Therein contains this great proclamation by Mayor Frank Ratigan on page 1:

“Whereas each year at this time it is the horrid habit of witches, ghosts, hobgoblins, spooks and other creatures of the dark to ride the moonbeams of the night.

“And whereas it has been the custom to mollify and pacify them with all manner of magic and shenigans – And whereas too much mollifying does annoy and bewilder our citizens,

“Now therefore, I, Frank Ratigan, Mayor of this haunted village do proclaim that there shall be one night and one night only for Halloween pranks, trick or treat, ghosting, spooking and other monkeyshines, namely Thursday night, Oct. 31 between the hours of 6 and 7:30, and further that there shall be a United Nations International Children’s Fund collection during the same time, all to be followed at 7:30 by a mammoth parade and bonfire at the High School.

“And further I direct all fearful people to worship these denizens of the dark in the above manner and time, and here set my hand and seal,

Frank Ratigan

Mayor, Saranac Lake

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Family drowned in Tupper Lake

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“At approximately 5:30 last evening, a boat was found overturned in Big Tupper Lake. The boat was discovered by two hunters, Frank Fox and a companion.

“They immediately notified the state police who went out and recovered the boat, and found food supplies lying at the bottom of the lake where the boat was recovered.

“They found a name on a metal tag on the boat, which upon checking, proved the owner to be Gerald Black, aged 42, of Fort Covington. Investigation in Malone revealed that Mr. Black and his two children, Byron, age 11, and Theresa aged 8 had left their home in Fort Covington on Oct. 26 at 2 o’clock in the afternoon towing the boat behind the car. They were headed for the Black camp on Grindstone Bay in Big Tupper Lake.

“The state police went to the camp and found no evidence that the party had arrived. Therefore at 7 o’clock this morning dragging operations were started by members of the State Police of the Tupper Lake and Long Lake State Police sub-stations and civilian volunteers.

“State trooper H.C. Cootware [I knew Harold Cootware who was from Tupper Lake and later served in the state police B.C.I.] stated that the lake was so big, coupled with the fact that the boat had probably drifted miles from where the accident happened, it might be weeks before the bodies could be recovered.”

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No explanation for school closing

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There is a page one story about the schools closing and a short story about the weather, weather everywhere except Saranac Lake; and this little note which might indicate that there was a flu outbreak:

“Another Enterprise staffer joined the growing list of sick this morning. Bill McLaughlin was the latest victim.

“Most of the rest of us can’t tell a camera from typewriter, so you may miss some of Bill’s local pictures for a few days.”

Then this:

“The Saranac Lake schools, closed since noon last Monday [this newspaper was Monday, a week later] were opened again today, and then immediately closed again.

“Charles Murphy, [a beloved history teacher] principal of the high school, called The Enterprise with this information.

“The schools will begin again next Wednesday morning at the regular time. Adult classes will start again tonight.

“Mr. Murphy said that there were 384 absentees this morning, or 28 percent of the entire student population.”

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Back when hunting was a big deal

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Here is a report by Tupper Lake correspondent Kathleen Bigrow:

“With a great influx of hunters over the past weekend the village of Tupper Lake enjoyed one of its busiest. The season opened Friday and hunters swarmed into town, taking up all available rooms in hotels, motels and cabins. Restaurant and bar rooms reported a thriving business equal to any during the height of the summer tourist season.

“Approximately 750 hunting licenses were sold up until Saturday evening with both the village and town clerk’s supplies cleaned out. Hunting was also reported excellent throughout the Adirondack region.

“Speaking of hunting, don’t forget to enter your kill in the local Rod and Gun Club Big Game contest. Weighing-in station is the local Armour and Company plant on Oak Street. The Club has a big stack of prizes to award to the lucky deer hunters who enter their game.”

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License sales this season

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Pat Gillmett, Harrietstown town clerk, to this date, has sold approximately 100 big-game licenses. The season in the Northern Zone started Oct. 22 and ends Dec. 4.

There are now many outlets: in sporting goods stores, online and at the regional DEC headquarters in Ray Brook where they have sold 48 so far this season.

Sue at the DEC headquarters in Albany does not have the 2016-17 numbers yet, but the number of big-game licenses sold for the 2015-16 season in Franklin County was approximately 318 residence and 377 non-residence, but there are many other categories such as military, retired military, native American, etc.

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Proof of a flu outbreak?

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From Dorothy White in the Bloomingdale news:

“With all the illness around, wonder how many would be interested in a very short – approximately two-hour -?home nursing refresher course to be given by a registered nurse? Classes will be small and if enough interest is shown, will be repeated. Get in touch with me if you would like to sign up.

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Corrections, addendums, screw-ups, etc.

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The photo carried here last week given to me by Shirley Hosler showed a Halloween group (probably in the 1960s, not the 1940s) gathered at Mike & Sandy’s Restaurant … now the Waterhole. Apparently Shirley is in that group, and she offered to try and identify the group, but they are all wearing masks, so what’s the use? But I also said that if the man leaning into the photo is not John Fogarty, “I’ll eat my shirt.” Thank goodness I was only wearing a T-shirt, so with a lot of salt and pepper and mayo, it went down pretty easily.

That man leaning into the photo was Fred Gorrow. He is the father of Lillian (Mrs. Richard) Burman, and her son Richard is the head pressman at the Enterprise. Fred ran a few service stations in town, but when he worked for the Ford Agency, he had a green Mercury convertible with white seats, and that is the car in which Lillian learned to drive.

Also in that column, I mentioned all the John Muldowneys … well, almost all of them … starting with my friend Jack Muldowney, who owned and operated Club 86.

I have had “foot in mouth disease” for years, especially over names, so after mentioning attorney John Muldowney and his son Johnny Muldowney, executive director of the Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce, I said, “For all I know, maybe Johnny has a daughter named Jackie.”

Johnny and his wife Temnit, born in Ethiopia, have a son named Jack, almost 3 years old, and a daughter named Ella, who is 4. Temnit and Johnny met in their freshman year at college in Cortland.

Now with me and names … my cousin Patrick Howard worked for a 100 years at the Adirondack Regional Airport for 100 different airlines. In his last gig there, he was in charge of the Hertz car rental agency. He “set me up” a few years ago by saying, “You should go talk to that guy who just rented that Jeep” … so I went over and asked if he was here for the horse show. He answered, “Yes, my daughter Destry is an equestrian competitor.”

I said that’s a boy’s name, not a girl’s name. He replied it is not, etc., etc., and I went on and on like I had been into the blabbermouth soup again, about everything unimportant, until I finally said, “Good luck to your daughter,” and left.

I found Pat and asked, “Who was that guy?”

“Oh, that was Steven Spielberg,” he said.

Thanks a lot, Pat!

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