Many of us fought the high water problems along the St Lawrence River until August when the waters started to recede. Finally got to launch the boat and boom- its Labor Day already!
All this high water stuff did not seem to bother the fisherman- the Bass Master Tournament winner-Kevin Vandam caught 90 pounds of small mouth bass in 4 days and the Gateway Museum President Gary Alford managed to catch enough walleye to feed his 60 patron museum guests at the Annual Shore Line Dinner.
The museum’s Summer Concert Series ended last night at the Museum with the Jazz group Chipman Jazz All Stars. We had nine talented groups play for the community this year. The museum team can be proud that despite Mother Nature’s attempt to throw rain on some of these events- they all went on. More often than not- playing at the Gazebo meant playing at the Museum or firehall. Our patrons are very understanding! The Board of Directors has already started to plan for next year’s Concerts. If anyone knows any talented musicians in the area – we would welcome concert suggestions. Many of our concerts feature local talent- and there is a lot of talent in the North Country....
Many of us fought the high water problems along the St Lawrence River until August when the waters started to recede. Finally got to launch the boat and boom- its Labor Day already!
All this high water stuff did not seem to bother the fisherman- the Bass Master Tournament winner-Kevin Vandam caught 90 pounds of small mouth bass in 4 days and the Gateway Museum President Gary Alford managed to catch enough walleye to feed his 60 patron museum guests at the Annual Shore Line Dinner.
The museum’s Summer Concert Series ended last night at the Museum with the Jazz group Chipman Jazz All Stars. We had nine talented groups play for the community this year. The museum team can be proud that despite Mother Nature’s attempt to throw rain on some of these events- they all went on. More often than not- playing at the Gazebo meant playing at the Museum or firehall. Our patrons are very understanding! The Board of Directors has already started to plan for next year’s Concerts. If anyone knows any talented musicians in the area – we would welcome concert suggestions. Many of our concerts feature local talent- and there is a lot of talent in the North Country.
Speaking of the Board of Directors- these folks have their hands full. Allan and Loraine bequeathed their 160 acre farm to the museum. While this is certainly wonderful news- it remains a challenge to figure out what to do with that property. Lots of local experts are being consulted to solicit ideas. The farmhouse needs significant repairs to make it usable space. The famous Red Barn is in great shape and might very well become the centerpiece for the future of that property. The large acreage with its three ponds and vast wild life are wonderful and could become future hiking areas or cross country skiing trails. It will take some time before these ideas get sorted out.
The Board is also discussing creating a new Exhibit-perhaps a fishing exhibit. With the world renowned Black Lake in the back yard and the Bass Masters Classic and other local St Lawrence River fishing tournaments- it seems only natural that a fishing exhibit would be something the community would support. Hopefully this exhibit can be done in time for next year’s summer season.
Our new website is working out well. We have received nice notes from a few friends of the museum that moved away from the area. We are excited about sharing our activities and plans with everyone and look forward to growing our audience over time as we continue to bring information about the museum to the internet.
I want to end this note by thanking everyone for supporting the Gateway Museum this year. We could not do all the things we do- the summer concert series, guest lectures, fund raising dinners, yoga classes, website development and more- without your support and generous contributions. Thank you and we thank all of the volunteers for making all this happen!
Dean Shelato (8/29/17)
Gateway Museum Board Member
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