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John Hendrickson, Husband of Marylou Whitney, Dead at 59  

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.


Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, sharing a laugh on an August afternoon in 2013 in the Winner’s Circle at Saratoga Race Course. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — John Hendrickson, longtime spouse of the late Marylou Whitney, passed away unexpectedly Monday, Aug. 19 at the age of 59. 

Hendrickson, a native of Alaska and a former aide to Gov. Walter J. Hickel, married Marylou Whitney in 1997 and became the racing manager for Marylou Whitney Stables. He was also president and chief operating officer of Whitney Industries. 

Among the numerous charitable organizations throughout Saratoga Springs that benefited from Hendrickson and Whitney’s generosity are Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Hospital, and the National Museum of Dance. In 2015, as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the city, Hendrickson and Whitney commissioned a life-size bronze sculpture of legendary racehorse Native Dancer and gifted it to the city to celebrate the milestone. Two years earlier, Hendrickson was instrumental in the planning of the city-wide celebration of the 150th anniversary of the inaugural 1863 Saratoga race meeting. 

Hendrickson also served as the chairman of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame since August 2017. 

“John Hendrickson was a visionary leader who had a tremendous passion for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, the Saratoga Springs community, and racing in general,” said Cate Masterson, the Museum’s director. “He was truly one of a kind and this loss is immeasurable. The entire Museum board and staff is deeply saddened by his passing. Our hearts are with his family and his numerous friends. We all loved him very much.”

For the New York racing community, Hendrickson and Whitney created the Saratoga Backstretch Appreciation Program in 2008, organizing free events and services for backstretch workers. 

Following Whitney’s death in 2019 at the age of 93, Hendrickson continued to support backstretch appreciation dinners, English as a Second Language classes, and entertainment, among other initiatives.

As a tribute to his late wife, he funded the construction of a new backstretch clinic, which opened in 2023 and provides on-site healthcare services at Saratoga Race Course. The clinic, which is operated by Saratoga Hospital in partnership with the Backstretch Employee Service Team, provides a dramatically improved experience for those receiving primary and emergency healthcare services at the track through doctors and medical professionals from Saratoga Hospital.

Cause of death was not immediately known. 

Board of Supervisors Awards $148K to 15Saratoga County Municipalities for Trail Development 

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in News.

BALLSTON SPA — The county Board of Supervisors at its monthly meeting on Aug. 20 unanimously approved the awarding of $148,000 to 15 different county municipalities as part of the county’s Trails Grant Program. 

The program provides a pool of up to $150,000 to local municipalities in matching grants to fund trail development and construction projects, including related feasibility studies, engineering work, and construction in local municipalities. 

The Trails and Open Space Committee received 15 applications from municipalities for the funding, totaling $148,000, and recommended to the board all of them be funded.  

The Board of Supervisors approved the following municipalities receive the funding, upon the condition that each municipality provide matching funds or services in-kind:

1. Town of Ballston: $10,000 to be applied toward the Jenkins Park Trail Extension and Existing Trail Restoration to include the construction of 885 ft. of trail extension on the existing 2.5-mile trail network within the existing town-owned, 43-acre multi-use recreational park, and restoration of 2,450 l.f. of the existing trails with resurfacing and drainage repairs.

2. Town of Charlton: $10,000 to be applied toward the LaRue Creek Covered Bridge Replacement to include replacement of a covered bridge that expands LaRue Creek and is part of the Saratoga County Snowmobile Trail Network. The bridge will be replaced with a 50 ft. x 8 ft. x 7 ft. covered bridge.

3. Town of Clifton Park: $10,000 to be applied toward the Trail Boardwalk Restoration: Brookhaven to Park Lane Estates to include a repair/restoration of the existing 17-year-old pedestrian boardwalk section of the existing trail route that traverses wetlands on the south side of a steel bridge that expands the Dwaas Kill. This trail connects with other local trails that connect residential neighborhoods with public parks, school areas, and commercial ventures in town.

4. Town of Corinth: $10,000 to be applied toward the Trail Network/9N property to include funding for Phase I of the town’s Master Plan of town-owned property to be utilized as a recreational park. Phase I will include the design, layout, and possibly material for 1.6 miles of planned trails in the park.

5. Village of Corinth: $8,000 to be applied toward the Upgrade Corinth Recreational Area Trails to include funds for a feasibility study and trail amenities, such as a new kiosk in the parking lot, benches along the trail, new trailhead markers, and new trail identification markers along the village’s existing Upper Reservoir Trail Network.

6. Town of Hadley: $10,000 to be applied toward the Tennis Court/Basketball Course Refurbishing to refurbish existing tennis and basketball courts and replace some fencing surrounding the tennis courts in the town park.

7. Town of Halfmoon: $10,000 to be applied toward the Erie Canalway Trail Paving to pave a portion of the town’s Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway – or more specifically, 1,200 l.f. of existing stone dust trail from Whites Lane to the Crescent Boat Club.

8. Town of Malta: $10,000 to be applied toward the Malta Community Park Trail Restoration to refurbish a 0.62-mile nature trail of the 22.69-acre Malta Community Park with engineered wood fiber and replacing existing wayfinding signage with new signage.

9. Town of Moreau: $10,000 to be applied toward the Big Bend Trail Phase I Completion: Trail Amenities to include providing an accessible kayak launch into the Hudson River from the town’s Phase I of the Big Bend Trail.

10. Town of Northumberland: $10,000 to be applied toward the Meadow in the Sky Trail – Hudson Point Crossing (Phase II) to include funding for the provision of over fifty (50) understory, native species of plants in between the oaks that will provide ecological benefits to the area. In 2023, Hudson Crossing Park completed Phase I of Meadow in the Sky Trail with a segment of “Allee of Oaks” of seven different varieties of oak trees.

11. Town of Saratoga: $10,000 to be applied toward the townwide Restoration and Maintenance Project to include resurfacing of several trails, including trails connected to the Siege Trail, the Champlain Canal Trail, the town’s Boat Launch Trail, and one more that connects to the Town of Stillwater with stone dust and fine rubble with emphasis on maintenance where trails are worn or washed out.

12. City of Saratoga Springs: $10,000 to be applied toward the Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail Improvements to include the following: fix parking lot pot holes on both Route 29 and Meadowbrook Road parking lots, repair drainage issues in the Route 29 parking lot as well as Gilbert Road, perform maintenance on culverts and/or add new culverts between the Route 29 parking lot and the bridge over the Bog Meadow Brook, and replace or refurbish aging trail identification signs throughout the trail. The original improvements for the existing Trail Network date back to 1993, making them over 30 years old.

13. Village of South Glens Falls: $10,000 to be applied toward the Betar Byway Public Restroom (Upper Trailhead) to include placing an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant portable toilet facility that connects to municipal water and sewer. The proposed restroom facility will be placed on the village’s DPW lands in the upper section of the existing trail.

14. Village of Stillwater: $10,000 to be applied toward the Village of Stillwater Pedestrian Park to include construction of a Village Overlook Park on property neighboring the Stillwater Blockhouse. The project will include the creation of walkways, an expanded parking area, and a Hudson River Overlook constructed of Alaskan Cement Slab with stainless steel posts and cables.

15. Town of Wilton: $10,000 to be applied toward the Northern Pines Road Fishing Access Parking and Trail to include providing a parking lot and trail access to the Snook Kill off Northern Pines Road to provide fishing access to the Veterans Housing Community as well as to the general public. Funds will be used to provide grading of raw land and purchase of parking and trail construction materials.

Talk of The Town: City Speaks on Public Comment 

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in Featured, News.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Verbal clashes and public threats. Sudden shutdowns. A head-butting incident. Warnings of police intervention and events highlighted for inclusion in political campaigns. 

For several decades, Public Comment periods at City Council meetings in Saratoga Springs have brought a boisterous medley of all the above. The question raised time and again:  Who can speak, when may they speak and how long are they allowed do so? 

Recently, the council was presented with a potential new wrinkle to its Rules of Decorum and Order when a member of a local group opposed to a measure under council consideration was invited to expand on those opinions for an extended time.  

Last year, John Safford was elected city mayor based, at least partially, on a platform that promised  to “return civility to City Hall,”  and pointed directly to activities during the council’s twice-a-month meetings.

“Public Comment has been a subject that was very much a part of this last election,” Mayor Safford said shortly after taking office on Jan. 1, 2024, when bringing new Rules of Decorum and Order to the table. The new council – comprised of two new council members and three returning ones – voted 4-1 to adopt the measure.  

The new rules instructed 30 minutes be set aside at each meeting for public input, with each speaker limited to three minutes to address the council as a whole. A digital clock with backwards-running time has since been stationed in front of the speakers’ microphone, its numbers changing colors while winding down to depict a growing time-sensitive urgency, ultimately concluding with a clamor of noise at zero.

“The three minutes is very important,” explained Mayor Safford. “Once that clock goes off, you must stop. Even if you’re in the middle of the sentence.”  

Similarly, the NY State Committee on Open Government advises that during an open meeting when a public body chooses to permit public participation, it must treat all persons in a like manner.

There have, however, been variances. While some speakers who extend beyond their allotted time have been verbally halted, others have been granted extra talking time to reach their conclusion. The discrepancy, and its resulting appearance of a potential lack of fairness, has initiated a new conversation at the council table. 

During the most recent preliminary agenda meeting, former city Mayor Mike Lenz spoke as a public commentator within the allowable three-minute segment. Following the move from the public comment session to departmental agenda items some time later, the council engaged one another in a five-minute discussion regarding the proposal when Lenz raised a question from the audience. 

“I’ll entertain your question former mayor, come on up,” offered council member Dillon Moran. “It’s important that you guys feel that you’ve been heard.” Lenz returned to the mic where he discussed the matter with the council for an additional 12 minutes.

Council member Minita Sanghvi raised a question about whether fairness to all was being exhibited, pointing to one speaker, but not other speakers, being invited to elaborate on a topic up-for-vote. “I have a process question. This is great that people get answers, I’m not opposed to this, but if we are doing X for someone and not X for someone else, that’s where we get into problems,” Sanghvi said. “We want all our constituents to feel that they can be heard, not just some.” 

“Sometimes there are exceptions that we have to honor,” Mayor Safford said.  “I am very sympathetic to their concerns and just want to make sure we are all very clear about what is going to be in that lease,” Mayor Safford said, regarding the proposal the council was considering. “We definitely want the people from the school to know we hear them.”

Sanghvi elaborated during the council’s full agenda meeting a day later about what she called “exceptions” being made allowing “some people to talk more than others,” while “some are shushed…Rules have consistently been broken. “

Commissioner Moran, who had entertained the returning discussion a day earlier, added: “I will take personal ownership for what occurred during the pre-agenda meeting, but I think the point the commissioner (Sanghvi) brings up is a valid one, because it’s a lot more than just this meeting she’s referring to,” he said. 

During the meeting, a person representing the group in favor of the proposal was cut-off after three minutes during the public comment session, then allowed to return for another 90 seconds to continue their thoughts later during that same session, although no dialogue with the council was entertained.  

A council or board has the prerogative to seek someone’s testimony to provide further board consideration on a topic it lacks clarity on, but there is a fine line to toe in terms of fairness or a potentially perceived favoritism in the matter. Presumably the council will need to define where that line is in the future.     

“There is a difference between providing comment during an open mic session, and being invited by a board to answer further questions regarding a matter they need clarity on – that is sort of more of an invited speaker status,” said Shoshanah Bewlay, Executive Director of the New York State Committee on Open Government. 

“There are obviously situations where any process can be abused,” she added, speaking in general terms, “if there is some kind of favoritism being shown to one commentor because the board was somehow sympathetic and wanted to get more information because it suited them in some partisan type of way.”   

“If we are allowing members of the public to talk for an extended discussion in the middle of the meeting, we need to have a defined process of when this is permitted,” Sanghvi said. “You can’t just keep making exceptions for people you like, and not for people you don’t like. That’s not how you can run a meeting fairly or civilly.”

“I hear what you’re saying,” Mayor Safford responded.  “Give us some time to think about it.” 

It is not known if or when the discussion will be revisited at the council table. The council next meets on Tuesday, Aug. 20.   

Nick DiMatteo: Longtime Saratoga Springs Tailor to Celebrate A Big Day

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in Featured, News.

Nick DiMatteo as a young boy, learning the craft and art of the tailoring business in his hometown in Italy. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Nick DiMatteo grew up in the 1940s in a little town by Naples, Italy and made his way across the Great Pond to America while in his twenties. He set up his first shop in Saratoga Springs the late 1970s, more than half-a-lifetime ago.  

“I got to Ellis Island September first in ’68,” DiMatteo says, seated in his shop at number 119 Church Street, where accompanied by various scissors, measuring tools, pins, pincushions, and needles and thread, he has served his clientele for more than 40 years. 

His first location in the Spa City, which also served as the first time he ran his own business, stood west of Circular Street across from the Holiday Inn. 

“January 2, 1979,” he says. “I remember the day.”

In May 1981, he relocated to number 119 Church Street, a shop he has occupied for more than half his life, and one in which he continues to work in. He is exceptional at recalling dates, and a big one is fast approaching. 

On Aug. 23, DiMatteo will celebrate his 80th birthday. 

What does he want people to know?

 “To know that I’m on Church Street!” says the longtime tailor, whose shop sits on a tree-lined street accompanied by residential homes and a few blocks west of Broadway. Its existence is simply pronounced by a brick entryway, a trio of stone steps and a subtle flash of neon that reads: Tailoring.  

For the past 40 years DiMatteo’s custom tailoring work has well placed him within the community, his days often dotted by people coming in for a chat. 

“People call, people come in. When they call, they ask a lot of questions,” he says with a laugh. “Come in!” He is open five days a week: 9-5 Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday 10 to 1, so there is the invitation.   

“I have a wonderful clientele, beautiful people,” DiMatteo says. “I enjoy working for them.” 

He grew up in a little Italian town with a population of about 5,000 people and started learning the business of tailoring at a young age.   

“I was very young, maybe 8?  “My mama said: if you don’t want to follow in your dad’s footsteps and go to the farm, you better learn a trade.  I didn’t want to be a mechanic. I was going to elementary school and after school I went to the shop,” says DiMatteo, gesturing to vintage photographs on the walls depicting the young apprentice in his hometown in Italy. 

“I learned how to use a needle and thread, a thimble on a piece of cloth,” he says. “It kept me off the street, because my parents didn’t want me to not have supervision after school. They were on the farm –  so either I had to go there, or somewhere like this, to stay off the street.” 

He relocated to America in the late 1960s and lived in upstate New York where he had family. 

“I went to an apprentice shop in Italy so I learned to sew over there. When I came here I worked for somebody in Schenectady for 9-1/2 years, then decided to open my own,” DiMatteo says. 

“When I decided to open up my own place I was searching for a spot. Schenectady already had tailors,” he says. He found an initial location in Saratoga Springs – “a very small room, 10-by-10 maybe,” and soon relocated to the space where he currently continues his work, on Church Street.   

“1981 – Saratoga was different then,” says DiMatteo, whose early work consisted largely of men’s custom-made suits, and added the work of making alterations to already existing outfits. “With a custom-made suit – you buy the material and it’s made to fit you. It takes over a week and you satisfy only one customer. With alterations you satisfy 50 people,” he says, explaining the difference.     

“Today, I have new customers every day, and I have folks who I have known for 40 years,” says DiMatteo. “There are not a lot of tailors now compared to 40 years ago when there were many, but there are a few of us still around.”

This month he celebrates birthday number 80, more than 40 years as owner of his custom tailoring shop on Church Street and a lifetime of working in the craft and art of helping people to look their best. 

Saratoga Senior Center Events

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

The following events are taking place at, or in coordination with the Saratoga Senior Center.

Sipping for Seniors Fundraiser– Thursday, August 15, 6 pm – 10 pm. Support the Saratoga Senior Center at Sipping for Seniors that will take place at the Horseshoe Inn Bar & Grill. 20% of all food & drink sales and 100% of guest bartender tips will be donated to the Center. 

Upcoming Bus Trips – Open to the Public

Lake Placid, NY Bus Trip – Thursday, October 10. Call 518-584-1621 with any questions or to sign up. Trip Only: $45 per person Trip & Olympic Museum: $69 per person.

New York City Bus Trip – Wednesday, December 4. Spend a day on your own shopping at the winter village in Bryant Park, visiting the tree at Rockefeller Center, or experiencing a magical performance by the Radio City Rockettes. Call 518-584-1621 with any questions or to sign up. Trip: $62 per person.

Free Presentations at the Center – Open to the Public

Long Term Care Insurance – Friday, August 16 | 10 am. Presented by Herzog Law Firm. Eileen Dunn, MS, CMC will discuss all aspects of long-term care insurance. If you have a policy, please bring it along and for review. 

Memory & Concentration – Monday, August 19 | 1 pm. Presented by Helene Brecker. A presentation on memory and concentration. Learn ten acupressure points that have been suggested can help with sleep quality and cognitive functions. 

Introduction to Energy Medicine– Monday, August 26 | 10 am. Presented by Helene Brecker. Energy medicine can help with relieving pain, sharpening your mind, relieving stress and anxiety, strengthening the immune system, improving digestion, relieving allergies, enhancing wellbeing, managing weight, and enhancing learning skills. The goal is to show people that the power of healing is in their hands and to share a 5-minute daily routine.

The Gift of Life: An Informational Discussion About Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation – Tuesday, August 27 | 1pm. Supported by William J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home. Representatives from the Center for Donation & Transplant and Lions Eye Bank of the Northeast will provide an overview of organ and tissue donation. Learn more about the need and impact of donation, the donation process, and how to register a donor.

Comedian Colin Quinn in Featured Performance to Benefit T2T Foundation Aug. 31  

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

SNL veteran Colin Quinn will be featured in a benefit performance Aug. 31 in Ballston Spa. Photo: colinquinn.com

Writer, performer and stand-up comedian Colin Quinn will be featured in a comedy show on Aug. 31 in Ballston Spa to benefit Tunnels to Towers Foundation.

The event, held at 2117 Barrett Road will include live music performed by Skippy and The Pistons. Showtime is 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 and tickets are $75. 

Tunnel to Towers Foundation provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and builds specially-adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. For the past several years, the Foundation’s program service percentage on average was 95% – 95 cents out of every dollar goes directly to our programs and services.

The benefit will be held rain or shine and reservations may be made by calling 518-542-3731. 

New World of Water: Summer Nature Camp at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

WILTON — Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will be hosting a new week-long summer family nature camp. 

This half-day camp is suitable for kids entering grades 2-5 (with an accompanying adult). Engaging hands-on activities, games, and take-home crafts will be used to learn about topics like the water cycle, oceans, pond life, and more! World of Water will begin on Monday, Aug. 19 and run through Friday, Aug. 23 from 9 am to noon. Pricing is $75/family (parent(s) and one child) and $25/each additional child.

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

Saratoga County History Center Presents

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

BALLSTON SPA — The following events take place at Brookside Museum, 21 Fairground Ave. in Ballston Spa. 

Discover the Three Sisters: Saturday, Aug. 24, 1-4 pm.  Discover the Three Sisters, Corn, Beans, & Squash. Join Brookside Museum in a celebration of Indigenous culture. Come enjoy an exhibit on Native Americans, activities for all ages including storytelling and crafts, tour of the gardens, bake & plant sale and even more to come! 

Sounds of Summer: Sunday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m. The Jazz Ambassadors as well as featured professional musicians from the local 506 of the American Federation of Musicians will be giving a free concert on the porch of the Brookside Museum. Please bring your lawn chairs and a picnic dinner and enjoy a relaxing evening of music.

On This Spot: Mom & Pop Businesses in Saratoga Springs: Sept. 5, 7-8:30pm.  Carol Godette will take attendees on a journey based on her new book On This Spot: Saratoga Springs. Godette will describe how she was able to create images of a life now past, through first person interviews with the owners and their families. Books will be available for purchase and signing. This event is free but donations are accepted.  

For more information check www.brooksidemuseum.org

Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival: Life Is Beautiful on Aug. 22 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival presents a panel discussion on Zoom of the award-winning film Life is Beautiful at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22.  

Life is Beautiful, directed by Roberto Benigni, is an award-winning Holocaust film that elicits humor, poignancy, evil, and controversy. While the movie softens the Holocaust slightly to make the humor possible, it is not primarily about Nazis and Fascists. It is about the human spirit, about rescuing whatever is good and hopeful from the wreckage of dreams. It is about hope for the future and the human conviction (or delusion) that things will be better for our children than they are today.

To register for the panel discussion on Zoom, go to: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XRz7HGe/LifeisBeautiful. 

15th Annual Malta 5K Set for September in Support of Area First Responders and Veteran Nonprofits

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

MALTA – The Roundabout Runners Club nonprofit will host the 15th Annual Malta 5K road race on Saturday, Sept. 7, stepping off at 8:30 a.m. at Malta’s two technology parks, NYSERDA’s Saratoga Technology Park & Luther Forest Technology Campus. 

Over the last 14 years, this event has raised more than $325,000 to support local veterans agencies and Malta’s emergency first responders.

This year’s beneficiaries include: The Malta Ridge Volunteer Fire Company, the Round Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Malta-Stillwater EMS, and Alliance180  – a peer-to-peer purpose driven program that aims to prevent suicide for fellow Veterans, first responders and frontline healthcare workers facing the effects of trauma through transformative quine experience.

Registration is open online for t $30. The fee increases to $35 after Sept. 1. Event day registration is $40. Children under 12 and adults over 70 are eligible for a $10 discount online. Commemorative hoodie sweatshirts will also be available for $20. For more information, go to: http://www.malta5k.com/.