SARATOGA SPRINGS — Join the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation for the first ever Autumn Strolls & Programs this fall. Following the tremendous success of the Summer Sunday Strolls and virtual programming, the Foundation is thrilled to present autumn programs.

Tour various neighborhoods in Saratoga Springs while remaining safe and socially distanced. On Sept. 20 10:30 a.m. Executive Director Samantha Bosshart will kick-off this series of tours with The Good Life:North Broadway. Learn about the architecture of the grand homes on this prominent street that were built by some of Saratoga Springs’ most notable figures such as Senator Brackett, William B. Gage, Frank Hathorn, and Lucy Skidmore Scribner. The tour meets at the northwest corner of North Broadway and Van Dam Street in front of Witt Construction.

Other tour topics this season highlight the Canfield Casino and Congress Park, Franklin Square, and the historic West Side. All Sunday morning tours last approximately 90 minutes and require walking and standing on varied terrain. Due to current restrictions in New York State, the Autumn Strolls will be limited to twenty guests, which currently is less than the maximum of 50 that is currently allowed, and tickets must be purchased in advance until otherwise noted. Everyone will be required to wear a mask and social distancing will be encouraged when possible. The cost per tour is $15 for SSPF members and $20 for non-members.  Members who have received complimentary Stroll passes will have those honored for their value of $10 and will be required to pay the difference of $5.

In addition to the Autumn Strolls & Programs, the Foundation is offering a bike tour of the Saratoga Spa State Park on Sunday, Sept. 29 which has already sold out and two virtual presentations in October.  “Hidden Histories” with Carol Godette will take place on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. Carol will unearth the history of several properties throughout Saratoga Springs including her own home, the site of Ben & Jerry’s, former Convention Hall, and 395 Broadway, today Fingerpaint Marketing.  On Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Nancy Brown will present “Women’s Suffrage in Saratoga Springs.” Learn about the pivotal role Saratoga Springs played in the women’s suffrage movement and the history of women’s rights conventions. Both virtual programs will be free and streamed through Zoom and Facebook Live. Mark your calendar for the upcoming Twilight Cemetery Tour “Madness, Murder, Untimely Deaths, and Strange Coincidences,” on Friday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. for a rare opportunity to explore Greenridge Cemetery at dusk with tour leader Gloria May.

For additional information, to purchase tickets to any educational programs, and to review the Stroll Safety Plan please visit www.saratogapreservation.org, call the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation at 518-587-5030, or email Anne McDonough, Administrative Assistant, at admin@saratogapreservation.org.

Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival 

GREENWICH ­— Get your holiday shopping done early by supporting local artisans and farmers at the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival.

The festival this year will be occurring at the Washington County Fairgrounds the weekend of Sept. 26 and 27 featuring local artisans, and craft food and beverage vendors. Whether you are looking for supplies to create or are looking for something completed, there is something for everyone. Vendors include fiber artisans, silversmiths, leatherworks, jewelry, woodcrafts, craft beverages, and foods. 

Complete spring cleaning by bringing any gently used fiber equipment and supplies to be sold at the silent auction. Items that are not sold on Saturday will be available for sale on Sunday. Please visit www.adkwoolandarts.com/equipment-auction for more information on how to bring your item for auction. 

In order to ensure everyone’s health and safety masks will be required for the event by all guests and vendors on the fairgrounds. Vendors will be spaced out throughout the fairgrounds to ensure ample spacing between people can be maintained. All buildings will have one way in and one way out access with multiple hand sanitizer and hand washing stations located throughout the grounds. 

The festival grounds are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 262 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27. Admission is $5.00 with children 13 and under are free. For information please visit the festival’s website at www.adkwoolandarts.com

Fantastic Food Truck Corral 

GREENWICH ­— Join the fair through Oct. 2 at the Washington County Fairgrounds for the final installment of the Fantastic Food Truck Corral on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Each Friday, the fairgrounds will be welcoming food vendors from around the area for an evening of good food and local music that can be enjoyed at one of the socially distanced picnic tables, your own chair or blanket, or take the food to go.

To ensure everyone’s safety masks are required to visit the food truck event as well as maintaining six-feet of social distancing from fellow food patrons and vendors. Hand washing stations with water and soap and hand sanitizer dispensers will be available throughout the corral for all to use throughout the event. 

These will be the final weekends for the Food Truck Corral.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College presents the election-year exhibition Never Done: 100 Years of Women in Politics and Beyond, with an online opening Sept. 17.

The exhibition takes the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment as the occasion for reflection and exploration of the issues and challenges women in the United States have faced, and continue to face, in politics and society. What has been accomplished in the last 100 years, and what has yet to be accomplished? The fight for the 19th amendment was achieved through marches, demonstrations, and protest tactics that are still used today. And in the current moment of protest and activism around racism in the United States, Never Done speaks to the role of race and class in shaping women’s participation in politics and the public sphere.

The exhibition features new work by Gina Adams, Firelei Baez, Chioma Ebinama, Jane Fine, Daesha Devon Harris, Gina Occchiogrosso, Erin Riley, Joyce J. Scott, Tschabalala Self, Kathia St. Hilaire, Tiny Pricks Project, and Marie Watt. The exhibition also features work from the Tang collection from notable artists such as Renee Cox, Nan Goldin, Carrie Moyer, Laurel Nakadate, Catherine Opie, Deborah Roberts, Wendy Red Star, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Cindy Sherman, Sarah Sze, Barbara Takenaga, Mickalene Thomas, Kara Walker, and Carrie Mae Weems. 

Starting Sept. 17, online visitors will be able to see images of 100 artworks by women and non-binary artists along with statements by each artist that reflect on their work in relation to women’s rights, representation, justice, and the legacy of the suffrage movement. These images will be presented alongside new curatorial writing, student reflections, a list of feminist readings and online resources, and more.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Tang will present a series of online programs: Constitution Day Lecture: Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. and Never Done Artist Talk with Stephanie Syjuco: Friday, Sept. 18 at noon. Additional lectures will be held in October. 

Note, the Museum is open only to the college community for now, Skidmore students, faculty, and curators are using the gallery as a laboratory, working to discuss and envision the exhibition design for Never Done. Visitors will experience the results of this experimental approach when the Museum reopens to the public. Visit the Tang website for details on each program at tang.skidmore.edu.

SCHUYLERVILLE — The Laffer Gallery opens a new exhibit, “Progressive Process,” on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 96 Broad Street in Schuylerville. The exhibit will run through Oct. 18 and will feature artwork by artists Nick Patten, JoAnn Axford and Leslie Peck. 

“Art is about process. It’s one of the things that distinguishes artists from one another and defines aesthetic. It’s also in these small, progressive motions that artist find their passion and explore their voice. The works of Nick, Joann, and Leslie reflect this richness of process. Their work serves as an important reminder of the beauty that can be created from patience and purpose,” Erik Laffer, owner of The Laffer Gallery said in a statement.

“Progressive Process” will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., from Sept. 12 to Oct. 18. Showings are also available by appointment. For more information, call 518-695-3181 or go to: www.thelaffergallery.com.

BOLTON LANDING — The Sembrich continues its 20/20: Virtual Visionaries summer festival with “Quiet City: A Reverie for New York in the time of COVID-19.” This new presentation, celebrating the persistent and strong spirit of New York, is highlighted with a new essay by music critic and scholar Thomas Larson and Aaron Copland’s iconic work Quiet City featuring trumpet player Chris Coletti and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. 

“We wanted something special to mark this time – a token for this unprecedented summer of COVID-19. Copland’s Quiet City seemed a natural choice, the evocative title taking on an added resonance during this time. To be able to realize this idea with such phenomenal musicians has been a real pleasure! Larson’s new essay, entitled Quieted America, has made this project even more rewarding. It’s been thirty years now since I first arrived at The Sembrich and this is one the projects that I’m most proud of,” Artistic Director Richard Wargo said in a statement.

Thomas Larson is an acclaimed journalist, book/music critic, and memoirist known for his books The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber’s ‘Adagio for Strings’ (Pegasus Press) and Spirituality and the Writer: A Personal Inquiry (Swallow Press). He has presented several lectures at The Sembrich in recent years.

Internationally acclaimed trumpeter Chris Coletti is a soloist, chamber music and orchestral musician.  Famous for his work with Canadian Brass (2009-2019), Coletti is also Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Ithaca College School of Music. 

This is the final presentation in The Sembrich’s 20/20: Virtual Visionaries summer festival and its four-part Alfred Z. Solomon Innovator Series. This project and performance are made possible through generous support from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust. The Sembrich is located at 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing.  To view this presentation, visit TheSembrich.org/online/copland.

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Historical Society at Brookside Museum is reinventing itself as the Saratoga County History Center. 

For nearly 60 years, the organization has focused primarily on Brookside Museum, a 1792 summer boarding house in Ballston Spa, catering to local history enthusiasts and genealogy hunters.  On the brink of closing in 2019, a “Save Brookside” campaign was launched, ultimately raising over $90,000. 

Rather than concentrating exclusively on Ballston Spa locals and museum walk-ins, the organization now endeavors to represent all the diverse populations and histories of Saratoga County as a whole through a variety of online and in-person exhibits, programs, and events.  Thus, rebranding as the Saratoga County History Center with a vision to “share history to promote community.” 

As Saratoga County’s History Center, “Brookside” will act as the nerve center, clearinghouse, and repository for use throughout the county.  It will be a resource for local historians, libraries, and governments, as well as those around the globe seeking information about Saratoga County and its environs.  It will also be a member-driven organization, reliant upon member dues, donations, and participation.  Memberships are being sought throughout the county and beyond.  A sizable membership will create a dependable revenue stream and identify stakeholders regardless of location. 

The transition to Saratoga County History Center is anticipated to become official after approval by its chartering entity, the Board of Regents of the State Education Department.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College has announced a new collaboration that addresses the current pandemic and protests. The initiative highlights artist Nicole Cherubini, and MASKS4PEOPLE, an organization based in Catskill, that was founded in response to COVID-19 by regional artists to create and distribute masks free to the community.

The Tang collaboration is an edition of 500 unique masks based on Cherubini’s exhibition “Shaking the Trees” that will be distributed to Skidmore students and other college community members, as well as regional community groups taking part in the Tang’s educational outreach initiatives. 

“Since the public can’t come to the Museum, the masks are a way for the Museum to come to the public,” said Cherubini, in a statement. The artist divides her time between Hudson and Brooklyn, and is known for her boundary-breaking ceramic work and whose exhibition has transformed the Tang’s mezzanine into a community space with glazed tiles, woven chairs, ceramic sculpture, potted plants, and historical works from the Tang collection. “Working on this mask project helped me understand more about how to make a new kind of space.”

The masks are made of multiple elements that ensure no two are the same. The front of each mask has one of two silkscreen patterns that were hand-printed by Mark Hayden of Upstate Ink, a printing company in Catskill. One pattern is based on the tiles in Cherubini’s Tang installation and the other is based on a line drawing of the exhibition by Tang Designer Jean Tschanz-Egger. The inside of each mask has one of eight quotes about using one’s voice and racial injustice, such as Mother Ann Lee’s “Now in my mouth I hold… pure and burnished gold;” Angela Davis’s “We have to talk about liberating minds;” James Baldwin’s “Nothing can be changed until it is faced;” and Rebecca Solnit’s “There are voices raised in the absence
of listeners.”

MASKS4PEOPLE started making masks in March, and have made over 7,500 masks for 175 organizations, including hospitals, healthcare centers, and community groups. M4P masks are made by a team of artists based in the Hudson Valley.

LAKE GEORGE — The Courthouse Gallery will host an online event in conjunction with a new solo exhibition featuring the work of D. Jack Solomon. The online talk with the artist takes place 4 p.m. Sept. 26. 

D. Jack Solomon’s vibrant paintings are a complex mix of imagery, often whimsical, with rich colors and surfaces. Working from a red undercoat creates luminous eye-popping effects where the red paint is exposed. It also serves to unify the contrasting forms weaving through the painting’s intricate space. Solomon draws from many sources, including early modernism, surrealism, abstract expressionism, pop art and cartoon imagery, to name a few.  But Solomon finds inspiration everywhere. 

“There is not a day that goes by that I am not inspired by something or someone.  I’m very grateful for this,” said Solomon, who lives in Hudson. Finding inspiration from so many places has led to a prolific painting career spanning many decades. 

The Courthouse Gallery is located at the side entrance of the Old County Courthouse, corner of Canada and Lower Amherst Streets, Lake George.  Hours during exhibitions are Wednesday through Friday 12 – 5 p.m., Saturday 12 – 4 p.m., and all other times by appointment. The exhibition will be installed in the gallery, and available for public to view. For more information and how to join the discussion, please go to: lakegeorgearts.org. 

BALLSTON SPA — The community of Saratoga Springs welcomes the Youth Ballet (SSYB) non-profit aimed at providing quality professional dance training to pre-professional students. 

Cristiane Santos and Joan K Anderson started their non-profit this year after working together for eight-years. The two professional dancers decided to open their own ballet school to focus on proper ballet training and technique.

“We have been working together for quite some time and the two of us have a similar vision on how we think a good ballet and dance training ought to be,” K Anderson said. 

Santos added: “We wanted to have a dance school that can bring something back to the community. Not just about us teaching the students, we want to offer services to the community besides the dance classes…we also would like to build a scholarship fund to eventually offer a scholarship for a students who doesn’t have access to dance education.”

Through SSYB, students can achieve their potential as dancers and artists while learning in a collaborative environment. A focus is put on building self-confidence and maturity in a nurturing atmosphere and SSYB places an emphasis on performance and positive reinforcement. Dancers learn the value of hard work and garner an appreciation and love for the arts.

The non-profit offers classes in ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, and conditioning for dancers ages three to adult.

“Our youngest student is three-years-old,” K Anderson said. “[We] offer a few open classes to adults and older teens who perhaps don’t want to do the rigorous schedule, but they just want come in and do a contemporary class.”

Any interested student needs to register and pay in advance to help SSYB social distance. Any dancer coming into the building will have their temperature checked parents will not be allowed in to the building. There is a registration limit. 

“In person classes, for the younger age group the max is eight [dancers] for the older students its ten [dancers],” Santos said. “The classes that we are doing hybrid, some in the classroom some virtual, we are only going to accept four-kids for the virtual class if we have ten-in person.”

Classes will begin Sept. 14 and run through June 2021. Santos and Kilgore-Anderson said they hope to offer a 2021 summer camp. Interest community members can register and find more information on their website at www.saratogaspringsyouthballet.org.

K Anderson first danced professionally with Cedar Lake II and went on to dance with Philadanco, the Philadelphia Dance Company, where she was a senior member and toured extensively both nationally and internationally. She performed many ballet and modern classics as well as contemporary and new works by renowned choreographers from around the world.

Cristiane Santos Founder, Co-Artistic Director Santos danced and taught ballet and tap for seven years at Ballet Vera Bublitz in Brazil. She was accepted to Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) school with a full scholarship and joined the company’s Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble through which she performed in lecture demonstrations at public schools around the country, taught movement classes in NYC public schools, and performed with DTH during its 30th anniversary season.

SSYB is located at 418 Geyser Rd., Ballston Spa, and can be reached at info@saratogaspringsyouthballet.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A sleek 1951 Nash-Healey Series 25 Roadster – the first post-war sports car from a major American manufacturer, a classy 1931 Ford Model A – which features a classic “Ah-Oo-Gah” horn, and a 1958 red-and-white body hardtop which famously performed on the silver screen will be among the hundreds of cars at the fourth annual Saratoga Auto Auction in mid-September.      

Billed as “an auction experience unlike any other,” the 2020 Saratoga Motorcar Auction takes place the Saratoga Automobile Museum Sept. 19. 

“We’re going to have between 250 and 300 cars, and there will be three different bidding platforms,” says Bill Windham, auction director for the museum.

Perhaps the most notable, if not the most outright notorious is the 1958 Red and white two-door Plymouth Fury hardtop with automatic transmission and red vinyl and cloth interiors. 

“Christine. The movie car,” Windham says, simply. 

Bearing “her” famous CQB 241 license plate, Christine is burned into the memory of millions of cinephiles and book-lovers alike – screaming across street corners, battering architecture to fiery structures of rubble, and coming back from the dead in the 1983 film directed by John Carpenter, and the Stephen King novel that bears her name. In both book and film, she is vengeful, doesn’t take kindly to being disrespected and in every way lives up to her “Fury” name. 

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“This here is the best car I ever owned. Bought her in September 1957,” says Roland D. LeBay, an old man with a bad back introducing himself as a character in King’s novel, while reminiscing about the first time he laid eyes on Christine.  “Brand-new, she was…red as a fire-engine on the inside.” 

When Carpenter set out to make the film and match the vehicle King had placed as the lead character of his book, he reportedly placed ads across California searching for models of the car, eventually securing more than a dozen.   

“With a lot of movie cars, depending on the shot and how it’s being utilized in the movie, it may just give the appearance of being the same car,” Windham explains. “Depending on the stunt it may have roll bars in it, it may not even have an interior in it – but this car is, inside and out, the real car. It is thoroughly documented as being one of the movie cars. The director of the movie used this car to go back and forth to the set, and it was used in some of the shots.”   

Previous auction years by the Saratoga Automobile Museum have featured two-day bidding events, with staging at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This year, vehicle check-in and on-site bidder registration begins Sept. 15. Preview day is Sept. 18, and the auction itself will take place during one, long, single-day event, which will run from 9:30 am until 6 or 7 p.m., and take place at the Saratoga Automobile Museum on Saturday, Sept. 19. 

Bidding may be done in-person, by phone, or online. 

The event will be streamed live so people may watch online via the Saratoga Automobile Museum website. All proceeds go to the museum in what is the largest generator of revenue the museum directs during the year. 

For more information about the auction and how to register to bid go to: www.saratogaautomuseum.org.