Saratoga Race Course Donating Picnic Tables to Schools

Here's another piece of good news during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. And it happened just down the road from the Utica-Rome area along the New York State Thruway.

Saratoga Race Course was one of the many public sporting arenas that had to go idle this year in order to observe safety precautions against the threat of the coronavirus. The iconic racetrack, founded in Saratoga Springs in 1863 and still going strong, will certainly add its latest community gesture to its proud tradition.

The track has decided to help out schools in a big way.

Since the picnic tables at the racetrack were not used this summer with the track closed to fans, the track was determined to do a good deed and donate the tables to a couple of schools, so they could utilize them for the 2020-2021 school year.

WNYT reported that 175 picnic tables were loaded up earlier this week in order to be moved to Saratoga Springs High School and Maple Avenue Middle School. The tables are designed for outdoor use to make it easier for students to eat lunch and maintain social distancing.

Saratoga is the nation's fourth-oldest racetrack and in 1999, was rated by Sports Illustrated magazine as the #10 sports venue of the 20th Century. It was also referenced in Carly Simon's hit song "You're So Vain."