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From the editor
Happy vibrant fall weekend, Dispatchers.
If you haven’t gotten out among the leaves yet, this is your weekend: crisp, sunny and perhaps our last at peak color. This edition is packed with ways to get out there and take it all in.
I’m doing my part. Last night, I was at a pumpkin patch warming up with hot cider. Mr. Dispatch and I are in the Finger Lakes until Sunday, when I’ll head home in time for ghost stories with Haunted Saratoga.
I also ate out a lot this week, which helped restore my faith after some ugh-level service this summer. Shout-outs below.
See you out there,
— Abby
In this issue:
🀄 Tile me all about it — let’s Mahj!
🎃 Pumpkin smash
🙅♀️ ‘Limit order reached’
🍂 Emily’s baaaack
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🀄 MAHJONG CORNER
Rack ‘n’ roll! 37 players (including 16 first-timers!) are already signed up for our next weekend. Join the fun!
Open Play: Sunday, Nov. 1 @ 12:30/1 p.m. — all levels!
Beginner Class: Tuesday, Nov. 3 @ 5 p.m. — no experience necessary!
This weekend in the Adirondacks: Pleasant weather as fall foliage comes to a close.
🥟 4 quirkiest & most delicious upstate food & fun festivals
Fantastic sunny weather ahead for soaking in the last weekend of peak leaf peeping. (Stock image of Mirror Lake by James Mirakian on Pexels)
Breaking news, folks: Upstate New York loves to eat and have fun. Whether you plan to spend the winter zipping down mountains on skis or boards, or hiding inside by the fire, it’s essential to soak up the Vitamin D and carb-load now — and we’re here to help.
Last Chance To Peep the Foliage on October 24 and 25
West Mountain in Queensbury. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It’s the last weekend of West Mountain’s Fall Festival! Head up for pumpkin painting, scenic chairlift rides, hay wagon rides, yoga on the mountain, aerial treetop fun, and so much more. Including (of course!) great food, beer and spirits tastings, and mountaintop picnic packages.
Get Autumnal and Spooky on October 31
Hudson Avenue and the Stillwater Public Library in Stillwater. Noon to 4 p.m.
This small-town celebration of all things fall and Halloween is a regional favorite because all of Stillwater and beyond shows up. (It’s particularly great for parents of very young kids who aren’t quite ready to commit to an all-night trick or treat sugar-fueled fiasco). There is trick-or-treating, a monster mash dance party, games, activities and live entertainment.
Get Chunkin’ With Pumpkins on November 7
1 Canada Street in Lake George. Noon to 4 p.m.
If you have a vendetta against root vegetables, or pumpkins in particular, this is the event for you. This ridiculous but delightful pumpkin smash happens every year at a field behind High Peaks Distilling. Enjoy the chaos as pumpkins soar from catapults and slingshots, with a backdrop of live performances, medieval demos, great local food, and all the beer on tap at the nearby Adirondack Pub & Brewery. BYOP!
Taste Russia on November 7
617 Sand Creek Road in Albany. All day.
The Nativity of the Mother of God Orthodox Church is holding its annual much-beloved community event on Saturday, with a range of homemade Russian and Eastern European foods, folk dancing, and a beer tent with an impressive selection of Eastern European and Baltika brewskis. There will be activities for kids. Come for the Shashlik (grilled skewered meats) and Golubtsi (cabbage stuffed with seasoned meat) and stay for the Vareniki and Pierogis.
🍽️ DISH
After a wave of local influencers was called in to flood everyone’s feeds, 15 Church’s brand-new Cheesesteak Alley ($24 wagyu cheesesteaks, made fresh) has scored the ultimate foodie flex: sold out (“order limit reached”) status that one hungry source compared to “trying to get a picnic table on Travers Day.” “The first few days were a two-day wait,” says another source who’s still trying to get her hands on one. An original idea in this town? Now that’s worth the wait.
Wholly unsolicited shout-out to two restaurants that went above and beyond this week: Olde Bryan Inn and Next Door Kitchen. Locals’ season is officially open.
📌 ICYMI…
📰 IN BRIEF
Saratoga fan favorite jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has had a tough year. After an injury here at the Spa took him out for weeks, he went down again at Keeneland — and will miss the Breeders’ Cup due to a broken ankle, reports the Daily Racing Form.
Saratoga Arts’ Film Forum resumes next Thursday at its Dee Sarno Theater. (Think fresh-made popcorn and the best indie, docs and foreign films.) First up: High Anxiety.
Mostly Modern’s Fab5 will put on a “concert by candlelight” at Saratoga Arts on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. (Saratoga’s Spencer Sherry will even take the stage.)
🍂 WHAT TO DO
7 fall-tastic activities to do this weekend
Emily has the most exquisite taste — click on the embedded pic below!
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