Happy Thursday!
This past week in a nutshell… First off, we wish to clarify the description of Wanakena Weekly’s intentions. Since day one we have said:
...attempt to document and archive the goings-on in and around Wanakena, NY though writing and imagery. Instead we wish to change our intention to:
...attempt to document and archive SOME OF the goings-on in and around Wanakena, NY though writing and imagery. We do not wish to falsely advertise that we at THE authority of what’s going on in Wanakena; we’re just one point of view. That being said… WANAKENA! Last week’s weather was a nice mix of cool and rainy and hot and sunny. Up near 90 and very humid the other day. Chilly at night here and there. Wind from one of the rain storms took out the phone and internet for a while. At one point Otto’s Abode had internet but no phone, and the Post Office had no internet but their phone worked. Garage sales all around town - folks hoppin' about. Too many wildflowers to name. Raccoons ran off with our marshmallows. Someone encountered some nasty mud wasps up the Moore Trail above Little Falls. CLUNK, THUD, BANG.. scotch pine cones dropped by red squirrels in the treetops on car roofs and lawn chairs. Chimney swifts in abundance scatter through the sky snatching bugs with beak.The river is low.
WEATHER FORECAST: Looking like a pleasant weekend ahead of us. Daytime temps right around 80. Dipping into the 50s at night! Possible rain showers Sunday afternoon into the beginning of the “work week”. Thunderstorms Monday, maybe.
This weather forecast is brought to you by Wanakena’s own PATTIJACKNAN weather team – a Wanakener garage pole mounted weather station and crew. THANKS, TEAM! This weather station can be found at: https://www.wunderground.com/weather/us/ny/wanakena/KNYWANAK8 Bridgework continues! Remember when we didn’t know exactly what was going to happen to the two old piers in the middle of the river? Remember when they were the talk of the town? WELL, THEY ARE GONE. The bridge crew built temporary bridges, dammed up the Mighty Oswegatch’ and have been beatin’ those peirs to a pulp… or rather, dust. The bridge neighbors could tell you all about the 6am jackhammer wake-up calls. ONWARD!
Bo reports NEW beaver activity up the trail to Dead Creek Flow. For the last few years, the beaver activity up that specific trail has been up near Cucumber Creek… some folks may be familiar with the STEEP bypass trail up around the backside of the pond. It seems as if enough pressure has been forced upon the mammal/engineers that location at that they have decided to take a stab at another section of trail. The “second straightaway” where the creek flows under the trail, you may happen upon some FLOODAGE. Bo is on the scene. Pictured here is the clogged culvert and recent beaver DAMMAGE attempts.
With all the garage sale-ing going on some folks have dug up some interesting stuff from the attics. Here’s a newspaper clipping from
not-sure-when and
not-shure-where-from. It’s a story about how Wanakena got it’s name (we’ve all heard the stories). We’d like the make it clear that here at WANAKENA WEEKLY we refer folks from Wanakena as WANAKENERS. This article calls them WANAKENANS. Who’s correct? Both and neither.
Last week professor Greg Vaverchak of Wanakena’s RANGER SCHOOL informed us that new RS students will be arriving August 16th and therefore AS OF AUGUST 15th THE RANGER SCHOOL PROPERTY WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. The Ranger School Property has miles of beautiful marked trails open to the public to explore, but due to the coronavirus and returning student the campus will isolate itself from outsiders. Please spread the word! Get yer Ranger School hikes in NOW and DON’T FEED THE STUDENTS! Here’s a NEW message from the Ranger School Facebook: The Ranger School's James F. Dubuar Memorial Forest will be closed to the public for an indefinite amount of time beginning Saturday, August 15, 2020. The Cranberry Lake 50 trail, which passes in front of the school, will remain open. This action is necessary to protect students and staff as they begin a new academic year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but it is a critical precaution as we work to ensure the health and success of the Class of 2021. Thank you for your cooperation. There was also an announcement in this week’s Bargain Hunter. Here you can see CAUTION tape alerting potential explorers.
Cranberry Lake Boat Club Commedore Halsey Bagg emailed us this photograph of the Cranberry Lake Fire Department’s digital joke board. Chief operator of the joke board Chuck Yartz spared the public one joke this week to advertise the CLBC Poker Ramble Fundraiser for the Clifton Community Library. Besides this informational message one of the jokes this week went a little something like this: “Tweet others as you would like to be Tweeted.”
NEW ART ON VIEW at OTTO'S ABODE: JACK WILLIAMS PHOTO EXHIBITION. Jack Williams resides in Wanakena during the extended summer months and more times then not be seen snapping shots with his camera. Jack has selected 15 photographs from his collection to be framed and on-view here at Otto’s Abode at least through Labor Day Weekend. Copies of the photos are available for purchase and a majority of the proceeds will go to the Wanakena Historical Association’s efforts concering the future Wanakena History Center. GREAT JOB, JACK!
Down at the Abode: green beans freshly picked from Irish Hill Farm. More fresh produce this weekend via Bill from Irish Hill. New grocery items from the Potsdam Coop. Ice cream delivery Thursday. The Covid Meter remains at PHASE 4. Twenty five years exhibition remains on view showing the 17min VHS tape put out in 1995 by the NYSDEC. Postcards and stamps! Tshirts and more. FRESH CHEESE CURD EVERY FRIDAY AFTERNOON, dang good hot coffee, too. Sorry, no iced coffee; we do not have the technology. Here’s a shot of guest store clerk this past weekend.
Blackwaters Café and Trading Post in Wanakena is open for pick-up/take-out Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat 11-6:30 pm. Picnic tables and port-o-john out front! Picnic tables out back by the river, too. Order though their take-out window or better yet do it online at their website
www.blackwaterscafe.com Someone said Packbasket Adventures is renting rooms. Stone Manor Diner and Motel in Cranberry Lake, Lakeside General Store in Cranberry Lake, UB’s Mercantile & Adirondack Rustics in Oswegatchie, Coffee Fever, Todd Hardware, Adirondack Pharmacy and Circle K in Star Lake, Mountain Gate Redemption near Benson Mines, and Sevey Point remain open for business in one way or another (open, take out, pick up, drop off, etc…). The Clifton-Fine Municipal Golf Course is open seven days a week. Post Offices are open too (Thanks, Mary!) Duck Decoy and MORE showroom open for pop-ins. “Showroom FILLED” 481 Tooly Pond Rd, Cranberry Lake – 315-848-4223. Always beautiful photography at the Wanakena Tracks
facebook page.
The Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake is open for curbside! Also from the CCL Facebook page: “Community wide scavenger hunt!!! From Windfall to Oswegatchie, from Fine to Cranberry Lake--put your peepers on and prove you have 2020 Vision!. I'll be putting paper forms in the CL post office shortly, and then hitting the road to drop off paper copies in Wanakena (Otto’s Abode), Star Lake, Newton Falls, and wherever else we can! I hope you have a great time--first prize is $50 to either Todd's, UB's, or Stone Manor. #2020vision Have a GREAT time and remember that you have to enter via the Google Form listed at the top of this sheet.” https://www.facebook.com/cliftoncommunitylibrary/. Don’t forget about the CLBC Scavenger Hunt fund raiser for the Clifton Community Library.
Hillside Diner in Oswegatchie, Twin Lakes in Star Lake remain temporarily closed.
Kim’s Lost Dog Report: As of today there are NO lost dogs in Wanakena.
All for now!
Any questions, comments, concerns, trail condition inquiries, legends, jokes, animal sightings, etc… feel free to email
otto@ottosabode.org or call 3158483008 or pop-in the shop! Wanakena Weekly archive here:
http://www.ottosabode.org/p/wanakena-weekly.htmlBehold the tennis player in his search for fun, he even cohorts in the noonday sun.
