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Saranac Lake: 2nd annual Lake Clear Day

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By Diane Chase Last year Lake Clear’s Charlie’s Inn transformed into a bustling train depot of years’ past with a stagecoach, 1912 taxi and even hotelier Paul Smith greeting visitors. Well, he wasn’t the real Paul Smith. We were still able to gain quite a bit of knowledge regarding the importance of the Lake Clear Train Depot and the role it played for the Paul Smith’s Hotel. The event features live music, plenty of food, period games, and vendors. A special children’s activity to look forward to is the “Thomas the Train” race. Kids can paint small wooden train engines and later race against each other.  New this year is local storytellers sharing Lake Clear history for all to enjoy. There is a complete schedule of events at Charlie’s Inn,  www.charlies-inn.com .

Happy Fourth of July!

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HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! 

Wild Center Buzz Fest in Tupper Lake

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By Diane Chase You don't have to eat the insects but after a day at The Wild Center , you may want to. Join David George Gordon as he demonstrates popular world cuisine at the annual BuzzFest July 4 in Tupper Lake.  (There will also be a honey BBQ at the family-themed bug bash!)  You can be a bug detective, have insect races, look at a butterfly hatchery, learn fly tying and see a bee hive. There are so much to do and learn about the insect around us. It will be bee-autiful. (I couldn't resist!) Insect Fun Facts:  Mosquitos drink more than its total body weight in a single sitting. Black flies inject a blood thinner while biting its meal to keep the blood from coagulating.  Learn more at The BuzzFest!

Lake George Theatre Lab Schedule 2012

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Lake George Theater Lab Shakes on the Lake is a fresh modern take on Shakespeare’s classic plays. Run by Daniel Spector from The Classical Studio at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Shakes on the Lake Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare Directed by Daniel Spector July 5 th  10:30 AM • July 6 th  10:30 AM, 7:30 PM • July 7 th,  7:30 PM FREE and OUTDOORS!! New Play Lab Stupid *ing Bird by Aaron Posner Directed by Howard Shalwitz with Woolly Mammoth Theater Company June 30 th ; 6 PM • Bolton Free Library Original Ghost Stories Written by the Youngblood Crew Directed by Rosemary Andress July 27th & 28th • The Sagamore

Old Forge Sunday Summer Concert Series

July 1 The Joe Bolton Band  July 4 Floyd Community Instrumental Ensemble  (Fireworks)  July 8 Easy Money (Big Band Jazz)  July 15 Soul Injection (Light Jazz)  July 22 Al Nathan Band  July 29 Johnson & Company  August 5 Joe Angerosa “The Elvis Show”  August 12 Horseshoe Lounge Playboys (Acoustic Backwoods Americana)  August 19 Gwen Tracy Band  August 26 Al Nathan Band   September 2 Paul Case Band & Fireworks  Sundays at 7:00 p.m. Rain location—Hiltebrant Recreation Center Pavilion On North Street (except 7/1 & 7/29)  ©  Diane Chase is the author of Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series  Adirondack Family Time™ available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. 

St William's on Long Point, Raquette Lake Summer Schedule

In 1889, William West Durant established one such town on Long Point of Raquette Lake . He built a post office there and a general store, naming the town Durant , NY . A year later, he responded to the needs of the Catholics in the area by donating the land, the materials and the money to build a Catholic Church just down the shore from the general store.  Designed by the J.C. Cady Company of New York City , the church was completed in 1890 by Hammond and Mosher, a contracting company in Saratoga Springs . William West Durant  entitled the church St. William's. The following year, the Franciscan Friars, Order of Friars Conventual, began administering to the needs of the parishioners of St. William's. As transportation technology advanced and the railroad arrived within the blue line, the water-locked town of Durant , NY (having changed its name to Raquette lake soon after its creation)  relocated to its present location, where the railroad spur from New York City ended. Still

Summer Fireworks Over Lake George

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Lake George has fireworks  at dusk every   Thursday  during the summer months of July and August. So head to Lake George Village at about 9:30 each week to watch the sparks fly... Oh yeah, and don't forget about  Fourth of July fireworks near Lake George !

June 14 is Flag Day

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United States of America Flag Facts 1) On June 14,1777 the US  Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag 2) 1912:  President William Taft issued an executive order dictating the proportions for the flag and placement of the stars. Before that it was left up to the flag maker. 3) 1916: President Woodrow Wilson issued the proclamation establishing June 14 as Flag Day, though it is not a federal holiday many states do celebrate it as a state holiday. 4)  Betsy Ross, credited with sewing the nation’s first flag, was an upholsterer not a seamstress  5)  The U.S. flag has been changed 27 times since 1777. The 50-star flag used today was created in July 4, 1960 when Hawaii became the 50th state. That version has been used the longest.  6) 1949: President Harry Truman signed into law June 14 as national Flag Day. © Diane Chase, author of Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series.   Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks (Your Four-Season Guide

Make Your Own Hummingbird Food Nectar

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Make your hummingbird food recipe solution,  1 part white, granulated sugar 4 parts water  closely approximates the concentrations found in the nectar of wildflowers they prefer. To make a little over 1 cup of hummingbird nectar recipe solution (normally enough to fill a standard feeder) follow the below directions: Make sure your feeder is cleaned thoroughly before adding new solution. Boil 1 cup of water.  Stir 1/4 cup of white granulated sugar into the 1 cup of heated water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Cool, fill your hummingbird feeder, and serve! Nectar can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Hummingbird Nest from Egg to Flight

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Lake George Friday Night Concert Series

FRIDAYS AT THE LAKE Free live music at Lake George's Shepard Park June 15 Max Creek (The Classic Jam Band) They had so much fun at their 41st Anniversary Weekend in Lake George that they're coming back to offer a free show to their local fans!  Max Creek is a living, breathing historical study in a hugely significant yet too-often overlooked American subculture: the jam band. Thousands of shows, dozens of recordings and an army of fiercely loyal fans has made them one of the most beloved acts on both the festival and club live music circuits. June 29 Jeff Bujak Solo electronica dance music. This Northampton, MA based keyboardist has designed a new style within electronica. His music falls into a large pool of  instrumental dance genres, lands on one and leaps to the next while he wails on his keyboards to create something truly moving, smart and original. Bujack handcrafts his own beats and loops, then samples and performs his half improv/ half composed pieces live to cr

Adirondack Birding Festival Schedule Central Adirondacks

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The Adirondack Birding Festival is taking place throughout Hamilton County June 8-10, 2012.  Hamilton County is the third largest and least populated county in New York State. The county is entirely within the Adirondack State Park. Over 60% of our land area is either Wilderness or Wild Forest. There is not a single stop light in the entire county . The county’s million acres of forest, 1,500 miles of rivers and streams and over 56,000 acres of lakes and ponds provide birding and wildlife watching opportunities unequalled. Our towns and hamlets are located at 1,200 – 1,500 feet above sea-level and our mountains approach 4,000 feet. Normally in June we enjoy warm days and cool evenings. It could be hot. It could snow. Check the forecast before you come and bring clothing for a wide range of weather conditions and temperatures. Nesting birds, rising trout, rushing water, wildflowers and newborn of many species make the woods and waters of Hamilton County a place of springtime

Eagles Locking Talons in Air

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