While the Democrats have not yet chosen a candidate to run for Kirsten Gillibrand’s former house seat, the Republican’s today chose Assembly minority leader, James Tedisco, as their choice.
Candidates & Their County Supporters
Here is a short piece from Channel 13 in Albany about which congressional candidates have the most support from the different county chairmen who will be deciding between candidates. (The way Channel 13 shares video, is to alternate video between the weather and a given story. Start the video when you see the list of candidates by county. Otherwise you will get the weather forecast.)
Luke La Valle – Rest in Peace
We ask for your continued prayers for the Spiess/La Valle family as they cope with the loss of Jennifer’s husband, Luke. Jennifer is the daughter of Peter and Mary Spiess. She worked many summers in the Soda Fountain growing up. Luke battled heroically during his last months and was an inspiration to us all. Luke and Jennifer’s daughter, Abigail Rose, was born on August 30th.
For those who were unable to attend the funeral, here was Jennifer’s touching eulogy to her husband.
Luke was a very engaging guy who was a four-year All-American at Notre Dame who also won the 1998 NCAA men’s sabre title in fencing. Here is a tribute to him on the Notre Dame site and a wonderful piece on his life on CollegeFencing360.com. More than this, he was a great husband, father and friend to many.
Luke was a true hero and will be greatly missed by his family and the Huletts community.
Bits of Everything
How a Sunken Boat Became a National Treasure
Here is a piece from the Saratogian that details the story of the Forward, a boat which sank in Lake George in the the 1930’s, which was just added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is an interesting story.
Senator Little Fights NY Property Tax Cap Proposal
As a followup to yesterday’s post about the proposal to cap NY state payments on their forest reserve property, Senator Little has posted what she is doing to stop this on her website. Keep those emails and calls coming to our elected officials.
Clean Air Increases Longevity
Here is a short article from National Public Radio about something which seems so simple: breathing clean air lets you live longer. No wonder people like it in Huletts.
$27 Million is Something to Know About
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Previously I had linked to this story about the Governor’s proposal to cap property tax payments on forest preserve land in the Adirondack Park.
I checked and NY State has over $27 million in assessed property in the Town of Dresden. |
This means that, if successful, the Governor will shift a percentage of the tax increases in the future on this land to us – the private property owners in the Town of Dresden.
Here’s what you can do:
Tell the Governor and our representatives that you know about this and it’s not fair and it’s simply not a good idea. NY State made a covenant with the people of NY to pay the taxes on this land when they added it to the forest preserve. It’s worked since 1884, and it shouldn’t be changed now. Tell the Governor when he’s up for reelection, this issue will mean a lot to you.
You can contact the Governor here.
More importantly, if you live in NY, contact both your downstate representative (lookup by zip code on the right) and our Huletts Representative, Tony Jordan, here. Also contact your downstate Senator and our Huletts Senator, Elizabeth Little, here.
Now is the time to speak up. If we don’t, our taxes will be whats going up.
Can You Say Cold
Sometimes people ask how cold can it get in Huletts in the winter? Well last night it went lower than -25° F. I grabbed a screen shot to have proof. This is without windchill. This was the actual temperature.
The coldest weather I have ever experienced was one night in the late 1970’s where it reached – 37° F. I remember it to this day because it was painful, the cold went right through you, even if you were bundled up. Road salt doesn’t work at these temperatures, batteries fail and you don’t even want to breath, the air is so cold. Some ski-resorts in Vermont closed yesterday because they said if their lifts stopped working, there wouldn’t be enough time to get people down before they froze. That’s cold.
Think summer.
Huletts Will Be Watching The AFC Title Game
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The last time we spoke to local standout, Adam Terry of the Baltimore Ravens, was before the Ravens made it to the playoffs. Since then the Ravens beat Jacksonville to secure a playoff berth and have gone on to reach the AFC title game.
Adam had a few minutes this week, so we had a chance to interview him and get caught up on the last few weeks. |
The last time we spoke, the Ravens hadn’t clinched a playoff spot yet. What has it been like going from needing that win against Jacksonville to get into the playoffs to now preparing for the AFC Championship Game?
“I think we treated that game against Jacksonville just how you have to treat it now. You win, you’re in. You win, you keep moving. You lose, you go home, pack up, and everybody goes their own way until preseason conditioning and everything. It’s a tough one coming up. Pittsburgh’s a sound defense with very good pass rushers off the edge. We’ve got to keep our defense off the field.”
The offensive line hasn’t allowed a sack through the first two playoff games. How much pride and motivation do you guys take from a stat like that?
“It’s a great statistic, but there are a lot of variables that come into play – running backs, wide receivers getting open, [Quaterback] Joe [Flacco] getting rid of the ball. Whether it’s a completion or just getting rid of the ball, that helps out. It’s a good number. Going forward, we’re going to try to keep it that way.”
A lot of people from Huletts Landing and upstate NY have been following you and the Ravens. What message do you have for those people?
“It’s great. That’s where I’m from, and my wife and I will probably end up somewhere in New York between Rochester and upstate New York, Queensbury area. It’s a good feeling. You really don’t get to see it until you get to go back home and everybody congratulates you, and you get to see the support. Sometimes, you get letters and stuff here, but for the most part you really don’t realize until you get back there.”
Adam, we appreciate your time this week. We know you’re headed to Pittsburgh but we just wanted to tell you that all your fans from Huletts Landing wish you well. Thanks again.
Two Signs Tell History
On December 13, 2008, an unveiling ceremony was held for two new historic signs, erected by the Washington County Historian’s Office, in Huletts Landing and the Town of Dresden. The signs tell the story of the famous French and Indian War event, the Rogers’ Rangers Trek, that took place in Huletts Landing in 1758. One sign is located at the southern rest area, on Rt. 22 in Dresden, and the other sign was placed in the Washington County Park at Hulett’s Landing.
Capt. Robert Rogers led his rangers up Lake George to Hulett’s Landing where over a period of three days they hauled their five boats over the mountains to Lake Champlain.
The signs go into detail of how this tremendous effort was accomplished. Participating in the unveiling were Commissioner Paul Loding of the New York State French and Indian War Commemoration Commission, Dresden Town Historian Agnes Peterson, Washington County Deputy Historian Loretta Bates and Washington County Historian Dona Crandall.
Bravos to Dresden Town Supervisor, Bob Banks, for helping to secure the funding.
Help Us Make It Better
During the last two years, two sides of the Casino were painted and the electrical service inside was upgraded. This year we will be painting the other two sides and undertaking some major improvements which we will announce here in the weeks ahead.
However, we will also be cleaning up the back of the building too. We mailed this announcement out last week but we’re asking that you read it here if you didn’t get it. Thank you for your cooperation. Your help will make the area a lot nicer.
Doing it Mountain Dew – Huletts 1980’s
During the early to mid-1980’s, Mountain Dew received permission and filmed a commercial on the Paulist Islands off of Huletts. The camera crew took their equipment out to the islands from Huletts. I remember speaking to the crew and it was quite a production. They had numerous cameras and a lot of equipment.
The commercial wasn’t on TV that long and many people never saw it or even knew about it.
However, after a lot of searching, we found a copy. You’ll definitely recognize the background. Doing it Mountain Dew – Huletts 1980’s. Those were the days!
Top News Story of Huletts: 2008
With so many media outlets declaring their top new stories for 2008, we thought we would pick the top event in Huletts for the year.
We had many big stories from the past year. All of the following happened in 2008; the grand opening of the new firehouse, the Washington County budget and beach funding controversy, the Whitehall school district receiving over $700,000 in increased state aid and still raising taxes, the Huletts Island View marina roads being turned over to the Town, the new book – Huletts Landing on Lake George being released, and the passing of longtime Huletts resident and Town Board Member, William McElhenny. All of these were significant events in our small community. There were many other newsworthy items that we could include in this list.
However, the Huletts Current pick for the top story of 2008 was the restoration of the shorefront and beach by the Huletts Landing Property Owners Civic Association and its Junior Members. This major project, which was years in the making, was not only a significant investment for the future, but was a commitment to life and the enjoyment of Lake George. We name it “Top Story of Huletts 2008” and congratulate all those who were part of this great undertaking.
Interview with Adam Terry, Baltimore Raven
Photo Courtesy of Baltimore Ravens photographer Phil Hoffmann
The Huletts Current recently interviewed local standout, Adam Terry, who is now playing offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. This is a transcript of our interview with him.
What exactly is your affiliation to our area? We know you went to high-school in Queensbury but did you grow up in Whitehall?
“No, but I spent a lot of time up there. That’s where most of my family resided. On my dad’s side, my grandparents lived in Whitehall. On my mom’s side, they lived up in Clemons, which is on the other side of the mountain from Huletts. So I spent a lot of time up there. My aunt and uncle still live up there. I haven’t spent much time up there lately, but when I was in high school and younger – and even in college – I’d go up there quite a bit.”
Do you have any favorite outdoor activities in upstate New York?
“I like being on Lake George. Huletts is right there on Lake George. When I was young, we spent a lot of time up at Ticonderoga camping up there. As we got older, we spent more time on Lake George. It’s about five minutes from my house, so I spent a lot of time up there and I still do. I like being up there.”
What kind of insight can you give about what it’s like playing in the NFL?
“I guess one thing you could say is it’s a glamorous lifestyle, but it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. You know, it’s nice to be recognized, and you get your perks every once in a while – a free meal here and there. As far as it goes, though, there’s a lot of dedication and a lot of perseverance, especially for myself, dealing with injuries. It’s a full-time job, and I think people don’t realize that. They see what you do out on Sunday, but there’s a lot of preparation, a lot of dedication during the week.”
Getting drafted in the 2nd round by the Ravens must have been a dream come true. What advice would you give to young people who want to follow their dreams?
Even for me right now, it’s just continuing to focus on what you want to do and what you want to become. For me, growing up, I really didn’t even want to play football at a professional level. When I was real young, I wanted to play hockey. My dream died on a pond; it didn’t even go to an ice rink. It was baseball from there. But when you have an .087 average and can bunt real well, but you can’t run really fast, I don’t think that’s conducive to being a pro baseball player. But then John Irion, my high school coach, saw something in me that other people didn’t when I was growing up, and I attribute a lot of my success to him giving me an opportunity. There were a lot of people growing up that… There were a lot of doubters. Grow close to the people that have confidence in you. I think that’s the main thing. As a kid, I didn’t know where I wanted to be or what I wanted to do, but I just kept plugging along. This was my niche. So far, I’ve been successful.
Any interesting tidbits from Huletts or Lake George?
“When my father was growing up, they used to run the county beach up there in Huletts. It’s a great area. As far as Whitehall, what is it? The Italian Festival, I want to say. We used to go up there every year and watch the fireworks when they used to be out at Mt. Carmel field, and then they went downtown. But I have a lot of memories up there because, like I said, a lot of my cousins were up there. So we used to run the streets up there. And then Lake George, Thomas Jefferson described it as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The people that go up there, it’s a nice area. It’s getting a little too expensive to live there, (laughing) but hopefully I can keep playing long enough that I can buy a house on the lake.”
Adam – thank you for your time and best of luck. If you’re ever back up our way, please let us know. (Big Smile)
The Huletts Current appreciates the time Adam spent with us this week. He was busy preparing for the Raven’s last game of the season, which if they win, will put them in the playoffs.
To learn more about Adam, click here to see his official bio with the Ravens.
The Current Reaches the NFL
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With the final week of the football season upon us, the Huletts Current will be rooting for the Baltimore Ravens to reach the playoffs. Why? Because local talent, Adam Terry, who spent alot of time growing up in Clemons, Huletts, and Whitehall, plays offensive tackle for the Ravens. |
Adam has a great story, going to school at Syracuse University and getting drafted in the 2nd round of the NFL draft. It is an understatement to tell you he is one big guy. He stands 6 ft 8 inches tall and weighs 330 lbs.
We completed our interview with Adam in anticipation of the playoffs and will be posting it here on Sunday morning. Read about him here – only on the Huletts Current. Go Huletts! Go Ravens!
He Gets a Commission
One of our guests passed along this cute story about her young son. We share it here with you for the holidays.
After returning from their vacation in Huletts, her son started first grade. As one of his first assignments, he had to create a web-page about the things he had done that summer. This may be hard to believe that first graders are creating web pages, but the mother tells us it happened just like this.
Well he worked for a couple of weeks and diligently built his webpage. It was a montage of all the things he had done in Huletts, illustrated by pictures his family took. There were shots of him playing on the beach, him riding his bicycle, going to the soda fountain, etc. I’m sure you get the idea.
Well it comes time to present his website to his class and he pulls it up on his monitor with all his first grade classmates gathered around. On seeing all the things he had done in Huletts and what joy he had, his classmates were completely incredulous that there was a place where a first grader could have so much fun. Two asked simultaneously; “is that a real place?” To which he replied; “Of course, it’s a real place, it’s Huletts Landing and that’s where I go on vacation!” He then proceeded to pull up our website and show them how they could make a reservation. His mother said every child in the class said they were going to tell their parents.
Now how’s that for word of mouth advertising!