The Week: What Caught Our Eye

July 25, 2020

A paddlewheel steamboat seen on Lake George during sunset. In painting-like majesty, the Minne-Ha-Ha steamboat plies the glass of Lake George at sunset. (Sara Mannix)

Material from Bartholomew campaign. (The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library)

ED SAVES THE DAY: It is well understood that “no prophet is accepted in his hometown,” but Ed Bartholomew managed to defy the biblical maxim. He became a hero in the hardest place of all, his hometown of Glens Falls, the star athlete who saved the day, then the mayor who at 28 transformed down-on-its-luck Hometown, USA, into the City on the Rise. Historian and journalist Maury Thompson says there were signs of future greatness in Bartholomew’s early years. His contributions to Glens Falls and the Southern Adirondacks will not soon be forgotten. https://bit.ly/EdBartholomewsLegacy

KAREN AND HER SISTERS: Poor Karens of the world. The name has become short-hand for the entitled white women who are certain their rights supersede yours and who won’t hesitate to call the police to make sure you know your place. Turns out, the concept of Karen predates the Civil War, when she was known as Miss Ann. https://bit.ly/KarensAsMissAnn

THE SOUND OF SILENCE: Generations of classical music lovers have built their summer plans around the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s annual pilgrimage to Tanglewood, the centerpiece of a busy and energetic cultural calendar in The Berkshires. That’s all gone this year, leaving an eerie if scenic void in the heart of Western Massachusetts. https://bit.ly/EmptyTanglewood

BROKEN BUT UNBOWED: Christopher David, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, saw what federal agents were doing in Portland and wanted to ask them a question: How did their actions square with their oaths to defend the Constitution? So he put on his Navy sweatshirt, a ballcap for the Academy’s wrestling team, and approached. The response — he had his hand broken and was blasted in the face with pepper spray. And he never flinched. https://bit.ly/QuestioningProtestor

GETTING AWAY: If the unseasonably warm summer in the Northeast, combined with what feels like the national compulsion to get the heck outside, has you seeking something cool, look below the surface and you’ll find a world of underground fun in Upstate New York. If camping is more your style, here’s a list to get you started. But be prepared: Camping is big this year. Really big.

https://bit.ly/CoolUndergroundSpots

A BETTER PLACE: For a growing number of city dwellers, COVID-19 has crystallized the vague feeling that it might be time to give up the crowded, expensive, stressful urban life. As working remotely becomes the norm, young professionals and families are looking for new homes in the Adirondacks and Hudson Valley, and the second home market is booming. https://bit.ly/SecondHomeMarkets

Sunlight reflecting on a lake with mountains in the background Lake Champlain collects the waters of northwest Vermont and northeast New York and does so with grace and beauty. (Tina Suhocki)

THEY DON’T SUBSCRIBE TO CANCELING: The Cancel Culture, silencing disagreeable voices, ran into a wall at The Wall Street Journal this week. https://bit.ly/WallStJournalDoesntWilt

ANSWERING FOR HIMSELF: He’s been welcomed into homes for 36 years, but little was known about Alex Trebek beyond his smooth, on-screen persona as the host — as distinct from the more boastful “star” — of “Jeopardy!” But the outpouring of public love and support following his announcement that he had pancreatic cancer persuaded the reticent Canadian that he had to give people something more. https://bit.ly/AlexTrebekReflects

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Brothers Nicholas and Luke LaScala are sons of the Adirondacks, young men who combined their considerable and complementary skills to develop and launch an app that provides real-time information about businesses and recreation in the region. The app is interactive and detailed. As for the cell service up there, well … https://bit.ly/AdirondacksApp

A TERRIFYING TURN: Remember when healthcare workers were regarded with something approaching reverence for their tireless efforts and personal sacrifices in treating a relentless wave of coronavirus patients? Serenaded from the balconies of New York, applauded as they changed shifts, hailed as heroes? Yeah, that was so two months ago. Today, doctors and nurses around the world are under attack, treated as threats to propagate the pandemic rather than as the healers of those who suffer. Seriously. https://bit.ly/HealthCareWorkersAttacked

THANKFULLY, NOT EVERYONE: CBS Sunday Morning introduces us to Steve Derrick, an artist from Clifton Park who has produced more than 100 portraits of healthcare workers as they ended their shifts, many of them nurses at Albany Medical Center. He presents the finished portrait, a moment in time that omits no detail, to each of his subjects, and refuses payment. https://bit.ly/ArtistsPortrayalAsThanks

NO DIMES TO SPARE, BROTHER: A lesser-known effect of the pandemic: a nationwide coin scarcity, which has many retail businesses short on change. https://bit.ly/NationalCoinShortage

SAGAMORE PASSES THE TEST: A Massachusetts-based writer was desperate to escape the confines of her neighborhood and breathe the fresh air. Mindful and wary of COVID-19, she looked for an all-inclusive place to kick back while keeping distant. The Sagamore in Bolton Landing turned out to be the perfect choice. Another Forbes contributor cast her vote for Lake Placid. Looking for other getaway ideas? Vogue has you covered.
https://bit.ly/StayingAtTheSagamore

NO FANS, NO PROBLEM: Saratoga Race Course took in 9.4 percent more in total handle in the first four days of racing this year than in 2019, despite the prohibition on fans in the venue. Good news in some respects, but what does that say about the future of racing as a spectator sport? https://bit.ly/SaratogaHandleWayUp

PARENTING IN A PANDEMIC: Harvard Business Review contacted working parents and asked them to share advice with others who are juggling the dual responsibilities of parenting and working from home. Perspectives poured in from around the world. https://bit.ly/ParentingAndWorking

ALMOST FINAL WORDS

“He still had so much left to do.’’
— John Wheatley, Vice President, Economic Development Corporation of Warren County, on the death of his boss and friend Edward M. Bartholomew.

THE SIGNOFF

POTTY HUMORLESS: The Village of Potsdam is taking a stand on Hank Robar’s cans. The village board told Mr. Robar it’s his duty to remove the flower-filled toilets he began sprinkling around town as a form of protest, warning of further action if they’re not gone by September 1. He’s not taking the order sitting down. https://bit.ly/PotsdamsPottyStandoff

THANK YOU to our contributors: Bill Callen, Bill Richmond, John Brodt, Lisa Fenwick, Tina Suhocki, Sara Mannix, Tara Hutchins, and Claire P. Tuttle.

FACING OUT is what we do. We help companies, organizations and individuals work effectively with their most important external audiences – their customers, their shareholders, their communities, the government and the news media. www.behancommunications.com

Facing Out features news and other nuggets that caught our eye, and that we thought might be of value or interest to you, our friends and business associates. Some items are good news about our clients and friends, others are stories that we hope will leave you a bit more informed or entertained than you were five minutes ago. As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback.

Let’s make it a conversation: mark.behan@behancom.com