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Accessibility Day

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On Tuesday, Feb. 10, DJ Fowler will be inviting older adults and people with mobility, mental health, physical health or chronic illness to enjoy the Palace, with free accessible bus rides, designated disability parking and extra Ice Palace hosts.

“The Prince and Princess,” by Michael Burpoe. This watercolor was painted plein air during a blizzard. (Provided photo)

Accessibility Day lasts from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A free bus ride to the Ice Palace will start picking people up at 10 a.m. in the back lot of the Saranac Lake Adult Center at 136 Broadway, then the Tri-Lakes Center for Independent Living at 43 Broadway, the Adirondack Apartments at 225 Lake St., the Lake Flower Apartments at 14 Kiwassa Road and the Dechantal Apartments at 20 Church Street.

The bus will be at the Palace for one hour.

There are not a lot of accessible parts of Carnival, Fowler said.

“I think what’s happened in the past is that they were basically left out of a lot of activities with Carnival,” she said.

John “Doc” Ward sculpts a Homer Simpson throne at the Winter Carnival Ice Palace on Thursday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Saranac Lake isn’t an easy place to live with mobility challenges. The day is all about inclusion.

Fowler said Carnival is about community. Often, people with mobility challenges don’t feel like they’re part of the community, she said, because they cannot access many places the community gathers.

Accessibility Day is a chance to share the warmth, light and spirit of Carnival with everyone, she added.

The day’s been well-attended, with around 70 people coming last year, Fowler said.

Dozens of people living in The Adirondack Arc’s homes or at the Will Rogers retirement community come in vans and buses and can take in the Palace on wheelchairs, walkers, canes and on foot.

Darren Dalton scrapes down an ice block before it gets sent up to the top of an Ice Palace tower by the crane seen behind on Thursday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Franklin County Transportation supplies a bus with a wheelchair lift.

But Fowler said ridership on the bus has been low in the past few years. She said that if it is going to continue, they want to invite more people to use it. The bus service to the Palace might end if they don’t get enough people.

Currently, no one has signed up for a ride yet, she said. The bus has 16 slots and a wheelchair lift.

The county bus is a crucial form of transportation, especially for people who use motorized or human-powered chairs.

“People say they wouldn’t be able to come (without the bus),” Fowler said.

Even if they only have one person ride, it’s worth it to her, she said. But it costs the county money to bring the bus down from Malone. She’s hoping it can show its worth.

Fowler said parking is an issue in town. There’s not a lot of it. And during the winters, sidewalks usually have ice or snow.

On Accessibility Day, the parking lot will be for handicap parking only.

There will also be snacks, hot chocolate and coffee in the History Hut warming area, all for free.

Fowler recommends people wear foot traction devices because the ground around the Palace can get icy.

Accessibility Day is sponsored by North Country Community College. To learn more about it, contact Fowler at wintercarnivalreerides@gmail.com or 518-524-0563.

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Artist’s Night

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Michael Burpoe is bringing a form of extreme painting to the Palace this year. It’s something he’s done unofficially for a few years now — plein air painting in sub-freezing temperatures.

On Monday, Feb. 9, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., artists will bring their easels, paints and warm jackets to the Palace to paint the IPW’s icy masterwork.

Burpoe said the event is technically available all day, but he says the Palace is especially “jaw-dropping” at night.

“I believe firmly that the point of Winter Carnival is to go out and coexist in nature, whether it wants to be collaborated with or not,” Burpoe said. “The fun of it is not really to go out and paint your masterpiece, it’s just to go out there and try.”

People don’t play Snowflake Volleyball to play their best game of volleyball, he said, they do it because it’s fun.

Last year, he got caught in a blizzard as he painted. Burpoe paints in watercolors. He said, in the extreme cold, the water is so thin that it freezes almost instantly, instead of being absorbed by the paper, and doesn’t dry right away. This makes ice crystals appear on the surface of the paper.

It “ruined” the paper and blurred the image. He set it down flat and left it for a few weeks. When he picked it back up, he said it had a crazy-looking “wash” to it. He painted on top of it. The final piece — “The Prince and Princess” — will be displayed at show of his work, which is opening on Feb. 6 at the Adirondack Artists Guild.

He likes that sub-freezing plein air painting is social, open to nature and a little silly.

Artist’s Night is sponsored by The Adirondack Artists Guild and Saranac Lake ArtWorks.

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Family Night

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Elle Finocan started Family Night four years ago to give local families a night to come to the Palace during the week instead of scrambling to get down there on the weekends when it is a madhouse.

“A Palace on a Saturday? It’s a mob scene,” Finocan said.

On Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 5 to 7 p.m., a festive scene will spring up around the ice towers.

There’s music and dancing. The Carnival characters — including Snowy the Owl — will be there in costume, taking pictures with children and playing around the hallways, mazes and atriums of the Palace. The Ice Palace hosts give out glow-in-the-dark necklaces. Finocan said Family Night sponsor, Husdon Headwaters Health Network, is very involved and hands out gifts to the kids.

Saranac Lake Women’s Civic Chamber members bring cookies, brownies and hot chocolate. Food trucks will stay open late.

The Carnival King and Queen, as well as the Court, will be there.

A fire pit and the History Hut will keep people warm.

Finocan said it’s a bit of a calmer night than the weekends. It’s open to all, but focused on locals who are busy during Carnival or don’t want to contend with the crowds on the weekends.

She laughed as she said the mountain of snow in the parking lot created from plowing the parking spaces is always an unofficial part of the night. It’s a big hit with the kids who climb to the top and slide down.

Finocan also coordinates the Palace hosts and said she’s always looking for volunteers to help guide visitors, ensure safety, take photos and tell people about the massive Palace to get a slot email info.slwintercarnvial@gmail.com.