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

Susan B. Anthony will be the keynote speaker at the In the Kitchen Tea at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, September 26 at 5255 Pleasant Valley Road in Peterboro NY when, once again, the Smithfield Community Center is turned into a lovely tea room. The occasion is catered by The Copper Turret of Morrisville with special menu considerations of Miller’s 1875 In the Kitchen cookbook  The annual tea celebrates Elizabeth Smith Miller, her birthday, the creation of her trouser outfit, and the 19th C. women’s reform movement. Attendees are encouraged to wear mid-19th Century styles – especially bloomers.
This year the tea welcomes Susan B. Anthony, women’s rights colleague and friend of Miller and her cousin Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Anthony was a visitor to the Gerrit Smith Estate in Peterboro in the 1800s. Barbara Blaisdell of Rochester NY will portray Anthony, as she has done at the Women’s Rights National Park in Seneca Falls and at the Susan B. Anthony house in Rochester.
Special tea themed charms will be available for auction to support the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark. The highest bidder will receive a silver bracelet, a matching set of earrings, and the first pick on the charm board.
Reservations for the third annual Elizabeth Smith Miller In the Kitchen Tea can be made online at www.inthekichentea.com. The website for the tea has information on Elizabeth Smith Miller, past events, and a link to PayPal for reservations. Seating for the tea is limited, and reserved on a first-come first-served basis. Forty dollar reservations are due by September 17.
The tea for Miller is one of a series of programs provided by the Stewards for the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark during 2010 and partially supported by a PACE grant from the Central New York Community Foundation. The Estate is on the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, and the Heritage NY Underground Railroad Trail as part of the New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. For a hard copy invitation, send mailing address to info@inthekitchentea.com or to Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, P.O. Box 6, Peterboro NY 13134. Checks payable to Smithfield Community Association / GSENHL. For more information contact 315-546-5583. For a complete listing of programs, contact  SmithfieldCommunityAssociation@centralny.twcbc.com, 315-684-1058, and www.sca-peterboro.com

The 15th Annual Madison County Hop Fest fun-filled weekend starts with a paired beer dinner on Friday night, September 17, at Blue Barbecue in Chittenango at 6 pm. The five-course meal created by Chef and owner, Bob Enigk will be paired with beers from Landmark Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Southern Tier, and DogFish Head.
The first course is DogFish Festina Peche steamed clams with garlic, Dijon mustard and heavy cream. The second course is a mesclun salad with tomatoes, crumbly bleu, smoked almonds, and Southern Tier Raspberry vinaigrette.  The third course is Brooklyn Lager braised pulled pork cannelloni with smoked gouda lager cheese sauce, and fried leeks. The fourth course is Grilled Baby Tenderloin, served with beer and bacon mashed potatoes, crimini mushrooms, and Brooklyn Brown Ale Steak Sauce. The fifth course is  the decadent Landmark Vanilla Bean triple chocolate cake with vanilla bean syrup.
Tickets are limited, so reserve your seat by September 7. Tickets for the dinner are $45. Reservations can be made by ordering them at www.mchs1900.org/hopfest, or by sending a check payable to the Madison County Historical Society, or by contacting the Blue Barbecue.
Brooklyn Brewery, Dog Fish Head, and Southern Tier will be on the society’s grounds on Saturday, September 18 under the Beer Tent! Tickets for the brew sampling are ($25 advance and $30 at the door) and available at Kraig’s Kegs/ Corey’s Beverages in Sherrill, the historical society, or online at www.mchs1900.org/hopfest. Tickets for the Taste of Hops are $15 advance and $20 at the door and available at the participating restaurants, or online at www.mchs1900.org/hopfest.
For more information about the 15th Annual Madison County Hop Fest please contact the Madison County Historical Society, 435 Main Street, Oneida, NY 13421, 315. 363.4136, 315.361.9735, www.mchs1900.org/hopfest. All proceeds from the Hop Fest support the educational programming at the Madison County Historical Society.  The Madison County Hop Fest is a 21-year and older event. Admission is charged only for the paired beer dinner, beer sampling, and taste of hops.

It is that time of year again for the Madison County Historical Society’s 46th Annual Craft Days! The event held on Saturday, September 11th(10 am- 5 pm) and Sunday, September 12th (10 am-4pm), is organized and hosted by the Madison County Historical Society at the society’s 435 Main Street location in Oneida. This year’s Craft Days will feature over 100 juried craft vendors, food, and entertainment.  Visitors can also tour the society’s headquarters, Cottage Lawn, an 1849 Gothic Revival Cottage, during the event. The Olde Tyme Fiddlers will be returning to entertain the crowd on Saturday from 1-3 pm. On Sunday, we are excited to have Ed Smith performing from 1-3 pm. As always visitors are sure to find a special hand crafted item, a delectable treat, and great music all in one location at the 46th Annual Craft Days at the Madison County Historical Society. Don’t forget to check out the daily demonstrations from our craft vendors. All weekend checkout our craft vendors who will be demonstrating. Don’t forget to purchase raffle tickets to win some fantastic handmade craft items. There will be face painting by Sue Flint of Oneida on Saturday from 1- 3pm and storytelling by the Oneida Library on Sunday from 1-3 pm; so bring your children to this kid-friendly event!

A free park and ride service will be provided in a new location throughout the weekend from the Glenwood Plaza on Route 46 in Oneida to the historical society.  Admission is $4 for adults, children 12 and under are free. Purchase a weekend pass for $6 and join us both days!No animals are permitted on the grounds, and there is no smoking.  For more information, please contact the Madison County Historical Society at 315-363-4136, 315-361-9735, or visit us at www.mchs1900.org.
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Caption: Don Micklon, a woodcrafter from Fayetteville will be returning to the Madison County Historical Society‘s 46h Annual Craft Days on September 11 (10am-5 pm) and September 12  (10am-4 pm).

On Saturday, September 18 from 12-2pm at the Madison County Historical Society, 435 Main Street will be The Taste of Hops: a food and beer pairing. This event is one of the many activities happening at the 15th Annual Madison County Hop Fest on September 18th!
From 2:30-5:30 on the society’s grounds under the Beer Sampling Tent come sample over 40 styles of craft beer from the following breweries: Matt-Saranac; Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, BluePoint; Butternuts; Magic Hat; Southern Tier, Long Trail, Ithaca, Sam Adams, Empire, Middle Ages, Cooperstown, Ommegang, and more!! Tickets for the Beer Sampling are $25 advance and $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Kraig’s Kegs/ Corey’s Beverages in Sherrill, the Madison County Historical Society, or online at www.mchs1900.org/hopfest.
In its fourth year, the Taste of Hops: a food and beer pairing matches an area restaurant with a craft brewery to create an appetizer that uses beer as one of the ingredients. The restaurants participating this year are: Blue Barbecue of Chittenango; Colgate Inn of Hamilton; Johnnie’s Pier 31 of Canastota; Someplace Else of Canastota; Ye Olde Landmark Tavern of Bouckville; and Zabroso of Oneida. Tickets are limited- only 150 will be sold.   Tickets are $15 advance or $20 at the door if available. Tickets can be purchased online, or by sending a check payable to the Madison County Historical Society, or by contacting the participating restaurants.
The Hop Fest opens on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 11:00 am- 5:30 pm with video presentations on a variety of hop related topics throughout the afternoon and the crowning of the Madison County Hop Fest King at 2:00 pm. Stop in the Hop Shop for some hop-related items and hop plants, and beer pint glasses. Throughout the afternoon purchase your raffle tickets to win great beer related merchandise. Visit with the American Home Brewers Association all day. Stop by the North East Hop Alliance tent and Foothill Hops and learn about the many developments of hop growing in Madison County today. Check out the Great Lakes Brewing News booth and the Beer Connoisseur Magazine booth.  Make your reservations now for the paired beer dinner at Blue Barbecue on Friday, Sept.17. Tickets for the dinner are $45. Reservations required by Sept.7.
For more information about the 15th Annual Madison County Hop Fest please contact the Madison County Historical Society at 435 Main Street in Oneida, 315-363-4136, 315-361-9735 or www.mchs1900.org/hopfest. On Facebook you can find us at Madison County Hop Fest. All proceeds from the Madison County Hop Fest support the educational programming at the Madison County Historical Society.   There is no admission to attend the Hop Fest. Admission is charged for the Paired Beer Dinner, Taste of Hops, Beer Sampling. No one under the age of 21 will be permitted to enter the events where beer is served. Proper id is required for entrance to all areas where beer is served! Please do not bring children, strollers, or pets to the event. Tickets will be available for designated drivers (who must be 21 years of age) at the entrance of the beer-sampling tent.
Last year, Colgate Inn Chef, Chris Angle won Best of the Best at last year’s
Taste of Hops. At this year’s Taste of Hops, come vote for the restaurant that you think has the Best Food and Beer Pairing; Best use of local products; and help us choose the location of the 2011 paired beer dinner.

It may be the end of July, but these two headline September Events in Madison County are right around the corner.  Now is the time to make your plans and reservations for Craft Days and Hop Fest.  Both events take place at the Madison County Historical Society and both events should be at the top of your list of things to do this fall. 

The Oneida Community Mansion House invites the public to an opening reception for the exhibition “View From the Tower” on Tuesday, August 17 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Revealing the look of the landscape in Victorian times, this photographic exhibit documents many of the buildings once clustered near the Mansion House, residence of the Oneida Community (1848-1880).  Structures illustrated include barns, industrial facilities, tenant houses, and places where the business, service, and educational tasks of the famous utopian group took place. 

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a remarkable photographic panorama taken from the Mansion's North Tower in about 1874.  In addition to over thirty historical photographs, the exhibit includes an 1869 map of the grounds and two 1868 architectural drawings of the Mansion House.   

“View From the Tower” is located in a second-floor gallery funded by a Gorman Foundation grant and dedicated to exhibiting the Oneida Community Mansion House’s photographic collection.   

The Oneida Community Mansion House was the home of the 19th century utopian Oneida Community (1848-1880).  Today, the building houses a museum with permanent and changing exhibitions, residential apartments, overnight lodging, Zabroso Restaurant, and banquet and meeting space.  Guided tours are available Wed. through Sat., 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sun. at 2 p.m. for a nominal fee.  The Oneida Community Mansion House is located at 170 Kenwood Ave., Oneida, NY.  For information call 315-363-0745 or visit www.oneidacommunity.org. 

The Madison County Historical Society in Oneida, NY has a summer program for children ages 9-12 that explores the day in the life of a nineteenth century child.  The summer camp will be held August 17 through August 20 from 10 am to 3 pm each day.   The program consists of a series of workshops. From making scrapbooks, to working with primary resources, to learning and practicing Victorian etiquette, baking, candle making, and role-play.  Snack will be provided. Participants must bring a bagged lunch each day. Tuition is $40 for members and $50 for nonmembers.  For more information, or to register a child call Sydney at the Madison County Historical Society at 363-4136, or 361-9735. Space is limited, and advance registration is required by July 23.

Flowers, finery and lace will be featured at a special tea in the Ellen Shipman formal garden, sponsored by The Friends of Lorenzo, on Sunday, August 1 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. A full English tea will follow a special presentation on “Vintage Linens and Hankies” by guest textile authority Roseanna Mihalick.

Mrs. Mihalick, who has been a featured guest on The Martha Stewart Show and a presenter at the Country Living Magazine ’09 Fair, will also be on hand to sign copies of the 2007 edition of her Schiffer Publishing book: Collecting Handkerchiefs (offered at a special, one-time price of $20). The full English tea, co-hosted by Friends of Lorenzo board member Suzanne Phillips and Lorenzo staff-member Diane Voss, will include delicate finger sandwiches, assorted sweets and an array of savories --  as well as PG Tips English Tea. Lovely seasonal table linens will be provided by Lavender Blue of Cazenovia.

This Friends of Lorenzo program and tea will be held rain or shine and requires advance reservations, by check, by July 23; tickets are $25 per person. All proceeds will benefit the many restoration, gardening and educational programs supported by The Friends of Lorenzo, a not-for-profit organization incorporated in 1975. For more information, please contact Diane Voss at (315) 655-3200 or visit www.lorenzoNY.org.

John A. Weeks, one of Central New York’s most widely known and admired naturalists, will speak at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 10th at the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark in Peterboro, NY. Weeks is widely recognized as a biologist, botanist, environmental educator, artist, author, and commentator -- and has been called “Central New York's own modern-day John Burroughs.”
Mr. Week’s remarks, entitled “Keep It Natural: A Naturalist’s Calling and His Call to Citizen-Scientists” will reflect Weeks’ decades as a professional scientist and dedicated educator. Sponsored by the Greene Smith Society, an informal auxiliary of the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark in Peterboro, NY, this presentation honors Greene Smith and celebrates the crucial role of the citizen-scientist throughout American history. Greene, son of the famous 19th-century abolitionist and philanthropist Gerrit Smith, was an avid sportsman and early conservationist who established a distinguished legacy of his own as a self-taught expert ornithologist and taxidermist.