Adirondacks

Adirondack Museum Monday Lectures Begin

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The Adirondack Museum will host its annual Monday Evening Lecture Series in July and August. The first evening is with Museum Chief Curator, Laura Rice’s lecture &#8220Night Vision: The Wildlife Photography of Hobart Vosburg Roberts&#8221 on July 11. Hobart V. Roberts’ photographs, camera equipment, published articles, and awards are featured in a new exhibit at the Adirondack Museum. Rice will discuss Roberts’ work and the museum’s exhibit in an illustrated presentation.

Lectures continue on July 18 with Robert Arnold’s &#8220Let Loose the Dogs of War: New York in the American Civil War-&#8221 and on July 25 with Mark Bowie &#8220s &#8220Night Over the North Country.&#8221

August begins with Bill McKibben on August 1 and &#8220The Most Important Number in the World: Updates on the Fight for a Stable Climate-&#8221 August 8 with Robert Demarest and &#8220Traveling with Winslow Homer-&#8221 August 15 with David Wagner and &#8220John James Audubon, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait and American Wildlife Art.&#8221 The summer series concludes on August 22 with Elisabeth Hudnut Clarkson and &#8220The Lost World of Foxlair and the Valentino Summer.&#8221

The presentations will be offered at no charge to museum members- the fee for non-members is $5.00. For full descriptions of the lectures, please visit www.adirondackmuseum.org.

Familypalooza at the Adirondack Museum

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The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, will host Familypalooza 2011 on Saturday, July 9, 2011. The Adirondack Museum invites children age 17 and under to visit free of charge for this special event.

Familypalooza will be a full day of family fun, adventure and exploration at the Adirondack Museum. Kid-friendly music, presented by Radio Disney, Albany and the Zoomobile from the Utica Zoo will be on-site with animals of New York State. Special programs will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Members of the Adirondack Mountain Club, Albany Chapter will be offering introduction to kayaking and safety and rescue demonstrations.

Children can jump and tumble in the bouncehouse, play at the museum’s Tot Lot and Little Log Cabin. Families can go on an Adirondack scavenger hunt together. Kids can make believe with the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, and put on a skit for family and friends. There will be costumed animal characters, face painting, arts & crafts and more.

The museum is open May 27 through October 17, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 days a week, including holidays. There will be an early closing on August 12, and adjusted hours on August 13- the museum will close for the day on September 9. All paid admissions are valid for a second visit within a one-week period.

Exhibit Features 100 Years of Adirondack Mail Boats

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The Town of Webb Historical Association and Goodsell Museum, located at 2993 State Route 28 in Old Forge, Herkimer County, is currently featuring the exhibit “Floating Letters-The Town of Webb’s Mail Boats-Over 100 Years of Postal Tradition and Summer Fun” through the end of October.

The exhibit presents the history of the delivery of mail by boat in the Town of Webb on the Fulton Chain of Lakes, Big Moose Lake, Twitchell Lake, Rondaxe Lake, Silver Lake, and other locations from the early 1880s until the present. The exhibit includes photographs, certificates, ledgers and maps -as well as a wide assortment of custom leather & canvas/cloth mail pouches donated or on loan for the exhibit.

Included in the exhibit is the story of the Railway Postal Office (RPO) &#8211 a unique contract issued to Dr. William Seward Webb & the Fulton Chain Navigation Co. in 1901 whereby an official postal clerk rode on the boats to cancel mail, sell stamps & money orders, and perform other postal duties.

Additional exhibits at the Goodsell Museum include those on Adirondack wildlife, the Goodsell Family (George Goodsell was the first ‘mayor’ of the Village of Old Forge in 1903) and the 90th Anniversary of the Thendara Golf Club. The next featured exhibition, on early medicine, will open December 1st. The Webb Historical Association maintains a regular exhibit on early local doctors which will help form the basis the of the new exhibit.

The Goodsell Museum is open year-round- there is no admission charge.

The museum is also participating in Old Forge’s “First Friday Art Walk” events by including special exhibits connecting art with historical themes. On July 1st from 5-8PM they will have one of Lottie Tuttle’s oil paintings on display. Lottie was one of the Adirondack’s first female guides, she and her husband invented the devil bug fishing lure that was manufactured in Old Forge and marketed across the United States in the early 1900’s.

On July 9th the Association will hold its 9th Annual Benefit Auction. Preview and registration starts at 1 pm, bidding at 2 pm with auctioneer June DeLair from Constableville Auction Hall. The auction is held under a tent on the Goodsell Museum grounds and will include antiques, collectibles, new and nearly new items donated from members and friends of the museum.

The Association also has other programs, workshops, and walking tours. More information can be found online or by contacting Gail Murray, Director, via e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at

Photo: The Steamboat Hunter &#8211 Captain Jonathan Meeker delivered mail to hotels and camps as early as 1883.

In Wilimington: Adirondack Tools and Tales

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The Wilmington Historical Society will host a program with historian and author Don Williams entitled &#8220Adirondack Tools and Tales&#8221 on Friday, July 15th at 7 pm at the Wilmington Community Center on Springfield Road in Wilmington (Essex County). Early Adirondack settlers had to live and survive in a rugged mountain environment with a harsh climate. Mr. Williams will explain how the tools they used were critical to that survival.

Don Williams grew up at the ingress of the Northville-Lake Placid Trail and on Route 30. He has authored nine books of Adirondack and local history and has written over 250 articles for magazines including Adirondack Life and the Journal of Outdoor Education. He served as Adirondack regional editor for New York Sportsman Magazine for twenty years. His “Blueline” newspaper column has appeared weekly in four newspapers since 1989. He also hosted the television program Inside the Blueline in Gloversville and Glens Falls for a total of six years.

Don Williams has appeared regularly as an Adirondack lecturer and storyteller at schools and organizations throughout the northeast for over forty years. He appears in the PBS documentary, The Adirondacks. A former school principal and licensed Adirondack guide, he has taught &#8220The Adirondacks&#8221 at grade schools, libraries, high schools, colleges and elderhostel. Don lives in his &#8220replicated Great Adirondack Camp&#8221 with his wife, Beverly, in Gloversville.

The “Adirondack Tools and Tales” program on July 15th is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For further information, contact Karen Peters at (518) 524-1023 or Merri Peck at (518) 946- 7627.

Adirondack Museum Offers Paddle Making Workshops

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Craftsman Caleb Davis will return to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake this summer to teach a series of one-day paddle making workshops. Students will use hand-tools to craft their own wooden canoe paddle. The first workshop is offered on June 29, 2011. Additional workshops on June 30, July 5, 7, 12, 19, 21, 26 and August 2, 18, 25.

Students may choose a single or double blade cherry wood paddle. The workshops start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Space is limited to 5 participants per workshop, and pre-registration is required. The non-refundable fee is due at registration: $115 for single blade paddle, $120 for double blade paddle. Register online, but note this is a
physically demanding activity.

Caleb Davis, proprietor of Tremolo, creates handcrafted canoe paddles. He is a former shop teacher and a member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Tremolo is both a vocation and a passion for Caleb, whose enthusiasm towards the art of both canoeing and paddle making is contagious- all it takes is five minutes with Caleb to make you want to pick up a blank and craft that perfect paddle, then to jump into your solo or
tandem canoe and master traditional flatwater paddling techniques.

Davis is a skilled instructor and continues to enhance his skills with course work and certifications. His past and current certifications include: Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association Instructor, Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association Instructor, Eastern Professional Ski Touring (XC) Instructor, United States Rowing Association Coach, League of New Hampshire Craftsman &#8211 Canoe Paddles, American Canoeing Association Flat Water Tandem Instructor, American Canoeing Association Flat Water Solo Instructor, Traditional Flatwater Canoeing Association.

A Stoddard Adirondack Waterfalls Photo Exhibit

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A new exhibit featuring twenty original Seneca Ray Stoddard photographs of waterfalls in the Adirondacks is now on view at the Chapman Historical Museum. Included are popular falls located on the Hudson, Raquette and Ausable Rivers, as well as lesser known falls in remote locations in the central Adirondacks — places that today still are accessible only by foot. Examples are Roaring Brook Falls on Giant, Buttermilk Falls on the Raquette, Surprise Falls on Gill Brook near Lower Ausable, and Silver Cascade in Elizabethtown. The photos will be on display until July 3rd.

In 1864, when Seneca Ray Stoddard relocated to Glens Falls from Troy, NY, he first worked as a sign painter, but soon took up landscape photography. Several times Stoddard made treks through the Adirondacks to photograph the sights that drew tourists to the region. Abundant waterways and the steep terrain made for many scenic cascades and falls, which became popular destinations for travelers. For the next 50 years he sold his images of these falls to tourists visiting the region.

The Chapman Historical Museum is located at 348 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY. Public Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, noon to 4 pm. For more information call (518) 793-2826.

Photo: Silver Cascade, Barton Brook, Elizabethtown, ca. 1880.

Shakespeare Co Launches Preservation Effort

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Adirondack Shakespeare Company (ADK Shakes) is returning to the Adirondack region for its second full Summer Festival Season. The company plans to follow last summer’s presentations of As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth with an all-new expanded season featuring ADK Shakes’ daring and adrenaline-fueled RAW performance style which strips the Bard down to the bare bones.

This year, the company will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merchant of Venice, along with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield and Theseus and the Minotaur, an original children’s production by Sean Adams.

In addition to their full season, ADK Shakes has taken on a new challenge. The company is determined to revitalize the outdoor amphitheater at Scaroon Manor Day-Use Facility (formerly Taylor’s Point). This historic landmark was once a vibrant destination for locals as well as tourists looking to take in professional theatre amidst the beauty of the Adirondack Mountains. ADK Shakes’ Artistic Board has made it their mission to get the outdoor amphitheater on New York’s list of historic sites.

“One of the reasons we are looking to establish a Shakespeare company in the Adirondacks is to save this amazing outdoor amphitheater,” says Artistic Director Tara Bradway. The company’s plans to raise awareness during the course of the season include public presentations and petitions in the Adirondack region.

The Adirondack region tour of The Complete Works will begin July 4th, while the Mainstage Season opens July 21st and will run through August 7th. Performances of the children’s show Theseus and the Minotaur are set to run from July 27th through August 6th. Performances will take place primarily at the Boathouse Theater in Schroon Lake Village, as well as the Little Theater on the Farm in Fort Edward and LARAC Gallery in Glen Falls. Weather permitting, the final weekend of performances will be held at the outdoor amphitheater at Scaroon Manor.

This event is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, administered locally by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council. For more information, a full performance schedule and to purchase tickets, visit www.adkshakes.org. Email inquiries may be sent to [email protected].

Illustration: Postcard of the historic Sacroon Manor outdoor amphitheater, Schroon Lake, NY.

Historic Saranac Lake Unveiling Photo Exhibit

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On June 22, 2011, Historic Saranac Lake will unveil a new John Black Room Exhibit, “The Little City in the Adirondacks: Historic Photographs of Saranac Lake.” Created in collaboration with the Adirondack Room of the Saranac Lake Free Library, the exhibit features almost fifty framed historic photographs of Saranac Lake residents and buildings during the early part of the twentieth century.

The exhibit portrays a vibrant little city with a prospering and diverse economy. Saranac Lake grew quickly in the early 1900s to accommodate thousands of health seekers that came to the village seeking the fresh air cure for tuberculosis, made famous by Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau. The exhibit features the unique architecture of the village as well as photos of local residents at play and at work.

The photographs represent only small portion of the rich photo collection of the Adirondack Room of the Saranac Lake Free Library. Library curator, Michele Tucker graciously loaned the photos to Historic Saranac Lake, and a team of dedicated volunteers has worked to install the exhibit. Many of the photos were originally printed and framed by the late Barbara Parnass, who was one of the founding Board Members of Historic Saranac Lake in 1980.

The photograph exhibit replaces an earlier exhibit on World War I in Saranac Lake. The exhibit will be on display for twelve months. Plans are underway for a new, comprehensive exhibit on Saranac Lake history to be installed in the John Black Room in 2012.

The Saranac Laboratory Museum opens June 22. The public is invited to visit the new photo exhibit and the laboratory museum space during regular hours through October 7, Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 to 2:00, or any time by appointment. Admission is $5 per person, members and children free of charge.

Photo courtesy of the Adirondack Room, Saranac Lake Free Library.

Call for Entries: Central Adirondack Art Show

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Become a part of a long-standing Adirondack tradition. Professional and amateur artists age 16 and over are invited to display their work at View, the new Arts Center in Old Forge, in the 60th Annual Central Adirondack Art Show. The exhibition is limited to fine arts in the following categories: acrylics, oils or pastels, watermedia, drawing or graphics, mixed media, and 3-dimensional art or sculpture. Photography, digital art, and craft work are not eligible.

Artists may submit one original work never previously shown in the Central Adirondack Art Show. Only recent artwork, executed in the past two years will be allowed. Artworks dimensions are limited to 48 inches in any direction. All two dimensional artwork must be appropriately framed with hook eyes and wire for hanging. All three dimensional artwork must be complete and moveable. The last day to enter the Central Adirondack Art Show is Sunday June 26, from noon- 3pm. Entries may be dropped off in advance, but not before Saturday, June 18.

A first, second and third prize will be given in five categories, as well as special awards. Prizes totaling over $1,500 will be awarded, as well as an opportunity to have work purchased for View?s permanent collection.

The 60th Annual Central Adirondack Art show will be judged by some of View’s
founders Miriam Kashiwa, and Allen Stripp. The exhibition began on Miriam’s lawn and spawned View, so it is only appropriate that the two should judge the 60th exhibition. Together Miriam and Allen have more than 100 years of experience in bringing artwork to the Adirondacks. Their dedication and perseverance to a vision serve as a reminder of the journey as well as the inspiration to dream into the future.

The exhibition will open July 1 and run through August 7. For more information or to obtain entry forms visit www.ViewArts.org or call View at 315.369641.

Historic Tour of Saranac Lake Cure Sites

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Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) and Historic Saranac Lake (HSL) are offering a &#8220Pioneer Health Resort Tour&#8221 in Saranac Lake, NY on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. The tour will be led by Mary Hotaling, former executive director of HSL, and current director, Amy Catania. It will include many of the buildings and sites that made Saranac Lake America’s &#8220Pioneer Health Resort.&#8221

The village’s late 19th- and early 20th-century history is closely tied to the treatment for tuberculosis developed by Dr. Edward L. Trudeau. The tour will include the Trudeau Institute, where we will see the first cure cottage, Little Red, and the bronze sculpture of Trudeau by Gutzon Borglum. We’ll visit the former Trudeau Sanatorium, Saranac Laboratory, the Cure Cottage Museum, and the Bela Bartok Cottage.

The tour begins at 10 a.m. and ends around 3 p.m. Be prepared for uphill walking. The fee is $35 for AARCH and HSL members and $45 for nonmembers. Tour attendees will also receive a copy of Cure Cottages, by Phillip L. Gallos. Reservations are required for all tours by calling AARCH at 834-9328.

Photo: Little Red cure cottage, Saranac Lake.