Adirondack Family Time™

Getting ready for the Adirondack Bug Season? Try these homemade remedies! Homemade Mosquito Deterrent* I TEMS NEEDED: Combine in a 16 oz bottle: 15 drops lavender oil  3-4 Tbsp of vanilla extract 10 drops of citronella oil 1/4 Cup lemon juice. HOW:   Fill bottle with water. Shake & it's ready to use. Spray on yourself. (Substitute 10 drops of lemon eucalyptus oil instead of citronella oil)  *Do not apply without doing a skin test first. Children can be especially prone to rashes from essential oils) HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP: I TEMS NEEDED 1 cup water 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 gram of yeast 2-liter plastic bottle HOW: 1. Cut the plastic bottle in half. 2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle. 3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes. 4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired. 5. Wrap the bottle with

Foam Flower Tiarella cordifolia   zone: 3-9  light: sun to shade  soil: moist  flower color: white  bloom: May - June  height: 6" - 1' plant spacing: 1' uses: groundcover, spreads by runners divide: spring or fall

Look forward to these fun activity days at the Babbie Rural and Farm Learning Museum in Peru, NY Opening Day is May 3, 2013 • Plow Days - May 4 & 5 • Museum Days - June 1 & 2 • Woodworking & Conservation Days - June 29 & 30 • Hay & Grain Harvest & Music Weekend - August 17 & 18 • 3rd Annual Kids Fair & Festival - Sept. 7 & 8 • Harvest Weekend - Oct. 12 & 13 Look for us in the Battle of Plattsburgh Parade and the Peru Applefest Parade Museum hours - 1 0 am to 4pm - May, June, Oct. (Fri. thru Sun.) July, Aug.,Sept. (Thurs. thru Sun.) Closed for the Season - Oct. 14

April 28,  Sunday 3-5 pm Heaven Hill Farm, 302 Bear Cub Rd, Lake Placid  The Climate-Friendly Gardener Combat global warming from the ground up. Learn why gardeners are part of the solution. May 19,  Sunday 3-5 pm Heaven Hill Farm, 302 Bear Cub Rd, Lake Placid  Fresh is Best Grow your own salad year-round. From easy window gardens to herbs grown outside. Take home a little salad garden. June 1,  Sunday 9:30 am at Lake Placid Rug and Home, 2077 Saranac Ave Plant Sale Perennials, vegetable seedlings, and garden merchandise (new and used) will be for sale. Free PH testing and lots of gardening information available. All proceeds benefit the Master Gardener Volunteer Prgraom of Essex County Cornell Cooperative Extension. © Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time™, which is available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the third guidebook in the four-book series of

By Diane Chase,  Spring break may be starting for area schools but this is a busy time of year for Rhonda Butler and David Brunner, owners of Asgaard Farm and Dairy. Once owned by illustrator, printmaker and artist Rockwell Kent, the property, designed by Kent, has remained mostly unchanged.   Since March 9 over 62 baby goats (kids) have been born with more expected during the week of March 31-April 5. I talked with Rhonda at length about the spring births and was delighted to find out there are many opportunities to visit the kids and even attend a birth. The goats at Asgaard are breed through their natural cycle. Though larger dairies use artificial light to manipulate the goats to breed off-season, Asgaard continues to follow the natural season. 

After packing away the skis, making mud pies through the spring season it is time to celebrate summer with Saranac Lake's Daffest.  In addition to all the activities below, don't forget to just take some time to explore all the parks around Saranac Lake and see the beautiful daffodils! Enjoy! Check frequently for changes in schedule:  April 26  1 pm Historic Tour through Riverside Park to Bartok Cabin ($5) 5:30 pm - 8 pm . Harriestown Hall.: Meet the soapbox derby contestants, taste free samples and vote on the pastry competition April 27  10 am - 3 pm: Festival of Blooms Riverside Park,  • Paul Smiths College baking students bring baked goods for sale and to sample • Merrilooms the clown will be on hand for face painting and balloon animals. • Blue Line Sports Shop will be holding fly and reel fishing demos and clinic. • Adirondack Lakes and Trails will be holding kayak, canoe demos and clinic. 11 am:  Daffest Derby Day at the George LaPan Highway in Saranac L

To celebrate their 10th anniversary, The Champlain Valley Film Society is screening a FREE showing of the Oscar nominated film Lincoln at The Grange in Whallonsburg LINCOLN Saturday,  April 27, 8.00 pm Whallonsburg Grange Hall Oscar winner as this year’s Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis stars in one of the most acclaimed movies of the year, Steven Spielberg’s deeply moving story about Lincoln’s fight to abolish slavery and unite our nation. Other movie shows:  May 11  SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK May 25FORT APACHE by Westport director Addison Mehr

All performances of HONK are open to the public and will be held at the Long Lake Central School Auditorium. The Saturday, April 13 performance will take place at 7 pm while the Sunday, April 14 performance will take place at 2 pm. Tickets are available for $10 general admission.  This year’s performance of HONK is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling.” Watch while the strange-looking duckling “Ugly” goes on a quest to find his real mother after being lured away by a sneaky Cat. Ugly encounters some hardship but also encounters friendship and love.   Previous performances for the LIVING ABLE Series have been A Year With Frog and Toad , Rockin’ To OZ and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown . The LIVING ABLE SERIES provides  workshops and performance  opportunities for individuals  with disabilities and Sunmount  Staff at the Sunmount location  in Tupper Lake, the Arts Center  in Blue Mountain Lake and  other off-site locations.

Looking for a fun activity for your little ones! Join the faculty of The Lakeside School at the Belden Noble Library, Essex on Saturday April 13 at 11 am and the Keene Valley Library at 4 pm.  Come see the puppet show, have a chance to meet the puppets and the teachers, and have a snack.  This event is free.   Lakeside  School  is a birth - 2nd grade  school  based on the Waldorf philosophy on a working farm in Essex, NY.   Date: Saturday, April 13th Location: Belden Noble Library, Essex, NY Time: 11:00a.m. Location: Keene Valley Library, Keene Valley, NY Time: 4:00p.m.

Free Cone Day is on April 9th! So, make  sure you swing by one of Ben and Jerry's   participating Scoop Shops  and grab yourself a FREE cone.  Free Cone Day is something Ben & Jerry's has been doing since 1979 when Ben and Jerry celebrated their first year of business!  Ben and Jerry wanted to thank everyone for their support in the best way they knew how; with free ice cream! Once again this year they’re giving away plenty of classic flavors as well as some of the new flavors like Candy Bar Pie and Liz Lemon Greek Frozen Yogurt. Needing to locate a participating Scoop Shop near you? No problem - just head to the  Scoop Shop Locator !   © Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time™, which is available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the third guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family Activities™.

Being active is an important part of family time. Sometimes all it takes is a walk around the block after dinner to unwind from a stressful work and school day. It doesn't take a huge event to turn off the television, go for a walk and really listen to what is happening with your family.  There are many places to go around Saratoga Springs. Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) has been working over time to provide a variety of wilderness locations to allow everyone to get out and enjoy nature.  In summer 2012 the 63-acres Coldbrook Preserve was added to the Saratoga PLAN list.  In addition to wildlife protection, the preserve will provide opportunities for walking, hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing for area residents and connects land owned by The Nature Conservancy, Saratoga County Forest, and Wilton Wildlife Preserve. Look for Blanding's turtle, a New York State threatened species. This preserve will provide critic space for its wetland habitat. 

Did you know the Blanding turtle is named for a  19th century naturalist William Blanding of Pennsylvania?  Di you know the  Blanding Turtle can live up to 80 years!  Blanding's Turtle is medium in size!  It has an  average shell length of about  7 - 9"  usually not reaching any larger than 10"   Distinguishing feature?   A bright yellow chin and throat.  What is the upper shell called?   The carapace, which is domed but slightly flat along the midline but looks oblong when viewed from above. The upper shell (Carapace) is flecked with   numerous yellow  specks  What is the lower shell called ?  The  plastron  is yellow with dark blotches symmetrically arranged.  The head and legs are dark, and usually speckled or mottled with yellow.  I s it a box turtle?   No, Blanding's turtle is called a semi-box" turtle because the plastral lobes do not shut tightly like a box turtle, but the plastron are hinged.

SCHOOL BREAK CAMP - APRIL BREAK When regional schools are on break, Saratoga Arts offers full-week programs in both theater and visual arts for children ages 5-14. Our visual arts campers will learn about famous art and artists while creating their own masterpieces inspired by them; our theater campers will learn the basics of theater like character development and set design and will conclude their program with a performance in our Dee Sarno Theater. Saratoga Arts’ faculty know and understand how children learn about and create art and work with students to ensure they are reaching their full artistic potential. Saratoga Arts offers three different programs during April Break: Monday - Friday: April 1 - April 5 April Break (ages 5-7) Our 1/2 day visual arts camp for the little ones. The program runs Monday - Friday, 9am - 12pm. $130 for members / $140 for non-members April Break (ages 8-14)   only 5 spots left! Our full day visual arts camp. The program runs Monday - F