This will be the saw's 64th year cutting for the carnival

This will be the saw's 64th year cutting for the carnival Plastic Pallet Press Machine

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This will be the saw's 64th year cutting for the carnival

In Saranac Lake people wait all year for a one-of-a-kind piece of equipment to make its way onto Lake Flower: the Duso Family's ice-cutting saw.

"I like to see it go out and see that it's getting used," said Kim Duso, the saw's owner.

"We usually cut 300 to 400 blocks (of ice) a day. It takes two hours," said the saw's current operator Garrett Foster.

Only three people in the Adirondack town have had the honor of learning how to use the machine.

"I was honored," Foster said.

"(My grandfather Harry) originally built (the saw) in 1939. We used to harvest ice at Crescent Bay for the summertime customers," Duso said.

Eventually, Duso's father, Don, inherited the saw.

In 1955, the village asked him to use it to cut blocks for the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival's Ice Palace.

"(Don) cut from 1955 to 2005," Foster said.

Foster took over in 2005, helping to create more than a dozen masterpieces in the heart of the village.

"It's fun. It's hard work. Mr. Duso made it look easy is what I can say. It's harder to use than you would think," Foster said.

In a matter of days, Foster's expecting the ice on Lake Flower to be at least 12 inches thick.

That's when the beloved saw will make its annual debut.

"I think a lot of the local people appreciate what it is and hopefully ... the tradition continues," Foster said.

"(My grandfather would) probably be proud," said Duso, that his family's heirloom is considered history in his hometown.

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