Didn't see the news last night, but here's what the Saratogian newspaper printed this morning.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11815199&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=17708&rfi=6
New Disney resort offers splash of Saratoga
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.- More than two years of planning, designing and building officially came to life at 8:30 a.m. Thursday with the sound of buglers' horns and a splash of Saratoga spring water.
Saratoga Springs Mayor Michael Lenz, arriving in a horse-drawn carriage with Mickey Mouse and followed by six jockeys and horses, helped introduce Walt Disney World's newest resort -- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.
Under a bright blue, cloudless sky, Lenz poured a pitcher of spring water into the resort's pool, which is fashioned after and inspired by the springs in Saratoga Spa State Park, to bring together the real city and its Disney counterpart.
'They've really captured the Victorian era,' Lenz said of the resort.
'Saratoga Springs is not just another resort -- it's a living postcard of a time gone by,' said Al Weiss, Walt Disney World Resort president.
The day's festivities were like the Spa City's Victorian Streetwalk, with musicians, food and men and women dressed in Victorian garb. The only difference, of course, was that Thursday's temperatures soared into the 90s.
Despite the searing heat, hundreds of Disney Vacation Club members descended upon the new resort to get a taste of what Saratoga Springs is all about.
They enjoyed a private concert by Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid,' and a repeat performance of Lenz's opening ceremony. This time, with the resort as his backdrop, he poured spring water into a bowl, which set off fireworks and geysers in the lake behind him. Lenz then moved on to be the grand marshal of the Founder's Day parade.
There were many familiar faces at the grand opening, including City Council members Tom McTygue and Stephen Towne and Saratoga Sweets President Michael Fitzgerald, who was handing out samples of his Peppermint Pigs.
Fitzgerald said a Disney executive happened upon a Food Network program where the Peppermint Pigs were featured and called Saratoga Sweets to offer Fitzgerald the opportunity to sell his product at the resort.
'I was a little concerned about the summer aspect,' Fitzgerald said about selling the pigs, which are normally only available around the holidays. But after some thought, he decided to do it.
'I'm honored to be a part of it,' he said.
Other tastes of home for sale at the resort include Sundaes Best fudge sauce, Saratoga Salsa and Saratoga Water.
'(Disney) certainly didn't have to reach out to any of us, but they did,' Fitzgerald said.
In addition to the officials on hand, there were some local and area residents checking out the resort. Stacy and Jeff Jennings of Clifton Park were touring the resort with their 9-year-old son, Nicholas, and Nicholas' grandparents, Mary Ann and Fred Conley, also of Clifton Park.
'I love the rooms,' Stacy said. 'You really feel like you've gone back in time.'
'They captured a lot of the architecture of Saratoga,' Fred said. 'They did a good job.'
Lenz and McTygue echoed the sentiments about the architecture.
'They've done a really good job of capturing the rooflines and columns,' Lenz said.
'You can see some of the architecture,' McTygue said. 'But there's nothing like home, nothing like Saratoga.'
