Foodie rumor mill. How to see SPAC's new art.
PLUS: Opera Saratoga sells out on tour.
The music began at noon, and the audience was wearing shorts.
For one glorious spring weekend, Saratoga cooperated and saved the rain for mid-week.
Yesterday’s Sing in the Streets was so reenergizing, wasn’t it?
— Abby
Good vibes all the time!
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Alaturco sets us straight
My go-to lazy day delivery spot is Ballston Spa’s Alaturco, so I was thrilled to hear that they were doing so well they were about to expand into Schenectady.
Apparently, the good news also ignited the rumor mill.
“Okay… We Need To Clear This Up,” the restaurant posted to Facebook this morning, the dramatic Title Case catching my attention. “We’ve been getting SO many messages, calls, and questions lately asking if we’re closing our Ballston Spa location or leaving the farmers markets.”
I’m happy to report that the Mediterranean hotspot is remaining firmly in both Ballston Spa and at the farmers’ markets.
Mercifully, I’m one frequent diner who received both the panic and the all-clear in the same Facebook post. So I wanted to make sure no one else on our side of the Capital Region thought we were losing this special family restaurant.
Opera Saratoga sells out on tour
Opera Saratoga (OS) has joined forces with the esteemed Glimmerglass Festival for a touring production of Kurt Weill’s provocative musical comedy Happy End. And I just got the good news that ahead of its Saratoga stop (May 28 and 30), it’s already sold out two performances: the May 9 show at the Clark Art Institute, and one of the Glimmerglass July dates.
“I was totally surprised by just how funny it is,” says Saratoga’s Steve Rosenblum, who made his way to the Clark to catch the tour’s first sold-out performance — and immediately pointed out any bias he might have as OS’s President of the Board. “At times, I found myself laughing out loud — perhaps to the dismay of those around me!”
Bias or not, Rosenblum knows his opera, so who better to give the Dispatch a little review?
“The amazing Ana Karneža combines her sultry, silky voice with a sharp wit, and as the star-crossed lovers, Christine Taylor Price and Gregory Feldmann strike just the right balance of angst without ever becoming sappy,” he says. “I was not sure how the staging would work, given that the production will be performed in seven or eight different venues, but the set is terrific and cleverly designed to look permanent while still being easily transportable (well, with a fair amount of labor, I hear).
“I found myself completely transported and smiling throughout the entire show.”
The 75-minute Happy End will be at UPH May 28 and 30. To grab your ticket before Saratoga’s dates sell out, visit atuph.org.
Saratoga shows up to sing in the street
It felt like the kickoff to the summer season.
Twenty-three performers, 10 stages, one day of festive fun in Saratoga Springs. On Sunday, hordes of people danced, walked, sang, sashayed, ate and drank on the streets for Caffè Lena’s annual free community event, Sing in the Streets.
The show(s) went on at stages across Phila, Broadway, Putnam and Lake Avenue, with attendees soaking up the good vibes and music — but also clearly flexing their outside-in-the-sun socializing muscles after a long winter, chilly spring, and eagerly anticipated bout of rain-free weekend time!
The day was magical, the vibe was great. But after sampling songs from every stage, I had to wedge myself in a chair under a high-rise table at Putnam Place to avoid the over-eager ministrations of the sun. With a range of $6 cans on ice, and other patches of shade, I had plenty of company.
Is it too early in the season to start complaining about the heat?
How to see SPAC’s new art exhibit
There’s a certain magic to live anything — symphony, opera, ballet, theater, bands, bigger concerts. And that special something was captured beautifully in the photographs now on display as part of SPAC’s touching new art exhibit, This Place Loves You Back.
Many of the archival photos — to celebrate SPAC’s 60th anniversary — were taken by local photogs whose names you’ll recognize. Then the dreamy images were given the Whitney Browne treatment to make one cohesive show.
Anyone with fond memories of taking in live shows there (that’s all of us, right?) will really enjoy it — I gave myself a tour last week when I stopped by the Pines to check in on Live Nation. And you can, too! All ticket-holders during the classical season can stop in.
For more detail — including more from Whitney Browne, visit spac.org.
Local winery founder named top in state
Sasha Pardy, co-owner and president of Adirondack Winery and Extreme Heights Cidery and owner of Adirondack Festivals, has been named one of the New York State Restaurant Association’s “10 Women to Watch” in Hospitality for 2026, the hotspot announced today.
Pardy will be recognized during the 2026 Women in Hospitality Conference, presented in partnership with Google, June 2 in New York City.
📰 IN BRIEF
Walt Whitman, the writer
Over the weekend, Kathleen brought you the inside scoop about the lovely person, Katie Crager, behind Whitman Brewing’s Wellness Series (think early-morning meditation, for starters) — including a May 20 panel on mental health. Crager also wrote something about it that I wanted to share, because she dove deep into Walt Whitman, the writer.
In the piece, she’s chosen seven of Whitman’s most famous quotes, and writes how they affect us today.
For more on Wednesday’s panel and to read ‘I contain multitudes,’ visit Crager’s Substack.
Saratoga Joinery among local hotspots named by Philly ‘Inquirer’
Saratoga Joinery, the Bluebird Spa City Motor Lodge and Familiar Creature were some of the local hotspots recommended by the Philadelphia Inquirer in a recent “Field Trip” travel piece.
Read the article for free at msn.com.
📌 ICYMI…
Heads up: A dose of magic June 4 — plus the May 14-20 Events Calendar
Victory, at last! A 2-year treasure hunt
Short-term rental 411. ✌️ 2 new local TV shows.
🍷 Uncork a taste of Napa Wine Country without boarding a plane
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— Abby
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