Thanks, Scott, for sharing these wonderful photos from the 1000 Islands!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Ospreys living the high life on the Castle
Monday, May 28, 2012
First Wedding of 2012 Season at Singer Castle, Dark Island
Photo from Dark Island, 1000 Islands
Michael
and Maritah Looney of Ogdensburg observed the old Bavarian tradition of
Baumstamm Sägen or log sawing following their wedding ceremony in the Rose
Garden at Singer Castle.
Facing their first task as a married couple, the
happy bride and groom worked together to cut a log in half while their wedding
guests watched and cheered them on. The sawing was symbolic of their
ability to accomplish difficult things when they worked together
Friday, May 25, 2012
Memorial Day - PFC Jack T. Sweet - Alexandria Bay
Photos by Robert J. Mondore in Alexandria Bay, NY
On Memorial Day we remember our fallen warriors who protected our nation and freedoms.
Above is a memorial located in Alexandria Bay, NY overlooking the St. Lawrence River and Boldt Castle on Heart Island. (Please click on the photos to see them larger.) The memorial is a testament to PFC Jack T. Sweet, a soldier who gave his life on Feb. 8, 2008 in Iraq at the age of 19 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Jack Sweet was from Alexandria Bay and his home base was Fort Drum in Watertown, NY (10th Mountain Division).
To all who have served, thank you!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Construction Repairs at Singer Castle
Photos by Singer Castle's resident caretaker, Scott Garris. (Click on images to see them larger). Photos are of the barge, payloader, scaffolding, and the new stone.
Ever interested in keeping the castle in pristine condition, the owners of Dark Island are now replacing the pilings around the Breakfast Room (called the chapel under previous ownership). The castle is still open for all tours this year as usual. See previous blog for open days in 2012.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Singer Castle & Boldt Castle 2012 Open Dates
The seasonal openings of the 1,000 Islands' famous castles are just around the corner! Here are the operational days for Singer Castle on Dark Island and Boldt Castle on Heart Island:
Singer Castle, photo by Bob Mondore
Singer Castle will open for tours during
the 2012 season on:
~May 19 (Sat.) and will be open Saturdays and Sundays through June 23 (Sat.)
~Open daily June 23 (Sat.) through Labor Day - Sept. 23 (Mon.)
~Open Saturdays and Sundays after Labor Day through October 7 (Sun.)
Transportation to Dark Island: Use your own boat or shuttle by Uncle Sam Boat Tours, Schermerhorn Harbor, or Rockport Boat Lines (the latter from Canada). Blount Small Ship Adventures will also be making stops during the Fall with the Grande Caribe and the Grande Mariner.
Phone
Singer Castle on Dark Island for
confirmation of tour times, further information, or changes at (315) 324-3275. They also offer overnight stays, weddings and
special events.
Boldt Castle, photo by Ad Meskins
2012 Boldt Castle on Heart Island Hours of Operation:
~May 12 - June 22: 10:00am - 6:30pm
~June 23 - Sept 2: 10:00am - 7:30pm
~Sept 3 - Sept 30: 10:00am - 6:30pm
~Oct 1 - Oct 14: 10:00am - 5:30pm
Boat tours from both Canada and the U.S. stop at Heart Island.
Phone Boldt Castle for more information or changes at (800) 847-5263.
Disclaimer: Contact the above primary sources for changes or updates before making any plans.
If coming from Canada, call ahead and make sure you understand what you need for U.S.A. entry, i.e., passports, customs check in locations, etc.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Subterranean Tours coming for Singer Castle?
We have it here first! Rumors from high places have been leaked regarding subterranean tours to be added to Dark Island's available roster of tours. If approved, this will go even below the secret undergound passageways. Advice is being procured from several proven sources, including the Palawan model...
To implement it, however, will require controversial cutting edge technology which is being perfected by Virgin.com ® as can be seen directly on their website (you must see this, amazing!)... Virgin.com.
It remains to be seen whether it can be made cost effective in the 1000 Islands' short season of warm weather. Also, there are expected to be some objections by environmental groups. Stay tuned here for important updates.
Log Date: 4/1/12
[ 4/2/12 Update: April 1st is called what day? Here is the Wall Street Journal's list of best April Fools Day web jokes...WSJ ]
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
One In A Thousand - Ian Coristine & Donna Walsh Inglehart
See Boldt Castle at :17 seconds and Singer Castle at :21 seconds, as well as other gorgeous shots.
Ian Coristine has done it again with the Wow factor! The award winning author has made his 6th book fully interactive and created it expressly for viewing in the Apple iPad. His co-author, Donna Walsh Inglehart, is also a noted author of of two books herself. The book will be available on Apple's iPad App Store on May 1st, 2012.
The acclaimed band Great Lake Swimmers penned and played the original score for the e-book soundtrack. Exclaim.com news reports:
"In a statement, [Great Lake Swimmers] frontman Tony Dekker said, 'Ian Coristine does more than open our eyes to the beauty of the Thousand Islands, he navigates with us through its heart. His photographs, knowledge, and love of the place is a well-spring of inspiration, which is now offered to the world in the form of this book. Our music would not be the same without it; his story will have the same effect on you.'"
Below is a full description that accompanies the video:
"One in a Thousand" is Ian Coristine's sixth book about the Thousand Islands and his first fully interactive eBook. The 100,000 word text was written with co-author Donna Walsh Inglehart ("Grindstone," "Breaking the Ring") and produced with the magical talents of the McLellan Group's creative team. The book was created expressly for the iPad and pushes the boundaries of the new digital publishing age.
"In 1992 I took off on a flight with two friends in our Challenger floatplanes. With no destination in mind, we arrived, by chance, in the 1000 Islands. I was stunned by what I saw. Now I live here, and with my plane I've been treated to a "privileged view" of the islands. Like the writers of "The Olive Farm," "A Year in Provence" and "Under the Tuscan Sun," I've found my special place in the world. It has completely changed my life.
Written with novelist Donna Walsh Inglehart, this is my story. When the iPad emerged, I saw the potential of using images, audio, video and music to bring my story to life in a much richer form than text and images alone. The award-winning band Great Lake Swimmers visited the area and fell in love with the River, recording their 2009 album, Lost Channels, at Singer Castle and St. Brendan's Church. They have kindly provided new instrumental music tracks.
I'm genuinely over the moon about all that is now possible with a downloadable book! I've been able to include videos of my flying adventures here in the islands, slideshows set to Great Lake Swimmers music, lots of my favourite images, sounds of the River, interactive maps and more. I hope everyone enjoys immersing themselves in this, as much as we have enjoyed creating it." - Ian Coristine
The book will be available on Apple's iPad App Store on May 1st, 2012.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Valentine's Day - Boldt Castle on Heart Island
Photo from Visit1000Islands.com (note the heart shape of the island).
While the Boldt Castle love story ended in heart break, we are now left with beautiful legacy to enjoy...a story of deep, dedicated love and an extraordinary scenic site in the Thousand Islands.
Follow this link to a short love story: Boldt Castle: A Love Story.
Weddings are popular at both of the Thousand Islands castles: Singer Castle on Dark Island, as well as at Boldt Castle on Heart Island.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Dark Island in the News again --- YNN
Photo: Morning view of Singer Castle, by Jean Papke
YNN - TV News
The news keeps on coming about Singer Castle and the major new reality series that has a dramatic show filmed there. (See our previous blogs for more details and exquisite photos). Superstar producers Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and The Amazing Race's
Bertram van Munster created the show, which is called The Great
Escape. Click on the following link for the YNN news and video story... TNT Picks up reality show.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Stunning video introduction to Singer Castle on Dark Island!
Above photo taken by Robert J. Mondore, not from movie referenced in this article.
Less than 2 minutes long, this may be some of the most shockingly beautiful footage you will ever see of Singer Castle located in the Thousand Islands. (Copyrighted material by WPBS, may not be duplicated).
Click on this link to view...
Blog In the News!
We are in the news. The Official Tourism Bureau of the Thousand Islands Region (visit1000islands.com) has referenced SingerCastle.blogspot.com. They have an interesting article about Singer Castle and Boldt Castle, both located in the Thousand Islands. Read their article in the following link, and look under the heading "Singer Castle" to see our mention... Official Tourism Bureau Article.
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
TNT's "The Great Escape" reality show is on the roster
Ron Howard's "The Great Escape" reality series is officially on the roster for showing this summer:
The new reality show, as revealed earlier in this blog, includes the spellbinding show featuring our area's famous castle: Singer Castle. Stay tuned...we will let you know when the date is announced that features Dark Island.
If you missed the original breaking news and exquisite photos, check out the following links:
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Happy New Year's Eve Walleye Drop! Gifts for you (see details below)!
If I choose your story or photos to run here, while supplies last, you will win a brand-new 1GB USB Flash Drive, also known as a Thumb or Jump Drive. (Once per person, although your submissions are always welcome). It is a full gigabyte in capacity! Great for transferring data from computer to computer, or for storage. If you don't need a flash drive, ask me for my huge list of other free gifts available. (This offer may be discontinued at any time without notice). This blog concentrates on the area's two famous castles (Singer Castle and Boldt Castle), but the whole area is tied in together and therefore relevant. Please email submissions or questions to: mailbox [at] gold-mountain [dot] com (remember the dash), or send to P.O. Box 123, Jamesville NY 13078.
For our diehard fishing fans (and for anybody looking for something very unique), have you ever watched the New Year's Eve walleye fish drop in Port Clinton, OH at midnight on the web? Or you can watch NewYork City's famous ball drop on your computer. Yes, its a wonderful life indeed!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Merry Christmas!
For your online Christmas celebration, here is an extraordinary site with all kinds of interesting links: Peggy's Christmas Place.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Veterans Day 2011 - Heroes Amoung Us
We have so many heroes among us, so to put a face on it, I will focus on one among us. Pictured in this blog is Todd Torrance from central New York State. He served in the U.S. Army with Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am using him to represent all of our veteran heroes: past, present and future. One day in Iraq he was on a security mission to protect the funeral procession for an Iraqi official. During this time his Humvee hit an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) which exploded his world. But let us hear it directly from him, as the New York Times featured a fascinating article by him which you can read by clicking here: New York Times, by Todd Torrance.
Above is pictured a tattoo on Todd's right shoulder, which dates his "alive date", the day he survived the road side bomb which took out his Humvee. Note the purple heart, and the 1/71 refers to his unit, the 1-71 Cavalry.
This aftermath of his alive date has culminated in having his date with Danielle, now his fiancée. If this were a movie, one could say this is the fitting ending to an amazing story, but alas, it is the beginning of great things to come for a survivor.
When I asked Todd to make a final statement for this blog, his final answer was to flash another tattoo for the camera. Click on his picture to see it larger. If the tat sounds familiar, you may also see it in 1 Thess. 5:24.
In thanks to Todd and to all of our veterans, please view the following video, Thank you for my Freedom:
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Marjorie Bourne - A force to reckon with in speedboat racing during the early 1900s.
Marjorie Bourne, daughter of Commodore Frederick G. Bourne, won the above trophy in the 1911 Thousand Islands Yacht Club speedboat race. (Photo by Patty Mondore, copyright Gold-Mountain). Marjorie and her boat, called the Moike, are pictured below. The antique speedboat can still be seen today in Clayton's Antique Boat Museum in the Thousand Islands.
F.G. Bourne brought the Singer Sewing Machine/Manufacturing Company to its worldwide success. He also had built what is now called Singer Castle on Dark Island, a famous tourist destination spot. After his death, Marjorie owned the castle for many years.
Monday, October 17, 2011
New logo for Thousand Islands Regional Dock (Frink Park) in Clayton NY.
New Dock logo above, this just in from Michael Folsom:
Clayton, New York (October 17, 2011) – The ShipWatcher, in conjunction with the Village of Clayton, unveiled today a new marking for the Thousand Islands Regional Dock in downtown Clayton in an effort to begin promotion of the dock and village.
The Thousand Islands Regional Dock is located in downtown Clayton at Frink Park and has hosted a wide variety of vessels in recent years. This past summer alone the dock hosted two tall ships, two US Coast Guard Cutters, numerous yachts, as well as regular visiting tugs from the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. Looking ahead, the village hopes to attract small regional cruise ships. The 300-foot plus dock is intended for the use of large visiting vessels.
The Thousand Islands Regional Dock is a certified Port of Entry by the US Department of Homeland Security.
The new marking includes the iconic Calumet Island tower, which can be seen from the dock in Clayton; an anchor, which is a fixture in Frink Park; and rolling waves, which represent the St. Lawrence River. The logo concept was created by Michael Folsom and final design work was completed by LogoNerds.com.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Ian Coristine's take on his fabulous "The Great Escape" photos of Singer Castle!
Ian Coristine pictured above with his ultralight airplane.
When this blog was on the tidal wave of breaking news regarding the filming of "The Great Escape" on Dark Island, I ran two exquisite photos taken by Ian Coristine (with his direct permission) of Singer Castle during that event. (Click here to see that blog again with those spectacular photos. Be sure to click on the photos to see them in larger format). Now, what follows is a dispatch direct from Dark Island which gives Ian's account of the event, telling us how he was able to capture such amazing shots of the castle.
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As part of Singer Castle’s efforts to gather impressions from those people in our area of the 1000 Islands who assisted in the production and recording of the pilot of “The Great Escape” at the castle. We asked our friend Ian Corstine [of 1000 Islands Photo Art] who has taken many pictures of the castle to comment on the experience of photographing the castle while the television production was underway. Two of his pictures one of the back of the castle and one of a cameraman were included with the initial press releases about the production. In response to our question about his experience, we received the following:
“Singer Castle is one of the 1000 Islands' most iconic landmarks so it was quite an honor to be invited to photograph it the only time in its 107 year history that it has been lit in this way. The castle's power supply doesn't have sufficient power to do this. It required a special generator truck from Boston to feed the battery of lights and I had just a single evening to try to capture it.
The shot of the rear of the castle, taken from the former tennis court, was one of several frames captured from that angle, but only this image shows the entire lawn glowing emerald green, providing a very unusual foreground for a night shot.
A crew member was slowly sweeping the lower spotlight to illuminate a small eight-foot, moving circle for a videographer. Because the darkness required the camera's shutter to remain open for 35 seconds, only the portions of lawn where it had passed showed as green in the images, with the remainder in deep shadow. Purely by luck, in this single frame only, the spotlight happened to sweep the entire lawn during the camera's exposure.
Moments after this image, I set up on the south side of the castle for what is my favorite-ever Singer shot. The castle's size is not as apparent in this image, but with it standing tall on the bluff, it gives a real sense of majesty - Fantasyland, which I find very compelling and fully in keeping with the grandeur of the Gilded Age. Not a minute after this shot, the lights suddenly dimmed and went out. The generator had failed and would not be operational again that night. I would not get another chance.
Timing is everything in life. I feel incredibly fortunate that I was able to capture the river so low from above from my plane in the last years before the post 9/11 fears made it impossible to continue shooting from this perspective. I feel the same way about these two shots of Singer Castle, the only time in its existence the opportunity has presented itself, almost certainly never to occur again.”
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
This is a double-header blog on the exciting "The Great Escape" reality show filmed on Dark Island!
First, I have an excellent video news clip from YNN which interviews several notables from Singer Castle and local business representatives regarding the new reality show called The Great Escape which is causing a so much buzz in the Thousand Islands (as noted in my previous blog).
The pilot episode is from the mega-producers, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, who also produced The Amazing Race. Short interviews include the Singer Castle's President, Tom Weldon, as well as the noted historian Judy Keeler. Larry Foster of Schermerhorn Harbor also is interviewed in the news clip. The news video only runs for 2 minutes, so be sure to check it out by clicking on: YNN News clip.
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Second, what follows is a news release and photo received direct from Dark Island filling in more details about what happened behind the scenes during the filming of The Great Escape.
Behind the Scenes:
Area Captains Assist in Staging the Great Escape
More than two weeks of concentrated effort went into the staging and production of the pilot for “The Great Escape” at Singer Castle. Several area businesses and Captains were involved in providing support for both the contestants and the many crew members involved in the production. We spoke to them to hear of their experiences.
For several days, Uncle Sam Boat Tours brought crew members to Dark Island from Alexandria Bay along with the meals that were catered by Riley’s by the River. A spokesperson for Uncle Sam Boat Tours told us that “Uncle Sam Boat Tours, Riley’s by The River and the Thomson family were very happy to assist the entertainment industry in coming to the 1000 Islands and hope that it will bring additional recognition to the area.”
Larry Foster of Schermerhorn Harbor assisted in the transportation of the contestants and camera crews. The Cedar Grove, which serves as the Singer Castle shuttle during the summer months, was blacked out and used to transport the contestants to Dark Island. Larry Foster, Bob Foster and Richard Orton assisted the cameramen in the filming of the contestants. Of the business brought to the area by the production, Larry said “In the fall of the year it was a win-win situation for Schermerhorn Harbor.”
When questioned about his experience, Bob Foster of Chalk’s Marina mentioned that the nights were long but a good experience. He was amazed by what work was done in so little time and felt that the creativity of the folks involved in the show was amazing. “The people were excellent. It was an influx of cash and brought some excitement to the area. If the show is picked up it will be great advertising for the whole area. One more for the resume. I never experienced anything like that before.”
Richard Orton, also a captain from Schermerhorn Harbor, told us that he had “a real good time” in spite of the long hours which are normal for the television production people. He was involved because the production company needed an experienced licensed captain and thanks to Schermerhorn Harbor he was an experienced captain. Of the people he worked with Mr. Orton said, “The people were all nice and polite. They didn’t ask much of us as long as we were there when they needed us…and they talked to us while we were driving.”
Bob and Larry Foster also commented that “Schermerhorn Harbor and the Foster Family would like to thank the Profiles Television Productions, LLC and their Crews for the experience and the opportunity to work with them. This is an experience we will be talking about for years.”
All in all, the captains we questioned felt that the experience was a positive one and all of them look forward to seeing the pilot when it airs possibly in the next three to nine months.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Singer Castle Mystery Revealed!
 | |
| Singer Castle photos (above and below) by Ian Coristine (of 1000IslandsPhotoArt.com) showing special lighting for filming. (Copyrighted and used here by his permission). Click on each photo to see them larger. Outstanding photos. |
|
| Above: Ron Howard, one of the producers of the show. Some of his crew stayed at the Riveredge Hotel in Alexandria Bay. |
Top entertainment executives and up to 100 people at a time were on Dark Island over a period of two weeks, but planning had gone on for months. The project was for filming a pilot program for a reality series called The Great Escape. The show should air between 3 to 6 months from now. Stay tuned to this blog, as I will let you know well in advance for the exact show time.
The Thousand Island Sun summed it up nicely:
"The six contestants had flown from California to Syracuse and were driven to the Edgewood Resort blindfolded. They were sequestered at the hotel, without phones, so that they did not know their exact location. Food was brought in to them from local restaurants. Meanwhile, the five story castle underwent many changes with the help of engineers, builders and local workers. ... The contestants had to find their way through various passageways and floors of the castle, solving puzzles along the way. Their challenge even included having to swim underwater through one of the boathouses, which was purposely over-filled with fish."
The Recorder and Times (Brockville, Ontario, Canada) reported that this brought in an estimated $100,000 into the local community, and that does not even include the major upgrades to the castle itself! They report that future tours of the castle will be expanded to even the secret passageways and that the castle gets to keep the props left from the show. The beloved local Boldt Castle was also in the running to host the filming event, but Dark Island won out because of the secret passageways.
[Post Script: After this blog came out last night, this morning I also find an excellent story by the Watertown Times Daily. Be sure to see that article also!]
Singer Castle on Dark Island is surely a destination point you will want to make. Stay posted to this blog for more hot news stories from the 1,000 Islands!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Meet the owner of Singer Castle, Dark Island!
Below, pictured again is co-owner of Singer Castle, Farhad Vladi with the President of Singer Castle, Tom Weldon. Photo courtesy of (and copyrighted by) Vladi Private Islands, per Kim Lunman, photographer and author.
Meet (in a virtual way) the co-owner of Singer Castle, Farhad Vladi, by reading this fabulous article in the online Thousand Islands Life Magazine. (The article first ran in Kim's beautiful print magazine, Island Life). This is a very interesting mini-biography of a successful business man by the award winning writer Kim Lunman, so check it out and enjoy!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Floating Castles at Singer Castle
Singer Castle staff welcomed the group’s return and enjoyed seeing the floating “castles” that were manufactured by Sea Ray, Meridian, Cobalt, Viking, Chris Craft and Doral. Several of the larger yachts came equipped with every convenience one would ever want or need for an enjoyable cruise: kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops, stoves, microwaves, refrigerators, freezers, icemakers, wine storage, beds with pillow top mattresses, full bathrooms, TVs, DVD players, Stereo systems, washers and dryers, GPS and so on. One could easily live on board for months at a time.
Above report and photo direct from Dark Island's Jean Papke, Administrative Assistant to Tom Weldon, President of Singer Castle.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Commodore Frederick G. Bourne's Weathervane at Singer Castle Restored
Pictured above: Singer Castle Tour Guide, Brianne Langtry of Brier Hill, with the castle’s newly polished weather vane. Click on photo to see it larger.
As early as ancient Roman times, weather vanes were used to show wind direction. They were particularly useful to mariners who utilized wind direction and sky conditions to predict short-term weather conditions. Commodore Frederick Bourne was an avid sailor and in 1902 when he had his castle constructed on Dark Island, he had a unique weather vane crafted to place on the highest peak of the castle’s roof. The weather vane connected to a wind dial inside the castle allowing the Commodore or any of his guests to judge wind direction at a glance. Constructed of brass with copper finials, the weathervane had a brass pennant style flag with a “B” on it that would cause the vane to turn as the winds changed direction. Crossed arms with brass letters for north, south, east and west were fixed below the upper section of the weather vane and the flag’s position in relation to the letters would indicate the wind direction to those outside of the building.
The weather vane is still operational today and Singer Castle staff members have spent that past two weeks cleaning and polishing the parts of the weather vane so that it will once again be a shining fixture for visitors to see on the roof of Commodore Bourne’s castle.
Above dispatch and photo by Jean Papke, Administrative Assistant to Singer Castle's President Tom Weldon. Below, photo of Singer Castle's weather vane in place before restoration, by Bob Mondore. Click on it.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Antique Boat Museum, Clayton NY - Authors Autographing Books 8/6/2011
Robert (Bob) and Patty Mondore will be among North Country (New York State and Canada) authors that will be autographing books this Saturday, August 6, 2011 from 2:00 pm to 4 pm at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY (750 Mary Street, Clayton, NY 13624
Phone: 315.686.4104) to benefit the museum.
Famous authors Ian Coristine (1000 Islands Photo Art) and Anthony (Tony) Mollica are scheduled to be there, as well as others.
Bob Mondore (this blog's author and founder of Gold-Mountain) will be giving away free gifts, so be sure to stop in to say hello if you are at the boat show. (Remember: Saturday 8/6/11, from 2:00 pm to 4 pm only). The museum has stocked our books Singer Castle Revisited and River-Lations.
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