Image provided by the Saratoga Springs History Museum.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new collaborative event will transport guests into one of the most fascinating and rebellious chapters of Saratoga Springs history.
On Thursday, May 21, the Saratoga Springs History Museum will partner with the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Holiday Inn, Putnam Market, and Wishing Well Restaurant to present “Bridles & Bootleggers: When the Mob Owned the Spa City — The 2026 Trifecta Tour.”
This one-night, multi-location experience will explore Saratoga’s 1920s era, a time when Prohibition laws were widely ignored, underground casinos flourished, and the worlds of Thoroughbred racing and organized crime collided. While much of the nation went dry, Saratoga remained vibrant with illegal liquor, high-stakes gambling, and behind-the-scenes deals that shaped the city’s identity.
The Trifecta Tour guides attendees across three locations via a complimentary trolley. The evening begins at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, continues to the Holiday Inn, and includes a featured stop at the Saratoga Springs History Museum, before returning to the Racing Museum for the final portion of the program.
At each stop, guests will hear from historians who bring this decade to life through site-specific storytelling. The experience also includes curated snacks and drinks.
Tickets are now available, and space is limited.
“This tour offers a unique opportunity to experience Saratoga’s history in the very places where it unfolded,” said James Parillo, director of the Saratoga Springs History Museum. “By combining storytelling, movement, and collaboration across institutions, we’re able to bring this remarkable era to life in a way that is both educational and unforgettable.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.saratogahistory.org.
Camdyn Hull with his trainer Tyrone Jackson at the 2026 Buffalo Golden Gloves earlier this month. Photo provided.
BUFFALO — Saratoga Springs High School senior Camdyn Hull captured a championship title after defeating Buffalo’s Rocco Marchione at the 2026 Buffalo Golden Gloves event on April 12.
Hull won the 16-17 year-old, 132-pound final bout by unanimous decision. The fight was a draw heading into the last round, when Hull pulled off the victory.
“It was pretty one-sided,” said Hull’s dad Billy, who witnessed the fight.
Hull’s first boxing match occurred when he was just nine years old. He trains with local boxing coach Tyrone Jackson, who has been working with Hull for the past few years.
“He’s very dedicated to the game,” Jackson told Saratoga TODAY. “That’s what makes me interested in training him. I know he’s going to put in the work. He dedicates himself to it.”
Hull’s passion for the sport, his dad said, centers around accountability.
“You can’t blame a team,” Billy said. “It’s all him.”
Next up for Hull is a King of the Ring tournament in New England, followed by another tournament in California. Once he turns 18, more options will be available to him. But until then, “we’re going to keep going and see how far he can go,” said Billy.
Image provided by the Saratoga Social Wellness Club.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Few things are more damaging to a person’s quality of life than lack of social connection.
According to a 2023 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, loneliness and social isolation increase the risks of premature death, anxiety, depression, and dementia. Loneliness and isolation are also associated with lower academic achievement and worse performances at work. “This represents an urgent public health concern,” the report states.
“Extensive scientific findings from a variety of disciplines, including epidemiology, neuroscience, medicine, psychology, and sociology, converge on the same conclusion: social connection is a significant predictor of longevity and better physical, cognitive, and mental health, while social isolation and loneliness are significant predictors of premature death and poor health,” says the report.
Evidence of what’s been called a loneliness epidemic in America seems to be everywhere, including local Facebook groups.
Natalli Amato—a therapist, journalist, and yoga teacher—noticed many anonymously-authored posts in the various “What’s Going on Saratoga” Facebook groups that sought friendship and connection.
“I wondered in my head if any of these people, do they connect?” Amato told Saratoga TODAY. “Is that even really a comfortable or safe option? Is that how people want to make friends?”
For some, like Erin Joy—a yoga teacher and yoga therapist-in-training—being more introverted can make the search for connection even more of a challenge.
“I know that there’s other people out there that maybe have a tendency to do things alone, but maybe in the back of their head, they’re wishing that there’s a couple other friends that they could do things with, but maybe they just don’t know how or where to find them,” Joy said.
Enter the Saratoga Social Wellness Club, which was recently soft-launched by Amato and Joy. The club is designed to “give people a platform for turning fellow Spa City neighbors into new friends by coming together to enjoy events rooted in nature, wellness, and movement.”
Since creating their Instagram account (@saratoga_socialwellnessclub) a few weeks ago, Amato and Joy have already amassed more than 400 followers. And the responses they’ve received seem to indicate that Saratogians are hungry for meaningful connections. Amato said she’s been approached by people excited about the club, and Joy said she’s received enthusiastic Instagram messages.
“It seems as though people are giving us the seal of approval,” Joy said.
Amato and Joy both arrived in Saratoga from somewhere else, giving them first-hand experience with seeking connection and socialization in the Spa City. Amato said she “moved around a bunch” before landing in Saratoga, and Joy is originally from Rochester. The duo connected at Yoga Mandali, where they both worked as teachers.
“I feel completely at home here, even though I’ve been here for a couple of years,” Joy said.
“I think we were inspired [by] great running clubs and walking clubs and cycling clubs that are built around a shared passion and this want to make friends and have fun,” said Amato. “And so, inspired by the liveliness that we already see here, we were like, ‘We could do something like that around the things that light us up.’”
The club’s first in-person social event, Wellness in the Park, will take place on Sunday, May 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Spa State Park. Participants can expect some icebreakers, group dialogue, a nature walk, and an outdoor yoga class. Those interested in signing up, either for the event itself or to receive future communications from the club, can fill out a form at form.jotform.com/260905687423059.
The club is also open to future collaborations with local businesses and organizations.
“We want this to not just be about us or benefit us, but really be for Saratoga,” said Amato.
Parcel of land at 96-116 Ballston Ave., captured from Finley Street Aug. 21, 2024, with Route 50 visible at left. The existing building in the distance is 96 Ballston Ave. and is included in the county purchase. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos
The Saratoga County Code Blue Shelter will have a permanent location starting in the winter 2027 after the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors approved a site in Saratoga Springs.
The new facility will be located at 96 Ballston Ave, directly across the street from Market 32, in the city of Saratoga Springs. It is listed as being a 25,600 square foot facility with a common room, office spaces, commercial kitchen and mess hall. When in operation, the shelter will have 75 beds available with capacity for an additional 43 beds in times of emergency.
Under the ordinance, Shelters of Saratoga will build and operate the facility. It is expected to be open during the winter months and any time the temperate dips below freezing.
The shelter was approved during a Saratoga County Board of Supervisors meeting on April 21, 2026. The permanent shelter was described by members of the board as a good first step and that it would avoid the continual need to find locations for the shelter year after year. It also coincides with the end of the lease at the current code blue shelter located at 120 South Broadway.
During the meeting Saratoga Springs Supervisors Minita Sanghvi and Sarah Burger spoke about the impact the code blue shelter would have on the city. Both said they received numerous comments from residents speaking about safety concerns surrounding the shelter. According to the supervisors, numerous residents reported issues with public urination, verbal assaults, physical altercations, indecent exposure and incapacitated individuals in the neighborhood surrounding the current code blue shelter and the proposed site.
This has created concerns over public safety costs for handling the incidents. Sanghvi said that while those who use the services come from across the county, Saratoga Springs has had to bear the cost of providing emergency services to the shelter.
“While the county dispatch would get the calls, Saratoga Springs police, EMS and fire will be responding to the calls,” Sanghvi said. “This is a significant burden on our city residents that we shouldn’t have to bear alone.”
Sanghvi said that she hopes that the county can come to an intermunicipal agreement with the city to share resources and costs associated with the shelter moving forward.
Supervisor Burger echoed Sanghvi saying there were 264 emergency calls to the current code blue shelter in 2025 and that the city can’t afford the bill for the county.
Both supervisors emphasized that while this was an important first step, it shouldn’t be the only step. Sanghvi said that homelessness comes in many forms and that a single shelter open in winter cannot be the only solution.
The discussion around a code blue shelter has been going on for over a decade. In 2013, the death of Saratoga Springs resident Nancy Pitts due to freezing temperatures led the City of Saratoga Springs to first establish a code blue shelter. Later in 2016, a statewide mandate was issued requiring counties to provide a code blue shelter when the temperature dips below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
It was a long night in Saratoga Springs as the City Council held its normally scheduled meeting on the night of April 21.
On the docket were clarifications to parking rules, discussions of charter review, and the beginning of the process to change the cities Unified Development Ordinance.
From parking to planning and everything in between: here is a rundown of the updates from City Hall.
Possible changes coming to the UDO
The City of Saratoga Springs is set to begin review of its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) after City Council vote 4-1 to approve a resolution initiating a review of the UDO and publishing a draft of proposed changes.
The proposed changes mostly focused on the Design Review Board (DBR), one of three building-related boards in the City of Saratoga Springs. Under the proposed changes, the DBR’s role and abilities would be clarified. Among the more controversial changes is a change removing the ability of the DBR to prevent demolition of structures in the Architectural District for preservation purposes unless the structure had been designated a landmark by the City Council.
In addition, citizens would be able to appeal DBR ruling to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford said that the changes to the UDO were due to complaints he heard from citizens in dealing with the Design Review Board. Safford cited one instance where a resident was told by the DBR that if they didn’t want to pay for a slate roof, then they shouldn’t have bought a house in the architectural review district as well as several instances where businesses looking to modify or demolish structures were told no by the DBR.
He also said that there was pressure to pass an updated UDO as it had become a “political” issue and was upset with the lone Democrat on the City Council, BK Keramati for voting against the ordinance proposing review of the UDO.
During the meeting, Keramati had pressured the mayor for a list of specific reasons for the changes to the UDO prior to taking action on it. Keramati and Safford were seen talking after the meeting regarding his vote on the matter, with Safford expressing his displeasure with Keramati’s vote.
The proposed changes were also met with push back by members of the public who protested the changes and cited Saratoga Springs’ historic character as a reason for people to move to and visit the city. Of the 14 speakers who gave public comment, eight spoke out against the changes. In addition, prior to the meeting, the Saratoga Springs Democratic Party had put out a public call for attendance at the meeting and voiced its opposition to the proposed changes.
Parking
Two bills clarifying parking regulations were passed during the meeting. The first of these bills set a two-hour limit on parking along Phila Street between Broadway and Henry Streets. The time limit is in effect between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The second bill also impacted Phila Street, this time adding two commercial loading zones. The first of these zones will go from Broadway to Putnam Street on the North side of the street and be in effect on weekdays from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. The second loading zone will be on the South side of Phila between Putnam and Henry Streets.
Pushback on Charter Proposal
A proposal to change the language of Saratoga Springs’ charter regarding the number of city supervisors elected to the Board of Supervisors was met with pushback during the meeting. Under the proposed change instead of establishing two supervisors the charter would allow for “One or more Supervisors, as may be established by County Law”
While the proposals were introduced back in December, several speakers took time during public comment to address this proposed change, arguing that it would potentially diminish Saratoga Springs’ representation at the county level if the county chose to reduce the number to one.
In response to these comments, Mayor Safford asked for comments from the two current Saratoga Springs Supervisors — Sanghvi and Burger. Both asserted that they saw no need to change the charter when it came to the number of supervisors. Instead, Burger advocated for compensation from the city for Supervisors’ attendance at City Council meetings — something done by most other municipalities in the county.
Chamber Fee Waiver rejected
A proposed fee waiver for the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce was unanimously rejected by City Council. The waiver, which covered public safety related fees associated with several events held by the Chamber had been introduced by Coll after he said he met with the Chamber the week prior. Coll opposed the measure and said that approving the waiver might show favoritism to the group. He wasn’t alone as Finance Commissioner JoAnne Kiernan said the fee waiver as proposed would violate existing Finance Department policies.
[Thank you to the people who expressed concern over Jane and my recently infrequent posts. Jane and I spent two fun weeks in London visiting friends and going to the theater and museums. There were lots of chores to catch up on upon our return.
The more serious source of the lack of blogs has been that the most toxic and incompetent Commissioners on the City Council are finally gone. The last four years were extremely demanding. The worst of the group that I call the White Walkers has now been defeated.
Their inappropriate, poorly considered actions and crude, toxic behavior happened so frequently that it was hard to keep up reporting on them. More seriously, I feared all the damage their incompetence would wreak on our poor city.
The new Commissioners of Finance and Accounts are trying to bring order to the mess left by their predecessors. I will be writing more on this in the future, but I expect to do less work because we finally have a competent Council that I have confidence in.]
The Missing Bill
Although now, thankfully, out of office, the ghost of former Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran still haunts City Hall. Moran and the unfortunate OnCall pay debacle have recently resurfaced in connection with an unpaid bill Moran left behind.
Garnet River is a software company that provides technical support to the city’s information technology (IT) department.
Recently, Garnet River contacted the Department of Finance over an outstanding invoice. The city has owed Garnet Hill $3,600 since October, 2024. That is almost a year and a half ago.
Apparently, Dillon Moran engaged Garnet River to work with Moran’s New York City Law Firm to scrutinize the city’s server for something related to the On-Call scandal. We know very little about the details at this point. We have an invoice from 2024 and a time sheet from the lawyer indicating billing for conversations with Garnet River.
It is not surprising that, after the terrible media coverage of Moran hiring a $1,250.00-per-hour lawyer, he was uneasy about what the Council might do when asked to pay this bill. Bear in mind that the city was being asked to pay two ways. They would be paying the lawyer for his firm’s time while paying the software company for its time.
Apparently, Moran’s solution was to leave the bill from Garnet River resting in a drawer in his desk, never bringing it before the City Council for the approval necessary to pay it. One has to wonder what went on here. I feel a little sorry for Garnet River. Having dealt with Moran, I can only imagine the telephone conversations he must have put Garnet River through, explaining for a year why they weren’t being paid. Did Garnet River go to the Department of Finance then as they have now, and if so, what kind of response did they get, if any?
So now the city is faced with at least one obligation incurred by Moran to a vendor for which there was neither a contract nor City Council approval.
This only came to light because Garnet River, which often does work for the city, contacted the city’s Department of Finance. I am not being rhetorical when I ask what other bills are sitting in drawers?
It was April 2006, and we were putting the final touches on the Inaugural edition of Saratoga TODAY newspaper.
It was about 7 p.m. and we had just finished proofreading the final headlines. We all looked at each other, nodded, and clicked ‘SEND.’ Just like that and it was gone, off to the printer…the first edition of Saratoga TODAY newspaper. Now it was time to sit back and wait, as the delivery truck wasn’t scheduled to arrive with the freshly printed papers until around 2 a.m.
The staff took off and did their own thing; some slept; some ate dinner; some watched TV. We all convened back at the office around 1:30 a.m.
A large chunk of the first delivery targeted downtown Saratoga Springs. Don’t forget, nobody knew what this product was, it would be everyone’s first time seeing it, so we wanted it everywhere downtown.
The truck rolled into the parking lot, and we all excitedly filled our vehicles and headed to Broadway. After unloading our cars we grabbed newspaper bundles and began running around in the dark. That first night we must have looked like a rag-tag bunch of night crawlers. It was pitch black and eerily quiet with the exceptional straggler making his or her way home from the bar. As we made our way up and down Broadway we were hollering back and forth to each other from a block away:
“How many papers do you have left?”
“Did you drop 2 papers at XYZ?”
“How many papers do think I should leave at blah blah blah?”
It wasn’t long before the police became curious and slowly rolled their vehicle up to one of us:
“What’s going on guys?”
“Nothing officer, we are just a new newspaper in town. It’s our first day of delivery and we are figuring things out.”
“Ok, carry on.”
When Broadway was complete, we made our way to all the side streets, then West Ave, and then we divided up and headed to Wilton and Ballston Spa. By the time we were finished, the first signs of morning light were approaching, and we all headed home to catch a few hours of sleep before meeting up back at the office.
That was it. The first edition was on the street, and we had no idea what to expect. Would the community embrace it? Would we be able to sell enough ads to support a free distribution newspaper? Would the economy take off or crash? While all these questions were addressed in a detailed business plan and comprehensive budget, until the rubber meets the road, you never know what is coming your way.
Chris Bushee, Managing Editor of the Magazine Division & Marketing Director
I still remember the day we were all sitting around the conference table (at our first office on Case Street), discussing what to name our lifestyle magazines. Each was titled differently, coming on board at different times…our summer issue was Saratoga Experience, the fall issue was Autumn Lane, the winter issue was Snowshoes, and so on…anyway, back to that day at the office…among the chatter Cindy yells out… “How about Simply…Saratoga?”
And we all loved it!
(Cindy also coined “A Hundred Bloomin Years!” for Posie Peddler – she’s got skills!)
Fast forward to the day when Chad announced… “Chris will be taking over the magazines.” Prior to me, whoever was the newsroom manager, also did the magazines. But as Robin said when they called me in to discuss this new role…they wanted somebody to wrap their arms around ALL the issues. (We were growing rapidly!) And I am so glad they chose me! I always tell people… I think of this job as my “calling” in life…I love being the archivist of Saratoga’s people, places and lifestyles.
I’m sure you’ve probably also heard me say how fortunate I am to have the BEST writers, contributors, and photographers! They are the backbone of the Simply Saratoga brand, and I don’t take those relationships lightly. Without Charlie Kuenzel and Dave Patterson approaching me to carry their articles, I’m sure we would’ve struggled to find our footing. But as our HISTORY section gained popularity, others approached me to contribute and off we went!
One of the EARLY mags when each issue had a different SEASONAL name! Autumn Lane 2010
Chris’ first issue as Editor! Cover photo by Mark Bolles Simply Saratoga Home & Garden 2013
I love putting together every issue of SS, but I need to do a shout out for ARCHITECTURALLY SPEAKING, the home and garden feature we do with Randall Perry. This is our most requested advertiser spot – which makes me so happy, as we offer different niche magazines, to provide our advertisers with the best targeted exposure. Speaking of Randall, naturally leads into our relationship with the Saratoga Builders Association and how we love helping promote the Showcase of Homes each year! I remember when I was the one decorating those cover shots, I’m so glad I now get to hang out with Barry and Lisa and watch the pros at work!
Honestly, we love all the events we are involved with… Saratoga Home & Lifestyle to promote the Rotary’s annual fundraiser, and Saratoga Christmas started years ago…back when we used to pass it out at the Tree Lighting, so we could all sing Christmas Carols around the tree to await the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus! Oh, I can’t forget Welcome Home! Which was my first “project” for Chad, (working from home, before I returned to work after being home with my daughter for her first five years!).
I wish I had room to mention each freelancer by name, as I LOVE working with all of them! (Luckily… they all know that already!)
Cover Shoot BTS! Photo by Alice Corey Back row, left to right: Scot Trifilo, Dominic Palleschi Carota Front row, left to right: Kacie Cotter-Harrigan (magazine designer, and her first issue!), AS photographer Randall Perry, Chris Bushee and our cover girl, Liz Bishop
Okay, let’s move on to Saratoga BRIDE…
Our first wedding themed magazine was called ENCHANTED WEDDING (EW) and those early issues were such fun – we had a photo shoot for every cover! I was an advertising sales rep when I first started at Saratoga TODAY but soon started handling the Bridal Expos (Loved them, especially those RUNWAY FASHION SHOWS!!) and looking at these old issues of EW, I see I was listed as Creative Director, which made sense since I loved making every page look its best, and so looked forward to building this brand. We switched over to Saratoga BRIDE, to tighten up our branding; “Saratoga” was in every other title, so it just made sense. Looking through these back issues is like spending time with old friends – I remember the brides, the advertisers, the models – and those photo shoots – omg, these issues were so beautiful!! I’m not mentioning anybody by name, (as I’m sure I will forget somebody!), and even though we hosted photo shoots up to the pandemic (Thank you Susan Blackburn!) I feel like I’d be remiss to NOT thank Denise Eliopulos (previous owner of Something Bleu Bridal), who had the most wonderful VISION and attention to detail, creating these photo shoots that really helped build the Saratoga BRIDE brand. (Of course, her DREAM TEAM didn’t hurt any: Alayne Curtis of Make Me Fab, Tracey Buyce Photography, Samantha Nass, Rena Zeppetelli, and of course a bevy of beauties all willing to model!)
What really struck me looking at the old issues was how many advertisers have stayed with us over the years! (Here is an alphabetized list from those first few issues!)
Adelphi Hospitality, Anne’s Washington Inn, Celtic Treasures, Daley Hospitality, Fort William Henry, Gideon Putnam, Impressions, Lily Saratoga, Make Me Fab, Mazzone Hospitality, N. Fox Jewelers, Queensbury Hotel, Saratoga Olive Oil, Saratoga Trunk, Something Bleu Bridal, Susan Blackburn Photography, The Mansion of Saratoga, The Posie Peddler, The Saratoga Winery
PS… The Adelphi has only been with me for eight years, but in my head, they’ve been around forever!!
Before I wrap up this fun re-cap, I’d love to mention some of the other stuff that our readers might not know about Saratoga TODAY, such as… when our kids were young (and we still did home delivery), we would all hang out and help bag the papers. Everybody participated in Saratoga’s FLAG DAY PARADE either by walking along and passing out candy, or if the kids were too young, they sat in the float (that Mangino’s would donate and Robin and I would drive), or “commandeer” as she would say. (See more about Robin on page XX) and when any of us needed to… our sick children were always welcome to sit under our desk… Chad is the ultimate “family friendly” boss!
I have to say Thank You! to my Magazine Designer Kacie, as I’ve always said… I’m nothing without a designer! I may know WHERE we’re going, but they know how to drive the car! I’m so lucky to have Kacie with me by my side!
One of the first issues of EW! Enchanted Wedding 2011
The Adelphi Hotel debut’s photo shoot by Denise Eliopulos and her dream team. Photo by Tracey Buyce Photography. Saratoga Bride 2018
First issue of Saratoga Bride after rebranding. Also Chris’ first issue as Editor of SB! Saratoga Bride 2015
Before I wrap up this fun re-cap, I’d love to mention some of the other stuff that our readers might not know about Saratoga TODAY, such as… when our kids were young (and we still did home delivery), we would all hang out and help bag the papers. Everybody participated in Saratoga’s FLAG DAY PARADE either by walking along and passing out candy, or if the kids were too young, they sat in the float (that Mangino’s would donate and Robin and I would drive), or “commandeer” as she would say. (See more about Robin on page XX) and when any of us needed to… our sick children were always welcome to sit under our desk… Chad is the ultimate “family friendly” boss!
I have to say Thank You! to my Magazine Designer Kacie, as I’ve always said… I’m nothing without a designer! I may know WHERE we’re going, but they know how to drive the car! I’m so lucky to have Kacie with me by my side!
Something Bleu Bridal photo shoot at The Inn at Erlowest. Photos by Tracey Buyce Photography. Saratoga Bride Fall/Winter 2024
I know they say time flies, but wow. It seems like just yesterday I was reaching out to Adirondack Trust and a few other key local businesspeople about my idea.
Our original office on 5 Case Street, Saratoga Springs
At that point I had been in the print media industry for about 15 years. During that time, I noticed an interesting trend; as paid newspaper readership was declining, I saw free community newspapers popping up around the country and gobbling up all those lost readers, as well as a whole new group of readers.
So, I reached out to those publishers and picked their brains. Everything I heard sounded promising, albeit challenging. The next step was to create a budget, build a talented team, get commitments from some big advertisers, and secure a business loan.
After accomplishing those initial tasks, the date was set for the first edition: April 5, 2006.
The Beattys: Kim, Chad and their son Keegan, 2019
One of our major drop locations, Impressions of Saratoga, set a record in summer of 2023. They went through an average of 10 boxes a week of Simply Saratoga magazine!
Most of you don’t know this, or won’t remember this, but we began as a 3-day per week newspaper: Monday, Wednesday, Friday. The idea was that Monday would kickstart everyone’s week; Wednesday would give everyone a good mid-week update; Friday would be a weekly wrap-up and include weekend entertainment news.
On paper it sounded great; in reality it was a disaster. Readers, and sometimes the staff, were always confused about which edition was on the street. Also, because our paper is 100% local news, it became challenging filling 3-days’ worth of papers per week with only local news.
So, a few months into our new venture, we pivoted to 1-day a week, publishing every Friday morning. We also made some significant content and layout changes. BINGO! Week by week the community became used to the new schedule and format. Saratoga TODAY slowly became the ‘Paper of Record’ for our area; A weekly snapshot of everything locals need to live, work and raise a family in our great region.
But, as we quickly learned, it still wasn’t enough to keep the company profitable. Between rent, printing, insurance, and payroll, we were losing money quickly. Don’t forget, all our products are FREE to the public, we don’t have any subscription revenue. We live and die on advertising revenue, so visit those advertisers! By around September (5-6 months in) we had lost a little over $100,000. Needless to say, I had MANY sleepless nights. I can still vividly remember lying in bed on a few occasions almost hyperventilating. I was worried about my staff, my investors, my personal savings, and my sons college education.
The reoccurring thought “What the heck did I get myself into?” regularly popped into my head. (And it popped into my head regularly.) But as soon as the thought began, I would chastise myself and say to myself “Chad, stop whining, and figure this out.”
Despite the fact that the newspaper was gaining market share month-by-month, I knew bigger changes were required. The solution: double down and launch magazines and events. (Go big or Go home.)
It wasn’t perfect immediately, but eventually everything fell into place. The varying products worked together symbiotically. The newspaper promoted the magazines; the magazines expanded on the newspaper; the events complemented the print products; and the website pulled everything together under one cohesive platform.
As I am sure you are aware, one of the important departments in a newspaper is distribution. They are the people who deliver our newspaper to hundreds of outlets throughout Saratoga County. During our first two years, weekly distribution increased 66%, from 6,000 copies to more than 10,000 copies per issue. Currently the print run for Saratoga TODAY is 10,2000 copies every Friday.
Have you ever wondered where we go through the most papers? Tied for the TOP SPOTS are the West Ave YMCA and Healthy Living Market in Wilton. Right behind them are the Hannafords in Wilton and Ballston Spa. And of course, Stewart’s Shops is also at the top of the list, providing readers with copies of Saratoga TODAY from exit 16 down to exit 10.
From the very beginning I was blessed to have a talented and experienced team by my side. I recruited the initial Saratoga TODAY team from a few local newspapers, but mainly from The Saratogian. In the beginning I think we had about 50 years of print media experience between us….now we are closer to 100 years!
Throughout the last 20 years, we have had a lot of success, and a handful of flops. But as Winston Churchill said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” One of my favorite flops was Simply Lake Placid magazine. While it seemed like the perfect market for our high-end magazines, we quickly found that region to be a very parochial community who didn’t take well to outsiders coming in. Either way, it was a fun project, and I enjoyed my time deep in the Adirondacks.
Were there other bumps in the road? ABSOLUTELY! For example, we certainly didn’t plan on the 2008 housing crash and subsequent financial meltdown. And none of us guessed that 12 years later the world would shut down due to the Covid pandemic! But as they say, the strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire.
Looking back at this journey, it was certainly nerve racking, but it was also pretty darn exciting! Although I only earned my Bachelor of Arts while in college, I feel as though I have earned my Masters in Business in the real world.
A wildland firefighter takes part in a prescribed burn at Big Bend Preserve in 2025. Photo by the NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
MOREAU — New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) is preparing for its second prescribed burn season at Big Bend Preserve, with plans to conduct burns this spring, summer, and fall.
State Parks treated 112 acres with prescribed fire at Big Bend during the inaugural burn season in 2025 as part of the agency’s stewardship efforts.
Burns will only be conducted when weather conditions meet strict safety and suitability standards. Factors such as wind speed, humidity, and fuel moisture levels will be carefully assessed before scheduling any burn. Due to these considerations, specific burn dates cannot be provided far in advance.
Each prescribed burn will last approximately one day. The burns will be conducted by State Parks staff in collaboration with partners such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.
During burn operations, temporary closures of roads, trails, and certain areas within Big Bend Preserve may occur to ensure public safety. Notifications will be posted on the Moreau Lake State Park website, mobile app, and Facebook page approximately 24 hours prior to the burns taking place.
Those who wish to receive advance notifications of upcoming prescribed burns can download the NYS Parks Explorer app and save Moreau Lake State Park for push notifications.
