All Aboard the Lucky Dutchman

The crew on the the Lucky Dutchman, L-R: Mary Ellen Barbeau, Captain Bill VanWormer, Me and Alycia Trump.

About a month ago I was approached by Charter Boat Captain, Bill VanWormer of Lucky Dutchman Charters, to see if I would like to go on a Charter Fishing Trip on Lake Ontario. HECK YES I said, trying to hide my excitement - which became easy to do once he mentioned we had to leave the Oswego Harbor at 6 a.m. Does he not realize that I have to take pictures of myself doing these activities and they are posted on the internet for everyone to see? 6 a.m. just does not agree with me especially when cameras are involved. But I sucked it up and agreed to the adventure.

I brought along my sister, who you may remember as the “pro fisherwoman” who actually doesn’t do much fishing. I figured this would be another good chance for me to shed light on her lack of fishing ability. I also brought along my co-worker Mel who, when it comes to fishing, is the silent but deadly type.

Out of the three of us, guess who caught fish:

Alycia…

Mel…

NOT ME.

I guess I filled my one-fish-per-year quota.

I’ll give you a brief summary of how the day went. It was about 6:45am and we were heading out on the lake to catch some lake browns. We waited a couple of minutes and bam… our first bite! I jumped up and fought the sucker for about two minutes until I realized it was getting pretty easy. Either I gained 10lbs of muscle in my arms or the little guy got away (the latter of the two). No big deal, it was early, I still had a full day ahead of me and I was sure I’d be reeling them in.

Next bite: My co-fisherwomen were nice enough to let me go again. I fought this next fish for a good five minutes when I finally got him to the boat. I could see him struggling and my confidence grew! Confidence killed the cat (or was it curiosity). The fish was just about in the net when he broke free!! (Insert 4 letter word here).

I decided it was time to give the other girls a chance. It was still early and even if they both caught fish I would definitely have time to catch some.

Alycia went first. She fought a couple… and they got away (ok, so it wasn’t just me… that made me feel a little better).

Another bite and Mel stepped up to the plate, fighting hard to keep that fish on the line. She was determined to make us all look bad! She did, because she caught the first fish of the day… finally! It was a little lake steelie! I could tell our luck was about to change!

It was my turn again. I could feel the success creeping through my bones. I tried again… and failed.

Alycia fought the next fish after me… and landed one! An Atlantic Salmon - what a catch!

According to Fran Verdoliva of the NYS DEC, "that was a special fish out of Lake Ontario as they were the native salmon of the lake. This year there has been a substantial increase in the catch of Atlantic salmon in the lake and we have already seen a few in the river."

After her exciting catch, it was my turn once again with little over an hour left. I was no longer going to share. These next bites were mine!

Since you already know how the story ends I won’t bore you with the details. I didn’t land a fish - although I did fight quite a few. It just wasn’t my day to get lucky on the “Lucky Dutchman”. My sister and Mel stole the spotlight.

I can’t stress enough how much fun charter fishing is, even when you don’t catch anything (which I have proved time and time again). Just getting an awesome boat ride on beautiful Lake Ontario makes it all worth it. Throw in hanging out with friends and the adrenaline of fighting fish and you’ve got yourself a pretty good day!

If you’re interested in charter fishing on the gorgeous Lake Ontario, then you’ve come to the right place! We have a huge list of Charter Captains! Just click here to check it out! If you still can’t find what you’re looking for then give our office a call at 315-349-8322 or send me an e-mail at jtrump@oswegocounty.com.

And special thanks to Captain Bill for an awesome adventure! Read his blog post about our day here.

Bill standing on his boat, the Lucky Dutchman II.

He let me drive! Probably a big mistake. Luckily there isn't much to crash into on the water!


One of the many times I fought a fish and didn't catch it.


Alycia's turn to fight one.


Trying to come up with a strategy for catching the next fish. I couldn't come up with anything, but I did catch a sunburn.

Sisters :)

Mel & Alycia enjoying the boat ride.

Capt. Bill setting up the equipment.

My turn again.

My guess is that it was only about 10am here... and my sister was already inhaling her lunch. She probably won't be too happy with me when she realizes I posted this photo.

Mel's first and succesful fight!

Alycia waiting with the net

The first catch of the day!

Posing for the camera. Girl's are great at paying attention when they fish.

Her Atlantic Salmon!!!

Capt. Bill & Alycia showing off her special catch!

Mel taking a picture of the Oswego Lighthouse. A great scenic attraction in the Oswego Harbor.

Below are some photos of other fishing trips Capt. Bill has taken people on - enjoy!

Hunting Season is Open… for Ghosts!

Laurie and her husband Dave posed at the Fort and captured this friendly apparition!

Some people hunt for deer, some people hunt for turkey, and some people hunt for… ghosts! This is the case with my co-worker Laurie, who attended a ghost hunting event at Fort Ontario, in Oswego. Since I have never gone hunting for ghosts, I decided to interview the new ghost hunter to gain a little insight on the sport.

Beginning their tour of Fort Ontario.

Me: As a beginner, where is a good place to start ghost hunting?
Laurie: Older buildings and historic sites, such as the Fort Ontario State Historic Site.

Me: What is the best time of day to hunt for ghosts?
Laurie: Usually after dark.

Me: What kinds of weapons and ammunition do you use for hunting ghosts?
Laurie: Some things to use for hunting ghosts are: K-II meters (electromagnetic field sensors), digital recording devices for sound, cameras or video cameras and witching rods.

Me: Do you need a license to ghost hunt?
Laurie: Only if you’re a ghost buster. Other than that anyone can hunt for ghosts without a license.

Me: Are there any calls, grunts or hunting tactics used for hunting ghosts?
Laurie: You can call out to the ghosts if you know their names.

• For example: We were at Fort Ontario ghost hunting and we knew the name of the Captain’s wife who haunts the Officers’ Quarters. We spoke to her and told her how lovely her home was. Immediately we felt the presence of extreme cold air. Another tactic is just being very quiet and listening. We heard a baby crying in the same room where the psychic felt the presence of sick children from the late 1890’s.
  

Me: What is the proper attire for ghost hunting?
Laurie: You can wear anything you’d like, as long as you wear quiet shoes. The other important thing to do while ghost hunting is avoid anything with scents such as perfume or hair spray. The ghosts use scents to communicate.

• For example, in the Officers’ Quarters of Fort Ontario, you can frequently smell lilacs when no lilacs or lilac scented things are present. Lilacs were the captain’s wife’s favorite flower.
  

Me: What are the typical species of ghosts found in Oswego County that you are allowed to hunt for?
Laurie: You can hunt for any specie of ghost you want. You can typically find soldiers from different war periods, their families, victims of epidemics of the past and victims of unusual deaths.

Me: Can you get a ghost mounted or stuffed once you get it?
Laurie: You can not “catch” a ghost so therefore you can not get one stuffed or mounted. When you hunt for a ghost you simply find evidence that the ghost exists. If you get lucky you can capture a picture of a ghost and frame it and hang it on your wall, next to your deer mounts.

Me: Are there any DEC regulations on ghost hunting?
Laurie: No. You can hunt for ghosts year round at any time of day you like. It’s always ghost season!

*Check out pictures from Laurie's hunting trip at the end of this blog!

If you’re interested in ghost hunting on your own, check out the list below. With the help of Oswego City Historian Rosemary Nesbitt, various websites and books by David J. Pitkin, I have compiled a list of some well-known ghost haunts.

Fort Ontario: There are many stories of different ghosts haunting the fort such as the Lt. Basil Dunbar, who was killed in a duel in 1755. There is also the story of Pvt. George Fykes, who will haunt anyone you ask him to if you perform a ritual above his marked gravestone. Of course there are the stories of wives of soldiers who still housekeep in the quarters, and children who died in an epidemic who can still be heard crying throughout the fort.

The main sally port of Fort Ontario

Oswego Harbor Lighthouse: Lights can be seen at the Lighthouse at night – supposedly caused by the ghosts of several seamen who lost their lives during a crew change in 1942. Click here for more information.

Selkirk Lighthouse: Many employees and visitors of this Port Ontario lighthouse claim to have had ghostly experiences such as footsteps on the stairs when nobody is around. Some say the ghost is that of a woman who spent years looking for her father’s ship which never returned, others say it’s a young girl who fell down to the stairs to her death. Regardless of who the ghost is, many believe that something is haunting the lighthouse. Click here for more information.

Battle Island Inn Bed & Breakfast: The owner of this historical B&B across from Battle Island tells many stories involving her ghostly tenants; stories of voices, footsteps, things being moved around, alarm clocks going off by themselves in rooms where no one has stayed for days, and tombstones on her property line. David J. Pitkin writes about it in his book, “New York State Ghosts.”


Happy Valley in Parish: Happy Valley is a Wildlife Management Area now, but long ago it was a farming settlement between Parish and Williamstown. Rumor has it, a plague wiped out the entire town, leaving only a cemetery and a schoolhouse as evidence of the town’s existence. Many people claim the entire area is haunted by the old town’s unfortunate residents. People have claimed to see orbs, faces and other frightening things at night. Other rumors suggest cult activities have taken place. Click here and here for more information.

One entrance to Happy Valley

Seneca Hill Ghost: Drive down Route 57 in Minetto, just outside of Fulton, on a night around the 5th or 6th of November and you might see a woman dressed in an old fashioned white gown, with or without a child in tow – running frantically down the road. Many residents have claimed to see this apparition. If it sounds like a typical “back roads” story to you, wait until you hear about the history. Historian Rosemary Nesbitt says that in 1844 a cult called the Millerites inhabited the Seneca Hill area. When they thought the world was going to end on October 22, 1844, a woman locked herself along with her child in her barn. When the world continued she was distraught so she plunged to her death out the barn window. The state police even have records of numerous calls made about a woman running down Rte. 57 at night, wearing an old-fashioned white gown. Click here for more information.

“Glass Coffin” House: The Tonkin House, as it was called, is a brick house in Oswego. It is the setting for the infamous Oswego legend about young Virginia Tonkin. When she died of Scarlet Fever in the early 1900s, her mother refused to let her go. She placed her in a glass coffin in the big window in her library from November until springtime. She was giving her deceased daughter a chance to see her friends walk to school everyday. Legend has it you can still see the little girl looking out the window. Her grave is in Riverside Cemetery off old Rte. 57. You can visit the Tonkin stone tomb, which has a window on the backside.

The Gray Road Ghost in Minetto: I don’t know much about this ghost story, but a Syracuse.com writer mentions it in his blog.

The following haunted places are taken from this website: http://theshadowlands.net/places/newyork.htm

• Fulton Junior High School
• Granby Center
• Hannibal Graveyard
• 19th century mansion used for off-campus housing for SUNY Oswego – no address given, just description
• SUNY Oswego College Theater
• Oswego Players Theater
• Railroad tracks between the Fort and Lake Ontario
• Riverside Cemetery
• Rte. 104 & Klocks Corners Intersection in Scriba

If you’d rather hear the stories than search for yourself, then come to the H. Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego on the evening of Aug. 14, when Rosemary Nesbitt tells all of these fascinating stories and more in her program, “Tales of the Haunted Harbor.”

Photos from ghost hunting at Fort Ontario:

Two Fort Soldiers lead everyone into the Barracks, while telling the story of a murder that took place on that floor many years ago.


The group, waiting to go into the next building

The bedroom of the Officers' Quaters

Another view of the bedroom

A Fort soldier tells more haunted tales while the group waits to enter the ramparts.

A view of a building overlooking Lake Ontario.

Another apparition appears in this photo taken in the casemate, which was used as a morgue during a flu epidemic in the early 1900s.

Yet another apparition appears flying up a stairwell

Dave trying out the witching rods, which crossed when he entered the empty parlor, suggesting a ghostly presence

The stairwell to the third floor, where the psychic John Michael felt the presence of sick children from the late 1890's. This is where Laurie and two other's heard a baby cry.

A young Fort soldier leads the group to the Post Cemetery for further investigation, which turned up this photographic evidence.

The group goes back to the barracks to listen quietly for any signs of spirits.


Laurie and Dave receive an autograph from psychic, medium and spiritual Counselor, Chip Coffey, of the hit show, Paranormal State.

My First Successful Fly Fishing Adventure!

I FINALLY caught my first fish with a fly rod! It was a gorgeous steelhead and guess what… I have no picture to prove it! I did get a photo of my second steelhead ever caught (pictured above), but not the first. You see, a certain guide of mine who shall remain nameless, (ha who am I kidding… it was Fran Verdoliva from the Salmon River Fish Hatchery), accidentally let my fish go before I had a chance to get a picture!


I figured Fran knew that my blog postings were usually about my hunting and fishing failures. I’m convinced it was a set up and he was just trying to keep my stories consistent. Or maybe he was just doing his job as an environmental conservationist and handled the steelhead with care and the steelhead took advantage and slipped away. All I know is that I reached for my camera and I turned around and my fish was GONE! I was more determined than ever to catch my next fish so I could walk away with a photo, or else I'm pretty sure no one would believe me.


We were fishing in the catch and release section of the Salmon River in Altmar. It was a beautiful sunny day and the water was low enough to see the fish. This was exciting because every other time I had tried my luck at fly fishing I could never see anything, even with my polarized glasses on. I had a theory that polarized sunglasses only worked for people with brown or blue eyes – not hazel like mine. Well apparently they do work when you actually know what you’re looking for.


Fran set me up with a fly rod, polarized glasses (that I now know how to use) and his homemade flies. It took me quite a while to get the hang of the casting. I was used to full casts with no trees behind me. Fishing on a river is a different story. I got the hang of it (well that’s a matter of opinion) and I waited for my bite.


First bite: The fish took off so fast I think the line was almost completely off my reel. Needless to say that speed demon broke off and left me with a broken heart.


Second bite: I caught her! The infamous fish I mentioned above. The one who didn’t get away - at first. I had the sweet taste of victory and it was ripped from me when she jumped out of Fran’s arms.


Third bite: I didn’t even know I had a bite. I thought it was a snag. He broke free.


I had about an hour left. We had moved to a different spot on the bank of the river where there was a tree directly over me. We had to kneel and try to cast. That was entertaining. I can barely cast standing up with no trees above my head. You can only imagine how I looked trying this technique out.


Fourth bite: He stayed on! I fought hard and I was shaking because I was SO close and I knew this could be it. I finally tired my fish out enough to get him on dry land (we would have used a net, but someone forgot the net; once again not mentioning names).


I CAUGHT A STEELHEAD!


So this actually felt like my first steelhead ever because I got to hold him and take photos! Of course we threw him right back in because it was the catch and release section of the river.


On a side note: my fish had a hook stuck in its eye. I am assuming someone accidentally snagged it and left the hook there. So, when possible, please remove the hooks from your fish! It was dangerous not only to the fish but to Fran as he tried to remove it.


So that is my first successful fly fishing story! If you’ve never fished the Salmon River you are missing out! We have overwhelming amounts of information so please contact me if you are interested in fishing the Salmon River. Or you can visit our “Where to Fish” section of the Oswego County Tourism website.

Part of the catch & release section of the Salmon River in Altmar

Fran, fishing the river

And again, showing me how it's done

Another picture of my beautiful steelie!

Fran posed with my fish. He deserves some credit since he somehow managed to teach me how to actually CATCH fish.

Fran's buddy, Charlie, holding his catch

Fran got another one


Check out these two videos of Fran fighting and landing a Steelhead. I had to stop recording once he landed the fish to help out. The second video shows off the fish.

Top Ten Reasons Why I Prefer Bullhead Fishing

Matt, with one of the many bullhead he caught on April 15.

I went bullhead fishing Wednesday night on the Salmon River Estuary in Port Ontario. I decided to have a little fun with this blog by paying homage to David Letterman. I love bullhead fishing more than any other kind of fishing and here is why:

Reason 10: There is no snow on the ground when the bullhead start biting. It might snow again after they start biting because of Mother Nature’s sick sense of humor; in which case I would take a brief hiatus from bullhead fishing until the snow melted again.

Reason 9. I don’t have to put on waders or any other complicated fishing gear. (I know most of you are saying waders aren’t complicated; with me, anything is possible).

Reason 8. I don’t have to stand in the water. Don’t get me wrong, I love water, just not in the middle of winter with a current strong enough to take me down and send me into Lake Ontario.

Reason 7. There are gorgeous sunsets.

Reason 6. There is absolutely no technique. Unless you consider casting the line and checking it every so often, only to find a bullhead on the hook, a technique.

Reason 5. You can sit on dry land in a chair with a cold drink listening to music and hanging out with friends.

Reason 4. You don’t have to wander around a tackle shop for an hour trying to decide on the best bait to use based on: the temperature of the air, the temperature of the water, the depth of the water, the type of fish, the time of year you are catching the fish, the color of the fish, if the fish is male or female, what the fish had for dinner and if it likes long walks on the beach. You just buy a container of worms.

Reason 3. I can talk as much as I want and I won’t scare away the fish.

Reason 2. I have actually caught a bullhead!

And the number one reason I prefer bullhead fishing over any other kind of fishing is:

It’s so easy - a caveman can do it!

If you’re interested in bullhead fishing, here are some hot spots you can check out: Salmon River Reservoir, Lake Neahtahwanta, Panther Lake, Salmon River Estuary, Oneida Lake, Oneida River, Oswego River and the Oswego Harbor. If you’re not sure where these places are, just send me an e-mail at jtrump@oswegocounty.com.

A friend's son, Austin, fishing from land before the sun set.

Matt fishing off the dock.

Just before the sun set. Life doesn't get much better than this.


A great shot of Matt & Austin


Matt fishing during the sunset.


Welcome to the Salmon River Estuary!



Reason #5: Friends


Matt was trying to catch a bullhead, instead he caught a pike! Something I can't manage to do when I'm trying!

Another bullhead caught by Matt.

Becky & her catch.

Using the cell phone to light up the big knot that we created by crossing lines. Oops!

Matt showing Jake how to reel in a fish.

Matt showing off the fish that Jake helped him catch!

Adam's bullhead.

Becky caught another one.

I finally put the camera down long enough to catch one!

Kyle caught one at the same time as me.

Ashleigh, the pro, had to show everyone how to get the fish off the hook.

Manasseh and Adam waiting for a bite.

Jake was more worried about posing for the camera than catching bullhead.

He finally caught one by himself and even held it up! You can see the excitement in his face.

Here's a better shot!

Manasseh started getting bites left and right.

Jake was having another go.

Ashleigh showing off one of her many bullhead.

Aunt Jemima… Eat Your Heart Out!

When I was young I loved climbing trees, especially the maple trees in our yard that were the largest, sturdiest and had the most branches. The only disadvantage was when I got done playing in the tree, my hands, feet and whatever outfit I had on, were covered with sticky sap. Sometimes for fun my sister and I would find big dried lumps of sap and try to break it open with sticks, only to be annoyed seconds later when it got all over us again. Little did I know that the same “sticky stuff” that used to antagonize me as a child, was the same tasty treat I loved on my pancakes.


Years later, over a discussion about Maple Syrup, my boss came up with the brilliant idea that I visit Maple Help Stock Farms, and learn how Maple Syrup is created! Considering I still had no idea how they turned sap into syrup, I immediately jumped on board.


I drove down to the farms and saw the steam in the air and knew I was in the right place. The sugar shack is hard to miss during this time of year. Spring is the best time to produce Maple Syrup because cold nights and warm days get the sap moving!


I found Gary Hurlbut in the Sugar Shack and he was more than helpful. He said he gets about 100 people a year who stop by to see what goes on behind the scenes of Maple Syrup Production. You can look at my photos below to get an idea of how Maple Syrup is created, or you can take a visit yourself! Maple Help Stock Farm is located on 207 Hurlbut Road in Mexico, NY. For a list of other Maple Syrup producers in the county, visit http://www.nysmaple.com/find_a_producer.html.

Maple Help Stock Farms have been producing Maple Syrup for 103 years.


Starting the Maple Syrup process - getting sap from a tree. They have over 2,000 taps on their farm. During spring weather, the sap runs through the taps into buckets, which are then brought back to the sugar shack.

The sugar shack, where all of the sap is processed into Maple Syrup!

When I walked into the sugar shack, I went through a door and came across this huge contraption called an evaporator. It evaporates the water from the sap using fuel oil. It evaporates 200 gallons of water an hour - taking 40 gallons of sap to make only 1 gallon of syrup!

Gary Hurlbut (in the yellow hat) and a friend keep their eye on the sap while it gets evaporated, using half and half to keep the bubbles down and from boiling over; this does not affect the flavor of the syrup.

The next step is to get the filter press ready. Gary keeps the filters in buckets in the evaporator to keep them moist. He then puts the filters in between plates and hooks them up to his press.

This is what he filters out of the syrup… it’s called “sugar sand”, and you guessed it… it tastes like sand!

Gary checks the syrup to see if it’s ready to go through the filter. The syrup is ready when it reaches 7 degrees above the boiling point of water.

He opens a valve and the syrup starts flowing into buckets…

…which are conveniently cleaned out just by sitting in the evaporator… the steam cleans all of the stickiness off the buckets! Maybe I’ll bring my dishes over next time I visit!

When the syrup is all poured into the buckets, a tube gets hooked from the syrup to the filter press, then another tube from the filter press to an empty bucket.

In the syrup bucket, filter aid is used to help the sand stick to the filters. This is safe and unflavored.

The first amount of syrup contains mostly water from the filters, so Gary dumps this back into the evaporator so the syrup isn’t wasted.

The tube is then moved into a barrel, which is where the syrup is stored until it is ready to be sold!

This is a gradient sample for the kind of Maple Syrup he produces. Right now he is producing medium to light syrup. The earlier in the season, the lighter the syrup usually is. While lighter syrup is harder to make, it is 80% of the farm’s sales. The darker syrup is used to make maple cream and maple sugar.

Maple Syrup for Sale!

“I’m too Valuable to Sled Over the Jump”

Those are the words that came out of my friend Kyle’s mouth while he watched the rest of us fly over the jump on our tubes while sledding a couple of weekends ago. Then Kyle decided that since he was too valuable to sled over the jump that he should snowboard over it instead. If you don’t see the logic in that, then we’re on the same page. The results of his attempt are on the video I posted below. Let’s just say that he’s not so valuable anymore.

--------------------------------------

When I was a little girl I LOVED snow. I would get bundled up in so many layers that a Mack truck couldn’t touch me. My sister and I would waddle outside and play for hours sledding and building forts. My whole front yard used to look like a secret underground lair with tunnels leading everywhere.

Now that I’m older, and much more mature (I’m using that word lightly) I have to do things like clean the snow off of my car, get towed up my driveway when my car gets stuck, go off the road at least twice a winter because I can’t see anything BUT snow, and wear my big burleys over my dress pants when I go to work. Things like that can really ruin snow’s childish appeal.

This winter I made an attempt to drop my hate of snow like a hot potato.

And guess what… I did! I am actually coming to enjoy the snow! When I went sledding I had such a great time that I felt like a little girl again! We had pizza, music, a fire to stay warm, a spongebob blow up chair to sled down on, snowmobiles to take us back up the hill (which was a major plus because I’m way too out of shape to walk up a hill) and a jump! Check out my video below!

Now I understand why people drive from all over the place to COME to Oswego County in the winter. If you love the snow, and all activities involved with snow, then this is definitely the place to find it when other places are lacking it. There are tons of trails to cross-country ski, snowshoe and snowmobile. You can try more extreme sports like dog sledding and ice climbing, or easier sports such as ice skating, ice fishing or sledding!

Unfortunately, not everyone has a hill in their backyard, but there are some local places in the county open to the public for great sledding. If you know of any other great places to sled, we’d love to add it to the list, so please leave a comment or send me an email at jtrump@oswegocounty.com.

Fallbrook at SUNYOswego: http://www.oswego.edu/administration/auxiliary_services/fallbrook/

Camp Zerbe in Williamstown: http://www.oswegocounty.com/youth/CZerbe/Zerbe.html

Merrill Town Community Park in Parish: http://www.parishcommunityrec.com/

This is the awesome sledding video (you can watch Kyle around minute 5:09)!

The boys getting ready at the top of the hill

Ashleigh & Me at the bottom of the hill, waiting for our ride back up


Matt, Ashleigh's brother-in-law, showing off on the snowboard


Ashleigh's son Owen

Ashleigh's older son Jake, waiting for someone to give him a ride on the snowmobile

Matt, Ashleigh & Me with a tube train

Manasseh testing out the jump

Getting towed up the hill

Matt flying over the jump backwards

There were 4 guys packed on this sled!

Matt flying over the jump again

My friend Chris going over the jump... he looks so calm!

The Northeastern Sports Show

Ashleigh & Me, working at the Oswego County Booth at the show.

Today I’m going to blog about something outside of Oswego County; I’m going to blog about the great Northeastern Sports Show, held in Syracuse, NY. Oswego County signs up anually as a vendor, giving me the opportunity to rub elbows with outdoorsmen and women of the area. The annual show is something I look forward to every year!

My coworker, Mel, and I, were assigned the task of setting up for the annual show. We arrived to the New York State Fairgrounds around 10 a.m. We had to wait behind a guy who decided washing his truck right in front of the building entrance was an awesome idea. We waited patiently (well, Mel waited patiently; I threatened the guy under my breath). Finally, Mr. Clean moved his truck and we proceeded to Row H, where our booth is always assigned.

Our display is simple: There is one huge wire contraption that pulls apart and stands up tall, and then there are long black panels that cover the wire contraption that serve as the backdrop of our display. Photos are then placed on the panels. We finished setting up the wire contraption when we realized that the panels had been put away in the wrong carrier. This didn’t seem like an issue, until we tried to pull them out.

They were stuck, I mean really stuck. Mel grabbed the carrier and I grabbed the panels and we just began to pull. It was like watching two young kids play tug-o-war, except we aren’t exactly young and our stamina isn’t what is used to be. After 20 minutes of switching sides, angles and technique, a nice young gentleman (who had been watching and laughing the whole time) offered his assistance. We declined (we didn’t want to look weak – we were at a sports show after all) and kept on pulling. FINALLY, after slightly tearing one of the panels, we got it! The panels were free!

The panels need to be hung up much higher than we can reach, and normally we remember to bring a foot stool with us. Not this time. Mel and I contorted our bodies and found ways to hang up the panels without a fuss… until one fell down and smacked me in the head.

Surely after my new brain injury, nothing else would go wrong. We went to pull out the photos and alas,

THEY WERE MISSING!

I frantically called my co-workers back at the office and had them search high and low for the photos. It turns out they were being used at another show and hadn’t arrived back at our office yet.

We had two choices: A. Just keep our black panels up and hope that our tourism staff is cute enough to draw attention to our booth, or B. figure out a way to order new posters within a day!
We went with plan B, although I think we could have pulled off plan A!

Our friends at StepOne Creative in Oswego, and Walmart in Granby, both offered to print our posters in one day! Jan sent photos over to StepOne and I drove a CD of photos to Walmart. I arrived back at the office with half an hour to spare! My coworkers rushed to laminate all of the posters - something that couldn’t possibly go wrong.

Guess again.

Laurie handed Mel two posters a time, which Mel didn’t realize so she accidentally laminated them together! After some serious brainstorming, these genius women figured out how to save both posters without as much as a scratch!

I finally left the office an hour and a half after work, after finishing the posters and creating a separate promotional display for our blogs (I’m shamelessly promoting myself, I know).

Luckily, the fiasco of a day turned out in our favor! We finally made new posters and our display looked awesome. The show was a blast too! My partner-in-crime, Ashleigh, volunteered to work our booth with me on Friday night. We both wore our burlys to feel like real outdoorswomen!

I am leaving you with photos from all of the activities at the sports show. If you didn’t check it out this year, make sure you come next year and visit our booth. We’re always in Row H!

Wearing our burlys.

Fellow blogger, Spider, signing his books!


Spider's display


People checking out all of the vendors

Kyle, Ashleigh's husband, trying out some of the bows.

Matt, Kyle's brother, also trying out a bow


They had a shooting game!

Jake, Ashleigh's son, is already in training to be a great hunter!

Boys and their toys!


Birds of prey!


Trout fishing

Matt caught a trout and won a prize!


Jake and a friendly hunting dog

The main attraction: the Grizzly Bear!