The Beat

Saranac Lake – During the 2016 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, New York City Filmmaker Mark Burns came to Saranac Lake to capture the process from start to finish of what it takes to make the carnival happen. That year, the weather gave us many challenges, and Mark's camera caught all the drama.

We're excited that Mark’s film, 'Ice Palace, A Love Letter', will have its world premiere at the Lake Placid Film Festival on October 27, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. The film offers a rarely seen, behind the scenes peek at how the Ice Palace is built, and captures the people working hard to keep the carnival tradition alive since 1897.

Chatham, NY (September 9, 2019)—James Schamus, longtime key player in the independent filmmaking world, will be honored at the 2019 FilmColumbia festival, at the Crandell Theatre in Chatham, New York. On October 18-19, four of Schamus’ films will be shown, followed by a Q&A conducted by Peter Biskind, film historian, cultural critic, and festival director. Saturday evening, October 19^th, Crandell Theatre benefactor Jack Shear will host the annual FilmColumbia Kick-Off Party at his home in Spencertown, NY, where Schamus will be recognized at a benefit supporting the festival and year-round Crandell programs.

Pleasantville, N.Y. (July 12, 2019) - The Art Gallery at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve presents "Reflections", an alluring odyssey in landscape, still life and seascape images. Artist Jarvis WIlcox and sculptor Edward Walsh realize the poetry of our present world, creating impressionistic images that animate our transient quests.

As a student of Goya and Velaasquez, Wilcox revels in the density of rich colors applying layers of oil paint in dynamic patterns. Shimmering seas, vary from the peaceful to the monumental imposing compositions of unavoidable density of the paint upon canvas.

A Public Event That Explains the Math That Gives the Sizzle to Summer and Makes It Possible for Us…

In Magazine’s July 1 Cover Story

Jamestown, NY – June 24, 2019 – The National Comedy Center was just named one of PEOPLE Magazine’s “100 Reasons to Love America” in the publication’s July 1, 2019 cover story, just out on newsstands and online.

One of only three museums to be named on its annual list of the nation’s most beloved treasures, PEOPLE cited the National Comedy Center as “the country’s first museum devoted to comedy” and “worth the trip to Jamestown, NY, Lucille Ball’s hometown.”…

Glens Falls, N.Y. – Producing Artistic Director, Chad Rabinovitz, announces Adirondack Theatre Festival’s PB&J Café: A Dinner Theatre for Kids will present Alice In Wonderland as part of the 2019 line-up. The show, presented for children 12 and under, runs June 25-28, and July 16-20 with both matinee and early evening performances. All performances will be at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Downtown Glens Falls, NY. The leading professional theatre in the Capital Region, ATF is dedicated to new plays and musicals, the season runs June 14 - August 9, 2019 with all performances at the Charles R. Wood Theater.

Community Celebration and Ribbon Cutting

Ithaca, N.Y. – The twelve partner organizations of the Tompkins Center for History and Culture invite the people of Tompkins County, the Finger Lakes, and New York to explore this new heritage tourism center on May 10^th at a Community Celebration and Ribbon Cutting.

Located on The Downtown Ithaca Commons at 110 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY, the Tompkins Center for History & Culture will officially open to the public after years of planning and collaborative work by many. This grand opening will resurrect life into the former Tompkins Trust Company bank previously occupying the space. This new collaboration will creatively and collectively share the rich history, culture and artistic fabric of the community.

50^th Anniversaries for Woodstock And Stonewall, WorldPride's American Debut And A Full Roster Of…

Jamestown, N.Y. (March 12, 2019) – The National Comedy Center was formally designated today as the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art form of comedy. In a tremendous bi-partisan show of support, both the Senate and House of Representatives passed this bill in February, and the president signed it into law today, recognizing the Center as the “Official National Comedy Center of the United States.”

The bill, as written, recognizes that the National Comedy Center, located in Jamestown, New York, “exists for the exclusive purpose of celebrating comedy in all its forms” and officially designates the Center as the “National Comedy Center.”…

The Museum re-opens for A Season of Song and Celebration March 30^th featuring the 2019 Special Exhibit We Are Golden

BETHEL, NY (March 8, 2019)  – On March 30^th, The Museum at Bethel Woods, located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, will open for the 2019 season and mark the 50^th Anniversary with the Special Exhibit We Are Golden: Reflections on the 50^th Anniversary of The Woodstock Festival & Aspirations for a Peaceful Future, part of A Season of Song and Celebration. This exhibit examines the desires of the youth of 1969, places the legendary festival within the context of the positive societal changes it inspired and asks today's youth what THEY are asking of the world now. 
We Are Golden will feature a large collection of authentic Woodstock artifacts such as instruments, clothing, equipment, art and photography. Highlights include Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane's bass guitar and tunic, handwritten lyrics for "Goin' Up the Country" by Alan Wilson of Canned Heat, a speaker cabinet and mixing equipment used by Bill Hanley at Woodstock which helped to set the standard for outdoor sound engineering and world-class photographs from the 15 best photographers of the festival.