LIFE IN THE FINGER LAKES DANSVILLE BALLOON FESTIVAL • GENEVA RENAISSANCE • LAKE ONTARIO SHORELINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 • VOL. 17, NO. 5
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Volume 17, Number 5 • September/October 2017
This page: Lamoka Lake with Red Bank Island (foreground) and Waneta Lake (background) are located southeast of Keuka Lake. Photo by Derek Doeffinger
F E A T U R E S
34
Lake Ontario Shoreline: A Bird’s-Eye View An aerial exploration of the shoreline and shimmering waters of Lake Ontario by Michele Howland and Bill Banaszewski
42
50
54
The New York State Festival of Balloons Celebrates Its 36th Year in Dansville by Derek Doeffinger
The grace and beauty of dancers captured outdoors in natural and sometimes unexpected places by Julie Bertram
Migrating salmon arrive by the thousands in Rochester’s Lower Falls, delighting fishermen every year by Derek Doeffinger
Sky High Celebration
As Graceful As Flowers
The Wild Salmon Waterfall
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thoughts from the editor
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a little bit of everything Cross Country: the other fall sport
62 Making a Difference
reader feedback
the important things Blazing Trails of Hope
areas of interest in this issue
64 Cultured
the better things in life Art ambassador Darryl Abraham
news and events
10 History
67 Fruit of the Vine
narrative of the past The legendary Walter Taylor
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24 Off the Easel
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To the Beat of
Your Own Drum E ndurance sports have always been appealing to me. I love being a fan as well as participating from time to time. There’s something special about pitting oneself against the clock, other competitors. Whether you succeed or fail is up to you, and not really dependent upon other teammates passing you a ball. Don’t get me wrong. I love team sports such as football, baseball, lacrosse and basketball. I played some of them in high school and have fond memories from those times. Yet, I wonder how well I would have done in sports such as track and field and cross country. During my teenage years, those sports didn’t have a pull on me like they do now. I get to live vicariously in my parenting years through my children, who excel at swimming and running. Cross country running is very special to me (see page 59). I think it’s my favorite high school and college sport to watch. Every course is different and varied. Some are hilly, others flat. The runners glide through woodlands, orchards and city parks. Spectators have a fun time figuring out where the best spots to watch are, and then once they see their kids, they try to get to another good viewing location before the runners get there. Sometimes I’m not sure
who’s getting more exercise – the parents or the athletes! Cross country and other similar sports are not a part of the norm when it comes to high school athletes. You can say that these kids “run” to the beat of their own drum. They love individuality and being reliant on themselves and their abilities. There are others who took this same spirit of uniqueness and created beautiful art and successful businesses. Walter Taylor can be described as a rebel and a unique individual. Through his commitment to being himself and doing things his way, a special winery was created – Bully Hill Vineyards near Hammondsport (see page 10). He was also a talented artist. Although Walter is no longer with us, his business and artwork live on, leaving a legacy for future artists and winemakers. We expect to see ballet dancers on a lighted stage, performing to music of Tchaikovsky. Yet, photographer Julie Bertram sees the beauty of the outdoors and dancers going hand in hand. Through her unique vision, she has captured impressive photographs of young, graceful women dancing to the rhythm of nature (see page 50). Here’s to the unique individual in each of us. All we have to do is learn how to nurture that part.
mark@lifeinthefingerlakes.com
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Letters
reader feedback
I
just got the new issue a couple days ago and wow! – it’s jam-packed with good reading. I constantly tell people what a great buy subscribing to the magazine is. Just this morning I said this to the owner of an independent food market in Irondequoit. He was telling me he and his wife just bought a cottage on Honeoye Lake. I told him, “now that you’re a laker, you’ve got to read the definitive Finger Lakes publication.” — Ray Levato
THIS REGION IS HOME TO LEADERS. This region is home to motivated people like Katie. Just weeks after Rochester Regional Health’s neurosurgeons removed a life-threatening tumor from her brain, she was back to coaching – leading her girls to victory.
T
he recent article (JulyAugust 2017) about the Finger Lakes Museum & Aquarium was terrific! Thank you again for bringing awareness to the museum. — Natalie Payne, Executive Director of the Finger Lakes Museum & Aquarium
Please direct your responses to mark@lifeinthefingerlakes.com
Katie Titus, Webster
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Finger Lakes Regional Map 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
Canandaigua (p.67) Dansville (p.42) East Bay (p.34) Fair Haven (p.32)
areas of interest in this issue
9 Lima (p.83) 10 Lyons (p.62) 11 Naples (p.64) 12 Oswego (p.32)
Farmington (p.52) Geneva (p.28,51,70) Hammondsport (p.10,85) Ithaca (p.14)
13 Penn Yan (p.79) 14 Rochester (p.54,67) 15 Sodus Bay (p.36) 12
From Oswego
4
Lake Ontario
Hilton
Sodus Point
MONROE Webster
N
14
Brockport Spencerport
104
Sodus
Finger Lakes 1 Conesus 2 Hemlock 3 Canadice 4 Honeoye 5 Canandaigua 6 Keuka 7 Seneca 8 Cayuga 9 Owasco 10 Skaneateles 11 Otisco
Macedon
Geneseo
9
Lima
LIVINGSTON
90
Victor
5
Bloomfield
20
5
5
90
Clifton Springs Phelps
1
ONTARIO 20
5
Waterloo
Geneva
Seneca Falls
20
Cayuga
SENECA
7
Honeoye
5
Skaneateles
81
20
20
Auburn
Union Springs
11
5
Penn Yan
11
YATES
11
8
Ovid
13
Wayland
Homer Cortland Groton
Avoca
Lamoka Lake
7
Canisteo
Burdett
Watkins Glen Bath
Hornell
8
Waneta Lake
SCHUYLER
McGraw 81
Lansing
6 Hammondsport
CORTLAND
11
Trumansburg
Dundee
Prattsburgh
CAYUGA
Interlaken
Branchport
86 17
Dryden
Cayuga Heights
Ithaca
Marathon
From Binghamton
Montour Cayuta Lake Falls TOMPKINS Odessa
STEUBEN Candor
Spencer 86
Rexville
17
Painted Post
Horseheads
Corning
Elmira C H E M U N G Heights
Elmira
Addison
TIOGA
Waverly
Editorial & Production Editor......................................................................Mark Stash ......................................... mark@lifeinthefingerlakes.com Senior Graphic Artist...........................Jennifer Srmack Graphic Artist...........................................Maia VanOrman Associate Editor..............................................Tina Manzer Assistant Editors........................................... J. Kevin Fahy ............................................................................Carol C. Stash
Contributors........................................Marguerite Abbott .......................................................................Bill Banaszewski .............................................................................Julie Bertram ..................................................................... Derek Doeffinger ....................................................................K.C. Fahy-Harvick ............................................................................Jason Feulner ...................................................................Morton Hochstein ....................................................................Michele Howland ..................................................................... James P. Hughes .................................................................................. Ray Levato .................................................................Nancy E. McCarthy ...............................................................................Kay Thomas ................................................................................... Jon Ulrich .....................................................................Laurel C. Wemett ..............................................................Mary Wojciechowski
Life in the Finger Lakes is published by Fahy-Williams Publishing, Inc. and owned by Eleven Lakes Publishing, Inc. Co-owners: Mark S. Stash; Timothy J. Braden. Copyright© 2017 by Eleven Lakes Publishing, Inc. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher. TO SUBSCRIBE, RENEW OR CHANGE ADDRESS: write to Life in the Finger Lakes, P.O. Box 1080, Geneva, NY 14456, or call 315789-0458. Subscription rates: $16 for one year. Canada add $15 per year. Outside North America, add $35 per year. For renewal or change of address, include the address label from your most recent issue of Life in the Finger Lakes. For gift subscriptions, include your own name and address as well as those of gift recipients.
Newark Valley
Van Etten
Owego
15
6
20
Moravia
390
The Finger Lakes Region of New York State
ONONDAGA
9
Cohocton
From Jamestown
Fayetteville Manlius
Aurora
Naples
2
690
Syracuse 481
10
6
20A
390
Dansville
Solvay
Weedsport
4
2
90
Jordan
3
1
Nunda
Newark
Clyde
10
From Utica
481
Marcellus
Canandaigua
Livonia Hemlock
20A
Mt. Morris
Honeoye Falls
390
North 11 Syracuse
Lyons
Palmyra
90
90
Oneida Lake
81
104
WAYNE
490
Avon
From Watertown
Wolcott Baldwinsville
Fairport
490
5
15
Rochester
490
Caledonia
104
104
E. Rochester
F From Buffalo
3
Sodus Bay
86
17
From Binghamton
Editorial Office..............................................315-789-0458 Director of Advertising................................ Tim Braden ............................................. tim@lifeinthefingerlakes.com
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Happenings
news and events
September September 1...Heron Hill Winery & Cafe 40th Anniversary Party Heron Hill Winery celebrates with a focus on heritage, community, sustainability and continuous success with the vineyards and their wine. Join us to celebrate John and Jo Ingles’s commitment and legacy to the Finger Lakes and Heron Hill, along with the Farm Winery Act and its participant’s contributions to the local wine industry. The VIP reception includes a sparkling wine toast, Heron Hill library wines, open bar, light appetizers and music. The celebration will have live music by Prime Time Funk, dinner catered by Nolan’s, open bar featuring Heron Hill wines and 40th Anniversary cake. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time. VIP Reception is 5:30 p.m.; Celebration is 6:45 to 10 p.m. 9301 County Route 76 Hammondsport, NY 14840-9685 800-441-4241 heronhill.com September 16 & 17...The 23rd annual Finger Lakes Fiber Festival The festival features great vendors, with everything you need for fiber arts: raw fleece, roving, spinning
supplies, needle felting supplies, dyes, yarns, items needed to knit, crochet and weave. Check out things you won’t know you need until you see them – not to mention unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade finished items. Participate in shopping, classes, lectures and demonstrations. Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $7 per person, 12 and under free Hemlock Fairgrounds, Hemlock, NY 14466 gvhg.org/fiber-fest September 16 & 17...Harvest Celebration of Food & Wine Experience the scents and sights of this exciting season in wine country. Come taste the exquisite wines of Keuka Lake and sample delicious dishes highlighting the region’s seasonal produce. Wineries are abuzz with energy during harvest – it’s a fun time to learn from tasting room staff and to enjoy a first sip of recently released wines. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: Weekend single: $30, Sunday single: $24 Keuka Lake Wine Trail 2375 State Route 14A Penn Yan, NY 14527 315-536-3791 fingerlakeswinecountry.com (Continued on page 83)
Finger Lakes Museum’s
First Movie Production
T
he Finger Lakes Museum & Aquarium has ventured into movie-making and will present the first public showing of its initial production at a movie theater in Dansville early next month. “Dreams Into Nectar: New York’s Finger Lakes Wine Story” is a two-part miniseries that chronicles the history of grape-growing and winemaking in the Finger Lakes Region. It is the first documentary film ever produced on the subject. Part 1, which is named “Collision Course: Wine and Temperance in New York’s Finger Lakes,” explores the hardships that early colonists and pioneer grape growers confronted in their unsuccessful efforts to establish the nation’s first vineyards—and then how a social movement later devastated that industry once it finally became established. This part of the 45-minute film begins with New World colonization and ends at Prohibition. It will be shown at the Star Theater in Dansville at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 2, during the New York Festival of Balloons Labor Day weekend. Part 2, entitled “Regional Resurrection: A Return to Prosperity”, was also written and directed by Dr. Cox and is currently in production. This part of the series begins at the Repeal of Prohibition and proceeds into today’s modern and mechanized vineyard and winery operations and includes interviews with former New York Lieutenant Governor Mary Anne Krupsak and national wine industry expert Jim Trezise. John Adamski, the film’s executive producer, said that the museum is actively soliciting funds through tax-deductible contributions and program sponsorships in order to complete the production of Part 2. He said, “We’re in talks with PBS Television for national broadcast of both parts back-to-back as soon as Part 2 can be finished.” Anyone wishing to contribute or become a sponsor should contact him through the museum’s website at fingerlakesmuseum.org.
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History
narrative of the past
The Legendary
Walter Taylor
by Morton Hochstein
O
ne day recently, I served a bottle of Sweet Walter white wine to guests. I was surprised when no one at my table knew the story behind that name. How quickly we forget our heroes. From the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s, Walter Taylor was a latterday Johnny Appleseed, appearing nationwide. He was inescapable in print, on news programs and
television talk shows in farmer overalls and cowboy hats. He was David versus Goliath, a small winemaker battling giant Coca Cola, which had barred him from using his family name after it purchased the Taylor Wine Company, the business his ancestors had founded in 1880 in Hammondsport. Walter spoke out loudly and openly against local winemaking practices, particularly attacking the use of California grapes in New York wines. In 1970, he told an audience of wine executives in San Francisco that the water level at Keuka Lake dropped several inches during bottling season.
Outraged, the board of directors at Taylor Wine, many of them close relatives, told him he could resign or be fired. Walter, always dramatic, chose to be fired, and moved on to Bully Hill, the original home of Taylor Wine, later a barrel-making plant. Greyton Taylor, his father, and chief winemaker Dick Vine had transformed the site in 1968 to test small batches of grapes. Before his year in exile ended, Walter had taken over the research winery and converted it into Bully Hill Vineyards and focused on hybrids. Using secondhand equipment and
The tasting room at Bully Hill Vineyards is nestled in the hills overlooking Keuka Lake. Photo by Sean King
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The Walter S. Taylor Art Gallery
tanks salvaged from other firms, he crusaded for the hybrids designed to withstand the cruel winters of the region. Walter released a batch of wines with names like Old Trawler White, Meat Market Red and Le Grande Blush. Some were hybrids, some were the best of the indigenous varietals. A flamboyant promoter, he made Bully Hill the best-known winery in New York State. Coca-Cola purchased The Taylor Wine Company in 1977 and immediately went after Walter Taylor. Coke won a court order barring him from promoting any link to Taylor wine, forbidding the use of the Taylor name in any form. Walter was a dynamic showman and that was all he needed to take advantage of a giant publicity opportunity. A master of media manipulation, he counter attacked. At one point, he gathered 200 supporters for a well-publicized rally where they joined him in inking his name off hundreds of bottles of Bully Hill Wine. He created a label featuring a goat and the slogan, “They have my name and my heritage, but they didn’t get my goat.” On other labels, he pictured himself as the Lone Ranger with the caption: “Who was that masked man?” He issued bumper stickers which declared, “Enjoy Bully Hill, the un-Taylor.” Another label featured an owl, inscribed “Walter S. Who?” His attacks earned him a citation for contempt and he was ordered to turn over to the Taylor Wine Company the offensive material he had put together. “We brought it down to Coke in a manure spreader,” he told the press. He once observed: “I have been thrown out of the New York State wine industry, out of my local club, even the Hammondsport Episcopal Church, rejected because I wanted honesty and integrity in the wine business.” Walter had several passions: the wine industry, art, and aviation. He was proud of the community’s most famed citizen, aircraft pioneer Glenn Curtis, who built the nation’s Photos courtesy Bully Hill Vineyards
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first flying boat. The Taylor Wine Company helped fund the Curtiss Aircraft Museum in Hammondsport, and Walter foraged many of the aircraft memorabilia featured in the museum. Walter repeatedly urged the Taylor Wine Company to acquire its own business aircraft to enable marketing executives to travel much easier. He created a landing field on his property but shut it down after the coke takeover. It’s believed he had thoughts of earning a pilot’s license, but set them aside after a frightening experience. One day he declared he would not fly anymore and chose to drive, bus, or travel by boat or train. Walter often suffered through weeks or fortnights when he would stay awake for 24 to 48 hours and then fall into a lengthy sleep. Often he would arise from one of those long sessions with aberrant ideas that would leave ordinary persons grasping for reality. Some were brilliant. Others were questionable. On one of his European excursions, a Scottish shepherd convinced him that sheep manure was a great fertilizer for vineyards. Walter persuaded his father to purchase a nearby farm, and imported the shepherd to care for a few dozen ewes and one expensive, well-worn, oneeyed male sheep, named Thor. He and
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This painting by Walter depicts workers during grape harvest time at Bully Hill Vineyards.
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History
the shepherd set a limit on the number of ewes the ram might service. One weekend, Thor’s gate was left unlocked. The ram ran rampant through the flock and expired in exhaustion. Informed of the costly loss, Greyton Taylor exploded from his chair with a “WHAT??” Walter was prepared. “Well, dad,” he observed, “at least poor old Thor died with a smile on his face.” Even the dour Greyton had to guffaw at that. Once Bully Hill wines had found a market, due much to his colorful labels, magnetic personality and media attention, Walter spent an increasing amount of time on his love for art; working on line drawings and paints, and oils. He personally designed and created Bully Hill labels, which later became collectors’ items. He was an official artist for NASA and painted the Columbia Shuttle in 1982. At one point, with the winery in good hands, he hung a guitar on his back and hitchhiked across the U.S., sketching what he saw on his travels. Walter was correct in his argument that native labrusca grapes were no longer valuable, but his passion for hybrids also was passed over as winemakers like Dr. Konstantin Frank initiated cultivation programs which protected the delicate European varietals and enabled them to survive upstate winters. A few Finger Lakes producers still issue wines made from indigenous and hybrid grapes, but the region now is best known for Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In January, 1990, when traveling near Tampa, Walter’s van was rearended by a truck, leaving him a quadriplegic. He died at age 69 in April 2001. His widow, Lilian Rakic Taylor, has been managing the winery and directing a popular restaurant on Bully Hill. Their youngest son, Greg, has been working at Hardy’s Tintara winery in South Africa and is expected to join Bully Hill in the near future.
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Walter with Thor, the famous goat that was the inspiration for the Love my Goat red wine label.
Besides enjoying the restaurant and viewing wine facilities, visitors have the opportunity to partake of the past at The Greyton H. Taylor Wine Museum, now dedicated to Walter S. Taylor’s father Greyton Hoyt Taylor. In 1972, he established the Wine Museum that display implements and artifacts that contributed to the winemaking history of the region., and later dedicated it to his father. Within the museum complex there are two buildings, a Replica Cooper Shop/Wine Museum and the Walter S. Taylor Art Gallery, showcasing wine labels and the mass of original artwork created by Walter Taylor.
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Bully Hill is located at 8843 Greyton H Taylor Memorial Dr, Hammondsport, NY 14840. It’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. Call ahead for tour and restaurant reservations at 607-866-3610.
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Cool Stuff
hot topics
The Magic of Ithaca’s
Photos by Allison Usavage
Wizarding Weekend by Jon Ulrich
F
or one weekend each October, Ithaca’s downtown becomes all things Harry Potter. Streets close, merchants spring up on every corner, and thousands of fans flock to what has become one of the region’s premier attractions. This year’s Wizarding Weekend will take place Friday, October 27, through Sunday, October 29, on the Ithaca Commons. And if last year’s festival is any indication, attendees are in for a real treat. “I’ve read all the books, like, five times, and it still exceeded my expectations,” said Clare Duerr, age eleven, who traveled to last year’s event from Albany with her family. Fantastic Festivals and How to Build Them The idea for the festival began in the fall of 2015 with brothers Gabe and Aiden Gayos, two local
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teenagers who were fans of the J.K. Rowling series. They devised a scheme for turning Press Bay Alley – a downtown retail complex created at The Ithaca Journal’s former storage bays – into Diagon Alley, an invisible street accessible only to the wizarding world. With the aid of local merchants, the project took off. Darlynne Overbaugh, proprietor of Life’s So Sweet Chocolates on Press Bay Alley, expected it would be an unassuming neighborhood affair and posted a plan on Facebook. It was originally conceived as a modest trick-ortreating event for a few hundred attendees. “I
was never a fan of the scary side of Halloween,” Overbaugh confides. But her plan went viral and became a national sensation within days. MTV and Seventeen picked up the story. “I wanted Wizarding Weekend to be a festival where everyone
Photo by Jon Ulrich
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Quidditch Anyone? gets to be a kid, even if you’re an adult,” said Overbaugh, who now serves as the festival’s director. With that credo in mind, she set about the task of organizing an assortment of family-friendly activities; a genuine carnival of delights for Harry Potter fans. As the word spread, she and the rest of the community began to brace themselves for an influx of people predicted to be in the thousands. They didn’t have much time to prepare for it. “The community rallied,” Overbaugh says with a smile. With the support of local organizations including the City of Ithaca, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, and the Tompkins County Strategic Tourism Board, the Gayos brothers’ fantastic festival quickly became a reality. More than 8,000 people attended Wizarding Weekend in 2015. Last year, the number grew to 10,000. This year, Overbaugh is expecting Photo by Jon Ulrich even larger crowds. “I’m guessing we’ll see between 12,000 and 14,000 attendees,” she says. Back this year are fan favorites like Wizard Chess, the Sorting Hat, and live owls from Cornell University’s Raptor Program. New events include a performance by the Binghamton Philharmonic on Saturday, October 28 at the State Theatre. Their selections include music from the Harry Potter films. Much like the young wizard who came into being from an idea J.K. Rowling scribbled on the back of a napkin, this upstate attraction has taken flight. Though it’s based on the bestselling books and subsequent movie franchise, Wizarding Weekend has a regional flavor all its own. “I wanted to integrate what was naturally enchanting about Ithaca into this event,” Overbaugh says. “The magic comes as much from the people who attend as the events themselves.” Diagon Alley Last October, visitors flocked to Press Bay Alley. At Life’s So Sweet Chocolates they picked up copies of the Daily Non-Profit, a clever take on the wizarding newspaper LIFL
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A Wealth of
Photo by Jon Ulrich
Wizarding Workshops Here are some of the activities being offered at this year’s festival. (All are free unless otherwise indicated.)
Thursday, October 26 Half-Blood Prince Blood Drive with the American Red Cross at the Tompkins County Public Library.
Friday, October 27 Wizarding classes for teens and adults at the Tompkins County Public Library. (Limited capacity, specific titles and times to be announced.) City of Magic Ball at the Community School of Music and Arts (ticketed event).
Saturday, October 28 Live music performances by Draco and the Malfoys, Cruciatus Curse, and Hawthorn and Holly. Street performers including Circus Culture and Hilby the Skinny German Juggling Boy. Themed games and crafts including the Wheel of Misfortune and Potions Making. Interactive displays and performers including the Wall of Portraits, the Sorting Hat, and the Magical Transportation Exhibit. Family-friendly activities including the Potions Crawl, Binghamton Zoomobile, and Physics Bus. Food and vendors. Halloween Brunch at Hotel Ithaca (ticketed event). Binghamton Philharmonic at the State Theatre (ticketed event). Advanced Potions for Adults at Coltivare: An evening of spirits, wine, beer, and mixology (ticketed event).
Sunday, October 29 Live music performances by Snidget, IC Voicestream, and NEO Project. Street performers including CirqOvation, Hilby the Skinny German Juggling Boy, and Keith Engle. Themed games and crafts including the Wheel of Misfortune and Potions Making. Interactive displays and performers including the Wall of Portraits, the Sorting Hat, and the Magical Transportation Exhibit. Family-friendly activities including Wand Dueling, Human Chess, and the Magical Artifact Hunt. Food and vendors. Halloween Brunch at Hotel Ithaca (ticketed event).
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Cool Stuff Photos by Jon Ulrich
The Daily Prophet. It contained a map and a list of activities, including a wandmaking demo in the basement of Ithaca Generator, a community Quidditch makerspace in Press matches Bay Alley. Children and parents crowded the small subterranean space to catch a glimpse of a man in an apron standing behind a glass partition. As Laslo, who traveled more than 200 a wooden dowel spun atop a lathe, miles to Ithaca from Pennsylvania, the man used a series of turning tools crafts each of his one-of-a-kind wands to shave away tiny pieces. A cloud of by hand using more than 50 types of sawdust hung in the air as children wood. He was noticeably enthralled by jockeyed for position. Within moments, a drab length of broom handle was transformed into an enchanting baton.
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Quidditch Anyone? Meanwhile, in the parking lot behind Press Bay/Diagon Alley, hundreds gathered for the Quidditch matches schedule for that afternoon. Quidditch, a sport played astride flying brooms at Hogwarts, would at first seem difficult to simulate, but organizers had it covered. Boxy Bikes, a custom electric bike shop in Press Bay Alley, lent the players its self-propelled bikes – outfitted with brooms – which enabled them to glide about the parking lot as if adrift on a fleet of Nimbus 2000s. Two rival high schools battled it out for bragging rights beneath the autumn sunshine. The crowd cheered as talent from the local ESPN affiliate barked out commentary through a massive PA system. Back to School A banner displaying the coat of arms of the four houses at Hogwarts School – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin – hung over the main entrance of the Tompkins County Public Library. A multitude gathered inside to hear the lecture, “Wand Lore: A Complex and Mysterious Magic” presented by Greg Laslo of The Hungarian Wand Shop.
The wandmaking shop
the prospect of a addressing a packed room of Potterites. “Potter fans are my favorite people in the world,” he says, and he’s looking forward to returning to this year’s festival. “Wizarding Weekend has a friendly and welcoming feel, like you’re part of something special.” For more information on how to be part of something special, please visit wizardingweekend.com. 100% of all proceeds are donated to local charitable organizations. This year’s funds will benefit the Blue Sky Center for Learning in Spencer, New York.
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Gardening
A
growing and landscaping
fresh coat of paint or a new roof only goes
so far to refresh the picture.
Making the Case for
Landscape
Makeovers
As homeowners, we tend to overlook the flaws in our front landscape, either because we are too emotionally attached to our homes to see the problem, or we just don’t know what to do about it. Like an intervention, a stranger’s professional viewpoint can bring improvement ideas to fruition.
story and photos by K.C. Fahy-Harvick
T
Before
After Containers give the front entry color and focus.
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he Finger Lakes area has many architectural treasures, and I confess to being a home gawker. I’ve slowed down and drooled over a Federal from the late 1700s that has original handrolled (12 over 12) glass windows, a Victorian Painted Lady all dolled up in gingerbread, and a handsomely sturdy Arts & Crafts bungalow like the one pictured here. By the time I hear honking from the traffic behind me, I’ve noticed that the home’s landscaping doesn’t do it justice. The problem reinforces one of my homedesign principles: you never erase a first impression. An old and overgrown front entrance gives the impression that the entire home is worn out. It’s not an appealing look, whether you’re selling your home or settling in for the long haul. You could say that I’m obsessed with home landscapes, and you could say that I’m obsessed with critiquing them as I drive by. However, you could never say that I don’t thoroughly enjoy the rewards of redoing one that’s in dire need of a refresh. When the opportunity presented itself to do a makeover on this Canandaigua home, I jumped at the chance.
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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After In the foreground, four boxwood “Green Velvet” give symmetry and anchor the design (4 feet by 4 feet). In the background (top of photo) is Heptacodium “Seven Sons,” a large tree-like shrub that will grow to 10 to 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Its fall flowers will flood the porch with delicate fragrance. Center shrub Physocarpus “Summer Wine” (Ninebark) gives a large ( 6 to 8 foot) colorful accent, contrasting the roundness of the surrounding dwarf boxwood “Franklin’s Gem.”
Before
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Gardening
Before
After
The old concrete walkway is too narrow. Concrete steps have shifted over the years and are crumbling.
The new walkway is now 4 feet wide and properly pitched for drainage. New steps are wider and a more comfortable 6-inch rise.
Spotting the flaws and playing up the positive I photographed the area from several angles and then considered the property’s characteristics before I made recommendations. In this case, the architecture played a big role in my decision, and I looked at its strengths and focal points. The charm of this particular bungalow begins at the front porch which, in summer, becomes a great outdoor living space. However, there was asymmetry in the detail: the front door is not centered on the porch’s steps and the columns there are not evenly balanced. I decided to balance the architectural features with a somewhat symmetrical landscape
design, while bringing in some more casual pieces (Heptocodium at the far end, and Physocarpus in the center) to soften the look of the square lines. The owner’s wish list included low maintenance plants and lots of color (always a challenge), but the plantings were not the biggest problem.
Together we decided to address the elephant in the front yard: the decrepit stairs and walk. Walkways that lead to a front entrance are the most important element in making a good first impression. They should be at least 4 feet wide to accommodate two people
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A
Construction walking side-by-side, and the higher the stature of the house, the wider the walk should be. In this case, the home’s walkway began with seven steps from the city sidewalk to the front lawn. True to my experience with older landscapes, they were cracked and worn-out concrete,
s I was working on this project, neighbors and other onlookers often stopped to chat. One particular conversation exactly illustrates my point about impressions. “I’ve always loved this bungalow, did they just repaint?” “No,” I responded. “The new landscape and stone looks great,” she continued. “Did they completely redo the inside as well?” No again. “So nice to see they are taking such good care of the place.” Yes. Sometimes it’s difficult to convince homeowners of the economic and environmental impact of their front landscape when much of my work deals with the subliminal elements of that so-called first impression. Showing them before and after pictures like the ones in this story will surely help to make my case.
and too narrow. We quickly agreed that our landscape project would begin with new steps from the street and to the porch, and a new sidewalk. Stone work (hardscaping) is costly, but it can be an investment that yields positive results. There’s a reason it’s considered a capital improvement.
Rely on professionals I recommend hiring a reputable firm; first checking out projects they’ve done three or more years ago (that way you can see how well they’ve held up). Hardscape is not something to scrimp on or attempt as a DIY project. Cold winters here in the Finger Lakes produce expansion and contraction of the ground as it freezes and thaws. It can wreak havoc on concrete and stone if it’s not properly installed. I usually choose pavers, reclaimed bricks, or natural flagstone for my projects, depending on the design requirements. I always work with experienced hardscaping experts.
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Gardening For this project, we used manmade paver stones and real sandstone cap stones on the steps. The two most common problems with aging landscapes are overgrown shrubs (usually yews) that can no longer be trimmed or reshaped to an appropriate size, and trees that were planted too close to the foundation. The makeover decisions in both of these cases can become difficult. They are not for the faint of heart. Yews would like to be large trees, so the longer they are trimmed as hedges, the larger the roots get, making them grow back with a vengeance. After decades of growth, these plants can overpower a house; visually shrinking it and impacting the overall impression. Preserving large shrubs by properly pruning and shaping them can be an economical fix, but a 50-year-old shrub that has not been maintained
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should really be removed. Trees that are crowding the house can be trimmed back but, sadly, most need to be removed. Hire a professional tree service to remove the overgrowth and grind the stumps. It will make room for new plants to flourish. I always tell myself that the wood chips from the trees and shrubs will be returned to the earth, completing the life cycle of the plants. You can say it, too, if it makes you feel better.
K.C. Fahy-Harvick, a landscape designer, is a sought-after lecturer. Her workshops feature her love of perennials, bird gardening, and water features. More about Fahy-Harvick can be found at gardeningmatters.com or by email at kcfh60@ gmail.com.
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Off the Easel
creating art
Bruce Trojan’s
Turning Point His Artistic Second Act by Nancy E. McCarthy
V
ictor artist Bruce Trojan is enjoying a second arts career after his retirement as a music educator in 2005. Trojan, a trumpet player who taught music in the Greece Central School District for 33 rewarding years, has shifted his focus and energy toward the visual arts. The artist is a creative woodworker who produces mixed media pieces. His works combine lathe-turned wood with flat woodwork. Trojan’s most recent creations include bending brass rods or plastic to create curves and imply a sense of motion. In high school Trojan had equal interest in music and art but his academic schedule only permitted one or the other. Music ultimately won out. He attended college at the prestigious Eastman School of Music where Rochester native Chuck Mangione, the acclaimed trumpeter, flugelhorn player and composer, was a major influence. Trojan played in the Eastman Jazz Ensemble under Mangione’s direction. He also performed some professional dates with Mangione in his orchestra, both as a student and after graduation, including a noteworthy Carnegie Hall concert. Trojan graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree. Visual art lay dormant for a couple of decades as he pursued his music career. During his tenure in Greece, Trojan taught all grade levels at various points in time, eventually focusing on middle school students. In the mid-1990s Trojan became
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interested in woodworking. This casual hobby grew into what is now a passionate vocation. Early Influences Trojan was born in Buffalo, New York in 1950. He was raised, along with older sister Gail, in Depew and later Clarence. Gail, a talented artist, was his earliest artistic influence. She taught her brother how to color, and the siblings also sang and danced together. Their parents weren’t arts-focused but Trojan recalls a memorable excursion with their mother to Buffalo’s Albright-Knox Art Gallery to view a Vincent Van Gogh exhibit. Trojan “fell in love” with Van Gogh’s style and it left a lasting impression. He also fell in love with the trumpet thanks to trumpeter Eddie Calvert’s popular 1955 recording of “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.” During his teaching career he fell in love again—this time with local trumpeter and fellow music educator Dina Alexander, whom he married in 1991. He credits Alexander as an inspiration to him both musically and artistically. The couple recorded a CD together entitled “Celebrate! Music for Two Trumpets and Organ.” His wife also gifted him with several large woodworking tools over the years, including a woodturning lathe. “I think she unleashed a monster!” Trojan jokes. Now essential to his work, he notes that
Badda Bubinga wall hanging incorporates 65 lathe-turned pieces, 13 flat components and bent brass. he didn’t even know how to use a lathe when she gave it to him. This large, versatile motorized tool spins a work piece uniformly so the artist can shape wood into a desired form (and is equally
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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2017 PHOTO CONTEST Deadline: September 8, 2017
Above: Eye Candy (mixed media) Bottom Right: Bruce Trojan, his lathe and the Miles Davis poster which provides creative inspiration. handy for sanding, applying finish and buffing). Perfecting the Art When Trojan was a hobbyist, his main focus was honing his skills. He also took woodworking classes with modern furniture designer John Dodd and learned different ways to use wood as a medium. Trojan developed his own unique style over time and was inspired by other creative woodworkers. Most of his pieces now would be characterized as decorative or artistic— versus functional items such as bowls or cutting boards. “I truly enjoy the challenges, rewards and risks of being creative,” says Trojan. It is not surprising that many of his works are musically-themed. Trojan characterizes one of his decorative pieces, a whimsical wall hanging entitled Badda Bubinga, as an “art guitar.” The Picasso-inspired Badda Bubinga, featured in the American Woodturner journal last year, has 65 turned parts created on a lathe, and 13 other components made with traditional woodworking methods. “It was several years ago that I decided to combine the two techniques into my work,” Trojan explains. Part of his design process is to make a base to work from (analogous to a painter’s canvas) and then he creates his “story” by painting it and making embellishment pieces that are either screwed, glued, or inlaid onto the base. Trojan works with many wood Photos courtesy Bruce Trojan
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species. Bubinga, used for the art guitar, is an exotic wood from Central Africa. His favored local wood is maple, due to its tight grain and pleasing light color. Trojan’s large basement shop is divided into quadrants: one area for cutting and sizing wood, another for finer shaping and building. A third area houses a compressor and dust collection system, and last: a place for painting and finishing. For inspiration, a poster of jazz legend Miles Davis hangs over his lathe. The famous trumpeter was also a talented painter. Trojan is an enthusiastic member of the Finger Lakes Woodturners Association (FLWT) which he helped to start up. FLWT, a local chapter club of the American Association of Woodturners (with over 350 chapters worldwide), provides a forum to discuss ideas and share information, techniques and experiences of woodworking members who use a lathe to craft their work. “I owe a lot to many of its members as they mentored and inspired me into becoming a skilled woodturner,” he says.
Categories:
First, Second and Third Place prize plaques, plus publication in the November/December 2017 magazine issue, are awarded for: • Color • Black-and-White • Digitally Altered* There is also a Grand Prize to best overall color or black-and-white photograph. Honorable Mentions are also awarded for color, black-and-white, and digitally altered. • Entries are limited to: – 5 for Black-and-White – 5 for Color – 5 for Digitally Altered* See below for the definition for “digitally altered.”
Submission: • Submit photos by e-mail: mark@lifeinthefingerlakes.com – Please send the highest resolution photo that you have. – Be careful when e-mailing – sometimes e-mail programs will try to downsize the image to make mailing faster. • Submit photos as prints (if no digital version is available) All entries should be sent through U.S. postal mail or parcel post. Prints and CD/DVDs will not be returned. Life in the Finger Lakes Photo Contest P.O. Box 1080 Geneva, NY 14456 * Digitally Altered images are those that have used digital manipulation using the following methods: excessive dodging and burning; excessive color saturation; filtering using solarization; messotint and duotone; stitched panoramas; high dynamic range (HDR) images.
Send submissions no later than September 8, 2017 Visit LifeintheFingerLakes.com for complete information and rules September /October 2017 ~
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8/1/17 2:10 PM
Off the Easel
“Polyrhythm”
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In 2011, Trojan designed and managed the group’s collective piece “Polyrhythm.” The submission received a Best in Show award in the Chapter Collaborative Challenge during the annual American Association of Woodturners National Symposium in Saint Paul, Minnesota. “I can honestly say that Bruce is the most creative person that I have ever known,” says FLWT member Jim Hotaling. Hotaling, also a woodturner, spearheaded another club initiative to annually produce 1,000 wooden spinning tops to distribute through organizations such as Golisano Children’s Hospital. Other FLWT activities include specialty workshops and monthly woodturning demonstrations. Back at Trojan’s shop, he is contemplating what to create from a chunk of exquisite quilted maple. This naturally occurring design in some maple grains resembles patchwork patterns found on fabric quilts. Since this type of wood pattern is often utilized for decorative top plates on electric guitars, Trojan is contemplating using it to make another art guitar. ”Or maybe I’ll turn it into something entirely new for me,” he muses. It’s all part of the creative process of an artistic woodturner. View Bruce Trojan’s work at brucetrojan.com.
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~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Finger Lakes Scrapbook
Please send photos to: Finger Lakes Scrapbook P.O. Box 1080, Geneva, NY 14456 reader snapshots E-mail: mark@LifeintheFingerLakes.com Web: facebook.com/lifeinthefingerlakesmagazine or upload directly to “photos” link on lifeinthefingerlakes.com
“White deer with her fawn at the Seneca Army Depot” – Dennis Money
“Bald eagle at Canisteo River” – Janie L. Ferguson, Facebook Post
“Black bear caught by trail camera” – Jack Goebel, Branchport
“Storm heading up Seneca Lake” – Becky Enders, Facebook post
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Nautical
Exploration team (left to right) Roland Stevens, Jim Kennard and Roger Pawlowski
fun on the water
What Lies by Ray Levato
Beneath
N
ew York’s Finger Lakes Region is well-known for its natural beauty, scenic vistas, historic towns, and awardwinning wineries. But beneath the lakes’ pristine waters are untold stories. They lurk amid shipwrecks and sunken boats. Perhaps the most famous is the wreckage of the Onondaga, a 175-foot paddlewheel steamer that sank in the middle of Seneca Lake, south of Geneva. A grand picture of it hangs in the promenade of Geneva’s Ramada Inn Lakefront Hotel. Built in 1860, the Onondaga had outlived its usefulness by 1898, and the owners decided to scuttle the ship in spectacular fashion with 800 pounds of dynamite and blasting powder. Handbills
Left: Jim Kennard deploying the side scan sonar with Scott Hill piloting the boat, Glass Factory Bay in Seneca Lake. Photo by Milt Shares
Above: Kennard looks into the stern window of a canal boat, also in Glass Factory Bay. Both photos circa 1980. Photo by Scott Hill
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Photo courtesy Geneva Historical Society
promoting the event, scheduled for September 14, 1898, were distributed in New York and Pennsylvania. They proclaimed that it would be a “Neverto-be-Forgotten Spectacle,” and people traveled on special trains by the thousands to see it. Like a carnival, it featured balloons and vendors, bands and parades, and much excitement. “They estimated that there were 5,000 people out there, on both sides of the lake off Kashong Point,” says Jim Kennard, a retired Kodak electrical engineer, and one of the most enterprising shipwreck explorers in the entire Northeast. Kennard has discovered dozens of shipwrecks large and small, including the Onondaga. “What they saw was not the ship exploding in a thousand pieces, as one would have expected. Instead, they saw a huge cloud of smoke around where the ship had been.” At the proscribed time of 4 p.m. there was an ear-shattering “Boom!” as the ship was blown up, Jim says. A slight breeze came up from the southern end of the lake and blew away the 500-foot-tall cloud of yellow smoke, and there was nothing there. The ship had sunk immediately without so much as a farewell gasp to cheer about.
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Nautical
The steamer Onondaga Photo courtesy Geneva Historical Society
“Nobody saw it sink,” explains Jim. “All they saw was the smoke.” Debris, including piles of dead fish, washed ashore for the next week. HUNTING AND DIVING Kennard and his teammates Roger Pawlowski and Hans Daatsetaar first located the Onondaga in 2010. He had hoped to find the shipwreck somewhat intact, but his sonar image only showed the faint outlines of the Onondaga’s sides. “After we later learned about all the explosives they had onboard, we were actually surprised there was anything left of the ship,” he says. In 2012, the team returned to the site with more sophisticated side-scan sonar and deep depth capability. The picture it showed them of the phantom-like ship, located at a depth of 400 feet, was almost like an aerial photograph, he explains. All that was left was part of the hull sticking up about a foot from the bottom. The rest had been blown to smithereens. While the Onondaga’s tale is well-documented, the stories about the wrecks of old canal boats and barges in the Finger Lakes are harder to discover. These less-glamorous vessels were often towed by early steamships as cargo carriers – usually loaded with coal – which the captains quickly cut loose in a storm to save the mother ship. In the early 1980s, Kennard and his dive partner at the time, Scott Hill, dove on wrecks in three lakes – Seneca, Keuka and Cayuga – and located a number of these vessels. They found one with a load of coal still intact in 110 feet of water, south of Geneva near Glass Factory Bay. Where Native Americans plied the Finger Lakes in their canoes, European settlers would follow with steam-powered
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~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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A side scan sonar image of the Steamer Onondaga. Photo courtesy Jim Kennard
paddlewheelers that transformed the lakes into commercial thoroughfares. It was far easier to float cargo over water than haul it over rudimentary roads. Boats were the trucks of yesterday, and lakes were the highways. “We can’t search everywhere – the Finger Lakes are just too large for us to survey in their entirety,” says Kennard. “But when we have newspaper articles or personal accounts, it provides us with clues about where the wrecks might be in deeper water, and we go back,” says Kennard. Some discarded canal boats were found off Salt Point in the south end of Seneca Lake off Route 14 near Watkins Glen. “We also found some in Cayuga Lake, and a few in Keuka Lake. I would say we found about 30 underwater wrecks in the Finger Lakes. Most were barges or canal boats.” Some of the wrecks Kennard and his team have found have become diveable sites for other scuba enthusiasts. He meticulously documented their finds for authenticity. THE GREAT LAKES Kennard started diving on shipwrecks in the 1970s in Lake Champlain, a body of water he considers a treasure trove of underwater history. In 1989, he and Hill partnered with National Geographic to explore a horse-powered ferry boat he discovered in Burlington Bay. “We thought that was the pinnacle of our success, but boy, was I wrong.” His focus shifted to Lake Ontario, where shipwreck documentation in old newspaper accounts offer clues on where they could be found. In 2008, Kennard, along with Dan Scoville and Roland Stevens, found what he calls the Holy Grail of Great Lakes’ shipwrecks – the HMS Ontario. The search had taken three years and covered 200 square miles of the lake. The British warship was fully intact in deep water at the lake’s western end. It sank in a sudden and fierce gale after
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Finger Lakes Tram
Nautical
Enjoying God’s Creation
Shipwreck explorer
Jim Kennard from Perinton has done countless newspaper and TV interviews on his discoveries. They are routinely featured on sites like shipwreckworld.com, and are often accompanied by fascinating underwater videos of the wreckage. Discoveries A rare 18th-century-built sloop, Washington (also known as Lady Washington), that foundered during an 1803 gale off Oswego (discovered August 2016).
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The Canadian schooner, Royal Albert, which sank in 1868 in deep water off the southern shore near Fair Haven (discovered June 2016).
The steamship Bay State, which sank in 1862, also off the southern shore near Fair Haven (discovered October 2015).
A rare dagger-board schooner, Three Brothers, which sank in 1833 off Oswego (discovered September 2014).
departing Ft. Niagara on October 31, 1780, with more than 120 people aboard, including women and children. All hands were lost. Some of its boats and other debris were spotted the following day, but nothing more was found on land or water until the following summer, when several bodies washed up on shore about 12 miles east of the Niagara River. Experts said the HMS Ontario would never be found, but Kennard and his team were utilizing a video-capable remote operated vehicle – ROV – that made it possible to see live video in deep water, without the use of a scuba diver. While he is very proud of his discovery of the Ontario, finding smaller, less-romantic canal boats are also fun. “Over time, the sport of diving on wrecks has evolved into an appreciation of history,” he says. “I once viewed something underwater as a treasure with monetary value. But the real treasure is in the maritime history, and bringing that history to the surface, so that it can be shared with others.”
Ray Levato is a retired news reporter/anchor for WHEC-TV Channel 10 in Rochester, New York.
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~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Cultured
Linda Ruthig
the better things in life
Paint Out for a
Cause
story by Mark Stash, photographs by Peg Angelo
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his past June a group of local artists participated in a Paint Out event at the Finger Lakes Museum & Aquarium in Branchport. The artwork created Abandon Brewing Company at the Paint Out event inspires appreciation of the 2994 Merritt Hill Rd Finger Lakes Region and highlights the talent found Penn Yan, NY 14527 here. Each artist has agreed to donate 30 percent of the sale of their artwork to the Finger Lakes Museum & Saturday, September 23 Aquarium. These funds will be used to create a place 5 to 8 p.m. that highlights the cultural history and ecological evolution of the Finger Lakes region, through programming and capital improvements. The artists had a choice to paint on location at the museum campus – which consists of almost 30 acres which includes sections of Sugar Creek and the shoreline of Keuka Lake, a riparian zone and tree lined meadows – or they could paint within a 3-mile radius of the museum. Painting plein air for just a few hours, the artists created almost a dozen works of art. The efforts of these artists are showcased currently at Abandon Brewing Company near Penn Yan. Visitors are encouraged to stop by for a beer and wine tasting, to see the artwork on display, and to bid on artwork through the silent auction that will run through the end of September. The public is invited to attend the Art Opening on Saturday, September 23 from 5 to 8 p.m., where they can learn more about the future of the Finger Lakes Museum & Aquarium.
ART OPENING
Chepita Shaver
Kari Ruiz
“I love to be in the moment and enjoy the sounds of nature. I seek to disengage with the digital world and reengage with God’s world.” – artist Chris Kolupski
LIFL
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Lake Ontario SHORELINE
A Bird’s-Eye View
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East Bay
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y husband is a charmer. The generous ladies of our neighborhood stopped by one day and just handed Bill a gift certificate for a sightseeing helicopter flight over Lake Ontario’s shores, which they won on bid at a charity auction. Thrilled with this gift and the great photo opportunity it offered, Bill waited for perfect conditions to schedule the flight. October 10, 2016, was an ideal Finger Lakes autumn day. As a photographer’s wife, I usually tag along on his escapades, never sure where they’ll lead, so I was prepared to sit out his adventure with my usual degree of patience. We arrived at the Williamson-Sodus Airport and were cordially greeted by Ray Chapin of BAC Helicopters, who was our pilot. He is the owner of the helicopter, and a generous donor to the auction in support of the Literacy Volunteers of Ontario-Yates. I watched Ray wheel the helicopter to the pad. A two-seater, I presumed – no room for me. But to my surprise the cockpit accommodated three with seat belts and head sets for all. “Well, sure!” I said as I was invited to climb in. The engine revved and aeronautical things whirled up to speed. The helicopter ascended with a slight tail wag and wobble. Soon we were humming along, climbing in elevation, and absorbing a near-360degree view from our glass bubble.
Shining waters
By Michele Howland Photos by Bill Banaszewski
In a matter of minutes we were surrounded by Lake Ontario’s shimmering waters. They spread to invisible shores more than 50 miles to the north and almost 200 miles from east to west. Directly below, we traced the shoreline of Wayne County, which marks the northern edge of the Finger Lakes Region. The vantage point reminded me of a flight with our granddaughter at a young age. Descending to the Greater Rochester International Airport, I September /October 2017 ~
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Lake Ontario pointed out a view of Lake Ontario as far as the eye could see. Showing her a map in the airline magazine, I named each of the Great Lakes. As a preschooler she knew about the Finger Lakes and about Papa’s Lake – known simply to others as Keuka Lake. “Is Papa’s Lake a Great Lake?” she asked. I had to chuckle and say, “Sort of, but not exactly!” Ontario, “Lake of Shining Waters,” the smallest of the Great Lakes, covers a 7,340 square mile surface area and is the 17th largest lake in the world. At its deepest it reaches 800 feet, but average depth is 280. It is the lowest in elevation and easternmost of the five Great Lakes. As a result, water from each of the other Great Lakes flows via Lake Erie and the Niagara River into Lake Ontario on its journey further downstream to the Atlantic Ocean. The waters of the Finger Lakes also drain into the Great Lakes watershed, known as the Great Lakes Basin. In fact, the majority of land within the 14-county Finger Lakes Region is a part of the Great Lakes Basin. Only Tioga County along the Pennsylvania border lies beyond it. Can you imagine a highway marker on State Route 14 (as you head north along the banks of Catherine Creek south of Watkins Glen in Chemung County) that announces, “Entering the Great Lakes Watershed”
The Nature of the Lake Ontario Shoreline
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n abundance of water, wetlands, and forests along this shoreline provides excellent habitat for fish and wildlife. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Management Areas, plus State Parks and Nature Conservancy properties, offer plenty of opportunities for hiking, birding, fishing, photography, hunting, and paddling. The wetlands in this Eastern Great Lakes Basin are important spawning and nursery sites for a variety of warm water fish, as well as breeding sites for waterfowl, reptiles and amphibians. They also provide resting areas where birds can fuel up before continuing their long seasonal migrations. Fall is the best time to see large flocks of migrating waterfowl. From the high point on the forested drumlins of Chimney Bluff State Park there is excellent birding from April through October. Immature bald eagles, turkey vultures, and occasional mature bald eagles can be seen at eye level. Late spring and early summer is the time to walk along the shoreline and see hundreds of bank swallows swooping about, tending their nests in the loose soils on the face of the bluffs. Lake Ontario is an outstanding fishery. Offshore, some of the targeted species are trout, salmon, walleye and smallmouth bass. King salmon are prized. Lake Ontario produces the largest Kings of all of the Great Lakes. With plenty of alewife for prey, Kings have been taken up to 47 pounds, while catches of 25 pounds are common. Fishing success is quite remarkable in the streams feeding the lake during fall and spring when trout and salmon are spawning. Sodus Bay is a “pan fish to pike” fishery. Warm water species like northern pike and largemouth bass are great sport fishing. Perch and other pan fish are fun to catch and make a good meal. For anglers without a boat, fishing from the pier at Sodus Point is popular. The attraction is you never know what you may catch – perch, pike, bass, trout or salmon.
Left, clockwise from top: The shining waters of Port Bay Apple orchards along the shoreline of Lake Ontario Along the shoreline of Chimney Bluffs State Park One of several paddling passages leading to the bays Sodus Bay and its islands are popular for year-round recreation.
Trout image istockphoto.com
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What a Difference a Year Makes
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ast year was exceptionally hot and dry throughout the Finger Lakes region. Low water levels and widespread algal blooms were visible from our fly-over. In fact, Sodus Bay showed pretty clear evidence of harmful algae blooms, also known as toxic blue-green algae (BGA). A BGA bloom is quite problematic. It creates a disagreeable odor and contaminates the water. Wading, swimming or drinking water contaminated with BGA is ill-advised because it can cause a variety of serious and potentially fatal maladies in both people and dogs. Now, seven months later, there is another crisis for the same residents of Sodus Bay and the Lake Ontario shoreline. Rochester had its second wettest spring, and Buffalo had its wettest spring on record. These conditions resulted in lake levels that were 3 feet above the long-term average. By June, Ontario was at its highest point in 100 years of record keeping. Additionally, several storms with winds up to 80 miles per hour created powerful waves that pounded the shoreline, causing significant erosion and flooding many homes and businesses. Break walls, and public and private docks were destroyed. The rising waters have encroached upon lakeside and bay properties, and some of them appeared quite precarious even when we flew over last fall. The record rainfall is one obvious reason for high water levels and flooding. However, there is also considerable finger pointing at the International Joint Commission which, since 2014, has been responsible for managing the water levels in the lake. The consensus seems to be that both have contributed to the crisis. Unless the rains keep falling, some estimates suggest the lake level could drop by 1 foot come August. However, it would still be 2 feet above the longterm average. The excessive rains have supercharged the bays with nutrients that could lead to more blue-green algae blooms in the future. The outlook is not very encouraging.
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Lake Ontario considering that Lake Ontario is 75 miles further up the road? Our flight path soon came to Sodus Bay. All of its distinctive features appeared below: the Historic Sodus Bay Lighthouse, the sandy beach, the lighthouse on the northern end of the west pier, the channel, the east pier and then Charles Point, a fragile barrier beach separating the bay from the mighty lake beyond. The bay is about 4 miles long and just over 2 miles wide. It is 48 feet at its deepest point (east of Eagle and Newark Islands), but the average depth is 18. With these conditions, Sodus Bay is the most secure anchorage along the New York shore of Lake Ontario, and it sees plenty of marine traffic at times. It never occurred to me that the Finger Lakes Region has its own U.S. Customs Port of Entry at Sodus Point. The original customs house, dating back to the 1800s, no longer exists, but today foreign vessels report to U.S. Customs via video phone!
Dramatic landscape
Further to the east, Chimney Bluffs appear. They create an unusual land formation that is a critical environmental area with unique character and geological interest. The bluffs – lunar-like dunes towering 150 feet above the lake – are drumlins formed 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Shaped by wind and water, they continue to be eroded. The 600-acre Chimney Bluffs State Park can be explored along a network of trails at the precipice or from lake level. The park offers picnic areas and beautiful views of the lake. From our bird’s-eye view, we could see the next stretch of shoreline past Chimney Bluffs. It seems mostly inaccessible by roadways, but we could spot the rooftops of a cluster of homes and cottages along the west side of East Bay. The Department of Environmental Conservation operates a gravel boat ramp off Slaght Road to access East Bay, which covers 160 acres. It has a 6-mile shoreline, and is hardly deeper than a backyard swimming pool. But it is fed by a vast
~ LifeintheFingerLakes.com
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Chimney Bluffs
wetland that looks like a paddler’s wonderland. Further along, plenty of cottages line the 8-mile shoreline of Port Bay, which is 28 feet at the deepest and averages 13 feet. There are several boat launch sites off W. Port Bay Road. As we passed above Port Bay, the pilot pivoted to the south and west, and we began our return to the airstrip. But the sightseeing wasn’t over. Acres upon acres of apple orchards carpet the
landscape below, spreading from the edges of Ontario’s wetlands and extending for miles. Mature apple trees with a broad canopy of fruitful branches, and younger apple trees trained to trellises in neat rows like vineyards, spread below us in a patchwork of colors, lines and textures. At the peak of harvest we see laborers, farm machinery, and full crates of just-picked apples, stacked and awaiting shipment.
Detroit
ELM
Atlanta St. Petersburg/ Clearwater
Orlando/ Sanford
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159 Sapsucker Woods Rd • Ithaca, NY 14850 877-266-4928 • www.sapsuckerwoods.com
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GARDNER CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT Top: Picturesque apple orchards Bottom: Apple harvest in full production
Schedule your appointment today Residential • Commercial Agriculture New Homes • Kitchen • Baths Decks • Patios Plan ahead by calling
(315) 573-1474 • www.gardnerconstructionny.com
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Wayne County is an agricultural giant. Its orchards produce the highest market value among all of its agricultural products. But more impressive is the fact Wayne County has the greatest acreage dedicated to apple production of any county in the entire state, and on a national scale it ranks the fourth highest. It seems to me that Wayne County ought to be “The Big Apple” instead of New York City. In its entirety, our half-hour aerial excursion carried us over a 15-mile stretch of shoreline and back. All together, Bill snapped 530 images, which is about 18 shots per minute or one every three seconds. (Fortunately he wasn’t using slide film!) So while Bill was hard at work, on this tag-along day, I had the pure pleasure of absorbing the beauty of the experience. In the end, I was doubly rewarded. The flight was a delight, and when we couple our individual “ways of seeing,” we are able to recreate and share this memorable experience along the Finger Lakes Northern Frontier.
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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® I LOVE NEW YORK logo is a registered trademark/service mark of the NYS Dept. of Economic Development, used with permission.
Binoculars • Books • Audio Guides • Nature Gifts
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Lake Ontario • Finger Lakes Region
New York’s
Great Lake
A TASTE OF WAYNE COUNTY
20TH ANNUAL
APPLE TASTING
getaway
TOUR
the Experiences abound in Wayne County Located between Rochester and Syracuse, Wayne County is a great destination for all tastes.
® I LOVE NEW YORK logo is a registered trademark/service mark of the NYS Dept. of Economic Development, used with permission.
A Fall Destination – Lagoner Farms & Embark Ciderworks
TOUR CHALLENGE October 1-31, 2017
Embark Craft Ciderworks hand crafts hard cider using apples grown on-site at Lagoner Farms, a family farm since 1909. Featuring a “farm to table” café, farm market offering a from scratch bakery, ice cream,homegrown seasonal fruits & vegetables, U-pick apples. Plus…the taproom offers flights, pints and bottles.
TASTING WEEKEND October 6-9, 2017 Special Weekend Events in October!
Market hours: 9am-5pm daily, tap room extended hours.
6895 Lake Avenue • Williamson 315-589-4899 • lagonerfarms.com 315-589-8122 • embarkcraftciderworks.com
One Location, Twice the Fun!
Apples Baked Goods Mums Fresh Produce Pumpkins Wine & Spirits Gift Items Door Prizes Cider Crafts
FAN US TO WIN!
Farm Market Ice Cream Shop Jumping Pillow & More Gemstone Panning • Birthday Parties
Tasting Room Open Daily Grape & Fruit Wines
Like Apple Tasting Tour on Facebook and enter our weekly fans-only contest. Every Thursday in September, we will post a question and select one fan who comments to win a $20 gift certificate! www.facebook.com/AppleTastingTour
Corporate Events • Private Tastings
315-986-4202 • Eddy Road, Macedon • longacrefarms.com
800-527-6510 www.waynecountytourism.com LIFL
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800-527-6510
www.appletastingtour.com S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 7 ~ 41
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Sky High Celebration Story by Derek Doeffinger Photos by Derek Doeffinger and Gary Whelpley
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~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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The New York State Festival of Balloons Celebrates Its 36th Year in Dansville
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hat does the small rural town of Dansville have in common with cosmopolitan Paris, the fashion and sophistication capital of the world? The answer is the hot air balloon. It was in Paris in 1783 that the Montgolfier brothers invented hot air ballooning. But it was in Dansville in 1981 that the art of the balloon festival began to be perfected. This Labor Day weekend you can enjoy that perfection and watch in wonder as up to 40 glorious hot air balloons float across the skies of Dansville like raindrop-shaped lollypops. It’s truly a sight to behold, and almost everything about the festival (including getting in and out) is easy and enjoyable. Now in its 36th year, the festival remains a favorite of balloon pilot Greg Livadas, who has been to every single one since the start: “I have flown over Niagara Falls, next to the Swiss Alps, the Black Hills of South Dakota and out in Albuquerque....but I can honestly say Dansville is among the most beautiful places to fly in a balloon.” And a great place to watch them. It’s like watching a time-lapse nature film of tulips sprouting, elongating, forming buds, and then suddenly unfolding into beautiful multi-colored blossoms. The balloon festival takes place at the Dansville
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airport, which lies near the southern end of the broad, sweeping valley that funnels into this small town of 5,000. Starting at 6 p.m. Friday night (September 1), balloon launches will occur on the sixes morning and evening until the final lift off at 6 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. Although the balloons may be the big draw, there’s lots to do before they make their appearance. This is, after all, a festival. With the grounds opening at 10 a.m., you can find plenty of food and arts and craft booths to snack and browse at, and a large festival tent to relax in and shelter from the sun. Music acts provide entertainment as does a classic car show on Sunday. And Stony Brook State Park is just a few miles down the road if you want to hike or wade in waterfalls. Most of the kids flock to the semi-inflated balloon envelope. Once inside it they run and play while parents take their pictures. Another kid favorite and recent trend in hot air balloons are the “shaped” balloons: a birthday cake complete with candles and cartoon characters such as Sylvester, Tweetie Bird, and Peg Leg Pete—all as tall as an office building. The essence of hot air ballooning is to capture and heat a large bubble of air and then ride it into the skies. In many ways each launch is an act of whimsy,
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Sky High Celebration
a release of self control to the fates. Though the pilot can control the altitude of the balloon, he or she is nearly powerless to control its direction. Not a sport for control freaks. Ballooning is an odd combination of science and fairy tale. As you watch the half hour or so it takes to unpack, arrange, set up, connect the components, and inflate the balloon, you’ll see the science apparatus being assembled that will lift a payload of a 1000 or more pounds into the sky. A big “Bunsen” burner heats the balloon air to provide buoyancy. That heat expands air molecules making them lighter than those surrounding the balloon so it can float— thousands of feet into the sky. Two different sets of components form the balloon. There’s the actual balloon for holding air, and there’s the basket (called a gondola) for holding the things used to heat the air and fly the balloon. Made of ripstop nylon, the balloon envelope, when inflated, stands 80 to 90 feet fall and encloses about 80,000 cubic feet of air; that amount of air weighs over 6000 pounds. The top of the balloon features a couple of vent flaps with lines reaching the basket so the pilot can open and close the vents to control the altitude of the balloon. Designed to hold people and equipment, the basket is usually made of wicker. It is lightweight, strong, flexible, durable, and striking in appearance. The basket provides a means of attaching the balloon, and holds a couple of propane tanks, the burner, and the pilot and passengers. In all a fully outfitted balloon costs about $40,000, (and that doesn’t include the van or truck necessary to transport it all). When all is ready for the launch, the science part gives way to the fairy tale. With one pull of the blast valve, 20-foot dragon flames shoot into the balloon and the fairy tale comes to life. Startled passengers clasp their hands to their ears and wonder if it’s too late to climb out of the basket. Balloon wranglers leap into action, struggling to control the balloon. Several surround and grab the basket
Getting a ride
At the festival you can pay $15 ($10 for kids under 12) to float up about 85 feet in a tethered balloon. To schedule a full balloon ride (about $200/person) during a festival balloon launch, go to the festival website and look on the left side of the home page for ride information: www.nysfob.com. First timers will find watching the land quickly recede exciting; however the liftoff and ride are exceedingly smooth. You probably won’t go higher than 2000-3000 feet. The touchdown of the balloon can be a bit bumpy as the basket may briefly drag and bump along the ground until the balloon is deflated.
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of the suddenly awakened balloon beast and pin it captive to the ground. Two or three others tug with all their might against the ropes stretching to the balloon top. But the balloon, awakened and inflamed by the heat, can’t be restrained much longer. It rises upright and struggles for freedom against its captors. With the balloon upright and straining for freedom, passengers reveal expressions both fearful and hopeful. The pilot gives a signal (there’s no turning back now), and, suddenly, the beast is freed and rises, like the giant bubble it is, into the sky, hundreds of feet, then thousands, headed to unknown lands, carried along by uncontrollable winds. That’s the fairy tale part. A bit fanciful, right? But for anybody taking their first balloon ride (see sidebar), the fairy tale almost seems real. Once you’re in the air, the excitement and anxiety relax and serenity settles in. “Our ride was incredibly breathtaking. It was a surprise from my husband for our 45th wedding anniversary,” recalls Laurie Marriott. “I’d do it again,” she says. The reigning theme among the pilots is safety. “Our top priority is safety,” emphasizes Rick Kohut, this year’s balloonmeister. He and his team work with the FAA to make sure all regulations and processes are followed and that all the pilots and their equipment meet those regulations. About an hour after launch, the ever vigilant pilot—gps equipped and in constant radio contact with his pursuit team—begins to consider landing places. He’d prefer a large, empty field near a road. A place with no crops to damage, cows to frighten, or trees to interfere. What he prefers and what the winds allow don’t always concur. Opposite page: Watched over by some Looney Tunes characters, balloons are inflated and held to the ground until the pilot signals it’s time to be released. This page: A Segway rider assists one crew, while a rider holds her ears to muffle the roar of the flame-spitting burner.
LIFL
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2017 PHOTO CONTEST Deadline: September 8, 2017
Categories:
First, Second and Third Place prize plaques, plus publication in the November/December 2017 magazine issue, are awarded for: • Color • Black-and-White • Digitally Altered* There is also a Grand Prize to best overall color or black-and-white photograph. Honorable Mentions are also awarded for color, black-and-white, and digitally altered. • Entries are limited to: – 5 for Black-and-White – 5 for Color – 5 for Digitally Altered* See below for the definition for “digitally altered.”
Submission: • Submit photos by e-mail: mark@ lifeinthefingerlakes.com – Please send the highest resolution photo that you have. Be careful when e-mailing – sometimes e-mail programs will try to downsize the image to make mailing faster. • Submit photos as prints (if no digital version is available) All entries should be sent through U.S. postal mail or parcel post. Prints and CD/DVDs will not be returned. Life in the Finger Lakes Photo Contest P.O. Box 1080 Geneva, NY 14456 * Digitally Altered images are those that have used digital manipulation using the following methods: excessive dodging and burning; excessive color saturation; filtering using solarization; messotint and duotone; stitched panoramas; high dynamic range (HDR) images.
Send submissions no later than September 8, 2017 Visit LifeintheFingerLakes.com for complete information and rules September /October 2017 ~
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A walk-around verifies the integrity of the balloon.
Going to see the balloons The great thing about the balloon festival is how easy it is to get in and out of there. It’s right next to exit 5 of I-390. On your map app, enter Meter Road, Dansville, and it will take you to the parking lot. Here are specific directions: Get off at exit 5 of I-390; go north a very short distance and turn left onto Rt. 36; go 0.4 miles and turn right onto Hartman Road, follow it for ¼ mile and turn left onto Meter Road, which will take you to the parking lot. Entrance fee $5/person; kids under 12 free.
Six scheduled launches beginning Friday, 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday 6 AM & 6 PM, Monday 6 AM.
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~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Sky High Celebration
Smiles abound at the balloon festival, especially when there’s a calm evening and a good crew at hand.
As the sun nears the horizon, he spots the place that will work for this trip. He opens valve flaps to release hot air so the balloon begins its descent. A brief burst of flame to slow the descent so he’ll reach the field. Hearing the burner’s blast, a farm family runs out of the house, hands shading their eyes, to look up at the balloon. Before the balloon touches down, the pilot makes sure passengers are holding tight. Tension mounts as the ground nears. Traveling at the speed of a walker or jogger, the balloon hits, bounces lightly once, twice (passengers scream in excitement), then driven by the light breeze skids to a stop in about fifteen feet. The passengers climb out, chattering excitedly. The pilot follows with one hand extended to the landowner and the other handing over a bottle of bubbly (with or without alcohol). Meanwhile the pursuit crew has already started disassembling and packing up the balloon. All need to hurry back to their homestay at a volunteer Dansville family and get some rest before tomorrow’s dawn flight.
LIFL
Come Corcl with us! Sales & Rentals
2 RT 54 - EAST LAKE ROAD • PENN YAN, NY (315) 536-8166 • WWW.MORGANMARINE.NET
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TASTE wine that’s earned over 6,000 national and international medals SEE breathtaking views of Cayuga Lake, Taughannock Falls, and rolling vineyards
WelcomingVisitors
VISIT wineries, cideries, distilleries, a meadery, and a taproom—all along America’s first wine trail
CayugaWineTrail.com 800.684.5217 Montezuma Winery & Hidden Marsh Distillery We are proud to serve you award winning fruit, honey and grape wines since 2001. With over 30 wines, ranging from dry to sweet, there is something to suit everyone’s palate. Hidden Marsh Distillery, winner of NYS Best Spirit, for their Corn Whiskey, has premium liquors, brandy, whiskey, bourbon and vodka. Enjoy our extensive gift shop, homemade fudge, picnic area and more. Visit our website, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to learn about our upcoming events.
Goose Watch Winery Celebrating our 20th year, Goose Watch produces nationally recognized innovative wines that can be sampled from our winery’s picturesque setting overlooking beautiful Cayuga Lake. From hard to find highly acclaimed premium wines such as Viognier, Traminette, Aromella, Chambourcin and Lemberger, to traditional favorites Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir Brut Rosé (sparkling), visitors will find wines for most every occasion as well as palate. Accessible by car, bus and boat. Open year-round.
Swedish Hill Winery Swedish Hill Winery is consistently one of the region’s most awarded wineries, with three Governor’s Cups awards in addition to five ‘Winery of the Year’ honors since 2012. Experience over 30 different wines ranging from classically produced Rieslings and Cabernet Francs to delicious blends that showcase the flavors of the region. Enjoy a winery tour from Memorial Day through October, picnic facilities, and meet our pet miniature donkey, Doobie! Open year-round!
Buttonwood Grove Winery Experience Buttonwood Grove! Come explore our beautifully landscaped grounds and lake view while tasting some of our many award winning wines. Live music and BBQ all summer—check our website for dates, times, and entertainers. A renowned venue for weddings, we also have on-site cabins for overnight lodging. Our friendly staff and Melody, our Scottish Highland Cow, can’t wait to meet you!
Varick Winery & Vineyard At Varick Winery, experience wines paired with complimentary fare. Sample over 100 complimentary food items at the country store. Enjoy scenic views of the vineyard, cherry orchard and Cayuga Lake. At Varick Inn, relax and rejuvenate at an 1833 historic home. Stay includes breakfast, afternoon tea and cookies, evening cocktails with hors d’oeuvres, a gift basket and discounts at the winery. Event rentals. Open year-round. www.VarickWinery.com.
Toro Run Winery Toro Run Winery sits on 64 acres 530 feet atop a glacier-carved hillside overlooking Cayuga Lake. We serve World Class Finger Lakes wines, including our Signature Estate Grown Grüner Veltliner. Toro Run Winery offers all the beauty of the Finger Lakes with a Spanish flair—“where the good life demands grape views.”
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Hosmer Winery Founded on the principle that great wine starts in the vineyard, the first vines Hosmer were planted on the family farm in 1972. Cameron and Maren Hosmer established their winery in 1985 and were among pioneers in the blossoming industry. Today, 70 acres of vineyards are producing some of the finest fruit in the Finger Lakes, used to make 100% estate grown, award winning Hosmer wine. J
— ESTATE WINERY —
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Lucas Vineyards Three generations of the fun-loving Lucas family invite you to experience Cayuga Lake’s oldest winery. Four decades of grape growing, fine wine making and laughter have built a reputation of friendliness, and good times since 1980. The famous, nauticallyinspired “Tug Boat,” “Nautie” and Sangria wines sport colorful bottles and spectacular labels, completing a diverse collection of estate-grown vinifera, method-champenoise sparkling, and Iced wines. Engaging wine tastings, beautiful gardens and one of the area’s most unique gift shops are just a few of the happenings at Lucas. Wine slushies that can’t be beat! 800–682–WINE(9463). K
Six Mile Creek Vineyard Nestled on the southwest slope of one of Ithaca’s most picturesque settings, Six Mile Creek Vineyard is a boutique winery and distillery specializing in the production of premium Finger Lakes wines and spirits. The Dutch reform barn offers a comfortable venue to taste memorable wines styles to suit all preferences. Panoramic valley views capture the beauty of the vineyard, pond, and gardens, perfect for a walk after tasting or a picnic with wine and cheese from the shop. Such a lovely spot so close to town makes this an ideal choice to host a wedding or special event. N
Treleaven Wines Thirty-years in the making, Treleaven invites you to a wine and event destination on the east side of Cayuga Lake! Experience fun, family-friendly events under our premier event and music venue, The Hangtime. Enjoy a wine or craft beer tasting with our friendly and knowledgeable tasting room staff. Browse our extensive gift shop featuring wine accessories, locally made products, home décor and more. Whether you’re visiting to drink Finger Lakes wine and enjoy live music or are coming for a wedding or a corporate event, you’re sure to have a relaxing and memorable time at Treleaven! O
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RESTAURANTS
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
A
See a full list of the outstanding restaurants along our Trail at www.cayugawinetrail.com/along-trail
Auburn Seneca Falls
Cayuga
Waterloo
Cayuga Lake State Park
Union Springs
Cty. Rd. 124
Ogden Rd.
B
Ernsberger Rd.
e h er
nd
Aurora
...a
Romulus
Cayuga Lake
C D E F G
Did you know you are only 15 minutes from the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail from here?
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. . . a nd
Ovid
Long Point State Park
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Montezuma Winery
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Swedish Hill Vineyard
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Varick Winery & Vineyard
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Knapp Winery & Vineyard Restaurant
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Goose Watch Winery
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Buttonwood Grove Winery
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Toro Run Winery
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Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery
Hours: April–November 11am–5pm daily The Copper Oven at Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery Wood-fired pizzas at the copper oven are a mouthwatering delight. Our pies cook next to a crackling wood fire at 750 degrees in two minutes. Winner of the 2012 Finger Lakes Foodie award for best main course, the 2013 Nature Conservancy’s Nature’s Plate award also a 2013 Trip Advisor Excellence award! Check our website for up to-the-day menu planning and special events throughout the 2017 season. Call (607) 220–8794 or visit www.SlowFoodOnTheGo.com for restaurant hours. H
P
he r e
King Ferry
Seneca
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Lak e
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ga yu
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Ca
Lake
Interlaken Lodi Cty. Rd. 142
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Thirsty Owl Wine Co.
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Hosmer Winery
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Lucas Vineyards
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Bellwether Hard Cider & Wine Cellars
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Americana Vineyards & Crystal Lake Café
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Six Mile Creek Vineyard
Trumansburg
Treleaven by King Ferry Winery
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Long Point Winery
Stewart Park
Alan Treman State Marine Park
Enfield
Watkins Glen
Bistro at Thirsty Owl Wine Company The Thirsty Owl Winery and Bistro, with its own 41 acres of vineyards overlooking Cayuga Lake offers indoor, outdoor and private seating for larger groups. Enjoy our award-winning wines and delicious local fare. Live music on Saturdays from June to September. Boat access is available. Please call for restaurant hours, as they vary in April, November and December. For reservations and information call (866) 869-5805. I
Taughannock Falls State Park
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D Knapp Vineyard Restaurant A visit to Knapp Vineyard Restaurant is a must. Sit inside or on our vineyard trellised patio overlooking our landscaped gardens and vineyards. Our hearty dishes include classic burgers with unique flavors, alongside special entrées using regional products. Combine this setting with Knapp’s premium wine for an authentic Finger Lakes experience. Five-course wine dinners featured monthly. Available for private parties, weddings, receptions and business functions. Call for reservations (607) 930-3495.
Ithaca Cornell University
Cass Park
Robert Treman State Park
N Buttermilk Falls State Park
Ithaca College
Lunch Hours: April-December 11:30am – 5pm daily Dinner Hours: July-August 5-7pm Friday and Saturday
Park
Download our free app Make planning your trip even easier. Get the most out of your Cayuga Lake Wine Trail experience. Access winery details, transportation and accommodation information and a list of winery events when you use our mobile application to navigate the Trail. Available on
Crystal Lake Café at Americana Vineyards The Crystal Lake Café offers fresh, locally-sourced, from-scratch gourmet comfort food in a laid-back casual atmosphere year-round—inside, or out when the weather’s nice. Enjoy lunch, dinner, their Friday Nite Pizza Party, Saturday Date Night, and a Sunday brunch that’s not to be missed! www.AmericanaVineyards.com. (607) 387-6804 M
May–October Hours: Monday–Wednesday 12–6pm Thursday–Saturday 12–8pm Sunday Brunch 11am–3pm Sunday Dinner 4pm–8pm
Mardi Gras Beads, coins and a scavenger hunt February 25 & 26
Bacon on the Lakein The perfect event for bacon lovers March 18 & 19
Wine & Herb Festival Potted herbs and veggie plants April 28-30 and May 5-7
Holiday Shopping Spree Wreath, ornaments and shopper’s card November 17-19 and December 1-3
November–April Hours: Thursday-Saturday 12–8pm Sunday Brunch 11am–3pm Sunday Dinner 4–8pm
Tra n sport ation a n d a cco m modation pa ck a g e s a re a va ila ble i n It h a ca, A u bu rn a n d Se n e ca Fa lls for a ll fou r eve nts
Purchase tickets at CayugaWineTrail.com or by calling 800.684.5217
LIFL
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Graceful As
as
Flowers
story and photos by Julie Bertram
I
love the natural light of the outdoors, and
have enjoyed photographing birds, insects, flowers and landscapes for many years.
Recently, I met Karah Charette, a dance student at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, and I shared with her an idea – photographing dancers outside (literally) of their traditional places on a stage.
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I
have always wanted to capture their
grace and beauty in a natural setting, like in the woods or a park.
With Karah as my model, I took my first dance photos in Mertensia Park in Farmington. The experience lit a spark, and since then I have worked with many other dancers.
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S
ometimes I like them to blend into
the environment, while other times I like to contrast their traditional pointe shoes and costumes with totally unexpected backdrops. Often the dancers and I exchange ideas about what the setting offers us: a textured tree branch, an ancient bridge, colorful wildflowers or tall grasses in a field.
I’d like to photograph dancers throughout the Finger Lakes – the region provides many inspirational scenes. My thanks go out to the talented dancers who have given me this opportunity.
To see more of Julie’s photography, contact her at elfjulebertram@gmail.com.
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The
E
Story and photos by Derek Doeffinger
ach autumn in Rochester, New York, you can see a gathering that rivals the annual spectacle at Alaska’s Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. There, gigantic brown bears gather along the stream to feast on migrating salmon. A classic photo that appears each year shows at least one bear poised at the top of the small falls with its mouth open wide as a leaping salmon is frozen mid-air, inches from that gaping maw awaiting it. Like Alaska, Rochester sees migrating salmon arrive by the thousands and they, too, are eagerly snapped up by predators. In Rochester, the predators are fishermen. But the setting in which they seek their prey is more spectacular than the
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Waterfall
of Rochester
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Seeing the falls
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o see the upper part of the falls, go down the stairs by the park’s restroom facility and follow the walkway under the bridge. If you continue on to Lower Falls Park, you’ll discover an interesting sculpture. You’ll cross the RG&E sluiceway if you keep walking another 200 yards. With no designated trails into the gorge from Maplewood Park, access from that area is discouraged. A Google search may show some options. You can also see the falls if you drive across Driving Park Bridge, turn left onto St. Paul Blvd., and then turn left onto Seth Green Drive. Go about 100 yards and turn left into a parking lot. Walk down the road to the power plant where you can see the falls and access the east riverbank for
St. ul
Pa
Ave
St.
Lake
small Brooks Falls. For in Rochester’s nearly 200-foot deep gorge held up by layers of ancient seabeds hundreds of millions years old, the Genesee River thunders down the Lower Falls, one of fishing. the largest waterfalls in New York State. What truly defines Rochester’s Lower Falls is its setting: it’s in the middle of a city and Seth Green Dr. 104 it connects to nearby Lake Ontario, which Maplewood Park Norton St. makes it an amazing Driving Park fishing spot. Lower Falls Park While tourists Driving Park Ave. Lower Falls may not flock here, Lexington Ave. Clifford Ave. fishermen do. It’s the U pp autumn salmon run er F Middle Falls alls B lv d . that draws them from throughout New York . t Cataract Park S ith Sm and adjoining states. Lyell Ave. High Falls By late summer, High Falls District driven by primeval 31 ROCHESTER mating urges, three 490 varieties of salmon 96 t e forsake their Lake e tr ain S E. M Ontario habitats and Rapids follow their noses
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along a faint molecular watery trail emanating from the places where they were stocked in the hundreds of thousands as fingerlings. The largest and by far the most prolific, the Chinook or King salmon (a Pacific salmon), start to swim into the mouth of the Genesee and head upstream. They begin arriving in significant numbers through October and into November. As autumn deepens, smaller numbers of Coho and Atlantic salmon, and rainbow/steelhead and brown trout also show up. They all run into a major problem: the over 100-foot Lower Falls. It stops them cold. Catching them might seem like the classic shooting fish in a barrel, but it’s a bit more difficult because urges other than hunger have taken over their brains. Captain Ken Strimple, fish guide and host of the ESPN radio show “Let’s Catch Fish” says to catch salmon, “You have to lock into their psyche ... they’re huge scent junkies.” So he first tries natural baits like fish eggs, and, if that doesn’t work, he taps into their
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Top: Ricky B. fishes for salmon in the calmer waters of Irondequoit Creek. Left: Jose, visiting from Puerto Rico, shows off a steelhead/rainbow trout. Right: The biggest of the migrating salmon is the Chinook (king) salmon— some reach up to 40 lb.
instinctual behavior. One technique he favors is to try and back them into a corner where they often strike out of aggression. Many year-round sport fishermen prefer to avoid the rambunctious
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territorialness of the autumnal salmon seekers who ring the base of the falls. They fish further downstream; a few may forsake the salmon and head upstream above the falls where they can work the waters without worrying
hen it comes to “spectacular” and “amazing” falls on the Genesee River, most of us think of Letchworth State Park. And while the falls there are amazing and spectacular they are matched, even topped, by their Rochester counterparts. In particular, Rochester’s Lower Falls matches nicely to Letchworth’s Middle Falls. Each is over 100 feet tall, each is roughly the same breadth, and each has a distinctive boot outcropping interrupting the falls. Although they aren’t quite twins in resemblance, they do appear to be siblings.
about tangling lines. Salmon also run up smaller tributaries of Lake Ontario, most notably Oak Orchard Creek, Sandy Creek, and Maxwell Creek. Some follow their personally scented watery trail to Irondequoit Bay to its south end, where they enter Irondequoit Creek. Home. The restless continue onward, a few swimming nearly 15 miles upstream into Corbett’s Glen. It’s a small nature park (in the suburb of Penfield) known for its woodland paths – and for its small run of migrating salmon. And once in a while, some, on an unknown salmon pilgrimage, make it all the way to Powder Mill Park in the town of Pittsford. For the Chinook, sometimes topping 40 pounds, the migration trip, wherever it takes them, is their final trip. Of the migrating salmon, they are the only species that dies after spawning. The other species, if their physical condition allows, spawn and eventually return to the lake. Not all fishermen are addicted to the salmon run. James Dunbar fishes the river September /October 2017 ~
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A constant spray, a steady roar, and a magnificent curtain of water make for a spectacular fishing backrop.
around the year because, “This is a world class fishery. I catch walleye, muskie, bass, carp. The carp and catfish often fight better than the salmon.” Along with fish, history abounds here: Native Americans settled here centuries ago. A branch of the Underground Railroad terminated here, with Canadian ships carrying slaves to their freedom across the lake. Old flour, paper, and textile mills flourished along this part of the river. A still active hydro power plant at the base of the Lower Falls produces enough energy for 31,000 homes. The Lower Falls is a working waterfall in a working class neighborhood. It can be wild. It can be exciting. It can even be educational.
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Nooks & Crannies
a little bit of everything
The
Other Fall Sport
story and photos by James P. Hughes
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ields of pumpkins and colorsplashed hillsides. Crisp air and the tang of apple cider. The crunch of leaves underfoot. It’s glorious autumn in the Finger Lakes and with it, of course, the return of football, soccer…and cross country. Yes, cross country. Do I love football and the other sports? Sure! Like so many others, I savor the atmosphere of bright stadium lights, colorful banners, stands packed with rabid fans, and a blaring press box describing the action on the field below. But, the worthy sport of cross country, taking place in relative anonymity, demands dedication, respect, and appreciation as well. It can be something special. There are no stadiums here; the action takes place on wooded trails, open meadows, and steep hillsides. There are no roaring crowds; the fans, far fewer in number, often lose sight of large portions of the race itself, save the start and finish. Yet, as fall arrives in upstate New York, scores of runners train vigorously to race over the region’s
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trong high school teams and individuals from the Finger
Lakes Region traditionally fare among the best at New York’s state championship meets at the end of each fall season. Fayetteville-Manlius girls’ cross country teams have won 10 Nike National titles. In 2015, the Syracuse University men’s team won the NCAA Division 1 national championship. Both cross country teams from SUNY Geneseo were recent NCAA Division 3 runners-up, the women’s team in 2015 and the men’s team in 2016.
challenging terrain. It’s a sport made for the season. In the interest of full disclosure, your scribe some time ago coached high school cross country for more than a decade. Perhaps I’m not the most objective source, but those exposed to the sport over time discover cross country has a beauty and drama all its own. Many runners have a love-hate relationship with cross country. Its demands are many: long tedious training sessions, sore muscles, inclement weather. In the way it tests an individual’s perseverance and limits, it can become a metaphor for life. Yet, cross country has its moments of great satisfaction as well, even euphoria: a “best ever” finish, defeating someone you have never beaten before, being part of a team triumph. The race itself is ever intense and grueling, even lonely. Its reward can be as simple as a ribbon, a crisp apple or a bottle of water. An inner strength must be developed and a desire to test your limits. In the middle of a race a runner
Cross country schedules and results Leone Timing – leonetiming.com Tully Runners – tullyrunners.com Section V - T & F/Cross Country sectionvtrack.com/cross-country
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Nooks & Crannies becomes an “island unto one’s self.” There’s no one to help, no substitutions, and no timeouts – only the pain of a maximum effort to get to the finish line as fast as possible. Along the course a runner may have to run through mud, a creek bed, or even snow late in the fall. Individual battles for position toward the back of the pack are every bit as intense as those at the front. One challenge follows another. It’s all about overtaking that next runner…can you do it on the next hill…or in the final kick at the finish? Don’t expect a lot of sympathy along the way from coaches and others. As one runner related: “In one of my first cross country races, I had gone out too fast and midway through was suffering. As I passed my spectator brother along the course, I mumbled, ‘I can’t do it...I can’t.’ His curt reply was, ‘You can still talk, so you can run.’ I never complained again to anyone during a race.” In the midst of a competitive race, with no break, mental toughness becomes just as important as physical strength. Pain in cross country is a given: aching muscles, pounding in the chest, gasping for breath. To defeat the pain a runner must learn to “fight through it,” to be mentally tough. An anonymous runner once quipped, “Cross country is a mental sport…and we’re all insane.” In the end, despite its many challenges and slim media recognition, cross country engenders great team camaraderie and personal strength. For the runners themselves, from youngest to oldest and least to most experienced, the essence of cross country is not only satisfying, it’s addictive. The season is here. Runners nervously “loosen up” at the line. The starting pistol is raised. “Runners set”…BANG!
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Making a Difference
The entrance to Trail of Hope.
the important things
Blazing Trails of
by Nancy E. McCarthy
Hope
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hand-painted wooden archway and American flag marks Trail of Hope’s humble trailhead at the farthest edge of the Lyons Community Center parking lot. This unique nature trail, designed specifically to accommodate people with impaired mobility, offers wheelchair-friendly stone dust paths winding through planned theme gardens (such as a butterfly-shaped butterfly garden) and natural wooded areas. While compact in size, this ¼ mile trail packs in a lot of features for visitors of all ages and abilities: from child friendly play structures and informational signage to a willow tunnel and a tranquil bird viewing platform overlooking Black Brook. Trail of Hope is one of three accessible Wayne County trails branded Forever Wild For Everyone (FWFE) by the non-profit volunteer organization Trail Works (TW). TW, founded in 1997, believes that all people should have access to enjoy nature trails. The group’s mission includes developing new trails, or designating existing ones, to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines such as firm and stable trail surfaces, wide pathways or passing space and benches placed at appropriate resting intervals. “Our goal is to let people know that they will be able to navigate the trails,” says Carol May, a Trail Works board member. In 2010, May was board president when Mark DeCracker
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(a Lyons businessman, avid outdoorsman and community volunteer) first pitched the Forever Wild For Everyone idea to her TW board. He even enlisted the talents of local artist Amy Colburn to design a logo for the slogan. “We saw immediately that he would be an asset to our organization,” says May. The Huckleberry Swamp trail in North Rose was the first to be designated as FWFE. In 2011, the concept of shaping an empty field and dirt pile at the Lyons Community Center into an accessible community trail came together just a year later as Trail of Hope. It was dedicated to two Lyons residents: the late Jim Tuscher, a disability rights activist, and Leigh Ann Henry, a young woman who uses a wheelchair following a debilitating 2009 car accident. Henry and her family still visit “her” trail. “The Trail of Hope was completed in 2013,” says DeCracker. “We just keep adding more themed gardens every year.” This year there are plans to add a “Jesus Garden” (ancient varieties that grew in the time of Jesus). It was DeCracker’s vision but he was, and still is, supported by an enthusiastic cadre of local people and businesses plus visiting students who volunteer through Group Mission Trips (GMT). Trail of Hope is one service location, of almost 200 nationally, that the Colorado-based GMT offers as a mission trip experience called Week of Hope (WOH). “Week of Hope enables youth volunteers from around the Photos courtesy Mark DeCracker
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Clifton Springs Nursing Home resident Melva Burnett in the Willow Tunnel with Week of Hope volunteers in 2016.
country to participate in meaningful faithoriented and community service work throughout the summer, aiding local community members like Mark in the fulfillment of a specific need,” says Caleb Goodie, a program leader. This year Trail of Hope was supported by four weeks of separate volunteer work crews. On one June Tuesday, WOH team leader Chelsea Lee was weeding a trail garden along the “Yellow Brick Road” section before others in her crew spread donated mulch on it. Lee, from Connecticut, had never been to the trail before and described it as “beautiful, absolutely stunning.” Later that day, nursing home residents from Clifton Springs were arriving for a tour. Many people characterize the trail as a special, lifechanging place. Carol Kildoyle is one of them. She met DeCracker in 2013 while riding her bike on the trail. Kildoyle, recently widowed, was looking for ideas to fill her time. Her T-shirt’s slogan “Too Many Weeds, Too Little Time” was a perfect conversation starter. She is a certified Master Gardener and DeCracker needed one to help the inexperienced volunteers differentiate weeds from flowers. Kildoyle jumped at the chance to get involved. Besides planting, weeding and watering,
she has lead visitors’ tours, taught schoolchildren about gardening and healthy eating and supervised Week of Hope volunteers. Kildoyle developed close relationships with many Week of Hope crew members who shared some of their own personal struggles as they worked side-by-side. “It meant a lot that they said that I was such a help to them, and in doing so, it helped me to heal after my husband’s sudden passing,” she says. In addition to the FWFE initiative, Trail Works curates a Wayne County trail directory on its website and also participates in Wegmans’ popular “Hit the Trails Passport” program. The idea originated in Penfield in 2005 during a brainstorming session between Wegmans Food Markets and Penfield Recreation staffers. “We were looking for ways to get people moving and align with our Eat Well, Live Well program,” explains Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans community relations manager. Encouraging Wegmans’ Penfield customers and employees to hike or walk the numerous local nature trails was the impetus for the passport program which, in turn, helped to promote the trails and encourage movement and exercise. The program has expanded exponentially to include 29 (Continued on page 90)
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Cultured
the better things in life
Art Ambassador Mr.
story and photos by Kay Thomas
W
hen Naples artist Darryl Abraham decided to pick up stakes four years ago and follow his wife, Jan, on her new teaching assignment in Israel, his world scenery changed. His art evolved. It was inevitable. Little did Darryl know when he left the United States that there would be a connection with his hometown through his daily artistic creations more than 5000 miles away. You see, while in Israel Darryl was commissioned by the Naples Central School district to create a piece of art to be placed in the atrium of the new section of the school honoring the heritage of the community. Always one to be curious about his environment, Darryl began his explorations and found the Jerusalem marketplaces fascinating studies. The intensity of the colors around him was magnified tenfold by the rich sunlight illuminating his paper. “I am affected by the sunlight.” “Everything I studied at Sunday school, I saw right there,” says Abraham, referring to the Biblical locations of Jericho and the Sea of Galilee. Each became multiple opportunities for subject matter. Before leaving for Israel Darryl taught at Mansfield University, Pennsylvania. He credits his chairman,
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Dr. Martha Whitehouse, for encouraging him to take the risk and turn the experience in Israel into a learning adventure. While I was interviewing Darryl in his home studio, I told him to relax and sketch if he felt more comfortable, a skill he began developing as a child in grade school. He is a most unassuming man and finds it difficult to talk about himself. Art has always been his avenue, though. Later, when I was in the process of writing the article, Darryl would send me quick email notes about one more thing to consider, and add a painting as a finishing touch. That’s not uncommon for him. Around Naples Darryl is known for his generous nature, and the person who drops off an original picture to a business or individual as a thank you or simple hello. Best of all, Darryl shares his love for everyday people in rural settings and communicates their importance in his art. You could say he is a storyteller and his pictures depict a stop on the road to converse with a farmer planting his crops, or a merchant in the market organizing for the day’s sales. Anyone admiring a piece from Darryl can’t help but feel a little humor in it, although it is not of a mocking or condescending variety belittling the common man. Rather, it’s glorifying his
Painting in Israel.
Photo courtesy Darryl Abraham
valuable contribution to society. There is still one constant in the equation though, no matter how his art developed while in Jerusalem. It continues to have a regional feel, and themes of farming and vineyards tie him to the land, whether he is in the Finger Lakes region or in the Middle East. There is a slight touch of Thomas Hart Benton and John Steuart Curry, artists who traveled around the country in the 1800s depicting traditional life in huge murals, in Darryl’s quest to honor the gift of the land and those laborers who care for it. Darryl’s style is hard to classify. Most people would agree that it is not folk art, nor is it primitive. He is a studied painter with an MFA from the University of North Carolina. He has been referred to in the art world as a Red Grooms, the artist known for his sculptural pictoramas demonstrating sensitivity to the cultural norm of the day. That’s not the case. Unlike Grooms, whose representations are cityscapes and lack
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Left: Atrium of Naples Central School
an intimacy with the people portrayed, Darryl is enmeshed deeply in rural locations with an appreciation for the stories behind individuals. This lifts his work off the page and into the imagination of the viewer. After a little thought and study about how to describe Darryl’s art, I will use the term modern reductive, or minimal. Both his paintings and 3-deminsional versions of his work are like a narrative of what he passionately experiences around him. Darryl’s reliefs with miniature characters and landscapes come to life right in front of the viewer, and carry on an art form that has been around since the sixth century in Japan. That’s the way it always has been for Darryl. He is grateful for his environment and the history that goes with it. There is a strong combination of art, college teaching and landscape design from his business that sets him apart. His work can be found at the Oxford Gallery in Rochester, and in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, along with other venues. His art can be found locally at Artizanns in Naples. “I am appreciative of the trust from the folks at Naples school and Superintendent Matthew Frahm, to allow me to come up with something and run with it while I was so far away.”
Above: Darryl in his studio in Naples with examples of his work. Below: Josh Tilley, grand-son-in-law and skilled craftsman helped with the installation.
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Cultured
Rick Szkapi helped with the installation along with John and Brian Perrin (not pictured).
Post and Beam Homes Locally crafted in our South Bristol New York shop 5557 Rt. 64, Canandaigua, NY 14424 585-374-6405 www.timberframesinc.com Building the Finger Lakes since 1977
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Thus, Darryl’s ideas from memory turned into eight, ten foot by ten foot hanging panels and a floor pedestal celebrating the stories of the region. There is a feeling of distance and depth in each one. The reliefs hinge in large measure on the use of natural materials. Bits and pieces of moss, stones, twigs and clay from Naples and similar objects he found in Israel blend together in a cross-cultural exchange, so to speak. There are stones from the Sea of Galilee and clay from the Jordan River. He credits his wife for her constant encouragement and assistance. Looking at the panels, one depicts the life at the school, another the nearby vineyards and farm fields. Cows graze, students play soccer, grapes are cultivated and folks ski on Bristol Mountain. They are dramatic vignettes in miniature that appear alive and moving instead of static on a background. The one freestanding relief encased in glass is a replica of the Rectenwald barn, a longtime Naples family farm now the property of the Reservoir Creek Golf course. While in Israel, Darryl worked on individual panels and upon his return to Naples in the summer of 2016 he finished the pieces in his garage. An official unveiling was held in January 2017 at Naples Central School. Darryl told an audience at the dedication ceremony that he considers the project a closure documenting the heritage of many unsung heroes no longer alive. He referred to the Ed Rectenwald family and several generations of other Naples families present that evening. “Art is what I see, feel and what I enjoy,” says Darryl. With that, Darryl has left a gift for the students of today and tomorrow, a visual sense of pride for their community. As for himself, Darryl finds a deep-rooted spiritual relationship in his ever-developing art and wherever it might lead him in the future. Currently, Daryl’s latest work is exhibited at Mansfield University, Pennsylvania, in the Loomis Gallery, October 23- November 16th, Art From the Holy Land, including 3-dimensionals and watercolors. Opening reception is October 23, 11:35-1 pm.
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Fruit of the Vine
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wine, spirits and brews
New Captain at the Helm
Sam Filler takes over as the executive director of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation
story and photo by Jason Feulner
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ew York is one of the main grape-growing and wine-producing states in the U.S., although long overshadowed by California, which produces more than 80% of U.S. wine, and closely beaten out by Washington State. Regardless, the New York wine industry is a large one by North American standards, and for much of its recent history it has been represented by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, based in Canandaigua. For over 30 years, the New York Wine and Grape Foundation was led by Jim Trezise, who spearheaded a number of broad and well-known marketing, policy, and advocacy campaigns that many visitors to the Finger Lakes region would recognize (Uncork New York, or even the well-known wine trails on each lake). In the spring of 2017, Jim stepped down to enjoy retirement and Sam Filler was brought on board as the new Executive Director of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation. I was able to catch up with Sam during a recent tour of Casa Larga Vineyards, just southeast of Rochester. After a tour and tasting, we had a chance to sit down and talk about a variety of topics related to the future of the New York wine industry and the Finger Lakes region.
of Director of Industry Development, or the “One Stop Shop,” for wine, beer, and spirits at the Economic Development Corporation, a position which brought him to the board of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation. In this role, he became acquainted with the organization prior to the retirement of Jim Trezise. A Proud Tradition Without hesitation, Sam praises the work done by Jim Trezise over the previous decades. “To quote Jim,” Sam jokes, “this whole New York wine industry is a 30-year overnight success.” Sam shares his appreciation for Jim Trezise’s dedication to keeping the disparate wine regions of the state in some form
Strong Policy Background Sam Filler does not come to the New York Wine and Grape Foundation as a wine expert per se, but one who has looked at economic initiatives from a variety of viewpoints and positions. A native of Westchester County, Sam attend Vassar and NYU, where he obtained a Master’s in Urban Planning. It was after NYU that Sam entered the Empire State Fellows Program, which trained young policyminded managers for public service. Sam also had previous experience in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC in a variety of policy-related areas. “At Empire State Development, I happened to share a desk with Pat Hooker, formerly the Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets,” Sam tells me. “Next thing I know, I’m putting together a policy book for Governor Cuomo’s first Beer, Wine & Spirits Summit – that was the start of it all.” Bitten by the wine bug, Sam soon took the position
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of union despite the vast geographic differences. “I’m only a few months on the job and I’ve already put 10,000 miles on my car,” Sam tells me, stressing how large and far flung the state’s wine industry is when you take into account all of the active regions. “Jim’s greatest achievement was ensuring that the state government realized that the wine industry was worth investing in. That’s easy to take for granted years later.”
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A Sense of Discovery Now that he’s fully on the job a few months, and tasting wine like mad, Sam says he has been surprised by a few things. “The Rieslings, they really do vary in tasting profile from winery to winery,” Sam concludes, recounting a recent trip to Seneca Lake with the Drinks NY program. “The winemakers talk about terroir, and there is certainly something to that, but the overall quality is a testament to experimentation and winemaking.” Sam said he’s also been pleasantly surprised on the overall strength of Cabernet Franc, which he found to be consistently good from winery to winery. “The Finger Lakes deserves equal recognition for reds and whites.” Getting Creative Despite the overall success of New York’s wine industry, Sam wants to look at areas for improvement. He cites the large number of smaller, vinifera-focused wineries that have been established in recent years and how some of the larger marketing campaigns may miss the appeal of these important wineries. Sam says he wants to “evolve our programming” and references the already-established Drinks NY program which brings sommeliers, beverage managers, and media from New York City to the Finger Lakes for cellar tastings and harvest events. He believes this program can be expanded and continue to be a model for exposure to highquality wines. To understand how differentiated marketing might benefit various tiers
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Fruit of the Vine
Making Friends Since 1962
New York Wine and Grape Foundation The website for the New York Wine and Grape Foundation provides background materials on the industry, a guide to all of New York’s wine regions, and links to individual wineries broken down by region (or even by lake). newyorkwines.org of the New York wine industry, Sam says he wants to engage in a strategic planning process to examine where the best opportunities might be. He’s also hired a director of member relations and development to expand the membership and reach of the organization. Sam emphasizes that it isn’t all about one kind of wine – native, hybrid, vinifera, sweet, or dry – but identifying, supporting, and highlighting quality at all levels and sizes of winery.
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Some Parting Thoughts As we wrap up, I put Sam Filler on the spot about his favorite varietal. “Tocai Friulano,” Sam blurts out, an aromatic white native to Italy that is produced by Millbrook in the Hudson Valley and Channing Daughters on Long Island. This wine does have a bit of a cult following despite its limited availability. Sam’s go-to wine that is produced mainly outside of New York Is Grüner Veltliner, an Austrian white that has some limited plantings in the Finger Lakes. Sam is looking forward to more of these wines being produced in New York. I press Sam on what sort of a model he’ll use to guide the New York Wine and Grape Foundation moving forward, and he mentions looking for successful case studies in agritourism from around the world. “Visitors to wine regions in Europe and California aren’t just thinking about wine; they’re looking at food and food products, restaurants, accommodations, natural scenery, and a whole variety of areas. The Finger Lakes and other New York wine regions have these things to offer as well.”
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Daytrip
exploring the finger lakes
Well, Hey
Geneva! story and photos by Marguerite Abbott
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Matt Horn, city manager since 2008, has been sk anyone in the general area of the Finger Lakes credited with much of the progress in Geneva, but is clear Region of Upstate New York and you hear the in his insistence that the integration of a city government words “renaissance,” “positive energy” and “good committed to inclusive prosperity coupled with talented changes” happening in the small city that sits on and equally committed community members is the the north shore of Seneca Lake. combination that has made the result so strong. The state It is an energy that has been building over recent of New York has taken notice, and in June Geneva was decades, carried on by the efforts of many to restore the granted a 10 million dollar award (one of ten competitive former vibrancy that Geneva once knew. Incorporated in statewide grants offered) after delivering an inspiring plan 1812, this community that 13,160 citizens call home has for the city that “emphasized projects that would impact been through the peaks and valleys that have occurred in the social and environmental many towns and cities across the fabric of Geneva.” country. “This is not about bringing It is Geneva’s time to shine prosperous people here, but to again. The hard work that so make sure anyone here who many have contributed in the wants to be prosperous has struggle to resolve the tough access to all the resources we problems is paying off. The city offer, stated Horn. “There are cool rightly calls itself “Uniquely Urban,” people here, and I don’t want this and it is unique in many ways. to become a place where they The city government and the can’t afford to live.” community had set out to weave Some of the grant will go to a collaboration that would pick addressing the long standing up the threads of all the diverse quandary of connecting members of its population, from downtown to the lakefront. This the academic institutions, the will be remedied by reducing medical community, students lanes, enhancing sidewalks, and artists, merchants of the creating landscaped medians city, working families, and those Owner Jim Hogan jokes with a customer at Geneva Bicycle Shop. and improving crossings. An struggling with poverty.
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Curious onlookers check out outdoor cafe at Opus Coffee Shop.
for downtown. Intersection improvements, and an arched innovative project near the existing lakefront pedestrian tunnel gateway sign over Exchange Street near Lake Street are part of under Rtes. 5 & 20 will be the creation of the Lake Tunnel Solar the coming improvements as well. Village. 24 vacation solar-powered rentals and 28 micro At the same time, Governor Cuomo announced that apartments will demonstrate the LifeCube concept; small the Visitor Center at the lake will become a New York State housing units manufactured in Geneva, and the brainchild of Welcome Center, partnering with the New York Wine & Ryan Wallace and his company, Small Grid. Culinary Center from Canandaigua. The expanded building will The Dove Block will also get a shot in the arm for efforts be renovated into a “showcase” for visitors to the Finger Lakes to transform the historic building at Castle and Exchange and offer New York State beverages and food. Streets. The building will highlight the work of Geneva’s own Some of the programs requested but not funded this abstract impressionist artist, Arthur Dove, who painted 130 of round are the Resiliency Center, his paintings from the third floor of aimed to have services that already the building in the 1930’s, looking address poverty-related issues housed out at Seneca Lake. Retired HWS in one complex designed to make professor Jim Spates is one of the the social services more efficiently folks spearheading efforts to create a delivered ; a Senior living complex at non-profit tribute to this native son. the south end of Exchange Street, and The art world knows about him, and funding for the Arts. These can all be there is no other museum dedicated applied for again, as they are part of to his work—one of which recently the Strategic Plan. sold at Christie’s for 5.4 million Meanwhile, business in Geneva dollars. Watch this space … and go to is strong and picking up steam with savethedoveblock.org to get more info! the recent news of the award. Yvette Some of what Geneva has in Ortiz, owner of Earthly Possessions, store are a public marina, restoration when asked how she liked being of the old Patent Cereal Block which downtown, quickly replied “I love it!” will add storefronts and apartments, Ortiz, who opened her jewelry and a new brewery downtown, upgrades gift shop in 1998, said the number of to the Smith Opera House, and Linda Viertel, owner of Serendipity Boutique, interacts with steady stream of treasure hunters. people coming to shop downtown free broadband Internet access September /October 2017 ~
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Linden Street is a popular destination
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has increased. Tour buses park in the municipal parking lot, visitors grab a sandwich at Parker’s Grill or Eddie O’Brien’s, or perhaps pasta at a new eatery across the street, La Mia Bella Sicilia. They then shop, with choices of new and established businesses offering an array of hand crafted, local and interesting wares. The Finger Lakes Gift and Lounge (or “Flounge”) is a delightful and eclectic shop offering many of these items, and a historic and quaint setting to enjoy locally ground coffee, freshly made salads, local ice cream or even a glass of Finger Lakes wine or beer. Across the street, Stomping Grounds offers vintage ephemera and other treasures; a place where you can easily lose track of time. Don Liberatore, owner of The Frame Shop for 35 years, said he is excited about the energy he feels going on in Geneva. He sees young people drawn to starting their own businesses right out of college, and many are doing it right here in Geneva. That’s not a coincidence. The city has taken an aggressive stance in helping small businesses get started by offering grant initiatives and low interest loans to encourage folks to set up businesses here. To increase the odds of succeeding, they require that those who would like to take advantage of these supports meet with a small business consultant retained by the city. Business plans are reviewed and recommendations made. As a result, Geneva’s success rate of new businesses is 75%, while the national average is below 50%.The city also works with members of the local business community to operate Port 100, a coworking space to help remote workers and entrepreneurs network and build their practices. Victor Pultinas and Jenna Lavita are happy beneficiaries of this trend, winning Geneva’s Race for Space award in 2013, which allowed them to open Lake Drum Brewing. Both recent graduates of HWS, the winemakers/ brewers/artists define themselves as part of the “creative experimental style of the Geneva revolution.” They brew their craft beer on site and make cider from apples grown on their property in Waterloo.
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Day Trip They are also the first to produce alcoholic beverages within the city since Prohibition. Linden Street displays one of Victor’s other gifts: a stunning building –sized mural. Andrew King was a sophomore when he won the HWS Pitch Contest with fellow classmate Zachary Lerman with designs for stickers. $10,000 and 4 years later, Space Vinyl Design & Print Co. is at home on Exchange Street, with expanded services and thriving. This trend meshes well with the businesses that have been mainstays in Geneva for many years. The Burrall insurance company, for example, has been in the same location on Linden Street for 188 years! The Burrall family ancestors were around for the founding of Geneva itself, and since then the family has never stopped doing business here. Not far behind, Lynch Furniture has been furnishing homes in the Geneva area since 1905. The Studio Salon, owned by Nancy Colizzi and daughter Cindy Kerr since 1993, is a family affair, with other daughter Carol Lynch helping in the daily operations. “There were nights when my car was the only one in the parking lot when I left work,” Cindy stated. “Now I have trouble finding it!” Joe and Steven Fragnoli, owners of Super Casuals clothing store, have been on Seneca Street since 1978, and have an online customer base of over 100,000. “We plan to keep our store here though, this is where our roots are,” Joe stated. Stroll around the corner to Linden Street, the quaint one way “cobbled” street to find some of the area’s finest dining and nightlife destinations. You can taste some of the best the area has to offer at the FLX Table, host your next special occasion at Sophie Elkin’s Left Bank venue, grab a glass of wine at James Emory-Elkin’s Microclimate wine bar or a cocktail at the Linden Social Club, co-owned by Emory-Elkin and Joe Kennedy. Or perhaps a sausage and sandwich at Finger Lakes Sausage and Beer, or freshly baked cookies at the Simply Sweets Bakery. These are only some of the establishments that have migrated to what has become a fun place to be. The street is cordoned
off for weekends during the summer to enjoy music and food under twinkling lights. As Neil Sjoblom, whose photography business has been on Linden for 40 years said, “Linden Street has always been special.” Serendipity is a magical nook on the corner of Castle and Exchange Streets owned by Linda Viertel. Opened for a year, it represents over 70 artists and crafts people and a treasure trove of antiques; Linda is part of the magic. When asked what she liked the most about being downtown, she led me to the spot where you could see the lake…”Need I say more?” she asked. One of the busiest places downtown is The Bike Shop opened 22 years ago by Jim Hogan. They have an impressive inventory, from beginner bikes to what the most sophisticated triathlon rider would want, in addition to top notch mechanics. But the overriding (no pun intended) reason they have such a good name is that Jim and his staff clearly love what they do, and riders far and wide know it.
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akeview
Valerie Pierce, co-owner with Veronica Mortensen of Quilty Pleasures, offers a kaleidoscope of fabrics and classes to show you how to use them. The most common complaint she hears is that there’s not enough parking for all their customers…a happy problem to work on! So, have breakfast at the now iconic Water Street Café, a slice of quiche at The City Café, a treat at Geneva Gelato, work on your laptop over a latte at Opus, Korean Fried Chicken at the Red Dove, Irish Shepard’s Pie at Beef and Brew, Sicilian Calamari at Halseys, or a family sized burrito at Char-Burrito. There is even a new Gluten Free restaurant if it suits! Then stroll around and see what else is emerging- more at the reading of this article than at the writing of it. Years ago a friend once said “You can leave Geneva and go around the world, or you can stay in Geneva and let the world go around you.” Now, it seems, you can stay in Geneva—and the world comes to you.
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Enterprising
in business
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Fine
Romance by Mary Wojciechowski
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ove has flourished at the Inn at Taughannock since it opened its doors in 1946. Set in a picturesque hillside overlooking Cayuga Lake near Trumansburg, and nestled beside majestic Taughannock Falls, the 150-year-old mansion and its four surrounding buildings beckon couples from far and near. “We make memories here,” says current owner and romantic at heart Carl Mazzocone. “It’s all about love, romance, and marriage.” Mazzocone’s affair with the mansion began when he was a film student at Ithaca College. He was a frequent visitor to Taughannock Falls State Park, which surrounds the inn and was once part of the property. The 750-acre park features the tallest single-drop falls in the eastern United States. During picnics by the lake, Mazzocone was captivated by the mansion’s enchanting aspect. With its Victorian façade and lovely cupola, it looks like a larger-than-life wedding cake snuggled into the hillside. His career as a film producer took him to the west coast, but his love of the Finger Lakes kept him coming back. Eventually, it motivated him to purchase the property last year and undertake its mammoth restoration.
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Original owner John Jones Wealthy Philadelphia business owner John Jones and his wife were the first to fall under the spell of the location. In 1873 they built a summer paradise there; a mansion steeped in luxury with custom-commissioned furniture and diamond-dust mirrors, some of which are still in use today. The commonalities between Mazzocone and Jones are serendipitous. Not only are both Philadelphia-born, they also share a love of art, eye for detail, and talent for design. “My goal is to preserve the integrity of what is still here, and there’s a lot still here,” says Mazzocone. “In a way, I feel like the house is still theirs. I have an enormous amount of respect for what they did and what they built.” After he became its fourth owner in 150 years, Mazzocone hosted an open house at the inn and invited everyone who had ever worked there. He was overwhelmed when 150 people of all ages attended, almost all of them with romantic stories to tell. More than a few fell in love with and married fellow staff members. Photos courtesy Inn at Taughannock
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The Ins and Outs of the Inn at Taughannock
Front Desk
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The Porch
The realities of renovation Despite its beauty and charm, the mansion needed extensive repairs. Before the inn opened in the spring of 2016 – just six weeks from the time Mazzocone got the keys – the house required a series of updates, both structurally and aesthetically. His team furiously painted walls, put in new light fixtures, fixed crooked headers, and removed inappropriately placed ceiling fans. Renovating a 150-yearold historic building is complicated, and each update proved to be a lengthy and costly process. But the details reflect Mazzocone’s respect for the estate. Staying with classic, elegant design choices perpetuates the sense of sophisticated luxury that defined the original house.
pen year-round, this boutique hotel and restaurant consists of five buildings and 24 bedroom suites in both Victorian and modern styles. Amenities include continental breakfast, free wi-fi, a complimentary laundry facility, and a pre-arrival shopping service. The Main Inn, an 1873 historic beauty, features six bedroom suites decorated in Victorian style. The Main Inn houses the restaurant and bar, and features an outdoor deck with a fire pit, a lower lawn area with a fire pit, and a patio. The Hillside guest house can be rented by room or in its entirety. It features a kitchen, living room, dining room, four bathrooms, and five bedrooms. Edgewood, a modern building, features 10 lake-facing bedroom suites, each of which has a balcony or patio. It also houses the inn’s complimentary laundry facility. Parkview is a pet-friendly cottage with three king-size bedroom suites. The restaurant, with its American Mediterranean flare, is open April to October, Thursday through Sunday, as well as major holidays. It is also available year-round for private parties. Dinner is offered on Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Sunday 5 to 8 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, a la carte breakfast is offered from 8 to 11 a.m., and a la carte brunch is offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cozy bar leads out to a deck with a great view of Cayuga lake and an inviting fire pit. It’s open for guests’ convenience Thursday through Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m. Additional hours can be arranged. For reservations, visit t-farms.com, call 607-387-7711, or e-mail info@innattaughannock.com. For catered events, contact Damita Chamberlain at damita@innattaughannock.com.
North Lake Suite
Another view of the Porch
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The Main Inn
For the John Jones dining room, a geometric wallpaper pattern was chosen to gracefully complement the original ceiling design and Victorian plaster medallion. The mansion’s previously straight bluestone pathways were changed to more romantic curved ones. The newly constructed stone entranceway that leads from the park to the inn consists of curved stone benches designed to give guests a welcoming hug.
Other welcoming touches include romantic music playing at the hotel entrance, and the blankets provided to keep guests warm during nights by the outdoor fire pit. At the front desk is a photo of the inn created from a 100-year-old negative. “When I look at that photo, I think about all the people who walked up those steps and spent the night here,” reflects Mazzocone. “I ask myself, ‘How many people has this place touched?’ 700,000? A million?
It’s humbling.” As the renovation continues, the goal remains to honor the integrity of the house while creating a beautiful aesthetic that modern guests can appreciate. The renovated bathrooms, for example, feature Carrara marble and an impressive Roman basket weave floor pattern. “I wanted to pick a material that is both period correct and meaningful today,” says Mazzacone. “Carrara marble is timeless.”
The Cupola If the Inn at Taughannock looks like a wedding cake, then the cupola is the topper, and there are big plans for this little room. After some minor renovations, it will become an intimate dining space for two to be used on special request. Architect Jason Demarest also hopes to add a period-correct copper spire on top, adding to the house’s grandeur and completing its look.
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Enterprising Before
THE BEST PART OF YOUR GATHERING
After John Jones Dining Room
What’s next? Love seems to be the driving force behind the plans he is drawing up with architect Jason Demarest. Tacked up prominently on his office wall are the architectural renderings of a wedding dreamland. A period-correct stone carriage house and stables will house additional luxury suites and a cocktail area. Gothic arches and four small reflecting pools, identical in design to the original Jones dining room ceiling, surround a patio for romantic outdoor weddings. One of the small cottages on the property will become a luxury salon and spa, designed with bridal parties in mind. “As a filmmaker, I’ve learned how to deliver magic on the screen, and I want to create magical experiences here too. We’re going to make this a place where brides’ dreams come true,” says Mazzocone. The Inn at Taughannock has been a romantic paradise for as long as the mansion has been standing. Carl Mazzocone has honored and built upon that tradition. The inn’s timeless beauty, expert craftsmanship, and touches of luxury will attract generations to come. Whether guests stop in for a week, a weekend, or simply for a meal, it is likely they, too, will fall in love with this picturesque spot on Cayuga Lake.
The Flatsawn Baluster
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common feature of Victorian houses was a “flatsawn baluster” made from a flat piece of wood cut with intricate designs. In true Victorian style, Carl Mazzocone designed his own flatsawn balusters for the inn. While he used some classic design elements such as the fleur de lis and gothic arches, he also incorporated some distinctly meaningful elements. Look carefully and you’ll see a “T” for Taughannock Falls sitting above a series of grooves resembling a waterfall.
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Life in the Fingerlakes Magazine Ad / Spring 2014 3.25" x 4.75" / Color
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Human Interest
stories about real people Naomi Wadsworth sits in the left seat, reserved for the pilot in command, before the transatlantic D-Day commemoration flight in 2014. The plane, called the Whiskey 7, is a C-47 that dropped paratroopers over Normandy in 1944. Photo Courtesy of Finger Lakes Chapter of 99s
Flying with the
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any young people dream of flying. When Samantha Horne was 15, her younger brother was working on his Boy Scout aviation merit badge. Their father arranged for him to take a “Young Eagles” flight, his first ride in an airplane, offered free to youngsters ages 8 to 17 to introduce them to the world of aviation. “Afterwards, the pilot offered to take me and my sister up,” recalls Samantha, now 21. After that flight the Avon teen knew flying was something she wanted to pursue, and over the next few years she succeeded in achieving her goal. Horne’s interest in aviation was fueled by attending an aviation camp. “I got the chance to do workshops making a spark plug holder, a wing rib, and went for a ride in an airplane and a helicopter,” recalls Horne of activities at the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Air Academy camp in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for youngsters interested in aviation. “I was the fortunate recipient of the EAA
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by Laurel C. Wemett
99s
Gathering of Eagles scholarship and began flight training in Kissimmee, Florida.” It took about a year and a half – while she was still in high school – to complete her private pilot’s license at age 18 in 2014. By January 2017 she received her Instrument Rating, thanks to the generosity of an Amelia Earhart Memorial scholarship from the Ninety-Nines (99s), an international organization of licensed women pilots and women student pilots. The instrument rating enables Horne to operate aircraft in all types of weather conditions. Now a commercial license is in the young woman’s sights along with her long-term goal to work in the management side of aviation. After receiving her BS from SUNY Brockport in August 2017, she will go on to study for a Masters in Business Administration at SUNY Oswego.
The Ninety-Nines Horne is one of the youngest members in the Finger Lakes Chapter of the 99s, which offers women fellowship
through flight along with scholarship opportunities and activities honoring female aviation history. The group began in 1929, when 99 of the 117 women who held pilot licenses at that time joined and formed an organization named for the 99 charter members. In 1931, the famed aviator Amelia Earhart became its first elected president. Membership in the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is available to female pilots (current or not) or females holding a current student pilot certificate. The group’s headquarters are in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Finger Lakes 99s chapter is one of 154 chapters worldwide and part of a geographical “Section” that covers both New York and New Jersey. The Finger Lakes Chapter, centered on Rochester, extends from Lake Ontario to the New York/Pennsylvania border, westward halfway between Rochester and Buffalo, and eastward half way between Rochester and Syracuse. Currently there are 18 members in the chapter, which was chartered in July, 1973. Seven either own their own planes or fly planes owned by relatives. The youngest member is 16 years old and the oldest member is in her 80s.
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Photos this page by Laurel C. Wemett
Activities are often held in conjunction with and support of the Western New York and the Central New York Chapters and the New York-New Jersey Section of the 99s. The Finger Lakes and Western New York 99s kicked off the National Warplane Museum’s Air show in July with a flying/driving poker run that finished at the Airshow grounds. In 2018, the 99s will assist with the 42nd Annual Air Race Classic (successor to the Powder Puff Derby) which promotes the tradition of pioneering women in aviation and will make its last stop at the Penn Yan Airport.
The Dream of Flying The reasons women pursue the dream of flying are varied, and those who succeed represent only a tiny percentage of aviators worldwide. Often they are employed in other careers and fly for pleasure, while others become professional pilots for airlines, industry and government. Janet Sarbou, a Director of the New York-New Jersey Section of 99s and chair of the
Judy Stiles at busy Penn Yan Airport The Finger Lakes Chapter gathered at the Penn Yan Airport for the 2017 New York-New Jersey Section annual meeting. Stiles, who has been a member of the Finger Lakes 99s for 40 years, stands near a hanger where a 1934 Taylorcraft E-2 was being worked on. Also known as the Taylor Cub, it is the predecessor to the famed Piper Cub. The E-2 airplane was being readied for display on the day after this photo was taken when the prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award was awarded to Paul Middlebrook. It was the aircraft he soloed in on March 6th 1962.
Normandy 70th Anniversary Proud Owner Frances Englund with her Cessna 172 Englund says about membership in the 99s: “I’ve enjoyed meeting other women who share my passion for the skies.” Finger Lakes Chapter, learned to fly in Nebraska and while she no longer taxis a plane along a runway, she believes “flying saved my life.” Getting her pilot’s license at age 42 restored her confidence, giving her courage to leave a bad marriage, and to complete her BA degree. She found a job as a civilian working at the Department of Defense, joining 99s chapters wherever she lived. Sarbou enjoys the friendships and the opportunity to inspire student pilots. “Just teach me how to land,” was what Judy Stiles of Keuka Park said to her flight instructor. Stiles’ late husband had a pilot license and purchased a plane with the couple’s neighbor. She wanted to be prepared to take over the controls should an emergency arise. However, the occupational therapist fell in love with flying. “Most pilots comment that the world looks smaller,” says Stiles, a Finger Lakes 99s member since 1975. “It makes problems seem insignificant. It provides a chance to get away from life’s setbacks and to appreciate a beautiful world.” “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to fly,” admits Frances Englund of Fairport, who now works as a certified pharmacy technician. She joined the Finger Lakes 99s in 2007, serving in a number of chapter positions, including scholarship chairperson. As a youngster, Englund remembers donning a red towel as a cape and jumping off the arm of a sofa. In 1984 she earned her private pilot certificate, flying on and off for several years. Then in October 2014, she fulfilled a dream of owning her own plane when she bought a Cessna 172. “It was a great feeling flying my own airplane. I chose that model because it has a high wing, making it easier to get in and out.” Englund keeps the four-seat, single-engine plane at the WilliamsonSodus Airport, a location that affords the pilot and her passengers spectacular aerial views of Lake Ontario and beyond.
“I love to fly – the freedom of it – you’re in control,” says Naomi Wadsworth, another Finger Lakes 99s chapter member. “There’s a grace and beauty to it; you see things you don’t otherwise see,” explains the Mt. Morris resident who owns her own customdesigned dance wear business, Naomi Designs. She became a student pilot in 1979 and earned her private license in 1981. Wadsworth’s commercial license in 2003 permitted her to fly cargo and commercial aircraft. Wadsworth gained unique experience flying vintage aircraft that her family and friends collected for the National Warplane Museum, formed in 1982. Located on the grounds of the Geneseo Airport in Livingston County, the museum boasts military aircraft from World War II and the Korean War eras. “It was a great opportunity for someone like me to get experience on how to fly huge airplanes and to become a good pilot,” says Wadsworth. Wadsworth shared her memorable flight for a D-Day commemoration at the annual New York-New Jersey 99s Section meeting in May 2017, hosted by the Finger Lakes 99s at the Penn Yan airport (KPEO), the largest airport in the Finger Lakes. In 2014, Wadsworth was one of four pilots on the Whiskey 7’s seven-day flight to France for the 70th anniversary of the storming of Normandy during World War II. Known as Whiskey 7 because of its markings, the airplane was one of the original troop carriers that dropped paratroopers over coastal France in advance of the amphibious invasion when that country was occupied by German forces. Wadsworth was at the controls of the twin-engine, propeller-driven C-47 military transport at the takeoff for its journey. Naomi’s brother Craig Wadsworth, a U.S. Air Force veteran and commercial pilot, did maintenance as well as flying to Normandy. The transAtlantic crossing included stops in Maine, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland and Germany. Wadsworth says a highlight of the experience was meeting people at each stop and ultimately receiving the gratitude and September /October 2017 ~
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2017/2018 2016
2017 Season
Westbound over Irondequoit Bay Photo courtesy of Frances Englund
SEASON
SmartNew People Central York’s Off-Broadway Theater September 3 - 24 | 2017
Brahman/i: a one hijra Stand-up Comedy show October 8 - 29 | 2017
Every Brilliant Thing November 11 - December 10 | 2017
Ironbound
January 21 - February 4 | 2018
bright half life March 4 - 18 | 2018
brawler
Blanche Stuart Scott (1885-1970) While 99s member Judy Stiles no longer flies, apart
April 8 - 22 | 2018
matt and ben
May 27 - June 10 | 2018
607.272.0570•· www.kitchentheatre.org www.kitchentheatre.org 607.272.0570
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from a commercial flight to visit family each year, she enjoys impersonating the early aviator Blanche Stuart Scott at special events. Scott was born and lived much of her life in Rochester. She was the first American woman to solo an airplane and the only woman taught to fly by Glenn Curtiss in a Curtiss Pusher in Hammondsport. The Finger Lakes 99s has been active in educating the public about Scott’s contribution to aviation. They re-created Scott’s tailored satin flight suit, lucky red sweater, and plush flight cap for a mannequin flying a Curtiss Pusher as part of a permanent display in the main terminal at the Greater Rochester International Airport. Vet Thomas of Hilton, who has a background in CAD/CAM and machining, was commissioned by the Geriatrics Pilot Association to fabricate this exact replica of the original Curtiss Pusher built by Glenn Curtiss in 1911. A second display features Scott at the Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport.
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love of the people in Normandy. Dawn Seymour of Bristol, a member of a 99s chapter in Arizona, was among those on hand to hear Wadsworth’s talk in Penn Yan. Seymour, a friend of the Wadsworths, flew 700 hours in a B-17 during World War II as a Women’s Airforce Service Pilot (WASP). She celebrated her 100th birthday on July 1.
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Call 800-344-0559 today or visit LifeintheFingerLakes.com 80
Blanche Stuart Scott Inside the Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) on the travelers’ side of security, is a display which the Finger Lakes 99s helped create that includes Rochester native Blanche Stuart Scott in a replica of a 1911 Curtiss Pusher.
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Human Interest A Helping Hand In addition to the camaraderie, the Finger Lakes 99s Chapter supports women in aviation by providing mentors and financial support. Each year a scholarship is given to a girl to attend one of the two aviation camps in the area. Englund mentors and guides applicants through the process of applying for such scholarships. The international 99s organization established the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship fund in 1940 as a living memorial to the 99s first president. The fund provides for flight trainings, advance ratings, and even research grants. “If the application is approved at the chapter level, I’m the one who writes the chapter recommendation letter,” says Englund. “When I started flying there still was not a great acceptance of women in the cockpit,” admits Wadsworth. However, after 37 years of flying she says the prejudice against women pilots has lessened. “I don’t see that now but it’s still not easy – you have to get a tough skin,” and adds, “you must work your way in.” Membership in the 99s offers “opportunities to mentor new members; to pass on what I have learned over all my years of
flying – to avoid pitfalls. You can’t just ‘book read,’ you have to experience,” says Wadsworth. “Women have more challenges in aviation and are supportive of each other,” says Englund. “In this section (of 99s), I never met anyone not willing to lend a helping hand. We’re very affirming of each other.” Several weeks before the publication of this issue, Dawn Seymour passed away. She will surely be missed.
To learn more: 99s, International Organization of Women Pilots www.ninety-nines.org New York-New Jersey 99s, International Organization of Women Pilots www.nynj99s.org Finger Lakes Chapter of 99s www.nynj99s.wixsite.com/finger-lakes-99s National Warplane Museum www.nationalwarplane.org Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) www.eaa.org Glenn Curtiss Museum www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org
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marketplace
Accommodations
Showcases over 50 B & B’s, each dedicated to exceeding expectations of the discriminating traveler.
Please visit www.flbba.com
GIFT CERTIFICATES are available on our website for use at participating Member Inns.
1819
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A quaint and quiet escape in the heart of the Finger Lakes
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Bed • Breakfast • Events Apple Country Retreat
2215 Lord’s Hill Rd • Tully, NY 13159 315-748-3977 • www.applecountryretreat.com
82
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Happenings (Continued from page 8)
Finger Lakes Mill Creek Cabins 2382 Parmenter Road Lodi, NY 14860
607-582-7673 Two, fully furnished, pet friendly cabins nestled on 40 secluded acres near the national forest and wine trails. Available year round.
www.fingerlakescabins.com
September 17-19...Fall Vendor Fair The Cottage Gift Shop will be holding a vendor fair during Big Flats Appleumpkin Days. This is the busiest day of the whole year at the Cottage Gift Shop. There will be special sales in the gift shop as well as prize drawings. There will also be 30+ additional vendors set up in the front and side yards. Food will be available for purchase. Enjoy a children’s coloring contest with pumpkins for the winners. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cottage Gift Shop 2445 State Route 352 Elmira 14903 733-9063 cottage-gift-shop.com September 23-25...Naples Grape Festival Since 1961, the grape festival is held every September in the Naples Valley to celebrate the area’s grape harvest, talented artisans, wine makers, local and regional music and cuisine. The Naples Grape Festival is held at the Naples High School grounds and across the street at Memorial Town
CERTIFICATE OF
EXCELLENCE 2012 – 2017
Hall from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., rain or shine. Come and enjoy wine, food, arts, crafts and local/regional music. Bake a pie for the World’s Greatest Grape Pie Contest and sample every thing “grape” that our valley has to offer. naplesgrapefest.org September 30...2017 Autumn Festival of Ales Over 3,000 beer lovers will travel to Honeoye Falls to sample over 40 different craft beers brewed by CB Craft Brewers. Beers include CB’s year round brands and custom beers brewed for restaurants and bars throughout WNY. Several food vendors will be on hand as well. Ticket sales begin August 25 at our 20th Anniversary Hoedown. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, CB Craft Brewers and other local bars, restaurants. Held from 1 to 5 p.m. Honeoye Falls Fireman’s Field 321 Monroe St Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 585-624-4386 info@cbcraftbrewers.co (Continued on page 85)
LaBelleVieBB.com (315) 694-7273 208 Main Street Penn Yan, NY 14527
Positively Lima
Historical Tour
A
You can count on us! Hilton Garden Inn - Ithaca
130 E. Seneca St, Ithaca, NY 14850 Tel: 607-277-8900 Fax: 607-277-8910 ©2005 Hilton Hospitality , Inc.
www.GorgeousViewMotel.com || info@GorgeousViewMotel.com
Gorgeous View Motel A Seneca Sunrise
Clean & Comfy
Moonbeams!
Keyless entry, WiFi, in-room frig/coffee, LED TV, online reservations, binoculars available to borrow. Open all year in Watkins Glen. Clean, comfy & the kind of customer service tripadvisor travelers (and gramma) like!
rare opportunity awaits to experience the charm of Lima’s historic homes and public buildings on Saturday, September 9 during the Lima Historical Society’s Positively Lima Historical Tour. Six of the most wellknown of Lima’s 19th century homes, including Hillcrest Mansion, will be on the tour, as well as the 1873 Lima Presbyterian Church, the 1870 St. Rose Catholic Church, the 1907/1927 Lima Town Hall, the Italianate style Tennie Burton Museum, and the 1832 and 1851 Greek Revival style buildings of the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and Genesee College, now Elim Bible Institute and College. Most of the structures are listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places and within walking distance in the historic village known for its many Greek Revival, Italianate, and Federal style homes. An English tea will be served at the Presbyterian Church as part of the tour. Positively Lima is the theme for this year’s tour, as it was for the Lima Historical Society’s first tour in 1984. It highlights the renewed energy and positive spirit the community is experiencing as evidenced by recent renovations to historic downtown buildings, two major design charrettes, brisk home sales, and an expanding enrollment at Elim. All buildings will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the English tea will be served at the Presbyterian Church from 12 noon to 4 p. m. The Lima Historical Society will also be offering raffle tickets on a queensize log cabin quilt, made especially for the tour by Lima quilter Sandra Shusda. The winning ticket will be drawn on the day of the tour. Tickets are available for $20 presale at limahistorical.org, by downloading an order form, or by calling 585-733-1885. On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased for $25 at the Lima Town Hall.
3355 State Route 14 || Watkins Glen, NY 14891 || 607.331.4276
September /October 2017 ~
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Real Estate
marketplace
DON’T BUY A WATERFRONT PROPERTY WITHOUT TALKING TO
OVERLOOKING KEUKA LAKE
on the second fairway of Lakeside Country Club with over 2 acres of privacy! Custom designed 2011 home with spacious living and dining area – gourmet kitchen featuring maple and cherry cabinets and soapstone countertops!
MARK MALCOLM II
“HE’S GOT A CORNER ON THE MARKET” Seneca Lake - Circa 1854, 3 bedroom, 2150 sq. ft., colonial with many updates and a very cute summer cottage, with 97’ of lake frontage. Permanent dock with built-in boat hoist, municipal water, natural gas, porch, decks, fireplace, lawn... all of this plus both a wonderful year-round home and a very cute summer cottage all for the price of ONE! Priced at $349,000.
Stone fireplace, Florida room, office, pet grooming facility, Ensuite master bedroom with 3 additional bedrooms and baths! Guest apartment, 3 car garage Near Marina, Wineries and Breweries!!
Curbeau REALTY
2463 State Route 54A, Penn Yan, NY 14527
www.curbeaurealty.com
Contact: Bonnie Curbeau 315-277-0236
SENECA LAKE-WESTSIDE
Keuka Lake - A beautifully restored colonial, circa 1850 on a 19-acre estate, overlooking Lake Keuka and its western shores. So many amenities, including the enclosed porch, central AC, master suite, patios, bridge, garages, wood and gas fireplaces, and 76 ft. of lake frontage with beach-house/changing room. It is truly special. Priced at $659,000.
Executive year-round, Lakefront Home-152ft lake on almost an acre. Main level is 2800’, Apartment- 750’, Lower Suite-1000’. Every Amenity-Walls of windows overlooking lake. Trex Decking, and perm. Dock. New Boat lift. Priced to sell at $699K. howardhanna.com/R1044688 Keuka Lake - A recently renovated charmer that is being sold completely furnished! Open front porch, 3 bedrooms with open ceilings. 67’ of natural frontage, eat-in country kitchen, public water, new garage, and lots of parking on the upper side of the road. This is a true “Keuka Throwback”. Priced at $339,000.
Diane Traver, Assoc Broker Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Cell/txt 585-943-0127 Office 585-396-5240 Text HO39827 to Videos(843367)
Mark Malcolm II “KEUKA LAKE’S TOP AGENT” 315-536-6163 Direct
email: mmalcolmii@aol.com
Website: MARKMALCOLM.COM (w/mobile app)
Jeffrey “Jeff” Trescot, Broker Cell 315-730-1446 www.jefftrescot.com • jefflcre@aol.com landoflakesrealty.com
CA NA NDA I G U A L AKE
L A K E FRO NT LI V I N G R E D E FI N E D Call 844.801.7808 to Learn More. www.PinnacleNorth.com
20 N. Shore Blvd | Canandaigua, NY 14424
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96 S Main St Moravia, NY 315-497-3700 113 Cayuga St Union Springs NY 315-889-2000
106 Edgewater Point, Scipio $254,900 3 Bedroom, 2 bath lovely double wide at 106 Edgewater Point with 1190’ of Shared Level Lakefront. Very nice spot on Owasco Lake. Large point shared with 9 other families. Blacktop drive from RT38 to the point. House comes mostly furnished and has lakeside deck to sit back, relax on and enjoy the lake views! Dock and hoist included. This home has Central air for those hot days. Own 10% interest in Edgewater Point. 18.86 acres and 1190’ of level lakefront. Call Jeffrey Trescot, Broker 315-730-1446
8/2/17 11:39 AM
Happenings
Fall inwithLove the
Finger Lakes! MARY WORTH - Buying or Selling, I’m working in YOUR best interests! Howard Hanna
585-704-4872 229 Lake Street • Penn Yan, NY 14527
AMAZING CANANDAIGUA LAKE PROPERTIES!
October October 1... The 36th Annual Wineglass Marathon The 36th Annual Wineglass Marathon, one of the most popular and fastestgrowing marathons in the Northeast U.S. The 2017 Wineglass Marathon Expo will take place at the Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG) on Friday, September 29th and Saturday, September 30th. The Expo is a hub of excitement for runners, spectators and the local running community. Begin your Wineglass Weekend experience here! 1 W. Market Street, Suite 103 Corning, NY 14830 607-654-7601 info@wineglassmarathon.com wineglassmarathon.com
October 7-8... Naples Open Studio Trail Take a ride through the vibrant colors of October and discover art studios nestled in the hills of the Finger Lakes. On this self-guided Art Tour, you can find unique treasures, each with its own story. Talk with us and watch as we create works of art that are available for purchase. Enjoy as much of the trail as you please using the map and following clearly marked signs along the way. This year, Artists are clustered around Canandaigua Lake, which makes for the perfect getaway day. We also have two new locations on the Trail and five new Guest Artists. You’ll find your favorites as well as discover something different. Look for jewelry, wearables, paintings, and more! 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. naplesopenstudiotrail.com (Continued on page 87)
3572 WEST LAKE ROAD, CANANDAIGUA • SPECTACULAR CONTEMPORARY 75’ LEVEL LAKEFRONT, PERMANENT DOCK, BEACH HOUSE, & BOAT HOUSE 3572WestLakeRoad.com $899,900
Whatever Happened to the Pat II? 1267 SOUTH LAKE ROAD, MIDDLESEX • ULTIMATE ARCHITECTURAL TREASURE 104’ WATERFRONT WITH BEACH HOUSE & DOCK 1267SouthLakeRoad.com $950,000
CHEERS TO LIVING HERE™ RICHARD TESTA • Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
CELL: (585) 739-3521 RichTesta@gmail.com
I CAN SELL YOUR SPECIAL PROPERTY TOO! No other agent can serve you better NOW!™ are trademarks of Richard Testa, © Richard Testa, 2017
SEE OUR NEW YOUTUBE VIDEOS AT
RICH TESTA REAL ESTATE
Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery is an established, turn-key agri-business incorporating a winery, a vineyard, a cafe, and two homesteads creating wholesale and retail wine and food sales.
Located at the heart of Cayuga Wine Trail in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, this 30 year-old business receives over 60,000 visitors per year. The growing Finger Lakes wine industry gives ample opportunity to use your imagination and see the possibilities.
Top Producing Associate Broker | Warren Real Estate Office 607 330 5244 • Cell 607 592 0474 • JillBurlington.com 140 Seneca Way, Ithaca, NY 14850
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T
he July/August 2017 issue of Life in the Finger Lakes had an article about the Skaneateles Lake mailboat/tourboat - the Barbara S. Wiles. Within the article there was a mention of the predecessor of the Barbara S. Wiles – the Pat II. The Pat II is alive and getting well at the Finger Lakes Boating Museum, located in Hammondsport on the southern tip of Keuka Lake. The 39-foot launch is being restored to its former glory and will be used as the museum’s flagship, eventually offering rides on Keuka and other lakes. The museum’s volunteer restoration team, supervised by local boatwright Geoff Heath, hopes to have the boat completed sometime next year. The Pat II was built in 1924 by George M. “Pat” Comstock and served as a tour boat on the St. Lawrence until 1956, when it was sold to Don Stinson of Stinson Boat Line, and made its way to Skaneateles Lake. Stinson had obtained a Unites States Postal Service contract to deliver mail around the lake, called the Star Route 13. Mid-Lakes Navigation took ownership in 1968 and continued to deliver mail and offer tours with the Pat II until her retirement in 1991. Once retired, the Pat II changed ownership a number of times but was never properly restored. Finally, in 2013, the then owner Skaneateles Historical Society donated the Pat II to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum to be restored, and volunteers have been working on her ever since. Visitors to the museum can see her progress in the workshop and talk to volunteers on Tuesdays and Thursdays when they work on her. For more information, or if you would like to lend a hand restoring the Pat II, visit the museum’s website flbm.org or call 607-569-2222.
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marketplace
Shopping & Services
October 5–9
Rug Event Functional Art To Live & Play On
Tribal, Bokhara and Persian ~ Classic to Contemporary ~ From 2’x3’ to 10’x14’ & Runners
From Loom to Living Room pa
u lts
Hand
ad
kn
t te
fa d b y ir l y
id
o
Thursday, October 5 at 6:30 pm
Dobbins Drugs Old Pharmacy Gift Shop
52 William St, Lyons, NY 14489 315-946-6691 Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am – 6pm Sat 8:30am – 4pm As the cold winter creeps in... Let us help you make your home warm and inviting. We offer something for everyone. From primitive & country decor to trendy fashion accessories and so much more! Let our unique selection of gifts and our friendly staff make you feel at home all year long.
One World Goods Pittsford Plaza | 585-387-0070 www.owgoods.org
www.fingerlakescoffee.com 800-420-6154
Visit our locations. Farmington Pittsford Plaza Corner of Routes Monroe Ave. 96 & 332 (CVS Plaza) (Next to Shear Ego) 585-742-6218 585-385-0750 Strong Memorial Hospital Thompson Hospital Destiny USA Mall (Syracuse, NY)
Recollections Antiques
Discover...
Canandaigua • 585-394-7493
Chair Caning Call Chris or Paula • All types of chair re-weaving • 30 years experience
86
Gifts It’s a Shopping Experience... Beyond Ordinary Open Monday - Saturday 2 West Main Street, Clifton Springs 315-548-4438
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Happenings October 14-15... Fall Open House and Apple Fest at Rochester Folk Art Guild Visit the guild’s craft shops and watch demonstrations by our artists. Enjoy a homegrown, home cooked lunch with desserts. There will be organic apples and fresh pressed cider for sale. Local Musicians. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 1445 Upper Hill Rd Middlesex, NY 14507 www.folkartguild.org
...a different kind of jewelry store. handmade • custom • bridal • glass • wood • fibers • ceramics
Representing independent artists throughout the country.
Morganite and Diamond gold ring trio by Cole Sheckler, Ithaca, NY Photo by Annie Vanacore
38 East Genesee St. Skaneateles imagineskaneateles.com • 315-685-6263
Lukacs Pottery Shop for unique, functional art and other fine handmade items 315-483-4357 7060 State Route 14 Sodus Point, NY 14555 lukacspottery.com
October 14-15... 11th Annual Southern Tier Outdoors Show Features an action-packed weekend of hunting and fishing demos/shooting expositions, gear tests and safety courses to showcase the range of outdoor recreation found in the Southern Tier of New York State. This family friendly event offers a full weekend of contests and demonstrations to keep everyone entertained. Kids have the opportunity to win prizes with the indoor fishing pond or participating in the youth turkey calling contest, they can test their archery skills, exhibit their shooting skills on the laser course, and get up close and personal with birds of prey and a variety of exotic wildlife. Attend one or both days for just $5 per person or $10 per car, and experience 150 vendors, professional classes, hands-on youth activities, demonstrations, and seminars covering everything from fishing secrets to planting food plots. Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Steuben County Fairgrounds 15 East Washington Street, Bath, New York 14810 southerntieroutdoorshow.com Oct 14…Ontario Pathways Great Pumpkin Walk 6:30 to 9 p.m. Walk a beautiful half-mile of the trail lined with hundreds of candle-lit jack-o-lanterns. Ontario County Fairgrounds, County Road 10, Canandaigua. $4 per person, children 2 and under free. Refreshments included. Strollers allowed but no pets, please. Free parking at the Fairgrounds. Rain date, Sunday Oct 15. 585-234-7722 seturner@frontiernet.net, ontariopathways.org
Olde Homer House Antiques & Traditional
LONGS’
CARDS & BOOKS OFFICE SUPPLIES
Featuring a wide selection of home decor, furnishings and gifts that changes with every season.
Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5 5 South Main St., Homer, NY
607-756-0750 • OldeHomerHouse.com
Mon-Thur 8:30-7:00 • Fri 8:30-8:30 • Sat 9-6 • Sun 10-5 115 Main St, Beautiful Downtown Penn Yan, NY 14527
Ph 315-536-3131 • Fax 315-536-6743
October 21... Chestnut Festival at Goose Watch Winery Each fall the winery harvests the chestnuts grown right at Goose Watch Winery and hosts one of the biggest, most delicious celebrations of the year. Come enjoy live music while sampling a variety of foods made from their own chestnuts. Enjoy a tasting of wines and warm mulled wine and be sure to leave room for BBQ food. Have fun playing lawn games while overlooking the beautiful fall foliage on Cayuga Lake. Admission is free with wine and food items available for purchase. 5480 State Route 89, Romulus, NY 14541 888-549-WINE goosewatch.com September /October 2017 ~
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Culture & Attractions ANTIQUE WIRELESS MUSEUM
Bringing art and people together since 1973
Experience Two Centuries of Communication Technology Voice of America Station, Titanic Radio Room, 1925 Radio Store, First Transistor Radio, Working Transmitters, First Cell Phone and Much, Much More!
JOHNSON MUSEUM OF ART Cornell University 114 Central Avenue, Ithaca Tuesdays–Sundays, 10AM–5PM Free admission! 607 255-6464 museum.cornell.edu @HFJMuseum
Open: Tuesday 10am-3pm & Saturday 1-5pm
6925 State Route 5, Bloomfield, New York 14469 585-257-5119 • www.antiquewireless.org
Schuyler County Historical Society’s
Celebrating 30 years
Saturdays April 29- December 9 8am - 4:30pm Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4th www.thewindmill.com
Better than you Remember More than you can Imagine... 1826 Palmyra, NY
Ghost hunts all year. Call (315) 597-6981
for information, prices and reservations on all events.
BRICK TAVERN MUSEUM Historic 1828 brick ‘tavern’ with a research library and 9 rooms exhibiting Schuyler’s Hidden Treasures... artifacts, photos & stories!
Museum Hours: Tue-Fri • 10am-4pm 108 N. Catharine Street • Montour Falls, NY 14865
607-535-9741 • schuylerhistory.org
E AS T H I L L GA L L E RY Fi Fin r La s Cra s
OPEN MAY 13-OCTOBER 22 Saturdays 11-5, Sundays 1-5 or by appt.
1445 Upper Hill Rd., Middlesex 585-554-3539 • www.folkartguild.org August 26, Historic Ghost Walk & Hunt, 9 to 11 pm, $10 per person September 15, Ghost Walk & Hunt, 8 to 10 pm, $10 per person October 7 - Sibyl’s Birthday
Whingblinger Heritage Festival Sept 23 10 to 4
October 14 - Famous Historic Palmyra Cemetery Walk
Museums open 10:30 to 4:30 until Oct. 31, Nov. 1 – May 1 Tues. – Thurs. 11-4 p.m. www.HistoricPalmyraNY.com
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Museum complex features a tavern c1796, log house c1850, school house c1878, blacksmith shop c1870, and agricultural barn.
73 W. Pulteney St., Corning, NY Open Mon-Sat 10am-4pm 607-937-5281 • heritagevillagesfl.org
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Rose Hill Mansion Johnston House
Telling Geneva’s Stories three museums ∗ tours ∗ exhibits ∗ programs ∗ events www.genevahistoricalsociety.com 315-789-5151
Since 1982
Historic Maritime District
Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum
Geneva History Museum
Open May through October 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (and on Mondays Holidays!) FREE Outdoor Concerts Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. July 2 through September 3
7606 North Ontario Street Sodus Point, New York (315) 483-4936 www.sodusbaylighthouse.org
Come Eat With Us
ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED! 888-302-1880
Open 1-5pm • Monday thru Sunday
West 1st Street Pier, Oswego 315-342-0480 • www.hlwmm.org
FLFoodTours.com
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marketplace Culture & Attractions
Making a Difference (“Blazing Trails of Hope,” continued from page 63)
different trail passport booklets which intersect geographically with 60 store locations. Wegmans collects information from various town and city recreation programs and park conservancy groups to create and print the various pocket-sized trail “passports.” The booklets include easy-to-read maps, trail descriptions and motivation, in the form of prizes from Wegmans, for the amount of trails hiked. Participants can record each trail visit in their passport by using a crayon or pencil to make a rubbing of the trail marker. “Wegmans Hit the Trails Passport” program was
store or downloaded from Wegmans’ website. “It’s a unique trail passport because it covers an entire county,” says Lovejoy. The 27 trails currently featured in the Wayne County booklets include the three Forever Wild For Everyone trails. The most recent FWFE addition is the Butterfly Nature Trail in Macedon. In the Finger Lakes region, only Wayne County and the Town of Greece offer ADA accessible trails in their passports. Greece has two out of 12 trails: Erie Canalway Trail and Canal Ponds Trails. Mark DeCracker’s enthusiasm never wavers and he now leads
Colonial Belle Cruising The Historic Erie Canal Fun for th ut e Entire s Abo s Family Ask U e Cruise m e Th r u O
s arter te Ch Priva ailable Av
Call for Reservations
585-223-9470 • colonialbelle.com
400 Packett’s Landing • Fairport, NY
Butterfly-shaped Butterfly Garden with Willow Tunnel in background
recently awarded the 2017 New York State Recreation and Park Society’s “Outstanding Corporate Partnership Award,” recognizing Wegmans’ significant contributions to the field of parks and recreation and its important benefits to communities. The Wayne County passports, a collaboration between Wegmans, Trail Works and the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Newark office, can be picked up at the Wegmans Newark
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Trail Works as its Board President. The group continues to cultivate the development and designation of nature trails without barriers that everyone can enjoy. Visit trailworks.org or wegmans.com for more information. Find more trails and hiking ideas at gofingerlakes.org, a new Finger Lakes Land Trust resource for outdoor recreation in the Finger Lakes.
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Canandaigua
CANANDAIGUA, KEUKA & SENECA LAKE PENDANTS CANANDAIGUA LAKE BRACELET (Seneca also available)
Can be custom made with sterling links, beads, or macrame
Original Artwork Paintings, mixed media, drawings, glass, hand crafted jewelry, sculptures, ceramics, pastel
Fine Jewelry & Watches 142 South Main Street Canandaigua, NY 14424
585-394-3115
Workshops & Classes 71 S. Main Street, Canandaigua, NY 585-394-0030 www.prrgallery.com
mycrowndowntown.com
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A Finger Lakes landmark for classic gifts, extraordinary accessories for home and garden, handcrafted jewelry, apparel, fine stationery and whims w h i m ses! ie s! 56 South Main St. • Downtown Canandaigua Open Daily • 585-394-6528
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Seneca Lake Wine Trail
Wines that rise to
5576 State Rt. 14, Dundee, NY fulkersonwinery.com
匀 䤀倀 倀刀䔀䴀䤀唀䴀 䄀圀䄀刀䐀 圀䤀一一䤀一䜀 圀䤀一䔀 䘀刀伀䴀 伀唀刀 ─ 䠀䄀一䐀 倀䤀䌀䬀䔀䐀 Ⰰ 䔀匀吀䄀吀䔀 䜀刀伀圀一 䜀刀䄀倀䔀匀 䌀 䄀䘀준 吀 伀匀䌀䄀一䄀 匀䔀刀嘀䤀一䜀 䰀唀一䌀䠀 䐀䄀䤀䰀夀 䌀 刀䔀䄀吀䔀 䴀䔀䴀伀刀䤀䔀匀 䘀伀刀 夀伀唀刀 圀䔀䐀䐀䤀一䜀 䤀一 伀唀刀 䈀䔀䄀唀吀䤀䘀唀䰀 䰀 䄀 嘀 䤀匀吀䄀 준 䈀 䔀䰀䰀䄀 䈀䄀䰀䰀刀伀伀䴀
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Wine & Spirits
Get to the Point Breathtaking vistas. Award-winning wines. Experience one of the premier locations on the Cayuga Wine Trail. Enjoy our premium selections and stay for lunch at our on-site eatery, Amelia’s. Business Hours: 20 miles Winery Sun-Thurs: 10 am-5 pm south of Auburn Fri and Sat: 10 am-6 pm on scenic Route 90 Deli Fri, Sat and Sun: 11 am-4 pm
The winery that started a winemaking revolution in the Finger Lakes....
Order Online: www.longpointwinery.com
Open Year Round: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm 9749 Middle Rd. Hammondsport www.drfrankwines.com
1485 Lake Road • Aurora, NY 13026 (315) 364-6990 • mail@longpointwinery.com
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(585)347-6236 • KNUCKLEHEADCRAFTBREWING.COM
September /October 2017 ~
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Naples
VISIT NAPLES
ld’s Woratest Gre pe Pie Graontest C
to get your grape pie (and more!) and don’t miss these great Fall events:
Naples Grape Festival • September 23-24 Naples Open Studio Trail • October 7-8 Apple Festival at Rochester Folk Art Guild • October 14-15
Naples Grape Festival September 23rd & 24th 10am-5pm Rain or Shine Rte 21 in Naples Village on the grounds of Memorial Town Hall and the Naples High School.
Featuring Finger Lakes Finest wineries and micro breweries Over 100 vendors for fine art, crafts, food and local products. Music schedule and information on www.naplesgrapefest.org
NaplesValleyNY.com
Commercial sponsors wishing to market their organization to Thousands of guests should contact Donna Scott at 585-490-1339 or naplesgrapefest@gmail.com
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Wohlschlegel’s
TOUR IT
“State of the Art” Sugarhouse. Hike the Sugarbush, Sweet view
TASTE IT
Naples Maple Farm
Garry and Bobbi Wohlschlegel
8064 Coates Road Naples, NY 14512
Maple with Moxie
Just Tap It
Naplesmaple@gmail.com Naplesmaple.com
Tastings of Maple Syrup. Maple Cream and More!
TAKE IT HOME
Assorted Maple Products from our Sugarhouse Store From Our Finger Lakes Forest to Your Table, Call to schedule a tour
(585) 775-7770
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MONICA’S PIES Famous for our Grape Pies Available Year Round
Local fruits to luscious creams we have your favorite! Call to order yours!
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Call 800-344-0559 or Visit LifeintheFingerLakes.com
A variety of pies available daily also chicken pot pies, quiche, jams, jellies & gifts.
Open 7 days a week, 9AM-6PM 7599 Rte, 21, Naples
585-374-2139
www.monicaspies.com
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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Camping Cheerful Valley Campground
Quality Fresh Fruits & Veggies of the Season
Family Camping at its Best Free Vintage Fire Truck Rides • Real Log Cabins Planned Activities • Themed Weekend • All Type Sites Large Swimming Pool • Ceramic Tile Rest Rooms Rec. Hall • Playground • Great Fishing • Large Fields Peaceful River Valley • Large Grassy Sites
• The Largest open air produce market in the Finger Lakes
1412 Rt. 14 Phelps, NY 14532 Ph: 315-781-1222 • info@cheerfulvalleycampground.com www.cheerfulvalleycampground.com
• Enjoy Naples Grapes & The Fall Foliage • Breads, Pies & Cookies Baked Fresh Daily • 100’s Of Kinds of Jam’s ‘N’ Jellies... (Visit our Sampling Area) • N.Y.S. Honey & Maple Syrup • N.Y.S. Cheddar Cheese • Browse Our Wine & Gift Shop... Handcrafted Gifts From Across the U.S. • Handmade Amish Lawn Furniture Open May - Nov Daily 8am-7pm
S. Main Street, Naples 585-374-2380
www.josephswaysidemarket.com Hejamada Campground & RV Park
Family Camping at its best! Located in the Finger Lakes Region
Come see why we’re the ideal campground for caravans, jamborees, group functions, families and individual campers.
(315)776-5887 • 877-678-0647
www.hejamadacampground.com
Clute Memorial Park & Campground • Full Hook Ups Including Cable & Wi/Fi
• Across From Beautiful Seneca Lake
• Walking Distance to Downtown
• Community Center & Pavilion Rentals
• Boat Launch
155 S. Clute Park Drive (Boat Launch Road) Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607-535-4438 www.watkinsglen.us
Family Fun for Everyone!
315-781-5120 Playgrounds • Pool • Kids Crafts Outdoor Games and Game Room • Themed Weekends Large 50 Amp Sites • Dog Friendly
RV Sites and Rental Cabins Available 315-781-5120 • juniuspondscabinsandcampground.com campjpcc@gmail.com
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Index of Advertisers September/October 2017
COMPANY.................................PAGE.... PHONE........... WEBSITE / E-MAIL
COMPANY....................................PAGE.... PHONE........... WEBSITE / E-MAIL
Antique Revival.............................................26......800-780-7330....antiquerevival.com
The Inn on the Lake.................................... 12......800-228-2801....theinnonthelake.com
Belhurst Castle................................................ 7......315-781-0201......belhurst.com
Kendal at Ithaca............................................C3......877-915-7633.....kai.kendal.org/fl
Bristol Mountain .........................................65......585-374-6000....bristolmountain.com
Kindred Fare.................................................. 77......315-787-0400.....kindredfare.com
Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventures..........11....................................bristolmountainadventures.com
Kitchen Theatre Company......................... 81......607-272-0570....kitchentheatre.org
Caves Kitchens..............................................29......585-478-4636....cavesmillwork.com
Lakeview Geneva LLC................................. 73......315-789-5714......lakeviewgeneva.com
Cayuga Lake Wine Trail.........................48-49......800-684-5217.....cayugawinetrail.com
Larry’s Latrines..............................................68......607-324-5015.....larryslatrines.com
Clifton Springs
Longview........................................................ 29......607-375-6320....ithacarelongview.com
Chamber of Commerce..............................66......315-462-8200.....cliftonspringschamber.com
Morgan Marine............................................. 47......315-536-8166......morganmarine.net
Cobtree Vacation Rentals...........................30......315-789-1144......cobtree.com
N-Hance Wood Renewal............................ 81......585-243-0577....nhance.com/wny/contact
Corning Museum of Glass.........................26......800-732-6845....cmog.org
New Energy Works......................................C4......585-924-3860....newenergyworks.com
Cottone Auctions..........................................65......585-243-1000.....cottoneauctions.com
Pettis Pools and Patio..................................69......585-383-0700....pettispools.com
Cricket on the Hearth.................................... 8......585-385-2420....cricketonthehearth.com
Pinnacle North................................................ 3......844-801-7808....pinnaclenorth.com
del LAGO Resort & Casino........................... 9....................................dellagoresort.com
Rasa Spa..........................................................11......607-273-1740.....rasaspa.com
Downtown Ithaca Alliance.........................58......607-277-8679....downtownithaca.com
Rochester Regional Health System............. 5....................................rochesterregional.org
Eastview Mall.................................................20......585-223-4420....eastviewmall.com
Rooster Hill....................................................68......315-536-4773.....roosterhill.com
Elmira Corning Regional Airport...............39....................................ecairport.com
Route 96 Power & Paddle.......................... 32......607-659-7693....powerandpaddle.com
Ferris Hills.......................................................C2......585-393-0410.....ferrishills.com
Seager Marine...............................................69......585-394-1372....seagermarine.com
Finger Lakes National Forest.....................63......607-546-4470....fs.usda.gov/gmfl
Seneca County Chamber........................... 22......800-732-1848....fingerlakescentral.com
Finger Lakes Promotions............................68......585-328-9470....flxny.com
SignLanguage Inc.........................................58......585-237-2620....signlanguageinc.com
Finger Lakes Tram........................................32......315-986-8090....fingerlakestram.com
Smith Boys....................................................... 2....................................smithboys.com
Fireplace Fashions........................................ 31......877-409-6555....fireplacefashions.com
Starkey’s Lookout......................................... 30......607-678-4043....starkeyslookout.com
Foodlink Festival of Food........................... 21....................................foodlinkny.org
Timber Frames..............................................66......585-374-6405....timberframesinc.com
Gardner Construction.................................40......315-573-1474......gardnerconstructionny.com
Wagner Vineyards........................................58......866-924-6378....wagnervineyards.com
German Brothers.......................................... 12......585-394-4000....germanbrothers.com
Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel........................ 23......607-535-6116.....watkinsglenharborhotel.com
Granger Homestead.....................................17......585-394-1472.....grangerhomestead.org
Wayne County Tourism.............................. 41......800-527-6510.....waynecountytourism.com
Halsey’s Restaurant.......................................16......315-789-4070.....halseysgeneva.com
West End Gallery.......................................... 26......607-936-2011.....westendgallery.net
Hilton Garden Inn Ithaca.............................. 4......877-STAY-HGI.....ithaca.hgi.com
Wild Birds Unlimited...................................40......877-266-4928....sapsuckerwoods.com
Hotel Ithaca................................................... 47......607-272-1000.....thehotelithaca.com Humane Society of Schuyler County......... 8......607-594-2255....schuylerhumane.org Hunt Hollow Ski Club.................................. 31......585-374-5428....hunthollow.com I-Wood-Care.................................................. 77......800-721-7715.....iwoodc.com
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MARKETPLACE ADVERTISING
Naples....................................... Pg. 94-95
Accommodations................... Pg. 82-83
Real Estate for Sale................ Pg. 84-85
Camping......................................... Pg. 95
Seneca Lake Wine Trail............... Pg. 92
Canandaigua..................................Pg. 91
Shopping & Services.............. Pg. 86-87
Culture & Attractions.............. Pg. 88-90
Wine, Spirits & Brews.................. Pg. 93
~ LifeintheFingerL akes.com
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83488 Kendal Biking AD for LIF T: 8.125” x 10.875”
B: .125” all sides L: 7.625” x 10.375”
4c process
On a clear day, the chance to pedal along the waterfront trail at Cass Park is irresistible. For Ed and John, the ride along Cayuga Lake’s shore provides companionship, exercise and a close-up view of some of the area’s spectacular scenery. Without home and lawn maintenance to manage now, they can enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, the company of friends and the promise of long-term care they may need someday right on Kendal’s 105-acre campus. And, from here, the story just keeps getting better. Come for a visit and tell us your story. Call 1-800-253-6325 or go to kai.kendal.org to learn more.
2230 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850
A not-for-profit continuing care retirement community serving older adults in the Quaker tradition. ©2014 KENDAL
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LIFE IN THE FINGER LAKES DANSVILLE BALLOON FESTIVAL • GENEVA RENAISSANCE • LAKE ONTARIO SHORELINE
- Daniel & Sheri
800.486.0661 | newenergyworks.com Serving the nation from New York & Oregon
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 • VOL. 17, NO. 5
“The New Energy Works team came in and walked us through the process to create a home of peace and beauty. There is not a day that goes by where we are not overwhelmed with gratitude for what our home has become.”
T