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Saturday,ÊA ugustÊ13 ,Ê2016
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In COUNTY NEWS | pg. 14
Prestigious award
Treasurer Michael Diskin lauded
www.SunCommunityNews.com
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In OPINION | pg. 6
Stefanik and Trump
Congresswoman should take a stand
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In ARTS | pg. 9
Olympus Piano Trio To perform in Saranac
Adirondack Cuisine Trail Association now a tri-county effort Organizers submit blueprints for proposed effort to state By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
LAKE CLEAR — Foodies rejoice. A proposed regional cuisine trail network across the tricounty area passed a major milestone last week when organizers applied for official status from the state Department of Ag and Markets. If granted status, the network will graduate from an abstract
Flower power Essex County 4-H clubs add color and beauty, order to fairgrounds
WESTPORT — A flurry of flower pots arrived at Essex County’s Fairgrounds on Friday morning. From trunks and trucks and back seats, they represented the work of many young and helpful hands. Kids from 4-H clubs all over the county spent the past few weeks digging in and Kim decorating “Flower Power” containers to Dedam brighten up walkways, steps and outdoor Writer areas for this summer’s county fair. From Country Kids 4-H Club in Willsboro, Audrey and Finnley Walker, ages 8 and 11, arrived with their mom, Tara Valachovic, and pots in tow. “We come together a few times a year,” Tara said of the county-wide 4-H youth effort. “It was a lot of fun,” Audrey nodded. The Flower Power project was one that all of the 12 young people in Country Kids took part in, Tara said. “Each 4-H group designed their own, we planted ours last
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concept to an official route that may be eligible for state resources. The idea of an Essex County cuisine trail was first floated in January by a local entrepreneur. Since then, the idea of a self-navigated route showcasing the region’s food and beverage destinations has sparked a flurry of activity in the region and has become a tri-county effort, with a total of six possible networks now on the drawing board in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties. The idea, said Jay White, the project’s architect, is to organize the region’s agricultural assets into a unifying brand and market it to visitors as a unique travel destination. Progress has been swift. Following that initial meeting,
which saw immediate interest from local farmers, food producers and civic cheerleaders, an organizational nucleus was formed. Dozens of letters of support were drafted and a nonprofit was formed to house an the new structure, the Adirondack Cuisine Trail Association (ACTA). A maximum of 10 cuisine trails can be designated across the state. The ACTA has proposed six, two in each county. The key is to have as many entry points as possible into the network. Each would be self-navigated along about 75 miles of the region’s most heavily-trafficked roads using signs as a benchmark. >> See CUISINE TRAIL | pg. 12
Lyme disease on the rise in Essex County
Hannah Tremblay, 10, of Jay and her mom Beth get ready to set up Flower Power pots they planted and delivered to brighten the Essex County Fair this year. Beside Hannah, her cousin Jeremiah Hodgson, 3, of Lake Placid, takes the whole morning in stride. Photo by Kim Dedam
Local efforts to combat disease dovetail with state, federal efforts By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
week,” she said of the Willsboro contribution. At Willing Hands 4-H Club in Jay, co-leader Beth Tremblay agreed that it made for a fun project with a group goal: to beautify the fairgrounds. Her daughter, 10-year-old Hannah made five pots, two repurposing old steel pails and one colorful bunch planted in a cauldron pot with a handle. It is like painting, only with flowers, Hannah said of her work, mixing floral colors with the different heights. Hannah’s 4-H entry for Essex County Fair judges this year is a pair of old rubber boots she filled with flowers. “The boots don’t fit anymore and rather than toss them, she wanted to use them for flowers,” Beth said. Among contest categories in the 4-H exhibit this year are Planted Flowers and Unique Planters.
ELIZABETHTOWN — Lyme disease is on the rise in Essex County. “Our Lyme numbers are off the charts,” Susan Allott, Essex County Public Health Department’s Director of Preventive Services, reported to county lawmakers on Monday. Cases of the tick-born illness have doubled this year from 15 in 2015 to 33 to date. Allott is working with Champlain Area Trails to install warning signs for hikers, which are also available on request for lawmakers to install in their communities. The signs urge hikers to avoid tick bites by using repellents, walking in the center of trails and to check for ticks daily on children, pets and themselves. The majority of those cases were contracted along Lake Champlain, Allott said. But despite the trend, she said it’s a misnomer that inland residents can’t be affected, including
>> See COUNTY FAIR | pg. 15
>> LYME DISEASE | pg. 13