The Sons of Sound — students from the Saranac Lake High School — will provide pre-show entertainment. Steve Borst and Sue Grimm will provide music, and there will be dance routines by the pages and court members. There will be performances by the Saranac Lake High School Vocal Ensembles, directed by Drew Benware and accompanied by Tom Delahant; a barbershop quartet called the Meter Maids; Crackin’ Foxy; the High Peaks Juggler, Eric Geoffrey-Belcher; and finally, the Rotary Show Dancers, celebrating the 83rd anniversary of dancing for Saranac Lake.

“We look forward to the opportunity to showcase some really good talent,” said Rotary Show organizer Mary Brown.

The Winter Carnival royal party will participate in the festivities. They are the king (Tim Fortune) and queen (Kelly Morgan), grand marshal (Ron Keough), archbishop (Jason Wamsganz ), chamberlain (Josh Marlow), princess (Breonna Seifried), prince (Rand Jasung Snyder), pages (Helena Dramm, Gwendalyn Mader, Chloe Reardan, Tucker Jacobe, Wyatt Martin and Forrest Monroe), royal spokespersons (Nickie Trudeau and Jack Rockefeller), and the High School Court ladies (Jazzmyn Tuthill, Hope Laramee, Irma Cecunjanin, Mackenzie Cotter, Gabi Bevilacqua, Marisa Farmer and Gabby Lewis) and gentlemen (Sam Annis, Ricky Schmidt, Ethan Barge, Max Calderone, Lukas Atkinson, Brady DeAngelo and Jamaal Tuthill).

Last year, the Winter Carnival Rotary Show raised about $5,000 to help with their local charities. The show is a major fundraiser for the Saranac Lake Rotary Club, which gives back to the community through scholarships and helping with projects such as the local skateboard park, Dewey Mountain, continuing improvements to public facilities at the Harrietstown Town Hall, Lift Mount Pisgah, the Community Lunchbox and the Adirondack Carousel.

“The money people pay for tickets all comes back to the community in support of local organizations,” Brown said. “To me, that’s what gives the show meaning.”

Tickets are $13 in advance and $20 at the door. After Feb. 7, the tickets will only be available at the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re ready… what more needs to be said,” remarked New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) chairman Pat Barrett. “We’ve been preparing for this event since it was awarded to Lake Placid and everyone is ready to show the fans, officials and most of all the athletes an unforgettable time.”

More than 20 nations are expected to compete on the 1,455-meter long course in men’s two and four man bobsled, women’s bobsled and men’s and women’s skeleton, including the reigning four-man Olympic bobsled champion Steve Holcomb (Park City, Utah) of the United States. Holcomb rode his 2009 world championship victory in Lake Placid into the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, in Vancouver, Canada, where he became the first American bobsled pilot to win an Olympic gold medal in more than 60 years. Many of the athletes competing this time around are also hoping that the momentum gained at the world championships will carry over to the 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Racing begins on Friday, Feb. 17, at 9:30 a.m. with the opening two runs of the women’s bobsled race. The women’s world champion will be crowned under the lights, Saturday night when runs three and four begin at 5 p.m. Saturday also features runs one and two of the two-man bobsled competition, beginning at 9 a.m.

Sunday’s schedule will feature the crowning of the two-man world champion when racing begins at 9 a.m. and the team competition. The team event will feature at least 10 nations competing in men’s and women’s skeleton, men’s two-man bobsled and women’s bobsled, all racing for the lowest combined time.

Racing will resume, Thursday, Feb. 23, when the world’s best women’s skeleton athletes take to the 22-curve track at 9:40 a.m. They will take two runs before a world champion is crowned on Friday, Feb. 24, when racing begins at 9:45 a.m. The men will also race, Friday, starting at 5 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule features four-man bobsled action, with heats one and two beginning at 9 a.m., before the men’s skeleton action resumes with its final two runs at 5 p.m. Finally, the 2012 FIBT Bobsled and Skeleton World Championships, presented by Conceptum Sport Logistics will conclude, Sunday, with the third and fourth runs of the four-man race, beginning at 9:20 a.m.

Be sure to bring the entire family to the world championships and be a part of the excitement, on and off the track. Public skeleton rides are scheduled for Monday, Feb. 20, through Thursday, Feb. 23, from 5:30-7 p.m., and on Friday, Feb. 24, from 1-2 p.m. Reservations are required. To reserve your spot, call 518.523.4436 or e-mail oscreservations@orda.org.

A fireworks display at the track, sponsored by Aubuchon Hardware and Benjamin Moore Paints, will light up night’s sky Saturday night, Feb. 18, beginning at 8:45 p.m., following the women’s bobsled award ceremony and the public draw for the team event. Fireworks are also slated for Saturday, Feb. 25, also beginning at 8:45 p.m.

Plus join the World Championship Concert Sunday night, Feb. 19, inside the Conference Center at Lake Placid. The doors open at 6 p.m., with Roadside Mystic playing at 7 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony for the men’s two-man event and team competition. The music will continue at 8:30 when Assembly of Dust takes to the stage. Tickets are just $20 for Sunday’s party.

Tickets are on sale now for the 2012 FIBT Bobsled and Skeleton World championships, presented by Conceptum Sport Logistics. Single day tickets are $15 for adults and $9 for seniors and juniors. Tickets to see all seven days of competition are $50 for adults and $35 for juniors and seniors. Tickets are available on line by visiting http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2439, through the Olympic Center’s box office at 2634 Main St., Lake Placid, or at the Olympic Sports Complex box office.

Newcomb, NY – The Town of Newcomb on January 27, 2012 purchased 348 acres for a total of $256,591.00 from The Nature Conservancy. The town’s purchase of the properties helps to advance economic development, particularly along the Route 28N travel corridor, and other community objectives outlined in its Comprehensive Plan, which was updated in 2009. Descriptions of the properties are as follows:

• Farmhouse Parcel – a 4-acre property along State Route 28N that includes a two-story residential house that had been used in the past as a field office for foresters and logging contractors. The town, in cooperation with Newcomb Central School, is considering converting the house into a dormitory for foreign exchange students or substitute teachers.
• Log Yard Parcel – a 20-acre triangular-shaped tract near the intersection of the Tahawus Road and State Route 28N that has been used for temporary storage of logging equipment and logs. The property, zoned by the Adirondack Park Agency for industrial use, has potential to attract and support a small-scale private enterprise.
• Golf Course Parcel – a 324-acre tract bordering the town’s public golf course and a winding stretch of the Hudson River. This parcel may be suitable for expanding the High Peaks Golf Course from nine holes to 18, as well as developing cross country ski trails. Under the terms of a conservation easement now held by the Adirondack Land Trust, approximately three miles of Hudson River shoreline, as well as an ecologically significant wetland complex, will remain undeveloped. Those natural features will continue to provide flood and storm-water runoff controls, which are recognized in the town’s comprehensive plan as valuable, cost-effective services.

“There are all kinds of options for these lands,” said Newcomb Supervisor George Canon. “Now that the transactions with The Nature Conservancy are complete, we look forward to exploring those options. The log yard parcel is probably the most important acquisition; it is an excellent site for a potential business.”

“This is another great example of DEC working closely with The Nature Conservancy and other stakeholders to make sure that the disposition of the former Finch lands benefits the communities and residents of the Park,” said Joe Martens, Commissioner NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. “Congratulations to The Nature Conservancy and the Town of Newcomb for this agreement that will help bolster the community.”

“Working with Newcomb on these land sales—and the larger conservation project—demonstrates how community and conservation goals can go hand in hand,” said Michael Carr, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Chapter. “We quickly learned how important new economic development opportunities are to the town, as well as how much Newcomb residents value their rural quality of life and view the surrounding natural beauty as an asset.”

The lands sold to Newcomb were originally part of The Nature Conservancy’s 2007 purchase of 161,000 acres touching 27 towns in six counties in the Adirondacks. The community enhancement parcels are part of a balanced conservation plan that also includes commercial working forests and new state lands. The working forest component was solidified in December of 2010 when New York State purchased a conservation easement on 89,000 acres—20,270 of which are in Newcomb. That transaction is already helping to advance the community’s recreation objective to develop snowmobile trails to surrounding communities. The new state lands, when they are acquired, will enhance additional recreational opportunities for hunting, hiking, fishing and other activities.

An Environmental Conservation Officer was able to retrieve the eagle and upon initial evaluation it appears to have been shot by someone located on the River Road side of the Oswegatchie River. The eagle will be examined by the DEC pathology unit to determine the cause of death.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Environmental Conservation Police at (315) 785-2231 or toll free at 1-800-TIPP-DEC (1-800-847-7332). Information may also be submitted by e-mail to r6dsptch@gw.dec.state.ny.us . All information will be kept confidential.

It is illegal for anyone to kill or injure a Bald Eagle in New York state. Anyone convicted of killing a Bald Eagle may be subject to a penalty of up to $5,000 and/or 90 days in jail. A person or persons providing information leading to the conviction of the shooter is/are entitled to half of the fine paid in court, up to $2,500.

Throughout Gore Mountain Restaurant Week, guests can find numerous 10% off specials, dessert promotions, drink bonuses, and game nights especially tailored for this annual celebration of Gore Region dining. Meanwhile, Gore Mountain’s concessionaire Centerplate will be presenting their value-added lunch specials every day of the ski season, while showcasing new dining opportunities at the Open Pit Grille, Ski Bowl Lodge, and the recently renovated Tannery Pub & Restaurant.

The Gore Mountain Snow Train offers an impressive breakfast menu on the way to North Creek from Saratoga Springs, as well as après-ski cocktails and foodservice on the return trip. Packages that combine the new train service with discounted lift tickets, tubing, and scenic gondola rides are available.

“We are so excited about all of the new opportunities guests of the region have for lodging, dining, and shopping,” commented Emily Stanton, Gore Mountain Marketing Manager. “Gore Mountain Restaurant Week is one more way for us to share our progress and for everyone to have some extra fun.”

More teams are expected to be added to those restaurants vying Monday, January 30. Fork, spoon, and knife trophies will be awarded to those restaurants with the fastest ski times, most spirited racers, and most popular teams respectively. Anyone who races will be given a $5 coupon from the restaurant they race for in exchange for a $5 entry fee, and will be entered to win in a raffle for several prizes including a new pair of skis. Restaurants presently entered include Basil & Wick’s, Team Tannery, The Black Moun-tinis, and barVino.