Best sale shopping? 🦞 Maine-core.
BUT FIRST: A local legend's memoir drop.
Hey, Dispatchers!
Anyone else catch up on life over the glorious three-day weekend only to fall behind again? It’s that time of year!
But at least it’s not next week. Next week is going to be insane. 🏇
Rest up.
— Abby
Good vibes all the time!
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Big book drop tomorrow
Legendary race caller Tom Durkin's memoir, A Life's Calling, drops tomorrow — perfectly timed to relive his greatest calls and gear up for the Belmont. “There’s a lot of Saratoga in it,” Durkin promised me, when we chatted last month.
And his favorite memory from his years at the Spa? The day he retired: Sunday, August 31, 2014. “Thirty-eight thousand people showed up that day in the driving rain,” he said of his iconic retirement ceremony in the winner’s circle. “It just gives me goosebumps thinking about it. People were crying.”
To read a local’s book review, visit saratoga-report.com.
To buy the book or a ticket to have it autographed by the man himself, visit northshire.com.
Speaking of books…
SPAC’s spring Culinary Arts ended with a bang last week, celebrating the launch of A Kitchen on Goose Cove: Recipes from the Heart of Maine. And we’re talking rugged, bucket list, waaaay out there Maine — where Devin Finigan built her destination dining masterpiece, Aragosta.
The waiting list for the event was longer than there were seats, and the whole party had that special “grand finale” vibe. Once we were seated for dinner, the blazing sun seemed to take eons to set … and WAMC’s Joe Donahue was a little loopier than when he is recording. Plus, we happened to blindly sit at a table where friends had saved their seats.
We ate purple ceviche and lobster as the conversation zipped from (maybe?) pulling up to Finigan’s storied restaurant via seaplane, to tales of the critical darling restaurant that is so remote, some staff live there during the season rather than try to commute.
The mood was very “what’s going to happen next.” Because with that special spark in the air, just about anything might.
DMVs closed tomorrow
All Saratoga County DMV locations will be closed tomorrow (Thursday, May 28) for training and an employee event. The three locations — Ballston Spa, Clifton Park and Wilton — will reopen the next day at 8 a.m. In case your TGIF plans include getting a new driver’s license.
📰 IN BRIEF
A fatal, one-person crash at Saratoga County Airport was reported earlier today by the FAA, writes the Times Union.
Ed and Lisa Mitzen sold their North Broadway carriage house (that has a lot of local history) for $2 million, reports Albany Business Review.
Do you agree with Kurt Rossner’s picks for the Old Smoke Clothing Company owner’s “Local’s Guide” to Saratoga? Check out America’s Best Racing.
Postscript…
Nothing makes me happier than hearing positive news come out of a past Dispatch. Ashley Salvatore searched for a Saratoga Hidden Horseshoe for two years — before she found victory at last. Her enthusiasm spread after we published Finders Keepers. “I’ve had so many people start searching because of it,” she writes.
…and a PSA
While she had me, the animal lover added, “Tell everyone to check their dryer vent!!!!” Her friend had called for an HVAC guy (she was praying he was hot) after finding baby birds in hers. “So I checked mine and lo and behold,” Salvadore says. “I had four living in mine!” She and her husband made a makeshift nest, and the mom came back the next day. The couple fell in love with the babies for two and a half weeks — a favorite was named Popsicle — before they all flew away.
“But bottom line: Check YOUR dryer vent. This is a straight-up fire hazard.”
You heard her.
Around town
The 250th is going to be so exciting for Saratoga … and landmarks such as Adirondack Trust are already getting in the spirit.
After much anticipation, The Sale Room is opening tomorrow! Stop in to shop sale items from Heidi Owen West’s three stores — Lifestyles, Caroline + Main and Union Hall.
📌 ICYMI…
Driving from AZ for 🏇 Belmont? — and the classical/jazz schedule from now until June 11
A debate with legs. 📸 Flower & Fruit pics.
Uncorking a delicious 150-year overnight success
Foodie rumor mill. How to see SPAC’s new art.
Short-term rental 411. ✌️ 2 new local TV shows.
🙌 Support the Dispatch
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Local, real, never corporate.
— Abby
