Fife & Drum Corps Muster Spans Centuries

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. - Over its ‘occupied years’ the walls at Fort Ticonderoga would have echoed with the sounds of military music from the French, British and the Revolutionary troops who shaped the North Country and America’s history. Today, the same is true but the music emanates from a single source, the Fort Ticonderoga Fife & Drum Corps.

All that changes when the Fort Ti Corps hosts other groups from around the Northeast at the annual Fort Ticonderoga Muster on the Parade Ground. This year’s muster is slated for Saturday, Aug. 1, and will feature nine corps in all. The additional groups will extend the range of the military music all the way through the Civil War.

Joining the Fort’s Corps for the 2009 Muster are the East Hampton 3rd Connecticut Regiment of Fifes & Drums; Green Mountain Fife & Drum Corps; Seth Warner Mount Independence Fife & Drum Corps; Hanaford’s Volunteers, VT, the 3rd New Jersey Field Music; Colonial Musketeers Fife & Drum Corps, NJ, and Fort George Fife & Drum Corps, Ontario, Canada.

The music will start at 10 a.m. and will continue throughout the day with a rousing finale at 3:30 p.m. Saturday evening at the Hancock House visitors will be treated to a twilight performance as all the units perform a short historical timeline.

Much more than entertainment for the troops of old, a fife and drum corps was a communication tool, calling soldiers to meet, sending signals and sounding out warnings. Fort Ticonderoga’s Corps performs several times daily during July and August and during special functions throughout the year. Drum Major Mike Edson (an elementary school teacher in real life) leads the group of local teens with authentic commands and regulation maneuvers. Fort Ti’s Corps’ parade uniforms that have been funded in by The Stevens Family Fund for the Fife and Drum Corps and others donors and are authentic handmade reproductions of the French Royal-Rousillion and American First New York Regiment. The visiting corps will dress in period uniforms too, as they play military and popular tunes from the Americas Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and Civil War.

Fort Ticonderoga & The King’s Garden are a not-for-profit private site which is open daily from 9:30 to 5:00. The Log House Restaurant and Gift Shop is also open at those times. The admission is $15 for adults, $13.50 for seniors and $7 for children seven to 12. Children 6 and younger are admitted free. Local residents are always welcome to visit the Fort at no charge. See FortTiconderoga.org for a full schedule of family and children’s programs and special events.

Birthday Party for Fort Ticonderoga

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. – It was one hundred years ago that Fort Ticonderoga first opened its gates to the public. The occasion was the 1909 Tercentenary of the landing of Samuel de Champlain and President Howard Taft spoke from the steps of the Pavilion Hotel on the fort grounds.

Now, as the North Country celebrates the Quadricentennial of Champlain’s landing the Fort is having a 100th Birthday Party. On Friday, July 24, guests can join the fun and indulge in cake and refreshments while enjoying music from Atlantic Crossing. The party will take place in the new Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center.

From those early days when restoration of the west barracks had just begun until July of 2008 the fort has been in a constant state being restored to its original French skyline. With that effort complete in the opening of the mars Center, Fort Ticonderoga begins its second century of bringing history alive to an untold number of future generations. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for children 7-12 and can be reserved by phone at 585-2821. Younger children are admitted at no charge.

The Fort’s 100th season is full of activities, family programs, tours and more, in both the King’s Garden and the fort. Fort Ticonderoga is a private not-for-profit site maintained by membership, grants, gifts and ticket sales. All the information is available at FortTiconderoga.org .

Westport Heritage Festival Celebrates the Champlain Quadricentennial with “400 Years of Boating”

WESTPORT, N.Y. --- The 10th annual Westport Heritage Festival will take place Saturday, Aug. 8, and will celebrate 400 years of boating on Lake Champlain. The festival, which benefits the Westport Heritage House, begins at 10 a.m. with a fun race from Camp Dudley to Ballard Park and concludes with a fireworks display, beginning at 9:30 p.m. In between, there’s plenty of activity for the entire family.

“This is the single fundraiser for the Heritage House and it’s a great event that brings together the entire community,” remarked Nancy Decker, the festival’s chairwoman. “Each year there’s a lot to see and do, but this year I’m particularly excited because of many of the new activities and events.”

One of the new events added to the festival is the bike decorating contest. Youngsters are encouraged to bring their bike decorated in one of three categories, funniest, most patriotic and back to the future, to be judged at the Ballard Park pavilion, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The Westport Quadricentennial Committee is also looking for items to place in its time capsule that will be ‘buried’ during the festival. “We would like to have items that represent our town,” stated Decker. “We’re still trying to find an appropriate place to ‘bury’ the capsule, but this is a way to leave Westport’s historical footprint behind for the future.”

Other events highlighting the festival include the Lake Champlain antique and classic boat show with a parade of boats and the Lois McClure at the marina, the Philadelphia II at the Yacht Club dock, the Plein Air silent auction and the themed basket silent auction. In addition there will be a wide array of music performed at the Ballard Pavilion.

The line-up features the Dudley Rhythm Ramblers, from 1:30-2:30 p.m., James Mayo with the Dudley Choir, from 2:30-3:30 p.m., and Atlantic Crossing, from 7-9 p.m. There will also be music at the Yacht Club dock, from 2:00-4:00, with Chris Layer and Pete Sutherland.

Access to the festival is free with tokens being sold near the beverage tent for the food. Raffle tickets and pins can also be purchased and all proceeds benefit the Westport Heritage House. For more information, log on to www.westportny.com or contact Nancy Decker at 518.962.4805, or by e-mail, decker2@westelcom.com.

Got Barbeque?

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Barbeque teams from throughout the country, Canada and even Great Britain return to Lake Placid and the Olympic oval to fill the air with the sweet smell of barbeque and hickory smoke when they cook and compete in the fourth annual Lake Placid— I Love Barbeque Festival. The three-day, food-fest begins Friday, July 3, at 5 p.m. and continues throughout the weekend.

“I can’t think of any better way to spend the July 4th weekend than with family, friends and barbeque,” stated the festival’s director of operations Dmitry Feld. “This is an event that’s created to bring together the community and family to celebrate all that’s American… barbeque, plus raise money for an important organization.”

Proceeds from the festival benefit the Shipman Youth Center of Lake Placid, a not-for-profit community organization providing support to children and youth ages 10-18 through a supervised safe and exciting environment where local children can grow and develop as individuals. Now in its fourth year, more than 8,000 people have attended the event and raised more than $20-thousand per year.

A new addition to the weekend festival is the first-ever junior world championship barbeque competition. During the junior world championship event, barbequers, between the ages of 16-21, will compete for big scholarship money from Paul Smith’s College. The gold medal winning team and individuals will receive a $10-thousand scholarship from the school, while the silver medal winning team will earn a $6-thousand scholarship and the third place team a $5-thousand scholarship. Although the school specializes in hospitality, resort and tourism management, culinary arts and service management, the teams can use the scholarship money for any of the college's programs of study.

“This event has taken the festival to a new level and is another reason for people to come to Lake Placid and to this event,” remarked Feld.

Also highlighting the festival is Saturday’s, July 4, “Buck-a-Rib” contest, where visitors can taste an assortment of ribs from 26 competing teams for just $1.00 apiece, and Sunday’s, July 5, grand championship and New York state title cook-off. The winner will earn an automatic berth into the American Royal barbeque contest, in September, In Kansas City, Mo.

Admissions into the fourth annual Lake Placid-I Love Barbeque Festival is $6.00 for adults and children 12 and under are admitted free. In addition to great food and barbeque, the festival will feature music, food demonstrations and plenty of other activities for families and children. For more information, log on to www.ilbbqf.com.

The Olympian Celebrity Golf Classic Set to Tee it Up for a 9th Year

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Many of the area's best golfers and several of the area's… not so best golfers will team with U.S. Olympic athletes and other celebrities in the ninth annual Olympian Celebrity Golf Classic, Thursday, June 18. The four-person team scramble, held at the Craig Wood Golf Course, in Lake Placid, N.Y., benefits the United Way of Clinton & Essex Counties.

"Outside of the annual campaign, this is our biggest fundraiser," remarked Shirley O’Connell, the tournament’s chair and director. “Each year the tournament raises over $10-thousand, so I can easily that this event has raised more than $90-thousand for the two counties.”

Thirty, three-person teams from across northern New York have signed up to tee it up with Olympians including 2002 Olympic bobsled silver medalist Todd Hayes, 1998 Olympic ski jumper Casey Colby and Joe-Pete Wilson, a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Nordic team and 1965 four-man bobsled world championship bronze medalist. The celebrity field also features Olympic broadcasters Tim Singer and John Morgan and the newly crowned women’s singles luge world champion Erin Hamlin, who also slid in the 2006 Olympic Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

“This is a tremendous event and a terrific opportunity for friends and supporters of the United Way to have a truly enjoyable day,” remarked John Bernardi, the executive director of the United Way of Clinton and Essex Counties. “In one way it’s an opportunity to raise money and awareness for the United Way, but it’s also a celebration of this area’s rich Olympic heritage that can only be found in this area.”

Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Craig Wood course and the tournament begins with the shotgun start at 10 a.m. The Jack Shea Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the first place gross team and the Mike Mannix Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the first place net team. After the round of golf a steak and chicken barbeque will be served, along with drawing for prizes.

Space is still available for six additional three-person teams. If you would like to sponsor a team contact Ms. O’Connell at 518.563.8450. For more information, log on to www.unitedwayce.org.

Lake Placid Horse Show Celebrates 40 Years

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Almost a half-million dollars will be at stake when the world’s best equestrians return to Lake Placid, N.Y., and the North Elba showgrounds, June 23 through July 5, to compete in the annual Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows. The shows’ two grand prix events, the RV Sales of Broward Grandprix of Lake Placid, Sunday, June 28, and the Hermès Grandprix, Saturday, July 4, feature prize purses of $75,000 apiece.

The two Lake Placid horse shows are regarded among the top stops on the national tour and often bring in the best riders including two-time Olympic team gold medalist McLain Ward; three-time Olympic medalist Joe Fargis; 1996 Olympic team silver medalists Anne Kursinski and Peter Leone and 2000 Olympians Nona Garson and Margie Engle. The rider who comes away with the most prize money from the two grand prix events will also receive the Richard and Diana Feldman Perpetual Challenge Trophy for Excellence.

Admission to the events is $2.00 on weekdays and $5.00 on weekends. Spectators who show their Price Chopper “Advantedge” card will receive 50 percent off. In addition to the daily jumping and the two grand prix events, both shows offer a full array of activities including behind the scene tours, the 17th annual doggie costume contest, kids days, raffles, giveaways and autograph sessions with the riders.

For more information about both the 40th annual Lake Placid Horse Show, June 23-28, and the I Love New York Horse Show, July 1-5, log on to www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com.

State Police and Officials Work Together to Get Road Construction done on Route 73

NORTH ELBA, N.Y. --- The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that a 2.5-mile long stretch of Route 73, between Stagecoach Rock and the beginning of the three-lane section west of Keene, known as the “Cascades,” is scheduled to be re-surfaced beginning in late-June or early-July. The project was scheduled after local officials had become concerned about deteriorating road condition for both motorists and for the athletes training and competing in the July 26 Ironman race.

“This was a tremendous effort at all levels of state government, from our local officials to our representatives in Albany,” said James McKenna, president/CEO of the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau. “A great deal of credit goes to Major Richard Smith, the commander of the Troop “B” State Police headquarters in Ray Brook, for bringing this to the attention of the state, county and local officials as a public safety issue for the athletes and motoring public that share most of the roadways used during the Ironman. This road also serves as a ‘first impression’ of what visitors have when they visit the region.”

The resurfacing work will be done in time for the 11th-annual race, which traditionally brings in 2,200 athletes and their friends and families to the region. The world will be done using one-way, alternating traffic operations controlled by flag people. Motorists are advised to proceed through the area with caution.

Travelers Looking for Adventure Fun this Summer

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Camping, boating, hiking, biking or visiting museums, how are you and your family going to spend your summer vacation?

“Travelers are being a little more value conscious and want the best possible experience for their dollars and time,” noted James McKenna, president/CEO of the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau. “These are cost conscious activities for the entire family and since we’re located in the middle of this country’s biggest outdoor playground, we’re situated well for a good summer.”

Two recent surveys support McKenna’s claim and point that U.S. travelers will be going a little leaner and greener this summer.

An AOL and Zogby International poll, of more than 2,000 travelers, showed that 52 percent of those surveyed said that they have smaller vacation budgets for this year, when compared to last year, and 30 percent went on to say that they would be spending $1,000.00 or less when vacationing. The Trip Advisor poll, of 3,000 U.S. travelers, showed similar findings. Seventy-three percent of U.S. respondents said they plan to visit a national park in 2009, up from 62 percent one year ago. Fifty-three percent will go hiking in the coming year, up from 50 percent last year, while 47 percent of those surveyed plan to engage in an adventure activity, an increase from 40 percent in 2008.

“We shouldn’t be alarmed by these two surveys, but that doesn’t mean that lodging in the region shouldn’t be more creative to attract customers,” remarked McKenna. “Market trends are showing that packages are attracting customers, and you don’t have to look too far to see that properties are noticing and adjusting. Just the other day, I saw that the Sagamore in Bolton Landing (New York) had rooms and packages starting as low as $119.00 a night. The competition is fierce in this industry right now, and properties need to determine how they will position themselves to attract business.”

The Lake Placid region’s proximity to major metro markets may have helped it weather this past winter. While several vacation destinations including Hawaii, Las Vegas and Orlando saw significant declines in visitations in 2008 and during the first quarter of 2009, the Lake Placid region only felt a small decline in occupancy tax collections from the same time last year, however; it’s well ahead of what was taken in during the first quarter of 2007.

“It’s a slight advantage being situated near major urban centers, just 200 to 300 miles, from cities like New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal,” noted McKenna. “It does give us a bit of an edge over several other travel and ‘fly-to’ destination so our proximity to major New England, Mid-Atlantic and Canadian metro areas bodes well for the Adirondacks.

“So far this year most of our online reservations are from people who live within a six-hour driving distance and the reduced gas prices have allowed visitors to seek destinations closer to home”

McKenna also believes that the wide array of summer activities and events should continue to attract visitors to the region. Some of what’s happening in the area include the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows, the annual Saranac Lake Rugby Tournament, the lacrosse tournaments, as well as both the Lake Placid Marathon and half marathon and the Lake Placid Ironman.

The July 26 Ironman race has become the leading revenue producing event in our county, with an estimated $10-million in direct spending leading up to and during the race weekend. This includes $375-thousand generated in Essex County sales tax.

5th Annual Lake Placid Marathon Kicks Off Lake Placid Summer Racing Season

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Lake Placid’s summer race season “officially” kicks off the weekend of June 12 through 14 when 2,000 runners participate in the fifth annual Lake Placid Marathon. Runners from over 45 states and five countries including Canada, Chile, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, are set to run. The Sunday, June 14, event includes a 26.2-mile long marathon, 13.1-mile half marathon or the 26.2-mile long marathon relay.

In only five years, the race’s field has doubled in size and the event has quickly become one of the most popular races in the Northeast. This year’s general entry for the Lake Placid marathon, half marathon and marathon relay was sold out on April 29.

“Runners love Lake Placid and our races are geared towards a wide range of athletic abilities,” noted co-race director Brad Konkler. “Obviously, the July Ironman and the half-marathon event in the fall have been huge successes, but co-race director Jeff Edwards and I thought that there was still room for another race, especially in the early season. This race also fills the town on what would be a quiet weekend.”

The race weekend events begin Saturday, June 13, with a free kid’s race on the Olympic Speed skating oval, beginning at 2 p.m., while the Lake Placid Film Forum’s screening of “Run For Your Life” will be seen at 4 p.m. at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. Sunday’s race begins at 8 a.m., with a shotgun start, in front of the speed skating oval. All races end at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.

“The weekend is about much more than the race, it provides a weekend Adirondack experience for friends and family,” added Konkler. “In addition to this there are a number of charitable organizations who also benefit from this race, including Team in Training (TNT), Run for Dad and the Lake Placid Outing Club. Last year TNT and Run for Dad used the event to raise over $400,000 for cancer research and awareness.”

Once the gun sounds, thousands of runners will make their way along Main St. and through the center of town for the first half mile. The field will then proceed clockwise around Mirror Lake and proceed out to Route 73 before doing a 2.8-mile out and back on River Rd for the first loop. All three races will end in the speed skating oval.

For more information about the fifth annual Lake Placid Marathon, log on to www.lakeplacidmarathon.com.

On Foot or on Bike, they Climb Whiteface Mountain

WILMINGTON, N.Y. --- Runners and cyclists will ascend Whiteface Mountain in a pair of races scheduled for June. Runners will climb 3,500 feet up the scenic Whiteface Mountain Veteran’s Memorial Highway during the 32nd Annual Whiteface Uphill Foot Race scheduled for Sunday, June 7, while cyclists will try to tackle New York State’s fifth highest peak during the eighth Annual Whiteface Uphill Bike Race. This almost eight-mile long race is slated for Saturday, June 20.

More than 170 runners from six states and Canada are set to run up Whiteface on June 7. Last year, husband and wife Robert and Kim Douglas, of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., took top honors. Robert Douglas was the top male finisher when he covered the 7.9-mile course in one hour, 3-minutes, and 15-seconds. Kim Douglas beat all the women runners to the top of the Olympic mountain when she clocked a time of 1:21:42. The top runners from this race will also have the opportunity to be crowned King or Queen of the mountain if they choose to compete in the uphill bike event.

Almost 300 cyclists are expected to peddle 7.8 miles up the memorial highway en route to the finish line, and most will do it in less than an hour. The Whiteface Mountain race is also the first of nine events making up the 2009 Bike Up the Mountain Point Series (BUMPS). Cyclists are automatically registered for BUMPS when they participate for any of the nine races, and earn points based on the difficulty of the race and their finish. The cumulative elevation gain for all nine races is more than 27,000 feet.

For the second consecutive year, a portion of each bike racer’s registration will benefit the Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS). Founded in 1982, BIANYS is one of the oldest state affiliates for the Brain Injury Association of America. This non-profit organization advocates on behalf of individuals with brain injury and their families.

A barbeque lunches for racers and spectators will be held at the Wilmington town beach following each race. These races are organized and run annually by the Whiteface Mountain Regional Visitors Bureau and through the efforts of countless volunteers and local businesses. For more information about the 32nd Annual Whiteface Uphill Foot Race and the eighth Annual Whiteface Uphill Bike Race, log on to www.whitefacenewyork.com.