Eleventh Annual Joint Chapter Meeting & Dinner Saturday, April 19, 2008 The Adirondack Chapter has organized this year's Joint Chapter Meeting and has lined up an excellent speaker for the occasion - William P. Gates, president of the Bolton (New York) Historical Society and author and publisher of five books relating to the history of Lake George. His topic for this gathering: Lake George Boats and Steamboats.

Bill Gates grew up in Bolton Landing on Lake George, a town originally settled by his ancestors in 1790. He is a retired teacher from the Glens Falls City School District, and a 21-year veteran Lake George Steamboat Captain, serving aboard the Morgan in its first season on the lake and, today, aboard the vessels Mohican and Lac du Saint Sacrement. Bill will have copies of his books available for signing and purchase.

Members and guests of the Adirondack, Chautauqua Twin Tiers, Finger Lakes, Hudson River, Niagara Frontier, Thousand Islands and Wine Country Chapters of ACBS are invited to attend. In addition, members of the Finger Lakes Boating Museum and the Antique Outboard Motor Club are also invited.

The meeting will again be held at the centrally-located Ramada Inn in Geneva, NY on the Seneca Lake waterfront, beginning at 5:30pm with a social gathering and cash bar. An excellent buffet dinner featuring sliced top sirloin will follow at 7:00. Reservations are $29.00 per person and must be received not later than April 14th, using the enclosed reservation form. Actually, there are two reservation forms enclosed - one for you and your companion for the evening, and a second one for you to use to encourage others to also attend!

If desired, rooms at the Ramada (800-990-0907 or 315-789-0400) are available at $79.00 per night (plus tax). Please mention the Antique and Classic Boat Society to obtain this special rate

So, send in your reservations, and look forward to an interesting and pleasant evening, meeting old and new boating friends from around the state. And let's do everything we can to increase attendance by encouraging others to participate and to show the Adirondack Chapter that their efforts to put this event together are appreciated

Fairport Canal Days Festival Saturday, June 7, 2008

Over the past 30 years Fairport Canal Days has become arguably the most popular family-oriented festival in Upstate New York. More than 200,000 visitors flock to this Erie Canal village each June where hundreds of artisans, crafts-men-and-women, culinary artists, and some of the best musicians and performers come together for this festival which marks the beginning of the summer season.

One hundred feet of premium space along the quay in downtown Fairport has been reserved on Saturday, June 7th for antique boats. That space will dock four boats with others rafted off those four. The FLC Board has committed to a minimum of eight boats.

We will launch by 9:00 AM at Mid-Lakes Navigation's Marina in Macedon (no launch fees), about 6 � miles east of Fairport, cruising west on the canal to Fairport (no locks to transit), and spending the day answering questions from visitors, increasing interest in antique boats and boating, and encouraging new memberships in FLC and ACBS. At the end of the day, we'll return to Macedon for haul-out. Dinner is on the agenda along the way.

If you would like to be part of the above, please mark your calendar and contact Janice Miller at jmillerarch@centralny.twcbc.com or 315-496-2924. Janice, Ed Ritter, Dick Sherwood, and Carl Stearns have already signed up. However, we need a minimum of eight boats and would welcome even a few more than that. If we don't have a sufficient number signed up by May 1st, we'll have to cancel.

So, please don't be shy. This will be a wonderful opportunity to promote antique boating, the Chapter and ACBS while enjoying a day with the boats in festive surroundings.