NNY Living Summer 2017

L I v I ng NN Y

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Bonus issue of PREMIER PROPERTIES! Pg. 41

SUMMER 2017 nnyliving.com Volume 6 No. 3

Black River Music Fest

Exclusive interview with Rusted Root $2.95

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ART

NNY LIFE

NNY FOOD

FEATURE

Art education in the north country

Living on a St. Lawrence barge yacht

Healthy recipes by Live Yum

What’s trending for a summer beach visit

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CONTENTS

SUMMER 2017 Volume 6, No. 3

ON THE COVER | Headling band Rusted Root stands for photo captured by photographer Jason Bone. The band will play at Black River Music Festival on July 8th. |

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Out & About NNY events calendar

26 Antique Boat Museum Summer Activities

holds summer events

STORY 20 COVER Black River Music

Festival entertains NNY

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NNY Food Feature Healthy recipes from Live Yum

produce fine art works

Life 32 NNY Native Watertown

Online @ nnyliving.com

resident lives on St. Lawrence barge yacht

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Art Feature 28 NNY Students across NNY

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[ EDITOR’S NOTE ] sun and the music, I thought, “How cool is that?” Last summer, I happened upon a similar festival along Lake Ontario near downtown Kingston and thought the same thing.

I’m with Henry on this one. The Maggie’s isn’t in downtown Watertown, but words “summer afternoon” conjure with a set of stairs installed several years ago by up carefree moments, time spent by the city designed to link the J.B. Wise parking the water or barbequing on the deck. lot with Veterans Memorial Riverwalk, it is It recalls the all-too-short break from within walking distance. Maybe an out-of-town school filled with days that seemed visitor will happen upon the Black River Brew to never end. and Music Fest and come away from downtown The four seasons seem to come thinking, “How cool is that?” at me faster with each passing year This month’s issue also features NNY Living and summer can never seem to Premier Properties. We used to publish Living last long enough. So many things and Premier Properties as a “flip book,” literally to squeeze into such little time. meaning that you read through Living until Event calendars that contain one or the end and flipped the magazine over to read Brian Kelly two listings in February explode in Premier Properties. I don’t know common June, July and August, making the flip books are in the magazine business, but it decision about where best to spend your time challenging, always had a misprinted feel to me, like pages had been yet enjoyable. printed upside down. So this year, I have opted to run One event to circle on your to-do calendar should be the Living and Premier Properties back-to-back, meaning that Black River Brew & Music Fest set for July 8 at Maggie’s on once you’ve finished Living you can continue onto Premier the River on Newell Street in Watertown. Freelance writer Properties without doing any flipping.

Nicole Caldwell provides the details in this issue of NNY Either way, I hope you’re reading this at your leisure on a Living, but these are the type events that can help create summer afternoon. vibrancy in a downtown area.

Two summers ago, I happened upon a music festival Enjoy, along the St. Lawrence River, a few blocks from downtown Brockville, Ontario. I wasn’t there to attend to the festival, but when I looked at all the people gathered to enjoy the “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” --- Henry James

Michelle Graham is the wellness director for the Downtown Watertown YMCA. She lives in Watertown with her husband and children. In this issue, she writes about the growing lack of civility in society.

Neal Burdick is the retired editor of St. Lawrence University Magazine and a freelance writer who lives in Canton. In this issue, he writes about the benefits of gardening and how it can create the stories of your life.

Lenka P. Walldroff is a former museum specialist, conservator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and curator of collections for the Jefferson County Historical Society.

She writes about Fort Drum’s lost villages.

Nicole Caldwell is a writer and editor based out of Redwood, NY. Her work has appeared in Mother Earth News, Martha Stewart Living, Thrillist, Playgirl and many other publications. Reach her at nicole. caldwell@betterfarm.org.

Katie Machia is a Watertown native and sophomore at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She writes about everything from the outdoors to fashion. In this issue she features items to ensure a fun an safe summer.

Katie Machia is a former art educator who has a pottery studio and gallery in Rutland Center, at KariZelsonRobertson.com and on facebook at Kari Zelson Robertson Art. Contact Kari at Kari.Zelson.

Robertson@gmail.com

Editor & Publisher John B. Johnson

Co-Publisher

Harold B. Johnson II

Magazine Editor Brian Kelly

Associate Magazine Editor Holly C. Boname

Editorial Design Holly C. Boname

Photography

Justin Sorensen, Amanda Morrison, Chris Lenney

Director of Advertising Michelle Bowers

Ad Graphics, Design

Brian Mitchell, Heather O’Driscoll, Scott Smith, Todd Soules, Rick Gaskin

Circulation Director Mary Sawyer

NNY Living (ISSN 2165-1159) is published five times a year by Northern New York Newspaper Corp., 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601, a Johnson Newspaper Corp. company. © 2011-2017. All material submitted to NNY Living becomes property of Northern New York Newspaper Corp., publishers of the Watertown Daily Times, and will not be returned.

Subscription Rates Five issues are $10 a year and 10 issues are $15 for two years.

Call 315-782-1000 for delivery.

Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to hboname@wdt.net

[ MARKETPLACE ] SU M M E R 20 1 7 | N N Y L IV IN G

John B. Johnson Jr.

Ali Townsend

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Chairman of the Board

Magazine Intern

[ CONTRIBUTORS]

nnyliving.com

1000 Islands River Rat Cheese .....3

High Tower .................................13

The Golden Cleat ...........................3

1000 Islands Clayton Chamber of

Hilda’s Clothing & Accessories ....3

Thousand Islands Winery ...........37

Commerce ...................................3

Jefferson-Lewis Board

Tobacco Free NY ..........................15

Antique Boat Museum ................31

of Realtors ................................31

Tunes 92.5 .................................37

Bach & Co. .................................30

Michael Ringer Galleries ...............3

Waite Toyota ..............................12

Black River Music Fest .................4

Northern Flow Vineyards ..............3

Waite Toyota ..............................13

Clayton Marina ...........................30

Nortz & Virkler, Inc. ....................15

Watertown Savings Bank .............2

Eagle Shoppe ...............................3

Ontario Art fest .............................9

Foy Agency Insurance ................15

River Magic ..................................3

Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email mbowers@wdt.net, or call 661-2456 In St. Lawrence County, email blabrake@ogd.com, or call 661-2507 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y. a Forest Stewardship Certified facility.

Please recycle this magazine.

[ ARTS. MUSIC. CULTURE. FAMILIES. ]

AMANDA MORRISON n NNY LIVING Katherine C. "Kate" Griffin, and Christine Olszewski, right, dance during the performance by Frank Sacci and his Big Band, during the kick-off concert for the summer in 2013.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28

The 200th Jefferson County Fair Grand Exhibit Opening, 11 to 2 p.m., Paddock Mansion, 228 Washington St., Watertown.

The 200th Jefferson County Fair will take place this summer.

Come learn about the history of the county fair at the Paddock Mansion. Enjoy fair-festivities, popcorn, and a bit of history.

Cost: Free. Info: Call (315) 782-3491 or visit www.facebook. com/jeffersoncountyhistory for more information.

THURSDAY, JUNE 29

SATURDAY, JULY 1

Benefit Celebration for the St. Lawrence River, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., Clayton Opera House, 405 Riverside Dr, Clayton. This celebration serves as a place for the River community to come together in a relaxed and fun setting to enjoy and celebrate the St. Lawrence River. The event provides residents with opportu-

The Sackets Harbor Historical Society will enter into its 33rd season of concerts on the waterfront.

The concert series is held each Sunday afternoon throughout the summer on the lawn of the Memorial Grove, overlooking Black River Bay. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair for a free, family friendly, outdoor concert.

This year the Historical Society will present “All That Jazz,” a season in tribute to America’s own music. Originating in New Orleans in the early 20th century, jazz is rooted in blues and folk, evolving into swing, Dixieland, cool jazz, Latin soul, funk and hip hop. The Historical Society has asked the Council on the Arts Decentralization to help sponsor four high quality performances showcasing the evolution of Jazz: African roots (Samite); Early swing (Hanna Richardson Quartet); Rhythm and blues (The Chris O’Leary Band); and Dixieland (Fall Creed Brass Band).

The first concert of the season will kick-off with the wellknown Frank Sacci Big Band starting at 3 p.m. Based out of Watertown, the band has performed for over 45 years and is dedicated to the performance of popular jazz styles from the “Golden Age of Swing.”

For more information, contact the Sackets Harbor Visitors Center at (315) 646-2321, or visit the website at www.sacketsharborhistoricalsociety.org.

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Campfire Jam with Barb, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Wachtmeister Field Station, Park St., Canton. TAUNY and Nature Up North are hosting a night of music and fun around the campfire. Bring your guitar, your friends, and family for a campfire sing/playalong jam featuring NCPR’s Barb Heller. We'll be playing and singing traditional campfire songs with a few requests added.

No musical expertise required. S’mores will be provided. Cost: Free. Info: Call (315) 386-4289 or email info@tauny.org with any questions.

Music to Fill the Air at Memorial Grove in Sackets Harbor for 33rd Season of Concerts

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[ ARTS. MUSIC. CULTURE. FAMILIES. ]

nities to become involved in and support the effort to keep the river clean - swimmable, fishable, drinkable - for generations to come. Cost: Free. Info: Visit savetheriver.org for more details.

MONDAY, JULY 3

American Pops and Summer Jazz, 8 to 9:30 p.m., Thompson Park, Watertown.

Celebrate summer with a musical salute to July 4th and our veterans with inspiring and rousing patriotic favorites. Back by popular demand, celebrated jazz trombonist and composer Bret Zvacek will once again dazzle you as a soloist and with his world premiere arrangement, Sincerely Sinatra. Also featured will be music of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin and many other big band favorites. Cost: Free. Info: Email onnybusiness@gmail. com or call (315)-267-3251 for more information.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

Sunset History Boat Cruise, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Clayton Island Tours LLC, 39621 Chateau Ln, Clayton. A cruise to Ivy League and the Canadian Islands with some history along the way. Cruise will last 2.5 to 3 hours coming back to Clayton's beautiful sunset. Cost: $26 per person. Info: Call the Thousand Islands Museum for reservations or call (315) 686-5794.

SATURDAY, JULY 8 THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 9

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Social Justice and Activism in Photography, 9 to 2 p.m., Stitches and Pics Art Gallery and Studio, 113 West Main, Sackets Harbor. In this two day workshop, students will be given the tools necessary to interpret a social justice issue through their viewfinder and develop their own in-depth socially engaged project.

The workshop will consist of looking at contemporary artists who use the medium of photography for activism, a beginner's guide to developing your own socially engaged photographic project, the legal issues and morality of making activist art, open discussion, and portfolio reviews.

Instructor: Melissa Kreider. Cost: $50.00.

Info: Register at www.stitchesandpics.com or call (315) 646-7160.

THURSDAY, JULY 13 THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 16

1st annual 1000 Islands Charity Poker Run, Clayton, New York. The day of the Main Event is July 15th, 2017 with other family-oriented events from the 13th - 16th. All money will go to charity. Event day details are available online. Register and donate at http:// www.1000islandsrun.com/

SATURDAY, JULY 15

Teddy Bear Tea, 12 to 3 p.m., Paddock Mansion, 228 Washington St., Watertown. "Teddy Bear Tea" is a beloved tradition at the Paddock Mansion: The tea will be held in the Victorian Garden this year, where Ice Cream and Tea will be served. Arts and crafts stations will also be available. Cost: Children $8.00, Parents free. Info: Call (315) 782-3491 or email director@jeffersoncountyhistory. org for more information.

SATURDAY, JULY 22

Cape Street Hoops, 3 to 5 p.m., Broadway in downtown Cape Vincent. The Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring Cape Street Hoops 3 on 3 basketball tournament. Divisions include: girls 12 | 14 | 16 | 18, boys 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18, men 35 & older.

Register online at www.ACAhoops.com or www.capevincent.org/hoopstourney.

Cost: $225 per team if received by June 1, 2017, $250 after June 1, 2017. Info: 315-654-2481 or 315-778-0882 for more information.

SATURDAY, JULY 22 THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 31

56th International Seaway Festival, Ogdensburg. The Ogdensburg International Seaway Festival is the biggest family reunion in St. Lawrence County. You can expect to find all the aspects of the traditional Seaway Festival - the Children's Fishing Derby, the Huge Fireworks Display, the largest parade in the county along with a few new twists. . Info: Call 315-393-3518 and follow the festival on Facebook for constant updates.

SATURDAY, JULY 28

Food Truck Friday, 6-9 p.m., Lewis County Fairgrounds. Lewis County Agricultural Society, Lewis County Chamber of Commerce and active community members are sponsoring the Friday night activities.

Food trucks, live music and lawn games!

Cost: Free. Info: Visit www.lewiscountychamber.org events for more details.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5

4th Annual "Iron Horse Day�, 10 to 4 p.m., the Croghan Depot. The Croghan community is offering scenic rides on a portion of the Lowville Beaver River Railroad. Food will be provided by the Winded Peddler on site. Tours of the depot are also being given for free with paid rides. The tour allows visitors to see the beautiful area of Croghan - woods, water and maybe even some animals.

Cost: $10 per family, $5 per individual, members are free. Info: Call (315) 3466648 or visit www.newyorktrins.com for details.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19 THROUGH SUNDAY, AUGUST 20

40th Annual Clayton 1000 Islands Rotary Gun & Sportsmen Show, 10:30 a.m., Cerow Recreation Park, 615 E Line Rd, Clayton. The Show includes antique and modern firearms, memorabilia, gunsmithing, archery supplies, guns and many other sports equipment. Over 100 dealers will be present. Cost: Free. Info: Email info@1000islands-clayton.com for more information.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26

Stencil & Spray Paint Portraits Class, 10 to 5 p.m., Stitches and Pics Studio, 113 W Main St. Sackets Harbor. Familiarize yourself with spray paint as a fine art medium and learn the print process of stencils. Experiment with texture, text, and portraiture in this one day intensive workshop. Students will leave with one finished self-portrait and the stencils to re-create their image. Instructor: Chase Stevens. Cost: $80.00. Info: Register at www.stitchesandpics.com or call (315) 646-7160.

TELL US ABOUT IT — Have an event you would like to include in NNY Living? Email us at nnyliving@wdt.net with the details or visit nnyliving.com and click Events.

[ HEALTH & WELLNESS ]

Kindness and RESPECT: Are they lost forever?

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Offering a helping hand not a hand out has great value and rewards for both parties involved. It goes back to kindness, sprinkle it like confetti and it will certainly spread like wild fire.

Perhaps this way of thinking is too singular too simple. If you think that one person or one act of kindness cannot change others think again. Think of the single mother who just needs a smile or an encouraging hello. Can you be the person to give her that? Or the busy person who has just dropped everything they have on the ground. Can you help them pick it up?

Offer to help with no expectation of being rewarded. We can all do these small things.

Let someone ahead of you in line just because. Be kind and do the right thing every chance you get. The rewards are endless.

Be this example to others. Instead of pick-

ing a fight find a way to be the peace keeper. Instead of engaging in negative talk speak kindly about others and to others.

It can be amazing the ripple effect this can have, but it has to start with you, the one and only you.

I think of summer as this beautiful season of growth and transformation. Think of all the ways that you can impact others and ways to find personal growth for yourself.

Kindness truly can start with you and the positive influence you can have on others can be transcending. Lead in life by example, find every way that you can to sprinkle love and friendship. It is with these acts that all the negativity in life can be lifted and then we can find our life renewed.

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ur world is changing at an alarming rate. I have been thinking about this a lot lately and the amount of negativity I see all around is absolutely alarming. The littlest things make us mad we lose our cool way too easy. We are looking for instant gratification in all things, at the restaurant, when we drive and even searching the world-wide web.

The amount of yelling and screaming on television is sad. The news is almost always negative and condescending. Since when did we become so cold and callous and so self-absorbed? If we have a difference of opinion we cannot even have a conversation or discussion. We just yell and scream and throw a fit until we get our own way. I think there is a way to make things better and it will not happen over-night or in a month or a year but it can happen.

Respect, if you want it than give people the respect they deserve. Start at home respect your parents, respect your teachers, respect the waitress and respect the teller at the bank. Say please and thank you. Kindness travels for miles, go out of your way to be kind to others. I send my girls off to school with a little saying each day it is simple “Be kind to yourself and be kind to others.”

Practice small acts of kindness throughout your day, hold the door, buy a coffee for a friend you can even share your lunch and your time with others. None of us are perfect but I know for certain it is always the small things that we do for others that makes the biggest difference.

Share your talent. We all have something to give. It is these times that teach us and our children the value of life. Teach your children the importance of volunteering. Do something with no intention of a reward.

Give back to your community. It will make the place that you live BETTER. Volunteer opportunities are everywhere in our small town. How can you share your gifts, your time and your talent with others? Donate to organizations that make a difference in someone’s life. The donation does not have to be money, perhaps it is food for a food bank or a church. Help a neighbor with a project, perhaps offer to babysit for free.

By MICHELLE GRAHAM

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More Than Just A Boat Show

Education for Kids of All Ages at the Antique Boat Museum

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By Margaret Hummel

Photo provided by Antique Boat Museum

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The Antique Boat Museum (ABM) in Clayton was founded 50 years ago in 1967 and is celebrating a half-century of growth, milestones, and memories. The ABM was born out of the Antique Boat Show, first held in 1965, when a group of wooden boat owners and enthusiasts gathered on the Clayton Village Dock to proudly display their vessels. The annual show, now in its 53rd year, continues to draw exhibitors and visitors from around the country and world. That single special event is perhaps the most well-known part of the ABM, but there is so much more to the museum! Did you know that the ABM is chartered by the New York State Department of Education and therefore education is at the very core of the ABM’s mission?

Each summer the ABM hosts a variety of educational programs for kids (and adults) of all ages to learn more about boating, local history and traditional woodworking skills. Here is a preview of just a few of the programs offered at the ABM this summer; complete information including session dates and tuition fees can be found at abm.org.

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[ NNY SUMMER ACTIVITIES ] SAILING

Sailing is fun, easy to learn at any age and is a sport that will last a lifetime! The sailing programs at ABM give area youth and adults the opportunity to learn this sport or improve their skills. As students learn self-reliance and independence, they will be transformed into sailors experiencing an exhilaration that will not be forgotten. The ABM sailing programs are the most popular educational programs at the museum and are offered with multiple sessions late June through mid-August each summer.

Beginner Sailing: The introductory sailing program is designed for students ages 6 to 10 with little or no sailing experience.

Students will sail a variety of sailboats with instructors. Junior Sailing: This two week course is designed for both new and return-

ing sailors ages 8 to 15. Hands-on boat handling and sailing classes will be taught using the ABM’s fleet of International Optimist and Sunfish dinghies. Advanced Junior Sailing: Students must have completed the U.S. Sailing “red book” and have instructor’s permission to take the advanced course. Open Sailing: This evening program allows people to sail after work and is open to ages 13-plus. Students of different experience levels will learn more about sailing on the ABM’s fleet of Sunfish.

DECORATIVE KNOT TYING

Two sessions of decorative knot tying will be held this summer, giving students the opportunity to learn the most common maritime knots. This introductory class is open to all ages and participants will take

home their completed project, a keychain.

PADDLE PAINTING

Local artist John Miller III is well known for his Thousand Islands Picture Paddles and will lead a Paddle Painting class for youth and adults. Participants will draw their own river scene and transfer that image to a wooden paddle. Using acrylic paints, students begin with painting the background areas and finish the paddle with foreground and finer details. All materials will be supplied and students will leave with their own unique souvenir paddle painting.

PADDLE MAKING

Join instructor Caleb Davis of Long Lake, Hamilton County, and learn to carve a double-ended cherry paddle, similar to a kayak paddle. The graceful design is a na-

Photo provided by Antique Boat Museum

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18014 GOODNOUGH ST., ADAMS CENTER, NY • 315-583-5680 MON.-WED. 8-5, THURS. & FRI. 8-6, SAT. 9-3

tive style that is slightly narrower, but one of the easiest paddles to use in a kayak or canoe. The Paddle Making class is suitable for all skill levels.

RIVER RAT DAYS

Sign up for the newest, coolest kids program at the ABM! River Rat Days is a series of interactive workshops and field trips for children ages 4 to 12. Each River Rat Day will focus on a different St. Lawrence Riverrelated theme.

GRINDSTONE LIFE – JUNE 27

Take a step back in time and learn what it was like to live on Grindstone Island.

Students will take a boat ride to the island where they will visit historic sites, hear what life was like for schoolchildren, see the old homesteads and learn what people did to earn a living and to have fun.

FISHING NOW AND THEN – JULY 19 Visitors having been traveling to the 1000 Islands region to enjoy fishing here for over a century. Upon arrival, local fishing guides would lead their clients on the search for the best fishing hole. Students will meet a local fishing guide, board his boat and see the equipment that guides use on charters.

WORK BOATS ON THE RIVER – AUGUST 2

Students will be introduced to the boats that provide valuable industrial service to the river communities and will visit the Clayton Fire Department’s boat, Last Chance, and the work boats at Seaway Marine Group.

WINTER LIFE ON THE RIVER – AUGUST 14

Learn what winter life was like on the St. Lawrence River in the past. Students will take a boat ride to Calumet Island to visit one of the few remaining ice houses on the river and hear from the island caretaker about the fun and hardships of winter life on an island.

This is just a taste of the variety of educational programs offered by the ABM this summer.

Learn more about the ABM’s website, abm. org.

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Let's Go Places

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OUTER WASHINGTON ST. WATERTOWN NY 315-788-6022

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[ NORTH COUNTRY NOTES ]

Gardening Benefits Plentiful Despite Challenges

By NEAL BURDICK

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ith the coming of summer, lots of North Country folks' minds turn to gardening. Well, actually, many of those minds turned to gardening as early as January, when the seed catalogs started arriving in the mail and the planning began, on sheets of paper spread across kitchen tables on cold, dark evenings. Hard-core gardeners, it's said, even began dreaming the moment they finished putting last year's garden to bed for the winter, pulled the last carrot or dug the last potato through frost-crusted earth and wondered why this crop or that hadn't come in. “We'll try again next year....”

For most of us, gardening may be about the independence of raising our own trustworthy food, the satisfaction of coaxing something edible from the Earth, the pleasure of getting our hands dirty, our latent desire to do something good for a beleaguered planet, or our determination to make the most of the north country's alltoo-short summers: “The growing season is only a few weeks long, and I am GOING to enjoy it, even if it exhausts me!” But for everybody, what's even more important is that gardening is a super source of family stories.

For us, these revolve around the expansion and contraction of our gardens as we've passed through life's stages. Growing up in the north country, I got it into my head that everybody had a big garden. A great-aunt, for example, maintained a massive layout, full of flowers and vegetables and plum trees, on hundreds of square feet of river bottom, which she tended religiously into her 90s. A proper lady, she wore pants only when gardening; upon completing her weeding, clipping, hoeing and harvesting for the day, she would repair immediately to her room and emerge in a dress. I naturally assumed that when I grew up I would become a gardener too.

That proved easier said than done, because for the first few years after college I lived in urban environments, surrounded

by asphalt, and then in a boarding school where I taught. We did manage a small (I mean about six-foot by six-foot) plot there, but the grounds superintendent wasn't thrilled that we wanted to dig up a tiny square of his campus.

When we moved to the Canton area and bought an old farmhouse with an acre of land, though, it was time for the gardens to take off. We had some fine ones for a few years, and even succeeded in being nearly self-sufficient in veggies one winter.

One year we cajoled corn stalks up to a few inches greater than my almost-six-foot height, and we even harvested a couple of palatable (if you define the term liberally) cantaloupes, which our neighbors said couldn't be raised in the north country – too short a season. Those neighbors were from Birdsfoot Farm, one of the few communal organic operations that survived the idealism of the Back to the Earth fad of the 1970s (and continues to thrive to this day), so we were pretty smug about that. Or maybe just lucky.

We survived late frosts; one we christened the Great Anniversary Freeze, because it fell on our wedding anniversary, June 29, and devastated not only our garden but also dozens throughout the region. We also endured a cow invasion: one spring day we looked out the window and spotted a dozen Holsteins trampling around in what after a rainy spell was abnormally spongy soil. They'd escaped from another neighbor's farm, and were having a delightful time trashing our newlyplanted spread. A quick call brought the farmer running, issuing heartfelt apologies even before he was within hearing range, and the cows were soon rounded up and headed home, though not before leaving deep holes all over our poor garden; I had not appreciated until then how much a dairy cow weighs, and thus how far into saturated soil it can sink its legs. They also left some fertilizer, though, for which we thanked the chagrined farmer.

Which reminds me of the prolific rhubarb we cut each spring. We couldn't imag-

ine how it could get so big and delicious with no work on our part. Then a previous owner of the place told us it had until not many years earlier been a working farm, and the rhubarb had sprouted happily in the former manure pile. Ah, the wonders of nature.

But the main thing we survived was zucchini. Why we kept planting so darn much of it I could never imagine, except that we knew it would grow no matter what, so there was that smug satisfaction thing again. The problem was that we always went away on vacation in August, and it never had the courtesy to stop growing while we were gone. We'd come home to zucchinis the size of Goodyear blimps. The vines would lose all sense of propriety, insinuating themselves among the bean stalks, climbing the pepper plants for a better view, hauling themselves up the tomato cages and cutting off the tomatoes' sunlight with fronds as big as truck tires. We prayed for a hard frost.

Eventually, we moved into town, and the gardens got smaller and smaller as our backs got older and we realized we could patronize the Farmers Market, featuring growers who actually knew what they were doing, for a little cash and a lot less sweat, mosquito repellent, muscle rub and dirt under our fingernails. We're now down to a fall-bearing raspberry patch, some rhubarb transplanted from that old manure-pile stock, and sporadic asparagus – perennials that require minimal human effort.

Meanwhile, gardening has evolved a new ethos as a beneficial aspect of the larger environment, partly in response to concerns about global climate change and natural habitat loss. Trees (carbon captors), bees (pollinators), water conservation practices and native species (as opposed to invasives) are the “in” things today. We're all for it; we'll just let the younger generations do the labor while we rock on the deck until the raspberries are ready to pick, sometime in October.

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1-800-957-5748 R

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THIS SPACE

Serving Lewis • Jefferson and Surrounding Counties for 101 Years - Serving You Since 1916!

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[ NNY FOOD FEATURE ]

By Kristen Taylor and Liz Price-Kellogg

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Photo provided by Live Yum

[ NNY FOOD FEATURE ]

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ith an abundance of fresh, locally (or garden) grown, organic produce available to us in the summer months it becomes more and more effortless to prepare meals that are healthy and vibrant! Eating from the earth like this nurtures all the cells in our bodies and, from the inside-out, naturally creates more health and vibrancy in our bodies and minds. Remember, you are what you eat! We are excited to share new healthy Live Yum recipes with you below! Please use recipe modifications and variations as you see fit. Take the opportunity to purchase, prepare, and enjoy your food with joy and presence, using all of your senses and sensibility! Please visit us at blog.liveyum.com for a compilation of new recipes and yoga inspirations!

Thank you for inviting us into your kitchens and cheers to a joyful, delicious, and gratitude-filled summer! Live Yum!

DEVILED AVOCADOS WITH SWEET & SPICY CILANTRO CHIMICHURRI Our Deviled Avocados with Sweet & Spicy Cilantro Chimichurri are supremely playful and delicious. We use the avocado skin as a boat to serve the creamy deviled avocadoes. The Sweet & Spicy Cilantro Chimichurri offers a perfect juxtaposition to the rich avocado. Avocados are loaded with healthy fats, antioxidants, and potassium. Cilantro acts as a natural cleansing agent. This recipe serves two as an entrée and four as an appetizer!

Sweet & Spicy Cilantro Chimichurri Deviled Avocados

1T sesame oil 1T olive oil 2T tamari 4T seasoned rice vinegar 2T agave nectar 2T lime juice ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves (minced) 2 medium garlic cloves (pressed) Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste) Ground Himalayan salt and pepper

3 avocados ¾ cup apple (diced) ¼ cup cilantro (chopped) ½ jalapeño pepper (seeded and diced) ½ cup fresh sweet corn kernels Ground Himalayan salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Prepare the Sweet & Spicy Cilantro Chimichurri by combining all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

Set aside.

2. Cut two avocados in half, removing the pits from both. Scoop about 2T of avocado fruit from each halved avocado and place it in a mixing bowl.

3. Remove the skin and pit of the third avocado. Place all of that avocado fruit in the same mixing bowl.

5. Place equal amounts of mixture into each of the four original avocado halves.

6. Top avocados equally with 2T of the Sweet & Spicy Cilantro Chimichurri or to taste. Serve two halves as an entrée or one boat as an appetizer!

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4. To mixing bowl, add apple, cilantro, jalapeño, corn, salt, and pepper. Combine.

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[ NNY FOOD FEATURE ]

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Photo provided by Live Yum

[ NNY FOOD FEATURE ]

OOH—YUMMY, UMAMI EAST ASIAN MUSHROOM STIR-FRY (VEGAN) Oooh, it’s yummy. This flavorful, umami-rich dish has quickly become one of our favorite, go-to meals.

Umami is the fifth basic taste, discovered by the Japanese, and can be translated to “pleasant savory taste.” (Other basic tastes include sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness.) We use two Asian mushroom varieties in this dish that you should be able to readily source at your local Asian market. Enoki mushrooms are whimsical, delicate, and offer a pure umami flavor. White beech mushrooms also have a umami taste and add a wonderful nutty flavor once cooked. If you cannot source these mushrooms, you may most definitely substitute them for shitake mushrooms or other mushrooms available to you. This dish also makes excellent leftovers and may be enjoyed cold or warm the next day. Serves 4.

3T white sesame seeds 10.5 oz vermicelli noodles (or 3 cups zucchini noodles, 3 cups cooked rice, or 3 cups cauliflower rice) 6T tamari 3T toasted sesame oil 1T seasoned rice wine vinegar Juice of one lime

1T Asian garlic chili paste 2T maple syrup 1T olive or coconut oil 1 medium garlic clove (minced) 1 shallot (minced) 2 tsp. ginger (minced) 1 cup mini red peppers (sliced into thin rounds)

2 cups white beech mushrooms (chop dirty ends, clean thoroughly) 2 cups enoki mushrooms (chop dirty ends, clean thoroughly) 3 green onions (white and light green parts only, thinly sliced) ¼ cup cilantro (roughly chopped)

1. Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet over low heat until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Begin to prepare desired noodles or rice.

3. Combine tamari, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, chili paste, and syrup. Set aside.

4. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil and sauté garlic, shallot, ginger, and peppers for one minute.

5. Add beech mushrooms and cook mixture for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

6. Next add enoki mushrooms and cook another minute.

7. Add liquid mixture to skillet. Allow to simmer for about 30 seconds.

8. If using noodles, add cooked noodles to mixture and combine for another 1-2 minutes.

9. Serve in bowls (over rice if using it instead of noodles) and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro, as desired.

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New to NNY Living, Liz Price-Kellogg and Kristen Taylor, of Clayton, Wco-founders of Live Yum and authors of the book ‘For the Love of Food and Yoga: A celebration of mindful eating and being’ provide healthy recipes each issue. They are dedicated yogis, mothers, and seekers of well-being. They are passionate about growing in and sharing their passions, joys and loves of living a healthy and spiritually sound lifestyle. You can follow both Liz and Kristen by following their blog!

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BLACK RIVER BREW & MUSIC FEST TAPS WATERTOWN

BY NICOLE CALDWELL | NNY LIVING

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The first rule for building community is to act like one.

That’s the name of the game for Patrick Robbins, Jason Price, and Mike Ricca, who have teamed up to put together the second annual Black River Brew & Music Fest at Maggie’s on the River from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 8, in Watertown. The event taps into the extensive north country music scene, invites participation from breweries throughout New York state, and draws on the generosity of more than a dozen sponsors and partnerships with everyone from hotels to shuttle buses.

In other words, this festival is drawn forth out of and gives directly to the bubbling and growing network of north country communities. And that’s something we can—and should—all get behind.

Robbins, owner of Black River Cattle Company and a teacher at Carthage Central School District, along with Maggie’s on the River managers Price and Ricca, sought a way to combine their eventplanning experience with local brewmasters and musicians throughout the region. The result was last year’s Black River Block Party; expanded this year to include more breweries, more food trucks and more bands.

The event also covers transportation, with shuttles picking up festivalgoers at the JB Wise Parking Lot and on Fort Drum between 11 a.m. and 1 a.m.

Oh—and then there’s the added detail of national headliner Rusted Root joining in on the fun.

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[ COVER STORY ] THE BRAINS

Between Robbins, Price and Ricca, there’s around a half-century of experience in logistics, party and event planning, hospitality and service. Whether that was comprised of hosting parties back in high school, putting on “Shamupalooza” in Sackets Harbor in 2010, studying at prestigious culinary institutions or working for resorts, this trio has been around the proverbial block to know what it takes to put on an event of these proportions.

Robbins met Price through some local events they had both worked on. The two joined forces with fellow Maggie’s man-

ager Mike Ricca, and from there the Black River Brew & Music Fest was born. “From my time living in Atlanta, combined with Mike and Jason’s travels around the country,” Robbins says, “we had experienced neighborhood, community, or city brew and music fests in other areas. We thought, why not here?”

Coordinating between 11 bands, almost two dozen sponsors, four food trucks, and 14 brewers and distilleries is no small task.

“We discussed how there was a certain synergy between local, New York stateproduced food, craft beer and, for that

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AMANDA MORRISON n NNY LIVING Black River Music Festival organizers Jason Price, left, Mike Ricca, center, and Patrick Robbins, right, stand behind Maggie's on the River.

matter, music,” Robbins says. “We wanted to provide a platform to merge those and allow the community to come together to experience and enjoy those entities under one umbrella in the backyard of the Black River.”

NNY BAND SPOTLIGHT: BRITTANY CEAN AND BEAVER NICKEL

Brittany Cean and Beaver Nickel are based in the north country and perform year-round in bars, restaurants and at private parties. The group’s set list spans six decades of hits and feel-good tunes, in addition to original compositions. Beaver Nickel is comprised of Brittany Cean on vocals and guitar, Kelsey Fraser on vocals and violin, Scott Graveline on bass, Alex Soluri on percussion and sound, and Kyle Hoose on drums. Zachary Cean and Kenny Booth provide alternate percussion.

Band members’ influences run the gamut; from Celtic music and Ani DiFranco to Nirvana and Soluri’s father.

“I started playing music at the age of five or six,” Kelsey Fraser tells NNY Living. “I decided that I wanted to play the fiddle. So I went home and asked Santa, of course.” Soluri picked up an instrument when he was eight, while Graveline was a late bloomer; picking up a bass in his 20s “just for fun.”

“I started playing in my preteen years,” Cean says. “I wanted an easy way to accompany myself singing, and keys just weren't for me. Mom had a guitar hanging around that I learned the basics on.”

Beaver Nickel lives for live shows.

“Playing live gives me a sort of confidence that I don't have when I am not playing or singing,” Fraser says. “Kind of like an alter ego.”

Cean echoes Fraser’s sentiment, saying, “It [music] gives me an opportunity to be outgoing in a way I'll never achieve in regular life. I'm not great with public speaking, so the pressure and discomfort is good for me. It's also a pretty big and beloved part of the time Scott and I get to spend together in our relationship. We might be sick to death of each other some days, but the show must go on—even if there's feedback.”

Learn more about Brittany Cean and Beaver Nickel at www.beavernickel.com

AMANDA MORRISON n NNY LIVING Beaver Nickel is Brittany Cean, left, Kelsey Fraser, left center, Alex Soluri, right center, and Scott Graveline, right.

NNY BAND SPOTLIGHT: WAYDOWN WAILERS

Bringing “Outlaw Americana” to the north country with original roots rock, blues rock, and jam with a hearty dose of country are the Waydown Wailers: brothers Christian “Moe” and Dave Parker on guitars, business manager Michael “Scruffy” Scriminger on percussion and drums, and Connor Pelkey on bass and backing vocals. Music is in every band member’s blood: each was drawn to an instrument in childhood.

The Waydown Wailers draw on musical influences like Clarence White, John Lennon, Keith Moon, Ginger Baker and Rush.

“This band is different because we are familiar but unlike anything out there,” Christian Parker says. “Waydown Wailers has a sound that is fresh but old, sounds a little southern country; blues, funk and the kitten sink. It is a band that all of us have input on giving us the outlaw jam sound that is original,” Scriminger adds.

The Waydown Wailers recently released their sophomore album, Empty Promises,

on the heels of their breakout compilation, State of the Union.

The band’s beginnings are steeped in family ties. “My brother David and I had been writing songs and he and Mike were wanting to start an original band,” Christian tells NNY Living. “We started getting together and jamming, and we decided to commit to a new band, as we started to develop our sound.

Our influences are broad, but we have been able to weave our own unique approach to our songs,” he said.

Actually, it’s a little tricky to pin Waydown Wailers down, categorically speaking. “We haven’t quite figured out our genre yet, says Dave Parker. “We think we are a rock/blues/sometime swampy/ Americana type of groove with a slight country sound at times, and then we might break into a jam session that will take a turn to the unexpected.

But most of all, the sound we are trying to create is what separates us from the norm.

Whatever that is.”

Pelkey says the secret to the band’s success is in its lack of insistence to be tied to any specific style. “After we get the form down [for songs], we just play in the styles we think best fit the song.”

Learn more at www.waydownwailers. com.

CHRIS LENNEY n NNY LIVING Band members of Waydown Wailers before a June performance.

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REGIONAL ACT SPOTLIGHT: SAVANNAH HARMON

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Photo provided by Savannah Harmon

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Savannah Harmon is an 18-year-old sensation out of Syracuse who taught herself guitar. The first song she could play was “Drops of Jupiter,” only because that was the first song to show up on YouTube when she searched “easy guitar songs to learn.”

Since then, she’s been awfully busy.

She won the 2015 Texaco Country Showdown, catapulting her onto the stage with Trevor Silva, Kelly Pickler, Love and Theft, Joel Crouse, Stevie Monce and Billy Lord. For a woman still so young, Harmon’s roots are held firmly to the foundations of country. And for her, that all relates back to Johnny Cash.

“I read every single biography of the man, and I admire almost every aspect of his musical career,” Harmon says. “He wrote songs on napkins with his first wife driving around town in his car, he had incredible charisma that charmed everybody and his persistence to make his music heard is a constant inspiration to me. He is a legend, and I look up to him every single day.”

Harmon says singing has always been part of her—but only in the last year has its importance to her come into such sharp focus.

“A couple nights ago I was sitting around a campfire with my band at 4:00 AM when my fiddle player Greg picked up a bluegrass instrument I'd never heard of and started playing a beautiful, old Irish-sounding tune,” Harmon says.

“In that moment, it didn't matter if you were a drummer, a singer, or anything musically inclined; when he started playing, it captured your attention and made your heart listen, and in my head I said, "Damn. When I'm on my deathbed, I want this music playing. I want to go out feeling alive." Music brings together all sorts of people of all different races, generations, and walks of life because it has a common thread that has us all strung together by the heartstrings.”

Harmon may have been launched into the spotlight as a professional musician, but she’s also still a fan of the fellow musicians she’ll be performing before and after on the Brew Fest stage.

“This might sound cliché, but I remember being four when Ice Age came out and singing with my dad to Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root in my living room in our first house. I can't WAIT to see them perform… They were my CHILDHOOD,” she said. “I also love watching pros do their thing, because it helps the learning rookies like myself get ideas and tips for our own shows.

Also, I adore Watertown and all the people involved with this event. I'm extremely honored to get to perform at festivals, and this will be a great staple in the shows that we have coming up.”

Check out Harmon’s music at www.savannahharmon.com/

NATIONAL ACT SPOTLIGHT: HARRISON B.

Photo provided by Harrison B

Photo credit: John Collins

THE HEADLINERS: RUSTED ROOT

An unassuming group of musician friends got together in the early ‘90s in Pittsburgh to put together an independently released album that exploded on the jam fan scene. It was a cult obsession the Northeast couldn’t get enough of (present company included). Soon after that independent album came out, the band got hooked up with Mercury Records and came out with what would become a platinum-selling album, When I Woke.

That was more than 25 years ago, but Rusted Root is still as active as ever. The band boasts a portfolio of eight albums, thousands of performances and a sustained popularity that transcends generations and musical tastes.

For Michael Glabicki, Rusted Root’s frontman, the secret to a band staying together so long is rooted in honesty and openness to change.

“Just being honest with one another and always sort of trying to break boundaries with the music that you’re doing and

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Harrison B. is a nationally touring act from Seattle, Wash., who can’t wait to get back to Watertown for his second appearance at the Black River Brew & Music Fest.

“My experience with Watertown and this fest: people up here they genuinely enjoy music and live music and they want to go see it.

There is still a sense of raw or awe, and you can get on stage and feel they are there with you. I think you’re going to find a big group of people ready to have a good time.”

When asked for his age, he had this to say: “I’m old enough to have lived everything I’m singing about and young enough to do something about it.”

Harrison B. draws inspiration from Bill Withers, Citizen Cope, Del Amitri, Doc Watson and Gary Clark, Jr., in addition to the world around him. “I was 10 or 11 when I found my first guitar in my friend’s neighbor’s basement and dug it and picked it up. I didn’t take lessons—I just picked around by ear and it just kind of bloomed. After that, I felt a draw—I needed to do it.”

“There is something in sound that speaks to people in a way that things that are more structured do not,” he continues. “It’s one of the last areas of human communication that deals with raw emotion. And that type of interaction between the people playing and the people listening—it’s just a type of release you don’t find in other places.

And it’s such a part of human nature where we can still let loose and let free.”

"The Harrison B LP" and "Down At Brown's" are available for download at major online retailers. His latest Single "ME" is available exclusively at Bandcamp. Learn more at www.harrisonbmusic.com

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with yourself is really the secret,” he says.

“And then I think like being able to not so much live in the past, but sort of show up each day and feel like this is a new job. Our connection with the fans inspires our shows and I think the connection is always different. And surprising. And beautiful.”

The band’s current members—Glabicki on vocals, guitar, harmonica and mandolin, Patric Norman on bass, vocals and percussion, Liz Berlin on percussion and vocals, Zil Fessler on drums and percussion, and Dirk Miller on guitar and vocals—are equally at home in a studio or on tour, and just as happy revisiting classics as they are rolling out new songs.

“Studio time and touring go together,” Glabicki says. “In studio, I’m visualizing the performance. On the road, I’m picking

up little gems here and there on stage. I think you constantly redo the old stuff and keep that fresh. That process can actually feed into your music. Each night, we’ll go up and play “Send Me on My Way,” “Laugh as the Sun” or “Ecstasy” and in the process, you do all this weird stuff that you thought wasn’t possible. It just sort of happens through that crowd energy and being comfortable on stage.

You pick up these little things; like wow, we did this for 10 seconds one night and it sounded really cool. You take that musical landscape and say, I’m going to write a song in that.”

Glabicki fell in love with music early, remembering fondly sitting under his dining room table as a little kid, listening to Cat Stevens records over and over. “I definitely explored the world of music in

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JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY LIVING Hot Kogan plays at the Bad Apple Inn in Cape Vincent.

my consciousness, in probably a very profound way,” he says. “Maybe I’m trying to get back to those feelings now.”

So what’s it like for Glabicki to play at events like the Black River Brew & Music Fest, where fellow acts are also fans of his?

“Sometimes it can be a little overhyped, like hard to handle some of the energy,” he admits. “Some of the time I’m trying to be normal, and other times out of this world. On stage you don’t necessarily want to be normal. I really like to explore on stage and that can be through my personality, or the music, or the rhythms or tones. You want to be in this sort of outer—you don’t want to be in the world at that point. Or at least I don’t. But then right before the show, I like to be in the world. And right after the show.

“We had zero sponsors last year,” Robbins says, “and now look. Around 600 people came last year. But now, word’s gotten out. It was all about bringing the community together to do this, with an impetus on the smaller, local acts and coming out to support them.”

The Black River Brew & Music Fest is also tapping into the technology available for events, from live-streaming the musical performances, updating social media accounts throughout the day, and the event being listed on Untappd so people

Photo provided by The Old Main

A GROWING TRADITION

can comment on their experiences and tastings throughout the day.

“All of us love to have fun and want to provide an outlet for Watertown and the surrounding area to experience the great music and craft beer being produced locally and around New York state,” Robbins says.

“I hate it when people act like this is no man’s land,” says Mike Ricca of the north country. “There’s a reason this is the ideal summer location. So why can’t this be the start of that all over again?”

For more information on the Black River Brew & Music Fest, to order tickets, or for the shuttle schedule, visit www. makeitmaggies.com/whats-happening/

AMANDA MORRISON n NNY LIVING Hip hop artist Quince stands by the Black River.

So there’s this big learning process for people approaching me and they’re not sure if I’m in the out of the box world or in the box, so it’s kind of jarring sometimes.”

Photo provided by Adapter

THE BANDS: LINEUP BLACK RIVER BREW & MUSIC FEST FEATURES 11 BANDS, MANY OF WHICH ARE MADE UP OF LOCAL PERFORMERS WHO ARE FIXTURES IN NORTH COUNTRY BARS AND CLUBS. FOR BLACK RIVER BREW & MUSIC FEST, THESE ACTS WILL SHARE A FESTIVAL STAGE WITH NATIONAL ACTS AND RUSTED ROOT, A BAND THAT’S BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN THE 25 YEARS IT’S BEEN AROUND.

THE LINEUP ON JULY 8 IS AS FOLLOWS: 12-12:20 MY MANIC MIND 12:30-12:55 THE NORTHMEN 1:05-1:30 SAVANNAH HARMON 1:40-2:10 HOT KOGAN

3:10-3:40 BRITTANY CEAN & BEAVER NICKEL 3:55-4:30 ADAPTER 4:45-5:30 WAYDOWN WAILERS 5:45-6:35 THE OLD MAIN 6:50-7:55 HARRISON B 8:15-10:00 RUSTED ROOT

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2:30-3:00 OUT CHASING LIONS HOLDOWN UPSTATE

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AMANDA MORRISON n NNY LIVING A woman stops to take a photo of artwork on display at the Tri-County Art Show in Watertown.

[ NNY ART FEATURE ]

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Art

Education:

Sometimes It’s Complicated

By KARI ROBERTSON

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ike pulling a very large and unwieldy rabbit out of a hat, South Jefferson Central art educator Brian Hallett maneuvered a three-dimensional, four-foot-tall cardboard dragon, complete with wings, from his vehicle.

Engineered by his sculpture students, the piece utilized some carefully formulated and constructed origami-like processes to take it from flat to form. The result was striking.

On that sunny first Saturday in May, we chatted as we walked into the Dulles State Office Building in Watertown, site for the Annual K-12 Tri-County Art Show. I noted the burgeoning collection of expressive work by the most precious and important artists of all, our children. I was slipping into the “backstage” world of the largest student exhibit north of Syracuse.

Each year, teachers from 23 mostly rural school districts in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties gather to transform the entire first floor of the building. They deliver, organize and prepare about 1,300 pieces, a snapshot of the creative and technical growth of their students. The show culminates a year (or more, depending on the level) of effort and by students and teachers.

Why do they do it? What do our area art educators hope to accomplish through their programs, their daily activities?

During the Saturday setup, I collected an array of responses to these questions, all of which scaffold upon these professionals’ dedication to their field and hopes for their students.

First of all, and perhaps counterintuitively, it’s not necessarily about the art! Art educators say that classroom learning often has to do less with the actual art piece and more to do with the personal development that comes from the process of making. Ginny Hovendon, Tri-County Art Show chair and art educator at Copenhagen Central, says, “A vast majority of my students will not be artists, but in art class they will learn to be creative, to solve problems and to not give up because it doesn’t work the first time.” In the art studio, there is not a single correct answer, but many potentially good answers. Technical ability comes with practice and is not born perfect.

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[ NNY ART FEATURE ] In art class, students can become comfortable expressing themselves and talking about opinions. When Jamie Peck, Carthage Central art educator, was a student, she learned “to think about things on a deeper level, to be able to talk about ideas and opinions, and to be more confident to answer in class.”

Now, she passes this on to her students by engaging them in the Art of Critique, an inquiry process for understanding and evaluating art--one’s own and others’. “Art of Critique isn’t just about art,” Ms. Peck says. “It’s about being able to analyze what’s going on in the world, to enhance problem solving skills and critical thinking. From the art class, we take these skills to real world experience.

Practicing the Art of Critique also helps us to be open to others’ ideas.”

Jeri Haldeman, art educator in the Belleville Henderson district, has participated in the Tri-County Art Show for 18 years, and served as chair or co-chair for eight. She wraps up the reason for art education under one heading: “Creativity! We need to put the A (Art) in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics),” she said. “Our kids have to be able to think independently and in unique ways, to be able to take information and then figure out how to solve problems”. In her program, Ms. Haldeman stresses experimentation with materials and discovery. She allows flexible parameters. She believes that the opportunity to explore, imagine, and process ideas, converting STEM to STEAM, will improve education. She adds, “If you are going to collect cans at the recycling center, figure out a way to

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be creative with it!”

“Art captures the essence of life energy”, begins Duane Smith, Carthage Central art educator. In his life and work, he has always found observation and interpretation of the natural world to be inspiring. “First, the art teacher becomes a medium for the love of looking at things.

Looking at patterns becomes a model for all disciplines, helping students learn how to detect these patterns, to see and make connections,” he said.

Mr. Smith is a scientific artist, or maybe an artistic scientist. “I love science, but what makes the scientist discover things?” he asks. “What made the inventor of Velcro (Swiss engineer George de Mestral) note that observation (burrs kept sticking to his clothing during a hike) and apply the concept in a useful new way? Non-linear thought, being able to look from all directions, is powerful.”

Spinning his ideas like several nonlinear plates, Mr. Smith sees his work as an art educator functioning on several levels. He remarks that the current state of general education often “logjams” and creates stress, rather than laying the foundation for curiosity. “The art teacher has a strong opportunity to harness positivity through a playful moment. There is an endorphin surge by doing playful art projects, and kids bring their world to their work. My students are emotionally connected to the learning.”

In Harrisville, art educator Jade Atkinson looks for that magical moment when the student is no longer thinking about a grade, and is working past a deadline.

The work has become more than a class

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project. “It’s work ethic, craftsmanship, and also the joy and pride that comes from building something with your hands. We are losing that,” she said. Ms. Atkinson says that in art class “You have to think. It’s not regurgitation of facts.

We are teaching them an international language, learning to express themselves and form an opinion”.

So what about the way that students form an opinions, especially in middle school? Peter Basta, Beaver River art educator, addresses the social issues inherent in this setting. “When you ask middle school-aged students to express what they like, they have to deal with deciding what they like, maybe turning to a friend to see what they say…or not,” he said.

Art education asks students to grapple with their inner world and also exposes them to the outside world. “Art opens the doors,” Mr. Basta said. “The world is a bigger place than Lewis County, and art is a reaction to that bigger place.

AMANDA MORRISON n NNY LIVING A girl leans in to examine a cardboard mask sculpture on display at the Tri-County Art Show.

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[ NNY ART FEATURE ] By looking at artwork or by creating on themes that we are exploring, it helps us to kind of get a more worldly view. You are not trapped in Lewis County for the rest of your life.” Art can help students develop the confidence to explore.

In this particular field of education, objectives are non-linear, and do not always fit into neat packages. Art education is personal on the part of the students and the teachers. It is an area of education which is least susceptible to scripted curriculum or superficial bubble testing. A good art education program offers a recipe that includes a large serving of creative challenge, the language of art and methodology for expressing opinions, development of problem-solving ability, connection to the self and the world.

Art and Art Education is human, emotional, analytical, expressive, historical, psychological, anatomical, biological, adventurous, inspirational, productive, joyful, painful. It’s not just a pretty picture. It’s complicated.

in Northern New York.

www.nnymls.com

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It is a great time to buy or sell real estate.

The Jefferson-Lewis Board of REALTORS invites you to visit www.nnymls.com, then contact one of our members and let them show you how to

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Home is where

you anchor

RIDING THROUGH LIFE ON A ST. LAWRENCE BARGE YACHT

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JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY LIVING Julia Purcell and her husband Rich Rossmassler are living on what they call a barge yacht, a home built on a former industrial barge, on the St. Lawrence River at Grindstone Island.

By NICOLE CALDWELL

Julia Purcell and her husband Rich Rossmassler are trailblazers—both literally and figuratively.

The pair split their time between New York City and Grindstone Island, and have already left indelible marks on both. When Julia founded Taste 1000 Islands, she created an actual network and trail connecting local wineries, craft breweries and distilleries in the region. This, in addition to Le Juit Productions, the full-service creative content house she co-founded.

Meanwhile, Rich has carved out a trail of buildings in New York City that he has built up, developed and managed, etching out a name for himself in one of the world’s most competitive real estate markets.

In short, what Julia and Rich imagine, they will into being.

So it comes as no surprise that when the couple, which has family on both sides of Grindstone Island, wanted to create a space of their own on the St. Lawrence River, they blazed a new kind of trail requiring no roads, paths or trail of breadcrumbs: a home independent of any plot of land, done in a style never seen before.

Julia and Rich built a contemporary and sleek, three-story dreamhouse that would fit in on the trendiest Brooklyn block (or Califonia coastal town, for that matter). But this home isn’t situated on pavement. It’s on a barge. In the middle of the St. Lawrence River.

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[ THE NNY LIFE ]

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A MATCH MADE ON GRINDSTONE The idea for the St. Lawrence Barge Julia and Rich met around a decade Yacht had been born. ago through mutual friends on Grindstone Island. They had both grown up spending A YACHT-BARGE IS BUILT… time on the island, and when they conIN PIECES nected they were both traveling frequently “From the beginning, this was an idea between Brooklyn and Clayton. “We both CALDWELL Rich had,” Julia said. “It was three years

By NICOLE lived in New York City and here,” Julia ago when he said, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazsaid. “When we became friends on the ising to build a floating house?’ Then we land, we started carpooling together back talked about it for a year. We talked to my and forth.” dad and Uncle Mark about it, and they The friendship turned to romance, and thought we were crazy.” the power couple’s courtship eventually Julia’s father, Tim Purcell, and uncle blossomed into a marriage. As the years Mark, are both experienced builders. Tim went by, Julia’s and Rich’s respective famihas his own business, Tim Purcell Construclies grew and filled up the houses on both tion, while Mark owns Purcell Construction sides of the island this couple loved so in Watertown. Actually, the Purcell family is well. “We talked about whether we should filled with building experts—and they love buy more property of our own,” Julia said. a good, collaborative project. They just And then they realized that if the property didn’t realize they were on the verge of was floating, they could bring it to both one so special. sides of Grindstone. “Plus,” Julia added, One of the biggest concerns with build“we could take off when we wanted to.” ing a house on top of a barge was the cost. Shopping around, Julia and JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY LIVING Rich had trouble Tim Purcell, Julia’s father and owner of Tim Purcell Construction, was infinding something strumental in begining the design and affordable in the construction of the floating home. size they wanted.

Rich studied everything he could find about barge manufacturing and houseboat construction. Then Julia’s father, Tim, stepped in.

“In January of 2016, my dad sent a picture of two pieces of steel and said, ‘I’ll build it.’” Julia and Rich gladly accepted the offer; and Rich set about designing the dream home: with a minimalist’s eye for crisp angles and wide-open windows, with every surface and angle serving a distinct purpose. He and Tim worked together on the ideas, bouncing

concepts around for layout, lighting, water, and outside spaces.

Tim’s brother Mark jumped in to offer up use of his manufacturing shop in Watertown, and his welders who put those two pieces of steel together into a barge capable of supporting a two-story home with third-level roof deck.

“The barge was built in two pieces last winter,” Julia said. “Then we got it onto a trailer and drove it to Clayton. Jeremy Kellogg [of French Bay Marina] let us use his parking lot all winter. Then last spring, the pieces were welded together. Finally, everything was pieced together in French Bay and dropped into the water with two cranes from Billy Bach.”

In early June of last year, the floating frame and barge were floated to Alexandria Bay, where Tim took over along with a team of workers from Andy Greene’s crew (Greene Structures), working on the house’s frame and interior. It’s been floating ever since.

For the barge yacht’s final touches, Julia and Rich opted for solar power, a compost toilet, greywater filtration, and a waterdrawing system that was recently finished.

“We went with a one-kilowatt array from Proven Energy Systems out of Hammond,” Rich says. “Our goal was to be as off-grid as possible,” Julia adds. “When we’re not using engines, which is 95 percent of the time,” we’re running everything off of three solar panels.”

A barge yacht combines form with function—and endlessly changing scenery Building a barge yacht isn’t entirely different than building or renovating a home in Brooklyn—something Julia and Rich are well-versed in. But once you get past the striking similarities in cost and size, the comparisons end.

Few (if any) Brooklyn dwellings have garage doors that open up to a power lift that raises and lowers a ramp (doubling as a front deck!) to shore or river. Nor, for that matter, do city apartments boast twin 175-horsepower Mercury engines that can transport said homestead from point A to point B—or out into an open river channel for lazy afternoons spent splashing around or sunning on the roof deck.

Against a backdrop of downtown Gananoque (the Canadian town is just a fiveminute powerboat ride from the back end of Grindstone where Julia and Rich are currently docked), the St. Lawrence Barge

[ THE NNY LIFE ] Yacht rises up out of the St. Lawrence as its own personal island. Every side of the home is covered in windows and glass doors, so no matter where you are in the house, you’re looking at the water. The third-story sun deck has a solar canopy that doubles as a small shade offering and has a perfect platform for the solar array.

The bedroom, located on the second floor, has the bed situated so the huge glass doors are at your feet—and when you sit up in bed, you have a totally unobstructed view of the open water.

On a kitchen shelf is a stack of books: Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Steward, Knots: The Complete Visual Guide by Des Pawson, and one book belying the metropolitan couple nesting into this unusual dwelling: Where Are the Customers’ Yachts? A Good Hard Look at Wall Street by Fred Schwed. Wifi allows Julia and Rich to stay plugged in to their city lives—no matter if they’re parked on the back end of Grindstone, anchored somewhere off the coast of Canada, or floating aimlessly along the St. Lawrence.

The minimalist space features Asian undertones like the stacked and flared metal roofs, and minimalist, contemporary lines and colors throughout. The gradient-blue kitchen cabinets were Julia’s doing—Rich is color blind, and prefers tans and whites to vibrant hues.

Every detail is perfect: from the featured circular window in the kitchen, to the gorgeous Smeg fridge and woodwork throughout. The home, while modest in its size and simplicity, is inarguably jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

Follow Julia and Rich’s adventures on Instagram:@slbargeyacht

JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY LIVING Their simple kitchen has gradient blue stained wood cabinets.

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THE FUTURE IS BARGE Julia and Rich hope the St. Lawrence Barge Yacht will inspire others to ditch the idea of owning land and opt for creating a dwelling that can see different scenery on different days of the week—or at different hours of the same day.

Certainly, spending time on the firsteven St. Lawrence Barge Yacht and being treated to every creature comfort of a custom, brand-new home while floating adrift along the St. Lawrence River is enough to convince just about anyone that there are few other ways to live that could possibly be so rich.

JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY LIVING Rich Rossmassler takes a leap off the upper deck with his wife Julia Purcell on the bedroom balcony

35 JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY LIVING The bedroom gives a wide view of the St. Lawrence River, or wherever they happen to be. The structure was designed mostly by Rich, and Julia’s father Tim Purcell built it.

[ HISTORICALLY SPEAKING ]

The Lost Villages of Northern New York

By LENKA WALLDROFF

Pine Camp, N.Y., June 30- Paddling for their lives are these selectees of the Fourth Armored Division in their first assault boat practice under simulated warfare conditions.

The 24th Engineer Battalion ferried 450 men from the 51st Infantry Regiment across the 150-yard wide Black River in 25 mintues flat. Here is the first “wave” of assault boats on their way to the other side.

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national attention in 1935 with the largest peacetime maneuvers ever held in the United States- over 36,000 troops participated in the exercises that spanned over 36 hours (it was said that trainloads of soldiers from as far away as New York City were arriving in Watertown every fifteen minutes!)

After the success of the 1935 maneuvers, it was decided that the Army would purchase an additional 9,000 acres surrounding Pine Camp.

When the Second World War broke out in Europe, preparations were made for potential U.S. involvement and Pine Camp was chosen for another major expansion as a training ground. In August 1941, Pine Camp encompassed approximately 17,000 acres. The expansion was to include between 75,000 and 84,000 acres of land.

The Pine Camp Military Reservation Expansion began in September of 1941 and over the course of several days absorbed five complete villages, portions of others, and nine smaller hamlets.

By Labor Day 1941, the larger communities of LeRaysville, Sterlingville, Lewisburg (also known as Sterlingbush), North Wilna, and Woods Mills

ceased to exist. The largest of these was Sterlingville, which at the time included 38 tracts of land, two churches, and a school district. LeRaysville was also worthy of note: the town was named in honor of the French aristocrat, James Le Ray de Chaumont (1760-1840) who originally settled the land between the years of 1790 and 1803.

M. Chaumont purchased large tracts of land in northern New York that included parcels which would eventually constitute Pine Plains. His land also provided the site for his chateau, known today as the Le Ray Mansion. Historic records report that the mansion was referred to as a “grand manor house” that entertained numerous houseguests, many from the European nobility.

The mansion, built between 1806 and 1808, boasted manicured gardens, beautiful Photo by John L. Warner Two seasoned army men (Master Sgt. Joseph Myers and staff Sgt. Robert Zernikow) of the 97th Observation Squadron, Mitchell Field, utilize a little spare time for an impromptu game of pinochle during army maneuvers near Malone in August, 1939.

O

ver the last several years, I’ve come to view the north country (and the Thousand Islands specifically) as a terribly romantic part of the country. Not romance in the way of flowers and candles, but rather more in the historic sense; in the vein of Bierstadt and Friedrich and Turner and Byron- although perhaps without the lattermost’s more scandalous personal eccentricities, which would, of course, be more akin to the racier parts of Bangkok than to Clayton. In either case, whether it’s the rumrunners of the St. Lawrence River, or the secret societies that once congregated there, hidden caves, a safe house for Napoleon Bonaparte, or abandoned castles, Jefferson County’s history is steeped in its own kind of romanticism. I find the north country’s particular brand of it reflected nearly everywhere- Ft. Drum and the story of its lost villages is another example.

Until the turn of the 20th century, Jefferson County’s major military hub was Madison Barracks in Sackets Harbor. In August 1907, the New York National Guard conducted its first training exercises on Pine Plains in a temporary tent encampment the Army christened “Camp Hughes” in honor of then-Governor Charles E. Hughes. Camp Hughes sat about a mile from Felts Mills. The following year, a more permanent military installation- Pine Camp- was established 11 miles outside of Watertown in Great Bend as a training area for the troops stationed at Sackets Harbor.

The location so suited the U.S. Army that money was allocated in 1909 to permanently acquire the land.

Pine Camp steadily grew and attracted

[ HISTORICALLY SPEAKING ] grounds, and was the site of many a lavish party. The mansion survived the expansion and is currently used by Fort Drum to house visiting officers.

Unfortunately, the hamlets of Slocumville, Reedville, Nauvoo, Sterlingburgh, Doolins Crossing, East Antwerp, Hubbard Crossing, Alpina, and Rockwell Creek didn’t fare as well as Le Ray’s beautiful stone house. The hamlets were razed and retired to the annals of history almost overnight. Many of these hamlets hosted mines, iron furnaces, or various mills. In addition to its iron furnace, the hamlet of Alpina was home, for a while at least, to Caroline Bonaparte, the American niece of Napoleon Bonaparte.

When the dust settled and the last of the New York Defense Relocation Corporation trucks left, carrying the last of the former occupants and their possessions, a total of 525 families were relocated, 24 schools, six churches, a post office, and well over two thousand buildings were abandoned and razed. The individual property owners were said to have been paid a fair market value for their land and homes, but even so, many of them would have preferred to stay on their homesteads.

Over the course of the following year (1942), an entire city was constructed over the ruins of the former villages in preparation for the influx of soldiers who were to train there. Construction included barracks, mess halls, storehouses, warehouses, officers’ quarters, headquarter and recreational buildings, guardhouses and a hospital. Much of the construction, which numbered over 800 buildings and cost the taxpayer over $20 million ( about $330M today), occurred during the winter of 1941-42 which was particularly cold, even by north country standards. It is also interesting to note, (if not slightly maddening) that after the physical, financial, and emotional toll involved in redeveloping those tens of thousands of acres, when the

war concluded in 1945, the U.S. Government considered permanently closing Pine Camp. Ultimately it was decided to close Maddison Barracks instead and move the troops stationed there to Pine Camp, which was again expanded. In December of 1951, Pine Camp was renamed “Camp Drum” in honor of Lt. Gen. Hugh A. Drum, a World War II Army commander. It was designated as Fort Drum in 1974.

An oral history project was undertaken in recent years, conducting and recording interviews with the surviving members of

the families who were affected by the Fort Drum expansion. The local history community- private, public, and on Fort Drum itself, have tried to preserve the story of the lost villages with occasional guided bus tours of some of the hamlets (not all are accessible to the public as many sites are scattered with live munitions.) While little is left of the villages now outside of overgrown cemeteries and building foundations, the sites are poignant examples of our area’s hidden, often layered, history.

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[ NNY FASHIONS ]

By KATIE MACHIA

Every year, the Northern New York winter weather seems to drag on endlessly, making beach days few and far between. So when the temperatures start to get balmy, you want to make the most of your time outdoors.

When the thermometer starts to reach toward 75 degrees or

so, the beach is one of those places that fills up quickly. Whether you’re going alone to relax on the sand, or swim with a group of friends, it’s a popular destination. But you don’t want your beach day to get ruined by a bad sunburn or a boring book.

Beach Umbrella

rella offers Beach Umb ri ki Its u a K e Th om the sun. protection fr s g lp n e h ro st c ri u b yo ated fa co e iv ct te ro ch UPF 50 p ur skin. Bea l rays off yo who want keep harmfu at for those re g re a s e worr y of umbrella n, without th su e th in x to rela mbrella can burn. This u n su a g n tti ge ly carried up and easi be packed in its bag.

Beach ality u Q h l Hig Towe Towel Beach print t in r P k e Jane n bloc rie out th ibrant India cotton mate tk a h s v u r o % o e f y 0 th When tter y Barn, sand. Its 10 g of uncom of in t o e b u P b o from ainst th ’t be any ru en you get out ag h n stands res there wo your skin w g around. sip on t s u in s ething to in g n m a n o S u g a al e lo s bric r are you, but able fa the water, o water with ve a h s y a bucha. alw You should y some Kom tr , ve ti a rn y alte lthy probifor a health taining hea n co a te d ente oost. The This is a ferm ur immune system a b yo satisfy otics to give se you, but ri rp su l il w fizzy texture n a hot day. your thirst o

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Sunscreen

portant the most im e b ld u o sh This good suneach bag. A b r u yo in item in damage lp prevent sk inst skin e h ill w n e scre aga , and guard from the sun an SPF 35 d te a e cr ssier bsorbs cancer. Glo r face that a u yo r fo n e sidue, sunscre no greasy re ith w in sk e into th rrassing leave emba ’t n o w it d n a white marks.

[ NNY FASHIONS ] Snack ients durproper nutr e th l. g n tti e G ch is crucia y at the bea a e d th r u is yo ck g a in -go sn grab, on-the r to vo sy fla a n e ffi n A Mu e Blueberr y st Lärabar. Th oth and boo to t e e sw r u yo w fy fe will satis ly has a levels. It on your energy e bar is n e and the tir ts n ie d re g in calories. under 200

s Best Book ut one of , and pull o lla re rb m u r gh two diffe t up you a ride throu ch chair, se n a a e o b ill d r K n u a to yo y How f realit Unfold taken out o erouac, and K in e b g ck in to Ja ck y ks a b o p gest e Road these bo I highly sug s his erica. On th ic d m n ss a A a cl n in a o s m e e are tw ent tim of one Le ce r n e e ri rp e a H u xp y e d db ils the ration rMockingbir e beat gene e Road deta th th f n o O rt . a g p a b lawyer be a your beach the tale of a t it means to lls a h te w d ir g b in g n fi 930s.

Mockin friends, de during the 1 ow to Kill a th H u o s.

S 0 p 5 e 9 e 1 in the D ing the black man defending a

Bea

Bo Gam ch team cce Ba es l l s perf of two is a cla e , s or fa ct lawn three, sic gam o m g r and ilies. T ame f four p e betw ee or a e Bar his grou ople. It n inclu rel incl bocce ’s th p u b of di de a e It’s e ng a sc s ever y ll set fro friends ore m asily t h i Cra ng y pad car te o can ried ar and pe u need , vas oun n c d by ils. bag . its

Speaker

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If you’re hanging out with a group of friends or family on the sand, the Oontz Angle 3 portable Bluetooth speaker is perfect for playing all your favorite music.

This speaker is water resistant, so you don’t have to worry about water damage. It’s also lightweight and can be easily thrown in a beach bag. Just connect the Bluetooth on your phone and you’re ready to start listening.

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