Rob Reiner, remembered. Pop-up alert.
But first: Functional artwork installed downtown — a treasure trove, if you can find it.
Save the date
Discover Saratoga is already planning Chowderfest for 2026! Mark your calendars now for Saturday, February 7.
Read until the end today
I have a major surprise! And you can even participate…
Can you find it? Functional artwork installed downtown.
Saratoga Joinery’s woodworking shop threw its first annual Wine & Cheeseboards fundraiser this fall — raising $30,000 — and the sold-out event yielded some fascinating handcrafted auction items. Among the unique finds? A Little Free Library by Matt Geleta that was made with premium fumed quarter sawn white oak
And it was just installed, in time for wintery nights in with a book.
“The array of one-of-a-kind auction items, handcrafted at the Joinery, made this silent auction really stand out,” says Pam Abrams, proud owner of the little library, which Geleta just installed on Stratton Street outside the house she shares with husband, Paul Kligfield. “We felt so lucky to be the high bidders on this gorgeous library. It’s a gift for the whole street — books in, books out. What could be a better neighborhood service than that?”
For his auction donation item (the Joinery is a nonprofit organization with a mission to make woodworking accessible to all, through classes and membership), Geleta fairly quickly landed on the idea for a unique “little library” that was also beautiful, like a piece of functional yard art — but its look took a bit more time to figure out.
“A couple of the guys here were like, ‘Just stain it,’” he says. “And I was like, ‘No, I’m going to fume it.
“And I did.”
The result surprised even him — “I can’t even believe it came out,” he says, laughing.
The fuming technique — which he did in his home shop — starts with ammonia hydroxide. “It is six times stronger than your household ammonia, so you’re all suited up,” Geleta explains. “You put it in the enclosure, seal it, and leave it. Then it reacts with the tannin in the wood. The color you see is not stained; it’s fumed, permanently embedded into the wood.”
Permanently embedded — and stunning.
And already stacked with books, which are free for the taking. The idea is to leave one when you take one, but good luck finding room. Last we checked, this fumed little library was filled to the brim with books to settle into this cozy season.
Rob Reiner, remembered by Saratogian Josh Greenbaum
Award-winning director Josh Greenbaum (Strays, Will and Harper) took to social media to remember Hollywood icon Rob Reiner, whose sudden passing alongside his wife, Michele (an investigation is ongoing), has been a devastating loss. “I had the privilege of working with Rob,” wrote Greenbaum — who was born and raised in Saratoga and graduated from SSHS in 1997 — in Facebook and Instagram posts. “Between takes, I asked him the same things I’m sure everyone asks — about Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, how he made choices, how he knew when to say yes or no. He never rushed me. Never made me feel like I was repeating something he’d heard a thousand times. He looked at you when you spoke. He was fully there. And that mattered more than he probably knew. That kind of presence stays with you.”
🎄Christmas carol pop-up alert!🚨
Insider tip: If you’re downtown tomorrow morning (Tuesday), be sure to swing by Adirondack Trust at 10 a.m. — soprano Lauren Nash Silberstein and Michał Skowroneck will perform two Christmas carols there, representing Opera Saratoga.
The Capital Region’s only professional opera company is still basking in the success of its first holiday-season show, last weekend’s La bohème at UPH.
Read the Berkshire Eagle’s rave review here: Opera Saratoga’s first-ever winter offering hits its mark
PLUS: Cozy, candid pics from the Dispatch’s first (!) event, a Bohème-at-Bocage pre-game
AND: Wonder when/where the performers eat? An inside peek, during a wild two nights.
🎟️ Crowd fave: ‘Down-to-earth diva’ arrives at Caffè Lena with jazzy appeal
Local jazz fans are gearing up to welcome back Jane Monheit to the Caffè Lena stage. “She is so beloved,” says the venue’s executive director, Sarah Craig. “She’s this down-to-earth diva. She loves American Songbook standards, and a lot of people love that repertoire.” Craig is proud that Monheit, an esteemed jazz vocalist, returns to Caffè Lena, and attributes Chuck Lam’s Peak Jazz Series. “Jane plays Carnegie Hall, she plays the Hollywood Bowl, and she plays really good jazz clubs,” Craig says. “So the fact that she is starting to become a regular on our stage is this amazing validation that we’re becoming a must-play stage for jazz artists, not just folk artists.”
For Thursday night’s show, Monheit — who boasts 12 acclaimed solo albums — is coming as a duo, with pianist Max Haymer, for “a stirring emotional ride…inspired by years of friendship and collaboration.” “I credit the Peak Jazz Series,” Craig says, “and the support of jazz lovers in this community that have really turned Cafe Lena into a great space for jazz.”
For more information and grab one of the last tickets, visit caffeelena.org.
P.S.: Earlier this week, Caffè Lena announced it had received a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor, “by far” the largest in its 65-year history.
15 tickets left — total — for three extra-festive UPH shows. Here’s the breakdown.
🎟️ Jim Brickman
Showtime: Thursday, Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets left: 8
For an extra dose of super-festivity over the last weekend before the big day, UPH is ready. Thursday, piano player/headliner Jim Brickman comes to town for an “unforgettable” evening of music and stories that range from funny to heart-warming. “Jim Brickman is absolutely awesome,” says the venue’s director, Teddy Foster. “He plays the Great American Songbook songs, and this is a holiday show so he’ll play a lot of Christmas music. It’s going to be great.” Expect the popular headliner’s greatest hits such as “The Gift,” “Love of My Life” and “Destiny.” “This will sell out,” Foster told me earlier this fall — and she wasn’t kidding. At the time of this writing, there are exactly eight seats left. Get ‘em!
To grab your ticket, visit atuph.org.
🎟️ It’s a Jazzy Christmas
Showtime: Friday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets left: 7
“Jazzy Christmas is this little funky thing,” says Foster. “It’s all the music from Peanuts.” That’s right — this production features the music of Vince Guaraldi’s timeless holiday specials (and maybe an insta-nostalgic commercial or two!). “It’s really cute,” Foster says. “Families come to this, and there’s a narrator to tell the story. It’s just a cute little ditty of a thing.”
To grab your tickets, visit atuph.org.
🎟️ Ben Folds Tis the Season Tour
Showtime: Saturday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets left: 0 (SOLD OUT)
This one’s been sold out for awhile. Pop artist Ben Folds Played the City Center last year and is back in Saratoga with a new Christmas album. “This is a big deal,” Foster says, who told me months ago that he was almost sold out already, way before the holidays. “We’re very excited, and it’s going to be a great show. He’s got such a cool voice.” Folds — a cross-genre, Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter — composes new music for movies, TV and theater, and in addition to this touring performs with some of the world’s most revered symphony orchestras.
Poll results
Last week, the Dispatch asked if you wanted an events calendar — and a whopping 87% said of you said, “Yes!” So your tiny-but-mighty team of journos will work on that for the New Year. Thank you to all who voted. We love hearing from you!
I promised…
I promised a surprise for those of you who read to the end…first of all, thank you!!
Your surprise is…my wonderful co-founder and dear friend Steve Thurston is at last ready to tell his story. Yes, including why he left the Dispatch! We sit down tomorrow morning, and I’ll have our interview ready for you all by the afternoon.
Have a question for him? Simply respond to this email.
— Abby
