Drag Brunch promises 'scary fab' good time. And witches' Sat. dance party.
PLUS: Catching up on news, commissioner sues, law passes
Welcome to the Daily Dispatch!
The future of Spa City news straight to your inbox.
Halloween triple-header: UPH gets in the spirit with 3 diverse shows
UPH gets in the spirit a little early this year, with Sunday’s HalloQween drag brunch, a RISE fundraiser, and an adult Masquerave.
By: Abby Tegnelia
[For a shareable link to this story alone, click here.]
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — UPH is celebrating Halloween a little early — with spirited events starting this Sunday.
The festivities kick off with a HalloQween drag brunch with some “scary fabulous” royalty from RuPaul’s Drag Race. “Drag Me to Brunch” spotlights TV stars Mrs. Kasha Davis, Jasmine Masters, Emmy winner Laila McQueen, and Cynthia Lee Fontaine — plus local legend Stella Progress.
“It’s great to have not only local queens, but the queens that people know nationally, even internationally,” says Proctors’ Jessica Sims, an uber-fan of the TV show. “The queens that are coming are very well known to the RuPaul’s Drag Race community. Cynthia Lee Fontaine was just on the recent season of All Stars that just finished. Jasmine Masters is a really well-known personality who’s been parodied by other drag queens. And then Mrs. Kasha Davis is like the mom of all of them, who kind of runs a lot of these events to get them all together.”
The queens are doing two shows on Sunday — at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with a meet and greet in the middle. “We’ve got a good breakfast, lots of mimosas, and everything is so much fun with the queens,” says UPH Director Teddy Foster.
Five days later, RISE presents The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Celebrating its fourth year at UPH — and the iconic movie’s 50th anniversary — the night will sure to be epic, and all for a good cause.
And if you’ve never gone to a UPH rave, now’s a great time: Saturday, Oct. 25 brings Masquerave, a Halloween-inspired night of music and lights.
“This place is unbelievable for a rave; we’re an old church after all,” Foster says. “It’s all about the lights and the beat. Everybody dances, and everybody dresses up.”
The age range for past raves has cut a wide swath from 20 to 60 for the electronic dance party and laser show.
“It’s such a lovely group of people who come out,” Foster says. “A lot of people are looking for something to do for Halloween, and here you’re in a safe place, just enjoying music. Plus, a lot of these people have little children, and this date frees them up for trick-or-treating.”
For more info or to buy tickets for HalloQween, RISE Presents: The Rocky Horror Picture Show or Masquerave, visit atuph.com.
Keep reading about the performing arts scene in Saratoga Springs!
Inside SPAC’s surprise holiday series announcement
UPH continues run of sell-out shows with Saturday’s Pink Martini
SPAC brings global spotlight to Saratoga with new flamenco residency
Elections 2025
Indemnification law passes
By: Stephen Thurston
(Editor’s note: While Steve Thurston was out on vacation, a couple big stories dropped at other news locations. Here’s a rundown of one.)
From the Daily Gazette, we have the story of the revised indemnification law. The new law attempts to clearly define when a city council member, an employee or an official volunteer working for the government on a committee or task force would expect to be reimbursed for legal fees they paid if the person must hire an attorney to help in a legal case. The new version passed the city council, 3 to 2 on Oct. 7.
The old law could only indemnify those people in a civil action, not in a criminal one. (Read our coverage about that here.) It also was not clear when the city council might say no to paying for legal fees. The idea is that officials working or volunteering for the city government sometimes are drawn into lawsuits through no fault of their own, or must defend their official actions while in office or on the job. There has always been the expectation that the city would pay legal fees. (Read more about all of that here.)
Then as now, legal bills accrued because of illegal activity are still not covered by the law. Mayor John Safford was joined by Commissioner of Public Works Chuck Marshall and Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Coll in voting for the new law. Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran and Commissioner of Finance Minita Sanghvi voted against. In the Gazette’s article, Moran said he wanted an independent, outside legal counsel to offer feedback on the law before it was approved. Sanghvi wanted to discuss ongoing litigation surrounding this law before voting. (Read more about the lawsuit that instigated the revision here.)
Saratoga News
Golub files suit
Former commissioner seeks to win back $47,000
By: Stephen Thurston
(Editor’s Note: This is another story missed while Steve Thurston was on vacation.)
Official misconduct charges against former Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub were dropped last year, and Golub has filed suit to have his attorney’s fees in the misconduct case reimbursed by the City of Saratoga Springs, a story in the Times Union says. Golub first filed notice that he planned to sue over the summer. (Read about that here.)
“The City’s grotesque mistreatment of Jason, ranging from a glaringly politicized police investigation to denying Jason his clear right to indemnification of thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees to defend against the manufactured case is reprehensible,” Golub’s attorney, Brian Mahoney wrote to the Daily Gazette.
Golub is trying to win back over $47,000 that he spent defending himself against the charges. The city refused, citing a recent court decision that said they cannot reimburse for criminal lawsuits, but Golub is maintaining, among other problems, that the city must reimburse since he was not guilty in the act.
In December 2023 a city plumber spent eight minutes at Golub’s home to pour an unclogging liquid down a drain in his kitchen sink. In dismissing the charge, Judge Jeffrey Wait found that the evidence in the case did not support that Golub “knew or had reason to know” that the city employee was on the clock when he conducted the work, the Times Union story says.
This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts like this one, please subscribe and pledge $6/month or $50/year to help keep us going.
Witch Walk for a Cause
Don’t forget tomorrow’s dance practice!
[For a shareable link to this story alone, click here.]
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — So much more than a walk, the annual “witch walk” — short for the Witch Walk & Dance Animal Benefit — is returning for its fourth year this Saturday. The beloved, quirky event has grown so much in popularity that attendance sometimes tops 500. The fundraiser donates all proceeds to local animal rescue efforts.
From 2 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, witches will line the streets of downtown Saratoga. Participants are encouraged to show up wearing their best witch costume (hats, broomsticks, etc), to the lower level of the City Center parking garage (37 High Rock Ave) for a 2 p.m. start.
From there, activities will kick off at the City Center Park and throughout town until after dark. Activities include a raffle for baskets donated by local businesses, a Witches Market with local vendors, drink specials offered by participating restaurants, and hours of dancing. Be prepared for flash mobs and performances by The Witch Way Wanderers Dance Troupe.
Prep for the event by attending a free dance practice tomorrow at 5 p.m. at the City Center Park (37 High Rock Avenue).
A $30 standard donation gets you a wristband and 2025 enamel pin. You can get your wristband at Wednesday’s dance practice, reserve it online, or purchase it at the registration booth the day of the event.
The above news story was brought to you by…
ICYMI…
We would to welcome the witches
What about the "No Kings event" on Saturday!