The kickoff for the Madison County Buy Local Week 2010 happens on SUNDAY, July 18, from 3-6 pm at Endless Trails Farm and Guesthouse in Hubbardsville, just 10 minutes east of Hamilton. The event, hosted by Madison County's Agricultural Economic Development Program, is called the Fresh! Gala, a fundraiser that celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of Madison County agriculture.  Local sponsors of Buy Local Week include Price Chopper, Cazenovia Equipment, National Grid, Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension of Madison County, Central New York Bounty, Madison County Tourism, Shapna Tea and Coffee, and Serendipity Caterers.
 
The mission of the AED Program is to maintain, develop, and promote a viable agricultural economy that benefits Madison County.  AED’s priorities are to market Madison County’s agricultural products and services by creating market opportunities and encouraging value-added enterprises, as well as maintaining an agricultural land base to support a viable agricultural economy by assisting existing farmers and attracting and supporting new farmers.  
 
The Endless Trails Farm and Guesthouse, owned and operated by Dave and Pam Williams and Dan and Melissa Williams is located at 8856 Larkin Road in Hubbardsville.  The farm raises grass fed beef under the name Sunnybrook Farm, which can be ordered by calling 315-841-8384, and is part of 340 acres of land adjacent to the Brookfield Trail System. The trail system consists of 130 miles of groomed trails maintained by the New York State Department of Conservation. The trails are open to horse enthusiasts, mountain bikers, cross-country skiers, and snowmobilers.  Horse owners who want to get away for a few days or a few weeks can stable their horses on the premises in the 12 horse stalls available for guest use.
 
The guesthouse features six upstairs bedrooms, four with private baths and a suite that includes a shared bath. Guests have full use of the kitchen, living areas, enclosed porch, patio, and covered deck. The guesthouse is available to rent by the week, by the weekend, or by the day. The whole house can be rented for a group, or individual rooms can be rented.
 
The Fresh! Gala at this unique venue promises a great time for everyone with its beautiful setting in the outdoor covered pavilion, local food prepared by Stephanie Holzbaur’s Serendipity Catering, beer made with hops grown in Madison County at Foothill Hops Farm, live music by Larry Hoyt and the Good Acoustics, and a silent auction. Funds raised will be used to support the mission of the Agricultural Economic Development Program.

Ticket prices are $35 per person or $65 per couple and are available at ten Price Chopper stores: 142 Genesee Street in Oneida, Madison Marketplace on Route 12B north of Hamilton, 1917 Genesee Street and the North Utica Shopping Center in Utica, 1790 Black River Blvd. in Rome, 4535 Commercial Drive in New Hartford, 2525 Erie Blvd and 4713 Onondaga Blvd. in Syracuse, 3863 State Route 31 in Liverpool, and 5701 East Circle Drive in Cicero.  Tickets are also available online at http://buylocalweek2010.eventbrite.com/ and must be purchased prior to the event. No tickets will be sold at the door.  For more information, including a map and directions, visit www.madisoncountyagriculture.com.
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(Oneida) -- We have moved up the date one weekend earlier for our Pride of NY event - as prime fall foliage will be at its peak here in the CNY region.  We will be partnering up our Wine/Farmer's Market with our Hot Air Balloon festival - hoping to target a more diverse adult market.  Last year our Hot Air Balloon Weekend had 4,500 visitors come through the gates, offering 5 launch times with 7 balloons. We will have even more pilots attending this year's event - offering launches, tethers, and balloon walks throughout the weekend.
Additional advertising campaigns for this specific weekend as an outdoor "rain or shine" under the tents event will take place on Time Warner Cable ads, radio, print, and additional promotional and marketing efforts across the state. We expect a wonderful attendance record!  We will also have a separate smaller fee for those patrons wishing only to visit the balloons/farmer's market - and not participate in the harvest festival activities on the farm.  This will help encourage visitors to join us - without having to attend the festival itself at a higher admission rate.  The farmer's market area will be open to all PONY members - selling any NYS made products - including: wines, gourmet foods, textiles, candies, honey, syrup, jams, etc. 
All vendors will be included online in our list of participants upon registration.  We typically receive over 150,000 hits per season during our 7 weeks we are open.  Links to your websites or contact info will be included.  We also ask for vendors to send us jpegs that may be used in our marketing materials - showing their booths or products. Many will be used in our Time Warner commercials - others will be used in print materials.  
This is a farm market event - all wineries and breweries are free to sample and sell bottles.  All vendors are responsible for their own sales tax. Those sampling/selling alcohol must provide proof of insurance, and list Wolf Oak Acres as an additional insured.  Please feel free to visit our website at: http://www.wolfoakacres.netdzyne.com/prideofny.html  for additional information on set up, accommodations, directions, etc.
Thank you to all who participated last year - and we look forward to having you and many new vendors join us for a newly transformed experience this coming fall!
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Focus on Fiber, a “Fair within the Fair”, made its debut at the Madison County Fair in 2009.  Llamas, alpacas, angora rabbits, and cashmere goats were on hand, spinners and felters demonstrated their crafts, and vendors offered fleece, yarn, and products made from natural fibers.  Educational exhibits were available and visitors could watch videos on fiber processing.
The 2010 fiber fair will offer even more educational opportunities for anyone interested in fiber arts.  All three days, there will be demonstrations of spinning, weaving, wet felting, carding, and needle felting.  For anyone interested in more focused learning, four workshops will be available. 
On Friday and Saturday afternoon, July 9th and 10th, Mindy Laymon from The Olde Homestead in Brookfield will lead workshops on needle felting.   Needle felting is a technique for fusing layers of fiber (yarn, roving, or felt) together, using a single barbed needle or a set of needles in a plastic sleeve.    By poking the needle into a ball of wool, one can “mold” the wool into the desired shape.   Needle felting can also be used to make designs on a background of cloth or felt.    Pre-registration is not required for these workshops.   Mindy will welcome beginners as well as experienced felters looking for ideas.  A $10 fee for materials is all that is required, and Mindy will be found with her Baby Doll sheep near the fiber pavilion.
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Madison County’s Agricultural Economic Development Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County are pleased to announce that this year’s Fresh! Gala will be held at Endless Trails Farm in Hubbardsville, owned and operated by Pam and Dave Williams. The Fresh! Gala will take place on Sunday, July 18th starting at 3pm.  The Gala, part of Madison County’s Buy Local Week, is a fundraising event that celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of Madison County agriculture. The Fresh! Gala at Endless Trails Farm will include live music from Larry Hoyt and the Good Acoustics, local food prepared by Serendipity Catering, a silent auction, and beer from the Empire Brewery made with Foothill Hops Farm hops and locally-grown products from Critz farm. 
The Williams’ purchased Endless Trails Farm in 2003.  Prior to that time they owned a cow/calf operation in Deansboro.  Endless Trails is a diversified farm and agri-tourism operation,. Endless Trails Guesthouse boasts a six-bedroom Bed & Breakfast catering to all sorts of individuals, but especially to those visitors interested in riding their horses along the Brookfield Trail system, which runs along the property. A variety of events are held at the Guesthouse each year ranging from small intimate dinners to large weddings.  Along with managing the B&B, Endless Trails Farm runs an Angus, Hereford-cross cow-calf operation. They maintain 340 acres of certified organic fields and provide custom grazing for other farmers.  Their meat is sold under the Sunnybrook Farm label owned by Dan and Melissa Williams. Endless Trails also provides horse drawn wagon and sleigh rides over the pastures and through the woods of this beautiful, organic farm
To learn more about the Fresh! Gala and the other Buy Local Week events, and to purchase tickets to the Fresh! Gala, please visit our website: www.madisoncountyagriculture.com or call: 315-684-3001 x 125
Buy Local Week is brought to you by: Madison County’s Agricultural Economic Development Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County, CNYBounty.com, Madison County Tourism, Price Chopper Grocery Stores, Cazenovia Equipment, Serendipity Catering, Off the Path Media, and Empire Brewery

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Many years ago, Madison County Tourism produced a travel guide themed "From Antiques to Oz".  That theme sums up this weekend's events in Madison County.  Oz-Stravaganza! has already began and the antique dealers are setting up their tents as I write this in Bouckville.  So without further ado, here are your best bets for a fun weekend n Madison County:
1. Oz-Stravaganza!--It's the annual celebration of all things Wizard of Oz in Chittenango.  It starts this afternoon and runs right through Sunday evening.  The parade is set for 2pm on Saturday and if you are coming for the costume contest, registration begins at 12:15.
2. Spring Antique Show -- Everyone knows the Madison Bouckville Summer Antique Show that happens in August every year.  This weekend marks the spring show in Madison and Bouckville.  There are many deals to be found and smaller crowds than in August.  Check it out tomorrow and Sunday.
3. Saturday is National Trails Day and the local chapter of the North Country Trail Association will celebrate it at Stone Quarry Art Park tomorrow.  Convene at the hilltop area adjacent to the Stone Quarry Art Park Admin Building by 10am. You will be able to explore one of the Art Park Trails of your choice, tour the exhibit hall, learn about the many attractions offered by the Art Park, and check out the NCT/Link Trail segment within the park. At noon, reassemble at the picnic table area immediately adjacent to the Admin Building for refreshments.
4. For the 10th time, the DeRuyter Ruritan will be sponsoring an Antique Auto and Engine Show with gas engine demos, antique tractor parade and demos, a chicken bbq, and music highlight the afternoon of family fun. Cars will be judged in 12 classes and there will be vendors with crafts and a flea market.
5. On Sunday, June 6 the public is invited to join the fun and reminisce about “Milk Cow Memories,” a dairy history day and old fashioned family picnic. It will be held at The Smithfield Community Center, 5255Pleasnt Valley Road in Peterboro, NY beginning at noon and ending at 4 PM. Guests are asked to bring a dish-to-pass, along with scrapbooks, pictures, and antiques pertaining to the rich history of dairy farming in Central New York. In particular, we’re looking for Holstein enthusiasts and people who’ve devoted their lives to dairy farming.
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Event season is in full  swing across Madison County and this weekend there are a ton of things for you and your family to do.  You will find farmer's markets in Cazenovia and Hamilton, and this Saturday the new summer flea and farmer's market in Oneida opens for the season.  You will find it in front of Oneida Commons in the parking lot behind the Kallet Theater.  Of course why not see what all the fuss is about at the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum.  They won an award from the National Parks System this week, so it only figures you need to get down there this weekend to congratulate them.  We will have more great ideas for your weekend after the jump.....
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It was a beautiful spring day on Sunday May 16th, and local draft horse enthusiasts turned out to take part in an annual rite of spring in Madison County.  The annual New York State Draft Horse Club plowing demonstration took place off of Bingley Road in the town of Fenner.  Check out some photos of the activities below: (click on the photos to enlarge)
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It is commencement weekend here in Madison County, and that means all three of our institutions of higher learning are sending young minds off into the real world.  It also means a large number of people visiting our fine communities.  Let's welcome them with open arms and thank them for spending tens of thousands of dollars here over the last four or five years.  Beyond the graduations this weekend, there are several great events taking place.  Here is a sample of what you and your family can do this weekend.
1. Farmers Markets -- Both the markets in Cazenovia and Hamilton are in full swing for the season.  This weekend's weather will be perfect for working in the garden, so head on our to the markets and pick up some plants for vegetables, landscaping and more.  The Chittenango Garden Club will also be holding its spring plant sale too in Stickel's Park at the intersection of routes 5 & 13.
2. The Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum is open for the season on weekends this month.  Head on over with the family and learn about how Chittenango was the center of the boat building universe along the Erie Canal.  It is the 25th anniversary of this great museum this year, and it is a gem in our own back yard.
3. The Madison County Historical Society will host its first ever donation auction.  They have a ton of great items that have been donated and they are yours for the bidding.  Head on over to the Historical Society on Sunday for bidding at 1pm.
4. OneSong will perform live on Sunday at historic Madison Hall in Morrisville.  Ron & Nancy OneSong specialize in traditional American Music including country, bluegrass, western and gospel. They have performed at Ryman Auditorium and internationally in Canada, France and England and opened for many country music legends like Tammy Cash, John Anderson and Mickey Gilley. The show begins at 2 PM Sunday afternoon... Madison Hall, Route 20 in Morrisville, NY. $15 admission.
For more great events in Madison County this weekend head on over to the events calendar and find out more.
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Coming up on their third season, Wolf Oak Acres is once again aiming for the stars.  The typical harvest festival activities for this 150 acre fall destination (including a 10 acre corn maze, corn cannons, jumping pillow, gem mining, cow trains, pig races, just for starters) will begin mid – September and last through Halloween, plans are already underway for several new special event weekends. The festival hosts are now actively looking for community support to make this a wonderful event for the area.
 The main focus for this year will be on a Hot Air Balloon and Pride of NY Farmer’s Market – featuring wineries, breweries, food, and other NYS made products.  Pilots from around the northeast will be flying the skies over the pristine valleys on the outskirts of Oneida during prime fall foliage, Oct. 15 through the 17th.  Five main launches will take place Friday through Sunday evenings, as well as at dawn Saturday and Sunday mornings.  The tents will open from 10-5 on both Saturday and Sunday to showcase the best of NY made products.  Those interested in participating as vendors, will be able to showcase, sample and sell their products direct to their consumers.  Vendors, sponsors, volunteers for balloon crews, or those wanting to obtain flights throughout the weekend, are asked to contact Wolf Oak Acres as soon as possible to participate in this year's event.
Katrina Blanchard , 315-762-3090, www.wolfoakacres.com or Katrina@wolfoakacres.com
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A nice spring weekend for mom!
There are a lot of ways you can take mom out and show her your appreciation.  You could take her to brunch, you can take her shopping, or you can pick a great event the entire family can enjoy.  Here are some event ideas for this weekend to help your family celebrate Mother's Day.
1. Last weekend the Hamilton Village Farmer's Market opened for the season and this weekend the good people of Cazenovia get the ball rolling on their summer farmers market.  The Hamilton market is open from 8-1 on the village green.  The Cazenovia market can be shopped at from 9-5 in Cannon Park.
2. The Colgate Bookstore in Hamilton will host the "Meanest Mother"  It is geared towards kids 3-7 and you will hear from them about how mean their mom is.  Then everyone will make presents to give to mom on Sunday.
3. The Earlville Opera House will host Voices of Tabernacle/Blue Parsley Boys – Choral & A Cappella . The Voices of Tabernacle will sing a CHORAL POTPOURRI: with country....blues......jazz and pop!” This mixed chorus has 42 singers led by Anita Humer. Special guests on the program will be the Blue Parsley Boys. Their harmonies are rich and sonorous. A cappella selections will include folk songs, religious anthems and spirituals, barbershop tunes, doo-wop and old standards. $12, $10 members, $7 student.
4. How about a good old fashioned chicken BBQ?  The United Methodist Church of Canastota is hosting a chicken barbeque on Saturday May 8th, 2010 from 11am until sold-out. The church is located at 144 Center St in Canastota. Part of the proceeds from this event will be donated to a United Methodist Mission team which is scheduled to depart for Haiti in late May. The menu includes a half chicken, salt potatoes, cole slaw, roll with butter, beverage and dessert. Donation is $8 for adult, $3.50 for kids 5-11. Take outs are available and the church is handicap accessible.
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