Shipman President Michael Durham and Jim Cushman are all wrapped up by an albino red-tailed boa constrictor on Saturday, Aug. 30. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

On an overcast and somewhat dreary day, Dmitry Day on Saturday, Aug. 30 shone with great music, snakes and a sloth, delightful food, and engaging activities that included learning how to luge.

Dmitry’s Feast of the Peaks is a trimmed-down Lake Placid I Love BBQ Festival founded by the late Dmitry Feld to raise money for the Shipman Center. Additionally, it’s a tribute to the spirit of a very generous person who did so much for numerous causes, chief among them caring for local youth.

Dmitry, the late USA Luge marketing manager, grew up in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv. Though born in far eastern Russia, he deplored the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of the rest of Ukraine by Russia in 2022. Dmitry devoted countless hours to raising funds to supply Ukraine’s military and provide food and generators to feed and warm its people. In October 2022, he and the recently deceased Saranac Lake veterinarian, Dr. John Cogar, traveled to Kyiv to bring drones and pet supplies and provide critical surgical care to dogs and cats in the region.

Locally, Dmitry was loved as a tireless advocate for USA Luge, champion of the Shipman Center, and as a loving husband and father. A 2017 Lake Placid Volunteer of the Year, Dmitry served for many years as the president of the Shipman Center.

As Butch Martin once said, “You couldn’t say no to him. He’d come up and ask something that you probably couldn’t do, but because it was him, you went out and did it. And his heart was in it for everybody and everything. He just worked for the community, worked for everything he did, and he did it with a smile.”

Shipman volunteers Sara Diehl and Debbie McLean (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

That smile was visible on the faces of the young kids on Saturday, as they tried out luge sleds, petted a sloth, slid down an inflatable slide, attempted to pop balloons, and sampled a variety of dishes in the food tent. Walking was not in their vocabulary. They raced about as if they were trying to experience every experience at once before they disappeared like one of the popped balloons.

“I absolutely continue to support the Shipman Center because it’s a good thing to do,” said Debbie McLean, former owner of UPS Store Lake Placid and longtime Shipman supporter. “It’s community, it’s service, it makes such a difference in the lives of kids.”

“It’s all about the kids,” said Sara Diehl, Shipman Center board member and owner of UPS Store Lake Placid. “The community needs the services the Shipman Center provides. The kids need a safe place, a safe environment to go to after school. It’s not a place for bad kids or kids who have no other place; the reality today is most parents work, sometimes at more than one job, and kids need a safe place where they can stay until their parents can pick them up.”

The Shipman Center provides kids with a place where they can do their homework, get help, exercise, play games and socialize with kids of different ages. Often, older kids help younger kids with their homework or teach them how to throw a basketball. Jason Leon, director of the Center, is a very accessible adult with whom they can share their concerns, and if needed, in consultation with their parents and teachers, be directed to professional help. With Leon, they can feel heard and valued, one of the best gifts any child can receive.

“This Shipman Center helps kids from becoming the ‘bad’ kids,” said Diehl. “In this age when kids are so hooked on social media, looking at their phones, the Shipman Center provides a place where they can interact with each other and develop relationships, life-long friendships.”

USA Luge CEO Scott Riewald launches young lugers on Saturday, Aug. 30. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“I love luge,” said Anna, who is 11 and a half. “I did it this winter from start five and am moving up to start four already, which is the level when you start competing and everything. I started luging last winter. I love the feeling of going down the track; it’s my happy place. The wheeled luges they have out here today are fun too, but it’s a different experience because it’s on pavement. In the winter, we luge on ice.”

Scott Riewald, CEO of USA Luge, was coaching and sending kids down a ramp where they then tried to navigate around some cones. “They are having a blast,” said Scott. “We have kids from six to sixteen trying out the sport so far today. It’s awesome that we’re able to get out in the community and support the Shipman Center. We often find athletes through this who go on to compete at the Olympic level. We view working with the Shipman Center as a great partnership.”

Another new partnership that the Shipman Center hopes to continue is with Lena the Lizard Lady, a fifth-grade science teacher sponsored by Gwyn-Anne Bissonette. Lena didn’t just have a wide array of lizards, but also several snakes, including an albino red-tailed boa constrictor, and a relatively nimble Linnaeus two-toed sloth, which were hits with both adults and kids. I learned from Hazel, a young fan, that petting the soft fur of a sloth is her new fun thing to do.

Also having fun was Jim Cushman and Shipman President Michael Durham, who were firmly intertwined with the boa constrictor. Not sure who was enjoying the experience more, Jim and Michael or the snake wrapped around two warm bodies on a chilly day.

After extricating himself from the snake’s grip, Durham confirmed that they definitely want Lena back.

“It’s overcast and a bit windy Adirondack day, but everyone’s having a great time,” said Durham. “The food, the carnival-type games, the inflatables, the luge — many locals want to sign up — Lena and her animals are a terrific addition. The turnout’s important because this is the Shipman Center’s largest fundraiser. Dmitry started a BBQ festival back in 2006, I believe. With COVID, many BBQ teams sold off their equipment, so we had to rebrand, but keep all the things Dmitry wanted: food, music and just everyone gathering and having a wonderful time.”

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(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)