Hamilton County Express

08/11/2025

Bruce Matthews will perform at St. William’s on Long Point on Thursday, August 14.

Matthews is a roots musician, performing Americana music that combines storytelling with heartfelt song lyrics, overlaid with the sounds of rustic guitar and banjo, among other things. And Bruce Matthews is a master of his Americana craft, reminding us that it’s the journey in life that truly matters!

And for something special, on Friday, August 15, from 5-7 p.m., St. William’s will host a Vintage Cocktail Party and Auction. Join us for cocktails, appetizers, and a glimpse into our history through scrapbooks, videos, guided tours, and a variety of auction items. Tickets are $50 per person. Check our page, https://www.facebook.com/stwmlongpoint/, for more information.

We are pleased to once again have public transportation from the town dock to St. William’s for our programs this year! We thank Raquette Lake Camps for supplying the barge and Michael Bartow, who will be our captain. Be at the dock by 5:30 p.m., as it is first-come, first-served. The boat will leave at 6 p.m. Please check our website or Facebook for further information. If you have a boat on Raquette Lake, you may also enjoy the concert from the comfort of your boat. You can also dock at the church or sit on the lawn with your blanket or chairs. The concert will start at 6:30 p.m. and run for about an hour. And don’t forget, each Thursday we’ll have pies to raffle, made by our local baker! In case of rain, the show will be held at Raquette Lake School, located at 115 Route 28.

The historic 1890 St. William’s church building is open from Memorial Day to early September. All are welcome to come in and look around.

For more information go online to our website www.stwilliamslongpoint.org/, or follow us on Facebook at stwmlongpoint, or call 315-354-4265.

— By KATE BAKER, For the Express

St. Williams on Long Point Inc is a non-profit, non-denominational organization, dedicated to preserving the historic site, built-in 1890 by William W Durant. We create a quiet retreat through the rental of housekeeping facilities and community programs

08/10/2025

About the week of August 6, 1977…

A photo from the Hamilton County News in August, 1977 of Miss Susan Smith, Wells’ Miss Old Home Day 1977, surrounded by the second and third place winners and the previous year’s queen, after a large crowd which witnessed her selection on Friday, August 5, 1977, at the Community Hall in Wells. Left to right are Gretchen Zoller (1976 winner), Mary Alice Condon (second runner-up), Susan Smith (winner of 1977), and Michelle Gibson (first runner-up). — file photo

Read more from The Way Things Were by Aaron Weaver:
https://wp.me/peJPvR-3Eq

08/09/2025

The Lake Pleasant Public Library’s held a “Harry Potter Birthday Party” on August 1. Children and parents played games and trivia, made “Harry Potter”-themed crafts, and enjoyed themed snacks. Pictured are: Collin Gonyo (left), Casey Kazimer (center), and Olivia Wilt (right). — photos submitted

08/07/2025

The Raquette Lake Parents Teachers and Friends will sponsor the 35th annual Arts and Crafts Fair at the Raquette Lake School on Route 28 on Saturday, August 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a juried show with all items being displayed for sale the work of the exhibitor on site, the majority of whom reside in the Adirondack Park.

Adirondack artists exhibiting include Fawn Ridge Pottery of Chestertown and South Bay Jewelry of Raquette Lake. ‘Stitch Ups’ by Yasuko Monroe will be selling her handsewn purses, backpacks, and other accessories in beautiful fabrics.

Lis Barsuglia-Madsen is back with her handwoven clothing, rugs and accessories. Carol Milliman-Estes will be selling the famous Milliman homemade fudge. Author Nancy Pulling Best will be selling and autographing her children’s books. Fawn Ridge Pottery, Wildway Photography and One on One Designs will also be exhibiting and selling their work.

There will be a raffle with items donated by the exhibitors and the drawings will take place at 3:30 p.m. Participants do not need to be present to win.

All proceeds of the raffle will be donated to a local organization.

The show is held inside the school rain or shine.

Pictured are some of the items that will be available at the 35th annual Arts and Crafts Fair at the Raquette Lake School on Route 28 on Saturday, August 9. — Photo submitted

08/06/2025

Raquette Lake’s Busiest Day will be held at locations throughout Raquette Lake on Saturday, Aug. 9.

Juried Craft fair at 10 a.m. at the Raquette Lake Union Free School. Items include jewelry, pottery, art work, Adirondack products, polar fleece, handwoven clothing, Adirondack furniture, food items, and more. Rain or shine.

Annual Book Sale starting at 10 a.m. at the library.

At 5 p.m. it’s the biggest event of the season. The Annual Raquette Lake Volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance Squad Auction under the big tent. For more information, call 518-624-3077.

08/06/2025

Hamilton County Express — 08/06/2025

https://weeklyexpressnews.com/?p=14031

08/04/2025

The Vicki Hoover Memorial Scholarship Committee is happy to announce the recipients of the scholarships awarded this year. The Scholarships are awarded to local students who show an interest in pursuing a trade.

This years recipients are as follows:

• Wells Central School – Daniel Turnbull, Alex Le Barron, and Lilianna Wright

• Broadalbin-Perth High School – Lillian Hughes

Funds for the Scholarships are provided by fundraisers that occur throughout the year and by generous donations. This year recipients were awarded $1000 each to help in their endeavors.

08/03/2025

About the week of July 30, 1977…

In Wells:

A photo from the Hamilton County News in July, 1977 of Harold Van Amburgh, 10 years old at the time, of Wells, caught a 1 ¾ pound, 19 ½ inches long rainbow trout in Lake Algonquin on July 27, 1977, with a hook and worm. It was generally believed by local residents that there were no rainbow trout in the lake. The fact that it was caught with a hook and worm, rather than with a fly or lure, also made it an unusual event. – file photo

Read more from The Way Things Were by Aaron Weaver:
https://wp.me/peJPvR-3CE

08/02/2025

In The Sun - August 2025 e-edition

https://weeklyexpressnews.com/?p=13922

𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
ON THE COVER: Brad Pearson enjoys a beautiful summer day cruising First
Lake in Old Forge. — Photo by Neil Satterly

08/01/2025

The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts (ALCA) features a weekend immersed in the Romantic period as acclaimed concert pianist Ryan Reilly (pictured) presents a program of Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, and Scriabin on Saturday, Aug. 2, followed by a talk on Chopin, Liszt and Schumann: The Romantics” on Sunday, Aug. 3. Both events begin at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available for the concert on ALCA’s website, adirondackarts.org. The talk on Sunday, part of the brand-new Alfred Z. Solomon Speaker Series, is free and open to the public.

Having concertized throughout the United States, France, Canada, Spain and Switzerland, Reilly’s accolades include the first prize, audience prize and best performance of a Spanish composer at the 2017 Frechilla-Zuolaga International Piano Competition in Valladolid, Spain, and the Prix Georges Filipenetti. Performance highlights include appearances with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon, the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre of the HEM, and the Gamper New Music Festival (Bowdoin International Music Festival). Ryan has taught at the 92nd St Y, College du Leman (Versoix, Switzerland) and the Gilman School. Having studied with Julian Martin, Dominique Weber, Seymour Lipkin and Aniko Szokody, He completed his Doctorate at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Leon Fleisher and also holds degrees from the Juilliard School. Ryan recently moved to the Finger Lakes region of New York with his wife and mini bernedoodle, where he is in high demand as a recitalist and collaborator. He is a collaborative pianist at Ithaca College and Cornell University and is on the faculty of Opus Ithaca. He has also served as repetiteur with Opera Ithaca this year for their productions of Cosi fan Tutte and Lucidity.

Ryan’s concert, part of the Weekend Concert Series, is sponsored by The West Bay Fund. His talk is sponsored by a grant from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Fund.

For more information on all things ALCA, visit adirondackarts.org.

The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts is now located at 8897 State Route 30, Blue Mountain Lake.

— Photo courtesy of ALCA

07/31/2025

On August 1-3, Wells will once again celebrate Old Home Days, but this year it’s a “Throw Back to the 1950s” to celebrate a 75-year-old tradition. The Wells Improvement group has worked hard this year to bring together a memorable 75th. There will be swim races, wacky boat races, the parade, activities, live entertainment, vendors, fireworks and more. They have also invited all past Miss Old Home Days to join the parade. We hope you can join us and help us celebrate 75 years of tradition.

Old Home Days is a staple of the Wells community and there are many memories , but as years go by things change. No matter the changes, Wells Old Home Days continues to be a labor of love by volunteers who care about their community and love where they live.

Old Home Days was started in 1950 by the Wells Chamber of Commerce. They pooled together their resources to come up with a family fun event for everyone to enjoy. They had booths lining the main street with games and activities for all. It was a great way to bring the community together, and it continues to do that 75 years later.

The tradition of “Miss Old Home Days” was started in 1959 and the First “Miss Old Home Days” was Mary Mick. Runners Up were: Joan Von der Heide & Helen Howland. Our first Old Home Days Mary Mick will be at the 75th celebration this year.

Fireman field days used to be held with participants from across the county including, Pleasant Square, Wells, Harmony, Meco, Perth, and Fort Johnson. These field days included booster line and bucket brigade events, as well as individual ladder races and five man equipment contests. While the field days are no longer held our fire department, and ambulance corps are busy manning their food booths to help raise funds for all they do for the community.

In addition to swim races and the wacky boats, there used to be a sailing regatta on Lake Algonquin and go-kart races were held on the Algonquin Go-Kart track. These days we may not have sailboats and go-karts anymore, but we have an awesome group of kids and adults that show up every year to show us their swimming skills.

We want to recognize that Old Home Days is put on by volunteers and donations, along with the help of our town employees. These volunteers work all year round to fundraise and plan to make Old Home Days what it is, and we could not do it without them and the donations received from our community.

A lot has changed in 75 years, but Old Home Days continues year after year, working to bring our community together for a weekend filled with fun, family and friends, and memories to last another 75 years.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Old Home Days or making a donation, please reach out to [email protected]

Pictured: A marching band performs during the 1991 Old Home Days parade; 1971 Miss Old Home Days Suzanne Cole ; Smokey Bear in the 1993 Old Home Days parade. — photos submitted

— By Colleen Jones, For the Express

07/30/2025

The Adirondack Land Trust Summer Tour continues with a gathering at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake on Thursday, July 31. This event will bring community members together to celebrate the past year’s conservation successes and look ahead to the coming year.

In the last 12 months, the Adirondack Land Trust has protected drinking water in the Champlain Valley; secured additions to the Adirondack Forest Preserve in the towns of Wells, Keene, and Jay; and completed trail improvements at Cobble Hill in Lake Placid.

“Our Summer Tour brings us closer to conservation supporters throughout the Adirondack Park to learn more about the forests and waters that people love and value,” said Adirondack Land Trust Executive Director Mike Carr. “We’re excited to visit Blue Mountain Lake and hear from communities in the central Adirondacks about how we can partner to care for this special place.”

The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts is located at 8897 State Route 30 in Blue Mountain Lake. The celebration begins at 5 p.m. with complimentary refreshments and conversation with Adirondack Land Trust staff and board members. At 5:45 p.m., Adirondack Land Trust Next Generation Council member Naishaly Vélez Galán will host a program highlighting land protection and stewardship projects.

This program will include information about the land trust’s innovative partnerships in Hamilton County to preserve Griffin Gorge shoreline and set the stage for future recreation and sustainable tourism opportunities, as well as the recently announced 2,800-acre conservation easement protecting lands and waters surrounding the Paul Smith’s College’s Visitor Interpretive Center.

The event is open to all and free to attend thanks to sponsors including Asgaard Farm & Dairy, Big Slide Creative, Birds & Beans Coffee, Birkdale Partners, Black Rooster Maple, Dak Bar, Demont Associates, The Mountaineer, Rolling Hills Estate Winery, The Strand Theatre of Old Forge, and Vortex Optics. To learn more and RSVP, please visit: adirondacklandtrust.org/blue-mountain-lake

The Adirondack Land Trust works to forever conserve the forests, farmlands, waters, and wild places that advance the quality of life of our communities and the ecological integrity of the Adirondacks.

Pictured are Adirondack Land Trust staff members, from left to right: Grants Manager Mary Thill, Intern for the Future of the Adirondacks Sophie Williams, Communications Specialist Olivia Dwyer, Associate Director of Philanthropy Kimberly Corwin-Gray, Land Protection Manager Bill Martin, and Philanthropy & Outreach Coordinator Kathy Woughter. — Photo by Katie Kearney

— By Olivia Dwyer, For the Express