Happy Thursday!
HELLO EVERYBODY! YES IT IS TRUE: WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR A VACATION STARTING MONDAY DECEMBER 8TH AND WILL BE BACK OPEN MONDAY DECEMBER 15TH! PLAN ACCORDINGLY! In the meantime... THIS SATURDAY IS THE 9TH ANNUAL S.O.S. CLIFTON-FINE SHOP LOCAL SATURDAY! WE'LL BE OPEN AND DJ ED OPEN WILL BE SPINNING VINYL RECORDS 10-NOON! THE CROQUET COURSE IS READY FOR ACTION! C'MON DOWN AND SHOP TIL YOU DROP! THANK YOU S.O.S. FOR ORGANIZING THIS SPECIAL EVENT AND SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCALLY OWNED YEAR-ROUND BUSINESSES! THANKS TO THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO AND CHOOSE TO TAKE THE TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY TO GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SHOP SMALL (You know what we mean! Hannah's not THAT short!) AND LOCALLY! Here is the Bargain Hunter ad explaining more about the event:
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SNOW REPORT! YES WE GOT SNOW! Thanksgiving Night we got about ten inches of snow. And it snowed just about every day! AND it hasn't been above freezing. So we'd say there is a FOOT of snow out there! There was a slight thaw and some rain BEFORE all the snow came, so under the snow the ground could still be wet and muddy in spots - HEADS-UP! Shouldn't be too much trouble out there! So, snowshoeing and skiing are A GO FO SHO! Snowmobile season does not start until December 8TH because regular hunting season is still a thing! The Lake is NOT frozen. And a friendly reminder: SNOW CROQUET! And don't forget you can always check the Ranger School Live Cam HERE!
CLEARING SKIES AND A COLORFUL SUNSET AFTER A BLUSTERY AND SNOWY DAY IN BEAUTIFUL AND HISTORIC WANAKENA, NY GATEWAY TO WILDERNESS ON THE OSWEGATCHIE RIVER AND AT THE MOUTH OF CRANBERRY LAKE IN THE FAR NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE ADIRONDACKS WAY AT THE BOTTOM OF ST.LAWRENCE COUNTY COVERED IN A FOOT OF THE WHITE FLUFFY STUFF AND A FULL MOON AND SUB ZERO TEMPERATURES FORECAST TONIGHT! (12/5 UPDATE: WE REACHED -16 HERE AT DAWN IN WANAKENA!)
"Reading and conversation are to winter what the flowers are to the spring and fruits are to autumn. They are the boast of the season. Superior to vernal joys, these permanent pleasures of the intellect are in vigor when those are faded and no more." - R.B. Thomas (1795)
RISE AND SHINE CLIFTON-FINE... Starting from the west... Historic Fine Town Hall Building in Fine Village seeking input for its use and future! Fine Volunteer Fire Dept and Post Office! Lodge at Dodge Pond IS FOR SALE. UBs Mercantile and ADK Rustics in Oswegatchie (Home of The Bargain Hunter!) are OPEN! Oswegatchie Baptist Church Community Garden GROWING! Around Star Lake: Star Lake's ADK Holy Grail gift shoppe OPEN with A GIANT LOON out front!! ADK Pharmacy OPEN. EARTH MOVING AT THE OLD CONCESSION STAND. Clifton Fine Central School GO EAGLES! Fitness Center at the school is open M-F 5-8am & 5-10pm and weekends 5-10pm! Community Bank OPEN! Clifton Fine Hospital OPEN and HOPIN' you're healthy! They raised enough money to expand - check out their live construction camera! And look out for Food Truck Thursdays and Farmers Markets in the summer! Dollar General OPEN! Twin Lakes OPEN! CF Arena HAD A GREAT WINTER! Golf Course CLUB GRUB at the CLUB HOUSE has BREAKFAST LUNCH AND DINNER They are closed for the winter but will be back! CF Golf Course OPEN!! Star Lake Volunteer Fire Department and Water works! SOS Adirondack Exhibit Center EVENTS HAPPENING... stay tuned! Every Friday Night, open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous at the Schoolhouse 7PM. Clifton-Fine Community Center and Food Pantry & Free "Community Meal" Wednesdays! Todd Hardware OPEN and FOR SALE!!!!!! Coffee Fever SOLD? Circle Jays OPEN! Fourth birthday of the Star Lake God’s Missionary Church being opened for Services in Star Lake at Town Line! What's The Scoop Star Lake Scoops ICE CREAM! American Legion OPEN and REFURBISHED with LOTS OF EVENTS! Newton Falls Giving Box & Post Office & Community Church OPEN. PAPER MILL CLOSED! BENSON MINES CLOSED! Mountain Gate Plaza Bottle Hometown General Store, Deli and Redemption Center OPEN JUST DOWN THE ROAD at CLIFTON CORNERS bottle redemption no longer in operation! Down in Wanakena Packbasket Adventures Lodge and Event Space in Wanakena OPEN... with NEW OWNERSHIP TRIVIA NIGHT EVERY FIRST TUESDSAY OF THE MONTH!! Mary holds down 13695 Wanakena Post Office (!!!!!!!NEW NUMBER 8489022!!!!) - Clifton Community Library Book Drop Box and Lost and Found and MORE out-front on Otto's Porch! OTTO'S ABODE OPEN ALL YEAR DOWN HERE! Wanakena Ranger School class of 2026 IN SESSION!! Wanakena Historical Association has closed the History Center for the winter! BUMMER! Don't forget about the Wanakena Walking Tour and Labyrinth trailheads campground AND MORE! Clifton-Fine Summer Series in ZPARK SUMMERTIME check it out CLIFTON FINE ARTS. Common Thread Quilt Fest Labor Day Weekend! Out in Harewood: Wooden Fish Hathery OPEN! Billy's BLACK LIGHT ART SHOW this past Halloween! Cranberry Lake Volunteer Fire Department! Down in Windfall Wooden Fish Hatchery and Dragun Designs! Birch's Lakeside OPEN! Tilly's? Cranberry Lake Art Show 2026 GET READY!! Cranberry Lake North Shore Hub (AT THE OLD CHURCH) hosts space use, dock use, summer concerts and summer lectures! Clifton Community Library OPEN! Cranberry Lake Boat Club summer events! CHECK OUT THE Cranberry Lake DEC Campground! Cranberry Lake Mountaineers Snowmobile Club, check 'em out! THEY HAVE A GREAT LISTING OF LOCAL YEAR-ROUND RENTALS ON THEIR WEBSITE! Grasse River Railway has created a NEW MAP and is OPEN FOR USE! Sevey's Point at Sevey's Corner OPEN. Thirsty Moose Childwold OPEN with new owners coming soon?!! ROLL SNOWPACKERS ROLL! Childwold Presbyterian Church though September 15th! And don't forget... Back West: 2E's, Golden Glow, Edwards Opera House, Jim's Auto in South Edwards OPEN! Plum Brook Cafe in Russell OPEN! Jockos in Degrasse OPEN and re-painted and hosting SUNDAY FUNDAYS!! Hello to all them local churches out here in the area! CLIFTON-FINE RT. 3 CORRIDOR ROLL-CALL ROUND-UP! We're Southern St. Lawrence County. We're Northwestern Adirondacks. We're BOTH. We're NEITHER! WE'RE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE-LESS! WILD WEST! GREAT SOUTH WOODS WAY SOUTH OF THE ROCK! ALL THAT STUFF! OH YEAH! (Who's missing? What's stale? Les us know! Zoom Zoom!) Also... if you appreciate the work put into these newsletters (and Otto's Abode in general) consider donating something extra to the cause! We're on VENMO as Otto's Abode. Or as Click and Clack used to say: Write our address on a twenty-dollar bill and mail it to us!
