Spelling Bee

Congratulations to Nicholas Manfred of Moriah Central School. He outlasted more than 60 competitors to win the 2012 CVES Regional Spelling Bee which was held at Seton Catholic School in Plattsburgh. Nicolas won in the 11^th round, correctly spelling “quinine” to seal the victory. Co-sponsor, the Press Republican along with the North Country Parents for the National Spelling Bee will pay the travel and hotel expenses for Nicolas (and a chaperone) to visit Washington, DC this summer, where he will compete in the National Bee.

The Grand Champion, 1^st Runner Up, and Grade Level Winners are:

Grade 4 Champion: Gareth Mansfield - Plattsburgh City Schools

Grade 5 Champion: Jeremy Cui - Plattsburgh City Schools

1^st Runner Up & Grade 6 Champion: Kenna Fasking - Saranac Central School

Grand Champion & Grade 7 Champion: Nicolas Manfred - Moriah Central School

Grade 8 Champion: Jillian Dean - Willsboro Central School

I had the pleasure as serving as one of the spelling bee judges this year.

SPOTLIGHT: Museum of Fine Arts DESIGN Wing

This week on Mountain Lake Journal Extra:

The "Spotlight" shines on the newly renovated Design and Decorative Arts Pavilion at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, rooms aimed at attracting your attention, by design. With chairs climbing the architecture and other unconventional ways of displaying objects, museum curators created a space the public couldn't wait to enter, even before the renovations were completed.

To learn more about upcoming events at the Museum of Fine Arts, click here.

This "Spotlight" airs on Mountain Lake Journal Extra Thursday night at 8:30 on Mountain Lake PBS. It repeats on Friday at 6am and 12:30pm, and Sunday at 10:30am.

Museum photo by Marc Cramer.

"Relay for Life" preview on Mountain Lake Journal Extra

Plattsburgh residents gear up for the annual Relay for Life of Plattsburgh. On the show this week, I speak with organizers about the upcoming kick-off and the event itself. The interview with cancer survivor Candace Jock touched everyone in the studio as it was happening. Community Executive Joan Sterling of the American Cancer Society is also inspiring when she talks about her personal reasons for participating in the relay every summer.

The all night event in June celebrates survivors of the disease, and raises money to help find a cure.

The kick-off is Thursday, February 16 from 6pm to 8pm at Gilligan’s Getaway in Plattsburgh.

The actual Relay for Life is June 15-16 from 7pm to 7am at the Clinton County Fairgrounds.

To learn more, the RelayforLife website is here.

This roundtable interview airs on Mountain Lake Journal Extra Thursday night at 8:30 on Mountain Lake PBS. It repeats on Friday at 6am and 12:30pm, and Sunday at 10:30am.

SPOTLIGHT: Opera Singer Tanner Knight

Tenor Tanner Knight of Kessville, New York discusses his career in opera. The singer has performed in many shows across the country, but he says dwindling audiences due to the tough economy are forcing many opera companies to make cutbacks or even close. In spite of the tough times, we managed to talk about his love of music. He also sang for us, accompanied on the piano by Dr. Karen Becker. She is an associate professor at SUNY Plattsburgh.

This "Spotlight" airs on Mountain Lake Journal Extra Thursday night at 8:30 on Mountain Lake PBS. It repeats on Friday at 6am and 12:30pm, and Sunday at 10:30am.

"Spotlight" is brought to you, in part, by the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life for year-round residents of the Adirondack Park.

SPOTLIGHT Encore: Joshua Bell!

To celebrate the release of "French Impressions," Joshua Bell's new CD of French music for violin and piano, Mountain Lake Journal Extra has an encore presentation of Paul Larson's exclusive interview with the world famous violinist. Bell discusses his career, his passion for the arts, and the mishaps he's had with his 300 year-old Stadivarius, an instrument worth millions. The "Spotlight" segment on Joshua Bell runs on Mountain Lake Journal Extra beginning January 5 at the following times, Thursday 8:30pm Friday 6am and 12:30pm Saturday 7:30pm Sunday 6am and 10:30am "French Impressions," Joshua Bell's first recital program for Sony Classical features the Grammy Award-winning violinist and his longtime friend and recital partner, pianist Jeremy Denk, offering a passionately nuanced interpretation of works by Saint-Saens, Ravel and Franck. When Bell and Denk performed Saint-Saens Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor during their 2010 recital tour, the New York Times raved "Mr. Bell and Mr. Denk gave a passionate performanceThere were plenty of fireworks in the whirlwind of the concluding movement." Says Bell, "French Impressions is the culmination of my last decade of exploration and performance with pianist Jeremy Denk, and I hope that with this recording we can affect the listener with the same joy and spiritual enrichment that these masterpieces have provided us over the years."

SPOTLIGHT Encore: The Boobie Sisters

To celebrate our upcoming Holiday Spectacular show and a national award we recently won, the Boobie Sisters story will have a special encore presentation on Mountain Lake Journal Extra. This story, about breast cancers survivors who offer hope through humor, received an award from NETA, the National Educational Telecommunications Association, for outstanding work in public affairs content. The Boobie Sisters, with their funny name and humorous songs, actually sing about some pretty serious issues. Their performances tackle breast exams, cancer treatments, dealing with family issues and changing bodies. This encore"Spotlight" airs on Mountain Lake Journal Extra Thursday night at 8:30 on Mountain Lake PBS. It repeats on Friday at 6am and 12:30pm, Saturday at at 7:30pm and Sunday at 10:30am. Also, the Boobie Sisters will perform some festive music on the Mountain Lake PBS Holiday Spectacular this Saturday night at 7, and I will interview some of them live in our studio.

Olivia Newton-John!

The singer and actress had a benefit in Albany on Saturday for her Cancer and Wellness Centre in Australia. It's a facility for medical research, treatment and wellness care. So nice to meet Olivia after being a fan of hers since I was nine years old. She is a breast cancer survivor of nineteen years.