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Ice Palace building to start

Carnival plans free online streaming of coronation, parade

Dean Baker, right, head of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace building team, speaks at Tuesday’s committee meeting, where he announced plans to start construction of the palace on Thursday. Also pictured is Winter Carnival Committee Chairman Jeff Branch. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

SARANAC LAKE — Construction of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace is set to begin Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee, through a partnership with Good Guy Productions of Bloomingdale, will offer live Internet streaming of the Carnival coronation ceremony and parade.

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Ice Palace

The ice on Lake Flower’s Pontiac Bay, where blocks for the palace are cut, is about 12 inches thick, Dean Baker, who’s in charge of the Ice Palace building effort, reported at Tuesday’s Winter Carnival Committee meeting. However, he said snow for slushing, or cementing, the blocks together will have to be trucked to the site from the Saranac Lake Civic Center.

“We’re going to have an Ice Palace,” Baker said. “Most of the equipment is down there. The electricity is on. We’re getting some snow delivered either (Wednesday) afternoon or Thursday. The ice is fine. We just need slow for slush.”

In addition to the usual cadre of volunteers, Baker said state prison inmates will be on hand to help build the palace.

“The only problem we’re going to have is next week when it rains,” he said. “We have the tarps at the ready, and we’ll try that again. Hopefully that will work.”

Last year, Ice Palace builders had to cover the palace with huge tarps to protect it from rain and wind.

Committee members said they’re optimistic the weather will cooperate this year.

“You won’t need (the tarps),” said Clyde Baker. “The weather’s going to change. It’s going to get cold. I have faith.”

“Positive thoughts,” said Eric Foster.

Streaming

The committee received some complaints last year from people who were upset that coronation and the parade were not televised as they were in the past. The elderly, shut-ins and other people unable to attend in person had been able to watch these events on Time Warner Cable’s local public access channel.

This year, the committee and Good Guy Productions have partnered to provide free live streaming of coronation and the parade, so anyone locally and around the world with an Internet connection can watch.

“I have no doubt it will be a crowd pleaser for those who can’t be with us,” said Cory Hoffman of Good Guy Productions. “It’s the first year doing it, so anything can happen, but we think it will be well-received.”

The livestream link is http://ustre.am/1yazO. Hoffman said he and Good Guy Productions owner Eric Wilson have tested the connection, and people from as far away as the Philippines were able to watch it.

Committee members asked if the parade will be recorded so it could be shown on television. Hoffman said it will be recorded and should be viewable on Time Warner Cable about an hour after it ends.

Carnival runs from Feb. 3 to 12. This year’s theme is “Adirondack Wildlife.”

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