“Ask any fly fisher why they like to fish, and one of the first things you are likely to hear is that time and troubles all but disappear when you’re on the water. After experiencing this phenomenon for years, I began to lean into aspects of the sport that contributed to its meditative quality and, it turns out, the same practices that lead to relaxation and calm also make you a better fly angler. “

In a world obsessed with shortcuts to performance, fly fishing beckons us to slow down and take the scenic route. In this presentation, Cari will share some of the decisions you can make, on and off the water, to simultaneously enhance your enjoyment and increase your fly angling success.

Enhance your experience by joining us for a delicious dinner in our Historic Dining Hall overlooking Lake Sagamore, followed by the presentation.

Join Janet Mihuc, Professor of Biology at Paul Smith's College, for an enlightening and immersive presentation about the fascinating world of moths. This presentation will showcase the lives of moths and the ways they interact with plants and animals in forests.  The hobby of moth watching will also be introduced as you venture outside after the presentation where Dr. Mihuc will have lighting and panels set up to attract and identify moths.

Humankind's earliest recorded histories can be found in the marks etched onto cave walls tens of thousands of years ago. When words fall short, we turn to images, using visual expression to communicate what language cannot. Join art professor Wes Sherman for an engaging presentation that delves into the significance of mark-making throughout human history, while also introducing the fundamental principles of composition.

Although the American Civil War ended 160 years ago, Americans still spend every day living in its wake.  Our politics are governed by its outcome, our society is shaped by its struggles, and psyches always live in a little fear that it could happen again.  Abraham Lincoln remains our greatest President, and Antietam remains our deadliest day.  And we must never forget that--between those fighting for the United States and those fighting against them, the American Civil War killed more Americans than all our other foreign wars, combined. Sagamore Historian Connor Williams speaks about the causes, course, and consequences of our greatest national tragedy, our the world wrought by our second American revolution, and the new birth of freedom that continues to define all of our days.

Dick Beardsley is among the world’s most respected and captivating motivational and inspirational speakers. He is the author of the internationally bestselling autobiography Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race and the central figure of the acclaimed book Duel in the Sun: The Story of Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon. He is an American long-distance runner best known for tying for first place with Inge Simonsen in the inaugural 1981 London Marathon and his close finish with Alberto Salazar in the 1982 Boston Marathon. Beardsley is the only man to have ever run 13 consecutive personal bests in the marathon, and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the feat.

In 1850, the Adirondack region was a blank spot on the map, largely unorganized and uncharted. But, by 1900, the Adirondacks hosted elaborate summer estates for the wealthiest families in America: Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Carnegies, Whitneys and Morgans. While certainly not as lavish as their Newport cottages, Adirondack “Great Camps” such as Great Camp Sagamore still had elegant meals, fully stocked bars and dozens of staff to keep them running. The Adirondacks were a destination for escaping the city and recharging in nature, despite the dusty two-day journey. What was the genesis and what circumstances served as catalyst for this phenomenon?

This presentation by Sagamore’s historian, Dr. Connor Williams, will address these questions, and explore how environmentalism, opulence, industry, inequality, architecture and nature all intersected to produce the Adirondack Park (and the Adirondack vacations) we still connect to today.

All Event Sessions

Art Professor and 30-year career artist, Wes Sherman, has long been the beloved lead instructor of Sagamore’s annual Plein Air Painting Seminar. In this presentation, he’ll cover the longstanding of tradition of painting “en plein air” (French for “in the open air”) — at Sagamore, around the Adirondacks, and across the globe.

In 1850, the Adirondack region was a blank spot on the map, largely unorganized and uncharted. But, by 1900, the Adirondacks hosted elaborate summer estates for the wealthiest families in America: Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Carnegies, Whitneys and Morgans. While certainly not as lavish as their Newport cottages, Adirondack “Great Camps” such as Great Camp Sagamore still had elegant meals, fully stocked bars and dozens of staff to keep them running. The Adirondacks were a destination for escaping the city and recharging in nature, despite the dusty two-day journey. What was the genesis and what circumstances served as catalyst for this phenomenon?

This presentation by Sagamore’s historian, Dr. Connor Williams, will address these questions, and explore how environmentalism, opulence, industry, inequality, architecture and nature all intersected to produce the Adirondack Park (and the Adirondack vacations) we still connect to today.

All Event Sessions

In 1850, the Adirondack region was a blank spot on the map, largely unorganized and uncharted. But, by 1900, the Adirondacks hosted elaborate summer estates for the wealthiest families in America: Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Carnegies, Whitneys and Morgans. While certainly not as lavish as their Newport cottages, Adirondack “Great Camps” such as Great Camp Sagamore still had elegant meals, fully stocked bars and dozens of staff to keep them running. The Adirondacks were a destination for escaping the city and recharging in nature, despite the dusty two-day journey. What was the genesis and what circumstances served as catalyst for this phenomenon?

This presentation by Sagamore’s historian, Dr. Connor Williams, will address these questions, and explore how environmentalism, opulence, industry, inequality, architecture and nature all intersected to produce the Adirondack Park (and the Adirondack vacations) we still connect to today.

All Event Sessions

In the aftermath of the Election of 2024, many questions are circulating within our news media and within our minds.  Have political coalitions realigned?  How did one candidate "win" the election, and how did the other candidate "lose" it?  What do Americans really want from their leadership?  And at the core, how much of our present moment might fundamentally change America, and how much is politics as usual?

Although history cannot answer these questions for our future, it can give instructive examples from our past. Join Sagamore Historian Connor Williams for a lecture and conversation on what our nation's past elections can teach us about its present and future ones.

This is a non-partisan event: Connor's remarks will be grounded in the past, and presented apolitically--in all aspects, this event is intended to learn from history, rather than politicize it.

In 1850, the Adirondack region was a blank spot on the map, largely unorganized and uncharted. But, by 1900, the Adirondacks hosted elaborate summer estates for the wealthiest families in America: Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Carnegies, Whitneys and Morgans. While certainly not as lavish as their Newport cottages, Adirondack “Great Camps” such as Great Camp Sagamore still had elegant meals, fully stocked bars and dozens of staff to keep them running. The Adirondacks were a destination for escaping the city and recharging in nature, despite the dusty two-day journey. What was the genesis and what circumstances served as catalyst for this phenomenon?

This presentation by Sagamore’s historian, Dr. Connor Williams, will address these questions, and explore how environmentalism, opulence, industry, inequality, architecture and nature all intersected to produce the Adirondack Park (and the Adirondack vacations) we still connect to today.

All Event Sessions