Upcoming Events

Experts Next Door: New York’s Great Lost Ballpark| August 13  7pm via Zoom

Clawhammer style banjoist Bob Carlin discusses his new book, New York’s Great Lost Ballparks, which tells the story of New York playing grounds and ballparks of yesteryear. Organized by region and city, the book includes a complete list of New York’s historic ballparks in an easy-to-read guidebook format. Learn more and register HERE

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Three Sisters Festival| August 16  2pm

Join us for the Third Annual Three Sisters Festival: A Celebration of Native American Culture, honoring the rich traditions, history, and heritage of our local indigenous communities.Register HERE

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Sounds in Summer: The Jazz Ambassadors| August 23  5pm

The Ambassadors will be performing in a variety of Jazz genres and showtunes from the beautiful and  acoustically good,front porch of the Brookside Museum. Admission is free. This concert is sponsored by a unique partnership between The Saratoga History Center at Brookside Museum, Saratoga Arts, the Music Performance Trust Fund of the American Federation of Musicians and the Village of Ballston Spa. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and a picnic dinner. The lawn is shady after 5! This event is free and open to the public. Learn more HERE

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Saratoga & the Civil War: The 115th “Iron-Hearted Regiment” at War| August 26  7pm

Learn of the unique experiences of the “Iron-Hearted Regiment,” lead by Colonel Simeon Sammons during the Civil War, as they traveled from Upstate New York to Virgina and on to the Deep South and back. Discover the battles they faced on the front line and those experienced from within. This is the second in the American’s At War series presented by the History Center during 2026. Register HERE

Experts Next Door: Lavender, Red, White, and Blue: Sites of LGBTQ Revolution in New York State| August 27  7pm via Zoom

In accordance with the United States Semiquincentennial, Dr. Jeff Iovannone, an expert in LGBTQ heritage conservation, will move beyond standard narratives of American revolution and urban LGBTQ history to highlight sites of LGBTQ revolution across New York State. Taken collectively, these sites evidence New York State’s rich LGBTQ heritage, the contributions of LGBTQ people in shaping New York’s history, and the fact that LGBTQ and American history are one and the same. Register HERE

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Songs and Sounds of the Anti-Rent Movement in Upstate New York, with Nancy Newman| August 30  2pm

Upstate New York’s Anti-Rent Movement is considered the last struggle over feudalism in the United States. Tenant farmers in the Hudson-Mohawk region engaged in organized protest throughout the 1840s to contest monopoly ownership of the land they worked. Arguing their cause in newspapers, on broadsides, and at rallies, their aspirations also took shape in poetry and song. Register HERE

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America at 250: History Trivia Night| September 1  6:30pm

Calling all history buffs! Put your knowledge to the test at SCHC. Inspired by America’s 250th, join us for a Trivia Night focused on American history. Compete with old friends and new on your knowledge of American history, geography and popular culture. Register HERE

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Waterford Revolutionary War Tour| September 2  10am

Longtime Waterford Town Historian Russ VanDervoort will lead this walk through Waterford Revolutionary War history. The tour begins at the Visitors Center on Peebles Island, the staging point for American troops during the War, including the Breastworks designed by Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Crossing the bridge into Waterford, we will visit the sites of Revolutionary war taverns and the route of the General Knox Artillery Train. Register HERE

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Discovering George Foster Peabody with Glenn Underwood| September 9  7pm

Glenn Underwood is an artist, author, and historian from Upstate New York whose family operates Twin Birches Cottages in Lake George, a property that stands on the former grounds of Abenia, the summer estate of banker and philanthropist George Foster Peabody. Learn more and register HERE

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SCHC Reads: 1777: Tipping Point at Saratoga| September 10  6pm

Join us for the fourth meeting of our new history Book Club at the Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum. This year, in honor of America’s 250th, we will be reading books that explore the unfolding and impact of the American Revolution. Register HERE

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A Walk Through Luther Forest| September 17  4pm

Michael Gaige, an ecologist and Saratoga County native, will lead a tour of the 100 Acre Wood Trail System in Malta, New York. Together we will explore this publicly accessible trail on the Luther Forest Technology Campus, and gain an appreciation for the natural world around us. Register HERE

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A Force for Nature: Paul Schaefer’s Adirondack Coalitions with David Gibson| September 24  7pm

Learn about the life and work of Adirondack activist and environmental advocate, Paul Schaefer. A staunch advocate for the Adirondack Park, activist and writer Paul Schaefer deeply influenced conservation policy in New York State. His work and writing inspired countless conservationists, with his tireless efforts paving the way for the protection of “forever wild” forests in the Wilderness Act of 1964. Register HERE

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Heart of Dublin Tour| September 30  1pm

Mary Ann Fitzgerald, retired Saratoga Springs City Historian and co-founder of the West Side Oral Narrative Project, will lead this journey back in time. The tour will begin at the Putnam Burial Ground on South Franklin Street then over to Grand Avenue for traces of the early Irish Community including family businesses, fraternal organizations and festivals that radiate out from the intersection of Beekman & Oak Street in the heart of Dublin. Register HERE

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Miller’s Backyard Barbecue at Brookside| October 2  3-6pm

Include Brookside Museum in your dinner plans for Friday, October 2nd, order some delicious Millers Backyard Barbecue and pick it up from Brookside Museum. Chicken and pulled pork dinners are available for $16.00 and beef brisket dinners for $21.00 (beef brisket by pre-order only). All dinners include baked potato, coleslaw and corn bread. An 8 oz. serving of mac & cheese is also available for $5.00. Drive-thru pickup/take out only. Order HERE

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Dunning Street Cemetery Tour| October 14  1pm

Malta town historian Tom Willams will lead a walk through the cemetery, visiting the gravesites of Revolutionary veterans and early residents of Malta interred within the Dunning Street Cemetery. This tour forms a part of our Spotlight on Malta History series. Register HERE

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Andy Rooney: A Lucky Life, with Paul Grondahl| October 29  7:30pm

Andy Rooney carries readers through the arc of a true American original and one of the country’s most popular television and newspaper commentators. Award-winning journalist and biographer Paul Grondahl’s comprehensive biography traces Rooney’s early transformation from smart-aleck prankster to World War II correspondent for Stars and Stripes. Learn about the life and times of Andy Rooney, and his connections to Ballston Spa! Register HERE

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