BALLSTON SPA — Back after a one-year hiatus, the popular Saratoga Balloon and BBQ Festival will occupy the Saratoga County Fairgrounds Aug.  27- 29 for three days of family fun.  Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Festival organizers moved from the traditional Father’s Day weekend to the new dates in late August, when the event was more likely to happen without restrictions. 

Friday’s events include the DareDevil Trained Dog Show, balloon launches, the Brent McCoy  Comedy Juggling Act, and the Balloon Glow at dusk. Saturday is the longest day with more dog shows, another day with Brent McCoy, tethered balloon rides, helicopter rides, and the evening balloon launch. On Sunday, there will be a car show with 100 cars, and the New York Steak Cook-Off with dozens of teams competing for the prizes and fame and bragging rights. 

The Festival includes the Kids Zone – with bounce houses, pony rides, a petting farm, face painting,  a designated magician, Shawn,  a balloon twister, and games – live music daily and a wide choice of food.

The Saratoga County Fairgrounds are located at 162 Prospect St. in Ballston Spa. Festival hours are Friday 3 p.m. to dusk after the Balloon Glow; Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.. It is a rain or shine event. Adult admission is $12; children under 16 $5 at the gate. There is a special price on Sunday: adults are $8 and children $5.  For the adventurous, you can book a balloon ride on the Festival website www.balloonandbbq.com. For balloon launch updates check the website and Facebook: www.facebook.com/saratogaballoonandbbq.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces that its WAMC@SPAC series will continue with “Horse Crazy with Sarah Maslin Nir” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Nancy DiCresce Room at The Pines@SPAC facility. WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s Joe Donahue will lead the conversation with heralded New York Times reporter, Pulitzer Prize finalist and avid equestrian Sarah Maslin Nir, exploring Nir’s new book Horse Crazy. 

Sarah Maslin Nir is a staff reporter for The New York Times, and was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for “Unvarnished,” her more than yearlong investigation into New York City’s nail salon industry that documented the exploitative labor practices and health issues manicurists face. 

All attendees are required to show proof of having completed their COVID-19 vaccination no sooner than 14 days prior to the event. Verification will be required upon entry at the Charlie Gate adjacent to the Hall of Springs entrance. WAMC@SPAC: “Horse Crazy with Sarah Maslin Nir” is free to attend, however seating is limited. Visit www.spac.org to register. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Canadian road poet Scott Cook will perform at Caffe Lena on Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The concert will benefit Youth² – Youth Helping Youth. There will also be a live interview with Scott Cook during intermission. Youth² will host a bake sale to bring refreshments to the show. Ticket sales are on the Caffe Lena website www.caffelena.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The final Temple Sinai program for the Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival presents a Zoom discussion and celebration of Black culture with Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce at 7 p.m. on Aug. 15.

The documentary film, a highly celebrated Netflix documentary and 2019 Emmy Award nominee, is presented with a grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York.

The documentary is an in-depth look at Beyonce’s 2018 Coachella show, where she was the first African American woman to headline the festival since its founding in 1999. 

Beyonce chronicles her experiences, from breastfeeding newborn twins, dance rehearsals, her radical diet regimen and grueling training schedule after topping the scales at 218 pounds following the birth of her twins.

Registration is required at sjcf.sjca@gmail.com;  for other information: www.saratogajewishculturalfestival.org and www.saratogasinai.org  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College’s Upbeat on the Roof concert series concludes Thursday, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m. with a free concert by Heavenly Echoes.

Founded out of the Sweet Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Albany, this lively six-piece ensemble brings feel-good gospel energy and radiant positivity to their audiences. Heavenly Echoes has been performing in the Capital District for over 50 years. 

The Upbeat on the Roof concert takes place on the Tang lawn near the campus outdoor volleyball courts. Visitors are welcome to bring blankets, chairs, and coolers, and are advised to arrive early as capacity is limited. Free parking is available off Perimeter Road, next to the museum. The Museum is on the Skidmore College campus at 815 N. Broadway in Saratoga Springs. In case of rain, the event will be canceled.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In advance of an appearance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center Sunday night, John Oates – one half the duo known as Hall & Oates – will be the focus of a meet-and-greet Saturday at the Saratoga Automobile Museum in the Spa State Park. 

The meet-and-greet event takes place 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $100 and proceeds benefit Feeding America, and supports educational and exhibition programming at the Saratoga Automobile Museum, located at 110 Avenue of the Pines.    

For tickets, go to: www.saratogaautomuseum.org, or call 518-401-5185. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new multidisciplinary school featuring instruction in dance, music, theater and other art forms will open in September at the National Museum of Dance/Lewis A. Swyer Studios, on South Broadway. 

Elizabeth Sobol, president and CEO of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, on Aug. 12 announced the launch of the project. The school is scheduled to open in September. 

“The National Museum of Dance and its School of the Arts has an exceptional history of philanthropy and artistic vision thanks to individuals like Lewis A. Swyer, Marylou Whitney and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. In more recent years, that spirit, vision and generosity has been carried on by Michele and Ron Riggi,” Sobol said, adding that the launch of the school was made possible with support from Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family.  Additional funding from the Charles R. Wood Foundation will go toward tuition assistance, supplies, instruments and transportation. 

The school will operate out of the Lewis A. Swyer Studios, a state-of-the-art facility located behind the National Museum of Dance and will focus on creating a joyful learning environment to include introductory and exploratory arts instruction for all age groups, physiques and abilities, designed to complement offerings by other community arts organizations and schools. 

“The opportunity to open a school dedicated to year-round arts education is a thrilling addition to our rapidly expanding education programs. With this new venture, we look forward to providing something truly unique to the Capital Region – a creative space where children can access and explore multiple art forms,” said Dennis Moench, SPAC’s Senior Director of Education and the School Director. 

The school will also further SPAC’s mission to facilitate inclusion, equity and access in arts education, and complement the organization’s extensive education program, which currently serves 49,000 students throughout the Capital Region annually and partners with more than 120 schools and non-profit organizations across the region. 

Following the Museum’s closure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, SPAC has collaborated with New York State Parks and the administration of the National Museum of Dance to reopen it to the public. The Lewis A. Swyer Studios are part of the National Museum of Dance campus.

Online registration for fall classes begins on Aug. 18. For more information or to learn how to register for classes, visit www.spacschool.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The David Cassidy Memorial Legacy Group hosts a celebration of the life of David Cassidy Monday, Aug. 16 at Putnam Place. 

The event will kick off with an hour long “mix & mingle” at 3 p.m., followed by the Celebration of Life event from 4- 8 p.m. 

Cassidy was a one-time resident of Saratoga Springs and is best known as a singer as well as an actor in the 1970s TV show “The Partridge Family.”  The vocalist, composer, author, producer, director, actor and Broadway/theatre entertainer was an avid horseman and philanthropist.  Cassidy died in November 2017 at the age of 67. 

The event will feature the David Cassidy Remember Me Awards ceremony, as well as serving to honor 70’s Long Island based band Danny Calvagna & 45 RPM.  Calvagna lost his life to COVID-19 and DCMLG will offer a special tribute. 

In addition, videos showcasing three band,  Sly Fox & The Hustlers, RBones Revival and Twice Removed will be shown on the big screen, and a silent auction will be held to raise money for various charities that Cassidy held dear to his heart including: The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, Friends of Saratoga County Animal Shelter and Columbia Greene Humane Society.

The event will continue into the evening with a live performance by Joe’s Boys, performing a variety of David Cassidy’s solo work, music from the Partridge Family and “good time rock n’ pop” songs from the 60’s, 70’s 80’s and beyond.  They will be joined by special guest, Vance Brescia.

Tickets are $25 in-person attendance, $15 live stream. Go to www.putnamplace.com.  To reach out to the David Cassidy Memorial Legacy Group, send email to: DavidCassidyIts4ever@gmail.com. 

BOLTON LANDING – The Sembrich continues its 2021 Summer Festival with Nature, Our Gentlest Mother an afternoon song recital with sopranos Sylvia Stoner and Suna Gunther. The show will take place 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11. 

Celebrating the connection of nature and song, listeners will experience the beauty of Aaron Copland’s settings of Emily Dickinson poems, luscious songs by Richard Strauss, and works of women composers including Lori Laitman and Lili Boulanger.

A diverse professional singer and actor, soprano Sylvia Stoner – Artist-in-Residence in Voice at Skidmore College -has been seen on stages across the country in both opera and theater. Her operatic credits include Lisa in Pikovaya Dama, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Manon in Manon Lescaut, Nedda in I Pagliacci, and Marguerite in Faust. 

Soprano Suna Gunther is currently a professor of voice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a 14-year member of the Grant Park Chorus of Chicago and was assistant music director and soprano soloist for Trio Chicago and Friends for ten years, with whom she traveled the world on behalf of the U.S. State Department as a “cultural ambassador.”

Tickets are $30 and are available online at TheSembrich.org/festival or by calling 518-644-2431. This performance will take place on the lakeshore under a performance tent. A rain date is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. 

The Sembrich is located at 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing. For more information, visit www.TheSembrich.org or email: Office@TheSembrich.org. 

BOLTON LANDING – The Sembrich will host a live-stream of Seagle Festival’s world premiere opera HARMONY with a champagne toast at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 14. The evening will include a live introduction by The Sembrich’s Artistic Director Richard Wargo, a champagne toast, and a live-streamed screening of Seagle Festival’s world premiere event.

HARMONY, by Robert Carl and Russell Banks, is set in Keene Valley and includes numerous Adirondack references. The opera tells the story of young composer Charles Ives, his love for high-class harmony Twichell, and the interference of Twichell family friend Mark Twain in their Betrothal – based on true events.

Tickets are $20 and are available online at TheSembrich.org/festival or via phone at 518-644-2431. The event is sponsored by the Lake George Mirror.

The Sembrich is located at 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing. For more information, visit www.TheSembrich.org or contact us at 518-644-2431 or Office@TheSembrich.org.