The Saratoga New Year’s Fest will be back for its second year with a full holiday weekend of entertainment and celebration leading into the new year.

The multi-venue, weekend-long festival, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 29, through Monday, Jan. 1, is anticipated to be bigger and better with additional venues, expanded programming and outstanding talent, event officials said.

Headlining this year’s lineup are seven-time Grammy nominee Joan Osborne, who made her way onto the Billboard charts in the mid-1990s with her hit single “One of Us,” along with fellow Grammy nominee Robert Randolph bringing his blues, rock and gospel sound to the Spa City. Country bluegrass band The Gibson Brothers, a nationally touring act with roots in upstate New York, will also perform.

Also slated to perform as part of the Saratoga New Year’s Fest are Dogs in a Pile, Organ Fairchild, Tracy Bonham, Toubab Krewe, Ward Hayden & the Outliers, GA-20, DJ Logic, The Swing Docs and more to be announced.  

In addition to the many indoor live performances happening at venues throughout downtown Saratoga Springs, this year’s festival will include a free family, family-friendly concert at 5 p.m. and a fireworks display at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve at Ellsworth Jones Place outside of the Saratoga Springs City Center. 

By Christine Graf

Christine Hernandez is the new owner of The Broadway Grind at 493 Broadway in Saratoga Springs. The Long Island native is also the owner of Allo Saratoga, a business that opened at 25 Lawrence St. in November 2021.

“Allo has an indoor play space for children, and in addition to open play, we have classes for kids as well as workshops for parents, childbirth education classes, and new parenting groups,” said Hernandez. “I always wanted to own a coffee shop, and when I saw that Broadway Grind was for sale, I realized it was the perfect opportunity to marry the two businesses. I can walk between the two spots, and I’m pretty hands-on at each business.”

The Broadway Grind seats 25 and has a patio and sidewalk permit. Since taking over ownership of the coffee shop in July, Hernandez has been focused on growing the business. “We already have some collaborations lined up,” she said. “We have some events planned for after hours. We have a cookie and coffee event with Scotia Sweets and an event with the Norwegian Candle Co. We also plan on doing more collaborations,” she said. Hernandez also hopes to partner with local food businesses to host what she describes as pop-up dinner residencies at The Broadway Grind.

By Paul Post

Greg Connors has deep roots in Saratoga County, which makes him a good fit for growing its multifaceted economy with strong manufacturing, retail, hospitality, tourism and agricultural sectors.

After 10 years at GlobalFoundries, he took over as Saratoga Economic Development Corporation’s chief executive and president on Sept. 5.

A former Stillwater town supervisor, he was instrumental in creation of Luther Forest Technology Campus where GlobalFoundries is located. He was responsible for GlobalFoundries’ government relations in New York and Vermont where the company has a large manufacturing facility in Essex Junction near Burlington.

“I interacted with governors, legislators, regulators, regional and local governments in both states,” Connors said. “I think I took them as far as I could. It was simply time for a change. My main goal here at SEDC is to be more collaborative and cooperative with community and business stakeholders and economic developers throughout the county and Capital Region. I want to work with our staff and board of directors to enhance the image of SEDC going forward, and continue the work done by this organization over the last 40 years, which has had great success during that time.”

Connors succeeds Dennis Brobston, who retired Dec. 31 after 14 years at the agency.

Prior to joining GlobalFoundries, Connors was a real estate broker and appraiser for many years, and is a past president of the New York State Association of Realtors.

His family owns and operates The Connors Agency LLC, in Mechanicville, an insurance, real estate and financial services company started by his father 65 years ago and now run by Connors’ siblings. His wife and brother operate the more than century old Matrazzo Florist shop in Mechanicville.

By Susan Elise Campbell 

Following a two–year search for space in Saratoga Springs, owner Troy Miller has begun his latest expansion of The Bunker, an indoor golf simulator, restaurant, upscale pub and event center at Congress Park Center, 307 Broadway.

Miller said golf has been the number one sport during the pandemic because outdoor gatherings were allowed. He and minority partner Robert McKutcheon opened the Clifton Park location only last year, saying, “it’s a scary thing to push forward into Saratoga, but I am glad we did.”

In the prior 12 months other locations were opened in New Hartford, Utica, North Greenbush, and Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady. 

The newest location will occupy two floors and Miller said they will build stairs between the floors for a total of 11,000 square feet, making it the largest location.

“Saratoga is probably the most well-known gem in the Capital District, and we are happy to have some level of control over the entrance to it,” he said. 

Northshire Bookstore celebrated 10 years in its Saratoga location of 424 Broadway in August.

The store is an award-winning independent bookstore, founded by Ed and Barbara Morrow on Main Street in Manchester Center, Vt., in 1976. The Saratoga Springs location opened in August of 2013. 

Both Northshire Bookstore locations are now owned and operated by sisters Cathleen Ihasz, Nicole Ihasz and Ashley Ihasz-Austin.

“Saratoga Springs understood the value of a downtown bookstore and effectively lobbied, invested and supported us,” said  Nancy Scheemaker, general manager of the Saratoga store. “We are of course deeply grateful for this passion and vision. We are grateful also for a decade of support that we could only have dreamed of prior to experiencing the real thing.”

Over the last decade, Northshire has presented more than a thousand author events in Saratoga Springs, hosted children’s programming and brought authors into area schools, partnered with local not-for-profits, and has worked with our customers to provide free children’s books to area children via our Book Angels program. 

By Ann Donnelly

Matthew Sanchez and Colin Hunt were working together at 9 Miles East Farm in Saratoga when Sanchez got a call from his previous employer, John Cannone, who said that after 39 years as owner of Cannone’s Deli, he was ready to retire. He suggested Sanchez take over. 

In August, Sanchez and Hunt became owners of the popular deli at at 654 Saratoga Road, Gansevoort.

Sanchez and Hunt both have had long careers in the food industry. Sanchez attended the French Culinary Institute in the 1990s after working as a chef in the military. Hunt has worked in the kitchens of some of Saratoga’s popular eateries, like Cantina and Druthers. 

After taking over at Cannone’s, Sanchez and Hunt closed for just two days to clean and paint, giving the shop a fresh look. 

“That is the only drastic change we will make for now. The last thing we wanted to do is come in and upset the apple cart,” said Sanchez. “Loyal customers, the same faces I saw when I worked here five years ago, keep the place going.”

Saratoga and Lake Placid-based marketing agency Workshop received three 2023 New York State Tourism Excellence Awards, including for the Battles of Saratoga 250th anniversary’s branding and logo development.

The agency also received awards for creative campaigns promoting tourism in the Catskills and Adirondacks.

“These wins represent something more than Workshop’s creative talents,” said Tim Kelleher, Workshop president. “The awards reflect inspired efforts made by communities, like Saratoga, to redefine tourism in this richly vibrant state.”

Members of Workshop’s creative team accepted the awards at the New York State Tourism Industry Association’s annual conference held in September in Rochester.

The awards program recognizes “the outstanding work of New York state’s destination marketing organizations, attractions, and other tourism- related businesses in all forms of marketing, destination management and stewardship.”

Workshop designed the logo and branding kit for the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga, famed for being the turning point of the American Revolution. The Battles of Saratoga were a series of engagements that took place from Sept. 19 to Oct. 7 in 1777, resulting in the first-ever surrender by a British army. A county-based committee was provided several logo designs to consider before selecting what was to ultimately be the award- winning logo.