BIRDING

SEE THE BIRDS

NEWCOMB—Northern New York Audubon is sponsoring a birding trip Saturday, Jan. 7, starting at 10 a.m. at the Adirondack Interpretive Center here.

After checking out the birds at the AIC feeder, which in recent winters included redpolls, evening grosbeaks, chickadees and nuthatches, the group will head out to the Sucker Brook trail, led by Charlotte Demers. This one-mile trail runs along the outlet to Rich Lake, providing opportunities to glimpse mink and otter in the open water. The surrounding hardwood forest is a great place to spot woodpeckers.

The AIC is at 5922 State Route 28N. To register email cdemers@frontiernet.net or call the AIC at (518) 582-2000.

BOOKS

DOWNLOADING BOOKS

INDIAN LAKE—Learn how to borrow library books for electronic devices Saturday, Jan. 7, at 11:03 a.m. at Indian Lake Library.

Book lovers who are on the go can borrow e-books and audiobooks from the Town of Indian Lake Library. Students of Indian Lake Central School can also borrow digital books from the district Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

The books can be read or listened to on iPads, iPods, iPhones, Nooks, Kindles and other hand-held devices. They can also be read and listened to on computers.

CHILDREN/TEENS

WIN A WILLIE BEAR

SPECULATOR—Oak Mountain Ski Center on Elm Lake Road here will hold a Willie Bear Race Saturday, Jan. 7, starting at 10 a.m. Kids ski or ride a course and the first place finisher in each age group has a chance to win a Willie Bear. The entry fee is $2 each. Call (518) 548-3606 or go to oakmountainski.com.

CRAFTS & FLEAS

CRAFT SHOW COMING

INDIAN LAKE—The Town of Indian Lake’s 27th Annual WinterFest will be Feb. 18 and 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Crafters will be located at Indian Lake Central School and the American Legion Hall, both on West Main Street here.

Crafters can apply for an eight- by six-foot space (for two days, $40 if paid before Jan. 10, 2012, $45 after). Applications are available online at www.indian-lake.com or by calling (518) 648-5112.

Winter Wonderland Craft Show will be one of many events taking place here during mid-February. Activities include breakfast at the fire hall, the Snowarriors’ Poker Run, a Tricky Tray at the school, a roast beef dinner at United Methodist Church, torch skiing and fireworks.

There is also free skiing and skating, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, shopping and movies.

EVENTS

FOOD AND FIRE

WELLS—The Town of Wells invites all residents, their families and friends to attend its annual Christmas Tree Burning and Covered Dish Supper Saturday, Jan. 7, starting at 6 p.m.

The town will provide meat platters, rolls, table servings and hot and cold drinks. Participants are asked to bring a favorite dish to share.

Following the buffet, bundle up and gather around a bonfire of trees for a warm ending to the holiday season.

BICENTENNIAL KICKS OFF

SPECULATOR—The Kick-off for the Town of Lake Pleasant Bicentennial starts Saturday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. in Lake Pleasant Central School here.

Azalea and The Good Ole Boys will play old folk and traditional songs; a video on the history of Lake Pleasant and bicentennial events will be presented; a schedule of events will be passed out and bicentennial items will be sold.

Come on out and get started for the bicentennial festivities.

FUN IN THE OUTDOORS

LONG LAKE—Come take part in one of Long Lake’s most famous winter events Saturday, Jan. 14. This year’s Winter Carnival will be a day filled with cold weather fun.

Prepare sleds and compete in the downhill Cardboard Box Sled Races and don’t miss the snowmobile parade. Events include one-shot basketball, fireman’s relay, men’s golf drive and the ladies’ frying pan toss. Cash prizes are awarded winners.

Free sledding and ice-skating are available throughout the day, as are warm beverages, food and restrooms. Fireworks start at dusk.

10 DAYS OF WINTER FUN

SARANAC LAKE—The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, the longest-running event of its kind in the eastern United States, will be Feb. 3-12 this year.

Now celebrating its 114th anniversary, the carnival began as a one-day event to break the monotony of the long Adirondack winter. It has grown into a 10-day festival that includes sports, dances, performances, two parades and two sets of spectacular fireworks above the world-famous Ice Palace.

This year’s theme is “Space Alien Invasion.”

EXHIBITS

THE POWER OF WATER

NORTH CREEK - An exhibition by Frances Gaffney, “The Power of Water,” runs through Jan. 25 in The Widlund Gallery at Tannery Pond Community Center here.

Gaffney winters on a houseboat on the Hudson River in New York City and in the summer works in the North Creek area. She has been painting since 1974.

She brings to life the liveliness and motion or stillness in nature to life through pencil and watercolor, and loves the challenge of drawing moving water.

TPCC is at 228 Main Street. It is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays when the “Open” flag is out. For gallery information call 251-2421 or visit the website at www.tpcca.org.

FISHING

FISHING CONTEST SET

INDIAN LAKE-The Central Adirondack Ice Fishing Contest 2012 will be Jan. 21 at Adirondack Lake at Byron Park here from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check-in starts at 5:30 a.m.

The entry fee is $30 each with advance registration and $35 at the door. Registration forms are available at Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce and Indian Lake Town Hall.

Over $2,000 in cash prizes and $1,000 in equipment prizes will be awarded. Cash prizes are awarded hourly.

For more information call Kim Mitchell at (518)-648-6183 or Town Events Coordinator Vonnie Liddle at 648-5828 or go to Indianlakefishandgame.com.

FOOD

KICK-OFF LUNCHEON

WELLS—Wells United Methodist Church on Main Street here will hold its 2012 Kick-Off Luncheon Saturday, Jan. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or until the food runs out). Start the New Year with a bracing chili lunch complete with rolls, tossed salad, homemade desserts and beverage. The cost? Make a donation.

EAT SOUP AND CHILI

SPECULATOR—Soup and Chili Night at Oak Mountain Ski Center here will be Saturday, Jan. 14, from 4-7 p.m. featuring soups, chili, bread and desserts. This will be an Oak Mountain fund-raiser with night skiing from 4-8 p.m. and a torchlight parade.

COVERED DISH SUPPER

PISECO—Come to Piseco Community Hall Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. for a Covered Dish Supper. Bring a dish to share, table service and a big smile. Those who prefer may use the tableware at the hall, and wash and put it away when done.

Calendars for 2012 will be available. This dinner is always fun, and will continue the third Wednesday of each month until the last one in May.

IT’S ITALIAN NIGHT

SPECULATOR—Enjoy a Spaghetti Dinner at Oak Mountain Ski Center Saturday, Feb. 18, from 4-7 p.m., featuring spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread and desserts. This will be an Oak Mountain fund-raiser with night skiing from 4-8 p.m., a torchlight parade and fireworks starting at 6 p.m.

HISTORY

BICENTENNIAL

SPECULATOR—Fran Gramlich will talk about “Verplanck Colvin in Lake Pleasant in 1870” Saturday, Jan. 21, at Lake Pleasant Central School on Elm Lake Road here starting at 7 p.m., part of the Town of Lake Pleasant’s 2012 Bicentennial Celebration.

Gramlich will talk about the surveyor, his life, the bear with guide Dave Sturges and more. For more call (518) 548-4478.

LECTURES/TALKS

ON A FAMOUS MURDER

BLUE MT. LAKE—Cabin Fever Sundays at the Adirondack Museum here start Jan. 15 at 1:30 p.m., when author Craig Brandon lectures on “Chester Gillette: The Adirondacks’ Most Famous Murder Case.”

Cabin Fever Sundays are free to members and children; others pay $5 each. They are sponsored by the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation and also made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities. For more call (518) 352-7311.

OUTDOORS

MCCAULEY HAS PLANS

OLD FORGE—Saturday, Jan. 7, is Family Fun Day at McCauley Mountain here, featuring discount lift tickets, family fun and games. Sunday, Jan. 15, will see an Apres Ski Party. There will be live music from 3-6 p.m. and night skiing on Playmate from 6-8 p.m.

The mountain’s Winter Carnival will be Feb. 4-5 with competitions, ski races, fun and fireworks; followed by the Kandahar Ski Race Feb. 25-26.

A second Apres Ski Party will be March 10 with live music from 3-6 p.m. and night skiing on Playmate from 6-8 p.m. There will be Pond Skimming March 18.

The final event of the season will be March 24, the Citizens Down Hill Ski Race. Call (315) 369-3225 / 6983 or go to www.mccauleyny.com.

COMING UP AT OAK

SPECULATOR—Oak Mountain Ski Center on Elm Lake Road here will hold a Night Ski Event Saturday, Jan. 14, starting at 6 p.m. A kids’ torchlight parade (first 25 to sign up) will be followed by an instructors’ torchlight parade.

The following Saturday, Jan. 21, will see a Rail Jam at 5 p.m. Entry is $5 each and there will be prizes. Rail Jams will also be held Feb. 4 and March 3.

Don’t miss the Sacandaga Challenge Saturday, Feb. 18, starting at 10 a.m. Race through gates, hit small freestyle jumps, challenge skills and win prizes. There are four categories: Men’s Ski, Men’s Ride, Women’s Ski, Women’s Ride. The entry fee is $10 each.

For more call (518) 548-3606 or go to oakmountainski.com.

PERFORMING ARTS

AUDITIONS COMING UP

NORTH CREEK—Our Town Theatre Group will hold auditions for its “Wilder Weekend” show to be performed Feb. 17, 18 and 19 at Tannery Pond Community Center here Jan. 9 and 10 starting at 7 p.m. at TPCC.

OTTG will present three short Thornton Wilder plays with great parts for older kids, teens and adults of all ages, shapes and sizes. There are 22 speaking roles and enough walk-ons so all adults who want a part can have one.

Short scenes mean fewer lines and fewer nights of rehearsal. Anyone who wants to do more is welcome to audition for all three plays.

Lindsey Gates, an equity stage and screen actress who recently founded the Lake George Theater Lab, is the guest director. OTTG expected to have copies of scripts in the Chestertown, Johnsburg, Indian Lake and Long Lake libraries by the end of last week.

For more call 352-1938 or email to maryellen.dowling@gmail.com.

SPORTSMEN

SPORTSMENS’ DAY SET

BROADALBIN—Sacandaga Sportsmen’s Day will be Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, from 9:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Sacandaga Bible Conference, 191 Lakeview Road here. This hunting and fishing expo features dozens of vendor displays, educational seminars and a wild game buffet.

Workshops on hunting, hiking, fishing, archery and more will be presented by area and regional experts. The featured presenter is award-winning outdoor writer Steve Sorensen, whose feature articles have appeared in Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, Deer & Deer Hunting, Pennsylvania Game News, Fur-Fish-Game, North American Whitetail, Bear Hunting Magazine and more.

Tickets at $20 each are available through Sacandaga Bible Conference. For more call Sacandaga Bible Conference at (518) 883-8713 or e-mail Dave at sbcdirector@nycap.rr.com.

SPORTSMAN’S SALE

WELLS—There will be a Sportsman’s Swap Shop at Wells Community Center on Route 30 Saturday, Jan. 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., sponsored by Wells Fish & Game Club. There is a modest $2 entry fee for adults; youngsters can attend free.

Refreshments, snacks and baked goods will be available and there will also be drawings. There will be some real bargains on new and used sporting goods and related outdoor gear. For additional information call Nancy Lewis at (518) 924-2110.

WORKSHOPS

TILE & HANDBUILDING

NORTHVILLE—Sacandaga Valley Arts Network is sponsoring Introduction to Clay: Tile and Handbuilding Class Jan. 9, 11, 16, 18 and 23 by Michele Drozd of Bellwether Studio at The Orendaga, 732 South Main St., from 6-8:30 p.m.

It covers basic hand-building and design from bisque to glaze firing and costs $100 SVAN members / $105 others. There is a $50 materials and firing fee.

Up to five students will make tiles with porcelain slabs. Learn how to work with plaster, capturing texture and taking molds of finished tiles. The molds will be used to make multiples from which to construct lidded boxes.

Visit www.svanarts.org for details and registration. Tuition may be paid on line through PayPal, or download the form and mail with check to SVAN, POB 660, Northville NY 12134 attention Mary Ann Evans.

THE DEADLINE FOR COMING ATTRACTIONS IS TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE EVENT. ANNOUNCEMENTS MAY NOT EXCEED 130 WORDS. E-MAIL TO editor@hamiltoncountyexpress.com