Lots of news this week! Gordon has the scoop on Travers winner Tiz the Law’s local ties, the latest on school reopenings, which events are happening (or not!), and lots more.
Schools Get The OK To Open - Now What?
Local school districts have gotten the preliminary okay to open in September. All plans now must pass muster with the state Department of Health.
There was quite a bit of confusion last week when Governor Andrew Cuomo said school districts needed to have plans for testing students and staff, and also contact tracing procedures in place.
That’s contrary to the original guidance districts received from the state and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
“It created a number of questions,” BOCES superintendent Jim Dexter told Glens Falls Living.
Glens Falls City School Superintendent Paul Jenkins said, “We are all somewhat baffled by his statements. When we created our reopening plans we followed guidance from the state Education Department and the state Department of Health. Clearly the Governor was not communicating with the DOH or SED. We are educational institutions, not medical facilities.”
Mr. Jenkins said, “I’ve spoken with Warren Country DOH and we will work with them and our families and staff if there is a positive case as the guidance says. We will not be testing anyone at school.”
Mr. Dexter said, “Each district liaison will work with their county health departments.”
How will school districts pay for the PPEs, the cleaning supplies, the thermometers and the more-frequent bus runs associated with reopening?
“Some districts will be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars that they do not have budgeted,” Mr. Dexter said. “They are going to have to cut something or use some of their fund balance.
“We’re looking at substantial budget cuts mid-year, and school districts are going to have to figure out how to pay for this.”
Mr. Dexter said districts are going to have to reduce expenses in other areas.
“I don’t see another avenue,” he said. “They are going to have to plan for this year, but then think about what is going to happen next year.”
He said most local school districts will be open by Sept. 14. Many districts are doing additional staff training before welcoming students back to school.
Tiz the Law’s Local Ties
Photo: Alex (Wei) Zhang
Tiz the Law, the brilliant colt that demolished an overmatched field in the 152nd running of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course last Saturday, has a local connection.
The 3-year-old colt is jointly owned by 35 partners of Sackatoga Stables in Saratoga Springs. One of those owners is telecommunications entrepreneur and investor Larry Davis, who has a full share in Tiz the Law. He is a partner in the Sans Souci in Cleverdale, and started Tiki Tours on Lake George a few years ago.
“About 12 years ago I got involved with Sackatoga Stables,” Mr. Davis told Glens Falls Living from his home on Lake George’s east side. “There’s nothing like it. The excitement is amazing. I like to do fun things, as you can gather from the Tiki boats. I am partners in a number of bars. You’re probably familiar with the Sans Souci up here. Then Nanola down in Malta and McGeery’s down in Albany. Bars and horses are expensive habits. You don’t make a lot of money but when you do, it’s a big treat.”
Tiz the Law, purchased for $110,000 at the Fasig-Tipton sales in Saratoga, might be the best investment Mr. Davis ever made.
The horse won the Belmont Stakes in this topsy-turvy pandemic Triple Crown season, and now has won six of seven races, with career earnings topping $2-million.
But that’s not all. Sackatoga Stables, run by Jack Knowlton of Saratoga Springs, sold the stallion rights to Tiz the Law for a reported eight figures. That’s a minimum of $10-million, though the exact figure is probably significantly higher. Champion thoroughbred horses can command upwards of $200,000 each time they are bred.
Mr. Knowlton told the New York Times that Sackatoga Stables, which entered the public’s consciousness in 2003 with Funny Cide, will earn bonuses if Tiz the Law wins the Derby, the Preakness and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The Times reports, “Ashford Stud structured a bonus deal for the 2015 Triple Crown Champion American Pharoah that promised his owner, Ahmed Zayat, $3 million for winning the Kentucky Derby, $2 million each for victories in the Preakness, Belmont, Travers Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic as well as a $2 million bonus for being named 3-year-old male champion.
“Do the math: A similar deal would mean a potential $13 million for Sackatoga to roll up this year.”
Asked about the deal, Mr. Davis said, “I can’t talk about the breeding rights.”
He did say that Tiz the Law, if he stays healthy, will continue racing as a 4-year-old.
“That was part of the deal,” he said.
For now, Tiz the Law will take on all comers in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, Sept. 5. After that, it’s the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Maryland in October, and then the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November.
Mr. Davis was at Saratoga to see Tiz the Law cruise to victory.
“That was exactly what our trainer had predicted and those were the instructions our trainer Barclay Tagg had given [jockey] Manny Franco. The race was almost a duplicate of the Belmont Stakes. Sit on the outside, third or fourth position, and then fire.
“After the race, Manny said he tried to hold the horse back at the far turn but he couldn’t. The horse just took off. Then when they got down to the top of the stretch, the horse went into another gear.”
Mr. Davis said he joined Sackatoga Stables in 2009.
“We pick one or two horses every year. We’ve got a business plan that says we buy New York breds. We had a list of 10 horses to start after reading the yearling books. We whittled that down to five or six after Barclay looks at them and we bring in a vet to look at the horses. Then we get it down to one or two and go to the auction to see what we can do.
“The one thing about Tiz the Law is, our budget for that horse was $100,000. Everybody loved the horse so they decided they were going to go to $110,000, but that was it. Boy that was probably the best decision anyone has made in a long time.”
Mr. Davis will be headed to Kentucky for the Derby on Sept. 5. Then he’ll go to the Preakness in early October, and back to the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland in Kentucky in early November.
“My understanding is there may not be 20 horses in the Derby,” he said. “There may not be the cavalry charge as I call it. That will be very good for us too. That’s one of the things that could have thrown a monkey wrench in the works. We’re all feeling very good right now.”
And you can forgive Mr. Davis for looking ahead to the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup, in March of 2021.
“I’m getting my passport ready,” he said.
Food Truck Corral Returns To Shirt Factory Thursday
The popular Thursday Market and Food Truck Corral at the Shirt Factory, 71 Lawrence Street in Glens Falls, is back on after a one-week hiatus.
A Facebook post said, “GOOD NEWS, met with officials from the Glens Falls Fire Department this morning and we have a way forward to have the 2020 Thursday Market & Food Truck Corral this week. We will be changing the layout of the market and some of the vendors will be moved to different locations to help us increase space for social distancing. We will also have additional markers out to designate proper social distancing plus additional signage. Thank You to the City of Glens Falls and The Glens Falls Fire Department, and of course all the people that come and enjoy our event and have offered verbal support during our one-week vacation. We will see you, Thursday 4:30 to 8pm The Shirt Factory, 71 Lawrence St., Glens Falls.”
Warrensburg Bike Rally, ADK Wine & Food Festival Canceled
Two of the last remaining summer events that were still on the schedule have been canceled. The Warrensburg Bike Rally, originally scheduled for early June to coincide with Americade and later set for September, isn’t happening in 2020. And the popular Adirondack Wine & Food Festival, also originally scheduled in June and rescheduled to September, is also canceled. Those who have already purchased tickets can get refunds, organizers said. Info: adkwinefest.com.
With these cancellations, pretty much every major summer/early fall event in the Glens Falls region has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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But here’s a few things that are happening!
Lake George American Legion Post 374 on Route 9L will hold a chicken barbecue on Saturday, Aug. 15, starting at noon. $13 gets you chicken, baked beans, cole slaw and a cold drink. All proceeds go to supporting the Adirondack Vets House in Glens Falls, which supports homeless veterans.
The New York State Canal System is now completely open to boat traffic! Lock C-12 on the Champlain Canal in Whitehall opened last week. Boat traffic can now move to and from the canal system from Lake Champlain.
Speaking of the COVID-19 Pandemic…
Locally, infection numbers have remained stable over the last week.
In Warren County, officials are monitoring eight active cases, including three employees of an unnamed skilled nursing facility. All of the cases are mild.
County officials are monitoring 221 residents who are under precautionary traveler quarantine because of travel out of state. That’s up 25 from the previous day.
Officials also said “college students who need a COVID-19 test before returning to campus are being directed to contact their medical providers to schedule one, as Warren County Health Services provides supplies and personnel to work with practices to handle the influx of testing requests.”
In Washington County, officials are monitoring precautionary quarantines for 172 residents, with four active cases and no hospitalizations.
Saratoga County reports 68 active cases, with three residents hospitalized.
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In related news, Fort Hudson Nursing Home is the subject of an extensive story in New York Magazine on their battle with COVID-19 in the dementia unit back in April and May. Here’s the link.
Trader Joe’s Coming to Saratoga County?
There’s growing speculation that Trader Joe’s plans to open a store in Halfmoon. The Albany Times Union reports that an as-yet unnamed “specialty grocery store” has been approved by the town’s Planning Board, though no one is saying if it’s a Trader Joe’s. There is already a Trader Joe’s in Colonie. Stay tuned!
Fire at Rachael Ray’s Lake Luzerne Home
A fire ripped through Rachael Ray’s home on Chuckwagon Drive in Lake Luzerne Sunday night. Officials say the fire appears to have started on the second floor of the residence. Ms. Ray, a Lake George graduate and television personality and chef, tweeted Monday that she and her husband, John Cusimano, and their new shelter dog, Bella Boo, got out safely.
“Thank you to our local first responders for being kind and gracious and saving what they could of our home,” Ms. Ray tweeted. “Grateful that my mom, my husband, my dog… we’re all okay. These are the days we all have to be grateful for what we have, not what we’ve lost.”
The cause of the fire is being investigated, but does not appear to be suspicious, Warren County officials said.
Warren County Fire Coordinator Brian LaFlure and Luzerne-Hadley Fire officials asked Office of Fire Prevention and Control to work with the Warren County Fire Cause & Origin Team to investigate the cause because of the extent of the loss, said a county press release.
Oscar’s Smokehouse Now Offers A Vending Machine!
Oscar’s Smokehouse in Warrensburg now offers a cold vending machine located right outside their front doors. Their Facebook post about it was shared more than 1,500 times, and received nearly 2,000 reactions and nearly 500 comments.
The vending machine is “filled with some of our customer favorites like Hickory bacon, 3-year-old cheddar cheese, ‘More Than Mustard,’ smoked pork chops and many more,” says the Facebook post.
“Also, if the line is too long inside, then just pull out your credit card and purchase from the vending machine as the prices are the same whether inside or out.”
Duane Vaughn Leaves United Way, Joins Shelters of Saratoga
Duane Vaughn, a well-known figure in the non-profit world up here, has resigned as executive director of the Tri-County United Way and joined Shelters of Saratoga as its new executive director. Duane led the United Way for four years, and before that led the WAIT House for 13 years.
Tri-County United Way Board President Judge David Krogmann said in a press release, “Duane has been invaluable to the success of Tri-County United Way since becoming Executive Director in 2016. His organizational skills and true care for the disadvantaged in our area have come at a crucial time. He has become an integral and important leader in our community. His presence and leadership will be missed greatly, but we wish him only the best in his new position.”
Duane, who lives in West Fort Ann with his wife, Mindy Wilson, said in the press release, “I have been blessed to work with such wonderful organizations as the Tri-County United Way and the WAIT House. I am truly excited to begin working with the dedicated staff and Board of Directors of Shelters of Saratoga. The Saratoga community is invested in solving complex issues for populations that are vulnerable and at-risk, and I am thankful that I will be able to be a part of that collaborative process.”
Invasive Hemlock Wooly Agelid Found On Lake George
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the confirmation of an infestation of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) on Forest Preserve lands in the town of Dresden in Washington County.
The affected hemlock trees were located near a campsite within Glen Island Campground on the shore of Lake George. This is the second known infestation of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) in the Adirondacks. The first, on Prospect Mountain, was eradicated.
After receiving a report from a camper at Glen Island Campground through iMap Invasives about a suspicious tree near a campsite, DEC dispatched a forest health specialist to survey the area. This initial survey found one heavily infested and two lightly infested Eastern hemlock trees close to the campsite. Additional follow-up surveys will be conducted to better determine the size and spread of this infestation.
Baseball Standouts Connor Bovair, Evan St. Claire Honored
And finally, two local baseball stars were honored as Independent Collegiate Baseball League Performers of the Week! Connor Bovair of South Glens Falls pitched four innings of shutout ball while striking out nine and giving up one hit for the Albany Dutch. Bovair, headed to Siena College, has been fantastic all season, and is consistently hitting the low to mid-90s in velocity.
Evan St. Claire of Whitehall, a junior at Siena, went 6-for-19 with a double, four RBI and two stolen bases in six games for the Glens Falls Independents. St. Claire’s father, Steve, manages the Independents, and was a standout player himself. Steve’s brother Randy pitched in the major leagues for several teams, and Evan’s grandfather Ebba St. Claire is a local legend, playing in the big leagues from 1951 to 1954.
Until next time -
Gordon
