Harvey Carr was born in Canada in 1917, the latest descendant in a line of English and Irish storytellers. Harvey's father was from Oswego County, New York. Much of Harvey's youth was spent working as an Adirondack lumberjack. He used his earnings to attend and graduate from electrician's school.

During WW II, he went to radio school, and also served 4 years as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne. In the post-war years, Harvey returned to working in the woods, and eventually was managing logging crews for NYS.

Once an Adirondack guide, Harvey excelled at telling tall tales, and joined the Adirondack Liars' Club (a performance group of traditional tall tale masters) in 1987. Harvey passed away in 1991 after a long illness.

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Shel Damsky

Author Shel Damsky is a former resident of Saranac Lake, and currently lives with his author/wife Dorice Nelson in Cambridge, NY, east of Saratoga Springs.

Shel is a graduate of Colgate University and Cornell Law School. He practiced law for fifty years, and also taught at SUNY Albany and Pace University in White Plains.

He has long felt a passion for writing, and Saranac Lake's rich history prompted him to choose it as the backdrop for two historical novels.

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Dan Duggan

Dan Duggan is a recipient of the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship. Among his many recordings are four albums of original compositions, as well as three albums of traditional holiday music.

Dan's CD, "The Pieces of Our Life," original songs written with children, won a 1998 Parents Choice Approval Award. Dan's dulcimer work can also be heard on Paul Simon’s CD "You’re The One," released in October of 2000.

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Note: Dan also appears on albums featuring Peggy Lynn and Dan Berggren.

Barney Fowler was a reporter and newspaper columnist who shared with many his deep love for the lore of the Adirondacks. He was also a successful author, and his Adirondack Album trilogy has long been a favorite among mountain readers.

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Martha Gallagher

Meet Martha Gallagher, known as The Adirondack Harper. On Celtic harp, accompanied by her own beautiful vocals, Martha Gallagher's music has an appeal that spans generations. Her energetic, entertaining performances, offering a mix of original, Celtic, jazz, and folk music, is a treat for audiences.

Martha's diverse background in classical, folk, rock, jazz, the blues, and orchestra music has helped make her the tremendous performer she is today. The Adirondacks are her home, but Martha's tours have taken her across the USA and Canada. The recipient of many arts endowments and grants, she once traveled to Scotland to attend the 20th Annual Edinburgh Harp Festival, where she performed with some of the world's best harpers and harpists.

In March 2003 Martha was invited by the world-renowned Irish band The Chieftains (6 Grammys and 18 nominations over the years) to perform with them during their US tour. Her appearance delighted audience and band members alike. Said Paddy Maloney, The Chieftains' bandleader: "She's a grand harper!"

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The Gibson Brothers

Eric and Leigh Gibson's talent was developed while they were youngsters on a dairy farm in Ellenburg in far upstate New York. Says Eric, "I got interested in the banjo – I heard Earl Scruggs on the Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall album – and started taking lessons at a local music store. Leigh was playing guitar, so I was the one that kind of drove us toward bluegrass."

The two began playing together in 1983. By 1994, they had hooked up with Mike Barber on bass, and his dobro-playing dad, Junior, and recorded their first album, "Underneath a Harvest Moon." The CD earned them a 1995 showcase appearance at the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual World of Bluegrass and, in short order, a contract with Virginia's Hay Holler Records.

Soon after came 3 well-received albums: "Long Forgotten Dream," "Spread Your Wings," and "Another Night of Waiting." In 1998, "Another Night of Waiting" took off (nearly a year on Bluegrass Unlimited's airplay-based chart) and the Gibsons earned the IBMA's Emerging Artist of the Year award. They capped off the year by signing with Ricky Skaggs' Ceili Music, but eventually found a label home on Sugar Hill Records.

Their album "Bona Fide" (2003) found the brothers reuniting with long-time bass player Mike Barber and adding mandolinist Marc MacGlashan to their band. Ten years of touring and recording was rewarded that same year when the Gibson Brothers were invited to debut on the Grand Ole Opry.

It remains one of their most precious experiences. "[Announcer] Eddie Stubbs and [host] Jim Ed Brown really played up that it was our first time, so they got the crowd on our side right away," Eric remembers. "I have a recording of it. The response was just like I had dreamed it would be." They released "Long Way Back Home" on Sugar Hill Records in 2004, followed by "Red Letter Day" in 2006.

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Lawrence Gooley has hiked, bicycled, climbed, and canoed in the Adirondack Mountains for more than 35 years, and has visited the summit of Lyon Mountain more than one hundred times. His strong affinity for the spectacular scenery in the six-million acre park is rivaled only by his love of the area's rich history.

Lawrence has authored seven books and several articles on the region's colorful past, and he produces a free, online, monthly newsletter (http://newsletters.bloatedtoe.com) filled with interesting stories on area history. He and his partner, Jill McKee, founded Bloated Toe Enterprises in 2004. The North Country Catalog is their latest publication.

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Gina Grillo owns and operates a family business, Grillo's Pillows, in Victory Mills, NY, about 15 minutes south of Glens Falls. Her products are "lovingly made with simple, natural ingredients and materials. Special attention is given to comfort, fine details, and quality."

Everything is handmade in Gina's shop, using "natural, pure cotton coverings." Her products are designed to help relax, soothe, and rejuvenate the user.

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