Cazenovia College's annual celebration of jazz, Jazz `N Caz, is returning to Cazenovia from Thursday, Sept. 23 to Saturday, Sept. 25. Major events are held at Catherine Cummings Theatre, 8 Lincklaen St., with the Thursday evening kick-off celebration at the Brae Loch Inn, and Jazz after Hours on Friday and Saturday evenings at The Lincklaen House.
Visit www.cazenovia.edu/jazz for performance schedule updates.
Thursday, Sept. 23: 7:30 p.m. – Opening party at the Brae Loch Inn (performers to be announced)
Friday, Sept. 24: 7:30 p.m. – Brubeck Brothers Quartet, with Chris Brubeck, Dan Brubeck, Chuck Lamb, and Mike DiMicco, at the Catherine Cummings Theatre at Cazenovia College, 8 Lincklaen St., in Cazenovia.
Friday, Sept. 24: 9:15 p.m. – Jane Monheit Quartet, with Rick Montalbano, drums; Neil Miner, bass; and Mike Kanan, piano, at the Catherine Cummings Theatre at Cazenovia College, 8 Lincklaen St., in Cazenovia.
Friday, Sept. 24: 11 p.m. – Jazz After Hours at the Lincklaen House, corner of Albany & Lincklaen streets.
Saturday, Sept. 25: 7:30 p.m. – Salt City Jazz Collective, with Joe Colombo, at the Catherine Cummings Theatre at Cazenovia College, 8 Lincklaen St., in Cazenovia.
Saturday, Sept. 25: 9:15 p.m. – Jazz 'N Caz All Star Quintet, with Warren Chiasson, Ken Peplowski, Danny D'Imperio, Harold Danko, and Linc Milliman, at the Catherine Cummings Theatre at Cazenovia College, 8 Lincklaen St., in Cazenovia.
Saturday, Sept. 25: 11 p.m. – Jazz After Hours at the Lincklaen House, corner of Albany & Lincklaen streets.
Among this year's sponsors are Ska:ná: at Turning Stone Resort • Casino; Beacon Federal; Alliance Bank, N.A.; Hiscock & Barclay, LLP; Edward Hunt; Steve Miller - Queensboro Farm Products, Inc.; Visual Technologies, and others.
Cazenovia College, named one of "America's Best Colleges" by US News & World Report, is an independent, co-educational, baccalaureate college, located near Syracuse, N.Y. Cazenovia College offers a comprehensive liberal arts education in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their professional fields. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.
 
 
 
 
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Here we are, mid August already and it is time to kick off Antique Week in Madison County.  Tents are already going up in Bouckville and preparations are in full swing.  The first dealers will start pulling into town and setting up on Sunday!  Here is a little primer for the week:
Show Dates and Times:  (Heading East to West along US 20)
Cherry Valley Auction Barn: Sunday-Sunday 9am-5pm Free Admission, paid parking
Madison County Tourism Visitor Center: Sunday-Sunday 8am-5pm, Free Parking, Free Admission, Free public restrooms
Quaker Acres West Wednesday-Sunday 9am-5pm, Free Admission
East Expo Show Field Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm, Free Admission, Paid Parking
Butternut Hill Antique Show Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm Free Admission
Hinman's Motel Out Front Antique Show Sunday-Sunday Free Admission
The Madison Bouckville Outdoor Antique Show -- Friday Early Buying 7am-4pm $40 for 1, $75 for 2.  Saturday 7-5, Sunday 9-5, Weekend admission $7 for one day, $8 for two day pass.
Mohawk Arms & Indian Opening Antique Fest -- Thursday-Sunday 9am-5pm Free Admission
The Gallery Antique Show -- Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm Free Admission
The Station House Antique Show- Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm Free Admission
Bono's Show Field Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm Free Admission, Free Parking
The Depot Antique Show -- Sunday-Sunday 9am -5pm Free Admission, paid parking.
Canal House Antiques -- Sunday-Sunday 9am-5pm Free Admission
Bring your walking shoes, as these show fields are spread out over a 1/5 miles stretch of US Route 20.  You will also want to stop into the over 30 shops that are open year round in both Madison and Bouckville while you are there!
 
 
Three of the 19 remaining turbines at the Fenner Wind Farm have begun to turn again.  Alaina Potrikus of the Post Standard had the story this morning along with some video which is below.
Wind Turbines Receive the Breath of Life
 
 
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For Elisabeth von Trapp, "the sounds of music" are part of her earliest memories. Born and raised in Vermont, Elisabeth is the granddaughter of the legendary Maria and Baron von Trapp, whose story inspired The Sound of Music.
Von Trapp will return to the Catherine Cummings Theatre at Cazenovia College on Friday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m., to delight her Central New York fans with her unique artistic style. Admission is $20 per person.
Von Trapp's concert repertoire ranges from Bach to Broadway ... Schubert to Sting. With equal ease and eloquence she sings timeless wonders like Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Favorite Things" and "Edelweiss," lieder by Mozart, Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro," soaring gospel tunes, pop classics like "A Whiter Shade of Pale," and her own stunning compositions.
Singing professionally since childhood, Elisabeth has enthralled audiences from European cathedrals to Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center. Inspired by her father Werner von Trapp's guitar playing and singing, Elisabeth has carried on the legacy of the internationally renowned Trapp Family Singers. She began taking piano lessons when she was eight and by the age of sixteen she was playing guitar and traveling the back roads of New England performing with her siblings at weddings, gospel meetings and town halls.
No one leaves an Elisabeth von Trapp performance unchanged ... audiences of all ages are drawn by the promise of her famous name ... awed by the beauty of her voice and musical arrangements ... their hearts touched forever by the astonishing sound of her unique new music.
 
 
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The latest edition of the local chapter of the North Country Trail Association featured the following story by Jennifer Cleary.  They have given us permission to feature it here.

By Jennifer Cleary

The idea of a Link Trail thru-hike has long fascinated me. I spent my high school and college years brushing, routing new sections and setting step stones on short sections of the trail, but the bulk of it always remained a mystery. The narrow dirt path wandering into the hedgerow at Cottons crossing and the graveled road disappearing into the dark spruce plantation south of Muller Hill road beckoned. I wanted to know what was around that next bend, across the road, and at the end of the off-trail section.
I finally set out to thru-hike the Link trail with my boyfriend in late April 2010. We planned to start at its junction with the Finger Lakes Trail on the southern border of Madison County and walk North until we reached the terminus at the Erie Canal Museum in Canastota. We pledged to follow the trail in its entirety; to get to know this narrow strip of Madison County. No rides during road walk sections and no shortcut allowed. This was my chance, at last, to discover the secrets that the Link Trail held.
My first surprise came shortly after leaving the FLT when I discovered a sizeable patch of ramps, or wild leeks, growing beneath the leafless hardwood canopy. Ramps are out for only a short time in the spring before the trees’ leaves fully unfurl. Their garlicky-onion flavor makes ramps one of the most delicious wild plants I know. I harvested a handful and stowed them in my pack lid to enliven our evening meal.
We traveled through peaceful, trillium and trout lily-carpeted forests, and then completed a short road walk before picking up the next section of off-road trail in the Tioughnioga Wildlife Management Area. A flash of red, white and blue caught our eyes and piqued our interest as we hiked through the still-bare hardwood forest. We left the trail and cut through the trees to a tiny cemetery surrounded by weathered split-rail fencing. In this peaceful place, beneath shady maples and nestled into the forest undergrowth lay James Mullner, his wife Mary, and the unmarked stone of a child. Between James and Mary set a fourth stone, polished and clean. The stone was dated 1994; the flag and medallion at the grave commemorated a military past. We left the cemetery wondering about the connection between the recently deceased veteran and the Mullner family. We felt touched by ghosts from central New York’s agrarian past.
 
 
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. 
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Click to see full sized poster
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Click to see full size poster
 
 
Grab a blanket or chair, put up your umbrella and tap dance over to Lorenzo after the Thursday, August 19 Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce concert at Lakeland Park for a free outdoor showing of the classic 1952 Gene Kelly musical, “Singin’ in the Rain.”  Sponsored by The Friends of Lorenzo, the movie will be shown at 8:30 pm, weather dependent, on the front lawn of the Mansion.  
Set in 1927, “Singin’ in the Rain,” follows Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), former stuntman turned successful actor, his best friend and fellow actor, Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), and love interest, actress Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), as they make the transition from silent movies to talking pictures. Cursed with a less than desirable voice for the big screen, Don and Cosmo hatch a plan to dub Lina’s voice with that of aspiring actress, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds). Jealous Lina uncovers their plan, and unwilling to share the credit with Kathy, threatens to sue the head of the movie company. But, when the film’s audience clamors for Lina to sing live at the premiere, Lina’s cover-up unravels.
While enjoying the open-air cinema, viewers may also enjoy a boxed dinner from the Brewster Inn. For $10, pre-ordered dinners will include one of three gourmet sandwich choices, a bag of chips, a homemade cookie and a bottle of water. A portion from each dinner sold will be donated back to the Friends of Lorenzo. Dinner orders must be placed anytime before Tuesday August 17, and boxed meals will be ready for pick up between 7:30 and 8:00 pm at Lorenzo.
Era-appropriate music, offered by Rick Gifford of Distant Fog DJ Service, and the film’s soundtrack will fill the air beforehand, so come early to purchase refreshments and popcorn, or to enjoy your Brewster Inn boxed dinner. The Friends of Lorenzo will also be selling custom lawn blankets as a summer fundraiser. Please call Lorenzo at (315) 655-3200 for more information.
Incorporated in 1975, The Friends of Lorenzo supports the many restoration, educational and community programs at Lorenzo. For more information about membership and the many activities of the Friends, visit www.LorenzoNY.org.

 
 
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 Courier featured this great review of the Lorenzo Driving Competition held in Mid July at Lorenzo State Historic Site.

By Linda J. Haley

(Cazenovia, NY) I have family in Cazenovia providing me the opportunity to drive past Lorenzo during the annual Driving Competition. Yes it’s gorgeous and the horses and carriages are amazing, and no, that’s OK, I’ll pass.

I’ve never entertained the idea of attending. Why? Because everything about it reeked of exclusivity, privilege and wealth, obviously something I would hardly feel welcome at, let alone enjoy.

I WAS WRONG.

My friends in Fenner asked if I was attending. I gave them The Look telling them the above. They gave me The Look, insisting it wasn’t at all like that, and to get my butt down there to see for myself. They said it’s an excellent opportunity to learn about driving and competition, plus see different styles of carriages and horses. They also mentioned there would be food and vendors, food and mini-horses to pet… and food.

I am easily swayed by food, er, horses, so I went.

THEY WERE RIGHT.

I had a blast! I only planned on going for a few hours on Saturday and ended up staying later than planned and went all day Sunday too! Go figure! Now I feel the need to educate everyone out there like me to get their butts down there for the next year’s competition.

First, I have to say I am SO not competitive. Unless it’s for the last pair of shoes or bra available in my size, I could care less about competition or winning. That’s why I’ve never been a big fan of horse shows where people are brutal in the quest to win. I’ve not attended hundreds, but the few I have were enough for me to say it’s not my thing.

I appreciate the huge amount of work invested by people who show. The training, hauling, handling, massive time and financial investment they dedicate to their passion. I respect the devotion to their animals and sport, just not the “vibe” I feel among the competitors.

Brrrr!

So I wrongly assumed all competitions would feel like that. Lorenzo looks like it would be like that, but EVERYONE I came in contact with was friendly, helpful, down-to-earth and ridiculously happy to share their hints and secrets to competitive driving.

WOW.