North Country Living Magazine (Winter 2018)

NORTH COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE • VOL. 7 NO.4

Vol. 7 No. 4

WINTER 2018

Peanut Butter For The Soul

Food pantries about more than just food

Volunteers

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Vol. 7 No. 4

Magazine

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Visit us online at:

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Editor's Note

Winter 2018-19

As the rest of the country continues to indulge in fall fun, the North Country is experiencing its first snowfall as I pen this letter.

While ice and snow is cause for panic in many parts of the United States, residents of the North Country know how to take advantage of everything this season has to offer through winter sports, outdoor carnivals, baking, shopping and of course, spending the holidays with our loved ones.

This edition of North Country Living is sure to capture the spirit of the season and will make even the staunchest of snow birds want to come home for the holidays.

Those imbued with the Christmas spirit will be delighted to read about the special delivery that brought an Adirondack spruce to the White House for Christmas in 1964.

The true spirit of the season is to give, and no one gives more than the workers at our local food banks. Their story is sure to touch the hearts of all who have received kindness and generosity when needed most.

Winter carnivals and holiday events around the region are a great way to spend those chilly, winter days with friends and family!

There are many more stories to be found in this edition of North Country Living that our readers will have to discover for themselves.

Holiday shoppers should be sure to check out our shop local section to learn more about the businesses in our area and the fine people who run them.

We hope you choose to support the businesses that make our community and this magazine so great.

We wish all of our readers a happy holiday season and we will see you again if, and when the snow melts.

Pete DeMola, Managing Editor

Publisher Dan Alexander

General Manager DJ Alexander

dan@suncommunitynews.com

dj@suncommunitynews.com

Associate Editor Danielle Rock

Writer Rich Redman

danielle@suncommunitynews.com

rangeric@nycap.rr.com

Writer Elizabeth Izzo

Writer Tim Rowland

elizabeth@suncommunitynews.com

tim@suncommunitynews.com

Writer Kim Dedam

Writer Keith Lobdell

kim@suncommunitynews.com

keith@suncommunitynews.com

Writer Thom Randall

Writer Mikaela Foster

thom@suncommunitynews.com

mikaela@suncommunitynews.com

MARKETING SPECIALISTS Ashley Alexander Edward Coats Tom Hollingsworth

April Jordon Scarlette Merfeld Kurri Mousseau

Ciara Thompson Beth Wells

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

Greg Foster Laurie Goff

Heather Lamb Kerry O’Neill

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.

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Table of Contents

COVER FEATURE EYE ON BUSINESS Peanut Butter For The Soul: Food Pantries About More Than Just Food Food, Human Connection Can Be Found At Local Food Bank

By Tim Rowland

8

14

24

HISTORY The Nation's Capital Was Treated To An Adirondack Spruce

HISTORY Mott Phelps Remembered For Phelps Pump

By Rich Redman

By Keith Lobdell

COOKING

ARTS & CULTURE Shatner's Return Is Logical

By Tim Rowland

CRAFTS

62

70

Cooking With Kids: Little Handprint Cookies

DIY Craft With Kids: Pinecone Decorations

By Mikaela Foster

By Mikaela Foster

SHOP LOCAL

16

Miller Antiques & More

By Thom Randall

18

Country Florist & Gifts

By Tim Rowland

52

Big Apple Audio

By Elizabeth Izzo

56

Rambach's Bakery & Fudge

By Elizabeth Izzo

VOL. 7 NO. 4 Winter 2018-19

COVER FEATURE VOLUNTEERS Volunteers Breathe New Life Into Ausable Shoreline: Maples, Willows, Alders and Birch To Border Ausable River.

By Rich Redman

34

64

46 WINTER FUN Celebrating A North Country Winter

By Keith Lobdell

CALENDAR

SPORTS & THE OUTDOORS Anglers Flock To Wilmington For USA Fly Fishing Regional Competition

MANUFACTURING ADK Flour Mill Innovation at Champlain Valley Milling

By Rich Redman

By Kim Dedam

DINING

78

81

Community Events Calendar

Local Restaurants and Eateries

ON THE

58

Country Corner Diner

By Elizabeth Izzo

68

Adirondack Breathe Easy Salt Cave

By Elizabeth Izzo

72

The Carriage House Cooking School

By Elizabeth Izzo

WINTER 2018 "Children of winter, never grow old."

Two little girls enjoy a seasonal activity.

History

‘O

Christmas Tree’

The white spruce was planted in 1880 and intended to be a windbreak.

In 1964, the nation’s capital was treated to an Adirondack spruce

By Tim Rowland

Except for one.

It rose tall and stately, reaching for the heavens in a classic evergreen tradition, as if it had an idea what destiny awaited it.

President Calvin “Silent Cal” Coolidge wasn’t known for flamboyance — on hearing the news that Coolidge had died, writer Dorothy Parker reportedly asked, “How could they tell?

Yet, in 1923, his wife Grace talked him into participating in a new project undertaken by District of Columbia public schools. Students enthusiastically erected a 48-foot balsam fir on the Ellipse and decorated it with 2,500 electric lightbulbs in the colors of red, green and white.

The Marine Corps spared four musicians from its band who played that evening as Coolidge pressed a button 8 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

illuminating the tree. From those inauspicious beginnings, the tradition of lighting a national Christmas tree on the White House grounds was born.

Brother, can you spare a pine?

Despite being born in the deep south, Robert Hall was an iconic Adirondack journalist, editor of the Warrensburg-Lake George News newspaper and the first editor of the popular Adirondack Life magazine. Hall was a great advocate of the Adirondacks, and after watching the western forests send tree after tree to Washington for the annual holiday festivities, he began to grow irritated. What were the Adirondacks, chopped liver?

Hall wrote an impassioned editorial in 1960 stating, “It strikes us that the unspoiled forests of the Adirondacks — the last great stronghold in the east of the pine, the hemlock, the spruce, the fir — should have the privilege and honor of providing the national Christmas tree.”

Hall’s idea immediately caught on, and the hunt began. “It must be perfectly

symmetrical,” wrote Tom McPhillips, president of the Adirondack Lumbermen’s Association. “It must be tall, and it must have the spirit of Christmas from its heartwood to its last needle.”

The hunt was on. People from across the Adirondacks cheered on the effort. In a letter to the editor of the Warrensburg-Lake George News, a resident of Elizabethtown wrote, “Somewhere your presidential tree Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Photos Provided

On a ridge above Chestertown in the 1880s, a canal worker named George Robinson and his son Buel planted a screen of white spruce to protect their new homestead against the whipping winter winds. Eighty years later, photographs show the job of windbreak had left the row of spruce somewhat bent and tattered.

“

Somewhere your presidential tree is

growing; may he be a

is growing; may he be a giant.”

giant. ”

By this time, the white spruce on the Chester hillside had grown to 72 feet, taller than any national Christmas tree to date — one foot taller than the red spruce that had come from West Virginia the year before. It was discovered by Douglas Luke of Glens Falls, a member of the Lumbermen Association who was scoping woodlots three miles north of Chestertown in Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Warren County on Landon Hill Road.

The National Park Service bought in to Hall’s idea of an Adirondack tree, but with a couple of trees already in the pipeline, the towering white spruce would have to wait its turn.

A committee of state and private foresters was formed to put a fence around the tree and kept it safe from

disease and bugs for the ensuing two years, a waiting period that in no way diminished the excitement when the day arrived to cut the big spruce.

Hundreds of people, maybe even a thousand, braved the chill to participate in the ceremony. Gov. Nelson Rockefeller telegraphed Hall at the newspaper office to say, “It is a source of great pride to me, and I am certain to all the residents of the Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 9

Empire State, that a product of our own great forest should become our national Christmas tree.”

Overhead an airplane flew with camera crews shooting footage of the event for the nightly news.

From the crowd, 4-year-old Andrea Cushman shyly appeared with a red satin bulb to hang on the tree — a gift to President Lyndon Johnson. The moment was catnip for the legions of media who made sure to get plenty of pictures of her smiling with the ornament.

A lumberjack made the primary cut, save for a last few inches — the honor of felling the tree went to State Assemblyman Richard Bartlett.

In the audience, was current Chester Town Historian Donna Lagoy, who was playing in the school band.

“We knew it was a big deal, but I was still surprised at the number of people when we went up there,” she said. “I think you had to be a little bit older to appreciate the significance. I just remember it being so cold that my clarinet wouldn’t work.”

The band played “O Christmas Tree,” and “Jingle Bells,” as well as a handful of marches and patriotic tunes. It was a happy day, punctuated by the words of a local resident that said, “If we don’t live in

paradise, we at least live on the edge of it.”

A SPECIAL DELIVERY Getting the 12-ton tree on the ground turned out to be the easy part. At the ceremony, the public was so amped that, according to the Glens Falls Post Star, “Deputy sheriffs tried to keep souvenir hunters from picking the beautiful tree naked before it could be loaded.”

The spruce required a special permit to travel on federal highways because it exceeded the allowable length by 22 feet.

A special, makeshift entrance to the New York State Thruway was also required as it made its way south, stopping in Glens Falls and Albany with great fanfare.

The tree was pulled by a Mack truck with a new sleeper cab and the company’s signature bulldog festooned on the doors.

To make it more manageable to fit on the flatbed, the lower limbs were sawed off; when the tree arrived in Washington, holes were drilled in the trunk with an auger, and the limbs were replaced.

On another cold night, Dec. 18, President Johnson threw the switch illuminating the tree with 7,500 lights that went with 5,000 ornaments — plus one red satin bulb.

“As the lights flashed on, there was a sudden shout of pleasure from the crowd

of several thousand gathered there,” reported the New York Times.

In his remarks, President Johnson might have gotten a bit ahead of himself predicting that “these are the most hopeful times since Christ was born in Bethlehem. ... By his inventions, man has made war unthinkable, now and forevermore.”

It was with no small amount of irony that another tree provided by Warren County five years later had to be guarded against vandalism by people protesting the Vietnam War. But for this night, there were no such concerns. Fifty three smaller trees from Massachusetts — one representing each state and territory — lined the pathway leading to the star attraction, and the scene included a Yule log, reindeer and a life-sized nativity scene.

On the dais with President Johnson were, among others, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Johnson’s wife Lady Bird wearing, according to the times “a voluminous mink coat” in the 25-degree night.

The tree may not have brought peace, as President Johnson had hoped. But it did bring happiness to a nation, in particular to the town that was thrilled to present to the nation the ultimate Christmas gift.

gasps of the blazed red to the (Left) The tree n Johnson do Lyn t en Presid crowd when ilies posed Fam e) ov juice. (Ab turned on the image on the d use d uce an with the big spr a Lagoy, nn Do t) gh (Ri cards. their Christmas t when sen pre s wa n, Historia Chester Town nd wla Ro Tim by t. Photo the tree was cu

10 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

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Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 13

History

MOTT PHELPS REMEMBERED for PHELPS PUMP

PHELPS REVOLUTIONIZED FIRE FIGHTING WITH SINGLE PERSON PUMP On April 7, 1918, a fire almost destroyed the hamlet of Pottersville.

The fire, which quickly spread through the village, did plenty of damage due to high winds.

While the immediate impact on the community was jarring, it remained in the mind of one man working, a man who was known as the “Phelps Fool.”

Mott Phelps, who operated the Phelps Sawmill with his brother and was the grandson of Orson “Old Mountain” Phelps, was born in 1877 and passed away in 1955.

14 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Shortly after the fire destroyed much of the town, Phelps started to think about ways to better combat fires after the devastation in Pottersville.

could be operated by one person. It was connected to a 50 gallon tank of water, mounted onto large wagon wheels with the Phelps Pump attached to the tank.

In 1920, Mott and brother Frost Phelps started to work on a new pumping system which would come to be known as the “Phelps Pump.”

The pump became a staple piece of equipment for the Pottersville firefighters, and word of the design started to spread.

Soon, similar pumps were fashioned and used across the country.

The duo created a hand-drawn fire engine to put the pump on which acted like a soda/acid fire extinguisher but was also used in conjunction with a hand pump.

The pump had a single handle and

For their invention, the Phelps brothers were given honorary membership status in the Pottersville Volunteer Fire Department when it was formed in 1948.

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File Photo

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Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 15

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Yvonne Miller, owner of Miller Antiques, is likely to share her insights on local history as she helps shoppers choose an intriguing gift that are sure to delight.

16 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

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Eclectic collEctiblEs, handcrafted goods abound at Miller antiques Warrensburg store offers artifacts v bygone eras

By Thom Randall

When visiting Miller Antiques & More in downtown Warrensburg, shoppers can find unique, fascinating artifacts of bygone eras for those on their gift lists.

For generations, Miller Antiques has been a prime destination for people seeking to take home a piece of the area’s history.

Yvonne Miller’s store offers an eclectic selection of antiques, collectibles and curiosities, home furnishings and handcrafted goods.

This historic destination in Warrensburg features everything from century-old kitchen utensils and vintage postcards to Adirondack bentwood furniture and antique skis and snowshoes.

The building that houses Yvonne Miller’s enterprise is a landmark in Warrensburg, hosting an array of

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antiques since the early 1900s.

One of the many rooms focuses on contemporary gift items, including handcrafted candles, soaps and lotions, Christmas decor, maple syrup and gourmet honey, an array of books on Adirondack themes or penned by local authors, plus bulk potpourri and artisan jewelry.

Exploring the store, one can discover such items as collectible cast-iron frying pans, vintage Adirondack signs, antique lawn furniture, rustic crocks and decorative items.

A room on the second floor hosts century-old sewing supplies, linens and quilts. A room at the rear of the store is packed with thousands of vintage magazines.

Miller Antiques & More is located at 3739 Main St., Warrensburg. The store can be reached at 518-623-3966

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 17

Photos by Tim Rowland

18 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

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A Florist’s t i m e to s h i n e

Christmas is a colorful time at Country Florist and Gifts

By Tim Rowland

The internet has forced itself into virtually every walk of modern life, but certainly there are some basic and beautiful arts such as floral arrangement left unsullied by the digital age, right?

Well, not exactly.

“There used to be a whole lot of rules” for floral arrangement, said Francine Burke, owner of The Country Florist and Gifts in Ticonderoga. “These days we don’t have as many rules — we have Pinterest. People come in and show us a picture on their phone.”

Burke, who studied floriculture at SUNY-Cobleskill, said this eliminates the guesswork, and helps ensure people get what they want. “It takes a lot of stress off of us,” she said.

The only qualifier is that some of the photos are only for show and do not depict realistic bouquets.

On the other hand, The Country Florist and Gifts also enjoys taking only the vaguest of ideas and producing something that fits the customer’s tastes and vision.

“Sometimes a bride will come in and want something so different that it lets Published by Sun Community News & Printing

you get creative,” said Country Florist designer and Francine’s daughter-in-law Portia Paulsen-Burke. “We get excited trying new things.”

One bride wanted high-end flowers and accessories woven into an outdoorsy, Adirondack decor. It was a challenge, said Paulsen-Burke, but exciting and creatively stimulating as well.

The Country Florist and Gifts is a fullservice floral shop that delivers to a broad geographical area from Silver Bay to Moriah. It has flowers for all occasions, from weddings, to sympathy, to proms, to holidays.

Beyond that, Country Florist has a broad range of gifts, milk candles, jewelry and chocolates, along with a gallery of Adirondack furniture by local artisan Eain Tierney.

Burke said it’s interesting to watch tastes change with the times. Several years ago everyone wanted glitz and sparkles. Today a more woodsy, natural look is popular, as evidenced by wreaths that include deer antlers.

“People love nature, and they want Adirondack evergreens, pine cones and birch bark,” Burke said. “They like the

woodland look, and the farmhouse look is very popular. In some aspects, we’re going back to designs that were used 50 years ago.”

So take that, internet.

Popularity of certain flowers comes and goes as well, and people who come for the summer have different tastes as well. Burke said many summer-home owners prefer to get flowers by the bunch and do the arranging themselves.

Paulsen-Burke said often it is the flowers themselves that suggest a design.

“You get inspired by the colors you have and go with a feeling,” she said.

“Sometimes you make it and you’ll never make another one just like it — it’s just a feeling you have at the time.”

Country Florist and Gifts at 75 Montcalm St. in Ticonderoga is online at thecountryfloristandgifts.com and at 518585-2264.

Customers ordering flowers can save money by calling the shop directly instead of going through a national website, Burke said. Winter hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 19

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By Tim Rowland

Growing up in the Champlain Valley, James Cawley had a particular affinity for William Shatner.

Today, the two men’s paths have crossed in a story that is itself worthy of Hollywood, as the actor has warmed to Ticonderoga, drawn here by a long-time fan who recreated an exact replica of the television set that Shatner called home.

“I never thought it would ever happen, but tides change,” Cawley said. “For me it’s been a dream.”

And for Shatner, who will return to Ticonderoga on Dec. 7, the feeling appears to be mutual.

THE ORIGINAL SERIES For all the ensuing hoopla it generated, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the original Star Trek television show lasted a rather unremarkable three seasons.

24 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Creator Gene Roddenberry mixed Gulliver’s Travels with a taste of the old west, and instead of the American frontier, viewers embarked on the final frontier.

Space also gave Roddenberry the cover to comment on contemporary social and political issues — including the Vietnam War, diversity and the arms race — without the networks catching on.

Roddenberry later said the censors of the day were too worried about the plunging necklines on the female characters’ costumes to catch the progressive politics embedded in the show.

saying the show’s popularity could be explained by “people looking for answers,” and that “all the stuff about going out into space and meeting new life – trying to explain it and put a human element to it – it’s a hopeful vision.”

Whatever the reason, Star Trek (now referred to as the Original Series) caught fire beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.

From its modest beginnings, Star Trek’s spinoffs and inspirations are believed to have made more than $10 billion worldwide.

And such fervent popularity is what causes people to pack up and make a cross country journey to a small New York town on Lake Champlain for a chance to meet their aging hero.

If mainstream America never warmed to the show, a small but passionate segment realized there was more to it than met the eye, and within a decade, the show had become more popular in syndication than it had been in its original presentation.

SET TOUR, THE FINAL FRONTIER

For Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk, the mythology of space travel offered the human race hope.

Cawley is an actor and showman in his own right, having played Captain Kirk in the fan film series, “Star Trek: Phase II.”

He once compared it to religion,

As an actor, he’s perhaps best known Published by Sun Community News & Printing

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Growing up in Montreal, William Shatner had a particular affinity for the Champlain Valley.

Star Trek star loved Ticonderoga the first time around, so he’s coming back locally for his Elvis impressions and a rigid prow of jet-black hair that suggests Elvis is only a sequined jumpsuit away.

It was more than 20 years ago that Cawley began collecting Star Trek props and costumes, his breakthrough moment coming when he acquired the set’s blueprints while interning for “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Relying on his Elvis impersonations for income, Cawley spent over $100,000 reproducing the original Star Trek sets down to the most minute detail.

Nothing has been overlooked.

When recreating Kirk’s seat on the bridge, Cawley found an office chair from 1964 that underpinned the captain’s chair from which he crisply barked his orders.

The set at first was a backdrop for the shooting of fan episodes. Cawley and his fellow actors were, Wired magazine wrote in 2005, “repairing a rift in the space-time continuum, fixing the most glaring flaw in the history of science fiction.”

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To wit, the Starship Enterprise was on a five year mission, but was found itself caught up in a network tractor beam after only three.

Today though, it’s the set and the array of stars that Cawley brings in that are the prime attractions. Actors from all shows — oldest to newest — make the trip to Ticonderoga to meet with adoring fans and chat about the shows and what transpired behind the scenes.

Sometimes these stars — along with fans in the full costume of their favorite character — can be seen poking their heads into the stores of downtown Ticonderoga, otherwise known for its colonial history.

It is a bit mind bending, but not unknown, to see a British reenactor in garb from the French and Indian War and a man with pointed Spock ears walking down the same street.

SHATNER’S RETURN Shatner appeared at Cawley’s Original

William Shatner, who played James T. Kirk in Star Trek, will return to James Cawley’s Star Trek Original Series Set Tour on Dec. 7.

Series Set Tour in May, greeted by more than 1,400 fans.

So dazzled was he with the set and the warmth of the fans and the town that he quickly agreed to return.

He’ll be in Ticonderoga Dec. 7 and 8, signing autographs, posing for photo-ops and hosting “Captain on the Bridge” Q & As. Also appearing will be Anson Mount, the newly announced Captain Pike for “Star Trek: Discovery.”

Tickets range from $40 for stage events to $80 for autographs to $1,000 for limited space, personalized set tours.

Cawley said the star genuinely enjoyed meeting fans and talking about the show.

Cawley said the two also talked about Shatner’s time in Montreal, his grandkids and how he loved the beauty of the area.

“They say, don’t meet your heroes, because they will never be what you think,” Cawley said. “That’s false. He is everything I thought he would be and more.”

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Eye On Business

PEANUT BUTTER FOR THE SOUL

By Tim Rowland To those with plenty, hunger might seem a foreign concept, yet many people and families across the North Country struggle to afford enough to eat. For them, an extensive but largely unseen network exists to put food on the table of those who might otherwise have to do without.

The notion of a food bank is common enough, but the inner workings, heavily dependent on volunteers, is more extensive and complex than might be imagined.

Food for the hungry has many origins, from a high-end-restaurant, to a local organic farm to a damaged but otherwise intact box of cereal, to a few extra dollars spared by people who don’t have a whole lot themselves.

Help comes from corporations, governments, farmers, grocery stores, school kids, churches and prisons. It takes time, science, math and muscle. It is a massive safety net that reaches into virtually every outpost of every community across the region, providing the most basic service there is.

Food, human connection can be found at local food bank

Food distribution centers also play the role of meal planners, nutrition counselors and cooking instructors. When a load of surplus strawberries showed up at the Plattsburgh food pantry, clients were given recipe cards for serving ideas. Some were thrilled to recapture a bit of their childhood and perhaps make memories for their own children by turning the fruit into aromatic jellies and jams.

But at root, the mission has always remained the same: To help ensure that in the land of plenty, no one goes to bed hungry.

THE MECHANICS The hub of food distribution for the Adirondack region is the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York which provides 38 million pounds of food to 1,000 agencies in 23 counties.

Founded in 1982 by anti-hunger 30 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

advocates, it has grown exponentially and now operates a 70,000-square-foot warehouse.

In his car, said Jordan, was a pillow, a blanket where he’d been sleeping and a couple of books.

The food bank is the great collector, providing a central weigh station for donated foods, from grocery stores to producers to the United States Department of Agriculture, which then supply the local food pantries and food shelves that deal directly with the public.

He’d been diagnosed with stage four cancer and needed to go to Plattsburgh for treatment but feared he’d run out of gas.

Each month, Marilyn Jordan calls up an inventory on her computer and chooses a ton of food for the food pantry run by the Church of the Good Shepherd on Williams Street in Elizabethtown. “It’s like ordering off Amazon.com,” she said.

“It’s very efficient and easy to use.”

As a last favor, he asked if he could enter the sanctuary.

When the food arrives it’s unloaded and stocked by inmates of the Moriah Shock correctional institution and made available to a broad swath of the community that includes senior citizens for whom a Social Security check just isn’t enough, people who have fallen ill and must spend significant portions of their income on medicines, the working poor, the homeless and transients who in another age might have been riding the rails.

Then on Thursdays and Mondays from 5-7 p.m., people in need arrive to do their grocery shopping. There are income guidelines — roughly speaking, a family of four would have to be earning less than $3,869 a month — and the food pantries are intended to be a supplemental or emergency food source, providing three meals a day for three days.

But the truth is, no one is likely to be turned away on a technicality.

“The majority of the families we see are way below the guidelines,” said Sally Soucia, community outreach director for the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity of Clinton and Franklin Counties Inc., which operates 12 emergency food pantries in Clinton County.

“We don’t want to see anyone go hungry, so we don’t turn anyone away.

Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, you don’t know what they’re going through.”

And sometimes you do. This summer, a battered car pulled up to the Elizabethtown Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, and a gaunt man emerged looking for help.

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

He had only hoped to just get a little gas money, but he also came away with food, ideas about where to stay and the knowledge that someone cared.

After kneeling at the altar, he came back with tears on his face. When he awoke that morning, he said, he just had a feeling that he was going to be blessed by the Lord.

GIVING OUT THE FOOD It can be an emotional — yet not only in a sad way — business. In early November, the Plattsburgh pantry was preparing 570 holiday baskets for Thanksgiving, one of many above-and-beyond services that food pantries provide.

Soucia said clients often need to be pointed in the right direction for help with housing, heat and other food programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) service.

Of course, running a food pantry is more involved than just passing out cans.

Food pantries need to be able to accommodate people who have special diets, people with food allergies, those whose rooms may not have cooking

“We don’t want to see anyone go hungry, so we don’t turn anyone away..."

Ken Robillard of Elizabethtown, who’s a regular volunteer, poses with some of the fresh produce from the food pantry’s summer community-supported agriculture farm share that’s delivered by St. John’s church in Essex.

facilities and people who simply have never been taught how to properly cook or eat. “We try to get people to make healthy choices,” Soucia said.

To that end, recipe cards provide ideas that can be satisfying to the client both nutritionally and intellectually.

And food pantries today have much more variety than they had in the past thanks largely to the supermarket practice of gleaning.

Food can be as basic as peanut butter and spaghetti sauce or as exotic as whole grain rotini, a stray case of which recently flew off the shelves at Port Henry, somewhat to the bafflement of volunteers.

Feeding America, a hunger relief organization, estimates that one in eight New Yorkers struggle to find enough food, including one in six children.

The great paradox is that Americans waste so much at a time when so many are in need.

Feeding America partners with farms, supermarkets, restaurants and manufacturers, collecting good food that would otherwise be thrown out and channeling it through food banks to food pantries, which buy it for 16 cents a pound.

Included are fresh meats that have reached their expiration dates, produce that is approaching the end of its shelf life and breads about to go stale. Meat and breads are frozen to prevent them from going bad. In addition, “we have canned Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 31

goods, sweets, yogurts — it’s amazing what we have to feed people,” Soucia said.

She added that clients have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, which can be too expensive for them to buy in the grocery store, even with federal assistance that used to go by the name of food stamps.

FOOTING THE BILL Food banks also take advantage of the fact that Americans are so fussy about the appearance of their food. As people turn up their noses at the slightest cosmetic defect, food banks benefit.

Even so, it hasn’t been that long that grocery stores were reluctant to give away food, even to farmers who just wanted it to slop their hogs.

Melinda Morin, site manager for the Town of Moriah food pantry in Port Henry, said she volunteered because she knew her previous experience in the food-service industry would be useful. “I wasn’t afraid of ordering a large amount of food,” she said.

She remembers when supermarkets started throwing away their dairy products instead of giving it to farmers for feed, which seemed like a tremendous waste. Today, grocery stores participate in the gleaning process, as do restaurants and sporting venues.

Sometimes fortune smiles — as when a supermarket for whatever reason rejects a truckload of Pillsbury dinner rolls right before Thanksgiving.

The large entities play a crucial role, but so too do the small clutches of volunteers, schools, Scouts, churches and a multitude of grassroots groups that oil the machine.

Morin said it’s not unusual for someone to hand her a small check on the street. Money goes further at a food bank, since much of the help is free and even $25 can be parlayed into better than 150 pounds of food.

The clientele at the food pantries differ in their stories, but the stories are thematically similar.

A family needs a boost to make it through a seasonable layoff, a person has been struck by a catastrophic illness, the social safety net has failed to keep up with the cost of living.

32 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

The commonality, Morin said, is that most everyone who walks through the doors is victim of circumstances beyond their control.

Along with the elderly and infirm, food banks are patronized by some surprising demographics. “Many are men living by themselves,” Jordan said. “They are hard-working North Country guys who are just not able to make ends meet.”

Typically, even with a job, a lengthy Adirondack commute can eat into a worker’s paycheck. Jordan says she is also seeing more grandparents raising children, which she believes may be indicative of the “missing generation” of people lost to opioid addiction.

Not everyone who could take advantage of food pantries does, volunteers say. Some might be because of pride. Some, unaware that there is plenty, do not want to take food away from others. And some just might not know about the service, Jordan said.

And there remains a stigma, some held by the clients themselves who at times can be apologetic about needing food. “They’ll be nervous, and they’ll start telling us about how they just lost their job,” Jordan say. “We say, ‘fine, that’s why we’re here.’”

At times, the human connection can seem as important as the nutritional connection.

“We like to think that we listen,” Jordan said. “We believe in people getting fed and we believe in treating people kindly.”

A woman diagnosed with cancer would visit the food pantry in Elizabethtown, her emotional needs as great as her dietary needs. In her final days, she was coming to the realization that her life hadn’t worked out at all like she wanted, and she felt estranged from family and friends.

In a small building on Williams Street, she found people who cared, people who listened and people who were willing to help. The woman did her best to make up for a life of failures with, in the end, at least a little bit of success, maybe just enough.

Her funeral was attended by a couple of relatives and a friend — and three volunteers from the Church of the Good Shepherd food pantry.

THE ORIGINS

OF THE FOOD BANK Charities have a long tradition of feeding the poor, probably most graphically depicted in the soup kitchens of the Great Depression. But coming out of World War II, the ensuing prosperity led many to assume that hunger was a thing of the past.

This misconception was noted by a colorful character named John van Hengel, a self-described beach bum whose jobs had included magazine publicist, rain-gear designer, beer truck driver and rock splitter at a Wisconsin quarry.

After being partially paralyzed breaking up a bar fight, he was sent to Arizona for rehab where he swam laps at the YMCA and became a lifeguard at age 44.

Returning to his Catholic roots, he took a vow of poverty and volunteered at a church soup kitchen, where he wondered why, if hunger was no longer a problem, so many people were packing the room looking for a bite to eat.

In 1967, van Hengel bought an old milk truck for $150 and drove around looking for old fruit or any other food he could scavenge, which he delivered to area soup kitchens.

According to “The Birth of Food Banking” by Suzii Junker, van Hengel in his travels came across a destitute mother of 10 plump children. Asked how she was able to keep them so well fed she pointed out “a bank of food” that had been shoveled out in back of a local grocery store for disposal.

This eureka moment prompted van Hengel to borrow $3,000 from the church with which he rented out a warehouse and began stockpiling food which could be efficiently ordered by charities and distributed to those in need.

This, the world’s first food bank, remains the accepted model today.

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Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 33

Winter Fun

CELEBRATING A

By Keith Lobdell

North

As the weather turns cold, nights grow longer and winter comes upon us, many folks in the North Country look for ways to make those days a little warmer with the help of carnivals and events.

WEEKENDS OF WINTER CELEBRATED IN LAKE GEORGE In Lake George, each weekend in the month February becomes an event as the community celebrates its winter carnival.

Events would change between 1915 and 1961 when local businesses joined together with the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce to find a way to promote their community in the cold month of February.

It started as a one weekend event with traditional winter offerings such as skating and skiing but soon expanded to include sports car races and other events, expanding from one weekend into a

The Saranac Lake Ice Palace is always the centerpiece of the annual winter carnival, a 10 day event held at the beginning of February.

month-long event held each weekend in February.

Recent events during the carnival have included snowmobile events, chili and other food cook-offs, motorcycle and ATV races, parades, bonfires, flag football, polar plunges and more.

Perhaps one of the most signature events of the carnival are the annual outhouse races. Created in 1983, teams would work on the creation of homemade outhouses, place them on wheels, and send them down the streets of Lake George to compete for glory and prizes.

(Above) The outhouse races have become a mainstay event at the Lake George Winter Carnival held each weekend in the month of February. (Below) Racing machines of all shapes and sizes will take to the ice of Lake George for racing events throughout the annual winter carnival depending on the temperature.

Last year, the team of Adirondack Scenic TNT won the outhouse race, with Sans Souci taking second and Halls Marnia third.

Another event is the car ice races where turbocharged sports cars, dirt track racers and bizarre custom vehicles swerve and slide around a curvy course immersed in clouds of ice shards as they speed toward the finish line.

Conducted by the Adirondack Motor Enthusiasts Club, they began racing on Lake George in 1965, and they’ve been

34 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

back each year that the ice has been thick.

In the past, competitors have driven everything from chopped mid-1950s sports cars and a Mazerati-powered vehicle with wings, to supercharged 1970s boxy minicars as well as a $100,000 Porsche.

Numerous cooking events are held throughout the month with local businesses and individuals trying their hand to win over the taste buds of those attending the weekend events.

Winners of cooking events in 2018 included ADK Brew Pub in the chili cookoff, Fort William Henry in the BBQ event, King Neptune’s Pub for their chowder and the Lake George Beach Club for chicken wings.

As always, events can change on an annual basis as several are dependent on the cold temperatures bringing lots of ice to the shores of Lake George in order to hold the events.

The carnival is put on under the direction of the Lake George Winter Carnival Committee, an all volunteer committee in its 59th year. The committee volunteers in many areas such as Published by Sun Community News & Printing

File Photos

The official roots of the carnival go back to 1961 when the first official event was organized, but winter festivities and attractions go back as far as 1915 when harness races were held on the ice of Lake George.

Country Winter

CARNIVALS BRING COLD WEATHER DELIGHT TO MANY children’s activities, cook-offs, games, golf, security, outhouse races and other aspects needed when it comes to putting together a high quality winter event.

For more information on the upcoming events that will be featured at the 2019 Lake George Winter Carnival, visit their website at lakegeorgewintercarnival.com or on Facebook at Lake George Winter Carnival.

SARANAC LAKE CELEBRATES LONG-RUNNING CARNIVAL In Saranac Lake, the ice palace has become the iconic face of a winter tradition that dates back two centuries in the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.

The carnival is the longest-running event of its kind in the eastern United States, dating back to 1897 when it began as a one-day event to break the monotony of the long Adirondack winter and has grown into a 10-day festival that includes sports, performances, two parades and three sets of spectacular fireworks.

In 2019, the carnival will be held through the first 10 days of February, with a wide selection of events and activities throughout. The theme for the annual Published by Sun Community News & Printing

event will be “Prehistoric Park.”

The main attraction at each carnival is the ice palace. Construction involves harvesting ice from Lake Flower, transporting it to the shore and assembling it according to a blueprint.

The ice palace is built by volunteers, organized by a group informally known as the Ice Palace Workers 101 (IPW 101).

The public is welcome to volunteer and roles are assigned based on comfort level, skill and ability.

The construction of the ice palace is a community effort by those dedicated to keeping this time-honored tradition alive.

Volunteers are subject to very cold temperatures and inclement weather conditions all while handling ice and snow.

Despite the harsh conditions, camaraderie is evident and a sense of pride is felt among the volunteers who contribute to continuing the legacy of the ice palace.

Modern equipment is used for the heavy lifting, but traditional manual methods are practiced as well, including antique hand saws and ice tongs. Another manual process which is critical to the

One of the popular features of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is the annual button designed by cartoonist Garry Trudeau, a Saranac Lake native.

construction is making slush, a mixture of water and snow.

The slush forms the mortar which holds the ice palace together. Volunteers fill countless buckets with water, pound in snow, carry it to the palace walls and apply the slush with rubber gloved hands.

Another unique feature of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is the annual button which allows a holder to access events throughout the 10 days.

The button, which relates to the theme of each year’s carnival, is designed by Saranac Lake native Garry Trudeau, who is best known as the award-winning author of the “Doonesbury” cartoon series.

Trudeau has been creating the illustrations for the buttons since 1981, which feature a character from the popular political comic strip involved in a winter activity or relating to the theme for each year.

Other events include a variety show, annual parade, curling competitions, pond hockey tournament, ski races, woodsmen exhibitions by Paul Smiths College, fireworks displays at the ice palace and the annual winter carnival parade held on the last Saturday of the carnival and featuring floats and attractions under the annual theme.

For more information on the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, visit the website saranaclakewintercarnival.com.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 35

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38 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

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Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 39

Volunteers

The rain was coming down in sheets as I left the house that morning, I thought to myself that only a few volunteers would show up for our planting project. Rain separates the wheat from the chaff as the saying goes. Only the die-hards would be out today.

By Rich Redman

Driving over to Wilmington means changing radio stations a few times due to losing Vermont radio and picking up Lake Placid stations. As I drove upstream along Route 86, I had the radio tuned in to Def Leopard’s “Photograph,” one of the best songs written.

40 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

It took me back to the days in my old 1969 Chevy pickup, baby blue with a white top, AM radio, of course, and one speaker built into the dash.

Now I was feeling the same in my new Chevy truck with four speakers and stereo. The sound is different, but the song is the same.

The truck was filled with trees from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Saratoga Nursery. Not only was the box stuffed, but the back seat and the front passenger seat as well.

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Photos Provided

MAPLES, WILLOWS, ALDERS AND BIRCH TO BORDER AUSABLE RIVER

I pulled into the parking area along the Ausable River where I met Vince Franke of Peregrine Productions. Franke is shooting a video for the Lake Champlain Basin folks on conservation projects like dam removals, riparian plantings and fish enhancement work in the Champlain Watershed.

As we chatted, cars started pulling in around our 9 a.m. start time. Car after car pulled in, making me a happy camper.

Olivia Dickenson and Amy Calkins from the Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) oďŹƒce; Myra Lawyer, an ag-specialist with the Lake Champlain Basin working through the Published by Sun Community News & Printing

DEC; Bill Schoch, a retired DEC fisheries biologist; Bob Hudak, of the Tri-Lakes Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU); Herb Colby, a fishing buddy from Potsdam; and Steve Krieg, both from the Lake Champlain Chapter of TU, joined us.

After some introductions, we grabbed shovels and other equipment of vegetative river restoration work and proceeded to dig holes and dig on life. One by one, we pulled the trees from the truck.

The trees will provide shade in the future and help hold the river banks from eroding, plus leaves provide energy for the river bugs.

(Above) Members of Trout Unlimited, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District gathered to plant trees along Ausable River.

Our Saratoga Nursery plants included pussy willows, alders, red oaks and river birch. After some brief training on where and how to plant, the sparks were arcing off the shovels and the compost was flying.

I brought a trailer load of composted cow manure to help our young plants along. Once the hole was dug, a shovel of compost added, and the tree placed in the hole, we then added more compost and placed the soil on top.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 41

We firmed the soil and compost around the plantings by packing it down with our boots, so no air was trapped around the roots. There was some concern about the compost burning the plant, but it doesn’t. I know a few gardeners and farmers who plant directly in compost, and they rave about their vegetables every year.

That day on the river, we were tree farmers.

Upstream we worked, and the rain kept coming down. The willows and alders were planted close to the shore where they would get more water. We looked for terraces where we could clump the plants together, giving the plantings a more natural look with two or three plants together.

The West Branch Ausable River site is called the Bassett Flats section. This site was one that was planted in spring this year with red maples. We were able to get more trees this fall from the nursery, so we took advantage of it and decided to add more variety to our stream riparian buffer planting.

Getting large potted plants is great.

They have a much better chance of survival than bare rooted plantings. With the red maples on the top bank, then dropping down slope, the river birch was planted at the toe or base. Near the shoreline, we planted the willows and alders. The red maple planting from this past spring also got a shovel or two of compost around them to provide nutrients.

The Ausable runs along New York State Route 86. Runoff from road salt in the winter affects the soil nutrients.

Salt causes nutrients to be released from soil attachment sites, which then leach out of the sandy soils. With low nutrients, dry sandy soils and dry weather like we had this year, we are now giving each plant a better fighting chance.

Compost is mostly organic, so it contains lots of nutrients and is excellent for moisture retention.

GOING NATIVE Once the Bassett Flats section was

planted, we moved to the Quarry Dam site. The dam was removed this summer, so the water level fell around 2.5 feet. This left some exposed shoreline. So some minor planting work was needed to provide additional stability.

With the concern about having only native species planted in the watershed, we needed to find an alternative to the usual streamco willows. Streamco’s are a hybrid willow plant that was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service at the Big Flats Plant Materials Center in the Southern tier of central New York.

They have been used extensively around the state for streambank erosion and stability work, because they are excellent, but are not considered native to this area.

A week before planting, Schoch and I drove around the Ausable River Valley and found bebbs willows, which are New York State natives. That verified that the willows were growing in the Ausable River area.

“The trees

will provide shade in the future and help hold the river banks from eroding, plus leaves provide energy for the river bugs.”

42 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Now to find a source for harvesting.

end. The glass was now half full.

While cruising through town one day, my eyes detected a sizable stash of both bebbs and pussy willows in Moriah. Three days before planting, Alice Halloran, the SWCD district manager, and Dickenson, the new district technician maned the nippers and I muscled the chainsaw. We cut willow branches off, then sliced them into 2-foot lengths.

The group of water drenched planters each grabbed a 5-gallon bucket of stakes, a shovel and/or bundle of fascines, and we headed down the trail to the old dam site.

The rain was coming down in 5-gallon buckets as well. The rooted trail and mud were slick, but the end was in site.

We used the main stem of the plant to make stakes, and the tops were wrapped into bundles called fascines. All the material was kept wet and stored in 5-gallon buckets in the SWCD pick-up until planting time.

Special Thanks goes to Fred Pereau and Peter Zielinski for donating and allowing us to harvest the cuttings from their farm properties.

‘RIVER RATS’ WRAP UP It was now planting day and the second pick-up truck was loaded with the willows. With my truck emptied of potted plants, now we were getting closer to the

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

The fascines were buried in trenches with the tops facing down stream, so the high-water period current won’t pull them out, and the stakes were buried three quarters of the way in the soft sand and muddy earth.

just a waiting game to see if the ice or the beavers take them out. It could be both.

We hiked back to our vehicles, the plantings completed and done right. It was a success.

I offered to buy the group a late lunch, but the watered down “River Rats” as we called ourselves, had enough. The vote was in.

All were in favor of heading home for hot showers and dry clothes. Next year, we will do it again!

It didn’t take long to place the dormant willows. They were much easier planting than the potted trees. Come spring, the cuttings will start rooting in the saturated soil and the tops will show signs of young sprigs of life.

I thank everyone who was involved in this project, from the TU volunteers, the DEC Trees for Tribs folks, the DEC Saratoga Nursery staff, the farmers who graciously donated the plants materials and especially to my “River Rat” planters who fought the soaking wet good fight all the way to the end.

Roots will hold the streambanks and in time growth will help shade the river. When the leaves fall, they will form leaf packs and provide energy to the ecosystem. Now it’s

As fly-fishing men and women, it’s time to give back to the river that has given us so much. Those who feel that way are welcome to join us next year.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 43

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44 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

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Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 45

ANGLERS

FLOCK TO WILMINGTON FOR USA FLY FISHING REGIONAL COMPETITION

Sports & The Outdoors

46 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

LOW FISH POPULATION -PLAGUEDCOMPETITORS

By Rich Redman I saw some spectacular colors along the early morning drive over to Wilmington via Lake Placid to get my morning chow and coffee before the USA Fly Fishing Regional Competition.

With all the hikers on the trails and their cars parked along the roads in the morning, the New York State Department of Transportation had brilliant orange and fluorescent striped barrels lining the roadway to designate special parking so no one gets hit by passing vehicles. Yes, the colors of fall had arrived.

After getting my extra-large cup of java, off I went to the Whiteface ski area to sign up for the first day of the competition.

Ken Crane is the organizer for this event and a competitive fly fisher himself.

Fly Fishing USA is a group of teams that compete nationally. Each team member earns points based on the fish they catch and release.

The best from the groups then go on to form a USA team that competes for the world title. These folks are the Olympians of fly fishing, the top dogs!

Photos Provided

On site, I met Crane and fellow volunteers that were working with the anglers. We get a science-fiction-like title.

We are called “controllers” — “Terminator” like, isn’t it?

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Both men and women compete, and both men and women volunteer to measure the fish, note the species and the time of the catch on a score sheet. We also make sure everyone follows the rules,

although there has never been a problem that I know of.

Each controller is assigned a fisherman or women and stays with them for each three hour period of the competition.

These are not everyday anglers. These folks come from around the country to fish — North Carolina, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Montana — including Canada and Europe.

The USA Fly Fishing Team competes in regionals and each of the top three anglers can then move up the ladder to the next level. Over the last six years, there have been four different competitions in our area.

Three have been regionals and a national event, with the top team competing in Vail, Colorado. The top national teams compete globally. Teams have competed in Italy just this year and have covered many European countries as well.

The competition is usually a two-day event, where a section of a river is broken up into two hundred-meter areas called beats. The beats are selected on a river so each one is similar to each other.

This year’s competition had twentyfour fly fishing anglers, all competing on the Columbus Day weekend.

The “comp,” as it is called, had six beats of boulder-y pocket water on the west branch of the Ausable between the Whiteface Ski area and the Flume. Each angler drew a number from a hat and fished that beat.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 47

Wye Pond and Colby Pond were also selected this year to be part of the comp.

Wye Pond was fished as one session and Colby was broken up into two sections, north and south.

A WADING GAME This is not dry fly fishing seen on the cover of a magazine. European style nymphing, or “Euro-nymphing” is how they catch fish.

For three long hours, anglers continue to fling their line into blackline seams and boulder edges and pockets, non-stop until time’s up. The only break they get is when they get a snag and need to tie on another fly.

These folks use 10-foot Cortland nymph rods and most have Sage reels.

They are equipped with three weight fly line and specially hand tied leaders that can be no longer than twice the length of the rod, so most are over 18 feet in length.

The angler works the waters around boulders and seams where trout may lay.

The line is flung out and kept fairly tight as it moves with the current.

There is a piece of orange or green line tied into the leader which is called a sighter.

It allows the angler to see the slightest pull on the line so they can set the hook.

Hooks are usually jig style wide gap technical hooks. Size 14, 16, 18 and 20 are typical. The flies have names like the “Mop fly,” “Frenchie,” “Squirmy Wormy,” “Blow Torch,” “Rainbow Warrior,” “Iron Lotus” and “Sexy Walt’s Worm.”

These guys work methodically from river’s edge to river’s edge, seeking out a brown, brookie or rainbow trout. Working with them is a sure way to get a degree in nymphing education.

Each angler fished one of the six beats on the river, and then they worked each section of the Colby and Wye Ponds; four sessions in all. Each session lasted three hours, from 9 a.m. to noon, a break for lunch and then another session and fish from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

After the second day of fishing, the awards were given out to the top three anglers and we all enjoyed a meal to celebrate. Danny Cisek took gold, then Matt Stedina in second place, followed by Roman Matusinski.

When the weather is spring-like, sunny and warm, fly fishing is a pleasure and being a controller is great.

This year however, rain and cold winds made it tougher to stand under a tree and watch someone fish for three straight hours, especially when the fishing was very poor. I have seen times where they pull over 30 fish out of a beat.

This time, however, it was different.

DESOLATE FISH POPULATION The catch rates were deplorable, not due to the anglers’ abilities, but because of the loss of cold-water trout due to the drought and warm stream temperatures this past summer and early fall.

Some temperature monitors had recorded 80 degrees, which is lethal to cold-water species. Warm water holds less oxygen and causes stress on the fish. Fish can migrate to cold water areas such as spring seeps or cold tributaries entering the main river, if available. The loss of trees along the banks due to roads, beavers, disease etc. also allow the waters to warm during hot spells.

Any trout that survived probably swam upstream above the Whiteface Ski area bridge and hunkered down in the steep rocky bedrock lined gorge below the waterfalls, if they could get there in the low water, and through the pumphouse pool.

This is something we will need to examine further. In other areas of the river, there was no place for refuge and fish died.

So, with very low fish numbers, it is no wonder that the scores for a three hour session recorded were anywhere from zero to a maximum of four fish per beat on the Ausable River.

Controllers this year worked on the Ausable. While on the ponds, two anglers shared a boat and each kept score for the other. They were on separate teams, so they kept each other honest.

Some fish survived the summer heat, but we lost many to warm water and over-fishing by vacationers. It may be time to look at shutting down the river when temperatures hit a certain point. It happens on the Beaver Kill River in the Catskills, so it is a possibility.

The scores at the end of the two-day event were set after the total length of fish caught per angler were tallied.

For more information on the USA Fly Fishing teams, check out their Facebook page.

48 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

"

THESE GUYS WORK METHODICALLY FROM RIVER’S EDGE TO RIVER’S EDGE, SEEKING OUT A BROWN, BROOKIE OR RAINBOW TROUT.

"

(Above) Catch rates were notably low this year as a result of drought and warm stream temperatures over the last several months. (Below) First place was awarded to Danny Cisek, second went to Matt Stedina and Roman Matusinski placed third.

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50 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4 DRIVE

B E D SILPAFMIA M BE5C9H DI'D SSC FRAH M QM'UP N CQ 3A RR AP DR,A CR HEA NE,R NT YL 1L 2E 9 19UIPMENT

SAVE

http://www.bech5a r8d-2fa9r8m-5e3q8u1ipment.com http ://1w ww.bechardfarmequipment.com 518-298-5381

BECHARD'S FARM EQUIPMENT LLC

LLC

C HaIA INu,,ipN 9PLAIN, NY 12919 b,eA ch rD dM fa mYe t2.c9 o1m A LITTLE,593 hRtAtpP:/I5/Dw9Sw3Rw.DR P SPrmLRAeqD C Hn1A M

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Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 51

Photo by Elizabeth Izzo

52 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

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BIG APPLE AUDIO SERVES UP BEATS, CAR UPGRADES PLATTS BURG H B I Z T H R I V E S W I T H EVE RY DAY MAINTENA NC E, CON V E N I E N C E U P DAT E S I N TOW

By Elizabeth Izzo

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t angling to get into the car business.

levels for Krown Rust Control application, a procedure unique to Big Apple in the area.

For Big Apple Audio owner Bill Ferris, in the beginning, it was all about the sound.

“With Krown, customers often see a difference in how their vehicles are holding up with rust protection,” Ferris said. “It’s a routine procedure, like getting your oil changed.”

“It started off with audio, when I was a kid, getting into stereos,” he said. “That was high-tech back then.”

The first Big Apple Audio opened 17 years ago. Back then, it was on South Peru Street, where it stayed for 10 years before moving to the current location on Durkee Street.

Slowly, over time, the business grew to include everything from remote car starters, car accessories, routine maintenance and sound system upgrades to the application of Krown Rust Control, a popular product that safeguards vehicles against the scourge of rusting.

“You start doing one thing, then another, then another,” Ferris joked. “It’s not long before you’re doing things like sunroofs and all kinds of different things.”

Behind him, a wall was lined from roof to floor with different gadgets. A sign hanging above him listed various pricing

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

The business employs five people.

“We’re all local here,” he said. “Locallyowned with local employees.”

Oftentimes, the customers are also local.

Though the shop does car customization and luxury convenience upgrades, there are people who work in the downtown core who drop off their cars for routine maintenance.

Not everyone can afford to buy a new car, he said. And used cars always need preventative maintenance to keep them running longer.

“We do a lot of projects for everyday people,” said Ferris.

Learn more about Big Apple Audio by visiting bigappleaudio.org, calling 518561-8230, or by stopping at their 17 Durkee St. shop.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 53

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Photos by Elizabeth Izzo

56 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

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RECIPES PERFECTED OVER GENERATIONS ON FULL DISPLAY AT PLATTSBURGH STAPLE

By Elizabeth Izzo

In the internet era, the proliferation of niche, Instagram-able foods — donuts piled high with cereal, bright rainbow-colored cakes, black ice cream, the infamous “cronuts” — seems to have taken hold of a lot of bakeries around the nation.

But here, at the City of Plattsburgh’s oldest bakery, recipes perfected over time and passed down through generations still reign.

Rambach’s has been around for more than three decades.

For many here, it’s a staple worth visiting every morning, a ritualistic stop between home and that desk job downtown. It’s a treat to grab on the walk to school. For others, it’s the go-to place for special occasions. Who else would you trust with your wedding cake, if not your neighborhood bakery?

And after all these years Rambach’s Australian tea cake, a sweet, moist yellow cake with a thin white glaze, remains one of their most popular items.

son of an immigrant baker that left him with a cache of old-world German recipes.

Those same recipes are used at the bakery today, and they’re regarded with a high level of secrecy.

“The only way to get the recipes is to buy the business,” Brown joked.

Brown worked under Rambach for years, starting in 1987. She took over the bakery six years ago, and the business moved from Corneila to South Peru Street, right across the road from a local elementary school.

“This location has been really great,” she said. “Our business has tripled.”

During the holidays, business at Rambach’s really skyrockets: They ramp up production of a variety of Christmas cookies, always fast-sellers, fruit cakes and more. As always, they create special orders for customers who want a personalized gift.

Whatever they make, they strive to use only quality ingredients.

A seasonal item unique to Rambach’s is their Christmas “stollen,” a traditional German fruit bread eaten during the holidays. Here, the bread is packed with citrus, nuts, almond paste and topped with powdered sugar.

“This is homemade. In grocery stores, the stuff they get in is mostly frozen,” she said. “This is quality.”

“Everyone should make their way to Rambach’s for Christmas, if they can,” Brown said.

Known as “Rambach’s Bakery and Pastisserie” at the time, the business was opened in 1981 by Jerry Rambach — a life-long baker known affectionately in the bakery as “Mr. Rambach.”

Rambach’s is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday. On Sunday and Monday, the business closes at 4 p.m.

“That’s what we are famous for,” said April Brown, the bakery’s owner.

Rambach grew up in New Jersey, the

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Learn more by calling 518-563-1721, finding the bakery on Facebook or by visiting Rambach’s at 65 S. Peru St

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 57

Photos by Elizabeth Izzo

58 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

YAZ

Hometown Diner where everybody knows your name / LUNCH AT COUNTRY CORNER DINER

By Elizabeth Izzo

At a rural crossroads in West Chazy, nestled in amongst expansive fields and farmland, there’s a 60-seat diner.

Here, customers are greeted by their first names.

For Shelley Seymour, the restaurant’s owner, this business isn’t just about making and selling food. It’s about family and making people happy.

In many ways, the Country Corner Diner has been a big part of Seymour’s life for over 31 years. She started at the restaurant as a staff member, back when the outpost was a small bar and nothing else.

What started as a single menu item has multiplied. The menu now includes a variety of alternative choices, everything from a plain cheeseburger to a rodeo burger or something called a “hangover burger,” a greasy comfort with eggs and bacon on top.

But it’s baking, she said, that’s really her passion.

“I love to bake,” she said. “I bake pies fresh everyday.”

The different flavors of pie are seemingly endless: brownie pie, s’mores pie, pumpkin, coconut cream, banana cream, moose tracks and more.

She bought the business in 1990 and little by little, expanded both the menu and the building itself.

As the holidays come ever-closer, the business will start churning out custommade pies for local families.

The diner serves breakfast all day, along with a large selection of lunch and dinner items. They also host brunches once a month.

And the diner plans to host a buffet breakfast with Santa Claus in December, along with a cookie-making event for kids.

“We do home-cooking here,” said Seymour.

But the real hidden gems here? It’s the burgers, Seymour’s freshly-made pies and handmade soups.

“What built my business is burgers,” she said. “I get very experimental with my burgers.”

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

More details about those events are available on the restaurant’s Facebook page, or by calling 518-493-7035.

Check out the Country Corner Diner at 146 Fiske Road, West Chazy, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday, and from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 59

Keeping the Adirondacks Warm

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Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 61

Cooking

COOKING... with

kids!

Little

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© Stephanie Frey/Adobe Stock

s e i � o o C

62 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

By Mikaela Foster Are there any recipes that bring back fond memories, make you think of someone special or signify a certain time of year? For this issue, I’m sharing (and slightly modifying) a beloved cookie recipe that does all three.

My aunt has made the same cookies only at Christmas every year. While they are not my all-time favorite cookies by taste (they are definitely yummy though), they are my favorite memory cookies.

My recipe is a worn photocopy with little side notes from my aunt. When I pull this recipe out of my recipe box every year at the beginning of the holiday season, I am washed over with memories of her. She’s beautiful, kind and ridiculously strong from lifting furniture over the span of my entire life. She never misses a birthday, and in my eyes, she is the glue that holds my family together.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without her or these cookies.

The original recipe she makes is called “Russian tea cakes.” They’re round cookies made with a little jam-filled indentation in the center that I always mistake for a thumbprint. While thinking of this mistaken thumbprint, I thought it would be cool if they were little handprints instead.

Our second son, who is now home from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after about 2 ½ months, actually had hands small enough to make those impressions when he was born.

We are so thankful for all of the nurses, doctors, staff and volunteer cuddlers in the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital NICU. Throughout our rollercoaster ride of fear, hope, love and exhaustion, the NICU team was incredible. I cannot make this shout out loud enough to show our deepest gratitude for not only helping our son survive, but thrive.

In celebration of our son’s homecoming, and in honor of all NICU babies, especially the ones who have stayed much longer than we did, I’d like to take my aunt’s Russian tea cake recipe and modify it to be little handprint cookies.

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

INGREDIENTS Cookies: 1 cup salted butter ½ cup confectioners sugar 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt Topping: ½ cup fruit preserves or jam (If you still have some jam from our summer North Country Living recipe, try using that!) ¼ cup confectioners sugar

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer — if possible.

Add vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Blend in flour and salt, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. (Start with this size and then modify for the size of your hands as you go along).

Place dough balls on lightly greased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.

Press down the center of each ball with your child’s hand.

Fill each with a teaspoonful (or more) of preserves.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer cookies immediately to a cool, flat surface.

When cookies are completely cool, dust them lightly with confectioners sugar.

Traditionally yields two dozen but will vary depending on the size of your cookies .

If your hands are too big to make the impression in your cookies, try rolling out the dough, trace your hands into the dough and cut them out before you bake. Use a spoon and gently press an indentation into each hand and fill the handprint up with jam or preserves.

I hope you’ve had a great time making cookies together and creating new memories to cherish! I wish you all a blessed, warm and joyful holiday season.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 63

Manufacturing ADK

Champlain Valley Milling

Efficiencies leave room to grow for local miller

By Kim Dedam The whir of flour mills and thump of sifters fill the entire airy, bright white space at Champlain Valley Milling.

The local Adirondack business moved to its newly rebuilt site in Willsboro from Westport last year, integrating flour mills with a state-of-the-art computer system that tripled capacity for organic grain and flour production.

64 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

It took about four months to reclaim the space in the former cedar furniture manufacturing plant and several more to install new equipment systems with milling engineers from Rockwell Automation.

Expansion into Willsboro brought miller Sam Sherman’s third generation family mill into a new era, one Sherman’s father, organic seed and grain farmer Dick Sherman, might never have imagined.

Four original cast-iron mills were retrofit with new wooden tops to connect with an intricate sequence of cracking, sieve, sifting and sorting operations; Run from a touch-screen control panel so detailed it can select grains and sizes to process or remove by color.

The intricacy of the mill’s new motor control center is juxtaposed with rows of

tall flour bins used variously to add moisture and then contain or sort the organic grains as they move through different stages in flour production.

The whir and thump are softened by stacks of 50-pound bags of flour destined for delivery to major bakeries at places such as Whole Foods or Wegmans or the Nitty Gritty Grain Co. Sherman has long worked with customers to develop specialty grains and blends they use in bakeries here and around the country.

To illustrate the milling process, he slides a quality control panel open on one section of pipe. The section of pipe is clear so Sherman can view the product as it blows through the system.

“Here,” he said, holding a sample from the checkpoint.

The check point contains a coarse and Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Photos by Kim Dedam

at

granular bran, but from another stretch of the flour stream, he pulls out a sample of soft and fine flour.

FLOUR POWER The new Champlain Valley Milling operation is capable of producing about 2,500 pounds of flour per hour, leaving no waste but for unused paper bags.

The production cycle takes around 16 hours but varies according to final product.

Even the most fundamental tasks are improved with the new facility.

In years prior, it would take three or four hours to unload a truck full of grain.

“It takes 20 minutes now,” Sherman explains.

Efficiencies built into Sherman’s mill are also defined in tempering bins, which can hold several types of grains preparing for the next cycle.

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

The cracking operation can run simultaneously with milling.

GOING WITH THE GRAIN

“At the other facility, we could only do one at a time,” Sherman said of the process.

the milling process is extensive. He grew

There are four mill stands and eight different milling sections, Sherman explains.

Sherman’s knowledge of grains and up farming organic seed and wheat products in Westport.

And each section has a different roll corrugation, the roller integration design which extracts the fine endo-flour grains.

Hard to imagine the earliest mills in these Lake Champlain valley towns worked with grinding stones and water wheels.

“The mills are 75 years old,” Sherman said with a smile, pointing to the four red cast-iron mills on the top floor of his production line.

Various sieve, separating and sifting equipment expands around them.

Champlain Valley Milling was founded in 1985 by Sam Sherman and relocated to a larger facility fitted with stateof-the-art systems in 2017.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 65

“ The whir of flour mills and

thump of sifters fill the entire airy, bright white space at

Champlain Valley Milling. ”

The physics of flour is clearly an ongoing part of innovation here. The other part comes from consistent grains grown on organic farms.

The farmers Sherman works with are both local and distant, some are in Westport, others just over the Canadian border or in Vermont, and some products come from organic farms further west, traveling by railroad from the Dakotas and Montana.

Sourcing a consistent supply of organic wheat or rye requires finding farms with similar farming techniques, Sherman said.

Seasons, harvest time and soils factor heavily into the end product.

“Some growers we have worked with since 1985,” Sherman said.

Some six million pounds of grain will be made into flour here in a year.

“That’s on the low side,” said Sherman.

Champlain Valley Milling has been producing Mt. Marcy white bread flour since 1992.

Wheat grains come into the mill at around 12.5 percent moisture content, Sherman explains, and it takes about 24 hours to raise that moisture to 15 percent.

“That softens the grain,” Sherman said.

“It takes about 1.5 tons of wheat to make one ton of white flour.”

A GROWING BUSINESS Champlain Valley Milling emerged from a storied organic seed business built

by Sam’s father Dick Sherman as part of the Champlain Valley Seed Growers Cooperative founded in Westport in 1951.

“My father used to raise grains, spring wheat and bread wheat grains,” Sherman said.

The original plant on Main Street in Westport produced seeds in a co-op of some 50 area farms as supplemental income to dairy farming.

(Top Left) Flour sacks at the mill are usually filled at 50 pounds each. (Top Right) The four mills at Champlain Valley Milling were fitted with new wooden tops. Nearly 75 years old, they still form the central part of modernized milling operations in Willsboro. (Bottom Left) Plant operations at Champlain Valley Milling are built around a computer system that can sort, blend and direct flour streams through various components of the milling process. (Bottom Right) Sample of mill grain.

66 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

In the mid 1970s, the co-op raised Birdsfoot Trefoil, a legume, but they were having difficulty with that crop, Sherman said.

“Then dad had a call from a small milling operation in Massachusetts that wanted some of the grains we were doing.”

History explains how the Mill River Flour and Grain Company shifted the Westport plant operations.

In time, the mill thought the co-op should buy them out and do flour grains, Sherman said.

Thus, Champlain Valley Milling was founded on May 17, 1985. Early flour products branded “Champy” were sold to Bouyea’s Bakery in Plattsburgh.

“We just kept going from there,” Sherman said. “And Derinda stepped in.”

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Sherman described how his wife, Derinda Sherman, helped pull the company together after the untimely loss in 1993 of his sister and business partner, Anne Sherman Moisan.

“It was a complementary team effort to make it happen,” Sherman said of the family endeavor.

Moisan’s artwork of Champy, Lake Champlain’s mythic lake monster, still graces the Champlain Valley Milling logo.

The Sherman’s daughter Ayra has worked with the family business now for 18 years.

“And we would triple our flour products with that,” Sherman said of the future.

Room

for

growth

also

permits

additions to the building for trucking operations for shipping and receiving.

Already, a stand of two and threestory grain elevators form an array just outside the mill complex and connect to the product intake area with a system of pipes.

The mill employs about eight people full-time with two additional part-time

“It’s fun working with dad,” Ayra said with a smile.

jobs.

The move to Willsboro leaves room for expansion, allowing space for two additional mills plus at least two more sifters.

crew,” Sherman said.

“We have a really good, solid working

“Everybody has to know how to do every job.”

AMIDST THE SALT,

HEALING -&-

Photo by Elizabeth Izzo

RELAXATION 68 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

ADIRONDACK BREATHE EASY SALT CAVE OFFERS CAVE RESPITE

By Elizabeth Izzo

From the outside, the Adirondack Breathe Easy Salt Cave looks much like every other building on Peru’s Bear Swamp Road.

It’s nondescript: A simple woodpaneled building with a triangular, pointed roof set against a backdrop of empty fields and thick woodland.

The place is a former veterinary hospital.

When the dogs and cats moved house, the building was transformed into the county’s only salt cave, a small grotto stacked with rough bricks of pure, pink Himalayan salt.

Over the last few years, the concept of salt caves has rapidly gained momentum in the United States’ spa industries.

As with most alternative therapies, the health benefits of salt therapy, or “halotherapy,” have been disputed by some scientists. But for Jessica Gamble, co-owner of the Adirondack Breathe Easy Salt Cave, the results are real.

Gamble suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma and allergies. In the past, she was in and out of the emergency room. She still has to visit every so often, but salt therapy worked for her and ended up paring down those hospital visits.

Gamble started visiting salt caves, the nearest in Glens Falls, to help with her symptoms.

Her husband, John Hugues, thought: Why travel when we can build something of our own?

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

The Adirondack Breathe Easy Salt Cave was born.

In three months, the business served 700 people, according to Gamble.

And more keep coming.

Folks come from all across the Adirondacks to visit, and Gamble says that since the cave opened in July, they’ve already seen a lot of repeat customers.

When you book a session, you enter the shadowy cave and walk across tiny pebbles of salt.

Two neat rows of zero-gravity chairs line the walls and in the center, blocks of salt modeled like a hearth.

Tiny twinkling lights above, designed to mirror a night sky, join scattered holiday-style lights across the rocky roof, colors lazily alternating.

The overall otherworldly.

effect

is

something

Blankets are neatly folded across the chairs and at first, the room is silent.

When the session begins, the lights dim further, and soothing easy-listening music plays, the sound of thunder can be heard crackling above rain.

The 45-minute sessions are $30 per person, or for children’s sessions, $30 for one parent and child, $10 per extra child.

Learn more about the Adirondack Breathe Easy Salt Cave, 692 Bear Swamp Rd., by finding them on Facebook or by calling 518-643-2283.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 69

Crafts

DIY CRAFT with

kids!

e n o c e Pin

s n o i t a r o c e D I love pinecones. They have so much character in all stages of their lifespan. I love the way they look on a tree, when they’ve fallen on the ground, covered in the first blanket of snow and even when

There are so many fun Christmas decorations to make with pinecones! But, it’s worth mentioning some of the other fun things you can do in case your creativity is on fire and you found a lot of pinecones in need of some Christmas spirit.

squirrels have eaten them, leaving piles of

You can turn pinecones into wreaths,

stripped scales — in my family, we call

snow bunnies, Christmas trees, Christmas

those piles “dinner plates.”

angels; you can decorate them with

It’s fun to think of a little squirrel having dinner out in the woods and being so full that he left his plate to clean up later, after a nap.

70 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

buttons, bows, bells and even turn them into gift tags!

I

have

picked

sparkly

pinecone

ornament decorations because they add

that extra-something-special to the tree.

Glitter has a way of doing that.

SPARKLY PINECONE ORNAMENT DECORATIONS: Materials: • Open pinecones • Glue • Glitter • Acrylic paint (same color as glitter) • String (or yarn or ribbon…etc.)

• Paintbrush Instructions: If you didn’t find any special pinecones Published by Sun Community News & Printing

© oksix/Adobe Stock

By Mikaela Foster

since my hint in the fall North Country Living issue — bundle up, head outside for a walk and find some!

paint, immediately sprinkle glitter on

If your pinecones aren’t dry, let them air dry, or if you’re eager to get started, try using a hair dryer by waving it back and forth over the pinecones.

tips,

Mix up a batch of sticky paint: 50 percent glue and 50 percent paint. This should help the glitter stick better to the paint. If you don’t have paint or don’t want to use paint, just use the glue as is.

the wall or any other place that could use

Paint your pinecones with the sticky Published by Sun Community News & Printing

them and set them to dry. You can paint and glitter the whole pinecone, just the vary

the

colors…however

your

creativity leads you.

Tie string to your pinecones and hang them on your tree, a doorknob, a hook on some sparkle.

I hope you have fun with this DIY craft and will experiment with other designs this holiday season, perhaps some of your own unique creations.

- Glitter Warning -

Glitter is always messy — I personally enjoy finding glitter years after a project, but if you don’t, consider sprinkling the glitter over a container to catch any that doesn’t stick to your pinecone. Another idea is to sprinkle the glitter outside, but don’t stand down wind unless you want to have more than just a sparkling personality this holiday season.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 71

AMIDST THE STORM, A RESPITE IN COOKING

Photo by Elizabeth Izzo

By Elizabeth Izzo

72 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

Fresh food, and friends, provide shelter from North Country winter As dark gray clouds convened outside the windows of the Carriage House Cooking School, Chef Curtiss Hemm held in his hands a whole, raw chicken, direct from a local farm.

“I don’t just look at this as, ‘It’s just meat,’” Hemm told a handful of students at a recent cooking class there. “I think about how much flavor I can extract from this.”

From his historic home on Hallock Hill Farm on the outskirts of Peru, not far from the Clinton-Essex county border, Hemm aims to give locals the tools they need to make great food.

Here, he’s in his element.

Hemm has spent over a decade in the trenches of the food industry. He started cooking when he was 14 years old, and worked in restaurants for over 10 years before he picked up and moved into academia.

He taught at Paul Smith’s College, with several forays to Burgundy, France and eventually landed a job as the dean of culinary arts and director of online programs at the New England Culinary Institute.

He’s at a place in his life now, Hemm told his students, where he can afford to travel across the region to various farms to hand-pick the best ingredients available here.

But not everyone has that luxury, it’s not environmentally friendly, and it’s not convenient.

And sometimes, local ingredients can be expensive.

A whole chicken from a local farm, Hemm explained, can run upwards of $22.

Differences in nutritional value and quality aside, that’s compared to around $5-6 for a whole chicken at a grocery store.

“You have to think about how you can justify purchasing this beyond a social mission,” he said, pulling the chicken Published by Sun Community News & Printing

from its plastic wrapping and laying it on a poly-plastic cutting board.

This one chicken, he said, could feed an entire family multiple meals.

You just have to know what to do with it.

Hemm deftly broke down the chicken, revealing the joints with practiced precision and slicing off cuts one by one.

Two breasts, for a baked chicken dish with roasted vegetables and an herb sauce. Two thighs for a quick stir-fry. Two drumsticks, and the chef’s cut — the oysters.

He pointed out a small knuckle-sized pocket of flesh near the chicken’s backbone, a piece of the bird sometimes preserved for the chef as a sort of reward for cooking the meal.

Even the carcass of the bird was reused.

Normally, he’d use it for stock, he said.

But today, it would be the base for a take on Japanese Shoyu ramen.

Instead of the traditional noodles used in ramen, Hemm used fresh angel hair pasta boiled in baking soda and salt as a substitute, a trick that transforms the texture of the pasta to give it more of a bounce.

SNOWFALL As he finished with the chicken, Hemm pointed to a bowl filled with herbs and trays covered in carrots, celery and other fruits and vegetables.

“I think what a lot of people miss is that you can grow a lot of this yourself and that really cuts down on the cost,” he said.

Hemm’s class was all about cooking on a budget, using some local ingredients alongside easily-accessible grocery store substitutes.

As he worked to complete each recipe, hands quickly moving from one task to another, clearing and cleaning his station each time, a pair of eyes wandered over to the window.

“It’s snowing,” said one of his students.

A phrase known to elicit one of two

responses from North Country residents: A groan of reluctant acceptance or a happy expression of wonderment at the season to come.

In this kitchen, that mix of happy and unhappy held true.

“Don’t say it,” Hemm laughed. “Don’t look. If you don’t look, it’s not there.”

It was the first snow of the season, and as the quiet sound of the chicken sizzling in the oven grew steadily louder, the snowfall picked up.

Hemm looked at the clock and decided, as each recipe was nearing completion, that there was time for one more: A sausage risotto, using sage sausage from Mace Chasm Farm and instead of arborio rice, acini di pepe, a type of small, bead-like dried pasta available in most grocery stores.

It was ready in just a few minutes.

Unlike rice, the acini di pepe is al dente in moments.

Outside, a heavy, dense thicket of snow was falling on the cars parked below his second-story kitchen.

Hemm continued to shred fresh parmesan atop the risotto, still in the pan, and a salty-sweet aroma wafted upward.

His students took spoons and scooped up tasty morsels of sausage, cheese and pasta.

“Oh my god, yum,” one woman said, as another went back for more.

Each dish was plated — an apple salad with herbs; baked chicken with roasted vegetables and an herb sauce; chicken stir-fry, heavy on the veggies; sausage risotto and Shoyu ramen — family-style, and the students took plates covered with small piles of each to a small wooden table.

Though the snow had picked up — a fresh layer now sticking to the roads as news begun to arrive, as it always does, of drivers who’d swerved off the road — here at the table, it was all good: In that moment, in the dining room at Carriage House Cooking School, there was food, conversation and new friends.

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 73

CHURCHES

YOUR PLACES OF WORSHIP Church of the Holy Cross

Northern Points Cluster Churches Christmas Mass Schedule St. Issac Jogues

200923

St. James, North Creek:

Mass, 9:30 p.m. December 24th 9:30 a.m. Christmas Day

Sundays: 8:00am Said Eucharist 10:00am Sung Eucharist The Reverend Fr. Thomas J. Pettigrew, Rector

6182 Creek Road • Crown Point NY Pastor Lee Ackley

7:00PM

Sunday, December 2, 2018 10:00 am worship service, Rev. John Barclay First Sunday of Advent – First advent candle will be lit.

Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:00 am worship service, Rev. Donna Frischknecht-Jackson Second advent candle will be lit.

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Free Methodist Church

Christmas Day Mass 10:00 a.m.

Our Lady of the Annunciation, Queensbury

Schroon Lake Community Church

Church decorating, 9:30-12:30, Children and adults.

Lunch will be provided.

201648

9:30AM

Tuesday, December 25th

Putnam United Presbyterian Church Saturday, December 1, 2018

Regular Sunday Service

Monday, December 24th Christmas Eve Family Mass 4:00 p.m.

10:00 am worship service, Pastor to be announced Third advent candle will be lit.

Monday, December 24th Tuesday, December 25th

Christmas Day Mass 10:00 a.m.

Rt. 9 Main Street & Leland Ave. in the center of Schroon Village

Christmas Eve Worship Services 4:30PM: Children’s Service An interactive worship service geared towards children and all are welcome.

7:00PM: Candle Light Service A traditional worship service with Christmas hymns and candle lighting.

Sunday, December 23, 2018

4:00 pm Christmas Eve candlelight worship service Rev. Donna Frischknecht-Jackson – Christ candle will be lit.

Visit us on Facebook!

WarrensburgFMC

Sunday, December 30, 2018 9:30 am breakfast/brunch followed by stories and worship service, lead by the congregation in Fellowship Hall.

200200

Grief Share Saturday Mornings 10am Sunday Service 10:45 am with Senior Pastor Rev. Nancy Barrow and Associate Pastor Joel Cochran

Sunday, January 6, 2019 Epiphany – Twelfth Night – 10:00 am worship service Pastor to be announced.

200899

201557

www.SLCommunityChurch.com

SonRise Lutheran Church Winter Schedule:

687 Harrisburg Rd. Stony Creek, NY 12878

January - May services are 3 pm on Saturdays Christmas Eve Worship at 6pm

Service: Sundays at 10:00AM Youth Group: Saturdays 7-8:30pm stonycreekchurch.net 518-696-6375 201485 74 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Christmas Eve Service Dec 24th • 7pm

Hadley-Luzerne Wesleyan Church 445 Route 9N, Lake Luzerne, NY (518) 696-4552 Adult Worship - Sunday 10am Children’s Worship - Sunday 10am HLWC Cafe Serving Breakfast Every Sunday 9am-10am Rev. Richard E. Osborne, Sr. Pastor www.hlwc.org 201652

SSED SACRAMEN BLE Catholic Church T Winter Schedule October thru May

Monday, December 24, 2018

WbgFMC@gmail.com

Church Sunday School Christmas Program Sunday Dec. 16th • 6pm

200921

10:00 am worship service, Rev. Donna Frischknecht-Jackson Fourth advent candle will be lit.

250 River Street Warrensburg New York 518-623-3023

Faith Baptist Church 4 Burhans Ave. • Warrensburg, NY 12885 518-623-4071 • Rev. Lee Call

Sacred Heart

Christmas Eve Family Mass 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. & 9:00 p.m.

365 County Rte 2 • Putnam Station, NY 12861 518-547-8378 • Reverend Davies

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Lake George, NY 12845

Christmas Schedule:

Parish Office: (518) 623-3066 3764 Main St., Warrensburg, NY www.holycrosswarrensburg.org

201651

Crown Point United Methodist Church

50 Mohican Street

•

200925

Chestertown:

Family Mass, 4 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

December 24th 11 a.m. Christmas Day

Episcopal Diocese of Albany

Sacred Heart

Roman Catholic Church

Pastor Bruce Rudolf (772)321-8692 7996 State Route 9, Pottersville, NY (518) 494-7077 • Check us out on Facebook

Sunday Mass 11:00am Tuesday Prayer of the Rosary 9:00am Thursday & Saturday Liturgy of the Word with Communion 9:00am 1st Saturday of the Month Adoration of the Eucharist 9:30am 7 Goodman Ave., Bolton Landing, NY 12814 201332 (518) 644-3861

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 210 The Portage, Ticonderoga, NY 518-585-7107 Pastor Bill Whittington Sunday School 9:30am Sunday Worship 10:45am Midweek Prayer Meetings: Wednesday 7:00pm

201481

201355

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

SP EC IAL OF FE R • SP EC IAL OF FE R • SP EC IAL OF FE R

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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

176669

WBE

176025

3 Ryder Road | Whitehall, NY 12887 | 518.499.9090 | Fax: 518.499.9099 | info@chippewastone.com

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:

For More Information (518) 532-9811 • northhudsonny.com Published by Sun Community News & Printing

176642

200759

• 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

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 75

MORIAH

A RELAXING LAKEFRONT COMMUNITY

BRYANT’S LUMBER INC. Complete Line of Building Materials.

Hardware • Wood Pellets Flooring

Christmas Trees, Balsam Products, Poinsettias and Holiday Center Pieces

Stop in and see us.

We’re open 7 days a week!

201553

201544

201641

9:00 am - 6:00 pm (518) 546-3369 Dugway Road, Moriah, NY

3004 BROAD STREET, PORT HENRY, NY PHONE: 518-546-7433 FAX: 518-546-7474

Miners Past • 24 Hour Towing • 2 Tow Truck Drivers • Fast & Reliable Service • From Custom Work to Collision Fast Turnaround on all your Collision Repairs

Call Jim at 518-546-7190 4 William Street, Port Henry, NY 12974

hot panini, salads, soups, crepes and the best lattes!

1 Star Way, Port Henry, NY Tel: 518 250 0993 contact@redbrickcafe.us

201548

Come by and try our great selection of

Old & Some New For All!

201550

30+ Years Experience • Insurance Estimates • Auto Accessories

Open Most Weekends • 518-570-7144

3208 Plank Rd. • Mineville, NY

SHOP LOCAL

201545

76 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

THE PARK

WELCOME TO THE NORTH COUNTRY

Hearthside Realty, LLC

Gifts, locally made log furniture & rustic accessories, Amish-made hickory furniture, rugs, bedding & bath collections.

Sales & Vacation Rentals

Adirondack Country Store 252 North Main St. Northville, NY 518-863-6056 Shop online at: www.adirondackcountrystore.com

10897 NYS Rt. 9N • Keene, NY 12942

Jodi S. Downs, Real Estate Broker/Owner

201683

518-576-1004 hearthsiderealtyadk.com

Don’t miss our new Stocking Stuffer Page!

Custom Gift Baskets 201085

For your Auto Care Needs

Come to the Experts at...

Elizabethtown Auto Care

Tues-Thurs 11-6 • Fri & Sat 10-7

Main St., Elizabethtown, NY

Granite, Quartz and Soapstone Countertops

518-873-6572

TIRES • TUNE-UPS EXHAUST SYSTEMS • BRAKES EMISSION SYSTEMS & REPAIR SHUTTLE SERVICE TO ELIZABETHTOWN

Terry & Fran MacDougal

Professionally Templated & Installed

6872 Route 9, P.O. Box 606, Elizabethtown, NY 12932

1-518-873-2700

INE & LI CASE DISCOUNTS ON W

Richard A Rich • Bennie Gentile

QUOR 201082

Elizabethtown-Lewis Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 241 • Elizabethtown, NY

201086

14063 Route 9N • Suite #1 AuSable Forks, NY T 518-647-8660 | F 518-647-8645 acg@frontiernet.net 201079

NAPA Auto Care Center NYS Inspections

•Elizabethtown Auto Care•

ASE Certified • NYS Certified

ADIRONDACK SPRUCE

LODGE

Gateway to the

P.O. Box 338, 14 Hand Ave., Elizabethtown, NY 12932 518-873-6368 • info@suncommunitynews.com

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

E-mail@elizabethtownchamber.com

www.elizabethtownchamber.com

202316

Adirondacks

5675 NYS Route 86 • Wilmington, NY 12997

518-946-8232

info@adirondacksprucelodge.com www.adirondacksprucelodge.com

201081

Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 77

Check out suncommunitynews.com/events for more events like these.

Calendar of Events

Not all listings that appear in print will appear on our website.

Dec. 7 - Dec. 9 Lake George — Adirondack Christkindlmarkt held at Lake George Festival Commons; Fri. 3:00 p.m., Sat. - Sun. 11:00 a.m. A family-focused, European-style Christmas festival, with a uniquely Adirondack flair and style. It will include music, entertainment, food, drink, shopping and children’s activities for all to enjoy.

Dec. 7 - Dec. 8 Lake Placid — Lake Placid Holiday Village Stroll; All Day. Join us for a day full of Holiday Cheer and festivities including our free skating party, cookie decorating , crafts, chili cook off, yule log hunt, a celebration in Mids Park and of course a visit from Santa. For more info visit us on facebook.

Dec. 7 - Dec. 8 Ticonderoga — Capt. Kirk returns to Star Trek Original Series Tour Set held at Star Trek Original Series Tour Set; 10:00 a.m.. William Shatner, Star Trek icon is coming to town. Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) will join Captain Kirk. Opportunities for an exclusive mingle on the bridge with the Captain to a simple greet and autograph exist. Tickets will go on sale beginning September 1st and prices will vary. Contact the Star Trek Tour for more information: 518-369-9967

Dec. 7 - Dec. 9 Essex — Christmas in Essex; All Weekend. Come celebrate the Christmas holiday with your family, friends and neighbors. A full weekend of events is planned for kids and adults alike. SHOP LOCAL and support local businesses. Details: www.christmasinessex.com

Dec. 8 Plattsburgh — Shopping & Spirits held at Champlain Centre Mall (former Rue 21 Store); 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.. Presented by Plattsburgh Relay

Holiday Edition For Life. Kids Corner Holiday Craft Activities 12-4 p.m., 5-9 p.m. Spirits Served (over 21 only). Admission is $3 for all day & includes a chance for a door prize & an auction ticket - Holiday Activities, Pick a Prize Auction, Local Shopping, Wine & Beer Tasting, Free Entertainment. Details: Joan Sterling 518-441-1818.

Dec. 8 Whitehall — Holiday Craft Fair and Mini Mall held at Whitehall Athletic Club; 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.. Enjoy stress free shopping! Support local artists and crafters! Art, gourmet food, candles, custom clothes, jewelry, holiday decor, toys and more. Delicious Food and Drinks & Sports TV. Win great Prizes, Enjoy great food, Get Great Deals.

Dec. 8 Long Lake — Lunch with Santa held at the Town Hall; 11:00 a.m.. Children and grandchildren from Long Lake and Raquette Lake are invited to this special stop by Santa, delivering early Christmas gifts. Pizza is served for all there around 11:30. Please call 518624-3077 to sign up.

Dec. 8 Mineville — Santa at Mineville Firehouse held at Mineville Witherbee Volunteer Fire Department; 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.. Come meet Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Dec. 8 Saranac Lake — MERRY Kissmas IV: Unplugged and Ugly Sweaters held at Bitters & Bones; 8:00 p.m. -12:00 a.m. Sonic Boom will be performing the iconic 1995 KISS Unplugged album in it’s entirety, and maybe some Christmas sing-a-longs!! Entry fee as always will be 3 cans of food and 1 unwrapped toy; or a $10 donation.

Remember, this is time of year to give back, so let’s do it with our Ugly Sweaters on!!

78 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 7 No. 4

Dec. 8 - Dec. 9 North Creek — Holiday Craft Fair held at Johnsburg Central School; 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.. Come Shop and Browse some WONDERFUL items made by amazing local crafters!

Dec. 9 Plattsburgh — Pancake Breakfast with Santa & Mrs. Claus held at Applebee’s; 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m..

Santa & Mrs. Claus are coming back to Plattsburgh! Tickets: $7 per person in advance; $10 per person at the door. Tickets can be purchased at The Party Factory or from a Committee Member. All proceeds to benefit the Plattsburgh Relay for Life.

Dec. 9 Plattsburgh — Singing Christ is Born held at Meadow-brook Nursing; 3:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m.. Hosted by North Country Alliance Church. Sing songs of Jesus’ Birth.

Dec. 9 Willmington — Santas Ski Free held at Whiteface Mt.; all day. Come dressed as Mr. or Mrs. Claus, participate in our group photo and ski or ride for FREE all day. Pick up your lift ticket at the Whiteface Ticket window and meet at the top of the Bear Chair at 10:00 am for group photo! Don’t own a Santa suit? Bring a new/gently used winter coat or a new toy (valued over $10) and receive 50% off your lift ticket or Cloudsplitter Gondola Ride for the day.

Dec. 13 Plattsburgh — Delord Christmas held at Kent-Delord House Museum; 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.. No fee, donations welcomed. Info, visit: kentdelordhouse.org

Dec. 14 - Dec. 16 Lake Placid — Viessmann World Cup Luge held at Lake Placid Olym-

To list your event in our next issue call (518) 873-6368 ext. 133 or email calendar@suncommunitynews.com.

pic Center; . This event is one of ten World Cups scheduled. The luge competition consists of four events: men’s singles, women’s singles, doubles, and the team relay event. Schedule, info & tickets, Visit: whiteface.com/ events/viessmann-world-cup-luge

Dec. 15 Plattsburgh — National Wreaths Across America Day held at Old Post Cemetery; 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Join us as we remember our nation’s fallen and honor their service and sacrifice by placing wreaths on the headstones of local heros laid to rest there. Free, non-political, and open to the public.

Dec. 16 Dannemora — Cookies with Santa held at Village of Dannemora; 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.. Cookies, crafts, and pictures with Santa

Dec. 16 Altona — Children’s Christmas Party held at Rainbow Banquet Hall; 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.. The Altona-NY Volunteer Fire Department will host their Children’s Christmas Party. All children that attend must sign up at rainbowbanquethall.com by December 8th. If unable to sign up in a advance, please bring a canned item to the door for the food shelf.

Dec. 19 Lake Placid — Lightwire Theater’s A Very Electric Christmas held at Lake Placid Center for the Arts; 6:00 p.m.

Lightwire Theater, known for their signature brand of dazzling visuals, poignant storytelling and music designed to evoke imagery. This captivating and magical tale of adventure, friendship and love, centers around a young bird named Max, a familiar character to Lightwire Theater audiences and brings a new meaning to coming “home for the holidays.”

Tickets $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

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Dec. 29 Long Lake — Feeling Long Lakey Polar Plunge held at Town Beach; 11:00 a.m. Registration 11am-12:30pm, Adirondack Hotel Plunge: 1pm, Long Lake Town Beach. Participants should be prepared with towels, robes and warm clothes. Plungers under 18 must have permission from their parents to plunge. Medical check is required and provided by the Long Lake Rescue Squad. Special thanks to the Long Lake Fire Department for our ice safety. Teams or Individuals raise funds for this unique and exhilarating event!

Dec. 31 - Jan. 1 Saranac Lake — First Night held at Various Locations. First Night Saranac Lake is proud to host this family-friendly celebration of the arts to welcome in 2019. First Night Saranac Lake offers a wide variety of entertainment that the whole family will enjoy, such as live music, puppet shows, comedy acts, and more!

Jan. 1 South Glens Falls — 5th Annual New Year’s Day Tournament held at Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center; 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.. Tournament will be a 6 game mini marathon, post your score. Total wood will determine all position standings. Prize ratio is 1:6. New this year, 12 game double event. 2 bowlers pair up, combine their scores for a 12 game total. Rules and entry form at www. kingpinsalley.com/bowling-league/ bowling-tournaments/new-yearsday-tournament/

Jan. 1 Lake George — Frostbite Cruise held at Shoreline Cruises; 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.. Kick off your New Year right.

Two cruise times available, 12pm or 2:30 pm. All tickets include 1.5 hour cruise, Heavy Hors D’oeuvres, drink tickets and live entertainment by Jonathan Newell Band. Tickets available at book.peek.com

Jan. 6 Plattsburgh — Pancake Breakfast for K of C held at St. Joseph Church Rectory; 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.. Come enjoy breakfast with us and help support the Knights of Columbus.

Jan. 6 - Jan. 11 Lake Placid — International Children’s Games ; all day. The city of Lake Placid will offer competition for youth ages 12 to 15 in the sports of Alpine

Skiing, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Snowboard, and Speed Skating (both long and short track).

Entry into competition for the ICWG is by invitation.

Jan. 12 Lake George — Albany Wedding Association Free Winter Wedding Show held at Dunham’s Bay Resort; 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Meet and talk about your wedding planning. Door prizes and samples throughout, grand prizes awarded at 4 pm. Must be present to win.

Jan. 17 - Jan. 19 Pottersville — Campus Preview Day held at Word of Life Bible Institute; .

Join us for a chance to experience all that life at WOLBI has to offer, including classes, staff and professors, student life and special events.

Jan. 19 Long Lake — Long Lake Winter Carnival held at Mt. Sabattis; 12:00 p.m.

- 6:30 p.m. The Town of Long Lake welcomes you to the wildest weekend of the Winter. From the infamous Cardboard Sled Races, Ladies Frying Pan Toss, the Coronation of the King and Queen,Fireworks and more, everyone is welcome to attend. Free ice skating, and sledding all day long.

Jan. 20 Saranac — 7th Annual Cock-ADoodle- Shoe Snowshoe Race held at New Land Trust; 10:00 a.m. 10 am Kids 1/2 mile Snowshoe Scramble, the 10:30 am 5K & 10K Cock-a-Doodle Snowshoe races. Proceeds benefit the New Land Trust. Registration info, visit:kineticrunning.net

Jan. 31 - Feb. 3 Lake Placid — 2019 Empire State Winter Games held at; A multi-day sports event. In its 39th year, the Games will bring together athletes from across New York State and beyond to compete in over 30 winter sports events. The 2018 Games included more than 2,100 athletes of all ages, including master divisions, and the 2019 Games are expected to exceed that number. Details: www. empirestatewintergames.com

Feb. 1 - Feb. 10 Saranac Lake — Saranac Lake Winter Carnival. Get ready for a fun 10 day festival that includes the famous Ice Palace, sports, performances, two parades, and three sets of spectacular fireworks. This year’s carnival theme

Published by Sun Community News & Printing

is “Prehistoric Park!” For more information, visit our website at www.saranaclakewintercarnival.com

Feb. 2 - Feb. 24 Lake George — Lake George Winter Carnival held around town; Weekends in February are Winter Carnival time in Lake George. Lake George Village offers a month-long celebration of winter during this annual familyfriendly event!

Feb. 15 - Feb. 16 Lake Placid — World Cup Bobsled & Skeleton held at Olympic Sports Complex; Come out & cheer on Team USA & catch the Olympic spirit this Winter in Lake Placid, the Winter Sports Capital of t he World!

Schedule & ticket info coming soon.

Visit: whiteface. com/ events/ worldcupbobsledskeleton

performances, and two International Headliners.

Mar. 23 & 24 and Mar. 30 & 31 Adirondacks — Adirondack Maple Weekends held at Various Producers; all day. Visit local maple producers for tours, demonstrations and tastings. Then visit the local businesses from restaurants to retailers who will be offering a bountiful array of maple treats, menus, retail promotions and more. From Lake Placid to Keene, Wilmington, Saranac Lake, Paul Smiths and Tupper Lake and well beyond, there are activities and sugar house tours all around our region and Northern New York.

Feb. 16 Schroon Lake — Chili Cook Off held at Mountainside Bible Chapel; 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.. The Schroon Lake EMS Chili Cook Off fundraiser is back.

Mar. 4 - Mar. 25 West Chazy — Winter Fun Runs held at Beekmantown High School; 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Each Monday in March, youth up to age 18 will be able to participate for free in our Funs Runs on the Beekmantown indoor track. Details: 518-565-4750

Mar. 9 Lake Placid — Global Arts Festival held at Lake Placid Center for the Arts; 1:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. All day activities, workshops, global arts, food fair, Vol. 7 No. 4 | North Country Living Magazine | 79

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