The Orebed Sugar Shack - Part 2

I was attending the open house at the Orebed Sugar Shack in Dekalb Junction (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). This was part of St. Lawrence County's "Maple Weekend." I was in the evaporation room, where this young couple was spinning maple candy to be sold to visitors:

I walked back into the main sales room, where they were selling light amber syrup, displayed along with family photos and various awards:

And medium amber syrup, displayed with tee shirts for sale below a maple sugaring quilt:

Dark amber syrup and more family photos:

And natural, handmade soaps (and more tee shirts):

I went back outside, where I saw chainsaw art on display:

And horse-drawn wagon rides, one of which was just beginning. But the day had turned cold, it had begun snowing heavily and there was a waiting line for wagon rides, so I continued on toward my car:

Along the way, I passed this chainsaw artist demonstrating his talent. I particularly liked the clever name he gave his studio, "Constance Carvings," a clever twist on the title of a K.D. Lang song:

The snow began coming down even harder as I neared my car and looked back toward the sugar house:

I passed the family's residence:

The whole place overlooked a valley, filled with farm fields:

I pulled back out onto Orebed Road, for which the sugar house had been named, a narrow dirt lane, and took one final look back at the Sugar Shack. It had been an enjoyable visit, and an insight into one of St. Lawrence County's important agricultural crops:

The Giant Pumpkin Festival

I'd noticed the publicity for a Giant Pumpkin Festival and, when the day arrived, drove to the fairgrounds in the town of Gouverneur. I parked, and began walking toward the action. The first activity I encountered was a children's bouncy castle and popcorn machine. The woman in orange was, I soon discovered, the master of ceremonies and I would be encountering her wherever I went:

But of course my first stop was to see the giant pumpkins:

There were food venders:

And a commercial exhibit with lots of venders of various, local wares:

One barn was devoted to giant pumpkins and folks were taking photographs beside them. It really did help to appreciate the size of those big, orange fruits to have people beside them:

They were huge, but not always orange:

A local country band was playing:

And the mid-size pumpkins were displayed outside. That crane you see would be used later for the giant pumpkin drop (and splat):

These men were hollowing a pumpkin for the big drop. It was to be filled with numbered golf balls and people were buying tickets. The three golf balls which flew the farthest when the pumpkin hit the ground would earn prizes for the folks who took a chance:

There was chainsaw carving:

And a pumpkin pie eating contest, with eleven contestants of all ages. The winner would be whoever ate an entire pumpkin pie the fastest. The emcee, the ubiquitous woman in orange, was teasing them by saying the winner's prize would be only a pumpkin pie and a bottle of water:

This man was the winner. Apparently the emcee was not joking, as she gave him a pumpkin pie, a bottle of water and a tee-shirt. I hope he also got some cash, but I didn't see any. There was also, of course, a weigh-in for the heaviest pumpkins, but I'll post about that tomorrow:

Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 3

I'd toured the chainsaw carving area and the venders' area, buying myself a bit to eat. It was almost time for the Chainsaw Carving Contest to begin, so I found a bleacher seat and waited for it to begin:

The lumberjack show would begin later, up on that stage:

The chainsaw carving competition began in earnest:

While up on the stage, preparations were being made for the lumberjack show:

The smoke and noise from the chainsaws were overwhelming, adding to the excitement. A woman next to me said that white pole on the left was greased, for a greased pole climbing competition later that afternoon:

But there wasn't a lot of action, so I had plenty of time to watch the preparations for the next show:

It was a grand day:

The woman on the left had two chainsaws which refused to start. The third chainsaw started but was obviously dull. I felt sorry for her and she quickly sent what I assumed to be a call for help on her cell phone:

But in the end, I couldn't stay any longer and had to leave. I exited the park, passing by Tupper Lake's permanent woodsman statue on the road:

As I walked to my car, I passed by these poles buried in the ground. I guessed that there would be a pole climbing competition, though I would not be there to see it:

Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 2

I walked from the chainsaw carving area (see yesterday's post) and continued along the road by the lake, passing these classic cars which had been used in the parade earlier that morning:

There were huge piles of saw logs and heavy equipment, both of them to be used in the lumberjack competitions:

Truckloads of logs were pulling in off the main road, honking their horns loudly and continuously. I never did find out if they were delivering logs for use in the festivities or if they were just stopping by to see or compete in the Woodsmen's Days:

I moved on into the food venders' area, which was just getting started:

I tried spun maple sugar, or maple flavored cotton candy:

There were wine slushies and beer. The beer, as you might imagine was a big seller, even in the morning:

Hand crafted Adirondack furniture:

Adirondack bedroom furniture:

Tree climbing for the kids, with funnel cakes and lemonade for everyone:

More floats from the morning's parade:

I stopped along the edge of Tupper Lake to enjoy its beauty, though this part of the lake is supposed to be called Raquette Pond. I got a bit of food to eat and began walking toward the grandstand area to see the competitions, but I'll post about that tomorrow: