Bring Back the Singing!

Since the pandemic hit in March 2020, singing has been an activity “non grata.” On March 29, 2020, the LA Times reported: “A choir decided to go ahead with rehearsal. Now dozens of members have COVID-19 and two are dead.” After that headline received international attention, the activities of choral ensembles around the world ground to an abrupt halt.

Singing in masks (there are special masks for singers), singing outdoors with much ventilation and even zoom rehearsals helped some groups to stay active. But unless you have access to exceptionally advanced recording and editing software, doing a public performance was tough.

Once the vaccines were readily available, choruses started to consider meeting again. We met and sang masked – have you tried this? It’s truly a pain… And we limited our singers to those who were vaccinated for a while. Everyone felt safer that way.

Finally, those of us who just love to sing have decided to just get back to it in full force. COVID (in some variation or other) seems to be here to stay. What is important now is how – or if – we decide to let it manage our lives. And our singing.

I am currently the director of two choral groups in the area: The Pleasant Valley Chorale, which I have conducted for over twenty years, and the Champlain Valley Chorus of Sweet Adelines, a more recent “acquisition” (I’m their interim director and honestly, prefer to sing rather than wave my arms). Both groups, after many months of no rehearsing, are back to enjoying evening rehearsals together. Both have taken a serious hit in terms of participants, but those who truly love to sing are back at it.

On Tuesday, June 28th, these two ensembles plan to join forces to present an outdoor concert at the Elizabethtown Social Center. We plan to celebrate song and “Bring Back the Singing!”

The choral part of the concert will begin at 7 pm with special performances by Boquet Valley Central School students beginning at 6 pm. All of us are proud to be the kick-off event to the Elizabethtown Social Center’s summer “Concerts on the Lawn” series. We truly hope that you will consider coming to listen, maybe sing along if the spirit moves you. And if you’ve ever considered joining a community chorus, now would be a great time to do so.

Susan Forney Hughes

NorthWind Fine Arts July Exhibit, “Turning Color”

NorthWind Fine Arts is pleased to present “Turning Color” this July, featuring a collaborative exhibit of new pieces by woodworker Damon Hartman and painter, Catherine Hartung. The exhibit will be on display at the gallery on 85 Main Street, Saranac Lake, NY through the month of July. The gallery is open daily in July and August, 10-4.

Damon Hartman is one of our newest members and is a forester by day, a woodturner by night. He specializes in local wood with character, prefers natural, nontoxic finishes, and he likes to say that the wood is the art—he just turns it. His stunning bowls, platters, vases and urns are fine architectural accent pieces.

Catherine Hartung’s art is colorful, whimsical at times, and exactingly done. Her acrylic and watercolor paintings capture the magic of the forest, flowers, and the more “diminutive” forest life. Cathy’s new work for her collaboration with Damon began with a focus on tree images, but grew to include wildflowers, and broader landscape designs.

NorthWind Fine Arts Gallery is celebrating its second year at our new location at 85 Main Street in historic Saranac Lake, just steps from the Hotel Saranac and Origin Coffee. Our award-winning gallery artists are widely collected, some have been with the gallery since its inception in 2011. We look forward to your visit! If you would like to meet the artists, Damon will be sitting at the gallery July 4th, 16th, 17th, and 30th, and Catherine July 2nd, 8th, 13th.

Jumpin’ In July

A Free Family Friendly Concert Series

The Strand hosts its annual outdoor concert series on the lawn of the Arts Center. This free community event features local and traveling talent.

Each week in July, a new band or solo artist will take the stage and perform a two hour set including a short intermission. All performances throughout the month will start promptly at 5:30 pm. Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available on site as well as the usual concessions.

First up on July 6 at 5:30 will be Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers, who will make you move with their award-winning “Boogie, Blues & Beyond” – an electrifying original sound that takes you from the delta to the dance floor.

The Strand will set up the grounds with their iconic rainbow adirondack lawn chairs, but attendees are still encouraged to bring their own seating as the space does fill up quickly. This year will feature: Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers, Taylor Lavalley, Damaged Goods, and the Beau Sassier Trio.

More information on Jumpin’ In July concert series is HERE.

The Strand Center for the Arts, 23 Brinkerhoff St., Plattsburgh

Coloring Inside the Blue Line

by Carol A. Whitney, In Widlund Gallery thru July 30
Join us for the Art Party TONIGHT, 5-7 pm

Whitney attempts to pay homage to her beloved Adirondacks with her characteristic ‘tongue in cheek humor’ and eye-catching color. It is her belief that while she takes her art seriously, she is best served by not taking herself too seriously.

Tannery Pond Center, 228 Main Street, North Creek

Where’s Waldo? In Lake Placid, of course!

Friday, July 1st – Sunday, July 31st, Find Waldo in LAKE PLACID!

The iconic children’s book character in the red-and-white-striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting twenty-five local businesses throughout our community this July. Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2022, Find Waldo Local is a great summer vacation activity and a wonderful way to support local businesses, including, Where’s Waldo newcomers: Zack Nation, Curious Otter, and more!

Anyone who wishes to participate can pick up a “Find Waldo Local in LAKE PLACID!” stamp card, which contains the names of all the participating sites; with each Waldo they spot, they can get their card stamped or signed by the participating shop. To make things a little more challenging, there will be one slightly different Waldo hiding in THE BOOKSTORE PLUS. Collecting store stamps or signatures at twenty or more businesses will entitle diligent seekers entry into a grand-prize drawing for Waldo books and paraphernalia.

Martin Handford’s collections of crowd scenes took the world by storm in the late 1980s, and since then the books have held a cherished place on bookstore shelves. More than 78 million Waldo books have been sold worldwide, and they’ve been translated into over thirty languages. An entire generation has grown up searching for Waldo.

Once again, in celebration of Waldo’s longevity and popularity, Candlewick Press is teaming up with the American Booksellers Association and hundreds of independent bookstores across the country for some hide-and-seek fun designed to encourage residents to patronize their local businesses. There is no charge to participate, and the hunt lasts for the entire month of July. For more information about hunting for Waldo in LAKE PLACID, call THE BOOKSTORE PLUS at (518) 523-2950.

Paul Matthews: An Adirondack Artist

May 28th to October 8th

The Rosenberg Gallery at the Adirondack History Museum will feature the work of an extraordinary artist – Paul Matthews (1933-2019). Matthews was a complicated artist. Sometimes an expressionist, sometimes a realist, he veered across conventional categories at will, switching back and forth from luminous portraiture to macabre narrative, and from mythological erotica to Fauve collage.

In his Keene studio, all these different modes were in play. But over time, the Adirondack landscape around him began to feature more and more centrally in his work. Curated by Frissie Reed, this exhibit features a selection of Matthews’ stunning landscapes and portraits.

A Gallery Celebration will take place on July 15. Curator, Frissie Reed will be in attendance to discuss the show. Refreshments will be served.

Adirondack History Museum, 7590 Court St., Elizabethtown

Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert – Music over the Marsh

July 1, 7 – 8 pm, $15.00

Kieran Kane’s seminal work in The O’Kanes and Kane Welch Kaplin, as well as co-founding the independent label Dead Reckoning Records, laid the foundation for the contemporary world of Americana music. A successful solo artist, collaborator, and songwriter (with songs recorded by Alan Jackson, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, and many more), Kieran is a musician’s musician: his playing is always understated, always groove-oriented, and always serving the song.

If Rayna Gellert seems a preternaturally gifted songwriter, it’s because she’s seen farther into the old songs than most. Growing up in a musical family, she turned to Appalachian old-time music at a young age, becoming a prodigious fiddler and leading a new revival of American stringband music through her work with the acclaimed roots band Uncle Earl. An in-demand collaborator, she has toured and recorded with artists such as Scott Miller, Abigail Washburn, Toubab Krewe, and Robyn Hitchcock.

More information is HERE.

Paul Smith’s VIC. 8023 State Route 30, Paul Smiths