Vibe Check: Summer SPACtacular
Inside the seven-part fundraiser we wished would never end. PLUS: Our first-ever Fit Check interview with the party's best-dressed guest.
When I forwarded the Summer SPACtacular “know before you go” email to my boyfriend, Pete, he replied, “Do we have to stay until the end?”
“Of course not!,” I shot back, knowing full well that of course we would be staying until the end.
In Pete’s defense, he’s never been to SPAC’s signature fundraising event before, and thought 6pm-11:30pm (it actually started at 5pm for those with an all-access pass) was a long time to be at a party. I went to the inaugural SPACtacular in 2023, so therefore knew that five-and-a-half hours was not nearly enough time for an event of this magnitude.
The problem (well, it’s not so much of a problem as it is the opposite of a problem) is that SPACtacular isn’t one party—it’s seven parties, some of which run simultaneously and all of which you want to be a part of.
Party #1: Cocktail Hour
I wasn’t able to make it to phase one of the marathon that is SPACtacular (the FOMO is real), but my sources tell me it involved a full open bar, delicious passed hors d’oeuvres by Franklin Square Market, and music by Chuck Lamb on the SPAC stage. Known attendees: Andrea and Mike Zappone, seen above.
Party #2: Cocktail Hour, Again
After the cocktail hour on stage, the all-access pass-holders met up with the premium pass holders for more cocktails and hors d’oeuvres served in a tent up the hill from the SPAC amphitheater. This is when Pete and I made our grand entrance, and upon arrival, we quickly ordered a pair of stiffer-than-expected drinks. We ran into a carrot-wielding Mary Lou Doyle, filled our plates with caponata and farro salad, and watched as fashion writer Tiina Loite (whose own look was inspired by an Oscar statue) scanned the crowd for the perfect outfit to feature in our new Fit Check series. (Scroll to the bottom of this story to see it!)
Party #3: Dinner
Around 7pm, the whole group migrated into a neighboring tent for dinner and the paddle raise. I found my seat next to Kristy Ventre, SPAC’s vice president of communications, who joked with me that everything she said for the rest of the evening was off the record. (She then went on to tell me not a single piece of juicy gossip, nor say a bad word about anything or anyone.)
Shortly after, the program began. “This year, our theme is wonder,” said SPAC CEO Elizabeth Sobol. “It is woven through all of our programming, and it is our sincere hope that, no matter how many times you have been to SPAC, that each and every experience here fills you with wonder and awe, as it does for me every single day, year after year.”
After playing a moving video about the impact of the organization’s educational programming (which serves more than 50,000 students a year), emcee Lydia Kulbida brought up Lyla Stebbins, a teenager who recently became the youngest certified auctioneer in the history of the certification. In total, the paddle raise hosted by the Lydia/Lyla dream team raised a whopping $220,000.
Party #4: The In Between
I was happy when I discovered that this year, the SPAC team had shortened the dinner portion of the evening to allow guests more time to hang out in the party tent. (GM Leslie Collman-Smith told me that the SPAC team prides itself on being dynamic and able to shift gears to best suit its guests—like when they quickly made their educational programming digital during Covid.) The only problem? It took me close to an hour to make it the 100 or so yards from the dinner tent to the party tent.
The culprits? Tom Denny, José Daniel Flores-Caraballo, Steve Struss, Megan Robinson, Andrea Zappone, and Bo Goliber, all of whom just so happened to strike up the exact conversations I wanted to be having, about everything from breakups and traffic tickets to hiking with goats, plus a story idea for the July/August issue of Capital Region Living. (Stay tuned!) Oh, and the Bars Beyond Borders mobile bar—which was set up to serve specialty mocktails in the Julie Bonacio Family Pavilion but had a stash of liquor the bartenders would add to your drink if you asked nicely—was also partially to blame.
Party #5: The Party Tent
At long last, we made it to the party tent, which was organized and made possible by the Friends of SPAC. (Many of SPACtacular’s younger attendees took advantage of the cheaper party tent–only ticket.) Inside, local band Road Soda Pop was playing absolute bangers, and food and drink vendors—including PDT Catering, Sweet Mimi’s, First Fill Spirits, and Speckled Pig Brewing—were serving up grab-and-go options. I managed to devour a piece of vegan olive oil cake, courtesy of Dan and Jen at Bibulous; make a new friend on the dance floor (shoutout Margaret); and snap a few pictures before the first pops of fireworks went off.
Party #6: The Pines Terrace
While the party tent people were jamming out to “American Girl” and “Shut Up and Dance,” the all-access and premium pass ticket-holders were on The Pines Terrace enjoying post-dinner aperitifs and dessert. When the fireworks began, I quickly ran up to this higher vantage point for a better look, and bumped into Joyce and Garry White, who’d secured a front-of-balcony seat for the show. (Did you spot them on screen in the Belmont winner’s circle during the final episode of Netflix’s Race for the Crown?) Joyce had opted to wear a Dolce & Gabbana suit, perfect for fireworks-viewing, but not so great for dancing. (Speaking of dancing, we both love the dance-inspired classes at Glisten.) We were soon joined by Judy Harrigan, secretary of the SPAC board of directors, who, since last being featured in Saratoga Living, clearly hasn’t stopped being fabulous.
Party #7: Dance Party
As was the case with every micro-party thus far, we arrived fashionably late to the dance party on the SPAC stage, and DJ Trumastr already had the crowd moving. And I mean moving. You go to some parties, and people are “dancing” in the sense that they’re swaying their body or tapping their foot. The people on the SPAC stage (Demetria Koninis, Charles Grabitzky, Gregg Smith, Emily Bartell, et al.) were dancing.
Even Pete made an appearance on the dance floor when “Sandstorm” by Darude came on, and stuck around until Tru shut down the party and told us to go home. The time stamp on my Uber? 11:30pm.
—Natalie
Fit Check: SPACtacular Edition
We sent fashion reporter Tiina Loite on a mission to find the best outfit of the evening at SPAC’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Read on for her conversation with Saratogian Rachel Dunn.
That undone bow tie roped me right in.
Rachel Dunn walked into the cocktail hour, held onstage at SPAC, wearing her own modern interpretation of a woman’s tuxedo.
Women’s tuxedos have their own timeline within the history of fashion. While she was by no means the first, Marlene Dietrich mischievously donned a tuxedo in the 1930s knowing it would cause a commotion. But the true Day One for the female tux was in Yves Saint Laurent’s 1966 collection. He christened the ensemble “Le Smoking.” In more modern times, Janelle Monáe’s tuxedos are her signature look.
On Rachel, we see a tuxedo shirt with undone tie, a Perrin Paris clutch, black sequin pants, and towering heels. I asked her to run down the process and how she came upon this idea.
TL: So, where did this notion come from?
RD: I’m a Rent the Runway girl. But two years ago, I rented a dress for the SPACtacular, and then someone else at the party was wearing that dress, too. Sure, we laughed about it then, but I wasn’t happy about it. So, one night I was watching Top Chef. Kristen Kish, the host, blurs masculine and feminine style really well. She wore an iteration of a tux, and that was the inspiration for me.
TL: What did you have and what did you buy to make this come together?
RD: The pants are Halston; I got them on Ebay (with tags!). There was only one size, and they fit. The women’s tuxedo shirt is from an online tuxedo shop, and the bow tie is from Amazon. The Tom Ford shoes have been sitting in my closet for a while. They have 4- or 5-inch heels and hadn’t been worn. They were made for this outfit. The purse is Perrin Paris. I saw their purses in Paris years ago, and thought they were so special and unique.
TL: You left the tie undone…Done/undone creates two very different visual moods; how did you choose which way to go?
Leaving the tie undone, the shirt unbuttoned, and rolling up the sleeves felt a little less uptight and a little more playful. I wanted to push the boundary away from the expected.
A tuxedo, while a classic, is a concept with some wiggle room.
—Tiina