Displaying items by tag: saratoga

COURT

Stephen K. Matthews, 47, of Gansevoort, was sentenced May 20 to one year in jail on the charge of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first-degree, and 15 days in jail on the charge of DWAI. Sentences to run concurrently. 

Paul C. Zaroba, 45, of Saratoga Springs, pleaded May 20 to felony DWI. Sentencing scheduled Sept. 9. 

POLICE

Jordan M. Snyder, 26, of Ballston Spa, was charged May 15 with harassment violation, endangering the welfare of a child - a misdemeanor, and felony criminal contempt. Snyder is alleged to have harassed another in the course of domestic dispute with children present, and also having violated a criminal court order of protection. 

Chad Cruger, 20, of Saratoga Springs, was charged May 11 with criminal mischief: intent to damage property.

Robert Risacher, 28, of Argyle, was charged May 10 with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and a missing/improperly displayed license plate. 

 Colby Zerbe, 22, of Saratoga Springs, was charged May 10 with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, after being involved in a property damage accident on Henry Street.     

Tosha Jeremias, 35, of Corinth, was charged May 7 with felony burglary in the second-degree, misdemeanor assault, two counts endangering the welfare of a child, and harassment. Jeremias was arraigned in Corinth Town Court and sent to Saratoga County Jail in lieu of $3,000 cash, or $6,000 bail bond. 

Stephen J. Miller, 40, of Mechanicville, was charged May 7 with assault in the third-degree, criminal mischief in the fourth-degree – both misdemeanors, and criminal contempt in the first-degree, a felony, following the issuance of an arrest warrant in Northumberland court. Miller is accused of assaulting another in the course of a domestic dispute, prevented her from calling 911 and violating an order of protection, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office.   

Joshua Wilcox, 40, of Milton, was charged with grand larceny in the fourth-degree. Wilcox is alleged to have stolen a debit card from a person known to him. 

Earl D. McConchie, 37, of Galway, was charged May 8 with two counts each: aggravated assault upon a child less than 11 years old, aggravated family offense, assault, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, menacing, and endangering the welfare of a child. McConchie is accused of abusing two children, who are the sons of a female acquaintance. Over the course of about 3 months, McConchie is alleged to have repeatedly struck the children, threatened them with a baseball bat, and choked them, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. The alleged actions occurred while he was watching the children while their mother was at work. The children are 9 and 10 years of age. 

POLICE REPORT

At 7:42 a.m. Monday, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office received a call reporting a man dressed in black, wearing a camouflage helmet and carrying a rifle was walking eastbound on Route 146 in the area of Northcrest Drive in Clifton Park. As a result of the report, the Shenedehowa campus was placed on lockout for approximately one hour. Authorities say a separate witness, who was located a s a result of the investigation, reported observing a man with a similar description in the same area and time frame carrying an umbrella.  The man was not located and the threat was determined to be unfounded, according to authorities. 

COURT

Francis X. Walling, 55, pleaded May 14 to possessing sexual performance by a child, a felony, in Ballston. Sentencing scheduled July 16. 

POLICE

Oscar Bazemore, 56, of Suffolk, Virginia, was charged May 6 with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh-degree. 

Gwendolyn Willette, 62, of Argyle, was charged May 7 with misdemeanor DWI, and failure to keep to the right. 

Justin Anderson, 36, of Buda, TX, was charged May 8 with misdemeanor DWI, operating a motor vehicle without signaling, and refusal to take a breath test. 

Tammy Clark, 51, of Saratoga Springs, was charged May 8 on an outstanding arrest warrant from Fairfax County, Virginia, regarding a DWI charge. 

Richard Holsclaw, 42, of Queensbury, was charged May 9 with criminal contempt in the second-degree. 

Hilary LaPoint, 27, of Moreau, was charged May 5 with criminal mischief in the second-degree, criminal tampering third-degree and conspiracy fifth-degree. LaPoint is accused of putting bleach in the gas tank of a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu belonging to a former acquaintance. 

“Oh my goodness. thank you thank you THANK YOU. top 3. holy moly guacamole. I hope to make you proud next week. Thank you for believing in me. thank you for seeing something in me that I didn’t see myself.”

– Instagram post from Madison VanDenburg, after learning she is
one of three finalists on ABC’s “American Idol.”

ALBANY – Her greatest passion is singing.

Seventeen-year-old singer/songwriter Madison VanDenburg has played the piano and guitar most of her life. The classically trained 11th-grade student at Shaker High School first realized the promise of her talents performing karaoke as a 10-year-old alongside the sounds of Celine Dion – whom she calls one of her biggest musical inspirations.

VanDenburg recently released her debut single, is currently writing new songs for her first EP and performs live across the Capital Region. Sunday May 19 may prove to the biggest moment, if not the most memorable of the young singer’s career when she performs as a finalist on ABC’s “American Idol.” And like fellow “American Idol” contestants Laine Hardy – of Livingston, Louisiana, and Alejandro Aranda - of Pomona, California, returned to her native roots this week.

Her homecoming tour kicked off with a Pep Rally at Shaker High School and continued with a parade and performance at The Crossings of Colonie, where she and played guitar in front of a supportive Capital Region crowd who chanted her name. The Capital District Transportation Authority also got involved by providing transportation shuttle service to concert goers, and Stewart’s Shops introduced a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream flavor in her name.

“As a singer, your instrument is yourself. More important than being on ‘Idol,’ is being a whole, authentic person,” says Clifton Park’s Modern Day Music vocal coach Lesley O’Donnell, who has taught   VanDenburg and Moriah Formica - who appeared in 2017 on NBC’s “The Voice.”

“Both have been like the little sisters I never had,” says O’Donnell, whose interview appears in the Home & Garden edition of Simply Saratoga magazine, a Saratoga TODAY publication that is available May 16. “Keeping the whole self - healthy and grounded - is first and foremost.”

The national singing competition show “American idol” first broadcast in 2002. Some of the show’s previous winners have gone on to extensive show biz careers - Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, among them. Adam Lambert was a runner-up during the eighth season of American Idol in 2009.

The season finale airs 8 p.m. Sunday. A nationwide vote will be held during the live finale simulcast to determine who will be crowned the next American Idol. Weezer, Carrie Underwood, Kool + The Gang and all three Idol judges - Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, are expected to perform during the season finale, according to Billboard Magazine. Dan + Shay are slated to perform “All to Myself” and “Speechless” with VanDenburg.

ALBANY – Greg Haymes flipped through the memories in his brain of the earliest days of the band Blotto. Their recording of the tongue-in-cheek song "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard" had been picked up by legendary DJ Vin Scelsa of WNEW-FM, was played on the Dr. Demento Show, and the song’s accompanying video was shown by MTV on its first day of broadcast in 1981.

“The Blotto concept was always about the party,” he remembered in the days preceding the band’s return to Saratoga Springs in 2015 for a New Year’s Eve gig at the City Center. 

“Back in our heyday we would have beach parties, pajama parties, and those Halloween parties which were called Blottoween.” He had performed onstage as everything from Dracula to Alfred E. Newman and a rhinestone-studded Elvis, to donning a blue dress with white polka dots and a blonde wig and taking the stage at a roller rink that would later become JB Scott’s Theater.

“That year we went dressed as the Go-Go’s and I went as Belinda Carlisle,” he said. “If you’re not enjoying yourself on stage, how can you expect anyone in the audience to have fun?”

Haymes will be remembered by some in the MTV video logs as Sarge Blotto – the stage name the adopted with the band Blotto in the 1980s, and recalled by many others - particularly those in this region’s music community - as Greg Haymes: writer, poet, musician, artist.

His bands included Blotto, the Star Spangled Washboard Band, Ramblin’ Jug Stompers, and others; His artwork was displayed across the Capital Region - Firlefanz Gallery, Albany Center Gallery and Spectrum 8 Theatres, among them, and for several decades his words graced the printed pages and websites of the Albany Times Union, the Daily Gazette, Metroland, and most recently Nippertown.com.  

Born in Buffalo in 1951, Haymes died April 10 from complications of metastatic lung cancer. He was 68.

A remembrance and celebration of his life will be held 4-6 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at The Egg, at Empire State Plaza. Those wishing to attend are requested to RSVP with name and the number of people attending at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 SARATOGA SPRINGS - The city’s Design Review Commission is this week considering a historic review of renovations to City Hall.

The structure, which opened in 1871, was struck by lightning in August 2018, resulting in extensive fire and water related damage to the structure.  The majority of city business has since been temporarily relocated to the Vanderbilt Avenue recreation facility.

Improvements are being made to the infrastructure of the building – from electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning, to communication, security systems and offices. A state mandated expansion, or additionalal court room, is also in the works.

The restoration and renovation work extends across all the building’s floors, including the upper-level Saratoga Music Hall. This week, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation released a statement to say it does not support the proposed change to the vestibule that alters the entry into the interior of City Hall and does not find the proposed treatment of the Music Hall appropriate.

Department of Public Works Commissioner Anthony “Skip” Scirocco is expected to provide an update of the City Hall renovation project at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.  Last November, city officials reported that the cost to reconstruct and restore City Hall is anticipated to carry an approximate $11.2 million price tag, with insurance proceeds expected to cover roughly half of the total project cost.

Intrada

The city’s Planning Board, meanwhile, is considering a site plan modification to an approved multi-family residential project at 247 Washington St.

Named “Intrada,” the multi-unit affordable housing facility will be comprised of four buildings and more than 150 residential units. It will be located on Washington Street by the Saratoga Springs train station. The 19-acre property was purchased for $3.7 Million by the Vecino Group from Saratoga Route 29 Plaza Ltd.

Newly proposed modifications presented to the Planning Board include: screened fencing to provide privacy for patios, the addition of an egress door on the east side of building 1 on Washington St., a reduction in the number of parking lot poles – from 21 poles to 16 poles, bollard lights – from 31 poles to 11 poles, and decorative street lights – from 17 to 16. The landscaping plan was also reduced from the planting of 98 trees to 75 trees, and shrubs – from 198 to 159.  

Flat Rock Centre Parking Structure

Hundreds of pages of prepared documents pertaining to the City Center parking garage project have been submitted to both the Planning Board and the DRC. Both Land Use Boards are staging an advisory discussion on the proposed parking structure.

Included among the documents is a letter submitted by assistant building inspector and zoning officer Patrick Cogan stating that while he recommends the city seek an advisory opinion from the DRC, such review would be non-binding, and that the proposed action is exempt from the provisions of the city’s Zoning ordinance and that it “may proceed without requirements for approvals from the city’s Land Use Boards.” 

A second letter, submitted by Sustainable Saratoga, expresses concerns regarding the current design. Specifically, the organization cites that the structure would abut the Maple Avenue property line for over 200 feet and not be set back 50 feet from the property line of adjacent streets as recommended in the Zoning ordinance, potentially creating a “dead and unproductive street life.”  Additional concerns include: that the first floor of the parking garage should include commercial and civic spaces, and that the pedestrian bridge designed to cross over Maple Avenue is both, undesirable and unnecessary.      

Last year, several dozen David Cassidy fans – some of whom embarked on their journey from a few thousand miles away – descended on the Spa City last year to celebrate the life of David Cassidy. The popular singer died in November 2017 at the age of 67.

The inaugural event, billed as “A Celebration of David Cassidy’s Life,” was initiated by Cassidy fan Samantha Cox, from her home in Indiana. “I chose Saratoga because he was into horse racing and he mentioned it as his favorite place in the world,”said Cox, adding that she took on as her New Year’s Resolution a mission to do something to honor Cassidy’s life.

Cassidy appeared on The Partridge Family TV series, which aired on ABC from 1970 to 1974, and subsequently launched a solo music career. He charted more than one dozen Top 100 hits in the early 1970s, both as a solo artist and in his role as a member of the Partridge Family.  Cassidy’s passion for equines frequently brought him to Saratoga, where he bought his first yearling and where in 2001 he purchased a home.

This year, a gathering to honor Cassidy will be held May 19-20.  

Sunday May 19

10 a.m. - Re-dedication of the David Cassidy Benches at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs.   

6 p.m. to midnight - Author Johnny Ray Miller will sign copies of his book “When We're Singin',” and will be joined by Michael V. Pomarico – the multi-daytime Emmy Award winner who for over 27 years directed the soap opera “All My Children.” Live music will be performed by 45rpm and the event will include a silent auction. Up for auction: a boat once owned by David Cassidy, donated by his friends Dr. Jerry Bilinski and his wife, Darlene. Horse trainer Gary Contessa is also scheduled to perform on stage for a couple of numbers.  Location: King Neptune's Pub, 1 Kurosaka Lane, Lake George. Tickets: $35.   

Monday May 20

Noon to 4 p.m. at King Neptune's Pub - Johnny Ray Miller and Michael V. Pomarico will return for a brunch catered by King Neptune's Pub.  The celebration of David Cassidy's life will take place with people giving testimonials of how much David meant to them, live and on video. The silent auctions will also continue. Tickets: $50. Proceeds will go to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Columbia Greene Humane Society, Adirondack Save A Stray.

For more information on all events and to purchase tickets, go to:  www.kingneptunespub.com.

GREENFIELD – They’re always on call, never get paid, and immediately respond to crisis in the community.

Gordon McGrath, Robert Roxbury, and Jackie Atwell have each served as volunteer firefighters for more than a half-century. On Saturday, May 11, alongside young firefighters Jerrid Marshall, and Matthew Petkus, the three men will be recognized by the town of Greenfield for voluntarily serving their community for 50 years. 

Gordon "Mickey" McGrath joined the Middle Grove Fire Company when he was 18, following in the footsteps of his grandfather – an original member of the company. To date, McGrath estimates he has answered more than 4,000 calls.

Robert “Bob” Roxbury this year celebrates 51 years as an active firefighter, the past 20 in the role of fire police, where he currently serves as District Captain. Aligned with the Porter Corners Fire Co., Roxbury joined the company as his wife was in the Auxiliary and because, he says: "it's important to support your community.”

Jackie Atwell joined the Greenfield Fire Co., at the age of 21. Atwell’s father was his biggest influence in becoming a firefighter, letting Jackie – since the age of 8- hang out with him at the firehouse.   This year he marks his 51st year with the company.

The town of Greenfield is located approximately five miles north of Saratoga Springs and has a population of approximately 7,400 residents. Geographically, it is the largest town in Saratoga County, covering more than 41,000 acres.

It was a fire in 1946 which proved as main catalyst for the establishment of the Greenfield Fire District.  When a blaze destroyed a home on Maple Avenue - just outside the Saratoga Springs Fire Department district – it was left unattended because the city’s department was prohibited from responding to the fire due to insurance reasons. The towns of Greenfield and Wilton were at the time dependent on “bucket brigades” to battle fires. The Greenfield Fire District was subsequentially formed in 1947 and counts four fire companies:  Greenfield Center, Porter Corners, Middle Grove, and Maple Avenue.  

All three men continue to be active in the department, answering the emergency calls for fires, car accidents, medical events and search and rescue missions on both water and land.

A community recognition dinner honoring Atwell, McGrath and Roxbury, as well as volunteer firefighters Jerrid Marshall (7 years of service) and Matthew Petkus (6 years of service) will take place Saturday, May 11 at Brookhaven Golf Course, 333 Alpine Meadows Road, in Porter Corners. Appetizers at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and recognition at 8. Tickets are $30 adults, $18 children 5 to 11 years of age; under 5 are free. For more information, contact Diane Czechowicz at 518 587-2410.  The event being staged in memory of local man Don Young.                   

COURT

Stephen Lerario, 43, of Greenfield, was sentenced May 3 to 25 years in jail and five years of post-release supervision, following a March conviction of attempted murder in the second degree, according to the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office. Additional sentencing included 25 years in jail and five years of post-release supervision for the conviction of first-degree assault, 3-1/2 to 7 years for the conviction of criminal possession of a weapon in the third-degree, and 1 year for the conviction of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth-degree. All sentences are to run concurrently. The charges are related to an incident in Greenfield in April 2018 when Lerario shot his girlfriend during an argument, resulting in the victim suffering the loss of an eye, brain injury and facial fractures. 

Steven Welch, 36, of Saratoga Springs, pleaded May 6 to criminal contempt in the first-degree. Sentencing scheduled for June 24. 

James E. Rowe, 34, homeless, pleaded May 3 to failure to register as a sex offender. Sentencing scheduled for May 3. 

Sheila E. Wray, 62, of Saratoga Springs, pleaded April 29 to felony DWI. Sentencing scheduled for July 1. 

Stephen T. Ouimet, 44, of Middle Grove, pleaded May 1 to reckless endangerment in the first-degree, in Saratoga. Sentencing scheduled June 19. 

POLICE 

Kevin Kelly, 38, of Saratoga Springs, was charged April 30 with disorderly conduct/violent behavior. 

Victor Maffetone, 32, of Saratoga Springs, was charged May 2 with felony assault in the second-degree. 

Patricia Vanwicklen, 71, of Saratoga Springs, was charged May 3 with misdemeanor DWI, after being involved in a property damage accident on Ballston Avenue. 

Tony Deloatch, 27, of Saratoga Springs, was charged May 4 with endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief, felony criminal contempt in connection with the alleged violation of an order of protection, misdemeanor assault, unlawful possession of marijuana. 

Tyler Jackson, 27, of Saratoga Springs, was charged May 4 with disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest misdemeanor, on Caroline Street. 

Brian Raymond, 48, of Saratoga Springs, was charged May 4 with petit larceny. 

Phelicia Gignac, 23, of Queensbury, was charged May 5 with criminal possession of a controlled substance. 

Hannah Kaltenbach, 19, of Mechanicville, was charged May 5 with misdemeanor DWI, and operating a motor vehicle without a signal. 

Shelby L. Stone, 19, of Glens Falls, was charged May 1 with assault, and criminal mischief - both misdemeanors, and endangering the welfare of a child – a felony, following an alleged domestic incident in South Glens Falls.    

Edward R. Bradt, 53, of Gloversville, was charged April 30 with one felony count and one misdemeanor count of criminal contempt, and stalking in the fourth-degree, in connection with an alleged incident that occurred April 24 at the South Glens Falls School in the Town of Moreau. 

INVESTIGATION

At about 11:35 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, police were dispatched to the area of Church Street near Broadway for a possible assault in progress. Upon arrival officers found several people congregated around 34-year-old Davide Ferrara of Schenectady, but no active altercation was in progress. Ferrara was found to have an apparent head injury and Saratoga Springs Fire was sent to the scene. Ferrara suffered a significant head injury and was subsequently transported to Albany Medical Center. 

The investigation thus far indicates two groups of men, one of whom was with Ferrara, became engaged in an altercation on Caroline Street. The dispute gravitated to Broadway, north on Broadway, and then onto Church Street by the Post Office where Ferrara was found. According to police, the altercation was physical at several points during the event, with several persons involved being struck at different points along the way. 

The case is an open investigation with assistance from the New York State Police and the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office. 

Authorities ask anyone in the area of Broadway during this incident with information regarding the event to contact the Saratoga Springs Police Department at 518-584-1800.

COURT

James F. Labarr, 29, of Saratoga Springs, was sentenced April 25 to five years of probation, after pleading to aggravated DWI, in Wilton. 

Albert B. Mercer, 63, of Saratoga Springs, was convicted on April 25 of first-degree manslaughter, and tampering with physical evidence. According to the Saratoga County District Attorney’s office, Mercer stabbed and killed his wife’s cousin, Patrick Collins, following a domestic dispute on July 1, 2018 on Zephyr Lane. 

Henry J. Desnoyers, 48, of Troy, was sentenced April 23 to 1 to 3 years in state prison, after pleading to aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, in Malta. 

Elizabeth A. Stanley, 22, of Schenectady, pleaded April 22 to criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony, in Malta. Sentencing scheduled July 1. 

POLICE 

Angelina Pantoja, 27, of Saratoga Springs, was charged April 26 with petit larceny, in connection with an alleged incident on Ballston Avenue. 

Sierra Matthews, 24, of Ballston Spa, was charged April 27 with misdemeanor DWI, drinking alcohol in motor vehicle on highway, moving from lane unsafely and refusal to take breath test, after being involved in a property damage accident on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. 

Nicholas Hanehan, 26, of Saratoga, was charged April 27 with resisting arrest – a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, on Caroline Street.

Randell Overton, 36, of Saratoga, was charged April 22 with misdemeanor DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle – felony, and speeding, following a traffic stop on
Church Street. 

Bartek Malikowski, 18, of Saratoga Springs, was charged April 23 with criminal possession of a controlled substance, and criminal possession of marijuana – both misdemeanors. 

Michael Heritage, 55, of Charlton, was charged April 15 with criminal contempt in the
second degree. 

Jacob Lee, 21, of Gansevoort, was charged April 23 with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs – a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana. 

Richard Rudolph, 52, of Galway, was charged April 24 with misdemeanor DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the  third-degree, refusal to take breath test, motor vehicle equipment violation- no/ insufficient tail lamps, and unlawful possession of marijuana, following a traffic stop on Route 9N. 

Michael Kearsing, 28, of Schenectady, was charged with criminal mischief/ intent to damage property, on Jefferson Street. 

Kevin C. Leno, age 34, of Ballston Spa, was charged April 29 with criminal contempt in the first-degree, a felony, and assault in the third-degree, and reckless endangerment of property - both misdemeanors. Leno is accused of violating an order of protection and causing physical injury to a woman known to him, by striking her and pushing her off of stairs. 

Michael R. O’Dea, age 27, and Anna L. Dougherty, age 22, were each charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, and one misdemeanor count of criminal possession of marijuana. According to authorities, members of the Saratoga Springs Police Department executed a search warrant at 282 Ballston Avenue - Apartment #2, on April 24. The event was the culmination of a month-long investigation into possible illegal narcotics activity. During the execution of the search warrant, over one ounce of powdered cocaine, five ounces of marijuana, about $1000 cash, and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia consistent with narcotic sales were seized, police said. O’Dea and Dougherty, who both reside at the apartment, were subsequently charged, arraigned and sent to Saratoga County Jail on bail.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Fred Astaire trips the light fantastic with Ginger Rogers on a dayglo brilliance that emanates across the frame. A pensive Snow White, encircled by a half-dozen dwarfs, hovers atop a Russian banner as the Evil Queen ominously glares from the shadows. Here is Lucille Ball exuding a technicolor presence in announcing MGM’s Ziegfield Follies in 1945. There, is “The Sound of Music” from Germany, “Dirty Dancing” from Poland, and Clark Gable in “Dancing Lady,” a promotion that comes from Belgium.

“I’ve always been fascinated by posters from this period,” says Mike Kaplan, who has collected vintage movie posters for several decades.    

“The key to collecting the vintage ones began in the late ‘70s when I went to a store called Chic-A-Boom, a memorabilia shop on Melrose,” Kaplan recalls. “There was a stack of movie posters against the wall. The first one was “Irish Eyes Are Smiling," a musical from the ‘40s and it had a full-length still photography image of June Haver, who I had a crush on as a teenager. So, I bought that one and in a way that began the second phase of the collection.”

Kaplan estimates he has 3,000 to 4,000 posters in his collection. More than 100 will be displayed in Saratoga at The National Museum of Dance at the exhibition “Art of the Dance: Posters from Hollywood’s Golden Age from The Mike Kaplan Collection.”  The exhibit will open May 10, a date that also marks what would have been Fred Astaire's 120th birthday.

“The great thing about the posters is people will be exposed to artwork from so many different countries interpreting American movies in different ways - so you get completely different interpretations of a movie from France or Italy, Germany or Japan,” says Kaplan, who grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. “There is also the size of the posters. They vary from country-to-country. People walk in and for the most part their jaws drop seeing the imagery, the size and the amount of care that went into the artwork.”   

More than 100 dance movie posters will be mounted in three of the Museum's galleries. The posters range in date from 1918 to the 1980s with the majority representing the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. 

Kaplan was 9 or 10 years old when his family vacationed in the Saratoga region. Today, he makes his home in Idaho. He has penned a pair of books -– “Gotta Dance,” and “Gotta Dance Too!” -  depicting the posters and their history. During the 1960s, he worked as marketing strategist on two iconic Stanley Kubrick films.

“With 2001 (A Space Odyssey), I was working at MGM as a publicist. I don’t think people remember this, but the film was not well-received initially. It wasn’t positioned properly. People were expecting some kind of traditional science fiction movie; instead it was this contemplative, metaphysical journey into time. The audience and the critics weren’t prepared for it. It threw people, but I just loved the movie. I thought it was one of the best films ever made and I still feel that way,” Kaplan says.

“With ‘Clockwork Orange,’ I wanted everything to be perfect so there wasn’t any misinterpretation of the movie and having everything choreographed out to the nth degree – which Stanley appreciated and loved doing because he was such a perfectionist. So, we got on very well. Kubrick was just a great artist and whatever he touched was of importance. There was just a phenomenal response to it,” Kaplan said.  

Selections of the posters have been on view in major venues such as Lincoln Center and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Art of the Dance at the National Museum of Dance will be the largest and longest installation of this collection to date, on view until spring 2020.

In addition to Astaire, several major dance and musical stars from the 20th century are highlighted such as Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Shirley Temple, and The Nicholas Brothers. 

 The opening reception for Art of the Dance: Posters from Hollywood’s Golden Age will take place on Friday, May 10 at 7:00 pm. The cost is $10 per person and free for members. The National Museum of Dance is located at 99 South Broadway. For more information, 518-584-2225, or go to:  www.dancemuseum.org.