Saratoga Springs kicks off city centennial festivities

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) - Officials in Saratoga Springs have unveiled a lineup of events commemorating the centennial anniversary of its incorporation as a city.

Saratoga was still officially a village entering the 20th century, but the popularity of its summer thoroughbred racing season and the local mineral springs had spurred growth that led business owners and other civic leaders to push for combining the village and outlying rural areas into an incorporated city.

A new charter for the city's form of government was drawn up in early 1915 and approved by voters. In April of that year, Saratoga Springs officially became a city.

A series of events celebrating the centennial are planned, including an exhibit at the Saratoga Springs History Museum featuring 200 years of maps from the city's past and rededication of the city's iconic Spirit of Life statue in Congress Park.