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2024 Saratoga County Fair Runs July 23-28

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

BALLSTON SPA  — The annual Saratoga County Fair runs from Tuesday, July 23 through Sunday, July 28.

The annual Saratoga County Fair features hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of exhibits, a wide variety of foods, live music, special show attractions and spectacular midway rides.

Established in 1841, the Saratoga County Fair is presented by the Saratoga County Agricultural Society, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Each year the Fair provides visitors with an engaging and entertaining opportunity to connect with Saratoga County’s rich agricultural heritage.

Fair hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Fairgrounds & Expo Center is located at 162 Prospect St. Ballston Spa.  

A full program of 2024 Saratoga County Fair events and attractions is now available online at the Saratoga County Fair website at https://saratogacountyfair.org/events/. Admission, tickets, parking and other information is available on the Fair’s homepage https://saratogacountyfair.org/. For more information contact the Saratoga County Fair Office at 518-885-9701.

Local Students Awarded $100,000 in Scholarships

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation awarded $100,000 in scholarships to fifteen local students at their 24th annual Scholarship Awards Banquet on June 20.

The winner of the $20,000 Presidential Scholarship was Elaina Jacob from Saratoga Springs High School, who will attend the University at Buffalo to major in Biomedical Sciences. Jacob, who was born in Syria, told banquet attendees that she was grateful to be in the United States pursuing her dream of going to college.

The other fourteen scholarship winners were Bianca Babcock, Rosemeen Bhattal, Andre Culpepper-Wehr, Sandra Fierros-Garcia, McKenna Malloy, Reilly McCormack, Naomi Molina-Roman, Taylor Morgan, Madelyn Nolan, Jalen Pearsall, Gabriel Sherwin, Noelle Slye, 

Bin Traeger, and Talia Winters.

Local Fundraiser Set for June 30 in Saratoga Springs

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Featured, Neighborhood Buzz.

The Bernath Family. Photo provided

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Ashley Bernath, then known as Ashley Johnson grew up in Saratoga Springs and today makes her home in Massachusetts with Ryan Bernath and their two daughters. 

Last October, the Bernaths’ then three-month-old daughter, Lucy, developed COVID and was admitted to a Massachusetts hospital with respiratory distress. While at the hospital, the girl developed Gastroparesis, a feeding aversion, and a secondary respiratory illness that required extended hospitalization. 

Lucy, whom is nicknamed “Little Lulu,” remained in the hospital until December, when she received a gastrostomy tube. Today, she is still nourished via feeding tube and requires full-time attention and the support of the Mass General Hospital Aerodigestive team, but is doing better. 

The Bernaths were finally home with their two girls, and feeling like they could see the light at the end of a dark tunnel.

This past May, after a few days of limping around the house, Ashley and Ryan’s older, 2-year-old daughter Charlie went to get X-rays for an injured foot. What was found instead was a broken femur. Less than a day later, a doctor announced the diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Two-year-old Charlie has cancer. 

A site was created to help with the expenses that will be accumulated over the coming months, and a posting on the fundraising platform Spotfund set $150,000 as a goal. To date, more than $120,000 has been donated. (For more on this, go to: spotfund.com and type The Bernath Family in the search box). 

A local fundraiser will take place from noon – 5 p.m. Sunday, June 30 at King’s Tavern on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs. For reservations, call 518-441-1103. 

Contributions will go toward Little Lucy’s many doctors visits, (physical therapy, weekly nurse visits, and monthly visits at MGH to maintain weight and strength) in addition to the enormous financial burden the Bernaths will soon face in the wake of Charlie’s Leukemia diagnosis.

Saratoga Springs Man Inducted Into the Bugler’s Hall of Fame

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

George “Jeff” Perkins Jr. and Chuck Mangione in Saratoga Springs in 2019. Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —George F. Perkins Jr. of Saratoga Springs was inducted into the Buglers Hall of Fame at a ceremonial banquet held at Batavia Downs Raceway and Casino. 

A lifelong resident of Saratoga Springs, Perkins born in 1942 and began his drum & bugle corps experience in 1953 on the 3rd floor of City Hall when he joined the Saratoga Jr. Cadet Corps. In 1964, he helped re-form the disbanded Saratoga Sr. Cadet corps to perform once again in the1964 Saratoga Bi-Centennial Celebration Parade. 

Perkins’ marching career spans 32 years and has included the Saratoga Junior Cadet Corps and Ambassadors, Fort Edward Vagabonds, Gloversville Fusiliers, Troy-Pittsfield Interstatesmen, Springfield MA Marksmen, and the Syracuse Brigadiers as a soprano bugler. 

In 1975, he became the founding Director of Saratoga’s Avant Garde, and led them to a world-renowned status in the drum & bugle corps activity. The corps represented the city of Saratoga Springs wherever they performed, logging over 10,000 miles annually. 

Avant Garde disbanded after the 1985 season and many former members have become professional instrumentalists. They reunited in 2018 for a performance in the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Flag Day Parade, and again in 2019 when Chuck Mangione visited Saratoga to attend a special celebration concert held in his honor at the Lake Avenue Elementary School.

Perkins is currently a singing member of Saratoga’s Racing City Barbershop Chorus. 

Ballston Spa Farmers’ Market Opens June 15

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

The 2024 Ballston Spa Farmers’ Market opens June 15, Photo provided.

BALLSTON SPA — The 2024 Ballston Spa Farmers’ Market will be held every Thursday from 4-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. from June 15 to Oct. 5 at Wiswall Park on Front Street. 

Since 2003, these markets have been connecting the community with local farms, food, and craft producers.

Presented by the Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association (BSBPA), vendors interested in joining the 2024 Season at the market may submit applications at: www.ballston.org/category/farmers-market/.

The Farmers’ Market is also seeking community volunteers to assist during market days. Volunteering is an excellent opportunity to connect with vendors, enjoy early bird shopping, and to help promote the market’s presence in Ballston Spa. For more information, reach out to farmersmarket@ballston.org. 

Gideon Putnam Burying Ground Historic Marker Restored

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

Matt Veitch, at left, Saratoga Springs City Historian Mary Ann Fitzgerald (front, center) at Gideon Putnam Burying Ground. Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Matt Veitch was joined by the Saratoga Springs Historian and representatives from Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, Saratoga Springs DPW, Saratoga Springs History Museum, and TR Signs to unveil the restored Gideon Putnam Burying Ground Historic Marker. 

Veitch, who represents Saratoga Springs at the county level of government, secured funding in the County’s 2023 budget to dedicate to various projects in Saratoga Springs. 

Veitch spearheaded an initiative to restore multiple historic markers and signs throughout the city, including:  Bryan Home (Olde Bryan Inn), NYS County Highway Superintendents Association Founding site, Walworth Estate (Pine Grove), The ‘Gut’ or the ‘Valley’ commemoration of Jewish Contributions to the City, Solomon Northup Memorial, and Dublin Neighborhood marker.

The Gideon Putnam Burying Ground is located on South Franklin Street in Saratoga Springs. Named for the founding father of Saratoga Springs, Gideon Putnam, the cemetery contains more than 150 graves of early and mid-19th century, mostly working-class residents of the city. In 1835, the Putnams gave their family burial land to the village of Saratoga Springs to be used as a public burial plot. In 1812, Gideon Putnam became the first to be buried here.

In 1811, Gideon began construction of Congress Hall just north of Congress Spring but was seriously injured when a section of scaffolding at the hotel collapsed. He died in 1812 at the age of 49 as a result of his injuries.

Ballston Spa Memorial Day Parade on May 25

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

 

BALLSTON SPA — The Annual Memorial Day Parade in Ballston Spa will be held Saturday, May 25. 

The Grand Marshal will be escorted by “Ballston’s Finest” along Doubleday Avenue beginning at 9 o’clock across from Carousel Village and continue with a pause for a ceremony held for Navy veterans at the Kayderosseras Creek bridge then continue along Milton Avenue to Front Street where the parade proceeds to the Civil War Monument, turning onto Low Street to Veterans Park.

Hosted by the Village of Ballston Spa, Henry Cornell American Legion Post #234 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #358, the schedule of events includes the Placing of Wreaths, a rifle salute by the combined veterans’ Honor Guard Rifle Squad, Invocation by Chaplain, Memorial Day address by our Officer Of the Day (OOD), Remarks from Grand Marshal, a reading of the Gettysburg Address by local Scouts of Troop 1, Flag Raising at Veterans Park, TAPS, Closing Benediction, followed by a reception in Wiswall Park.

The 2024 Saratoga Showcase Of Homes Tour Plans Two Weekends This Fall

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The 2024 Saratoga Showcase of Homes will take place Oct. 5-6 and Oct. 12-13

Sponsorship opportunities are available at www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com, under the sponsorship tab. 

Last year $70,000 was raised and over the past 27 years, the community event has contributed over $1.5 million dollars to the organization’s two favored local charities – Rebuilding Together Saratoga County, and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties.

For more details on the 2024 Saratoga Showcase of Homes event, visit: www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com. 

May Nature on the Move Walks at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

WILTON — On Mondays May 6 and May 20 at 10:30 a.m., Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will be holding its bi-weekly Nature on the Move walks. 

These walks are led by one of Wilton Wildlife’s Environmental Educators and will take place at the Town of Wilton’s Neilmann Trailhead on May 6 and NYS DEC’s Camp Saratoga on May 20. 

They are geared towards gentle exercise and are appropriate for adults at basic fitness levels. The group usually covers about 1.5 miles of trail. Nature on the Move happens every other week, year-round. 

Registration is required at least one business day in advance. To register please visit the website at www.wiltonpreserve.org For more information, call the Wilton Wildlife office at 518-450-0321 or email info@wiltonpreserve.org. For up-to-date trail conditions or program information, please visit the Wilton Wildlife website at wiltonpreserve.org.