There’s going to be a lot more than just bidding wars at the 2019 Saratoga Auto Auction. Once again presented by the Saratoga Automobile Museum at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), the annual sale of rare and collectible cars and automobilia has expanded into a four-day event, starting on Thursday, September 19 and running through Sunday, September 22. Strap yourself in, because there are a lot of auto-related events and festivities taking place over the week.
On Thursday, September 19, there will be an Auction Preview and Special Evening with famed race-car driver and commentator David Hobbs, who drove a 1969 John Wyer Gulf Mirage (valued at more than a $1 million) that’s up for sale at the Friday/Saturday auction. Taking place at the Hall of Springs in the Saratoga Spa State Park, this special evening will include a cocktail reception and dinner with Hobbs as he shares entertaining stories about his life in sports car racing.
The following day marks the beginning of the two-day main event: the Saratoga Auto Auction, which runs September 20-21. On both days, the auction will be divided into two separate sales, one for memorabilia, the other for autos. This year, auction-goers will see a record number of lots hit the block (around 350), including some true beauties such as a Bali Blue 1965 Porsche 911 (valued at more than $250,000) and some more unusual models such as a 2008 Ford Ravenhawk Roadster, a modern hot rod that mixes contemporary and classic styles. (All proceeds from the Ravenhawk sale will be donated to Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses.)
Closing out the 2019 Auto Auction on Sunday, September 22 will be two new, day-after events: an Auction Post-Sale of vehicles that didn’t sell during the previous two days, as well as the Auto X Lawn Show at the reflecting pool in Spa State Park, featuring motorcycles, trucks, muscle cars, classics and more. Both events are being hosted by the Saratoga Automobile Museum and are free for spectators. The museum will also offer attendees a list-minute chance to enter in a sweepstakes to win a 2017 Maserati Ghibili.
For tickets to the Saratoga Auto Auction, click here. There’s a ton of other great events taking place in and around Saratoga. Browse them below.
Tuesday
The Rochmon Record Club will listen to and discuss Alanis Morissette’s 3rd studio album Jagged Little Pill at Caffè Lena in Saratoga (September 17)
Skidmore College’s 2019 Fox-Adler Lecture is free to attend and will feature award-winning, British author-illustrator William Grill (September 17)
Wednesday
Grammy-winning folk-rocker Lucinda Williams and her band Buick 6 are coming to Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy (September 18)
Get ready to dance and try local brews at the Hops and Harvest Festival in Albany’s Empires State Plaza (September 18)
Thursday
Have delicious meals prepared by some of the area’s top chefs at Saratoga PLAN’s Feast of the Fields 2019 at Saratoga National Golf Club (September 19)
Blues-rock band Andy Frasco & The U.N., along with Wild Adriatic, are coming to Putnam Place in Saratoga (September 19)
Help restore Glenville’s historic Yates Mansion while dancing the night away during Gin & Jazz at the Riverstone Manor in Glenville (September 19)
Gov’t Mule is taking its Bring On The Music Fall Tour to the Palace Theatre in Albany (September 19)
The 47th Annual Adirondack Balloon Festival kicks off with four days of balloon launches and rides at Crandall Park in Glens Falls and Queensbury’s Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport (September 19-22)
Catch more than sixty shows of New York City’s best folk, roots, blues and bluegrass music at the 5th Annual Brooklyn Americana Music Festival at seven different locations throughout Brooklyn (September 19-22)
Friday
Queens-based SingleCut Beersmiths will be celebrating the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of their new taproom in Clifton Park (September 20)
Gaze at the stars during an Astronomy Party at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park’s Camp Saratoga (September 20 with a rain/cloud date on September 21)
Celebrate the legacy of late acting legend Peter Fonda with a live screening of the cult classic Easy Rider at the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan (September 20)
Dress to impress at Rock Your Style, the Capital Region’s largest fashion show fundraiser at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany (September 20)
Legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who’ll be coming to Albany’s Palace Theatre in October, will return with some big laughs to the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan (September 20)
The Hosanna Experience 2019 at Albany’s The Egg will feature Grammy-winning, gospel singer-songwriter Tasha Cobbs and other guest artists (September 20)
Enjoy the fall season with ten, talented local artists at Fort Ann’s Harvest in the Country, an open-air artists studio tour (September 20-21)
Saturday
Saratoga Art Presents Art in the Park 2019, a day of fine art and fun historic Congress Park (September 21, with a rain date of September 28)
In addition to the Saratoga Auto Auction, the 30th Annual Hudson Mohawk Chapter Antique Truck Show is coming to the Saratoga County Fairgrounds (September 21)
Country music singer-songwriter Thomas Rhett is bringing his Very Hot Summer Tour to Albany’s Times Union Center (September 21)
The 38th Annual LarkFest, the Capital Region’s largest one-day street festival, will take over Lark Street in Albany (September 21)
Part bar bop and part celebration of the sweets, the Hard Cider & Doughnut Fest will take place at eight different restaurants/bars throughout Downtown Saratoga (September 21)
Catch some great, live music at the free Funk n’ Jazz Festival at Schenectady’s Gateway Plaza Park (September 21)
Come dressed as a fairy queen or elf king at the family-friendly Fairy Fest 2019 at Pitney Meadows Community Farm in Saratoga (September 21)
Skidmore’s Tang Teaching Museum is hosting a Fall Opening Reception to highlight its multiple autumn exhibits (September 21)
The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls is throwing its annual Hyde Gala (September 21)
Enjoy a night of Indian classical and folk music with sitarist Ustad Shafaat Khan at The Linda in Albany (September 21)
Don’t miss some gorgeous homes on display during the second weekend of the 2019 Showcase of Homes at homes in and around Saratoga Springs (September 21-22)
Sunday
Celebrate Northeastern native cultures at the Saratoga Native American Festival at Congress Park in Saratoga (September 22)
Enjoy what local farms and restaurants have to offer at the Taste of Wilton Farm to Chef 2019 at Wilton’s Gavin Park (September 22)
Shop for antiques and good deals at the 20th Annual Fall Antiques Show, featuring more than 60 vendors, at the Clifton Park Elks in Ballston Lake (September 22)
Hip-hop sensation Lizzo brings her Cuz I Love You Too Tour to Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan (September 22 and 24)
Broadway’s award-winning hit, The SpongeBob Musical, comes to Proctors in Schenectady for a week of performances (September 22-28)