Friday Night Lights

For lack of a better title, there it is.

Due to a one-day hiatus, I come to you tonight with the excitement of the Congress-Ferry Street reconstruction. No seriously, it is quite exciting.

For those that don't know, the Congress-Ferry Street reconstruction was originally a collaboration between the City of Troy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Troy Housing Authority and Rensselaer County. More than two years ago, the heads of these groups gathered together to sign a memorandum of understanding to pursue a development project that aims to capitalize on 13 acres of vacant land near downtown.

Shortly thereafter, the collaboration chose the United Group of Companies and partner John Hedley as the group who could best complete this unique opportunityto bring a new, and exciting development to Troy.

Since then it has been a long process, but we are edging closer to development taking place. For those that do not know, this is what the corridor looks like now.

Reconstruction of the road is on schedule to begin during the spring. While this certainly dovetails with the economic redevelopment we plan for the area, it is a separate, and much needed project. In fact, the road reconstruction will consist of more than $6 million in improvements, most of which will be paid for with grants from the federal and state government.

The road reconstruction will slow down traffic in the corridor, improve pedestrian access, and most importantly make it a more aesthetically pleasing place.

The economic development of the site should begin shortly thereafter in an attempt to limit the negative impact the project will have on local residents and visitors. What it will bring to the area is the current discussion taking place. We know there will be a mix of housing and retail along the south portion of the corridor. The possibility exists for a hotel to be placed on the site, in addition to additional commercial properties. The potential for this site is truly limitless, particularly when positioned next to the growing RPI campus.

Below is a recent picture of the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, or EMPAC, that Rensselaer is scheduled to open up next fall.

As has been discussed on this blog and throughout the City for quite some time, there is a significant amount of interest in the redevelopment of Troy. When this project officially gets underway early next year, it will be one of the main reasons for all the talk.

Have a great holiday weekend, be safe!

Harry

Thursday Night Happenings (a bit late)

Tune in tonight for a special edition of Thursday Night Happenings.

Sorry for the delay.

Harry

Uncle Sam Jam

Are you ready for one more go around on the festival front? I'm guessing the answer is yes.

In addition to this Friday's Troy Night Out, this coming Sunday we will have an unofficial goodbye to summer with the Uncle Sam Jam in Riverfront Park. From noon to 8 p.m. there will be music, entertainment, and events for the entire family.

Headlining the Uncle Sam Jam are New York City blues artists Hugh Pool Trio.





For all the information on the show check out:





http://www.troyny.gov/visittroy/2007UncleSamJam.html





Should be a great time. Local rockers Rocky Velvet will also be on hand for your enjoyment. See you Sunday as we continue to do our best to provide residents and visitors free family activities.





Harry

Breaking Ground

On Sunday morning, hundreds of people gathered behind the Houston Field House to break ground on the East Campus Athletic Village.

It was a star-studded affair to say the least, with NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand, RPI President Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, and Board of Trustees President Samuel Heffner Jr. all attending the ceremony.

The East Campus Athletic Village will further transform the Rensselaer campus by developing state-of-the-art facilities across the spectrum of athletics. The centerpiece of the of the Athletic Village will be a multi-purpose stadium that will eventually seat 7,500 spectators for a variety of events. The promise of the new stadium goes beyond just events for Rensselaer, as it will allow community events, a variety of championships, competitions and commencements to be held in an exquisite and remarkable venue.

A new basketball arena will also be built to hold 1,200 spectators, as well as an administrative center, team rooms, and a number of unique amenities. As is described by the University, the flexibility of the East Campus Athletic Village will increase Rensselaer's visibility throughout New York State and nationally. It will truly bring its athletics programs to a new level, and in doing so, elevate the City of Troy to a new level.

Phase 2 of the project includes a new natatoriumn (swimming facilities), indoor track, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and an additional artificial turf field.

We fully understand that this project does hold some questionable aspects, including the impact the athletic village will have on the nearby neighborhoods. We are working closely with RPI to be sure that measures are put into place to mitigate these factors.

Below are some pictures from the ground breaking, the first of which is quite clearly the 50-yard line. The ground breaking took place on the 50-yard line of the new field to be built. The school lined the grass for the event. It was very clever.

Some students looking on during the speeches.

An overhead shot of the model for the project.

The official turning of the earth, involving those mentioned above.

Below is a very interesting look at what the area behind the Houston Field House looked like back in 1952. You can see all of the buildings, which served as rooming for the students. It looks rather cold.

If you want information on this, or anything else happening in the City, please feel free to e-mail me at info@harry4troy.com

Harry

Beautiful Night For A Game

To say I was honored by the turnout at our fundraiser at The Joe tonight would be quite an understatement. More than 175 people turned out to support my re-election campaign, offering help, encouragement, and words of wisdom.

To have that many people turnout and wish you luck, so many of them wearing stickers, or asking for lawn signs, really provided a nice motivational boost.

The night started off with a BBQ in the picnic pavilion in right field. By 6:30 p.m. we were cramming them in.

The nice part of the picnic is that they send some players over to chat before the game. I think that most people attend these games because of the great job the franchise does in bringing family events to the people. It was nice to see the guys that are fighting for a career before our eyes each evening stop by and say hello.

There was no shortage of fun for everyone. This picture below has a wonderful range of emotions.

For awhile, it looked as if we may witness history. The ValleyCats held the Aberdeen Ironbirds hitless for almost 7 innings.


Of course I had to take the blame on jinxing it, as seconds before the first hit I mentioned it to someone who happened to be walking by. The no-hitter was broken up in the bottom of the seventh with two outs on a little dink over the shortstop.

In the end the crowd cheered loudly for Troy native Joe Mahoney, the good guys won the game 2-1, and everyone in the party had a great time. On a night like this, how could you not.


Thanks to all those who came out to support my re-election this evening. The turnout was remarkable, and the knowledge that I have so many people standing behind me is always great to see.

Harry

The Loss of a Friend

The City of Troy lost a great friend Friday evening when Joseph Reilly died in a car accident on I-90.

Though I only knew him for a short time, the discussions I had with him were always genuine, and the work he did benefited the City of Troy in more ways than he ever knew. His desire to improve the Troy Boys and Girls Club and bring it back to its proud traditions is something I always admired.

He will be missed greatly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his entire family, friends, and all loved ones.

Harry

Book Bag Blessing

We had a great event take place in downtown Saturday afternoon thanks to a partnership between the City of Troy and the Redeeming Love Gospel Church.

As part of the 2007 Community Development Block Grant program, the church applied for funding to distribute book bags to families in Troy filled with school supplies for the academic year. It made sense for the City to pursue an endeavor of this sort, and yesterday the results proved it worthwhile.

By 1 p.m., Troy families were lined up on a hot day at City Hall to take advantage of the grant. To say it was hot would be quite the understatement. Thankfully there was plenty to eat and drink for everyone on hand.


Here is a picture of some of the volunteers for the event. I do like their choice in colors.

As part of the festivities there was music, a bouncy bounce, and great entertainment from former Harlem Globetrotter Seth Franco. Watching this young man interact with children, and do all he could to make sure they were having a great day, was very inspiring. If the next two pictures don't make you smile, nothing will.

He even got me involved in one of his routines. I thought about throwing out a trick, but decided I better just catch the ball.

He is a great guy, and I made sure to thank him for taking time to spend the day with the kids. For more information about him, check out http://www.sethfranco.com/

The event itself was beyond successful. More than 750 bags were given away to families in the City. The book bags are sharp and the supplies plentiful. It is a great way to start the school year, and I am looking forward to making sure this program continues well into the future. This is the exact type of initiatives that the CDBG program should fun.

Harry

Welcome To Troy...

This afternoon the newest additions to the student body at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute made their way from the university campus downtown for an introduction to the City of Troy.

Here are some pictures from the event. With more than 1,300 new students in the freshmen class alone, we are were expecting a nice turnout, and we were not disappointed. By 4:30 p.m., the downtown streets were dotted with students making their way to Riverfront Park for a BBQ and other festivities.


If nothing else, they are a peaceful and giving bunch.



If not a bit adventurous. Yes, that is the Hudson River below. We need to get this guy on some riverfront redevelopment action. In all seriousness, it was great to see all the kids lined up on the docks enjoying the water on a beautiful afternoon.



They have some tall students too apparently.



Shortly before the 5 p.m. I had a chance to talk with Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, the President of RPI, which has a very exciting weekend ahead, including a groundbreaking Sunday morning for the East Campus Athletic Village.



I had the opportunity to talk with the students prior to dinner, and the message was simple. Explore Troy. Don't stick to just the campus. The City of Troy has a reputation among RPI students as a place that college-age students cannot benefit from. That is a reputation that was fair a decade ago. It is no longer. With our various festivals, Troy Night Out, new restaurants, interesting cafes, art galleries, and a number of unique historic landmarks, there are things to do here for students. We just have to continue to improve, and they will come out.

Maybe for some dancing.

Before I end this evening, I just wanted to post a picture of another downtown event that happened this week. The Up Your Alley project, with the help of 60 RPI freshmen, painted a wonderful mural on the back of the Hendrick Hudson Building, which is where Tosca is located. It is a picture of a chef and the changing of the seasons. Next time you are downtown take a look.

Have a nice weekend!

Harry

P.S.- Keep the e-mails coming, I will return them each as soon as I can- info@harry4troy.com

Thursday Night Happenings...

Fresh off yesterday's post about Barker Park, we're going to take the long walk across Third Street to The Conservancy.


First the basics. The building is the former Stanley's (and Gay Building) on the corner of State and Third Streets. The project is the latest initiative by Jeffrey and Deane Pfeil, who are developers that recently found their way back to Troy. The benefits of their project are almost too plentiful to mention. But I will give it a shot anyway.

Here are some pictures of the exterior of the building. The first is a view from Barker Park. The second is from the northeast corner of State Street.

This project is one of our most important projects; if for no other reason than the next five years a concerted effort must be made by the City to bring residents back downtown. The long awaited return to our urban center by residents has already started in the last few years. But we need many more. This is a project that will show everyone that upscale living can take place in downtown Troy. And that it can be successful.

The Pfeil's describe the Conservatory as Beauty, Quality, Sophistication. The views from the Conservatory are second to none, particularly of the downtown. The inside of the building, at least the completed upper floor, is stunning. Take a look:

The apartments are outfitted with the latest amenities throughout. The kitchens are large, the open space stunning, and the bedrooms gorgeous. Quite simply, it is a beautiful place to live.

In addition to the apartments, there is underground parking. That's right, covered, and heated, parking areas for all tenants. The Pfeil's completely rehabilitated the basement of the building, including an alley entrance to make this project a go. The sidewalks surrounding the building are heated, providing an additional amenity during the winter months. It is the ultimate in downtown living.

The City helped out with the project by successfully applying for a New York Main Street Grant, half of which went to the Pfeil's as the anchor project in the grant. The additional money is intended to go to property owners in the neighborhood looking to rehab upper floors of their buildings into living spaces. It is another program aimed at bringing people back downtown 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There are already people living in the upper floors of the Conservatory, including Wally and Jane Altes. Wally is the former head of the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce. Having Wally and Jane move here is quite a coup for the City of Troy.

For more information on the Conservatory, check out www.theconservatorytroy.com

Talk to you tomorrow!

Harry

Gonna try with a little help from my Friends...

I often talk about the importance of our neighborhoods. I truly believe that we can only be successful if our neighborhoods are strong, united, and willing to fight for a better future.

On a similar note, the help we receive from local organized community groups can be just as important. One group that has recently reestablished itself is the Friends of Barker Park. This group really brings a smile to my face. It is a diverse group, made up of young professionals, veteran developers, and talented residents eager to make a difference in their community.

Taking over for the previous Friends of Barker Park, this new group has made great strides in making strategic improvements in a short time period. They have partnered with the City to rehabilitate the park and transform it into a welcoming urban center for everyone to enjoy.

Known first as the site of the former City Hall, and more recently the avian-influenced Pigeon Park, this area was unfortunately forgotten for far too long. That has changed thanks to the vision of the Friends and its members. Troy will continue to do all it can to help out with the different phases of the project. During the first portion, we provided the labor that removed old concrete pavers, benches, and made the decision to remove dilapidated playground equipment. Below are some pictures of that original work, and one of the early results:




The next phase of the project includes removing the remainder of the antiquated concrete pavers and installing additional grass to help make the park more appealing.

It is a very ambitious project that will take a combination of hard work and unique fund-raising to complete. As a City, we are going to do all that we can to raise the profile of the park, and more broadly, the 3rd Street area. In July we held a concert with Rocky Velvet during Troy Night Out. It was a great time. The band put on an energetic show, and the Friends had a chance to talk about their plans for the park with the general public. Stay tuned for more shows in the future during Troy Night Out.

Here's the band warming up several weeks ago.



Up next for Barker Park is a public meeting Thursday night at 6 p.m. at Saint Anthony's Church on State Street. Unfortunately, there has been some misinformation about the park out there, and I know that the Friends are looking forward to clearing all that up, while receiving some new ideas for future phases of work.

For more information on the park, check out http://www.barkerpark.org/

There are many groups like the Friends of Barker Park around the City, and each brings a different level of interest to different projects. Whether it's the Friends of Prospect Park or the Frear Park Conservancy or a number of others, they all do their piece to improve some part of Troy, and we could not be more thankful or happy.

Have a great day! If you need any information on any topic of the upcoming election, feel free to e-mail me at info@harry4troy.com

Harry

Street Crimes Unit

There was a wonderfully detailed article in the Troy Record this morning concerning the Street Crimes Unit we recently introduced to the City.

The creation of the team was in response to an escalation in violence in the North Central area. Through the first 15 days of its existence, the officers made 50 arrests. The numbers are nice to see, but more importantly is the notion that the people in the area know that we are confronting the situation of crime in their neighborhoods head on.

I think the part of the article I enjoyed the most were the comments and confidence coming from our officers concerning the situation in North Central Troy. Working day in and day out with the men and women in the department, I am always convinced of their dedication to this City. But to see it in print, I hope that helps people that sometimes get frustrated with the Police Department understand that these people do care tremendously.

In the coming weeks, we will open up the new substation in North Central, which will be an additional tool we can use to help out the neighborhood.

If you would like to read the article, you can take a peek here:

http://www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18729798&BRD=1170&PAG=461&dept_id=7021&rfi=6

Yesterday I also mentioned the arrest that took place while I was talking with a reporter. If you are interested in taking a look at this one, click on the link.

http://www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18729826&BRD=1170&PAG=461&dept_id=7021&rfi=6

If nothing else, I hope the story shows that we all need to do our part in the fight against crime. You never know when the smallest observance will lead to something more important.

Have a great night!

Harry

An interesting evening...

Earlier this evening, I was sitting with the Deputy Mayor and my wife Francesca at her restaurant when Jim Franco from the Record stopped by to get a comment on a story he was working on about the campaign.

As we chatted we saw two males outside of the cafe engaged in illegal drug activity. We called the police to come and check out the situation, and waited for them to arrive. Just a few minutes later, they rolled in and arrested the individuals. As it usually happens in these cases, the two men apprehended for one thing, ended up being charged with a few more crimes. The men had additional drugs on them, and were walked over to the Troy Police Station for arraignment.

Needless to say, the Record has quite a story, as Jim witnessed the entire episode. I am sure you will be able to read more about that in tomorrow's paper.

As for the other story, my opponent, looking to capitalize on the success of events that we have worked diligently to develop and maintain in the past three years, such as the Saturday's ChowderFest, wants to have a Business Improvement District created for the downtown. You won't see me agree with him much, but here goes.

I thank him for taking note of the events that we were able to create, with the help and ingenuity of local business owners. Whether it is the River Street Festival, or the ChowderFest, or the wildly successful Troy Night Out, we are doing a great job of creating activities for the people in the City, and the visitors we are trying to lure.

He seems to have forgotten that it was under his leadership that the City allowed such wonderful events, like the Riverfront Arts Festival, to die without a fight. As you will see over the next 11 weeks, actions are certainly more important than words.

He may be happy to hear that movement is already afoot to bring a Business Improvement District to the downtown. You may remember that in 2005, the BID was passed in its initial form, only to be taken down by the New York State Comptroller and a City Council member for several minor issues with the original vote.

Unfortunately, I believe that personalities got in the way of the original BID. I think a lot of people have learned from that, and the time is right to try and create a BID once more. Look for more information in the coming weeks.

Any questions, please send me an e-mail at info@harry4troy.com

Harry

What A Day!

It has been difficult in the last 24 hours to find the words that explain how great Saturday was for the City of Troy.


As I mentioned earlier this week, there was great excitement in the days leading up to the inaugural ChowderFest. Despite our greatest hopes, I do not think we could have foreseen the response we received yesterday. It was overwhelming.

The event was scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. By 11:30 a.m. the lines for chowder at the 26 different participating restaurants were dozens of people deep.

With Mother Nature helping us out with a tremendous day, we got the feeling shortly after the kickoff that we would be dealing with large crowds. It was almost a perfect storm. Some of the questions people asked when originally hearing about the ChowderFest was why we were holding it in August. Yesterday we got to tell them that we simply knew we would get an October-like day on River Street.


The other aspect that truly helped the event was the Farmer's Market. Already a destination for so many people in the area, it certainly provided an early morning boost to the Fest.

We had great entertainment and fun for the whole family throughout the day, for those who weren't interested in tasting the multitude of chowders available.

Onto the important information. Many thanks go to Chef Larry Schepici from Tosca Grille, and his entire staff that put forth a tremendous amount of effort in putting the festival together.

All of the businesses on River Street should be commended for the cooperative spirit they showed on Saturday. Whether it was providing power, supplies, or a simple helping hand, the camaraderie that these businesses and restaurants showed to one another made me proud to be the Mayor of Troy.

There are so many other people to thank, that I will just dole it out with a heap of praise to all involved. You did a great job.

I can't finish without listing the winners:

Best Original Chowder (Popular Vote)

1) Browns Brewing

2) Rusty Anchor

3) tie Jose Malone's and Tosca Grille

Best Vegetarian Delight (Popular Vote)

1) Troy Food Co-Op

2) LoPorto's

3) Muza Diner

People's Choice

1) Browns Brewing

2) Tosca Grille

3) Henderson's Bar and Grille

Judge's Choices

Most Original- Arnet's Diner (Newburgh Chowder)

Best Vegetarian Delight- Troy Food Co-Op

Here are two pictures from the judges presentation:

There you have it. Thousands of people came to River Street Saturday and had a great time. Some of them were first time visitors that I am sure we convinced them to come back for a few more visits. And that is what these festivals are all about. More than 1,200 votes were cast for the chowder. When you consider that you could only vote if you tasted a minimum of five chowders, you can imagine how large the crowd was throughout the day.

I am sure that Chef Larry will soon beginning planning for the Second Annual Chowder festival, and we will have a lot to talk about. More chowder for next year is a definite, and we will likely expand the boundaries to the north to provide some more walking (and tasting) space.

To all those that attended, hope you had an enjoyable day!

Harry

TGIF!

Well, we got a great mention in the Times Union this morning. Much thanks to the paper, particularly for pointing out a grammatical misstep that I was happy to fix this evening. Perhaps I need an editor in addition to my headline writer.

Now that that is out of the way, I want to talk about a very happy ceremony we held this morning at the Van Rensselaer Manor when we swore in four new firefighters and promoted another to Lieutenant.

It was Paul Cellucci's promotion to Lieutenant that led us to have the ceremony at the Manor. You see, Paul's father Carmen was a Captain in the Fire Department, as well as a mechanic, for nearly 40 years before retiring in 1987. He lives at the Manor now, and we wanted him to take part in the ceremony. His brother was a firefighter, as is his nephew currently.

Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino joined us for the festivities, as well as other elected officials, and many friends and family.

Here are some pictures from this morning's event.

Here is the moment of the day. There were a few tears in the room when the Cellucci family took center stage. I am quite sure that the ceremony made Carmen's day.

Finally, here is a picture with the new firefighters. All of them will serve the City well, and we were proud to welcome them to the Department.

That's all for today. Please do not forget that tomorrow is the ChowderFest on River Street. We have a beautiful day ahead of us and would love to see you there.

Have a great weekend!

Harry

Thursday Night Happenings Part II...

One of the most proud moments of my administration is when we decided to move federally funded HUD programs in-house.

The results of that move have been unquestionably successful. First up was the Home Code Compliance Grant Program, which was unveiled in the beginning of last summer. Intended to distribute grants to individual property owners looking to make improvements to their homes and bring them up to code, the program has become a shining example of what happens when this money is used correctly.

Since last July we have been replacing roofs, fixing doors, changing windows, and improving living conditions in more than 100 homes throughout Troy. The total amount of money spent adds up to more than $500,000. As I said earlier this year, this is the very definition of preservation. By helping people renovate the homes that they have known for so long, we are not only improving the housing stock, but also making sure that our neighborhoods have room to grow.

As of today, there is a growing list of people waiting to take advantage of this program. As the money flows from the federal government, we spend it, ensuring that the program benefits those it is intended to. In just one year, we have completed twice as many projects as the previous group had over the course of five years.

The second portion of the federally funded programs gave us the Housing Investment Program, or HIP. The first recipients of this program were Hector and Francis Sanchez. HIP provides low to moderate income families with a down payment so that they may purchase their first home. I originally met Hector and Francis (who is named after her father if you are wondering about the spelling) shortly before the holiday season. As we walked into their new home for the first time, they both remarked that without this program in place, it would've taken them several years to come up with enough money for a down payment on their new home.

It was wonderful to hear that. When you take a bold step to bring a program in-house, I will tell you it will make you nervous. I wanted to make sure that we could get the job done. Just like the Code Compliance Program, HIP has been a tremendous success, helping dozens of families in Troy purchase new homes for the first time.

Which brings us to the third leg of the HUD funding- the Troy Homes project. This is the most ambitious aspect of our new philosophy concerning HUD funding in City Hall. It will also be the most successful.

Last month we held a ground-breaking on Project Road, and announced by this fall six new homes would be built on land owned by the City of Troy, and that those homes would be sold to six low to moderate income families. These are new homes, being built by a Troy developer, that we hope will be a dream come to true in just several weeks.

This evening at City Hall we held a public information meeting for those interested in becoming the first people chosen for this project. We are quite sure that the list will exceed the six houses that we currently have. But we will continue to build. It will likely be two homes a year, each one in a different area of the City.

To be clear, those chosen from the field will have to qualify financially to ensure that the project will be a success. The money paid to the City for the homes covers the cost of construction, and is then put back into the program so that it may continue in future years. All of these homes are placed on the tax rolls, and will be a great benefit to the neighborhoods in Troy.

Much like the Housing Investment Program, we will target these programs at families living in public housing. Unfortunately, in some instances Troy Housing has become generational housing, and not the emergency temporary housing it was intended to be. We believe that these programs will help improve the housing stock in Troy, and the lives of all of our residents.

If you have any questions about the HUD-funded programs we have brought in house, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at the mayorsoffice@troyny.gov or info@harry4troy.com

Thanks, and have a great Friday!

Harry

Its time to fill the boot

Tomorrow is the kickoff of what has become an annual tradition here in the City of Troy.

The City of Troy Fire Department has begun the tradition of helping out the Muscular Dystrophy Association each year by embarking on a "Fill-The-Boot" campaign. Last year, the firefighters raised an amazing $28,000 for MDA, which was good enough for number one in all of New York State. I can't tell you how proud we are that they give their time, and do such an outstanding job raising funds for what we all agree is a great cause.

This year the department has decided to take on the task of volunteering over the course of two days- August 17th and August 24th. On those days, members of the department will be at different intersections throughout the City raising funds for MDA. If you see the firefighters out in the City, please donate what you can, and thank them for helping out.

At 11 a.m. tomorrow morning, members of the Fire Department, representatives of MDA, and my office will gather for the official kickoff of the drive. We have declared that the next two Friday's will be Firefighter Appreciation day in Troy.

See you tomorrow evening for another update on one of our exciting projects in Troy.

Please drop me a line at info@harry4troy.com if you have any questions.

Say It With Me... Chowdah!

I don't want to jinx it now, but after taking a peek at the early forecast for this weekend, the City of Troy could be in for a real treat.

The inaugural ChowderFest is set to take place this coming Saturday, and I heard the forecaster say a while ago that Saturday is looking unseasonably autumnal. I don't think there are two more words that go better with a summer Chowderfest than "unseasonably autumnal."

The fun gets underway at 10 a.m. this Saturday along River Street just south of the Farmer's Market. The street will be shut down beginning at 8 a.m. for set-up, and there will truly be fun for the whole family.

Combined with the Farmer's Market, and the expected beautiful day, it should be a wonderful opportunity to see what we're all about.

More than two dozen restaurants are expected to participate, there will be music, entertainment, and even adult beverages. All should fit in perfectly.

Even though I discussed how relaxing a day at the races can be yesterday, I'm telling you to forget it all, and come downtown this Saturday. You will not be disappointed.

Just be sure NOT to ask me who I think has the best chowder. Remember, my wife is in the contest, and I must be very, very careful.

Thanks for all of the e-mails, I do appreciate the wonderful comments from everyone, and even the criticism. Keep 'em coming at info@harry4troy.com

Harry

A Partridge In The Clubhouse

One of the great things about Saratoga is you really never know who you will run into.

Like today, when David Cassidy stopped by and said hello. No really, he did.

As you know, today was the 4th Running of the Troy Stakes Race, and it was quite a day.

Perhaps the most common thread everyone can share when at the track is that when the temperatures hover in the low 80's with a strong breeze and no clouds can be seen, winning takes a backseat to just enjoying the day.

Believe it or not, it is frustrating to have days like this when you are Mayor. You want to have fun and relax, but at the same time, there is a lot of work to be done, and missing one day of work always sets you back. That said, one of my most important job duties is to be the ambassador for the City, and it is always great hearing from people about how they like what is happening in Troy.

The race was just as exciting as in previous years. The heavy favorite held the early lead, but by the end of the 5 and 1/2 furlongs, a horse named TD Vance had out dueled the others for top prize. Garrett Gomez, who I found out today goes by the nickname Go-Go, rode the horse to victory.

There was even a bit of controversy, as the number three horse, was disqualified after bumping what appeared to be a few horses down the stretch.

Here's some pictures:

The winner with jockey aboard just after the race. You can see the three horse has not yet been taken off the board.

Here is TD Vance. Apparently this is a guy that likes to have his picture taken. He stayed calm throughout the entire process.

Here just about everyone is awaiting to see what was going to happen with the race. There was a delay because they cannot award the trophy for the race until it is official. Gomez is relaying what he thought happened down the stretch.

Turns out the trainer for TD Vance, H. Graham Motion, standing to my right, has actually won the race before. Two years ago, he trained Funfair. Needless to say he was happy to see me again, which is always nice.

It was an exciting day, we saw a lot of familiar faces up in Saratoga, and hopefully did a good job of getting the Troy name out there a little more.

Harry