Impressions of Saratoga Pups’ Annual Birthday March 4. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Join Impressions of Saratoga in celebrating the Impressions Pups’ Annual Birthday Pawty on Saturday, March 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year marks the ninth annual year of the Impressions Pups’ Pawty
Celebrate Smalls, Cookie, Smitty, Pupa and Thatcher’s birthdays with treats and fun for all. This year marks the ninth year of the Impressions Pups’ Pawty.
The day is filled with celebrations and is a dog friendly event. Dogs must be well behaved, good with other dogs and must be leashed at all times. If your dog would rather stay home, you are welcome to stop in and grab a Pawty Pick Up Pack and bring the fun home to celebrate where your dog is more comfortable.
There will be Pup Scout activities, treat tastings, special deals on Dog products, coloring contests and a raffle for a great prize basket for one lucky pup and their person.
Donations will be collected for local shelters; accepting new or gently used toys, collars, leashes, beds, blankets, or towels. They can also use dried and canned dog and cat food and treats.
Impressions of Saratoga is located at 368 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs. For more information contact the store at 518-587-0666 or go to www.impressionssaratoga.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Stewart’s Shops has released its beloved Shenanigan Shake once again just in time for the Saint Patrick’s Day season.
This 16 oz refreshing, minty flavored dairy shake is bottled fresh in their plant using the milk in New York State that they pick up daily from local farms. Now available in all Stewart’s Shops for a limited time.
Founded in 1945, Stewart’s Shops is an employee and family-owned convenience store chain based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Stewart’s is known for offering milk, ice cream, coffee, Easy Food, gasoline, and other convenience items. Today there are over 355 Stewart’s Shops located in 32 counties across upstate New York and southern Vermont.
Photo provided by the Saratoga County History Center.
BALLSTON SPA — While schools and educational programs are returning to normal, the Saratoga County History Center is expanding its staff and offering quality and interactive programs to kindergarten through grade 12 schools. The History Center continues its famous 40-year tradition of the Sheep to Shawl program, but has expanded its interactive experiences like Civil War Letters and Saratoga County Water Works.
“Saratoga County’s students are the future. We are pleased to expand the funding for our educator who shines a light on our county’s local history, which we bring to the classroom,” said Field Horne, president of the Saratoga County History Center.
“We are thrilled to start 2023 with an active education program with local schools and organizations,” said Director of Education Anne Clothier. “In the past month, SCHC has already brought our Native New York program to public schools, home school families enjoyed our Brookside Digs Archeology Experience, and we took our textile history program to senior residences. We look forward to sharing our county’s rich history through these presentations and hands-on activities throughout the year.”
To learn more about programs like the “Manners Matter Preschool Tea” and “Our Community Now & Then” for K-12 schools, visit www.BrooksideMuseum.org.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Registration for the Spring 2023 season of Saratoga Springs Little League is now open.
Saratoga Springs Little League is a recreational baseball league for players ages 4 to 13 within the Saratoga Springs City School District, with games played at West Side Recreation Park.
Saratoga Springs Little League also offers a Challenger Division for ages 4 to 18. The Little League Challenger Program is Little League’s adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and developmental challenges.
The goal of this division is to provide the opportunity for the developmentally and/or physically disabled to enjoy the full benefits of little league participation in an environment structured to their abilities.
To register or view more information, visit: www.saratogaspringslittleleague.org.
24th annual Saratoga Chowderfest will take place Saturday, Feb. 11. Artwork provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 24th Annual Chowderfest, one of the area’s most highly anticipated events of the year, is set to take place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Attendees of the fun, family-friendly event will have the opportunity to enjoy 4 oz. samples of chowder for $2 at participating Saratoga County establishments and vote for their favorite. Chowderfest features more than 80 vendors.
“Chowderfest is back,” said Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri. Discover Saratoga is a coordinator of the event. “We’re excited to return to the original model, a one-day event, which has received very positive feedback from participating locations.”
This year’s event will feature live music at various locations, Dog Lover Rescue’s pet adoption across from the Saratoga City Center and free Death Wish Coffee samples on Caroline Street.
Kids’ activities include Balloon Gal Jenny and face painting by Miss Stacey’s Faces at the Saratoga City Center from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway will also be at the Saratoga Springs City Center running a model train and hosting a coloring contest for the kids to win free tickets on the train. Other kids’ activities scheduled are drop-in crafts at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, literacy-based programs at The Children’s Museum at Saratoga, and Character Creations by Erin Joyce will be providing face painting at the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Take a picture with Chester the Chowda-Bear at Saratoga Candy Company from 12 -2 p.m.
Avoid parking challenges and jump on the free shuttle running from the Saratoga Casino Hotel (Crescent Ave parking lot) to Congress Park. The 3 shuttles will run from 10:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Official Chowderfest Guides, which include a list of participating chowder vendors and activities, can be picked up at participating locations on the day of the event, including the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center and the Saratoga Springs City Center.
Voting will take place online at www.discoversaratoga.org/chowderfest/vote. Only one vote per device will be accepted and voting closes at 5 p.m. Winners will be announced at the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center at 6:30 p.m.
Stay warm during the event with an official Chowderfest beanie ($10) and long-sleeve shirt ($10 or $12 for XXL), which will be sold at the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center and the Saratoga Springs City Center.
For more information, including a list of participating chowder vendors, visit discoversaratoga.org/chowderfest or call 518-584-1531.
Saratoga’s Bacon Hill community will be featured in the second episode of Forgotten Crossroads, which premieres in March. Pictured is contributor Jean Peck at Clear Echo Farm. Photo provided.
BALLSTON SPA —The Saratoga County History Center announced that the Bacon Hill community is the subject of an upcoming local history documentary, which will premiere in special screenings in March.
The documentary is part of the Forgotten Crossroads series of videos which tells the history and stories of people living in still-existing communities that started in the early days of Saratoga County.
“Our county is brimming with these long-overlooked hamlets; each has a unique story to tell, and the History Center should be applauded for bringing these to light,” said Lauren Roberts, Saratoga County Historian. “Many county residents will be surprised that these ‘crossroads’ are still vibrant communities.”
This episode of Forgotten Crossroads highlights Bacon Hill, a small crossroads 2 miles northwest of Schuylerville along New York State Route 32 in the town of Northumberland. The hamlet center is the Reformed Church which celebrated its 200th anniversary three years ago and is home to several large farms owned and operated by families who can trace their ownership back many generations.
“Bacon Hill is a special place with special people,” explains SCHC’s Jim Richmond, volunteer director of the film. Richmond has enjoyed working closely with a group of local residents since the summer of 2022. “From our first meeting, they embraced the challenge of telling the story of the community they love. They brought binders of pictures and scrapbooks at each meeting that helped tell their stories.”
The video will premiere at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa in late March and the Bacon Hill Church in mid-April.
Each episode of Forgotten Crossroads builds on the history of bypassed Saratoga County communities of the 19th and 20th centuries and the stories of the people still living in the community. The first episode in the series focused on Rock City Falls in the town of Milton and was released in April 2022 and is available on Saratoga County History Center’s YouTube channel.
For more information about Saratoga County History Center, go to: brooksidemuseum.org.
Saratoga SPRINGS —Saratoga Clay Arts Center (SCAC) is hosting its 10th Chili Bowl Fundraiser at the Saratoga City Center on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Participating celebrity chefs include Jonathan Quinn of Osteria Danny, Pat Brown of The Brook Tavern, Sam Squires of Druthers, Jasper Alexander of Hattie’s, and Rob Cardona of Cardona’s Market. There will be also be live music by Rich Ortiz.
Guests purchase tickets to enter, choose a handmade bowl, enjoy live music and participate in the chili taste testing. A portion of the proceeds benefit the local cancer non-profit organization To Life.
Tickets are $25 and include a handmade bowl (plus tax). Bring 2 non-perishable food items for Wilton Pantry and save $2. Guests can choose from five time slots and have the opportunity to purchase more bowls onsite. Tickets are on sale at saratogaclayarts.org.
There will also be a silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind original clay work by local and national clay artists, also to benefit To Life.
To keep the lines short and the wait to a minimum, guests pre-purchase tickets and bowls online for a specific time slot. SCAC will only pre-sell 300 chili bowls for each one-hour time slot. After 300 bowls are sold, the time slot will be closed. Guests are asked to arrive at the time specified on their ticket. SCAC puts more bowls out for selection each hour so everyone will get an equal opportunity to select bowls. Online registrations will take preference to walk-ins. If all the bowls are sold online, there will be no walk-ins allowed.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association 8th annual Chocolate Fest will take place on Friday, February 3 from 4-8 p.m. throughout the village of Ballston Spa.
Stroll the village for $1 chocolate tastings from over 20 chocolate chefs. This year the competition is open to area restaurants, bakeries, chefs and home processors working in commercial kitchens. Vote for your favorites in three categories — Dessert, Savory, and Chocolate Beverage — by filling out the ballots available at all of the tasting stations, or “Sweet Spots.” In order for the ballot to be counted in the final judging, people will need to visit and rate at least five different samples. There will be at least one award for each category.
There will also be chocolate-themed activities, artist demos, special promotions and sales.Plus, while savoring chocolate treats, visitors will enjoy a variety of First Friday activities going on throughout the Village, including live music, artist demonstrations and special promotions just in time for Valentine’s Day. A complete list of events can be found at Ballston.org.
In 2020, over 21 “Sweet Spots” were featured throughout the downtown area, and counted more than 1,500 visitors to the Village for this annual event.
BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County History Center will host a monthly series of informal Historian Tea Talks, presented by historians from around the county, beginning in February. Tea and cookies will be served, and the talks – which take place at 3 p.m. – will take place in the Long Room at Brookside Museum.
Feb. 21 – Crime and Misadventures in Corinth. Rachel Clothier, Corinth Town Historian; March 21 – The Mott’s Apple Empire. Lynda Bryan, Halfmoon Town Historian; April 18 – Hall’s Brookside Dairy, Greenfield Center: “Nothing remains but an empty field and fond memories.” John Greenwood.
Registration is not necessary but is appreciated. A donation of $5 per registration is recommended to support the programs of Saratoga County History Center. Visit www.brooksidemuseum.org for more information.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The annual Hattie’s Mardi Gras event will take place Saturday, Jan. 28 from 6-10 p.m. as the Canfield Casino will once again be transformed into the “New Orleans of the North.”
Savor your experience with the culinary expertise of Hattie’s Restaurant Chef Jasper Alexander, Chef Phil Fitzpatrick, and Chef Mark D. Graham. Dance the night away to the sounds of Soul Session and Garland Nelson and bid to win during the silent auction. Acclaimed CNN journalist Alisyn Camerota will be Emcee for the evening. Relaunching this event is a community effort; we encourage you to get involved.
The 2023 Hattie’s Mardi Gras beneficiary is the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. The Food Bank works to alleviate hunger and eliminate waste by collecting large quantities of food and distributing it to 350,000 of our Capital Region neighbors in need, every month.
The inaugural Hattie’s Mardi Gras began in 2001 and has donated over one million dollars to non-profits in our community. In 2021 Hattie’s Restaurant joined the Business for Good (BFG) family of companies and donates all profits to charity. BFG co-founders Ed and Lisa Mitzen will be hosting the upcoming event.
For more details about the Hattie’s Mardi Gras event, tickets, donation and sponsorship information visit www.classy.org/event/hatties-mardi-gras/e436154
