Big Derby Party Is Just The Kick-off
SARATOGA SPRINGS – I’ve always had a soft spot for the unsung hero – the people behind the scenes who do the work. Particularly in the hospitality industry, where good planning and a lot of hard work behind the scenes enables us to just show up and enjoy.
One such example is Devin Sherin. She is one member of a big team that keeps Prime at Saratoga National humming, but a key one nonetheless. As marketing coordinator/sales assistant one of her duties is to program the music and entertainment calendar.
Having had a background in booking venues and festivals in a previous life, I can assure you that this is often not the easy, fun task that it might seem to be. To paraphrase a quotation, heavy lies the head that keeps the calendar.
But before one note is played, one song is cheered, indeed, long before an encore is called for, it is people who set up a balanced schedule of favorites (Devin estimates she has a rotation of about 10 regular artists, plus larger bands for special events) that assure a quality experience.
While I’m always happy if people check the gigs listings we compile each week (see page 28) there are a few venues in town that you can just show up and know that whatever entertainment is on the bill will be uniformly excellent. Just as you can expect to have a great meal each time at Prime, so can you count on the music as a key element in the overall atmosphere there.
A 2012 graduate of SUNY Cortland, Devin began as a server at Prime almost three years ago. The chief operating officer offered her a job in the marketing department. At the time the restaurant manager was doing the music booking; I’m guessing he probably felt like human flypaper and gladly turned the calendar over to Devin.
Her own music tastes tend to run toward acoustic songwriters, but she also enjoys the bigger bands particularly when it comes with planning a major event like the 70s party with the Audiostars or the White Party with Soul Session.
For next weekend’s 140th Kentucky Derby, Devin and Prime are holding a hot hand, with a couple of great options to enjoy race day topped off with an after party with Gravity playing.
And that’s just the beginning. Look for a bunch of summer fun to come. And if you see Devin there, thank her for the work she does to make your good times better.
For more information about all the offerings at Prime visit golfsaratoga.com
