SCHUYLERVILLE — The historic Marshall House, Witness to History in Schuylerville will hold a special open house on Thanksgiving Saturday, Nov. 27. 

The house played an important role in the area’s Revolutionary War history, serving as a field hospital for the British troops and the German soldiers who fought with them in the Saratoga campaign. The family of the German General Friedrich Riedesel had accompanied Burgoyne to the battlefront.

The Baroness Frederika Riedesel (as portrayed by Debbie Bailey) will greet visitors and tell the story of how she with her three children endured bombardment at the Marshall House during the American siege during the Battles of Saratoga in 1777. The Baroness will also describe how she introduced the custom of the Christmas tree to North America, and docents will explain details of the historic house. 

The Marshall House is located just north of downtown Schuylerville, 136 Route 4 North. 

Visitors will be welcomed in groups of 15 at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. There will be valet parking at the house. A donation of $10 per person is requested to further the educational outreach of The Marshall House. 

Pre-register online at www.themarshallhouse.org. On the home page, click on Special Event Saturday, Nov. 27. 

Catholic Daughters of The Americas, Court McLaughlin #422, took part in a Memorial Mass this November to commemorate and honor those members that have passed away in the past 2 years. The mass was shared with The Knights of Columbus and celebrated by Father Kyle Gorenski at St. Clement’s Church in Saratoga Springs. 

GLENS FALLS — Christkindlmarkt, held in Lake George and drawing crowds in 2019, has moved to Glens Falls City Park this year, with vendors, holiday friends, live music, activities, food and drink. 

The event takes place under heated tents in downtown Glens Falls 4- 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m.  – 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, and 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. A Christkindlmarkt is a European-style Christmas festival, combining cultural traditions, entertainment and local flavor.

Santa Claus will parade around town on Sunday, Nov. 28, beginning at 5 p.m. Santa will travel on a flatbed truck donated by Falls Farm and Garden and will be accompanied by DeeJay Mike DuBray who will be playing holiday music. A map showing Santa’s parade route will be posted on the Glens Falls Collaborative’s website (www.glensfallscollaborative.com). Children are encouraged to come outside and wave to Santa.

The annual Downtown Tree Lighting will take place 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3. Mayor Dan Hall and Santa Claus will kick off the season by lighting the Downtown Glens Falls tree.

The annual Hometown Holidays event continues from there, with Adirondack Ballet Theater performing excerpts from The Nutcracker ballet in front of The Charles R. Wood Theater; The Bolton Dance School will dance on Glen Street in front of J. Reid Menswear, and ax-o-Claus and his elf will also be roaming the streets and entertaining. Wagon rides will be provided by Circle B Ranch. World Awareness Children’s Museum will offer activities for children located in a teepee in City Park. Happy Face FX will be offering face painting (COVID dependent) or temporary tattoos for children in a vendor tent. 

For more information about activities, go to: www.glensfallscollaborative.com.

GREENWICH — The Greater Greenwich Chamber of Commerce 9th Annual Holiday Lighted Tractor Parade is on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 6 p.m. in the Village of Greenwich. For more information go to: www.greenwichtractorparade.com

More than 1,200 Thanksgiving baskets will be distributed this weekend across four sites as part of LifeWorks Community Action’s annual Thanksgiving Basket program. This will help over 5,500 people celebrate Thanksgiving this year with a hearty holiday meal. 

Well into the second year of the pandemic, the community’s need is greater than ever. Thankfully, community partners have stepped up to help LifeWorks make this project a reality, including Quad Graphics, The Food Pantries for the Capital District, Ballston Spa National Bank, Corinth Elementary School, The Salvation Army, Harvest Church and the Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church (PNECC). 

Distribution centers include: 

Ballston Spa
Location: Ballston Spa National Bank
Corporate Branch Office, 990 NY-67 
When: Saturday, Nov. 20 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and
Sunday, Nov. 21 • 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. 

Clifton Park
Location: Harvest Church, 303 Grooms Road
When: Saturday, Nov. 20 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Corinth 
The Salvation Army and Corinth Central School District
Location: Corinth Elementary School, 356 Center St. 
When: Saturday, Nov. 20 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and
Sunday, Nov. 21 • 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Saratoga Springs
Location: PNECC, 24 Circular St., Saratoga Springs
When: Saturday, Nov. 20 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and
Sunday, Nov. 21 • 1- 4 p.m.

LifeWorks Community Action is the designated anti-poverty agency committed to being a leader in advocating for opportunities and developing solutions to promote healthy and thriving families. Its programs include the Thanksgiving baskets, emergency food pantry, daily soup kitchen, mobile food pantry, Weatherization, WIC and Head Start.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Builders Association (SBA) is excited to present a new record donation totaling $78,000 from the 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes to Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. The Saratoga Builders Association has contributed a total of over $1.4 million dollars to our local charities from this area’s premiere new home tour event.

The 2021 edition of the Saratoga Showcase of Homes featured 11 award-winning builders presenting 12 homes – BDC Group, Beechwood Homes, Bella Home Builders, Belmonte Builders, Bonacio Construction, Caruso Builders, Kodiak Construction, Kohler Homes, McPadden Builders, R & M Homes and Witt Construction. This year’s tour attracted about 4,000 visitors (a new attendance record) to these beautiful new homes, which were on display over two weekends. In what has become an autumn tradition in our area, the Saratoga Builders Association is dedicated to this long running show being an integral part of the fabric in our fall season.

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The 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes “People’s Choice” award winners voted on by the public were also announced. Congratulations to Matt McPadden of McPadden Builders for the Executive Home category and Erik Kohler of Kohler Builders for the Luxury Home category.

About the Showcase of Homes: This annual community event is made possible only with the generous support of over 75 corporate and media sponsors. The 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes, celebrating 25 years of exceptional homes, was held on October 9,10,11 and 16,17. All the homes were located throughout Saratoga County and the proceeds benefited two local charities – Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. For more details on the homes, builders, award winners, and virtual tours of every home, please visit the interactive website at www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com.

SARATOGA COUNTY — Soroptimist International of Saratoga County (SISC) is accepting applications for the 2021 Young Women Making a Difference Award. This award was formerly called the Violet Richardson Award, named after the first Soroptimist club’s founding president.  It honors young women between the ages of 14 and 18 for their volunteer activity in fields such as promoting equity, cleaning up the environment, and mentoring younger students. Volunteer actions that benefit women and girls are especially valued.

Applicants who have demonstrated initiative in both identifying a problem and trying to solve it as well as achieving significant and noteworthy accomplishments as volunteers are encouraged to apply.  Application submissions are due to SISC by Dec. 15.

The online application can be found at Young Women Making a Difference 2021 Application.  Winners are eligible to receive cash awards for themselves and the charitable organization of their choice.  The 2021-2022 award is $500 to the award winner and $500 to the volunteer organization. 

Soroptimist International of Saratoga County is part of an international women’s organization with 72,000 members in 121 countries and territories. SISC has supported individuals and a variety of local service projects since its inception in 1979. Many reflect a special commitment to the needs and concerns for woman and girls.  For more information, visit soroptimistsaratoga.org, the Soroptimist International website at soroptimist.org, or send an email: makeadifferencesaratoga@gmail.org.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association (BSBPA) is once again encouraging all businesses in the village’s downtown area to deck the halls. 

For the past few years, the BSBPA has recognized businesses whose window decorations and displays have enhanced the Village of Ballston Spa during the holiday season.  Businesses with decorated windows whose lights are on the evening of Nov. 30 will be judged and the winners will be announced in time for the festivities on Dec. 3, including the Holiday Parade, village Christmas tree lighting and First Friday.  Winners will be presented with specially designated “contest winner” signs to display in their businesses for the holiday season and photos of the windows will be featured on social media (Facebook, Instagram) and the website, ballston.org.   

The Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association, established in 1983, is a non-profit organization committed to making the Village of Ballston Spa a great place to live, work and visit. To learn more, visit www.ballston.org.

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Office for the Aging has been selected by local Hannaford store leadership in Ballston Spa as the benefiting organization in the Fight Hunger Bag Program for the month
of November. 

Reduce single-use plastic in the environment and give back to those in need in the local community, all while running routine weekly errands at the local Hannaford.

Donations made through this program to the Saratoga County Office for the Aging will directly benefit the office’s Senior Nutrition Program, which provides healthy meals to participating seniors throughout Saratoga County.

The Senior Nutrition Program helps Saratoga County seniors remain independent while providing those individuals with daily nutritious meals. In-house Dining gives seniors the opportunity to socialize with others in their community while Home Delivered Meals serves those who are primarily homebound. 

The Hannaford Fight Hunger Bag Program is an easy way for shoppers to give back to the local community and the environment as part of the regular shopping routine. Every $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag purchased sends a $1 donation to an organization local to the Hannaford in which it was purchased. During the month of November, the Saratoga County Office for the Aging Senior Meals Program will receive $1 for every Fight Hunger Bag purchased at the Ballston Spa Hannaford location.

As part of this ongoing program, every month at every Hannaford location a different local non-profit is selected to benefit from the sale of the reusable Fight Hunger Bag. 

For more information about the Hannaford Fight Hunger Bag Program, please visit hannaford.bags4mycause.com. For more information about the Saratoga County Office for the Aging Senior Nutrition Program, please visit www.saratogacountyny.gov.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Over 100 vehicles from area businesses, civic organizations and Emergency Services agencies are expected to travel from Ballston Spa Middle School/High School Campus to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (Route 50) starting at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday Nov. 7, as part of a convoy to help generate new, unwrapped toys for immediate distribution by Capital Region Toys for Tots this holiday season. 

Prior to the departure of the Convoy, a drive through toy drop off will be held on the campus of the Ballston Spa Middle School/High School (220 Ballston Ave., Ballston Spa) for members of the public who would like to donate from 9 a.m. 10:30. 

People are encouraged to view the Convoy along Route 50. For the 3rd year, World War II veteran Sir Ken Bailey will serve as the Grand Marshal. 

Convoy for Tots is held annually to support the mission of Capital Region Toys for Tots who serves over 160,000 children annually in the Capital Region. The seven previous convoys have yielded over 100,000 toys donated for distribution in the Capital Region.