Hoyt to be inducted into SAMMYS Hall of Fame

BY ruSS TArBY

Contributing Writer

When he was growing up in Pitcher Hill, Larry Hoyt first heard Gioachino Rossini’s “William Tell Overture,” and the kid was duly impressed by the power of music. Soon his attention turned to rock’n’roll.

Over the years, Hoyt’s love of music has manifested itself in many ways – as a fan; as a performer; as a presenter; as a band manager; as a music writer and reviewer; as an open mic host; as a mu sic video producer; and as a radio disc jockey.

He recently celebrated his 25th anniversary as host of WAER-FM’s Sundayafternoon show, “Common Threads,” which features a marvelous mix of folk and acoustic recordings.

On “Common Threads,” Hoyt spins tunes by accomplished artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Johnny Cash, but he also programs local performers such as Martin Sexton, Karen Savoca, Loren Barrigar and Ryan Burdick.

Because of Hoyt’s lifelong devotion to the CNY music scene, he’s being inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Awards Hall of Fame, at a 7 p.m. dinner Upstairs at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 246 S. Franklin St., in downtown Syracuse. Admission costs $30 per person.

Hoyt’s fellow 2023 inductees also include blues singer Carolyn Kelly and Doug Thaler, a member of Ronnie Dio & The Prophets who went on to become a booking agent for artists such as Ju -

Mud Mill Road solar array approved

BY DAviD TYlEr

Last week, the Cicero Town Board approved a special permit for a solar array to be constructed on Mud Mill Road.

The property, at 7570 Mud Mill Road, is owned by Donald Harwood, a local farmer who has been involved with a number of community organizations over the years. The project, which is being developed by Renua Energy out of Glens Falls, would sit on about 20 acres of Harwood’s farm and the rest of the land would remain agricultural.

The project site would sit about 410 feet off of Mud Mill Road. The panels, which would rotate with the sun during the day, would be at about 16 feet at their highest point.

During a public hearing held two weeks earlier, several area residents expressed concerns about the project’s visual impact on the neighborhood and on groundwater. Those concerns came up again during the public comment portion of last Wednesday’s meeting.

The panels would be screened by hundreds of plantings, including sugar maples, hemlocks and white pines. The trees that are to be planted will be seven to eight feet tall, and will not fully screen the project in the first couple of years, said Steven Darcangelo of Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt, the firm that is providing engineering and landscape architecture services to the developer. But as the trees mature, they will provide adequate screening, he said.

When considering solar array proposals, the town’s code requires that the board consider whether a project “overburdens” a neighborhood when taken in context with other solar arrays in the area. At issue was whether the approval of this project, to go along with the nearby McKinley Road solar array which is less than a mile away, would overburden the neighborhood around Mud Mill Road.

“Personally, my thought is that this one is very close to the other one,” said Councilor Nancy White. White was the lone member of the board to vote against the proposal.

Darcangelo disagreed.

das Priest, Bon Jovi, Bruce Hornsby and Rusted Root. Jazz bassist and composer Kevin Dorsey will be recognized as music educator of the year. He has taught

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