SARATOGA SPRINGS —The eighth annual Saratoga International Flavorfeast will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7. 

The popular food festival in downtown Saratoga Springs provides attendees a feast of flavors from around the globe, while enjoying multi-cultural street performances throughout the day. International flags that line Broadway herald the annual event’s return.

Beginning at 11 a.m. on Oct. 7, Flavorfeast “passport-maps” displaying a layout of participating restaurants/businesses can be picked up on the corner of Broadway and Division Street. 

The map – which is also available at www.saratogaflavorfeast.com the night before the event – helps event-goers plan their day’s itinerary of travel to a variety of local restaurant destinations for $2 food samples from countries of origin such as Ireland, Italy, India, Guatemala, Spain, Mexico, Egypt, Greece, and more.

Participating restaurants include: Bare Blends, Ben & Jerry’s, Boca Bistro, Brasserie Benelux, Cantina, Esperanto, Gaffney’s Restaurant, Hattie’s, Henry Street Taproom, KaffeeHouse, Kaleidoscope Café, Karavalli, Kindred, Maple Valley Farm, Nashville of Saratoga, Phila Fusion, Sara’s Kitchen, Sushi Thai Garden, The District, The Parting Glass, Trattoria Fortunata, West Avenue Pizza, and Wheatfields Restaurant & Bar. Saratoga Olive Oil Company will be offering free tastings throughout the day.

“Our inspiration for creating this event was to showcase the variety of restaurants we enjoy in this region and to highlight the tremendous skills of our local chefs,” Ashley Dingeman, Saratoga Food Fanatic Blogger/Writer and co-organizer of the event said in a statement. “Fall is a beautiful time of year to walk the streets of Saratoga, and sample incredible tastes from local restaurants representing countries from all around the world.”

Entertainment including Asian dance, Irish Step Dancing, fiddling, German accordion playing, African drumming and more will take place at various locations downtown including The Spa City Motor Lodge Parking Lot, the Parting Glass Lot, the Adirondack Trust Drive Thru, as well as roaming locations throughout the city streets.

When you pick up your “passport map,” at the corner of Division and Broadway, you can enter to win prizes. All proceeds will go directly to the Food Pantry at the Franklin Community Center. In addition to food samples at restaurant locations on Broadway, Phila Street, Caroline Street, Lake Avenue and Henry Street, there will be restaurants from outside the center of town set up in The Spa City Motor Lodge Parking Lot, on the corner of Broadway and Division Street.    

The Saratoga International Flavorfeast is presented by Saratoga Food Fanatic and Network Saratoga. A full list of participating restaurants, menu items, and entertainment will be posted on www.saratogaflavorfeast.com. For more information, call 518-365-3459.  

SARATOGA COUNTY — Nine-year-old Charlotte Sena, who went missing Sept. 30 while on a bike ride in Moreau Lake State Park, was located safe and in good health by state police shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 2.  

Craig N. Ross Jr., of Ballston Spa, was charged with kidnapping in the first degree, a felony, on the suspicion of abducting the girl. Ross, 46, was taken into custody, arraigned at Milton Town Court and sent to Saratoga County Correctional Facility without bail. Additional charges are anticipated. 

The Oct. 2 arrest followed the issue of an AMBER alert on Oct. 1, and an investigative “search of multiple residences where (Ross) is known to reside,” authorities said. 

“When you hit that 48-hour moment, you realize it’s going to be tough, and you start thinking the worst. But what happened was extraordinary,” NY Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a press conference following the arrest. 

Timeline of arrest: at 4:20 a.m. Oct.2, a car pulled up to the Sena family home, which was being guarded by State Police, and a ransom note was left in the mailbox. Fingerprints on the letter were entered into the New York State database in search of a possible match. 

“The hit came at 2:30 (Monday) afternoon. There had been a DWI in 1999 in the city of Saratoga (Springs),” Gov. Hochul said. “A fingerprint was found that matched what was found on the ransom note.”

Further research led police to a residence with a camper located behind it. Ross’ mother lives in the residence – described as a double wide house, and Ross lived in the camper. 

“They have what they call a dynamic entry, a tactical maneuver, and within the camper, they located the suspect,” the governor said. “After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody, and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet, cupboard. She was rescued. And she knew she was being rescued. She knew that she was in safe hands.” 

“Ultimately, it was the two SWAT teams, one federal and one state, that landed in helicopters in Ballston Spa to rescue Charlotte,” said Hochul, who thanked law enforcement officials, several fire departments, city, county, state and federal agencies, and some 400 volunteers for their diligence in the search for the girl.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — New business presented to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals this week include the seeking of an area variance to permit the construction of a mixed-use building at Station Lane, and another to permit the demolition and construction of a new single-family modular home on South Franklin Street. 

Station Lane: at the northwest corner of West Avenue and Station Lane, the “West Ave Site Plan” project proposes the development of a four-story mixed-use building, with a footprint of approximately 23,500 square feet. 

The first floor is proposed to house retail space, a restaurant, and nine apartments. The remaining three floors will provide 59 multi-family rental units. The basement level will provide 60 parking spaces.  

At 72 South Franklin St., the applicants are seeking to remove the existing structure and build a new modular home on the property. New setbacks would be needed for the development of the new home. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —After a lengthy period of building upgrades, the New York State Military Museum will host a Grand Re-Opening Celebration 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7. The museum is located at 61 Lake Ave.   

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature performances by the 42nd Infantry Division band, free ice cream, and costumed re-enactors representing soldiers from many of the nation’s conflicts including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  

The event will also include souvenir handouts celebrating the day, a scavenger hunt for children, and more.

Housed in an historic armory constructed in 1889, the Military Museum was closed from last October through the middle of July for the installation of new slate roof and an HVAC system.

The New York State Military Museum is a nationally recognized source of New York State military history highlighted by the display of numerous historical treasures.

The Military Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Admission is free.  For more information, call 518-581-5100 or visit the website at https://museum.dmna.ny.gov.