Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins (left) and economic development director Jeff Flagg (right) walk with New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez (middle) during a tour of DRI projects last week. The City is holding two public meetings this week to discuss progress and updates on DRI initiatives. Photo by Dylan McGlynn
GLENS FALLS — The City of Glens Falls will hold two public meetings intended to update residents on the progress of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and plans for an ‘Event and Market Structure’ on South Street, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.
The first meeting is Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Queensbury Hotel. The second meeting is Friday, Sept. 30 at 10 a.m. in Crandall Public Library, according to the release.
“It’s been a busy summer for preparations, and we look forward to sharing the final plans and details of this significant part of our City’s revitalization with our residents and businesses,” said Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins in the release.
Glens Falls was awarded a $10 million grant through DRI in 2017, and has used the funding to “revitalize the city’s downtown, including arts projects, securing downtown space for SUNY Adirondack’s culinary school, façade improvements and support of small downtown businesses, and infrastructure updates to prepare for revitalized buildings and new residents and businesses,” according to the release.
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.”
Gary & Dylan discuss the Adirondack United hockey team, a Whitehall judge kicked off the bench, SPAC’s first Truck Rodeo, and the new location for Winklepickers.
00:02 – Intro 00:27 – Ad Break 1 01:06 – Story 1 – Adirondack United Hockey Team 02:58 – Ad Break 2 03:19 – Story 2 – SPAC Truck Rodeo 04:40 – Story 3 – Whitehall Judge Kicked Off Bench 07:05 – Story 4 – Winklepickers 08:06 – Outro
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.
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
Gary & Dylan discuss the New York Secretary of State’s visit to Downtown Glens Falls, a new project in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the City of Glens Falls’ new Code Enforcement Officer, Senator Dan Stec’s criticisms of New York’s new gun control regulations, and the casting call for a commercial set to be filmed in Lake George.
00:02 – Intro 00:33 – Ad Break 1 01:12 – Story 1 – Downtown Revitalization: Park and Elm 03:19 – Story 2 – Main Story: NY Secretary of State Visits Glens Falls 05:09 – Ad Break 2 05:29 – Story 3 – Glens Falls Hires New Code Enforcement Officer 06:49 – Story 4 – Sen. Dan Stec Criticizes Gun Control Regulations 08:15 – Story 5 – Lake George Commercial Casting Call 09:24 – Other Stories We’re Tracking / Outro
Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins (left), New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez (middle), and Glens Falls economic development director Jeff Flagg (right) walk through the city’s downtown area during a visit by Rodriguez’s office on Wednesday. Photo by Dylan McGlynn.
GLENS FALLS — New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez joined Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins and other city officials for a tour of Glens Falls’ downtown on Wednesday, showcasing the improvements made to the city as a result of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
Rodriguez’ office is currently on a tour of DRI projects around the state. He referred to Glens Falls’ downtown as “a really vibrant area.”
“I think there’s a really great team, and the commitment of the Mayor and the City in supporting the DRI is really critical to that,” said Rodriguez. “We’ve seen a number of the businesses that have benefitted from our investment funds, and you really see that when you’re walking along the streets.”
Mayor Collins said, “This is what happens when you’re successful and you move these projects forward,” in reference to the visit.
“People start to pay attention, and more success breeds success,” Collins said. “The Secretary of State here today, the Lieutenant Governor here three weeks ago. Those are great indicators for a Mayor and a common council. That means that people are happy with what they’re seeing, they’re coming to see what the 10 million dollars is going to be leveraged into.”
Collins said the downtown area has seen $36 million of total investment, counting the $10 million the city received through DRI.
“That’s impressive. That sort of thing can change a downtown,” said Collins. “I believe Glens Falls has been under a revitalization for about 10 to 15 years now. Developers have invested in Glens Falls, and as they’re building, they’re filling things.”
Rodriguez emphasized the support of the Glens Falls community, saying that DRI projects around the state wouldn’t be successful “without local community support.”
“I think DRI is one of those things that the community really rallies behind. We’ve seen it with Glens Falls, but we’ve also seen it 59 other times,” Rodriguez said. “They’re the ones that choose the list of projects that we do. We don’t make it up, they make it up. The community makes it up. That’s what makes it special, and that’s why we have such a high rate of success.”
The tour involved a stop on South Street, “the last piece of the DRI investment,” as Rodriguez referred to it. The City is looking to build a year-round farmer’s market and renovate several buildings on South Street into mixed-use apartments and commercial spaces.
“The South Market, and that South Street corridor is still the last piece of the DRI investment that we’re looking to focus on,” said Rodriguez. “So really, seeing the housing get created around that, breaking ground, making sure that we get the year-round farmer’s market, are the final pieces to completing what has been the vision of Glens Falls around the DRI.”
“This has been a long time coming, six years. All I’m doing is helping carry the football across the end zone,” Collins said. “I’m very excited to be a part of this, and to keep us going forward.
“We need to continue to move forward, make sure we’re not in people’s way, and that our success leads a chance for everybody to come to Glens Falls and prosper.”
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.
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.
The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce has a new leader, and she hopes to continue to be a voice for local businesses in the community.
Tricia Rogers took over as President and CEO of the ARCC in August, and recently discussed her first month on the job with Mike Nelson of Glens Falls Today’s ‘Five Minutes With…’ program.
“First of all, I can’t believe it’s been 30 days already,” Rogers said. “The time is completely flying by. … I feel so lucky to lead the organization in a community that I love and am so passionate about.”
Rogers has worked in a membership role for five years at ARCC, and said that in addition to her new duties, she will continue to fill the role while the hiring process continues.
“I’m still in the membership role as of today, since we are actively hiring for my old job,” said Rogers. “It’s been a duality here, because obviously bringing members in is what keeps us going, and now learning the role of President and CEO.”
The ARCC’s new CEO said that for the remainder of 2022, the focus will be on “what we’re strategically going to plan for 2023.”
“I think through the end of this year, we want to continue to get in front of elected officials, continue to work with our members on advocacy or what their needs are,” Rogers said. “Our mission is to serve our membership, so as things pop up, we want to make sure that we’re available.”
On the topic of membership, Rogers also stressed the goal of reaching out to all ARCC members and remaining approachable and accessible.
“I want to reach out to our membership individually,” Rogers said. “That’s a goal of mine which will take a lot of time, but I think it’s important that they understand who we are, what we represent, what we’re doing, how accessible we are, and that as this great community, we are here to help.”
The CEO stressed that the ARCC is 100% member-funded, and that their goal is to “serve this business community.”
“If you were to reach out to myself or any of my team, we will get back to you,” said Rogers. “We invite people in to see us. Come up to us at events. … There’s something special about this organization, and we are here. I promise you, we’re the four most passionate people you’ll ever meet. We will make sure that your questions are answered, and that we’re really excited to be here and make the connections, and lead this community.”
And as the year begins to reach its final months, Rogers said the ARCC “is in a great place, currently.”
“We have a solid membership, we have a great group of leadership circle members, we have great events that we are putting on annually,” Rogers said. “We’re coming off a challenging time with COVID, and we, as an organization, couldn’t be in a better place. So that’s exciting.”
The ARCC has sprung off numerous councils and committees, with Rogers naming the Veterans Business Network, the Women’s Business Council, the Workplace Health and Wellness Council, and the Adirondack Nonprofit Business Council.
Rogers noted that “this is all in addition to our monthly mixers and our lunch and learns,” saying the organization wants to “continue on that path,” in addition to representing the small business community.
“We want to make sure that we are a voice for our small business community,” said Rogers. “So if there’s any issues out there that we need to be aware of, we always encourage our members to reach out to us, and we certainly guide and help the best that we can.”
The ARCC will look to bring in new events during 2023, Rogers mentioned, in addition to numerous plans for the remainder of this year.
“We have a solid September-October,” Rogers said. “We have a solid two months of great events coming up. I encourage everyone to check our website, check out the events. If you have any questions, give us a call. We’re happy to talk you through it.”
Students at SUNY Adirondack have organized a petition against a registered sex offender currently enrolled in classes at the college.
The controversy began on Sept. 8 when the college sent out a mass email alerting all students that a level three registered sex offender would be attending in-person classes at the college this semester. After the email went out, second-year student Destiny Rose began the petition, which has been signed by 975 people as of Tuesday morning.
The petition requests that Timothy Philmon, 50, of Glens Falls, be removed from in-person classes, and enrolled in fully virtual classes instead. The petition states, “It is of the opinion of many students that having Timothy Philmon, a level three registered sex offender, on a campus with minors and a daycare, is unethical and unsafe.”
College president Kristine Duffy acknowledged the petition, but said it would be illegal for the college to satisfy this demand. According to college administration, registered sex offenders do have protected rights to pursue an education under the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act of 2000, provided that they notify authorities, as Philmon reportedly did.
According to the New York State Sex Offender Registry, Philmon was first convicted of second-degree sodomy in 1997. He had reportedly given marijuana to multiple boys aged 12 to 15 in exchange for sexual favors.
He was first released on parole in March of 2008, but four months later was charged again with exposing himself to a 15-year-old co-worker. On this charge he pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child. As this was in violation of his parole, he was returned to state prison to serve the remainder of his initial sentence.
