MALTA — The Ballston Spa Softball Booster Club recently accepted a generous donation at the conclusion of a fundraiser held in conjunction with the opening of a new business in Malta. 

As part of the grand opening kickoff of the new Jersey Mike’s sub shop in Malta, the Ballston Spa Softball Booster Club was selected as the recipient of their local fundraising campaign.  Utilizing coupons provided by the shop, the club was able to raise $2,000 in just a few days. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Last week, area residents showed up in front of 65 and 69 Phila St. to support Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s “Heart Bomb Campaign,” which seeks to raise awareness about important places and the impact of preservation in Saratoga Springs.  The buildings, which were constructed in the mid-1850s are in poor condition and the DRC will review an application for their demolition. The Preservation, which has listed the buildings on its “Ten to Save” List, opposes the request for demolition.

BALLSTON SPA — The 2021 Ballston Spa Farmers’ Market, sponsored by the Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association (BSBPA), will run from June 12 through Sept. 30. The markets will be held on Thursdays from 3-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. and will have a new location on the grounds of the historic Brookside Museum, 6 Charlton St. in the village of Ballston Spa. 

The new location is an easy stroll from the market’s previous location in Wiswall Park, with more available parking as well as proximity to Old Iron Spring Park and the Thursday evening summer concerts.  The markets have been serving the local community since 2003. 

The market will be conducted in accordance with any continuing COVID-related guidelines that may still be in place, as directed by NYS Ag & Markets.  Vendors will be properly spaced. Like grocery stores, masks will be required for vendors and customers and social distancing will be implemented.  Hand sanitizer will be available for customers and vendors. Customers are encouraged to shop individually.

The market is now accepting vendors for the 2021 season.  New and returning vendors can apply online at www.ballston.org/category/farmers-market. Customer admission to the market is free. 

Katie Camarro and Jeff Shinaman, owners of Greenfield’s Great Food Company, Inc. and makers of Sundaes Best Hot Fudge Sauce and the Chocolate Farmer Fruit & Pretzel Dip, showed their appreciation for front line health care workers last week by donating 125 cases of their mint and raspberry hot fudge to Saratoga Hospital employees.

ALBANY — Despite the devastating toll of COVID-19, heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in the U.S and worldwide, and the leading cause of death among women. One in three women die of heart disease.   

February is Heart Heart Month. On Friday, Feb. 5, National Wear Red Day, the American Heart Association is urging everyone to wear red to raise awareness about the devastating effects of heart disease in women. 

Heart disease and stroke can affect a woman at any age. In fact, nearly 45% of women age 20 and older are living with some form of heart disease, however, new data suggests Gen Z and Millennial women are less likely to be aware that heart disease is their greatest health threat. Women can often have different symptoms of heart disease than men. They can have crushing chest pain and arm numbness, but can also have pain in the shoulders and back, gastrointestinal distress and fatigue. 

Throughout the Capital Region and across the nation, people will be wearing red on Wear Red Day and during the month of February. As they do every year, many companies will illuminate their buildings red to raise awareness. People will also donate at GoRedforWomen.org, where information about going red is also available. People wearing red can share photos of themselves on their social media sites, with the hashtag #GoRed or #WearRedandGive.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Mayor’s Office will host a drive-thru food drive at the Vanderbilt Avenue Recreation Center Feb. 11 – 13.

Under the direction of Mayor Meg Kelly, the food drive will benefit the Franklin Community Center and the Mother Susan Anderson Women & Children’s Emergency Shelter- (funded and operated by the Saratoga Springs Soul Saving Station Church. 

Contributions can be made at the Recreation Center at 15 Vanderbilt Ave. from 2 – 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 & Friday, Feb. 12, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 13. 

Visitors should enter the Rec Center parking lot from Vanderbilt Ave, and stop in the traffic circle near the back entrance. They may then exit their vehicle while wearing a face mask and place their donation in an available cart. A staff member from the Mayor’s Office will transport the donation inside. See poster for requested donation items.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge #161 used approximately $500 of their Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant to provide personal hygiene products to the Mother Susan Anderson House in Saratoga Springs. The Mother Susan Anderson House provides 12 beds for homeless women and children on an emergency basis. 

The Mother Susan Anderson shelter, named for one of the women who helped start the church in 1961, was once the parsonage and sits adjacent to the house of worship at the corner of Caroline and Henry streets. It can house between 12 and 17 people depending on how the rooms are set up. Unlike other shelters, there is no time limit on how long the clients can stay. It is often a last resort for women who violated the rules at another shelter or overstayed their welcome, the Rev. Sheila Byrd said. She interviews each woman who asks to stay.

The Elks also announced its Flag Day Parade, which was scheduled to take place June 12 has been rescheduled to take place on Sept. 11 this year. The 2021 parade theme will be “Honoring Our First Responders.” The Avant Garde Drum and Bugle Corps will again reunite and be a key participant in this year’s parade. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — CCE Equine hosts its 2nd Virtual Horse Symposium over a three-week period in March. 

The program is offered for adult horse owners, business owners, and horse enthusiasts in the Capital Region and beyond. Last year, the Virtual Symposium had over 500 participants registered with 35-50 live participants at each class offered. New this year: a Family Fun Trivia Night. 

Classes will be held every Tuesday and Thursday for three weeks starting March 16 and ending April 1 . Topics include: Sound Development of Young Horses, An introduction to Liability Risks: New York’s Agricultural Tourism Act and Negligence in the Horse Industry, Equine Law: Legal Issues for Participants in the Horse Industry, and more. 

Each session will be hosted virtually via zoom at 7 p.m. In addition to the virtual classes, we have the option for participants to receive educational packets with resources for each presentation. 

Following the Virtual Horse Symposium a family-fun equine trivia night will be offered on April 2. Anyone can join this interactive virtual event. 

Questions about the event or CCE Equine? Contact Brieanna Hughes at bh548@cornell.edu, 518-885-8995. Registration for both of these events can be found online at:  pub.cce.cornell.edu/event_registration/main/events_landing.cfm?event=CCEEQUINE_241

Valentine’s & Saratoga Porch Packages

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Impressions of Saratoga and The Dark Horse Mercantile are spreading love this Valentine’s Day through cards and Saratoga Porch Packages.

The “Thinking of You” Card Project allows you to to choose from over 500 different greeting cards to write and mail right at Impressions or the Dark Horse. 

Co-owner Maddy Zanetti explains “We have tried to make it fun and easy for everyone. A station is set up with free pens, cards, a mailbox, and even a few prompts to help people think of what to say. Small gestures like cards help to bring smiles and a little brightness during these cold winter days. We have even been writing to friends, past employees, customers, and family.” 

Saratoga Porch Packages are presented in a reusable Saratoga tote and filled with locally made food products and Saratoga items. There are “pre-assembled” Saratoga Porch Packages that can be viewed at ImpressionsSaratoga.com or call to create your own.

Fun new Saratoga Porch Packages include “BEE my Valentine,” “You’re the Bomb,” “Hugs & Kisses,” as well as packages for dog, cat and horse lovers.

Stop in, call 518-587-0666, or order at ImpressionsSaratoga.com. Both stores are offering in-store shopping, curbside pickup and local delivery. For more details call 518-587-0666 or email at impressions@impressionssaratoga.com

Truffles, Heart Boxes, Gift Baskets & Chocolate Covered Strawberries

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Candy Co. is celebrating its 23rd year of business, and oh, what a year it has been since the last Valentine’s Day, says Candy Company of Saratoga owner Dawn Oesch, located at 5 Washington St. 

This year, with safety precautions in place, the longtime Spa City shop is offering a variety of methods to secure their goodies, including curbside pickup, limited people inside at a time for pick up, and local delivery from Feb. 12-14 within 15 miles of Saratoga Springs.

What better way to spoil the one you love or to give a friend a well-deserved pick-me-up then to have goodies delivered (person is masked & gloved!) to their door. 

For more information, go to: saratogasweets.com/loving-our-locals   

BALLSTON SPA — Mary Lyall has faced many agonizing decisions since receiving the news that her cherished 19-year-old daughter Suzanne had vanished without a trace in 1998. 

New York State Missing Persons Day events, which prior to the coronavirus had taken place in Albany on or near Suzanne’s April 6 birthday each year since 2001, had earned accolades for bringing friends and relatives of legions of missing persons together to reflect, remember and provide mutual support.

The cancellations of gathering for the event due to COVID weighed heavily on Lyall, who is director of Ballston Spa-based Center for HOPE (Healing Our Painful Emotions).

Forging a collaboration with Just Mark Blech – who was commencing work on a community arts exhibit honoring First Responders, created “family-friendly” banners that would call attention to more than a dozen unsolved cases, including that of Suzanne Lyall, who graduated with the BSHS Class of 1996 before being abducted from her SUNY/Albany college campus two years later. 

The pair sought to strike a balance between including a photo of each person as he or she looked around the time of his or her disappearance and few key facts about each criminal justice mystery on a banner, while at the time taking as much care as possible to be sensitive to the feelings of those who would be viewing the outdoor exhibit along parts of Front Street and Milton Avenue.

The banners are displayed throughout Ballston Spa and depict first responders as well as about 15 banners which depict missing persons. They will be on display through the spring, Lyall said.