This is the second of ADK A&E’s new feature, Essex County Arts Council’s “Out and About in the Arts” column.

Each month, ECAC’s “Out and About in the Arts” post will profile a recipient of ECAC’s Cultural Assistance Program Grants or CAP Grant recipient. These grant recipients are doing amazing things and we’re looking forward to learning more about each one.

Much thanks to Susan Forney Hughes, ECAC Arts Administrator, for taking on the project.

NORTH COUNTRY UNDERGROUND RAILROAD HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

“The Colors of Freedom in the Adirondacks” Historical Tour

A first-ever North Country Juneteenth celebration of the region’s role in the fight against slavery will highlight Underground Railroad work in the area, as well as prominent antislavery Quakers and abolitionist John Brown.

Juneteenth is now a national and state holiday which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States the colors of freedom tour will be a unique way for families and visitors alike to experience the struggles that took place in this area.

An inside hiding place.

The June 19 “Colors of Freedom” tour is funded by a 2022 Cultural Assistance Program (CAP) grant, and will feature seven different stops with re-enactors, docents, and celebrations of the freedom Spirit in Clinton and Essex counties. Sponsored by the North Star Underground Railroad Museum, John Brown Lives!, the Adirondack History Museum and the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, this event involves existing museums, exhibits at historic locations, and original reenactments. In addition, the documentary, “Searching for Timbuctoo” will air on June 18th at LPCA, followed by a Q&A with the director.

The “Colors of Freedom” tour will start at 9 am at the North Star Underground Railroad in Ausable Chasm. From there, participants will visit the Evergreen Cemetery, Quaker Union and Stephen Keese Smith’s farm. Next location is Elizabethtown Courthouse to hear about John Brown’s trip to his final resting place at 1 pm. The final stop will be 3 pm at the John Brown Farm, which will be a celebration of freedom with music and a display of Black Lives Matter.

The Stephen Keese Smith home.

Clinton and Essex counties were a center of the roiling abolition controversies before the Civil War, helping many freedom seekers fleeing enslavement following the Lake Champlain corridor to Canada in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s. The tour will trace those controversies, ranging from Ausable Chasm, to Peru, to Elizabethtown, and finally Lake Placid where Brown is buried.

Additional information on this historic event can be found HERE. Pre-registration is required before Jun 12th and can be completed online.

Reimagining Our Connection with Birds

Saturday, June 11, 2022, 4 pm, FREE
In-person at the ADKX

Bridget Butler, aka The Bird Diva, will share her path to creating Slow Birding, a mindful practice focused on deep observation beyond identification, connecting with the landscape, and connecting with self.

This program is sponsored by the Northern New York Audubon chapter and is part of the 16th Annual Hamilton County Birding Festival, June 9 – June 12, 2022.

More information HERE.

Adirondack Experience, 9097 State Route 30, Blue Mountain Lake

Essex Theatre Company to Host Community-Wide Talent Show

The Essex Theatre Company will host the Essex Talent Show on Saturday, August 6, at 7 pm at the Masonic Lodge in Essex, NY.

All ages, all kinds of talent welcome from Essex and the larger community. You can read poetry, play an instrument, be in a band, sing, dance, do stand-up comedy—you name it.

In-person auditions will be held on Friday, June 17 at 4 pm with an accompanist or karaoke available or you can send a short video of your act to EssexTalentShow@gmail.com. The audition will allow ETC to put in order the August 6 show.

Check out our website HERE for more details including a form for participation.

Prizes will be offered for the best acts: $300 for 1st, $200 for 2nd, $100 for 3rd. Come, join the fun, perform onstage at the Lodge on the evening of Downtown Essex Day!

The Essex Talent Show is to benefit Essex Theatre Company and Families First.

Tupper Arts debuts Tupper Lake Arts Show and Adirondack Skies

Tupper Arts’s June gallery exhibits, the 49th Annual Tupper Lake Arts Show and Under Adirondack Skies are now open!

The 49th Annual Tupper Lake Arts Show shares a deep connection to Tupper Lake’s artistic history. When Tupper Arts’ predecessor, Tupper Lake Presents, was founded in 1976, they began the beloved tradition that is the Tupper Lake Arts Show. Since then, Tupper Arts in recent years has increased participation, and this year over fifteen artists are featured in the Tupper Lake Arts Show. One of the eligibility requirements is for no previous artwork to be submitted again to keep the gallery fresh, so visitors can expect to see new artwork in every kind of medium by creators based all over the North Country.

Under Adirondack Skies features the stunning photography of videographer and photographer Eric Adsit. Eric, who currently works with ROOST as a videographer, originally hails from Lowville, and has since made his way to Saranac Lake, where he currently lives. When visiting his gallery show, visitors are transported to remote gems found all over the Adirondacks, which Eric has captured and brought back for us all to enjoy. His starlight and mountain-view photography are not to be missed.

The 49th Annual Tupper Lake Arts Show and Under Adirondack Skies are now in the Tupper Arts gallery space thru June 26. All exhibits are free and open to the public Wednesday – Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm at 106 Park Street in the heart of Tupper Lake. To keep up with Tupper Arts, join their mailing list HERE and find them on Facebook and Instagram @tupperartscenter.

Tupper Arts, 106 Park Street, Tupper Lake

Low Lily

Friday, June 10, 8 pm

Start with excellently matched vocals, add some world-class playing, sprinkle with raised-off-grid Americana and you get Low Lily.

With a vocal blend that has been dubbed “outstanding” and “meticulous,” Low Lily’s cohesive sound comes naturally for musicians whose lives have been entwined on the road and onstage for almost two decades. Setting down roots in Brattleboro, Vermont, the band has crafted a signature sound which they have shared with enthusiastic audiences throughout North America and the UK, garnering two #1 songs on International Folk Radio and two Independent Music Award wins.

More information and register HERE.

Open Mic at Whitcomb’s

Coupla Excellent Country Songsters From New Orleans

Ausable Brewing Co. In Keeseville, Thursday, June 9, 6-8 Pm.

Zach Bryson and Chris Acker both sing ever so sweetly on the Western AF label, and are on a lil’ tour together, making a stop through the Adirondacks this week to grace the wee stage of AuSable Brewing Co. Thursday evening from 6-8.

Zach Bryson is a dear and can yodel with the best of ’em – his cowboy country songs are a sweet date all on their own – excellent company over a beer with your thoughts OR with all your buddies on a pretty summer evening in the golden hour of Keeseville’s Ag district. Go HERE for a clip of Zach.

Chris Acker is a country folk songwriting darling. He’s funny, he’s fun.They love him. Come out and love him too! Take a look HERE.

AuSable Brewing Co, 765 Mace Chasm Rd, Keeseville