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

This week on Friday Night Fights on ESPN there was a nice recap of the entire induction weekend.  Here is how ESPN saw it.

It is Father's Day weekend, so make sure you remember to pamper dad as much as you did mom back in May.  Why is it that there are no all you can eat BBQ specials on Father's Day to complement the traditional Mother's Day Brunch.  I guess we will have to work on the local restaurants for that one.  Without further ado, here are your best bests for Father's Day weekend:
1. Canal Fest at the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum--A family fun event filled with activities to celebrate Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum's 25th Anniversary. Starts at 11 AM untll 5 PM at 7010 Lakeport Rd. in Chittenango. Kids games, wagon rides, clown, magician, alpacas, spinning demo, music by Canastota Community Band and chicken BBQ from noon til ? Admission $5, members $3, under 12 free.
2. Wings over Hamilton -- Father's Day "Fly-In" Pancake Breakfast from 8am-1pm on Sunday! Event location, Hamilton Municipal Airport (KVGC) Advance tickets are Adults $7, Child (6-10) $4, 5 and under free. Activities will include; Airplane/helicopterrides, hot air balloon walk, hot rod and motorcycle cruise-in, door prizes and raffle, fire and rescue display and the community band. Call 315-824-2300 or see a Hamilton Business alliance or Hamilton Rotary member for advanced sale tickets. Tikeyts at the door will be Adult $8 and Child (6-10) $5.
3. Euro Car 2010-- On Sunday the MG Car Club of Central NY presents Eurocar 2010 on the graceful lawns at Lorenzo State Historic Park on Route 20 in Cazenovia, 9am-3pm, open to all vehicles and motorcycles of European make. 250 entries are expected this year. Judging, food, trophies, vendors and door prizes. Pre-reg: $7, day of show-$14, Vendors-$14 minimum charge. Generous sponsorship allows us to have free spectator admission and great awards. A major portion of our proceeds will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. For details or registration form, see http://www.mgcarclub.com/cny or call Deb Larkin at 315-342-3234.
4. The Limestone Creek Hunt Club will host a Poker Run over a marked course of 7 miles. Teams of one to four riders. Six ribbons pinned for best hand and closest to the Optimum Time. Food available thanks to Buzzys Wiener wagon. Located at Sears Farm on Homes Road in Cazenovia. Contact for more information.
5. Go Fishing -- The season opener for Bass is on Saturday.  Take dad out and fish in one of the lakes, streams and ponds in Madison County!

ONEIDA – Every year, Norm Dann of Peterboro sells Hop Plants and donates the proceeds to the Madison County Historical Society. Did you know that Madison County’s own resident, James Coolidge, introduced commercial hop growing in New York State? If you would like to have a piece of Madison County’s hop heritage in your own backyard, then contact Norm Dann at 684-3262, so you can grow your own hops.  Hop Plants are $5 per plant. 
The Madison County Historical Society’s 15th Annual Hop Fest is September 17-18. This year’s event honors James Coolidge and hop culture in New York State. Hop Fest Weekend begins Friday, September 17 a paired beer dinner at the Blue Barbecue in Chittenango. On Saturday, September 18, at 11 am, at the Madison County Historical Society, there will be video presentations on a variety of hop related topics. From 12-2 pm will be the popular, Taste of Hops: a food and beer pairing. The following area restaurants have already signed–up– Blue Barbecue, Johnnie’s Pier 31, Someplace Else, The Colgate Inn, Ye Olde Landmark Tavern, and Zabroso.  From 2:30-5:30 pm, join us in the beer tent for samplings from some of your favorite craft breweries such as, Empire Brewing, Cooperstown Brewing, Ithaca Beer, Matt-Saranac- more are to be added! Throughout the afternoon purchase your raffle tickets to win the great beer related items. Don’t forget to visit the Hop shop to purchase your very own hop plant and event t-shirt. Advance sale tickets for all Hop Fest weekend activities will be available online at the society’s website and at participating locations on July 20th! There is no admission to attend the Hop Fest. Admission is charged only for beer sampling, Taste of Hops, and Paired Beer Dinner.
Tickets for the dinner on Friday, September 17 are $45. Admission to the Hop Fest on Saturday, September 18 is free. Admission for the beer sampling from 2:30 pm- 5:30 pm is $25 advance/ $30 door. Admission for the Taste of Hops: a food and beer pairing from 12 pm- 2 pm is $15 advance/ $20 door.
For more information on the Hop Fest, please contact MCHS at 315-363-4136, 315-361-9735, or www.mchs1900.org. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, or volunteering your time, please contact the society! To purchase hop plants that are ready now, please contact Norm Dann at 684-3262. Combine your love of history, beer and food at the 15th Annual Madison County Hop Fest.   

(Oneida) -- We have moved up the date one weekend earlier for our Pride of NY event - as prime fall foliage will be at its peak here in the CNY region.  We will be partnering up our Wine/Farmer's Market with our Hot Air Balloon festival - hoping to target a more diverse adult market.  Last year our Hot Air Balloon Weekend had 4,500 visitors come through the gates, offering 5 launch times with 7 balloons. We will have even more pilots attending this year's event - offering launches, tethers, and balloon walks throughout the weekend.
Additional advertising campaigns for this specific weekend as an outdoor "rain or shine" under the tents event will take place on Time Warner Cable ads, radio, print, and additional promotional and marketing efforts across the state. We expect a wonderful attendance record!  We will also have a separate smaller fee for those patrons wishing only to visit the balloons/farmer's market - and not participate in the harvest festival activities on the farm.  This will help encourage visitors to join us - without having to attend the festival itself at a higher admission rate.  The farmer's market area will be open to all PONY members - selling any NYS made products - including: wines, gourmet foods, textiles, candies, honey, syrup, jams, etc. 
All vendors will be included online in our list of participants upon registration.  We typically receive over 150,000 hits per season during our 7 weeks we are open.  Links to your websites or contact info will be included.  We also ask for vendors to send us jpegs that may be used in our marketing materials - showing their booths or products. Many will be used in our Time Warner commercials - others will be used in print materials.  
This is a farm market event - all wineries and breweries are free to sample and sell bottles.  All vendors are responsible for their own sales tax. Those sampling/selling alcohol must provide proof of insurance, and list Wolf Oak Acres as an additional insured.  Please feel free to visit our website at: http://www.wolfoakacres.netdzyne.com/prideofny.html  for additional information on set up, accommodations, directions, etc.
Thank you to all who participated last year - and we look forward to having you and many new vendors join us for a newly transformed experience this coming fall!

Second Annual Father’s Day “Fly-In” Pancake Breakfast is 8am- 1pm Sunday, June 20th @ Hamilton’s Municipal Airport on 12B. Tickets are available at the Colgate Inn (824-2300). ADVANCE sale tickets are adults $7, child (6-10) $4, and under 5 free ($1 more at the door). Featured entertainment includes hot air balloon walk, airplane & helicopter rides, hot rod & motorcycle cruise-in and live music!  Co-sponsored by HBA and Rotary.

The Madison Hall Association is again planning to host its annual 5k run/walk during Mustang Weekend in Morrisville September 25, 2010.  The annual event supports the ongoing restoration of Madison Hall a Greek Revival structure that served as Madison County's court house until 1907.  The race is part of the Route 20 Road Challenge.
The run/walk is a great opportunity to participate in the restoration of this historic landmark and enjoy the fall foliage on a challenging course.
The run/walk is held in conjunction with Morrisville State College's Mustang Weekend and with the support of Oneida Savings Bank.

Race Facts:
Date: September 25, 2010
Time: 9am
Start and Finish: Madison Hall, US Route 20 Morrisville.
Registration: $10 in advance, $15 day of race.  $5 for Morrisville students, alumni, other students and children under 18.

Focus on Fiber, a “Fair within the Fair”, made its debut at the Madison County Fair in 2009.  Llamas, alpacas, angora rabbits, and cashmere goats were on hand, spinners and felters demonstrated their crafts, and vendors offered fleece, yarn, and products made from natural fibers.  Educational exhibits were available and visitors could watch videos on fiber processing.
The 2010 fiber fair will offer even more educational opportunities for anyone interested in fiber arts.  All three days, there will be demonstrations of spinning, weaving, wet felting, carding, and needle felting.  For anyone interested in more focused learning, four workshops will be available. 
On Friday and Saturday afternoon, July 9th and 10th, Mindy Laymon from The Olde Homestead in Brookfield will lead workshops on needle felting.   Needle felting is a technique for fusing layers of fiber (yarn, roving, or felt) together, using a single barbed needle or a set of needles in a plastic sleeve.    By poking the needle into a ball of wool, one can “mold” the wool into the desired shape.   Needle felting can also be used to make designs on a background of cloth or felt.    Pre-registration is not required for these workshops.   Mindy will welcome beginners as well as experienced felters looking for ideas.  A $10 fee for materials is all that is required, and Mindy will be found with her Baby Doll sheep near the fiber pavilion.