My Walden
To find a pure place, an oasis in life,
Limited neither by earthly boundaries nor spiritual ones,
Nor time, worry, want or discord…is to find paradise.
Such a place of all-encompassing beauty,
Will light every mortal sense afire in birth of inspiration,
Of new sight, of loftier goals, and in ultimate understanding
Of mysteries that were heretofore inscrutable.
SARANAC LAKE — The third installment of Saranac Lake’s Third Thursday ArtWalks is August 18 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Organized and hosted by Saranac Lake ArtWorks and the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, the 2022 ArtWalks are held along the streets of downtown Saranac Lake every third Thursday through September. Over 40 painters, musicians, quilters, authors, jewelers, photographers, tarot card readers, wood carvers, and more will display their work at the August event.
The Berkeley Green Bandshell will feature 80k Players; other musicians will play throughout town.
WESTPORT, NY — Local author Benjamin Giroux will open the first Adirondack Family Book Festival on Saturday, August 20, at 9:50 a.m., with a deeply personal talk about the importance of supporting and listening to youth voices.
The festival will be held outdoors at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, 115 John Brown Road in Lake Placid, and is free and open to all ages. Festival grounds open at 9:30 a.m. and the day ends at 4 p.m. following a Youth Voices panel. In case of inclement weather, it will be moved indoors to the Lake Placid Middle-High School.
All Points
All points coalesce in this place.
Eyes that have seen much,
Reflect pure sunlight on dazzling water.
It looks like this year, 2022, I can finally put aside all the paperwork and endless planning, and just take part in the 14th Adirondack Plein Air Festival as an artist. Like the event, I have evolved and matured, both as a painter and as the event organizer.
I came up with the idea to have Saranac Lake ArtWorks host a plein air festival back in 2009. I had heard about an event in Easton, MD that had been very successful, though I’d never been to one. Lots of artists took part and lots of paintings were sold. The Saranac Lake area has an abundance of scenic views, though a much smaller regional population – we should host such an event. It must be easy – select dates, let a bunch of artists know, have an exhibit. Easy….
Saranac Lake, NY—On August 19th & 20th, the Adirondack Center for Writing (ACW) will present the first annual Kickass Writers Festival, featuring writers, poets, comedians, mountaineers, and more. The festival will take place across various locations all over Saranac Lake and will include readings, workshops, talks, publishing programs, special performances, a book fair, speed dating, and more. The Kickass Writers Festival celebrates how writing and storytelling–in all of their forms–are essential to art, entertainment, and social change.
The iconic Vermont band, Will Patton Ensemble, crosses the pond to perform at Weatherwatch Farm in Saranac on Sunday, August 21 at 4 p.m. The show will take place rain or shine under a large tent on the lawn; $20 admission at the gate. Current public health guidelines will be followed.
The Will Patton Ensemble famously serves up “an astoundingly rich musical stew flavored with jazz, choro, folk, and other influences…. a unique blend of musicality, passion and respect sets this band apart as a special experience,” as stated in Mandolin Magazine. Here is the recipe: Combine a jazz/choro mandolinist with a symphony violinist who plays bluegrass and hot swing; add a string bass player who came of age working the Chicago blues clubs with the likes of Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy; a lifelong guitarist equally at home with flatpicking fiddle tunes and fiery Gypsy jazz solos; and spice it up with a first-call jazz/Brazilian percussionist. Stir in a little rock ‘n’ roll attitude and season for twenty years in small clubs and large concert halls and you get some idea of the music of the Will Patton Ensemble.
All are invited to gather at the Old Forge Library for their annual fundraiser dubbed “The Bash” on Sunday, August 14 from 3 to 5 p.m. Hosted by The Friends of the Old Forge Library, the event has served as one of the library’s primary fundraisers and has become a favorite summer tradition for locals and visitors alike. For a suggested donation of $20, guests will enjoy wine & beer tasting, hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, and music by Midnite Mike. This year, organizers have arranged for two live auctions; a photographic outing with Kurt Gardner, and a commissioned painting by Ron Rakowski.
All are invited to join in the festivities for this year’s Raquette Lake Busiest Day slated for Saturday, August 13.
A Juried Craft fair is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Raquette Lake Union Free School. A wide array of vendors will be selling an eclectic variety of items such as jewelry, pottery, photography, Adirondack products, polar fleece, handwoven clothing, rustic Adirondack furniture, food products, and much more. Folks will have an opportunity to try their luck with a variety of raffles, all of which will benefit North Country Life Flight, Inc.
Book lovers of all ages rejoice, as the Raquette Lake Library will host its annual Book Sale starting at 10 a.m. on the library’s front lawn.
Live Auction: The biggest event of the season is on tap for 5 p.m., the annual Raquette Lake Fire Department and Ambulance Squad Auction will take place under the big tent on the Village Green.
Raquette Lake Busiest Day will take place rain or shine.
For more information, call 518-624-3077 or visit www.myraquettelake.com.
Photo at top: Raquette Lake website photo.
For the month of August, Nancy Brossard will be the featured artist at the Adirondack Artists Guild (AAG). Her exhibit hosts a variety of new oil paintings, all started in plein air (on location), and finished in her home studio. Many of the paintings in this show were painted during excursions with Sandra Hildreth, a fellow AAG artist and longtime friend.
Lake George, NY – Orchestral and chamber music performances are accompanied by breathtaking views of Lake George and the Adirondack Mountains during the 2022 Lake George Music Festival (LGMF) – August 10-18. The festival returns to the historic Fort William Henry Carriage House Theatre and features a diverse musical lineup, showcasing the versatility of more than 30 World-Class Symphony musicians as they perform music ranging from cherished legendary masterworks to new works.
Single tickets are available for purchase at the door for $20.
Shoppers of all ages are welcome to browse a wide variety of American wares at this year’s Heart of the Park Craft Fair on Sunday, August 7 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Mt Sabattis Pavilion in Long Lake.
The annual Heart of the Park Craft Fair, sponsored by the Town of Long Lake, will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The craft fair will feature more than 50 vendors offering items such as, photographs, homemade fudge, pottery, tee-shirts, canoe-paddles, handmade sweaters, unique textile art, jewelry, spices, wind chimes, special novelties, and much more. Craft fair admission is $1 per person.
On August 11 at 5 p.m., the Local Histories and Stories Series will feature Sue Kiesel and her presentation on The Healing Power of Photographing Outdoors in the Adirondacks at the Old Forge Library.
Sue is a lifelong lover of the Adirondacks, having been here her entire life as a seasonal resident. She began her current passion for photography 15 years ago and is a true addict! She enjoys, more than anything, sharing her captures. It is her greatest desire to sway others to appreciate the healing quality that nature offers all of us. If others catch the bug, perhaps they too will learn how fragile mother nature is and promote protecting it for the many generations to come.
Essex Initiatives is pleased to announce the 43rd annual Essex Day celebration is happening this Saturday, August 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Main Street in historic Essex, NY on Lake Champlain.
This family-friendly event is sure to have something to offer everyone. Attendees are welcome to enjoy live music from James Coleman, Too Tall String Band, and Marie Marie, peruse the shops on Main Street, participate in family-friendly games, and explore more than 40 unique vendors from surrounding towns.
The event also features food trucks, a town-wide yard sale as well as a book sale, watercolor class, photography class, and much more.
Artist Diane Swanson is exhibiting a selection of sixteen watercolor paintings at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts August 3 through September 4. A reception and artists’ talk is scheduled for Saturday, August 20, from 2 to 4 p.m.
The natural beauty of the Adirondack region is an immersive source of inspiration for the artist, deeply influencing her painting aesthetics.
“The paintings I’ve created and selected for my summer exhibit at ALCA strive to portray the essence and emotive quality of our waters, mountains, woods, meadows and skies,” Swanson said. “The colors, textures and atmosphere unique to this area contribute to the comprehensive feeling of being a part of this extraordinary landscape.”
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