Piano Concert by Findlay Cockrell: Saturday August 6th

I’m pleased to announce that on Saturday August 6th at 7:30 pm, the Mountain Grove Memorial Church will host pianist; Findlay Cockrell. You will not want to miss this event!

This event will be a fundraiser for the church. Tickets are $25 each. Tickets will be limited and are sure to sell out fast so be sure to get yours soon.

Findlay Cockrell, is a retired professor of music at SUNY Albany, a teacher, pianist and mentor. Findlay attended Harvard and the Juilliard School (BS, MS), and has taught at Albany for almost 50 years. Those in the Capital District have enjoyed his recitals (especially the Noon Concert series), chamber music, and performances with the Albany Symphony and other local orchestras. Findlay was also the first performing artist to play at the EGG (The Empire State theater of performing arts in Albany). He was also guest soloist with the San Francisco Symphony under Arthur Fiedler, and a highlight of his career were guest solo performances in Tula, Russia and in Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow with the noted Ossipov Russian Instrumental Orchestra.

A native of California, and a part time resident of the Napa Valley, Findlay has his own amphitheater there for local concerts.

Survival Skills Theme for LGLC’s 2nd Annual Kids’ Scavenger Hunt and Hike


Group of youth and parents enjoy the view at the top of the Pinnacle during the LGLC’s Scavenger Hunt and Hike event.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) hosted its 2nd annual scavenger hunt and hike for kids on Tuesday, July 26. Designed by 15-year-old Jahnavi Bhavsar of Huletts Landing, this year’s hike focused on wilderness survival skills.

Starting with a brief lesson in map reading led by volunteer Todd Earl, the group of 23 youth and a parents were divided into teams before heading for the trail at The Pinnacle Preserve in Bolton Landing. The Pinnacle, which is owned by the Town of Bolton and managed by the LGLC, was protected through a unique partnership between the LGLC, the Town of Bolton, and the Fund for Lake George in 2015.

The teams encountered trivia questions along the trail that tested their knowledge in hiking safety and wilderness survival. Lunch at the summit concluded with an additional challenge of finding a list of edible and poisonous plants in the woods and along the trail on their descent. Prizes were awarded and everyone cooled off with some ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s, where they all were able to look up at the Pinnacle peak from the front porch.

Bhavsar has big plans for 2017, including a shelter building challenge and animal tracking at the LGLC’s Amy’s Park. The date for this free event is to be determined, but those interested may contact Helen Barton Benedict at hbartonbenedict@lglc.org or check lglc.org for updates

FHHL Children’s Event: August 4th


The Friends of Historic Huletts Landing will sponsor an event for children in the Huletts Gallery on August 4th between 10:00 and 11:00 am.

Come visit 1775 as a soldier garrisoning Fort Ticonderoga. Kids learn all about what it was really like to be a soldier on the Lake Champlain frontier during the American Revolution. What was daily life like? What did you have to carry around with you? Pounds and pounds of stuff. Kids get to touch representative objects like blankets, food, soap, canteens, gunpowder and writing notebooks, and try on clothing. Kids learn about the purpose and function of each item and big ideas about what it was to serve in America’s War for Independence. It was a very big deal to equip and feed an army in a remote location. $5 suggested donation.

400 Dance the Night Away at LGA Gala, Raising More Than $120,000 to Protect LG


400 people attended this year’s Lake George Association Gala at the Sagamore. (Click for full-scale.)

It may be known as the best party on the Lake, but the Lake George Association’s annual gala has another important function: To raise money to protect Lake George’s famous water quality. Thanks to the generosity of more than 400 guests at The Sagamore Resort in Bolton, the 2016 Gala (themed “Celebrate at the Speakeasy to Safeguard our Queen”) raised more than $120,000 after expenses, according to the LGA’s preliminary estimates.

All of that money will be used on projects that benefit the Lake George watershed from Ticonderoga to Lake George Village. “We are so pleased that people from every community around the Lake came to Celebrate at the Speakeasy,” said Nancy Cobb-Zoll, LGA Director of Development. “It is the largest gala and most support we’ve ever had.”

“There are few places other than Lake George where you can get that kind of wide support, and we are humbled that our Lake and the Lake George Association has that kind of endorsement from the public,” Cobb-Zoll said.

The evening included cocktails, dinner, a silent auction that included hundreds of items that were donated by local businesses and restaurants, and constant conversations as attendees renewed old friendships and made new ones. Many dressed to the Speakeasy theme of “Prohibition and Pearls,” and danced to the music of The Bob Halek Band.

A final tally will be released after everything has been settled, and planning is already beginning for the 2017 gala!

The LGA’s next two gatherings are Sunday, August 14 – a Clambake at the Boathouse Restaurant – and Friday, August 19 – the LGA’s Annual Meeting at the Lake George Club. See their website for more details.

Jessica Rubin Begins FHHL Speaker Series


Lucinda Bhavsar, Board Trustee for the Fund for Lake George and Huletts Landing resident (left), welcomes Jessica Rubin, Director of Development and Marketing for the Fund for Lake George (right), to Huletts Landing prior to Ms. Rubin’s talk to the Friends of Historic Huletts Landing on Thursday night.

Ms. Rubin spoke about the Fund for Lake George’s important work to a large group of Huletts Landing residents and visitors. To learn more about the Fund for Lake George, visit their website at: fundforlakegeorge.org

FHHL Speaker Series: Jessica Rubin – Thursday July 21st – MGM Church

Jessica Rubin, Director of Development and Marketing for the Fund for Lake George, will speak at the Mountain Grove Memorial Church on Thursday, July 21st.

The Friends of Historic Huletts Landing Speaker Series begins on Thursday July 21st at 7:30 pm at the Mountain Grove Memorial Church.

Jessica Rubin, the Director of Development and Marketing for the Fund for Lake George, a not-for-profit, privately funded organization dedicated since 1980 to the protection of Lake George will show a short video and then talk about Legacy and Low Impact Development (LID) strategies, especially as they effect storm-water runoff. The U.S. EPA has declared storm-water runoff and pollution to be the “Nation’s largest source of water quality problems.”

More than 30 years of water chemistry monitoring at Lake George reveals a decline in lake health including measurable losses to the lake’s signature water clarity. The “Queen of American Lakes” provides an ideal test bed for demonstrating how to reduce storm-water impacts through application of Low Impact Development (LID). LID practices manage storm-water as near to its source as possible, allowing for, rather than altering, the natural processes that filter and clean runoff entering the lake.

Updated: Fatalities in Car Crash on Route 22

Sunday Morning – July 17th

The Post Star has complete coverage here, including the names of the victims and what is believed to have happened.

Update 7:55 pm

Because of the fatality, an accident reconstruction investigation is taking place. State Route 22 will be closed for a few more hours. Pike Brook road is being used as a detour.

Update 7:30 pm

Route 22 may be closed for another couple of hours. I’m hearing it may not reopen until close to 10:00 pm.

There has been a bad accident on Route 22, near Blue Goose Road. Two cars were involved. One fatality has been reported. There is a helicopter on the scene now. Cars are being diverted up and around Pike Brook Road. One car was burned. The other car flipped over. The entire scene is closed right now. (More as this develops.)

Trekonderoga: August 12-14


Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, the stars “2001 – A Space Odyssey,” will appear in Ticonderoga in August.

Following the successful Trekonderoga last year, the second annual Trekonderoga convention will take place on the weekend of August 12-14, from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. It will be held in Ticonderoga, New York, on the banks of Lake George and Lake Champlain. Trekonderoga – 2016 will again show its special nature as a small, intimate setting where you can meet stars and participate in events up-close, all in a beautiful and historic setting in the Adirondacks!

Lean more at Trekonderoga.com – including all the “stars” who will be appearing and how to purchase tickets.