UPCOMING CALENDAR

EDITOR’S NOTE: This calendar is being regularly updated to reflect all event cancellations and postponements. However, it is recommended that readers contact event organizers before they attend. For the most updated version of the calendar, please visit saratogian.com.

GREAT PUMPKIN CHALLENGE: The Saratoga Bridges 2020 Great Pumpkin Challenge is going virtual. This popular community event features 5K and 10K races with proceeds benefiting the organization’s essential services. Saratoga Bridges invites the community to run, walk and move “together but apart” in this year’s Great Pumpkin Challenge. By going virtual, participants can complete the 5K and 10K by running, jogging or walking anywhere and anytime between Oct. 17 and 31. Although there is no official course this year, participants can stay on the 2019 course in the Saratoga State Park and look for the designated mile markers. A map of this route can be found online at https:// bit.ly/2SOK1a1. Otherwise, www.mapmyride.com provides alternative routes. Participants are encouraged to drive a route first to check the safety of the shoulders and sight lines and to followsocial distancing policies and requirements. Anyone can register at https://zippyreg.com/online_ reg/?e=1448 and receive a long- sleeve moisture wicking shirt. Once finished, participants need to report their time by Oct. 31. Saratoga Bridges requests that participants share photos of their experience by using the official hashtag #20SBGPC20, tagging @saratogabridges on social media, sharing virtual bibs on social media, wearing a costume for a chance to win the costume contest, with categories for men, women and children. Those with Great Pumpkin Challenge shirts from over the years can also share their total for a chance to win a prize. More information about the 2020 Great

Pumpkin Challenge is available online at saratogabridges. Those looking to support the event can contact Kelly Armer at karmer@saratogabridges.org.

SIGNUP FOR THE SARATOGA ELKS AUX. CRAFT & GARAGE SALE: Our change to theMonthly Sale was a hit last Saturday, so we have decided to have another outside sale on Saturday, October 24th from 11-3 pm . We will again hold the sale in the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Club parking lot on Elks Lane. Admission is free with over 30 vendors; parking is great, bargains galore, and friends. We offer household items, sports equipment, hand- made items, clothing, fabrics, jewelry, party vendors, pet supplies, food treats, and just about anything you can imaginemay be found here. Newvendors are signing up everymonth. An 8 foot table and chair are just $15; call Linda at (518) 289-5470 for information or to sign up for a table(s). All Covid-19 guidelines will be followed; people must wear masks and adhere to socially distancing guidelines. Tables are placed 6 foot apartwith ample distancing in front of tables. Rain date is Sunday, October 25th.

PIE FUNDRAISER: Galway United Methodist Church is hosting a Smith’s Pies fundraiser. We are accepting pie orders and payments through October 31st. Orders can be placed by commenting on the Facebook event page or through any Church member. $13 each or two for $25. Payments accepted as Cash, Checks made payable to: GUMC, or Venmo to @azawisa. Pies will need to be picked up at Galway United Methodist Church after Sunday service on November 15th between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. unless arrangements have been made for a Church member to deliver them to you. Any questions can be directed to Amy Zawisa at (518) 605-1244 or azawisa@jazfam.com. Pies available for order: (Please specify whether you would like crumb topping or double crust for each pie ordered) Crumb topping or double crust is available for each of the following: Apple; Apple Blueberry; Apple CranberryWalnut; Blueberry; Cherry; Raspberry Peach; Strawberry Rhubarb; Very Berry. No need to select crust/topping for these pie flavors: Mince; Pecan; Pumpkin; Tollhouse. Thank you in advance for supporting our Sunday School program and mission projects! If ordering through the Facebook page and paying by check payable to GUMC mail to: Amy Zawisa,104 Calderwood Rd, Amsterdam, NY 12010.

NONPROFIT OPPORTUNITY: The Dockstader Charitable Trust is seeking applications from notfor-profit organizations for projects that benefit the residents of the Galway Central School District. The application deadline is November 1. To receive more information or request a grant application form, contact Julie Roy at 882-9101. Applications are available on the Galway Public Library and Galway Central School websites. Funds for the trust were provided in the wills of Galway Village residents, Clayton R. Dockstader and his wife Katherine Flickinger Dockstader.

BALLSTON SPA HOLIDAY COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAM: Join us in celebrating the season of giving by taking part in this year’s Holiday Community Arts Program. The Village of Ballston Spa is sponsoring its Annual Holiday Community Arts Program to make tree decorations and paint street banners to add to the festive feeling of the season. This is a free program. Everyone is welcome to participate even if you’re not a resident of Ballston Spa. This years theme, “5278 Points of Light” reminds everyone to bring joy and happiness into the lives of people around you. And together, our light willmake a stronger community. This year we’re adding to the fun by having an Ornament decorating competition. We’ll supply the oversized blank ornament, you decorate it and Mayor Larry Woolbright will select the “Mayors Award” Winners. To join in on the fun emailmarklouisco@gmail. com for information. Banners and oversized Star ornaments are all ready to be decorated and can be picked up in a contact free setting at 10 Thompson St. Ballston Spa. Pick up and drop off supplies in a contact free setting.

WILTON WILDLIFE PRESERVE FUNDRAISER: What does it look like when you combine three events that were supposed to be live, into two virtual events over the course of a weekend? Tune in to see how

Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is merging their Wild About Blue fundraiser with their Blues for the Karner Blues and Bluegrass for the Karner Blues concerts into two streaming events with the help of Caffe Lena. The weekend will kick- off on Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 pm with a free broadcast of the Resonators playing a set for the Blues for the Karner Blues. This can be viewed either through Caffe Lena’s or Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park’s Facebook or YouTube pages. The music will be interspersed with short videos taken at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park to introduce viewers to the Saratoga Sandplains and its most famous resident, the endangered Karner blue butterfly. Each year at Wild About Blue, the Metamorphosis Award honors someone for making positive and dramatic changes in the community. Instead of having a human honoree this year, the Karner blue butterfly is being honored since it was the catalyst for thefirst land protection efforts undertaken by the Town of Wilton, along with NYS DEC, and The Nature Conservancy. On Friday and Saturday, more short videos will be posted on the Preserve & Park’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The weekend will wrap up on Sunday, October 18 at 4:00 pm, with a free broadcast of the Schroon River String Band playing a set for Bluegrass for the Karner Blues. Like the kick- off event, short videos about the Preserve & Parkwill play interspersed with the bluegrass music. This event can also be viewed either through Caffe Lena’s or Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park’s Facebook or YouTube pages. All weekend people are invited to visit the online auction at www. 32auctions.com/ wildaboutblue2020 to bid on items or donate to support the education, conservation, and outdoor recreation projects of Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park. Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is a non-profit organization whose mission is to conserve ecological systems and natural settings while providing opportunities for environmental education and outdoor recreation. For more information visit the website at www.wiltonpreserve.org/wild-about-blue.

V IRTUAL DANCE CLASSES: The National MuseumofDance is pleased to offer a limited series of virtual dance classes! Ashley Bouder and Alec Knight of New York City Ballet will each be teaching a six-week session of ballet and acclaimed actors Chris Riggi and Stephanie Koenig will jointly be teaching a fourweek session of film acting. Classes begin Tuesday, October 13, 2020. Film Acting

Class with Chris Riggi and Stephanie Koenig, Tuesdays 6 – 7:30 pm(Four-week session ends Tuesday, November 3); Intermediate Ballet with Alec Knight, Thursdays 4:30 – 6 pm (Six-week session ends Thursday, November 19); Intermediate/ Advanced Ballet with Ashley Bouder, Fridays 4:30 – 6 pm (Six-week session ends Friday, November 20). To register for the classes, please visit https://www.nationalmuseumofdance.org/ calendar. For questions, please contact Bruce Curtis at rentals@dancemuseum. We hope to see you on Zoom!

DINNER POSTPONED: The Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church is postponing its annual Election Day Chicken and Biscuit Dinner for one year. The church will still be supporting the School Pantry Program and ask that you consider mailing a contribution to The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York or donating on their website: https://regionalfoodbank. net/donate-money/ Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone next time!

HOLIDAY RAFFLE: Galway Lioness Holiday Raffle tickets – to be drawn December 2, 2020. 1st Prize - $500; 2nd Prize - $300; 3rd Prize - $200. Tickets - $10 per ticket. See any Galway Lioness for tickets.

HOLIDAY BASKET PROJECT: The Greater Galway Community Holiday Basket Project, a subcommittee of the Galway Pantry is looking for individuals or families willing to provide gifts, gift cards or monetary donations for children and adolescents in the local area. Donations will benefit those within the boundaries of the Galway Central School district, which includes all of the towns of Charlton, Galway and Providence and only parts of the towns of Amsterdam, Broadalbin, Glenville, Milton and Perth which are in the school district. This year, our community has been met with unprecedented challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time in our 39 years, the Project Committee has been forced to consider the health and safety of our committee members, numerous volunteers and recipient families as we work to provide food and gifts to those who need it most. This year, the need is anticipated to be greater than ever. In order to reduce contact among volunteers and recipients, many of who are in the high risk category for COVID-19, we have made the hard decision to offer some combination of physical gifts and gift cards for the children. We are ever hopeful that this will be a temporary measure and that we can return to our normal project next year. While in the most recent years we have encouraged organizations and individuals to adopt a family or child on the recipient list, there will be fewer opportunities for direct adoptions this year. For most families who are able, we hope to provide them with gift cards only so that they may shop for their children. With that said, monetary donations in lieu of adoptions will also be greatly appreciated. Those interested in adopting a child or family for the holiday, either by providing gifts or supporting the purchase of gift cards should contact: Barbara McKean, 518882- 6621, bmckean@nycap.rr.com or Sarah Benson, 518- 366- 0377, Sdbenson31@gmail.com.

CHARTER COMPARISON VIDEO: The League of Women Voters of Saratoga County recruited Linda S. Kingsley, Esq. to prepare a video comparing the features of the current Saratoga Springs Charter with the proposed Saratoga Springs Charter that will be on the ballot on Nov. 3. The video is posted on the LWVSC website , www.lwvsaratoga.org, on Vote411.org, the League’s Voter Information Guide and on

YouTube , ht tps:// www.youtu be. com/ w at ch?v=l 3 HI 1_ Ncx2Y& feature =youtu.be. The comparison does not deal with arguments for or against either of the charters; rather, it compares such things as the role of the Mayor, the role and qualifications of administrators, the roles and election of the City Council members, term lengths, fiscal requirements. It is a factual explanation about the differences in the Charters. Linda Kingsley is an Adjunct Professor at Albany Law School teaching State and Local Government Law and maintains a legal consulting practice in Rochester, New York focusing on issues of municipal law. Ms. Kingsley served as Corporation Counsel of the City of Rochester for 12 years and prior to that as Corporation Counsel for the City of Binghamton. She was Counsel to the New York State Conference of Mayors.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS INITIATIVES: To Life!, a not-forprofit organization providing breast cancer support services and women’s health education is pleased to offer initiatives to celebrate breast cancer awareness during the month of October. A special education series, community recognition, exercise challenges, and wellness opportunities will be available in addition to the regular programming offered by To Life! throughout the year. For its Women’s Health Conference, To Life! will host a series of six one-hour virtual programs. These talks cover topics related to surviving and thriving following a breast cancer diagnosis. Talks presented by local medical experts, andwill be offered free of charge. Registration is required, visit the To Life website to learn more. Participants can also support October awareness by signing a pink card at local businesses. If your business would like a supply of pink cards contact the office. Finally, To Life! will host a virtual Pink Ball fundraising initiative throughout the month of October. We recognize and applaud the efforts of the health care professionals and community members, including Herb and Annmarie Ellis, who will receive the Community Advocate Award on October 30. To Life! has provided services to women and families since 1998. Founded by Mara Ginsberg, a breast cancer survivor and advocate, To Life! serves a 10- county region including: Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties. To Life! remains committed to fulfill our role as a reliable resource for individuals and families dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis. During this extraordinary year, the demand for our support services has risen dramatically and we continue to meet the need. We rely on public support to raise funds necessary to continue the programs and services our community counts on, funds that allow To Life! operations to continue. Please visit our website www.tolife.org.