Adirondack Family Time™

(Updated) This is a tricky time of year when outdoor ice skating rinks are just starting to form the outside ice rinks. Here are a few inside ice rink alternatives so you can enjoy this amazing winter sport or just root for your favorite team. Albany Academy Field House 135 Academy Rd. Albany, NY 12208-3196 518-465-1461 Capital Arena 16 Clifton Commons Blvd. Clifton Park, NY 12065 518-383-5440 Tim es Union Arena (formerly Pepsi Arena) (Home of the Albany River Rats) 51 S. Pearl St. Albany, NY 12207 518-487-2000 Scott's Memorial Rink (pavilion rink) 52 MacAdam Rd. Chazy, NY 12921 518-846-7825

Bear Den Trail Map in Wilmington Flume Trail System Our recent hike up Bear Den Mountain in Wilmington, NY (Whiteface Region) shouldn’t be confused with the similarly named “Bear Den,” which is the approach up Dial Mountain (High Peak #41) near the AuSable Club. Our fast, steady 2.2-mile hike starts near the Whiteface Mountain Ski Kids Kampus in Wilmington.   Since Whiteface is a busy resort, the lots are sometimes filled up at Whiteface, so we let the parking attendant know our destination is the Kids Kampus. This time the parking area has plenty of room for us to park. Depending on the season, micro-spikes or snowshoes are recommended.   The first section of the trail follows a ridge above the Bear Den parking area at Whiteface Mountain. Signs are sparse, but the trail is well marked thanks to the Barkeater Trail Alliance. Though Bear Den is our final destination we first enter the path on Trail 19, a nice level traverse. At 0.2-mile there is a yellow marker to the lef

* UPDATE: T ickets are free for military personnel and veterans courtesy of Glens Falls National Bank . The number of free tickets varies with each location. Please call to reserve.  (Schroon Lake)   The Falling and The Rising  is a new 70-minute opera that is touring the Adirondack and beyond to shed light on the United States wounded veterans experience. First workshopped in August 2017, the show first premiered at the Texas Christian University in April. According to Seagle Music Colony General Director Tony Kostecki,  The Falling and the Rising  was conceived by Sargent Ben Hilgert of the US Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus. The new opera was created from actual interviews with veterans from Walter Reed Hospital, Fort Myer, and other locations.  “ It’s uplifting and relatable,” states Kostecki. “It is a universal story that will appeal to everyone, even if they haven’t been in the service. We believe in this piece. It is impactful and the response has been so posi

Labor Day Celebration New York City, 1882 Each Labor Day, it is necessary to go beyond the barbecues, vacation spots, and Back To School Sales. It is time to reflect on the history of Labor Day and how it came to be. The holiday was conceived to celebrate the American labor movement with all its strength, contributions, and prosperity to the wellness of the United States of America. Fact: Labor Day is celebrated the first Monday of September. Who founded Labor Day? That is up to debate, but has been attributed to these two men:  Peter J. McGuire , general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor or machinist  Matthew Maguire ,  proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. Maguire  later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J. How was Labor Day to be Celebrated? The first proposal of the holiday was a stree