That's a Wrap!
With the end of racing season comes big news from beyond the track.
PLAN’s Big Plan
Soon, Saratoga hikers, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers will have access to even more miles of trails, thanks to a collaboration between Saratoga PLAN, the Open Space Institute, Saratoga Mountain Bike Association, private landowners and Saratoga County. Part of the larger Sarah B. Faulke Friendship Trails system that is envisioned to extend from Saratoga Springs to Moreau Lake State Park, Graphite Range Community Forest will boast five miles of mixed use trails accessible from Route 9 just outside Saratoga in Wilton. The project is expected to be completed this fall.
This past Thursday, Saratoga PLAN hosted a fundraiser for Graphite Range at Artisanal Brew Works that saw the local outdoors community—specifically the mountain bikers—come out in full force to support the mission. “It’s more than just the name ‘community forest,’” Saratoga PLAN Executive Director Rob Davies told the crowd. “It really means something. This is a forest for the community. “You don’t have to travel long distances to go and have an Adirondack experience. It’s right here in our backyard.”
For more information or to make a donation, click here.
Quote of the Week
“Now that I’m 23 I’ve accepted that I’m old, but I’m only getting younger.”
—Overheard at Artisanal Brew Works
The Sound of Saratoga
Next week, local music lovers will have access to a handful of new songs made by Saratogians, for Saratogians. On Friday, September 8, Saratoga-based singer-songwriter Cassandra Kubinski will release The Saratoga Sessions, a four-song EP produced by Jim Mastrianni and created by a team entirely based in the Capital Region. “I wanted to showcase the incredible talent in the area and invest more in the creative community here,” says Cassandra, who moved to Saratoga from New York City in 2020 and has shared stages with the Goo Goo Dolls, 10,000 Maniacs and Lizzie Grant (who became Lana Del Rey). “In this new era of AI,” Jim adds, “it’s refreshing to get a group of humans together in a room to play loud music on real instruments.”
The Saratoga Sessions is anchored in Cassandra’s piano-driven pop sound and bolstered by live band instrumentation. It explores themes of transformation in songs such as “Hindsight is 20/20” and the uplifting “The Sound.” The EP will be available on all streaming platforms on Friday, and a release concert is on the books for Wednesday, September 27 at Caffè Lena. You can get tickets here.
High Time
Good news, Saratoga pot heads: You no longer have to drive to Schenectady to get your fill of flower, pre-rolls and edibles. Tomorrow marks the start of Saratoga’s first cannabis growers showcase, a twice-weekly market that will take over the lower level of the Saratoga City Center parking garage on Sundays and Tuesdays from noon-6pm and feature products from about a dozen farmers. Need weed on another day of the week? Schuylerville’s Old Saratoga Mercantile is also hosting a cannabis growers showcase in its “Potting Shed” Monday-Saturday from noon-8pm.
Dairy Tales
Here in the Capital Region, we know that Stewart’s Shops’ milk and ice cream is the best, but this week the rest of the state recognized that fact at the New York State Fair. Stewart’s took home the awards for Best Milk, Best Flavored Milk, Best Chocolate Ice Cream and Best Open Class Ice Cream (for its Mint Cookie Crumble; Peanut Butter Pandemonium came in second). To celebrate, Stewart’s is giving customers double punches on Milk Club cards September 4-10.
Road Trip
After such a jam-packed Saratoga summer, you may be in the mood to get the heck out of dodge. If you’re looking for a worthwhile road trip, we’d recommend heading down to New York City for Rhythm and Flow: Celebrating the Fluidity of Femininity, an exhibition by French-Senegalese artist Delphine Diallo that’s opening at 685 Third Avenue on September 13. Rhythm and Flow celebrates movement and Diallo’s meditation practice, and aims to capture the spirit of the divine within the female form. The show’s opening, taking place from 5-8pm on the 13th, will feature the film Soulscapes: The Artistic Journey of Delphine Diallo, which provides an immersive peek into Diallo’s creative world.
SoBro Rocks!
This past July, after years in limbo, the abandoned parcel at 209 Broadway (at the intersection of Route 50 and Route 9 next to Dunkin’ Donuts) came under ownership of a fledgling nonprofit: SoBro Conservancy of Saratoga. The organization’s mission? To transform vacant urban parcels (most notable on South Broadway, hence the name SoBro) into pollinator-friendly green spaces.
This week marked the start of the hard work that entails. Munter Enterprises donated, delivered and placed ten boulders, plus topsoil, at the project site. To celebrate, the SoBro board and gardening team gathered on the .2-acre plot of land with lawn chairs for a happy hour toasting a landmark day for the re-greening of South Broadway.
New Girl
This summer was a big one for women in racing: Jockey Katie Davis notched her first win at Saratoga on July 28 (and then won races on the following two days), and trainer Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race when Arcangelo won the Belmont Stakes (and the second female trainer to win the Travers with the same horse). Last summer was big, too—but for another reason. That’s when the National Museum of Racing’s lawn jockey lineup got its first female. The statue was installed by Michelle Borisenok of Brown Road Racing, an all-women partnership. Missed the news last year? Go check her out near the corner of Ludlow Street.
Cocktail of the Week
It’s officially September now, so no one can ridicule you for drinking pumpkin drinks. While Bailey’s doesn’t have any pumpkin beer on tap yet, the downtown bar is serving up Rosie’s Pumpkin Mule, a concoction of Rattlesnake Rosie’s pumpkin pie–flavored whiskey and ginger beer. Think it sounds weird? Trust me. Just trust me.
A Fall Favorite
It wouldn’t be fall in the Spa City without the Saratoga Showcase of Homes, which this year returns to the region October 7, 8, 14 and 15. Attendees will have the chance to tour 10 homes—two of which are in Lake George—over the course of the two weekends. Tickets are $25 and support nonprofits Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. Purchase them online or in person at all Adirondack Trust locations, the Curtis Lumber stores in both Ballston Spa and Queensbury, Saratoga National Bank, Glens Falls National Bank and the Roohan Realty offices on Broadway.
Rest in Peace
This week, Saratoga and the horse racing community as a whole mourn the loss of a legend: trainer Jonathan Sheppard, who passed away on August 27 at the age of 82. Throughout a career spanning five decades, Sheppard trained winners of 3,426 races, including more than 1,000 steeplechase events. He trained Hall of Famers Flatterer and Café Prince, as well as Breeders’ Cup champions Forever Together and Informed Decision. Perhaps what he’s best known for, though, is winning at least one race a year at Saratoga for 47 years, a statistic that led Saratoga Living to compare him to baseball’s Joe DiMaggio. Read Brien Bouyea’s 2019 story about the legend here.
ICYMI
On Thursday, we posted our much anticipated deep dive (no pun intended) on the ducks of Congress Park. What, exactly, does a day in the life of a Saratoga duck look like? You could say we quacked the case.