On Saturday, Aug. 19, the third annual Open Sky Music Festival will take place at Lake Placid Center for the Arts (LPCA).
From 12-10 p.m., experience a day of fun, food, and music featuring everything from bluegrass to rock, pop, and blues. The festival is completely outdoors and is open to all ages.
The first Open Sky Music Festival was held in 2021 and continued into 2022. Incredible headliners are scheduled to perform on the mainstage and local favorites on The North Country Stage. Among the high-profile acts, Martin Sexton is scheduled to perform. Sexton grew up in Syracuse, and since the moment he picked up a guitar, has been hooked ever since. Sexton tours with what Rolling Stone calls his “soul-marinated voice,” acoustic guitar, and a suitcase full of heartfelt songs.
The LPCA has been a premiere destination for New York arts festivals for more than 50 years, since 1972. Against the backdrop of the Adirondack Mountains, audiences will have a great view to look at while watching the talented performers. LPCA is home to robust arts education programs, beautiful visual art galleries, and meaningful services to artists and fellow arts organizations. The center is the perfect destination for a weekend trip with the little ones, and or a quick day trip with your group of college friends. LPCA provides visitors with food and beverages from a number of vendors.
Festival passes for the Open Sky Music Festival at Lake Placid Center for the Arts start at $75 and go on sale on March 29 at 10 a.m. From March 29-31, LPCA members can purchase early bird passes for $50. Click here for more information.
“The Little Mermem” from the 2021 Open Sky Music Festival
The latest and greatest concert series in the North Country – Saturday Night at the Waterhole – returns to downtown Saranac Lake beginning Saturday March 4th. As the name suggests, The Waterhole Music Lounge will host live music on Saturday nights in the Upstairs Music Lounge.
The series runs from March 4th through early May, with a wide variety of bands and artists making their way into the North Country to warm up audiences well into the spring.
Concert tickets and more information can be found at saranaclakewaterhole.com or in person by stopping at the downstairs bar. Ticket prices will vary. Doors open at 7:30 and shows begin at 8:30 pm. The Waterhole is a 21+ music venue.
The Bubs will open the concert series on March 4th. This 10-piece white jumpsuit-clad collective of artists & musicians, have been sweeping everyone off their feet with their catchy songs and fiery contagious energy. Their music is ferocious, tender, vindicating, and cathartic; a crooked vessel for pain, nostalgia, empowerment, and vindication, all filtered through a dirty sieve. Think white-hot punk & garage rock styled music.
March 11th marks the return of Kat Wright, whose voice is both sultry and dynamic, delicate yet powerful; gritty but highly emotive and nuanced. She has been described as “a young Bonnie Raitt meets Amy Winehouse.” Add to that voice enough stage presence to tame lions, and the combination of feline femininity, proving to be immediately enchanting.
The Sideways return March 18th for their 5th Saranac Lake performance. Hailing from Rochester, New York, this eight-piece band offers up their own joyful blend of disco pop + snarky soul, with a heavy dose of jazz influence, founded by brainchild Joey “sideways” Stehle.
Driftwood will make their long awaited return to the Waterhole stage on the 25th of March. Their music has been described as fusing traditional Americana with contemporary influences and timeless subject matter. Listening to their music, one gets the sense that the band is young with an old soul. There’s a deep, driving force behind each refrain – the kind that makes you dance with your eyes closed, or stop still to take in the energy the band is passing on to the audience.
April 1st will mark the rescheduled date for Los Blancos. This band has a reputation for ripping through blues, soul, rockin’ zydeco, Latin, outlaw country, funk, folk, and bottomless bag of tricks that’s always sure to get the party started.
On the last Saturday in April, Mal Maiz will turn up the heat on the dance floor. Costa Rican “Brujo” Maiz Vargas Sandoval and his Afro-Latino Orchestra are a hot East Coast dance band with both a traditional and modern flair. Based out of Burlington VT, Mal Maiz blends traditional cambia with psychedelic grooves, latin, reggae, and afro-carribean sounds.
If David Byrne is one of the geniuses of modern times, then Start Making Sense is a tribute to genius. A crowd favorite, Start Making Sense will return to the Waterhole on May 6th. The musicians in this 7-piece Talking Heads tribute take pride in faithfully recreating the music of Talking Heads’ entire career, including songs they never performed live.
The Waterhole is stoked to announce The Seapods featuring Al Schnier of Moe. on May 13th. The Seapods are 4/5ths of the seminal 90’s jamband, Ominous Seapods who have now been playing at the Waterhole for 30+ years.
May 20th will highlight another crowd favorite, The Big Takeover. The 7-piece band hails from the Hudson Valley and is fronted by charismatic Jamaican-born singer and songwriter Nee Nee Rushie. The Big Takeover plays original music that is rooted in and reverent toward the genres and rhythms of Jamaican pop: reggae, rocksteady, and ska.
The final concert in the Saturday Night at the Waterhole series will feature the bedazzled and glittered performers of Bella’s Bartok. Their sound has gradually evolved from street-punk performers to an electric, brass filled, accordion-based spectacle that has continued to entertain audiences for nearly a decade.
The Quad Counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin and Hamilton counties will see a more than 125% increase in funding to arts organizations and artists, with a priority on funding of Native American and othre indigenous people’s arts, culture and history.
Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts
Along with significantly increasing the amount of money the SCR Program will be able to regrant to arts organizations and artists in Clinton, Essex, Franklin and Hamilton counties, the additional funding enables ALCA to expand its offerings and services to the entire four-county region. In addition to the ongoing grant categories of Community Arts and Arts Education, ALCA’s SCR Program is reviving the Individual Artist grants, which have not been offered in the ADK Quad-County region in approximately a decade.
This increase in SCR support means an expansion of both the funding and services ALCA provides to arts organizations and artists in the four-county region, which translates into wider benefits for residents of, and visitors, to the many varied communities within the region, according to Jean-Marie Donohue, Development General Director of ALCA.
We are grateful to NYSCA for this generous increase, which is a validation of the truly indispensable work ALCA has been doing for all four counties in our service area since at least the mid-2010s. We are also excited about the opportunity the increase in funding offers to extend and deepen our service to the abundance of wonderful artists and arts organizations in the region. Although ours is a rural area, the communities we serve range from the City of Plattsburgh to the tiniest hamlets in remote stretches along the Canadian border and in the heart of the Adirondack mountains.
Jean-Marie Donohue Development General Director of ALCA
Each grant category lists several criteria on which applications are evaluated—for example, artistic merit, organizational competence, service to the community, and local priorities for SCR funding in Community Arts. In this last one, priorities include projects that address areas of distinct cultural deficiency—e.g., programs for underserved rural communities; and projects that focus on, or represent, aspects of our region’s history or cultural identity/diversity. With the presence of the Akwesasne community based north of Franklin County in mind, ALCA’s grants program will add the priority of projects dedicated to Native American and other indigenous people’s arts, culture and history.
photo provided by the Tahawus Cultural Center
As seen above, the exhibit “Journey” at the Tahawus Cultural Center, Au Sable Forks, in Essex County, was presented in Fall 2022 featuring the work of two Town of Black Brook/Clinton County-based artists, painter Heidi Gero and fiber artist Carrie Plumadore, a project supported by SCR funding awarded to the Appleby Foundation, Inc., Tahawus Center and Rebecca Kelly Ballet.
Saranac Lake 2023 Winter Carnival is around the corner, held February 3-12, with the schedule of events and button design by Garry Trudeau having been revealed. Get ready for the North Country’s premiere winter entertainment event, going strong for 126 years!
In addition to an all-star lineup of music at The Waterhole during Saranac Lake 2023 Winter Carnival, the week long Adirondack event features the signature ice palace (built entirely by volunteers from solid blocks of ice pulled from Lake Flower), as well as fireworks, ski and snowshoe races, art shows, book sales, concerts, variety shows, and much more. The finale features a unique gala parade on Sunday, February 13.
Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau, a native of Saranac Lake, has also released his button design for the 2023 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival. The theme for this year – ‘Roman Around Carnival’ – depicts an illustration of Doonesbury character Zonker as a Roman Emperor, on the shape of an ancient coin with the year 2023 displayed in roman numerals. Trudeau has created the Winter Carnival button design since 1981 to benefit the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.
5:30 pm *22nd Annual Past Royalty Mixer and Dinner – Open to Past Royalty Only ($, Red Fox Restaurant, 5034 Route 3, contact Marilyn Bigelow at 518-891-1286)
Friday, FEBRUARY 3, 2023
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm *Live Music–Blessid Dirt at the Campfire Adirondack Bar & Grill (Hotel Saranac, 100 Main St)
7:30 pm *Women’s Civic Chamber Coronation of Winter Carnival Royalty (Harrietstown Town Hall, 39 Main St)
8:30 pm *Live Music–Annie in the Water wsg The Reflexions, doors open 7:30 ($, The Waterhole, 48 Main St)
Saturday, FEBRUARY 4, 2023
10:00 am – 6:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
1:00 pm *Women’s Civic Second Corn-a-ment Cornhole Tournament (On the ice in front of Saranac Waterfront Lodge, $40 registration fee per 2-player team. Contact Deb Reilly at debreilly6@gmail.com for information. Register at https://linktr.ee/wintercarnivalcornament)
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm *Spaghetti Dinner at St Bernard’s School Cafeteria presented by Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court 787 and Knights of Columbus Council 599, Take Out available ($, St. Bernard’s School, 63 River St, Orders taken 4:30 to 6:30 at 518-354-0825)
8:30 pm *Live Music–Underground System wsg TBA, doors open 7:30 ($, The Waterhole, 48 Main St)
Sunday, FEBRUARY 5, 2023
10:00 am – 6:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
10:00 am – 4:00 pm *–BACK THIS YEAR– Skate Lake Colby sponsored by Adirondack Health — Demos, Free Skate, Straight Line Drag Races for Ice Skates and Kick Sleds 2 pm to 3 pm. (Beach at Lake Colby)
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
3:30 pm *Scavenger Hunt for Middle School Students (Saranac Lake Youth Center, 29 Woodruff St)
5:00 pm Winter Carnival Grand Marshall Reception ($, Hotel Saranac, 100 Main Street)
6:00 pm Winter Carnival Royalty Dinner ($, Hotel Saranac, 100 Main Street)
7:00 pm *Main Street Exchange presents “Roman Around Carnival” Fashion Show, Three rounds of Roman fashion: Ancient attire based off of Social Class, Gods and Goddesses, Ancient Roman attire in modern times. Contact Main Street Exchange to purchase tickets. ($, The Graragery, behind Grizzle-T’s on Dorsey Street)
8:00 pm *Live Music–Ryan Montbleau (Solo) wsg Hayley Jane, doors open 7:00 ($, The Waterhole, 48 Main St)
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm —NEW– Family Night at the Ice Palace sponsored by Hudson Headwaters Health Network (Ice Palace, State Boat Launch)
6:00 pm Curtis Lumber Snowshoe Races — All Ages (Dewey Mountain, Route 3, call 518-891-2697, Children’s Event Fees paid for by Saranac Lake Kiwanis Club)
6:00 pm *Bacchanalia Feast at the Hotel Saranac (Hotel Saranac, 100 Main St)
7:30 pm *Music–Beat Authority Dance Party, doors open 7:00 ($, Half of ticket sales donated to NCPR The Waterhole, 48 Main St)
Thursday, February 9, 2023
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Coakley Home and Hardware Family Open Skate with Free Hot Chocolate (Saranac Lake Civic Center, 213 Ampersand Ave)
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm (Tentatively) Firefighter’s Broom Ball (Saranac Lake Civic Center, 213 Ampersand Ave)
7:00 pm *–BACK THIS YEAR– Rotary Club Variety Show, Tickets available at Chamber of Commerce, Ampersound, NBT Bank ($, Harrietstown Town Hall, 39 Main St)
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm *Live Music–Moment’s Notice in the Great Hall (Hotel Saranac, 100 Main St)
8:30 pm *Live Music–The Mallett Brothers Band wsg Saints and Liars, doors open 7:30 ($, The Waterhole, 48 Main St)
Saturday, February 11, 2023
8:30 am *Mason’s Pancake Breakfast with the Carnival Characters ($, Location TBD)
10:00 am – 6:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
10:00 am *CanAm Snow Rugby (Saranac Lake High School Track Field, 79 Canaras Ave, Call 518-524-5841)
9:00 pm *Live Music–West End Blend wsg Chestnut Grove, doors open 8:00 ($, The Waterhole, 48 Main St)
Sunday, February 12, 2023 — last day
10:00 am – 4:00 pm Winter Carnival History Hut and Gift Shop–Learn about Winter Carnival, Shop for Official Merchandise (Winter Carnival History Hut near the Ice Palace)
The Ice Theatre of New York is set to hit the ice at the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games Exhibition Gala on Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid.
The Ice Theatre of New York was founded in 1984 by Moira North and exists to create and advance ice dance as (an ensemble) performing art form with its professional ice dance company. ITNY has changed the face of figure skating, creating works that integrate contemporary dance, music, and art that challenge the conventional definitions of figure skating. ITNY was the first ice dance company to receive dance program funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
The ITNY will perform at the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games Exhibition Gala in an unexpected crossover. From Jan 12-22 approximately 1,443 athletes, aged 17-25 from 595 universities across 44 countries will come to Lake Placid, New York for the 2023 World University Games. The Winter World University Games is the largest multi-sport winter event in the world, after the Winter Olympics. The games combine high-level competitive sports with educational and cultural events, in Lake Placid and other areas.
The International Confederation of Students was established in 1919 and it was this organization’s Sports Committee that launched the first World University Games in 1923. The games have continued to attract more and more people as time went on. The highest number of participants was registered at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia, with 11,759 athletes representing 159 countries.
The Ice Theatre of New York is proud to hit the ice at the event. The competition portion will highlight twelve winter sports, including two ice disciplines: singles and ice dance. Tickets for individual competitions begin at $15, and tickets for the gala start at $25. For more information about the event and to purchase tickets, go here.
