Saratogian's đ NFL rise, snow day
PLUS: Social report: đˇ wine, opera and Britney Spears
Welcome to this weekendâs Dish, a lighter âweekend vibesâ version of the newsier weekday Daily DispatchesâŚ
Thereâs simply nothing better than when a cinematic snowstorm falls on a non-work/school day and you can hunker down â or go out and play â stress-free.
If you get any stunning shots today and want to share with the Dispatchers (more than 4,000 of us as of yesterday!), send them to me!
Simply reply to this email with your photo/photo credit (better) and/or Instagram link (Stories donât work, only grid posts).
Stay warm, have fun,
âAbby
âď¸ Need eggs? Go now!
We hope that by now youâve run any and all errands you needed to do for the next two days. If not, youâve got about an hour or two. This post from the Broadway Deli says it all â theyâre open this morning until they close, with no intention of re-opening until Tuesday. So stock up now, Dispatchers.
[Click on the above embed to read it in its entirety.]
đĽ Remember when winters in Saratoga were slow?
This past Thursday through Saturday were so jam-packed, almost as if local party-planners were preparing ahead of time for todayâs shutdown.
Thursday: After some serious singer shuffling (ârethinking next year,â one organizer told me, âflu season and live opera donât play well togetherâ), Opera Saratoga pulled a large crowd to the stunning Union Gables for the companyâs monthly âSip & Singâ happy hour.
Friday: This weekendâs Saratoga Film Showcase kicked off with its âAfter Darkâ series of short films. After some words from the film festâs founder Spencer Sherry and Discover Saratogaâs MacKenzie Zarzycki, seven âboundary-pushingâ short stories played out on Putnam Placeâs big screen. Think: a woman who hits the park to act like a dog after being shamed during dangerous sex involving a tight dog collar, and a mysterious Kombucha that makes worms come out of your nose â but hey, you also get a lot of work done.
My favorites were the very disturbing Baby Fat, which sucked the air out of the room during a very film fest-y moment, and Affirmation, which turned âwellness cultureâ on its head in a way only the most innovative creators can. âNailed it,â agreed artist Daniel Fairley, who âlikes the weirdâ and thus has a better critical eye than I do for programs such as this one. âFilm is such a visual medium, so I want to see the story. That one didnât have many words and wasâŚpowerful.â Overall, he applauded all of the filmmakers and the âtwists and turnsâ that each delivered to the eager, artsy crowd.
Saturday: Oh boy. Just after Phila Street hotspot Standard Fare announced that itâs now open for weekend brunch, it closed yesterday for co-owner Zac Denham and friends to party like it was 2001. With the birthday boy dressed up as Justin Timberlake at the AMAs, to match a cardboard cutout of Britney Spears the year they matched in head-to-toe denim. The cut-out was a gift from husband/co-owner Clark Gale. (âHe guessed right away,â he told me, laughing. âI was so mad. One of us is too predictable, but I donât know which one.â)
There were girls serving serious Britney looks, a delicious-looking King Cake that fell splat to the floor, and an impressive mid-dance party disco nap (yes, I have the receipts). Afterwards, we blew out into the cold as if we had partied until sunrise.
It was actually about 4 p.m. and still light out.
So I headed straight to Keuka Springâs new Spring Street tasting room, which opened while I was out of town. The wines were incredible, everyone was friendly and fun, and I am committed to being a regular. They have the best wine club, too, and my new friend Amanda and I are making plans for a trip out to the Finger Lakes to see the stunning winery. Whoâs in?
đ° IN BRIEF
Itâs true: DMVs will be closed for both snow and upgrades
Anytime the DMV makes upgrades, we should perk up. In this case, itâs going to take them five days, so donât procrastinate if you need something in February. âAt 2 PM on Friday, 2/13, all DMV offices will close,â reads a warning on the departmentâs website. âPhone and online services will also be unavailable while we upgrade our systems. Offices will reopen and online services will resume on Wednesday, 2/18.â The same page has constantly-updating info about closings due to Winter Storm Fern.
đ SPORTSBALL
Saratogianâs NFL rise
I have a feeling a lot of you will be happily stuck inside watching football today⌠Anyone else also watching the current Dolphinsâ defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver, making the rounds?
Loyal Dispatch readers (and fans who get their news from outlets who donât call their sports section âsportsballâ) know that this native Saratogian is in serious play to be an NFL head coach. Yesterday, he interviewed with the Bills; for more info see Adam Shinderâs report in the Times Union. While he has some stiff competition there, he is next off to meet with the Cardinals and has other options as well.
ESPNâs Peter Schrager Tweeted (see above) about yesterday, and the moment got high marks from super-fan Del Reid â yes, the guy who coined the phrase âBills Mafia.â He commented, âHoping for an offensive minded hire but [not gonna lie] the clip of him speaking at the podium talking about the violence of football... dude is 100% head coach material.â Anthony, your hometown is watching.
đ ICYMIâŚ
Inside look: âď¸ High Peaks Resort
Bikini-clad đ horse named after...me?
Siroâs for $100 please: Miranda Rae Hart on shooting her film âOff to the Racesâ in Saratoga