Adirondack Family Time™

The Lake Placid Ironman may be over but bike riding around the Adirondacks is still very much in season. There are many places where visitors and locals alike can access the woods and enjoy some off-road trails. For smaller children or those just beginning to experience a wooded trail may want to attempt DEC campgrounds for a trail ride.   When my children were first learning to ride a two-wheeler, I wanted to take them some place where they could explore nature and enjoy a bicycle ride. I didn’t want them to go on a busy road and I felt just traveling around the streets wouldn’t keep my older child interested in the endeavor. We recently joined friends for a ride at the Buck Pond Campground. The entrance to Buck Pond is built on the same site as the old Chateaugay Branch of the Delaware and Hudson (D&H) Railroad. It was the perfect outing for our group consisting of a wide range of ages.

By Diane Chase Raquette Lake comes together each year to celebrate the founder of the Adirondack Great Camp style, William W. Durant. Durant Days not only celebrates the history of the Adirondack architectural form, but brings people to the area that was the birthplace of the Great Camp design. Event Organizer Donna Pohl says, “Beverly Bridger of Great Camp Sagamore and I started this event 14 years ago as a way to gain attention for the National Historic Landmarks of Raquette Lake. One of the crowning jewels during Durant Days is the opportunity for a guided tour of Camp Pine Knot.” Camp Pine Knot , owned by SUNY Cortland was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2004, making it the first such landmark owned and operated by a SUNY institution. Now named Huntington Memorial Camp, the university has operated as an outdoor education center since 1948. “Camp Pine Knot is not usually open to the public,” says Pohl. “It will be interesting for people to go on the F

S honen Knife in Concert   Mt. Sabattis Pavilion in Long Lake Saturday July 28 Doors open at 5:00 p.m. Bring a picnic and a lawn chair. $15, Kids under 12 are free.  The all-girl Japanese Pop-Punk Band Shonen Knife recently completed  their 30th anniversary across North America and now will take a tour stop in Long Lake.  Formed in Osaka, Japan the band's music is heavily influenced by the Ramones and The Beach Boys.  Shonen Knife is the most internationally recognized name in Japanese Rock.  This project is sponsored by The Town of Long Lake and is made possible with public funds from the NYS Council on the Arts Decentralization Re-grant Program. In Hamilton County, the Decentralization Program is administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, located in Blue Mountain Lake.

Movies Come Back To Berkeley Green I did not know much about Saranac Lake’s movie theatre history until my husband spoke of going to see a film in Saranac Lake. In addition to Vaudeville shows and Hollywood location shoots, Saranac Lake was once the home to three movie theatres and a drive-in at various times in its vast history. The Colonial Theatre, once located at 55 Broadway, opened in 1912 with seating for 500. It was later converted to a grocery in the mid 20s with the building eventually demolished in 1974. Community Bank stands in its location now. According to the Historic Saranac Lake Wiki page, the Pontiac Theatre was built at 13 Broadway in 1917 and at one time housed the largest movie screen in Northern New York. The Pontiac burned in 1978 and is currently a parking lot.    The Berkeley Theatre opened in the late 80s near the old Pontiac site and operated until the year 2000 in the basement of Corvo Restaurant, which is now Bear Essentials Apparel.

By Diane Chase For the 3rd year Amusements of America will be coming to Tupper Lake between stops at the Saratoga and Franklin County Fair. In case anyone is wondering about these traveling fairs, Saratoga County Fair (held in Ballston Spa) is one of the oldest fairs in New York State and still organized by the Saratoga Agricultural Society while the Franklin County Fair (held in Malone) is run by the Franklin County Agricultural Society and has continued to provide this annual event for over 150 years. Now the Tupper Lake Lions Club has gotten into the carnival game. From July 25-29 at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park there will be an assortment of carnival rides for children of all ages, from rides for small children to something the parents can share like the Ferris wheel, merry-go-round or the “dizzy dragon.” I can’t tell you what the last one is because when I spoke with Maurice from Amusements of America it sounded like he was on the Ferris Wheel at Saratoga County Fa

By Diane Chase Where’s Waldo? In Lake Placid celebrating his 25 th  birthday. Don’t bother looking for Waldo anywhere else but Lake Placid for the rest of July. He has taken over 20 businesses in celebration of the 55 million Waldo books in print. The Bookstore Plus was one of only 250 independent bookstores across the country that teamed with Candlewick Press to celebrate the popular “seek and find” books. We have been searching for Waldo up and down Main Street, Lake Placid for a few days. My daughter walks into one store and easily spots the 6” cardboard cutout of the familiar cartoon dressed in red and white stripes. Some shops hide the time-traveling, world-traveling children’s book character in plain site while other businesses make the search more of a family challenge.

By Diane Chase Don't just go up these Adirondack Mountain in the winter time during ski season. Enjoy a scenic view from the summit in the summer or fall.  Take a picnic, binoculars and even a light jacket. It can be a bit breezy on top.  McCauley Mountain Summer Rates:  Adults $6, Juniors (ages 6-16)/seniors (over 65) $5, Children age 5 & under free Hours:  Open Daily except Tuesdays 9am to 4:15pm (Closed Tuesdays except holiday weeks) Whiteface Mountai n June 15 – 24  |  Friday - Sunday June 29 – September 3  |  Daily  Closed Sunday July 22  for Ironman September 7 - October 14  |  Friday - Sunday  Monday, October 8 Hours: 9 am - 3:30 pm Summer Rates = Adults (13-64)/ $19, Juniors (7-12), Seniors (65+)/$13