The Town of Inlet is proud to celebrate their 47th Annual “Arts in the Park” on July 15 & 16. Nearly 60 artists and craftsmen, including some new vendors, will be at Arrowhead Park selling their wares. They will offer pottery, quilts, handmade/hand-embroidered apparel, soaps, floral designs, jewelry, wall hangings, wooden items, furniture, photography, lawn ornaments, wine, beer, and more. Vendors come from all over New York State, and many of the vendors will be demonstrating at their booths.
The Champlain Pathways art show, which benefits Champlain Area Trails (CATS), had a highly attended and successful opening at Keene Arts on Friday, June 30. The exhibit, featuring the work of four talented Adirondack artists, Kevin Raines, Rob Powell, Dan Keegan, and Steve Van Nort, and runs through Sunday, July 23, enables people of all ages to experience the beauty of the Adirondacks.
The “Champlain Pathways” exhibition features original works of art, including paintings and drawings inspired by the trails, waterways, mountains, and vibrant natural lands of the Adirondack Park’s Champlain Valley. While the four artists focus on Adirondack landscapes and nature, it’s fascinating to see the different and sometimes similar ways they illustrate the area’s beauty. A portion of all art sales will be donated directly to CATS to support its work to provide more hiking opportunities in the Champlain Valley.
Pictured here: Sixth grader Dan Wells digs into a tray of cafeteria offerings at Willsboro Central School. Photo by Eric Teed
On June 21, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Franklin County, CCE of Essex County, and the Saranac Lake Central School District (CSD) had been awarded grant funding through New York State’s Farm-to-School program. The program is focused on improving students’ health, by increasing the procurement and use of fresh, nutritious, locally grown and produced food, in meals served in Grade School cafeterias.
CCE of Franklin County will be initiating a new program, advancing a collaborative partnership between Extension and three Franklin County school districts, focused on expanding the amount and variety of local farm products used in school meal programs.
Recently, New York State experienced the harsh effects of raging wildfires in the Canadian Province of Ontario. For several days, air quality indexes spiked to concerning and unhealthy levels, as noticeable smoke covered most of the state in a haze. Here in New York, multiple smaller wildland fires have burned in locations across the state due to dry spring conditions. In addition to causing potential human health and safety concerns, wildfires also may affect local bird and wildlife populations.
by Margie O’Hara
It’s time to make plans to attend the 24th annual “An Evening with the Symphony,” the Concerts and the Cocktail Party. Some things will remain the same as past years, such as the events will take place on the last Friday in July. This year that date is July 28. Times are also the same: The free Family Concert will occur at 3 p.m., an interesting and educational 45-minute session with members of the RPO. The Cocktail Party will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. the Symphony Concert featuring the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra will begin.
Show of hands- Who’s ready to go fishing? For a tally of how the fish voted, click the link & read on: https://adirondackoutlaw.com/left-handed-fish/
With the middle of June comes bass season, which, as dates go, is more meaningful than the opening day of trout season 10 weeks earlier. The opening of trout season often finds the weather too cold or the streams too high for productive angling (at least that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it).
Bass, of course, are always “in a mood,” and the weather is more commodious for fishermen and women as well. So on the opening weekend we were at the mouth of the Boquet where it flows into Lake Champlain. This is good fishing, but beyond that it has a rather exotic, almost beachy feel to it.
Seagulls called from the sandy spit that reaches far into the lake, and other shore birds popped in and out of the marsh across the river from Willsboro’s Noblewood Park. I started out fishing with a medium-sized blue and silver spoon for the scientific and carefully calculated reason that it was still on my rod from last fall.
Nothing.
As is typical, a mat of seaweed had accumulated near the shore, and something big was jumping just beyond. Unprepared, as usual, I didn’t have a weedless rig which might have been productive, so I walked further downstream to where the water opened up.
Worms and crankbaits weren’t working either, but a switch of a spinner did the trick, and the smallmouth began to hit. I’m not enough of a bass whisperer to know why one piece of glorified scrap metal works better than another on any particular day, but there you have it.
The Department of Environmental Conservation, in its Fishing Line newsletter for June, suggested a “wacky-style” soft stickbait, such as a plastic worm with a circle hook through the middle instead of the head.
“No one really knows what makes this rig so attractive to bass,” the DEC writes. “It might be the lifeless way it falls through the water. Or it could be simply that it annoys fish who can’t believe that anyone would attempt to catch them with something so ridiculous. One thing is certain, it catches fish when nothing else does.”
Photo at top: The mouth of the Boquet River is a good spot to hook a smallmouth bass. Tim Rowland photo
Editor’s note: Tim Rowland is taking over “Water Line” while Zach Matson is on family leave. Sign up for this free, weekly newsletter here.
Watch for Single Lane of Traffic, Flaggers on State Route 73 in Town of North Elba, Essex County
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is advising motorists that a 1.2-mile stretch of State Route 73 between Upper Cascade Lake and Bobsled Run Road in the Town of North Elba, Essex County, will be reduced to a single lane with alternating flows of traffic controlled by flaggers from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, July 10, and Tuesday, July 11, to facilitate a paving project. All work is weather dependent and paving could continue through the remainder of the week if inclement weather occurs. Motorists should plan accordingly and be prepared for delays.
Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver license.
Motorists are reminded to Move Over a lane, if safely possible, or slow down significantly whenever encountering roadside vehicles displaying red, white, blue, amber or green lights, including maintenance and construction vehicles in work zones.
For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.
My sister passed
from this world,
gone,
like a puff of smoke
from one of our
Speculator bonfires.
The Ausable River Association (AsRA) is launching the fifth year of their guided watershed tours in the Ausable watershed and beyond. These tours are free to the public and include paddling, hiking, and interpretive programs. Gear is available for tour participants to use when possible.
Camp to Empower Young Voices in the Tri-Lakes Area
North Country School will “Impactful Voices” 2023, a transformative weeklong theater camp for children in the Tri-Lakes area from August 7-12, 2023. This program offers young individuals an opportunity to explore their creativity, build confidence, and bring their voices to the forefront through the performing arts.
Thanks to generous support from the Essex County Arts Council’s Cultural Assistance Program Grant, “Impactful Voices” is open to students aged 13-15 from the Tri-Lakes area who have a passion for theater and storytelling. The camp aims to empower participants by providing a platform to create their own unique performance piece, from playwriting to set building.
“We are thrilled to offer Impactful Voices as a creative outlet for young individuals in our community,” said Courtney Allen, Theater Teacher at North Country School. “This camp is designed to inspire and amplify their voices, allowing them to express themselves through the art of theater.”
Before the camp officially begins, there will be two pre-camp meetings to brainstorm ideas and start developing characters and stories. All rehearsals and performances will be held at the state-of-the-art Walter Breeman Performing Arts Center (WallyPAC) at North Country School. The camp is free of charge, and lunch will be provided for all participants. Applications for the camp are due by July 15th and can be submitted through the online application form available at https://forms.gle/
“We encourage young theater enthusiasts in the Tri-Lakes to seize this incredible opportunity,” added Allen. “Impactful Voices will foster creativity, collaboration, and personal growth, leaving a lasting impact on the participants.”
For more information and to apply, please contact callen@northcountryschool.org.
Attention loon lovers and watchers! The New York Annual Loon Census is coming up. This is a great opportunity for Adirondack residents and visitors to contribute to the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation’s ongoing research on Common Loons.
Census observers are needed for the 23nd Annual NY Loon Census on Saturday, July 15 from 8-9a.m. to help determine the abundance of loons in New York during the 2023 breeding season. To participate, please sign up for a lake in advance at www.adkloon.org/ny-loon-census to help minimize duplicate observations.
“We are thrilled to have hundreds of people join us annually for this valuable community-science study,” said Dr. Nina Schoch, Executive Director of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation. “Their observations contribute essential information for our ongoing study to monitor the status and trends in New York’s loon population over time.”
Results of the NY Loon Census indicate that the New York loon population has been slowly increasing over the last two decades. Annual results of the NY Loon Census are available at www.adkloon.org/ny-annual-loon-census-results.
The Adirondack Loon Center is now developing new exhibits and a photo mural based on the theme of “A Year in the Life of a Loon”. Loon Center visitors are invited to participate in a survey to guide the design of its exhibit on loon courtship and nesting. To sponsor a photo for the mural or an educational exhibit, contact Susan Harry, the Center’s Philanthropy Director, at sharry@adkloon.org.
A listening session on the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act is coming to the Adirondacks next week. It will be from 1 to 3 p.m. on July 14 at the Sparks Athletic Complex Alumni Gymnasium at North Country Community College, 23 Santanoni Ave., Saranac Lake. If you’re interested in attending, you can register here: https://www.nysebatour.com/
Here is a refresher about how the state has divvied up the $4.2 billion:
What would you like to see funded in the Adirondacks?
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Wildlife sightings out west: Bears, bison, coyotes, mountain goats, moose, deer and elk
Arrived back in the Adirondacks today [Monday, July 3] after two days of being driven from West Yellowstone to Webster (and another four hours to get home from there today.) Made a stop at the Remsen bog on the way here and some of the showy lady’s slippers were still out. [I] also stopped to check on some of my Loons along the way. Some were still sitting, and others had hatched their chicks and were on the water with their young. So, if you are out and about on the water and see a family of Loons, give them some space and take pictures with a long lens.
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