Vibe Check: An Unbridled Affair
CAPTAIN Community Human Services' fundraiser at Prime, plus a celeb in the Spa City, Overdress to Impress on the Travel Channel, and Tuesday's tornadoes.
When Carmine DeCrescente walked into Prime at Saratoga National for Thursday evening’s An Unbridled Affair gala, he overheard someone ask their date, “So what’s this for again?”
To be fair, Saratoga has so many galas and fundraisers in the summertime that it is a little hard to keep track of which event benefits which charity. And, to be fair, CAPTAIN Community Human Services, Thursday night’s beneficiary, does so much for the Saratoga County community that it’s hard to summarize it all succinctly. But later that evening, CAPTAIN Board President Kate Gurley did a pretty good job of it.
“I started out teaching, and I was living paycheck to paycheck,” Kate told the crowd under the tent at Prime. “But when you’re doing that, there are moments…Like, I needed new brake pads for my car. And I had that moment of panic, like, ‘Oh my god, how am I going to do that? How am I going to get to the next month?’ Luckily I had a support system of family and friends that was able to help me. But not everybody has that support system. That’s why we’re here.”
By way of more than 30 programs and services, CAPTAIN helps support our struggling community members in countless ways. The evening’s program featured an appearance by Chad Gregory of Next Generation Roofing, who spoke about how the services he received from Cheryl’s Lodge Outreach Center set him on a path to success; a video about Danielle Darrow, a former resident of CAPTAIN’s Runaway & Homeless Youth Shelter who has gone on to help prevent homelessness at the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern NY; and a round of applause for Jersey Mike’s Subs, which donated $139,000 to CAPTAIN after its Day of Giving event in March. (“Their subs are, like, really good, too,” I overheard someone say.) I sat at a table with the ladies of CAPTAIN’s Treasures, a next-to-new thrift shop in Clifton Park that donates 100 percent of proceeds to CAPTAIN’s programs and services. “I buy everything there,” Store Manager Joann Maloney told me.
Highlights of the night included the weather (“This is what Saratoga’s supposed to be,” said Kim Weir), Mazzone Hospitality’s mini lemon poppy cupcakes (our tablemate somehow got us a whole extra tray of them), and a heartfelt tribute to racehorse Cody’s Wish (one of the evening’s honorees and the subject of the painting by Jessica Leonard that was auctioned off).
Speaking of the live auction, it was a wild ride. Jessica’s painting went for $9,000 to Cody’s Wish’s trainer, Bill Mott, but not before trainer Gary Contessa, the auctioneer, jokingly tried to offer it for $4,500 to two winners who could “split custody.” The other live auction item was a barn tour and day at the races with Gary himself. “Listen,” he told the crowd, “I’ll even throw in Jersey Mike’s subs for you.” When bidding got above $3,000, Gary gave a final offer to the three bidders still in it: He’d give all three of them the prize, plus bottles of Dom Pérignon, for $3,200 apiece. They took the deal.
Also in attendance were Junior Alvarado, the jockey who rode Cody’s Wish to victory in multiple graded stakes races; Desmond Media’s Denise Desmond; Dan Bazille, the Spectrum News reporter that served as the evening’s emcee; philanthropist Neil Golub, who believes in putting the “fun” in “fundraising;” Andrew Skinner and Linda Gerace-Skinner, who recently opened the Saratoga Design Collective, the aforementioned Carmine DeCrescente, who definitely needs to join the Saratoga Living Insiders Club; and CAPTAIN Executive Director Andy Gilpin, who hasn’t let his ALS diagnosis interfere with his commitment to serving his community. “He is one of the best humans on the planet,” Kate Gurley said of CAPTAIN’s fearless leader after the audience gave him a standing ovation.
It’s thanks to the work of Andy and his team of more than 80 employees and 300 volunteers that even if people didn’t know what Thursday’s event was for on their way in, they definitely knew on their way out. And they won’t soon forget.
—Natalie
Quote of the Week
“If you’re going to have kids, one is enough. Though they do serve a purpose: to propagate the species.”
—Overheard at An Unbridled Affair
Save the Date
Join us in celebrating our track issue cover subject, Joel Rosario, just days before he’s inducted into the horse racing hall of fame! We’ll be hanging with the jockey at Panza’s on Tuesday, July 30 from 6:30-8:30pm. Come to have him sign a copy of Saratoga Living, and stay for Italian hors d’oeuvres by Panza’s! Get your tickets now.
Star Power
While opening weekend brought throngs of out-of-towners to Saratoga last week, one Hollywood star found her way to the Spa City for a very different reason. On July 11, Hollywood actress Amanda Seyfried (and Catskills resident) stopped by Northshire Bookstore to support her friend, author Liz Moore, who was there to speak about her new book, The God of the Woods, which is set in the Adirondacks. (Amanda will star in an upcoming Peacock series based on Liz’s novel Long Bright River.) The celeb didn’t stay for long; after the Thursday book talk, she was off to Charleston for a pop-up party for Make it Cute, her brand of kids’ playhouses.
The New Michael Scott
Step aside Steve Carrell—a new Michael Scott has entered the chat. Her name is Grace Kerber, and she’s the 23-year-old digital branding creator at Mohawk Chevrolet. (You may remember her from this year’s Shaken & Stirred event.) Grace has become TikTok famous as the face of and brains behind The Dealership, a series of nine (and counting) three-ish minute videos inspired by The Office that have gone viral—and we mean viral. The series has raked in millions of views, and on Thursday was featured in the New York Post. Since launching The Dealership last month, Mohawk Chevy’s TikTok following has increased from around 3,000 to more than 118,000. In the series, which is filmed and edited by fellow Mohawk Chevy employee Ben Bushen, Grace plays Grace, a character that’s a mix of Michael Scott and, well, herself. So far she’s spearheaded a team-bonding day, hosted auditions for a upcoming commercial, and navigated “the system” being down. Will she organize Grace Kerber’s Mohawk Chevrolet Ballston Spa Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run for the Cure? Tune in on Tuesdays to find out.
Rise and Shine
Set either your alarm clocks or your DVRs early for Monday morning—Saratoga Springs is set to enjoy some time in the national spotlight. The Travel Channel is airing Overdress to Impress—yes, about Saratoga Living’s fabulous spring event that was held this past March at Panza’s—at 7:30am. The segment is part of an episode of the show The American Dream that will feature six spotlights on cities all over the country, including Oklahoma City; Bend, Oregon (a visit to the last Blockbuster video rental!); Georgetown, Texas…and even Howes Cave, NY for a trip below ground with our friends at Howe Caverns. The Saratoga segment is hosted by the Capital Region’s Heidi Rotter, who had a blast reporting the segment with us this spring and called us the second she heard it was picked up. “Not all segments get picked up by the larger stations, so the second I got word that this one was I thought, ‘I have to call and tell them,’” she says. “I’m so excited!” So are we, Heidi. Tune into the Travel Channel Monday at 7:30am to relive the Overdress magic—or see what you missed. And start planning your outfit for next year.
Movin' On Up
After making history as the first Black commissioner ever in Saratoga Springs, Commissioner of Public Works Jason Golub is leaving us for Albany. Governor Kathy Hochul has tapped the seasoned government leader, general counsel and corporate executive as the new counsel and deputy commissioner of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, beginning August 19.
”I will be responsible for the future direction of all legal and policy matters concerning corrections in the State of New York,” he says. “This may include advancing several of the governor's priorities around corrections including alternatives to incarceration programs, re-entry services to help individuals reintegrate to their communities, as well as measures to improve the effectiveness and fairness of the state’s criminal justice system.”
So will he miss his time on the Saratoga council? “While I might not miss the Tuesday night meetings, I will miss the DPW team and am proud of the work of both DPW and the city council over the last few years,” he says. “From new parks and playgrounds, to sidewalks, historic preservation and new technologies, we tried to balance forward-looking projects with always providing the best infrastructure services to the community. The DPW really is the best, and I know both DPW and the city council will continue to tackle critical issues and projects to advance our city.”
Bet on It
Heading to the track but not sure how to spend your betting money? The Dark Horse Mercantile has you covered. The Saratoga gift shop is the sponsor of Capital OTB’s Dark Horse Play of the Day. Each race day, Capital OTB’s Seth Merrow picks one horse to put your money on; see his picks on X or Dark Horse’s social media! In semi-related news, Dark Horse’s sister store, Impressions, is finally back to operating in its storefront, after an electrical fire in the building forced the business to sell from a pop-up shop on the sidewalk. The re-opening party starts today at 9 am, with doughnut holes from NEIGHbor Darling Doughnuts and coffee from Uncommon Grounds. Plus bugler Carson Gamboro will play “Call to the Post” as they reopen their doors! Come back at 7pm to have your Travers poster signed by Greg Montgomery himself.
Storm Troopers
On Tuesday afternoon, upstate New York was hit with not one but several tornadoes. The city of Rome was hit the hardest—a steeple on a church built in 1853 crumbled, a brick building collapsed and windows were shattered all across downtown—but the Capital Region saw its fair share of severe weather. Ballston Spa resident Maddy Halverson, a native midwesterner who takes tornado warnings seriously, saw the brownish sky on her drive home from work and took cover under a bridge on I-87. Saratoga Living’s own Tina Galante is still without power or Wi-Fi in her Bolton Landing home, and had to drive into town to post to social media that she would be unreachable for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, some locals made the most of the weather, opting to tube down East Ave in a rain-fueled current.