Adirondack Family Time™

JULIE & JULIA will be showing this Saturday, January 16th starting at 7:30. Held at the Willsboro Central School as part of the Champlain Valley Film Society . This film is based on the best-selling book by Julie Powell. Academy Award winner Meryl Streep stars in this delicious comedy with Golden Globe nominee for Best Picture and Best Actress Amy Adams. Based on true stories, follow Julia Child in 1950s Paris and young Julie Powell in 2002 New York as their lives intertwine through a mutual passion for fine cooking. Rated PG-13 SPECIAL FEATURE: Retired chef John Ferry will speak about his long friendship with Julia Child in Paris and Chicago. Reviews: "Plenty of humor" - USA Today "The feel-good movie of the year" - Fox-TV "Streep at her brilliant best" - Rolling Stone The tickets are $5.00 for adults and anyone under 18 is $2.00.

High Peaks Hospice Blood Pressure Clinic is a free service held at Saranac Village at Will Rogers in Saranac Lake. These programs are free and open to the public. This first clinic is January 8th For more information, please call (518) 891-7117. The time for the free clinic is 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The dates for each clinic is below: January 8 February 5 March 5 April 9 May 7 June 4 July 9 August 6 September 3 October 1 November 5 December 3 Saranac Village at Will Rogers is a retirement community providing independent living for those 55 years or older. We offer three meals a day, weekly laundry and housekeeping, activities, transportation, maintenance, twenty-four hour staff, an emergency response system, heat, hot water and electricity. For more information on the services we provide and availability, please call (518) 891-7117.

A 2006 South Australian study into arts education indicates that going to the theatre can improve children’s literacy and social skills. The Children's Voices study documented the impact of live theatre on 140 State Government primary school students over three years. It was conducted and jointly funded by the Department of Education and Children’s Services, The University of South Australia and Windmill Performing Arts. Windmill Performing Arts project manager Julie Orchard, who is a Department of Education and Children’s Services teacher, said children’s oral and written language improved significantly during the project. In a prepared statement, author of the report and director of the study, Professor Wendy Schiller, Director of UniSA’s de Lissa Institute of Early Childhood and Family Studies Research Group, said the children’s response to live arts performance directly affected their learning and their lives. “The most noticeable impact was the children’s marked gain in lit

The Champlain Valley Film Society will be celebrating its 100th film with a free showing of classic Katharine Hepburn/Humphrey Bogart film The African Queen. In 1952, this film won Humphrey Bogart his only Oscar though he had been nominated for Casablanca and The Caine Mutiny. Read more

Just a quick note for anyone looking for a rainy day activity this weekend. Pendragon Theatre is performing Moby Dick Rehearsed November 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on November 22. My ten-year-old and I attended the opening and we both loved it. It is remarkably well done. Even if you have not read the Herman Melville book of the white whale, the play brings to life that suspenseful tale of the sea that all can enjoy. Pendragon Theatre has managed to tell the story in just two hours. For an unabridged annual reading marathon you would have to travel well outside the Adirondacks to the New Bedford Whaling Museum where each year the book is read out loud by approximately 150 readers in a mere 25 hours.

The winter hours for The Wild Center are November 1st - Memorial Day: Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Bowling for Prizes I have never thought about bowling as something to do on the fly, go in for a quick game and leave. In my experience it has always been on outing. Romano’s Saranac Lanes has changed my opinion with all the various activities they have going on for children. Anyone wondering what to do with their children during school closings (snow days, conference days) may want to rethink bowling as an option where the special is $5.00 for two games and $1.00 for shoes. Though I am a huge fan of manual labor on school closings, I am sure my children would prefer to bowl. That said, there is also after school bowling from 3:00 -5:00 for the same $6. As far as my daughter is concerned bowling is all about the shoes. She does not care about the score on the screen or that her brother fist pumps with each pin down. She is there to see and be seen. Once again Romano’s Saranac Lanes has generously offered to hold another fundraiser. Twenty-four teams of five can sign up for the Nort

Did the rain or flu limit your ability to enjoy a bit of spooky happenings on Halloween? There is still an opportunity to continue the thrills and chills by seeing this year’s production of Sleepy Hollow, directed by Jessica Deeb. Based on the classic short story by Washington Irving, this musical pulls from a range of local child actors, ages five to fourteen. The story of Sleepy Hollow it takes place in 19th Century Dutch settlement of Tarrytown, NY where a gangly superstitious schoolmaster named Ichabod Crane comes to Sleepy Hollow looking for a wealthy wife. He meets Katrina Van Tassel whose brawny jealous boyfriend, Brom Bones, uses local stories to attempt to frighten off his rival. The townspeople further Crane’s fears with stories of the local ghost, the Headless Horseman. My daughter and I nip into the Lake Placid Center for the Arts for a quick preview. The Headless Horseman is sitting on stage waiting for the dress rehearsal to begin. She makes a beeline for my leg and peer

My children greet Stan Burdick, director of the Ticonderoga Cartoon Museum like he is the cable man and just offered free access to unlimited channels. They look at me like I am the only thing holding them back from nirvana. I brought them here. It is not the same thing as blankly sitting in front of a television though I stop short of telling them that. I shush them off making sure they carefully maneuver through the aisles. This museum is the result of Stan Burdick’s 50-year collection of cartoon memorabilia. A political cartoonist himself, Burdick contributed to many local newspapers during his career. His work has been selected numerous times for the annual publication, “Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year” and in 1996 he won the New York Press Association Award for his editorial cartoon of Eliot Spitzer. The museum houses over 700 pieces of original art from mainstream cartoonists like Chuck Jones’ Bugs Bunny, Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, and Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury to the m

The last weekends are approaching for the Historic Saranac Lake walking tour. The 45-minute walk may be a stretch for the very young so for my excursion, I indulge in some alone time. Mary Hotaling, now the Architectural Historian, leads my tour. We meet at the bridge overlooking Lake Flower and from then on local facts and history are dropping like rain. Thankfully Hotaling encourages questions, thrives on them actually. I won’t give a blow-by-blow because taking the tour and then going to the museum is half the fun. Even for someone born and raised in the area would find some interesting tidbits in Saranac Lake’s multidimensional past. The tour is only available one more week, October 9 at 11:00 a.m. at Harrietstown Town Hall, for a small $5.00 donation. It is worth a walk around town to see how an industry arose from an illness. As we walk Main Street I am slowly taken back in time as Hotaling peels away the various architecture to its bare bones and shares glimpses of empty field

There is still a buzz in the air regarding, what has been termed “the “Mozart Effect.” There have been studies done and videos made all in the attempt to make our children smarter, better and stronger. One aspect of the term emerged from the work of University of California Irvine’s Raucher, Shaw and Ky (1993). Their findings researched the effects of Mozart’s Music on 36 college undergraduates and tracked improvements in spatial intelligence after listening to 10 minutes of certain scores of Mozart. The findings created a cottage industry of hope for the fountain of intelligence with as many critics as followers. One part of the equation that I feel isn’t given its due is the passion and drive of a musician, those that practice for love of their instrument and what can come out of it. Those that want to show music as more than a sheet of paper with notes or a disk in a jewel case. It is a connection with people, played by people and very much for people. That is the Loon Lake Live! E

1 cup flour 1 cup hot tap water 2 tbsp. lemon juice ( You can use vinegar or some kind of acid. I just like the way the lemon smells) 1/2 cup salt 1 tbsp. oil Mix and knead together. I have the kids help measure and mix as well as mold whatever they want. Even my nine-year-old still likes to play with this. Tip: Roll in seeds in the winter and put outside for the birds. The artwork will eventually melt away in the weather (unless the dog eats it first) and the birds or squirrels will enjoy a wrestle with the seeds. Enjoy! Eat well. Live well. Love well.

Make Your Own Food Coloring You can make your own food coloring by using other foods. Have you ever forgotten to strain the extra juice from blueberries when you are going to make blueberry bread? I can't possibly be the only one. The whole loaf will turn a beautiful hue of purple. Just think, you can save the juice and use it to add color to your frostings and other items. There is nothing artificial about it and you don't have to worry about all the health risks associated with artificial food dyes . You’ll need to use a sieve to strain the pulp from the juice and then add as much of the juice as needed for the desired color. Berries are great for making colored icing. There are also natural food dyes that can be found at your natural food store or online. Foods That Color Other Foods: Red: onion skin or beets Yellow: turmeric Brown: coffee Blue: red cabbage Lavender: blackberries Green: spinach There are plenty of other naturally occurring items. Please be careful when try

The U.S. Greeting Card Association’s website states that about one billion valentines are sent worldwide each year. Not that I am not the sentimental type but most of the time cards end up in the recycling bin. Saving cards seems to create just one more thing to move. There are some items that I do keep that are only significant to me. So for anyone looking to create a different keepsake, Northern Lights School is offering a Valentine’s Art Day this Saturday. The cost is minimal ($2 per person.) That wouldn’t even buy a box of chocolates and I can assure you this will last longer. Melanie Niemczura, the Northern Lights School Morning Garden teacher will be facilitating the craft day. This workshop allows participants to make a choice of treasures. Some templates will be available but feel free to bring your own creativity. There is no pressure, just fun and the ability to walk away with a beautiful handcrafted item to give to your loved one, or keep for yourself. There is no harm, no

My children are not quite of an age where I can hand them a few bills and send them off for a few hours. Thankfully most of us are eased into parenthood so these changes are gradual. I am always so grateful to find places for them to gain some independence but still be able to find me if necessary. I have never attended the Lake Placid Elementary School annual spring carnival and silent auction, but it seems the perfect place for the whole family to spread their wings, games for all and a silent auction for me. A long-standing tradition, the carnival is a fundraiser for FRIENDS (an acronym for Friends Really Interested in the Educational Needs and Development of Students), which raises money to provide funds for field trips, supplies and other student needs. Taking place this Saturday, June 7, from 10:00am-2:00pm, the carnival will host a mixture of games, activities and events. There is no fee to get in but some events range in price from .25-$2.50. Just a few activities to look forwa

I do not know what is in store for me for Mother’s Day. That is the point, I guess. To let the wee ones hatch elaborate plans that involve waking me at 4:00 a.m. with tea and toast. They have hatched some sort of plan, the two of them and have been hiding things from me. At first I thought it was more sticky candy wrappers I occasionally find under the couch or perhaps an accidental spill cleaned up with my best tea towels. After a small slip of the tongue I have been led to believe that it may be something a little bit more. My son is itching to tell me what he has planned. When he comes to hug me he always mentions how he loves giving surprises as much as getting them. Then he follows with a few hints. It is not alive. (Whew! I am a bit alarmed when presented with the gift of life in the manner of snakes or ant farms.) I can’t eat it; which may be a mixed blessing. I can’t wear it; so I am assuming that I am going somewhere. For anyone wishing for ideas the Wild Center in Tupper Lak