Our Documentaries

Mountain Lake's documentaries consists of many award-winning programs produced locally by this station. The programs we produce reflect the station’s overall mission, vision and values.

Our Documentaries Include:

A Castle in Every Heart

A Castle In Every Heart: The Arto Monaco Story
Journey back in time with producer and host, Derek Muirden, and meet Adirondack legend and theme park pioneer, Arto Monaco: a gifted storyteller, artist and friend to children and adults of all ages.

Adirondack Blue
This breathtaking trip high above the Adirondacks sweeps over the High Peaks, along the wild-running Hudson River, through the early morning mist-covered Ausable Valley, above the sparkling clear waters of Lake Champlain, and over the scenic villages of Essex, Lake George and Lake Placid.

Call of the Loon
The Common Loon (Gavia immer) stars in a beautiful yet disturbing documentary about mercury contamination of wildlife and ecosystems in the Adirondacks. Meet these charismatic birds and researchers and volunteers from the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program monitoring their behavior and reproductive success.
Dissed-Respect: The Impact of Bullying
The program combines role-playing scenes with candid interviews of students and authorities in the field. In addition it employs an alternative approach utilizing poetry, rap and music to appeal to the sensibilities of today’s student.

Inside Adirondack: Creating The Wild Center
Follow the progress of the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks (The Wild Center) in Tupper Lake, from inception to completion. Conservationists and naturalists created the museum in the hope that visitors, informed about the natural wonders of the Adirondack Park, would take an interest in preserving them. The documentary also highlights the potential economic impact of the museum on the region, and features exclusive interviews with New York Governor George Pataki and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Reach for the Sky: Inside the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds have come to represent the very fabric of American pride and patriotism. Since the team's first performance June 8, 1953 at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, the Thunderbirds have flown before more than 310 million people at more than 3,500 air demonstrations in all 50 states and in 59 countries.

The Pioneer of Rural Schools
Chronicles the story of how a small community in upstate New York was able, in 1916, to organize and establish a school system that became a shining example to the rest of rural United States regarding effective methods in education.
Then Again: Reliving History at Fort Ticonderoga
Away from the conveniences and stress of modern life, Mountain Lake PBS producer Derek Muirden, travels back in time with the help of re-enactors gathered for three events at Fort Ticonderoga on the shores of Lake Champlain.
Unless a Death Occurs: Hazing Examined
An incisive documentary on the pervasiveness of hazing on America's high school and college campuses. In particular, this film traces the tragic steps of Walter Dean Jennings, a Plattsburgh State University College freshman, who ultimately paid his tormentors the highest price for admittance into a fraternity banned by college authorities.
Voices of Scotland
A Mountain Lake PBS special shot entirely in Scotland, travels the Highlands to places seldom visited by tourists to capture the beauty and mystery of this ancient land and mystery of this ancient land and its people. Academy Award-winning actor Cliff Robertson (Charly) narrates.

Our Specials Include:

Adirondack Cuisine
Join host Derek Muirden and European trained Chef Armand C. Vanderstigchel for an hour long culinary celebration of the best recipes from the best restaurants, inns, and B&Bs in the Adirondacks!

Adirondack Memories
Take a nostalgic journey back to the days when the Lake Placid Club was a thriving Adirondack resort; families traveled by station wagon to Adirondack attractions like Frontier Town and Land of 1000 Animals; a factory in downtown Plattsburgh produced Lozier automobiles and some of the classic silent movies were filmed in Plattsburgh and Port Henry, NY.

An Adirondack Christmas Carol
This holiday special includes a sound track of original music written and performed by Roy Hurd and Susan Trump as well as traditional carols performed by the Lake Shore Ensemble, Carl Kokes, The Porter Music Box Company, The Alan Jones Celtic Ensemble and 6th graders from Moriah Central School.

Chateau Cuisine
The Mountain Lake PBS Culinary journey continues as Derek Muirden, "The Food Guy", travels to Quebec City. There, at the legendary Fairmount Le Chateau Frontenac, Derek meets up with World Class Chef Jean Soulard (Executive Chef at the Chateau) for a tour de force of simply prepared and simply delicious creations from Chef Soulard's award winning book "Chateau Cuisine."

A North Country Holiday Celebration (2006)
A North Country Holiday Celebration was filmed over three days in the Mountain Lake PBS studios, nineteen choral groups from the North Country region came together to contribute their talents in this community showcase of holiday music.

North Country Holiday Spectacular (2007)
Filmed in the station's studio, over seven hundred singers ranging from elementary school children to adult choral groups participated; the songs span from traditional holiday music to barbershop harmonies.

The support of our corporate underwriters and our members make local programming like this possible. To learn of the many ways in which you can support Mountain Lake PBS, visit Support Us now!

For DVD copies of any Mountain Lake PBS program, visit
Shop Mountain Lake or call 1-518-563-9770 ext. 100

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