SARATOGA SPRINGS — Single-day general admission tickets for the 2021 season at Saratoga Race Course are now on sale for at Ticketmaster.com. 

General admission tickets may also be purchased on the day of the event at all track admission gates. Single-day Grandstand admission is $7 and Clubhouse admission is $10 – the same as in 2019. A Grandstand general admission ticket provides access to the popular Saratoga backyard, trackside apron and select areas of the Grandstand. Clubhouse admission provides access to Clubhouse dining areas, including the Turf Terrace, Club Terrace and The Porch.

Fans may also purchase season admission passes. A season pass provides admission to all 40 days of the Saratoga meet, including Runhappy Travers Day.

Clubhouse season passes are available for $75. Grandstand season passes are $50 and may be purchased in-person at more than 150 participating Capital Region Stewart’s Shops or online.

Fans will not be required to provide proof of vaccination for admission to Saratoga Race Course. Non-vaccinated individuals will be required to wear a facial covering during their day at Saratoga Race Course, in accordance with federal CDC guidance.

The 40-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses highlighted by the 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers on August 28 and the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 7, as the anchors of two of the most prestigious racing days in North America.

Following the four-day opening weekend from Thursday, July 15 through Sunday, July 18, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.

For more information about hospitality and dining areas and to purchase tickets, visit a NYRA.com/Saratoga. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 15th Annual Firecracker 4 Road Race is set to take place this weekend. Here is more information you should know before Sunday, July 4. 

The race will start and end at the Saratoga Springs City Center. Runners will line up at the start at 9 a.m. and thunder down Broadway, enjoying a four-mile road race through welcoming neighborhoods and the incredible sights of Saratoga Springs. The course will feature entertainment, and there will be a festive finish with food, music, awards, and activities. 

Admission is $30 per runner. Proceeds from the Firecracker 4 benefit local non-profits and causes. Runners are encouraged to register at either the Fleet Feet store in Albany or Malta to get a $5 off and a $5 coupon to Fleet Feet. 

Packet pick-up, where you receive your shirt and bib (race number), will be at the following dates, times, and locations:

• July 1: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fleet Feet Albany

• July 2: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fleet Feet Malta

• July 3: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saratoga City Center

• July 4: 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at Saratoga City Center 

The “Run-Your-Colors” competition is a category of the race created to encourage teams of runners from organizations that share in the promotion of fitness. All registered teams are featured on the Firecracker website by name. Winners will be showcased on the website for a year following the race and will be thrown a party at Barrel House with a drink and lite fare. 

To register or volunteer, visit www.firecracker4.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Registration for Fall programming began June 28. Various programs will be offered throughout the Fall, including T-ball/baseball, boxing, field hockey, ice skating lessons, soccer, pickleball, and volleyball. 

Soccer – Youth & Adult Programs: The soccer program takes a participant through their first steps on the field to game play in a recreational environment; there is also a league for adults who want to continue playing the game. 

The programs for Kickers & Youth League runs Sept. 9 – Oct. 30 at the Saratoga Casino & Hotel (34 Jefferson Street, Saratoga Springs). All participants will need water, cleats, and shin guards. *No jewelry or watches.

Little Kickers is a parent/child introductory program that teaches basic soccer fundamentals through games and activities. It is for ages 3-5, and will be on Saturdays from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Before Aug. 23, fees are $45 for city residents and $65 for non-city residents. After Aug. 23, fees are $70 for city residents and $90 for non-city residents.

Big Kickers has teams and coaches. Teams will practice skills for the first half of the session and play games the other half. It is for kindergarteners, and will be on Saturdays from 10-10:45 a.m. Before Aug. 23, fees are $45 for city residents and $65 for non-city residents. After Aug. 23, fees are $70 for city residents and $90 for non-city residents. 

Youth League (Co-Ed) is separated into grade appropriate divisions to expose players to skills and is based on level of play. Divisions are Co-Ed. The kickers play once per week, on the weekend. All other divisions play once during the week and once on the weekend. Divisions and schedules may change depending on registrations. League is for grades 1-12. Grades 1 & 2 will play Monday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Saturday, 11:15 a.m. -12:15 p.m. Grades 3 & 4 will play Tuesday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9-10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Grades 5-8 will play Wednesday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Saturday, 10-11:30 a.m. or 12-1:30 p.m. Grades 9-12 will play Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday, 5:30-7 p.m., and Saturday 9-10:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m., or 12:30-2 p.m. Before Aug. 23, fees are $60 for city residents and $80 for non-city residents. After Aug. 23, fees are $85 for city residents and $105 for non-city residents. 

Adult Rec. League play is very informal, keeping with the Rec. format. While informal, FIFA laws shall generally apply. Play is without refs, so players are expected to be self-policing. No official score or standings are kept. Games will be two, 25 minute halves. Players may register individually, or request to be on the same team. One head coach is needed per team. Four teams max with up to 12 players per team. It is for ages 18+ and will run Sept. 8-Oct. 28 on Thursdays from 5:30 -7 p.m. Before Aug. 23, fees are $45 for city residents and $65 for non-city residents. After Aug. 23, fees are $70 for city residents and $90 for non-city residents. 

Visit www.SaratogaRec.com and click programs for complete information and to register. Contact the Recreation Department at 518-587-3550, ext. 2300 or recreservations@saratoga-springs.org with questions.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Registration is open for the annual Spa City Baseball Camp. Session I will begin Monday. 

The Spa City Baseball Camp for ages 8-14 will hold their first session July 5 – July 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at West Side Rec. Field in Saratoga Springs (Coach Waldron Way). The cost of the camp is $175, and the price includes a t-shirt. The second session will be Aug. 9 – Aug. 12; same time, cost, and location. 

These sessions are designed to give each player a professional instruction in vital areas of baseball, such as hitting, pitching, defense, and base running. There will be individual attention paid to each player. This will be a hands-on clinic where participants will be working to improve their skills. Players will need to come prepared with their own baseball hat, cleats, glove, batting helmet, bat, water, snacks, and sunscreen.

The Spa City Baseball Camp is run by Saratoga Central Catholic baseball coaches, Coach Alphonse Lambert and Coach Dale Long; this will be Coach Lambert’s 30th year running this camp.

To register for Session I, go to www.spasaints.com and fill out the registration form. Bring a check, payable to Spa City Bombers, to the first day of camp on Monday, July 5. 

To register for Session II in August, fill out the registration form on spasaints.com and mail the check to the address listed on the form. 

NEW YORK — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos released the State’s final Deer Management Plan at the beginning of June. The plan is the product of public input, expert review, and sound science that will improve the management of white-tailed deer across New York State. In addition, to enact several management recommendations included in the plan, DEC issued proposed regulations that are available for public comment until Aug. 8, 2021. 

Major elements of the plan include: establishing desired deer population trajectories for 23 ecologically unique regions of the state using an assessment of deer impact on forest regeneration and public preferences for deer population changes; monitoring deer populations for disease and taking steps to reduce disease risk; providing additional hunter opportunity and increasing antlerless harvest strategically where needed; promoting hunter choice for buck harvest by encouraging hunters who want to take older, larger-antlered bucks to voluntarily pass up young, small-antlered bucks; encouraging deer hunters to use non-lead ammunition to reduce lead exposure of non-target wildlife; assisting communities to prevent and respond to local deer overabundance through development of community-based deer management programs; working with landowners and land managers to monitor deer browse impacts on forests with the Assessing Vegetation Impacts of Deer (AVID) protocol; and understanding and addressing public values and interests regarding deer and deer management decisions. 

To begin the implementation or portions of the management plan, DEC is proposing rule changes that will improve deer management, simplify big game hunting, expand hunting opportunity, and increase hunter safety. 

The DEC is proposing to: extend legal hunting hours for deer and bear to begin 30 minutes before sunrise and end 30 minutes before sunset; increase hunter safety by requiring all hunters pursuing deer or bear with a firearm to wear a solid or patterned fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink hat or vest or jacket; increase antlerless deer harvest by establishing a 9-day firearms season in September for antlerless deer in certain WMUs (Wildlife Management Units); allow hunters to harvest deer of either sex during the early muzzleloader season in three northern New York WMUs; and, simplify bear hunting in the Adirondack portion of the Northern Zone by extending the regular firearm season to cover the entire hunting period. 

Details about the proposals are available at DEC’s website www.dec.ny.gov. DEC is accepting public comments on the proposed regulation changes through Aug. 8 2021, by emailing: WildlifeRegs@dec.ny.gov (use “Big Game Hunting Rules” in the subject line). 

QUEENSBURY — Registration is still open for the Girls Summer Soccer ID Clinic and Girls Basketball Clinic at SUNY Adirondack in July. 

Girls Summer  Soccer ID Clinic

The soccer clinic will be held on July 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for high school juniors and seniors, as of Fall 2021. Check-in will be at 8:45 a.m. Players will receive instruction from SUNY Adirondack Women’s Soccer Coaches – skills and concepts, followed by game play. All activities will take place on the SUNY Adirondack grass soccer field. 

This clinic is free, with an enrollment cap of 30 players. To register, go to sunyadktimberwolves.com. Click on Student Athlete, then Summer Clinics/Leagues. Registration is open until the day of the clinic. 

Coaches are fully vaccinated and NYS health and safety guidelines will be followed. For more information, contact Coach Rob Kelly at wsoccer@sunyacc.edu or 518-526-0666.

Girls Basketball Clinic

The basketball clinic will be held July 19 through July 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the SUNY Adirondack Gymnasium for girls in grades 5-12, as of Fall 2021. 

Players will be grouped according to age, and adjusted for experience. The clinic is an opportunity for players to work and focus on fundamentals while receiving personal attention in passing, shooting, dribbling, rebounding, and defense. Fun activities and competitions played daily, along with discussions of nutritional goals and off-court activities to benefit on-court game. 

There are no spectators allowed. Players will need to bring their own filled water bottle and lunch/snacks. 

The cost is $225 and includes a clinic t-shirt. There is $25 discount for each sibling in the same immediate family. Enrollment cap is 50 players. 

Registration is open until July 5. To register, go to sunyadktimberwolves.com. Click on Student Athlete, then Summer Clinics/Leagues. From there, you can also view the tentative daily schedule and payment options on brochure link – page 2.

Cornelius Tavarres, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, will be the Clinic Director. For more information, contact wbasketball@sunyacc.edu or 518-791-0207.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Clarkie Carroll, a local athlete and 2021 Saratoga Springs graduate, is headed to the Jr. PGA Championships on July 12. 

Carroll started playing golf in his pre-teen years after he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Unable to play lacrosse or other contact sports because of the chemotherapy and hip surgery he underwent, Carroll took up golf instead. 

“I golf pretty much every day now,” said Carroll. “It has become a part of my daily routine.” 

Practice pays off. Not only has Carroll played on the varsity golf team at Saratoga Springs when they won three consecutive Sectional Titles, but he made the state team in 2019 and was a Section II All-Star this past year. 

July 5 and 6, Carroll competed against 30 other young golfers in the NENY (Northeastern New York) Jr. PGA Championships at the Town of Colonie Golf Course. He went 74-64-138 to win the championship by 9 strokes.

“It felt good to finally have stuff click,” Carroll said about this experience playing in the tournament.

And it must have been an experience trying to balance end-of-the-year high school events and golfing, as Carroll’s high school prom was right after his first round of the NENY Jr. PGA Tournament. 

“I hustled back [after prom],” he said. “Thankfully I had a late tee time, so it all worked out.” 

Carroll is currently ranked as the top Northeastern New York player of the year (Boys 16-18) on the NENY PGA Jr. website. He advances to the Jr. PGA Championships, July 12 – 15, at Kearney Hills Golf Links in Lexington, Kentucky. 

“There will be a lot of really good competition there,” said Carroll. “I’m excited to go.” 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs High School senior Nick Grosso is this year’s recipient of the Rich Johns Tennis Award. The award was presented to him at the Blue Streaks Sports Award Ceremony on June 17 by Rich Johns himself. The Rich Johns Tennis Award goes to the most outstanding boys’ tennis players. 

“There could not be a more deserving young man to receive this award,” said Rich Johns. “Not only has Nick rewritten the record books as a tennis player, but has shown tremendous character throughout this high school career.” 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has announced ticket sale dates for all hospitality areas, including tickets for individual days, for the 2021 summer meet at the Saratoga Race Course, which opens Thursday, July 15 and continues through Monday, Sept. 6.

Grandstand season passes and NYRA Bets gift cards will be available for purchase at more than 150 participating Capital Region Stewart’s Shops on Monday, June 21.

Grandstand season passes will be available for $50 through July 18. A season pass provides fans with admission to all 40 days at Saratoga Race Course. Season passes do not include reserved seating. Grandstand season passes may be purchased online at NYRA.com/Saratoga. Clubhouse season passes are $75.

Stewart’s Shops is also the exclusive retailer of NYRA Bets Gift Cards, which are available in $50 denominations and can be used to bet Saratoga Race Course and hundreds of other tracks online with NYRA Bets. NYRA Bets Gift Cards are available at Stewart’s Shops through Sunday, Sept. 5. 

Please visit stewartsshops.com for locations. 

Single-day tickets for reserved seats in the Clubhouse, Grandstand, and The Stretch will be available via Ticketmaster.com on Wednesday, June 23 at 10 a.m. 

Single-day reservations for tables in the Fourstardave Sports Bar, Miller Lite Picnic Paddock, and The Rail at the 1863 Club will be available via Ticketmaster.com on Wednesday, June 23 at 10 a.m. 

Single-day dining reservations in the Turf Terrace, The Porch, and Club Terrace will be available via Ticketmaster.com on Wednesday, June 30 at 10 a.m. 

Season and weekly ticket plans are currently on sale at NYRA.com/Saratoga. Group hospitality reservations are currently available via email at boxoffice@nyrainc.com or by phone at 844-NYRA-TIX. Tables in the Festival Tent may be reserved via Ticketmaster.com. 

For more information about hospitality and dining areas at Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com/Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — AIM Services, Inc., one of the area’s largest providers of support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, announced the Eighth Annual Croquet on the Green Tournament & Garden Party is scheduled for Aug. 3 at Gavin Park in Wilton. 

Croquet on the Green Tournament & Garden Party, AIM Services’ signature summer event, is an outdoor party and amateur croquet tournament with teams of two, and is open to all ages, abilities, and skill. The event was successfully reinvented in 2020 because of COVID-19 and still raised more than $44,000 through a virtual “play on your own” activity that also helped support local businesses at a time where they needed it most. AIM is excited to be back in-person this year, with added surprises and an impressive list of sponsors. 

The annual Croquet on the Green event is officially sanctioned through the United States Croquet Association (USCA). Knowledgeable Croquet players will be on hand to guide the game. 

Returning this year is the event’s Honorary Chairman, Retired Hall of Fame Jockey, Ramon Dominguez. Sponsors and Honorary Committee members will attend a special pre-event party, The Hour of Potential, with Dominguez and other major supporters. 

“Among the people who receive services from AIM are those with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs),” said Dominquez. “As a jockey who had to retire early due to a head injury, I know that AIM gives people with TBIs a chance at living their most independent life possible.” 

Nearly 54 million people annually experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

Formed in 1979, AIM Services, Inc. is a 501c (3) non-profit organization providing residential and community-based services to people with physical and intellectual disabilities, including those with traumatic brain injuries and those who are looking for nursing home transition or diversion. 

For more information on how to support AIM Services’ Croquet on the Green contact Marissa Romero at
mromero@aimservicesinc.org or visit www.aimservicesinc.org/events/croquet.