BALLSTON SPA — All the following events take place at Brookside Museum, 21 Fairground Ave. Ballston Spa. For more information check www.brooksidemuseum.org

Historian Tea Talks: Saratoga in the Gilded Age and the Lost Park. Wednesday, April 2, 3-4:30pm. Come and enjoy a presentation given by the acclaimed local author and storyteller, Hollis Palmer, in conjunction with the Saratoga County History Center. Tea and cookies will be served. Registration is free and recommended, but a donation of $5 per registration, online or at the event, is appreciated to support the programs of Saratoga County History Center.

Well-Dressed: Gowns of the 1770s – Public Program & Workshop by Emily Stringham, Friday, April 4, 7 -8:30pm. Learn about the importance of the garment that was worn by women of all classes. This program will cover the social history and construction of the garment as well as include an opportunity to view an original gown from the 18th century. This program is free and open to the public, however registration is highly encouraged. 

Traveling the Mother Road: America’s Route 66. Thursday, April 10, 7-8:30pm. Joanne and Rick Reynolds will share the story of their personal and professional road trip from the beginning to the end of America’s Route 66 – from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. This presentation is not a travelogue but an examination of the story of this road, with stories, pictures, and an emphasis on preservation of the past for all to experience now and into the future. The presentation is free to attend, but donations are welcome, either online or at the event.

ALBANY — The Great White Way earned its nickname generations ago and became known the world over for its illumination of lively activity down the backbone of the world’s greatest city. Five years ago nearly to the day, everything came to an ominous halt. 

“On March 20, with Broadway closed, schools closed, and refrigerator trucks set up outside hospitals to handle an anticipated overflow of dead bodies, the governor announced his New York on Pause Plan,” recounts Manhattan Borough Historian Robert W. Snyder. “New York was now a city under lockdown at the epicenter of a global pandemic.” The chilling retelling introduces his new book: When the City Stopped: Stories from New York’s Essential Workers. 

Snyder visits the Capital Region next week, when he will share the stories of COVID-19 in the words of ordinary New Yorkers. A talk takes place at 2 p.m. Friday, March 28 at the University at Albany, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the New York State Museum’s Huxley Theater. Both events are free to attend.   

Snyder, who was appointed Manhattan Borough Historian in 2019, revisits the spring of 2020 when across the city’s largely vacant streets direct human connection carried the threat of mortal danger. The book highlights the fear and uncertainty of life in the early weeks and months of the pandemic, as well as the solidarity that sustained the city. 

The stories in the book are based on oral histories and first-person narratives. These are the words of bus drivers and restaurant workers, schoolteachers and paramedics, cab drivers, sales clerks, members of law enforcement, and supermarket cashiers.

Nurse Patricia Tiu tells the story of a female patient who spent a week in the hospital to have surgery performed. While in the hospital, the patient tested positive for COVID-19. “She asked the nurse if the nurse could stand where she could see her until she falls asleep from the sedation because she doesn’t want to die alone. That was the last thing she said.”   

The stories portray 43 different New Yorkers who worked on the frontlines, struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic and faced the uncertainties of the virus head-on.

“Years after having to worry about infections because of damage my lungs had suffered on 9/11 – I would once again have fear that I could die of a virus by going to work,” says 60-year-old fire department battalion chief Simon Ressner. “My nose starts itching. DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE!!”  

Snyder says he wrote the book in memory of all who were lost, and in honor of the frontline workers faced danger so that others may live. “As Manhattan Borough Historian, I wanted to produce a book that would ensure that the experiences of New Yorkers during the pandemic were not forgotten.” 

It is very much a survivor’s story as well as a reminder of the suddenness and unpredictability that life may present at any given time; an emotional collection to carry forward for everyone alive today. 

To fail to learn from the tragedies of the pandemic would be a tragedy twice over, writes Snyder. “If we are to learn anything… the best place to begin is with the words of the people who drove the ambulances, cared for patients, punched cash registers, drove buses, ran trains, and faced death daily so that others may live. Remembering their stories and sacrifices is the best way to prepare for a better future.” 

When the City Stopped: Stories from New York’s Essential Workers, was published March 15, 2025 by Three Hills Books, an imprint of Cornell University Press. Author and historian Robert Snyder will speak at the University at Albany, 2 pm to 3:30 pm Friday, March 28- Humanities HU 354, 1400 Washington Ave, Albany, and 2 – 3 p.m. Saturday, March 29, Huxley Theater, New York State Museum, 222 Madison Ave., Albany.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Attorney Sarah Burger officially launched her candidacy last week to become the third candidate in the two-seat race for city supervisor at the county level. 

The event was held at Saratoga Casino Hotel March 12, and Burger, a Democrat, was introduced by former Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen. A number of current and former city officials were also in attendance – Dillon Moran, Hank Kuczynski, and Bill McTygue, among them.  

Burger introduced herself as an experienced litigator and negotiator who has successfully resolved countless disputes on behalf of working people for unpaid wages, discrimination, harassment and retaliation. She also previously served as chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee.  

Current Supervisor Michele Madigan (D) previously announced her candidacy for Saratoga Springs city mayor. Current and longtime Supervisor Matt Veitch (R) – who also currently serves as vice-chairperson of the Board of Supervisors – was endorsed by the Republican Party for re-election as supervisor. In addition to Burger, the Democratic Party has endorsed current city Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi for supervisor. 

Elections will be held in November for the two supervisor positions as well as for all five Saratoga Springs City Council seats.  

SARATOGA springs — Saratoga Senior Center is paging late career employees, retirees, and semi-retirees to respond to a call for service in its Senior Life Transitions Program.  All are welcome.  The hours are totally up to you, the pay is 0, and the satisfaction is High. Consider being part of a team that brings comfort and companionship to seriously ill seniors in Saratoga County.  With an epidemic of social isolation and loneliness upon us, this very personal need is extensive in both urban and rural areas.

The Senior Life Transitions Program was founded in 2021 as a partnership between the Saratoga Senior Center and primary care medical practices, the idea being to close gaps that exist between healthcare and social services care. These gaps impact seniors disproportionately due to the increase in co-morbidities, the rise in poverty among the elderly, and the daily impact of social determinants of health (such as transportation challenges, food insecurity, and housing challenges). Social isolation itself is now recognized as a major impact on the elderly.  This is a damaging phenomenon that together we can address here in our own local community, using a professionally-guided, volunteer-intensive, grass-roots, bottom-up, boots-on-the-ground approach.

Current volunteers in the program include retired doctors, nurses, and social workers, as well as former caregivers and residents who want to help out close to home. The volunteer team is supervised by Phil Di Sorbo, retired Hospice Executive Director and Lisa Perrone, Social Worker and Certified Patient Advocate. The basic principles of palliative care guide the Life Transitions work: being very focused on the uniqueness of the elder being served; an emphasis on the quality of life and enhancing personhood; and collaborating with medical practices and other social agencies. 

Call or message the Saratoga Senior Center to volunteer now: 518-584-1621 and ask for Barbara Devlin, Volunteer Coordinator.

SARATOGA COUNTY — The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement regarding changes in New York State’s boating law.

As of Jan. 1, 2025, all recreational boaters, including personal watercraft (PWC), are required to have a boating safety certificate. 

Operators of non-motorized boats such as kayaks and canoes, are not required to have a boating safety certificate at this time. 

The sheriff’s office points out that while people may have operated a fishing boat or family recreational boat for several years, a New York State Boater Safety Certificate/Operator Card is now required. Boat operators are required to carry their safety certificate whenever they go on the water. Optionally, an anchor icon may be added to a New York State driver’s license. 

The New York Safe Boating Course teaches basic boating skills and encourages common sense and courtesy on the water. Boaters can earn their certificate by taking a classroom course with certified New York state instructors or through approved online courses. 

Certificates are issued by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, a volunteer organization that supports the Coast Guard in all its nonmilitary, and non-law enforcement missions, America’s Boating Club, a national organization dedicated to boating safety and education, and US Powerboating, a national authority for powerboat training and education. Note, a National Association of State Boating Law Administrator-certified course from another state is recognized in New York.

BoatUS Foundation at https://www.boatus.org/newyork provides a certified online course that is free and recognized by New York. Other sources for the course include Drive-A-Boat-USA; their $59.95 fee includes the course, exam, and boating safety certificate, including unlimited attempts to complete the exam. There are a variety of options for online boating safety courses, such as Boat-Ed and Ace Boater for $39.95, BOAT smart and BOATERexam for $34.95, and the New York Quick Boater Course is available for $34.95 at newyorkboatingcard.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Friends of the New York State Military Museum, in conjunction with the Capital District of New York Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), will be conducting a 50th Vietnam War Commemoration ceremony on Saturday, March 29.  

Doors open at 4:30 pm, check in no later than 5:20 pm. And the event takes place at 5:30 pm at the New York State Military Museum, 61 Lake Ave., Saratoga Springs.  

The event will recognize and honor the service of Vietnam War era veterans who served in the military during the period of Nov. 1, 1955 thru May 15, 1975 and have time on active duty even if only for training. All branches of the service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard qualify. 

The event is free and open to the public, but veterans who register will receive a Vietnam War era lapel pin. Everyone attending must register. A Surviving Spouse pin will also be issued to the spouse of a deceased veteran who served on active duty in the United States Armed Forces at any time during the same period, regardless of location. 

Veterans and Surviving Spouses may register for the event by contacting CSM(R) Bob Van Pelt at 518-210-2868 or email at bvpcsm@aol.com. Registration must be completed no later than March 25, 2025. Please provide your name, dates of service and name of spouse/family/guest(s) you will bring. 

Each individual Vietnam War Era Veteran will be recognized and presented with the lapel pin and have an opportunity to say a few words. Prior pin awardees are welcome to attend and make remarks.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —A Casino Night fundraiser to benefit Beagle School will take place March 21 at Canfield Casino in Congress Park. 

Casino Night will kick off at 6 p.m. and include a range of classic casino games, including poker, blackjack, and roulette. 

Located in Saratoga Springs at 115 Regent St.  and 107 Circular St., Beagle School is a non-profit preschool serving children aged 2-5 for 53 years. Recently, the “Little Beagle” location for 2-year-olds on Circular Street suffered significant damage due to a traffic accident last summer. While the setback required a temporary home be found for students, it also sparked a plan to transform and renovate the main facility.

For more information about the Casino Night fundraiser and to purchase tickets, visit https://beagle-school.betterworld.org/events/beagle-school-casino-night or email: beagleschoolevents@gmail.com.