Fun in Saratoga

First Night Saratoga Buttons on Sale and volunteers needed

I'm passing along some information from the Saratoga YMCA regarding First Night: First Night Saratoga Buttons Go On Sale: December 1st!  Each year thousands attend this gala celebration by visiting over 35 performance venues and enjoying visual arts, performing arts of all genres, and children's entertainment throughout the evening.  The highlight will be two spectacular fireworks displays: one opening the event, the other welcoming in the New Year at midnight!   Opening ceremonies include a 5K run that sells out, in advance, each year with a 1,000 runners.  Register early on-line to ensure your spot!    First Night Buttons: $15 (children 5 and under are free!) First Night buttons admit wearer to all venues.    You may order buttons online beginning December 1st. Buttons may also be purchased at numerous locations throughout the capital region.  Please visit our website for more information.   Also, don't miss the press conference in the Cyber Cafe at our West Avenue Branch on Monday, December 1st at 11:00 a.m.!!! _____________________________________________________

Volunteers Needed for First Night Saratoga December 31st . Saratoga Springs  Have plans for New Year's Eve?   Be a part of the largest First Night celebration in upstate New York.    This year's First Night event will be the 13th annual New Year's Eve celebration presented by the YMCA of Saratoga.  Volunteers are needed to assist as hosts and hostesses in one of over 35 per- formance venues, for a chosen 3-hour shift between 6:00 p.m. to 11:40 p.m.  Volunteers are requested to attend a one hour training session on one of the available dates in December.   To volunteer, please call Helen Leonowitz at the YMCA of Saratoga's Development Office: 583-9622, ext. 134 or click here. ________________________________________________________

Saratoga Restaurant Week December 5-11

How did this one almost slip by me?  Saratoga Restaurant Week is next week, December 5-11th.  Something new this year:  In addition to the $18.19 three course dinner, participating restaurants wil also be offering a $9.09 lunch.  Click on the above link to get the complete list of restaurants.

Thanksgiving wishes and a Victorian Streetwalk Reminder.

Happy Turkey Day.  Here's a little poem I just got from the running group Saratoga Stryders:

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious
and your pies take the prize,
and may your Thanksgiving dinner

stay off your thighs

 

Also, don't forget one week from today on December 4th the Downtown Business Association will be holding their 22nd annual Victorian Streetwalk.  Click here to get their page listing the details of the event, which includes a map, an embedded Youtube video from a previous year, and a link giving a complete schedule of the event. 

Saratoga YouTube posting

I might have chosen different music, but I did like this YouTube posting that I recently found on the site.  It is a really nice slideshow of a couple's visit to the Spa City and they really did a great job showcasing our fine city.

Movie Theater in downtown Saratoga? Also, The Saratogian has a new web site.

Two of the three proposals for a public safety facility in downtown Saratoga Springs include a movie theater.  One word:  Cool.

Read about it here in the Times Union Article. 

Here in the Times Union Saratoga Seen blog.

Here for The Saratogian's Andrew Bernstein's City Desk blog entry.

Speaking of the Saratogian, I just discovered that they have a new web site.  I don't know how long that has been the case because, like the newspaper, the web site was lackluster at best and in reality was a mess so I wasn't a regular visitor.  I am happy to report that this new web site looks much better and they erased some of the problems of the old one.  One thing that jumped out at me is the fact that the blogs are much better organized and you don't have to click through several times to finally get to an improperly labeled blog entry (the old site labeled both the blogs and individual entries as "articles").  I haven't looked through the site in depth yet but at this point I will give The Saratogian a qualfied thumbs up on their efforts.

New Saratoga blogs

I have added the Saratoga Springs Culture Compass blog  and the Togaville blog to the blogroll on the right.   In the words of the Culture Compass blogger, "This blog is about design, architecture and cultural features in and around Saratoga Springs NY. I created it for fun, not social commentary."  It is definitely interesting to read and the blogger certainly has both knowledge and passion, which obviously makes for better reading.  The Togaville blog is mostly photography - correction - incredible photograpy, of Saratoga and elsewhere.  They're both worth checking out.

I have removed the Universal Preservation Hall blog, which hasn't been updated since April and is now apparently not used.  The Hall's web site is still going, however the newsletter hasn't been updated since May and there are only a couple of current entries on the calendar. One of these days I'll look into it more and see how they are doing. I also removed Drew Kerr's All Along the Watchtower blog, which hasn't been updated since August.  If I become aware that he has resumed postings, I will put it back on there.

Dinosaur BBQ coming to the Capital region???

Screw Trader Joe's!  If I am going to lobby for a food business to come to the Capital region, it will definitely be a Dinosaur Barbecue Restaurant.  According to a recent Schenectady Daily Gazette article, that is a distinct possibility. 

If you have never been to one of their locations, which are in Syracuse, Rochester, and Harlem, you have missed out.  It's more than just great barbecue - it's great barbecue with a creative menu, in great locations with character, excitement, and live music.  And the beer just tastes better there!  It has a diverse clientele as well, all (mostly) getting along.  You are likely to see a biker at the bar sitting next to a mild-mannered accountant in a suit.  In case you haven't figured it out, I am just a bit excited that they may be coming.  I'd love for them to come to Saratoga, but the Capital Region's population center is of course about 30 miles south of here, so if they come it will likely be closer to Albany or Troy - and that will be close enough.  Once again the All Over Albany site alerted me to this information so I am quickly becoming a fan of that site and urge you to check it regularly.  See you at the Dinosaur!

Horse vandals: The edited version

Many of you likely have seen the video of the horse vandals damaging the horse statue in downtown Saratoga Springs earlier this month.  Well with lemons someone made lemonade - or at least 45 seconds of comedy.  The first video below, in case you haven't seen it, is the original version of the idiots in the criminal act.  The second video is the same video, but let's just say someone had fun with a little bit of editing.  Credit to the All over Albany site, and apparently a certain late British comic (I'll keep nameless so as not to reveal how it was edited).  Turn your sound up before watching the second video.

First Video (unedited):

 

Second video (make sure your sound is turned up)

 

Formal Vandals - Saratoga Springs, NY - 08, Nov from Sébastien B. on Vimeo.

Added note:  The Times Union's Saratoga Seen blog had an entry about this as well indicating that this video made the national press.  They also linked this blog, which is always appreciated.

Another added note: Dave Barry's blog reported on this, and the comments are very funny. 

Run around Saratoga for a good cause

Jingle Bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock run. 

Mark your calenders and send in an entry form for the 2008 Saratoga Jingle Bell Run 5K at Skidmore College. It's being held on December 13th at 9am starting at the athletic complex. Most importantly - it's for a good cause.  Proceeds will go towards finding a cure for juvenile arthritis. 

Are you somewhat of a runner but afraid to run a 5K?  I strongly urge you to give it a try because it looks like they are inviting walkers as well so even a slow runner will be in the middle of the pack so you've got nothing to lose!

Not a runner?  Well you can still help - they may need volunteers (there's an email and phone number listed on the web site) and even if you don't volunteer you can stand along the route and cheer runners on.  Trust me as a runner, cheering is an appreciated endeavor and it can be really encouraging (and sometimes needed) to hear someone give you some positive words.  See you there!

Deadsville?

There has been a lot of talk about condo developments on Phila Street, Railroad Place, Broadway etc. but one multi-unit project that hasn't gotten much attention lately is the Union Avenue Townhomes project on Union Avenue near Regent - on the site of the old Skidmore Dorm Moore Hall aka "The Pink Palace".  Quite frankly, this project appears stuck in the mud, a victim of a bad economy and probably an oversaturation of high end development in the Spa City.  I am actually a fan of this project, and I think the location, equidistant to the track and downtown and a literal stone's throw from Congress Park, is second to none. 

 

This project doesn't even have its original web site, www.unionavetownhomes.com, which is now defunct.  The developer is a company out of Buffalo called Norstar.  They had a sign in front of this place in 2006/2007 (seen in the picture above) stating that the Union Avenue Townhomes would be "Coming Spring 2007" and the Norstar web site once stated that the project would be "completed in 2007".  Well we know that is not the case, and their web site presently states that the project will be completed in 2009.  Posting a completion date of 2009 shows that the company hasn't grasped reality and learned from their mistakes, because with sales obviously slow (nonexistent?) and no sings of preparation to demolish Moore Hall, this project certainly will not be completed in 2009.   Quite frankly I'm concerned it might be scrapped totally, or at least considerably scaled back.  Again I wish them luck and would like to see it succeed, but timing is everything and this project apparently needs to wait out the terrible economic conditions and a hoped for (drastic) improvement in the housing market.