March 23, 2016

F R E E M a r c h 2 3 , 2 0 16 / Vo lume X X X V I I , N umb e r 3 0 / O ur 4 4t h Ye a r

Online @ ITH ACA .COM

Rising

T he at te mpted resurrec tion of Wes t Villa ge

Like Water

Writing

The World

Deadpan

speaking

county gets electricity from water power

Razi Rumi the City of Asylum writer-in-residence

Sultans bring integrated global sound to Hangar

Steven Wright is still surprised

Jonathan Richman is here with a new album

PAGE 3

PAGE 5

PAGE 15

PAGE 20

PAGE 25

for Carbon

the Truth

on a string

standup

objibwe

Enter the Rewarding World of

Our 7 month program is starting Jan. 2016

Massage Therapy For information: www.flsm.com or call us at 607-272-9024

Financial Aid & Scholarships for those who qualify Come visit! Tours available daily.

Mimi’s

Attic

SEARCH. FIND. COMMENT.

• BUY • SELL • CONSIGN

Used Furniture, Housewares & Decor 430 W. State St., in Ithaca’s West End mimisatticithaca.com Open 7 days/wk

NEWS OPINION MUSIC MOVIES RESTAURANTS THEATRE AND MORE!

RACHEL LAMPERT, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

AGES 14+

Preventable. Treatable. Beatable.

A Colonoscopy Can Save Your Life.

Colorectal cancer can be prevented and a colonoscopy is the most accurate test available to detect cancer. A colonoscopy screening is recommended if you’re 50 years of age or older, or have a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps.

Ithaca Office 1780 Hanshaw Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-257-5858

Screening can detect colorectal cancer early — when it is most curable.

Unfortunately, only a little more than half of people who should get tested for colorectal cancer get the tests that they should. Get screened today!

BY MARK ST. GERMAIN

March is Colorectal Cancer Month. For more information or to schedule your screening, call your primary care provider today or visit:

www.Guthrie.org/GetScreened

Karen Kim, MD

*Those at increased risk for certain cancers may need to follow a different testing schedule, such as starting at an earlier age or being tested more often. Discuss your risk factors with your health care provider.

DIRECTED BY SARA LAMPERT HOOVER**

MAR 20 - APR 3 **Member SDC

www.Guthrie.org 2

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

Central New York’s Off-Broadway Theater TICKETS: 607.272.0570 WWW.KITCHENTHEATRE.ORG 417 W. STATE / MLK JR. STREET

Ne Tompkins County

Carbon Footprint Shrinks with Hydro

A

t the March 15 meeting of the Tompkins County Legislature, the board unanimously voted in favor of entering into an agreement that would allow the county government to receive about 63 percent of its electricity to power county buildings and operations from a 100-year-old hydroelectric facility in Waterloo.

Omay Elphick, director of business development for Gravity Renewables, Inc., gave a presentation about the twomegawatt facility, located on the CayugaSeneca Canal. In 2014 the county and the company agreed that, in the event Gravity would be able to acquire the property and the license, it would offer the remote net metering opportunity to Tompkins County.

Gravity aims to bring long-term, cost-effective clean energy to electricity consumers and owns and operates 31 megawatts of hydroelectric projects across the United States that are either already operating or under development. The Gravity Renewables option is the result of a joint procurement authorized by the legislature in 2013, involving Tompkins County and the Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance (MEGA).

Monetary remote net metering enables the county to purchase electric power from a renewable energy facility and consequently receive a deduction on its electric bill. The size of the deduction is based on the amount of electricity the facility injects into the grid. According to county attorney Jonathan Wood, the county need not invest any land or capital in the project.

The 20-year agreement between Gravity and the county will come up for renewal every five years and, by mutual agreement, including one five-year renewal period option at the end of the 20 years, extending the agreement to 25 years total.

The county will receive a credit on its electric bill for each kilowatt-hour, the value of which will vary depending on the market. The average annual savings to the county is estimated at $39,000 annually for a savings of $735,000 over 20 years. The favorable pricing structure was secured through the MEGA proposal and subsequent New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) rulings. Even though the monetary crediting program has been canceled by the PSC, due in continued on page 4

w s l i n e

VOL.X X XVIII / NO. 30 / March 23, 2016 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

“It’s now a completely different situation,” Hollingsworth said. “It’s the only way we’re going to catch these guys.”

The Veterans’ Day committee is paying for the light fixtures themselves. Some years ago a lot of three was bought at auction from Cornell by the owner of Ithaca Plastics, who sold them to the city at his cost of $531.

The lights are currently being repainted at the workshop in Stewart Park, according to city forester Jeanne Grace. City workers will rewire the fixtures, and Grace said she hopes they will be installed this spring, perhaps as soon as the end of March.

City of Ithaca

Needles in the Park Prompt New Lights

D

eWitt Park will soon be a bit brighter at night, after the city installs two new lights at its eastern edge between the First Baptist Church and the Boardman House.

Holly Hollingsworth, a volunteer on the DeWitt Park restoration committee, said that his group hoped to put in more lights there “quite a while ago.”

“I’ve been cleaning the park as a volunteer every Thursday for I don’t know how many years,” Hollingsworth said. “The graffiti has always been a problem. Where [the lack of light] has really become a problem is with the [hypodermic] needles.”

Hollingsworth said that he warns clean-up volunteers and parents of children to watch out for discarded New lights in this style to be added to this part of Dewitt Park needles, used to shoot (Photo: Diane Duthie) intravenous drugs and then left in the more secluded corners of the park.

The city has also cut back some hedges “Last fall, before the cold weather came, I’d that created a concealed area near the go down [to the park to clean up], and the Boardman House. Currently, the City dealers were down there,” Hollingsworth Parks Commission is divided on the said. “They hung around a good part of question of how much, exactly, the hedges the day, and, of course, they were there at on Buffalo Street should be cut down to night.” increase visibility.

After a park rededication in 2009, The argument for thicker shrubbery there, the Tompkins County Veterans’ Day Hollingsworth said, is to protect the park committee had some extra funds against noise and trash that comes in off they asked to be put toward lighting, the street.

Hollingsworth said. At the time, the superintendent of public works denied the – Josh Brokaw request, which Hollingsworth thinks was reporter@ithacatimes.com because of complaints the area was too bright.

T

a

k

e

▶ Boards Around the Table, This is a free session for persons who chair a nonprofit board of directors or who may do so in the future. In this free-flowing round table experienced, new, and yet-to-be board chairs will hear from their colleagues about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the topics that scored highest in a February survey of Board Chairs who have attended previous session: 1) Building a strong, diverse Board roster; 2) Learning to become more effective strategic thinkers; 3) Developing board goals.

N

o

t

e

Contact Scott Heyman at sheyman@hsctc. org if you would like to be a presenter.

Session will be held Tuesday, April 12, 3:30 to 5:30 pm. Light snacks will be provided. In the Borg Warner Conference Room, Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E. Green St. at S. Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY. Presented by the Human Services Coalition and co-sponsored by the Tompkins County Public Library.

Register now by emailing registration@ hsctc.org or call 607-273-8686. Walk-ins welcome, but registration is preferred.

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

West of Eden.................................. 8 Good things are happening at West Village

Journey to the East.................. 15 Canadian band merges global styles

NE W S & OPINION

Newsline . ............................... 3-7, 11, 13 Sports ................................................... 12

ART S & E NTE RTAINME NT

Music . ................................................... 16 Music . ................................................... 17 Art . ....................................................... 18 Film . ...................................................... 19 Stage ..................................................... 20 TimesTable .................................... 22-25 HeadsUp . ............................................. 25 Classifieds..................................... 26-28 Cover Photo: Diane Duthie Cover Design: Marshall Hopkins

ON THE W E B

Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 B i l l C h a i s s o n , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 224

E d i t o r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m G l y n i s H a r t , F i n g e r L a k e s M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 235

Editor @Flcn.org J a i m e C o n e , W e b E d i t o r , x 217

A r t s @I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m J o s h B r o k a w, S t a ff R e p o r t e r , x 225

R e p o r t e r @I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m D i a n e D u t h i e , S t a ff 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 a T i m e s . c o m C h r i s H a r r i n g t o n , E d i t o r i a l a s s i s t a n t , x 217

a r t s @I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m Steve L aw r ence, Sports Columnist,

St e v e sp o r t sd u d e @ gm a il .co m M i c h a e l N o c e l l a , F i n g e r L a k e s S p o r t s E d i t o r , x 236

Sports@Flcn.org 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 e s i g n e r , x 226

P r o d u c t i o n @I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m G e o r g i a C o l i c c h i o, A cc o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 220

G e o r g i a @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m J i m K i e r n a n , A cc o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 219

J k i e r n a n @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m A l e x i s C o l t o n , A cc o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 221

A l e x i s @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m S h a r o n D a v i s , Cy n d i B r o n g , x 211 A d m i n i s t r a t i o n Chris Eaton, Distribution J i m B i l i n s k i , P u b l i s h e r , x 210

j b i l i n s k i @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m D i s t r i b u t i o n : Rick Blaisell, Les Jinks.

F r eel a n ce r s : Barbara Adams,Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Cassandra Palmyra, Arthur Whitman, and Bryan VanCampen.

T he ent i re c o ntents o f the Ithaca T i mes are c o p y r i ght © 2 0 1 6 , b y newsk i i nc .

All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $69 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 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 me s G a z e t t e : Tom Newton

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

3

INQUIRING

N Local Housing

PHOTOGRAPHER What are your plans for the Growing season?

A “We live on the Commons, so we don’t have room.”

—Elanee and Jeremy

“Frances is six months old. Her growing plan is crawling and solid foods.”

—Emily, Alexa and Frances

“We’re moving to California in May. If Nate’s interested in gardening, we’ll get a community plot.”

—Heather Hunt and Nate

Hydropower contin u ed from page 3

part to unanticipated costs savings to the consumer, or “unintended economical arbitrage,” the Waterloo project has been grandfathered in.

The tax credits act as a hedge against increasing energy prices that could cost taxpayers in the future, said Wood. The partnership aims to reduce and stabilize energy costs.

The hydro plant was originally built in 1916. The facility, formerly privatelyowned, is in working order and currently feeding power into the grid, but is in great need of upgrades, Elphick said. “Gravity is acquiring the plant with the long-term commitment of refurbishing it but using the existing equipment,” he said. “When we refurbish the plant we’re not importing anything from overseas. We’re using equipment that’s already here locally, local

“We’re starting a Hugelkultur garden at the Yoga Farm.”

—Jasper and Neko Threesixty

“I’m not growing anything, but I’ll eat some apples.” ­—Lovelle

4

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

w

s

l

i

n

e

“In a 239 review from the county,” he added, “if they had made recommendations that we were not going to follow, it would have required a super majority vote from the town board. With [Jason Leifer recused], that would have meant a 4-0 vote would have been needed. Now it’s [a 3-1] needed to be approved.”

The project’s original design included 15 rental units and approximately 40 t long last, Modern Living Rentals’ bedrooms. Due site proposed plan to put to residents’ a 10-unit, 32-bedroom questions and townhouse building at 902 Dryden concerns, Road in the hamlet of Varna— O’Connor’s located in the town of Dryden—was team, led by unanimously approved four votes to Noah Demarest none during Dryden town board’s of STREAM public meeting on March 17.

Collaborative, The vote, which moved forward presented a with little discussion, was preceded revised site plan little public comment. For those proposal during who have been following this project the town board’s and its process, it would be fair to public meeting say the project’s approval was rather on January 21. anticlimactic.

The Modern For the last eight months, Living Rentals Dryden town board meetings have team was not in been filled with local residents— attendance for some of whom have asked the town the March 17 board to dismiss altogether the site Todd Bittner of Cornell Plantations meeting. plan submitted by Modern Living (Photo: Michael Nocella) Residents Rentals owner Charlie O’Connor. and husband A vote on the final site plan and wife Eric and Cheryl Humerez of 908 was expected as soon as a few months ago.

Dryden Road led the resistance against the However, O’Connor’s team was still in the site plan proposal throughout the process. process of getting a revised Stormwater Neither were in attendance for the verdict.

Pollution Prevention Plan completed.

Cheryl’s last comments were heard at the Before the town board voted Dryden town February meeting. planner Ray Burger confirmed that the last “Is anyone really listening to anything step indeed had been completed. that is being said by [Varna’s residents]?”

“The ‘239 county review’ came in,” she asked. “I have read, and re-read the Burger said, “with a determination that recommendations made by the Tompkins it has no negative inner-community or County planning board [to not build on or county-wide impacts. They originally had near the 100-year floodplain].” issue with the 100-year floodplain being “For the record,” she continued, “the encroached upon, but now that the project Varna comprehensive plan showed there has been altered and was able to pull back should be no new development at this from that, the project is now not within the three-point corner. Could it be possible floodplain.”

Varna Housing Approved At Last

By Josh Brok aw

e

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

that when people were putting together the Varna plan that someone had the common sense to know you should never build on a floodplain? I have been misquoted by the developers in the papers as saying, ‘Not in my backyard, and not next door to me.’ I have spoken at every meeting since August 2015. I have been clear in stating where I live. I live two doors down, not right next door. What I have said is: ‘Location, location, location. This is the wrong location for this type of development.’ Let us hope that when you get around to voting on this, you stick to your moral values, and with a clear conscience.”

Director of Natural Areas for Cornell Plantations Todd Bittner broke down—on several occasions—issues with the project as to its impingement on valued natural resources. During the March meeting, he said the final site plan has come a long way.

“I wanted to note,” he said, “that significant improvements have been made to pull back the infrastructure from the floodplain and the sensitive natural areas that were adjacent to the property.”

Town board member Deborah CipollaDennis recalled seeing this project and process through two different lenses.

“I’ve been following this project since the beginning,” she said, “and listening to the people of the community, as well as people needing housing, and also listening to the developers. I think I was here in the audience and [not a town board member] during [the developer’s] first meeting, and I appreciate the way that you have worked with the town, the plantations, and with the community to scale back the project.”

Added board member Dan Lamb: “I think [the length of this process] sends the right message that we’re interested in development with developers like you who will put in the work to make a project go forward that we can all be proud of.”

– Michael Nocella sports@flcn.org

contractors, and and Elphick local machine said the county shops.” would receive an Hydropower estimated 3,850 is not tax RECs per year, exempt, and which have an the facility will estimated total continue to pay future value property taxes. of $25,000 to The estimated $100,000. annual New York “This is economic impact just one more Waterloo hydropower plant (Photo: Jessica McCown) per one megawatt example of is $50,000 to how Tompkins $100,000 per year in taxes, wages and County is a leader and out in front,” local spending, Elphick said during his said Michael Lane, Tompkins County presentation to the board.

Legislature chair, “and what better way to The environmental benefits generate electricity for our needs than by include an estimated annual carbon using the oldest method in history?” savings equivalent to 2,620 metric tons. The county will retain rights to all – Jaime Cone environmental attributes in the form of southreporter@flcn.org renewable energy certificates (RECs),

N Speakeasy

Asylum Writer Wields Pen Against Sword

R

aza Rumi left Pakistan for the United States nearly two years ago.

An attempt on the journalist’s life made by armed militants on March 28, 2014 left his driver, Ghulam Mustafa, dead, and him feeling unsafe in his home country.

On the evening of the attack, Rumi was leaving the Express News television studios after an Urdu-language news and commentary broadcast. He had moved to Pakistan’s second-largest news network a few months before, the latest step in an increasingly visible media career that had earned him a spot on a Taliban-authored hit list of journalists and writers for expressing reformist views.

Last September Rumi began a twoyear residency hosted by Ithaca City of Asylum at Ithaca College. This semester he is teaching an honors class on the history and culture of South Asia and a class in journalism research. He published Delhi by Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveller in 2013.

The Ithaca Times sat down with Rumi to talk about his work—in past, present, and future—the state of Pakistan, and his impressions of the United States so far.

Ithaca Times: You took an unorthodox path into journalism. Tell us a little bit about your background and how that informs your work now.

Raza Rumi: I was a civil servant in Pakistan, and then got into international development. I was with the Asian Development Bank for nearly a decade, during which time I began to write for Pakistani papers. I was enjoying it so much, getting so much feedback, that I said, ‘Let’s give it a try and make it into a kind of career.’ In 2008 I took a leave from the Asian Development Bank and started editing the Friday Times, a liberal weekly newspaper in Lahore … My background gives me an immense edge in terms of commentaries and analysis. I write with that experience; I know which parts of government talk to each other, how transactions come into effect.

IT: What are the restrictions on freedom of expression in Pakistan?

RR: There are red lines which journalists must not cross. You can’t be critical of the military intelligence agencies of Pakistan. You need to be very careful what you say about religion and Islam, because of the power of the Islamic clerics and militant, violent groups like the Taliban and Pakistani Taliban affiliates. You can’t call for the repeal of the blasphemy law in public. You can call to change the procedures, amend it, review it. But the blasphemy law is said to uphold the sanctity of Islam and the Prophet

e

w

s

l

i

n

e

Muhammad, so even to challenge that you’re seen as a kind of heretic.

IT: What are the uses of religion for the power structure in Pakistan?

RR: A good way of maximizing political capital is to use Islam. They say, ‘I’m a good Muslim politician, for people who are faithful, practicing Muslims.’ The military has used it even more since the dictatorship [of General Zia-ul-Haq] in the ‘80s, which used Islam to strengthen their rule for a decade. He kept telling Pakistanis he was here to enforce real Islam, to turn Pakistan into a greater Islamic country, and he took it to another level. During that time Pakistan was using jihadist groups to seek influence in neighboring Afghanistan, with the U.S. and Saudis as part of that project. … The use of Islamic militant groups is part of state policy. That’s what I was trying to challenge every evening with my own show and other shows as well, every evening for hours.

IT: And you were talking about reforming the blasphemy law and the state at the time you were attacked?

RR: I was commenting a lot on that when, in 2012, I started engaging with broadcast media more. I had been writing about these issues since 2005 in English, but there’s a limited readership. On a TV channel there’s the mass media effect of millions watching and noting what was being said. Toward the end of 2013 I was

about Islamic extremism and criticizing the state. … My ideas were getting more traction. I tried to be cautious always, but I had given up all my careers for freedom of expression to get this sort of kick and engagement. I feel like journalism has to guard and stand for the public interest, and use the most powerful and important means to achieve that.

IT: How do you compare the media climates in Pakistan and the United States?

RR: TV is the same format, the same sensationalization. Generally journalists are safer in the U.S., and media has far [broader] limits to criticize religion, policy, and politicians.

The one similarity I would say is on national security, in terms of policy and objectives, by and large the mainstream media follows what the Pentagon, White House, and CIA say.

The Iraq war is a great example: there was hardly any criticism of that when the U.S. went to Iraq—even the New York Times supported the invasion. Almost a decade later we know it was a disastrous thing to have done. It destroyed Iraq, there were no weapons of mass destruction found, and it led to the growth of groups like the Islamic State.

And now the U.S. wants to fight them again. In Pakistan also, being critical of national security is taken as an act of being unpatriotic.

IT: What projects are you working on during your time in Ithaca?

RR: I’m working on a memoir about the last few years, about my work, about almost being killed, and my ideas of what it means to be a public engager. I did one third of the writing the last freezing winter locked up in this house, and I didn’t go anywhere. Now I plan to, hopefully by summer—fingers crossed—to finish a first draft.

Once that’s out of the way I want to work on other book projects, including one on international development. •

Ups&Downs ▶ You’re Killin’ Me Smalls, The Sandlot is sparsely narrated by the main character (now an adult) who occasionally drops in on the action to comment on events or help move the story along. Tom Guiry plays Scotty Smalls, the shy new kid on the block who wants to join the rowdy pickup baseball team that plays every day in the neighborhood sandlot. The film will be screened at the State Theatre Saturday, April 2, at 4 p.m.

If you care to respond to something in this column, or publish your own grievances or plaudits, e-mail editor@ithacatimes.com, with a subject head “Ups & Downs.”

Heard&Seen ▶ Summer Internship, The Community Science Institute (CSI), a nonprofit environmental organization and certified water quality testing lab in Ithaca, New York, seeks a full-time intern to work in our lab during this year’s busy season from May through August, 2016. This internship is appropriate for an advanced undergraduate student or a science graduate interested in learning about certified labs and experiencing how good science is practiced in the public domain. Application deadline: April 15. More information: info@ communityscience.org. ▶ Top Stories on the Ithaca Times website for the week of March 16-22 include: 1) Ithaca Teachers: “We Are the Underpaid” 2) Dryden School Board Votes Against Music Teacher 3) Ithaca Man Arrested with Large Amounts of Heroin and Cocaine 4) Grady Flores Out of Jail to Wait on Appeal 5) Building Community Project Looks for a Home For these stories and more, visit our website at www.ithaca.com.

L ast Week ’s Q uestion: How will you be voting for in the Democratic primary election ?

85 percent of respondents answered “Sanders” and 15 percent answered “Clinton”

Rumi will be reading at the Handwerker Gallery at Ithaca College as part of the Finger Lakes Environmental Film City of Asylum writer-in-residence Razi Rumi Festival at 6 p.m. on March (Photo: Diane Duthie) 30. You can read his account of the assassination attempt in an essay on aeon.co entitled getting a lot of feedback from a lot of “On the run,” and find more of his writings people. I was engaging people with what I on his website: razarumi.com. Check ithaca. had to say, but also getting a lot of threats, com for a longer version of this interview. particularly on social media, on views T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

question OF THE WEEK

Are Ithaca teachers underpaid?

Please respond at ithaca.com.

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

5

Editorial

A Raise, and a Reason for It T he teachers in the Ithaca City School District very likely deserve a raise, but you wouldn’t be able to make that decision with confidence by listening to the arguments made in public by the Ithaca Teachers Association or some of the protesting teachers themselves.

In our cover story last week (“We Are Underpaid”; March 16) we examined what little information the teachers and the district are willing to provide. While the two parties have reached a tentative one-year agreement after 10 months of negotiations, they still refuse to speak about what they agreed upon in order to get that far.

We asked deputy superintendent Matt Landahl, the only administrator to respond to our emails, whether an Ithaca teacher with a given amount of experience in a subject or grade level is paid as well or less well than a comparable teacher in another central New York district with a similar cost of living and a similar state aid contribution. Landahl said that this was exactly what they were talking about during the ongoing negotiations for the multi-year contract, so he couldn’t answer that question.

It is actually the proverbial $64 question because the ITA’s complaint that Ithaca median teacher salary is 579th out of 677 districts in the state means almost nothing. In last week’s cover story we showed that, for example, Nassau County (Long Island) teachers are paid more than twice as much as Ithaca

teachers, but they probably can’t afford as nice a house.

In contrast, teachers in Baldwinsville, just northwest of Syracuse, would appear to have it pretty good, salarywise. Their median salary is much higher and the price of real estate is drastically lower. When you dig around to find out why this might be so, an answer presents itself pretty quickly: the residents are, on average, richer than we are. The median salary for a family there is over $10,000 more per year than it is in Ithaca. Consequently, they can afford and do pay a much higher rate of school tax. (Since their property is generally worth less than ours, that makes sense.)

Oddly, Baldwinsville gets more state aid than Ithaca. Perhaps they have even less industry and commercial real estate than we do and are even more wholly dependent on a residential tax base, which is thin gruel for any school district or government.

In the past week we have had some responses to the March 16 article, but no one has contested or even acknowledged school board president Rob Ainslie’s explanation as to why the median salary in Ithaca is misleadingly low. He points out that his board offered early retirement to highly paid, older teachers, while most districts simply laid off teachers (many of them part-timers).

Some research on the Internet of media coverage of school board meetings continued on page 7

Guestopinion

Urban Growth and Character W

e have a beautiful city that receives policies that encourage development in areas regular national recognition as such as the Martin Luther King/W. State St. a tourist destination for outdoor corridor and the waterfront. Regardless, this recreation and wine tasting, a place to retire, will change the overall character of the city. a market for entrepreneurial endeavors, Community buy-in may rest on our and an inspiring place to attend college. ability to have active, and more importantly, Ironically, the same unique character of respectful conversations about growth and Ithaca that continues to attract new residents carrying capacity including, for example, is shifting as a result of this influx. We now the impact on public services, quality of have a housing demand that far life, and local natural resources. exceeds our supply.

Although some factions dismiss Fierce competition for housing resistance to development as causes prices to soar and pushes out NIMBYism and classism, which low-income residents. We no longer exists among some subgroups, have an infrastructure where those the more relevant issue raised who work here can afford to live is the fact that we don’t yet have here. Growth is happening, and it is a solid plan for reaching our not equitable. The question is: what comprehensive plan goals in the do we want to do about it? What can face of unrelenting pressure for we do about it? more housing.

Anna Kelles Simply increasing the supply The demand for housing of all types of housing can relieve is not static, but escalating. To market pressure that’s leading to the reverse the steady rise of housing price spikes the city is seeing. However, this prices the rate of increase in supply needs basic mathematical assessment does not to exceed the rate of increase in demand. acknowledge key considerations that play an Simply matching existing demand will not important role in determining a contextually address the already existing substantial appropriate solution to the housing crisis in shortage of affordable and senior housing.

Ithaca.

Supply increases must continually match the Growth needs to be guided to address rate of population influx, as well as address our housing needs equitably. But can we current shortages. target growth to increase housing while But if we leave the market alone to preserving neighborhood character? ramp up supply, will we get the diversity According to Ithaca’s comprehensive of housing that the city needs? Developers plan, “the City recognizes the need to seeking to maximize profit will focus on preserve the essential character of our housing stock with the greatest return: existing neighborhoods. Ithaca is extremely rentals. Ithaca’s housing market and policy fortunate to have many blocks of relatively climate currently favors the construction of dense wood-frame modest housing of a market-rate rental properties over affordable, type that has been largely destroyed in senior, and homeowner options. many American cities. Neighborhoods Furthermore, simply increasing marketwith historic homes and traditional urban rate housing inventory does not address patterns are attractive amenities that appeal existing aging, energy inefficient stock. The to residents and visitors.” In addition, “value cost of renovations, efficiency upgrades, and is also placed on undesignated historic maintenance of these old homes makes it resources that contribute to neighborhood difficult to target them for low- and middlecharacter and unify the community.” income families. Although increasing supply A possible solution is to implement may decrease the market rates for housing zoning changes in core urban areas to foster overall, this may further decrease the targeted growth based on a comprehensive ability of smaller landlords in the city to do vision for the city, as outlined by a recent form-based code initiative, Form Ithaca. We continued on page 7 could continue to set zoning and parking

YourOPINIONS

Higher Salaries with Bigger Classes

I was on a school board in my district for six years, and as much as I love and respect teachers, their extremely powerful union, with the almost guaranteed submission of the school boards, does coddle them. Forget the base salary for a minute: Cadillac medical coverage for life!; guaranteed pension!; tenure/job security (can’t be fired for things most of us can be fired for); and 15 days of paid sick leave!

A majority of the U.S. work force gets a year’s pay for 50 weeks of work (250 days).

6

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

Any time off beyond that and sick days are unpaid for most of us. As the article stated, teachers work 187 days and, as I said, can take an additional 15 days off with no ramifications. The comparison was made to professions that work all year long but mentioning the simple formula of the 1.33 multiplier applied to the educator’s salary (187 is 75% of 250), would allow anyone to make a quick comparison of any annual rates of pay. continued on page 7

editorial contin u ed from page 6

in the dark post-financial collapse years of 2009 and 2010, confirm that many districts took the “low hanging fruit” approach. If you don’t have the math skills to figure out that this would raise the median salary, while the Ithaca approach would lower it, then your last math teacher shouldn’t get a raise.

Teachers are more than just people who share a job description; they are a culture. They have a tough day-to-day existence, constantly dealing with nonpedagogical concerns like children’s bad manners, poor nutrition, and lack of sleep.

Furthermore we have a mass media that teaches children to be defiant and selfimportant.

On top of all this teachers have to put up with the breakneck schedule imposed on them by standardized testing and an absurd “body of knowledge” that they are forced to cram into students so they can dump it onto a page and then forget it. Nobody else has to put up with all this nonsense and that must bind teachers together and make them into a tribe.

What is the downside of this? The tribal tendency to talk only to each other about their woes. This is fine until their “financial concerns” become public during a contract dispute.

Then the rest of us are all reminded that teachers are one of the few demographics in the U.S. to still have a pension. For several years some of them didn’t even have to make a contribution to their pension funds. Ithaca teachers who began their careers in the 1960s and ‘70s and retired in the last 10 years receive between $50,000 and $75,000 per year from the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System.

Teachers also receive Classic Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance, with a large portion of the premiums paid by their districts.

When teachers want a raise, they are not asking some plutocratic company for it. They are asking the taxpayers for it. When some taxpayers hear this and look at their own retirement and health benefits, not all of them are empathetic.

Teachers most assuredly work hard and work long hours, but so do a lot of other people. But those people don’t have a pension and quite often their health insurance is expensive and not very good.

So when the union makes an argument for a raise, it had better make sense. • guestopinion contin u ed from page 6

efficiency upgrades without raising rents, making these properties less affordable.

The most effective way to provide diversity of housing, in particular affordable housing, is simply to prioritize and build it (or retrofit existing buildings).

City officials have discussed implementing an affordable housing impact fee, which would require new residential and

commercial developments to invest a onetime per square foot fee into an affordable housing fund similar to one now in place in San Jose, California.

The city acknowledges the need for diversity in our comprehensive plan: “Neighborhood stability,” the plan reads, “is strengthened by the presence of owner-occupied units ...

Moreover, homeownership is one of the primary means of wealth building for most Americans. Nationwide, only the District of Columbia has a lower rate of homeownership than New York State, and Ithaca’s homeownership rate, at a mere 27 percent, is approximately half the New York State average. The City recognizes the need to both stimulate increased rates of homeownership and support homeowners who wish to remain in their homes.” Can we use incentives to encourage homeowner development?

The biggest pressure on Ithaca’s rental market is the ever-increasing numbers of students coming to Cornell. The university expects an average increase of 200 students per year, but there are no clear plans to increase undergraduate student housing and some of the existing stock is being converted to administrative uses. A commitment from Cornell to accommodate their population increases on campus will take significant pressure off the housing market in the city.

It’s going to take more than simply increasing market-rate development to solve our housing crisis and preserve the beauty of our historic upstate city. It is going to take respectful engagement from all stakeholders, and directed policies to encourage targeted diverse housing development.

–Anna Kelles County District 2 Representative, Tompkins County Legislature This is the third in a series on sustainable development organized by Sustainable Tompkins as background to a community conversation on housing, April 23 at Earth Day Ithaca. youropinions contin u ed from page 6

I also understand that most teachers do some work outside of their paid time (my wife is a private school teacher). Ditto for most trades and professions.

Along those lines one really can’t shed a tear for the ski-lift operator that only makes $25,000 a year.

Total taxpayer cost for the entire compensation package (medical/pension) should have been mentioned; benefits are a huge reason people get government jobs.

While most of us have to contribute to fluctuating 401ks and the like, teachers get defined retirement numbers, guaranteed by the state constitution to be made whole by the taxpayers, regardless of how their own retirement accounts are doing.

Ithaca’s taxes are atrocious! There are many people whose monthly mortgage/ escrow payment is made up of over half property taxes! If ICSD needs to give

a raise to attract better teachers, and I believe it does, it should come from upsizing the high school class sizes and shedding a couple dozen teachers, not from raising the rent! There is no study that shows any difference in performance between 22 and 28 students per class, the class sizes my generation attended. No doubt there are a few extraneous electives to fill out teachers’ schedules as well. If ICSD is run anything like our district, there’s some low hanging fruit here.

The district would save money by paying fewer teachers, better (fewer benefit packages). Bump up the salaries and high school class sizes and attract the best teachers who can get these kids ready for even larger college class sizes.

If taxpayers don’t replace teary-eyed sentimentality with demand for value when it comes to their local public school, our kids don’t stand a chance.

– Joe Lonsky, Genoa

Pay Teachers What They Are Worth

The recent article regarding the Ithaca City School Teachers (“We Are Underpaid”; March 16) ongoing negotiations for a fair and reasonable salary increase focused mainly on median salaries, cost of living, and state aid calculations. It was easy to get lost in all the numbers and lose sight of the very real human considerations that are at stake.

My daughter attends our local elementary school. The professional staff works hard to provide her with a safe, nurturing, and stimulating educational environment.

As such, their salaries should reflect the priorities of our district, which is to provide our children with the very best education possible.

My wife and I pay our babysitter ten dollars an hour to watch our two children. Paying their babysitter a fair and reasonable hourly rate gives us peace of mind. Our children are worth it and so is their babysitter.

With this in mind I wonder what paying our teachers a babysitter’s salary would look like? If we leave aside the unpaid hours of lesson planning, grading, calling home, emailing, and coordinating with colleagues, and focus solely on student contact time, the numbers would look something like this: $5 hr. x 30 students= $150 x 5 class sections= $750 a day at five days a week for a grand total of $3,750 per week. That’s certainly a respectable salary.

Surely the professionals that spend more time with our students than their own parents do, deserve a salary that reflects how much we value our children.

– Liam F. O’Kane, Ithaca

New Diet Journey, Part 2

Editor’s note: This letter was submitted on Feb. 14 and is the second in a planned series on Sandy Ferreira’s exploration of a new way of eating. Apologies for the delay in publishing it.

What an interesting four weeks this has been. I was given some ground bison, T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

The Talk at

ithaca com We got this response to the second essay of our Earth Day Series. Frost Travis explained the mechanics of building in an urban environment: I am concerned about Mr. Travis' claim that activists stopped the 2 projects in downtown Ithaca. Where is his argument against the SPECIFIC objections that were raised? He seems to play on stereotypes that activists are unthinking rejectionists. He says the projects were "legally permissible projects, fully compliant with existing zoning and environmental regulations." That is no proof they are good. Many citizens have sophisticated arguments that these standards are inadequate.

We are trying to redefine them to meet the demands of climate change and our moral responsibility to be a national leader in the movement for more inclusive, aesthetically pleasing and climate-ready communities.

– Kathy Russell

a kind of meat I had never tried before.

Made a little 4-ounce patty and ate it.

Tasted a bit like venison, I thought. That is the only meat I have prepared for myself in the last month. I did, however order a 6-ounce steak, rare, while dining with some friends at a local eatery. I consumed no bacon, but used bacon grease on four separate occasions.

I whipped up several vegetarian meals, including polenta with mushrooms, curried polenta, sautéed polenta, and black bean tacos made with Matt Stratton’s whole-wheat taco shell recipe. I enjoyed eggs over easy with toast at the cafeteria at Cayuga Medical Center. (I think their food is great!) I savored every bite of Bill McDaniels new 100-percent whole-wheat toast (using agave nectar as his sweetener), while chatting with friends at the Crow’s Nest. At the Mardi Gras meal at Loaves and Fishes the corn soup, and the red beans and rice tied for first place.

I must admit, that I would prefer the above vegetarian foods over the bison and the steak. I was really surprised. I am in the middle of Michael Pollans book Cooked, and have read and re-read his Food Rules. He eats meat and cooks meat, but very thoughtfullly. In the past, while eating bacon, I rarely thought of the life of the animal I was consuming. How did that pig live? Where did he live? What did he eat? Was he happy? Yes, I want to know if he had a happy life … and then I have to think of how this pig was killed. I hate the word “slaughtered.” I guess I need to go to The Piggery, our local organic butcher shop if I decide to continue using the bacon.

In the meantime, I will focus on root veggie soups, and veggie pancakes. Happy eating!

– Sandy Ferreira, Ithaca M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

7

West of Eden

Building community in West Village Apartments

By Samantha Brodsky

F

or Melissa Meléndez, a typical day begins at 6 a.m. She wakes up her 10-year-old daughter, Le’Lah, and then, her eldest, Angeliyah. By 8 a.m. the sound of Disney Channel shows fills the kitchen while she cooks breakfast for her youngest, Ka’Talejah. Come afternoon, she’ll run errands and help her girls with homework before their family meal and bedtime. Then, it starts all over—the daily life of a busy mother.

Meléndez , born in the projects of Brooklyn, is a 13-year resident of West Village. She said, “Everyone’s always like, ‘Why West Village?’ and I’m like, ‘This is home.’” To an outsider—to residents, even—West Village looks like an institution. But within the confines, something is happening there.

When Meléndez first moved to West Village, she rebelled and was shipped back and forth from West Hill to the city. By 17, she was pregnant. “I saw what my mom was trying to do by moving us up here,” she said.

By 2008 Meléndez was a full-time student working two jobs. She dropped out of school in 2010 to take care of her children and has been a stay-at-home mom for two years now.

“I’ll be the first to say I’m the jack of all trades, master of none,” she said. “I can braid hair; I can bake; I can cook; I can do a lot of things. I just don’t have degrees or certificates to go behind everything I can do.” At 31 years old, Meléndez felt in a rut. “‘What do I want to do with my life?’” she had asked herself, “And then this happened.”

In October 2015 Meléndez founded, “Our Children’s Future,” a project to instill the sense of hope West Hill needs to break out of its stupor of isolation. In collaboration with West Village children, Meléndez and a number of other mothers have organized activities such has cooking lessons and community service trips.

“This is what makes our program unique,” said Meléndez. “We sit with the kids and ask them, ‘What do you guys want to do?’” She said that members meet every Monday at LACS and that they’re planning on having monthly parties and

even a cotillion.

With the kids ranging in age from 2 years old to late teens, Meléndez said they’re trying to organize events for everyone—ScienCenter trips for the little ones, Rochester Museum of Play visits for the elementary school kids, and a college mentorship program for the high schoolers.

“So, I found my niche,” she said. “I want to make my community better. I want to give my children a safe place to live, and just because I’m on Section 8 or living in low-income housing, doesn’t mean my children don’t deserve that.”

Long-time resident Anisah Mohammed has been by Meléndez ’s side every step of the way.

“Other mothers may drop out, but me and her— we’ve been stickin’ it through from the jump,” she said.

The children “look forward to people investing time in them,” Mohammed said. “There are a lot of people not investing in their children, and they are in need of people to invest in them. They need us to make them feel like people believe in them.”

Mohammed talked about the goals the “Our Children’s Future” mothers have for the West Village community. They want to rebuild the playgrounds and help the children grow a garden this spring. The project hasn’t officially received funding, but they’re working with Village at Ithaca to become a fiscal sponsor.

Both women credited Jamila Simon for her unwavering support. Simon, a New York State 4-H Civic Engagement Specialist at Cornell’s Bronfrenbrenner Center for Translational Research, has helped make it all happen. “Without Jamila’s help, we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have,” Meléndez said. “She sees where we want to go and helps us make that happen.”

Simon ran an after-school program at West Village for five years. “Every time I would come here,” she said, “people would say to me, ‘How can you work at West Village Apartments?’ And I’d say, ‘How can you not?’”

The assumptions people make about poor families, Simon said, disguises the potential that these people have. “When people hear, ‘West

M e l i s s a M e l é n d e z a n d We s t Vi l l ag e C h i l d r e n ( P h o t o : S a m a n t h a B r o d s k y) a n d (b e l ow) We s t Vi l l ag e ( P h o t o : D i a n e D u t h i e)

8

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

West Village owners and Ithaca police focus on crime prevention first

By Bill Chaisson

T Ja m i l a Si mon, M elissa M el én dez , a n d a n isa h Moh a m m ed ( P h o t o : S a m a n t h a B r o d s k y) Village,’ they’ve already discounted what you’re able to do, what you’re able to produce, and how you’re gonna interact with them. That’s something that I don’t want to have happen,” she said.

“That bias will direct everything that you do. At no point do I want families here to feel that they’re inferior,” Simon continued. “Everyone that I know is hardworking families, and that’s the message that I want to get across 110 percent.

That’s the reason I was here for five years and continue to work in the community: because I believe in the families that live here, and everybody needs to have a fair chance.”

Meléndez and Mohammed both said that they’re tired of the stigma that the media keeps pinning on West Village as a place riddled with nothing but violence.

They want people to know that their home is not a lost cause. It’s a rising village.

“We’re not what the media portrays us to be,” Meléndez said, “We’re hardworking moms, and hardworking moms doesn’t just mean we’re all out working. It means we’re holding households down with numerous kids, taking care of other people’s children so they’re able to go work. It’s not just a crime- and druginfested area. There are a lot of good people here. There are a lot of great children here, and people think ‘West Village,’ and they don’t consider that.”

“It’s great that we’re doing this, but it shouldn’t have taken us this long. It should

have been happening,” said Mohammed regarding the efforts she and Meléndez especially have been making. “We have the right-hand people who look out for us, but we want to be able to do it ourselves.”

“My children—meaning all of West Village—deserve a safe place. But the point I’m trying to get across to [police] Chief [John] Barber, Omni [New York, the owner of West Village], the Mayor [Svante Myrick]—is that we need help,” Meléndez said. Both women said the changes West Village needs, although already in the works, can only happen if people come together.

“I want them to know that we need help with change, but only from serious people who have the right intentions.

These are our children. Our children deserve that,” Meléndez said.

Meléndez wants to go back to school to be an attorney. That always been a dream of hers. So she hopes to see parental involvement in “Our Children’s Future” swell in the hope that when the time comes, she can pass the torch.

“I’m hard. I’m from Brooklyn. I don’t want my kids to be what I was,” Meléndez said. “It takes a mom to say, ‘You’re not going to walk down the path I walked down,’ and if I can make that change, West Village can make that change.’”

“There’s a lot of people who don’t even acknowledge where they live because they don’t want to hear it,” Meléndez said.

“Well, I … I live in West Village.” •

he “Officer Next Door” program that got underway at West Village last October is not the same as the HUD program that gave police officers houses at half of market price and mortgages that required only $100 down.

Instead, the local program has provided two law officers from the Ithaca Police Department with essentially free places to live because it has been shown that having the law enforcement live in your neighborhood reduces crime.

Arleigh Hardy of Omni New York, LLC, the Manhattan-based owner of West Village, said that the Ithaca housing complex is the only one of their 50-plus properties to have the Officer Next Door program.

A search for comparable programs around the country found that in 2003 the police department in Hollywood, Florida was housing “about a dozen” of its officers in single-family homes in highcrime areas. Although the program had an identical name, the Hollywood police department paid their officers’ mortgages, $100,000 per year. In 2014 the city-county council of Indianapolis decided, through a program called “Safe Neighborhoods Now,” to renovate blighted buildings and give officers rent-free home for two years before offering them the property at market rate. In June 2015 the Vicksburg Housing Authority launched a program almost identical to the Ithaca program in their Waltersville, Virginia properties.

In Virginia they were looking for officers with families; both Ithaca patrolmen living in West Village are single.

(The original HUD program, which is often referenced in the articles about these initiatives, was available to both police and teachers, and begun in 1997, but shut down after three years because of multiple cases of fraud and abuse. It was then re-

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

booted as “Good Neighbor Next Door,” made available to firefighters as well, and is still in operation.)

Ithaca Police Department spokesperson Officer Jamie Williamson said that discussions about West Village have been going on for several years.

The meetings have included various stakeholders, including both property holders on West Hill and government officials, like First Ward alderpersons Cynthia Brock and George McGonigal.

“The people who hold all the chips have been working to identify changes that would improve the quality of life on West Hill,” Williamson said. “They have been trying to identify plans to improve it and make some progress.”

He does not recall who first proposed the Officer Next Door program, but he remembered that the Omni representatives who were present jumped on board immediately. “First they said that they could make an apartment available,” said Williamson, “and then a short time later they said they could make two available.”

Hardy, who is in charge of community relations for the Omni New York properties, said that her company’s first priority at West Village, after the intial renovation, was to make it safe. She said that was the message they got from the people they spoke with in Ithaca, so they have made safety and crime reduction their priority and intended to get to development of community programming continued on page 10

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

9

westvillage contin u ed from page 3

after everyone agreed West Village was safe.

“At all our properties we meet with the local people and build a relationship,” she said. “These meetings start even before we purchase a property.” Hardy said that once they assume ownership, they have regular tenant meetings throughout the year. “It’s a lot of questions and answers,” she said.

“From talking to Neil [Nappi, Omni New York’s director of security],” Hardy said, “I know that crime is the big issue, so we gave money to the police department and started Officer Next Door. That was the focus.” Omni has given the Ithaca

Police Department lump sums of $10,000 and $12,000 per year to pay for extra patrols at West Village.

The apartment complex between Chestnut and Elm streets on West Hill was owned for 35 years by Abbott Associates, which built it with HUD loans. The conditions of the mortgage allowed Abbott to offer the apartments at low rents. When the mortgage was paid off at the end of 2007, Abbott sold the development to Omni New York in March 2008. Omni then refurbished the apartments, but continued to make them affordable to lowincome residents.

The police department spokesman said that Omni is not an absentee landlord.

“They recently revamped the [security] cameras and the security system,” he said,

“and they have increased the number of hours that the cameras are actually monitored. They talked to the overseers of Section 8 vouchers [TCAction and Ithaca Housing Authority] and asked them to be more informed about the criminal activities of their applicants, basically more vigilance.”

When the Officer Next Door program was announced, some residents of West Hill had concerns, said Williamson.

Would the police be driving a patrol car home? Would they be patrolling the complex? But as soon as these issues were address and the logistics ironed out, the program went forward.

The one bullet point on mayor Svante Myrick’s “eight point plan” to improve police-community relations that was not

Member FDIC

Cheers to our first 150 years We’ve been helping customers manage their finances, buy homes and build businesses for a long time now: 150 years.

What explains our longevity? We put our customers first in everything we do. We call it “bank happy.” Apparently, it’s working.

To all of our customers, thank you for choosing Community Bank.

PERSONAL 00180_150Ad_745x84_bw_F.indd 10 T h e I t h a c 1a T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

BUSINESS

-

29,

2016

W E A LT H

CBNA00180_150Ad_745x84_bw, 7.45”w x 8.4”h

2/8/16 3:38 PM

implemented was a requirement that Ithaca police officers live within the city limits. The police department officially opposed the policy. Therefore, said Williamson, he was uncertain, when there apartments were offered, that any of his colleagues would show any interest. On the contrary, he reported, as soon as the first rent-free apartment was announced, an officer came forward. It was the same when the second was announced.

One of the Officers Next Door is a new member of the department, and the other is a 19-year veteran and originally from West Hill. The first new resident moved in at the beginning of October and the second a short time later. Both men declined to speak with the Ithaca Times for this story.

“It was made clear [to the West Hill residents] that they are off duty when they are at home,” said Williamson. Officers Next Door do not patrol West Village.

“But they are sworn officers, so if one of them sees a crime in progress, then he has to intervene, just like any other officer.”

As it is only five months into the local program, it is too early to tell whether having police live at West Village has reduced the crime rate there. “I’ve heard from folks there that things are better,” said the department spokesperson, “but things are generally quieter in the winter anyway.”

There has been no discussion of expanding the program. When Common Council approved it, they included a clause in the resolution that called for reevaluating it in three years. Unlike some other variations of Officer Next Door, the Ithaca policemen may move out of West Village whenever they wish.

“I think it’s working well for them,” said Williamson. “They volunteered for this.”

“Things seem to be turning a corner,” said Hardy. “That is what we’ve been hearing from Neil [Nappi] and the property managers.”

Hardy said that Omni’s approach to community-building programs is different at all of their properties because many of the ideas and initiatives come from the people who live there.

“The last project that I worked on,” Hardy said, “was to set up a chess club in the Bronx. We worked in a partnership with [former chess champion] Garry Kasparov.” In one of their East New York properties, Omni instituted a nonviolence program for 7 to 13 year olds.

“What we do is very broad based,” she said. “It’s entirely based on what the community needs.” Hardy was not aware of Our Children’s Future, the communitybuilding program described in the first half of this cover story, but she showed immediate interest, especially when she heard that Meléndez wanted to rebuild the playgrounds. “That’s interesting,” said Hardy, “because part of the renovation [in 2008] was to build two playgronds and put in a gazebo.” •

Public Schools

City of Ithaca

New Greenhouse to Table Path at BOCES

Tioga Bike Lane Debate Not Over

H

F

ollowing the trend-conscious, successful precedent Tompkins Cortland County College (TC3) set with its “Farm to Bistro” program in Dryden and at Coltivare, TST BOCES is hoping to give local high school students a similar experience.

BOCES hopes to add a “Greenhouse to Table” curriculum to its program menu for the next school year. Superintendent Jeff Matteson and Director of Career and Technical Education Anthony DiLucci have expressed excitement about the program during recent budget presentations at several school board meetings.

“We’re hoping to be able to launch this program in September 2016, this coming fall,” DiLucci said. “As you look out my office window, you’ll see a green space. We’re into maintaining green spaces. Adding the greenhouse [on that location] seems to be an important component to maintaining the green look of the direction we’re going in. We have a greenhouse on this campus already. It is utilized by some of the programs we do in the Smith [School] education center.

About a year ago, we got the idea that perhaps designing and building another greenhouse to serve the needs of some of the other career and technical education programs on this campus would be a great idea.”

DiLucci confirmed the idea was indeed inspired by a neighboring college.

“With TC3’s permission, I sort of borrowed their farm-to-bistro model,” he said. “We have an articulation agreement between TC3 and our culinary arts program, so it just seemed to be a natural fitóto design and build a greenhouse that would supplement not only our culinary arts program by growing and serving food, hence the term ‘Greenhouse to Table,’ but it will also serve some of our other programs as well. We have a food-service program primarily designed for kids with disabilities. We have an animal-science program. The sky is the limit.”

Somewhat poetically, the installation of the greenhouse will be to some extent a grassroots effort. Through a couple of grants that DiLucci wrote, he was able to purchase the greenhouse “kit,” which was recently shipped to TST BOCES and currently resides at the top of the campus’s maintenance area. The greenhouse and its construction will cost more than $16,000.

That number would probably be more, but students will help keep the construction costs down.

“The young men and women in our heavy equipment operation program will primarily do the layout work,” DiLucci said. “They’re going to prepare the ground.

They’ll probably dig the trenches for the sidewalls. They’ll get the foundation

ow to configure Tioga Street in its blocks closest to the Commons was the question posed to the public before the March 14 City of Ithaca Board of Public Works (BPW) meeting.

Should a bike lane extend down the east side of the thoroughfare from Farm Street to the Commons, running in front of the town hall and post office? Or should bicyclists be content with more “bike boulevard” signage, so as to leave parking alone in the busy blocks near the county courthouse?

Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council members Dave Nutter and David West were on hand to speak in favor of bike lanes, along with Fernando de Aragón of the Ithaca-Tompkins Transportation Council, Marshall McCormick, and South Hill resident Amanda Zerilli, who said she “believes in the comprehensive plan” and that people will have to bike if the city gets as dense as expected.

Putting a traffic diverter that stops people from turning north onto Tioga at Court Street and adding a lane to the Commons “legitimizes the whole northern portion of the bicycle boulevard plan,” Nutter said, adding that the boulevards are aimed at less-confident bicyclists. Nutter believes the city should be encouraging these people to use their bikes as “active transportation.”

Speaking in favor of leaving the parking intact were Alderpersons Cynthia Brock (D-1st) and George McGonigal (D-1st),

TST BOCES Director of Career and Technical Education Anthony DiLucci (Photo: Michael Nocella)

settled and put the stone in. We’ll purchase the concrete. Once the footing is done, we’ll be contracting with a local company.

The cost will not be passed on to our component schools. The money that is earmarked for this project all came from a grant that I wrote.”

While details are still being ironed out, DiLucci said he imagines herbs, vegetables, hydroponics, and “aquatic sort of stuff going on with fish tanks.”

Various teachers from programs already in existence will be leading the newly formed Greenhouse to Table initiative.

“I’m excited,” DiLucci said, “because it keeps a positive momentum going here.

We have a number of very traditional career-tech education programsóthe ones that people think about all the time when they think about BOCES: welding, autotechnology, cosmetology. But we also have some new and emerging programs that are on the horizon. We have a relatively new animal-science program. We have a nurse-assisting and home-health program that people don’t know a lot about. Our culinary-arts program is connected to TC3. I’m excited about the greenhouse, but it’s a package deal.”

DiLucci, who is retiring after this school year, hopes forward-thinking programs such as Greenhouse to Table continue to build the TST BOCES brand as a school that prides itself on being innovative, creative, and leaving its students with plenty of options and opportunities upon graduation.

“I always keep an eye towards college and career,” he said. “And anyone who keeps up with education parlance these days hears those terms a lot. For me, they are not the same thing. Being collegeready, and being career-ready are two different things. And sometimes, when people hear the word BOCES they think, ‘Ah, that’s for the student who is not going to go to college.’ That couldn’t be further from the truth, because 60 to 70 percent

of our completers who graduate from high school go off to two-year or four-year technical colleges. College isn’t the end. It’s just the next step to a career.”

DiLucci elaborated, “So as I think about this greenhouse project, I think about the connections we’re going to have with the hospitality program at TC3, the connections to their farm-to-bistro model, and my hope is there will be some students that come out of this program and TST BOCES who will be interested in continuing their education at a college like TC3.”

– Michael Nocella sports@flcn.org

continued on page 13

BiGGest winner contest!

S t a r t i n g a p r i l 1 1 th Register by April 4th

• Are you embarrassed to show a little skin this summer?

• Get in Shape before it’s too late!

• Contest runs: April 11th – May 31st • No teams! Winner takes all!

• Win $500 Registration is $25 20-1 Odds • Person with greatest percentage of bodyweight lost wins!

• Register Today!!!

• Must be a member to participate.

(607) 257-2700 15 Catherwood (right behind MCdonald’s) ithaCa T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

11

sports

Garrett Finishes 37-0 Sportswriter roasts a softball hero

By Ste ve L aw re nc e

B

eing a Division 1 All-American athlete for all four years of a collegiate wrestling career might be enough for some athletes, but not for Nahshon Garrett. The Cornell senior had his sights set on a national championship, and he would do what it took to get there.

My buddy Mark Iacovelli is—along with Dave Auble—my go-to guy for insight into the world of wrestling. Mark was a three-time state champ at Ithaca High, wrestled Division 1, and recalls the sport’s darker days. Upon returning from the NCAA tournament at Madison Square

Nashon Garrett (in red) (Photo provided)

Rack Up Rewards Faster Than Ever.

Who knew a checking account could be so rewarding?

Open a checking account and debit card to enroll in our UChoose Rewards® Program.

You’ll rack up rewards faster than ever! Redeem points for millions of items, or even gift cards or cash. Sign up for UChoose Rewards® with your debit card and watch how fast your points add up!

chemungcanal.com/rewards 800.836.3711

12

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

Garden—he attends every year—Mark said, “Nahshon was in the running every year, and he was determined to win this year. He went up a weight class, got a lot stronger, and he dominated.”

When Mark wrestled, nearly 40 years ago, such was not the custom. “We used to go the other way,” he said. “We would drop a weight class, and when you’re starved and ‘sucked out,’ nothing good comes of it.

The science of diet and fitness has evolved tremendously, and I’m so glad to see it go the other way.”

I told Mark that I have heard that while most 20-year-old guys fantasize about young women, wrestlers fantasize about food. He laughed and said, “That’s the way it was. Sad, isn’t it?”

Mark added, “I have not witnessed a better NCAA tournament. The Cornell wrestlers embody, above all, respect and humility, and they earn respect. That’s the sign of a true champion.”

Congratulations to the top-seeded Garrett, who won a dramatic 7-6 decision over the second seed, Cory Clark of Iowa at 133 pounds. Garrett swept through his senior season with a 37-0 record,

and Gabe Dean picked up his second national title at 184 pounds. The Big Red finished seventh as a team. The three All-Americans—Dylan Palacio was the third—give the Big Red 76 all-time titles, including 15 national crowns and 59 AllAmericans under head coach Rob Koll.

• • • I was invited to be one of the speakers at the 2016 Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the United States Specialty Sports Association, where I would be one of two individuals to honor—or in my case, roast—local softball legend Butch Crozier. In my speech, I compared Crozier to the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, and it turns out ol’ Butch was like the NFL icon in more ways than one.

It was a jacket and tie affair at the classy venue known as the Burgundy Basin in Rochester, and there were a dozen inductees from several categories (coaches, umpires, players, and sponsors), a master of ceremonies, and a keynote speaker. It was an emotional night for many. It was also Crozier’s 52nd birthday, and he brought a contingent of 20 people to celebrate.

One of Crozier’s teammates from a nationally prominent tournament team said a few words, then Butch said some “thank yous,” and then he invited me up. I took my place at the podium, and the 400-plus audience members politely waited to see why Crozier—unlike the other inductees—had invited two speakers.

As I began, Butch started to leave the stage. I said him, “You’re not going anywhere …” And I said to the audience, “I have been writing about this guy for many years, and I remember going to a baseball tournament to see a talented team of seventh grade players, and I watched them file off the bus. I asked the coach which one was Butch Crozier, and he said, ‘He did not make the trip with us.’ I said, ‘That’s disappointing. I really wanted to watch him play.’ The coach replied, ‘Oh, he’ll be here; he’s driving himself.’

Confused, I stated, ‘He can drive? He’s in 7th grade…’ The coach said, ‘Yes, but … he’s 19 years old.’”

The crowd burst into prolonged laughter, and Butch stood there, beet-red, laughing along with everyone else, being a good sport. Like Aaron Rodgers—hanging in the pocket, knowing J. J. Watt is coming around the corner to put a blind side hit on him—Crozier stood there and took it.

Well played, Butch. Congratulations, and thanks for the invitation. It was a lot of fun. •

Suicide Prevention

Dancing Fundraiser for Crisis Hotline

T

o all you movers and shakers out there, get your groove on for a good cause and join the Fourth Annual Dancing for Cause fundraiser for the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services.

You don’t have to be a “dancer” to participate in the events workshops, held Saturday, April 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. You just have to sign up online and raise or donate at least $100 for the opportunity to join one of seven local dance teachers who will hold separate workshops throughout the day.

Among the teachers leading workshops are Mandy Caughey and Karen Koyanagi, who will lead a Dancing (Provided dance that focuses on meditative movements and breath work.

“They’ll work with the skills and movement abilities that people have when they walk in the room,” said Lee-Ellen Marvin, executive director and director of education at Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services. “If you can walk you can participate, and if you can’t walk really well we can still find a way to work that in. People can dance sitting.”

Shayna Grajo, lyrical dance instructor at the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca, said she wanted to be involved in the fundraiser for the first time this year because she has personally struggled with emotional issues and she found that dancing helped her heal. “I believe in the healing and creative powers of movement as a tool for personal self expression and recovery from trauma or other crisis experiences,” she said.

Other participating instructors include Amy Bush, owner of Dancers Alley Studio in Horseheads, will teach a contemporary dance that involves improvised choreography that is initiated by visual cues. Rik Daniels, an athlete who does not let his wheelchair confine his love for and ability to dance, will be leading a routine that explores enthusiasm and the divine.

Participants can even help choreograph a dance to be performed at the gala party at 8 p.m. that night. “It’s the first time that we’ve added the challenge of learning a new dance,” said Marvin.

She said that last year they had 22 people join in as fundraising dancers, and this year they hope to get close to 50. “Last year raised about $16,000, and I really hope to push to the 20,000 mark this year,” she

said.

All funds raised will go toward supporting the Crisisline, a confidential crisis counseling service that offers support over the phone and in on-line chats. The Crisisline was founded in 1969 and serves nine counties in the Southern Tier.

Those who would like to participate in Dancing for a Cause but do not want to dance or cannot attend the event are welcome to create their own dance challenge, or pick a fundraiser or team to support through a donation.

To sign up or learn more information about Dancing for a Cause and Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service, visit www. ithacacrisis.org, call 607-272-1505, or write to info@ithacacrisis.org. •

away.”

County legislator Dan Klein (D-Caroline) told the board that his elected body seemed generally in favor of preserving the street parking in the area.

BPW commissioner Bill Goldsmith asked if the county had ever considered renting space in the parking garages for employees, to open up surface lots by their buildings for the public. Klein said he would take that input to the legislature.

BPW will consider the input from the hearing and written comments on this issue at their next meeting on March 28.

Bikelanes contin u ed from page 11

along with Julie Schroeder of Homespun and resident Ann Sullivan, who argued that many people coming to that area cannot use transit because they are coming from rural areas of the county to use services.

“This neighborhood on Tioga is one of the most vibrant in terms of business services,” Brock said, saying that she visits several professionals in the area. “If I’m taking my kids out of school from an appointment I want to go as quickly back and forth as possible. … If I’m adding 15, 20, 30 minutes onto that time to use the garages, ultimately I fear they may decide to move

event sponsored by

– Josh Brokaw reporter@ithacatimes.com

Finger Lakes Community Newspapers

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

ithaca com

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

13

14

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

Arts&Entertainment

Journey to the East Canadian band merges styles from around the globe

by Bill Chaisson

Y

ou can’t really be blamed for thinking of the British band Dire Straits when you hear the name “Sultans of String.” In fact, the Toronto ensemble did consciously pun on the title of the ‘70s hit, but they actually live up to the name by incorporating Turkish and other Middle Eastern music into their eclectic sound. The band will return to Ithaca on March 31 to play an 8 p.m. show at the Hangar Theatre. On their previous swing through they lit up the Carriage House loft.

Bandleader, violinist, and guitarist Chris McKhool (Makhoul) comes by his fascination with Middle Eastern music via genealogy. He is of Lebanese extraction on his father’s side, while his mother is an Egyptian-born piano and music theory teacher. The Sultans of String was born when McKhool met Kevin Laliberté, a guitarist steeped in flamenco, Manouche, bossa nova, and jazz styles. The two began playing together and then added Cuban percussionist Chendy Leon and bassist Drew Birston to form the core of the band.

Immediately after they met in the mid2000s, McKhool and Laliberté broke in their musical partnership by jamming and mining their respective traditions, but by early 2006 they had developed into the Sultans of String, eventually becoming the band’s principal songwriters.

“We started writing up stuff that we care about,” said McKhool. “We share the stories

(Above) The quintet version of Sultans of Swing. The quartet version will be visiting Ithaca (Photo Provided)

in concert. Some of them are about meeting amazing animals in remote parts of Canada.

We tell stories to consciously put a frame around the music. I think that if we ask for the audience’s attention, then we ought to give something back. I think they want to take something home with them.”

McKhool began studying classical violin at age 7. By the time he was in high school, he had learned enough theory to teach himself to play the guitar. Now 41, McKhool came of age in the Ottawa Valley during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, playing guitar and using the violin as an accompanying instrument in bands from genres as diverse as folk—the Ottawa Valley has a respected fiddle tradition—world, jazz, and … thrash metal.

He doesn’t see his evolution from a classical player into an explorer of multiple vernacular styles as much of a leap. “I always found it hard to fit myself in a box,” McKhool said. “When I hear people say that something is supposed to sound a certain way … well, that’s just not how I roll.”

McKhool laughs when he remembers a transformative experience he had as a teenager.

“I was just starting to make my own music, and I discovered Jean-Luc Ponty’s [1976 jazzrock album] Imaginary Voyage,” he recalled, “and that made me realize that you could do anything you wanted with the violin. Early on I bought a pickup—God, it was a really awful one—and a chorus and a delay pedal, and I

started making music in my room.”

He moved to Toronto and for a while continued to play in all kinds of bands. “Then I studied jazz for a year at York University,” the violinist said. “One of my professors told me I didn’t need to take all these classes. He said, ‘Play along with records and learn to play every solo. Then you’ll be able to play jazz.’”

In addition to the traditional four-string instrument, McKhool also plays five- and sixstring violins. He will be playing the five-string when they visit Ithaca. “I have a violin made by Eric Aceto [of Ithaca Stringed Instruments],” said McKhool, who added that as soon as he booked the upcoming Ithaca show, he called Aceto and insisted that he join the Sultans onstage for at least one song.

Which instrument he plays is determined in part by what configuration of Sultans of String is going to appear. While often playing as a quintet—bringing in a second guitarist—in the immediate Toronto area, they will appear as a quartet in Ithaca. McKhool and Laliberté also play as a duo and add a bass player to make a trio.

“When we play as a duo,” said McKhool, “I’ll play the six-string violin like a ukelele and use a pedal to make it sound like a bass and to create moody drones. People are surprised to hear sounds so low from a violin.” McKhool also employs looping, as well as echo and continued on page 21

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

15

music

Innervisions

Dynamic funk and soul band visits the haunt

By C hr i s tophe r J. Har r ing ton The Nth Power, Saturday, March 26, 8:00 p.m., The Haunt

of genres and varying styles, the band transcends individual prowess, stripping away the showy-self, to forge something truly dynamic. “We all really love to write,” said bassist and fret-wizard Nate Edgar. “It’s really hard to find space to write in a lot of bands; so many are dominated by one, maybe two main voices. It’s just worked out well for us, we all have different tastes and visions, but we all work together to serve the song. It’s a total collaborative effort.”

Only in Edgar’s aforementioned combinations of intelligence-melding, or rather logical-forming, does ultimate finality have a chance. This is why something like the hit song “Right Now” off The Nth Power’s latest record Abundance, can exist so fully in this dimensional realm we call reality.

Seriously, you have to hear this song to believe it; it’s that good. I don’t care if you only listen to brutal death metal and abstract noise; there’s no way in hell you don’t funk out so hard to this song that you lose all feeling, and rise above it all, as it were. This is the power of the band’s magic; it transcends expectation.

Funk is the dimension realm of The

E

xtensions and exaggerations are necessary throughways toward that long strived for base of ultimate finality. This end scheme whose existence precedes foreknowledge of its essence, is oft-times confused with lateral motion toward discovery. We’re talking about something to which we are blind and is difficult to reach. I’m not sure if ultimate finality is anything one can achieve individually—and this is precisely why it’s so bracing to hear it manifested so completely in musical forms. When the right parts fit, particularly when concerning music, look the “f ” out. Enter New Orleans-based soul and funk outfit The Nth Power: a band with a tetradic color scheme and a penchant for deft song-craft. Think Stevie Wonder meets early Kool & the Gang while having a beer with Prince after taking a long train ride with Jaco Pastorious; all the while levitating with Marvin Gaye. This’ll put you in The Nth Power’s quadrant.

Composed of a plethora of musical heavyweights spanning a wide spectrum

16

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

The Nth Power (Pictured from left) percussionist Weedie Braimah, guitarist and main vocalist Nick Cassarino, drummer Nikki Glaspie, keyboardist Courtney “J’Mell” Smith, and bassist Nate Edgar (Photo Provided)

Nth Power that is technical, dynamic, and progressive, in the instrumental and artistic form. The soul aspect is where the band finds its inner-heart. “We’re bringing back love through our music,” Edgar said. “We look at music as a way of spreading positivity and understanding to people. Funk music makes people dance, gets them up out of their seats and makes them alert. Soul music is social music—an age-old quest to color the human heart. It’s heavily laden with lyrical content. This is our chance to grab the crowd’s hearts out of their chests so

they can see it beating right in front of them; our chance to transcend.”

The band’s rich collective of talent shimmers with flexible diversity, melting together like something out of the Blues Brothers (remember the scene at Ray Charles’ store). Edgar, who brought his dynamic, technical, and out-of-this world funky bass playing to bands like Groove Child and John Brown’s Body, lays down the interstellar rhythm with drummer Nikki Glaspie. A former drummer for Beyoncé and Dumpstapunk, among others, Glaspie has a sorcerer’s touch behind the kit, able to flush out tight funk beats with an invitingly graceful gospel-inspired openness, which blends seamlessly with the band’s idiom.

Guitarist, main vocalist, and Burlington, Vermont native Nick Cassarino (Jennifer Hartswick Band, Big Daddy Kane) is equal parts Donald Fagen, Sly Stone, and John McLaughlin, forging an engaging front-man persona with an almost preacher-like tonality. West African percussionist virtuoso Weedie Braimah and keyboardist Courtney “J’Mell” Smith round out the collective, adding magnanimous gospel and world-flavored impressions to the fold.

The individual prowess of The Nth Power’s collected band members could have easily tilted their sound towards a stringy tangled-cobweb of jammy yawn, but this is a special band; a band whose found their ultimate finality: a cross pollination that was perchance destined so many years ago. “The second cassette I ever owned was a Live At Monterey Pop Festival tape with Jimi Hendrix on one side and Otis Redding on the other,” Edgar happily reflected. “On one side was the absolute craziest most powerful rockand-roll, and on the other some of the deepest soul you could imagine. The tape definitely left a sharp impression on me.”

You’d be doing yourself a favor tenfold to check the band out on Saturday. A transcendent experience awaits you. •

music

State of Rumination

Experimental hardcore group headlines show

E nCelebrate j o y I n d i a nSpring C u i s i n with e W i tUs! h Us! Thanks for choosing New Delhi Diamond’s for Best Indian Food & Best Buffet for 2010!!

New Delhi

Beer & Wine • Catering • 106 W. Green St. • 272-4508 • open 7 days

By C hr i s tophe r J. Har r ing ton Mountain Man, Bastard Eyes, Ohne-ká & the Burning River, Escuela, Thursday, March 31, 7 p.m., The Chanticleer Loft

W

orchester, Massachusetts is in many ways the metal and hardcore capital of the world.

At the very least, it’s one of the most prominent pit stops for all emerging artists of the form. Mountain Man, a musical colossus of varying aggressive dynamics, calls the quotidian New England city home, pulling equally from the area’s vast nest of gothic imagery and ingrained bluecollar-ism. Just as surely as touchdowns fly through the air each fall on Fitton Field, and New England Metal and Hardcore

Mountain Man’s Patrick Murphy (Photo Provided)

Festival mesmerizes lucky denizens each and every April, the burly collective Mountain Man have been shaping their transcendent experimental punk prominently, and without hesitation, for the past seven years. I caught up with drummer Patrick Murphy recently on the verge of the band’s trek through Ithaca.

Ithaca Times: So what’s the dynamic of the band? You refer to the band as a collaborative project; what’s the meaning of that particularly?

Patrick Murphy: The key songwriters of Mountain Man, currently, are Joshua Smith, Jesse Menard and myself. Throughout the band’s history, we have definitely had a lot of different members, but I’d say it’s more solidified now than ever. Referring to ourselves as a collaborative project basically means the three of us sort of “conduct” a collective of various musicians and collaborators.

IT: How and why did the band form?

PM: The band started in 2009; Joshua had a few songs that he wanted to record and reached out to Jesse and me to record them with him. We had all been friends for a number of years, so it was just to have some fun with no intention of being serious. Josh had graduated from college

and started working in his career. The songs on the demo were basically his outlets from all of that.

IT: Is punk as an ideology and philosophy important to Mountain Man? Is context within that frame of mind important to Mountain Man? PM: Absolutely. We obviously began as a punk or hardcore band sonically and still maintain that thought process. For me, Punk is about pushing boundaries and deviating from what’s expected while being passionate and sincere. Our roots will always be firmly planted within these forms.

IT: Worchester is a pretty epic place for metal and hardcore - and Massachusetts in general. Any old-school bands from MA, that inspired you guys? Are you a fan of any of the first–wave metalcore bands like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Overcast, Unearth, and On Broken Wings?

PM: The scene out here has always been really strong, and we’re pretty fortunate to be from here. I started going to shows around the time Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage had just started playing. I was super into the metalcore stuff; but I think the more straight up hardcore bands had more of an impact on us: American Nightmare, Panic, The Suicide File, Bane, The Dedication and the Hope Conspiracy were all really coming up and made me want to play in hardcore bands. It made me realize it was more possible than I thought.

IT: What’s changed for the band since 2009? Where’d the direction change from less than one-minute songs (ONE) to fiveminute songs (TWO)? Is there more to say now?

PM: A lot has changed over the years and it’s reflected in the direction of the music. The writing of TWO came during a very emotional time for the three of us personally. We were all dealing with our own lives and I think that’s why the songwriting started heading in that direction. To me, it was a very natural progression, and I feel like you can hear that’s where we were heading anyway. We definitely still have more to say musically.

IT: Five best albums of 2015?

PM: I’m honestly not sure what came out in 2015 that I was listening to; but here’s five albums I was listening to throughout the year: Frank Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours, Failure: The Heart Is a Monster (that came out in 2015), Of the Wand and the Moon: The Lone Descent, Rufus Wainwright: All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly (that also came out in 2015). •

Dinner menu 7 days 5-10pm

Diamond’s

lunch Lunch Buffet only Buffet only $7.99 $8.61

Holiday Special

S pring is Here...

25% off

Colanders, Tea Kettles, cups, Stock pots, utensils, linens, and gadgets all in bright, fun colors

on all sets of Champagne Flutes

116 Ithaca Commons

The Ithaca Electricians Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee is recruiting Apprentice Electricians.

Apprenticeships Earn while you learn

Begin a real career with good wages and benefits right away. Attend classes and earn college credits toward an AOS degree with no student loans to pay back!

Hurry! Applications are due no later than Friday April 15th.

Apply online at Ithacajatc.com Please Call 607-272-2809 or 607-327-0504 with any questions.

Applicants must be a minimum 18 years old, a High School grad or have a GED and completed at least one year of high school Algebra.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES HOLY WEEK SERVICES Immaculate Conception Church (Ithaca)

All Saints Church (Lansing)

St. Catherine of Siena Church (Ithaca)

St. Anthony Church (Groton)

www.immconch.org www.holycrossdryden.org Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper @7pm Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper @7pm Good Friday, Celebration of the Lord’s Passion @3pm Good Friday, Celebration of the Lord’s Passion @3pm Saturday Easter Vigil Mass @7:30pm Saturday Easter Vigil Mass @7:30pm Easter Sunday Masses @ 7:30am, 9am, 11am Easter Sunday Mass @10:30am

www.stcathofsiena.org Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper @ 7pm Good Friday, Celebration of the Lord’s Passion @3pm Saturday Easter Vigil Mass @ 7:30pm Easter Sunday Masses @ 7:30am, 11:30am

www.holycrossdryden.org Easter Sunday Mass @ 8:30am

Holy Cross Church (Dryden) www.holycrossdryden.org Easter Sunday Mass @ 8:30am

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

17

art

Art on the Hill

Cornell faculty show living in its own world

By Ar thur W hit m an

O

ne important thing to keep in mind when viewing exhibits of faculty or student work at Cornell is that there are two cultures of contemporary art in Ithaca. Broadly, there’s the downtowncentered “townie” scene and a more academic-influenced one based around the university’s art department and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum. I cover the former most weeks, and although I avoid indiscriminate praise, its values have soaked into me. Characteristically, this work involves a sincere involvement with traditional genres; it avoids the ivory tower’s fixation on art that undermines its roots.

The Johnson holds a biennial faculty

show. “Cornell Faculty 2016” features the work of 17 artists, ranging from longtime professors to less familiar names.

Contemporary art curator Andrea Inselmann, together with curatorial assistant Sonja Gandert assembled the exhibit, which runs through April 3.

It includes recent work in painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video.

Some of it displays a hipster disregard, seemingly contemptuous or indifferent towards the historical art with which it shares the museum.

David Snyder’s video The Guano is a case in point. Playing in a loop, the piece is a mashup of found footage, captions, and

smarmy narration.

The mock-sincere “idea” is that we should repurpose old video stores as farms for the manufacture of “bat s***.” The aesthetic, such as it is, is similarly childish—a crude parody of advertising relying on kitsch and disgust.

A similar attitude inflects the painting.

Leslie Brack’s work was exhibited in last summer’s “Locally Sourced,” an Ithaca artists’ survey also put together by Inselmann.

Stan Taft’s “Piazza dei Ponziani” (Photo Provided) Brack is a skilled him blend in with the background foliage. realist painter, and her What for? still lifes have a deadpan but compelling I would have found Carl Ostendarp’s presence. But her altered album covers Pop approach to abstraction relevant back presented in “Cornell Faculty 2016” are in my own art-school days. But his efforts just silly. Here, Karen, in oil, mimics the here don’t sell me now. Flatly painted, the soft-focus cover photo on a Carpenters acrylic-on-canvas piece features a wavyrecord with impressionist strokes. These contoured question mark in pale yellow, cover Richard Carpenter’s skin, making floating against an orange background.

Why only a single, not particularly labor-intensive-looking piece by both of these painters?

Like Ostendarp, who borrows from cartoons, Maria Park’s Stack 7 “appropriates” graphic design. A woodframed square window, reverse-painted in acrylic, rests on the floor, leaned up against the wall. It has been divided into seven horizontal bands. Painted sharply in grays, greens, and a dark red—and occasionally unpainted—it bears text in varied lettering: things like “PLAYBACK” and “Applied Geography.” What this is supposed to mean, if anything, is unclear—still the piece has a visual elegance, which makes it stand out.

Gregory Page is one of the few artists here to engage with the broader Ithaca art community. A black-and-white lithograph printed on plastic film, his Large Burdock Leaf exemplifies his signature approach: a botanical specimen richly imprinted with its intricate texture.

Most of these faculty artists rarely show in town. It’s likely that I am underestimating some of them on this basis. But then again, here’s Stan Taft—who showed last year at Corners Gallery—with Piazza dei Ponziani, the show’s worthiest painting. Done in oil on an aluminum panel, Taft has rendered the Italian scene in a cautiously-applied grisaille (grays and blacks) over an intermittently visible pale orange under-layer. We see the lower bodies of a woman and a man, elegantly dressed and seated on stools with their legs crossed. She holds out her right arm; he holds her hand. There is a tension between the picture’s romance and the detachment of the style and cropping.

It would have been nice to have some wall text or a catalog to accompany the exhibit; there is only one artist’s statement.

There is a heavily conceptual bent to most of the work in this exhibit that makes it rather opaque to the uninitiated.and its local repercussions. •

ithaca.com Read the review online!

18

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

film

Return of the Queue

Choice picks that vary in dimension

By Br yan VanC ampe n

T

he recent screening of Michael Almereyda’s Experimenter at Cornell sent me to my queue to order up Almereyda films that I haven’t seen. I was always intrigued by his “corporate” version of Hamlet with Ethan Hawke, and so I decided to check out Almereyda’s Cymbeline. Having already adapted one of Shakespeare’s most well-known and produced plays, his 2014 film takes on one of the Bard’s least-known plays. Ed Harris, Ethan Hawke, Milla Jovovich, Dakota Johnson, John Leguizamo, and Anton Yelchin star in the film, which transposes the war between Cymbeline (Harris) and the Romans to a drug-running motorcycle gang battling with the police, headed by Vondie Curtis-Hall as Caius Lucius.

I like any Shakespeare adaptation where I can understand the words and motivations, and if anything, Almereyda has pared the play to the bone in terms of the speeches we associate with Shakespeare.

He begins with a flash-forward of sorts, teasing the literal fireworks in the final act, and then the rest of the story plays out “one week earlier.” The film runs a tidy 97 minutes, whereas a full production on stage would run more than three hours.

I liked the film’s bleak, urban look, which doesn’t look like New York City, which it is. It reminded me of the seedier side of Tulsa seen in Francis Coppola’s The Outsiders and especially the artier Rumble Fish. I also liked the way a key character gets smuggled into the heroine’s bedroom in one of those rolling rock n’ roll road cases. At times, Almereyda’s fevered iambic biker flick plays like William Shakespeare’s The Wild Angels.

• • • I’m a fanatic for all things Community, so it was great to see Dan Harmon’s amazing sitcom rise from the ashes on Yahoo! after being cancelled by NBC. Community Season 6 introduces new cast members Paget Brewster (W/ Bob and David) and Keith David (The Puppetmasters, They Live), adds some great guest stars, and tells some very cool, very Harmon stories.

All well and good, but the DVD release is a travesty. Every episode until now had cast and crew commentary, yet there’s not one commentary track on any episode here.

There’s a cute 24-minute trivia quiz, but I found all the queries “fish in a barrel” easy.

As someone who appreciates the standards set by previous season DVDs, all I can say is “Boo, hiss!”

• • • Colin Hanks, son of Tom and a fine actor in his own right (Fargo, Orange County), has made a fine documentary about the rise and fall of Tower Records,

titled All Things Must Pass.

Tower Records started as a record section in a small-town drugstore in 1960.

It grew to iconic status, as much a brand of cool as it was a chain of retail stores in 30 countries, on five continents. Aside from one visit to a Tower Records in Dallas

in 1999 where I bought a widescreen VHS copy of Starship Troopers, I missed the whole Tower experience, and had no idea that someday, there wouldn’t even be Tower Records in America. In 1999 Tower Records made $1 billion, but by 2006 the company had filed for bankruptcy.

It seems like all the really interesting American companies have a really interesting person at the top, and Hanks gets Tower founder Russ Solomon and many company people to speak candidly about what Tower did right, and how it all went wrong.

Hanks also interviews people like Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl, Chuck D, and other famous musicians about what Tower meant to them. Elton John used to go to

Ethan Hawke stars in Cymbeline (Photo Provided)

Tower every Tuesday and buy multiple copies of all the new releases. Grohl swears that Tower was the only business that would hire longhairs like him. •

My Wellness Tobacco-Free Success Story I was tired of being sick and I knew I could do something about it. My musician friend Stephanie Agurkis recommended that I go to Cayuga Center for Healthy Living (CCHL). They were good at listening and collectively we came up with a plan. I stopped smoking the day before my hip surgery. I received great care at Physical Therapy afterwards. I haven’t looked back and I am feeling a lot better.

Franklin Henry, Jr. Musician and Former Marine Ithaca, New York

CAYUGA CENTER FOR HEALTHY LIVING ISLAND HEALTH & FITNESS

The Cayuga Wellness Center is your wellness destination to comprehensive services all at one convenient location in Ithaca.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Our team of highly-skilled professionals are available for your personalized experience.

RASA SPA

Call today (607) 252-3535 for convenient access to all services.

SPORTS MEDICINE

cayugawellness.org

YOUR WELLNESS DESTINATION T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

19

WHAT IF...

stage

Can’t Stop Thinking Like This

... you could fit into

Comedian visits the State Theatre

THAT

By Br yan VanC ampe n

dress?

I

You know the one... waiting in your closet

LOSE A DRESS SIZE. GAIN MORE CONFIDENCE. WITH VELASHAPE.

’ve been a huge Steven Wright fan since seeing him on an early ‘80s edition of the HBO Young Comedians’ special.

Before there was Zach Galifianakis, there was Steven Wright and his brilliant absurdist monotone. He’s in Louis C.K.’s surprise web series Horace and Pete, and he was a consulting producer on the most recent season of the award-winning FX series Louie; he also appeared on the second season of the show. Wright’s most recent CD, I Still Have a Pony (2007), was

Reduce cellulite.

Contour curves.

Comfortable, quick, and non-invasive.

BODY CONTOURING SERVICES� COOLSCULPTING� •� THERMAGE� •� VELASHAPE

ITHACA • HORSEHEADS • VESTAL • SYRACUSE www.veinandaestheticcenter.com | 607.257.2116

CabarETC

Steven Wright (Photo Provided)

March 31 @8PM

Media Sponsor

Tickets start at $18* Get yours today!

Call 607.273.ARTS or visit HangarTheatre.org

Partners in Flight

Located at 801 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca, NY 14850 *Additional ticketing fees apply

20

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

nominated for a Grammy. He will appear at the State Theatre on Saturday, March 26.

Ithaca Times: I haven’t seen Horace and Pete yet. What can you tell me about it?

Steven Wright: It’s about a 100-year-old bar in Brooklyn that’s been handed down from generation to generation. And that’s what it’s about; it’s about the family who owns it and the people who come in there.

It’s not totally funny. A lot of it is very serious, and a lot of it is hilarious, too.

IT: And you’ve been working on it with Louis C.K. SW: Yeah, I’m one of the actors in it.

[Louis C.K.] writes it and directs it. And Alan Alda is in it, and Steve Buscemi is in it, and Jessica Lange and some other great actors are in it. It’s very interesting; it’s like

a play.

IT: So when you were doing stand-up all those years, you probably never figured on being on a set with Alan Alda and Jessica Lange.

SW: Yeah, I know. It’s very amazing to see them actually do what they do.

IT: How long have you known Louis? I was looking at my old episodes of Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and you were both on the first ten shows, and that was 1995.

SW: Oh, really? I only got to know him about four years ago. I used to live in Manhattan in the late ‘80s, and then I moved out of there. About four years ago, I wanted to live there but just for a month. I rented an apartment for a month, because I wanted to get a fix, but I didn’t want to live there. He lives there, and a mutual friend introduced us, and we started hanging out.

So that’s how that happened.

Before that, I saw him; I said, “Hi” in a club. I had met him one time when he was 18, but that was it.

IT: I just saw the movie about Barry Crimmins that Bobcat Goldthwait made [Call Me Lucky (2015)]. I’m fascinated by that early period in Boston where there was this bunch of up-and-coming comics, and Barry was kind of the point man, right?

SW: Yeah, he was in charge of that comedy club, the Ding Ho comedy club. Barry was very influential on the Boston scene. That was an amazing time. I thought that movie was excellent; it was very moving.

IT: It’s always fun to talk to somebody whose career goes back to the Johnny Carson Tonight Show.

SW: Yeah. That changed my life, that show.

The Tonight Show changed my life twice.

First, as a 16-, 17-year-old kid, that show made me want to be a stand-up comedian, from watching the comedians he had on there. That’s how it got into my head, and then that became my goal, my fantasy. And then I actually went on when I was 26, and then my life changed; everything changed.

It was like a double impact.

IT: I saw some footage of you backstage before that first shot. You looked really nervous.

SW: Yeah, yeah. I would get so nervous that I wouldn’t be nervous anymore. I would be numb. I would get so nervous that I couldn’t be any more nervous. It would cancel itself out. •

‘Sultans’ contin u ed from page 15

delay pedals. While playing with just Laliberté is enjoyable, McKhool admits it can be a bit nerve-wracking. “We explore textures with the help of the reverb pedal and loops,” he said, “but, you know, everything is audible, when it’s just the two of us.”

• • • The Sultans of String sound, it would seem, is an amalgam of activist concerns, technological wizardry, and ethnomusicological scholarship. The modus operandi over succeeding albums has been to bring in guests and explore new musical territory suggested by the guests’ traditions. On Subcontinental Drift, their latest CD, they collaborate with sitar player Anwar Khurshid (who scored the film Life of Pi). The preceding CD, Symphony, saw them working with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Additional guitarist Kevin Whiteley made 2012’s Move a feast of Iberian rhythms.

Symphony came about because the band set themselves to a project of translating their arrangements in order to play with symphony orchestras. McKhool called Subcontinental Drift a “dive into South Asian sound.”

“There’s no master plan [for the Sultans of String sound],” said McKhool.

“We live in a global world, and we’re like kids in a sandbox. Partly it’s a product of the atmosphere in Toronto. People from all over the world make Canada their home and bring their music with them.

There’s lots of fusion.”

McKhool makes connections when he is on the road too. He met some Turkish Roma while he was in Istanbul and did some recordings of Christmas music. “They did an Arabic arrangement of ‘Greensleeves,’” he said with some awe in his voice. “It was so incredible that I thought, ‘We should make an album of this.’ So, maybe we’ll go to Turkey and workshop with them.”

“Festivals are great for running into people,” he said, “and meeting those musicians that you’ve never seen play live before. We all love to play the workshop stage at festivals. You never know what is going to happen.”

• • • Since the release of Subcontinental Drift, the Sultans of String have been visiting the U.S. every two months or so to promote it and make new friends.

This album has been given a “proper release” in the U.S. through the Creative Entertainment Network in New York City, which gives them automatic distribution via RED, a division of Sony Music, not only in the U.S., but around the world.

Because many of them have families with young children, they now only go out for four or five nights before returning home. The exchange rate, McKhool said, is rough right now, with the Canadians paying $1.40 to get a U.S. dollar. “So Canadians have a tough time

spending money in the States right now,” he said, “but it’s a great time for us to make money in the States and go home.” He also urged Americans to visit Canada now, as the U.S. dollar goes a long way.

While the other members of the Sultans of String each play in five or six other bands, it is McKhool’s primary focus. He is the band’s manager, booking agent, and marketing staff.

“Running a world music band is like flying a helicopter,” said McKhool. “You spend eight hours on the ground doing maintenance just to take a onehour flight. And I get to be the mechanic.”

He does find time to carry on a parallel career as a performer for children under the name Fiddlefire. “I love performing for children,” he said. “I’ve got a social activist/environmentalist streak, and I work at getting kids motivated to protect the planet, plant trees, and celebrate multiculturalism.

“Kids are a super audience to perform for,” he continued. “They are engaged, and they sing along.” There is also a practical aspect to his side project, McKhool said: “In the same town I can perform a matinee as Fiddlefire and then with Sultans of Swing at night.”

“We’re of the vintage of owning CDs,” said McKhool of himself and his bandmates. “I’m used to flipping through the credits to see who played on what. It bugs me that when people download music they don’t get any of that information.” They will have CDs for sale at their Hangar show.

“People know,” he said, “that that $20 is putting gas in [the band’s] tank that night.” •

Chris McKhool kicking it (Photo Provided)

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 ND 4PM SHOWTIME

WWW.STATEOFITHACA.COM

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

21

Purple Valley | 4:00 PM-6:00 PM | Americana Vineyards, 4367 E Covert Rd, Interlaken | Blues, Swing, Rock and Roll, Country, Americana.

3/28 Monday Open Mic Night | 8:30 PM | Agava, 381 Pine Tree Rd, Ithaca | Signups start at 7:30pm.

3/29 Tuesday

Music

| Rongovian Embassy, 1 W. Main St., Trumansburg | Double Bass, Jazz.

Robyn Hitchcock with Emma Swift | 7:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Alternative Rock, Jangle Pop, Psych Folk.

Stone Cold Miracle | 9:00 PM | Casita Del Polaris, 1201 N Tioga St # 2, Ithaca | Soul, Funk, Blues, Rock.

Uncle Buford | 7:00 PM | Ransom Steele Tavern, 552 Main St., Apalachin |

bars/clubs/cafés

3/23 Wednesday Casual Water | 7:00 PM | Ransom Steele Tavern, 552 Main St., Apalachin | Funk, Folk, Alternative.

Djug Django | 6:00 PM-9:00 PM | Lot 10 Lounge, 106 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | Live hot club jazz.

Richie Stearns & Rosie Newton & Band: Home On The Grange | 4:00 PM | Rongovian Embassy, 1 W. Main St., Trumansburg | Jam Session | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Canaan Institute, 223 Canaan Rd, Brooktondale | The focus is instrumental contra dance tunes. www. cinst.org.

Reggae Night | 9:00 PM-1:00 AM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | With The Crucial Reggae Social Club. i3º | 5:00 PM-7:00 PM | Argos Inn, 408 E State St, Ithaca | Live Jazz: A Jazz Trio Featuring Nicholas Walker, Greg Evans, and Nick Weiser

Reggae, Rock, Blues.

New Riders of the Purple Sage | 6:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Country Rock, Bluegrass.

Purple Valley | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | Blues, Swing, Rock and Roll, Country, Americana.

Robin Burnett | 7:00 PM | Grist Iron Brewing, 4880 NYS Route 414, Burnett | Pop Rock, Country.

Sammus “Infusion” EP Listening Party | 8:00 PM | Pirate House, , Ithaca | Feast your ears on INFUSION, the new EP from Ithaca-based rapper x producer, Sammus! We’ll gather around 8PM and begin listening to the 6-track EP at 9PM, with discussion of each track with Sammus herself. No cover.

No performances.

St. Vith | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Heavily Brewing Company, 2471 Hayes Road, Montour Falls | Jazz, Folk, Blues, Rock, Jam. Tru Bleu | 9:00 PM | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | Folk, Soul, Rock, Blues.

3/25 Friday Bug Tussle, Dirt Farm Band | 8:00 PM | Ransom Steele Tavern, 552 Main St., Apalachin | Bluegrass, Americana, Rockabilly, Country.

Contra and Square Dances | 8:00 PM | Great Room at Slow Lane, Comfort & Lieb Rds, Danby | Everyone welcome; you don’t need a partner. Dances are taught. Dances early in the evening introduce the basic figures.

David Graybeard, Dapper Dan | 10:00 PM | The Nines, 311 College Ave, Ithaca | Blues, Rock.

Laila Belle | 5:00 PM-7:00 PM | Rongovian Embassy, 1 W. Main St., Trumansburg | Country Ilium Works Album Release Show, with Mr. Boneless, Toto’s Magic Show | 9:30 PM | Chanticleer Loft, 101 W State St, Ithaca | Rock, Freak Folk, Punk Rock, Alternative Country, Blues, Trace Pop, Funk.

Jesse Bloodgood | 8:00 PM-11:00 PM | Two Goats Brewing, 5027 State Rte 414, Burdett | From Folk to Indie.

Long John and the Tights | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM | Americana Vineyards, 4367 E Covert Rd, Interlaken | String Band, Old Time.

Mutton Warriors, Unknown Woodsmen | 9:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | Funk, Soul,

3/24 Thursday Answer The Muse | 8:00 PM | Carriage House Cafe, 305 Stewart Ave, Ithaca | Songs From The Inside Out. With guests Elizabeth Simpkin and Nicholas Walker.

Religious, Funk, World, Rock.

Jazz Thursdays | 6:00 PM-7:30 PM | Collegetown Bagels, East Hill Plaza, Ithaca | Jazz.

Moosewood Thursday Night Live | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM | Moosewood Restaurant, 215 N Cayuga St Ste 70, Ithaca | Nicholas Walker | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

3/26 Saturday Dapper Dan | 9:00 PM | Two Goats Brewing, 5027 State Rte 414, Burdett | New original rock with a wide range of music styling.

Highway Fruit Market | 8:00 PM | Ransom Steele Tavern, 552 Main St., Apalachin | Classic Rock.

Julia Felice & The Whiskey Crisis | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Heavily Brewing Company, 2471 Hayes Road, Montour Falls | Soul, Rock, Blues.

Mosaic Foundation | 9:00 PM | Rongovian Embassy, 1 W. Main St., Trumansburg | Roots Reggae, Ska, Dub, Dance-Hall.

Namarah, Sug1, Tyler Dance | 10:00

3/24 ROBYN HITCHCOCK W/ EMMA SWIFT 3/25 NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE 4/1 PROFESSOR LOUIE & THE CROWMATIX

MANY MORE SHOWS NOT LISTED HERE! STAY UP-TO-DATE AT DANSMALLSPRESENTS.COM

22

T

h e

I

THE HAUNT

4/15 JAKE SHIMABUKURO • 5/12 MARTIN SEXTON T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

Acoustic Open Mic Night | 9:00 PM-1:00 AM | The Nines, 311 College Ave, Ithaca | Hosted by Technicolor Trailer Park.

East-West Blues Band | 6:00 PM-10:00 PM | Maxie’s Supper Club & Oyster Bar, 635 W State St, Ithaca | Blues, Rock, Soul.

Grassanova | 6:00 PM-10:00 PM | Maxie’s Supper Club & Oyster Bar, 635 W State St, Ithaca | Bluegrass.

Singer Songwriter Salon | 12:00 PM-3:00 PM | Rongovian Embassy, 1 W. Main St., Trumansburg | Amy Puryear hosts, joined by very special guests: Joe Crookston, Jen Cork, Dave Yantorno, Uniit Carruyo and Tom Mank.

International Folk Dancing | 7:30 PM-9:30 PM | Kendal At Ithaca, 2230 N Triphammer Rd, Ithaca | Teaching and request dancing. No partners needed.

Jerome Attardo and Friends | 12:00 PM-3:00 PM | Moosewood Restaurant, 215 N Cayuga St Ste 70, Ithaca | Classical piano with Guest Instrumentalists.

WWW.STATEOFITHACA.COM

2016

Mac Sabbath, Pale Green Stars, Reefer Sutherland | 7:00 PM | Lost Horizon, 5863 Thompson Rd., DeWitt | Heavy Metal, Fast Food Doom, Comedy Metal, Rock, Alternative Metal.

Quintessential: Seven Words | 3:00 PM | First Unitarian Church Ithaca, 306 N Aurora St, Ithaca | Featuring Heinrich Schutz’s Die sieben Worte Jesus Christi am Kreuz with guest organist and Ithaca resident Jeffrey Snedeker. Tickets will be available at the door ($15/10).

For additional information, call 315-637-3899.

Steven Wright | 8:00 PM | State Theater Of Ithaca, 107 W State St, Ithaca | For over three decades, Academy Award winning comedian and actor Steven Wright has been making audiences roar with laughter with his trademark deadpan delivery and cerebral punch lines. A legendary master of the one liner, his standup is packed with tightly crafted jokes that he pumps out with the efficiency of a comedy machine. His legacy as a brilliant comedic innovator and mad genius has influenced a new generation of comedy stars.

3/29 Tuesday

concerts

3/25 Friday New Roots Rock Band | 7:00 PM-9:00 PM | Dryden Community Center Cafe, One West Main St., Dryden | With a repertoire that includes songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, The Jackson Five, Evanescence, AC/DC and more, the New Roots Rock Band (NRRB) is not your typical high school ensemble. Students select the music for the group and, under the guidance of Music Director David Ferreira. NRRB incorporates a broad range of musical instruments and student talents in this 16-piece Rock Ensemble, including a cello, baritone sax, and violin.

Power of Rhythm | 7:00 PM-9:00 PM | Community School Of Music And Arts, 330 E State St, Ithaca | This evening will include an opening ritual, drumming, and dancing. If you have percussion instruments please bring them. Event Contact: Nana Anim 315-559-4248 nanakwasianim@gmail.com

5/7 DANIEL TIGER’S NIEGHBORHOOD & THE 5/12 GEORGE THOROGOOD DESTROYERS 5/14 X AMBASSADORS SOLD OUT! 6/19 MELISSA ETHERIDGE

HANGAR THEATRE t h a c a

3/27 Sunday

I-Town Community Jazz Jam | 8:30 PM-11:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Hosted by Professor Greg Evans Intergenerational Traditional Irish Session | 6:30 PM-9:00 PM | Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, 139 W State St, Ithaca | Calling all fiddlers, whistlers, pipers, mandos, bodhran’s, and flute players. All Ages & Stages.

Irish Session | 8:00 PM-11:00 PM | Rulloff’s, 411 College Ave, Ithaca | Hosted by Traonach Open Mic | 9:00 PM | Lot 10 Lounge, 106 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | Professor Tuesday’s Jazz Quartet | 8:00 PM-10:00 PM | Madeline’s Restaurant, 215 E State St, Ithaca | Jazz.

3/26 STEVEN WRIGHT 4/6 WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE 4/16 COODER,WHITE & SKAGGS 4/30 TIG NOTARO JUST ANNOUNCED!

THE DOCK

3/26 THE NTH POWER W/ FALL CREEK BRASS BAND 3/30 JONATHAN RICHMAN W/ TOMMY LARKINS 4/1 MAD SATTA

PM | The Nines, 311 College Ave, Ithaca | Avante Garde, R&B, Singer Songwriter.

Stranded with a Kiss, Viva Mayhem, Toto’s Magic Show | 9:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Rock, Indie Rock, Avant-Garde Ska/Punk.

The Geronimo Line | 9:00 PM | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | Alternative, Groove, Spaghetti Western.

The Nth Power | 8:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | Funk, Soul, Rock, Progressive.

Tru Bleu | 5:00 PM-8:00 PM | Grist Iron Brewing, 4880 NYS Route 414, Burnett | Soul, Blues, Rock.

3/26 Saturday

Silverstein, Being As An Ocean, Omarosa, Coldrain, Rarity, West Berlin | 6:00 PM | Lost Horizon, 5863 Thompson Rd., DeWitt | Post Hardcore, Punk, Emo, Hardcore Punk, Metalcore, Alternative Metal.

Film Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist | 6:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | BorgWarner Room, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | The film offers a glimpse into Eisner’s life and work and includes interviews with creative giants: Kurt Vonnegut, Stan Lee, Michael Chabon, Jack Kirby and many others. For more information, contact Tom Burns at tburns@tcpl.org.

Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) opening forum | 3:00 PM-6:00 PM, 3/28 Monday | Park Hall Auditorium, Ithaca College, Ithaca | Featuring roundtable discussions and an exchange of ideas exploring the

CFCU COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION/GATEWAY COMMONS COMMUNITY SERIES PRESENTS

JEFF MCBRIDE

・・MANY FACES OF MAGIC・・

SATURDAY APRIL 9・7PM

and Friday, noon–4 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone at (607) 274-3224.

Lehman Alternative Community School, 111 Chestnut St, Ithaca | The league is non-competitive and fun and involves pick-up style playing. Check out the league’s website for more information: https://ithacawomensbasketball. wordpress.com/ Job Fair for Veterans and their Families | 2:00 PM-6:00 PM, 3/24 Thursday | The American Legion, 4431 Seneca Rd, Trumansburg | The Trumansburg American Legion is hosting a job fair for veterans and families (also open to the general public) on March 24th. Many excellent employers will be there including Tompkins Trust, Wegmans, Borg Warner, Cornell, etc. (check the link below for our Facebook page to get the up to date list). If you have any questions or concerns, please to contact Jim Sharp at jimsharp1977@gmail.com.

Pickleball at the Ithaca YMCA | 9:30 AM-2:00 PM, 3/24 Thursday | Ymca, Graham Rd W, Ithaca | Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30 am – 2:00 pm Easter Bake Sale | 7:00 AM-12:00 PM, 3/25 Friday | St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, 120 W Seneca St, Ithaca | For advance orders call 607-280-6675 or email ithacabaklava@ aol.com Easy Square and Contra Dance | 1:30 PM-4:30 PM, 3/25 Friday | Lifelong, 119 W Court St, Ithaca | No experience or partner needed.

Must be Lifelong members. For more information call 273-1511.

Beginner Bird Walks | 9:00 AM, 3/26 Saturday | Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca | Guided bird walks every Saturday and Sunday morning, sponsored by the Cayuga Bird Club. Targeted toward beginners, but appropriate for all.

Binoculars available for loan. Meet at the Cornell Lab of Ornitholgy on Sapsucker Woods Rd. by the front of the building. For the meeting time and more information, go to the club’s website, http://www.cayugabirdclub. org/calendar Community Dinner | 4:00 PM-6:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | Varna Community Center, 943 Dryden Rd (Rt. 366), Dryden | Chicken French (pan-fried, breaded Chicken Breast simmered in a Dry Sherry, Garlic, Lemon-Butter Sauce), served on a bed of Mashed Potatoes with a side of Brocolli.

Dessert: fruitful Crepe with homemade Whipped Cream. Optional Vegetarian Lasagne & Rolls.

Sunday Square Dancing | 7:00 PM, 3/27 Sunday | Temple Beth-El, 402

Take your local bank to your local coffee shop. Notices Mobile banking.

Mobile check deposit.

And more.

We’re the local, mobile, remarkable community bank.

Locally focused. A world of possibilities.

TompkinsTrust.com

issues related to this year’s FLEFF theme of Landscapes.

Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) Opening Concert and Screenings | 8:15 PM, 3/29 Tuesday | Hockett Family Recital Hall, Ithaca College, Ithaca | Showing of the documentary Tested, which follows a dozen families as their eighth graders prepare to pass the grueling standardized test to get into one of New York City’s best high schools, followed by a discussion with director Curtis Chin; 5 p.m., Textor 103.

Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall | 7:00 PM-8:30 PM, 3/29 Tuesday | Textor Hall, Room 102, Ithaca College, Ithaca | This film breaks through the walls of one of Americas oldest maximum security prisons to tell the story of the final months in the life of a terminally ill prisoner and the hospice volunteers, they themselves prisoners, who care for him. Free and open to the public. Discussion to follow. treinemann@ithaca.edu

Embrace of the Serpent |The story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of 40 years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant. | 125 mins NR |

cinemapolis

Cornell Cinema

Friday, 3/25 to Thursday, 3/31.

Contact Cinemapolis for Showtimes

Wednesday 3/23 to Tuesday 3/29 | Contact Cornell Cinema for Showtimes

Where to Invade Next | To learn what the USA can learn from other nations, Michael Moore playfully “invades” them to see what they have to offer. | 110 mins R |

Hail! Caesar | A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio’s stars in line. | 106 mins PG-13 | Knight of Cups | A writer indulging in all that Los Angeles and Las Vegas has to offer undertakes a search for love and self via a series of adventures with six different women. | 118 mins R | The Lady In The Van | A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that’s parked in his driveway. | 104 mins PG-13 | Baskin (Baskin: Karabassan) | A squad of unsuspecting cops goes through a trapdoor to Hell when they stumble upon a Black Mass in an abandoned building. | 97 min NR |

Aelita: Queen of Mars w/original score performed live by local musicians Anna Coogan & Tzar (Michael Stark & Brian Wilson) | Before Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, there

was the dramatic sci-fi brilliance of Protazanov’s Aelita: Queen of Mars. Wrought with subtle erotic tensions and national predilections of the moment, the Martian adventure is known for its incredible leaps of fantasy running parallel to documentary-style depictions of 1920s Moscow. Love crosses light years in this popular Russian classic featuring fantastic constructivist set designs!

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words| Composed from letters, diaries and home movie footage Ingrid Bergman herself shot, as well as the memories of her children (Pia Lindström and Isabella, Ingrid, and Roberto Rossellini), and a few close friends and colleagues (including Liv Ullmann and Sigourney Weaver), Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words aims to tell the story not of Bergman the international movie star, but of Bergman the woman and mother | 104 mins NR |

Stage To Kill a Mockingbird | Syracuse Stage, 820 East Genesee Street, Syracuse | Harper Lee’s classic American story of courage and justice.

In a small Alabama town, a black man, Tom Robinson, stands falsely accused of raping a white woman.

Many townspeople would see him condemned, but attorney Atticus Finch

defends Tom and demands justice.

Through the trial, Atticus’ children Scout and Jem and their friend Dill come face to face with realty of racism in their small town. Runs February 24 through March 26. For info and showtimes visit syracusestage.org Dancing Lessons | Kitchen Theater, Ithaca | It’s easy for two people to live for years in the same New York City building just two floors apart and never lay eyes on each other, much less engage in conversation. So, when science professor Ever Montgomery knocks on out-of-commission dancer Senga Quinn’s door to ask for a dance lesson, they meet as total strangers. A wonderful romantic comedy by Mark St. Germain. Play runs through April 3.

Info at kitchentheatre.org Dogfight | Clark Theatre, IC, Danby Rd, Ithaca | Dogfight Brings the Soul of the Sixties to Ithaca College Theatre.

The effects of the Vietnam War on Americans as individuals and a society are examined in the Ithaca College Theatre production of the musical Dogfight. Performances will take place in Clark Theatre on March 29 and 31 and April 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. as well as on April 3 and 9 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at the Ithaca College box office in Dillingham Center or online at ithaca.ticketforce.com. The box office is open Monday–Thursday, noon–5 p.m.;

Nana Anim: Power Of Rhythm

Kitchen Theatre, Runs through April 3

CSMA, Friday, March 25, 7:00 p.m.

After an unfortunate encounter with a taxi, Senga’s Broadway dance career is sidelined. Her downstairs neighbor, Ever, a brilliant scientist, needs dancing lessons. Sound like a good match? There’s just one problem: he has Asperger’s and a no-touch policy. A funny, compelling, and wonderfully complicated story about understanding ourselves and others, Mark St. Germain’s inspiring play runs through April 3. Don’t miss out!

You feel like dancing for hours till until you’re completely drenched, while simultaneously experiencing a special and unique cultural tradition.

We’ve got you covered here. Nana Anim, master drummer and dancer extraordinaire from Ghana, and the equally transcendent African dance and drum performance group, Wassa Pan Afrika, combine to offer a dynamic interactive experience. The evening will include an opening ritual, drumming and lots of dancing. No prior experience required. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

ThisWeek

Dancing Lessons,

2016 Parent Meeting Kindergarten Registration | Newfield Elementary School, 247 Main St, Newfield | Newfield Elementary is preparing for next year’s Kindergarten class.

Kindergarten teachers and support staff will present an overview of the Kindergarten program. Your child must be 5 years old on or before December 1, 2016 in order to be eligible to begin kindergarten this fall. Parents of children new to the district who haven’t received a registration packet will need to call the Elementary office at 564-9955, ext. 1145 or 1143.

Ithaca Sociable Singles Dinner | 6:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Old Mexico Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, 357 Elmira Rd, Ithaca | RSVP m.friess@ yahoo.com Join the Streets Alive! Ithaca #8 | Join the Streets Alive! Team and help make our streets come alive! Every volunteer receives a free Streets Alive! t-shirt! To learn more about volunteering and to sign up, visit http://streetsaliveithaca.com/ volunteer/. More questions? Contact Streets Alive! Volunteer Coordinator Gillian Strandberg, at info@streetsaliveithaca.com. Streets Alive is SUNDAY, May 1st from 1-5pm.

Re-Envisioning Prevention: Steps Towards a Safer Community | 5:30 PM-7:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Casita Del Polaris, 1201 N Tioga St # 2, Ithaca | The Advocacy Center invites you to our 39th Annual Meeting. Join the staff and Board to learn about exciting new initiatives and collaborations that work towards ending domestic violence, sexual assault & child sexual abuse in Tompkins County. 607-277-3203 or email info@theadvocacycenter.org Trumansburg Ulysses Philomathic Library Spring Book Sale 4/14-4/19 | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E Main St, Trumansburg | Library Spring Book Sale runs 4/1 through 4/19. All categories of books, movies, games, music, etc. ranging $1-$3 for the whole family. Prices decrease starting April 17. Info at 607-387-5623, or at website www.trumansburglibrary.org.

Wednesday Night Ithaca Women’s Basketball Association: Open to girls & women ages 16 & up | 7:00 PM-9:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday |

23

N Tioga St, Ithaca | Square Dancing is a low-impact aerobic activity that stimulates both mind and body. Easy and fun for people of any age. Sunday Squares is free and open to all. We dance to a wide variety of popular music, and learn dance steps used all over the world. Come alone or with a partner. No special dancing skills required.

CRC Walking Club | 5:00 PM, 3/29 Tuesday | Ithaca High School, 1401 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca | Walking, large muscle group strengthening, and gentle yoga.

The Ultimate Purpose: Free Speech Open Forum Discussion | 7:00 PM, 3/29 Tuesday | The Mate Factor Cafe, 143 The Commons, Ithaca | Please join us for tea, cookies, and a lively open discussion on the deep issues concerning humanity and our future.

Every Tuesday Night at 7 O’Clock.

and by layering. Species covered will include currants, jostaberries, gooseberries, hardy kiwi, elderberry and nut trees. www.ccetompkins.org Wellness Recovery Action Plan Workshop | 1:00 PM-2:30 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Finger Lakes Independence Center, 215 Fifth St, Ithaca | A self-designed prevention and wellness process that anyone can use to get well, stay well and make their life the way they want it to be. To register or request an ASL interpreter/ accommodation, please contact Rachel at 607.272.2433 or Rachel@Fliconline. org Easy, Light and Fun Yoga | 4:15 PM, 3/24 Thursday | Yoga Farm, 404 Conlon Rd, Lansing | Each class combines gentle yoga: beneficial breathing, easy stretching and deep rest. We minimize transitions from standing to the floor, and stay clear of poses and exercises that could inflame injuries or trouble sore joints. Class designed to create a safe and supportive environment to meet the needs of those who don’t wish to practice more strenuous styles of yoga. More info at www.YogaFarm. us Reppy Institute Seminar: Logics of Identity Management in International Relations | 12:15 PM-1:30 PM, 3/24 Thursday | Uris Hall G08, Cornell, Ithaca | Speaker: Steven Ward, Assistant Professor of Government, Cornell University. Brown bag seminar luncheon. Wheelchair accessible; hearing assistance is available with advance notification.

For more international activities please visit: http://pacs.einaudi.cornell.edu/ calendar Speakers Series with Marcia Eames-Sheavly | 6:30 PM, 3/24 Thursday | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E Main St, Trumansburg | The Ulysses Philomathic Library in Trumansburg will host Marcia Eames-Sheavly for a discussion as a part of the Trumansburg Arts and Crafts Speakers Series.

Eames-Sheavly wrote the book of poetry, So Much Beauty, and also works as a Horticulture lecturer and extension associate at Cornell University.

Aid-less Navigation Workshop with Primitive Pursuits | 1:00 PM-4:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | Lime Hollow Nature Center, , Cortland | Ever been lost, anywhere? Join Primitive Pursuits staff at Lime Hollow Nature Center in Cortland for an afternoon of exploring the arts of aidless navigation. Part of the 2016 Wilderness Preparedness Series: Outdoor adventure skills

Learning Art Classes for Adults | Community School Of Music And Arts, 330 E State St, Ithaca | Adult classes and private instruction in dance, music, visual arts, language arts, and performance downtown at the Community School of Music and Arts. For more information, call (607) 272-1474 or email info@ csma-ithaca.org. www.csma-ithaca. org.

Food as Medicine for Your Pet | 7:00 PM-8:15 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | GreenStar Cooperative Market, 700 W Buffalo St, Ithaca | Dr. Tracey Stevens, DVM, will discuss how you can improve your pet’s quality of life and help with skin conditions, kidney disease, cancer, heart failure, anemia and geriatric issues, using food as medicine. This class is free and open to the public, and is held in the Classrooms@GreenStar, 700 W. Buffalo St. Registration is required - sign up at GreenStar’s Customer Service Desk or call 273-9392.

Spring Propagation of Fruit Plants with Sean Dembrosky | 6:30 PM-8:30 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | CCE Education Center, 615 Willow Ave, Ithaca | Sean Dembrosky, owner of Edible Acres in Trumansburg, will lead this hands-on workshop on propagating edible perennial plants from cuttings, seeds

Online Calendar

ThisWeek

See it at ithaca.com.

24

T

workshops for grown-ups! Kids are welcome to attend with adult supervision. More at primitivepursuits. com​or by calling 607-272-2292x195​.

Renovus Community Solar Initiative Event | 11:00 AM, 3/26 Saturday | Rogue’s Harbor Inn, 2079 E Shore Dr, Lansing | Solar is more affordable than ever before & can cost less than your current electricity bill.

Solar can meet 100% of your energy needs, with roof no longer required!

Join us to learn about the many simple solar solutions now available. The event is free & open to the public. More information renovuscommunitysolar. com or http://bit.ly/RoguesHarbor Women Builders: Preserving, Creating, and Teaching in Tompkins County | 2:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | History Center, 401 E State St, Ithaca | In honor of Women’s History Month and in conjunction with Historic Ithaca’s exhibition It Takes More Than Nostalgia, this event will focus on the recent history of local women builders in the county from three different perspectives. For more information, contact: Kayla Sewell at Community@ TheHistoryCenter.net (607) 273-8284 x 227 5 Elements Yoga Series: Healing through Yoga and Nature | 2:00 PM-4:00 PM, 3/27 Sunday | Rasa Spa, 310 Taughannock Blvd, 2nd fl, Ithaca | For beginner yoga students to current yoga teachers and environmental educators! In these 3 workshops, you’ll learn how each of the 5 Elements is related to our bodies and minds and how we can use yoga poses, breath and meditation to either increase or decrease these elemental qualities.

3 Classes: Sundays, March 27, April 3 and 17, 2:00-4:00 pm rasaspa.com/ calendar/ or email astridjirka@gmail. com. Register at info@rasaspa.com or 607-273-1740 Coping with Stress at Work and at Home with Ariana Blossom | 9:00 AM-4:00 PM, 3/29 Tuesday | BorgWarner Room, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Attendees may eat lunch on the beautiful Ithaca Commons. Visit www. hsctc.org/workshops for details.

Special Events Paint Nite Ithaca | 7:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Carriage House Cafe, 305 Stewart Ave, Ithaca | Grab a drink, grab a brush, and Drink Creatively with Paint Nite Ithaca.

Comedy Pet Theater | 7:00 PM,

Ilium Works: Record Release, Chanticleer Loft, Friday, March 25, 9:30 p.m.

Two years in the making, Ithaca’s Illium Works have finally finished their newest record Playing Possum - and they’ll be bringing their freak-folk party with them, as they celebrate the release of it with the ubiquitous Toto’s Magic Show and Buffalo’s seasoned eclectic-sizzlers Mr. Boneless. The night is shaping up to play out like a barn-burning rager. No better place to host it than Itahca’s most rocking bar and club, The Chanticleer Loft.

Bring your dance shoes and eat a big dinner; shots are in order! h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

3/25 Friday | World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater, 207 Clemens Center Parkway, Elmira | Comedy Pet Theater features an amazing cast of housecats, dogs, parrots even geese and mice! Critics describe it as a unique blend of comedy, world-champion juggling, and the extraordinary talents of more than 30 performing pets. Gregory Popovich has rescued the animals from shelters all over the country and transformed them into Las Vegas stars, using positive reinforcement and working with the animals natural abilities to create a fun, one-of-a kind show.

2016 Girl Up Benefit Night | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, Congress at McLallen St, Trumansburg | The event includes live music by local performers, a guest speaker, silent and live art auctions, and a dessert buffet.

Our featured speaker this year will be Dr. Laura Free, Associate Professor of History at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, whose research focuses on gender, race and politics. For more information, please contact femtastictburg@gmail.com Ithaca Fishing and Conservation Day | 9:00 AM-4:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | Boynton Middle School in Ithaca | To learn about the sport of fly fishing, the art of fly tying and a bit about the environment in the Finger Lakes region. There will be fly fishing casting lessons offered continuously from 10am-2pm. We will have lessons on fly tying throughout the day. Local fly tyers will demonstrate how to tie their signature patterns on “Tyer’s Row” in two sessions, at 10 am – 12pm and 1pm-3pm. Many more activities included. Info at jjf33@cornell.edu or 607-227-9970 6th Annual S-VE Community Easter Egg Hunt | 8:00 AM, 3/26 Saturday | Nicholas Park, Spencer | Inspire of SVE will host its 6th Annual S-VE Community Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, Mar. 26, rain, snow or shine.

The day begins at the SVE Community/ Fitness Center (former Spencer Grange) for Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, from 8-10 a.m. (freewill donation.)

After breakfast, the remaining events will be in Nichols Park in Spencer.

At 10 a.m. there will be storytelling, followed by an Egg Hunt at 10:30 a.m. and Bunny Bingo at 11 a.m. Kids should bring an Easter basket or bag for the eggs they find.

David Rovics in Benefit Concert for Workers’ Center: Fight for $15 | 8:00 PM-10:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | First

Unitarian Church Ithaca, 306 N Aurora St, Ithaca | The concert will feature acclaimed topical songwriter David Rovics from Portland, Oregon, who tours the world singing and writing songs of struggle, Ithaca local George Mann, and others to be announced.

(The evening will also be a chance for the Tompkins County Workers’ Center to build support for its Fight for $15 living wage initiative. TCWC representatives will speak briefly about the effort, as well as workers from other local worker struggles. Tickets available in advance through the Workers’ Center (607-2690409; 115 The Commons).

Purim Party - Kol Haverim | 2:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | Just Be Cause Center, 1013 W State St, Ithaca | Hosted by: Kol Haverim, The Finger Lakes Community for Humanistic Judaism. Enjoy the Kol Haverim family production of the Purim Spiel and enter in the Hamantaschen contest! Come in costume, or come as you are. Cheer on Esther and Mordechai and boo the nefarious Haman. We have plenty of groggers to go around, or make one yourself at the craft table!

Treleaven Annual Spring Fling | 10:00 AM-5:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | King Ferry Winery, 658 Lake Rd, King Ferry | The day will feature local eats, live music and wine and craft beer tastings, featuring Pete Panek and the Blue Cats, the Syracuse-based food truck, The Chicken Bandit, and much more.

Tarot Salon Ithaca | 7:30 PM, 3/28 Monday | Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, 139 W State St, Ithaca | Tarot Salon Ithaca is a co-manifested space for all who are drawn to, enchanted by, and create with Tarot. Come share your insights, engage in discussion, exchange readings, and explore Tarot in a supportive community setting. Every last Monday of the month, beginning March 28, 2016.

Meetings City of Ithaca Community Police Board | 3:30 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Common Council Chambers - Ithaca City Hall, 108 E Green St, Ithaca | Public Art Commission Meeting | 4:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Ithaca City Hall, 108 E Green St, Ithaca | www. cityofithaca.org City of Ithaca Board of Public Works | 4:45 PM, 3/28 Monday | Common Council Chambers - Ithaca City Hall, 108 E Green St, Ithaca | Town of Ithaca Planning Board |

7:00 PM, 3/29 Tuesday | Town Of Ithaca, 215 N Tioga St, Ithaca |

Kids Art Classes for Kids | Community School Of Music And Arts, 330 E State St, Ithaca | Classes and private instruction for children and teens in dance, music, visual arts, language arts, and performance downtown at the Community School of Music and Arts. For more information, call (607) 272-1474 or email info@csma-ithaca. org. www.csma-ithaca.org.

Intergalactic Fun and Games | 3:00 PM-5:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E Main St, Trumansburg | The library hosts a time for playing board games. This is for youth, tween, and teens and includes Magic, Dungeons & Dragons, board games, and snacks.

Sciencenter: Science Together | 10:30 AM-11:00 AM, 3/23 Wednesday | Sciencenter, 601 1st St, Ithaca | Parents with their little ones (4 years old & under) explore science through hands-on activities, stories, and songs. Every Wednesday and Saturday.

Sciencenter educators will also share research-based parenting tips in an interactive, fun environment. www. sciencenter.org or 607-272-0600. Plus, on April 15 enjoy special Week of the Young Child hands-on activities.

Storytime and Art Project | 10:30 AM, 3/24 Thursday | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E Main St, Trumansburg | Every Thursday morning the Ulysses Philomathic Library will hold a storytime with an art project.

Ksana will read delightful children’s books and Barbara will lead art projects that are relevant to the theme of the week. Join us in the children’s area at 10:30 am every Thursday from January 7th to May 26th for themes such as Robots, Dance, Opposites, Trains, Outer Space, Dinosaurs, Kites, and more!

2nd Annual Aquatic Easter Egg Hunt | 2:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | Ymca, Graham Rd W, Ithaca | For Ages: 0-5 years: Small pool: Registration required.

For Ages: 6 and over: Large Pool: No registration required. Multiple events starting at 2:00 p.m.

Lego Build | 10:00 AM-2:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | Ulysses Philomathic Library, 74 E Main St, Trumansburg | Make an awesome structure every Saturday at the library.

Sciencenter: Science Together | 10:30 AM-11:00 AM, 3/26 Saturday

Stranded With A kiss

The Dock, Saturday, March 26, 9:00 p.m.

Forging the bombast of 90’s alternative hard rock with the stripped down bar-ish mentality of 80’s glam and grime rock, Ithaca’s Stranded With A Kiss, chocked-full of seasoned Tompkins County musicians, breaks out all the high-fashion rock-and-roll stops during their headbanging sets. They rage The Dock Saturday night with locals Viva Mayhem and Toto’s Magic Show. If you’re looking for the missing link between 80’s Hair Metal, Grunge, and Tiny Music-era STP, Stranded With A Kiss is good place to start.

| Sciencenter, 601 1st St, Ithaca | Parents with their little ones (4 years old & under) explore science through hands-on activities, stories, and songs. Every Wednesday and Saturday.

Sciencenter educators will also share research-based parenting tips in an interactive, fun environment. www. sciencenter.org or 607-272-0600. Plus, on April 15 enjoy special Week of the Young Child hands-on activities.

Books Bird Families of the World: A Guide to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds | 4:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Mann Library, Cornell Library, , Ithaca | Chats in the Stacks book talk by David W. Winkler. Room 160, Stern Seminar Room, Mann Library.

Coloring: Stress Relief | 5:00 PM-6:00 PM, 3/23 Wednesday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N Cayuga St, Ithaca | GM Asha introduces you to the stress relief that is coloring. Yes, coloring. All the rage these days, but many have known for years how taking a colored pencil to a page can ease the mind. We will have colored pencils and pages to color, or you can bring your own book.

Free and open to the public James Guignard | 3:00 PM, 3/26 Saturday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N Cayuga St, Ithaca | Author discusses his new book, Pedaling in the Sacrifice Zone.

Literary Reading: Tamar SamuelSeigel | 6:00 PM, 3/28 Monday | Montour House Café & Tapas Bar, 401 W. Main St, Montour Falls | The Watkins Glen Writers Group presents a featured reading by Tamar SamuelSeigel, poet from Corning, NY, as part of the Watkins Glen Reading Series on Monday, March 28th , at 7:00 PM at the Montour House Café & Tapas Bar at 401 W. Main Street, Montour Falls, NY. Please note that we will be meeting early prior to the meeting for a meal, snacks and/or drinks at 6:00 PM. For more information, call 910-988-2268 or e-mail Charlotte Dickens at charlottejanedickens@outlook.com / www. charlottedickens.com

Art NO/GOOD PLACE: Utopian Art from Finland: Opening Reception | 5:00 PM-7:00 PM, 3/24 Thursday | Handwerker Gallery, Job Hall, IC, Ithaca | An exhibition of photographs, films, performances and installations that

HeadsUp Fond Memories

by Bryan VanCampen Jonathan Richman @ The Haunt

Y

ay! Jonathan Richman is coming to the Haunt on March 30!

Whether it’s music or movies or whatever, you remember where you were when the big ones hit you. It was 1986; I was driving my gray Chevy Nova to work when WICB played two songs by Jonathan Richman: “Double Chocolate Malted” and “Corner Store.” They sounded like they were recorded live in a laundry room or high school bathroom. I got the album, It’s Time For Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers—still unreleased on CD or iTunes—and when he came to play at the old Haunt with the ’86 version of the Modern Lovers, I got his autograph at a signing at Rebop Records. That night I saw one of the three best concerts of my life, and he didn’t even play “Double Chocolate Malted” or “Corner Store.”

That weekend, I pounded out two stories about the show and the record signing; they got combined and ran in the now-defunct Grapevine weekly: my first professional sale as a journalist.

This time around Richman is touring in front of his first album of new material in five years, Ishkode! Ishkode!

According to his record company,

explore the porous boundaries between utopia and dystopia. ongoing CAP Art Space | 171 The Commons, Ithaca | March 2 to 27, 2016. Leo Kang.

The project ‘Another Day’ is a series of multimedia project where painting, essay, installation, technology are intermixed to describe a fluxing story.

Cellar d’Or | 136 E. State/MLK Street, on the Commons, Ithaca | Andrew Paine: Screen Prints and Mixed Media Paintings. Using a variety of materials and processes, Andrew Paine creates complex textures and forms in his screen prints and mixed media paintings.

Creative Space Gallery| 215 The Commons/ E State St, Ithaca | Nick Ruth’s new work focuses on modern mechanisms that aid in communi-

Blue Arrow, ishkode means “fire in the language of the Ojibwe tribe (of Wisconsin). They claim “[That title] reflects the temperature of this release, a slow simmer, sensory anticipation, and a pleading desire to address the complete range of possibilities that we can extend ourselves.” Richman himself undoubtedly has a more gnomic explanation, but he doesn’t give interviews, so you should try asking him (politely) at the show.

It will be his 19th solo album since 1979, overlapping with seven albums recorded with various incarnations of the Modern Lovers between 1973 and 1988. He has explored country music (Jonathan Goes Country), garage rock (I, Jonathan), doo-wop, lushly produced pop (I’m So Confused), and made at least four albums (Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar, Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow, Not So Much as to Love as to be Loved, and A Que Venimos Sinos a Caer) entirely or partly including Latin-flavored music with Spanish lyrics. His life show has a lot to draw from and he does so.

It was admittedly frustrating when people would ask me who my favorite musician was, because no one had heard of him. I learned what “cult” really meant.

In the meantime, I discovered JoJo’s first band and album, proto-punkers The Modern Lovers, with Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads) and David Robinson (The Cars).

It got easier for me to tell people I liked Jonathan Richman when he played the roving troubadour (with his percussionist partner Tommy Larkins, who will also be at the Haunt show) in the Farrelly brothers’ 1998 film There’s

cation, and how these metaphorically portray our values and desires. He contrasts these cold synthetic tools, such as billboards, utility lines, and cellphone towers, with bright patterns and colors to create his visual message.

EYE | 126 E. State/MLK St., 2nd, Ithaca | The Otherworld of Jim Garmhausen.

Jim is no stranger to Ithaca, as his murals adorn the walls of many eateries and public buildings. His is a world unto itself with colossal-headed men and a fiery sense of fun. He has done some cracking new work for the show and it’s sure to excite. Call 342.4414 or visit eyeithaca.com Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University | Central Ave., Ithaca | Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM , to 8:00pm Thursday | OPENING EXHIBIT - Revealed: WPA Murals from Roosevelt Island - January 30-May 29 | The fire is gone but we have the light:

Jonathan Richman (Photo Provided) Something About Mary. Now when I would mention his name and get the usual blank stare, I can tell this uncluedin person that he was the guy who shows up and plays and sings in that Ben StillerCameron Diaz movie.

The next time I saw Jonathan, he saw me, too. I was standing in front of the Haunt when JR came walking up with his guitar case. I said hello, and he walked in. That night, he was doing a lot of tuning up between songs, and some dope in back yelled that he’d come all the way from Buffalo for this show.

Jonathan said, “Well, I better tune up real

Rirkrit Tiravanija and Korakrit Arunanondchai - January 23-May 29 | Tradition, Transmission, and Transformation in East Asian Art January 23-June 12 | Works from the Johnson’s collection explore how Chinese cultural images and artistic styles were adopted and adapted in Korea and Japan. | www.museu cornell.edu Kitchen Theatre Company | 417 W. State/MLK St., Ithaca | Sally Ryan: Open Doors. These vibrant paintings light up the space. As the artist says, “I want my paintings to offer an experience of inner longing meeting joy, for even in the midst of disappointment and sorrow we can find ease.” | 272-0403 or www.kitchentheatre.org State of the Art Gallery | 120 W State St Ste 2, Ithaca | 27th Annual Juried Photography Show | Runs March 2 through the 27, 2016. www.soag.org

Tompkins County Public Library | East Green Street, Ithaca |Project for a Re-volution in New York features installations by 22 local, national and international artists. Call: 272 4557 or E-mail sgrubb@tcpl.org or visit http:// tcpl.org | www.tcpl.org Tompkins County Trust Co. Main Office Lobby | 110 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca | Trina Bartimer Bruno - Nature: Framed. Using varied textures and materials, Bruno’s focus is to connect the visual and emotional contrast of observing nature through the window of her childhood, with the calm and richness of being surrounded by the natural environment in the present.

Titus Gallery Art & Antiques | 222 E State St, Ithaca | LOST TREASURES FROM THE TITUS GALLERY COLLECTION. Original art and limited edition silkscreens by well known artists including Leonard Baskin, Mercada and Daphne Sola, to name a few.

Call 277-2649 or visit http://www. titusgallery.com Ulysses Philomathic Library | 74 East Main Street, Trumansburg, NY| Audrey Bialke. “A Compilation” is a selection of works painted from 2013-2016.

Waffle Frolic | 146 East State/MLK Street, Ithaca | Aara Edwards and Marika Chew will be showing their work in the upstairs area and new downstairs space through March 31.

Waffle Frolic exhibits are curated by ARTe. | www.wafflefrolicking.com

Got Submissions?

Send your events items – band gigs, benefits, meet-ups, whatever – to arts@ithacatimes.com.

Dogfight,

Rongovian Embassy, Sunday, March 27, 12:00 p.m.

Clark Theatre, Ithaca College, Tuesday, March 29, 8:00 p.m.

Based on the 1991 film, this riveting musical depicts the memories of marine Eddie Birdlace as he returns home from Vietnam. Four years earlier, Eddie and his fellow marines organized a “dogfight,” a cruel game in which the man who brings the ugliest date to the party wins the pot of money.

Eddie finds a plain waitress named Rose who challenges his idea of skin-deep beauty. Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Book by Peter Duchan. Directed by Wendy Dann. Choreographed by Roy Lightner.

Musical Direction by Joel Gelpe

Amy Puryear is hosting the always engaging singer songwriter salon at the Rongovian this Sunday, and the guest list is chock-full of talented Ithaca song-crafters. The Rongo is an ideal place for this gig: a comfortable space for singers to share their songs in a more intimate setting than usual, with an attentive and supportive audience. This Sunday Joe Crookston, Uniit Carruyo, Tom Mank, Jen Cork, Dave Yantorno and Puryear herself, will jam, teach, and usher their magic to prying ears. Any songwriter should check it out!

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

ThisWeek

Singer Songwriter Saloon,

good, then,” and just kept on tuning. I saw three more of his shows at the new Haunt and the Bug Jar in Rochester, and I always seem to have a personal moment with the guy. That’s something you don’t get with the Rolling Stones and that is part of what punk was all about.

One last thing: I got really strapped for cash and sold my signed LP to a local used-goods guy on the Commons. When his store closed, I figured I’d never see that album again. Years later, I happened to see it in the window at Autumn Leaves, and I was able to buy it back … for $30. •

25

Town&Country

Classifieds In Print | On Line | 10 Newspapers | 59,200 Readers

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

employment

employment

Applefield Farm

140/Cars

430/General

2009 Ford Focus

ANDERSON, J.W. & SONS

Silver, Manual Transmission, One Owner, Excellent Condition, 83,082 miles. $4,150. Call 607-532-4891

Stow, MA needs 1 temporary worker 5/15/2016 to 11/1/2016. Work tools, supplies, equipment provided without cost to worker. Housing will be available without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is provided upon completion o 15 days or 50% of the work contract. Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the workdays during the contract period. $11.74 per hr.

Applicants apply at North Central Career Center, 078-534-1481 or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #7013038. Work may include but not limited to: may perform any combination of tasks related to the planting, cultivating, and processing of apple, fruit and vegetable crops including driving, operating, adjusting and maintaining farm machines; preparing soil, planting, adjusting and maintaining farm machines; preparing soil, planting, pruning, weeding, thinning, spraying, irrigating, mowing, harvesting, grading, packing. May use hand tools such as shovel, pruning saw, and hoe. One month’s experience in duties listed required.

WEATHERSFIELD, CT needs 4 temporary workers 4/01/2016 to 11/15/2016, work, tools, supplies, equipment provided without cost to worker. Housing will be available without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract.

Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the workdays during the contract period. $11.74 per hour. Applicants to apply contact CT Department of Labor at 860-263-6020.

Or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job Order #3029.

Diversified fruit and vegetable farm.

General duties include: seeding, transplanting, writing labels for transplants, weeding, cultivating and pruning, less than 15% of the season: planting 15% of the season: harvesting, picking and packing by hand various crops such as legumes, squash, corn, berries, apples, root crops and potatoes 70% of the season. Other duties include weeding, cutting, and arranging cut-flowers,use of hand tools, setting up , operating and/or repairing farm machinery and fencing. Ability to withstand prolonged exposure to variable weather conditions: also required to bend, stoop, or stand for extended periods and lift and carry 50 pounds on a frequent basis. 1 month experience required on work listed. The %’s listed are estimates. Workers may spend 0-100% of their time performing any of the activities listed. Must have a general truck drivers license.

250/Merchandise Classic Quilting Frame

Hinterberg Design, Hardwood, All Sizes, Used Once, Boxed $300 Cash 273-1841

For Sale

John Deere heavy metal dump cart.

7cf $150.00, Singer sewing machine in cabinet $200. Call 533-4629

For Sale

Sewing table 66 x 54”, holds 3 machines $75; Computer desk 451/2 X 271/2 $75.

Call 533-4629

Kawai

piano & bench. Good conditions. Must go. Make offer. 607-272-4065

Looking for

Boys in Berries LLC

dba Ward’s Berry Farm, Sharon, MA needs 4 temporary workers 4/1/2016 to 11/1/2016, work tools, supplies, equipment provided without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract. Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the workdays during the contract period. $11.74 per hr. Applicants apply at, Employment & Training Resources, 275 Prospect Street, Norwood, MA 02062, or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #6839556.

Work may include, but not limited to: Plant, cultivate and harvest various crops such as, but not limited to vegetables, fruits, horticultural specialties and field crops. Use hand tools, such as, but not limited to, shovels, hoes, pruning shears, knives, and ladders. Duties may include but are not limited to, tilling the soil, applying fertilizer, transplanting, weeding, thinning, pruning, applying general use pesticides under the supervision of a licensed applicator, picking, cutting, cleaning sorting, packing processing, and handling harvested products May set up operate and repair farm machinery, repair fences and farm buildings, also may participate in irrigation activities.

Work is usually performed out doors, sometimes under hot or cold and/or wet conditions. Work requires workers to bend, stoop, lift and carry up to 50 lbs on a frequent basis. Duties may require working off the ground at heights up to 20 ft using ladders or climbing. Requires 30 days experience in fruit and vegetable duties listed.

FREE boombox speaker to play music with Iphone.. Call (206)370-0359

320/Bulletin Board

Cleaner

F/T, 2nd shift Cleaner position available at T-S-T BOCES as of 5/216. Detailed job posting: www.tstboces.org Must apply on-line with T.C. Civil Service; www.tompkinscountyny.gov/personnel by 4/1/16. TST BOCES, 555 Warren Rd., Ithaca,N.Y. 14850, Phone (607)2571551, Fax: (607)697-8273, Email: hr@ tstboces.org

Jays Books

I will write it for you! You have lived an amazing life, let’s get it on paper. http:// ProfessionalWriterJaynorth.com/ Free consultation 805-794-9126

26

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

employment

employment

Gideon Porth

School District has the following positions open beginning July 1, 2016: Assistant High School Principal/Athletic Director 12 Month Position; Certification in Physical Education and Administration; Salary: $55,000 - $65,000. Persons interested in consideration for this position should send a letter of interest, application, resume, copy of certification and all transcripts, and credentials file or three (3) written references to: Dr. Joseph Morgan, Superintendent, Spencer-Van Etten Central School District, 16 Dartts Crossroad, Spencer, NY 14883. Applications available at the District Office or online at www.svecsd.org Deadline for applications is March 31, 2016.

dba Atlas Farm, Deerfield, MA needs 3 temporary workers 4/1/2016 to 12/21/2016, work tools supplies, equipment provided without cost to worker.

Housing will be available without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract. Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the workdays during the contract period. $11.74 per hr. Applicants apply at: Franklin/Hampshire Career Center, One Arch Place, Greenfield, MA 413-7744361, or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #6829951. Growing vegetables crops including planting, weeding, harvesting, and packing. Applicants must be able to lift 50 lb. boxes for extended periods of time and work while crouching or kneeling on the ground for extended period of time. One month experience required in duties listed.

Meadowbrook Orhcards

Sterling Jct, MA needs 2 temporary workers 4/1/2016 to 10/31/2016, work tools, supplies, equipment provided without cost to worker. Housing will be available without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract.

Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the workdays during the contract period. $11.74 per hr. Applicants apply at North central career Center, 100 Erdman Way, Leominster MA 01453, 978-534-1481 or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #6818957. Work may include but not limited to: plant, cultivate, and harvest various crops such as apples, pumpkins, and blueberries. Use hand tools such as shovels, hoes, rakes, pruning shears, saws and ladders. Duties may include tilling soil, applying fertilizer, transplanting, weeding, hand thinning, pruning, applying general use pesticides under the supervision of a licensed applicator. Picking, cleaning, sorting, packing, processing and handling harvested products. May set up, operate, repair and maintain farm equipment, machinery and buildings. May also participate in set-up and operation of irrigation equipment.

Work is mostly outdoors and often under hot and cold weather conditions. Work requires bending, stooping lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds on a frequent basis. One month experience required in work listed.

NEW YEAR, NEW AIRLINE CAREERS begin here - Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician.

Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN) PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000 A Week Mailing Brochures From Home.

Helping home workers since 2001!

Genuine Opportunity. No Experience Required. Start Immediately! www.

ThelncomeHub.com (AAN CAN)

Spencer-Van Etten Central

Stillman Greenhouse & Farm Stand

New Braintree, MA needs 3 temporary workers 4/1/2016 to 12/1/2016, work tools, supplies, equipment provided without cost to worker. Housing will be available without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract.

Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the workdays during the contract period. $11.74 per hr. Applicants apply at, North Central Career Center, 25 Main St., Gardner MA 01440, 978-632-5050 r apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #6863195. Diversified fruit and vegetable farm. General duties include: seeding, transplanting, writing labels for transplants, weeding, cultivating and pruning, less that 15% of the season; planting 15% of the season; harvesting, picking and packing by hand various crops such as legumes, squash, corn, berries, apples, root crops and potatoes 70% of the season. Other duties include weeding, cutting, and arranging cut-flowers, use of hand tools, setting up, operating and/or repairing farm machinery and fencing. Ability to withstand prolonged exposure to variable weather conditions; also required to bend, stoop or stand for extended periods and lift and carry 50 pounds on a frequent basis. 1 month experience required in work listed. the %’s are estimates. Workers may spend 0-100% of their time performing any of the activities listed

The City of Ithaca

is accepting applications for the following positions and exam: Manager of Fiscal Operations Exam No. 68-529: Currently, there is one vacancy in the Department of Public Works. Minimum Quals & Special Reqs: Visit the City of Ithaca website. Salary: $68,910.

Residency: There are no residency requirements for this position. Application Deadline: April 21, 2016. Exam Date: June 4, 2016. Carousel Operator: Part-time, temporary position. Minimum Quals: None. Salary $10/hour. Application Deadline: April 13, 2016. Assistant Civil Engineer: Currently, there is one vacancy in DPW-Streets & Facilities Division. Minimum Quals & Special Reqs: Visit the City of Ithaca website. Salary: $47,176, with subsequent step increases to $58,969. Residency: Applicants must be residents of Tompkins County. Application Deadline: April 29, 2016. City of Ithaca HR Dept., 108 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY 14850, (607)274-6539, www. cityofithaca.org The City of Ithaca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversifying its workforce

employment Volante Farms Inc.

Needham, MA needs 2 temporary workers 4/1/2016 to 11/15/2016, work tools, supplies, and equipment provided without cost to worker. Housing will be available without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the workday.

Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract.

Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the workdays during the contract period. $11.74 per hr. Applicants apply at Employment & Training Resources, 275 Prospect St. Norwood, MA 02062 781-769-4120, or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #6839514.

May perform any combination of the following tasks: planting, cultivating, and harvesting of vegetables and fruits, work as a crew member. Dump seeds into hopper of planter towed by tractor.

Rides on planter pushing debris from seed sprouts that discharge seeds into plowed furrow. May operate farm equipment. Plant roots and bulbs using hoes and trowel. Cover plants with plastic to prevent frost damage. Weed and thinning blocks of plants. Transplanting seedlings using hand transplanter. Closes and ties leaves over heads of cauliflower. Picks, cuts, pulls, and lifts crops to harvest them. Ties vegetables in bunches. May be identified with work assigned such as blocking, cutting, stringing, irrigating various crops. Transplanting, moving, spacing of flats. Carts and trucks plants to and from greenhouse floors and benches. Washing vegetables, cleaning barns, farmstand and greenhouse. Setting up and breaking down farmstand.

Cutting down trees, pruning trees and bunching brush. 1 month experience required in fruit and vegetable duties listed.

Work Environment Health & Safety Assistant

P/T, 50% Provisional Work Environment, Health & Safety Assistant position available as of May 2, 2016 with T-S-T-BOCES. Detailed job posting with requirements listed on the BOCES Web Sit: www.tstboces.org and careerbuilder.com Apply online at: www. tompkinscountyny.gov/personnel.

Apply by 4/1/2016 to: TST BOCES, 555 Warren Hrd., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850, Phone (607)257-1551, Fax (607)697-8273, Email: hr@tstboces.org

520/Adoptions Wanted Happy Loving Couple

wishes to raise your newborn with care, warmth, love. Liz, Dominick 1-877-2744824 text 1-740-552-4384.

PREGNANT? THINKING OF ADOPTION? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families Nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6293. (AAN CAN)

Rural Youth Services

Program Educator - Implement yearround youth development activities during out-or-school hours for elementary and middle school youth audiences for the Joint Youth Commission for the towns of Caroline, Ithaca, Villages of Cayuga Heights and Lansing. Plan & deliver school-based programs promoting life skill development. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education/experience.

Part-time w/benefits. More information at www.ccetompkins.org Application deadline: 4/7/2016. CCE Tompkins is an equal opportunity and affirmative action educator and employer.

Ithaca’s only

hometown electrical distributor Your one Stop Shop

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

rentals

rentals

Services

Near Commons

Four Seasons Landscaping Inc. 607.272.1504 Lawn maintenance, spring + fall clean up + gutter cleaning, patios, retaining walls, + walkways, landscape design + installation. Drainage.

Snow Removal. Dumpster rentals. Find us on Facebook!

Available Now Downtown 1 Bedroom in Historic Building. Intercom/Security/DW. Carpeted, Furnished. Bus near by. Heat Included. Carol, CSP Management, 277-6961. CSP Management.com

610/Apartments

You’re Sure to Find

Lower Collegetown

Studio, Fall Occupancy,Furnished, Spacious, Large Rooms, Hardwood Floor, Quiet Building, Heat Included, Reasonable Rent, Walk to Central Campus or Downtown. Available August 1st.

Carol, CSP Management, 277-6961.

CSP Management.com

the place that’s right for you with Conifer.

Linderman Creek 269-1000, Cayuga View 269-1000, The Meadows 2571861, Poets Landing 288-4165

Money to Lend

A Mouse in the House Kennel

40% OFF Lightly Used & Store Copies.

Expand Your Repertoire!

DeWitt Mall

272-2602

www.guitarworks.com

Let us Beat your Halco or Snug Planet Price. E-mail Dr. Sprayfoam for Details: foam@twcny.rr.com or 607-319-0766

offers individualized care & daily companionship in clean, comfortable, and spacious accommodations for dogs of all sizes, including private and social fenced-in outdoor spaces on the beautiful Wixom Farm in Mecklenburg, NY. Are you in BIG trouble with the IRS? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 844-7531317 (AAN CAN)

Get funding now for your small business - up to $2 million in as little as 2 days.

Minimum 2 years in business. Call BFS Capital: 888-732-6298 or apply online www.bfscapital.com/nyp (NYSCAN)

850/Mind Body & Spirit There’s no time like your time Hypnotherapy with Peter Fortunato, (607) 2736637; www.peterfortunato.wordpress. com

PIANOS

• Rebuilt ELIMINATE CELLULITE and Inches in • Reconditioned weeks! All natural. Odor free. Works for • Bought• Sold men or woman. Free month supply on select packages. Order now! 844-244• Moved • Tuned 7149 (M-F 9am-8pm central) (AAN CAN) REPLACEMENT • Rented WINDOWS

ABANDONED FARMHOUSE!

5 - ACRES - Trout Stream - $69,900 Handyman 3 Br house, stream, fields, views, beautiful Catskill Mountain setting! Call 888-479-3394 NewYorkLandandLakes.com

BUILDINGS PROPERTY TAX AUCTION NY 800-243-0061 HAR, INC. & AAR,

6).9,

AUCTION 866-585-6050 Building Material Join Our Email List

Visit the website to sign up for Auction updates

607-865-6951

Online Only! Bidding Ends 3/25 Pickup Location: CNY Auto Auction 3181 Route 11, Lafayette, NY 13084 Highlights: 10+ Complete Kitchen Cabinet Sets ~ Flooring (All Kinds)~ Exterior & Interior Doors ~ 8’x8’ Shed ~ Kitchen & Bath Items ~ Shingles & Metal Roofing Products ~ Dimensional Lumber ~ Pine T&G ~ Rail Kits ~ Plywoods ~ Decking ~ T1-11 ~ Lighting ~ Mouldings ~ Insulation ~ Treated Rail Kits ~ & More!!!

Preview: Friday, March 25 @ 10 am to 6 pm Pickup: Saturday, March 26 from 8 am to 3 pm. All winning items must be picked up on Saturday, with no exceptions!!!

Terms: Visit our Website for Terms & Online Bidding!

www.lambrechtauction.com

Hunting

(888) 701-7509 NewYorkLandLakes.com

LENDER ORDERED SALE!

Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/

(NYSCAN)

OCEAN CITY, MD

partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure.

Open daily. Holiday Resort Services

CATSKILL MTNS! 39-acres - $119,900 Fields, woods, apple trees, valley views, stonewalls, ATV trails! 3 hrs NY City!

Terms avail. call 888-905-8847 NewYorkLandandLakes.com (NYSCAN)

INC. Free brochure, Bid Online from Anywhere: www.NYSAUTIONS.com (NYSCAN)

1-800-638-2102. Online reservations: www.holidayoc.com (NYSCAN)

Join Our Growing Practice In search of LPN, RN & CMA with skills and passion for full time positions. Start a new and rewarding career changing lives in our community.

Generous benefit package and personal and vacation time.

Please send us your cover letter and resume in full confidence. e-mail: KeithEmery@fma-ithaca.com Our Locations: 209 West State Street, Ithaca 8 Brentwood Dr., Ithaca

Complete rebuilding services.

Ithaca Piano Rebuilders

www.SouthSenecaWindows.com Romulus, NY Romulus, NY 315-585-6050 or 315-585-6050 Toll Free at 866-585-6050 or Toll Free at

fields, stonewalls, southern exposure,

Our hunters will pay Top $$$ to hunt your land. Call for a Free Base Camp Leasing info packet & Quote. 1-866-309-1507. www.BaseCampLeasing.com (NYSCAN)

100+ HOMES-LANDCOMMERCIAL

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

REPLACEMENT WINDOWS Call for Free Estimate & Call for Free Estimate & (607) 272-6547 Professional Installation 3/54( 950 Danby Rd., Suite 26 Professional Installation Custom made & manufactured South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca, NY Custom made & manufactured 3%.%#! by… by…

6).9, Romulus, NY 315-585-6050 or Toll Free at 866-585-6050

MOUNTAINTOP FARM!

5 Acres - $34,900 Jaw dropping views, less than 3 hrs from the GW Bridge!

1040/Land for Sale

REPLACEMENT A FULL LINE OF VINYL No job too big or too small.

Manufacture To InstallREPLACEMENT WINDOWS Call us.

REPLACEMENT WINDOWS We Do Call It forAll Free Estimate &

3/54( 3/54( 3%.%#!

3%.%#!

6).9,

real estate

real estate

3/30 @ 11am. Holiday Inn, Elmira,

805/Business Services

SONGBOOK SALE!

Free Energy Audits

real estate

Family Medicine Associates of Ithaca, LLP

Teacher Special educaTion

TYPIST II OCM BOCES Cortland Alternative School located at 240 Port Watson Street in Cortland has the need for a full-time Typist II. Successful candidate will perform direct secretarial support for the Cortland Alternative School and the Director of Alternative Education. Duties include answering telephones, interfacing with students, parents and district personnel, utilizing Microsoft Office suite; processing paperwork, data entry and management and other duties as assigned by supervisor. This is a Civil Service class position and continued employment is contingent on successfully passing the required exam. Send letter of interest and resume to: OCM BOCES, Recruitment Department, PO Box 4754, Syracuse, NY 13221 by 03/31/16. EOE

ocM BoceS has the need for a Special education Teacher at the Seven Valleys new Tech academy in cortland. partner with teachers to provide Special education support in a student centered, project-based learning environment. connect with local businesses and community agencies to help build partnerships that support student learning and internships. Work closely with the program director to collaboratively lead the school through a shared decisionmaking process. new York State Students with disabilities (7–12) certification required. applications only accepted online. register and apply by 04/01/16 at: www.olasjobs.org/central.

For more information, visit our website at www. ocmboces.org. eoe T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

M

a r c h

2 3

-

2 9 ,

2 0 1 6

27

Full line of Vinyl Replacement Windows Free Estimates South Seneca Vinyl 315-585-6050, 866-585-6050

Independence Cleaners Corp RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

4 Seasons Landscaping Inc.

Janitorial Service * Floor/Carpet

Buy, Sell & Consign Previously-enjoyed

607-272-1504 lawn maintenance spring + fall clean up + gutter cleaning patios, retaining walls, + walkways landscape design + installation drainage snow removal dumpster rentals Find us on Facebook!

FURNITURE & DECOR MIMI’S ATTIC

High Dusting * Windows/Awnings

430 W. State St. (607)882-9038 Open Every Day!

607-227-3025 or 607-697-3294

* BUYING RECORDS * LPs 45s 78s ROCK JAZZ BLUES PUNK REGGAE ETC Angry Mom Records (Autumn Leaves Basement) 319-4953 angrymomrecords@gmail.com

AAM ALL ABOUT MACS

“CLEAR IT OUT” Basements, Barns, Garages & etc.

Reliable and Affordable Richard F. Vogt Call 387-4190 water1945@live.com

Macintosh Consulting http://www.allaboutmacs.com (607) 280-4729

ABC Clean Community Cash Deals Huge Discounts each month!

Please go to www.abcclean.com to download your monthly coupon!

24/7 CLEANING Services

Love dogs?

Check out Cayuga Dog Rescue!

Adopt! Foster! Volunteer! Donate for vet care!

SHADE TREE AUTO

www.cayugadogrescue.org

For over 20 Years Service * Sales * NYSI All Makes & Models 277-5959 * shadetreevolvo@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CayugaDogRescue

Men’s and Women’s Alterations

Dive in deep!

ANATOMY SERIES: SPINE & CORE

ANXIETY/DEPRESSION?

Yoga & Anatomy Workshop * all levels Saturday, Apr 2 1:30-4pm Save $5 before 3/25, $30 after

CALM DOWN. CHEER UP! AND BEFORE YOU REACH FOR THOSE TOXIC CORPORATE PHARMACEUTICAL SO-CALLED MEDICATIONS WHY NOT TRY A LITTLE OF THE MOST HEARTWARMING YOGA KNOWN TO WOMANKIND? YOUR INTRODUCTORY 10 DAYS IN A ROW SETS YOU BACK ONLY $20.

SO DON’T WORRY. CALL COW-YOGA 269-9642 bikramithaca.com

MIGHTY YOGA www.mightyyoga.com, 272-0682

DOWNTOWN MASSAGE For relaxation, stress & chronic pain relief

JOLLY BUDDHA MASSAGE Clinton House, 103 W. Seneca St., Suite 302

By Appointment * Book Online

FREE ENERGY AUDITS Let us Beat your Halco or Snug Planet Price E-mail Dr. Sprayfoam for Details foam@twcny.rr.com or 607-319-0766

like these mugs from

www.greenstar.coop We define local as products or services that are produced or owned within 100 miles of Ithaca.

T

h e

I

t h a c a

T

i m e s

/

Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair.

Same Day Service Available

John’s Tailor Shop John Serferlis - Tailor 102 The Commons 273-3192

Packing & Shipping Around the World Save 10% with Greenback Coupon

Trip Pack n Ship In the Triphammer Market Place 607-379-6210

jollybuddha.us/massage

This week at GreenStar we have 4,145 local products...

28

for over 20 years

M

a r c h

2 3

-

29,

2016

Real Life Ceremonies Honor a Life like no other with ceremonies like no other.

Steve@reallifeceremonies.com

Signorama of Ithaca Your Full Service Sign Center From Business Cards, to Window Lettering A NYS Certified Women’s Business Enterprise FREE Quotes

607-273-1502

Spring Offer: Peaceful Spirit Tai Chi Pay for one month($50) and the second month is free Tuesday evenings, 7:30 to 8:30 Sunrise Yoga in downtown Ithaca 607-272-0114

The Yoga School Ashtanga * Vinyasa *Semester Pass $300 *YA registered school * 200 hr TT *Yoga Philosophy * Ayurveda *Cooking & Tea Classes *Gentle Vinyasa *Over 15 years experience www.yogaschoolithaca.com

LOCATED

3.1 miles

from GREENSTAR