“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.

Join us as we invite the community in for our first tours of the season and the opportunity to have brunch in Sagamore’s historic Dining Hall! Sagamore’s Historic Interpreters will be stationed throughout the camp to provide information, answer questions and guide you through the property.

A buffet brunch will be available for an additional cost from 10:30am to 1:30pm.

Join us for an evening of traditional Adirondack fare in our Historic Dining Hall overlooking Lake Sagamore. Executive Chef Sydney Richards is creating a delicious menu of local foods. Courses will be paired with an array of wines to complement the meal.

All Event Sessions

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.

Join us for an afternoon of excellent food and great regional craft beers. Enjoy lunch in our historic Dining Hall overlooking Sagamore Lake, then walk the grounds on a tasting tour. Professional brewers, dedicated home brewers, and beer aficionados sample and discuss what they love, in a stunning Adirondack setting.

Join us for a unique and engaging presentation exploring the music of the Civil War, co-presented by Sagamore Historian Connor Williams and Dean of Music Dan Berggren. As part of our Seminar in History on the American Civil War, this event delves into the powerful role music played in shaping and reflecting the emotions, struggles, and ideologies of the time. Through live examples, Williams and Berggren will examine popular songs of the era, analyzing them not only as musical compositions but also as historical artifacts. Attendees will gain insight into how these songs rallied troops, swayed public opinion, and captured the cultural spirit of a divided nation. Blending historical commentary with musical interpretation, the presentation offers a compelling look at how melody and message intertwined during one of America’s most defining conflicts. Don’t miss this rich exploration of history through sound.

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.

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.

Join us for an evening of traditional Adirondack fare in our Historic Dining Hall overlooking Lake Sagamore. Executive Chef Sydney Richards is creating a delicious menu of local foods. Courses will be paired with an array of wines to complement the meal.

All Event Sessions

Join us for an evening of traditional Adirondack fare in our Historic Dining Hall overlooking Lake Sagamore. Executive Chef Sydney Richards is creating a delicious menu of local foods. Courses will be paired with an array of wines to complement the meal.

All Event Sessions

Samuel Clemens: Tales of Mark Twain is a contemporary one-man show, written and performed by Joe Baer, that tells the story of Samuel Clemens’ life. Context and words from the pen of Mark Twain are intertwined to reimagine this legend on the lecture circuit, highlighting the ebbs and flows of this iconic American figure’s life against a visual backdrop of historical imagery.

 "I’m not trying to impersonate Twain but rather personify him. My goal on stage is to create a Twain character for the 21st century. His logic and ‘snappers’ are timeless, and many, for better or worse, are still applicable to todays’ world.”
- Joe Baer, Actor & Playwright

The show is an original script sprinkled with excepts from the hand of Samuel Clemens, otherwise known as Mark Twain. Baer portrays Samuel Clemens near the end of his career, in a narrative and thought-provoking performance. The show highlights events in Twain's life with events happening during his lifetime in American history. Baer presents a nostalgic look back through time, beginning with Twain’s rural roots in small town, Missouri, to his international acclaim. This parallel timeline brings Twain back to life by conveying how many of the same topics back then are just as relevant in today's world. Baer’s performance also portrays Twain's irreverence for politics and politicians as is his penchant for embroidering the truth with less true but more interesting alternative facts. Act 2 includes condensed passages from Clemens’s masterwork, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. If you enjoy history and story-telling with a satirical twist, you won’t want to miss this solo show. 

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.