Thank you for being a … friend?
From the editor
Happy Thursday, friends.
Tomorrow’s a very special day at the track: Thoroughbred Aftercare Day.
Here’s what I know:
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will occupy the Community Booth next to the Jockey's Silks Room from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.; the fourth race is named for the TRF; other aftercare groups will also be recognized over the course of the afternoon.
And, the racetrack ponies will also be honored!
Years go, when I was still pretty new to racing, I told a friend’s son that they were the “friends” who made sure the horses that were racing weren’t alone as they headed to the starting gate. I wasn’t that far off, as it turned out — but now I know they’re called “racetrack ponies.” And they’ll get their moment in the sun tomorrow.
Swoon.
— Abby
In this issue:
The band Train is tireless
Support your local “creatives” this Saturday
Why the Travel Channel is headed to downtown Saratoga
🎟️ HOT TICKET
Old Tavern Flower Farm hosted the band Train yesterday before the band’s concert at SPAC. Fun fact: the guys’ former (long-time) drummer, Scott Underwood, is from Saratoga.
📰 IN BRIEF
A small hay fire at the track has been ruled “suspicious,” reports CBS6.
Many a Saratogian performing arts junkie has grabbed a bite at The Nest before a show at Proctors; now the successful restauranteurs are opening up a new NYC-supper club, writes the TU’s Steve Barnes — who this week celebrated 30 years with the paper.
Dylan Davis talks about his “comeback” in an interview with Spectrum News.
Step Right Up for a Big Gay Summer Market
Cyren Romeo launched A Big Gay Market with a garage sale in 2022 and was so inspired by the passionate response, they realized that creating a safe space for queer- and gender-expansive creatives and makers in the 518 that went well beyond one big sale.
Today, Romeo runs 10+ regional and curated pop-ups throughout the year, with revenue from the successful markets going toward LGBTQ+ advocacy programs. (So far, $20,000+ has been raised.) And Saratoga is the next pop-up: Saturday at 11 a.m. at Saratoga Arts.
Allies and community members will find artisans such as print makers, authors and mediums. Plus: “They’ll be able to partake in live print-making with Opal Hexen and a Sapphic Open Mic facilitated by Nancy Klepsch.”
The event, Romeo says, is a proud testament to the resilience of the sapphic community, “especially our elders, who paved the way for us to gather in these spaces in joy and as our fullest, most authentic selves. Supporting your local creatives — the artists who shape our region's culture for the better — gives back directly to your neighbors and redistributes wealth and resources within the community.”
📌 ICYMI…
Frances Day 2026 rocked
The Frances Day ‘26 rain-out actually proved to be a net-positive, because it focused all of the activities into one manageable space.
Pinch pots were shaped (thanks to the patient souls of Saratoga Clay Arts Center), tours of All These Growing Things and Kathy Butterly: Assume Yes were made, rainy hills were tirelessly romped upon, and the Troy-based Great Mutations performed against a backdrop of cavorting children (and their mothers).
The day was not only a powerful testament to Frances Young Tang, but also to the power of community and art in Saratoga Springs.
Get crafty: Kids’ craft kits are available weekly before Tang Upbeat on the Roof, and check out the museum’s calendar for future family events — including Family Saturday Aug. 1. (Frances Day pics courtesy of Tang Teaching Museum)
EVENTS CALENDAR July 23-29 💃🎤🌙
🎟️ FEATURED EVENT
Heads up: Why a Travel Channel investigator is coming to Saratoga
Two Travel Channel stars (including Jack Kenna, shown) will be leading “interactive and immersive activities” at Haunted in New York on August 15. Says founder Shelley Pettit, “It’s not just an event … it’s an encounter.”
Upstate New York’s dense concentration of pre-Civil War mansions, ancient inns, ghost stories and abandoned asylums has made it a rich stomping ground for Travel Channel shows such as Haunted Case Files, Paranormal Survivor and Haunted Hospitals. And now Jack Kenna, a seasoned investigator on all three of those hits, is headed our way.
He and Kristie London — the Blueyed Empath — are the headliners for Haunted in New York, an August 15 event at the City Center.
“We’ve curated a full day of interactive activities and events,” says founder Shelley Pettit. “Jack will be sharing his investigation techniques, research methods and even the ‘unexplained activity’ investigation tools that you see on TV.”
Kristie London, an evidential medium who has also made her share of Travel Channel appearances, will be offering gallery readings on stage. (RIGHT): Millicent, the event team’s haunted doll, will also be there.
Other highlights include meeting real-life paranormal explorers — and hearing the stories of what they can’t show on TV, learning field techniques, competing for prizes in a case file hunt, one-on-one sessions with spiritual practitioners, and even heading home with a paranormal survival kit.
“In addition to a packed schedule of headliners,” Pettit says, “there’s also a fascinating marketplace with curiosities, oddities, metaphysical tools and haunted-history artifacts.”
Main Stage highlights:
1:00 PM
Witch Way Wanderers – Live Witch Dance Performance
2:00 PM
Jack Kenna – Paranormal Investigation Techniques & Tools
Learn how investigators document paranormal activity and stay for an audience Q&A.
3:00 PM
Kristie London – Live Gallery Reading
Experience evidential mediumship as Kristie delivers messages from Spirit during this special stage presentation.
5:00 PM
Vendor Raffle Prize Drawings
To grab your $10 ticket for “sparking your curiosity” at Haunted in New York on Saturday, August 15, visit go.allevents.in.
This collab with the Haunted in New York is brought to you in partnership with Evolve Today events.
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