Neighbors: Lawrence White & Saratoga Fantastique
Who: Lawrence White
Where: The Grove, on Lake Avenue.
Q. Where are you originally from and when did you come to Saratoga?
A. I’m originally from California. I was living in New York City and first came up to Saratoga in 2002. I was very sick from the terrorist attacks and there was no business (in downtown New York). At that time, Jacques Burgering, who was the director at the National Museum of Dance had been my neighbor in Soho for about 10 years. He gave me an exhibition at the museum. At the same time, my doctor said “you’ve got to relocate,” so I was like: well, this is beautiful here. It reminded me so much of where I grew in Northern California.
Q. Artistically, what have you found in Saratoga?
A. The level of culture here is just so high and has been for so long, that you can hook into that line of heritage very easily. As a photographer, I’m always looking for the light and Saratoga is the ultimate light-catcher. Such beautiful qualities of light here, so it makes my job easy. I just go around and visually feast on how light falls here. Another one of the great things about this area is the history. It goes way back but comes right up through the Industrial Age, so you have these great buildings that were once flourishing and now have this incredible texture.
Q. What is your background as an artist?
A. I went to the San Francisco Art Institute and got a master’s degree in ’75. When I was there I worked with some great artists – everybody from Imogen Cunningham to Eugene Smith, Robert Frank and Kenneth Anger. As artists we got to work next to them. Robert Mapplethorpe. Can you imagine seeing them printing seeing that technique and realizing, basically they’re all a bunch of knuckleheads like the rest of us, but they were able to develop their own technique that worked for them. They understood the rules, but the rules were bent to their shape and not the other way around. That was the key of being an artist: to get within the rules, understand them, become a master, but then break the rules in ways that created art.
Q. Tell us about your upcoming exhibition “Saratoga Fantastique.”
A. It’s finding the incredible things that lurk beneath the surface. All these little nuances - things we may have seen before, but places where I lingered on and playfully manipulated the images. For me as an artist, I’m able to stretch my wings.
Q. Having come to Saratoga only during the past 15 years or so you have seen things with relatively fresh eyes.
A. I hope my photographs help people look at Saratoga in a different way than what they might normally see and that this interpretation allows them to absorb themselves even further into their own history. To see things differently - that’s really the key of life. It’s easy to get bored. We do the same mundane things every day, but as a photographer we see light and the way light falls on the same thing every day as always different. The further we dig into that maybe the further we learn about ourselves. And I think that’s the message here. And that’s why “Saratoga Fantastique,” because it is fantastic. It’s not mundane and we should be continually reminded of that.
As artists, we have different tools to express our voice, which comes from the ether, our muse. Our physical body is our instrument and we can have many different ways to express what this voice is. It’s a gift, but it’s temporary gift. My ability to see. My ability to move is very temporary and I can only use it for so long. That’s why I think it’s so important to respect it for what it is. Time. The sand is falling through the glass all the time and we have to be aware of that. It’s precious. Don’t just squander it.
Lawrence White’s “Saratoga Fantastique” will be on exhibit at The Grove, on Lake Avenue. An opening reception takes place 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Show hours will be 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, by appointment.
A City Remembers: Saratoga Springs Hosts 9/11 Ceremony 17 Years After Attacks
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The contradictions of the day and the desire to bring meaning to something 17 years later still incomprehensible, were on open display for anyone who sought to look for them: blue-sky morning versus gray cloud rain; trauma rebutted by survival, and the sudden extinguishing of life counteracted by blessings in the opportunity of being alive.
“9/11 was, is, and always will be a reminder that tomorrow is not promised,” keynote speaker Shawn Patrick told a crowd assembled at High Rock Park on Tuesday, Sept. 11 to mark the 17th anniversary of the 2001 attacks. Patrick’s brother, James, worked for the Cantor Fitzgerald financial services firm and was killed at the World Trade Center that day. The Schenectady native was 30 years old. A few days earlier he celebrated his first wedding anniversary. A few weeks later came the birth of a child whom he would never know.
This Tuesday’s morning rain presented a contrast to the blue-sky morning of that Tuesday’s September day. The annual remembrance event marked the third such Tuesday since 2001 - the others being in 2007 and 2011- a calendar connection that won’t happen again for another 11 years, in 2029.
The ceremony took place at High Rock Park, home to a 25-foot-tall sculpture titled “Tempered By Memory,” commissioned by Saratoga Arts and created by artists Noah Savett and John Van Alstine from five twisted pieces of Trade Center steel. Four pieces came from the North Tower, one came from the South Tower.
City Mayor Meg Kelly, her voice choked with emotion, collectively recalled the thousands killed that day and in the event aftermath: those who worked at their desks, those who responded to help, families separated, children killed, she lamented. The number of New Yorkers suffering post-traumatic stress, Kelly said: “immeasurable.” Similarly, city Fire Department Chaplain Rev. Thomas Chevalier paused to remember both - those killed while attempting to help strangers in need, as well as those who continue to battle physical ailments. “Those who still suffer the consequences of their generosity and care,” he said.
A member of the Saratoga Springs Fire Department rang a silver bell 17 times, one for each year since the 2001 attack. And Commander Christopher Tejeda, of the U.S. Naval Support Activity in Saratoga Springs, recited a timeline “to reflect and remember those who are not with us.” Each was followed by a moment of silence.
8:46 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 11 strikes the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
9:03 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 175 strikes the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
9:37 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 77 strikes the Pentagon Building in Washington, D.C.
9:59 a.m. – The South Tower falls.
10:07 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 93 crashes in a field in Pennsylvania.
10:28 a.m. – The North Tower falls.
Stepping outside the somber remembrances of the day, even the music displayed the conflicted emotions. Alongside renditions of and "America the Beautiful," and Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans," Rick and Sharon Bolton performed both Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" and Woody Guthrie’s "This Land Is Your Land" – the latter song composed ironically as an angry response to the former.
City Seeks Members for Citizens Advisory Board
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Public Safety Commissioner Peter Martin is actively seeking citizens charged with representing different segments of the community to form an advisory board that would include members of the city police department.
“I think our police department does a really good job of providing police services, training officers and getting out into the community, but I also recognize there is no human organization that’s perfect, so there’s always room for improvement. One of the ways you can discover where you want to have improvement is to have dialogue with the community,” Martin said.
The idea of forming a board to hold face-to-face dialogue between the police department and the community comes in the aftermath of revived public interest regarding the circumstances involving Darryl Mount, a 21-year-old black man who in late August 2013 suffered injuries that left him in a coma after fleeing police on Caroline Street and allegedly falling off a scaffolding behind The Washington building, which was then under construction. Mount died eight-and-a-half months later. Mount's mother, Patty Jackson, subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit and city Police Chief Greg Veitch has come under public scrutiny following a Times Union last month month which reported the department never conducted an internal probe into police actions, after earlier claiming there was one. Chief Veitch has since posted comments related to the matter on the police department’s Facebook page.
“I can truly understand the grief of a mother who has lost a young son (and) I am certainly aware of and sensitive to the impact of race issues on the interaction of police agencies and municipalities across the United States,” Martin said.
“The recent interest and publicity concerning the Darryl Mount incident of five years ago is certainly the catalyst” for an advisory board, Martin said. There have been public calls for a citizen “review” board, but Martin said, “I do not believe a citizen review board would be beneficial to the city nor its residents,” adding that such panels in some areas have become “overly political” and “rife with controversy,” and citing civilian law enforcement review boards in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Memphis, Tennessee specifically. “If we were to start a (review) board, it would involve changes to the City Charter as well as to the contract with police officers.”
The community “advisory” board being proposed would hold two formal meetings annually at City Hall with the option for additional meetings as warranted regarding issues that are presented.
“My goal is to have a first meeting within a month-and-a-half to two months from now,” Martin said this week. “We’re looking for people who have a desire to really dig in, to learn what police procedures are and why they are, which would involve some reading and study about the rights of policemen, the rights of citizens. So, there would be work involved for those who agree to do it. It’s not just coming in, speaking your mind and going home. This would be a working board.”
Members would work on a volunteer, non-paid basis. The advisory board would include Martin, his deputy commissioner, the police chief and assistant police chief, and approximately nine to eleven civilian members, each representing a different segment of the community.
“One member who represents the youth of the community, one member who represents the unemployed, one member of the working class who resides in the community, one who represents the working class who do not reside but work in the community, at least one member from the minority population, one who represents the elderly. I want to keep the group to a size that is manageable, so I can see some neighborhoods also represented to get the group between nine to eleven,” Martin said.
“I think we’ll be able to get some ideas fully vetted on the table and be able to implement some good ideas, changes that people agree would provide either better policing or better communication,” Martin said.
Martin will choose the members of the advisory board. “I have been receiving phone calls and emails from the public and I continue to welcome those with the identifying the factors that would make someone an appropriate member of the advisor board.” Civilians interested in being a member of the board may contact Martin by phone, at: 518-587-3550, or via email at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Primary Day is Thursday Sept. 13; Gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon visits Spa City
SARATOGA SPRINGS - New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon visited the Spa City Sunday afternoon in advance of primary day, which this year will take place Thursday, Sept. 13.
Nixon announced her campaign for Governor of New York in March, challenging Democratic incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“I’m running for governor because I believe we can have a New York that works for all of us,” Nixon told a group of about 125 people at Saratoga Arts on Sunday. She spoke for approximately 20 minutes.
“I voted for Andrew Cuomo eight years ago, because I remembered his dad and because I believed he was a Democrat the way he said he was, but since taking office he has governed like he was a Republican,” Nixon told the crowd. She suggested Cuomo allowed Republicans to draw their own districting maps and “hand(ed) over to the Republican Party of New York the ability to block almost every progressive piece of legislation we have had in this state,” campaign finance reform, the N.Y. Dream Act and fully funded schools being among them.
Nixon, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series “Sex and the City,” is running on a platform includes ensuring more affordable housing - all new housing projects to include a percentage of affordable units; proactively responding to climate change - setting the state on a track to achieve 100 percent renewal energy within 30 years - tending to immigration issues – including abolishing ICE, passing the Dream Act and seeking to make New York a Sanctuary state), as well as advocating for LGBT rights and legalizing, taxing and regulating the recreational use of marijuana.
State primaries will be held noon to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13. The traditional voting day would have been Tuesday Sept. 11. Due to conflicts with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah and the anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks, the primary was changed to take place two days later.
In a primary election, only voters registered with a party may vote to nominate their party's candidate.
Registered Democrats in Saratoga County may choose one candidate for the following offices: Cynthia Nixon or Andrew Cuomo for Governor; Kathy Hochul or Jumaane Williams for Lt. Governor; Sean Maloney, or Letitia James or Leecia Eve or Zephyr Teachout for Attorney General. There are just under 41,000 registered Democrats in Saratoga County, according to the most recent report posted by the state Board of Elections.
Registered Republicans in Saratoga County may choose: Karen Heggen or Gerard Amedio for the District Attorney. There are just under 60,000 registered Republicans in Saratoga County.
In the 43rd and 49th Senate District, each of which run through different areas of Saratoga Springs, the Reform Party primary lists Nancy Sliwa or Mike Diederich of Christopher Garvey for Attorney General in each district, as well as James Tedisco unopposed for State Senator in the 49th District. The town of Ballston Conservative Party primary lists Keith Kissinger or John Fantauzzi for Town Justice.
Polling places may be found at the Saratoga County Board of Election website. Note, the Saratoga Springs City Center polling place for districts 3,4,8,9 and 25 in the city has been relocated from the City Center to the adjacent Hilton, ballrooms 1 and 2. The General Election takes place Nov. 6.
NYRA Breaks Ground on New Building at Saratoga Race Course
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2018 meet at Saratoga, NYRA executives gathered with construction project contractors and architects at the racecourse for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the 1863 Club - a permanent, new building to be developed at the site of the current At the Rail Pavilion.
The new will replace the seasonal tent and trailers at the end of the Clubhouse with a 36,000-square foot, three-story, climate-controlled building featuring a variety of hospitality options. The building will also be equipped with a full-service kitchen.
A banquet area will be featured on the first floor, a dining club and bar on the second level. The third floor will feature “true luxury boxes with a great view of the entire track," said NYRA President and CEO Chris Kay said, during Tuesday’s event. Kay specifically noted the second-floor rooms will well suit large groups such as college alumni and horse-centered organizations.
Developers and contractors are tasked with completing the job in nine months. Jim Dawsey, president of MLB Construction Services, said the project was on his mind while attending local services at the Church of St. Peter during the weekend. “I said: Lord grant me two things in my life: a dry fall, and a snow-less winter.”
The 1863 Club is named in honor of the year of the first organized thoroughbred race meeting in Saratoga, which took place over the course of four days in August 1863 at a trotting track that was located across the street of the current racecourse site, on Union Avenue.
A two-minute video depicting a rendering of the new building may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cLxEvgUOHY&feature=youtu.be.
Hanging Up His Horn: Sam the Bugler Retires After 25 Years
SARATOGA SPRINGS – For a quarter-century, you could set your watch by his actions. Many of the world’s great equine athletes did: the easy saunter across the race course accompanied by a clanging bell; the casual stroll into the Winner’s Circle; the fussing with his horn’s mouthpiece, the adjustment of the microphone stand and then finally, the swift hoisting of the bugle to his mouth and sounding for all to hear his call to the post.
It is a routine Sam “the Bugler” Grossman performed many times a day and several times a week over the period of 25 years. With the conclusion of the 2018 season at Saratoga on Sept. 3, Sam the Bugler sounded his horn one last time.
“I love the beautiful vibrant people here and the people at Belmont as well,” Grossman mused while standing in the winner’s circle and surveying the crowd on the final weekend before his retirement. “I’ll miss the people, but you know what? Every gig has a certain life, no matter what it is. And when you’re a musician you wake up one day and you know when the gig is over.”
The New York Racing Association, for whom he worked, celebrated Grossman's long tenure by naming Labor Day’s fifth race in his honor and presenting him with a commemorative bugle and plaque.
The Long Island native began playing the trumpet at the age of six. He studied music at the University of Miami, where he earned both his bachelor's degree and a master's degree in music education. Grossman began his career with NYRA at Aqueduct Racetrack in the spring of 1993. “I had never gone to a horse race in my whole life, but somehow, I knew I would get the job,” he explained.
He says some of his fondest memories were watching Rachel Alexandra win the Woodward in 2009 at Saratoga and witnessing Jerry Bailey on Cigar - the thoroughbred nicknamed “America’s Horse” and whose popularity earned him a police escort down Seventh Avenue en route to his retirement party at Madison Square Garden in 1996.
“You know, it’s kind of a weird thing being a trumpet play from Long Island, but when one of your friends wins the Derby – like when ‘Chop-Chop’ won the Derby (jockey Jorge Chavez, 2001), I had just been playing ping-pong with him the day before. He said: I’m going to win the Derby tomorrow. And he did, on Monarchos. So, that’s just a really weird element of my life.”
With his red jacket, black hat and clutching his omnipresent horn, Grossman could often be found In between races among the crowds. “I walk all around the facility and entertain anyone who wants some entertainment: play a song, take a photo, tell a story. I usually make the stories up,” he says with a laugh.
Following his retirement from full-time duties with NYRA, Grossman will relocate to Florida, where he will reside with his wife, Laura.
In 2005, his image was immortalized in the form of a 7-inches tall bobblehead doll, which was distributed to racecourse patrons. “Unreal,” he recalled, standing in the winner’s circle and gazing up at the throng awaiting his bugle call. “How would you feel if you looked up to see people holding up 30,000 dolls with your head on them?”
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Supervisor Represents Spa City in D.C.
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Kellyanne Conway spoke about the opioid crisis. Corey Price discussed immigration and customs enforcement policies. The balance of the near four-hour gathering in the shadow of the White House touched on everything from agriculture and cleaning up radioactive materials to issues faced by military families.
“It was an interesting mix,” says Tara Gaston, one of two Saratoga County supervisors representing Saratoga Springs. Last week, Gaston joined approximately 100 other officials from New York State and New Jersey in Washington D.C. at the invitation of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House, who are charged with the responsibility of building relationships with state, county, local, and tribal officials.
Gaston visited the White House then assembled with her colleagues in Room 430 of the Eisenhower Executive Office building - located next to the West Wing – where the group spent the better part of four hours listening to, and in some cases discussing, issues that affect New York and New Jersey residents with a variety of White House departmental officials.
“They would come in and spend about 20 minutes each with us. Most of them gave a rundown of their policies. Not all of them took questions,” Gaston says. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway talked about the opioid crisis.
“She expressed a lot of concern about neonatal abstinence syndrome” – conditions that occur when a baby withdraws from drugs they were exposed to in the womb – “and about the opioid crisis, but she didn’t take any questions,” Gaston says.
“One of my concerns about that it is that we often deal with opioid addiction in terms of a legal issue - resulting in jail time and taking away children - as opposed to a public health issue. So, she didn’t speak about it as a public health issue as much as I would have liked,” Gaston says.
Opioid overdoses accounted for more than 42,000 deaths in 2016, more than any previous year on record. An estimated 40 percent of opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Another thing that was interesting is how Human Services have been pushing HIPAA exemptions to allow family members to know if another family member OD’d. I assume the purpose behind that is to know whether you need to have Narcan in your house, to encourage interventions and the like. But, it’s always a little concerning when you’re talking about HIPAA exemptions for adults. I understand why, but it’s a fine line between how you deal with the crisis and also how are we going to protect people’s privacy,” Gaston explained.
Corey Price, assistant director for enforcement at ICE talked about the president’s priorities. “One of those priorities is building more agreements with local law enforcement to issue detainers to hold individuals in custody on immigration issues, so they’re held until ICE interviews them and decides whether to take them into custody or not,” Gaston says. She explains: “Let’s say someone gets a DWI. Local law enforcement can release that individual or alternately contact ICE if there’s an immigration issue and ICE will issue a detainer and come and interview them and decide whether – instead of being released – they’re taken in to Federal Immigration custody. It’s a cooperation agreement between ICE and local law enforcement.
“One of my priorities was trying to communicate, just the uncertainty of the process. The policies keep changing and the administration throws out ideas – maybe they’ll follow them and maybe they won’t – but that leaves a lot of individuals in Saratoga Springs and in Saratoga County confused and frightened,” Gaston says.
Another big regional issue, particularly for those representing the rural areas of their respective states is agriculture in general, and dairy issues, and the ability via H-2A visas to get workers to their farms, specifically. The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs. “The Farm Bill, assuming it ever comes out of Congress, will also be a big one that affects our county and how it runs,” Gaston says. The current food and farm bill is set to expire Sept. 30.
“I asked a gentleman from the Domestic Policy Council about veteran families and military families. As a representative of an area with a military population with a lot of veterans as well as being the spouse of a disabled veteran myself, that’s something that concerns me a lot,” Gaston says. “Saratoga County does a lot of work for veterans, but a concern is essentially sustaining our outreach. If we can get funding to help expand the program we already have it would do a lot of good.
“Overall, there was a lot of information packed in there. I would like to see it more in a workshop format with more give-and-take, but the impression we were given is this won’t be the last one of these meetings, Gaston says, adding that there are many issues which have local ramifications, from immigration to law enforcement, to ensuring businesses come to Saratoga County and build into the community. “Some of these things being worked on with trade are really going to have an impact on what we can do as a county,” Gaston says.
“My job is to represent Saratoga County and that means putting our name and a face in front of all the people who can impact us,” the supervisor says. “I have a lot of political differences with the administration, but I do appreciate them reaching out to get (our) point of view. Now it’s a matter of what do they do with it."
Saratoga Immigration Coalition Stages Walk & Vigil in Congress Park
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Approximately 300 people gathered in Congress Park Aug. 28, 2018 for an “All Are Welcome Here” Walk and Vigil.
Coordinated by The Saratoga Immigration Coalition, the event was organized as a non-political gesture of gratitude, support, and acknowledgement of immigrants and the contributions they make in the community.
A network of civic groups, faith communities and individuals from across the Capital District gathering in three different locations for the walk to Congress Park: on the West Side - where Irish and Italian immigrants settled a century ago; at Saratoga Race Course - which has a large working Latino immigrant community, and at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Broadway - a symbol of the region’s economic driver, organizers said. The Spirit of Life and Spencer Trask Memorial, which overlook the park, were fixed with the flags of the world.
New Branding for Spa City’s UPH
SCHENECTADY – When renovations are completed at Universal Preservation Hall and the 700-seat theatre-in-the-round opens its doors next year, expect to see a lot of this new Proctors Collaborative logo attached to it.
The logo depicts a new regional umbrella brand embracing Proctors and Universal Preservation Hall, as well as Capital Repertory Theatre. The brand logo was announced Aug. 28.
“Proctors Collaborative simply puts a name on what we’ve already been doing, which is bringing the arts together on a regional scale,” Proctors CEO Philip Morris said, in a statement. “Sharing resources and information, trading thoughts and ideas, is the way forward.”
UPH, a former Methodist church built in 1871 on Washington Street, is undergoing a $5.5 million renovation for its transformation into an acoustically perfect theater-in-the-round that will stage live music, Broadway cabaret and theater, among its anticipated 200 annual events.
On Nov. 8, UPH Campaign Director Teddy Foster will deliver a presentation titled “Universal Preservation Hall: The Road to Opening Night & Beyond,” at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
City Hall Remains "Closed Indefinitely"
SARATOGA SPRINGS – City employees were forced to set up temporary offices across the Spa City this week in the aftermath of a fire and water damage which forced the closure of City Hall.
The 19th century building, which opened in 1871, was struck by lightning Aug. 17, resulting in fire and water related damage to the structure. No re-opening date has been set.
“It’s indefinite. Right now, we’re on a 30-day plan,” city Mayor Meg Kelly said this week. “That means our first estimate in our emergency management plan, is we’re out for 30 days. If people can get back in in 10-15 days they go, but there are a lot of departments that will be delayed.”
Most city employees were relocated to the southside city recreation facility on Vanderbilt Avenue. Public Works employees set up shop at Van Rensselaer avenue and city police, who are located in an unaffected City Hall annex, maintain their department offices on Lake Avenue. Saratoga City Court sessions are being held at 65 South Broadway, in the Lincoln bath building house and this week’s council meeting was staged at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Broadway.
The Vanderbilt Avenue recreation facility – which had been bonded for $6.5 million - became a hot political topic in 2009, with a local community group filing a lawsuit against the facility being developed on the south side. Scott Johnson, who was eventually re-elected for a second mayoral term, pushed for the facility to be developed. Accounts Commissioner John Franck, who held the same position on the council at the time, also was in favor of the project. The building opened in 2010.
There had been some previous debate about potentially turning the Saratoga Music Hall – located on the top floor of the City Hall building - into a new, expanded court room. It is unclear if any changes will be made however.
“There’s no plan right now,” Mayor Kelly said. “Right now we’re in the recovery stage, so we are not making any plans for the building at this time.”
Financial Report for 2017
The city released a 66-page financial report regarding an independent audit conducted through Dec. 31, 2017 by BST & Co. of Albany. Among the details cited: Sales Tax and Hotel Room Occupancy Tax each decreased by 1 percent compared to 2016, VLT Aid remained at $2.326 million in 2017 - the same as the previous three years, and Mortgage Tax receipts increased in 2017 to $1.693 million, 15 percent higher than 2016. A full copy of the report may be downloaded here.
