The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance and the French & Indian War Society at Lake George will be hosting a joint program entitled “A History of the Lake George Area & the Nations Who Called It Home”. This event will be presented by Heather Bruegl, a nationally recognized historian and citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. This free event will take place on July 5th, 2023, at 7:00 PM, and will be held at the Fort William Henry Hotel and Conference Center. Attendees will learn about the early Native peoples who lived and sustained themselves in this area, and the policies that removed Indigenous Nations from their homes and ultimately pushed them onto reservations.
This program is the latest in a series being co-sponsored by the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance and the French and Indian War Society at Lake George. Their goal is to increase awareness of the region’s early history. Heather Bruegl will share her expertise in the field of history and indigenous people. Heather graduated from Madonna University, with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in U.S. History. Her research includes numerous topics related to American history, legacies of colonization, and Indigeneity. Heather is currently a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where she is studying First Nations Education, with a focus on creating inclusive historical narratives for teaching.
Kathryn Flacke-Muncil is a founder of the French & Indian War Society at Lake George, and CEO of the Fort William Henry Corporation: “Fort William Henry has partnered with Heather Bruegl to elevate the interpretation of Indigenous history. Heather’s personal background and extensive knowledge have provided an opportunity to enhance the representation of Indigenous allies’ pivotal roles during 18th Century battles at and around Lake George. It has also expanded the educational narrative surrounding pre-European contact,” Ms. Flacke-Muncil said. “This collaborative program with the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance signifies a significant milestone for Fort William Henry in its commitment to present a more comprehensive and accurate account of Indigenous history. By harnessing Heather Brugel’s expertise, the museum aims to deliver an enriched understanding of the area’s historical context to the public. Heather’s presentation offers the opportunity to the public to hear from this expert ahead of a new exhibit Fort William Henry will soon be opening.”
Jay Levenson is a Trustee of the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance, and a Native American living historian: “The history of Native Americans in the Lake George region is a complex story of intertribal and European relations during both peace times and war. It is a story that needs to be told,” he said.
Space is limited for this event. Please register in advance at the following email address: info@lakegeorgebattlefield.org.
David Smith Untitled (Home of the Welder), 1946 Gouache on paper 23 x 29 ¼ in. (58.4 x 74.3 cm) The Estate of David Smith, New York
GLENS FALLS, NY – In honor of its sixtieth anniversary, the Hyde Collection is pleased to announce the exhibition Songs of the Horizon: David Smith, Music, and Dance. Curated by Dr. Jennifer Field, Executive Director of the Estate of David Smith, this is the first museum exhibition to focus exclusively on the indelible influence of music and dance on Smith’s work in painting, drawing, and sculpture. The exhibition features thirty-five pieces loaned by major private and public collections, including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Harvard Art Museums, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Estate of David Smith, in addition to archival materials from the Estate and works from the Hyde’s permanent collection. The Hyde aims to draw scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts to celebrate Smith’s legacy as well as the enduring traditions of dance and music in the southern Adirondack region.
David Smith (1906-1965; b. Decatur, IN) is recognized as one of the great sculptors of the twentieth century. Smith began spending summers in Bolton Landing, New York, in the late 1920s and settled there permanently in 1940. “The Adirondack region that encompasses Bolton Landing and Glens Falls was inseparable from Smith’s artistic practice,” says Field. “A dialogue with nature—the mountain landscape, the change of seasons, the flight of birds—is reflected in his artwork in every medium.” In the 1940s, inspired by performances in the region and in New York City, Smith initiated an exploration of dancers and musicians rapt in song.
Jason Ward, Hyde Collection Board of Trustees Chair, notes, “As part of his commitment to the area, Smith became deeply involved with the foundation of The Hyde Collection before his premature death in 1965. Charlotte Hyde, the founder of the Museum, was a friend of David Smith and fond of his artistic creations. David Smith was one of the Collection’s earliest trustees and curated The Hyde’s very first summer exhibition, installing his own sculptures on the lawn. In the spirit of that inaugural event, Songs of the Horizon: David Smith, Music, and Dance will feature two graceful, vertical sculptures from later in Smith’s career, measuring up to twelve feet tall that poetically evokes the essence of music, dance, and nature. This intimate association with David Smith,” Ward continues, “is what the museum seeks to highlight with this anniversary exhibition.”
In 1926, Smith moved from the Midwest to New York City. There he met artist Dorothy Dehner; they married the following year. Beginning in the mid-1930s, Smith photographed Dehner in dance poses. These images, along with photographs by Barbara Morgan of Martha Graham, spurred Smith’s sustained study of the female figure in motion. Songs of the Horizon features Smith’s sculpture Boaz Dancing School (1945; Private collection)—a stylistically radical interpretation of Franziska Boaz’s Bolton Landing dance studio, and a rare example of Smith explicitly referencing a particular historical and autobiographical moment. This sculpture has been publicly displayed only once since 1947.
Smith cited music as essential to his life and work, particularly classical and jazz from his radio: “I use music as company in the manual labor part of sculpture, of which there is much.” He regularly traveled to New York City to attend concerts and jazz clubs. Locally, he enjoyed the lively summer concert season in Lake George. A trio of drawings depicts a 1946 performance by harpsichordist Sylvia Marlow, reunited here for the first time. These works in turn, engendered an ambitious group of drawings, paintings and sculpture inspired by the two ancient Greek muses of music and dance, represented here by the innovative, abstract sculptures Euterpe and Terpsichore (1946; the Estate of David Smith) and Terpsichore and Euterpe (1947; Harvard Art Museums).
Concurrently, Smith created a series centered on renowned cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, who briefly settled in the Adirondacks in the 1940s. Smith captured the psychological intensity and geometry of the cellist and his instrument in a painting series and in the sculpture Cello Player (1945; Private collection). These works, reunited in the exhibition for the first time in nearly 20 years, are accomplished examples of the complex, abstract direction in which Smith took his paintings and sculptures in the mid-1940s.
Of this exhibition, David Smith’s daughters, Rebecca and Candida Smith, state:
“We are thrilled to see our father’s work back at the Hyde Collection. Our father wanted his sculptures to be experienced in relation to nature, to changing light, weather, and seasons. He always said that an artist is a person of their time. There was a vibrant community of artists and performers in the southern Adirondacks, and our father’s work responded to contemporaneous performing arts and music and was inspired by the wild beauty of the mountains and the lakes.”
– Rebecca and Candida Smith
Additional Information Regarding David Smith
David Smith married artist Dorothy Dehner in 1927. Dehner encouraged Smith to enroll at the Art Students League and introduced him to modern dance. In acknowledgment of the vital role Dehner played in Smith’s early career and his life in the Adirondacks, Songs of the Horizon: David Smith, Music, and Dance include a selection of artworks by Dehner. She left the marriage in 1950, returning to New York City. Smith’s works became increasingly large and inventive, his sculptures spreading into the fields of his mountain home.
Accompanying Educational Program Offerings
June 24, 11 AM: Exhibition Tour with Guest Curator Jennifer Field
June 24, 4 PM: Conversation with the Daughters of David Smith
July 2, 6:30 PM: The Sculptor and the Musician: European Baroque Chamber Music
July 20, 5:30-7:30 PM: Adult Workshop: Modern Dance with Ginny Martin & Dana Yager
July 22, 7:30 PM: “A Tribute to David Smith” with Hub New Music
July 25, 27 & August 1, 3, 10-11:15 AM: Youth Workshop: Earth Movement with Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company
July 27 & 28, 12-4 PM: Youth Workshop: Modern Dance with Ginny Martin & Dana Yager
July 28, 5:30 PM: Performance: Modern Dance with Ginny Martin & Dana Yager
August 6, 10 AM-5 PM: Community Day
August 17, 6 PM: Lecture: David Smith, Music, Dance and Community with Paula Wisotzki
September 8-10, 9 AM-4 PM: Welding Workshop with Salem Art Works: Inspired by David Smith
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Special thank you to: The Charles R. Wood Foundation and The Hoopes Family Foundation
Leading Sponsors: The Glens Falls Foundation, Anne and George Morris, Francine and Robert Nemer, Franklin and Mary Renz, Charnell H. Thompson, and Jason C. Ward and Heather M. Ward
Major Sponsors: Mr. Mark Behan, Tenée and James Casaccio, The Chateau On The Lake, Ellen-Deane Cummins, D.A. Collins, Carl and Terry DeBrule, Tom and Sally Hoy, The Robert Lehman Foundation, J.M. McDonald Foundation, and Wilmington Trust
Supporting Sponsors: India and Benjamin Adams, Atherton Painting & Renovations, Giorgio and Maureen DeRosa, KEENA Staffing Inc., Mrs. Joan Lapham, Mr. John J. Nigro, Dennis J. Phillips and Patricia Smith Phillips, The Queensbury Hotel, Chelsea and Joshua Silver, StoredTech IT Consulting, Sarah Parker Ward and Chris Ward, Warren County Bar Association, and Domenique and Dmitriy Yermolayev
A SECOND EXHIBITION OPENING
The 1960s: Beyond Op and Pop
The 1960s are understood as the dawn of widespread progressive social views, from the civil rights movement to war protests and the sexual revolution. The visual arts as well experienced the advent of radical styles, including Op Art, Pop Art, and countless new approaches to what it meant to work abstractly.
Notwithstanding the allure of novelty, not all artists shunned the “real world”—and the sixties also saw the development of the painting style known as Photorealism. The 1960s: Beyond Op and Pop draws from The Hyde’s permanent collection of 1960s painting, sculpture, and works on paper in a wide range of styles.
About David Smith
Widely regarded as one of the most innovative sculptors of his generation, David Smith (1906-1965) was pioneering in his ability to fuse Surrealist and Cubist influences, redefining what sculpture could be for the modern world. David Smith’s sculptures, paintings, and drawings have been exhibited internationally since the 1950s. Smith represented the United States at La Biennale di Venezia in 1954 and 1958. Numerous solo exhibitions of his work have been mounted in the decades since, including at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1965, 2011), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1969, 2006); the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (1982); Sezon Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan (1994); MNCA, Reina Sofia, Madrid (1996); Tate Modern, London (2006); Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY (1997-99, 2017), and Yorkshire Sculpture Park (2019-20), among many other venues.
About The Hyde Collection
The Hyde is one of the Northeast’s exceptional small art museums with distinguished European and American art collections. The core collection, acquired by Museum founders Louis and Charlotte Hyde, includes works by such artists as Sandro Botticelli, El Greco, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Edgar Degas, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and American artists Thomas Eakins, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, and James McNeill Whistler. The Museum’s Modern and Contemporary art collection features works by artists including Josef Albers, Dorothy Dehner, Sam Gilliam, Adolph Gottlieb, Grace Hartigan, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, George McNeil, Robert Motherwell, Ben Nicholson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Bridget Riley. Today, The Hyde offers significant national and international exhibitions and a packed schedule of events that help visitors experience art in new ways. Visit www.hydecollection.org.
The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library is 30 years old and we’re celebrating with a free Festival in City Park, outside the Library, Tuesday, July 25th, 10 am to 5 pm.
Over 50 folk artists will fill the park demonstrating their crafts and traditions. Up close and personal, festival goers will be able to witness first hand the skill, and to talk directly with the experts. Many of the artists will also have a hands-on component.
The list of traditions is far reaching: Afghanistan kites, black ash and birch bark basketry, barn quilts, blacksmithing, chainsaw carving, chair caning, drumming, fiber arts, fly fishing flies and casting, hammer dulcimer, henna art, iconography painting, Irish stick fighting, nature garden sculpture, painted floor cloths, paper art, photographic portraits, plasma cut metal work, primitive weaving on a peg loom, rough edge bowl turning, sculptures of found objects, stringed instrument making, stonework, timber framing, tintype photography, torah scribing, ukulele club, wood carving birds.
There’ll be live music all day at the Bandstand. The morning will showcase Adirondack music, with Dan Berggren, Dan Duggan, Josh Clevenstine (10 am), followed by John Kirk and Trish Miller with Cedar Stanistreet and Greg Anderson (11 am). At noon, The McKrells will join us with Irish music. The Desi Trio will take the stage with Pakistani music at 1:30 pm, followed a by Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra at 2:30 pm). We’ll wind up the day with a country music reunion 4-5 pm, featuring Marty Wendell, Al and Kathy Bain, and the legendary Smokey Greene & Sons.
We’re also scheduling food demonstrations in front of the Library (homestead cheeses, Congolese recipes, local soul food dinner, etc), a selection of food trucks along Maple Street, and other participatory activities.
Thanks to our major partners, New York Folklore (Schenectady) and Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (Canton) for helping organize the event, to the Friends of Crandall Public Library for additional funds, and to the many local organizations joining us for a day of fun for the entire family.
Luxury! Power! Prestige! These are some of the words that come to mind when looking at a Pierce-Arrow. Although the opportunities are generally few and far between, this week Glens Falls has been the host city of The Pierce-Arrow Society 65th Annual meet. The Queensbury Hotel has provided an elegant backdrop for the Pierce-Arrow Society automobiles… Just a glimpse of one can remind us of a time gone by, and a lifestyle afforded by few and sought after by many. The Pierce-Arrow embodies the grandeur of the golden age of automobiles.
The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American vehicle manufacturer from 1901 to 1938, based in Buffalo, New York. The Pierce-Arrow Society is dedicated to the preservation of Pierce-Arrow Motor Cars and Trucks, as well as the history associated with the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company.
From 1901 to 1938, Pierce-Arrow produced approximately 80,000 automobiles, of which 3,000 still exist. Their 1933 Silver Arrow is still one of the most recognizable and influential automobile designs of all time… Only five were made, and only three have survived.
If you would like to see the cars up close, on Saturday, June 24th, there will be a Pierce-Arrow Society car show at Glens Falls City Park from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. So, until then, if you’re around Glens Falls, pass by the Queensbury Hotel and catch a glimpse of one of these breathtaking, eye-catching automobiles.
The Charles R. Wood Theater, located in the heart of downtown Glens Falls, is updating their signage. This 300-seat production theater offers cutting-edge music, theater, dance, comedy, lectures, meetings, and seminars. Their mission is to promote cultural and artistic endeavors, fostering economic development and improving the quality of life within the Glens Falls area.
Parking was partially blocked off on Glens Street as the new signage went up… The previous signage had Charles R. Wood in smaller letters on the top of the sign, and “Theater” as the predominant word, featured in lowercase letters vertically against a maroon background.
The new signage has “Wood Theater” as the predominant focal point, in large black letters against a white backdrop with “The Charles R. Wood Theater” written on the bottom. The panels behind the sign have been updated to a checkered red and white design.
The Charles R. Wood Theater opened in 2004, after the former Woolworths Department Store was renovated into a theater space.
Thursday nights at The Shirt Factory are like a block party and mini carnival every week!
Today from 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM, The Shirt Factory at 71 Lawrence Street will feature a Market and Food Truck Corral! There will be live music, local breweries and distilleries, homemade items… And, the shops are open late!
Live music will be provided by Rob Pulsifer, Geo Beat Duo, and Jolene Sierra.
There will also be free and low cost events for the family! Lego tables, games, a petting zoo, and bouncy houses! There is so much to do and see at The Shirt Factory on Thursday nights!
This event will take place every Thursday night, from May 18th to September 14th. Come and join the fun!
Matt and Rebecca O’Hara have been the owners of Queen Boat Co. since the fall of 2018… That was when they started promoting electric outboard motors on Lake George. Now, they have taken the next step in sustainable boating and incorporated the first electric boat chargers on Lake George! These 75 DC fast chargers allow the boats to be charged without pulling them out of the water. Although the demand for this technology is relatively new, it is growing – there are 400,000 registered boats in New York that are under 25 feet in length. This is an ideal size range for an electric motor! This charger is the first of its kind East of Michigan. With the addition of the boat chargers, Queen Boat Co. will also be able to rent out electric boats to their clients.
New York State has been on the forefront of clean energy, and electric charging stations for boats is a step forward for that initiative: “New York is committed to building clean energy and protecting our environment for future generations,“ Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement about the 2023 state budget initiatives. New York State has a Climate Act goal of 100% zero emission electricity by 2040! To help reach this goal, decreasing the use of fossil fuels for recreational boating is key.
Lake George is a premier destination for boating enthusiasts, but the use of combustion engines to power these boats affects the environment… Recreational boating with a combustion engine can create pollutants and greenhouse gasses, and cause damage to aquatic life. When an internal combustion engine is used, it releases carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons; these emissions cause damage to the environment, and are harmful to the respiratory system. Electric outboard motors, on the other hand, produce zero pollution and zero emissions… There are no dangerous fumes, and no loud motor, either! There are also benefits in regards to the maintenance of the boat – because there are far fewer moving parts in the engine, electric boats require little maintenance; and the cost of electricity is lower than the cost of fossil fuels.
Queen Boat Co. is a family-owned and operated business that provides the ultimate in boating hospitality and take their role as custodians of the lake very seriously! Since taking over the marina they have excavated a failing underground fuel tank, and upgraded an above-ground fuel tank. The O’Hara’s have built a new waterway system, and worked to prevent storm water from running into the lake.
Queen Boat Co. is also home to Freedom Boat Club Lake George, which is the world’s oldest and largest membership boat club in the United States! The boat club cleans, maintains, stores, and insures the boats. Members make reservations, and show up to the dock, where there is a clean, fueled boat, ready for the day on the water. Now, there will be the option for electric powered boats as well.
Incorporating electric boats into lake life will help to lower the overall carbon footprint of all the boats on Lake George. For more information, please visit lakegeorgeboating.com
Kyle and Randy Cozzens own and operate Evergreen Bicycle Works, which is located in the historic Fort Edward Train Station. Evergreen Bicycle Works is a full service bicycle shop offering new and used bicycles, gear, and apparel. They also offer maintenance and repair work, and bicycle rentals.
Evergreen Bicycles understands how quickly a kid can grow out of a bike, and that parents often purchase larger bicycles so that the child can grow into the bike… This can be both unsafe and unenjoyable for the rider. To save parents money and make the experience more enjoyable for the kids, Kyle and Randy created the Kid’s Bike Trade-Up Program.
This program helps to offset the cost of a new bike as the child grows, and makes bike riding fun and enjoyable for the kids. It’s open to bike riders under the age of 16 – parents can purchase any new qualifying kids’ bikes, and if the kid outgrows it within four years, Evergreen Bicycle works offers a trade-in-credit towards a new bike for the same child.
Due to wear and tear, a percentage of the total cost is used to cover necessary repairs. This program keeps kids on a safe, size-appropriate bike.
Have you been seeing and hearing more motorcycles lately? There’s a good reason for that – the 40th annual Americade in Lake George is taking place one week earlier this year! The event started May 30th, and is going on until June 4th. The opening celebration was on May 30th, the Expo started May 31st, and the Demos are starting June 1st.
This week-long festival also raises money for charities: Americade partners with Ride for Kids and the Wounded Warrior Program, and has helped raise $600,000 for these charities as well as local and regional charities.
When this event was started in 1983, it drew about 2,000 riders… Now, over 50,000 riders and passengers attend the Americade event in Lake George! This is the world’s largest multi-brand motorcycle touring rally, and features events that include exhibits and vendors, fireworks, and parades. Americade is a boost to the local economy, bringing motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the country.
For more information and a schedule of events, please visit americade.com
A handmade sign in front of 42 degrees on Glen Street reads, “Thank You So Much for all the love Goodbye 42”… 42 Degrees and 42 Degrees Tavern closed on Wednesday, May 31st, 2023.
Robin Barkenhagen started the business as an art gallery and glassware shop in December of 2009… The Pipe shop, owned by Barkenhagen and co-owners Jon King and Mike Chowske, moved into the 206 Glen Street location in 2019, having previously been located for a decade on the corner of Park and Elm.
42 Degrees opened a second location in Malta in 2021, and then added the tavern to the Glens Falls location – the tavern was on the second floor of the building, and offered live music, wine, and beer.
The store closure was announced on Facebook earlier this month. Barkenhagen wrote: “I tried my best to hang on, but ultimately failed… 42 Degrees and 42 Degrees Tavern will be closing at the end of May. I want to thank you all for making the last 13 years special, and the 2 at the tavern magical. Hang on to those memories, good, bad and ugly, it was one of the finest stretches of my long life. This is obviously posted with a heavy heart, I gave both places my all, but it just wasn’t good enough… I love you all…Peace.”
