Happy Thursday!
WITHINANUTSHELL - Yahoo! DAMN IT'S HOT AROUND HERE!!!!! Busy, too.... just about caught up from busy and beautiful Memorial Day Weekend. Cranberry Lake History and Heritage center OPEN Friday AM for "FIRST FRIDAY" hours. SUMMER YOGA at the Clifton Fine Community Center EVERY FRIDAY starting June 2nd! SUMMER HOURS at the Cranberry Lake Library! CHICKEN BBQ at the Legion Saturday! The NEW C.F.E.D.C. "Creating Connections" event was a 40-person success lastnight at SOS (so we were told!). Next one is August 3rd in Wanakena Z Park. If you checked in for WW #174 yesterday, sorry! If you didn't check in yesterday... you don't know what we're talking about... MOVING ON! Need an alternative news source? Perhaps try: CRANBERRY B[L]OG. In other news... DEER FLIES AND MOSQUITOS seem to have kicked the crap out of the black flies, and are not chomping, chomping, chomping on the fine folks of the area. Yes, it has been hot..... HOPEFULLY some rain Friday afternoon! Perhaps some thunder and lightning. Maybe some lightening will STRIKE THE SKULL of all these cute, but trouble-making baby woodchucks. Did we say that out loud? Opps. Yes, they are cute.... BUT, SCRAM!!!!! Lady Slippers up the Moore Trail!!! And once again: White "stuff" on the rocks in the river like last year -what is it?!?! MOOSE SIGHTING up on Wanakena Road (Rt. 61 into town.) Yes, a young couple; the gentleman with a couple double stubby horns adorned by his lady - "skinny looking" said the person who spotted them. Bear sightings in Wanakena continue! Small ones. Up by cemetery. Up by where the moose couple was spotted. ROAR! Pickle Ball Court LINE PAINTED... Pickleball Meet-up SATURDAY MORNING - just like last summer, says Jerry C. ESF/RANGER SCHOOL Summer Session starts up here this past Monday - a bunch of them stopped in on their was back from a dendro-walk to the BIG PINE. C'mon down to Otto's and sign up the "SCRAPE THE BRIDGE" sheet - more info below. NEW Wanakena Dock is HERE and bringing cheer! Can and bottle cart back out at The History Center. GET PUMPED!!!! "No dog poo bags." Since Mountain Gate Redemption closed everyone is lamenting about where they gonna get those nickels!?!?! LAST WEEKEND!!!!!! It was a great time.... BIG TIME GARAGE SALE Saturday, May 27th under the big tent! In conjunction with and registered with the GREAT ADK GARAGE SALE. Later that evening THE MAIN EVENT: OPEN AIR OPEN MIC out in ZPARK Saturday May, 27th 6-9PM! RAIN OR SHINE! Campfire and popcorn machine! THE WEATHER WAS EXCELENT AND THE CROWDS, EVEN BETTER!!!! Thanks a ton everyone for making it such a SUPER day in the neighborhood! NEXT BIG EVENT!!!!! History Center GRAND Re-opening! Live music and theatrical reading at the church, food at the history center, NEW Trappers Exhibit and MOREEEEE! Regular Town Board Meeting Second Wednesday, June 14th @ 6:30 Star Lake. Here’s a link to the most recent town board meeting minutes HERE: Town Of Fine: Minutes: May 10, 2023: May Town Board Meeting [Digital Towpath]. Wanakena History Center OPENS June 17th - big party with live music, reimagined and dramatized local lore, food and stuff! CHUFFED: JAGUARDINI and CLAUDE AND OLA live music performance TUESDAY July 11th in the evening! More info to come. We are less than a year away from the Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024! 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)
SCRAPE THAT BRIDGE - Footbridge Maintenance - The Wanakena Historical Association is spearheading a volunteer effort to scrape, prime and paint the foot bridge over the next two years. The plan is to scrape the bridge this year and undertake priming and painting next summer. This timeline will allow the pressure treated wood used for construction of the bridge time to dry more thoroughly by leaving exposed for the season……which will ensure the next round of painting sticks! The Ranger School has generously offered use of their barge the last week of June (June 26-30). The barge will be set under the bridge, allowing access to the exterior and bottom surfaces. We will have tarps set up from the bridge cross beams to the barge to catch the scrapings, as well as a floating boom across the river to catch any debris that makes it into the water. If you can spare a few hours to assist with this project, it would be greatly appreciated. There is a sign-up sheet in Otto’s, or you can call me at 802-272-5547, or email bethdaut@gmail.com. Please bring a scraper if you have one. Thank you! - Bitsy Daut
DOWN AT THE ABODE - ***SUMMER HOURS ARE HERE - SEVEN DAYS A WEEK*** Had a great weekend last weekend - thanks everyone for doing what you do. Head Nets are back in stock after selling out last weekend! FRESH SUPPLY OF MARTIN'S PRODUCE! Asparagus, kale, carrots, beets, and green leaf lettuce!!!! Slow start to the season; first it was too cold, now it's too hot - roll with it. BEER COOLER IS FULL TO THE BRIM, BABY! C'mon out and buy some brew for yourself and friends and family, too! LAST WEEKEND: LAST WEEK'S OPEN MIC WAS A SMASH!!!! Next one: June 24th! EVERY LAST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH 6-9pm starting APRIL and going ALL SUMMER LONG culminating Saturday OCT 28th for a FULL MOON HALLOWEEN OPEN AIR OPEN MIC SPOOKCTACULAR! Last Saturday of month, out in the Gazebo, campfire, the works - bring a friend, instrument, lawn chair, cooler, perhaps campout, etc! Or just come watch! Thanks! CHUFFED: JAGUARDINI and CLAUDE AND OLA live music performance TUESDAY July 11th in the evening! More info to come. HOT HOT HOT! What's biting? WORMS AND CRAWLERS in the cooler! Maple Syrup in IN! THE GOOSE is STILL temporarily off-the-air until we work out some kinks. C'MON! Greening-up: CROQUET EVERY DAY if you want to! "Where's the art?"... seriously?!?!
A MESSAGE FROM THE DANIEL MARTIN @ MARTIN'S FARMSTAND - It feels like summertime on the farm with warm nights and the sound of the irrigation pumps running. Yes, it is that dry already. The strawberries are in peak bloom and need about 2 inches of water per week for the next three weeks. The young transplants also are not rooted deeply yet so need a bit of water. We are picking cucumbers from the greenhouse now (still limited amounts) and there are lots of regular onion scallions ready to harvest. If anyone needs frozen peeled garlic keep us in mind as there is still quite a lot of that left. We just cut the last of the greenhouse lettuce heads and the field lettuce is still one to two weeks out yet before harvest begins. I expect the first spring seeded spinach to be ready by sometime next week. The farmstand has an assortment of early spring goodies such as scallions (onion and garlic) rhubarb, asparagus, lettuce and kale. Also there are still beets carrots and potatoes. Mendy has baked a nice selection of honey wheat and sourdough bread and the bulk food room has flour, oatmeal, spices etc. This summer the stand is open every day from Tuesday through Saturday. We are closed on Sunday and Monday. We had a freeze here this week. At 11 pm it was already down to 30 degrees however it warmed up a bit towards morning. The relive humidity was around 60 percent during the cold night hours ( very dry) and there was some wind. One can irrigate the strawberries to help keep the frost off as water releases some heat as it transitions from water to ice . This only works though if the relitive humidity is high (near 100% with dew forming) with low or no wind speed. Water can not evaporate if the humidity is at 100% so evaporative cooling is not an issue in a normal frost. In a dry freeze such as we had this week the evaporative cooling effect will drop the leaf and flower temps to a few degrees below ambiant if some zealous farmer goes out and makes them wet. Do not put water on in those conditions as it is harmful not helpful. Covers do very little in wind. I judged that the best thing to do was to go to bed and sleep and hope for the best as there was nothing I could do that would be meaningful The later kinds of strawberries were not blooming yet so there was no damage. The earlier kinds lost anywhere from 20-50% of there flowers so this will effect the crop but is not a disaster as the remaining flowers will take up some of the slack. What would have been the first picking is gone. This was harsh winter for small fruit as the temps were up and down a lot with the snow melting from time to time. We also had a lot of wind which blew the leaf mulch off of them in areas. This has resulted in some damage but is again not disaster. There is enough damage though to some of the new plantings that I am thinking to plant a extra acre of berries this spring ( in addition to the 1 1/2 acre that is normally planted to replace old beds.)and not to renovate all of what was planted last year. Late May is the peak of asparagus season. During moments of abundance we will sell unbunched field run asparagus at $2.75 per lb if you take at least 1/2 lug. Daniel - Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. - Martin's Farmstand
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 a small business such as Otto's Abode? What are you really saving? Why is the stuff so cheap? It makes our stuff seem "expensive". THINK ABOUT IT!!!! 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! 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! 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! 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. 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! 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. Broadcasting LIVE from the back room of Otto's Abode WANA 87.9fm THE GOOSE. HONK HONK! (temporarily "down".) And don't forget: Wanakena Weekly online every week! Missed a week? No problem.... CHECK THE THREE-YEAR ARCHIVE! 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. Concerning ART: Are tubes of paint not studio assistants?
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. Marty S. "retired" and can often be seen "supervising."
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 - Summer Session started last MONDAY. ESF students FORCED to Wanakena for a month! Only the strong survive. Ranger School hiring various. 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 – NEW SIGNS/POSTS GOING IN THE GROUND and FLAPPERS FLIPPIN'! June 17th! Party at the History Center!!!! Food and NEW Trappers Exhibition to follow! 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 all re-open end of June 2023. Home (wanakena.com)
WANAKENA CHURCH – LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!!!! LIVE MUSIC AND THEATRICAL READING OF MAN OF THE WOODS: JUNE 17th IN CONJUNTION WITH THE HISTORY CENTER SEASONAL RE-OPENING!!! Stay tuned for more info. Chuch services are paused for the cold seasons! 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 - OUTDOOR PUBLIC BATHROOM OPEN! NO SMOKING IN THE BATHROOM! PLEASE DONT DUMP YOUR GARBAGE IN THEIR EITHER! "NEW Dock is there, floating and boating, no overnight docking. Also: Wanakena Sewar and Wanakena Water are well and in working order. Speaking of pickles: Wanakena Saturday Morning Pickleball HAS RESUMED SATURDAY MORNINGS ALL SUMMER - TALK TO JERRY C.! Croquet in ZPark ALL YEAR LONG; whack'em balls! Speaking of ZPARK: 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.
WANAKENA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION – 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 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 on South Shore Road by Cat Mountiain trailhead. Always: 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. Perhaps 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. Tent on a hillside.
HAREWOOD – Cranberry B[l]og is BACK for the season! Go Local - CRANBERRY B[L]OG (cranberryblog.org) Their NEW post mentions OTTO'S ABODE! "Go Local!" Or in other words: "Proof Is In The Pudding!" Birch's Lakeside is OPEN!!! They had an ICE CREAM TRUCK and BOUNCY HOUSE!!!!! News: NO TILLY'S THIS SUMMER BUT PROBABLY NEXT SUMMER! Coyote Den OPEN! Cranberry Lake History and Heritage Center OPEN first Fridays of the month 10-2pm. Clifton Community Library has ART on display from Clifton-Fine Central School - OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK! The library has announced their summer events! Don't forget about utilizing the Library Book Drop Box at Otto's Abode - it's a fantastic service brought to you by Library folk! Birch's store opens soon! Cranberry Lake Hub has announced LIVE MUSIC with KNOTTY PADDY in July, has invited Adirondack Explorer to talk about journalism and is "... accepting building and grounds use requests for the summer starting now." Tooley Pond Duck Decoy Showroom in Cranberry Lake is OPEN! Cranberry Lake Boat Club events this the summer: Fourth of July 5k, POKER PADDLE JULY 22nd!!!!!! NEW Cranberry Community Center Webcam! gotsnowcams.com - New York paul@NorthernChateau@.com. CLFD Backwoods Craft Fair July 14 and 15! Cranberry Lake Art Show August 11th, 12th, 13th! Cranberry Lake State Campground now takes walk-in registration from now on - WHAT TOOK SO LONG? Bridgework has FINISHED over the Oswegatchie in Cranberry Lake. Vroom vroom! Five Ponds Partners kickstarted and initiated port-o-johns at some local trailheads and will do it again next year! Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST club in the STATE last year - TRAILS closed! Great job everyone! 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 in Childwold! Speaking of lakes: 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. KAPEESH?!
OUT WEST - YOGA every friday through the summer at the Clifton-Fine Community Center! CHICKEN BBQ at the Legion Saturday June 3rd! Friday June 16th FARMERS MARKET at the Hospital in Star Lake! Jrecks open? SCOOPS in Star Lake has OPENED for the season! ADK Holy Grail Gift Shop is OPEN!!!! Legion CHICKEN BBQ June 3rd! Golf Course got a NEW lawn mower! Green Pinky Farm is GREENING-UP! SOS Crochet Club Sundays 1-4 -vstay tuned for more events all year long! Clifton-Fine HOMETOWN HERO Banner initiative has LAUNCHED! Cranberry Lake Mountaineers voted BEST club in the STATE last year - TRAILS closed! Great job everyone! Star Lake Fire Dept! 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! Twin Lakes Hotel, American Legion, Todd Hardware are OPEN! Dollar General and Circle J’s in Star Lake are OPEN! CF Golf Course, Clifton-Fine Hospital, Community Bank OPEN FIVE DAYS A WEEK - CHA CHING, Adirondack Pharmacy, Clifton-Fine Community Center OPEN! Still further west in Oswegatchie UB’s, and Adirondack Rustics are open (HOME OF THE LEGENDARY "BARGAIN HUNTER" NEWSPAPER)! Fine Fire Department! CCL Book drop has moved from the (CLOSED Coffee Fever) to the Star Lake Community Bank. AA every Friday night at SOS 7pm. Largest Adirondack solar project to date goes before APA (adirondackexplorer.org) Star Lake Ice Rink ("Town of Clifton") did NOT open this winter.... bummer! Heard some Ranger School Squirrels got to use it. 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? Five Ponds Partners got 'em out at the trail heads! Call-up the H Brothers! What else? J&L / Benson Mines History | Facebook What else? LOTS! NEWTON FALLS - The Post Office (13666) opened March 13th, 1896 in Newton Falls. Robust Paper Mill Facebook group here: Newton Falls Paper Mill | Facebook
KIM AND TOMS LOST DOG REPORT - As of today, there are NO lost dogs in Wanakena. Woof Woof! Not only do these two Fine folks work their tails off to report about lost dogs.... they drive all the way into a different ZIP code to Cranberry Lake to water the new plants at The HUB! Can someone teach those Harewood folks how to use a garden hose?!?!? UPDATE: Jack and Nann are out there helping water these plants too!
THIS TIME LAST YEAR HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #121 - 05/26/22 - 06/01/22 (ottosabode.org)
AND TWO YEARS AGO, HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #69 – 05/27/21 - 06/02/21 (ottosabode.org)
AND THREE YEARS AGO, HERE - Otto's Abode: WANAKENA WEEKLY #17 - 05/28/20 - 06/03/20 (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!
Tis June the month for lovers and flowers, may each bring to the other the golden hours - from an old almanac
Tis June the month for lovers and flowers, may each bring to the other the golden hours - from an old almanac