SARATOGA SPRINGS — Goo Goo Dolls will take their live show back on the road in 2025 with an extensive run of summer tour dates with Dashboard Confessional. 

The “Summer Anthem Tour 2025” Kicks off July 13 in Phoenix, Arizona and will make a stop at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. 

 “We’re busy putting together our 15th studio album so we will have some great new songs and of course we’ll be playing all the songs you know and love,” Goo Goo Dolls’ guitarist and frontman John Rzeznik said in a statement. 

Dashboard Confessional will provide support on the tour. For more information and tickets, go to: livenation.com. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS—The annual Racing Memories program will take place at the Saratoga Automobile Museum on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The popular program, formerly titled Lost Speedways, will fill the museum with racing enthusiasts, drivers, memorabilia collectors and at least one well-known promoter.  As a bonus, attendees will be among the first to view the newly opened Golub Gallery exhibit “Evolution of Performance and Design.”

Event organizer Ron Hedge said Ken Parrotte will provide a look at a great era of the Indianapolis 500 and Mark Supley, the ‘Motorcycle Guy,’ will offer a segment on side-car racing.  Racing historian Herb Anastor will talk about the fabled Formula Libre race at Lime Rock Park where Rodger Ward beat the world’s best sports car racers with Ken Brenn’s midget, and Keith Majka will display a restored Brenn midget, for road racing enthusiast and oval racing fan alike, can check it out.

Popular drivers Brian Ross, Phil Spiak, Nick Ronca and Jack Halloran will take part in a panel discussion of the early NASCAR era at the then newly opened asphalt Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

Admission for the event can be secured at:  www.saratogaautomuseum.org or at the door.  Museum members are free.

The Saratoga Automobile Museum is located on the Avenue of the Pines in the Saratoga Spa State Park. Doors open at 10 a.m. with the formal presentations set to begin at 11:45.

SARATOGA SPRIINGS — Rod Stewart, the legendary singer-songwriter whose musical roots date back to legendary collaborations with Jeff Beck, and as a member of Faces, this week announced his “One Last Time” tour will visit North America in 2025 and include a show in Saratoga Springs.  

Cheap Trick will provide tour support. 

The tour makes its U.S. debut on Mar. 7 in Austin, Texas, and feature 20 shows across amphitheaters and arenas through Aug. 15. 

Stewart, and Cheap Trick will stage a show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on July 15. 

Stewart is perhaps best known for songs such as “You Wear It Well,” “Maggie May,” “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” “Tonight’s the Night,” and “Every Picture Tells A Story,” among others. His career included a handful of albums and years with The Faces in the early 1970’s, one of the greatest live touring bands during the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll. Earlier this year Stewart released his 33rd studio album, titled “Swing Fever,” and featuring a collaboration with Jools Holland with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.

Cheap Trick formed in the mid’1970’s and today features Robin Zander (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar), Tom Petersson (bass guitar), and Daxx Nielsen (drums). “Dream Police,” “Surrender” and “I Want You To Want Me” are among their more popular songs.

For more information and tickets, go to: livenation.com. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS—– “Faces of Saratoga – Twenty People Who Have Shaped Our City,” is the title of a new book co-written by Saratoga Springs tour guides Joe Haedrich and Marcia Martin.

The book tells the story of the men and women instrumental in the growth and direction of Saratoga Springs, including the Mohawk Indians, Gideon Putnam, and Marylou Whitney.

“We have both been telling these stories for many years and decided to tie all these tales and narratives together to put them in book form” said Haedrich, who has given tours in the city for about 15 years.  

Martin, who has given history tours in Saratoga for more than a dozen years, previously taught in the Saratoga school system until her retirement 13 years ago.  

“I thoroughly loved the research, uncovering their back stories and understanding why they did, what they did,” Martin said.  

The book is available at Northshire Books and Impressions, both on Broadway in Saratoga Springs and in area gift shops.  

WASHINGTON, D.C.  —Imagery captured by Officer Jacqueline Abodeely from Saratoga Springs is featured among the works of 50 active and retired law enforcement officers from across the U.S. in The National Law Enforcement Museum’s inaugural art exhibition, “Officers as Artists: The Creative Expression of Those Who Serve.”

Hailed as a groundbreaking exhibit that spotlights the artistic talents and creativity of law enforcement officers across the country, the showcase highlights how art serves as a transformative and powerful outlet for those who navigate the complexities and challenges of their profession.

Jaqueline Abodeely of Saratoga Springs has been taking photographs since she was 12 years old. She was in the law-enforcement field with the New York State Park Police for approximately 15 years. Her initial position as dispatcher/hostler (mounted patrol horse caretaker) evolved to six months in the NYSPP Academy and becoming an officer stationed in the State Parks of New York City and the Capital- Saratoga region of New York State.  Eventually, she was forced to retire after suffering an on-duty injury.

“The creative expressions featured in this exhibit offer a unique and intimate glimpse into the lives of law enforcement officers,” said William Alexander, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in a statement. “We hope that through this exhibit visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of those who serve, and the therapeutic role art can play in their lives.”

During her law enforcement career and especially during critical incidents, Abodeely says she experienced many moments of a feeling of “in between,” where time seemed to pause – as if the reality of the situation, and the work that needed to be done occurred on a different timeline than the civilian life lived every day. 

Photography provided a way to capture that feeling of a dual perspective, a line between worlds, and the ability to depict a place where the two visions may potentially come together as one.

In the Saratoga region, Abodeely served as mounted unit coordinator for many years, participating in parades, community events, and as active patrol at Saratoga Performing Arts Center for large-scale concerts. She also received certification as a general topics instructor and mounted police instructor,  assisting with training a multi-agency mounted police school, including members of the city of Saratoga Springs and Albany police departments.

The “Officers as Artists” exhibit recently opened to the general public in the DuPont Gallery in Washington, D.C.  and will run through Aug. 30, 2025. For more information, visit: https://nleomf.org/museum/officers-as-artists/

SARATOGA SPRINGS —An Opening and Talk featuring artist Michael Whitney will take place 6 – 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 at Spring Street Gallery. 

Whitney was able to create a project titled: 33 Things, which is a collection of functional objects made using broken and discarded objects. 

The Artist talk on Friday will discuss how the project came about. In addition to the discussion, the gallery will also be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11-3 p.m. The exhibit is made possible due to a grant from Saratoga Arts.

Spring Street Gallery is located at 110 Spring St., Saratoga Springs. 

HUDSON FALLS —Progressive jam-fusion supergroup PAKT will perform at the Strand Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19. 

The band features Percy Jones (Brand X, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Suzanne Vega), Adam Holzman (Miles Davis, Steven Wilson, Marcus Miller, Lenny White0), Kenny Grohowski (John Zorn, Brand X, Imperial Triumphant, Hipster Assassins), and Tim Motzer (Bandit65, Jaki Liebezeit, David Sylvian, Jamaaladeen Tacuma).

PAKT is heralded as dwelling in the realms of progressive rock, electric jazz, experimental, ambient, psychedelic and beyond. 

Tickets are $25 general admission and available at the Strand Box Office; cash or check only or online at Brown Paper Tickets.  Doors into the lobby, coffee shop and box office open at 6 p.m. For more information go to: www.mystrandtheatre.org. The Strand Theatre is located at 210 Main St, Hudson Falls, NY.