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ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
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Life in the North Country:

Signs of Spring


In March of 2020 Historic Saranac Lake's oral history project began documenting the impact of COVID-19 on our community. We asked locals to share their experience via phone interviews and it became our practice to end each interview with a question unrelated to the pandemic: 
"What is the first sign of spring?"
What started out as a lighthearted question to end interviews, evolved into a celebration of spring that we looked forward to every time. 
Photo take on 03/04/20.
"All the snow melting and seeing the grass again and some mud." - Adam.
"Some lilac trees. I love the smell of the lilac trees ... It reminds me that summer is on its way." - Nancy
As the weather warms up, we have moved to conducting socially-distant interviews with the passerby outside the Saranac Laboratory Museum. Though these interviews are much shorter, we're still taking some time to ask about the first signs of spring. Learn more about how we continue to document the impact of COVID-19 here.
While the oral history project was asking locals about the signs of spring, Historic Saranac Lake executive director Amy Catania was photographing those signs. She has taken daily photos of Moody Pond since the first days of New York on Pause--back when there was still ice on the pond. 
"Sunburn." - Jessica and Mike
"Juncos and Robins. And the haze of red and sometimes green that comes over a mountainside." - Anita
We've joined our two projects together to create a celebration of spring in the North Country! The photos begin March 15, 2020 through the present day and are only a selection of Amy's daily photos. This project is ongoing! Use the survey below to share your own response:
Submit
"Crocuses. Also when it's raining, not snowing, and you can smell mud." - Hannah
"Crocuses!" - Chessie
"Seeing those little bulbs come up. I don't remember what I planted--and I've noticed the birds more than ever this year." - Gail
"Maybe trout lilies? When the ice goes out of the lake." - Ken
“When the sun comes up and you can hear the robins again and you open up the window and it's a little bit chilly but you can smell life.” - Nathan
"The flowers." - Bradley
"The black flies!” - Katie
"Listening to the loons going over." - John
“The robins going around and then the little flowers that come up.” - Sandra
"The geese flying north! I think I saw them in February this year." - Kayt
“Ten days or two weeks of warm weather, and then three snows and then it’s spring." - Tyler
“Today! The heat.”- Jeff
“When the salamanders do their migration to the vernal pools, and life is emerging.” - Isaac
"Today. The beautiful weather." - Asheena
“An expanse of colors, when you start to see different things popping up, different flora.” - Isabella
“Spring foraging--ramps coming up, fiddleheads.” - Colleen
"The fact that the lawns need to be mowed." - Rick
"I think I look for signs of spring really early. You start to see where the ice is getting a little soft on the lake. That's a sign of spring." - Amy

Contact Us

89 Church Street Suite 2
Saranac Lake NY 12983
​mail@historicsaranaclake.org
518-891-4606
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  • Home
  • About
  • Browse
  • Get Involved
    • TB Stories
    • Saranac Lake in the Time of COVID
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Your Community. Your Museum.
    • Join the Project
  • Resources
  • Historic Saranac Lake