Happy Thursday!
WITHINANUTSHELL - Full moon soon! Anyone find any trout? Catch 'em frozen? Speaking of fish: Fish Fry at The Legion in Star Lake Friday. All sorts of church stuff going on - tis a season! Wanakena Labyrinth: unwind the mind! Campfire Friday night as it cools down for a day or so. Thunder and lightning yesterday! A good amount of rain but not as much as was forecast. Lost a lot of snow! Crocus and Snowdrops poking-up! Maple season sounds just about done. The Oswegatchie has opened right up since last week! This will be the third year in a row without an ice jam. Ever since they built that new bridge with the "ice cutter" mounted on the front! What a tease! Lake ice is still holding on! We patiently await the Cranberry Lake Boat Club ICE OUT announcement. Mergansers have arrived up here by The Footbridge! Also, ducks, robins, redwing blackbirds, grackles, racoons, weasels, woodchucks and more! Really well-preserved WILD cat prints in the snow up The Moore Trail along the water's edge. Snowmobiling in our area held on longer than most! Season is DONE as gates are CLOSED to help with "MUD SEASON" splish splash. There is still at least a foot of snow in and around the forest! Hikers are out and about - sounds like last week was ideal for early morning jaunts walking right on top of the frozen and crusty snow base. Change in weather now brings change of trail conditions. Prepare for ALL FORMS OF H20.... ICE, SNOW, WATER, FOG, and of course... MUD! C'mon up - you'll have the woods to yourself! Remember: walk THROUGH the mud, not around it. Might bump into our NEW local Town of Fine Black Fly BTI guy - he's out and about treating the creeks for weeks. St Lawrence County Burn Ban March 16th - May 14th. Regular Town Board Meeting Second Wednesday, April 12th @ 6:30 Star Lake. Here’s a link to the most recent town board meeting minutes HERE: Town Of Fine: Meetings: March 08, 2023: Public Hearings & Regular Meeting [Digital Towpath] Today's Ice Jam Danger remains LOW (THREE years in a row without an ice jam).
FORECAST - 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 - CLOSED EASTER SUNDAY! Juniper Hill FRESH produce this Saturday afternoon - KALE IS BACK! Starting to feel like Spring! Luckily we don't have to dust off the croquet and set it up - IT DONT COLLECT DUST! WE PLAY ALL YEAR LONG! IT IS ALWAYS SETUP! Snow Croquet is pretty much done for. Still some snow mounds, though! Check this out... go ahead and write this down! JAGUARDINI live music performance TUESDAY July 11th in the evening! He wears a TV on his head and everything. More info to come. Did you know? We rent bear canisters - they make a conga-like great drum too! Dont forget: April 29th is the next OPEN AIR OPEN MIC! Hot off the press: Otto's Abode was awarded $15,000 from the SLC IDA for refrigeration upgrades! More info next week. In other news: For those with radios in Wanakena check out 87.9fm WANA "The Goose" HONK HONK. For those without radios... you know what you need to do. What else? "Quality service year-round!" Yep, that's right - we're out here open and hopin' you'll be out and about and looking to poke your head in the shop and perhaps spend a little of that hard-earned dough! We got FROZEN MEATS from Redbarn in Croghan - chicken breast and halves, sausages, porkchops, steaks, bacon - check it out! FRESH PRODUCE GALORE - get down here and eat this stuff! Just got a FRESH order of beer/cider packed into the walk-in cooler. Upcoming: OPEN AIR OPEN MIC will return! Mark it down on your calendars: EVERY LAST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH 6-9pm starting APRIL and going ALL SUMMER LONG culmination OCT 28th for a FULL MOON HALLOWEEN OPEN AIR OPEN MIC! Out in the Gazebo, campfire and the works. ART ON VIEW: We are currently "in-between" exhibitions! Nothing wrong with a little aimless art wandering. Plus, you know there's plenty of "art" around here to absorb or ignore.
ABODE CONTINUED - You know we're here! You know we're open! Don't wait for a Facebook post to tell you to do so! "Forget the herd!" C'mon down to our inconvenience store! Sure, shopping at a big box store saves you a few bucks, but does it help save a small business such as Otto's Abode? What are you really saving? We're not telling you NOT to shop BIG, but if you are ABLE to shop small and shop local, every bit counts. Thanks! Got some great gifts from local artists/crafters here in the shop. FRESH PRODUCE! stocked all year long. Organic farm eggs $5.75! Swickamillo Sourdough every Saturday morning and random baked goods throughout the week. Dry, cooled and frozen groceries galore. Bread, milk, eggs. Beer cave with other sixty varieties of beer, seltzers, hard cider and more! Ice cream, candy and snacks. HOT coffee and tea as well. TONS of Maps for browsing and/or buying. We've heard word CL50 maps and guidebooks won't be available for another month or two - ass soon as they are available, we will have them! Check out our books, music and art supplies. Fishing, camping, hiking knickknacks. Gifts, goodies and more! "Where's the Art?" Open your eyes! On top of buying/selling stuff we provide local information about events and trail conditions to the best of our knowledge and have often helped outdoor recreationists in a pinch; the cool kids call it a "Trail Center" these days. We rent bear canisters! Community message board out front. Clifton Community Library DROP BOX on the porch. Wee-Kena Library on the porch as well - take a book, leave a book. Missing something? Perhaps what you've lost is in our lost and found? We have every issue of Bargain Hunter from 2018 - Present. And don't forget: Wanakena Weekly online every week! Missed a week? No problem.... CHECK THE THREE-YEAR ARCHIVE! Broadcasting LIVE from the back room of Otto's Abode WANA 87.9fm THE GOOSE. HONK HONK! Cheers to us and cheers to you. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to go out of the way to support small, local, family-owned businesses! Why be a square when you could be a deconstructed cube? Blah blah blah.
WANAKENA POST OFFICE 13695 - Open for business six days a week! Thanks, Mary for running the show! Send us a postcard: POB # 1 Wanakena, NY 13695
PACKBASKET ADVENTURES – "We are open year-round by reservation to adults and children 12 yrs. and older." Adirondack Lodgings & Adirondack Guide Services: Old fashioned Adirondack Lodge & Guide Services Packbasket Adventures - Packbasket Adventures
RANGER SCHOOL - If you want your news printed in the 2023 Alumni News, please make sure your form is in to the RSAA office BY May 1. Hope to hear from you! - Ranger School Alumni Association. 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. Cool map of trails: James F. Dubuar Memorial Forest Trail Map | Trailforks CHECK OUT THEIR TRAIL CAM. Webcam | The Ranger School | SUNY ESF
WANAKENA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION – Big white pine branch in the yard... who gonna cut it up?!?! There are a few permanent kiosks that stay up all winter long! Worth a look! C'mon out and take a peek. History Center and The Walking Tour around Wanakena has been CLOSED-UP and TAKEN DOWN for the cold-weather months - will re-open end of June 2023. Home (wanakena.com)
WANAKENA CHURCH – Closed for the season! See you in the spring. 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 - Dave said he wants to have a DOCK PARTY this summer when the dock arrives and the weather is good for swimming. Funds for the NEW WANAKENA DOCK have been fully raised thanks to donations big and small! Get ready! Here it comes! The old dock has sold! Make way for new this spring. As of 11/16/22 the BATHROOM IS CLOSED FOR THE SEASON - buried in snow. In case you or anyone else was wondering: Wanakena Sewar and Wanakena Water are well and in working order as well. Speaking of pickles: Wanakena Saturday Morning Pickleball has wrapped it up for the season; pickle paddles are packed-up! Croquet in ZPark ALL YEAR LONG; whack 'em balls!
WANAKENA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION – Cemetery buried in the snow! 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 - As the Zplan song goes: "I got the Hotel Wanakena tryna' find a place to stay-a blues" but less-poetically and more often heard: "Where do people stay?" is the question... the answer: IN A TENT. Just kidding - it's more complicated than that. But we'll start with the tent (or hammock, or under stars, etc...) Lots of primitive camping!!!!!! All free and open to the public!!!!!! Don't forget about the Town of Fine Wanakena Primitive Campground and Picnic Area. State Campground when it's open. Looking for more? A roof over-head? Coyote Den Motel in Cranberry Lake. Besides that, Packbasket Adventures Lodge in Wanakena. Wanakena has a number of "vacation" rental homes available. They are all of ADKbyOWNER/AirBnB/VrBo variety -only available during 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. Also, check it out: Massawepie Boy Scout Camp has rentals in the offseason - seek and you will find.
HAREWOOD – The Cranberry Lake North Shore Hub is "... accepting building and grounds use requests for the summer starting now." CLVFD Community Breakfast Saturday April 1st at the fire hall! Check this out! Store Cranberry Lake | Birch's Lakeside General Store, Campground and Marina (lakesideoncranberry.com) - we see the store has been plowed out after along winter burred under snow and set to "open in May"! Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST club in the STATE last year - TRAILS were open last week but have since closed! Great job everyone! Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake is OPEN six days a week (closed Mondays)! Don't forget about the Book Drop Box at Otto's Abode! NEW Cranberry Community Center Webcam! gotsnowcams.com - New York - paul@NorthernChateau@.com. Cranberry Lake State Campground is CLOSED FOR THE SEASON... BUT big news: they'll take walk-in registration from now on. Bridgework has FINISHED over the Oswegatchie in Cranberry Lake. Vroom vroom! 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 - "Opens in May"! NEW Motel in town (CLOSED FOR WINTER)! It's called Coyote Den. Right by the Oswegatchie on Rt. 3. The HUB and TILLY'S are still in early developmental stages. Five Ponds Partners kickstarted and initiated port-o-johns at some local trailheads and will do it again next year! Tooley Pond Duck Decoy Showroom in Cranberry Lake is OPEN! John Dragun NEON ARTWORK and MORE down in Windfall! Don't forget about our other nearest-by neighbors to east: Sevey's Point and Thirsty Moose! By January 1, 2025, every operator of a motorized boat in New York State must obtain a boating safety certificate in order to legally operate their boats. There are no age exceptions to this law — and, if you're from out of state, New York will recognize your boating safety course certification.
NEWTON FALLS - The Post Office (13666) opened March 13th, 1896 in Newton Falls. Robust Paper Mill Facebook group here: Newton Falls Paper Mill | Facebook
OUT WEST - All sorts of church stuff going on! Legion Fish Fry Friday April 7th and wing night every wednesday. Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST club in the STATE last year - TRAILS were still usable last week but have since closed! Great job everyone! FREE COMMUNITY MEAL at St. Huberts Church Wednesdays at 5PM! Hop on shuttle #22 of the St Lawrence County Volunteer Transportation Bus if you need a lift! Wanakena's closest neighbor, Mountain Gate Redemption near Benson Mines, is open but closing for good soon. Twin Lakes Hotel, American Legion, Todd Hardware are OPEN! Dollar General and Circle J’s in Star Lake are OPEN! CF Golf Course (seasonal), Clifton-Fine Hospital, Community Bank, Adirondack Pharmacy, Clifton-Fine Community Center OPEN! Word on the street is that the Harrisville Community Bank is closing, and as a result the Star Lake branch will be open MORE days/hours than it currently operates. CHA-CHING! Have you heard about the Holy Grail Gift Shop opening up this spring in Star Lake? Still further west in Oswegatchie UB’s, and Adirondack Rustics are open (HOME OF THE LEGENDARY "BARGAIN HUNTER" NEWSPAPER)! CCL Book drop has moved from the (CLOSED Coffee Fever) to the Star Lake Community Bank. Clifton-Fine Hometown Heros Banner initiative has been engaged... banners on rt. 3 like Harrisville, Croghan and more! More information to follow. AA every Friday night at SOS 7pm. Largest Adirondack solar project to date goes before APA (adirondackexplorer.org) 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. SCOOPS Ice Cream has closed for the season. Jrecks has closed for the season. Check out Green Pinky Farm near Oswegatchie! Star Lake Ice Rink ("Town of Clifton") did NOT open this winter.... bummer! 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! Need a good port-a-potty? Call-up the H Brothers! What else? J&L / Benson Mines History | Facebook
KIM AND TOMS 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 #113 - 03/31/22 - 04/06/21 (ottosabode.org)
AND TWO YEARS AGO, HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #61 – 04/01/21 - 04/07/21 (ottosabode.org)
AND THREE YEARS AGO, HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #9 - 04/02/20 - 04/08/20 (ottosabode.org)
WHAT ELSE? - 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. We appreciate all of our friends, neighbors, family and strangers who are able to take the time out of their day to go out of their way and support small and local businesses!
"Dr. Moral has for sale at his medicine warehouse: pipes of peace for politicians, patent machines for smoking belles and bacon, sweet-scented oil of fools, for wits of the first of April." -Ad in The Western Star - Stockbridge, MA (1803)
READER SUBMISSION - Imagine this...We are on the island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, spending a gorgeous week in paradise with Marsha and Piers at the terrific little B&B run by Marsha's son Harry. It has been a wonderful week with 80-degree sun filled days, evenings of good food, great beer, amazing company, and energizing reggae music.
So today, Marsha, Nan and I are on one of the many St. Thomas beaches, arriving there in the early afternoon after randomly wandering down the long shoreline to find a shaded table. Upon finding one, Marsha and Nan head for the water while I sit at the table nursing a bum leg that has bothered me all week. For about 20 minutes I simply veg-out in the warm air and ocean breeze when two people wearing matching tee shirts approach me from the beach. They have dark glasses on and seem to be aimed directly at me, so I comment about their matching shirts.
They take their dark glasses off and I am simply struck dumb...there is NO WAY these two can be here...NO WAY...but Sue and Chris are HERE, right in front of me, standing on this beach.
This is so absolutely amazing, and just in case you have any doubts that this amazing thing really happened, attached is a photograph.
Sue and Chris are here visiting a classmate of Sue's, just happened to pick this day to go to this beach, wandered to this part of this beach, at this time and walked this way just the right distance to meet up with Marsha and Nan at just the moment that they were in the same space on the beach instead of in the water or at the picnic table or any of the million other places they could have been at this time.
So we filled this fortuitous piece of time together, enjoying the coincidence, catching up, and vowing that we will meet up again at Wanakena's 4th of July parade.
And you know what...we will be there at just the right time in the just the right place in just the right space to meet up again, because there is something...something about Wanakena. I guarantee it.
Jack W.