What a great town, what a beautiful “Winter Wonderland” weekend and what fun it was seeing old and new friends in such a perfect setting. The Polar Bear’s Winter Carnival in Old Forge is alive and well and we want to thank so many people who were responsible for making our “reign” as King and Queen such a great experience.
Our heartfelt thanks to committee team members, Michele deCamp and Chip Kiefer for inviting us to reign and Tim Foley for convincing Carol that we haven’t been Snow Birds too long to be remembered.
Thank you to CAA Events Coordinator Laurie Barkauskus for keeping us informed of our duties.
Thanks to Steve Uzdavinis for keeping our mountain in such wonderful shape and to Dave and Deb Langworthy for the gorgeous bouquet of flowers, to the dedicated artists Mark Hannah, Dale Heroux, Jim Williams, Jeff Mahoney, Bruce Hodge, Brian Bamberger and Steve Uzdavinis who sculpted the marvelous Ice Castle.
To Nick and Felicity for keeping us “unhungry” in spades, Diane Heroux for getting us properly robed and in position for our coronation, Capt. Tim Foley, Old Forge Airlines, for his dedication in spite of adversity and Mr. “X” for turning off those bright lights in our eyes.
Carol’s feet thank Marie DiOrio for comforting warmness. Much gratitude to Mirnie Kashiwa for those spectacular crowns fashioned by her husband, our longtime friend and mentor, Hank.
Thank you Tom and Tracey Down for bringing the “Brook and Pine “ up to speed for our short, happy visit and for being our surrogate kids.
And finally, we would like to compliment Chrissy Pritchard and Carol Hansen of the Express and The Weekly Adirondack, respectively, for their extensive, in depth, coverage of the event.
As we stood at the finish of the Snowflake Derby watching those intrepid skiers having the time of their lives, 45 years virtually vanished in front of our eyes.
We were reminded once again that coming to Old Forge in 1968 was the best decision we have ever made. Thank you everyone for a seriously marvelous experience and for being Old Forge.
You have exceeded even the highest of expectations!
Deke and Carol Morrison
Old Forge and Florida
P.S. My precious lost hat was turned in today (March 2). It seems Scott Gaffney found it the night of the coronation, right at the castle. He must have seen the piece in your paper yesterday and turned it in to Mike Farmer today. Thanks for your help on this—I am very happy to have this result. See you in the spring. —Deke
