Saratoga Race Course to become Pokemon Go playground during Berkshire Bank Family Mondays

by Pat Mckenna; Mark Bardack

The Berkshire Bank Family Mondays event series at Saratoga Race Course will become a popular destination for Pokemon Go players as a special site for the digital game during the final three Mondays of the 2016 meet.

Pokemon Go players are invited to go on a quest to collect the most Pokemon at Saratoga Race Course during the weekly family festival, which is held each Monday of the meet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Saratoga Pavilion, presented by Time Warner Cable News.

Players are invited to register at the Pavilion beginning at 11 a.m. The individual who collects the most Pokemon throughout the day will be awarded 2,500 Pokecoins. Players must present their final tally of catches on their app to the attendant located at the Pavilion at the conclusion of the event. A leaderboard will be on display during the afternoon.

Lures will be dropped throughout the afternoon to attract Pokemon to various track landmarks, including the Saratoga Pavilion, Saratoga Walk of Fame, Horse Sense exhibit and the Jockey Silks Room porch. Players can replenish their Pokemon-catching tools at three Pokestops located on track grounds: the Big Red Spring, the Coach Stepping Stone near the Saratoga Pavilion; and the Union Avenue Entrance.

The first Pokemon Go competition at Saratoga Race Course will be held on Monday, August 22 and will continue during the Berkshire Bank Family Monday series on August 29 and September 5.

Berkshire Bank Family Mondays invites families and children to experience and enjoy a wide array of free games, attractions and educational 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.

Schools and PTAs to be hosted during the remaining three Mondays of the season include: Stevens Elementary School on August 22; Saratoga Academy on August 29; and Saddlewood Elementary School on September 5.

Families can secure a reserved table in the picnic area on Mondays for $30 and in the Fourstardave Sports Bar starting at $20. Each table reservation in the Fourstardave Sports Bar on Mondays comes with a free, collectible bobble head figurine modeled in the reflection of the hospitality area's namesake - the thoroughbred Fourstardave, a longtime favorite at the Spa.

Tables are available through Ticketmaster.com or by calling the NYRA Box Office at 844-NYRA-TIX.

Berkshire Bank Family Mondays is presented with support from Pediatric Dental Group of New York.

The 2016 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course continues through Labor Day, Monday, September 5. For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com.