To the editor:

The Lake Placid Center for the Arts staff would like to thank the many volunteers who came out to take part in Volunteer Day with Pickers Paradise on Sunday, June 23. Over 20 people from the community came together to replant flowers around our marquee, pick up trash and help with a few office projects that really made a difference in getting the center ready for summer.

We were thrilled to share an afternoon of music, dance, and food with everyone afterwards. Thank you to the bands from Pickers Paradise, Tamburaaki Sastav Pono and Danny Knicely’s Next Generation for performing; expert folk dance instructors Beth Stafura and Hannah Johnson for teaching traditional dances from Virginia and the Balkans; chef Joe Grlica for demonstrating and serving up dishes from Croatia; Maggie Holtzberg for sharing information with everyone about the cultural context of the weekend s activities; and the Folk and Traditional Arts Touring Network program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in collaboration with the National Council for the Traditional Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, for connecting us with these incredible artists.

It was wonderful to gather as a community and impressive to see what is possible when we pool our resources. Thank you to everyone who made this great volunteer day possible!

Sincerely,

Tara Palen and the staff of the Lake Placid Center for the Arts

Lake Placid