Antique Halloween Postcard, c. 1910. Wikimedia Commons.

An Embarrassment of Riches!

Next Friday, November 7, has three—yes, three!—opening exhibit receptions in the Saranac Lake and Lake Placid areas. With a little organization and/or coordination, you can make all three!

At the Adirondack Artist Guild, Michael Burpoe’s November exhibit opens with a reception from  5 – 8 pm. Beverages will be provided courtesy of Hex & Hops Brewing, with appearances by some very special guests. See below for full details on the exhibit.

NorthWind Fine Arts will hold the opening reception for their 2025 Regional Juried Show from 5 – 7 pm. ADK A&E e-News covered the details on the show in Adirondack A&E e-News # 605 HERE. 

The Arts Center Lake Placid will hold the opening reception for the

Foundations of Change exhibit from 4 – 6 pm in the Annex Gallery. See more about this exhibit below.

How fortunate are we to have three opening receptions close enough to visit all three and see such a collection of fine artwork!

Adirondack Artist Guild presents

Here, Michael Burpoe 

A solo exhibition featuring 25 original watercolor paintings celebrating the culture of Saranac Lake.

Friday, November 7 – Monday, December 1

Opening reception Friday, November 7, 5 – 8 pm

Born and raised in Saranac Lake, Michael creates Adirondack culture paintings both en plein air and in-studio. He signs his work with his middle name, Czerny, a nod to the original spelling of his grandfather’s name, which was changed when he immigrated from Poland. Michael studied Graphic Design at RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, graduating summa cum laude in 2017.

While many of his contemporaries and visiting artists focus on the stunning landscapes and world-class foliage, Michael is drawn to capture the people and culture that make Saranac Lake one-of-a-kind. People who dance in the rain, paddle rivers before the ice recedes, or dress up goat statues just to amuse passersby—these are the people of the North Country who inspire his work.

In May, Michael painted the newest mural in town at 60–62 Broadway, a mural depicting Adirondack legends Verplanck Colvin and Mills Blake surveying what would later become Saranac Lake. This project helped cement Michael’s role in the local arts scene and contributed to him being awarded Best Artist in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise’s 2025 Best of the Mountains.

Michael believes that the imperfections of a painting tell a story better than a photograph ever could. Each year, he partners with local groups and events to create illustrations that raise funds or awareness for beloved traditions. He has collaborated with the Lawn Chair Ladies, the Ice Palace Workers (IPW-101), and continues to celebrate community events such as Dewey Dubs, Party on the Patio, and the Northern Current Music Festival—sometimes painting live, always dancing. Michael joined the Adirondack Artists Guild in January 2025, where he now maintains a rotating installation of his work. 

Adirondack Artists Guild, 52 Main St., Saranac Lake

Arts Center Lake Placid presents

Foundations of Change

Friday, November 7 – Friday, December 19, 2025

Opening reception Friday, November 7, 4 – 6 pm

n celebration of the exciting changes at the Arts Center—and marking the first exhibition in the Annex Gallery—this show embraces the art of transition, both seasonal and structural.

Through a rich tapestry of perspectives, the exhibition reflects on transformation itself: the turning of seasons, the reshaping of place, and the beauty that arises in times of change. Here, change is honored as growth, renewal, and possibility—an invitation to see both art and life in motion.

Featuring the work of

Vera Doumanoff
Tim Fortune
Sandra Hildreth
David Hill
Mary Woodcock Johnson
Jeanne Lampson
Jill Daigle Murphy
Catherine Lapointe Vollmer
Dennon Walantus

Additional info HERE.

Images from the top: Raquette Pond Marsh by Sandra Hildreth, Work by Dennon Walantus, and October Gold by Vera Dumanoff.

Arts Center Lake Placid, 17 Algonquin Drive, Lake Placid

The Strand Center for the Arts presents

FJ – A tribute to Foreigner and Journey Featuring Constantine Maroulis

Friday, November 7, 7 pm

Almost any music fan who came of age in the 1980s will cite Foreigner and Journey as bands that sound tracked their young life, bands that are forever lodged in their mind. Back then, the two acts might have been separated by an ocean, but together they helped define the “magic era” of classic rock. At one point not too long ago, they toured the world as a one-two combination, but don’t count on it happening again. Luckily, you can count on FJ, a veritable tribute-band supergroup, to deliver the unforgettable experience of seeing both bands in one knockout show.
 

FJ comprises veteran members of the music scene, guys who’ve made it with their own original music. But since 2014 they’ve also dedicated themselves to something larger, a supergroup intent on bringing the sounds, sights, and emotional thrills of two of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest bands to eager fans around the Northeast and beyond.

Additional details and tickets are HERE.

Strand Center for the Arts, 25 Brinkerhoff Street, Plattsburgh

Adirondack Regional Theatre presents

A Night Under the Stars 

25th Anniversary Gala Fundraiser

Saturday, November 8, 2025, 6 – 10 pm

For a quarter century, Adirondack Regional Theater has brought the magic of theater to audiences of all ages across the North Country. Now, we gather to honor our past, celebrate our present, and raise funds to expandyouth programming in 2026.

More info and tickets HERE.

The Gold Room, Rainbow Banquet Hall, 47 Woods Falls Rd, Altona

Lake Flower Landing presents

Clare Monfred

Sunday, November 9, 4 – 6 pm

New York City-based cellist Clare Monfredo studied in Leipzig, Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship with cellist Peter Bruns. She appeared in numerous festivals including Chamber Music Northwest, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, and Music Academy of the West. 

Clare currently teaches cello at Hunter College in New York and is a member of the Sprechgesang Institute multi-disciplinary artist collective. She integrates traditional composers like Debussy, and Rachmaninoff, with contemporary ones like Caroline Shaw.

Details HERE.

Get a glimpse HERE.

Lake Flower Landing, 421 Lake Flower Ave, Saranac Lake

Elevation Seasonal Marketplace

Piano by Nature presents

Virtuoso pianist Joel A. Martin in Jazzical Komitas

Saturday, November 8, 7 pm and Sunday, November 9, 3 pm

Joel A. Martin is a Norwalk CT-based pianist, producer, composer, and arranger who has collaborated with, and/or written music for, Grammy® Award-winners Alan Menken, Kathleen Battle, Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, cellist Eugene Friesen of the Paul Winter Consort, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jaimoe of the Allman Brothers, among many luminaries. 

Joel A. Martin returns to the Adirondacks with his groundbreaking new project: Jazzical Komitas – Passion of Fire. This powerful concert experience reimagines the haunting beauty of Armenian folk music through the bold, expressive language of jazz.

You can reserve your spot via email at pianobynature@gmail.com or by phone at 518-962-8899.

Additional details HERE.

Hand House, River Road, Elizabethtown