Award-winning novelist Russell Banks will introduce Affliction, the Academy Award-winning film based on his best-selling novel. He will also answer audience questions afterwards. The movie will be shown at 8:00 PM on Saturday, December 6th at the theater in the Willsboro Central School. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children under 18. Nick Nolte stars as a small-town sheriff who investigates a possible murder while attempting to reconcile with his abusive, alcoholic father. James Coburn won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role. Nick Nolte was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and he won both the National Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Awards. The movie also stars Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe, and Mary Beth Hurt. The film is rated R for violence and language. The Village Voice called this movie “an American classic” and Salon.com said it was “an uncommonly powerful film.” Film critic Roger Ebert wrote “Nolte and Coburn are magnificent” and the San Francisco Chronicle said “Nolte has never been better” while Variety thought “Coburn steals the show.”
Champlain Valley Film Society president Bruce Stephan says “We are both delighted and honored to have Russell Banks introducing one of our shows. This is an amazing film and hearing Russell’s perspective will make this a very memorable evening.”
Russell Banks is the author of 11 novels and 5 collections of short stories. His works have received numerous prizes and awards and been translated into 20 languages. His novels include Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, and recently The Reserve. His novel The Sweet Hereafter was also filmed, and won Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Mr. Banks lives in Keene and Saratoga Springs, NY, with his wife, the poet Chase Twitchell.
Well it’s over for today, but it’s clear that it’s not over forever. I think it’s fair to say that there was a collective sense that the Adirondack region is a unique place to lay out a framework to achieve local, national, and international changes in attitudes, policies, and our cultural and natural economies. One of the conference leaders (Howard Fish) put it succinctly when he said that residents of natural places like the Adirondacks play a critical role in ensuring both the survival of the world’s natural places and sustainable urban and suburban environments – the world looks to us to lead the way to, as the Adirondack region has for more then a century, coexistence between the natural and the human made world. Here a few of the more important priorities that will likely be included in the draft Adirondack Climate Action Plan:
Education / Outreach / Clearinghouse of Technical Information Improving Building Codes to Reflect Carbon Concerns Incentivising / Creative Financing of Efficiency Retrofits Advancing (Appropriate Scale) Local Energy Production for Local Consumption Adopting Smart Growth Standards Across the Park Promoting Alternative Energy Usage Facilitating Local Green Business and Local Green Branding Implementing Climate Change Research, Assessment, and Monitoring Promoting Management of Our Adirondack Carbon Sink Building Resiliency to Climate Change Through Local Planning / Action
Those were the ideas that seem to rise to the top. There were a lot more that will be incorporated into the draft action plan.
The three top priorities and three ways we’re moving forward:
Retrofitting Residences Energy $mart Initiative will Approach 26 Communities Over the next year. Clearing House / Education There will be a new web site that hopes to be comprehensive on this issue in this region: WWW.ADKCAP.ORG
Leadership Thirteen volunteers will form a steering committee to keep us on track and moving forward with the writing of the draft Adirondack Climate Action Plan.
Two final points:
The Seattle Climate Action Plan took two years to put together, so our task is going to be long but promises to be ecologically and economically rewarding for all Adirondack residents. We are looking at having a good draft document within a year.
An important point I think we’ve come away with is the notion that the Adirondack Forest, regardless of the value we ascribed to it before, now seems even more valuable as a carbon sink and nationally important precedent. Thankfully, it looks like local residents will lead the way to our climate future, whatever that may be, and that in itself is the most significant outcome of our little meeting here in Tupper Lake.
In early September, the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake sent out a “Call for Quilts,” searching for exceptional quilts, comforters, or pieced wall hangings made after 1970, used in, inspired by, or depicting the Adirondack region. The goal was to identify outstanding contemporary pieced textiles to be in included in a new exhibit, “Common Threads: 150 Years of Adirondack Quilts and Comforters” which will open in May 2009.
Quilters across the North Country responded. The museum received fifty-two quilts for consideration, representing the work of thirty-seven quilters. A panel of three quilters and quilting scholars selected pieces for the exhibit. They included: Edith Mitchell, quilt maker, quilting teacher, and founding owner of Blue Mountain Designs; Shirley Hewitt Ware, Family and Consumer Science educator and organizer of the Adirondack Park Centennial Quilt Exhibit held in 1992; and Lee Kogan, Curator of Public Programs and Special Exhibitions at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.
Fifteen contemporary quilts or wall hangings will be displayed in the new exhibition. The quilters and their work include: Sherry Matthews, Piseco, N.Y, “Adirondack Fall; “Linda Zila, Chestertown, N.Y., “Change in the Wind;” Rosemary Goliber, Indian Lake, N.Y., “Cedar River;” North Country Crafters, Indian Lake, N.Y., “Indian Lake” (Sesquicentennial); Fifty-six friends of Terry and Diane Perkins, “Housewarming Quilt;” Schroon Lake Central School, “Class of 2008 Group Quilt.”
Also: Louisa Woodworth, Long Lake, N.Y., “A Sight for Sore Eyes;” Kris Gregson Moss, Queensbury, N.Y., “The Wind Embracing the Tree;” Anne Smith, St. Regis Falls, N.Y., “The Mad Fiddler:” Betty Walp, Chestertown, N.Y., “Black Bear;” Nancy DiDonato, Diamond Point, N.Y., “Home, Glorious Home;” Camp Sagamore Quilters, “Camp Sagamore Quilt;” Kathleen Towers, Wells, N.Y., “Giant Mountain, Keene Valley, “In My Mind’s Eye;” Patty Farrell, Long Lake, N.Y., “Adirondack Nostalgia;” and Jacqueline Luke-Hayes, Booneville, N.Y., “Adirondack Fall.”
The remaining quilters who submitted entries have been invited to exhibit their quilts in a special show as part of the Adirondack Museum’s annual Adirondack Fabric and Fiber Arts Festival to be held on September 12, 2009.
The Adirondack region has nurtured a vibrant pieced-textile tradition for over a century and a half. From bedcovers, plain or fancy, meant to keep families warm through long Adirondack winters, to stunning art quilts of the twenty-first century, the quilts and comforters of the North Country mirror national trends and also tell a unique story of life in the mountains. “Common Threads: 150 Years of Adirondack Quilts and Comforters” will include quilts for the Adirondack Museum’s textile collection that are rarely on display.
Some of the biggest news this summer has come out of the Nature Conservancy. First there was the announcement at the end of August that it will list for sale — under conservation easement — about 90,000 acres of the 161,000 acres of former Finch, Pruyn lands it acquired in June 2007.
Now comes the news that the Conservancy has purchased Follensby Pond for $16 million. The pond was the location of the Philosopher’s Camp where Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James Stillman, Louis Agassiz, and others helped birth the Transcendentalist movement, often cited as a important precedent for the modern environmental movement. » Continue Reading.
The annual Adirondack Museum Antique’s Weekend with a show and sale on September 19, 20 and 21, 2008. According to the Adirondack Museum:
Forty leading antiques dealers from historic resort areas throughout the country will offer the finest examples of premium vintage and antique furnishings for camp, cabin, and collection in an exquisite fall setting.
For a complete listing of the antiques dealers who will exhibit at the show and sale, visit the “Exhibits & Events” section of the Adirondack Museum’s web site at www.adirondackmuseum.org . Rod Lich, Inc. of Georgetown, Indiana, will manage the show. Rod and his wife Susan Parrett have 32 years of experience organizing premier antique shows and sales including the Pleasant Hill Antiques Show and Sale held at the Historic Shaker Village near Lexington, Kentucky. The show was featured in the June issue of Country Living Magazine. To learn more about Rod Lich, Inc., visit www.parrettlich.com .
The weekend will begin with the exclusive Antique Show Preview Benefit on September 19, 2008 from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Browse for treasures surrounded by blazing fall foliage. Enjoy scrumptious hors d’oeuvres and beverages while supporting the museum’s exhibitions and programs. Preview Benefit tickets are $100 and include admission to the Antiques Show and Sale on Saturday and Sunday. To reserve preview tickets, please call (518) 352-7311, ext. 119.
Adult admission to the Antiques Show and Sale will be $20. Museum Members will be asked to pay a special $4.00 surcharge for the event. A shipping service will be available on both days of the show. Porters will be on site to assist with heavy or cumbersome items.
Visitors should also explore the “Annual Adirondack Mountains Antique Show” in Indian Lake, N.Y., a scenic 11-mile drive from the Adirondack Museum. Antique dealers, crafters, and artisans will display a variety of unique gifts and collectibles throughout the village. Shuttle service between venues will be provided.
Spinning, weaving, knitting, quilting, and a host of talented North Country artisans will take center stage at the Adirondack Museum for a celebration of traditional and contemporary fiber arts at the Adirondack Fabric & Fiber Arts Festival on Saturday, September 13, 2008.
Activities are planned from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Blue Mountain Lake, New York museum, and will include demonstrations, a lecture, textile appraisal, quilt documentation, displays, vendors, a “knit-in,” and hands-on opportunities. All are included in the price of general museum admission. For centuries Adirondackers have spun, woven, and sewn – making textiles both functional and beautiful. Contemporary fiber artists have taken traditional techniques to new heights as they explore color, texture, and design.
The Adirondack Museum will offer a display of rarely seen historic textiles from the collection as part of the Festival, including crazy quilts with silks and embroidery and intricately patterned buff mittens.
Demonstrations will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Members of the Northern Needles Quilting Guild and the Adirondack Regional Artists Alliance will display their work and demonstrate the skills and methods needed to create traditional and art quilts.
The Serendipity Spinners – a “loosely knit” group of women who have been spinning together for many years – will demonstrate the various aspects of wool processing.
Sandi Cirillo is a fiber artist from Corning, N.Y. who specializes in felt making. She will demonstrate the uses of felted wool to create unique pieces, including bowls, jewelry, and books. Cirillo has been felting for over fifteen years. Her work is exhibited locally, throughout the state of New York, and across the nation. Examples of her work may been seen on her web site at www.especially-for-ewe.com
Textile appraiser and historian Rabbit Goody of Thistle Hill Weavers, Cherry Valley, N.Y. will help visitors discover more about personal antique and collectible fabric pieces. For a small donation to the Adirondack Museum ($5 per piece, three pieces for $10) she will examine vintage textiles and evaluate them for historical importance and value. Only verbal appraisals will be provided.
Goody is a nationally recognized textile historian and expert in the identification of historic textiles. She is the founder, owner, and director of Thistle Hill Weavers, a commercial weaving mill that produces reproduction historic textiles for museums, designers, private homeowners, and the film industry. Textiles created by Thistle Hill have appeared in more than thirty major motion pictures. For more about Thistle Hill Weavers, visit
Dr. Jacqueline Atkins, a textile historian and the Kate Fowler Merle-Smith Curator of Textiles at the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania will present an illustrated lecture, “The Japan Craze: The Japanese Influence on American Textiles and Art” at 1:00 p.m. Atkins will explore how a “craze” for all things Japanese inspired new textile designs in the late nineteenth century and look at its lasting effect.
The Fabric and Fiber Festival will include an afternoon “Knit-In” in the beautiful Visitor Center from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Folklorist and knitter Jill Breit will host the activity. This will be an opportunity for knitters to work on a project in the company of other knitting enthusiasts, and to exchange tips with participants about how to tackle tricky techniques.
Knitters are encouraged to bring finished projects to display, as well as works in progress. While the group knits, Jill will talk about popular styles of knitting in the Adirondacks, a resurgence of interest in handspun yarn, and the role of knitting groups in this traditional fiber art.
Jill Breit is Executive Director of Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, an organization devoted to documentation and presentation of folklife in the North Country. She is the curator of the exhibition “Repeat from Here: Knitting in the North Country” and author of an article Knitting It Together: A Case Study of a Sweater. She will be working on an Aran pullover during the “Knit-In.”
Regional artisans and crafters will offer handmade and specialty items at the Adirondack Fabric and Fiber Arts Festival in the Marion River Carry Pavilion.
Visitors of all ages can use treadle sewing machines to make a souvenir balsam sachet in the Mark W. Potter Education Center from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Even though for many of us summer is just beginning, the summer crowds have now gone, so it’s time to take our annual look at some of the folks who were here over the past several months. Some were joyful, amazed, or awed. Others were disappointed , annoyed, or angry – they were all here, and here’s a sample of some of the summer’s more interesting. You can find last year’s look here, and 2006 here. A number of visitors were rekindling old Adirondack experiences. After 40 years Doctroidal Dissertations made a fourth generation trip up Blue Mountain:
Back around, oh, I’d guess the late 1920s, my grandfather took my father for a hike up Blue Mountain in the Adirondacks. Forty years later, my father took me up Blue Mountain. Now it’s another forty years…
It was, by the way, a great time for Adirondack hiking. The weather was warm but not hot, and it being weekdays after Labor Day, the tourists were pretty much gone. We saw one other group of hikers on the entire Castle Rock hike. Something like 25 hikers signed in at Blue Mountain between the time we arrived and the time we left, but that stands in contrast to something like 150 of them on Sunday. The down side, of course, is that a lot of the businesses that cater to tourists close down after Labor Day. Like Enchanted Forest / Water Safari in Old Forge, which Kenny wanted to go to: I told him we could go to Old Forge but I couldn’t guarantee we’d be able to go to the theme park, and indeed we couldn’t. Instead we played miniature golf (had the course to ourselves) and ate lunch, then came home.
Greater New York returned to the Raquette River after more then 25 years to find “deep forests, friendly paddlers, and plenty of quiet. It was all fine with us.”
kallison seems to have had a great (if somewhat dangerous) time, mostly, except for maybe some of the hiking and camping:
The sun setting over Marcy was fabulous as well, but should have had us more concerned. Note to hikers, if you can see the sun setting while on top of a mountain, you may not have enough time to get down the mountain while it is still light. The final 2.5 miles were in darkness, near total, with only a small headlamp to guide us through the land. I imagined bears, slippery rocks, roots, mud. My legs were shot. My joints were aching. The soles of my feet were sore… I literally could not stand up, and kept falling. My last two falls were while standing on a rock in a stream, close to our camp, and my legs giving way. Finally, we had a glorious moment when we realized that we’d reached “home.” I climbed into my sleeping bag to warm up, and Jeffrey proceeded to open his Chef Boyardee ravioli can. When I grew concerned that we might risk starting a forest fire where the stove was, he thought I was rushing his cooking. He dropped the ravioli on the ground, and began a temper tantrum not seen since he was a food-stressed 2-year-old. It included throwing the dirty ravioli at me, and telling me that I was greedily waiting for my can of beans, thus causing him to rush his ravioli. It was a low-point, and necessitated leaving the tarp for the nearby lean-to, as scattered ravioli might attract bears.
Diane at ADK Family Time took a family vacation to the Battle of Plattsburgh Interpretive Center and came to the conclusion that “It is challenging at the best of times to explain war to an eight-year-old child. His understanding is directly related to bad and good. There is no in-between. To him war is a game played between lunch and dinner and casualties are usually a few lampshades.”
The author of Dictator Journal, HATES mushrooms, and “stupid deers.”
There were lots of mushrooms growing there. Nate’s Mom had a book to identify mushrooms, and took pictures of them. When she wasn’t looking, sometimes I would stomp on them. Nate nicknamed me Mycozilla. I like it. Then I saw deer eating the mushrooms. I caught a doe one morning scarfing mushrooms like candy. She came within eight or so feet of me and Nate on her mushroom hunt. After that, I retired my Mycozilla ways and left the shrooms for the wildlife, even though stomping on squishy mushrooms is totally fun. Stupid deers.
willowluna had some peak experiences while in the Adirondacks, including this gem:
Teaching my daughter to pee in a hole in the woods that we dug. Truly, this was such a high for me. I loved that she was completely open to it and didn’t mind having to do it more than once. Much better than an outhouse! Go ahead, call me a freak.
The author of Cook, Study, and Be Crafty had a great time in the Adirondacks, except for that part where her daughter broke her arm!
On the outdoor sports front, Bicycling Affair chronicled their trip from Rochester through the Adirondacks on the way to Burlington; Ironhokie blogged about his experience at the 2008 Lake Placid Iron Man; and Kayaker Musings spent the summer building a boat! Somewhere in NJ posted a large birding trip list and some nice photos.
A couple of folks spent the summer getting ready to move in or moving into the Adirondacks.
Although they’re at different skill levels, both Jeff Harter and Rat Girl 3 spent time in the Adirondacks practicing their art.
Moonraking spent some time at a former great camp and Disenchanted Youth explored the old mining operations in Essex County, including the Republic Steel property.
Tarnished Poet’s blogster rant wondered [very] aloud about whether anybody would care about her trip to the Adirondacks –
i dont know, theres just so much going on inside my head constantly. normally i LOVE camping, and cant get enough of it. this year? not so much. all i wanted to do was get high, have sex, go shopping, whatever. i just did not want to be up there. but finally, on the second to last day, i enjoyed myself. i dont know why im rambling on about all of this. its not like anybody ever reads what i have to say. i guess that can be a positive. i can write whatever the hell i want and know that it will never be found out. imagine that, huh? im writing personal thoughts and posting them on the internet for the world to see, and no one gives a f*** about what i say. pretty intense, huh? yeah, not really.
The Photography
Some of the greatest photography this season came from local photog The Landscapist whose Adirondack Coast series reminds us of the variety of life in the region:
We live in a state park in a village that is somewhat of a geographic oddity. Approximately 25 miles to the SW of us is the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks – rugged wilderness with 46 peaks over 4000 ft. The same distance to the SE is the Lake Champlain Region (AKA, The Adirondack Coast) – a 130 mile long lake with gentle rolling farmland and quaint New England-style villages dotting the shoreline. The 2 areas could hardly be more different from each other. In fact, it’s difficult to think of them as part of the same Adirondack Park.
Also worth mentioning is Mountain Trail Photo Blog, a group photography blog that is boasting “some of the most respected and published nature photographers in the country”; Maraca’s Vacation 2008; and on a more amateur photography note, check out the 5th Annual Gentleman’s Picnic,
For your dose of different check out Peeling a Pomegranate, a blog of “Earth-based Magickal Judaism, often known as Jewitchery – writings, rituals, midrash, magick, prayers, and more…” that found some interesting related images on a 2008 Adirondack Adventure.
The Video
YouTube has been popular way to post some great (and not so great) footage of the Adirondack family vacation. There has been a ton of new footage posted of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, but taking a look at tallvivian’s reminds us that the Adirondack Scenic Railroad Wine Train was probably a lot of fun.
Organic, natural, contemporary furniture inspired by the wilderness can be seen at the 21st Annual Rustic Fair presented by the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. Skilled craftsmanship and unique designs in creations made of bark, twigs, branches and burls will be on display.
The Rustic Fair will be held on September 6, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on September 7, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. More than fifty-five artisans, including six craftsmen new to the Fair, will display and sell furniture and accessories. On Friday, September 5, the museum will host the Rustic Fair Preview Benefit, offering a special chance to meet the rustic artisans and shop for the perfect treasure for home or camp. Enjoy delectable edibles, tasty beverages, and the 1940s jazz of “Minor Swing.” All proceeds from the Rustic Preview support Adirondack Museum exhibits and programs.
Minor Swing of Potsdam, N.Y., blends American big-band swing with the exotic flare of European gypsy folk songs. The band mixes contemporary compositions with the classic Manouche (gypsy jazz) repertoire. Minor Swing includes musicians Christopher Brown, Lorie Gruneisen, Victor Caamaño, and David Katz.
Following the Preview, guests have the option to enjoy a Joint Benefit Dinner at Great Camp Sagamore at Raquette Lake. For more information or tickets to the Preview Benefit, call (518) 352-7311 ext 119. The museum will be closed on Friday, September 5 for the Preview Benefit.
The 21st Annual Rustic Fair will also include lively music, delicious food (look for North Country Kettle Corn and Ben & Jerry’s!), and demonstrations in a spectacular autumn setting. In addition, Painter/Furniture Artist Barney Bellinger of Sampson Bog Studio in Mayfield will paint an Adirondack landscape in oils in the Visitor Center throughout the Fair. Bellinger’s framed painting will be sold in a silent auction; the winner to be announced on September 7.
On Saturday, September 6, enjoy festive music by the Lime Hollow Boys. John Wolfe, Ray Gardner, Floyd Sherman and Andy White, the musicians, come from an area known as “lime hollow” in near Potsdam. The Lime Hollow Boys play country and folk music combining bass, guitar, fiddle, and harmonica. You can sample their music on the web at www.limehollowboys.com.
Sunday, September 7 will feature traditional fiddling by Frank Orsini. For many years Frank Orsini has been one of the prominent acoustic musicians on the Upstate New York music scene, playing fiddle, viola and mandolin. A sampling from Frank’s repertoire includes: Celtic music, Elizabethan or early music selections, old-time fiddle tunes from the Southern mountain tradition, New England and Canadian dance tunes, bluegrass and country classics, Cajun, and blues selections, as well as Urban and Western swing standards.
The Rustic Fair will feature works by rustic furniture artisans from the Adirondacks and other parts of New York State. There will also be craftsmen from the states of Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Tennessee, North Carolina, California, and the Canadian Province of Ontario.
All Rustic Fair activities and demonstrations are included in the price of regular museum admission.
Caroline M. Welsh, Director of the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, New York announced today the receipt of a $1.3 million bequest to the museum from the estate of the Mr. and Mrs. Horace N. Holbrook of Schenectady, N.Y.
The gift has been added to the museum’s endowment, helping to ensure a solid financial foundation in support of collections, exhibitions, and programs for years to come.
The generosity of the Holbrook bequest came as a surprise, although indications of the Holbrook’s enduring interest in the Adirondack Museum have been visible for more than twenty years. Horace Holbrook and his wife Marion visited the Adirondack Museum in the summer of 1984 bearing gifts – original paintings by the artists Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait and Jonathan Bradley Morse. The 1882 work by Morse depicts the Holbrook’s summer residence, Camp Lawrence, on Fourth Lake. The couple became museum members in 1989.
Holbrook, a retired economist for the State of New York, passed away in 1992 and left the bulk of his estate to the museum in trust, receivable upon the death of his wife. The bequest was made in memory of Holbrook’s great aunt, Elizabeth Norton Lawrence of Utica, N.Y.
With the exceptions of a “montage of photos of Camp Lawrence” and the couple’s modest home in Schenectady, there was no sense of the true value of the bequest. Marion Holbrook died in April 2007.
According to the Adirondack Museum’s Director of Institutional Advancement Sarah Lewin, estate planning is sometimes difficult for people to consider. She says that the story of the Holbrook’s forethought and immense generosity shines a light on the impact of planned giving on not-for-profit institutions such as museums.
Donors can realize substantial tax and estate benefits through planned giving. Gifts can take the form of bequests, charitable remainder or lead trusts, retirement plan assets, life insurance policies and tangible personal or real property. To discuss any of these options with the Adirondack Museum, please call (518) 352-7311, ext. 125.
This press release regarding the upcoming Jay Studio Tour is forwarded for your information:
The village of Jay, with its picturesque New England style village green and quaint covered bridge, transforms itself Saturday, July 26th into a town wide artist’s colony open to the public. Over the years, this very unique community has become a haven for the creative spirit. With it’s astonishing views, good studio spaces, and welcoming and tolerant philosophy, artists and crafts people have found a nurturing and supportive home in this village among the High Peaks. For one day, July 26th from 10 to 6 PM, 12 of Jay’s studios will be open to the public. The tour is organized to follow a map that winds from village to farmland and mountaintop and showcases Jay’s physical beauty as well as the talents of her residents.
At Young’s Gallery, Sue Young will be demonstrating raku at 11 and 3 o’clock. Raku is a Japanese firing technique that was “Americanized” in the 1950s to produce glazes with a lustrous appearance. Terry Young will be making paper using plant materials from his garden and cotton linters. Terry will also be hand binding his book “Twenty Ways to See Whiteface” in the afternoon. There will be ample opportunity to engage both artists in a discussion of their work and technique. The gallery also features work by both Sue (traditional pottery) and Terry (paintings and clay sculpture) as well as many other North Country artists.
The newest addition to the Village Green in Jay is The Amos and Julie Ward Theater. The building will be open; Holly Carey’s quilts will be hanging in the theater space and there will be a gallery of work from the JEMS Saturday Artists’ Series. Holly’s Carey does primarily bed quilts, machine pieced and quilted. Her affinity for color and texture inspires her traditional patterns
Next door to the theater is the Village Green Gallery, a one-day collaborative Gallery effort by photographer Nadine McLaughlin, Philadelphia ceramicist Joan Marie Turbeck and painter Joan Turbek. Nadine’s sensitive photos of local landscapes and animals are currently the featured exhibit in the Amos and Julia Ward Theatre next to the Gallery. She will be showcasing her books of original poetry, cards, and prints in both venues. Joan Turbek’s illustrative watercolors will be shown and Joan Marie Turbek will contribute several pieces of clay sculpture highlighting her whimsical and provocative take on vegetables.
The Jay Craft Center, home, studio and craft shop of Lee Kazanis and Cheri Cross, will introduce guest potter Julia Geronski. Julia will be demonstrating wheel throwing and press molding techniques.
Opening his studio for the second year will be Bill Evans. Located on Rt 9, the building which houses both Bill’s gallery space and living area has been in renovation since 2006. Bill’s landscapes of the Adirondacks are well known and highly respected; he has work hanging at The Birch Store and Skylight Gallery in Keene Valley. Bill will be showing primarily oil landscapes-many of local scenes. This is a unique opportunity for a once a year look into the creative process.
Buttons Buttons is a working design studio producing pillows and decorative items made from vintage and antique textiles and buttons. Designer Barbara Smith will be introducing her line of evening bags created from a special collection of rare and unusual antique materials. This year, the studio tour will feature the grand opening of “Ben Lacy’s Cabin”-a handmade one room 1920’s cabin. Moved from Lacy Road in Keene and reconstructed in Jay, it houses the Buttons Buttons showroom for the Adirondack Collection of pillows.
Grace Pothast at Gallery in the Glen will be demonstrating watercolor and egg tempera in the converted milk house of the dairy farm she shares with her family. Grace will also feature a special children’s studio where the youngsters can create their own work of art.
Nearly at the top of the Jay Mt. Road you will find W.P. ‘Pete’ Jennerjahn’s studio. Pete will discuss and illustrate the differences and similarities between the various mediums: graphite, watercolor, pastels, oils and acrylic. It is a breath-taking location and a chance to see a large body of work representing a lifetime of experience.
Located on the Trumbull’s Corner Road in one of Jay’s most interesting homes is Swallowtail Studio where Wayne Ignatuck designs and builds furniture. Wayne recently completed a collaboration with architect David Childs. The child’s desk they built is being shown at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. Recently, Wayne has been expanding the definition of rustic furniture. Work presently in the studio will include furniture custom designed for the newly rebuilt Lake Placid Lodge.
Paul’s Café at Standard Falls Iris Garden will feature a special day of baker Nancy Garrand’s Chocolate Extravaganza: every and anything chocolate. The café has become the home of the Land of Makebelieve artifacts and mementoes.
Nationally recognized photographer Nathan Farb rounds out the Studio Tour this year. Nathan’s books include “The Adirondacks”, “100 Years of the Adirondacks”, and “Adirondack Wilderness”. He will be previewing another book entitled “Summer of Love’, and showing excerpts from a video project from Arkansas that he has been working on. The studio is handicapped accessible and will be American Sign Language interpreted. Nathan will be available to sign his books and discuss his photography.
The Tour Map is available at all of the tour locations, many businesses in the area and for download at the tour website: Jaystudiotour.com.
The Lake Placid Center for the Arts and the Adirondack Museum have organized an evening of bluegrass headlined by the Larry Stephenson Band at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 1st at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. The concert will open with the Albany Region’s Dyer Switch Band. Tickets are $15 and proceeds will benefit the Adirondack Museum and the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. Here’s more from a recent press release:
Performing for over a decade, and still on fire, bluegrass fans everywhere have enjoyed hearing the Larry Stephenson Band on the circuit’s top festivals. Youthful professionalism, material choice and high- energy concerts have propelled this group to the top of their field. Bluegrass Canada raves, “A true treasure is the singing of Larry Stephenson. This guy is one of the Bluegrass has ever seen.”
Beginning his musical career in his early teens, Larry Stephenson honed his talents playing mandolin and singing high lead and tenor while residing in his home state of Virginia. In the early 1990’s, when increasing opportunities for appearances on national television made it advantageous to relocate to the epicenter of the country and bluegrass music industries, he relocated to Nashville. From this base he now continues to make guest appearances at the legendary Grand Ole Opry as well as on Nashville-based TV productions.
Contrary to the norm on ‘music row’ in Nashville, where artists’ record label affiliations are often notoriously short-lived, Larry continues to record for one of the country’s preeminent independent record companies. 2008 marks his 19th anniversary of making records for the highly respected Pinecastle label.
Stephenson’s distinctive, crystal clear voice towers over the band vocals, delivering a strong message, whether in an old folk song, a ‘brush arbor’ gospel quartet or one of his many top ten trios that have graced the national bluegrass song charts.
Larry Stephenson remains one of the few artists whose solidly tradition-based, contemporary interpretations of the music keeps him on the cutting edge of the bluegrass charts. This multi-award winning group has gained the respect over the years of first generation legends such as, Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Jim & Jesse, The Osborne Brothers and others.
Stephenson is an inductee in the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame, and a four-time winner of the “Contemporary Male Vocalist Award” at the prestigious SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) Convention. In 2004 the band clinched the “Song of the Year Award” at the same convention, with the title track “Clinch Mountain Mystery.” The same CD stayed on the bluegrass charts for one solid year, debuting at #18 and staying in the top 5 for seven months, then hitting #1 in December 2004.
Bluegrass Now Magazine quotes, “One of the best and most influential of high lead/tenor singers in recent years.” While Bluegrass Unlimited claims Stephenson is, “One of the finest voices in Bluegrass today.” The evening will open with a performance by members of the International Bluegrass Music Association, Dyer Switch Band. The Band plays hard-driving traditional, original, and unique bluegrass and acoustic music. Performing since 1992, Dyer Switch was inducted into the New York State Country Music Hall of Fame and nominated for five consecutive years as Bluegrass Band of the Year by the Northeast Country Music Association. In 1998, “Gotta Feelin’,” from the band’s third recording, “American Airwaves,” was nominated for “Song of the Year” by the Northeast CMA. Dyer Switch has received considerable air play in North America and Europe, and a song that band member JoAnn Sifo wrote was number one on the European country charts. The band has been has been featured on Northeast Public Radio, and in 1997 opened for Ralph Stanley at a concert in upstate New York.
This versatile and engaging band with dynamic stage presence has captivated audiences throughout the Northeast, Midwest, and South at festivals, clubs, coffeehouses, fairs and live radio shows. The band brings together hard-driving renditions of traditional tunes from first-generation bluegrass giants like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, their own powerful originals and fresh and innovative versions of songs from other genres.
Purchase your tickets today for an Evening of Bluegrass at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts by calling 518.523.2512. Tickets are $15, and we do anticipate that this show will sell-out. For additional information visit online at www.LakePlacidArts.org or http://www.adirondackmuseum.org. To learn more about the artists, visit: www.larrystephensonband.com or www.dyerswitch.com.
Adirondack Almanack gets a lot of requests to link to new blogs and nearly all of them we turn down because they don’t have anything to do with the Adirondacks. By the way, our criteria for inclusion as an Adirondack blog is simple – it should be written in or about the Adirondacks. A new blog from Andy Flynn promises both.
Flynn, from Saranac Lake, reports that he:
Writes the newspaper column, ‘Adirondack Attic,’ which runs weekly in five northern New York newspapers. It features stories about artifacts from the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y. Andy is the author of the book series, New York State’s Mountain Heritage: Adirondack Attic, with volumes 1-5 in stores now. He owns/operates Hungry Bear Publishing and lives in Saranac Lake, N.Y. During the day, he is the Senior Public Information Specialist at the NYS Adirondack Park Agency Visitor Interpretive Center in Paul Smiths.
A recent post covered his so far unsuccessful attempts to save a historic one-room schoolhouse in Ellenburg Center (Clinton County):
In this case, I contacted the Adirondack Museum to see if they were interested in saving this schoolhouse, No. 11, in Clinton County. Not really. You see, they already have a one-room schoolhouse, the Reising Schoolhouse, built in 1907 in the Herkimer County town of Ohio. The Reising Schoolhouse was located in the extreme southern part of the Adirondack Park. The Ellenburg Center schoolhouse is located in the extreme northern part of the Adirondack Park.
The Adirondack Museum’s chief curator suggested I call Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) in Keeseville, which I did. The director and I spoke about the situation and agreed it would be a good idea to see the structure first. If anyone can help with saving an historic building in the Adirondack Park, it is AARCH.
So, that’s where we are. If there is any way to help, we’ll try to make it happen. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find someone in the Adirondack region, hopefully in Clinton County, who can help preserve this one-room schoolhouse, an important part of our rich North Country heritage.
Give Andy’s new blog a read, and lend a hand in his latest effort if you can.
George (Speedy) Arnold plays guitar and sings for the bluegrass band Three Doug Knight, which appears at local bluegrass festivals in the Adirondack region of New York State.The band is most enjoyable and we’ve heard them play several times this summer. Last week, at the Otis Mtn. Festival, I learned that Speedy Arnold also illustrates children’s books.Later I saw him sketching during the Sam Bush set.As with many able and talented people who live in the Adirondacks, Speedy does a variety of things to keep body and soul together.He serves as a school bus driver in the Ausable Valley Central School District, owns and operates Arnold’s Grocery and Likker Lokker in Keeseville, NY and serves as assessor for the Town of Ausable.Information about his illustrations can be found here.
Here are two sketches Speedy did during Sam’s set.
The 18th Annual Fox Family Bluegrass Festival will take place August 9 – 12, 2007 in Old Forge, NY.The Fox Family’s home is in the Adirondacks, even though they have relocated to Nashville.Fronted by the wonderful voice of Kim Fox, this band continues to host a traditional bluegrass festival.Accommodations are limited and the camping is rough.There are no hookups and the nearest shower requires a drive of several miles.Old Forge is located here, in the southwest corner of the massive Adirondack Park, close to the New York Thruway and I-81.The Adirondack Park, a six million acre state park, is the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, a vast tract of woods, mountain, and lakes.Because many people harbor stereotypes about New York, few recognize that this magnificent wilderness lies with only a few hours’ drive of millions of people in the northeast and the Midwest.
IIIrd Tyme Out
Headline bands, in addition to the host band Fox Family, are IIIrd Tyme Out, Jr. Sisk & Rambler Choice, reunited and on tour, and The Gibson Brothers, one a local band but now a national band of growing popularity which retains its loyalty to the local festivals that booked them when they weren’t so big.It’s hard to tell just now who will turn up with IIIrd Tyme Out.Founded and fronted by Ray Deaton, Bassist and premier bass singer, has announced he is leaving the band and The Bluegrass Blog announces here that Edgar Loudermilk has replaced him. Deaton originally said he would stay the season, but has moved up his change.Mandolinist Alan Perdue has been replaced by mandolin master Wayne Benson, which will add considerable depth to the band.Russell Moore is a long-time standout on vocals and rhythm guitar.Steve Dilling has been with the band on banjo for sixteen years.He’s struggling with distonia, but an injured Dilling is still better than most banjo players.All-in-all, despite their recent changes, IIIrd Tyme Out should continue as a very strong band.It’s always interesting to see how a changing band develops.Watch them on stage as they discover new ways to present their music through the addition of new musicians.
Jr. Sisk has long been one of the premier voices in bluegrass music. When Blueridge broke up as Alan Bibey left to help form Grasstowne and Alan Johnson moved on to Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (side note: Isn’t it interesting how many bands have former Quicksilver players and how this particular festival features several of them?) Jr. Sisk reconstituted Rambler’s Choice and began to tour with them. This group made one recording with Rounder in 1998.Junior, a resident of Virginia, played with the Lonesome River Band in their early days as well as with Wyatt Rice & Santa Cruz.His distinctive high lonesome tenor and solid rhythm guitar have added depth and character to every band he has played with.
Sarah Jarosz is a fourteen year old mandolin player who lives in Austin, TX.She has received a lot of recognition in IBMA’s effort to promote younger artists.There are a lot of young, female mandolin players out there just now.Sierra Hull and Jessica Lovell are just two of a growing number.Sarah Jarosz has joined this group.If half of Sarah’s professional friends on her MySpace page have seen and heard her, she’s likely to be worth your time, too. Aiophe Donavan of Crooked Still offers quite a comment.
The Gibson Brothers
The Gibson Brothers of course need no introduction to readers of this blog.Simply put, we believe this group is among the premier bluegrass bands in the nation.As their national recognition increases, they have lit up audiences from Yakima Washington to Myrtle Beach.No longer a regional band, the Gibsons originated in Ellenburg Depot, NY, only a few miles south of the Canadian border, but their characteristic brother harmonies and very strong instrumental support are without peer.Watch Eric Gibson, who is one of the few lead singers who picks effectively while singing.He has yet to receive adequate recognition for his fine banjo work.Listen to brother Leigh, whose voice blends with Eric’s as only brothers can.Both brothers write wonderful songs and their background and taste has led them to create new bluegrass sounds from classic country and rock and roll.Bassist Mike Barber, mandolin player Rick Hayes, and fiddler Clayton Campbell add depth and taste to this superior band.The variety of their sounds, harmonies, and keys takes them beyond bluegrass while never straying very far from their roots.
A huge revelation that comes almost every time we attend a local festival is the reminder that there are so many fine bluegrass bands around.While people think of New York as urban and ethnic, the state is home to many bands rooted in country and bluegrass music.These bands are well-represented at the Fox Family Festival.
Local bands include The Atkinson Family, whose delightful music, much of it written by father Dick]Atkinson, combines country and bluegrass with a northern New York tone that fits right in here. His song about losing the farm should be a classic. The review in Bluegrass Unlimited noted, “Tearin’ Up the Line is a stellar production that will surely generate many new friends for the group.”
The Dalaney Brothers describe themselves as a contemporary bluegrass band that has played around New York State for the past 25 years. Over the years, they have recorded five albums.Recently they replaced two longtime members for medical reasons. The New York Times named Full Spectrum as one of the top ten local releases in 2000.
Sweet Cider describes itself as “ rooted in vocal harmony, attention to arrangement and original material. They now perform their own style of acoustic music with that ever-present bluegrass flavor. The Northeast Country Music Association has named them CMA bluegrass band of the year several times, and they have been inducted into the NE CMA hall of fame as well as receiving other awards.They hail from Rotterdam, NY along the NY Thruway.
Miller’s Crossing is a Long Island bluegrass band whose sound, according to the cuts on their web site, is traditional southern.Their lead vocalist has a pleasant voice and instrumentals are strong.“Miller’s crossing prides itself on the original material eachmember brings to the band’s repertoire.They strive to play bluegrass music the way they feel it, and the result is a fesh outlook on the music while not getting to far away from its roots.” The McCarthy/Paisley Band from Elbridge, NY advertises itself as featuring traditional Americana and contemporary folk music.
Off the Wall’s entry at ibluegrass says, “Blending folk, bluegrass and traditional country into a unique, no frills sound that lends itself to the works of John Prine, Guy Clark, Tim O’Brien and the Seldom Scene, as well as the works of more obscure songwriters. Add to that, strong vocals and tight harmonies, you have the makings of enjoyable music that tells the story of lifes journey.”They come from central New York.
Bill Knowlton and Lisa Husted will emcee.Tickets are $75.00 for the entire festival, including rough camping.Day passes are $20.00 for Thursday, $30.00 a day for Friday and Saturday, and $15.00 for Sunday.Gates open for camping on a first come, first served basis at 10:00 AM on Wednesday and there is no reserving of spaces for others.A dump station and showers are available nearby, but there are no amenities for campers on the site.This festival has one of the most interesting and varied programs for young people of any bluegrass event, showing their interest in and concern for children’s enjoyment and providing alternatives for parents wishing to give their children a good time.For additional information, check out the Fox Family Bluegrass Festival’s web site.
Some pictures for this post were taken from band web sites. I will remove them immediately upon request.
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Award-winning novelist Russell Banks will introduce Affliction, the Academy Award-winning film based on his best-selling novel. He will also answer audience questions afterwards. The movie will be shown at 8:00 PM on Saturday, December 6th at the theater in the Willsboro Central School. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children under 18.
The Gibson Brothers
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