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

_ The Oz-Stravaganza! committee is proud and honored to announce that Gregory Maguire will serve as Grand Marshal of the 34th annual  Oz-Stravaganza! parade, themed "The Wonderful Witches of Oz", which kicks off at 2:00 PM Saturday June 2nd.

_In addition he will be part of the Friday June 1st kickoff program at Chittenango High School. Many new and exciting guests and events as well as the longtime favorites will be part of Oz weekend, June 1st - 3rd. Check in often at: www.oz-stravaganza.com to keep up to date with the latest information.

Many  Oz-Stravaganza! sponsorship opportunities are available, contact Colleen Zimmer at 315-415-8546 or colleen@oz-stravaganza.com for further information.

Come join the fun on Sunday November 27th at 4:00 when the Syracuse Silver Knights take on the Baltimore Blast at the Oncenter War Memorial in Syracuse for a fast paced professional indoor soccer game. Adult tickets cost $15 and youth tickets are $13. The Siver Knights have reached out to the Oz-Stravaganza!/"All Things Oz" organization and  $2 from every ticket the Oz committe sells will be given to the organization to support the "All Things Oz" exhibit in Chittenango. Please contact any Oz committee member to purchase tickets or call 315 333 2286 or email marc@oz-stravaganza.com. Further information can be found at:
www.oz-stravaganza.com.

To all of our Oz friends and supporters~~~~We have started an "It Takes Two" campaign to support the "All Things Oz" exhibit in Chittenango~~~~~~please support us by sending $2 ( payable to GSACC ) and mail it to: Oz-Stravaganza! "It Takes Two", Village of Chittenango, 222 Genesee St, Chittenango Y 13037~~~~~~questions: 315 415 8546~~~~if everyone who receives this sends their $2~~~~~and then forwards this to their friends~~~~Chittenango, NY, birthplace of L. Frank Baum, author of the "Wonerful Wizard of Oz" will have a permanent museum~~~~thank you!!!!

This It was a great weekend in Madison County, we hope you enjoyed the weather.  It was a little on the hot side, but the humidity broke leaving nice dry air in its place.  Here is a recap of some news stories of interest from the past weekend.
Arise and Ride at the Farm (Madison County Courier) This is a benefit for the ARISE Farm in North Chittenango.

Smoking Loons performing at International Boxing Hall of Fame Amphitheater July 28 (Oneida Daily Dispatch) The summer concert series continues.

Open Farm Day Proves Popular and Productive (Oneida Daily Dispatch) Caitlin Traynor's write up complete with videos.

Greyrock Farm CSA in Cazenovia (Syracuse.com) Maria Salatino of the Post Standard gives us a short slideshow of the happenings at one of the Open Farm Day stops.

Library to feature Abstract Expressionism Exhibit (Madison County Courier) Another fantastic exhibit by the Cazenovia Public Library.  With the internet, Kindles, and more Libraries have to keep putting on good programming and Cazenovia excells at it.

Cuomo Signs Legislation Boosting New York's Wine Industry (WBNG TV) This new law could lead to the opening of satellite tasting rooms, expanding the wine and tourism industries.  Can you see a Finger Lake's Winery taking advantage of a downtown Cazenovia store front?  We sure hope so.

It was a fairly busy weekend in Madison County with the kick off of Buy Local Week, the long running Lorenzo Driving Competition and everything else that we try to pack into a summer weekend here in Central New York State.  Here is a bit of the coverage of this past weekends events.  Enjoy!
The Story Behind Chittenango Creek's Catch and Release Fishing Section (Post Standard/Syracuse.com) Anglers noticed something different along an almost two-mile stretch of the world famous trout stream.  A new section was named catch and release only.

Fourth Annual Buy Local Week Kicks Off (YNN)
Buy Local Week on Today in Central NY (cnycentral.com)
Fresh! Gala Opens Madison County's Celebration of Agriculture (Post Standard/Syracuse.com) All of these stories focus on yesterday's Fresh! Gala and the upcoming Buy Local Week highlighting agriculture in Central New York and Madison County.

Horses, Drivers Compete at Lorenzo (Post Standard/Syracuse.com) This is a signature event for Equine Alley and it has been bringing visitors to Madison County and Cazenovia for over 30 years.

A Very Cool Picture of an old Rail Road Car Names "Chittenango Falls" Look into the discussion thread below the picture to learn about the car and rail road history in Upstate New York.
Dutch Girl Teams Up with the Imaginary Farmer (Madison County Courier) I love the headline as it sounds like the name of a book or something, but the story is a good story about small farmers working together to make their business work.

Morrisville State College Shows off Roadster at Syracuse Nationals (Oneida Daily Dispatch) The Syracuse Nationals is a big time summer event just 25 minutes from Madison County . This year Morrisville State students built and then raffled off a roadster to a lucky winner.

I'll be honest,we've slacked over the past week updating you with links about what is happening in the county.  A little vacation here, a little pile on the desk there and it is suddenly Friday.  So without further ado, here are some relevant links from around the interwebs this morning.Canal Fest Eventful Day in Chittenango (Oneida Daily Dispatch)  This event often gets lost as it is only two weeks after the annual Oz celebration, but this National Park recognized gem puts on a great event.

Cyclists Pedal Through Madison, Oneida Counties on Cycling the Erie Canal Tour (Oneida Daily Dispatch) Every year a group of bicyclists take a cross state tour along the Erie Canal. They passed through here yesterday. 

Madison County to Host CNY Firemen's Convention (Madison County Courier) This is a great opportunity for the Hamilton Area to show itself off.  There will be a lot of firemen in town this weekend and it should be a nice economic boost to the area.

Brookfield Speedway Drivers Take to the Track in Reunion (Madison County Courier) Another new event to the county fair was very well received.

Lorenzo Driving Competition in 35th Year (Madison County Courier) A fantastic event that allows us to stake our claim as Equine Alley.

Summer Cycling starts in Cazenovia (Cazenovia Republican) Share the roads with our bikers, the motorized ones and the leg powered ones too.

It's a day late because of the 4th of July holiday yesterday, so we will combine the Monday Morning recap with the Tuesday Things column.  It was a fantastic 4th of July here in Madison County with weather that was picture perfect.  Thousands enjoyed parades and fireworks in both Hamilton and Cazenovia yesterday.  Boaters were out on the lakes, grills were running all burners go and it just felt good to be an American.  Here is a trip around the internet and some of the fine things we found over the weekend.

Hundreds Celebrate America's Independence in Hamilton (Oneida Daily Dispatch) I'll argue with their numbers and say there were over 1,000 people lining the streets in perfect weather for the parade.

The Onion Satires the Boxing Hall of Fame (The Onion) You know you've made the mainstream when The Onion chooses to make fun of you!  Congratulations to the Boxing Hal of Fame.

Best Fishing Spots in Chittenango Creek (Guide to Fishing) A couple of SUNY ESF students talk about fishing Chittenango Creek.

Buy Local Week Begins July 17th (Oneida Dispatch) A week full of activities is planned.

Delectable Dairy at Red Gate (Oneida Dispatch) Part of their Buy Local Week series on local farms.

Fruit of the Fungi Grows Mushrooms (Oneida Dispatch) Another in their series on local farms.
Maple Avenue Farmers Farm Fundamentally (Oneida Dispatch) Caitlin Traynor profiles another local beef farm.
Cazenovia Fourth of July Races (9wsyr.com) 1100 runners participated in this year's races.

Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum will be open every day in July and August, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  It is located at 7010 Lakeport Road on the old Erie Canal and includes exhibits on construction of 96-feet-long cargo boats, workings of the restored dry docks and social history of the canal era. See a canal boat being built, sawmill, blacksmith shop, mule barn, circus on the canal exhibit and archaeological artifacts found on the site. The museum is now part of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor “Passport to Your National Park” program. Admission is $5, 12 and younger are free. Guided tours cost $6 per person. Call 687-3801 for more information.

A Tent & Tag Sale will be held on Friday, July 29 and Saturday July 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to benefit the museum. Antiques, collectibles, furniture, household items, jewelry, good toys, and much more will be for sale.

If you have an item to donate, call the museum at 687-3801.

There was a lot in the press about Madison County this weekend.  We pretty much dominated the local section of the Post Standard on Sunday!  Here as some links to stories that appeared over the weekend.

Cross Creek to Reunite for Forth of July Celebration (Syracuse.com) A favorite band returns to a favorite festival.
Hamilton Prepares for Film Festival (Syracuse.com) We had the announcement last week, and it is exciting to see the press picking up on this great film festival.
From Russia to Syracuse; Preserving the Planet (Syracuse.com) A group from Russia visited Central New York and made a few stops in Madison County.
Picker Exhibit Featured (Syracuse.com) A review of an exhibit at the world famous Picker Art Gallery at Colgate University.
Boxing Embraces its Fictional Rocky (Cleveland Plain Dealer) We appreciate the publicity about our Hall of Fame.
Teddy Bear Parade Planned (Madison County Courier) It is your chance to walk down Albany St. with your Teddy Bear
Summer Hours Begin for Chittenango Landing (Madison County Courier)
Madison County May Mow Lake Weeds Soon (Oneida Dispatch) It has been a few years since Madison County could afford to operate this contraption, but thanks to a grant this year may be different.
Improved Bus Service Ready to Roll (Oneida Dispatch) Finding solutions to public transportation in rural areas can be difficult.  The Madison County Planning Department has been working hard on this.
Summer Concerts Return to Hall of Fame (Madison County Courier) The popular summer concert series begins in July.