This past week, Chabad of Saratoga hosted a Honk for Heroes Car Parade. Participants were welcomed to decorate their car in celebration. Photo provided.

New York State Senator Daphne Jordan is pictured lending a helping hand to the community by taking part in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s recent hand sanitizer and mask distribution. Senator Jordan (right) is pictured with New York State Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (left). The hand sanitizer was donated to Winney’s Blueberry Farm, owned by Byron Winney, in Schuylerville. The sanitizer will be used by farm workers and is needed for the many people who come to pick their own blueberries. Photos provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County is ensuring all members of our community are feeling “connected” during this pandemic. Residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are at high risk and can feel isolated. 

Saratoga County 4-H Project Joy is a Community Service Project designed to help bring smiles to their faces. Leland Bunting, 4-H Club Coordinator, and Julie Curren, 4-H School Outreach Coordinator, collaborated with 4-H’rs from across Saratoga County to create a video comprised of individual video submissions. These have been compiled and sent by link to Activities Directors in these facilities who can share it with their residents. The goal of this project is to let our seniors know they are thought of and hopefully it can bring them a smile. 

If you know of a facility that you think would like this video, send the activities director’s email address to jac275@cornell.edu and we will forward the video link. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Families with loved ones living at Prestwick Chase at Saratoga were invited to drive around the building as they smiled, waved and said hello to their mothers and fathers this past Sunday.

 Since COVID-19 restrictions struck the community, John Rowe, director of marketing at Prestwick Chase, said they have shut down access to the building and asked residents not to leave. Since no visitors are allowed in, residents were missing a connection with their families. 

“We try to help people Facetime with their family members on phones and we have taken Facetime videos. We walk through the hallways and through the buildings so families can see them, but they really don’t have the connection with them that they want,” Rowe said. 

Rowe said the whole team at Prestwick came up with the Mother’s Day Drive after being inspired by other senior apartment buildings.

“For Mother’s Day we’re giving all the mother’s an Adirondack chair. The chairs will be spaced apart on a couple of the different wings so people can drive around. It’s a family parade of cars,” Rowe said. 

Residents saw a plethora of cars in the parade. Families were invited to wave, but were asked to not hand anything directly to the residents. Rowe said a sanitation room has been set up with ultra violet lights they put all groceries, deliveries and packages in before distributing to the residents.

“We have asked everyone to stay here. The staff has been doing all the residents grocery shopping for them, the pharmaceuticals…anything the residents might need we are doing it all for them,” Rowe said. “We’re just trying to make it the best we can for a situation like this.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Be part of a community of neighbors helping neighbors at the 31st Annual May Day. This year’s event has been re-imagined and the program will be streamed virtually for the first time. Everyone can tune in. 

The program will include a welcome from Honorary Co-Chairs Kate Calbone, Tamie Ehinger and A.C. Riley. It will also feature the presentation of the 2020 Community Recognition Award to Skidmore College President Philip Glotzbach and Marie Glotzbach.

The evening will conclude with stories of impact brought to you by EOC staff, volunteers and board members that highlight the difference we can make when we work together as a community. 

The program will stream on the Saratoga County EOC and the EOC website on May 21 from 6 – 7 p.m. There are no tickets as it’s by donation only. Proceeds benefit Saratoga County EOC, a local nonprofit helping neighbors in need. 518-288-3206 or saratogaeoc.org/maydayonline for more information. 

Photos by SuperSource Media.

MALTA — Malta Ridge Fire Department lead a small parade to celebrate a milestone birthday for Beverly Granger, a member of Malta Senior Citizens, Inc.You can tell by the look on her face that this was an unexpected surprise. Her husband, Rev. Barney Granger served Malta as a Fireman with Round Lake FD for over 30 years. (He passed a number of years ago). 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Salvation Army of Saratoga Springs held a Drive-Thru Food Pantry on Tuesday May 5, at the Knights of Columbus and Pine Grove Community Church, located at 50 Pine St. in Saratoga Springs. Volunteers from across the county joined the effort to provide access to nutritious food for 300 families.

Week One May 1-7:
“Mother and Child” Bernie Fabry

Week Two May 8-14:
“Juno Pier, Florida – March 2020” Patricia Mangini

Week Three May 15-21:
“Albatross over the Galapagos” Robert Marvin

Week Four May 22-28:
“Essential Employee Waits for Fly Over” Tina Marie DeVincenzo

Week Five May 29 – June 4:
“Sign of the Times” Peggy Ann Paoloni

Emotional Kitten, a 9-year-old mare owned by Gretchen and Roy Jackson’s Lael Stables, delivered a colt by Dialed In at 12:37 a.m. on April 24 as part of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Foal Patrol Season 3. This is the sixth and final foal of the season delivered on Foal Patrol. Both the mare and foal are healthy and doing well. 

Emotional Kitten, a daughter of Kitten’s Joy out of the Ghazi mare Silent Emotion, joins Magical World (Three Chimneys Farm, Versailles, Ky.), Hall of Fame member Ashado (Gainsborough Farm, Versailles, Ky.), New Money Honey (Indian Creek Farm, Paris, Ky.), Vaulcluse (Gainesway Farm, Lexington, Ky.), and Alpine Sky (Old Tavern Farm, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) in having delivered this season on Foal Patrol. 

Foal Patrol is a one-of-a-kind interactive web project. Season 3 features a collection of live cameras where people can view real-time streams of six mares and their foals, as well as the Three Chimneys stallion Gun Runner. The live camera feeds are available according to each horse’s daily schedule, set by the farm. The site also features a blog, numerous educational videos and articles, and much more. For additional information and to sign up for alerts, please visit foalpatrol.com. 

WILTON — Bike enthusiast Ian Klepetar discovered his own way to help the community during COVID-19 by delivering jigsaw puzzles. 

Klepetar started his mission, called Puzzles to the People, after stay at home restrictions were placed over the community. At the time, he was staying with his parents in Wilton and discovered he had a plethora of jigsaw puzzles from his childhood. Every other week, Klepetar posts puzzles to an online site called NextDoor and families interested can comment. Klepetar will later deliver the puzzle to the family’s front door. 

“This helps me have destinations throughout the area and helps me find new places to ride through. I like that it connects me with people, without connection,” Klepetar said. 

Klepetar said he typically starts in Wilton at his parent’s house, and would bike to areas including the Wilton Mall area, Ballston Spa and Route 50. Klepetar designs his routes per the households that requested a puzzle. 

“I’m still maintaining a family connection by delivering these, and I’m creating one too as families gather around a table to do the puzzle together,” Klepetar said. 

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Donations are being accepted alongside the 100 puzzles Klepetar donates from his childhood. Families can distinguish how many pieces they want to work on, or a scene they would like either online or by contacting Klepetar at ianklepetar@hotmail.com or 518-396-8376 for puzzle requests/donations.

A healthy transportation advocate, Klepetar enjoys the fossil fuel free endeavor. He has done another non-profit on his bike years ago in Madison, Wisconsin. There, he would distribute homemade muffins each day and in return, the recipients were required to complete a task.

“They were required to commit to doing something on my ever-changing list that would enhance their own life and the community around them,” Klepetar said. “I urge readers to check out the ‘muffin exchange’ video on YouTube…and take the concept to the streets when the times of COVID-19 are in the past.”

Klepetar dreams of opening a café called “Perch and Puzzle” in the future. His vision includes nests which visitors can climb into and finish a puzzle or simply hang out.