SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association, Inc. announced that Saratoga Race Course will feature one admission price for all fans beginning with the 2023 summer meet, thereby eliminating the traditional two-tiered structure of Clubhouse and Grandstand admission. For the first time, a single admission rate will provide fans with access to both the Clubhouse and Grandstand.

Admission will be $7 daily when purchased at least 24-hours in advance, a savings from last season’s Clubhouse price of $10. Admission to Saratoga Race Course on the day of the event will be $10. Admission does not include reserved seating. Since 2019, daily Clubhouse admission has stood at $10 and Grandstand admission at $7. 

Fans will be able to purchase their daily admission to Saratoga Race Course beginning Thursday, June 1, at NYRA.com/Saratoga.

Season admission passes, which provide admission at a discount for all 40 days of the summer meet, will go on sale in April.

Travers Day general admission will be available for $25 in advance and $30 day-of, while supplies last. 

Opening Day of the 2023 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course is Thursday, July 13. Live racing will be conducted five days per week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of Opening Week and Closing Week which will conclude on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4. The 154th edition of the Travers will take place on Saturday, Aug. 26 and the 96th renewal of the Whitney will be run on Saturday, Aug. 5.

BALLSTON SPA — Hop City Maple is an up-and-coming sugarhouse that has transformed from a backyard hobby into a fully-fledged maple business. Located in Ballston Spa, Hop City Maple is owned and operated by John and Emilia Medick. The business began ten years ago when John and Emilia decided to tap some trees on their property. 

That first winter, they tapped 19 trees and made a few gallons of syrup boiling over an open pan. From then they tapped more trees each winter using buckets for several years and sold their sap to a neighbor. As Emilia put it, “When my husband gets into something, it grows.”

Eventually they began making their own syrup and installed a mainline tubing and vacuum system to collect sap. Last year, they had 520 taps and now offer a variety of products like maple syrup available in three grades, bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup, maple candies, maple cream, maple sugar, and honey. 

Selling their products through a farmstand at the bottom of their road, online, and at a few local businesses, their products have been well received, as Emilia said that the business has “blown our expectations so far.”

This year the Medicks plan to tap 600-700 trees and they have set up some “DIY” pumps for more efficiency in collection. Hop City Maple participated in NYS Maple Weekends for the first time last year welcoming many groups of people to the sugarhouse for tree tapping and boiling demonstrations, as well as treats like maple milk. 

Hop City will be participating on both weekends again this year on March 18 & 19 and 25 & 26. At this year’s weekends Hop City Maple is teaming up with Dickinson’s Delight, a local food truck, to offer maple crepes and other maple goodies.

Their property was gifted to them after John’s mother passed away. As a way to honor her, they donate some of the proceeds of their business to the charities WellSpring and Mr. Mo Project.

Emilia and John are also grateful to the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association for welcoming them into the group and for their help in learning more about the science of maple syrup making. 

To learn more about Hop City Maple, visit www.hopcitymaple.com or check out the Hop City Facebook page.

This year’s NYS Maple Weekends will be March 18-19 and 25-26. To find a producer near you to visit this maple season, check out the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association website at www.upperhudsonmaple.com/.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Second Chance Sports is having a wood racquet-only day on July 1. The event started in 1990 in Saratoga Springs.

All who play will receive a special Saratoga gift and food all day, with prizes to the winner and runner-ups in all divisions.

A beginner division is included. Games will be doubles play, with no ad scoring, to help move along play. Funds will go toward disabled sports programs through Second Chance Sports and The Learning League.

There are a limited number of players. Sign up begins this week, and is first come, first serve. The event will be held July 1, with July 8 as a rain date. To sign up, call Bill at 518-226-5888.

SARATOGA COUNTY — Today Congressman Paul Tonko, who represents Saratoga County in the 20th Congressional District, along with Ohio congressman Dave Joyce announced the relaunch of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus for the 118th Congress. The Congressmen will serve as co-chairs of the Caucus, which is a bipartisan group of legislators committed to advancing bipartisan solutions to the country’s multifaceted addiction crisis. 

“There isn’t a community in our nation that has not been touched by the overdose epidemic,” said  Tonko, D-Amsterdam, said in a statement. “While I am deeply proud of the strides we’ve made to address the disease of addiction with laws like my Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, far more work lies ahead. It is my hope that the ATR Caucus will continue to serve as a forum to convene Members who are serious about eliminating barriers to treatment, and saving lives. I’m grateful to have a strong partner in Rep. Joyce as we work to put a stop to this crisis and support our loved ones and our communities.”

 The Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus is the first and longest running Congressional caucus that recognizes addiction as a disease. The Caucus is comprised of more than 50 Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. This Congress, the Caucus will serve as a clearinghouse for legislation aimed at expanding access to treatment for addiction, supporting Americans recovering from the illness, and bolstering the health workforce on the frontlines of the addiction crisis. 

SARATOGA COUNTY – Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, this week released a statement regarding the Assembly budget proposal. 

“I applaud the amendments that the Assembly proposal is making to the executive’s plan regarding housing,” Woerner said.” We don’t need to solve our state’s housing crisis by running roughshod over local zoning laws. The Assembly’s plan would stimulate housing growth by working with municipalities, not dictating what must be done.”

Specifically, the proposal provides $500 million in total funding for cities, towns and villages in need of housing. Municipalities would receive initial payments for submitting a housing plan and secondary payments once they meet housing growth targets within the target period starting Jan. 1, 2024, Woerner said. 

“Through my annual survey, constituents told me that their highest priorities in the budget were healthcare and education (K-12), followed closely by environment, housing, workforce development, and infrastructure,” Woerner added.  “While there are some things in the Assembly budget proposal that my constituents and I do not support, the overall proposed spending plan addresses the funding priorities of the communities I represent.”

The Assembly’s proposal includes a 10% increase in Medicaid funding for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, coupled with additional funding for distressed nursing homes. It also proposes significant investments in the Environmental Protection Fund, including farmland and open space conservation, in water and sewer infrastructure, and in workforce development programs.

GLENS FALLS – ADK Tabletop Day returns this spring to the Charles R. Wood Theater on Glen Street in downtown Glens Falls. The title of this year’s event is “The Spring Fling,” and being that the event is taking place on April Fool’s Day, the Sasquatch has been chosen as the mascot.

The event organizers, Adirondack Tabletop Gamers and Game Developers along with local game design company First Stall Productions, invite tabletop gaming enthusiasts from around the area to gather and play games, have some fun, and raise some money for their chosen local charity, North Shore Animal League – Adirondack Region Cat Adoption Center, based in Glens Falls. 

ADK Tabletop Day will be a one-day, 12-hour event filled with modern board games, Role-Playing games, and more. This event is open to people of all ages and skill levels. The event will run from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

Attendees can sign up for structured time slots featuring a variety of board games, card games, and role-playing games, or enjoy a large open gaming space and borrow from the lending library of over 300 games (you may bring your own games as well, if you like). Independent game designers will also be on-hand running demos of games they have created.

Adults: $15 ; Children under 12: Free of charge; Students & Veterans receive a $3 discount. Each purchased ticket comes with an entry into a door prize raffle. To buy passes, visit the Wood Theater Box office: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35085/production/1152716 Or visit the website: www.adirondacon.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Live Nation will hold a series of job fairs to fill a number of seasonal positions for the 2023 concert season at Saratoga Performing Arts Center beginning on Sunday, March 19 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. A full schedule of all job fair sessions is below.

The schedule for the Live Nation job fairs at SPAC is as follows: Sunday, March 19 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.; Sunday, March 26 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.; Saturday, April 1 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. ; Sunday, April 2 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.; Saturday, April 8 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Applicants should enter SPAC through the Hall of Springs gate due to construction happening on the Route 50 entrance side. Please follow the signs to The Pines building and go upstairs to the Nancy DiCresce Room.

Applicants should apply online prior to attending one of the job fair sessions. Apply at: https://livenation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/LNExternalSite?q=saratoga.  

The 2023 Summer Season at SPAC features an all-star lineup of performers, including Dead & Company (June 17-18), Dermot Kennedy (June 19), Tedeschi Trucks Band (July 1), Big Time Rush (July 3), Goose (July 7), Noel Gallagher & Garbage (July 8), Kidz Bop (July 9), Dave Matthews Band (July 14-15), Jason Aldean (July 16), Matchbox 20 (July 30), Foreigner (August 1), The Chicks (August 6), Goo Goo Dolls (August 8), Zac Brown Band (August 13), Pentatonix (August 23), Eric Church(August 24), Guns N’ Roses (September 1), and Lynyrd Skynyrd (September 8). 

For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.