Remember these? Disposable camera pics of simpler days in Saratoga Springs
PLUS: UAlbany Law is #1. And Burger talks closing times.
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Top: Endearingly nostalgic pics that will take you back.
Mid: UAlbany Law is best for government work
Disposable camera pics add retro charm to throwback event
Turning back the clock was the only option: a photo essay of endearingly old-school (and month old) party pics of a ‘no cell phones allowed’ event.
By: Abby Tegnelia
Sep 05, 2025
Party recaps in publications like this one usually include party pics, but after attending the summer’s final Sunset Social in August, I didn’t really have any.
That’s because there was one rule for the outdoor family get-together — think kite-flying, card games and old-fashioned races — that went off every Wednesday at Pitney Meadows over the summer: no cell phones allowed.
As in, they were literally left at check-in under lock and key.
Instead, we happily surrendered to the much-needed two hours of playing outside and forgetting the hustle and bustle that comes with a Saratoga summer.
But I had forgotten that the event’s founder, Leah Ferrone of Brave Lion Mind, had had a disposable camera. Yup, a clunky disposable beauty of yesteryear. And today — 30 days later — we at last have the photos!
And they are every bit of precious, saturated nostalgia that you’d imagine.
“I remember the thrill of one-hour or two-day film developing from my teen and college days — always getting double prints for friends, of course,” Ferrone says, before admitting that those resources just don’t exist anymore. “It took two weeks for these. My friend Kristin had a Sunset Social roll that took four weeks to develop!”
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And that, she says, was part of the fun.
“Waiting was surprisingly awesome,” she says. “As cheesy as this might sound, since the event was phone free, there was never an expectation to document them. I was so present at the events that they are still very vivid in my mind, even without a single photo. So these images are just a bonus.”
The digital detox events were so successful that Ferrone is already working on their next iteration. “I'm not anti-phone or -tech, but I'm more in favor of us unplugging to grow community, curiosity and creativity,” she says. “The Sunset Socials achieved this, so really, I think we are just getting started. Stay tuned.”
For more photos, click on the embed below.
UAlbany Law is #1 for government studies
Albany Law School has been ranked the top school in the nation for government by National Jurist’s preLaw magazine, the school posted on their website. In the magazine’s 2025 back-to-school issue, a feature story on the broader theme of public service law details how public service law works and the ways in which those lawyers work, often to help the marginalized or disadvantaged.
“As the only law school located in New York State’s capital, Albany Law School benefits from unmatched proximity to state government institutions, including the governor’s office, legislature, courts and key agencies. We rank the law school No. 1 for Best School in Government,” magazine editors wrote.
Albany Law School’s employment numbers back up the ranks, the law school said. With a 93% employment rate for the Class of 2024, many of those employed have landed in public service roles— 53% of Albany Law’s Class of 2024 entered public service, with 29% in government roles, 18% in public interest positions and 6% clerking for judges.
Saratoga Springs: Burger highlights closing times in campaign speech
She is running to be one of two county supervisors from the City of Saratoga Springs.
By: Stephen Thurston
Sarah Burger, the one-time chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Party, said in an interview and before a group of supporters that her campaign planks include changing the closing time of the county’s bars to 2 a.m. and that working across the aisle with people from other parties is a requirement of the job.
She is running to be one of two county supervisors from the City of Saratoga Springs. Her campaign held the event at the Saratoga Automobile Museum, Sept. 4, 2025.
Endorsed by both the Democratic Party and the One Saratoga group, Berger highlighted
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