Adirondack Family Time™

"Wilderness complements and completes civilization.  I might say that the existence of wilderness  is also a compliment to civilization.  Any society that feels itself too poor to afford  the preservation of wilderness  is not worthy of the name of civilization." ~ Edward Abby, Down the River

Since ____ New York State has celebrated everything maple related with its annual Maple Weekends the last two weekends in March. This year, 2015, the dates are March 21-22 and March 28-29. These events encourage maple producers of all sizes to open their doors and provide individuals the opportunity to see how maple is made from tree sap collection to dress up the pancakes on the table.  For the second year, the Tri-Lakes/High Peaks region of the Adirondacks is planning to pull out all the stops with its own special Adirondack Maple Weekend March 28-29.. Maple producers in Tupper Lake, Paul Smiths, Wilmington, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Keene and beyond are adding extra incentives to the normal maple sap tours. Enjoy family fun activities at Tupper Lake's The Wild Center, The Paul Smith’s VIC, Wilmington's Whiteface Mountain, Lake Placid's Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Center Cross Country Ski Center, Saranac Lake's Mark Twain Works, Lake Placid's Cornell Ex

Make this easy shamrock to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Write a message on it and give it to a friend. Make a whole bouquet for a table arrangement. Use a pipe cleaner for a stem and hang it from the door! Happy St. Patrick's Day! © Diane Chase, author of Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks (Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities) for the towns of Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Jay/Upper Jay, Wilmington, Keene/Keene Valley which is available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the second guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family Activities.

To celebrate National Pi(e) Day  on March 14, make your favorite dessert or this quick refrigerator magnet! Materials: bottle cap tooth pick small beads (the color of your pie.. red for raspberry pie, blue for blueberry pie) clear drying glue small magnet no larger than the back of the bottle cap small pieces of tan felt   Instructions • Using the bottle cap as a pattern draw and cut out a circular piece of felt (to use as the bottom crust) • Glue the "bottom crust" into the bottle cap. • Pour a small bit of glue into the bottle cap lined with felt and pour a small amount of the beads on top. • Mix the glue and beads together using the tooth pick. • Continue to add more beads and glue until the bead/glue mixture is level with the top of the bottle cap • Cut small strips of felt and glue over the beads, mimicking the top of a pie. • Let dry • glue small magnet to back of bottle top and let dry Place on fridge! This makes a great party favor that is easy a

"As a man tramps the woods to the lake he knows he will find pines and lilies, blue herons and golden shiners, shadows on the rocks and the glint of light on the wavelets, just as they were in the summer of 1354, as they will be in 2054 and beyond. He can stand on a rock by the shore and be in a past he could not have known, in a future he will never see. He can be a part of time that was and time yet to come." ~ William Chapman White, Adirondack Country (page 264)

ESSEX – The Champlain Valley Film Series will present the children’s movie  Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures  this  Sunday, March 15 at 2:00 p.m.  at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall.  The movie will be the final one in their winter series of free family films. Winner of two Academy Awards, this film tells the story of Wallace, an inventor whose gadgets do not always go as planned, and his ever-faithful friend Gromit.     The film is free, and is made possible by Stewart's Holiday Match.   Refreshments will be available for purchase. The Whallonsburg Grange Hall is located at 1610 NYS Route 22 at Whallons Bay Road, five miles south of the Essex ferry. The Whallonsburg Grange Hall serves as a community gathering space for eastern Essex County, hosting musical and theatrical performances, lectures, forums, and workshops, as well as hall rentals for private events.  For more information about this event or the Hall, please contact Stephanie Beneng, office

March 2nd kicked off this year's   National Education Association’s   Read Across America, in celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday.  To further the celebration The  Adirondack Carousel  and  The Saranac Lake Teachers Association  will host the “Dr. Seuss Read Across America Celebration”  on Saturday March 7th, from 10:00am- 12:00pm.  Come with your child, receive a brand new book, meet the Cat in the Hat, and enjoy a snack. The Cat in the Hat will also be reading stories!  The Saranac Lake Free Library will even be at the Carousel to sign your child up for their first library card.  The event is free to the public. ( Carousel rides will be at an additional cost.) You may even look for Thing One or Thing Two (One, being my child.) Enjoy!  © Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time™guidebooks have easy Adirondack family hikes, Adirondack swimming holes, Lake Placid Olympic activities, Adirondack trivia,

What does a play about a green ogre and a world music festival have in common? I find the common ground between the Lake Placid High School performance of “Shrek the Musical” and the Reason2Smile World Music Festival is closer than you may think. Discovering different forms of music has proven to help with creativity and communication skills, besides music and movement can relieve stress and as we all know is fun.  There is something heartwarming about a reluctant hero on a life-changing journey with a band of misfit fairytale characters and a gutsy princess. Based on the popular animated film, “Shrek the Musical” hits the Lake Placid High School stage this Thursday – Saturday, March 5-7 at 7 pm with a matinee on March 7 at 11 am. Tickets are $10/adults, $6/students. Join Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and a dragon as they battle the bad guy on a journey to discover that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  On Saturday, March 7, Reason2Smile is hosting its 3 rd  annual World Music

There are always contests and prizes and ways for marketing companies to gather information about your child, but I do believe that this contest may be something you want to look into. Do your own due diligence.   I've never enjoyed a contest that narrows down entries via social media. I'm not sure that is the standard I want to set for my children. I have voted for other people's entries, videos and contests. I'm on the fence... Even if you just decide to not enter your child, writing the essay is a wonderful exercise.   What is  Kids Moving Mountains ?  A nationwide search for kids who are “Moving Mountains” in the areas S cience, T echnology, E ngineering, A rts, or M athematics (STEAM) Eligibility: Open to legal residents of the 50 US/DC who are 13 years of age or older as of time of entry. Minors must have parent’s/legal guardian’s permission to participate. Entrant’s nominees must be between 5-18 years of age. Contest starts 3/2/15

One March 4, Wednesday, Lakeside School at  Black Kettle Farm  is hosting an observation day for all  parents located in the Adirondack Park near Essex, NY, interested in Waldorf education for their child/children.  The morning will be spent visiting the Main Lesson of the Elementary school (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade), the Kindergarten (age 3-6), and joining the Sprouts (age 1-3) outside. There will be time to speak with the teachers and ask any questions you might have about any of the programs.  Community Observation Day is on March 4 th   from   8:45-10:30am . Sign up in advance with Kathleen Morse or Torunn Lyngroth Aberle by calling 518-963-7385, or e-mailing   info@lakesideschoolinessex.org .  Lakeside School runs from early September to mid-June and is a developing member of the  Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America . It is located on the corners of Cook and Leaning Road in Essex, NY at   Black Kettle Farm .

By Diane Chase Kids are bombarded by negativity on computers, on their phones, in ads, on television shows and that can be without ever leaving the house. How do we present a positive message that isn’t in the form of another lecture? Shine On! was founded in 2011 by SUNY Plattsburgh Professor Colleen Lemza with just those questions in mind. After encountering young women struggling with self-esteem issues driven by a negative media impact, Lemza wanted to raise awareness, communication skills and confidence.  This evolved to an annual day-long conference for fourth and fifth grade girls led by student mentors.  Now in its 5 th  year, Shine On! has grown from a one-day workshop with 90 young girls to an overnight conference for over 200 participants. The spring conference has expanded to include girls in third through fifth grades. The overwhelming response now has Shine On! also offering parent workshops and educational outreach.

Celebrate Winter Day on March 6, 2014 with  discounted tickets at seventeen ski areas! On Thursday March 6, 2014 seventeen* ski areas in New York State will be participating in the first annual "Celebrate Winter Day". This day is intended for skiers and riders as well as those who want to learn to ski or snowboard to enjoy the slopes and celebrate all the splendor of winter. "Celebrate" will feature discounted lift tickets, most for sale at $12 and learn to ski packages, starting at $33, for all to enjoy. You can purchase your "Celebrate Winter Day" vouchers here for the discounted lift ticket or learn to ski or snowboard packages. Purchases can be made through Midnight March 4th 2014 after that there will be no more available, don't delay, buy today! Vouchers can only be purchased through ISKINY and not at the ski area. ( No refunds and Non-Transferable.) If you have any questions please memberservices@iskiny.com . Vouchers can only be

Just mentioning an outhouse 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. The difference from those races and the upcoming Lake George Winter Carnival Outhouse Races is the ice.   The first 2015 Adirondack outhouse race takes place February 7, Saturday, at 12:30 pm on Lake George. There is an alternate location if the ice is considered unsafe. Registration begins at 10 am at Duffy’s Tavern (518-668-5323.) According to Adirondack Studios’ owner Tom Lloyd what started as a quirky competition for his custom design and fabrication firm has grown to be a competitive race. Eight years ago the Adirondack Studios design team took a break from its large-scale projects for the Broadway stage and other elements of the en