Blog
Walleye Awakening Scheduled for Friday, February 18th!
The Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Fulton County Board of Supervisors are proud to announce that the “Walleye Awakening” is back and is scheduled for Friday, February 18th from 5pm-8pm. This will be a Free Fun Family-oriented event, starting at 5pm at Lanzi’s on the Lake, 1751 State Highway 30, Mayfield. There will be a bonfire, food specials, and a FREE fantastic firework display at 6pm by Santore World Famous Fireworks. Vinny Michaels will be performing outside, starting at 5pm.
“We are happy to showcase our beautiful area with this event for our local and visiting fishing enthusiasts,” Mark Kilmer, President of the Chamber said. “It is a great start to a wonderful weekend at the Great Sacandaga Lake.”
Fulton County Administrative Officer Jon Stead commented about the upcoming event. “The Walleye Awakening is going to be a fun winter beach party for area residents and visitors as a pre-lude to the fabulous Walleye Challenge fishing tournament. I encourage everyone to gather up their families and drive, hike, or sled to the Awakening on Friday night. It will be a great big Fish-a-palooza party to kick-off the weekend festivities.”
“This is going to be a great tourism event for our area,” Chamber Tourism Director of Development Anne Boles said. “It is a great kick off to the 13th Annual Walleye Challenge, that will be held on Saturday February 19th. When you are out and about, stop at Lanzi’s to eat and watch a great winter firework show with your family and friends- It’s a great way to start your President’s Day weekend!”
Please visit www.44lakes.com or https://www.facebook.com/VisitFultonCountyNY/ for more information.
Ice Fishing Fun in the 44 Lakes
Photo by Jerrod Vila, NYSOWA
Even though winter grips our region, the number of outdoor activities to partake in are bountiful to say the least. There is snowshoeing, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling…the list goes on and on. However, one of the most popular, family-friendly winter activities occurs on our frozen lakes: ice fishing!
What more could an eager angler ask for in the Land of 44 Lakes? There are so many options to choose from for ice fishing, plus our area has a multitude of different species of fish to pursue. Whatever your specialty is, there is an opportunity for you to target that particular species of fish here within the southern Adirondacks. Here in Fulton County we have lakes and ponds filled with panfish to keep the kiddos interested and having fun, as well as deep water lakes gleaming with lake trout and other coldwater fish species. Great Sacandaga Lake is definitely a highlight, well known as a world-class Northern Pike fishing spot. In fact, it still holds rank as the largest northern pike ever recorded in the entire United States!
Photo by Jerrod Vila, NYSOWA
Ice fishing brings a camaraderie like no other. It really is more of a social event where folks just happen to be fishing at the same time. What could be better? More than just another “fishing trip,” ice fishing in Fulton County always seems to rank more along the lines of an event.
Jerrod Vila comes from generations of avid outdoorsmen. He started out rock hopping pint-sized Adirondack streams in onesie pajamas while pursuing four inch brook trout from the time he could walk. A CDL-A driver by trade, Jerrod is the outdoor columnist for the Amsterdam Recorder, feature writer for New York Outdoor News and member of NYSOWA (New York State Outdoor Writers Association). Jerrod has a passion for eclectic and elegant cuisine from all over the globe and a palate to match. He perhaps dabbles in way too many entities; but always seems to be able to make time for fishing and everything outdoors.
Walleye Challenge Advertising Opportunity for local Businesses
For only $100 you can advertise your business when 2000+ fishing enthusiasts come to Fulton County, NY! Spots are limited, email tourism@fultonmontgomeryny.org by 1/6/22 to advertise. First come, first serve. Ice or no ice, these fliers will go out in 2000 envelopes. Email Anne today at tourism@fultonmontgomeryny.org
Thank you!
2022 Rules for the Annual Walleye Challenge Fishing Contest
Thank you to our Premiere sponsors Frank’s Gun & Tackle Shop and Saratoga Eagle!
Shanty Sponsor: Wiggy Worm Bait and Supply
Tip Up Sponsor: First Choice Financial Federal Credit Union
Thank you to Frank and Son’s for sponsoring the tags and sweatshirts!
13th Annual WALLEYE CHALLENGE Ice Fishing Derby
On the Great Sacandaga Lake – Saturday, February 19th, 2022
Fulton County, NY
The Walleye Challenge Ice Fishing Derby will be a $100,000 contest consisting of $2,149 per hour in payouts PLUS over $17,000 in miscellaneous prizes. There also will be drawings for a side by side, and (2) 4-Wheelers (three machines in total will be awarded).
2022 Walleye Challenge Rules
Entry fee is $50 with pre-registration required. Payment and registration is due NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 31, 2021 with NO EXCEPTIONS. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
- The contest is limited to 2,000 entrants on a first-come, first-served basis with NO EXCEPTIONS.
- All fishing to take place ONLY on the Great Sacandaga Lake.
- Contestants may fish anywhere on the Great Sacandaga Lake.
- Contest runs from 7:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday, February 19, 2022. Contestants may be on the ice, holes drilled and cleaned, but there are no tip-ups allowed in the water prior to 7:00am
- All New York State DEC laws apply.
- You will be issued a tag after registration that MUST be worn on the day of the contest. Anyone fishing without a tag will be disqualified. If someone without a tag is fishing in a group, the entire group will be disqualified. There can be as many people in your group as you want who are not participating in the contest as long as they are not fishing. Those not fishing may bring in a contestant’s fish to the weigh-in stations for entry.
- Only one entry per registrant’s name is allowed. You may purchase multiple tags for multiple people, but each entry form MUST have an exclusive name to it.
- TAGS MUST BE PICKED UP AT FUEL-N-FOOD, 3006 State Highway 30, Mayfield, NY starting Monday, January 17, 2022 through Friday, February 18, 2022. You can have your tag mailed to you, return receipt requested, for an additional $20 fee. Please do not lose your tags as they cannot be replaced. There will be no tags available on the day of the contest. The event committee is not responsible for tags that are picked up by someone other than the contestant assigned to the tag.
- Once you receive your tag you are registered to fish in the Walleye Challenge. There will be no need to check-in or register the morning/day of the contest. There is NO transferring of tags.
- There will be THREE weigh stations for the contest; one in front, one the ice, the ice Lanzi’s on the Lake (Route 30, Mayfield) and one in front, on the ice, New York State Boat Launch in Broadalbin (Lakeview Road), and the newest weigh station will be in front, one the ice, of Sport Island Pub (off of Route 30, 108 Riverside Boulevard, Northville).
- All fishing must be done in the open view of officials or contestants will be disqualified. Contestants can be in an ice shanty, but there will be no fresh holes in the ice under your shanty and no fishing will be allowed inside closed shelters.
- There will be official clocks at weigh stations that can be viewed by everyone. All start times and end times and hourly changes will go by those clocks with no exceptions. You must be at either weigh station with fish no later than 3:00pm and zero seconds to qualify. PLEASE SYNCHRONIZE YOUR WATCHES TO THESE CLOCKS.
- A total of seven (7) lines are allowed per each person with a contest tag; any seven (7) line combination of jig poles and tip-ups is allowed.
- All fish must be weighed in on the official scales at weigh stations by event officials. In the event of a tie in weight, the first fish entered will win. NO DEAD FISH WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR ENTRY. Bags are the best way to transport fish.
- All fish entered become the property of the event officials who will release the fish back into the Great Sacandaga Lake.
- Entry times for fish will be determined when the fish arrives at the weigh station NOT when it is caught. If the hour changes while you are en route to the weigh station it will be entered for the next hour’s contest.
- Fish may not be held for entry within another contest hour. When fish is caught, it must either be entered for that hour or released immediately back into the Great Sacandaga Lake.
- There will be $2,149 in prizes per hour awarded: $599 1st prize; $500 2nd prize; $400 3rd prize; $300 4th prize; $200 5th prize; $100 6th prize; $50 7th prize.
- Cash prizes and recreational vehicles will be awarded at 4:00pm at Lanzi’s on the Lake, 1751 State Highway 30, Mayfield. Door prizes will be awarded throughout the day. Door prizes not picked up by 5:00pm will become the property of the event committee. At the event, there will be whiteboards at both weigh stations that will list all of the numbers of the winners throughout the day (corresponding to tags).
- Due to COVID-19, cash prizes and recreational vehicles will be recorded live at 4pm on the Visit Fulton County NY Facebook page. Identification may be required to claim prizes.
- In the event that an hourly prize is not awarded due to the lack of entries, money will be awarded as determined by event officials.
- If a tagged Walleye is caught during the 8-hour contest, an additional $300 will be paid (yellow tag).
- IN CASE THERE IS NO ICE ON THE GREAT SACANDAGA LAKE, all prizes will be given away at Lanzi’s on the Lake at 12 noon on Saturday, February 19, 2022 BY RANDOM DRAWING (contest tag numbers).
- Any unsportsmanlike conduct, as determined by the event officials, will be cause for disqualification. All winning entrants may be subject to a polygraph test before awarding of cash prizes.
- The event committee reserves the right to revise contest rules as necessary.
- Part of the event proceeds will be donated to the Great Sacandaga Fisheries Federation for Walleye stocking on the Great Sacandaga Lake.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL FUEL-N-FOOD at (518) 661-6917 or
THE FULTON MONTGOMERY REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE at
(518) 725-0641
Fulton County Outdoor Adventure Day! Saturday October 2nd, 2021
Saturday, October 2nd- 10am-4pm in Broadalbin/Vail Mills
Crafts! Outdoor Activities! Music! Food! Craft Beverages! Antiques! Community Organizations! Pumpkins! Free Family Photos! A chance to meet an NYS hiking guide and mountain athlete! Author and Book Signing! Artisans gifts! Wildlife! Hunting and fishing equipment! Motorcycles! Gloversville Police Dept Biking Safety! Broadalbin Fire Truck! Literally something for everyone in your family. Tons of kids activities this year. All thanks to our generous sponsors – The Fulton County Board of Supervisors and the Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce. It is truly going to be a great day. New this year: visit all 6 anchors and be entered to win a $500 prize package!
Historic Hotel Broadalbin
Great Sacandaga Brewing Company
School House Treasures Antiques & Gift Center
The Wildlife Sports & Educational Museum
Franks gun shop
Adirondack Harley-Davidson
Like our Facebook page for more details! https://www.facebook.com/VisitFultonCountyNY
A taxidermy wonderland: The Wildlife Sports and Educational Museum in Fulton County
Bob Kazmierski said he has always liked museums.
So, in 2001 he bought a dilapidated, former Grand Union supermarket store in this small, Fulton County hamlet with a leaky roof and set out to build a “first-class” museum of his own.
Today, Kazmierski, 83, is proud owner of The Wildlife Sports and Educational Museum, a 14,000-square-foot building “dedicated to the preservation of the art, artifacts and memorabilia of the centuries-old sporting traditions of hunting, fishing and all sports afield — and to foster interest of these traditions to future generations.”
Sacandaga Valley Arts Network Presents “Upstate Waters” Juried Art Exhibition
Sacandaga Valley Arts Network
Promoting The Arts Throughout The Sacandaga Region
303 South Main Street, Northville NY, 12134
ATTN: ARTS AND LIFESTYLE EDITORS
June 17, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sacandaga Valley Arts Network Presents “Upstate Waters” Juried Art Exhibition
The Sacandaga Valley Arts Network (SVAN) is presenting “Upstate Waters,” a juried art show on display this Summer at SVAN’s Northville Public Library Gallery, at 341 South Third Street in Northville. The exhibition will run from June 21st to September 10th, during regular library hours.
The public is invited to an opening reception at the library on Tuesday, June 22nd from 6 to 8 p.m., where awards will be presented for Best In Show and Honorable Mention. Those viewing the exhibit will also be able to vote for a People’s Choice award.
Jurors selecting the works and awards for the exhibit were regional artists Alexandra Higgins and Rhea Haggart Costello. The works featured can also be viewed online at svanarts.org/libraryexhibitions.
“We are excited to present this special show representing our greatest natural resource, in many of its iterations,” says exhibition organizer and SVAN Board Member Janene Bouck.
The theme of the show is a natural fit for the region, according to Bouck, with the arts organization’s geographic footprint centered on the Sacandaga River Valley, its watershed, and lakes. SVAN promotes visual and performing arts in communities extending from Johnstown in Fulton County to Speculator in Hamilton County.
###
CONTACT – Dan Mussman
518-857-2967
Governor Cuomo Announces June 26-27 is Free Fishing Weekend in New York State!
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27, is a Free Fishing Weekend in New York State, the second of six Free Fishing Days recognized across the state each year.
“As the school year closes out and the summer officially begins, the timing of New York’s upcoming Free Fishing Weekend couldn’t be better,” Governor Cuomo said. “Whether you’re returning to the angling as an expert, introducing a friend or family member, or casting a line for the very first time, Free Fishing Weekend is the perfect opportunity to experience firsthand all the benefits of fishing.”
During designated free fishing days, New York residents and non-residents are permitted to fish for free without a fishing license. Participating anglers are reminded that although the requirement for a fishing license is waived during free fishing days, all other fishing regulations remain in effect. Remaining 2021 Free Fishing Days include National Hunting and Fishing Day (Sept. 25) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “New York is home to some of the most exceptional fishing opportunities in the nation and anglers from around the world visit our state’s waters every year in search of their next big catch. I encourage all anglers, from first timers to experts, to take advantage of the upcoming free fishing weekend by casting a line in New York’s waters and experiencing the joy that comes with fishing.”
For beginning anglers interested in getting started, the I FISH NY Beginners’ Guide to Freshwater Fishing provides information on everything from rigging up a fishing rod to identifying catch and understanding fishing regulations. DEC’s Places to Fish webpages are a reliable source of information for those ready to plan their next fishing trip. In addition, DEC recently launched an interactive Trout Stream Fishing Map on the DECinfo Locator to provide a one-stop shop for information on stocking, fishing access, season dates, and regulations.
To improve public safety and encourage visitors to State-owned and managed lands to practice responsible recreation, DEC recently launched the ‘Love Our New York Lands’ campaign. The campaign is responsive to the steady increase in the number of visitors to state lands, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the decade prior, as more and more New Yorkers and visitors from other states and countries discovered the natural beauty of New York State. For details and more information, visit the Love Our New York Lands webpage.
Come join us on the new Fulton County 44 Lakes Craft Beverage Trail!
RIBBON CUTTING FOR FULTON COUNTY 44 LAKES CRAFT BEVERAGE TRAIL SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 19TH, 11:30AM
Broadalbin NY:
The Fulton County 44 Lakes Craft Beverage Trail will be hosting a trail launch on Saturday, June 19th at 11:00, Great Sacandaga Brewing Company, 3647 NY State Highway 30, Broadalbin.
The ribbon cutting, scheduled for 11:30am will celebrate all four inaugural establishments on the trail: Great Sacandaga Brewing Company, Higher Ground Distilling Company (2513 State Highway 30, Mayfield), Stump City Brewing (521 West Fulton St Ext. Gloversville) and Rogers’ Cideryard, (260 County Highway 131, Johnstown).
Enjoy a proudly crafted NYS craft beer, cider, and spirits from our four inaugural taprooms.
All 4 establishments will be open Saturday. However to celebrate, we have combined our pioneers at 2 locations, with live music and food at Great Sacandaga Brewing Company, and Rogers’ Cideryard.
Schedule of Events:
Great Sacandaga Brewery:
Starting at 11am, live music from Aaron Mitler and Steve Hansen
Live Broadcast from DJ Keller, from 102.7WEQX
11:30am – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Food Trucks: Mak’s Food Truck, and signature items in the taproom kitchen
4pm-7pm Jim McCardle
Great Sacandaga Beer, Higher Ground spirits, Stump city beer and Rogers’ Hard Cider all featured and all available to taste!
Schedule for Rogers’ Cideryard:
Music from Jonathan Blake, 1pm-3pm and Anna Wrabel 3pm-5pm.
2pm-4pm- DJ Keller from 102.7 EQX will be traveling to Rogers’ Cideryard, 260 County Highway 131 in Johnstown.
Rogers’ will have wings, fries, and specialty items available at his kitchen, along with The Brass Monkey‘s food truck on site.
All 4 establishments will be open on all weekend, Saturday, Sunday, and all year long!
Our crafters encourage you to drink responsibly! Glove City Taxi is offering Free Rides, available from 11am-5pm.
Sponsored by: Glove City Taxi, Nathan Littauer Hospital, St. Mary’s Healthcare, and Law offices of Michael Viscosi
To ensure a safe day for all, free designated cabs will be available for attendees site to site on the beverage trail. If you live in Fulton County, you will also be able to get picked up by Glove City Taxi and brought back home. This free service is available on Saturday, June 19th. Please call 518-773-7575 and mention the Beverage Trail for the free service. Tip not included.
Glove City Taxi, Uber, and Lyfts are also available anytime in Fulton County.
Thank you to the Holiday Inn Johnstown-Gloversville for hosting our guest DJ Keller from WEQX.
Holiday Inn of Johnstown – Gloversville- a place to relax at the end of a busy day by visiting 308 Prime, the hotel’s restaurant & bar. The staff looks forward to welcome Keller on Saturday.
For more information please visit www.44lakes.com, or email tourism@fultonmontgomeryny.org
Fulton County Restaurant Week: Saturday June 5th-Friday 11th, 2021
#Fultoncountyrestaurantweek Starts this Saturday, June 5th!!- Tax and Gratuity are not included in the special pricing.
- Dates and Times of places vary, not all establishments are open every day. Please call for reservations, some will require and others are highly suggested.
- Please be mindful of current CDC guidelines. Masks may be required to enter, while walking to table or standing.
- Specials are for Dine-in. Please call restaurant to request take-out. Please no substitutions.
- Not valid with other discounts, coupons, or other promotion.