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The Saranac Lake
Winter Carnival
- is the oldest winter festival in the eastern US.
At the close of the 19th century, the thriving Adirondack village
of Saranac Lake was the destination for people from all over North America
suffering from tuberculosis. Formed in 1896 to promote outdoor sports and
games, the Pontiac Club sponsored the first “Mid-Winter Carnival” the
following year. Each Carnival revolves around a theme, which is reflected in
the decorations, the Gala Parade and the button. Since 1981, this button has
featured an exclusive design donated by Saranac Lake native,
Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist Gary Trudeau, creator of “Doonesbury”.
Sporting events remain the centerpiece of the Carnival. They include
everything from snowshoe and Nordic and alpine ski races, to hockey,
snowshoe softball, volleyball in the snow and competitive demonstrations of
traditional logging skills. With something for virtually anyone, there are
two parades, the Gala Parade and the Kiddie Parade, fireworks displays over
Lake Flower, presentations by the Pendragon Theatre, a Main Street Festival,
Arctic Barbeque, and an array of receptions, concerts, dinners, dances, and
pancake breakfasts.
The most spectacular feature of the Carnival is the Ice Palace, constructed
from ice blocks cut from Pontiac Bay on Lake Flower. Although modern
equipment is now employed to cut and move the massive blocks of ice, which
weigh between 400 and 800 pounds, the Palace is erected in much the same
manner as it was in 1898, by volunteers armed with peaveys, ice tongs and
ice shavers. The slush “mortar” between the sparkling blocks is applied by
hand. The design of the Palace varies each year, but it can reach 90 feet in
length to 60 feet in height. At night, colored lights transform the Ice
Palace into a truly magical celebration of the Adirondack winter.
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Adirondack Trivia
Settlers
attempting to farm the rocky soil of the Adirondacks called the thousands
of stones they turned up Adirondack Potatoes. |
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The word Adirondack may have come from the Mohawk Indian word
“ha-de-ron-dah” or “bark-eater”, used to describe an Algonquin
tribe sometimes forced to subsist on spruce bark during the long winters. |
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The first Europeans to visit the Adirondacks were French explorers and
missionaries. |
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The dome above a geologic hot spot under the Adirondacks is the only
circular mountain mass in North America. |
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Anorthosite,
a rock found in the Whiteface area, is similar to the rock found on the
Moon by astronauts. |
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Some early names for the mountainous region of northern New York State
were Avacal (from a map dated 1570); Peruvian Mountains (early French);
and Corlaer’s Mountains (after Arent Van Curler). |
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Geologist Ebenezer Emmons was the first to apply the name “Adirondack”
to the mountains. In 1837, he was the first European to climb the mountain
he named Marcy in honor of the Governor of New York. |
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The
original name of Lake George was Lac du Saint Sacrement, or Lake of the
Blessed Sacrement, so called by Jesuit missionary Isaac Jogues. The lake
was re-named for King George in 1755 by Sir William Johnson,
Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the British. |
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The first American victory of the Revolution was the seizure of Fort
Ticonderoga in 1775. |
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Created in 1885, the Adirondack Forest Preserve was one of the earliest
acts of large-scale public land protection in the US. Only Yosemite and
Yellowstone parks came before. |
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Some of the finest garnet in the world comes from the Barton Mines in
North Creek. |
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During the Civil War, ore from the Mineville area was made into iron
plates for the Union’s ironclad warship, the Monitor. |
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Brigham Young and nine of his twenty-one wives visited the Trout Pavilion,
the oldest hotel on Lake George. He signed the register on September 11,
1877 as “Brigham Young – Salt Lake City and
1st, Mrs. “” 2nd, Mrs. “” 3rd”,
etc. |
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New York State began licensing guides in 1918. Mrs. O.C. Tuttle was the
first registered woman guide. |
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US President Warren Harding was an overnight guest at Heeswijk, the grand
Sacandaga Park home of J. Ledlie Hees, multimillionaire and President of
the Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad. |
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Artist Mel Graff, creator of the syndicated newspaper comic strip “Agent
X-9”, resided in Northville. |
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Northville and the Great Sacandaga Lake provided the setting for “Tempus
Fugit”, a two-part episode of the television series “The X-Files”. |
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Bernhard E. Fernow, a native of Prussia, organized and became director of
the first professional forestry school in the US, at Cornell University.
He helped draft the legislation that created the Adirondack Forest
Preserve in 1885 and served as Chief of the forerunner of the United
States Forestry Service. |
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White birch and quaking aspen are often called “pioneer trees” because
they’re often the first trees to regenerate after a disturbance such as
a forest fire. |
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The Vanderbilts, Morgans and Carnegies had “great camps” in the
Adirondacks in the style developed by William West Durant in the in
1870’s and 1880’s.
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Ice Fishing Safety
Before you walk out onto the ice, be sure there is at least 4” of clear,
solid ice (ATV’s and snow machines need at least 5” and cars and trucks
between 8” and 12” of good clear ice). Be aware that flocks of waterfowl and
schools of fish can affect ice thickness. Contact a local resort or bait
shop for information about known areas of thin ice. Avoid driving on the ice
if at all possible. If you do fall in, the most important thing to remember
is: don’t panic! Keep a clear head and remember your safety plan.
Go ice fishing with a buddy. Keep a good distance apart as you walk out, so
one of you can go for help or attempt a rescue if the other gets in trouble.
Carry a rope (and a cell phone). Wear a life jacket or a float coat, which
provide both floatation and protection from hypothermia (potentially deadly
loss of body temperature). A word of caution, though. Don’t put your life
jacket/coat on while you’re in an enclosed vehicle; it might restrict your
ability to get out if you break through the ice.
Carry a pair of ice picks or even a pair of screwdrivers strung together
with a few yards of strong cord to use to haul yourself back up onto the ice
if you should fall in. Be sure they have wooden handles, so they’ll float if
you drop them!
If you do drive onto the ice in an enclosed vehicle, have a plan in mind in
case you break through. Unbuckle your seat belt. Some experts also recommend
driving with the window rolled down and the doors ajar. Move your vehicle
frequently so it doesn’t weaken the ice. Don’t park near cracks and watch
out for pressure ridges and heaved areas. Don’t drive across ice at night or
when it’s snowing; poor visibility can put you at risk.
Stay well away from aerators that may be operating on the lake; the ice may
be weakened many yards beyond the actual open area. Likewise, stay well away
from fenced areas indicated by diamond-shaped thin ice signs.
As tempting as it is, stay away from beer and other alcoholic beverages on
the ice. They increase the chance that you’ll develop hypothermia and they
interfere with good judgment. If you want to celebrate the “Big One”, wait
until you’re on dry land, and remember to pick a designated driver
Good Luck and Good Fishing! |
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