Posts Tagged ‘Hamilton County’

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Lost Brook Dispatches: Kissing Kate

One of the most wonderful experiences in life is the impossible happening.  Perhaps it is an amazing coincidence or an incident that defies the laws if time and space; perhaps it is an unexpected moment of fame; maybe it is a miraculous cure or a cheat of death that should never have been able to happen.

Whatever the circumstances it seems that most people have had at least one impossible happening in the narrative of their lives, whether real or imagined.  I think that such happenings are at base romantic.  We yearn for them, seek them out and even create them because in romance – in the broad sense of the word – we find meaning that affirms the richest parts of our humanity.

The luckiest among us might experience an impossible happening that is romantic to the core.  I had such an impossible happening a few years ago and as it turns out it is an Adirondack story. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Adirondack Family Activities: Hoss’s Annual Authors’ Night

Hoss’s Country Corner looms large at the junction of Routes 28N and 30 in Long Lake where the annual Authors’ Night will take place this August 14 for its 28th year. Always held the second Tuesday in August the event has grown from a few to sometimes 80 authors in attendance. According to owner Lorrie Hosley, people now plan their vacations around attending this event.

“This year there are 60 different authors gathered to meet people and sign books,” says Hosley. “It is more manageable. People can walk around and meet all the authors as everyone is always under one tent.  People don’t have to buy books. They can bring their copy and get it personalized by the author. Christopher Shaw will be there along with other Adirondack singers and storytellers.” » Continue Reading.


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Thursday, August 2, 2012

Douglas Johnson: Japanese Knotweed Combatant

A long time summer resident to Seventh Lake, Inlet, Douglas C. Johnson has strong ties to the Adirondacks.  An outdoor enthusiast and certified pesticide applicator, Johnson has a passion to eradicate invasive species that led him to spearhead the Regional Inlet Invasive Plant Program (RIIPP).  In 2008, the program was launched with the mission to eradicate all Adirondack Park lands of invasive knotweed plants.  These invaders out-compete natives for growing space, decrease biodiversity, impede recreation, and could lower property value.

“This effort is crucial to preserve our beautiful landscape from a rampant and dangerous invasive species,” stated Johnson.  “RIIPP works closely with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District.” » Continue Reading.


Friday, July 27, 2012

Adirondack Museum Dog Days Features ‘Marley and Me’ Author

New York Times Bestselling Author John Grogan will headline the Adirondack Museum’s annual Dog Days of Summer event with a public program called “Marley & Me: What Man’s Best Friend Can Teach Us About Being Human.” The program will begin at 2:30 p.m. on the museum’s center campus. Dogs are welcome. In addition to the public program, there will be a question and answer session, and a book signing. Copies of Grogan’s bestselling books will be available at the Museum Store.

The day will offer additional excitement for dogs and owners. Demonstrations include an introduction to clicker training, paddling with your dog, and water retrieving. Visitors will meet hardworking North Country dogs and learn about their jobs in search and rescue, therapy, and racing. Bill Smith, musician and storyteller, will share humorous stories about people and their dogs. » Continue Reading.


Monday, July 16, 2012

The Adirondacks Go To War: 1861-1865

Adirondacks in the Civil WarOne hundred fifty years ago this country was torn apart by a great civil war. The Adirondack Museum will host a weekend dedicated to remembering the Civil War in the Adirondacks, the men who fought it and their loved ones at home, this Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22.  Visitors will be able to meet the members of the 118th Volunteer Infantry (the “Adirondack” Regiment”) and President Lincoln at a Civil War Encampment and learn the fate of Adirondack Civil War soldiers of the 118th themselves at a specially produced  presentation by author Glenn Pearsall on Saturday (7:00 p.m.) entitled “The Adirondacks Go To War: 1861 – 1865.”

In the Adirondacks many young men, boys really, left their hard scrabble farms and small towns for the first time in their lives to enlist. Learn what their thoughts were as they marched off to war and how they reacted to the horrors of war. Hear what it was like for the wives, children, mothers and father that they left behind, as well as the lasting impact of the war on the small towns in the Adirondacks following the war. » Continue Reading.


Friday, July 13, 2012

Foxey Brown: Adirondack Outlaw, Hermit and Guide

Join author Charles Yaple at the Adirondack Museum on Monday, July 16 for “Foxey Brown: The Story of An Adirondack Outlaw, Hermit and Guide.”   Yaple will tell the story of railroad worker and college student David Brennan who, convinced he had killed a man in a Boston barroom brawl, fled to the Adirondack Mountain wilderness in 1890. Changing his name to David Brown, he became known as a crafty “Foxey” woodsman and popular guide, until a hunting trip tragedy led to one of the largest manhunts in Adirondack history.

Living through the beginning of the American conservation movement, some tried to cope with increasingly strict State conservation laws and private parks by resorting to thievery, poaching, setting forest fires and even murder. » Continue Reading.


Monday, July 2, 2012

Combating Yellow Iris on the Sacandaga River

Late afternoon daylight waned as I rounded the meander of the Sacandaga River that entered Duck Bay and paddled up to a gentle rapid.  Turning my kayak around for my home voyage, I took a couple strokes and just about had a heart attack.  There on the shore grew a small clump of gorgeous, yellow flowers.  I instantly knew it was invasive yellow iris.  A series of fortunate events shows how early detection / rapid response works to nip invasive species infestations in the bud. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

High Peaks Happy Hour: Lake House Grille, Wells

First impression: whimsy with a side of humor. We noticed first the patio in front of the Lake House Grille in Wells. Partitioned from the sidewalk by a fence of varying height – lower in front to allow observation of passing cars and pedestrians; higher on the driveway side, the taller fence has windows built in.

Might sound odd, but it’s actually very quaint; sheltering but not isolating. Within the enclosure, three metal tables with umbrellas to protect from fickle weather and several Adirondack chairs (the only Adirondack style on the premises, with one other minute detail which we will get to later) for dining, relaxing or listening to the music from within. Signs in the entrance offer fair warning that the Lake House Grille accepts cash only, but that an ATM is on premises. Other posts advertise upcoming music events. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Adirondack Family Activities: Adirondack Birding Festival

The 8th annual Adirondack Birding Festival will take place this weekend throughout Hamilton County, June 8-10, with numerous scheduled guided walks and hikes exploring boreal birds from the hermit thrush to bald eagles.

Dean Nervik, Adirondack Birding Festival promoter says, “I’ve been with this festival since its beginning eight years ago. We have boreal birds you can’t find in Albany or even nearby Johnstown. We are always promoting the open space in Hamilton County. We have hikes, walks, canoes and even a car safari to get people out and exploring this birding destination.”

According to Nervik all the guided hikes happening during the Adirondack Birding Festival are free and open to the public. He is quick to remind everyone that pre-registration is required for all events, even the free evening lecture at the Adirondack Museum. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Dave Gibson: A New Proposal for Township 40

A proposal may come up for a vote in the State Legislature this year that would amend Article 14, Section 1 of the NYS Constitution, ‘the Forever Wild” clause which safeguards our New York State Forest Preserve. The amendment and implementing legislation addresses land titles on the shoreline of Raquette Lake in Hamilton County.

Each time the Legislature and the People of the State are asked to consider an exception to Article 14 represents a new opportunity to affirm the Article’s fundamental principle and mandate that “the lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve… shall be forever kept as wild forest lands.” No other state in the country has such a large (now about three million acres in both Adirondack and Catskill Parks) Forest Preserve, much less one embedded in its State Constitution. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Adirondack Museum Reopens Friday:
New Audio Tour Features Locals; Free Residents Days

The Adirondack Museum will launch a new audio tour when museum reopens for its 55th season on Friday, May 25, 2012. Year-round residents of the Adirondack Park are invited to visit free of charge every Sunday, and on all open days in May and October. Proof of residency such as a driver’s license, passport, or voter registration card is required.

This year, visitors will be invited to take a fresh look at the Adirondack Museum using the new audio tour. The voices of real people who live in the Adirondacks today will guide visitors to a deeper understanding of the museum’s exhibitions, it dramatic setting, and what makes the Adirondacks unique. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Indian Lake Offering Historic Walking Tour, Events

The newly created Indian Lake self-guided walking tour of historic buildings on Main Street will be rolled out during an inaugural public ceremony to be held 11 A.M., this Saturday, May 26, at the Indian Lake Theater. The ceremony will mark the formal opening of the Historic Walking Tour.

Following the ceremony there will be an inaugural tour with Town and County Historian, Bill Zullo. The walking tour features 13 historic structures along Main Street and provides a glimpse into the lives of the Town’s pioneers. The Main Street Revitalization Sub-Committee, part of the Community Planning Committee worked with the Adirondack Architectural Heritage, Indian Lake Theater, Adirondack Museum and the Indian Lake Museum to develop the tour. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Caitlin Stewart: The Hunt for Invasives at Lewey Lake

I raised the binoculars to my eyes and stared into the tree canopy above me. Carefully scanning the bare winter branches, nothing out of sorts was noted. I continued down the trail searching for clues that invasive insects may be lurking in the forest.

As Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Conservation Educator, part of my job entails monitoring and managing lands and waters for invasive species. I can’t do it alone, and partnerships are essential to detect invasions early and deploy a quick response. Since 2009, the District has teamed up with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to survey our forests for invasive insects that cost the United States vast amounts of money in economic and ecological damage each year. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

New Contributor: Caitlin Stewart, Hamilton County SWCD

Please join us here at the Adirondack Almanack in welcoming Caitlin Stewart as our newest contributor. Caitlin is Conservation Educator at the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District (HCSWCD). One of HCSWCD’s largest programs is their Invasive Species program and Caitlin will be sharing her field experiences, as well as the efforts and results of forest surveys, and monitoring and management.

Caitlin has deep roots in Hamilton County as both her grandparents purchased property on Sacandaga Lake and Lake Pleasant in the 1960s. Her parents met and were married in Lake Pleasant, and she spent summers and vacations there. She’s been a full time resident since 2008, and is planning her September wedding in Lake Pleasant. Caitlin is also an avid hiker, skier, paddler, runner and biker.


Kid next to water
Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Small Business Basics Offered in Hamilton County

The Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Indian Lake Community Planning Committee and Indian Lake Central School to host three upcoming seminars to assist local small businesses and entrepreneurs in either expanding a current business or starting a new one.

Each session will address a different aspect of a business: feasibility, knowledge and skills for running a successful business, and financing available for starting or expanding a business. The seminars are geared toward anyone who would like to start their own business, or wants to improve their existing business practices.

“Small Business Basics”, or what to do before putting up your ‘Open for Business Sign,’ will be held on Tuesday, April 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Participants will learn how to determine if a business idea is feasible, and if it would be profitable.

Karen Stehlin, Regional Director, North Country Small Business Development Center, SUNY Plattsburgh, will lead attendees in an understanding of the rewards, opportunities and challenges of being a business owner. The program will be held at Indian Lake Central School. Pre-registration is required; call the Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce at (518) 648-5112.

Additional business planning and financial sessions will be held in May and June. Visit www.indian-lake.com for additional information.



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