Outdoor staples in Tri-Lakes
By DENNIS APRILL, Outdoors Columnist
There are two major outdoor-related activities taking place this week:
The Great Outdoor Games
Thursday, July 11, marks the start of the Third Annual ESPN Great Outdoor Games in Lake Placid. The first day’s timber events start at 9 a.m. in the Oval in the center of town; the shooting venues are at the Lake Placid Club Resort. As with the past two games, also in Lake Placid, the Press-Republican will provide daily coverage along with a schedule of events.
Two of the more popular competitions kick off Friday with the bass-fishing-qualifying weigh-in at the Oval starting at 4 p.m. Most of the well-known bass pros are entered this year. At 6 p.m. on Mirror Lake is the Big Air Sporting Dogs practice. In this event, the dogs make a running start and dive out into the lake after a decoy thrown by their owner or trainer. The dogs with the farthest leaps move on in the competition.
Saturday and Sunday are full days of competition starting at 7 a.m. This may very well be the last year the Games are hosted by Lake Placid, at least for a while. ESPN, the Games creator, likes to move on after two years, but returned for a third year to Lake Placid, primarily to show support for New York after Sept. 11.
Tupper Lake Woodsmen’s Field Days
This is the 22nd consecutive year for Tupper Lake hosting the Woodsmen’s Field Days, though the event began here in 1949. There have been some years when the Field Days were held in Boonville. This year’s dates are Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14.
The competitions, which include chain-saw carving, cross-cut and buck-saw speed-cutting events, tree felling and chopping, and log rolling, start at 10:30 a.m. The opening ceremonies are at 1 p.m. Fun games will be held for the kids on Saturday evening. All these activities are at the Tupper Lake baseball field near Raquette Pond. Admission is $4.
This is a special Field Days because it marks the 50th year my old friend Frank Morrison has been involved with them, many of those years as an announcer. It’s worth the trip to Tupper Lake just to hear his one-liners; some, I’m quite sure, have been told at least 50 times!
I certainly intend to spend this Saturday in Lake Placid and Tupper Lake driving back and forth to enjoy two great outdoor events.