County hits autumn Top 10. Booking tickets for special book fest events.
Also: An election year dust-up over endorsements.
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In this edition:
Top, Positively: Saratoga County makes top 10 in USA Today’s readers’ survey.
Mid: Book tickets for special book fest events.
Bottom: Dueling letters. Democrats and One Saratoga spar over endorsements.
Saratoga County hits Top 10 Best fall trips in USA Today reader’s poll
Check out the upcoming events
This exciting Positively Saratoga news is brought to you by our friends at Discover Saratoga.
Find a shareable link to this story by clicking here.
Discover Saratoga is proud to announce that Saratoga County has placed seventh out of ten destinations for “10 Best Spots in the US to visit this Fall” in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. This recognition highlights the treasures of Saratoga County, such as the vibrant seasonal foliage, breathtaking boat tours and autumnal events that attract visitors year after year.
The list of 20 nominees was selected by an expert panel, and the final results were determined by public vote.
“We’re thrilled to have landed in the top 10 of best places to visit in the fall for the second year in a row,” said Darryl Leggieri, president of Discover Saratoga, Saratoga County’s official tourism promotion agency.
“This recognition demonstrates all that Saratoga County offers as an exceptional autumn getaway. Not only does the season make us think of outdoor beauty, but delicious flavors.
“Discover Saratoga is excited to support some tasty annual events in the coming months,” Leggieri said.
Visitors to Saratoga County have numerous fall-themed activities to enjoy, including soaking in the season’s colorful scenery at Mountain Airstrip Farm, picking apples and petting friendly animals at Bowman Orchards or taking a fall train ride on the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway.
Click here for more information about visiting Saratoga County. You can find trip ideas, restaurants, hotels and more.
Select Upcoming Discover Saratoga Fall Events
8th Annual Wing-Off
Hosted by Discover Saratoga, Saratoga’s 8th Annual Wing-Off will take place on Oct. 18, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
20th annual Restaurant Week
The 20th Anniversary of Saratoga County’s Original Restaurant Week, will happen Nov. 3 through 9. Enjoy three-course dinners for $25 or $35 and lunch specials for $15 (plus tax & tip) at participating Saratoga County restaurants during Restaurant Week.
Click here for a full list of Discover Saratoga events.
Keep reading!
Bela Fleck and Ruth Reichl are 2 of the Book Fest’s hottest tickets (literally)
In a sea of free Saratoga Book Festival sessions, these ticket-required events require commitment: Think concerts, celebs and an A-list foodie armed with treats.
By: Abby Tegnelia
For a shareable link to this story alone, click here.
Most of the Saratoga Book Festival (Oct. 2-5) is absolutely free — with a few big headliners doing extra-special, one-off events that require a show ticket. So whether your heart belongs to books, music or food — or all three — it’s commitment time, folks! Here are the book fest’s four hottest tickets.
Oct. 2, Beyond the Book performance by Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañada and Antonio Sánchez, UPH
Grab your ticket before it’s too late (more than 400 sold so far!): Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez will get the Saratoga Book Festival off to a rocking star (their music has been called a “bold blend” of jazz, classical and Latin) at UPH on Oct. 2. Fleck, with 19 Grammys under his belt, will be on the banjo — you might recognize him from his turns on the SPAC stage with the Dave Matthews Band. He’s teaming up with Castañeda on the harp and Sánchez on the drums. “We’re very excited to have Béla Fleck here; he is an amazing performer,” says UPH’s executive director, Teddy Foster. “He’s a big deal. That show is going to be incredible.”
For more info and to buy tickets, visit atuph.org.
Oct. 4, Family Keynote: Kate DiCamillo and Sophie Blackwell, Maple Avenue Middle School Auditorium
Acclaimed children’s author Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn-Dixie) will dazzle the littles (and adults, too) with two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall at this can’t-miss event. The pair collabed for the stunning new Lost Evangeline, which they’ll be signing on Oct. 4. (A book comes with your ticket; check out the link for package options.) “When you have a Caldecott-winning medalist on the stage with someone as big as Kate DiCamillo, you know it’s going to be a wow-factor event,” says the book festival’s co-chair, Jennifer Allen. “You’ll be able to buy some of their other books, too. I couldn’t recommend these imaginative collector’s items anymore. They’re brilliant.”
For ticket and book options, visit friends.sspl.org.
Oct. 4, Living in the Present with John Prine by Tom Piazza, Caffè Lena
Celebrate the legendary John Prine through the eyes of Tom Piazza, a Yaddo alum who traveled with the late, great singer/songwriter on a fateful writing assignment in the ‘70s. Piazza ended up becoming a dear friend and later, his memoirist. They weren’t quite done when Prine died of COVID in April 2020, but Piazza honored his late, great friend by finishing the book, Living in the Present — which he’ll read from on Oct. 4 at Caffè Lena. Expect personal stories, too, and maybe some tall tales. And yes, Piazza will play some of Prine’s songs. “Tom has this amazing presence,” Allen says. “Music lovers of all kinds won’t want to miss this peek behind the scenes.”
For more info and to grab your ticket, visit caffelena.org.
Oct. 5, Headline Event: A Conversation with Ruth Reichl and Tiina Loite, UPH
Foodie alert! Ruth Reichl — who was honored with the James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award last year — will sit down with retired New York Times editor and Saratogian Tiina Loite to discuss Reichl’s second novel, The Paris Novel…and we’ll see where else the conversation leads. “We will dip into her previous books too and her career in general,” says Loite. “I mean, we have to — her trajectory is incredibly interesting, with so many directions to go in during a conversation. And they all involve food.” With that in mind, this event promises a yummy treat or two, too.
“Ruth Reichl is a rock star in the culinary world,” Loite says of the former restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, and editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. “It doesn’t get much more prestigious than all of that.”
For more info and to reserve your spot, visit atuph.org.
Keep reading about the Saratoga Book Festival!
New Book Festival party taps into fall’s buzziest new aesthetic
Storybook magic: Book Fest’s (free!) KidZone claims its own event
Saratoga News
Dueling letters over endorsements
Dems and One Saratoga trade barbs and a question of tactics
By: Stephen Thurston
The Real One Saratoga, the political group in Saratoga Springs with the tagline “City before Party” sent an email Thursday with the subject line “Setting the Record Straight.” In it they assert that a letter written by the city’s Democratic committee on Sept. 13, is misleading and that One Saratoga is still, as it has been, nonpartisan.
What makes this a bigger political dust-up this year is that One Saratoga petitioned for, and gained, a line on the November ballot. Along with the Democrats, Republicans, Working Family, and Conservative parties, the ballot will also contain a line for One Saratoga’s endorsed candidates.
One Saratoga is not a political party but a small group of about 16 people who endorse candidates they feel are best for city positions, regardless of party. This gives some voters cover, leaders of One Saratoga and the Democrats said. And Democrats say that is all part of a Republican ploy to tip the scales their way.
Giving voters cover
Voters who do not like Republicans generally, or who do not want to support the MAGA movement, might still like a candidate who appears on the Republican line.
The One Saratoga line allows the voter to vote for the candidate without supporting the GOP, or any other, party.
“Clearly, this is not a nonpartisan exercise, and the reason that, tactically, the Republicans need an additional line is because there’s so many people that regard the Republican brand as toxic, they don’t want to vote for Republicans on the Republican line, so they, you know, present this, this mask, this alternative, to give them a different place to vote for Republicans,” said Gordon Boyd, a Springs’ Democrat and a member of the New York State Democratic Committee.
Not so, says Courtney DeLeonardis, the head of The Real One Saratoga, and a former Democrat and party leader.
“If [voters] are not comfortable voting on the Democrat or Republican line, it’s, you know, an option,” for them to support the candidate without supporting the party, she said. It was not an effort to support one party or another but to support the strongest candidates.
“They’re wonderfully qualified,” DeLeonardis said of the One Saratoga endorsees. “They are not extremists on either end. They are moderate people that want to work together and get government done.”
This year One Saratoga has endorsed three Democrats, three Republicans and one person who is unaffiliated with any party.
Which party is which?
But the rub is that
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