May 22, 2020 — Memorial Day is the traditional kickoff for the tourism season in the North Country. Nowhere is that more true than the Thousand Islands, whose businesses make the lion’s share of their income between now and Labor Day. But with many attractions still closed and public health officials still urging travel closer to home, it’s unclear whether people will travel there — or should travel.
Ronald G. Thomson stands in front of his docked tour boats with Boldt Castle visible in the distance. He is unsure of when he'll be allowed to resume operations this summer. Source: Julia Ritchey, NCPR
Ronald Thomson is standing at the edge of a parking lot in Alexandria Bay. Behind him, a white vessel with big bold letters spelling "Uncle Sam Boat Tours" sits completely empty. It's the Wednesday before Memorial Day and the tour company he's run for decades is idle.
"This is all new," he said, referring not only to the global pandemic but also its riptide effect on the local economy.
He’s getting ready to talk, from a distance, about what the summer season will be like, when his wife, Corinne, shouts from across the parking lot. She picked up some take-out for him from their restaurant, Riley’s by the River. It’s their first day doing take-out.
“How’s everyone doing?” he asks.
“Oh, they’re doing so good,” she says.
“Have they had anyone come in at all?” he asks.
Scenes from around Alexandria Bay on May 20, the Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend. Source: Julia Ritchey, NCPR
Alexandria Bay’s slogan is the “Heart of the Thousand Islands” and one of its main draws are Thomsons’ triple decker boats that can carry hundreds of people up and down the St. Lawrence River. The river is sparkling blue the Wednesday before Memorial Day, with some boats out on the water, but not Uncle Sam’s.
“Just like today, we would normally be operating," he said. "Over the course of the day, we would probably have a couple hundred people that we would take for rides around the river and take them to Boldt Castle.”
Boldt Castle is the region’s marquee attraction, drawing 160,000 people a year. But right now, it’s still closed along with other museums and destinations around the region.
“We won’t be taking our first tour until the middle of June at the earliest. Possibly the end of June. That would be the worst case scenario,” he said.
That’s also meant cutting back on the number of people he usually employs this time of year — from 130 to 10.
“[It’s] very sad,” he said.
Thomson is not sure if and when boat tours will be allowed to resume. He hopes they’re lumped in with phase three, when sit-down restaurants are allowed to reopen, since some of his tours serve lunch and dinner.
Corey Fram is director of tourism for the 1,000 Island International Tourism Council. He says they're following state and local cues in their marketing approach. Source: Julia Ritchey, NCPR
The Thousand Islands is in a precarious position of both needing to attract tourists, but also not so many that it could invite a spike in infections.
That’s a tightrope act that Corey Fram, director of the 1,000 Islands International Tourism Council, has been balancing as they try to coax some, but not all tourists back to the area.
“We’re starting to shift into more of a ‘patronize us’ kind of a mode. I won’t say ‘come here’ mode because we’re looking at taking a phased approach,” he said.
He spoke with a face mask outside the Thousand Islands’ pristine visitors center built just two years ago. It has large wooden arches and a gigantic I “Heart” NY sculpture facing the Wellesley Island Bridge.
A hotel sign notifies guests they will be closed until it is safe to reopen. Meanwhile, a business across the street advertises its reopening on Memorial Day. The two signs show the mixed response to reopening by local businesses. Source: Julia Ritchey, NCPR
The visitor center is unlocked for people to use the restrooms, but an information kiosk and small gift shop are unstaffed — and it’s pretty empty.
“Similar to how New York State is reopening its economy, we’re looking at a phased approach for marketing,” he explained.
“And what that will mean is starting hyper local, getting folks moving around Jefferson County... and then getting folks moving around the North Country region. ...And then we’ll start looking at contiguous regions,” said Fram.
That’s echoed by other small business owners who say they hope to see “regulars” come back, folks who know the area already or are second homeowners and can take the necessary precautions to recreate responsibly.
Fram says some businesses are remaining closed until later in the summer as part of a wait-and-see approach to see how things go this weekend.
“A few are with phase one and were declared essential, such as hotels... so there are places for people to stay. Our fishing guides, charter captains can operate. Our marinas can operate. Our golf courses. So we’re going to see a little bit of an impact. But, it’s pretty safe to say, for a large part, April and May are going to be lost,” he said.
A slow return for seasonal residents
It’s not only tourists that may be scarce this year. There are nearly 10,000 seasonal homes owned by people who spend their summers on the islands.
Bill Rapin walks his dogs, Frank and Bruce, at the Thousand Island Park pavilion. Source: Julia Ritchey, NCPR
People like Bill Rapin, who pulled up in a golf cart to the marina in Thousand Island Park, a Victorian community on Wellesley Island. He hops out along with his two Yorkies wearing pirate-themed collars for a midday stroll.
“So that’s Frank and that’s Bruce. One’s named after Frank Zappa the other after Bruce Springsteen,” he says.
Rapin used to be a seasonal resident but now he's a year-rounder after retiring from Rochester last year. He said he hasn’t noticed too many neighbors coming back early.
“There were a few. Not too many. I would say less than five that came back a little earlier. And some that are normally here aren’t here — coming back later. Or maybe, I don’t know, not at all,” he mused.
This isn’t the first hardship business owners have faced in the Thousand Islands recently.
Holly Penland is standing outside the pavilion of the Thousand Island Park marina for a socially distant interview.
She runs a bike and kayak rental shop and concession stand out of the marina just below where she’s standing.
In 2017 and again in 2019, high water levels flooded the marina and its docks, hitting Penland — and tourism across the islands — hard. This summer was supposed to be her comeback year, with water levels closer to normal.
“I think we all just kind of roll with the punches,” she said of the last few seasons.
She just got the go ahead from the state on Monday to resume bike and kayaks rentals, which she’s thrilled about even though it means a lot more work.
“The boats will be disinfected every day,” she said. “I will not use the same kayak twice in a day. The life jackets — I have plenty of life jackets to use one set for the next day. And then another set for the next day, giving time to disinfect those. And the same with the bike helmets and the bikes.”
Holly Penland runs Boomerang Bike and Kayak rentals at Thousand Island Park on Wellesley Island. Her business was flooded by high water in 2017 and 2019 and this was supposed to be her year to bounce back. Source: Julia Ritchey, NCPR
Penland went to get a COVID-19 test last week after Gov. Andrew Cuomo encouraged people returning to work to get tested. Hers was negative. She hopes others will get tested too.
“There was a point in the beginning of May where I thought, ‘It’s not safe to rent the bikes and kayaks.’ I don’t want to get sick, I don’t want people to get sick,” she said.
“But as the time has progressed, it’s like, well, people will still want to kayak and bike and enjoy what they can if they can’t go to the movies and can’t go to restaurants. So the numbers will be reduced for me, but I still want people to enjoy the river,” Penland said.
Penland says dealing with the flooding taught her how to be flexible, resilient and keep a positive attitude. And when people do return, she wants them to be safe and respect that there’s enough room on the river for everyone to keep their distance.
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