Liz Vitale, administrative assistant at Brown School / NYRA Photo

Saratoga Race Course welcomes return of Berkshire Bank Family Mondays with special fundraiser for Brown School

by Pat McKenna and Mark Bardack

The New York Racing Association, Inc. today welcomed the return of Berkshire Bank Family Mondays for the 2016 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course.

The weekly family festival, held each Monday of the meet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Saratoga Pavilion, presented by Time Warner Cable News, 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. The featured organization for the first Monday of the season was Brown School of Schenectady, NY. Funds raised throughout the afternoon were supplemented with additional grants from the New York Racing Association and Berkshire Bank.

"The New York Racing Association is pleased to partner with Berkshire Bank to bring free family activities to Saratoga Race Course. Mondays are great way for a new generation of fans to appreciate all that Saratoga has to offer - from the great racing and family programming to the chance to pet a retired thoroughbred or to picnic near the paddock with family and friends," said NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay. "We are also proud to host area PTAs at Berkshire Bank Family Mondays where they have an opportunity to reconnect with members during the summer and raise money for their schools. It's a great way for these organizations to meet-up, fundraise, and enjoy all that makes Saratoga such a special place." 

"This event gives us the ability to raise significant funds in a short amount of time. It's also a great way to meet up with families and friends over the summer," said Liz Vitale of Brown School. "We thank the New York Racing Association and Berkshire Bank for this opportunity and are excited to put the money we raise today to good use to support programming at Brown School." 

Additional schools and PTAs to be hosted throughout the season include the Scotia-Glenville Education Foundation on August 1; Chango Elementary School on August 8; Skano Elementary School on August 15; 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, call 518-584-6200 or visit www.NYRA.com.

*Please see attached photos from today's event at the following link: 

http://s558.photobucket.com/user/Virginia_Kellner/...*

Family Monday Brown School: Liz Vitale, administrative assistant at Brown School, helps children create sand and spin art during Berkshire Bank Family Mondays at Saratoga Race Course on Monday, July 25. The school raised funds throughout the afternoon, which was supplemented with additional grants by the New York Racing Association and Berkshire Bank.  

Fourstardave Monday: Kevin McDonald (left) and Mike Troina (right) of Brooklyn, NY enjoy an afternoon at the Fourstardave Sports Bar at Saratoga Race Course on Monday, July 25. The New York Racing Association will provide a Fourstardave collectible bobble head to each table reserved in the sports bar on Mondays throughout 2016 season.