Southern Adirondacks

(03/06/12) The Adirondack North Country Association is sponsoring its 26th annual "Buyers Days" at the Saratoga Springs City Center this week. The event starts at noon on Wednesday. Todd Moe talks with ANCA's Melissa Hart, who is coordinating the show, which brings together local artisans, food producers together and retail buyers in the region. Although not open to the public, Hart says the event is part of the "buy local" puzzle.

(02/29/12) Saratoga Springs is known for its mineral springs, race track and Revolutionary War battles, but it's also a popular gathering spot for those who love social dancing. Thousands gathered for a "flurry" of dancing and music at the Saratoga City Center earlier this month. The annual Dance Flurry Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary over the Presidents' Day weekend. There were dancers of all ages enjoying everything from African to Zydeco.

Originally, it was a one-day event near Albany back in 1987. Since then, the Flurry, as it's called, has evolved into a three-day winter gathering, drawing musicians, teachers, callers, volunteers, and of course, dancers from across the country. As Todd Moe found out, families have grown up coming to the Flurry and for some it's an annual tradition.

(02/28/12) Some of the best young musicians in the Glens Falls region will sit, side by side, with the pros at a concert this Sunday afternoon. They're being given the chance to learn and perform in a concert that will include music by Grieg and Strauss.

Todd Moe talks with maestro Charles Peltz about the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra's commitment to the next generation of performers, and Sunday afternoon's "Strings tell Stories Side by Side" concert at the Glens Falls High School auditorium (4 pm).

(02/17/12) We'll preview a weekend of plays by Thornton Wilder at the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek. The Our Town Theatre Group's winter production is actually a trio of short plays by Wilder that help define who we are as Americans and family identity. Todd Moe talks with director Lindsey Gates about the "Wilder Weekend" in North Creek.

(12/09/11) NCPR is media sponsor for the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concert on Sunday afternoon at the Glens Falls High School (4 pm). The concert features the symphony and children's chorus performing a variety of holiday favorites. Todd Moe talks with conductor Charles Peltz about how he programs a concert full of music for Christmas, Hanukkah and winter. Peltz says the concert theme is, "A Musical Gift for All".

(10/05/11) The Hyde Collection art museum in Glens Falls has kicked off an exhibit of art created especially for children. Also on display are illustrated children's books. Todd Moe talks with associate curator Jayne Stokes about "Draw Me a Story," which includes children's book illustrations from more than 40 artists.

(09/07/11) This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Commemorative events are being held throughout the Northeast, including small towns. North Creek's Civil War weekend begins this Friday and will include lectures, historic photo displays and re-enactors in period uniforms. Todd Moe talks author and local historian Glenn Pearsall about the sacrifices Adirondack families made in the war. Pearsall says small towns, like North Creek and Johnsburg lost many of their young men in battle.

(08/09/11) One of the newest arts festivals in the Lake George region kicks off next week. Student and professional musicians from around the world will gather in Lake George village for a new series of classical music concerts. The three concerts will be performed at area churches next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The concerts are free.

Todd Moe spoke with Alexander Lombard, founder of the Lake George Summer Music Festival, who says the idea came after a visit to the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. Lombard says one of the appealing aspects of next week's festival in Lake George will be student and professional musicians performing together.

(07/06/11) One of the highlights this summer at the Sembrich Museum in Bolton Landing is a tribute to Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors and dozens of other operas. Thursday marks the centennial of Menotti's birth. He died in 2007. There's a free showing this afternoon at the museum of an early television production of Menotti's Pulitzer Prize-winning Cold War tragedy, The Consul. Todd Moe talks with Sembrich artistic director Richard Wargo about a summer filled with music and Menotti's connection to the museum.

(06/09/11) The Hyde Collection, in Glens Falls, opens its major summer exhibition Friday evening. The art show, titled "New York, New York! The 20th Century", runs through mid-September and features more than 60 paintings, photographs and sculptures that capture life in New York City from 1889 to 2009. It includes works by Edward Hopper, George Bellows, Stuart Davis, Diane Arbus, Berenice Abbott and Rube Goldberg. Hyde Executive Director David Setford told Todd Moe that the new exhibit examines the metropolis and "the human interaction within".