Lake Placid Institute For The Arts & Humanities presents

Great Adirondack Young People’s Poetry Showcase, Words from the Woods

Each year, hundreds of poems are received from students in Grades 1-12 in public, private, and home schools in and around the Adirondack Park. Poems selected for their special merit are published in the annual booklet, Words from the Woods.

Since this year’s poems come from communities all over the Greater Adirondacks—from Alexandria Bay to Albany—this year’s showcase will welcome both in-person poets and pre-recorded video readings of poets reading their work.

Learn more and view Words from the Woods 2026 HERE.

The Great Adirondack Young People’s Poetry program was initiated in 1998 by the Lake Placid Institute for the Arts & Humanities. It originated from the recognition that poetry is not only a fundamental literary art but also an accessible form of writing for students of all ages. Arts Center Lake Placid is thrilled to assist LPI with the administration of this legacy program.

Earth Care Coffeehouse presents

Celebrating the Music of Pete Seeger and the Hudson Sloop Clearwater

Saturday, May 2, 7 pm

Pete Seeger’s banjo is inscribed with the words, “This banjo surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.” Join us First Presbyterian Church of Saranac Lake’s Great Hall to celebrate Earth Care and Pete’s life work by sharing his music together. Come celebrate Pete’s life work for the environment and social justice with song!  Confirmed performers include Curt Stager, Keith Gorgas, Duane Gould, Lisa and Klaus Meissner of the Rustic Riders,  Tom Techman and Slo’ Jam, and The People’s Chorus will lead songs.

Over 50 years ago Pete and his wife, Toshi, spearheaded an effort to build the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. They hoped if people had intimate knowledge of the pollution on the Hudson and could feel the wind and the water, they would be inspired to solve big problems one song at a time. The Clearwater project’s efforts helped to pass the Clean Water Act in 1972. You can learn more about the Clearwater and its mission HERE.

First Presbyterian Church of Saranac Lake, 57 Church St, Saranac Lake

Lake George Historical Association presents

Amy Godine, Beyond the Black Woods

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 3 pm, free

Join author and curator Amy Godine for an engaging presentation that expands beyond her book, The Black Woods, to explore the broader Black Adirondack experience.

Drawing on decades of research, Godine brings forward the stories of Black pioneers, miners, and activists—alongside Spanish road workers, Eastern European peddlers, and others whose lives shaped this region but are too often overlooked. By placing these histories within larger movements like suffrage and the impact of eugenics, she offers a deeper understanding of the Adirondacks’ past.

More about LGHA HERE.

Lake George Historical Association, 290 Canada St, Lake George

Adirondack Artists Guild presents

Fiddleheads & Ferns

Friday, May 1 – Tuesday, June 2

Opening reception Friday, May 1, 5 – 7 pm

Join us  our group exhibition celebrating the arrival of spring in the Adirondacks. 

Each Guild member will contribute one or two original works, offering a wide range of styles and interpretations inspired by the season’s renewal.

Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery, 52 Main Street, Saranac Lake

Whitcomb’s Arts presents

Local Light: Scenes from the Adirondacks, Lake Champlain and Lake George, with Deb Kahler

Wednesday, April 29 – Saturday, May 30 

Opening reception Friday, May 1, 5 – 7 pm

Through vibrant color and bold brushwork, these new oil paintings capture the living beauty of our region.

Whitcomb’s Gallery, 1598 NYS Route 22, Essex (across from the Whallonsburg Grange)

The Adirondack Center for Writing (ACW) announces

2026 Wild Words: Teen Writing Anthology published

Two book launches:

Saturday, May 2, 2 pm, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls 

Saturday, May 16, 2pm,  Harrietstown Town Hall, Saranac Lake

ACW) has announced the release of the fourth annual Wild Words: Adirondack Teen Writing Anthology, a collection of original creative writing by teens from across the North Country.

Contributors range from 13 to 19 years old, and have written across
various genres, including poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. The
public is invited to celebrate the publication with live readings from
the young authors at two upcoming events.

The first event, in a collaboration between ACW and The Hyde Collection, this event will feature readings from Wild Words contributors alongside presentations by students featured in The Hyde’s 35th Annual High School Juried Show. This event is free and open to the public. To learn more, visit
HERE.

At the Saranac Lake launch, teen contributors will read selections from their work. Copies of the 2026 and previous years’ anthologies will be available for purchase at $5 each. This event is free and open to the public. To learn more about the Saranac Lake launch, visit HERE.

Image: The 2025 Wild Words book launch. 

The Hyde Collection, 161 Warren Street, Glens Falls

Harrietstown Town Hall, 39 Main Street, Saranac Lake

Glens Falls Symphony presents

American Portraits: 250 Years

Chris Brubeck World Premiere.  Knox: Can(n)ons of Freedom.

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 4 pm

This performance will go back in American music history as we look ahead to the nations 250th anniversary this July 4! Featuring works by Ives, Schuman, Joplin, Copland, Gershwin, Ellington and more!

Program and tickets are HERE.

Glens Falls High School Auditorium, 10 Quade St, Glens Falls

Adirondack Film presents See Something That Means Something

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

2026 Oscar® Winner for Best Documentary Feature

Friday, May 1, 7 pm

Pasha Talankin is an unlikely hero—a beloved Russian primary school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office. After Russia invades Ukraine, Pasha’s role in the school changes dramatically as he is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and horrified by the transformation of his school and community, he struggles with guilt and a sense of powerlessness, leading him to become an international whistleblower.

As the school’s videographer, Pasha documents intimate and revealing footage of Putin’s regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war. When he learns his own life may be at risk, Pasha is forced to plan a dangerous escape from Russia.

Directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pasha Talankin, this uniquely collaborative film is as captivating and joyful as it is eye-opening and sobering. Mr. Nobody Against Putin showcases rare footage that reveals the profound impact of Putin’s regime on the lives of everyday Russians, particularly its children.

More info, trailer  and tickets HERE.

Arts Center Lake Placid, 17 Algonquin Dr, Lake Placid

Saranac Village at Will Rogers presents

The Carnival of the Animals

Saturday, May 2, 7:30

Experience a whimsical evening of music and dance as The Carnival of the Animals comes to life at Saranac Village at Will Rogers in Saranac Lake. This humorous 14-movement musical suite features live dance, poetry, and narration performed alongside the 11-piece Community String Orchestra of the Adirondacks.

Directed and choreographed by Barbara Sheehy, the performance showcases local dancers of all ages bringing animal characters to life, with narration by Curt Stager.

It’s a rare opportunity  to experience live orchestra and dance together in this family-friendly community performance.

More HERE.

Saranac Village at Will Rogers, 78 Will Rogers Drive

While we covered Pendragon Theatre’s new location and opening in last Friday’s Adirondack A&E e-News # 685 (HERE), we thought Emily Russell’s piece for North Country Pubic Radio was so wonderful it should be shared as well. So, here it is:

In Case You Missed It

“Pendragon Theatre celebrates new location in downtown Saranac Lake”

Listen or read the full article HERE.

Image: More than 80 people came out on Wednesday to see the new Pendragon Theatre in downtown Saranac Lake. Photo: Mark Kurtz