Photos of Twin Leaf Farms’ maple weekend event by Super Source Media for Saratoga TODAY.
GREENFIELD CENTER — Last weekend, Twin Leaf Farms was bustling with the noise of families and friends as they experienced one of New York State’s Maple Weekends.
Attendees were treated to a pancake breakfast in the morning and had the opportunity to learn about the process behind creating maple syrup, with a chance at a tractor ride around the farm as well.
The event began at 10 a.m. in a large barn where many local vendors could be found selling their homemade goods that ranged from cupcakes to woodworking. Families were seated at tables, loud conversations and children’s laughter floating throughout the space, adding a warm and welcoming feeling to the barn.
Attendees were able to see the evaporator that boils maple sap into maple syrup for consumption. The process is very specific, with the necessary temperature of the boiled sap changing with the barometric pressure. The intrigue was evident on the faces of both the young and the old as workers walked the crowd through the syrup-making process.
The festivities will continue with the second Maple Weekend on March 28-29. Local businesses participating in the event include Hop City Maple in Ballston Spa, Sugar Oak Farms in Malta, and the Maple Valley Farm in Corinth.
New York State ranks as the nation’s second-biggest maple producer, creating 829,000 gallons of the sticky substance in 2025. The state also boasts the largest resource of tappable maple trees in America.
MALTA — Podcast production company Bright Sighted Media has moved its studio from downtown Saratoga Springs to the Innovation Center at Saratoga in Malta.
“This all happened in a short amount of time and we are so grateful to everyone who helped us with the move,” Bright Sighted said in a social media post. “We’re looking forward to creating with the Innovation Center to continue helping creators and entrepreneurs do their thing.”
The company has produced a number of local podcasts, including “Destination Saratoga: All Access,” which premiered its second season in January and is hosted by Discover Saratoga’s MacKenzie Zarzycki; the recently-launched “Good Stuff,” hosted by Bright Sighted Founder Christine O’Donnell and guest hosted by Saratoga Arts’ Spencer Sherry; “The Other 3 Years,” hosted by Saratoga Olympic rower Kristi Wagner; “Afternoon Tea at Pantry Hill,” hosted by Saratogian Darien Rozell; and the real estate-focused “Selling Saratoga.”
The Innovation Center at Saratoga—a makerspace and community collaboration space designed to support inventors, creators, and innovators—opened in June of last year. The center is stocked with a variety of tools and equipment, including 3D printers; computer workstations with object modeling and graphic design; woodworking stations; digital photography software; embroidery and sewing machines; creative pods; and offices. It’s located at 16 Old Stonebreak Road.
A tree-tapping ceremony at Hop City Maple in Ballston Spa celebrated the beginning of New York’s maple season in 2024. Photo by Super Source Media for Saratoga TODAY.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — March is Maple Month in New York State, and the nation’s second-biggest maple producer is ready to party.
New York’s 2,000-plus maple sugar makers produced 829,000 gallons of the sticky substance in 2025, and the state has the largest resource of tappable maple trees in America.
To celebrate these sweet achievements, Maple Weekends will be held on March 21-22 and March 28-29.
“Maple Weekend is a tradition and celebration we all look forward to, especially after a snowy winter,” New York State Maple Producers Association Executive Director Helen Thomas said in a press release from the governor’s office. “For the 160 farms taking part in Maple Weekend, it’s an opportunity for them to open their doors and share the skill and passion behind what they do… Every participating farm offers an educational presentation or a demonstration, showing firsthand how maple syrup and maple products are made. For visitors, there’s nothing like tasting fresh maple syrup right from the source.”
Here’s a roundup of local maple-related events occurring this weekend and next.
• Hop City Maple in Ballston Spa is inviting people to experience the world of maple on both Maple Weekends. See the sap run down the tubing system to where the maple syrup comes out in the evaporator. Taste maple sap along with all the end products: maple syrup, candies, lollipops, maple fudge, and more. Pet the GOATs, taste maple, drink beer, and eat crepes. Dickinson Delight’s will be there serving their crepes and other food. Dancing Grain Brewery will be on site offering their farm craft brews, all New York grown and certified. Saratoga Wild Roots’ certified wild mushroom forager will be there as well.
• Twin Leaf Farms in Greenfield Center will host a special New York State Maple Weekend event on March 21 and 22. The family-friendly event will include a $5 pancake breakfast, guided farm tours, live maple-making demonstrations in the sugarhouse, local vendors, and live music. Guests can learn about the traditions and modern processes of maple sugar making, explore working farms, and taste maple products straight from the source.
• Sugar Oak Farms in Malta will be celebrating both Maple Weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. See firsthand how maple syrup is made, from tree to table. There will be fresh maple coffee, free samples of maple syrup, and all of the farm’s products will be available for purchase. At the sugar house, chat with “Sap Commander” Erich to hear more about the family operation. Events include: 12 p.m. tapping demonstration, 1 p.m. sawmill demonstration, and a 2 p.m. sugarbush walk.
• Maple Valley Farm in Corinth will feature live music by Keanen Stark and Orion Kribs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its 30th annual Maple Open House, occurring both Maple Weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Take part in maple tours and learn how the 6th generation farm makes maple syrup from tree to table. Visitors can also enjoy a pancake breakfast, featuring the farm’s pure maple syrup, as well as lunch items. Kids can enjoy pony rides, and there will be a variety of local vendors offering unique goods and treats.
• Taste NY at the Adirondacks Welcome Center in Queensbury will feature Maple Bingo and will offer weekly maple product sampling on Thursdays in March from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will also host an event, ‘From Sap to Syrup,’ on March 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will allow attendees to sample maple products, such as sap water, light syrup, dark syrup, maple sugar, and a hard maple cube, from local producers Wild Hogs Sugar Shack and Holly & Vine Farm & Winery. In addition, the Adirondacks Welcome Center will have educational and interactive displays, and samples of maple lattes and locally made maple hot cocoa, which will also be sold on site.
HEAL Saratoga recently celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce on March 13. HEAL, located at 433 Broadway, is a new wellness destination dedicated to whole body recovery and mental clarity. The facility offers private treatment rooms equipped with Sunlighten infrared saunas and Plunge cold immersion tubs. To learn more, visit www.healsaratoga.com. Photo from the ribbon-cutting ceremony by Super Source Media for Saratoga TODAY.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Michael Nelson, owner of Five Towers Media (a Saratoga Springs marketing agency serving clients across the Capital Region), has launched Foundry 5, a new business automation company purpose-built for small businesses.
Foundry 5 identifies manual, repetitive workflows, such as invoicing, lead follow-up, reporting, and client onboarding, and automates them end-to-end. Projects are fixed-scope and fixed-price, typically completed in two to three weeks. Automations run on Foundry 5’s managed infrastructure, with ongoing monitoring and support available through monthly care plans.
“Our mission has always been to help small businesses grow, and to give them unwavering support as we do,” Nelson said. “We see local teams carrying massive workloads that automation can lift off their plates. When you stop doing manually what a system can do for you, you free up your people to focus on higher-level work. That’s what actually moves the needle.”
Foundry 5 operates with a focused service model: One engineer, a defined set of automation tools, and a deliberate cap on active clients. Ongoing support is available through optional monthly care plans that cover monitoring, maintenance, and SLA-backed response times.
Nelson, who continues to lead Five Towers Media, sees the two businesses as complementary — one helping companies grow their audience, the other helping them build the operational foundation to handle that growth.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Universal Preservation Hall is hosting the second Saratoga Business Connect, a professional networking event designed to foster collaboration, spark new partnerships, and strengthen economic ties. It will take place at 6 p.m. (and performances for ticket holders will begin at 7:30 p.m.) on Tuesday, March 24 in the Great Hall.
Saratoga Business Connect brings together local business leaders, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and creative professionals for an evening of conversation, relationship-building, and shared opportunity to learn about the intimate venue and share first-hand experiences of the space with their patrons. Attendees can enjoy light refreshments, structured networking moments, and the chance to connect with like-minded professionals from a wide range of industries.
The event will begin with networking and light fare, then feature live entertainment with a yet-to-be-announced musical act followed by stand-up comedy by Tony Deyo.
Partners have access to an exclusive offer of $5 tickets, plus a free drink voucher using their partner code. The public is also welcome to attend the performances for $15. Tickets are on sale now through the Box Office at Proctors in person, via phone at (518) 346-6204 Tuesday- Saturday 12-6 p.m., or online by visiting atuph.org.
West Ave Pizza owner Mario Cardenas listens to Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford read a proclamation celebrating the pizzeria’s five-year anniversary. Photo by Aidan Cahill.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford officially proclaimed March 10 (stylized as Mar10 or “Mario”) to be West Ave Pizza Day in a small ceremony held at the pizzeria on Tuesday afternoon.
Safford read from a proclamation written in honor of the pizza shop’s owner, Mario Cardenas.
“West Avenue Pizza has achieved tremendous popularity in our city and across our region, offering its enthusiastic customers a menu that now includes pizza, chicken, Guatemalan dishes, and other specialties,” the mayor said. “It is just as well known for its charitable and philanthropic efforts and support of many organizations in our community. It’s a great example of a local pizzeria and restaurant gaining wide exposure and a wide following through dedication and initiative.”
West Ave Pizza has been owned and operated by Cardenas and his family since June 2021.
Photos of Alison Abbey and Aura Englese provided by the Wesley Community.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Wesley Community recently announced that Alison Abbey and Aura Englese have been appointed to the Board of Directors of The Wesley Community.
Abbey is vice president of personnel at Stewart’s Shops and brings 20 years of human resources leadership experience to her role. She oversees a human resources team responsible for payroll and benefits administration for more than 5,500 partners across New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Additionally, Abbey works closely with shop operations to address personnel matters, analyze workforce trends, and develop strategies designed to strengthen partner retention and engagement.
Englese serves as the director of human resources and corporate compliance officer at AIM Services, a nonprofit that provides residential and community-based services and care for individuals with disabilities and traumatic brain injuries in Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties.
Englese provides leadership in human resources, corporate compliance, quality assurance and agency operations. She plays an important role in guiding organizational initiatives, strengthening operational effectiveness, and ensuring regulatory integrity across the agency in close collaboration with the executive team.
“We are pleased to welcome Alison and Aura to The Wesley Community Board of Directors,” said J. Brian Nealon, CEO of The Wesley Community. “Their leadership roles and individual strengths will be great assets to our community. Both are seasoned professionals with strong backgrounds in Human Resources and will be instrumental in helping Wesley develop new and innovative ways to offer the best services to our residents.”
Audiologic Solutions celebrated the grand opening of its new hearing center at 125 High Rock Ave. in Saratoga Springs during a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. Audiologic Solutions provides personalized hearing and healthcare services designed to ensure that each person’s unique hearing needs are met with precision and empathy. More information is available at www.audiologicsolutions.net. Photo provided by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — There is an air of mystery to creating a successful podcast. The conversations and content have to be interesting, of course. But the hosts also need a special rapport, an “it” factor, a je ne sais quoi (if you will) to keep their listeners engaged.
Former WTEN/News10 ABC anchor Noel McLaren and restaurateur Zac Denhan (co-owner of Standard Fare and Bocage Champagne Bar) had been friends for a year or two before they launched the “Off Track Saratoga Podcast” earlier this month.
McLaren has a boatload of experience being on camera and mic’d up. Denham is a self-described “recovering musical theater performer.” United, the two easily weave their way through conversations that can begin with a debate over the spelling and pronunciation of “kerfuffle” to a sincere chat about the realities of doing business in the Spa City.
“I think Zac and I are used to, in our lives, having some kind of script or some kind of, at least, an outline for how things are going to go,” McLaren told Saratoga TODAY. “We’ve found that what works best for us is to literally just go off on tangents, and we talk about things that are going on and each other, and that’s how we get our best material.”
The “Off Track” hosts exhibit a gift for gab that is hard to replicate. The conversations are meant to feel inviting and casual, as if you, the listener, have just stumbled across two friends conversing over cocktails and pulled up a chair to join them. That friendly vibe is partly achieved by producing episodes outside of a formal studio space. (One day, Saratogians might even spot an episode of “Off Track” being recorded on a front porch on Broadway.)
The podcast’s informal aura was matched on its first episode by guest Daniel Chessare, the owner of Saratoga’s Broadway Deli and Bibulous. Chessare unexpectedly found himself at the center of town gossip recently after a public exchange on Facebook with Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus. In between some censored vocabulary, Chessare, Denham, and McLaren discussed everything from dealing with tourists to the impact of the Saratoga Race Course to Spa City “propaganda” (Chessare’s term).
“As soon as everything went down with Dan and the County Chamber, we were like, ‘Let’s jump in on this and get it while it’s relevant,’” Denham said.
“The second I saw people caring about something in the community, sirens went off, light bulbs went off, and I said, ‘Well, we’ve got to talk about this,’” McLaren said. “Everything we talk about on our show is going to be newsworthy. It’s going to be stuff that is impacting people in our area, and that was something that is impacting people.”
Although the second episode’s guest was Trinity Mouzon (whose family owned the Mouzon House restaurant), the pod won’t only feature local business owners. One future guest, for example, was a contestant on “America’s Next Top Model.” Potential future or dream guests could include Saratoga socialite Michele Riggi (“Where did she go?” wondered McLaren), Opera Saratoga’s Mary Birnbaum, and track WAGs (the wives and girlfriends of horse trainers). But some episodes won’t have any guests at all, and, ultimately, the hosts hope that their podcast becomes part of the community, which means incorporating the voices and ideas of their listeners.
“As long as people tune in and stay engaged, I’m willing to be engaged as well,” Denham said. “I would love to see [the podcast] reach as far and wide as it can. We want to keep this podcast rooted in Saratoga, but we definitely are talking about things that are culturally relevant.”
“I feel like something that got exhausting as a journalist to hear was, ‘Oh, the media just spins things’ and ‘The big bad media’ and ‘Big bad journalists,’” McLaren said. “I feel like my gift as a reporter has always been [that] I’m approachable. I want this to feel like a table that everybody can pull a chair up to… If I successfully create something that everybody feels like they can come to and have fun with and enjoy, and I’m also informing them and giving them information about the community, then I have succeeded in continuing the important work of reporting.”
The first two episodes of the “Off Track Saratoga Podcast” are currently available on Spotify and Apple.
