Daily Archives: December 6, 2012

Snow or Shine: 36th Annual Snodeo promises great fun

Old Forge’s season starting snowmobile showcase weekend returns Dec. 7 thru 9

snowmobilesThis weekend’s 36th Annual Snodeo event at the George T. Hiltebrant Recreation Center on North Street is sure to provide many opportunities for visitors to enjoy winter fun, regardless of the weather.

The event, which is sponsored by the Central Adirondack Association, will have snowmobile activities taking place throughout the weekend with free admission and parking. CAA Events Coordinator Laurie Barkauskas said the Pavilion will be full of vendors at this year’s event.

Bob Gates decorates the Christmas tree.

Bob Gates decorates the Christmas tree.

Sleds and accessories from the 2013 model year will be on display from the top snowmobile manufacturers—Polaris, Yamaha, Arctic Cat and Ski Doo. Demo rides by Ski Doo will be available, weather permitting.

Other vendors include Blackman’s Cycle Center which will showcase snowmobiles and ATVs, CHO-KO, Sledfreak, and Curve Industries.

Specialty Foods will be returning with a variety of specialty dip and salsa kits.

New to Snodeo this year’s show will be RCF Stove & Fireplace, Kubecka’s Polaris, and The Ridgeview which will showcase snowmobile trail maps for the areas surrounding the Webb/Inlet trail system.

North Woods Inn will be providing beer and wine.

Bob Gordon unfurls banners for hanging at Snodeo. Photos by Dana Armington

Bob Gordon unfurls banners for hanging at Snodeo. Photos by Dana Armington

In addition to snowmobile-related vendors, local businesses and organizations will also set up booths throughout the venue. Among the organizations represented will be Watertown Veterans, Kommunity Youth Activity Center, the Old Forge American Legion Post 893, and the North Woods Women’s Club which will provide food and other refreshments.

 

Tickets will be available for a variety of raffles including a kayak raffle to benefit the Alex Sutherland Scholarship Fund, and the annual Snodeo raffle to win your choice of four 2013 sleds provided by the top manufacturers at the conclusion of the event on Sunday. Continue reading →

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View’s ‘The Wild Life’ exhibit opening with Friday reception

View’s latest exhibit, “The Wild Life”, which will highlight wildlife in the Adirondacks, will be on display beginning Saturday, December 8.

The featured works include wildlife photography, sculpture, artist-made hunting implements, and watercolors.

The artwork will touch on issues of habitat coexistence and encroachment, the inherent beauty of the wild, and the balance or imbalance between the wild world and our own environment. Featured artists include Eric Dresser, Jeanette Fournier, JC Parker, Bob Ripley, and Tricia Zimic. Continue reading →

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Adirondack Landowners to present steward award

The Adirondack Landowners Association (ALA) has announced that Cornell University’s Adirondack Fishery Research program will be the recipient of their 2012 Stewardship Award.

The award will be presented at the ALA winter meeting taking place Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8 at the Adirondack League Club in Old Forge. In addition to the Cornell presentation, NYS DEC Commissioner Joe Martens has been invited to be a special guest on Friday evening. The Cornell partnership with various Adirondack landowners over the last 60 years has focused on Brook Trout stocking programs, acid rain research and overall ecosystem science and management.

“This collaboration has proven to be a great example of the value of citizen supported research and how these partnerships can benefit society on a regional and national level. In recognizing Cornell we hope others will embrace this concept and hopefully build on these accomplishments,” according to ALA President Tom Williams.

The ALA was founded to encourage continued stewardship and sound resource management of lands in the Adirondacks; to promote public awareness of the valuable role played by private landowners in the Park; to advocate laws, regulations and governmental policies that promote and facilitate good stewardship by private landowners and to recognize and preserve their rights in the land.

You can learn more about this event and the ALA at www.adklandowners.org.

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A look back: Harwood Bros. among leaders of snowmobiling’s charge

Second Snowmobile Club PatchInlet was home to the area’s first dealership thanks to Ted and Bob Harwood

The beginning of snowmobiling in the Inlet/Old Forge area can be traced back to the winter of 1959 to 1960 when Ted and Bob Harwood opened a Husky dealership at their Inlet service garage.

Though snowmobiling was yet to be proven a popular sport, the brothers made the investment after talking with a chainsaw company representative they were doing business with who had opened a Husky dealership of his own.

The Canadian-made Husky sleds were two-piece machines. Riders sat on a little frame with runners on the back, and the engine and tracks were on the front part of the machine, Ted said.

The machines cost $500 to $700 and in their first year the Harwoods sold fewer than a dozen. Continue reading →

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Celebrating Dr. Mark Webster’s 35 years of local medical care

The public is invited to celebrate Dr. Mark Webster’s 35 years of medical service in Old Forge and his retirement from the Central Adirondack Family Practice at an event on Thursday, December 27th.

The Town of Webb Health Center Fund will host the gathering that will be held at View’s Gould Hall from 4 to 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Webster will officially retire at the end of 2012.

However, he has agreed to stay on as an employee of St. Elizabeth’s as needed until June of 2013, while a staff search for a new doctor is conducted, according to Hazel Dellavia, president of the Town of Webb Health Center Fund.

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Bowl-A-Thon raises $1,200 for MAC’s Ride

Twenty bowlers turned out for a Bowl-A-Thon at Gigi’s Bar and Grill on Saturday, December 1 to raise money for MAC’s Safe Ride. The event, which was organized by Nanci Russell and Eileen McCann, helped raise over $1,200 for MAC’s through pledges and donations.

“The Grecos were great, and Guy was very helpful and accommodating. We all had a really great time,” Russell said.

The Bowl-A-Thon marked the end of an era, as the Grecos have announced the closing of the bowling lanes.

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Niccolls Remembrance Service set Dec. 11th

Niccolls Memorial Presbyterian Church will be holding a special “Service of Remembrance” on Tuesday, December 11 at 7 p.m. During this season, the community is invited to take the time to gather for a reflective moment of worship through candlelight, mediation, and quiet remembrance.

It is designed for those who are grieving, lonely, or facing challenges this Christmas time.

“All are welcome as we seek hope and light in the midst of our darkness,” said Niccolls Church Pastor Lawrence Bartel. Niccolls Memorial Church is located at 228 Crosby Blvd. in Old Forge next to the library.

 

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