SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga County officials are seeking businesses to take part in its “Saratoga County Career Expo.” 

Businesses of all sizes and sectors are encouraged to register for this large-scale hiring event, where they will be able to recruit and connect with multiple candidates with various backgrounds, skill sets, and experience levels. 

Registration is free and open now through April 10; businesses can register on the County’s website. The event will take place April 23 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs City Center, 522 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. 

Sponsored by Saratoga County Workforce Development and Saratoga County Economic Development Corporation, the event is tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses across various industries. Whether you’re a burgeoning startup, a mid-sized enterprise, or an established corporation, this event offers a dynamic environment to engage with skilled professionals and forge meaningful connections.

Businesses attending will be able to enhance their recruitment efforts through: Networking Opportunities, Brand Visibility and Community Engagement.

For more information and to register, visit www.saratogacountyny.gov/career-expo or contact Saratoga County Workforce Development at 518-884-4170.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County History Center is hosting Trivia Night from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16 at historic Anne’s Washington Inn, 111 South Broadway, Saratoga Springs. 

The event, to support the programs of The Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum, will include an Italian style buffet dinner provided by Mama Mia’s Restaurant, dessert, and coffee.  A cash bar for beer and wine will be available to guests age 21 and over.  Doors open at 5:30, and dinner will begin at 6. 

Local Trivia Night host Casey Blum, “That NY Trivia Guy,” will open the friendly competition beginning at 7 p.m. Trivia categories will include questions on local history as well as the standard trivia topics.

The cost for the evening is $40 per person. Registration for the event can be made at:  https:/brooksidemuseum.networkforgood.com/events/69015-history-center-trivia-night

WILTON — On Mondays April 8 and April 22 at 10:30 a.m., Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will be holding its bi-weekly Nature on the Move walks. These walks are led by one of Wilton Wildlife’s Environmental Educators and will take place on the NYS DEC’s Fox Parcel on April 8 and Old Gick Farm on April 22. 

These walks give participants an opportunity to get out on the trails with like-minded people and observe the beauty of nature in the spring. They are geared towards gentle exercise and are appropriate for adults at basic fitness levels. The group usually covers about 1.5 miles of trail. Nature on the Move happens every other week, year-round. 

Registration is required at least one business day in advance. To register please visit the website at wiltonpreserve.org For more information, call the Wilton Wildlife office at 518-450-0321 or email info@wiltonpreserve.org. 

LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Arts Project is hosting the 30th anniversary of Bands N’ Beans from 2 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, at the Fort William Henry Conference Center.

Twenty-two local restaurants will be battling it out for the coveted People’s Choice Award with their best chili creations. Nine bands will be performing on two stages throughout the day.

Here’s the music lineup:

Ballroom Stage – The Switch, The Stony Creek Band, Dirt Cheap, ILL Funk Ensemble, and Ten Most Wanted

Acoustic Room – Seth Warden, Orion & Keanan, Steve Candlen & Matt Mirabile, and Little Medicine with Rick Bolton, Pat Perkinson, Tim Wechgelear, & Jeff Walton

Bands and Beans is a fundraiser for the Lake George Arts Project’s free and open-to-all art programs. Proceeds from the event will support initiatives like the year-round Courthouse Gallery exhibitions, the Summer Concert Series, and the popular Jazz at the Lake festival.

Early-bird tickets are available for $25 until April 12. Tickets are $30 at the door. For tickets and more information, visit the Lake George Arts Project website: www.lakegeorgearts.org

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The folks behind the annual Saratoga jazz festival have unveiled the 2024 festival poster.

The 47th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will take place over two days upon two stages at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, June 29-30 and feature a variety of artists (see poster). Tickets and more information, go to spac.org. 

Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) is celebrated in April in the United States and Canada to recognize jazz as an early American art form. JAM was established in 2001 by John Edward Hasse, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s curator. 

ALBANY — Scene One Entertainment is slated to reopen the Spectrum 8 Theaters in Albany this month, the company announced this week. 

Joe Masher, owner and CEO, Scene One Entertainment, opened Scene One Wilton Mall Cinemas at the Wilton Mall in Saratoga last month. The company also operated Movieland in Schenectady.

Spectrum 8 Theaters first opened in 1983 and for decades screened independent, upscale programming of avantgarde, foreign, independent, and widely-released features. Originally a single-screen theater known as The Delaware Theater that opened in the early 1940s, the Spectrum has been a mainstay of the Delaware Avenue neighborhood.

“The overwhelming response to the theatre’s closing last month prompted me to move faster with the building’s owner to get the cinema reopened. I’ve been working very closely with (Spectrum co-founder) Keith Pickard to bring the heart and soul back into the Spectrum. The art gallery will be reactivated and the calendar that was published monthly will return,” Masher said in a statement. 

Scene One will restore the selections that made the Spectrum’s concession stand a treasure: locally-sourced cakes, pastries, cookies, gluten-free delights, real butter on fresh, hot popcorn, and mint brownies.

“I’ve been attending the Spectrum since Keith and his partners opened it in 1983. I saw its first film, ‘Lianna’, when it was a one-screen cinema. I’ve been a giant fan of their operations since their start at the Third Street Theater. I am honored that Keith and his partners have selected me to carry on their tradition,” Masher said. For more information about Scene One Entertainment, visit scene1ent.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Updated sketch plans have been submitted to the city by the Tree House Brewing Company for the proposed development of an eating and drinking establishment at 3376 South Broadway. 

The business would be located between Saratoga Honda and Homewood Suites on the east side of Route 9 upon currently vacant land and would include micro-production of alcohol and outdoor dining, as well as site work associated with the venue. 

The application is currently under consideration for Site Plan Review by the Saratoga Springs Planning Board. 

The Planning Board will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 at City Hall. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Sustainable Saratoga marks its 4th annual Earth Day Team Up to Clean Up event on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m.- Noon at various locations in and around Saratoga Springs. 

Sustainable Saratoga will provide gloves, vests and garbage bags needed to complete the clean-up task. Interested volunteers should e-mail zerowaste@sustainablesaratoga.org.

On April 27, Sustainable Saratoga will host Tree Toga, an Urban Forestry Project designed to plant the next generation of trees in Saratoga Springs. Volunteers will meet at Pitney Meadows Community Farm at 9:30 a.m. to learn the art of bare-root tree planting. Then, armed with the expert guidance of Lead Planters, teams scatter citywide to plant an estimated 35 large-growing shade trees.

For more information and to get involved in these community events, sign up at:  sustainablesaratoga.org

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dottie Pepper, 17-time LPGA Tour Champion, CBS Commentator and bestselling author, unveiled Saratoga Senior Center’s new golf simulator. Joining her for the ribbon-cutting were Executive Director Lois Celeste and Scott Clark, CEO of the Saratoga Regional YMCA, along with several Center board members. The celebration included a chance for golfers to try the new simulator, with PGA Pro Steve Plata offering tips on swing and technique. Following the ceremony, Capital Area Physical Therapy & Wellness presented “The Perfect Swing,” an educational program focusing on how the body moves during a swing, the demands of swinging and common issues. The simulator is available for hourly rental by groups of up to six golfers. Center membership is not required. To learn more, call 518-584-1621. Photos provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dottie Pepper, 17-time LPGA Tour Champion, CBS Commentator and bestselling author, unveiled Saratoga Senior Center’s new golf simulator. Joining her for the ribbon-cutting were Executive Director Lois Celeste and Scott Clark, CEO of the Saratoga Regional YMCA, along with several Center board members. The celebration included a chance for golfers to try the new simulator, with PGA Pro Steve Plata offering tips on swing and technique. Following the ceremony, Capital Area Physical Therapy & Wellness presented “The Perfect Swing,” an educational program focusing on how the body moves during a swing, the demands of swinging and common issues. The simulator is available for hourly rental by groups of up to six golfers. Center membership is not required. To learn more, call 518-584-1621. Photos provided.