Mark Your Calendar for SAM Fest at Paul Smith's College

PAUL SMITHS, NY (04/14/2014)(readMedia)-- Paul Smith's College and TAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York) will hold a daylong festival of music, art and TED-style talks Saturday, April 26, at the Paul Smith's College VIC.

The event, called SAM Fest – for science, art and music – will feature musical performances by North Country musicians; presentations on Adirondack climate by faculty and students; exhibits of traditional folk and visual arts; maple syrup and refreshments; and a showing of "Green Fire," an award-winning documentary on Aldo Leopold.

"This is going to be a blast," says Curt Stager, a professor of natural sciences at Paul Smith's College and the event's organizer. "Here at the college, we've been mixing art and science for a long time now, but we're looking for a fun and exciting way to celebrate it with our friends and colleagues across the North Country. Our underlying goal is to use the arts to help explain science more effectively."

One of the highlights of the festival will be the TED-like talks on Adirondack climate change. "We are not officially linked to the TED organization, but we like their style," Stager says. "Unofficial versions of short, high-impact TED-talks are supposed to use the label TED-x, but as Adirondackers, we figure TED-axe works even better. So that's what we're calling them. I'm especially looking forward to the student presentations on Adirondack climate, which will be customized for local artists, musicians, health researchers and fish and game club members."

Stager and several other North Country musicians, including Peggy Lynn, Dan Berggren, Celia Evans, Jamie Savage and Larry Montague, will perform between the talks, and there will be a wide range of displays and activities by painters, basket makers and visual artists from the North Country.

SAM Fest runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $5. The Paul Smith's College community, Friends of the VIC and Friends of TAUNY will be admitted free of charge.

For a full schedule of events and more information about the festival, visit samfest.org.

ABOUT PAUL SMITH'S COLLEGE

At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. Our programs – in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sciences – draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere.