WANAKENA WEEKLY #170 - 04/27/23 - 05/03/23


Happy Thursday

WITHINANUTSHELL
- May is here! We've had a rather dry start to spring but have since rebounded by the rain which has fallen! This will be greening up big time! The Oswegatchie is rip-roaring once again! Water is HIGH! Folks out hitting the trails have no major complaints! Update: TRAILS ARE WET! Hikers out by Cat Mountain reported a MOOSE sighting! Otters, too. Blue Jays are back... where they been? NEW Wanakena Dock is HERE! (NO that's not Jupiter... the photo above is a close up shot of the river foam (Mandalfoam) butted-up against the new dock.) Plastic is OFF THE GAZEBO! OPEN AIR OPEN MIC was this past Saturday! New dock has been installed via the Wanakena Beach! ADK Holy Grail in Star Lake OPENS Thursday! Cranberry Lake History and Heritage Center OPEN first Fridays of the month 10-2pm (THIS FRIDAY MAY 5th!). As of May 1st Star Lake Community Bank will be open 5 days a week! Euchre at The Legion Monday the 8th. South Woods Historical Society SPRING MEETING Wed, May 10th 6:30 @ Clifton-Fine Community Center Star Lake. Mothers Day Brunch at Cranberry Lake Fire Hall. SOS/AEC Membership meeting last night. Saw some RS Alumni 'round town last weekend for the "clean-up". Everyone is going ga-ga over these local drone videos: Travel St Lawrence NY | Ogdensburg NY | Facebook. The Turkey Hunting Season has OPENED! Gobble gobble! Pike Season opened May 1st! The state'll be stocking trout here at The Wanakena Oswegatchie second week in May! It'll be Memorial Day weekend before you know it. GARAGE SALE THAT SATURDAY. Next OPEN AIR OPEN MIC out in ZPARK Saturday May, 27th 6-9PM! RAIN OR SHINE! Tell a friend or few see you there! Wanakena History Center OPENS June 17th - big party with music and stuff! CLIFTON FINE SUMMER SERIES LINE-UP ANNOUNCED!! If feeling so inclined write checks to C.F.E.D.C. (Clifton Fine Economic Development Corporation) with "Cultural Arts" in the memo. DOWN AT JACNACKS THEY SAY YOU CAN HEAR THEM PLAY ALL THE WAY. CLIFTON FINE ARTS. We are less than a year away from the Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024! St Lawrence County Burn Ban March 16th - May 14th. Regular Town Board Meeting Second Wednesday, May 10th @ 6:30 Star Lake. Here’s a link to the most recent town board meeting minutes HERE: Town Of Fine: Minutes: April 12, 2023: April Town Board 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
- Great time at the cold and windy OPEN AIR OPEN MIC this past weekend (photo above) - thanks everyone for making it a smash!! Juniper Hill Produce SATURDAY AFTERNOON! Spinach, arugula, chive, AND MORE! We got a new PEPSI cooler on loan from PEPSI... so we've moved soda from one cooler to the other and now have more space for cooler groceries!!!! Plastic is OFF THE GAZEBO! Some of the protective plastic sheeting has been removed from the front porch, too! Let the fresh air in! WORMS AND CRAWLERS in the cooler! Maple Syrup in IN! Shelves are stocked with LIQUID GOLD. COME AND GET IT! THE GOOSE is temporarily off-the-air until we work out some kinks. BUMMER! CROQUET EVERY DAY if you want to! 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! Hot off the press: Otto's Abode was awarded $15,000 from the SLC IDA for refrigeration upgrades! More info next week. 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 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 - Ranger School hiring temp. summer positions. 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 – June 17th! Party at the History Center!!!! Quilt Fest Labor Day Weekend! 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
– LIVE MUSIC JUNE 17th FOR THE HISTORY CENTER RE-OPENING!!! Stay tuned for more info. 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
- THE DOCK HAS ARRIVED! (SEE PHOTO AT TOP OF PAGE) 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! It's SPRING! 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
– CLFD Mother Day Breakfast! Clifton Community Library has ART on display from Clifton-Fine Central School! Everyone is asking about Tilly's - we dont know! Birch's opens in a few weeks! Cranberry Lake Hub has announced LIVE MUSIC in July! The Cranberry Lake North Shore Hub is "... accepting building and grounds use requests for the summer starting now." Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST club in the STATE last year - TRAILS 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. CLFD Backwoods Craft Fair July 14 and 15! 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. 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 - ADK Holy Grail Gift Shop is OPEN!!!! Golf Course got a NEW lawn mower! Green Pinky Farm is GREENING-UP! SOS Crochet Club Sundays 1-4. Jeanne Lampson class May 20th at SOS! Star Lake Golfers meeting @ Twin Lakes April 18th. Clifton-Fine HOMETOWN HERO Banner initiative has LAUNCHED! Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST club in the STATE last year - TRAILS 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 CLOSED. 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! 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. 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 and OPEN GYM: 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 #117 - 04/28/22 - 05/04/22 (ottosabode.org)

AND TWO YEARS AGO, HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #65 – 04/29/21 - 05/05/21 (ottosabode.org)

AND THREE YEARS AGO, HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #13 - 04/30/20 - 05/06/20 (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!


Richard Steele writes in the Spectator in 1711 of the old May Day custom when maidens washed their faces with the dew gathered at dawn to assure beauty: “…There is not a Maiden-Gentlewoman, of a good Family in any Country of South-Britain who has not heard of the Virtues of May-Dew…”