Adirondack Center for Writing Presents

Crossword Tournament

Saturday, May 31, 1 – 4 pm

Join us forthe first Adirondack Center for Writing Crossword Tournament! Bring your pencils to Hex and Hop Brewing, where you’ll race to complete soon-to-be published puzzles generously provided to ACW by The New York Times. 

Join emcee Ken Aaron (the 123rd-fastest crossword solver in the world) while competing as an individual ($40 entry) or in a team of two ($75 entry). Scoring is based on speed and accuracy; top finishers will square off in a final, Sunday-length puzzle. All proceeds support ACW and its mission to inspire the love of writing, reading, and storytelling.

Tickets are HERE.

Hex and Hop Brewing, 1719 State Route 3, Bloomingdale

250 Years Later, A Historic Reunion at Fort Ticonderoga

Benedict Arnold’s and John Stevens’ Revolutionary War Letters Reunited for the First Time in Centuries

On the 250th anniversary of a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War, Fort Ticonderoga announces the reunion of two extraordinary documents: a letter from Benedict Arnold to Captain John Stevens dated May 21, 1775, and Stevens’ reply written two days later. These letters, separated for centuries, are now together within Fort Ticonderoga’s archives—offering new insights into the tense and transformative days following America’s first victory in the Revolution.

The newly acquired Benedict Arnold letter—a significant bequest made by the late Mr. George M. Jones III, longtime supporter, former Board of Trustees member, and Chairman of the Collections Committee—was written from Ticonderoga just days after Arnold’s dramatic raid on the British fort at St. John’s, where he captured the only British sloop on Lake Champlain. Flush with success, Arnold declared “we are masters of the Lake” and urged Captain John Stevens to send provisions and enlist men to support his next move—securing Crown Point and its valuable cannon.

Along the way, Arnold crossed paths with his rival Ethan Allen, whose own attempt to seize St. John’s ended in failure. A slightly smug Arnold reported, “Col. Allen & his Party is Just Arivd… & were obliged to make a precipitate Retreat… They have returned without Provision, & much Fatigued.”

Stevens’ reply—already preserved in Fort Ticonderoga’s archives—strikes a more sobering tone. While reinforcements of food were arriving from Albany, local resistance made troop recruitment difficult: “The People Below Opposed Inlisting men among them,” he wrote.

Learn more HERE.

Ft. Ticonderoga, 102 Fort Ti Road, Ticonderoga

Lake Placid School of Dance Presents

Spring Recital

A Showcase of Student Talent

May 31, 2025, 12 pm

The recital will feature students in all levels, from Creative Movement (starting at age 3) through Level 5 (high school).

Purchase tickets HERE.

Lake Placid Center for the Arts, 17 Algonquin Drive, Lake Placid

The Strand Center for the Arts Presents

Completely Stranded: Replaced by AI

Saturday, May 31, 2025,  7:30 pm

Plattsburgh’s quick-witted improv troupe faces its ultimate challenge: artificial intelligence with a comedy complex.

In this high-energy, off-the-cuff comedy show, the performers of Completely Stranded are ready to bring the laughs—until they start getting mysteriously replaced by AI-generated “comedians.” Can a chatbot do a proper spit-take? Will an algorithm understand a pun? Can machine learning survive the chaos of live improv? Can a robot keep up in “Party Quirks”? Will an algorithm master “Sound Effects”? Can machine learning handle live comedy… or just crash and burn?

Find out more and get tickets HERE.

Strand Center for the Arts, 25 Brinkerhoff Street, Plattsburgh

Juniper Sculpture Park Presents

Also from Juniper Sculpture Park …

Let’s Take it Outside

June 1, 2024

Opening reception June 1, 2024 from 12 – 5

Juniper Sculpture Park is pleased to present new work by five contemporary American artists in Let’s Take it Outside.

For Let’s Take it Outside, featured artists Sarah E. Johnson-Brown, Shannon Cleere, Patty Meriam, Adria Zal , and Jamie Zimchek offer different interpretations of the human condition through an exploration of themes such as impermanence, body image, the natural world, life cycles, and subliminal social narratives. In addition to the outdoor exhibit, a selection of additional works by participating artists will be on view temporarily in the adjacent studio space.

Juniper Sculpture Park is a 40 acre woodland preserve with posted walking trails and contemporary sculpture. Let’s Take it Outside will add six temporary pieces to the existing collection.

Juniper Sculpture Park,  75 Fjord Dr, Plattsburgh

Black Birders Week Celebration

Saturday, May 31, 2025, 7:30 am –  1:30 pm

Join the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, a program of ANCA, and John Brown Lives! for a special day of birding at this amazing hotspot — once the home and final resting place of abolitionist John Brown—as we come together in community, especially honoring and welcoming Black birders.

The event will feature guided bird walks, guest speakers, and activities specially designed for children and families. Participants will also receive tours of the historic site and the Timbuctoo exhibit, highlighting African American roots in the Adirondacks. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Full details HERE.

John Brown Farm State Historic Site, 115 John Brown Road, Lake Placid

Black Birders Week Celebration

Saturday, May 31, 2025, 7:30 am –  1:30 pm

Join the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, a program of ANCA, and John Brown Lives! for a special day of birding at this amazing hotspot — once the home and final resting place of abolitionist John Brown—as we come together in community, especially honoring and welcoming Black birders.

The event will feature guided bird walks, guest speakers, and activities specially designed for children and families. Participants will also receive tours of the historic site and the Timbuctoo exhibit, highlighting African American roots in the Adirondacks. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Full details HERE.

John Brown Farm State Historic Site, 115 John Brown Road, Lake Placid