Vergennes, VT, May 12, 2009 — This summer, Lake Champlain will be ringed with events - in New York, Vermont and Quebec. Towns along the shore will be celebrating the four hundredth anniversary of the arrival of French Explorer Samuel de Champlain. Champlain was the first European to reach the lake in 1609. Organizers hope to do more this summer than just throw a big party. Historians, writers and archeologists see the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial as a way to re-introduce what they see as a neglected landscape. Brian Mann has our story.  Go to full article

Feb 06, 2009 — Hill and Hollow Music in Saranac continues its commemoration of the Champlain Quadricentennial this Sunday with music that takes its influence from many styles and many centuries, all of it celebrating music of France and lands touched by French culture. Joel Hurd has a preview.  Go to full article

Dec 31, 2008 — This past Sunday Hill and Hollow Music continued its year-long celebration of the Champlain Quadricentennial with a performance by the Chris Norman Ensemble. The sold-out concert at the Church in the Hollow in Saranac began with a 16th century English song that somehow seemed appropriate for this New Year's holiday.  Go to full article

Oct 14, 2008 — Next year, marks the 400th Anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's exploration of the valley that now bears his name. After the voyage, the region saw bloody warfare and burgeoning international trade for more than 250 years. Then, in the calm that preceded the Civil War, military officers called for the construction of a lighthouse at Crown Point, NY. It's a critical spot where Lake Champlain narrows. The structure has taken on a life and historical significance far beyond its original intent. In 1909, thousands of people, including President William Taft and other heads of state, converged on Crown Point to celebrate the Champlain expedition's 300th Anniversary. The state Department of Environmental Conservation spent months refurbishing the lighthouse in hopes of staging another grand event next year. Chuck Vandrei is New York's historic preservation officer. He gave Jonathan Brown a tour of what is now known as the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse.  Go to full article

Jul 18, 2008 — Organizers of next year's 400th anniversary celebration on Lake Champlain say they're struggling to build momentum and funding for the event. Frenchman Samuel de Champlain was the first European explorer to reach the lake in 1609. As Todd Moe reports, historians and local activists hope to match big commemorations held in the past.  Go to full article

Jul 18, 2008 — As part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial celebration, researchers in Crown Point have begun a new archaeological dig. The peninsula was occupied by a French garrison for a quarter-century, beginning in the 1730s. But researchers think they may have also found the site of an early village. Brian Mann visited the work site and sent this audio postcard.

Program Note: Tune in on Monday when we'll return to Crown Point for another chapter of the town's history. Jonathan Brown reports on efforts to save a local cemetery where heroes of the Civil War are buried.  Go to full article