Each and every vote was tallied and the list compiled. Today the Adirondack Carousel and the Saranac Lake elementary students formally introduce some of the newest members of the community by name: Flipper (Bass), Paws (Bear), Chuck (Beaver), Bug-Eye (Blackfly), Bubbles (Great Blue Heron), Moonlight (Bobcat), John (Deer), Thunder (Draft Horse), Soarin (Eagle), Flames (Fox), Lilly (Frog), Harry (Hare), Lucy (Loon), Beethoven (Moose), Oliver (Otter), Spike (Porcupine), Ranger (Racoon), Red Storm (Red Squirrel), Wiggly (Salamander), Spencer (Skunk), Twitter (Thrush), Buck (Toad), and Shelly (Turtle).

It should be noted there were some very close races (Twitter won by 2 votes over Chirp and Feathers) and a few landslides (Chuck overpowered Justin Beaver, and Red Storm won hands down over L’il Red and Squirrely Sam), but all of the animals are quite happy with their new names and are patiently waiting for the day they can welcome the students to the Carousel.

Construction continues daily at the William Morris Park in Saranac Lake. Thanks to the generosity of an increasing number of volunteers who stop by the site to offer an hour, a few minutes or an afternoon of their time to be a part of the magic, the Carousel continues to be “built by community hands.”

Hildreth said she is looking forward to adding the finishing touches on the black bear co-carved by Andy Manchester of Lake Clear and Carl Borst of Rotterdam. Hildreth also painted two other carvings for the carousel – the otter and the bald eagle.

An exhibiting member of the Adirondack Artists’ Guild, Hildreth taught high school art for 31 years in northern NY before moving to Saranac Lake where she enjoys painting landscapes and donating her time and skills to community projects, such as the Adirondack Carousel. Her plein air paintings are featured at the Artists’ Guild in Saranac Lake through October 2.

The black bear will be accompanied by Borst, who is coming up to Lake Placid to lead a woodcarving workshop as part of a three-day series at the inn starting Friday, Sept. 16. He also carved the Adirondack Carousel’s eagle, raccoon, beaver, and otter.

As with all the Adirondack Carousel figures, the bear is a lifelike carving that celebrates the unique character of the Adirondacks. Designed to fit on a carousel, the bear features a saddle for riders of all ages and whimsical additions such as fancy straps, bells and ribbons around its neck and waist, a chipmunk hiding under the bear’s saddle, and the Carousel’s signature red ladybug.

The Adirondack Carousel is currently under construction in the William Morris Park in Saranac Lake. When it opens next year, it will offer a full sized carousel with adjoining space for events, community meetings, and educational workshops about the Adirondacks.

The Carousel’s volunteer organization is seeking additional funds to help cover the increase in construction costs brought about by escalating oil prices and labor. “We especially need volunteer labor and community support to help us offset these added costs,” said Board chair Marge Glowa.

To view a photo gallery of the Adirondack Carousel’s carved figures or learn more about the carousel, visit adirondackcarousel.org, friend the carousel on Facebook or contact Glowa at 518-891-3274.

Carved by William Underwood, the White Tailed Deer is one of the larger animals to be featured on the Adirondack themed carousel which fuses art, education and entertainment. The deer is sponsored by Edie Crawford of Upper St. Regis in Paul Smiths.

Representatives from the Saranac Lake Rotary will also be on hand to present a special donation to The Adirondack Carousel, the non-profit organization that is overseeing the construction of the carousel in the William Morris Park.

As part of the celebration, Stewart’s is donating ice cream so that participants can make their own sundaes.

Transforming a Prancing Pony into a White Tailed Deer

When Rich Kraft called carver Bill Underwood about a year ago to ask his help in creating a white tailed deer from what had begun as a “Prancing Pony”, he was intrigued. He and his wife drove up from Endwell, NY to Old Forge to meet Rich and transfer the project to his jeep. The first thing they saw was a huge rough cut of basswood. “All I could think of was, ‘Holy Mackerel’ — that’s a lot of wood! In fact, it took two of us to lift the nearly 100 pound form.”

Back in his workshop, Bill put his skills as a wildlife sculptor and Native American biologist to good use. With anatomical books for reference and an assortment of carving tools, he began the process of shaping the rough form to more closely resemble a deer, removing nearly 40 pounds of excess wood in the process.

The Abenaki Connection

In what proved to be a fortuitous development, Bill noticed that the original sketch of the deer included an American Indian motif. “My father came from the Abenaki nation, which happens to be an indigenous tribe in the Adirondacks, so it seemed natural to incorporate some of their clan symbols into the deer’s design”, he explained.

Attendees at the August 6 unveiling of the White Tailed Deer will notice many Abenaki symbols including a leather medicine bag around the deer’s neck; a raven on the pommel representing the messenger and a golden eagle denoting power, strength and freedom on the rear of the saddle. The Abenaki flag (a rising sun with a white pine tree) is on one side of the saddle strap and an Oak and Maple leaf are on the opposite side. A peregrine falcon symbolizing speed and power is in a diving position off the right side on the saddle. Cattails and feathers are on the corners of the saddle blanket along with a turtle shell dance rattle, and three large painted turtles carrying the world adorn the saddle seat.

Creating a Legacy

Researching his Abenaki ancestry led Bill to think more about his legacy. “The Abenaki were a Northeastern woodland people who were skilled in all phases of woodcraft and used wood extensively for both utilitarian and artistic purposes” he explained. “It feels right to have the White Tailed Deer join the other carved wildlife figures in a place where my grandchildren, great grandchildren and lots of other people can enjoy it.”

The Adirondack Carousel will be the featured community organization on Thursday, August 4 at Ruthie’s Run, 2415 Main Street in Lake Placid.

10% of all purchases made that day between 10 and 2 will support the carousel, the Adirondack ’s newest attraction fusing art, education and entertainment. Construction of the long awaited Adirondack themed carousel is underway in the William Morris Park in Saranac Lake .

Shoppers at the special August 4th event at Ruthie’s Run will be able to select from this year’s newest fall fashions and enjoy door prizes, special jewelry showings, raffle gifts, refreshments and the beautifully carved Carousel wildlife figures in the window.

Many children participated in the Ground Breaking, with hard hats, shovels and toy hammers, along with members of the Adult Center, volunteers, contractors and people who have given in-kind services.

Please enjoy the visual gallery of the ground breaking.

Photos provided by Barry Lobdell.

Many children will participate in the Ground Breaking, with hard hats, shovels and toy hammers, along with members of the Adult Center, volunteers, contractors and people who have given in-kind services.

$1.2 million project seen as economic boost to region

$464,000 in construction contracts have been awarded to primarily local regional contractors and material suppliers for the 3,500 sq. ft. pavilion and annex that will house the Adirondack Carousel and provide additional space for community workshops, exhibits and special events such as birthday parties, reunions and weddings.

Renovations to the William Morris Park will also include a “Path to the Pavilion” of etched pavers purchased by people wanting to add their mark to the project, new landscaping and new playground equipment that will meet current safety standards.

The long awaited project is being funded by private donations, including nearly $100,000 of in-kind services and donated construction materials; more than $300,000 in donated Carousel figures; a $340,000 grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; a bridge loan from NBT Bank; and a $20,000 grant from Senator Little.

Red Squirrel and Toad to be unveiled

An energetic Red Squirrel will join the growing menagerie of hand carved wildlife figures created exclusively for the Adirondack Carousel by volunteers around the country. Sponsored by the Saranac Lake High School Class of 1961, the Red Squirrel was carved and painted by Tom Holzinger of Roanoke, Indiana who also carved the Carousel’s popular skunk.

A goldish green toad with bright speckles will also be released during the ground breaking ceremony. Carved by retired Beekmantown art teacher Jack Barrette, the toad has a special secret — a time capsule filled with present-day memorabilia.

The Carousel’s wildlife carvings feature animals, birds, fish and reptiles found in the Adirondacks. To date, 16 wildlife figures have been completed and another eight will be finished when the Carousel opens next year, including a handicapped accessible Adirondack boat/chariot.

To view the Carousel’s progress and photos of the custom designed wildlife figures that have been hand carved and painted by volunteers, visit www.adirondackcarousel.org or become a Facebook friend for up to date news and postings.

Designed and hand carved by Carl Borst from bass wood (American Linden), the Carousel’s Eagle is based on the popular eagles carved by John Bellamy that graced the sterns of sailing ships in the mid 1800s. “I liked his approach,” said Borst. “He carved his eagles with the head up, pointed away and poised for flight and that made a lot of sense for the Carousel because kids could ride on the eagle’s back.” Borst, who also carved the Adirondack Carousel’s raccoon, beaver and otter was intrigued with the need to depict a real eagle without frightening children. “The natural look of an eagle is actually quite fierce,” he explained, “so I added a scarf around his neck, which also gives him a flowing motion; a red, white and blue shield in his claw; and the same delicate ladybug figure that appears on each of the Adirondack Carousel figures.”

The Eagle will be painted by local artist Sandra Hildreth who also painted the otter. An art teacher in northern New York for 21 years before retiring to Saranac Lake, she has been volunteering with the Adirondack Carousel for several years. Her paintings can be found in the Adirondack Artists’ Guild Gallery at 52 Main Street in Saranac Lake. A talented, self-taught artist, Borst has worked with many styles including architectural, relief, in the round, realistic and caricature. He will be conducting one of his popular carving workshops in September in Lake Placid.

The Adirondack Carousel is a volunteer driven effort to bring an Adirondack style carousel to the William Morris Park in Saranac Lake. The organization is currently reviewing construction bids for the pavilion that will house the carousel and adjoining space for events, community meetings, and educational workshops about the Adirondacks. Volunteers are also trying to raise additional funds to cover the increase in construction costs brought about by escalating oil prices and labor.

We especially need volunteer labor and community support to help us offset these added costs – Marge Glowa, Board chair

To view a photo gallery of the Adirondack Carousel’s carved figures or learn more about the carousel, visit adirondackcarousel.org, friend the carousel on Facebook or contact Glowa at 518-891-3274.

There is still time and an opportunity to become a sponsor on the Adirondack Carousel. Under the expert oversite of local artist Sandra Hildreth, there are six panels on the top rounding board of the Carousel that will have Saranac Lake scenes, designed and hand painted by local artists. You can become a sponsor of one of these panels for $2,000 (only 4 panels left). In addition, there will be six medallions separating the panels. The medallions will be hand painted flowers found in the Adirondacks. To sponsor one of the medallions is $1,000. Only 2 of the 23 hand carved and hand painted animals are left to be sponsored. For $5,000 you can become the sponsor of either the skunk or the toad.

If you’d like to become a sponsor, contact tedglowa@aol.com or write us a message on the contact page.

The Adirondack Carousel Board of Directors has announced that Randy Cross has been hired as Project Manager to oversee construction of the eagerly awaited Adirondack themed carousel, slated to open this year in the William Morris Park in Saranac Lake. Cross, who is a well known builder in the Saranac Lake area, was selected from a field of three qualified candidates. “We have been very encouraged by the support of our donors, friends and neighbors, as well as the dedication of our volunteer Board and the State grants we secured. Our Board feels confident we will be able to break ground in early April, with a goal of opening sometime in July” said Marge Glowa, chair of the Carousel’s board.

The Adirondack themed Carousel hopes to employ as many local contractors as possible according to Glowa and is looking forward to advertising for bids as soon as final approvals are obtained from the Village and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. “We will also be relying on many hands to help us build this one of a kind Carousel through in-kind donations of labor and materials,” she added.

The Carousel will be housed in its own Adirondack style pavilion with adjacent space for community workshops, exhibits and special events, including birthday parties, reunions and even weddings for up to 100 people. A new updated playground will also be added.

To view the Carousel’s progress and photos of the custom designed wildlife figures that have been hand carved and painted by volunteers, click here or become a Facebook friend for up to date news and postings.