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

Let's face it, today is Thursday and you have not even thought about Valentine's Day this coming Sunday.  Well you are in luck, because with it being on Sunday you have a chance to surprise your lover with the ultimate in romantic escapes.  You have three opportunities to show them how much you appreciate how they have been there for you.  So with that in mind, here are some last minute ideas and some great places for you to check out. 
Here is an opportunity to show how much you care on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.  The Brae Loch Inn in Cazenovia offers an overnight stay in one of their beautiful rooms, and brunch for two on Sunday morning all for only $150 to $175.  Take the opportunity to enjoy a fine dinner at the Brae Loch Saturday night or explore one of the other fine restaurants like Circa, the Cazenovia Grill or the Brewster Inn, and wake up to one of the best brunches in Central New York at the Brae Loch.  
Also in Cazenovia you can step in to an era of Elegant Hospitality by booking an elegant escape at the Lincklaen House.  For $200 you can book a room with a Jacuzzi and enjoy dinner for two with a bottle of house wine.  That is a fine way to get in to the Valentine's Day spirit.  You will have a wonderful escape when you take advantage of this outstanding special.
Located just across from the Boxing Hall of Fame and at Exit 34 of the NYS Thruway, you will find Graziano's World Famous Inn.  This February you can enjoy overnight accommodations in a deluxe room and dinner for two-cappellini and meatballs, salad + garlic bread, with 2 glasses of Tony’s Special Chianti.  When you call them ask about their Jacuzzi Suite for a really special evening.
Maybe your idea of romance includes hitting the slopes.  Don't forget that the skiing is great right now at Toggenburg Ski Area in Fabius, and we have many Stay and Ski deals for you to choose from. 
These are just some of the specials available this month in Madison County .  Visit the website for more information and a full list of places to stay and visit in Madison County.

The annual Buy Local Week focusing on local farms and their products will be July 18-25th in 2010. The very popular Open Farm day will take place on the 25th.  You will be able to tour local farms, taste local products and even buy direct from the source.  Check out the Agriculture Economic Development site for more information and when we get closer to the date the Passport that will be available!

In honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and Black History, the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark will display a replica of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation given to the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro by the New York State Library in Albany. The exhibit will be at the Visitor Center at the Gerrit Smith Estate Saturday and Sunday, February 13 and 14 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.One of the nation's greatest documentary treasures, the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, has been part of the New York State Library's collection since 1865. “The unassuming appearance of this four page declaration in Lincoln's hand tends to mask the significance of what one source declared to be the ‘most important and far-reaching document ever issued since the formulation of this government.’ …Though Lincoln had always found slavery morally repugnant, he consistently stated that the Civil War was being fought solely for the purpose of restoring the Union. … Besides, as Lincoln knew, simple justice and moral imperative demanded it.The partial Union victory at the terrible Battle of Antietam in September 1862 provided an opportunity for Lincoln to issue his epoch-making decree. It had taken nearly a century, many years of abolitionist agitation and two years of America's bloodiest war to begin to apply the meaning of the Declaration of Independence to the nation's black population.” (NYS Library)

“Lincoln read this document to his Cabinet on September 22 and told them that he firmly believed in its principles, though he would accept minor changes of wording. Secretary of State William H. Seward, a former Governor of New York and lifelong abolitionist, suggested certain additions which strengthened it and then actually wrote in his revisions. Except for these revisions and the formal beginning and ending written by the Chief Clerk, the document is otherwise entirely in Lincoln's hand. The next day the nation's newspapers gave prominent attention to the Proclamation, beginning a discussion of its importance which culminated three months later.” (NYS Library)

“The proclamation declared that all slaves in states which were still in rebellion on January 1, 1863 ‘shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.’ ” (NYS Library)

In February and March of 1864, the Army Relief Bazaar was held to raise money for the U.S. Sanitary Commission, an agency that helped provide medical care for Union soldiers. To assist the Bazaar in its fund drive, Lincoln donated the Preliminary Proclamation, sending it to Emily Weed Barnes through Frederick W. Seward, son of the Secretary of State. On the very last day of the Bazaar, the manuscript was won in a lottery by well-known abolitionist Gerrit Smith. Smith generously gave the proclamation to the U.S. Sanitary Commission to be sold to raise more money. Said Smith, “My purpose when I purchased the tickets…was to let it go to the individual or association, who should pay the largest price for it…As I believe the putting down of this infernal Rebellion to be our highest and holiest work, so I recognize no other claim upon my possessions to be as strong as that of the Soldiers, who are prosecuting this work.” (Letter, Gerrit Smith to William Barnes, March 12, 1864)

Three days after Lincoln's funeral train passed through Albany on April 25, 1865, the New York State Legislature purchased the proclamation for the New York State Library.

The Chicago Historical Society acquired the manuscript copy of the final proclamation. Unfortunately, it was lost when the Society's building was burned during the great Chicago fire of 1871. However, the New York State Library's collection includes 19th century photographs of the final proclamation.

At the Visitor Center on Sunday, February 14 at 2 pm, Norman K. Dann, Ph.D. will present a program on Lincoln as “The Great Emancipator,” the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation’s ties to Peterboro, and describe the Central New York origins of “Lincoln’s party.” Dr. Dann is the author of the 2009 biography of Smith, Practical Dreamer: Gerrit Smith and the Crusade for Social Reform. 

For both days of the exhibit the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) invites participation in “Linking Lincoln.” A paper chain of 2010 red, white, and blue links with the names of donators of currency with Lincoln’s image will be featured at a ribbon cutting October 24, 2010 to celebrate the Heritage NY Underground Railroad project.

The two day February exhibit is hosted by the Chair of the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark Lodge Squad, Jody Jones, a Morrisville State College Resort and Recreation Management Technology Intern. The program is part of a series of programs provided by the Stewards of the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark through a PACE grant to the Smithfield Community Association 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. The Visitor Center is open during the summer on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 – 5 p.m. and by appointment. Programs and tours are $2 per person, $5 for a season pass, and free to children, stewards, and residents of Smithfield with season passes from The Lodge. For more information mail@sca-peterboro.org or 315-684-3262.

The Stone Quarry Hill Art Park wants to see the way you see the Art Park every season of the year. You are cordially invited to take part in the 2011 Art Calendar and Exhibition Project by registering and presenting your personal photographic vision of the Art Park to the Stone Quarry Hill Art and Exhibition Committee.

Beginning now and continuing through October 2010, you may come to the Art Park once or numerous times and photograph the environs and the art. The Art and Exhibition Committee will select the monthly seasonal photos for inclusion in our 2011 Art Park Calendar. In addition, every photographer that is registered will have at least one photograph in an Art Park Gallery exhibition scheduled to open on Sunday July 24, 2011 and continuing through August 14, 2011 in the Winner Art Gallery located on the Art Park grounds.

You can register by printing this document, filling out the form below, cutting it as indicated and mailing it, with a check for $35, $25 for Art Park members, to:

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park 3883 Stone Quarry Road  PO Box 251 Cazenovia, New York 13035.

As soon as your registration has been received you may begin photographing the Art Park.  Please send a maximum of three digital images in the third week of the month you are photographing via email to: office@stonequarryhillartpark.org

The Art and Exhibition Committee will make their decision on the winners for that particular season and the winning images will be posted on our web site the following month. You will be notified of the committee's selection of your photo for the exhibition by April 2011. Calendar photos for November and December will be selected from our archives.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the Art Park.

Here is a story from Syracuse.com's entertainment blog on the opening of Wicked in Syracuse this week.  Don't forget that you can experience all things Oz in Chittenango year round and in June at the annual Oz-Stravaganza.

What Chittenango native L. Frank Baum wrote as a children’s book has been a rich vein for creativity throughout the ages. “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” on page begat a musical on Broadway, then a story on the silver screen. Recently, there came a prequel novel that inspired the Broadway musical “Wicked.”

The latest takes start with an unlikely character, the Wicked Witch of the West. Her story comes to life with the touring company of “Wicked,” which arrives in Syracuse Wednesday for 24 performances.

The story on stage plucks its outline loosely from the dark book by Gregory Maguire, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” which was published in 1995. Writer Winnie Holzman and composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz took it from there and delivered the musical on Broadway in 2003. It went on to win three Tony Awards.

“It was Gregory’s premise that really was our jumping-off point. ... It was that premise of seeing the Wicked Witch as a full-blown person with her own psychology, of looking at things from her point of view, that I found so powerful and that Stephen found so powerful,” says Holzman during a recent phone interview from her Los Angeles-area home.

Terrible, behind-the-scenes things happen in the book, and the Wicked Witch, who is first known as Elphaba, is vilified for fighting these forces, explains Holzman.

“It means you have to rethink everything you thought you knew about her,” says Holzman, who has had an illustrious career as a writer of such critically acclaimed TV shows as “thirtysomething” and “My So-Called Life.”

courtesy of Joan MarcusWinnie Holzman wrote the book for the musical "Wicked." She also has written plays and for film.
Long before “wicked” is attached to her name, Elphaba is a complicated girl, tinged in green. Her world is further upended when she arrives at Shiz University, rooms with her polar opposite, perky and popular Glinda, meets a boy and is introduced to the Wizard of Oz.

As they mined Maguire’s book and considered the Oz lineage, Holzman says she and Schwartz were uncertain at times.

“When you’re writing something you’re in a dark wood. I mean you truly are trying to find your way. And in trying to find our way of what is this story and exactly what is this, it became clear at some point it was really about both of them (Elphaba and Glinda). ... It became more interesting when it was about both of them.”

Holzman reveals this difficulty in distilling the musical’s story as clanking competes with the conversation. “I’m doing something very selfish,” she says. “I’m trying to do dishes while we’re talking.”

Elphaba and Glinda, despite their differences, do forge a friendship. But, it fractures in time. The competitive young witches also share a common ambition — to become famous.

“In many ways, a lot of what the musical is about is power and what it really means to have power. And what true power is. What is fake power and what is real power. The whole idea of power is how do you hold it. What does it mean to really be powerful,” says Holzman.

The writer respected Elphaba’s place in storybook lore. “She’s a very important American character. She’s very famous. So is Glinda, of course. And, so is the Wizard of Oz. And they’re all beloved. And when you’re entrusted with characters that are beloved on that level, you feel very humbled by that. You don’t want to interfere with people’s enjoyment. We wanted to add to enjoyment, not diminish it, to say the least,” says Holzman as laughter ripples forth.

On one level, “Wicked” can be enjoyed as a zippy, high-flying musical. But it also is grounded in issues of morality, principled behavior, persecution, loyalty, repressive political regimes, revisionist history, physical and philosophical differences and ambiguities.

Courtesy photoThe 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz."
The original book and movie cast a huge shadow for the writing duo. “We wanted to take our rightful place and kind of be in that long line of things that had come out of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ of L. Frank Baum and not seem as though we were making fun of the movie or somehow cheapening the movie.”

Honoring the legacy of the 1939 film, starring Judy Garland, was “psychologically intense,” she says. “But, at the same time, it was thrilling because you’re working with characters that are so beloved that people already care about (them) deeply. And that’s part of what Gregory’s genius was. To take those characters and to play further with them (with people who are) so emotionally involved with them. It’s a great opportunity.”

Holzman did take liberties with language. She created an Oz vocabulary, which is oddly familiar. Some of these words are tongue twisters: confusifying, scandalacious, festivating, manifestorium.

“It is a little confusifying,” she says. “I just felt like if they talked exactly like we talk in our world, we won’t be in Oz.”

If ever there was a place on earth where Holzman’s land of Oz and its citizenry will not be confusifying, it is here in Baum’s homeland.

THE DETAILS
What: “Wicked,” Famous Artists Broadway Theater Series presentation.
When: Wednesday to Jan. 31. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday Jan. 17, 19, 20, 24 and 26 to 28; 2 p.m. Thursday, Saturday, Jan. 17, 23, 24, 28, 30 and 31; 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Jan. 22, 23, 29 and 30. American Sign Language interpreted performance at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28.
Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes, including intermission.
Where: Crouse-Hinds Theater, John H. Mulroy Civic Center, 411 Montgomery St., Syracuse.
Tickets: $40 to $135. To purchase, Famous Artists, 424-8210; Oncenter, 435-2121; Ticketmaster, 800-745-3000 or the Ticketmaster Web site.
Parent guide: “Wicked” is appropriate for children 8 years and older. Children 4 years and younger will not be admitted.
Orchestra seats:

TICKET LOTTERY
A day-of-performance lottery will be held for a limited number of orchestra seats. To participate, arrive 2½ hours before show time at the Civic Center box office entrance on Montgomery Street. Your name will be placed in a lottery drum. Thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for seats at $25 each, cash only. You must be present for the lottery drawing at the box office. There is a limit of two tickets per person.

Weddings are big business in Madison County and in an effort to secure more of that business; Madison County Tourism launched their new wedding micro-site today.  The site can be found here.

The micro-site acts as a portal to help the bride-to-be find the necessary resources for their wedding day.  It features venues and services that cater to brides who either live in Madison County or are planning a wedding here.  “It is an effort to help connect businesses in Madison County that specialize in weddings with women who are planning to tie the knot,” said Jim Walter of Madison County Tourism.  “It gives us an opportunity to connect our member businesses to a very lucrative customer.”

The micro-site will be supported by targeted advertising on local and national websites from Syracuse.com to Facebook, along with appearances at select wedding shows and print advertising.    “The growth of social media has allowed for us to target engaged women much more effectively thereby enhancing the usefulness of a site like this,” Walter said.  

The web effort is being complemented by the first ever printed edition of a Madison County Wedding Guide, which should be published by the end of January.  

With the average cost of a wedding at nearly $20,000, Madison County Tourism is making a stronger effort to bring more of that business into the county, according to Walter.  He explains that since families are more spread out today and DWI laws are so strict weddings often mean a large number of hotel rooms sold in a community.  “We are blessed in Madison County with outstanding venues.  You can get married in a Ramada that looks like every other Ramada around the world, or you can have your special day in a living museum, a New England country inn or an historic mansion.  We really do have unique, elegant venues in this county,” said Walter.

The site and ad campaign was designed by ABC Creative Group (www.abccreativegroup.com) in Syracuse which has been the agency of record for Madison County Tourism, Inc. for the past six years. 

Madison County Tourism, Inc. is the official tourism promotion agency for Madison County.  It has over 200 member businesses and is headquartered in Morrisville, NY.  For more information visit them on the web at www.madisontourism.com.

As is often the case, the best travel ideas come from the visitors to Central New York themselves.  We received the following email over the weekend from a pair of travelers that took our Architectural Trail and turned it into a bike tour of the county:

Hello,

I wanted to send the folks at madisontourism.com an e-mail to say how much my sister and I enjoyed the Madison County Architectural Heritage Trail.  We learned about the trail through an article in the Post Standard, and immediately thought it would be an interesting multi-day bicycle tour.  So this past September we took to the road in Oneida, NY and followed the trail starting in Sherrill all the way around to Rte. 31.  We camped the first night at the Lebanon Reservoir, and the second night on the Stoney Pond State Forest land before returning home on the third day.  We thoroughly enjoyed the architectural highlights, and appreciated the well-written descriptions in the online pamphlet. 

Along the way we met some amazing people, including a man who gave us an inside tour of Madison Hall, the owner of the Lebanon Reservoir Campground who graciously offered us warmth next to her wood stove, even a pair of bicyclists on a 7-year bicycle ride around the world!  We also discovered many other "hidden attractions" of Madison County, including spectacular views of Oneida Lake, the Fenner wind farm, the "Red & White Café" in Deruyter, and the nordic ski trail at Stoney Pond.

Thank you again for creating the trail and publishing it on the web. In addition to many wonderful memories, we have a new appreciation for the varied terrain, interesting architecture, wonderful people, and different attractions that make Madison County so unique!

Sincerely,

Andy and Jenny Cleary

Andy and Jenny

Thanks for visiting and sharing your story with us.  We are so glad you enjoyed your trip! Come back soon.

Snowmobiliers and Skiers have been given a huge gift from Lake Ontario this weekend in Madison County.  Over 14 inches of fluffy white snow has fallen in the county opening all snowmobile trails and giving a boost to the trails at Toggenburg Mountain Ski area.
Snowmobiliers will find trail conditions in excellent shape although grooming has yet to be accomplished in all places.  Use care and dress warmly as wind-chills are below 0. 

Skiing can be hard on the wallet, but this winter when you stay at select inns and B&B's in Madison County, you can ski all day long at Toggenburg in Fabius for $25.  Great country inns such as the Brewster Inn or Brae Loch Inn in Cazenovia headline this special, but there is a price point available for every family.  Other participating accommodations include Graziano's World Famous Inn, The Lincklaen House, The Octagon B&B, Colgate Inn and Notleymere Cottage.  You won't find a better way to save money on the slopes this season.  All of the details can be found here.

Over the past five years, Madison County has seen an increasing number of Amish families move into the area. One family, the Troyer's have opened a country store in Fenner, about 5 miles south of Canastota on Nelson road.  The Oneida Daily Dispatch recently featured them in their new publication Southern Madison Living:
FENNER — If people are looking for a taste of Lancaster County, Pa., some good grass-fed beef, farm fresh free-range eggs or a taste of the Amish Heartland of Ohio, they’ll find it all at the new Troyer’s Country Store in Fenner.
“We’ve been very happy with the support of the locals,” said owner John Troyer. “The town board and building code people have been great to work with.”
In season and right off the farm are local strawberries, sweet corn and produce available on the store’s front porch. The porch ,with it’s straight front, hewn beams and wooden siding, takes patrons back to the 1800s.
“We want the customer to have a direct connection to the food source so they can have confidence that their food is raised with no sprays...the grass fed beef is hormone free,” Troyer said. “Organically raised products come to the customer at a premium but we believe in the slogan “you are what you eat". We want people to enjoy their food and have a relationship with the farmer who produced it.”
Fresh home-made bread is baked in-store daily and is one of the best selling items. Pie, rolls and cookies fill the shelves every Friday and Saturday.
“We carry a large variety of Troyer Brand deli meat and cheese as well as Walnut Creek and John F. Martin,” Troyer said. “All the Troyer brand roast beef, ham, turkey,and chicken is gluten and msg free.”
As shoppers step inside the store the look changes from hewn beams and wooden siding to gleaming white walls and ceiling with Daystar solar lights illuminating the roomy aisles and full shelves. Turning right, customers will find themselves almost bewildered by the extensive variety of Jake and Amos canned pickles and vegetables, Mrs. Miller’s jams and jellies, Kuntry Kettle conserves and fruit spreads as well as a wide variety of canned Amish Wedding Foods.
At the left, there’s a wide selection of spices that are brought in bulk and packaged in small easy to use containers for maximum freshness to the customer. These are arranged in alphabetical order to make them easy to find.
Home bakers can find what they need for almost any recipe. For others who need ideas the store offers a wide variety of Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch cookbooks to help put wholesome food on the table.
There’s even an aisle for those with a sweet tooth. Candy of all kinds from Walnut Creek Dutch Delights to gummi worms and anything in between tempt the taste buds.
Personalized gifts for the holidays include gift boxes that customers build themselves selecting from the hundreds of in-store items.
“If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and have a relaxing and unique shopping experience, we invite you to stop in,” Troyer said.
Troyer’s Country Store is located at 5518 Nelson Road, the phone number is 655-0346.