Month: July 2026

By Paul Post

The extended 46-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course got off to a strong start as the three-day July 4 Racing Festival generated almost $70 million in handle, a 1.7% increase from 2025.

This came despite a 40% reduction in computer-assisted wagering caused by new restrictions imposed by the New York Racing Association. Paid attendance, 43,446, rose 6.3% from last year’s July 4 Festival.

“The traditional Saratoga meet is off to a terrific start,” Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri said. “The July 4 Racing Festival helped build early excitement, and we’re seeing strong visitation as racing fans return for one of America’s great summer traditions. Racing remains an incredible economic engine for Saratoga County, supporting our hospitality industry, local businesses, attractions, and the thousands of people whose livelihoods are connected to tourism.”

Racing is taking place four days per week through Sunday, July 26, followed by five-day weeks beginning Wednesday, July 29. The summer meet will conclude with a six-day week from Wednesday, Sept. 2, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.

Effective July 1, 2026, Greg Stevens was named Interim Executive Director for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County.

Stevens brings more than 28 years of experience to the role. He began his career in 4-H Youth Development, providing classroom education through the School Outreach Program and administering an Academic Enrichment Program during the summer. He developed and administered the Reality Check Youth Empowerment Program and later partnered with school districts to strengthen anti-smoking policies through the Tobacco-Free Schools Program.

In 2015, Stevens was promoted to 4-H and Family and Consumer Sciences Issue Leader. In 2023, he was appointed Assistant Director, assuming responsibility for the Adirondack Welcome Center Taste NY Program and expanding his work to include collaboration with the agriculture team.

Stevens received a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Plattsburgh in 1993. He returned to SUNY Plattsburgh for a master’s degree in Science in Liberal Studies- Administration and Leadership, graduating in 2011.

Saratoga Hospital celebrated the inaugural graduation of six physicians from its Family Medicine Residency Program, marking a milestone in the program’s mission to prepare community-focused physicians.

The Class of 2026 includes Alina Bazarian, MD; Awais Chaudary, MD; Anna Kaoutskaia, MD; Elena Mejery, MD; Carolyn Miller, DO; and Zeynep Ovacik, MD.

Established through a collaboration among Saratoga Hospital, Albany Medical Center and Hudson Headwaters Health Network, the program provides hospital and outpatient training with an emphasis on community health, behavioral health, addiction medicine and leadership development.

Residents train in multiple clinical settings with multidisciplinary teams and prepare to serve rural and underserved communities.

“Our graduating residents have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their patients, colleagues and communities throughout their training,” said Ephraim Back, MD, Program Director of the Saratoga Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. “We are proud of their accomplishments and confident they will make meaningful contributions wherever their careers take them.”

By Erin Nudi

Gaffney’s has reopened on Caroline Street with new leadership, renovated spaces and a second concept, The Parlor, designed as a 1920s-inspired lounge.

The restaurant reopened May 1, 2026, after about two years of closure. Co-owners Mike Morgan and Mike Malone led extensive renovations, structural reinforcements and aesthetic updates to preserve the building’s historic character while creating two distinct experiences.

Downstairs, Gaffney’s remains a social hub for casual gatherings, sports viewing, live music and pub fare. Upstairs, The Parlor offers a casual fine-dining environment with a chef-driven menu, specialty cocktails and mocktails, and a quieter entertainment lineup.

“I’ve seen it sit empty for a couple of years. I grew up in this town and it’s a staple here, it’s an iconic space,” Morgan said. “I wasn’t really looking to get back into the bar business per se, but I knew it was a good opportunity.”

Chef Patrick Curley said The Parlor was developed as a welcoming, approachable dining space rather than an ultra-fine-dining concept.

Adirondack Winery President and Co-Owner Sasha Pardy has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF), a statewide organization that supports New York’s grape and wine industry through marketing, research, education, sustainability and advocacy. Established by New York State in 1985, the Foundation works to strengthen the competitiveness and reputation of the state’s wine and grape industry.

Pardy began her three-year term July 1, 2026, joining a board of winery owners, grape growers, researchers, distributors and industry leaders from across New York State. The Board of Directors provides strategic oversight for the Foundation and helps guide initiatives supporting the growth and long-term success of New York’s wine and grape industries.

Earlier this year, the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) named Pardy one of its 2026 “10 Women to Watch” in Hospitality, an honor recognizing emerging female leaders in New York’s hospitality industry.

As President and Co-Owner of Adirondack Winery since its inception in 2008, Pardy oversees sales, marketing, customer experience and business development for the winery and sister brand, Extreme Heights Cidery. She is also the founder of the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival.

The 10th Annual Adirondack Wine & Food Festival, held June 27-28 in Lake George, drew nearly 6,000 attendees and featured more than 120 New York wineries, breweries, cideries, distilleries, artisan food producers, food trucks and other vendors. The festival has generated tourism spending while promoting New York’s craft beverage industry and small, family-owned producers.

“Sasha Pardy is exactly the kind of forward-thinking industry leader NYWGF needs. I’ve admired her work over the past decade building Adirondack Winery and the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival into two of the region’s biggest success stories—she’ll be a tremendous representative for the Upper Hudson AVA.” — Sam Filler, Executive Director, New York Wine & Grape Foundation

By Rod Bacon

Last month, Cottrell Paper Company celebrated a century of producing high-quality insulating papers for a variety of electrical applications.

The fourth generation of the family continues to operate the mill established by Frank Cottrell Sr. and his two sons, A. Frank Cottrell Jr. and James T. Cottrell, on Kayaderosseras Creek in Rock City Falls.

“We have a reputation for reliability, innovation, and superior craftsmanship,” said Chief Executive Officer Josh Cottrell. “We have proved that stewardship of place and people can outlast market swings and industry consolidations.”

Cottrell explained that in the early years the company focused on producing rag paper, a type of electrical insulating paper made from high-quality cotton fibers. With its proven track record of strength and insulating properties in electrical applications it was ideal for use in motors, transformers, and other electrical components as well as being a sustainable option. They continue to use this method, sourcing materials from overseas. The proprietary name for this material is Copaco.

“These are automotive and electrical insulating grades, he said. “It’s used mostly in small fractional horsepower (FHP) motors but there are a lot of automotive applications as well.”

In the 1990s the company introduced Cottrell Kraft, a product made from virgin fiber electrical kraft pulp. It is produced by treating wood chips with hot alkaline chemicals to dissolve the lignin that binds the wood fibers together. 

By Ann Donnelly

A Plattsburgh-based managed IT services firm has cemented its commitment to the Greater Glens Falls and Saratoga region with a dedicated office on Broad Street in Glens Falls.

LayerEight, which launched its current brand in January 2021, previously maintained a full-time technician in the area. In 2026, the company decided to establish a dedicated office adjacent to the new South Street developments. The firm brought on account executive Bryan Carr to staff the location and spearhead local growth.

Vicki Marking, director of sales and marketing, said the new office positions the company amid local growth. “There’s so much going on around us right now,” Marking said.

Carr, who lives in Saratoga, is tasked with building relationships across the region.

“I love what I do here,” Carr said. “Being able to go out to different ribbon cuttings, seeing these new businesses, introducing them to the LayerEight brand and telling them what we do is something that I’ve done a little bit before, but never on this scale.”