Happy Thursday!
WITHINANUTSHELL – Tamarack needles browning up and float away like suspended sunny bedroom dust. Snapped a great shot of the kitty-on-the-loose. Who are you, kitty? It has been WARM AND BEAUTIFUL! Watch out everyone: LADYBUG TAKEOVER. Glad some folks have been able to make it out here; downright perfect. We're glad to be able to be out here and open for those around in need of service and/or company! Feelin' dandy in Clifton-Fine! Open six days a week here at Otto's Abode! C'mon down. Croquet anyone? We'll be open Halloween night until 9pm! This weekend looks pleasant. WEAR ORANG IN THE WOODS. Regular rifle hunting season is here! Happy trails! Trails are reported to be in good shape. A hiker said she had to stuff toilet paper in her ears last night camping on High Rock because the wind was blowing so hard and loud. Troopers were in town - car burglary at Inlet Wednesday. Note: TUESDAY will be the LAST DAY Watertown Daily Times will be delivered to the box on the porch. Who reads that crap anyway? FREE MOVIE at the Clifton Community Library Thursday night! Wanakna Pickleball has wrapped it up for the season; pickle paddles are packed-up! This Saturday the 29th Halloween Party at the Legion - games and more - 7-11pm! Also, at Fine Fire Hall there is a party 6-8pm Saturday the 29th. Adirondack Church in Newton Falls has their Fall Fest Monday October 31st. Cranberry Lake and Star Lake Fire Departments sure could use 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. 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).
FORECAST - Weekend is looking nice! 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 - A heads up! Here: We'll be CLOSED around Thanksgiving. So, sorry, but please do not plan on seeing us open before, during and after (roughly speaking) the Thursday holiday. Sounds like there's a chance we will be open Saturday evening and/or by and for Sunday post-thanksgiving. Bring your own cranberry sauce. More info and details to come! DJ Opel spun some vinyl this past Sunday afternoon. Yeah! Make your own fun! Note: TUESDAY will be the LAST DAY Watertown Daily Times will be delivered to the box on the porch. Who reads that crap anyway? Folks seeking out-of-doors adventures: We're glad we can be here to help you out with anything you may have forgotten - we're also known to have helpd folks get rides to their cars, help folks that are lost, help folks that need a phone to call home, to call the cops, here to help folks take a rest, get some water, some food, warm-up, cool-off, take a leak - "your delight is out delight!" Laura Foster of Hen Island Bags dropped-off another bakers-thirteen; the patterns, the colors! 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!!! 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-ish Wanakena Murder Mystery by Janet Irvin on the shelves; BROKEN. New ART on the walls through Thanksgiving! 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. Next FOLK JAM is PENDING. Yes, hold on to your butts, folks: we're re-imagining the good ol' "Folk Jam". seeking a more "appropriate" method and title. 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!
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 - Also for fun: Why Colleges Should Not Sell Their Radio Stations - Radio World
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 - Bathroom is still open. The old dock has sold! Make way for new! Great job everyone! 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!!!!!! State Campground when it's open. Looking for more? Coyote Den Motel in Cranberry Lake. 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 – Free movie THURSDAY NIGHT at the Library! 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! Neon Sign back up at Stone Manor! LIGHT IT UP! Bridgework continues over the Oswegatchie in Cranberry Lake. FIRST STRIKE CLFD Fishing Derby January 28th 2023! 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 - This Saturday the 29th Halloween Party at the Legion - games and more - 7-11pm! Also, at Fine Fire Hall there is a party 6-8pm Saturday the 29th. 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 #90 - 10/21/21 - 10/27/21 (ottosabode.org) AND TWO YEARS AGO!!!!! HERE: Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #38 - 10/22/20 - 10/28/20 (ottosabode.org)
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! How about a SUBMISSION?!! 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.