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

The Oneida Community Mansion House invites students, ages 12 to 18, to submit original photographs that convey the unique character of the Mansion House – inside and out.  Winning photographs will be used to print postcards and note cards for sale in the Mansion House store, acknowledging the student photographers and there will be a $250 prize for the best overall photograph.

Contest Rules
Students 12 to 18 years old are eligible to participate.

Up to three entries are allowed per contestant.

Photographs may be taken of any interior museum (public) space and of the lawns and gardens and building exterior.  Think of what someone would like to see on a postcard or a note card to keep or send as a remembrance of their visit to this National Historic Landmark. 

Flash may not be used inside the building.

Please bring the entry form to the office at the Mansion House prior to photographing any areas and check in at the office each time before taking photographs.

Submit high resolution digital photos suitable for at least 8 x 10 prints to phoffman@oneidacommunity.org.

All entries must be received by June 30, 2011.

(Oneida)   The Oneida Community developed a rich musical tradition, anchored both in deep religious values and in the very worldly desire to entertain themselves.  Drawing on that tradition, the spring Adult Enrichment Series will present four outstanding performances during “If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On.”  Each of the performances that are offered free to the public will be held in the Big Hall which is known for its outstanding acoustics. 
      In “Millennial Praises,” on Wed., April 13 at 7 p.m., Christian Goodwillie (Shaker scholar and Special Collections Librarian at Hamilton College) will explain and sing a recent project 6to recapture the melodies of Shaker songs two hundred years old.  The first Shaker hymnal, published in 1812-13, provided only the words (without tunes) to a number of key religious songs. Through study of later musical scores, Goodwillie was able to match the lyrics to their original music.  The results include an award-winning book, an enriched field of American religious folksongs, and the haunting experience of hearing music brought to life from a distant time.
      We highlight “Changing Standards:  A Showcase of New Music with Jim O’Mahony,” on Thurs., April 21, at 7 p.m.  While the vast majority of jazz “standards” were composed between 1930 and 1960 by Tin Pan Alley song writers and jazz musicians such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Charlie Parker, O’Mahony will showcase the current trend of jazz musicians who look outside the standard repertoire and will highlight some under-the-radar- new music.  He will play his arrangements of music which is ripe for improvisation, yet composed within the past fifteen years.  Included are works by the acclaimed Brooklyn group, Grizzly Bear, modern folk harpist Joanna Newsom, San Francisco art-rock band Deerhoof, and more.
      We invite you to join pianist/saxophonist Monk Rowe (Director, Hamilton College Jazz Archive) on Thurs., April 28 at 7 p.m. for “I’ve got the Blues.” A popular musician, educator, and jazz scholar, Rowe will perform classic blues songs and then lead the group in a hands-on song writing activity.  In small groups, participants will compose new blues lyrics and hear the results at the end of the hour.  Previous song writing experience is not required and musicians and non-musicians of all ages are welcome.
      The final performance will feature operatic baritone John Davies and his daughter, soprano Sarah Davies Hasegawa on Thurs., May 5 at 7 p.m.  “Songs From Grandfather’s Attic” highlights more than a century of America’s most enduring song favorites including traditional folk songs and spirituals, vintage popular hits and song classics. 
      All performances will be introduced with a story about music in the Oneida Community and followed by a reception with light refreshments. 
      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.

When horses and carriages were the norm of transportation, the village of Cazenovia was characterized by numerous carriage stables, hitching posts and blacksmith shops. Today, Lorenzo State Historic Site is home to an extensive collection of horse-drawn vehicles and a renowned annual pleasure driving competition. In celebration of the 35th Annual Lorenzo Driving Competition, and in association with the Cazenovia Public Library’s equine-centered series of programs this spring, a special family program will be held on Saturday, April 9 at the Lorenzo visitor center.
Program participants will learn how to identify breeds of horse, meet a miniature horse—or two (courtesy Cazenovia College), receive a guided tour of the Lorenzo carriage and sleigh collection and find out how these vehicles were used throughout the year. Special horse-related handouts and giveaways will be available to all participants, 12 and under, and refreshments will be served. Admission is free and open to the public, but pre-registration by April 5 is required as space is limited. Sponsored by the Lorenzo Driving Competition, Inc. and Lorenzo State Historic Site, this event will occur, rain or shine, from 10 am to 11:30 am.
To reserve a spot for “Horses in History and at Lorenzo,” please contact Diane Voss at 436-7988, or for more information re: the 35th Annual Lorenzo Driving Competition on July 16th and 17th this summer, please visit www.lorenzodriving.com.  

As Abraham Lincoln made his way from Illinois to Washington D.C. for his inauguration March 4, 1861, as the first Republican president of the United States, his train traveled along the reform corridor in New York State from which the origins of his party came. In 1839, abolitionists in Central New York began to meet to discuss the formation of a third political party to pursue the abolition of slavery. Some of these meetings took place at the Gerrit Smith estate in Peterboro. The result was the birth of the Liberty Party in April 1840. The Liberty Party eventually merged with anti-slavery factions of the major parties to form the liberal, human-rights oriented Republican Party in 1854.  

Jack Baylis, the Abraham Lincoln reenactor at most of the nineteen years of the Peterboro Civil War Weekend, will provide a specialized program on Lincoln’s situation in 1861 for the observance of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War at the annual Peterboro  event June 11 and 12, 2011. At 1:00 p.m. on both days of the weekend Baylis will portray Lincoln’s feelings and thoughts as he took office, and his experiences with the exploding events in our country.

Peterboro Civil War Weekend is an educational and fundraising event sponsored by the Town of Smithfield, the Smithfield Community Association, and private donors. Proceeds from the event support the preservation and promotion of the heritage of the Town of Smithfield. During the event Peterboro relives the period of the mid 1800s when the hamlet held national recognition because of Gerrit Smith’s Underground Railroad station, the visitations of famous abolitionists, and the connection with John Brown that sparked the War Between the States. Peterboro sites are on the Heritage NY Underground Railroad Trail and on the National Park Service Network to Freedom Underground Railroad Trail. Saturday June 11 hours for the event are 10 am – 5 pm, and Sunday, June 12 from 10 am to 4 pm.  Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for ages 6 – 12, and free for children under 6. Admission to the to the special Civil War concert at 8 p.m. may be paid at the door.  Parking is free For more information contact 315-684-9022 and www.sca-peterboro.org

Many of Elizabeth Cady’s convictions developed during her summers spent in Peterboro at the home of her cousin Gerrit Smith. (She also met Henry B. Stanton in Peterboro!)  With recognition of the strong women’s rights history, including Peterboro’s own Elizabeth Smith Miller’s bloomers, Peterboro heritage sites will provide a variety of programs on 19th C. women’s history during the summer of 2011.

The Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend is more than a military demonstration. The weekend encampment demonstrates the important role of women at the campsites, in the homes, and behind the political scenes. Women reenactors wear the apparel of the mid-1800s, cook meals, care for children, nurse the injured, and maintain belongings on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and 12. Sutlers carry period items for dress and home that the public can purchase. Terry Jordan, a sutler (period vendor) from Florida, provides a program explaining and demonstrating items of dress that a 19th Century woman would wear. Maxine Getty will provide a program both days at Civil War Weekend on the U.S. Sanitary Commission, an effort by women to provide health and medical services not available from the government.