Table Talk: Rene’s Restaurant

By Blaze Marshall

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I was one of many who was disappointed when Chef Rene’ Plattner shut down his restaurant near Loon Lake several years ago. A visit to the quaint farmhouse was a special night out and always worth the trip. My Albany hotelier, Jack Hoffman, and I made many trips together to soak up the atmosphere, perhaps even have a few scotches with Rene’ and savor his French inspired menu.

Well, he’s back!! Smaller, but as good as ever, Rene and his son have teamed up in a former small home to open up…you guessed it, Rene’s Restaurant. Tucked in between two small residences on Elm Street, diners are invited to share one of only seven tables in the former home’s living room and dining room.

Rene’ has put his sweat and hopes into converting this spot into a cozy, casual setting. He and his son work behind curtains cut through an open wall into the kitchen. His own artwork adorns the walls.

There is no bar; diners can bring their own alcohol if they so choose and will be supplied with the proper glassware, ice and buckets. Rene’s serves lunch and dinner and from what I understand also does a brisk take-out business to the nearby medical centers.

Carol is the lone waitress on Thursdays, with Dawn for the remainder of the week. Both are energetic, knowledgeable and outgoing ladies who bring a lot to your overall dining experience.

Our party of four went on a recent snowy Saturday and found all the tables reserved, each with a name card attached. There are four 4-tops and three deuces in the two tiny rooms, yet the tables are spaced to provide adequate room to listen and chat!

Dawn asked if we brought beverages and supplied us with wine and pilsner glasses as well as a round of ice water. She returned immediately with menus, a platter of fresh hummus and a cup of extra virgin olive oil for dipping slices of French bread.

Thankfully, Rene’s menu mirrors his former features; his Swiss potato and leek soup, roast duckling and Austrian Weiner Schnitzel. There is lobster bisque, Greek salad and Swedish gravlax (fish) for starters as well. Other apps were goat cheese, tomato and portobello bruschetta and oriental shrimp with chicken dumplings.

Entrée choices include roast pork tenderloin wrapped with prosciutto, pulled pork BBQ, grilled chicken breast with feta, salmon en croute, macadamia nut and sesame tuna as well as grilled New York strip steak. Almost all entrees, salads and appetizers are offered in two sizes.

Our CPA teammates quaffed down Ithaca pale ales, while Companion and I enjoyed a Wyatt’s pinot noir from Oregon; a truly delicious red with a soft, mellow finish.

I opened with Rene’s Swiss potatoes and leek soup; it was rich and creamy with shredded cheddar and diced fresh leeks, and steaming hot. A nice opening for a wintry, snowy night.

The others enjoyed the small house salad that was larger than most, with baby mixed greens, apples, cucumbers, grapes and toasted walnuts, accompanied by some wonderful parsley vinaigrette on the side.

Ms. CPA, who almost rivals Miss Picky Eater as a discerning diner, chose a veggie burger made with bulgur wheat, walnuts and pinto beans with lime mayo on Tuscan bread. This rather unique dish came with some wonderful garlic mashed potatoes.

Mr. CPA, who loves to cook and eat, dug into a generous portion of grilled chicken and shrimp with fennel, leeks and asparagus in a roasted garlic tomato sauce over creamy parmesan risotto. He was more than pleased!

Constant Companion’s “Yummy” set the tone for her special dish of salmon, wrapped in prosciutto with spinach and bowtie pasta.

I stuck with another of Rene’s signature dishes, enjoying two large, tender veal cutlets Weiner Schnitzel blanketed with panko breading in a light demi glaze over homemade spaetzle. Next time I’ll request Schnitzel ala Holstein, with a sunny side egg, capers and anchovies. However, it was great plain with just a hint of lemon.

Rene’s was out of our first choice for dessert; bread pudding, but still had tiramisu mousse, chocolate raspberry cheesecake and crème brulee. We were completely satisfied, too much so to delve into dessert, so we passed for another time.

The evening was a great success. Dawn was a gem, running about but never a pause in her friendliness and attentiveness. The food was excellent and very reasonably priced, especially considering the lack of any alcoholic beverages. The lighting could use a slight upgrade, and perhaps the fine quality of the offerings deserves more than paper napkins.

Rene’ loves to play golf and he’s hit an eagle on Elm Street. Great to see him back in his own place, doing what he truly loves. And we love it too!!

Tribute to a Friend
As I write this review, I am saddened by the passing of John W. ‘Jack’ Gates on Wed. December 26, 2012. He was the owner of Jack’s Bistro in Queensbury and worked many years for the DeSantis family at Howard Johnson’s and the Red Coach. I and many will forever remember Jack as friendly, caring, knowledgeable and a major contributor to our local hospitality industry.

Rest in peace!

Tags: Blaze Marshall, Food & Drink, Glens Falls, Rene's, Table Talk

Derek Mitchell aka Mitochi

Lake George Native Releases “Cryptic Cosmic” First Album

By James H. Miller

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Cryptic Cosmic is the title of local artist Derek Mitchell’s (a.k.a. Mitochi) immersive debut on Glens Falls’ Sub-Bombin Records, released Tuesday, June 26. Like some of the ambient, instrumental pioneers that precede him—Jean Michel Jarre or Tangerine Dream—Mitchell layers synthesizer tones that swell, whirl, and ripple to make a galactic sound. Unlike them, however, Mitchell works with hip-hop beats and manipulated rap samples.

“I love the beat of hip-hop, and I do a lot of sampling,” Mitchell says, who was born and raised in Lake George. But other influences, like new electronica music, have also shaped Cryptic Cosmic. “I don’t pigeonhole myself into just being a hip-hop person,” he says.

Mitchell has been involved with music in some shape or form since he was fairly young. When he was roughly 15, he dabbled in a couple different bands, playing bass and electric guitar. In the first, he covered songs by Nirvana, the 90s grunge band, and with the second, played punk rock out of a Queensbury garage. However, certain elements of hip-hop, the beats and rhythms in particular, increasingly appealed to him. He took a shot at writing rhymes and even did some recording in a studio in the old Troy Shirt Factory building, yet he didn’t appear to be cut out for it.

“I don’t have the voice for it, and my rhymes were always so abstract that no one knew what I was talking about most of the time,” he says.

When Mitchell acquired a basic drum machine in 2002, he found his niche. Since then, he has specialized in making those electronic beats and rhythms that initially attracted him to hip-hop. It was those instrumental aspects of hip-hop, more so than the lyrical content that had appealed to him. “It’s sometimes too ‘streetish’,” he says, “there’s too much talk about drugs, murder, and violence.”

Until recently, producing music has been a strictly personal, and more or less private, interest for Mitchell. “I’ve been working on this stuff for myself for a long time and not really playing it for other people,” he says. “I didn’t show it to anyone else. But then I had enough material that felt like an album.”

The Cryptic Cosmic limited edition USB

As a local label that specializes in instrumental hip-hop, Sub-Bombin seemed like the right place for Mitchell. On the label were producers working in a similar style, many of whom he considers influences. “I’ve always liked what those guys do and always paid attention to their label,” he says. Mitchell got in contact with Sub-Bombin, and the label likewise thought he’d make a good addition.

“He’s really broadened the musical spectrum of the label,” says Collin Badger (a.k.a. Midas), co-founder of Sub-Bombin. “That he can move between instrumental hip hop and a more ambient style should appeal to everybody. He’s a local musician from Lake George, too, which is always a draw for us.”

Sub-Bombin has released Cryptic on a limited edition USB card, which includes two bonus tracks. It’s an appropriate vehicle for this sequence of airy, futuristic songs. Cryptic is music for a planetarium, a passage up the Guggenheim building, or a walk along a dramatic shoreline. The quasi-video-game synths pan in and out as though coming and going from far-flung distances. The album is not something that forcibly hits you, so much as an open space that you can enter.

However, the truly original elements of the album lie in the hip-hop beats and rap samples. Rather than take a purely downtempo, contemplative approach, as most so-called “space music” tends to do, Cryptic has moments of danceablility. Call it hip-hop in slow motion. The tempo never reaches into the extremes, but it is, nevertheless, rather irresistible.

As the title of the album indicates, in addition to songs like “The Unknown Deep,” mystery is at the heart of Cryptic. “Some of the songs have a certain meaning to me,” Mitchell says, “but I wanted to do the album so that people could fill in the blanks for themselves.”

Tags: Arts & Leisure, Cryptic Cosmic, Derek Mitchell, Glens Falls, Mitochi, Sub-Bombin Records

Vuillard, Les Deux Belles-Souers, 1899

What a Spectacle was Paris: 19th Century French Prints at The Hyde

By Richard Stout

Friday, May 18, 2012

Toulouse-Lautrec & Company: Prints from the Belle Époque, an exhibition featuring ten lithographs by Toulouse-Lautrec and approximately twenty prints by contemporaries such as Pierre Bonnard, Jules Chéret, Maurice Denis, Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen and Édouard Vuillard, will be on view in The Hyde Collection’s Hoopes Gallery through May 27.

This intimate exhibition of etchings, woodcuts and lithography from the Jan Balet and the Sparling Family collections demonstrates the varied printmaking techniques and styles of the “Belle Epoque”.

The “Belle Epoque”(the beautiful era, 1880-1914) was the period in French history that experienced the formation of the Third French Republic(1870-1940), the French Industrial Revolution, and the modernization of France. An exciting new way of life and opportunity for some, unemployment, poverty, and injustice for others(The Dreyfus Affair). The arts flourished. Impressionism, Post- Impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism, all had their origins and fruition during this time. Literature, Music, Dance and Architecture also experienced exciting new forms of expression.

Paris night life was infamous and a new group of entrepreneurs embraced the advant-garde, employing them as entertainers and performers, as well as program, poster and set designers. The goal was to achieve a total spectacle. The Theatre de L’Oeuvre and the Moulin Rouge were just some of these famous theaters.

To promote and support the “Spectacle”, lithography emerged as the reproduction method of choice. The continually changing venues demanded new designs and material. Lithography, unlike woodcuts and etching(which were labor intensive), was a perfect medium for the artist and the style that reflected the exciting new form of entertainment.

Toulouse-Lautrec, Bust of Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, 1895

Toulouse-Lautrec, a collector and student of Japanese Art, integrated the Japanese approach into his paintings and his graphic art. Bold, flat primary and secondary color, black contour, simplified shapes, and unique perspectives, drawn with an ink stick on a stone surface produced immediate and fresh images. He was an accomplished draftsman and a natural for the medium. His line gesture and compositions were sophisticated and elegant, as well as entertaining and provocative. Toulouse- Lautrec created a style and standard that future artists and craftsmen would emulate.

Jules Cheret developed the technique of printing with 3 separate stones. Black, warm and cool colors printed independently, overlaying each to create a spectrum of color with just three “runs”. He is credited with over 1,000 graphic designs.

Pierre Bonnard, realizing he had to simplify his shapes and compositions, introduced abstract patterns into his work.

Modern artists loved lithography, and those who appreciated the work and the artist began employing them in advertisements (Toulouse- Lautrec’s “Confetti” and “La Chaine Simpson”). They also collaborated on portfolios and catalogs chronicling famous celebrities, entertainers, Parisian night life and even prostitutes. The 1890′s were the golden age of lithography and the prints are as popular (and as collectable) as ever. They would also influence the artist of future styles from Art Nouveau to Pop Art.

The Hyde is located at 161 Warren Street, Glens Falls, and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm. Call 792-1761 for information.

Richard Stout is an artist living and working in Hague

Tags: Arts & Leisure, Glens Falls, Hyde Collection, Richard Stout, Toulouse-Lautrec

Hyde Exhibits RPI Architecture Students’ Conceptual Designs

By Mirror Staff

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Students Developed Concepts To Unify and Expand Hyde Campus in Glens Falls

The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls is mounting an unusual exhibit, titled “Building Futures: Re-Envisioning the Hyde at Rensselaer,” which presents presents conceptual proposals for expanding the campus of The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, will remain on view at The Hyde through April 15.

The exhibit showcases faculty-led, student-developed ideas for expanding and unifying the campus. Six of the concepts were generated during an intensive two-day design “charrette” in September 2011. Sixteen proposals are the product of the semester-long second-year design studio held in the fall 2011, semester.

As an exercise in analysis, each student was asked to root his or her design in a piece from the collection, said Andrew Saunders, assistant professor of architecture at Rensselaer, and coordinator of the Hyde design studio.

“For the students, this is their introduction to analysis, which you can think of as design research,” Saunders said. “In a very simple way, it’s about being able to access thoughts and being able to analyze cultural artifacts beyond the literal. There’s a certain amount of interpretation; it’s not a formulaic process. It’s about understanding and building a discourse.”

Sophomore Erica Barrows analyzed “The Discovery of the True Cross,” a Renaissance painting by Jacopo Robusti (Tintoretto), which pictures Christ bearing the cross amid a crowd of onlookers.

“I really looked at the transitions between the figures in the painting. How all the main focus is on the centerpiece, and the people on the outside were watching him and orbiting around him,” Barrows said.

Saunders said the design studio was an opportunity for students to practice the concept of “affects”—an idea proposed by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze—in aesthetic analysis.

“There are certain intensities that are transmitted by the collection,” Saunders explained. “When transposed to architecture, we were less concerned with what the piece looked like and more concerned with what it does. Progressive architecture is not concerned with defining a universal language of meaning through the elements of architectural language such as columns, windows, and doors, but more concerned with how architecture engages a contemporary society through its affects or how the architecture connects through sensation.”

The students “mined” their painting for specific relationships of geometry, composition, materiality, lighting, color, nature, and the human body. The students then translated their “affects” through a series of drawing and modeling exercises, culminating in an architectural strategy for the Hyde campus.

From her analysis, Barrows isolated three “affects” related to the rotation of the figures, the movement of the fabric robes enveloping their bodies, and folding and splitting lines. She labeled her affects “unrestrained weaving by the materiality,” “rotational,” and “split-folding.”

“This studio was a huge eye opener – before, it was all abstract,” Barrows said. “I liked how we started with something so simple as a painting and looked at it, and made it into a module, and used that module to create a building that people can move around. It kind of opened my eyes to the idea that architecture can come from anything.”

Saunders said the sophomore design studio has become a vehicle for students to engage in their community’s cultural resources. The Hyde design studio follows on the heels of last year’s successful collaboration with the Lebanon, N.Y., Shaker Museum and Library.

“The Hyde collection is eclectic. It includes pieces from the Renaissance, Baroque, modern, contemporary – you get to see an evolution of art,” Saunders said. “By analyzing each piece for affects, we were able to approach the collection in a contemporary way.”

Tags: Arts & Leisure, Glens Falls, Hyde Collection, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, RPI

The Tamburitzans return to the Wood Theater March 10

The Sembrich to Host Tamburitzans at Wood Theater

By Mirror Staff

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Tamburitzans, a Duquesne University ensemble of 32 singers, dancers and musicians specializing in the folk traditions of central Europe, will perform at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls on Saturday, March 10 at 7:30 pm.
The performance is sponsored by the Sembrich, which brought the troupe to Glens Falls in 2008.

“I think that the most striking characteristic of a Tamburitzans performance is the sheer joy and energy which the young performers radiate from the stage,” said Sembrich Artistic Director Richard Wargo. “The dances, performed in traditional costume, range from acrobatic virtuosity to intricate line and circle dances to free-spirited gypsy and klezmer numbers. The music is performed live onstage on both traditional and folk instruments.”

The Tamburitzan performance kicks off the Sembrich’s 2012 season, titled “Exploring a World of Music.”
“Since the performance of the Tamburitzans is in itself something of a musical travelogue of central Europe, this is an ideal time for us to share the exciting plans underway for the upcoming summer season,” said Sembrich Executive Director Beth Barton Navitsky.

According to Navitsky, “Exploring a World of Music,” will focus on the subjects of music and travel and will feature performances in a variety of styles, from both classical and folk traditions and will include an international film series. One of the travel-related topics planned for 2012, “Titantic: End of the Gilded Age,” will commemorate the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic. The series begins at the Bolton Free Library at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 10 with a free screening of the film “A Night to Remember.”

For tickets and additional information on the March 10th performance of the Tamburitzans at the Wood Theatre, please contact The Sembrich office at 518 644-2431.

Tags: Arts & Leisure, Glens Falls, Tamburitzans, The Sembrich, Wood Theater

Swiss Chocolate Cake 12" vinyl with special edition USB

Local Record Label Releases Album by Legendary Hip Hop Artist

By Mirror Staff

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Sub-Bombin Records, the Glens Falls-based record label, has released the first album in eight years of Mr. Complex, the legendary emcee who helped drive the underground hip hop scene in New York in the 1990s.

The album, “Swiss Chocolate Cake,” which was recorded in Basel, Switzerland in 2004, came to Sub-Bombin’s attention through the company’s relationships with contemporary hip-hop artists, many of whom view Mr. Complex as a major influence.

“We are very big fans of the work of Mr. Complex, and we are excited to be able to release this almost-mythical album,” said Collin Badger, president of Sub-Bombin. “Mr. Complex was attracted to our approach to marketing albums, and felt the label could help him make the transition to the era of digital music, while still holding true to traditional formats like vinyl.”

The album has been released on vinyl and as a digital USB drive and is available locally at Divinyl Revolution in Saratoga Springs as well as through Fat Beats in Brooklyn and soon on Sub-Bombin’s new website.

Mr. Complex. Photo by Chris Vernale

According to Badger, Mr. Complex rose to prominence through his work with performers such as DJ Spinna, Shabaam Sahdeeq and Pharoahe Monch, with whom he famously performed “Simon Says” on the television show, “The Source Sound Lab”. He has also worked with artists like De La Soul, Mos Def, Masta Ace, and Common, among others. His previous albums include The Complex Catalog, Hold This Down, and Twisted Mister. He has also released two albums with his group, Poly Rhythm Addicts, which consists of DJ Spinna, Shabaam Sahdeeq, and Apani B (who was later replaced by Tiye Phoenix). Mr. Complex’s 2001 single “Underground Up,” was featured in the film Brown Sugar with Taye Diggs.

Sub-Bombin is now recognized by the national music media as an independent label that has found a niche releasing albums on vinyl. Its 2011 vinyl release, Rawhead’s Psychpomp, is a local best-seller.

“We not only love the sound we can achieve on vinyl; as a graphic artist, I love the medium of the record jacket and the freedom it gives you to produce art work that relects the spirit of the music,” said Badger.

Founded in in 2005, Sub-Bombin first attracted national attention when one of its acts, the electronic duo Charle Everywhere, was signed by a major independent label in 2009 and changed its name to Phantogram.

Tags: Arts & Leisure, Glens Falls, Mr. Complex, Queens, Sub-Bombin Records, Swiss Chocolate Cake

Lisa A. Miller

Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra Taps Bolton Resident to be Executive Director

By Mirror Staff

Monday, December 12, 2011

Lisa A. Miller, who divides her time between Bolton Landing and Saratoga Springs, has been named the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra’s new executive director.

She succeeds Robert Rosoff, who will retire on December 31 after 13 years as the Symphony’s first executive director.

According to Glens Falls Symphony Board President Doug Butler, Miller brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, corporate communications and community arts involvement to the position. She spent 22 years with KeyCorp and its affiliate Key Equipment Finance where she most recently held the position of marketing and employee communications manager. As a freelance writer, Miller has worked with the Symphony’s marketing committee over the past two years and assisted with press releases. She has been an active member of Albany Pro Musica, the area’s premier choral group, since 1989 having served two terms on their board and holding the positions of choral manager, section leader and singer. She and her husband, John R. Miller, share a home on Lakeshore Drive.

“We are so fortunate to have our very own professional symphony right here in the Adirondacks,” said Miller. “The Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra provides Lake George residents and visitors with a wonderful opportunity to hear really good music, year-round, within a relatively short distance.”

Miller added, “I look forward to spreading the word that this marvelous symphony is right here where we live, work and play—and under the leadership of Maestro Charles Peltz, it is making some really fine music, and I encourage people to come listen.”

According to Butler, the Orchestra’s Executive Search Committee, chaired by Board Vice President Suzanna Bernd, worked with community leaders, orchestra musicians and the board’s executive committee to complete a nationwide search which began in January 2011. The search included major universities, the League of American Orchestras and local communities.

“We are pleased to have found an excellent person for this important position. I am especially thankful to the Search Committee members and volunteers for their hard work and commitment to this extensive process,” said Bernd.

“From a strong field of candidates, Lisa brings a passion for music coupled with outstanding communication and organizational skills,” said Music Director Charles Peltz. “I look forward to Lisa’s involvement as she works to further the Symphony’s mission throughout the Glens Falls region.”

Miller will attend an intensive “Essentials of Orchestra Management” course offered through the League of American Orchestras in January and begin work at the Glens Falls Symphony office on January 16, 2012.

Tags: Arts & Leisure, Bolton Landing, Glens Falls, Glens Falls Symphony, Lisa Miller

Graphic Life Lessons: “Draw Me A Story” at The Hyde Collection

By Richard Stout

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

“What is the use of a book without pictures or conversation,” noted Alice in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Bold adventures, classic fairy tales, nursery rhymes, animals and our ABCs all make for entertaining and provocative subject matter in the Hyde Collection’s new exhibit, “Draw Me A Story.” The show focuses on 130 years of children’s book illustration, from the 1870s up to 2006. Harrison Cady, Randolph Caldecott, Palmer Cox, Jules Feiffer, Kate Greenaway, Sarah Noble Ives, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, and contemporaries George Avison and Chris Van Allsberg are just some of the wonderful and gifted cartoonists and illustrators that bring many of the classics to life.

Prior to the 1700s, children’s book illustration concerned itself with manners, education and religion. However, in 1744, John Newbury published “A Little Pretty Pocket Book”, which combined education and entertainment. The book was very successful and other children’s books soon followed. The British, Americans and French were just some of the western cultures that realized the need to enhance and expand the literary experience (and imagination) of young children.

Many of the stories (nursery rhymes, and fairy tales) have their roots in medieval folklore. These “lessons in life”, (good and bad), did not always have a happy ending and were filled with danger, jealousy and greed. This combined with a bouquet of characters (animals, insects, dwarfs, fairies, giants, monsters, kings, queens, princes, princesses, kind and evil souls, and natural forms) create a paradox that might intimidate anyone, yet a young child. It was how these talented artists combined a rich presentation of technique that transformed difficult themes into an assessable format. Lets face it, there is always something very adult about children’s book illustration which makes this show appropriate for all ages.

The development of children’s book illustration correlates with the evolution of the printing capabilities of the time. The images were created for reproduction. Flat black and white ink drawings were eventually replaced with color and form, which enhanced the mysterious space and gave the work a dimension that the viewer had not experienced before. The key to all of this is analogous color, simple and clear rendering of form and movement that is predictable and comfortable. Harmony creates the allure that draws the viewer in and eliminates any angst or anxiety. Even the darkest experiences are presented in such a way that one is always engaged. We all like to be scared sometimes and scary is good for business.

The exhibit is a walk down memory lane and back again. I couldn’t help but reflect on my own experience reading the stories and enjoying the illustrations of my youth, as well as those I shared with my sons. Having grown up in a family of printers and graphic artists I also appreciate the craftsmanship of the entire process. Before we had the ability to off-set print (photo-generated) book illustration, all of the images were individually lithographed on separate sheets of paper. The text was then set by hand and printed below the illustration on a second run. The quality of paper and the traditional application of ink produced a product that would last for years, something I lament when considering our contemporary printing process today. I also couldn’t help but reflect on how children’s book illustration evolved into animation and how much a part of our heritage and culture that has become. Illustrators and Cartoonist are sometimes not given the same status as some of our great fine artists, however I personally can’t express how important illustration was to my art education and I know many fine artist share that sentiment and experience.

Richard Stout is an artist living in Hague. In addition to writing reviews of art exhibitions for the Lake George Mirror, he lectures on art history to community groups.

Tags: Arts & Leisure, Children's Illustrations, Glens Falls, Hyde Collection, Richard Stout

Photo by Shawn LaChapelle

Local Hockey: Adirondack Phantoms Off to a Strong Start

By Paul Post

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Photo by Shawn LaChapelle

To say the Adirondack Phantoms have turned things around is a monumental understatement.

Last year, they not only stumbled out of the starting gate, but suffered one of the worst seasons in local pro hockey history, with a pair of 10-game losing streaks and two coaching changes before the Christmas break even arrived.

Head coach Joe Paterson righted the ship, after taking over mid-December, but it was too already late for the Phantoms to make the playoffs. This year, Paterson is at the helm right from the get-go, and the team’s healthy blend of veterans and prospects has gotten Adirondack off to a strong start, right where they want to be atop the AHL’s Northeast Division standings.

“It really helps having a knowledge of your players before the season starts,” Paterson said. “You know what they’re like both on and off the ice.”

Goaltending is one of the Phantoms’ best assets.

Michael Leighton helped lead the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals in 2010, before undergoing back surgery last fall. After recuperating, he spent most of 2010-11 with the Phantoms, one of the main reasons behind their midseason turnaround.
This year he got off to a 4-1 start with a sparkling 2.51 goals-against average and .918 saves percentage. Leighton’s backup is another net veteran, Jason Bacashihua, who went 23-16-3 (2.29 gaa) last year at Lake Erie.

Bacashihua, 1-1, picked up his first win of the young season by stopping 33 of 34 shots in a 3-1 win at Rochester on Oct. 23.

“We should have as good or better goaltending than anybody in the league,” General Manager John Paddock said.
So far, the Phantoms have proven they can win both at home and on the road. Heading into Week 4, they were 2-0 at the Civic Center and 3-2 when away from home.

“We want to make other teams feel like this is a tough building to come into; that they’re going to have a hard time getting points here,” Paterson said.

Photo by Shawn LaChapelle

Offensively, the Phantoms are led by veteran Denis Hamel, Adirondack’s top scorer a year ago despite joining the team part way through the season. He’s off to another strong start with six goals and three assists in seven games.

However, this year he’s surrounded by a stronger supporting cast with players such as Zac Rinaldo, Tom Sestito, Eric Wellwood, Mike Testwuide and Harry Zolnierczyk shouldering the offensive load, too. Each of these young players is a year older, smarter, more experienced and tougher.

The Phantoms had already found the net 27 times in their first seven outings, averaging just under four goals per game, a key component of any winning formula.

In another big improvement over last year, Adirondack had converted 10 of its first 41 power play opportunities (24.4 pct), ranked seventh best in the 30-team league.

The AHL was restructured during the offseason with a new six-division format, three each in both the Eastern and Western conferences. Adirondack is now in the Northeast Division with Albany, Springfield, Connecticut (Hartford) and Bridgeport.

“Springfield could be really good,” Paterson said. “They’ve signed Alex Giroux who had some great years with Hershey. Martin St. Pierre is an experienced centerman who’s played in Europe and for Binghamton. When you look at their veterans, on paper they’ll be a lot stronger than they were last year.”
Under the new playoff format, eight teams from each conference will reach the postseason – three division champions plus five teams with the next best records.
The Phantoms are not only better on the ice, but their home, the Glens Falls Civic Center, has undergone a facelift, too, with a new sound system and two large video boards that allow fans to get an even better view of the action in addition to instant replays.

The front office has also taken a much more aggressive approach to marketing the team with a long list of promotions at almost every game.

Next spring, when the playoffs arrive, the Phantoms should be right in the midst of things, instead of on the outside looking in.

Tags: Adirondack Phantoms, AHL, Glens Falls, Glens Falls Sports, Paul Post, Shawn LaChapelle

Kids enjoying the new World Awareness Children's Museum. Photos by James H. Miller

Go! Where Children Discover the World

By Mirror Staff

Thursday, August 11, 2011

World Awareness Children’s Museum’s New Exhibition Space Opens in Glens Falls

The World Awareness Children’s Museum new interactive, exhibition space for children, which the museum calls go! to reflect the museum’s goal of providing children with a global outlook, opened July 5.

Intended to serve as an educational destination for families and schoolchildren from the Greater Capital District to the Adirondacks, go! uses art, music, and technology to connect children to others around the world.

“At go!, children are immersed in other cultures through hands-on, multi-cultural activities,” said Dr Jacquiline Touba, the museum’s Executive Director,

The museum features a wide-range of cultural activities. The Global Art Gallery, for instance, projects international youth art on the walls, and during July and August, the museum will present a special exhibition of artwork produced by children living in Ecuador. Visitors to the exhibition will also have an opportunity to create art at the Express Yourself Art Studio.

Other hands-on activities offered at go! include handling musical instruments at the World Music Gallery, learning to eat in a traditional Japanese setting at the Home and Family Life Gallery, and using shadow puppets at the Chinese Dragon Boat Globe Theatre.

The museum will also provide visitors with periodic opportunities to Skype with children in other countries.

Every Tuesday and Thursday at go!, culturally specific programming will be featured from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $20 per day, per child, per program with sign up two weeks in advance.

Tags: Attractions, Glens Falls, Global Art Gallery, Jacquiline Touba, Kids, World Awareness Children's Museum