Saratoga Springs will be the focus of a new television series being produced by C-Span. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard has more details on the program featuring a city known for health, history and horses.
In the ornate parlor of the Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs’ Congress Park Friday, C-Span producer Ashley Hill announced that the cable network would spend the next five days filming in the Spa City.
“I mean, we’re at the Canfield Casino, it’s one of the most gorgeous buildings that I’ve had the pleasure of speaking in. And so to take in all of the local architecture, all with the backdrop of the changing leaves in autumn, is just…we couldn’t ask for a better time to be here.”
Saratoga Springs will be in the national spotlight as part of C-Span’s 2017 Cities Tour. The network will feature local historical sites, people, and architecture on Book TV and American History TV.
Hill said there are a few criteria that C-Span looks for when selecting a city.
“Number one: logistics. We are driving around in what we call our local content vehicles that are equipped with everything we need to produce a piece and so we have to make sure we can get there. Number two: we look for cities that have that interesting literary and histories we need to cover. And then three, most importantly: we look for the opportunity to work with our cable partners, such as Spectrum here. They truly are the ones that say, ‘Hey, you should come to Saratoga Springs, there’s a lot here, great history, great authors.’ And it’s because of them that we’re in the community.”
Charlie Williams, Vice President of Government Affairs for Charter Communications, says Spectrum recently partnered with C-Span to bring the programs to Portland, Maine.
“Saratoga Springs now, I work in the Northeast. So we partner with them on a whole host of public service issues,” said Williams.
C-Span will feature the history of the Canfield casino, the city’s famed spring waters, Saratoga Spa State Park, horse racing, and Yaddo.
Also featured will be Solomon Northup – author of Twelve Years A Slave — Saratoga Battlefied in Stillwater, the Ulysses Grant Cottage in Wilton, and interviews with local authors and historians.
State Senator Kathy Marchione was excited the region would be showcased nationally.
“What do I enjoy most about Saratoga Springs? Everything,” said Marchione.
Mayor Joanne Yepsen said it was a great honor for the city to be selected by C-Span.
“But I think it’s reflective of why people are so interested in Saratoga Springs,” said Yepsen. “Not only do we have a rich history but we offer so much and the culture and arts and education, and a beautiful downtown, parks, a lake. So there’s so much here and the quality of life all added up together, in the past, the present, and our future vision is why I believe C-Span chose Saratoga Springs.”
The finished segments will air on C-Span 2 and C-Span 3 on December 16th and 17th.
For more information on C-Span’s Cities Tour visit: http://www.c-span.org/ or on Twitter @CSPANCities
