December 2024

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour

The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, hosted by the Glens Falls-Saratoga Chapter of Adirondack Mountain Club, will be on Friday-Sunday, Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls. Tickets go on sale to the public on Dec. 12 at 12pm. Chapter members and past attendees will receive a presale email around Dec. 8 for early ticket purchase.

New films are screened each night starting at 7pm. Join early at 6pm to enjoy the Mountain Art Show, Common Roots drinks, snacks, raffle and door prizes, and vendors. For film info, visit: adk-gfs.org.

New Park & Trails Plan at McPhillips Preserve

At the Warren County Occupancy Tax meeting on Nov. 19, Dan Barusch, planning director for the town and village of Lake George, detailed the newly renamed Dennis L. Dickinson Recreation Park planned at the McPhillips Preserve at French Mountain Park. The $900,000 capital project, half in Lake George and half in Queensbury, includes more than seven miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, plus an outdoor education center in partnership with the Lake George School District, walkable connection for students of Lake George Elementary School – and connections to the Warren County Bikeway. 

Funding breakdown: $200,000 from NYS Parks and Recreation; $125,000 from DEC Smart Growth Program; $135,000 of Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and $50,000 OF occupancy tax funds set aside by the town for the project. He said another $385,000 is needed. The Occupancy Tax Committee approved a $100,000 grant to help bridge that gap –  pending approval at the next full Board of Supervisors meeting. It “brings Warren County into the partnership,” Dan said.

“It is a relatively modest request for the size and scope of the project and the legacy the project will  bring,” he said. “It’s not a one-time thing. This recreation park will be there forever. “Through the partnership with the Lake George Land Conservancy, there are conservation easements on this land. It will never be anything other than a park.” It’s expected “to draw hundreds or thousands of people,” for recreation and for scheduled bike races or other events as well as education programs, Dan said.

“We envision this being, no offense to John Strough, Queensbury Town Supervisor, ‘Gurney Lane 2.0.’ We really are modeling this project based on what they did successfully at Gurney Lane.” Dan said they aim to begin work in the spring, and to have “a very large ribbon cutting in the fall of 2026.” The trails will be built by Tahawus Trails and the town is picking up the parking, signs, bells and whistles, and even the outdoor classroom. -Cathy DeDe, Glens Falls Chronicle