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Village Plans Even Brighter “Lite Up”

By Mirror Staff

Saturday, November 26, 2011

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Lake George Village’s annual “Lite Up the Village” holiday celebration will be even brighter this year, Mayor Bob Blais has announced.

This year’s festivities will be held Saturday, November 26, starting at 4 pm. In addition to the lighting of Shepard Park, caroling, a concert, fireworks and a visit from Santa Claus, this year’s event will feature the unveiling of a 25-foot Christmas tree near the Visitors Center and twenty new illuminated displays in Shepard Park.

The new Christmas tree has been donated to Lake George Village by the owners of Riley’s t-shirt shops, who recently acquired the Boyd Bear Company of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

At the Gettysburg headquarters, the tree was a prominent feature of the company’s Christmas display, said Blais.

“The tree has been dismantled and will be transported to Lake George, where it will be assembled, complete with all its beautiful and unique decorations,” said Blais.

The twenty new displays for Shepard Park have been donated by the Wheeler family, whose home on Bloody Pond Road was well known for its extravagant Christmas lights and decorations, attracting sightseers every year, Blais said.

“Lite Up the Village” will also feature a live Christmas music and a holiday show by Robert Noah and Cyndie Wade at the Shepard Park band shell; a visit from Santa Claus at 5:45 pm, refreshments at the firehouse provided by the Ladies Auxiliary; and a concert by the Lake George Commmunity Band. Throughout the day, local merchants and restaurant owners will offer special holiday discounts.

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David Greenberger

David Greenberger's “Licorice Nibs Circling the Drain"

Two Artists at Lake George’s Courthouse Gallery: “What You See, Might Not Be What You Get”

By Richard Stout

Monday, November 21, 2011

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Mary Gaynier and David Greenberger’s art work at the Court House Gallery, in Lake George Village is a wonderful show. Having seen the work beforehand on the Lake George Arts Project website and receiving a post card announcing the reception, I can’t express how surprised I was when I entered the gallery. Art is a manmade endeavor, and in a world where we access so much art through reproduction (internet, television, print), it’s important that we physically experience it. Whether it’s art in your home, gallery, museum, live music, theater or reading a novel; that intimate relationship is critical in appreciating and understanding not just the art, but the hands that created it.  Modern and Post-Modern Art has allowed artists to combine mediums and styles which communicate concepts that traditional art(narrative) can’t convey. Abstraction would certainly come to mind. I thought Mary Gaynier and David Greenberger might be abstract artists. As I stood in front of the work and realized what I was looking at, I couldn’t help but smile. Both artists have synthesized abstraction with representation(symbols). Mary Gaynier works in Scherrenschnitte(traditional German scissor art), snowflakes and lace patterns might come to mind(which she used to make for the holidays). However, Mary’s snowflakes have morphed into complex “Pop Culture” icons. David Greenberger’s abstractions become simple visual essays of observations of his life.

Mary Gaynier is a great example of Post-Modern Art. Some of these artist employ various traditions, ethnic cultures and styles, and new mediums to express contemporary concerns. She is also a retired 2 Dimensional Design teacher’s delight. I can’t imagine the amazement of seeing these intricate paper cuttings unfold for the first time. Diners, waiters, workman, animals, villains and nursery rhymes are just some of the characters and scenes that weave there way through the repetitive and rhythmic compositions. I also appreciate the combination of Fine Art with Folk Art. To assume that artists(art) are one or the other is a tenet that has to be re-evaluated in our Post-Modern culture. The blending of styles, mediums and ideologies reflects our forever connected world. Although she retains the purity of the paper(left natural), I can envision them in color. They also have a “stored energy”that suggest movement and excitement. I want to spin them, imagining they would come to life.

Mary Gaynier's “How Many Does it Take to Screw in a Light Bulb”

David Greenberger’s minimal approach might suggest abstraction or at least the influence of abstraction(David mentioned Mark Tobey and Grosz as influences, I couldn’t help but think of Hans Hartung) until you read the titles. You retreat from abstraction into “Dave’s Place”. A witty, whimsical, sensitive and thoughtful world of distilled American culture into a hand crafted “snapshot”. Vertical and horizontal black ink lines and small colored penciled squares became “The Party Explosion Embedded With Confetti In The Window Screen”. Simple geometric and organic shapes become licorice nibs, crows, dogs, and everyday objects. Black ink lines become paper clips, screen, springs, and grass. On the surface, all of this seems very funny, but there is a reflective dimension(acceptance) to it as well. David’s “audio art” shares and expresses the same concerns. David narrates edited interviews with individuals who share a brief story(reflection) about a particular moment(event) in their life. These compilations are enhanced with his original music compositions(CD’s are available at the gallery).

As in all exhibitions at the Court House Gallery, the work is well crafted. It’s an intimate venue which lends itself well to this presentation. If you need some cheering up, go see this show.

“Mary Gaynier and David Greenberger” is funded in part by Price Copper’s Golub Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. The Courthouse Gallery hours during exhibitions are Tuesday through Friday 12 – 5 pm, Saturday 12 – 4 pm, and all other times by appointment.  The Courthouse Gallery is located at the side entrance of the Old County Courthouse, corner of Canada and Lower Amherst Streets, Lake George, NY. For more information call (518) 668-2616

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Don Byron New Gospel Quintet

Don Byron New Gospel Quintet

Lake George Jazz Weekend Returns September 17 & 18

By Mirror Staff

Thursday, September 8, 2011

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John Ellis

For the 28thconsecutive year, Lake George Village’s Shepard Park will host the free Lake George Jazz Weekend. This year’s festival will be held on September 17 and 18.

Highlights of this year’s festival include a Saturday evening concert by the Don Byron New Gospel Quintet.

Byron’s New Gospel Quintet combines original compositions by the highly regarded clarinetist with traditional Gospel pieces. He will be joined by vocalist DK Dyson. The concert begins at 7:30 pm.

Saturday’s performances begin at 1 pm with Cuban-born pianist Osmany Paredes. Paredes gained national attention a few years back through a high-profile tour with fellow Cuban percussionist Dafnis Prieto, who performed at the Lake George festival in 2007.

Next up will be saxophonist John Ellis, backed by the New Orleans sounds of Double-Wide. Ellis’s album, “Dance Like there’s No Tomorrow,” introduced Double-Wide’s unique sound, described by Billboard magazine as “jazz steeped in the who-dat nation through a hip Brooklyn lens.”

Grace Kelly

The last performer on Saturday afternoon will be vocalist and alto sax player Grace Kelly, who, at the age of 19, has six recordings to her credit and some lofty accolades, including  several awards from the Boston Phoenix.

Sunday’s program opens with Charles Cornell, a gifted pianist from nearby Hartford Central School, who will attend Purchase College Conservatory in the fall. He’ll be joined by an equally talented and young band from the area.

Apex, with alto-sax players Rudresh Mahanthappa and Bunky Green, takes the stage next.

The festival will close with the Kyle Eastwood Quintet. Kyle, the son of Clint Eastwood, grew up in southern California. After studying film making, he turned to music and in 1998 his debut album, From Here to There, was released on Sony. After two more album releases in 2004 and 2006, Eastwood combined his interests of film and music together. As a composer, Eastwood began working in film with a contribution to the score for Mystic River. His compositions for film include pieces for Million Dollar Baby and soundtracks for Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Gran Torino and Invictus.

The Lake George Arts Project is able to present the Lake George Jazz Weekend thanks to the generous support of Kenneth and Susan Gruskin, the Village and Town of Lake George, program advertisers and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Performance Schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 17, 1 to 6 pm:

Osmany Peredes Quartet

John Ellis and Double-Wide

Grace Kelly Quintet

Special evening performance, 7:30 pm: Don Byron Gospel Quintet

Sunday, Sept. 18, 1 to 6 pm:

Charles Cornell Quartet

Apex: Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green

Kyle Eastwood Quintet  

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Lake George Rendezvous. Photo by Buzz Lamb

Lake George Rendezvous. Photo by Buzz Lamb

Antique Boats Gathering for Annual Lake George Rendezvous

By Buzz Lamb

Monday, August 22, 2011

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The Adirondack Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS) will present their 38th Annual Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous on Aug. 27th from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Lake George Village docks.  The rendezvous began in 1974 and was designed as a finale of the summer antique boat competitive and non-competitive shows.

The lack of competitive judging at the rendezvous creates an atmosphere of dockside fraternization.  However, exhibitors and participants are asked to vote on boats in the different ACBS categories.  The public also votes for the “People’s Choice” Award.  According to Johnson, there will be a boat parade starting at 3 pm as well.

The vision of the ACBS is to provide an organization wherein people with a common interest in and love of historic, antique and classic boats can come together with friends and colleagues in a spirit of friendship and fun to share dreams, adventures, knowledge, history and experiences.

This year the boaters will be joined by the Adirondack Triumph Association.  The car club was founded in 1978 and is open to owners of all makes of British Cars and motorcycles.  Boat show registration chairperson Maria Johnson said they hope to have 15 to 20 cars on display roadside. Johnson said over 40 boats have pre-registered for the popular event as well.

“There will be a wide selection of boats for viewing this year,” Johnson said.  “John Tully has registered “Caprice”, a 1926 Sound Interclub sailboat.  George Balaschak from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida will display a 1954 22-foot Gravette Streamliner and an un-restored, rare 1942 16-foot Chris-Craft stepped hydroplane will be part of the land display,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the Mohawk-Hudson Chapter of the Antique Outboard Motor Club, Inc. (AOMCI) will have a land display of antique and vintage motors at this year’s show.  “Club members will be on site to answer any questions.  If you have an old outboard motor, bring a picture of it and the model number so we can identify it for you,” club president Mike Glenn said.

Glenn said the outboard display will feature two vintage racing hydroplanes.  “We won’t be running boats on Lake George but we will have several in the water on Schroon Lake September 25 when we have our annual fall get-together,” Glenn said.

Johnson said a 1919 Old Town canoe owned by Allan Fosella will be one of the boats displayed on land.  In addition to having boats on land and in the water, the show will have several vendors this year.  “The Adirondack Chapter’s Ship’s Store will be set up on the pier,” Johnson said.  “There is another vendor called Bar-Craft Boat Bars.  The company sells barware in addition to making bars which resemble runabouts,” she added.

George Sperry, president of the Adirondack Chapter said the “Adironduck” will be in the water at the show this year.  The “Adironduck” was a kit-boat built a few years ago by a group of junior-high students under the direction of chapter member Neil Slattery.  Sperry will be offering rides in the boat throughout the day.

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Zoe Muth

Zoe Muth

Lake George Concert Series Features Eclectic, Innovative Music

By Mirror Staff

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

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After almost thirty years and 300 performances, John Strong’s Summer Concert Series in Shepard Park is both a popular and critical success, drawing 600 to 800 people to every show, and commonly acknowledged as one of the best concert series of its kind anywhere.

The setting in Shepard Park helps, says Strong, who is executive director of the Lake George Arts Project, which established the series. “It’s a magical place,” he says, not only because of the quality of the acoustics but because of “the open air, the lawns, the lake in the background. It’s an oasis.”

Robert Michaels

But it is Strong’s ability to attract talented, emerging performers that is the key to the series’ success. From among the hundreds of CD’s, demo tapes, and calls he receives throughout the year, Strong chooses nine performers.

“I look for an eclectic mix, a nice balance  – singer songwriters, big bands, tango, Irish, blues – not the commercial bands that you can hear in any bar,” he explains.

While Strong searches for new talent every year, he’ll occasionally invite performers to return if they’ve made an impression on him and on the audience. One such performer, Latin jazz guitarist Robert Michaels, played last year.

“There are so many people who wanted to hear Robert Michaels but weren’t able to, and even more people who heard about the concert after the fact who wished they’d been here, that we decided to invite him back. It’s rare for us to invite someone to come in consecutive years, but we wanted to give people another chance to hear him,” said Strong.

Born in Canada, raised in Italy, and having studied in Cuba, Robert Michaels is a prize-winning artist whom the critics call dazzling and who leaves his audiences spell-bound, Strong said.

“We invited him back from his first appearance here last year for one reason: he is that good,” said Strong.

Robert Michaels will perform July 27. The 2011 concert series starts on July 6 with the Chris O’Leary Band. As a matter of tradition, the first concert of the season is meant to be a crowd pleaser, and this seven piece, roots and blues band from the Hudson Valley will fit the bill, said Strong.

Harold Ford

The Chris O’Leary Band will be followed by the Seattle-based Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers on July 13. “This is one of the performers I’m most excited about,” said Strong. “Zoe Muth combines an interesting blend of styles and she has a great band, which includes mandolin, bass, guitars, drums and keyboard. Zoe Muth plays guitar and sings, and her lyrics have an honesty that’s reminiscent of some of country music’s greats,” said Strong.

Another act that’s sparked Strong’s enthusiasm is Chatham County Line, an acoustic American Bluegrass band from North Carolina.

“The band is very cool, very young, with a deep interest in traditional American music,” said Strong. Chatham County Line will play on August 10.

Other acts this season include: Hair of the Dog, the Capital District-based Celtic rock band, which will perform July 20; the 42nd Infantry Division Band of the New York National Guard, playing August 3; the Sweetback Sisters, a country band from Brooklyn, performing August 17; Harold Ford’s tribute to Johnny Cash, appearing August 24; and on August 31, Mule Bone, which features blues guitarist Hugh Pool and wind instrumentalist John Ragusa, will perform.

All concerts start at 8:30 pm and are free. The Summer Concert Series is sponsored by the Village of Lake George, the Town of Lake George and the New York State Council on the Arts.  This year’s media sponsors are LakeGeorge.com and the Lake George Mirror.

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Lake George officials and business owners joined the Shepanzyk family for the re-opening of Lake Crest

Lake George officials and business owners joined the Shepanzyk family for the re-opening of Lake Crest

Village’s Oldest Motel Re-Opens as Lake Crest Inn

By Mirror Staff

Monday, June 20, 2011

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The Lake Crest Inn is slated to become the only business to win Lake George Village’s Beautification Award two years in a row, says Mayor Bob Blais.

If owner Derek Shepanzyk has his way, it will be a three-time winner next year.

Shepanzyk, who also owns the Cedar Brook and O’Sullivans motels, recently completed another round of renovations at Lake Crest, which he says is the Village’s oldest, intact motel.

Last week, the remodeled inn was formally re-opened for the season with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

“The Shepanzyks have made a significant contribution to the ongoing improvements on Canada Street,” said Michael Consuelo of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.

In 2010, the family renovated the dock area and many of the rooms. This year, a log façade, echoing the motel’s original log structures, was added to the restaurant and a new, hand carved sign replaced one decades old.

“We were 50% over budget, but we’re very pleased with the results,” said Derek Shepanzyk.

Lake Crest in the 1950s

According to Shepanzyk, he and his wife are looking forward to retiring and turning the management of their Lake George properties over to their two daughters, Pauline and Agnes.

Pauline, who has a degree in hospitality from SUNY Delhi, is now the general manager of the inn.

“We chose to rename the motel the Lake Crest Inn because it better conveys the level of service we offer and the quality of the resort,” said Pauline. “And, we’ve re-opened the restaurant, which motels typically lack.”

The restaurant, which is open to the public for breakfast, is managed by Agnes Shepanzyk.

“We helped open an organic bakery in Naples, Florida last winter, and we’d like to introduce more organic foods to Lake George Village as the restaurant expands,” said Pauline.

Pauline is pursuing an advanced degree in health care and plans to open a health counseling service at the inn.

Now that she’s moved to Lake George and become a permanent resident, she’s anxious to become more involved in the community, especially the community of Canada Street business owners.

“I love Lake George; I think there’s a lot we can accomplish if we work together,” said Shepanzyk.

 

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Photo by Clea G. Hall

Photo by Clea G. Hall

Americade Roars into Lake George

By Mirror Staff

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

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From June 6 through June 11, more than 50,000 motorcycle riders and passengers will make their way to Lake George for Americade, billed as the world’s largest multi-brand motorcycle touring rally.

They come for a wide range of activities, from tours, boat cruises, celebrity speakers, parades, demo rides to the Tour Expo tradeshow.

“It’s a convention of tourers, sport-tourers and cruising motorcycles enjoying a week-long festival of motorcycling, including guided tours in the beautiful Adirondack Park and Green Mountains of Vermont, two massive trade shows with nearly 250 vendors, demos and displays from nearly all the major motorcycle manufacturers,” said Bill Dutcher, the veteran motorcyclist who started Americade – then known as Aspencade East – in 1983.

Most of those attending Americade register for a full-week wristband, which gives  them access to the trade shows, the demos and displays, and Americade’s headquarters, where many events take place, said Dutcher.

Photo by Clea G. Hall

“Some people think of Americade as bikers revving their engines on Canada Street in Lake George,” said Dutcher. “In fact, chances are, the motorcycles that people heard there on Friday and Saturday nights probably aren’t even involved in Americade.  Americade is so much more than that, with the motorcycle trade shows, boat cruises, rodeos, mini-tours, dozens of activities and demo rides.”

“Americade is a gathering of friendly, fun-loving folks for whom motorcycling is a social hobby,” Dutcher added. “The Lake George area is riding heaven, with its unexcelled natural beauty, many scenic roads, pine-covered mountains, secluded lakes and ponds, and rushing rivers and streams.”

This year, Americade’s headquarters will be located at the Fort William Henry Resort and Conference Center.

“After 28 years being located at Roaring Brook Ranch, on the outskirts of Lake George, Americade is moving its social headquarters closer to its two TourExpo tradeshow locations at the Beach and the Lake George Forum,” said Dutcher.

“Many of our attendees wanted the convenience of being able to park and walk between our headquarters, the tradeshow, the boat cruises and the village shops and restaurants. This move will make that possible” said Dutcher. “Furthermore, many Americaders will be able to attend evening events at our social headquarters and walk back to their motels, or catch the regularly-scheduled village trolleys. We’ve given the matter plenty of thought over the past 28 years;we didn’t exactly rush the decision.”

According to Dutcher, Fort William Henry Resort will host  demo rides, factory displays, judging competitions, seminars, fashion shows, and most of the parties.

The entire property, including the conference center and banquet rooms, will be used by Americade.

“The hotel’s back lawn provides absolutely the best view of the lake, and will also be a great place for our get-togethers” said Christian Dutcher

Starting with 2,000 participants in 1983, Americade is now responsible for the single biggest week of business in Lake George.

In 2007, Americade and its TourExpo had a $46 million economic impact on the area, according to an Economic Impact Study by the State University of New York at Plattsburgh’s Technical Assistance Center, released in October 2007.

“This event brings significant lodging, food, attractions and shopping revenues to the greater Lake George region,” the study said. “In addition, the event provides valuable destination recognition for the area as a result of the worldwide media coverage it attracts. This exposure further benefits the region’s tourism-based economy.”

The study found that more than 66% of Americade participants stayed in either a hotel or motel, while 20 percent stayed in campgrounds or RV parks. In addition, many participants said that, due to their positive experience at Americade, they would be inclined to visit the Lake George Area in New York’s Adirondacks again.

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Jim Boden

Jim Boden

At Lake George’s Courthouse Gallery, the Political is Personal

By Mirror Staff

Monday, May 9, 2011

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Laura Von Rosk, the director of the Lake George Arts Project’s Courthouse Gallery, confesses that she was nervous about pairing the two artists whose work is now on view at the gallery through June 10.

On the surface, their work is radically different, and Von Rosk feared the artists would clash rather than complement one another.

Alison Denyer’s large, monochromatic and meticulous works verge on prettiness; a quality that leaves Denyer herself ambivalent; she’s uncertain whether to flee from it or embrace it.

Jim Boden, on the other hand, cannot avoid ugliness; his theme is torture and its affect on the body and identity.

Alison Denyer

At the opening of the exhibition on May 7, however, Von Rosk was relieved, and with good reason. The superficial differences between the two artists’ work belie an underlying unity, which makes “Jim Boden and Alison Denyer” one of the gallery’s most successful shows in recent memory.

That unity emerges from the fact that both artists think politically. In Denyer’s work, politics shape the landscape; in Boden’s, the body.

“Boden and Denyer directly and indirectly examine poignant humanitarian and environmental issues in their work. Boden’s painterly hand, and Denyer’s intricate graphite marks lure us in; revealing more than meets the eye, with a great deal of complexity beneath the surface,” said Von Rosk.

Denyer is an English-born artist who now lives and works in Salt Lake City, where she teaches at the University of Utah.

Moving to an arid climate after growing up in a wet one, she came to think of water in ways new to her, and became absorbed by the debates about how a limited resource is apportioned. She became aware that an element of nature that she had taken for granted in the past can be degraded and ultimately extinguished.

“Environmentally, the altering of rivers through human intervention… contribute to flooding… As river levels fall, water consumption increases, resulting in battles over water rights and ethical practices,” Denyer said at the opening.

Denyer’s work, graphite and pastels on paper, are highly detailed images derived from watersheds and coast lines.

Lake George Arts Project's Courthouse Gallery

“My intention is for these drawings to function on several different levels through media and scale manipulation,” said Denyer. “The viewer is drawn into each work through its almost blank appearance… on closer inspection, these works reveal miniscule details created through an intricate web, resembling the complex patterns of the earth’s surface as seen from above.”

While Denyer’s graphite on black paper work may initially strike the viewer as “blank,” Boden’s paintings of torture victims are almost too immediate and accessible.

“The distorted figures, the claustrophobic space, and color of bruised flesh, are a bold, unflinching examination of victims caught in a nightmare,” says Von Rosk.

“These paintings are my personal response to the fact that the U.S. allowed and condoned the use of torture in its interrogations of military prisoners,” explained Boden.

“On one level, Jim Boden’s interrogation paintings reinforce what most of us know about torture from the written accounts, photographs and videos,” said Larry Merriman, who directs the Cecila Coker Bell College Art Gallery at Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina, where Boden is a professor of art.  “On another level, Boden’s disturbing images are more visceral and personal than documentary evidence. In other words, Boden’s paintings close a disconnect that exists between our awareness of torture and the actual experience of torture.”

The exhibition is funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. The Courthouse Gallery hours during exhibitions are Tuesday through Friday 12 to 5 p.m., Saturday 12 to 4 p.m. , and all other times by appointment.  The Courthouse Gallery is located at the side entrance of the Old County Courthouse on the corner of Canada and Lower Amherst Streets, Lake George, N.Y.

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Mayor Bob Blais

Mayor Bob Blais

Lake George Village’s Mayor Blais Seeking Re-Election

By Anthony F. Hall

Saturday, March 5, 2011

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Lake George Village’s longest-serving mayor, Bob Blais, will seek an 11th,  four year term in March. Blais announced his decision to seek re-election in a letter to Lake George Village voters in January.

“I am approaching one of the longest tenures as mayor in state history, and with the support of my family, your support, and the grace of God, I want to continue my journey as your Mayor,” Blais wrote.

In his letter, Blais also discussed his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer.

“Three weeks ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and am presently undergoing treatment at the Glens Falls Hospital. My outlook is very positive and while my activities will be curtailed over the next six to eight weeks, I have no doubt I will be able to carry out my duties as your full-time Mayor.  Seeking re-election will give me added incentive as well.”

Blais told the Mirror he had postponed a decision on an eleventh term until he was certain that his health would not incapacitate him.

Had a vote  to dissolve the Village been placed on the ballot and approved in March,  Blais would have felt even more compelled to run for another term, he said.

“I would have wanted to be here to assist with the transition,” Blais said.

In November, however, Lake George Village’s Board of Trustees decided not to put the question to a vote in March.

Too many questions about the costs to taxpayers and the future of municipal services if the Village dissolved and merged with the surrounding township remained unanswered, and answers were unlikely to be forthcoming, the trustees said.

Blais was  first elected to office in 1971. After serving only one term as a Village trustee,  he defeated the incumbent mayor, Robert Caldwell.

During Blais’s tenure, the Village transformed itself from “the Coney Island of the Adirondacks” to a family-oriented resort town.

“In the 1950s and 60s, the Village was not a comfortable place for families,” said Blais.  “But with the changing of the legal drinking age from 18 to 21,  by prohibiting drinking in public and by upgrading our facilities, we became one of the top-rated family resorts in America.”

In recent years, according to many observers,  Lake George Village has become less renowned for its teen-age riots than for  banning jet skis, limiting the size of signs and for its civic amenities, such as the Visitors Center and the lakefront walkway. The walkway, which extends from Lower Amherst Street to West Brook, gives Lake George’s residents and visitors more access to water than any other community within the Adirondacks.

“Everything we as a municipal government can do to lead the community in a new direction, we’ve done,” said Blais. “But we have no control over people who want to display obscene t-shirts in their windows or who refuse to support our efforts.”

The Lakefront Walkway, the renovations of Canada Street and Beach Road, the Lake Avenue Park and the Visitors Center were constructed with the aid of grants, and Blais has been effective in securing funds from the federal and state governments.

During the past several years, Lake George Village has been awarded more than $9 million in grants, said Blais, adding that since he has been mayor, the Village has also received five awards from state-wide organizations for innovative public policies.

“Our biggest challenge is serving a tourist population of 20,000 people a week without burdening our year-round population of 1000 people with heavy taxes,” said Blais. “We’ve had to be innovative.”

In 2007, Blais received The Fund for Lake George’s James D. Corbett Award for his efforts to acquire the former site of Gaslight Village and restore it as a conservation park.

The property was purchased in 2008 and the work of planning and designing the park is now underway.

In October, Lake George Village and two lake protection groups purchased the Town of Lake George’s 19% share in the conservation project for $210,000.

Lake George Village will assume responsibility for operating and promoting a 2.5 acre festival space on the property.

“Users will be charged based on what similar open spaces charge as well as for utilizing additional services such as electricity, staging, security and garbage collection, among other things,” said  Blais.

“The Village also anticipates using the space to park vehicles during their fireworks shows, holiday weekends and other special events.”

Managing the festival space, designing and constructing the conservation park,  improving the waste water collection system and completing the renovation of Canada Street will be among Blais’s priorities during the next two years, he said.

“I feel good, my family is proud of me and I want to continue to serve,” said Blais. “I’d like to become the nation’s longest serving Mayor, but if that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t mind. I never look back. There’s always a new challenge out there.”

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Indian Village in Lake George, circa 1968

Indian Village in Lake George, circa 1968

Tom Tom Shop Celebrates 50 years

By Anthony F. Hall

Thursday, January 20, 2011

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Of all the businesses in Lake George Village, only a few have been owned and operated by the same family for fifty years or more. That short list includes Fort William Henry, the Lake George Steamboat Company, the Stafford Funeral Home and Mario’s. Those businesses were joined this year by the Tom Tom Shop, the Canada Street gift and souvenir shop founded in 1960 by Sam and Dorothy Frost and owned today by their son, Doug Frost.

“To have survived fifty years, that’s something to be proud of,” said Doug Frost. “Of course, I’m proud that I’ve been able to carry on a business started by my family. And I’m even more proud of what got us here. You don’t survive for fifty years without earning the trust of your customers, your vendors and the community.”

The current owners of the Tom Tom Shop

Those relationships begin with the customers, many of whom visited the shop in its early years and still return, first bringing their children and now returning with their grandchildren.

“The same families come in to shop summer after summer, generation after generation,” says Doug’s sister, Dorothy Muratori, who works in the store in the summers.

A gift shop in a resort village is unlike anything found in a suburban mall or on a city street, says Frost. “People want something that will remind them of the experience of being on Lake George,” he said

Shopping at the Tom Tom Shop, he said, becomes a memorable experience in itself, one that draws people back. “We’re here to make people happy,” he said. Although the Tom Tom Shop sells a variety of gifts and souvenirs, it’s best known for its Native American jewelry, art, crafts and clothing. “That’s part of our identity, but it’s also what appeals to people. Maybe people connect with Native American arts and crafts because it compensates them for the lack of connection with environment,” said Frost.

The Frosts’ interest in Native American arts and crafts began with Sam Frost’s mother, Loretta Frost. She made annual trips out west to collect pottery and jewelry. In 1952, she helped Sam and Dorothy Frost start Indian Village, a Lake George attraction on Bloody Pond Road.

“Every summer, we brought entire families of Hopi, Chippewa or Sioux Indians to Lake George, where they would live until Labor Day,” said Sam Frost. Rather than a theme park, Indian Village was an encampment that people could visit, watch ritual dances and ceremonies and listen to Native Americans discuss their history and lives,  Sam Frost explains. Indian Village burned in 1958. In 1955, the Frosts opened a souvenir shop called the Indian Trading Post on Route Nine.

Before the Northway was built, Route Nine was, of course the gateway to Lake George and the Adirondacks, and the Trading Post’s Teepee was a famous roadside attraction.

But according to Sam Frost, owners of attractions on Route 66 told him that the approaching interstate would divert most of his traffic, and he began looking for a shop in Lake George Village.

The Mayard Hotel burned in 1959, and in 1960 Lake George’s first mall opened on the site. The Frosts leased the mall’s largest and most prominent store, the one fronting Canada Street. (Doug Frost now owns the mall and the adjacent parking lot.)

“Customers’ tastes haven’t changed that much since the store first opened,” said Sam Frost. “We used to sell a lot of Reservation jewelry, but that’s become too expensive.”

Indian Village Postcard, 1965

“I don’t buy what I want, but what I know my customers will want,” said Doug Frost.

“The most difficult thing in the retail business is the ability to make changes, to be able to look at something and know if it will appeal to your customers. If I know what I’m doing, it’s because I learned it from my parents,” Doug Frost said. Frost has worked at the store from the moment he could be of use, he said.

“I grew up in the business; my father said I should learn the business  from the bottom up, and I did, working in the stock room, marking merchandize, stocking the shelves. I learned every aspect of the business. Once you put every aspect together, you can run a business successfully,” he said.

Frost also learned from his father that running a business is a full-time commitment. “Dad always said, you have to be there, in the shop, or you’ll discover you have partners you didn’t know existed,” he said.

But however committed Frost is to his business, he recognizes the value of the slower-paced off-season. “We’re blessed,” he said. “We stay open year round, but I still have time for my family and the community. And we’re on Lake George, the most beautiful place on earth.”

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