Happy Thursday!
WITHIN NUTSHELL – Last Thursday we had snow, the plow even came out. It was COLD, too! The snow really helped insulate the flowers below from the cold above. Ranger School Alumni Clean-up Crew in town over the weekend. Cranberry Lake 50 folks spoke of fresh otter tracks in the snow over ‘round the Brandy Brook section of the loop. Peepers have been out here and there but as of this week truly saturate the village. Dandelions on the lawns. Trillium, trout lily, oh my! We were out of town a few days this week – thanks for bearing with us! Wear a life jacket AND DON’T SPREAD INVASIVE SPECIES! Also watch out for ticks! Here’s a link to the most recent town board meeting minutes – a Special JOINT TOWN Board Meeting! (04/07/21): HERE
ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY BURN BAN – A burn ban is in effect from March 16th through May 14th in St. Lawrence County and the rest of the state according to the DEC. Open burning is prohibited in NY, with several exceptions: Campfires less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width and diameter are allowed; small cooking fires are allowed; fires cannot be left unattended and must be filly extinguished; only charcoal, or clean, untreated or unpainted wood can be burned; Ceremonial or celebratory bonfires are allowed. In towns with a total population less than 20,000 you may burn tree limbs with attached leaves. The limbs must be less than 6 inches in diameter and 8 feet in length (also referred to as brush). However, this is NOT allowed from March 16th – May 14th due to increased risk of wildfire.
FORTHCOMING: Looks like cold rain and snow on the way. Cool weekend with daytime temps in the 40s. Down into the 20s Friday night! A pause in the weather Saturday and then rain rain rain into next week. Next week temps will be up around 60. Fine Fire Department Chicken BBQ May 8th @ noon. DEC will be stocking the Oswegatchie the 3rd week in May. 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 HERE: Also, always beautiful photography at the Wanakena Tracks facebook page
BRIDGEWORK – THE BRIDGE CREW IS BACK AT IT! The old, temporary lead-ups to the temp bridge are being scraped off the earth, pavement, boulders and all. On the South Side all the fill will have to be removed and the landscape must be restored to the “wetland” underneath. On the North Side we’ll see what they do to restore the Moore Trail parking lot. We’ll keep you posted! AS OF 11/25/20 THE NEW WANAKENA CAR BRIDGE WAS OPEN FOR PUBLIC USE!
ROADWORK (?) – In a few spots alone RT 61 (Wanakena Road) there are random piles of culvert. ALSO the shoulders have been scraped down alongside the road. Things in the way (fallen trees, boulders) are pushed out of the way. There is heavy machinery down by the Wanakena Sign. County Highway crew was seen in town. Could this be what we think it is? Is the County beginning to work on RT 62 leading into Wanakena? All the way from RT 3 down to Ranger School Road?! We’ll see. Sorry for the poor picture... it was raining! Town of Fine Board meeting from 3/10/21 says RT 61 (Wanakena Road) will be replaced/resurfaced this summer.
TWIN LAKES - You may have heard: a car crashed into Twin Lakes Hotel in Star Lake over the past weekend! If you hadn't heard: a car crashed INTO Twin Lakes the other day. Everyone is okay! Twin Lakes did receive a bit of damage though. We spoke to a gentleman, who is also a Wanakener, who happened to be in Twin Lakes playing Quick Draw when the crash happened. KABOOM! A link to the story HERE.
WANAKENA IN CANADIAN NEWS – Do you ever google something and click the “news” tab to see what kind of new news might be out there on the internet. Well, the other day we googled “Wanakena” and clicked “news” and this story from Ottawa popped up. It’s a new story, too. It discuses the concept of the public restroom and celebrates Wanakena for their spectacular shitter! A link to the story HERE.
WEE-KEENA LIBRARY – It should go without saying: The Wee-Keena Library is a place to “take a book, leave a book” NOT a place to dump a bunch of books you don’t want. Don’t make YOUR problem, OUR problem. Wee-Keena Library GLADLY accept donations but PLEASE do not sloppily dump a large number of your unwanted books when the shelf is already full. Pass it on!
DOWN AT THE ABODE – NEW HOURS AT OTTO’S ABODE STARTS TODAY: OPEN WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY 9am - 8pm and SUNDAY - MONDAY 9-6pm. WE’RE CLOSED ON TUESDAYS. We had to close up shop this past Friday evening into Saturday afternoon…. Thanks for bearing with us, folks!!! Maple Syrup is in!!!!! Worms in the walk-in cooler! Fresh Wanakena t-shirts, sweatshirts and stickers, too! JUNK DRAWER SUBMISSIONS ON VIEW! C’mon down. Pop-up exhibition “BLOBS” on view by the coffee bar. Sculpture by Katie Westmoreland, Map by NYS, Photography by Michael Mandolfo. All: BLOBS. WIIIIIIIIIIDE SELECTION of packaged beer in the walk-in cooler; light stuff, dark stuff, ales, porters, stouts, ciders, seltzers, cheap stuff, expensive stuff, bottles, ambers, lagers, cans, TO GO – c’mon down! HOT coffee, coffee BEANS, ORGANIC groceries, REFRESHED HALF GALLON FLAVORS of ice cream, NEW books, NEW music, HIKING and PADDELING maps, OUTDOOR ADVENTURE supplies, EDUCATIONAL gifts and more!!!!
ON VIEW – JUNK DRAWER SUBMISSIONS – Allen Ditch – Notepad – Contents written when Doug Facey explained how to turn on and off water at home in Wanakena - kept in junk drawer ever since along with - Pinecone Drink Chip, Ring Sizer, Small Vile. Resa Eberhart – Plastic Egg Timer – The timer absorbs heat, just like the eggs do, and the redness darkens to indicate how cooked the eggs are getting. It shows you when the eggs are soft, medium, hard, and all the stages in-between. The egg timer: another way to measure time. Sometimes I like my eggs soft which takes three minutes. Sometimes I like a hard-boiled egg which takes ten minutes. What can you accomplish in three to ten minutes? Try a little self-care. STOP! Take several deep breaths, smell the flowers, look around at your surroundings, stretch, pet the dog, smile, make a call to someone you haven’t talked to in a while, think of someone special, pray. Brian Kirwin – Escargot Platter - Purchased at a rummage sale in New York City and used as a paint palate. Kitchen Utensil – Probably used for scooping food out of frying-oil. Kitchen Utensil – Serving spoon of some sort. Jean Szkotak – Photographs - Here are my random picture submissions for your display. 3 of the Prohibition era bottle opener. 1 Picture from the Labyrinth last spring. 2 “Gnome Home” pictures. Suzie Thaller – Keychain, Pinecone Drink Chip, Stone Manor Postcard, Mysterious Suction-Object - Found during some good-old spring cleaning. Susan Ziemba – Stack of Mimi’s Student Lessons – Mimi Keith did art lessons - $5 a lesson. All the kids in our house took lessons at one time or another. According to Mimi, they were all potentially great artists! “Don’t Quit!” She would say. Children’s art is so special to me. I can’t throw them away so they are kept in a drawer – Not exactly junk, but what are they? - Old Stained Bag – Just can’t bear to throw it away. Don’t want to use it. Who wants it? Blizzard of 1977. Dave was working in Rochester at Wegmans – training to open a new store in Buffalo. I was in my last semester of Alfred Tech. We were getting married in June. He left work and drank - I believe a six pack of Schlitz - on his way through the storm to come and visit me in Alfred.
ON VIEW - JUNK DRAWER - We’ll call it our JUNK DRAWER. Sometimes you need a place to put things. Uncategorical things. Things you don’t want to put in the trash. Important knickknacks you might need. They don’t really have a place, but now you know where to find them – usually. Five years ago, when Otto’s Abode first opened its doors to the public, we came into possession of some beautiful, old, glass & wood cases that had been used to display merchandise here in the store, some of which for nearly one hundred years. In a world where billion-dollar mega-media corporations hire folks like Marie Condo to tell you to get rid of everything, behold: a small “best-of” selection of GLORIOUS JUNK that has been collected and displayed in the (now) empty case behind you over the past five years.
BLACKWATERS CAFÉ AND TRADING POST – From the Facebook: We’re on our Spring Break this week - tons of projects to get ready for a crazy summer! (Hopefully a LITTLE more normal than the past year!) Re-Opening 8am on Tuesday, MAY 4th, serving our community and visitors 6 days a week. More info later this week!! May 4th begins “Bacon Week” where all of our specials and menu items are Baconized ***Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we encourage take-out - and WILL NOT let in more than we are allowed. If the door is locked, we are at capacity. But if you’d still like a meal to go, order online and it will be prepared in the order received - or - think ahead and schedule a pickup time. Come in smaller groups. CHECK OUT THEIR TRAIL CAM: https://www.gotsnowcams.com/gotsnowcams.htm
WANAKENA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION – The Wanakena Walking Tour is “closed” for the winter… but deep in the bowels somewhere, some folks are hard at work actualizing the WANAKENA HISTORY CENTER. Here is a message from their website: Five equal partners (made up of groups of families and friends) are forming an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) each pledging $25,000 for a total of $125,000 to own, renovate and restore one of the original Rich Lumber Company houses at 21 Second Street to its original facade. Their dream and intent are to provide a location for a Wanakena History Center where the WHA can continue its mission to encourage greater knowledge of the history and to display and make available for study: artifacts, relics, books, manuscripts, papers, photographs, and other records and materials relating to the history of the State of New York and particularly of Wanakena and the surrounding area.
RANGER SCHOOL - RANGER SCHOOL IS IN SESSION FOR THE 2020/21 SCHOOLYEAR, BUT THE CAMPUS IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC!!! Here’s a message from the Ranger School: 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. Here’s a story about it all: https://www.nny360.com/news/stlawrencecounty/property-sales/article_eeec3094-901a-531a-8a18-ab1b991b3a79.html CHECK OUT THEIR TRAIL CAM: https://www.esf.edu/rangerschool/webcam.htm
WANAKENA CHURCH - CLOSED FOR WINTER! WESTERN ADIRONDACK PRESBATYRIAN CHUCH zoom-zooms every Sunday at 10:45 using meeting #6663654813 and every morning at 9am for a Morning Prayer. WANAKENA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION announced that Cremation Remains burial has gone up from $150 to $250. Also, there is no longer a backhoe charge for cremation burial because they don’t use a backhoe for cremation burials any longer.
DOCK AND PUBLIC RESTROOM - CLOSED FOR THE SEASON MID NOVEMBER… REASON: FREEZIN’!
HAREWOOD: Cranberry Lake Dry Dock and Marine Services LLC (Billy’s Boat Shop) has a new phone number: 3156032108 also Olley’s Greenhouse will be there May 7th 8th and 9th selling all sorts of plants! Stone Manor Diner and Motel is OPEN! Clifton Community Library OPEN Mon + Wed 10-2pm also Wed 6-7pm and starting May 1st Saturdays 10-1pm. The Library has also announced: LIVE MUSIC The Nelson Brothers 2pm August 29th out behind the Library. Tooley Pond Duck Decoy Showroom in Cranberry Lake is OPEN (call first)!!!!!!! John Dragun NEON ARTWORK and MORE down in Windfall… OPEN! Check out the Cranberry Lake Boat Club and The North Shore Hub are up to on Facebook. We heard that the Cranberry Lake Art Show will be held Sat and Sun August 14th and 15th this summer. What ever happened to Grass River Railway? We spoke with someone who’s workin’ on it!
NEWTON FALLS: Recent article about NF development HERE. Robust discussion of Newton Falls on Facebook HERE
OUT WEST: The Fitness Room at CFCS is OPEN to community members 6pm – 10pm M-F starting May 3rd (paperwork required). Mountain Gate Redemption near Benson Mines is open. Twin Lakes Hotel, Coffee Fever, American Legion, Todd Hardware, Adirondack Pharmacy (vaccine available!!), Community Bank and Circle K in Star Lake are OPEN! Alcoholics Anonymous Friday nights at 7pm in the SOS Building. UB’s, and Adirondack Rustics, Hillside Diner in Oswegatchie are OPEN! The following is copy-pasted from the Fine Town Board Meeting hours from Wednesday 11/11/2020: Jeremy wanted the board to be aware that the Dollar General is looking into putting a store at the former Great American site. This would not be required to go to site plan review since it is not a change of use.
KIM AND THOMS LOST DOG REPORT: As of today, there are NO lost dogs in Wanakena. Although there was a wild dog running around the other day, but their owners were just down at the beach launching a canoe.
ALL FOR NOW!!!!!!
Any questions, comments, concerns, trail condition inquiries, legends, jokes, animal sightings, cartoons, 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.html Also, we probably wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to publish your submission! Write "submission" in the subject line. Wanakena Weekly is brought to you by the folks at Otto's Abode.
“The rain at night: The good rain knows when to fall, coming in this spring to help the seeds, choosing to fall by night with a friendly wind, silently moistening the whole earth. Over this silent wilderness the clouds are dark. The only light shines from a river boat. Tomorrow morning everything will be red and wet, and Chengtu will be covered with blossoming flowers.” -Tu Fu (712 – 770 AD)