NCL Magazine - Winter 2016

NORTH COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE • VOL. 5 NO. 4

Vol. 5 No. 4

Albert Einstein spent many summers on the shore of lower Saranac Lake Fossil Fish: The prehistoric sturgeon is making a resurgence in Lake Champlain

The picturesque Boreas Pond Tract now belongs to the people of New York

WINTER 2016

Boldly Go

Ticonderoga is today the official home of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise

Frozen Lakes

These skating enthusiasts risk life and limb to experience perfect conditions

Published by Sun Community News and Printing 14 Hand Avenue, Elizabethtown, NY 12932 (518) 873-6368 Fax: 873-6360

Vol. 5 No. 4

Publisher Dan Alexander

General Manager DJ Alexander

Writer Pete DeMola

Writer Thom Randall

Writer Teah Dowling

Writer Mikaela Foster

Writer Elizabeth Izzo

Writer Lohr McKinstry

Writer Keith Lobdell

Writer Karen Stites

Writer Rich Redman

Writer Kim Dedam

dan@suncommunitynews.com

Editor’s Note

dj@suncommunitynews.com

pete@suncommunitynews.com

thom@suncommunitynews.com

December/January/February 2016-17

A

h, glorious Boreas Ponds.

What a true gem to be purchased by the state and presented to the people for all to enjoy.

Encompassing more than 20,000 acres, the land purchase known as the Boreas Ponds Tract will open countless recreational opportunities from hunting and fishing to hiking, biking and birding.

At its center, flanked by the state’s highest peak, are the three ponds that bear the Boreas name — known also as the Greek God of the North Wind. It could not have been more aptly named.

I have a very personal affinity for this region. My family has long owned land adjacent to it and my great grandfather guided wealthy deer hunters there. My hunting camp is across the road and I’ve hunted and fished much of it throughout my lifetime.

Trust me, it is country you have to see.

The land also has a very storied past, where rugged men would endure severe winter conditions sawing logs by hand, then risking life and limb delivering them to market via river drives.

We have chronicled much of this history in this edition of North Country Living. Turn to page 52 to read more about the wildlands of Boreas, and page 62 to learn about the history of logging operations over the past century there.

I believe you will find the backstory fascinating, the photography serene. Further motivation to visit this special place.

Thank you for reading the final edition of North Country Living Magazine for 2016 — our fifth year in print — and I’ll see you in the spring.

John Gereau, Managing Editor 4 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

teah@suncommunitynews.com

mikaela@suncommunitynews.com

Elizabeth@suncommunitynews.com

lohr@suncommunitynews.com

keith@suncommunitynews.com

stiteska@yahoo.com

Rangeric@nycap.rr.com

kim@suncommunitynews.com

MARKETING SPECIALISTS Ashley Alexander Edward Coats Kathi Gereau

Thomas Hollingsworth Scarlette Merfeld Ciara Thompson

Beth Wells Susan Zacharenko

To advertise in our next edition contact Ashley at 518-873-6368 ext 105 or e-mail ashley@suncommunitynews.com

DESIGN TEAM DJ Alexander Kelly Bresett Wanda Cox

Greg Foster Laurie Goff Heather Lamb

Kerry O’Neill Kasey Rosselli

SUBSCRIBE To subscribe to North Country Living Magazine, visit us at

subscribe.nclmagazine.com

$30 for four issues (U.S. Residents) • $40 for four issues (Canadian Residents) Prices include tax, shipping & handling.

You may also mail a check or money order to: Sun Community News and Printing Attn: NCL Subscriptions P.O. Box 338, Elizabethtown, NY 12932 Be sure to include your full name, mailing address, phone number and email address.

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

CONTENTS

Features

Vol. 5 No. 4

Vintage Sleds

8

Frozen Tundra

16

To Boldly Go

25

Ice Angling

37

A Great Mind

46

Fossil Fish

70

The evolution of snowmobiling the North Country Hard water calls to this Moriah man

A lone backcountry skier traverses the Fiver Mile Mountain trail on Tongue Mountain in the Lake George Wild Forest.

nclmagazine.com

Ticonderoga is the official home of the USS Enterprise Vol. 5 No. 4

Albert Einstein spent many summers on the shore of lower Saranac Lake

What kind of a winter will it be?

Fossil Fish: The prehistoric sturgeon is making a resurgence in Lake Champlain

Albert Einstein summered in Saranac Lake

The picturesque Boreas Pond Tract now belongs to the people of New York

WINTER 2016

Photo by Carl Heilman II

A1 NORTH COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE • VOL. 5 NO. 4

On The Cover

Boldly Go

Ticonderoga is today the official home of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise

F r o z e n L a k e s

These skating enthusiasts risk life and limb to experience perfect conditions

Sturgeon making a comeback in Lake Champlain

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 5

-

CONTENTS

December/January/February 2016-17

Features Hometown Hero

76

WWE giant “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan grew up in Glens Falls

Plattsburgh Opera House

84

8

The iconic structure once sat more than 1,000 patrons

Social Scene Social Scene

42

Diane Golden’s studio without walls

Environment

52

Breathtaking Boreas Ponds now belongs to you!

Local History

42

90

Warrensburg’s horse-drawn hearse

Eye on Business

94

Danny Kaifetz’s flagpole business is standing tall

Giving Back

100

The Venison Coalition is helping feed the hungry

Community Calendar

76 102

The most inclusive events calendar in the region ... bar none 6 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

8 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

: A SEASON TO

REMEMBER

On a rainy night in October, sprawled throughout the cozy dining room of the Hollywood Inn Restaurant in Lyon Mountain, NY, members and friends of the Vintage Snowmobile Club of the Adirondacks (VSCADK) discussed snowmobiles… without a snowflake in sight.

Some were vintage-loyal, some modern enthusiasts; some riders, some collectors… but all seemed to live and breathe snowmobiling 365 days a year. They were a fascinating group, each one with a special connection to the sport.

Paul Sayah, Larry Chase and Josh Secore, all from the Adirondack region, created the club in 2009, after attending a classic snowmobile event in Fulton, NY. In the summer of 2010, during a vintage snowmobile show the club had organized, the first Canadian member, Dan Beauchamp (now president of the club), signed up. Through word of mouth, he rallied more Canadians.

Along with those from the Adirondacks and the surrounding areas, today the club has members from Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maryland,

BY MIKAELA FOSTER

Quebec and Ontario.

Beauchamp said, in 2012 the VSCADK was incorporated as a non-profit corporation with a social and charitable vocation. The purpose was to create a club for American and Canadian owners, restorers, and enthusiasts of vintage snowmobiles. Their objective is to organize and have its members participate in vintage snowmobile runs, shows and swap meets. They also gather for discussions about vintage snowmobiles.

During their October gathering, they discussed snowmobile history, shared memories, talked parts and restoration, and reviewed upcoming plans. To anyone eavesdropping, it was an enthralling crash course in snowmobiling.

According to a club member’s book, “Snowmobile History, Volume 1” by Pierre Pellerin, the evolutionary road to snowmobiles started on skis and snowshoes. Bicycle sleighs were invented as well. Then animals such as horses, dogs and reindeer were used to pull sleighs through snowcovered areas.

“One thing snowmobiling did… when people couldn’t snow shoe or ski, snowmobiling got them outside,” said George Dufrane, whose father owned Dufrane Motor Distributors of Malone, and was the Moto-Ski distributor for the state of New York. “And if you weren’t able to get through the woods on snow shoes or skis, snow mobiles opened that up.”

As the gasoline-powered automobile slowly >> Continued | pg. 10

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 9

developed at the end of the 19th century, some people explored ways of making the automobile drivable in the winter, while others continued using horses in the snow.

Pellerin wrote there were probably many people across the globe “who could qualify as the father of the snow machine,” but not everyone kept records of their work.

“One could say that from 1910 onward the race was launched for the best invention for traveling on snow. All the ingenious inventions set upon looking for the most efficient vehicle,” Pellerin wrote. The snow machine was quickly abandoned.

There were propeller-driven sleighs and at the same time, people were experimenting with putting tracks and skis on automobiles. But the “one who really invented a half-track from one end to the other was J. Armand Bombardier of Valcourt, Quebec, Canada,” wrote Pellerin. Bombardier’s invention was built for the purpose of traveling on snow. The so-called Father of the Snowmobile is said to be Carl Eliason with his Motor Toboggan.

Many people experimented with many different snowmobile designs, some not even building a machine… but all contributed to the evolution of the snowmobile. By the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the ‘70s, “the snowmobile reached maturity, and what followed was nothing short of a revolution,” Pellerin wrote.

“Around 1972, the snowmobile market became saturated and the companies either closed or gave up manufacturing snowmobiles. Some of them were successful and continued to produce until the 21st century, the four big ones being Polaris, Arctic-Cat, Yamaha and Ski-doo as well as the Bombardier Lynx in Europe.”

Club members said with a re-emergence of the industry, snowmobiles became more technologically advanced and went from sleds costing $650 to modern day sleds costing

around $13,000, which to some, is worth it.

“The new ones, you don’t have to do much to,” said Brian Millett, a member of the VSCADK. He said he racked up 7,000 miles on one before he had to do anything to it.

“That’s why we don’t mind spending $10,000-$13,000 on a snowmobile.”

Whereas, with a vintage sled, Millett said you ride for a day and work on it for a week. “They’re always breaking down.” As a kid, he and his family had nine sleds to keep three running.

But he still likes both vintage and modern sleds.

“I’ve been ski-dooing since 1966,” he said. And he’s been hooked ever since. “It brings back happy memories every time I get out there. Winters were the best time of year.

Pulling toboggans, going out and turning the lights off to stare up at the moonlit sky…the best times of my life have been ski-dooing.”

When Millett was 9-years-old, his dad had one of the first snowmobiles in the North Country. He said his dad even made most of the snowmobile trails in the Peru area.

“Once a person sees a track, someone else will be on it,” Millett said. And then you basically have a snowmobile trail.

But Millett said a lot of trails nowadays are identified

by New York State as official snowmobile trails, which are groomed and maintained by volunteer snowmobile clubs.

“If it weren’t for clubs, the trails probably wouldn’t be worth riding on,” Millett said.

Another member and one of the founders of the club, Larry Chase, lives, breathes and collects pure vintage sleds. Vintage to him is 1975 and earlier. The first sled he ever owned was a 1964 Moto-Ski, but the earliest machine he owns was built in 1961.

Photos provided by Christina Anderson

10 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

OREO RUN Riders raise an Oreo in memory of U.S. Army PV2 Douglas Anderson during the Doug Anderson Oreo Run.

Back in the early ‘60s and ‘70s, he used to race snowmobiles professionally for Artic Cat. Chase said he raced in several places, including Malone. He recalled even racing in the field outside of the Hollywood Inn Restaurant.

Beauchamp said Chase is an avid collector and “has a nose” for vintage snowmobiles. Supposedly, he can sniff out a sled hiding in a dirt pile in someone’s back yard. But with his rumored extensive collection, he would not spill the beans on just how many, or what kind of sleds he has.

Paul Sayah, another one of the founders of the club and an appliance repairman said Chase, his best friend, got him started on sleds.

Sayah said he’s more of a collector, but rides occasionally.

He started collecting 25 years ago. Throughout his workday as a repairman in peoples’ homes, he said he’d drum up conversations about snowmobiles with them, and they’d say they had one in their yard he could have or buy. He’d take them home and get them running for his kids. He had collected 32 at one point, but now only owns 12. He said he still has two Kitty Cats from 1972 and 1975 he’s hanging on to for his grandkids to ride.

“A lot of the snowmobiles we collect have a lot of stories, Sayah said. He has a 1961 Abe Matthews trail maker, one of only 500 made in Minnesota. The motor is in the back and the skis are made of culvert pipe, he explained.

“Kyle’s [Roberts] dad used to haul wood out of the woods with [the Abe Matthews],” he said.

When he started collecting sleds; he didn’t have a garage nclmagazine.com

so the sleds were in the yard. So he built a garage, which now houses his wife’s car on one side and his sleds on the other… his car is outside, he said with a laugh.

Sayah is hooked.

“I think it’s because they’re odd,” he said. “And they were cheap when I started collecting.” And, he added, because he’s mechanically inclined, he could fix them up. He used to spend time in 20 below weather fixing carburetors.

“Lots of nights of frost bitten fingers,” just to ride around the yard for 20 minutes. But he loved every minute of it.

Kyle Roberts, owner of Roberts Sports LLC in Saranac, was born into the family business and into snowmobiling. He said his dad started the company in 1964, and it remains as one of the oldest Ski-doo businesses in the country.

From the time he was a little boy he was working on sleds.

He grew to learn everything about taking apart, putting together, and repairing snowmobiles.

“All I know is sleds, sleds, sleds,” he said with an excited smile. “I love it.” As he got older, he said his father started teaching him how to run the business, which led to him and his wife taking over a couple years ago. He said he is “keeping on the tradition of snowmobiling” his father started so long ago.

Roberts said he, like all true snowmobilers, is addicted to the sport. When the snow is scarce in the winter, instead of moving on to another activity, he said die-hards think, “next year will be better.” >> Continued | pg. 12

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 11

Frank Wynulavich, member of the vintage snowmobile club and owner of one of the first Bombadiers built in 1960, started racing in 1974 but has been into sleds since he was a kid. He said for a while he got out of it, but eight or nine years ago he got into vintage racing.

“I was bored one day and heard there was a vintage race in Long Lake,” he said. “And that was it.” He was hooked.

Even though he stopped racing three years ago when the event died down, he said he is ready to race when it picks up again.

“But I gotta get in the old man class,” he joked.

Both he and Dufrane each own one of the first 13 motoski snowmobiles. Wynulavich still rides his today and he also owns one of the first Bombadier sleds, built in 1960.

Christina Anderson, one of the three women members of the VSCADK, said she is more inclined to vintage snowmobiles than their modern counterparts.

In a general sense, she said she got into snowmobiling at 5 years old when “her dad and uncle would buy sleds from GI’s for cheap when they were shipping out.”

“They’d fix them up, I’d ride them,” she said.

But she got out of it for a long time and about four years ago, she got back in “thanks to Frank.” She said he fixed some up for her to ride. He also took her out on a modern sled but she said “she didn’t like it.”

She said she prefers vintage ones, “probably because that’s what I rode as a kid and the old ones are comfortable and more enjoyable.” Plus, she said, “they have personality.

Look at them head on; each has a unique face.” She described some as looking like big mouth bass and some like mosquitos.

“You can almost imagine them becoming animated and talking,” she said. “They are so neat to look at.”

Anderson said she owns two vintage sleds: a 1973 El Tigre, which she rides, and a 1972 Polaris Colt that needed a little TLC with the plan of giving it to her son upon his return from Korea.

Her son never returned.

“My son, PV2 Douglas Anderson of the U.S. Army lost his life suddenly while stationed in Korea on Feb. 16, 2015 (just eight days after celebrating his 22nd birthday),” she said.

With the help of Frank, the Polaris will be restored and will have “In Memory of Douglas Anderson” added to the hood.

Anderson said shortly after his death, members of the club came together to show their support for her and to honor the memory of her son by organizing one last ride at the end of March 2015, which has become known as the 12 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

Doug Anderson Oreo Run. “Douglas loved Oreo cookies almost as much as he loved everything with a motor on it,” she said. “The ride was about 35 miles between Merrill and Ellenburg, NY. We regularly make little stops while out on the trail and this ride was no different other than when we stopped, Dan [Beauchamp, club president] pulled packages of Oreo cookies out of his pack and began passing them out to everyone.”

“Brief heartfelt words were spoken and everyone raised their cookie with one last hoorah to Douglas. It was truly an amazing moment and I know he was smiling down on us that day,” she said.

Since then, the club has also added the memory of Douglas to the Ironman Run, their annual vintage ride for a charitable cause. The group will travel 160 miles this winter on Jan. 21, 2017 on a route traveling through the U.S. and Canada.

“They are all a great group of people to ride and spend time with, Anderson said. “I have been touched by the support and comfort everyone in the club has given me.”

She went on to say each one of the members has a passion for their vintage sleds, whether it’s only one or two in their collection, or many.

“We all have an appreciation for when life seemed to go a little slower and people came together for good fun,” she added.

Anderson said the club looks for sponsors and donations to raise money for the Clinton County Veterans Fund in honor of her son. The Clinton County Veterans Fund helps local veterans and surviving spouses with covering the cost of unpaid medical bills, transportation to doctor’s appointments and the VA Center in Albany, rent, utilities and food.

“It has become our way to honor and remember not just my son, but all veterans,” she said.

The VSCADK is not alone in their passion and dedication to snowmobiling. Check out Adirondack.net for a listing of the numerous snowmobile clubs and organizations throughout the Adirondacks, including the Adirondack Trail Riders Snowmobile Club from Ticonderoga, the Tupper Lake Snowmobile Club Inc., the Raquetteers Snowmobile Club from Raquette Lake, Cranberry Lake Mountaineers Snowmobile Club, and many, many more.

There’s a good chance if you asked any one of these clubs, they’d say snowmobiling is a season worth waiting for.

For more info on the VSCADK, find them on Facebook. ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Kevin Boyle and his friends live for the thrill of speeding across the ice

Frozen lakes 16 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

By Lohr McKinstry

Ice as thin as two inches doesn’t deter Nordic skater Kevin Boyle from venturing out on frozen lakes.

Kevin Boyle and his friends skate on Lake Champlain near Port Henry Marina.

The Moriah man has no fear as he straps on blade skates, dons a neoprene dry-suit, and goes zooming 10 or 20 miles on frozen waters around the Adirondacks every winter with a group of friends.

“It’s a spectacular sport, an adventure sport,” Boyle said.

The landscape is addictive, the colors, the companionship.

We’re all close friends. You should go with people you trust.”

It’s also a sport of exploration, he said.

“There’s fun in the discovery, where will this take us, where will we end up.”

His favorites are Lake Champlain and Lake George, because they’re the largest, and a skater can cover long distances.

But he’s also fine with Lincoln Pond in Elizabethtown, even Bartlett Pond in Moriah.

One trip to Lake Placid was well worth it, he said.

“At Lake Placid, the ice was covered by an inch of water,” he said. “But as the day progressed, it started to clear and the surface was like a mirror.”

The ultra smooth surface is what Nordic skaters love, because they can move fast and keep an eye on ice conditions ahead.

When Boyle got into Nordic skating in 2007, he discovered a group of enthusiasts with an Internet email listserv who keep each informed of ice conditions on Adirondack lakes.

“I met ice junkies like myself,” he said. “There are safety discussions, but it’s mostly ice conditions.”

As this season approaches, everyone is anxious, he said.

call to Moriah man

“We’re itching to get started, get some ice under our feet,” he said. “Nordic skating is from the Swedes, and it’s a total adventure sport.”

The listserv has about 300 members, he said, but the core group he skates with numbers about 24.

One of his friends, Bob Dill, is an “ice scientist,” who studies ice conditions and keeps everyone informed.

Favored equipment is cross-country ski boots, and for skates, long blades with full heels, and alpine ski helmets and goggles.

“We all wear some sort of thermal protection,” Boyle said.

“One has an inflatable (life) vest. We carry throw-ropes and skate single file.” >> Continued | pg. 20

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 17

It’s not unusual for them to start skating on Paradox Lake, then move on to Lake Champlain at Ticonderoga, he said.

“One trip, we skated from Whitehall to the boat launch at Port Henry.”

Another year, he found himself on Lower Saranac Lake.

“It was a mix of old ice and new,” Boyle said. “The center had frozen. It was black ice. Snow melts and refreezes and it ‘Zamboni’s’ the ice. It was amazing.”

They also skate Dead Creek in Addison Vt., just over the Champlain Bridge, and once made a 13 mile run on the frozen stream.

“We followed it to where the end was a ditch in a field,” he said. “It was an adventure.”

On Lake George, near Rogers Rock, the ice was six inches thick on one outing, he said.

Nordic skater Kevin Boyle of Moriah holds one of the blade skates he wears while engaged in the sport. Photo by Lohr McKinstry

They also carry test poles that can be used to check the thickness of the ice and provide stability.

“It was cold and calm and clear,” he said. “We kept going, all the way to Pilot Knob, four hours and 35 miles.”

He often skates 40 miles in a trip, and one day hit his record of 50 miles.

They once skated Lake Champlain all the way from Ticonderoga to South Bay at Whitehall.

“So if one of us goes through, someone can throw you a rope,” “The ice was like glass,” Boyle described. “We have a worldBoyle explained. class venue out there. We saw lots of bald eagles. They must Climate change hasn’t destroyed their sport, he said, but has nest somewhere along the lake.” shortened its season.

But the sport is not without its risks, he said.

“There might be a dozen good outings a season, December through March,” Boyle said. “We always get some skating in, “I’ve gone through twice,” Boyle said. “Both times I got out but it was a short season last year. At Christmas time, it was by myself.”

He and a friend went in the first time, he said.

60 degrees.”

Skater John Rosenthal stands in the reflection of the Champlain Bridge at Crown Point.

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 21

Skating on the newly frozen surface of Lake Champlain, with open water evident in the background.

Nordic Skating Nordic skating, also called tour skating, is recreational long distance ice skating on natural ice. It is particularly popular in the Netherlands and Nordic countries, and usually involves tours over open ice on bodies of water, normally with safety equipment. Nordic skating is a popular activity in Sweden, but is also becoming more popular in Finland and Norway. In Canada and the United States, the style is called Nordic skating.

Sites: Bob Dill’s Lake Ice Web Site: lakeice.squarespace.com Yahoo Nordic Skating Newsgroup: groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/VTNordicSkating/info “The guy behind us was yelling (a warning) and the next thing, I was face down in the water. I rolled over and got out.

We’d gotten on a fractured piece of ice and it tipped. We fell forward. We were soaking wet.”

Boyle, like many of his fellow skaters, carries two ice picks on a cord around his neck. He can use the picks to dig into the ice at the edge of the water and pull out, but that time the ice kept cracking, he said.

The second time, on Lake Champlain, it was a little harder.

His buddy was also able to pull himself up, he said.

“We’d skated to the bridge,” he said. “My buddy, Dan (Spada), and I both went through. We were over our heads. I turned around and tried to swim out. The ice broke under my weight.

I got my picks out. The ice broke three times. The fourth time I got out.”

“I changed my gloves, put a different hat on, and I was ready to go,” Boyle said.

22 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

Their group does self-rescue training, he said. >> Continued | pg. 22

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Ice scientist Bob Dill skates across a frozen Adirondack lake.

Frozen lakes

call to Moriah man nclmagazine.com

“I find it very valuable. You have to realize you can be OK if you go through; you can get up on an ice sheet.”

He’s now looking forward to the season coming up, he said, and getting out on the ice.

“There are always great adventures.”

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 23

Mountain Resort Wear, Accessories & Jewelry

Rustic Furniture & Designer Accents

, our Adirondack Interior Services can help you with all your interior decision-making.

Share your vision with us and let us do the work to pull it all together, a little or a lot! Call for an in-home consultation, for new construction, or a home that needs a little reconstruction.

90253

518.251.4461 292 Main St., North Creek, NY www.HudsonRiverTradingCo.com

Bakery & Coffee Shop • Sandwiches & Soups • Baked Goods • Espresso Bar • Wedding Cakes • Catering

260 Main Street • North Creek 251-5959 • Closed Tues & Wed 90388

Tannery Pond Community Center 228 Main Street, North Creek, NY

An Awesome Space for ALL Kinds of Performance and Gatherings Call: 518-251-2505 Visit: tannerypondcenter.org Email: deb@tannerypondcenter.org

88368

TO BODLY GO...

Ticonderoga, the official home of the USS Enterprise

S

pace, the final frontier.

Within the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, the NCC-1701 has found its way to a strange new world — a former dollar store in the center of downtown Ticonderoga.

Trekonderoga organizer James Cawley

A YOUNG BOY’S DREAM COME TRUE

“As a kid, I was always playing Star Trek with my friends Was it beamed there? Did the ship travel back in time as it and I would always want to be Kirk,” said Cawley, who turned his passion for the Sci-Fi franchise into an Interdid in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home? net-based series, Star Trek: New Voyages, where he has Actually, this is more of a “back to the future” story, played the role of the Enterprise’s daring captain, James which starts with a young boy and his life-long passion for T. Kirk. the original Star Trek series, a set of design plans, and the “This has been an extension of that, only the toys were King of Rock and Roll — all of it leading to the small town known more for its roll in shaping the country than as the much better and the construction has been the hard part.” official home of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Cawley followed his love of all things Trekker through Now, thanks to native son James Cawley, it is known for college and into his professional career, where he worked on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which starred both.

26 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

It was there he met and became close with the costume designer for the series. One day, he gave Cawley what would become the keys to his new kingdom.

“He left me the floor plans to the original Enterprise set,” he said. “In all, there were 13 floor plans which were drafted in 1966. I was amazed. There were the actual plans to the Enterprise.”

PAIR OF PASSIONS Cawley knew he had to do something with the plans he had been given to create the original vessel. To do so, he would call on another icon — perhaps the biggest icon — of a generation.

ELVIS PRESLEY Along with a love for Captain Kirk, Cawley also had a passion for the music of “The King,” which led him into a profession as one of the top Presley tribute artists worldwide.

“His music was on in my house all of the time,” Cawley said. “I have never seen Elvis as a character, but a real person. I always had a deep appreciation for Elvis and it kind of just happened there was an event and they asked me to participate. I said yes. Two years later, I was working in Atlantic City.”

Cawley used his earnings from performing as Elvis to start funding his other passion, collecting costumes and props from the original Star Trek universe. In all, Cawley has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to see his dream take shape.

THE REAL STARSHIP ENTERPRISE In the 1970’s, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) was looking to design a ship which would be able to take off like a rocket and then return to earth like a glider, bringing to pass the Space Shuttle era, which lasted from 1981 until 2011.

The first shuttle was created in 1976 in California, as NASA officials had decided to name their new creation “The Constitution,” because of the celebration of the nation’s bicentennial.

However, that did not sit well with fans of the Star Trek franchise, who petitioned the agency and the White House to change the name to the Enterprise in honor of the extra-planetary vessel of Sci-fi lore.

Sure enough, the write-in petition worked, and the first Space Shuttle was deemed, Enterprise.

Unfortunately, the Enterprise never had the chance to “boldly go where no man has gone before,” as it was used primarily for testing to see if it would be able to turn, glide and land properly.

While Ticonderoga is now the home to television’s Enterprise, you do not need to go far to see the other one, as it is located on the deck of the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Complex in New York City.

“I see this as a Star Trek Field of Dreams,” he said. “My grandfather did a lot of work with me when he was still alive to get this off the ground. He always referred to it as Project Blast Off.”

COMPLETING THE SET Cawley and a host of dedicated volunteers and workers continued to build the set as true as they could to the original plans from the 1966 series. >> Continued | pg. 28

Lance Clark, Nancy Archer and James Cawley are ready to beem up in the re-created transporter room from the original floor plans of the 1966 Star Trek television series. Photo by Keith Lobdell nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 27

During that time, Cawley had the idea to try and bring the sci-fi community to Ticonderoga, in what became known as Trekonderoga, with the maiden voyage happening in 2015.

“We have done the new voyages for 13 years now and so many people from so many different places have been involved,” Cawley said about the inspiration for Trekonderoga. “These are all people who go to Star Trek conventions, and they started floating the idea maybe we should do our own.

“I think we see this growing annually and eventually turning into a comic-con type event. Sci-fi is a very broad arena which is something Star Trek fans are part of. We have seen growing interest in this ‘geek-centric’ culture with the growth in popularity of events like this

and ‘cons.”

To help get the convention off the ground, Cawley formed a partnership with the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance.

“We were looking for a project which could have a fairly quick impact and draw people into the downtown area,” co-director Nancy Archer said. “We saw what James was doing as a new asset which could help promote the area in a positive way.”

“If this works, we have also talked about partnering on studio tours to get people coming through and into the downtown during the entire year,” co-director Lance Clark said.

Indeed, the first year was a success, with around 600 people visiting the Retro Studios set, which at the time showcased the bridge and transporter room of the Enterprise.

Jump ahead to 2016, as Cawley and friends labor outside the studio, cutting away at wood in order to create the final pieces of what will become the fully completed set.

“We are trying to get the sets 100 percent complete this year, which is cool,” he said as he cut another piece of wood for the structure. “I have been at this a long time and it will be great to see everything in place.

Our goal has always been to improve and make this event bigger as time goes on. We want to keep expanding things, and we want to bring it more into the 2000’s.”

MAKING IT OFFICIAL Just before the second Trekonderoga was to take place this September, Cawley got the call he had been waiting years for — the set he had so passionately worked on and brought to his hometown was deemed the official Enterprise.

Retro Studios had been officially licensed by CBS as the home of the Original Set Tours, based on the meticulously re-created sets of the Star Trek Original Series, put together by Cawley and volunteers.

“This was the second part of our goal, to help them push to get this studio to the point where it would get this license to turn Ticonderoga into a destination for people who love Star Trek,” Clark said. “Trekonderoga is a small convention in a great location, it’s something rather special. A lot of the people who came last year were seeing Ticonderoga for the first time and told us they were looking forward to coming back and seeing more.” >> Continued | pg. 31

STAR TREK LEGACY

There have been many portrayals and versions of the Star Trek Saga throughout the years, from the original 1966 version to the New Voyages of James Cawley and crew. Here is a look at a few of them.

Star Trek (1966-1969): The original pilot did not have Captain James T Kirk, but Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike (we’ll meet him again later). In fact, only one cast member transitioned into the series, the Vulcan Science Officer, Spock, played by the late Leonard Nimoy. When the series went to full episodes, William Shatner assumed the captain’s chair in the role of Kirk.

Star Trek Movies: The crew of the Enterprise would star in several feature films as well as the television series, coming together 10 years after the television series ended to track down “Vger” in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, in 1979. That was followed by perhaps the most famous line in all of Star Trek lore in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (or KAAAHHHNNN!!!) in 1982; Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (we won’t spoil why they are searching for him) in 1984; A return to modern day earth in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986; and the final ride of the original crew in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, in 1989, Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994): A new captain takes over the helm of the Enterprise, as Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and a new crew set off for interstellar adventure, with a few cameos along with way. This crew also made their way to the big screen in Generations (1994), where Kirk passes the chair to Picard); First Contact (1996); Insurrection (1998) and Nemesis (2002).

Deep Space Nine (1993-1999): The life and times of DS9, a Federation outpost led by Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and his crew.

Voyager (1995-2001): Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and crew of the Voyager are sucked into a wormhole, sending them all the way through the known universe and turning their mission into one of returning home.

Enterprise (2001-2005): Set 100 years before Kirk and crew board the Enterprise, Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) leads his crew on a quest to set up the Federation and make allies throughout the galaxy.

Star Trek, Into Darkness, Beyond (2009, 2013, 2016): Chris Pine takes over the role of Captain Kirk as the original series gets a facelift, thanks to a timeline-altering event involving the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy).

Crown Point, Moriah &Port Henry

THE NEW VOYAGES

There is always plenty of memorabilia at Trekonderoga, including action figures and character renderings.

Photo by Keith Lobdel

Star Trek New Voyages left the docking bay in 2003, the vision of James Cawley and others who wanted to bring the legendary crew back aboard the USS Entperise for a new set of missions, starting at the end of the original five-year mission.

Cawley was the first to step into the Captain’s chair as James T. Kirk before giving the role to Brian Gross so he could focus on production of the show and the creation of Trekonderoga.

The show also featured several cameo appearances from the original series, including Walter Koenig (Pavel Checkov), George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) and Grace Lee Whitney (Janice Rand), along with an appearance from Next Generation actress Denise Crosby (Natasha Yar).

Other cameos with ties to Star Trek included Mary Linda Rapelye, Barbara Luna and more.

The series landed Cawley a role as an extra as a member of the bridge crew in the reboot Star Trek movie (2009). Cawley said, when he first arrived on set, director J.J. Abrams took him over to meet Chris Pine, saying, “Captain Kirk, meet Captain Kirk.”

The 2015 Trekonderoga brought around 300 fans into Ticonderoga to celebrate all things Star Trek and Sci-fi.

Photo by Keith Lobdell

Clark said the new attraction makes Ticonderoga both a place to relive the past and explore into the future.

“Ti is a place where you can go from the 18th century to the 23rd century in 10 minutes.”

James Cawley works on putting the finishing touches on the 1966 recreated sets as he prepared for the second Trekonderoga which was held in September.

Photo by Keith Lobdell

nclmagazine.com

“It has been great because the whole town is involved and appreciative and the people who come here to work

>> Continued | pg. 32

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 31

Actress Louise Sorel talks about her role on the original “Star Trek” TV series. Her character is shown on a poster behind her.

Photo by Lohr McKinstry

There is always plenty of memorabilia at Trekonderoga, including action figures and character renderings.

Photo by Keith Lobdell

on the show cannot wait to come back each year,” Cawley said. “We hope what we are able to do keep making it twice as big as what we are going to be able to do each year.”

Indeed, the fans have started to flock to this small North Country hamlet, as attendance doubled from around 300 fans in 2015 to 600 this year. According to the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) based in Lake Placid, the event translated into over $300,000 in economic impact to the region.

The quarters of Captain James T. Kirk, recreated by James Cawley at Retro Studios in Ticonderoga. The studio is now the official home of the USS Enterprise, offering tours to the public of the classic piece of Sci-Fi lore which Cawley recreated using the actual 1966 set design plans. Photo by Keith Lobdell

And, as the work he has done out of passion takes shape, Cawley just smiles.

“There is something to be said about doing something you like.”

Ticonderoga the official home of the USS Enterprise nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 35

By Ed Noonan What is this year’s ice fishing going to be like?

Coming off one of the warmest winters in recent memory, I’m hoping the region’s biggest bodies of water — Lake George and Lake Champlain — will have safe ice fishing this season and so is the rest of the North County. So I am going to predict plenty of ice and plenty of ice fishing. With this in mind, let’s take a look at what we need to enjoy our walking on ice and chopping holes. This year, there is a lot of new ice fishing equipment to improve staying warm, safe and improve your opportunities at catching fish.

36 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

As one who is not a sit-on-the-bucket ice fisherman, I prefer the warm comfort of a shelter to take the bite of the wind off of me when fishing — and this year’s Clam Fish Trap Yukon TC 2-person Ice Shelter is just the ticket. It not only keeps the wind off you but, when folded down, can carry all your equipment out on the ice. Inside, are two comfortable padded swivel seats. There is plenty of space with 20 square feet of room and a height of 70 inches.

Clothing is extremely important when on the ice and can determine how long you can stay out there. However, Frabill I Float Jackets and Bibs also can save your life.

These are the only floatation-assisting ice fishing suits to be recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard as a USCG Certincliving@suncommunitynews.com

fied Personal Flotation Device. They are also waterproof and windproof.

Now there are two ways of cutting holes in the ice — the physical way with a hand auger or the way this 72-yearold likes to do it — with a power auger. My choice is the Eskimo Quantum 43cc Power Ice auger with a 8,000 RPM Viper engine and a dual blade 8-inch cutter.

I have ice fished with the regular tip ups for quite some time, but I now prefer the Frabill Pro-Thermal Round 1660 tip-ups. These are insulated, which prevents the holes from freezing (no more ice skimming). They are also pre-lubed with sub-zero low temperature lubricant.

Lastly for those who like to jig while waiting for a flag, there is a new rod and reel combo called the Wrist-Saver.

It is 26 inches long and the rod is a mix of graphite and glass (good for feeling the bite). The reel has a five bearing instant anti-reverse ultra-lite reel with a smooth drag for fighting and getting that fish through the hole in the water and onto the ice. Check the local sporting goods stores or Google it on the internet.

Now, with all this great equipment, we have to find fish, and the best way to do that is with electronics and there are many to choose from. Which one you choose will probably be determined by what’s in your wallet.

For those of you who have never ice fished, I think you might like it go out with a guide. To find a guide, Goggle “Adirondack ice fishing guides.” There are plenty out there.

HARD WATER SAFETY What are the two most important things that anyone walking on the ice should have on their hands and feet? If you said warm waterproof boots and gloves, you are partially right. The other two things are ice cleats and ice picks.

Ice is slippery and it is hard when you fall; buy a good set of cleats and stay standing.

And the picks can truly save your life. These are simply a length of rope with large picks/nails at each end and moderately priced. Should you go through the ice, these can be dug into the surrounding ice and aid you in pulling yourself out of the water.

Speaking about safety, the number one thing that an ice angler should do before heading out on the ice is check its thickness. The best way I know to do so is to talk to a local tackle/bait shop and find out what’s safe. It also doesn’t hurt to ask where they are biting. A photo of the recommended minimum ice thickness accompanies this article. I want to tell you that over the years that I have gone ice fishing, I never took my vehicle out on the ice. ATV yes – car/truck-no. >> Continued | pg. 38

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 37

the Team Invitational on March 11, which has not been announced. For full details and entry fees, go to www.nysiceproam.com • u er e s nnual Northern Challenge Ice Fishing Derby on Simon Pond is another well fished tournament offering more than $35,000 in cash and prizes. It is always the first Saturday in February which is the 14th this year. There have been over 1,000 anglers who compete. This “catch and release” event is hosted by the Tupper Lake Rod and Gun Club.

It is a lot of fun for a $35 fee and an optional $10 lunker fee. For more information, call Dave at 518-359-9715.

• e re t c nd Lake also offers several ice fishing contests that attract a number of ice anglers. The Great Sacandaga Fisheries Foundation will host theirs on

ICE FISHING TOURNAMENT/CONTESTS If you want to test your hard water fishing skills, there are a number of very good/fun contests held every year on North Country lakes. Here are few of them that you can choose from: • ew or t te s l r est nd lon est-runn n ce f s ing tournaments are offered by the NYS PRO-AM Tournaments. The individual ice angler division begins on Jan. 1 and ends on Feb. 28. You can fish any NYS waterway, including ice, open water, tributaries and rivers.

The categories in this division are brown trout, lakers, steelhead/rainbows, northern pike, walleye, pickerel, crappie, yellow perch and panfish.

The PRO-AM Division has four tournaments tentatively scheduled for 2017. They are Chaumont Bay – Jan.28; Oneida Lake – Feb. 4; Sodus Bay – Feb. 11 and the last is 38 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

• Free High-Speed Internet • Cable TV • Complimentary Superstart Breakfast • Reasonable Rates

• Fridge & Micro Combo Available to Rent • Pet Friendly- Ask about our policy • Extended Stay Rates Available

Super 8 Motel — Warrensburg 3619 Rt. 9 • Lake George, NY 12845

518-623-2811

Super 8 Motel — Queensbury 191 Corinth Rd. • Queensbury, NY 12804

518-761-9780

Super 8 Motel — Ticonderoga Rt. 9N, 22 & 74 Wicker St. • Ticonderoga, NY 12883

518-585-2617

Reservations 1-800-800-8000 • super8.com

88709

See you along the way.

Jan. 28.

There will be four cash awards for each of the following features: northern pike, trout and yellow perch. For registration and information, visit gslff.com.

• Fuel-n-Food (www.fuelnfood.com) offers two contests on Great Sacandaga Lake. The first is the Walleye Challenge on Jan. 28 with $70,000 in cash and prizes.

The second is the Budweiser Fuel-n-Food weekend-long

>> Continued | pg. 40

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 39

event on March 3 - 5. This too has a generous payback in any of six places in the walleye, northern, trout and perch categories. The total prize money in each category totals $1,375.

One last suggestion to add to the fun: Don’t forget the kids! Ice fishing can easily be an enjoyable family outing. You will get more enjoyment watching your young angler pulling the line and bringing that pike or perch through the hole in the ice. And don’t forget their ice skates, should they get a little restless between “flag popping.”

For centuries, man has had an abiding passion for building with stone. It provides strength, elegance and enduring protection. It is resilient, and timeless.

The Chippewa (or Ojibwa) are among the largest groups of Native Americans throughout North America and Canada.

Their name stands for “the good humans” or “the good people”, meaning those who are on the right path given to them by the Creator.

These words aptly describe the passion of the people who harvest the earth’s bounty with dignity and respect, to produce products of alluring beauty and eternal strength.

They are the people of Chippewa Stone.

NYS DOT certified DBE

3 Ryder Road | Whitehall, NY 12887 | 518.499.9090 | Fax: 518.499.9099 | info@chippewastone.com 40 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

88683

WBE

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

The Tri-Lakes Region Lake Placid • Saranac Lake • Tupper Lake

Hilltop:

Diane Golden’s Studio without Walls

Diane Golden’s work requires not only artistic talent but also muscle and tenacity to attain structural integrity.

By Persis Granger

As the Adirondack winter sweeps autumn aside, its cold grip tightening, many North Country residents heave a sigh of relief. The last weed has been wrested from the flower bed, the final quart of tomatoes has been canned, and the last biting fly is gone.

For artist Diane Golden, seeing her grape arbors and perennial plants frosted white by this October’s snowstorm served notice on her 2016 gardens: the season had ended. She could then turn her attention from labor-intensive perennial beds and woodland trails to her beloved garage-loft studio for the coming few months. It meant more precious 42 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

hours to lose herself amid the trea treasures secreted there, the products of a lifetime of collecting objects.

Golden came to collecting as a child in Illinois, influenced by a family of collectors of items ranging from dog figurines, fan fancy cups and saucers, and porce porcelain birds to beer mugs.

“My favorite,” she says, “was min miniature tea sets - tiny china cups, saucers and teapots on delicate trays.”

And then, there was her father, who catalogued his inventory of 25 cent garage sale finds on shelves in his barn. He took her on trips to the local store, where a basncliving@suncommunitynews.com

ket labeled “Secret Sales” held a quantity of enticing little submissions to shows, but put off the idea of showing and/ packages wrapped in brown paper, and her thrill of antici- or selling. Eventually, advancing age engendered a “now pation and discovery upon buying and opening one. or never” gutsiness that prompted her to submit a successThe landscape of Golden’s life has been framed by art. ful application to show her work at the prestigious Lake She earned an undergraduate degree in fine arts and a George Arts Project in 2012. Since then, she has shown graduate degree as a psychotherapist and started a private and sold work in 10 galleries across six New York counpractice while serving as director of the Office of Publica- ties. tion and Design at Western Connecticut State University and raising kids. Throughout this time, she continued to paint, make prints, create collages and collect objects. She was intrigued and inspired by the work of 20th century assemblage artist Joseph Cornell, whose masterful works with small things in boxes validated her own love of unique objects. As she approached her 70s, those cartons and baskets of collected pieces amassed over a lifetime called to her. She began seeking out old wooden boxes at yard sales and antique shops, looking especially for those whose history was evidenced by rich patina, factory lettering and, perhaps, hand-scrawled clues labels, such as, “SCREWS.” She began creating her own assemblage art, at first making boxes only for herself and friends. She read calls for

Each work begins with a single selected item, and Golden takes days, even weeks, to decide what to do with it, as she carries it around in her pocket and handles it. Over time, decisions are made, and the work begins, arranging the items together into one whole. Golden admits that often the pieces are assembled and disassembled more than once, either for aesthetic or structural reasons. Making the boxes structurally sound without compromising the aesthetics always challenges her creativity and physical strength, as many different materials need to be cut, bent and bonded to one another, and all support needs to be unobtrusive.

See Golden’s work online at www.dianemgolden.com

Golden’s studio holds a lifetime of treasures collected, waiting for inclusion in just the right piece.

nclmagazine.com

>> Continued | pg. 44

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 43

(Fire)

The artist’s intention is not to create something playful, cute or pretty. The words she uses are “beautiful,” “disturbing” and “thoughtful.” Sometimes these very works that resurrect materials previously destined for destruction seem to have a dark or ominous tone or hint at decay or death. Materials she has incorporated in her works include, but are not limited to, dried twigs and plant materials, bones, antlers, armadillo shell, Japanese beetles, dragonflies, rusted and tarnished metal, string, wire, parts and pieces of larger objects which she has laboriously deconstructed, and some antique items — all destined to be elements in some future assemblage that will be one aesthetically-pleasing whole. Golden deliberately refrains from naming the finished works, thus encouraging individuals to bring their own ideas to the works, and their own interpretation.

“Some people won’t like a piece at all, and that’s okay,” Diane Golden.

When winter cedes to spring in the Adirondacks, the garage loft will have to share Golden with the gardens once more.

Blow-down from winter’s worst will need to be dragged from trails, and plantings attended to. All is changing, yet all is the same. Little Mountain stands sentinel above this creation set beside the mirrored surface of a pond by the same name. Now and again the haunting cry of a loon or staccato slap of a beaver tail echoes off its face. The first daffodils and bloodroot poke through decaying vegetation that nurtures the new life.

Golden’s gardens, she says, are being pared back these days, requiring less care, another effect of her own aging and realizing the finite nature of time, which inspires decisions about how to spend time based on her own personal wants.

(Mother and Child)

(Metal Head)

Her gardens were among those featured in Janet Loughrey’s Gardens Adirondack Style, (2005, Down East Books).

The change of seasons highlights the seemingly disparate nature of the two passions that have driven this Thurman resident for much of her life. Closely considered, Golden’s gardening and art are just two sides of the same coin. Her Adirondack studio is not confined to the four walls of the cozy garage loft. Rather, it stretches out across the deceptively simple but expansive gardens and reaches its fingers into her beloved forestland, along trails that twist around trees, flank an arbor, bridge brooks, linger beneath a teahouse and cradle massive stones. Little Mountain stands sentinel above this creation set beside the mirror surface of a pond by the same name.

She and her husband Tom fell in love with the Adirondacks in the 1990s, as they anticipated retirement, and in 1998 they discovered on a back road in Thurman, Hilltop, the place they knew would be home for the rest of their lives. Shuttling back and forth between jobs in Connecticut and their passions in Thurman, the couple gradually eased into their Adirondack retirement. Longtime old house people, they dug into the badly-needed structural and cosmetic restoration that Hilltop required. Its location off the grid created special challenges for the couple, but the beauty of their 250-acre retreat on Little Pond more than compensated.

For Diane, Hilltop was a giant living canvas awaiting artistic touches that blended with and accentuated the natural “My perennial flower beds are being converted to more carefree shrub borders. There is definitely an urge to streamline, beauty already there. She left the mountain view open, with to simplify. The surprise has been that in doing so, I’m finding little planting in the foreground.

“I think it’s sort of arrogant to assume you can compete pleasure and satisfaction in cleaner designs, less visual clutter, with what nature provides,” she explains. soothingly soft colors.”

44 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

(Rabbit Ladder)

She focuses on the installations such as walls built of boulders, an old sugarhouse, a bridge, teahouse, cairns and arbors as the bones of this gracious and gentle garden that seems to emerge organically from the fields and forests. The man-made accents provide small elements of surprise for the woodland walker who finds them simultaneously unexpected, yet inherently fitting to the site. Years have been spent cleaning up the destruction of bygone logging and creating a sense of naturally-occurring growth that belongs where it is. The ebb and flow of the seasons bring sprouting, budding, fruiting, dormancy or death to the plants. Death and decay, as every gardener knows, is just one more part of the natural cycle, at once a loss and a gift, as it promises rebirth, resurrection for the next season.

And sometimes the woods, having once served as the farmer’s dump, yield up bits of the past – a rusted hinge or key, some piece of mostly unidentifiable metal, glass or wood that had once been not worth saving, but beneath Golden’s fingers, becomes a treasure to be brushed free of dirt and stored for reuse in her boxes.

That, too, promises rebirth, at the hands of one of the Adirondacks’ gifted artists.

(Crusaders - copy) all pieces by Diane M. Golden

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 45

Albert Saranac Lake’s revered seasonal resident

EINSTEIN

By Megan Harrington

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein, the famed physicist of Princeton University, spent much of his later years in New Jersey, but during the summers he called Saranac Lake his home. The area’s pristine waters and fresh air served as the summer playground for one of the greatest minds in history. Some say it even hosted a Cold War liaison.

Einstein also famously sent a letter urging President Roosevelt to prioritize the project, warning catastrophe if the Axis powers succeeded first.

Originally from Germany, Einstein and his wife Elsa fled to the United States in the 1930’s to escape Nazi aggression.

Upon arrival, he obtained a position at Princeton University where he continued his work in physics. As the winner of the 1922 Nobel Peace Prize, Einstein is best known for his theories on relativity. And while he didn’t directly work on the Manhattan project, his theories ultimately played a part in the creation of the atomic bomb.

Einstein in Saranac Lake

46 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

As war raged in Europe, with a world in turmoil, Einstein was in desperate need of a summer escape. Luckily, Saranac Lake fit the bill.

Settled in the early 19th century, the Saranac Lake region became famous for its crisp alpine climate, clean water and fresh air. Eventually, it became home to the country’s most famous tuberculosis sanitarium. In addition to patients seeking a cure for tuberculosis, the country’s elite soon descended upon the area’s lakes and built elaborate Adirondack camps. ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

As Saranac Lake entered the 20th century, it saw a number of notable visitors including Mark Twain and President Calvin Coolidge, but beginning in 1936, Albert Einstein became one of the town’s most famed residents. Einstein began renting architect William Distin’s house at the Glenwood Estates in 1936. Over the next decade, he returned to Saranac Lake and spent several summers at the Knollwood Club in Cabin 6.

Einstein was welcomed at the impressive Adirondack Camp, which was long known for its acceptance of Jews.

In fact, Knollwood was built in response to neighboring resort communities (Lake Placid, Saratoga), which were often anti-Semitic. William West Durant, one of the most famous Adirondack Camp developers, owned much of the land in and around the Saranac Lakes and was willing to sell plots to anyone, regardless of background. Durant’s open-mindedness led to many wealthy Jews building (and renting) properties in the area. The Knollwood Club where Einstein stayed was comprised of a boathouse, a “Casino” where meals were served and events were held, several service shacks, and six identical “cottages.”

In fact, in August of 1945, Einstein was residing in Cabin 6 when he heard the news announcing the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima. Albany Times Union reporter Richard Lewis interviewed Einstein shortly after the bombing and the scientist remarked, “In developing atomic or nuclear energy, science did not draw upon supernatural strength, but merely imitated the reaction of the sun’s rays. Atomic power is no more unnatural than when I sail my boat on Saranac Lake.”

Although he initially urged President Roosevelt to hasten work on the atomic bomb, Einstein later expressed some regret about his contribution. However, the convinced pacifist acknowledged that it would have been even more devastating if the Germans developed the bomb first.

Daredevil on the water Throughout the 1930’s and 40’s, Einstein was a frequent feature on the lake.

Although he was an accomplished sailor, it is well known that the scientist did not now how to swim.

Despite this shortcoming, the scientist refused to stock life jackets aboard his sailboat, often leading to some precarious situations. nclmagazine.com

In his book “Einstein: The Life and Times,” author Ronald Clark details Einstein’s fearlessness on the water. Fellow scientist and personal friend, Leon Watters, described a sailing experience with Einstein, “I suddenly cried out ‘Atchung’ for we were almost upon another boat. He veered away with excellent control and when I remarked what a close call we had, he started to laugh and sailed directly toward one boat after another, much to my horror; but he always veered off in time, and then laughed like a naughty boy.”

The summer before the United States fully entered World War II, Einstein spent time in the Adirondacks. During an outing on Lower Saranac Lake, his boat capsized and he was saved by grade-schooler, Don Duso. The 10-year-old was piloting a small motorboat when the scientist’s boat turned over. Duso motored over to the sailboat and dove into the water to rescue Einstein, whose foot was caught in the boat’s rigging. Unable to swim, it’s possible that Einstein wouldn’t have survived the accident if not for Duso. Duso passed away in 2010, but the former Saranac Lake Fire Chief and Winter Carnival Chairman, was always known as the boy who fished Einstein out of the water.

A Russian affair In recent years, love letters to the purported Russian spy, Margarita Konenkova, have emerged, exposing a more sensitive side to Einstein. The letters are from immediately after World War II, but it’s unclear when their relationship began. The duo met in 1935 when Mrs. Konenkova’s husband, sculptor Sergei Konenkov, was commissioned to create a bronze bust of Einstein for Princeton University.

Local residents recall seeing a beautiful woman with a foreign accent in and around the Knollwood Club in the mid-1940’s. In 1998, the

>> Continued | pg. 48

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 47

EINSTEIN

Knollwood Club

Adirondack Daily Enterprise ran a story describing the experiences of Phil Klein, who worked as a boat boy for the Knollwood Club. During the summer of 1944, Klein encountered the woman on a number of occasions, but didn’t put two and two together until the love letters were made public and put up for auction by Sotheby’s. It was then that

he realized the mysterious foreign visitor was the likely mistress of Albert Einstein.

48 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

After the letters emerged, many speculated that Konenkova was a spy for the KGB and that perhaps she had plied sensitive information from her lover. According to the memoirs of the Soviet spy, Pavel Sudoplatov, Konenkova’s ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Saranac Lake’s revered seasonal resident

assignment was to influence American scientists, specifically those who were working on the Manhattan project. It’s unclear how Ms. Konenkova influenced the scientists or the effects of her sway, but she and her husband were reportedly granted special privileges as thanks upon their return to Russia. As Einstein didn’t work directly on the atomic bomb, it is unlikely that their relationship affected the project significantly. But on the other hand, the emergence of their love letters decades after the affair suggests the couple harbored many secrets. We can only speculate about their relationship, but that aura of mystery only makes the story that much more intriguing.

The Knollwood Club isn’t open to the public, but to get a taste of Einstein’s Saranac, stroll the streets of the historic downtown or set sail on one of the region’s many lakes. The website www.saranaclake.com has all the information on where to stay and what to do. From boating to Russian mistresses, don’t miss this area’s rich history!

“A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.”

E ARE A DIRECT DIA OND I ORTER FRO ANT ER BE IU THE DIA OND CA ITA OF THE OR D

Diamond bankers. Since 1934.

Largest Selection of

Engagement Rings & Wedding Bands in the Adirondacks!

fine chocolates handmade in the Adirondack Mountains

certiFied the world’s most Brilcerti liant diamond

a master ijo jeweler

Free, FleXiBle laYawaY

Chocolate Factory & Retail Shop 5680 Route 86 Wilmington 518-946-7270

nclmagazine.com

www.adirondackchocolates.com • 1-800-232-4626

95935

95930

2533 Main Street, Lake Placid, NY 518-523-7829

Retail Shop 61 Main Street Lake Placid 518-523-4709

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 49

Breath taking

This vast wilderness, named after the Greek God of the North Wind, has been under private ownership for over a century. Today it belongs to the people of New York State.

Story by Kim Dedam Photography by John Gereau

>> Continued | pg. 54

52 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

BOREAS

Rick Lemery, a member of the legendary hunting crew known as the “Horn Hunters� admires the view of Gothics and Pyramid Mountains from the dam at the outlet of Boreas Ponds.

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 53

The Boreas Ponds Tract is an expansive forest land long beloved by lumberman, hunters and anglers

THE HISTORY inter buffets the Boreas, a forest plateau laid beneath the narrow passes and mountain summits that skirt Mount Marcy.

Its forest land is graced by three small ponds, called inconsequentially First, Second and Third, plus White Lily Pond pooled a few miles south of the Great Range.

These drain into the Boreas River that scurries in a twisted channel to the Hudson River.

Deep snow, delivered by the fury of Boreas, the Greek god of the North Wind, has long been celebrated here.

Hunters and leaseholders at Boreas cabins report using snowshoes at times to reach their camp roofs to shovel snow.

It is a vast land long beloved by lumbermen, hunters and anglers.

Thus far, deeds, records and field notes have not revealed who named this place in tribute to the blustering

W

54 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

North Wind.

“I’ve looked, I’ve searched deeds. We don’t know,” said Essex County Clerk Joe Provoncha, who is historian for the Town of North Hudson.

It was likely a local name, given by a guide or a land grantee shortly after the Revolutionary War and stashed in a sentence in one surveyor’s notebook, yet uncovered.

It isn’t named on a “geography” map made by New York State in 1808, showing an oddly angled yet undefined Boreas stream tumbling out of a Boreas-shaped pond west of the “Sable” River.

A rough and misshapen map titled the Tourist’s Map of New York — from 1831 — marks only the “Four Corners” where an undefined river runs west of the “Schroon River.”

What is also known locally as the “Four Corners” on maps today is the site of a small log cabin, possibly a vestige of an old military road blazoned to Sackett’s Harbor.

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Provoncha said it is the first structure built in North Hudson, and most likely the oldest remaining hunting cabin in the Adirondacks.

The Four Corners earned a spot on the Tourist’s Map even though North Hudson was just three years old in 1831.

Despite what these first maps mark or don’t, for time untold, Boreas — its snowy catchment under the mountains — guaranteed the great rush of rivers in spring.

Its dashing springtime waters ferried tons of “standard” cut logs through an Adirondack waterway engineered carefully by this region’s first settlers to reach the Hudson and further into Glens Falls. Their grasp of the seasons and the rise and fall of water tells volumes of both self reliance and early knowledge of the local landscape.

RIVER DRIVES The first river drive made by Finch, Pruyn & Co. from its lands at Boreas arrived late in the Adirondack timber industry, according to Richard “Dick” Nason, a former Finch, Pruyn forester and noted historian of the Adirondack logging industry.

The year 1813 marked the first major river drive in the Adirondacks, Nason says, although some historic records suggest logs were floated earlier, not long after the American Revolution. >> Continued | pg. 56

nclmagazine.com

Pictured at the far left on the facing page is the historic log cabin just past LaBier Flow on the road into Boreas Ponds.

Historians consider it to be the oldest remaining hunting cabin in the Adirondacks. On the right is Rick Lemery and Pete Bruno, members of the original “Horn Hunters” who have leased the cabin through September of 2018.

Pictured above is the view of Skylight, Marcy and Haystack from Boreas Ponds. The inset photo is the view of Gothics from the site where the former Finch, Pruyn log cabin retreat once sat. It has since been torn down.

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 55

“In 1813, it came out of Brant Lake, by the Fox Brothers, down the Schroon into the Hudson and down to Glens Falls,” Nason said in a conversation this fall.

“On the Boreas River, from Boreas Ponds, the first Finch, Pruyn river drive was about 1892. They had built the Brace Dam between Boreas and Blue Ridge Road, then the Lester Flow Dam, which backed up Cheney Pond.

“They towed the logs down the lakes, you see. They formed a boom, it circled around the logs, and towed it with a boat to the Lester Flow Dam.” The river drive from Boreas took about two months, Nason said.

“The goal was, hopefully the ice would be out by April 15, but most times it was the first or second week in June before it reached Glens Falls.”

Boreas Ponds is located off Gulf Brook Road, which leaves the Boreas Road about five miles from exit 29 on the Adirondack Northway.

A long winding gravel road snakes its way from the Boreas Road over seven miles, past LaBier Flow, the four corners, the old hunting cabin, to the dam at Boreas Ponds. It then continues completely around the ponds.

56 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

BURNT REGION If it wasn’t because of the bitter winter wind, logging operations at Boreas may have been stymied some 80 years by an expansive forest fire reported in 1874 by Verplanck Colvin, who traipsed nearly every mile of the Adirondack High Peaks. He wandered deep into forests and swamps south of Marcy’s peak while others before him skirted either north or south.

He wasn’t first in, and was aware of some coarse surveyor’s marks, often gashes in trees, made by geologist Prof. Ebenezer Emmons circa 1838. Earlier surveys made

by Charles C. Brodhed in 1797 missed the Revolutionary War era boundary dividing Totten and Crossfield Purchase acres, which encompass Boreas, from the Old Military Tract to the north.

Squared Township boundaries cordoned off inside Totten and Crossfield leaned diagonally left, askew from True North. These oddly tilted right angles still form part of the Boreas Tract boundaries being added to the Adirondack Park State Forest land now.

Then unspoiled wilderness, “Townships” in Totten and Crossfield and Old Military tract lands were offered by legislators as a land bounty in a program that promised Adirondack acres to soldiers who reenlisted in the newly born American military.

Totten Township No. 45, which was in the Boreas, was granted in 1786 to none other than Zephaniah Platt, founding father of Plattsburgh. Platt also held another township, No. 48, in addition to his acres at Cumberland Head.

His colleague and fellow land prospector, Platt Rogers, mapped the first road from Schroon to Elizabethtown in 1789, according to letters from Fred H. Comstock, published in the Elizabethtown Post in February 1901. Platt measurements established the historic Platt Rogers and ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Company’s Road Patent.

New York’s Department of the State Engineer holds early survey notes and records done by John Richards at Totten and Crossfield Townships 37, 38 and 39 in 1821.

And Comstock said a map by David H. Burr done in 1829 showed a road running through Townships 49, 44 and 46 “and continuing West through Newcomb.” It connected, Comstock said, “with the stage road through Moriah, Elizabethtown and Lewis.”

Any one of these surveyors could have named the Boreas.

The Sackett’s Harbor & Saratoga Railroad held title to Totten and Crossfield Townships 37 and 42 and 43 nearby, according to Alfred Donaldson’s History of the Adirondacks, published in 1921. Their ownership and early survey records may indicate the first efforts to route a railroad through the region.

FOUR CORNERS AND AN OLD MILITARY ROAD The “Four Corners” and its sturdy cabin remained a center point, it is clear from old maps.

Comstock wrote fancifully of the “Old Military Road” and a bed of Laurel, oddly met in the Adirondack forest, near where “the army encamped through the winter in log barracks when it passed through the (Essex) County The bridge and dam at LaBier Flow where logs were once floated downstream to Lester Flow and points south. on its way to Albany after the battle of Plattsburgh.”

Its passageway, he said, could be found “through the woods” from the “old Goeway place” in the town of North Hudson.

Comstock posits that, barring any record he had found in 1900, the roadway gave passage for a shift of military operations when “those that were engaged at York and in the vicinity of Ogdensburgh, returned by way of the ‘50 Mile Woods’ ... their way out then, clearly would lie up the valley and through Chappel [sic] pond pass and so on to the state road at the Goeway place.”

The roadway, he said in December 1900, “is most certainly entitled to high place among the justly celebrated natural attractions of this great mountain wilderness.”

“From the time that the wilderness is entered at the head of Keene Valley, until the traveler emerges from it at the historic Goeway place in North Hudson, there is not a tame or uninteresting rod in the whole distance of eight miles ... At every turn shaded with the primitive, forest wild, weird entrancing sights are rushing into view.”

Is the historic cabin Goeway? At least the “Tourist’s Map” of 1831 marks “The Four Corners.”

And Nason said the cabin has long been utilized as a hunting camp. >> Continued | pg. 58

nclmagazine.com

The view looking up LaBier Flow from the bridge and dam above, which is about a mile from the dam at Boreas Ponds.

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 57

58 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

In keeping with its Boreas namesake, deep snow and solid ice were critical to the logging industry

“That was never used as a lumber camp. It was put in when they built the Old Military Road from Sackett’s Harbor about 1830,” Nason said. “MacIntyre Iron Works was looking for a way to get their iron to Lake Champlain. That cabin was used for the workers building the road.”

If true, the squat, chinked building made of logs dates to the earliest movement of troops shortly after the Revolutionary War. Colvin also assessed the Boreas topography at and around Boreas, searching for a railroad bed even 50 years after.

But it was he who noted scorched lands in 1874, which could be why Finch, Pruyn didn’t cut there until the 1930s.

The “Burnt region on the Boreas River and Upper Hudson alone covers an area of from 40,000 to 60,000 acres of rolling, semi-mountainous lands; desolate with burnt, blackened logs; ghastly, barkless, dead timber — standing — and a partial undergrowth of worthless birch, aspen and alder brush. This whole section is deeply covered with snow in winter,” Colvin wrote in his Annual Report on the Progress of the Topographic Survey of the Adirondacks that year. >> Continued | pg. 60

Pictured at left: looking north up First Pond.

Below is the dam built in 1997 at the outlet of Boreas Ponds which holds back the water creating First, Second and Third Ponds.

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 59

UNBUILT HIGH PEAKS CANALS Another aspect of Colvin’s survey mission then was to evaluate ways to improve water resources for the Lake Champlain and Hudson watersheds.

He was looking to not only conserve, but refine water access for cities south and the St. Lawrence.

He looked for answers in alpine atmospheric conditions, to rainfall and at the way the forests soaked and secured water.

The wild mountain lands gathered their streams from riffles dripping off the Adirondack High Peaks. The streams scattered to all cardinal points, Colvin said.

And he wanted to fully record the elevation of all source ponds and lakes of the Hudson, Au Sable, Grasse, Cold, Schroon and Boreas rivers, among others.

Colvin measured the Au Sable lakes at 13 feet higher than the Boreas Ponds, and considered prospects of building a “canal” that would turn the “Au sable lakes south into the Boreas.”

Or, he posited, “if, vice versa, all the Boreas lakes can be thrown north, a smaller area of watershed would be changed to the Au sable river or about thirteen square miles.”

His survey found the volume of water available for either the St. Lawrence or Lake Champlain waterways “from this source is not great, and indeed, is not needed.”

C

arol’s

Thus no prodigious engineering was made to reverse pond systems under Mount Marcy’s gaze.

It was used soon after for logging river drives with the addition of dams, impoundments that built ponds, and smaller splash dams. Some of these proved disastrous, including a dam break at Mud Pond, later renamed Elk Lake.

With many layers of maps done and known ore resources at Tahawus a few miles west, Finch, Pruyn purchased the Boreas tracts in the early 1890s.

Be Sure to... Check Out Our

“Bargain Basement”

GIFTS & ANTIQUES NEW & USED FURNITURE

esJewelry • Glassware • Tools CollectiblToys • Housewares • Movies • Plates Books • Artwork • Dishes

Debit

We Have Collectibles by the Thousands!

Open Daily 9-5 • 84 Broadway • Whitehall, NY 518-499-0728 • carolscollectibles.biz 88684

60 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

1st NIGHT FREE FOR IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN AND VIETNAM VETERANS & their families 10% DISCOUNT FOR ALL VETERANS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRE FIGHTERS & EMS

• Free WiFi and Continental Breakfast • Pet Friendly!! • Pool and Campfire!!

• Gift Shop!!

3 MILES FROM WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN AND SANTA’S WORKSHOP

mtbrook@frontiernet.net • www.mountainbrooklodge.com

97903

5712 NYS Route 86 • Wilmington, NY 12997 “Home of Whiteface Mountain” 518-946-2262 • 800-571-2863 • Fax 518-946-7536

MAHONEY ALARMS

NOT ALL GIFTS... come with a big red bow.

Safety and security always come first, so why not show them how much you care this holiday season? Fill your home with a feeling of warmth, comfort and security knowing your home is worry free.

LOCAL • LOYAL • TRUSTED

IN BUSINESS OVER 60 YEARS

Custom Residential & Commercial Alarm Systems

Mahoney watches your home and business so you don’t have to.

Around the clock local fire, security & safety monitoring

Call us 24 hours a day / 7 days a week

800-794-6277 • www.mahoneyalarms.com Call for your quote today!

nclmagazine.com

92870

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 61

Boreas

Timber

By Kim Dedam

The Boreas Ponds Tract has a long storied history of logging operations over the past century

T

he early years of logging at Boreas drew much local attention and renown. Newspapers faithfully reported the launch of winter timber operations, usually in the second or third week of January.

The cycle of work fit the seasons, with cutting and barking done in summer, hauling and stacking done in winter and the river runs done with snowmelt in the spring.

On Oct. 17, 1895 the Essex County Republican newspaper announced J.W. Finch stopped at the Lee House in Port Henry.

“He said FP (Finch, Pruyn) would cut 150,000 market logs this winter making 30,000,000 feet of lumber besides a large quantity of pulp wood. In Boreas, they would cut 50,000 markets and employ over 200 men. There are seven lumber jobs in Boreas country under the supervision of Messrs. Ed. Anderson, M. Sherman, Dillion, Casey and Donnelley,” the newspaper reported.

Just three months later, by January 23, 1896, Finch, Pruyn & Co. had begun sending teams and men in “to the lumber woods for winter’s work. Ten pairs of horses and

62 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

a dozen men have taken their departure for the Boreas River, Essex County. Another batch of teams and men will leave soon. The teams carry a portion of the winter’s supplies for the men in camp, beside a quantity of dressed lumber to be used in building sprinklers to make the wood roads slippery and in erecting partitions within

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

the shanties.”

Lumber crews cut further and deeper toward the northern Totten and Crossfield Township boundaries and took inventory.

“When Howard Church, our first forester, cruised it in 1911, he found volumes of timber uncut. We didn’t go back in there until 1936, almost into the 1940s. We rebuilt the Boreas dam in 1936 out of log cribs,” former Finch, Pruyn forester Dick Nason said in an interview this fall.

In keeping with its Boreas namesake, deep snow and solid ice were critical to the logging industry.

Once a freeze took hold, the logs cut were stacked on the ponds where it sat waiting for the spring thaw.

“Basically, they utilized the winter,” Nason explained.

“Logs were cut starting in May, and all the wood had to be peeled by Christmas time. Most French Canadians would come in after Christmas and New Year’s. Then they would start the hauling process, getting the wood onto the Boreas River in time for spring thaw.”

They would fill either the frozen Boreas pond surfaces or LaBier (Flow), depending on where their camps were located. Each foreman was responsible to get the wood out on the ice,” Nason said.

Finch, Pruyn used both a conveyer and a stacker to get logs on the Boreas ice.

nclmagazine.com

“Right where our company’s corporate lodge was, at First Pond, there was a conveyer that put the logs on the ice over winter, which was typical. We had a small stacker at LaBier Flow to put the logs on the ice there,” Nason recalled.

Up until the 1940s, logs were loaded and unloaded by hand and pulled on sleds over the snow by horses, the retired forester said.

In time, standard timber cuts for sawmills switched to smaller cuts of pulp used to make paper.

Logging methods remained much the same until about 1950.

“The Boreas was snowy because the nature of the mountains. They needed the snow to get the wood down, and they needed the snow for runoff,” Nason said.

“On the Hudson River, the peak year for drives was 1872. >> Continued | pg. 64

Pictured on facing page: View of hundreds of logs floating in a dam on the Boreas River in either Minerva or North Hudson in Essex County in the Adirondack Mountains. The date is unrecorded, but probably circa 1901-1920. This image was created to record the forestry activities of the New York State Forest, Fish and Game Commission, Conservation Commission, or Conservation Department. New York State Archives, New York (State). Conservation Dept.

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 63

Pictured here is the view of a dam on the Boreas River in Minerva, Essex County in the Adirondack Mountains. The river is full of logs which are being pushed along by several men. The date is unknown, but likely ca. 1900-1920. This image was likely created to record the lumbering-related activities of the New York State Forest, Fish and Game Commission or Conservation Commission.

New York State Archives, New York (State) Conservation Department

Probably about a million individual logs came down the river that year, mostly spruce and white pine, some balsam. Pulp wood didn’t come down until 1905,” Nason said.

“For pulp wood, used for paper, there were only us and International Paper with logs in the drives. After 1929, Finch, Pruyn was the only one left driving. And our last drive from Boreas was in 1950.”

Great and ragged fleets of jumbled timber floated down the Hudson by various logging companies were sorted at the big boom in Glens Falls according to log marks, which worked like brands pounded into the raw wood.

“They hit the ends of the log with a hammer that left a mark, they hit it six or seven times on each end.

There were 377 individual log marks on the Hudson.

I found another 30 or so that were used but never recorded,” Nason said.

“Finch, Pruyn had five different log marks, probably 64 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

used to tell which timber lot it came from. The company would also buy wood along the way, wood we didn’t cut. And some of the marks could have been theirs.”

JACK DONAHUE The dams that stopped up rivers to make ponds were integral to logging. And calculated impoundments on the Boreas, its ponds, and other Hudson tributaries allowed for storage of water to release, flushing key parts of the drive in succession.

“There were a lot of dams. There were 46 different dams on the Hudson, Boreas, Cedar and Indian and Schroon Rivers. The foremen knew from experience exactly how long it would take to move logs from one dam to another,” Nason said.

“Jack Donahue, Finch, Pruyn’s foreman from 1900 to 1940 would just know how long it took the Boreas River to reach the Hudson or if you needed more wa-

ter.”

It was not a noisy process, Nason said of the timber rolling and gnashing water in those forests during a river drive.

“Once they started the drive, you had the water rushing through the dam. But there was no motorized equipment. We used some tractors in 1939 to bring sleds to the top of the mountains. We used horses to bring the wood down to the river. That was typical all over. We were cutting up on the High Peaks, almost to Lake Tear-of-the-Clouds, until we had a fight with the state over stumpage.”

THE LAST CAMP “Our last logging camp anywhere was in 1959 in Indian Lake. At Boreas, it was about 1948 when we had the last logging camp in there,” Nason recalled.

The dates make Boreas one of the final few Adirondack forest regions logged with traditional river drives by the last company to utilize the Boreas or Indian and Hudson river systems.

Afterward, logging, skidding and loading became a daytime job, men went in and came out with heavy machinery. Skidders and bulldozers, chain saws and great bark strippers replaced hand saws, axes and horses.

And the new methods needed solid roads.

Boreas today, as New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Park Agency work to assign new access for recreation, is riddled with what Town of Hudson Supervisor Ron Moore says is close to 50 miles of road.

Some 20 piles of gravel mined by Finch, Pruyn is mounded along the roads, set aside for repairs. And the towns of North Hudson and Newcomb retain easements to get gravel from Boreas.

“There are no logging camp artifacts left, besides the dams and roads,” Nason said.

And the old cabin at the Four Corners, a centerpiece where logging roads head west and east along Boreas Ponds (or Tahawus Road) and Gulf Brook Road respectively.

These wider, graveled logging roads are newer.

“The road in from Newcomb was built in 1935, called the Tahawus Road. But Gulf Brook Road was built in 1965 or 1966,” Nason said.

Some roads earned names, others were forgotten.

What remains may be the last testament to an industry that delivered fortunes to the likes of Jeremiah and

Daniel Finch and Samuel Pruyn and many families who purchased far-off acres for hidden estates amid towering Adirondack spruce and white pine.

The roads alone chronicle five or more generations of hard work wrought of Boreas.

“The last of the pulp wood was brought out of there about 10 years ago, about 2007, just before Finch, Pruyn sold the property to The Nature Conservancy (Adirondack Chapter),” Nason said.

CHANGING FOREST USE “Really, everything is so changed. The two dams have been rebuilt, so they’re not indicative of what was there during the river drive period.”

A new dam at Boreas First Pond was erected in 1996 when the new Finch, Pruyn corporate lodge was built, he said.

“Man was there, and for a long time,” Nason said of the Boreas forest lands, where ownership and surveys scrolled through more than 200 years.

Having overseen vast logging operations for 35 years, he says the Adirondack forests are growing three times more fiber than is being used.

“We’ve got such a resource and a state that keeps buying up land that it can’t cut.”

The life-cycle of the Adirondack woods is close to 120 years, Nason said.

“It’s because we don’t have a long growing season.

Trimming at 10 years could cut the life-cycle to 50 or 60 years. But I foresee, down the future, a lot of the Eastern U.S. is going to be known as the ‘wood basket.’

We have the potential to do a better job managing the forests. It will take 30 to 40 years, but it will come.” >> Continued | pg. 66

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 65

Tales from the lumber camp

92869

FINN VALLEY In its heyday, lumber camps at Boreas had 30 to 45 men in a camp, housed in temporary cabins or shanties.

All remnants of these have since disappeared in what is now being called the Boreas Tract state land, according to former Finch, Pruyn & Company forester Richard “Dick” Nason, of Glens Falls.

“We had upwards of 10 to 12 camps in one year. In Boreas, we had three different camps cutting in different areas. They had techniques to get that wood off the high country,” Nason said.

“One of our camp foremen was a Finn (from Finland) and he put in a sauna on the side of Boreas (Mountain).

We used to call it the ‘Finn Valley.’ He liked to cut the high country, too,” Nason chuckled.

It was a cold business.

“The men had to sleep with their boots on so they wouldn’t freeze. If they took them off, they (boots) would be frozen so stiff they couldn’t get them on in the morning.”

A CROSS CARVED IN WHITE PINE Floating with the logs, Finch, Pruyn bateaus were painted a light blue, according to several historic photographs.

“We built our own boats in Newcomb, as needed,” Nason said.

He has film footage from the 1940s that recorded three different boats coming alongside the logs, three men in each bateau.

“Between 1900 and 1940 only three men were killed in bateaus on the Hudson River.”

Near the bridge across the Hudson in Newcomb, a cross carved into a white pine marked one loss.

“It was a Friday afternoon in 1943,” Nason remembered.

“They couldn’t get an undertaker right away, so they pulled the body out and put it in the root cellar at the company headquarters until Monday. The pine is just past the overlook in Newcomb where the Finch, Pruyn headquarters was.”

The root cellar was removed this past summer, according to Newcomb historian Joan Burke.

Very few formal records exist of deaths in river drives between the 1830s and 1900, Nason said.

BLASTING Sometimes the logs floating down a river jammed and tangled into a giant pile.

“One spring, I remember Gerard Arsenault was trying to break the pile on Boreas, first pond. He had 17 sticks of dynamite on a stick and he lit the fuse, it was a fast fuse and as he was trying to find a place to set it and it blew, and blew him across the pond. He used to cook on the River Drives. He came out and said ‘I think we’re gonna use a different method’ for setting dynamite.”

66 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

||| NEW YORK’S FOSSIL FISH

New York’s

Fossil Fish If Lake Champlain’s waters could talk, what a tale they would tell

By Rich Redman

They’d speak like old men at the coffee shop of a bygone era when the waters were cleaner and the fish flourished. A time when streams would flush sediments, leaving clean cobbles and gravels for fish to spawn.

They’d reminisce of a time when fall runs of spawning salmon would be seen and spring flows would allow sturgeon to migrate unimpeded to native spawning grounds. A time when the phrase “non-native species” was yet to be used locally.

Releasing a Sturgeon in 2016

70 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

North Countryncliving@suncommunitynews.com Living Magazine | Vol. 2 No. 2

LAKE CHAMPLAIN Chet MacKenzie with Sturgeon.

Unfortunately that bygone era on Lake Champlain is just that — gone.

The influences of a growing country with more people, and an industry to feed its hungry needs, would change the lake’s internal life.

From early settlers in canoes, bateaus and sailing ships, to commercial fishing boats, to barges laden with wood, potatoes and fuel, all had an influence on the big lake’s waters and its inhabitants.

Chet MacKenzie and Jon Kimball with Sturgeon, Otter Creek.

>> Continued | pg. 72

Chet MacKenzie and his team pulling nets in the ‘Sturgeon hole’ below Peterson Dam.

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 71

||| NEW YORK’S FOSSIL FISH The sturgeon was declared endangered by the State of Vermont in 1972. There are no documented Lake Champlain tributary sturgeons spawning waters in New York, only in Vermont.

In New York, lake sturgeon have been collected in the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake, the Seneca and Cayuga canals, and in the Grasse, Oswego and Oswegatchie rivers.

Vermont’s four big waters are the historical spawning tributary waters for sturgeon in Lake Champlain.

Limited spawning still occurs in the Winooski, Lamoille, Missisquoi rivers and Otter Creek.

Chet MacKenzie and Tyler Brown, with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, motor up the mouth of the Winooski River to look for sturgeon in Lake Champlain.

||| Life history Dams to run sawmills or to create electrical power cut off spawning areas. Pollution spoiled the waters. Invasive species like lamprey preyed on native fish, and over fishing resulted in a great loss in fish populations.

One of the species most affected were the prehistoric monsters of the deep — the lake sturgeon.

Once revered for its flesh, caviar, skin for leather and swim bladder for isinglass, the lake sturgeon in Lake Champlain was overfished by the small commercial fishery from 1896 to 1962. As a result, commercial fishing was closed in Lake Champlain 1967.

Habitat loss of spawning areas, overfishing and invasive species are the primary culprits in the loss of this ancient fish.

The American Fisheries Society lists lake sturgeon as threatened in all the states where it lives, including New York State.

72 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

Sturgeons are the largest and oldest living fish in Lake Champlain, with some living to 150 years or more and reaching weights of 100 pounds or more. Lake Champlain fish average about 4 1/2 feet long. This shark-like looking fish, with long a snout and whiskers called barbels, feeds on the bottom. Lake sturgeon feed on a variety of organisms including leeches, snails, clams, small fish and algae.

Sturgeon have plates on their backs called scutes and leathery skin to protect them.

Prehistoric looking? Yes, because they are. These fish swam when the dinosaurs roamed the lands along old geologic shorelines.

The fish are also in no hurry. They are slow to mature and long lived. The females reach sexual maturity at around 14 years old or even later, while the males reach maturity around eight ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

years or more. Females can live up to 80 years while males may reach 55 years of age. Sturgeon are intermittent spawners. Females may spawn every four to six years.

Lake sturgeon spawn in the spring, from May to June. Stream temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees start the process. They spawn in clean cobbles and rocky bottoms with swift moving water from two to 15 feet deep. Two to three feet per second flows seem to be the optimum rate. The females cast out thousands of sticky eggs that attach to the substrate. Incubation takes around a week or two depending on the water temperatures.

The yolk sack live in the void spaces between the rocks until they become larvae, then slowly drift downstream.

The fry inhabit sandy, gravel bottom areas of the stream with lower velocities feeding on fly larvae and baetidae mayfly nymphs. The young fish grow rapidly to seven inches the first growing year. Sturgeon prefer clean sand, gravel or rock bottom areas where food is abundant.

Otter Creek is open to the falls in Vergennes, which is the natural barrier for the fish. However, dredging in the early 1900’s removed much of the spawning habitat that the sturgeon need.

With the dam on the site, sediment flow into the lower river is restricted, so spawning habitat is not created or renewed by the river’s natural actions of transporting sediment downstream.

The Lamoille and Winooski rivers have working dams, so removal is not an option at this time.

However, maintaining the run of the river flows would keep waters flowing during spawning events.

Maintaining run of the river flows stabilizes the stream velocities. Hydro electric operations cause fluctuations in the stream flow. Velocities of the river go up and down. High velocities can flush out spawning sites and move both eggs and young fry downstream. The high water output and velocities also raise and lower water heights in the river scouring out ||| Future survival To increase the sturgeon population in Lake Champlain three aquatic insects and other invertebrate’s that fish feed on. Low simple, but effective long-term measures need to be imple- water flows could impact spawning areas that supply oxygen mented and maintained. Invasive species control, reconnecting to eggs and young fish, reducing their numbers drastically. spawning and nursery habitat, and maintaining the run of the Maintaining a more natural run of the river would reduce the negative impacts. river flows, are critical to this fish’s future.

Invasive species control is vital. The lamprey affects sturgeon as well as salmon and need to be controlled. Sturgeon were found with an average of 2 .5 wounds per fish.

Adults can handle the wounds better that younger fish. Lampreys literally suck the life out of young fish. Lampreys are probably the number one cause of sturgeon mortality at this time and inhibit their recovery.

Studies show that the habitat for sturgeon presently can allow natural reproduction, but at a very slow rate. Dam removal would increase the spawning areas and possibly allow access to nursery areas. One such dam is the Swanton Dam on the Missisquoi River.

Originally there were 15 1/2 miles of spawning habitat, which was reduced to 8 miles when the dam was built. The dam is not currently being used for electrical output, flood control or navigation, so it could be removed with no negative impacts, only positive ones.

>> Continued | pg. 74

Releasing sturgeon back into the lake

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 73

||| NEW YORK’S FOSSIL FISH ||| Monitoring To ensure the sturgeon have a future, Vermont has taken the lead on sturgeon recovery. Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, Chet MacKenzie has set up a program where researchers can gill net sturgeon and trap eggs and larvae. His team also uses high tech equipment to monitor the sturgeon’s movement throughout the rivers during spawning and its natural movements while in Lake Champlain pre and post spawning.

By capturing sturgeon with gill nets, the team is able to record weights and lengths, get DNA samples, tag fish and determine their health before the fish is released. The tagging allows researchers to show that sturgeon can vary their spawning rivers.

One fish was tagged in the Winooski and then later netted in the Lamoille a year later.

Egg traps and larval drift nets give the biologists an idea of if and when the fish are spawning, preferred water temperatures and flows for spawning and the time of larval drift. Monitoring equipment has changed like all other high tech equipment. Simple tagging replaced by electronic tagging. Surgically implanted transponders and radio transmitters allow biologists to record and monitor migratory patterns and movements, plus habitat use.

“Castle on the Mountain”

What MacKenzie and other biologists are doing with this unique fish is exceptional. Simple actions like controlling lamprey, removing old dams to allow spawning and maintaining a run of the river flows are critical.

The hand of man can both hurt and heal. Actions of the past have reduced the sturgeon to endangered levels, but a sound scientific hand can make the recovery of sturgeon a reality — which is exactly what the dedicated biologists on both sides of Lake Champlain hope to someday achieve.

||| Like to learn more?

If this interests you, check out this video site for some cool information about Sturgeon: planwww.vtfishandwildlife.com/cms/ One.aspx?portalId=73163&pageId=282754.

Much of the information in this article was gleaned from Eileen Stegemann’s article: “Sturgeon, the King of Freshwater Fishes,” which can be found on the NYS DEC website or in the “The Lake Champlain Lake Sturgeon Recovery Plan,” by Chet MacKenzie, which is a well-written and easy to understand report about this amazing and unique fossil fish that calls Lake Champlain home.

All photos are courtesy of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.

FREE TOURS GIFT SHOP LUNCH Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday Noon to 4pm For information, call Skene Manor during open hours at 518-499-1906 AVAILABLE

8 Potters Terrace, Whitehall, NY

(From VT take Route 4 into Whitehall NY, watch for signs.)

74 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

81721

FOR PRIVATE FUNCTIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS.

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan:

Hacksaw, one of the world’s most successful wrestlers, urges the crowd to cheer on the flag chanting, “USA! USA!” After nearly four decades in the ring, Jim Duggan is a master of showmanship and sportsmanship. The big guy, standing 6-foot, 3-inches and weighing in at 270 pounds, his athleticism is obvious, and his talent for entertaining the crowds hasn’t slowed a bit.

The Making of a Hometown Hero

By Karen A. Stites

It’s a big deal when Jim Duggan comes back to his hometown of Glens Falls in upstate New York. Yard signs pop up along all the major streets, the radio stations and local newspapers announce his arrival weeks beforehand. When the big day for his visit comes, the former high school football star fills the Glens Falls Civic Center where several thousand folks gather to cheer him on. When Jim Duggan comes to town, it is their hometown hero, the brawny professional wrestling celebrity “Hacksaw” they come to see.

The crowd jumps to their feet shouting “Hoo! Hoo!” when Hacksaw makes his entrance wrapped in a giant American flag, waving his signature two-by-four hunk of lumber.

76 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

Duggan’s long career began in the early 1980s with regional shows, and encompassed the emergence of the sports-entertainment phenomenon on national television in the 1990s. He wrestled during an era of such well-known greats as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Steve Austin, and Shawn Michaels. He starred in both the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

In 2012, he published his autobiography “Hacksaw: The Jim Duggan Story” which delivers on his promise to offer fans “a ringside seat into his adventurous life.” His has been a life spent travelling around the world with the opportunity to entertain millions of folks, for which he is both grateful and humble. His insights tell the story of more than a great sports legend, but that of a man with the strength of character to face kidney cancer head on and beat it in 1998. With only one kidney after surgery, his doctor told him not to risk injury and told him he “should never wrestle again.”

But even at 62-years-old, Hacksaw simply refuses to retire. Today, he continues to attract large crowds to the Legends exhibition matches as one of the heroes of professional wrestling. He also appears around the country as a feature

with the “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan show. He combines his natural good sense of humor with great story-telling, and entertains audiences with his “behind the scenes” insider’s view of professional wrestling. It’s a “the good, the bad, and the funny” look from Duggan’s own perspective as a “talent” in a very competitive career choice.

The Champion and the Chief

Born in Glens Falls on Jan. 14, 1954, James Edward Duggan, Jr. grew up to become one of the most recognizable names in professional wrestling. Even at an early age, his athletic ability was obvious. Known affectionately as “Moose” by his friends for his massive physique and strength, he earned 10 varsity letters at Glens Falls High School in football, track, basketball, and excelled at wrestling. Duggan won the NY State High School wrestling championship — undefeated — his senior year in 1973. He still holds the school record for shot put at an astonishing 56.5 feet.

Duggan attributes a lot of his success in sports and in life to his father. The senior James Duggan served as a police officer in Glens Falls from 1943 to 1987, including a long tenure as attraction in ‘comic-con’ venues and signs his signature chief of police. As a teenager in a small city, it wasn’t always two-by-four souvenirs for the fans.

And then there’s the comedy career. Hacksaw always easy to be the son of the chief of police, and Duggan admits brought a sense of humor to his character and performance in the ring. He launched a new career in comedy this year >> Continued | pg. 78

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 77

when two FBI officers appeared on the scene, they were surprised to see a very large schoolboy guarding the way, and who refused to let them pass! Luckily for all concerned, it was a false alarm.

His hometown honored both father and son in 2012 when Mayor Jack Diamond proclaimed “Chief and Hacksaw Jim Duggan Day,” celebrating the wrestler and his father. The mayor told the audience that: “One carried a night-stick, the other carried a two-by-four…Both men have brought honor and distinction to their hometown with their many colorful and noteworthy escapades.”

Those escapades began with young Duggan’s high school and college years as a football star, and he planned on a career with the NFL. Although drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, the big guy suffered knee injuries throughout his first season and was dropped from proball. Not one to sit around and bemoan what might have been, he turned his sights to professional wrestling in 1979. While playing college ball at Southern Methodist it helped keep him on the straight and narrow. His father, University in Dallas, he had met one of the a devoted family man, instilled in his son a deep sense legendary promoters, Fritz Von Erich who of patriotism, the value of charity, and the ethics of hard later gave him his start in the business. work.

“My dad was my biggest influence in my life. He was my best man in my wedding. He was my best friend. He was my role model. He was my hero, the man I really looked “Big” Jim Duggan started up to,” Duggan said. out playing one of the vilWhen Chief James Duglains, known as a “heel” gan, Sr. passed away in 2002, in the sport. He donned a son Jim recalled the time he leather mask and wrestled helped his father as a young as “The Convict” then grew teenager during a suspected his hair and beard long and bank robbery. Coming home appeared as “Wildman.” from school late one afterFans were pretty rough in noon, Chief Duggan spotted the 1980s, especially for his son near-by and told him the heels. One night, afto go guard an alley near a ter a downright dangerbank’s back entrance and “not ous entrance to the ring in to let anyone go in or out.” So

A Legend is Born

78 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

San Antonio, he grabbed a piece of lumber backstage to make his way through the crowd. That two-by-four be be“Hackcame his trademark, along with a new nickname “Hack saw,” suggested by a fellow wrestler because “it sounded cool.” After signing with the World Wrestling Federation in 1987, he changed his persona from heel to hero. This Sowas the height of the Reagan-era tensions with the So viet Union, so he amped it up with his patriotic gimgim micks as the “true-blooded American.” Waving his oversized American flag and chanting USA! USA!, the fans loved him. A true entertainer, Hackaw’s style combined comedic mugging and patriotism. preWhile the winners of matches may be pre aldetermined, the action in the ring isn’t al “Acways predictable. Duggan recalled that, “Ac cidents happen, and when you got two big guys out there, flying around, people were ingoing to get injured.” The wrestlers, in brocluding Duggan, suffered from bro ken ribs and contusions, and the blood audiences see is sometimes real. The scripted feuds occasionally carried on backstage as well, with brawls in locker-rooms and hotel rooms. (The WWF was banned from hotels throughout Belgium in the 1990s af after hosting the athletes caused significant damage to their hotel during a European tour.)

Hacksaw’s proudest moment as a professional wrestler came in 2011 when he was inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame. He attributes his long success to his ability as a performer: “You gotta sell tickets, and a lot of guys had the physical ability but couldn’t talk on camera, and that’s a huge part of our business.”

He also admits that a life spent on the road is nclmagazine.com

very hard. His wife Debra and two daughters Celia and Rebecca came to understand that holidays were celebrated on the day dad came home, not the date on the calendar. Yet, it also gave him a chance to travel around the world, and enjoy years in the spotlight with a fame that few can claim.

While living in Florida, Duggan and wife Debra started the Hacksaw Duggan Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament in 2004 to support fundraising for the Children’s Home Society, a large child welfare agency. Today, they make their home in North Carolina and when not travelling for shows, Duggan visits local schools and speaks to youth groups. Fans may be interested to follow him on Facebook and Twitter, and can see some of his old championship matches on YouTube. The energy the big guy brings to the ring really gets the fans amped up.

Duggan regularly returns to the Glens Falls area to the delight of his hometown fans and old buddies. He debuted his new stand-up comedy show last January at >> Continued | pg. 80

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 79

Sweet Basil’s restaurant in Queensbury. He headlined the show for the Infinity-Con pop culture convention in Lake George this summer, along with other WWE Hall of Famers. Hacksaw thrilled the crowd as a superstar at the Big Time Wrestling show in September at the Glens Falls Civic Center. While back home in Glens Falls, Duggan tries to make time to visit his favorite local spots: New Way Lunch for “dirty dog” hotdogs, Poopsie’s for breakfast, and a beer or two at Bella’s Sully’s East.

For younger wrestlers hoping to break into the business, he points out that it is extremely competitive with only 120 professional wrestlers under contract.

“It’s a television show, and it’s more competitive for each spot than any other sport,” he said.

He thinks today’s younger wrestlers are too similar, all with lean, muscular bodies and good looks, but perhaps lacking the ability to project their personality or develop a crowd-pleasing character.

Despite the physical demands of years in a grueling sport, and even after battling cancer, Hacksaw shows no signs of 80 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

losing one of the coveted spots in professional wrestling.

His ability to re-invent himself and change with the times in wrestling, and launch a new comedy career are the stuff of legends.

And isn’t that the stuff that heroes are made of? ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 81

82 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Plattsburgh arts in retrospect Looking back at the Plattsburgh Opera House

1928: Officers look on as the Plattsburgh Theater crumbles.

84 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

By Elizabeth Izzo As you finish a conversation with an old friend, the lights above you flicker.

Intermission is over.

You can hear the sound of shuffling shoes — of quiet goodbyes and wrapped up sentiments in the lobby as patrons make their way back into the theater.

You make your way up an elegant, carved wood stairway — one of two that frame the ornate lobby.

The ceilings are high above you, around 19 feet, with copper and bronze paneling and pebble work borders.

You climb the staircase to the dress circle above, where you sit in one of more than 1,000 seats.

From the balcony, you can see everything; the domelike curvature of the theater’s ceiling, the 10 luxury boxes filled with socialites and businessmen that line the walls.

Straight ahead is the star of the structure: the stage.

The low murmur of the crowd dies down just as the lights dim.

Finally, the rich red curtains part and the show begins at the Plattsburgh Opera House.

‘CATERING TO THE MASSES, NOT THE CLASSES’ The Plattsburgh Opera House, more popularly known as the Plattsburgh Theater, was the crown jewel of the city of Plattsburgh in the late 1800’s.

The four story building, designed by M.A. Diaz in 1892, sat on the corner of Court and Marion Streets — now the site of a parking lot. It is said to have been the tallest building in Plattsburgh at the time.

According to “A City’s First Century,” the theater advertised itself as an everyman establishment with the tagline: “Catering to the masses, not the classes!”

And cater to the masses they did.

A production of Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” was the inaugural show on April 5, 1893. From there, the venue branched out into a number of entertainment categories, hosting touring shows, operas, memorials, Sunday School classes, Vaudeville and minstrel shows, plays, world-class vocalists, musicals and more.

The theater even saw a visit from a 54-year-old Theodore Roosevelt, who campaigned in Plattsburgh as part of his Bull Moose Progressive Party presidential candidacy in 1912.

Any form of entertainment there was, the Plattsburgh Theater was likely to have hosted it. nclmagazine.com

An original program from the Plattsburgh Theater. This program from Feb. 15, 1904, advertises a play based on “Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring actors Herbert Kelcey and Effie Shannon. Photo courtesy of the Clinton County Historical Association

SMITH WEED The arts were an important part of Plattsburgh in the late 1800s and early 1900s. With television years away from widespread use, most residents relied on theaters to provide entertainment.

The Plattsburgh Theater was one of many theaters in the city around that time, with competing theaters on Clinton Street (Champlain/Clinton Theater, the Star Theater), Bridge Street (the Colonial Theater, Wonderland Theater) and River Street (the Palace).

What made the Plattsburgh Theater special, apart from its lavish furnishings, was its proprietor: a cigarsmoking politician named Smith Weed. >> Continued | pg. 86

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 85

ue. The fire also destroyed the nearby Champlain Theater.

The source of the fire was never discovered, and the theater was doomed to condemnation.

FROM THE ASHES The destruction of the Plattsburgh Theater wasn’t all bad — there was certainly a shining light at the end of the tunnel.

As the remnants of the theater lay dilapidated on the corner of Court Street, a new cultural epicenter was taking the reigns just blocks away on Brinkerhoff Street.

In 1928, the recently erected Strand Theater saw an influx of customers as the Plattsburgh and Champlain Theaters’ crowds looked for a new stomping ground.

Though the Plattsburgh Theater was never rebuilt, Beyond being a beloved politician — he served briefly as mayor of Plattsburgh before moving on to serve six terms in the New York State Assembly — Smith Weed made major contributions to the city that can still be seen today.

Among the businesses Weed is credited to have helped establish are the Champlain Valley Physician’s Hospital, the YMCA, the Plattsburgh Public Library, and the Hotel Champlain, which now houses the Clinton Community College.

At one time, residents called the Plattsburgh Theater “the Weed Building,” in part because Weed’s office resided there, along with a number of town and village offices.

The Plattsburgh Theater, circa 1895.

the everyman’s establishment mentality popularized by the venue lived on at the Strand Theater.

Over 90 years later, and the Strand still stands on Brinkerhoff Street — in part thanks to a massive $4 million restoration effort that ended in 2015.

In fact, the Strand Theater is the last left of its kind.

Bridge Street’s Wonderland Theater closed in 1921, the building demolished in 1930. A parking lot took its place.

The nearby Colonial Theater caught fire and closed in 1917.

The Palace Theater, on River Street, was destroyed by a TRAGEDY STRIKES fire in 1915.

Though the city saw the closure and destruction of a maThe Plattsburgh Theater enjoyed almost 40 years of suc- jority of its theaters, the arts scene in Plattsburgh never trucess until a fire started inside the building on St. Patrick’s ly died. The small, flickering torch was kept alive through Day in 1928. The fire completely engulfed the structure, sporadic shows organized by community members. leaving behind only the bare bones of the once shining ven-

86 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

This program from Feb. 4, 1905, advertises a performance of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” at the Plattsburgh Theater.

Photo courtesy of the Clinton County Historical Association

A May 25, 1899 program advertising “The Wizard of the Nile,” an opera featuring Frank Daniels, at the Plattsburgh Theater.

Photo courtesy of the Clinton County Historical Association

In more recent years, a number of new establishments have begun popping up, signaling a long-awaited mainstream revival in Plattsburgh arts and entertainment. Through the Strand Theater, and Plattsburgh’s dedicated arts community, the spirit of the Plattsburgh Theater lives on.

Plattsburgh arts in retrospect

Looking back at the Plattsburgh Opera House

This 1893 program (at left) sheds light on the programming of the Plattsburgh Theater. Photo courtesy of the Clinton County Historical Association

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 87

Hybrid

horse-drawn hearse

carried deceased over snow, dirt roads in bygone days

By Thom Randall

A hearse owned by Warrensburgh mortician Joseph Woodward is brought to a halt on Main St. downtown, ready to be deployed in a funeral in the first decade of the 20th century. As Warrensburg was a prosperous town, many of its families could afford transporting their deceased loved ones to the cemetery in a fashion befitting those who had achieved prestige and success — with church bells tolling during the solemn procession.

Photo courtesy of the Warrensburgh Museum of Local History

A

t the turn of the 20th century, the prospect of death wasn’t an abstract concept that erupted sporadically from one’s subconscious — it was a constant companion of children and adults alike.

Because in the late 1800s childbirth and many communicable diseases commonly claimed lives, people in these bygone years accepted the inevitability of death, knowing that it could strike any member of their family in a virtually random fashion.

Although death was an ever-present reality of life, it didn’t lessen the grieving that occurred when family members died.

In the rural communities across New England during the 1800s, families took care of their deceased loved

90 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ones, opening their house up for local citizens to “pay respects” to the departed, as well as preparing their body for burial.

After such a wake at home and perhaps a funeral either at home or in a church, the remains of the deceased — contained in a wooden box — would be delivered to the cemetery on a horse-drawn buckboard or “jigger wagon.”

Expressions of respect for the deceased’s social status would be reflected not only in the eloquence of the pastor’s eulogy, or the craftsmanship of the casket, but how he or she was transported to the cemetery.

At the turn of the 20th century, Warrensburgh NY was a rural town which had become prosperous due

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

to its ample timber and water resources — hosting a number of mills, garment factories and tanneries. Because of this prosperity, a substantial number of Warrensburgh’s citizens could afford not only fine caskets for their deceased family members, but the services of an undertaker.

Beginning in the late 1880s, morticians’ services in the North Country’s larger towns included being carried to one’s final resting place in high style — in a stately horse-drawn hearse, at least for those families who sought to impress others of the deceased’s social status.

But in Warrensburgh, this hearse was what might today be called a hybrid or crossover vehicle — its carriage wheels were interchangeable with snow skis, so it could be used in all seasons.

The antique handcrafted hearse was owned and used

by Warrensburgh mortician Joseph Woodward from 1885 to 1914, and by his brother Barry Woodward from

1914 through 1947. Barry had joined Joseph in the undertaking business at some point around the turn of the century, and took over his enterprise in 1914.

Complete with curtained windows and carriage lamps, the hearse was built in 1880 by George L. Brownell manufacturing company of New Bedford, Mass.. The firm was one of the leading coach, carriage and hearse manufacturers in the U.S. Incidentally, Brownell and his company also gained fame for introducing the first rubber-cushioned bicycle tire in 1869, and was a successful bicycle manufacturer beginning after the civil war. Brownell, incidentally, had begun his career apprenticing in coach and carriage building at the age of 17, and within four years, had established his own enterprise.

A newspaper advertisement by the Brownell firm at the turn of the century proclaimed the enterprise dealt in “fine hearses, and modern undertakers’ wagons, em>> Continued | pg. 92

Equipped with both snow runners and iron-rimmed wooden wheels, a hearse that was a familiar sight in Warrensburgh during the turn of the 20th century could transport the deceased over snow or dirt roads. On display at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake from 1969 until this summer, the hearse has been stored at the museum while they prepare a new exhibit.

Photo courtesy of the Adirondack Museum

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 91

Alison V. Craig Realty LLC

“Where the Lake Comes First”

88710

9848 Graphite Mt. Rd. (Route 8) Box 860 • Hague, NY 12836 Tel.: 518-543-6994 Fax & Tel.: 518-543-6221 Email: avcraig@capital.net www.alisonvcraigrealty.com Serving the Northern Lake George Area

balming buggies, and ambulances.” The firm sold many hundreds of carriages and hearses across northeastern U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Carriages manufactured by Brownell are not uncommon at antique auctions. A carriage hearse built by the Brownell firm was advertised in an auction this October at the price of $17,500, quite a substantial increase from the price of $175 or so it cost Joseph Woodward in 1883.

In 1947, Woodward’s hybrid “snow hearse,” a familiar sight in Warrensburg, was then passed on to the Orton & McCloskey Funeral Home, which donated it to the Adirondack Museum in the mid-1950s.

For 47 years straight, the hearse has been on exhibit at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, but it has just recently been put into storage because a new exhibition is being prepared for 2017.

During that time, it was an important artifact — along with many others — that helped convey to contemporary generations not only the customs associated with death in bygone years, but modes of rural transportation.

“The hearse is still an important part of the museum’s collection,” Adirondack Museum curator Laura Rice said in November.

OPEN ALL YEAR! At the base of Whiteface Mountain Cabins • RV Sites

Lake Placid / Whiteface Mtn KOA 77 Fox Farm Rd | Wilmington, NY 12997 800-562-0368 LakePlacidKOA.com

Editor’s note: References to Warrensburg from the 1800s through the 1930s are spelled with an h on the end (“Warrensburgh”) in this feature and those references after that era are with no H, as the name was changed by the post office in the 1930s.

95967

92 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 93

STANDING TALL Adirondack Flagpoles owner Danny Kaifetz has dedicated his life to building flagpoles, touching lives.

>> Continued | pg. 96

94 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

By Teah Dowling

L

ast fall, one Google search led to a life-changing moment for Massachusetts resident Barry White: A new flagpole.

White, from Cape Cod, searched the internet after losing his flagpole to a wintery wind and discovered Adirondack Flagpoles – a business out of Keeseville that handcrafts flagpoles. Owner Danny Kaifetz got

This flagpole is located in Hanover, Massachusetts.

96 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

Photo provided

back to White immediately and eight months later delivered the flagpole to his home.

Kaifetz receved a letter from White just a few days later, stating “The sentry is back on guard and the welcome mat is back in it’s rightful place.

“I feel like we made a new friend and I feel like our home again is complete.”

From mountain tops to ocean shores, Kaifetz has shared moments like this more than 100 times in 32 states for the past 12 years.

The Vietnam War veteran started his business in a 10,000 square-foot building on Derek Drive near the Port Kent ferry after witnessing the difficulty a friend of his had when trying to order a flagpole after 9/11.

The process took over a year to complete and cost more than $5,000.

“That shocked me,” said Kaifetz.

With a forestry degree from Paul Smith’s College, background in land surveying and a little experience in carpentry, Kaifetz started making flagpoles in 2004.

Back then, there were three full-time flagpole specialists in the area, including Kaifetz’s business. Now there’s only one: Adirondack Flagpoles.

With the help of one other full-time worker, Kaifetz builds each custom flagpole, which costs anywhere bencliving@suncommunitynews.com

tween $3,000 to $25,000, in his shop on Kent Street.

The dynamic duo works on 5 to 9 flagpoles in one day – ranging from 5-foot wall mounts to 18 to 56-foot standing poles.

The poles, Kaifetz said, take about 18 hours to complete over a four-day span.

A special lumber company cuts each piece of northern red oak, sometimes douglas fir, eastern white pine and mahogany on request, and ships them to the site.

Four poles combine into two, which are put together to make one pole using specialty equipment for clamping and shaping.

From there, each pole either gets sanded and stained or painted white using special covering that doesn’t wear during storms.

On the inside, either aluminum or steel tubing is placed to withstand harsh conditions and winds up to 135 miles per hour. Kaifetz said 14 poles remained standing with little or no damage during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Each pole has the same measurements, design and a lifetime warranty. Each one is unique to the wishes of

Adirondack Flagpoles owner Danny Kaifetz

nclmagazine.com

This flagpole is located near Mirror Lake in Lake Placid.

Photo provided

the owner.

“Every flagpole I make is very special to someone for their own personal reasons,” he said. “Collectively they make a statement about how Americans feel so proud about their heritage and traditions.”

Since opening, Adirondack Flagpoles has produced exactly 218 flagpoles for homes, sites like the National Museum of the Pacific War in Texas and organizations like the Friends of Fighters located in Brooklyn in honor of 9/11.

Every year, Kaifetz donates one flagpole to a veteran or an organization.

In June, Kaifetz gave a flagpole to local World War II veteran Joe DeMarco in Jay. The month before, DeMarco, who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima, ventured to Ohio to spend time with family and celebrate his 90th birthday.

When he returned, the new flagpole was up and both veterans saluted as the first flag raising took place.

“It’s not just a piece of wood anymore,” Kaifetz said.

“It means something and it serves one purpose: to fly the American flag.”

Kaifetz’s overall goal is to have at least one flagpole in all 50 states and make 500 in the next 10 years.

At that time, Kaifetz will be 75 – a birthday that will determine whether the business will continue for another 10 years.

“Because of me being a veteran and my strong feelings for the nation we live in, I feel very fortunate to be doing what I do,” he said.

“I am very honored to have had so many opportunities to give a little something back to our community, the North Country and to all the veterans.” >> Continued | pg. 98

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 97

Adirondack Flagpoles is located at 81 Kent Street In Keeseville. Flagpole prices, products, order forms and shipping rates can be found on adirondackflagpoles.com.

For more information, contact Kaifetz at 518-834-9901, 518-534-4003 or sales@adirondackpoles.com.

All flagpoles are custom made in shop by only two people.

Photos by Teah Dowling

98 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Venison Coalition:

Feeding the hungry, One buck at a time

With hunting season now well underway, Venison Coalition aims to stamp out hunger through donated harvests.

By Pete DeMola

nization.

ELIZABETHTOWN — With the In the late-1990s, the state DeDe cool crisp weather comes hunting seapartment of Conservation spon sponson, the hallowed ritual across the sored a series of meetings asking state that carries sacred traditions. sportsmen and hunters for input A statewide nonprofit hopes hunton programming. ers will add another: Hunters were already keen on The donation of some of their hardonating portions of their har harvests to local food banks. vests, and wanted a vehicle to do doSince 1999, the Venison Donation Conate venison — a highly nutritious alition (VDC) has distributed more than 4 and lean source of protein— but hoped million servings of venison to food pantries someone could lend a hand with the pro proacross the state — or about 36 tons per year. cessing fees.

The people-powered effort initially sprouted from The DEC provided seed money in 1999, which the sportsmen who wanted to give back to their community, VDC matched. explained Greg Fuerst, a state coordinator with the orgaThat arrangement has become a sturdy blueprint, and the 100 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

program is now sustained through annual fundraising and donation efforts.

All donations are tax-deductible, and every dollar that is donated to the VDC is used towards processing the venison, with no administrative fees.

Ninety-four DEC-approved processors are located across the state.

Hunters are encouraged to donate a (properly dressed, legally tagged) deer, or even a few pounds, to a participating processor, who is funded through the coalition. The frozen packages are then sent to regional food banks to be included in the stream that feeds local food shelves.

“It really runs smoothly every year,” Fuerst said.

If hunters across the state utilize each licensing program, the result could be 8 or 9 deer each season.

Even a portion of that could make a big difference for those who are hungry.

“It goes a long way,” Fuerst said.

Processors are always wanted, especially here in the North Country.

Essex, Clinton and Washington counties boast one each, but there are none in Hamilton, Warren and Franklin counties.

The state is home to 500,000 deer hunters.

Imagine if each hunter donates just $1, says the organization.

Fuerst recently fielded a phone call from a man who is A HALF-MILLION HUNTERS teaching his daughter the values of giving and charity.

A recent study revealed 50 percent of the processed meat He is also teaching her how to hunt. comes from upstate and western New York; 35 percent from The gentleman heard about the donation program and told Long Island, and 15 percent from the Lower and Western Fuerst his goal was to tag a deer with his daughter, donate it Hudson region. to the coalition and track its progress through the system so The high number in Suffolk and Westchester counties are they could go to the local food pantry and see it handed out. because those areas are archery-only with unlimited tags, “That was pretty touching,” Fuerst said. “Over 17 years, Fuerst said. there’s a lot of good stories out there.”

Financial donations to the Venison Donation Coalition can be made through your town clerk’s office or anywhere hunting and fishing licenses are sold. All donations through D.E.C.A.L.S. are deposited directly into the Venison Donation Fund. Donations can also be accepted through venisondonation.org. Checks are also accepted and can be made payable to: Venison Donation Coalition, Inc., 3 East Pulteney Sq., Bath, NY 14810. For more information, call 1-866-862-3337.

Photos provided

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 101

WINTER EVENTS 2016

Adirondack Region

Arts & Entertainment

Tuesday, Nov. 1

GLENS FALLS — The Fall Film and Video Festival - East Side Sushi will take place at the Crandall Public Library Christine L. McDonald Community Room. For more information, call 792-6508 ext 3 or visit crandalllibrary.org/programs/programsfilmseries.php.

Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Saturday, Dec. 31

GLENS FALLS — The Chapman Historical Museum will display “The Voyage of the Canoe Atlantis”, S. R. Stoddard Images.

Seneca Ray Stoddard was well-known for his images of the Adirondacks. This exhibit features 15 images by Stoddard taken over the course of five years, from 1883-1887, as he undertook an amazing journey by canoe. Traveling with a companion in five stages they went down the Hudson River to New York City and northward up the Atlantic coast, finally ending at the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Seneca Ray Stoddard (1843-1917) is best known for his photographs of the Adirondack Mountains, but he also was a cartographer, writer, poet, artist, traveler and lecturer.

For more information, call 793-2826 or visit chapmanmuseum.org/exhibits/Queensbury..

GLENS FALLS — The Hyde Collection will exhibit Transforming the Hyde: The Feibes and Schmitt Gift. This is an exhibition of 55 works of Modern art from the collection of Werner Feibes and the late James Schmitt. The gift represents a remarkable group of paintings, drawings, prints, mixed media, and sculpture by many of the world’s leading

events

modern artists, including Josef Albers, Sol LeWitt, Grace Hartigan, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Motherwell, Bridget Riley, and David Smith, among others.

For more information, visit hydecollection.org/ exhibitions.

Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Sunday, April 2

GLENS FALLS — The Chapman Historical Museum will display Chronicle Classic Photos, 1980 to 2016. This is an exhibition featuring photos which have appeared over their 35-plus years. In 1980 the Chronicle, known as Northern New York’s Leading Newspaper began - it started out small but it has continued to grow in popularity with readership increasing every year. It is the “go-to” source for local news and the arts for the greater Glens Falls region which includes Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties.

For more information, call 793-2826 or visit chapmanmuseum.org/exhibits.

Wednesday, Nov. 2

GLENS FALLS — An Adirondack Portfolio, 19021935: The Hiking Stories and Photographs of Francis Bayle will be presented at the Crandall Public Library, Christine L. McDonald Community Room, by local author Bob Bayle son of Francis Bayle, at p.m. Throughout his life Bob’s father wrote stories and took photographs that show a great love of, and appreciation for the Adirondack mountains.

Mr. Bayle will sign copies of this his latest book. For more information, call 792-6508 ext. 237 or visit goo.gl/tJvD3K.

Wednesday, Nov. 2 through Tuesday, Nov. 29

NORTH CREEK — The Widlund Gallery presents the Johnsburg Fine Arts Group with Dennis Wilson at the Tannery Pond Center. There will be paintings by Johnsburg Fine Arts. Wood Chip Carvings, jewelry by Mr. Wilson.

Friday, Nov. 4

SARANAC LAKE — The Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery will host an opening reception for featured artist Marion Kratky, from Northville, the winner of the 2016 Annual Juried Show, from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information visit our adirondackartistsguild. com or call 891-2615. The public is welcome.

Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5

GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Stampede Charity Rodeo comes to the Glens Falls Civic Center, at 7:30 p.m. There will be rodeo fun for the entire family offering thrills of a two-hour roller coaster ride! PRCA rodeo brings quality professional rodeo to the North Country where you will see top national and regional competitors in Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Saddle Bronc riding, Tie Down Roping, Barrel Racing AND Bull Riding! Following the rodeo, be sure to head downstairs to Heritage Hall for the Round-Up Party. The Adirondack Stampede Rodeo is a long-time favorite North Country community tradition with proceeds benefiting several local children’s charities.

For more information, call 855-432-2849 or visit adirondackstampedecharityrodeo.com

The Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery will host an opening reception for featured artist Marion Kratky, from Northville, the winner of the 2016 Annual Juried Show, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 4

102 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Schroon Lake

Arts & Entertainment

WINTER EVENTS 2016

Saturday, Nov. 5

WHALLONSBURG — The Champlain Valley Film Festival presents “Eye in the Sky” at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall, at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $6.

For more information, call 963-4170 or visit thegrangehall.info.

MOOERS — There will be an All-you-can-eat Turkey dinner at the Mooers Fire Station,from 4 to 7 p.m. The cost is $10 adults and $7 children 6-12, under five eat free with takeouts available. Details: 236-5311. Proceeds benefit the Mooers Republican Committee.

QUEENSBURY — Enjoy a Harvest Dinner being held at the Queensbury United Methodist Church, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This is an afternoon to gather together and celebrate autumn with our locallyfamous, family-style Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. Please join us and enjoy succulent turkey, homemade gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, raisin-carrot salad and delicious homemade pies. Ten percent of the proceeds will be given to the local Salvation Army.

For more information, call 793-9728 or visit queensburyumc.org.

The Smith Flats Preview takes place at the Chapman Historical Museum, from 3 to 5 p.m. The Smith Flats Building is located at Bay and Washington Streets in Glens Falls designed by William E Lawrence and built ca 1895. A large, three-story Victorian apartment building. Over the years it has undergone changes. If you are familiar with this building, the most recent change has brought out our curiosity - what is happening at Smith Flats?

Suzanne and Peter Hoffman of Glen Street Associates will share information about their renovation project while you tour the building’s new interior spaces. Refreshments will be served. A donation to the Chapman Historical Museum is requested.

For more information, call 793-2826 or visit chapmanmuseum.org/programs.

Saturday, Nov. 5 and Sunday, Nov. 6

Enjoy a Harvest Dinner being held at the Queensbury United Methodist Church in Queensbury, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m on Nov. 5.

TICONDEROGA — Fort Ticonderoga will hold its sixth annual “Material Matters: It’s in the Details” Seminar. This two-day seminar focuses on 18th-century material culture and is intended for collectors and people with an interest in learning more about objects of the 18th century and what they can tell us about history. Advanced reservations required.

QUEENSBURY — The LARAC Fall Arts Festival will be held at the Adirondack Sports Complex. This is a Juried show featuring over 75 artisans offering an eclectic selection of handcrafted items featuring pottery, fiber artists, jewelry, culinary artists, woodworkers, photographers and many more. Children’s activities include a costume contest and some trick-or-treating. We have live music and food.

For more information, call 798-1144 ext 5 or visit larac.org/festivals/larac-fallfestival.

LAKE GEORGE — In honor of all Veteran’s New York State DEC is offering free entrance to Prospect this last Saturday and Sunday of the 2016 season. Prospect Mountain accords a memorable 100-mile view from 2,030’ summit. The 5.5 mile two lane highway leads to parking lot. En route are three overlooks, The Narrows, Lake George and The Eagle’s Eye. Spectacular views of Vermont’s Green Mountains, New Hampshire’s White Mountains, New York’s Adirondack High Peaks and on a very clear day, the Laurentian Mountains of Canada. From parking lot take continuously running viewmobile to summit for more spectacular views. View the remains of the worlds largest cable railroad.

Sunday, Nov. 6

104 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

Lyon Mountain — We are having a Chinese Auction to “save our

Legion” (Lyon Mountain American Legion Post 1623), which is also used as our Community Center. We will be having the auction, Michigan platters, 50/50, etc. Your attendance would be greatly appreciated! It will go from noon to 4 and we will begin pulling numbers at 4 p.m.

GLENS FALLS — Christopher Theofanidis with the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra will be performing Dreamtime Ancestors a brand-new work

by Mr. Theofanidis at Glens Falls High School, at 4 p.m. Mr. Theofanidis will speak about his inspiration from the Australian Aboriginal creation story.

Also on the program will be Beethoven’s Symphony No 3, Eroica. There will be a Pre-concert Talk with Maestro Charles Peltz at 3 p.m. The Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra is a nationally recognized professional symphony orchestra, engaging international guest artists under the direction of Maestro Charles Peltz.

For more information, call 793-1348 or visit theglensfallssymphony.org.

QUEENSBURY — The Autumn Leaves, Chronicle Book Fair will be held at the Queensbury Hotel, from 11 am. to 4 p.m. They will be showcasing hundreds of local and regional authors and publishers this annual late fall book fair is the go to event for all book lovers from ages 2 to 102! The day includes author talks, book signings, discussions and readings. Offering an eclectic selection of books including Adirondack books, local and regional history, biographies, children’s, mysteries, novels and poetry. Also a selection of antique and used books.

For more information, call 792-1126 or visit goo.gl/MPk2Fi.

Monday, Nov. 7 through Monday, Nov. 14

LAKE GEORGE — Visit the Field of Flags-Remembering our Veterans takes place at Fort William Henry, 48 Canada Street.

There will be a musket salute and wreath laying ceremony Friday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m., to mark Veterans Day and honor all Veterans of all wars. A field of flags, each marked with a veteran’s name will be on the west lawn as part of Veterans appreciation week. For more information, call 964-6647 or visit fwhmuseum.com.

Tuesday, Nov. 8

WILLSBORO — Going into our 6th year, Toto’s at the Willsborough Bowling Center hosts Open Mic Tuesday, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. till closing.

Come see the eclectic blend of talent and culture.

For more information call 572-3026.

CHESTERTOWN — The Pottersville United Methodist Church will hold a bake sale at the Chestertown Fire House on Rte 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, call Golda Agard at 518-4942684.

GLENS FALLS — The Fall Film and Video Festival - Crying Earth Rise Up will be shown at the Crandall Public Library Christine L. McDonald Community Room, at 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

For more information, call 792-6508 ext. 3 or visit crandalllibrary.org/programs/programsfilmseries.php.

Thursday, Nov. 10

GLENS FALLS — The Hyde Night Out - Gallery Talk with Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region begins at 7 p.m. Meet four Artists of the Mohawk Hudson Region exhibition, Brece Honeycutt, Kathy Greenwood, Brian Cirmo and Jason Van Staveren.

Join them in the galleries to learn more about their artwork. The Hyde Collection will celebrate

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

the 80th anniversary of the oldest regional show in the country. Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson region is hosted by three organizations, The Hyde, the Albany Institute of History and Art and the University Art Museum at the University at Albany on a rotating basis.

As the oldest annual juried exhibitions in the country providing a leading benchmark for contemporary art in the Upper Hudson Valley and artists living within a 100-mile radius of Glens Falls and the Capital Region.

Reservations requested, please call 792-1761 ext. 310.

Friday, Nov. 11

ADIRONDACKS — Take the family fishing and don’t forget the grandparents! Anyone can fish New York State waters, and no fishing license is required. Verify all regulations for fishing ponds, lakes, rivers, streams.

For more information 897-1333 or visit dec.ny.gov.

HAGUE — There will be a Veterans’ Memorial Service at Memorial Park, at 11 a.m. They will be honoring and remembering all Veterans. For more information, call 543-8830 or visit townofhague.org.

LAKE GEORGE — There will be a musket salute and wreath laying ceremony to mark Veterans Day and honor all Veterans of all wars at 11 a.m. A field of flags, each marked with a veteran’s name will be on the west lawn from Monday, Nov. 7 through Nov. 14 as part of Veterans appreciation week.

WILLSBORO — All Willsboro and Essex Veterans and their guest are invited at no charge to our 12th annual Veteran’s Day Appreciation Program and Dinner, being held at the Willsboro Central School Cafeteria.

The program begins at 4:30 p.m., and a chicken and biscuit dinner will be served at 5:15 p.m. For Reservations Please call by Friday, Nov. 4, to Vicki Dickerson at 963-4459, Bridget Brown 645-1226, or Bobbi Paye 572-5025. The new residents of Willsboro and Essex who are Veterans are most welcome to attend.

nclmagazine.com

Friday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 13

SARANAC LAKE — Saranac Lake Art Works is pleased to be hosting the eighth annual Artists at Work Open Studio Tour. In addition to the participating local art galleries, a number of artists in the Tri-Lakes area will be opening their personal studios to the public. A wide variety of art and crafts including photography, painting, printmaking, collage, ceramics and fiber art will be on display and for sale.

Many of the artists and galleries are centrally located in and around the Village of Saranac Lake. The Adirondack Artists Guild and North Wind Fine Arts are both cooperative galleries, exhibiting work by a combined total of 26 local artists. Stop in to meet artists at work creating new pieces.

Cape Air will be displaying artwork by various Art Works members. Individual artists with studios in or near downtown include Cris Winters at The Pink House, featuring fiber and mixed media pieces; Tim Fortune at Small Fortune Studio, watercolor and oil paintings with a focus on large scale water colors; Georgeanne Gaffney at Second Floor Studio, watercolor and acrylic paintings ranging from portraits to landscapes; Mark Kurtz, photographic panoramic and Holga images from the Adirondacks to Manhattan and beyond; Sandra Hildreth, oil paintings of the Adirondacks; and Peter Seward, traditionally painted watercolor and oil paintings depicting a narrative concerning our post modern drama.

Visit the Art Works website or pick up an Artists at Work Open Studio Tour guide at The Adirondack Artists Guild (tour headquarters), the Carousel, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid Visitor Centers, Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center, Pendragon Theater and area galleries to find out which artists will be participating

on each day. The guide offers information about each artist and gallery, as well as a helpful map to assist you in planning your personal tour.

This is a perfect opportunity to experience the North Country’s beautiful landscape while visiting local artists, as well as enjoying additional activities such as hiking, boating, and dining at our local restaurants.

You may even get some early holiday shopping done by supporting our local arts community.

For more information, call 524-8603.

Saturday, Nov. 12

TICONDEROGA — Fort Ticonderoga announces its “Now Left to their Own Defense,” German and British Soldiers Leave Ticonderoga – Living History Event.

In November of 1777, cut off, short of food, and the weather getting colder the British-held posts of Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence made the hard decision to withdraw back to Canada following the surrender at Saratoga. At this special Living History event join the German soldiers, who formed the core of the Ticonderoga Garrison, and prepare to evacuate the "Gibraltar of the North." Royal Artillerymen aid these Brunswickers to determine what to take, and what to destroy to prevent falling into enemy hands.

POTTERSVILLE — Come see the area’s best cooks as they provide a delicious Roast Beef Dinner at the Pottersville United Methodist Church, 7899 State Rte 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, call 4943594.

WHALLONSBURG — Adirondack folk musicians Dan Berggren and Alex Smith will perform at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall, at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $10 at the door. For more information, call 963-4170 or visit thegrangehall.info.

PORT HENRY — The fourth annual Christmas

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 105

WINTER EVENTS 2016

Arts & Entertainment

Bazaar sponsored by the Friends of the Sherman Free Library at the Knights of Columbus Hall, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vendors will be selling crafts, art, Christmas decorations, and baked goods. This is an opportunity to do your Christmas shopping now.

Lunch will be available. All proceeds benefit the Sherman Free Library.

PLATTSBURGH — The Strand Center Theatre presents an evening of family fun as Mark Nizer, 4D Performer wows audiences with his unique form of entertainment at 7 p.m.

Mark Nizer is one of the greatest entertainment comedians and jugglers performing today. His wild exploits have landed him on MTV, HBO’s Just for Laughs, Arsenio Hall, Bob Hope and Other Young Comedians, Comic Strip Live and LA Law. He has opened for Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Hope, George Burns, John Byner, Gladys Knight, The Temptations, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, and Barry Manilow. The late Bob Hope said, “He just keeps getting better and I didn’t think that was possible.”

Don’t miss the combination of original comedy, world class juggling, movement, music and technology that promises a spellbinding evening. Whether juggling laser beams at 1000 rpms, or five ping pong balls being thrown 20 feet in the air using only his mouth; or even juggling a burning propane tank, a running electric carving knife and a 16-pound bowling ball, you’ll discover for yourself that Mark Nizer is truly “the juggler your mother warned you about.”

Or if she didn’t, she should have. For more information about Mark Nizer, please visit nizer.com.

Advance Ticket Prices are $11-$15 General Seating; $21-$25 preferred seating; $31-$35 premier seating. Day of show: $16-$20 general seating; $26$30 preferred seating; $36-$40 premier seating.

For more information on this show, upcoming events, or classes happening at The Strand Center for the Arts, call 563-1604 or visit strandcenter.org.

QUEENSBURY — Come to the Flannels and Handles Hoedown at West Mountain, from 7 to 11 p.m. Enjoy a fun evening as you swing your partner round and round and where matching Flannels are highly encouraged! Handles, aka Mustaches, on a stick will be provided. Musical entertainment by Stones Mountain Band; line dancing demonstrations; find the item you cannot live without at the silent auction, and more throughout the evening.

Enjoy a buffet dinner; and fee also includes two drink tickets per person of a house wine or Harpoon’s Flannels Friday Ale. In support of West

Mountain School the non-profit organization which supports education through ski racing for children.

For more information, call 300-0987 or visit goo. gl/Xx4QkZ. BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE — Enjoy music from the Bob Stump Band at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, at 7 p.m. The music of this country and bluegrass band is always evolving. As Bob states on their website, “The band is always on the move exploring and searching. It is through our many live shows that we are able to grow. We are inspired by the performances we share and the people we perfom for. This band is hot!” Their new “STUMPGRASS LIVE” CD is available, and their music has aired on Sirius XM radio. Go to www.adirondackarts.org/ concerts.php for tickets!

Sunday, Nov. 13

LAKE GEORGE — There will be a Salute to Veterans Concert by the Lake George Community Band, at Glens Falls High School, at 3 p.m. There will be a patriotic musical tribute to all members of our Armed Forces, honoring their service and sacrifice.

Lake George Community Band members are local musicians providing communities with musical programs, preserving the tradition of American band music and the hometown American band.

For more information, call 874-0800 or visit lgcb. org.

Tuesday, Nov. 15

WILLSBORO — Going into our 6th year, Toto’s at the Willsborough Bowling Center hosts Open Mic Tuesday, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. till closing.

Come see the eclectic blend of talent and culture. For more information call 518-572-3026.

GLENS FALLS — The Fall Film and Video Festival of Smoke Signals will be held at the Crandall Public Library Christine L. McDonald Community Room, at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 792-6508 ext 3 or visit crandalllibrary.org/programs/programs-filmseries.php.

Join Double H Ranch for an enjoyable evening which includes chili, choice of vegetarian, chicken or beef, selection of beverage; silent auction and a special view of Eddie the Eagle at 190 Grille + Cinema, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Please reserve, available online, by Saturday, Nov. 5. Benefits Double H Ranch, a serious fun camp Adaptive Winter Sports program.

For more information, call 696-5921 ext 228 or visit doublehranch.org/calendar-event/chill.

Wednesday, Nov. 16

QUEENSBURY — Dr. Enhorning is a retired professor of history at SUNY Adirondack. He will share his special interest in World War I at 195 Sunnyside Road, at 7 p.m. This is a Warren County Historical Society program. For more information, call 7430734 or visit warrencountyhistoricalsociety.org/ programs.

Thursday, Nov. 17

WHALLONSBURG — There will be a cooking class held at the Whallonsburg Grange, at 6 p.m. The class will be “Great-Tasting and Gluten-Free”. The cost is $15 which includes the lesson and food. Sign up in advance by calling 963-4170 or visit thegrangehall.info.

Friday, Nov. 18

SARANAC LAKE — BluSeed Studios presents Live at BluStage: Durham County Poets at 24 Cedar St..

This is lively and soulful five-piece folk and roots band from Southwest Quebec at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $18/$15 for BluSeed Members. For more information, visit bluseedstudios.org or call 8913799.

WEST CHAZY — The annual Turkey Raffle takes place at the St. Joseph’s Parish Center, at 7 p.m. There will be lots of Prizes (including 42” Smart TV) and a free buffet dinner. For more information call 4934521.

WESTPORT — Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Essex County will hold its Annual Meeting and the public is invited to attend. Social hour and meal prepared by Northern Feast Catering begins at 6 p.m., followed by the general meeting, reports and elections at 7 p.m. Friends of Extension awards and a slide show of the year’s accomplishments conclude the evening. $10 per person covers the meal. For more information or to RSVP, contact Laurie Davis at 962-4810 ext 404 or email lsd22@ cornell.edu.

GLENS FALLS — There will be a Wine and Chocolate Tasting at the Queensbury Hotel, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. There will be wine, chocolate and cheese! Featuring more than 70 wines of all varieties, domestic and imported selected by Adirondack Wine Merchants. Gourmet chocolates from Barkeater Chocolates of North Creek and others; artisan cheeses, baked goods from Ca-

Gourmet chocolates from Barkeater Chocolates of North Creek will be featured at the Queensbury Hotel, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 18.

106 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19

Saturday, Nov. 19

WHALLONSBURG — The Champlain Valley Film Festival presents “Captain Fantastic” at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall, at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $6. For more information, call 963-4170 or visit thegrangehall.info.

WILLSBORO — The Willsboro United Methodist Church invites you to our 30th Autumn Harvest Luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join us for homemade soups, breads, cheese and deviled eggs and dessert with beverage for $6.

QUEENSBURY — Come the to the Magical Woodland Tea Party at 989 North, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 until 4 p.m. The World Awareness Children’s Museum invites all fairies and gnomes and adults also to their Tea party. Enjoy tea sandwiches and desserts. The will be entertainment, woodland games and activities, raffle prizes and Fairy Guest appearances. Two seatings beginning at 11 a.m. Reservations are required, please call 793-2773 or visit eventbrite.com/e/magical-woodland-tea-partytickets-27440334780.

LAKE GEORGE — The St James Holiday Bazaar will be held at the St James Episcopal Church, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It offers a fine selection of Adirondack and hand-crafted items included knit and crochet; gift baskets, painted glass and fresh Christmas wreaths. There is a cookie walk and bake sale too.

Enjoy a luncheon of homemade chili or chicken soup, Waldorf salad, finger rolls and ice cream for dessert! Donations for the Food Pantry will be accepted, thank you for your generosity. For more information, call 668-2001.

Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20

GLENS FALLS — The New York State Public High School Athletic Association best in the State compete at the NYSPHSAA Girls State Volleyball Championships at the Glens Falls Civic Center. For more information, call 855-432-2849 or visit nysphsaa.org/ Sports/Fall/GirlsVolleyball.aspx.

Sunday, Nov. 20

SARANAC LAKE — North Country Community College will hold its 34th annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair, in the NCCC gymnasium, from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

There will be all kinds of original arts, authentic crafts, and antiques are sought for the fair. In order to maintain the “hand-crafted” integrity of this event, only items personally handcrafted by you, the artist, will be accepted for display. Commercial or purchased-for-resale items and crafts are not permis-

nclmagazine.com

Tuesday, Nov. 22

WILLSBORO — Going into our 6th year, Toto’s at the Willsborough Bowling Center hosts Open Mic Tuesday, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. till closing.

Come see the eclectic blend of talent and culture. For more information call 518-572-3026.

The World Awareness Children’s Museum invites all fairies and gnomes and adults also to their Magiical Woodland Tea Party in Queensbury on Saturday, No. 19.

Arts & Entertainment

WILLSBORO — The Willsboro United Methodist Church invites you Holiday Craft Sale on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We will be offering: recycled Christmas items, baked goods, new craft items, “gently used” sweaters and Granny’s Attic Treasurers and used books and REBER UMC baked items and crafts.

sible. North Country Community College reserves the right to exclude, at any time, vendors whose items are not authentic arts or crafts.

You, the vendor, are responsible for providing everything you may require including tables and chairs, extension cords, etc. for your space.

You are responsible for the set-up and clean-up of all materials at the end of the day. Demonstrations of your work during the fair will be greatly appreciated. Vendor applications can be found on NCCC’s website and are due by Tuesday, Nov. 15.

WINTER EVENTS 2016

tering and Cakes by Bella, Dickinson’s Delights and Rockhill Bakehouse all located in Glens Falls. Musical entertainment by fiddler Frank Orsini; silent auction of wine-themed gift baskets. “A Finer Experience”, an exclusive wine tasting from 5 to 6 p.m., offers a selection of wines and food pairings prepared by SUNY Adirondack Culinary Arts Program under the supervision of Matthew Bolton. Tickets to this special tasting, which must be purchased in advance, provide admission to the rest of the evening’s events.

For more information, call 793-2826 or visit chapmanmuseum.org/programs/A-Wine-andChocolate-Tasting

Thursday, Nov. 24

GLENS FALLS — The James P Hinchliffe 5k Run/ Walk for ALS begins at the Glens Falls Civic Ctr, 1 Civic Center Plz. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. Join in this North Country Thanksgiving Day Tradition - for ages 10 and under to well, you’re never “too old” to participate. It’s a Flat and Fast course through downtown Glens Falls. Have some fun for a great cause! Awards presented ins several categories.

Benefiting the ALS Association of Upstate New York. Pre-registration online; race day registration begins at 7 a.m. and continues until 8:15 a.m. For more information, call 480-3186 or visit jphals5k.com.

Friday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 27

QUEENSBURY — The Doyle House has. Over thirty rooms are filled with antiques and vintage gifts selections, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Holiday refreshments; door prizes.

Call 798-4747.

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 107

WINTER EVENTS 2016

Arts & Entertainment

Thursday, Nov. 25 through Friday, Dec. 9

TICONDEROGA — Celebrate the holiday season with a variety of events at the Ti North Country Christmas! There will be many great places to shop, eat and drink. Think local, Shop! Spend! Support!

LAKE GEORGE — Come to the Lite Up the Village celebration with caroling and fireworks at Shepard Park. There will be a tree lighting ceremony and caroling in Shepard Park. Holiday fun follows at Lake George Firehouse on Ottawa Street. For more information, call 668-5771.

LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Historical Association and Museum Holiday Open House will display history, music and holiday refreshments in the former Warren County Courthouse. For more information, call 668-5044.

TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Historical Society invites organizations and individuals to participate in the 26th annual Festival of Trees.

Each year, community organizations, business-

Saturday, Nov. 26

Saturday, Nov. 26 through Saturday, Dec. 31

es, school groups and clubs help in decorating the Hancock House by providing a tree, centerpiece, gingerbread house or other festive holiday art.

The highlight of the Festival of Trees is the Champagne Reception held Sunday, Dec. 4, from 1 until 3 p.m. Each year, nearly 30 trees are stationed around the stately Hancock House, each with its own theme or decorative motif.

Trees may vary in size and fire regulations require only artificial materials. Additionally, lighting and extension cords must comply with UL approval. Decorated trees must be placed on or before Nov. 25th and removed the week of Jan. 2 to Jan. 7.

Call to set up a time.

To register for space, or additional questions, call the Hancock House at 585-7868.

Sunday, Nov. 27

The Ticonderoga Historical Society invites organizations and individuals to participate in the 26th annual Festival of Trees held Nov. 26-31 at the Hancock House.

LAKE LUZERNE — Visit the Holiday Stroll and Tree Lightings at the Col Butler Pavilion Park, 4 to 6 p.m. There will be family fun with Santa beginning the holiday season. Cookies, hot cocoa, goodie bags for the kids, and raffles follow at Harmon House Tourism Cottage, 37 Main Street. For more information, call 696-3500.

Tuesday, Nov. 29

WILLSBORO — Going into our 6th year, Toto’s at the Willsborough Bowling Center hosts Open Mic Tuesday, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. till closing.

Come see the eclectic blend of talent and culture.

For more information call 518-572-3026.

GLENS FALLS — The Fall Film and Video Festival will show The Man Who Knew Infinity, at the Crandall Public Library Christine L. McDonald Community Room, at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 792-6508 ext 3 or visit crandalllibrary.org/programs/programs-filmseries.php.

Thursday, Dec. 1

PLATTSBURGH — The Champlain Center Mall will host “Light up a Life” memorial trees, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. People are welcome to purchase stars in memory of loved ones.

WHALLONSBURG — There will be a cooking class held at the Whallonsburg Grange, at 6 p.m.

The class will be “The Root Cellar”. The cost is $15 which includes the lesson and food. Sign up in advance by calling 963-4170 or visit thegrangehall. info.

QUEENSBURY — There will be a Holiday Luncheon at North Country Festival of Trees being held at the Queensbury Hotel, from noon until 2 p.m. This is a chance for a sneak preview and enjoy lunch among the “Wonders of the Trees.” Please call for reservations by calling 832-6124.

NORTH CREEK — Join us for a Christmas Tea & Bazaar, at the North Creek Methodist Church, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Silver tea will be served with fancy sandwiches, cookies. Selection of craft items.

For more information, call 251-2716.

Thursday, Dec. 1 through Sunday, Dec. 4

108 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

QUEENSBURY — The Queensbury Hotel will display the 25th annual North Country Festival of Trees Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is an indoor winter wonderland of beautifully decorated trees, gingerbread houses, arts and crafts, and holiday decorations. The Holiday Boutique features handmade items. There are activities, games, arts and crafts, and Breakfast with Santa for the children! For more information, call 832-6124.

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

Friday, Dec. 2

ELIZABETHTOWN — Mark your calendars for the ACAP 10th annual “Holidays are for Sharing” Toy Drive! Donate a new, unopened toy to help provide gifts to the children of Essex County and enjoy Chicken and Biscuits/Macaroni and Cheese. There will also be basket raffles, and a 50/50 drawing to help support the program. Help create the magic of the season. All donations stay within Essex County.

SARANAC LAKE — The Gallery will host a reception for featured artist and photographer Barry Lobdell from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information visit adirondackartistsguild.com or call 891-2615. The public is welcome to this free event.

GLENS FALLS — There will be a Hometown Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting on Glen St, 5:45 to 8 p.m. There will be music and festive family fun! Santa, holiday treats and children’s activities. from For more information, call 743-9463 or visit glensfallscollaborative.com/events/hometown-holidays.

QUEENSBURY — Enjoy the Jingle Bell Jubilee during the North Country Festival of Trees held at the Queensbury Hotel, 6 to 11 p.m. It is a holiday wonderland of beautifully decorated trees, gingerbread houses, arts and crafts Enjoy an elegant evening of fine cuisine, great entertainment by Electric City Horns, dancing, live and silent auctions. Please call for reservations at 832-6124.

Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3

SARANAC LAKE — Enjoy two days of locally made arts and crafts at the 30th annual Sparkle Village Holiday Arts and Crafts Show! This year’s exhibition will once again be at the Harrietstown Town Hall on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Friday, Dec. 2 through Wednesday, Dec. 28

NORTH CREEK — The Widlund Gallery will display Carol Barre, Bruce Robbins, Gail Stein at the Tannery Pond Center, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be acrylics by Carol Barre. Watercolors and drawings by Bruce Robbins. Photography by Gail Stein. For more information, call 251-2505 or visit tannerypondcenter.org/ gallery-schedule.

Saturday, Dec. 3

WESTPORT — Christmas in Westport includes crafts, tree and wreath sales, bottle drive and sales. The night will end with the Westport and Wadhams Santa Parade and Christmas Tree lighting.

PLATTSBURGH — The Elmore annual Holiday Mall Fundraiser takes place at the Champlain Centre Mall, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fundraiser is between Old Navy and Victoria Secret. They are looking for any resaleable items. For more information, call carol at 5343484.

PLATTSBURGH — The City of Plattsburgh and their partners, First Weekends, Strand Center for the Arts and Hometown Radio, WIRY presents the Downtown Plattsburgh Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting at 6 p.m.

Businesses, organizations, clubs or interest groups are invited to participate in the second annual Holiday Parade starting on Brinkerhoff Street, left onto Oak St, to Court Street and down Margaret Street to end at Pine Street, beginning at 6 p.m. Following the parade, the Strand Center for the Arts and First Weekends will be hosting a Christmas Tree Lighting event with music, fire pits, hot chocolate and more!

Entry forms for the parade are available at cityofplattsburgh-ny.gov, City of Plattsburgh Facebook page, or surveymonkey.com/r/plattsholidayparade to register.

We encourage all groups submitting applications to

get into the holiday spirit! The deadline for applications is Friday, Nov. 25. Early submission is encouraged due to the limited entry space. Parade entry slots will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis. Volunteers are needed to assist with parade registration and traffic coordination.

At 8 p.m., following the Tree Lighting on the Strand Center lawn, the Adirondack Jazz Orchestra will perform at the Strand Theater. For tickets, visit strandcenter.org.

For more information, contact Sandra Geddes at geddess@cityofplattsburgh-ny.gov or call 536-7458.

QUEENSBURY — Come and enjoy the Holiday Festival at the Queensbury United Methodist Church, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ring in the Christmas season. Our festival features a variety of crafts made by local artisans, a bake sale, breakfast / lunch cafe, silent auction, Christmas Past bargain room and, of course, a jolly visit with SANTA! Radio station Froggy 100.3 will be on hand to do a remote broadcast. Ten percent of the proceeds will be given to House of Grace. For more information, call 793-9728.

BOLTON LANDING — There will be a Christmas Cantata at the Saint Sacrament Episcopal Church, at For more information, call 494-3374.

QUEENSBURY — There will be a Sugar Plum Ball during the North Country Festival of Trees at the Queensbury Hotel, from 7 to 9 p.m. This is a night for the young ladies and gentleman to dress in their best and enjoy the holiday excitement. Dance to the music

by Red Hot Entertainment. Please call for reservations at 832-6124.

HAGUE — Celebrate the Holiday in Hague at the Town Park, beginning at 10 a.m. There will be holiday family fun! The day features a parade, doggies competition, floats and Santa. Children’s activities and a visit with Santa follows at Hague Community Center, 9763 Graphite Mountain Road. For more information, call 543-6161 or visit townofhague.org.

The Lazy Moose Garden Market

ld Fashioned General Store Deli • Holiday Gifts • Christmas Trees Wreaths • Baskets ...and so much more!

Breakfast and Lunch Daily

6499 State Rte 8 | Brant Lake, NY 12815 PH: 518-949-4039 | Fax: 518-4942121 Call for Winter Hours

nclmagazine.com

Come Experience the Adirondacks of Yesteryear” www.thelazymoosegardenmarket.com Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 109 92867

WINTER EVENTS 2016

Arts & Entertainment

Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4 WARRENSBURG — Come celebrate Christmas in Warrensburgh through Downtown. This is an old fashioned holiday celebration. Caroling, church bazaars, luncheons, musical performances, photos with Santa, children’s activities, craft demonstrations and workshops by Adirondack artisans, Tree Lighting Ceremony. For more information, call 466-5497.

QUEENSBURY — Children and parents come have breakfast with Santa during the North Country Festival of Trees at the Queensbury Hotel, at 8 a.m. Enjoy a private viewing of the Festival and Children’s Wonderland, take home a holiday keepsake and visit with Santa. Please call 832-6124 for reservations.

NORTH CREEK — Enjoy a Holiday Celebration Concert being performed at the Tannery Pond Center, Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Come join our community holiday celebration and enjoy our concert featuring the North Country Singers, the Holiday Children’s Choir and dancers.

For more details, call 251-2505 or visit tannerypondcenter.org/myevents.

TICONDEROGA — Join Director of Interpretation, Stuart Lilie, and Curator of Collections, Matthew Keagle, for this step-by-step course on the construction of French soldiers’ veste or sleeved waistcoat and linen gaiters at Fort Ticonderoga, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. People can learn basic sewing techniques, to the assembly and fitting, explore 18th century tailoring techniques. Examine the latest research on the materials, fit, and issuance of these garments.

Cost is $300 and Fort Ticonderoga Members $285. Workshop includes lunch, sewing materials, and cutout kits for your veste and gaiters.

Children and parents come have breakfast with Santa during the North Country Festival of Trees at the Queensbury Hotel, at 8 a.m.

Dec. 3-4.

For more information, visit fortticonderoga.org/ education or call 585-6190.

Sunday, Dec. 4

MALONE — The 32nd Annual Ecumenical Christmas Concert will be held at the St.. Joseph’s Church, at 4 p.m. There will be contemporary and holiday music performed. There will be a special performance by Thirty1&Mandolin. The cost is $10, children 10 and under are free. This is a benefit to help families and patients served by Hospice in the North Country.

CHESTERTOWN — Celebrate the season with beautiful music at the Christmas Cantata being performed at the Community Methodist Church, at 3 p.m. at 4 p.m. For more information, call 4943374.

GLENS FALLS — The Holiday: A Season for Singing Concert with the Glens Falls Symphony and the Symphony Children’s Chorus takes place at Glens Falls High School, at 4 p.m. The program features a jolly mix of holiday favorites by the orchestra, accented with special performances by the Symphony Children’s Chorus. The Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra is a nationally recognized professional symphony orchestra, engaging international guest artists under the direction of Maestro Charles Peltz. For details, call 793-1348 or visit theglensfallssymphony.org/16-17season-details.

Monday, Dec. 5 through Friday, Dec. 30

GLENS FALLS — Carlos K. Baret is a member of the artistic group called Garabato. His work will be on exhibit at the 2nd Floor Gallery at City Hall.

He has participated in the creation of works from the Museum of the Restoration Heros in Santiago. His

work has also been exhibited in the Dominican Republic, New York state and Vermont. There will be an opening reception Sunday, Dec. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. For more details, call 222-1471.

GLENS FALLS — Robin Brewer’s work will be on exhibit at the 2nd Floor Gallery at City Hall. Her work includes Drawings and Oils. There will be an opening reception Sunday, Dec. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m.

For more details visit northcountryartscenter.org/ calendar.html.

Tuesday, Dec. 6

WILLSBORO — Going into our 6th year, Toto’s at the Willsborough Bowling Center hosts Open Mic Tuesday, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. till closing.

Come see the eclectic blend of talent and culture.

For more information call 572-3026.

GLENS FALLS — The “Sing We Now of Christmas”, an Adirondack Voices Holiday Concert will be performed at Christ Church United Methodist, at 7:30 p.m. This will be an enjoyable, festive evening of holiday selections featuring traditional and contemporary Christmas songs. Presented by a 70 member chorus under the direction of Fall Director Cory Cerullo. For concert details, call 796-4648.

Wednesday, Dec. 7

SARANAC LAKE — Tour the grounds of the former Trudeau Sanatorium. Meet inside the Park Avenue gates of the American Management Association campus at 10:30 a.m. The cost is $5 per person, members of HSL and children free. Rain or shine. Reservations required by calling or emailing by noon on Dec. 6.

Thursday, Dec. 8

GLENS FALLS — A juried exhibition of works by North Country Arts’ members comprised of local and regional artists and artisans takes place at the Crandall Public Library Friends Gallery, from 6 to 8 p.m. Juror is Erin Coe, Director of the Hyde Collection Art Museum. For more information, call 7926508 ext. 3.

Thursday, Dec. 8 through Saturday, Dec. 31

GLENS FALLS — The North Country Arts at the Crandall Public Library will be holding a Fine Art Juried Exhibition. A juried exhibition of works by Country Arts’ members comprised of local and regional artists and artisans. Juror is Erin Coe, Director of the Hyde Collection Art Museum.

Friday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 11

110 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ESSEX and ELIZABETHTOWN — The Pleasant Valley Chorale will present its winter concerts, “Songs of the Magi”, on two occasions: Friday at the Essex Community Church in Essex at p.m. (right after the town tree-lighting); and Sunday at the UCC Church in Elizabethtown, at 3 p.m. The program features lush seasonal music by John Rutter, Mendelssohn, as well as lively arrangements of holiday favorites -- all focused on the journey of the Magi.

Directed by Susan Hughes, accompanied by Kerry Mero, with special guest artist Laurel Rule on

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

cello. Admission to PVC concerts is free, with a good-will donation accepted at the door.

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Holiday Village Stroll is a Lake Placid tradition. The Stroll is a family and couples weekend chock full of events, entertainment, parties, dining specials and shopping in the fairy-tale winter wonderland of Lake Placid. The weekend includes lots of free kids activities. Santa will be making an appearance in several locations throughout the weekend. For couples, there will also be dining specials and live entertainment into the late evening hours.

Saturday, Dec. 10

Essex — The Magic of Christmas in Essex returns to the hamlet! All of the same fun events that you’ve known to come and love with some additional ones to come this year! More food, more vendors, more music, more holiday all while preserving the magic of the season. Come and shop, eat, mingle and play. There’s something for everyone in Essex, NY! Details: christmasinessex.com

Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11

ELIZABETHTOWN — Westport voice and piano luminaries Alisa Endsley and Russell Ames join forces to create a unique concert experience for area audiences at the Historic Hand House Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. For more information, email rchancler99@gmail.com.

Sunday, Dec. 11

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Holiday Village Stroll is a Lake Placid tradition, the Stroll is a family and couples weekend chock full of events, entertainment, parties, dining specials and shopping in the fairy-tale winter wonderland of Lake Placid. The weekend includes lots of free kids activities. Santa will be making an appearance in several locations throughout the weekend. For couples, there will also be dining specials and live entertainment into the late evening hours.

Tuesday, Dec. 13

WILLSBORO — Going into our 6th year, Toto’s at the Willsborough Bowling Center hosts Open Mic Tuesday, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. till closing. Come see the eclectic blend of talent and culture. For more information call 518-572-3026.

Wednesday, Dec. 14

GLENS FALLS — Rockapella will be performing at the Charles R Wood Theater, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The international entertainers will be performing with the best musical instrument - the human voice. Enjoy original pop songs and contemporary revisions of sparkling Motown, pop, and soul classics. For more details, call 480-4878 or visit woodtheater.org/event/rockapella.

Sunday, Dec. 18

GLENS FALLS — The Messiah Sing-Along take place at the First Presbyterian Church, at 3 p.m. Come, join the chorus and sing choruses of the Christmas portion of Handel’s immortal masterpiece! Professional soloists will sing the arias and we, the audience form the chorus of more than 100 voices and we will also sing a few carols. Family fun, and always a community holiday favorite! Conducted by Penny Schiek with organ accompaniments by Bryan Kirk. For more information, call 7932521 ext 217.

WESTPORT — The Adirondack Children Community Choir will feature a program of traditional and newly composed music celebrating the voices of our community’s children! The ensemble is directed by Jennifer Moore, assisted by Alisa Endsley, accompanied by Rose Chancler and joined by Amy Nelson. There is a suggested $5 donation at the door.

Tuesday, Dec. 20

WILLSBORO — Going into our 6th year, Toto’s at the Willsborough Bowling Center hosts Open Mic Tuesday, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. till closing. Come see the eclectic blend of talent and culture. For more information call 518-572-3026.

Sunday, Dec. 25 and Monday, Dec. 26

SARANAC LAKE — The Trudeau Sanatorium Tour will meet at 10:30 a.m., inside the Park Avenue gates of the American Management Association, where street parking is available. $5/person, members of Historic Saranac Lake and children free of charge. For more information, call 891-4606.

Tuesday, Dec. 27

WILLSBORO — Going into our 6th year, Toto’s at the Willsborough Bowling Center hosts Open Mic Tuesday, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. till closing. Come see the eclectic blend of talent and culture. For more information call 518-572-3026.

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 111

WINTER EVENTS 2016

Arts & Entertainment

Wednesday, Dec. 28 NORTH CREEK — The Woody Pines Concert will be performed at the Tannery Pond Center, at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening of Roots, Ragtime, Country Blues, and Viperbilly Swing music. You know you will want to get up and DANCE! For more details, call 251-2505 or visit tannerypondcenter.org/events/woody-pines.

Sunday, Jan. 1

LAKE GEORGE — Celebrate New Year’s Day in Lake George with family activities and the Polar Plunge, a New Year’s Day swim, at Shepard Park, at 1 p.m. Dip in the frigid water and see how far you get! First 400 swimmers at 1 p.m., followed by each group of 400 every half hour. Pre-register at Duffy’s Tavern on Saturday, Dec. 31, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Jan. 1, 10:30 a.m. For more information, call 668-5323 or visit lakegeorgewintercarnival.com.

Sunday, Jan. 8

LAKE GEORGE — Plan your day with area’s leading professionals. Showcasing and planning of weddings, honeymoon destinations, apparel and more at the Winter Wedding Show, being held at the Dunham’s Bay Resort, from noon to 3 p.m. Call 792-6092 or visit a-awa.com for more information.

Friday, Jan. 20

TICONDEROGA — Enjoy a Sip N Sew, at Your Quilt Shoppe, from 7 to 9 p.m. Bring a project you are working on and enjoy a fun time. Maletta Hourigan, owner of Your Quilt Shoppe, will be happy to answer questions and help you problem solve. For those who like games, Left Right Center, a dice game, will add suspense, laughs, and fun to the evening. LRC will be played with fat quarters available for purchase at Your Quilt Shoppe.

This fun filled evening is free of charge. Join us for any one evening or for all. Space is limited. Sign up by calling 570-8055 or by emailing yourquiltshoppe@gmail.com. Spend some creative time with friends, drink some wine, relax, and let your creative juices flow.

Friday, Jan. 20 through Sunday, Jan. 29

LAKE GEORGE — Visit the Sagamore for the Glacier Ice Bar & Lounge. This is an unforgettable experience of 18,000 pounds of crystal-clear ice transformed featuring exquisite ice carvings.

It’s the Hottest and the Coolest! Come see this spectacular site - enjoy a cocktail and then warm up next to the fireplace at Caldwell’s or mingle at La Bella Vita where they are serving hors d’ oeuvres and authentic Italian specialties. Please remember, the Glacier Ice Bar and Lounge are weather permitting. For more information, call 644-9400 or visit thesagamore.com/ice-barlounge.

6359 State Route 9. Benefits the Bob Whitford scholarship. For more information, call 4942401 or visit trilakesalliance.com.

Friday, Feb. 3 through Sunday, Feb. 12

SARANAC LAKE — The annual ten day festival will include performances, sports, dances, parades and two sets of spectacular fireworks above the world-famous Ice Palace. Kicking off with the coronation of the Winter Carnival Royalty, the event proceeds with the lighting of the Ice Palace, fireworks, parades and performances and culminates in the Carnival Slide Show and Gala Fireworks. The 2017 edition marks the 120th anniversary making the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival the longest-running event of its kind in the eastern United States. For a detail list of events, times, history, and more as the event nears visit saranaclake.com/events/wintercarnival.

Saturday, Feb. 4

TUPPER LAKE — The Northern Challenge Ice Fishing Derby returns to the frozen cap on Lake Simon Pond. The pond turns from a quiet winter wonderland to an ice fishing mecca, as one of the areas largest and longest ice fishing tournaments takes place. Hosted by the Tupper Lake Rod & Gun Club, The Northern Challenge Ice Fishing Derby attracts hundreds of fisherman who travel to Tupper Lake to contend for thousands in cash and prizes. Fishing in the day long “catch and release” style tournament begins at 7 a.m. prompt and continues until 3 p.m. Grab your tip ups and come see what it is all about!

Saturday, Feb. 4 and Sunday, Feb. 5

QUEENSBURY — Glenwood Manor Antiques & More will be holding a Soup-er Bowl Weekend Sat, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Come indoors, warmu p and

enjoy great soups while browsing over thirty rooms filled with antiques and vintage gift selections. Football fans are welcome too! For more details, call 798-4747.

Saturday, Feb. 4 through Sunday, Feb. 26

LAKE GEORGE — Visit the Lake George Winter Carnival being held at Shepard Park,. The carnival celebrates Adirondack wintertime family fun with many outdoor activities. Opening Ceremonies, and parade along Canada Street take place on the first weekend. Polar Plunge, pony rides, cook-off competitions, helicopter rides. S’mores and fireworks on Saturday. All events and activities are weather permitting and are subject to change. For more information, call 240-0809 or visit lakegeorgewintercarnival.com.

Thursday, Feb. 9

GLENS FALLS — Glens Falls welcomes the world famous Harlem Globetrotters back to the Glens Falls Civic Center with their unrivaled family entertainment beginning at 7 p.m. In 2017, for the first time ever, the Globetrotters will debut basketball’s first four point line. The four point line will be located 30 feet from the basket. This is six feet, three inches beyond the top of the NBA’s current three-point line. Their 2017 spectacular World Tour features some of the most electrifying athletes on the planet. The star-studded roster has Big Easy Lofton, Ant Atkinson, Hi-Lite Bruton, Thunder Law, Bull Bullard, and Cheese Chisholm - PLUS - female stars TNT Lister and Ace Jackson. The Globetrotters have been demonstrating great basketball skills for the past 90 years with incredible ball handling wizardry, rim-rattling dunks, trick shots, hilarious comedy and unequaled fan interaction. Following the game, Globetrotter stars will sign autographs and take photos with fans.

Saturday, Jan. 28

BRANT LAKE — The Brant Lake Bob Whitford Ice Fishing Tournament takes place at 7279 State Rte 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This Winter fun has contests for the largest fish in three species, perch, trout, and crappy. Tri-Lakes Business Association will be offering free soup at The Boathouse at 888 Palisades Road Brant Lake, stop by, come inside and warm up! 50/50 raffle, tickets are available in Chestertown at The Crossroads at 40 Dixon Road and Panther Mountain House

112 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 5 No. 4

ncliving@suncommunitynews.com

WINTER EVENTS 2016

Friday, Feb. 17

TICONDEROGA — Enjoy a Sip N Sew, at Your Quilt Shoppe, from 7 to 9 p.m. Bring a project you are working on and enjoy a fun time. Maletta Hourigan, owner of Your Quilt Shoppe, will be happy to answer questions and help you problem solve.

For those who like games, Left Right Center, a dice game, will add suspense, laughs, and fun to the evening. LRC will be played with fat quarters available for purchase at Your Quilt Shoppe.

This fun filled evening is free of charge. Join us for any one evening or for all. Space is limited. Sign up by calling 570-8055 or by emailing yourquiltshoppe@gmail.com. Spend some creative time with friends, drink some wine, relax, and let your creative juices flow.

Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18

LAKE GEORGE — Enjoy the Polar Ice Bar being held at Fort William Henry Resort, Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 2 until 10 p.m. This is a winter view sure to please and an outdoor ice bar with bonfire lounge offering hot chocolate, chili, soups, drinks. For more details, call 668-3081.

Saturday, Feb. 18

CHESTERTOWN — The Krazy Downhill Derby runs down Dynamite Hill, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

This is wacky winter family fun without motors or jet power! Build and enter your sled; compete for prizes for the fastest, most creative, and funniest sled. 4 people per sled, helmets are required.

Prince and Princess contest, free continental breakfast, basket raffle; food and coffee available.

For more details, call 494-2722 or visit northwarren.com/index/siteevent-details-action/id.43/ title.krazy-downhill-derby.

Friday, Feb. 24

SARANAC LAKE — The World Snowshoe Championships will send contenders through various places throughout the region. The championships will be a unique event utilizing both new and known course routes. The new course will run through the Saranac Lake village streets, then the track will move onto Dewey Mt. which is a wellknown course beginning at 10 a.m.

The region is well-versed in hosting high-caliber events including the Empire State Winter Games, 90-Miler Canoe Classic, Can-Am Rugby Tournament, Cycle Adirondacks. The Region has hosted many road running races, and similar snowshoe events coordinated by these same organizers.

The cost is $25 Citizens 5k Race (does not include Award Banquet ticket), $50 5k World Championship Race (includes Award Banquet ticket) and $50 10k World Championship Race (includes Award Banquet ticket). Call 891-1990.

HUB Established 1848 OF THE ADIRONDACKS

Take Exit 29 off the Northway (I-87) from the South or Exit 30 from the North

What to see in North Hudson: • The Falls at Blue Ridge on the Branch • Balance Rock • Trails to Dix Range • Sharp Bridge State Campsite • Elk Lake Lodge • Courtney Pond • Town Recreation Facility on the Schroon River • Adirondack Buffalo Farm • Gokeys Trading Post & Auction Hall • Blue Ridge Falls Campsite • Yogi Bear Jellystone Campsite Exit 29 • North Hudson Multi-Use Trail System • Exit 29 Sunoco

For More Information (518) 532-9811 • northhudsonny.com

nclmagazine.com

88679

Saturday, Feb. 25

BRANT LAKE — The Brant Lake Winter Carnival and Fireworks returns to Jimbo’s at the Point, from noon to dusk. This winter family fun features the outhouse races - decorated, occupied outhouses on skis and the Ladies’ and Mens’ fry pan toss.

Winter sports include broomball tournaments, curling demonstrations by the Lake Placid Curling Club, dog sled rides, snowshoe softball games. Vintage Snowmobile display. Bring your ice skates and sleds - children’s sledding hill. Music and food. Fireworks at dusk. This is a day that has something for everyone - come visit and play! For more details, call 494-3016.

Arts & Entertainment

The Krazy Downhill Derby runs down Dynamite Hill, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18 in Chestertown.

For more details call 494-2722.

Saturday, Feb. 25 and Sunday, Feb. 26

LAKE GEORGE — Visit the Lake George Winter Carnival being held at Shepard Park. The Lake George Winter Carnival celebrates Adirondack wintertime family fun outdoor activities every weekend in February. Opening Ceremonies, and parade along Canada Street take place on the first weekend. Polar Plunge, pony rides, cook-off competitions, helicopter rides. S’mores and fireworks on Saturday. All events and activities are weather permitting. For more information, call 240-0809 or visit lakegeorgewintercarnival.com.

Become a Foster or

Adoptive Parent and Give the Gift of a Family!

Changing LIVES, Creating Futures!

Serving children and families since 1886! www.berkshirefarm.org

97763

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 113

nclmagazine.com

Vol. 5 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 117