Upstate New York - Mark Marchand blog

Golf in the Adirondack Mountains; A scenic and historical treat

Post published:May 3, 2025

Earlier this year I completed an assignment for the amazing Adirondack Explorer magazine: the history and current state of golf in New York's stunning Adirondack Mountain region. Below is a copy. I've also posted a direct link to the magazine's site. Golf courses provide views, jobs and four-season workouts By Mark Marchand Satellite renderings of the Adirondack Park show unusually shaped patches of flat greenery amid the rugged mountains, vast forests and hundreds of lakes and ponds. These sections, from 150 to about 500 yards long, are surrounded by trees and…

Albany-area residents view the April 8 solar eclipse. (Photo credit: Times-Union, Albany, NY)

Guest commentary on the 4/8 total solar eclipse

Post published:April 16, 2024

(The Times-Union daily newspaper of Albany, N.Y. accepted and published my guest commentary on the April 8 total solar eclipse:) Commentary: All eyes on the sky The total solar eclipse was an opportunity to live in the moment, no cellphone required — except for taking photographs By Mark Marchand April 14, 2024 In those low-tech pre-internet days, I was often called upon as a Verizon spokesman to relate how world events affected phone call volumes. Two of my favorite happenings were the O.J. Simpson trial verdict in 1995 and the 1981 wedding of…

Viewing the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse in the Adirondacks

Post published:January 11, 2024

The Adirondack Explorer newspaper up in the Adirondacks assigned me to research and write this story on the upcoming April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. One of the best places in the northeast to view it will be in the Adirondack Mountains. When the sun, Earth and moon align What to know about this rare celestial event By Mark Marchand Residents and visitors will get a chance this spring to witness a stunning cosmic phenomenon that hasn’t occurred in the Adirondack region for nearly seven centuries. On April 8, a complex orbital…

The panel at the Times-Union of Albany HQ Nov. 15, 2023 (l-R: Kenneth C. Crowe II, Casey Seiler, Jon Schleuss, Judy Patrick, Margaret Sullivan, Mark Vinciguerra, and NY Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner.)

Why we need local journalism more than ever

Post published:November 21, 2023

When Virginia became the 10th and final necessary state to ratify the Bill of Rights on Dec. 15, 1791, those founding fathers probably didn’t realize that 232 years later part of the first of those 10 constitutional amendments would still be so important … yet struggling to thrive. Throughout our nation’s history, freedom of the press has been a firm guidepost for our country and how the news media can and should be used to hold governments and others accountable to American citizens. And while this fundamental right has survived many threats…

FDR's Springwood mansion in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Presidential history on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River

Post published:March 28, 2023

By Mark Marchand It’s near the end of another typical day for this man living on the east side of the Hudson River in the first half of the 20th century. After long hours in meetings, he propels himself and his wheelchair slowly toward the tiniest room on the first floor of his house. He rolls into the claustrophobic chamber and pulls an iron gate closed behind him. Turning himself and his chair around, he seizes a thick rope. He pulls it down slowly. His little “room” ascends. Together, he and his…