SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Arms Hotel celebrated its 25th year in business on Thursday night with a lavish party replete with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. At the event, General Manager Rachel Boggan unveiled a new marketing strategy designed to attract local residents.

“As a thank you to the community that has really made Saratoga such an amazing small city,” Boggan said, “we are launching a locals rate starting in January of 2024.”

The rate will apply to anyone who lives within 50 miles of downtown Saratoga. It’s available during the off-season and on select dates during the busy season. Bookings at this discounted rate will open next week.

Boggan announced that breakfast will soon be open to local reservations on select days. Some of the hotel’s signature morning dishes include cinnamon breakfast bread, lemon ricotta pancakes, and homemade buttermilk biscuits. A breakfast speaker series that will feature community leaders is also in the works.

“We’re thrilled to start our next 25 years with a focus on our community, and allowing our hotel guests to experience that community in the most immersive way possible,” Boggan said.

The building that houses the hotel was originally built in 1870 by Gideon Putnam’s grandson Loren. In February of 1999, it reopened as the Saratoga Arms after extensive renovations. Last month, the Saratoga Arms was ranked one of the best hotels in the Mid-Atlantic in the 2023 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has added four new members to its Board of Directors: Chris Armer, Jim Gold, Michelle Paquette-Deuel, and Roger Woody.

• Armer is a Saratoga native and realtor for Berkshire Hathaway. His family ran a retail store at the historic Old Firehouse on Broadway. He previously served as a board member from 2009 to 2015.

• Gold is a long-time Saratoga resident and was, for 29 years, Director of the Bureau of Historic Sites for the New York State Office of Parks.

• Paquette-Deuel is director of the Pre-College Program at Skidmore and was a committee member for SaratogaArtsFest and the Saratoga Regional YMCA.

• Woody is a frequent visitor to the Spa City, and a Vice President at AmTrust Financial Services in New York City.

The Preservation Foundation was established in 1977 to “protect and preserve the architectural, cultural, and landscape heritage” of the city, according to a statement released by the foundation

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Cannabis Growers Showcase is back. The market temporarily shut down over a month ago, citing a need to move its operation indoors. 

On Saturday, November 11, the showcase reopened in an enclosed space on the third floor of the City Center parking facility. According to Upstate Canna Co., the market will remain open every week from Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cannabis products will be available for purchase to adults 21 and older.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Hospital’s 28th annual holiday ornament pays tribute to one of Saratoga’s most notable figures, Marylou Whitney. 

Joseph Bell, M.D. designed the gold ornament, which is currently on sale for $25 at the hospital gift shop, Adirondack Trust branches, Impressions of Saratoga, Treasures Boutique, and Crafters Gallery. Proceeds will support the hospital’s Cancer Patient Fund. 

In 2019, Whitney was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, just two weeks after she passed away at her home in Saratoga. Known as the “social queen of Saratoga,” Whitney was an influential presence in the Spa City, co-founding both the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) and the National Museum of Dance. 

GALWAY — Waterwheel Village, a country store that specializes in aged cheddar cheese, is marking its 100th year in business.

Part of the current store was first constructed in 1839 as a foundry that made horse-drawn plows, according to Waterwheel’s manager Laurie Klamp. Klamp has been working at the store for more than forty years and has become its unofficial historian.

A member of the Fonda family (for whom the village of Fonda is named) began aging cheddar cheese at the location a century ago. “And we’ve been doing it the same way ever since,” Klamp said.

In 1923, the property became a mercantile store. The Fonda family owned it until 1971. After a series of brief takeovers, the Marvin family bought Waterwheel and have owned it for the last 51 years.

The shop sells craft soda and beer, candy, and baked goods. But its most popular items are its aged cheddars. “We actually have people who come in once a week to buy a pound of it to make homemade macaroni and cheese,” Klamp said. “It is delicious.” 

Waterwheel is located at 2259 Route 29 in Galway. The store currently takes phone orders and may soon begin online sales. To learn more, visit waterwheelvillage.com.