June is Homeownership Month in Saratoga Springs, NY Real Estate
Local High School Golfer Qualifies for Nationals
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Saratoga High School golfer, Francisco Cupp finished fourth in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) boys golf championship. Cupp qualified for the New York State Federation Tournament on Sunday, June 14 at Bethpage Black Golf Course.
Only in nineth grade, his coach Jake Zanetti has high praise for the young athlete: “Francisco is an awesome golfer, and an even better person; wise beyond his years, super polite and respectful, and an all-round solid individual. He’s an extremely hard worker and has an extremely high ceiling for success on and off the course”
“He’s been with the Saratoga Golf Program for 3 seasons already and undoubtedly will continue to make a name for himself in the League, the Section, the State, and beyond,” added Coach Zanetti.
Saratoga Softball Beats Cicero-North in The Regional Round
SARATOGA SPRINGS —
Saratoga Springs Softball beat Cicero-North Syracuse in a shut-out win on Friday, June 5. The Bluestreaks outlasted the Northstars to make it to the semifinals of the New York State High School Athletic Association Class AAA Championships.
Runs in the first and sixth inning secured the win in the seventh inning. The win improves the team’s record to 10-12 on the season.
The Bluestreaks continue their playoff run on Friday, June 12 against Lancaster at Greenlight Networks Grand Slam Park, in Binghamton.
Spa Catholic Pitches No Hitters, Wins Regionals
SARATOGA SPRINGS —
Saratoga Central Catholic baseball beat Chapel Christian Academy in the regional round of the Class C championships on Saturday, June 6. It was a blowout victory for the Saints with a dominant 7-0 scoreline.
Carson Moser, Pierce Byrne, and Luke Dejnozka combined on the mound for a no-hit shutout. Moser had a dominant performance in the batter’s box, going 4-4 with two doubles and one run scored.
The Saints are set to travel to Binghamton for the semi-final on Friday, June 12, and the final is set for the next day. The team is looking to win back-to-back State Championships.
“Angels Among Us: The Healing Power of Racehorses” New Film by Local Director
SARATOGA SPRINGS —
Local director John Wager and Executive producer Jay Hanley are gearing up to premier their new film, “Angels Among Us: The Healing Power of Racehorses” at film festivals. The film dives into how racehorses can be an unlikely companion after their racing days, helping people from all walks of life deal with personal battles.
“Angels Among Us” comes from leftover footage of Wager and Hanley’s previous film, “Off-Track: Fate of a Racehorse,” after they realized there was a different story to tell. “Off-Track is about the need to take care of the horses after they are done racing, Angels Among Us is about how the horses take care of us,” said Hanley.
Hanley is a Thoroughbred owner who got involved with “Off-Track” because he wanted to learn more about what happens to racehorses after their career ends. His affiliation for racehorses began in his youth when his grandfather took him to Saratoga Race Course every summer. “Horses are beautiful, magical beings, I want current horse owners to see it and respect it.”
Wager has a history of exploring different avenues of healing. He previously directed a movie called “Comedy Warriors,” a documentary featuring five severely wounded war veterans who go onto careers in stand-up comedy. The veterans are coached by celebrities like Zach Galifianakis and Bob Saget and culminate with the veterans performing at comedy clubs in Las Vegas.
When Wager was asked why he is drawn to ways of healing, he said: “Life is hard, life is amazing and wonderful, you have dips. As we go through life, we find things that help us. That fascinates me, it’s not tangible.”
“Angels Among Us” follows three people aided by horses; Joan Perelta, an incarcerated individual in the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation second chance program, Emma Cookman, a young woman dealing with stress and anxiety, and James Stewart, an Iraq war veteran dealing with PTSD.
The horses help these individuals deal with whatever challenges they may be going through.
In the case of Stewart, he came home from combat in Iraq to a divorce and a life he did not recognize prior to going overseas. Meeting Butters, a horse with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, gave Stewart a second chance at life.
“Had I not come to Saratoga in 2013 I would not be free. But because of being paired with Butter I am free,” Stewart said in the film.
“I wish I could show my friends this film, you don’t have to be angry, you don’t have to drink,” said Stewart. “I can only hope someday that someone can pick up the ball and start a program like this, there are thousands of us that need a horse.”
192 Years Young: Ballston Spa First Presbyterian Nominated for National Register of Historic Places
The church is unique in Ballston Spa — combining a Greek Revival sanctuary with a Colonial Revival Sanctuary. Photo by Aidan Cahill
The church steeple was added in 1857 and the chapel was built in 1924. Photo by Aidan Cahill
BALLSTON SPA — In a town with plenty of history, the Ballston Spa First Presbyterian Church stands out for a multitude of reasons.
The church was first constructed in 1835 and is the oldest church still in use by the same congregation in the Village of Ballston Spa. It’s also the third-oldest congregation in the village.
Now the small church behind the courthouse and county offices hopes to add one more achievement to its historic resume: inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The church was formally nominated to the Register by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation on June 4. It was one of 19 places statewide to be nominated and one of only two nominations to come from the capital region.
“The church is a prominent landmark in the Ballston Spa Village Local Historic District due to its central location and soaring spire, and it has served as a significant cultural and religious center for the local community since the early 1800s,” a press release issued by the New York State Parks Office said.
Judy Frolich, a Ministry Team Leader with the church, said that the process for getting the church added to the Register has been going on for over a year. Frolich said that part of the process involved taking church records and histories, compiling them, and matching the features of the church with architectural language. This effort was spearheaded by the church’s accessibility committee comprised of Frolich, Debbie Siefert and Robin Perkins.
They were assisted in this effort by Julie Maresco, the New York State Parks Survey and National Register Unit staff member assigned to Saratoga County.
While not the oldest congregation in Ballston Spa — that title going to the First Baptist Church which was established in 1791 — the church is the oldest church structure in Ballston Spa, having been built in 1835. The congregation was formally established in June 1834, with many members coming from other Presbyterian churches in the area. In the year between the establishment and construction of the church, the congregation met in the nearby courthouse.
In January 1835, the land for the church at 22 West High Street was purchased for $800 (about $30,275 when adjusted for inflation). The cornerstone of the church was laid in May and by November the project was completed. The cost of building the church was $10,000 (about $378,432) and was paid for by members of the congregation. In September, the bell was purchased from the historic Meneely Foundry in Watervliet.
The first trustees of the church included several prominent community members: Jonathan Beach — a local landowner who is listed as one of the builders of the church, Philip McOmber — a bank trustee, cotton mill owner and member of the Board of Health, Moses Williams — a shoemaker, tanner and postmaster, and village trustee, James Comstock — owner and publisher of a local newspaper and a postmaster, Edward Lee, — a general Store Owner, State Assemblyman and County Treasurer.
For the most part, the Greek Revival styled sanctuary has maintained much of its original structure and character. The first major change came in 1857 when the sanctuary was extended to the East by 20 feet, and the church steeple was added. In addition, the wood shingle roof was replaced with a slate roof. In 1914, the pane glass windows and black shutters were replaced with the stained-glass windows seen today. The final major change to the sanctuary came in 1949 when the staircase was replaced — going from a straight staircase to a dual feed staircase.
The slate roof was later replaced in 2017 with a modern asphalt and metal shingled roof.
In 1924, the building was expanded with a new chapel to better serve the needs of the church. The chapel is architecturally unique from the sanctuary and features a Colonial Revival style architecture which has remained virtually unchanged since construction. The two areas are connected via a small alcove.
One of the main drivers for seeking the designation was to allow the church to apply for preservation grants to upgrade the church and make it more handicapped accessible.
“We really want to be able to welcome people of all abilities, and many of our congregation members are getting older,” Frolich said. “We’re all getting older, but they’re getting to the point where they need assistance, and they can’t attend because they don’t have a way to get in.”
Frolich said that the estimated cost of the refurbishment would be $800,000, which includes new sidewalks, handicap parking areas, and a stair lift for congregants to access the sanctuary. To help raise funds for the improvements, the church is selling slate tiles overlayed with historic images of the church. Those tiles can be purchased through the church office.
Frolich said that final word on whether the church will be added to the National Historic Places Register is expected in the next 3-4 months. If added, it will be the fourth structure in Ballston Spa to be listed in the Register.
Would You Pass Up $20,000?
$20,000 in 1968; estimated worth in today’s world- $190,000. Would you pass that up if it were offered to you, and it was legitimately yours? Clint Wescott would—and did. Missing from his hometown of Burnt Hills, NY for 15 years, when he was finally found and told of his windfall, he was dressed in rags and had 44 cents in his pocket. But his response to the windfall was “I’d rather stay at the bottom of the barrel. I’m not ready to go over to the other side. Not yet. Hand me a dollar. I’ll take it and buy a little drink, a little smoke. But I don’t want a wad of money like that.” How did it come to this? Why did he feel this way? Not sure we have all the answers to the story of Clint Wescott.
Wescott was born in 1916 in Burnt Hills, New York. Besides his mother and father, he had four siblings. The family lived near the corner of Church and Thomas Streets in Ballston Spa and, before 1939, Clint owned land in Burnt Hills, on the east side of South Street, now Kingsley Road. However, he lost part of that land due to unpaid taxes.
By 1943, he left the area and was off to Arizona because the weather there was better for his asthma. He worked in the copper mines there but shortly afterwards came back to Burnt Hills and built a gas station at the southwest corner of Route 50 and Lakehill Road on land he had purchased 20 years previously. But the gas station part of his life did not last long, and he was off again in 1953, travelling to Salt Lake City. This time, he was never to return to his hometown again.
For about 12 years, no one in his family heard anything from him- nothing, no mail, no calls. The gas station was leased and then closed. There was about $20,000 owed to Clint upon the sale of that property. But where was he?
Coincidentally, Charles Hillinger, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, did a story about this odd, homeless man who was living in the weeds at the base of a cliff of Bunker Hill, under the 4th Street Bridge, in Los Angeles, California. It turned out to be Wescott and, when interviewed in the late 1960s, he had been there 10 years, longer than anyone else in the area and perfectly content to stay there forever. He got his clothes from trash barrels, read discarded newspapers, lived on donations of food, and had taken to drinking and smoking for entertainment. The police all knew him and let him be. Little did he know that the New York Supreme Court had hired a legal firm to find him and give him his legally-constituted $20,000—plus another $4000 that he had inherited upon his father’s death in 1967.
This LA Times news story about Wescott was syndicated and carried to newspapers all over the country. One paper that picked it up and printed it was the “Schenectady Gazette” which covered the Burnt Hills area. Attorney John Brown of Burnt Hills, who had been involved in the search for the missing Wescott, saw the report. At that point, Brown had been searching for Wescott for seven years and wanted to contact Wescott to tell him that he was now rich! $20,000 rich! Of course, the IRS came into the picture, too, and wanted a piece of the action. They inquired of Brown about this money. Brown responded to their questions about Wescott’s tax liability with: “I assume everything he received since he became a bum could be called a gift and not taxable.”
Hillinger went out in search of Wescott to give him the good news. And that’s when Wescott made it very clear he was not at all interested in the money and wanted to stay just right where he was. He wasn’t going back to Burnt Hills; and he wanted no money!
After using every possible strategy he could imagine to convince Wescott to accept the money, Hillinger gave up but others who had heard the story, which was in newspapers nationwide, did not. They bothered and badgered Wescott for a long time. Long lost “friends” volunteered to take his money and do various and sundry things with it. Others shamelessly said they could use the money to feed their kids. Others wanted to use it to create clubs for disadvantaged kids. Still others promised to marry him! Thousands of letters came to Wescott, some of the letters addressed to “The Man in the Weeds, Los Angeles California” or to “Clint Wescott, Under the Bridge at Flower Street.” Wescott’s peace and quiet had been broken by the news reports and people’s desire to “help” him spend his money.
Not all the requests were from people wishing to help themselves secure a better life. One man, awaiting a plane at San Francisco International Airport, wrote that he had “no requests, just admiration for sticking to your beliefs. I’m making $20,000 a year, working three jobs, keeping a family of four, a wife, and also a friend. I envy you. I may join you some day.”
An editorial in the Times Record of September, 1970, entitled “What is Happiness,” copied by other newspapers in the country, gave quite a bit of credit to Wescott: “There is no better illustration [of happiness] than Clint Wescott, who, up to 17 years ago, was an enterprising gas station owner in nearby Burnt Hills. Today he is a bum in Los Angeles. And he is happy to an extent that some of us might term idiocy…And yet, even though he has attained the state of happiness, he is different from others. He will remain so till the day he crosses over the Great Beyond. Nothing can ever take away from him one outstanding factor. He is happy, which is important. He is different, which is unusual. But above all he is a bum with a bank account.”
The Oswego Palladium Times in 1968 voiced much of the same sentiment when it posed the question about Wescott. “Clearly, Clint Wescott lacks a certain sense of values. Or does he?”
His sister, Minnie Gately, whom locals knew as the lady who worked at FoCastle Farms in Burnt Hills, NY for 46 years, expected that she and her family would hear from him because of all the hoopla. But she never did. The area he lived in was bulldozed and high-rise buildings were built there. Where did he go?
Wescott died in 1992 at the age of 76 and is buried in Los Angeles, where he spent so much of his life. Hillinger later wrote a book entitled “California Characters” and devoted one chapter to Wescott, the man who refused $20,000 and the man who stuck to his principles no matter what: I want no money!
Sources
-“California Characters,” Charles Hillinger, c 2000
Citizen Advertiser, Auburn NY, February 12, 1968
-Daily Times, Salisbury, MD, February 12, 1968
-Knickerbocker News/Union Star, November
-Los Angeles Times, November 20, 1970
-Nashua New Hampshire Telegraph, February 20, 1968
-Oswego Palladium Times, February 22, 1968
-Schenectady Gazette, January 31, 1968, February 15, 1968
-Times Record, February 13, 1968, February 22, 1968, November 13, 1970
-Watertown Daily Times, February 22, 1968
Contact The Saratoga County History Center at: saratogacohistoryroundtable@gmail.com
Saratoga Central Catholic Goes Back-to-Back in Section 2 Class C Titles
The reigning baseball Class C State Champions, Saratoga Central Catholic, won the Section 2 Class C title on Wednesday, May 27. The Saints only needed seven innings to beat Maple Hill in a 2-0 shutout win.
Runs from captains Luke Dejnozka and Pierce Bryne secured the win as Bryne’s pitching held the Maple Hill batters to only 2 hits all game. Highlights from the game include a double play by Joey Lindner in the first inning to get runners out at second and first. Second baseman Sandy McDonald made a spectacular sliding play on a ground ball hit to shallow right field just in time to get the runner out at first base in the third inning.
The Saints improved their record to 20-3 on the season and will play Chapel Field Christian in the regional championship round on Saturday, June 6.
Head Coach, Alphonse Lambert, in his 38th season is looking to lead the Saints to back-to-back State Championships. When Coach Lambert was hired in 1988, he was the youngest high school baseball head coach in New York State history at 22-years-old. Prior to Coach Lambert’s tenure, Saratoga Central Catholic baseball had never won a playoff game.
Boasting a 75%-win percentage over his reign as head coach, Coach Lambert’s appointment changed the trajectory of the Saint’s baseball program.
In 2000, Coach Lambert led the Saints to the Class C final but fell short to Falconer High School that day. Last year Coach Lambert and the players etched their name in Saint’s baseball history, winning the 2025 Class C State Championship. After getting over the hump, can the Saints repeat the feat?
Galway Softball Wins Section 2 Class C Title, Title Since 1988
Galway varsity softball won its first Section 2 Class C title on Saturday, May 30, their first section title since 1988. The top-seeded Galway Golden Eagles prevailed against the number two ranked Greenwich Witches in a 10-7 win. The Golden Eagles got over the hump this year to end their championship drought after falling short to Stillwater last year in the championship game.
Courtney Smith had a standout performance with four RBIs and one home run. At the mound, Emma Menge allowed only two earned runs throughout the game.
Galway softball continues their run to the State Championship on Friday, June 5 at 4:30 p.m. against Ticonderoga at Plattsburgh High School. Ticonderoga is going into this game with a 17-1 record, and Galway a 19-3 record.
The Belmont at Saratoga… The Last Dance
(Governor’s office/ NYRA)
This weekend marks the final act of a three-part series that will play out at Saratoga Race Course. When Belmont Park closed for a total rebuild in early 2024, Saratoga was chosen by the New York Racing Association to race the Belmont Stakes for a three-year period. The Triple Crown finale would then return to its new permanent home in 2027.
It was a monumental decision. When the original Belmont Park was first rebuilt in the 1960s, the race was held downstate at nearby Aqueduct Racetrack. At the time “The Big A” was at its zenith and one of the most important racetracks in the country. It was the obvious choice to conduct the race there.
“The times they are a changing.” Saratoga Race Course has since become a focal point of the American horse racing scene. At the same time Aqueduct has fallen on hard times. In fact, when Saratoga opens the gates for its summer meeting, the wrecking ball will bring the era of the once mighty Aqueduct to an end.
The Belmont Stakes is known as “The Test of Champions.” The final leg of the Triple Crown is traditionally raced at the grueling distance of 1 1/2 miles. This is after a significant share of the contenders have competed in both the Kentucky Derby and then the Preakness just three weeks prior.
The decision to conduct the race here at The Spa made it necessary to change the length of the race. The two tracks have distinctly different layouts. The only alternative was to race it at a lesser distance of 1 1/4 miles.
The city of Saratoga Springs welcomed the opportunity with open arms. The most famous and historic racetrack in the country was about to host one of the premier sporting events on the world stage.
From the first running here in 2024, it has surpassed all expectations. Approximately 50,000 fans attend the race. The track will be jam packed with spectators waiting for the main event. When the three-year-olds walk on to the track, Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti will perform his powerful rendition of “New York New York.” As they approach the gate, the crowd can hear a pin drop. Then the bell rings and a deafening roar will be heard throughout the old stands. In approximately two minutes, a new Belmont Stakes champion will take a bow in the winner’s circle. The owner will be presented with the stunning Belmont Stakes Trophy. After the ceremony, a scaled down version of the permanent trophy is then awarded to the winning owner, trainer, and jockey.
Noticeable when walking the grounds are the well-dressed patrons. Tank tops and shorts take a breather on this special day. It’s a testimony to the respect that the race deserves and demands.
The Belmont Stakes Festival has evolved into a five-day extravaganza. The racing schedule is loaded with Stakes Races. Many of the top racehorses and jockeys in the country will compete for $11 million in purse money spread over the festival week. To the horse players it’s a dream come true. Their handicapping skills will be put to the ultimate test.
This year’s Belmont Stakes card features six grade one races. The Metropolitan Handicap tops the undercard. The mile race has a long and storied past as one of the elite events on the New York racing calendar dating back to 1891.
Saratoga has been blessed to have the Belmont Stakes take place here during the transitionary period. It’s bittersweet that the three-year run will be over early Saturday evening. It has been great for Saratoga, and NYRA has done a fantastic job presenting it to the racing public. On the other hand, it’s time for Belmont Park to bring its signature race back home and revert it to the proper distance of 1 1/2 miles.
It is worth mentioning that during World War Two, racing was suspended here at Saratoga. Due to wartime constraints, the Travers Stakes was contested at Belmont Park for three consecutive years beginning in 1943. That debt of gratitude has now been repaid with pleasure.
To have a world class sporting event take place in our own backyard is a remarkable happening. If you haven’t been to either of the first two runnings of the Belmont at Saratoga, the opportunity awaits this one final time. The race has an excellent field of contenders. The weather looks like it will cooperate. What more could you ask for?
It’s the last chance to take in the thrills and excitement that will accompany the final Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. When you hear Sal “The Voice” belt out this famous line from the Belmont Stakes theme song, “I want to be a part of it, New York New York,” you will be glad that you too are a part of it. It’s a memory that you will not soon forget. Hope to see you there.