SARATOGA SPRINGS — About a decade after Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s opening in 1966, Dan Fortier attended his first concert at the venue and was starstruck to have watched Aerosmith “rock” on stage.
He’s since been to more than 100 shows at SPAC, a 5,200-seat amphitheater distinguished by its rust-colored facade with capacity for an additional 20,000 guests on its lawn. It sits in the heart of Saratoga Spa State Park and is surrounded by towering pine trees along with naturally spouting mineral springs. From its scenery to its events, the venue has not only left a mark on Fortier as a fan of the arts but also as a downtown business owner — the general manager at Embassy Suites by Hilton in Saratoga Springs.
“It’s hard to fathom how big the network is that is SPAC,” Fortier said. “Then you look back and say, how has it been 60 years?”…