Daily Archives: January 10, 2013

Ice Fest returns this weekend to Raquette and Long Lakes

Ice Sculpture Work

Ice Sculpture Work

World-renowned ice sculptor Stan Kolonko from the Ice Farm will be present for the second year at the Ice Fest event at Raquette Lake and Long Lake on Friday and Saturday, January 11 and 12.

Ice Fest festivities will kick-off at noon in Raquette Lake where visitors can cozy up for lunch at the Tap Room before making their way to the Raquette Lake Library to view the first of seven ice sculptures being installed between Raquette and Long Lake by Kolonko.

LongLakeicefestAt 3 p.m., Kolonko will begin his first ice sculpture in Long Lake on behalf of the Long Lake Historical Society.

A sculpture of Mitchell Sabattis will be placed in front of the Town Office building.

The public is welcome to join the artist on the grounds and build a crowd of snowmen. Carrots coal and will be provided for embellishment.

Sculpting will continue on Saturday at 8 a.m. at Hoss’s Country Corner in Long Lake. Hoss’s will host a Taxidermy Attire contest to be judged at 9 a.m.

The best-pelted outfit will win a $20 gift certificate to Hoss’s Country Corner.

Hoss’s will also be offering free coffee all day in celebration of Ice Fest activities in Long Lake.

The next carve site for Kolonko will be the Shamrock Motel at 10 a.m.  Continue reading →

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Maddie Phaneuf places 5th at Junior Biathlon Team Trials in Minn.

Maddie Phaneuf, right, at the award podium

Maddie Phaneuf, right, at the award podium

Town of Webb School senior and biathlete, Maddie Phaneuf, made the trek to Mt. Itasca in Minnesota over Christmas break to compete in the Youth/Junior World Champion-ship Team Trials where she placed fifth overall in her age group.

Accompanied by her Junior Development Biathlon Coach Algis Shalna of Williston, VT and her father, Joe, Maddie demonstrated her cross-country ski and rifle marksmanship skills during the competition which took place from December 26 through 31.

Competing amongst a field of 14 racers in the female ages 17 to 20 class, Maddie took a third place finish in two of three races over a three-day period.

Her combined results earned her fifth place in her age category.

Maddie will follow-up her performance in Minnesota with a trip to Canada to compete in the NorAm Quebec Cup #3 in Valcartier, Quebec from January 18 through 20.  Continue reading →

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VIEW: World class fiddler bringing band for January 17th performance

April Verch Band

April Verch Band

The April Verch Band will bring a high-energy show of fiddling, singing and step dancing to View on Thursday, January 17.

The band, which mixes traditional Canadian tunes with historic Appalachian ballads, is led by Canadian fiddle champion April Verch.

Verch is the first woman in history to win both of her homeland’s most prestigious fiddle championships—the Grand Masters and Canadian Open.

Her reputation as a world class fiddler led to a performance at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver where she was invited to be part of “Fiddle Nation,” which showcased Canada’s fiddle tradition.

Verch, 34, who is also singer, songwriter and step dancer, gained musical inspiration from her father who had a country band.

The culture and tradition of her band’s music resonates with what she grew up with in Canada along with a mix of  roots music—from Bluegrass and Celtic to World Music.

The April Verch Band also includes world-class musicians Hayes Griffin on guitar and Cody Walters on upright-electric bass and banjo.  Continue reading →

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New trails in Moose River Recreation Area nearing completion

The construction of over twelve miles of new snowmobile trails in the Moose River Plains Recreation Area, just north of Inlet, is nearing completion.

Laborers have been working on the trail, the longest ever constructed by the DEC, since late August of 2012.

The construction of this trail was outlined in the Moose River Plains Unit Management Plan, approved in early 2011.

The trails will eventually connect with others in the Sargeant Ponds area, allowing for total land-based passage by snowmobilers, offering a safer alternative to crossing Raquette Lake.

The trails will also be accessible to hikers, bikers and horseback riders in the spring through fall, and will be marked with multi-use blue trail markers.

Tate Connor is a DEC forester who provided oversight for the construction project.

He said a key consideration of the project, per the State Land Master Plan enforced by the APA, was to build a trail appropriate and safe for snowmobiling that also had the characteristics of a foot trail.

An effort to achieve balance had trail architects looking to avoid wetlands, deer wintering areas and steep terrain.

In laying out the trails, Connor handled microbalance issues like keeping the trail high and dry, minimizing tree cutting and the need for terrain work, to create a sustainable trail.

Early in 2013, 20 of the trail’s 27 bridges will be complete.  Continue reading →

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A Couple of Winners…

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Polar Bear nordic skiers, siblings Dawson and Kerissa Dunn of Old Forge, each placed first in their age groups at the NYSEF Nordic Bill Koch Youth Race held Sunday, January 6. The race was held at the Mt. VanHoevenburg cross-country ski trails.

 

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Park Ave. Bldg. Webb board looking to add parking

The Town of Webb Town Board has unanimously passed a resolution that will allow Town Supervisor Ted Riehle to enter into negotiations for a possible land purchase adjacent to the Park Avenue Building that will be used for parking.

The resolution was made at the monthly board meeting held Tuesday, January 8.

Currently there is no designated parking at the Park Avenue Building where the parking lot is shared with St. Bartholomew’s Catholic Church.

Riehle has recently been in discussions with a property owner willing to sell his 80-foot by 100-foot section of the parking lot. The cost to the Town would be approximately $30,000, plus shared closing costs of approximately $3,000.

Riehle said the purchase will be an asset to the community as the Park Avenue Building  is a multi-use facility, housing many town offices and a gymnasium.

“The fact that we don’t own any parking, to me, is troubling. And this would secure a permanent parking solution for the future,” he said.

According to Riehle, if the parking lot is purchased, a large portion of the cost will be covered by funds from the buildings section of the Town Budget.

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Webb names new members to Planning, Zoning Appeals boards

Barbara Green was appointed to the Town of Webb Planning Board at the Town of Webb monthly board meeting on Tuesday, January 8. Her term will run through December 31, 2019. Brian Morgan will serve as an alternate on the board through December 31, 2018.

Also at the meeting, Don McKenna, who was serving as an alternate on the Zoning Board of Appeals, was appointed to fill the remainder of the term of resigning member, Sheila Rivet.

McKenna’s term will run through December 31, 2013.

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