Need to Sell? Click here to place a classified ad. Watch #OnTheStacks podcast! New episode every Wednesday. By Margaret Roarty mroarty@timesleader.com An experienced fisherman helps one of the kids attending Sunday’s event catch trout. Back Mountain Police Association hosts annual fishing event for children with autism At least 37 families registered to particpate in Sunday’s Inclusive Fishing Day at Frances Slocum State Park. WYOMING — The Back Mountain Police Association held an inclusive fishing event Sunday at Frances Slocum State Park geared toward making the outdoor activity accessible and fun for children with autism. At the event, which was held on the heels of Autism Awareness Month, kids and their families were provided with fishing supplies and snacks free of charge. Experienced fishermen were paired up with each family to teach the kids how to fish and offer assistance whenever needed. Special education teachers, behavioral health technicians and nurses were also among the volunteers. Organizations like Parenting Autism United also helped out. The event, in its second year, was held one day after the association’s 17th annual Rusty Flack Memorial Kid’s Fishing Day, which was open to all kids aged 5-12. In addition to fishing, that event featured fire safety instruction and a K-9 demonstration. Emily Baranowski, who helped organize Sunday’s inclusive fishing day, said 37 families had signed up to participate. There were also plenty of walk-ins, she said. “I think it’s grown in popularity,” Baranowski said. “I’ve had people reach out to me asking when the event’s going to be and I’ve had teachers reaching out to ask if they can volunteer. There are even people asking how they can help make it bigger and better next year.” Baranowski, who recently graduated from Misericordia with a Bachelor’s degree Elementary and Special Education, was inspired to organize an inclusive fishing day to help kids with special needs like her brother thrive. “It’s so amazing when you see a student or a client or the person you’re helping do amazing things. I haven’t cried yet this year, but last year I bawled my eyes out because I was so happy,” she said. The Back Mountain Police Association’s annual Kid’s Fishing Day has a special place in Baranowski’s heart because she used to participate when she was a younger. “My dad forced me to come every year,” she said while laughing. “I just grew such a love for it. My senior year [in high school], we had prom the night before and I went to bed at 2 a.m and got up at 6 a.m. to come here the next day.” Making sure kids with autism have the same opportunities as she did has been a rewarding experience, she said. “It feels so full circle, if that makes sense. And it’s so nice that we’ve had so many different people from the community participate,” Baranowski said. Sarah Smith, of Kingston, attended Sunday’s event with her daughter, Kenna, 9. When asked how she liked fishing, Kenna proudly announced she already caught five trout. “It’s nice because she can experience something new with help,” Smith said. “We couldn’t do something like this by ourselves.” Ross Piazza, Back Mountain Police Association vice-president, said both weekend events were made possible by generous sponsors. “Just the trout that we put in here alone was over $7,000 dollars. We stocked the lake with 1,100 trout,” he said. Saturday’s turnout was huge, with over 200 children registering to participate. “Ranch Wagon does the catering for us and I think they probably went through about 600 hot dogs,” said Piazza. Even though Saturday’s event was open to all children, Piazza noted how important it was to have an additional day for children with special needs who might need more assistance. “I have a grandson who’s on the spectrum. He lives up in Boston; he’s nine years old. So, I understand that some people might need more help,” he explained. He continued, “Besides, any kid who gets a fish — it’s a big deal for them. Just to get one. So, we want to make sure they have the right bait on them and everything.” SARANAC LAKE — The fourth annual Mountain MudFest is returning to Mount Pisgah on Saturday, with a lineup of local bands, beer, food and games. After experimenting with the event at the Saranac Lake Civic Center last year, the festivities are returning to the mountain. Along with being held at a later date than before, the free-to-attend festival, organized by the Saranac Lake Women’s Civic Chamber and Bloomingdale-based Hex and Hop Brewing, will also start at a later time. It has now shifted to 1 to 6 p.m. The event is rain or shine. Currently, the National Weather Service is giving a 50/50 shot at rain on Saturday, meaning the event may live up to its name. The temperatures are expected to be in the low 50s with a light wind. Julie Walsh, a WCC member and one of the MudFest organizers, said they like leaning into the muddy theme of the event. “This is for the Adirondackers,” she said. “We know it’s mud season. So come anyway. “If we call it ‘MudFest’ and then if it’s muddy, people won’t go ‘Oh my gosh it’s muddy, let’s not go,'” she added. “If it’s muddy, it’s already supposed to be!” The event started after Hex and Hop owner Ethan Mikesell emailed Walsh as the WCC recording secretary and asked if they had a mud season event for local businesses to bring in a bit of extra money. Walsh said it’s exciting to see the event in its fourth year, gathering a following of people looking for muddy fun. She’s personally a big fan of the event. “I think it’s a real community-building event,” she said. She loves seeing kids running around the mountain. “I love a good music festival,” Walsh said. “And if I can be on a hill listening to music — I don’t know why it has to be on a hill, but hills help — I just think that part of it is really wonderful.” The music will start with High on the Hog, featuring fiddle and guitar player Tyler Dezago coming back to town to play some old time string music with his friends. Next, the Midnight Stargazers will bring their cosmic country sound to the MudFest stage for their fourth Mountain MudFest. Closing the day will be Strange Cereal, playing funky rocking originals. There will be no cornhole tournament this year, but there will be cornhole games to play. The tournament was drawing aficionados in from all around the region to compete for the trophy, Walsh said, and families who paid to enter were getting knocked out in the first round. There will be gaga ball, volleyball and face painting. There will also be a pickleball instructor at the courts at the mountain. This session costs money. Several community organizations will be providing entertainment and information at MudFest. The Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department will bring a fire truck for a “touch-a-truck,” Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks will bring their “tools of the trade” and the Saranac Lake Free Library is bringing a button-making machine. Other organizations include the Girl Scouts, the Adirondack Carousel, Franklin County Public Health, the Saranac Lake Rotary Club, the Saranac Lake Youth Center and the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club. There will be food trucks, with Duke’s BBQ and Tony’s Fried Dough and Confections registered to be there. Hex and Hop will provide the beer. Walsh said MudFest is never a money-making event for the WCC, but that they do it for the community. The event is run by volunteers, many from the WCC, and Walsh said they are always looking for new members. SARANAC LAKE — After a brief stretch of pleasant conditions across the Tri-Lakes area, thunderstorms and gusty ... Copyright © 2025 Adirondack Publishing Company | https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com | 54 Broadway, Saranac Lake, NY 12983 | 518-891-2600 Culture / Music and disillusionment with living in a world on fire While few would label Fight Back Mountain as a metal band its turbulent guitars and breakneck rhythm section draw from a spectrum of punk-adjacent sub-genres Lyrics often explore life on the ground level in a world where problems continue to grow in scale as songs also incorporate a sardonic sense of humor—and the occasional The Simpsons reference Louis Music newsletter to discover upcoming concerts and more across an eclectic playlist of genres “There are a lot of albums where you can kind of look at the cover and know what the songs sound like but we settled on trying to make it look like a metal album cover So it’s kind of like a fake out,” says Adrian Barnello the singer and guitarist for Fight Back Mountain who also works as a criminal defense attorney.   Barnello counts partner and rhythm guitarist Anjelica Aquilino as the creative force behind the band’s visual aesthetic and most of the lyrics Barnello and Aquilino also briefly hosted a late night radio show on KDHX (88.1 FM) in 2019 called Failed States where the couple played blocks of punk and metal music while prominently featuring local bands are just the latest continuations of the duo’s mission to make their mark on the local music community With bassist Andy Kohnen and drummer Devin Dessieux in tow, Fight Back Mountain reached its first milestone in March 2019 with the release of Times Beach Louis county ghost town that was evacuated after a dangerous dioxin contamination in 1983 the debut album served up a 13-song exploration of alternative rock “We were still trying to figure out what we wanted to write about as a band,” Barnello says “Are we gonna be a band that writes about political We were kind of split for the first album and did a bit of each.” Times Beach also kicked off a tradition wherein every song released by Fight Back Mountain to date has been engineered, mixed, and mastered by Gabe Usery at Maplewood’s Encapsulated Studios The band’s first album was notably released on cassette tape I personally have a big collection of VHS tapes People like to buy them to have as little trinkets Between the release of Times Beach and a big opportunity to open for Radkey Fight Back Mountain was poised for a busy 2020 When COVID-19 forced the closure of music venues across the country Barnello and company took a long break before returning to sporadic band practices throughout the summer “We were just kind of gearing up and coming into our own as a band We had some pretty big shows booked,” Barnello says Fight Back Mountain returned to live events in spring 2021, but Barnello describes those shows as having “lots of asterisks,” such as limited capacity, mask requirements, and proof-of-vaccination required. Still, the band worked to regain lost ground with a steady stream of shows and a second studio album titled Lavender Sky “We recorded the first half of Lavender Sky in February of 2020 right before COVID,” he says “I remember the last day we recorded I was thinking I remember recording the second half during a COVID spike and we tracked everything individually.”  Barnello credits Donald Brazel, owner of Affton’s Record Space for his help in funding and coordinating the vinyl release of Lavender Sky The partnership culminated in a memorable release party in October 2021 for which Fight Back Mountain performed inside Brazel’s store alongside friends and like-minded bands but every few months I try to get us on a bill with national touring acts It’s a good way to get your name out to new people who don’t necessarily know you exist You have to grind on smaller shows in order to build your fanbase so you can do that,” Barnello explains From opening for Story of the Year and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to the release of Lavender Sky B-Sides and the “Doomsday” single Fight Back Mountain’s 2022 was a year marked with milestones reached by working through a global pandemic and returning to a local music scene altered by world-changing events Barnello credits some of the band’s success to Donny Fandango the beloved The Point (105.7 FM) radio host who has featured Fight Back Mountain on his popular New Music Sunday show With support from UK label Cats Claw Records and New York’s Punk Rock Radar, Fight Back Mountain released the tightly wound four-song EP Backslider on cassette tape only days before Halloween 2023 The music video for featured track “Doomsday,” produced by Sewer Urchin guitarist Todd Parker has a campy vibe that sits comfortably beside Fight Back Mountain’s many music videos Between touring the midwest and playing around St Fight Back Mountain also stayed busy behind the scenes perfecting 12 songs for a new studio album the band once again called on Usery to help sculpt a distinct sonic palette there was a very specific sound that I wanted we borrowed really nice amps to make the recording,” Barnello says The band referenced Insomniac by Green Day and Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins to further flesh out its genre-blending approach in the studio Death and the Miser is a culmination of Fight Back Mountain’s evolution as songwriters and performers Named after the painting by Renaissance-era artist Hieronymus Bosch the new album offers a loose story dotted with deep emotional issues and promises of a better life left unfulfilled Barnello delivers poetic passages with raspy full-bodied vocals that occupy a unique middleground between yelling and singing “The lyrics kind of have a throughline about two characters that are in a relationship You can think of the two characters as being death and the miser,” Barnello says Fight Back Mountain released three music videos in the lead up to the album “Trouble & Havoc” shows the band having fun inside the Mauhaus Cat Cafe in Maplewood—fitting for a song named after Barnello and Aquilino’s two cats “No Recourse” is an 81-second thrashy jaunt with visuals made “on a budget of $20 with a flip video camera from 2008ish” alongside recurring lyrics that read and you’re the mark.” The most recent video “Sticker Book” offers abstract imagery that feels like faded memories leaking from a failing hard drive it all represents a triumph for a band that’s made a name for itself through no small amount of hard work And it’s one that Barnello is not about to let go unnoticed “This album is the one I’m most proud of out of any musical project I’ve ever been a part of,” he says Death and the Miser is currently available on vinyl, CD, and digital platforms alongside a lyric book zine and new apparel. Fight Back Mountain is currently scheduled to perform alongside Story of the Year, Drowning Pool and many others at the upcoming Pig & Whiskey Festival taking place May 9 through 11 at 4 Hands Brewery & Tasting Room. Listen Here Listen Here Listen Here Listen Here MUSIC NEWSLETTER Subscribe to the St. Louis Music newsletter to discover upcoming concerts, local artists to watch, and more across an eclectic playlist of genres. Start your mornings with a fresh take on the day’s top local news from Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull. No spam, you can unsubscribe anytime you want. Our award-winning content brings readers revealing profiles Start your mornings with a fresh take on the day’s top local news the Back Mountain Triathlon returns for its third year to Harveys Lake and the Back Mountain community with many of those being first-time triathletes The race this year will again feature a sprint distance course (750 meter swim/12 mile bike/5K run) occurring at the same time as the original Olympic length race; aqua bike and relay options are also offered Sprint triathlons are approximately half the distance of an Olympic triathlon making it a great entry point for beginners or new triathletes the Back Mountain Triathlon Committee and the Times Leader will present a 17-week series that focuses on the inspiring stories of athletes who will be involved with the race in 2025 the future of triathlon would be less optimistic the articles will highlight these new stories about the future of triathlon in the Back Mountain and around the U.S grew up in Bear Creek and now resides in Dallas His athletic journey began with wrestling from kindergarten through high school and later transitioned to CrossFit after college Shawn’s triathlon journey started “accidentally” when he signed up for his first triathlon after reading an article in 2023 about the Back Mountain Triathlon in the Times Leader he is now a feature in this article series Shawn has participated competed in the Back Mountain Triathlon in both 2023 and 2024 achieving significant improvements in his performance Below are Shawn’s answers to some background questions about his impressive triathlon journey: What was your high school/college athletic experience I wrestled from kindergarten up through high school fitness took a back burner to class and working then after I graduated I found CrossFit (NEPA Cross Fit) Did your athletic background help you in triathlon I think there’s a benefit of having a foundation of physical strength from wrestling and CrossFit but then also the mental aspect that was drilled in from a young age Working hard and pushing through even when you feel uncomfortable or think you can’t you do something Do you have an inspiration or someone who motivated you to begin triathlons I “accidentally” signed myself up for my first triathlon My best friend from childhood was into triathlons during college and I had never done one with him at the time When I saw an article in 2023 for the Back Mountain Triathlon coming back I sent it to him as a joke saying we should train and do it together thinking I’d get shot down What is your proudest moment in triathlon/endurance racing I think my proudest moment is still yet to come I’m all about seeing how much you can improve individually I had a goal of just finishing the triathlon it was seeing how much improvement I made and I finished in 2:50:55 14 min off my bike time and 2 min off my run I do try to plan races around locations my wife would want to visit though Both kids are active in multiple sports and at ages where we’re having them try everything to see what they love and what they’re good at so it’s lots of early mornings for me and then fitting in running throughout the summer during my kids’ practices You’ll see me running around Dallas campus while football and cheer practice is going on all summer long my daughter has said she’d like to do a triathlon Strong legs from lots of squatting at CrossFit translated nice into biking Favorite will have to be Back Mountain forever but I have my eyes on doing the Mussleman (70.3) in Seneca and Lake Placid (140.6) over the next couple years What is your favorite type of workout when training for a race I like to do a mini-triathlon in the weeks leading up to the race but just enough to make sure I’m comfortable with transitions and have a reminder of how your body will feel moving through each leg of the race Seeing my kids cheering at transitions and the finish line Then having to explain to my 6-year-old as to why I’m not standing on the podium during my age group awards Do you have a mantra or a phrase that gets you through the tough parts of training/racing You get to a point where you feel like you’re tired and you’re not going to make it I like a little bit of rain the night before into early morning of race day But I might get forced to use Garmin by the rest of the group Find a group and follow along taking all the free tips and coaching people will offer Got some tri bars as a Christmas gift for this season How do you stay motivated through the offseason It’s a struggle to stay motivated and manage a busy schedule with young kids I find it’s good to sign up for smaller local events (runs other fitness competitions) throughout the year to give yourself something to train for that has a deadline and keeps you moving Any advice for those racing for the first time this year The triathlon community is very welcoming and willing to help anyone who’s trying to improve Everyone was struggling to swim a pool length hop on a bike or run more than a mile at some point What does your race calendar look like this season I have my eyes on one of the Steelman open water swims and looking to fit a 70.3 race in in the fall We use cookies to improve your experience Please read our Privacy Policy or click Accept.× Please read our Privacy Policy or click Accept is teaming up with Adirondack Mountains’ craft brewer Paradox Brewery to bring back our Mountain Brew beer Mountain Brew is returning to Stewart’s Shops in February with a new recipe and a much taller 19.2-ounce can Stewart’s frequently changes up ice cream flavors in our shops and our biggest fans always get excited when we bring back one of their favorites The decision to revive Mountain Brew is no different The old Mountain Brew recipe had some fans because of the taste Others didn’t love it for any reason “Mountain Brew is a great example of a fun nostalgic product and maybe the world could use a little more fun and nostalgia right now,” said Stewart’s Shops president Gary Dake Stewart’s has found a way to bring back Mountain Brew with a good value and a bolder new recipe that already is winning the taste buds of some early samplers Paradox hosted an event at its brewery in North Hudson on January 22nd as the first batch of Stewart’s Mountain Brew was canned Mountain Brew will be available in Stewart’s Shops by February 3rd Convenience Store Website Design and Development by Mannix Marketing, Inc. Having trouble using this site? Accessibility is our goal, please contact us with site improvements. View Site Map An athlete warms up and test the waters of Harveys Lake before the start of thr Back Mountain Triathlon last year competitors will race into Harveys Lake to start a test of endurance that has been a Back Mountain staple The third annual Back Mountain Triathlon will take place “It’s year 3 and we are excited to bring it back,” race director David Bass said Not much will have change from last year’s race but their will be a concerted effort to make the finishing area more of a party atmosphere quality coffee for the adults …” Bass said running down a list of additions to make for that party atmosphere “But we hope the main draw will be good old-fashioned triathlon.” To celebrate the third year of the triathlon the Times Leader will run an athlete profile in each Sunday edition “We will feature 16 new athletes with unique and inspirational stories,” Bass said of the series Today’s first featured athlete is Kelsey Miller Bass said that the triathlon is working with gyms this year to get triathletes out The competitors from each gym will compete for a trophy for fastest time from that gym The race will feature a sprint and Olympic distance one again this year The Olympic distance will be 1,500 meters swimming followed by a two laps going to Noxen via Route 29 and returning to the lake area up Buckwheat Hollow Rd (Sordoni Hill) The bike course will end at Lake-Noxen Elementary and runners will leave from there The run course will leave Lake-Noxen Elementary and make a right on Schoolhouse Rd go right on Tulip Rd and then right on Hallowich Rd Once the runners reach the 3.1 mile mark on Hallowich Rd they will reverse the run course and return to the school The sprint course will be half those distances Bass added that he expects to see more out-of-towners this year “We are starting to hear from regional clubs,” he said noting the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia clubs are reaching out You can register for the race at backmountaintriathlon.com Brian Phillips and Chamber President Sandra Race DALLAS — May 4 through 10 is National Small Business Week and the Back Mountain Chamber Business Expo Committee is preparing for this annual Business Expo and Career Fair Businesses may purchase a table for a fee and showcase their company This is especially helpful for small and large businesses as well as home-based businesses You do not have to be a chamber member to participate or to attend To register for a space at the event, contact the chamber office at 570-675-9380. For information, visit the Facebook event page at https://bit.ly/4lAsezl The Back Mountain Chamber is known as the “Little Chamber with a Big Heart.” At each event the chamber selects a nonprofit member to benefit from a fundraiser the Expo Committee has chosen Back Mountain Baseball as the recipient of the proceeds of the 50/50 drawing The Back Mountain Chamber seeks to promote economic growth by enhancing and advancing business through networking The Chamber strives to improve its local community augment its culture and cultivate a balance of business growth with a relaxed and enjoyable quality of life For information on how to support future Chamber initiatives, visit backmountainchamber.net or facebook.com/backmountainchamber pose for a photo inside their new studio at 106 S Back Mountain Pilates studio plans March 8 grand opening The studio contains six Pilates remover machines as well as a separate room in the back specifically for mat classes March MATness is a time when they go back to basics reconnecting with the original mat teachings of the exercise’s founder Given the month’s significance to the Pilates community it was the perfect time for Sarah Murray and Joanie Kuzma to finally open their own studio located in the Westmoreland Business Center at 106 S Ahead of the March 8 grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony Murray and Kuzma sat down with the Times Leader to discuss their passion for Pilates and their excitement about bringing it to the Back Mountain community “My hope for just everyone stepping in here is I just hope they love it as much as I do “I feel like when you walk in it feels like home It’s like you’re exercising in your own home and it’s a safe space to be.” The studio contains six Pilates reformer machines Clients can take both group and private classes and choose between solo with natural sunlight streaming in from the many windows along the front wall and gentle acoustic music playing from a speaker atop the window sill The co-founders did most of the renovation work themselves “We’ve really built it from the ground up which is great because that’s what we’re gonna do with the people who come here,” Kuzma said We’re gonna empower them through Pilates since starting their health journey with Pilates who is also a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Pilates helped her overcome a back injury she sustained after running a marathon back in 2014 “Pilates was really the only thing that I could do without causing myself more pain in any way she was her instructor at a studio in Scranton their friendship grew into a shared passion for wanting to bring Pilates to their hometown After going through a big weight loss in 2009 and then falling in love with Pilates a world leader in Pilates teacher training and education and began teaching classes “You wanna provide yourself with a well-rounded background in anatomy,” she explained “You wanna be able to perform the exercises and be able to instruct someone in how to perform the exercises.” “And with the machines,” she added “I think it’s even more intense just because there’s different ways you don’t want anybody to fall off the machines While the co-founders certainly have plans to expand Empower Pilates in the future whether that’s purchasing more equipment or hosting different events the true measure of success for Kuzma and Murray seems to be the simple act of helping someone become a better version of themselves “It’s such a feeling of accomplishment for them that you just are just so overjoyed,” said Kuzma “We hope to be a pillar in the community.” Attendees at the event enjoyed a buffet-style meal courtesy of Leggio’s and had the chance to mingle and network with other business owners in the Back Mountain area Fawn Caines poses for a photo at the Best of the Back Mountain award’s dinner Dallas Kwik-Mart Car Cash owner Uncle Tony (right) poses for a photo with employee Peter Patel (left) at the Best of the Back Mountain award’s dinner at Leggio’s in Dallas on Oct The Grey Rose Salon was a first time winner at the Best of the Back Mountain and took home two awards Monday including Best Hair Salon and Best Customer Service Pictured from left to right is hair stylist Maria Pino and owner and stylist Ashley Purdue Top Value Kitchens President Robert Nause poses for a photo with his daughter Top Value Kitchens won Best Kitchen and Cabinetry in 2024’s Best of the Back Mountain reader’s choice awards DALLAS — The winners of this year’s Best of the Back Mountain celebrated with a dinner at Leggio’s Italian restaurant in Dallas on Oct was held in honor of the businesses and individuals who were voted the best of the best by readers in the community we had a wonderful voter turnout,” said Times Leader Advertising Director Diane McGee and were able to mingle and network with other business owners in the Back Mountain area “We love being able to give everyone that opportunity,” McGee said getting that chance was certainly the highlight of her evening “I love seeing all of the local businesses come out for this,” Stavitzski said “It’s really cool to see the community come together and support each other.” Stavitzski attended the dinner with her boyfriend Corey Monk Dave was on vacation in Mexico at the time and couldn’t attend the dinner but Monk was happy to represent the business it just feels really good to know that we’re well enough known to win this because we don’t do a lot of advertising and most of it is always word of mouth Many of the Best of the Back Mountain winners this year were past winners as well located at 2384 Memorial Highway in Dallas The business has been open for about eight years “The best part about it is the customer service,” said Kwik-Mart worker Peter Patel people wouldn’t be choosing us.” who wished to be referred to as Uncle Tony “We do a nice service,” he said There were plenty of first-time winners as well which won Best Hair Salon and Best Customer Service Purdue said she was really proud of her stylists and how much her business has grown in the last eight years “I’m thinking of bringing someone new in soon because we kind of can’t keep up,” she said “We’re very big on not making people feel rushed Purdue was shocked when she learned her salon won not only one award but it’s really fun,” she said “It’s been wild how fast things have taken off.” Author Jaclyn Fowler will speak at the Friends of the Back Mountain Library luncheon on April 27 The Friends of the Back Mountain Memorial Library will host their 35th annual Luncheon with a Special Author on Sunday The guest speaker will be Jaclyn Maria Fowler a native of Schuylkill County who now resides in Wilkes-Barre Jackie Fowler comes from a long line of raconteurs and wanderers who all trace their lineage back to Ireland and following in the footsteps of her ancestors tells stories from Celtic myth and Irish history she works as Chair of the English Department at American Public University System “Jack: The Almost True Story of the Molly Maguires,” a novel she wrote for her dad and namesake Jackie is also author of “It is Myself that I Remake,” and “No One Radiates Love Alone.” Her new historical novel Tomorrow’s Whiskey,”will be out in late 2025 She has had several award-winning short stories published including “The Other Day I Found a Penny in the Street” in the 2020 Colorado Book Award winning anthology “Women of the Desert” in the Wanderlust Best of ‘20 anthology and “In the Summer Before Third Grade” in the 2022 Fish Anthology and the buffet luncheon will be served at noon All proceeds from the luncheon and the basket raffle will benefit the library Tables of eight are encouraged and may be reserved Checks in the amount of $30 should be made payable to the Back Mountain Memorial Library and mailed to 96 Huntsville Road you can obtain and complete a registration form and leave it with your payment at the library desk The ‘Tour of Back Mountain Gardens’ 2025 Planning Committee is shown front row The Back Mountain Bloomers have announced the planning committee that will host the ‘Tour of Back Mountain Gardens’ on Saturday The event will feature six private gardens located within a five-mile radius of the Borough of Dallas in Luzerne County event will be held rain or shine and includes numerous nature Tickets are $20 when pre-ordered before June 27 and $25 when purchased at the Dallas Township Municipal Building on June 27 or June 28 Tour information and a downloadable brochure with a ticket registration form is available at backmountainbloomers.org email info@backmountainbloomers.org or follow the Back Mountain Bloomers on Facebook Death and the Miser by Fight Back Mountain This is my favorite ever song by Fight Back MTN and I think it should be your favorite song by us too I remember the first time we played it live one of our friends came up to us and said “What was that song Holy shit.” That’s when I knew it was good Issue 73 featuring Pinhead Gunpowder is available now This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website  Learn more The Back Mountain Chamber hosted a meet and greet on Tuesday The Back Mountain Chamber welcomed four new members to their Board of Directors at the meet and greet event on Tuesday The Back Mountain Chamber (BMC) hosted a meet and greet on Tuesday and Chamber supporters to learn more about the organization’s initiatives and ongoing efforts to promote economic growth in the region all while connecting with other professionals and learning about the Chamber’s mission to enhance the Back Mountain area The event also featured the welcoming of four new members to the Board of Directors The meet and greet included raffle prizes for attending which were selected at the end of the night The winners were treated to gift cards from Farmer’s Inn For information on upcoming events, sponsorship opportunities, or how to join the more than 200 businesses that comprise the Chamber’s robust membership, visit backmountainchamber.net or call 570-675-9380 Stewart’s Shops’ Mountain Brew beer will return to the Ballston New York-based convenience-store chain in mid-February Stewart’s Shops is teaming with Adirondack Mountains’ craft brewer Paradox Brewery on the comeback of the beer which is a new recipe and will be 19.2 ounces Paradox Brewery is a new vendor for Stewart’s Shops Stewart’s had worked with two previous craft beer suppliers,” Cooper said We had a light and an ice version of the beer.” The old beer recipe had some fans because of the taste “Mountain Brew is a great example of a fun nostalgic product, and maybe the world could use a little more fun and nostalgia right now,” said Gary Dake, president of Stewart’s Shops, which last month completed its acquisition of Jolley Stores Stewart’s said it has found a way to bring back Mountain Brew with a good value and a bolder new recipe that already is winning the taste buds of some early samplers “The feedback so far has been phenomenal,” said Emily Close “Mountain Brew has a deep connection to the community and reimagining it has been a true labor of love.” The partnership between Stewart’s and Paradox “brings together two iconic New York brands each with a strong connection to the communities where we do business,” Stewart’s Shops said Paradox hosted an event at its brewery in North Hudson 22 as the first batch of Stewart’s Mountain Brew was canned Stewart’s Shops is an employee- and family-owned convenience-store chain known for its milk Easy Food meals and other convenience items There are 357 Stewart’s Shops in upstate New York and southern Vermont Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here Get today’s need-to-know convenience industry intelligence Sign up to receive texts from CSP on news and insights that matter to your brand Features include helping maximize and forecast sales operational strain and program cannibalization are all concerns says Richard Poye of Food Trends Think Tank Modern oral nicotine pouches continue to stand out as a key driver for 'other tobacco product' segment CSP’s Top 202 details the largest chains in the convenience-store industry and the biggest M&A stories of the past year Welcome to a deep dive into the c-store landscape The industry’s largest distributors by sales volume The latest information on products and trends in the convenience-store and foodservice industries Peek inside new convenience stores to uncover the best in retail store design across North America Corporate retail news affecting the convenience-store industry Do not sell my personal infoPrivacy PolicyCode of ConductContact UsRSS Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here 5vs2LIU Photo by: Clark BoinisMountain Hawks Bounce Back In 5-2 Win Over LIU3/2/2025 7:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis Mountain Hawks Bounce Back in Win over LIU3/2/2025 3:40:00 PM | Women's Tennis Stewart’s Shops stopped production and sales of the beer Stewart’s is teaming up with Paradox Brewery NewsChannel 13 was at Paradox for the official announcement as the canning process was in full swing Mountain Brew will come in 19.2 ounce cans It’s expected to be in Stewart’s coolers by mid-February The station representative that can assist any person with disabilities with issues related to the content of the public file is Brittany Moroukian. She can be contacted at bmoroukian@wnyt.com or 518-207-4710 Members of the committee met recently to discuss plans for the fundraiser The Back Mountain Memorial Library will host a Designer Bag Bingo Sunday there will also be a basket and quilt raffle Tickets are required for entry for all ages Tickets also can be purchased at the door for $35 Call the library at 570-675-1182 for information or to reserve your table Densmore Mountain… North America’s tallest peak has gone by many names While the name of the mountain and the name of the park have changed multiple times since the park was established in 1917 There are five Athabascan languages surrounding the park According to University of Alaska linguist James Kari the groups to the north and west of the mountain (and Alaska Range) use words that translate to “the tall one.” The Athabascan languages to the south of the mountain use words that mean “mountain-big.” The name “Denali” stems from “deenaalee,” which is from the Koyukon language traditionally spoken on the north side The first non-Native record of the mountain came from George Vancouver in 1794 when he referred to the “stupendous snow mountains.” Early 18th and 19th century Russian explorers had several names for the mountain explorer Andrei Glazunov called the highest peak Tenada which is Deg Hit’an Athabascan and means “the great mountain.” This name appears on an 1839 map of the area Another Russian name used to describe the mountain was Bulshaia Gora and means “Big One.” The US purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 and a couple of decades later a gold prospector named Frank Densmore explored Interior Alaska and effused about the tremendous mountain Prospectors all along the Yukon River started calling the mountain “Densmore Mountain” or “Densmore Peak.” “Mount McKinley” emerged after a gold prospector named William Dickey used the name in an 1897 New York Sun article Although the new president had no direct connection to Alaska the name Mount McKinley was popularized following the president’s 1901 assassination Renaming efforts began before the establishment of the park and have continued into the present when legislation was first drafted to establish a new national park to protect wildlife there was disagreement over what the park should be named “Mount McKinley National Park” officially prevailed after its legislation was signed into law on February 26 Despite the official decision to use “Mount McKinley” as the name of the peak and the national park the name controversy reemerged when the State of Alaska petitioned the U.S Board on Geographic Names to change the name of the mountain to Denali officially though the Ohio congressional delegation (representing former-President McKinley’s home state) blocked their efforts for the next four decades the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act changed the park’s name to Denali National Park and Preserve The official name of the mountain remained Mount McKinley until 2015 when President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell restored the name Denali to the mountain President Donald Trump issued an executive order to change the name of the mountain back to Mount McKinley The name of the park remains Denali National Park and Preserve From webcams and blogs to articles about history there are many ways to learn about the park Learn how Denali protects cultural resources and enforces the National Historic Preservation Act Two million acres of designated wilderness preserve wilderness character Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go Kiwanis Club of Dallas; Lake-Lehman students Lake-Lehman Key Club Advisor; Harold Stout Kiwanis Club of Dallas; Dallas students Justin Camoni When members of the Kiwanis Club of Dallas held their recent annual Halloween event for children at the Back Mountain Regional Fire Station students from the high school Key Clubs of Dallas and Lake-Lehman School Districts helped with the preparations The fun evening was followed by pizza and beverages Race winner Daniel Danilovitz of Moosic crosses the finish line with a time of 15:55 to win the 4th Annual New Years Eve Back Mountain Trail 5K Race in Luzerne Tuesday afternoon Race winner Daniel Danilovitz of Moosic (right) takes off on a fast start at the fourth annual New Year’s Eve Back Mountain Trail 5K Race in Luzerne Tuesday afternoon Runners take off down Parry Street at the start of the New Year’s Eve Back Mountain Trail 5K Race in Luzerne Tuesday afternoon Runners hit the trail section of the New Year’s Eve Back Mountain Trail 5K Race in Luzerne Tuesday afternoon Race winner Madison Hedglin of Dallas crosses the finish line with a time of 19:10 as the top female finisher in Tuesday’s race Race winner Daniel Danilovitz of Moosic and Race winner Madison Hedglin of Dallas Race winner Daniel Danilovitz of Moosic races toward the finish line Daniel Danilovitz once again closed out his running year in style The 18-year-old Riverside grad turned in a personal best time of 15:55 to make it four in a row in winning the Back Mountain Trail New Year’s Eve 5K on Tuesday Dallas’ Madison Hedglin also set a personal best as the top female finisher with a time of 19:10 Both top finishers are former District 2 cross country champions is a freshman at UMBC who continued his strong showing in the race had finished second in the event in 2022 and 2023 before breaking through for the win on Tuesday The 5K drew 737 runners in its fourth year and closed out the 2024 schedule for the Wyoming Valley Striders the running club that hosts several annual races The Wyoming Valley Striders opened their 50th anniversary year on Wednesday with the New Year’s Day Social Run at Kirby Park More than 60 participants ran through a steady rain Up next for the group is the Winter’s End 4.5 Mile Run on March 23 at Penn State Wilkes-Barre The race is the first leg of the Vince Wojnar Triple Crown series By Kevin Carroll kcarroll@www.timesleader.com Back Mountain National celebrates their 14-5 win over Valley View Back Mountain National’s Max Kovach and pitcher (5) Mac Hanson react to the 14-5 win over Valley View Back Mountain National’s Oliver Bross prepares to throw to first as Valley View’s Brady Scoblick beats the throw in the first inning.- Back Mountain National’s Isaac Tribendis is late on the tag of Valley View’s Jack Zadarosni in the second inning at third base Valley View’s Talon Prutzman scores in the first inning as Back Mountain National pitcher Jack Katyl is late with the tag — Halfway through Thursday night’s Section 5 championship game Back Mountain National and Valley View found themselves in yet another dogfight the third close game between the two teams in a span of five days and left little doubt as to who would be heading on to states Back Mountain scored seven times in the fourth inning and outscored Valley View 11-0 over the final three frames to win the Section 5 8-10 Baseball title by a 14-5 final score The script remained the same early Thursday as it had been in the two previous meetings with Valley View taking an early 4-3 lead after one and adding another run in the third to make it 5-3 But Back Mountain didn’t just catch up They batted around the order in the top of the fourth scoring seven times and taking firm control of the game “We’re not known for our hot starts,” Back Mountain National manager Brian Wielgosz said Valley View got the first out in the fourth inning but Mac Hanson got the ball rolling for Back Mountain with a base hit stealing second and advancing all the way to home after the throw got by everyone into the outfield nine straight batters reached base safely for Back Mountain wrapping the order back to the top where heavy hitters were waiting Oliver Bross had an RBI single in the fourth one of three hits and two runs driven in for him on the day Bruce Knowles and Matthew Wycallis each drew bases-loaded walks to bring in a few more runs It was 10-5 Back Mountain by the time the inning finally ended and the energy was palpable from the players and fans he came up even bigger for Back Mountain on the pitcher’s mound Over 3.2 innings in relief of starter Jack Katyl just one earned run on three hits and six strikeouts to earn the win He worked out of a jam right when he was brought in and shut down Valley View the rest of the way “(Bross is) our guy … he’s the leader of this team,” Wielgosz said “He’s the guy who wants the ball in the important spots allowing just a walk and making the final out himself on a grounder back up the middle to jumpstart Back Mountain’s celebration Valley View’s season comes to an end as the District 17 champs with three wins in the sectional tournament (including one over Back Mountain on Tuesday to force the second game Thursday) Bryce Warnestsky had two hits and two RBI for Valley View also throwing 3.1 innings as his team’s starting pitcher Mason Buczynski also had two hits and scored two runs never gave up right to the last out,” Valley View manager Stan Buczynski said … We just came up a little bit short.” Back Mountain National won’t have to travel for the Pennsylvania 8-10 Baseball Tournament hosted this year at the Back Mountain Little League The first-round game will be Monday night at 7 p.m the District 19 and Section 8 champions from Delaware County Smith Garner All-Mountain West Honors3/9/2025 12:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball Back Mountain National second baseman Henry Kovach reacts to catching the popup to end the game with Abington as shortstop Logan Van Valkenburgh joins in to celebrate Back Mountain National players Jordan Medrano Ben Nulton and Matt Lapidus celebrate after defeating Abington 7-2 for the Section 5 Little League Major Baseball championship Back Mountain National’s Liam Dieffenbacher is safe at second beating Abington shortstop Jake Kwiatkowski’s tag in the third inning Back Mountain National’s Ben Nulton slides into third base in the third inning on a single by Nick Federici Back Mountain National’s Ben Nulton is surrounded by teammates as he heads to the dugout in the first inning after hitting a solo home run — Abington answered one power surge by Back Mountain National on Friday evening National smashed four home runs and pitcher Ben Nulton quelled Abington bats after the first inning in a 7-2 victory in the Section 5 Little League Major Baseball championship game District 31 champion National will head to the state tournament for a third consecutive year Wednesday against the Section 8 champion at the Newville Little League Carter Samanas and Nulton — the second and third hitters in the batting order — combined for four home runs and all seven RBI leadoff hitter Kellan DeFalco and cleanup hitter Nick Federici had eight of National’s nine hits and scored six times “Very difficult,” Abington manager John Kwiatkowski said it doesn’t matter what you throw at them they are going to hit the ball and obviously a couple car windshields got broke out there tonight They are just a fantastic hitting team and great group of baseball players I wish them all the luck in states.” Samanas sent the first pitch he saw over the left field fence Nulton followed with a blast to center for a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the first Abington tied the score in the bottom of the first Shane Goldberg led off with a single and then Jake Kwiatkowski and Gannon Wilson hit consecutive RBI doubles Nulton surrendered three singles after that and retired the last nine batters for a 84-pitch complete game National manager Rich Samanas wasn’t concerned after Abington’s first three batters of the game had hits “Good group that fought the whole season so we knew it would be a battle the whole time you’re thinking about them coming back the whole time The 5-2 advantage was provided by the manager’s son when Carter Samanas launched a three-run homer in the third inning Nulton made in 7-2 with a two-run home run in the sixth Abington had two runners on with one out in the third when center fielder DeFalco nailed a runner at the plate trying to score from second on a single Samanas picked off a runner from his catcher’s position for an inning-ending double play in the second man,” Rich Samanas said of DeFalco’s throw Kellan catching that ball and going straight home with it and Carter coming down with the tag That stops them from continuing to push.” National made it to the state final four last year where it lost in the elimination bracket semifinals The team lost in the elimination bracket quarterfinals in 2022 21vs7UNLV Broncos Power Past UNLV to Claim Second Consecutive Mountain West Championship12/6/2024 11:45:00 PM | Football Ashton Jeanty breaks Boise State's all-time rushing record © 2025 Boise State University Athletics Accessibility Statement By Andrea Butchko Special to Times Leader North Pocono grad Joanna Bernatowicz finished second in her age group at last year’s Back Mountain Triathlon The event itself is a test of endurance as competitors race through the three sports in varying distances each athlete trains their endurance through weeks or months of long workouts and afterward they face the challenge of maintain that hard earned skill Another name to be closely associated with endurance is Joanna Bernatowicz Bernatowicz is a 2016 graduate of North Pocono High School Her relationship with running began here on the middle school cross country team Bernatowicz was committed to improvement and testing her endurance in race after race She qualified for the state championship all four years of high school and was a part of a record setting team at districts for the 4×400 meter relay Her success landed her a spot on the Cornell University track and field team as a walk on She continued to focus on the 400 meter event When Bernatowicz recognized that her athletics and academic training were interfering with each other “I was a Division 1 athlete balancing a pre-med schedule When I didn’t see much improvement in my (400-meter race) times I decided to leave the team,” Bernatowicz said This moment as a college athlete would alter the direction of Bernatowicz relationship with endurance Stepping away from the short course of track also led her to marathons “I’ve probably run around 15 marathons,” Bernatowicz said “But Steamtown (Marathon) is my favorite Those 15-ish marathons have been knocked off in less than eight-ish years since Bernatowicz started running them Within these endurance races includes Bernatowicz’s Boston qualifying time (3:29) at the Philadelphia marathon Boston is for many marathon runners a lifelong dream and Bernatowicz ran it in 2022 at 23 years old Bernatowicz next turned her sights to ultramarathons (race distances greater than 26.2 miles) she raced 112 miles combined in ultra events Her finish at the Virgil Crest 50k was an impressive 7 hours crowning her the female champion of the event Bernatowicz also competed in the Cayuga Trail 50k Training for an ultramarathon requires a lot of time Bernatowicz would look forward to her moments on the trails where she could reconnect with nature and forget about the stresses of work and school Week after week of high mileage training led Bernatowicz to begin cross training with swimming and cycling “My boyfriend does triathlons,” Bernatowicz said “And my neighbor would graciously let me use his dock to swim from Cycling was a natural transition from running for Bernatowicz The triathlon community of NEPA showed up to support her in these moments the man in the lane next to me was giving me some pointers but I didn’t have an goggles,” Bernatowicz said and he lent me an extra pair so I could practice the drills he was giving me.” the same year that the Back Mountain Triathlon debuted showing up to a triathlon with my gravel bike,” she said “I was especially worried that everyone was going to be ‘lean and mean’ in the transitions but it wasn’t like that at all.” The nerves quickly dissipated and Bernatowicz became a part of the NEPA triathlon community Meeting all the athletes and being able to gather for local races make the solo miles worth it Her performance also made her one to watch She placed second in her age group with a finish time of 2 hours 43 minutes — incredible for a first time triathlete the Back Mountain Triathlon provided Bernatowicz with the test of endurance she so enjoys right in her backyard If the triathlon had not been so close to home she very likely would have just stuck with swimming and cycling as cross training “I’d like to continue doing triathlons maybe an Ironman one day,” Bernatowicz said The aspiring doctor also recognizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle that triathlon lends itself to “Someone choosing to start endurance sports for the first time will find the have more focus and ironically more energy throughout the day,” Bernatowicz said Bernatowicz will conquer a 100-mile cycling event in upstate New York She continues to improve her open water swimming skills as well as she looks forward to her next triathlon there’s a guarantee to see her logging the miles “Moving my body is essential,” she said “I always find ways to stay active.” There’s no limit to the great things this young athlete will accomplish.