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Hot air balloons take flight in the air.

Adirondack Balloon Festival ‘lights up the night,’ honors founders in 49th year

Written by Dylan McGlynn on . Posted in Community, Downtown, Entertainment, Featured, News.

Hot air balloons take flight in the air.

QUEENSBURY — The Adirondack Balloon Festival made its return for a 49th year over the weekend, offering balloon flights, food, crafts, and more at the Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury and Crandall Park in Glens Falls.

“I think we look at it as a huge success, any time you get more than one or two launches off,” said Erin Reid Coker, one of the festival’s organizers. “From a standpoint of size of crowds, it was very impressive, especially Saturday evening.”

Flights on Thursday and Friday were canceled due to wind, but Coker said, “We had a pretty good crowd for what it was.”

“We’re always looking at safety first, which I think most people here are familiar with and are used to and appreciate,” Coker said. “A lot of times, it’s about education. Just letting people know what’s safe, and what’s not safe, in regards to flying and pilots and spectators.”

The main events occurred on Saturday, with an early-morning flight in honor of festival founder Joan Grishkot, an afternoon launch, and a ‘Lighting Up the Night Moonglow’ flight at 8:00 p.m. Coker referred to Saturday as “our really successful day.”

“Conditions were perfect. About half of our balloons launched (in the afternoon), and the other half stayed for the 8 o’clock moonglow,” Coker said. “It’s always nice to be able to pull that Saturday night event off, because it really is the highlight of the event.”

The Moonglow flight saw balloons light up the night sky, synchronized to music.

“Our voice of the festival, Chuck Aiken, did a wonderful job of putting together the music. It’s probably like a 13 minute show where the balloons kind of sync to some different kinds of music,” said Coker. “Specifically, he put together some music that was strictly dedicated to each of the special shapes. There was a snowman balloon, so we had Frosty the Snowman, so we kind of profile that balloon during that particular song.”

Sunday morning saw another tribute to the festival’s founders, with ‘Walter and Joan’s Mass Ascension’ honoring the Joan Grishkot and her husband Walter.

“Sunday mornings are always the quieter morning,” Coker said. “It was another perfect launch, for sure.”

The festival’s closing flight at Crandall Park on Sunday evening was canceled due to rain in the area. But despite the cancellation, and the lack of flights on Thursday and Friday, Coker said the reception of the community was strong.

“We did get a lot of response from people that are just happy to get things back to normal, or getting back to normal,” said Coker. “Everyone was friendly, and happy, and just having a great time. That’s what it’s all about.”

Coker also mentioned that several audience members were even willing to help out, assisting with inflation of the ‘special shapes’ balloons.

“The community really stepped up. We had to grab people out of the crowd and say, ‘Would you help get this balloon inflated, and do this job, and this job?’ And everybody stepped up,” Coker said. “It wasn’t like, ‘No, we’re just here to watch.’ I didn’t hear that once. You’re always finding somebody that’s excited about that experience.”

The festival had 65 total balloons on hand, food vendors, a craft fair, and a large crowd over the weekend, but Coker said that the Balloon Festival still has not gotten back to “100%,” noting that the festival has seen nearly 100 balloons in past years.

“We’re not quite there yet, but I think maybe it was, in some weird way, a nice omen to transition from 15 balloons to 60 balloons, and now with the 50th anniversary next year, to get those 100 balloons back and make the event even more special,” said Coker.

The Adirondack Balloon Festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary from Sept. 21 to 24, 2023, Coker said. 

“The 50th anniversary, we have a lot of work to do, and hopefully make it something super special for people,” Coker said. “We have some ideas in mind as far as events other than actual launches to celebrate, but those are in pretty early stages.”

A violin player during a symphony performance.

Glens Falls Symphony returns to Glens Falls High School Auditorium for 2022-23

Written by Command on . Posted in Community, Entertainment, Featured, In the Arts.

A violin player during a symphony performance.

GLENS FALLS — The Glens Falls Symphony will return to the Glens Falls High School Auditorium for the 2022-23 season, kicking off with Brahms Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 9 by Dimitri Shostakovich on Oct. 9. 

“To return to our home, to be together onstage, to be one with our audience? That is the best,” said Symphony music director Charles Peltz in a press release. 

The Glens Falls Symphony will also perform a piece co-commissioned with the New Music for America Consortium, ‘Cold Mountain Suite.’ It is based on an opera and novel of the same name by Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, who will be in residency during the performances, according to the release.

Three local students will perform solos with the orchestra on Dec. 18, during the ‘Shining Lights’ Holiday Pops concert. Paige Eaton of Warrensburg High School, Carter Sano of Queensbury High School, and Madison Gaiser of Queensbury High will all perform solos during the Dec. 18 performance.

The Symphony will perform with local students again on March 19, with students from Saratoga Springs, Guilderland, Hudson Falls, Queensbury, and Glens Falls High Schools joining the Symphony in playing Gustav Mahler’s string orchestra transcription of Franz Schubert’s String Quarter 14 ‘Death and Maiden’.

The final performance of the season will take place on May 7, ‘An Evening of Classic Broadway.’ It will include music by Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, and more, according to the release. Lindsay Roberts, currently performing in the Broadway company production of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, will join the Symphony for this performance.

“Our season is designed for everyone in our community: the lover of classics will be thrilled with the Brahms concerto, the new music aficionados will thrill with the Higdon premiere, those inspired by our youth will delight in the young voices at holiday time and our side by side in March, and everyone loves Broadway – America’s music loved around the world,” Peltz said in the release.

“Let’s all get out of the house and rekindle the special experience that makes a Glens Falls Symphony concert a ‘must-do’ event.”

Visit theglensfallssymphony.org or call the Symphony office at (518) 793-1348 for information on ticket prices and seating. 

See the full list of concerts below:

  • Oct. 9: Brahms Violin Concerto / Shostakovich Symphony 9
  • Nov. 13: Claudio Monteverdi – L’Orfeo – Toccata and Intermezzi / Jennifer Higden – Cold Mountain Suite / Georges Bizet Suite from L’Arlesienne / Benjamin Britten – Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
  • Dec. 18: ‘Shining Lights: Holiday Pops’
  • March 19: ‘Side by Side’
  • May 7: ‘An Evening of Classic Broadway’
An employee scans a family's items at the register of a store.

‘It worked out beautifully’: Pure N’ Simple under new ownership

Written by Dylan McGlynn on . Posted in Business, Community, Downtown, Food.

GLENS FALLS — New ownership took over Pure N’ Simple Natural Foods in June, but not much else has changed for the longtime Glens Falls store.

Kristen and Andrew Holt have run the store for just over three months, taking over for former owners Paul and Bonnie Savard. Kristen Holt said the transition was “seamless.”

“They closed on a Friday under their name, and we opened on a Monday under our name,” said Holt. “The health inspector came in Monday morning before we opened, and it was just a seamless transition.”

Holt said the idea to run a health food store initially came from her husband.

“Several months back, my husband just randomly mentioned to me that we should start a health food store,” Holt said. “I said, ‘Well, you should talk to the other health food store in town. … We should talk to them and see if we can partner with them.”

What the Holts found instead, however, was that the property had been listed for sale.

“Two days later, I walked into the store and saw a ‘For Sale’ sign on the building,” said Holt. “I asked them about it, and they said that they were going to be selling the store.”

The Savards were planning on closing the store altogether at the end of May, Holt said. This led the Holts to take over Pure N’ Simple, which they have operated since June 6.

“I just got the chills and I just felt such a deep grief for this couple that had poured their heart and soul into this shop for 35 years, and for the community, that it wasn’t going to be here anymore for them,” said Holt.

After returning from a vacation, the Holts began talks to take over the store.

“We came back, and we met with them. We were able to just talk about what we needed, and what they needed,” Holt explained. “It worked out beautifully. … It’s just been so beautiful working with Paul and Bonnie. They’ve been such an encouragement, such a support in training us and teaching us everything we would need to know for the shop.”

Since taking over, Holt says the response from the local community has been strong.

“We love it. We have four small kids that love to be here with us as well,” said Holt. “We’ve gotten really positive feedback from the community. Everyone’s very excited that we’re here. … It’s great to have the support of the customers.”

Pure N’ Simple specializes in health food and supplements, Holt said. She noted that the couple is attempting to “keep everything the same” as before the sale, in addition to adding several new options.

“We’ve got supplements and herbs, and vitamins. We’ve got a lot of healthy, organic foods and also non-organic,” said Holt. “We’ve got foods for special diets, like vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free. We have a lot of bulk foods. … We package all our own dried fruits, nuts, flowers, oats, that sort of thing.”

Holt mentioned that the store hopes to partner with local growers to sell fresh produce.

“It’s great that we have the farmer’s market on Saturday, but we would like to afford them a place where they can also sell Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Not just on Saturday’s,” said Holt. “That would be our biggest goal.”

Holt also said the store will fulfill custom orders, encouraging customers to reach out and provide feedback.

“We’re still doing the famous granola and muffins that they made,” Holt said. “If there’s any changes that they’re not used to, or anything they would like that we don’t have, we would love for them to let us know.

“We want to make sure our customers are getting the same thing that they had, plus a little extra.”

An artist rendering of the finished Park & Elm.

Downtown Revitalization: Park and Elm

Written by Melissa Downer on . Posted in Business, Community, Downtown, Featured, Food.

An artist rendering of the finished Park & Elm.
ADK Studios’ artist rendering of the Park & Elm Restaurant.

The revitalization of downtown is being taken one step further with the development of a renovated multi-use building set to open this fall. 

Elizabeth Miller and her son Ben Miller, who own the Park Theater and Doc’s Restaurant, purchased the property on the corner of Park and Elm Streets in 2019 with the vision to expand their business and open up space for more parking for events at the theater and restaurant. Formerly, the building was the home of Look TV.

“This is just a natural expansion for us,” Ben Miller said, “We are very excited to share this new operation with the public.”

The building will house a new fine dining restaurant, aptly named Park and Elm, and a deli and market on the first floor, and 10 apartments on the second and third floors. The deli will have a full butcher counter that will have the same cuts of meat served at the restaurant, and the market will sell fresh and local produce, eggs and dairy from area farms, including Miller’s own Sunset Farm in Queensbury. It will also have household items such as dish soap, paper towels and toilet paper. 

ADK Studios’ rendering of the Park & Elm Restaurant and Market.

“The deli and market will be under the same umbrella as the fine-dining restaurant, using many of the same ingredients,” Ben said. “We will offer fast, casual breakfast and lunch sandwiches, house baked bread, and grab-and-go meals.”

Full and half pan to-go meals will be available for purchase as well. 

The apartments are a mix of one and two bedroom apartments ranging from 700 square feet to almost 2,000 square feet. Rent will range from $1,300 to $1,900 per month. 

Elizabeth stated that Park and Elm will be a great addition to downtown because currently, Doc’s is closed to the public often due to private events. Moving forward, Doc’s will only be open when there are events at the Park Theater. Park and Elm will give the public an option now, while Doc’s was usually closed. Ben added that they will consider private events at Park and Elm on a case-by-case basis. 

A large motivation for this development for Elizabeth is parking. 

“We wanted to make parking more viable for our customers and that area of town,” she said, adding that parking has been a problem for the Park Theater and Doc’s.  

ADK Studios’ artist rendering of the Park & Elm Market.

 Cifone Construction is handling the renovations. Plans were held up due to COVID-19, however that did not deter the Millers from moving forward. 

“Construction didn’t come to a complete halt, but the pandemic did slow things down a bit,” Ben said. “We are just really excited to be able to share this publicly soon.” 

Between the restaurant and the deli and market, there will be at least 8-10 job openings. There will also be a need for events at the Park Theater. Executive Chef Matthew J. Delos will continue his role at Park and Elm as well as at Doc’s for special events. 

Elizabeth purchased the Park Theater in 2014 and with Cifone Construction, renovated the building, originally built in 1911. The Park Theater reopened as a state-of-the-art performing arts center, featuring national and international touring performers, as well as local community artists and productions.

Hot air balloons floating above the ground in a field.

Adirondack Balloon Festival Returns for 49th Year This Week

Written by Dylan McGlynn on . Posted in Community, Entertainment, Featured, News.

Hot air balloons floating above the ground in a field.

QUEENSBURY — The Adirondack Balloon Festival returns this week for its 49th year, running from Sept. 22-25 at the Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury and Crandall Park in Glens Falls.

“I think everyone’s happy to have it back,” said Erin Reid Coker, a member of the Festival’s board of directors and one of the event’s organizers. “From a fan or general public standpoint, we just have nonstop messages on social media, and emails, with people excited to come up from all parts of the country, really.”

Opening ceremonies will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Crandall Park in Glens Falls, with an initial flight of 10+ balloons, according to the festival schedule. 

Crandall Park will also have food vendors and live music on Thursday, and a ‘Downtown Block Party’ begins at 6 p.m. The block party will feature balloon baskets on display, activities for kids, and a car show.

“Crandall Park’s been a tradition for a long time,” said Coker. “We’ll have balloon baskets down there for people to check out. Glens Falls has always been a big supporter of the event, so it’s a pretty easy transition for people to come to the park and check out the balloons, then go downtown and support the local restaurants and businesses.”

The festival has “close to 60” balloons in total, Coker said, adding that the Crandall Park ceremonies will be between 12-15 balloons.

The Balloon Festival did not have vendors last year, Coker mentioned, as a result of uncertainty during the planning period due to COVID-19. This year, however, the Festival appears to be back in full force. Coker said the festival team has been “blown away” with support from local businesses.

“It’s just been amazing, how much support we’ve had from them,” said Coker.

On top of food and drink vendors, the Zonta Club will be running a craft fair at the festival. Coker said there will also be several sponsorship vendors.

A flight of up to 50 balloons, including ‘special shapes’, will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday. A similar flight will take place at the same time on Saturday, and will be followed by ‘Lighting Up the Night’, a flight of glow-in-the-dark balloons at 8 p.m.

“When it gets dark, the balloons will inflate, and from the propane burners you can kind of see the glow of the balloon shapes and the colors,” Coker said. “It’s synced to music. We’ll have some music on hand, where at certain points during a song, different balloons will hit their propane burners.”

Coker noted that the flights are weather-permitting, saying “that’s always the biggest factor.”

“The pilots want to fly as much as anybody else wants to see them, so we hope for good weather,” Coker said. 

There will be live music on hand at the festival, with performances by bands such as Beatin’ the Odds and Across the Pond. 

The festival will also pay tribute to its founders. ‘Celebrating Joan’ will begin at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, honoring Joan Grishkot, who passed away last year. ‘Walter and Joan’s Mass Ascension’ will take place at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Coker referred to Grishkot as “the face of the festival.”

“Joan and Walter, her husband, started the festival 49 years ago,” Coker said. “She’s going to be missed, and we’ll have that special launch for her.”

The closing flight of the festival will be at 5 p.m. on Sunday in Crandall Park.

Coker emphasized the community aspect of the festival, saying that it has “kind of turned into a tradition for my family.”

“I think that’s what it is for a majority of people that come,” said Coker. “Their kids came when they were young, and then they grew up, got married, and their kids come. So it’s really important for me to create these memories for my wife and daughter. That’s pretty much why I do it.”

The Adirondack Balloon Festival is free to attend. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit adirondackballoonfest.org.

Capital Region APA Announces New Division in Glens Falls

Written by Dylan McGlynn on . Posted in Columns, Community, Downtown, Entertainment, Featured, News.

GLENS FALLS — The Capital Region APA Pool League has announced a new nine-ball division for the upcoming season, scheduled to begin in Glens Falls this Sunday, Sept. 25.

“We want to get another format out there,” said Ryan Gilligan, League Operator of the Capital Region APA Pool League. “We do have a Wednesday division that we just started up (in Glens Falls), and that’s eight-ball. The players up there were like, ‘Hey, could we also get the nine-ball format up there as well?’”

The league plays at Downtown Social in Glens Falls at 6 p.m. on Sunday nights over a period of 12 weeks, according to a post on the league’s Facebook page. 

“Our league supports local business, so the Downtown Social, they love having it there, because they’re just hanging out,” Gilligan said. “Just drinking, eating, having a good time.”

There will be 5-8 players per team, with a maximum of 5 players per team participating in a match each week. Gilligan said this means players “don’t have to give up every Sunday,” instead having the option to rotate with other team members.

The nine-ball format sees nine balls on the table, with players starting with the lowest ball. Each ball is worth 1 point, while the nine-ball itself is worth 2 points.

“Depending what your skill level is will depend on how many balls you make,” said Gilligan. “It’s a fun, social league. Anyone can play. If you’re a lesser player, you have to make less balls to win the match. If you’re a higher skill level player, you have to make more.”

Each team requires a mix of skill levels, with Gilligan saying that the league has a “team skill-level limit.”

Gilligan said that several teams have signed up for the league already, which begins this Sunday. 

The first-place team in the league will automatically qualify for Tri-Annuals, while division and playoff winners will also qualify. Tri-Annuals will see these teams compete against other winners from the Capital Region, according to the league’s Facebook page.

Tri-Annual winning teams will receive a cash prize of $600, and advance to the Capital Region APA World Qualifiers in June 2023. The World Qualifiers will take place at the Albany Capital Center.

Winners at the World Qualifiers will advance to the World’s Largest Pool Tournament, held in Las Vegas in August 2023. The grand prize for the World’s Largest Pool Tournament is $30,000.

Gilligan said participation in the league has grown in recent years, emphasizing the social aspect of the league. 

“After the pandemic, I feel like people are itching to get out of the house and do something new,” said Gilligan. “Our league has been growing significantly after the pandemic. We actually grew coming out of the pandemic, where we had more teams coming out than we had starting.

“It’s like a social thing, that’s what our league is. We bring people together.”

The entry fee is $50 per team, plus an annual APA membership fee of $25. To join or register a team, visit the Capital Region APA Pool League page on Facebook, or call (518) 630-5664.

Adirondack Balloon Festival Begins Thursday, Glen Street to Be Closed at 3 p.m.

Written by Dylan McGlynn on . Posted in Columns, Community, Downtown, Entertainment, Featured, News.

GLENS FALLS — Due to the Adirondack Balloon Festival, there will be no parking allowed on Glen Street after 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22, according to a release from the City.

Glen Street will be closed from the traffic circle to South Street, the release states. The Balloon Festival will be holding a “Downtown Block Party” from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., kicking off a weekend of fun and balloons.

The Block Party will have balloon baskets on display, in addition to a car show and activities for kids, according to a release from the City.

In addition to the downtown party, festivities at Crandall Park will kick off at 4 p.m. on Thursday with the opening of food vendors. At 4:30 p.m., Beatin’ the Odds, a southern rock band from Clifton Park, will perform. 

Opening ceremonies for the Balloon Festival will be at 5 p.m. at Crandall Park on Thursday, with a flight of “10+ balloons” to follow at 5:30 p.m., according to a release from the city. 

Ahimsa Yoga and Music Festival Returns Oct. 1

Written by Dylan McGlynn on . Posted in Columns, Entertainment, Featured, In the Arts.

Photo provided.

CAMBRIDGE — The Ahimsa Yoga and Music Festival is set to make its return on Oct. 1, offering a welcoming environment and good vibes for local community members.

The festival will be held at Lakota Farms in Cambridge. It is the first edition of the festival since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the first under new ownership.

Kristen Zorda, Grace Bishop, and Sonia Shultis became co-owners and co-producers of the festival in 2019, but it was unable to be held in each of the last two years. Zorda said the team is “excited” to host this year.

“We’re off to a great start with our first official year of planning things together,” said Zorda, the owner of Yoga Mandali in downtown Saratoga Springs. “We’re really excited to be able to offer this to the community again.”

Zorda said the goal of the festival is to help people connect.

“We want to bring people together through yoga, and the music, and the sound and the feeling,” said Zorda. “We want to just provide a space for everybody to get together and feel good.”

That space will be at Lakota Farms, with Zorda saying the site is “a really good fit.”

“Our property lends itself to such an unbelievable location for something like this,” said Lakota Farms co-owner Kimberly Finney. “Me and my team love what we do, we’re super excited about the yoga festival. We’re ecstatic they chose our farm this year to do it at.”

The farm is over 200 years old, and consists of 36 acres, Finney said. 

“We have outdoor facilities available, indoor facilities available. It’s a gorgeous setting, very quiet and serene,” said Finney. “The main facility is just under 11,000 square feet. They’re going to have classes throughout the building itself.”

The festival will offer many types of yoga, with Zorda mentioning “all levels” of vinyasa yoga, as well as yin, aerial, and bhakti yoga. However, she also said, “Yoga is one part of it, but another huge draw for us is the music.”

“Many of the presenters will have classic Indian instruments that they’re playing and chanting to. It’s called kirtan,” said Zorda. The musical performances will be highlighted by Wah!, a kirtan singer.

The music will be separate from the yoga, Zorda said.

“There are people that will come and they don’t care about the music part at all, they just want to the yoga,” said Zorda. “And then there’s people that don’t care at all about the yoga, and they want the music.”

The festival will also feature a silent disco with a DJ, and host a vendor village with 30-40 vendors offering food, crafts, and more. Zorda also made note of a bonfire ceremony, and a “zen den,” which she described as “a place where you hang out and just chill.”

The festival, which had lasted three days in previous years, will be held solely on Oct. 1 this year. Zorda said the group is “easing back into it with a one-day festival,” with plans of returning to the three-day format in 2023.

“Our goal is just to bring people together in good energy,” said Zorda. “We want to bring people together so that they feel good, and that collective vibe ripples out. People can feel rejuvenated, they can fill their well back up.”

To purchase tickets, visit ahimsayogafestival.com. 

LARAC Executive Director Phil Casabona Curates A Love for the Arts

Written by Katy O’Keefe Haggerty on . Posted in Columns, Community, Education, Featured, In the Arts.

The Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council was founded in 1972, and is fondly known as LARAC. LARAC is a non profit arts organization, which operates on a volunteer basis. It is  located in a charming yellow house in the shadow of city hall at 7 Lapham Place in Glens Falls N.Y. The location had originally been a carriage house for the Lapham estate. It sits  across from Downtown City Park, and is one of the city’s many historic buildings. LARAC bought the carriage house 25 years ago. The historical building’s previous incarnation was as a women’s specialty shop named Honigsbaum’s.

In this location LARAC’s Lapham gallery hosts 7 gallery shows a year, and is open to the public with art activities all year round. The gallery space is painted white to accentuate the art. The open floor plan means that the art can be seen from several different vantage points and in several different ways.

Phil Casabona, the executive director of LARAC explained, “The space is set up so that the art on the right hand side in the back corner is the focal point. When people come in they are often drawn to that point.” He explained the work and care that goes into laying out a show. Casabona’s love of the space and his work is evident. He started as a volunteer at LARAC and has risen to the position of executive director.He hopes that he is a steward of the art and of LARAC. His participation with LARAC has expanded since he started volunteering. “I started one day a week, and then three days a week, part time then full time and now I’m the executive director.” He seems, both pleased and astonished about how his role evolved.

Casabona’s relaxed demeanor is welcoming and his attention to detail apparent. Every inch of the gallery is as important as every other. The gift shop with original handmade works, to the smaller gallery room which allows the viewer a more personal experience with the art.

The gallery is open to the public 6 days a week all year round, and has provided $83,000 in grants to artists. Casabona works closely with Alyssa Shiel who is in charge of community outreach for LARAC. He has worked with the organization since July of 2014.