RIP: Cafe Adirondack's Tony Rochester Jones: March 4, 1963 — January 6, 2018

Family photo

Tony Rochester Jones, 54, passed away on  Saturday, January 6, 2018 at Glens Falls Hospital after a brief illness. He will be missed by many. Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, January 13, at Mountainside Bible Chapel on Route 9 in Schroon Lake. Relatives and friends may call on the family at 10 a.m. at the church prior to services.

From Tony's official obit:

Born March 4, 1963 in Lynchburg, Virginia, he was the son of Alfred McKinley and Ruth (Lewis) Jones of Virginia.

Tony served in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1984 before attending Johnson and Wales and majoring in culinary arts. He was a chef in many areas of the country, including Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach. Tony and his wife, Ann, moved to Pottersville, where they worked at the Wells House, and after one year they opened Cafe’ Adirondack in Pottersville. After 10 years, they moved their location to the center of Pottersville.

Tony’s hobbies included being a Dallas Cowboys fan and being an artist. He enjoyed playing the guitar, singing and having that artistic flare when he cooked.

Tony was an active member of his community, and he will be remembered as a devoted husband and father.

Survivors include his wife of 20 years, Ann (Konya) Jones of Pottersville, whom he married on Dec. 2, 1997; his parents, Alfred and Ruth Jones of Virginia; four daughters, Chloe Jones and Madison Jones, both of Pottersville, and Taylor Jones and Amanda Deshano, both of Virginia; two brothers, Mitchell Jones of Maryland and Cedric (Erin) Jones of Virginia; two sisters, Tuwana Jones and Wendy Jones, both of Virginia; also many nieces and nephews.

Memorials in Tony’s name may be made to Amanda House at Glens Falls Hospital, 22 Henry St. Glens Falls, NY 12801.

Arrangements are entrusted to Barton-McDermott Funeral Home, Inc., 9 Pine St. Chestertown, NY 12817.

Schroon’s Sticks and Stones: Now Officially “Scrumptious”

Sticks and Stones fans rave about the food, ambience, great drinks, their happy hour and friendly service. Now, according to a New York Centric blog, it’s one of the eight  “Scrumptious Restaurants In New York You Never Even Knew Existed.” Whoa!

From Only In Your State New York:

Take a well-deserved trip up to the Adirondacks and visit the town of Schroon Lake if you're interested in eating at an underrated restaurant that will knock your socks off. Tucked away up near the waterfront of Schroon Lake in our Adirondack Park, Sticks & Stones serves both lunch and dinner and also has its own bar. With a menu full of wood fired dishes that will blow you away, you'll love seeing what this place has to offer hungry guests. To find out more information, click here. 

Read about the other seven, by clicking here.

Schroon Entrepreneurs Invest In The Future

The space for the new Pine cone Provisions store, part of Pine cone Mercantile and the North Woods Bread Co.

With a groundbreaking set for the spring for the new Stewarts – a project budgeted at around $1.5 million --  local entrepreneurs are also investing in our area.

At the top of the list, Paradox Brewery’s $5.2 million expansion on the grounds of the old Frontier Town property in North Hudson. But there’s also activity in Schroon. Pine Cone Mercantile and the Schroon Lake Marina have announced plans to expand.  We caught up with Pine Cone Mercantile founder Lisa Hess-Marks about her plans to open a store selling farm fresh goodies: Pinecone Provisions

The new space, adjacent to their current digs, was recently the home to a DISH TV store. Many years ago, it was a small garage, Lisa told Schroon Laker as she gave us a tour.

“We plan to install French Doors at the front of the store. The space is now freshly painted, We are going to epoxy the floor, install refrigeration units and shelving,” Lisa said.

Lisa hopes to carry goodies from many local farmers. On the top of her list are Juniper Hill Farm, Asgaard Farm and Diary, Sugar Hill Creamery  and Mace Chasm Farm, to name a few.

“We had a long time relationship with the farmers up here. We've been CSA members since before we were up here full time”.

Lisa said she wants her customers to take advantage of farm fresh produce and meats while helping support local agriculture, and “support responsible farming techniques being practiced by the next generation of young farmers”

Lisa is also looking to bring butter from a local Vermont Creamery.

“Nobody's doing butter. Even the cheese people were excited that somebody was going to be doing butter because nobody's doing it."

As for meat, it will be frozen. Lisa hopes to carry pork, beef, lamb, goat, chicken. And what about their famous coffee beans and homemade granola?

“You know I am not a hundred percent sure, where we're going to do the coffee and the granola. I'm sure granola will be in here. The baked goods and the bread are going to stay in the back for sure”.

Looking for a new boat? Check out this one from Schroon Lake Marina at the Champlain Centre Mall in Plattsburgh.

Up the road at the Schroon Lake Marina, Craig Kennedy tells us he’s purchased a few acres to the west of the property allowing for more services. That’s on top of several large construction projects over the last few years which included service bays and a heated showroom and snow protected sheds, where new boats of all sizes are on display.

“We helped a record number of friends and neighbors become new boaters. In 2017, we sold over 80 boats, efficiently stored over 600 boats in the fall and continued to expand! Thank you all for your business, loyalty, and continued support. We just moved into Champlain Centre Mall in Plattsburgh for the season. If you are in the area, stop by and say hello,” Craig said.

Beating the Winter Blues

As Schroon’ becomes a winter wonderland for fans of skiing, ice skating, snow shoes, cross country skiing, ice fishing and sledding, there a ton of inside activities on offer.

Once again Schroon Lake Central School’s Continuing Education Program takes center stage with 15 courses that range from ukulele lessons, line dancing and small boat sailing.

The classes start on Monday, January 15. This year marks the third year of the courses. Schroon’s world famous juggler and SLCS Superintendent will be sharing his skills as part of the eclectic and diverse activities on offer.

For information, contact the school at 518 532-7164 or email Mr. Gratto at sgratto@slwildcats.org. A full list of the 15 courses offered and their dates, times and fees appear in the graphic above. You may also email Schroon Lake Board of Education member Susan Repko at srepko@slwildcats.org.

People may register at the first class, but advanced registration is preferred. Most sessions are free; for other courses bring the fee in cash or by check made out to the instructor.

And don’t forget the ongoing movie series at the Schroon Lake Public library every Saturday throughout the winter.