Did they outline how they were planning to finance these meaningful facility improvements? That’s not a small check…
I have always wanted to do Lake Placid - feeling like I should just reserve my Airbnb now for next year 
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Yes. I mentioned upthread a couple of them: a municipal bond and a state grant (doesn’t sound like a sure thing, but sounded like they were hopeful), as well as about 15 major donors who are committed to seeing this happen. So, three identified funding streams. The words “capital campaign” were said once or twice, but it didn’t sound like they have yet planned for a REAL capital campaign, as defined by traditional non-profit fundraising. They are a 501c3, but doesn’t sound like there’s a ton of non-profit expertise on the staff or board (I could be very wrong on that, just my cursory reading of the situation). I have a background in non-profit fundraising and am local; I briefly introduced myself to the right people after the meeting to offer my help, we’ll see if they follow-up with me or not.
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Yes!!! Do it!
Honestly, I don’t know if it’s because I’m local and I’ve been so laser-focused on it as a personal goal of mine, or if it’s JUST THAT MUCH FUN. But it really is that much fun. I don’t show rated a ton, I just don’t have the time or $$$, but I’ve been to LP twice now and both times I’ve walked away with new friends/aquaintances/connections. And I’m about as introverted IRL as a person can get, so new friends aren’t a thing I seek. lol. I can’t say that about the other venues I’ve been to in the last few years (Saratoga, HITS, etc.) The show has a reputation for being snobby, and some of the office staff definitely leave a lot to be desired in the “friendly and welcoming” department, but as far as fellow competitors, the environment could not be more supportive and friendly.
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I’m on it! They should give you free entries next year because you are doing a great job of selling the show DH loves that area so I may be able to convince him that it is a vacation more than a horse show 
eta: I am trying really hard to be more outgoing/make friends at shows. It’s not easy so it is saying a lot that you’re coming way with making connections like that.
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Hahaha. That’s one of the reasons why the show has survived as long as it has. Send him up Mt Marcy and you’ve got alllll the time in the world to play with the ponies. 
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Not trying to derail, but are there any shows left in Zone 2 where you can show on grass as a jumper? (Specifically as a jumper not doing GPs). I had Lake Placid as a bucket list show because I really enjoy getting to show jump on grass - which I’ve only been able to do so far when eventing.
Fairfield is the only one I can think of, and it looks like they offer maybe 7 jumper classes the whole week.
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I don’t think so. 
I have mixed feelings about it too; my next big LP goal was going to be the 1.20m on the field. Alas, I’d rather have a horse show to attend, so I’ll swallow that pill. It is very sad, and a few people said they thought it was a mistake to tear it out. But the data is in: GP riders (and owners) just don’t want to show on grass anymore. Horses are too expensive and the risk of injury, or missed days of showing when the weather is bad, is too great. Plenty of other places for them to go.
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I totally get that! I was sad when OSF got rid of their grass field, and sad to see LP follow suit.
But I’m also not their target audience - I don’t show a ton, and not quite yet at the height where I’d be reliably getting into the grass ring anyway. So I’m sad from afar, while understanding the business decision behind it.
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Circling back to this part.
Did they say how many stalls they had this year? I have definitely been there in previous years when they had about twice as many tents.
But those were also the years the rings went until 8 o’clock at night, so nobody was having too much fun. Or at least, nobody who showed after the first few classes of the day.
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It wasn’t clear to me how many they had this year. But they did say that they have a huge percentage of tack stalls (40, 50, 60%?). I don’t remember the percentage exactly but it was high, and they would like to get that number way down. They said in 2019 they had waaay too many horses, to the point where it was dangerous, and they have no intention of doing that again, even with a more efficient layout.
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I was there that year, and there were a lot of horses.
I believe that was the 50th anniversary of the horse show, which they played up quite a bit. So maybe their marketing plan was almost too effective that year. Lol.
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Lake Placid is an amazing town. I’ve spent many many a day there because of hockey tournaments and I’ve always wanted to show there. We used to live about 1.5 hours NW of there and it was a place we went often to just get to civilization.
Though I don’t have a Lake Placid or Upperville level horse for me it’s just a bucket list thing I want to do knowing my Low Adult self ain’t pinning 
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Well, I rocked around on my 14yo OTTB broodmare who I plucked out of an auction pen and has only been back under saddle for a year, and jumping for even less. Sooo. 
She’s ~16h and might have been the smallest horse there that wasn’t a pony. lol. We were 4 fault queens, with a green bean rail in each class despite me feeling like I was giving her good rides. On Saturday of the second week, I rode like comparative dog 
, but all the rails stayed up. We ended up 5th out of 22. So we celebrated like we’d won the damn Olympics, I promptly scratched Sunday, brought her home, and chucked her back out in the field with her buddies - where she could wave to her new fancy friends as they rolled by in their air ride semis on the way to their next show. Count me as a big fan of going and doing the thing if it’s going to be fun for you and your horse. 
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I heard 450 entries, which was down from 850 the year prior.
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Hmm. Interesting, thanks.
On the subject of jumping on grass: Spruce Meadows, Hamburg, Aachen, Hickstead, Dublin all show jump on grass at the very highest levels. Horses evolved to run around on grass. The problem isn’t the grass surface but lack of grass maintenance.
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Willesdon, you would love the people in charge of the Lake Placid grass ring. They treat it as though it were Hickstead. They work on it year round to encourage a lush jumping carpet that drains well. It is just a damn shame that the show schedule has become a point-chasing rat race of sand-based sameness with no time for two weeks on the grass. Choosing studs (caulks) is becoming a lost art at the lower levels. I consider myself very lucky to have enjoyed Lake Placid in its prime. I am so grateful to the sponsors that brought us years of show jumping at its finest, and very sorry that they have to cave.
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This is a good point. I only watched the jump off of the GP, but the studs those 2 horses had in were scary MASSIVE. Somebody who knows what they are doing chose those for sure.
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It may have been mostly to appease those who are opposed to seeing the grass get torn up, but there was mention of maybe, possibly sometime in the future acquiring some of the land behind the Olympic torch, which is athletic fields. It’s not in immediate plans, but was thrown out as “grass may not be gone from Lake Placid forever.” And apparently those fields are very well done and “rival Spruce.” I wouldn’t put too much stock in it, but it was at least mentioned.
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