BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa National Bank (BSNB), in cooperation with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, is hosting its 16th contactless drive-thru food pantry on Tuesday, Sept. 28 beginning at 9 a.m. The event, which will be held at the Bank’s corporate offices located at 990 State Route 67 in Ballston Spa, is open to area families and individuals in need of food assistance. Patrons will receive food on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.

Thanks to the Regional Food Bank, an anticipated 18,000 pounds of food will be distributed by BSNB volunteers at the event. Items to be distributed include fresh produce, dairy, frozen meats and non-perishable food items. 

Since the spring of 2020, food pantries hosted by BSNB have distributed 270,000 pounds of food and benefitted nearly 14,000 people within Albany and Saratoga counties. 

In addition to volunteer support, a series of matching campaigns initiated by the bank have already generated donations from community members totaling $34,000. Coupled with $75,000 in support from BSNB, the Regional Food Bank has received more than $109,000 to date to help those challenged with food insecurity in the region. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Beekman Street Arts District invites the public to celebrate its 20 year anniversary Sept. 17-19 with a series of events open and free to all. 

The vision for a new arts district in Saratoga began in the spring of 2000 when Amejo Amyot, Deb Martin and Phil Haggerty called a general meeting at the Saratoga Springs Public Library to assess the local interest for an arts district. Over 50 artists attended and FISH, Finearts Initiative for Studios and Housing was hatched. 

The weekend events are:

Friday: Pop-up 5-7:30 p.m., visiting artists set up on lawns and porches of Beekman Street with SSHS Fiddle Club and other live music. Lisa David opening reception for “People, Places and Things: 1972” – Eden Compton Gallery, 79 Beekman 5-7 p.m. Principessa Elena Italian dinner, 10 Oak St, eat in or take out. Beekman Street shops and galleries open late 

Saturday: Live model session open to all artists- garden at Eden Compton Gallery, 79 Beekman, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

20th Anniversary of the Arts District reception – Living Resources, 70 Beekman, 5-8 p.m.  10 x 10 art show by past and present Beekman St artists, History of the West Side presentation by Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Saratoga Springs city historian.

Sunday: Erasing Spaces and Faces, Frederick Allen Lodge, 69 Beekman, 2-4 p.m.  Open mic for community sharing stories of displacement during Urban Renewal 2-3 p.m. 

QUEENSBURY — The Adirondack Balloon Festival will return for its 48th year, with a brand-new format. 

“This will not be the same-old, same-old Adirondack Balloon Festival you know from years past,” says Mark Donahue, President of the organization’s Board of Directors, in a statement. “Due to COVID, we had to totally reinvent the festival this year. We are excited to bring back the joy and wonder of the mass ascensions, while keeping safe and still having fun.”

The 48th annual Adirondack Balloon Festival takes place Thursday to Sunday, Sept. 23 to 26. The event is 100% free for the community. Festival Merchandise, one of the event’s biggest fundraisers, will be for sale at select events, with a smaller selection than in previous years. 

Due to ever-changing policies from multiple agencies, the official schedule has been delayed but the dates, Sept. 23-26 have not changed and all upcoming launches/events will be from Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury. 

For the most up-to-date information about festival locations and events, go to: www.adirondackballoonfest.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 2021 Reptile Expo will take place Saturday, September 11 at the Saratoga Springs City Center, 522 Broadway, Saratoga Springs  from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Learn about and buy exotic pets (reptiles, amphibians, exotic small mammals, invertebrates), enclosures, and supplies at the Saratoga Reptile Expo.  There will be over 130 vendor tables, a hands-on education area with zoologists and other experts, and great ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s. Admission will be $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-13, and under 6 are free. For more information visit www.facebook.com/events/489320132409853 

BALLSTON SPA — Grab your car keys, smart phones, and sense of adventure because Saratoga County is about to embark on a family-friendly treasure hunt from Lake Luzerne to Waterford.

During the weekend of Sept. 25-26, the Saratoga County History Center is hosting a wide-ranging scavenger quest that includes a dozen of the county’s charming local museums and historical societies. Participants will receive “passports” which list locations and unique historical items. They will then hunt for each object and record its location in their passport, learning about local and regional history along the way. The first three completed passports received by the History Center will win prizes. Participants are also encouraged to post their sleuthing adventures on social media, tagging the History Center as appropriate.

Historians and volunteers at each location will be eagerly awaiting arrivals and ready to answer any questions.

Participating organizations, open 12-5 p.m. on both days: Charlton Historical Society, Grooms Tavern, Corinth Museum, Day Museum, Chatfield Museum of Local History, Frances Kinnear Museum of Local History, Halfmoon Historical Society, Parks-Bentley Place, Brookside Museum, Waterford Historical Museum, Grant Cottage State Historic Site and the Wilton Heritage Museum.

To participate in the scavenger hunt, pick up a “passport” (at a cost of $5 – perfect for a family or a carload of people) at either Brookside Museum (6 Charlton St, Ballston Spa), Parks-Bentley Place (53 Ferry Blvd, South Glens Falls), the Waterford Historical Museum & Cultural Center (2 Museum Lane, Waterford), or the Kinnear Museum (52 Main St, Lake Luzerne). Any inquiries should be directed to Field Horne: field.horne@gmail.com or 518-885-4000.

GUILDERLAND — Rotary Clubs throughout the Capital Region are sponsoring the 23rd annual “Gift of Life International Golf Tournament on Monday, Sept. 20 at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland.  The fee is $130 for individuals or $500 for a foursome. 

The tournament will follow a handicap scramble format with a 10 a.m. shot gun start. Players may pick up a box lunch on the patio. Happy Hour begins when each player finishes golfing. Prizes for low and net scores, putting, longest ball, and closest to the pin. Awards and raffle winners will be awarded after Happy Hour. 

The golf tournament raises money to benefits pediatric heart patients.  Fundraising categories include being a Lunch Sponsor, golf cart sponsor, purchasing a tee sign, and/or by golfing.  You may sign up as a single or a foursome. To register to play or to support the event through sponsorships or program advertising go to events at www.giftoflife7190.org 

Rotary District 7190 includes 41 local clubs and stretches from Albany to Warren Counties to the north and east and west from Rensselaer to Montgomery and Fulton Counties.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County History Roundtable will offer a presentation by Russ VanDervoort, Waterford Town Historian, at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa at 7 p.m. on Thursday Sept. 16. 

VanDervoort will tell the story of a 150-year-old murder for hire plot that a newspaper called “The Most Damnable Murder Plot ever Ventilated!” – an event that unfolded in 1870-1871 that involved participants from throughout Saratoga County. 

Preregistration required for the presentation at the Museum by email to Jim Richmond at saratogacohisotryroundtable@gmail.com. The program will also be available LIVE at 7:15 p.m. on the Saratoga County History Center Facebook page   www.facebook.com/brooksidemuseum 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Sustainable Saratoga will hold their 5th annual Saratoga Recycles Day from 9 a.m.  – noon, on Saturday, Oct. 2 in the SPAC overflow parking lot on the west side of Route 50. 

There are COVID-related safety protocols in place again this year – masks are required; exact change is requested to minimize the handling of money; donation items should be organized by drop-off station to reduce physical contact; and participants should remain in their vehicles at all times.

Sustainable Saratoga will accept clothing & textiles (any condition), small appliances & electronics (including TVs), scrap metal, eyeglasses, hearing aids, adult bikes, 20 & 24-inch mountain bikes, musical instruments, backpacks, cell phones with chargers, garden tools and more. Anyone can participate. There are no residency requirements for this event. Cost is $5 per vehicle fee, plus $30 per TV or monitor (limit of 4 TVs per vehicle). 

This year, as always, Sustainable Saratoga is collecting items for a wide range of local nonprofits, including Bikeatoga, Pitney Meadows Community Farm, We Are Instrumental, Wellspring, Backstretch Employees Service Team (B.E.S.T.), Domestic Violence Project of Warren & Washington Counties, and the Saratoga Springs Lions Club. 

For specific details about what is being collected, a map of the collection stations, COVID-related safety protocols, and an extensive list of FAQs, visit www.sustainablesaratoga.org/projects/zero-waste/recycles-day. Still have questions? Email zerowaste@sustainablesaratoga.org.

Ballston Spa — Despite a call for rain, the weather was perfect for a successful Horse Farm Tour offered by CCE Equine of Saratoga County. On Sunday, August 22 over 550 people came to enjoy three local horse farms: Cross Timbers Ranch, Stark Racing Stable, and Mill Creek Farm.

The Horse Farm Tour offered a behind-the-scenes experience of equine activities in Saratoga County. The public had the opportunity to tour three farms, each providing a unique perspective of the horse world. Cross Timbers Ranch allowed visitors to view their arena, obstacle course, and outdoor facilities. At Mill Creek, participants were able to see all aspects of the Thoroughbred breeding facility from the stallions to the broodmares and babies. Stark Racing Stable allowed the public to pass through the barns and interact with their resident Standardbred horses. Farm owners and staff were excited to show the public the diverse equine community in Saratoga.

This event is sponsored by the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors and the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund. The contributions of these organizations allow CCE Equine to offer this program for free annually. CCE Equine seeks to continue to foster a conversation to create transparency between the public and the equine industries. 

CCE Equine is a division of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Saratoga County with a mission to provide equine education in the Capitol Region. CCE Equine offers a variety of educational and networking events that support local agriculture and equine industries. For more information about this event, or youth animal science opportunities, please contact Brieanna at bh548@cornell.edu or call the Cornell Cooperative Extension office at 518-885-8995.

Over 3.6 million renters nationwide are hanging in the balance — one utility bill or rental payment away from falling off the edge into homelessness.

The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have put millions out of work, without child or elder care, and without a workable plan to move out of poverty. More Americans than ever before are near total crisis. In Saratoga County, our friends and neighbors on this precarious edge now have a program and support services to turn to. The New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), administered by Shelters of Saratoga, aims to distribute $6.8 million in rescue funding through 2022. 

The program is off to a slow start and under the gun to deliver. Part of a nation-wide ERAP program, just $3 billion of $47 billion slated by Congress to pay for back rent accrued during the pandemic, has been distributed. States are working hard to qualify individuals and families and flow these funds quickly before the newly enacted 60-day eviction moratorium expires at the beginning of October. 

Five dedicated team members have come on board at Shelters of Saratoga to help Saratoga County individuals and families with their applications. The team travels to homes, meets in the SOS offices, sets up mobile application sites — doing whatever they can to ensure the process itself is not a barrier to keeping folks in their homes. 

“As professionals in this space, we know it is way easier to intervene upstream, keeping someone in their home, rather than trying to help after they become homeless. We do not, as a state, have the public health infrastructure in place to handle this kind of wave in homelessness,” said Josnelly Cerda, ERAP team, Shelters of Saratoga. “Everyone should care about this program and be invested in its success. It sustains housing for our neighbors and supports economic stability for the community.”

So far, SOS has assisted over 200 applicants. Between 800-900 applications have been submitted from the county. Applicants range from people who need as little as one utility payment to stay in their home to folks who are behind more than a year in rent. Applicant households must be at or below 80% of area median income and have experienced a COVID event that caused an increase in expenses or a loss of income. The most important qualifier for the program is that the family or individual are at risk of homelessness. 

“It is critically important to all of us at Shelters of Saratoga that we provide the necessary assistance to landlords and tenants while navigating the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. With the partnership between our agency and the Saratoga County Department of Social Services and the NYS OTDA, We hope that our Saratoga County neighbors visit our Website or call our ERAP number to get the information and support they need.”

For more information and assistance enrolling in the ERAP program, you can visit www.sheltersofsaratoga.org/rent-housing or call 844-NY1RENT (844-691-7368).

Brooke McConnell is one of the founding members of the Saratoga County Alliance to End Homelessness and a Shelters of Saratoga and Saratoga Institute Board member. Professionally, she works on national issues related to social determinants of health as a Senior Marketing Manager at Unite Us.