Saratoga Spa State Park on a beautiful foggy November Day as America prepares to give thanks.

Lake George Opera Changes its name to Opera Saratoga.

Lake George Opera has changed its name to Opera Saratoga for its 50th anniversary in 2011. Opera Saratoga performs brilliantly at the Little Theater located in Saratoga Spa State Park.

Victoria Pool Society Online Interview

Community Media Lab comes to Saratoga !!!

[Pictured: Barbara Lombardo, managing editor of the Saratogian Newspaper and a fellow staffer]

Louise and Andrew attended the first of the "Community Media Lab" presentations:

The Saratogian Newspaper Website gives the following description: 'Community Media Lab, an informal partnership between local bloggers and The Saratogian".

We attended this evenings presentation at the Saratogian's own downtown newsroom. We had a tour of the "city desk" and saw the staff preparing the upcoming days news, page by page in real time. As bloggers, this was very exciting to see another media outlet in action.

The Community Media Lab is an idea to open doors in the community, giving a stronger voice to readers in this digital-first world.

To see the complete article please go to: http://www.saratogian.com/medialab/

Special thanks to Saratogian's Managing Editor, Barbara Lombardo for her kindness and for inviting us to this event. To contact Barbara at the Saratogian, please call 583-8711 or email blombardo@journalregister.com.

A birthday rose for Marylou.

Saratoga Seen
Your insiders’ source for what’s happening around Saratoga County.
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A rose named Marylou
November 17, 2010 at 4:19 pm by Leigh Hornbeck
Imagine trying to buy a gift for Marylou Whitney. Her husband, John Hendrickson, faces the challenge every year. In years’ past he’s given her jewelry. This year for her birthday he hit upon the best gift yet – the one that brought her to tears, he said. He bought the naming rights to a long-stemmed, pink tea rose. Marylou will celebrate her 85th birthday on Christmas Eve. The first Marylou Whitney rosebushes will be planted at Cady Hill in the spring.
I spoke to John and Marylou from Kentucky today. Marylou said she always secretly wanted a rose named for her, but never told her husband.
“John is magic,” she said. “Somehow, he knew.”
See a full story in tomorrow’s TU.
//

NYS Parks in great need of help, Times Union, Fred LeBrun.

Our state parks need a better plan for survival than the careening crisis management the Paterson administration gave us this year.
Never again should we have to wonder from one week to the next whether Thacher Park will open for the season, or Grafton, or any of the other 176 parks in the state system. Of all the fallout we experienced from the draconian cuts to state agencies this year, none was felt more personally by the public than the threat to the parks. The scream of horror and anger was loud enough for even the politically tone-deaf Paterson group to get the message.
So we dodged the bullet. But how often can we expect a similar result? My guess is with a new administration facing overwhelming demand for continually decreasing state revenues, that would be zero. As bad as funding for many state services proved to be this year, it's only going to be worse next year, and the year after that.
Yet, there are two encouraging signs for park advocates.
The first is to be found in Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo's mostly vague policy book on the environment. He clearly recognizes that parks, particularly upstate and on Long Island, are mini economic engines spread out across our geography, generating, according to advocates, $5 for every $1 invested. And they are recreational destinations that carry local identification and pride. Cuomo pledges he "will work to ensure that they (parks) stay open for the benefit of all New Yorkers." His support matters.
In the same policy book, he says we need something new: innovative public-private partnerships to bring in more money to offset dwindling state revenues. He mentions a Brooklyn fundraising alliance as a model.
As if answering the call last week, enter the perfectly timed Alliance for New York State Parks, under the considerable auspices of the Open Space Institute, to advocate for state parks and historic places, and raise funds for them.
The deep-pocketed Open Space Institute is a nonprofit that already has bought and protected largely for public use 100,000 acres in New York, including 75,000 currently in parklands.
It has ties to a phenomenal donor base. At the announcement of the alliance formation at OSI's New York City office, for instance, members of the Rockefeller, Harriman and Roosevelt families were on hand to express support. The alliance raised $2 million in the first week against the $10 million it wants to get started.
Carol Ash, the vibrant and hugely capable recently departed commissioner of the Office of State Parks, Recreation and Historic Places, will be deeply involved over the next year, although a former deputy parks commissioner, Erik Kulleseid, will be the alliance's director.
No one knows better than Ash how badly mangled the finances and operations of our state parks system have become over the last couple of years. Deep cuts in money and manpower, coupled with repeatedly deferred maintenance, have taken an awful toll. Ash says flatly that our parks system is in jeopardy.
An alliance like this is obviously a blessing and a source of badly needed optimism. But in no way is it the definitive answer. The amount of money that would have to be raised year after year can't depend on the largesse of big donors, or on donations through a mass appeal.
Our parks need a dedicated revenue fund, or at least that is the view of Ash and OSI director Joe Martens. The alliance will advocate for creation of such a fund.
I am assured that the details and limits of a dedicated fund are a work in progress. Because there are obvious warning flags to consider, and pitfalls abound.
A dedicated fund for parks would be administered by a state agency, no matter how many locks you put on the box. So some governor can come along and raid it anyway. History has shown that already, by repeated raids on the Environmental Protection Fund.
State legislation would be needed to create the fund, which means politics comes into play. Who knows where that takes us?
I wonder how other environmental groups will feel about a competitor for the EPF? And what will the fund actually pay for? Will it be limited to operations and maintenance of existing state parks, or can it be used to hire more personnel, or buy more land for parks?
At the moment, the alliance is looking at two models as the revenue source for a dedicated fund.
The Montana model puts a small surcharge on motor vehicle registrations. The Washington, D.C. model charges a nickle surcharge for those using plastic shopping bags. I can hear the yelps already from overtaxed vehicle owners. Shoppers, maybe less so.
Anyway, that's still to be worked out. It's a fabulous idea, comes just at the right time, and Andrew seems to like it.
Keep in mind, we have to do something, or its gut-wrenching time all over again with our parks.
Contact Fred LeBrun at 454-5453 or by e-mail at flebrun@timesunion.com.

Toot for the Victoria-pool-mobile.

Trees being planted again in Avenue of the Pine at Saratoga Spa State Park. Truly, a sight for eyes sore from watching them being cut down.

Program to add to Saratoga Spa State Park’s pines
Published: Thursday, November 11, 2010
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More white pine trees will be planted along Avenue of the Pines in Saratoga Spa State Park thanks to a partnership between New York State Parks and Odwalla’s Plant a Tree program. (Photo provided)
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Spa State Park has teamed up with Odwalla, via the 2010 Plant a Tree program, to replenish white pine trees along Avenue of the Pines at the National Historic Landmark park.The park obtained more than two dozen trees through Odwalla’s Plant a Tree program.“We need to periodically plant young trees if we are to sustain the towering column of pines as the iconic entrance to the park,” said Alane Ball Chinian, regional director for New York State Parks Saratoga-Capital Region. “With Odwalla’s Plant a Tree program, this successful partnership has generously provided more than two-dozen six-foot white pines to fill in the spots along the avenue where mature trees have died and been removed.”The collaboration between Odwalla and New York State Parks is in its third year and has included the web-based Plant a Tree program and a supply of Odwalla food bars for use at select park events and activities throughout several park regions in the state.The national web-based promotion encouraged visitors to go to the Odwalla.com site to choose which of the 50 state park systems they would like to see trees planted in. In New York, the resulting earmarked funds were committed for tree purchases in the Saratoga-Capital region.Avenue of the Pines was originally constructed as a mile-long pedestrian path surrounded by four rows of white pines, and it is historically known as the Pine Promenade. In 1929, when the current Lincoln Bathhouse was built, other improvements were undertaken in the parks. The Pine Promenade was enlarged and paved and opened as a parkway for automobiles. By this time, the pines planted years before had grown high, and the parkway was appropriately renamed Avenue of the Pines.
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Vote today everybody. Victoria Pool all tucked in for the winter.

yaddo is Saratoga's greatest treasure for nurturing the Arts of every description and is beautiful in every season.

The magnificent Victoria Pool and Saratoga Spa State Park in Fall 2010.

Autumn in Saratoga is gorgeous and you can still have lunch at poolside.

Carol Ash, NYS Parks Commissioner(pictured on left) to resign 10/13/10.

ALBANY, NY (09/23/2010)(readMedia)-- Governor David A. Paterson today announced that Carol Ash will resign her position as Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) effective October 13.

"Over the past four years Commissioner Ash has led her agency with dedication, integrity and professionalism," Governor Paterson said. "Despite these extraordinarily challenging times, the Commissioner presided the over construction and opening of the remarkable Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, a very successful U.S. Open Golf Championship at Bethpage State Park and initiated an effort to rebuild and restore the agency's aging infrastructure."

During Commissioner Ash's term more than $200 million was invested in roadways, bathhouses, historic structures and electrical and plumbing systems. She promoted public-private partnerships and encouraged strong relationships with Friends Groups and non-for-profits. She also saw visitation rates climb, as more than 56 million people were welcomed at the State's 178 parks and 35 historic sites in 2009.

Commissioner Carol Ash said: "I offer my sincere thanks to Governor Paterson for the opportunity to serve the people of New York. I am also deeply honored to have had the privilege to lead a dedicated and resourceful workforce. Even in these trying times, their commitment to our parks and historic sites has resulted in better experiences for millions of park patrons and I am proud of their collective efforts. Our State is home to the finest State park system in the country. Our wonderful natural, recreational and historic treasures continue to be a source of great enjoyment, pride and economic activity throughout the State. The opportunity to lead this agency was among the greatest professional experiences of my life."

Governor Paterson appointed Andy Beers to the position of Acting Commissioner. Mr. Beers has served as OPRHP Executive Deputy Commissioner since 2007. He has been responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency, as well as overseeing the continuing efforts to revitalize the State parks system. Prior to serving as Executive Deputy Commissioner, Beers served as Deputy State Director at the Nature Conservancy. He received his B.A. from Colgate University and his M.S. from Cornell University.

###

Additional news available at www.ny.gov/governor | High resolution images available at www.ny.gov/governor/mediaimages | password: paterson | New York State | Executive Chamber | press.office@chamber.state.ny.us | 212.681.4640 | 518.474.8418 | Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Labor Day farewell at Victoria Pool for 2010.

Saratogian, 9/21/10,Save the Victoria Pool Society Labor Day Bash.

Life Inside Saratoga: Cooks bring their best recipes to 'Save the Victoria Pool Society' picnic

By JEANNETTE JORDAN, Inside Saratoga

“Save the Victoria Pool Society” members got together Labor Day for its seventh annual picnic at the Victoria Pool in Saratoga Spa State Park.

A covered dish — with the theme “Iron Chef: Victoria Pool” — highlighted the day. Everyone brought their signature dishes.

Doug Jasinske made a seven-layer salad with crisp lettuce, bacon and boiled eggs. It was a real hit.

Andrew Jennings brought his family recipe for Italian potato salad.

Mary Sickles’ breakfast quiche was deemed “out of this world,” and Jean Sharkey made delicious homemade double-thick chocolate chip cookies.

John Tighe was the first and last person in the pool for the season, an honor he attempts to keep every year.

Sickles had a small jewelry show and sale of homemade beads, both necklaces and bracelets. Thomas “Max” Moller was voted the best lifeguard of the season. Moller is in his second year at Adirondack Community College and always sets the high standard of safety at the pool.

Louise Goldstein gave a short talk about the work of the society, reminding everyone that the pool is “all of ours, as New York state residents, and we have a duty to preserve its historic beauty for the next generation.”

Members also took a tour of the state park conducted by Jennings showing off the biggest attractions in the Spa Park.

Some others attending included Stanton Williamson, Dr. Mark Depietro. Maureen Godlewski, Lily Swits, Holly Swits, Steve Taranto, Cathy Gillis, Carole Leader, and Sally Biggie.

Saratoga Spa State Park and SPAC numbers up for 2010.

schenectady gazette:

State parks officials pleased with summer season
Thursday, September 16, 2010

Marcy Velte



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Despite budget cuts and the threat of closures for the 2010-11 season, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is calling its summer season a success.

According to Saratoga-Capital Region Director Alane Ball Chinian, region-wide attendance for parks and historic sites increased 17 percent from last year. Attendance at John Boyd Thacher State Park increased by 2 percent.

Saratoga-Capital District Regional Parks Commission members said they believe the increase is due to the summer’s beautiful weather and the economy. Many families chose to take “staycations” or local trips this summer instead of traveling far away. Another theory was that the public had been scared the parks would remain closed because of budget cuts. When budget extenders re-opened the parks, people took advantage of the opportunity.

“We are thrilled to have had such a healthy season,” said Chinian.

Heather Mabee, chairwoman of the commission, said the Saratoga Performing Arts Center had a great season also, but attendance was down slightly from previous years.

This year, the commission approved a $10 parking fee for all SPAC concertgoers who park within the recreational area. This increased revenue by 57 percent from last year, when only cars parking at the north end were forced to pay the fee. The charge was put in place to offset the price of cleaning up after SPAC shows, extra police and overtime pay, since the commission receives no money from the concerts themselves.

Chinian said the concert season was also safer than usual after state police strictly enforced the alcohol ban on park grounds this year.

“There was a dramatic difference,” said Chinian.

She said police received additional training on how to spot and test for alcohol on-site. As a result, intoxication arrests and hospital transports were down and the amount of trash left behind decreased.

However, with 40 percent of the commission’s budget cut in the past two years and eight local state park employees opting to take the new retirement incentive come September, there is still work to be done.

“There is a lot of experience walking out of the door all at once,” said Mabee. “We are losing people with knowledge we might not get back,” since a state-wide hiring freeze is still in effect for most positions.

However, Chinian said many retirees have pledged to come back as volunteers or work as seasonal employees.

Commission members expressed concern over the loss of so many workers.

Mabee said the cuts were “getting ridiculous.” One member said if Thacher Park was to close, it would deteriorate in just two years.

To make sure legislators don’t look to cut park funds again next year, the state parks office and Saratoga-Capital Region commission members are already reaching out to lawmakers to express the importance of New York’s parks and historic sites.

“What we are trying to get legislators to see is it would be a huge cost to get [parks] back to their previous states,” said Mabee. “If any close, expect them to close forever.”----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPAC hits high notes in Dutoit's last season
By Steve Barnes Senior Writer
Published: 03:01 p.m., Wednesday, September 15, 2010



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SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The final season for Charles Dutoit as principal conductor and music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center helped push overall attendance for SPAC's summer 2010 classical and dance programming up by about 11 percent over last year.

Total attendance was about 92,500 for classical events, an increase of 9,500 from the 2009 attendance, according to figures released Wednesday by SPAC.

The non-Live Nation season at SPAC encompasses residencies by the orchestra and the New York City Ballet, plus the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival and the annual jazz festival, as well as such newer offerings as beginning-of-the-summer jazz concerts, modern dance performances and SPAC's first battle of the bands.

Orchestra audiences climbed by 21 percent over three weeks, to 40,464, and income was up by 15 percent, totaling $986,184, SPAC said.

Ballet attendance was down by 1 percent and income by 8 percent, to 34,509 and $863,065, respectively, for the two-week season.

Although overall chamber-music attendance declined, because there were two fewer performances, the per-performance attendance increased by 11 percent. Jazz audiences were 4 percent smaller, at 11,491 over two days, and income dropped by 2 percent.

Speaking of the larger orchestra audiences, Marcia White, SPAC's president and executive director, said, "Their energy and enthusiasm contributed to the enjoyment of each performance and was the best possible parting gift for our beloved Maestro Dutoit."

Dutoit and violinist Chantal Juillet, who ran the chamber festival for 19 of the 20 summers Dutoit was at SPAC, announced in February that this year would be their final season at SPAC.

The pair got married earlier this year. Albany Times Union

group labor day photo below.

1st row, stanton and mark
2nd row, jean, andrew,jeannie, carole, holly, louise and sally
3rd row,maureen, lily,steve,john,doug,mary,cathy,mary.

7th Annual Labor Day Party at the Victoria Pool

Bid adieu to our cherished Victoria Pool. Monday,Labor Day,Noonish, bring-a-dish luncheon.

Save the Victoria Pool Society hopes everyone comes for our annual bring-a-dish farewell labor day lunch, 9/6/10,noonish.
Wear you snuggies this morning.

Saratoga Spa State Park's "heart" is beating again thanks to dedicated staff like Mark and Jeff leading the crew even in almost 100degree heat.

The Park's main geyser is bursting with life again. We must all remember Saratoga and its park are there because of the springs which will always be its lifeblood.

Victoria Pool overcapacity all weekend. It rocked!

The Geyser is back and spouting away! Thanks to Mark and Jeff and the wonderful staff of Saratoga Spa State Park.

The spouting geyser is truly the heart of Saratoga Spa State Park. A $250,000 project is underway to rehabilitate the geyser area which was sorely needed. This is being financed primarily with private donations.

TALK 1300 AM at the Victoria Pool

Talk Radio Station, TALK 1300 AM is broadcasting from the historic Victoria Pool today, Aug 24th, from 7 to 10 am.  The transmitting station was set up right on the porch of the Golf House at the Victoria Pool.

help to replace some of our beloved lost stately pine trees.

Our region of NYS Parks is benefitting from a corporate contribution of about $5,000 worth of trees from the Odwalla beverage company. Potential projects include the purchase of replacement pine trees for the Avenue of the Pines at Saratoga, and the replanting of historic orchards at Johnson Hall.

You and your Friends can help boost this gift by going to www.odwalla.com and following the Plant-a-Tree links. You will be asked for a code: NY6000. So please help spread the word!

why is the geyser not flowing and the lions at the Hall of Springs and Victoria Pool not babbling away with Saratoga's trademark, WATER!

Marylou Whitney dazzles Saratoga once again with her "Breakfast at Tiffanys" party in Congress Park on 8/6/10.

"-heck, any day at Saratoga-is a good day." Palm Beach Post, 8/4/10

Miles from Miami, Saratoga racing puts everyone - even Bill Parcells - at ease
Photo by Hal Habib
Enlarge Photo Here at Saratoga, Bill Parcells blends in -- can you find him in the crowd? (Hint: He's wearing a tan sport jacket, sitting behind the middle pillar.)


Photo by Hal Habib
Enlarge Photo Bill Parcells checks the monitor during a race in the box seats at Saratoga.

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More local sports headlines By Hal Habib
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 10:47 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010

Posted: 5:11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The opening of Dolphins training camp was only a few days away. Word had just come that a starting defensive lineman was out for the year because of injury. Yet Bill Parcells had not a care in the world, it seemed.

Parcells had settled into the box seats at Saratoga Race Course. Even though he couldn't sit in his box - the rain had flooded it - it was opening day.

And opening day at Saratoga - heck, any day at Saratoga - is a good day.

"What really makes it special is every time I've ever been here, I've been happy," said Parcells, the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations. "This is a happy place for Bill Parcells."

It must be. The last time Parcells spoke to the South Florida media was about the time this track was being constructed - following the Battle of Gettysburg.

But take Parcells out of aqua and orange and slip him into a summer-bright white shirt and yellow jacket, take away his football roster and hand him the Daily Racing Form, and, instead of the Colts, let him scout out colts. Then watch what happens.

"It's a great place to be in the summer," said Parcells, who has a home here. "The weather's good. The golf is good. The races are good. The town is excited. There are a lot of good places to eat. It's very relaxing and it's just a nice, upstate place to be."

Parcells first made the trip around the mid-'80s. He returned the following year, and before he knew it, "it gets to be a habit," meaning aside from having built Super Bowl champions, Parcells is just like the other 25,000 who show up daily in this cathedral of racing.

Maybe it's the mountains. Or walking amid the tall elms on the winding paths leading to a wooden grandstand - with an emphasis on "grand." The gentlemen in coats, ladies in exquisite hats and the pretzel-clutching children in heaven. It's fans showing up for the trackside buffet breakfast at 7 a.m. even though post times don't start until at least 1 p.m.

This is the nation's oldest racetrack, having begun operations across the street in 1863. You name them, they ran here. Secretariat. Affirmed vs. Alydar. Seabiscuit liked it so much, he ran both on track and onscreen (they filmed the movie here). Notorious gamblers ran here, too, using the joint to elude New York City authorities in the olden days.

"From New York City you drive north for about 175 miles, turn left on Union Avenue and go back 100 years," columnist Red Smith wrote. Today, it's closer to 150 years.

"Horse heaven," track announcer Tom Durkin said. "A bit of a social whirl in an authentic, Victorian place."

Trainer Nick Zito, inducted into racing's Hall of Fame across the street, added, "It's spiritual. Look at it. You don't get this anywhere else."

Blink and it's over. Such is the nature of this meet because it lasts roughly six weeks (July 23 through Sept. 6) and because only the swiftest survive.

"Even if you win a small (race) here, I think more people notice," trainer Ken McPeek said. "You could win 10 someplace else and nobody cares. But winning here, it's tough. It's the best horsemen, the best riders, the best of everything."

Jack Knowlton arrived in 1969, Bill Heller three years later and Dave Smith 10 years after Heller. At the time, Knowlton and Heller were college students and Smith was an elementary school teacher seeking a summer job.

They haven't left yet. Probably never will.

"It's my summer home," said Smith, an usher. "The box-holders here are my second family."

Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, they're all here.

Smith also carries the trophy to the winner's circle for the daily feature race.

"Sometimes I've said I would do this for nothing," he said.

Parcells sits in Smith's section.

"Oh, he's a great guy," Smith said, bemoaning that Parcells is only able to come for the start of the meet since he joined the Dolphins.

Heller was an Albany State student when he arrived.

"On my first visit to a thoroughbred track, I got to see Secretariat win the Hopeful Stakes," said Heller, who covers Saratoga for Thoroughbred Style Magazine and has written several books, including Saratoga Tales and a recent biography of jockey Randy Romero.

"The Hopeful was amazing because he was last heading into the far turn, and he just swooped by the whole field like that (snapping his fingers). I said, 'Oh my God.' How could you not become a fan of thoroughbred racing after that?"

Knowlton was a grad student who incorporated trips to Saratoga into his curriculum. Somewhat.

"I got a lot of math in here," he said.

Addition or subtraction?

"Probably subtraction from my pocket, but I learned, and here we are, 40 years later."

Knowlton once found himself in the winner's circle at Churchill Downs when he was the managing partner of Sackatoga Stable, which owns Funny Cide, the 2003 Kentucky Derby winner.

"It all started here," said Knowlton, who credits Funny Cide for allowing him to obtain a box at the track. He said it also allows him to attend the No. 1 event of each summer in Saratoga Springs, the gala thrown by Marylou Whitney, the socialite who maintains a seasonal home in Palm Beach.

Whitney arrived in the late '50s with her previous husband, the late Cornelius Vanderbilt "Sonny" Whitney.

"We didn't intend to stay at all," she said. "It was so much fun. I said, 'This is wonderful. Let's move here!'" Whitney became known as the queen of Saratoga.

She and her husband, John Hendrickson, sponsor and attend an event for stable workers every evening from July 23 to Sept. 5, such as a bingo game awarding $250 gift certificates. That's in addition to parties.

"Sometimes, she has five events a night," Hendrickson said. "Last year, we were having dinner with (New York Gov. David) Paterson and Marylou said, in the middle of dinner, 'Would you excuse me for 25 minutes?'"

On a recent sunny afternoon a few days into the meet, fans wheeled in coolers and staked out picnic tables amid the trees and toteboards. Michael Geraghty was in the coveted spot he has had for 21 years, selling racing paintings.

"Having one of these spots is akin to an apartment on Fifth Avenue in New York City," he said. "You don't have this atmosphere at any other track in the country. It's almost more like a resort than a day at the track."

Saratoga is not immune to today's economy. The strapped New York Racing Association received a $25 million loan from the state in May to open the track.

"I never thought they would close," Zito said. "It's 25 minutes from Albany. That's where these guys (lawmakers) live. ... If they ever want to get elected, there's no way."

The population triples to 75,000 during the meet. Downtown, it's equines everywhere, from the "Remarkable Finish" beauty salon to colorful statutes.

"It's just a wonderful place," Parcells said. "It's hard for me to explain what it does for me. It's relaxing, but it's exciting."

Is it easier to pick a good horse or football player?

"For me, it's easier to pick a football player, because I know what I'm looking at," said Parcells, who has owned racehorses. "I don't know what I'm looking at here all the time."

But he was doing OK on opening day.

"I was lucky in the first race," he said.

In South Florida awaited the headaches of running a pro football team, including the injury to defensive end Phillip Merling, who is out for the year.

But on this day, Bill Parcells was 1,442 miles away.

That's 150 horse years.

Faux diamonds and Marylou, it must be Saratoga in August.

Saratoga Seen
Your insiders’ source for what’s happening around Saratoga County.
About the Saratoga bureau | Saratoga coverage | Follow us on Twitter!

Details released for Friday’s Whitney Gala
August 3, 2010 at 1:55 pm by Christen Gowan

Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

Saratoga Seen just got some latest details on the upcoming “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” themed-Whitney Gala, which is Friday night.

The annual rite of summer will feature Marylou, her husband John Hendrickson, and (possibly) invited guests Sarah and Todd Palin.

Here are some of the details of Saratoga’s social event of the season (if this city has one):

Be in place by 7 p.m. in front of Canfield Casino if you want to see Marylou’s entrance.
Marylou and John will arrive in a 1960’s-era New York City taxicab, just like the one featured in the classic Audrey Hepburn movie.
As always, there will be an outdoor stage for onlookers to enjoy entertainment before Marylou’s arrival. Singers and dancers will perform songs from movies from the Hepburn era, like “Moon River” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”
Onlookers will be given Tiffany-blue bubble blowers and enormous faux diamonds as the giveaway.

Air Conditioners Running Full Blast – Waste at the Saratoga Spa State Park

Your State Tax Dollars pay to have the Victoria Pools entrance hall cooled. Two large "heat pumps" run all day to keep an open hallway cool. This building has multiple sets of double doors, open from 10am to 6pm.
Our Tax dollars are going out the door !!

go to www.livepositively.com and vote for Saratoga Spa State Park.

The comment on the above picture bears repeating: everybody vote early and often. $100,000 for Saratoga Spa State Park from Coca Cola would be very nice.

"VictoriousVictorian said...
Go to the coca cola website and vote for the favorite NYS park. I heard the most votes per states gets money. How wonderful it would to have outside funding to improve saratoga spa state park and the Victoria Pool. (*shh you can vote multiple times)"

They're Off! for the 142nd time at Saratoga Racetrack! 40 days of Christmas in Saratoga until Labor Day.

Barbara, Louise, Commander Tom Prusinowski and Sebi.

beautiful undripping faucet by our masterful saratoga spa state park employees. Surely they can make the lion's head flow again.

"Country club chic vs family friendly"

2 Spa Park pools: Country club chic vs. family friendly
Saturday, July 17, 2010

By Tatiana Zarnowski (Contact)
Gazette Reporter





Photographer: Bruce Squiers

Gracie Dube, eight, of Glenville, hits a pool of water after a trip down the water slide at Peerless Pool in Saratoga Spa Park.
Text Size: A | A | A
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Victoria and Peerless pools are less than a mile apart at Saratoga Spa State Park, but to hear fans of each pool describe them, they may as well be in separate worlds.

Cooling off, catching rays and relaxing are the goals at both pools, but the atmospheres are different.

Peerless has its big grass yard and a few shade trees, its zero-depth entry, kiddie pool and water slides that attract youngsters and their parents. It’s noisier, faster and the lifeguards blow their whistles more.

Victoria’s charm is in the architecture, the arched promenades that surround the pool, as well as the chaise lounges and attached bar and restaurant. The pace is slower, and although children are welcomed, they’re clearly in the minority.

One Peerless fan described the difference as “country club” versus “public” pools.

Terry Avery, of Corinth, prefers the down-to-earth Peerless Pool, where she takes her 9-year-old granddaughter, Bernice Avery, about once a week.

Bernice loves the water slides at Peerless. “It’s just fun because you can go on it fast, and you can race people,” she said. She especially enjoys racing her cousins to the bottom, and paddles with her hands to go faster.

Patty Burnham was just an energetic preteen herself when her parents started dropping her and her younger brother off at the Victoria Pool while they golfed at McGregor Links in Wilton.

Now 67, Burnham still goes frequently, and said not much has changed in more than 50 years, other than the removal of diving boards.

“It’s just as beautiful now as it was back then,” the Corinth woman said.

“I could swim the length of the pool underwater,” she recalled. “We were just two little fishes.”

The Victoria Pool is still something of a secret, said Burnham’s daughter, Laurie Macara of Saratoga Springs. “I’ve talked to people that live here, that have moved here [who] don’t even know it exists,” said Macara, 48. She urges them to visit the pool she considers one of the most beautiful places in the city.

“It’s like being in Europe, I think. It’s like being on vacation.”

Many Victoria regulars like the crowd that shows up there.

Becky Miller of Saratoga Springs said she meets all different types of people at the Victoria Pool. The outgoing 24-year-old Saratoga native met visitors from New Jersey and New Hampshire there on a recent visit, and saw friends and acquaintances.

“It’s restaurant people, it’s locals, it’s tourists,” she said. “It’s representative of Saratoga, because that’s what Saratoga is.”

Miller works at The Mexican Connection in the evenings, but she and two coworkers chill out at the pool when they can on weekdays.

The trio stood in the shallow end and perused a gossip magazine that Jessica Bellon, 20, held above the water.

Off-duty lifeguards also frequent the pools.

Three Grafton Lake lifeguards on their day off soaked up sun at the Victoria Pool while visiting friends who worked there.

“On our days off, we’d rather be at the pool than at the beach,” said Jen Villanova, 22, of Clifton Park, who was evening out her lifeguard tan lines.

“It’s a different crowd here,” she said, adding she prefers the Victoria Pool to Peerless, where she used to work. “It’s just a pretty place.”

Victoria devotees know they have to get to the pool early to get a good spot, and score the coveted chaise lounges.

Sisters Bonnie Prescott and Kathy Blair said a 9:30 a.m. arrival is best, half an hour before the pool opens.

Visiting the pool just about every weekend is their treat after working all week.

“I work all week long; I deserve one day,” said Prescott, 60, of Clifton Park. “We love it. It’s convenient.”

Blair, 55, of East Greenbush definitely likes the Victoria Pool better. “That’s too big over there,” she said of the Peerless Pool.

Prescott used to frequent Peerless.

“When my kids were younger, we used to go to the Peerless Pool.”

save the pool

The Victoria Pool even has its own grassroots group, Save the Victoria Pool, formed several years ago to urge the state park to fix problems at the pool. More recently it has lobbied to open the pool before the traditional late June start date, and voiced concern for the pool’s fate during this year’s state budget crisis.

But Peerless has its fans too, though they may not be as public or as vocal.

A Rotterdam couple was sold on the pool during a visit on a recent Wednesday, because it offered an inexpensive day out as they had a picnic lunch under a shade tree.

Jeff and Tammy Hodder hadn’t been to Peerless many times before. But they hope to come more often this summer because Jeff, 54, discovered he gets relief from a painful back injury in the water.

“I get in the water here, and I’m pain free,” Hodder said. “This is the best I’ve felt in a long time.”

They have visited the Central Park pool in Schenectady, but find it even more hectic than Peerless, which during the week is packed with children attending summer camps.

“We love the park,” Tammy Hodder said. “This is one of the nicest parks around.”

A few people lay in the very shallow end of the zero-depth entry at Peerless, soaking in some water and basking in the sun. Unlike at Victoria Pool, few people sat on the concrete pool deck at Peerless. Everyone had their chairs and blankets spread out on the grass, some under shade trees.

Tara Doria likes the wide-open space at Peerless, where she takes her 4-year-old son and an 18-month-old boy she watches. “There’s a lot more grass space,” the Ballston Spa woman said.

The Peerless Pool complex consists of an Olympic-sized main pool with zero-depth entry, a separate slide pool with a 19-foot double slide and a children’s wading pool with mushroom fountain. The “deep end” is 31⁄2 feet.

The capacity for the Victoria Pool is 344 swimmers, while Peerless Pool can hold more than twice that.

Dry Lions, but still wasting water.

faucet keeps running while lion's heads not being allowed to flow this year?

If it is too "expensive" to turn on the beautiful historic Lion's Heads at the Victoria Pool then why has this faucet been running for months needlessly?

The great New York City Ballet opens season 45 at SPAC gloriously.

New York City Ballet’s Opening Night @ SPAC 7/6/10
July 7, 2010 at 1:03 am by Joseph Dalton
By JOSEPH DALTONSpecial to the Times Union
SARATOGA SPRINGS – With a roll of the snare drum and a cartwheel by a dancer, the New York City Ballet’s summer season got off to a fast start. Tuesday night’s program at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center opened with “Fancy Free” the loveable 1944 tale of three sailors in a hurry to have some fun. Played with ample swagger by Tyler Angle, Joaquin De Luz and Amar Ramasar, they set the bravura tone for the entire night.
Ballet master in chief Peter Martins said in a curtain speech (which has become a hallmark of the Marcia White era) that because it was still, almost, the Fourth of July weekend he had decided to go all-American.
That theme allowed for plenty of diversity.
After the first intermission came “Red Angels,” the seldom seen 1994 creation by Ulysses Dove. The late choreographer’s roots in modern dance showed through in every angular pose and rippling undulation by the six dancers in red leotards. Tight overhead spotlights kept them from getting lost in the same red lighting that filled the stage. Richard Einhorn’s score resembled drums and rock guitar, but it all came from an electric violin, played by Cenovia Cummins.
Modern and ballet styles were put in more sharp relief in Peter Martin’s Barber Violin Concerto. Megan Fairchild and Charles Askegard represented proper tradition, while Sara Mearns and Jared Angle danced barefoot. Though neither pair began their partnering work very smoothly, the soaring music infused everything with some meaning and purpose.
Despite the title and light Gershwin score, Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” (the finale) allowed for plenty of serious dancing, especially from its three ballerinas. Sterling Hyltin had a deceptive grace and ease, especially in contrast to the more composed, if not pent up, Ana Sophia Scheller, though her fouette turns flowed with easy dispatch.
If there was a star of the night, it was Tiler Peck, who joined the company just five and a half years ago and was named a principal during the fall. In “Fancy Free,” she acted as the easy-going all-American girl. During “The Man I Love” in “Who Cares,” she moved with a larger than life confidence yet was still seductive and alluring. Later she seemed to create her own rhythmic field, projecting the idea of speed or the halting of time without ever falling out of synch with Balanchine’s larger universe.
Joseph Dalton is a local freelance writer who contributes regularly to the Times Union. He blogs at: http://www.HudsonSounds.org.
DANCE REVIEW
New York City BalletOpening Night
When: 8 p.m. TuesdayWhere: Saratoga Performing Arts CenterDuration: Two hours, 50 minutes with two intermissions.The crowd: 1,564 devoted fans, all ages.

Gideon Putnam Hotel sprucing up.

New owners putting millions into Roosevelt Bath and Gideon Putnam
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Jason McKibben - jmckibben@poststar.com Gideon Putnam Resort concierge Diane Dodd speaks with a customer on the telephone from the lobby of the hotel Tuesday, July 6, 2010. Delaware North Companies, which was awarded a 20-year lease in 2008 to operate the hotel and the Roosevelt Bathhouse, will spend $20 million as part of a 20-year plan to improve the buildings on the state-owned 2,300-acre Saratoga Spa State Park.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS Inside the house that Roosevelt built, a $20 million renovation is under way.
“When you first come into a property, there are enhancements you want to do from the get-go,” said Tom Wysocki, director of sales and marketing at the Gideon Putnam Resort.
“The beauty and the battle of a historic hotel is you open up one area and you discover another area that needs work,” he said.
In January 2008, Delaware North Companies was awarded a 20-year lease to operate the Gideon Putnam hotel and the Roosevelt Bath in the state-owned 2,300-acre Saratoga Spa State Park.
The company committed to a multiphase project to spend $20 million refurbishing the 120-room hotel, conference center and Roosevelt Bath.
The company has already invested “a few million” in upgrades, Wysocki said, which include renovations to the hotel lobby, the bath house and the Georgian Room restaurant, which has been remodeled and renamed Putnam’s Restaurant and Bar.
The restaurant seats 68 diners inside with an outdoor patio that features live music on weekends and seats an additional 60 people.
Décor and ambience have also been changed, from white-tablecloth traditional dining to a more regional contemporary style, said executive chef Brian Sterner. The restaurant employs a kitchen staff of about 25 plus another 40 who work as service staff.
Sterner said the upscale-casual restaurant services a diverse clientele, from the business traveler and leisure golfer to the concertgoer attending a show at the nearby Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Sterner said he works with regional farms, from the Catskills to Vermont, who supply food to the restaurant, as well making use of a new in-house herb garden.
The hotel features a new fitness center and a remodeled lobby. Renovations to the kitchen will begin soon, and the refurbishing of guest rooms will start early next year, Wysocki said. The hotel will remain open during the renovations.
Work is also under way at Roosevelt Bath & Spa, where the 42 treatment rooms have been augmented by a “relaxation room” with a 10-foot-tall waterfall where visitors will be able to enjoy downtime in between spa
treatments.
“It’s a little area to relax,” Wysocki said. “The park setting is a big aspect of it. You’re minutes from downtown, but you feel as though you’re almost in a different world here.
“Occupancy is up this year over last year. We have a balance: we do a lot of corporate and state association groups as well as leisure travel,” he said.
“Our groups have increased considerably. Leisure travel has stayed stable,” he said.
The poor economy has hurt travel to the Saratoga region and its 2,200-plus rooms and so has the uncertainty surrounding the summer racing season, said Cynthia Hollowood, general manager of the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs and vice chairwoman of the state Hospitality and Tourism Association.
“The first six months this year have been better than the first six months of 2009,” she said. But, “with the uncertainty of whether there would be racing at Saratoga and the downward trend of the stock market, we’re somewhat behind where we would like to be.”
Normally, summer weekend room rentals are sold out by early May. That’s not the case this year, she said.
Posted in Local on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 1:00 am Tags:

1800+ very happy people at $8 a head cooling off at the very beautiful Victoria Pool over a 90degree July 4th 3 day weekend.

Circa 600 people a day at Victoria Pool over the fabulous 4th of july. Cars as far as the eye could see. Capacity is 344 people.

Andrew says Happy Birthday America from Save the Victoria Pool Society. Huge numbers again, way over capacity on July 4th, 2010

Happy fabulous 4th everyone. lines all day on 7/3/10 to get into Victoria Pool. Hundreds of people over capacity waiting to get in.

Saratoga Spa State Park attendance up 55% over last year!

Spring attendance soars at state parks
Agency says closure controversy appears to have boosted interest

By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Thursday, July 1, 2010
ALBANY -- Even bad news about closing parks can be great publicity -- attendance soared this spring at the Capital Region's 23 state parks and historic sites.
More people found their way to local state parks as attendance regionwide jumped an average 37 percent, led by Grafton Lakes State Park at 70 percent, according to the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
"We had great weather and parks were in the news," said Eileen Larrabee, a State Parks spokeswoman.
The news wasn't always good this spring.
Gov. David Paterson's proposal to close 55 parks and historic sites in May to save $6 million angered many residents. They rallied to call for the reopening of the closed facilities.
The closing of the parks for much of May is considered to have played a role in getting people out to visit them when they reopened in time for Memorial Day weekend.
The continuing poor economy also is believed to be a factor in rising attendance.
The 37 percent increase in the Saratoga-Capital District Region attendance this spring compared with spring 2009 was more than three times greater than the statewide increase of 11 percent.
From April to the third weekend in June of each year, attendance statewide increased to 13.2 million from 11.9 million.
The 23 parks and historic sites in the Saratoga-Capital Region had 958,516 visitors this spring, an increase of 257,199 over the 701,317 visitors in the same time period in 2009.
Not every park showed an increase. Schodack Island State Park, one of nine area parks and historic sites that were shuttered, had a 33 percent drop to 19,632 visitors this spring from 29,467 in 2009. Attendance at the park on the Hudson River likely was hurt because it was closed during this spring's striped bass season.
Larrabee said the state parks in the region reporting strong attendance.
The good weather predicted for the three-day Fourth of July holiday weekend is expected to further boost the number of visitors. Larrabee said 90 percent of the parks' campsites are reserved for the weekend.
State Parks also is promoting different parks at its website nysparks.com and has a Facebook page.
During the park-closing controversies, park advocates used Facebook to promote activities and keep people informed.
Kenneth C. Crowe II can be reached at 454-5084 or by e-mail at kcrowe@timesunion.com.
These state parks showed the largest percentage increase from 2009 to 2010. The numbers are for the period from April to the third weekend in June each year.
Attendance
State Park 2009 2010 % increase
Saratoga-Capital Region 701,317 958,516 37
Grafton Lakes 32,456 55,018 70
Saratoga Spa 383,502 594,931 55
Moreau Lake 69,837 90,986 30
John Boyd Thacher 53,870 64,538 20
Source: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
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