Who needs to go to Montreux? Or take the slow train down to New Orleans? Or travel all the way to Chicago, Newport or Montreal, even? Every summer since 1978, Saratoga Springs has played host to one of the region’s—and arguably, the country’s—top jazz festivals, and this year’s Saratoga Jazz Fest lineup does not disappoint.
Taking place on Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24, the 41st annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival rolls into the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with some of the nation’s hottest jazz, R&B and gospel acts. This year’s lineup offers a range of newcomers and familiar faces, including jazz heavyweights (and headliners) Chris Botti and Herbie Hancock, both Jazz Fest veterans; vocalist Jon Batiste, best known as the leader of the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, who’ll be backed up by the Dap Kings (the late Sharon Jones’ backing band); and Blues Hall of Famer Mavis Staples, who first made her name as a member of the Staples Singers and is now enjoying a second life as an indie darling (a string of her recent albums, including her latest, were produced by Uncle Tupelo/Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy). Additional headliners include Gregory Porter and Joey Alexander, both of whom recently did turns at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
R&B and gospel legend Mavis Staples is experiencing a second life on the indie scene.
The Jazz Fest will also be inviting a number of first-time Fest players and emerging artists into the fold, including José James, who will be performing a tribute to Bill Withers (he of “Lean On Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” fame); Grammy-nominated Gregg Allman sideman-guitarist Scott Sharrard and his Brickyard Band; and the TEN Trio, featuring four-time Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding, who herself has been to Jazz Fest as a solo artist.
This year, SPAC will also be coaxing in ticket-holders with a pair of additions to its usual all-weekend-long Jazz Fest party, which includes an onsite arts and crafts fair, artist autograph sessions and a range of food vendors. For one, concertgoers can begin enjoying performances on the “Jazz Discovery” stage as early as 11am. And the night before the festival kicks off, SPAC is collaborating with the city of Saratoga on “Saratoga Jazz Fest Friday,” which will include local artists performing at bars and clubs around the city. “Many of our dedicated jazz fans don’t realize that Saratoga has a vibrant live music scene, which dates all the way back to the 1900s when speakeasies and jazz clubs were thriving in the area,” said Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of SPAC in a statement. “This year…we are offering our guests a completely unique opportunity to experience the rich community of incredible local musicians and our lively restaurants and bars with a Friday evening curated for jazz lovers. If you are traveling for the festival, we recommend arriving early to experience this extra day of jazz.”
For out-of-towners worried about the impending glut of Jazz Fest traffic near the venue, it’ll come as a relief to know that parking for the event is free. SPAC is also resurrecting its $20 student and child amphitheater pass (children ages 15 and under get free lawn passes); with regular two-day lawn passes starting at $110; and the top-tier, two-day orchestra pit tickets available for $190.
In most small towns, the Chief of Police is someone you don’t ever want to be in the same room with for obvious reasons. But at least in Saratoga Springs, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Heck, you might even learn something from the guy. That’s because Saratoga Springs’ Police Chief Greg Veitch is not only the head law enforcer in town, but he also moonlights as a published author and historian. In May 2017, Veitch published his first book, All the Law in the World Won’t Stop Them, a retelling of 100 years of local “gambling, violence, crime and the most blatant forms of corruption” that make up what Veitch calls “the darker side of Saratoga Springs.”
“The idea started when I was a kid,” says Veitch. ” I was told a story about my great-grandfather, Sid, who was supposedly involved in a gangland murder in Saratoga in the 1930s.” Veitch is a fifth-generation Saratogian, which affords him access to a wealth of knowledge about the Spa City (the ghost of his great-grandmother, Beatrice Veitch, is said to haunt the Olde Bryan Inn restaurant). He joined the Saratoga Springs Police Department in the ’90s, where he worked his way up through the ranks. “Years later, when I was in the detective division, I had occasion to be in the archives, and out of curiosity, looked up the oldest case we had, which turned out to be the unsolved murder of Adam Parillo. It was the same murder that Sid was supposed to have been involved in.” It turned out that Sid Veitch wasn’t actually a player in Parillo’s murder, but the story itself intrigued Veitch nonetheless. He prepared a presentation about it at the Saratoga Springs History Museum, and through his subsequent research, was introduced to dozens of other crime stores that “told a story of Saratoga’s past that people would not associate with the city today.” This preliminary research would inspire Veitch to write his book.
Veitch’s book is on Saratoga’s seedier side.
For five years, Veitch mined Saratoga’s extensive historical resources; he worked with the Saratoga Room and the History Museum, swapped notes with the City Historian, and pored over old newspapers. Veitch believes his background in law enforcement helped him better understand his sources. “Being an officer was beneficial since I could look at old news reports and understand what likely happened but wasn’t reported. It was easier to read between the lines.” All of that research eventually turned into All the Law. “The book is about the long struggle between gamblers and gangsters and reformers in Saratoga’s history, from the founding of the village through just before prohibition,” Veitch says. “I wrote the book, in part, because there was no one central resource that told the story of the nefarious side of Saratoga, and the stories were so fascinating and would be unbelievable, if they weren’t true.”
Now that Veitch isn’t only the Police Chief but a published author, he regularly leads presentations, conferences and walking tours that focus on Saratoga’s seedy past. If you’re curious about Saratoga’s less-than-savory side, grab a copy of All the Law in the World Won’t Stop Them at the Northshire Bookstore or browse Veitch’s blog, The Gangsters of Saratoga.
If you grew up in the 1990s like I did, the name Latrell Sprewell will immediately spark a flood of memories. His name was everywhere. Growing up with the collector bug, I had his Hoops, Fleer, Upper Deck and Topps rookie cards, and they’ve been part of my unruly basketball card collection ever since. There was nary a basketball court you could go to in the Capital Region, where there wasn’t some sweaty kids dribbling a ball around, with Sprewell’s name emblazoned across their backs.
Drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the ’92 NBA Draft, Sprewell would immediately make his presence known in the league, catapulting into the public eye with stellar play and a fantastic rookie campaign (he averaged 15.4 points that season). “Spree,” as he became known to his growing fanbase, would only get better from there, upping that points average to 21 the following year and leading the league in games and minutes played. Obviously, his play was in high demand.
Aside from the Knicks, Sprewell also played for the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.
He would play six seasons in total with the Warriors before being traded to the New York Knicks in ’99 for the pocket-sized Knicks star John Starks and two others. Playing solid ball off the bench, Sprewell would end up helping the Knicks get all the way to the NBA Finals that year, only to lose to San Antonio Spurs (Spree averaged 26 points per game during the five-game finals).
After five seasons with the Knicks, Sprewell ended his career on a high note with the Minnesota Timberwolves, joining superstar Kevin Garnett and clutch point guard Sam Cassell for a 2003-04 season that saw the team go 58-24 and get into the playoffs. He would retire the following season.
For those of you, like me, who still have Sprewell’s basketball cards lying around (mine are all well preserved in soft and hard plastic sleeves) or may have one of his jerseys hanging in your closet, you’ll be happy to know that Spree will be making an appearance at the Saratoga Stadium in Saratoga Springs from 12pm to 2pm on Saturday, February 17 (i.e. tomorrow). The Stadium confirmed that Sprewell will be signing autographs and taking photographs/selfies with fans—so bring along your cards, jerseys and magazines and get them inked.
“I would love to have a movie like that produced here every summer,” says Paul Buckley, who manages the Media Department at Utica City Hall and is affectionately known as the “Film Czar” of Utica. He’s talking about We the Animals, an indie film based on a novel written by Justin Torres in 2011. The story takes place in Upstate New York, where a half-white, half-Puerto Rican trio of brothers “tear their way through childhood,” each uniquely affected by their parents’ volatile marriage. Animals was screened at Sundance Film Festival in late January, where it took home the NEXT Innovator Prize, an award reserved for promising new filmmakers and presented by juror and famous drag queen RuPaul Charles. It has recently been purchased by major film distributor The Orchard, meaning fans of the story will be able to attend screenings all over the country in the coming months.
We the Animals was shot primarily in Utica during the summer of 2016, an effort that brought the 80-member cast and crew up from New York City, some staying for weeks at a time. “It was an economic boom for the area,” says Buckley. “They were renting out houses, coming to restaurants and bars, and they loved the food and people; it brought money into this area; it was a win-win for everybody.” Torres, the author of the novel the film’s based on, was born and raised near Syracuse, so the film’s Producer, Jeremy Taches, says it was a no-brainer for him and his crew to choose Upstate filming locations. Besides shooting in the Utica area, Taches says the crew also filmed in Newport, Lyons Falls, Little Falls and did aerial shots in Amsterdam (about 40 minutes from Saratoga Springs).
(Cinereach)
Buckley has a background in TV and acts as the producer, director, chairman, writer and “one-man band” behind City Limits, a locally broadcast TV program about the ins and outs of the city of Utica. He handled all things Utica for the We the Animals crew. “Anything they needed in Utica, I could get it,” he tells me. “And if I couldn’t get it, it didn’t exist.” According to Taches, Buckley was nothing short of a godsend: “He helped us find a lot of our locations, with the police and fire department to secure locations and wet the streets and find our location in Lyons Fall. He was just phenomenal throughout; we have a huge debt of gratitude to Paul Buckley and the city of Utica.”
The father figure in We the Animals works in a bottling factory. Buckley helped arrange for Taches and his crew to film at the FX Matt Brewing Company, where Saranac beer is brewed. He also turned Taches and his crew on to Lyons Falls, where they filmed a lake sequence. Buckley says he drove out to the set to make sure the cast and crew were satisfied with the location, only to find everyone swimming in the falls. “The bonding on the crew was phenomenal,” he says. “They all became family.” Perhaps most importantly, Buckley helped facilitate local casting for the film crew, who cast locals as extras and even in some important supporting roles. For all Buckley’s help, the crew found the most important set for the film—the family home of the main characters—on their own. “We literally just drove around for months and months,” Taches tells me. “We took like probably 10-12, three-to-four-day trips where we would just drive around Upstate New York, and on one, we were heading down the highway and tucked off into a corner we saw the outside of this house, and we slammed on our breaks and turned around.” No one was home, so they left a note. When they finally met the family that lived there, they were surprised to find that they matched the family in the story; the mother was white, the father was Puerto Rican, and they were young parents—but with four children instead of three. Taches and the crew went on to rent and film inside the home for 11 weeks.
Locals interested in catching their hometown or nearby regions in an award-winning film should keep an eye out for nearby screenings of We the Animals. (It’s entirely possible that Albany indie stalwart, the Spectrum, will land it.) “We cannot wait to show it Upstate,” Taches tells me. And we can’t wait to watch it!
Below, listen to We the Animals’ Director, Jeremiah Zagar, talk about adapting the book into film screenplay form.
Saratoga Springs is currently under a deep winter freeze, but there’s another one that exists in near-perpetual sunshine and warmth—in Orlando, FL, of all places. “Indulge in an upscale retreat replete with Victorian charm and an equestrian motif inspired by the Upstate New York town once famous for its horse racing and natural mineral springs,” reads the promotional material for Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in Orlando. (“Once famous.” Really, Disney? Really?)
Doesn’t it seem a bit odd that a town with less than 30,000 residents has its own representative next to the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and a soon-to-open Star Wars-themed park? Not so much, according to a representative of the park itself. “One of the key Imagineers working on the project was from Saratoga Springs, NY, and provided many of the details seen in our designs,” says Gabriel Gibaldi of Walt Disney World Resort. “The team was inspired by Saratoga Springs’ architecture and its focus on health, history and horses.” Certainly, one can see that the team behind the second Saratoga took a few liberties: Their “High Rock Spring,” for example, is a large swimming pool surrounded by faux boulders, with mechanized “babbling brooks” that “offer the look and feel of a natural spring.” Did we mention its pair of kid-friendly waterslides? (Just imagine the upgrade—and traffic snarl—that might provide High Rock Avenue.)
While our Saratoga’s been up and running since the 1800s, Disney’s was unveiled just 14 years ago and was modeled after the version of our city from its “late 1800s heyday,” complete with Downtown attractions like the Grand Union and Adelphi hotels. And while Saratoga was certainly a destination town back then, with its racetrack and casino, the late 1800s weren’t all that “Disney” of a time for Saratoga. Read All the Law in the World Won’t Stop Them—a history of crime in Saratoga Springs written by Saratoga Springs Police Chief Greg Veitch—and it turns out that during this supposed “heyday,” there was a rather seedier side to the town. The Police Commissioners’ Scandal of 1897 comes to mind, in which a pair of city officials were found guilty of exhorting protection money from gambling houses and local brothels. Clearly, these were not subjects Disney’s Imagineers took into consideration when building their version.
What of the majestic North Broadway, lined with hulking Victorians? “The architecture of the buildings drew inspiration from the sprawling New York country retreats,” says Disney’s Garibaldi of their version. “True to its namesake, the resort features Victorian-inspired accommodations interwoven with the historic influence of horse racing. Guests can delight in stately studios and multi-bedroom villas.” So, basically, Disney’s Saratoga is a bit of an amalgam of all of our highlights, rather than a close reading of our neighborhoods and such. Inexplicably, the resort also offers “treehouse living,” which it acknowledges is more of a Disney tradition than a Saratoga cultural staple—though some local kids might beg to differ.
All inconsistencies aside, it’s a major compliment that Disney World decided to imitate Saratoga Springs. But with rooms starting at $341 per night—which includes access to a golf course, spa, waterpark and those treehouse villas—staying in Saratoga’s Sunshine State stunt double doesn’t come cheap.
The frenzy behind the seemingly “impossible” Broadway ticket is coming to the Capital Region. Actually, it’s already here.
Hamilton is coming to Proctors Theatre in August 2019, and tickets are already available—with a catch. Prospective theatergoers must have subscriptions to Proctors’ 2018-19 season to purchase them in advance. (Single tickets will be released in the spring of ’19.) “We’re just thrilled to have the show,” says Proctors’ Michael Eck. “Presently, it’s the only appearance of Hamilton in Upstate New York.” The exact dates of the Hamilton run will be August 13-25.
The titular “Hamilton” is, of course, founding father Alexander Hamilton, the first US Treasury Secretary and righthand man to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Under the direction of Thomas Kail, the show, whose full title is Hamilton: An AmericanMusical,brings together the book, music and lyrics of Lin-Manuel Miranda; the choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler; and the musical supervision and orchestration of Alex Lacamoire. Anyone interested in catching it at Proctors is encouraged to buy tickets as early as possible, as they’re sure to sell out fast. “It’s the biggest show on the road right now,” Eck says.
‘Les Misérables’ touches down at Proctors in late February.
As for the rest of the winter, Broadway buffs won’t be left out in the cold. “Proctors is Broadway in the Capital Region,” says Eck. “We are very excited about some shows we have coming to Schenectady.” One of the most sought-after tickets in the coming weeks will be for Les Misérables, playing from Tuesday, February 20, to Sunday, February 25. Whether you’re a first-timer to the legendary musical or you know every word to “I Dreamed a Dream,” you’ll be enthralled by the Broadway staple’s new staging and Victor Hugo-inspired scenery.
Another hot ticket will be The Humans, a play written by Stephen Karam and nominated for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which is in town from March 6-11. Described by TheNew York Times as “piercingly funny [and] bruisingly sad,” The Humans takes place at a tumultuous Thanksgiving dinner, tapping into something raw and essential about facing family problems.
As a journalist for saratoga living, I spend hours rifling through Saratoga Springs’ bottomless bag of tricks, searching for new and interesting stories. Recently, I plunged my arm past the world’s first potato chip, digging far below the recently renovated Adelphi and even further still, until—caught off guard by a sudden surge of underground mineral water—I found myself tumbling down a paranormal rabbit hole. I had made first contact with Seth, the “energy personality essence no longer focused in physical matter” channeled by world-famous medium, Jane Roberts, who grew up right here in Saratoga.
You’re probably asking yourself, Who the heck is Seth? “[He’s] the internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher who spoke through the author Jane Roberts while she was in trance, and coined the phrase ‘You Create Your Own Reality,'” writes the Seth Learning Center. “Seth’s empowering message literally launched the New Age movement.” But here’s the kicker: Seth is, technically, Roberts. She channelled him hundreds, if not thousands of times over the course of the 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s, delivering speeches with a commanding, masculine energy that differed remarkably from her normal speaking habits—particularly because Seth spoke with a distinct but indistinguishable accent (described by many as a mix of West Indian and South African, with nodes of Italian and British). Seth also guided Roberts in writing down his spiritual teachings and creeds, which combined with transcriptions of hundreds of his lectures, make up 32 published works known collectively as “The Seth Books.” The Seth Books, along with audio and video recordings of “Seth Sessions,” during which Roberts would lecture as Seth, make up “The Seth Material.”
“I have been conscious before your Earth was formed,” Roberts (as Seth) writes in Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of theSoul, the best-selling book from all of the Seth Material.“To write this book—and in many of my communications with Ruburt [Seth referred to Roberts as “Ruburt,” using her name from a past life, lived as a male]—I adopt from my own bank of past personalities those characteristics that seem appropriate. I am primarily a personality with a message: You create the world you know. You have been given perhaps the most awesome gift of all: The ability to project your thoughts outward into physical form.” Unfettered by the constrictions of physical matter, Seth’s influence literally crosses time and space; eight million Seth Books have been sold in 11 languages, not including those sold by Seth Publishing, founded in 2007 by Dr. Tien-Sheng Hsu, the former Director of the mental health department of Taipei County Hospital. Dr. Hsu has spent more than a decade translating the Seth Material into Chinese, a 6,000-page endeavor that Hsu manages to balance alongside the obligations of treating cancer patients at the Seth Holistic Clinic in Taiwan. Reading groups devoted to Seth in the US, France and the Netherlands post their schedules on the Seth Network: International website. Germany’s Sethfreundeor “Seth Friends” Association, which was founded in ’79, continues to release new editions of its club magazine, Multidimensional Reality. And most importantly, the Seth Material is highly respected among some of the most famous names in the New Age movement. Deepak Chopra has been quoted as saying the Seth books “present an alternate map of reality with a new diagram of the psyche…useful to all explorers of consciousness.” And Richard Bach, author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, described The Nature of Personal Reality: A Seth Book as “Quite simply one of the best books I’ve ever read.”
Jane Roberts grew up in Saratoga Springs and briefly attended Skidmore College. (The Seth & Jane Roberts Bookstore and Audio Collection
Before the Seth phenomenon began, Roberts spent her youth fostering a budding writing talent in Saratoga. “While attending Saratoga Springs High School, Miss Roberts won first prize in a Scholastic Awards writing contest,” reads an article in The Saratogian, published on October 19, 1966. The piece was written almost 20 years after Roberts graduated high school, when she published her first metaphysical self-help book, How to Develop Your ESP (Extra Sensory Perception Powers). As the article notes, Roberts was particularly enamored of poetry writing, which she often published in the school newspaper. After high school, she attended Skidmore College on a poetry scholarship, where she wrote a column about the college for The Saratogian. She wouldn’t graduate, instead jetting off to the West Coast on a motorcycle and eventually falling in love with a commercial artist named Robert Butts, who was to become the dedicated stenographer for the Seth Sessions. They eventually moved back East to Elmira, New York in 1960, where they both held a series of odd jobs in the arts.
Seth first made contact on an otherwise average fall evening in ’63, when Jane was 34. “Between one normal minute and the next, a fantastic avalanche of radical, new ideas burst into my head with tremendous force,” Roberts would later say. “It was as if the physical world were really tissue-paper-thin, hiding infinite dimensions of reality, and I was flung through the tissue paper with a huge ripping sound.” Roberts took notes frantically and didn’t “come to” until she had affixed a title to her first breakthrough: The Physical Universe as Idea Construction. This was the beginning of Roberts’ period of experimentation with extrasensory perception, a process that involved weeks of Ouija board sessions, finally culminating, on December 2, with a coherent message from somebody named “Seth.” By January 2, 1964, Roberts was able to dictate Seth’s messages directly. By February 18, she had an audience.
“It wasn’t like a séance,” Rick Stack remembers of his first session with Roberts/Seth. Stack is the director of the Seth Educational Institute, an online organization that offers Seth courses; live workshops; and educational materials “designed to help people use their own resources to actualize their dreams, explore inner reality and awaken to a greater understanding of themselves and the multidimensional universe.” Stack is deeply involved in disseminating the Seth Material; along with being the President of New Awareness Network Inc. and the Seth Bookstore, he is the Publisher and Editor of The Seth Audio Collection, The Early Sessions, The Personal Sessions and a handful of other books written by Roberts/Seth. “There was no darkness, people weren’t sitting around in a circle,” Stack says. “We were just sitting in class, and Jane was talking, and then at one point, Jane took off her glasses and Seth started talking. He apparently was able to use her eyes differently, according to him, and didn’t need the glasses.” Stack remembers the way Seth spoke in a “completely different voice” and manner than Roberts did: “her facial characteristics changed, everything changed. After awhile you just got used to it. You just felt that you were talking to two totally different people, and one of them happened to be a spiritual teacher that was incredibly sophisticated,” says Stack.
Seth even had his own personal history—which, to an outside observer, can’t help but come off as outlandish, if not a little creepy. In a session dictated in May 1971, he reminisces about a past life: “I was a pope in A.D. 300. I was not a very good pope. I had two illegitimate children, a mistress that sneaked into my private study, a magician that I kept in case I did not do too well on my own, a housekeeper who was pregnant every year that I had her, and three daughters who joined a nunnery because I would not have them…My name was not Clement [in answer to a question from a class member] although Clement is a lovely name.” A pope, you say? When Roberts’ husband ultimately transcribed this section, he noticed that Seth mentioned being a pope in both 300 A.D. and, paradoxically, “the third century,” which spans from 201 A.D. to 300 A.D. “At this moment we do not know which pope Seth referred to,” Butts writes in a footnote following the transcription. “When I came to type up this section I wondered if Seth-Jane’s mention of the third century might be an error. (If so, I hadn’t been quick enough to catch it; I could have asked about it at once.) Since Seth gave A.D. 300 in the class session for last May, I personally think it more likely his papal incarnation followed this date, taking place in the fourth century.”
Stack was already an avid reader of metaphysical philosophy when he first found the Seth Material in ’72. “It rang true to me,” he says. “In all my studies I had never found anything as empowering.” Stack contacted Roberts and signed up for her Tuesday night classes, during which she would channel Seth during a lecture for 10-15 students. The classes were held in Elmira, a five-hour drive from Stack’s home in New York City. “Me and a couple friends started at 2pm, drove five hours to get there around 7ish, stayed for three to four hours of class, then drove home all night,” he says. “We did that for three years.”
Perhaps the most interesting take on the Seth phenomenon is from Roberts herself in the introduction to Seth Speaks: “Regardless of my ideas about Seth or the nature of reality…this manuscript must stand on its own as a book. It bears the mark of Seth’s personality, as any book carries indelibly within it the stamp of its author, no more and no less. The ideas within it deserve a hearing, despite their source, and conversely, because of it.”
I must admit that I agree with Roberts’ assessment. I have a copy of Seth Speaks sitting on my desk as I write this, and I’m enjoying flipping through it—at the very least for a reminder of the endless character that bubbles like mineral water just beneath the surface of Saratoga Springs.
“Heart bombs are basically love letters to historic places,” says Nicole Babie, Membership and Programs Coordinator of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation (SSPF). Babie teamed up with SSPF Executive Director Samantha Bossheart to spearhead this year’s Heart Bomb Campaign, which celebrates Valentine’s Day by showering Saratoga’s oldest and most historic buildings with “tangible expressions of affection and devotion.” These come in the form of big, bright, elementary-school-throwback Valentines made with colorful construction paper, either affixed directly to the beloved building or held proudly in front of it for photos to be shared on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
“The Heart Bomb campaign seeks to raise awareness about these important places and the impact of preservation in Saratoga Springs,” Babie says. Her heart bombs are carried out by members and supporters of the SSPF, including Board and Committee Members Tatiana Roupas, Alicia Czerwinski, Kyle Klopstock, Dr. Adam Favro and Kira Karbocus. That said, everyone is welcome to participate, regardless of their reasons: “Maybe you dig a particular building or your town or your community’s greater history. Maybe you love bringing people together around a good cause. Or maybe you just love glitter.”
A volunteer ‘heart-bombing’ a home in Saratoga. (Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation)
“The great thing about heart bombing is that anyone can do it!” says Babie. “Our youngest participant was 4.5 year old, Holden Skidmore who heart bombed his favorite building, the carousel in Congress Park.” The SSPF also heart bombed the Spirit of Life and the Canfield Casino in Congress Park; the Saratoga Spa State Park; the former Regent Street Theater; and Brackett Cottage, among others. Many of the heart-bombed buildings, including the Batcheller Mansion and 15 Church Street, are structures that were once vacant and severely deteriorated but, having bounced back, currently house thriving businesses. This potential for a building’s rebirth is exactly what the Heart Bomb Campaign is about: showing Saratogians that with a little love, the city’s dilapidated but historic structures can offer the Spa City cultural and economic value. But it takes local support to build a better city. “Preservation doesn’t just happen,” says Babie. “It takes time, concerted efforts and money.”
Looking for inspiration for your own heart bombing campaign? Share or peruse art projects made in the name of Saratoga with the hashtag #IHeartSavingPlaces. You can also show your support by dropping by local eatery Ravenous on Valentine’s Day. They’ll be donating 10 percent of their proceeds to the SSPF.
“Hattie’s is a Southern restaurant, and we love a reason to throw a party,” Beth Alexander tells me. Alexander and her husband, Jasper, own Hattie’s Chicken Shack on Phila Street. When Mardi Gras comes around, Hattie’s is the place to go.
Since it opened in 1938, Hattie’s has been celebrating Cajun culture in the Capital Region. Hattie Gray passed away 20 years ago at the age of 97, but her 80-year-old restaurant lives on under the direction of the Alexanders, both of whom are dedicated to serving Louisiana cuisine to the hungry patrons of Saratoga Springs—especially on special occasions like Fat Tuesday, which this year falls on February 13. “Every year, the people of New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras, which is French for ‘Fat Tuesday,'” explains Beth Alexander. “This holiday is the day before Ash Wednesday, and it begins a season of fasting, called Lent, for many leading up to Easter Sunday.” For $25 each, guests can celebrate by eating their fill of Hattie’s hearty small bites; dancing to live music drummed up by the NOLA Trad Band; enjoying a complimentary Hurricane; and helping themselves to beads, masks and more festivities, all hosted in the main dining room and French Quarter lounge. In other words, if you enjoyed Hattie’s Mardi Gras Soiree at the Canfield Casino last January, you don’t want to miss this raucous party, scheduled to run from 6pm to 10pm.
“For locals it’s a fun night out and a chance to eat great food, listen to music and enjoy cocktails,” says Beth. Some of that great food may come under less than obvious titles for Saratoga locals. The menu includes N’awlins specialties (with a Hattie’s spin) like muffallettas (olive-salad and thin-sliced Italian cold-cut sandwiches); Andouille pigs (pigs in a blanket); Tasso Corn croquettes (Tasso and chopped vegetables fried in breadcrumbs) and crawfish rangoon (crawfish tails mixed with cream cheese, wrapped in wonton wrappers and fried). Of course, signature dessert items include beignets (fried doughnuts topped with powdered sugar) and king cake (a sort of bundt cake made from brioche dough, glazed with brightly-colored sugar and sprinkles).
Want to join the party, or just check what’s in store for Hattie’s Restaurant? You can learn more about Hattie’s, New Orleans and parties to come on Hattie’s Happenings page.
Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be about stressing and straining to concoct some complicated getaway for you and your significant other. When you live in a region as naturally beautiful as the Capital Region, your weekend of romance could easily take place right in your own backyard (not literally, unless your children have a luxury treehouse). Here are five ideas for how to turn this Hallmark holiday into a real celebration of love—within a short drive of Saratoga Springs.
Round Lake (18 Minutes Away)
This often overlooked village of 600 in Saratoga County is as quaint as they come. Start your day out with the strongest cup of joe in the Capital Region at Round Lake’s own Death Wish Coffee Company (you may have seen the skull-and-crossbones brand for sale at Mrs. London’s), share a pie from Leah’s Cakery on the lakeshore or relax into a multi-course meal at the highly rated Lake Ridge Restaurant.
Lake George (30 Minutes Away)
Couples seeking a quiet getaway in a tiny, outdoorsy town will find everything they hoped for in Lake George. Enjoy a guided snowmobile ride to Prospect Mountain with frozen lake at The Sagamore.
Glens Falls (25 Minutes Away)
Proud of its status as a “small but sophisticated little city,” Glens Falls offers a cozy setting for artsy adventures. Some of these could include, strolling through the Alphonse Mucha exhibit at The Hyde Collection Art Museum and Historic Home; or browsing the eclectic collection of artists’ studios and specialty shops that have re-invigorated the 100-year-old Shirt Factory on the corner of Lawrence and Cooper Streets. For dinner, we suggest a table for two at Morgan & Company.
Schroon Lake (60 Minutes Away)
Located at the edge of the Adirondack Park, Schroon Lake offers the region’s world-famous vistas just an hour’s drive outside of Saratoga. Wake up to the smell of baking bread at the centuries-old Schroon Lake Adirondack Bed & Breakfast, walk along the lake and sneak a kiss at the famously romantic Schroon Lake Gazebo and share a warm, cozy meal at the locally revered Sticks and Stones Fired Wood Bistro and Bar.
Green Mountain National Forest (90 Minutes Away)
OK, so this is a little more than an hour away, but we couldn’t help but include it on our list. Take a cozy, romantic dog sled ride in Green Mountain National Forest, where companies like Green Mountain Mushers supply winter fun options that also include snowshoeing, skiing, tubing and snowmobiling. Just be sure to book a room at the Arlington Inn so you can start your day with a complimentary cooked-to-order country breakfast; and, when the day’s over, wind down by the fire—or in your room’s private two-person jacuzzi.
