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, the cedar shakes and shingled church, St. William's on Long Point, continued to serve the parish until the end of the 1930s.


Now each Thursday in the summer there are free programs. 

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS APPLICABLE TO ALL THURSDAY 2012 PROGRAMS   (See Exceptions Below)

Time:  Programs begin at 7:00 PM.
Location:  St William's on Long Point, Raquette Lake, NY
Additional Information:  Reservations are required due to limited space and the need for boat transportation to St. William's.  Public barge leaves the village dock at 6:00 PM; and returns at 8:30.  In the event of severe weather, programs will be held at the Raquette Lake School on Rt. 28.  Plan to come rain or shine!
Exception:  August 30th and **October 6th    Programs held at Raquette Lake School
                     (Reservations are NOT required for these two programs)

Our programs are free and open to the public.  A pie raffle will be held every Thursday evening.  We appreciate audience participation in our Weekly Pie Raffle to help defray costs of hosting the entertainment series!  Thank you for your support!  Contact Information:  For reservations call (315) 354-4265. 

**Please note:  October 6th is a Saturday**

Thursday Evenings on the Lake Series  

July 5^th

 Addie & Olin - Unleashed

Addie & Olin Olin's funky, folky, finger-picking guitar and mandolin pairs up with Addie's pipin' hot piccolo, 'cool school' sax and flute, crazy concertina and accordion for an unforgettable night of swinging whoopee jazz, soulful klezmer and hipster originals that are unleashed, unbridled, uncut & unglued!

July 12^th

Legacy
Men’s Barbershop Quartet

"Legacy" is a fun and fantastic vocal harmony quartet – four guys who lead you on a sparkling journey through the Americana songbook with a sprinkling of Broadway and movie classics, doo-wop and spirituals, lots of laughs, audience participation and a healthy dose of good ol' barbershop harmony.  Their performances cover more than 100 years of American songs – all presented with no instruments other than their own voices. 

July 19^th

Annie & the Hedonists
An Eclectic Mix of Acoustic Music

Annie & the Hedonists is a band that knows no musical boundaries. This eclectic group from the Albany area offers something for everyone. Anchored by the incomparable voice of band namesake Annie Rosen, this diverse ensemble gives audiences everything from jazz, swing, torchy blues, standards, bluegrass, gospel, and folk, with a sampling of honky tonk country thrown in for good measure.  Great entertainment!

July 26^th

Loren Barrigar & Mark Mazengarb
World Class Guitar Playing

It is difficult to classify the genre of music Barrigar and Mazengarb perform; they simply describe it as ‘finger style guitar’. Their varied repertoire consists of stunning guitar duets as well as songs (they both sing) which give them a wide appeal. Their music is influenced by Bluegrass, Jazz, and Country, and their style of guitar playing is largely built upon the thumb-picking techniques pioneered by guitar greats Merle Travis, Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed.  Expect A Full House for This Duo!  

August 2^nd

The Buskers
Acoustic Roots, Pop, and Jazz

"Folk impurists with a smart, distinct voice and great chops.  A kitchen sink repertoire of styles from jug band and jazz to roots rock, with serious musicianship, a sense of humor, and energy to burn."

August 9^th

John Cadley & Cathy Wenthen
 "Acoustic Duo" 

Their music includes everything from bluegrass standards such as "Blue and Lonesome," classic folk songs like “The Water Is Wide,” to the new acoustic sounds of Alison Krauss, Nancy Griffith, Leonard Cohen, Emmylou Harris… all the way to fresh, original versions of Beatles tunes like “Yesterday” and “I Will.” Together, they present a highly enjoyable listening experience for audiences of all ages.

August 16^th

The Highland Winds

A Clarinet Quartet specializing in classical music for classical occasions, although its repertoire spans a wide variety of genres from Baroque to Contemporary music.  The Quartet believes their concerts have the ability to enthuse, educate, entertain, and engage their audiences.       

August 23^rd

Rustic Riders

The Rustic Riders, Lisa & Klauss Meissner, play original music with a traditional sensibility.  Lisa’s songs are filled with her experience of music from many peoples, times and places and move the spirit to new understanding.  Lisa engages the audience to participate right from the start, and the audience loves it!

August 30^th

(This program will be held at the Raquette Lake School)
Captain Squeeze & the Zydeco Moshers
One of the Most Versatile Zydeco Bands in the Country

Their music appeals to people of all ages and musical tastes.  They work hard to involve the audiences by having extra scratch boards for “guest” appearances with the band.  Zydeco music is infectious and this band wants to help that continue!  The band’s unique approach to playing Louisiana Bayou music keeps dancers jumpin’ all night long as they mix old-time traditional and new zydeco with a flavor all their own!    

*****

ADDITIONAL EVENT
(This program will be held at the Raquette Lake School)
Saturday
October 6, 2012, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys
Original Up-Tempo American Roots Music

Hard-driving bluegrass with tight vocals features singer-songwriter Jim’s originals for a mountain sound infused with tight three part harmonies and fine musicianship.  Fantastic and lively dance band….so bring your dancing shoes, or just bring your listening ears for a fun filled evening!

*****        These Thursday evening programs are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts decentralization Regrant Program.  In Hamilton County, the Decentralization Regrant Program is administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts located in Blue Mountain Lake.   

We extend a big "Thank-you" to the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts for their support.© 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.