Doors open at 7:30

Live Music by Howie Lester’s Party Band.

Caller: Jim Kimball

Donations accepted to benefit Save the Community Center

Come alone, with your favorite partner or with all your neighbors!

Volunteers are needed to assist in picking up roadside litter along a stretch of highway in the Town of Springwater that Springwater Trails is in the process of adopting.  We will meet at the Fire Hall parking lot at 9AM for a mandatory safety briefing presented by NYS DOT.  They will provide the required hard hats and safety vests. You will want to bring gloves.  NYS DOT will also provide the collection bags and pick up.  The plan is to work from 9AM-12PM, lunch at Sammy’s, and (if needed) work from 1PM-4PM.   Ask your friends to join us.  So NYS DOT can be given an approximate number of participants, please let Wendy know if you plan on helping out – wsteven@frontiernet.net .

Experience what it’s like to be a tourist in your own community!  Join us for a fun Tourism Night Out:

Minnehan’s Restaurant & Fun Center
5601 Big Tree Rd., Lakeville, NY 14480
Thursday, May 5th, 2016
5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The first 100 guests to arrive and check in at the Livingston County Chamber table will receive a coupon for a free ice cream!  All are welcome!

Click here for the event flyer.

John Kerr, Colleen Liggett are playing a square dance at the Jack Evans Community Center tonight from 7-10pm.. Richard Sauvain is calling. Howie Lester and Meg Grinrod are playing fiddle and piano.

It’s free but a donation to help keep the JECC going is encouraged. More dances later in the year and in future years if we are successful saving the center.

The last dance on April 16 was a huge success. We hope this one will be even better.

ADK Outdoor Expo 2016 is scheduled for Saturday June 11th, 2016, 10:00AM-4:00PM at Mendon Ponds Park.  – – Outdoor activities and learning abound at this free event. – –

Here is a hyperlink to ADK Outdoor Expo.  http://www.gvc-adk.org/expo

And here is a hyperlink to an article about the 2015 Outdoor Expo, included for reference of the myriad type activities.

Paddle Hemlock Lake on this Genesee Valley Conservancy (GVC) organized event.  more info at  – – – http://www.geneseevalleyconservancy.org/events

verbatim from the website – –

“Bring your favorite kayak or canoe to Hemlock Lake to enjoy an early morning paddle on this undeveloped Finger Lake.  Hear from local paddler and photographer Dwight Folts on the highlights of paddling this lake.  All are welcome but you must provide your own boat, PFD, and paddle.  The paddle will be your choice, head into the inlet, paddle the shoreline, or head out into the middle of the lake to satisfy your interests.

It is a morning out with friends!

*Event supported by Steuben Trust Company”

• Location: Take the gravel road from Route 15A at south end of lake to boat  launch.

This early Saturday morning GVC paddle event surely provides a different perspective than some Springwater Trails afternoon paddle events. All are welcome to this free event.

Want to learn more about hops, how they grow, and the way they help make delicious craft beer? What better way than to enjoy some fantastic craft beer brewed by local breweries with our very own hops!

Come join Bluebell Hopyard owners Fred and Kurt for the 4th Annual Tour and Tasting event. Family friendly and welcome to all with live music and raffles throughout the day.

$5 Donation per adult. Children are free.

Each entrant receives a ticket entering you into raffles for prizes throughout the day.

A Through-Hike of the Colorado Trail

The Little Lakes Sustainability Network and Springwater Trails are pleased to co-host a program on the magnificent Colorado Trail on Thursday, October 27, 7:00 PM at the Jack Evans Community Center (old Hemlock school) on Main Street in Hemlock. Light refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome, free of charge. Donations to defray costs are encouraged.

Hemlock resident Bill Cooke will present information about the trail followed by a 25 minute slide show with music showing photos from his 2011 “through-hike.” He will share his deep appreciation of the natural environment fostered from many years of experience in long-distance hiking.  Bill will also have copies of his book narrating the hike – Shades of Gray, Splashes of Color – A Thru-hike of The Colorado Trail – available for your perusal and purchase.

The 486-mile Colorado Trail wends its way through the Rocky Mountains of the Centennial State, traversing a landscape as changing and diverse as the swirling afternoon clouds presaging the daily summer thunderstorms.  A common expression among long distance backpackers is “no pain equals no gain.”  In this program, you’ll hear of the “pain” manifested in the struggle of acclimating to high elevations, of hiking long and steep ascents, of coping with a wide range of climatic conditions from freezing cold mornings to hot baking afternoons, to near daily thunderstorms and to long stretches of limited water.  And you’ll see the “gains,” the triumphs as Bill and his hiking companion Keith “Northern Harrier” Bance savor the many rewards of this enchanting trail:  alpine meadows whose wildflowers cover every range of the spectrum, bewitching groves of aspen trees resplendent with the morning glow of the sun, the glistening of snowy peaks, stately conifers including the massive Douglas firs, high mountain passes, dry foothills, sparkling mountain streams, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets where both the skies and the rocks shine like beacons from the low sun alpenglow, and much more.

Along the way, you’ll hear of the delight bestowed by such simple pleasures as a refreshing swig of Rocky Mountain water or a wildlife spotting.  You’ll hear of fascinating near-daily cloud formations with their myriad shades of gray and ever-changing patterns.  You’ll meet “Trail Angels” who emerge at the right place and time, unplanned and unexpected, to assist hikers with their basic needs, such as rides into towns for re-supplying or offers of water and snacks.  And you’ll visit communities along the trail corridor, meeting the people in them, and enjoying the amenities that we all take for granted, such a hot shower, bed with linens, and meals of “real” food, all of which are especially appreciated by hot, dusty hikers.

Bill Cooke recently moved to Hemlock after living for seven years in Lexington, KY.  He has backpacked for nearly 40 years.  In addition to the Colorado Trail, he has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, Vermont’s Long Trail, the Black Forest and Susquehannock Trails of nearby Northern Pennsylvania, and other trails around the country.

You need not be an experienced hiker to enjoy this program, as Bill explains much of the terminology and peculiar habits of long-distance backpackers.  Even those whose experience is confined to short strolls in the park will sense the challenges and the rewards of a trek in the Rocky Mountains.  Come and take a trip to the summertime Rockies!

The event is co-sponsored by the Little Lakes Sustainability Network and the Springwater Hiking Group, and is free and open to the public.

Volunteers from Springwater Trails are needed to pick up roadside litter along NY Rtes 15 and 15A in the Town of Springwater.   There will be a short information meeting at the Springwater Fire Hall parking lot at 9AM on Tuesday November 1, 2016 prior to getting started.   Bags, safety vests and hard hats will be provided.