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

The storm that moved through Central New York last night dropped 6-10 inches of snow across most of Madison County.  As of this afternoon, many of the trails have reopened.  Due to the recent warm temps, you will find some open water.   Ride responsibly and safely, take it easy on the trails and enjoy!

As of Monday Morning, the weekend's warm weather doomed the trails and bodies of water in the county.  Trails are closed until some new snow falls.

Merry Christmas.  If you got that new snowmobile for Christmas this morning, I can imagine you are itching to get out and try it.  The trails took a beating yesterday from 45 degree temps and some rain.  Check ahead before heading out, and be aware that many trails will be closed and water will be open to be careful.  Follow the links on the right for up to date trail information and snow depths and enjoy your Christmas. 

A note came in this morning from Stephanie at Drover Hill Farm B&B.  They are located in Earlville only minutes from Hamilton and Colgate University.  She wanted to remind me that they are less than a mile from one of the main trails in the southern part of Madison County.  They wanted to offer a special to snowmobilers this winter.  Stay two nights at their awesome country B&B and get the third night absoulutley free.  Ride for hundreds of  miles in every direction and save on your hotel stay.  With a foot of new snow on the ground, now is the time to book your deal.

This story is from this morning's Post Standard on Syracuse.com. 

Once-missing Lincoln statue returns to sculptor at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park
Cazenovia, NY -- Lately, an aura of reverence surrounds Abraham Lincoln, largely because of President-elect Barack Obama's admiration of the 16th president of the United States.

In Central New York, mystery surrounds another image of Lincoln. A 9-foot-tall sculpture of the statesman, titled "Young Lincoln," had disappeared from public view for over a year until, by coincidence, word of its possible whereabouts surfaced on Election Day.

Now, the sculpture, somewhat the worse for wear, has been returned to its creator, Dorothy Riester, co-founder of Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia.

Just as Lincoln endured hardships, the sculpture has traveled a rough road since its unveiling in the lobby of the Lincoln National Bank & Trust Co. of Central New York at MONY Plaza on April 2, 1967.

The bank's board of directors commissioned Riester to create a likeness of Lincoln. The sculptress, now 92, said she created Lincoln as a "legend, a folk figure striding across the landscape." She studied paintings and pictures "to get the planes of his face and his long, lanky figure."

She said the paycheck was small: "Nobody used to pay much for sculpture, long time ago."

The sculpture features Lincoln in a frock coat with his right arm bent at the elbow with an outstretched hand, and was placed originally upon a massive black granite base.

Riester, an artist since 1940, welded "Young Lincoln" from forged wrought iron.

"It wasn't your typical presidential sculpture," said Dylan Otts, site manager at
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park. "It was abstract."

Throughout the years, the sculpture remained at Lincoln Bank and later at Chase Lincoln First Bank after a 1984 merger.

Lincoln was last seen at the bank in 1986 or 1988, says Otts. Since its bank days, the sculpture's ownership has been difficult to trace.

It next reappeared in a less august setting -- Awful Al's bar in Armory Square, where it remained until 2007 when the bar closed, says Otts.

The Lincoln trail was cold until this summer, when Otts placed a small newspaper ad seeking its whereabouts.

"I just thought it would be a great thing to have it back here" at the art park, said Otts, who had admired the sculpture at Awful Al's.

Serendipitously, a visitor to the art park had heard of someone restoring a sculpture of Lincoln. Amber Blanding, arts administrator at Stone Quarry, tracked down Ron Hall, welder and owner of All-Fab Inc. in Central Square.

Hall confirmed that a customer had delivered "Young Lincoln" for repair. He reattached the sculpture's outstretched hand and an ankle.

"The detail in the sculpture really impressed me," said Hall, referring to the veins in the hands and the definition in the neck.

Blanding located "Young Lincoln" through an antiques dealer. But his freedom came when a supporter of the art park, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased the sculpture so it could be returned to Riester, says Otts.

He describes the sale price as "not small, but not large" -- somewhere under $10,000.

For now, a slightly rusty Lincoln is in winter storage at the art park. Otts says plans are being discussed for its future. Possibilities include a 2009 retrospective of Riester's work, with "Young Lincoln" featured, or the sculpture being loaned to a museum.

Riester muses that perhaps "Young Lincoln" may be destined one day for the presidential library of Barack Obama.

9-12 inches of white fluffy snow fell across most of Madison County last night.  The trails are in great shape and the riding should be outstanding today and tomorrow until the next storm system moves in.  Don't forget to order you snowmobile maps.

Another three to five inches of new snow fell this morning in Madison County.  That brings the total from this weekend to 8-12 inches in most places.  The majority of trails across the county are open and in good condition.  Keep checking back for updates, but the weather forecast says white Christmas and that is perfect for a snowmobile holiday.

Graziano's World Famous Inn is offering snowmobilers a great deal this winter.  Spend the night right in the heart of Madison County's snowmobile country for only $39 a night.  You will also get 10% off your food in their Italian restaurant and lounge.  Click here for more details and mention the snowmobile package when booking.

Well the forecasters say 6-12 inches of white stuff today.  Will we really get it?  I'm not sure, but you can follow the Central New York Weather at our partner WTVH Channel 5 in Syracuse. 

The snowmobile trails opened on Wednesday across Madison County, and riders are being rewarded with great snow today.  The forecast is for up to 10 inches of the white stuff to fall across the county, with higher amounts in the south neat the Brookfield State Forest.  With over 100 miles of snowmobile trails, you can ride for days in Madison County.  Add the to the thousands of miles of trails you can access from here, Madison County makes for a great place to base your riding vacation.  Find trail conditions by clicking the links on the right of this page.  For a free snowmobile map email us at info@madisontourism.com.