GLENS FALLS — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and SPoT Coffee is offering a chance to ‘get a shake and make a difference,’ through Halloween.
In collaboration with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of the Adirondacks, SPoT will donate $1 from each sale of their Protein Power Shakes at their Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls locations to Making Strides from Oct. 18 to Oct. 31.
Bill Dingman, district operations manager for SPoT’s Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls locations, said the promotion is “a great opportunity for us to get involved with a great cause.”
“They just reached out and asked if there was something we could do to support Breast Cancer Awareness month, and also their particular walk,” Dingman said. “We’re calling it a ‘Power in Pink’ promo, donating $1 for every Protein Power Shake throughout the end of the month.”
The promotion coincides with the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of the Adirondacks’ ‘Making Strides Walk,’ taking place at the Glens Falls City Park on Sunday. The event begins at 9 a.m. with ‘Shake & Strides,’ featuring a local fitness instructor leading group exercises, with the walk route opening at 9:30 a.m. and the walk itself beginning at 10 a.m., according to the organization’s Facebook page.
“SPoT, in general, wants to be a part of the communities that their cafes are in,” said Dingman. “We like to support organizations that are established in the community, and doing great work for great causes.”
Dingman said the fundraiser is a chance to bring the community together, and raise money and awareness for a good cause.
“On a personal level, it’s always nice to create a sense of community and to have that sense of community. I think that events like this help that cause,” Dingman said. “We all find something to rally behind, and bring us together. We need that, I think, more now than ever. Community and being brought together. This is just a perfect opportunity to do that.”
Dingman noted that the walk will pass directly past SPoT’s Glens Falls location on Glen Street, saying this was even more of a reason for the company to get involved.
“We still want to give back, and be truly your neighborhood cafe and truly be a member of the community,” said Dingman.
The Making Strides walk will run from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Registration for the walk is still open, and more information is available at makingstrideswalk.org/adirondacks.
Business owners and community members visit displays by local businesses at the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Business Expo at the Queensbury Hotel on Wednesday. (Photo by ARCC marketing director Amanda Blanton)
GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2022 Business Expo on Wednesday, with over 70 local businesses showcasing their offerings at The Queensbury Hotel.
ARCC President and CEO Tricia Rogers said the Expo was “just an exciting feel,” noting the event had 33 new businesses attend this year.
“So there’s a nice new mix of people that are here,” said Rogers. “We’re excited about that.”
The Expo, which saw 72 businesses attend in total, offers a valuable opportunity for local businesses to network and inform the community of their offerings. Rolly Merrill of GTM Payroll Services said the Expo is “very exciting” every year.
“The Adirondack Chamber does a great job,” said Merrill. “This year, especially after kind of going through COVID the last couple years, it’s really great to be back and have it in this brand-new ballroom here at The Queensbury Hotel.”
Tom Lyons of The Landing at Queensbury said the Expo is “an awesome opportunity.”
“For general awareness and networking, it’s always an awesome opportunity to connect with people and learn more about each other’s businesses,” said Lyons. “It’s just great to be here, answer questions, and learn more about each other’s industry.”
Merrill said the Expo offers a chance to meet new people, and reunite with others.
“When you come to something like this, you see old friends, but you meet new ones, and you make new relationships,” Merrill said. “That’s the positive about the Chamber in general, but this event in particular.”
The Expo ran from 4 to 7 p.m., spread across three rooms of The Queensbury Hotel including the new Adirondack Ballroom. Rogers said the Expo wouldn’t be possible without the support of The Queensbury.
“It really is something special,” Rogers said. “We do a lot of events with them, and they have absolutely set this up. It’s beautiful in here.”
Rogers also gave thanks to the Expo’s sponsors, saying “the support is truly overwhelming and appreciated.”
“We also live in a really great community,” added Rogers.
This sentiment was echoed by several businesses in attendance, with Lyons saying the Glens Falls area “has a super supportive community.”
“You can see that just by how busy this is, and engaged all these business owners and companies are,” said Lyons. “There’s a great value just in connecting again with everybody here and learning more. This particular community, in general, is very close-knit, very tight. So it’s always fun to be a part of it.”
Joshua Koons of Tech II said it is “great to see” everyone working together at the Expo.
“I think, especially in the Glens Falls region, there’s a very strong support structure,” Koons said. “It’s a tight-knit community, so I feel like all of the businesses are supporting each other.”
Lisa Munter of Knitt LLC said the Expo was a great experience, saying “everybody’s been really receptive and energetic.”
“I see this as a real synergetic opportunity for everybody to come together. It really shows the heart of the community here in the Glens Falls area,” said Munter. “Actually, one person came here and I said, ‘What do you do?’ They were like, ‘Oh, we’re just here to support a friend who has a booth.’ … That was really telling, and super exciting, that level of support.”
Rogers emphasized the support between businesses, saying she feels “that people want to lift each other up.”
“We’re all here, as businesses, supporting one another,” Rogers said. “We want to work through this interesting, coming out of this pandemic time, and that’s what I feel. I feel a sense of camaraderie and a sense of coming together. That’s really great.”
Premier sponsors for the 2022 Business Expo were Adirondack Technical Solutions, Hilltop Construction Company, and TD Bank. Presenting sponsors were National Grid, Phinney Design Group, and OrbitalFire Cybersecurity.
Gold sponsors for the Business Expo include Adirondack Trust Company, Berkshire Bank, Capital Bank, Fidelis Care, INOC Data Centers, KEENA, NBT Bank, Paula Traina State Farm, Pilot Knob Marina & Powersports, Quick Response Restoration, The Sagamore Resort, and Seeley Office Systems.
A photograph of a veteran from the ‘Faces of Veterans’ project (Photo by Stephen Willette/Faces of Veterans)
QUEENSBURY — Every veteran has a story, and Stephen Willette is determined to share as many of those stories as he can.
Willette is the founder and CEO of Patriot Images, a photography company that began the ‘Faces of Veterans’ series in 2019. The project displays photographs of veterans, providing a glimpse into the lives of those who have served.
“There’s so many stories that are left untold,” said Willette. “They’re stories of inspiration, they’re stories of patriotism. … I think that America, or the general populace, needs to hear those.”
Willette first began photographing veterans in 2018 for the Saratoga County Veterans Peer to Peer Mentoring Program. He said this opportunity led him to begin the Faces of Veterans project.
“When I was done with that, I said, ‘Well, I think I’m just going to continue this across all of New York State,” said Willette.
Willette, a Schuylerville native, served in the Air Force for 16 years, from April 2001 to January 2017. He said the Faces of Veterans allows the opportunity for veterans to connect and share their stories.
He said it is important to share photographs and stories of veterans of wars such as World War II.
“The Vietnam-era veterans, they’re getting older as well. There’s a number of them that I have photographed that are no longer alive,” said Willette. “I’ve interviewed and I’ve photographed World War II veterans, and they’ve shared their stories with me, and I’ve been able to take the pictures and the stories that they’ve shared with me, and I’ve been able, in turn, after they died, to give it to their families.”
And the photos have also helped veterans open up and share their own stories with family, as Willette recounted a 2019 visit he made to the American Legion in Granville.
“It was just a regular photoshoot like any other one,” Willette said. “I had photographed a Vietnam-era veteran there, he was there with some of his family.”
A month later, Willette received a phone call from the veteran’s daughter.
“He went home afterwards, and he began sharing about his experiences,” said Willette. “His daughter just called me to say how thankful she was that he had that experience, and that he was able to come home and begin talking about his experiences there, that he’s never shared with his own kids.”
Faces of Veterans began as just a photography project, but expanded this fall with the launch of the ‘Faces of Veterans’ podcast.
The podcast is owned by Glens Falls Today’s parent company Spa City Digital, and is a separate entity from the photo series, allowing veterans the opportunity to openly discuss their experiences.
“The podcast is important because it is an outlet and it is an avenue, where veterans can get on there and they can share that,” said Willette. “And maybe it will open up the door for them to heal a little bit, to share more. Or maybe it will encourage a veteran that’s listening.
“Maybe not even in New York, maybe not even in the United States. But it might encourage them to share something, and to just begin healing from past wounds.”
This is in contrast to the photography series, which typically does not contain names or additional information besides the photos themselves, Willette said.
“When I photograph them, I don’t include names. I don’t include branch of service, time in service, anything like that,” said Willette. “I’ve always opened it up to where, if you want to get together at a later time, and you want to kind of share your story, then let’s meet, let’s talk. I’ve opened it up like that, and then I would share, obviously, their name, and more about them.”
Willette also said the podcast and photography series “fills the void” of camaraderie left once he was discharged. He said he asks every veteran on the podcast what they miss most about their service, with one common response.
“This will be a common answer if you asked any veteran what they missed the most, and that’s the camaraderie. They miss the camaraderie of the service,” Willette said. “For 16 years, I had the camaraderie, and then it was gone and I haven’t been able to find it elsewhere. This Faces of Veterans project fills that, but it also provides a way for me to continue to serve the veteran community.”
Willette’s goal is to travel to all 62 counties in New York State to photograph veterans, saying that he has visited 10 to this point. Willette, who currently resides in Queensbury, takes the photos free of charge, relying on donations to help assist in keeping the project alive.
“It’s completely done out of pocket, and through donations, hopefully, of people that feel it to be equally as important,” said Willette. “We need those donations, because without the donations, the next photoshoot doesn’t happen.”
And those photoshoots will help Willette continue to “serve the veteran community,” one of the reasons he believes the project is so important.
“It’s the camaraderie, and it’s really just continuing to serve the veteran community,” said Willette. “Because I feel it’s important, and I feel it’s needed.”
A look at the Eden Center’s neurofeedback system. (Dylan McGlynn photo)
GLENS FALLS — The Eden Center for Integrative Care, which offers unique and personalized mental health treatments, has seen rapid expansion in its first year of operation. According to owner and director Daniel Breeyear, the expansion speaks to the need for mental health services in the region.
“Going from six to 26 employees in a year just kind of highlights the growth and the need for this sort of service in the community,” said Breeyear.
The Eden Center, which opened in August 2021, focuses on personalized care, “because there are no generic patients,” said Breeyear.
“Everybody is a unique individual, with individual genetics and individual life circumstances,” said Breeyear.
He said the Eden Center helps patients by getting to the “root of things.”
“If you go into your doctors’ office and you tell them you’re depressed, a lot of times they’ll throw an antidepressant at you. But they don’t ever really ask why you’re depressed to begin with,” said Breeyear. “So we get to the root of things, that’s how things are ultimately fixed.”
While the Eden Center does prescribe medication, Breeyear stressed that their focus is on “the whole-body approach,” supplementing medication with a focus on neurotransmitters, neurofeedback, anti-inflammation, IV nutrition, and more. The Center offers multiple unique treatments, with Breeyear saying, “I don’t think there’s anything like it from Canada to Albany.”
“We get into the biology of how neurotransmitters are created, brain regions that are not functioning optimally. How do we get those back on track?,” Breeyear said.
The Eden Center provides pediatric and holistic care, with Breeyear saying he primarily handles that, while the Center also treats substance use and addiction. Breeyear said the Center also has 15 psychotherapists on hand, offering “traditional talk therapy.”
The Center offers a hyperbaric oxygen chamber used for anti-inflammatory and mental health purposes, with Breeyear saying the Center has the same chamber used by NBA star LeBron James.
“Same exact chamber, same exact model. That’s an athlete using that for anti-inflammatory purposes,” said Breeyear, mentioning former NFL quarterback Joe Namath as another example in sports. “That’s one thing that kind of helps a lot of different aspects of care.”
Breeyear said that the Center’s IV nutrition can help people treat deficiencies for things such as vitamin D.
“A lot of the vitamin infusions are geared towards anti-inflammation, replenishing things that you’re not getting from nutrition or from just where you live geographically,” Breeyear said. “Low testosterone can look like depression. In the same token, estrogen levels with a woman, or iron levels, can feel like fatigue and malaise and depression.”
The Eden Center also offers a neurofeedback system, with Breeyear saying it can help identify “areas of dysfunction” in the brain.
“It’s reading brainwave frequencies and it’s balancing those sorts of things on a database of 250,000 other brains of the particular individual’s demographic,” said Breeyear. “With that, it can identify areas of dysfunction, depression, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, schizophrenia, memory, sleep, all those sorts of things. With that information, the person can then come back and do brain training, essentially.
“We’re using all those things to either enhance or kind of relieve different problems and concerns, more so than just the traditional methods.”
The Eden Center has also recently begun ketamine treatments for “resistant depression,” said Breeyear.
“These people have been depressed for a long time, and the traditional medications don’t work. So they’ll come in, and we’ll do that sort of thing,” Breeyear said. “We’re doing intranasal, up through the nose, now, but we’ll be launching IV versions and a more widespread intranasal program pretty soon in the next month or so.”
Intake appointments typically last between 60 and 90 minutes, Breeyear said, with follow-ups lasting roughly a half-hour.
“That’s longer than you get at most places, even specialty care. We are able to see less people during the day, but I think the care has improved, because you’re taking more time, you can talk through more things,” said Breeyear. “It’s tough to do all those aspects of assessment in a short period of time.”
Not all of the Center’s services are covered by insurance, with Breeyear saying they are working to establish a non-profit, the Eden Center Foundation, to assist patients with potential costs.
“That was an area of need that I identified within the first year. It was hard having somebody sit across from me, knowing that you could help them, but there’s the financial component on their side and ours,” Breeyear said. “I think that’s a way to kind of alleviate some of that, and really make a difference.”
He said the Foundation would help cover costs for services such as the hyperbaric chamber, neurofeedback scans, supplements, and specialty therapy treatments.
As the Eden Center continues to grow its services, Breeyear said he aims to continue to meet need by adding staff and expanding.
“Not so many where I don’t know who you are anymore, but enough where we can continue the level of care,” said Breeyear. “If I need to go somewhere else, to add a second location or a bigger one at some point, that’s what I’ll do. But I think as long as the need and demand is there, we’ll continue to meet it until it’s not.”
For Breeyear, a native of Fort Edward and current South Glens Falls resident, the opportunity to offer mental health services in his home region “meant a lot,” he said.
“This is where I grew up, so it wasn’t hard to see the need and hear the stories of your kid’s friends, and their friends’ friends, and the school things and all that,” said Breeyear. “It’s good to be in the middle of it, and I think we’ve shown the need is definitely there.”
High school girls hockey is coming to Section 2 this year, with the establishment of the Adirondack United hockey team.
The team will be a combination of six schools: Corinth, Glens Falls, South Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Saratoga Springs, and Queensbury. Adirondack United head coach Jeff Willis said the team will provide valuable opportunities for girls in the area.
“What you find is a lot of girls that are very athletic, very good at hockey, they end up taking those skills and applying them somewhere else,” said Willis. “It’s great that we have this opportunity in front of us to continue to keep girls locally.”
Willis said the support from the girls and parents helped bring the squad to fruition, saying hockey parents are “a different breed.”
“And I’m saying this in the nicest way. I’m one of them,” added Willis. “They picked it up, and they were attending, like, every school board meeting. They were at South Glens Falls, they were at Glens Falls, they were at Queensbury. They just were not going to let this go.”
Willis also said the coordination between the six schools has been strong.
“The support has been really great across all school districts,” Willis said. “From my perspective as the head coach, I think everything’s going really well.”
As of now, Adirondack United is the only girls hockey team in Section 2. Willis said the team will compete in Section 7 this year, competing against schools such as Beekmantown, Saranac Lake Placid (a combination of Saranac Lake and Lake Placid), Plattsburgh, and Malone.
“That’s our league, and we’ll play in their sectionals,” said Willis.
Willis said that a majority of the team’s roster will come from the Adirondack Northstars travel organization, and mentioned he expects players from the Troy-Albany Titans and Clifton Park travel organizations to try out.
The head coach also said he expects the team to be competitive. Willis, who coaches one of the Northstars teams, mentioned several players who have made a big impact with the organization.
“We have three players here locally that have been selected to the U.S. National Team selection process that are in the program right now,” said Willis. “Bayley Duffy, Maddie Macauley, and my younger daughter, Lillian Willis. They were all selected to go to Minnesota as part of the national team selection process.”
Adirondack United provides an opportunity for these girls to advance their hockey careers at home, with Willis noting that this has not traditionally been the case in the area.
The squad will open its season with a tough test, playing defending state champions Skaneateles of Section III on Nov. 23. The United team will play several other Section III schools during the season, including Clinton and Oswego, and Section X programs such as Potsdam and Massena, in addition to its Section 7 league games.
“My philosophy is, I’ll play anybody anytime and anywhere,” said Willis.
Adirondack United will play its first home game on Dec. 3, hosting Beekmantown at 1 p.m. The game is set to be played at the Glens Falls Recreation Center, but Willis said there is a possibility of hosting the contest at Cool Insuring Arena.
“We think we’re going to hold it at the Rec Center, but if we sense that we’re going to get a really big crowd and (Cool Insuring Arena) is available, we maybe will pursue that,” Willis said. “That’s one of our focuses. I really want to pack the house the first night.”
‘Blondie: Vivir en la Habana’ director Rob Roth (left) discusses the film with Adirondack Theatre Festival producing artistic director Miriam Weisfeld (right) during the first night of the 2022 Adirondack Film Festival on Thursday. (Dylan McGlynn photo)
GLENS FALLS — The 2022 Adirondack Film Festival opened on Thursday night, kicking off its seventh annual celebration of film and theater with a screening of Rob Roth’s ‘Blondie: Vivir en la Habana,’ and a selection of music videos.
Roth was in attendance, and held a Q&A session with Adirondack Theatre Festival producing artistic director Miriam Weisfeld, discussing the documentary and more.
“We’re so happy that you all are here,” Weisfeld said, opening the festival with a welcome to the audience. She noted that roughly 150 people were also streaming the festival virtually, saying it includes filmmakers from places such as New Zealand and “all over the world.”
‘Blondie: Vivir en la Habana’ is a short documentary film showing the band Blondie’s 2019 trip to Havana, Cuba, as part of an official cultural exchange. The band, along with Roth and crew, spent roughly a week in Cuba, performing two shows at the Teatro Mella in Havana.
Roth said the initial idea came from Blondie guitarist and founding member Chris Stein.
“The original genesis was (Stein) always, always wanting to go to Cuba,” said Roth. “I think the previous administration had opened up some sort of dialogue with Cuba… They were doing these things called cultural exchanges. So this was an official cultural exchange invitation from the Ministry of Culture of Cuba.”
Stein ended up being unable to join the band on the trip, with Roth saying he was dealing with heart issues “that kept him from going.” But Roth was intent on documenting the journey, saying it was the first project he had ever pitched to the band.
“They usually come to me,” said Roth. “This is the first thing I said, ‘We have to document this somehow.’ And so we did.”
A majority of the 18-minute documentary was shot on 16-millimeter and 8-millimeter film, Roth said. He initially planned to shoot on iPhones, but made the switch to film after he said Apple pulled out of the project.
“Honestly, the whole thing was an adventure. I didn’t really know what was going to happen,” Roth said. “I didn’t want to explain a lot, I wanted a visceral feeling as much as possible. … It’s almost like a lens to time that they’re stuck in, in a way.”
The film seemed to come together organically, with Roth saying he, “had no idea what the film was really going to be.”
“You have to go with it, you have to enjoy it,” said Roth. “You prepare, prepare, prepare, and then you have to give yourself over. You know when you’re in it, surfing it. You just have to give yourself over, and see how it’s forming, where it’s taking you.”
The documentary is split into three parts, with Roth saying it was initially intended to be three individual short films. Finished in February 2020, the documentary made appearances at film festivals in Italy, the United Kingdom, Iceland, and more.
“The best one was Tribeca. We had a whole night at the Tribeca Film Festival,” said Roth. “Blondie played, and it was the one week where I think the restrictions were lifted. … Everything’s about timing. That was amazing.”
The band was accompanied by local musicians during the concerts, including members of the Cuban band Sintesis.
“The musicians had never met, they had one rehearsal,” Roth said. “It was already set up beforehand, of course, but we were only there for five or six days. … The music was honestly the least difficult part, funny enough. They just met, they all came together and played one rehearsal, and then two nights of shows. It was fantastic.”
The director emphasized the connection brought upon by the music, saying they initially were unsure if the crowd would know Blondie’s music.
“When we were going, Debbie and I were kind of discussing, ‘Do they know the music?,” said Roth. “I always tell this story, I was shooting at one point and there was a balcony. There was a family of, I’m telling you, it was the grandparents down to the grandchildren. And they were all singing. … They knew it. It was so clear that the music had got there.”
“These things are really important,” Roth continued, noting the importance of music and culture in connecting people. “I realized afterwards, that’s the way in. … I do feel like there just needs to be more of that.”
Roth, a native of New York City, has his own connection to upstate New York, noting that his father owned a home in the Catskills.
“It’s very, very special,” Roth said. “It’s a very, very grounding place for me. I need both (the city and upstate).”
As far as future projects from the director, Roth said “there’s nothing greenlit,” but mentioned several ideas potentially in the works.
“We were talking about doing a film about (Harry),” said Roth. “I do a lot of theater too, I’m one of those people that kind of goes back and forth, so there’s two theater projects.”
The Adirondack Film Festival continues today and runs through Saturday. Friday features include ‘Remember This,’ ‘The Quiet Epidemic,’ ‘A Love Song,’ ‘What We Do Next,’ and several series of short films. For more information, visit adkfilmfestival.org.
GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Stampede Rodeo returns to Glens Falls for a 31st year next month, running from Friday, Nov. 4 to Saturday, Nov. 5 at Cool Insuring Arena.
With eight events, an afterparty, music, and more, the Rodeo will be “good family fun,” said marketing promoter Shana Graham.
“It’s been a wonderful event,” said Graham. “There’s not many events, I believe, that have been going on that long in the area. … It’s just a great event for the community.”
The Adirondack Stampede Rodeo is a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeo, and will feature “all the excitement of pro rodeo’s top national and regional competitors,” according to the rodeo’s website.
The rodeo will begin at 7:30 p.m. both nights. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the rodeo website, adirondackstampederodeo.com, or by calling the Cool Insuring Arena box office at 518-798-0202.
Events at this year’s rodeo include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie down roping, bull riding, team roping, and ladies barrel racing. Graham also detailed a new event to this year’s rodeo, ladies breakaway roping.
“This will be the first time that Cool Insuring Arena has ever offered the ladies breakaway roping,” Graham said. “In the world of professional rodeo, it’s one of the new and upcoming events, and we decided to add it to this.”
Announcer Greg Simas will return for his 15th year calling the Rodeo. Simas has experience announcing rodeos in Australia, Canada, and 34 states of the U.S., according to the rodeo’s website. Music will be provided by sound technician Jesse Knudsen, a native of Wisconsin, Graham said.
Rodeo clown Rob Gann also returns for another year, with Graham noting that Gann is “extremely funny.”
“(He’s) guaranteed to make the whole family laugh,” said Graham. “It’s good family fun.”
The rodeo will also feature appearances by the Miss Rodeo New York Queens, Graham said, who will be crowned in the arena during the rodeo and signing autographs.
Following the conclusion of each night’s events, a ‘Round-Up Party’ will be held at Heritage Hall inside Cool Insuring Arena. The Round-Up Party will feature live music and an open bar, and offer fans a chance to meet and interact with cowboys and cowgirls.
“That’s just a fun little night to meet cowboys and cowgirls after the rodeo, and sign some autographs, and some dancing,” Graham said. “It’s a good way to end the event.”
The Nobody Special Band will perform at the Round-Up Party on Friday night, while After-Fx Professional DJ Service will handle the music on Saturday, said Graham.
“We’re pumped,” said Graham of the rodeo. “We love this time of year, it’s one of our favorite events. We’re very excited to be a part of it. Proud of it, and proud to keep it going.”
Graham also emphasized the community aspect of the event, referring to it as “heartwarming.”
“It’s a great time of year, because it’s like the last rodeo of the season. Everybody meets, families come together,” Graham said. “It’s just great to see all of the lovely faces and all of the community come together for a special event.”
For more information, visit adirondackstampederodeo.com.
GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Film Festival returns tomorrow for a seventh year, offering a weekend loaded with content spanning a wide variety of genres.
The festival is produced by the Adirondack Theatre Festival, which places it “at the nexus between theater, film, and television,” said Adirondack Theatre Festival producing artistic director Miriam Weisfeld.
Films will be screened at the Charles R. Wood Theater and at Crandall Public Library. For the second consecutive year, the festival will also be offering a hybrid model, said Weisfeld.
“That’s a really cool option, because it gives you so much flexibility,” said Weisfeld. “If you wake up in the morning and you decide that you want to be out on the town all weekend, you can do that. If you decide that you want to be home on your couch, you still have a whole weekend of content that’s been curated for you.”
The festival begins Thursday with ‘Opening Night Rocks,’ a screening of music videos and the regional premiere of a short documentary titled “Blondie: Vivir en la Habana,” detailing the rock band Blondie’s trip to Havana, Cuba, for a concert in 2019. The screening will be at the Wood Theater, followed by a Q&A with director Rob Roth and an opening night reception at Park 26 in the Queensbury Hotel.
“This was part of an official cultural exchange between New York City and Havana, and it’s this amazing piece of filmmaking that was created by an artist named Rob Roth,” Weisfeld said. “He’s got these incredible stories about working with Blondie. … After that screening, Rob and I are going to do a discussion with the audience at the theater, and then we’ll move over to Park 26 for a celebration together.”
All content at the festival is recommended for ages 18 and up, according to the festival’s schedule.
Friday screenings include ‘Remember This,’ starring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn, and ‘A Love Song,’ starring Dale Dickey and Wes Studi.
Dickey has appeared in shows such as ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘The X-Files,’ ‘Gilmore Girls,’ ‘Frasier’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and more. Studi received a Governors Award from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2019, becoming the first Native American actor to receive the honor, Weisfeld said. Studi has appeared in movies such as ‘The Last of the Mohicans,’ ‘Dances with Wolves,’ ‘Avatar,’ and ‘Street Fighter.’
Saturday screenings include ‘There There,’ starring Jason Schwartzman and Lili Taylor, and ‘Cryptid,’ featuring Capital Region native Nicholas Baroudi.
“Another really exciting thing about the Adirondack Film Festival is that we are a platform for local filmmakers and for films that were shot in the Adirondack region,” said Weisfeld, noting that Baroudi, who has appeared as Joey Raven in five episodes of ‘Law and Order: Organized Crime,’ has also performed with the Adirondack Theatre Festival in the past.
Continuing the local focus, the festival will also screen several shorts throughout the weekend in multiple categories, including ‘Homegrown: Adirondack Regional Shorts.’ Other categories include ‘Stage to Screen,’ as well as Documentary, Comedy, and Suspense.
Weisfeld emphasized the wide variety of content throughout the weekend, saying, “There’s really something for everybody.”
“It’s over 35 films, so it’s a lot of content,” Weisfeld said. “Just about anybody is going to find something that they enjoy.”
The festival will also screen documentaries such as ‘The Quiet Epidemic,’ focused on the discovery of Lyme Disease.
“We feel like that is such an important topic around our region that we’re bringing in the directors of the film, and having a panel discussion with them and Dr. Holly Ahern from SUNY Adirondack, who’s the vice president of the Lyme Action Network,” said Weisfeld. “There’s serious substantive conversations happening about things that matter to our community, and there’s also a lot of entertainment value too.”
Other films that will be screened include ‘The Last Frankenstein,’ ‘Not a Tame Lion,’ ‘What We Do Next,’ and more.
Anyone interested in attending can choose between an in-person pass, a virtual pass, or an all-access pass, said Weisfeld. Single-day passes are also available throughout the weekend.
The festival reaches a close on Saturday night, with an awards presentation at 7:30 p.m. at the Wood Theater. There are six award categories: Documentary Short, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Narrative Feature, Music Video, and Best of the Festival.
Weisfeld said that anyone who purchases a pass will be able to vote for the awards.
“We’ll do the presentation live and live-streamed on Saturday night, and then we’ll go across the street to Downtown Social for another party,” said Weisfeld.
While the festival ends on Saturday, Weisfeld said that anyone who purchases a virtual or all-access pass will have on-demand access to content through midnight on Sunday. All films will be available for virtual screening, with the exception of three: ‘A Love Song,’ ‘Remember This,’ and ‘There There.’
“It’s been fantastic seeing the community support and the support of our business partners,” said Weisfeld of the community reception, giving thanks to partners such as the Queensbury Hotel, Fountain Square Outfitters, Lake George RV Park, Hudson Headwaters, Mannix Marketing, and Trampoline Design.
“We’re very appreciative of our board members, our committee members, and our volunteers. It’s really a community effort to get a project like this off the ground,” Weisfeld said. “We’re really excited to share all this material with the public tomorrow.”
Individual all-access passes begin at $80, while an individual in-person pass costs $65. Single-day passes are available for $35, with virtual passes beginning at $45. Visit www.adkfilmfestival.org for information regarding the festival’s schedule, how to purchase passes, and more.
Bill Kay knows a thing or two about cybersecurity.
Kay launched Interlinked Technology Services in 2019, offering cybersecurity and IT support to local businesses. The company guides businesses through cybersecurity practices, in addition to IT consulting, Kay said. Interlinked has quickly grown, servicing clients from Albany to Plattsburgh, and even reaching out of state into Maine.
“They could be mom and pop shops, with one or two employees, or up to 50 employees or more, that don’t necessarily have the resources or the staff on hand to handle their IT, so they outsource a portion of that to us or all of that to us,” said Kay.
Kay, an eight-year Air Force veteran, said he gained valuable experience by working in cybersecurity during his military career.
“A bulk of my work was focused on how to secure and lock down IT networks,” said Kay. “How to prevent hackers from getting into our Department of Defense network.”
Kay was stationed in places such as Germany and Portugal, where he “worked on the most secure networks, really, around the world.” He said the experiences opened his eyes to different perspectives, and helped grow his knowledge in the field of IT and cybersecurity.
Now, Kay uses those experiences to help local businesses protect their own data and keep their company running.
“As I’m meeting with (a client) for the first time, the conversation usually leads toward, ‘Why do I care if I get hacked?,’” said Kay. “Maybe I’m just a shop doing screen printing, I’m just printing t-shirts. I don’t feel like I need to be a Department of Defense-level security in my company.”
And while he acknowledged that many companies do not need “the highest-level security,” Kay stressed that any hacking attempt could have undesirable consequences for a small business. He detailed several ways this could appear, including phishing attempts and ransomware.
“Social engineering or phishing attacks that can happen can cause someone to think that they should be transferring this money to someone that they’re used to dealing with, but perhaps that email that they received, they didn’t realize actually was disguised and came from somebody that was pretending to be someone that they knew,” Kay said, noting that it can lead to an employee or business owner unknowingly sending funds to a hacker.
He described ransomware as when a virus infiltrates a company’s network and encrypts their files to cut off access for employees and owners.
“The goal of the hacker … is to get them to pay a ransom of usually some kind of crypto to get their data back,” Kay said. “But, in all cases, what happens in that event is the business will deal with downtime.”
This can lead to a company being temporarily cut off from its own production line, he said.
“Generally, if that happens, that equates to that business missing out on opportunities, or losing money, or falling behind in some way,” said Kay. “You want to secure your data as best you can to make sure that you don’t fall victim to any of these scams, but if it does happen, you can recover and minimize any downtime. At the end of the day, you’re running a business, and you want your business to always stay running.”
Interlinked helps companies avoid these scenarios by offering cybersecurity assessments, cybersecurity awareness training for employees, and more. Kay said his company begins work with a client by running a cybersecurity assessment to “give a baseline understanding of where they’re at.”
“So we try to build an assessment and a general understanding of what’s going on for the company, to help identify where the threats, or where the biggest gaps in defense, may be,” Kay said. “Then we help come up with a plan to resolve those.”
To maintain that security moving forward, Interlinked builds a “layered cybersecurity approach” to protect the company’s data on several levels.
“It’s not as easy as just slapping an antivirus on a computer, there’s a lot more to it that needs to happen,” said Kay. “There’s simulated phishing attacks that we do. With our clients, we’ll actually set up a fake phishing email attack with them, so that it will gauge how well their response is to it. Then we can review those results with the business owners, and help to train the company as a whole.”
Despite all these measures, Kay stressed that “no matter what you do, there’s no magic bullet to stop all hackers.”
“With the progression that has really occurred with hacking over the years, it’s really just not a matter of if, but when you’re going to get hacked,” Kay said. “And if you are going to get hacked, then are you ready enough to come back from it, and do you have a proper response plan in place and IT plans in place for how to recover from that attack?”
Kay described Interlinked as “a managed services company,” and said it is important for businesses today to have an IT service available.
“If you don’t have it, you don’t really have a plan,” Kay said. “If you don’t have a third party helping you to manage your IT and cybersecurity, you’re really at a huge disadvantage.”
And Kay, a native of Hudson Falls, also said the opportunity to assist local businesses with their data and security is “one of the things I love the most about being back here.”
“I really enjoy watching small businesses do better, and be more successful,” said Kay. “A big part of what we do is helping them line up their technology so they can be more successful, and they can have that peace of mind of knowing that they have the support behind them to help keep them secure or to keep their business running when they need it.
“I’m looking forward, as we continue to grow, as we build our footprint in the area even more, to see how that continues.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks CEO Bill Moon (second from left) accepts the ARCC Large Nonprofit Business Award from ARCC President/CEO Tricia Rogers (left) on Thursday.
LAKE GEORGE — The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce held its 2022 Business Awards ceremony at Dunham’s Bay Resort on Thursday, celebrating and honoring businesses that serve, assist, and connect with the local community.
“It is my honor to be here today to honor 36 businesses that were nominated,” said Tricia Rogers, President and CEO of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce. “One of the great things about this is that we are all here, we’re businesses celebrating businesses. Celebrating our colleagues, celebrating our community. That’s such a great feeling.”
Awards were handed out for seven different categories: Large Business, Steven M. Sutton Small Business, Large Nonprofit Business, Small Nonprofit Business, Professional Business, Rookie Business, and Community Champion.
Rogers explained to the large crowd in attendance that the ARCC utilizes a council of people to conduct interviews with nominated businesses in order to select award winners.
The Large Business Award went to Stored Technology Solutions, Inc., an IT provider with locations in Albany, Queensbury, Plattsburgh, Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Philippines.
“(StoredTech) achieved one of the Times Union’s top places to work in 2022, and enjoy little staff turnover and employee staying power,” Rogers told the crowd. “StoredTech is known for its excellent 24-7 customer service and commitment to providing quality IT. They also donate over $150,000 annually to nonprofits.”
Katie Roeder of Stored Technology Solutions, Inc. (left) accepts the ARCC Large Business Award from ARCC President/CEO Tricia Rogers (right) on Thursday.
Other nominees for the Large Business Award were Amsure, GTM Payroll Services, and Romeo Toyota.
The Steven M. Sutton Small Business Award was named after the former co-owner of Sutton’s Marketplace, who Rogers described as, “a beloved community member and small business owner.”
The award in his honor was presented to KIRSH Helmets.
“KIRSH is the only USA-based provider of half-shell motor vehicle helmets. After years of research and development, Lake George native Jason Kirshon came up with a perfect helmet that combines style, safety, comfort, and improved performance,” Rogers said, noting that 90% of KIRSH employees are veterans.
Other nominees were CDL Associates Insurance Agency, Mr. Electric of Queensbury, Outcast Athletics, Queensbury Cigar & Pipe, and Slickfin Brewing Company.
Kirshon accepted the award, and told the crowd about hopes to expand past just motorcycle helmets.
“We’re changing head protection in motorcycle helmets, but we aspire to do it in all categories,” said Kirshon. “Thank you very much for this honor.”
Jason Kirshon (middle) of KIRSH Helmets accepts the ARCC Steven M. Sutton Small Business Award from ARCC President/CEO Tricia Rogers (left) on Thursday.
The award for large nonprofit business was received by Community, Work & Independence, Inc. Other nominees were Crandall Public Library and L.E.A.P.
“CWI was founded in 1963, serving six community members and has grown to serve over 1,000 individuals each month in 19 locations and three counties. Their very passionate staff of over 300 employees are dedicated to enriching lives, one person at a time, through their independent and assisted-living facilities,” said Rogers. “Over the years, CWI has transformed the lives of numerous individuals with disabilities and other barriers.”
CWI Vice President and Chief Operating Officer April Boucher said the company is “humbled” to receive the award, and made note of contributions from the entire CWI team.
“Really, from our direct support professionals who deliver the services, to our management team, without their dedication, commitment, and perseverance the last two years, we would not be able to be making the differences that we’re making in people’s lives,” Boucher said. “That’s really the most important part.”
April Boucher (left) of Community, Work, and Independence, Inc. accepts the ARCC Large Nonprofit Business Award from ARCC President/CEO Tricia Rogers (right) on Thursday.
The Small Nonprofit Business Award went to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks, with CEO Bill Moon accepting the award. Rogers said the organization is currently serving 150 children, and has another 150 children on a waitlist.
Moon thanked employees Marie Busse, Megan Farrell, and Alex McCane, saying, “They are truly the ones that make everything happen.”
“We come to them with big ideas. … They always take those ideas, add their own twist to them, and they come back to me better than we would’ve ever imagined. They are the ones doing that work,” said Moon, who also gave thanks to the crowd for investing in the local community. “Our kids deserve the best in us so they can become better than us, and they’re fortunate to live in this community with so many people like you who care about them and want to see them succeed. Thank you very much, we appreciate it.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks CEO Bill Moon (second from left) accepts the ARCC Large Nonprofit Business Award from ARCC President/CEO Tricia Rogers (left) on Thursday.
Other nominees for the Small Nonprofit Business Award were Community Coalition for Family Wellness, HicksStrong, Inc., Lake George Land Conservancy, The Hyde Collection, High Peaks Hospice, The Conkling Center, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties, and World Awareness Children’s Museum.
The Professional Business Award was given to Mannix Marketing, which has specialized in web design, SEO, and more since 1996. Rogers referred to the company as a “pioneer” in digital marketing, and credited their growth over the years.
“I couldn’t do this without my husband (Mark), who has my back at all times,” said founder Sara Mannix. “Such a great team, and we’re just so lucky to be in this community and be supported by all of you. Thank you very much.”
Sara and Mark Mannix of Mannix Marketing accept the ARCC Professional Business Award from ARCC President/CEO Tricia Rogers (left) on Thursday.
Other nominees for the Professional Business Award were Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart, and Rhodes, P.C., CMJ LLP, MLB Construction Services, and LayerEight.
The ARCC awarded The Eden Center for Integrative Care with the Rookie Business Award, with Rogers highlighting their “unique” offerings including a hyperbaric chamber.
“The Eden Center is a private psychiatric practice that focuses on the root cause of mental health conditions,” Rogers said. “Each client is viewed as a unique individual, and therefore receives unique treatment. Their staff has grown from six to 26 employees in just one year.”
Daniel Breeyear of the Eden Center highlighted this growth, noting that it speaks to the needs of the community.
“That growth will continue, we’re going to launch a nonprofit into next year to help cover some of the services that insurance doesn’t cover,” Breeyear said. “My intention has been always to add providers to meet need when the need continues to grow, so that will be our goal going into next year.”
Daniel Breeyear (left) of The Eden Center for Integrative Care accepts the ARCC Rookie Business Award from ARCC President/CEO Tricia Rogers on Thursday.
Adirondack Axe, The Candy Space, Legacy Nine Realty, and Sleep and Spas Lake George were also nominated for the Rookie Business Award.
The final award, the Community Champion Award, was presented to Amie and Juan Gonzales of Hunt Companies, Inc. Other nominees were James Griffith of Aviation Mall, Vincent Laurenzo of Quick Response Restoration, and Wendy Waldron of Entrepreneurial Operating System.
“Amie and Juan live and breathe the mindset of, ‘Communities thrive when we invest in each other,'” said Rogers. “They run a family business with a corporate operation, and are focused on investing in our community and future generations.”
Amie and Juan Gonzales of Hunt Companies, Inc. accept the ARCC Community Champion Award from ARCC President/CEO Tricia Rogers on Thursday.
“I’m glad we put this last, because really, this entire room is filled with community champions,” Amie Gonzales told the audience. “I will leave you with this: our businesses and our communities both thrive when we invest in each other.
“So keep that in mind, keep doing it, and thank you so much for this and to everybody else for all you do for our community.”
