February may be the shortest month on the calendar, but around the Adirondacks it is a month packed with winter celebrations.
The 17th Annual Frozen Fire and Lights is the perfect place to round out a month of festivities. Always scheduled the last Saturday in February, Inlet’s event has grown from a firework display to a town-wide affair. » Continue Reading.
The season is coming to a close for the Adirondack Experience, the museum on Blue Mountain Lake, but isn’t not the end of the activities. Each fall the museum gets ready for winter and provides opportunities for people to bring home a special Adirondack gift from their unique shop.
According to ADKX Director of Marketing Ausra Angermann, the museum has two planned weekends set for people to do their holiday shopping and visit beautiful Blue Mountain Lake. On November 23-24 and December 14-16 from 10 am to 4 pm, the museum provides a special shopping experience to all visitors. » Continue Reading.
According to the Great Adirondack Moose Festival Chairperson Brenda Valentine, it’s difficult for her to believe that it has been nine years since this celebration of everything moose took over the streets of Indian Lake.
The festival celebrating New York State’s largest land mammal is back this weekend (Sept. 22-23) with more hikes, vendors, and information regarding the return on the Adirondack moose. » Continue Reading.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public input regarding public recreation on the 39,579-acre Perkin’s Clearing – Speculator Tree Farm Conservation Easement Tract in the towns of Arietta, Lake Pleasant, and Wells in Hamilton County.
The area shares boundaries with the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, Jessup River Wild Forest, and West Canada Lake Wilderness.
Taking place Saturday, January 13, this free celebration of winter kicks-off with a snowmobile parade and the coronation of the Moonlighter’s King and Queen at Mt. Sabattis Recreation Center. » Continue Reading.
If the weather is too cold, or the family is just looking for some interesting entertainment, one place we always put on the schedule is the Adirondack Experience’s (ADKX) winter Cabin Fever Sunday series. These lectures are reasonably priced with topics to keep both tweens, teens, and adults interested.
This Sunday, January 7, kicks off the bi-monthly series that reflects on the history of the Adirondacks. Though there isn’t a set theme to the complete series, there is always a connection to the mission of the formerly named Adirondack Museum. » Continue Reading.
There are all sorts of New Year’s traditions that are supposed to bring luck and prosperity for the upcoming year. From midnight kisses and fireworks to collard greens and black-eyed peas, countdowns and good wishes are all part of gesturing in the New Year. One tradition my family has volunteered for, but never managed to be a part of, is the annual Polar Plunge. Two such New Year’s Polar Plunge celebrations not only are set to shock any toxins out of the body, but to also benefit local charities. » Continue Reading.
The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) has announced the addition of Beth Lomnitzer as the Hamilton County Regional Marketing Manager.
In her new part-time position, she is expected to serve as a liaison between community stakeholders, travelers, and ROOST, and support the implementation of destination marketing strategies for the county. » Continue Reading.
At the end of 1915, a year and a half after their mother was removed from the home, conditions had hardly improved for the Bennett brothers of Hope in Hamilton County. Their father, badly troubled by rheumatism, had hired a man to operate the farm, and the boys were learning to do for themselves whatever their father couldn’t. Dr. Edwin Hagedorn, after examining the three boys, said each suffered from “fatty degeneration of the heart,” and that their muscles had atrophied to such an extent that even walking might well be outside the realm of possibility.
On the plus side, they were all still alive, and had begun accepting visitors more often, a result of their notoriety among Adirondack residents and tourists who wished to meet them in person. One of their favorite subjects to discuss with visitors was the conflict (World War I) raging in Europe. » Continue Reading.
Local authorities, including the Humane Society, considered taking action to alleviate conditions in John and Sarah Bennett’s home at Hope in Hamilton County.
Some believed the Bennett’s three sons were being held captive by their mother, perhaps under a kind of spell. After checking in on the three Bennett brothers, Dr. George Peters of Gloversville rendered this assessment:
“I have examined George, Ward, and Frank Bennett of Hope, New York, and it is my opinion that if the three young men were taken from their home, or even if they were left at home and placed under the tutorship of a competent person — not necessarily a physician, but a person possessing the ability to develop the confidence which the average man possesses in himself — all three would in a few months time be able to perform labor which any man of ordinary intelligence daily performs.” » Continue Reading.
This story is about as bizarre as it gets. Locals in the Wells and Northville area were privy to the odd situation when it first came under public scrutiny a little over a century ago. At that time, a goal of regional counties seeking tourism dollars was providing easier public access to the Adirondacks, which was achieved in part by building new roads and improving old ones.
In southeastern Hamilton County, Northville marked the end of rail access in 1910. From there, stage lines carried visitors north through the hamlet of Hope to Wells and beyond. To accommodate automobiles, which were becoming increasingly common, the road to Wells was chosen for macadamization. The new, hard, flat surface would allow tourists to travel north independently, and then access stage lines from Wells into the mountains. The road would also drastically improve travel conditions for locals using horse-drawn transportation. » Continue Reading.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
The Essex Chain Lakes and Boreas Ponds have been hogging much of the publicity over the state’s acquisition of the former Finch, Pruyn lands. That’s understandable, for both waterways are jewels that are sure to become popular paddling and hiking destinations.
Lost in all the hoopla is Pine Lake, another handsome body of water located a little south of the Essex Chain. In another time, Pine Lake by itself would have been a celebrated acquisition.
The 2016 Great Adirondack Garage Sale will be held on May 27-29 and has expanded in scope and scale with a new promotional website showcasing garage sales located on a 200-mile “trail” stretching from Malone to Speculator, and Old Forge to Newcomb.
The regional garage sale originated in 2010 when Long Lake linked up with Old Forge, Inlet and Indian Lake to promote 70 miles of garage sales. The expanded event was initiated by Hamilton County in partnership with the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. » Continue Reading.
The celebration of Hamilton County’s bicentennial begins on April 12th, 200 years to the day after the provisional creation of the county in 1816.
The year of events gets started at 10:30 am April 12 with a birthday party for the county, held at the County Courthouse in Lake Pleasant. State Senator Hugh Farley and Assemblyman Mark Butler will join other officials on the steps of the courthouse. A small reception with birthday cake will follow, and Hamilton County Historian Eliza Darling will offer tours of the historic county complex. » Continue Reading.
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