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Fall Lecture Series at Saratoga National Historical Park 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

STILLWATER — Saratoga National Historical Park, in partnership with the Friends of Saratoga Battlefield, will host a series of five lectures this fall. The talks are free, but reservations are required as space is limited. 

The schedule is:

A Tale of Two Generals: The Later History of the Benedict Arnold Monument at Saratoga Battlefield. Thursday, November 9, 6:30 p.m. Saratoga National Historical Park Visitor Center Theater. Benedict Arnold is a figure well-known to Americans and aficionados of the Battles of Saratoga. Less well known is General John Watts de Peyster, a resident of Dutchess County, New York, who paid for a special inscription to be added to the Arnold Monument on the battlefield. Hear the colorful tale of this eccentric and scandalous 19th-century New York personality, who, like Arnold, found himself at the receiving end of nearly everyone’s ire.

Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War. Thursday, November 16, 6:30 p.m. Saratoga National Historical Park Visitor Center Theater. 

“Perticulars that I have Been eye & ear witness to”: How Nathaniel Bacheller Changed History. Thursday, November 30, 6:30 p.m. Saratoga National Historical Park Visitor Center Theater.

Retracing Our Steps: the French-American Joint Reconnaissance Tour in the Winter of 1780-1781. Thursday, December 7, 6:30 pm. Saratoga National Historical Park Visitor Center Theater. 

Saratoga National Historical Park is located at 648 Route 32 in Stillwater. More information on each program and links to make reservations are available at go.nps.gov/saraevents or email: SARA_info@nps.gov. 

125th Anniversary Spanish-American War Commemorated at Greenridge

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

The Oct. 18 commemoration included The Saratoga Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim; representatives from Assembly Members Jim Tedisco and Carrie Woerner; Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts; Saratoga Springs City Historian Mary Ann Fitzgerald;
Tim Mabee, National President, Sons of the Spanish American War Veterans. Photo provided. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Spanish-American War was held Oct. 18 at The Hiker Monument at Greenridge Cemetery. 

The event included commemorations of the 125th Anniversary of the DAR Nurses Corp and the 125th Anniversary of the death of Reubena Hyde Walworth, daughter of DAR founder Ellen Hardin Walworth and a nurse who died in service in the Spanish-American War.

The Spanish-American War was from April to August of 1898 and expanded territories for Americans in the Caribbean and Pacific. Over 4,000 Americans died with about 460 being New Yorkers. Events of the war included the Sinking of The Maine Battleship in the Havana Harbor, the taking of San Juan Hill by the Rough Riders, Hawaii becoming a US territory and the Treaty of Paris to end the war with Spain.

With a shortage of nurses, the DAR Nurses Corp was created to train over 1,000 nurses. This corps was the start of the Army Nurses Corp. Reubena Hyde Walworth trained at Saratoga Hospital and was the first female nurse to arrive at Camp Wykoff in Montauk, NY. During the last week of the camp, she succumbed to Typhoid Fever and died on Oct. 18, 1898 at 31 years old. Many of her patients wrote letters of sympathy to her mother telling her what a compassionate and caring nurse she was.

Following the ceremony, wreaths were laid at Reubena Hyde Walworth grave in Greenridge Cemetery.

Skate Jam Saturday

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A community of skateboarders from Saratoga Springs and surrounding areas will celebrate the newly opened cemented skatepark on Lake Avenue. 

The “Skate Jam” event, organized by ON DECK, will take place 3 p.m. to sunset on Saturday, Oct. 28.  

Saratoga Skatepark exercise facility – the oldest municipal skatepark in New York State – is located at East Side recreation field, is open to all human powered wheeled micro transport, organizers say. 

Costumes are encouraged. 

Fall Festival Saturday: Trick-Or-Treat Downtown, Pumpkin Rolling on Caroline

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

Fall Festival in Saratoga Springs on Saturday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Fall Festival will be held in downtown Saratoga Springs 12–3 p.m. Oct. 21. Entertainment and festivities will take place on Caroline Street and extend out on Maple Ave and Putnam Streets.

The annual event, presented by the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association will feature trick-or-treating throughout downtown, the Pumpkin Roll down Caroline Street, face painting, balloon twisting, live entertainment, a petting zoo and a scavenger hunt.

Starting at noon, participating businesses will be candy-ready, and the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs will start orchestrating the Pumpkin Roll down Caroline Street. Sunnyside Gardens donated pumpkins for volunteers to hand out to kids at the top of Caroline Street. The kids will then roll them down the hill as hay bales donated from Vincek Farm will be placed throughout the street.

Live entertainment and Kettle Corn as well as additional entertainment, face painting, jugglers and clowns, a petting zoo and balloon twisters will be located down and around Caroline Street.

For more information visit: saratogaspringsdowntown.com.

23rd Annual Great Pumpkin Challenge Raises Over $41,000 to Benefit Saratoga Bridges

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

Photos provided by Saratoga Bridges.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Saturday, Sept. 30, Saratoga Bridges held their 23rd Annual Great Pumpkin Challenge in the Saratoga Spa State Park with close to one thousand participants who ran, walked or rolled to raise over $41,000 for the agency’s essential non-funded or underfunded programs, services and activities as well as to reward their staff.

The 5K winners were Peter Maroko from Nyack and Elizabeth Predmore from Malta. The 10K winners were Ethan Carey from Queensbury and Brigid Dake from Greenfield Center.

Prizes were given to the first, second, and third finishers in each age group, according to a press release from Saratoga Bridges. Winners who missed the awards ceremony can call Saratoga Bridges at 518-587-0723, ext. 1266 to make arrangements to pick up their gift.

The event featured offerings including a Kid’s Fun Run, NET Chip Timing from Albany Running Exchange, costume contests, favorite pumpkin contest, homemade refreshments, plus donated food and beverages from Hixny, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Hannaford and DeVoe’s Rainbow Orchard.

Many “Bridges Buddies” participated in the 5K upon completing the agency’s Walking and Wheeling Program, an initiative developed by Saratoga Bridges’ Wellness Committee to pair staff and individuals in a three-week training program leading up to The Great Pumpkin Challenge, the release states.

There were teams from Regeneron, TEL and Fort Miller and Ainsley’s Angels partnered with the event. The Great Pumpkin Challenge also featured over 120 volunteers from a variety of businesses, schools, and organizations, including students from WSWHE BOCES’ Criminal Justice Program and Skidmore College’s Political Science Program, Goldman Sachs’ Community TeamWorks, MVP Health Care, Soroptimist International of Saratoga County and Saratoga Bridges’ staff, board members and friends.

Best of the Saratoga Showcase of Homes – 2023 Saratoga Showcase of Homes Award Winners; People’s Choice Award; Over 2,500 Tour the Homes!

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

Photo by Randall Perry Photography

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The area’s premiere new home tour, the 2023 Saratoga Showcase of Homes was proudly presented over two fall weekends this year on October 7-8 and October 14-15. This year’s edition had 9 extraordinary homes from 7 award-winning builders on display.  Participating award-winning builders in this year’s event; Belmonte Builders, DeGraff Bloom Custom Builders, DSG Construction & Remodeling, Kodiak Construction, R & M Homes, Whitbeck Construction and Witt Construction. 

Thank you to the many generous corporate & media sponsors, showcase builders and suppliers, showcase committee, volunteers and especially the over 2500 visitors who purchased tickets to tour these beautiful homes in support of this spectacular fall tradition. 

All the builder awards were announced at the Awards Presentation & Celebration held on October 11.  

This year’s “People’s Choice” awards went to R & M Homes for Executive Home and Witt Construction for Luxury Home.

The announcement and presentation of the donation checks to our two local charities from the proceeds of this annual event will be held in November.

Celebrating its 27th year, this annual community event has contributed nearly $1.5 MILLION DOLLARS to our local charities. Proceeds from the Saratoga Showcase of Homes benefit Rebuilding Together Saratoga County (www.rtsaratoga.org) and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties (www.glensfallshabitat.org). This year’s donation will be announced in November. For more details on the recently concluded 2023 Saratoga Showcase of Homes event and to view virtual tours of the homes, visit www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com. SAVE THE DATES for the 2024 Saratoga Showcase of Homes scheduled for October 5-6 & October 12-13. 

EXECUTIVE HOME AWARDS

Winners
by Category:

Landscaping:

Kodiak Construction – Mulberry Estates II

Brookside Nursery – Jesse Marco

Workmanship:

Belmonte Builders – Waite Meadows

Master Bath:

Kodiak Construction –Mountains Edge

Exterior Architectural Design:

R & M Homes

Interior Decorating:

Kodiak Construction –Mulberry Estates II

Old Brick Furniture – Kaitlynn Johnson & Nicole Conlin

Kitchen: 

Belmonte Builders – Waite Meadows

Curtis Lumber – Heather Bodnaryk

Interior Floor Plan:

Kodiak Construction –Mountains Edge

LUXURY HOME AWARDS

Winners by Category:

Landscaping:

Witt Construction

Gallivan Corporation – Brendan Gallivan

Workmanship:

Witt Construction

Master Bath:

Witt Construction

Exterior Architectural Design:

Witt Construction

Interior Decorating:

Witt Construction

Studio K – Kennedy Flack & Rachael Gac

Kitchen: 

Witt Construction

Joel Lynn Designs –Joel Lynn Ralph

Interior Floor Plan:

Witt Construction – John Witt & Studio K

Saratoga Springs History Museum to Host Native American Educational Workshops

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs History Museum will present two special educational programs focused on treasured aspects of the Native American heritage of the region. 

The events have been planned in tandem with the History Museum’s recently opened exhibit “First Saratogians: The Indigenous Peoples of the Saratoga Springs Region.”

“Animal Tracks, Trails and Lore with James Bruchac”- Saturday, Oct. 28, 1 – 2:30 p.m. In this workshop, wildlife educator, storyteller, and Ndakinna Education Center Director James Bruchac, author of the popular Falcon pocket guide Scats & Tracks of the Northeast, will include track-based information on such regional mammals as fox, raccoon, deer, black bear, coyote, bobcat, moose and more. Along the way he will also share a few traditional Native legends pertaining to the animals. Through the use of his vast collection of plaster casts of various animal tracks and more, participants will greatly increase their chances of identifying the tracks of some of our area’s most prevalent and exciting creatures.

“Native Language Workshop: Abenaki, with Jesse Bruchac” – Saturday, Nov. 11, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Led by Jesse Bowman Bruchac, Language Director at Ndakinna Education Center and, like his brother James, a citizen of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation. This transformative program introduces foundational intricacies of Algonquian languages alongside original songs written to enhance accessibility and memorability. Participants will also learn how our perceptions of self and the surrounding world are molded by linguistic constructs. Jesse teaches at Middlebury College and the University of Southern Maine, and he has consulted on series such as AMC’s “Turn: Washington’s Spies” and PBS’s “Jamestown.” 

Participation fee for both workshops is $10 for History Museum Members, and $15 for non-Members, available at saratogahistory.org/events. Workshop size is limited to 30. 

The Saratoga Springs History Museum, founded in 1883, has been located since 1911 in the Canfield Casino in Congress Park. 

Winners of the Saratoga Wing Off 2023

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Discover Saratoga and Bailey’s Saratoga have announced the winners of the 6th Annual Saratoga Wing Off, held Saturday, Oct. 14, when eventgoers sampled a variety of wings from 26 participating Saratoga County restaurants for $2 each and voted for their favorite. 

The 2023 Saratoga Wing Off winners are:

•People’s Choice: 

The Mill at Round Lake

•Wildest Wing: 

Ribbon Café   

In connection with the event, $4,000 was raised for the American Cancer Society.

Saratoga “Wing Off” Oct. 14

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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Discover Saratoga and Bailey’s Saratoga are presenting Saratoga Wing Off on Saturday, Oct. 14.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature wing samples from a variety of restaurants, live music, and family-friendly activities. 

Wing lovers will have the opportunity to try $2 wing samples (restaurants will determine how many wings attendees get per sample) at participating Saratoga County establishments and vote for their favorite. 

There will be two voting categories: People’s Choice and Wildest Wing (most creative). All voting will take place online at discoversaratoga.org/events/saratoga-wingoff. Only one vote per device will be accepted. Winners will be announced via social media and awards will be presented at Bailey’s Saratoga at 5:30 p.m.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a portion of the proceeds raised from this event will be donated to the American Cancer Society. 

For more information, including a list of participating wing vendors, visit online: discoversaratoga.org/events/saratoga-wing-off or call 518-584-1531.