Photo: Robert Millis announces the lineup for this year’s Saratoga New Year’s Fest during presser at Bailey’s Saratoga on Sept. 26, 2023. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Joan Osborne, Robert Randolph, and the Gibson Brothers will be some among the many performers to stage live events during this year’s Saratoga New Year’s festival. The events take place Dec. 29 to Jan. 1.
“This is a joint presentation: the city the Chamber, Discover Saratoga, the City Center and myself,” said producer Robert Millis of the 398Group, during this week’s festival announcement. “We put this idea together last year to bring back First Night – and it worked. We met our milestones. It’s all part of a three-year-plan to make this thing get bigger and bigger.”
This year’s events will feature more than 30 performers on nearly two dozen stages. In addition to live music performances there will be a 5K run, fireworks show, a family-friendly pre-fireworks block party and other events. Standard tickets are $25 in advance, kids under 16 are admitted free of charge, and Shelters of Saratoga will serve as this year’s beneficiary of a portion of the proceeds.
The musical lineup includes Joan Osborne, Robert Randolph, Gibson Brothers, Dogs In A Plie, DJ Logic, Toubab Krewe, Organ Fairchild, Tracy Bonham, and others. For a full lineup and/or to purchase tickets, go to: facebook.com/saratogafirstnight, or www.saratoga.org/tourism/saratoga-new-years-fest/.
Saratoga Hospital President & CEO Jill Johnson VanKuren.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Saratoga Hospital President and CEO Jill Johnson VanKuren has worked in the role for just over a year, and on Tuesday, she reflected on her first 365 days in the Spa City among other topics as part of the ‘Serving Saratoga’ series hosted at Caffè Lena.
The series is a collaboration between Caffè Lena and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, and was hosted by Caffè Lena executive director Sarah Craig. The event also touched on topics such as current issues in healthcare, and the mindset of managing and collaborating with a team.
During the conversation, VanKuren said her first year in the role has been “wonderful,” saying her past roles helped prepare her for a position as CEO. She also discussed Saratoga Hospital’s affiliation with Albany Med, which she said allows the hospital more opportunities to offer and expand services in the community.
“We’re strategic partners, but we maintain our independence,” VanKuren said of the partnership. “So it keeps our focus on community needs, but we have the partnership with Albany Med to add activity to this community. We are able to bring more specialists, where, as an independent, we wouldn’t be able to hire some of those providers. We are purchasing and installing an electronic medical record together, which is an extremely difficult and expensive endeavor that we wouldn’t have been able to do on our own.”
She said this model provides strong benefits for the hospital, noting that partnering with other area hospitals allows their focus to remain local.
VanKuren also made note of some of the struggles currently facing the healthcare industry, saying that Saratoga Hospital is dealing with many of the same issues faced by hospitals across the country.
“We are suffering from a negative bottom line, just like every other healthcare institution in the nation right now. So there is that fear, ‘Can we continue to do what we’re doing as we are losing money?’” VanKuren said at the event. “That is difficult. I think we do have a way forward. It’s going to be, probably another year until I think we can get back above that line to profitability, but it will take some sacrifice, some change.”
She said the hospital is looking to focus on what services the local area may need moving forward.
“It’s challenging to think of our facility not being, at least, breaking even or profitable, because that’s not something that’s really happened before,” VanKuren told Saratoga Today. “… So, looking at a way forward, a lot of the things we talk about are, ‘What does this community need into the future?’”
She mentioned services for those who wish to age in place, as well as optimizing the hospital’s staffing and supply chain. VanKuren noted they had been working to expand outpatient and ambulatory services in recent years, but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a sudden shift back to more inpatient demand.
“So we had to go from really focusing on ambulatory development to going back to being a jam-packed inpatient hospital again,” VanKuren told Saratoga Today. “But now the pendulum’s coming the other way, so we need to shift our focus to that ambulatory network, and continue that service.”
She also noted during the event that she has felt embraced in the community since arriving, saying Saratoga Springs is “unique.” VanKuren said that it is meaningful to hear from people who have utilized the hospital’s services.
“Your best day and your worst day can be the same day in a hospital, so it always gives me such a sense of pride listening to the stories,” VanKuren said during the event. “And it’s always about how we made you feel. Not just about the healthcare we provided, but the staff and their connection with you and your family. That is the most important thing, and I think that is what makes Saratoga Hospital unique and special.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Ten works line the wall inside Dining Room Gallery of the new Saratoga Senior Center. Gaze upon them intensely, for they seem to trick the eye. Or do they? They boast appearances of multi-dimensional proportion. They look alive.
Love Compost Saratoga Collaborative depicts 10 new original works captured by Pellegri’s camera eye. The exhibition, on display at the new Saratoga Senior Center, opens with an artists’ reception on Sunday.
“Composting is really pretty simple,” Pellegri says. “Nature knows what to do. For me, it’s the breakdown of once-living matter – food waste, vegetables, tea bags, eggshells – and the natural decomposition of that which then aids and nourishes soil. For me, it’s identifying living/ non-living. Of the earth/ not of the earth. I saw the difference between living and non-living matter.”
The photographer’s passion for her composted subjects began in earnest on a spring day in 2014 during a seemingly random moment alongside her kitchen sink, where a batch of collected peels and scraps sat in a small compost container.
“I remember the light shining through, and I had this moment. I saw something and it just stopped me. I thought: Oh, there’s something here that looks beautiful,” Pellegri says. “For me, photographing is about seeing, about being absorbed in the moment. I got lost in that moment, looking into my compost, into this food waste. I was stunned. I went and got my camera and started photographing.”
She has learned to look at the by-product of what we consume; We eat the eggs, for example, but dispose of the eggshells, the gnarly ends of broccoli and render the nubby parts of carrots as simple discard.
“It’s about the light and it’s about allowing yourself to have that moment,” Pellegri says. “To be in the moment without judging it, without analyzing it; Just giving myself that moment To Be. To see.”
“We put in one big bundle anything that is not useful to us anymore. Trash. We don’t want to see it. It all goes in a bag and off to the landfill,” Pellegri says. “I just couldn’t put any more in the landfill, so I started composting. And I really fell in love with it. It’s hard to explain. Just watching these things go back to the earth, where it had come from.”
She began showcasing her composting photography work in 2019, visiting area businesses that were composting – Caffe Lena, Saratoga Tea & Honey, and Four Seasons among them – and creating compositions with the materials presented.
“It’s allowed me to shift my thinking. It has totally changed my relationship with food, and with waste,” she says.
This past spring, Saratoga Arts announced Pellegri was awarded a grant as part of a NYSCA regrant program for LOVE COMPOST Saratoga Collaborative, to include 10 new pieces of photographic artwork – Compost COMPOSiTions – featuring five works that honor and celebrate entities and businesses that have a compost program in place, and five works of her own, all with companion narratives.
“Skidmore College has an amazing program, Lily and The Rose, The Mouzon House, Hattie’s and Corina Contemporary Jewelry in Ballston Spa – even though she’s a jewelry shop, she takes food waste from other businesses and composts. So many things are interwoven and what I really want to share is the feeling of connectedness: what we do, who we are as people, what we do in our community, and how we communicate with one another,” Pellegri says. “The thread of commonality between the businesses, all taking food waste and compostable material and creating something.”
Across the ten works there are unlikely pairings. Tea bags collaborate with pistachio shells, clementine peels become dance partners with dried irises, scraps of carrot, and the paper casing of garlic cloves – all colorfully captured and repurposed even as they fluctuate through the varied points of their own natural decay.
“My attempt was to bring them together, to life,” Pellegri says, “to celebrate them in this visual expression.
An Artist’s Reception will take place 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24 in the Dining Room Gallery of the new Saratoga Senior Center, located at 290 West Ave., adjacent to the Y.
LAS VEGAS, NV — Two members of the Alliance NEBJJ team, part of the larger Saratoga Academy of Martial Arts at Ndakinna Education Center, came up big at the 2023 World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Las Vegas.
Kristen LeClair won a gold medal in the Master 4 Blue Belt Light-Feather division, while Dan Ladd earned a bronze medal in the Master 1 Brown Belt Ultra-Heavy division.
The event was part of the larger Jiu-Jitsu CON, which gathered 11,000 attendees in total, becoming the largest jiu-jitsu event in history, according to a press release from IBJJF.
LeClair said the experience was “crazy.”
“That whole experience was really cool,” LeClair said. “Just the atmosphere was really energetic, and really cool to be there. That many mats lined up, and that many people competing, it was awesome.”
“It was truly an eye-opening experience,” Ladd added. “Especially the magnitude of talent that was there. Being a new brown (belt), I felt like I didn’t belong, but this whole tournament was eye-opening. … It was probably the best thing I’ve ever been around in a grappling sense.”
The World Masters are world championships for ages 30 and up, said Jim Bruchac, Saratoga Academy of Elite Martial Arts head instructor. Ladd, a brown belt, competed in the Master 1 division (ages 30-35), while LeClair, a blue belt at the time, competed in Master 4 (ages 45-50).
While LeClair’s division was small in numbers, it had no shortage of competition, including Angela Christene May, who entered the tournament ranked #1 in the division worldwide, Bruchac said.
LeClair advanced to the championship with a dominant 26-0 win in the semifinals, and beat Laura Elizabeth Kotcher 5-0 in the championship match to earn her gold medal. With the gold medal finish, she became the top-ranked competitor in her division worldwide, said Bruchac.
LeClair also did not allow an opponent to record even a single point against her between both the World Masters and the New York International Open, which was held in August, Bruchac said. In addition to the gold, she earned another prize, receiving a promotion to purple belt following the victory.
“We were going to schedule to test her,” said Bruchac. “Usually, Alliance, we test people. We have international curriculum, certain criteria for each rank.”
However, after the victory, LeClair received her purple belt at a celebration with fellow team members.
“I ended up doing the whole speech about how we’re testing people at the end of the month, and Alliance has these standards, we need to meet certain things for rank,” Bruchac said. “And obviously, we’re not going to test you unless you’re ready. And then I basically just said, ‘Sometimes, winning the Worlds is test enough.’”
Making the victory even more impressive was the fact that LeClair entered the tournament with a broken toe, which she said was taped.
For Ladd, he had been a purple belt for several years, but was promoted to brown belt roughly two and a half months before the World Masters, Bruchac said. Entering the tournament, he had not competed at an IBJJF tournament since he was a blue belt, a level below purple.
Ladd won his first match, 5-0, and earned a 6-4 victory in his second matchup. And while Ladd lost in the semifinals, his loss came against Nsima Abasi Inyang, the eventual champion in his division.
Bruchac referred to it as “a good loss,” noting that Inyang submitted all of his opponents leading up to the finals, and that Ladd had been a brown belt for a much shorter time than many of his opponents.
“Some of these guys have been brown belts for years, too, and have competed a ton more,” Bruchac said.
But competing wasn’t Ladd’s only role at the tournament. He also coached LeClair, helping her earn her gold-medal finish.
“He’s an awesome coach,” LeClair said.
“Talk about karma,” added Bruchac. “He ended up getting his well-deserved bronze, and he coached her to gold.”
Ladd’s coaching role is just another example of the community aspect of the Alliance team and the Saratoga Academy as a whole. LeClair and her husband, Ryan, who also trains with Alliance NEBJJ, helped sponsor Ladd and pay for his travels to the tournament, Bruchac said.
“This place is a family. It really is,” said Ladd. “I have made lifelong connections here.”
While LeClair was dominant at the World Masters, she credited the victory to the team as a whole.
“This accomplishment is definitely part of this team,” said LeClair. “(We have) the greatest coaches, the greatest teammates. I’m usually the oldest and the smallest on the mat, and they know exactly how to test me and push me.”
Ladd said his bronze-medal finish came with a feeling of “validation.”
“I feel like I can compete with most people as long as I’m in a good mindframe. It doesn’t matter the rank,” Ladd said. “I wouldn’t have done this if it wasn’t for (LeClair and Bruchac). Not only being there financially … but supporting me on and off the mat.”
Alliance, which consists of teams around the world, captured the male team championship overall at the World Masters for the second year in a row, said Bruchac, and finished second in the female team championship.
And though this year was the first appearance at World Masters for both athletes, Ladd said it will not be their last. Bruchac noted that 11-year-old Raymond Melancon IV also competed in Jiu-Jitsu CON’s youth division, coming just short of earning a medal. Bruchac said they hope to bring more youth division competitors to the event in future years, and added that the pair of medalists have inspired him to return to the event as well.
“Yeah, definitely going to go back next year,” LeClair added. “Hopefully we’ll bring a good team.”
“As a team, I think we’re just going to continue to do what we do,” Ladd said. “We have a curriculum here that is based for success and proven track record, not only with just us, but with the system itself. I think the tournament team next year will be tremendous improvement in the sense of size and skill.”
SCHUYLERVILLE —The Schuylerville varsity football team is off to a strong start in 2023, and has their sights set high. However, head coach John Bowen said the Black Horses are simply focused on “winning this day.”
After an appearance in the Section II Class C Championship in 2022, the Black Horses have stampeded out of the gates this season, earning wins in each of their first three games.
Schuylerville opened the year with a 34-32 victory over Fonda-Fultonville, earning a 40-0 victory over Cobleskill-Richmondville in Week One before moving to 3-0 with a 46-21 win over Johnstown last week.
In the season opener against Fonda, the Black Horses built a 20-0 lead before the Braves rallied back. Eventually trailing 32-27, a touchdown pass from Luke Sherman to Sam Dwyer proved to be the game winner for Schuylerville. Bowen said the season-opening win was “a good test for both our squads of what our kids are made of.”
“We were certainly happy with the boys’ resilience,” said Bowen of the Week Zero win. “I just was very happy with the way that our guys got up off the mat. We played very poorly at the back half of the fourth quarter, and Fonda certainly took advantage of big situations, and made big plays. We just had to find one more big play at the end of that game, and Luke Sherman and the rest of the crew, Sam Dwyer, just did a fantastic job of doing that.”
Bowen said the team has a strong group of returning players, including Sherman and Dwyer. He also made note of Martin Flanders, Jr., and three-year starters Landen Cumm, Chase DeLisle, and Josh Bowen.
“Martin is certainly going to be someone here at the end of the year that I think people are going to look back on and recognize how good of a season he had,” Bowen said. “(Landen is) going to be a guy that we’re going to put a lot of emphasis on there as well.”
The Black Horses have utilized a strong running attack thus far, with Bowen also highlighting the team’s offensive line, consisting of Drew Carpenter, DeLisle, Josh Merrill, Josh Bowen, and Sam Renner.
Bowen said the coaching staff has emphasized the “brotherhood” of the team, getting them to play for each other.
“It’s something that we’ve really tried to put an onus on,” said Bowen. “Getting out of that individualistic mindset, and really finding a larger cause, that being the brotherhood, and the team.”
And while Bowen acknowledged that a return to the Class C title game is a “long-term goal,” he said the Black Horses are just looking to take things day by day.
“We talk every day about winning this day,” Bowen said. “Today, we’re going to go out to practice, and that’s going to be our sole and primary focus, is winning today’s practice. If we put a whole bunch of those types of practices together, Friday nights are going to start to take care of themselves. And then whatever happens beyond the regular season … No matter what’s presented to us, we feel if we take that approach, we’ll be prepared for it.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS —August Belmont Jr. died ninety-eight Decembers ago in his midtown Manhattan apartment, but during the past few weeks his surname has been circulating around the local Saratoga community perhaps louder than it ever had before.
With a massive $455 million renovation project slated to take place at Long Island’s Belmont Park, the New York Racing Association is considering staging the high-profile Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, the company’s president recently told the Daily Racing Form.
That temporary relocation of the Belmont Stakes – a race which traditionally sites the third and final leg of the Triple Crown – could include the next two runnings of the renowned race, to be held in June 2024 and June 2025, until its normal Long Island home venue would be ready for prime time in 2026.
“I think this is a huge opportunity – not only for the city of Saratoga Springs, but for the county and the entire region,” said Darryl Leggieri, President at Discover Saratoga – a Saratoga Springs based promotion and marketing organization. “This will bring huge tourism dollars to our region and have an economic impact for many of the businesses as well. Many people think about lodging with tourists – and they should do well – but people spend money where they stay and that will trickle down to many of the small businesses in the community such as the restaurants and the retailers.”
The 2024 Belmont Stakes will be staged in its traditional calendar spot in early June, following May’s running of the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness, the first and second legs of the Triple Crown, respectively. That would presumably place the Belmont at Saratoga on Saturday June 8 – although the number of racing days prior to the stakes race and/or the length of a Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in Saratoga is up for discussion. This year’s festival was a three-day affair on Long Island, according to NYRA’s June 2023 calendar.
“June is traditionally a busy time for Saratoga Springs but there’s always room for a major historic event of this magnitude,” Leggieri said. “We’re optimistic that this will be boon for our whole area and really put a spotlight on our destination internationally – especially if there’s a Triple Crown (horse) in contention.”
An early June Belmont date in Saratoga raises a series of potential ramifications for the local community.
The traditional start of the 40-day Saratoga meet is typically held one month later. And while that meet is anticipated to stay the same, a flurry of activity in early June featuring the last leg of the Triple Crown series would create a special set of scenarios for the local community – from business owners and hoteliers to public safety officials who would be dealing with an accelerated flow of traffic and tourism.
“We’re going to have to wait and see what the details look like. Maybe it’s for a long weekend – we’re hearing that, maybe it will change into something else, we just don’t know yet, but we’ll be ready,” said Saratoga County Administrator Steve Bulger.
Economically? “We have to think there would be positive impacts on both – occupancy tax and sales tax that weekend – which the county would welcome,” Bulger said.
“From a county perspective, law enforcement and the Sheriff’s Office especially would probably be the department most impacted, making sure we have proper coverage across the board, helping the city (of Saratoga Springs) out, like we usually do during Travers Weekend,” Bulger said. “Having Emergency Services ready to go in case anything popped up; maybe the district attorney’s office might have a busier weekend than normal. But using an enlarged Travers Day Weekend as our baseline, we would make sure we’re working with the city and NYRA so that any and all resources the county can provide will be made available.”
So, who was August Belmont, Jr? A synopsis via the National Museum of Racing & Hall of Fame: August Belmont II was born in New York City in 1853 and upon his father’s death became heavily involved in racing. Belmont, Jr. took over August Belmont & Co., the New York City bank founded by his father August, Sr. He continued his family’s practice of raising horses and bred 129 stakes winners, Man o’ War, among them. He was also associated with William Collins Whitney in the revitalization of Saratoga in the early 1900s and was among the founding members of The Jockey Club in 1894. In 1905, Belmont opened Belmont Park on Long Island and transferred to the park the Belmont Stakes, inaugurated in 1867 and named in his father’s honor.
The potential temporary relocation of the Belmont Stakes and the renovation at the Long Island racecourse that holds the Belmont name is dependent on various approvals. An official decision is anticipated to be announced sometime this fall.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The week of Eric Hayden’s first game as head coach of the Saratoga Springs varsity football team was certainly an eventful one.
On Thursday, Aug. 31, Hayden and his wife Danielle welcomed their second child, Bo Michael Hayden. The Haydens also have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Payton.
Less than two days later, Hayden was on the sideline for his first victory as the Blue Streaks’ head coach, a 35-7 win over Albany.
“Definitely an eventful week,” said Hayden. “Not a lot of sleeping, but a lot of great things happening. When you get to hold your baby boy for the first time, and everyone’s got good health coming out, that’s just an amazing experience.”
Hayden credited his assistant coaches for their help preparing for the season-opening win over the Falcons.
“Our staff is amazing, with John Barber, Jon Coons, and Craig Durant,” Hayden said. “They had everything set up, they were in a great spot. I tip my hat to them, because I couldn’t do it without them.”
Prior to taking over the program, Hayden was an assistant coach with the Blue Streaks, coaching the offensive and defensive lines as well as special teams, he said.
This week, Saratoga begins Class AA play, hosting Ballston Spa (1-1) on Thursday night. The Blue Streaks are coming off a 21-20 loss against Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake last week.
In 2022, the Blue Streaks finished 5-5, falling in the Section 2 Class AA Playoffs to CBA.
Hayden said that while the Blue Streaks have a talented group, it is also one without a ton of experience. He said he is excited to watch the team grow throughout the season, noting that, “The sky’s the limit for the group here.”
“Very coachable kids that work very hard, and every day you see them growing,” said Hayden. “Every day, you see a new lightbulb that just went on. …They can be a dangerous group, because you just don’t know what to expect.”
Hayden said the team has a strong group of returning players, naming defensive end/tight end/wide receiver Christian Mello, running back/receiver Rodell Evans III, quarterback Jack Rigabar, receiver/safety Caleb Casey, and center Jayden Cox among others.
Hayden also said the team’s defensive backfield is strong this year, and said the Blue Streaks’ wide receiver group does “a phenomenal job too.
“I really like what our defensive backfield has to offer,” said Hayden. “The style of defense that we play, those guys all have to be able to cover and tackle. This group that we have is pretty good at it, and pretty special at it.”
Throughout summer practices leading up to the team’s season opener, Hayden said some of his main points of emphasis were conditioning and limiting penalties.
“The big message we sent in camp is we have to practice harder than the games,” said Hayden. “I told them, ‘If you’re in better shape and you can limit the penalties, you’re in good shape.’”
The Blue Streaks open league play tonight with a Route 50 rivalry game and a goal of returning to the postseason, with Hayden saying, “This team is hungry.”
“They’ve seen what they can do. We really started building the momentum last year,” Hayden said. “They have that very much in their eyes right now. It’s cool that we have a good amount of guys coming back that have been there, because now they know what it takes. Hopefully they can teach our young guys that as well.”
Lakeside Farms’ carriage barn. Photo by Dylan McGlynn.
BALLSTON LAKE — Originally established in 1948, this year marks Lakeside Farms’ 75th anniversary as a family-run business.
Lakeside was founded by Robert Pearce, along with his wife Agnes and son Dick, their website states. The family began making apple cider with a screw-driven press originally built in 1878, said Jeffrey Pearce, who is part of the third generation of the Pearce family to run the business.
Today, Lakeside includes a country store, restaurant, apple barn, gift shop, event space, and more, with Pearce saying Lakeside is “like 11 businesses all wrapped in one.”
“My grandfather always told me, ‘You put out a good product for a good, fair price, they’ll come knocking on your door,’” said Pearce. “I’ve always kept it that way.”
Pearce said he has been working at Lakeside for almost 60 of its 75 years, beginning as a young child working under his father, Dick Pearce.
“I just started to work, and my father gave me things to do at eight years old,” said Pearce. “I just worked up from there.”
The Pearce family moved Lakeside’s country store to the property’s carriage barn in the early 1960s, Pearce said.
“My grandparents started the cider mill, and put in a little store down back behind the store that’s already here,” Pearce said. “As we got bigger, we moved to the carriage barn, which is where it’s at right now.”
Today, Jeffrey Pearce operates the farm with his brother, Richie. Jeffrey’s wife, Denise, also works at Lakeside, while Jeffrey and Richie’s sister, Lisa Martin, works part-time at the farm.
In addition to their apple cider, Lakeside Farms includes a country store that offers a wide variety of products, such as fruits, vegetables, maple syrup, penny candy, and more. The country store also includes a deli, a bakery, and restaurant, roasting their own meat and selling a variety of burgers and sandwiches, and other products including bread, baked goods, and eggs.
The farm’s restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, and they offer a wide selection of apples, apple cider, and apple cider donuts from their apple barn.
Lakeside also includes Ye Olde Farmhouse Gift Shoppe, a farmhouse built in 1851, Pearce said, that was converted into a shop offering an assortment of gifts, decorations, clothing, jewelry, candles, and more, many of which are locally or American-made.
Lakeside served 130,000 people in nine months last year, Pearce said. He noted their apple barn has recently opened for the fall season. The apple barn and gift shop will remain open through Dec. 24, while the remainder of the property will remain open through Nov. 26, according to Denise Pearce.
While Pearce acknowledged it is demanding work, putting in up to 90 or 100 hours a week, he also said it is fulfilling, and said he has “been treated very well.”
“Yesterday I got up at 3:00, and got home last night at 5:30,” Pearce said. “It’s a long day, but when you get to see what you’ve accomplished during the day, you smile.”
He also added that, “The business runs you, you don’t run it.”
“Sit back, look, and listen, and the business will tell you what has to be done,” said Pearce. “You work it, but it tells you what has to be done.”
Through the years, Pearce said that in addition to family and employees, the farm has also received help from friends and neighbors, such as Lee Davenport, who Pearce said worked for Lakeside roughly 20 years ago and still returns to assist the Pearce family and their employees.
“He went out on his own, and he comes back and helps me,” Pearce said. “He’s like a brother to me.”
Pearce gave credit to the farm’s employees, saying, “They put their heart and soul into it.”
“If you’ve got people that are positive with you, I’ve got a few people that are, it makes it a lot easier,” said Pearce. “It’s nice to have people that love your business as much as you do.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS —A new study underway this month may help to address a decades-long question related to the amount of large truck traffic in the downtown area and offer solutions about what the city can begin to do about it.
The Capital Region Transportation Council (CRTC), in coordination with the city Mayor’s Office, will be conducting the truck traffic study to explore options for enhancing safety and improving traffic flow through the downtown corridor.
The study will collect data on the number and classification of trucks traveling through the city, their routes, and speed.
“This is (part of) a larger study of traffic in Saratoga County, and we’re able to be part of this study to determine the number and classification of trucks traveling through the city, their routes, and their speed,” Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim told the council Sept. 7.
“Here’s the important part: we can’t do anything about the 53-foot trucks that ply our streets, particularly on Broadway, until we know what the volume is, where they’re coming from and where they’re going,” Mayor Kim said. “This is a study that will do that.”
The following streets are potential areas of study: Broadway (U.S. Rte 9); Ballston Avenue (NY Rte 50); Church Street (NY Rte 9N); Finley/Adelphi Streets; Geyser Road; Lake Avenue (NY Rte 29); Union Avenue (NY Rte 9P); Van Dam Street; Washington Street (NY Rte 29).
Following the study, the CRTC will create a technical memo and outreach material, to help the city better understand truck traffic and what it can do to reduce it, particularly in the downtown area, Kim said.
On Aug. 4, a $2.33 million deal was signed securing Legacy Sports Holdings a 10-year lease for a 4-acre parcel on Route 50, soon to be the home of the largest pickleball center in the region, and the first of five centers like it in the Northeast.
Renovations to the 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse at Corporate Technology Park, 4 McCrea Hill Road, by Wilton-based contractor the JAG Group, LLC., will include the addition of eight indoor courts, 15 – 20 outdoor courts, a player’s lounge (serving beer and wine), state of the art restroom facilities and locker area, and a pro-shop.
The pickleball boom is here.
Relishing the Moment
Today, Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. Early estimates indicated the number of pickleball players in the US would reach 21 million by 2030. According to a recent report by the American Pickleball Association, the popularity of pickleball has exploded well beyond that, shattering early estimates.
In just the past year, approximately 35 million people participated in the sport. Players are more demographically diverse than previously thought, as well, with the average age of today’s player being 34 years old (median age was 58). Pickleball is also family friendly, with lessons for children often beginning at 8-10-years-old.
“Anyone can play this game and become proficient in a short period of time,” said Legacy Pickleball Club’s General Manager Michael Xirinachs.
Easy to learn and affordable to play, the demand for pickleball is outpacing available courts locally. In a private feasibility study, excessive wait times (due to the courts being full on any given day) was the largest concern among residents, followed by travel time – many are commuting more than an hour to play. Of those surveyed, 94% said they’d consider joining a pickleball club and 71% would play more, if an indoor facility were available nearby.
Carpe Dink’um
As star athletes and tournaments attract record attendance, a wave of investors, sponsors, and retailers are rushing to cash in on the action, which shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Highly motivated after previous plans for a facility in Malta were halted, the Legacy Pickleball Club has an aggressive timeline that will see players on their courts this fall. In the future, a 55,000 sq. ft. addition is planned to shelter half of the outdoor courts.
In addition to protecting the court surface from the elements, having so many indoor courts reduces the need to switch playing styles, which in pickleball, are substantially different for indoor and outdoor play, learned Xirinachs when he embarked on this endeavor as a recreational player two years ago.
Each change in season thrust him into a different game. Outdoor pickleball is played on asphalt with a harder, faster ball perforated by 40 holes, giving it more kick.
For indoor courts, the ball is softer, lighter, and has fewer, larger holes, changing the way it hits and grips the playing surface, which in this area, has primarily been glaringly-bright gymnasium floors inundated with a confusing collection of lines (because they must accommodate a variety of other sports, as well).
Instead, Legacy’s proprietary cushioned court system features seven layers of shock-absorbing materials beneath the playing surface that significantly reduce the risk of repetitive stress injuries, knee, and joint pain. With the ability to play indoors year-round, players gain experience and confidence, improving their swing, timing, and hand-eye-coordination.
A Sweet Dill
When Xirinachs moved to Saratoga from Long Island (where he was part-owner in a 100,000 sq. ft. indoor sports dome for six years), what he enjoyed most about pickleball was the welcoming community he found with the sport.
In addition to its physical health benefits, Xirinachs, a graduate of St. John’s University with a degree in psychology, and the 2021 founder of The-OliveBranch.com (a website encouraging emotional peace within), said being able to bring people of all ages together on a continuous basis around a common interest has many emotional benefits to the community.
Legacy Pickleball Club is offering general and senior memberships, reserved courts, and drop-in open play times. Courts are arranged by skill level, so beginners won’t be paired with more experienced players. Legacy also provides paddles and balls, if required. Among their 10 full-time staff positions, Legacy is excited to have in-house pro instructor Pete Bogarczuk offering private and group lessons, league, academy, and tournament play.
Act Now: Within the next two weeks, Legacy Pickleball Club will be launching their Founding Members special. For the first 100 members only; pay a one-time membership fee and court fees will be waved for the entire first year.
For more information, follow Legacy Pickleball Club on Facebook, Instagram, and go to www.legacypbclub.com
