Bell Fire Arts Collective presents

SpeakEazy Storytelling Open Mic

Wednesday, August 13, 7 pm

The Sign Up list opens at 6:45 (if you want to tell a story). Or add your name to the list at anytime during the event.

Come and tell a story or just listen as friends, neighbors and visitors from all walks of life and backgrounds come together and share personal stories in a relaxed and fun event free from pressure or judgment.

No experience necessary. No Theme. No Critique. No scoring. You don’t need to prepare. Any story is perfect.

Learn more HERE.

Old Soul, 124 Margaret Street, Plattsburgh

The Old Forge Library’s Music in the Gazebo Series Presents

Mad Agnes

Tuesday, August 12, 4 pm

The Old Forge Library’s Music in the Gazebo Series continues  with a live performance by Mad Agnes, a nationally known touring group.  Hailing from Connecticut, they are known for their intricate harmonies, compelling songwriting, and passionate performances.  This genre-bending trio—Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones, and Mark Saunders—fuses contemporary folk with hints of Celtic tradition, vocal improvisation, and masterful arrangements. The result is an engaging, inclusive performance that defies easy categorization and delights audiences everywhere they play.

The library lawn provides the perfect setting for this relaxed summer afternoon performance. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or folding chairs and enjoy the spacious grounds surrounding the gazebo. If the weather is uncooperative, the large tent on the lawn will be available to ensure the show goes on.

Old Forge Library, 220 Crosby Blvd, Old Forge

Great Camp Sagamore Summer Concert Series presents 

Ordinary Elephant

Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 7:15 - 8:30 pm

Mesmerizing folk duo Ordinary Elephant has spent the better part of the last decade on a never-ending tour that’s earned married couple Crystal and Pete Damore widespread, critical acclaim. In 2017, the pair took home the International Folk Music Award for Artist of the Year on the strength of their breakout album, Before I Go. Two years later, they returned with the similarly lauded Honest, which the Associated Press hailed as “one of the best Americana albums of the year.”

The band’s new stripped-down, self-titled collection is the purest distillation of their sound, showcasing the arresting power of the couple’s gorgeous harmonies and intricate fretwork. The songs are timeless, rooted in rich, character-driven storytelling, and the performances are similarly transportive, fueled by delicately intertwined banjo, guitar, and octave mandolin. Listen and you will hear more than just a husband-and-wife duo; you’ll hear the sound of sincerity and commitment, of patience and gratitude, of learning to let go of expectation and revel in the simple beauty of the moment.

Additional details and register HERE.

Great Camp Sagamore, 1105 Sagamore Road, Raquette Lake

Tannery Pond Center’s Summer Concert Series presents

The Plate Scrapers 

Traditional Spirit, Progressive Pickin’ Bluegrass Music

Thursday, August 14, 7:30

Born from the tradition of Bluegrass jams and potlucks, The Plate Scrapers—Derek Kretzer (banjo), Andrew Jordan (guitar), Robbie Mann (fiddle), Jody Mosser (dobro), and Kevin Johnson (bass)—have been putting in the work and showcasing their love for the genre since 2014. They have since released 3 studio albums, 3 live albums, and have toured relentlessly up and down the east coast and into the midwest. In 2019, they won the Podunk Bluegrass Telefunken Band Contest. They have been featured on WAMU Bluegrass Country Radio, performed as an IBMA Official Showcase artist, and their latest release, Destination Horizon (2020) debuted at #9 on the Bluegrass Album Billboard charts with rave reviews from Bluegrass Today. 

Additional details and purchase tickets HERE.

Tannery Pond Community Center, 228 Main Street, North Creek

The View Arts Center presents

The Half Moon Orchestra

Sunday, August 10, 4 – 6 pm

Under the baton of Michael DiMeo, The Half Moon Orchestra brings a professional’s musicality along with a music lover’s passion to every concert they play!  In this program of primarily classics, there are also some crossover surprises tossed in for variety–perhaps a film score, or even a video game soundtrack!  This is no traditional chamber orchestra! 

Tickets are HERE.

The View Arts Center, 3273 State Route 28, Old Forge

In Case You Missed It

Art and activism: portraits of ‘truth tellers’ arrive to Lake Placid.

 Maine artist’s “Americans Who Tell the Truth” paintings take center stage

at John Brown Farm

The Adirondack Explorer shared David Escobar’s interview with Maine-based artist Robert Shetterly whose paintings of activists and changemakers are part of a traveling exhibit titled Americans Who Tell the Truth. 

Read the full articleHERE.

Image: About 20 of Robert Shetterly’s portraits surround the gravesite area at John Brown State Historic Site in Lake Placid. Photo by David Escobar.