Welcome to your weekly newsletter of news, views and events in Saratoga Springs and beyond.
News from your Saratoga Springs Democratic Party:
2021 campaign training for candidates. Wondering if you should run for office this year? Want to get involved in a campaign? Do you think you have what it takes to run a campaign? CapitalWomen is offering a two-session Zoom training to help you find out. (Open to men, as well.) Thursday, January 28, 7:00 – 8:00 pm will provide an overview of campaigns, planning, what and who you need to know, and why get involved; Saturday, January 30, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm will focus on Field, Fund Raising and PAC relationships, and Message, Mail and Social Media. $20 per person; $10 for first time candidates and campaign workers; free for Black, Indigenous, and Non-Black People of Color (BIPOC). More information and registration here.
SSDC candidate questionnaire available. For those who have already decided to seek endorsement as a Saratoga Springs city Democratic candidate, the next step is to complete the candidate questionnaire which is now available on the Saratoga Dems website. Endorsement meetings will happen soon, so do it today! County dems Chair Todd Kerner advises that, “We are still looking for candidates both at County and local level! If interested for County level - please contact me (county races open are County Clerk, Surrogate's Court Judge, Coroner and Sheriff). If interested for Town or City level - please contact your town or city chair.”
Welcome to our 46th POTUS and first female, first Black and first Asian VP. After a solemn yet joyous inauguration ceremony last Wednesday, President Biden tackles an unprecedented stack of crises involving the pandemic, civil unrest, racial and economic inequality and a looming climate disaster. Time to get to work—and all of us need to pitch in. In news you may have missed, the gentleman who escorted about-to-be Vice President Kamala Harris to the ceremony was Eugene Goodman, the Capitol Police officer who became a hero when he diverted rioters from the doors to the Senate chamber and caused them to chase him instead. He was elevated to the #2 security officer at the Inauguration and has been proposed as a candidate for the Congressional Gold Medal for his bravery during the January 6 rampage.
Most events are still virtual, but many are now onsite. For in-person events, assume that proper COVID-19 precautions will be mandatory including social distancing and masks at all times.
Friday, January 22, 6:00 pm. Northshire Live: Edward Schwarzschild presents In Security. The Albany novelist and New York State Writers Institute Fellow Edward Schwarzschild presents In Security in a wide-ranging conversation with Adam Johnson, author of the Pulitzer-winning novel The Orphan Master's Son. Part airport thriller, part family drama, part love story, In Security explores how those who strive to protect us are often unable to protect themselves. Register online here; tickets are on a sliding scale from zero to $20.
. Friday, January 22 through Sunday, January 24, 9:00 am – 8:00 pm each day. Snowed in at Six Flags Great Escape Lodge. Guests staying at the lodge can step into a winter wonderland, complete with socially distanced live entertainment, activities, and specialty food and drinks. If you need a break from the thrills and chills, your visit includes access to our lazy river, where it’s always a balmy 82°. Repeats weekends through February; more information here. 89 Six Flags Dr in Queensbury.
Saturday, January 23, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm. Winter Farmers Market at Wilton Mall.
Join us every Saturday through April for our winter farmers' market with over 40 vendors selling anything from fresh produce, meats, eggs, pastries, hot foods, liquor, art, specialty foods, and more! We are located in the Wilton Mall food court, accessible from the Bow Tie Cinemas mall entrance. Don't miss out on the best foods and gifts our region has to offer! 3065 NY-50 in Wilton.
Saturday, January 23, 9:00 – 5:00 pm. Make your own pack basket at Adirondack Folk School. Instructor Linda Scherz will demonstrate, teach you weaving techniques and guide you while you weave a small (6" x 9" x 14" ) pack basket using traditional tools and materials. $171 for members, $191 for non-members including materials for a basket with cloth webbed harness; more information here. NOTE: this class currently has a waiting list, but you can put your name down and explore the other offerings at AFS. The school is located at 51 Main St in Lake Luzerne.
Saturday, January 23, 7:00 pm. Stephane Wrembel Album Release: The Django Experiment VI. Born in Paris and raised in Fontainebleau, Wrembel fell in love with the music of Django Reinhardt and the Gypsies. He has recorded with mandolin legend David Grisman, toured with master violinist Mark O’Connor, and shared stages with everyone from Elvis Costello to Patti Smith and The Roots. This live stream from Caffé Lena previews the music in his forthcoming album. Watch the concert here; if you like the music please leave a tip to send to Stephane Wrembel and support Caffé Lena. NOTE: Caffé Lena is temporarily pausing live streams after this event due to COVID-19; previously scheduled events including the Opera Saratoga performance on January 24 will be rescheduled.
Sunday, January 24, 6:40 pm. NFL Conference Championship, Buffalo Bills at Kanas City Chiefs. GO BILLS! Long-suffering local fans have been rewarded with the spectacular play of QB Josh Allen as the Bills are in the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. Watch the game at virtually any bar or restaurant in Saratoga Springs, with appropriate mask and social distancing precautions please. Will KC’s susperstar Patrick Mahomes, who was injured in last week’s game against Cleveland, come off the bench to break our hearts? Watch the game and find out!
Monday, January 25, 10:00 am. Winter Wellness Walk at Wilton Wildlife Preserve. Get outdoors to enjoy the beauty of winter with likeminded people. Wilton Wildlife Preserve's Winter Wellness Walks cover 1.5 miles of gentle terrain. If needed, snowshoes will be available for rental 30 minutes before the program. If there is no snow, the program will take place without snowshoes. Registration is requred to meet COVID requirements. To register, call (518) 450-0321 or email info@wiltonpreserve.org. Repeats biweekly; the next walk will be on February 8. Wilton Wildlife Preserve is at 80 Scout Rd in Gansevoort; walks depart from Camp Saratoga North (follow the signs).
Monday, January 25, 7:00 – 8:00 pm. Song Swap with Saratoga Springs Public Library. Local singer/songwriter Jeff Walton is always busy recording or performing. Join him online for an hour of music sharing and be sure to bring your own songs, voice and instrument! Register for this free event here; you will receive the Zoom link via email 3 hours prior to the start time.
Tuesday, January 26, 9:00 – 10:00 am. 10th Annual Women’s Health Conference. To Life! Presents the latest of six virtual programs focused on breast cancer awareness. In today’s program, Ajaz Khan, MD, MBA will speak on the topic of newer treatments for metastatic and more complex breast cancer diagnoses. There will be a Q&A at the close of the presentation. Dr. Khan is the Medical Director for Medical Oncology at St. Peter’s Medical Oncology – Hematology, a practice of St. Peter’s Health Partners Medical Associates. Programs are free to attend but advance registration is required, available here.
Wednesday, January 27, 4:30 – 6:00 pm. Roast Pork Dinner for Curbside Pick Up at Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge. Dinner for 2 includes Roast Pork, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetable, Stuffing, Applesauce, Gravy, Roll and Tossed Salad for $25; cash only please. Call (518) 584-2585 between 10 am and noon on Monday or Tuesday to order for curbside pickup on Wednesday. Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge #161 is at 1 Elks Lane, off Maple Ave and opposite the Triangle Diner.
Thursday, January 28, 10:00 am. Drive Through Food Pantry in Malta. Thanks to the Regional Food Bank, an anticipated 18,000 pounds of food will be distributed at the event which will include fresh produce, dairy, frozen meats and non-perishable food items. Patrons will receive food on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. CDC guidelines will be followed by wearing appropriate masks and gloves while practicing social distancing. At The David R. Meager Malta Community Center located at 1 Bayberry Drive in Malta; patrons should enter the parking lot and remain in their cars while volunteers load FREE food/supplies into their car trunk.
Thursday, January 28, 4:30 – 7:00 pm. 2nd Annual Malta Food Fest. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample delicious offerings, packaged in grab and go containers, from some of the best restaurants in Malta, Ballston Spa and surrounding communities. All required safety protocols and social distancing guidelines will be followed. Tickets are $20, available here; proceeds benefit local education as well as helping to defray restaurants’ costs. A silent auction of gift baskets, donated items and gift certificates will be held virtually as part of the evening’s activities. At HVCC Tec-Smart, 345 Hermes Rd in Ballston Spa.
Thursday, January 28, 5:00 pm. Northshire Live: Anna Francese Gass presents Heirloom Kitchen. Author of the Northshire Staff Favorite Heirloom Kitchen: Heritage Recipes and Family Stories from the Tables of Immigrant Women will explain and demonstrate the recipe for pierogies that appears in the book. Order your copy here, get the ingredients, and cook alongside her; your purchase automatically registers you to receive the Zoom link for the event. (If you have previously purchased, or purchased in our store, please email events@northshire.com to be added to the attendee list.)
Thursday, January 28, 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Vermicomposting 101: Learn about Composting with Worms. Are you interested in composting? Join Sustainable Saratoga for a wiggly good time and learn to compost using worms! Bill Richmond, owner and chief worm wrangler at the Adirondack Worm Farm, located in Washington County, will teach you how you can reduce the amount of garbage you send to landfills and boost the health and vitality of your plants and backyard garden through the remarkably simple process of vermicomposting. Register here for this free event; you will receive the Zoom link to join via email.
Local news and happenings:
Saratoga Springs City Center named as mass vaccination site. The county lease of the site will immediately kick in when “sufficient vaccine doses” are delivered to the county by the state, according to Saratoga Today. That sufficient quantity determination will be made by newly appointed county Health Commissioner, Dr. Daniel Kuhle. “In general, we are notified about 24 hours before we receive vaccines about how many we can expect to get,” says Tara Gaston, Saratoga Springs city Supervisor and newly named as chair of the county’s Health and Social Services Committee. “I don’t anticipate that it’s going to be thousands within the next couple of weeks, but the goal is to be ready if that happens. Under the current state guidance, once we have the vaccines, we must use them within seven days. We have to be ready and able to move as quickly as possible.”
28 of 42 residents at Saratoga Springs memory care unit test positive. Sandra Redding, the administrator for the memory care unit at Home of the Good Shepherd on Church St, wrote in a January 9 email to families that 28 out of the 42 residents, or two thirds, at the home had tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the year. This stands in contrast to information Home of Good CEO Denise Cote provided to the Times Union last week when she said there were "zero" cases in Saratoga Springs at the Home of the Good Shepherd; Cole later clarified that she was referring to a separate assisted living facility. Full story in the Times-Union.
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