MALTA — The Saratoga Regional YMCA officially began its 2023 Annual Campaign on Monday, with the goal of raising $400,000 to help ensure their services are available to all.

The campaign was launched at the Malta YMCA, and featured Saratoga Regional YMCA CEO Scott Clark and Saratoga Regional YMCA Board of Directors member Allison Meyers. Children from the Malta YMCA’s childcare center were also on hand to help kick off the campaign. 

Clark said this was a great fit due to the importance of providing childcare services. The Saratoga Regional YMCA provides early learning, before- and after-school, and preschool programs.

“Childcare is an essential part of what is needed every day for parents to be able to work, but also develop these kids so they can grow, learn, and thrive as they move on and prepare for kindergarten and beyond,” said Clark. “The Y served last year over 1,500 kids in our childcare program, and currently is seeing about 700 children a day in childcare.”

The YMCA raised over $650,000 last year, Meyers said, emphasizing that this money helps provide opportunities to those who may not be able to afford it.

“It may have been a chance for their child to go to summer camp when they’ve never had that chance before, or maybe a chance to participate in youth sports programming that this made possible,” Meyers said. “This is why the Y is here. This is why we’re here in the community, and it is this annual campaign that makes it possible for us to provide these programs to everybody in the community, regardless of their ability to pay.”

The kids sang ‘You’ve Got a Friend In Me’ by Randy Newman, and spoke about their favorite parts of the YMCA, with many saying they enjoy time with their teachers and friends. Clark said the song was fitting, saying the YMCA provides “that opportunity for friendship.”

“They’re staying here, spending time with their teachers, developing friendships, learning how to play, learning hopefully about the Y’s values,” said Clark.

Clark said the YMCA is “so proud” of their goal to never turn anyone away based on their ability or inability to pay for services.

“It is my hope that together, we can make an even greater impact on the health and wellness of our community in 2023 and beyond,” added Meyers.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 3044 is finishing their build season and will compete in the FIRST Robotics Finger Lakes Regional Tournament on March 16-18 at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). 

They will then compete in the New York Tech Valley Regional Competition which will be held March 29 to April 1 at MVP Arena in Albany.

The FIRST Robotics Competition season kicked off in early January when the 2023 Charged Up Challenge presented by Haas Game Animation was released. In this year’s competition, the FIRST Robotics Competition teams are inspired to see the potential of energy storage in a new light as they compete to charge up their communities. 

Under strict rules, limited time and resources, teams of students are challenged through the FIRST Robotics Competition to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors. The program is as close to real-world engineering as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.

In addition to working on their robot for the 2023 season, FRC Team 3044 provided mentorship to FIRST Lego League Challenge (FLL) Teams and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Teams from Ballston Spa Central School District. 

 The Ballston Spa Central School District is able to offer opportunities in robotics to students through the support of sponsors including Ballston Spa National Bank, GlobalFoundries/Town of Malta Foundation, Eastern Heating & Cooling, Inc., HMS Agency, Bechtel Foundation, Generations Auto Repair, Aquatic Development Group and Coffee Planet.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Wellspring, the domestic violence and sexual assault resource for Saratoga County, is partnering with Skidmore College to bring New York Times reporter and best-selling author Megan Twohey, to Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center on Monday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. for a public event. 

In 2017, Twohey and fellow reporter Jodi Kantor published a report about former movie producer and now convicted felon Harvey Weinstein, detailing an overwhelming number of sexual abuse allegations. 

Their investigative journalism led to Weinstein’s firing and helped fuel the #MeToo movement started by activist Tarana Burke. Twohey and Kantor subsequently authored a book which chronicled their report about Weinstein, titled “She Said.” The book was published in 2019 and adapted into a film of the same name in 2022. The pair, along with Ruby Shamir, later published “Chasing the Truth” for younger readers aspiring to investigative journalism.

Twohey, who has focused much of her work on the treatment of women and children, will take the stage at Skidmore to share her experience about breaking the story, its aftermath, and the anti-sexual violence work that is still to be done. 

“At Wellspring we talk to people who are victimized by sexual harassment and abuse daily. We know this happens here, and we want to help,” said Wellspring CEO Maggie Fronk. “We hope this event will help attendees better understand the obstacles victims face when speaking their truth about sexual harassment and why believing them is so important.” 

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.wellspringcares.org/she-said. 

Prior to April 10, Wellspring will host a public viewing and discussion of the film “She Said” at their building in Malta. For more information visit www.wellspringcares.org/she-said 

SOUTH GLENS FALLS — The South Glens Falls High School’s annual musical production for the 2022-23 school year, “Tuck Everlasting,” will be held on Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1. 

Performed in the South Glens Falls High School auditorium, the show will begin at 7:00 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. A 2:00 p.m. Matinee is also scheduled for Saturday. 

“Tuck Everlasting” is based on the children’s novel of the same title written by Natalie Babbitt and features music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen, and a book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle. This production is presented through special arrangements with Concord Theatricals. 

Student troupe members traveled to New York City on two occasions during the rehearsal process to workshop with original Broadway cast member Heather Parcells and lyricist Nathan Tysen.

Featuring the on- and off-stage talents of 52 South Glens Falls students, including Eva Reece (Winnie Foster), Daniel Cormie (Jesse Tuck), Nathan Burrell (Miles Tuck), Seth Shortte (Hugo), Sophia Belden (Mae Tuck), and Lily Carpenter (Man in the Yellow Suit). Directed by Mrs. Betsy Stambach-Fuller and assisted by Mrs. Tina Hayes and Mr. Avi Stark. Music Direction by Mr. John Benware with Choreography by Ms. Elisabeth Hutter. 

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door or online at sgfstage42.ludus.com. The Box Office will open one hour prior to curtain. Seating will be assigned. Concessions will be available to purchase during a fifteen minute intermission.

BALLSTON SPA —The start of the fifth annual Ballston Spa Birdhouse Program has begun. This year, there are over 1,000 birdhouses decorated to adorn the streets of Ballston Spa. Along with a sculptural display in Wiswall Park and newly-created street banners, the overall display is a celebration of community spirit. 

To request a free birdhouse, go to www.askbspa.com and fill out a request form. The birdhouses are picked up in a safe, no-contact procedure and need to be returned by April 1 to be hung in time for spring. 

The Birdhouse program is the centerpiece of the yearly arts initiative for the Village of Ballston Spa and is a favorite of the children, families, seniors, special needs/intellectually-diverse community living in and around the village.

“The birdhouse program is truly an amazing and unique experience,” said Mayor Frank Rossi, Jr. “It’s the essence of what our Village stands for; we’re a Village of Friends working together to make this a great place to live.” 

Doug Ford, Vice President of Curtis Lumber, remarked, “Curtis Lumber is proud to donate the wood for the Ballston Spa Birdhouse Program, as it’s an incredible chance for the community to come together and support everyone who lives and works in Ballston Spa.” 

This year, the Birdhouse Program has partnered with Curtis Lumber and the Workforce Development Coalition to support trades in the schools to show students that the trades are a viable career opportunity once they finish their education. 

Ballston Spa Middle School, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Middle School, and Schuylerville Middle School all participated in building the 1,000-plus birdhouses, giving the students a unique opportunity in learning production and woodworking skills, while giving back to the community. 

The program is organized by the non-profit, Arts and Science Creating Community, Inc. (ASK). The Ballston Spa Birdhouse Program is funded by generous donations and grants by: Curtis Lumber, the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, Saratoga County, the Town of Milton, and the Village of Ballston Spa. 

CLIFTON PARK — Frank Gratton has always let his imagination run wild. Now, through his books, he hopes to inspire kids to do the same.

Gratton, a Saratoga Springs native, has published two books, ‘Billbet’s Space Adventure,’ in 2020, and ‘Nula,’ in 2022. His third book, ‘Nula: Second Generation’ is planned to be released sometime next year.

The series details a group of children who become entangled in space adventures, traveling across the universe to save planets in distress. Gratton said the story begins in the first book, when the young Billbet, one of the main characters, accidentally lands on Earth. He befriends two human kids, Theresa and Kevin, who attempt to help him return to his home planet.

The second book, ‘Nula’, follows Theresa (now known as Nula) and Kevin (now known as Dauntless) as they travel across the universe on a ship they constructed with the help of Billbet. 

“Of course, Nula is the star,” said Gratton. “She’s a young earthling who started off when she was 10 years old, and she became a hero. Not because she wanted to, she just kind of fell into it. The new book, she’s going on some real dangerous missions.”

Gratton said he is a science fiction fan who is particularly interested in space, and wants kids to simply have fun reading his books.

“I want it to be fun,” said Gratton. “I don’t want the reader to get scared, or anything like that. I just want them to have fun. I remember when I was reading Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, I just had a lot of fun.”

Gratton said his main goal is for kids to become excited about using their imaginations.

“My main hope is that I can get them to get excited about their imagination,” Gratton said. “Everybody’s got one. Most people just don’t do anything with it. … Imagination is what starts anything.”

The first book in the series was a long time in the making, Gratton said, with his first inspiration coming while he was serving in the U.S. Navy.

“I was in the Navy in the 1960s, and I was passing through the Mediterranean Sea, and I was on the midnight watch,” said Gratton. “It was a clear night, and there were a billion stars up there. I just started fantasizing, my imagination started running wild.”

Years later, while employed at G&H Hardware in Schenectady, Gratton said he began work on the book. 

“There was a Stewart’s ice cream store right down the road. I went to work early every day, and I sat in that shop, and I wrote my first book,” Gratton said.

Gratton said he began writing the book during his time at the store, which came after a stint working at his father’s hardware store in Saratoga Springs. He eventually worked at Saratoga Casino Hotel from a year before its opening until he retired in 2016.

Four years later, in 2020, ‘Billbet’s Space Adventure’ was published, almost 25 years after Gratton began writing it.

“When I wrote the book, I wrote it by hand,” said Gratton. “Then I hired a guy to put it on a word processor. … He put it on the word processor, printed it out. I had the pages bound, and it laid in my closet. Then my daughter self-published it, which was a challenge all by itself.”

Theresa Gratton, Frank’s daughter and the namesake of the series’ main character, published the first book through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, she said. While she admitted it was a “learning process”, the book is currently available on Amazon and can be ordered by request at bookstores.

Gratton said after reading ‘Billbet’s Space Adventure’, he wanted to continue writing about the characters. The second book in the series, ‘Nula’, was published by Olympia Publishers, a London-based publishing company.

“After I read ‘Billbet’ when it was in cover, I really got choked up about the characters,” Gratton said. “I liked the characters, and I wanted to make them go further. So that’s really the reason why I did it.”

And now, Gratton is working on the third book in the series, ‘Nula: Second Generation.’ He has no plans to stop in the future, saying, “As long as I can write, I’ll write.”

“Right now, I’m content with just writing and hopefully somebody reading,” said Gratton. “I want people to read it. I don’t even care about making any money, I just want people to read it.”

And ultimately, Gratton said he hopes the books can help kids “dare to imagine.”

“That’s the beauty of books. They can take you wherever you want to go,” Gratton said. “That’s what I’m hoping to do.”

SCHUYLERVILLE — Schuylerville Elementary School Life Skills students raised $1,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through a Valentine’s Day community project. On Feb. 14, students delivered 500 stuffed red roses to students throughout the elementary school. Not only did Mrs. Jordan’s students intake and organize money and orders, they also packaged the roses in beautiful florist sleeves and sorted them by classroom.

“My class feels so special knowing they are helping families in need,” said Amy Jordan. “‘We’re all here to help one another…when we work together, we can make things happen’ is a quote from a child at the children’s hospital that truly inspired my students. We thank everyone who bought flowers to support this endeavor.”