Adirondack Almanack

Theatrical Exploration of the Champlain Quadricentennial

2009-07-15T12:10:00.004-04:00

The Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabthetown is presenting the annual Bits and Pieces Festival, From the Center of the World: A Celebration of Lake Champlain, beginning Friday, July 17 at 11:00 am. An inter-generational group of actors takes on 400 years of history with reflections on the Quadricentennial. Five production dates are scheduled: three Fridays at 11:00am on July 17, 24, 31

Anniversary of The Great Adirondack Blowdown of 1995

2009-07-15T06:00:00.010-04:00

Today marks the anniversary of one of the worst storms in Upstate New York history. During the early morning hours of July 15, 1995 a series of severe thunderstorms crossed the Adirondacks and much of eastern New York. Meteorologists call the phenomena by the Spanish "Derecho" but locals often refer to the event as the Blowdown of 1995. A similar weather event / blowdown occurred in 1950.A

A Major Renewable Energy Project For Wild Center

2009-07-14T15:00:00.003-04:00

The Wild Center in Tupper Lake is planning to install a large-scale wood gasification heat system that will combine sustainably sourced wood biomass with a solar collector system to heat the 54,000 square-foot Center. The project is being touted as "one of the most efficient and modern gasification/solar systems in the United States."According to press release issued today: "The system has

Cold Spring Granite Company Looks To Expand

2009-07-14T12:00:00.002-04:00

Neighbors of the Cold Spring Granite Company recently received notice from the Adirondack Park Agency that the company hopes to expand its quarry in Au Sable Forks. Cold Spring Granite is one of the largest stone manufacturers in the world and it continues to thrive, even in this tough economy. (In fact they are currently looking to hire a hand polisher and installer - apply in person at 13791

Builders and Realtors: Learn About Home Energy Efficiency

2009-07-14T06:00:00.011-04:00

Many Adirondack homes have been languishing on the market, For Sale signs weathering on the lawn. Yes, a lot of real estate is overpriced and a lot of people are nervous about buying, but maybe some of these places would be snapped up if they weren’t under-insulated oil-sucking money pits.If you’re thinking of selling, or are in the business of selling homes, or are just interested in learning

Protecting The Adirondacks: A New Era Begins

2009-07-13T15:00:00.013-04:00

After months of discussion and evaluation, the decision was made on Saturday to formally consolidate the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks (AFPA) with the Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks (RCPA) and to form a new organization called Protect the Adirondacks. The new organization will continue a better than 100-year history of protecting the Adirondacks so I thought

Baseball and Botany Go Together in Saranac Lake

2009-07-13T12:00:00.011-04:00

Baseball and blooms are both in full season, so we’ll let Christy Mathewson field the July wildflower date observations (May and June lists here and here). The following notes are verbatim from a hand-written list compiled by the pitcher in 1922, when he was in Saranac Lake trying to recover from tuberculosis. He died there in 1925. July 2 Water AvensYarrow or Sneezewort (White Rays, also Pink

Adirondack County Fairs 2009 Schedule

2009-07-13T06:00:00.001-04:00

Local county fairs start this week, so here is our full list of Adirondack county fairs, listed according to opening date. As usual, I've included a few of the most important regional fairs as well. See you at the fair!July 14 - 19Jefferson County Fair (Watertown)July 14 - 19Saratoga County Fair, Ballston Spa July 21 - 25Lewis County Fair (Lowville)July 21 - 26Clinton County Fair (Morrisonville)

Crown Point Pier and Champlain Lighthouse Reopened

2009-07-12T12:00:00.002-04:00

Restoration work on the Crown Point Pier and Champlain Memorial Lighthouse has been completed and both facilities are once again open to the public. Restoration work on the pier included reenforcement of the bulkhead and piers, removal of zebra mussels, refurbishing of the metal trusses and decking, repair of the roof -- including replacement of broken slate shingles, thorough cleaning of

Hawthorn vs Hawthorn - Avoiding The Invasives

2009-07-12T06:00:00.002-04:00

I took a few moments this morning to read the comments on past posts to the Almanack (thank you, all) and found a potentially distressing note on my deer-proofing post. I had mentioned that a good deer proof plant to include in your arsenal was hawthorn, and someone commented that we need to be careful about invasive hawthorns. Invasive hawthorns? I didn't know there were such things, so I had to

Adk Museum Presents The Adirondack Mining Village

2009-07-11T12:00:00.007-04:00

Mining was once a major industry in northern New York State. Small iron mines and forges appeared along Lake Champlain in the late 1700s. In the 1820s, the industry began to grow rapidly, reaching its peak in the mid-to-late 1800s. The story of mining is much more than minerals found and ores extracted. This Monday, July 13, 2009 Dr. Carol Burke will explore human aspects of Adirondack mining in

Adirondack Lightshow: A Short Primer On Fireflies

2009-07-11T06:00:00.005-04:00

Now is the time for the ultimate light show. I'm not talking about the fireworks that lit up the sky over the 4th, nor those gossamer curtains that dance across the heavens when sunspot activity is just right (although, I must say that northern lights are a real contender). No, I'm referring to fireflies, those dancing lights that must've been the inspiration for many a faerie legend.First off,

Weekly Adirondack Blog Round-Up

2009-07-10T12:00:00.004-04:00

Huletts Current: Capri Village Fire Video Andy Arthur: The Adirondack Prison Bus Crash Fault Lines: Water Water Everywhere... Herkimer County Progressive: Coup Du Nord? Old Forge Residents Upset Over Tax Spending The Uncataloged Museum: Passionate Work DaBrinker Report: Watertown Daily Times - Hard Hitting News Musings of a (Fairly) Young Contrarian: US Sick Care Rationing Kayaker Musings: Trip

ANCA Head Named APA Head

2009-07-10T10:33:00.013-04:00

Adirondack Park Agency Chairman Curt Stiles announced today that Terry Martino will become executive director of the state land-use oversight agency in August. Martino, a resident of Onchiota, has been involved in economic and community development projects throughout the park as director since 1991 of the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), an independent agency that helps obtain grants

This Week's Top Adirondack News Stories

2009-07-10T06:00:00.004-04:00

Adk Nautical Icon Destroyed, Dumped Hacketts In Lake Placid On Hold Time Capsule To Honor Lake Champlain Crown Point Bridge Under Repair Saranac Village Signs DEC Order Lake Placid Boat Launch Closed Aubertine Sues Assembly to Get Bills Passed Wilderness Society Hires RCPA Exec

ADK Music Scene: Bluegrass Festival, Hip Hop and a new open mic

2009-07-09T15:00:00.008-04:00

Some very different styles of music are flowing through the North Country this weekend. Seems like everyone ought to find something that will feed their musical soul and give us something to smile about despite all the wet weather. I find that dancing in the rain is a lot more fun than camping in the rain.On Friday in Saranac Lake Penny Kings Productions is doing their thing at The Waterhole

Annual Adirondack Loon Census Seeks Volunteers

2009-07-09T12:00:00.001-04:00

Loons are the quintessential symbol of wilderness. Just watch any TV show or movie that has a “wilderness” scene and you will hear loon calls in the soundtrack (even if it is in the desert). A stroll through any gift shop in the Adirondacks, Canada or Maine proves that they are probably the number one animal associated with the outdoors (competing only with moose and bears). There is nothing

Dragon Hunting in the Adirondacks

2009-07-08T15:00:00.002-04:00

We see them darting about over streams, ponds, and lakes. Sometimes they are cruising the parking lots, or hanging out on the tops of hills or mountains. Dragonflies: they are a marvel of engineering and the "latest thing" to identify.Every summer I assign myself something new to study. Unfortunately, I find myself distracted by all the options and never settle on just one new thing. But this

Lake Placid Closes One Boat Launch, Surveys Milfoil

2009-07-08T12:00:00.004-04:00

On Lake Placid yesterday, efforts to contain recently discovered variable leaf milfoil moved forward on two fronts. As village officials prepared to close the village-owned launch on Victor Herbert Road—redirecting boat traffic to the NYSDEC launch next to the Lake Placid Marina—the Lake Placid Shore Owner's Association released the first aerial photograph of the milfoil bed on Paradox Bay.The

More From the Frontier: Largest Northern New York Drug Bust Ever

2009-07-07T19:57:00.019-04:00

Things have changed along the Northern New York border over the past decade. People have always smuggled things across — alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, immigrants, guns, depending on cycles in the underground economy — but marijuana, once mostly a southern border import, now streams into the U.S. from Quebec. And there are more federal law-enforcement officers on this side of the line than ever,

Lake Placid: Wet and Wild Wednesdays Start July 8

2009-07-07T15:34:00.002-04:00

The first Sprite Wet and Wild Wednesday, the weekly freestyle show featuring aerialists, debuts for the summer at the freestyle pool at the Olympic Jumping Complex tomorrow July 8 at 1 p.m. These weekly shows features freestyle and aerial athletes launching up to 60-feet into the air off of the kickers, where they execute a series of spins, twists and flips before splashing down in the 750,000-

Biomimicry, Nature's Solutions Focus at Wild Center

2009-07-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

A new exhibition at The Wild Center looks at how humans are tackling problems by uncoding natural solutions to problems in the wild. From MIT to the University of Tokyo scientists equipped with new tools that let them look into the nano structure of nature are discovering the secrets to some of the most elusive tricks in the world. Their sights are aimed at everything from making energy from

In and Around Essex, Architecture at History Center

2009-07-07T06:00:00.002-04:00

The Adirondack History Center Museum will host two events in July that look at the landscape and built environment in Essex County. A reception, slide show and gallery tour by photographer Betsy Tisdale featuring the exhibition, In and Around Essex will be held on July 8th, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. The slide show highlights photographs not included in the exhibition and focuses on changes that have

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2009-07-06T15:00:00.001-04:00

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Matt Funiciello Reports: Scott Murphy Comes Town

2009-07-06T12:00:00.002-04:00

Matt Funiciello sent us the following report on Scott Murphy's trip to the north country last week. Matt writes a regular blog that can be found here.I went to visit Scott Murphy on Tuesday morning. The new Congressman was opening the doors of his new congressional office in Glens Falls, N.Y. Located at 136 Glen Street, it is just around the corner from my own cafe. About 65 people were gathered