5 days to go till Victoria Pool fundraiser, come one come all.

Umbrellas for Victoria Pool
June 14, 2011 at 6:14 pm by Dennis Yusko
The Save the Victoria Pool Society is holding its first fundraising activity to assist the state with improvements at “America’s most historic and beautiful pool” in Saratoga Spa State Park.

The group is hosting a gathering of food, friends and possibly music at the Victoria Pool lobby from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday to help the state with its purchase of 20 large pool umbrellas for the stately pool, which officially opens June 25.

Umbrellas at the Great Depression-era watering hole are popular among sunbathers, who use them for shade. They are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. But the ones that remain have fallen into disrepair, pool users say.

“The unbrellas at the pool are falling apart or non-existent,” said Louise Goldstein, a founding memory of the society. The state has ordered green umbrellas that are historically accurate for the pool that cost about $200 each, she said.

The suggested donation for Sunday’s fundraiser is $25. Checks should be made to NHT (Natural Heritage Trust) for Saratoga Spa State Park, care of Louise Goldstein, 64 North St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.


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Victoria Pool group in search of shade
The Save the Victoria Pool Society is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday that organizers hope will allow them to work with the state and buy a collection of umbrellas to use on the pool deck.

Louise Goldstein, the group’s co-founder, said the hope is that the fundraiser will raise enough money to purchase at least 20 umbrellas. The umbrellas, which cost around $200 a piece, will be purchased through the state using donations from Sunday’s fundraiser, she said.

Visitors to the pool can bring their own umbrellas, of course, but Goldstein said buying a set would give the pool a uniform look that is in keeping with its 76-year-old history.

“There’s a historic look to the pool and if everybody brings their own it starts to look like any other pool,” she said.

Additional proceeds could go towards the purchase of water pumps that recycle water and would allow two water-sprouting lion’s heads inside the pool to be turned back on.

Sunday’s fundraiser will run from noon to 3 p.m. at the pool lobby and include food and beverages. Free entertainment is still being sought. The suggested donation is $25.

The event marks the first time the advocacy group has held a fundraiser to support the pool since forming in 2003 when it was at risk of closing. Group members have previously focused on getting the facility open by Memorial Day — which remains a goal — and pressuring parks officials to make improvements using taxpayer money.

“We always thought it was our money anyways, because we all pay taxes, but times are tough,” Goldstein said.

Parks officials plan to open the Victoria Pool by June 25.

– Drew Kerr