By Christine Graf

With ski season officially underway, staffs at Gore Mountain and West Mountain are gearing up for what is likely to be another very busy winter. Last season, Gore had a record-breaking year for both revenue and season pass sales. 

According to Gore’s general manager James “Bone” Bayse, pass sales for the 2022-2023 season have been strong.

“I’m not sure that we will break last year’s record because it was so high, but we will be very close. At the moment, we are tracking that way.”

Meanwhile at West Mountain in Queensbury, “Last winter was a good, solid, profitable year,” said co-owner Spencer Montgomery. “Coming into this year, revenue-wise which includes season passes, we are up about 20 percent over last year. We pre-sell school programs, and that has been really strong this year. We’re on a fiscal year that starts May 1 and we’re probably pushing a 30 percent increase in sales for the same period last year.”

During the off season at Gore, an additional 230 snow guns were added to the snowmaking fleet. Some of these guns will be used on the new trail that was cut into Burnt Ridge Mountain. 

By Paul Post

The largest athletic competition in Lake Placid history has been a dramatic game-changer for a fledgling Glens Falls firm that produced colorful graphics for the event.

It’s one small example of the estimated $4.6 million economic impact the Jan. 12-22 World University Games will have on the North Country, from Clarkson University where some hockey games will be played, to Gore Mountain in North Creek, which is hosting free-style skiing and snowboarding competition.

About 2,500 athletes and coaches from 50 countries will take part, much more than the 1,072 competitors from 37 countries at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

In 2020, Glens Falls-based Sidekick Creative won the contract to produce the Games’ logo.

“That was my custom illustration,” said Will Fowler, co-owner with Kara Greenslade of the five-year-old business. “After that we had a really good working relationship with Adirondack Sports Council and the Games’ organizing committee. They had a lot of marketing needs so we dove right into other stuff.”

Now, every Olympic venue is adorned with big, splashy designs Sidekick Creative produced, which depict the sport taking place there such as hockey and figure skating at the Olympic Center, and biathlon and Nordic skiing at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.

The Queensbury Hotel has added a new twist to its holiday decor.

The hotel now has a life-sized gingerbread house standing 11 feet high and 14 feet wide in its lobby.

The Queensbury is known for having decorations each holiday season. The hotel typically features decorative window boxes and wreaths on its exterior and festive trees, garland and poinsettias throughout their grand lobby.

“This year, we set out to do even more,” said Tyler Herrick, general manager of the hotel and president of Spruce Hospitality Group. “We have more trees, more lights, more garland and even the addition of toy soldiers to greet you when you arrive. But the gingerbread display is definitely the largest addition and has been our biggest undertaking”

Adam Savage, director of culinary for Spruce Hospitality, took the lead on designing the gingerbread house. He and his team have worked for months to plan and prepare for the display. 

Dr. Derin Tanyol, a 19th through 21st century art specialist, has been named curator of modern and contemporary art at The Hyde museum.

She will oversee the contemporary exhibition programming and modern art collections.

Tanyol has spent 15 years in the museum, gallery, and arts administration field. She has curated or produced more than 60 exhibitions, including contributions to exhibitions at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College and the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz.

Her breadth of experience extends beyond contemporary art to include 19th century American and European painting and printmaking, art of the Woodstock art colony, and the American arts and crafts movement, museum officials said.

“Derin plays an important role in how The Hyde Collection defines the art of our time when museums around the world are rethinking collections and making way for more women and people of color,” said Norman Dascher Jr., the Hyde Collection CEO. “It is our responsibility to build an institution and a curatorial program of equity and inclusion and celebrate and share our rich modern and contemporary collection.”

In August of 2016, The Hyde Collection announced it received its largest donation since Charlotte Pruyn Hyde bequeathed her home and artwork to establish the museum in 1952. The Feibes & Schmitt gift doubled The Hyde’s Modern and Contemporary art holdings, positioning the Museum as a regional hub for postwar art. A new gallery devoted to modern and contemporary art, aptly named the Feibes & Schmitt Gallery, opened in June 2017.

By Susan Elise Campbell

A new eatery in Warrensburg  has brought a taste of home back to 3915 Main St.

Eight months after opening at a different site, Sulla Terra Bakery & Bistro moved from “a tiny place down the street” to where Bill’s Diner had been a long-time local favorite, according to owner April Fiorentino.

“The diner had been out of commission for three years but wasn’t for sale when I opened the bakery,” said Fiorentino.  

But her shop grew so quickly that she brought on a business partner and co-owner, Courtney Sprague, at the time of relocation and subsequent expansion from bakery to bistro.

Fiorentino is a former state worker who went on to work for a dental office. Later  she became manager of Lizzie Keays Restaurant in  Warrensburg when she “didn’t want to be in an office anymore” and stayed there for 10 years, she said.

It took some time to renovate the new space, but the family and friends who helped were eager “to reuse and refresh the space that has meant a lot to people who are still here,” she said.

They removed paneling and found tongue and groove underneath, which Fiorentino said “along with our family & close friends, we sanded, painted, and put the tongue & grove up as ship lap.”

Lehigh Hanson Inc. has decided to halt cement production at its Glens Falls plant. Company officials said operations will be shut down in a phased manner in 2023.

The Glens Falls plant currently operates with 85 full-time employees. The company said in November it is committed to providing financial and job search assistance to minimize the impact on its employees.

“The decision to halt production at a plant is always difficult,” said Alex Car, president of Lehigh Hanson’s Northeast Region. “We are thankful for the dedication and efforts of our Glens Falls workforce over the years and we will work to minimize the impacts to our employees and the community as much as possible.”

The Lehigh Cement plant in Glens Falls has been operating since 1893. As a result of changes to the competitive landscape within the global cement industry, it has become increasingly difficult for relatively small and aging plants like the Glens Falls facility to cost-effectively manufacture its products, said Car.

The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce announced its annual honorees as it continues to celebrate its 70th anniversary, commemorating a legacy of service.

The S.T.A.R. (Supporting Tourism Around the Region) Award was created in 2006 to recognize organizations or individuals who help grow the tourism economy, which is vital for supporting jobs and offsetting the tax burden of residents.

This year’s S.T.A.R. Award honorees are the Fort William Henry Corp. and Queensbury Town Supervisor John Strough.

In 2017, the Chamber created the Sapphire Award to honor a “gem” in the community whose efforts directly benefit the hospitality industry in a profound way. The Adirondack Pub & Brewery team and owner John Carr are the recipients of this year’s Sapphire Award.

In honor of the Chamber’s 70th anniversary, the Chamber also created a Platinum Award for this year to recognize office manager Christine Dowd Molella who will retire at the end of the year following 45 years of service.

The awards were presented at the Chamber’s 70th Anniversary gala celebration on Nov. 4 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Lake George. The event sold out with nearly 200 people registered to attend.

Zobel & Co. Kitchens of Glens Falls, a custom kitchen design firm, received the Best Kitchen Design $80,000-$119,000 and Best Kitchen Design $120,000-plus awards from the Capital Region Builders and Remodelers Association (CRBRA) .

The awards were presented at the annual Best of Building awards night in November at the Canfield Casino, Saratoga Springs.

The first project recognized was a Malta kitchen that features rich walnut cabinetry, Calacatta Arno Quartz slab back splash and counter tops, and a stunning Vermont Verde Antique countertop on the island. The new kitchen features generous amounts of light, storage and organization, floating shelves, and a closet converted into a pantry.

The second project awarded to Zobel & Co. Kitchens is a Saratoga kitchen that combines the working side of a kitchen with a large six-person dine-in island and completed with a large wet bar area featuring wine storage and a beverage refrigerator. White cabinetry defines the cooking and eating area, while smokey grey cabinets showcases the bar. The design incorporates the family’s desire to entertain comfortably while having ample room for food prep and cooking.