Things to do, places to eat, shows to see, places to stay in Madison County, NY      

Another great performance is lined up for the Palace Theater in Hamilton next Thursday night, and it is FREE!  The US Army Jazz Band will perform from 7-8:15 on the evening of April 16th.  You must reserve your free tickets in advance by visiting or calling the Palace Theater.  The performance will include four students from Colgate University who will join the band on stage.  For more information call the theater at 315-824-1420.

It is time to get busy on those Oz costumes for the annual Oz-Stravaganza! costume judging contest. Oz-stravaganza! is being held June 5th-7th in Downtown Chittenango. In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the 1939 timeless classic movie "The Wizard of Oz" and the 100th anniversary of L. Frank Baum's book "The Road To Oz", the 2009 theme is: "70 Years of Movie Magic - 100 Years Along The Road To Oz". The costume judging guidelines are as follows:

Costume Judging Guidelines
for Oz-Stravaganza! 2009

Judging will be held Saturday June 6th prior to the Oz Parade 

in the parking lot of the Library
at the intersection of Falls Blvd & Genesee Streets
Categories
1.  Dorothy (3 age groups)0-4 yrs 5-7 yrs 8-12 yrs
2.  Tin Man (2 age groups)  0-6 yrs & 7-12 yrs
3.  Lion (2 age groups)   0-6 yrs & 7-12 yrs
4.  Scarecrow (2 age groups) 0-6 yrs & 7-12 yrs
5.  Glinda (2 age groups) 0-6 yrs & 7-12 yrs
6.  Wicked Witch (2 age groups) 0-6 yrs & 7-12 yrs
7.  Munchkins (2 age groups) 0-6 yrs & 7-12 yrs
8.  Other Oz book & movie Characters (2 age groups)0-6 yrs & 7-12 yrs
 There will be three awards per category & age group.

Registration will begin at 12:15, judging at 1:00pm.
Awards to be presented at 3:30 on stage in Oz park.
Any awards that are not picked up at ceremony will be available for the winners to pick up at the Chittenango Village Hall during normal business hours. Village Hall 315 687 3936
Oz-Stravaganza! information: www.oz-stravaganza.com and www.chittenango.org 

Celiac disease is a chronic inherited trait the results in an immune- mediated response to eating or absorbing gluten.A Gluten Free diet for celiac disease can be served at Columns At Hatch Lake.  For those of you that a gluten free diet is imperative, this wonderful B&B can and will accommodate.
The Conrad family has 12 family members that have celiac disease so they are familiar with a gluten free diet and are able to serve a full breakfast at the B&B.  Please give them a call and they will discuss if they fit your needs.
Joann and Bert Conrad
Columns at Hatch Lake
columns@frontiernet.net
315-684-7527

(Morrisville) – Visitors to Madison County spent a record $71.7 million in 2008, an increase of 1.5%.  This bucked national trends that saw a decrease in visitor spending last year according to the annual study released by Tourism Economics.  The tourism industry in the county also accounted for over $9 million in payroll, property, occupancy and sales taxes to state and local governments. 
The study, commissioned by the New York State Department of Economic Development, showed that Madison County’s tourism industry accounted for over $33 million in payrolls employing 1,684 people.  Tourism related businesses contributed more than $4.5 million to Madison County’s coffers in tax revenue in the form of sales, occupancy and property taxes.  Madison County Tourism, Inc. Executive Director Jim Walter says those are very important numbers, “The tourism industry in Madison County saves the average household $175 a year in property taxes.  If visitors were to stop coming and spending money in our hotels, restaurants and stores, it would be very detrimental to the county budget and to our household budgets.”
Visitors to Madison County spent their money over a wide range of items; $13 million was spent in area hotels on lodging, $2.7 million on recreation, $25 million on food and beverage sales, $14 million on shopping, $2.8 million on transportation and over $12 million was spent on second homes and camps.  Walter says those numbers prove how valuable the tourism industry is to this county, “We have very unique inns, B&B’s, restaurants and attractions in Madison County, and that benefits us from a quality of life standpoint and also from the standpoint that people love to come here and visit.  To see an increase in visitor spending in a year where gas prices were through the roof and the stock market was tumbling is very encouraging and it shows our industry is on a good track.” 
Walter also says 2009 should be a challenging year with the economy still struggling, but there is hope for the industry.  “I think that if we can get some stabilizing economic news, some signs that we are headed towards recovery, this vacation season can still be strong.  There is tremendous value in the vacation market right now, and people stayed home last year because of gas prices, so I do believe that we have an opportunity to shine if the economy can stabilize.” 
Madison County is home to wonderful festivals and over 40 B&B’s and Country Inns.  Reserve your vacation today at www.madisontourism.com

Madison County’s Agricultural Economic Development Program is looking for farms interested in participating in the County’s 2nd Annual Buy Local Week and Open Farm Day event.  To participate, you or someone knowledgeable about the farm will need to be available between 9am and 4pm on Saturday, August 22nd to welcome people to the farm, answer questions, give tours, etc.  Open Farm Day is a great opportunity for your farm to get FREE publicity.  Each participating farm will have its own informational page in the official Open Farm Day Passport and will be featured on farm maps/trails distributed throughout the County.  Additionally, many participating farms will be interviewed and featured in newspaper articles throughout Central NY.  Last year’s Open Farm Day event had over 400 participants and we expect this year’s event to have even better turnout.  Participation is completely free.

To register your farm, please call 315-697-9817 or email contact@madisoncountyagriculture.com.  Farms must register by Friday, May 15th.

Fishermen were out in force this morning across Central New York as the annual trout fishing season has opened.  Local hot spots to fish include Chittenango Creek, the Chenango River, Cowaleson Creek and the Chenango Canal near Solsville.  Madison County has a thriving population of brown trout and the fishing this time of year can be quite exciting.  Send us your pictures of opening morning of trout season and we will post them right here!