SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 15th annual Firecracker 4 Road Race was this past weekend on Sunday, July 4, 2021. Over 2,000 runners competed in the 4-mile road race, and 700 runners competed virtually. 

“With only 30 days preparation the 15th annual Firecracker 4 Road Race was reestablished, organized, marketed, and permitted,” said Peter C. Goutos, Race Director. “This could not have occurred without the support of our community leaders, very responsive sponsors, and the exceptional neighbors who were in our streets to welcome the runners back to Saratoga Springs.” 

Top male finisher, and overall winner, was Shea Weilbaker, 20, of Saratoga Springs, with a time of 19:14. Top female finisher was Cara Sherman, 24, from Ballston Spa, with a time of 22:01. 

Race organizers want to give special thanks to the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, Discover Saratoga, and the Saratoga Springs City Center for sponsoring and promoting the event.

“We needed a boost, and this race presented an opportunity for Saratoga Springs to welcome our community, friends, and visitors back,” said Goutos. 

And, this year’s race compared favorably to previous years, considering the sudden lift of COVID restrictions and the limited time to plan – the largest Firecracker had over 3,000 participants and the first Firecracker had only 157 runners.

Planning has already begun for the 16th annual Firecracker 4, and as Goutos said, “the Firecracker is a very welcoming road race in a city that is truly a recreational destination.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Join the Saratoga Hospital Foundation and explore the beauty of the Adirondacks through the Above & Beyond Challenge, presented by Pacira BioSciences, Inc. 

The Above & Beyond Challenge is a summer-long hiking program that invites individuals and businesses to raise funds in support of the Addiction Medicine Program at the Saratoga Community Health Center. 

Teams can come in all sizes and members can be of all different skill levels – it only takes two people to get started. Sponsor tiers are based on team size, and all funds generated go to the Addiction Medicine Program. Individual cost is $150.00, and sponsor tiers range from $250.00 for a team of 2 to $5,000.00 for a team of 20. Registration is continuous from June to September of this year, allowing hikers to pick their own date and hike at their convenience. Challenge organizers encourage that you hike one of the Adirondack 46er, Lake George 12ster, or Saranac 6er peaks in the Adirondacks, but want hikers to ultimately pick a peak they have previously hiked and/or familiar with the terrain. 

“The beauty of it is that they can pick any day, time, and peak,” said Laura Greenaway, Manager of Special Events for the Saratoga Hospital Foundation. “It is an independent initiative.” 

The Challenge wants participants to go social as well. Hikers will be fitted with an Above & Beyond shirt and teams will receive a banner to take a picture with at the summit. Group pictures should be shared to Facebook and Instagram using #aboveandbeyond2021, and the Saratoga Hospital Foundation will repost. 

“There is strong, research-based evidence that correlates hiking or other outdoor activity with more successful addiction program outcomes,” states the Mission of the Addiction Medicine Program. 

Established in 2018 by former Adirondack Trust President and CEO, Stephan von Schenk, the Challenge has raised $153,000 to date. Joining as an individual promotes the healthy body, healthy mind mission just as much, but joining as team can promote employee health, camaraderie, and more. The Challenge’s webpage states that simply put it is “a team building experience with a mission that impacts the local community.”

Launched in March of 2017, the Addiction Medicine Program is now fully integrated in the Saratoga Community Health Center. With its collaborative physical and mental approach to health, the impact of the program in 2020 was serving over 604 new patients through over 5,700 visits – no patient is turned away. 

“Addiction medicine is growing, especially with the pandemic we all went through,” said Greenaway. “The Challenge is a great way to help support the program.” 

Teams can register at www.saratogahospital.org/above-and-beyond-challenge.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will feature several new and returning special exhibitions this summer for the upcoming Saratoga racing season. All summer exhibitions debuted on Thursday, July 1.

New Exhibitions 

• Muybridge and Motion: Selections from the Tang Teaching Museum Collection

This exhibition features a series of groundbreaking animal locomotion photographic studies by English photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830 – 1904) from the Tang Teaching Museum collection and paintings by American artist Henry Stull (1851 – 1913) from the National Museum of Racing collection. 

Exhibited together, these works from two separate museum collections illustrate how the technological advancements in photography made by Muybridge forever changed the way motion is depicted and understood, particularly in the field of equine art. Muybridge and Motion is part of All Together Now, a regional collection-sharing project organized by The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation. For the duration of this exhibition, the Museum will offer complimentary admission to any visitor with a Skidmore College ID.

• ’Chasing Summer:The Art of Steeplechase. 

This year’s fine art exhibition celebrates the Steeplechase Hall of Fame induction year with 31 works of steeplechasing art by British and American sporting artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. ’Chasing Summer also celebrates the return of 13 works from the collection that were previously on loan and have not been exhibited at the Museum in decades. Artists represented in this exhibition include Henry Alken, Samuel Henry Alken, Ann Collins, W. Smithson Broadhead, Paul Brown, June Harrah, Sir Alfred J. Munnings, Frederic Remington, Henry Stull, Franklin Brooke Voss, Eleanor Iselin Wade, and Charles Morris Young, among others.

New Exhibit Updates and Ongoing Exhibitions 

The Triple Crown Gallery features text panels and artifacts related to Triple Crown history and an interactive exhibit that allows visitors to learn about the 13 Triple Crown winners through historic race footage and photographs. Renovated in recent years to include America’s 12th Triple Crown winner and 2021 Hall of Fame inductee, American Pharoah, additional gallery updates were added in 2019 to honor the most recent Triple Crown winner, Justify. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Assault’s Triple Crown sweep of 1946. In honor of this milestone anniversary year, artifacts on loan from King Ranch Archives — including race-worn silks and photographs — will be featured in this gallery through 2022. 

The Edward P. Evans Gallery allows the Museum to showcase more of the treasures from its diverse permanent collection and honor the legacy of Mr. Evans and his passion for the sport of thoroughbred racing. Current featured exhibits include: Selections from the Edward P. Evans Trophy Collection, The Triple Crown, Selections from the James E. “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons Collection, The Legacy of Man o’ War, The Grand National, Tiffany & Co. in the National Museum of Racing Collection, and A Salute to Hollywood Park. New for 2021, Fifty Years Ago, an exhibit highlighting the racing achievements of 1971 and showcasing trophies won by Hall of Fame horses Shuvee and Riva Ridge and Eclipse Awards won by Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham and Hall of Fame Pillar of the Turf Paul Mellon.

Women in Racing: Women have been involved in the sport of thoroughbred racing in America for more than 100 years. The pioneers and trailblazers of the past paved the way for future generations of horse lovers and racing enthusiasts, allowing them to continue to break boundaries in a male-dominated sport and industry. Featuring art, photographs, and multimedia from the Museum Collection and on loan, this special exhibition honors the women involved in every aspect of thoroughbred racing.

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the Museum, including special events and program offerings, call 518-584-0400 or visit: www.racingmuseum.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, scheduled for Friday, Aug. 6 at Fasig-Tipton, will be open to the public and free to attend. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will also be streamed live on the Museum’s website at racingmuseum.org. 

Public seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The doors will be open at 9:30 a.m. This year’s induction ceremony will honor the Hall of Fame classes of 2020 and 2021. Legendary track announcer Tom Durkin will serve as the master of ceremonies. The 2020 inductees include racehorses Tom Bowling and Wise Dan: jockey Darrel McHargue; trainer Mark Casse; and Pillars of the Turf Alice Headley Chandler, J. Keene Daingerfield, Jr., and George D. Widener, Jr. The 2021 class is comprised of racehorse American Pharoah (a 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale graduate) and trainers Jack Fisher and Todd Pletcher. 

“The Museum would like to thank Fasig-Tipton for their longtime support and use of their beautiful facility for the Hall of Fame ceremony, especially as they celebrate their 100th year of the Saratoga Sale this summer,” said Cate Masterson, the Museum Director. “It’s a special place to host such an important event as the Hall of Fame ceremony. We are really looking forward to honoring the 2020 and 2021 inductees on Aug. 6.” 

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the Museum, special events and program offerings, call 518-584-0400 or visit www.racingmuseum.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will invite racing fans to continue a summer tradition during Breakfast at Saratoga, driven by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA).

Breakfast at Saratoga welcomes guests to enjoy a morning meal on The Porch of the Clubhouse at Saratoga Race Course while the thoroughbreds train on the main track. Breakfast is held daily from 7 to 9:30 a.m. and is available on a first-come, first-served basis; reservations are not accepted. There is no breakfast on Runhappy Travers Day, Saturday, Aug. 28 and Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6.

The morning breakfast buffet is $20 for adults and $12 for kids under 12 years of age. Admission is free during breakfast hours. NYRA TV analyst and handicapper Anthony Stabile, who also serves as the host of Breakfast at Belmont, will provide commentary and conduct interviews with trainers and connections during Breakfast at Saratoga.

Tram tours run from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and depart from the Clubhouse entrance approximately every 15 minutes. 

For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com/Saratoga. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — ESPN 104.5 The Team, the Capital Region’s radio home for New York sports, will feature live, full card coverage of all the exciting action from Saratoga Race Course each weekend during the 2021 season. 

Live coverage of thoroughbred racing from Saratoga will begin each Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. and include every race through final post broadcast on 104.5 FM, as well as streamed worldwide at 1045theteam.com or available by downloading the free 104.5 The Team App. 

Presented by NYRA Bets, NYSCOPBA, Tech East Fire and Water Restoration, and Michelob Ultra, the weekend broadcasts will simulcast a portion of Saratoga Live, the nationally acclaimed horse racing telecast produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports. The audio simulcast will feature expert commentary and analysis from the paddock to post time of each race. 

On Fridays, the station will also air live race calls by NYRA track announcer John Imbriale during “The Drive with Charlie and Dan” which will originate from Saratoga beginning at 3 p.m.

In the event of Yankees baseball broadcasts, racing coverage will be available via 1045theteam.com and on the free 104.5 The Team App. 

MASSAPEQUA — David Cassidy memorabilia, including a surprise, one-of-a-kind item donated by horse trainer Gary Contessa, will be auctioned off only on ithinkiloveyou.org starting Friday, July 9 at 7 p.m. through 10 p.m. on July 16. 

The I Think I Love You Animal Foundation®, Inc. will hold its first world-wide online event, on Facebook: “David Cassidy: Then & Now” starting on Friday, July 9 at 7 p.m. Special guests include David’s friends from the “Then” years – award-winning R&R photographer Henry Diltz and life-long friend Sam Hyman. Representing the “Now” or more recent years, is David’s friend and American horse trainer Gary Contessa. Rick Segall, who played young, raven-haired Ricky, the four-year-old Partridge Family neighbor who sang with the group in season four, will host the online event.

Primary photographer during both the Partridge Family era and Cassidy’s ‘70’s solo career, Henry Diltz of Henry Diltz Photography and Morrison Hotel Gallery, has generously granted the use of rare photos of David Cassidy with animals from his extensive vintage catalog to I Think I Love You Animal Foundation®. Many of the photos were taken during David Cassidy’s domestic and world tours from the ‘70’s and while he starred on The Partridge Family television series, which aired on ABC from 1970 – 1974 and not made available since the ‘70s. Five of these photos will be signed by Henry Diltz.

I Think I Love You Animal Foundation®, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in New York and formed in the memory of late actor and singer David Cassidy. I Think I Love You Animal Foundation® provides financial support to animals in need of sanctuary or medical attention, especially retired thoroughbred racehorses who require rescue from emergent situations, restoring spirit and dignity and creating new “Happy Trails” for all animal friends. The Foundation supports this mission by providing financial assistance through grants, awards, and scholarships to bona-fide 501c3 charities whose activities promote improved animal welfare and quality of life through rescue operations, adoption placement, disaster relief, equine retirement assistance, and programs of education. 

In addition to owning domestic animals and a beloved parrot named Elmer, David Cassidy was an owner of thoroughbreds and he supported safe retirement programs for racehorses. Gary Contessa, David’s friend and horse trainer, is a co-founder and director of I Think I Love You Animal Foundation®. 

“His love of horses was second to none,” said Contessa. “By honoring his memory in this way, we are carrying on his genuine love of horses and his desire to see them all have the care they deserve, long after their racing career is over.”

Bidding starts on Friday at 7 p.m. EST and ends July 16 at 10 p.m. EST. Bids are accepted only on the official website for ITILY™, the non-for-profit animal foundation. For more information or to make a donation visit the website ithinkiloveyou.org. 

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.