Lake George Community Block Party planned

A popular Lake George event will be revived this spring on the Village Streets. May 18 -19, 2024, has been designated Community Days by the Village and Town of Lake George. The event will feature a block party on Ottawa Street, which will include live entertainment, food, and family activities offered by local not-for-profit organizations. Most activities will be free of charge; however, donations will be accepted by participating organizations.

In years gone by, a community-wide party was held annually in Lake George, most recently on the lawn of the Fort William Henry Hotel.

“The entire weekend is designed to showcase all the good services that our local not-for-profits provide and allow our locals to enjoy a variety of fun, meet our volunteers, and treat our youngsters to some great activities free of charge,” says Lake George Village Events Director and former Mayor Robert Blais. “We do hundreds of special events for our visitors each year. This event is designed specifically for our locals and neighbors.”

Entertainment will be held on a stage erected on Ottawa Street. Scheduled to perform are the Lake George Central School Music Department, the Lake George Community Band, the Caldwell Pre-School Choir, the Bolton Dance Studio, an organ concert, and a magic show by Mr. Twisty. The Stony Creek Band will perform a reprisal of their 50th anniversary celebration on Saturday at 6 p.m. Local favorite, singer/songwriter Rich Ortiz, will also perform during Community Days.

Family activities will include bounce houses, pony rides, movies with free popcorn, an animal petting zoo and an instrument petting zoo. The instrument petting zoo offers children the opportunity to try out orchestral instruments courtesy of the Lake George Music Festival. The Town and Village DPWs and the Lake George Rescue Squad will feature a “Touch-A-Truck” event.

A young girl explores the trombone at the 2018 Lake George Music Festival Instrument Petting Zoo.

The churches on Montcalm Street will be offering food and hosting craft shows. Also on Montcalm Street, attendees will find a food court with a variety of food. Picnic tables will be available for eat-in dining under a tent. Take-out will also be available.

Community Days is funded by the Village of Lake George, the Town of Lake George, Lake George Radio, local merchants and the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce. Not-for-profit organizations participating include the Lake George Fire Department and Lake George Fire Auxiliary, Lake George Rescue Squad, Lake George Caldwell Library, Lake George Historical Institute, Lake George Arts Project, Lake George Teen Center, Lake George Music Festival, Women in Need, Winter Carnival, Lake George Rotary Club, Lake George Community Band, and the Lake George High School’s music department.