On the coldest February day here – when our lake is one cool sheet of ice – the only ice that Jack Osborne has on his mind, is the cubes keeping his drink cold in the warm Florida sun.

And that drink might well be consumed in a park in Punta Gorda, where Jack -- the President of the Schroon Lake Arts Council --  can be heard playing his Hammond Dulcima, with his friends Peggy and Emory Williams.

All three are members of the Punta Gorda Guitar Army. And this Saturday night Peggy and Emory will be playing a free concert at our own Boat House.

“The concert is to say thank you to the community,” Jack told Schroon Laker today.

The duo plays a mix of folk, classic country, American standards and their own compositions. Jacks describes the sounds as a an “acoustic soup.” He met the couple in Punta Gorda, where he lives when not in Schroon. Peggy and Emory retired to Punta Gorda after moving from Western New York. As of this writing they were still on the road.

The concert, the last of the season, caps a busy year for the SLAC. The season finished with a bang, says Jack, with an almost sellout crowd at Tuesday’s Wood’s Tea Company and an impressive turn out at last Sunday’s Folk Fest.

“This season the attendance was less than we would have wished for,” Jack said.  “I am pleased with the variety we had this year. Our line up featured several new acts, including the Flipsydz.

“We had more than 120 people for The Woods Tea Company and the weather cooperated for us at Sunday’s Folk Festival.”

So what exactly is a Hammond Dulcima? We’re gonna ask Jack when we see him at Saturday’s show.

Schroon Lake Boat House. Doors @ 7pm. Show @ 8pm. Free.