On Deck
After a whirlwind Belmont week, life in Saratoga returns to normal.
Tuesday, June 11
This weekend, artists from Opera Saratoga performed at the track, and the company hosted its annual gala on Sunday evening. In other words, the 2024 festival is in full swing. Coming up this evening is the second installment of Listen to This, a series bringing cutting-edge contemporary works to the Universal Preservation Hall stage. Tonight’s show is Winterreise, a reimagined version of the iconic song cycle by Schubert that’s all-male by design and explores themes of male loneliness and masculinity. Musicologist Tom Denny will give a short talk after the performance. Read more about the Listen to This series here.
Wednesday, June 12
Fans of Creedence Clearwater Revival will have a chance to hear all their favorite tunes once again when frontman John Fogerty takes the Broadview Stage at SPAC this Wednesday evening. Fogerty will be playing some of the band’s greatest hits, and will be joined by openers George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Hearty Har.
Thursday, June 13
This week is your last chance to see Home Made Theater’s production of The Secret Garden in a not-so-secret garden: Pitney Meadows! The musical is based on the 1911 novel of the same name, and follows 11-year-old Mary Lennox as she returns to Yorkshire to live with her reclusive uncle, finding a secret garden within his estate. Catch the show at 7pm on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, or at 2pm on Saturday or Sunday.
Friday, June 14
Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park hosts a free, monthly fireside chat, complete with cookies, s’mores and cocoa. This Friday, the topic of conversation will be the life cycle of the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly, and the work being done to restore its habitat in the Saratoga Sand Plains. If you plan to attend, RSVP by Thursday.
Saturday, June 15
This Saturday, Saratoga Trunk is celebrating 30 years on Broadway! The boutique, which specializes in ladies finery and track hats, will be open from 11am-5pm with a special presentation at 2pm. Guests are invited to show up in their favorite piece from the Trunk!
This year marks the 100th anniversary of New York State Parks, and Ulysses S. Grant State Historic Site is celebrating this Saturday! Stop by Grant Cottage’s Centennial Community Day Celebration from 10am-4:30pm for free cottage walk-throughs plus music, face painting, a scavenger hunt, balloon art, cannon fire demos, Civil War reenactments, pony rides, a petting zoo, cornhole and much more. The first 100 kids to arrive will get a Bomb Pop popsicle.
Curtis Lumber’s PetAPalooza pet adoption day returns to the parking lot of the Ballston Spa store this Saturday from 10am-3pm. Come meet with local veterinarians, groomers, pet sitters and more, as well as the shelter and rescue pets available for adoption! There’ll be free activities for the young and young at heart, as well as plenty of food vendors.
Sunday, June 16
Union Ave was the center of the horse racing world this past weekend, and it’ll be the center of the car world this upcoming weekend! On Sunday, the Saratoga Automobile Museum will present its popular Cars on Union, a car show that shuts down Union Ave by the track. The event is free to attend.
If cars aren’t the dad in your life’s thing, take him to Mostly Modern Festival’s Father’s Day Special, featuring sung poetry and songs by MMF Artistic Director Robert Paterson. The show begins at 3pm at the Arthur Zankel Music Center—but you can show up a half-hour early for snacks, beer and wine!