Sunday, February 28, 2021

Adirondacks the musical

Edward M. Shepard and the Making of a People’s ParkJust for fun discussion idea….I recently watched a filmed performance of the musical “Hamilton.” Which got me thinking: What would “Adirondacks, the musical” look like? Who would the main actors be? What would they sing about?

Some song title ideas (using existing songs for inspiration):
“Climb every mountain”

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

“Misty Mountain Hop”

Maybe we can take these ideas and start an Adirondack-themed playlist…

Photo: Shepard Park amphitheater by Fred Thatcher/Almanack archive

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Melissa is a journalist with experience as a reporter and editor with the Burlington Free Press, Ithaca Journal and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. She worked as a communications specialist for the Adirondack North Country Association and is currently digital editor for Adirondack Explorer, overseeing both the Explorer's website and its community forum the Adirondack Almanack. She enjoys hiking, camping and other outdoors activities, and spending time with her husband, their twin daughters, and rescue animals -- two dogs and two cats.




14 Responses

  1. Mark Friden says:

    How about “Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore” and “Still Waters Run Deep”?

  2. Sunny Day says:

    Here are a few:
    Thank God I’m A Country Boy
    Burning Ring of (Camp) Fire
    Bridge Over Troubled Water
    Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
    North Country Wood (adaptation of Norwegian Wood)
    Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (Two folks meet in an Adirondack Bar)

  3. Balian the Cat says:

    Okay – I’ll be that guy:

    Now I know my A T V ‘s

    Roll out the (burning) Barrel

    He ain’t heavy he’s my brother

    Don’t Ease(ment) me in

  4. Don Dew Jr says:

    Fire on the Mountain!

  5. Holly Wolff says:

    The Adirondack Folk Opera tells a story of the history of the ADKs. Find it on MLPBS
    https://mountainlake.org/watch/folkopera/

  6. Randy Fredlund says:

    How ’bout originals?

    Our skiters fly in squadrons
    Some the size of bees
    We’ve got swarms and swarms of blackflies
    That’ll bring you to your knees

    We’ve got lots of vegetation
    Guaranteed to make you sneeze
    And bears almost never eat hikers
    Who get lost among the trees.

    So you’d best stay away,
    just stay away
    Enjoy your warmth and sunshine
    In Californ-I-A !!!

  7. Susan Moore says:

    About 10 years ago, Old Songs (a folk music organization in the Capital region) did a show called “The Visitors: The History, Music, and Songs of the Adirondacks.” The ensemble cast was all Adirondack or Adirondack-adjacent performers. The CD can be found at http://www.oldsongs.org/store – just scroll down. It was a great show.

  8. M.P. Heller says:

    Maybe John Brown’s story could be made into a Broadway musical. They could run it next door to “Hamilton”. One would be the story of a brave abolitionist, while the other would be the fictionalized account of a slave trader. They call thet irony in the business…

  9. Michael Welles says:

    My guess is many of the local summer camps have something to donate to this great idea. For instance Camp Pok-o-moonshine has a play done every year by counselors that plays off local the protagonists. “Oh I’m the famous sleuth of Keeseville Town, I’m also its mayor, police and clown. My name is Homlock Sheers, I’ll drive away your tears, I’ll solve your mysteries for two bits down.”

    You guys all do a great job with this publication !!!

  10. These are all great! Thanks for the ideas and inspiration. I’m going to start an Adirondacks playlist….

  11. Hey all! I started a playlist on Spotify with these song suggestions: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YpgeH4SZ9vd0ToS9SCFS2?si=e35a54b094164304

  12. Anita Dingman says:

    Don’t forget about songs written by Roy Hurd who has written many songs about the Adirondacks. He is a very talented singer-songwriter.

  13. Christine hildebrand says:

    Mountain People by Dan Berggren

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