December 1, 2021

F R E E D e c e m b er 1 , 2 0 2 1 / V o l u m e X L I I , N u m b e r 1 5 / O u r 4 7 t h Y e a r

Online @ ITH ACA .COM

THEFUTURE OFFESTIVALS Costs, staffing shortages and security concerns could jeopardize special events PAGE 8

COOK OFF

NO TO

HOT

VRBO

START

PAGE 3

PAGE 10

The Chowder cook- Town of Ithaca tackles IC, Cornell men’s Off returns short-term rentals bball starts strong PAGE 4

LIGHT

DRAWING

Ithacan creates upcycled lamps

County starts redistricting work

PAGE 13

PAGE 4

DELIGHT

LINES

PIANOS

• Rebuilt • Reconditioned • Bought

• Sold • Moved • Tuned

Complete rebuilding services No job too big or too small. Call us.

Ithaca Piano Rebuilders

NEW TION LOCA

Danby Rd.Ithaca Suite 26 HillSt., Business Park, Ithaca, NY (607) 272-6547 950 • 310 4th St., (Off• South Hancock 2 blocks from Rt. 13)

Famous Brands Has The Largest Selection Of Patagonia In The Finger Lakes!

FAMOUSBRANDSOUTLET.COM 412 N. FRANKLIN ST. WATKINS GLEN, NY 14891

888.535.4952

2 T

h e

Ithac a Times

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

Newsline

VOL.XLII / NO. 15 / December 1, 2021 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

F E AT URE S Future of Festivals ����������������������8 Increased regulations and dwindling resources threaten special events in Ithaca

Sports �������������������������������������������������������� 10 Personal Health ����������������������������������� 12

Light Delight ������������������������������� 13 Jon Jensen can make upcycled lamps out of just about anything — the funny, the obscure and the downright bizarre.

Newsline ��������������������������������������������������3-5 Opinion �������������������������������������������������������� 6 Letters �������������������������������������������������������� 7

ART S &E N T E RTAINME N T

Music ���������������������������������������������������������� 15 Art �������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Books ��������������������������������������������������������� 17 Film ������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Times Table ���������������������������������������������� 20 Classifieds ����������������������������������������������� 22

ON T HE WE B Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 T a n n e r H a r d i n g , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 1224

E d i t o r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m J a i m e C o n e , E d i t o r , x 1232

SouthReporter@flcn.org C a s e y M a r t i n , S ta f f P h o t o g r a p h e r

P h o t o g r a p h e r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m C h r i s I b e r t , C a l e n d a r E d i t o r , x 1217

A r t s @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m A n d r e w S u l l i v a n , S p o r t s E d i t o r , x 1227

Sports@flcn.org Steve L awrence, Spo rts Co lumnist

St e v e S p o r t sD u d e @ g m a i l .co m M a r s h a l l H o p k i n s , P r o d u c t i o n D i r ec t o r / D es i g n e r , x 1216

P r o d u c t i o n @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m

AirBnB

T

Town of Ithaca aims to limit short-term rentals with new legislation

he town of Ithaca is working on legislation to address complaints stemming from short-term rental properties. According to Bill Goodman, the deputy town supervisor, the process started a few years ago after the town started getting calls from residents who were being negatively impacted by their neighbors doing short-term rentals.

By definition in the legislation, a short-term rental is one in which a residence or portion of a residence is occupied for a term of less than 30 days.

Goodman said many of the complaints were about renters having loud parties, creating noise issues, causing parking problems and not properly disposing of trash and litter.

“As a way to address residents’ complaints, we decided we needed to have some short-

term regulations,” Goodman said. “We’ve had a number of public sessions over the years where we got input from the residents and got input from the hosts about why they wanted to do it.”

Currently there are no town

regulations for short-term rentals, and one of the main changes that the legislation proposes is requiring anyone doing a short-term rental to acquire an operating permit from the town. Hosts will have to fill out an application and

T a k e

▶ Narcotics, weapons arrest -Three illegally possessed handguns, one shotgun, assorted ammunition, approximately 1.9 pounds of methamphetamine, over 350 individual doses of illegally possessed suboxene, several other narcotics in smaller quantities, several high-end bicycles and power tools previously reported stolen and more than $26,000 in cash were recovered after a search

J i m B i l i n s k i , P u b l i s h e r , x 1210

j b i l i n s k i @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m L a r r y H o ch b e r g e r , A ss o c i a t e P u b l i s h e r , x 1214

l a r r y@ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m

continued on page 7

F r e e l a n c e r s : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Dave Sit, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman

and one was a “ghost” gun that was manufactured without a serial number.

Philip W. DeVinney, 55, of Ithaca was arrested and charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. He was arraigned before Honorable Judge Peacock in Ithaca City Court and remanded to the Tompkins County Jail. Additional charges against DeVinney are expected to be filed soon.

All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable.

All copy must be received by Friday at noon. The Ithaca Times is available free of charge from various locations around Ithaca.

Additional copies may be purchased from the Ithaca Times offices for $1. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $89 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851.

ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classified. Advertisers should check their ad on publication.

The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 607-277-7000, FAX 607-277-1012, MAILING ADDRESS is PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. The Ithaca Times was preceded by the Ithaca New Times (1972-1978) and The Good Times Gazette (1973-1978), combined in 1978. F o u n d e r G o o d T i m e s G a z e tt e : Tom Newton

THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2021, BY NEWSKI INC.

N o t e

warrant was served by the Ithaca-Tompkins Specialized Response Team on Nov. 23. An additional $34,000 was found a few days later when evidence was processed.

The warrant was served at 306 Lake Ave. after Ithaca police investigators conducted a lengthy investigation into weapons and narcotics activity, assisted by community members.

Of the three handguns, one had previously been reported stolen

Sharon Davis, Distribution F r o n t @ I t h a c a T i mes . c o m

the town code enforcement department will make sure the rooms they’re renting out are safe. There will be a fee to get an operating permit, but that number has not been deter-

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

It h ac a T im e s 3

INQUIRING

N e w s l i n e

Downtown

PHOTOGRAPHER Chowder Cook-Off returns as Winter Lights Festival kicks off

By C a se y Mar tin

WELL, WE MIGHT AS WELL GET PREPARED FOR IT. WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO SPEND A SNOW DAY?

“Building snowmen!”

-Grace O.

“Definitely hitting the Sledding hills!”

-Ian P.

“Snowball fights and hot coffee/cocoa” -Mitch B. & Brook M.

T

he Chowder Cook-Off is back. On Satuday, Dec. 4., the 11th annual Chowder Cook-Off will take place during the Winter Lights Festival downtown. The festival will begin at noon and run until 4 p.m. People can sample chowders from local restaurants and businesses on and around the Ithaca Commons.

Last year the festival was not able to run due to COVID-19, but this year it will continue with social distancing protocols in place.

Gary Ferguson, the executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, said he is looking forward to the cook-off this weekend.

“We’re really excited about bringing it back and having a reason for people not just to come downtown to shop or to dine, but to have fun,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said there is not a final list of participating restaurants and businesses in this year’s Chowder Cook-Off, but that he expects to see 12-20 participants sampling off their

Newsline04 Elections

2022 election races start taking shape although district lines remain unknown

C

andidates vying for state and federal offices representing the city of Ithaca have already started hitting the campaign trail, as redistricting efforts at the state, local, and federal levels take shape

“Bathtub and a good book.”

-Liddy B.

“Playing in the snow with my kiddo.”

-Rad H.

4 T

h e

Ithac a Times

chowders.

The owner of Luna’s Inspired Street Food, located at 113 N Aurora Street, Kevin Sullivan is looking forward to participating for the fourth year in the cook-off by sampling a Louisiana seafood chowder that their chef has designed.

“It’s really exciting this year, especially because we’re kind of getting out post-COVID and having a good community event,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said he missed when the community would come downtown for the cookoff because people from all over and surrounding communities participate in this festival.

“It’s always exciting to feel that buzz in the air and the vibrancy,” Sullivan said. “Especially when it’s cold and we’re in the middle of winter. Having that kind of activity down there is so important for our community and just a wonderful part of the identity of kind of who we are as Ithacans.”

Ferguson said there are

The existence of the State Assembly’s 125th District, the State Senate’s 58th District, and New York’s 23rd Congressional District as currently known could all change, but that has not stopped incumbents and challengers for said offices to kickstart their outreach and fundraising efforts.

In NY23, 11-year U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, will not be seeking re-election, he announced earlier this year.

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

Reed was accused of sexual misconduct by U.S. Army Officer Nicolette Davis in March.

The incident occurred in 2017 during a political trip at a bar in Minneapolis when Davis, 29, was working for Aflac, she told national media. Once the allegations came to light, the longtime congressman issued a public apology, noting he would not be seeking any public office in 2022, and icing a rumored run for New York governor.

“As I go forward, I will strive to be a better human being, continue to fight for what I believe in, and to make people’s lives better in any way I can. I hope this formal apology is just

many types of chowder that businesses make which makes this festival exciting because there is more room for variety.

“The interpretations of chowder go all over the place,” Ferguson said. “In this particular case, I think the restaurants have a lot more latitude in being able to do something very creative.”

Participating restaurants and businesses that are located on or near the Commons will set up shop outside their businesses and outside vendors will have tents set up on the Commons for people to sample their chowders and beverages.

“It’s a fun thing to do on a cold day and it’s a great way to experience downtown,” Ferguson said.

Participating restaurants and businesses currently involved are listed below: Luna’s Inspired Street Food Gorgers Ithaca Ale House Mahogany Grill Moosewood Restaurant Red’s Place Monks on the Commons Northstar House Seabring Inn Taverna Banfi Simeon’s American Bistro Steinhaus Farm Lou’s Street Food Ferguson emphasized how this cook-off festival is one of

the many events that begin the winter season in Downtown Ithaca.

People can also go downtown this weekend and next weekend for a Silent Disco on the Commons from 6 - 9 p.m. while enjoying live entertainment along with an ice bar and glow bar.

“I’m kind of excited about the fact that we’re combining food with ice with some light exhibits as well,” Ferguson said.

Tickets for the Chowder Cook-Off are sold in blocks of 10 or 20 and each ticket can be used to sample chowder and craft beverage samples at food and beverage booths at the festival.

Tickets range from $10 to $20 and can be purchased on the day of or ordered ahead of time. Pre-ordered tickets can be picked up Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Downtown Ithaca Alliance office in Center Ithaca on the Commons or on the day of the festival at the ticketing booth. You can pre-order your tickets at https://checkout. square.site/buy/TPHCD6YQDRDMCL3R7PQ5GIIT. To find out more about events happening at this year’s Winter Lights Festival visit https://www.downtownithaca. com/winterlights/.

-Sydney Keller

the start,” Reed said in a statement issued earlier this year.

Due to a decline in population, New York’s Congressional delegation is set to lose one seat, bringing the total number of Empire State representatives on the Hill down to 26, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census. The loss could change NY23 as currently known, as the district could be combined with neighboring districts or have its boundaries entirely redrawn during the redistricting process.

Despite this, three conservative candidates seeking the Republican Party nomination to represent the district have launched Congressional bids in the last year.

Joe Sempolisnki, a former Reed aide and the current chair of the Steuben County Republican Committee, launched his campaign this summer.

“I expect New York state to finalize its new Congressio-

nal map in early 2022. In the meantime, I am out and about talking to voters in the region about the issues that impact them,” Sempolinski told the Ithaca Times in an email.

The Canisteo-based politico describes himself as a “constitutional conservative” who is pro Second Amendment, prolife, pro-business, and pro-law enforcement.

“I am running because, as a father, I am concerned about the world that my two daughters will grow up in. I see the (Joe Biden presidential administration) and its far left supporters trying to change this nation in ways that I believe will make my children’s future less free and less prosperous,” Sempolinski said.

“If there is a chance I can be a part of putting in place common sense policies that protect our freedoms, keep us all safe continued on page 5

UPS&DOWNS

N e w s l i n e

Rich Moon, Andrew McCarthy, Joe Sempolinski (photos: Provided)

and grow our economy, I have a duty to try.”

For Andrew McCarthy, a U.S. Air Force veteran and current intelligence analyst for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center running for NY23’s Congressional District, electoral success may also lie within the far-right wing of the Republican Party. The Oleannative is running on an “America first” platform, according to his candidate website.

“Every time I would return, I noticed things in western New York were changing,” McCarthy said in a statement found on his website. “First a large factory closes, then local family restaurants go out of business, and before I knew it, the place I called home didn’t look quite like how I remembered. Our people are the hardest workers on Earth, so what is going on and why is no one speaking up for our people?”

The “America first” label has gained prominence thanks to Republican elected officials politically aligned with former president Donald Trump, and among Trump’s fervent base of support. McCarthy’s policy platform includes stringent voter identification laws, support for Trump’s border wall, promises to continue the U.S.’ rhetoric toward China, tax credits and assistance for families, and tax credits for small businesses and startups.

“I know faith in our people, not the global community, will revive our economic prominence. Smart, tough leadership and America First policies will give our region and our people the chance to lead from the front,” McCarthy said.

“With my leadership, we’ll end

Washington elites’ backwards authoritarian mandates and unleash levels of prosperity New York state hasn’t seen in generations.”

Jamestown-based pharmacist vying for New York’s 23rd Congressional seat Richard Moon is a self-described “political outsider.”

“Washington politicians aren’t doing their job by everyday Americans. [I’m] running to bring a fresh, conservative perspective to Congress: limiting spending and making government work are his top priorities,” Moon said in a statement found on his website. “It’s time to get the insiders out of Washington.”

Moon has experience in local politics, having served as a volunteer member of the Zoning Board of Appeals in Carroll for eight years. He is also a businessman who has grown his pharmaceutical company PI Services Wholesaling, and expanded into several locations in other states.

Although Moon hasn’t disclosed party affiliation, he is running for the Republican Party nomination, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. Moon has pledged support for conservative policies such as strict border support and the Second Amendment.

The FEC website also lists former Republican candidate for Lansing Town Board Hugh Bahar, a retired project manager at Cornell University, as a candidate for NY23. Bahar could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

Sempolinski leads the field in fundraising ahead of redistricting efforts, having raised

$107,296.53 as of Sept. 30.

Data for the other candidates has not been reported by the FEC. Former Democratic candidate for NY23 Tracy Mitrano, who ran against Reed in 2018 and 2020, told the Ithaca Times she will not be running for public office in 2022.

Two maps proposed by New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission (NYIRC) dubbed “letters” draft and “names” draft, would reshuffle the municipalities represented

by Congressional Districts.

The “names” draft keeps the 23rd Congressional District mostly intact. The “letters” draft would lump Ithaca into a liberal stronghold district, which would include parts of Syracuse, Utica, Ithaca, Auburn, and Cortland.

State Senate and Assembly races It is unclear if Republican incumbent State Sen. Tom O’Mara, R-Big Flats, who has held office in the State Senate’s 58th district since its inception at the beginning of last decade, will run for re-election in 2022. Efforts to reach O’Mara’s staff by the time of print were unsuccessful.

Longtime challenger and Democrat Leslie Danks Burke — who has run against O’Mara in 2016 and in 2020 — launched her campaign back in October, acknowledging the redistricting efforts. In 2020, O’Mara, garnered 56 percent of the vote, defeating Danks Burke, who earned close to 44 percent.

“Even as Albany slow-walks its job of figuring out district lines, we won’t let the Southern Tier (and the Finger Lakes) fall behind in our fight for a fair

deal,” Danks Burke, an Ithaca attorney, said in a press release.

“We are starting to reach voters across this region who care about stronger, fairer, better values than we’ve seen from decades of senators around here.

Danks Burke said she would like to bring a fresh new voice that represents the interest of upstate New Yorkers to the legislative chambers.

“We have a chance to change Albany’s bipartisan legacy of corruption that keeps working families down. It’s time to take our clear voice into the State Senate,” she said.

“Inside the Senate Democratic Conference, we need more upstate voices, more rural voices, to get a fair deal for our families, our farmers, our seniors, and our students.”

Currently, the district encompasses parts of the counties of Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins, and Yates.

The NYIRC’s “names” draft for the State Senate’s 58th District would realign a district that would include Ithaca and a few communities in the Finger Lakes, including Geneva and Canandaigua, as well as the majority of the counties of Cayuga, Seneca and Ontario, and rural portions of Wayne County and Onondaga County. The “letters” draft would include Ithaca in the same district as most of Broome County, including Binghamton, and all of Tioga County.

There are currently no candidates slated to challenge Assemblymember Anna Kelles, D-Ithaca, for the 125th District’s seat. Kelles was elected in 2020 after longtime Assembly Democrat Barbara Lifton retired.

Kelles did not provide a comment by the time of print, but a press release from her team addressing the election is expected later this week.

The district currently encompasses Ithaca, Groton, Danby, Trumansburg, and parts of Cortland County. The NYIRC’s “names” draft would keep the district mostly intact, but it would exclude Cortland County. The “letters’ draft, would include large swaths of Tompkins County, as well as portions of the counties of Cayuga and Onondaga Counties.

-E ddi e Ve l a zqu e z

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

Ups The Winter Lights Festival starts this weekend and will feature all sorts of festive fun.

Visit downtownithaca.com for the events schedule. And here’s our official request for adding in a Christkindlmarkt next winter!

Downs We may not have quite hit the winter solstice, but wintry weather has definitely arrived in Tompkins County. Break out those warm winter boots and get ready for the season

HEARD&SEEN Heard Hanukkah began this past Sunday -- Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!

Seen A new Starbucks has appeared in Ithaca at the former Pier One location, 722 S Meadow St. It even has a drive thru!

IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own grievances or praise, write news@ithacatimes.com, with a subject head “U&D.”

2 0 2 1

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

best reason to Shop Local during the holidays: 10.0% Trim Bezos’s space budget.

70.0% Keep your money local (Earth) 10.0% More socks fewer rockets.

10.0% Better service, by a real human person.

N ext Week ’s Q uestion :

Black, Cyber or Giving?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

/ Th e

It h ac a T im e s 5

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

ITHACA NOTES

Denise Gelberg: Gadabout gets us where we need to go!

T

Alternative Giving

By M a rjor i e Z . O l d s

hirty-eight years ago, Denise Gel- was 99-and-a-half and my youngest was a berg was on maternity leave from her college student at Cornell who got around teaching job at Northeast Elementary campus in a motorized wheelchair. The School. She had been hearing engaging ads other drivers and the office staff were all on the radio recruiting volterrific. I became a Gadunteer drivers to transport about fan for life. I underpeople who could not reach stood another volunteer essential appointments due driver’s sentiments entirely to disability or plenty of when he said, ‘This is the other obstacles. A friend aplowest paying and most proached her to see if she rewarding job I’ve ever could commit a few hours had.’” every other Monday…

“Sometimes I would take “My eight-month-old Ithacare (now Longview) loved staying each Monday residents out on bus afternoon with one of her explorations,” Denise said. two beloved grandmoth“I asked Lenny, where ers. For four hours a week I should I drive? He advised: Denise Gelberg could go wherever some‘Anywhere. The riders enjoy one who had contacted every destination. Best of Gadabout needed a ride. all, they enjoy when you get Founder and director, Judy Willis, had lost...And then you can radio in and get lined up three buses and every Monday, help finding your way back.’” along with Lenny Nissenson, then direcDenise added: “Growing up in NYC, tor of Cornell’s Gannett Clinic, I would my father only learned to drive when he drive. On every route I met interesting continued on page 7 people,” Denise said. “My oldest rider

6 T

h e

Ithac a Times

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

By St e ph e n Bu r k e

T

he comic philosopher Linus Van Pelt famously said “I love mankind, it’s people I can’t stand,” and it’s easy to have a similarly conflicted feeling about holiday gifts.

Everyone loves giving and (let’s be honest) getting, but the commercialization and sometimes overwhelming materialism of the season can block out the joy and true meaning.

A remedy is the idea of alternative giving, where you make a donation in someone’s name to a charity or community organization that fits their values.

An Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair was held both live and online in November.

As December arrives, the organizations involved are still available for alternative giving at their individual sites online.

A roster of the groups that participated in the fair can be found at ithacaalternativegiftfair.wordpress.com., under “Virtual Portal.”

The organizations can loosely be listed as working within categories of the arts and sciences, the environment, food, health, housing, and social services. Here are examples of each.

The arts: The Community Arts Partnership supports the arts in Tompkins County with programs such as the Greater Ithaca Art Trail, the Ithaca Artist Market, and the Spring Writes Literary Festival. CAP makes grants to arts events, individual artists, and art programs in schools.

Science: Free Science, Inc. serves “historically marginalized and underserved low-income youth” with science workshops, field trips, and a one-of-a-kind Physics Bus. Environment: Discover Cayuga Lake has programs and in-season boat cruises “to engage students, community members and visitors in learning about the ecology and history of Cayuga Lake and its watershed, and to inspire people to maintain these healthy environments for future generations.”

Food: The Friendship Donations Network was started in 1988 by Ithaca resident Sara Pines as a solo project. It has grown into a nexus of food redistribution from supermarkets, stores, eateries, and farms to food pantries and programs serving scores of partner sites and organizations.

One such partner, No Mas Lagrimas, was started recently by Ana Ortiz in an open air space and structure on W. Buffalo and Fulton Streets. The organization supplies free food, health items, baby

supplies, and cleaning supplies. This year it made a big leap forward, moving to the Henry St. John Building on S. Geneva and W. Clinton Streets. Donations will help the group continue its work in its new home in the downtown/Southside community.

Health: The Cancer Resource Center provides support for people living with and affected by cancer. From its homelike headquarters on W. State Street it coordinates wellness classes, support groups, individual support, and access to information and resources. Its services are free of charge.

The Ithaca Health Alliance/Ithaca Free Clinic provides primary medical and holistic care in a facility on W. Seneca Street, free of charge.

Housing: Love Living at Home aids older adults who want to remain in their homes. The group helps with access to home maintenance, transportation, food, and personal well-being.

Social services: Family and Children’s Services provides counseling for children, teens, adults, older adults and caregivers.

An outreach program works throughout the city, focusing on public places, for individuals showing signs of distress.

Ithaca Welcomes Immigrants was founded in 2015 in response to global refugee crises “to continue the development of Ithaca as a welcoming host community” to refugees and immigrants. It provides basic needs support, emergency aid, community orientation, and other services.

Catholic Charities has programs to “support all people in need” and “advocate for justice and human dignity.” It provides emergency financial assistance, transitional housing, and immigrant services. Its Samaritan Center on W. Buffalo Street has free clothing and personal care items.

Laurie Konwinski of Catholic Charities, a past spokesperson for the alternative gift effort, succinctly describes the effort’s focus and offerings for the holiday season as “less stuff, more love.”

She provides examples: “Say you have a neighbor who helps you. Or a kid’s teacher who is just a hero.” Physical gifts might be awkward. Similarly, for family members, they might be superfluous.

(Don’t Mom and Dad always say “We don’t need anything”?)

But being the inspiration for help for others is a real gift, meaningful for anyone. Alternative giving makes it real.

COMMUNITYCONNECTIONS Contin u ed From Page 6

was in his 40s. Long after I had returned to teaching, my parents moved to Ithaca.

When they needed support getting around, they raved about Gadabout.

Never a confident driver, my father loved the independence Gadabout provided as my parents aged. When he no longer felt confident about driving, he was still mobile; he had Gadabout…My mother moved to McGraw House and my father eventually moved into Longview assisted living. When he could no longer drive her around, my mother would tell me how the drivers made her feel so cared for. She’d say, ‘They take my arm. They walk slowly.

They are wonderful.’”

After Denise had earned her doctorate at Cornell, represented the ICSD teachers’ union as their negotiator and had penned several well-received novels, she encountered John and Alison Maceli.

“John Maceli gave 18 years of service to Gadabout,” Denise said. “When he first started volunteering, he said it was ‘the best four hours of the week.’’

After retiring from IC, John increased his hours driving and joined Gadabout’s board, bowing out only a couple of years ago.

“Other than family matters, I still think the time spent driving for Gadabout was some of the best time I have spent,” John said. “It was a pleasure to be able to help people in their day-to-day travels…

Clearly, everyone involved in Gadabout’s operations should be complimented on their dedication to providing such a needed and valued service.”

John, a math professor whose son

Denise had taught, encouraged Denise to join him on the Gadabout Board. And so, she did…Besides continuing as a Gadabout Board member, these days Denise tutors a very charming Golden Opportunity (GO) student at her beloved South Hill Elementary School, parking right near the Maceli’s house. Supporting other GO tutors in all the schools in the Ithaca district, Denise has a full life as a writer, mother, grandmother, wife. But her connection to, and support of, Gadabout remains strong.

Once a month for the past eight years Denise has participated in the Gadabout Board meetings.

“It’s a wonderful organization,” Denise said. “Judy Willis’ inspiration has prospered and grown. Her dream that Gadabout buses would enhance people’s independence, with door-to-door service has come to fruition. So many travelers regale with stories how they could not have gotten to the doctor, to visit someone in the jail, among other destinations. The board has terrific members who bring their experiences at [Cayuga Medical Center], at [Finger Lakes Independence Center], or their skills at marketing or accounting…With a marvelous second director, Kristen Wells, and supportive staff and board, this spring Gadabout will share its new initiative. So, stay tuned for the upcoming interview with Kristen Wells. No one will be left behind.”

For more information about driving for or contributing to Gadabout, contact Kristen Wells at (607) 273-1878, 737 Willow Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14850. Every dollar contributed helps neighbors get where they need to go.

AIRBNB Contin u ed From Page 3

mined yet. In Dryden, the bi-annual fee for short-term rental permits is $90, so $45 per year.

Additionally, there will be a limit on the number of days people can do “unhosted” short-term rentals, which is when you rent your whole house out and leave the property. Goodman said in most residential areas of the town the limit for unhosted rentals will be set at 29 days in a calendar year.

However, in the lakefront area, which is a special residential zone and has traditionally always had a lot of rentals, the limit will be 245 days in a calendar year. If homeowners want to do a hosted rental where they stay in their home and rent out a bedroom or two, there will be no limit on the number of days. There will be a form on the town website where people can report their rentals so the town can keep track.

Another proposed regulation will only allow people to do short-term

rentals in their primary residence or if they own the house next door to their primary residence. Goodman said this is intended to stop people from buying up houses with the sole intent of doing short-term rentals.

Goodman said the town spoke to officials from Cayuga Heights and Dryden for insight, as both municipalities have already implemented some short-term rentals. The state does have some regulations related to short-term rentals, but Goodman said they were created a few years ago mostly in response to what was happening in New York City with multiunit buildings.

The town is holding a public hearing on the legislation on Dec. 13 during the Town Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Visit http://www.town.ithaca.ny.us/meetingcalendar for the Zoom link to participate or the YouTube link to watch.

-Ta n n e r H a r d i n g

THE TALK AT

YOUR LETTERS Celebrate Clara Barton’s birthday by helping others “You must never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it.”

These words from American Red Cross founder Clara Barton — who would have turned 200 in December — continue to serve as a guiding light for today’s Red Cross volunteers, donors and partners, who exemplify her compassion and devotion to helping others.

This generous spirit is needed now more than ever. COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on our most vulnerable neighbors, and they’re in dire straits when another crisis strikes.

That’s where our Red Cross community — of people like you — steps in to provide help and hope. This year, Red Cross volunteers mobilized across the region to support families in the wake of devastating floods caused by Hurricanes Henri and Ida, responded to 936 local disasters – primarily home fires – and provided immediate emergency assistance to 1,600 families during life’s emergencies. In turn, many of those same volunteers dedicated their time to response efforts in the south and supported blood collection efforts at a time when the need for this lifesaving resource has never been greater.

This continues to be a time to take care of each other, and what better time to honor Clara’s lifesaving legacy than when we celebrate her 200th birthday this holiday season. Join us by making a financial donation, an appointment to give blood or platelets, or becoming a Red Cross volunteer. Visit redcross.org to learn more about how you can make a difference for those in need.

-Nicholas Bond, Regional Chief Executive, American Red Cross of Western New York

Re: Italian Tinseltown

M

y favorite post-Youth Hockey destination. Try the veal & peppers!

-Eddie Coyle, via Ithaca.com

Re: Opinion: Support the Right to Renew

A

ll the clauses in the right to renew are natural principles of doing business of renting. Society does not lay down laws for or against natural principles.

A continuing tenant (bad word) is always better for the landlord (bad word) than a De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

turnover. It is when matters get out of hand that eviction becomes the last straw.

I have never evicted anyone since I was in this business and rented about twenty apartments. Look at what I am facing because of the blanket moratorium.

The lawmakers have had sufficient time to iterate to separate the wheat from the chaff. Therefore the agenda of the government is different from protecting genuine lessees.

One lessee hasn’t paid a dime for rent or utilities since June 2020.

One lessee left voluntarily and has left me one year’s worth of rent as repairs and six months of no rent because of the time it takes to repair.

Two tenants stayed for five months in a brand new apartment and left me a month worth of repairs.

Therefore the right to rent proposal is much ado about nothing. It is a waste of time to debate natural principles with taxpayers’ money. They are trying to bring in a rent control act through the backdoor that will harm every player in the rental ecosystem. One day the law will be repealed after irreparable damages due to its unsustainability. The biggest losers will be the very people that they are trying to protect because homeownership for renting will be bad business.

They are trying to limit rent increases to 1.5 times the CPI. The CPI has eight categories and over two hundred items.

Some will go up, and some will go down.

The average has no relationship to a renting business income and expenses. The rent control act is a camouflage to hide the lawmakers’ failures to provide adequate housing. This law will not affect the big lessors because they rent to students and have a natural turnover. The law will adversely affect the small homeowners who rent and provide an essential service to keep a roof over the heads of those who cannot or will not own a home.

If they wish to pass this law, then they must take care of all essential items across the spectrum. Gas, food, electricity, taxes must all be frozen at the CPI level.

Only wages will be allowed to go up. No one will make any money. More money will chase fewer goods, and money will become worthless with stagflation.

Here is a sane suggestion. Set up a committee for intermediation between lessors and lessees. Either party can bring their issues to the committee. The committee will have advisory powers to suggest a solution that may work for both parties. Such a move will not be against free-market principles and our Constitutional rights. However, it will act as a deterrent for either party to bring up flimsy causes in the public domain.

No one likes to wash their dirty linen in public.

-Sanjay Behuria, via Ithaca.com

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

It h ac a T im e s 7

FUTURE OF FESTIVALS Increased regulations and dwindling resources threaten special events in Ithaca

T

By Ta n n e r H a r di ng

here are many things that define a community, from its political leadership to its school district to its economic base. But one of the things that brings life and culture to a community is its festivals and special events. Rochester, NY has its Lilac Festival and Jazz Fest, Oswego, NY has Harborfest and Albany, NY has the Tulip Festival. All of these signature events say something about the community they take place in. In Ithaca, we have Apple Harvest Festival, Ithaca Festival and PorchFest, to name just a few. However, the future of festivals in Ithaca could be in jeopardy as dwindling resources and increased regulations are making it harder for both the city and event organizers to pull these festivals off.

“I started raising the red flag in 2019, stating that events were getting a lot more complicated,” City Clerk Julie Conley Holcomb said. “They were growing in size and in volume and we were getting more of them. I was not confident we could adequately accommodate them.”

Holcomb, the final approval needed to sign off on events, has largely taken on an event planner role within her City Clerk job.

8 T

h e

Ithac a Times

“That part of my job became very big all of the sudden, and honestly it should maybe be 10-15% of what I do,” she said.

Holcomb said the number one priority of the city when working on planning special events is public safety and risk assessment. And she said while of course event organizers want their event to be safe, they’re often focused on attractions, the theme of the event, the budget, and other details. Then there are additional requirements from the New York State Department of Health if an event is going to have more than 5,000 people in attendance at one time. The state requires event organizers to get a mass gathering permit, which needs the city to confirm they have the resources available should things go wrong.

The police department needs to submit a plan about how they’re going to react if there’s an active shooter situation, a bomb situation, a vehicle breach of a barricaded pedestrian area, and any other number of dangerous situations.

In addition to that, the state’s Office of Fire Prevention and Control has its own regulatory codes that requires the fire chief to get safety plans, confirm the ratio of crowd managers to expected attendants, make sure crowd managers have appropriate training, have a plan for fire watch

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

and ensure fire lanes and hydrants remain clear throughout the festival.

“So events are getting more and more complicated to plan,” Holcomb said.

“They’re taking longer and event organizers, in some cases, don’t feel prepared to write the incident action plans that the state requires they have.”

She said everyone understands why the state is requiring these things, as the country routinely deals with attacks on public events. “[The state] is trying to mitigate and make sure the city is prepared and can respond accordingly,” Holcomb said. “Our police and fire train together and work very well together, but emergency management planning is a lot more time intensive and something that not everyone has time for anymore.”

She noted that both the fire and police departments have been shorthanded in recent years, making finding time to complete these plans and provide support at events increasingly difficult.

Holcomb said the city has a special events team with support from the Department of Public Works, the police and fire

departments, TCAT and the Downtown Ithaca Alliance in an effort to make things smoother for event organizers.

“Collectively we all meet and review the event applications and for the event organizer, it’s like one-stop shopping,” she said.

“They can submit their application and hear perspectives from all the different departments. And then we all hear the same thing, have the same plan going in, and can react appropriately if something out of the norm occurs.”

However, sometimes not even that process works. PorchFest was planning on making its return this year after canceling in 2020 due to COVID-19. However, the increased number of requirements on event organizers proved to be too burdensome for the festival and it was again canceled.

PorchFest organizer Andy Adelewitz said at the beginning of January he filed the permit application, and noted that at that time things were still up in the air with COVID as vaccinations were only just getting started.

“The state restrictions on events were changing all the time, so we were putting

Pac k e d C r ow d s at t h i s y e a r’s A p p l e H a rv e s t F e s t i va l (p h o t o s : C a s e y M a r t i n)

in our application and would wait and see,” he said.

After nearly six months, Adelewitz said they hadn’t heard back and after the governor lifted most COVID restrictions in June, he said they followed up with the city asking if they could proceed. They were then invited to do the second phase application, and as they were undergoing that process the city told them they would need to hire private security. Adelewitz said that was new for PorchFest but that they took a meeting with a private security company and determined they would be able to afford it. In mid-August, which was a little over a month out from the event date, the events committee told Adelewitz that he would need to submit a public safety plan.

“That was, again, a new thing,” he said.

“We weren’t really given any guidance of what it should look like. We did some research and tried to put something together that made sense for our event, but we were told it was not adequate.”

At that point, PorchFest was 40 days out and they hadn’t even been able to book the acts yet.

“We’re not professional organizers,” Adelewitz said of he and his partner. “We’re two people doing this on the side and don’t get paid for it. Perhaps if we had dedicated our whole lives we could have pulled it off.

We should have followed up more aggressively, we are one of the many things the event committee has to deal with.”

He noted that planning events also wasn’t the full-time job of the city staff, Fire Department or Police Department.

“We could have been chasing them earlier in the year to make sure we knew what we had to do to meet all the new requirements,” Adelewitz said. “It’s frustrating for us that it came down so late in the process, but we understand that last year was an unprecedented year.”

He added that while they don’t meet the 5,000-person threshold of the state, the local rules have changed as PorchFest

has grown, such as starting to close down streets and getting insurance.

“We just didn’t learn about all the new things until late in the game,” he said.

Holcomb said she knows there are hard feelings that PorchFest didn’t work out in 2021, but said it’s the event that she’s been the most worried about over the past few years.

“It’s now a huge regional draw and our concern was yeah, the bands are on private property, but it creates a festival atmosphere,” she said. “There are a lot of children and families that go and traffic was open and vehicles were going up and down while people were spilling off the sidewalks and kids were running across the street. We had a police officer who was pretty shaken because they almost hit some kids and the fire chief had very grave concerns. So we want to make it a safer event. Everyone loves it, no doubt, but what can we do?”

She confirmed that Adelewitz hadn’t felt qualified to come up with the safety plan and ultimately they all ran out of time.

“I feel very very badly about that, but at the same time our number one charge is public safety, so we have to make sure everything is in place so we can adequately support an event,” she said.

Apple Harvest Festival, on the other hand, was able to go off pretty normally. At least from the outside perspective.

“I think COVID, state regulations and city constraints all kind of came together and has made it a much more challenging environment to do events,” Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance said. “I think there’s still an appetite to do events, but the challenge is the environment is a lot more complicated and probably a lot more expensive.”

Ferguson said the state requires major events, such as Apple Harvest Festival, to have incident command centers and detailed safety plans.

“I think the safety plan for Apple Harvest Festival was between 45-50 pages

long,” he said. “These are major undertakings. It’s not something where you get together at Starbucks and write it together over a latte.”

He added that every time something like what happened in Wisconsin on Nov. 21 happens, when a driver intentionally sped into a holiday parade killing six and injuring dozens more, it adds more angst to the process.

“Everybody wants to be very sure and very careful that we don’t have problems,” Ferguson said. “We’re trying to prevent and mitigate problems as best as we can. So that’s in the forefront.”

This means while the Apple Harvest Festival seemingly went off without a hitch, the DIA actually had to spend “a very large sum of money” on security. They also spent a lot of time and effort training people to be crowd monitors, taking them through online classes, and establishing reporting mechanisms and putting them into place.

And Ferguson said while they do use volunteers, they like to pay the people they put into responsible jobs, which adds labor costs as well, and insurance costs continue to go up year after year. All of these things affected the DIA’s bottom line substantially.

“There were a lot of extra steps that came into play,” Ferguson said. “The concerns that I have would be we’re always sort of watching that we don’t take on more than we need to in terms of city responsibility of city dollars. The city has a role to play in this process. Defining that role is evolving and changing and we’ll work with that, the DIA and city are trying to work together to figure that out.”

The incident command centers were traditionally manned by the city, but Ferguson said this year the DIA was told the city doesn’t have the capacity to staff those anymore. He said the DIA is lucky that they have the ability to do that, but smaller event organizers likely wouldn’t.

“I worry that while the DIA has developed a capacity to have special events over

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

the years, that’s not the case with most other organizations,” he said. “I worry that smaller groups will find themselves on the short end of the stick because they don’t have the capacity or resources to respond.

We don’t want to have a community that’s not able to have special events.”

It’s unclear which burdens will remain with event organizers going forward, but it’s likely some of the process for planning will change. The Common Council approved a full-time events coordinator in the Planning Department to help shift most of the heavy lifting off of Holcomb — who is planning to retire sometime in 2022.

“My thinking is if we have a full-time staff person to do this […] we could do all of this in one place and there’d be opportunity for communications and collaboration, but have it a little more centralized so there’s a department with a comprehensive look at what’s happening in the city on a given day.”

It’s not only larger events like Apple Harvest Festival and Ithaca Festival that require permitting, it’s everything from college parties to story time in DeWitt Park to one-time charity 5K races.

“There are just so many varied types of things we do,” Holcomb said. “It can get complicated and it’s a big job.”

And Ferguson said it’s important that everything from the biggest events to the smallest are able to happen.

“They provide a really important flavor for the community and are the reason people like where they live,” he said. “That community life is really important. There are ways you can measure economic impact, but it’s a lot harder to measure community impact. […] Having worked in events in this community for over 20 years, it’s a lot different. That’s because the world has changed. Requirements have gotten more difficult and we’re trying to respond to threats and problems we haven’t had before. It’s hard to go backwards, you can only go forward.”

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

It h ac a T im e s 9

Sports

Six and One, Having Fun

By Ste ve L aw re nc e

T

here was a sigh of collective disappointment among Cornell basketball fans when Jimmy Boeheim decided to leave Cornell and enter the transfer portal last year and play his final season for the Syracuse Orange, but I believe it is safe to say that everyone understood. After all, what would have been his senior season was canceled, he was on track to earn his degree from Cornell, and who can blame a guy for wanting to join his father and younger brother at Syracuse? Not me...

I have watched some of the Orange’s early-season games, and while the roster is definitely a bit crowded, the older Boeheim is getting some minutes and holding his own. At 6’8, he’s not the biggest front-court man, but his footwork and inside play improved markedly during his time at Cornell, and his on-court IQ is on par with anyone’s.

With Boeheim and Matt Morgan (class of ‘19) gone, the Big Red is a bit short on marquee names, but what they are not short on is wins. At the beginning of this

week, Cornell was off to a 5-1 start (the team’s best since 1967), and the fact that coach Brian Earl has been rotating as many as 13 players per game is a good sign indeed. When the Ivy League season gets underway, Cornell will want as many fresh legs on the court as possible, and with so many players getting so much court time, it has to bode well when things are heating up in the second semester.

While the aforementioned big-name players have moved on, some new faces are stepping up to fill the void. Freshman Nazir Williams is off to a fast start, and his efforts against Penn State and St. Francis earned him recognition as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week. Williams put up 14 points as the Big Red put a scare into the Nittany Lions, and followed up with 21 (16 in the second half) in the contest against St. Francis. The recognition marked the first time a Big Red player has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week since Morgan was recognized as such in 2016.

Greg Dolan

In the Big Red’s record sixth win in November, it was a memorable return to his hometown of Buffalo for junior guard Greg Dolan (Canisius is also his mother’s alma mater), who had 12 points on 5-for5 shooting, he dished out eight assists, pulled down six rebounds and blocked a shot. That would be an impressive stat line, even without factoring in that Dolan had zero turnovers. That final stat makes it a stellar stat line by any measure. ● ● ●

Over on South Hill, the Bombers of Ithaca College also had to navigate some twists and turns when Sean Burton resigned his head coaching position in April.

Soon thereafter, IC hired Waleed Farid as the head man, and the team is 3-1 heading into the opening weekend of Liberty League Play.

Farid was a stellar player at Stevens Institute of Technology, graduating in 2008 as the team’s career scoring leader.

As a player, he led the team to a Sweet 16 appearance, and went on to serve as an assistant coach at his alma mater. In fact, high-profile head coach Bobby Hurley was quoted as saying, “Waleed made great impacts as both a student-athlete on the court and as an assistant coach on the sidelines at Stevens. He is a talented coach with excellent basketball knowledge who will connect immediately with his student-athletes at Ithaca. It is a great hire for Ithaca College, and I’m excited for the future of the Ithaca College men’s basketball program.”

Farid graduated from Stevens in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in business and technology and was a presidential scholarship recipient, and in 2013, was inducted into the Stevens Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduation, Farid went overseas to play for Alexandria Sporting Club in Egypt.

Farid recently spent five seasons as the head coach at Hartwick College, and was also instrumental in some important off-court endeavors, including founding Hartwick’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

The Bombers will open Liberty League Play this weekend, traveling to Vassar and Bard.

T R A T R R A A E E W B UNIQUE UPCYCLED DENIM JEANS & JACKETS designed and created by SewGreen artisans SewGreen 112 N Cayuga St. downtown Ithaca 607-391-0340 HOURS 11 - 6 Tues-Fri 11 - 5 Sat & Sun

Free residencies for local teachers at the Saltonstall

February 19 - 23 + April 9 - 13, 2022 12 teachers chosen by lottery!

saltonstall.org/teachers | apply by: Dec. 12, 2021 10 T

h e

Ithac a T imes

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

This year, support local artists in your gift-giving festivities!

MADE IN ITHACA HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE ArtsPartner.Org

DE A M in CA A H IT

No Long Wait for Dermatology Appointments No referral required OUR SERVICES Medical • Acne • Rashes • Excessive sweating • Infections • Itching

• Moles • Rosacea • Allergy Testing • Surgical and Nonsurgical • Autoimmune disease treatment of Skin treatment Cancer

Surgical • Skin biopsies • Skin surgery

• Cyst removal • Mole removal

• Liquid Nitrogen • Electrodissecation

BRAD YENTZER, MD, FAAD DERMATOLOGIST

607-708-1330 fingerlakesderm.com | 2141 Dryden Road Freeville, NY 13068

Route 13 between Ithaca and Dryden

THE

Presenting the BEST DEAL in Mobile.

UNLIMITED TALK, TEXT AND DATA Nationwide 5G included

Save up to 60%^^ when you get 2+ lines!

We changed the rules when we introduced Mobile with NO contracts, NO added taxes and NO hidden fees.

And we are changing the rules again. Now you can get 2+ lines for $29.99/mo per line^ with UNLIMITED talk, text and data, including Nationwide 5G. Looking for the latest devices? Spectrum has those, too. Shop today’s most popular phones and get a $100 bonus when you trade in your current device. Or bring your own device. It’s up to you!

AWARD-WINNING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

BEST DEAL IN MOBILE IS HERE!

29

2+ UNLIMITED LINES

99

$

/mo per line^

Reduced speeds after 20 GB of usage per line

Named #1 in Customer Satisfaction with the Wireless Purchase Experience among Mobile Virtual Network Operators.^^^

Call 1-855-844-9553 • Go to SpectrumMobile.com/CalculateMySavings • Visit your neighborhood Spectrum store Offer good through 01/31/2022; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Spectrum Internet required. Auto-pay required. Taxes and fees included. ^Offer valid for new customers adding 2+ lines or additional lines added by current mobile customers to existing service. Smartwatch does not qualify as a line. After 20 GB per line, you will experience reduced speeds for the rest of the bill cycle. Unlimited plans include up to 5 GB mobile hotspot use per line during a billing cycle, with speeds reduced down to a maximum of 600 Kbps for mobile hotspot use after 5 GB for the rest of the billing cycle for that line. Bring your own device: Valid on select devices compatible with Spectrum Mobile. Devices must be unlocked prior to activation. To confirm device compatibility, visit spectrummobile.com/byod. Trade-in: Promotion requires customers to trade-in qualifying device, add a new line, purchase and activate a new phone. If new phone paid in full, credit applied to purchase. If new phone financed, credit applied to bill in pro-rated increments for the duration of the Device Payment Plan. If the final trade-in value exceeds the cost of the new device, the difference will be refunded via check separately from the trade-in credit on your monthly bill in approximately 4 to 6 weeks. Visit spectrummobile.com/tradein for details. 5G: To access 5G service, 5G compatible phone and 5G service required. Not all 5G capable phones compatible with 5G service. If 5G phone not compatible with 5G service or if 5G service is not available in your area, phone will automatically revert to 4G service. 5G coverage will continue to expand. Speeds may vary. ^^Savings based on 2-line comparison of unlimited plans among major nat’l carriers as of 09/2021: prepaid excl: data usage limits vary by carrier. Visit Spectrum.com/policies/mobile-terms for full terms and conditions. ^^^Tied in 2021. For J.D. Power award information, visit jdpower.com/awards. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Services not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. ©2021 Charter Communications.

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

I t h a c a T i m e s 11

Personal Health

Health Dept. encourages boosters as new COVID variant emerges T

he Tompkins County Health Department is recommending all vaccinated individuals 18 and over to get a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. The boosters are authorized for anyone in that age group who received the Pfizer of Moderna vaccine series at least six months ago or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

The Health Department recommends the booster to “help maximize protection from COVID-19, extend the vaccine’s durability, and protect our community against the virus.”

Booster dose appointments are available at local pharmacies, state vaccination sites and some medical offices. Dr. William Klepack, Tompkins County Health Department’s medical director said protection against COVID-19 is especially important as we head into the winter months.

“This is the time of year when the weather gets colder, and the holidays bring people together indoors,” Klepack said.

“I urge everyone who is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine to protect yourself and others.

The Rheoniz machines at Cayuga Medical Center. (photo: Provided)

The booster authorization came just shortly before the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the coronavirus variant B.1.1529, or Omicron, a variant of concern. According to the WHO, this decision was made on the evidence that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, such as how easily it spreads or how severe the illness it causes is.

There is not yet much known about Omicron. It came to light in South Africa in recent days, and researchers there and across the world are racing to study it. It’s not yet clear whether this variant is more transmissible, according to the WHO, but the number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant. Studies are currently underway to determine if it’s because of Omicron or other factors. Tompkins County saw a big spike in cases over the summer as the Delta variant took hold, which was a much more transmissible variant of the virus than the original.

Similarly, there is no concrete information on whether Omicron causes more severe disease compared to Delta or other

variants. Data shows there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but the WHO said this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of a specific infection due to Omicron. There is preliminary evidence that suggests there might be an increased risk of reinfection with Omicron compared to other variants.

The WHO is working to determine the effectiveness of the current COVID-19 vaccines against the Omicron variant. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the president of the United States, said in a press conference that it’s likely the antibodies created from the current COVID vaccines would provide some level of protection against the Omicron variant.

Rheonix, an Ithaca-based biotechnology company whose diagnostic instruments process the majority of COVID-19 tests at Cayuga Medical Center, announced on Nov. 30 that their machine, the Rheonix COVID-19 MDx Assay is able to detect the Omicron variant, as well as other variants of public health concern.

Gifts for the Whole Family 15% Off Gift Boxes

308 E.Seneca St 845-244-0868 Shipping & Delivery Available

www.yourcbdstoreithaca.com

12 T

h e

Ithac a T imes

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

Because of the large number of mutations in this variant, there was some concern about the ability to detect it as reliably as when the machines were first developed.

“Rheonix continually assess the potential impact of variants on assay performance by conducting ‘in silico’ analysis of publicly available SARS-CoV-2 sequence data as well as laboratory testing of prevalent variants,” Dr. Gwendolyn Spizz, chief scientist at Rheonix, said. “Based on our analysis, we are highly confident in our ability to detect the Omicron variant and we will continue to rigorously monitor the public genome databases.”

-Ta n n e r H a r d i n g

LOCAL Keep Ithaca Unique!

On-of-a-kind business are integral part of the distinct character of our place. It’s what distinguishes the uniqueness of our community compared to a chain store that looks the same anywhere else Shop Small Weekend November 26-29 Downtown Ithaca

LIGHT DELIGHT

Jon Jensen can make upcycled lamps out of just about anything — the funny, the obscure and the downright bizarre.

S

By Ta n n e r H a r di ng

crolling through the Upcycled Lamps by Jon Jensen Facebook page is like digging through a treasure chest — you’re not quite sure what you’ll find next, but you know it’s going to be good. Jensen, now retired but formerly the executive director of the Park Foundation and with a long career in environment, philanthropy and non-profit

work, started upcycling lamps in an…unusual way.

His father-in-law was an amputee — he had his left leg amputated when he was 8, and lived his entire life with a prosthetic. About 10 years ago he passed away, and then about a year ago the family was cleaning out his motherin-law’s attic and found one of his former prosthetic legs. She was going to throw it away, but Jensen decided to make a lamp out of it — inspired, of course, by the famous leg lamp from the movie “A Christmas Story.”

“So I made this thing, it is somewhat bizarre since this is a real prosthetic leg, and I gave it to his son,” Jensen said. “I had so much fun doing it that I thought, ‘what else could I turn into a lamp?’”

Turns out, just about anything.

He’s since made lamps out of a popcorn machine, a vintage Sewmore portable sewing machine, a Polaroid camera from the late ‘60s, a globe, a cowboy boot, a lockbox safe, a Spiderman figurine, a Cuisinart hand mixer, a Barbie styling head, a Tonka fire truck...

Truly, the list goes on and on.

He recently made one for his sister-in-law using her high school marching band clarinet.

He said he likes the idea of upcycling these sentimental items into something functional.

“It was getting dusty in a case and now it can sit in a living room,” he said.

Jensen said he finds interesting items from places like ReUse in Ithaca, garage sales and antique stores. Plus, people will just give him things like projectors, cameras, fans or anything else they have laying around.

“So now we’re a year later and I have like 65 lamps,” Jensen laughed.

He also notes that the lamps are made of 95% reused materials, with exceptions made only for little things like nuts and bolts.

“Consequently, things are a little quirky,” he said. “Shades are a little stained, it’s not fancy brand new stuff, so it’s part of the reuse-recycle movement in that sense.”

Jensen doesn’t have a background in the arts or construction of any type, but he said he’s always been “kind of a home handyman.”

However, despite the lack of formal training, Jensen said figuring out how to create the lamps is pretty simple.

“You just have to figure out where to put a hole, run the wire and mount it on a base,” he said.

continued on page 14

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

Arts&Entertainment

Jon Jensen in his shop (Photos: Casey Martin)

I t h a c a T i m e s 13

LAMPS Contin u ed From Page 13

Renzi Cancer Center

State-of the-Art Cancer Care in Cortland Guthrie is proud to bring innovative, state-of-the-art cancer care to Cortland and our surrounding communities with the opening of the Renzi Cancer Center at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. Radiation and infusion services are now offered at one, convenient location, keeping you close to home and giving you access to multi-disciplinary care – from diagnosis and treatment, into survivorship.

The Renzi Cancer Center offers the latest innovation in radiation technology with the TrueBeam™ Linear Accelerator, which: • Helps patients heal in fewer sessions • Provides a more comfortable patient experience due to shorter treatment times • Lowers the risks of side effects through shorter radiation sessions • Offers 2D, 3D and 4D imaging capabilities • Povides more accurate radiation targeting To learn more about The Renzi Cancer Center at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center, visit www.Guthrie.org/RenziCancerCenter.

14 T

h e

Ithac a T imes

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

“I’ve learned tips and techniques as I go.

Some are easier and some are more difficult.”

One of the difficult ones he’s currently working on is a large-scale locomotive from a train set. It’s 13 inches long and about eight inches tall, and Jensen said winding a wire through something of that size has proven to be a challenge.

He also mentioned a trumpet that his friend asked him to turn into a lamp that he just wasn’t able to do.

“If it was a bugle, I could have done it,” he said. “But a trumpet is a very complex set of tubes, and I couldn’t figure out the wiring.”

Jensen occasionally takes commissions from friends, but his upcoming pop-up shop at Center Ithaca will be his first real foray into sales.

“We’ll have as many lamps as I can plug in. Hopefully I won’t brown-out downtown Ithaca,” he joked.

The pop-up shop starts Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. with wine and live music, and Jensen said he’s hoping to sell a lot of them and be able to rebuild his inventory.

“Right now they’re clogging up my house. My wife said either the lamps go or you go,” he said, laughing.

Despite his wife’s joke, Jensen said she’s been very supportive and they currently have about a half-dozen of his lamps that they’ve decided to keep. One of them is made out of a section of a tree that was chewed on by a beaver. He found it while he was about 14 years old when he was camping and finally, after all these years, found a use for it.

“I’ve hung on to that hunk of wood since I was 14 and I’m 68 now,” he said.

He and his wife also have one sitting in his kitchen that’s a southwestern-style chimney, about 20 inches tall, with a bulb up top like a traditional lamp, and with a second flicker bulb inside of the chimney.

“We’ll never get rid of that,” he said. “[My wife] is quite happy to pick and choose lamps.”

Jensen said since he started to make lamps and post them online, the community in Ithaca has been “tremendously supportive.”

“Every time I post a lamp just to show what I’m working on, I get wonderful comments from friends and artists in town,” he said. “It’s been incredibly gratifying. It’s quite a supportive community for this.”

Pop-up Shop The pop-up shop will be at Center Ithaca from Dec. 3-5.

The shop will be open 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3 for Gallery Night, Saturday, Dec. 4, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 5, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. It will also feature special guests Rebecca Barry, who creates handcrafted figures, and Casey Martin, who will be showcasing photography.

Music

Q&A: Sarah Jarosz The Texan singer-songwriter is performing in Homer on Dec. 7.

By Br yan VanC ampe n

I

KEEP IT SIMPLE:

3 Airlines.

10 Daily Flights.

Free Coffee.

SJ: Oh, God, so many. I ’ve been a fan of mean, it was such a range of singer-songwriter and singers. multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz since hearIT: That’s what I always ing her wonderful cover hear from Austin people. of Tom Waits’ “Come On SJ: Yeah, yeah. I mean, Up to the House.” If Jake at once, some of my earliest Shimabukuro is the greatest music memories are my ukulele player in the world, parents taking me to the then David Grisman and Cactus Café in Austin. It’s Jarosz are the best mandolin delta.com aa.com united.com Georgia@ithacatimes.com 607-277-7000 x220 on the U-T campus there. players in the world. Go to That’s where I saw the maYouTube and check out her Client: jority of live shows whenNewspaper: I live rendition of Prince’s Sarah Jarosz was growing up. It probably “When Doves Cry.” She restarted with Texas singercently finished “Blue Heron songwriters: Nancy Griffith, Guy Clark, Suite,” something of a concept album.

Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, that whole Jarosz will perform the work on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at the Center for the Arts of Homer. world. I feel like even if I wasn’t actively She spoke to the Ithaca Times about Texas, listening to it, it was just always around when I was really little. But when I started getting started and “Blue Heron Suite.” and music was my thing, around 10, I was obsessed with Tim O’Brien and Gillian Ithaca Times: Can you tell me about Welch, and Nickel Creek was just a life growing up in Texas? changing band for me. I had already been Sarah Jarosz: I was born in Austin, and getting into mandolin, and I was singing, when I was around 3, my parents moved and most of my time was spent playing down to a little town called Wimberley, folk and bluegrass with older people, and which is a very small town. It’s about an so it was this revelation to me to see this hour south of Austin. I grew up there, my family is still there. It was a very incredible younger band doing that style [laughs]. place to grow up. It’s a tiny town, so you

by Betsy Schermerhorn IT: I love “Blue Heron Suite”. get that rural life, but it did have the close SJ: Thank you. proximity to Austin. I started getting into Director, Marketing and Admissions music at a really early age, and my parents IT: It has great twang, which I love, were big music fans. We were basically, like Chris Isaak. That reverb, twangy every weekend, driving into Austin to see FINANCIAL DECLINE sound is just my jam. “Morning” actually live music. Music has been in my life as Caregiving involves more than just IN SENIORS mentions the Blue Heron, but the album long as I can remember. medical problems. Helping your loved feels like it’s more about a human conOne of the challenges facing older one manage his or her finances can enIT: I know you’re proficient on a num- nection. adults is financial decline, which can in- sure that he or she will be able to pay SJ: Yeah, I’d say that’s spot-on. The ber of instruments, but where did it all clude managing their finances properly. for needed care and live more comfortwhole piece came about, I’m not sure how start?

It can be an uncomfortable topic to think ably. Make sure the family knows where SJ: Well, it started with singing. I mean, much of this you know, there’s a festival in about for both seniors and their families. to find important documents. These inMassachusetts, and they commissioned me I literally came into the world practiManaging money, after all, is one of the clude bank and brokerage statements, to write this song to premiere at my show cally, [laughs] singing. It’s just, from the ways people maintain independence and wills, insurance policies, and pension reat the festival in 2017. Usually, that’s in the time that I was 2 years old, there’s home control over their lives. It can be difficult to cords. Call the marketing team at (607) classical world, so it felt unique to get that videos of me singing, so that was always acknowledge it is time to give it up. Warn- 266-5300 to schedule a tour to see our in the folk world. It’s awesome, and I think the thing. I would sing around the house, ing signs include taking longer to complete facilities and learn more about lifecare at it should happen more. That’s where the I did national choirs when I was young, everyday financial tasks, a decline in math Kendal at Ithaca. Find us on the web at idea of writing a suite that’s meant to be through my music teacher and my school, skills, decreased understanding of financial http://kai.kendal.org/ and took piano lessons. And that was cool, listened to in one sitting came. What if I concepts, and reduced attention to financial just change up the format of how I would and I’m glad I did it, but I was never, like, P.S. One viable tactic seniors can emdocument details. Seniors can take prevennormally write a set of songs for a record? obsessed with it. And then it really started tative measures to ease this decline such as ploy to help with their finances is allowwith the mandolin. I got a mandolin when In addition to that, in 2017, my mom had simplifying finances, having a power of at- ing a trusted person, whether a family been diagnosed with breast cancer, and all I was about 10 years old, and just became torney or financial planner, and setting up member or professional, to monitor their of that was really weighing heavily on me. obsessed. That sort of sent me off on my a living trust. accounts.

And since I was a baby, we would travel path, and shortly thereafter, discovered down the Texas coast and see blue herons a weekly Friday night bluegrass jam in 2230 N. Triphammer Road on the shore. It just came to me, this kind Wimberley and started going to that and Ithaca, NY 14850-6513 of symbol of hope for my family. When I just fell in love with it.

(607) 266-5300 Website: www.kai.kendal.org would be out in the world and see a blue Toll Free: (800) 253-6325 Email: admissions@kai.kendal.org heron, it felt like a good omen. Thankfully, IT: When you were growing up singshe’s in remission now. ing, who did you like?

Ithaca Times/Fingerlakes News

Kendal at Ithaca

Vital for Life

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

I t h a c a T i m e s 15

Art

A documenting eye

Cornell campus photographer presented prints at John Hartell Gallery.

By Ar thur W hitm an

Serving Ithaca for over 60 years

A

Open 9-9 Monday-Saturday 12-6 Sunday 607-273-7500 www.northsidewine.com

110 North Cayuga St., Ithaca repstudio.com • 607-272-4292

UNIQUE. LOCAL. ORIGINAL. Get the new Ithaca.com App! Sponsored by:

16 T

h e

Ithac a T imes

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

staff member at “Bob with Upholstery Rolls” Cornell’s College of portrayed an older, boot and Architecture, Art, sweater-clad man seated in and Planning (AAP) since a shadowy room amidst tall 1984 — and official college scrolls of fabric. Less gripping photographer since 2009 formally but a nice choice — Bill Staffeld is a memononetheless, “Printmaking rable fixture at the school. in Tjaden Hall,” from 1984, Documenting lectures, provided a glimpse of an studios, and other happenintermediate history that could ings: you’re sure to see him perhaps have been explored around with his camera. here in greater depth.

Bill Staffeld This will be his last school More compact and focused, year before retirement.

“Looking Through and Into” “William Staffeld: Examination of the offered close-up and often oddly angled Eye” was an informally presented but com- or cropped views of Cornell buildings in pelling career retrospective. The exhibition Ithaca and New York City. Recalling the was organized into six loosely thematic great urban photographer Robert Frank sections. Juxtaposed in each was a large in its blend of intimacy and detachment, black-and-white print recalling the artist’s “Barroom Curtain” brought the viewer ‘70s youth and smaller, mostly full-color back to a grittier time and place. shots from the past decade. The work was “Display,” another smaller section, unframed and hung irregularly. focused on exhibition itself as a theme.

The show’s title borrows from a large, In monochrome, “Night Mannequins” upright format monochrome. Like many showed — in striking chiaroscuro — a shots from the series, “Examination of the partially lit up fashion display juxtaposed Eyes” shows us looking through windows against a darkened, snowy street. into a common storefront — in this case The stark surfaces and abstract forms an optometrist’s. The downward angled of Milstein lent themselves well to the cool scene is familiar enough but ineffably architectural photography of Staffeld’s evokes a period atmosphere.

“Light and Space” section. While “Myrtle,” Scanned from old slides and printed from the ‘70s, is compelling enough, I was digitally, Staffeld’s black-and-white images more engaged by the burst of strong color were the most commanding pieces. Shots seen through the ocular window of “Red from the series (including some reprised Painting” and the yin/yang shapes of the here) were the subject of a memorable black-and-white “Milstein Auditorium.”

2016 show, “Upstate ‘70s: The Soul of “Elliot Sleeping in Station” – holding a Documentary Photographer.” Begun down a passage dedicated to “Repose” – around 1972, when the artist was a student shows a young man dozing off on a bench at the Rochester Institute of Technology, amidst a glorious, perhaps nineteenth or they record street scenes from towns and early twentieth-century waiting room. cities across upstate New York.

Finally, a section dedicated to scenes Varying considerably in size and arof “Action” included several prints makrangement, Staffeld’s color images would ing interesting use of motion blur. Again have more presence at a larger scale or the strongest piece was the vintage one: perhaps framed. There’s a fine line between here the dizzy, upward-gazing “Barroom an informal gallery display and a sloppy Blurred.” Curiously enough, the dive bar or haphazard one. This show managed, ceiling tiles are echoed in “Skateboarder more-or-less, to stay on the right side of it. Over the Bubbles” — wherein we look up The impression — and likely the deliberate at the stamped metal panels decorating metaphor — is of an artist-documentarian Milstein’s underside. running around campus in a hyperactive This was an interesting show to come blur. into for a campus outsider such as myself.

A section entitled “Work and MateriIt will necessarily have different meanals” highlighted the dirty, workaday side ings for the AAP students, staff, and of life in the art and architecture school — faculty that make up its chief audience. even one seemingly dominated by cleanNonetheless, the themes of nostalgia and cut contemporary spaces like “starchitect” voyeurism baked into this art are universal Rem Koolhaas’ Milstein Hall. Here we see enough and the pieces either stand well on architecture students in their open-plan, their own or work en masse to convey a shared areas and visual arts students in sense of busyness and accomplishment. their more individualized domains. Anchoring the section, the black-and-white This show ended on Nov. 29.

Books

A man for our time

A Q&A with the author of “Citizen Cash: The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash.”

By G. M . Bur n s

T

he things that seemed to matter to Johnny Cash were his family, speaking for those that needed to be heard, his faith as a Christian, and his music. But a larger picture is framed on the “Man in Black” in the recent book “Citizen Cash: The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash.” Cash grew up in Dyess, Arkansas, during the depression era when many sharecroppers of the state faced hardships such as living in shacks. The book details how there were food riots at the Red Cross relief sites across the state which “surprised no one.” In time, Cash used his songwriting and deep baritone voice to reflect and reveal much about American history and its people.

In this interview, historian of American politics and music and a professor of American Civilization at the Universite Grenoble Alpes Michael Stewart Foley talks about his recent book on the iconic artist.

Ithaca Times: Talk about how the idea of your book “Citizen Cash: The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash” came about, and what made you move ahead to write it?

Michael Stewart Foley: I had started to think about writing about Cash’s politics as early as 2002, when Sony released the “Live at Madison Square Garden” CD. On that recording, which was made in December 1969 — the same week as the first draft lottery and the same week that “Life” magazine published the photos of the My Lai massacre — Cash spoke from the stage rather extensively about the Vietnam War. Most famously, he referred to himself as a “dove with claws” — that is, a dove who opposed war, but who understood (from his own experience of having performed for the troops in Vietnam, and having long before served in the Air Force himself), the

sacrifice being asked of Americans fighting that war.

So, originally, I had this idea that I’d write an article about Cash and Vietnam — as a kind of side project while I wrote other books — and finally published it in 2014. It got a lot of attention, so that got me thinking that maybe I ought to write a book about Cash and the politics of his life and times.

IT: You cover a great deal of Cash’s life and try to give a deeper understanding beyond the image of the “Man in Black,” but what was the research process like for you? What information did you find that helped the most?

MSF: Unlike most of the previous studies and biographies of Cash, my research process was based on a deep mining of all of the Cash-related archives I could find.

No previous biographer had sat down and watched every episode of “The Johnny Cash Show,” Cash’s weekly network variety show, that ran from 1969-1971, and on which Cash had a habit of weighing in on the most pressing topics of the day. That archival experience was transformative because the show is just so rich with political content.

But I also worked in many other archives, from the papers of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, which was active in Arkansas, including in Dyess, where Cash grew up; the papers of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, who enlisted Cash in his reelection campaign in 1968 primarily on the promise of cleaning up Arkansas’ prisons; the papers of the Nixon White House which show how Washington politicians and staffers jockeyed to get an invitation to Cash’s performance at the White House in 1970.

213 S. Fulton St., Ithaca and 2309 N. Triphammer Rd. 272-1848 or 882-9590 www.ithacaagway.com

Voted Best of Ithaca 2021 Diane’s Downtown Automotive

435 W. State Street/ M.L.K. Jr. St., located in Ithaca’s West End

607-272-AUTO (2886) service@dianesautorepair.com Open M-F 7:30-5:30

Breakfast Any Time Hot and Cold Subs, Paninis, Soups and Salads Corner of Aurora and Seneca

(607) 319-4022

Shortstop Deli 200 W. Seneca St Ithaca, NY 14850

continued on page 19

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

I t h a c a T i m e s 17

Film

Who you gonna call?

It’s slime time when Jason Reitman brings “Ghostbusters” back from the grave

By Br yan VanC ampe n Expires 3/31/22

Expires 3/31/22

10% OFF

$20

FREE

Any repair $100-$999

(excluding tax) Must present coupon at time of sale. Cannot be combined.

One coupon per customer.

Excludes tire sales

Expires 3/31/22

OFF Mounting and Balancing 4 Tires

Trip Check ($45 Value)

Must present coupon at time of sale. Cannot be combined.

One coupon per customer.

Expires 3/31/22

Must present coupon at time of sale. Cannot be combined.

One coupon per customer.

Expires 3/31/22

Expires 3/31/22

10 OFF %

ANY AND ALL PURCHASES Must present coupon at time of sale Can not be combined with any other offer Expires 3/31/22

$1

. 00

OFF

Any Fresh Made Deli Sub or any size Hot Truck Pizza Sub. Expires 3/31/22

18 T

h e

Ithac a T imes

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

D

id I ever tell you my “Ghostbusters” origin story?

In the winter of 1984, I got my first look at the trailer for Ivan Reitman’s “Ghostbusters.” Bill Murray was my hero, but this looked like a big sellout. The movie looked cheesy. I grumbled, “Big-budget special effects movies aren’t funny!,” recalling Steven Spielberg’s very unfunny “1941,” one of the films that spurred me to write film reviews in my high school paper and start my own “Siskel & Ebert”-style public access show with a pal named Ken Miller.

That summer, I ventured west to California just before it was released in June. I held out for the summer.

I saw just about every other movie out at the time — “Gremlins,” “Repo Man,” “Top Secret!,” “The Terminator,” “Stop Making Sense,” “Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension” — and to this day, I think that 1984 was a great year for film.

Around Labor Day, “Ghostbusters” was still playing to packed houses, and was playing around the corner from the restaurant I was working at. I broke down and checked out a matinee.

Within 10 minutes, I was castigating myself for being such a drudge.

Some dodgy special effects aside, I think “Ghostbusters” is one of the funniest comedies of the ‘80s, if not all time. It truly is the culmination of an actor-director collaboration, the fruition of their earlier comedies “Meatballs” (1979) and “Stripes” (1981). Reitman had a gift for coaxing the best funny from Murray.

“Ghostbusters II” could have been a lot worse, and Paul Feig’s 2016 allfemale reboot failed a talented cast; if Feig’s script had been better, those ladies had the moxie to pull anything off. (I haven’t played any of the video

games, board games or the animated series “The Real Ghostbusters.”)

Jason Reitman’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” (Sony-Columbia-Bron Creative, 2021, 124 min.) really rests on the capable shoulders of a young actor named Mckenna Grace. She and her older brother (Finn Wolfhard) and science-challenged mother (Carrie Coons) move into their late grandfather’s dilapidated old house in the middle of nowhere. From her corkscrew hair to her delightful deadpan, Grace is a dead ringer for the late Harold Ramis. Hmmm…

This reboot isn’t as funny as “Ghostbusters,” which is somewhat odd considering that Paul Rudd is so subdued as the town’s science teacher. But it’s clear that I think this “Ghostbusters” is aimed more at the nostalgic sweet spot than the funny bone. Like “The Force Awakens,” it’s more concerned with reconnecting emotionally with its fan base. The adults/parents will nerd out on all the props, cast cameos and iconography, while young people who weren’t alive back in ’84 get a crash course in Reagan-era ghostbusting.

Having the father-son Reitman team making this certainly opened all the production archives and design to make “Afterlife” a love letter to the original “Ghostbusters.” If you liked something back in the day, it gets called back here. Everything from the ECTO-1 vehicle to the backpacks and ghost traps have been lovingly dusted off and restored, and big chunks of the movie are scored with Elmer Bernstein’s 1984 music cues. There are bigger surprises to come, each designed to recombine with the kids’ sense of discovery and fun. I especially liked the sight of dozens of little Stay-Puft marshmallow men running around a WalMart. One of them gets turned into a s’more.

Are you not entertained?

Regal Cinemas “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is screening at Regal Cinemas at the Shops at Ithaca Mall.

Recommended: “Julia” at Cinemapolis; “Rear Window” at Cornell Cinema; “tick, tick…

BOOM!” and “Michael Che: Shame the Devil” on Netflix.

CITIZEN CASH Contin u ed From Page 17

I also listened to every record Cash made from 1954 through to the records released after his death, from Sun Records, Columbia, Mercury, and American Recordings, and I listened to them in order, keeping in mind the historical context of when and where they were made. I’d say that the episodes of the television show provided the most valuable information — that really helped to shape the stories I tell in the book — but that Cash’s recorded output over his whole career is just as important. He created a tremendous volume of political art over his lifetime.

IT: What did you learn when it came to the many years of “The Johnny Cash Show” that you weren’t aware of?

MSF: Before I sat down to watch all 57 episodes systematically, in order, my impression of the Cash television show was that it was just another of those variety shows that were so popular in that period of television history — a mix of musical performance, goofball comedy, and pretty run-of-the-mill “entertainment” for the masses. But Cash’s ambitions for his show were so much more. He insisted on recording before a live audience each week at the Ryman Auditorium — home of the Grand Ole Opry — in Nashville, so it doesn’t look or sound like a typical

Hollywood variety show. And although he had some Hollywood guests (like Bob Hope and Lorne Greene) imposed on him by the network, he countered, famously, by bringing younger stars to perform with him — [Bob] Dylan, Joni Mitchell, the Guess Who, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, etc. But most important is that, every week, he took viewers on a journey through his “Ride This Train” segment.

Today we would call it an Americana journey, as Cash would discuss different eras of America’s past and the hardworking people who lived through them, but these segments were packed with political and social context, and he would often draw parallels with contemporary America. At other times in the show, he would dedicate a monologue to a specific issue vexing the nation. And at still other times, he’d perform politically potent songs of his own or some of his guest artists. This is why I say that he was the most prominent political artist of this era — because he used this national platform to work through his own feelings about the issues that polarized the country, and he did it in a way that did not tell people how to think. The show was a hit, I think, because viewers appreciated Cash’s honesty and vulnerability as he tried to wrestle with various polarizing subjects, from the war to civil rights, Native rights, prison reform, the generation gap, drugs, etc.

IT: Talk about Johnny Cash’s creativity in music, his strong concern for his family, and also his empathy for other people and groups. How do you feel he was able to accomplish so much?

MSF: Cash is famously, and rightly best known, for some of his early Sun Records recordings and for the two prison albums, “At Folsom Prison” and “At San Quentin.”

But the series of concept albums that he did in the 1960s show how he gradually grew more interested in a documentary realist style, in telling true and realistic stories of America that could be seen, at times, as celebratory, and at other times as fiercely critical. His own experience growing up poor in northeastern Arkansas, witness to deprivation, loss, and cruelty informed a lot of his work in the 1960s as he related to the marginalized. It’s no accident that in 1962, he recorded “Blood, Sweat, and Tears,” an album that starts with three songs about exploited Black working-men, each song more harrowing than the previous one. And this was at the height of the civil rights movement, when it faced violence from every direction. Cash had seen chain gangs filled with Black men working the roads and levees of Arkansas as he grew up, and he had listened to the folk songs sung by Black prisoners and collected by Alan Lomax and reinterpreted by artists like Odetta.

He had an uncommon ability to meld his own experience with research in Ameri-

can folk songs in order to produce some of the most politically powerful work of the period. On “Blood, Sweat, and Tears,” for example, Cash signaled his support for civil rights — not by singing freedom songs, but by documenting the cruelties of a white supremacist system.

IT: Can you say why Johnny Cash still seems so influential in music and an icon in American music?

MSF: Cash remains influential for a few reasons. One is that his music and his voice are timeless. The quality of his best work, his best songcraft continues to inspire artists across genres. But he remains an icon in American life because he transcended polarization in an age not so unlike our own. Some pundits today prattle on and on about how polarized the American public is when, in fact, there are few periods in American history when Americans have not been polarized (and worried about what this polarization would mean for the health of the republic). Cash reached the peak of his cultural influence at a moment when the United States was deeply divided over the Vietnam War, civil rights, the generation gap, feminism, increasing economic inequality, and on and on. But he modeled a public citizenship based on empathy that we would do well to recover in our own polarized time. He was a man of his time, but he’s a man for our time, too.

LOCAL FIRST Keep your money where your heart is.

Shopping from an independent locally owned business strengthens the economic base of our whole community.

Shop Small Weekend November 26-29 Downtown Ithaca De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

I t h a c a T i m e s 19

Choral Collage at Ford Hall | 7 p.m. | Ithaca College, Sarah Jarosz | 7 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

12/9 Thursday Shakey Graves Was Here | 7 p.m. | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St | $30.00 - $35.00

12/10 Friday Music

Billy Prine & The Prine Time Band | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

Bars/Bands/Clubs

12/11 Saturday The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes - Holiday Concert with a Twist | 4 p.m. | Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway | $20.00 - $50.00

12/2 Thursday Songwriter’s Night hosted by Dan Forsyth. | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Brewery, 1771 Dryden Road

12/12 Sunday

12/3 Friday

Shemekia Copeland | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

Friday Night Music - Zydeco Trail Riders | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Farms and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Rd

12/14 Tuesday Squirrel Nut Zippers | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

Concerts/Recitals

12/1 Wednesday

Stage

Viola Studio Recital | 7 p.m. | Hockett Family Recital Hall, Ithaca College

12/2 Thursday MT. JOY W/ SPECIAL GUEST AMY ALLEN

Guest Recital: Alinea Ensemble | 8:15 p.m. | Hockett Family Recital Hall

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4 AT 8:00PM

State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 W. State Street | Live music is BACK! Mt. Joy has been on the road this Fall, playing mostly major cities, so it’s pretty cool to be able to see them right here in our little city. (Photo: Facebook)

12/3 Friday

12/4 Saturday

12/5 Sunday

Campus Band at Ford Hall | 2 p.m. | Ithaca College, Jazz Lab Band at Ford Hall | 4 p.m. | Ithaca College, Junior Recital: David Florentin, saxophone | 7 p.m. | Hockett Family Recital Hall, Gym Rd Mt. Joy w/ special guest Amy Allen | 8 p.m. | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St Symphony Orchestra at Ford Hall | 8:15 p.m. | Ithaca College,

Whitechapel Ringers Christmas Concert | 3 p.m. | United Presbyterian Church, 25 Court St, Cortland Jazz Repertory Ensemble at Ford Hall | 4 p.m. | Ithaca College, Cayuga Vocal Ensemble Holiday Concert | 4 p.m. | St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church, 309 Siena Drive, Ithaca, NY Jazz Ensemble at Ford Hall | 7 p.m. | Ithaca College, Tone Cold’s “Music From Movies” Concert at Emerson Suites | 7 p.m.|

THISWEEK

The Unknown Woodsmen with Bug Tussle and Dana Twigg | 6 p.m. | Rose Hall, 64 Main Street, Cortland Graduate Lecture/Recital: Jacob Shur, Suzuki Pedagogy at Nabenhauer Recital Room | 7 p.m.| Ithaca College Contemporary Chamber Ensemble at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m. | Ithaca College, Orebolo feat. Rick Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach, & Jeff Arevalo of Goose | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St The Peter Mack Quartet | 8 p.m. | Auburn Public Theater, 8 Exchange St.

20 T

h e

/December

12/6 Monday Opera Workshop at Hockett Family Recital Hall | 7 p.m. | Ithaca College, Wind Ensemble at Ford Hall | 8:15 p.m. | Ithaca College,

12/7 Tuesday

Art ReUse Murals Celebration | 4 p.m., 12/1 Wednesday | Ithaca ReUse Center, 214 Elmira Rd | Finger Lakes ReUse & Ithaca Murals invite the public to view 5 installations at the Ithaca ReUse Center reflecting themes of reuse impacts that connect to UN Sustainable Development Goals. The artists will be invited to introduce their art during the celebration. Light refreshments will be provided.

Our Annual Juried Show Is Back! | 12 p.m., 12/2 Thursday | State of the Art Gallery, 120 West State Street | Juried art show of all media except photography.

The Gallery at South Hill presents The Small Works Invitational | 4:30 p.m., 12/3 Friday | The Gallery at South Hill, 950 Danby Road | The Gallery at South Hill presents The Small Works Invitational featuring artwork fourteen inches or less by local artists. | Free December Raku Firing at the Corset Building | 5 p.m., 12/3 Friday | Pottery Works, 75 East Court Street | Celebrate December#03’s First Friday at a spectacular Raku Firing at Pottery Works in the Cortland Corset Building, 75 East Court Street.

CAP-a-Palooza Annual Vintage Art Sale! | 2 p.m., 12/3 Friday | CAP Artspace, Tompkins Center for History and Culture, 110 N. Tioga Street | CAP-a-Palooza annual Art Sale - a fun-

ZYDECO TRAIL RIDERS

AND WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T

Hopshire Farms and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Road, Freeville | Kick off the weekend with some live music! A great group of musicians and sure to be a fun time. (Photo: Provided)

The Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street, Ithaca | What are we taught? What do we learn? How hard do we try to be good? The Cherry Artists’ collective is proud to present the explosively funny, strange and ultimately moving new play from the eccentric pen of Cherry favorite Iva Brdar. (Photo: Provided)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3RD AT 6:00PM, 10:00AM-5:00PM

Ithac a T imes

Ihaca College| Tone Cold’s fall semester concert! Every song we perform is one from the soundtrack of a movie!

Come see if you can recognize the film from the song!

Christmas in Graceland Dinner & Dance | 12 p.m., 12/2 Thursday | Cortland Country Music Park and Campground, 1824 State Rt. 13 | Elvis is back and you can find him at Cortland Country Music Park. Dust off those blue suede shoes for a ham dinner and show.

And What Happens If I Don’t | 7:30 p.m., 12/3 Friday | Cherry Arts | A smart, quirky comedy about what our mothers want. Shows Dec 3-12. Contact theater for additional showtimes.

HUNG With Care: A Queer Holiday Burlesque Spectacular! | 8:30 p.m., 12/3 Friday | Ithaca Community School of Music and Arts, 330 East State Street | The holiday tradition returns with a scintillating sleigh ride of yuletide classics featuring performances

by NYC’s premier cabaret artists. | $25.00 - $35.00 M&T Bank Great Big Chamber Thank You 2021 | 5:30 p.m., 12/8 Wednesday | State Theatre of Ithaca,

107 West State St | A networking reception in a festive atmosphere.

The evening will also include a live auction, grants awarded to five nonprofits doing important work in our community, and live entertainment. | $25.00 Al Franken: The Only Former U.S. Senator Currently on Tour Tour at State Theatre of Ithaca | 8 p.m., 12/8 Wednesday | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St | When: Friday, December 10, 2021 Doors open at 7:00pm the show starts at 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Where: State Theatre of Ithaca - DSP 107 West State St. Eternity 123| 8 p.m., 12/10 Friday | Ithaca Community School of Music and Arts, 330 East State Street | “Eternity 123” traces the symbolic journey of women’s emancipation across time.

Second show on Saturday. | $20.00

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

OPEN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3 AT 7:30PM

Avenue | In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (2015), Robin Wall Kimmerer presents a series of meditations on people and the environment.

Fresh Perspectives | 6:30 p.m., 12/2 Thursday | Phillips Free Library, 37 South Main Street, Homer | Do you love TED talks? Do you feel amazed when a friend offers a new viewpoint on a nagging problem? Do you love discussing a new perspective on life issues?

Virtual Teen Writing Workshop | 4:30 p.m., 12/7 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Tween Book Club: The Star-Spun Web | 3:45 p.m., 12/8 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |

Fully Local.

Totally Mobile.

Send Money Fast.

Mobile Check Deposit.

Lost Card?

Turn it Off.

Kids draiser of fun and vintage previously owned art! | Free The 21st Mini Print International and Holiday Print Sale - Reception | 5 p.m., 12/3 Friday | The Ink Shop, 330 E. MLK/State St | The 21st Mini Print International is a juried exhibition of prints no larger than 4”x4”. The Exhibition has been held bi-annually since 1985 and provides a venue in which international art could be brought together in an affordable and engaging format.

Handmade Holiday Market A Select Show and Sale by Area Artisans | 12 p.m., 12/4 Saturday | Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, 5 McLallen St. | Come to our annual holiday market showcasing area artisans. Free to attend. Find your next treasure and gifts for everyone on your list! Featuring local art, jewelry, crafts, edibles and Black Diamond Cider. Happening on the same day as Winterfest in the village of Trumansburg. | Free

Film Rear Window | 7:15 p.m., 12/1 Wednesday | Cornell Cinema, 1136 Ho Plaza | Hitchcock’s classic story of voyeurism and murder. Hitchcock, himself, considered it his most

“cinematic movie.” But Rear Window, based on a story by Cornell Woolrich, is also one of the great nail-biters in the history of suspense. Screening again on Friday, December 3 at 9:15pm David Byrne’s American Utopia | 7:30 p.m., 12/2 Thursday | Cornell Cinema, 136 Ho Plaza| SSpike Lee documents the former Talking Heads frontman’s brilliant, timely 2019 Broadway show and the result is electrifying. Screening again on Friday, December 3 at 7pm Benedetta | 12/3 Friday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | A 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions.

She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair. Shows daily.

C’mon C’mon | 12/3 Friday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and his young nephew forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they are unexpectedly thrown together in this delicate and deeply moving story about the connections between adults and children, the past and the future, from writer-director Mike Mills. Shows daily Wolf | 12/3 Friday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | Believing he is a wolf

trapped in a human body, Jacob eats, sleeps, and lives like a wolf – much to the shock of his family. When he’s sent to a clinic, Jacob and his animal-bound peers are forced to undergo increasingly extreme forms of ‘curative’ therapies.

The French Dispatch | 12/4 Saturday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | The latest film from Wes Anderson.

Shows daily thru 12/30.

The Power of the Dog | 12/4 Saturday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.

Shows daily thru 12/9.

Belfast | 12/4 Saturday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | Shows daily thru 12/2. A young boy and his working class family experience the tumultuous late 1960s. Ends 12/9.

Special Events Silent Discos at Winter Lights Festival | 6 p.m., 12/3 Friday | Bernie Milton Pavilion, Center Commons |

Winter Lights Festival presented

by Tompkins Trust Company | 12/3 Friday | Downtown Ithaca, 171 E. State St | Winter Lights Festival presented by Tompkins Trust Company returns December 3 – 11, 2021 Two weekends of Immersive, interactive, illuminated light sculptures will decorate downtown.

Holiday Festival at Treleaven | 12 p.m., 12/4 Saturday | Treleaven Wines, 658 Lake Road | Get into the holiday spirit with us on December 4th! We’ll have activities for the entire family to enjoy from holiday crafts to visits with Santa and plenty of food, wine, and beer!

11th Annual Chowder Cook-Off at Winter Lights Festival | 12 p.m., 12/4 Saturday | Downtown Ithaca, 171 E. State St | The 11th Annual Chowder Cook-Off on Saturday, December 4, 2021.

TCPL Brick Olympics: Spinning Top Marathon | 2 p.m., 12/4 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |

Books Museum Book Club: “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer | 4 p.m., 12/1 Wednesday | Johnson Museum of Art, 114 Central

Notices Live in Ithaca: Welcome Home Wednesdays VIRTUAL | 5 p.m., 12/1 Wednesday | Virtual | Have you relocated to the area in the past year to live or work in Tompkins County? | Free Online Employment Applications workshop | 5:30 p.m., 12/1 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Melissa Caci, Workforce Development Specialist, and Amy Callahan, Youth Program Coordinator, will lead participants in mastering the online job application process. No computer or internet

Ithaca Farmers Market | 9 a.m., 12/4 Saturday | Saturdays are the star, but Sundays are no slouch. Our pavilion gets full during peak season and there are some vendors that you won’t find on Saturdays.

2021 Holiday Shopping Spree at Various locations along the wine trail | 10 a.m., 12/4 Saturday | Here’s a quick rundown on how this event will work, but please see the website for further details, explanations, and event tidbits: Event days are November 20 and 21 & December 4 and 5, from 10 Holiday Open Farm Days At Shepherds Creek Alpacas | 10 a.m., 12/4 Saturday | Shepherds Creek Alpacas, 5797 Stilwell Rd | Visit the Alpacas during our open Holiday Farm Days at Shepherds Creek Alpaca Farm & Shop!

Lots of unique and local alpaca gifts alpaca products available for your Holiday shopping. | Free Holiday Workshop | 10 a.m., 12/4 Saturday | Southworth Homestead, 14 North Street | Get into the spirit of the holiday season by making a unique ornament designed by Patti Kiefer with help from members of the Dryden Town Historical Society. This event is great fun for all ages. All materials will be supplied in a kit to take home and create your own masterpiece. | Free Sunday Morning Meditation | 10 a.m., 12/5 Sunday | Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Road | Sunday morning meditation, free and open to all.

FREE Nutrition Classes with CCE & TCPL! | 12 p.m., 12/7 Tuesday | This event is online | Stop by and join SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator Sarah Curless in collaboration with Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) to learn about how to make simple changes in your food repertoire.| Free Nutrition Workshop Series - Get Moving! | 12 p.m., 12/7 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | ZOOM CLASS: Master Gardeners’ Essential Gardening Tools | 6 p.m., 12/7 Tuesday | This event is online | Now that winter is here it’s time to dream about next year’s garden and the tools that will help us make it spectacular. | $20.00

11TH ANNUAL CHOWDER COOK-OFF

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, NOON-4:00PM

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3 AT 6:00PM

Ithaca Commons | Enjoy a variety of rich and creamy traditional and contemporary chowders at booths located outside on and around the Commons and then vote for your favorites. (Photo: Provided)

Ithaca Commons | This weekend has a barrage of awesome events happening on the Commons to kick off the Winter Lights Festival. The silent discos are one of our favorites. (Photo: Downtownithaca.com)

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

THISWEEK

SILENT DISCO AT WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL

Virtual Live Chinese Storytime | 11:30 a.m., 12/2 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Holiday Card & Ornament Making Party for Kids | 3 p.m., 12/2 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Pay-What-You-Wish Weekend at Museum of the Earth | 10 a.m., 12/4 Saturday | Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth, 1259 Trumansburg Road (Route 96) | Join Museum of the Earth for Pay-What-You-Wish weekends, sponsored by BorgWarner,on the first weekend of each month.

Toys After Surgery for Kids Workshop | 5:30 p.m., 12/8 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |

access is needed, as the workshop will be held in-person in the TCPL Digital Lab. Masks required. | Free

I t h a c a T i m e s 21

Town & Country

Classifieds In Print

|

On Line |

10 Newspapers

277-7000 Phone: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm Fax: 277-1012 (24 Hrs Daily)

AUTOMOTIVE

Internet: www.ithaca.com Mail: Ithaca Times Classified Dept

PO Box 27 Ithaca NY 14850 In Person: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm

109 North Cayuga Street

AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOMOTIVE

SAVE MONEY ON EXPENSIVE AUTO REPAIRS!

GET DIRECT TV

Our vehicle service program can save you up to 60% off dealer prices and provides you excellent coverage! Call for a free quote: 866-915-2263 (Mon-Fri: 9am-4pm PST) (AAN CAN)

100/Automotive

| 59,200 Readers

ONLY $69.99/Month! 155 Channels & 1000s of Shows/Movies on Demand (w/SELECT ALL Included Package). PLUS Stream on Up to FIVE Screens Simultaneously at No Additional Cost.

Call DIRECTV: 1-888-534-6918 (NYSCAN)

GUN SHOW

CANANDAIGUA Kings Catering & Party House.

4031 Rt. 5 & 20. Sunday, December 5 ONLY: 9am - 4 pm. Admission $5, Buy, Sell, Trade. 75 Tables. NFGshows.com (NYSCAN)

CASH FOR CARS!

We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689 (AAN CAN)

200/Buy / Sell / Trade

Glass table, 45 x 108 “, pads included, excellent condition. 607-592-1400.

DISH TV

DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS

Your donation helps fund the search for missing children. Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles & RV’s , too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour Response - Maximum Tax Donation – Call 877-266-0681 (AAN CAN)

FOR SALE

$64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. 1-855-380-2501. (AAN CAN)

FOR SALE

320/Bulletin Board

Yamaha PA with cables. Great for small room. $200. (607) 898-4836.

Drive out Breast Cancer:

FUND RAISER

Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pick-up - 24hr Response Tax Deduction - Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-9054755. (NYSCAN)

Trumansburg Fire Co. Drive-Thru Bagel Sandwich Breakfast to benefit the RESCUE TOOLS FUND Saturday December 4, 2021 7:00am till sold out Trumansburg Firehouse, 74 West Main Street, Trumansburg. Bagel, Fried Egg, Sausage Patty and Cheese $5.00. Our Hydraulic Rescue Tools are outdated and in serious need of replacement The proceeds from this breakfast will help us meet our goal of $125,000.00 to purchase new tools. You can donate by sending a check to: Trumansburg Fire Co. Inc., 74 West Main Street, Trumansburg, NY 14886. Please indicate Rescue Tools Fund on check

Ithaca’s only

hometown electrical distributor Since 1984 802 W. Seneca St. Ithaca 607-272-1711 fax: 607-272-3102 www.fingerlakeselectric.com

MEDICARE RECIPIENTS!

Open Enrollment for Medicare health plans is here! Call our licensed insurance agents for an affordable quote for your needed coverage. Call for a no obligation free quote now! 844-808-9374 (TTY:711) (NYSCAN)

Your one Stop Shop

EMPLOYMENT

Coordinator – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

400/Employment Account Billing Manager

We are looking for a cheerful, professional, detail-oriented person to join our team serving Ithaca and the surrounding community at the Ithaca Times, Ithaca.com and the Finger Lakes community newspapers.

Job Responsibilities:  Maintain account records  Monthly billing  Scheduling and administering legal, display and classified advertising  Process accounts receivable/payable and handle payroll in a timely manner  Entering financial transactions in databases & document transaction details  Produce work with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail Work Hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9- 5 Qualifications / Skills:  Accounting  Confidentiality  Attention to detail and accuracy  A knowledge and/or appreciation of newspapers and the media business  Able to multitask, prioritize, work under pressure and meet deadlines  Ability to communicate complex data clearly  Excellent data entry skills  Great interpersonal and customer service skills  Familiarity with a wide range of financial transactions including Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable  Experience with MS Office and Google Apps  Experience with spreadsheets and proprietary software  Professionalism and organization skills Education & Experience Requirements:  Proficient with office software  Previous bookkeeping experience preferred  Associates degree or at least one year of experience Job Type: Part Time Respond with Resume to: jbilinski@ithacatimes.com

ithaca.com/classifieds

REPLACEMENT A FULL LINE OF VINYL Ithaca WebsIte DesIgn Manufacture To InstallREPLACEMENT WINDOWS REPLACEMENT Do you have a business?

WINDOWS We Do Call It forAll Free Estimate &

Professional Installation are you starting a business?

A FULL LINE OF Custom VINYL made & manufactured AREPLACEMENT FULL LINE OF VINYL WINDOWS by…

Let Us help You! REPLACEMENT WINDOWS Call for Free Estimate & Call for Free Estimate & Professional Installation 3/54( We have been in business since 1980 specializing in streaming Professional Installation Custom made & manufactured Custom made & manufactured 3%.%#! audio and video. Our team of experts can build you a website by… by… with features such as search engine optimization, tracking 6).9, web site visitors, listing on Facebook. Check us out on Romulus, NY 3/54( 3/54( 315-585-6050 www.ithacawebsitedesign.com 3%.%#!

3%.%#! or Toll Free at Call us at 607-272-9175 we are open Monday to Friday 9am.

6).9, to answer your questions.

6).9, 866-585-6050

22 T

h e

www.SouthSenecaWindows.com Romulus, NY Romulus, NY 315-585-6050 or 315-585-6050 Toll Free at I t h a c a 866-585-6050 Tori m e sFree / Date c e m b e r Toll

866-585-6050

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

OCM BOCES, Main Campus. The Coordinator will support the development of a regional vision and effective strategy that champions diverse and inclusive environments across all OCM BOCES component districts. Will also lead this work regionally by designing and facilitating professional learning offerings that build capacity to support the Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education Framework, including monthly DEI leadership meetings, equity & identity work, implicit bias training, and through the creation of an annual DEI conference. In addition, the Coordinator will design customized in-district work including but not limited to: needs assessments, equity audits, review of policies and procedures, hiring and retention practices, and parent/family engagement. Will serve as a knowledgeable advisor, lead facilitator, and advocate for improving inclusion, diversity, and equity throughout the districts/BOCES in our region and serve as our representative at statewide networks. NYS School Administrative certification required. Salary commensurate on experience. Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/central EOE

Delivery Driver

EMPLOYMENT Teaching Assistant

OCM BOCES Special Education program has the need for a 96% Teaching Assistant at the Cortlandville Campus, Cortland. Successful candidate will provide support and individual programming to K-12th grade students in our center-based programs with a variety of special needs. NYS certification as a Teaching Assistant required. Applications accepted online only.

Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/central.

For information please visit our website at: www. ocmboces.org EOE

800/Services DIRECTV

Cable Price Increase Again? Switch To DIRECTV & Save + get a $100 visa gift card! Get More Channels For Less Money. Restrictions apply. Call Now! 877-693-0625 (AAN CAN)

Driver with SUV-sized car and good driving record to deliver newspapers 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays year-round in and around Ithaca. Call 607 2777000 x 1214.

DRIVE WITH US!

ICSD Transportation Services is conducting INTERVIEWS FOR BUS DRIVERS Walk in Monday - Friday 150 Bostwick Rd

By Appointment: Call 607 274-2128 Equal opportunity employer, offering competitive wages, great health and pension benefits, paid CDL training, rewarding community work with families and children Diversity Enriches Our Workplace

Teacher – Special Education

DELIVERY Part-Time Route Driver needed for delivery of newspapers every Wednesday.

Must be available 9am-1pm, have reliable transportation, and a good driving record.

Call 277-7000

OCM BOCES Full-time Special Education -Teacher located at the Cortlandville Campus, Cortland, NY. Provide academic instruction to students with emotional and behavioral challenges; write IEP goals; administer assessments as needed; write progress reports and notes; work as a member of a multidisciplinary team. NYS Students with Disabilities 1-6 certification required.

Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/central.

For more information, visit our website at: www. ocmboces.org. EOE

Your Ad

REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

WINDOWS

EMPLOYMENT

PIANOS

• Rebuilt • Reconditioned • Bought• Sold • Moved • Tuned • Rented

Complete rebuilding services.

No job too big or too small.

Call us.

Ithaca Piano Rebuilders (607) 272-6547 950 Danby Rd., Suite 26

South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca, NY

SERVICES HOME REPAIRS

Never Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again!

Complete Care Home Warranty Covers all Major Systems and Appliance. 30 Day Risk Free. $200 off and 2 months Free. 1-877-673-0511.

(AAN CAN)

TRAIN AT HOME TO DO MEDICAL BILLING!

Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440. (M-F 8am-6pm ET) (NYSCAN)

SERVICES 4G LTE Home Internet Now Available!

Get GotW3 with lighting fast speeds plus take your service with you when you travel! As low as $109.99/mo! 1-888-519-0171 (AAN CAN)

BANKRUPTCY

Single Ch 7 Bankruptcy $750.00 Legal Fee. Call Mark “The Hammer” Gugino at 144 Bald Hill Road Spencer, NY at 607-319-0766. We also do Chapter 13 12 11 Bankruptcy, Auto Accident Injury, Divorce and Real Estate Closings. Attorney Advertising Debt Relief.

805/Business Services

SERVICES BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

Updates in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior and Military Discounts available. Call: 1877-649-5043 (AAN CAN)

SERVICES COMPUTER & IT TRAINING

Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details!

1-855-554-4616. The Mission, Program Information and Tuition is located at CareerTechnical.edu/ consumer-information. (AAN CAN)

BEST SATELLITE TV

With 2 Year Price Guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 888508-5313 (NYSCAN)

DISH TV

$64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo EXPIRES: 1/21/22, 1-888-609-9405 (NYSCAN)

SERVICES

SERVICES

DIVORCE

$389 - Uncontested divorce papers prepared.

Only one signature required. Poor person Application included if applicable. Separation agreements. Custody and support petitions. 518274-0380. (NYSCAN)

GUTTER CLEANING

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection.

Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off and 0% financing for those who qualify. PLUS Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-877-763-2379.

(NYSCAN)

COMPLETE CARE

Never Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again!

Complete Care Home Warranty COVERS ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE. $200.00 OFF + 2 FREE Months!

1-866-440-6501 (NYSCAN)

Substitute Teachers

Finally, no hard data limits! Call Today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/mo! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147. m (AAN CAN)

at the Seven Valleys New Tech Academy

Guaranteed to Last a Lifetime!

programming and support to alternative education students in grades 9-12. $115/per day. Bachelor Degree required.

Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/

BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work… You reap the Rewards!

Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 844-5111836. (AAN CAN)

Upgrade Your Home with a

not limited to providing individual

Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Now offering grants & scholarships for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! (844) 947-0192 (M-F 8AM-6PM ET) (NYSCAN)

855/Misc.

Innovative Education programs located in Cortland, NY. Duties include but

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM!

HughesNet Satellite Internet

OCM BOCES has an immediate need for per diem Substitute Teachers for

The Generac PWRcell

a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services available. $0 Down Financing Option. Request a FREE, no obligation, quote today. Call 1-888-871-0194. (NYSCAN)

820/Computer

HOME WARRANTY

MEDICATION

Still paying too much for your MEDICATION? Save up to 90% on RX refill! Order today and receive free shipping on 1st order - prescription required. Call 1-855-750-1612 (AAN CAN)

NEW METAL ROOF LIMITED TIME OFFER

60% off YOUR INSTALLATION

+

STRONG AS STEEL WITH THE ATTRACTIVE LOOK OF VARIOUS ROOF STYLES

TAKE AN ADDITIONAL

10 off %

Install for Military, Health Workers and First Responders

Limited time offer.

Expires 12.31.21

From Dimensional Shingles to classic styles reminiscent of Cedar Shake and Spanish Tile, an architectural roofing system by Erie Metal Roofs can enhance the beauty of your home while protecting your family and property for a lifetime.

Warranty- Limited Lifetime.

Transferable to 1 subsequent owner from original purchaser.

Terms and conditions apply.

Hail up to 2.5”, Appearance of the surface coating beyond normal wear and tear.

Call today to schedule your

FREE ESTIMATE Made in the USA

central. For more information, visit our website at: www.ocmboces.org EOE

1-855-492-6084

New orders only. Does not include material costs. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Minimum purchase required. Other restrictions may apply. This is an advertisement placed on behalf of Erie Construction Mid-West, Inc (“Erie”). Offer terms and conditions may apply and the offer may not be available in your area.

Offer expires December 31st 2021. If you call the number provided, you consent to being contacted by telephone, SMS text message, email, pre-recorded messages

by Erie or its affiliates and service providers using automated technologies notwithstanding if you are on a DO NOT CALL list or register. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on homeservicescompliance.com. All rights reserved.

We need your expertise Bored with retirement & have more to offer?

There’s an opportunity for you here www.paper.net/ithacatimes

De c e mb e r

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

/ Th e

I t h a c a T i m e s 23

BackPage

For rates and information contact Toni Crouch at toni@ithactimes.com

277-7000 p h o n e 277-1012 f a x

CLEANING SERVICES

AAM

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

ALL ABOUT MACS

JANITORIAL* FLOOR * CARPET INDEPENDENCE CLEANERS CORP

Macintosh Consulting

FAMOUS BRANDS FAMOUSBRANDSOUTLET.COM 412 N. Franklin Street Watkins Glen, NY 14891 888-535-4952 Family Owned & Operated Since 1983

FLYITHACA.COM Convenient-Clean-Connected

OOY’s Cafe & Deli 10% OFF Order Corner of Aurora and Seneca Street (607) 319-4022 Breakfast Any Time, Hot and Cold Subs, Paninis, Soups and Salads Coupon in 10/20/2021 issue

607-227-3025 / 607-697-3294

http://www.allaboutmacs.com

Get The New Ithaca

(607) 280-4729

COME WORK WITH US!

Times Mobile App

Hospicare is

Available in Appstore & Google Play

*Acupuncture Works* Peaceful Spirit Acupuncture

Hiring All Positions

Anthony R. Fazio, L.Ac., D.A.O.M.(c)

ITHACA NEWS Delivered to your inbox every day

READY FOR THE HOLIDAY’S? We reach more Ithacans in more ways than anyone!

Buy Local Issue - November 23, 21

*Work at our residence or in the field

Ithaca Times Daily

Holiday Gift Guide - December 8, 2021

*Competitive benefits package

Text ITHACA to 22828 to Sign up

Last-Minute Gifts - December 22, 2021

*Be a part of a team

Lotus Theory Acupuncture

Call Larry at

*Sign-on bonus!

ACUPUNCTURE &

607-277-7000 ext: 1214

2309 N. Triphammer Rd

Apply today!

CUPPING THERAPY

(607) 272-1848

Hospicare.org

821 Cliff St. Ithaca

www.peacefulspiritacupuncture.com

607-272-0114

*Rewarding work

AGWAY TRUE VALUE 213 S. Fulton Street

(607) 882-9590

Diane’s Downtown Automotive

$1.00 off $10.00 $2.00 off $20.00 $5.00 off $50.00 STOP IN or CALL

www.lotustheory.com

Men’s and Women’s Alterations

SHORTSTOP DELI

(607) 272-AUTO (2886)

for over 20 years

200 W. Seneca Street

$20 Off Mounting/Balancing 4 Tires

ANIMALS

10% Off Any Repairs over $100

LAND & SEA

SEE COUPONS IN 10/20/21 Issue

FingerLakesAnimalRights.org

Ithaca Times @ ITHACA.COM

435 W. State Street

FREE Trip Check

coupon in 10/20/2021 issue

BOOK NOW ONLINE:

TO RESERVE YOUR ADS

VOTED BEST OF ITHACA 2021

Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair.

Same Day Service Available

Ithaca, NY 14850

John’s Tailor Shop

$1.00 Off any Fresh Made Deli Sub or any size Hot

John Serferlis - Tailor

Truck Pizza Sub

102 The Commons 273-3192

DRIVE WITH US! Open Interviews Monday-Friday 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.Call for Appointment: 607-274-2128

Coupon in 10/20/2021 issue

150 Bostwick Road

Negotiated Wage and Health Benefits | NYS Retirement Pension Program | CDL/Paid Training | Equal Opportunity Employer | ICSD is committed to equity,inclusion, and building a diverse staff. We strongly encourage applications from candidates of color.

I C S D Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n S e r v i c e s 24 T

h e

Ithac a T imes

/December

1 – 7 ,

2 0 2 1

Diversity Enriches our workplace