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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Sam the Bugler Grossman makes the first Call to the Post of the first race on Opening Day at Saratoga Race Course on July 15, 2021. 

Opening Day marked the first time in nearly two years, general public attendance was allowed at Saratoga, which had operated last summer with no fans allowed, due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

Opening Day attendance was 27,760.

Photos provided.
Picture 1: Cliff Oliver, Debbie Craig and Renee Moore.

Confucius said, “True wisdom is knowing what you don’t know.” 

Despite growing up in Saratoga’s west side, when Renee Moore was dining downtown, people didn’t know she actually lived here, they assumed she was just visiting. The reason why was the color of her skin. 

Experiences like this were just part of the reason why she founded Solomon Northup Day in 1999. 

An Extraordinary Story

Today, the population of Saratoga is nearly 92% white, according to the latest census data, so you might not know the extent to which African-Americans and other people of color lived and worked throughout the community, or how their history has shaped the city we know today. 

Much of this history has been lost, but thanks to Renee Moore’s dedication, the story of Solomon Northup lives on. 

Solomon Northup was born free in Minerva. While living and working in Saratoga Springs in 1841, he was illegally sold into slavery. After being rescued, he shared the ordeal that he (and others under the yoke of slavery) experienced in his autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave. 

Stronger Together

Moore first heard Northup’s story told in a 1984 docudrama based on his book. Thus began her quest to recognize Northup in a way that would bring the community closer together.

“No one was talking about African-American history in the city and it was not embraced in the early years. Not only did I have very little support, but I did every aspect of it myself,” said Moore.

Eventually, she was joined by several “very special souls” who helped her make July’s Solomon Northup Day a reality. 

Celebrated on the Big Screen

In April 2013, PLAN B/Searchlight Pictures contacted Moore for background information and help reaching out to Northup’s descendants for a film they were producing. The movie, also called 12 Years a Slave, was that year’s Oscar award winner. 

Interest peaked and Skidmore College (Moore’s alma mater) hosted a flurry of talks and other events in town. A historical marker for Northup now stands near the intersection of Broadway and Congress Streets by the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center. Inside, you can see a placard and pick-up a handout with more information. 

Their Story is OUR story

To further discover and explore the history of people of color in the city, a walking tour and a free OURstory Treasure Hunt Map, published by MLK Saratoga, is available. 

Points of interest include Mouzon House, Hattie’s Chicken Shack, and High Rock Park’s Tree of Peace, among others. 

The OURstory Treasure Hunt was conceived by diversity advocate/trainer Jean Fei, with help from author Carol Daggs, into a 10-site adventure as an inclusive, family-oriented activity.

“We cannot truly know ourselves and how we have arrived where we are today until we re-weave the very fabric of OUR shared story — a much more colorful, vibrant and extraordinary tapestry of Humanity than our history books, classrooms, and memories have represented over the centuries,” said Lezlie Dana, President and Co-Chair of MLK Saratoga.

Find it at the Visitor Center or online at www.mlksaratoga.org/treasure-hunt

Injustice Today

If you don’t know these stories, you may struggle with understanding why divisions and unrest remain today. 

“Every single life is important. You have to look at the whole picture,” said Moore.

Turbulence around race has erupted in recent years, and the number of people taking to the streets to protest has increased. Saratoga is not immune, as demonstrations like last week’s “Take Back the Narrative,” which resulted in five arrests, illustrates.

“Everyone suffers when our country is at odds with itself,” said Moore.

“There are no winners in the continued dialogue of ‘us against them’ that robs us from dealing with the real crisis’ we must face together as one country united.”

What Solomon Would Say

Widely-debated and controversial topics such as mass incarceration and qualified immunity show that despite how far we’ve come as a country, there are still changes to be made. 

“It’s my guess that if Solomon Northup were alive today, he might be disappointed with our lack of progress toward freedom and justice so many years later. Right now, regardless of our skin color, we as Americans are watching a chipping away of our one guaranteed freedom; the Right to Vote.  This is not solely a black issue, however, but an issue that affects us all as Americans,” said Moore. 

Be in the Conversation

A free Solomon Northup Day program with re-enactor Clifford Oliver Mealy and the dedication of a Solomon Northup Highway Marker will be held at the Town of Minerva Community Center, 5 Morse Memorial Hwy, Minerva, on July 27 from 5:45- 8:30 p.m.

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation to honor and memorialize the life of Spc. Abigail Rose “Abby” Jenks, who was killed in April while participating in an Airborne training operation from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter over Sicily Drop Zone in Fort Bragg

Jenks, of the Town of Wilton, grew up in the Greenfield-Saratoga area and was a 2018 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School. She enlisted in the U.S. Army and entered active duty in October 2018

In addition to the reading of the proclamation Tuesday, Wilton Supervisor John Lant presented to members of Jenks’ family the flag that was flown for 30 days in honor of Jenks at the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. 

Jenks was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Army Parachutist Badge.  Spc. Jenks was also posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

• The Saratoga County Department of Public Health Services updates its reportage of county level COVID data once a week, on Mondays. 

July’s data, Saratoga County, by posting date:
July 6 – Positive tests previous 7 days: 7. Avg. positivity: 0.30%. Active Cases: 10.  Hospitalized: 1.
July 12 – Positive tests previous 7 days: 16. Avg. positivity: 0.70%. Active Cases: 16.  Hospitalized: 1.
July 19 – Positive tests previous 7 days: 54. Avg. positivity: 1.90%. Active Cases: 46.  Hospitalized: 2.

The NYS DOH tracks data daily in all 62 New York State counties. As of its July 21 posting, the 7-day average positivity rate in Saratoga County was 2.2%.  That rate ranks sixth highest in the state, just behind Essex (3.0%), Cattaraugus (2.7%), Greene (2.6%), and Warren and Schoharie (2.5%) counties.

In terms of vaccinations, just over 150,000 of Saratoga’s 230,000 county residents – 65.4% of the overall county population – have received at least one dose of the vaccine. 

“The county is doing very well on vaccinations (and) the good news is that the hospitalizations haven’t spiked, the fatalities haven’t spiked,” said Malta Supervisor Darren O’Connor, who on Tuesday was publicly named Chair of the Health & Human Services Committee. 

What impact the Delta variant has on the country in general and Saratoga County specifically remains to be seen. 

“It’s disturbing to see that uptick on the graph for infections and doubly concerning because we’re in late July and the fall is on the horizon,” O’Connor said. “And we know what happened last year in the fall, so we’re just hoping with the vaccinations being really effective – even against this Delta variant – that we’re not going to go back in to a place where we were.” 

The Saratoga County Public Health Services Department announced this week it will offer free community pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics at the following times and locations: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Friday, July 23 through Sunday, July 25 at the Saratoga County Fair, next to the Sheriff’s Department, Gate 5 – Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson available; 4 -6 p.m. Thursday, July 29 at Stewarts, 208 Broad St. in Schuylerville – Johnson & Johnson available; 10 – 11:45 a.m. Friday, Aug. 6 at Living Hope United Methodist Church, 126 Middletown Rd in Waterford – Johnson & Johnson available. 

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is a two-dose series authorized for use in individuals ages 12 and older. The Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is a single dose series authorized for use in individuals ages 18 and older. Those who receive the Pfizer vaccine will be scheduled to get their second dose at the Saratoga County Public Health office on a later date.

The vaccines are free and neither proof of insurance nor pre-registration is required.  Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. In addition to community Pop-Up clinics, SCPHS regularly offers vaccination to residents at its facility in Ballston Spa. For more information call 518-584-7460 Extension 8327. 

• Board of Supervisors Chairman Todd Kusnierz announced the replacement of Supervisor Tara Gaston as both Chair and Member of the Health & Human Services Committee with the appointments of Supervisor Darren O’Connor and Supervisor Sandra Winney, respectively, in those positions through the end of the calendar year. Kusnierz also announced the replacement of Gaston as member of the Law & Finance Committee with Supervisor Joseph Grasso.       

• The Board approved a resolution that authorized the execution of agreements for the provision of School Resource Officer services with the following school districts: Ballston Spa Central School District, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District, Corinth Central School District, Galway Central School District, Mechanicville City School District, Schuylerville Central School District, South Glens Falls Central School District and Shenendehowa Central School District, and Saratoga Springs City School District for the assignment of Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department Road Patrol Deputies as School Resource Officers.

Previous school district agreements expired on June 30, 2021. The renewal of each agreement provides up to 12 Road Patrol Deputies to the school districts, subject to each school district agreeing to be pay to the County $74,093.75 per assigned Deputy Sheriff serving in the capacity of School Resource Officer for 2021-2022 school year to cover the school district’s pro-rata share of the County’s employee, transportation, equipment and patrol car costs for each assigned deputy.

The agreement commences with the 2021-2022 school year and is subject to the approval of the County Attorney and the Saratoga County Sheriff.

BALLSTON SPA — Saratoga County officials this week announced its Office of Emergency Services is hosting a contest with cash prizes for those who help locate AEDs around the county. The contest, in partnership with the EMS Council, is an effort to grow the county’s automatic external defibrillator (AED) database. 

Contestants are asked to locate and upload photos and information of AEDs around the county using the PulsePoint AED app.  The contest runs through Aug. 13. 

Cash prizes will be awarded to the five people who register the most AEDs located in Saratoga County and will be distributed as follows: $300 for first place; $200 for second place; $150 each for third, fourth and fifth place. The initiative is funded through grants from PulsePoint and the EMS Council, each providing $950. 

PulsePoint works in the background at the computer-aided 911 dispatch center. When the call-taker verifies the location and determines there is a sudden cardiac emergency in a public location, PulsePoint automatically notifies CPR-trained individuals within a quarter-mile of the event. The PulsePoint AED app provides visual directions to the emergency along with the location of nearby AEDs.

According to Saratoga County OES statistics, on average, there are 35 cardiac arrest events in Saratoga County each month with 10 of them happening in a public location. The OES currently has 251 AEDs registered throughout the county and estimates there are more than 2,000 in total throughout Saratoga County. Most AEDs are located in schools, businesses, stores, fitness centers and restaurants.

To enter the contest, individuals must download the PulsePoint app and register with the OES.  To register for the contest use this link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/AEDcontest. To learn more about PulsePoint use this link: www.pulsepoint.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — At City Hall on July 29, the Planning Board is considering an advisory opinion to the City Council on the final draft of the Unified Development Ordinance.

A Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is a tool which combines traditional zoning and subdivision regulations, along with other development standards for items such as design guidelines, storm water management, signs and street standards into one, easy-to-read reference document. It is intended to eliminate redundant or conflicting code provisions, help to streamline the review and approval process and clarify the steps and requirements with clear illustrations and language. 

The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Casino Hotel is teaming up with the American Red Cross to host a Blood Drive on Monday, July 26. Members of the local community are urged to join dozens of Saratoga Casino Hotel team members to give blood from noon to 6 p.m. inside the hotel ballroom. 

The American Red Cross continues to experience a severe blood shortage and donors of all blood types – especially type O and those giving platelets – are urged to make an appointment to give now. The Red Cross needs to collect more than 1,000 additional blood donations each day to meet current demands as hospitals respond to an unusually high number of traumas and emergency room visits, organ transplants and elective surgeries. 

Donors who give now will help stock the shelves for the rest of the summer season. Schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code SARATOACASINO, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. 

To thank donors who help refuel the blood and platelet supply during the blood drive, all will receive a $10 Amazon.com gift card via email, $5 gift card to Fat Paulie’s Delicatessen in Saratoga Springs, an automatic entry for a chance to win gas for a year (a $5,000 value), and a chance to win a trip for four to Cedar Point or Knott’s Berry Farm. For more information and details on the giveaways visit rcblood.org/fuel and rcblood.org/CedarFair. 

Over the past decade, Saratoga Casino Hotel blood drives have collected over 1,100 pints of blood. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city announced that last week, on the Railroad Run off of West Circular Street, an adult woman was bitten by a fox as she was walking. Incidents involving an aggressive fox were reported off of North Broadway this past week as well. 

The city says these types of actions by foxes are unusual and a reminder, is urging the public to exercise caution, should they come in contact with wildlife: 

Please be cognizant of unusual animal behavior and stay safe. Should you believe you are bitten or exposed to a sick wild animal, make sure to seek proper medical advice. The NYS Department of Environmental Services (EnCon Police) is aware of these incidents and report that these are likely gray foxes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Commander Raymond Gamicchia relieved Cmdr. Phillip Boice as Commanding Officer, Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs. 

Rear Adm. Charles W. Rock, Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, presided over the ceremony and commended Boice for his leadership of the installation over the past two years, noting his accomplishments not only navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, but praising his work with local community leaders and stakeholders to ensure installation mission effectiveness during a historic time for NSA Saratoga Springs.

Boice, who served as commanding officer since August 2019 departs for his next assignment as the Surface Operations Officer for Carrier Strike Group 9 in San Diego.

Gamicchia, a Detroit native, most recently served as the Assistant Reactor Officer for USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) since July 2018.

“Everyone talks about how beautiful Saratoga Springs is, but it didn’t take long to realize that it is actually the people here that make this such a special place,” said Gamicchia as he addressed the sailors and staff of the installation. “Continue on with your high standards. Hold yourself and each other to these standards every day. Challenge yourself to find ways to make things better and focus on bettering yourselves every day.”

NSA Saratoga Spring’s mission is to deliver consistently efficient and effective shore readiness and operational support to the fleet, fighter, family and perform host command functions in support of supported commands and the military community.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The City Council this week unanimously approved a bond resolution for the improvements of city security measures, that were “planned in light of recent events and long-term challenges in specific city locations,” according to city documents. The approval authorizes the issuance of $214,188 in bonds to finance the purchases and installation of additional cameras and analytics to increase safety and security in Congress Park and key city streetscapes. Details about the types of cameras and their placement in the city are anticipated to be announced in the near future. 

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