Circus Smirkus, an international youth circus, returns to the outdoor soccer field at the Saratoga Casino Hotel for four performances this summer.

It is a fundraiser for the Waldorf School on York Avenue in Saratoga Springs.

The event on July 11 and 12 is part of the circus’ 30th anniversary “big top tour.” Performances are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. Tickets are $25 for adults 13 and older and $20 for children 2-12. Children younger than 2 are free on an adult’s lap.

This year’s tour continues the tradition of Smirkus theme-based shows. This year it is “Midnight at the Museum.” It creates the excitement of an adventure through the hallowed halls of a magical museum. Attendees “will embark on an enchanted journey with astonishing aerialists, courageous clowns, and wily wire walkers as they explore a museum that springs to life when the clock strikes midnight,” circus officials said in a news release.

It features 30 budding circus stars ages 12 to 18 from 13 states—California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington—as well as Canada and Zambia.

The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs first brought Circus Smirkus to Saratoga in 2007 as a fundraising and outreach event.

The Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau held its 32nd annual meeting and dinner at the Saratoga Springs City Center in March where the organization highlighted the successes of 2016, reviewed initiatives for 2017 and welcomed new members to its board of directors and Executive Committee.

Successes were listed in the 2016 annual report. It showed that the convention/group business continued to grow throughout 2016. More corporate group, sports and wedding leads and associations signed multi-year contracts again in 2016.

The year saw 627 events hosted, compared to 422 in 2015. Those events resulted in 90,908 room nights, up 11.8 percent from 2015. The estimated economic impact of those figures was $57 million last year, compared to $45 million in 2015.

  The report said the group market contributes one in five room nights in Saratoga Springs.

Recognized at the dinner were those elected to serve on the Executive Committee for 2017-18. They are Cindy Hollowood, chairperson, Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs;  Thomas Newkirk, immediate past chairperson, Saratoga National Golf Club; AJ Bodden, incoming chairperson, Townsquare Media Group; Marianne Barker, treasurer, Impressions of Saratoga; and Robert Berrey, at-large officer, The Gideon Putnam.

By R.J. DeLuke

Congress Plaza in Saratoga Springs will soon  be the home of a new taproom selling craft beers from a Washington County farm brewery business.

R.S. Taylor & Sons Brewery is renovating a 1,600-square-foot space in Congress Plaza. The business will go into the end unit in the southern portion of the plaza that was formerly Bubbles Laundromat.

Renovations involve putting in a bar and tap service. “It shouldn’t take long to do what we need to do,” said Rich Taylor, owner of the farm brewery business and its chief brewer. The main issue is getting all the necessary operating permits.

“We hope to be open by Memorial Day weekend,” he said.

The company currently operates a tap room on the farm property where people go to quaff the locally made product and occasionally listen to music. Under the farm brewery license, companies like R.S. Taylor & Sons are allowed to open up to five tap rooms.

The one in Saratoga Springs will be the second. A third is being planned in the Albany area, Taylor said.

R.S. Taylor & Sons specializes in brewing English-style ales with a brewing system custom crafted by Portland Kettle Works in Portland, Ore.  They use a combination of home-grown hops, hops grown for them at nearby Cold Spring Hop Farm in North Hebron, and a selection of British-grown hops. The water is from the artesian wells on the farm.

Feigenbaum Cleaners, one of the oldest dry cleaning businesses in New York state, with locations in Saratoga Springs and Wilton, is celebrating its centennial anniversary.

The company was started in Glens Falls, where it is still headquartered, in 1917 by Herman Feigenbaum and his wife Jennie, both emigrants from Austria-Hungary. They met and married in New York City in 1909.

The local shops are at 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga Springs and at Wilton Square, 3039 Route 50 (near Staples). The business also has shops in Queensbury and in Latham.

“After working as a tailor for years in the crowded garment factories of New York’s Lower East Side, Herman decided to leave New York City to purchase a tailor shop in Whitehall,” said Todd Feigenbaum, the third-generation owner.

“On their way to Whitehall, the family of five decided to spend a night in Glens Falls. After exploring the community and falling in love with its charm, they decided Glens Falls would be their new home.”

Is bigger always better? Not necessarily, according to August Rosa who opened his second business, Pint Sized, at 489 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

“I am thrilled to finally announce this second business in the middle of Saratoga Craft Beer Week,” said Rosa in late February.

He said Pint Sized is probably going to be the smallest bar in the area, presenting guests with a cozy craft-beer experience.

The project is moving toward a spring opening date.

Rosa said the small bar will have 12 beers on tap, available by the glass or growler. In addition to craft beer on premises, there will be a wide selection of brews to purchase for off-premise consumption as well. Product will be sold broken up as single units, packaged, or as mix-six packs.

Rosa said there will be a small wine list and a rotating food menu with light fare.

BST & Co. CPAs LLP, one of the Capital Region’s leading financial and management consulting firms, has acquired the finance, management and accounting services company CFO for Hire LLC.

The Albany-based firm is operating under the BST banner. The acquisition was announced in March. Company officials said it will enhance and complement BST’s current service offerings of tax planning, financial consulting, and business valuation, by providing companies with an outsourced alternative for day-to-day accounting services.

All 19 staff members employed by CFO for Hire have made the transition to BST.

The new division of BST will be led by Jim Lozano founded CFO for Hire in 2000 and has grown the company from two clients at its inception to 84 clients in 2016. Under BST, CFO for Hire will continue to serve clients throughout the Capital Region, Central New York and Mohawk Valley, while expanding its offerings to businesses in the Hudson Valley.

“We are pleased to welcome Jim and his skilled team to BST as we further our services to meet a new type of client need. This addition is an opportunity for us to take advantage of the growth opportunities available to us in upstate New York while bringing BST’s signature brand of service to new businesses,” said Ron Guzior, managing partner of BST & Co. “Jim has built an outstanding operation that meets a demand unique to many closely- or family-held businesses and nonprofit organizations.”

“When I began CFO for Hire nearly two decades ago, it was in response to seeing the clear need for a permanent financial solution for companies that simply do not require full-time, in-house accounting personnel. We offer businesses the opportunity to have a team of expert finance and accounting staff at their disposal, without the overhead costs,” said Lozano. “I have long respected the team at BST, and am excited to join them.”