Posts Tagged ‘Lake George’

Monday, March 2, 2015

Lake George Group Presents Greenway Proposal

Cleverdale Lake Geroge Archival PhotoNot that long ago, or at least within living memory, Cleverdale on the east side of Lake George was home to fewer than five year-round families; the children attended a one-room school house on Ridge Road. A common footpath followed the shore, allowing residents to walk to church in summer.

Modern times, however, came quickly enough. Lakefront residents appropriated the sections of footpath that crossed their lawns. New York State acquired 28 acres on Sandy Bay and planned to build a public beach and picnic area there, a prospect so alarming to local residents, they sought to purchase the tract themselves. Eventually, the state reconsidered, perhaps as a result of pressure applied by some politically well-connected locals, and the land is still undeveloped. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, February 26, 2015

Winter Welcome: Frederick’s in Bolton Landing

Fredericks Bolton LandingWith the tourist season having slowed down, many local restaurants take a much-needed break, but a few remain open. Frederick’s on Main Street in Bolton Landing is open seven days a week and is a local (and personal) favorite.

During summer Fredrick’s offers more than a meal with its large deck, regular entertainment and raw bar, but in Bolton’s off-season, a cozy fireplace, tasty soups, and a large selection of spirits add wind to the winter doldrums.

Thursdays in the off-season Frederick’s offers half-priced entrees, bringing locals in droves, even on the coldest Adirondack evenings. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Playhouses: Overlooked Adirondack Architecture

Pell playhouse at the Pavilion near Fort TiconderogaFor children traveling to the Adirondacks in the 19th century, it was not enough to have unregulated access to the woods and waters, much of which could be explored in their own, custom built boats.

They were built their own playhouses as well. According to Steven Engelhart, the executive director of Adirondack Architectural History, several great camps featured playhouses and childrens’ cabins, some in the rustic style, others suited to more eclectic tastes.

It’s not clear how many survive, but we know of at least two in the Lake George region. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, February 19, 2015

Tracing Northern Warren County’s Earliest Roads

Warren County NY AtlasIn my book Echoes in These Mountains, I suggested two possible routes for the old military road used by Sir William Johnson during the French and Indian War, and later used by his son Sir John Johnson in his raids on the Mohawk Valley. In recent years however, I’ve given this historical problem more thought as new evidence has come forward.

For example, I’ve seen the swivel cannon said to have been left by Sir John Johnson’s raiders near Bartman Road in Bakers Mills. Also, Tom Askens has shared with me that he has found small “cannon balls” in his garden at the intersection of Bartman Road and Coulter/Armstrong Road.  » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Adirondack Outhouse Races

outhouserace_newJust mentioning an outhouse race to my family and the potty humor starts pouring out. So before I go into a complete downward spiral, I’d like to say “only in the Adirondacks,” but that wouldn’t be true.

Across the nation there are numerous wheeled “soapbox derby” races with themed outhouses pushed by costumed racers pitted against their decorated neighbor. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Lake George ‘Pinnacle’ Protection, Trails Planned

PinnacleThe Pinnacle, the Bolton landmark visible from Lake George and the Cat and Thomas Mountains Preserve, may be protected from development after all. More than five years after Ernest Oberer first proposed building houses on the ridgeline, the Lake George Land Conservancy intends to purchase the property, said Jamie Brown, the Conservancy’s new executive director. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Lake George Land Conservancy’s New Director Jamie Brown

Jamie Brown LGLCAs the director of land protection for Ducks Unlimited, Jamie Brown worked throughout the United States to protect tens of thousands of acres of wetlands and waterfowl habitat.  “While I loved the scope of Ducks Unlimited’s work, I missed the opportunity to walk the lands that were being protected and to be a part of the community we were serving,” said Brown.

As the Lake George Land Conservancy’s new executive director, Brown will have the chance to do that. While his focus will be narrower in scope, confined largely to the Lake George watershed, his view will be more detailed, something he welcomes and one reason why he chose to apply for the position. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, January 25, 2015

New Biography Of John Stark: Roberts’ First Ranger

John Stark BiographyFew men contributed as much to the American victories of the French And Indian and Revolutionary War, yet have been as little recognized, as a New Hampshire farmer and lumberman by the name of John Stark. Although he is not well known outside of New Hampshire, a few words he wrote live on there today: Live Free or Die. A new biography by John F. Polhemus and Richard V. Polhemus, Stark, The Life and Wars of John Stark: French & Indian War Ranger, Revolutionary War General (Black Dome Press, 2014) should help bring this remarkable man’s life into appropriate perspective.

Stark served as a captain of rangers with Robert Rogers in the French and Indian War and as a colonel and general in the Revolution at Bunker Hill, Trenton, Princeton, Westchester, Springfield, Saratoga, Ticonderoga and West Point. His greatest achievement, however, was at the Battle of Bennington. The Battle of Saratoga and the surrender of Burgoyne on October 17, 1777 was the turning point of the American Revolution, but the Battle of Bennington on August 16th set the stage. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Dave Wick Controversy: Basil Goes Fishing

Basil SeggosBy disposition, if not by design, Dave Wick is the local official least likely to become the center of a controversy. He directed Warren County’s Soil and Water Conservation program for almost twenty years and in 2012, he was recruited to succeed Mike White as the executive director of the Lake George Park Commission. Wick’s talent, a rare one, lies is combining practice with politics; engineering storm water controls, demonstrating the finer points of boat decontamination, while, at the same time, attracting and retaining the good will of elected officials and influential environmentalists. If he suffers from existential anxiety or self-doubt, cynicism or an ironic sense of humor, it’s not evident. The earnest, self-confident demeanor that he wears at public meetings, in conferences with officials and in interviews with the local press, never falters.

So it must have come as a surprise to Wick when, on November 14, he was summoned to the State Capitol and told that he was to submit his resignation, immediately. His inquisitor, Basil Seggos, must have been equally surprised when Wick replied, in so many words, that he’d rather not. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Lake George Threats, Protection Measures Outlined

FUND - State of the LakeThe FUND for Lake George has released the State of the Lake: Chief Concerns as Revealed by Science and the Fate of the Lake: A Blueprint for Protection.

The two-volume publication focuses on the threats that face Lake George, including invasive species, rising salt levels, and declining water quality and clarity.

The FUND is calling for “an unprecedented commitment to reversing present trends and preventing Lake George from slipping into a state of irreversible decline.”
» Continue Reading.


Thursday, January 8, 2015

Lake George From Green Island Bridge

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Thursday, December 11, 2014

1935 Gold Cup Boat Races Being Recreated

Lake george 1935 speedboat raceIf all goes as planned, in September of 2015 a fleet of vintage race boats will take to the waters of Lake George in a nostalgic tribute to a bygone era in power boating’s classic past. For the first time in over 80 years the shoreline in Bolton Landing will echo the roar of the exhausts from a fleet of Gold Cup replicas and vintage boats.

Norm Dasher, Teri Hoffman, Bob Phillips and Buzz Lamb are the founding members of The Gold Cup Committee of Lake George and they aim to re-create what was then power boating’s most prestigious race. » Continue Reading.


Friday, November 28, 2014

Sagamore’s Popular Ice Bar Returning This Winter

Bolton Landing Ice BarFar from a deterrent, last winter’s bone-chilling weather helped make the Sagamore’s inaugural Glacier Ice Bar & Lounge one of the most popular attractions on Lake George.  According to Tom Guay, the ice bar was so successful that the bar will not only be enlarged to accommodate more people, but will be open three days a week rather than two.

According to the Sagamore’s owners, preparations will begin right after New Year’s Eve, when a team of ice sculptors and designers will assemble in Bolton Landing. Using chisels and chainsaws, the craftsmen will carve and assemble the bar, seats, tables, ice Luges, couches and sculptures from 300-pound blocks of ice. » Continue Reading.


Monday, November 24, 2014

Monroe, Siy Push Mandatory Park-wide Boat Inspections

5a4Local governments, lake and landowners associations, sportsmen and environmental protection organizations want to see Lake George’s program of mandatory inspections of trailered boats adopted throughout the Adirondack Park.

According to Fred Monroe, a Warren County Supervisor, and Eric Siy, the executive director of The Fund for Lake George, who convened a meeting of Adirondack Park stakeholders in Chestertown earlier this month, prevention is the only way to protect Adirondack lakes from invasive species and preserve an economy based on recreation.

“What were once the mainstays of the Adirondack economy, such as forestry and mining, are either gone or disappearing,” said Monroe.  “What’s left is tourism, which is so clearly tied to the health of the waters. If we lose the waters, we have nothing.” » Continue Reading.


Friday, November 21, 2014

LG Courthouse Gallery Seeks Exhibit Proposals

Lake George Courthouse GalleryThe Lake George Arts Project invites regional and national, emerging and established artists to send exhibition proposals to the Courthouse Gallery.

\Preference is given to experimental or non-traditional work created in the last two years. All exhibition proposals must include 10 to 12 images of recent work (jpegs on CD,) a hardcopy of resume, statement, image list, and a SASE for notification letter. » Continue Reading.



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