We received this advisory from the New York State Thruway Authority and the Department of Transportation on Thursday:  “Motorists are advised to share the road and to exercise extra caution Thursday, June 7, 2012 through Sunday, June 10, 2012, as thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts head toward Lake George in Warren County for the 30th Annual Americade event. Americade annually attracts 50,000 to 100,000 people with a majority of the attendees utilizing the I-87 corridor.The motorcyclist visitors also will be touring local roads in the Adirondacks. The Thruway Authority will post safety messages on electronic message boards.”

If New York State has to warn drivers about the numbers of motorcycles on the Thruway and Northway, imagine the congestion in and around Lake George Village this weekend. But we love Americade. Really.

The Lake George Elvis Festival kicked off last Thursday in Shepard Park. We met John Strong and Laura Von Rosk of the Lake George Arts Project at the Shoreline Restaurant for snacks and to discuss plans for this year’s Art at the Lake, to be held at Wiawaka later this summer. Stay tuned. We then strolled over to Shepard Park (passing Judge John Hall on his bicycle) to get some photos of the Elvises and meet this year’s Miss New York State. Friday night we saw the new executive director of the Glens Falls Symphony, Lisa Miller, with her husband John and Sarah McCutcheon, a Bolton summer resident from Illinois, at Villa Napoli. The rain appears to have washed out the Vintage Raceboat Regatta on Saturday, but LGA’s Lake Friendly Living Open House and Native Plant Sale drew a good crowd nonetheless. Steve Tomb and Mike Smith, the owners of Adirondack Pedal Cab, were found in their new headquarters, adjacent to the Lake George Bowling alley. On Sunday we headed up to Fort Ticonderoga to hear Eliot Cohen’s talk on the Great Warpath – the corridor between Albany and Montreal where the distinctively American way of war emerged. Today, he’s a prominent figure in international security issues circles in Washington, but he attributes his career in public policy and academia to a youthful fascination with Fort Ticonderoga. His was everything a learned talk should be: stimulating, yet entertaining.

The editor got some extra time on the lake last week by volunteering to help stock fish. You may wish to stay on the lake this weekend if you want to avoid the crowds. If not, Bolton Landing is hosting its second annual Bolton Bikes and Bands at Rogers Park Friday and Saturday from 10am to 8 pm. It’s a craft fair, and the Stony Creek Band and the Steven L. Smith Band will perform. Enjoy!