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10 ways to enjoy Thurman Maple Weekend: Adirondack Family Activities

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By Diane Chase Here are ten ways to enjoy Thurman New York (NY) Maple Weekend this March 12-13. With the weather starting to warm up, the sap will start running and it will be pancakes for everyone!  March 12-13, 2011 1) 9:00 a.m. Enjoy a pancake breakfast at Valley Road Maple Farm. (on Saturday and Sunday) 2) Grab your snowshoes or borrow a pair from Adirondack Gold Maple Farm and walk around the 35 acres of trails. 

Lake Placid Toboggan Chute: Adirondacks (New York) Video

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My video skills are a work in progress but here is a video of the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute. Such a fun thing to do with or without kids around the Adirondacks! If you have visiting family or just go by yourself! Enjoy the fresh snow!

Lake Placid Activities: Free tour of USA Luge Headquarters

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Lake Placid has the only indoor luge facility  The USA Luge team , headquartered in Lake Placid, gives free tours of their facility every weekday at 2:00 p.m.  Considering it is the official headquarters for the US Luge, it is an unassuming structure, more warehouse than office building. It’s a casual tour where athletes may be fine-tuning their sleds or watching videos of individual practice starts. The tour starts with a 20-minute introduction video that can jump-start anyone’s luge education. The movie is just as fast and furious as the sport.  The indoor facility, the only one in the US and one of seven in the world, is quite impressive. Athletes use three refrigerated ramps to improve their start techniques with the latest technology, shaving milliseconds off their time. There is even an opportunity to try out a practice sled (not to slide on) and find out how to steer using your legs to squeeze on the curved part of the runners (kufen), to direct the pod, the custom-formed

Saranac Lake Classic Film Festival

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Ah, it is once again time to widen our classic film repertoire. For the 10th year the Saranac Lake Cabin Fever Classic Film Festival is back to introduce to some and reintroduce to others vintage films that impact the making of movies today. Films are carefully chosen and reflect a love for the genre. On Thursdays (with one Tuesday, March 22 exception) the series showcases either a drama or comedy. Last year the Cabin Fever Film Festival veered from its traditional path to just show movie shorts. That format introduced my children into the world of Our Gang, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and others. Now I plan on widening my older child’s imagination into the world of Alfred Hitchcock. The bonus is each full-length film is kicked off with a movie short or cartoon.

Adirondack Sleigh Rides: A sleigh ride overlooking the High Peaks

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Travis DeValinger of The Equine Center has a team of Belgians hitched to the sleigh, ready for a trip around the Lake Placid Club Golf Course. A group gathers around while the horses are rested and watered. Travis takes this time to explain some basic information to those of us not in the horsey-know. Children stand around with mouths open as they watch these mammoth-sized animals gently nuzzle Travis for attention. He then explains the workings of the custom-made sleigh and lantern-lit options available to carry us over the golf course and back.

Buy a 2011/2012 Whiteface Ski Pass and ski free the rest of this season

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Season passes go on sale March 13th. Buy early and ski the rest of this season for free. Purchase passes at Whiteface mountain  in Wilmington New York or online starting March 13th. BTW, don't forget March 13th is also Super Sunday where adult lift tickets are only $35.00. 

Adirondack Ski: Lake Placid Connery Pond Cross-Country Ski

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A quick and easy Adirondack family activity is taking snowshoes or cross-country skis to Connery Pond. A longer ski is continuing on to Whiteface Landing.  Connery Pond is a beautiful cross-country ski or snowshoe. Located just 3-miles east on Route 86 from the Route 73/86 junction in Lake Placid. It is a level, easy path for any age.  Parking is just past the Connery Pond sign, on the right. Park and cross the highway to access the trail

Lake Placid with kids? Adirondack Family Activities & Disney on Ice!

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Treat your little princess (or prince) to a weekend at the Lake Placid Olympic Center with Disney on Ice.  This is family time at its best!  So don't be discouraged by this warm weather, you can be back skiing the slopes of Whiteface tomorrow. Enjoy some inside activities and leave plenty of time to hit the slopes tomorrow! There are tickets still available! Times Friday, February 18: 7:00 p.m. Saturday, February 19: 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Sunday, February 20: 3:00 p.m. Monday, February 21: 2:00 p.m.   Ticket prices: $35 for rinkside seating $20 lower level seating $15 upper level seating  

Things to do in Lake Placid: Skating on Mirror Lake

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Public skating on Mirror Lake!  By Diane Chase  Ice skating on Mirror Lake is just one option for getting outside, exercising and being in nature.  There is no better experience than being outside and skating on a natural pond looking out at the Adirondack High Peaks.  There are warnings in place for skating on ponds and lakes. Please heed those warnings, for your own safety.  According to the Saranac Lake Voluntary Fire Department  , "NO ICE IS SAFE ICE." • Frozen ice is seldom the same at the shore as it is in the center of the pond.  • Some Adirondack lakes are actually dammed rivers and have a current that seldom freezes (Lake Flower in Saranac Lake) 

Retired? Golf all year long without leaving the Adirondacks

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Wii Bowling & Golf! Saranac Village at Will Rogers, Saranac Lake, N.Y.  DATE:  Every Monday TIME:  2:00 p.m. LOCATION:  78 WIll Rogers Drive, Saranac Lake  MORE:  Learn the fun and exciting game of Wii!   All seniors are invited to attend this free event in which you will learn how to play Wii Bowling and/or Golf and then compete in tourmanents.     Please RSVP by calling Jenn Grisi at (518) 891-7117

Things to do in Inlet, NY: Adirondack Inlet's Fern Park

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By Diane Chase Fern Park in Inlet, New York (NY)  offers free skating, sledding, snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails for just a few winter ideas. Since we try to always be prepared, the back of our mini van looks like a traveling sports shop. Ice skates, snowshoes or skis are in the back. Helmets are at the ready. Kids play on around a snow maze Our family likes to see all sorts of places around the Adirondacks. Winter looks just a bit different in the High Peaks than it does in the Central Adirondacks. A visit to Inlet allows us many opportunities to play and enjoy the outdoors and all for free. The indoor ice rink has attached warming room and restrooms The Fern Park Ice Rink is free and open to the public every day from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m (weather dependent). Fern Park Recreational Area in Inlet can be a full day activity for families or a quick stop for kids/children to release some pent-up energy. 

What to do with kids: Tupper Lake Winter Golf Tournament February 12

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Lions and Rotary Club volunteers stage Tupper Lake’s first “Fire and Ice” winter golf event on February 12 at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park. The Tupper Lake Municipal Park and a number of acres of frozen Raquette Pond will be the setting for the “Fire and Ice” play beginning at noon and running until 4p.m.. Kids will love the miniature “putt-putt” course fashioned by organizers on the lakeshore area later this week. The putters and flags to mark the holes have been donated by Shaheen’s Motel, from its summer miniature golf operation.

Adirondack Skiing: Take the Bus to Gore Mountain

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Adirondack Trailways and Gore Mountain are teaming together to get people on the mountain.   Gore Mountain & Adirondack Trailways are announcing new bus and lift ticket packages from New York City, Ridgewood, NJ, New Paltz, Rosendale and Kingston to Gore Mountain in North Creek, NY! Service will be offered as a package ONLY and includes round trip bus transportation and either a   1, 2 or 3-day lift ticket.  Passengers must arrive the day before the first ski day begins. No other tickets will be sold to North Creek without purchasing the package.  Therefore, all passengers must purchase a package to go to  Gore Mountain .