PACKING AT THE TRACK
Race course hands out around 500 backpacks
SARATOGASPRINGS, N.Y. » Kids 12 and under had a special prize waiting for them Monday at the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion with school on the horizon.
The first 500 children received a free drawstring back filled with school supplies, thanks to Berkshire Bank and Hannaford Supermarkets.
The black drawstring backpack features the red Saratoga Race Course logo and includes a notebook, box of crayons, pencil, eraser, ruler, glue stick and a red Hannaford sandwich container.
Mondays have been Family Mondays all season long, but the final two Mondays at the track are extra special with 1,000 drawstring bags being provided.
“This is a great sponsorship for us. It’s really a partnership with NYRA. This is our third year doing the Family Fun Mondays, so it’s been great. We love giving back to the community, and working with NYRA on this is a great opportunity for us to do that,” said Jeff Stone, a senior vice president of Berkshire Bank. “The backpack giveaway specifically is great. We’re going right back to school now. The kids love the backpacks, and we love being here. We love being with the kids and the families, so it’s a great opportunity for us to give back to them and get them kicked off and start a new school year.”
NYRA has hosted Family Mondays at the track since 2014.
“We like to believe that kids are the next generation of racing fans, so this is a very family- oriented atmosphere here in Saratoga,” said NYRA senior vice president and chief experience officer Lynn LaRocca. “We love to bring kids with their parents, so because of thatwe do Family Mondays. We’ve invested a lot in the playground. It’s just us fostering that next generation of race fan.”
Outside the giveaway, Family Mondays has free games, attractions and education activities, including the opportunity to pet a retired thoroughbred, against the backdrop of historic Saratoga Race Course.
The event also provides local schools and PTAs with an opportunity to fundraise for their operations by hosting a designated activity which carries a suggested donation. Funds raised throughout the afternoon are supplemented with additional grants from the New York Racing Association and Berkshire Bank.
The Scotia-Glenville Education Foundation was the host Monday, while Lisha Kill Middle School will be the final host on Sept. 4.
The playground’s open every day the track’s opened. New highlights of the playground include an oval multi-lane running track surrounding the playscape, a miniature replica starting gate, a “selfie” photo station, spring horses and educational panels designed to teach children about the life of a race horse.