas: music education; music therapy; safety, health, and personal wellbeing of women and children; or climate action and environmental sustainability 

Finding smaller charities to serve as beneficiaries can be a challenge, at times, for Western Sun. In 2024, the charity connected with Therapeutic Horses thanks to an article published in Saratoga TODAY (not that we’re bragging or anything). This year, the prize is still up for grabs. (Who knows, perhaps someone reading this will score the bag.)

Since Goose last played SPAC, their charity has grown exponentially, much like the band itself, which sold out Madison Square Garden for the first time in 2025.

“Each year, we have grown anywhere between 30 and 50% year over year from the last year,” Blazincic said. “We are rapidly growing, and we keep thinking it’s going to plateau. We thought this is the year it would plateau, but it turns out it’s just going higher and higher.”

Western Sun was launched by a group of Goose fans in 2022. The Goose community, akin to the Phish and Grateful Dead fan bases that came before it, often attends multiple shows every year, obsessing over the setlists, solos, and sound mixes of each tour. Phish’s Mockingbird Foundation and the Grateful Dead’s Rex Foundation both served as examples for Goose fans looking to give back. 

“We decided to take this big energy that was Goose and the music we get from it, transform that into action, and raise money for the communities that we’re traveling through,” Blazincic told Saratoga TODAY in a 2024 interview.

Local organizations that meet the criteria listed above can contact Sarah Blazincic at westernsunfoundation@gmail.com. The deadline to determine a beneficiary is June 1.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) recently announced it has renewed its land trust accreditation.

“Renewing our accreditation shows Saratoga PLAN’s ongoing commitment to permanent land conservation in the Saratoga region,” said Robert Davies, executive director of Saratoga PLAN. “We are stronger as an organization for having gone through the rigorous accreditation renewal process. That renewed strength and effectiveness means special places – such as PLAN’s 13 public nature preserves and the agricultural land crucial to more than 30 local working farms – will be protected forever, making this area an even greater place to live, work, visit and play.”

Saratoga PLAN provided extensive documentation and was subject to a comprehensive third-party evaluation prior to achieving this distinction.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awarded renewed accreditation, signifying its confidence that Saratoga PLAN’s lands will be protected forever. Accredited land trusts across the country now steward over 20 million acres – the size of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.

“We are proud to recognize Saratoga PLAN’s continued commitment to conservation excellence,” said Melissa Kalvestrand, executive director of the Commission. “The accreditation seal is a mark of distinction that stands for excellence, trust and permanence. Saratoga PLAN is part of a network of accredited land trusts that are united by their strong ethical practices. Accredited land trusts inspire confidence and respect among their peers and in their communities.”

Saratoga PLAN is one of 1,281 land trusts across the United States according to the Land Trust Alliance’s most recent National Land Trust Census.

Since 2003, Saratoga PLAN has helped protect more than 14,000 acres of land.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Wesley Community, a 37-acre senior living campus with more than 700 residents in Saratoga Springs, recently introduced an alternative to its traditional certified nursing assistant (CNA) training program that is generating results for stakeholders and participants.

Launched last September and featuring accelerated training, the new hybrid CNA program has yielded 43 new graduates, 98% of whom have passed the New York State CNA exam. There are currently 16 students enrolled in the session that began on April 20.

One of Wesley’s longtime CNAs is Janet DeVaux, the mother of Kentucky Derby-winning trainer and Saratoga Springs native Cherie DeVaux.

Janet credits her employment as a CNA at Wesley with providing financial stability for her family as they worked to build their stable training horses.

“Being a CNA has supported my family for the better part of the last 30 years while we trained horses,” she recalled. “Working at Wesley has been like having a second family. My residents immediately became family, and I am constantly given the opportunity to learn and to advance my training to better serve them.”

The paid hybrid training program is three weeks long and includes two weeks onsite to complete clinical, skill practice and skill-testing hours. It has replaced Wesley’s previous six-week CNA training program, which had been offered exclusively onsite.

Due to the accelerated class time of the hybrid CNA program, graduates are each assigned a mentor (DeVaux currently serves as one of the mentors) and undergo an orientation period to become familiar with the residents who they will assist with activities of daily living. A success coach is assigned and conducts weekly meetings during a four-week orientation. Graduates receive their own assignments following this period.

As a night shift worker at Wesley, DeVaux is aware of the importance of training new employees to join the workforce, at a time when there is a critical nursing shortage throughout the industry.

“The CNA program at Wesley has been producing some very nice results, which is encouraging, considering the increasing need for all facets of nursing care,” DeVaux said. “Becoming a CNA is a great option for anyone who is interested in launching a career in health care. Wesley’s comprehensive program provides everything needed to be awarded the necessary certification.”

Qualified candidates interested in becoming part of Wesley’s CNA team can apply online at: https://thewesleycommunity.recruitpro.com/jobs/310395-15755.html.

CLIFTON PARK — Realm Artesian Water recently began sales after receiving New York State Department of Health approval to bottle naturally-sourced artesian water from a protected aquifer in Washington County’s Adirondack region.

Realm’s bottling plant at 8 Fairchild Square in Clifton Park hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 6 to celebrate the company’s sales launch.

From inception, Realm was designed as a fully closed loop, vertically integrated water company. Realm owns and controls its artesian source, operates its own bottling facility, and manages its distribution network end-to-end. Realm’s water is transported directly from the source to the bottling facility, where it is bottled on site using stainless steel piping, advanced filtration, and “rigorous” quality control systems. The facility’s cleaning and sanitation processes use Realm’s own artesian water, helping to reduce exposure to outside contaminants.

THE WILD HORSE

The Wild Horse in Saratoga Springs closed in January for renovations before officially reopening on May 7.

Chef Dylan Burkhart is spearheading Wild Horse 2.0 as its new executive chef. Burkhart is a veteran of two popular Saratoga eateries: Siro’s and Noah’s Italian. He currently serves as the executive sous chef at both spots. “Dylan is excited to bring his experience and deliver a one-of-a-kind culinary experience,” said Wild Horse in its announcement.

The Caroline Street hotspot also unveiled a Noah Frese-curated menu that featured an array of tapas-esque dishes such as beef tartare, open flame calamari, Nashville hot bao buns, and gambas al ajillo. Offerings also include meat and cheese selections, and bigger plates like pork chops, burgers, and chicken thighs.

Wild Horse is open Wednesday through Sunday at 4 p.m. 

HATTIE’S

But when one door opens, another closes. Hattie’s Chicken Shack in Wilton shuttered last week after 15 years in business. Hattie’s will continue to operate its other outposts, including its seasonal one at the Saratoga Race Course. The Southern fare-dishing business didn’t offer a specific reason for the Wilton closure.

HARVEST GRAIN PIZZA

Harvest Grain Pizza in Malta, located in the former home of Dunning Street Station, opened suddenly on May 4 after initially targeting a September or October opening last year. It’s Harvest Grain’s second location.

The pizzeria offers a wide variety of pies, including whole wheat, square pan, Sicilian deep dish, gluten free, a white “Saratoga” pizza, Hawaiian, veggie lovers, and many more.

The Fodero Dining Car-designed building on Route 9 that now houses Harvest Grain has a long history of prior owners stretching back to the early 1950s, when it first opened as the Malta Ridge Diner. In the 1970s, it was a filming location for “My Old Man,” a made-for-TV drama about a horse trainer that was based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway.

SCALLIONS

According to The Dishing, chef/restaurateur Ronald Solevo (the owner and namesake of Solevo Kitchen) has taken over Scallions, where he plans to unveil a new eatery this fall called The Pearl. Solevo will renovate the space to create “a coastal Connecticut seafood restaurant with a hidden twist,” reported The Dishing.

LAKESIDE FARMS

Last but not least, Lakeside Farms in Ballston Lake reopened on April 30. The cider mill/shop/eatery is especially known for its sandwiches, such as The Cortland and The McIntosh. 

Lakeside’s restaurant and country store are now open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

ALBANY — Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) and his colleagues in the New York State Senate in Albany recently honored as a 2026 “Woman of Distinction” Dawn Vavala of Halfmoon, a small business owner who gives back to the community as a major supporter of the City of Schenectady School District Educational Foundation.

“Dawn Vavala is a successful small business owner in Saratoga County who has dedicated her time and energy to giving back to the community and making Saratoga County, Schenectady and the entire Capital Region a better place by living the Rotary Club mission of ‘service above self,’” Tedisco said. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to honor her as a 2026 New York State Senate Woman of Distinction for all her hard work and everything she has done for our local economy and to make life better for residents via her volunteerism.”

For more than 25 years, Vavala has owned Nite Owl Marketing in Clifton Park, which specializes in custom clothing and branded promotional products. Previously, she owned and operated Tuxego of Clifton Park. Vavala grew up in Schenectady and graduated from the former Mont Pleasant High School in Schenectady, is a charter member and past president of Twin Bridges Rotary Club, a Paul Harris Fellow, and a member of its Gift of Life board, which provides life-saving surgery for children in developing countries. She recently helped to bring a child from Mongolia to the Capital Region for life-saving surgery.

Vavala is a board member of the Mother Teresa Academy in Halfmoon and a member of the Southern Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, Saratoga Convention Bureau, and the Schenectady Ole Timers Baseball Club.