The Tang Museum at Skidmore College presents 500 Dams: Art, Ecology, and Radical Care at Anaya Springs, an exhibition tracing a more than two-decade effort to regenerate degraded grasslands in New Mexico through hand-built stone dams and the art, mapping, and ecological research that have grown around the project. The exhibition opens September 26 and runs through January 10, 2027.

For more than two decades, artist Bill Gilbert and landscape architect Anne Nelson have walked the high-desert landscape of Anaya Springs, building low stone dams by hand to slow rainwater runoff, capture soil and seeds, and help grasses and other plants take hold. Historic overgrazing and erosion had stripped vegetation and topsoil from the landscape, reducing its ability to absorb and retain water. What began as a daily practice on land they purchased in 2003 now encompasses more than 1,700 dams, far beyond Gilbert’s original estimate of 500. 

Their work at Anaya Springs later expanded through the Survival Kit Collective (SKC), bringing together artists, scientists, mapping specialists, friends, and family to study, document, and interpret the changing landscape.

 500 Dams: Art, Ecology, and Radical Care at Anaya Springs brings that experiment into the Tang Museum, where visitors can encounter the work of the SKC members including interactive maps charting Anaya Springs’ watersheds, dams, and plant life; data examining soil moisture and plant diversity; aerial films of creek beds; botanical watercolors; ceramic maps based on the contours of the land and patterns of water flow; a hand-drawn animation of Gilbert and Nelson building a dam; and large-scale adobe works embedded with seeds. 

“500 Dams is about the power of personal agency and collective effort,” said exhibition curator Rachel Seligman, the Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs and Malloy Curator at the Tang. “What began with the simple act of placing a few stones in the landscape has grown to more than 1,700 dams over two decades. By focusing on the small and local, the project shows how sustained attention and care can build resilience, inspire collaboration, and make meaningful change possible.” 

Four of the Survival Kit Collective’s eight members will extend the exhibition’s inquiry through public programs at the Tang this fall. 

New Mexico artist and educator Ruben Olguin, whose adobe sculptures incorporate native seeds, joins Skidmore sustainability director Tarah Rowse for a Dunkerley Dialogue on September 24. 

In November, artist and University of New Mexico emeritus professor Bill Gilbert gives an artist talk followed by a conversation with Charlie Bettigole, a graphic information systems (GIS) specialist and former director of Skidmore’s GIS Center for Interdisciplinary Research; artist Lynn Grimes, whose work combines botanical observation, natural history, and art; moderated by Seligman. The following day, Bettigole leads a beginner GIS cartography workshop, and Grimes leads a flora zine-making workshop.

The 14th annual Boston Terrier Parade will commence on Sunday, September 20 at 11 a.m. in front of the Spirit of Life statue in Congress Park. Pups and their pals can expect a stroll down Broadway ending at Bailey’s for an afterparty with a raffle giveaway 

Donations are requested to help support Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue. Despite the name, all dogs are welcome. Sign up begins at 10:15. 

Join docent George DeMers on Sunday, September 20 for the Autumn Stroll, “Historic West Side.” As you walk the neighborhood, George will share its diverse history through existing buildings as well as those lost over the years. Once nicknamed “Dublin” for its Irish immigrants, and later home to a thriving Black residential and business district, George will share their stories as well as the impact Urban Renewal had on the neighborhood and its residents. This tour meets at the entrance of the Gideon Putnam Burying Ground, located on South Franklin Street.

On Sunday, September 27, local author Patrice Mastrianni offers her new walking tour, “Find Me in Congress Park” based on research from her popular children’s book, Find Me in Saratoga. As you explore Congress Park, Patrice will provide her unique perspective on many of the landmarks you know and love, all based on personal stories from antique journals – and some fun rumors! – as well as historic facts. This tour meets at Congress Spring, the covered pavilion on the south side of E. Congress Street inside Congress Park.

All Sunday morning tours begin at 10:30AM, last approximately 90 minutes, and require walking and standing on varied terrain. Tours are limited to thirty participants, and tickets must be purchased in advance. The cost per tour is $15 for SSPF members and $20 for non-members. For additional information on Sunday Strolls or to purchase tickets visit, saratogapreservation.org.

What started with a discovery of a stoneware factory in Galway NY on an 1866 map has grown into a unique community arts program bringing together local historians, geologists, ceramic artists and local residents to uncover the region’s pottery-making past – and make something new from the clay that was once a valuable resource across upstate NY.

The program, called An Expedition in Wild Clay, organized by Main Street Studio in Charlton and funded in part by Saratoga Arts Community Arts Regrant Program includes a series of free presentations, field trips, experiments and hands-on making sessions led by area experts. The goal is for community members to work together to find clay suitable for making pottery, processing it, and making something together with it.

“Our studio community is inspired by working with natural materials,” said Dana Nemec, co-founder of Main Street Studio. “When we started thinking about the clay that most people complain about finding in their gardens and fields — we got excited. We started to wonder how previous generations worked with that ‘nuisance’ clay and what we could make with it today.”

The expedition has been guided by an impressive team of local experts. Arlene Rhodes of the Galway Preservation Society has shared historical clues from old maps, census records, and oral histories tracing the Hudson & French pottery business. Donald Rodbell, Professor of Geosciences at Union College, led participants to the banks of the Alplaus Kill in Glenville to see layers of glacial clay deposited approximately 15,000 years ago — the same clay that artisans have long sought out for pottery making. Don Shore, co-founder of L’Esperance Tile Works in Rock City Falls, has been testing clay samples and guiding the group through processing and firing techniques. And ceramic artist and kiln builder Jordan Becker, owner of Firelight Studio in Saratoga Springs, has been leading a kiln building effort to construct a wood-fired kiln from clay the group dug themselves.

“We started with a map and a mystery,” Nemec continued. “What we found was a community of people who all have something to contribute — a farmer who knew ‘where the geese go’ is where we’d find clay, homeowners and historians with clues of where clay was dug generations ago, a geologist who helped us understand why this area is so rich in clay deposits, community members ready to lend a hand, and many talented artists who can turn raw earth into something beautiful.”

There is still time to get involved. On Saturday, September 19, the public is invited to Main Street Studio to make small clay objects alongside local ceramic artists, while Jordan Becker constructs a primitive wood-fire kiln from over 800 lbs of clay dug by community volunteers from the West Glenville hills. On Tuesday, September 22, Arlene Rhodes will give an in-depth presentation at Main Street Studio tracing the history of the area’s 19th century pottery industry through old maps, land deeds and census records. The closing Wild Clay Reception & Silent Auction on Saturday, October 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. will feature fired clay pieces by community members and local artists, a silent auction, and live music. All events are free and open to the public at Main Street Studio located at 786 Charlton Rd, Ballston Lake. More information and event registration can be found at www.mainstreetcharlton.com or by emailing info@mainstreetcharlton.com.

As summer comes to an end and Saratoga Springs prepares for the Halloween season, the Saratoga Springs History Museum is bringing back one of its most popular autumn traditions: the Halloween Ghost Tours of the Canfield Casino, taking place Thursday, October 29, from 5 to 7 p.m. 

Held for one night only, the Halloween Ghost Tours invite visitors to experience a very different side of the historic Canfield Casino. Tours will depart every 20 minutes throughout the evening, leading guests through the Casino while sharing stories of its history, reported hauntings, paranormal investigations, and unexplained occurrences associated with the building.

The Canfield Casino has developed a national reputation for its reported paranormal activity. The historic building was featured on SYFY’s Ghost Hunters and was named the 4th Most Terrifying Place in America by the Travel Channel. Over the years, Museum staff, visitors, paranormal investigators, and others have shared accounts of unexplained sounds, unusual sensations, and mysterious activity within the building.

During the Halloween Ghost Tours, visitors will hear some of those accounts while also discovering the real history behind the people, rooms, and artifacts connected to the Casino and the Saratoga Springs History Museum.

Rather than a traditional haunted-house attraction, the evening combines local history with the stories and experiences that have contributed to the Casino’s haunted reputation. Guests will explore historic spaces while learning about generations of Saratogians whose lives — and sometimes tragedies — remain represented through the Museum’s collections.

Among the many stories preserved within the Museum are those of the Walworth family, one of the most prominent families in 19th-century Saratoga Springs. Their history is filled with remarkable accomplishments alongside family conflict, scandal, tragedy, murder, and loss. Today, rooms that once served as bedrooms for members of the Canfield Casino gambling club house exhibits dedicated to the Walworth family and their personal collections.

Throughout the building, objects and stories like these provide a tangible connection to Saratoga’s past. During the Halloween Ghost Tours, however, visitors will encounter that history after dark — when an unexplained sound from another room or a sudden chill in a quiet corridor can take on an entirely different meaning. The event has become a Halloween tradition for visitors interested in local history, ghost stories, and the paranormal, offering an opportunity to experience one of Saratoga Springs’ most recognizable historic landmarks in an unusual setting.

With the Museum’s Ghost Trolley Tours already sold out, those hoping to attend the Halloween Ghost Tours are encouraged to purchase tickets early. Space is limited for each departure, and the event has historically sold quickly.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at: https://www.saratogahistory.org/events/halloween-ghost-tour-of-the-canfield-casino.

On Tuesday, October 6, Oteil Burbridge, and LaMP will be performing together for the first time at the Universal Preservation Hall in support of Make-A-Wish. Burbridge, a celebrated bassist with the Allman Brothers Band and Dead & Company along with Vermont-based trio LaMP, featuring Russ Lawton, Ray Paczkowski, and Scott Metzger promise a rare musical partnership, blending world-class artistry with spontaneous collaboration.

“I’m so excited to share the stage with Russ, Ray, and Scott on this upcoming run for such a great organization,” said Oteil Burbridge. “I’ve participated in Make-A-Wish since the Allman Brothers days, but it has been a long time. This is a rare opportunity to join LaMP and see what flavor of musical brew we can conjure up. Don’t miss this one if you’re within striking distance.”

All proceeds from the tour benefit Make-A-Wish Vermont & Northeast New York. Operating from Wishing Spaces in Shelburne, Vermont and Saratoga Springs, New York, the chapter has granted nearly 3,500 wishes since 1986.

Make-A-Wish President and CEO of Vermont & Northeast New York, Jamie Hathaway, says the money raised from the concert will go directly towards granting wishes to children aged 2.5 to 18 years old, “in the hopes that a wish can inspire hope, strength and joy in the healing process. And to bring agency to children who often feel they don’t have control of a lot of things in their lives,” said Hathaway. 

A common misconception of Make-A-Wish is that they only grant wishes to terminally ill patients. However, anyone can refer a child in critical condition at wish.org/refer.

“What I often say to people is don’t worry about whether or not a child qualifies. That’s our job to figure it out. What’s very important to know is we serve children with critical conditions and there are a number of conditions that qualify,” Hathaway said. 

Tickets for the concert start at 90 dollars and can be purchased at wishbenefit.org.

The annual Malta Community Day returns this year on Saturday, September 12th, at Shenantaha Creek park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. features live entertainment, hands-on activities, local vendors, and fun for all ages.

Events at this free event will include:

• Bounce House

• Radical Run Obstacle Course

• Caricature Entertainment

• Reptile Adventure with hands-on experiences

• Craft Area where kids can create their own projects

• Fire Trucks on display for everyone to explore

• Business and Non-Profit Booths

• A Variety of Food Vendors

 Special Highlights:

• Face Painting: Due to its popularity, this year we’ll have two face painters to help shorten wait times.

• Pony Rides: Returning for the first time in several years, pony rides will once again be available for children.

• Jani Poppins Bubbles: Don’t miss the fun bubble presentation from 1:00–2:00 PM.

• Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides: Enjoy a special ride for all ages, courtesy of J and D Percherons.

Golf fans may remember Dottie Pepper’s dominant outing at the 1999 Nabisco Dinah Shore tournament where she shot a record 19-under par to win her second major title. Followers of the sport may recognize Pepper from her extensive commentating career on the Golf Channel and CBS.

Some may not know that the Saratoga native was the first ever walking reporter allowed at the Masters in 2020. 

Now Pepper says she has received a tap on the shoulder. 

Through a culmination of efforts, Pepper, along with Peggy McQuade has organized two unique contemporary Christian concerts in her hometown of Saratoga. 

This calling, Pepper said, she really started listening to during the pandemic.

“I would not have considered myself much of an active Christian until probably more toward a decade ago. But this whole Christian music thing for me kind of blew up [my faith],” Pepper reflected. During “the Covid Summer we were the first major sport to go back on television. I essentially drove across the county, and I was by myself and this music kept me rooted and positive.”

Two years ago, Pepper hosted a concert in her backyard featuring Josh Baldwin, a Christian singer-songwriter. 

Since that informal gig, Pepper, Baldwin, and David Leonard, an artist in the same genre as Baldwin, have been trying to coordinate schedules to bring their music to the Spa City.

This year those efforts come to fruition; on September 19 Baldwin and David Leonard are coming to the Universal Preservation Hall for “Voices to God.” 

Additionally, on September 11, the inaugural “Worship in the Pines” is coming to Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This all-day festival of contemporary Christian artists is one Pepper hopes becomes an annual event like Jazz or Outlaw Fest. 

“I think there’s an element that music becomes a more powerful messenger than the spoken word,” Pepper said. “It’s more about getting the music and the message out of a particular building and out among the masses. That is what we’re trying to do here, especially to bring this music to Saratoga.”

For more information on the lineup for “Worship in the Pines” or to buy tickets go to, worshipinthepines.com. To purchase tickets to “Voices to God” go to, atuph.org.