FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2006 "Castle Gift Shop to Feature Work by Local Artists"

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The Gift Shop at Singer Castle on Dark Island opened for the 2006 season on Saturday May 20th with a fine selection of work by local photographers, authors, artists and artisans. For the book lovers the shop’s collection includes Paul Malo’s books: Boldt Castle , Fool’s Paradise: Remembering the 1000 Islands, and A Floating World. Ian Corstine’s Water, Wind and Sky, the Images of America Series Singer Castle by Robert and Patty Mondore, and Castles and Cottages: River Retreats of the Thousand Islands by George Fischer and Anthony Mollica, Jr. are also available. For those wanting pictures to remember their visit to Dark Island and the area, the shop will feature work of well-known local photographer, Ian Corstine as well as that of John Urtis of Crossover Island. A photographic screensaver and the 56-minute DVD Dark Island’s Castle of Mysteries filmed and produced by Robert Mondore are also on hand. River Beads jewelry by Mary Mitchell of Alexandria Bay and Heather Gems which are made in Scotland of natural heather that is dried, dyed and formed into individual pieces will be offered along with the beautiful glass artistry of Jim Burritt who has created four different castle scenes to choose from. The shop will carry stoneware that has been created especially for Singer Castle by Louisville Stoneware. For our younger visitors, the Gift Shop has a working battery-powered model of an early Singer sewing machine. Frederick Bourne revolutionized the sewing machine industry by offering the full-sized version of this machine to the public for $42 to be paid in increments of just $1.00 a week for 42 weeks. Model armor breastplates, shields and helmets are in stock for those inspired by the castle’s collection of arms and armor. The Gift Shop will be serving Cool Beans© coffee by the cup or beans to go as well as bottled drinks, chocolates and a selection of snacks