The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, the oldest winter festival in the eastern United States, has celebrated its 110th anniversary when it returned to the Adirondack Mountain village of Saranac Lake, NY from February 2 to February 11, 2007. The theme for 2007 was "The Fabulous 50's."
Next Winter Carnival in Saranac Lake:
2008 February 1 to 10th
2009 February 6 to 15th - President's Week end
2010 February 5 to 14th - President's Week end
The Winter Carnival's origins can be found in Saranac Lake's
history as a world-famous health resort. In 1897, the first year of the event,
the village was already a thriving community nestled deep in the Adirondack
wilderness, its pristine setting providing rejuvenation for hundreds of tuberculosis sufferers drawn from all over North America. In
the course of "taking the cure" here, many patients experienced a renewed
passion for life, and took every opportunity - in every season - to explore
the natural beauty that surrounded them. The long, cold Adirondack winters
offered an array of snow-covered mountains and ice-covered lakes, begging
to be enjoyed on skis, sleds and skates. Thus, to break winter's chill and
to promote "outdoor sports and games", the Pontiac Club was formed in 1896,
and a year later, they sponsored the first "Mid-Winter Carnival".
The first Winter Carnival was a two-day affair that sponsored skating races, a parade and an "ice tower" - features that have been, in one form or another, part of every Carnival since.
Today's
Carnival - now 10 days long - still begins with the Coronation of the King
and Queen. This honor is bestowed upon two local citizens, in recognition
of their substantial volunteer efforts throughout the year. Joining them
are a Prince and Princess, elected at the two local colleges, a Court made
up of local high school seniors, Pages chosen from the elementary schools,
and an Archbishop and Chamberlain, who tend to such duties as proclamations
and the crowning of the royal couple.
Each Carnival revolves around a theme, which provides a framework
for, among other things, Carnival decorations, the Gala Parade and the
Carnival button. Since 1981, the button has sported an exclusive design
donated by Garry Trudeau, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of "Doonesbury", and a native of Saranac Lake. Themes in the past have included "Dreams", "Cabin Fever" and "Hooray for Holidays."
The Winter Carnival still offers a fascinating array of sporting events. These include snowshoe and nordic ski races at the Dewey Mountain Cross-Country Ski Center, innertube and alpine ski races down the slopes of Mount Pisgah, skating races, broomball and hockey games at the Saranac Lake Civic Center, volleyball played in knee-deep snow, softball played on snowshoes, and a competitive display of traditional logging skills.
The Carnival now plays host to two parades. The Gala Parade, held on the next-to-last day of Carnival, sees the entire community engaged in an animated march through town, regaled in comical costumes, riding upon dozens of colorful floats, accompanied by legions of bands in a jubilant throwing-off of winter's chill. The next day, Saranac Lake's children get their chance to strut their stuff, when they march down Main Street in the colorful and enchanting Kiddie Parade.
Rounding out the carnival schedule are dramatic presentations by the Pendragon Theatre, Gem*Boy Productions Murder Mystery - Dinner Theater,
an old-time amateur revue in the historic Harrietstown Town Hall, a Main
Street Festival, a bevy of dinners, dances, receptions and concerts, and
a slide show presentation and two spectacular fireworks displays over what
has become the symbol of the Winter Carnival, the world renowned Ice Palace!
The palace was an outgrowth of the village's ice industry,
which, in the days before electric refrigerators, harvested ice from local
lakes for use in ice boxes across the country and around the world. Despite
some refinements in machinery, the Palace is still constructed in much the
same manner as it was in 1898, the first year it was built.
