SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 2024 Saratoga Giant Pumpkinfest on Saturday, Sept. 28 in downtown Saratoga Springs. 

This free and fun-for-all-ages event, presented by The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs City Center parking garage.  

Attendees will have the opportunity to marvel at giant pumpkins – some over 1,000 pounds – and watch the official weigh-off, which begins at 11 a.m. Growers from all over New York state and the Northeast bring the biggest pumpkins from their harvest and compete for the coveted title of “Heaviest Pumpkin of Year,” along with additional categories and prizes.

The festival will include fall favorite activities as well as food and beverage vendors on site. More information about Saratoga Giant Pumpkinfest is available online at https://www.saratoga.org/live/giant-pumpkin-fest/.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation announced this year’s Autumn strolls begin the weekend after Labor Day and run through the end of October. 

Unless otherwise noted, these historic walking tours will be offered every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in various neighborhoods throughout the city. Tours highlight the Gut neighborhood, mail-order houses on the East Side, the diverse history of the historic West Side, mansions of North Broadway, and much more. 

This tour is in partnership with the Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park, a non-profit organization that supports and enhances the parks’ historic, natural, and recreational resources. To learn more about the Friends group, please visit https://friendsofsaratogaspastatepark.org/. 

Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 – NEW Lincoln Park. Join Linda Harvey for a stroll through Lincoln Park in Saratoga Spa State Park, a National Historic Landmark. Discover the park’s history from its early carbonic acid plants to the creation of the State Reservation in 1909 and the construction of the Lincoln and Washington Bathhouses in the 1920s. Meet in front of the Washington Bathhouse (National Museum of Dance). 

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024 – Down in the Valley: Exploring the Gut. Stroll leader Alexandra Morgan will explore the area behind Broadway known as “The Gut,” which was home to many working class and Jewish families who provided important contributions to the community. Meet at: Hathorn Spring at the NW corner of Putnam and Spring Streets. 

Upcoming Programs: 

Sunday, Sept. 15 – Historic Fifth & Madison Avenues; Sunday, Sept. 22 – Mail-Order Houses of Saratoga; Sunday, Sept. 29 – Post Time;  Sunday, Oct. 6 – Wealth & Wellness: Franklin Square; Sunday, Oct. 13 – Historic Congress Park; Sunday, Oct. 20 – Historic West Side; Sunday, Oct. 27 – Summer Cottages of North Broadway; Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 5 p.m. – Twilight Cemetery Tour.

Go to: saratogapreservation.org.   

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Actor Edwin Lee Gibson, a 2012 graduate of the Saratoga Springs-based Empire State University, has hit it big thanks to a recurring role in the Hulu series “The Bear.”

The show, which revolves around the staff of a fictional restaurant in Chicago, features Gibson in the role of Ebraheim, an East African war veteran line cook.

Gibson earned a B.A. from Empire State University in the arts and social theory while simultaneously pursuing an acting career. “The flexibility that SUNY Empire allows people at whatever juncture they’re at in their life is really wonderful,” he said in a statement.

Gibson has also starred in a number of other acclaimed shows, including “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” “Fargo,” “Shameless,” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” At one point, he also ran the Musical Theater Workshop at the Rye Arts Center in Westchester County. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Facing off against places like Asheville in North Carolina, Columbus in Ohio and  Stowe in Vermont,  Saratoga County has been nominated as a “Best Place to Visit for Fall” in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, Discover Saratoga – Saratoga County’s official tourism promotion agency, announced this week.  

The list of 20 nominees, selected by a panel of travel experts, highlights destinations nationwide where vibrant autumnal charm, scenic beauty, and diverse seasonal activities attract visitors from across the country. Online voting for the awards is open to the public and is open now through noon on Sept. 9, 2024.

“We’ve been actively working to promote Saratoga County as a year-round vibrant travel destination, so we’re excited for this nomination to name Saratoga alongside other well-known autumn locations,” Darryl Leggieri, president of Discover Saratoga, said in a statement. “We know fall is a great time to visit Saratoga County. We encourage all of our destination ambassadors to vote so we can share that message with potential visitors across the country.”

To vote for Saratoga County as the best place to visit for fall, readers can visit https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-place-to-visit-for-fall-2024/saratoga-county-new-york/ and cast their ballot once per day until polls close at noon ET on Sept. 9. Winners will be announced on Sept. 18.

For more information about the 10Best Awards and to see the full list of winners across multiple categories, visit www.10best.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Kelsey Chmiel, a 2019 Saratoga Springs High School graduate, will be inducted into the Greater Capital Region Track, Field, and Cross Country Hall of Fame. She was selected in her first year of eligibility. 

While running for the Blue Streaks, Chmiel captured state and federation championships, as well as top-five overall finishes in each of her four years at the Nike Cross Nationals. In her junior year, she was the Gatorade New York State Cross Country Runner of the Year. She was a 12-time high school All-American, broke the national outdoor 3,000-meter mark for sophomores, and holds the state record of 16:18.57 in the outdoor 5K. At the age of 16, she won the junior division of the Great Edinburgh International X Country Challenge in Scotland.

After graduating from Saratoga, Chmiel attended North Carolina State, where she continued to accumulate accolades. She was an 11-time All-American. She was crowned the 5,000-meter 2022-20223 ACC Indoor Champion, the 2021 ACC Cross Country Champion, and the 2021 NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Champion.

For all these achievements and more, Chmiel will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during an annual banquet ceremony held on Saturday, October 5 at the Albany Marriott in Colonie.