From the editor
TGIF, Dispatchers.
Have I got a treat for you.
On Monday, I shared my joy in finding out that tourists love our beloved, very New York “crosswalk guy” voice as much as we do. And today … his big reveal!
Yes, we snagged an exclusive interview.
And yes, very much “we” — I phoned a friend for this important coverage. Actually, this story was technically a group effort.
For as much as I’m honored to have become a source regarding what’s happening in Saratoga … my resource is often YOU!
Readers, if you are sitting on a story source or idea, reply to this email right now — and tell me already.
Have a magical weekend,
— Abby
In this issue:
🗣️ We gotta guy … and you’ll recognize his voice
🍌 Bananas for bananas
🎸 Summer’s last Saturday
📩 Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe — and join the more than 6,000 of your neighbors who never miss a thing.
🀄 MAHJONG CORNER
We have a partially filled table to fill for Sunday’s mahjong! It’s a beginner’s level Open Play with instruction — so if you’re new to the game and want help with hand-building and learning the rules/strategy, this is for you!
We need two more players to fill out the four-top. We start at 4 p.m. at Whitman Brewing.
🗣️ EXCLUSIVE
The voice behind ‘BROADWAY … walk sign is ON’
“I’ve never had anyone identify me as the voice on the buttons in Saratoga,” says the man, the myth, the legend himself. Until now!
BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Ok, Saratoga … it’s time for the big “crosswalk guy” reveal — including our exclusive interview. But first, a BTS catch-up.
On Monday, I introduced you to Gaby, a lovely tourist from Florida who posted to TikTok a video of herself cracking up at the voice heard at our downtown crosswalks.
By Tuesday morning, I was sifting through all kinds of leads and theories. (Thanks to everyone for writing in!) Two specifically caught my eye, including one from retired journalist Monica Frydman — she had the contact info for both the pedestrian push button manufacturer and our local assistant city engineer.
Meanwhile, star reporter Jonathon Norcross told me that he had researched it in the past and found this guy.
(Mind: blown.)
So what happened between those humble beginnings — a Department of Transportation electrician foreman recording individual announcements to be played verbatim — and what we have today?
WHAT WE KNOW
According to the comments in Gaby’s TikTok, the same voice that plays in Saratoga can also be found in both Rochester and Elmira. And judging by the accent, the man is from downstate. But could our little slice of New York possibly have a connection?
Today's voice sounds an awful lot like that electrician supervisor in NYC. Might today's recordings be an offshoot, either via the concatenative speech synthesis used in celeb voice packs (like when Dateline's Keith Morrison could tell you to "turn right on Lake Avenue" on Waze), or is it purely AI text-to-speech (TTS) — dreams crushed?
I asked Jonathon if he wanted to make a few calls — and he agreed!
“The mystery,” he told me, “has to be solved.”
And it soon was.
EXCLUSIVE: First-ever interview with our ‘crosswalk guy’
Saratoga, the mystery has now — at long last — been solved.
According to Chris Paginello, Traffic Systems Inc.’s Upstate New York sales engineer — who lives right here in Clifton Park — the Saratoga crosswalk voice belongs to William Teese, an estimator for the company.
An “avid hockey fan who also enjoys cooking, grilling, and entertaining,” according to his company bio (which also has a pic), this father-of-three joined TSI in 2015 after earning his Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering. In his spare time, he does in-house recordings using a high-end microphone and a small studio at the company’s facility.
And Long Islander Teese gave the Dispatch his first-ever interview about his time as Saratoga’s “crosswalk guy.”
Does Teese happen to have a Capital Region connection? Yup: Teese is married to Paginello’s wife’s niece.
Let’s see if he’s ever been to Saratoga and what he had to say.
JN: Has a member of the public ever identified you as the Saratoga Springs crosswalk voice before?
WT: No.
JN: Do you ever visit Saratoga to hear your own voice?
WT: I don’t get up to Saratoga as often as I’d like. And no, I haven’t interacted with any of the push buttons using my voice there. Many of the buttons were installed within the last year to year and a half, and I haven’t been up in that time. It’s unfortunate because I’ve really enjoyed my visits to the area and the racetrack. Though with my luck at the track, my wallet certainly doesn’t.
JN: Has your voice been used in other municipalities in Upstate New York?
WT: We supply buttons across NYS, so my voice is all over. The fun one for me is the button right in front of our local [Long Island] aquarium has my voice, so my kids get a kick out of it.
📌 ICYMI…
🍌 READER FOLLOW-UP
Bananas for bananas
Stock image by Shvets Production on Pexels
Also in Monday’s Dispatch: fabulous food and wine writer Kathleen Willcox’s fall food report, which pointed out the national trend of the banana flavor. We asked any bars or restaurants to write in if they made a banana-flavored drink.
Instead, one of the Dispatch’s readers wrote in with a full report.
As I said up top, Dispatchers are elite.
“Last February in Miami I had an iced coffee drink with banana and I asked if it was a type of smoothie coffee,” says Rachel E. Beck. “They said, ‘no, it’s an iced coffee’ so I had to try it.”
In the city, “Gregorys Coffee has a peanut butter banana smoothie and I would make it ‘dirty’ with a shot of espresso. ‘Filthy’ is a double shot!”
Back in Saratoga, Beck found herself on a foodie mission. And today, she gets to share what she found:
Bear's Cup has a banana cream cold brew for summer.
“Canopy of Saratoga does monthly specials, but last spring/June they had a banana iced latte something with peanut butter cold foam.”
Hamlet & Ghost has had a banana cocktail. [We also found out that Cooperstown Distillery has, too.]
“Actually, now that I think more, Thorn & Roots has the Mr Rogers smoothie, which has Kru cold brew + banana.”
And is Beck now bananas for bananas? “Despite all this, banana is not a go-to flavor for me,” she says. “Cafe de Olla is where it’s at for me. It’s an orange spiced Mexican coffee. So much so that when I make espresso martinis, I use L’orange vodka.”
📰 BRIEF IN BRIEF
Capital Region native David Hyde Pierce (Dr. Niles Crane on Frasier) is bringing a new comedy to NBC, reports Deadline.
LIVE MUSIC
Summer’s last Saturday
The VIP Meet & Greet is sold out, but $35 regular admission tickets are still available. The contemporary Christian rock concert follows on the heels of Friday’s extremely successful Worship in the Pines festival at SPAC. “Saturday night will be a more intimate experience,” says Dottie Pepper, who’s played a huge part in getting these events off the ground in Saratoga. “Think warmly lit living room with your family as Josh and David bring their familiar worship songs and some new music, too; they both have albums coming out within the month [David’s “Well Done” came out today]. Beautiful blend of music that hits your heart with the energy of two close friends and their band mates.”
SPAC
O.A.R.’s ‘Three Decades Tour’
6:30 p.m.
CAFFÈ LENA
Clements Brothers
8 p.m.
🚨 Instead of my own sign-off, I leave you with Dan DeFedericis’ latest Column Like I See ‘Em. The publisher of my morning read, Saratoga Report, has boundless energy that I hope will rub off on me someday. Enjoy! TGIF! 🚨