The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) announced Tuesday the addition of a nine-hole disc golf course at Whiteface set to open July 11. The new course features nine distinct “holes” around the lower part of Whiteface that incorporate Mixing Bowl, Wolf, Boreen, Round-a-Bout, Lower Valley and other trails into the layout, with the start and finish area located at the base of the Facelift. Disc golf consists of players using flying discs instead of clubs and balls to go from the tee box to the hole, usually a metal chain basket of some sort. Players normally have three discs – a driver for teeing off, a mid-range one, and the putter for using around the hole. The object of the game is to complete each hole with the fewest number of throws.
“We are excited about becoming involved in a sport that is growing across the nation,” said Whiteface General Manager Jay Rand. “We have consulted with Dave Messner – the principle of the Lake Placid Middle School – who has played on courses throughout the country.”
Disc golf at Whiteface begins will run daily from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. through September 7. Cost is $5 per person per nine holes, and includes one disc rental. Additional discs may be rented for $2 per disc. For more information contact Whiteface at (518) 946-2223. Information on disc golf can be found at the Professional Disc Golf Association.
For more information on ORDA venues and events and for web cams from five locations, please log on to .
DEC’S Free Fishing Weekend this Saturday and Sunday is a great opportunity to introduce new anglers to the classic outdoor pastime of fishing. This weekend, June 27 and 28, anglers able to fish in New York’s lakes, rivers and streams without a state license. According to the DEC: “The annual free fishing weekend is the perfect time for residents and vistors to share the sport of fishing and create lasting memories with a friend or family member out fishing for the first time, or to reignite interest among those who may not have taken to the water in recent years. DEC first held the weekend in 1991 to allow all people the opportunity to sample the incredible fishing New York State has to offer.” While no DEC fishing license is required during free fishing weekend, other fishing rules and regulations remain in effect. To learn more about New York’s regulations and information on how and where to get a fishing license, visit this DEC website.
New York Times Middle East correspondent Robert F. Worth, recently returned home from Tehran, will provide his perspective on the unfolding events in Iran that have captured the people’s attention around the world as thousands have taken to the streets to protest the Iranian election as a fraud. Worth will provide his insights tonight, Thursday evening, June 25 at 7:30 PM at the Keene Valley Library on how Mir Hussein Moussavi, a political insider became the leader of a popular upwelling that has resulted in a harsh crackdown, the reported death of 17 protesters, a harsh clampdown and beating of Iranian citizens, and a flood video clips reaching the international media through the efforts of people defying the orders of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Guardian Counsel and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader in the largest anti- government demonstration in Iran since the 1979 revolution.
Son of Bob and Blaikie Worth of Keene Valley, Worth joined the Times in 2000, began reporting from Baghdad in 2003 and became their Middle East correspondent in 2007.
For more information contact Naj Wikoff at naj@kvvi.net or 576-2063.
Abenaki is a generic term for the Native American Indian peoples of northern New England, southeastern Canada, and the Maritimes. Members of the Abenaki Watso family will share the traditions, culture, and heritage of their ancestors at an upcoming event at the Adirondack Museum on Saturday, July 11, 2009. These Native Peoples are also known as Wabanaki (Eastern Abenaki – Maine and the Canadian Maritimes) or Wôbanakiak (Western Abenaki – New Hampshire, Vermont, and southeastern Canada). In the Native language Wôbanakiak translates roughly to mean “People of the Dawn.” A majority of the Watso family who will demonstrate or present at the Adirondack Museum are from the Odanak reserve in the province of Quebec. The Abenaki Nation at Odanak, historically called the St. Francis, is now called the Odanak Band by the Canadian government.
“Abenaki Day” will feature demonstrations of traditional skills from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The demonstrations will include: sweet grass and black ash basket making by Barbara Ann Watso; bead work with Priscilla Watso; pounded black ash splint making with John Watso and Martin Gill; and traditional wood carving by Denise Watso.
Rejean Obomsawin will share traditional Abenaki legends that have been passed down by the elders at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Rejean is a singer, drummer, and guide at the Musee des Abenaki at Odanak.
Jacques T. Watso will offer traditional Abenaki singing and drumming at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Cultural anthropologist Christopher Roy will present a program entitled “Abenaki History in the Adirondacks and in the Adirondack Museum” at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Drawing on the museum’s Abenaki collections, Roy will share the findings of his research on the history and contemporary lives of Abenaki people in the Adirondacks and throughout the Northeast.
Christopher Roy is completing a PhD program at Princeton. Of particular interest to his research are the histories of residence off-reserve, questions of law and belonging, as well as the work of family historians in understanding Abenaki pasts, presents, and futures.
The Watso family has strong ties to the Adirondack region. Their ancestors include Sabael Benedict and his son Elijah, Abenaki men familiar to early settlers and explorers of the region, and Louis Watso an Abenaki man well known in the southern Adirondacks in the latter half of the 19th century.
Descendants Sabael Benedict and Louis Watso lived throughout the region, some as full-time residents and others moving back and forth between villages like Lake George and Saratoga Springs and Odanak, an Abenaki village on the lower St. Francis River in Quebec.
This branch of the Watso family also descends from John and Mary Ann Tahamont, basket makers who spent many summers at Saranac Lake around the turn of the last century.
Summer is a great time to check out the Adirondack Museum – here are a few events you won’t want to miss. You can see all the events we write about here at Adirondack Almanack by clicking the events link at right. Paddle Making Classes with Caleb Davis Friday, July 10 or Friday, August 7 Make your own traditional cherry or white ash paddle in a one-day class. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day, including a 2-hour break for lunch on your own, and the chance to explore the museum. Limited space, pre-registration is required. $100 non-refundable fee due at registration. 518-352-7311 ext. 115.
Brown Bag Lunches 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. To reserve a space, please call 518-352-7311 ext. 181.
July 13 – “Mapping in the Adirondacks” – Join Librarian Jerry Pepper for a rare behind the scenes tour of the museum’s historic map collection.
August 3 – “A Perfect Fit: An Introduction to Adirondack Clothing” – Associate Curator Laura Cotton offers a presentation about Adirondack clothing from the museum’s textile collection.
August 31 – “Mining in the Adirondacks” – Chief Curator Laura Rice introduces the people and places of Adirondack mining through historic photographs, objects, and archaeology.
Member-Only Field Trips Act fast to reserve your spot – spaces still remain for the following trips:
August 6 – Newton Falls – Tour one of the oldest and largest paper mills in the Adirondacks.
August 29 – St. Regis Lake – Paddle and explore St. Regis Lake once known as “the St. James of the Wilderness,” a reference to the stately Court of Queen Victoria.
September 2 – Dannemora Correctional Facility – A fascinating look at the third oldest prison in New York State.
For reservations please call 518-352-7311 ext. 181.
Visit the Special Events section of the museum’s web site at www.adirondackmuseum.org for the most up-to-date information about member-only programs and all events at the museum.
Santa‘s Workshop opens for their 60th season this Saturday (June 27th) with some prices from the past. Between the hours of 11am-1pm on opening day Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard will be serving up 25 cent cokes and 25 cent hot dogs (admission to the park is additional). Santa’s Workshop is open 5 days per week June 27th-September 7th from 10am-4pm with additional hours during the fall and winter months. Check their website for dates and times at www.northpoleny.com.
The Adirondack Center for Writing (ACW) has announced its annual Publishing Conference which will be held at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake on Saturday, July 18, 2009, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This year’s focus is on New York State small presses. Topics will include the advantages of publishing with a small press, some of which are –- writers usually do not need an agent; small presses often publish first-time authors; small presses tend to publish writing that large presses ignore; writers have more control over the final product with a small press than with large presses. Other subjects covered include how to submit your work to a small press, a process very different than with large presses, and how to find the small press that is right for you.
According to the Center’s Press release: Presenters include Mary Selden Evans, executive editor at Syracuse University Press. With more than 1,200 titles in print, SU Press consistently earns international critical acclaim and attracts award-winning authors of note. Each year Syracuse University Press publishes new and groundbreaking books in specialized areas including New York State; Robert Hershon, co-editor of Hanging Loose Press, one of the country’s oldest independent publishers. HL introduced the work of such writers as Sherman Alexie, Kimiko Hahn, Dennis Nurkse, and Cathy Park Hong, among others, and also publishes Ha Jin, Paul Violi, Jayne Cortez, Elizabeth Swados, Jack Anderson, Harvey Shapiro, Maureen Owen, Charles North – about 150 writers altogether. Rob Igoe, publisher at North Country Books, which publishes and distributes quality books about New York State and New England. Also presenting is Jeffrey Lependorf, who serves as the shared executive director to Small Press Distribution (www.spdbooks.org) and the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (www.clmp.org), both national non-profit organizations serving the community of independent literary publishers. Lastly, Bruce McPherson of McPherson & Company, which concentrates on contemporary and 20th century fiction, foreign and domestic; and for nonfiction on contemporary culture, art theory, anthropology and film studies, will be part of this exciting conference.
For a brochure with complete details or to register, contact ACW at 518-327-6278 or by email at info@adirondackcenterforwriting.org.
The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), in tandem with the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF), has successfully bid to bring 2013 World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships to Lake Placid’s Olympic Sports Complex. The decision, by unanimous vote among member nations, came down at the annual International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT) Congress held in Moscow, Russia. Over 100 representatives from 30 nations participated in the event. This will give the two-time Winter Olympic host the final major competitions in the three disciplines prior to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The world championships are held every non-Olympic year. Starting in 2004, the FIBT has held the championships for all of the disciplines at one site. Prior to that, the bobsled and skeleton championships were held at different venues.
Earlier this year ORDA and the USBSF hosted the 2009 World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships on the famed Mt. Van Hoevenberg sliding track. Besides the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid has hosted eight other bobsled world championship competitions – in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, 2003, and 2009. The skeleton Worlds came to town in 1997 in addition to 2009.
The 2009-10 FIBT World Cup calendar was also announced during the congress. Lake Placid is the second stop on the tour, with the athletes competing November 20-22 on the Mt. Van Hoevenberg track.
In addition to the 2013 World Championships, Lake Placid was selected as the site of the next year’s FIBT Congress. The members from all over the world will come to town in the fall of 2010.
PHOTO CAPTION: Jim Goff, ORDA Director of Events (left), Darrin Steele, USBSF Chief Executive Officer (center), and Tony Carlino, Olympic Sports Complex General Manager (right) stand in front of the University of Moscow during the FIBT Annual Congress. FIBT awarded Lake Placid the 2013 World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships.
A couple of nice events this weekend at the Wild Center. It starts on Saturday with a new “Walking With Wild Birds” series. Designed for beginners and experts alike, these morning walks will explore mountain and boreal bird habitat as well as introduce people to bird watching. Then on Father’s Day, Sunday, the center is pulling together a fly-fishing program with local experts and hands-on opportunities to learn to tie flies and improve your casting skills.
The Adirondack Farmers’ Market Cooperative (AFMC) is expanding with a new market for summer ’09 in Tupper Lake. Beginning June 25, The Wild Center will host a weekly Farmers Market where you can meet farmers and purchase local food grown in the Adirondack region. Market days will be held under a tent every Thursday from 11 am to 3 pm. The market is free and open to the public; museum admission is not required for market related events. The market grows out of an initiative piloted by The Wild Center and the AFMC last summer, which featured several market days throughout the season. Positive responses by attendees encouraged both organizations to move forward with plans for a weekly market this season. Shoppers found a variety of products – from honey, herbs and veggies, to baked goods, prepared foods and meats – and the opportunity to talk with local farmers about farming in the Adirondacks.
Special activities and attractions are being planned for Opening Day June 25. Herbalist Jane Desotelle will lead a Wild Edibles walk at 1 pm. Addison Bickford and Steve Langdon will play blues and old timey music 11:30 – 2. Local food will be available for sale from the grill, and hands-on children’s activities will be available at a kid’s craft table.
More stories from the Adirondack Almanack about Adirondack food can be found here.
The International Skating Union (ISU) and U.S. Figure Skating have announced the skater selections for the 2009 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, including Skate America. Skate America, which historically is the first competition in the ISU Grand Prix Series, occurs later in the calendar this year, as the fifth of six events. This year’s Skate America will take place Nov. 12-15 at the 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid. This marks the 30th anniversary of the event and the sixth time the state of New York has hosted the event and the fourth time it has been held in Lake Placid (1979, 1981-82). Skate America will welcome 18 top U.S. athletes in addition to its international field. The Americans competing in Lake Placid include current World champion and two-time national champion Evan Lysacek and the five-time U.S. Championship ice dancing team of Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, also the 2009 World silver medalists and 2006 Olympic silver medalists. This year’s Skate America marks the return of 2006 U.S. Champion, 2006 Olympic silver medalist, and 2006 World bronze medalist Sasha Cohen to competitive skating.
Other U.S. athletes competing at Skate America are 2008 World Junior Champion Rachael Flatt, Ryan Bradley, Brandon Mroz, two-time defending U.S. Pairs Champions and 2007 World Junior Champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, and the ice dancing teams of Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein – the 2009 World Junior Champions and U.S. Junior Champions – and Kim Navarro and Brent Bommentre.
The international field is led by World champion Yu-Na Kim of Korea. Kim is the 2008 Skate America ladies gold medalist and 2008 Grand Prix Final champion. Kim will be joined by six-time French ice dancing champions and 2008 World ice dancing champions Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder. Three-time World pairs champions (2002-03, 2007) and two-time Olympic bronze medalists (2002, 06) Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China will make their competitive debut this season, following a two year absence. For the complete list of international skaters competing at 2009 Skate America, please visit the ISU web site at www.isu.org.
Tickets to Skate America are on sale now at the Olympic Center Box Office in person or by phone at (518) 523-3330. Tickets may also be purchased online through tickets.com. For a complete schedule of events, ticket prices and more information, please log on to skateamerica2009.com.
The ISU Grand Prix Series consists of the following six events: Trophée Eric Bompard Oct. 15-18 in Paris, France; Rostelecom Cup Oct. 22-25 in Moscow, Russia; Cup of China Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Beijing; NHK Trophy Nov. 5-8 in Nagano, Japan; Skate America Nov. 12-15 in Lake Placid; and Skate Canada Nov. 19-22 in Kitchener, Ont. This is the 15th season for the series.
At the conclusion of the six events, athletes’ points are totaled, and the top six ladies, men, pairs and ice dancing teams are invited to compete at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Dec. 3-6 in Tokyo, Japan.
The United States Olympic Committee’s Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, and the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), are cosponsoring Olympic Day on June 20 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. at the Olympic Jumping Complex.
Olympic Day is an international event celebrating and promoting the participation in sport by men, women and children from around the world. It is a worldwide commemoration of Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s June 23, 1894, convening of the first International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting at the Sorbonne in Paris, and the founding of the Modern Olympic Games. National Olympic Committees (NOCs) throughout the world will also participate in the international celebration, with each Olympic Committee sending Olympic Day greetings to participating nations and to further the Olympic spirit and movement. Local sports club and organizations will be on hand to promote their sports with informational displays, exhibits and interactive activities. The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, the U.S. Luge Association, NYSEF Ski Jumping, Lake Placid Figure Skating, Lake Placid Speed Skating, U.S. Biathlon, and the Lake Placid Horse Show Association are among the groups that are participating in Olympic Day.
This free event features fun for the whole family. The first 1,000 people to enter the venue will receive a commemorative 2016 Chicago Olympic Bid bracelet that also provides free entry to the 1932 and 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. as well as free admission to the Citizens Bank Saturday Night Ice Show at 7:30 p.m. at the Olympic Center.
The activities begin at 1 p.m. with wheeled luge, hockey shot, biathlon, volleyball, and more. Freestyle athletes will be launching off the kickers in hopes of perfecting their twists, turns and flips before splashing down in the 750,000-gallon pool. Nordic athletes take to the ski jumps to see who can fly off the 90-meter jump and land the longest jump of the day. Visitors may take a chairlift and elevator ride to the Sky Deck high atop the 120-meter ski jump tower, listen to live music by 2006 Olympic biathlete Lowell Bailey, and get autographs from U.S. athletes. Athletes expected to be on hand include 2009 FIL World Luge Champion Erin Hamlin, three-time Olympians and 2009 FIL World Championship doubles bronze medalists Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin, 2009 FIS Freestyle Aerial World Champion and Olympian Ryan St. Onge, Olympic biathlete Tim Burke, and others, such as Olympic hopefuls John Napier (bobsled) and Haley Johnson (biathlon).
Guests will also get a chance to win great raffle prizes, including tickets for the Lake Placid Bobsled Experience, VIP dinner at the I Love BBQ Festival, Olympic clothing and much more from famed Whiteface Prize Cube.
The official ceremony is at 1:30 p.m. Village of Lake Placid mayor Craig Randall will read a proclamation supporting Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games, followed by a presentation of a ceremonial Chicago flag to Lake Placid. Olympic athletes from the area, as well as those currently in town training at the OTC, will also be recognized.
Adirondack Bloggers, Twitterers, and Friends are welcome to join Small Pines, Adirondack Base Camp, and at least some of the staff of Adirondack Almanack at what’s being called “The Great Adirondack Meet-up/Tweet-up” on Thursday, July 16, 5 to 7 pm at High Peaks Resort, 2384 Saranac Ave (at the corner of Main Street) in Lake Placid.
We’ll be meeting on the deck at Reflections overlooking Mirror Lake. The bar will be available and food can be ordered from the menu.
This weekend boasts an interesting mixture of professionals and amateurs. From an All-Star Open Mic to an African drumming and dance troupe, both incorporate experienced and inexperienced performers. Often jams and sessions have that kind of mix too – in this way everyone learns something. Amateurs learn to improve their skills and pros learn to improve their patience.
But first . . . there is nothing amateur about the band Atlantic Crossing, which will be at The Amos and Julia Ward Theater in Jay on Friday at 7 pm. They play a mixture of traditional songs and instrumentals from New England, the Celtic British Isles and French Maritime Canada. Music to get your feet tapping and spirits soaring. On Saturday June 6 you have a choice:
The All-Star Open Mic Night, at BluSeed in Saranac Lake; all the winners and some of the hosts of the past season will be performing, the Dust Bunnies and the Starlights among them. What fun – you get to hear an eclectic mix of poetry and songs. Performers travel from all around the region for these democratic events. Some of the newer performers have a chance to let go of some of their first time stage-fright jitters because this will be their second time in front of an audience – they’re pros now, right? Since this is also a chance to support BluSeed the cover charge will be $6 instead of the usual $3. The performances start at 7:30 pm and will be well worth it.
There is a recital to be given by the students of the accomplished Saranac Lake multi-instrumentalist Sue Grimm – obviously it’s not professional but so cute! It’s being held at BluSeed at 2 pm. You never know, you might see a future star just starting to shine.
In Long Lake at The Quakenbush Long View Lodge on Deerland Road there will be an open jam held from 4 – 6 pm. Call (518) 624-3879 for details.
The 4th Annual Adirondack Center For Writing (ACW) Literary Awards Ceremony will be held this Sunday, June 7, in Blue Mountain Lake, 3-5 pm at the Blue Mountain Center. The Adirondack Literary Awards is a juried awards program that honors books published in or about the Adirondacks in the previous year. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to ACW (phone or email) if you plan to attend.
Juried awards will be given in fiction, poetry, children’s literature, and nonfiction, plus a People’s Choice Award. ACW members are encouraged to send in their votes for their favorite book of the year via email, phone, or mail. A complete list of submissions by category is below. Voting is also permitted at the awards ceremony itself. Most of the books considered for awards are made available for purchase at the ceremony by the authors, and they are happy to sign their books. Questions may be directed to ACW at 518-327-6278, acwevents@gmail.com. Entries of Books Published in 2008 :
Poetry – Reasons to Hate the Sky, Stuart Bartow , WordTech Editions Threat of Pleasure , Philip Memmer, Word Press Lemon Peeled the Moment Before: New and Selected Poems 1967-2008, Roger Mitchell , Ausable Press; The Long Fault: Poems, Jay Rogoff , Louisiana State University;
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The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) announced Tuesday the addition of a nine-hole disc golf course at Whiteface set to open July 11. The new course features nine distinct “holes” around the lower part of Whiteface that incorporate Mixing Bowl, Wolf, Boreen, Round-a-Bout, Lower Valley and other trails into the layout, with the start and finish area located at the base of the Facelift.
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