Saratoga Living - 2021 Holiday Issue

12 SARATOGA GIFT GURUS SHARE THEIR HOLIDAY FAVES *{dorinda’s back and we’ve got the pics to prove it}

THE C I T Y. THE C ULT U R E. THE LI F E.

HOLIDAY 2021

Free

FLIP Edition!

WAY THE

OUR 3RD ANNUAL LIST HONORING 5 LOCAL HEROES LISA MITZEN DENNIS MOENCH LOIS CELESTE JANET ABRAHAMSON ZIPPY CHIPPY

&

THE BUSINESS FOR GOOD FOUNDATION TRANSFORMS GIVING

Forward While the worst of the pandemic is behind us, the lessons we learned during COVID will shape Saratoga’s road ahead.

Natalie Moore Brings us up to speed.

plus

TRAINER BRAD COX’s BIG YEAR Holly Seidewand and Charles Grabitzky’s Premium pour

saratogaliving.com | @saratogaliving

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starting gate contents | holiday 2021 22

Together Ever After

BY NATALIE MOORE

28

38

The saratoga living Gift Guide You Didn’t Know You Needed First Fill’s First Dance

BY NATALIE MOORE

42

Business for Good Brings the Goods

BY STEPHANY BYRNE

46

Brad Cox Is Simply The Best

BY BRIEN BOUYE A

Join us December 9 to celebrate this year’s Capital Region Gives Back honorees (more info on page 76).

Scan the QR code to buy tickets.

70

beast of burden Old Friends at Cabin Creek’s Zippy Chippy is our first-ever non-human Capital Region Gives Back honoree.

Meet Our 3rd Annual Capital region Gives back Honorees P H O T O G R A P H Y BY

F R A NC E S CO D ’ A MI CO

GIVE THE GIFT OF BEAUTY AND WELLNESS

Easy Ea as To Give, Perfect To Re Receive Stop iin the spa or visit our website for all our holiday packages and gift card offerings!

S fffffee rin g gss !

. MEDICAL SPA . MASSAGE THERAPY APY HAIR SPA . NAIL SALON . MAKEUP ARTISTRY RELAXATION LOUNGE . STEAM ROOM AND SAUNA

FACIAL TREATMENTS

www . c o m p l e x i o n s . c o m

Specialty holiday gifts and pre-made baskets available fo fforr every everyone r one on ry n your lis list!

starting gate contents | holiday 2021

55

Show, Place, Win!

First turn

saratoga living’s Dorinda Medley Book Signing 52 5 More Saratoga Shindigs

17 18

Home stretch

FYI: Holiday Travel Tips Made in Saratoga: The First True Thanksgiving 18 18 Panel: Giving Season 19 The Other Saratoga: Saratoga, NY 19 Hot Date: National Maple Syrup Day 20 Power Player: Angelo Calbone 21 Anniversary: Lyrical Ballad 21 Government: Commissioner of Accounts 60

51

55 57 60 62 64

Fashion: Ugly Sweater Season Design: Eteannette Seymour Hunger: Stuffing Thirst: Bourbon What to Do: Saratoga Festival of Trees

51

67 Horseplay Crossword: Let’s Eat Overheard

Photo Finish 68 #TBT: Saratoga’s Long Lost Ski Resort

57

(18, 51, 55) DORI FITZPATRICK; (57) ELIZABETH HAYNES; (60) PATTIE GARRETT

8 From the Editor 10 From the CEO

WHY LIVE WITH CHRONIC PAIN?

Our Doctors Can Help!

Locations Albany - Saratoga Springs - Queensbury Visit Answersforpain.com or call (518) 463-0171

Abby Tegnelia CEO

Will Levith EDITORIAL DIRECTOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR DIRECTOR OF CONTENT SENIOR DESIGNER SPORTS EDITOR SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

FASHION EDITOR EDITOR AT LARGE EDITORIAL INTERN

ON THE COVER Saratoga’s Avenue

of the Pines, photographed by Dustin Lanterman in April 2021.

Kathleen Gates Natalie Moore Linda Gates Brien Bouyea Francesco D’Amico Dori Fitzpatrick Hannah Kuznia Corinne Sausville Susan Gates Madison Loomis

WRITERS

Karen Bjornland, Stephany Byrne, Tony Case Field Horne, Daniel Nester, Tom Pedulla PHOTOGRAPHERS

Yes, this magazine looks and feels a bit different; this is due to an international paper shortage.

Empire Media Network thanks everyone who moved mountains to get us paper, so we could get our holiday issue into your hands.

Thank you.

Dustin Lanterman, Konrad Odhiambo Terri-Lynn Pellegri, Susie Raisher

Annette Quarrier PUBLISHER CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER SALES DIRECTOR, CAPITAL REGION LIVING ART DIRECTOR, MARKETING

saratoga living is published six times a year by Empire Media Network, Inc. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 per year (Nonrefundable).

SALES ASSISTANT DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER

Tina Galante Tara Buffa Steve Teabout Tracy Momrow Alyssa Salerno Rachael Rieck

saratoga living 6 Butler Place Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Volume 23, No. 6 Holiday 2021 Copyright © 2021 Empire Media Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Empire Media Network, Inc. All editorial queries should be directed to editorial@saratogaliving.com; or sent to 6 Butler Place, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. saratoga living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

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⁄ HOLIDAY 2021

Anthony R. Ianniello CHAIR

Abby Tegnelia PRESIDENT/CEO

Tina Galante CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Discover City Square

an exclusive luxury new-home community located just a short walk from downtown Historic Saratoga Springs

A short walk to beautiful Downtown Saratoga Springs, City Square is a new luxury townhome community that offers the best of both worlds: urban living in the luxury and comfort of a new home. Designed as a walking community, it features sidewalks and street lamps that encourage residents to enjoy a walk into downtown where they can enjoy a plethora of award-winning restaurants and great shopping.

Luxury townhomes with unique Victorian-appropriate exteriors Walkable neighborhood with sidewalks & street lamps 10’ first floor ceilings: 9‘ second floor & basement Private courtyards Attached rear-entry, two-car garages

Visit our decorated model home to learn more: 106A Division Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Open 12pm – 3pm, Saturday & Sunday For more information, contact: Sharon Byrne: 518-527-4914 | sharon@belmontebuilders.com

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In neighborhoods with a Homeowner's Association, Homeowners will be subject to all HOA covenants and design guidelines and will be required to pay HOA dues. For complete details see your sales representative.

F R O M T H E e d i to r

I

And in the End...

Will Levith

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

@Mediawill

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⁄ HOLIDAY 2021

@willlevith

(Superman) BIGLER STUDIO

n the fall of 2017, a recruiter messaged me, saying that she thought I’d be a good fit for an editor position at saratoga living. Having just spent over a decade in New York City, I hadn’t been too up on the goings-on of the Spa City, so I’d never managed to pick up a copy. But I was intrigued. A chance to edit a magazine about the place where I was born and raised? Sign me up.

One thing led to another, and I got the job. And for the past four years, I’ve had the pleasure of working on the magazine’s where there’s a will redesign, relaunch and continued development. These days, I (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) know much more about Saratoga than I ever did as a kid. I don’t Editorial Director Will Levith think many people can say that about their hometown. enjoying a laugh with contributing While, sadly, this marks my final editor’s letter, I indubitably get writer Tony Case; sporting his personalized hockey jersey at to leave on a high note. In the pages that follow, you’ll find our the magazine’s “Miracle on Ice”– annual Capital Region Gives Back list, an in-depth look at the city’s themed party; flanked by longtime Business for Good foundation and a post-pandemic temperaturepartners in crime Natalie Moore taking of the State of the (Saratoga) Union. There’s a lot more (left) and Abby Tegnelia; just where that came from. prior to 2020’s hybrid live/virtual In closing, I’d be remiss not to thank all of my colleagues, past and Capital Region Gives Back event; present, for their support throughout the years—and especially you, celebrating Halloween (as Clark reader, for picking up this magazine time and again. I’m terrible at Kent becoming Superman!) with goodbyes, so I guess I’ll see you when I see you. And please keep colleague Natalie Moore. reading this wonderful magazine. You know I’ll be doing the same.

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FROM THE CEO

hat a difference a year makes. This time 12 months ago, I was having to accept that I wouldn’t be flying to my parents’ house for the holidays, and at the magazine, we were scratching our heads—I was absolutely not going to cancel our annual fundraising event, Capital Region Gives Back, but man, would it look different. This year, my plane tickets are booked, and we aren’t scrambling to figure out how to holiday spirits (CLOCKWISE throw a Zoom-centric soirée. Time to go outfit shopping, FROM TOP LEFT) CEO Abby Tegnelia (left) with First Fill Spirits co-founder everybody! This year, we will fete our 10 do-gooding Gives Back Holly Seidewand, planning a joint honorees in person, at Putnam Place’s private event space in whiskey tasting event; (from left) Downtown Saratoga.

Director of Content Natalie Moore, In fact, you can purchase your Gives Back tickets straight from Digital Marketing Manager Alyssa this magazine, through QR codes on the Table of Contents and Salerno, Tegnelia, reality TV star on the center spread between saratoga living and CAPITAL REGION Dorinda Medley, Publisher Annette LIVING. When you buy your ticket, you get to choose which nonprofit Quarrier and Chief Operations Officer your ticket money will be donated to—half goes to your choice, Tina Galante at saratoga living’s half goes to saving local journalism (us!). Yes, local journalism does Dorinda Medley book signing and need to be saved. Until advertising (traditionally, the only way meet-and-greet at The Adelphi magazines make money) picks up again, we are relying on events Hotel; (from left) CAPITAL REGION LIVING Sales Director Tara Buffa, Tegnelia and and other out-of-the-box ideas to keep us going. Join us!

Paul Hennessey at CRL’s BestieFest You’ve just read in our Editor’s Letter that our very own Will at The Century House.

Levith is leaving us for his next adventure. And so I say a huge, sad “farewell.” (He’s promised to come to our Gives Back event, so thankfully it’s more of a “see you soon.”) Will worked harder than any journalist I know to keep churning out the breaking stories, while keeping the magazines running throughout the pandemic. He will be sorely missed.

As we all transition in our own way from this comeback 2021 year into a hopeful 2022, I wish everyone the happiest of holidays. See you next year!

ABBY TEGNELIA CEO @abbytegnelia

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⁄ HOLIDAY 2021

(First Fill) ALLYSSA SALERNO; (Dorinda party) DORI FITZPATRICK; (BestieFest) TR LAZ

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S P E C I A L P R O M OT I O N A L S E CT I O N

The Dark Horse Mercantile

saratoga living’s

Shop Local

Y

ou’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again: when doing your holiday shopping this year, be sure to shop local whenever possible. It’s Saratoga County’s small businesses that make this region what it is, and by patronizing them you’re not only supporting your neighbors, but you’re also keeping your dollars in the Saratoga community.

That money you spend at your local gift shops may in turn be spent at a local restaurant, which in turn may be spent at a local cleaning company, which may then be donated to a local nonprofit that will use it to help those in need. So think about it this way: When you shop local, you may be buying a gift for one specific person, but you’re also giving a little something to every single person in the Saratoga community.

And that’s something to celebrate.

In Saratoga Springs, we celebrate the longshots that have defied the odds in Spa City history. And what better way to do just that than on a trip to The Dark Horse Mercantile? The downtown store offers many exclusive items and collections celebrating Saratoga’s reputation as the Graveyard of Champions, so never underestimate the joy of popping in for a quick browse of the shop’s locally written and illustrated children’s books, Barbour outerwear and horse-themed décor. You never know what you might find! The Dark Horse is open daily and ships nationwide via its website.

445 BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS impressionssaratoga.com

Impressions

The “Everything Saratoga” store couldn’t be more aptly nicknamed. Impressions is celebrating 43 years of toasting the Spa City with Saratoga- and equestrian-themed gifts, locally made food products (Peppermint Pigs are now in stock!) and souvenirs. Customers can shop at the unique Broadway hotspot, now with extended holiday hours, or visit the shop’s website any time (Impressions ships all over the country). Shop downtown’s largest selection of holiday gifts, including one-of-a-kind collectibles, gifts, sportswear, home décor and memorabilia, all celebrating Saratoga Springs.

368 BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS impressionssaratoga.com

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518.587.0689

518.587.0666

S P E C I A L P R O M OT I O N A L S E CT I O N

Shop Local Lucia Boutique

Into Mischief Unique and beautiful: That’s the shopping experience you’ll get at this wonderful little boutique store in the Saratoga Marketplace.

Into Mischief has great gift options, including home décor items, handbags, accessories and a bunch more: Every time you visit, there’s something new to see. Not sure what you’re looking for?

It’s a pleasure to browse in this pretty boutique, which is rapidly becoming known as the place to find that special gift or perfect handbag you’ve been looking for. Into Mischief: It’s vibrant, it’s elegant and it’s unique!

454 BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS intomischiefboutique.com

There’s a reason fall is considered “Lucia season”—it’s the staff’s favorite time of year for all things fashion and shopping! Stop in to shop Lucia’s carefully curated selection of cozy sweaters, plaid jackets and blazers, fall dresses, that perfect pair of new jeans, cold weather accessories and more. Shop online and in store!

454 BROADWAY #8 luciaboutique.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS

518.587.7890

845.866.0658

Savory Pantry

Nettle Meadow Artisan Cheese

Passion.

Style. Taste.

The Savory Pantry is Saratoga’s go-to shop for food fanatics, avid entertainers and cocktail enthusiasts.

An everchanging array of awardwinning specialty foods, stylish homewares, hand-selected cookbooks, and racing-themed gifts are all on hand in the Broadway shop, located just up the block from City Hall. (All items can be ordered online as well.) Think of Savory Pantry for custom or corporate gifts and let the knowledgeable staff guide you, whether you’re throwing a party, attending a party or just wanting to kick back in style.

This holiday season be sure to visit Nettle Meadow Cheese Shop, located at the historic Hitching Post on Route 9 in Lake Luzerne. Nettle Meadow’s award-winning artisan cheeses— including Kunik, Adironjack and Honey Lavender Fromage Blanc—will delight your guests; and the shop’s wide selection of cheeses, jams, olives and chocolates makes for great gift options for friends and family members of all ages, too.

Choose from specially crafted gift boxes or create your own unique pairings. Stop by Thursday-Sunday from 10am-4pm.

486 BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS savorypantry.com

1256 LAKE AVENUE nettlemeadow.com

LAKE LUZERNE

518.623.3372

518.450.1130

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S P E CI A L P R O M OT I O N A L S E CT I O N

Shop Local Union Hall Supply Co.

Tailgate and Party Tailgate and Party’s tagline, “The Party Starts in the Store,” is spot on—the shop’s new Phila St. location houses about as much hoopla as you could imagine. The party-themed store is jam-packed with clever gifts, high-end paper products, holiday decorations, birthday balloons and drinking games.

Obsessed with Christmas or throwing the ultimate NYE party?

This downtown gem is newly stocked for the holiday season with everything you need, including Christmas crackers, New Year’s sparklers and amazing stocking stuffers.

33 PHILA STREET SARATOGA SPRINGS tailgateandparty.com

518.886.9015

What’s on tap for this holiday season? Union Hall has gifts of all sizes for the men in your life, from high-quality dress shirts to stylish footwear. With brands such as Faherty, Duke Cannon and Pig & Hen, whomever you’re buying for is sure to be the best-dressed man on the block.

Follow Union Hall on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the shop’s holiday happenings, including Meet the Maker events, which allow customers to actually meet the makers of the clothes carried in the store.

437 BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS unionhallsupplyco.com

518.450.7025

Lifestyles of Saratoga

Lifestyles is one of Downtown Saratoga’s longest-standing clothing boutiques, and for good reason. Only clothes, accessories and products of the highest quality hit the shelves of the Broadway shop, and its knowledgeable staff is always on hand to help you pick out the perfect gift—and something for yourself! Like Union Hall and Caroline + Main, Lifestyles will also be hosting Meet the Maker events, so stay tuned on social media.

436 BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS lifestylesofsaratoga.com

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518.584.4665

Caroline + Main Not sure what to buy the young woman in your life for the holidays?

You can’t go wrong at Caroline + Main, which carries everything from purses and shoes to sweaters and beauty products. Shop winter essentials, such as warm sweaters and jackets, plus holiday must-haves like festive scarves and scents that spread seasonal joy, in store or online. Keep an eye on the boutique’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for announcements about upcoming Meet the Maker events.

438 BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS 518.450.7350 carolineandmain.com

S P E C I A L P R O M OT I O N A L S E CT I O N

Shop Local Ye Olde Farmhouse Gift Shoppe at Lakeside Farm

Moon Cycle Seed Co Seed cycling is an easy and functional way to get nutrients in the body to help women rebalance their hormones.

The routine uses four seeds: pumpkin, flax, sunflower and sesame. Moon Cycle Seed Co’s pre-ground blends combine the aforementioned seeds for you to use in your daily routine. The Saratoga-based company’s seed blends help you take control of your hormones, instead of them controlling you! Contact the business to learn more about how its seed blends can help in every stage of your life— from puberty through post-menopause. mooncycleseedcompany@gmail.com

mooncycleseedco.com

You may know Lakeside Farm for its fresh apple cider doughnuts or award-worthy sandwiches, but come holiday shopping season, the farm’s on-site gift shop takes center stage. Located in the historic Pearce family farmhouse, Ye Olde Farmhouse Gift Shoppe carries a beautiful variety of gifts for everyone on your list. Stop by to shop a wide selection of accessories, jewelry, toys, books and home décor in a relaxed and inviting environment.

336 SCHAUBER ROAD BALLSTON LAKE lakesidefarmscidermill.com

518.399.8359

deJonghe Original Jewelry deJonghe Original Jewelry is a family-owned and -operated custom jewelry shop that has been serving Saratoga Springs for nearly 40 years.

Goldsmith Dennis deJonghe works alongside his son Evan to design necklaces, earrings, rings and more using precious metals and fine gemstones. Dennis’ daughters, Sarah and Bekah, work in the gallery and are always on hand to help you find the perfect gift for that special someone. deJonghe Original Jewelry is known for its many jewelry collections available at a variety of price points, including the Saratoga Collection, with Spa City– centric charms that start at $90.

New jewelry is being finished in time for the holidays, so check dJoriginals.com to shop the newest rings, pendants and earrings.

470 BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS 518.587.6422 djoriginals.com

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Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa

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{ first turn } F YI

Since You’ve Been Gone…

FIVE THINGS TO K NOW A BO UT TH E STATE O F CA PITA L R EGIO N TR AV EL IN 20 21.

BY NATA LIE M O O R E

1. Scan-do Attitude

This past October, Albany Airport’s security got a major upgrade that decreases both wait times and the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus. New 3-D X-ray scanners allow TSA officers to manipulate an image of a traveler’s carry-on bag without their needing to open it up and rummage through your toiletries.

Travelers also won’t need to take their laptop out of their carry-on anymore to get through security.

4. Hall of Fame

If you’re headed down to Rockefeller Center or Radio City Music Hall for the return of all of their classic Christmas festivities, you’ll likely be passing through Moynihan Train Hall, a brand-new Amtrak boarding concourse located directly across 8th Avenue from Penn Station. The spacious hall features a sky-lit atrium, dedicated customer waiting areas, improved passenger comfort and security, improved accessibility for customers with disabilities, complimentary WiFi in all customer spaces (!) and more.

2. Re-entry Way

If you’re traveling internationally this holiday season, take note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring proof of a negative COVID test within three days of your return to the US. The easiest way to get this done? A new service that allows you to order testing kits in advance of your travel dates. You can then bring the tests with you and self-administer them on a video call with a doctor within three days of your flight home. Tests are available at gettestednow. com/antigen-test and should be ordered two weeks prior to travel.

5. Mask Up!

3. Rental Health

If you haven’t traveled in a while, you may not be aware of the rental car shortage plaguing the nation. This spring and summer, rental car companies experienced low inventory and soaring demand, resulting in high prices (The Washinton

Post called it a “car-rental apocalypse”). While the crisis took a U-turn for the better this fall, experts expect prices to rev up again this holiday season.

Be sure to check on the availability of cars at your destination before booking your trip.

While we no longer have to wear masks in the Capital Region—though the CDC does recommend wearing them indoors, even if you’re fully vaccinated, to stop the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant— travelers this holiday season will need to make sure they’ve got their old favorites at the ready. That’s because all passengers traveling by air, train or bus are required to wear masks while onboard, regardless of vaccination status.

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{ first turn } new york patriots The surrender of British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga on October 17, 1777 wasn’t just the turning point of the American Revolution—it also served as the impetus for the nation’s first Thanksgiving.

M A D E I N SA RATOGA

The First True Thanksgiving

T U R K E Y DAY B E C A M E A N AT I O N A L H O L I DAY T H A N K S TO T H E PA T R I O T S ’ V I C T O R Y A T S A R A T O G A . ■ B Y N A T A L I E M O O R E

PA N E L

Give a Little Bit TH R E E SA RATO G I ANS WEIGH IN ON THEIR BE ST G I F T I N G E X PE RI E N C E S E V ER.

1 2 3

⁄

the QUESTIONS What’s the best gift you ever gave?

What’s the best gift you ever received?

What are you asking for this holiday season?

18 saratoga living

tribe to join them for a feast celebrating that year’s harvest. Thereafter, Thanksgiving celebrations became an annual custom throughout New England, but it wasn’t until 1777 that the Continental Congress

1

2

3

declared the first national Thanksgiving. The governing body’s reasoning?

To pay tribute to the patriots’ victory in the Battles of Saratoga earlier that year, which won Americans their independence from British rule.

I surprised a friend by flying to Tampa to train his dog for a week.

The ability to move, groove and dance every day after a lifelong battle with injuries and surgeries.

Lasik eye surgery

Julie McMullen

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS/ LICENSED REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON, JULIE & CO. REALTY LLC

Brad Cranston OWNER, GREAT OFF LEASH DOG TRAINING, LLC

⁄ HOLIDAY 2021

2

3

1 I gave Julie Bonacio Cornelia Vanderbilt Whitney’s Dollhouse: The Story of a Dollhouse, written and signed by her dear friend, the late Marylou Whitney.

A ring my husband designed with both of our birthstones and our names engraved on it A traditional family Christmas at my brother’s house. Last year we did everything on Zoom.

Anna Fitzpatrick 8TH GRADER, MAPLE AVENUE MIDDLE SCHOOL

1 2 3

I gave my dad a pair of camo Crocs.

My Apple Watch Pura Vida jewelry

(Fitzpatrick) DORI FITZPATRICK

M

ost schoolkids learn the story of the first Thanksgiving early on: The Pilgrims, after arriving at Plymouth and toiling away in the fields, invite members of the local Native American

In 1777, the first national Thanksgiving was observed on December 18—but a year later, President George Washington proclaimed Thursday, November 26, as the official day to give thanks, this time in honor of the US Constitution. It would take nearly another century before President Abraham Lincoln installed Thanksgiving as a true national holiday, to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.

In short, without Saratoga, there might be no such thing as a yearly fix of marshmallow-topped yams or cranberry jelly. So this November 25, remember that Saratoga made Thanksgiving possible.

And give thanks!

THE OTHER SARATOGA

5 Things to Know About Saratoga (NOT SARATOGA SPRINGS!),

New York 1

While residents and tourists alike often call the City of Saratoga Springs “Saratoga” for short, they might not realize that there’s actually a Town of Saratoga as well, located due east of Saratoga Springs.

2

Saratoga, which is home to the villages of Schuylerville and Victory, is bordered by the Hudson River to the east, Saratoga Lake and Saratoga Springs to the west, the Town of Stillwater to the south, and the towns of Northumberland and Wilton to the north.

3

Once a part of Albany County, Saratoga became one of the four “mother towns” of Saratoga County in 1791. Over the years, the town became smaller as parts of it were redistributed into the towns of Ballston, Stillwater, Northumberland, Moreau, Wilton, Saratoga Springs, Greenfield and Corinth.

4

A center of conflict during the French and Indian War, Saratoga rose to prominence during the Revolutionary War as the site of the British defeat at the hands of the Americans in 1777’s Battles of Saratoga, often referred to as the turning point of the American Revolution.

5

Today, Saratoga is home to Saratoga National Historical Park, the Battle of Saratoga Monument and the Schuyler House, the country home of Revolutionary War hero Philip Schuyler, among other historical landmarks.

H OT DAT E : D EC E MBE R 1 7

You Had Me at Maple THESE LOCAL FARMS WILL BE SERVING UP THE S W E E T S T U F F O N N A T I O N A L M A P L E S Y R U P D A Y.

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ancake purveyors and waffle enthusiasts take note: Your favorite breakfast dish is about to get a whole lot sweeter.

December 17 is National Maple Syrup Day, the lone time when no one can tell you that you’ve overpoured on your French toast, or that “no, syrup doesn’t go on sweet potatoes.” (It definitely does.) To help you get in the syrupy spirit, we’ve found three local farms that will meet all your maple syrup needs on the big day.

Sugar Oak Farms • 50 Atkins Road, Malta

Father-son maple business Sugar Oak Farms started out making syrup in 2008 but has since expanded to sell maple candy, maple-coated peanuts, maple jelly and more. You can buy Sugar Oak’s maple syrup online at sugaroakfarms.com or at the farm store on Thursdays from 10am-1pm or 7pm-9pm.

(battlefield) NATALIE MOORE

Nightingale’s Maple Farm • 4888 Jersey Hill Road, Amsterdam The family-owned Nightingale’s Maple Farm has been producing maple syrup since the early 1980s. Make an appointment on nightingalesmaplefarm.com to pick up your syrup, candies, sugar, peanuts or maple cream at the farm’s Amsterdam location.

battlefield of dreams Saratoga, NY is home to the Saratoga National Historical Park, known locally as the Saratoga Battlefield.

maple avenue Maple syrup will be flowing by the gallon on December 17; (TOP) Maple Valley Farm’s products can be purchased at local farmers’ markets.

Maple Valley Farm • 84 Harris Road, Corinth While you’ll have to wait until spring to check out Maple Valley Farm’s Maple Open House Weekend (which features a syrup-soaked pancake breakfast!), you can get all of your favorite maple products, including maple cotton candy, at area farmers’ markets throughout the year. Search “Maple Valley Farm-Monica’s” on Facebook for more information.

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{ first turn } P OWE R P L AY E R

Hospital General

SARATOGA H OS P ITA L CE O A ND PR ESIDENT ANGELO CALBONE H AS BE E N L E A D ING O UR CITY’ S BATTLE AGA INST COV ID —A ND H E ’S WINNING.

BY W ILL LEV ITH

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PHOTOGR APHY BY FR A NCESCO D’A M ICO

I

n mid-March of 2020, while the rest of Saratoga was shutting down, Saratoga Hospital was preparing for war. While most Saratogians were huddled in their homes, fearing the spread of the invisible, highly contagious and potentially deadly COVID-19 virus, an army of doctors, nurses and staffers, led by Saratoga Hospital CEO and President Angelo Calbone, were gearing up for the fight of their lives.

“It essentially turned quickly,” says

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Calbone. “We [had to] retool ourselves, focusing on what needed to be done and marshaling resources from one area to another. It was impressive how quickly and efficiently that happened inside our institution.”

In the months that followed, Saratoga Hospital staffers took things in stride, keeping a positive attitude, says Calbone, and doing their best work despite the heavy emotional strain. “From a leadership perspective, we were just all in,” Calbone says.

guardian angelo Saratoga Hospital’s president and CEO Angelo Calbone has overseen the hospital and its affiliates for 15 years, and was an integral part of the hospital’s linking up with Albany Medical Center in 2013.

“Most of our energy was focused on planning, improvising and making sure we had resources where we needed them.” The truly heroic work, though, was done by “the folks on the ground,” as he puts it—“the people taking care of patients at a personal level, and those that support our caregivers.

They did spectacular work.”

Fast forward to this past spring, when the vaccine became widely available to the general public. There was a sense among hospital staffers that “we were going to get through this,” says Calbone. So it was a bitter pill to swallow when COVID case numbers began rising again, due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant coupled with people’s unwillingness to get vaccinated.

That latter issue—the unvaccinated— has become a political lightning rod, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that getting vaccinated not only protects people from getting COVID, but also significantly slows the virus’ spread and makes the potential side-effects from a breakthrough case less serious. To that end, this past August, Calbone announced that Saratoga Hospital would be requiring all staffers to either get vaccinated by early September or be forced to submit to weekly COVID tests. For those seeking to color the decision as a political one, he assures it was anything but. “We’ve had a whole series of vaccines that we’ve mandated as a condition of employment here for years,” says Calbone. “That has been a normal part of our operation.”

Looking forward, Calbone sees only one endgame, only one wish for 2022. “Wide adoption of the vaccine is our way out of this,” he says.

“There’s no other better and more straightforward answer.”

safe haven One of two safe doors inside Lyrical Ballad, which is located in a former bank.

G OVE R NME NT

The Commissioner of Accounts THE GOV ER NM ENTA L PO SITIO N THAT KEEPS SA R ATO GA TICKING.

E A N N I VE R SA RY

Lyrical Ballad’s Next Chapter

F I FTY WORDS ON TH E 50 TH A NNIV E RSA RY OF SARATOGA’S BE LOV E D BO O K STORE .

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hila Street’s Lyrical Ballad bookstore has long served bookworms searching for their next new, used or rare read, but its 50th year brought about changes. Following the death of its longtime owner in 2019, the shop has new owners, who vow to keep those famous shelves overflowing with precious books.

“Our goal is simply to keep the store going as it always has, doing our best to keep the bookselling tradition [late owner] John DeMarco created alive and well. We believe it’s an important tradition and love the thought that the store can keep providing for generations of readers and booklovers.”

—Jason Zerillo,

co-owner, Lyrical Ballad

(Lyrical Ballad) DORI FITZPATRICK

by t h e n u mb ers : ly ri ca l ba l l a d

1 room in the shop when it opened in 1971.

There are 10 rooms in the shop currently.

The store has 2 safe doors in (the building was formerly a bank).

There are 10,000 books on shelves and in storage.

Jason Zerillo has worked at the shop 16 years.

There was

ver since Saratoga Springs voted to keep its commission form of government intact in November 2020, saratoga living has been homing in on the duties of each of the city’s five commissioners.

Last up: the commissioner of accounts.

Th e Co m m i ssi o ne r o f Acco u nts se rve s a s t h e …

• City Clerk, who is the archivist of the City Council meeting minutes; custodian of city documents; keeper account him out of the city seal; issuer At press time, which fell of licenses and permits; before Election Day, and recorder of birth, eight-term Commissioner of Accounts John death and marriage Franck was not certificates, burial seeking reelection. permits and certificates of residency • City Assessor, who is responsible for the assessment of property, maintaining assessment records and overseeing the Board of Assessment Review • City Purchasing Agent, who ensures all city purchases are made in compliance with New York State law and city purchasing guidelines • Registrar of Vital Statistics, who receives, files, indexes and acts as the custodian of all city documents • Issuer and Collector of License Fees and Rents, who collects fees and rents for matters within the commissioner’s jurisdiction

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B U T I S T H AT C L O S E N E S S H E R E T O S TAY ?

T H E M EV E R C LOS E R TO G E T H E R .

S A R AT O G I A N S A PA R T W H I L E B R I N G I N G

Together Ever After

T H E PA N D E M I C PA R A D OX I C A L LY D R OV E

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PHOTOGRAPH BY

DUSTIN LANTERMAN

BY NATALIE MOORE

hen the COVID-19 pandemic hit Saratoga Springs in March of last year, it was difficult, as part of a community turned upside down, to imagine the end of the nightmare.

Flash forward a year and a half, though, and that sense of impending doom has largely dissipated. While there were once waves of layoffs, now it feels like every restaurant and shop is begging people to work as headlines scream of new signing bonuses or even cash for just coming in for an interview.

Businesses have reopened, the kids are back in school, we have recent memories of a magical comeback track season...We still have a ways to go, but the small town Armageddon feeling is gone.

How did Saratoga make its way back? Collaboration, a lot of which was kept hidden from public view. Until now.

cover story

n March 13, 2020 at 3pm, the heads Performing Arts Center (SPAC), New York Racing Association of the Saratoga County Chamber (NYRA), the Saratoga Regional YMCA, Live Nation, Skidmore College and Saratoga Casino Hotel—were also beneficiaries of Commerce, Discover Saratoga, the Saratoga Springs City Center, of that Zoom-based initiative. Behind the scenes, the Chamber the Saratoga Springs Downtown and Prosperity Partnership linked up to share office space.

Business Association, the Saratoga And the Chamber and City Center teamed up with Discover County Prosperity Partnership Saratoga to rehire a laid-off administrative staffer, whose and the Saratoga Preservation salary is now split by the three organizations. To be blunt: Foundation—that is, Todd Shimkus, That would have been completely unheard of pre-COVID. Darryl Leggieri, Ryan McMahon, Deann In addition, the Chamber also facilitated partnerships between businesses that wouldn’t have otherwise linked up.

Devitt, Shelby Schneider and Samantha Bosshart, respectively—met at Wheatfields in Downtown “On March 16, I gave out my cell phone number to 10,000 Saratoga. “We knew some people in an email,” Shimkus says. “And let me just say, I got sort of shutdown was about a lot of phone calls and text to occur,” says Shimkus. “We messages. One of those calls weren’t entirely sure what was was from Max Oswald from going to happen, but the six Northway Brewing.” That call of us agreed that we would helped kick off Brewnited, an work together—that if anybody initiative that brought six area called us, we were all going to breweries together to provide help.” Though the six of them financial assistance, by way didn’t know it at the time, that of direct payments, to tipped impromptu gathering would service workers who were out morph into a standing Friday of a job. Brewnited was funded meeting that took place every by sales of the beer Negative week throughout the worst Input, a collaboration between months of the pandemic, and the sextet; donations from the still remains on their calendars off duty (from left) Deann Devitt, Darryl Leggieri, public; and one big corporate today. (Schneider has since Shelby Schneider, Todd Shimkus, Samantha Bosshart donation. “When Max called moved on to become deputy and Ryan McMahon at Saratoga Race Course; (below) Brewnited began as a partnership of six me, he was looking for help director of the New York local breweries to brew a beer whose proceeds State Economic Development organizing a not-for-profit,” would support hospitality workers during COVID Council, but still catches up with Shimkus says. “I got a call a through direct payments. the group when she’s in town). couple weeks later from the Ball It was from those weekly Corporation, and they had some meetings that a multitude of crucial citywide campaigns sprang, funds set aside to help hospitality workers and were looking for ones that would help keep the city ticking during its most a place to donate that money.” Thanks to a few simple phone desperate moments. Says Shimkus: “The Stronger Together calls, Ball has since donated $20,000 to Brewnited. campaign, the Save Our Locals campaign, the effort to expand Another industry crucial to Saratoga’s survival that got the the use of outdoor seating for restaurants, the partnership treatment it badly needed was switch [from Restaurant Week] to the Takeout the arts, thanks to out-of-the-box thinking by Month promotion that we did, the recovery many of its local leaders. “People like Todd kits we distributed to businesses as they Shimkus and Darryl Leggieri have been reopened, the countywide ribbon cutting we really wonderful partners,” says Saratoga did to celebrate the reopening of our economy Arts’ Louise Kerr, who came on board as in June...all those ideas came together in the executive director in August 2020. “They see meetings that we had on those Fridays.” that we can have our restaurants and our And those were just the public-facing hotels full by collaborating and linking up arts initiatives. Behind the scenes, the six city organizations.” Coincidentally, Kerr took the leaders teamed up with Saratoga Hospital reins of the nonprofit at a time when Saratoga’s to offer local superintendents and restaurant owners art institutions were hungry for inter-organization collaboration, informational Zoom sessions with the hospital’s COVID-19 but when entire seasons were being canceled. The arts were team. Saratoga’s largest civic organizations—the Saratoga teeter-tottering on the brink—and Kerr was in lockstep with her

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(meeting) DAN LUBBERS; (Hyde) ARTHUR EVANS

piece out (clockwise from top left) The All Together Now installation of Summer Bomb Pop: Collections in Dialogue at the Hyde Collection; All Together Now began before the pandemic with a meeting at the Tang in February 2020; independent curator Lisa Kolosek and Tang Director Ian Berry point to work from the Tang collection; the All Together Now installation of Carl Van Vechten on Dance: Photographs from the Tang Teaching Museum Collection at Yaddo

Theater, which also usually performs arts compatriots on finding a solution. at the Spa Little Theater, announced it “Elizabeth Sobol at SPAC and Ian would be holding its 2021-22 season Berry at the Tang immediately came to performances in the Dee Sarno me and said, ‘Yes, we have the same Theater at Saratoga Arts. idea,’” says Kerr. “We’re talking about Then there’s the big one—the arts every organization that is part of the partnership to end (or continue?) all arts arts being accommodated, taken care partnerships. “It started pre-COVID,” begins Ian Berry, Dayton of and part of an umbrella that helps flatten hierarchy and helps director of the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art equitable distribution of funding. The power that we have right Gallery at Skidmore College. “The Tang turned 20 in the fall of now is by all of us connecting together. I definitely feel the 2020, so even more than a year before that we had started beginnings of this community hub, which is my ultimate goal, planning for our anniversary season. I had the idea to celebrate where we’re collaborating rather than competing.” our collection. A lot of people see the Tang as a place to go for Indeed, in the past year, Saratoga has seen unprecedented alliances form between arts organizations that beforehand exhibitions, but not as many people see us for our collection, because it’s not always out on view. had dueling seasons or concert I had an idea—what if we curated schedules. For one, SPAC lent its exhibitions all over town, almost like a amphitheater to Opera Saratoga for performances of its staging of Man gift to the town for our anniversary?”

Enter All Together Now, a regionof La Mancha when the Spa Little wide initiative that saw pieces from Theater, the opera’s normal summer the Tang’s permanent collection on home, proved too small to safely accommodate both performers display at six other venues—The Hyde and crowds. Opera Saratoga also Collection, the National Museum of teamed up with Caffè Lena to present Racing and Hall of Fame, Saratoga Arts, the Saratoga County History America Sings, a series of free, homeward bound Shelters of Saratoga has joined forces with eight Center, Yaddo and SPAC—as well as livestreamed concerts that sought to other local organizations to better serve in an exhibition alongside objects amplify the voices of BIPOC artists. the area’s homeless population. from the Shaker Museum at the Tang And this past September, Home Made

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itself. (An exhibition of postcards by American painter Ellsworth (VCHC) and Wellspring (plus CAPTAIN and DSS)—and got Kelly at the Tang was part of the project, too.) The All Together things rolling.

Now exhibitions mainly ran during the summer and fall, with “What was born out of this,” Gilpin says, “were ideas that the racing museum’s Muybridge and Motion: Selections from we’ve never been able to pursue before because there wasn’t the Tang Teaching Museum Collection extending through enough funding, plus an amazing amount of collaboration January 2, 2022. “The racing museum starts their tour talking between these nine organizations in serving so many different about Eadweard Muybridge’s photographs in The Horse in populations, from veterans to domestic violence survivors, Motion, but they don’t have one of those photographs in their chronically homeless people, families, children…the whole collection,” Berry says. “We had more nine yards. Because of this model, than one in our collection at the Tang. we’re meeting monthly as a group, It’s so clear and obvious that that was a which we had never done before, to great thing for us to share.” discuss how to impact the community.

And while the idea of All Together We’re seeing communication we’ve Now was technically born in prenever had before. Silos that were COVID times, the pandemic established over years and years have undeniably reinforced its significance. now started to break down, and we’re “The words take on so much more of just collectively working together.” an intense meaning,” Berry says. “‘All That team-up, and the funding that Together Now’ means helping each made it possible, has allowed for a other through this unprecedented litany of programs that benefit Saratoga time. At the beginning, it meant more County’s homeless population. For one, of a community togetherness, but people experiencing homelessness now it’s sort of an essential-support who test positive for COVID can now rallying call—you know, we’re going quarantine in a hotel or motel—while to emerge ‘all together.’ None of us the coalition agencies work to secure wanted this COVID year to happen in more permanent housing for them. It any way. But some of the ways we’re has also allowed CAPTAIN, which did now paying attention and caring for street outreach before the CARES each other in our community are Act, to help train other organizations, really important.” including Healing Springs, which Though saving businesses and the specializes in working with people arts was crucial to our city’s survival, with substance abuse issues, in street Saratoga also had nothing short of outreach. And it has allowed CAPTAIN a humanitarian crisis on its hands in to leverage VCHC’s experience in sign of the times Both the Stronger regards to its homeless population dealing with homeless veterans to Together campaign and the effort to during COVID. “The [Coronavirus Aid, serve different populations. “We’ve expand outdoor dining in Saratoga into Relief, and Economic Security] CARES never had those conversations with streets such as Henry St. were born Act funding was authorized in March VCHC before,” Gilpin says. “The power out of weekly meetings that brought of 2020,” says Andy Gilpin, executive of all of us working together is getting together local leaders. director of CAPTAIN Community people housed.”

Human Services. “One of its focuses was around housing Clearly, the pandemic has played an instrumental role in and homelessness as a way to prevent and keep people safe uniting businesses and organizations, to the undeniable from COVID.” The federal CARES Act implemented a variety benefit of the Saratoga community at large. But how will that of programs to address COVID-related issues. And a sizable look long term? Once the pandemic is over, will all of these (in small-town terms) portion of its funding—just under $2.5 leaders just go back to their own silos, never to collaborate million—found its way to Saratoga County’s Department of again? Everyone I interviewed for this story agrees that these Social Services (DSS), which tasked CAPTAIN, a local nonprofit partnerships have staying power, but maybe the Tang’s Ian that addresses everything from homelessness and poverty Berry puts it best: “I think the name ‘All Together Now’ is a to human trafficking, with taking the lead on its distribution. way to think about the lastingness of this—the ways that we’ll To do that, CAPTAIN and the DSS formed a coalition of nine be connected as institutions well beyond the [exhibitions]. local organizations—Legal Aid of NENY, Healing Springs, the This moment really pushed us together to meet each other Salvation Army, Shelters of Saratoga, Transitional Services in a different way. And I think these kinds of collaborations Association, Veterans and Community Housing Coalition are going to continue.”

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outdoor dining (HAMLET & GHOST)

cover story

Witt-SaraLiving-8.5x5-Oct2021-Ad.indd 1

9/9/21 12:01 PM

fill every plate

with

Holiday Magic

It's time to get ready for the Holidays.

Shop our premium oils, balsamics and sea salts, plus a beautiful selection of gifts - available in store and online!

S A R AT O G A O L I V E O I L C O. 484 Broadway, Saratoga Springs www.SaratogaOliveOil.com

inspiration

The saratoga living Gift Guide You Didn’t Know You Needed

Let’s be honest: Saratoga Springs is a diverse crowd. Depending on where your own interests fit in, picking out the perfect gift for your great aunt Sue who lives on North Broadway or your twentysomething grandson Brad, who is always talking about some place called “The Shoe” (whatever that is), can be even more stressful than finding parking on Broadway during holiday shopping hours. D That’s where saratoga living comes in. We’ve divided the entire population of Saratoga Springs—all 28,000 of you—into eight groups and tasked a representative Saratogian from each group with picking three gifts they’d love (hint, hint) to receive this holiday season. D But hold on to those purse strings for just a second longer—there’s more. We also identified four Saratogians who totally slayed these past two pandemic years by pursuing new passions: exploring the (naturally social distanced) great outdoors, opening up a home gym, becoming a pandemic dog parent, and getting really, really into charcuterie. Sound like someone you know? Check out our 12 additional COVID-curated gifts on page 34. D That’s it. That’s all we’ve got. Still not inspired? You can never go wrong with a gift card from your favorite Saratoga small business. ➻

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Meet the Gift Guide Gurus…

Kimberly McConchie Kimberly

Matt

Bowe

Gala-Goer Hasn’t missed a Saratoga soirée since Lady Gaga showed up to the MTV Video Music Awards in a meat dress (though she’s never worn a meat dress herself)

Matt Pfeifer

COFFEE CONNOISSEUR Cofounded Saratoga coffee club Upstate Coffee Collective and drinks a lot of joe

Bowe Schlansker

TOGA TWEEN 11-year-old actress who made her Saturday Night Live debut at age 7

Lara

Katie

Lara Watro

NORTH BROADWAY NESTER Makes Joanna Gains’ home look like a fixerupper (Check it out at @peoniesandtwine)

Katie McDowell

CAROLINE STREET CRUSADER Has more street cred at Gaffney’s than 50 Cent

Matt Wink Matt

LAKE LIFER Owns more swimsuits than actual clothes

Stephanie Vickers

OUT OF TOWNER Part-time Saratogian who’s impatiently awaiting her pandemic-delayed Green Card in the UK

Stephanie

Kevin Lovett

TRACK STAR Wants to add a track picnic table to his house, so that it’ll feel more like home

Kevin

…and the COVID Gift Curators!

Adam Wierbinski

Adam

(HOME) GYM RAT UAlbany offensive linemanturned-fitness coach

Dan Graham

PANDEMIC DOG DAD Proud father of Nikka the Pitbull since April 2020

Dan

Brie Iannotti

(NEW) CHEESE WIZ Shares her first name with a delicious cheese; her The CharcuteBrie biz was born during the pandemic.

Brie

Tyler Krupa

SOCIAL DISTANCELOVING OUTDOORSMAN Cleaned Eastern Mountain Sports out of inventory last summer

Tyler

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inspiration

For the Gala-Goer

Favorite Teddy Coat

The Derby

Hatsational $165 Whoever said fancy hats were just for women?

Vincent Peach Equestrian Stirrup Earrings

Piper Boutique $62 It’s always a struggle finding something chic to wear to a winter gala. This faux fur coat is the solution.

For the Toga Tween

N. Fox Jewelers pricing upon request Every horse lover has to have some piece of equestrian jewelry. Wear these to an elegant function or with a pair of jeans.

Mystic World $11.99 Mystic World sells tiny candles in different colors that you can light and then make wishes on. Example: I light the white ones for sweet dreams.

Saratoga Candy Co. $14.99/lb The chocolate fudge at Saratoga Candy Co. is amazing. It’s a mix of my two favorite things— chocolate and sugar.

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The Alpine Sport Shop starting at $33.95 A super-cute winter hat with a pompom on it?

Sign me up!

Chime Candles

Fudge

30 saratoga living

Winter Hat

For the Caroline Street Crusader Chanel Triple Chain Hobo Bag

Lola Saratoga $1,195 It’s not every day you come across a Chanel handbag for under two grand. When you do, you buy it.

Take & Bake Oboys

Esperanto starting at $18 Frozen take-and-bake Oboys are quite possibly the greatest thing to ever come out of Caroline Street’s Esperanto. Sixpacks are $18 or you can get a case of 36 for $99.

One With Life Organic Blanco Tequila

Purdy’s Discount Wine & Liquor $39.99 There’s nothing like a highquality pregame potion to get your night started off the right way.

The Jk Button Up

oldsmokeclothing.com $79 Whether I’m at a local coffee shop or halfway around the world, my Old Smoke Clothing Co. shirt always seems to spark up conversations with other racing fans.

For the Track Star

Andrew Beyer Horseplaying Book Northshire Bookstore $16.95 This is a perfect gift for someone who is just getting into the sport.

Andy Beyer’s books have held the test of time and are mustreads.

NYRA Bets Gift Card

Stewart’s Shops in Saratoga County When all else fails, it’s always nice to have a couple more dollars to wager at The Spa.

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inspiration

For the Lake Lifer Boardworks Shubu Solr Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board

Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company $949 Paddleboarding is a fun way to play and get a fullbody workout on the water.

This one deflates so that it’s easy to pack into the car for your next trip to Fish Creek.

Solo Stove Fire Pit

solostove.com $214.99-$469.99 What’s summer (or winter) without a bonfire? This portable fire pit allows you to have one anywhere— without the smoke.

Spikeball Water Spikebouy Set

Soy Candle With Pressed Flowers In Wood Dough Bowl

For the North Broadway Nester

Northshire Bookstore $40.99 One of my favorite gifts to give is a yummy-smelling candle. Once this bowl candle is all used up, you’ll be left with a unique piece of home décor.

Dick’s Sporting Goods $29.99 It’s Spikeball, but on the water! This contraption allows you to turn your regular Spikeball net into a floating one.

Custom Chunky Knit Throw Saratoga, NY Wood Sign

Crafters Gallery $38.95 This locally handcrafted wood sign is great for sophisticated shelf-styling, mantle-layering or as a gallery wall addition.

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@huddyandpip on Instagram starting at $100 Handmade by a local artisan, these super-soft chunky knit throws are customizable, and a portion of each sale is donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

For the Coffee Connoisseur For the Out-of-Towner

Ethiopia Banko Gotiti Natural

Two-Night Hotel Stay

The Adelphi Hotel starting at $235/night Everyone who loves Saratoga, whether he or she lives there or not, wants a weekend getaway or staycation at the luxurious Adelphi Hotel.

My Stable Horses Baby Toy Saratoga Water Goblets

Impressions of Saratoga $9.99/glass Anyone who’s spent time in Saratoga knows that Saratoga Water is the best around. The goblets are reminiscent of those iconic bottles—and provide just the right vibe for anyone’s bar.

Impressions of Saratoga $34.99 I’m not sure I could find a better gift for the little ones in my horse racing-loving family!

Stacks Espresso Bar $21 There’s no substitute for good coffee, and this one from Albany café Stacks Espresso Bar is one of the best in the world.

Carter Move Mug

fellowproducts.com $30 This mug is not only designed to carry your coffee, but also to amplify the experience of drinking it, with a wide mouth and wineglass-like lip.

S A R ATO G A S P R I N G S , N E W YO R K U S A

“GOOD FOLK SINCE 1960” © 2016 Gregory R Montgomery

Greg Montgomery Caffè Lena Print

Caffè Lena $50 Brighten up your favorite Saratogian’s home with this timeless print of the Spa City’s OG folk joint (and coffeehouse!) by renowned Saratoga artist Greg Montgomery.

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inspiration Covid Gift Curators

Inertia Wave Solo

For the (Home) Gym Rat

Primal $2/ear Nikka goes crazy for the smoked pig ears from Primal. The photo says it all.

inertiawave.com $119.95 This is a portable conditioning and resistance tool that works kind of like the battling ropes you see at the gym. It’s a full-body workout packed into a portable 2.6 pounds.

Men’s Hoka Bondi 7

iRun Local $150 These shoes are excellent for running: They’re as comfy as an athletic shoe can be and provide amazing support for the main muscle groups you work on while jogging.

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House Smoked Pig Ears

Mid-Day Pack Program Walk Max Level Booty Bands

Max Level Fitness $30 Take your at-home squats, hip-thrusters and glute bridges to the next level with this three-pack of light, medium and hard resistance bands.

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Saratoga Dog Walkers $25/walk or $100/week A walk with the most famous pack in Saratoga is a gift for both man and man’s best friend.

Fun bonus: The pup will probably make an appearance on the famous @saratogadogwalkers Instagram page.

For the Pandemic Dog Dad Dexas Mudbuster Portable Dog Paw Washer

amazon.com $9.90 Having a dog during the Upstate New York winter is a recipe for a dirty house.

This paw washer is the best defense against a muddy puppy.

Covid Gift Curators

For the Social Distance– Loving Outdoorsman

For the (New) Cheese Wiz

Aeron Design Cheese Slicer/Cutter

amazon.com $9.99 This’ll be the last cheese slicer you’ll ever buy.

Period.

Eagles Nest Outfitters Singlenest Hammock Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company $49.95 Forget about finding flat ground and fiddling with pesky tent poles when camping. Instead, pair this hammock with straps and a tarp for the perfect gift for nature lovers.

Signal Multi-Tool

leatherman.com $119.95 With 17 functions—including plying, hammering, safety whistling and carabining—this multi-tool is all you need for a trip into the backcountry.

(Well, not exactly; you should also bring food, water and shelter.)

Luxury Picnic

Helinox Chair Zero

@goldengardenparties on Instagram dm for pricing Schenectady’s Golden Garden Parties travels to beautiful locations all over the Capital Region to set up gorgeous table-scapes for private picnics—charcuterie boards included.

Custom Cheese Board

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FIRST FILL’S FIRST DA N C E HOW HOLLY SEIDEWAND AND CHARLES GRABITZKY FOUNDED A HIGH-END WHISKEY BOUTIQUE RIGHT HERE IN THE SPA CITY.

BY NATALIE MOORE

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top shelf First Fill’s cofounders (and bona fide whiskey lovers) don’t put anything on the shelf that they wouldn’t drink themselves.

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local biz

hen you stop by new him after the tour. When she did, she those unfamiliar with Scottish whiskeys, Washington Street whiskey discovered that he was the distillery anCnoc—pronounced “a-nock”—is a shop First Fill Spirits—and manager. He told her that the best way single malt Scotch whiskey created trust us, you’re going to want to learn about whiskey was to work at using traditional production methods.) to stop by—don’t expect to a distillery, and asked her if she could But the distillery manager was right, find shelves lined with every flavor of take the 6am shift the next morning. “I and after passing her distillation exam Crown Royal. You can also count out was like, ‘Really? I don’t have to sign in Ireland, Seidewand was contacted the possibility of finding Jack Daniel’s, a waiver or anything?’” Seidewand through her @herwhiskeylove Instagram Jameson, and pretty much account and offered a job as the every other whiskey that’s whiskey specialist for a small widely available in US liquor retail chain in Massachusetts. stores. What you will find is a Since then, she’s worked as a whole new world of whiskey. brand ambassador for Bacardi, a That world is one that First whiskey specialist for two event Fill cofounder Holly Seidewand companies, and is currently in sort of stumbled upon. “I the process of importing barrels worked in store design and of Tasmanian whiskey to bottle manufacturing right out of my and sell at First Fill.

MBA program,” the Rochester About the same time native says. “I would frequently Seidewand was first discovering travel overseas with clients, and her love of whiskey—her allmany of them drank Scotch. time favorite is single malt I decided, ‘What better way Scotch—Charles Grabitzky to connect further with your was also having his fair share clients than to ask them about of eye-opening experiences their favorite whiskey?’” So she on Scotland’s whiskey trail. signed up for a few classes The Saratogian returned home through the Wine & Spirits wanting to try as many different Education Trust, decided those styles as he could but not classes weren’t going to cut it, looking to spend a fortune on and eventually, embarked on a his new hobby. His solution was year-long, worldwide quest to to found the Saratoga Whiskey find out everything there was to Club with a few friends who know about whiskey. would split the cost of bottles Seidewand’s global trek and sample to their hearts’ “ W E L OV E F I N D I N G T H E N E W began in 2016 when she desire. Today, the Saratoga DISTILLERIES AND WHISKEY donned a 70-liter backpack Whiskey Club has grown to B R A N D S , A L O N G W I T H U N D E R R AT E D and hit the road, traveling more than 120 members and to more than 120 distilleries has hosted 90 tastings to date.

W H I S K E Y T H AT N E V E R M A K E S I T throughout Scotland, Ireland, Grabitzky also takes whiskey T O S H E LV E S O R B AC K- B A R S . W H AT Japan, Tasmania and the US, lovers, many club members B E T T E R WAY T O B R I N G T H AT T O documenting her adventures included, on whiskey-centric LIGHT THAN WITH A SPECIALIZED, on her blog, Her Whiskey Love. trips all over the world through “I was a nobody,” she says. “I Rascal + Thorn, his “worldwide BOUTIQUE WHISKEY SHOP?” wanted to learn, so I was just gastronomic experiences” showing up at these places.” travel company.

On one tour at a distillery called says. “So I actually took the 6am shift n 2017 the stars aligned and Knockdhu near Aberdeen, Scotland, and got to work almost two weeks Seidewand met Grabitzky at Maker’s she was taking notes for a blog post with them. I was running the stills and Mark Distillery in Kentucky. The when a man asked her if she was doing all of the valves and pipes. The friends stayed in touch, and Grabitzky stealing the distillery’s trade secrets. running joke was that if you get a bad even invited Seidewand to be a She explained that no, she was just a anCnoc in 12 years, it’s because I was presenter at a Saratoga Whiskey Club blogger, and he asked her to come see the one working the distillery.” (For

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event while she was working at Bacardi.

Eventually, the pair found themselves on a hike in the Adirondacks, “where all good business meetings happen,” per Seidewand. “We really honed in on what we loved about the whiskey industry,” she says. “We love finding the new distilleries and whiskey brands, along with underrated whiskey that never makes it to shelves or backbars. What better way to bring that to light than with a specialized, boutique whiskey shop where everything that is on the shelf we would love to sip and enjoy ourselves?”

With that, Seidewand moved from New York City to Schuylerville to found First Fill Spirits with Grabitzky in Downtown Saratoga (it opened this past Travers Day). The name comes from whiskey industry lingo: “About 70 percent of all flavor that we taste in whiskey is coming from the type or style of cask,” Seidewand explains. “‘First fill’ means that this is the first time whiskey has been put in that particular cask. For instance, if it is a sherry cask, the last thing to live and mature in that cask would have been sherry. First-fill casks are highly sought after, because they tend [to produce whiskeys that are] rich and bold in flavor.”

But while First Fill might sound like a store only for those most knowledgeable whiskey drinkers, it’s far from that. The shop carries bottles that cost anywhere from $50 to $300, and the owners are just as happy to discuss the difference between whiskey made in a pot still and whiskey made in a column still as they are to offer someone who’s never even heard of a still guidance on what bottle to buy. “It’s a very welcoming community,” says Seidewand, who herself was once the newbie in the whiskey world.

“There are a lot of women involved behind the scenes, even though whiskey is still marketed as a ‘man’s drink.’ I’m hopeful that will change, because it’s 50/50 men and women within the industry, from my experience.

We just have to get that presented out to the rest of the world.”

whiskey business (clockwise from top) The couch at First Fill Spirits was a gift to Seidewand and Grabitzky from the Saratoga Whiskey Club; Seidewand working at Knockdhu Distillery in Scotland; a Saratoga Whiskey Club tasting; Seidewand pouring Aberfeldy 16 at Davidoff of Geneva in New York City; First Fill's Washington Street façade; (opposite) Seidewand and Grabitzky met at Maker’s Mark Distillery in Kentucky.

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giving

Bringing the

Goods S A R AT O G A’ S B U S I N E S S F O R G O O D F O U N D AT I O N I S T R A N S F O R M I N G T H E WAY T H E S PA C I T Y THINKS ABOUT GIVING.

BY STEPHANY BYRNE

hen local philanthropists Ed and Lisa Mitzen first unveiled their Business for Good (BFG) foundation this past summer, it caused quite a stir in the Saratoga Springs community. It was a completely novel concept for a city that lives and breathes generosity: a foundation that would acquire successful, for-profit businesses—early acquisitions included well-known local eateries The Bread Basket Bakery and Hattie’s Chicken Shack—and transform them into a pipeline for charitable donations. “Lisa and I wanted to give back to those less fortunate in a huge way,” says Ed. “And while donating money to nonprofits is critically important, we also wanted to transform the philanthropic model by doing things differently.” That they did; not only do the local businesses donate profits to charity, but the BFG model also retains the businesses’ staffers, providing them with competitive salaries—and in some cases, raises—as well as free health insurance benefits. (For the uninitiated, Ed made his fortune founding three companies, including the wildly successful Fingerpaint, an advertising and marketing agency headquartered in Saratoga; while his wife, Lisa, has a background in banking and has served on the board of directors of local nonprofits like Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Shelters of Saratoga.)

Essentially, the Mitzens were disrupting Saratoga’s tried-and-true giving model, and that led to a fair amount of confusion as to what the organization actually did, whom it served and where its charitable donations went. The initial puzzlement can be attributed to the fact that

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board certified Business for Good cofounders Ed (far left) and Lisa Mitzen (far right), flanking their kids (left to right) Grace, Emily and Nick Mitzen, all of whom sit on the foundation’s board of directors.

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giving

the concept is completely new to the Saratoga area, although worthwhile charities that do such tremendous good in our the model has been around for decades on the national level. communities.” A third and final type, “BFG Assisted™ businesses,” (Any Newman’s Own fans out there? Late Hollywood actor Paul is an existing charitable organization, local or national, that just Newman, who cofounded Double H Ranch in nearby Lake requires charitable donations to keep doing what it’s doing.

Luzerne, had been doing something similar through his brand Last October, for example, upon recasting the Bread Basket as of groceries since the early ’80s.) Like Newman, the Mitzens an owned business, BFG also presented a check for $25,000 wanted their foundation to reach as many people as possible, to Troy nonprofit Capital Roots, which provides underserved not just in Saratoga, but in the greater Capital Region and communities with access to healthy foods like fresh produce. beyond. To that end, BFG’s model isn’t only laser-focused on The latter would be an example of an assisted business. More the potential profitability, in terms of charitable revenue, of their recently, BFG donated $500,000 to Wellspring, an organization business acquisitions. The couple wanted to retain the talent that working to end domestic violence and sexual assault, which made the businesses tick, as well as create a fairer playing field it used to build its new community wing. “Our areas of focus across the board. In other words, the owned business’ staffing are rooted in food insecurity, housing instability and education and food costs are still covered by the business’ revenues, just inequity, but we give to other causes as well,” says Hoke. So like they’ve always been, with the big difference being that far, that tally is up to more than 20 organizations. Saratoga BFG doesn’t take an owner’s donees include Shelters of draw. Once all of the owned Saratoga, Saratoga Bridges, business’ operations/food Saratoga Center for the costs are covered, the rest of Family, Saratoga Senior that money goes directly to Center and The Children’s local charities.

Museum at Saratoga. Around So what types of businesses the Capital Region, The does BFG target? Not just Community Foundation for the the ones that will serve as Greater Capital Region, Feed charitable cash cows, it turns Albany, the Wilton Food Pantry out, per the foundation’s and Homes for Orphaned CEO, Jahkeen Hoke. Both Pets Exist (H.O.P.E) have all the Bread Basket and received funds, too.

Hattie’s fall under what the If BFG’s model proves organization is calling “BFG successful, it could spell a Owned™ businesses,” where massive boon not only to the businesses are owned by regional charities, but also the the foundation but operated Capital Region community at by existing management and large. To that end, the Mitzens employees, with all future have set a rather lofty goal of net profits going to charities. injecting local communities (Each business has already with a minimum of $100 good examples The Business for Good foundation expanded in recent months, million. (At press time, BFG had staff (left to right) CEO Jahkeen Hoke; Chief Brand Officer with the Bread Basket opening already disbursed $5.4 million, Connie Frances Avila; Operations Manager Alexa Andujar; a second location in Saratoga thanks to private funding by and Project Manager Stephanie Marotta-Johnson. and Hattie’s set to open a the Mitzens, donations made fourth location—after Downtown Saratoga, Wilton and the via BFG Owned™ businesses, and various fundraising programs summer pop-up at the track—in Downtown Albany.) A second and campaigns.) Those “donations” made through its owned type, “BFG Accelerated™ businesses,” isn’t an outright acquired businesses like The Bread Basket and Hattie’s aren’t coming business but still gets a hefty helping hand from the foundation. from folks stopping by the restaurants and writing out big For this type, “we support business owners and entrepreneurs personal checks to the foundation. They’re actually made by by providing them with much-needed capital, resources, customers frequenting the restaurants like they always have. So networking and other opportunities needed to grow,” says say you go into Hattie’s and order the biscuits, Famous Fried Hoke. One example is Schenectady’s Wallace Turner Law, Chicken and a key lime pie, washing it all down with a couple LLP, a minority- and women-run law practice that, with BFG’s Sazeracs. When you settle your check, after food and staffing help, has been able to expand its services greatly. Adds Ed: costs are subtracted, the net total goes directly to charity.

“We wanted to help encourage minorities to reach their dreams On the face of it, the model looks like a win-win, and there’s of business ownership and entrepreneurism and support very no doubt the charities can use the boost. But we wanted to

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owned depot Hattie’s Chicken Shack and The Bread Basket Bakery have been acquired by the Business for Good foundation and turned into BFG Owned™ businesses, whose net profits go to charity.

check in with the employees of the acquired businesses now that they’re a few months in: Is their reality as good as the sound bites? Llona Hogan, who has been with Hattie’s for 15 years and currently serves as its general manager (she was promoted after the BFG takeover), says the new ownership model has been a bona fide gamechanger. Rewinding for a minute to last summer, Hogan says Hattie’s faced its fair share of challenges at the height of the pandemic. “We were fortunate that we had a lot of outdoor space,” she says. “While our seating capacity decreased by 50 percent, we still had the room to spread out and seat a reduced number of guests.” But that didn’t make it any easier on the restaurant’s staffers. “We, of course, didn’t make the same money we had made in previous summers,” Hogan says. “The crowds just weren’t there, and we had absolutely no catering events, which was a big part of our business.”

When BFG took over, though, it offered the restaurant a new beginning—including making all of its full-time staffers salaried employees with benefits, eliminating the stress, for some, of having a low-paying slow night. “Honestly, this has been a restaurant professional’s dream come true,” Hogan says. “I keep telling people that this stuff doesn’t normally happen in real life, especially in the restaurant industry.” And she’s thrilled with the generous benefits that BFG provides employees. “The health insurance is huge,” she says. “Not only do we get it free of charge, but it is top-of-the-line insurance, which is a big plus for my family of four.”

But what BFG is doing goes even deeper than simply providing a living wage and health benefits to existing

employees as its owned businesses. “This is where I get emotional,” says Hogan. “Before I worked at Hattie’s, I was a middle school teacher for five years. I came to Hattie’s to work part time after leaving teaching. This led to my fulltime position and the realization that I loved the restaurant business and had found my home. With the acquisition of Hattie’s by BFG, I feel as though I have come full circle and am really doing something that will make a difference in our community.” So it’s not only the business that has become a vehicle for giving back, it’s each and every one of the employees who works there. “I am very proud to be a part of this endeavor, and I hope we can be an example for other businesses to follow this model,” says Hogan. “The world needs a change, and I think we are on the cutting edge of what we, as a society, can do to make things better.”

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Simply the

NYRA

Best

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racing

B

rad Cox, the reigning life. Case in point: At just 12, Cox was Eclipse Award winner spending significantly more time reading for Outstanding Trainer, the Daily Racing Form than his school put on quite a show for books. One day, he confidently told his Saratoga’s racing faithful father that he was going to become this past summer. And the next D. Wayne Lukas. (Talk about boy did we need it. With aspirations of grandeur!) “I knew what Saratoga Race Course’s spectator-less I wanted to do with my life pretty early 2020 season firmly in the rearview, the on,” says Cox. “I had no doubt about fans were jonesing for a comeback the direction I wanted to go in, and I meet to remember. Cox won 13 races trusted in myself. I really didn’t give much at The Spa, including the Jim Dandy thought to doing anything other than and Travers Stakes, with his champion horse racing.” Growing up on Evelyn Thoroughbred Essential Quality, and Avenue in Louisville, KY, just two blocks reined in the Whitney Handicap with away from Churchill Downs and its iconic his Knicks Go for good measure. twin spires, Cox was so thoroughly Those victories in the Travers and Whitney made Cox only the eighth trainer in Saratoga history to win both races in the TRAINER , same summer, and one of just three—and the first since Hall W H O J U ST H A D A H I STO R I C of Famer John Gaver, Sr. in R U N AT S A R AT O G A , I S 1942—to accomplish the feat with different horses. In the H O R S E R AC I N G ’ S R E I G N I N G end, Cox finished in the top 10 T O P T R A I N E R —W I T H N O T of the Saratoga standings and did so despite sending out only O N E , B U T T WO H O R S E S 47 starters, significantly fewer HELPING HIM GIVE THE than any of the trainers ahead of him on the leaderboard. He H A L L O F FA M E R S A R U N won a whopping 28 percent F O R T H E I R M O N E Y. of his Saratoga starts, a higher percentage than the likes of leading trainer Chad Brown and Hall of Famers Steve Asmussen, Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher.

In other words, Cox’s heroics paid for a lot of post-race drinks in captivated by racehorses as a kid that Downtown Saratoga. he designed a cardboard track in his “It truly has been a spectacular parents’ living room. A year after his bold summer,” Cox told me on the meet’s prediction, Cox lied about his age so he final weekend. “We came here could become a hot walker and gain full confident in our horses, but Saratoga access to the grounds at Churchill. Cox is elite competition and can be very meandered through his formal education humbling. Nothing is a given here. To and graduated from high school, but his be able to win races like the Travers, Jim Dandy and Whitney is what you trophy life Trainer Brad Cox dream of doing in this sport.” hoisting the August Belmont Trophy But Cox’s sensational Saratoga after winning the 2021 Belmont summer is a mere drop in the bucket Stakes, thanks to a victory from his for the 41-year-old trainer, who’s been Thoroughbred, Essential Quality. a horse racing obsessive for his entire

B R A D C OX

BY BRIEN BOUYEA

most impactful studies unquestionably took place at the racetrack. Those lessons have paid off for Cox—big time.

But fame didn’t come easy. Take a peek at his career stats on Equibase, and you’ll see a steep learning curve in the numbers. After serving as an assistant to Dallas Stewart, Cox went out on his own at the age of 24 in 2004. He earned his first victory that December, with One Lucky Storm at Turfway Park in Kentucky, and began to slowly make a name for himself through the claiming ranks. The upstart trainer had yet to win a graded stakes race when, in 2012, client Midwest Thoroughbreds decided to take the 30 or so horses it had in Cox’s barn and place them with another trainer. With only a few horses remaining in his care, Cox was forced back to square one and had to rebuild his operation essentially from scratch. “There’s, no doubt, going to be adversity in this sport,” says Cox. “What matters is how you respond to it. Persevere, have faith, and never stop working…that’s how you get through difficult times.”

Press on is exactly what Cox did, rebuilding his stable and earning his first graded stakes win in 2014, when Carve won the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows in Iowa.

Four years later, Cox arrived on the national racing scene when Monomoy Girl became his first Grade 1 winner in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. Less than a month later, Cox and Monomoy Girl were in the winner’s circle at his hometown track, Churchill Downs, victorious in the Kentucky Oaks.

He was on top of the world at the place where he first dreamed of racing glory.

The horse who got him there was a special one. An eventual winner of two Breeders’ Cup Distaffs and a pair of Eclipses, Monomoy Girl definitely helped put Cox on the map.

Speaking of the Breeders’ Cup, the lateseason series is what ultimately landed

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Cox top trainer honors himself. During 2020’s pandemic-twisted season, Cox won 216 races, with career-best purse earnings of $18.9 million. A good chunk of that purse money came from wins in Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland with Aunt Pearl (Juvenile Fillies Turf), Essential Quality (Juvenile), Knicks Go (Dirt Mile) and Monomoy Girl (Distaff ). With that impressive Breeders' Cup performance, Cox joined Hall of Famer Richard Mandella as the only trainers to win four Breeders’ Cup races in a single year. “You never go into the Breeders’ Cup thinking something like that is going to happen,” Cox says of the four wins. “But taken individually, each of those horses fit as strong contenders, and they showed up when it mattered most.” He adds: “It’s almost an indescribable feeling to put in the amount of work that goes into it all and then have them realize that potential on such a stage.

It’s very rewarding to say the least.”

An encore to an Eclipse-winning year is never easy, but Cox has arguably been even more successful in 2021. At press time, he already had 214 wins and easily surpassed his personal record

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spa day (FROM LEFT) Jockey Luis Saez after winning the 2021 Travers Stakes for Brad Cox this past August; Cox with Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito.

with $24.4 million–plus in earnings.

His per-start earnings of $29,726 also represented a career best at press time. Cox has plenty of ammunition for this year’s Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in California, led by a potential showdown of his stable stars Essential Quality and Knicks Go in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

(The coveted race is set to run just days after this story publishes). “As a trainer you’d just about always prefer a different scenario than competing against the horses in your own barn, but those two have earned their way into that opportunity,” Cox says. “It’s a good problem to have.”

Were Cox to lock in a second straight top trainer award this year, he could also end up seeing his two top Thoroughbreds duke it out for Horse of the Year. Both Essential Quality, who gave Cox his first victory in a Triple Crown race in the 2021 Belmont Stakes, and Knicks Go, a fivetime graded stakes winner, are in the

conversation for the Eclipse. A victory in the Classic would in all likelihood secure the Eclipse for either of them. “I wouldn’t trade what I’ve got in the barn with anyone right now,” Cox says.

Cox doesn’t shy away from the high expectations that have accompanied his success. “I’m doing the one thing in life I’ve always wanted to do, and I expect a lot of myself and the people on my team,” he says. “I didn’t set out with the idea of just getting by in this business. Why not try to make your way to the top? You only get one life, and I want to do the absolute best with mine that I can. It’s hard work 24/7, 365 [days a year], but the satisfaction is well worth it when your horses are running well. This sport is pure magic when everything comes together. That’s what we chase every day.”

Not to get too, too far ahead of ourselves, Cox has certainly made a case for a Hall of Fame bid someday, if he keeps up his winning ways. At least one of his horses will beat him to the punch. Monomoy Girl, who ended her career 14-3-0, with 10 graded stakes wins and earnings of more than $4.7 million, will become eligible for the Hall in 2027—two years before he will. “I hope I can follow Monomoy Girl into the Hall,” Cox says. “That’s the highest honor you can get, and it reflects hard work, sacrifice, teamwork and having the fortune of some darn good horses to train. D. Wayne Lukas, Todd Pletcher… those are my heroes. That’s the path I want to be on and hopefully, I’ll be on it for a long time.”

(Travers) NYRA; (Cox and Zito) BOB MAYBERGER

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Belmonte Builders’ Big Plans The family-owned, Clifton Park–based company is planning two new communities for 2022.

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s is the case with so many successful companies, Belmonte Builders grew out of a passion. In 1977, Peter Belmonte, Sr. left his job in the corporate world and started Belmonte Builders to pursue his dream of building the finest homes in the Capital Region. In 1985 he persuaded his son, Peter Belmonte, Jr., to join him. The father-son team grew Belmonte into a construction company that not only specializes in including small changes to existing custom homes, but also builds the types of neighborhoods people want plans, luxury custom home design to live in. Now in its third generation, and building on your own lot using the family still takes just as much pride a plan you provide.

For those looking to build a in being personally involved with all phases of the construction process, home with Belmonte in 2022, working closely with each individual the builder’s 45th anniversary customer and exceeding expectations. year brings with it two unique “We measure our success through communities. First up is Waite feedback, referrals and repeat Meadows in Clifton Park. An business,” says Peter Belmonte, Jr. exclusive community of 35 homes “Nothing brings us more with large lots and pride than when we plenty of shared green see satisfied customers space, Waite Meadows is designed to appeal come back to us for to growing families and help with the next phase those looking for the of their lives. And it perfect spot to build happens quite often.” their forever home. Next Does this sound like fall be on the lookout the company that you’d for Forest Grove. One like to collaborate with of Belmonte’s larger on your next home? communities, Forest Whether you’re a firstBelmonte Builders President Grove is located just time homeowner, have Peter Belmonte, Jr. outside Saratoga a mature family or are Springs in the town of Wilton (that looking to downsize, Belmonte has means low taxes and Saratoga you covered with a variety of awardschools!). When completed, Forest winning ranch, master-on-the-main Grove will offer more than 300 homes and master-up floor plans. They also at a variety of price points on heavily offer several levels of personalization,

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wooded lots with plenty of amenities, including a clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis courts and walking trails.

Sure, different levels of customization and different price points are great—but the real reason you should choose Belmonte to build your next home? “It may sound cliché, but our homes are known for their very high quality,” says Vice President of Customer Relations Lindsey Belmonte. “We take pride in our work and always strive for perfection.

You can see that in the fit and finish of all the components that go into every Belmonte home. It’s all in the details.”

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lmost two years to the day after Dorinda Medley stormed Prime at Saratoga National to celebrate the first-ever “Dorinda Medley Day” with saratoga living, the former star of The Real Housewives of New York City returned to the Spa City (and saratoga living!)–for a book signing event at The Adelphi Hotel. The evening kicked off with Medley getting glammed up at Complexions Spa for Beauty & Wellness and meeting Mayor Meg Kelly. At 5pm sharp, guests started arriving, immediately migrating to the bar for a complimentary Old Fashioned cocktail made with Medley’s own soon-to-be-released Bluestone Manor Bourbon. The woman of the hour arrived fashionably late to great fanfare and began signing copies of her memoir, Make It Nice, for each and every attendee, a group of whom donned Dorinda duds (and wigs!) to pay tribute to her. And before you could say “Clip!” the evening was over, with happy fans dispersing with signed copies of Dorinda’s memoir and her very own stain kits in hand.

Needless to say, Dorinda made it nice.

Gabriella Centanni, Nance Arquiett and Philip Lloyd Paige

So many fans made the soirée into a girls’ night out.

Iuliia Castracane and Jennifer Marcellus

Hors d’oeuvres by The Adelphi Hotel

Excited fans were all smiles.

Dorinda’s Bluestone Manor Bourbon and copies of her memoir from Northshire Bookstore

Ellen Phelps Scharf, Dorinda and Andrea Zappone

A group of attendees dressed like Dorinda from head to toe asked the “Hostess with the Mostest’ to crown the best Dorinda lookalike.

The energy in The Adelphi’s party tent was off the charts.

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show, place, win!

SA RATO GA’ S HOT T EST T IC KETS

American Cancer Society’s Coaches Vs. Cancer Basket ‘Ball’ O C TO B E R 4 • at t he AL B AN Y CA P I TAL C E N T E R ph otog raphy by AN DRE W MU RP HY

The Saratoga Showcase of Homes Awards Dinner

OCTOBER 6 • at VAPOR p hoto gr ap hy by CATH Y DUF F Y

Saratoga PLAN’s Feast of the Fields SEP T E MB E R 1 8 • at O LD TAVE RN FA RM ph otog raphy by CORY CU MMI N G S

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Saratoga Automobile Museum’s Saratoga Motorcar Auction SEPTEM BER 24–25 • AT SPAC’S WEST LOT p hoto gr ap hy by DOW SM ITH

Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund’s Evening of Autumn Giving

O C TO B E R 20 • at LO N G FE LLOW S RESTAURA NT ph otography by TOM STOC K

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A Healthy Foundation For 40 years, Saratoga Hospital Foundation has been supporting the mission of Saratoga Hospital and improving the health of the region.

T

he small white envelopes have been arriving at Saratoga Hospital Foundation regularly since 1996. Each time she sees one in the day’s mail, Ann Carroll, coordinator of foundation finance and operations, smiles. She knows exactly what’s inside: a one-dollar bill from a couple who’ve been quietly donating for decades.

“It’s like seeing an old friend,” Carroll says. “What a wonderful reminder that gifts of every amount add up and make a difference.”

The foundation was established in 1981 to raise funds to support Saratoga Hospital’s mission and, since then, has raised $70 million. Behind the foundation’s success are a board of

trustees, committees of volunteers, and a team of staff and supporters or, in the words of Saratoga Hospital Foundation Executive Director Mary Solomons, “advocates and ambassadors.”

“We have a wonderful story to tell about the work of Saratoga Hospital and what additional support would mean to our community,” she says.

Solomons cites the hospital’s Saratoga Community Health Center, which cares for patients regardless of their ability to pay. She also highlights the hospital’s work at the backstretch clinic at Saratoga Race Course and a cardiovascular program that recently qualified for a prestigious $100,000 grant.

The hospital’s story resonates with donors of all ages and from all walks of life, especially those with loved ones

Children race for a good cause during Saratoga Hospital Foundation’s familyfriendly Cantina Kids Fun Run.

who have been patients at Saratoga Hospital. The family of the late Ann Marie Richardson is a case in point.

Since losing Richardson to cancer, her family honors her memory every holiday season by donating carloads of toys for children of patients receiving care at Saratoga Hospital’s Mollie Wilmot Radiation Oncology Center.

“We see the impact of our community’s generosity every day,” Solomons says. “With their continued support, we can do even more.”

For more information about Saratoga Hospital Foundation, go to SaratogaHospitalFoundation.org. ■

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home stretch: fashion

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Commencing Countdown to Ugly Sweater Season…

‘UG LY’ M IGHT BE IN THE NA M E, BUT IT’ S CERTA INLY NOT IN THE GA M E.

ph otograph y by DO R I FITZPATR ICK

CREDIT

T CHRISTMAS SWEATERS STARTING AT $25 TREASURES BOUTIQUE

he most wonderful time of the year means hot cocoa, mistletoe, snow and, of course, ugly sweater parties. Nothing gets you in the holiday spirit quite like thrifting an over-the-top holiday sweater that’s so tacky it’s actually cute.

The festive finds shown here are from West Avenue’s Treasures Boutique, which is just that: a treasure trove of the city’s best consignment-wear. I personally like my ugly sweaters like I like my Christmas trees—the more accessories the merrier. Go for the most buzzworthy sweater in the store, and don’t be afraid to add your own bedazzlement (think vintage brooches, ornament earrings and a Christmas skirt) for a look that will give even Mrs. Claus a run for her money.

—Corinne Sausville

@rinniesaus

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Everything and the Kitchen Sink

INTE RIOR D E S IGNE R ETEA NNETTE SEYM O UR O F ETTIE & CO. CRE ATE S A TIME L E S S KITCHEN THAT’ S BOTH CLEA N A ND COZY. ph otogr aph y by ELIZA BETH HAYNES

co lo r Yo u r P r e s id e n t ial Ca bin e t

kitchen aid Soften the clean lines and bright whites of your kitchen with warm touches like a jute rug.

I love cabinets in a variety of hues, but if you’re seeking out a kitchen design to stand the test of time, opt for a neutral palette. There’s something so classic and enduring about a white kitchen. I suggest also sticking to warm neutrals, crisp whites and cozy beige for your color palette.

GET THE LOOK:

Decorator’s White from Benjamin Moore

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lived in. You want to create a space that’s warm and inviting. I help clients do this by sourcing gold-fibered jute rugs, thoughtful linens and understated window treatments, and incorporating lots of living materials (think: fresh fruit, herb gardens and fresh-cut flowers). counter culture This quartz countertop form The Home Depot is both reliable and attractive.

S i n k a H o l e- i n-On e There isn’t a more classic kitchen element than the farmhouse sink. Also known as an apron front sink, the farmhouse sink has been around since the late 17th century, and for good reason: It’s a workhorse in the kitchen, providing ample room for cleaning freshly harvested veggies, post-dinner party dishes and, quite frankly, anything else that fits into it! All of that, and it’s gorgeous.

GET THE LOOK:

B e Cou n te rin tuitiv e Choosing a countertop is kind of like choosing a spouse—you’re looking for one that’s attractive and reliable. This is a big decision! For clients seeking a timeless look, I often suggest a neutral-colored quartz, honed black granite (no speckles, please), soapstone or marble. In this kitchen, we chose a white concrete for its stain and scratch resistance. It’s cool to the touch and has a beautiful, smooth finish.

GET THE LOOK:

Quartz Countertop in Calacatta Botanica from The Home Depot

GET THE LOOK:

Kohler Whitehaven Farmhouse Undermount Apron Front Cast Iron 30 in.

Self-Trimming Single Bowl Kitchen Sink in White from The Home Depot

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Turn u p th e warmth As the heart of your home, the kitchen is a place that should look

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Urvi Braided Jute Runner from The Citizenry

R e sp ec t t h e U ne x p ec te d Complete your timeless

kitchen by ensuring that there are unique and unexpected elements in it. If everything is traditional, it will all blend together, and visually, nothing will pop. You need the juxtaposition of materials, shapes and colors, and this light pendant certainly does the trick.

GET THE LOOK:

Rose City 8” Fitter Chain Pendant from Rejuvenation

Eteannette Seymour, owner and principal designer of full-service interior design firm Ettie & Co., serves clients from Saratoga Springs to Northern California. Ettie & Co. specializes in upscale residential design and is known for creating bright, airy spaces that are at once modern and traditional. You can check out more of Ettie & Co.’s work at ettieandco.com, and sign up for the firm’s monthly newsletter to get even more design tips.

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bread winner This stuffing was originally meant to be made with bread from Murray Hollow Bakers, but since it closed, any local bread will do.

Pattie Garrett’s Bread Stuffing (Courtesy of the now-closed Murray Hollow Bakers) INGREDIENTS

1 loaf bread from Saratoga’s Night Work Bread Co., cubed 1 large onion, chopped 2-4 celery stalks with leaves, chopped 2 cloves garlic 1 stick unsalted butter 1 apple, chopped 1 tsp fresh thyme 1 tsp fresh sage 2 tbsp fresh parsley 2 cups turkey broth salt

A SARATO GA BLOGGE R TA K E S ON A POWER HO USE ALBANY CHE F IN TH E FIGH T FO R E V ERYO NE’ S FAVO R ITE TH A NK S GIV ING S ID E DISH.

L

et’s be real: The side dishes are the real stars of any given Thanksgiving spread, and, if we’re picking favorites, stuffing is at the top of the (literal) food chain. So, to give your meal a (turkey) leg up, we called in the experts: Pattie Garrett of the My Saratoga Kitchen Table blog, and Ken Kehn, the mastermind executive chef behind Albany’s 677 Prime. Whose stuffing takes the pie in this Capital Region Cook-off? You’ll have to decide for yourself.

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• Spread the bread cubes on two large baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees, stirring occasionally until dry (about 20 minutes). Pour into a large bowl.

• Sauté onion, celery and garlic in butter until celery is wilted and onion is transparent. Do not brown.

• Add apple and herbs to pan and cook for about three more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add to bread and mix well.

• Add broth and salt and pepper to taste, and place in a casserole/ baking dish. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for at least 20 minutes.

• Remove the cover and cook for at least 15 minutes more until lightly browned on top.

PATTIE GARRETT

The Stuffing of Legend

INSTRUCTIONS

challah fame Ken Kehn uses challah bread in 677 Prime’s brioche stuffing.

Ken Kehn’s Brioche Stuffing INGREDIENTS

1 1 1 2 2 ¼ ¼

loaf challah bread, medium diced pound butter cup celery, small diced cups Spanish onion, small diced quarts chicken stock cup lemon juice cup parsley, minced salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Toast the challah cubes in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes, until dried out and slightly browned. Cool and place in a deep pan.

• Sweat the celery and onion in the butter until starting to brown on the edges. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes.

• Dump the chicken stock mixture over the bread croutons and add the lemon juice. Toss, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to steam for five minutes.

• Remove the plastic and add the parsley and salt, tossing lightly to incorporate.

• Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool and serve.

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INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to Bourbon Street

C OOPERSTOW N DI STI LLERY B EV ERAGE EXC HANGE’S ROB ERC OLE M I X ES U P TH R EE B O OZ Y BO URBO N BEVERAGES TO KEEP YO U WA R M A N D COZ Y TH I S HO L IDAY S EAS O N.

• First, make maple walnut simple syrup: Bake walnuts for 10 minutes or until light brown, then place them in pot with maple syrup and water.

Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

• Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Stir and strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass.

Torch an orange peel and rub on edge of glass. Crack peel to express the oils and place on top.

Cooperstown Select Bourbon Manhattan

Our Cooperstown Select Straight Bourbon Whiskey starts with local grains from Inverness Farms in Canajoharie, and after distillation, ages in barrels from Adirondack Cooperage in Remsen. This is a true New York spirit from grain to glass. We pair it with Little City Sweet Vermouth and Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters to give you a true taste of the Empire State.

distill life Cooperstown Distillery’s Saratoga Beverage Exchange doubles as a bar and bottle shop.

MAPLE WALNUT OLD FASHIONED Inspired by ski trips to the Mad River Valley in Vermont, this twist on an Old Fashioned features a winning combo of roasted walnuts and caramelized Vermont maple syrup. These flavors, paired with Cooperstown’s Beanball Bourbon and Fee Brothers black walnut bitters, work together to create a cocktail that’s as warm and inviting as the colors of autumn in the northeast.

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INGREDIENTS

2 oz Cooperstown Distillery Beanball Bourbon 1⁄2 oz maple walnut simple syrup • 1⁄2 cup walnuts • 1 cup maple syrup • 1⁄2 cup water 3 dashes Fee Brothers black walnut bitters orange peel

INGREDIENTS

4 oz Cooperstown Select Straight Bourbon Whiskey 1 oz Little City sweet vermouth 3 dashes Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters Toschi Amarena cherry

INSTRUCTIONS

• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Stir and strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with a Toschi Amarena cherry.

30 Riverside Drive, Saranac Lake, NY

Rhinebeck, NY 518-637-2524

518-891-5224

www.adkgreatcamps.com

Sweater Weather

Some of our favorite fall flavors are apples and cinnamon, so naturally, our take on a Whiskey Collins features local apple cider and cinnamon simple syrup.

INGREDIENTS

21⁄2 oz Cooperstown Distillery Doubleday Bourbon 1 oz apple cider 1⁄4 oz lemon juice 1⁄2 oz cinnamon simple syrup • 1 cup water • 1 cup sugar • 5 cinnamon sticks 3 dashes Fee Brothers whiskey barrel-aged bitters apple slice INSTRUCTIONS

• First, make cinnamon simple syrup: Add water, sugar and cinnamon sticks to pot. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.

Shake well, then strain into a Collins glass over ice. Garnish with apple slices.

Info@adkgreatcamps.com

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Oh, Christmas Tree SARATOGA’S B ELOV ED FESTIVAL OF TR EES I S B ACK .

BY NATALIE M O O R E

S

ome holiday traditions, no matter how many years you've taken part in them, never get old. And The Saratoga Festival of Trees is one of the Spa City’s best.

Every December for the past 25 years, Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties has hosted a multi-day Christmas tree– tastic celebration, which welcomes revelers from all over the region to the Saratoga Springs City Center to feast

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their peepers on dozens of decorated, festive firs. Those trees, which are actually of the prefab kind, have been decorated and donated by local businesses and individuals, and are for sale at the end of the festival. Sound like some merriment you need in your life, like, right now? Here are the five Ws of The Saratoga Festival of Trees.

Who: Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties invites the holiday hordes to

trees company Christmas trees of different sizes, wreaths and other holiday items are on display at The Saratoga Festival of Trees; (OPPOSITE) the Cartier Real Estate Group has decorated and donated a tree for the festival for the past two years.

experience a forest of the bestdressed trees in town.

What: More than two dozen trees, plus wreaths and other holiday items, are on display and available for purchase.

Where: The Saratoga Springs City Center

F R O M

Y O U R

P E R S P E C T I V E

p 518.580.8818 w balzertuck.com

When: The festival kicks off with a preview reception on Wednesday, December 1 from 6-8pm. Tickets are $75 or $60 for attendees under the age of 35.

Your Hometown Team!

Regular viewing hours are: � THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2 FROM 4-9PM � FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3 FROM 2-6PM � SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4 FROM NOON-6PM � SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5 FROM 11AM-2PM

Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for 10- to 18-year-olds, and free for children under 10. Note: There will be no family day this year.

Why: All proceeds from the festival support Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. The foundation provides crucial assistance to poor and vulnerable communities through counseling, hospice care, mentoring, a domestic violence hotline and nutrition outreach program.

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Mike Fernandez Licensed R.E. Salesperson c: 518.409.1336

Bottle Service Purdy’s Discount Wine and Liquor, the oldest retailer of its kind in Saratoga, has expanded once again.

F

or more than six decades, the third-generation, family-run Purdy’s Discount Wine and Liquor has been offering Saratogians a best-in-class customer experience. A big part of that is the sheer amount of inventory Purdy’s is able to offer its Spa City clientele.

And thanks to a recent expansion of its Congress Plaza store into a former neighbor’s 3,000-squarefoot space, Purdy’s can now provide its customers with even more fine wines and spirits.

“Our most recent expansion has allowed us to bring in a larger variety Purdy’s co-owners Brandan and Kristen Greczkowski.

The perfect gift for all Saratoga and Capital Region lovers—including yourself!"

For a gift subscription, please contact: subscribe@saratogaliving.com 518-294-4390

Ornaments, tote bags, t-shirts, mugs and more at saratogaliving.com/shop

of products for our customers,” says co-owner Brandan Greczkowski, who runs Purdy’s with his wife, Kristen, and longtime store manager Jimmy Scotti. “The store is twothirds wine and one-third liquor. We now have 60 more shelving units for products and merchandise in the store. It’s huge.”

Thanks to that expansion, Purdy’s can now boast that it offers the largest selection of bourbon and tequila in the entire Capital Region.

The shop is also undergoing a size-matters expansion, digitally. “We are working on improving our online presence,” Greczkowski says, “so that we are able to accommodate even more customers.”

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FRANCESCO D’AMICO

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{ horseplay } Let’s Eat!

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BY N ATA L I E M O O R E ACROSS 1. Building block of the universe 5. The Big Easy 9. Back to the Future’s McFly 14. 2021 Marvel show 15. Apple creation 16. Sports facility 17. Surprised expression 18. Name that sounds like its letters spoken aloud 19. Former QB Kaepernick 20. End a prayer 22. Putting down 24. Baseball’s Bando or Pérez 25. Angry 26. It may be first or third person (abbr.)

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“I weigh the same as Bill Gates, so I’ve got that going for me.”

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40. Cookie that’s actually two cookies 42. Poured through a colander 43. Discouraged 48. ___ Miss (university nickname) 50. Freudian concept 52. Less honorable, as instincts 53. “Take Me ___” 54. Late designer Kate 56. Vacation outdoors, luxuriously

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overheard “I’ve never been there for food; I’ve only been there to play my violin.”

“Whatever snack is waterproof enough to eat in the shower is what I’m going to eat.”

–CHARLTON

–LAKE GEORGE

“A year’s a long time when you’re drinking.”

–MALTA

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#TBT

Saratoga’s Long Lost Ski ‘Resort’

aratoga’s a great place to live if you’re a skier. You can get to Gore Mountain in an hour and most mountains in the Catskills, Southern Vermont or Western Massachusetts in under two hours. But up until 30 years ago, Saratoga slopesters had it even better—they had a ski area right in their own backyard.

Founded during World War II by Ed Taylor, Jr., Alpine Meadows was a ski area in Porter Corners that operated from the early 1940s to the early ’90s. In its early days, as many as nine rope tows transported skiers up the 1,000-foot mountain, and nearly 20 trails brought them down it. During the late ’40s and ’50s the mountain touted itself as having “New York State’s Largest Open Slope,” and was known for its wide-open terrain.

“There were four or five of us kids in South Corinth who skied, and Mr. Taylor would let us in for a buck a day,” the late Elwyn Parker told Jeremy taylor made Ed Taylor, Jr. Davis, author of Lost Ski Areas of the Southern Adirondacks. ”That’s down and his wife, Jo, founded Alpine from the regular adult price of $3.50.” Other youngsters learned to ski for Meadows in the early 1940s; free in exchange for chipping in on work around the mountain.

(TOP) the ski area was known for Over the next half century, the ski area changed hands several times its wide-open terrain. and was renamed Adirondack Ski Center for a brief time. Plagued by an ongoing property dispute, Alpine Meadows closed permanently in the early ’90s, making it the largest ski area of 39 in the Southern Adirondack region to do so. But while Saratoga County may no longer have a ski mountain of its own, Ed Taylor’s love for the sport lives on in the store he opened: Alpine Sport Shop.

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ED TAYLOR

BY NATA LIE M O O R E

Start with Quality...

Saratoga Quality Hardware 110 Excelsior Avenue Saratoga Springs 518-584-9180 SaratogaQualityHardware.com

Meet Our 3rd Annual Capital Region Gives Back Honorees These five Saratoga-based do-gooders are making the Spa City a better place.

P H OTO G R A P H Y BY

FRANCESCO D’AMICO

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Janet Abrahamson

FO U N D E R A N D E X EC U T I V E D I R EC TO R

Joy US Foundation

joy to the world Janet Abrahamson is the founder and executive director of the Joy US Foundation, which hosts free events for cancer survivors and their families; (INSEt) a 2021 Joy US event at Willard Mountain.

“There’s a financial toxicity involved with surviving cancer,” says Janet Abrahamson, founder and executive director of the Joy US Foundation.

She cites a Duke University study that shows that, as a cancer survivor, you might spend a third of your household income just surviving cancer, leaving little room for vacation or celebration.

That’s where the Joy Us Foundation comes in. Since 2018, Abrahamson and her organization have been hosting free events—more than 50 to date!—to help cancer survivors and their families heal through outdoor activities like camping, hiking and kayaking.

Although Abrahamson had to hit the pause button last year, once it was safe to start scheduling events again this past winter, she did—and the demand was overwhelming. “Our first event was snow-tubing at Willard Mountain, and we had 117 people,” she says. “We sold out in 30 minutes.” Other well-attended activities included a steamboat cruise on Lake George, a trip to the Great Escape and the return of the foundation’s signature ADK Weekend Getaway, which takes place at a sleepaway camp in Old Forge (Abrahamson’s dream is to someday secure her own private property on which to host this and other Joy US Foundation events).

The foundation’s other big annual gettogether is Stronger Than Cancer Day, which is turning into a Saratoga staple.

(You’ve probably seen people wearing the red-white-and-blue long-sleeves from 2019’s event.) While this year’s event will look a little different than in pre-pandemic years—participants will be able to take part in free workouts at area gyms—it’s no less of a mission-centric one for the foundation. “We want to really motivate people to do whatever it is that makes them feel stronger in their lives,” says Abrahamson, “not just because of cancer.”

If you can believe it, running the organization isn’t even Abrahamson’s day job. So what keeps her coming back for more? “I truly believe that we are all put on this earth to do something bigger than what most of us are doing,” she says. “I don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface yet.”

–W I L L L E V I T H

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Dennis Moench S E N I O R D I R E C T O R O F E D U C AT I O N , S A R AT O G A P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C E N T E R

SPAC Education

“Everyone who is a lover of the arts has had a moment in life where they see a performance or they take a class or they sing or play an instrument for the first time and some sort of electric shock occurs,” says Dennis Moench, SPAC’s senior director of education.

“The lightbulb goes off and you realize that there is this whole other world and a whole other way of expressing yourself creatively.” For Moench, that moment came in seventh grade, when he first got on stage as an extra in a school play. And now, he has a brandnew way to facilitate those lightbulb moments for young people on the regular, as the director of SPAC’s justopened School of the Arts (SOTA).

The multidisciplinary school dedicated to year-round education in dance, music, theater and more, prioritizes multicultural, multi-genre education, while furthering its mission to facilitate inclusion, equity in and access to arts education. It opened in September.

Now in his sixth year at SPAC, Moench was in prime position for his new director role. Moench, who himself studied theater at NYU and was a Broadway actor for 15 years (he appeared in iconic shows such as Les Misérables and Mary Poppins, among other shows), has grown SPAC’s education program from one that reached 5,000 Capital Region students in 2015 into one that reached nearly 50,000 students sota pop Dennis Moench in 2019, largely by way of in-school oversaw the launch of arts programming. In 2020, Moench SPAC’s new School of the reached young artists virtually through Arts, located in the former SPAC’s free online Learning Library.

National Museum of Dance When Moench looks back on the building, this past September. arts opportunities he’s given to tens of thousands of children over the years, he says that the highlight has been SPAC’s in-school dance programs. “We get some students every year who walk into class and do not want to be there—they’re not interested at all,” he says. “After about the second or third class, there’s a moment when those students change drastically, and all of a sudden they’re dancing their hearts out in the middle of the gymnasium.

They completely open up, and their barriers are dropped.

Those are the moments that I am honored to witness.”

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gimme shelter Lisa Mitzen, pictured here with Shelters of Saratoga volunteer John Rolerad, worked a morning of kitchen duty at the Saratoga shelter long before she joined its board.

Lisa Mitzen

M E M B E R O F T H E B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S

Shelters of Saratoga In December 2013, Nancy Pitts, a 54-year-old woman without a home, froze to death on the loading dock of the Saratoga Springs Senior Center. It shook the city to its core. “A lot of business owners came together and donated money to start the Code Blue shelter in Saratoga County,” says Lisa Mitzen. Two of those donors were Mitzen and her husband, Ed, founder of Fingerpaint. The goal of the Shelters of Saratoga (SOS) Code Blue Initiative was a simple one: to create a shelter in which people could spend the night when temperatures dipped below freezing or particularly inclement weather was in the forecast.

But the Mitzens wanted to better understand what SOS was all about, so they signed up for kitchen duty there one

morning. “We drove in at 6am on a Saturday morning, and we thought, ‘A shelter in Saratoga Springs is probably going to have 10 people in it.’” They were stunned to find the shelter at capacity—and decided that they needed to do more.

By 2017, the Mitzens had provided funding for a permanent Code Blue shelter in Saratoga, which now stands at 4 Adelphi Street. It has proven a crucial step in addressing the city’s growing humanitarian crisis, one that’s become only more pronounced during the pandemic.

One of Mitzen’s biggest takeaways from her work with SOS—she now sits on its board—is just how pervasive the problem really is, locally. “The minute you hear the word ‘homeless,’ you picture that person down by the parking garage on Woodlawn,” she says. “People don’t understand that when they are walking up and down Broadway, they are passing by people without homes all the time. At the end of the day, I don’t like to use the word ‘homeless,’ because they’re people. They’re people.”

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Lois Celeste E X EC U T I V E D I R EC TO R

Saratoga Senior Center

lois’ lane Eleven-year Executive Director Lois Celeste just announced that she’s moving the Saratoga Senior Center to a new addition to the Saratoga Region YMCA’s Saratoga location.

When Mechanicville native Lois Celeste was hired as executive director of the Saratoga Senior Center 11 years ago, she had years of experience working with a wide variety of people—children in foster care, juvenile delinquent boys, domestic violence survivors…but not seniors. “I said [to the hiring committee], ‘I’ve worked with many populations, and this is just a population I’ll get to know,’” she says. “’You’re hiring me to run an organization and get it back on its feet.’”

That all-business attitude flew out the door as soon as Celeste met some of the center’s members. “I fell in love with seniors,” she says. “This population has more wisdom than any of us can ever imagine.”

Located behind Congress Plaza on Saratoga’s West Side, the Saratoga Senior Center is a nonprofit, non-residential community center that serves Saratoga County residents over the age of 50 with programs, trips and social activities. “We do the bridge and the Mahjong and the bingo— everything you think a senior center would be—but it’s so much more,” Celeste says. “We have Tai-Chi and yoga classes and strength training and we take trips all over the world. The idea is to socially connect people, which is such a huge mental health and physical health benefit.”

In addition to its daily programming, the senior center offers a host of support services, including its volunteer match program, which pairs seniors in need with volunteer community members to help them with daily tasks. And when the pandemic made in-person gatherings impossible, Celeste and her team stepped in, helping seniors get up to speed on Zoom and hosting many regularly scheduled programs virtually.

“During COVID, all of us were really burned out, because we didn’t see our seniors,” Celeste says of the center’s staff. “There are a few folks that come in and tell me, ‘Thank you so much for everything you do—this changes our life.’ And that’s really what motivates all of us.”

– N ATA L I E M O O R E

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Zippy Chippy Thoroughbred A f t e r c a r e A d vo c at e

Old Friends at Cabin Creek Last June, a historic aftercare bill prohibiting owners of current and retired racehorses from sending them to slaughter swept through the New York State assembly and senate. Its next port of call? Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk, and she’s expected to sign it into law.

Would it surprise you, then, to learn that it’s the only bill of its kind in the country? In other words, in 49 states—and, technically, New York, until the governor signs the bill—it’s legal to sell a horse to a buyer you know is going to send it to a slaughterhouse.

Maybe the most damning statistic is that, of the more than 30,000 American horses that meet that fate per year, roughly 7,500 are Thoroughbreds, per the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

That stat is one that Old Friends at Cabin Creek, a Thoroughbred retirement farm in Greenfield Center, is trying to bring down to zero. “Aftercare is such an important part of Thoroughbreds’ lives,” says JoAnn Pepper, who runs the farm with her husband, Mark.

“Their racing careers are a very small part of it—most retire between 5 and 7, and they can live into their 30s.”

That’s where 30-year-old Cabin Creek resident Zippy Chippy, a retired racehorse who’s best known for having lost all 100 of his races, enters the gate. Zippy has been instrumental in raising awareness about the importance of Thoroughbred aftercare and helping draw visitors to Cabin Creek (many of whom purchase Zippy-branded memorabilia).

He’s even been the poster-horse for three billboards, advocating for aftercare in Massachusetts.

But while Zippy may be a bigger star in retirement than he ever was on the track, what ultimately matters is what he represents. Zippy is a reminder to every Cabin Creek visitor, volunteer and donor that all Thoroughbreds, whether they’re winners or losers, deserve a happy retirement.

oh hay (from top) Retired racehorse Zippy Chippy found his forever home at Greenfield Center's Old Friends at Cabin Creek; Zippy’s marketing director, Rosanne Frieri (at left) and Cabin Creek’s owner and GM, JoAnn Pepper.

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ROME AIM HIGH RESOURCE CENTER • NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE • HAMILTON HILL

ronald gardner

Hamilton Hill Arts Center #1: As part of Gardner’s role for the City of Schenectady, he heads up a community panel that has a say in whom the city hires to its police force. #2: “I enjoy every day of it,” says Gardner of his role as Schenectady’s director of diversity and affirmative action, “because you really have a true opportunity to impact people’s lives in a variety of ways.”

#2: Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent study, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death overall in the US, claiming over 47,500 lives every year.

Arthritis Foundation, Northeastern New York #1: More than 300,000 children have juvenile arthritis in the US. #2: “Giving back is doing something with your whole heart and expecting nothing in return,” Doemel says. “Connecting with families and helping them feel empowered is very moving for me.” #3: Doemel has a goal to sign up 50 new local people to the free VIM app by December 31. The pain management app allows users to report and record symptoms to report back to their physicians, set goals and network with other people with arthritis.

ARTS CENTER • ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION, NORTHEASTERN NY

rainbow doemel taylor nichols

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline #1: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and can be called 24 hours a day.

#3: The Hamilton Hill Arts Center was founded by Margaret Cunningham, an artist inspired by the Black pride and arts movements.

#3: “[Working out] is a second chance at life,” says Nichols. “It keeps my head on straight, and it’s a place where you can zone out from something that haunts you.”

Read up on the 10 charities our honorees are representing, then scan the QR code below to purchase tickets to our Capital Region Gives Back event on DECEMBER 9.

At checkout, you’ll be able to choose which of the 10 you’d like to support with 50 percent of your ticket price.

#1: Ten thousand new cancer cases are diagnosed in our area every year. #2: Abrahamson carries around a (fake) $10 million check made out to the Joy US Foundation, to represent what an angel donor might give her someday. #3: “I’ve always viewed my job as what I do to pay the bills,” Abrahamson says, “and my volunteer work as what I do to make a difference in the world.”

Joy US Foundation

Janet Abrahamson

#2: “We have programs where students can create and express themselves through music and then three weeks later they’ll have dance instruction and then three weeks after that they’ll have theater instruction,” Moench says of SOTA. ”It really highlights the idea that the arts are all interconnected.” #3: Many people know SPAC as a venue for pop, rock and country Live Nation shows. It is that, but it’s also a nonprofit organization that hosts a vibrant classical season and educates thousands of students in the arts each year. #1: Presidential Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco will serve as the first visiting artist at the SPAC School of the Arts and a mentor for the 2022 Festival of Young Artists.

SPAC Education dennis moench

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Old Friends at Cabin Creek

Lisa Mitzen

#1: Zippy Chippy is one of just 16 horses at Cabin Creek, each of which has acquired new fans in retirement.

Shelters of Saratoga Lois Celeste

Saratoga Senior Center #1: Adults over 50 can join Saratoga Senior Center for just $25 per year. #2: In spring 2020, construction will begin on a new 17,000-square-foot Senior Center located on the property of the Saratoga Regional YMCA’s Saratoga branch. #3: Celeste envisions the new center as a one-stop shop for Saratoga’s senior community, with a cafe, salon, on-site services and more.

#2: At the grand opening of Old Friends at Cabin Creek in 2010, the farm’s JoAnn Pepper set up a winner’s circle for Zippy to stand in, but he threw a fit and kicked over the sign and had to be taken back to his paddock. #2: “I don’t think people realize that they have to learn how to become a horse after being a racehorse,” Pepper says about new Cabin Creek residents. “They have to learn to make up their own minds and to relax and understand that flies aren’t going to kill them.”

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#3: In addition to granting wishes to critically ill children in 15 counties around the Capital Region, the Northeast New York chapter has also hosted Wish Kids from other chapters, including a Miami Springs child who had never seen snow.

Read up on the 10 charities our honorees are representing, then scan the QR code below to purchase tickets to our Capital Region Gives Back event on DECEMBER 9.

At checkout, you’ll be able to choose which of the 10 you’d like to support with 50 percent of your ticket price.

#2: “What brings me joy is helping families in crisis,” Trigg says. “We’re focused on granting the heart-felt wish of that critically ill child or teenager, but we’re also mindful that the entire family is suffering and dealing with this dark period in the child’s life. And so we involve the entire immediate family.” #1: Make-A-Wish’s local chapter wasn't able to grant any wishes between early March 2020 and July 1, 2020.

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northeast New York

#1: Shelters of Saratoga first opened a 19-bed, year-round shelter on Walworth Street in 1997. #2: Through the Business for Good foundation that they co-founded, Ed and Lisa Mitzen, who owned the historic 1 Franklin Square building in Saratoga, recently donated long-term use of it for affordable apartments to Shelters of Saratoga. #3: Lisa Mitzen wrote a popular online column for saratogaliving.com about her experiences volunteering at SOS, focusing each one on a different person she met through the shelter.

O L D F R I E N D S AT C A B I N C R E E K

zippy chippy

#3: The life expectancy for people with DS has increased dramatically in recent decades—from 25 in 1983 to 60 today.

Aim High offers services for all ages, from newborn on up. #2: “Giving back is one way I show my gratitude,” Arangio says. “I want people to know that life is so rich for people with DS. I can’t imagine my life without my son, Luke.” #1: Aim High was forced to cancel its reading program for kids with Down Syndrome (DS) due to lack of funds. “Being able to read,” laments Arangio, “is the key to the future.”

Down Syndrome Aim High Resource Center Christina Arangio

william trigg

N OW I T ’ S YO U R T U RN MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF NORTHEAST NY • DOWN SYN