Please join New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul for a virtual presentation on New York State’s FY 2022 State Budget. The budget builds on the bold vision to reimagine, rebuild and renew New York by supporting the pandemic recovery of highly-impacted small businesses, restaurants, and the arts and entertainment industries, placing a cap on broadband for low-income families, providing billions in rent relief, and to preserve 100,000 affordable homes, investments from the private and public sectors to create Green Economy opportunities and create the nation’s largest infrastructure plan to drive growth and opportunity for all. Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. To Join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88662546123

The Adirondacks, New York - The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) in cooperation with the communities of Wilmington, Jay, Upper Jay, and Au Sable Forks, is undergoing a branding study and is looking for stakeholders, residents, and visitors to complete an online survey. The survey is designed to help better understand what motivates people to visit the Whiteface Region in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Respondents are asked questions about their perception of particular activities, such as hiking, fishing, mountain biking, dining, and visiting area attractions. “The Whiteface Region provides a unique variety of experiences for both residents and travelers,” stated Savannah Doviak, the Whiteface Region Marketing Manager for ROOST. “The survey will help guide us in developing a cohesive marketing message to position the region as a great place to visit, live, and do business.” Results from the survey will be used by ROOST and a committee, made up of business and community members to refine and update the brand for the region. A brand is a unique image and message that increases awareness of the region for both tourism and sustainable economic development. It reflects the customer’s impression of a product, destination, or organization. “We are thrilled to be kicking off the brand development for the region,” states Michelle Preston, Operations Manager of the Whiteface Region Visitors Bureau. “We have pulled together an excellent committee to help guide us through the process, and we look forward to leveraging the results of the survey to advance this initiative.” Both local residents and visitors of the Whiteface Region are encouraged to complete the short survey, which can be found at www.WhitefaceRegion.com/Brand. Respondents to the survey will be entered into a drawing with three chances to win a $50 Visa Gift Card. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, along with the communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, all located within the Adirondacks in New York State. ###

ROOST and I Love NY are in the process of reviewing how we approach accessibility and accessible vacation ideas across our sites. To that end, I Love NY has developed a survey to gauge accessibility and highlight accessible features. I Love NY would like to use this info to highlight accessible features on ILoveNY.com. In addition, ROOST will be using this information to develop accessible highlights on our own websites as well as to update your business listing information on VisitAdirondacks.com. Please note, this survey is designed to highlight accessible features for guests who may need them. Your responses will ONLY be used to highlight accessible features. Start the Survey

Adirondacks, U.S.A. - The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) and local leaders are inviting residents to register for the 11th annual Great Adirondack Garage Sale. For 2021, the event is moving back to its historic Memorial Day weekend schedule. The dates this year are May 28 - 30. The garage sale stretches over 200 miles through Adirondack communities, including Old Forge, Inlet, Raquette Lake, Indian Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, Long Lake, Tupper Lake, Piercefield, Newcomb, and Speculator. Registration is free online and listings on the website include dates and times for each sale. Each community will also receive paper maps of local sale locations to hand out. To register and find more information, visit www.GreatAdirondackGarageSale.com. The interactive website showcases sale locations and allows unlimited photos of the items for sale to be uploaded. “Finding hidden gems at garage and yard sales is such a fun part of summer,” Christy Wilt, Director of Hamilton County Economic Development and Tourism said. “We look forward to the Great Adirondack Garage Sale every year. The date was pushed to August last year due to COVID-19, but we’re back in May this year and are anticipating a safe and healthy event. It’s a great opportunity to upcycle things we don’t use anymore, connect with our neighbors, and, of course, spend some time outdoors.” Garage and yard sales are permitted in New York State. Masks and social distancing are still required. Shoppers should continue to wash their hands, sanitize, and be respectful during the Garage Sale. For more information, contact ROOST’s Hamilton County and Tupper Lake Marketing Manager Katie LaLonde at katie@roostadk.com. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, along with the communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, all located within the Adirondacks in New York State. ###

Lake Placid, New York. - The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) in partnership with the Lake Placid Business Association (LPBA) has developed a “Perfecting Placid” toolkit available for businesses to utilize during the construction on Main Street Lake Placid. This toolkit is a collection of resources that will help promote and share a consistent message, that Main Street is open for business. It also offers support to local businesses through local co-op advertising opportunities. “We encourage our local businesses to use these materials as they communicate with customers and promote their business,” Bethany Valenze, ROOST’s Lake Placid Marketing Manager, said. “It’s important that we all share the same message so residents and travelers receive consistent information. Construction can be a confusing time but we want people to know that Main Street is open; it’s just undergoing some perfecting.” The toolkit provides a variety of materials businesses can use, including images of Milton the Moose donning a hard hat and the message “Pardon the dust. Perfect in progress.” There is also a flyer with a QR code that brings people to the Perfecting Placid website. The website has up-to-date information on road detours, parking, and Main Street upgrade updates. Discounted co-op advertising is available to businesses as part of the toolkit. This was made possible by ROOST in conjunction with the LPBA, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the Lake Placid News, WSLP (93.3 fm), and Adirondack 105. Businesses can fill out the sales sheet available in the toolkit to learn more about how to take advantage of this great opportunity to gain exposure at a fraction of the normal cost. All items are available digitally, and some are available physically. Businesses should contact ROOST for window clings and flyers if they’d like them for use during construction. To access toolkit materials, visit www.RoostADK.com/Perfecting. “A message is only successful through its amplification. ‘Perfecting Placid’ is a creative way to show locals and visitors that things might be messy right now, but it’s all about creating a more sustainable Main Street Lake Placid,” Lori Fitzgerald, President of the LPBA, said. “If we can all share the messages behind Perfecting Placid, we’re helping each other navigate through this period of construction and highlighting that the best of Main Street has yet to come.” The construction on Main Street has already begun and will continue through the end of June. July - August will bring a pause to the main street construction and will resume in September. For more information, contact ROOST’s Lake Placid Marketing Manager Bethany Valenze at bethany@lakeplacid.com. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, along with the communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, all located within the Adirondacks in New York State. ###