Winter Carnival Chairman Jeff Dickson gives Katee Morgan Fobare an award during the 2010 Winter Carnival.

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee members received the news that longtime Carnival volunteer Katee Morgan Fobare, 79, died on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake.

We are truly saddened to lose Katee, who has been the Committee’s secretary, co-organizer and matriarch for many years. No words can describe how much she will be missed; Katee knew everything and everyone associated with the Winter Carnival, its history, how it was organized and how it operated. She kept us on our toes and, with a watchful eye, made sure the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival was held with dignity and class every year and that we always had the community’s best interest in mind.

Calling hours for Katee are tentatively set to take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 17 at the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake. A memorial service will immediately follow at 4 p.m. at the funeral home with the Rev. Thomas Kornmeyer officiating.

A complete obituary will be available on Friday in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

The decision was based on results from a recent online poll posed to readers of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise Web site in which two of the four suggested themes rose to the top of the results: Celtic Carnival and Renaissance Faire/Middle Ages. The other themes were Circus/Under the Big Top and Space Alien Invasion. More than 700 votes were tallied during the week of March 15.

“There were a lot of great ideas suggested for the 2011 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, but, in the end, we could only choose one,” said Committee Chairman Jeff Dickson. “And we believe that the community will rally behind our centerpiece, the Ice Palace, and make the ‘Medieval’ Carnival fit for royalty – our king, queen, prince, princess, court, and maybe a few jesters.”

Committee members thanked the dozens of people who suggested themes for 2011, the hundreds of people who voted, and the Adirondack Daily Enterprise for posting the question on its Web site.

The next meeting of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee will be in September. The 2011 Winter Carnival will be held Feb. 4-13.

Winter Carnival Committee member Ruth Sofield, left, presents Liz Murray with the 2010 Winter Carnival afghan she won in a fund-raising raffle. (Photo: Tim Baker)

Community members will once again have a chance to vote on the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival theme this year, as Winter Carnival Committee members Wednesday decided to send four 2011 theme ideas to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise to include in the newspaper’s Web poll.

At its annual organizational meeting in the North Country Community College Board Room, Committee members pooled together a list of 36 theme ideas. With each member casting three votes, four theme ideas rose to the top: Renaissance Faire/Middle Ages, Space Alien Invasion, Celtic Carnival and Under the Big Top/Circus. Readers of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise will be able to vote for their favorite in one of the paper’s upcoming online polls at www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com. The Winter Carnival Committee will use the poll results to make its final decision on the 2011 Winter Carnival theme.

In other business, Committee members re-elected its three officers to their positions for the 2011 Winter Carnival: Jeff Dickson, chairman; Katee Fobare, secretary; and Cynthia Martino, treasurer. In addition, two other members were voted to the board: Barb Martin and Eric Foster.

The 2010 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Recognition Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 23 at the Saranac Lake Adult Center. Susan Waters volunteered to be the head chef, and she will be serving chicken and biscuits.

And Liz Murray’s ticket was drawn in the 2010 Winter Carnival afghan raffle, a fund-riser for the Committee.

The next meeting of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 at the NCCC Board Room.

Congratulations to you both!