SARATOGA SPRINGS — As events continue to evolve regarding the COVID-19 virus, the city of Saratoga Springs has decided to cancel the Recreation Department current schedule of summer camps and other summer programs. 

Any participant who is registered for camp and/or a program will receive a full refund. 

The Recreation Center and ice rinks will remain closed until further notice. 

The Recreation parks will remain OPEN to the public, but no organized activities will be scheduled, and fields will not be scheduled until further notice. Playground equipment, basketball courts, and all other recreation equipment will remain closed. 

If you plan to use a park, please follow all NYS and CDC recommendations regarding COVID-19. All programming and facility rental questions shall be directed to the Recreation Department at recreservations@saratoga-springs.org.

NEW YORK – Earlier this month, Naxos released “This Land Sings: Inspired by the Life and Times of Woody Guthrie,” the world-premiere recording of composer Michael Daugherty’s musical tribute to the singer-songwriter and political activist Woody Guthrie.

Maestro David Alan Miller will host an online celebration to honor the release 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, at: Facebook.com/albanysym/live. Daugherty will also be at the event to answer questions about this album.

The album features performances by the Albany Symphony’s new music ensemble Dogs of Desire led by Miller, with vocal soloists, soprano Annika Socolofsky and baritone John Daugherty. For this release, Daugherty collaborated with producer Silas Brown, to create a recording which re-creates a vintage Capital Records 1950s soundscape. 

 “Traveling America from coast to coast with his acoustic guitar and harmonica, Woody Guthrie performed folk songs of love, wandering and social justice, including his famous anthem “This Land Is Your Land,” at Workers Union gatherings, on radio stations and street corners, and in farm fields and concert halls during the Great Depression and the Second World War,” writes Daugherty in his introduction to the album. 

To prepare for his musical tribute to this Dust Bowl troubadour, the composer drove for several weeks along the dusty backroads of Oklahoma and Texas where Guthrie once roamed, while listening to just about everything the singer-songwriter recorded during his brief lifetime (1912–1967). The composer also spent time at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, researching his fascinating life and wide-ranging artistic output. “The music I composed gives haunting expression, ironic wit and contemporary relevance to the political, social and environmental themes from Woody Guthrie’s era.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Although the July residency of New York City Ballet at SPAC is uncertain and area Broadway shows are cancelled, Total Body Trifecta’s new TBT87 virtual studio will offer three online ballet barre classes taught by a trio of talent from New York City Ballet and Broadway to fill the void.

Originally, three DWTD classes were already scheduled by owner Mary Anne Fantauzzi for the week of July 13-18, but rather than cancel the annual tradition since 1998, she reached out to three favorite teachers with the prospect of offering Spring Zoom classes instead. 

Rising NYCB star Gilbert Bolden III will teach a classical ballet barre with a mini-variation from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, May 25. Broadway pro (Carousel, An American in Paris) and former NYCB dancer David Prottas will teach “Breakin’ It Down at the Barre” from 11 a.m. – noon Thursday, May 28, and NYCB dancer and School of American Ballet master teacher Andrew Scordato will teach Core de Ballet from 11 a.m. – noon on Thursday, June 4. 

The cost is $10 per class.  Registration and full payment are required in order to receive a Zoom invitation. For more information check the Dance with the Dancers page totalbodytrifecta.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Arts is currently seeking regional artists to apply for its 2021 Call for Artists. 

Application Deadline: May 29 at 11:59 p.m. Artists who reside in Saratoga County and the eight surrounding counties Hamilton, Warren, Washington, Rensselaer, Albany, Schenectady, Montgomery and Fulton are eligible to apply.

This is an opportunity to submit artwork for consideration to be included in solo or small group shows in the center’s exhibition space on Broadway. For more information, go to: www.saratoga-arts.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Annual summertime Spa City favorites, The Dave Matthews Band, will be kept off the road this year as a result of the global pandemic. 

As such, a pair of DMB’s previously scheduled dates this July have been postponed and have been rescheduled to take place one year later, July 9 and July 10, 2021. 

The band issued the following statement this week: We are disappointed to announce, that in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we will be moving all of our 2020 summer dates to the summer of 2021. We make this decision with the health, safety, and well-being of our fans, touring crew, and venue staff as our priority.

Your previously purchased tickets will be honored for these rescheduled performances, and we’re happy to announce that the 2021 tour includes a few additional stops that were not included on the 2020 tour. We are also providing fans with the option to refund your tickets at the point of purchase. We are incredibly grateful for all of our fans who come out to see us every summer and will miss seeing you all. For now, we will keep everyone in our hearts and minds until we can be together again.

On sale information for the new 2021 dates will be available at a later date.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 2020 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival has been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center announced the cancellation May 4. The two-day event, originally scheduled for June 27-28, was to present a rich roster of artists including Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Kool & the Gang, Cassandra Wilson and Taj Mahal. 

“After 42 consecutive years presenting one of the most exceptional jazz festivals in North America, to have to cancel the 2020 Festival is both heartbreaking and devastating.  The loss of this event as an exuberant gathering of jazz-lovers is deeply painful – and the economic impact to SPAC, the community, and the many artists who were to perform is incalculable,” Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center said in a statement. 

The festival began in 1978 and has been the longest continuously running jazz festival in the northeastern part of North America.

A series of live streamed performances over the festival weekend will be presented by SPAC and Caffé Lena. Titled “Freihofer’s Jazz Fest Stay Home Sessions,” the artist line-up will be announced at a later date and will include local musicians. 

SPAC also announced an initiative to donate two tickets to first responders and local health care workers for performances during its 2021 season for every ticketholder of the 2020 festival who chooses to convert all or a minimum of $25 of their ticket purchase into a tax deductible donation. SPAC depends on ticket sales and the generosity of individuals for 66% of its annual budget, therefore ticket donations will help to ensure the vitality of SPAC during these unprecedented times. Visit spac.org for options to exchange, donate or request a refund.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Journey – led by founding member and guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain and vocalist Arnel Pineda, have canceled their 2020 tour as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions regarding large gatherings. 

Journey and the Pretenders were slated to perform at Saratoga Performing Arts Center Aug. 1. 

The band released a joint statement this week which reads: “Having seen what the world has endured during the last 45 days, and not knowing what the rest of this year or 2021 will bring, we knew the right thing to do was to make sure our fans’ health was not put in jeopardy and to provide immediate access to refund options given the unexpected events caused by this terrible virus. We would like to thank all doctors, nurses, police, other first responders and essential workers for their heroic efforts; as well as our fans for doing everything possible to stay safe.” 

Journey’s tour partners at Live Nation will ensure ticket holders will be emailed directly with their refund options including a full refund, or you can request a 150% credit + Live Nation will donate the number of tickets you originally purchased to healthcare workers on the front lines. For more details, visit livenation.com/refund. 

BALLSTON SPA – In light of the spread of COVID-19, the Board of Directors of the Saratoga County Fair has announced the cancellation of the 179th Saratoga County Fair. The event was scheduled to take place July 21 – 26.  Since its inception in 1841, the only other cancellation was during the Civil War. The Fair anticipates returning in July 2021.

LAKE GEORGE — In light of current CDC social distancing guidelines, Adirondack Festivals LLC announced it has rescheduled the 6th Annual Adirondack Wine & Food Festival to Sept. 26 and 27, 2020.

The festival is normally held the last weekend in June and is a highly anticipated kickoff to the summer tourism season in Lake George. The decision to reschedule was made to help protect the health and safety of festival attendees and vendors, while providing an alternative date in 2020 with favorable weather, said Sasha Pardy, owner of Adirondack Festivals LLC.

“Nothing is more important than the well-being of our attendees and vendors,” said Pardy, “but we remain hopeful that come September, we are able to host our festival barring any federal, state or local regulations that would prohibit it. We are treating this pandemic very seriously and we will do everything we can to make our event as safe as possible for everyone in attendance.”

The festival’s new dates in September provide an opportunity to add a fall wine and food festival to the already exciting slate of events in Lake George. 

Moving the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival to September also allows the event to continue its support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks. This is the third consecutive year BBBS is the beneficiary of the festival. Last year, the festival raised $15,000 for this amazing organization. BBBS will receive a portion of every ticket sold and proceeds from water sold at the event. 

The impact of COVID-19 has hundreds of BBBS children and families in need of support now more than ever, and a successful festival fundraiser would be a tremendous step toward that goal, said Bill Moon, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks. 

“Funding to support our community is being jeopardized as we all experience these economic uncertainties,” Moon said. “It is only through our partnerships with those like the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival that we are able to continue to support the youth of our community.” 

Adirondack Festivals LLC will continue to monitor COVID-19 guidelines and do everything they can to provide a safe, enjoyable experience for all guests in attendance. The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival features 120 of New York’s best wineries, breweries, distilleries, cideries, artisan food vendors, food trucks and more. Held in a gorgeous setting, with beautiful Lake George as its backdrop, the festival is a try-before-you-buy farmers’ market style event that also generates a tremendous economic impact on the surrounding Lake George region. Last year’s festival generated a $3.5 million economic impact, with over 4,000 hotel room nights generated in the area – and this year’s festival attendance was expected to surpass 7,250. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, out of concern for the health and safety of the staff and community, and in accordance with guidelines from Skidmore College, is extending its temporary closure through the summer months. 

This difficult but necessary decision comes after considering current projections about the outbreak, and means the cancelation of beloved Tang summer traditions such as the annual community open house, Frances Day, and the popular Upbeat on the Roof concert series. These traditions will be back in 2021. The summer closure also means changes — but no cancelations — to the Tang’s previously announced exhibition schedule.

 “Summer at the Tang is a time of coming together for music, art, art-making, and community, but these extraordinary times require us to do our part to slow the spread by practicing social distancing,” said Dayton Director Ian Berry, in a statement. 

The Museum launched Tang at Home, an online hub for art-making activities and projects for all ages that bring the Tang experience into people’s homes at tang.skidmore.edu/education/tang-at-home. The Tang is adding new projects each week. The newest community project is Tang Extra Credit, in which everyone is invited to re-create works of art from the Tang collection with what they have around them. Email your re-creation to tang@skidmore.edu and include your name, email address, and the name of the artwork that inspired you. Discover people’s re-creations at the Tang Extra Credit page.

New Dates for Exhibitions

• Energy in All Directions, originally set for a July opening is now scheduled to open Oct. 10 and will stay on view through May 17, 2021.

• Never Done: 100 Years of Women in Politics and Beyond, originally scheduled for Aug. 26 is now scheduled to open Sept. 17 and stay on view through June 6, 2021. 

• Lover Earth: Art and Ecosexuality will open as scheduled on May 30 as an online exhibition. 

For more information go to: tang.skidmore.edu/exhibitions.