BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County History Center launches its summer series, “Fridays in the Garden,” at 2:30 p.m. on June 9 with the program Hear the Buzz: Launching a Pollinator Garden. 

Upcoming events include June 16 – Step into a Colonial Dooryard Garden; July 28 – Meet the Three Sisters, and Aug. 4 – Are All Nightshades Deadly?

The programs are held in the gardens of Brookside Museum, 21 Fairground Ave., Ballston Spa. All programs are free to attend, though donations are welcome and appreciated. Registration for each program is preferred, but not required.

The programs will be led by Kathleen Royka, with guest speakers, Jere Blackwelder and Mina Dunnum. At each talk, questions and discussions are encouraged on any gardening issue. Children are welcome, and there will be toys and games of the 18th century to discover. 

For more information, go to: www.brooksidemuseum.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mud and fun guaranteed.   

On Saturday June 3, over 500 kids, teens, and adults will lace up their old running shoes to run, scramble over obstacles, jump muddy puddles, and trudge their way through mucky trenches at The Prevention Council’s 10th Annual TUFF eNUFF, which takes place at the BOCES Center on Henning Rd. in Saratoga Springs.  

The TUFF eNUFF mirrors The Prevention Council’s mission of Helping Youth Navigate Life’s Challenges, and highlights the community coalition-building strategy that furthers the Council’s goal of keeping schools and communities safe and free from drugs and alcohol.  

Community involvement and teamwork make this event possible, starting with the talented students at BOCES.  Heavy Equipment students build the mud course, Criminal Justice students help with parking and crowd control, and race participants can purchase food prepared by the Culinary Arts students.  

For more information, and to pre-register, go to FinishRight.com. The Kid’s Race is a 1-mile muddy course, and there is a 5K for teens and adults. Day-of registration is available. Arrive by 8 a.m. 

GLENS FALLS — Pet Fest will take place in Glens Falls City Park from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20. The public is invited to bring their well-behaved, friendly, properly leashed pets to this pet-themed event. 

Pet Fest will take place in Glens Falls City Park, and pet owners will be able to interact with different businesses and vendors that specialize in helping and educating pet owners, creating a “pet-friendly” celebration in Downtown Glens Falls.

Events include a “Dogs Got Talent” Contest, “Puppy Parade,” and a “Dogs Day Q&A” at to help educate pet owners and those considering adoption on any need-to-know information.

The event is presented by Glens Falls Collaborative. For more information, go to: glensfallscollaborative.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Former Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen officially announced his campaign for mayor of Saratoga Springs on April 26. 

Mathiesen will be on the Democratic Primary ballot June 27, challenging incumbent Mayor Ron Kim for the Democratic nomination. The general election for all five city council seats – one mayor and four commissioners – as well as for two city Supervisor slots will take place in November. 

Current Mayor Kim and mayoral challenger Mathiesen each also previously served on the City Council as commissioners of Public Safety. 

Mathiesen said he and Kim have shared support for each another in the past but added that he has disagreed with a variety of actions Kim has taken since being elected mayor. Specifically, Mathiesen criticized what he called Kim’s support of “ill-conceived policies” as they related to city personnel – “a lot of my concerns are based on Mayor Kim’s support of Commissioner Montagnino’ s efforts in the Public Safety (department),” Mathiesen said – and expressed that the current mayor has allowed “mob rule to prevail” during recent council meetings.

“Instead of having a police department that’s run by law enforcement agencies, we seem to have a police department that’s run by civilians, and that should never be the case,” said Mathiesen, specifically citing the elimination of the assistant city police chief position, and a press conference led by Montagnino and Kim shortly following last November’s downtown shooting incident.

Regarding recent interruptions of City Council meetings by the public which haveincluded members of Saratoga Black Lives Matter, Mathiesen said, “I would have had police come in and remove people who disrupted the meeting,” and added: “I would like to speak to (members of) Black Lives Matter. I think we need to open the dialogue. I think the citizens in Saratoga Springs have learned a lot from the Black Lives Matter people and listened to their concerns. But I think also that Black Lives Matter need to be open to concerns that other citizens in Saratoga Springs have about a lot of other issues that have been brought up because of their activities.”

The city is currently exploring possibilities for a future location of a homeless shelter and evaluating whether that would take the form of a permanent venue vs. a temporary one, a 24/7 shelter or a space to be used only during the cold winter season, and whether it should allow entry to those who need it on a low-barrier status. 

“It’s very important people are treated humanely,” said Mathiesen, adding he supports ensuring there is a buffer between any proposed location siting and schools.  

“You need to have adequate funding, adequate support, you need to have professionals in that facility dealing with it. It’s a very, very complicated issue,” he said. “It would depend upon how much federal support there was, how much county support there was. This is a countywide and a statewide and a nationwide problem. And the people who have gravitated to Saratoga Springs go far beyond the borders of the city. Most of them are not Saratogians, so I think we really need to look at what kind of support we would be getting from other levels of government,” Mathiesen said. “Are there other alternatives to having one central low-barrier shelter? I think there are better solutions than that frankly.” 

Mathiesen’s announcement was staged in front of the Canfield Casino and included three dozen supporters – former council members Robin Dalton, Michele Madigan – who is running for City Supervisor, and former deputy commissioner Eileen Finneran among them. 

“For me, the biggest issue is trying to bring some normalcy and some decorum back to city government,” Mathiesen said. “I will bring back normalcy. I will show respect for the many city employees who make our city government work so well and I will reach out to all facets of our community on a regular basis…everyone will know they are being heard.”   

The Primary Election will take place June 27.  City Republicans have endorsed John Safford for Mayor. The General Election will take place Nov. 7.  

BALLSTON SPA — The long-running interactive “Sheep to Shawl” program at Brookside Museum returns to the Saratoga County History Center on May 13 from 1 – 4 p.m.  

Sheep, lambs, farmers, herders, and shearers, including the famous Fred the Shearer, and the Rock Day Spinning Guild will assemble on Brookside Museum’s front lawn to demonstrate every facet of sheep raising, shearing, and spinning to produce the wool clothing that was so ubiquitous in early America. 

Sheep to Shawl is a hands-on, family-friendly event.  Activities include petting the sheep, meeting farmers, and participating in demonstrations.  

Brookside Museum is located at 21 Fairground Ave., Ballston Spa. A well-preserved 1792 mansion, Brookside houses the records, collections, and exhibits of the Saratoga County History Center.  Visit www.brooksidemuseum.org.