Cazenovia Pride Fest returns June 17

By kAtE Hill Staff Writer

Community members of all ages are invited to Lakeland Park on Saturday, June 17, for the third annual Cazenovia Pride Fest.

Aimed at empowering LGBTQ+ youth and creating an atmosphere of love, acceptance, and inclusion, this year’s celebration is centered around the theme of “#ChosenFamily,” highlighting the importance of building supportive connections within the LGBTQ+ community.

According to a Cazenovia Pride press release announcing the 2023 event, Pride events play a pivotal role in providing visibility, acceptance, and support to LGBTQ+ youth, which recent statistics have shown face higher rates of mental health challenges and are disproportionately affected by bullying and discrimination.

“Pride events create safe spaces where they can find solace, connect with supportive communities, and embrace their authentic selves,” the press release states. “This year’s festival aims to show LGBTQ+ youth that they are seen, valued, and surrounded by unconditional love. #ChosenFamily.”

The main event of the day is the Pride Parade March, which will step off at 11:30 a.m. Participants will gather behind the Cazenovia Public Library between 11 and 11:30 a.m. and then proceed down Albany Street to Lakeland Park, where the remainder of the festival will take place starting at noon.

Last year, despite freezing temperatures, the parade drew around 150 to

Submitted photoS the third annual Cazenovia Pride Fest will be held on June 17. the theme of this year’s celebration is “#ChosenFamily.”

200 marchers. According to Cazenovia Pride President Travis Barr, who will be hosting the event as “Award-Win-

CPF shares updates with community

By kAtE Hill Staff Writer

On Tuesday, May 30, the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF) held its annual meeting to update its members and other interested community members on its work over the past year and its plans going forward.

CPF is a private, non-profit organization that works to protect the historical, agricultural, and natural resources in and around Cazenovia for the benefit of the community and the enjoyment of future generations.

According to CPF Executive Director Jennifer Wong, the annual meeting drew about 90 people to St. Peter’s Parish Hall.

Most of the topics covered during the presentation are also discussed in the spring 2023 edition of CPF’s annual “Upland Journal” newsletter.

In the newsletter’s “Message from the Executive Director,” Wong highlights CPF’s active engagement in community-level planning and its objective of keeping the community’s “sense of place” intact when change happens to ensure that Cazenovia remains vibrant and thriving for generations to come.

“In 2022 we worked with the Town of Cazenovia to develop a solar siting toolkit and hosted a series of webinars on emerging issues in commercial solar siting,” she wrote. “Currently, we are col-

VillAgE Of CAzENOViA

Police officer, sergeant sworn in, fiscal year reviewed

By kAtE Hill Staff Writer

During the June 5 Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Kurt Wheeler swore in Brooke Bodley as a full-time officer with the Cazenovia Police Department and Will Stevens as a village police sergeant.

“I can’t say ‘Welcome aboard,’ because Officer Bodley has been theoretically a part-time officer but working like a fulltime officer for over a year now, so it was an easy decision to hire her full-time,” said Wheeler, who added that Bodley is

Kate hill laborating with the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association to engage with the community around potential future uses for the Cazenovia College campus. In truth, community-scale planning factors into each conservation project decision that we make.”

Among the 2022-23 highlights explored during the annual meeting were a Fenner property donation, two new conservation easements, a fundraising campaign launch, upcoming summer 2023 events, two additions to the board of directors, and CPF’s annual award recipients.

Fenner Conservation Club Pond

The Fenner Conservation of the lot north of the road and used the site as a place of public enjoyment of nature for over 60 years. For several decades, the club hosted an annual fishing derby at the Pride l Page 2

Club (FCC) recently gifted CPF a 5.59-acre property at the corner of Cody Road and South Road in the Town of Fenner. The FCC, which was formed in the 1950s with a mission to conserve wildlife and promote the upholding of fish and game laws, purchased the pond property in 1957.

Jen Wong the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation held its annual meeting on May 30. One of the 2022-23 highlights discussed was the recent acquisition of the Fenner Conservation Club Pond (pictured), a 5.59-acre property at the corner of Cody Road and South Road in the town of Fenner. CPF l Page 3