đ Launch: Dispatch Dinner Club!
PLUS: Remember E. O'Dwyer's? New middle school principal.
Happy Monday, Dispatchers!
I have an exciting announcement. Letâs goooo!!
đ A great dinner party isnât just about the incredible food â itâs about the people sitting at the table.
So letâs all go have dinner â same time, different places! And with our neighbors.
đ April 8 is the official launch of the city-wide Dispatch Dinner Club, a local dining experience about connection. Youâll be matched with a table of people based on your vibe â and fill tables of 6 (community style!) at restaurants all across town.
Thatâs right â every sixth ticket purchased, I book a table at one of our favorite restaurants. So donât wait, book today!!
Ticket reserves your spot; dinner is separate.
Find out where youâre dining the day of the event. Meet your dining companions upon arrival.
You can book with a friend/partner; simply click the +1 on the invite.
After dinner, everybody heads to the Coat Room to giggle and have a nightcap about our shared experience at an exclusive after-party. (Optional but encouraged/half the fun.)
đ€ Meet new people, support our favorite restaurants â and have fun!
My friends in cities such as the Catskills, San Diego, Lancaster, Boise, Wichita, Orlando â Waterloo, Canada â have rallied the troops and brought 75 diners or more to the table.
Saratogians and lovers of Saratoga restaurantsâŠ
đȘ Can we do it?
đ§ As always, respond to this email to reach me with any questions. Hope to meet you April 8!
đ Much thanks to the eventâs sponsor, Allison Bradley of Four Seasons by Sothebyâs â and the Coat Room for hosting the after-party!
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đ° IN BRIEF
Middle school gets new principal after drama
Longtime Maple Avenue Middle School principal Scott Singerâs arrest was the talk of a parental group chat or two last fall. Now the school is on the cusp of its fresh start: Michael Lopez, who previously served as an assistant principal at Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School, will step into the role of new principal April 13, reports News10.
đŁ HEADS UP
đ» Josh Groban leads Philly Orchestra lineup
Fresh off his appearance at last nightâs Oscars, Josh Groban leads the Philadelphia Orchestra lineup (SPAC residency Aug. 5-22). Other standouts include the great Brian Stokes Mitchell, indie-folk star Gregory Alan Isakov, and Harry Potter and Star Wars family movie nights. The classical programs are an embarrassment of riches this 60th SPAC season; visit spac.org to browse.
Tickets will be available beginning today at 10 a.m. for members (tiered by level) and on March 25 at 10 a.m. for the general public; visit spac.org.
đ· Who remembers E. OâDwyerâs? Keuka Springâs first live music event just announced
Keuka Spring Vinyards announced today that its first live music event will be this Saturday â and will be an ode to the legendary E. OâDwyerâs, which stood in the very spot that the new tasting room occupies today. For the uninitiated, the three-story bar and music hall was the go-to watering hole from 1990 to 2005. âLocals still talk about it to this day, so we love that we were able to make it a bar again,â says Keuka Springâs Autumn Manning. E. OâDwyersâs âfamily membersâ Maggie Doherty and Rick Bolton will play Saturday 8 to 10 p.m.
Keuka Springs also now has happy hour! Visit Mon.-Thurs. 3-6 p.m. for $10 glasses.
đ„¶ Ready for the cold plunge?
Grand opening alert. HEAL, Infrared Sauna + Cold Plunge (433 Broadway) is officially open for business. The facility offers private treatment rooms equipped with premium Sunlighten infrared saunas and Plunge cold immersion tubs, to support recovery, stress relief and long-term health. For more info, visit its Facebook page.
đ Board of Education news now readily available
Saratoga Civic Pulse has added Board of Education meetings to its coverage lineup. To get a taste for the AI-powered summaries, founder Lawrence Toole has uploaded the Feb. 26 and March 12 reports.
đ St. Patrickâs Day is tomorrow!
Scoop up a lucky 99Âą single scoop ice cream cone at Stewartâs Shops | Or head to The Farmerâs Daughters, which opens for the season at 11 a.m. | Corned beef and cabbage is available (all week) at The Parting Glass; doors open tomorrow at 11 a.m. (go early; reservations arenât allowed) and the music starts at 1 p.m. (Full lineup) | Across the street, Henry Street Taproom â where Guinness is always available â is opening an hour early and serving $1 oysters all night.
đïž Thursdayâs my birthdayâŠand a very popular day for events.
Christopher Gonzales book event
6 p.m., Northshire Bookstore
Christopher Gonzales will read from his new memoir, Return of the Lost Son: Memories of a Wayward Father, and discuss it with Saratoga Springs poet laureate Jay Rogoff. A book signing will follow.
Saratoga Springs History Museum Presents âA Song of Yaddo: Music of Katrina Traskâ
7 p.m., Canfield Casino
This hour-long show features soprano Eileen Egan Mack and pianist Michael Clement, who will present a program highlighting Yaddo co-founder Katrina Traskâs musical work as a composer and lyricist. Interwoven throughout the performance will be biographical reflections on the visionaryâs oft-tragic life and impressive artistic circle. Tickets are $10 (free for museum members).
Jokers of Magic
7:30 p.m., UPH
These guys are the real deal. (I lived in Vegas for too long not to get that out there; these are some very familiar faces.) Eek! Led by Upstateâs own Mike Mills (a known and raved-about performer in the area), these headliners have been on all the shows (Americaâs Got Talent and Penn & Teller, Fool Us...for starters). âItâs an amazing show,â confirms UPHâs Teddy Foster, who warns that you have to be 18 to attend. âItâs an 18-plus kind of show â really, really fun.â
For tickets, visit uph.org.
đ ICYMIâŠ
In Saratoga, âhousingâ is more than a headline
EXCLUSIVE: âToga kid at center of 10-year HBO rabbit hole
What do the Olympics, âPretty Womanâ and Saratoga have in common?
Escapism, activated: Easter at Schroon Lake
Inside peek: đ· High Peaks Resort
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Planning a big event and compiling all this juicy news didnât happen by itself.
And itâs my absolute honor.
But if youâre feeling generous this week, what with St. Patrickâs Day and my birthday and the first day of springâŠeven the smallest contribution can help keep us running.
Your Dispatch is independently owned and operated, from right here on Caroline Street. Never corporate. Always local.
â Abby
I wish I could make it!