Talk of the Town 02-06-13
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Artist Statement for Photographic Exhibit “Simplexity”:
Simplexity: An emerging theory that proposes a possible complementary relationship between complexity and simplicity.
Local photographer Burdette Parks is the featured artist for the month of August in the lobby gallery of Pendragon Theatre. An exhibit of his photographs titled “Simplexity” opens on August 7th with an Artist’s Reception from 5:30 to 7:00 and will run through Labor Day.
According to Mr. Parks’ artist statement for the show:
“The natural Order (pun intended) of Nature is Chaos. Nature tends not to do things in an orderly way. The natural world is a chaotic jumble of random occurrences of complexly ordered systems. There are too many variables and influences at work for order to be sustained. So when we observe nature in it’s unadulterated state, we see mostly the resulting chaos.
In this series of images, my goal as a photographer has been to make images of the natural world that simplify nature’s inherent chaos. This, I think, is a rather normal impulse for many photographers when framing and composing an image. But for this series, I have concentrated on the essentials. I worked to emphasize the graphic qualities of the subject, eliminating unnecessary detail and focusing on shapes, forms, colors, textures and relationships. As one focuses in more and more closely to natural subjects, the truth of the old aphorism that one can find a world in a grain of sand becomes abundantly clear. Things that appear extremely simple, even orderly, from a distance become intricately complex on closer inspection. On the other hand, by reducing the apparent detail in a larger perspective (akin to squinting at a landscape) detail is diminished and basic forms predominate.”
The display system for the images in this exhibit is a marked departure from the more traditional matting and framing of prints under glass. In collaboration with a skilled woodworker, a unique shadowbox-like presentation was created with the images “floating free” within a finely crafted natural wood box. The images were printed on specially coated photo-canvas using archival pigment inks. After drying, they were given two coatings of sealant to protect the surfaces from scrapes, water and UV light. (Though like any photo image, they should not be displayed in direct sun.) The canvases were then “stretched” onto wooden panels, positioned over background panels and locked in place. “Floating” within the box gives the images an added impression of depth.
William Blake: “To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wildflower.”
Burdette’s Photo Bio:
Burdette was born and educated inNorth Dakotareceiving a BA in Theater Arts from the University of North Dakota. He developed an early interest in photography through his father, an inveterate and prolific family picture taker. That interest was cemented in 1964 when he sold two nature slides to the North Dakota State Travel Department. In college at the University of North Dakota, Burdette did yearbook photography for the Journalism Department, learned processing and darkroom basics doing work-study at the University News Bureau and was mentored in photography by a commercial photographer and a successful photojournalist while pursuing first a pre-med degree and ultimately a degree in Theatre Arts. A brief invitational stint with the U.S. Army got him toTexaswhere he managed and owned live theaters over fourteen years in bothSan AntonioandAustin.
During more than two decades directing and producing live theater, Burdette incorporated photography—doing publicity and production photography for his own and other theaters. His first formal gallery show was in 1980 at aSan Antoniogallery and for thirty years a sculptural piece of his has graced theSculptureGardenat the San Antonio Museum of Art.

In 1982, he took his act on the road with one-man theater performances. Frankly, B. Franklin was his first foray into the exhilarating realm of solo performance and his first in-depth exposure to Ben Franklin (if you overlook an earlier episode asFranklinin the musical 1776.) In 1985 he wrote and began performing a second solo show, Shakespeare Live! – resulting in him traveling with two alter-egos, Ben and Will—Benjamin Franklin and William Shakespeare—not bad company.
Since 1990, he has been living in the Adirondacks with the wife he met through the amorous influence ofSaranacLake’s Pendragon Theater and since 2001, has enthusiastically resumed a decades long affair with photography.
Photographically, the shift from film to digital happened for Burdette in 2001 and he has been diligently working to keep pace with this rapidly advancing technology ever since. Specializing in fine art landscape/nature work, he has had work showcased in numerous juried shows in the Adirondack region (photographs of his were awarded Best of Show in the Art’s Council of the Northern Adirondack’s 2009 Cover Art competition and an Honorable Mention in their 2011 show) and has been featured in numerous exhibits. As a relatively early convert to digital photography, Burdette has accumulated a vast store of information on this rapidly evolving medium and has been sharing his discoveries and enthusiasm through classes and workshops. And as a year-round resident in the endlessly scenicAdirondackPark, he is constantly striving to refine and improve his vision of this special landscape.
While people and theatre remain strong photographic interests, Burdette finds the natural studio of the Adirondacksa beguiling place to explore expanding photographic horizons. His web address is: www.roundlakestudios.com.
For further information about Pendragon’s gallery or any of the summer offerings, contact the theatre at 518-891-1854, on the web: pendragontheatre.org or via e-mail: pdragon@northnet.org.
There will be a board meeting of the Lake Placid Central School Board of Education on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 beginning at 6:30 p.m. A motion to go into executive session to discuss personnel is anticipated at 6:30 p.m. Executive session will last until 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Board of Education Conference Room, Administrative Services Center, 50 Cummings Road, Lake Placid, New York
II. Reports to the Board
A. Director of Special Education Overview by Javier Perez
B. Shared Services Discussion
C. Committee Reports
Technology Committee
Policy Committee – First Read
III. Superintendent’s Report
IV. Action Items
A. Minutes of the Board of Education Meeting dated July 3, 2012 and July 17, 2012
B. Personnel
Temporary Administrative Appointment
Teaching Staff Resignation
Temporary Teaching Staff Appointment
Salary Adjustment
Salary Approvals
Extra Service Coaching Assignments
C. Budget Transfers
D. Elementary School Handbook
E. Middle/High School Handbook
F. School Meal Prices
G. Food Service Consultant
H. Sports Mergers
I. Transportation Contract
J. Special Education (July 3, 2012)
K. Other
V. For the Good of the Cause
- 5 minute time limit
VI. Anticipated Executive Session
VII. Adjournment
Location: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES CENTER
Lake Placid, New York
The Honorable
Clyde Rabideau
Mayor of the Village of Saranac Lake,
The Saranac Lake Board of Trustees and the
Saranac Lake Local Development Corporation Members
Cordially Invite the Honor of Your Presence
To a Grand Reception
Welcoming and Saluting the Commencement of Biotech Operations of
Myriad-RBM
In its New 3 Main Street Saranac Lake Location
Wednesday Evening, August Eighth
Commencing at Five O’clock
In Riverside Park
The Evening’s Theme is
“The Good Old Summer Time”
Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Root Beer
Will be served to the Music
Of a Dixieland Band
With Complimentary Boater Straw Hats
Tours of the New Myriad RBM Facility Will be Conducted During the Reception
RSVP-By August Sixth-VSL Community Development Office
39 Main Street
comdevassistant@saranaclakeny.gov
This Event is Primarily Underwritten By
J. Hogan Refrigeration and Mechanical, Inc.
Peru, NY
There will be a regular meeting of the Saranac Lake Central School Board at 6:30pm in the Petrova Library at 6:30pm
REGULAR MEETING 7:00 P.M.
ROLL CALL/PLEDGE TO THE FLAG
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF July 26, 2012
WARRANT # 15 OF 2012:
GENERAL FUND $2,971.34 342-355
AIRPORT FUND $174,661.44 405-428
GENERAL OUTSIDE FUND $53.14 67-68
HIGHWAY FUND OUTSIDE $47,889.81 138-143
TRUST AND AGENCY $900.00
WATER DISTRICT $1,214.09 1
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HUD $9.00
SUPERVISOR:
CAPITAL PROJECTS
Authorize Deputy Supervisor to sign Federal/State paperwork for services performed by Passero Associates and M.J. Raymond, LLC for the listed invoices and approval of payments and Federal and State draw downs:
RESOULTION # 16 OF 2012
Authorization for Deputy Supervisor DeFuria to sign grant offer for AIP Project Number 3-36-0105-54-12 in the amount of $627,140.00 for the following project, Reconstruct Transient Aircraft Parking Apron, approximately 140,000 square feet including associated drainage (Design & Construction) Total project amount $660,148.00 FAA Share $627,140.00, Local Share $16,504.00, State Share $16504.00.
Authorization for Deputy Supervisor DeFuria to sign grant offer for AIP Project Number 3-36-0105-55-12 in the amount of $167,770.00 for the following project, Conduct Pavement Management Plan Study; Terminal Expansion – TSA & Passenger Screening (Design Only) Total project amount $176,600.00 FAA Share $167.770.00, Local Share $4,415.00, State Share $4,415.00.
AIRPORT
Airport Managers Report
Permission for Airport Manager to attend New York Aviation Management Association Fall Conference and Exhibit Show inNiagara FallsSeptember 19-21. Registration $375, Lodging $109/night for $218, $70 for meals and request permission to use personal vehicle cost of $343.66, grand total $1,007.00.
HIGHWAY:
BUILDINGS:
SPECIAL DISTRICTS LAKE COLBY PUMP STATION FORCE MAIN RELOCATION:
Authorization to go to bid for the relocation of the pump station force main with bidding specifications being done by AES Northeast.
COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS:
ADJOURN:
The Town of North Elba endeavors to reduce solid waste, promote the recycling of material, and maintain and advance a clean, sustainable and environmentally conscious community. It is the ultimate goal of our program to foster educational links and stimulate collaboration between local government and all segments of our population; our youth, employees, visitors, homeowners, businesses, and seasonal residents. Environmental responsibility requires a commitment from everyone! The Town has formed a Recycling Advisory Committee to help accomplish this mission.
74 Recycle Circle Lane
Lake Placid, NY 12946
The North Elba Transfer Station invites residents of the Town of North Elba to bring Hazardous Waste to the Transfer Station on Recycle Way this Saturday from 8am until 4pm.
New York State Police, Troop “B”, along with theAdirondackMedicalCenter, Tupper Lake Police Department and the Franklin County Traffic Safety Board will be hosting a child safety seat clinic at theMunicipalPark,TupperLakeon Saturday (August 11th, 2012) from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. Adults who are responsible for providing transportation for children of all ages are encouraged to attend. Technicians will be on hand to inspect seats, assist with installations, provide information and answer questions regarding child seat safety. For more information contact T/Sergeant Brian Goetz at (518)897-2023 or email brian.goetz@troopers.ny.gov
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — The 2012 summer skating continues this weekend, Aug. 10-11, with Friday’s Freaky Friday and the Saturday Night Ice Show at the Olympic Center, in Lake Placid, N.Y. Friday’s Freaky Friday event begins at 4:30 p.m., while the Saturday night’s show is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. Both events will be held in the center’s 1932 Rink Jack Shea Arena.
Ashley Cain (Coppell, Texas), the 2012 U.S. junior national championship silver medalist, is Saturday night’s featured skater.
Joining Cain will be skaters participating in the 80th annual summer skating program. The skaters will perform their individual and group numbers during this entertaining event. Admission to the show is $10 for adults, $8 for juniors and seniors. Children six and under may enter for free.
The ever-popular Freaky Friday show will also feature skaters from the summer skating program, who create their own unique routines for this event. The skaters abandon their regular routines in favor of creativity, humor and amusement. The routines are judged on entertainment value. Admission is free.
To learn more about the Lake Placidsummer skating program, log on to www.lakeplacidskating.com. For more information on ORDA’s Olympic venues and events, visit www.whitefacelakeplacid.com.
Final 2012 Concert features violin and horn soloists
“On The Orient Express” is the last concert of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta’s 2012 season. The concert will be held at theLake PlacidCenterfor the Arts on Sunday, August 12 at7:30 PM. The concert’s program will include a flamboyant solo by ConcertmasterDaniel Szasz(Porembescu’s “Balada”) and a double Horn Concerto by Telemann featuring Sinfonietta member David Pandolfi and his son Adam Pandolfi, both on horn. Tickets are available through the LPCA box office, 518.523.2512, all seating is reserved. There is no charge for students 18 and under (as available.)
The Lake Placid Sinfonietta is also using this concert as an opportunity to give back to the community. In the spring, many orchestras collect donations for local food pantries through a program called Orchestras Feeding America. In keeping with that initiative, and in recognition of how difficult summers can be for families without enough resources to buy groceries, a food drive is being held at this concert. Non-perishable food items brought to the August 12 concert will be collected and given to volunteers who will deliver the food collected to the Ecumenical Charity Program’s Food Pantry.
Concertmaster Daniel Szaszis featured in this concert in “Balada” by the composer Ciprian Porumbescu, which he arranged himself for violin and orchestra, and in Franz Lehar’s “Hungarian Fantasy” with the orchestra. Mr. Szasz enjoys a world wide reputation as a soloist and is the founder of a spring music festival inRomania. The “suite in F Mojor for Two Horns” will feature longtime Sinfonietta principal horn David Pandolfi with his son Adam Pandolfi, also on horn. Both david Pandolfi andDaniel Szaszare members of the Alabama Symphony where they hold the positions of Principal Horn and Concertmaster, respectively.
Other selections on the program include Johan Strauss, Jr.’s “Vienna Blood Waltz” and Gustav Holst’s “Brook Green Suite. The evening will end with the traditional “Finale” from Haydn’s “Farewell Symphony” which features the musicians leaving the stage one at a time, extinguishing a candle as they go until the stage is empty.
For more complete information on the orchestra, the musicians, and programs please visit the Lake Placid Sinfonietta’s website at www.LakePlacidSinfonietta.org of call the Lake Placid Sinfonietta office at 518-523-2051.
“A.F. Tait: Artist of the Adirondacks” at the Adirondack Museum
Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y. - Join Adirondack Museum Senior Art Historian/Director Emerita Caroline Welsh on Monday, August 13 for “A.F. Tait: Artist of the Adirondacks.” The program is part of the Monday Evening Lecture series.
Few painters are so closely associated with images of the Adirondacks as Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1819-1905). Tait’s pictures of wildlife, sportsmen, landscape, and rural community life resonated with nineteenth-century Americans seeking respite from the fast pace of urban living. Tait’s iconic paintings were reproduced as prints and marketed to a mass audience, and helped to create and perpetuate an image of the Adirondack wilderness as a sportsman’s paradise, a place to find camaraderie among men and test one’s mettle against the forces of nature. His images defined what is “Adirondack” about the Adirondacks in the public imagination and introduced a new dimension to American landscape and wildlife painting by portraying the interactions between wildlife and sportsmen.
The presentation will be held in the Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The lecture will be offered at no charge to museum members; the fee for non-members is $5.00. For additional information, please visit www.adirondackmuseum.org or call (518) 352-7311.
The exhibition: “The Adirondack World of A.F. Tait” is currently on display at the Adirondack Museum. The museum is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October 14, 2012.
Caroline Mastin Welsh is an art historian and Director Emerita of the Adirondack Museum. She is a graduate of the Kent School and Wellesley College and was awarded a fellowship in museum studies at the Smithsonian Institution and a fellowship in museum leadership at the Getty Leadership Institute. Her work in the museum profession includes positions at the Smithsonian Institution and the Albany Institute of History and Art in addition to the Adirondack Museum, where she served as both Curator and Director. She is a consultant on museum and exhibit development, and a national peer reviewer for the American Association of Museums. She serves or has served on regional committees and arts organizations in Pennsylvania and New York State as a trustee and advisor including the Friends of the William Penn Museum, the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum, the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, the Society for the Preservation of American Modernists, The Exhibition Alliance, the Hale Center for the Study of the Champlain Valley, and the Hamilton College Committee for the Visual Arts.
The Adirondack Museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums, offers 65,000 square feet of exciting exhibitions housed in twenty-two modern and historic buildings. Visitors can explore how people have lived, worked, traveled, and played in the Adirondacks from the 19th century up to today. The museum is supported in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. For additional information, visit www.adirondackmuseum.org or call (518) 352-7311.
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ALBANY, NY (08/02/2012)(readMedia)– New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens today encouraged New Yorkers to participate in surveys for two popular game birds: wild turkeys and ring-necked pheasants.
“Citizen science efforts such as these provide our wildlife managers with invaluable data and give people the opportunity to partner with DEC to help monitor New York’s wildlife resources,” Commissioner Martens said. “I encourage you to take the time to record your observations of turkeys or pheasants while exploring the outdoors or driving through the state’s beautiful landscapes this summer.”
Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey
Since 1996, DEC has conducted the Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey to estimate the number of wild turkey poults (young of the year) per hen statewide. Weather, predation, and habitat conditions during the breeding and brood-rearing seasons can significantly impact nest success, hen survival, and poult survival. This index allows DEC to gauge reproductive success and predict fall harvest potential.
During the month of August, survey participants record the sex and age of all flocks of wild turkeys observed during a participant’s normal travel. Those interested in assisting DEC with the turkey survey can download a Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey form from the DEC website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/48732.html. Detailed instructions are available with the survey form. Survey cards can also be obtained by contacting a local regional DEC office, calling (518) 402-8886, or by e-mailing fwwildlf@gw.dec.state.ny.us (type “Turkey Survey” in the subject line).
Monitoring Pheasants in the Genesee Valley Focus Area
Since 1945, farmers in the 13 counties that comprise the Lake Plains of New York have partnered with DEC to help survey wild pheasant populations and this effort will continue in the newly established “Pheasant Habitat Focus Area” in the Genesee Valley (portions of Livingston, Genesee, Wyoming and Monroe counties) see: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72543.html. This new focus area was created as a part of DEC’s ten-year management plan for ring-necked pheasants. The goal of this focus area is to concentrate the efforts of public and private habitat conservation programs to benefit pheasants and other grassland birds. This survey assists DEC to monitor pheasant populations and evaluate the success of habitat management efforts in the focus area.
DEC requests that farmers in Livingston, Genesee, Wyoming or Monroe counties, consider participating in the Farmer-Pheasant Inventory. No special observations are required; just those made during normal spring and summer farming activities. Farmers interested in participating should contact DEC at (518) 402-8886 or by e-mailing fwwildlf@gw.dec.state.ny.us (type “Farmer-Pheasant Inventory” in the subject line).
Those that do not farm but would like to contribute pheasant observations from Livingston, Genesee, Wyoming and Monroe counties are asked to join the Summer Pheasant Sighting Survey. During the month of August, survey participants record the sex and age of all pheasants observed during normal travel. A survey form is available on the DEC website http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/summerpheasantsurvey.pdf or by calling (518) 402-8886.
For more information on Citizen Science initiatives with DEC, see: Citizen Science Initiatives at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/1155.html.
The annual Re-Dedication Ceremony of Whiteface Mountain to the Army’s 10th Mountain Division based inFortDrum, happens today at noon..
The ceremony honors the World War II 10th Mountain Division veterans and the modern day 10th Mountain Division Soldiers serving throughout the world. A memorial plaque is located on the summit of Little Whiteface Mountain. Today’s ceremony will be held at Whiteface outside the Base Lodge, and will include a Military Band, Color Guard, and Firing Detail. This event is open to the public and free of charge.
For more information on ORDA’s Olympic venues and events, visit www.whitefacelakeplacid.com.
MONTHLY MEAL Wednesday August 15th
The Saranac Lake Adult Center sponsors their Monthly Meal on Wednesday August 15th. Bingo starts at 2pm, social hour begins at 4pm with dinner at 5pm. The dinner menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, pasta salad, ice cream sundae bars. The cost is $5.00 per person. call 891-2980 for reservations.
The Saranac Lake Art Works – Plein Air Festival kicks off this Thursday with nearly 50 artists signed on to participate. This year marks the 4th time the event has visitedSaranacLake. It begins Thursday and runs through the weekend. Saranac Lake ArtWorks has teamed with the Village of Saranac Lake to build an experience they’re calling exciting and creative.. Through the weekend, artists will paint the views in the region and organizers say those same views inspired theHudson RiverSchoolpainters in the 19th century!

This year’s Juror of Awards is Ann Larsen, she’s recently been juried into the Outdoor Painter’s Society National Show inDallas, and was recognized with an honorable mention award.The event will be headquartered at the Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery,52 Main StreetinSaranacLakewhere organizers expect to have maps with painting locations and directions to painters..
The final day of the event includes a Show & Sale of works produced over the weekend at the event.. It will be open in the Town Hall inSaranacLakebeginning at noon on Sunday..

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For event questions, contact the Adirondack Artists Guild, 518-891-2615 or email: guild@adirondackartistsguild.com.
The 2011 Best in Show: Nikolay Mikushkin,Syracuse
Opening reception for “Views at the VIC”, plein air paintings by Nancy Brossard & Sandra Hildreth, from 5 – 7 at the Paul Smith’s College VIC on Friday Aug. 17, followed by a CD release party for Celia Evans.
SaranacLake’s 3rd Thursday Art Walks will continue this Thursday. The Village of Saranac Lake will again host the talents of regional and local artists of various genres from 5:00 to 7:30pm.
Beginning a self-guided tour through Downtown and a couple of outer-lying venues, visitors can go to any participating venue, get a schedule and map, see and experience at their own pace established artists’ work and emerging talents from all over the North Country. There will be more than 30 venues this time marked with festive balloons.
This event will extend from Pendragon Theatre on Brandy Brook Rd., off of River St., to the Saranac Laboratory Museum on Church St. and then on Main St. between River and Church Streets, up Broadway to BluSeed Studios on Cedar St. and then on Bloomingdale Ave. between Broadway and Depot St. at the new Adirondack Carousel.
At Pendragon Theatre, visitors can enjoy the works of photographer, Burdette Parks, and next learn about “The Story of Saranac Lake” in the John Black Room at theSaranacLaboratoryMuseumonChurch St. The Adirondack Artists’ Guild will be showing Marylou Reid’s new clay work, “Totems and Vessels,” as well as works of other members. The Cantwell Room in the Saranac Lake Free Library will host the “Summer Show” of the Paint and Palette Association with a “Meet the Artist” reception that evening. Visitors to the NorthWinds Fine Arts Gallery on Broadway will see its members’ works plus “Cutting Corners,” the current show of local artist, Heidi Gutersloh. Up onCedar St., BluSeed Studios will showcase Jack LaDuke’s new photography, “Sun and Shadow,” and visitors can enjoy a “Meet the Artist” reception there from 6-8pm.
Please note that fine arts photographer, Mark Kurtz, now has his studio upstairs in The Annex, above the Adirondack Artists’ Guild, along with the drawing and sculpting studios of Maria DiAngelo and Matt Paul.
Art Walk visitors will also be able to enjoy many types of music Thursday evening throughoutDowntownSaranacLake. Soulful singer-songwriter, Theresa Hartford will grace the Berkeley Green stage while several other musicians entertain visitors along the sidewalks, including the sax quartet, “Adirondack Saxes,” indie-folk group, “The Lemmon Drops,”Potsdampianist, Matt Bullwinkel, folk singer, Michael Shepard, the trio, “Dust Bunnies,” and accordionist, Hannah Huber. At The Waterhole’s “Party on the Patio,” Rusty Dovos will perform starting at 6pm.
In addition, various other artists contributing to this event include 6 members of the Lake Placid Poets’ Guild; woodcarvers, Rachel Lamb and Mark Paul; artist, Charlene Deleel and young friends; string instrument builder, Charlie Marshall; rug hooking demo by Judy O’Toole; artist, Cal Rice; children’s photographer, Kristin Parker; wildlife photographer, Craig Dickey; photographer, Shaun Durant; crafter, Sarah Humphreys and 2nd-grade photographer, Cade Corris.
SaranacLake’s 3rd Thursday Art Walks 2012 also has a Facebook presence so please find us and Like the page to get more information.
Thursday, August 16: Art Walk: Come visit the Saranac Laboratory Museum and enjoy some live music. As an architectural wonder, the building itself is a work of art. Also on display are new exhibit panels and historic photographs of Saranac Lake in the John Black Room. 5:00-7:30. Free of charge.
Jack LaDuke was born in Keeseville, NY to French Canadian parents (Leduc and Roi) with a family history dating back to Quebec in the mid 17th century.
A graduate of Admiral Farragut Academy, Toms Rivers NJ and a degree in History from the University of Madrid, Spain.
LaDuke with his wife Scottish-born Marina Roy, (a former staff photographer for the Montreal Gazette) moved to Saranac Lake in 1978 when he became Audio Visual Director for the Lake Placid Olympics. For thirty years he was the NY Bureau Chief with WCAX-TV, Burlington VT.
LaDuke began to take pictures on a regular basis when he earned a Boy Scout Merit Badge in photography. In the darkroom he saw a picture come to life on a pure white sheet of paper and was hooked on picture-taking from there on.
A couple of local Keeseville photographers were kind enough to show him the basic steps of the craft. At the age of fifteen he earned enough money taking pictures of school activities and selling them to students to buy a 4X5 Speed Graphic, the work horse of the photo industry of the day. This allowed him to do commercial work and weddings.
About this time he sent a dozen pictures of the John Brown Farm in Lake Placid, to the Albany Times Union. The Sunday Editor liked them and this led to series of assignments from the Times Union.
The travel editor of the New York Times saw some of his work and liked it. He offered the young photographer a chance to do photography for the Times and he quickly accepted. Remember, that he was still too young to get a driver’s license, so his mother drove him to assignments.
While attending the University of Madrid he was photo editor for Guidepost, a Spanish travel and history magazine. It was ideal work for a young man and put him in the position to travel throughout the country, photographing Spain while it was still under the strict control of General Franco who kept the country years behind in development.
Upon returning to the North Country, he became associated with Denton Publications in Elizabethtown and several other people interested in starting up an magazine, to be called the Adirondack Life.
An unexpected telephone call from the U.S. State Department led to a three-year assignment in Central America. In El Salvador he trained young Salvadorians to shoot still photographs and motion picture film for a new educational television network the country and the U.S. government were establishing.
Despite the country of El Salvador going to war with Honduras, where everyone was put on a war-footing, the LaDuke’s said that the three years there was one of the most rewarding adventures they experienced.
After decades of shooting film, LaDuke thought little of the upcoming digital age, so he held off of shooting digital for several years. Once he purchased his first digital camera, he quickly said farewell forever to George Eastman’s celluloid invention.
Although LaDuke is retired, he still regularly produces video stories about the Adirondacks for Mountain Lake Journal, PBS, in Plattsburgh and carries out frequent photography assignments for the Plattsburgh Press Republican.
Much of LaDuke’s photography over the years and even today, deals with editorial photography. However; his love for nature photography with the play of sun and shadows was always present and has grown over the years. His other interests are travel with many trips to Central and South America, Egypt and Europe.
BluSeed Studios is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide space where artists have the opportunity to experiment, diverge, exhibit and perform; to move ideas and aesthetics forward; to share this diversity with the community. For more information on gallery hours and other events visit www.bluseedstudios.org or call 518-891-3799.
Summer skating continues in the 1932 rink this weekend..,
Lindsay Davis and Mark Ladwig make up one of the most promising pairs heading into this year’s season.. They’ll headline The Saturday Night Ice show. The two have been skating together since May and before that, Davis claimed the 2010 U.S. junior bronze medal and Ladwig is a 2010 Olympian, a two-time U.S. pairs silver medalist and a 2012 U.S. pairs bronze medalist. Admission to the Saturday Night Ice show is $10 for adults, $8 for juniors and seniors. Show time at the 1932 rink is 7:30.. Friday’s show is free and opens at 4:30pm..
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To learn more about the Lake Placidsummer skating program, log on to www.lakeplacidskating.com.
For more information on ORDA’s Olympic venues and events, visit www.whitefacelakeplacid.com
August 18th – The Town of Wilmington will be holding it’s annual community wide yard sale. A map of the town listing sale locations will be available at local businesses and registered yard sale sites. If you would like to be included on the map, please register your site at the town hall. $5.00 per site. Booth spaces are also available at the Whiteface Range Hall.
Contact Roy Holzer at 946-2274 for more information.
Summer skating continues in the 1932 rink this weekend..,
Lindsay Davis and Mark Ladwig make up one of the most promising pairs heading into this year’s season.. They’ll headline The Saturday Night Ice show. The two have been skating together since May and before that, Davis claimed the 2010 U.S. junior bronze medal and Ladwig is a 2010 Olympian, a two-time U.S. pairs silver medalist and a 2012 U.S. pairs bronze medalist. Admission to the Saturday Night Ice show is $10 for adults, $8 for juniors and seniors. Show time at the 1932 rink is 7:30.. Friday’s show is free and opens at 4:30pm..
—
To learn more about the Lake Placidsummer skating program, log on to www.lakeplacidskating.com.
For more information on ORDA’s Olympic venues and events, visit www.whitefacelakeplacid.com
On Saturday, August 18th at 7:30 p.m., photographer Gerry Lemmo will present his slideshow “California, Here I Come!” at Saranac Village at Will Rogers. The journey takes in wildlife, people, land and seascapes, plus a bit of history from the area surrounding the city by the bay.
Gerry Lemmo’s photographs have been featured in many books, calendars and magazines including National Geographic, Adirondack Life and Adirondack Explorer. He has also worked with the National Audubon Society, International Paper, The Nature Conservancy, General Electric, the San Diego Zoo, The London Times and the National Wildlife Federation. Gerry has visited six continents and has a collection of over 70,000 photographs; some which have been seen in over twenty countries.
Gerry says, “San Francisco is a traveler’s delight, with a little something for everyone. From busy wharves to Chinese pagodas, this metropolis makes a great starting point for exploration of northern California’s dramatic coastline, redwood forests and sun-bathed vineyards.”
This program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Debbie Kanze at (518) 891-7117.