Month: September 2020

By Lisa Balschunat
Use of online classes and parking lots kept some clients of local gyms and fitness centers participating in their exercise routines, but the lack of social connection was an important element that was lacking during the shutdown caused by the coronavirus.
The state recently allowed gyms to reopen in late August. They had been closed since March 16.
“Our members are coming back to the Y to get back into their daily routines, but in addition to the exercise, they are back because they’ve missed their friends and the socialization that happens here everyday,” said Brian Bearor, chief executive officer of the Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area.

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Area marina owners are fondly calling this the “summer of boating” as the 2020 season comes to an end. Many are saying they never could have anticipated the high demand for marina use the past few months have brought during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From experienced boaters to rookies, those in the business said the season brought an unprecedented amount of people to water in search of a summer escape.
In Bolton Landing, Norowal Marina manager Sean Loonan said business has been non-stop since early spring. He believes the demand will continue well into the fall.

State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras has named SUNY Empire State College Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief Operating Officer Beth Berlin as officer-in-charge at SUNY Empire State following Malatras’ appointment as SUNY chancellor.
Working with senior leadership at SUNY Empire, Berlin will continue the work begun under President Malatras to reform and streamline the college’s operations to enhance the student experience, increase access to higher education for more students, raise the public profile of the college, and build a solid financial foundation for future growth, college officials said.
The SUNY Empire College Council will begin planning a presidential search immediately.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Washington County and the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce will co-host a Virtual Taste NY Producer Showcase on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Officials said the event will be the first of its kind in the state. The two-hour online event, offered in partnership with Taste NY and NYS Grown & Certified, will provide a unique opportunity for New York food and beverage producers to connect with area food buyers.
The event will help these businesses to expand their reach in the marketplace that, in many cases, has been affected due to the nationwide pandemic.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon.

By Lisa Balschunat
Patience was the name of the game for bowling centers in New York state. Some 200 lanes statewide were given the green light from the governor’s office to reopen recently with strict COVID-19 requirements in place.
Doug Bohannon, owner of Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center in South Glens Falls and president of the New York State Bowling Proprietors Association, said many bowling centers within the association already had COVID-19 requirements in place because the original lift date for bowling centers was July 1.

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) successfully concluded its 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course without interruption and with all-sources handle topping $700 million for the second consecutive year, officials said.
The meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of essential personnel, horsemen and owners on-site due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NYRA said all-sources handle for the 2020 summer meet totaled $702,535,468 compared to $705,343,949 wagered from all sources on Saratoga in 2019.
Average daily handle for the 40-day meet was $17,563,387. The 2019 meet, which was run across 39 days due to the cancellation of a day of racing due to weather, generated average daily handle of $18,085,742.