What if you could press pause on your busy week, set down your phone, and step into an evening filled with sunshine, laughter, kites, and fireflies? 

This summer, Pitney Meadows Community Farm and Brave Lion Wholehearted Wellness are making that vision a reality with their new weekly series: “Summer Sunset Socials: Unplug to Grow: Curiosity, Community & Joy. “

Launching Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025, and running every Wednesday evening through August 6 from 6:30–8:30 PM at Pitney Meadows Community Farm (223 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866), these events offer more than just family fun; they are a gentle rebellion against the frantic pace of modern life. It’s an open invitation to slow down, look up, and truly connect with the people and world around you. 

Forget schedules. Forget screens. Forget the impulse to capture and post. At Summer Sunset Socials, the only thing you need to savor is the feeling of warm grass beneath your feet, the sky turning gold as the sun sets beyond the fields, and the company of community. 

“Summer Sunset Socials are simply an opportunity to cherish the curiosity, innocence, and wonder of childhood, nourish the senses, and grow meaningful community connections,” says Pitney Meadows Executive Director, Brooke McConnell. “… and to do so without the tug and distraction of our phones! These gatherings are for us grownups too, of many generations, to slow down and see the summer through the lens of the current moment, not our screens.” 

Upon arrival, families will be required to check their phones at the “door,” creating a shared agreement to be fully present. From there, the evening unfolds naturally… no set agenda, no loud entertainment, no pressure to do anything but enjoy and to just be. Summer Sunset Social attendees are welcome to: 

• Fly a kite across a wide-open sky… 

• Play lawn games that make you giggle like you did as a kid…  

• Deal out cards at a quiet table and make a new friend… 

• Make bubbles as big as your imagination, or draw joy right onto the pavement with sidewalk chalk… 

• And so much more!

The best part? These gatherings are for all ages and all kinds of families… parents,  grandparents, friends, neighbors, couples, and anyone seeking a rare chance to slow down and savor simple, meaningful connection.  

“I keep hearing that everyone wants to be on their phone less, but don’t know how to do it, or feel like they will be the odd one out. Well, we are creating these events to take the pressure off,” says Leah Ferrone, founder of Brave Lion Wholehearted Wellness. “Please join us for one of these savored summer evenings where you feel radically present and full of joy and possibility. I’m pretty sure most of the world’s issues could be solved during an intergenerational card game at a farm picnic table. But you will have to come find out for yourself.” 

Rooted in the belief that true growth happens when we unplug and tune into our surroundings, Summer Sunset Socials offer something increasingly rare: space to cultivate joy, curiosity, and real togetherness. 

And there’s no need to rush… this is a come-as-you-are, stay-as-long-as-you-like evening, meant to feel like an unhurried summer picnic that you’ll want to linger at. 

So set down your phone. Step into the sunset. Come to your Community Farm, and grow everything that truly matters.

It was standing room only at the YMCA as Saratoga Springs held its annual Juneteenth celebration. 

The event took place June 19 and featured vendors, speakers, musical acts, dances and theatrical performances. This year was the fourth annual event in Saratoga Springs. The event wasn’t the only one to take place in the city. 

Later in the day, a new historic marker was unveiled on Congress Street to honor a predominantly Black neighborhood which was destroyed as part of urban renewal. Another plaque honoring one of two churches destroyed in the project was dedicated on June 21 behind City Hall on Maple Street. 

While Juneteenth has only been a federal holiday since 2021, the holiday’s origins go back to the Civil War. In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by the United States which freed all enslaved people in states rebelling in the US, according to the Congressional Research Service.

While the proclamation was issued in 1863, it didn’t reach the last Confederate state — Texas — until 1865. On June 19, 1865, Union forces reached Galveston, Texas and issued an order announcing the end of the war and the freedom of all enslaved people in the state. Celebrations started in 1866, and it became a Texas state holiday in 1980. 

The holiday is often referred to as the “second Independence Day” in reference to the idea that many people in the US weren’t fully free until slavery was abolished. 

One of the board members behind the celebration, Donald Hyman, said he first heard about the holiday when he was in the Air Force and stationed in Alaska. He said the base commander was an African American man from Louisiana who celebrated the holiday on post. Hyman said he became involved in celebrations as an educator as a part of Schenectady’s celebrations. 

During the June 19 ceremony, Hyman performed a piece about famed author Booker T Washington. He was joined by several others who spoke about the holiday, performed songs, and acted out parts of the book “Big Jim and the White Boy.” 

Outside of the celebrations at the YMCA, a new historical marker was unveiled near the Embassy Suites on Congress Street. Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matthew Veitch said the marker came as a result of funds allocated to supervisors by the county to improve their municipalities. In creating the marker, Veitch said he worked with the Frederick Allen Lodge on the specific language. 

The Congress Street Neighborhood had been a prominent neighborhood for the Black community in Saratoga Springs. It featured not just housing but many Black owned businesses and cultural areas. Much of it was raised in the 1970s during Urban Renewal which also saw two Black churches destroyed and merged with others. Both these churches also received plaques. One of said plaques was dedicated June 21. 

“This means more than you will ever know,” said Joy King, one of members of the Lodge. “It’s very important that Saratoga recognize and honor everything the Black community has brought to the City of Saratoga Springs. This is a first step to show this is a very diverse community.” 

The Wesley Community, a 37-acre senior living campus with more than 700 residents in Saratoga Springs, recently unveiled an upgraded Therapy Room designed to help rehab clients ease back into a home environment following a hospital stay for planned surgery, an injury or illness.

The Wesley Community Health Care Center provides short-term rehabilitation services for clients diagnosed with dementia or respiratory disorders, who are recovering from a stroke, a planned surgery such as a hip or knee replacement or who had been hospitalized for cardiac care.

“Our primary goal is to get patients back on their feet and help them return home ready and strong for a continued and successful recovery,” said Wesley Director of InPatient Therapy Patrick Dolan. “We provide individual supportive care of the highest caliber, in a friendly and encouraging therapeutic environment by a qualified team of skilled nurses, physicians, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and physical therapists.”

The upgraded therapy room offers a home-like setting with a functional kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Clients work with staff and practice hands-on, daily living activities to regain their strength and independence. The goal of learning how to safely move throughout their home space is to prevent falls and re-hospitalization.

Following guidance and training by staff, clients are evaluated on self-care skills needed for meal prep; kitchen safety, movement energy conservation and work simplification; showering and tub transfer, bed-making; dynamic navigation for retrieving items from dressers and closets; and navigation of varying floor surfaces.

The upgraded Therapy Room project took several months to complete and has already been utilized by numerous clients. Helping seniors thrive at home and age in place are just a few of the long-term anticipated benefits of the new rehab model. 

While some older adults may be more comfortable with the level of assistance offered by senior living communities, nearly 90% of adults 65 years of age or older prefer to remain in their homes as they grow older, according to the AARP. Aging in place preserves independence, helps seniors maintain community connections and can contribute to better health and a higher quality of life.

For more information about The Wesley Community, visit www.thewesleycommunity.org. 

There wasn’t a dry eye in city hall as friends, family members, business partners and elected officials gathered to honor late business owner Mark Straus with a street named for him. 

The ceremony took place June 24 in City Hall — having been moved inside due to dangerous heat. The city renamed part of Maple Street after Straus, who owned and operated several businesses on Broadway. 

Straus was remembered as someone who played a huge role in the shaping of Saratoga Springs — particularly Broadway. He opened his first shop in 1971 and quickly became involved in preserving and expanding Saratoga Springs’ businesses. 

Many local leaders spoke about his character and impact on the city.

“To speak of Mark is to recognize a true pioneer in our community,” said Deann Devitt from the Downtown Saratoga Springs Business Association “Broadway in the 70s and 80s was a different place. Although it was lined with historic and architecturally beautiful buildings, many stood vacant, neglected and at risk of being lost. While many contributed to the revitalization of downtown Saratoga Springs, Mark had a unique vision, one of a bustling, connected and thriving downtown center.” 

Similar comments were made by his son Alexander who said Straus worked hard to help entrepreneurs succeed in Saratoga Springs. 

“He would make the time to help them realize their dreams,” Straus said. “He wanted to see people, especially entrepreneurs, find their foothold in this community and to grow and to really foster a city full of rich, vibrant, beautiful restaurants, stores and businesses.” 

Straus said his father was proud of the city and his legacy. As for the alley itself, Straus joked that his father used to illegally park in it. 

 “He would just pull in and he never got towed,” Straus said.  “He would follow every rule, but for some reason that alley, he felt like that was his parking spot.”

In 2012, The Saratoga Historic Preservation Society awarded Straus with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to preserving downtown Saratoga Springs. 

While Union Avenue is typically known for horses, it was the horseless carriages on display this past weekend as Cars on Union took over the street. 

The annual event took place between Nelson and East Avenues on Union — right in front of The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and the Saratoga Racetrack. Cars from across the northeast took part with awards handed out at the end for best in show. 

The event was sponsored by the Saratoga Automobile Museum. 2025 was the third iteration of the event which started in 2023. It comes as the Museum had to cancel its Spring Auto show due to wet weather which rained out two events. 

Cars of all kinds were on display. From sleek sports cars to boxy SUVs and everything in between. The cars came from all over the world with American muscle side by side with the best from Europe and Aisa. While an American Chevy Corvette had the judge’s eye — winning top honors — it was a British frogged eyed Austin-Healey that captured the people and won the people’s choice vote. Other honors went to a BMW sedan and a right-hand drive Nissan Skyline — among others. 

The skies may have been gray but on the streets, it was red, white and blue as far as the eye could see. 

Thousands of spectators and participants showed up to this year’s Annual Saratoga Flag Day Parade put on by the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge #161 which took place Saturday June 14. It followed its normal path starting on North Broadway and traveling one mile south to its conclusion in Congress Park. 

Flag Day is a federal holiday which celebrates the adoption of the US flag by the Continental Congress in 1777. It was first made a holiday by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1937 with nationwide recognition by the federal government coming in 1949. This year’s parade was the 56th annual parade in Saratoga — following the same route it did in 1968. It also coincided with the 250th anniversary of the formation of the US Army. 

This year’s parade featured dozens of civic groups, businesses, marching bands, drumlines and everything in between. There were slapstick routines from the Oriental Shriners, many groups were handing out flags and many first responders and military in class A Uniforms. 

While pets and other animals might not have been allowed at the Broadway on Belmont Festival, it wasn’t the case for the parade. Dogs, ponies, llamas and even a unicorn or two doted the parade route — as both participants and spectators. 

The largest single organization in the parade was Indivisible ADK/Saratoga who had 1,500 people march in the parade carrying flags. This was in coordination with demonstrations across the country. There were also a few demonstrators around the Saratoga Springs City Council building representing both sides of the political aisle.