Parade kicks off World Snowshoe weekend
SARANAC LAKE — The village welcomed athletes from around the world in true Saranac Lake fashion on Friday.
The first festivities of the World Snowshoe Championships included an athletes’ parade down Main Street and Broadway, and a opening ceremony in the Harrietstown Town Hall auditorium. The two events , which were reminiscent of the 120-year-old Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, were designed to both welcome the visitors and give them a taste of what Saranac Lake and the Adirondacks are all about.
It worked for Daniel Mendoza, who’s from Lima, Peru, but now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. He said he already feels right at home here.
“I think it’s a beautiful town,” Mendoza said after the festivities. “It’s an alpine town with a nice, small-town feel. I like it a lot.”
Many of the snowshoe racers who will compete in today’s championships marched with their nation’s flags during the parade, accompanied by Saranac Lake Middle School students. The biggest contingent was from the United States, but there were also athletes from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, India, Peru, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain.
The parade also featured a Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department color guard, the Saranac Lake High School Marching Band and kids from the Dewey Mountain Youth Ski League. Dignitaries and members of the World Snowshoe Federation rode in the royalty float from the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival parade. The Adirondack Lawn Chair Ladies reprised their carnival parade routine, and the Saranac Lake Kiwanis Club brought their trophy-winning “Forever Wild” float of wild animals back through town one more time.
The opening ceremony began at 5 p.m. with a parade of nations into the town hall auditorium. One of the biggest cheers was for the contingent from India — Abid Khan and Tanveer Hussain — who overcame visa issues and arrived here Thursday after more than 24 hours of travel.
The Saranac Lake Police Department color guard carried in the American flag, and Kim Weems sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“Our whole village is here to offer our Adirondack hospitality to the world,” said Mayor Clyde Rabideau in a welcoming speech to the group. “We want to show you the best of Saranac Lake, the best of the Adirondacks and the best of the USA.”
“Saranac Lake is small village in the Adirondacks, but we have a large heart,” said Lonnie Ford, who served as master of ceremonies. “We welcome you all and look forward to making friends this weekend.”
Ford then introduced the Tri-Lakes Snowshoe Chorus, a group of children in grades 1 to 7 under the direction of Jessica Deeb. Their performance of “Heal the World” drew a standing ovation from the crowd.
Ford then told the origin story of “Bruce the Spruce,” the mascot for the championships. That was followed by a performance by the Saranac Lake High School Men’s and Women’s Select Vocal Ensembles. Brendan Gotham and Lucky Cerruti of Pendragon Theatre’s “Guys on Ice” got the crowd laughing with their song “Ode to a Snowmobile Suit.” The ceremony closed with a pair of numbers by the Saranac Lake High School Jazz Band.