Oz-Stravaganza! 2010 is just a week away and some of the special guests
are still in need of sponsorship including Munchkins Margaret
Pellegrini and Karl Slover and Judy Garland's movie stand in Caren
Marsh-Doll. Full sponsorship entiles sponsors to private time with
their guest, the option of driving your guest in the parade and more.
Partial sponsorships are available. Getting to know these actors from
the 1939 movie, "The Wizard of Oz" is a priceless experience. For
sponsorship details please call Colleen Zimmer at 315 415 8546.
Complete Oz-Stravaganza! detail and guest bios can be found by visiting
www.oz-stravaganza.com.

 
Oz Updates 05/26/2010
 
We are a little more than a week out from the annual Oz-Stravaganza in Chittenango and the updates are coming fast and furious.
Munchkin Fun Run Set:
The 4th annual Oz-Stravaganza! Munchkin Mile Kids Fun Run will be held
Saturday June 5th at 11:00 am starting at the Chittenango Fire Station.
Registration begins at 10:00 am. The race is for children age 12 and
younger. The race fee is $8.00 and the first 100 resistrants will
receive a free tshirt and a free amusement ride ticket. Water will be
provided. Applications can be downloaded at www.oz-stravaganza.com or you can register before the race. Questions shou;d be directed to Tammy at: 315-687-7115. The run is sponsored by the Chittenango Police
Benevolent Association.

Two Named Parade Grand Marshals
The 32nd annual Oz-Stravaganza! to honor Chittenango's native son L.
Frank Baum, author of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" will be held June
4th - 6th.
The Oz-Stravaganza! Committee is proud to announce Jane Lahr and Maya Gottfried as the 2010 Grand Marshals. Lahr is the daughter and
Gottfried the grand daughter of Bert Lahr, the Cowardly Lion. They will
take part in a variety of events throughout Oz weekend including the Oz parade which kicks off at 2 pm Saturday June 5th as well as the free
Saturday evening program at Chittenango High School. A complete
schedule of Oz-Stravaganza! events is available at:
www.oz-stravaganza.com.  Oz-Stravaganza! questions may be directed to 315 430 0765 or 315 415 8546.
 
 
Picture
The big news out of Albany last night was that the Senate drafted and passed a bill requiring the governor to open ALL of the state parks and historic sites.  Of course the bill didn't address how to pay for it on an ongoing basis, but it did pass.  Thank you Senator Dave Valesky for your YES vote on this.  Now its on to the Assembly where a similar bill should pass.  Here are some links to stories about the latest developments.  After the jump you can read Senator Jose Serrano's press release about his bill. We are hearing this morning that a deal is imminent and an announcement is scheduled for late morning in Albany.
News Channel 9
Lower Hudson Politics Blog
Albany Times Union
Syracuse.com
Cnycentral.com
 
 
Auditions for the 3rd Annual Emerald City Idol Singing Competition, which is part of the 32nd annual Oz-Stravaganza!  will be held Saturday
May 29th from 11am - 6pm at Chittenango High School, 150 Genesee St,
Chittenango. The contest is open to singers ages 6 through adult. Cash
prizes will be awarded in 3 age groups. Finalists will perform on the
stage in Oz-Stravaganza!/Dr. West Park from noon - 3pm on Sunday June
6th. Full details can be found at:
www.oz-stravaganza.com. Questions can be directed to ECidol@gmail.com  or Marc@oz-stravaganza.com. Call 315-415-8546 for Oz-Stravaganza! information.

 
 
Picture
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.....
 
 
Picture
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission is pleased to announce Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum in Chittenango as the recipient of the 2010 Erie Canalway Heritage Award of Excellence. Honorable Mention was awarded to the Historical Murals of Lyons in Wayne County and the Mohawk Towpath Byway, which stretches from Waterford and Cohoes to Schenectady.

“We congratulate and thank this year’s recipients for doing so much to celebrate, preserve, and share the rich history of the Erie Canal,” said Joseph Callahan, Chair of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission. “These are not only great places to visit—each has a valuable story to tell about how preserving our heritage can go hand-in-hand with economic and community revitalization.”

The Heritage Award honors significant places of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and recognizes excellence in advancing the goals of the Erie Canalway Preservation and Management Plan. A five-person independent jury selected award recipients based on a written application and site visit, which included meetings with officials at each site, as well as community leaders, municipal representatives, and other stakeholders.

“Through the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor elements of the Grand Canal system, its past and present, have become united. The Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum appreciates the honor of being publically recognized as one of the Corridor’s integral assets, thus defining the story of the historic dry dock and 19th century canal boat technology,” said Joan DiChristina, Executive Director at Chittenango Landing.

Heritage award recipients will be recognized at an award ceremony on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 9:30 am at Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum in Chittenango. The ceremony will precede the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission annual meeting at 10:30 am.

For more information about the award and photographs of this year’s recipients, visit www.eriecanalway.org.
 
 
Picture
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.
 
 
The 32nd annual Oz-Stravaganza to honor Chittenango’s native son, L. Frank Baum, will be held June 4 through 6. Event information is updated as events unfold at oz-stravaganza.com. For information about entering a unit in the parade, call Barb Evans at 315-430-0765. Parade applications can be downloaded from the website. The parade will kick-off Saturday, June 5 at 2 p.m.

The Oz-Stravaganza Park is now full, and no further applications will be accepted. Oz-Stravaganza Park offers a wide variety of activities including amusement rides, games, food, entertainment, Munchkin autograph sessions, Oz memorabilia, silent auctions, crafters, petting zoo and so much more.

“Author’s Alley” is a new event this year showcasing authors who have published Oz books.  The authors will be selling and autographing their books.

Jane Lahr and Maya Gottfried, daughter and grand daughter of the Cowardly Lion will be grand marshals of the parade this year. They will also be speaking about Bert Lahr during the weekend. Maya Gottfried will also be on hand to sell and autograph her recently published book “Our Farm.”
 
 
Picture
Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum is hosting author Martha Kendall on Sunday, April 25 at the museum, 7010 Lakeport Road. Kendall will present a multi-media program “The Story of the Erie Canal: The Power of a Can-Do Attitude” at 2 p.m. with a 3 p.m. book signing and refreshments afterward.

Included in her presentation will be the story of the Erie Canal, anecdotes about the canal’s history, slides showing the canal today, and music of the era on fiddle, guitar, banjo and penny whistle. Admission is free, donations are appreciated. There will be a limited number of her books available for purchase. For more information please call 687-3801 or visit their website.
 
 
Syracuse Post Standard columnist Sean Kirst pens a very nice tribute to Meinhardt Rabbe this morning in the paper.  Here is a link to the article and a slide show of Rabbe's appearances over the years.