Along Main Street in Queensbury, which is the corridor that leads from Glens Falls to the entrance of the Northway, stood the next Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. This Norway Spruce stood 82 feet tall, was 50 feet in diameter and weighed approximately 14 tons. This soon to be famous tree was hidden in plain sight in a highly active mixed commercial and residential use area of Queensbury N.Y.
Next Stop Rockefeller Center
This tree will be seen by an estimated 500,000 people a day at Rockefeller Center. Locals are surprised not only that this tree was chosen for the honor, but that so many of us have driven by it without notice.
The Norway Spruce has been donated by the Lebowitz family of Glens Falls. Tishman Speyer, the company that manages Rockefeller Center, covers the cost of transporting the tree. It will be the 90th tree to be adorned and lit at Rockefeller Center.
This tradition was started by workers during the depression. In 1931 workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site put their money together and bought a tree.They decorated it with handmade garland, streamers and ornaments made out of tin cans to show how thankful they were to have jobs. It was two years after this original tree was decorated that the tradition was established and continued.
Since 2007, the lumber from the tree has been donated to habitat for humanity and used to help build houses. The tree will be brought into Manhattan by flatbed truck and erected at Rockefeller Center on Saturday November 12.
Early on Thursday morning members of the community and the media gathered to watch the tree be taken down. A local arborist said to Glens Falls Today, “Beautiful, in a sad way. It leaves us but will be cherished by hundreds of thousands of people.”
Jenifer Lindsey brought her six year old daughter, Delaney Olson to the event. Jenifer and her daughter spent the evening before the event making a sign. Wishing the tree a safe trip. The crowd was excited and proud to have a tree chosen from their community gain this top honor.
The Houdini of Trees
There were cheers when the crane first removed the tree from its stomp. A young girl in the crowd called out, “Look Mommy it’s flying.” As the 82 foot tall spruce sailed through the air supported by a large crane as well as workers on the ground.
Workers handed out pine cones from the tree to the crowd and packages of Norway Spruce Seeds. Many in the crowd spoke of plans to go and see the tree when it is at Rockefeller Center. “We have to go see the tree, it’s one of our own.” A woman in the crowd said. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting is on November 30th.
Glens Falls seems to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit. This new inspiration comes in the form of a new restaurant concept that is sweeping the world. Go Play With Your Food, a board game tavern, will find its home as a tenant in 126 Glen Street. This historical building was bought in August 2022, by Elizabeth MIller for $845,000.
Mark and Kristin Shaw were board game skeptics turned devotees to the board game world. The Shaws’ along with six investors are responsible for bringing this concept to Glens Falls. Board games are growing in popularity as are board game eateries. Shaw and his wife were convinced by friends in North Carolina to “go out and play” and have enjoyed the concept ever since.
The increase in popularity of board games is due to a few factors. During the pandemic board games became a preferred form of entertainment for families. Board games have also evolved. Games are more challenging for the players. They have more than one outcome which encourages the player to play the game more than once. The construction of the pieces and the boards have become more substantial. The pieces have a better feel in the player’s hand.
Trends show that the increased popularity of board games matches the rise in use of social media. Our dependence on technology creates isolation. This isolation creates a need for social connection. Board games create a social connection, they span generations and are inclusive as well as nostalgic.
The increase in our dependence on technology has also affected our social interactions. People who are communicating more through technology feel less comfortable in social situations. Social anxiety disorder affects 15 million adults and is on the rise. The board game tavern concept can help alleviate some social anxiety. Adding an activity to a social interaction provides social cues as well as topics of conversation. These are factors that help people feel more comfortable in social situations.In preparation for the opening the Shaws’ have amassed 500 board games. Go Play With Your Food will offer beer, mead and wine as well as; sandwiches, salads, and flatbread pizza. Go Play With Your Food is expected to open in January of 2023.
GLENS FALLS — The final sweep of yard debris pick-up in the City of Glens Falls begins Monday, Nov. 7, according to a press release from the city.
“We’ll begin in Ward 3 and progress to Wards 2, 1, and 4, and then wrap everything up in Ward 5,” said Glens Falls Superintendent of Public Works Tom Girard in the release. “We know there’s a lot of leaves still falling from the trees, and the weather looks very nice this weekend and into next week. We know we’re on borrowed time with Mother Nature and we can easily see snow this time of year.”
After the sweep has concluded, grass clippings must be bagged and will continue to be picked up until the first significant snow in the city, the release says. Yard debris must be placed in biodegradable bags, which can be found at Stewart’s Shops in Glens Falls, as well as at other area stores.
“Tom and his crew do a great job and they need to look at getting the snow plows onto our trucks, so we’ll be ready when it does finally snow,” said Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins in the release. “Let’s make sure we all get a leg up on our yard work this weekend and follow what’s been outlined on our website. We want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to get their leaves and yard debris picked up. Once Tom and his crew have made their way through your neighborhood, please bag any additional yard debris and leave it at the curb.”
Do not mix topsoil, sod, trash, or heavy materials with the leaves and yard trimmings. Ensure brush is separate and piled in one direction, not with yard waste. The city does not provide pick-up service for major clearing operations or commercial establishments, the release says.
Photo provided by the City of Glens Falls, courtesy of Advokate LLC
GLENS FALLS — The City of Glens Falls’ annual ‘Boo 2 You Trick or Treat Event’ will return on Saturday, Oct. 29 in the heart of the city.
The event will take place on Glen Street from 2 to 4 p.m. The street will be closed to traffic from Centennial Circle to the intersection of South Street and Bay Street from noon to 5 p.m., according to a press release.
Boo 2 You is a “wonderful event put on by the Glens Falls Collaborative that enables the community to come together in a safe environment,” the release says.
“This event has been taking place for over 10 years now and is free to the public,” said event chairperson and Glens Falls Collaborative board member Casey Scoville in the release. “More than 40 businesses contribute to this event, such as Finders Keepers, BD, Candy Space, DJ Duane Bullard, and Cool Insuring Arena. In fact, the Adirondack Thunder have their home opener after our event, but Gunnar will be coming to Boo 2 You to trick or treat with everyone.
“And, of course, we can’t thank enough the dozens of volunteers that help in making this event a complete success.”
The winner of Glens Falls’ Halloween House Contest will also be announced at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The city will also continue with hydrant flushing on Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. near Bay Street, Ridge Street, and Glen Street. The work “will be completed in a timely fashion so as not to interfere” with Boo 2 You, the release says.
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.
GLENS FALLS — Singer Billy Gilman will be performing at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls on Jan. 28, 2023, part of Kevin Richards’ Country Concerts ‘Close Up’.
Gilman’s debut album, ‘One Voice’, was released in 2000 and was certified double-platinum in the United States behind a Billboard Top 40 single of the same name. Gilman, who was 11 years old at the time of the album’s release, was included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest singer to reach #1 on the Billboard Top Country Album charts.
Gilman has sold over 10 million records worldwide, and has received awards and nods from the Grammys, the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association, the American Music Association, and more, according to a press release.
The singer is “eager to share his new music, and his new sound, with his fans,” after finishing as the runner-up in the 11th season of NBC’s ‘The Voice’ in 2016.
Kevin Richards, a seven-time Country Music Awards nominee & winner, began the Country Concerts ‘Close Up’ series in September with two shows by Randy Travis.
“Richards’ mission is to put talented throwback singers and songwriters back in the spotlight, up close and personal, in a charming hometown atmosphere, where you can see and hear every note,” the press release says.
See below for a list of scheduled ‘Country Concert Close Up’ performances. For more information, visit www.woodtheater.org.
Saturday, Nov. 26: ‘Christmas with Liberace and Elvis”
Featuring David Maiocco as Liberace and Drew Polsun as Elvis, the performance is “a fun Christmas show for your friends and family to kick off the holiday season,” the release says. Polsun is a popular Northeast Elvis performer who originated in Glens Falls, while Maiocco has been honored with multiple awards for musical direction.
Sunday, Nov. 27: ‘Ty Herndon: Grammy-Nominated and Dove Award Winning Artists with 17 Billboard Hits’
Herndon is a Grammy-nominated and Dove Award winning artist, and will perform hits such as ‘Living in a Moment,’ ‘A Man Holdin’ On (To a Woman Letting Go),’ ‘Loved Too Much,’ and more, including new hit ‘’Till You Get There.’ Mike-Bear, a “regional favorite,” will be the show’s opening act.
Saturday, Jan. 28: ‘Billy Gilman: Grammy Nominee, American Music Award Winner, and Runner-Up of NBC’s ‘The Voice’’
Gilman’s hits include ‘One Voice,’ ‘Oklahoma,’ ‘There’s a Hero’, ‘When We Were Young,’ and more. The show will be opened by Glens Falls family trio Bravely.
Sunday, March 12: TBA
Saturday, April 22: ‘Suzy Bogguss: Grammy, CMA, & ACM Winner’
Bogguss will perform songs such as ‘Hey Cinderella,’ ‘Aces,’ ‘Drive South,’ ‘Letting Go’, and more. Bogguss will be supported by North Country favorite Ryan Clark as an opening act.
Sunday, May 14: ‘Conway Twitty Tribute, featuring son Michael Twitty’
A tribute to legendary CMA winner, and member of the Country Music and Rockabilly Hall of Fames. Including hits such as ‘Hello Darlin’’, ‘Tight Fittin’ Jeans,’ ‘It’s Only Make Believe,’ ‘Slow Hand,’ and more. Marty Wendell, a Thomas Edison Hall of Fame inductee, will open the show.
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.”
‘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.
