Sunday, March 11, 2012
Friday, March 09, 2012
more of our historic trees being cut down in saratoga spa state park to make golfers happy.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Spa State Park employees are clearing trees to make life better for area golfers this summer.
A number of evergreens have been cut to enhance air circulation and let more sunlight in, which are needed to promote healthy turf.
“This is the third year in a row we’ve done a tree project,” said Robert Kuhn, assistant regional parks director.
Current work involves thinning a tree line between the 13th and 14th fairways, to the left of Avenue of the Pines, when entering the park from Route 9.
“It will allow more sun on the 13th fairway,” Kuhn said. “There will still be a tree line. We’re taking out a lot of softwoods and leaving the hardwoods.”
No trees on Avenue of the Pines trees have been or will be cut, he said.
Two years ago, workers did a much larger tree-clearing job in the heart of the front nine near the eighth tee. “A lot of trees between the eighth tee and the fairway behind it were taken out,” Kuhn said.
Last year, crews took down trees near the clubhouse for safety reasons, concerned the trees might topple over in a storm.
“The response we’ve gotten from golfers is that there’s been a noticeable difference in turf quality,” he said. “Aesthetics of the park aren’t being compromised.”
No date has been set for opening the park’s golf courses, however the lack of snow could result in an early start, possibly by the second or third week of April, Kuhn said.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
shaun o'brien, dancer extraordinaire and beloved saratogian dead at 86.
Shaun O’Brien dies; was NYC Ballet character dancer
Thursday, March 1, 2012
By Bill Buell (Contact)
Gazette Reporter
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New York City Ballet character dancer Shaun O’Brien is seen here during a curtain call. He died last week in Saratoga Springs at the age of 86. (photo: Paul Kolnik)
Shaun O’Brien, who for 42 years gained legions of New York City Ballet fans for his acting as much as his dancing, died last week in Saratoga Springs at the age of 86.
O’Brien was a character dancer, which meant he seldom got the opportunity to dance with the prima ballerina. He did, however, enjoy an amazingly long professional career for a dancer, getting his start with the New York City Ballet in 1949, the year after its creation by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein.
O’Brien retired from the troupe in 1991 and moved full time to Saratoga Springs with his longtime partner, Cris Alexander. He danced in more than 100 ballets, but was synonymous with the roles of Herr Drosselmeyer in “The Nutcracker” and Dr. Coppélius in “Coppelia.”
“Shaun was the most amazing of character dancers I’ve seen,” said Leslie Roy-Heck, a former soloist with the company who now owns and operates Saratoga Dance in Saratoga Springs. “He captivated the audience in ‘Nutcracker’ as Herr Drosselmeyer and was most memorable as Dr. Coppélius in ‘Coppelia.’ I adored watching him on stage, and although many other dancers did these roles, in my opinion, no one’s performances equaled the brilliance of Shaun’s interpretations.”
Natural performer
“He was just a natural at the character roles,” said Bill Otto, a Glens Falls resident and retired New York City Ballet dancer who danced many of O’Brien’s roles after joining the company in 1983.
“He was past his prime when I saw him, but he was a wonderful dancer and a great actor. He was always very believable. Never a false moment. It was like he was doing pantomime for the ballet.”
Robert Maiorano worked with O’Brien for more than 20 years, and said it was his stage presence that made him such a vital part of the company.
“He played the unbendable father in ‘Prodigal Son,’ who finally gives in, and while he’s known for Drosselmeyer and Dr. Coppélius, it was actually that performance that brought me to tears. That was when I realized he was such a great actor,” said Maiorano.
“In that scene, he has very little to do yet he had such command of the stage,” continued Maiorano. “He just stood there while the prodigal son is going through gyrations and everyone else is dancing and slipping around. Shaun just stood there stoically with this great presence and authority.”
O’Brien was born in Brooklyn on Nov. 28, 1925. He first danced in public at the age of 4 with his older sister and never stopped for more than 60 years. As a youth he studied in Manhattan at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet.
Broadway debut
He changed his first name from John to Shaun during those years, and in 1945, before he was 20, he made his Broadway debut as a member of the dance ensemble in “Hollywood Pinafore.”
He was on Broadway again in “Polonaise” in 1945 and “Sleepy Hollow” in 1948 before beginning his long career with the New York City Ballet in 1949.
O’Brien first moved to Saratoga around 1975 and split his time between there and New York City until his retirement in 1991. He and Alexander, a photographer, actor and dancer who performed on Broadway in the 1940s, had been living together for 61 years and, according to the New York Times, they were married in a private ceremony soon after New York passed its same-sex marriage act.
“They’d been together since 1949, which is longer than any married couple I know,” said Maiorano, who saw O’Brien since last fall. “I was so happy for him, and [Cris] was no slouch, either. He was an actor and a great photographer, and while they were very private, they were a lot of fun to be around. You could call them up at 1 in the morning, but you dare not call them before 3 in the afternoon.”
Although he was retired, O’Brien would occasionally provide pre-performance talks at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for SPAC’s education director, Siobhan Dunham.
“He was an absolutely great storyteller,” Dunham said, “and they were never told at someone else’s expense. They were just very funny, personal stories, and it was a thrill for me to not only invite him but to have him say yes. You knew the pre-performance talk would be a success if Shaun did it.”
O’Brien’s failing health had kept him out of the public eye for the past few years, according to Dunham.
“I hadn’t seen him in about four or five years, but I’ll always remember that great warm smile he had,” she said. “He was really warm, and there was no sense of elitism about him. He had this elegance about him, but he was always approachable. He was very generous with his conversation.”
Honored by museum
In July 2009, O’Brien was honored by the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs.
“We had a special program for him when the [New York City] Ballet was here doing ‘Coppelia,’ ” said Susan Edwards, program director at the museum. “I didn’t know him personally that well, but you could tell he was a very elegant man, very gracious. He had been very active in the Saratoga arts community for a long time right up until three or four years ago.”
“He always had a lot of great stories to tell,” said Otto. “I was just a few seats away from him in the dressing room for years. I had known him and his partner for years and had been out to their house, although it’d been a few years. Shaun was just a great guy.”
The William J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home in Saratoga Springs confirmed O’Brien’s death last Thursday, and at this time there are no services scheduled.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
SPAC to get its facelift at last.
Dakes donate $500K for new SPAC facade
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
By Lee Coleman (Contact)
Gazette Reporter
Text Size: A | A | A
Shown is a computer-generated image of the new amphitheatre façade to be built at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — William Dake, board chairman of Stewart’s Shops, and his wife, Susan, are donating a new facade for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, SPAC officials said Monday.
Renovation of the nearly 50-year-old exterior of the center’s amphitheater in the Saratoga Spa State Park will start immediately and be ready for the upcoming season.
The Dakes said in a statement released Monday their gift was motivated by a recognition of “SPAC’s cultural and economic impact on the greater Capital Region.”
The donation is $500,000, according to SPAC officials.
“Bill [Dake] really sees the need for it,” said Marcia White, president and executive director of SPAC.
Dake is the outgoing chairman of the SPAC Board of Directors. He will be succeeded by Susan Phillips Read, an associate justice on the state Court of Appeals.
White said the current wooden facade of the amphitheater is deteriorating. The new facade will keep the amphitheater’s original “shield” design but enhance and replace the old exterior with weather-resistant materials, White said.
The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has already invested more than $4.5 million on improvements to the amphitheater, including new seating and extensive interior work, since 2005.
A renovation of the amphitheater facade was planned in early 2008 but the unpopular proposed design for the facade — some compared the design to a stack of pancakes — and the start of the recession scrapped the project.
The facade being donated by the Dakes will retain the current exterior “shield” design, which has elements of a Medieval festival look, White said.
“We are thrilled to support this new facade project, a terrific example of leveraging state funding with private investments to sustain a magnificent facility,” state parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said in a prepared statement. “We thank the Dake family for their outstanding generosity.”
“We are really grateful they are willing to step up” and replace the facade, said Alane Ball Chinian, executive director of the Saratoga-Capital District Region of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Chinian said she is pleased the facade work will be completed in time for the upcoming performance season. “As a private partner, they can move forward more quickly [than the state],” Chinian said.
In recent years, the deterioration of the amphitheater’s exterior has become visibly pronounced. The current board-and-batten siding has endured five decades of upstate weather conditions and as a result, there is significant warping, fading, wood rot and disintegration, SPAC officials said in a statement.
Bonacio Construction of Saratoga Springs was selected to do the work after a competitive bidding process, said SPAC officials.
Wood veneer panels of Parklex, a high-density, weather-resistant material, will be fastened to the exterior of each shield frame.
Existing surfaces on the amphitheater side and roof dormers will be replaced with a brown, durable, weather-resistant fiber cement board.
The project also includes replacement and repositioning of the speakers currently mounted on the facade that project sound to the lawn. Upgraded speakers will be built into the shield facade and positioned at a higher level to provide better audio coverage and quality on the lawn.
The current speakers sit too low in the enclosure for the acreage that needs to be reached, resulting in audio gaps in some areas of the lawn, SPAC officials said.
“I am inspired by the extraordinary generosity of this latest gift from the Dake family to Saratoga Performing Arts Center. From the very beginning to the present day, the Dakes have been SPAC’s strongest allies, investing vision, leadership and resources to advance this treasured landmark,” White said in a statement.
The timeline for the construction work is:
-- February-March: Removal of the wooden shields on the amphitheater facade and board and batten on the sides; prefabrication of three-dimensional steel frame followed by attachment of Parklex siding.
-- Early spring: Installation of three-dimensional shields on facade and cement board on sides and dormers and the integration of upgraded speakers into the facade structure.
The work is expected to be complete by the end of May.
The state has invested more than $4.5 million in the SPAC facilities since 2005. The renovations included the installation of a new amphitheater roof, repair of the pedestrian bridge and sewage system upgrades. In 2007, the interior of SPAC’s amphitheater was revamped with all new, larger padded seating and other interior renovations. Recent projects include restroom renovations and improvements
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
By Lee Coleman (Contact)
Gazette Reporter
Text Size: A | A | A
Shown is a computer-generated image of the new amphitheatre façade to be built at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — William Dake, board chairman of Stewart’s Shops, and his wife, Susan, are donating a new facade for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, SPAC officials said Monday.
Renovation of the nearly 50-year-old exterior of the center’s amphitheater in the Saratoga Spa State Park will start immediately and be ready for the upcoming season.
The Dakes said in a statement released Monday their gift was motivated by a recognition of “SPAC’s cultural and economic impact on the greater Capital Region.”
The donation is $500,000, according to SPAC officials.
“Bill [Dake] really sees the need for it,” said Marcia White, president and executive director of SPAC.
Dake is the outgoing chairman of the SPAC Board of Directors. He will be succeeded by Susan Phillips Read, an associate justice on the state Court of Appeals.
White said the current wooden facade of the amphitheater is deteriorating. The new facade will keep the amphitheater’s original “shield” design but enhance and replace the old exterior with weather-resistant materials, White said.
The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has already invested more than $4.5 million on improvements to the amphitheater, including new seating and extensive interior work, since 2005.
A renovation of the amphitheater facade was planned in early 2008 but the unpopular proposed design for the facade — some compared the design to a stack of pancakes — and the start of the recession scrapped the project.
The facade being donated by the Dakes will retain the current exterior “shield” design, which has elements of a Medieval festival look, White said.
“We are thrilled to support this new facade project, a terrific example of leveraging state funding with private investments to sustain a magnificent facility,” state parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said in a prepared statement. “We thank the Dake family for their outstanding generosity.”
“We are really grateful they are willing to step up” and replace the facade, said Alane Ball Chinian, executive director of the Saratoga-Capital District Region of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Chinian said she is pleased the facade work will be completed in time for the upcoming performance season. “As a private partner, they can move forward more quickly [than the state],” Chinian said.
In recent years, the deterioration of the amphitheater’s exterior has become visibly pronounced. The current board-and-batten siding has endured five decades of upstate weather conditions and as a result, there is significant warping, fading, wood rot and disintegration, SPAC officials said in a statement.
Bonacio Construction of Saratoga Springs was selected to do the work after a competitive bidding process, said SPAC officials.
Wood veneer panels of Parklex, a high-density, weather-resistant material, will be fastened to the exterior of each shield frame.
Existing surfaces on the amphitheater side and roof dormers will be replaced with a brown, durable, weather-resistant fiber cement board.
The project also includes replacement and repositioning of the speakers currently mounted on the facade that project sound to the lawn. Upgraded speakers will be built into the shield facade and positioned at a higher level to provide better audio coverage and quality on the lawn.
The current speakers sit too low in the enclosure for the acreage that needs to be reached, resulting in audio gaps in some areas of the lawn, SPAC officials said.
“I am inspired by the extraordinary generosity of this latest gift from the Dake family to Saratoga Performing Arts Center. From the very beginning to the present day, the Dakes have been SPAC’s strongest allies, investing vision, leadership and resources to advance this treasured landmark,” White said in a statement.
The timeline for the construction work is:
-- February-March: Removal of the wooden shields on the amphitheater facade and board and batten on the sides; prefabrication of three-dimensional steel frame followed by attachment of Parklex siding.
-- Early spring: Installation of three-dimensional shields on facade and cement board on sides and dormers and the integration of upgraded speakers into the facade structure.
The work is expected to be complete by the end of May.
The state has invested more than $4.5 million in the SPAC facilities since 2005. The renovations included the installation of a new amphitheater roof, repair of the pedestrian bridge and sewage system upgrades. In 2007, the interior of SPAC’s amphitheater was revamped with all new, larger padded seating and other interior renovations. Recent projects include restroom renovations and improvements
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
saratoga getting ready to roll the dice again.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Area officials caught a glimpse of Las Vegas-style gambling Thursday, when the owners of Saratoga Casino and Raceway announced plans for a $40 million expansion that would bring dice rolling and poker back to this old gaming city.
Saratoga Harness Racing Inc. wants to add 15,000-square-feet to the casino/harness track for table games like blackjack, roulette and craps. The $40 million project also calls for a 130-room hotel, an event center, additional dining options and, possibly, a parking garage.
The "racino" is partly owned by lobbyist James Featherstonhaugh, who, as president of the New York Gaming Association, is fighting to widen gaming options in nine existing state-run racinos. He said the expansion of Saratoga Casino and Raceway depends on state leaders backing an effort to amend New York's constitution to allow for table games. Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports the constitutional amendment, which requires approval from two state legislatures and the voting public.
A full-blown casino with card dealers and pit bosses would attract visitors from outside the Capital Region, and cement the city's status as a destination resort, Featherstonhaugh said.
"I see Saratoga as sort of the Monte Carlo of New York casinos," the Albany attorney said. "It has a wonderfully colored history with gaming and although it's a small city, it's known all over the world."
Thursday's announcement came with an architectural rendering and a shovel-ready date of 2014. Cuomo is reviewing options for expanding gambling in the state. He recently backed a plan to build a $4 billion convention center with money from the Malaysian gaming giant Genting in New York City.
The relatively smaller Saratoga casino expansion would generate 400 permanent new jobs, along with hundreds of additional construction jobs, racino officials said Thursday. Construction would take six to nine months.
Reaction to the proposal was mixed. Everything depends on what changes the governor backs, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus said. While the New York Gaming Association has recommended table games at the state's existing racinos, Cuomo and legislative leaders have not come out with a plan. One concern among local officials is gaming could be permitted to expand to new locations.
"We're holding off until we hear more details," Shimkus said. "Local and county officials should be approached proactively by the governor to make sure whatever is proposed has no harm. There's way too many unknowns."
Jeff Clark, president of the city's Downtown Business Association, said that Saratoga Casino and Raceway officials have provided generous donations toward the DBA's Victorian Streetwalk, an annual celebration held on Broadway, and other not-for-profit organizations.
"But to a degree, it draws business from downtown," Clark said.
A full-fledged casino in Saratoga Springs would not necessarily harm thoroughbred horse racing at Saratoga Race Course, said trainer Rick Violette, the president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. It could very well help, he said. "The devil is in the details," Violette said.
Saratoga Casino and Raceway became the state's first non-Native American gaming facility on Jan. 28, 2004. It offers wagering on video lottery terminals and harness racing. The Crescent Avenue facility nearly doubled in size to 100,000-square-feet in 2007, when owners built a two-story nightclub and 325-seat food buffet. It now contains 1,790 video lottery terminals. In 2010, the facility expanded its daily hours of operations to 19 from 16.
The site is the second-highest earning racino in the state. At least two million visitors walked its floors and made bets in 2011.
More than $1.5 billion was bet there from April to December last year, according to the state Lottery Division. The racino's net take in fiscal year 2010-2011 was $140.5 million, $69.9 million of which was dedicated to education in the state, according to the Lottery. That's up from the prior fiscal year, which ended at $136.7 million and $67.7 million.
The expansion plans call for a new three-story hotel, to be designed after Broadway's old landmark hotels. Racino officials said Thursday that New York casinos needed to offer a full range of gaming options to compete with neighboring states that allow full-scale casinos. Rita Cox, a senior vice president at Saratoga Casino and Raceway, said she thinks that momentum is behind a change.
But one seasoned Saratoga County political observer who asked not to be identified said state gambling laws would probably never change, at least for years.
"I'd rather comment on the likelihood of American Samoa beating Brazil in the World Cup," the official said.
Reach Dennis Yusko at 454-5353 or dyusko@timesunion.com.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Racino-betting-big-on-Saratoga-casino-2490225.php#ixzz1jLo6yXfA
pictured here Canfield Casino in Congress Park.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Victoria Pool to race at Aqueduct on thursday, 12/15,race 1.
Horse name Victoria Pool
Notes
Activity type Entry
Activity date 12-15-2011
Track Aqueduct
Surface Inner track
Distance 6 Furlongs
Race number 1
Purse $21,000
Claim price $15,000
Individual claim price $15,000
Race type Claiming
Post position 3
Jockey Cohen D
Race entry http://www.drf.com/race-entries/AQU/USA/2011-12-15/D/1
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tin and Lint and "american pie" question in nytimes.
American Pie’ Still Homemade, but With a New Twist
By LIZ LEYDEN
Published: November 29, 2011
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CloseDiggRedditTumblrPermalink SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — To step into the Tin & Lint bar here is to be surrounded by stories. Carved into the wooden walls, booths and benches are 30 years of names, dates and declared loves: Mike was here; Don loves Joanna 4EVER; Amy and Jennifer, 1989.
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Associated Press
Don McLean, seen in 1972, said contrary to the legend, he did not write “American Pie” in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
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Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A plaque at the Tin & Lint bar in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., claims Mr. McLean wrote the lyrics to “American Pie” there in 1970.
But the biggest story, nearly as much a part of this upstate city’s lore as its racetrack and mineral waters, is revealed on a small, worn plaque above the third booth from the door: “American Pie written by Don McLean, Summer 1970.”
With its low tin ceilings and stained-glass lamps, the bar seems like the type of place where Mr. McLean would have written his generational anthem of rock’s lost innocence.
Or, maybe not.
Mr. McLean put the legend to rest last weekend in an article in The Post-Star of Glens Falls, N.Y. He also debunked a parallel tale that claimed he first performed the song at Caffè Lena around the corner from the Tin & Lint.
Mr. McLean, 66, speaking from his home in Maine, laughed when asked about the story.
“ ‘American Pie’ is a little bit like the Mayflower,” he said on Monday. “Everybody’s on it.”
In the 1960s, Mr. McLean regularly performed at Caffè Lena, which nurtured the early careers of folk artists like Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie.
This much is true.
The rest of the story holds that one evening in 1970, after a late performance at the cafe, Mr. McLean retired to the Tin & Lint and set to work writing “American Pie.” In some versions, it was in a notebook; in others, on bar napkins. All end with Mr. McLean’s leaving the notes behind.
Jim Stanley, the Tin & Lint’s current owner, was the bar’s doorman in 1970. Mr. Stanley, 63, said he believed that another employee, a Skidmore College student known as Sloth, grabbed the notes and followed Mr. McLean to the street to return them.
“I agree — he didn’t write it all here,” Mr. Stanley said. “But I do believe he started it here and maybe finished it someplace else.”
Mr. McLean has heard the Saratoga story for years, and while he has tried to correct it — he said he wrote the song in Cold Spring, N.Y., and in Philadelphia — people hang on to their version.
On Monday night, patrons at the Tin & Lint insisted that the beginnings lay at the booth across the room. Mr. McLean said the stories did not bother him.
“People have claimed that song in many places, including New Rochelle, my hometown, but I’m really sure I remember where I wrote it,” he said. “I have vivid memories because I was working so hard on it.”
Sarah Craig, executive director of Caffè Lena since 1995, said, “The ‘American Pie’ story was taken as fact” at the cafe for many years.
“It was one of three things we told people to give them a sense of the place,” she said. “It’s the longest-running folk club in the country. True. It was Bob Dylan’s first gig outside of Greenwich Village. True. ‘American Pie’ debuted on this stage.”
She laughed and said, “O.K., not true.”
Five years ago, the cafe took that story off its Web site after learning that Mr. McLean had disputed the song’s Saratoga Springs debut. He said this week that the song made its debut at Temple University, while he was opening for Laura Nyro.
But the facts should not diminish the importance of Caffè Lena, Mr. McLean said, which, he added, was “like Greenwich Village up the Hudson.”
“Maybe that story isn’t the truth,” he said, “but I would’ve been a lot worse off without that place to go to. It was a stopping place for me at that time in my life.”
At the Tin & Lint, the plaque will remain. The song, No. 83 on the jukebox, will continue to play. And the Saratoga Springs story of “American Pie” might stick around, too.
The city historian, Mary Ann Fitzgerald, likened it to Saratoga Springs’s best-known bit of unproven yet long-believed lore: that potato chips were invented in the city.
“I think people will hold onto what they believe, documentation or not,” Ms. Fitzgerald said. “Although I don’t know if anyone can truly argue with Don McLean himself.”
A version of this article appeared in print on November 30, 2011, on page A33 of the New York edition with the headline: ‘American Pie’: Still Homemade, but With a New Twist.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Saratoga's beloved "shirley's" to get a French twist.
Shirley’s Restaurant gets sold out of the family: Saratoga staple on West Avenue to feature new entrees
Published: Saturday, November 19, 2011
0diggsdigg ShareThis3By SUZANNA LOURIE
slourie@saratogian.com
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Shirley’s Restaurant on West Avenue was recently sold. (ERICA MILLER, emiller@saratogian.com)
SARATOGA SPRINGS — After renting the 74 West Ave. building for their seasonal hot dog stand, Doggie in the Window, Pete and Shirley Bishop purchased the property on the corner of Washington Street in 1961 where they then opened Shirley’s Restaurant.
Shirley’s son, Leland Bishop, took ownership in 1968, keeping the restaurant and its famous homemade pies in the family for 50 years until recently when Bishop sold the restaurant — effective Nov. 15 — for approximately $295,000 to the space’s new owner, Jean Pierre Lareau.
“My father was going to retire and my mother’s health isn’t in the greatest shape so when he got the offer, he decided to take it and retire now rather than wait around for a better offer,” said Jess Bishop, Leland’s son and current restaurant manager.
Jess Bishop and one of his three sisters continue to work at Shirley’s, keeping a strong presence of third-generation Bishops at the restaurant, which locals have come to know and love for its family-owned traditions, menus and friendly service.
Restaurant regulars won’t have to fear any of those traditions disappearing under Lareau’s ownership. The Montreal native is committed to maintaining the business the way it was, but with a few new twists.
“I started looking for a business to buy and I went to 30 or 40 businesses, but I fell in love with little Shirely’s because it was family-oriented and has a great reputation,” Lareau said Friday. “I made my due diligence — I talked to a lot of people and it has a great reputation, it’s a part of the history of Saratoga and I bought it from a great family.”
Lareau, a former president of Montreal’s now-closed harness track, Blue Bonnets Raceway, had been visiting Saratoga Springs and Saratoga Race Course each summer for more than 30 years. About a year ago, he decided to plant his roots in the community he had grown to love throughout the years.
The horse-racing enthusiast also has extensive experience as a restaurateur, owning a five-star restaurant in Montreal and having managed multiple concessions at Blue Bonnets Raceway.
“We’re keeping the same family-oriented business at Shirley’s — the same chef, the same type of food and the same dirt on the floors. We’ll bring a little newness, but we are keeping what makes Shirley’s great,” Lareau said. “I see a lot of potential for the future in bringing some special foods from Montreal, like poutine.” Poutine is a French-Canadian dish of french fries, gravy and cheese curds.
Although Leland Bishop could not be reached for comment, he had just been by Shirley’s for lunch and is still involved in the restaurant his parents built and with his loyal regulars and longtime employees. Jess Bishop also confirmed Lareau’s commitment to tradition and said no changes have been made thus far. Continued...
Published: Saturday, November 19, 2011
0diggsdigg ShareThis3By SUZANNA LOURIE
slourie@saratogian.com
Click to enlarge
Shirley’s Restaurant on West Avenue was recently sold. (ERICA MILLER, emiller@saratogian.com)
SARATOGA SPRINGS — After renting the 74 West Ave. building for their seasonal hot dog stand, Doggie in the Window, Pete and Shirley Bishop purchased the property on the corner of Washington Street in 1961 where they then opened Shirley’s Restaurant.
Shirley’s son, Leland Bishop, took ownership in 1968, keeping the restaurant and its famous homemade pies in the family for 50 years until recently when Bishop sold the restaurant — effective Nov. 15 — for approximately $295,000 to the space’s new owner, Jean Pierre Lareau.
“My father was going to retire and my mother’s health isn’t in the greatest shape so when he got the offer, he decided to take it and retire now rather than wait around for a better offer,” said Jess Bishop, Leland’s son and current restaurant manager.
Jess Bishop and one of his three sisters continue to work at Shirley’s, keeping a strong presence of third-generation Bishops at the restaurant, which locals have come to know and love for its family-owned traditions, menus and friendly service.
Restaurant regulars won’t have to fear any of those traditions disappearing under Lareau’s ownership. The Montreal native is committed to maintaining the business the way it was, but with a few new twists.
“I started looking for a business to buy and I went to 30 or 40 businesses, but I fell in love with little Shirely’s because it was family-oriented and has a great reputation,” Lareau said Friday. “I made my due diligence — I talked to a lot of people and it has a great reputation, it’s a part of the history of Saratoga and I bought it from a great family.”
Lareau, a former president of Montreal’s now-closed harness track, Blue Bonnets Raceway, had been visiting Saratoga Springs and Saratoga Race Course each summer for more than 30 years. About a year ago, he decided to plant his roots in the community he had grown to love throughout the years.
The horse-racing enthusiast also has extensive experience as a restaurateur, owning a five-star restaurant in Montreal and having managed multiple concessions at Blue Bonnets Raceway.
“We’re keeping the same family-oriented business at Shirley’s — the same chef, the same type of food and the same dirt on the floors. We’ll bring a little newness, but we are keeping what makes Shirley’s great,” Lareau said. “I see a lot of potential for the future in bringing some special foods from Montreal, like poutine.” Poutine is a French-Canadian dish of french fries, gravy and cheese curds.
Although Leland Bishop could not be reached for comment, he had just been by Shirley’s for lunch and is still involved in the restaurant his parents built and with his loyal regulars and longtime employees. Jess Bishop also confirmed Lareau’s commitment to tradition and said no changes have been made thus far. Continued...
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
the continued neglect of our parks and heritage is a real tragedy.
Ignore our parks, neglect our heritage
paul braY
Published 08:55 p.m., Saturday, November 12, 2011
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A great thing about America is its parks, their diversity and their endurance. Communities proudly have parks, as do states and the nation. Those parks preserve natural and cultural assets for future generations, offer places for recreation and provide civic identity.
New York's state parks and historic preservation system began with acquisition of Gen. George Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters in 1850 and the preservation of natural and historic treasures like Niagara Falls.
Later came the Robert Moses era, which was intended to assure outdoor recreational opportunities within reasonable distance for all New Yorkers. Urban and regional state heritage areas broaden that mission explicitly to include sustainable economic development.
New York courts have protected parks with the public trust doctrine that requires legislative approval before discontinuing or compromising a municipal or state park.
Sadly, for the first time the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is walking away from responsibility for heritage areas.
These parks, created in our time, were put in jeopardy by former parks Commissioner Carol Ash during the Paterson administration. In 2008, her deputy wrote to heritage area directors declaring that the "agency's approved Financial Management Plan for this year includes the end of agency staff support and technical assistance for the Heritage Area program."
Current Commissioner Rose Harvey has shown no will to change course.
With strong support from state legislators, local officials and many other public and private leaders, most state heritage areas have managed to survive in hard times made harder by the parks agency. Some have done better than survive like the Susquehanna Heritage Area. It recently expanded from two cities and village to include more than 35 towns and villages in Broome and Tioga counties.
In the early 1980s when the state heritage area law was enacted and in the early 1990s there were recessions and cuts in state and federal funds. But state participation in the heritage area partnership continued. In the face of 1981 cuts, then-Commissioner Orin Lehman stated that the heritage area concept "will remain valid and achievable". He did not walk away, as Carol Ash did.
At a 1991 National Park Service conference on "Partnerships in Parks & Preservation" in Albany, heritage areas were referred to as "partnership parks." New York has 18 state heritage areas and 49 national heritage areas.
At that conference, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo said "government -- be it state, federal or local -- cannot by itself assure that our most precious historic and natural resources will survive."
He added, "we now recognize that an entire area or region, like our Hudson River Valley, the Adirondacks or what we now know as the Hudson-Mohawk Urban Cultural Park (known as the Riverspark heritage area) can constitute in its totality a resource of pre-eminent importance."
By law, the state parks agency was to be the leader of a heritage area system with local governments and private organizations playing significant roles in organizing and managing their heritage areas. State agencies were to assist heritage areas as they pursued their integrated goals of conservation, recreation, education and sustainable development pursuant to management plans approved by the state parks commissioner. Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs and the Riverspark (including Troy, Cohoes and five neighboring communities) are state heritage areas.
Throughout New York history, the ball has not been dropped as it was by the state parks agency in withholding support and jeopardizing the continuance of something as important as the state heritage program. It should not get away with this dereliction of duty and tradition.
Paul M. Bray was the founding president of the Albany Roundtable. His email is secsunday@aol.com.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Ignore-our-parks-neglect-our-heritage-2266234.php#ixzz1datAEtSc
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