Happy Thursday!
WITHINANUTSHELL – The soggy low-lands alight with a golden tamarack glow. Turkey on the highway. All the deer are in town. Mama bear and cubs on south shore trail cam. Cold nights. Cold days! Still nice enough to be out and about. Folks certainly are! Leaves are browning up. Past peak for sure. WEAR BRIGHT ORANGE IN THE WOODS! Trails are reported to be in good shape. And this weekend is looking like another warm one! Check it out in Wanakena! BDubz is open. Otto's is OPEN and HOPIN' we'll see you. Dj Opel will be spinning vinyl out in the gazebo Sunday afternoon (which looks to be a beautiful day). C'mon down. Croquet anyone? Here comes another long, warm stretch of exquisite autumnal splendor in the north country! American Legion Fish Fry October 21st 5-8pm. FREE COMMUNITY MEAL at St. Huberts Church Wednesdays at 5PM! Maria T said she made about FIFTY plates of food. History Center has closed-up for the winter. The old Wanakena "Town" Dock has SOLD! Make way for NEW this spring. New winter hours at Cranberry Library. Pickle ball Saturday mornings 9am at tennis court continues? Regular Town Board Meeting Second Wednesday, November 9th @ 6:30 Star Lake. Here’s a link to the most recent town board meeting minutes HERE: Town Of Fine: Minutes: October 12, 2022: October Regular Meeting [Digital Towpath] Today's Ice Jam Danger remains LOW (two years in a row without an ice jam).
IN THE NEWS - Wanakena was recently featured via Watertown Daily Times. It says "Roundtop" but is it not "Ford Hill"? Also, the bumpy mountain in the back left could be Cat Mountain, no? Either way... nice shot!
FORECAST - Here comes another long, warm stretch of exquisite autumnal splendor in the north country! 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 - DJ Opel spinning vinyl Sunday afternoon. Some new goodies in the shop. Looking ahead... Mark it down: New Year's Eve Midnight Bash and Otto's Open house. After that is our IceJamBoree 7TH Birthday Bash during Presidents Day Weekend/WhiteOut Weekend. THESE DAYS produce is STILL stacking HIGH! Bok Choy, cauliflower, beets, napa cabbage, herbs, sweet potato, winter squash, greens, brussels sprouts, shallots AND MORE! C'mon!!! Get down here and eat this stuff!!! The BIG TENT has been taken down for the seasons. Snow Croquet season is right around the corner. Snowmobile trail maps in stock. BACK IN STOCK! We've got a bunch of copies of the NEW Wanakena Murder Mystery by Janet Irvin on the shelves; BROKEN. New ART on the walls! GWIZDALALAND 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! 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 its 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. Also on view: 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!
"The bright colors of these two weeks make gladsome hearts and tired feets." -Unknown
DOWN AT THE ABODE - DJ Opel spinning vinyl Sunday afternoon. Some new goodies in the shop. Looking ahead... Mark it down: New Year's Eve Midnight Bash and Otto's Open house. After that is our IceJamBoree 7TH Birthday Bash during Presidents Day Weekend/WhiteOut Weekend. THESE DAYS produce is STILL stacking HIGH! Bok Choy, cauliflower, beets, napa cabbage, herbs, sweet potato, winter squash, greens, brussels sprouts, shallots AND MORE! C'mon!!! Get down here and eat this stuff!!! The BIG TENT has been taken down for the seasons. Snow Croquet season is right around the corner. Snowmobile trail maps in stock. BACK IN STOCK! We've got a bunch of copies of the NEW Wanakena Murder Mystery by Janet Irvin on the shelves; BROKEN. New ART on the walls! GWIZDALALAND 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! 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 its 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. Also on view: 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 and Tuesdays and Wednesdays. www.blackwaterscafe.com
RANGER SCHOOL - Class of 2023 in session! 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
HAREWOOD – Neon Sign back up at Stone Manor! Clifton-Fine Lion's Club Holiday Wreaths - orders due October 15th... STEP ON IT! Circle K Holiday Tree Elves are coming too. Bridgework continues over the Oswegatchie in Cranberry Lake. FIRST STRIKE CLFD Fishing Derby January 28th 2023! Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake is OPEN six days a week (closed mondays)! Dont forget about the Book Drop Box at Otto's Abode! Lakeside Genral Store has CLOSED for the 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 other nearest-by neighbors to east: Sevey's Point and Thirsty Moose!
OUT WEST - American Legion Fish Fry October 21st 5-8pm. FREE COMMUNITY MEAL at St. Huberts Church Wednesdays at 5PM! Maria T said she made about FIFTY plates of food. Holiday Bazaar Saturday, Nov 5th @ St. Huberts. Circle K Holiday Tree Elves are coming too. Hop on shuttle #22 of the St Lawrence County Volunteer Transportation Bus if you need a lift! Coffee Fever has CLOSED. "For good." Yikes! That also means NO CCL book drop-box there - luckily there is one at Otto's Abode in Wanakena. Hillside Diner has recently closed for good, also. Wanakena's closest neighbor, Mountain Gate Redemption near Benson Mines, is having a garage sale soon since they will be closing for good. SCOOPS Ice Cream has closed for the season. Jrecks has recently closed for the season. Twin Lakes Hotel, American Legion, Todd Hardware are OPEN! 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! Still further west in Oswegatchie UB’s, and Adirondack Rustics are open! Green Pinky Farm near Oswegatchie is OPEN! CFCSD Fitness Room: OPEN to community members (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. Remember the PACKRAFTING RACE this past summer? Here's a NEW website worth checking out with maps and photos of the race: EMWC 2022 — Packrafting Adventures.
KIM AND THOMS LOST DOG REPORT - As of today, there are NO lost dogs in Wanakena. Woof Woof! Lost cat in the neighborhood! MEOW! Black and white kitty.
WANAKENA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION – History Center and The Walking Tour around Wanakena has been TAKEN DOWN for the cold-weather months. There are still a few permanent kiosks that stay up all winter long! Worth a look!
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 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 old dock has sold! See ya! Make way for new! 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 – Neon Sign back up at Stone Manor! Clifton-Fine Lion's Club Holiday Wreaths - orders due October 15th... STEP ON IT! Circle K Holiday Tree Elves are coming too. Bridgework continues over the Oswegatchie in Cranberry Lake. FIRST STRIKE CLFD Fishing Derby January 28th 2023! Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake is OPEN six days a week (closed mondays)! Dont forget about the Book Drop Box at Otto's Abode! Lakeside Genral Store has CLOSED for the 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 other nearest-by neighbors to east: Sevey's Point and Thirsty Moose!
OUT WEST - American Legion Fish Fry October 21st 5-8pm. FREE COMMUNITY MEAL at St. Huberts Church Wednesdays at 5PM! Maria T said she made about FIFTY plates of food. Holiday Bazaar Saturday, Nov 5th @ St. Huberts. Circle K Holiday Tree Elves are coming too. Hop on shuttle #22 of the St Lawrence County Volunteer Transportation Bus if you need a lift! Coffee Fever has CLOSED. "For good." Yikes! That also means NO CCL book drop-box there - luckily there is one at Otto's Abode in Wanakena. Hillside Diner has recently closed for good, also. Wanakena's closest neighbor, Mountain Gate Redemption near Benson Mines, is having a garage sale soon since they will be closing for good. SCOOPS Ice Cream has closed for the season. Jrecks has recently closed for the season. Twin Lakes Hotel, American Legion, Todd Hardware are OPEN! 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! Still further west in Oswegatchie UB’s, and Adirondack Rustics are open! Green Pinky Farm near Oswegatchie is OPEN! CFCSD Fitness Room: OPEN to community members (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. Remember the PACKRAFTING RACE this past summer? Here's a NEW website worth checking out with maps and photos of the race: EMWC 2022 — Packrafting Adventures.
KIM AND THOMS LOST DOG REPORT - As of today, there are NO lost dogs in Wanakena. Woof Woof! Lost cat in the neighborhood! MEOW! Black and white kitty.
THIS TIME LAST YEAR HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #89 - 10/14/21 - 10/20/21 (ottosabode.org) AND TWO YEARS AGO!!!!! HERE: Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #37 - 10/15/20 - 10/21/20 (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.
"The bright colors of these two weeks make gladsome hearts and tired feets." -Unknown
READER SUBMISSION - Thanks to all who joined in celebrating Westoberfeast 2022! We said farewell to Christopher and Susan Westbrook as full time residents in Wanakena. They were active members of the Clifton Fine Community and not only witnessed history but more importantly their contributions have been innumerable and much appreciated! We were fortunate that they chose to be here , raise their children Maria and Tim here and give so much of themselves to us. Enjoy this next chapter Westys and come back soon! Susan and Dave Ziemba
