Hedge Clippings - - July 2019

Hedge Clippings: the latest from Blue Mountain Lake

General Manager Jamie Thomas's Update

Things at The Hedges are going very well in our second busy week of the summer. Our activities have been quite popular with Bingo, Joe Dockery‘s folk music at the campfire, Joanne Quinlivan’s lessons in watercolor painting, and yoga with Emma Gray. We also feature my astronomy lecture and slide show and Hallie Bond’s lecture about Food in the Adirondacks.

Our guests are all enjoying our warm, sunny weather and the many water activities we have available, including fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and canoeing.

Outside guests are welcome for our made-to-order breakfasts and our famous four-course dinners. Please contact our front office at 518-352-7325 to make arrangements.

All of the staff here are looking forward to seeing you soon!

Staff Profiles of Romanian Students and Mitch

Note: In the June issue, we incorrectly stated there are three staff with the last name of Roblee, but there's actually four! Dede Roblee is a breakfast cook.

Over the years, The Hedges has welcomed staff members from the United States and abroad. Guests frequently comment on their friendly and helpful professionalism. We plan to introduce our readers to them over the next months. Here are some of the fresh new faces with us in 2019.

Alexandru Milici is a 20 year-old student entering his second year of college majoring in Japanese. This cosmopolitan young man was born in Spain, lives in Romania, and also speaks English. Alexandru enjoys listening to music and is looking forward to doing some fishing on Blue Mountain Lake. Look for Alexandru in the Benton Dining Room, too.

Luciana Avram, known as Lucy, also harkens from Romania and works in Housekeeping. She is studying Sociology and Human Resources and just finished her second year of college. Lucy enjoys spending time with friends and listening to Medieval music. An outdoor enthusiast, she looks forward to Adirondack hiking.

Waiter Alexandru Alec is an International Business Administration major from Transylvania, Romania. He is an athlete and enjoys running, football, rugby, and most any sport. He believes strongly in volunteerism and says that helping others also helps yourself.

Denisa Nyiki is also studying Business Management in Transylvania, Romania. She loves being outdoors and is thrilled to be in the beautiful environment of The Hedges and the Adirondack Park.

The Hedges welcomes back Danny Zagon (not pictured) for his second summer. Danny is also from Transylvania, Romania, but he has spent the last year studying English and Norwegian in London. He especially enjoys studying literature spanning from the fifth century to the present. As with so many of the staff, Danny appreciates the opportunity to get away from busy city life and escape to the beautiful and wild solitude of the Central Adirondacks.

Groundskeeper Mitch Fritzinger hails from the Virginia Beach area and currently lives in Long Lake with his girlfriend and her son. He enjoys playing with their dog, Milo. Another staff member who loves being outdoors, Mitch is a surfer and snow boarder. He also plays the bass guitar. This summer he is helping to tend to all aspects of The Hedges landscape!

Blue Mountain Lake Hamlet is Booming!

Without changing the charm of the hamlet, there's an upsurge in activity that will interest many of our guests. Check out these newer businesses in addition to standbys like the Livery and Pat Benton's Wide River,Too store.

Blue Mountain Designs has opened School House Grounds coffee shop that also features pastries and smoothies.

The gas station business has changed hands and become the Blue Line Market with several new features such as an ice cream shop serving Battenkill Valley Creamery ice cream.

Steamboat Landing is the new lodging where Blue Mountain Outfitters was located. According to Facebook: "Built in 1886 for steamboats that brought passengers and freight to the big hotels that existed at that time. Now lakefront lodging with beautiful views."

Strong Rope Brewery of Brooklyn is opening a tap room next to Wide River Too. The owner is connected with Blue Mountain Lake and the former Potter's restaurant and lodging.

Two other local organizations have big news, too:

Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts has a weekly kids' summer program that may interest Hedges guests.

The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake now has a boathouse with many classic boat types to rent on Minnow Pond, accessible by a 3/4 mi trail from the museum.

Shop at the Crow's Nest

The Crow’s Nest is open for the 2019 season. We’ve done our best to preserve the warm, inviting atmosphere that Pat Benton and her staff created, and have introduced a wide variety of items by a number of local and regional artists and craftspeople. Many are nature-themed or authentically Adirondack.

Highlighted items are listed and pictured here!

Featured Photos

Hedge Clippings features a monthly historical image. This 1909 image shows the boat docks in Blue Mountain Lake. Does anyone know if this is where the BML Livery is now?

Travel Advisory

New York State Department of Transportation is undertaking a Pavement Rehabilitation project in Hamilton County covering a 25.4 mile stretch of State Route 28, starting at the Herkimer County and ending in Blue Mountain Lake. Roadside elements include guide rail, drainage, signs, driveway work, intersection work, and snowmobile crossings. A project this extensive will take many months to complete so be aware that there will be delays.