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.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Rotary club, in conjunction with the Ballston Spa Rotary club, donated healing hand cream to the Saratoga Hospital. 

The healing hand cream was donated to the ER and ICU departments earlier this week. Linda LeTendre, member of the BHBL rotary club, said the donation was made to recognize the working conditions front line workers face while caring for COVID-19 patients. 

“This is something not a lot people have thought about and it’s a way to say: ‘we see you, we know it’s tough and we really see what you are doing.’” We do appreciate what they’re doing,” LeTendre said.

The healing hand cream was donated to nurses and doctors at the Saratoga Hospital on April 16. Medical personnel in those departments have to wash their hands so often they are experiencing dry, cracked and painful hands. LeTendre said her friend, Lisa Cole, was the inspiration behind the healing hand cream. Cole is a nurse at the Samaritan Hospital in Troy.

“It never dawned on me, but if you wash your hands a lot, they begin to crack and break,” LeTendre said. “That lets infection in. Your skin is your first line of defense against infection. It holds all your body parts in but it keeps stuff out…it keeps infection out.

Cole also works as a local Mary Kay consultant, who sells the healing hand cream. LeTendre said she purchased the hand cream at no cost from Cole.

“They’re scrubbing their hands raw in this pandemic,” LeTendre said.

To date, LaTendre said 55 tubes would be donated. On Friday, members of the rotary club will donate hand cream to the Ballston Lake Emergency Squad. They donated ten tubes of the hand cream to the hospital and the remaining 45 tubes will be divided between the two.

“I said to myself I would do this. I put out my own money out first, and then asked if anyone wanted to be a part of this,” LeTendre said.

She added that the donations made covered more than her initial donation, and she hopes it continues. 

“[Cole] is selling this at no cost, this is her way of giving back,” LeTendre said.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Alpine Sky, a 7-year-old mare owned by Old Tavern Farm, delivered a colt by More Than Ready at 10:56 p.m. on April 15 as part of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Foal Patrol Season 3. This is the fifth foal of the season delivered on Foal Patrol. Both the mare and foal are healthy and doing well.

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 site also features a blog, numerous educational videos and articles, and much more. 

For additional information and to sign up for alerts, please visit www.foalpatrol.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mayor Meg Kelly of the City of Saratoga Springs has challenged the residents of Saratoga Springs to complete their 2020 Census. As of April 8, the City is just over 44% of residents self-responding, and the Mayor is challenging citizens to do their part to hit 80% by May 1.

The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. Census statistics help determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated every year for the next 10 years towards education, emergency services, healthcare, and economic development. 

The U.S. Census Bureau offers three ways for citizens to self-respond: mail, phone, and for the first time, online. 

Saratoga Springs’ residents can call 1-844-330-2020 (1-844-468-2020 for Spanish) to give their response to the U.S. Census Bureau over the phone, or visit: my2020census.gov to quickly and easily complete the questionnaire.