We are Marianne Barker and Maddy Zanetti, of Impressions of Saratoga located on Broadway since 1980 and the Dark Horse Mercantile, just opened in 2018. Maddy is a native Saratogian and Marianne and her husband Dave have lived here since 1980 with no plans of leaving. We are all concerned over the future of our community events traditionally held in our very special downtown. They include the Fireworks held for the 4th of July celebration and First Night which are not very likely to happen going forward, the Hats Off festival which was cancelled several years ago and though not in immediate jeopardy, the Victorian Streetwalk, Fall Festival and Chowderfest. There are other examples like pond hockey and the many horse shows that have moved out of the city. Today it is increasingly difficult to coordinate the events, pay the new fees to hold them, and raise the sponsorship dollars to fund them. If these things are important enough to us, we need to show our support. This started out for us as a concern for the fireworks but it’s much bigger than that.
Impressions began its history in Saratoga Springs, January of 1980 just as the renaissance of downtown started in the 1970’s was gaining momentum. There were still a lot of open storefronts but Saratoga was well on its way to our current enviable position as one of the best downtowns in America. It was the hard work of so many people that you may or may not remember, who had the vision and ability to see what needed doing and making it happen. The festivals were a big part in getting our town back on the map as a destination for shopping, dining and playing. Many of us, big and small businesses saw the value in supporting these events in any way we could with donations of dollars, support and time. They were one of many pieces that has led to our current success. Over the years the population and businesses have changed and many of our valued partners are no longer here with the memories of what was. Many do not remember Saratoga when there wasn’t much going on and we truly depended on the summer racing season for our town to make ends meet. Though the races surely add a lot to our town, they are no longer the sole reason we exist. The thing that worries us is that without the continual re-investment into our town, big or small, things can change in the blink of an eye. We all have a vested interest in keeping our community the best it can be. The gradual erosion of the things that have made us so special may not impact us today but it’s the future we have to look out for. It’s easy to think that a little piece of support isn’t that important but when too many think this, it has a huge impact. We live in a very special place and have a responsibility to preserve, protect and nurture it for the days to come.
We recognize that every event may not benefit each of us personally or financially but as a whole they help to create opportunities to expose folks to all that Saratoga Springs has to offer. It’s a perfect marketing opportunity to show folks why they should come back to support our businesses which in turn creates more tax dollars to fund our city. Sometimes we have to look beyond ourselves for the greater good.
With that said we plead with our community, businesses and residents alike, let’s help support the things that make us a gem of a destination and to keep it that way. Supporting the Chamber of Commerce who has stepped up to try to save the fireworks, the Convention Bureau who works hard to bring groups to town and the Downtown Business Association that orchestrates lots of special events and all of our organizations and groups that make this such a special place to live, work and play.
Respectfully,
Marianne and Maddy
