JAMAICA, QUEENS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced last week the creation of the NYRA Foundation, a philanthropic endeavor that will raise funds and awareness for nonprofits, service providers, thoroughbred aftercare groups, and other charitable organizations connected to horse racing.
“The NYRA Foundation reflects our belief in the importance of service to others,” said David O’Rourke, NYRA President & CEO, in a statement.
To celebrate the foundation’s launch, a gala called the Belmont Ball will be held on Friday, June 7 in Saratoga Springs. All proceeds from the inaugural event will benefit a selection of nonprofits active in backstretch services, thoroughbred aftercare, and more.
For additional information on the NYRA Foundation, visit https://nyraf.org/.
Graph showing Saratoga County unemployment figures provided by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — According to data from the New York State Labor Department, 4,200 Saratoga County residents were unemployed as of March 2024, putting the county’s unemployment rate at 3.5%. In March of 2023, 3,500 of the county’s 121,600-member workforce (or 2.9%) were unemployed, meaning the unemployment increased by 0.6% in the past year.
There have been similar upticks in unemployment in nearby cities, such as Albany (0.6% increase), Schenectady (0.7%), and Glens Falls (0.7%). New York State’s overall unemployment rate as of March was 4.3%.
Chad Kiesow unveils a custom painted lawn jockey statue for Amy Smith at the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Celebration Night at the Saratoga Racecourse’s 1863 Club. Photo provided by Lauren Halligan.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Chamber Celebration night last week at the Saratoga Racecourse’s 1863 Club. Cynthia Hollowood was presented with the 2024 Joseph Dalton Community Service Award, and Amy Smith of the Saratoga Arms Hotel was honored with a custom painted lawn jockey statue.
Cynthia Hollowood, Executive Director of Saratoga Sponsor-A-Scholar and former General Manager and Partner at the Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs, was recognized for her work with Sponsor-A-Scholar, as well as her volunteer hours with more than a dozen local nonprofits, including the Saratoga Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Saratoga Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, and the Saratoga Hospital Foundation, among other organizations.
“For all of you who are doing great things in our community, thank you and keep going,” Hollowood said in an acceptance speech. “You never know how or when these efforts will pay off.”
For serving as 2023 Chair of the Board for the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, Amy Smith received a custom painted Saratoga Arms Hotel lawn jockey statue presented by the Chamber’s current Chair of the Board, Chad Kiesow, Chief Operating Officer of Stewart’s Shops.
“I’m inspired by the enthusiasm of our young leaders,” Smith said, “and I’m excited for the future of the Chamber and Saratoga County.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The X-Files Preservation Collection has canceled its 2024 Fan Fest, which was scheduled for June 28 and 29 in Saratoga Springs. The event would have featured actor Mitch Pileggi, who played FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner in the hit 90s TV series.
“We regret to inform you that we have made the difficult decision to cancel XFP FANFEST 2024,” museum owners Jim Thornton and Kelly Anthony wrote in a social media post. “We have poured our hearts, time, and finances into this event and were very excited to share with you all we had planned. Ticket sales, however, have not been adequate to make it reasonable for us to continue with the event.”
The owners cited the economy, a large number of X-Files events in recent years, and high hotel prices as reasons for lower than expected ticket sales. Thornton and Anthony said that refunds would be issued to all ticket buyers by May 30.
The X-Files Preservation Collection houses what is likely the world’s largest assortment of X-Files-related props, costumes, and memorabilia on public display. The museum began offering virtual tours in February.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Bicycle Benefits program, born in Saratoga Springs, is being relaunched in 2024 as part of Bikeatoga’s effort to inspire more residents and visitors to use bicycles around town.
Dozens of area businesses are offering special discounts and deals in support of the program. Some of the offers include a free mini doughnut at Darling Doughnuts, half off your order at Broadway Grind, $20 off a purchase of $50 or more at the Trek Bicycle Store, and 10% off at Bevs.
To participate in the program, purchase a $5 Bicycle Benefits sticker at a participating business, put the sticker on your bike helmet, and then arrive at a participating business on your bicycle.
Stickers are now available. A complete list of participating businesses can be found at www.bicyclebenefits.org.
Cosmic Capes Comics logo via the store’s Facebook page.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Cosmic Capes Comics, a comic book store located in The Springs apartment complex on Weibel Ave, will be closing soon, owner Mike Miller announced to customers in an email last week.
“For nearly three years, I have had the pleasure of opening and running Cosmic Capes Comics, and meeting so many great people,” Miller wrote. “While this experience has exceeded my expectations — you taught me much about comics, running a retail store, and how to remember names — I will soon be moving back to the midwest and closing the store in its current location. My wife and I have enjoyed our 14 years here in upstate New York, but the pull of family is too strong.”
Miller said he would consider opportunities to re-open the store once he’d completed his move. He also announced that Cosmic Capes would be holding a “20% off everything” moving sale beginning May 8.
“Thank you all for a wonderful run here in Saratoga Springs. You’ve allowed me to pursue my dream of owning and running a comic book store,” Miller wrote.
Ballston Spa National Bank employees participated in Community Service Day on Tuesday at the Patroon Land Farm. Photo provided by Brittany Hamilton.
BALLSTON SPA — On Tuesday, Ballston Spa National Bank (BSNB) employees participated in an annual bank-wide Community Service Day. BSNB locations across the Capital Region closed at 12 p.m., allowing employees to volunteer their time planting vegetables, weeding, making beds, and working in the greenhouses at the Patroon Land Farm in support of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
“Our annual Community Service Day reflects one of BSNB’S core values of strengthening the communities where we live and work,” said Christopher R. Dowd, president and CEO, in a statement.
The Patroon Land Farm is managed by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and produces food for over 1,000 partner agencies serving 23 counties in the region.
Items baked by Wilson Keenan at Bakery Suzanne, a new shop in Saratoga Springs. Photos provided by Wilson Keenan.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — “I love just being able to make people’s toast,” said Wilson Keenan as he sat inside his new bakery in Saratoga Springs. “If you had to tell me, ‘you can only make one thing,’ I’d probably make bread.”
The seemingly simple ambition of supplying Saratogians with their weekly loaf of bread has been an all-encompassing task for Keenan, who has gone through a lot while moving his successful bakery from the Catskills to Saratoga Springs. Working 18-hour days, raising $125,000, spending savings accrued from nearly a decade of working in tech; these are all steps on Keenan’s path towards making people’s toast. And with the opening of Bakery Suzanne in April, Keenan is another step closer.
“I knew I needed to move if [my bakery] was going to grow,” Keenan said. So the baker began searching for a larger market that was still within a few hours of New York City.
“When you look outside of the Catskills, you start to look at maybe Woodstock, Kingston, Hudson; these towns that still rely pretty heavily on seasonal people and weekenders. That wasn’t as exciting to me because I was like, well that’s just an order of magnitude, maybe 40% better than where I was, but it’s not really long-term potential.”
Keenan found what he’d been looking for in Saratoga Springs, in a location that might seem a bit unorthodox but made logistical sense: the Saratoga Motorcycle Center.
“Auto garages make the most sense because we need to be able to move in ovens,” Keenan said. “We brought them up from the Catskills and there’s only so many spaces where you can move something like that in.”
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As Keenan opened up shop, construction was still underway inside the garage-turned-bakery, and sparse shelves in the retail area were quickly being filled with Saratoga’s signature blue sparkling water bottles. At the moment, Keenan is running a relatively small operation that includes himself, one other baker, and two people working the retail counter. Keenan said he hoped to have another full-time baker come June or July as his business continues to grow.
“In the Catskills, I was making 400 loaves of bread when I left,” Keenan said. “It would take me quite a long time to sell 400 loaves of bread here, now. But fast forward a year or two, that will happen.”
Bakery Suzanne, named after Keenan’s mother, specializes in sourdough bread and pastries. The menu includes country loaf, baguette, and southern sesame breads; as well as croissants, pain au chocolat, canelé, and a country ham and cheese sandwich, among other items.
The shop is housed in the former location of the Saratoga Motorcycle Club at 4284 NY-50, right next to the X-Files Museum. It’s currently open Friday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The Starbucks location at 351 Broadway has reopened after several years of renovations. The coffee shop closed in 2021 but its status was unclear for some time. The revamped interior includes a screen that displays the status of every order. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
Centrica Business Solutions, a company that “helps organizations balance the demands of planet and profit,” opened a new location in Ballston Spa last week at 2111 Ellsworth Blvd. The occasion was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony organized by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Super Source Media.
