June 2017 - ROOST continues to host online influencers and travel writers so that they can experience our region first-hand. Most recently, ROOST welcomed and set up itineraries for Scott Macleod of Flagstick Golf, an Ottawa-based magazine and the Golf Ontario website and newsletter; freelance writer Devorah Lev-Tov; Becky Moore, owner of one of the UK’s top travel blogs, and newspaper travel writer and author Barry Stone. The writers were busy sharing photos of our area on social media during their stay. We’ll be sure to share their articles as they are developed!

June 15, 2017 INDIAN LAKE, N.Y. – The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST), in conjunction with the Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce, is pleased to announce the launch of the destination website, www.indian-lake.com. Focusing on the region’s natural beauty, recreational opportunities and amenities, the site aims to inspire travel and direct tourism dollars to Indian Lake. Potential travelers to the region can scroll through a lists of special events, lodging and dining options, and activities in order to customize their trip. The site is also a resource for residents and contains links to organizations, professional services, community events, and more. “The new site strengthens Indian Lake’s online presence and provides a comprehensive platform to help our business community reach potential travelers,” said Darrin Harr, Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce Chamber Coordinator. “Since the launch, we have experienced a sharp rise in the number of email inquiries and phone calls,” he added. The new site is built within the greater Hamilton County website, AdirondackExperience.com, which allows ROOST to leverage the “Adirondack Experience” brand to help better position destinations such as Indian Lake. The town has it all. It is ideally situated in Hamilton County, surrounded by numerous lakes, rivers, streams and mountains. Fishermen, boaters, and kayakers are lured to three major lakes – Indian, Abanakee, and Adirondack lakes. It boasts a lengthy list of fun events, like the Great Adirondack Moose Festival, and offers quick access to world-class whitewater rafting and the Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake. “A website often serves as the traveler’s first impression of a destination," said James McKenna, ROOST CEO. “The new Indian Lake website is not only a more useful resource for residents and travelers, but is visually appealing, conveying the activities and experiences available and the extraordinary beauty of the natural landscape." ROOST is the accredited destination marketing organization (DMO) responsible for promoting Essex County, Franklin County, Hamilton County, the Town of North Elba, the Town and Village of Tupper Lake, Harrietstown, Lake Placid, Piercefield, and Saranac Lake, New York to the traveling public. For more information about the organization, visit roostadk.com.

For the fourth year, Ironman would like to offer each athlete a $25 gift certificate to use at participating area restaurants. These vouchers will be placed in the athlete bags, with a list of participating restaurants listed on the back. The restaurant gift certificate is valid July 20-24, 2017. The certificate is only given to those who have signed up for Ironman. The balance over $25 is the responsibility of the customer. The $25 gift certificate can be applied to tax. There is no balance or cash back on any purchase less than $25. All gift certificates will be submitted, by participating restaurants, to the ROOST office no later than July 28, 2017 for reimbursement. Click here to download the participation form: Ironman Dine Around Application 2017. Return it to Bethany no later than Thursday, July 6, 2017at bethany@roostadk.com.

June 20, 2017 MEDIA ADVISORY WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES STAFF TOURS THE REGION PRESS INVITED TO RECEPTION WITH INTERNATIONAL DELEGATION AND LOCAL SPORTS COMMITTEE WHO: FISU (International University Sport Federation) staff and members of the Lake Placid/Adirondack Global Sport Committee. FISU staff includes Milan Augustin, Paola Matringe, and Jiho Kim. WHAT: Members of the press are welcome to meet with the international delegation visiting Lake Placid, Wilmington, and Saranac Lake this week. They are touring the region as part of an ongoing conversation of possibly bringing the World University Games to the Adirondacks in 2023. WHERE: Heaven Hill Farm, 302 Bear Cub Lane, Lake Placid WHEN: Wednesday, June 21, 5:15 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. WHY: Area business leaders, regional communities, elected officials, ORDA and ROOST are exploring hosting the 2023 World University Games. In January, a Lake Placid/ Adirondack delegation went on a fact-finding trip about the World University Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to begin evaluating the feasibility of hosting the games in the future. They met with FISU officials and attended several meetings to discuss the idea. Since then, an Adirondack-based global sports committee formed. In May, Lake Placid Mayor Craig Randall sent a letter of interest, on behalf of the committee, to the United States International University Sports Federation, to be considered as a host candidate. The FISU contingent is visiting the region and will be here through Friday. They will be in meetings and touring sporting venues, lodging properties and other area facilities. This is an unofficial preliminary walk-through tour occurring ahead of an official World University Games site visit and candidature. FISU is responsible for worldwide competition of student-athletes in numerous sport competition programs. It stages events every two years, and they include summer and winter games. More than 170 national federations belong to the sports organization, from five continents. The winter games include alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, hockey, short track speed skating, and snowboarding. ###

PRESS RELEASE Contact: Doug Haney, Cycle Adirondacks Co-Director 518.524.4674, doug@cycleadirondacks.com SARANAC LAKE — A new partnership aims to support charitable projects in Cycle Adirondacks host communities. Cycle Adirondacks is a fully supported road cycling tour of the Adirondack region, founded in 2015 by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Adirondack Program. This year, WCS and Cycle Adirondacks are teaming up with Adirondack Foundation’s crowdfunding platform, Adirondack Gives, and the Glenn & Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation to raise funds for community projects in Saranac Lake, Schroon Lake, and Keene Valley. The 2017 tour is scheduled for August 19-25 and will feature each project as guests from over 30 states and provinces spend two consecutive nights in each community. “We want Cycle Adirondacks to be as community focused as possible,” said Zoë Smith, director of WCS’s Adirondack Program. “The event itself is an economic driver for the region, but we felt we could do even more.” With a grant from the Pearsall Foundation, Cycle Adirondacks is providing seed funding to three crowdfunding campaigns. The host communities and riders will look to spread the word and generate additional gifts. “Through this program, we’re able to bring cyclists from all over North America directly into the story of our incredible overnight host communities,” said Cycle Adirondacks Co-Director Doug Haney. “Not only will our riders be contributing to the projects, but they will have the opportunity to see, interact and learn more about them during this summer’s tour.” Saranac Lake Youth Center Bike Fund The Saranac Lake Youth Center is working to establish a fund to purchase bikes for Saranac Lake area youth in grades 6-12. The main priority is to get bikes to youth who need them for transportation, recreation, and exercise. In addition to providing bikes, the youth will be taught bike safety and be given helmets and locks. The goal is to have the youth “earn” the bikes through an application process and then be eligible for selection by the Saranac Lake Youth Center Board of Directors. Learn more: http://bit.ly/SLBikeFund. Helping an Adirondack Wild Child in Keene Valley Beavers are habitat engineers, building dams and ponds that make our mountain home biologically and beautiful — but this work can also get them into trouble! Flooding costs our towns money and often leads to trapping and killing beavers to prevent them from causing damage. To protect New York State’s official mammal, we are helping Keene Central School install a “beaver-deceiver” water control structure to prevent flooding and keep this wild child out of trouble while they do their beaver thing, enhancing native habitat. Learn more: http://bit.ly/KeeneBeavers. Schroon Lake School Chicken Coop The goal of the new Farm to Table program at Schroon Lake Central School is to help students understand where their food comes from and how they can use the earth to become self-sufficient and responsible consumers. The centerpiece of our Farm to Table program will be the construction of a chicken coop, not far from our playground and the future camping site of Cycle Adirondacks. Our new coop will be used as a study lab for raising and understanding livestock. Along with the other facets of our Farm to Table program such the construction of raised garden beds and the implementation of a composting system, we hope to instill and teach a lifelong passion for gardening and farming, and responsible use of the land. Learn more: http://bit.ly/SchroonChickenCoop. For more information about Cycle Adirondacks, visit cycleadirondacks.com. To learn how Adirondack Foundation uses crowdfunding to support Adirondack communities, visit www.adirondackgives.org. About Cycle Adirondacks Cycle Adirondacks mission is to grow and support bicycle tourism in New York’s Adirondack Park. Our flagship event is The Ultimate Cycling Vacation, an annual award winning, fully supported weeklong road cycling tour of one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the world. The success of The Ultimate Cycling Vacation has since led to Cycle Adirondacks support of two incredible day rides, Ride for the River and Bike The Barns. Cycle Adirondacks is now at the forefront of driving and shaping bicycle tourism in the Adirondacks and surrounding region. ###