I was raised in a small community called West Mountain, in the southern Adirondacks of New York. Family and friends all lived near one another, giving me a great out-of-the-way place to grow up. I am a third-generation quilter and fourth-generation seamstress. My grandmother, Viola White LaPier, taught me at a very early age how to make crazy quilts. I remember at age five or six going to my uncles’ lumber camp. While she cooked meals for the lumbermen, I would sit next to the wood stove stringing quilt triangles that she had cut out of old, worn wool pants. My great grandmother, Fanny Newton White, made the family’s clothing by hand, without the aid of a modern-day pattern. She could cut out and construct a dress just by looking at another one. I’m fortunate to have inherited some of those skills.
Adirondack Mountain Region
Long Ago and Far Away
In February 1901, a group of businessmen representing the recently incorporated Saratoga Floral Association visited New Orleans to observe Mardi Gras and to purchase the floats and costumes from that year’s Rex Pageant…. The floats were to be used for Saratoga’s fete, which was planned as a four-day event starting on September 2 with a ball to be held at Convention Hall and concluding on September 5….
Foodways
My mother-in-law’s name was Fern. She set an example in her mastery of all the survival techniques that are necessary for living in the Adirondacks…She was particularly good at scrounging in the woods. She knew where all the berries were—strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, and even wild grapes. During apple season, she hiked around sampling all the wild apple trees to find the best ones…. At the same time, she kept a huge garden….The crowning glory of the tomato crop was her chili sauce, and she was pretty famous for it.
In Memory of Carol Gregson (1925-2021)
The long, eventful,
and celebrated life of Carol Gregson has
come to a close. She died Friday morning,
November 12, 2021. Born December 2,
1925, she was 95 years old….She was known in the Adirondacks as
the “Mother of all Gregsons.” Actually,
Carol only had seven children: Kris, Eric,
Barry, Kent, Blair, Jill, and Lance (in that
order).
A History of the Adirondack Pipes and Drums
It is recorded that the founders of the band wanted to pay tribute to the highlanders that fought in the area during the French and Indian War. The band sought permission from the appropriate officials of the British military in Canada to wear the Royal Stuart tartan for pipers and the Black Watch tartan for drummers. A charter was obtained for the organization from a local judge. Instruction in piping and drumming was arranged through members of the Schenectady Pipe Band.
YMCA Camp Chingachgook on Lake George Celebrates its Centennial
Established in 1913, YMCA Camp
Chingachgook is one of the oldest
children’s camps in America and is presently
celebrating 100 years of operation.
Over 350,000 children have participated
in Camp Chingachgook programs in the
last century….Today, Chingachgook serves over
10,000 children and adults annually in
year-round programs on Lake George in
the Adirondack Mountains.
The Spy Who Snubbed Me
Lake George? Ian Fleming famously wrote about places he had actually been. My antihero had been to Lake George? How much time Fleming spent here I have not been able to ascertain,but clearly, he was here. He sets The Spy Who Loved Me somewhere between Glens Falls and Lake George, in the Dreamy Pines Motor Court, where our heroine tries to hold off but is unable to escape the thugs until James Bond shows up. The “Spy” is Bond himself, not a Russian woman Bond gets mixed up with, as in the movie.
Artist Spotlight: Helen Condon
Helen Condon learned the art of rag rug braiding over fifty years ago from her grandmother, Sarah Campbell Taylor, who taught her how to make braided rugs using discarded, wool clothing. Using the skills in braiding and matching colors learned at thirteen years old,...
Upstate
Commentary on the power of music and the impact of radio in Adirondack homes through the lyrics for “Pack up Your Troubles.”
Good Read
Book review of “Omnium Gatherum: Campfire Stories and Adiondack Adventures”
From Trapper’s Cabin to Festival Stage: The Evolution of an Adirondack Storyteller
Noted storyteller and pack basket maker, Bill Smith, grew up in an environment steeped in local oral tradition. He has become well known for his personal reminiscences, tall tales, poetry recitations, and ballads. This article chronicles his life and career on the occasion of his 80th birthday.