On Sunday, July 27, at 10:30AM, join the Foundation’s Executive Director Samantha Bosshart, for “Horsin’ Around North Broadway.” 

This engaging stroll explores the deep ties between Saratoga Springs’ famed North Broadway and the city’s rich horse racing heritage. Discover the connection between prominent racing families—like the Jeffords, Chenery, and Phipps—and the grand summer cottages of this historic neighborhood. 

With racing season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to explore Saratoga’s blend of health, history, and horses. Take the tour in the morning, then head to the Saratoga Race Course to see the connections come to life. The tour, generously sponsored by Olde Bryan Inn, meets at the northwest corner of North Broadway and Van Dam Street, in front of Witt Construction.

Next Sunday, August 3, at 10:30AM, join Preservation & Programs Coordinator, Sydney Hedge, on a tour through Historic Congress Park, a National Historic Landmark. The tour highlights the iconic Canfield Casino, as well as the many sculptures and monuments that dot the landscape, each with its own unique story and significance in Saratoga’s rich history. Sponsored by the Holiday Inn – Saratoga Springs, this tour meets in front of Canfield Casino. 

The Foundation is grateful for the generous support of the 2025 Summer Series Sponsors: Druthers Brewing Company, and Stewart’s Shops. All Sunday morning tours last approximately 90 minutes and require walking and standing on varied terrain. Tours are limited to 30 participants. The cost per tour is $15 for SSPF members and $20 for non-members. Foundation members with stroll passes need to contact the Foundation’s office to book their Sunday Summer Stroll before the date they choose. 

For additional information or to purchase tickets to any of the upcoming strolls and events, visit www.saratogapreservation.org, call (518) 587-5030.

It’s been a busy week for the three boards responsible for the look and feel of Saratoga Springs. 

Over the last week, all three boards held meetings to discuss various projects up for consideration in the spa city. While some projects got green lights after repeated meetings, others are still stuck in limbo. Here is a rundown of some of the major updates from the three boards. 

Finley Project Clears Design Review Board

A proposed RISE shelter at 3/26 Finley Street received multiple approvals from the Design Review Board. In a previous meeting, the proposed affordable housing site received push back from those who lived in the vicinity of the site who claimed it would take down too many trees, not fit in with the neighborhood and be too unsightly. 

In response to these concerns, project managers said they met with local residents multiple times and made changes to the site that would address their concerns. During the July 16 meeting, the managers presented an updated view of the site which included a computer-generated model of the neighborhood and showed what residents would see from the two streets affected. 

While in the previous meeting, there had been multiple people who spoke out against the project, this meeting saw no one comment on the matter — something noted by board members. These measures lead to the board’s approval for the mass and scale of the building. 

In addition to the footprint of the building, the design review board was also able to give their okay for the project to demolish existing structures on the site. In previous meetings, there had been some concern over increased traffic at the site. While board members had initially thought that the site would increase traffic, the determination was made that the zoning of the site already had traffic considered. This determination allowed the board to allow the demolition. 

Outside of the Design Review Board, the project also got a boost from the Saratoga Springs City Council who wrote and approved a letter in support of the project and their efforts to secure funding from the New York State Office of Mental Health’s Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative.

Stewarts Fails to get Zoning Variance. 

An attempt to put a Stewarts shop on Marion Avenue near the intersection of Marion and NY-29 Truck has hit another roadblock as the Zoning Board of Appeals denied a variance requiring a certain distance between a fueling station and residential zone. There had been a previous zoning variance at the site since the current fueling station predates modern zoning laws, however a review of the site found this didn’t apply due to lack of continued operation at the site. 

Site Plan for 30 ½ Caroline Street Approved by Planning Board. 

The site plan for the proposed building at 30 ½ Caroline Street was approved by the Planning Review Board. The architect had gone before the board with new designs for the patio and green spaces on the site. While there had been discussions over whether the patio area would be open to the public to allow traffic between Caroline Street and the Library it was decided to keep it enclosed for residents. 

Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival, with a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York and sponsored by Temple Sinai, presents Furrow, a solo show by Derek Davidson and performed by Karen Sabo on August 6, at 7 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 509 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, and on Zoom.

Furrow is a witty, multilayered, and timely piece about love, immigration, and the thousands-year-old injunction to welcome the stranger. The show is part of the current discussion regarding the welcoming or rejecting of immigrants to the United States and facing the fear of differences to create a more connected society.

This is the story of Sarah. Sarah knows books, but her own father? Not so much. Her evolving insight sees her weave together the biblical injunction to welcome strangers with Scrooge’s journey toward opening the heart to others.

Anyone who’s worked in retail knows about the odd people who come into the store. When Sarah is not selling books, she’s performing with local theatre where unusual characters abound. So strangers are no problem until now, when the strangest stranger in her life is…her father.

Karen Sabo is a teacher, director, actor, writer and dialect coach. Karen studied with the American Conservatory Theater, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, the Saratoga International Theater Institute, and Shakespeare & Company. She is a member of three resident acting companies, including the LORT Barter Theater in Virginia, where she has held multiple roles, including resident director. 

Derek Davidson is a playwright, director, and actor. He was an Associate Artistic Director for the Barter Theater in Virginia and Coordinator for the Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights. He has won numerous awards for his creative work.

Furrow will be performed at Temple Sinai in Saratoga Springs and on Zoom. Registration is required and a $10 donation is requested at the door or by mail. 

In a world saturated with noise, Not A Word invites you into the wondrousness of silence. 

This exhibition features local artists whose work transcends language—where intention, form, texture, and absence speak with universal clarity. Through drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, each piece reveals what can be felt but not said–that which lingers in the pause before, between, or after speech. 

Silence is not quiet for its own sake. It is the deliberate withholding of sound to let meaning manifest in its rawest form. It is bold but contemplative, subtle but recognizable, commanding yet reposeful. Not A Word challenges the boundaries between the potential and the actualized and reminds us of the great power from which noise all too easily distracts. 

Come, let yourself listen to what has no voice—because sometimes, the most powerful things are never said at all. 

You are warmly invited to experience this curated space where silence speaks between July 22nd and September 06th at The Blooming Artist | 675 Grooms Road, Clifton Park NY 12065. 

This exhibition is free and open to the public. All are welcome.