MOUNTAIN — to figure skating legend Scott Hamilton launching a new skating event in Lake Placid that will raise money for Adirondack Health’s Merrill Center for Oncology in Saranac Lake, as well as for his own nonprofit foundation, Scott Hamilton CARES, which funds cancer research. The Frozen 5K will take place Feb. 18 at the Olympic Speedskating Oval. Each participant will skate 10 loops around the oval, and people will pledge donations online at www.mysk8.org/LakePlacidNY2020. The goal is 10,000; $1,630 had already been pledged as of Friday afternoon.

Hamilton, for those who don’t know, carried the U.S. flag in the Opening Ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and won gold in the 1984 Olympics. He also won multiple U.S. and World Championships and other top competitions, and co-founded Stars on Ice, which again opened its annual tour in Lake Placid last week. Hamilton is also no stranger to cancer, having survived it in the 1990s and had a benign brain tumor removed in 2010. We hope his presence will go far to help our cancer center here.

MOUNTAIN — The deadline to nominate someone to be king or queen of this year’s Winter Carnival is coming up soon. Nominations must be received no later than 5 p.m. Jan. 15 and must be phycially signed by the nominator. Submissions should be mailed to the Winter Carnival Committee, Attention: King/Queen Nomination, P.O. Box 829, Saranac Lake, NY 12983. They can also be dropped off at the Enterprise office at 54 Broadway or the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in the Harrietstown Town Hall, 39 Main St. No email nominations are accepted. If you have questions, call Cherie Racette at 518-891-3598.

The king and queen selection is based upon volunteerism within the community. Candidates should demonstrate a long-term and broad-based commitment to making life more livable, pleasant, and enjoyable — both for the people who live here and for those who visit. The volunteer activities can be organized or completely self-motivated. The committee is seeking people who help others independently, not people who are in professions that help or care for others.

MOUNTAIN — to a rise in broder crossings from Canada to the U.S. between 2017 and 2019, according to a recent Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau study reported on by the Press-Republican of Plattsburgh. The study examined how many of those tourists stayed for the day, for one night or for two or more nights; each went up by more than 3.5%. That is a pleasant surprise, considering that in those two years, Canadians’ money has dropped in value compared to U.S. funds. A U.S. dollar two years ago was worth about $1.26 Canadian, and now it’s worth $1.30.

Tourism is critical to our region’s economy. The Lake Placid area, the region’s tourism hub, has work to do on managing the flood of visitors, but still, this is good news.