We Are Instrumental 3rd Annual Music Summit

A one-of-a-kind celebration of music education, performance and community

More than 400 middle and high school musicians from 15 North Country schools converged on Ausable Valley High school on Friday, October 10 for the 3rd Annual Music Summit presented by We Are Instrumental.

They were joined by 20+ nationally and regionally recognized artists and educators.

The music summit is intended to inspire, mentor and equip young musicians through direct interaction with professional clinicians, fostering excellence, opportunity and inspiration on the arts.

The full day summit began with an exuberant community welcome, followed by master classes and teaching sessions with clinicians and closed with a fabulous showcase with all participants.

More details are HERE.

Learn more about We Are InstrumentalHERE.

Images: Top: Over 400 middle and high school musicians participated in We Are Instrumental’s  3rd Annual Music Summit. Above left: WAI Executive Director & Founder Evan Mack welcomes musicians and clinicians at the summit’s opening.

Keeseville Community Arts Festival to Transition to Keeseville Free Library Leadership in 2026

AdkAction and the Keeseville Free Library are pleased to announce that the Keeseville Community Arts Festival, a beloved celebration of arts and community, will transition to new leadership beginning in 2026. The Library will now serve as the lead organizer of the event, with AdkAction providing support throughout the transition year.

The 2026 Keeseville Community Arts Festival will take place with a week of community events leading up to the main festival day on Saturday, July 18, 2026, also marking the 100th anniversary of the Keeseville Free Library.

The festival, first launched by AdkAction in 2018, began as a plein air painting event and has since grown into a dynamic, multi-day celebration that brings together over 40 artists, local businesses, and over 500 community members and visitors each year. Survey feedback from the 2025 festival showed overwhelming community pride and excitement, with attendees praising the event for its art, people, and ability to strengthen Keeseville’s identity.

The Library will host a volunteer meeting on October 29 to engage residents, artists, and local organizations interested in contributing to the planning process. For more information about this meeting, visit HERE or the Keeseville Free Library’s Facebook page HERE.

The View Arts Center presents

Halloween Family Night – Painting Coasters and Pizza

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 5 – 7 pm

Join us in Gould Hall for an evening of family fun painting spooky Halloween coasters!  Each registration receives 4 cork coasters to paint with acrylic paint. This is a kids friendly event and we will provide free pizza and refreshments. Please indicate in the registration form the size of your group so that we have enough pizza!

Register HERE.

View Arts Center, 3273 State Route 28, Old Forge

Old Forge Library presents Short Film Screening

More Than You Can Know by Naomi Guttman

Tuesday, October 21, 5:30 pm

More Than You Can Know was recently honored with the award for “Best Short Documentary, Canada” at the Toronto International Nollywood Festival.

While clearing out the attic of her family home, Canadian-American writer Naomi Guttman came across bundles of love letters exchanged during her parents’ transatlantic courtship. Using these letters along with home-movie footage, photographs, and refreshingly open interviews about love, fidelity, and gender roles, Guttman shares the story of a sixty-four-year marriage between two doctors whose bond is tested over time. Inspired by the work of filmmakers Alan Berliner, Judith Helfand, and Sarah Polley, the film offers an intimate and moving portrait of a complex relationship.

Naomi Guttman was born and raised in Montréal, Canada, and is the author of three books of poetry, including The Banquet of Donny & Ari: Scenes From the Opera (Brick Books). She teaches literature and creative writing at Hamilton College. Guttman is no stranger to the Adirondacks—she led the library’s Summer Writers Workshop in 2023 and is a past recipient of the Adirondack Center for Writing’s Literary Award for Poetry. More Than You Can Know marks her debut as a filmmaker.

Also at the Old Forge Library…

Wednesday Night Crafts

The Old Forge Library, located at 220 Crosby Blvd., is excited to announce a brand-new lineup of free crafting projects for the ever-popular Wednesday Night Crafts. These creative evenings will have a festive seasonal focus, featuring projects inspired by the seasons and by holidays, including Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Diwali, Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving,  Hanukkah, and Christmas. Sessions begin at 5 pm and are designed to offer a fun, social atmosphere for all ages.

In October, participants can look forward to crafting bubble wrap corn for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 15, Diwali quilling on October 22, and a mummy candy bowl on October 29.  

Left: Diwali quilling. Right: Mummy Candy bowl.

The November lineup continues the seasonal theme with Veterans Day poppies on November 5, a pie garland on November 12, and pinecone turkeys on November 19.

December will wrap up the year with a pipe cleaner Christmas tree on December 3, a nutcracker ornament on December 10, and a recycled Oui jar Hanukkah menorah on December 17.

These craft nights are open to everyone and are both family and senior-friendly. Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult. While all supplies are provided at no cost, quantities are limited, so participants are encouraged to reserve their spot in advance. 

To sign up for one or multiple sessions, please call the library at 315-369-6008 or email oldforge@midyork.org.

The Old Forge Library, 220 Crosby Blvd, Old Forge

The Mill welcomes the nation’s first-ever music semester  program to the North Country

The Mill will host two events with students from Kinhaven Music School’s inaugural semester program. The Mill’s creative director Taylor Haskins says, “It’s essential to our mission that The Mill becomes an accessible resource to the North Country’s students. We encourage relationships with our local schools and universities so that students can experience the world-class music and contemporary visual art that we offer, and also welcome opportunities for students to perform in our space.” 

The four-month residential experience for high-school musicians launched in August and focuses on chamber music, performance, and holistic learning in a creative, community-driven setting. Offered in partnership with Burr and Burton Academy (BBA) in Manchester, VT, the program combines academic coursework at BBA with intensive musical study at Kinhaven, allowing students to grow both artistically and academically in the heart of Vermont. Each weekend the students and their faculty, Trillium String Quartet, travel across Southern Vermont to share the spirit of the program with the broader community in free public performances.  

On October 31 and November 1, The Mill will welcome the Kinhaven Semester Music Program for their only performances in New York. First, they will appear as musical ghosts at Mill-O-Ween, The Mill’s tuneful trick-or-treat event, haunting the halls with their string instruments. On Saturday, November 1, the students and faculty will perform a program of chamber music starting at 5 pm.

Learn the full press release HERE.

Find out more about The Mill  HERE.

The Mill, 6679 Main Street, Westport

Saranac Lake Hootenanny

The Hootenanny is a weekly gathering of musicians at The Garagery in Saranac Lake.

Hosted and produced by Charlie Reinertsen of Twolined Studio, musicians and listeners are welcome Monday nights at The Garagery from 6:30 – 9:30 pm for a night of featured artists, open mic performances, and the SL’oo Line. Every Featured Artist performance is filmed and available for streaming, and the Open Mic is filmed on the first Monday of the month.

The Garagery, 53 Main Street, Rear, Saranac Lake

Tahawus Center Call for Workshop Proposals

for 2025-2026