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SARATOGA SPRINGS - Saratoga Arts Fest kicks off the ArtsFestFriday 2018 season with its “La Dolce Vita Remix” event, featuring a screening of Fellini’s classic 1960 film, as well as live paparazzi and mingling Contessas, hobnobbing with guests during the interactive cocktail hour.  

The cocktail hour — which promises to be full of surprises — takes place 6 – 7 p.m., followed by a full-film screening of “La Dolce Vita,” to cap off the fantastic evening of glamour. Musical pop-up performances will take place during the screening, bringing the film to life.

“Movies do not change, but their viewers do,” noted film critic Roger Ebert in his four-star review of the film in 1997. “When I saw ‘La Dolce Vita’ in 1960, I was an adolescent for whom "the sweet life" represented everything I dreamed of: sin, exotic European glamour, the weary romance of the cynical newspaperman… when I saw the movie around 1980, Marcello was the same age, but I was 10 years older, had stopped drinking, and saw him not as a role model but as a victim, condemned to an endless search for happiness that could never be found.”

The film’s character of Paparazzo, a news photographer, inspired the use of the word “paparazzi” to be placed into the cultural dictionary.

The free event will take place 6 – 10 p.m. Friday, March 9 at The Spa Little Theatre. The first 100 guests will receive sunglasses to wear as a celebrity disguise.

To register for “La Dolce Vita Remix,” go to: www.saratogaartsfest.org. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Three times in the past 12 years, voters have cast ballots that challenge the city’s long-held form of government, with each successive referendum resulting in an ever-narrowing margin of difference to maintain the status quo. A group of residents advocating for charter change are considering a move to put the issue back in front of voters in November in the hope the fourth time will be the charm.

Last November, the proposition was defeated by a 4,458 - 4,448 margin, a difference of 10 votes out of the nearly 9,000 ballots cast.

“Everybody we have talked to since November said this was a dead heat, that the community should get another shot at it - and as soon as possible,” Gordon Boyd said this week. Boyd is a former member of the Saratoga Springs Charter Review Commission, which disbanded on Election Day, as well as a contributor It's Time Saratoga! – a group that has advocated for charter change.

“Our core leadership group is investigating the legal, procedural and campaign dynamics of getting a petition drive going as allowed under the law, and how we can put the same exact proposal (as 2017) on the petition and placed on the ballot this coming November.”

The current Commission form of governing, the only type of governing the city of Saratoga Springs has known in its near 103-year history, relies on five elected part-time council members, each of whom are responsible for administering their own department, as well as serving as legislators. The proposed Council-Manager form of governing would see that the council hires a non-partisan, professional city manager to carry out city policies, starting in January 2020.

“If we put it up again this year, all of the transition timetables would pretty much stay the same,” Boyd explained. “This would be the same proposal, word-for-word. Who are we to fuss with it?”

Richard Sellers, a spokesman for the SUCCESS group opposed to charter change, argues that the city’s current commission form of governing ensures a better future.

“We have five citizens who were elected by voters and who are working together for the good of the city. The city government accomplished a great deal in 2017 and has excellent plans for 2018,” Sellers said. “Five heads looking out for the city are better than one appointed administrator (and) while we do not know exactly what may be put on the ballot, we would obviously oppose any change in the form of government.”

While city elections were resolved in 2017, this year’s Election Day ballot will include races for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and statewide races for Governor, Senate and Assembly seats.   Boyd said he believes the increased turnout of a Gubernatorial election year would work in his group’s favor.

According to financial disclosure reports, the SUCCESS group shows a January 2018 balance of just over $3,000. It’s Time Saratoga – a ballot committee created in favor of charter change showed a balance of about $2,300 in early December – the most recent filing available via the state Board of Elections website.

One lingering event which may factor in to the city’s 2017 referendum, Boyd says, is a pending Appellate Division ruling of a “very similar” Essex County case involving a very close election. A previous move by Boyd to re-canvass city ballots in the 2017 referendum on charter change was struck down by State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Nolan earlier this month. The ruling on the Essex County vote may affect whether an appeal is filed related to the razor-thin margin of the city’s 2017 referendum.

“We’re just a group of citizens at this point and it would require us getting a minimum number of signatures - and we would also have to fundraise to support the campaign, but we don’t see any difficulty reaching those goals to put it on the ballot,” Boyd said. “We have had a lot of dedicated individuals who put a lot of time into this and I think they’re going to be fired up to resolve it once and for all. The best thing is for us to keep it the same, to give the people another shot at it. It was essentially a dead heat. So, let’s run the race again. “

Boyd said more specific plans regarding the matter will be forthcoming in early April.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – A request for proposals was issued by the city this week seeking a management company to study, design, implement and manage a paid parking system in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Proposals received by potential bidders are slated to be opened March 14. The awarding of a project is anticipated to take place in April and the installation of parking management equipment by late summer. The goal is to secure a parking management company to implement and manage a paid parking system downtown that will “net the maximum financial benefit to the city balanced with downtown business vitality and efficient traffic management,” according to the RFP.

Proposals are to include a detailed outline of the system that includes time limits, hourly rates - with the ability to fluctuate rates based on seasonal demand, merchant/employee parking specs and a permit system for residents and employees of the downtown core.

The approximate boundaries of on-street paid parking covers the length of Broadway – from the entrance of Congress Park to the City Center - as well as parking areas west of Broadway to Railroad Place, and east of Broadway to Maple Avenue. The study area includes multi-level parking decks on Putnam Street, Woodlawn Avenue, and Long Alley, large surface lots at High Rock – located behind the City Center and just off Spring Street; the so-called Collamer lot; the public library lot and the paved drive that passes through Congress Park adjacent to the Canfield Casino.

There are currently about 1,300 spaces of public on-street parking and 1,480 public off-street parking spaces in the city, including lots and decks, according to the RFP.

The city has explored paid parking measures in the recent past, although those efforts have been largely unsuccessful. In 2008, three developers submitted proposals for a parking plan that included the city giving developers the land rights to the High Rock and Collamer lots in exchange for the construction of a new public safety facility, parking garage and a mix of residential and commercial buildings that would include a proposed cineplex complex. Discussions about those proposal eventually fell apart, however, after merchants complained against metering Broadway, where their stores are located. By 2009, the city council remained deadlocked over a resolution that would have chosen a developer for that paid parking proposal, even as then-Finance Commissioner Kevin Ivins crafted the city’s 2010 budget to include about $1.35 million in revenue anticipated to come from a paid-parking program.

The proposition of installing a paid-parking measure on city-owned lots and on some streets off of Broadway would represent the first metered system in the Spa City since the nickel-an-hour machines were removed in the 1970s.

“We want to move Saratoga forward as a Smart City with technologies such as Smart Parking to optimize parking, reduce traffic and create a more enjoyable experience for city residents and visitors,” according to the RFP.

The proposed timeline is as follows: March 14: RFP opening; April 17: City awards project; April 18 – 20: Kick-off meeting at City Hall; April 20 – 30: Flexible time to assess City's needs & gather feedback; May 1 – July 30: Complete parking study; Aug. 7: Submit final report and presentation at City Council meeting; Aug. 14 – Sept. 14: Install parking management equipment & train staff.

SCHENECTADY – This week, Proctors and Capital Repertory Theatre announced the 2018–2019 Key Private Bank Broadway Series at Proctors and the 2018–2019 Season at Capital Repertory Theatre.

Dates for “Hamilton,” which will play its premiere Capital Region engagement and anchor the 2018–2019 season - and is also featured in both subscription packages—were revealed, along with a calendar of touring Broadway and regional theatre offerings.

2018–2019 Key Private Bank Broadway Series at Proctors

Anastasia: Oct. 9–14. This epic 2017 Broadway hit takes us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Anastasia features a book by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), with direction by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak.

A Bronx Tale: Oct. 23–28. Broadway’s hit crowd-pleaser takes you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s—where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be. Robert De Niro and Tony winner Jerry Zaks direct this streetwise musical—based on Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri’s story—that The New York Times hails as “A Critics’ Pick! The kind of tale that makes you laugh and cry.”

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical: Dec. 5–9, 2018. Discover the magic of Dr. Seuss’ classic holiday tale as it comes to life on stage. Featuring the hit songs “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas,” The Grinch discovers there’s more to Christmas than he bargained for in this heart-warming holiday classic. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes too small,” decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, an endlessly cheerful bunch bursting with holiday spirit.

School of Rock: Feb. 5–10, 2019. Based on the hit film, “School of Rock” follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star posing as a substitute teacher who turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. This high-octane smash features 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, all the original songs from the movie and musical theatre’s first-ever kids rock band playing their instruments live on stage.

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Feb. 26–March 3, 2019. It's the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film, including "Pure Imagination," "The Candy Man" and "I've Got a Golden Ticket," alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of “Hairspray.”

The Phantom of the Opera: April 24–May 5, 2019. Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera will make a triumphant return to Schenectady as part of its North American Tour. The production, overseen by Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne, boasts many exciting special effects including the show’s legendary chandelier. The beloved story and thrilling score—with songs like “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You” and “Masquerade”—will be performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this Phantom one of the largest productions now on tour.

The Book of Mormon: May 14–19, 2019.The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century.” This outrageous musical comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word. Now with standing room only productions in London, on Broadway and across North America, The Book of Mormon has truly become an international sensation. Contains explicit language.

Waitress: June 11–16, 2019. Brought to life by a groundbreaking all-female creative team, and inspired by Adrienne Shelly's beloved film, “Waitress” tells the story of Jenna—a waitress and expert pie maker, who dreams of a way out of her small town and loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town's new doctor may offer her a chance at a fresh start, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes for happiness. But Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her own life.

Hamilton: Aug. 13–25, 2019. Hamilton is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway, “Hamilton” is the story of America then, as told by America now. With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, “Hamilton” is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

The 2018–2019 Season at Capital Repertory Theatre includes: NEXT ACT! New Play Summit 7 (June 2–4); Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash (July 6–Aug. 12); The Royale (Sept. 21–Oct. 14); Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Nov. 23–Dec. 23); Red Maple (Jan. 25–Feb. 17, 2019); Shakespeare in Love (April 5–May 12, 2019).

For subscription series ticket and show information, go to: https://www.proctors.org/.

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The 31st Annual Flurry Festival of traditional dancing and music will take place Friday Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18. The festival is housed in the Saratoga City Center and Hilton Hotel with satellite locations at the Saratoga Music Hall and Caffé Lena.

Dances and Workshops include styles in Contra, Swing, Latin, English Country, Squares, Vintage, Clogging, Hip-Hop, Cajun, Zydeco, Irish, Scandinavian, Middle Eastern, Asian, European, American and International Folk, Yoga and body movement and more. Beginner to experienced sessions.

Make Music and Sing sessions include: Irish, Quebecois, Southern Old-Time, African, Scandinavian, Adirondack, Gospel & Community Singalongs, Folk, Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo, Flute, Harmonica, Ukulele, voice and more.

After 14 years as program curator for the Flurry Festival, Peter Davis will be stepping down, the organization announced this week. City resident Jonathan Greene will assume the role, which includes the talent scouting of more than 300 musicians, bands and dance instructors and coordinating the massive schedule of events for the three-day festival.

“I’m excited about it,” said Greene, a professional musician and event organizer who performs regionally and throughout the northeast with the Hot Club of Saratoga, Golfstrom, Heard and other groups.  

“I’ll be shadowing Peter for the whole weekend and going from event-to-event and be on-site literally 24/7. It’s going to be crazy,” said Greene, who will also be performing with the swing dance band The Piggly Wigglies in the Saratoga Hilton Hotel Ballroom and leading participants in a swing jam.

Tickets to the festival are on sale all weekend long. For a full schedule of events and more information about the Flurry, go to: flurryfestival.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – David Cassidy, the popular singer, horseman and frequent fixture of the Saratoga summer scene who died last year, will be the focus of a dedication ceremony and the placement of two benches in his honor at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

The benches, which will be fixed with nameplates, will be set in the museum’s outdoor courtyard in the spring with a ceremony tentatively slated to take place in late April, said Brien Bouyea, communications coordinator at the Racing Museum, located on Union Avenue opposite Saratoga Race Course.

The singer, who died in November at the age of 67, 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 - whose TV series aired on ABC from 1970 to 1974. The museum neither publicized or solicited donations, Bouyea said. That two benches will be dedicated indicate Cassidy’s wide appeal. One of the memorial benches is the result of donations received from fans around the world; the other a fruit of a collaborative partnering between horse trainer Gary Contessa – who has more than 2,200 winning races under his belt - and Columbia County based horse owner, breeder and veterinarian Dr. Jerry Bilinski.

“We wanted to do something in his honor,” Contessa said, during a phone interview this week. “There were a couple of things we could have done - we thought about naming a race, but then Dr. Bilinski said, ‘you know, why don’t we dedicate a bench to him.’

“With David, we go back 20, 30 years. I play bass guitar so we had a music connection as well as a horse connection, going back at least the early ‘90s,” said Contessa, who fondly reminisced about his first public musical performance with Cassidy.

“He was at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, at a special outdoor thing he was doing under a tent there. I was in the audience when he called me up on stage: ‘I’m going to call up my trainer.’ I was like, holy… It was totally unplanned. He said to me: let’s play a blues in the key of C. I started playing. In the key of A,” Contessa recalled, with a laugh. “All of a sudden he starts looking at me… Nobody loved Saratoga like David did. He had a home in Saratoga, he came to the races every day and he loved the horses. During the meet he could be found at three o’clock in the morning reading the racing form and smoking a cigar at my barn.”   

Jeff Goodell, author and Rolling Stone contributing editor, will deliver a free lecture at Skidmore College Tuesday night.

Goodell, who traveled across 12 countries to interview scientists and leaders about climate change, will present his findings and report how climate change and sea level rise are affecting major cities, coastal villages, island nations and the military.

Goodell’s most recent book, “The Water Will Come,” was named as A New York Times Critics' Top Book of 2017 and Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction in 2017. Goodell is also author of “Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind American’s Energy Future,” and “How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix Earth’s Climate.”

The event takes place 7 - 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gannett Auditorium in Palamountain Hall. 

Who: James Mastrianni

Where: Caffè Lena

Congratulations on being elected Board Chair at Caffè Lena Where are you originally from?

- Niskayuna originally. I’ve been in Saratoga Springs since 1994.

Do you recall the first time you came to the café?

- I know exactly when it was. The spring of 1990.  I had a guitar teacher who was playing a show.

You play guitar?

- I’ve been a musician for 40 years, a pianist and guitarist. I’ve played with The Refrigerators, in Dead cover bands, with jam bands and duos with guitars. I have a recording studio in my house and release music of my own as well as produce other folks.

What do you think of the café since the renovation?  

- It’s awesome. I think it has the chance to be one of the best listening rooms in the country - capable of attracting high caliber performers to a great sounding intimate space and in an awesome community. We also have the capability now to be a full-fledged studio and offer production services to artists – off-hours recordings, or live recordings. We can do audio. The next phase is video. If you’re an up-and-coming artist, we can create these videos that go on YouTube and can go viral. So, there’s an opportunity to be a little video production studio as well. That’s what we’re shooting for. We’ll see if we can get there.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

- A professional hockey player. I was a hockey addict from 5 to age 15 and grew up ice skating rink in back yard. But, I couldn’t do both – play piano and hockey. I was missing my piano recitals and it got to the point where I had to choose. I chose music.

If you had the opportunity to play music with anyone, who would that be?

- It’s hard to pick just one. I’m a huge fan of Lake Street Dive. And if I could hang with the guys from Snarky Puppy, that would be unbelievable.

What stands out to you about Saratoga?  

- I think there are some very interesting people and businesses who are doing very interesting things. There’s a heck of a talent pool of very committed folks in this community and that’s what I like about it.

A Saratoga entrepreneur and business owner, since 2007 Mastrianni has served as president of a company that administers federally funded affordable housing programs in 11 counties. What is the vision in the near future for Caffè Lena?

- We’ve built this tremendous infrastructure and now we have a real organization to run. We have to deal with things like human resource issues and health insurance, employee handbooks and contracts. I’ve done these things my whole career - these things you do in business. It wasn’t too long ago, if we ran out of copier paper we would check the bank balance to see if we could buy some paper. We’re a very different organization now. The nuts and bolts stuff, and that’s where the café is now.  

Who would play you in a film about your life?

- George Clooney, of course. I’m often mistaken for him.

Mastrianni was joined by five new Board members the famed music venue: Tom Kernan, Margo Olson, Christopher Shaw, Kevin Veitch and Joanne Dittes Yepsen. They join current Board members Kevin Bright, Eric Brodwin, Michael Eck, Wanda Fischer, Kira Karbocus, Peter Martin, Bob Rehm, George Ward and Brent Wilkes. 

- The Moderne at Saratoga. Henry Street Condominiums, to be sited on a currently unoccupied lot at 128 Henry St., adjacent to the existing Four Seasons store. The condominium is slated to include 30 residential units and featuring a street-side public art gallery.  

- Excelsior Park. Thirty-nine acres of land on Excelsior Avenue and Ormandy Lane in a development commonly referred to as Excelsior Park.  The Special Use Permit will include a mix of residential and commercial uses, including a hotel, spa, community center and swimming pool.

Project Description, according to Engineering Report for Excelsior Special Use Permit prepared by the LA Group, November 2017: The remaining build-out covered by the Special Use Permit proposes to construct 62 three-bedroom townhouses, 76 two-bedroom apartment units, 15,640 square feet of commercial space, a community recreational facility with a swimming pool and a 60-room hotel that includes a 200-seat restaurant, banquet facility for 300 guests, spa and swimming pool.  Sixteen of the townhouses include a one-bedroom apartment that could be sub-let.  Included in the proposal are six short-term or guest room rentals.    

- Rip Van Dam Hotel. Historic Review of expansion/new construction. (DRC Meeting/ Feb. 7). 

today (image captured in November):

proposed: 

City Hall Meetings

Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting – 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5.

City Council Pre-Agenda Meeting – 9:30 a.m., Monday, Feb. 5.

City Council Full Meeting – 7 p.m., Tuesday Feb. 6.

Design Review Commission Meeting – 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 7. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – A discussion about present-day feminism and the implications of technology will take place 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29 at the Tang Teaching Museum, on the campus of Skidmore College.

Tang Curator-at-Large Isolde Brielmaier will lead a group of innovative thinkers in the discussion titled “#feminism?: Activism & Agitation in the Digital Age.”

In recent years, many have argued that digital media has paved the way for “Fourth Wave Feminism” by offering key platforms for people to come together and organize hashtag campaigns and grassroots movements. Social media, specifically, has allowed people to share stories, maintain a safe space in which to define feminism by working through urgent issues, and enact social and cultural exchanges with others from around the world.

Joining Brielmaier will be Kimberly Drew - writer, curator, activist and social media manager at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Natalie Frank, an artist whose paintings and drawings revolve around women’s bodies, desires, and narratives; and Amy Richards, a writer, producer, and organizer. Recently, Richards produced the Emmy nominated series WOMAN for Viceland and curated a series of talks to accompany Annie Leibovitz’s traveling exhibit WOMEN.

 “#feminism?: Activism & Agitation in the Digital Age” is part of the Accelerator Series at the Tang. The dynamic conversation series on big ideas and big issues seeks to find new entry points into discussions that veer from traditional paths. As an open and inclusive public forum for dialogue, exchange, and questioning, the Accelerator Series ignites a collective sense of intellectual curiosity and fosters thoughtful engagement with a deeper understanding of compelling issues that have the potential to spark radical transformations.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to: http://tang.skidmore.edu, or call 518-580-8080.