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Saranac Lake

A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State

January 20, 2022 by John Warren 3 Comments

early Adirondack snowmobile raceIn the motor toboggan era – the time before the advent of the modern snowmobiles we know today – motor sleds had been too slow for racing excitement. As a result they remained strictly utilitarian vehicles racing only occasionally for promotional purposes. Motor toboggan and later snowmobile maker Polaris traveled each year at the end of the 1950s to trapper festivals at The Pas, Manitoba where they helped organize ad hoc races.

“We tried to rig them a little bit so we had a zig-zag effect,” David Johnson said, remembering one of the first informal races, “one guy ahead, and then the other, and so on, at a terrific speed of about 20 miles per hour.” In February 1959, Johnson won the first organized men’s race on an oval at The Pas and in 1960, the first cross-country race was held there. [Read more…] about A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Park, Adirondacks, Boonville, Canada, Cranberry Lake, Essex County, Franklin County, Hamilton County, Herkimer COunty, Lake George, Lake Placid, malone, Old Forge, Oneida County, Saranac Lake, Saratoga County, Snowmobile History, snowmobiling, sports, Sports History, St Lawrence County, Town of Webb, Transportation History, Tupper Lake, Warren County, winter, winter sports

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Set For February 4-13

December 20, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

2022 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Poster“Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau has released his poster design for the 2022 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, which is slated to take place February 4–13, 2022.

Using the Winter Carnival’s designated theme “Totally 80’s,” Trudeau’s illustration shows the “Doonesbury” characters J.J. sitting in the iconic 1980s Delorean time machine from the film Back to the Future, with the date set to February 4th, 2022, while Mike stands outside overlooking the Adirondack mountains. [Read more…] about Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Set For February 4-13

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Events Tagged With: Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake Winter Carnival

Modernist Architecture, Literature, and the Adirondack Cottage Sanatorium

September 12, 2021 by Jaap Harskamp 2 Comments

First page of an 1887 BrochureEdward Livingston Trudeau was born in 1848 in New York City to a family of physicians. During his late teens, his elder brother James contracted tuberculosis (TB) and Edward nursed him until his death three months later. At twenty, he enrolled in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia College (now Columbia University), completing his medical training in 1871. Two years later, he was diagnosed with TB too.

Following current climate-therapeutic theories that promoted the relocation of patients to regions with atmospheric conditions favorable to recuperation, he moved to the Adirondack Mountains. Seeking as much open air as he possible could, almost continuously living outside, he subsequently regained his health. In 1876 he settled in Saranac Lake and established a small medical practice. It was the beginning of a remarkable career and a new chapter in American medical history. [Read more…] about Modernist Architecture, Literature, and the Adirondack Cottage Sanatorium

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Adirondacks, Architecture, Cultural History, Furniture, Housing, Literature, Medical History, modernism, Saranac Lake, tuberculosis

Wooden Boats Rendezvous in Saranac Lake July 10th

July 5, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Runabout RendezvousThe Runabout Rendezvous, an annual non-judged exhibition of wooden boats, will take place on Saturday, July 10th at Riverside Park in Saranac Lake, NY, in the heart of the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Wooden Boats Rendezvous in Saranac Lake July 10th

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Events Tagged With: Adirondacks, Saranac Lake

Saranac Lake Farmers’ Market To Reopen

May 28, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Saranac Lake Farmers MarketThe Saranac Lake Farmers’ Market is set to open its 2021 season on Saturday, May 29th. The market takes place at Riverside Park in downtown Saranac Lake and operates rain or shine every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm through mid-October. [Read more…] about Saranac Lake Farmers’ Market To Reopen

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Events, Food Tagged With: Farmers Markets, Saranac Lake

Play ADK Acquires Former Saranac Lake Warehouse

May 24, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

play adk logoPlay ADK has finalized its purchase of the former Branch and Callanan warehouse on Depot Street in downtown Saranac Lake, clearing the way for a capital project that hopes to transform the space into a children’s museum and family resource center serving the greater Tri-Lakes region of the Adirondacks (Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake). [Read more…] about Play ADK Acquires Former Saranac Lake Warehouse

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY Tagged With: Play ADK, Saranac Lake

Plans Afoot For Adirondacks Children’s Museum

March 28, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Play ADK Childrens MuseumPlay ADK is a nonprofit organization working to create a state-of-the-art children’s museum in Saranac Lake, NY that hopes to offer exhibits and experiences to engage children in meaningful play and exploration, and provide valuable resources for families. [Read more…] about Plans Afoot For Adirondacks Children’s Museum

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts Tagged With: Adirondack Park, Museums, Play ADK, Saranac Lake

How Snowmobilers Won Their Special Privileges To Ride On Forever Wild Lands

February 15, 2021 by John Warren 6 Comments

Snowmobilers clear a trail near Nicks Lake in the winter of 1966-67When snowmobiling arrived in the Adirondacks in the mid-1960s, the question of where to ride became the single most important issue faced by both new sled owners and advocates for the protection of the wild character of the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

As a result of efforts by the state’s Conservation Department and lobbying by the snowmobile industry, snowmobilers are today wildly over-represented in terms of access to trails. Although they represent less than 1% of the 7-10 million people who visit the Adirondacks each year, there are currently at least 3 to 4 thousand miles of snowmobile trails in the Adirondack Park,* compared to about 5,000 miles of roads. How this happened is a story that began 50 years ago with what is known as the Wilm Directive. [Read more…] about How Snowmobilers Won Their Special Privileges To Ride On Forever Wild Lands

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Recreation Tagged With: Conservation Department, Saranac Lake, Snowmobile History, snowmobiling

NorthWind Fine Arts Moves To ADK ArtRise

February 11, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

NorthWind Fine Arts GalleryNorthWind Fine Arts Gallery has announced their move to 62 Main Street Saranac Lake, the location of ADK ArtRise. [Read more…] about NorthWind Fine Arts Moves To ADK ArtRise

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts Tagged With: ArtRise, NorthWind Fine Arts, Saranac Lake

Humble Spirits of History Haunt Saranac Lake Laboratory

October 24, 2020 by Amy Catania Leave a Comment

Gloria Hazard exhibit panel at the Saranac Laboratory MuseumOctober is a good month for a ghost story. So here is the tale of a humble spirit who for years haunted a cure cottage up on Charles Street in Saranac Lake.

I heard this story from Eileen Black, who has lived in the house for many years and raised her family there. A ghost visited their home several times a year for decades. He would show up at the back walkway, walking towards the house, glancing in the windows. Well-dressed, in an elegant, old fashioned coat and fedora, he looked a bit like Fred Astaire, so the family named him, “Fred.” Eileen, her husband, and children all got used to Fred sightings. He would appear and then be gone, before they could get a good look at him. Guests at the house would see him too. They were never afraid of him; he felt like a friend. [Read more…] about Humble Spirits of History Haunt Saranac Lake Laboratory

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Historic Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake, saranac lake l

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