"Lean-in to" this showcase of homes entry. UPH gets "Last Comic Standing."
Plus: Bookfest schedule and all the fun.
Welcome to the Daily Dispatch, the future of Spa City news straight to your inbox.
In this edition:
Top: We’ve got the Book Fest schedule!
Mid: “Last Comic Standing” at UPH.
Bottom: BOCES students make the tiniest of tiny houses for Showcase of Homes!
Book Fest kicks off tonight! Here’s your agenda.
A ‘bookish’ party tonight, HGTV stars, a TV pilot filmed locally and an A-list foodie? The Saratoga Book Festival is jam-packed. — let’s get into it.
Oct 03, 2025
This exciting Positively Saratoga news is brought to you by our friends at Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
Friday night
6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Calling all book lovers! Tonight’s the night to prove your dedication to the written word. Starting at 6 p.m., browse dozens of booths at UPH’s Night Market — chat with authors, grab a drink and soak in the spirit of Saratoga’s book fest, where our collective love of reading takes center stage. free event
New Book Festival party taps into fall’s buzziest new aesthetic
Saturday
10:30 a.m., Maple Avenue Middle School
Family Keynote
All-ages fun with popular Kate Dimillo and Caldecott-winning illustrator Sophie Blackwell — and their new book, Lost Evangeline. Tickets required.
2:30 p.m., Saratoga Music Hall
Not an Ordinary House (headliner)
DIY lovers dream event with restoration royalty Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein of Cheap Old Houses fame and TikTok/TV stars Chloe Barcelou and Brandon Batchelder, authors of Tales of a Not So Tiny House (it’ll be here!). free event
Saturday Early Evening
4 p.m., Holiday Inn
Rom Com Happy Hour
London Sperry and Nic DiDomizio spill the tea on what it’s like writing those juicy beach reads none of us can live without. free event
Relax in between sessions at Bookmakers!
5:30 p.m., Holiday Inn
Screening of Books, a TV pilot filmed in Troy
The cast and crew will be there at this can’t-miss event — screening of Books, followed by a lively discussion with its creators. free event
TV pilot filmed in Troy has upstate premiere Sat. in Saratoga
Saturday night
7 p.m., Caffè Lena
Living in the Present with John Prine by Tom Piazza
Music, tall tales and stories of a decades-long friendship with a music legend — don’t miss what promises to be an unforgettable evening with author John Prine. tickets required
Celebrate the legendary John Prine through the eyes of Tom Piazza,
Sunday
11 a.m., UPH
The Paris Novel with Ruth Reichl (headliner)
A-list foodie Ruth Reichl (think LA Times and Gourmet magazine for starters) sits down with Saratogian Tiina Loite for a lively chat about an enviable career — and she’s bringing treats! tickets required
1 p.m.-4 p.m., Saratoga Springs Public Library
KidZone
Over 25 local children’s authors and entertainers stir up fun for all ages!
Storybook magic: Book Fest’s (free!) KidZone claims its own even
‘Last Comic Standing’ winner Josh Blue hits UPH tomorrow night
Popular comedian — and impressive paralympic athlete — Josh Blue brings the comedy that made him a TV star to Saratoga.
By: Abby Tegnelia
[For a shareable link to this story alone, click here.]
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Comedian Josh Blue has become a bona fide TV star, but that hasn’t slowed down his love of touring. His next stop? UPH at 7:30 tomorrow night.
“We’re selling extremely well for him, so the energy in the building will be great,” says UPH’s executive director, Teddy Foster. “He’s been making his rounds on TV, so he’s a name that a lot of people know.”
Indeed. After winning Last Comic Standing in 2006, he “crushed” his set on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and came in an impressive third place on America’s Got Talent. Booked and blessed, he’ll do more than 200 live stand-up shows this year.
“He’s a Paralympic athlete and talks about having a disability and being a single dad,” Foster says. “He’s doing all of these pretty amazing things — and he’s hilarious.”
To join the party, visit atuph.org.
Think big, build small: Students’ tiny home hits Showcase
After two years of sweat and sawdust, five BOCES seniors unveil their ambitious tiny home project at Saratoga’s Showcase of Homes this weekend.
By: Abby Tegnelia
[For a shareable link to this story alone, click here.]
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Saratoga’s premier new home tour has its eye on the future.
A group of WSWHE BOCES students — some of whom could join the next generation of star builders — will unveil a two-year construction project at the Showcase of Homes, presented October 4-5 (this weekend) and October 11-12. Their home? An Adirondack log cabin-style tiny house with a lean-to roofline.
“These students started last October with a J & J Trailers and donated foam from North East Spray,” says the class’s instructor, John Coffinger. “After the installation on the flooring was complete, we started framing.”
While the seniors from last year aren’t around to see the final product, five students have been with the tiny home from start to finish — and will be on hand at DeGraff Bloom Custom Builders Showcase home #10 during all four days of the Showcase (see the event’s map for details).
After building nine modular homes with previous classes, Coffinger tackled a tiny house (built more for a camp than full-time living) for the first time for this project. The small dwellings have become a popular trend in recent years, as many people fall in love with the minimal lifestyle — and reduced costs — of having a 400-square-foot home. The BOCES house is even smaller at eight feet by 24 feet, with a small bathroom and a handy Murphy bed that opens up some space during the day. Cabinets are on order, as is a sink and fridge.
To receive new posts that share community stories like this one, please subscribe! To help keep us going, please consider a paid subscription of just $6/month ($50/year).
“The students do everything from beginning to end,” says Coffinger, who’s been a BOCES instructor for 24 years. “They do the wall framing, roofing and siding. They install the windows and the door, and they even did the wiring. The plumbing was the only thing we had a guy come in and help a little bit with that.”
After two years of hard work, Coffinger lit up when asked about the pay-off.
“It was pretty exciting when it all pulled together and the siding went up,” he says. “That’s when the kids really saw that, ‘Hey, this actually looks like something!’ The biggest ‘a ha’ moment was the day — not long ago — that we plugged it in and everything worked. We all shared a moment of, ‘thank goodness.’”
Buy Showcase tickets online or at any showcase home during tour hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Tickets are $25 and come with a now-signature shoe-tote bag.)
Showcase proceeds benefit Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties . For more information and to buy tickets, visit saratogashowcaseofhomes.com.
Keep reading!
Tiny houses are the rage. Find out where you can see another this weekend!
