What caught our eye - 5/18/19

May 18, 2019

Summer sunrises are ahead, and Blue Mountain Lake and a canoe beckon. (Mark Bowie)

STARS, ALL AROUND US: The Capital Region is incubating national media, stage and viral stars at a breathtaking pace.

• Teachers from Glens Falls and Troy are winning in the annual Teachers’ Tourney on Jeopardy. See how they did last night.

• Colonie’s Madison VanDenburg vies for the title  “American Idol” in this Sunday's finale. She would be the first American Idol winner from New York State, and she's still just a junior at Shaker High. Her sweet voice inspired Stewart's to name one of its ice cream flavors in her honor.

• Uber-talented Hartford native Charles Cornell, the jazz musician and digital content producer, went viral this week playing piano on video to Cardi B talking about her Uggs. The Huff Post declared “Art is this guy…” and BuzzFeed has a compilation of Charles’ “hilarious videos.”

• Area singer-songwriter Bonnie Logan has been named a finalist in the Great American Song Contest.

* Queensbury native Kirsti Blow — a 21-year-old singer-songwriter and recent graduate of the University of Vermont — will be releasing an upcoming EP, "Dust," and has her first single online at Spotify.

• With a chance meeting and a little help from a friend, Galway pianist and singer-songwriter Angelina Valente releases a new album.

• And Proctor’s honored the best in Capital Region high school musicals, with multiple winners from Hudson Falls and South Glens Falls.

THE GREAT LAKE: Lake Placid, no stranger to Best-of listings, is named one of the greatest summertime lake towns by Thrillist. http://bit.ly/LkPlacidThrillistListing

ON THE UP AND UP: A new zipline is proposed for the ski jump complex in Lake Placid by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. And business is so good at West Mountain Ski Center in Queensbury they’re proposing to expand the ski lodge.

ROARING REAL ESTATE: Another major Lake George resort changes hands. http://bit.ly/RoaringBrookSold

RESPECT YOUR ELDERS: Americans are living longer and taking care of themselves better than previous generations, but is their mobility and enjoyment of life hampered by design. http://bit.ly/ElderFriendlyDesign

LADY NO LONGER WAITING: After the Sept. 11th attacks, the National Park Service restricted the numbers of people who could enter the Statue of Liberty’s massive stone pedestal and climb to the crown. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation yearned to offer something new to help visitors understand this enduring, global symbol of freedom. This week, a new museum opened, welcoming all who want to hear the story of Lady Liberty. http://bit.ly/LadyLibertyMuseum

CAP COM’S GAIN: Susan Rosko Fogarty, who led Albany’s Palace Theatre to record revenue and strengthened the theatre’s community programming, will be joining CAP COM Federal Credit Union in July as chief relationship officer, overseeing the credit union’s branch services. http://bit.ly/CapComLeadership

Constant rain has created an angry (but mostly still contained) Hudson River,
as seen at the dam between Glens Falls and South Glens Falls.

REIN IT IN A LITTLE: Wet spring, you say? The proof is in the puddles.  http://bit.ly/NYSoggySpringWeather

ADIRONDACK STEWARD: Barbara Glaser, an Adirondack environmental leader for 40 years, who led the fight to win National Historic Landmark status for Great Camp Sagamore and Camp Uncas, will be honored by the Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake. http://bit.ly/AdkHonorForGlaser

SECOND CHANCE: Could you find your next great hire in jail or rehab? Giving people a second chance is working for some employers and employees. http://bit.ly/FirmsHireExCons

CITY STORIES: Every place has a story. Comeback cities are beginning to tell theirs and hiring professional storytellers to make the new vibe come alive. http://bit.ly/CityStoryTellers  We told Glens Falls’ story not long ago.

WILD LIFE: New York's Department of Environmental Conservation puts out a newsletter highlighting the activities of conservation police officers. You’d be amazed at just how clueless, reckless and downright dumb some people can be. Our favorite this week was the guy in the Allegany County town of Grove who stopped his pickup truck in the middle of the road and fired two shots out his window in an unsuccessful attempt to poach a turkey. Oh, and did we mention a State Trooper was right behind him? There’s more. Much more. http://bit.ly/DECOfficerBlotter

GIRLS GONE WILD: Three upstate New York women, one wild road trip in Florida. http://bit.ly/NYGirlsWildInFlorida

CAR TALK: Saratoga Springs is home to more than 300 beautiful classic cards this weekend. http://bit.ly/SaratogaSpringAutoShow

THREE-MARTINI BALLOT:  New York law now requires employers to grant up to 3 hours for employees to vote. http://bit.ly/NY3HoursOffToVote

NEARLY FINAL WORDS

"The only thing that could spoil a day was people. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few who were as good as spring itself."
— Ernest Hemingway.

Who is spring in your life?

THE SIGNOFF

AT LEAST IT’S QUIET: They’re one step from the bright lights of the big leagues, but for several New York Yankees prospects working to earn their chance, home is a peaceful upstairs apartment where the downstairs inhabitants stop on their way to eternal rest. http://bit.ly/PlayersLiveAtFuneralHom

THANK YOU to our content contributors John Brodt, Bill Callen, Lisa Fenwick, Colleen Potter, Tina Suhocki, Bill Richmond, Pat Gormley and Claire P. Tuttle.

FACING OUT: 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 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