Saratoga Bridges received a grant of $1,000 from The Puffin Foundation, Ltd., based out of Teaneck, NJ, to purchase supplies, materials and professional artists for their project, “Breaking Down Boundaries Through Art”. The project is held at Creative Endeavors Art Center located at 49 Front Street in Ballston Spa. Since these items are not funded by traditional funding sources, this grant is especially welcome.

The agency believes that their mission matches The Puffin Foundation Ltd.’s mission, which is ‘to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists and art organizations that are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy.’ The Foundation chose the puffin because it was once endangered in the northeastern [...]

The Saratoga Acoustic Blues Society will be presenting the 4th Annual Saratoga Blues Celebration during Hats Off* weekend, Friday 7/22/2011 & Saturday 7/23/2011.
The Celebration, which will be free to the public, will take place at Stockade Oriental Rug Imports, located on Broadway in The Old Firehouse, Saratoga Springs, NY.
The Saratoga  Acoustic Blues Society, aka SABS, was founded in 2008 by Saratoga Springs Blues aficionados and performers Phil Drum, Ray Giguere and Dave Scheffel. SABS since that time has presented the best of Saratoga blues music in a variety of venues, including Caffe Lena, the Dance Flurry, and the Saratoga ArtsFest. Phil, Ray and Dave have recently been joined in SABS by fellow Blues musician and record producer Sonny Speed, also from Saratoga Springs.
SABS’ signature event is the Saratoga Blues [...]

MEDIA ALERT FOR MONDAY JUNE 27, 2011

WGNA and Saratoga Casino “Country Idol” Karaoke Finals
to Air on LOOK-TV

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (June 24, 2011) – Held inside Vapor Night Club at Saratoga Casino and Raceway, the WGNA “Country Idol” Karaoke series began in February and recurred monthly. Each night, five contestants from the Capital District were selected to perform at the June 16 finals. Of the 20 contestants that performed in the finals, the judges narrowed down the search to the top five scorers, who then performed a second song for the chance at $5,000.

Those five finalists included Brandie Alexander from Wynantskill, Bobby Kendall of Lake George, Lauren Kerr from Cohoes, Loreal [...]

Double H Ranch 20th Anniversary Gala – A great way to kick off your 4th of July weekend!

The Double H Ranch will celebrate their 20th Annual Gala at Six Flag’s Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom on Friday, July 1 from 5:30-11:00pm. Guests are invited to participate in Silent and Live Auctions, dine on a good old fashioned Fourth of July barbeque catered by the Glen Sanders Mansion, view private fireworks by Alonzo Fireworks and enjoy the rides and games in the park!
New for 2011- Caricature artists during cocktail hour, entertainment featuring Rick Bolton, pie tasting before dinner, live grill stations by Glens Sanders Mansion, fabulous munchies in the park and private fireworks by Alonzo Fireworks. Also new this year- From 5:30-9:30pm you [...]

The Saratoga County Fair is looking for contestants for “From Start to Star” Talent Competitions during the 170th Saratoga County Fair held during the week of the week of July 19-24, 2011.

A talent show consists of a variety of acts which may include comedy, drama, vocal music, dance, instrumental music, clown, ventriloquist, magic, impersonation, dramatic reading, gymnastics and story telling.

The “Start to Star” talent applications are available for printing at www.saratogacountyfair.org, click on Exhibitor Forms/Talent Search Entry Form.

Entrants should complete this application thoroughly and return by July 1, 2011 to Audry Poitras, 25 Collamer Drive, Ballston Spa, NY 12020.

Daily cash prizes & trophies are awarded.1st place, $40 & trophy; 2nd place, $30 & trophy; 3rd place, $20 & trophy; places 4th through 7th [...]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (June 17, 2011) –Bobby Kendall, a 25 year-old Lake George resident with Nashville dreams, won the WGNA “Country Idol Karaoke” competition Thursday at Saratoga Casino and Raceway.

Held inside Vapor Night Club, the series began in February and was held monthly, with five finalists selected each night to perform at the June 16 finals. Of the 20 contestants that performed in the finals, the judges narrowed down the search to the top five scorers, [...]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (June 20, 2011) – Six charitable organizations from the Capital District have been selected to be a part of Saratoga Casino and Raceway’s brand new philanthropy program, “Party for a Cause”.

The casino released information back in March about the new program, with instructions on how to apply for one of the six available dates. Eighteen applications were received from qualifying 501c3 organizations and reviewed by designated members of the donation committee. The charities that were selected will have the use of Vapor Night Club and the house DJ to host a fundraising event, [...]

MaryLeigh and the Fauves, an eclectic band of Saratoga locals, are delighted to be performing at the Putnam Den along with bluesman Kyle Miller and The Brothers McCann, one of Boston’s finest bands, on Saturday, July 2nd. Doors open at 9:00 p.m. with a $5 cover for the evening.

MaryLeigh and the Fauves are an all original group that has been thrilling stages throughout New York, Boston, Vermont, Connecticut, and New Orleans over the course of the last year. Their music, which the band describes as “Sultry blues-pop” is driven by outstanding vocals, vibrant guitar rhythms, driving bass lines, creative drumming, trombone, and even ukulele!

MaryLeigh commands the audience [...]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (June 14, 2011) – Visitors to Saratoga Springs, will now be able to enjoy the popular casino game, Craps, as well as the newest slot machines for fans of the mega-hit HBO series, Sex and the City.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway has introduced their second electronic table game, Craps. The game allows players to shoot the virtual dice while watching every lucky throw on a big screen TV. Craps players can wager anywhere from a minimum of $1 up to a maximum of $100 on each bet placed.

One Craps table is available, accommodating up to 10 players (five on each side) who want [...]

Saratoga Reads Seeks Book Nominations for Year Eight
Public vote to determine winner

If you are digging into any great books this summer or have titles you highly recommend, Saratoga Reads wants to hear from you. As the community reading program gears up for its eighth year, organizers are seeking nominations for the year’s book of choice.

Nominations should be works of prose such as novels, short stories, memoirs, non-fiction works, and biographies. The suggested books must be readily available in paperback and capable of inspiring community participation and dialogue. It is recommended that nominated books not exceed 400 pages.

“Each year, we urge members of the public to nominate titles they think would be super reads for our community,” said Lauren Cohen, coordinator of the Saratoga Reads Selection Advisory Group. “We are looking [...]