Happy Thursday!
WITHINANUTSHELL – We're back! Perhaps next summer we'll just put WW on hiatus though the summer or just get better at briefer updates. Thanks to long time readers for sticking with us. New readers: welcome. Rainy, rainy weeks we've had! Some strong thunder and lightning as well - lightning struck and blew a big gash in a white pine here near the footbridge. KABOOM! (photo above) Gutters gushing, river's rippin' beaver ponds overflowing. No HARD frost, YET! A few snowflakes the other morning - that's it. Leaf-peepers pepper the days. Fair number of hikers out there putting in their miles. Lot of snowshoe hare around here, still! Geese, too. Yard signs pop-up like dandelions in the spring. Roast Pork Dinner at CL Fire Hall Sat 5 - 7pm. Looking to buy a dock? Call Dave! New winter hours at Cranberry Library. Covid outbreak at Ranger School? Pickle ball Saturday mornings 9am at tennis court continues - a whole lot of pickling this past summer! Remember the PACKRAFTING RACE this past summer? Here's a NEW website with maps and photos of the race: EMWC 2022 — Packrafting Adventures. Wanakena History Center - open every Sat and Sun through the summer - THIS WEEKEND IS YOUR LAST CHANCE FOR THE SEASON! Also, there are major efforts under way to raise funds to replace the "dock" down at the "beach". All information and more can be found on the community message board on the wall between Otto's Abode and the Wanakena Post Office. Fall Festival at the NEW Star Lake Church October 8th 1030-330. Regular Town Board Meeting Second Wednesday, October 12th @ 6:30 Star Lake. Here’s a link to the most recent town board meeting minutes HERE: Town Of Fine: Minutes: September 14, 2022: September Town Board Meeting [Digital Towpath] Today's Ice Jam Danger remains LOW (two years in a row without an ice jam).
FORECAST - Nice, cool weekend ahead! 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! Wanakena, NY 10-Day Weather Forecast | Weather Underground (wunderground.com)
DOWN AT THE ABODE - House plants are INDOORS. Wanakena Weekly is BACK! We were open SIX DAYS A WEEK though the winter; closed on Wednesdays ALL DAY and opening "late" Mondays and Tuesdays 5pm - 9pm. New ART up on the walls. FRESH PRODUCE STILL COMING IN! Winter squash, apples and a WHOLE LOT MORE. Locally grown and found by Dan Martin and crew in Potsdam, NY. Next FOLK JAM is PENDING. Yes, hold on to your butts, folks: we're re-imagining the good ol' Folk Jam. Anyway, more info to come. COLD BEER SOLD HERE! Over SIXTY varieties of beer/cider/etc... in the walk-in cooler. Howard Graham's 2022 liquid gold. COME AND GET IT! Gallons, half-gallons, quarts! Bread, milk, eggs and many more dry, cold and frozen groceries. TAKE A PEEK. Candy, snacks, ice cream and soft drinks, too. Fresh ground HOT COFFEE and baked goods at the counter. Books, maps, music for your browsing pleasure. Camping/fishing/hiking knickknack patty-whacks. The Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake has installed a fantastic Library Drop Box. Folks in town will be able to drop-off library items and also pick-up pre-ordered items! More info to come. CALL UP THE LIBRARY AND GET IT DONE! Perhaps visit their website, too. Why be a square when you could be a deconstructed cube?
ON VIEW - NEW PAINTINGS BY MATT GWIZDALLA! They will be on-view starting this Friday night and will remain on view until Thanksgiving-time. Here's a note from Gwiz: Painting is a meditative process for me. Starting a landscape and not knowing what the end result will be, is something that drives my creative process. I use depth distance and detail to convey different aspects of nature and it’s complexities, with a flare of the surreal qualities found within the depths of my imagination. Through the use of colors and textures, I strive to create work that is calming, despite its sometimes other worldly appearance. SAG BAGGIN' - Sag Baggin' is what it's called because Bag Saggin' was just a little too much. Sag Baggin' is in direct response to "Peak Bagging". Mom says: A synonym of "sag" is "languish". The definition for languish - as stolen from the internet - is as follows "To be or become weak or feeble; lose strength or vigor. To exist or continue in miserable or disheartening conditions. To remain unattended or be neglected." New York Times has a big article about "Languishing during the pandemic" but we don't pay for it so we can't read the article online - corduroy pillows; simply headlines. Though interesting and relevant in different ways, we're talking about sags not languishment; back to sags! If you'll notice, on hiking maps of the public wildland areas surrounding Cranberry Lake, many of the trails go AROUND the mounds. One could argue: treading in the sags. Sure, there are some peaks here and there, but mostly we are the dismal swamp, not the popular photogenic perches sought by selfie servants. You know you hear all about the parts of the Adirondacks that are overcrowded, so it is recommended to visit other lesser-used portions of the park. Well, that's us. "They" are sending "Them" HERE! We're here to greet'em. Sag Baggin'. Welcome! Sag Baggin' is an investigation into alternative outdoor recreational pursuits. We're just getting re-started and have no intentions of ending the search any time soon. Join us! More to come!
WANAKENA POST OFFICE 13695 - Open for business six days a week! Thanks, Mary for running the show!
BLACKWATERS CAFÉ AND TRADING POST - Open 8AM - 3:30PM. Special dinner hours Fridays until 7pm! Closed Sundays and Mondays. www.blackwaterscafe.com
RANGER SCHOOL - Campus hiking trails remain open to the public. Stay away from the buildings, though. Park way up in the student parking lot if you must. CHECK OUT THEIR TRAIL CAM. Webcam | The Ranger School | SUNY ESF
PACKBASKET ADVENTURES – Website says: "We are OPEN FOR BUSINESS and following NYS DOH Guidelines. We are accepting reservations with proof of completed vaccination protocol OR proof of negative Covid test within 3 days of planned arrival. Come have a safe and relaxing stay!"
WANAKENA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION – This weekend is you last chance to see the Histoy Center this year! Saturday and Sunday 11AM - 4 PM. The Walking Tour around Wanakena has been TAKEN DOWN for the cold-weather months.
WANAKENA CHURCH – Closed for the season! See you in the fall. Did you know this song was performed and recorded via the Wanakena Church Organ in May 2016? Cranberry Lake | Z Plan (bandcamp.com)
WANAKENA PUBLIC BATHROOM AND DOCK - THE BATHROOM AND DOCK ARE OPEN AND IN PLACE AND BOTH HERE AND THERE! For your pleasure and necessity. Wanakena Sewar and Wanakena Water in working order as well.
WANAKENA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION – First time ever: someone had to get paid to mow the cemetery (no volunteers available). 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.
WANAKENACCOMODATIONS - "Where do people stay?" is the question... the answer: IN A TENT. Lots of primitive camping!!!!!! All free and open to the public!!!!!! Coyote Den Motel in Cranberry Lake. State Campground when it's open. Looking for more? Besides Packbasket Adventures Lodge, Wanakena has a number of "vacation" rental homes available. They are all of ADKbyOWNER/AirBnB/VrBo variety -v warm months only, usually. It's someone else's place that YOU stay at. In other words: you can't just show up in Wanakena and expect to get a hotel roof under your head. You need to plan accordingly with your fancy pants smart phone. Do an internet search for Wanakena ADKbyOWNER/AirBnB/VrBo rentals and stuff will pop-up.
HAREWOOD – Bridgework continues over the Oswegtchie in Cranberry Lake. FIRST STRIKE CLFD Fishing Derby January 28th 2023! Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake is OPEN! Book Drop Box at Otto's Abode! Lakeside Genral Store will be CLOSED any day now for the winter season. The business has been sold to new owners and we should all be excited to see what happens next! NEW Motel in town! It's called Coyote Den. Right by the Oswegatchie on Rt. 3. Cranberry Lake State Campground is open until Oct. 9th. The HUB and TILLY'S are still in early developmental stages. Five Ponds Partners kickstarted and initiated port-o-johns at some local trailheads! Tooley Pond Duck Decoy Showroom in Cranberry Lake is OPEN! John Dragun NEON ARTWORK and MORE down in Windfall! Snowmobile trails CLOSED FOR THE SEASON! Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST CLUB in New York State in 2022. Don't forget about our nearest-by neighbors: Sevey's Point and Thirsty Moose!
OUT WEST - Jrecks has recently closed for the season. Hillside Diner has recently closed for good. Wanakena's closest neighbor, Mountain Gate Redemption near Benson Mines, is OPEN! Coffee Fever, Twin Lakes Hotel, American Legion, Todd Hardware are OPEN! Scoops Ice Cream in Star Lake OPEN Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Dollar General and Circle J’s in Star Lake are OPEN! SOS is OPEN here and there for programing. CF Golf Course, Clifton-Fine Hospital, Community Bank, Adirondack Pharmacy, Clifton-Fine Community Center OPEN! Green Pinky Farm near Oswegatchie is OPEN! Still further west in Oswegatchie UB’s, and Adirondack Rustics are open! CFCSD Fitness Room: OPEN to community members 6pm – 8pm and 5pm - 10pm M-F and weekends 6-10am (paperwork required). Also, the school is ALWAYS hiring, various positions. Lots more to discover on their facebook page. GO EAGLES! Alcoholics Anonymous Friday nights at 7pm in the SOS Building. Ice Rink has closed down for the season. Snowmobile trails CLOSED for the season - Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST CLUB in New York State in 2022.
KIM AND THOMS LOST DOG REPORT - As of today, there are NO lost dogs in Wanakena. Woof Woof!
HAREWOOD – Bridgework continues over the Oswegtchie in Cranberry Lake. FIRST STRIKE CLFD Fishing Derby January 28th 2023! Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake is OPEN! Book Drop Box at Otto's Abode! Lakeside Genral Store will be CLOSED any day now for the winter season. The business has been sold to new owners and we should all be excited to see what happens next! NEW Motel in town! It's called Coyote Den. Right by the Oswegatchie on Rt. 3. Cranberry Lake State Campground is open until Oct. 9th. The HUB and TILLY'S are still in early developmental stages. Five Ponds Partners kickstarted and initiated port-o-johns at some local trailheads! Tooley Pond Duck Decoy Showroom in Cranberry Lake is OPEN! John Dragun NEON ARTWORK and MORE down in Windfall! Snowmobile trails CLOSED FOR THE SEASON! Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST CLUB in New York State in 2022. Don't forget about our nearest-by neighbors: Sevey's Point and Thirsty Moose!
OUT WEST - Jrecks has recently closed for the season. Hillside Diner has recently closed for good. Wanakena's closest neighbor, Mountain Gate Redemption near Benson Mines, is OPEN! Coffee Fever, Twin Lakes Hotel, American Legion, Todd Hardware are OPEN! Scoops Ice Cream in Star Lake OPEN Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Dollar General and Circle J’s in Star Lake are OPEN! SOS is OPEN here and there for programing. CF Golf Course, Clifton-Fine Hospital, Community Bank, Adirondack Pharmacy, Clifton-Fine Community Center OPEN! Green Pinky Farm near Oswegatchie is OPEN! Still further west in Oswegatchie UB’s, and Adirondack Rustics are open! CFCSD Fitness Room: OPEN to community members 6pm – 8pm and 5pm - 10pm M-F and weekends 6-10am (paperwork required). Also, the school is ALWAYS hiring, various positions. Lots more to discover on their facebook page. GO EAGLES! Alcoholics Anonymous Friday nights at 7pm in the SOS Building. Ice Rink has closed down for the season. Snowmobile trails CLOSED for the season - Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST CLUB in New York State in 2022.
KIM AND THOMS LOST DOG REPORT - As of today, there are NO lost dogs in Wanakena. Woof Woof!
THIS TIME LAST YEAR HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #86 - 09/23/21 - 09/29/21 (ottosabode.org) AND TWO YEARS AGO!!!!! HERE: Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #34 - 09/24/20 - 09/30/20 (ottosabode.org)
Any submissions, 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! Write “submission” in the subject line if emailing. Wanakena Weekly is archived on our website. www.ottosabode.org Wanakena Weekly is brought to you by the folks at Otto's Abode.
"Ode, Autumn... I saw Autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like silence, listening to silence." Thomas Hood (1827)
"Ode, Autumn... I saw Autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like silence, listening to silence." Thomas Hood (1827)