To the editor:

To make a parade float happen takes the efforts of many unsung heroes.

Thank you to Lauri, Michael and the rest of the team at Tractor Supply Co. in Ray Brook for donating their trailer to my daughter Julia so our parade float idea could become a reality; James Lemons, Mike McCreadie and Cade Grady at Lake Placid Center for the Arts, and Matt, Shannon, Ryan and Bailey Bartholomew for providing us warm, dry spaces to build; Mark Palyswait at Casier Furniture, Peter Crowley at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, and the Lake Placid Center for the Arts for their donations of building materials; Beth and Peter Benson for keeping our parents warm; Kristin Finn for helping make Medusa’s head a reality; Richard Dykeman, the good Samaritan who saved my day, moving our stranded float trailer in the middle of the blizzard over snow drifts that my minivan could never dream of crossing; Dustin Martin and the hard-working men and women of the Saranac Lake Department of Public Work for working all night to clear the streets and sidewalks to allow the parade to pass through; and to the Winter Carnival Committee and the parade volunteers for making this year’s parade one to remember.

And thank you to all the community members and visitors to Saranac Lake who, regardless of weather, shared their enthusiasm and excitement all down the parade route. You are the ones who made this year’s parade truly legendary.

With pride in my community,

Andy Walkow

Member, Gods and Monsters

Saranac Lake