Clayton Gets a B.I.G. Opportunity

Clayton Heritage Alliance Continues to Grow

The primary activity of the Heritage Alliance is to encourage and facilitate communications among nearly three dozen Clay‐ton nonprofit organizations serving the residents of the Thousand Islands region. The organization provides an instant communications vehicle for the organizations to share information with each other. In addition, the information is sent to community leaders. Heritage Alliance membership carries no obligations, financial or otherwise. Any Clayton‐based nonprofit organization is eligible for membership. If you are interested in learning more about the Clayton Heritage Alli‐ance, contact Cary Brick at cbrick@twcny.rr.com.

Produced by TIYLO Volume 1, Issue 2

Clayton Community Newsletter

Impo r t an t Meet ing s

Clayton Town Board 2nd & 4th Wed., 5pm 405 Riverside Drive

Clayton Village Board

2nd & 4th Mon., 6:30pm (Jun, Jul, Aug‐4th Mon. Only)

425 Mary Street

Joint Town/Village Planning 1st Thurs., 7pm

405 Riverside Drive

Joint Zoning Board 3rd Mon., 7pm

405 Riverside Drive

Clayton Local Development Corp. 1st Thurs., 4pm

405 Riverside Drive

Clayton Fire District 2nd Wed., 7pm

Clayton & Dpv.Fire Halls

TIERS 4th Tues., 6:30pm

Clayton TIERS & LaFargeville Fire Hall

Fall 2010

Former Frink America Site: 2009

Photo Courtesy of Doug Johnston & Christiana Langer

2010 Member Organizations

American Legion, Antique Boat Museum, Arts Alliance, Clayton Chamber of Commerce, Clayton Council of Churches, Clayton Community Band, Clayton Figure Skating Club, Clayton Fire Department, Clayton Fire Department Booster Club, Clayton Im‐provement Association, Clayton Local Development Corporation, Friends of Hawn Library, Grindstone Heritage Center, Hawn Memorial Library, Knights of Columbus, Lions Club, Paynter Senior Center, Riverside Theater, Rotary Club, Save the River, Sons of the American Legion, Thousand Islands Art Center, Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue Service, Thousand Islands Founda‐tion, Thousand Islands Land Trust, Thousand Islands Museum, Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund, Thousand Islands School

District, Thousand Islands Snowmobile Club, Thousand Islands Young Leaders Organization , TI Youth Hockey Association. Steering Committee: Cary Brick, Chair; Donna Cantwell, Ted Mascott and Jack Stopper

Clayton was recently awarded a Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) from US Fish & Wildlife. The grant program

is funded through excise taxes on boating and fishing equipment and boating fuel. It is mandated that these

funds be put back into the boating community. Clayton was awarded a $1.1 Million Grant towards a $1.7 Million

project. The grant program mandates that the funding be spent to construct a facility that benefits transient

boaters—those who stay in our community for 1‐10 days. The current project plans include a docking facility for

transient boats that are 26 feet or more in length, located off the north east corner of the Frink Property. It is

also expected to include a breakwater, docks and a bathhouse. For more information on this project, contact the

Clayton Local Development Corporation at 315‐686‐3512, ext. 26 or email cldc@townofclayton.com.

Town of Clayton, 686‐3512 Justin A. Taylor, Supervisor

Town Board: George E. Kittle, Lance Peterson,

Robert Cantwell, III www.townofclayton.com

Village of Clayton, 686‐5552 Norma Zimmer, Mayor

Village Board: Doug Rogers

Shauna Sherboneau Mary Burke

Dennis Honeywell www.villageofclayton.com

The Paynter Center would like to welcome all seniors to join us Monday through Friday, at noon, for our mid-day meal—tastefully prepared fresh at their kitchen on Strawberry Lane in Clayton. The suggested contribu-tion is $2.50 for seniors, and $4.50 for visitors under age 60. Remember, no one over the age of 60 is ever refused due to lack of funds. Please call one day prior to reserve your noontime meal (315) 686-3553.

This year, the Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) is celebrating 25 years of land conservation in the 1000 Islands region .

TILT was founded in 1985, and since then, has worked with landowners to preserve grasslands for bird habitat on Grindstone Island (over 2000 acres), on Carleton Island (over 1300 acres), and wetlands and forests on islands and the mainland from Cape Vincent to Oak Point. The protec‐tion of shoals and small islets began over 23 years ago and continues today. In all, TILT has conserved over 59 shoals for wildlife habitat and beautiful scenic views enjoyed by residents and visitors to the Thousand Islands. The land trust has also created trails on Grindstone Island, at Crooked Creek Preserve, and at Zenda Farm Preserve for eve‐ryone to enjoy. The Sissy Danforth Rivergate Trail covers almost 27 miles of abandoned railroad bed from Clayton to Theresa to Philadel‐phia, creating a multi‐use trail for year‐round use by hikers, bikers, ATV and snowmobile users.

As TILT grew, it acquired larger parcels and turned them into preserves. These include Zenda Farm, Crooked Creek and Pot‐ter’s Beach. Zenda Farm was a state‐of‐the‐art dairy operation whose open meadows now create a beautiful entrance to Clayton from the west. The acquisition of over 1500 acres around Crooked Creek, in the Town of Hammond, includes forests, wetlands, the Macsherry Trail and the creek itself; a project taking over 11 years to complete. Potter’s Beach will continue to be a popular summer destination, as it has for generations.

An important part of TILT's con‐

servation work is our TILTreks &

Talks program. A series of out‐

ings, adventures and lectures,

TILTreks & Talks are offered

mostly free‐of‐charge and pro‐

vide participants with an oppor‐

tunity to "Get Out on the Land"

and learn firsthand about wildlife

issues in the area, or visit a pre‐

serve, or paddle a kayak. In re‐

cent years, we've scouted Bald

Eagles in winter, watched the

spring raptor migration near

Lake Ontario, ridden bikes on

Grindstone, Wellesley and Wolfe

Islands, kayaked in Crooked and

French Creeks and much more. A

highlight of the 2010 Summer

Season was our KidsTrek "Field

Ecologist for a Day!" where kids .

The Thousand Islands Museum, 312 James Street, Clayton thanks everyone for a wonderful summer season, especially all who attended our History At Noon and History Boat Cruise programs, and the attendees and volunteers who helped make our annual Decoy & Wildlife Show a success.

The Museum is open year round and we invite you to visit now for exhibits highlighting our river heri‐tage, our research library and gift shop. Support the museum at the Roast Pork Benefit Dinner on

November 5, starting at 4:30 PM at the Clayton American Legion. Join us this holiday season as we host our 15th Annual Festival of Trees at the museum November 20 ‐ December 24. On December 4th from 10am ‐ 4pm at the K of C Hall in Clayton join us for our Christmas Festival featuring Holiday House Tours and more.

Stop by the museum 10am‐4pm Monday through Friday, or visit us on the web at www.timuseum.org.

TILT Celebrates 25th Anniversary

TI Museum News

Clayton Community Newsletter

learned about different aspects of ecology with hands on exhibits and activities from local experts.

Protecting land, establishing preserves and building and main‐taining trails seldom happens quickly and takes the hard work and energy of volunteers, dedi‐cated board members and staff, past and present who make TILT strong – the people who have inspired others to provide finan‐cial support, donate land or ease‐ments, awakened a passion for nature, so that we can preserve this place we all cherish for fu‐ture generations to enjoy. So this 25th anniversary celebrates the people, past, present and future, who love the Thousand Islands region and who keep TILT strong. For that we are truly grateful!

Visit our website for more infor‐mation about the land trust ‐ www.TILandTrust.org. This win‐ter we will be hosting snowshoe hikes, birdwatching treks and cross country skiing ‐ watch for our TILTreks announcements in local papers.

Macsherry Trail at the Crooked Creek Preserve

“Biking on Grindstone”: TILTrekkers

ride on Grindstone Island.

Community Calendar

Oct 1

Lion’s Club Spaghetti Dinner, C-Way Restaurant

Oct 2, 10am

7th Annual Oktoberfest, TI Winery

Oct 10

Fall Classic Chicken BBQ, Depauville Fire Hall

Oct 15-Apr 15 (3rd Friday of Month)

Ballroom Dance Lessons & Open Dance, Clayton Opera House

Oct 19, 7pm

Clayton Community Band Concert, Clayton Opera House

Oct 22, 7:30pm

Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, Clayton Opera House

Oct 23, 5:00pm

Clayton Fire Dept. Booster Club Dinner, Graves St.

Oct 23, 7:30pm

Blue Suede’s (Elvis Tribute), Clayton Opera House

Nov 5, 4:30pm

Roast Pork Benefit Dinner, TI Mu-seum , at American Legion Post 821,

Nov 20-Dec 29, 10am-4pm

16th Annual Festival of Trees, TI Museum

Nov 20, 7pm

Ron & Nancy OneSong, Clayton Opera House

Nov 27

Craft Fair & Sale, Depauville. Fire Hall

Nov 27, 8pm

Warren Miller Ski Film, Clayton Opera House

Nov 30, 7pm

Community Band Concert, Clayton Opera House

Dec 2, 10am-7:30pm

Shopper’s Poker Run & Tree Lighting Ceremony, Downtown Clayton

collection of handweaving and textiles, and offers a wide variety of classes for both children and adults in pottery, fiber arts, jewelry mak‐ing, drawing, writing, painting and photography, all year round. For a listing of courses and other Arts Center events, please visit www.tiartscenter.org. Further information about Arts Center events is also available by calling (315) 686‐4123 or emailing info@tiartscenter.org.

Artfully Served: Bringing Aware‐ness to Hunger will benefit local food pantries and hunger services, and Arts Center programming. Artwork submitted to the exhibi‐tion had to be original and depict, symbolize, and/or represent food or food‐related items. The art‐work will be on display in the Thousand Islands Arts Center gallery, 314 John St. in Clayton, through the end of 2010. The Thousand Islands Arts Center is home to a nationally renowned

Thousand Islands Snowmobile Club

TI Arts Center Hosts 2nd Annual ‘Art for Cause’ Exhibition

Volume 1, Issue 2

The Thousand Islands Snowmo‐bile Club offers 80 miles of groomed trails in the scenic Thou‐sand Islands region of Upstate New York, provided through the generosity of over 100 private landowners. Expect well marked trails meandering through open farmlands and winding through wooded areas. Our trails will bring you through the towns of Alexandria Bay, Cape Vincent, Chaumont, Clayton, Depauville and LaFargeville. Parking, dining establishments and gas stations are conveniently located at trail heads or near the trail. We are a family oriented club with over 400 members. Several social and fundraising events are planned throughout the year, and we invite you to join us. General Club Meetings are held monthly Au‐gust thru May.

Visit our website at 1000IslandsS‐nowmobileClub.com for meeting dates and locations. Also look for the latest club information, calendar of events, and snowmobile safety training course schedule. It is rec‐ommended that all operators com‐plete a snowmobile safety training course recognized by the State of New York. Youths ages 10 through 17 who have completed a safety training course may operate a snow‐mobile on lands upon which snow‐mobiling is allowed. New York State Snowmobile Associa‐tion annual membership is Septem‐ber 1 to August 31. The 2010‐2011 membership fee is $25.00 per household and are available on‐line at www.NYSSnowAssoc.org. This entitles you to a membership in the New York State Snowmobile Associa‐tion and also a reduction in your New York State Snowmobile regis‐tration fee (from $90.00 to $45.00). A portion of your NYS regis‐tration fee is deposited into the snowmobile trail development and maintenance fund. Each year, grants are applied for by clubs to

help pay for trail maintenance and/or to purchase equipment. The grants are given to clubs based on funds accrued from memberships as of December 1st. Remember to desig‐nate Thousand Islands Snowmobile Club on your membership application and register your sled prior to Decem‐ber 1st to maximize our grant monies.

Donations are tax deductible because we are a 501(C) 3 charity organiza‐tion. Donations of all monetary value are greatly appreciated and are accepted at general meetings or by mail to: Thousand Islands Snow‐mobile Club, PO Box 361, Clayton, NY 13624.

TIPAF Continues Successful Season

TIPAF at the Clayton Opera House would like to thank the community for helping make the 2010 summer season a success! Community enthusiasm for the performances this summer resulted in several sold‐out shows. TIPAF continues to be busy throughout the year with several diverse events such as dance lessons, films, community performances and opportunities for renting out of the hall for special events. For a list of scheduled events or more information please visit www.claytonoperahouse.com or phone (315)686‐2200. *Tickets to all above performances are currently on sale and can be purchased online at our web‐site (www.ClaytonOperaHouse.com) or by calling the Box Office at 315‐686‐2200 Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Community Calendar

Dec 3, 8pm

TIYLO’s 2nd Annual Christmas Masquer-ade Ball, Antique Boat Museum

Dec 4, 9am-4pm

Christmas in Clayton,, Downtown

Dec 4-Dec 6, 10am

Kris Kringle Market, TI Winery

Dec 4, 10am-4pm

6th Annual Dickens Christmas Festival, Hawn Library

Dec 4, TBD

48th Annual Christmas Parade, Downtown Clayton

Dec 11, 7pm

Dickens Ball, Hosted by Hawn Library

Dec 12

Holiday Breakfast at Fire Hall— Santa Visits Depauville

Post Your 911 Numbers

The Village of Clayton wishes to

urge residents to plainly post their

911 address where it can be seen

by emergency responders. By mak‐

ing these numbers visible, emer‐

gency responders will be able to

find your homes and businesses

more quickly—possibly providing

critical time necessary to

save a life.

Did You Know?

*There is no overnight parking in

the Village of Clayton from Nov. 1

through Apr. 1 of the year.

*Village sidewalks must be cleared

of snow within 24 hours after ac‐

cumulation. Snow cannot be

placed in the streets, whether by

shovel or snow blower.

Donations help us meet our needs. Our current needs are club

equipment and a storage building, and with your help we can make that

happen!

Sellout crowds this summer enjoyed the all‐volunteer musical efforts

of the Clayton Community Band, under the direction of Clayton’s

2010 Citizen of the Year Gloria Hvizdos Musser. As Resident Ensemble

of the Clayton Opera House, the Band performs a wide array of music

– Broadway tunes, Dixieland and Big Band music, Spanish flair music,

classical music, marches, patriotic music, inspirational music and lots,

lots more – the Band plays it all! The price is right, too – only $5.00 a

ticket, with children accompanied by an adult always admitted free.

The Band will present two more concerts this year, on October 19th

and November 30th; both concerts will be held at 7 PM in the Clayton

Opera House. The November 30th concert will be the Band’s 2010

Holiday Concert – a perfect way to start off the busy week of Clay‐

Clayton Community Band Announces Upcoming Concerts

ton’s Holiday festivities! The Band is look‐

ing forward to welcoming everyone to

these concerts! everyone to these con‐certs! During its 2010 concert season, the

Clayton Community Band is proud to have

donated all of its ticket proceeds – to Hos‐

pice of Jefferson County and to the Clayton

Opera House. For additional information

about the Clayton Community Band, please

check out the Band’s web site:

www.claytoncommunityband.com. Tickets

for the Band’s October 19th and November

30th concerts are available at the Clayton

Opera House Box Office (686‐2200) be‐

tween Noon and 4 PM Tuesdays through

Fridays, and at the door on the evenings of

the concerts. For your added convenience,

tickets may also now be purchased online

through the Opera House’s website:

www.claytonoperahouse.com.

Clayton Community is Rich in History

There are three museums located within the Town of Clayton, as well as a the Grindstone Island Research and Heritage Center. The Thousand Islands Museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is home to exhibits of world‐class muskies and hunting decoys from past and present and houses an extensive research library. The Town and Village Historian also calls the Museum home. The Town and the Museum share a strong partnership, and the Town helps to subsidize the Museum. In addition, as with the TI Museum, the Antique Boat Museum and the Thousand Islands Arts Center have also called the Clayton Op‐era House home at one point in their histories. The Antique Boat Museum houses more than 250 watercraft, 65 inboard engines, 138 outboard motors and roughly 3000 small artifacts, many from our area. The T.I. Arts Center spe‐cializes in 20th Century hand‐woven fab‐rics, tools, study notebooks, etc.

All three museums work closely with the Town and Village to promote the com‐munity and with our local schools to further educate our children on the sig‐nificance of our community’s past. Even more, the Grindstone Island Research & Heritage Center is located on one of the Town’s largest islands—only accessible by boat. This Center boasts the long and rich history of the Island and its many remaining facilities, such as the old schoolhouse, maintained by the Town. Each of our museums, the Clayton Opera House, and the facilities at Grindstone Island continually offer the opportunity for our children to learn about their local

heritage through their schools. Field trips to each of these entities usually occurs at one time or another, if not several times, for our students. In fact, the Opera House tour is a regular component of the Thousand Islands Elementary School 4th grade curriculum. Even more, our com‐

munity has no lack of interested and inspiring local volunteers. Our museums and local not‐for‐profits are full of vibrant and pas‐sionate community members who are adamant about preserving our heritage assets. The local TI Mu‐seum offers a session each Wednesday, year‐round, called “Hashing Over History.” The program consists of local citizens researching and discussing differ‐ent events, etc. from our local history. In addition, large docent programs exist at the Antique Boat

Museum, the Handweaving Museum, and the Clayton Opera House. The ABM provides guided tours of the historic downtown district during its annual Antique Boat Show. Also, the Opera House offers guided tours of the renovated facility to the public.

If you would like to learn more about any of the museums or organizations in this article, visit the Town of Clayton’s website (www.townofclayton.com) for direct links.

Thousand Islands Life is an online magazine all about The Thousand Islands (On the River, above the River or under

the River!): We provide a regional overview, probably the most comprehensive resource for information about the St. Lawrence River, from Cape Vincent and Kingston on Lake Ontario to Brockville and Morristown, fifty miles down the river. The web site is huge, with information about twenty‐two communities and other subjects. Our objective is to encourage raising the bar in the Thousand Islands by recognizing and encouraging excellence. There is no charge for subscription; simply add your name to our confidential Notification List. We go online with a new issue mid‐month. If your organization has an important story to tell, contact us at our website www.thousandislandslife.com or on Facebook.