NORTH COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE • VOL. 6 NO. 1
Vol. 6 No. 1
Clifford R. Pettis was known as the “father of reforestation” in New York The Adirondack Center for Writing is helping turn wordsmiths into authors
The sap is running this spring and local farms are cashing in on the sweet stuff
SPRING 2017
NYS Black Bass
Black bass year round fishing opens a host of opportunities to local anglers.
Camp Dudley
The oldest boys camp in the country and its sister camp, Kiniya
Published by Sun Community News and Printing 14 Hand Avenue, Elizabethtown, NY 12932 (518) 873-6368 Fax: 873-6360
Vol. 6 No. 1
Publisher Dan Alexander
General Manager DJ Alexander
Writer Pete DeMola
Writer Thom Randall
Writer Teah Dowling
Writer Ed Noonan
Writer Shawn Ryan
Writer Lohr McKinstry
Writer Keith Lobdell
Writer Karen Stites
Writer Rich Redman
Writer Kim Dedam
dan@suncommunitynews.com
Editor’s Note
April/May/June 2017
W
hen the concept for Camp Dudley was first conceived the American Wild West was still being tamed. The infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral had just taken place in Tombstone Arizona and outlaws Billy the Kid and Jesse James had just been hunted down and shot. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone just 10 years prior and Thomas Edison’s creation known as the light bulb would not be a common household fixture for decades. Today, more than 130 years later, Westport’s Camp Dudley on the shores of picturesque Lake Champlain is the oldest continually running boys camp in the country. In that time, it has shaped the lives of more than 20,000 campers. Alumni cherish the time spent there. Second, even third generations return with children of their own. Many love the region so much they decide to relocate or retire here. A glimpse at the Westport tax rolls will show a number of Dudley alumni. At the same time, the 500-acre campus plays host to dozens of youth and high school athletic programs. Scholarships are offered to local kids who might not have the means to attend. Parent and alumni weekends bring an influx of people to local hotels and eateries, all of whom leave with a greater appreciation of this region we all love. On page 46 of this edition of North Country Living Magazine, you will find a feature written by Westport resident Keith Lobdell dedicated to all that is Dudley. The local iconic camp is woven into the fabric of the North Country and I hope you enjoy reading about its rich history as well as the numerous other features contained herein. Thank you again for reading the products of Sun Community News and for patronizing the advertisers that help make our free publications a reality. John Gereau, Managing Editor 4 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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MARKETING SPECIALISTS Ashley Alexander Thomas Hollingsworth Edward Coats Scarlette Merfeld Brandy-Lynn Fraiser Ciara Thompson
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CONTENTS Vol. 6 No. 1
Features Spring Bassin’
14
Black Bass action heats up in spring
Clifford R. Pettis
26
The father of reforestation in NY
Adirondack Prose
30
Works by the Adirondack Center for Writing
Rings on the Water
39
Spring brings new life & trout fishing!
The Other Fellow First
46
Camp Dudley is the country’s oldest boys camp
Sweet Spring
61
The sap is running in Thurman
Nine-year-old Sadie Cross of Ausable picks dandelions in a field of springtime thistle in Jay, NY.
northcountrylivingmagazine.com
Vol. 6 No. 1
Clifford R. Pettis was known as the “father of reforestation” in New York The Adirondack Center for Writing is helping turn wordsmiths into authors
The sap is running this spring and local farms are cashing in on the sweet stuff
SPRING 2017
Photo by Jessica Thompson/ Aspiring Photography
A1 NORTH COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE • VOL. 6 NO. 1
On The Cover
NYS Black Bass
Black bass year round fishing opens a host of opportunities to local anglers.
Camp Dudley
The oldest boys camp in the country and its sister camp, Kiniya
93597
Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 5
-
CONTENTS April/May/June 2017
Features Champlain Meeting House
70
Local couple creates unique community center
Legend of Jane McCrea
92
8
A forbidden Revolutionary War love ends in tragedy
Social Scene The Arts
8
This furniture designer transcends functionality
Out & About
20
Reliving history in Saranac, NY
Local History
20
78
New experiences at historic Fort Ti
Eye on Business
84
Gun lovers rejoice! North Creek Trading Post
Community Calendar The most inclusive events calendar in the region ... bar none
6 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
100
84
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The
y t u a Be
Eain Tierney designs furniture that transcends its own functionality
of wood is reflected in his art
8 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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Eain Tierney prepares a piece of wood for cutting in his furniture shop in Ticonderoga.
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continued on page 10 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 9
By Lohr McKinstry
him.
“My passion started in high school,” he said. “I’d come home after school and go in the barn and build stuff. This ain Tier Tierney sat place was a business idea much after the fact.” surroundsurround Now his days are spent running saws, sanders and hand ed by the rustic tools to capture intricate designs. and fine furniture “I enjoy making tables the most,” he said. “I like to take he’s created in his ugly wood and make a table out of it. You have to find your shop and thought niche.” about what he’ll dede His work comes from a fundamental love of the outsign next. doors and the beauty of wood. Tierney belonged to the The Ticonderoga man’s Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout work emphasizes the beauty and and going on several long distance backpacking/canoeing natural features of wood as he builds a functional piece of wilderness treks. furniture.
E
Tierney Adirondack Rustic Design is at 13 Summit Street in Ticonderoga, in a huge, barn-like building filled with tools, wood and furniture. Everywhere you look there are tables, chairs, beds, entertainment centers and other décor in unique designs. “This is the wood shop,” Tierney explained to a visitor. “This is where all the action takes place.” His newest acquisitions are a bench-top mortiser and 10-inch table saw. “We can plane up to 20 inches wide,” he said. “We have the capabilities to do just about anything.’ A storage bin for wood takes up a whole room. “We have two other barns in Chilson,” he said. “We have timbers of standing sizes, oak, birch, hickory, butternut, hemlock, white cedar, red cedar.” He recently acquired some 15-foot-long hemlock logs. “Most of the stuff, when I get it, I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. Then one night I realize what it can be. “Butternut is gorgeous wood to work with and I have some tiger maple.” Tierney got his industrial engineering degree from Binghamton University, and he’s incorporating the knowledge gained from his education along with the passion he refined as an adolescent into each design. He’s been running the shop as a business for more than a year. “Things have been going good,” he said. “I got out of college and started the business.” He said wood design has been a lifelong advocation for 10 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
Planing wood as another piece of furniture is created.
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He recently made some unique hickory chairs for a client. “I like the industrial look,” he said. “My main goal is to set the trend for rustic furniture. It’s been the same for 120 years. You have a gorgeous piece of wood but it also happens to be a chair or a table. Functionality is secondary. Checking cutting boards made with scraps of wood.
“I’d like to bring back the age of heirlooms. Now he has some red oak logs to work You’re inspiring people to appreciate wood.” from. He just made cutting boards from mahogany and hard maple.
“I’m blending form and art,” he said. “I want it to be a bigger picture than fur“I want people to appreciate wood as niture. I want to make wood cool again. much as I do,” he said. “What I’d like to do That’s my purpose in exhibiting.” is showcase the intense natural beauty of wood in an exhibit that just happens to also serve as a chair or a table.” northcountrylivingmagazine.com
continued on page 12 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 11
He strives to make his work the highest quality. “I use less joinery; instead of using screws, cut a hole, use a wedge.”
Looking for an unusual piece of wood for the next project. Photos by Lohr McKinstry
“I put a lifetime warranty on all my furniture,” he said. He tries to make his work environmentally conscious, us- “Bring it in and I’ll fix it for free.” ing sustainably cut wood as much as possible. His website is at tierneyadirondack.wixsite.com/rusticde“I want to do my best to optimize using waste-wood,” he sign and his email is tierneyadirondackrusticdesign@hotsaid. “It’s a trickle-down, use every piece of it. I use natural mail.com. finishes.” An edge of a board might become a candle holder, instead of being discarded, he said. Other scraps become cutting boards and bookends. There’s also a story in how he finds the wood he uses. “I try to use all dead, laying on the ground, wood,” he said. “We found wood while camping that I used. It was going to be firewood. “Every piece of wood has a story behind it. Maybe it was on top of a mountain and I had to hike two miles to get to it.” He makes four lines of furniture: Primitive, traditional Adirondack, rustic Adirondack, and modern rustic. And there’s a bonus for purchasers of his art. The creative process at work for a new design.
12 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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T HE B ARIAT RIC P ROG RAM
A New Year, A Healthier You
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FOR MANY PEOPLE, ANOTHER NEW YEAR MEANS ANOTHER RESOLUTION TO LOSE WEIGHT. BUT THE MONTHS GO BY, AND THE WEIGHT STAYS ON. SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? The answer might be weight loss surgery. Dr. Michael Hill has performed more than 1,000 minimally invasive bariatric procedures including gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass and the duodenal switch.
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Spring Bassin’
2016 FLW Take Off
By Ed Noonan
W
hen New York State changed the black bass fishing regulations several years ago allowing anglers with a current NYS fishing license to fish for bass year round, I believe it opened up one of the most exciting freshwater angling opportunities in decades. This regulation allows only immediate catch and release of large or smallmouth bass from Dec. 1 through the third Saturday in June the next year, which is the beginning of the regular bass season. And during the catch and release season only artificial lures can be used. Finding bass on most lakes and rivers during the shoulder season will depend on the water temperature. The smallmouth spawning is usually more active in mid-40 degree waters in April. Primary locations will be in mud and gravel areas at depths of 20 feet, and as the water warms they will start to move into the shallows. The largemouth however begins its spawning in mid-60 degree water temperatures. Finding these staging areas will require a little running and 14 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
Catch and release season opens opportunities for anglers gunning around the lake/rivers and a good electronic fish/ depth finder unit will be quite helpful. When the spawn begins the bass will move up onto the flats and into the bays. The biggest smallmouth I ever caught and released was taken in early May from a fallen subsurface tree on the north end of Schroon Lake. I was pitching a quarter ounce jig with a twin tail rubber grub trailer when the fish grabbed it. Fortunately, I had 25-pound test Spider Wire and a 7-foot heavy action flipping rod otherwise I don’t think I would have ever boated the smallie. My fishing partner said my hands were shaking when we ncliving@denpubs.com
Mike Morini from Albany won the 2004 FLW contest on Lake Champlain
HOW TO Catch and release
YOUNG AND OLD ENJOY FISHING Lake Champlain
watch the scale go to 6 pounds, 4 ounces. What a fish — and neither of us had a camera. It was very tempting to put it in my live well — but I didn’t. I did go back to the area every year just in case.
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When I am fishing this early bass season I try not to harm the bass. I use a 3-foot fluorocarbon 12-pound test leader and a 1/0 circle hook baited with a Bass Pro Shop bright colored 4-inch Triple Ripple grub. If you are going to use a crankbait you should replace the trebble hooks with barbless single circle hooks. These hooks will also always hook the fish in the corner of its mouth. Also try not to use a net, use thumb and fore finger in the lower jaw and lift it carefully out of the water. It also would be better if you had a wet hand towel to lift the bass into the boat. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 15
SMALLMOUTH ON CHAMPLAIN
If it is a trophy bass and you want to have a reproduction mount for your wall, you will need to take its length and girth measurement (the fisherman’s law allows you to add an inch or two). Then take a good photo and weigh it. All this must be done carefully, quickly and then gently lower, not throw, the fish back into the water.
WHERE TO GO All of the above works on any body of water that has a bass population, however the one I prefer is the 124.9 miles of fishable bass water of great Lake Champlain. This lake is bassy from Whitehall up to Canada. Actually on March 6, 1998 President Clinton signed a bill making Lake Champlain the sixth Great Lake. However, it was rescinded 14 days later. But it remains one of the country’s most popular bass fishing water. Each year the professional bass angler trails make Lake Champlain one of their major tournament stops. This year, both the Bassmasters and the FLW pros will be competing here. Several years ago these touring pros voted Lake Champlain their 13th most favorite lake in the country to bass fish. Here are just a few of the good areas where you can spend the catch and release season on this “Great” Lake. I highly recommend, unless you know Lake Champlain very well, to get a very good set of maps. I still use mine every time out. Now let’s look at how I have had successfully caught and released fish from South Bay to Plattsburgh (Definitely not a day trip.) What time of year I start depends on the weather, but usually I will begin in mid-May or early June. My first stop is at South Bay where I launch and, using the trolling motor only, work my way east toward the railroad bridge fishing the water chestnuts. There are days when I never have to leave this bay. From here I will head south toward Whitehall down to the small island on the east side. Fish the backside of this is16 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
The author, Ed Noonan, with a nice smallmouth
NOTE: I believe that Lake Champlain attracts the most bass tournaments than any other body of water in New York. It is truly a bass factory. There will be two big dollars pro tournaments returning to Plattsburg this year: the Costa FLW Tour June 22 and the Bassmasters Elite July 27. If you really would like to see what great fishing Champlain has to offer go to a few of the daily weighs-ins and you will see just how Bassy Great Lake Champlain really is. land where you will find a lot of sunken trees. This is definitely a heavy line area. From here I head north a few miles to the Galax Marsh on the eastern shore which is one of my favorite early season largemouth spots. Here I have actually caught largemouth dragging a weedless rubber frog across the chestnuts. Continuing north just before the Narrows of Dresden on the eastern side is Barret Bay. Work your way into the bay along the weed edges and all the way around to the high stone wall. Now cross back over on the western shore and fish your way to the end of the high wall. Work it back and around to the little bay. This little bay is definitely a spawning area for largemouth. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 ncliving@denpubs.com
LAKE CHAMPLAIN FALL SMALLMOUTH
Continuing north the area from the Ticonderoga boat launch to Westport is also bassy in the spring and summer. It is in this stretch where I weighed in my biggest 5 bass tournament limit of 24 pounds of smallmouth and spring fishing here can produce plenty of heavy photographic bass. You don’t have to go far from the launch to find good spawning areas. Back on the New York side about two miles north is Putnam Creek. I have had the best luck on the outside of the creek, but if there is enough water go in carefully using your trolling motor and make long casts with a spinnerbait or Chatterbait. Continuing north is Bulwagga Bay where you can spend a whole day fishing. It is a lake of its own. Be careful when going in: just follow the buoys. In the spring I start all the way in the back in the weeds which usually is a very good largemouth spawning area. Also work the rocky weedy area shoreline along the railroad tracks. Across from Bulwagga there are several prominent stony points where you will find smallmouth. These are Chimney, Elm, Oven and Potash and just a mile or so farther north is Rock Island which attracts both small and largemouth. To fish the Willsboro and Plattsburgh area I will usually launch at the Willsboro launch and start right at Willsboro Point. From there I head across to the Vermont side which is primarily smallmouth country. Also back on the New York side is also smallmouth country from Valcour to and beyond Plattsburgh. If you have the time there are all types of structure/weeds that house some excellent bass fishing.
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 19
Reliving history in the town of Saranac Lifelong residents, communities celebrate local history By Teah Dowling
A
s a child, Saranac resident Nick Carter ran into Redford’s annual community picnic full of excitement and joy year after year. This truly was a family affair for Carter as he and his brothers helped their uncle Lloyd and Uncle Jim operate booths during the picnic. Now the town supervisor, Carter still volunteers for the 161-year-old town of Saranac celebration. “This event brings in the same people doing what their grandparents did,” Saranac Historian Jan Couture said. “It really encompasses our town’s heritage and families.” The Redford Picnic, also known as the “15th of Redford” started back in 1855 when the Church of Assumption was dedicated. The celebration consisted of a simple local feast of roast beef made by the ladies of the church. Since then, the event has grown significantly to add several events and contests. A celebratory mass kicks off the day. A picnic dinner of ham and roast beef follows. Participants play games of chance, mini golf and coin tosses. The most popular feature at the picnic, 20 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
Carter said, is the 1890s-era Armitage-Herschell carousel, equipped with the original hand-carved horses and chariots. To this day the ride, donated by a bankrupt traveling show more than 100 years ago, is still powered by a farm tractor.
SO MANY STORIES
Several photos of this historic artifact, along with other Redford Picnic traditions, can be found in one of local author Sylvia Newman’s history books that focus solely on the town of Saranac. Newman was born in Merrill and raised in Peru before moving to Saranac, and penned two books called “The Life & Times in Olde Saranac: photos of Saranac’s past.” “I wanted to preserve and showcase our town’s history,” Newman said. “So many people don’t know how life was here in the past.” Newman stumbled across this history by knocking on doors and talking to lifelong residents. One resident handed her an early 1900s black and white photo of 11 brothers and sisters standing in front of Hudson sedans at Herb Carter’s Hudson Car dealership in Sancliving@denpubs.com
Couture’s overall goal is to showcase the history of each of the town’s hamlets, including Clayburg, Dannemora, Elisnore, High Bank, Moffitsville, Picketts Corners, Redford, Russia, Saranac Hollow and Standish.
ranac. The family appeared to be dressed in their Sunday finest: the boys in suits and the women in dresses. Newman said the family took the photo for a car commercial contest that could be won by the family who owned the most Hudson vehicles. Unfortunately, the family lost the contest because another family had more cars, said Newman. Newman is in the process of working on her third historical picture book, featuring new stories from the past.
PLACE OF PRODUCTION
Couture said Saranac was also a heavy industrial town at the turn of the century. “Most of our towns don’t have a lot of industries anymore,” she said. “It’s just interesting to find out how our town got to be where it is today.” In the late 1800s, dams downriver from Redford powered iron forges here. Ore was mined at Lyon Mountain. Saranac iron, due to its quality, was used in the construction of ironclad warships during the Civil War. The Redford Glass Company was one of the most prominent manufacturing sites in Saranac’s history. In operation from 1831 to 1851, the Redford Glass Company was situated along the shores of the Saranac River. Glass pieces, like window panes, were created by glass
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blowers at the company and sold across the country. The leftovers were used by employees to make glassware. Known specifically for its sea green/aquamarine color, the glass is prized today among rare glass collectors across the United States, said Couture. “We have the largest exhibit of Redford Glass in the state,” she said.
PRESERVING HISTORY
Couture is in the process of applying for a grant through the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for a historic marker to recognize the Redford Picnic. The goal is to place the marker near the Church of Assumption in time for next year’s celebration. Couture’s overall goal is to showcase the history of each of the town’s hamlets, including Clayburg, Dannemora, Elisnore, High Bank, Moffitsville, Picketts Corners, Redford, Russia, Saranac Hollow and Standish. “Our town is unique and filled with history,” Couture said. “Our goal is to preserve it and share it with everyone.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 21
The town of Saranac contains several communities, including Clayburg, Dannemora, Elisnore, High Bank, Moffitsville, Picketts Corners, Redford, Russia, Saranac Hollow and Standish. The goal of the town is to preserve and share its history in all communities.
Clinton County Historical Association former director Melissa Peck (left) and town of Saranac Historian Jan Couture (right) stand in front of the former Saranac exhibit in the Clinton County Historical Association Museum in Plattsburgh in 2015. The exhibit consisted of old photos, posters and plates from previous Redford Picnic’s. Photo by Teah
Dowling
The Clinton County Historical Association Museum used to hold a Saranac exhibit back in 2015. A majority of the Redford Glass displayed was acquired from the Boire family of Mooers, who provided the association with framed bulls-eye panes, pitchers, lamps, soup ladles, mace and more. Photo by Teah Dowling
The Redford Picnic is an annual tradition for the town of Saranac. Here, residents and visitors gather to play games and eat plenty of food. Photo provided
“The Life & Times in Olde Saranac: photos of Saranac’s past” was released last fall by local author Sylvia Newman. Photo by Teah Dowling
This family was posing for a car commercial contest for Hudson Motors to see how many family members owned the most Hudsons. The family lost due to another family having more members. Local author Sylvia Newman
22 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 23
Father of Reforestation The Legacy of
Clifford R. Pettis in the Adirondacks By Megan Harrington
C
lifford Robert Pettis is widely known as the “Father of Reforestation” in New York State and served as the Superintendent of State Forests from 1910 until his death in 1927. The Adirondack Forest Preserve we know and love today is much a result of Pettis’ hard work and innovative forestry techniques. The Adirondack Forest Preserve includes more than 2.6 million acres of state land within the larger 6 million acre Adirondack Park. In the late 19th-century, the New York State Legislature designated the public lands as “forever wild” thereby protecting the forests from over development. However, prior to this protection, many areas had already been stripped of trees for timber. Fortunately, in the last decade of Pettis’ career, more than 3 million seedlings were planted, giving us today’s lush forests. In a Feb. 3, 1927 Adirondack Record - Elizabethtown Post
26 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
article, Pettis is remembered for pioneering modern forest nursery practices and authoring the “Bulletin of Forest Nursery Practice.” This publication was later adopted as the handbook of the United States Forest Service. Pettis earned his title as “Father of Reforestation” primarily due to his involvement with a state law that facilitated the distribution of low cost tree seedlings. These seedlings helped to replace trees cut down for logging and return the Adirondacks to their natural glory. Additionally, Pettis also worked to establish New York State’s forest fire control system, which was crucial in the fight to protect upstate timberlands. Pettis was born on Aug. 10, 1877 in Delancy, New York to Homer and Margaret (Davidson) Pettis. He graduated from Ithaca High School in 1896 and went on to study under Dr. Bernard E. Fernow at the nation’s first School of Forestry at Cornell University. In 1904, Pettis wed Maude Eunice Otis and they had one daughter together, Elizabeth. After a lifetime of working to preserve and expand forests in upstate New York, Pettis passed away at his home in Albany on Jan. 29, 1927. He is buried in St. John’s in the Wilderness Cemetery, which lies within his beloved Adirondack Forest Preserve. In 1929, the area formerly known as Chubb Hill Nursery was renamed Clifford R. Pettis Memorial Forest to honor the famed forester. This 3,000-acre forest, located between Lake Plac-
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id and Saranac Lake, features towering spruce and pine trees now over a century old. Shortly after graduating from Cornell’s School of Forestry, Pettis began working for New York State. First, he served as the assistant to Colonel William F. Fox, who served as the head of the Forest, Fish and Game Commission. A June 15, 2009 Saratogian article recounts that Pettis’ employer, Colonel Fox, was born into a lumbering business family and later studied forestry techniques in Germany. Upon returning to the United States, Fox was appointed assistant secretary to the nation’s first Forest Commission in 1885. He later served as assistant Forest Warden and ultimately became Superintendent of Forests upon the creation of the Adirondack Park. In 1910, a year after Fox’s death, Pettis succeeded him and was named Superintendent of Forests. During his tenure with the State Forest, Fish and Game Commission, Pettis worked tirelessly on legislation that would become the hallmark of his legacy. Pettis urged legislators to pass a law that would distribute tree nursery stock to private landowners at a very low price. According to the aforementioned Adirondack Record - Elizabethtown Post article, “This law has been the stimulus for the planting of millions of trees, and has given immense impetus to the forestry movement. At the beginning of this work less than 25,000 trees were planted annually. In eighteen years the number has increased to more than 20,000,000.” This reforestation work was vital because according to
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the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) website, “by the 1880s, less than 25 percent of New York State remained forested.” This rapid deforestation was a result of clearing land for new settlements as well as unsavory logging practices. At the turn of the 20thcentury, the New York Forest, Fish and Game Conservation Commission (predecessor to the DEC) predicted that the state would run out of timber within 50 years. This warning prompted many foresters, including Pettis, to make a long term plan for forest management, one that focused on productivity and preservation rather than profits. This new model was based upon European forestry principles where trees were considered a renewable, but not unlimited resource. Pettis also helped to establish the first state tree nurseries in the nation. The nurseries served as a source of seedlings for planting in the Catskills and Adirondacks. The DEC website recounts, “Hundreds of millions of seedlings of Norway spruce, white pine, red pine, and Scotch pine were planted on State Forests as windbreaks and forest plantations.” Later on, at least nine state tree nurseries were in operation. However, since 1972 all nursery operations have been consolidated at the Saratoga Springs location. According to the Saratogian, “The 250-acre Saratoga Tree Nursery has produced 1.6 billion seedlings since it opened in 1911.” And the nursery currently grows more than a million seedlings each year for state projects and private sales. If you’d like to pay homage to the famed forester, follow scenic New York State Route 86 from Saranac Lake toward Lake Placid. Shortly after you leave the hamlet of Ray Brook, you’ll pass the forest named in honor of Pettis. Admire the towering pines and spruce and give a silent thanks to the man who helped them grow.
Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 27
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Prose ... Adirondack Style Poetry, publishing, reading are center stage in Adirondack Center for Writing works By Kim Dedam
P
oems posted on storefront windows in Saranac Lake or tucked into retail shelves and merchandise marked the surprise opening of PoemVillage.
The month-long blend of writing and performance art launched last year by the Adirondack Center for Writing worked to connect writers and readers, an act Executive Director Nathalie Thill says is intended to move, connect and inspire. Words crafted by students and teachers, young and old, writers and non-writers, tucked everyday thoughts and hopes and dreams into short sentences delivered by surprise. Pocket Poetry brought PoemVillage rhyme, musing and cheer to trays of patients at area hospitals. Small copies of the works poked from boxes of store merchandise.
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The immense success of its foundational launch last April repeats again this year, poetry season with the advent of spring. “We were expecting 50 poems. We received 420,� Thill said of their inaugural edition, a moveable book really, with pages pulled out and bound loosely by streets and glass. Up they went, laid out in large type and printed on placards that lined windows of Main Street and side streets and along Broadway. An adventurous group of Saranac Lake villagers claimed their own part in PoemVillage with a poetry Pub Crawl. And village merchants hosted a Pocket Poetry hunt. Thill said the Center for Writing here worked with Poem City creators in Montpelier, Vermont where a similar poetic arts performance project has run for five years now. Retreat Tupper Lake Class
continued on page 32 northcountrylivingmagazine.com
Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 31
Author Elizabeth Kolbert
“The most important part of the program that drew me was else in our village. And I felt connected by that.” that there is no selection or judging process,” Thill said. The works came from 10 schools and 12 towns surround“It isn’t about judging poetic merit; it is about celebrating ing the Tri-Lakes communities. And some 40 local business poetry and most importantly, about celebrating community.” organizations participated. The success both on the street and behind the posters was “It was more moving than I can say, to see hundreds of poimmense. ems written by community members, young and old, hung “Oh my, it was so amazing,” local author and storyteller in business store windows on Main Street. It wasn’t until I Fran Yardley said, herself a member of the Center’s advisory looked out my window to see people walking down the street and reading the poems that I realized that this program was panel. so successful,” Thill said. “I had a little poem that was on the door of the Post Of“I think it was successful for two reasons: it not only enfice Pharmacy, a family-run pharmacy now in their second generation here. It’s the pharmacy I’ve gone to for almost 40 couraged people to write poems in their community, it also had people reading poems all over town. There is nothing years. about this program that wasn’t incredible.” “But you could stop at any window on Main Street and find The thing is, PoemVillage is just one of dozens of programs a poem. And I found I would pause at a time when I would normally just walk by. It invited me to stop and pay attention generated and run by the Adirondack Center for Writing. to a wonderful creative moment, a moment from someone Their goal has long been to connect readers and writers, to 32 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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harness the pith that fuses written word and deliver it across a large human landscape.
winsome words along with his performance style, all fraught with images of life in a city.
Open Mic Nights in Old Forge run for three different months, last year in November, February and May. Local writers emcee each event encouraging spoken word and poem shares.
The Center for Writing, he says, has been foundational in his life.
“I’ve been working with Nathalie Thill for over half a decade, and I’m always inspired by the breadth of their proA Howl Story Slam series hosted in cooperation with North gramming. ACW is not an organization that concerns itself Country Public Radio shares a rich Adirondack penchant for with posturing or patting itself on the back,” Sands shared of storytelling in some 10 towns, and is expanding, from Can- his experience. ton to Watertown, Saratoga Springs to Jay and Plattsburgh. “They put their time and resources into making sure that The Poetry Alive! high school writing retreat launched 12 years ago draws 120 students to a day-long event where youth learn from performance poets and writers often called in from areas beyond the Adirondacks.
literature is foundational in Adirondack life. They’ve had me teaching workshops in a federal prison, then surprising a high-school cafeteria with an impromptu poetry set, and then reading inside a packed theater. They’re trailblazers, and Diversity and fostering curiosity are part of the Adirondack I’m grateful to have them as a gateway to the generous culture Center for Writing repertoire, delivering flavors and tones in of the Adirondacks.” language from other cultures. Jon Sands, a Brooklyn-based poet, worked with students at Poetry Alive! in Tupper Lake last year, mixing his gritty and
continued on page 34
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 33
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If You Were On That Train by Jon Sands
Poem Village
“We’re saying this is not something separate,” Thill charges. “You do this every day.” A keynote program designed for area writers falls into the annual cycle of Center for Writing events at Heaven Hill Farm where, in June, editors, publishers, agents and self-publishing experts gather to help writers reach into the world of publishing. Having attended the Publishing Conference last year, Yardley is now nearly ready to release a book she began working on years ago.
You wonder if it is okay to clap your hands. If it is okay to dance. The lady next to you just took her coat off and walks the aisle searching people in their eyes when she smiles. She wears a thick South African accent, and the world is inside the Quest train. We swallow her story that could just as easily be ours, since we all entered through the same doors. As if carried by the wind she expands out into Atlantic Terminal where her final proclamation echoes: It was a good day! None of this is a metaphor. I’m writing because it happened. I saw it. I was there.
“I went off to the Publishing Conference and I had submitted a chapter because they had brought in agents from New York. I had my 15 minutes with the agent, who was so wonderful and helpful.” Within two months Yardley had an advance contract. By early February, Yardley would submit her manuscript to a new publisher.
PARTICIPATE!
To find out more of what is in and around words, poetry, courses and events from the Adirondack Center for Writing “Part of it is the community, of needing to be around other this year, visit their website at : adirondackcenterforwriting. writers for a full day,” Yardley shared of what brought her to org the conference. The annual Anne LaBastille Writers Residency Program “Writing can be an isolating and a lonely venture, having is planned in October at Twitchell Lake and selects six writsuch resource is invaluable. And what really got the ball roll- ers through a formal application process; three are local and ing for me was the Adirondack Center for Writing. The net- three come from applicants around the world. working possibilities are tremendous.” Membership is $40 per year and supports the work of As for Thill’s leadership and reach, Yardley sees it as invalu- the non-profit group. Additional funding is derived from able to community. the Anne LaBastille Estate; grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and numerous businesses sponsors. “It’s a very rich program that she’s built.” It is nearly ready to print.
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 35
Rings on the... By Rich Redman
Spring brings Life
T
Water
he spring sun and its extended days activate nature’s internal signals. The solar day length and warming soils bring life. Melting snows give way to a rediscovered earth, no longer white and hard, but soft muddy brown and growing green. The ground cracks open with the birth of dormant seeds. Green grass, tree buds, and red maple flowers appear, the continuation of earth’s life. Soon the insects will start doing their dance of life. River temperatures will warm: 40 degrees, 45, and then 50. Our local valley rivers like Putnam Creek, the Boquet and Ausable will be stocked with brookies, browns and rainbows, feeding on the insect inhabitants of the water. Aquatic bug activity and trout all thrive and come to life. Mayflies and caddis will mate, dipping, bouncing and dancing over the surface dropping eggs, the next generation. northcountrylivingmagazine.com
Stones will climb onto rocks and fly off in search of a mate. The feeding accelerates! Slurping trout leave rings on the water, a bullseye. This means the 10 mile stare into the fly box for emergers and dry flies; the epitome, and the fly fishermen’s flight of fancy. You’ll need to cast up stream so the fly drifts through the targeted feeding area.
The Waters
Putnam Creek flows into Lake Champlain. It starts in the hills of Crown Point, near Grizzle Ocean and Thunderbolt Mountains, descending its way down through ponds and wetland flows. Nearing Crown Point village, it passes by the county fish hatchery, where some of the lives of the redribbon-lined rainbows, butter-bellied-browns and Crayolaspeckled-brookies start their lives. Traveling through gravel and rocky wooded stretches, the grade goes horizontal. The flow slows as farm country appears. continued on page 40 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 39
Box of Flies Wooded wetlands supply nutrients to spawning areas where northern pike and other spring spawners like the rainbow and suckers come in. Later it could be the smallmouths. Each fish species has its temperature preference. At the mouth of the creek, where fresh stream water meets lake water, boats will be trolling, trailing a spoon or two in search of a strike. Aboard are fishing sailors, dressed in winter gear to offset the cold water winds. With rod tips twitching from the action of the lure and anticipation of a strike in the minds of the ship’s captain and crew, the trolling motor churns as they slowly cruise the shoreline; planer boards gliding along each side, lines rigged and pulsing, ready for action. Once darkness sets in, the boats are trailered and the crew is docked at a local watering hole, another pursuit underway. Along the shore, white bucket sitters will be lighting up the evenings along the Adirondack coastline with driftwood campfires; bullpout fishing. Just like fish, we all have our preferences too. If solitude and mountain hikes are your thing, fishing the forks of the Boquet and many mountain tributaries in late spring, may get you a native brookie. Packing in for a day’s journey will get you into the clear waters, where a streamside lunch, hot coffee from the Thermos and a campfire can sooth your soul. The beauty of the boulders, stream currents that mesmerize and views to please the eyes abound. Working downstream, you may pick up a brown or rainbow if you know where to fish. The North Branch is preferred. 40 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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Below the old dam site is the large pool where the landlocked salmon lie. There is a chance you’ll get one if you try. Once again at the mouth, the flat liners are out beyond the sand bar trolling along the shoreline. From the lakeshore, you can also catch trout and salmon just after the ice goes out. Heavy casting spoons will get the line to the fish. Ponds will be deicing and when the ice is no more, kayaks and canoes will skim the waters in search of trout. As the lake flows north toward Canada, it passes the Ausable River. Here the famed West Branch flows from its head waters near Indian falls on the north side of Mount Marcy, while the East Branch originates near the Ausable Lakes, draining out places with names like Panther Gorge in Keene. Both branches flow down through rocky rugged sections, then through flat valley sand plains, further down through gorges and over falls and eventually meet at Ausable Forks where they continue the downward journey into the Champlain Valley, where the mountain runoff enters the lake. The Ausable River has welcomed fly fishermen such as Ray Bergman, Lee Wulff and of course, Fran Betters to cast a line into its depths and hook into the wonder and joy of the river’s offerings. At times it seems every bend in the river is being swept by a fly line as a fisherman tries his or her luck; the downside of famous waters. But then again, I have been there when solitude was easy to find. The river was mine, the hatch was on and fish were rising everywhere. I was alone in my glory. Things are changing though. continued on page 42
Releasing a Rainbow northcountrylivingmagazine.com
Close up of a Brown Trout Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 41
Fall on the Ausable
Mayfly
Tiny Caddis
Last year’s drought and lack of rainfall have taken its toll. fish passage areas, stream restoration, bank stabilization, Trout are cold water fish. Low flows and warm water are not tree planting and reconnecting floodplains and wetlands to the habitat that supports these fish. Cold water refuge sites, all of our rivers is critically needed so we have a cold water habitat future. continued on page 44 42 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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habitat future. Stocked trout such as brookies, browns and rainbows will now call the river home once again. Holdover rates are slim. More needs to be done than just stocking fish. Stocking fish is putting a Band-Aid on a critical wound. It’s time to do some serious surgery on our rivers and restore them back to a more natural state. Native trout should be stocked solely where they can survive, with little competition. Browns and rainbows will always be stocked, due to the demand for fish and stream temperatures, but as conservationists, we must do all we can to keep the waters cold and clean, providing as near a self-sustaining home as possible, for Adirondack trout. I find peace in walking a stream with fly rod in hand and seeing a trout rise and making rings in the water. A greater feeling comes to mind, knowing we can restore a river to a natural state where fish thrive.
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lies a well known haven where young men have gathered for more than 100 years — not just from around the state — but the nation and the world itself. They all come to be part of a summer camping excursion
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lies the oldest boy’s camp in the country which weaves programs in athletics, outdoors, arts and spirituality together to provide a unique boy’s camp experience. It must have worked, as this is the home of the oldest boy’s camp in the United States, Camp Dudley, drawing more than
325 campers in each of two three-and-one-half week sessions with a staff of around 200 per session, serving young men from ages 10 and a half to 15. continued on page 48
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‘The Other Fellow First’ A fabled history
The Dudley story started almost 133 year ago, when Sumner F. Dudley, an employee of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in the New York City area, was in search of a summer activity in 1885. “He wanted to give boys the chance to get into the woods and show them an alternative lifestyle from the city,” Matt Storey, current director of Camp Dudley, said. “It proved to be a success.” Dudley was backed by a pair of gentleman, George Peck and Rudolph Leypoldt, to create the Boy’s Camping Society. Dudley also helped to create numerous programs for his summer program, including swimming, boating, canoeing and hiking along with a spiritual component. “He created the foundation for today, where we are based on offering a real balance of different programs that allow a kid to experience many things in any given day,” Storey 48 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
A moment shared between campers and their leader on Camp Dudley’s 500 acre campus in Westport.
Photos provided
said. “There is a sports component, a stage component, an outdoors-woods component and a spiritual component, which I think is very unique. It’s not a specialized camp, we just want to expose the kids to all of these amazing things that they can’t necessarily get at home.” In 1885, the camp was run in Newburgh, NY, located just outside the metropolitan area. “The camp bounced around over the first few years and in 1908 they found a home here in Westport at Barber’s Point,” Storey said. “Eventually, they moved to the current site and were able to purchase more land and expand to where we are now.” The oldest building on the campus is the Avery Boathouse, which was constructed in 1917. The newest building is still in the process of being completed. The camp has also grown into an independent entity. “The camp eventually became an independent YMCA establishment so we were not affiliated with any other local ncliving@denpubs.com
branch. It also changed status in the late 1960’s and about two years ago, along with the YMCA, we all made the decision to break and become an independent 501-c-3.” Currently, the camp is scattered over 500 acres, with 81 cabins and 80 other support buildings. Campers from 32 states were represented last summer along with campers from 11 different countries. And, while the camp has modernized over the past several years (solar paneling, etc), there is one rule that will not change. “No electronics,” Storey said. “I think this is a really important part of the camping experience. When they have their phones, their focus is on something else. For them to get a break from electronics is important and refreshing. When you see these kids come in and get that break, it is like a huge pressure is relieved from their shoulders.”
Second camp added
Another step forward for the camp has been the acquisition of a second camp across the lake in Colchester, Vt., this one being a camp exclusively for girls named Camp Kiniya. Youth participate in a variety of sports, including archery and lacrosse, at many different levels as part of the four pillars of a Camp Dudley summer.
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Kiniya was founded in 1919 when Helen Van Buren founded Camp Kiniya in hopes of giving “a safe, loving, and quality camping experience for girls.” Dudley started working with Kiniya in 2004, naming it Camp Dudley at Kiniya, combining, “Kiniya’s heritage and traditions with Dudley’s extensive programs, including leadership and spirituality.” The camp officially opened for its first summer under the new name in 2006. “This camp has been a Godsend for us ever since,” Storey said.
Getting ‘the number’
A tradition that links all those who have been a part of the Camp Dudley legacy is: “the number.” “It started with George Peck, who was given the number one,” Storey said. “Surprisingly, Sumner Dudley never had a camp number.” Storey’s number is 13,804, which he uses as part of his signature on correspondence to fellow campers or the community at general. “Everyone remembers and talks about their numbers,” Storey said. “It’s a great sense of pride for everyone who has continued on page 50
Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 49
been a part of Camp Dudley as a camper, leader or employee. It’s a cool identifier for anyone who has been here.” In the fall edition of Camp Dudley News, Ken White (number 9,137) shared an experience about sharing numbers with alumni at a basketball game where he and his grandson (Griffin, number 22,547) ran across a familiar face who they found out was an old leader named Ike (number 12,467). “Upon introducing Ike to Griffin and exchanging camp numbers, it turns out that all three of us have numbers ending in the digit, 7,” White said. “It links all the campers to each other,” Storey said. “Families share their numbers, and we have reached the point where we have fifth generation campers here.”
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Storey himself is a part of a family tradition of Dudley numbers, with his father having been a camper and his son, Carter, currently attending. “My dad would come here and as a little guy, I was here for every family reunion every summer and I knew I was going to be a camper here,” he said. “When I finally became a camper, it was just remarkable. There was a kid from California in my cabin and I could not believe it. I lived with people from different backgrounds and areas and it was an amazing part of my camping experience.” Storey learned about the chance to return to Camp Dudley as director while living in Williamstown, Mass. “I owned my own business and we had just fully renovated a house, so we felt we were set up,” Storey joked. “When I heard there was an opportunity to come here as director, it was like a childhood dream. When you went to camp and you loved your experience, someday you want to be part of that as a career. It was the job of a lifetime, and I jumped at the opportunity.” Storey, his wife Jessica, and their three children made the ncliving@denpubs.com
Camp Dudley makes ample use of the Adirondacks, including Lake Champlain for boating, swimming and more.
move from what he called, “an 8,000-town to an 800-town,” as Matt became the camp director in 2010. “Carter goes to camp here now and the girls go across the lake,” he said. “I think their being in camp has helped me because I know what it is like to be a parent and how to talk with them about what they want and need out of me as a director. My kids being part of the programs has been terrific.”
The Other Fellow First
In providing camp programs for his own children and the hundreds of others who come through the gates of Camp Dudley and Kiniya, Storey said there are four words that guide everything he, the leaders and employees of the camp base their decisions on: “The Other Fellow First.” “That is the motto of camp,” Storey said. “It is brought into everything that we do. “We have these amazing assets and the ability to connect people with programs,” he continued. “We always have to be thoughtful about growth but not put our summer camps in jeopardy.” To help with growth, Dudley has formed a number of northcountrylivingmagazine.com
partnerships with schools from New York City and Newburgh — where it all began — for leadership and character development programs; a 100-day leadership program for youth who are between high school and college, along with an international program. “That’s just a tiny part of the whole program,” Storey said. “What it all comes down to is making sure we run the best summer camp we can and make sure we keep the Other Fellow First.”
A sense of community
Storey said one of his major goals when he arrived was to put “The Other Fellow First” by reaching out to the local communities which have supported the camp over the past 100-plus years. “I want to make sure we are a good neighbor with the town and the local schools,” he said. “We host a countywide youth soccer tournament here every year that brings over 700 people in. It’s really amazing to see.” continued on page 52 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 51
Locally, the camp has helped house Special Olympics, high school track, cross country and soccer games for Westport and ELCS/WCS combined teams, youth soccer and baseball programs, AAU basketball, North Country School events, emergency volunteer training facilities, a water safety day for Elizabethtown-Lewis Central School, staff training days for Moriah Shock, referee meetings, leadership training days for Westport students in sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth grades and local usage of their Stacy Brook Trail off Stevenson Cemetery Road.
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Storey said the camp has also made sure they give local youth the chance to take advantage of what the camp has to offer in the summer. “Locally, we gave out around $90,000 in scholarships for kids within the area which gives them a chance to be exposed to others,” Storey said. “I feel that is a big part of the camp experience. Once you get these kids together, everything else leaves and doesn’t matter. Everyone there is uncomfortable and awkward at first, and it is within that discomfort where real growth can happen.”
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An overview of Camp Kiniya.
The start of a new year
Camp Dudley Director Matt Storey.
Along with scholarships, Storey said the camp offers 60 summer jobs to local residents at a combined salary of around $270,000. northcountrylivingmagazine.com
When it comes to the full-time job of maintaining, recruiting and scheduling the camp, Storey said the year always seems to have, “a real rhythm to it.” “Sometimes it can feel like Groundhog Day, yet each summer is so incredibly different.” Storey started his time line for the year with the season following camp. “Fall is a time for travel and meeting with families — current families, past families and future families — and starting the fundraising activities,” he said. “There is a big push for fundraising at the year’s end.” The start of a new year also starts the construction of the camp roster. “We start to get into a lot of the enrollment process for the future campers and leaders who will be coming in the summer,” Storey said. “One of the amazing things about our camp is virtually all of the staff and all of the leaders are people who have come through the Camp Dudley system.” The formation of camp will continue into the spring. continued on page 54 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 53
“Starting in mid-March we get focused on a lot of the pa“It’s also the time we get focused on our final push to perwork and the work with the parents,” Storey said. “We have the over 90 buildings and 500 acres of camp ready to start to focus on cabin placements and forming leadership go,” he added. “This takes a lot of work and the team here teams. is just remarkable. We are so lucky to have them.”
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All of the hard work from September to May makes for many smiling faces when the first mini-van pulls up to the gates of Camp Dudley or Kiniya and a smiling young face emerges. “Camp is the easy part,” Storey said. “You come in and you go through the routine you have set and you just thrive off of the energy these kids bring into camp. I always say it is like working all day on a huge meal and you sit down at the table and it takes 10 minutes to eat.” Storey said he knows how important it is to keep the legacy of the camps and “The Other Fellow First,” alive. “I am the 12th director in 133 years and I have this huge responsibility to keep things rolling along with a responsibility to keep the traditions alive,” he said. “And yet, you have the chance to create a new summer for these kids every year and at the end of every summer, you have to do a complete 100 percent rebuild to ensure those kids have the time of their lives each and every summer.”
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A Dudley Day
Each morning starts out with a cannon blast and reveille followed by Chapel Talk and breakfast in Beckman Dining Hall at 8 a.m. The first two activity periods happen after inspection, followed by choice time and lunch. There is a rest period every day for a break in the action, then back to activities in the afternoon. There are three opportunities for swimming each day, as well as plenty of choice time to balance out the structured activity periods. Dinner is served at 6 p.m. and every evening has a different feel. Wednesday and Saturday Night shows in Witherbee Hall, Council rings and divisional activities are decades old traditions that continue to this very day. Each day ends with a cabin or mass vesper, which is a time of the day when each camper gets to reflect on all that we have encountered. — From CampDudley.org
Cabin Living
The Cabin is the nucleus of the Dudley Experience and each cabin is overseen by the Cabin Leader (who must be at least 18 and a high school graduate), a Junior Leader (16 years old) or Assistant Leader (17 years old) and in the Cubs, Plebes and Juniors, an Aide (15, the first year of leadership.) Many of the summer’s most important experiences happen in the cabin setting. In the cabin group the Leader acts as the teacher, mentor, parent, brother and coach. Each cabin generally has 8 campers, which allows for excellent interaction between the leadership team and campers. Every cabin at Dudley is unique and brings its own personality and traditions. They are named after colleges or universities, as well as some historic Dudley family names. This makes the cabin a true home for campers and Leaders allowing them to gel as a family unit. — From CampDudley.org
Athletic Program
The athletics program has three different components: Divisional Team Games, Team Majors, and Individual Majors. While there is an opportunity for boys to focus on some sports, we are a generalist camp and the boys will play sports that they are familiar with but they will also play sports that they may be learning for the very first time. Divisional team games are broken into age groups and played in basketball, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, flag football, ultimate frisbee, water polo, track meets, and swim meets. Team majors include specialized coaching from a staff of high school and collegiate coaches in soccer, basketball, lacrosse, baseball, flag football and ultimate frisbee. Individual majors include archery, riflery, golf, tennis, rock climbing, strength and conditioning, sailing, paddling, fishing and snorkeling. — From CampDudley.org
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Arts Program
Primarily, the boys gain experience in the Arts through the Arts Majors Program, The Saturday Night Show, and the Wednesday Night Show. Dramatics and Music have been an integral part of Camp Dudley since its earliest days. In fact, our first full length production was in 1907! The dramatics portion of our program is housed in Witherbee Hall – our nearly 500 seat theater built in 1925. The arts and crafts portion of our program takes place in the Brodie Arts & Crafts Building with dramatic views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains. — From CampDudley.org
Outdoors Program
Along with the Adirondack Park itself, Dudley boasts it’s own 300 acre wilderness area called Stacy Brook, which is home to lean-to camping sites, our yurt Leadership Village, and the High- and Low-Ropes Challenge Course. All campers, no matter their age, gain outdoor experience during the summer through: a Cabin Overnight trip to one of our lean-to camping sites; a Low-Ropes Challenge Course experience, which may lead to additional experiences on the High-Ropes Challenge Course; opportunity to do the Farm to Table Arts Major; and additional outdoor programming that progresses in challenge as the boys get older. — From CampDudley.org
Spiritual Program
Each day starts with a Chapel Talk by a Leader or Staff member before breakfast. This is an opportunity to address the entire camp and give a short talk about a topic important to that person. Chapel Talks touch on values important to character and leadership development of the boys. The day ends with a vesper…a cabin group discussion on various topics. At the start of the summer Leaders lead the vesper, but each boy in the cabin will eventually lead a vesper on a topic of his choosing. On Sunday we have a chapel service in our outdoor chapel. Chapel speakers come from various faith backgrounds and experiences. The Chapel Services happen at noon every Sunday throughout the summer (except for the Parents’ Weekends). Services are open to the public. — From CampDudley.org
Hymn Sing
Perhaps the highlight of every week. Hymn Sing happens on Sunday night when all of camp gathers in Witherbee Hall. Our alumni make it a particular point of emphasis to visit camp for a Hymn Sing during the summer. It’s kind of hard to explain so here’s a short video. Hymn Sings happen at 8:00 PM every Sunday (except for the Parents’ Weekends) and are open to the public. — From CampDudley.org
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 57
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hen an Adirondack maple producer awakes on a mid-winter morning, he needs a great deal of will power to peel back the blankets, plant bare feet on the night-chilled floor and plod to the wood stove. Embers in the bottom flush bright red as he swings open the firebox door, letting in a gust of air as he inserts fresh logs to warm the house. His flannel-clad elbow scrapes a small circle of frost from the kitchen window to reveal the 6 a.m. temperature: five degrees. If that’s above zero, he is grateful. He grabs a hot breakfast and cup of coffee, then layers up his outerwear, pulls on insulated boots, gloves and a cap that covers his ears. Not done yet, he steps out onto the porch, breathing in the morning quiet of the woods as caterpillars of snow crawl along the branches, and white cotton blankets the ground. He grabs the pair of snowshoes leaning up against the side of the house.
That snow isn’t going to quit any time soon, and he has his sugar bush to attend to, snow or no snow. He’ll wade through miles of the fluff before he gets home, but it’s better that than a rocky slope glazed with ice, which would require him to strap spiked crampons to his boots. Today’s job might be to run more tubing through the sugar bush, set some new taps, or check to see if a hungry bear has been gnawing on the lines. When all is ready for sugaring season, he must wait for the weather to start this year’s drama in motion. When will that day come, the time when the temperatures rise above freezing for a few days, with the nighttime mercury dipping below freezing? Will it last long enough to merit firing up the evaporator and other equipment in the sugarhouse? Or will it freeze again for more weeks of anxious waiting?
Hot pancakes and fresh warm maple syrup are a Valley Road Maple treat that can’t be beat.
It makes any sensible person wonder, “Why would anyone expend so much effort and anxiety for a pancake topping? After talking with numerous longtime maple producers over the years, I’ve heard similar responses from each. I’ve been told that it’s an addiction or a sickness. Bradley French, who learned the art in childhood from his father and in turn taught his son and his grandkids, agrees, creating a business, Maple Brook Farm, from their passion. They have 1,700 taps, made 800-900 gallons of syrup last year, mostly what is traditionally called “medium amber,” and expect to add another four or five hundred taps this year. When people talk to French about getting started in sugaring themselves, he warns them, “You’ll either love it or hate it!”
A New York maple producer leads a group of visitors into the sugar bush to see the taps and tubing.
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Charlie Metzger, a minister who had been turned on to sugaring from a parishioner at Thurman Baptist Church, was one who fell into the first category, and freely admitted that continued on page 62 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 61
he’d become addicted to the art, boiling whatever kind of maple sap he could, wherever he served as pastor. When he was assigned to a church in a different part of the North Country, he set up his evaporating pans on concrete blocks on the parsonage lawn, and, just in case that didn’t provide enough fodder for the local gossip mill, he drove a tap into a telephone pole at the edge of the lawn and hung a sap pail from it. This underscores a theme that runs throughout discussions with maple producers, most of whom admit to being enslaved by an obsession, addiction or sickness that compels them to push harder, do more, expand and, essentially, make more work for themselves.
ning how you will do more next year and do it better.” Now running 1000 taps, he admits to starting out very naïve and learning in a hurry by trial and error. The payoff for Bassarab? “When I taste the product, and when I share it with others and see them smile, or when I get to tell them things they don’t know about how it is made, that means everything.” Many of today’s maple producers are following in family footsteps, sometimes working the ancestral sugar bush. In Thurman, a very small southern Adirondack town, Warren County’s four largest maple producers each shared with me the story behind his operation. continued on page 64
Kirk Bassarab had never made syrup or participated in the process when he, with wife Kristy and daughter Ryleigh, launched a backyard sugaring experiment that yielded three gallons of the nectar.
The Hidden Hollow Maple Farm Shop is well-stocked with mapley sweet goodies.
The Bassarab family enjoys sugaring together.
That experience propelled him into a full-blown attack of what he calls “maple sickness” which eventually resulted in the family’s creation of Black Rooster Maple with a much larger sugar bush. He says, “You know, maple season is short, so then you spend the rest of the year thinking and plan62 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
Each of the maple producers maintains a shop like this one at Hidden Hollow, where visitors may buy not only syrup, but an abundance of other maple products: sugar, cream, cotton candy, peanuts, popcorn, jelly, coffee and much more.
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Charles Wallace grew up making syrup with his father, gradually assuming a larger role, until he and his wife now take primary responsibility for Hidden Hollow Maple Farm, both production and marketing. Wallace’s adult son provides a great deal of help, which is vital, since they all have “day jobs”. The Wallace family uses a traditional wood-fired evaporator, and their most popular product is a naturally dark maple syrup and tap more and more trees each year and participate in shows around the state.
Valley Road Maple Farm on an icy day.
Mike Hill and Ralph Senecal both were brought up in families where sugaring was done. Hill, whose family home had formerly been a one-room schoolhouse, learned the art of sugaring from an uncle and, as a young boy, soon created his own mini-maple-farm, hanging buckets on trees and carrying the sap from each tree up a 40’ embankment to a sugarhouse that had been jerry-rigged from the school’s outhouse and outfitted with an old stove fueled by an inverted jar of kerosene. Later he and Senecal pooled their efforts in syrupmaking, starting by tapping trees along the streets of Warrensburg, eventually buying an established Thurman sugar bush that had been worked for over 150 years, most recently by a native who had worked it from childhood to well beyond his 90th birthday. Hill and Senecal established Valley Road Maple, and have greatly increased the number of taps. They are known for their award-winning candies and the pancake breakfasts served at Valley Road during events. At Adirondack Gold Maple Farm, Marc and Cheryl Kenyon pay tribute to family traditions as they sugar on land farmed by the Kenyon family for over 200 years. Kenyon’s grandfather, Oscar Kenyon, boiled sap in the very sugar house Marc uses today. In his mind’s eye he sees Oscar skimming the sap and flipping the foam onto the floor, or adding a bit of butter to the 64 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
Marc Kenyon still boils in the same sugar house his grandfather Oscar built. Here he stand by his evaporator, carefully watching the boiling sap as steam billows around him.
evaporating sap to keep it from boiling over. Kenyon’s dad, Don Kenyon, ran the operation for years after Oscar, and when Marc and Cheryl took over, they named it Adirondack Gold Maple Farm. As a small hat-tip to Oscar, they still hang buckets on 100 of their trees. Randy and Patrick Galusha’s grandmother, Stella Galusha, boiled sap in a kettle in her yard, so when they found three old maple taps and some coffee cans in their father’s barn, they decided they were going to make syrup, too. Their dad offered to help, and soon the whole family became addicted, learning more from neighbors and gradually upgrading the equipment and facilities at Toad Hill Maple. By the time Galusha graduated from college, he and his wife, Jill, were playing a major role in the sugaring, eventually taking over. In 2011 they completed building a stately new timberframe sugarhouse, and with a USDA grant, installed equipment with cutting edge technology to save labor and effect energy efficiency. continued on page 66 ncliving@denpubs.com
A springtime wagon ride across the new covered bridge at Toad Hill Maple Farm. Photo by Diane Golden
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 65
This Toad Hill timber frame maple sugarhouse accommodates many guests, who can see the evaporator and reverse osmosis filter in operation. They may tour the kitchen or watch through observation windows if food is being processed. When the evaporator is running, steam billows out of the cupola on top.
With Galusha recently retired, he and his wife are beginning to translate long-time dreams into reality: expanding the sugar bush, improving marketing, adding to the product line and enhancing the tourism draw. A “punkin chunkin’” trebuchet was built two years ago, and this year guests may take a wagon ride down a lane and over a traditionally-built timberframe covered bridge to visit the sugar bush.
ing farms, located twenty minutes from Lake George, open their doors 10 – 4 each of the last three weekends of March, and all of them welcome guests during New York State Maple Weekends, the last two weekends of the month. Hosts will offer talks, tours, and tastes of their all-natural products, and their shops will be overflowing with both traditional and innovative maple products: sugar candies, mustard, sugar, cotton candy, maple popcorn and peanuts, along with coffee, tea and souvenir clothing items. It’s sweet shopping and some great mountain hospitality. Devote a weekend to becoming immersed in the Adirondack tradition of maple and spend your night in a cozy B&B or one of the region’s fine hotels. Find Thurman’s 2017 map and guide at ThurmanMapleDays. com and the NYS Maple Weekends guide at nysmaple.com/ maple-weekend/About-Maple-Weekend/1.
Plan to visit one or more Adirondack maple farms in March this year. The Thurman maple producers and some neighbor-
66 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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Introducing the ...
hamplain
Meeting House
Local couple gives back by creating community center for all to enjoy year-round activities
Clarke Herdic and Janet McFetridge 70 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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The Champlain Meeting House is located at 1175 Main Street in the village of Champlain. This community center hosts a wide variety of activities from arts classes to historical presentations.
By Teah Dowling
N
icci Molinski picked up the orange paint to create a sunflower, while her young daughter, Cora, maneuvered between the pedals to paint a sky blue background on a wooden canvas. The Molinski’s made this piece of artwork, known as a barn quilt, last August during an art class hosted by the Champlain Meeting House. This community center, located in the heart of the village of Champlain, offers residents and visitors a wide variety of events and activities for people of all ages at little or no cost. Meet Janet McFetridge and Clarke Herdic: the owners that brought this whole concept to life. “My perception was that the village of Champlain had a need for a place for people to gather and have opportunities to do different activities,” McFetridge says. “Our goal is to fill that need.”
GETTING STARTED
Photos by Teah Dowling
The local couple purchased the building in October 2014 with their own money and immediately started renovations. Herdic spearheaded all the renovations on the structure built back in the 1900s – from painting the walls to fixing the floors. The living and dining rooms were converted into two small meeting areas. Three small workshop rooms were transformed into one large lecture hall/activity room. This summer, Herdic plans on tackling the sun room, an enclosed porch surrounded by several windows. “I personally find it as a great hobby to get back here, tear something apart and put it back together again,” Herdic said. “I get a personal satisfaction out of it.” continued on page 72
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 71
Herdic and McFetridge paid for the renovation projects themselves as well as the taxes and utilities, simply because they wanted to give back to the community. With everything in order, the activities and events took off early last year, offering something different for everyone. EXPLORE THE ARTS
RELIVE HISTORY History can be found all around the village of Champlain and the community center helps share these stories. For example, did you know the village used to be centered around boats? Back in July, local authors Christine Racine and Mark Barie gave a presentation of their book called “The Boat People of Champlain.”
The barn quilting class wasn’t the only form of art the Champlain Meeting House introduced.
“Champlain was a boat town,” Barie said. “No one could compete with this little village.”
Several classes taught residents drawing and calligraphy.
The earliest boat documented in Champlain was the “Delaware” in 1837 – a single mast sailboat 64 feet long and 21 and a half feet in breadth. From then until the early 1900s, more than 200 vessels were constructed here from canal boats to ferries.
Music events were held monthly. The owners also hosted seminars to hear life stories from actual local artists such as former Broadway violinist Marilyn Reynolds and former Metropolitan Opera Chorus singer Roger Andrews of Rouses Point.
There’s going to be more learning opportunities like these, McFetridge said, in the near future.
The Champlain Meeting House contains several spaces that can be used for large forums, or small meetings. Here, a discussion is taking place on offering a future arts class for residents and visitors. 72 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
ncliving@denpubs.com
Co-owner Clarke Herdic did all the renovations to turn this home from the early 1900s into a community center. This room, formerly a dining area, is now known as the small meeting room. BUILD SKILLS The Champlain Meeting House not only gives insight into village history, but hosts lessons to build different skills. Guitar building is one of them. Local guitar builders Tom Gerner and Tracy Gyger made an appearance in October to show attendees firsthand the set-up and materials used from start to finish to create a musical instrument. The owners also came up with the idea of hosting a babysitting clinic for teens, where participants learned basic skills for taking care of infants, toddlers and children. RAVE REVIEWS So far, the facility has been quite a hit with community members, like Champlain resident Heather Dean, who said she’s been a big fan of the Champlain Meeting House since it opened. Dean said she’s particularly a fan of the activities offered for children that her two young ones can participate in.
Local authors Christine Racine and Mark Barie gave a presentation on their book, “The Boat People of Champlain,” last July at the Champlain Meeting House. northcountrylivingmagazine.com
“Before Janet and Clarke started this endeavor, there wasn’t much to do in Champlain,” she said. “Now, there are weekly events allowing us a place to go hear local music and learn something new from the many presenters on all different topics.” continued on page 74 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 73
Local residents line up for the kickoff to a 5k run /walk to benefit the Champlain Meeting House. In November, Kelly Murphy of Au Sable Forks ventured more than 40 miles for a seminar on legal issues. She said it was well worth the trip and gave the Champlain Meeting House a fivestar review on Facebook. “Their purchasing the house for the purpose of it being a community center was a fantastic idea and certainly an asset to Champlain and the North Country,” she said via Facebook. “I look forward to reviewing future events.” A lot is planned for 2017. The Champlain Meeting House is incorporating Champlain on the Move — a series of community events that promotes physical activity. Village walks, kayaking and disc golf, along with learning more about nutrition, is on the agenda. Music events and the Champlain Book Club will be held monthly. 74 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
Photos by Janet McFetridge
The Champlain Meeting House offers a wide-variety of events and activities. Pictured above is a local family of five creating a tote bag made of T-shirts. ncliving@denpubs.com
Pictured above is Nicci Molinski and her young daughter, Cora, painting a sunflower barn quilt during an art class hosted by the Champlain Meeting House last fall. That piece of artwork is now on display on the Molinski’s front porch. A variety of presentations are being planned on gardening, canning, stress management and more. “We plan on doing more and expanding,” McFetridge said. “Hopefully, we can reach out to more people and get them involved in some way.” The Champlain Meeting House is open to anyone who would like to participate in its events or rent it. For more information about the Champlain Meeting House or future events, call 518-298-5548 or visit the Facebook pages “Champlain Meeting House” or “Champlain Proud: Creating a Community Together.” northcountrylivingmagazine.com
Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 75
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An aerial view of Fort Ticonderoga by photographer Carl Heilman II. (Copyright Fort Ticonderoga)
New Experiences By Lohr McKinstry
M
ore events and more interactive exhibits are on tap at Fort Ticonderoga for the coming season that starts Saturday, May 6. The fort now lets visitors interact with 1800s shoemakers, bakers and others who made up the day-to-day life at the stone fortress. Their guests can explore historic trades shops to step into colonial New France, fort Chief Executive Officer Beth Hill said. “From shoemaking, to tailoring, to carpentry, they can learn the trades that supported the massive French army,” she said. “A visit is an interactive, multi-faceted experience. It’s exploring the beautiful gardens, finding adventure in our events, marching with the Fife and Drum Corps, and learning about a historic trade.” She said visitors can engage in a number of interactive experiences as they walk through the restored fort. “They can immerse themselves in the history of Lake
78 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
at historic fort Ti
Champlain on a boat tour, and spend an afternoon in our exhibit galleries exploring our premier collections,” she said. “Fort Ticonderoga is a family destination and a center for learning.” The fort has a new Worlds At War exhibit this year that provides more extensive insight into the year 1757, and the significance that year has to assemble military alliances, including the largest gathering of native peoples in North America that were part of the 1757 campaign at the fort. This year it’s 1757 at Fort Ticonderoga, a year when France controlled the strategic fortification known as Carillon and later named Ticonderoga, and vied against the British for control of North America. Hill said guests will discover the real story behind Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Last of the Mohicans” book as ncliving@denpubs.com
Fort Ticonderoga has lots to do for visitors this coming season
French soldiers, Canadian militia, and native warriors make ready with their weapons of war to take the fight for New France to British-held southern Lake George. This year the fort has a free mobile app for iOS and Android that will guide guests across the decks of the fort to learn more about the cannon there, considered to be the largest collection of 18th century artillery in the western hemisphere. “New in 2017, we mean 1757, is an artillery park,” Hill said. “You can blast back into the past every day at 2 p.m. for an artillery demonstration like none you have ever seen. Artillerymen’s work was half art and half science, carefully measuring powder, wadding, and iron cannon balls, to make powerful, perfectly-aimed shots.” New programs are “Guns by Night” and “Defend the northcountrylivingmagazine.com
A carpenter works on a project at Fort Ticonderoga in one of the site’s new interactive displays.
Fort” on summer evenings and “Beyond Bullets and Blades,” in which visitors can handle 18th century weapons. Hill said the fort has established an Artillery Laboratory on the second floor of the Mars Education Center inside the grounds. The fort also has the 60-foot M/V Carillon tour boat, with a dock located at the 1826 Pavilion, and the King’s Garden, a recreation of the original vegetable and flower gardens at the location. continued page 80 Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 79
Open to the public since 1909, Fort Ticonderoga preserves North America’s largest 18th-century artillery collection, 2,000 acres of historic landscape on Lake Champlain, the Carillon Battlefield, and the largest series of untouched 18th-century earthworks surviving in America.
A young guest learns 18th century sewing techniques at an interactive station at Fort Ti.
Hill said Fort Ticonderoga has about 75,000 visitors each year, but attendance was up 8 percent last year. “We expect to continue this strong growth into 2017,” Hill said. “We think Fort Ticonderoga is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Our sweeping vistas of Vermont’s Green Mountains and New York’s Adirondack Mountains, combined with views of Lake Champlain, make for a picture perfect day, every day.”
Fort Ticonderoga is open daily from
May 6 through Oct. 29, from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. General admission tickets to Fort Ticonderoga can be purchased online at fortticonderoga.org or on site at the admissions booth on arrival. 80 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
A shoemaker repairs a pair of shoes at Fort Ticonderoga. ncliving@denpubs.com
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 83
By Shawn Ryan
The Holy Grail has been found for gun lovers, and it’s tucked away in a sleepy little ski town in the southern Adirondacks. In 2011 Rick Bennett realized a dream he had contemplated for years when he turned his personal firearms collection into the North Creek Trading Post; a bastion of guns, ammo, reloading and hunting supplies that rivals even the large chain stores in the far away Albany or Plattsburgh.
North Creek Trading Post 84 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
After a moderate jaunt off Interstate 87, and winding your way through the twisting streets of North Creek, a quick turn just past the local hardware store brings you down a little hill and right to the unobtrusive little gun shop under a handmade wooden sign. But don’t let the exterior fool you, what it lacks in bells and whistles outside, it more than makes up for in sheer volume inside. “Here in North Creek, I knew if I was going to bring customers in I had to have inventory,” says Bennett, standing behind a glass counter holding scores of new and used handguns. Behind him, as well as to ncliving@denpubs.com
Rick Bennett welcomes customers from all around the North Country at his armaments hideaway in the quaint little village of North Creek.
the left and right, rifles cover the walls from floor to ceiling. Bennett is a registered dealer of companies like Henry, Kimber, Ruger, Savage, Tika, Mossberg and Remington long guns, and Kimber, Smith and Wesson, Ruger, Glock and Sig handguns. Adding to the arsenal of new firearms is a generous supply of used and vintage guns. Standing in the door of the Trading Post and taking it all in, you understand why customers travel from as far away as Plattsburgh to the north, and Amsterdam and beyond to the south. “It keeps me busy,” says Bennett. “I enjoy being here.” Since he opened in 2011 with his son Andrew and Andrew’s Father-In-Law Rick Green, Bennett has seen trends in firearms change about yearly. Right now, he says, the hot guns are small, concealable 9mms. A year or so ago .380s were in vogue. Throughout he’s had a steady run on reloading supplies, especially with the North Creek “locals.”
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Even Bennett’s trophies can’t escape the stockpile of merchandise at North Creek Trading Post.
continued on page 86
Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 85
A sampling of the hundreds of new and used rifles North Creek Trading Post has on hand for gun lovers to peruse.
Standard and hard to find ammo is plentiful on the shelves of the North Creek Trading Post. 86 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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continued on page 88 northcountrylivingmagazine.com
Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 87
One of several cases of new and used handguns at North Creek Trading Post.
“There was a big shortage of reloading supplies, and ammo, in the early 2010s. At one time during Obama’s reign people were buying up all the supplies, but they’re slowly coming back now.” With a steady stream of used firearms through his shop, he’s seen a fair share of peculiar and interesting pieces. His favorite was a Vietnam War era Enfield .303 Jungle Carbine. It was in mint condition, he said, having come out of an elderly local man’s attic. It didn’t stay in his shop long. Bennett says he’s very happy with the size of the shop, and has no plans to expand in the near future. In order to expand, he says, he would have to move and he’s perfectly happy tucked away in his little hideout behind the hardware store.
So whether it’s a side trip from nearby Gore Mountain, or you trek to North Creek just to lay your hands on some new firepower, plug in the GPS and go. If you love guns, you won’t regret the trip. 88 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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Nearly every model from the Henry catalog can be found at the North Creek Trading Post. Photos by Shawn Ryan
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Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 89
The death of Jane McCrea, John Vanderlyn, 1804
“Murder Most Foul” in the North Country: The Legend of Jane McCrea 92 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
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By Karen A. Stites
Y
oung and beautiful, Jane McCrea rode out on horseback in secret on the morning of July 27, 1777 to meet her fiancé. Described as uncommonly lovely with waist-long red hair streaming down her back, she rode through the woods near Fort Edward on the northern Hudson River to join her childhood sweetheart Lieutenant David Jones at Ticonderoga. Theirs is a tale of two star-crossed lovers trying to sneak away to marry against their families wishes, each family on opposing sides of the American Revolution. Theirs is a true Romeo and Juliet tale, one that ended in tragedy in the North Country yet resounded throughout the colonies and abroad. The American struggle for independence was not going well for the Patriots in the early summer of 1777. Fort Ticonderoga, guarding the Lake Champlain-Hudson River corridor, was lost to the British. General John Burgoyne had led a great British force from Canada through the northern wilderness to defeat the Americans along the lake. He planned to march south to Albany, then to New York City to cut off the northern colonies and force Washington’s surrender. His troops included hundreds of Native American allies from Canada, and the North Country settlers heard stories – mostly true – of homes and barns burned, crops destroyed and livestock stolen, and probably not true, woman and children taken from their homes. The incursion created great alarm and fear for the North Country residents with a superior British force on the march, and the Americans struggling to hold onto their outposts. Settlers living isolated in the frontier gave flight and flocked first to the relative safety of the American stronghold at Fort Edward, New York on the banks of the Hudson River, and many fled further south to Albany. Villagers and settlers alike were divided in their sympathy for the American cause. Some joined with the Patriots while others remained loyal. Families divided, with brothers and kin fighting against each other. Neighbors became suspicious of each other, and longtime friendships dissolved over the course of a long, weary war. Jane McCrea was born in 1752 in Bedminster, New Jersey, the daughter of the Rev. James and Kathryn McCrea. Rev. McCrea, a Scot-Irish immigrant, served as the Presbyterian minister. Jane was the second daughter born into a large family with eight children. Her parents were friends and neighbors with David Jones’ family. Jane and David became childhood friends and likely, romance began to blossom for the young adults. Both of Jane’s parents had died by the time she turned 20, and her older brother John decided to move to the northcountrylivingmagazine.com
North Country. He built a home in the Stillwater area, near Saratoga. The Jones family followed shortly afterward, and settled in nearby Kingsbury, near the fortress in Fort Edward. The families continued to visit often. Romance soon turned to courtship for the young couple. The two might have enjoyed a long, happy life together but for the war. But when Fort Ticonderoga fell to the Americans under General Ethan Allen, Colonel Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys, there was no turning back. The capture of the old stone fort guarding southern Lake Champlain under British command on May 10, 1775 marked the first offensive action of the American Revolution. At first, many families tried to stay neutral. Eventually sides were chosen, and the McCreas and Joneses split on the issue of loyalties to king or freedom from British rule. John McCrea became a colonel in the American militia, while David Jones left for Canada to join the Loyalists gathering to fight on the British side. Jane, under John’s guardianship, was forbidden to correspond with a “Tory.” Yet the McCrea family divided on both sides as well. Brothers Samuel and Stephen joined the American Army (Stephen as a surgeon), while two others served with the British as captains in the Queens Rangers. Imagine how elated Jones must have felt when he marched south from Quebec under Burgoyne’s command in late June 1777. With Fort Ticonderoga as the destination, less than 50 miles from Fort Edward and his intended. Not much is known about Jones, but he was well-known for his gregarious personality, and described as handsome. continued on page 94
General John Burgoyne
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As news of Burgoyne’s troops on the march spread throughout the North Country, families fled in droves to Albany. Even American soldiers stationed at Fort Edward started to desert, to protect their families and farms or to move them to safety. John McCrea advised Jane to leave for Albany, too, but she convinced him to let her stay for a while longer at the home of a family friend, Mrs. Sara McNeil. Jane had visited Sara at her Fort Edward village home many times before. In fact, the older woman secretly exchanged letters between the two lovers. Such was the case with the letter Jones wrote to his intended, whom he called Jenny, on July 11, 1777 from Ticonderoga:
Dear Jenny, I do not forget you though there is much to distract these days, and hope I am remembered by you. No more at present, but believe me yours affectionately till death. David Jones Shortly after, he wrote again to tell her that “In a few days we will march to Ft. Edward . . . where I shall have the happiness to meet you.” He urged Jane to visit Sara McNeil, wait for his escort to carry her to Fort Ticonderoga where they would be married. For Jane, that meant leaving her family behind for an elopement, perhaps leaving them forever. Maybe she found reassurance from her lieutenant’s prediction that “the war will end this year, as the rebels cannot hold out and will see their error.” Jane, confident about her safe trip to meet her fiancé at Ticonderga, rode away from her brother’s home on the pretext of visiting Sara McNeil. (Sara, shaken by the encroaching enemy, was packing for Albany.) Jones sent word to expect an escort of Canadian Native allies to guard her on the journey. And so, on that fateful morning of July 27, 1777, Jane set out alone on horseback, comforted by the knowledge that an escort watched over her. The escort stayed out-of-sight to avoid discovery by the Americans, but close enough to keep tabs on the young woman. That was the plan, but fate in the form of a raiding party of rogue British Natives allied intervened. Exactly what happened next varies from account to account. This seems the most reliable— Just as Jane started out on the trail north, she heard the war-whoop of a band of British-allied Native Americans in the woods ahead. 94 | North Country Living Magazine | Vol. 6 No. 1
She fled back to Sara McNeil’s house, and the two women rushed to hide in the basement. To no avail, the marauders burst through the door, quickly found the women, and pulled them from their hiding place. They intended to deliver the captives to General Burgoyne for a reward. However, Jane’s escort still remained hidden in the woods, equally determined to claim their promised reward from Lt. Jones for the safe passage of his bride-to-be. The two parties met on the road and argued over the women, each band claiming its right to the reward. Le Loup, leader of the raiding party and a chief of the Wyndot tribe, refused to relinquish the prisoners. Mrs. McNeil was taken away, while the argument over Jane grew more heated. Next, in a matter of moments, Le Loup brandished his tomahawk and bludgeoned poor Jane. With a single blow, she fell to the ground in death. Her murderer then did the unthinkable when he scalped her dead body for the prize of her distinctive long locks. It was said that Jones, upon seeing the scalp back at camp, recognized it instantly as his beloved’s, and collapsed to the ground overcome with grief and guilt. A search party from Fort Edward found Jane’s body and buried her under a great pine tree outside the fort. (She would be buried twice more, in 1822 and 1853.) Sara McNeil survived unscathed, and was returned by her British capturers within a few days. The shocking news of Jane’s murder created great outrage throughout the northern colonies. News reports of the “massacre” of a woman supposedly under the protection of Burgoyne’s own troops, especially her scalping, caused a sensation. Men left their homesteads to take up arms with the militia gathering to face Burgoyne at the Battle of Bennington in August. Horrified by the image of an innocent
Memorial marker Union Cemetery in Fort Edward.
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First burial place Jane McCrea
woman’s brutal murder, the countryside rushed to the aid of the American troops. All demanded justice from Burgoyne and the execution of Le Loup. The great general had promised protection to the North Country inhabitants who remained loyal or neutral over the issue of independence. Four hundred Canadian Natives accompanied Burgoyne on his invasion. When he crossed into northern New York from the Bouquet River on June 21, he spoke sternly to his Native allies. He warned them against committing any harm toward old men, woman and children, and prisoners. “I positively forbid bloodshed: You shall receive compensation for the prisoners you take, but you shall be called to account for scalps,” unless taken from the already dead killed in action. He further warned them that under no circumstances could a wounded soldier be killed in order to claim a scalp. Yet, in keeping with their ancient customs, Burgoyne agreed to pay a price for scalps obtained following a battle. American General Horatio Gates admonished Burgoyne for the actions of his Native allies: “That he should pay a price for each scalp so barbarously taken, is more than will be believed in England.” News of the romantic tragedy spread beyond the American colonies. Back home in London, Burgoyne’s own countrymen decried the murder. The London Annual Register in 1777 reported that the deed “struck every breast with horror.” Jane’s death created such a backlash that Edmund Burke denounced it from the House of Commons. The story became more than a tragic casualty of war. It launched a bona fide propaganda war. Newspapers from Virginia and Pennsylvania, including Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette, continued to carry the story throughout the summer and fall. Many historians agree that the propaganda contributed to Burgoyne’s resounding defeat at Saratoga that October. The Americans wanted revenge, and with their troops renorthcountrylivingmagazine.com
Jane McCrea house
plenished by angry locals, Burgoyne faced more than the “rabble in arms” he expected. Lieutenant Jones retreated to Canada along with Burgoyne’s defeated army. He later moved to London, never married and lived the rest of his days in quiet obscurity. Neighbors described Jones as somewhat melancholy and totaling lacking the outgoing, charming personality he displayed in his youth. The impact of the widespread propaganda concerning Jane McCrea’s murder at the hands of the British is credited with helping to turn the tide of the war. The great victory at Saratoga might not have been possible without the aid of the recruits who rushed to join the American army to defend the northern frontier. Jane’s death has continued to attract attention and curiosity. When noted archaeologist Dr. David Starbuck exhumed her grave in Union Cemetery in 2005 (with the permission of descendants and the courts), he found not one but two bodies! DNA testing concluding that the second body belonged to Sara McNeil, and must have been placed in the coffin when Jane was reburied in 1853. Mrs. McNeil now resides in her own grave in Union Cemetery, alongside her young friend. Dr. Starbuck wanted to solve the mystery of Jane’s murder. Was she accidently shot by friendly fire from the Americans as Burgoyne claimed? Sadly, grave robbers of the earlier grave in 1822 had removed some of the bones, including the skull. None of the remaining bones showed any indication of gun wounds. Jane McCrea’s legend lived on, in poems, plays, folklore and fiction. Perhaps the most famous remains James Fenimore Cooper’s fictional portrayal of her as the character Cora in his great historical novel “Last of the Mohicans.” Today, there is a certain irony in visiting her graveside in Union Cemetery in Fort Edward, for Jane’s final resting place is on Burgoyne Avenue. Maybe the continued fascination with her story is the ultimate justice, denied so long ago. Vol. 6 No. 1 | North Country Living Magazine | 95
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Easter BRUNCH
A BETTER
Spinach and Sundried T omato Q uiche
H
FAM ILY FE ATU RE S
Focus on q uality ingredients for a simply delicious meal
Chef G eorge D uran
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osting an elegant E aster brunch is easy when you build a menu around exceptional ingredients. Y our dishes don’ t have to be overly complicated; simple dishes are perfect for the occasion when you let stand-out flavors steal the show. Brunch calls for a combination of light and savory fare, and an ingredient like Jarlsberg Brand Cheese lets you go either way. Best known for its classic wedge, this nutty, mild cheese is also available sliced and shredded – perfect for adding a distinctive taste to nearly any indulgent dish you can imagine. Q uiche is a brunch staple, and no variation of this classic is complete without cheese in this case, a rich, creamy layering of Jarlsberg s unmistakable flavor does the trick. For a lighter bite, try these Cheesy, Crispy Smashed P otatoes from Chef George Duran, host of TLC’ s “ U ltimate Cake Off” and Food N etwork’ s “ Ham on the Street.” Y ou could go a more decadent route with Duran’ s Brown Sugar Ham and Cheese Sticky Buns, or even appeal to kids of all ages with his Spicy Tater Tot Breakfast Muffins. E xplore more recipes for a simply elegant E aster brunch at jarlsberg.com.
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Spinach and Sundried Tomato Quiche
Recipe courtesy of Jarlsberg Cheese Servings: 6 Pie Dough: 3/4 cup butter 1 cup white flour 2 tablespoons water Filling: 1 cup fresh spinach 1 red onion, cut into rings butter 1 cup milk 4 eggs salt, to taste pepper, to taste 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced 1/4 cup olives 1 cup shredded Jarlsberg Cheese To make pie dough: Heat oven to 400 F. Mix butter and flour in food processor or by hand until mixture has granular consistency. Add water and knead into dough. Let chill 30 minutes. Roll dough and fit into 10-inch pie pan. With fork, make holes in dough and bake 15 minutes. To make filling: Heat oven to 350 F. In frying pan, fry onion and spinach with butter then scoop mixture into quiche base. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and pour over spinach and onion. Top with olives, sundried tomatoes and cheese. Bake 35-40 minutes.
Spicy Tater Tot Breakfast Muffins
Spicy Tater Tot Breakfast Muffins
Cheesy, Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Recipe courtesy of Chef George Duran Servings: 4 25 red bliss or fingerling potatoes, bite-size 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 garlic cloves, finely minced salt, to taste pepper, to taste 1 cup grated Jarlsberg Cheese 2 tablespoons minced parsley Heat oven to 450 F and cook potatoes by steaming, boiling or microwaving. Set aside. In small saute pan or saucepan, add olive oil and garlic. Cook on mediumlow heat until garlic browns and turns crispy, about 5 minutes. Strain garlic, reserving olive oil and crispy garlic. Once potatoes cool, use back of pan to gently smash them down to about 1/2-inch thickness. Drizzle olive oil throughout roasting pan then add smashed potatoes. Drizzle reserved garlic olive oil on top of each potato and season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven and evenly divide cheese and parsley on top of each potato. Cook another 10 minutes until cheese begins to brown. Top each potato with reserved crispy garlic and allow to cool before serving.
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Recipe courtesy of Chef George Duran Servings: 12 Nonstick cooking spray 36 frozen tater tots 2 cups grated Jarlsberg Cheese, divided 8 large eggs 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and veins removed and finely chopped 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper finely chopped parsley, for garnish Heat oven to 425 F. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray. Place three tater tots into each muffin cup and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and use small spoon or fork to gently press down on tater tots to form base and sides of each muffin. Sprinkle 2 cups Jarlsberg cheese equally over tater tots and bake 10 minutes. Beat eggs in large bowl and add jalapeno, red pepper, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Remove tater tots from oven and pour egg mixture into cups. Top evenly with remaining grated cheese and bake 10 minutes. Remove each muffin and allow to cool 5 minutes on cooling rack before garnishing with parsley and serving. Tip: For a non-spicy alternative, replace jalapeno with same amount of green bell peppers.
Brown Sugar Ham and Cheese Sticky Buns
Cheesy, Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Brown Sugar Ham and Cheese Sticky Buns
Recipe courtesy of Chef George Duran Servings: 12 Nonstick cooking spray 2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent roll dough flour, for dusting 4 tablespoons brown sugar, divided 12 slices thin-cut ham 12 slices Jarlsberg Cheese 1/2 cup grated Jarlsberg Cheese chives or green onions, for garnish Heat oven to 375 F. Spray nonstick spray in 8-by-8-inch pan or similar. Unroll dough on floured surface and gently stretch until dough is about 8 by 12 inches. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons brown sugar over dough then evenly space six slices of ham and six slices of cheese on top. Starting on short side, begin rolling dough jelly roll style. Cut into six pieces. Repeat with second piece of dough. Place all 12 buns inside pan. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake 20-25 minutes until buns are fully cooked and browned. Garnish with chives or green onions and serve.
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SPRING EVENTS 2017
Arts & Entertainment
Adirondack Region APRIL April 1
PLATTSBURGH — On Saturday, April 1, the Champlain Wine Company in Plattsburgh will host a hummingbird feeder wine bottle workshop from 1-3 p.m. Tickets are $30 and include instruction and supplies to complete a painted wine bottle, plus a complimentary beverage. Must sign up in advance. For more information, call 5640064. BEEKMANBeek TOWN — Beekmantown High School students
Beamers Pub in Glens Falls will host a performance by Margo Macero on April 6. Photo by Kayla Sacco
events
will perform their rendition of “Annie” on April 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 at the door. For more information, contact the school at 563-8787. LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Center for the Arts will host Wiley’s Fly Fishing Film Tour on April 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door. The original and preeminent exhibition of fly fishing cinema, the Fly Fishing Film Tour is a one of a kind experience. Each year fishy folk of all ages gather at premieres to soak up films from around the world, spin a few yarns amongst friends and dream about casts still unmade. For more information, call 891-1829.
April 2
PLATTSBURGH — Plattsburgh Blues and Jazz will present a performance by the Nick Moss Band on Sunday, April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Champlain Wine Company. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. For more information, visit plattsburghbluesandjazz.com or call 564-0064. BEEKMANTOWN — Beekmantown High School students will perform their rendition of “Annie” on April 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $6 at the door. For more information, contact the school at 563-8787.
PLATTSBURGH — On April 2, Asa Morris and the Mess will perform at the North Country Food Co-Op at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5. For more information, visit asamorrisandthemess.bandcamp.com. BREN will open.
April 3
PLATTSBURGH — On Monday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m., the Champlain Wine Company will present another installment of their Science@30City series. Prof. Kathleen Lavoie will speak about the “Danger and Research in a Mexican Sulfur Cave,” a story of challenging field research at a not-so-safe cave. The presentation will be free for all attendees. For more information, call 564-0064.
April 5
NORTH CREEK — The first annual “Best of the Best Musical Revue,” featuring selected scenes from three of the Adirondack region’s high school musical productions, will appear at the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek on April 5. Students from Johnsburg Central School, Keene Central School and Schroon Lake Central School will perform scenes from “Willie Wonka,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” respectively. Performances are slated for 7 p.m. with reception to follow. Admission is free. For more information, visit tannerypondcenter.org, call 251-2505 or email director@tannerypondcenter. org.
April 6
GLENS FALLS — The Homegrown String Band will perform at the Crandall Library in Glens Falls on April 6. The Homegrown String Band has been performing together for over 20 years, developing a sound inspired by rural string and jug bands of the ‘20s and ‘30s. The band will take the stage at 7 p.m. For more information, visit homegrownstringband.com. PLATTSBURGH — Local singer-songwriter Kevin Lewis will perform at the Monopole on April 6. Doors open at 8 p.m. No cover charge. Ages 21 and up. For more information, visit kevinlewis.bandcamp.com. GLENS FALLS — Beamers Pub will host a performance by Margo Macero on April 6. The singersongwriter is slated to take the stage at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit margomaceromusic. com. PLATTSBURGH — The Champlain Wine Company will host a meeting with their “Reading Between the Wines” book club on Thursday, April 6 from 6 - 7 p.m. The group will be discussing “Today Will Be Different” by Maria Semple. For more information, call 564-0064.
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April 13
PLATTSBURGH — On Thursday, April 13, the Champlain Wine Company will host an open mic night with Jeff Cochran. The event is slated for 6-8 p.m. For more information, call 564-0064. GLENS FALLS — The Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls will host Kaitlyn Raitz and Ben Plotnick on April 13. The duo has been making folk music for a majority of their lives. Their performance is slated for 7 p.m. For more information, visit kaitlynandben.com. PLATTSBURGH — KiefCatcher, a doom metal group hailing from across the pond in Burlington, Vt., will perform at the historic Monopole Bar in downtown Plattsburgh on April 13. For more information, visit facebook.com/doityourselfplattsburgh.
April 14
PLATTSBURGH — Finkle and Einhorn will perform on April 14 at the Monopole Bar in Plattsburgh. The show is slated to begin at 10 p.m. For more information, call 563-2222. SARANAC LAKE — The Waterhole will host Barika on April 14. Doors open at 9 p.m. Ages 21 and up. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit saranaclakewaterhole.com.
April 15
more information, visit cvph.org/foundation/egghunt.
April 17
PLATTSBURGH — Jeff Cochran will speak at the Champlain Wine Company on April 17 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. as part of their Science@30City series. Cochran’s free presentation, “How the Sioux Holy Man Black Elk taught the Science of Electromagnetism,” will offer a contrasting view from another culture of knowing the natural world. For more information, call 564-0064.
April 18
GLENS FALLS — Spring Break Kids’ Workshop: The Hyde Collection will host an art-inspired adventure for students ages 6 - 12 on April 18-21 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Kids get a passport to a world of art with hands-on projects and exploration. Those wanting to attend must RSVP by contacting Colette at 792-1761, ext. 310, or adminassist@hydecollection.org. The workshop is $60 for members, $80 for non-members. For more information, visit hydecollection.org.
Arts & Entertainment
April 8
GLENS FALLS — On April 8, the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls will host “Come As You Are,” a staged reading of poems, stories and music about mental illness. The event will feature Marya Hornbacher, an award-winning journalist and Pulitzerprize nominee, and Michael Mack, an award-winning poet, playwright and performer. The show is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit woodtheater.org. ELIZABETHTOWN — Vermont singer-songwriter Gregory Douglass will perform at the historic Hand House in Elizabethtown on April 8 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit pianobynature.org. UPPER JAY — The Bob Meyer Project will perform at the Upper Jay Art Center on April 8. Meyer and his crew will take the stage at 8 p.m. A donation of $15 per person is suggested. For more information, visit upperjayartcenter.org or call 946-8315. PLATTSBURGH — On April 8, Mister F will perform a free show at the historic Monopole Bar in downtown Plattsburgh. The band is set to take the stage at 10 p.m. For more information, visit misterfband.com. SARANAC LAKE — On April 8, Formula 5 will perform at the Waterhole in Saranac Lake. 9 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/formula5music. PLATTSBURGH — The Howl Story Slam, put on by the Adirondack Center for Writing and hosted by Olive Ridley’s in downtown Plattsburgh, will return on April 8 at 6 p.m. For more information, call 324-2200. TICONDEROGA — Fort Ticonderoga will host the sixth annual Garden & Landscape Symposium on April 8. Organizers say that the symposium will focus on practical strategies for expanding and improving your garden and landscape. Presenters this year include Dr. Lee Reich, Riley Clark-Long, Leonard Perry and Annie White. For more information, visit fortticonderoga.org.
April 12
PLATTSBURGH — The Champlain Wine Company will host “Vinspire: Yoga Exploration with Trinity Yoga” on Wednesday, April 12 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. For more information, call 564-0064.
SPRING EVENTS 2017
April 7
ELIZABETHTOWN — Vermont singer-songwriter Gregory Douglass will perform at the historic Hand House in Elizabethtown on April 7 at 7 p.m. and April 8 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit pianobynature.org. PLATTSBURGH — On Friday, April 7, the Champlain Wine Company will host an exhibit opening celebration for Denise Duprey from 5 - 8 pm. For more information, call 564-0064. SARANAC LAKE — NorthWind Fine Arts in Saranac Lake will host a collaborative arts and literature event on April 7. In celebration of National Poetry Month, the gallery will display local art and poetry side by side in a special exhibit. An opening reception is slated 5-7 p.m. For more information, call 354-1875.
The Nick Moss Band will perform on Sunday, April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Champlain Wine Company in Plattsburgh. Photo by Mandy Pichler Photography
PLATTSBURGH — The University of Vermont - CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh will host an Easter egg hunt on April 15 at 10 a.m. Over 10,000 eggs! Free and open to all children up to second grade. For
April 9
TICONDEROGA — The “Fort Forever” lecture series will continue at Fort Ticonderoga on April 9 at 2 p.m. with a presentation by Matthew Keagle. The topic is slated to be “Gribeauval’s Guns: French artillery reforms from Montcalm to Napoleon”. Tickets are $10 per person. For more information, visit fortticonderoga.org. BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE — The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake will host “Waters of the Adirondacks” with Lorraine Duvall on April 9. 1:30 p.m. For more information, visit adkmuseum.org.
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SPRING EVENTS 2017
April 19
PLATTSBURGH — Local artist Amy Guglielmo will host a paint and sip event at the Champlain Wine Company on April 19 from 6 - 8 p.m. Attendance is $35 and includes instruction, supplies and a complimentary beverage. Must sign up in advance. For more information, call 564-0064. MORIAH — Moriah Central School will host a jazz concert on April 19 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit ticonderogany.com.
Arts & Entertainment
April 20
PLATTSBURGH — The Monopole Bar in downtown Plattsburgh will host Last Nugg 420 on April 20. No cover charge. The show is slated for 9 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/doityourselfplattsburgh. GLENS FALLS — On April 20, Old Songs Inc. will perform “Foward Into Light,” a song and story presentation about the women’s suffrage movement in New York state, at the Crandall Public Library at 7 p.m. For more information, visit kaitlynandben.com. PLATTSBURGH — SUNY Plattsburgh students will perform “Eurydice,” by Sarah Ruhl, on April 20, April 21 and April 22 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $11 per person. For more information, visit tickets.plattsburgh.edu or contact 564-2180.
April 21
PLATTSBURGH — On April 21, Space Carnival will land at the Monopole in downtown Plattsburgh. The band’s set is slated for 10 p.m. For more information, call 563-2222. GLENS FALLS — Pianist George Winston will perform at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls on April 21. Winston’s concerts feature a vari-
The Lake George Elvis Festival will return May 31 through June 4.
Photo by Eva Brand, 2013
ety of styles, including melodic folk, R&B and more. The show is slated for 8 p.m. Tickets are $55. For more information, visit woodtheater.org.
PLATTSBURGH — Hypnotist Michael Blaine will perform an adult-only show at Butcher Block in Plattsburgh on Friday, April 21 at 8 p.m. The show will contain adult language, situations and content — admission is for ages 18 and up only. Tickets are $20 per person and will include 10 percent off of any entree in the restaurant. Reservations are encouraged. For more information, visit facebook. com/butcherblockplattsburgh. GLENS FALLS — Garden Bros. Circus will perform at the Glens Falls Civic Center on April 21 at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $10-34 per person. For more information, visit glensfallscc.com. TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Historical Society will open a new exhibit, “‘Til It’s Over Over There,” on April 21. Historical Society President William Dolback will open the new display with a presentation about the impact of WWII on the Adirondacks. For more information, call 585-7868. PLATTSBURGH — SUNY Plattsburgh students will perform “Eurydice,” by Sarah Ruhl, on April 21 and April 22 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $11 per person. For more information, visit tickets.plattsburgh. edu or contact 564-2180.
April 22
UPPER JAY — On April 22, the Upper Jay Art Center will host local group Bella’s Bartok. The band has billed this show as a dance party. Doors open at 8 p.m. A donation of $15 is requested. For more information, visit upperjayartcenter.org or call 946-8315. TICONDEROGA — The Black Watch Memorial Library will host a book signing with author Shaundra Lerman on April 22 at 1 p.m. Lerman will also read from her book, “Peaches Bakes A Pie.” For more information, call 585-7380. GLENS FALLS — The Charles R. Wood Theater will host critically acclaimed songwriter Audrey Assad on April 22. Assad’s show is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit woodtheater.org. PLATTSBURGH — SUNY Plattsburgh students will perform “Eurydice,” by Sarah Ruhl, on April 22 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $11 per person. For more information, visit tickets.plattsburgh.edu or contact 564-2180. TICONDEROGA — PJ Ferguson will perform at Madden’s Pub in Ticonderoga on April 22 at 9 p.m. No cover charge. For more information, call 5857575. PLATTSBURGH — The City of Plattsburgh Discover Service and Earth Day Festival is slated for April 22 from 12-4 p.m. For more information, visit cityofplattsburgh.com.
April 23
PLATTSBURGH — The Champlain Wine Company will host a wine glass painting workshop on Sunday, April 23 at 1 p.m. The theme will be “sea“sea side inspirations”. The class is $25 to attend and includes instruction, supplies to complete two painted wine glasses and a complimentary bev beverage. Must sign up in advance. For more infor information, call 564-0064. BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE — The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake will host “Resort Hotels of the Adirondacks” with Bryant Tolles on April 23 at 1:30 p.m. For more information, visit adkmuseum. org. PLATTSBURGH — SUNY Plattsburgh students will perform “Eurydice,” by Sarah Ruhl, on April 23 inforat 2 p.m. Tickets are $11 per person. For more infor mation, visit tickets.plattsburgh.edu or contact 5642180.
April 24
PLATTSBURGH — On April 24, the SUNY Plattsburgh campus will be overrun with zombies as stustu dents participate in their annual game of Humans vs. Zombies. For more information, visit facebook.com/ SUNYPlattsburghZombieDefenseLeague.
April 27
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GLENS FALLS — The Slocan Rambers will perform at the Crandall Public Library on April 27. The Canada-based bluegrass outfit will take the stage at 7 p.m. For more information, visit slocanramblers. com. LAKE PLACID — The second annual Eat ADK Restaurant Week is slated for April 27 to May 4. the goal of Eat ADK Week, according to organizers, is to introduce the Adirondack community to new menu items at local restaurants by offering a special dinner menu. Restaurants throughout Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, & Tupper Lake will be of offering special Prix Fixe menus with pricing options of $15, $20 and $30. For more information, visit eatadk. com.
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SPRING EVENTS 2017
GLENS FALLS — On April 27, instructors will be on hand at the Hyde Collection to help you create your own Picasso-inspired artwork using mixed media. Organizers said: “Enjoy wine samples while we mix up your artwork in the Cubist spirit!” RSVP by contacting Colette at 7921761, ext. 310, or adminassist@hydecollection.org. Cost to attend is $30 for members, $40 for nonmembers. For more information, visit hydecollection.org.
Arts & Entertainment
April 28
PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton Community College Drama Club will perform “Almost, Maine,” a romantic comedy following the lives of several couples, on April 28 at 7:30 p.m.; April 29 at 7:30 p.m. and April 30 at 3 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Tickets are $15 per person. For more information, call 562-4200. LAKE PLACID — The second annual Eat ADK Restaurant Week is slated for April 27 to May 4. the goal of Eat ADK Week, according to organizers, is to introduce the Adirondack community to new menu items at local restaurants by offering a special dinner menu. Restaurants throughout Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, & Tupper Lake will be offering special Prix Fixe menus with pricing options of $15, $20 and $30. For more information, visit eatadk.com. GLENS FALLS — JP Bruno’s Bar in Glens Falls will host Phillips Head, CToe anad Sheen on April 28 at 10 p.m. Free admission. Ages 21 and up. For more information, visit jpbrunos.com. PLATTSBURGH — The SUNY Plattsburgh ChoralFest will return on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 per person. For more information, contact 564-2180.
April 29
SARANAC LAKE — Start Making Sense, a Talking Heads tribute band, will perform at the Waterhole in Saranac Lake on April 29.
Rulf’s Orchard in Peru will host their annual Strawberry Festival on June 6. Photo by William Warby
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Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Ages 21 and up. For more information, visit saranaclakewaterhole.com. TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Festival Guild will host a special event at the Children’s Center on April 29 at 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact 984-0088. PLATTSBURGH — Gospelfest will return on April 29 at the E. Glenn Glitz Auditorium on SUNY Plattsburgh Campus. This show is the biggest performance of the year by the SUNY Plattsburgh Gospel Choir. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. The concert is slated to begin at 6 p.m. For more information, contact 564-2704 or visit plattsburghstategospelchoir.org. GLENS FALLS — SunDancers Community Belly Dance will perform at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls on April 29. The dance troupe will combine Egyptian, cabaret, American trible style, improvisational and fusion style belly dancing. Tickets are $10 each. All proceeds will benefit Randy’s Patient Assistance Fund at the C.R. Wood Cancer Center at Glens Falls Hospital. For more information, visit woodtheater. org. LAKE PLACID — The second annual Eat ADK Restaurant Week is slated for April 27 to May 4. the goal of Eat ADK Week, according to organizers, is to introduce the Adirondack community to new menu items at local restaurants by offering a special dinner menu. Restaurants throughout Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, & Tupper Lake will be offering special Prix Fixe menus with pricing options of $15, $20 and $30. For more information, visit eatadk.com. PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton Community College Drama Club will perform “Almost, Maine,” a romantic comedy following the lives of several couples, on April 29 at 7:30 p.m. and April 30 at 3 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Tickets are $15 per person. For more information, call 562-4200.
April 30
PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton Community College Drama Club will perform “Almost, Maine,” a romantic comedy following the lives of sev several couples, on April 30 at 3 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Tickets are $15 per person. For more information, call 562-4200. LAKE PLACID — The second annual Eat ADK Restaurant Week is slated for April 27 to May 4. the goal of Eat ADK Week, according to orga organizers, is to introduce the Adirondack community to new menu items at local restaurants by offering a special dinner menu. Restaurants throughout Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, & Tupper Lake will be offering special Prix Fixe menus with pricing options of $15, $20 and $30. For more information, visit eatadk.com.
MAY May 1
PLATTSBURGH — On May 1, Science@30City will return with a free presentation by Dr. Richard Durant. From 5:30 - 7 p.m., Durant will speak about the problem of dementia and a North Country program to support dementia care givers in a lecture called “Dementia Caregiver Support in the North Country”. For more information, call 5640064. LAKE PLACID — The second annual Eat ADK Restaurant Week is slated for April 27 to May 4. the goal of Eat ADK Week, according to organizers, is to introduce the Adirondack community to new menu items at local restaurants by offering a special dinner menu. Restaurants throughout Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, & Tupper Lake will be offering special Prix Fixe menus with pricing options of $15, $20 and $30. For more information, visit eatadk.com.
May 2
LAKE PLACID — The second annual Eat ADK Restaurant Week is slated for April 27 to May 4. the goal of Eat ADK Week, according to organizers, is to introduce the Adirondack community to new menu items at local restaurants by offering a special dinner menu. Restaurants throughout Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, & Tupper Lake will be offering special Prix Fixe menus with pricing options of $15, $20 and $30. For more information, visit eatadk.com.
May 3
LAKE PLACID — The second annual Eat ADK Restaurant Week is slated for April 27 to May 4. the goal of Eat ADK Week, according to organizers, is to introduce the Adirondack community to new menu items at local restaurants by offering a special dinner menu. Restaurants throughout Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, & Tupper Lake will be offering special Prix Fixe menus with pricing options of $15, $20 and $30. For more information, visit eatadk.com. LAKE PLACID — As part of Eat ADK Restaurant Week, the Lake Placid Center for the Arts will screen “Chef,” a movie that follows Chef Casper as he quits his job at a trendy LA restaurant to open up a food truck. May 3 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information, contact 523-2515.
May 4
PLATTSBURGH — The Champlain Wine Company will host a meeting with their “Reading Between the Wines” book club on Thursday, May 4 from 6-8 p.m. The group will be discussing “Still Life” by Louise Penny. For more information, call 564-0064. LAKE PLACID — The second annual Eat ADK Restaurant Week is slated for April 27 to May 4. the goal of Eat ADK Week, according to organizers, is to introduce the Adirondack community to new menu items at local restaurants by offering a special dinner menu. Restaurants throughout Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, & Tupper Lake will be offering special Prix Fixe menus with pricing options of $15, $20 and $30. For more information, visit eatadk.com.
ncliving@denpubs.com
May 5
May 6
GLENS FALLS — From May 6-28, the Hyde Collection’s 27th annual exhibition of works by local high students returns to the Glens Falls gallery. The exhibit celebrates the talent and creativity of the region’s young artists. Students from schools in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties submit their work to be reviewed and selected by a jury composed of local art professionals. One hundred pieces will be selected from more than 1,000 entries. For more information, visit hydecollection.org. TICONDEROGA — Fort Ticonderoga will open for the season on May 6. Visitors are welcome from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit fortticonderoga.org.
May 10
counties submit their work to be reviewed and selected by a jury composed of local art professionals. One hundred pieces will be selected from more than 1,000 entries. For more information, visit hydecollection.org.
May 11
PLATTSBURGH — Model 97 will perform at the historic Monopole Bar in downtown Plattsburgh on May 11. Model 97 is a North Country based punk rock troupe. For more information, visit facebook.com/ doityourselfplattsburgh.
PLATTSBURGH — On Wednesday, May 10, the Champlain Wine Company will present “Vinspire: Beauty Night with Nicolette Terry of Vignette & Vogue and Becky Rovers, Licensed Esthetician of Adirondack Plastic Surgery” from 5:30 - 7 p.m. For more information, call 564-0064. GLENS FALLS — From May 6-28, the Hyde Collection’s 27th annual exhibition of works by local high students returns to the Glens Falls gallery. The exhibit celebrates the talent and creativity of the region’s young artists. Students from schools in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex
Arts & Entertainment
PLATTSBURGH — Jazz trombonist Dan Silverman will perform at Hawkins Hall on SUNY Plattsburgh Campus on May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 per person. For more information, contact 5642180.
the region’s young artists. Students from schools in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties submit their work to be reviewed and selected by a jury composed of local art professionals. One hundred pieces will be selected from more than 1,000 entries. For more information, visit hydecollection.org. PLATTSBURGH — The sixth annual Plattsburgh Half Marathon is slated May 7 at 8 a.m. on the Plattsburgh Base Oval. The race is limited to 1,000 runners, so those hoping to participate are encouraged to preregister. For more information, visit plattsburghhalfmarathon.com.
SPRING EVENTS 2017
PLATTSBURGH — Jon Wagar and Friends will perform at the Monopole in Plattsburgh on May 4. Wagar is a local singer-songwriter and bluegrass musician. Members of the Wagar Brothers Band are slated to perform. For more information, visit facebook.com/doityourselfplattsburgh.
May 7
PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh Farmer’s Market, held in the Durkee Street Pavillion, will open May 7 and run, every Saturday, through Oct. 8. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In late June, the farmer’s market will expand its hours to Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit plattsburghfarmersandcraftersmarket.com. PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh Farmer’s Market, held in the Durkee Street Pavillion, will open May 7 and run, every Saturday, through Oct. 8. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In late June, the farmer’s market will expand its hours to Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit plattsburghfarmersandcraftersmarket. com. GLENS FALLS — From May 6-28, the Hyde Collection’s 27th annual exhibition of works by local high students returns to the Glens Falls gallery. The exhibit celebrates the talent and creativity of
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May 12
The Adirondack Jazz Orchestra will perform at the Ticonderoga Best Western on May 19. Photo by Flicker user adil113
LAKE PLACID — Local meteorologist Gib Brown will host an event in conjunction with the Adirondack Conservatory on May 12 at 7 p.m. Brown is a retired Earth Science teacher from AuSable Valley High school, given an “Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award” by the National Association of Earth Science Teachers, an adjunct professor at Clinton Community College teaching Geology and Meteorology, a meteorologist for a local news organization in Plattsburgh, and a board member of the APO. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors. For more information, visit lakeplacidarts.org. GLENS FALLS — From May 6-28, the Hyde Collection’s 27th annual exhibition of works by local high students returns to the Glens Falls gallery. The exhibit celebrates the talent and creativity of the region’s young artists. One hundred pieces will be selected from more than 1,000 entries. For more information, visit hydecollection.org.
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SPRING EVENTS 2017
Arts & Entertainment
May 13
PLATTSBURGH — A lighted flower wine bottle painting workshop is slated for Saturday, May 13 at 1 p.m. at the Champlain Wine Company. Cost to attend is $30 and includes instruction, supplies to complete a lighted wine bottle with a painted flower motif and a complimentary beverage. Must sign up in advance. For more information, call 564-0064. PLATTSBURGH — Funkwagon and Dr. No Rage will perform at Olive Ridley’s in downtown Plattsburgh on May 13. First set is slated for 9 p.m. For more information, call 324-2200. TICONDEROGA — The Fourth Annual Grand Hike is on tap for May 13. Following the hike is a block party at the Essex Inn with a performance by the Zip City Blues Band. For more information, call 962-2287. GLENS FALLS — From May 6-28, the Hyde Collection’s 27th annual exhibition of works by local high students returns to the Glens Falls gallery. The exhibit celebrates the talent and creativity of the region’s young artists. Students from schools in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties submit their work to be reviewed and selected by a jury composed of local art professionals. One hundred pieces will be selected from more than 1,000 entries. For more information, visit hydecollection.org.
Joel A. Martin, founder of “JAZZICAL,” will perform alongside composer/cellist Eugene Friesen at the Hand House in Elizabethtown on June 17-18. Courtesy of creativeground.org, Joel A. Martin
May 17
PLATTSBURGH — Local artist Amy Guglielmo will host a paint and sip event at the Champlain Wine Company on May 17 from 6 - 8 p.m. Attendance is $35 and includes instruction, supplies and a complimentary beverage. Must sign up in advance. For more information, call 564-0064. GLENS FALLS — From May 6-28, the Hyde Collection’s 27th annual exhibition of works by local high students returns to the Glens Falls gallery. The exhibit celebrates the talent and creativity of the region’s young artists. Students from schools in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties submit their work to be reviewed and selected by a jury composed of local art professionals. One hundred pieces will be selected from more than 1,000 entries. For more information, visit hydecollection.org.
May 18
TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Festival Guild Players will perform “The One That Got Away,” a comedy by Eddie McPherson, on May 18 through May 21 at the Ticonderoga Community Building Auditorium. For more information, visit ticonderogany.com. PLATTSBURGH — Glens Falls based folk rock rocker William Hale will return to Plattsburgh on May 18 for a performance at the historic Mono Monopole Bar. For more information, visit facebook.com/ doityourselfplattsburgh. TICONDERO TICONDEROGA — A “Taste of Ti” food event is slated May 18 at the Best Western in Ti Ticonderoga. For more informa information, contact 585-6619 or visit ticonderogany.com.
May 19
TICONDEROGA — The Adirondack Jazz Orchestra will perform at
Best Western on May 19. The concert, fea featuring a three course Italian dinner, is slated for 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person. For more information, call Judy at 984-0088. TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Fes Festival Guild Players will perform “The One That Got Away,” a comedy by Eddie McPher McPherson, on May 18 through May 21 at the Ticon Ticonderoga Community Building Auditorium. For more information, visit ticonderogany. com. GLENS FALLS — From May 6-28, the Hyde Collection’s 27th annual exhibi exhibition of works by local high students returns to the Glens Falls gallery. The exhibit celebrates the talent and creativity of the region’s young
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artists. Students from schools in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties submit their work to be reviewed and selected by a jury composed of local art professionals. One hundred pieces will be selected from more than 1,000 entries. For more information, visit hydecollection.org.
May 20
GLENS FALLS — The second annual Pet Fest will return with low cost microchipping, a police K-9 demo, Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue demo and more. May 20 at 11 a.m. in City Park. For more information, visit facebook.com/downtownglensfalls or call 743-9463. TICONDEROGA — The annual Champlain Bridge 5K is slated for 10 a.m. on May 20. For more information, visit ticonderogany.com. TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Festival Guild Players will perform “The One That Got Away,” a comedy by Eddie McPherson, on May 18 through May 21 at the Ticonderoga Community Building Auditorium. For more information, visit ticonderogany.com. GLENS FALLS — From May 6-28, the Hyde Collection’s 27th annual exhibition of works by local high students returns to the Glens Falls gallery. The exhibit celebrates the talent and creativity of the region’s young artists. Students from schools in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties submit their work to be reviewed and selected by a jury composed of local art professionals. One hundred pieces will be selected from more than 1,000 entries. For more information, visit hydecollection.org.
May 21
TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Festival Guild Players will perform “The One That Got Away,” a comedy by Eddie McPherson, on May 18 through May 21 at the Ticonderoga Community Building Auditorium. For more information, visit ticonderogany.com.
May 25
PLATTSBURGH — Trash metal troupe Executive Disorder will perform at the historic Monopole Bar in downtown Plattsburgh on May 25. For more information on this show and more, visit facebook.com/doityourselfplattsburgh.
May 28
GLENS FALLS — The 1975 will perform at the Glens Falls Civic Center on May 28 at 8 p.m. The band will be returning stateside this spring for a North American headline tour in support of their sophomore album, “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it.” For more information, visit glensfallscc.com or the1975.com.
May 31
LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Elvis Festival will return May 31 through June 4. This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ passing in 1977, and will celebrate 10 years of Elvis tribute bands. Tickets are $119-249 for an all event pass, prices vary for individual days. For more information, visit lakegeorgeelvisfest.com.
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June 1
GLENS FALLS — The new Feibes & Schmitt Gallery at the Hyde Collection will open in June, with its inaugural exhibit to include works by such iconic artists as Ellsworth Kelly, Sol Lewitt, Louise Nevelson, Bridget Riley, and Andy Warhol. For more information, contact the gallery at hydecollection. org. LAKE PLACID — On June 1, the Lake Placid Farmer’s Market will open for the season at St. Agnes School. The merket will run Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Oct. 19. For more information, visit ausablevalleygrangefarmersmarkets.com. LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Elvis Festival will return May 31 through June 4. This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ passing in 1977, and will celebrate 10 years of Elvis tribute bands. Tickets are $119-249 for an all event pass, prices vary for individual days. For more information, visit lakegeorgeelvisfest.com.
June 2
PLATTSBURGH — On Friday, June 2, the Champlain Wine Company will host an exhibit opening celebration for Joshua Besaw from 5 - 8 pm. For more information, call 564-0064. LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Elvis Festival will return May 31 through June 4. This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ passing in 1977, and will celebrate 10 years of Elvis tribute bands. Tickets are $119-249 for an all event pass, prices vary for individual days. For more information, visit lakegeorgeelvisfest.com.
June 3
ELIZABETHTOWN — The Elizabethtown Farmer’s Market, located behind the Adirondack History Museum, will open on June 3 and run through Sept. 16 — every Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit adirondackfarmersmarket.com. PLATTSBURGH — Plattsburgh’s Downtown Rising Festival will reoccur every Friday from June 3 through August 26. 4-7 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/downtownrising. CHESTERTOWN — Adirondack Woofstock will return on June 3-4 with a laundry list of activities to round out the weekend. For more information, visit facebook.com/hudsonvalleydockdogs. LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Elvis Festival will return May 31 through June 4. This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ passing in 1977, and will celebrate 10
northcountrylivingmagazine.com
June 4
SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake Farmer’s Market at Riverside Park will open June 4 and run through Oct. 8. Every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. From Oct. 15 to Dec. 17, the market will relocate to Harrietstown Hall. For more information, visit ausablevalleygrangefarmersmarkets.com. LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Center for the Arts will host the Lake Placid School of Ballet and Dance Recital on June 4 at 1 p.m. DVDs of the recital will be available for $15 after the fact. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children. Students will perform examples of ballet, jazz, modern, tap dancing and more. For more information on this event, call 523-2512. TUPPER LAKE — The Tupper Lake Farmer’s Market, located at the Wild Center Museum, will open on June 4 and run, every Thursday, through Sept. 17. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit adirondackfarmersmarket. com. LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Elvis Festival will return May 31 through June 4. This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ passing in 1977, and will celebrate 10 years of Elvis tribute bands. Tickets are $119-249 for an all event pass, prices vary for individual days. For more information, visit lakegeorgeelvisfest.com.
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JUNE
years of Elvis tribute bands. Tickets are $119-249 for an all event pass, prices vary for individual days. For more information, visit lakegeorgeelvisfest.com.
June 6
PERU — Rulf’s Orchard will host their annual Strawberry Festival on June 6 at 11 a.m. On tap is a strawberry pie eating contest, u-pick strawberries and interactive tours, music, a petting zoo and more. For more information, visit rulfsorchard.com.
June 10
PLATTSBURGH — On June 10, the Plattsburgh Civic Center will host an ‘80s night — attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite decade garb . For more information, visit cvph.org/foundation/the-80s.
June 11
LAKE PLACID — The 13th annual Lake Placid Marathon is slated for June 11 at 8 a.m. Entry to the 26.2 mile marathon is $112 after April 2. Also on tap is the Lake Placid Half Marathon, beginning on the same day and time. Entry fee for the half marathon is $102. For more information, visit lakeplacidmarathon.com.
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SPRING EVENTS 2017
Arts & Entertainment
June 13
LAKE PLACID — The 17th Annual Olympian Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit the United Way of the Adirondacks is slated for June 13. Cost to register a three person team is $500 and includes greens fees, cart and dinner. For more information, visit unitedwayadk.org or contact 563-0028.
June 14
PLATTSBURGH — The Champlain Wine Company will host “Vinspire: Community Art with Amy Guglielmo and Julia Devine” on Wednesday, June 14 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. Vinspire presentation: Community Art with Amy Guglielmo and Julia Devine. For more information, call 564-0064.
June 15
MALONE — The Malone Farmer’s Market, held at the Malone Airport on Route 11, will open for the season on June 15 and run, every Wednesday from 12-4:30 p.m., through Oct. 12. For more information, visit adirondackfarmersmarket.com. BOLTON LANDING — The Opera Saratoga will perform at the Sembrich on June 15 at 7:30 p.m. The group will perform selections from Verdi’s “Falstaff,” Gretry’s “Beauty
and the Beast” and Blitzstein’s “The Cradle Will Rock.” Tickets are $25 per person. For more information, visit thesembrich.org.
June 16
TICONDEROGA — The Ti Downtown Arts Gallery in Ticonderoga will open a new exhibit featuring the work of painter Edie Ostrowsky on June 16. For more information, visit facebook.com/ticonderogadowntowngallery. WILLSBORO — The Willsboro Farmer’s Market, held on Route 22 across from Johnny’s Smokehouse, will open on June 16 and run, every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Sept. 8. For more information, visit adirondackfarmersmarket.com.
June 17
ELIZABETHTOWN — Joel A. Martin, founder of “JAZZICAL,” will perform alongside composer/cellist Eugene Friesen at the Hand House in Elizabethtown on June 17 at 7 p.m. and June 18 at 3 p.m. For more information, visit pianobynature.org. AU SABLE FORKS — The Outcrops will perform at 20 Main on June 17 at 5 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/theoutcrops.
June 18
ELIZABETHTOWN — Joel A. Martin, founder of “JAZZICAL,” will perform alongside compos composer/cellist Eugene Friesen at the Hand House in Elizabethtown on June 18 at 3 p.m. For more information, visit pianobyna pianobynature.org. CHATEAUGAY — The Chateaugay Lakes Farmer’s Market, held on State Route 374, will open on June 18 and run every Wednesday through Sept. 3. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit adirondackfarmersmarket.com.
June 19
KEENE — The Marcy Airfield Farmer’s Market in Keene Valley will run from June 19 through Oct. 9 on Sundays. 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information,
visit adirondackfarmersmarket.com.
June 21
KEESEVILLE — Keeseville’s Front Street Farmer’s Market opens for the season on June 21 and will run through Aug. 30. The market will be open every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit adirondackfarmersmarket.com. BOLTON LANDING — On June 21, Sembrich Board Member Betty Spinelli will speak about “The Fascinating Life of Katrina Trask” with a multi-media presentation. Trask was a poet who, along with her husband, left her mansion in Saratoga Springs for use by writers and artists. The former Trask residence — now called Yaddo — remains open to this day and continues to operate as an artist’s residency. The life of Katrina Trask was one of great accomplishment, tragedy and romance. A tea tasting will follow Spinelli’s presentation. Tickets are $20 per person. For more information, visit thesembrich.org.
June 24
ROUSES POINT — The Rouses Point Farmer’s Market will open on June 24 and run, every Friday from 3-7 p.m., through Sept. 3. Located at 144 Lake St.
June 27
SCHROON LAKE — The Schroon Lake Farmer’s Market, held in the town hall parking lot, will open on June 27 and run every Monday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Aug. 29. For more information, visit ausablevalleygrangefarmersmarkets.com.
June 28
BOLTON LANDING — On June 28, the Seagle Music Colony will perform a sampling of their upcoming 2017 season. On tap are performances of “The Magic Flute,” “My Fair Lady,” “The Light in the Piazza” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.” 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person. For more information, visit thesembrich.org.
Pictured at left: The Willsboro Farmer’s Market will open June 16 and run through Sept. 8. Photo by SabrinaDan Photo
HUB Established 1848 OF THE ADIRONDACKS
Take Exit 29 off the Northway (I-87) from the South or Exit 30 from the North
What to see in North Hudson: • The Falls at Blue Ridge on the Branch • Balance Rock • Trails to Dix Range • Sharp Bridge State Campsite • Elk Lake Lodge • Courtney Pond • Town Recreation Facility on the Schroon River • Adirondack Buffalo Farm • Gokeys Trading Post & Auction Hall • Blue Ridge Falls Campsite • Yogi Bear Jellystone Campsite Exit 29 • North Hudson Multi-Use Trail System • Exit 29 Sunoco
For More Information (518) 532-9811 • northhudsonny.com
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