Seven Books To Read This Fall

Ahhh, fall reading. I skip from the sweet summer beach reads and dive straight into all the nightmarish things that go bump in the night. 

But whether your tastes veer towards horror or history, there’s a bit of something for everyone on this list of seven books (and corresponding cocktails) for fall. We hope you’ll cozy up, watch the leaves fall and sink your teeth into one of these great books.  

Some of these picks - and many others! - will pass through our Little Free Library, located at 31 Lincoln Avenue, this fall.

The Final Girl Support Group

Grady Hendrix 

Horror

It’s the most common of horror movie tropes - the “final girl,” the lone survivor who bests the murderous maniac. But what comes after? Real-life final girls from various massacres come together for support and therapy in this July 2021 release... until one of them goes missing. While classified as horror, Hendrix’s books are the perfect mix of quirky, thrilling, campy and comedic - I recommend any of them, also notably “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.” 

Best Paired With: Nightmare on Bourbon Street

Harlem Shuffle 

Colson Whitehead 

Historical Fiction 

After winning back-to-back Pulitzer Prizes, Colson Whitehead is back with “Harlem Shuffle.” His first crime novel follows the story of furniture salesman Ray Carney, who is toeing the line of criminality before getting pulled fully into a world of heists and capers.  Historical events and figures of 1960s New York City pulse in the background, including the Harlem Riot of 1964 that took place after a white police officer shot and killed a Black teenager.  

Best Paired With: Old Fashioned

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

Ashley Winstead

Psychological Thriller 

They were known as the East House Seven - a group of inseparable and popular college friends. When the group reconvenes 10 years after graduation at homecoming, it’s without Heather, whose murder senior year remains unsolved, and Jack, her boyfriend at the time and prime suspect. Secrets unravel surrounding their relationships, ambitions and obsessions in this ‘dark academia’ thriller, a la Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History.” This one will leave you guessing right til the final pages. 

Best Paired With: Cherry Bounce

Under the Whispering Door

T.J. Klune 

Contemporary Fantasy

“Everyone loses their way at some point, and it’s not just because of their mistakes or the decisions they make. It’s because they’re horribly, wonderfully human.” When attorney Wallace Price drops dead of a heart attack in his office, he’s led to a tea shop where a ferryman will help his soul cross over to the afterlife. But Wallace isn’t ready - and is granted one week to live the life he missed. A much anticipated follow-up to his beloved “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” I can’t wait to check this one out.

Best Paired With: Death in the Afternoon 

Apples Never Fall

Liane Moriarty

Family Drama 

Liane Moriarty has become a Hollywood darling - with her novels “Big Little Lies” and “Nine Perfect Strangers” recently adapted into series for HBO and Hulu, respectively. Now she’s back with “Apples Never Fall,” a family drama centered around the disappearance of the matriarch of a well-respected tennis family, and a stranger that arrives mysteriously on their doorstep. 

Best Paired With: Apple Cide-Car

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

Mary Roach

Nonfiction

The world of animal-human conflict is a fascinating one - full of people with job titles like Human-Elephant Conflict Specialist, Bear Manager or Danger-Tree Faller-Blaster. Mary Roach’s latest is “powerfully propelled by the force of Roach’s unflinching fascination with the weird, the gross and the downright improbable,” as noted in a The Washington Post review. Dive into this discipline that pulls in forensic science, conservation genetics, human behavior, wildlife biology and more. 

Best Paired With: Pink Elephant

Beautiful Country: A Memoir

Qian Julie Wang

Memoir

The word for America in Chinese, Mei Guo, translates to “beautiful country.” In China, Qian’s parents were professors. When they arrive in New York City when Qian is seven, they become undocumented immigrants who labor in sweatshops to survive. Qian grapples with an identity of “illegal,” the changing dynamics of her family and her mother’s illness - while still finding delights wherever they can be found in this moving memoir. 

Best Paired With: Good Fortune Cocktail

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Some of these picks - and many others! - will pass through our Little Free Library, located at 31 Lincoln Avenue, this fall. Keep an eye out by following our Instagram at @gflittlelibrary, and stop by to take or share a book. 

Back in the Day: Augustus Sherman

Augustus Sherman of Glens Falls spent the last hours of his life doing what he loved best –negotiating a business deal.

“Yesterday morning he arose about half-past eight o’clock, apparently much improved in his condition. In fact, he remarked to his wife that he had not felt so well in several days,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported the day after Sherman’s Dec. 3, 1884 death. “About 9 o’clock, W.J. Reed, a prominent lumber man of Indian Lake, called at the house for the purpose of transacting some business with Mr. Sherman, and was shown to his room.”

Augustus Sherman • Photo courtesy of Glens Falls Senior Center

Dr. R.J. Eddy, the family physician, was sent for a few minutes later, when Sherman complained of feeling ill, and the 83-year-old Sherman, reportedly the wealthiest man in Warren County, died at about 9:30 a.m.

Sherman had been at Potsdam, in Saint Lawrence County, checking on his saw mills there, for about a week previous when he developed a cold and had an asthma attack.

He returned to Glens Falls on Nov. 29, after stopping over in Albany to spend Thanksgiving with his daughter.

On Dec. 2, Sherman, who was president of First National Bank of Glens Falls, signed checks totaling $8,000, many of which were cashed the day that he died.

“Teller Pruyn says that the (bank) president’s signature was as perfect and legible as ever,” The Glens Falls Times reported. “The news was so unexpected that everyone received it with much surprise, and particulars of his untimely demise were eagerly sought for.”

Sherman’s long-time home, where he died, is now the Glens Falls Senior Citizens Center, at the corner of Glen Street and Sherman Avenue.

The Sherman House, as seen in this 1935 postcard

The building, constructed in 1859, was twice slated for demolition before a group of area residents including Harold Wakefield, Betty McAndrew and Robert Joy listed it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The senior center recently completed $500,000 of renovations and improvements to the mansion, an example of early Italianate Villa architectural style, as evidenced by its arched windows, shallow roof slopes, chimneys and a rooftop cupola.

Sherman supposedly had the cupola built so he could look out at all his vast real estate holdings in the region.

The Sherman House • Photo courtesy of Glens Falls Senior Center

Sherman, who had interests in lumber, forestland, lime, paper, banking, and more, left an estate of between $2 million and $3 million – the equivalent of between $55.5 million and $83.7 million in 2021 dollars.

He was regarded as the largest saw mill operator in the world, processing 33 million feet of lumber annually at his mills – three in the Glens Falls area, two at Potsdam, and one each at Ottawa and Black River in Canada.

He had been president of First National Bank since 1858, and held $100,000 in the bank’s stock at the time of his death.

Sherman was president of Glens Falls Paper Co. in South Glens Falls, president of Glens Falls Transportation Co., president of Sherman Lime Co., a director of Glens Falls Insurance Co., and had been partner with Frederick Johnson in a banking firm that was dissolved when Johnson, a Republican, was elected to Congress.

Sherman owned stock in First National Bank of Albany, Lapham & Co. grist mill, Bugg & Co. saw mills, slate quarries in Vermont, and an insurance company at Albany.

“His death has caused a vacancy in the business circles of northern New York which will be hard to fill,” The Argus, of Albany, reported.

Sherman was an important enough figure locally that, while he was still alive, the street next to his house, originally known as Hawkeye Street, was renamed Sherman Avenue.

It is believed he was the first person to own and operate canal boats on the Feeder Canal.

Sherman, born at Arlington, Vt. in 1801, was a direct descendant of Roger Sherman of Connecticut, who signed the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution.

Augustus Sherman • Photo courtesy of Glens Falls Senior Center

Augustus Sherman was a self-made man.

“Early in life he learned the lessons of exhaustive, rough manual labor working with his father in the mingled pursuits of farming and lumbering,” wrote biographer Joseph E. Barnes.

At age five, he moved with his family to Kingsbury, and a few months later to Luzerne.

By age 15, Sherman was hauling horse loads of lumber to Albany by himself, and by age 19 he was operating his own lumber and grist mills.

“He had no educational advantages worthy of note, and, like the majority of men who have risen to prominence in the present century by diligence, shrewdness and an active brain, attended a country school for a limited period during winter months,” The Glens Falls Times reported.

Around 1840, Sherman sold his family holdings at Luzerne and moved to Glens Falls.

Sherman was an employer who led by example, Calvin W. Eaton, vice president of the Glens Falls Board of Lumber Dealers, wrote in a tribute a few days after Sherman died.

“Even in old age, he was not afraid of manual labor, always saying to his men, ‘Follow me,’ when he called them to any of the dangerous work required in rafting logs to the mills.”

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Sources: The Morning Star, Glens Falls, Dec. 4, 5, 1884; The Glens Falls Times, Dec. 4, 1884; The Post-Star, April 9, 2017; The Argus, Albany, Dec. 4, 7, 1884; Courier and Freeman, Potsdam, Dec. 10, 1884; The Columbus Journal, Columbus, Nebraska, March 11, 1885; “Profiles in Banking,” Joseph E. Barnes, published 1990 by First National Bank of Glens Falls; biographical essay by Glens Falls City Historian Wayne Wright

The Weekender: October 15 - 17

Happy weekend! What are your plans? Despite our best intentions, we still haven’t made apple crisp, so that’s definitely on the agenda. Here are a few other things we’re hoping to fit in…

Apple vs Pumpkin: Are you an apple person or a pumpkin person? The Shirt Factory is putting fall favorites to the test this Saturday with the Apple vs Pumpkin Fall Throwdown! Food vendors will be offering at least one dish with apple or pumpkin as an ingredient, plus activities, live music and more. Details here!

Adirondack Film Festival: The Film Festival is back this year with both in-person and virtual screenings! The line up includes over 70 films including narrative features, documentaries, shorts, music videos, and more - plus popcorn, panels, and parties. Get the scoop and the schedule here!

Now Showing: Speaking of films, there’s a new exhibit at The Chapman Museum (starting today!) presenting a historical perspective on how the evolution of moving pictures impacted local communities. From the early years of storefront nickelodeons, to lavish “movie palaces” and outdoor drive-ins, the exhibit includes historic photos, ads, and memories from local movie houses - find the details here!

Vischer Ferry Fall Marketplace: Have you been down to Vischer Ferry General Store yet? It’s one of our favorite southbound spots, and this weekend is their Outdoor Fall Marketplace - complete with antiques and one-of-a-kind handmade goods by local vendors. A head start on your holiday shopping perhaps? Details here.

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom

Six Halloween Books Your Kids Will Love

Spooky season is upon us! And our kids will not let us forget it - as they’ve been asking us if it’s “trick or treating day” for a week, trying their costumes on every night, and reading their fair share of Halloween books. I love switching out the books on our little bookshelves with every new season or holiday, and Halloween is no exception! Check out some of our family favorites below – hoping these titles will tide our kiddos over until it’s actually “trick or treating day.”

You're My Little Pumpkin Pie

This sweet little board book is a rhyming story geared more toward babies and younger kiddos – but my almost 4 year old enjoys it, too! 

There's a Monster in Your Book

This interactive story is so much fun to read! Kids will tilt, spin, and shake the book to try to get the cute little monster out – until they discover they’re better off keeping him in :)

Stumpkin

We love this adorable story about Stumpkin! He is the perfect pumpkin – except he has no stem and no one seems to want a stemless pumpkin for a jack-o-lantern.

The Little Kitten

This story about Ollie, who must return a lost kitten to her home, is one of our favorites for fall.

Gilbert the Ghost

The sweet story of Gilbert, a ghost who is a bit different and doesn’t want to scare.

Pick a Pumpkin

Hands down – this is our favorite book on the list. The illustrations are beautiful and the rhyming text brings all of the excitement of the season to life!

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Editors note: If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you, which helps to support GFL. Thank you!

Just Married: Katelyn and Alexander Schnackenberg

A gorgeous downtown wedding, complete with amazing local vendors, “Morticia Addams goes to Pottery Barn” details, and lots of great food. Read on to see and hear about all of the details of Katelyn and Alexander’s day, with beautiful images by Teresa Bushey!

THE COUPLE: Katelyn (maiden name: Cardone) & Alexander Schnackenberg

Tell us about yourselves!

I (Katelyn) grew up in Glens Falls, NY, attending school in the Glens Falls School District. I am both a SUNY Adirondack and SUNY Oswego Alumni with a BFA in Graphic Design.

Alexander grew up in Glen, NY, attending school at Fonda-Fultonville. He graduated from the University of Albany with a BS in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. He currently works as a software engineer for Jahnel Group Inc., based out of Schenectady.

Mural Pictured by Artists Rob Harriman and Hannah Williams

Where did you meet?

We met online; our first date started at Raul's before ending up at the Bourbon Room. We both bonded over our love for tacos and old fashioneds.

What do you two like to do together?

We both enjoy photography; I have done work professionally, and for Alex it's more of a hobby and excuse to travel.

In the last month and a half before the wedding, we found a local dance instructor (Aaron Coulson at ACEntertainment out of Hudson Falls) and discovered we both really love to dance, so we plan to keep taking lessons and continue dancing as a way to grow together.

We love going to local trivia nights - the Bourbon Room and Mean Max being some of our favorite haunts.

We love to cook together, we are always trying different things in the kitchen and at our home bar. Our friends never leave our house hungry or sober.

Any fun facts about you as a couple?

We love to host and entertain, and we enjoy being the center of making plans. We keep our friends and families in weekly rotations. We are equally social with different skills - Alex is the cook/bartender, and I set the tone with music, entertainment, and refer to myself as the "charcuterie queen."

We both love to travel. Alex has traveled / lived in Africa, Colombia, Panama and Brazil; I traveled to New Zealand for a 4 month stay. With Covid taking up more than half of our relationship, we have not had the opportunity to travel internationally other than Montreal, but that will all change in the coming months.

Florals by Epithet Floral • Mural Pictured by Artists Rob Harriman and Hannah Williams

THE PROPOSAL

Originally Alex had really wanted us to travel to Italy and had envisioned delivering the proposal in Rome. Covid of course dashed those plans, and Alex ended up popping the question on the shores of Lake George. He lured me to a "Christmas card photo shoot," where my aunt was going to use her camera to take some photos of us by the lake. Little did I know that Alex had the ring in his pocket the whole time, and he surprised both me and my aunt. It was because my Aunt Larissa had her camera on her that we were able to catalog the whole thing, and because it was in November, we had the lake all to ourselves.

THE WEDDING: September 17th, 2021

What were your favorite parts (and the most challenging parts) of the planning process?

For Alex, the best part was working with Doc's to throw a really great reception, complete with signature cocktails and endless amounts of food. We both come from families that have strong connections to their roots; I am Italian and Alex is German. We both knew that we did not want the food to stop and went from cocktail hour to dinner to dessert , and ended the night with a "Taco - to- go" bar on the way out.

What ended up being challenging was worrying too much about making friends and loved ones "happy guests" (probably no more than any other couple). Covid put a lot of pressure on the guest count and the size of the venue we chose. We were careful to establish boundaries and hold the wedding we wanted, and everyone who came enjoyed themselves immensely.

Tell us about the venue!

If you have not been yet, The Park Theater is stunning! For myself (Alex humbly admits that I handled all the aesthetics), I wanted a restored building that had all the modern amenities. We are frequent patrons of Doc’s, so it was a quick decision for us. The Art Deco details that gave the room character, the amazing food, and Ethan, the best bartender in downtown Glens Falls, combined with their amazing event coordinator, Megan - it really was the best of everything for us.

What was your vision for the occasion?

When I first initiated contact with our florist, Epithet Floral, I described our wedding as "Morticia Addams goes to Pottery Barn," which is what we got. I envisioned brass candlesticks, brass pedestal centerpieces, black on black table settings, and gold accents wherever they could. My favorite decor item was the giant brass vessels that held enormous centerpieces in the entry and gift table, and the two vintage mirrors I thrifted and my Maid of Honor, Katie used her creativity to create decals that would create signage for the reception. The florals were perfection. We wanted lush, dark greenery, paired with dark reds and ivory zinnias and dahlias, we only asked for no pink. Our florist, Emily Rubin, is a floral goddess. If you are a 518 bride, she is remarkable and so talented, and incredibly easy to work with.

Tell us about all of the details of the day!

I went to nine bridal stores between here and Albany, and I found them all to be lacking variety for a plus size bride. On Instagram, I started following Something Bleu, a boutique bridal store in downtown Saratoga Springs. On their stories, they announced a trunk show for Studio Levana - a designer that I had been following for a while and noticed that it was the designer for most of the dresses on my Pinterest board. When I saw the dress on Something Bleu's story, and they announced that they would have their trunk show the following weekend, I immediately made an appointment. I walked in, looked at my bridal consultant Liza, and said "make me a sexy milk maid, like an Alphonse Mucha painting." I tried on the dress I wanted, and two more, looped back to the first dress and left without it. It took less than an hour for me to realize that I made a mistake not buying it, and I called the store, and came back for the dress - and the rest was history.

For the bridesmaids, I wanted them all to choose a black dress of their choosing. I envisioned a "AHS Coven" moment, and figured that black would be the easiest color to find, in a million different styles, price points, and sizes. I wanted it to be easy for them. The groomsmen and groom all bought their suits from J.Reid Menswear so that they would all match. They were so professional and easy to work with.

Our cake was a small tier cake. A bunch of my family members (myself included) have Celiac Disease, so the cake had to be gluten free. Instead of subjecting everyone to gluten free cake, we chose to do macarons (they are traditionally gluten free by default) from Alchemy Bagel as our wedding dessert. We love supporting them - we purchase our weekly bread from Alchemy every week at the Farmers Market, and almost always purchase the special release macaron boxes they offer from time to time. It was a no-brainer for us to choose them, and we were able to choose six different dessert flavors for our guests to choose from. They were incredible and guests raved about them. We especially loved that everyone could still dance with one macaron in each hand - it kept the party going!

As for unique details, we had my Nana be the Flower Queen (traditionally called the flower girl), and she was escorted down the aisle by my mother, Cathleen. We opted out of doing favors and had a photo booth set up where guests could all take photos home with them. An additional take home was the taco bar on the way out - at that point we had had an open bar for four hours, so the tacos were met with rave reviews.

We had signature cocktails that Ethan, the bartender at Doc's, created especially for us. He came up with what we thought were our perfect drinks; I am a G+T girl, Alex loves an old fashioned, and we both love Sangria. Ethan even went as far as too make us a signature mocktail, to cater to our multiple guests who do not drink alcohol.

Doc’s helped us curate an amazing menu! One of our favorite highlights was how they worked in Alex's German heritage into the cocktail hour. We had soft pretzels with Oktoberfest beer sauce, potato pancakes with beet infused sour cream, and bratwurst stuffed puff pastry with roasted apple butter - his family was astounded at how delicious they were!

We opted to not do the traditional garter toss and did not do a bouquet toss (that thing was expensive!!), and instead chose to do an anniversary dance, where all the married couples come to the dance floor and eventually after the DJ kept calling out numbers of years married, we ended on my Great Aunt Rose and Great Uncle Richie, who have been married 61 years - and the crowd went wild! We also celebrated the birthday and anniversaries of our wedding guests who attended - our way of extending our gratitude for them choosing to spend their special day with us, celebrating our wedding.

What were your favorite moments from the day?

Alex's favorite moment was standing in front of the altar in St. Mary's reciting our vows to one another. Another favorite moment was at the end of a great reception, our DJ had told us the last song he would play would Metallica's "Enter Sandman", and when that came on it was just a huge wave of relief as the anxiety of the previous months just lifted and we realized we really had done it.

One of my favorite moments was doing a first look with my bridesmaids who had not seen my wedding dress yet. Another favorite, of course, was doing my first look with Alex on the roof of The Queensbury Hotel. Alex's reaction was to burst into laughter when he first turned around, which made me immediately start laughing too.

The speeches at the reception are what really resonate with me. The kind words and memories shared on that day are moments and words that I will carry in my mind forever.

How about a honeymoon?

I just started a job in July, so I didn't have a lot of vacation time accrued (although my company was very generous anyway in granting me about a week and a half off). We settled on a mini-moon in the Finger Lakes for a few days. Our timing was perfect because the weather had just started cooling off and we had a great time in the area (we even ran into a worker at a winery who told us they had gone to Lake George for *their* honeymoon!). It also happened to be the first week of harvest at the wineries in the Finger Lakes, and we loved how we could watch how it was all being done, while admiring the stunning views of the Finger Lakes from every winery we went too.

Do you have any advice to share with a future bride and groom?

Throw the wedding you want, stay within your means, and don't stress about what anyone tells you that you have to do. Marriage isn't about the wedding, the wedding is about celebrating you and your decision to enter into a partnership with your love.

...with that said we probably still went a little overboard with some of the details (I am not sorry).

Vendor Credits

We ended up having almost all of our vendors based out of Glens Falls, but we really didn't set out to do things that way! We really found the local options to be superior to what we could find elsewhere, and we're really excited to live in such a great community!

Venue: The Park Theater

Food/Catering: Doc's Restaurant

Event Coordinator: Megan Ryder

Bartender: Ethan McKee

Cake: Alchemy Bagel Company

Gown: Something Bleu Bridal; Designer: Studio Levana

Suits: J. Reid Menswear

Donuts: Birch Bark Eatery

Hair: Angela Tucker - Salon 305

Esthetician: PamperedbyCatelyn- Catelyn McCann- 518 Beauty Room

Photographer: Teresa Bushey

Florals: Epithet Floral

Band : T&T- Tony & Tom

DJ : George Miller - 2GuysDJ

Ring Designer: Northeastern Fine Jewelers

Rentals: Action Photo Booth

Rooms: The Queensbury Hotel

Rehearsal Dinner: Morgan & Company

Ceremony: St. Mary's Catholic Church

Choreographer: ACEntertainment - Aaron Coulson

Murals Pictured by Artists Rob Harriman and Hannah Williams

The Weekender: October 8 - 10

Happy Thursday! Looks like we’ve got a beauty of a fall weekend on tap, complete with one sunny day and one drizzly day (perfect for whipping up some comfort food and watching football). There’s a lot going on this weekend, so without further ado…

West Mountain Fall Fest: Excited to see West Mountain’s Fall Festival on the calendar for this Saturday and Sunday (and next weekend, too!). Looks like they’ve got a little something for everyone - wagon rides, chair lift rides, hikes, a petting zoo, pony rides, food, and brewery + distillery tastings. Sounds good to us! Here are the details.

Halloween Sweets: Trick or treat, neighbors! It’s sneaking up quickly, and if you’re looking for some sweet treats for the kiddos (or yourself for that matter), get your cookie orders in with Abby’s Cookie Jar before the deadline on October 11! Here’s the link.

Save the Date: Date night! You’ll want to mark your calendars for October 24 - how does A Night at the Speakeasy sound? Live music, passed hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and the charming atmosphere of The Park Theater - all to benefit World Awareness Children’s Museum - a win-win! Grab the details and get your tickets here!

Art for a Good Cause: Our friends (and sponsors!) at The Glen at Hiland Meadows are celebrating two decades of service to the senior community with an online art auction / fundraiser held through Wednesday, Oct. 13. The auction will feature the works of Tom Ryan, an Adirondacks artist and resident of The Glen who donated 67 (!!) paintings from his remarkable collection for sale. Profits from all artwork sold will be donated directly to The Glen's Memory Care Center Campaign. Check out the auction here.

Movies in Pumpkin Patch: Washington County Fairgrounds is hosting a full weekend of movies to benefit The Salvation Army of Warren, Washington, and Saratoga Counties. Bonus: you can grab dinner and popcorn from their food truck corral before the show! And they’ve picked some classics to show, including Casper and Beetlejuice! Get the details here.

Landscapes for Landsake: More art for a good cause! Two things we love? Beautiful country scenes and beautiful art! Landscapes for Landsake combines these into an amazing art exhibition that benefits the Agricultural Stewardship Association (whose mission is to conserve and protect the region’s farmland). Buy gorgeous art, and save local farms - another win-win! This event is both in person and online. Grab the details here.

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom

My Glens Falls: Benita Anderson

There’s a new bakery coming to town and we were excited to chat with owner Benita Anderson to learn a bit more about her (and of course, the plans for the bakery!). Find out what brought her family to Glens Falls last year, how she keeps busy when she’s not in the kitchen (spoiler alert: keeping up with her children!), and the menu items she’s most excited about with the upcoming opening of Bella Lyn’s Bakery and Cafe on South Street.

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Benita and I am the owner of Bella Lyn's Bakery & Cafe. I'm a self taught baker, motivated by my family to turn my hobby into a business that can help support them. Most of my days consist of being a mom and a wife attempting to juggle football games, jiu jitsu, pack lunches and whatever else my children decide to indulge in.

After all that is done, I have what seems like minutes for myself and that's when the creativity begins to flow and I'm making cupcakes or dipping fruit at three am. My true passion is giving back and I’m always looking to help those in need. I am hopeful my new business will help me do just that.

On Life In Glens Falls

My family is not originally from this area. My husband is actually a NYS Correctional Officer at one of the local facilities. After visiting the area, it quickly grew on us and he decided to transfer. We began our new life here about a year and a half ago. It is a beautiful place to live and we love how close the community seems to be. It seems to give us some of that city familiarity and small town vibes we've been looking for. I feel it's a great place to raise a family.

A Perfect Glens Falls Day

My ideal day in the city would probably start at Starky's Diner. My kids love eating breakfast there. The kids and I are most likely having hot dogs, pancakes with bacon and eggs. The hubby is going to order sausage biscuits and gravy with runny eggs. He's discovered a north country staple and he loves it.

My children are super active, so I would have to say the next stop would be Crandall Park to let the boys burn off some energy before lunch. Downtown City Tavern would definitely be our lunch stop.

Date nights are unfortunately few and far between but my husband and I have been meaning to try Mikado.

On the Past

One memory that's going to stick with me was the day we moved here. We moved at the height of the pandemic - with barely any of our belongings - into a hotel. Within a week we found a home, but our furniture delivery was delayed with no expected date of arrival. We ate pizza while sitting on our floor, but regardless, we knew we were home. It felt amazing to the point we've made it a family tradition. Whenever we move we eat on the floor.

On the Future

This may seem just a little biased, but I'm going to have to say Bella Lyn's Bakery & Cafe is what Glens Falls is missing. We will be offering warm empanadas stuffed with meat and cheese inside of a flaky crisp crust. I love eating Puerto Rican rice and beans with pulled pork, but I can't find it here - so luckily it will be on our menu as well. Stay tuned!

The Weekender: October 1 - 3

Happy weekend, and Happy October! Fall colors are appearing on the trees, leaves are falling, and we found ourselves searching for warmer coats when we went out on our walk yesterday morning. It’s happening! Soaking up this sweet season and hope you are too.

Lots happening this weekend! Let’s get to it…

Grandma’s Table: Have you grabbed your tickets? Grandma’s table is a family style, al fresco dinner on Maple Street in front of The Queensbury Hotel with fresh, locally grown ingredients prepared by your favorite downtown restaurants. And bonus - the event benefits LARAC and the GF Collaborative. Details and tickets here!

*CANCELED* Park Theater: Mark your calendar for the latest in the The Park Theater’s Live and Local series - Cold Chocolate on October 8! According to their website, they’re a ‘genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk, and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own.” Sounds cool to us! Tickets here.

Potato Picking: This season is all about the apple picking, yes, but have you ever been potato picking? Goose Island Potatoes in Argyle has U-pick this weekend if you’d like to give it a go! Here are the details. Pass the mashed potatoes, please!

A Barn Full of Art: Two of our favorite things! ;) If you’re up for a ride this weekend, be sure to check out Whiting Studio in North Argyle. Robert Whiting and Susan Bayard Whiting will be displaying their work alongside three other talented local artists: Ken Wilson, Janine Thomas, and Elana Mark. Grab the details here!

Fall Artisan Fest: Bring on the fall festivities! Our pals at Lakota’s Farm are hosting an Fall Festival this weekend, complete with music, art, crafters, food, and breweries. Sign us up! Details here.

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom

My Glens Falls: The Dunn and Dickey Family

We caught up with the Dunn and Dickey Family this week! They share how this area went from a favorite vacation destination to home sweet home, some of their go-to spots as they’ve settled into town, and some big news for the family come 2022!

Tell us about yourselves! 

Hi! We’re the Dunn and Dickey Family: I’m Jenna and I married my husband Ryan Dickey in November of 2019. My parents are Teresa Ann and Paul Dunn. My mom and I are both teachers - I’m a special education teacher and my mom Teresa is a music teacher. My husband Ryan is a local attorney and my dad Paul is a management representative for a large health insurance company. 

On Life in and about Glens Falls

In 1965, my grandparents (my mom’s parents - Tom and Genevieve Ciotti) began vacationing every year in Lake George with my mom and her twin sister. Years later, after my parents met, they joined my grandparents in Lake George every summer. In June of 1995, nine months after I was born, my parents introduced me to the Lake George tradition. Years later, after I met Ryan, I introduced him to the Lake George area. 

In the winter of 2017/2018, I was in the last year of my Masters program at LeMoyne College and Ryan was in his last year of law school at Syracuse University College of Law. We were both looking for jobs for after graduation when Ryan found an attorney position posted in Warren County. He applied, not thinking that living in our vacation area was possible, and he was called for an interview. He was later chosen for the position! 

In August of 2018, we moved into a town home in Queensbury. We began to explore the areas outside of Lake George, including Glens Falls and Queensbury. We attended every event and found our favorite local spots. In November 2019, we got married and purchased our first home. We’re expecting our first child in February of 2022! 

Meanwhile, after several months of contemplating moving out of Utica, my parents Teresa and Paul decided to move to the area. In July 2021, they moved to a lovely home in Glens Falls. 

A Perfect Glens Falls Day 

Our family's favorite weekday and weekend spot for coffee, breakfast, or lunch is Kelly's Roots. We go to the Farmer's Market on the weekend for local goods, local foods, and our dogs' favorite homemade dog treats. 

We like walking on the various trails around the areas and hitting up a local brewery. Our family's favorite place to be in Glens Falls is in Crandall Park watching one of the bands perform, or downtown Glens Falls eating outside at Mikado or Radici.  

On the Past

Our favorite Glens Falls memory is a recent memory. Recently we took professional photos in Crandall Park to announce our upcoming baby news. Our next memory we hold dear is taking our miniature schnauzers to Hovey Pond Park.

On the Future 

We are an Italian family who loves Italian cooking and Italian food. We would love to see an authentic Italian restaurant in Glens Falls that has all our favorite dishes. 

The Weekender: September 24 - 26

Happy weekend! But more importantly, Happy Balloon Festival Weekend! The sight of all those hot air balloons in the sky in the morning still makes me as giddy as an adult as it did when I was a kid, and we’re guessing you all probably feel the same way. And so that said, here’s what we’ll be up to this weekend…

Adirondack Balloon Festival: No surprise here! We’ll be up before the sun both days and can’t wait to see those hot air balloons take flight as the sun comes up. Get all the details, including the schedule changes for this year and the all important directions and parking info here.

Fall Sweets: If you’re a fan of The Muffin Top Baker’s cookies, you’re in luck - she’ll be having a pop up through Friday at Studio Elements on Lawrence Street - follow along with her on Facebook here for all the details!

Wool & Arts Festival: Another festival this weekend! The Adirondack Wool and Arts Fest is held at the Washington County Fairgrounds and features over 100 local artisans and their crafts, including wool, pottery, wood, and lots more. Plus - craft beverages and all your fav festival foods. Details here!

Apple Picking: Have you been yet? We picked our apples but that doesn’t stop us from visiting more of our favorite orchards to indulge in a few more cider donuts! Here’s a list of farms to try here.

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom

My Glens Falls: Paul Nasrani

This week we caught up with Paul Nasrani, who you may know as the owner of Adirondack Creamery! He shares what brought him to this area to start his ice cream business, some favorites in and around their home on Glen Lake, and what type of restaurant he’d like to see added to the region…

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Paul Nasrani. I’m the founder and owner of Adirondack Creamery Ice Cream. My wife Simi and I have two children.

On the Ice Cream Business

In the early 2000s I was the Chief Financial Officer of a company in NYC and dreaming of starting my own business. I used to make ice cream as a child on a friend's farm and began to make ice cream using simple ingredients – milk, cream, sugar and eggs — in my tiny Manhattan studio apartment for friends. My ice cream was so well received that in 2004 I quit my job and relocated to Silver Bay on Lake George start Adirondack Creamery which was also my introduction to life in the Glens Falls region. I now have an ice cream company which produces all of our ice cream with milk and cream from small family farms to stores throughout the New York Metropolitan, Hudson Valley, Capital and Adirondack regions. Some of our flavors include Whiteface Mint Chip (named after the Olympic mountain in Lake Placid), Syrian Date and Walnut (50% of the profits are donated to groups that help Syrian refugees), Chocolate Peanut Butter, Kulfi Pistachio Cardamom, Pumpkin Pie, and more.

On Life In and Around Glens Falls

While I had spent summer vacations on Northern Lake George throughout my youth, I was not familiar with Glens Falls until founding Adirondack Creamery in 2004. On a trip to plan the opening of Adirondack Creamery at Silver Bay, my then girlfriend, Simi (now my wife of almost 15 years) mentioned we should stay over at her mother’s place which I thought was in Albany, but it turned out to be a lovely home on Glen Lake that she had owned since the early 1990s. Simi's parents loved the Lake George region because the mountains and lakes reminded them of Kashmir, where they are from. We stayed at Glen Lake a lot during the early years of Adirondack Creamery and over the years as the ice cream company and our family grew, we spent more time there each summer, as well as the holiday season and ski weekends in winter. During the pandemic, we decided to spend most of our time at Glen Lake.

Since we have been spending more time here, we have discovered wonderful things in our neighborhood (beyond the lake we love so much). For example, biking the trail to Coopers Cave (and stopping at Sprinkles on the way), shopping at the Farmer’s Market downtown, cross country skiing at Cole’s Woods, basketball in Crandall Park, the pool and trails at Gurney Lane, shows at The Wood Theater, and more. We also love the amazing proximity to our favorite Adirondack areas for outdoor activities – Northern Lake George, Keene Valley, and Lake Placid.

We really enjoyed how our neighborhood came together this past winter to create and maintain an ice rink which stayed in use until mid-March. We enjoyed hockey games that lasted until dark, skating lessons, and even a neighborhood barbeque out on the ice.

Some Glens Falls Favorites

I love the energy and evolving downtown – wonderful shops, an amazing library, green public spaces and of course so many wonderful food options that I can’t name them all– Morgan and Co, Mikado, Flight, Radici. A favorite hidden gem for us is La Cosina Mexicana on Bay Road and we also love Bean's Country Store in Queensbury (which sells our ice cream).

A Perfect Glens Falls Day

I’d start the day with an early morning bike trip from Glen Lake to Glens Falls, grab the first coffee at Stewart’s just off the trail, and then ride back to get in the first dip in the lake for the day. If it’s a Saturday, we’d head back downtown to pick up coffee and an egg sandwich at Flight and then to the Farmer’s Market for eggs, vegetables, fruit and whatever else looks great. We’d then head back home for another swim and cooking up some of the Farmer’s Market food on the grill for lunch.

We would kayak and swim with the boys in the afternoon and then paddle over to the Docksider for mid afternoon cocktails. In the early evening we’d all pile into our old Lincoln and head south to Common Roots for dinner outside and then we’d be off to the Glen Drive-In where we’d enjoy popcorn and our own Adirondack Creamery ice cream all while having a blast watching a feature under the stars.

On the Past

I miss having Kashmiri tea with my mother-in-law on the deck of the house on Glen Lake. She was a doctor in the Albany area but had Wednesdays off and loved spending her days off here as it reminded her of the lakes and mountains of her native Kashmir. She was never happier than when our kids were running all about the yard and jumping in the lake. She passed away a few years back and I am certain she would be thrilled that her grandchildren continue to love the area as much as she did and we continue to have tea on the deck.

On the Future

I'd love to see a Middle Eastern restaurant or a gourmet grocery store selling more ethnically diverse foods, similar to Kalustyans in NYC. I definitely miss the variety of food options we have in NYC.

The Weekender: September 17 - 19

Ah, September. The weather, the fall activities, the fall food… Might it just be the perfect month?! Let’s see what looks good this weekend, shall we?

Date Night: Just saw that Radici is back open after a few weeks off, and we’re psyched to enjoy our favorites once again! Find their menu and make reservations here.

The Park Presents: This Saturday night, The Park Theater presents the Jason Anick Acoustic Trio, featuring virtuoso fiddler, Jason Anick, guitarist, Max O’Rourke and bassist, Greg Loughman. Grab tickets here!

Apple Picking: ‘Tis the season! We’re heading to the orchard this weekend and can’t wait to get our hands on apples of course, but everyone knows the star of the show is really the cider donuts ;) Check out our roundup of local orchards here!

Pumpkins and Pizza: If you’re ready for fall decorating - and you’re craving pizza - head out to one of our favorite pumpkin stands this Sunday for pumpkins and pizza! You’ll love the charm of The Farmstand at Tiashoke, and the selection of pumpkins is amazing. Pizza is a bonus! Details here.

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom

The Weekender: September 10 - 12

Happy weekend! It’s back to school week and there’s a hint of fall in the air - and there’s also a whole lot of fall activities popping on the calendar! Here’s a few that caught our eye:

Never Forget: There will be a procession honoring the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on Saturday at 9am. It’s set to include local first responders, police and firefighters and will head from the Ridge Street Fire House to City Park, followed by a pipe and drum music and speakers. Details here.

Ariel Posen at The Park Theater: Grab your tickets for Ariel Posen on Friday night! He’s got a rootsy sound - a little bit heartland rock & roll, electrified Americana, blue-eyed soul, R&B, and Beatles-inspired pop. For tickets and more info about this season’s events, click here!

Vette Fest: If Corvettes are your thing, you’ll want to check out Vette Fest this Sunday from 10am-2pm on Maple Street between The Queensbury Hotel and City Park. In addition to the car show, there will be music and a food truck - or pop in to Fenimore’s to grab a drink and a bite! Details here.

Cheese Tour: Have you ever gone on the Cheese Tour? It’s the perfect combination of beautiful views and farms, and delicious cheese (and wine and beer, too!). If you’ve never been, it’s a self-guided tour through the gorgeous back roads of Washington County - with an opportunity to visit (and sample!) at cheesemaking farms, a brewery, and a winery, and more. Looks like a perfect weekend for it, too! Here are the details.

Adirondack Harvest Fest: Bring on the fall activities! Adirondack Harvest Festival Open Farm week starts on Monday, and there are so many great activities you’re going to want to fill your calendar with! From u-pick flowers and fruits to corn mazes, wine tastings, and petting zoos, you’re going to want to check out the calendar here and plan your stops across the region!

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom

Hometown Family: September 2021

I guess it is about time to stop commenting on how fast each month, season, and year is flying by, and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. May as well make the most of each moment!

As summer closes, I am shifting gears a little bit with our monthly calendar. Instead of an event for almost each day of the month, I will focus on homeschool trip options for a couple of weekdays, and try to find at least one family friendly activity for each weekend. 

As always, please reach out if you have a family friendly event you’d like to share with the community!

Photo: Bri Lyons

September 10: Storytime on the Farm at Pitney Meadows in Saratoga. How cute does this place look?! We’ve never been, so would love to hear your experience if you go. More details here.

September 11: .5K (.3 miles) Fun Run! Located at Pitney Meadows Community Farm, this race is sure to be fun for the whole family. All are welcome, and there will be family activities on the farm as well. More info here.

September 11: Grandparents Day Event at The Children’s Museum at Saratoga!  The event starts at 10:30am and includes story time and a card project to honor the grandparents. Check out their calendar here for more info on this and other weekly events.

September 13: Slime Lab at World Awareness Children’s Museum in Glens Falls! We have done this before and highly recommend! More info here.

September 16: This year, Up Yonda Farm in Bolton will be hosting their very first homeschool programs each month! The first theme is Ecosystems and Living Things. There is a session for 3-6 year olds, as well as a session for elementary aged students. More info here.

September 16: Stories and Art for Elementary Age Kids (grades K-3) at Crandall Library. Kids will enjoy a variety of stories and a creative art project. Details here.

September 18: Museum Day at World Awareness Children’s Museum means that from 10am - 3pm, admission is free! Search other participating museums and get your ticket here.

September 20: The Children’s Museum at Saratoga is hosting a Homeschool Open House information session and outdoor science session at the Lincoln Baths with a schedule of homeschool programs for the year provided. Details here.

September 22: Kids Book Club at Crandall Library (grades 4-6). This month's selection is The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Sign up and get more details here.

September 23-26: The Adirondack Balloon Festival may look a bit different this year, but I’m sure it will still be magical for the kiddos to watch the balloons inflate (and hopefully launch!). Stay up to date here.

Dakota Ridge Llama Trek: This is something that has been on my bucket list for my daughter for as long as I can remember (sometimes I think “her” bucket list is actually just an excuse for mine to come true, though). For $35 (for those 10 and older) you can lead your own llama through the forest (but all ages are welcome to join!). What better time to do that than this fall! More info here.

Jungle Experience Zoo: Find everything you need to know on their Facebook Page.

Crandall Library: Drop-in (or, “out” since it’s outside), for preschool story time in the park every Tuesday at 10am, and Wednesday at 10a for infants/toddlers. No sign up necessary.

The Children’s Museum at Saratoga: Offering weekly Art Adventures, Outdoor Story Time, and Outdoor Science Explorers, CMAS’ events calendar is sure to have something for you to enjoy! 

*For more family friendly options to enjoy any day of the week, check out our Hometown Family Activities page here*

To add your event to our calendar, email Haley at hgerarde@aol.com.

On the Farm: King Brothers Dairy

We headed south to Schuylerville this month to chat with Jan and Jeff King of King Brothers Dairy about their delicious milk and ice cream, as well as their process - from cow to cup!

On Running A Family Business

We are a 125 year old business. Our grandfather and great uncles milked cows, bottled milk and delivered it in the Saratoga area. This continued until the early 60's when the creamery stopped, but the farm continued. 

Today the farm is still a family run business, and has grown to include home delivery with over 200 items to choose from, wholesale and restaurant deliveries as well as an on farm store. Our products include milk, chocolate milk, buttermilk, cream products and over 60 varieties of ice cream.

We [brothers Jan and Jeff] run the farm and operate the creamery. Jeff's wife runs the farm store and ice cream production. Jan’s wife is a veterinarian and takes care of the herd's health.  

Jan King at King Brothers Dairy

On the Importance of Happy Cows

Our cows are very important to us. We treat them just like they were our own kids. The happier we can make our cows, the more productive they are for us. We ensure they are fed the right diet in order to keep them healthy.  

All the cows on our farm are registered holsteins (black and white). We actually keep track of each cow’s ancestry. We do this because we sell some of our high valued genetics to bull studs, and also so we can have some fun showing them at the local fair.

Production - From Cow to Cup

When we started processing and bottling our own milk, it was very important to us to be able to have a product that tasted better than what was already available. As we were constructing the creamery, we chose a little bit of old school technology that helped us achieve that better tasting product. We were willing to be a little less efficient in our process, use a smaller batch size and cold separate our product, all in the quest for better taste. We’re proud of our high quality product. It is a single source product with all milk coming from our farm.

The Offerings

We offer a full line of white milk, chocolate milk, vanilla milk, buttermilk, half and half, and heavy cream. We also make a premium line of ice cream in 60 plus flavors. 

We do our own distribution, primarily in the Capital District, and some in New York City. Locally, you can find our products in Hannaford, ShopRite, and Walmart. 

On Home Delivery 

Ever since we were little kids, we loved seeing the old glass milk bottles and wooden delivery crates that our grandfather used to deliver milk. In 2010 we reinvented our grandfather’s delivery business, returning to deliver milk to homes in the local area. We started back up in the milk delivery business in 2010 and we had about 40 customers in the first few weeks. Today, we do well over 700 deliveries per week. We are like a farmers market on wheels, offering our products and other local products as well. Cheeses, yogurt, maple products, and fresh fruit and veggies when in season.

Our customers absolutely love the service and all the products we offer. They consistently remark on the superior taste of the milk, the convenience and the pride in supporting a local business. 

The Farm Store 

Our farm store has been open for two years. All of the products we offer on our home delivery can also be found here in the store. We have a dip counter offering about 40 flavors at a time, along with seasonal and other unique novelties.

The ice cream has been a huge hit. Many of the people who stop and try our ice cream say it’s the best they have ever had.

On Farm Life

I have loved living on the farm and in the country forever. Watching the sun come up over the Green Mountains is a favorite part of the day. I enjoy watching things grow that I have planted each spring, and smell of fresh cut hay and corn. Each of these things put a smile on my face.

I love the fact that we are able to have our Holstein cows and enjoy the milk that we make into awesome tasting products. Since having the creamery, it has brought us full circle. We plant the crops, harvest the feed and milk the cows. With the milk, we can make chocolate milk and delicious ice cream. There is nothing more satisfying than having a customer appreciate your product and have a connection with where it comes from.

On The Future

We are in the middle of an expansion. We are expanding our coolers, freezer and production area and making room to produce more ice cream so that we can offer it to other vendors than just our own store. 

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King Brothers Dairy
Website / Facebook / Instagram

Special thanks to Taste NY for making this series possible!

Taste NY at the Adirondacks Welcome Center offers nine state-of-the-art vending machines featuring food, beverages, and gifts from the Adirondack Region and across New York State. Find locally roasted coffee, cold beverages, chips, nuts, snacks, baked goods, milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, maple, honey, chocolate, candy, and artisan gifts.

Taste NY at the Adirondacks Welcome Center is operated by the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Thanks for supporting the organizations that support Glens Falls Living!

The Weekender: September 3 - 5

Happy weekend! We're just back from a relaxing trip to Maine and looking forward to a weekend at home catching up on all of our favorite Glens Falls-y things. Here are a few:

Buyer and Cellar: Lake George Dinner Theatre is partnering with the Charles R. Wood Theater to present Buyer and Cellar through September 19! It’s “an outrageous comedy about the price of fame, the cost of things, and the oddest of odd jobs” and bonus - the theater organizations have curated culinary experiences to be enjoyed at downtown restaurants before or the show! Details and tickets here.

New Season at The Park Theater: Mark your calendars - The Park Theater has announced its 2021-22 season! Save the date for Ariel Posen next Friday, September 10 - we hear he has a rootsy sound - a little bit heartland rock & roll, electrified Americana, blue-eyed soul, R&B, and Beatles-inspired pop. For the full performance listing and to purchase tickets, click here!

Entertainment at The Q: This just in - the Park Patio Music Series continues every Wednesday night from 4-8pm through Columbus Day! Also, Jazz Night is always a Friday favorite from 5:30-8:30pm. Details here!

Apple Season: Can’t even believe we’re saying this, but apple season opens this weekend. Just saw Hicks in Granville will be picking early Macs and Ginger Golds - details here!

Art Sale + Benefit: Our friends at Varosy Studios in Greenwich (remember them from our feature on the Open Studios Tour here?!) are hosting an Art Sale + Benefit this weekend, including an exhibition and silent auction. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will be directed to cultural programming at local non-profit organizations, so it’s a win-win. And did we mention it’s a beautiful drive? Details here.

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom

My Glens Falls: Katie Leonka

We caught up with Katie Leonka this week! She shares the role Glens Falls played in meeting her husband, the joys of city living, and two versions of a perfect Glens Falls day - because there’s never just one ;)

Tell us about yourself!

Hey, my name is Katie Leonka! I’m a mom of two - Tenley (3 years) and Macey (10 months). My husband Brendan is a Glens Falls fireman.

I recently started working at the Glens Falls Veterans Affairs office on Ridge Street. Working with our local veterans is so rewarding. This job gives me the opportunity to give back to those who served us and this is meaningful and fulfilling to me! Every day I look forward to meeting more veterans in this position.

I maintain a very small blog on Instagram (LuckyLeonkaCo) where I engage with an evolving mom community.  We spotlight other moms, their experiences and perspectives, struggles with motherhood, quick meals for the busy mom, and the one thing that keeps most moms going - coffee! I share my own experiences with motherhood, the importance of positivity, and showing up when it’s not always the easiest. For example, completing a 6 month dietary restriction (cutting dairy) for my own lactose sensitive baby girl was quite the challenge recently. Featuring my custom made shirts on this blog and getting feedback from the community helps me to separate the good ideas from the ‘not-so-good’ ideas - it’s still fun! 

Another fun fact about me is that I’m ordained (because your girl loves love) and I’m going to get to marry a few of my favorite people coming up in the next couple of years!

On Life In and Around Glens Falls

Brendan and I were both born at Glens Falls Hospital, and grew up in Queensbury. Fate would have it that we would inevitably meet. Interestingly enough, I grew up next door to Brendan’s Grand Aunt Madeline who used to watch me as a baby. Our paths didn’t cross until I was graduating high school. I was with his sister Brittany at the Relay for Life and Brendan was home visiting from college. About a year later we reconnected on college break at Dango’s (on Maple St) and bonded over chicken wings and good laughs. We had our first ‘official date’ at Rob and Deb’s where I distinctly remember ordering mint chocolate twist ice cream, having one lick and dropping the whole cone.

When we were talking about where we wanted to place our own roots, we quickly knew we wanted to stay in the Glens Falls area to be close to family and in hopes that Brendan would be hired at the fire department. It seems like just yesterday, but was almost 10 years ago!

Glens Falls is so up and coming! It seems like there is always a new boutique, restaurant or other interest to check out. I believe this is the ideal location for raising a family. There is so much to explore and enjoy in this tight knit community and I love that. We are growing our family here and look forward to watching the city really flourish with everything new it has to offer!

On City Living

We bought our first home in the city in 2014 from a friend’s grandfather. I knew that the search for our home was over the moment we pulled up in front of the house. We have spent the last 7 years making it our own. When we moved in, most of the walls were either wallpapered and/or white lath and plaster. We have remodeled almost every area and it looks so different. Brendan has completed our version of just about every Pinterest project I have found, including a pallet wall in our kitchen and shiplap wall in our bathroom.

Our favorite part of the house is probably our New York Giants “Fan Cave” where we proudly support blue and red in almost every square inch. We love the smell of buffalo chicken dip filling the house with our family and friends screaming at the TV as if we were actually at the game.

A Perfect Glens Falls Day

My perfect Glens Falls day… oooh this is a tricky one, so I’m going to do a split perspective weekday and a weekend version!

My ideal weekday would start at Spektor for a breakfast sandwich and vanilla almond milk latte before heading to the office. I would hope for a sunny day to enjoy a walk around the city during my lunch break and eat my lunch in City Park with the beautiful tulips. Before heading back to work, I would grab an afternoon pick-me-up from Juicin’ Jar, praying that they have their chocolate ganache donuts - seriously, they are amazing! After finishing work, I would pick up my girls and head back downtown for Take-A-Bite, finished with a Raspberry Cosmo at DTCT!

My favorite day in the city is Saturday! We load the car first thing in the morning and head straight to the Glens Falls Farmers Market! Tenley especially looks forward to going to the Farmers Market to pick up her Rainbow Bagels from Alchemy Bagel. Other musts are chatting with John at Adirondack Gourmet Coffee, ground beefalo from Lick Springs Farms, Mercy Cheddar from Argyle Cheese Farmer, and our newest favorite Blue Boots Farm habanero ginger jelly - which is the perfect addition to the beefalo burger with cheddar! After the Farmers Market, we would meet my parents for a quick breakfast at Spot Coffee before heading to the Halfway Brook Trail in Queensbury. This tires the girls for their afternoon nap. Afternoons consist of hanging out with family and having a cookout poolside, or going for boat ride on Lake George. We’d end the day with date night at Doc’s for dinner. The staff at Doc’s always goes above and beyond with excellent service to ensure each guest is happy.

The Weekender: August 20 - 22

Thursday already! Hoping the rain clears out, but here are a few ways to enjoy this summer weekend regardless…

Two Art Openings: Another big night for openings downtown - Mountain Gallery will have an opening reception for Perspectives: Camera and Brush featuring the work of Ann and Gary Larsen on Friday from 6-8pm, and LARAC will host a reception for the opening of Eyes Wide Open from 5-7pm.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: The latest show at The Wood Theater features an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents competing for the spelling championship of a lifetime, all while candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives. Get tickets here!

What Came Before: Not this weekend, but mark your calendar for What Came Before? on Wednesday 8/25 at The Chapman Museum - Bob Bayle and Andrea Matte will share some of their favorite “Now & Then” stories about places in Glens Falls and Queensbury. It’s always fun to see photos of the city from back in the day. Details here.

A Movie Under the Stars: What’s better than a Friday night movie in City Park? This week they’re showing The Karate Kid at dusk. Bring the kiddos and a picnic blanket! Details here!

**For more family friendly activities this month, check out our Hometown Family calendar for August here!

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom

My Glens Falls: Sean Palladino and Michael Biele

Such fun catching up with Sean and Michael this week! They share what brought them to Glens Falls (and what inspired them to purchase their first home here this year!), a perfect day in the Glens Falls area - spanning from the city to the lake, and what they’re hoping to see downtown in the future (something I’m sure we can all agree on!)…

Tell us about yourselves!

Hello! I’m Sean Palladino and my fiancé is Michael Biele. I've worked at Global Foundries as a Logistics Technician for the past year, and before that, as a contractor for another company that works with Global. Michael works for Warren County as a Medicaid Financial Examiner. I moved in with Michael in an apartment in downtown Glens Falls after getting to know him online. Every time I visited, I got to know this area more and more. And fell in love with him and Glens Falls in the process.

On Life In and Around Glens Falls

Neither of us lived in upstate New York growing up. I grew up in a small New Jersey town close to Philadelphia and Michael lived in Rockland County, just outside of New York City. He moved here to be closer to a lot of his college friends.

Michael did grow up visiting the Adirondacks with his family during the summer, from Saratoga Springs and Lake George to Camp of the Woods in Speculator.

We met online, got to know each other, and visited each other around 2016 before we decided to move in together in 2017.

Glens Falls is an amazing place to live. We can head into the mountains for snow tubing in the winter, hike the trails in the spring, and make a weekend trip to the coast for the beach in the summer. We love the friendly atmosphere and local businesses popping up every month, whether it’s a new restaurant, artist, or shop.

It took many years to save up enough money to buy a home in 2021. And we got into the market at the most frantic it has ever been! We got incredibly lucky to snag one of the new construction homes in Haviland Cove Park.

After living together in a downtown Glens Falls apartment with lots of character, a new construction home is amazing, as we start the next chapter of our lives together. A clean slate home with so much potential!

Ever since we met with the builder and signed the house contract, we have been dreaming up ideas for how to decorate and renovate the house and basement. Or cool landscape ideas for relaxing by the Feeder Canal. Yes, our house is right on the Feeder Canal! It’s amazing!

Thanks to the Glens Falls Running Club (meets on Tuesday’s at 6pm at Mean Max), I have met lots of people in the area that live around Feeder Bend and the South Street Extension. The neighborhood seems perfect for us; a mix of young and older couples, lots of dog owners, and a small local beach nearby.

Some Glens Falls Favorites

Our favorite thing about Glens Falls is the many local breweries. From Mean Max, Common Roots, Davidson Brothers, and more, there is no shortage of options for a cold beverage within biking or walking distance.

On a similar note, we wish more people knew about the Glens Falls Distillery right in the Shirt Factory. In fact, it’s always a flurry of surprises whenever we visit the Shirt Factory, with so many small businesses inside.

A Perfect Glens Falls Day

Our ideal day around the Glens Falls area would start with breakfast at Spektor Coffee. They have the best bagels, especially with lox and cream cheese. Then we would bike along the Warren County Bikeway toward Lake George, with our backpack loaded with a swimsuit and towel to relax on Million Dollar Beach. After drying off, we would start riding back on the bikeway, stopping at the Log Jam for lunch and to shop at some local shops. We absolutely love the new Candy Space by Chad Rabinovitz!

Afterward, we would continue riding back, stopping for a small ice cream cone from Cooper’s Cave along the bikeway. With our new home along the Feeder Canal, we would transition to heading eastbound on the Feeder Canal Trail and cross the canal toward home, where we would relax and enjoy a cocktail or beer by the fire pit.

On the Past

While we haven’t been in the Glens Falls area long, we remember the first time we met the Cordes family at Davidson Brothers. We were at a Howl Story Slam event and the waitstaff didn’t have enough seats, so they asked if we wouldn’t mind sitting with Janet and John Cordes. They are the nicest people, and Janet is on the board of the Adirondack Theater Festival. At the time, ATF was offering a subscribe it forward program, where season pass subscribers can gift a season pass to someone else. They offered us a subscribe it forward pass and we got to see all the amazing plays and musicals that year, including getting to see Marc Summers in person! They definitely got us hooked on the arts in the area.

On the Future

For the future, we would love a rooftop bar. Downtown Glens Falls has lots of great building architecture, and a rooftop bar would allow a birds-eye view of the city.

The Weekender: August 13 - 15

Hi! Just us or did this week fly by?! Looks like we’re going to get a break from the heat just in time for the weekend, so here’s what looks good for the agenda:

LARAC Festival: Everyone’s favorite downtown event is back and we couldn’t be happier! With 80 exhibitors, you’ll find fine art, textiles, home decor, and more - plus live music, food vendors, and activities for the kiddos. Details here!

The Artist’s View: And if you’re in the mood for even more art, this is the last weekend for North Country Art’s exhibit at The Shirt Factory. Over 100 pieces by 52 member artists - details here!

Sunflower Stroll: What’s summer without a stroll through a field of sunflowers?! We went out to Herrington’s in Buskirk last week and it was beautiful - walk the 2 acre field, pick your own blooms, and enjoy the view. Details here!

Cheese Jam at Nettle Meadow: Live music, Common Roots brews, and cheese - yes please! The Cheese Jam at Nettle Meadow Farm is back this Saturday and all proceeds go directly to the care, feeding and medications for more than 100 sweet sanctuary animals currently living on their farm. Check out their story here, and find the event details here.

A Movie Under the Stars: What’s better than a Friday night movie in City Park? This week they’re showing Moana at dusk. Bring the kiddos and a picnic blanket! Details here!

**For more family friendly activities this month, check out our Hometown Family calendar for August here!

Have a great weekend!
Bri + Tom