Hacker Opens Showroom in Florida, Will Build Factory in Queensbury

By Buzz Lamb

Friday, May 3, 2013

Senator Betty Little announced on December 19, 2012 that more than 50 projects in the 45^th Senate District have been awarded state funds through the second round of Regional Economic Development Council awards.

Hacker Boat Company, Inc. received a $600,000 grant ear-marked toward escalating its production facilities to meet demands for larger boats which will ultimately create 31 new jobs.

According to George Badcock, president of Hacker Boat Company, shortly after the announcement rumors started to circulate. On December 22, 2012 the Plattsburgh Press-Republican mistakenly reported the grant was for facility expansion so the company could stay in Ticonderoga. “The rumor was that we were moving into the (now unoccupied) Lowe’s building. That isn’t the plan. We are moving to Queensbury,” Badcock said.

On January 3, 2013 the Press-Republican wrote that Hacker Craft is indeed moving from Ticonderoga to Queensbury for a facility expansion. Currently a 32,000 sq. ft. facility at the former Delmar Box plant on Delano Road is used for the construction of the luxury mahogany runabouts. Badcock said that facility, plus an 11,400 sq. ft. restoration shop in the former J.J. Newbury store in downtown Ticonderoga, is just too small for future expansion. “The move to Queensbury was not predicated on the grant,” he said. “But, we are thrilled to be a recipient.”

Badcock said the move will make the boat-building operation more efficient. “We will be building two new models for our international market and the production facility building in Ticonderoga is just too small,” he said. Badcock said the company currently has 39-foot and 45-foot models on the drawing board.

In November 2012 Badcock was negotiating the purchase of the Native Textiles building located off Exit 18 of the Adirondack Northway but the deal ultimately fell thru. Badcock said he has been working with the Warren County Economic Development Corporation attempting to locate a suitable site. “They have been fantastic to work with,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about Vickie Gerbino and John Wheatley. They have worked so hard for us,” he said.

“We are at the point where is seems more feasible to start from scratch…that is acquire vacant land and build a facility just the way we want it rather than trying to re-hab an existing building,” Badcock said. “We need around 80,000 square feet to do it right.”

Badcock said with a building that size the company could consolidate all of its operations under one roof. “Production, of course…but then we could move restoration in there, move our offices in there and still have space to store boats after they have been built…before they’re shipped out,” he said.

Moving to Queensbury would make it more convenient for buyers who visit from out of the area and fly into Albany International Airport said Badcock. “Our customers want to go to the factory to personalize their boats. They want to see them being built. The location in Queensbury will make it that much easier,” he said. “We need a larger and more convenient area for people to select the options they want in their boat.”

Badcock said that in early December a man from California called the Hacker Craft office to say that he would be flying into Albany International in his corporate jet on business and expressed an interest in the 22-foot Racer model the company produces. Badcock said the man asked, “Can you bring it to me at the airport? If I like it, I’ll pay you for it.”

Badcock said they brought to boat to the airport as requested. “He climbed into the seat, liked what he saw and wrote out a check on the spot,” Badcock said.

Badcock said his company is seeking to expand sales to international buyers who come to the U.S. as well. “By the beginning of February we will open a 4,350 square-foot showroom in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. which is a stones-throw from Fort Lauderdale International airport,” he said. Badcock said six boats will be on display at all times and sea trials will be available for serious buyers. “There’s a marina right across the street where we can launch the boats.”

The Fort Lauderdale facility is located just south of the Dania Cut-off Canal providing easy access to the Intercoastal Waterway and Port Everglades. According to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, the area is home to a multi-billion dollar marine industry with more than 42,000 registered yachts. Badcock said the Fort Lauderdale market area has great potential as well. “It’s known as the Venice of America,” he said.

Given that Badcock plans to market his boats internationally, on Tuesday, January 15 he flew to London where Hacker Craft débuted a boat at the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show, reported to be one of the largest shows in the world.

Gibbs Boat Sales Ltd. has been appointed the United Kingdom dealership for Hacker Craft and will be displaying Hacker’s 26-foot Sportabout. Gibbs represents some of the world’s leading boat manufacturers including Cobalt, Regal and Larson. Hacker Craft has already signed on a dealer in Puerto Rico and Badcock said it is likely that they will have a dealer in South Korea in the next few months as well.

“Our plan is to be in a new facility by the end of the year,” Badcock said. “We desperately need the space.”

Tags: Boating, Hacker, Lake George

Sherwood Group: a Real Estate Startup with Decades of Experience

By Mirror Staff

Friday, April 19, 2013

In the market for a lakefront home? Hoping to rent your condo? Buying a home but lack the time to find reliable plumbers, electricians, gardeners and landscapers?

The new Sherwood Group, founded by long time Lake George realtor Lonnie Lawrence and Resource Property Management owners Jennifer and Gregg Sherry, could well be your one stop, Lake George realty shop.

The new firm, whose offices are located in a building owned by Resource Property Management on Bloody Pond Road, opened for business in February.

Lawrence, a realtor for thirty one years, first with Charles Jefts and more recently with Leavitt Realty, said the company began with fifteen to twenty listings.

“We specialize in lakefront, lake access and lake views along the entire length of the lake,” said Lawrence.

The firm will also be the realtor of choice for the owners of the 280 condominiums on Lake George that have been serviced by Resource Property Management over the years, said Gregg Sherry.

The Sherrys and Lawrence decided to become partners and create a new business after assisting one another with several real estate projects and realizing that their strengths and assets could be combined into one, full service firm, they said.

“Lonnie has a tremendous reputation and experience; those two things, combined with her contacts, already sets us apart,” said Gregg Sherry.

“Whenever we worked together, Gregg was always ready to be as helpful as he could. That’s rare in any business,” said Lawrence.

Jennifer Sherry is a broker who has helped Resource Property Management list, rent and sell condos.

“Our partnership with Lonnie will help us expand our own market,” said Jennifer Sherry.

Gregg Sherry, a life-long resident of Cleverdale and former executive with King Fuels, said he and Jennifer formed Resource Property Management fifteen years ago after buying a condo at Top of the World.

“We saw there was a need for services – for everything from lawn care and snow plowing to water and sewer expertise,” said Sherry.

Resource Property Management is now retained by the homeowners’ associations of some of the lake’s largest developments, among them, Green Harbor, the Antlers, Cannon Point and Lagoon Manor, to administer and maintain facilities.

Lonnie Lawrence said that after working for other realtors for so many years, she was excited to be a co-owner of her own business and working for herself.

“I feel I can serve my clients even better than I could before,” said Lawrence. “I love what I do, and the Sherwood Group gives me an opportunity to do this in the way that I think will be most effective. I’m looking forward to a very successful future for our business.”

Lawrence, who grew up at Huletts Landing, the resort purchased by her great-grandfather in 1915, did not expect to become a realtor.

“I started working in Lake George Village as a teenager, at East Cove, the Station, the Antlers, Jack Barry’s, among other places, and graduated from SUNY Albany with a degree in speech pathology. I returned to Lake George for the summer, planning on becoming speech pathologist, when Charles Jefts invited me to come work for him. And I found my career,” said Lawrence.

The market for Lake George properties is strong, said Lawrence.

“Last year, $82 million worth of lake property was sold. And now that the election is past and people feel there’s some predictability to the economy, the real estate market should be even stronger,” she said.

“There’s no lack of inventory,” Lawrence added. “If properties are priced properly, they’ll move.”

Sherwood Group is located at 72 Bloody Pond Road, Lake George. Call 668- 9500 for more information.

Tags: Lake George, Real Estate, Sherwood Group

Photo Illustration by Collin Badger

Officials: County Should Explore Casino Bid, Regardless of State’s Compact with Mohawks

By Anthony F. Hall

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The St. Regis Mohawks’ compact with New York State, giving the tribe an exclusive right to operate gambling casinos within an eight county region that includes Warren, appears to be binding, said Martin Auffredou, the county attorney.

“New York State amended its 1993 agreement with the Mohawks in 2004 to give exclusive rights to the tribe in return for 25% of the gross annual revenues up to $72 million,” said Auffredou. “I’ve heard, as many others have, that the tribe is in breach of the contract, but I don’t know that for a fact, and I wouldn’t speculate as to its consequences.”

But the exclusivity compact, which would appear to bar casino gambling in Warren County if New York State legalizes it later this year, should not deter county leaders from seeking a casino, said Lake George Village Mayor Bob Blais.

“I would take the issue to the public and test the waters; don’t be afraid of lawsuits and threats. Go after a casino. The pay off could be substantial, which is why a large segment of the business community has expressed overwhelmingly support for a casino in Lake George,” said Blais.

Lake George Supervisor Dennis Dickinson said he, too, believed Warren County should not be deterred by the compact.

“Even if the exclusivity contract is valid, and I’m not certain that it is, we should be moving forward,” said Dickinson. “Many of my constituents in Lake George want to bring casino gambling here, and I’m doing everything I can to support them.”

According to Bill Dow, the president of thre Lake George Steamboat Company, supporters of a casino in Lake George include executives at Fort William Henry, Roaring Brook, Magic Forest and Waterslide World.

“No matter what I do, and I’m doing everything I can, our business has been steadily declining since 1998,” said Dow. “We very much need a new tourism draw to stabilize our economy.”

Blais said he was no longer advocating a study of casino gambling’s potential impacts for Warren County.

“I agree with Bill Dow, who says that we already have the facts, which are that gambling will be a tourism magnate and that we need new assets if we’re to remain competitive,” said Blais.

Blais said he believes Warren County has already lost valuable time if Lake George is to be a contender for one of the few casinos which, if a constitutional amendment legalizing casinos is passed, would be allotted to upstate New York.

“Saratoga is already lobbying Albany, while we haven’t done anything. I’ve listened to folks in Albany. In the fight for a casino, Saratoga is at the top,” he said.

Chester Supervisor Fred Monroe said that support among the Warren County Board of Supervisors appeared to be luke warm at best.

If Warren County is allotted a casino, the Supervisors want to make certain that local residents have the option to accept or reject it, Monroe said.

Tags: Articles & News, Lake George

Restoring a Prominent Woman Scientist’s Lakefront Cabin

By Anthony F. Hall

Monday, April 15, 2013

A lot has changed in Sweet Briar Bay since 1936, the first year Dr. Doug Langdon looked out upon the lake from the property he now owns.

Horace Barber’s Boat Livery is gone, and so is the Algonquin Hotel above the road.

The hotel’s lakefront has been replaced by the Algonquin restaurant and Chic’s Marina, and the level of boat traffic in the bay probably could not have been imagined in 1936.

But Langdon can still see Marcella Sembrich’s studio, and thanks in part to his family’s old friend and neighbor, John Apperson, Black Mountain, Shelving Rock, Sleeping Beauty, Buck and Pilot Knob mountains are part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve and will remain disturbed.

That, of course, suits Dr. Langdon, a life-long conservationist, perfectly.

Now Langdon is making his own contribution to the preservation of the bay’s heritage; in this case, its architectural heritage.

He’s secured most if not all the permits he needs to reconstruct a 1928 cabin just as it was built and in the location where it was originally situated: balanced on rocks, hanging like a ledge above the water.

The cabin, built of chestnut logs, extends so far out above the water that in the past, Langdon registered it with the Lake George Park Commission as a wharf. He found out only recently that he wasn’t required to.

According to Langdon, the structure will be raised and placed on rock cribbing.

American chestnut, which was all but wiped out on Lake George by the late 1920s, “is God’s answer to lumber,” said Langdon. “It never rots.”

The cabin was never used for anything but sleeping and protection from the rain.

“It was one step up from car camping,” said Langdon, who first visited the cabin when he was five years old. “There never was plumbing for running water and toilets, and there never will be.”

Because of its condition, the cabin today is used for nothing but storage.

“We had no objection to Dr. Langdon’s project,” said Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky, who submitted comments to review boards about the building. “We think it’s a historic structure that has minimal impact on the lake. It’s like a boat house. We don’t view that as shoreline construction.”

Steven Engelhart, the Executive Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage, an organization devoted to identifying and preserving historic buildings in the Adirondack region, says he appreciates the cabin’s significance.

“Throughout my travels in the Adirondacks, I’ve found vertical half log construction only in one other place, on Big Moose Lake. There’s a deep tradition of using that method of construction in that area,” he said.

As with the Big Moose camps, the vertical half logs form both the exterior siding and the interior walls. The Big Moose camps, however, were built with spruce rather than chestnut.

“When the Lake George cabin was built, the chestnut stands were either dead or dying. Because Adirondackers are resourceful, they made use of it,” said Engelhart.

Langdon said his plan was to carefully remove the chestnut logs, preserve them and put them back in place.

The cabin, which is 35.5 ft long and 12 feet wide, was built for Dr. Katherine Blodgett by Will Hill, John Apperson’s handyman.

Blodgett was the first woman ever to receive a PhD from Cambridge University in physics and the first woman with a PhD to work at the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady, which hired her after she completed a Masters degree at the University of Chicago in 1918 to be Dr. Irving Langmuir’s research assistant.

Returning to Langmuir’s lab after receiving her doctorate from Cambridge, Blodgett worked with Langmuir in his studies on the use of tungsten for lamp filaments.

According to an issue of a GE in-house magazine published in 1978, Blodgett’s other accomplishments included the invention of low-reflectance “invisible” glass, used today for camera lenses. She also worked on airplane wing de-iceing and creating effective smoke screens to camouflage ships in war time.

Dr. Blodgett – or Aunt Katie – as Langdon called the scientist, who was a friend of his parents, bought the property from a larger parcel acquired by friends and colleagues from GE.

Blodgett, who never married and had no children, left the property to Dr. Langdon’s family at her death in 1979.

“We still call it Aunt Katie’s Point,” said Langdon.

Tags: History, Lake George, Sweet Briar Bay

Fiddlehead Creek Farm of Argyle, Supplies Lake George Brewery with Hops

By Mirror Staff

Friday, April 12, 2013

One night in mid- August, Chris and Emily DeBolt delivered 115 pounds of hops from their Fiddlehead Creek Farm in Argyle to the Adirondack Brewery in Lake George.

“We started brewing at 8 am. At 10 am, we threw in the wet hops. We were on our way to making our first batch of Fiddlehead Creek Farm Pale Ale, the first commercially brewed beer made with locally grown hops in decades, if not a century,” said John Carr, the owner of Adirondack Brewery.

By September, the small batch was exhausted – consumed by craft beer afficianados who loved not only the taste of the beer but its local origins, Carr said.

“It truly had a local flavor,” said Carr. “We crafted it to highlight the hops. And we wanted to introduce our customers to what a beer made with fresh hops tastes like. My hope is that one day, beers brewed with New York hops will be a brand that’s recognized across the country and throughout the world.”

Carr, as well as the DeBolts, are playing roles in a movement to strengthen locally-based economies that’s received support, directly and indirectly, from New York State.

State legislators and officials have acknowledged that local breweries like Carr’s draw tourists an create jobs – not only for breweries but for the manufacturers who make and print packaging and small farm owners like the DeBolts.

“There’s support from the top down,” said Carr. “Everyone sees that a brewery can have a positive effect on an entire area an area.”

This past summer, Governor Andrew Cuomo approved an agreement to exempt breweries producing small batches of beer from paying annual fees to register every brand.

“The appeal of craft beers lies in part with the variety of beers available,” said Carr. “Registering fifty brands, at a cost of $150 per brand, is unsustainable. We would have had to limit productions to twelve brands.”

The agreement with the State Senate and Assembly also makes any New York brewery that produces 60 million gallons of beer or less eligible for a refundable tax credit against state personal income and business taxes.

Another provision of the agreement will create a “Farm Brewery” license and extend benefits currently limited to wineries to breweries.

Among other things, Carr hopes that opening the doors to farm breweries will encourage more farmers to grow hops and even barley.

“Emily DeBolt, the Lake George Association’s director of education, asked me if I would be interested in buying hops if Fiddlehead Creek Farm grew them. I said I’d take everything they could produce,” said Carr.

Both Emily and her husband, Chris DeBolt, are Cornell graduates who created a nursery specializing in native New York plants at their farm in Argyle.

Their interest in hops as a commercial crop is long-standing, said Emily DeBolt.

“We’re home brewers, and Chris became interested in hops as a research topic when he was in graduate school at SUNY ESF in Syracuse. We did more research, and joined the Northeast Hops Alliance. New York State was once the nation’s primary producers of hops, and the alliance is interested in bringing commercial hop production back to the region,” said DeBolt.

It took three years to create a crop that was large enough to produce a commercial crop, DeBolt said.

“We planted our first of the hops in 2009 in our field to test out a few varieties including Cascade, Willamette, Brewers Gold, and Golding. Because hops are perennials, it takes a few years to produce a sizable crop,” said DeBolt.

The harvesting was done by hand, completed in one day with the help of family and friends, said DeBolt.

Fiddlehead Creek Farm will produce another crop next year, said DeBolt, and Adirondack Brewery will produce another batch of locally-sourced beer.

“I’m paying six times what it would cost me to buy hops from Washington State, but it’s worth it, not only because the hops are fresh, but because I want to get the word out to other farmers that if they grow, we’ll buy,” said Carr.

Tags: Adirondack Brewery, Fiddlehead Creek Farm, Food & Drink, Lake George

Bill Owens

Democrat Owens Joins Local Republicans in Opposing Assault Rifle Bans

By Anthony F. Hall

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

US Representative Bill Owens, the Democrat who represents Lake George and most of the Adirondack Park in Congress, will break with his party’s leaders and oppose President Obama’s proposals to ban assault weapons and limit ammunition magazines to ten rounds.

“I represent a rural Congressional District where hunting and sport-shooting are common practice for many, and so I remain concerned over any effort to restrict the right of gun-ownership for law abiding citizens,” said Owens.

The proposals are among the comprehensive gun control reforms supported by Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats’ leader in the House of Representatives.

“Congress must do its part, without further delay, to take the most dangerous weapons and assault magazines out of the hands of those in greatest danger of doing harm to themselves and to others,” Pelosi said on January 16.

Speaking at the opening of his district office in Glens Falls on January 30, Owens said he could vote in favor of stronger background checks of gun purchasers and measures that would disrupt illegal gun trafficking.

“I believe we can do more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill,” Owens said.

But the Congressman added that in his view, banning assault weapons would do little to reduce crime.

“Most crimes are committed with hand guns,” said.

Assault weapons are purchased primarily by collectors and recreational shooters, Owens said.

A veteran, Owens said that he himself does not own guns.

Asked if he believed firearms were necessary for self-protection, Owens said, “whether it’s realistic to say that guns will protect your home and your family, that requires further study, but the fact is that the Supreme Court has interpreted the second amendment to mean that citizens have the right keep arms to protect themselves.”

In New York, Lake George’s state legislators also opposed measures controlling the spread of assault weapons and high capacity magazines, two provisions of new legislation signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on January 16.

Freshman Assemblyman Dan Stec, the former supervisor of Queensbury, said, “I could not support a bill that severely restricts the constitutional rights of our sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts and ignores overwhelming information that shows restricting access to firearms is not a solution to solving gun violence in our communities.”

State Senator Betty Little also voted against the bill, known as the NY Safe Act. According to Little, “The vast majority of constituents who called and emailed my office did so in opposition to the proposed gun control measures. I think we should have taken more time to consider the impact of the legislation on those who have been and would continue to be lawful in their ownership and use of firearms.”

Even Warren County Sheriff Bud York, who rarely if ever comments personally and publicly on the actions of state officials, criticized the NY Safe Act.

While stating that he was “confident that all Sheriffs will enforce the duly enacted laws of New York, as required by their oath of office,” York added, “it is far from certain that many (of the law’s provisions) will have any significant effect in reducing gun violence, which is the presumed goal of all of us.”

Warren County Republican Committee chairman Mike Grasso said that political expediency, if nothing else, prohibits Congressman Owens from supporting stricter gun controls.

“He has to stay in step with the district. We have a heavy concentration of sportsmen. If he supports new gun controls, it will be the nail in his coffin. His political career will be over,” said Grasso.

But, Grasso added, he takes Owens at his word that he’s a supporter of gun owners’ rights.

“He has the highest rating possible from the National Rifle Association. I hope he remains true to those colors,” said Grasso.

Tags: Articles & News, Bill Owens, Gun Rights, Lake George

The Lake George mural by Judson Smith in 1942

Lake George’s Prized Post Office Mural Will be Repaired, Restored

By Anthony F. Hall

Monday, March 25, 2013

The mural decorating the wall of Lake George’s Post Office, which appears to have been damaged by leaking water, will be repaired and restored, Post Office officials state.

“The contractor who replaced the building’s roof will be responsible for repairs to the mural using the services of a qualified, approved restorer. This will come at no cost to the Postal Service,” said Maureen Marion, a spokesperson for the US Post Office.

Elizabeth Kendall, a Chicago-based art restorer who was hired by the US Post Office to clean the mural several years ago, said, “Almost any type of damage can be dealt with, both structurally and aesthetically, and I am sure this will be the case with this mural.”

The repair of the mural will be undertaken in the spring, said Marion. The condition of the mural, a view of Lake George at sunset painted by Judson Smith in 1942, had elicited the attention of Village Mayor Bob Blais, Supervisor Dennis Dickinson and Congressman Bill Owens. According to Marion, leaks from the ceiling began to appear after the roof was replaced.

“Since the project’s substantial completion, we have seen evidence of water leaking into the facility above the mural on a handful of occasions. “At first, it was believed to be a masonry issue and two separate masonry-related repairs were made after leakages occurred. However, yet another leak did occur. If there is a silver lining here, their investigation in this instance has given them the clearest view of the source of the leak. We believe this will be the ticket to a final, effective repair,” said Marion.

Portrait on Judson Smith

According to Elizabeth Kendall, it was the policy of the federal government during the 1930s and early 1940s to require that 1% of the costs of constructing a new post office be devoted to art work for the building.

“It was not a relief program like the WPA to keep artists employed,” said Kendall. “It was much more prestigious. The artist had to submit a proposal; Smith probably came to Lake George to make some sketches. The local postmaster had the final say about whether the piece would be installed. He might ask for some changes if the colors of the cows were wrong.”

It is unclear whether Smith painted the canvas in his studio and brought it to Lake George or painted it on-site, Kendall said.

By 1942, Judson Smith was already a well-established artist.

Born in Michigan in 1880, Smith studied in New York with John LaFarge and John Henry Twachtman. He moved to Woodstock in 1921 and became a member of a school of artists associated with a realism that was infused with European, modernist influences. After World War II, Smith abandoned realism altogether and painted in a non-objective, abstract style. He died in 1962.

“This mural is very different from most of those we see in schools and post offices,” said Kendall. “It has a much more modern idiom. It’s quite beautiful.”

Tags: Arts & Leisure, Lake George, Lake George Post Office, Mural

Remembering Lake George’s Lost Ski Areas

By Anthony F. Hall

Friday, November 30, 2012

New Book Documents the Days When Lake George was a Winter Destination

In the years between the 1932 Winter Olympic games in Lake Placid and the outbreak of World War II, small, single lift ski areas abounded in the Lake George area. Only a few remain.

According to Jeremy Davis, the author of the newly published Lost Ski Areas of the Adirondacks,

“The Adirondacks are filled with the ghosts of former ski areas. They range from the first J-bar in New York State in Lake George to large, planned resorts that were never completed.”

Davis, a meteorologist by profession, is a historian of vanished ski centers by avocation.

“This is my third book. The first was Lost Ski Areas of the White Mountains, the second, published in 2010, was Lost Ski Areas of Southern Vermont,” said Davis. “I’ve been collecting brochures, guides and newspaper clippings about former ski areas for twenty years, starting in college. I first posted my research on a website. The editors at History Press saw it, and they said this material should be published in book form. I didn’t set out to be an author.”

In Lost Ski Areas of the Adirondacks, Davis writes about ski areas in Bolton, Lake George and Warrensburg, in addition to approximately 30 others spread throughout the Adirondack Park.

“In Bolton, a rope tow was installed at the Sagamore Golf Club. Warrensburg had a ski area between the Schroon River and Harrington Hill known as Hull’s Slope. And Lake George had a J-bar at Prospect Mountain and a ski jump at Top of the World, as well as rope tows at lesser known areas near the present sites of Travel Lodge and Magic Forest,” said Davis.

Skiing in Lake George was promoted by a Winter Sports Club and served by Snow Trains from Albany.

While only two hotels – the Worden and the Ballos – remained open year-round, there were several rooming houses within walking distance of the slopes, which were just a few blocks away from Canada Street. “Experienced skiers consider Lake George facilities the equal of the most popular winter resorts in New York State,” claimed a January, 1938 issue of the Knickerbocker News.

The Prospect Mountain slope, which opened in 1938, boasted the only overhead cable ski tow in New York State and, for a short time at least, the longest lift of that type in the US.

According to Davis, the Prospect Mountain slope was developed by Fred Pabst, the brewery heir who built the first ski centers in eastern Canada and New England.

“What’s interesting is that even small areas like Top of the World hired European ski instructors and famous ski jumpers,” said Davis.

Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Pabst dismantled the J-bar and moved it to Vermont, where he opened Big Bromley, Davis said.

The 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid made skiing a popular sport for the first time, said Davis.

“Equipment was inexpensive, even during the depression,” said Davis. “People could even make their own skis and bindings if necessary.”

After World War II, skiing became a big business as investors and developers created ski resorts in the Rockies and in southern Vermont. The days of the single lift, owner and sometimes community operated ski area were over.

Davis said his goal is “to get the histories of these ski areas on the record before it’s too late, and no one is left who will remember them.”

Davis acknowledges that some people might regard his interest in vanished ski areas as “a peculiar hobby.”

“But,” he says, “you’d be surprised by how many thousands of people have responded to the web site and books and have contributed photos and their own personal accounts.”

“The lost ski areas are like other lost pieces of roadside Americana: the amusement parks, the drive-ins, the diners. People are nostalgic about them because they associate them with their families and their own childhoods,” he said.

Davis does not merely collect ephemera about ski areas; he tramps through the woods to find what evidence he can of their brief existence.

“These are modern day archaeological sites,” he said. “It’s amazing how quickly the ski slopes revert to wilderness. It’s almost instantaneous.”

He notes, for example, that the engine that powered the rope tow at the Ski Bowl in North Creek is now all but hidden in the woods a few hundred feet from the access road to the state-owned Gore Mountain Ski Center.

“It was the first rope tow in New York State,” he says. “Would people be interested to know that they’re driving by it every time they go to Gore? At least a few of us find that fascinating.”

Lost Ski Areas of the Adirondacks is available at Trees in Bolton Landing, the Lake George Historical Museum and the Lake George Steamboat Company in Lake George, the Warrensburg Historical Museum and Miller’s Art and Frame in Warrensburg and the Ticonderoga Historical Society in Ticonderoga.

Tags: Adirondacks, History, Jeremy Davis, Lake George, Lake George History, Lost Ski Areas of The Adirondacks, Ski Areas

Lake George Mirror collection

The Launching of the Ranger

By Mirror Staff

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

With its exterior completely redesigned and its interior remodeled, what once had been a Navy PT boat was launched on Lake George on Saturday, May 31, 1947. She was christened the Ranger by Beverly Burton, the 16-year-old daughter of H.T. Burton, the treasurer of Marine Industries of Lake George. Miss Burton broke the traditional bottle of champagne over the Ranger’s bow, as it started to slide down the D&H marine railroad spur in front of Fort George Park at the head of the lake.

The Ranger was the first large boat to be launched on Lake George in 35 years.

After the purchase of the surplus PT boat in 1946, Marine Industries could find no one to move it from the Elco Boat Company in Bayonne, New Jersey to Lake George. The owners realized that there was nothing to do but move it themselves, so they had it dropped overboard at Bayonne with its steel cradle attached. Then they towed it up the Hudson River and the Champlain Barge Canal to Fort Ann, where it was hauled overland. Upon arrival at the lake, it was housed in a Quonset hut where workmen labored to have it ready for the summer. A cabin 40 feet long was built and a permanent canopy was constructed, allowing passengers to ride inside or out in the open. The mahogany of the original was replicated in the new cabin’s planking and trim.

The Ranger was 80 feet long and could carry 150 passengers. Until the mid-1950s, when the Ranger was retired and destroyed, it made two daily trips from Lake George Village, one of which was a run down the length of the lake and back. The other was a 1 1/2 hour evening cruise.

(Photo from Art Knight, Lake George Mirror collection, Lake George Historical Association. Most of the information about the Ranger comes from a June, 1947 issue of the Lake George Mirror.)

Tags: Art Kni, Lake George, Lake George Boating, Lake George Mirror, The Ranger

Table Talk: Porreca’s Restaurant

By Blaze Marshall

Thursday, September 6, 2012

I began hanging out here in the 60s when Norma and Richard Gumuka ran the property as Nordick’s Motel and Restaurant. It was a highly popular lodging and dining facility hosted by one of the nicest couples in the North Country.

Hordes of followers would come up from the Capital District, weekenders or vacationers, filling the rooms and bar until 4 am each night during the summer season. Richard would have his Monday night hot dog roast by the pool and Norma would take care of the kitchen. However, on most nights Dick was behind the bar and Norma in the kitchen. While their son Dennis would fill in from time to time, some famous local mixologists like Jerry Kaiser and Steve Garcia began their trade at Nordick’s.

Many locals made it their daily stop, initiating the Gumuka’s Perfect Attendance Award to anyone who did not miss a day during the season. The late, great Garry Grant would be a constant winner, with Howard MacDonald, Mel Brown, Jerry Kaiser, Angie Root and Yours Truly close behind.

The Gumukas sold to Lake George’s Scott and Mary Flagel who sold to the Trentocoste’s. In between and after, it became Steve Garcia’s Rosie’s Diamond Café and even Longshots gave the restaurant a shot.

Today the Porreca’s own Nordick’s Motel and operate Porreca’s as a unique Italian restaurant. Located just after the intersection of Route 9 and Route 9N on Lake Shore Drive, they have completely updated the dining room, added an outdoor deck and maintained the friendly hospitality initiated by the Gumukas.

Inside are huge picture windows overlooking the lake and Scotty’s Motel and there are five cozy tables on the outside deck. A great u-shaped bar done in wonderful Adirondack wood is on an upper level from the dining area. Parking is provided in the back and front of the restaurant as well.

Our party of five was offered a nice outside table on the deck, decorated with some wonderful flower pots. Tiny strings of lights intertwine in the railing, affording a nice ambiance and the traffic on nearby Route 9N is hardly noticeable.

Brittany arrived with menus, ice water and wonderful squares of focaccia bread and house churned garlic butter. We were off to a great start!

Veteran Chef Michael Heller’s menu features house made pasta, which, while not extensive, is very creative!

Today’s specials were pepper and sausage raviolis or a salmon piccata. Appetizers consist of a house mixed green salad, arugula and goat cheese, mozzarella and tomato or crispy calamari with lemon zest and fresh parsley.

Pastas include Bolognese, a “little ear” pasta with pancetta, onion and garlic, fettuccini with pesto, shrimp Fra Diavolo or a Zuppa di Pesce with shrimp, mussels, clams, fresh fish and spaghetti.

Everyday entrees consist of sautéed chicken breast with lemon, artichokes and mushrooms, eggplant rotolini, veal Florentine, salmon portabello and a choice of a 14 oz. strip steak with rosemary pan sauce or two 4 oz. filets topped with oven dried tomato and balsamic reduction.

Owner Carmen Porreca kindly provided our cocktail service while Brittany took our orders.

Two of our party opened with the house salad, a combination of fresh local grown greens and crispy veggies anointed with the house balsamic vinaigrette. Three of us enjoyed a great classic caesar wherein Porreca’s retains the leaves whole and tosses them with a delightful garlic anchovy dressing and parmesan cheese. The hit here however were the warm, fresh, croutons made just minutes before serving.

Pinball King enjoyed a second glass of the house Chianti before digging into a generous platter of two huge sausage and pepper cannelloni; two large pasta tubes stuffed with some great Italian sausage and green peppers and baked with a mild red sauce.

Ms. Shopping Queen had chicken parmesan that included three flattened chicken breasts lightly breaded with marinara sauce and a three cheese covering.

School Marm chose the chicken Nicolina that was perfectly dressed with lemon zest, artichokes and mushrooms in a white wine butter sauce.

Mr. Liquor Store Magnet devoured two wonderful lamb chops, seasoned and cooked medium, with a warm red center with a portabello mushroom sauce.

Yours Truly enjoyed a huge bowl of penne pasta covered with a light tomato cream vodka sauce with a hint of Pecorino cheese and diced onion. Half would go home for another meal.

We all finished the evening with a round of Limoncello, great Italian liquor made from organic lemons, sugar and pure spirits. We also indulged in cheesecake flavored with the liquor as well. We never try to mix our drinks!

Porreca’s goes the extra mile and makes many of their offerings in house, including the desserts, pasta and those wonderful croutons. In a world where many rely on Sysco and U.S. foods for almost everything, Porreca’s deserves honorable mention in any dining out column.

Try to sit outside on the deck and watch all the “unlucky ones” go by as you enjoy a great meal in a fine restaurant. A restaurant we hope remains here for a long time.

Tags: Blaze Marshall, Food & Drink, Lake George, Porreca's, Table Talk