A new seasonal tradition is set to light up Lake George this month.
It’s a sunny, 50-degree day and but village officials gathered in Charles Wood Park on the southern shore of the lake are picturing a new winter attraction: Lights at the Lake.
Mayor Ray Perry says he’s proud to be introducing a new tradition.
“This is a landmark event for us here in Lake George and we’re proud to say that these lights, although many people see Christmas lights in different ways, we see them as a welcoming beacon for the community and surrounding communities to come and be part of our community and be part of an annual tradition that started with Light Up the Village for the last 25 years and now, we’ve expanded,” said Perry.
The light display will stretch just over a mile up the road to Shepard Park, and will feature around 17 million lights.
Megan Seeley works at the Warren County Chamber of Commerce. She’s excited to see the tourist destination’s economy supported through the shoulder season.
“We know that it’s going to bring visitors into the area and it also encourages people to come enjoy the lights and then go grab a bite to eat after so let’s keep our restaurants open and our businesses open,” said Seeley.
Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr says his staff will be on hand to support the event.
“We finally reached the time of year for our sheriff’s office where things slow down a bit, we’re through our summer season. We really hope that Lake George becomes really a year-round destination. And I know the mayor and everybody that supports the village does a great deal to try to bring in new events. This one is one that we’re really looking forward to, we’ll support it but it’s family friendly, we invited everybody to come, we’re going to be a huge part of it. And we just hope to have a wonderful winter with ice on the lake,” said LaFarr.
Warmer winters have made other annual events like the popular Ice Castles, which featured sculptures, slides, and towers constructed with ice, less reliable.
Lake George has not consistently frozen, meaning ice skating has been limited.
Village Trustee Jose Filomeno says local leaders put a lot of intention behind future-proofing what they hope will become a tradition for years to come.
“There’s no more guarantees as far as weather goes. So, it could be a negative 10-degree day, or a 40-degree winter amazingly warm day and our events will still go on. Our ice-skating ink is actually a synthetic material that you can skate on year-round. So the weather, whether it’s raining, snowing, or a tropical day like today, will not be effected. And that’s great also for a family planning a trip up here. You can plan your trip, you can book your hotel stay without any fear without warning, ‘hey, there will be no event.’ The events are on, we’re guaranteed Thursday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.” said Filomeno.
Republican State Senator Dan Stec of the 45th district applauds the efforts to draw tourists year-round in sustainable ways.
“The beauty here in Lake George is very similar to Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. So they’re all trying to find that same recipe where they’ve got an offering to the public year-round. And so, they’re going to try this, I think the offering today here is a little more insulated from the weather, but they’re going to have to move forward and keep trying until they find something that works and hopefully this will be the trick, this one,” said Stec.
The weekly light shows run from November 30th through March 1st.