August 9, 2023

N EWS LINE

Tompkins County Launches First Ever Strategic Operations Planning Process

By Matt Dougherty

Tompkins County has launched its rst ever Strategic Operations Plan to outline goals and objectives while setting a direction for the organization’s future. e plan must be adopted by the County Legislature and is expected to be nalized in 2024 following an in-depth community engagement process.

Members of the community have been asked to provide input on the Plan and include their thoughts about what they think the county does well and areas where the county needs to improve. e county has created a website to collect ideas and survey responses from community members.

Ideas are being sought in the areas of: sustainability and natural resources, economic opportunity and workforce development, community well-being and social services, transportation and mobility, and public safety. Additional opportunities for community input will include community forums, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and a survey of the nearly 800 Tompkins County employees.

Funding for the development of this

plan has been made available through the Appalachian Regional Commission, and Tompkins County has hired the consulting rm BerryDunn to complete the plan in partnership with a steering committee of senior leadership.

Chairwoman of the Tompkins County Legislature Shawna Black said, “Tompkins County administers hundreds of services across nearly 30 departments with a budget of over $220 million. is is an incredible opportunity to give feedback and in uence how our County government operates moving forward. e results from this process will give us guidance on what investments to make and how best to meet the needs of our community.”

Black added, “While we’ve made progress in many areas, we know we have room to improve and to be more strategic as an organization. I can’t wait to see the results of this process and to learn more from the community on how we’re doing and what we can be doing better.”

Tompkins County Administrator Lisa Holmes stated, “We’re centering equity with this plan — meaning that we’re using the planning process to help the County put our

AKE N OTE

values and commitments to diversity and inclusion into practice. We will be successful if we are able to take what we learn from the community and take direct action to address the challenges we face. I envision this plan giving a roadmap for what the county will be prioritizing over the next ve years.”

Ruby Pulliam, Tompkins County Commissioner of Human Resources, and member of the steering committee stated, “ is is an opportunity to set ourselves up for success not only to meet the needs of the public, but also of our employees. We have an amazing group of public servants across all di erent types of departments, all relying on central

Continued on Page 15

X The 31st Annual Ithaca Artist Market Friday, August 11th, 12–7:30 p.m. at the Ithaca Farmers Market

The annual Ithaca Artist Market, a program of the Community Arts Partnership, will fill all 88 booths at the beautiful Ithaca Farmers Market right on the Cayuga waterfront, with a juried show and sale of work by local and regional fine artists.

Visitors will find art of all types of art (and price ranges), including: paintings, photographs, ceramics, altered books, art jewelry, fiber art, blown glass, collage, etchings, relief printing, handmade books, wood-turned items, mixed media, papercut art, illustrations, sculpture, and more!

In addition to the artists, there’ll be plenty of food, wine & craft beer vendors, local organizations showcasing their upcoming events, musical ambiance by The

East Hill Jazz Group, and even boat tours by Discover Cayuga Lake running from the Farmers Market dock. The Artist Market is truly a unique, can’t-be-missed event!

Robin Schwartz, Program & Grant Director of the Community Arts Partnership says. “I am always blown away by the quality and variety of work by the exceptionally talented artists in our region. Visitors always have a wonderful time seeing it all, and hopefully will find fabulous art to buy and take home!”

The Market is held rain or shine under the covered pavilion. Find the Farmers Market off Route 13 at Third Street (turn at the corner of Aldi and B&W Supply.) If using GPS, the address is 545 Third Street, Ithaca NY 14850.

Registration is requested! Visit ArtsPartner.org to learn more, register for our multiple raffle items, and see the full list of participants.

About the Community Arts Partnership (CAP): The Community Arts Partnership has been serving Tompkins County artists and audiences for over 30 years through our programs, grants and services. Our mission is to strengthen the arts in Tompkins County by supporting artists and arts groups, ensuring equitable access to the arts, and cultivating a creative culture that reflects our community’s diversity.

Thank you to our business sponsor, Thaler & Thaler P.C., and our media sponsors, WSKG, WITH/WEOS, What’s Hot Magazine and Cinemapolis.

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Tompkins County Legislator Shawna Black says that the strategic operations plan will provide guidance to the county for how to better meet the needs of the community.

IN UIRING PHOTOGRPHER Q A

By Michelle LaMorte

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SUMMERTIME ACTIVITY?

Ithaca Car-Share Faces Permanent Closure Unless Governor Hochul Signs Bill Into Law

By Matt Dougherty

For the past several months, supporters of Ithaca Car-Share have been working to ensure the survival of the city's car-sharing service that has provided reliable access to transportation for thousands of residents over the last 15 years. e service has been on pause since May 19 because it has been unable to obtain auto insurance due to New York State laws prohibiting nonpro ts from receiving auto insurance through Risk Retention Groups (RRGs).

Before the end of New York State’s legislative session in June, Assembly Member Anna Kelles and State Senator Lea Webb were able to unanimously pass a bill (S5959b/A5718b) through the state legislature that would change New York State law to allow nonpro ts to receive auto insurance from RRG’s, but that bill has not been signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. If Governor Hochul does not sign the bill into law, Ithaca Car-Share will be forced to close permanently.

On August 6, Assembly Member Kelles, State Senator Webb, and several local elected o cials held a press conference to call on Governor Hochul to sign the bill immediately to avert the permanent closure of Ithaca’s car-sharing organization.

Executive Director of the Center for Community Transportation, Jennifer Dotson, recently said that the car-sharing service will “have to start selling o [its] eet if Governor Hochul doesn’t sign the bill as it is written now.” Dotson added that the service “can’t last much longer, as every day [it] loses much-needed revenue.”

Ithaca Carshare does not rely on public funds for its general operating budget. While grants help pay for conversion to electric vehicles and support equitable carsharing access, membership and usage fees pay for the service, vehicles, fuel, insurance, repairs, and maintenance.

Ithaca Car-Share Director, Liz Field, has said that the service has already sold four of its oldest vehicles in June, taking the number of vehicles in the eet from 30 to 26. If the bill is not signed this month, more vehicles will start being sold o .

According to Field, “every day that passes without [Governor Hochul’s] signature is another day our sta is furloughed and members who rely on car-share can’t meet their transportation needs. We don’t understand what the hold-up is at this point.” Field continued saying that even if the bill is signed into law today, it still imposes a six-month waiting period before it would allow Ithaca Car-Share to reopen.

“We planned for a six month pause on May 19, so if [Governor Hochul] signs the bill this month, that’s e ectively a nine month pause for us,” Field said.

During the press conference, State Senator Webb said, “Ithaca Carshare provides critical access to transportation for my constituents, many of whom can’t a ord to buy a car or choose not to in order to cut down on their carbon footprint. I urge Governor Hochul to act swi ly and sign the Ithaca Carshare bill.” Webb continued,

“ e pause in operations has been di cult for Ithaca Carshare sta who have been furloughed and for community members who rely on their services.”

Assembly Member Kelles said, “ e governor must sign the bill that was passed by both the Assembly and Senate in June. We need to ensure this critical transportation option remains available for community members who rely on carshare for basic needs like getting to the grocery store and doctor’s appointments.”

Kelles added that car-sharing has been one of the solutions identi ed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to combat greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. If the bill is not signed into law, it will result in the closure of several other nonpro t car-sharing organizations throughout the state, undermining New York’s goals for reducing emissions.

Nonpro t carsharing helps Governor Hochul meet her stated climate and equity goals by reducing tra c congestion and carbon emissions. According to a Cornell study from 2013, each carshare vehicle replaces up to 15.3 vehicles on the road, easing burdens on transportation infrastructure and the associated costs.

NYSERDA has invested $3 million in car-sharing services throughout the state in an e ort to reduce emissions. However, this funding will be lost if car-sharing services like Ithaca Car-Share are forced to close permanently because they can’t receive insurance.

Alderperson and Mayoral Candidate, Robert Gesualdo Cantelmo, has said that “Carshare provides an innovative and accessible tool for local transportation in Ithaca. e tireless work of our community, championed by Senator Webb and

Continued on Page 15

"Hiking Buttermilk Falls."

– Emily K.

"Picnicking with friends."

– Lucy Y.

"Water skiing."

– Anne M.

"Sleep, As a mother of 5 and an entrepreneur sleep is my favorite activity."

– Zee B.

"Wi e ball."

– Eric S.

“Every day that passes without [Governor Hochul’s] signature is another day our staff is furloughed and members who rely on car-share can’t meet their transportation needs. We don’t understand what the hold-up is at this point.”

— Ithaca Car-Share Director, Liz Field

County Legislator Anne Koreman, Alderpersons Ducson Nuyen & Rob Cantelmo, and State Senator Lea Webb at last weekends press conference calling on Governor Hochul to sign bill to save Ithaca Car-Share into law.

UPS DOWNS&

Resolution to Support Closing Seneca Meadows Landfill Fails at County Legislature

By Matt Dougherty

During the July meeting of the Tompkins County Legislature, members of the public and elected o cials discussed a resolution that called for the county to support closing the Seneca Meadows Land ll by 2025 instead of extending the life of the land ll to operate through 2040.

Some members of the legislature expressed concern about closing the land ll because they were unsure about where the trash that will continue to be produced by the county be transferred, even though Tompkins County does not currently transfer any of its waste to Seneca Meadows.

Several members of the public spoke at the meeting in support of the resolution. Vice President of Seneca Lake Guardian, Yvonne Taylor, told the Legislature that worrying about where the trash will go if the land ll is closed only helps the land ll’s advocacy e orts to receive an extension. Taylor says that legislators should instead be concerned with guring out ways to “move away from being a throwaway culture so that we don’t need behemoth land lls in the rst place.”

Yayoi Koizimi from the local environmental activist organization Zero Waste Ithaca addressed the Legislature saying, “I urge [you] to reject any proposals for expansion of the construction of new land lls…Instead, I implore you to support and implement Zero Waste strategies and messaging to reduce the amount of material waste entering our waste stream.”

Following public comment, Legisla-

tor Anne Koreman gave a presentation in support of closing the land ll, saying that the county needs to do a better job at nding new ways to divert materials from being thrown in the garbage. “ rough our reimagining solid waste plan, we have a lot of di erent people in the community helping us gure out what to do with these items,” Koreman said.

She continued by saying that “I’m hoping we can not just reduce solid waste by 50%, but we really need to reduce by 80% to 90% to create a circular economy.” Koreman added that if the Department of Environmental Conservation passes the permit to extend the land ll's life, it would violate New York’s existing climate plan.

“By supporting this resolution, we’re giving [the state] a nudge and supporting other municipalities to say that we need to gure out a di erent way [to manage our waste] and not to extend the life of this land ll,” Koreman said.

Legislator Amanda Champion responded to Koreman, saying she supports the resolution but that “We all have made waste, and we have to put it somewhere.” She added that Tompkins County doesn’t

have its own land ll, so it has to ship its waste to land lls in surrounding counties. Champion said, “If we want to deal with the problem ourselves, we should have our own land ll and gure out where we’re gonna put that in the county.”

Legislator Randy Brown supported the resolution saying, “If we just continue to build these land lls, then we’re not going to move forward and control our waste.” He added that Tompkins is not currently sending waste to Seneca Meadows and that much of the county's waste is being sent to a land ll in Ontario County that is set to close in 2028. However, Brown said that could change when the current solid waste contract expires in May 2024.

Legislator Veronica Pillar said that they were “strongly in support of this resolution,” adding that as of right now, the land ll is set to close in 2025. According to Pillar, “ is resolution is saying, continue with the original plan of closing the landll as opposed to lengthening the life of it.”

Pillar continued by saying that “the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act has some goals that lengthening the life of this land ll would directly oppose.”

ey added, “If you want to try at least to follow the guidelines [of the CLCPA] that exist, the land ll should be closed on the original timeline.”

Legislator Rich John said he would not support the resolution because “If we pass this resolution, I’m le to wonder where the garbage goes?” He continued, “I don’t

Ups

The annual Women Swimmin’ event to raise funds for Ithaca Hospicare is taking place this Saturday, August 12.

Downs

A three car crash that occurred along State Route 13 in the Town of New eld on August 1st resulted in eight people being sent to the hospital.

HEARD SEEN&

Heard

The Ithaca Police Department is conducting an investigation into an armed robbery that occurred at the Ithaca Arthaus at 130 Cherry Street on August 3rd.

Seen

A house on the 100 block of Cleveland Avenue in Ithaca’s South Side was destroyed in a re on August 5th. The re has displaced two people living in the house and injured one cat.

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

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

How

23.1%

30.8% Two or three.

46.2% As many as the market desires.

Are you disappointed in the County Legislature's decision not to pass a resolution in support of closing the Seneca Meadows Landfill? Visit

“By supporting this resolution, we’re giving [the state] a nudge and supporting other municipalities to say that we need to figure out a different way [to manage our waste] and not to extend the life of this landfill.”

— Legislator Anne Koreman

“I don’t know if closing Seneca Meadows would force New York State to do their job well.”

— Legislator Rich John

Legislators Anne Koreman and Veronica Pillar supported the resolution calling for the closure of the Seneca Meadows Landfill.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Is Riley Limiting Large Donors or Not?

Getting people to vote is crucial today. Your report on Congressional candidate Josh Riley is a campaign killer. You say he accepted a $300,000 PAC donation. Mr. Riley says he accepts only small donations. What is the truth? Please explain the Riley nancials. ank you

Bill Gilmore Lansing

Is Molinaro for Encouraging Voting or Not?

Mark Molinaro’s MAGA caucus supports HR 4563, the remarkably misnamed “American Condence in Elections Act.” 60+ courts have already con rmed there is zero credible evidence of fraud in American elections, so why this bill? It is simply a blatant attempt to reduce turnout by restricting voting by mail, making it harder to register to vote and in every making it more di cult

for the elderly and disabled and college students to vote. Let’s face it — Republicans love low election turnouts.

Mr. Molinaro repeatedly describes himself as “bipartisan” and “moderate” because he knows that he is too extreme for our 19th CD. Well, he can support that self description by challenging his MAGA colleagues and voting “NO” to this bill that would make voting so much harder for so many people.

We need Mark Moliaro to stand up for Democracy!

Edward Kornbluh, DDS Schodack Landing, NY

Response to “Battery Storage System Proposed at Power Plant Site”

They seriously want to install 800 megawatt watt hours of energy storage on that site? How is this even economically feasible? Let me guess; government subsidies...

Aren’t batteries toxic to the environment from mining their raw materials, manufacturing them, and nally disposing and/or recycling them? Wouldn’t it have just been better to retro t the decommissioned coal plant to instead burn natural gas? What about converting it to an incinerator or building in its place a modern small nuclear reactor that could utilize the existing transmission line infrastructure?

Richard Ballantine

Appreciating Ulysses Town Historian John Wertis

By Carol Kammen

Let us all cheer John Wertis for his years as Ulysses Town Historian.

John took up the position in 2013 and dug into the possibilities. John has led numerous walks in Ulysses to look in depth at the history left on the land and that which can be found in the records. Partnered with Historic Ithaca, John has led several popular tours in Grove Cemetery, each time focusing on different features and populations buried there.

He brought Ulysses’ early Black history alive, installed a historical marker in 2015 noting Lloyd Dorsey’s place in the Town and later he propelled, with others, roadside marker commemorating the history of the Moog presence. He was involved with the installation of the Ulysses Bicentennial Historic marker, the marker at the Tompkins County Poor House, the marker at the Preventorium, and he was instrumental in the Tompkins County Historical

Commission’s Suffrage Marker program.

John has given talks on various topics around the country and he has contributed over two dozen articles to local newspapers. He is a member of the Municipal Historians of Tompkins County, the Tompkins County Historical Commission, the Ulysses Historical Society, and the Association of Public Historians. He has well represented the Town of Ulysses.

e position of municipal historian dates to 1917 when the State Historian created the program that mandated any community with more than 400 residents, appoint a historian. e only requirements were that the historian submit an annual report and a reproof safe in which to keep items.

John expanded the activities of the Ulysses Town Historian and is to be congratulated for his real service to the community. John has helped us see what is in front of us, and to remember origins and development of the Town.

Red Cross Needs Blood Donations

By American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has seen a shortfall of about 25,000 blood donations in the rst two months of the summer, which makes it hard to keep hospital shelves stocked with lifesaving blood products. By making an appointment to give blood or platelets in August, donors can keep the national blood supply from falling to shortage levels.

Right now, the Red Cross especially needs type O negative, type O positive, type B negative and type A negative blood donors, as well as platelet donors. For those who don’t know their blood type, making a donation is an easy way to nd out this important personal health information.

e Red Cross will notify new donors of their blood type soon a er they give.

e Red Cross needs donors now. Schedule an appointment to give by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor

App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

All who come to give throughout the month of August will get a $10 e-gi card to a movie merchant of their choice. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Movie.

Upcoming Blood Donation Opportunities in Tompkins County:

Dryden

8/15/2023: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Dryden Veterans Mem Home, 2272 Dryden Road

8/30/2023: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Dryden Fire Department, 26 North Street

9/5/2023: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Dryden Veterans Mem Home, 2272 Dryden Road

Ithaca

8/11/2023: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Road

8/12/2023: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., e Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints, 114 Burleigh Dr

Airwave Artistry

By Stephen Burke

Back in the day, when classic rock was just current rock, broadcast radio was the place to hear music free. In fact, it was “the” place as in “the only” place, and its total bandwidth wasn’t vast. Even in FM radio’s heyday years ago, a metropolis of millions such as New York City had only a few signi cant music stations.

But the scarcity made each station a resource, and they forged distinct identities in the limited landscape.

Today, in nite online sites have more free music than the ocean has waves. But with that endlessness comes a lack of cynosure or focus.

Lee Cook is just 19 years old but she is aware of this delicate discord and its history. She is training to be a program host at WRFI, Ithaca’s community radio station, and will join the friendly fracas of competing media, old and new, as the station’s youngest.

Cook’s interest in radio pervades her life. Her father, Mike Cook, hosts a weekly show on WRFI under the name Rocket Morton, and Lee has helped with the broadcast since her early teens, at rst on the phones and since then, occasionally but regularly, on the air.

Lee speaks of broadcasting as “a bonding experience” not just between herself and her father but beyond.

“I saw how happy it made him to share his interests,” she said. “It’s an intimate sort of experience and it builds community.”

It also, she said, fosters creativity and links individuals. She appreciates the power of curating and personality.

“ ere’s humanity in it,” she said. “ ere’s tradition.” Meanwhile, she said, “it can expose you to something you’re not expecting.

“On WRFI, I like the exposure to different hosts. Right a er Rocket Morton on Friday nights comes ‘Conference of the Birds.’ ey’re vastly di erent. e rst is a guy talking and hollering and the next is a guy you can barely hear.

“ e di erence between hosts is beautiful to me. I love people so much, I love hearing what they love even if I don’t like it.

“A.I. generates things you know you will like, but if you only listen to things you already like, when are you going to branch out?

“It’s good occasionally to escape from technology, to have a break from it, to not become addicted to it or dependent on it, building a wall around yourself. To get out of the echo chamber.

“To enjoy small moments. Probably most important are small moments.

“Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, there are so many people doing that at once, there’s too much noise to nd something authentic.

“ ey’re fast and easy. ey’re convenient. But the more convenient a thing is, the less pleasure there is.” is stance is not so much a diatribe as a simple matter of “personal preference” for Cook.

Like everyone, she spends a certain amount of time on her phone. But, she said, “I don’t look at my phone rst thing in the morning.” On the other hand, she said, radio is part of her “daily routine. First thing in the morning, last thing at night. On a physical radio. Turn the dial, tune in a station.”

Of the show she hopes soon to start, she said, “I don’t know how to curate to a speci c audience,” although she already has “at least 50 playlists of di erent themes.” e simple aim she foresees is “to play whatever I feel like playing that might make someone else happy.”

Asked if she considers broadcasting an artistic endeavor, Cook replied, “Absolutely.”

Asked if similar opportunities are available online, she replied, “If there are, I’m not aware of them. Make YouTubes? Make TikToks? at’s fairly simple.”

But her inclination is for “things that take more time, like radio.” Shows are two hours long and require planning, sequencing and attention to detail, especially technologically. Mistakes like dead air are a constant threat and there are no do-overs in live broadcasting. Communicating in real time adds to engagement with the audience.

Artistically, Cook also writes poetry. She writes in longhand in a journal, but said “I write poetry that I put online. It’s not put out for consumption.”

Is it not?, she was asked. If not, then for what?

“It’s put out to be art,” Lee Cook said. “It’s put out to exist.”

Cornell’s Contribution to Ithaca

By Mark Silverman

Cornell makes an annual cash contribution to the Ithaca community in lieu of paying taxes, a sum that was last negotiated almost twenty years ago. e current agreement between Cornell and the City of Ithaca expires in June of 2024, and a new agreement is now being prepared by Cornell representatives and a group appointed by Ithaca Common Council. is is vitally important because there are basic needs in our community in the areas of: wages for city workers, attention to transportation needs, work on local infrastructure, support for the arts, and other areas where funding is badly needed . is Cornell contribution is vital to sustaining Ithaca and Tompkins County as a vibrant place.

Unfortunately, the process for negotiating this new agreement is secretive; that is, there is a lack of transparency. Given the sad fact that many parts of our society are subject to hidden procedures in government, in business, in the military,

CLOSING SENECA MEADOWS LANDFILL

know that we’re addressing the issue by saying close [the land ll].” John continued saying, “What I think we should be doing is trying to get New York State to act on their language and try to develop a real plan….I don’t know if closing Seneca Meadows would force New York State to do their job well.”

Even though John said that he wouldn’t support the resolution to close the land ll, he said that he would support a resolution that would call on Seneca Meadows to “do a better job of methane capture” to be approved for an extension.

Legislator Mike Sigler agreed with John, saying that he wouldn’t support the resolution but that the county can pass a resolution calling on any land ll it contracts with to manage methane emissions and leachate disposal responsibly.

According to Sigler, “I don’t think it's responsible to call for the closing of something that is needed. I would consider that irresponsible.”

and in religious organizations, it seems as though we should be willing to take a stand against an anti-democratic process on our turf.

Given the anticipated change in the makeup of Common Council a er the upcoming election, the members of the incumbent Council should reconsider their role in the development of a new nancial agreement with Cornell. And given the fact that Cornell has been less than generous in providing its fair share of support for our community compared to other Ivy League universities (as reported by many publications, including e New York Times), it’s time for people to step up and demand a transparent process for determining that contribution. Cornell would prefer the secretive approach. is is the moment when we either ght for something fair, or wait for the next chance in ten or twenty years. ere is no time to wait —it's time to make Cornell pay. Common Council needs to hear from as many of us as possible to stand strong in negotiations.

Sigler added that even if the county’s plan to reduce solid waste is successful, it would still leave the county with 50 million pounds of garbage every year that would need to be disposed of. As a result, Sigler said that the county is le with no other choice than to send the waste to other counties or build a land ll within the county — the latter of which has been strongly disapproved of by county residents.

Sigler continued saying, “If we get to a point where we’re not shipping out as much garbage as we used to and this is no longer a needed facility, great, but right now it’s a needed facility, and I don’t see any other way around that.”

Pillar responded to Sigler’s comments saying that expanding the land ll because garbage production has not yet been eliminated is similar to endlessly purchasing buckets to deal with a leaking roof instead of xing the leak at its source. According to Pillar, “With the land ll, there’s an ‘if you build it, they will come’ aspect,” meaning that as long as the county has the option to transfer waste to the land ll,

Feeding the Community for 40 Years

Loaves & Fishes brings food and friendship for those in need

By Matt Dougherty

It’s no secret that Ithaca is an expensive place to call home. e high cost of living in the city can leave the budgets of many residents stretched thin, causing some to struggle every day to put food on the table. is reality is nothing new, but it has gotten more visible over the past several years as the pandemic has exposed many of the underlying disparities within our society.

e little blue boxes seen on several streets throughout the city are a testament to food insecurity in the region, and they show that the community wants to help ght it. While the boxes supply those in need with the occasional snack and canned foods, Loaves & Fishes — a community kitchen that operates out of St. John’s Episcopal Church — has served free meals Monday through Friday every week of the year since 1983.

is year, Loaves & Fishes is celebrating its 40th year of service to the community, and despite struggling to attract volunteers at times, the organization has shown no signs of slowing down. Loaves & Fishes is run by Executive Director Christina Culver,

Operations Manager Leslie Mulehan, and a sta of dedicated volunteers.

e organization has worked tirelessly to provide quality meals to those in need

for the last four decades, and it all began when Reverend Kathy Eickwort shared a pot of minestrone soup with a local homeless person named Robert on July 26, 1983. Every weekday since meals have been made available to anyone who needs them. Loaves & Fishes serves about 3,500 meals every month and has served 1.5 million meals over the last 40 years.

Culver told the Ithaca Times, “I just feel honored to be the leader of this organization that lls such important needs of our Tompkins County residents.”

According to Culver, about 75% of the budget is covered by individual donations from the community, with the average donation being about $250. Loaves & Fishes has also held an annual fundraiser called Empty Bowls to help raise money to support the organization for the last 20 years. ey also receive some county, state, and federal grant money typically used to pur-

chase food and equipment or contribute to the utility costs for the church — which has provided Loaves & Fishes with a rent-free space since its inception.

In addition, Loaves & Fishes receives about $30,000 to $40,000 worth of food donations every year through a partnership with the Friendship Donations Network. Twice a week, the network picks up high-quality food items that would otherwise be thrown away from places like the Farmers Market, Ithaca Bakery, Wegmans, and Greenstar and distributes them to partners like Loaves &

Mulehan says, “It’s a very sustainable model; we throw almost nothing away.”

Mulehan told the Ithaca Times that Loaves & Fishes is “lucky to have Wegmans as a partner because they’re really good about giving.” Muhlhahn said, “Twice a week, we’re on the dock at Wegmans picking up about 250 pounds of food, which

Fishes.

Longtime Volunteer Maureen Shallish says that she has always been inspired by the work of volunteers.

(Photo: Michelle LaMorte)

Operations Manager Leslie Mulehan says that Loaves & Fishes gets a lot of food donations from Wegmans, Ithaca Bakery, Greenstar and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. (Photo: Michelle LaMorte)

Ithaca residents Jeff Wild and Duffy Hoyt have been eating meals at Loaves & Fishes since arriving in Ithaca in the 1990’s. They say the organization doesn’t just provide food, but also a sense of community. (Photo: Michelle LaMorte)

“It’s a very sustainable model; we throw almost nothing away.”

— Operations Manager Leslie Mulehan

helps with the food bill.” Mulehan also said that a lot of the food comes from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.

When the country was shutting down at the start of the pandemic, Loaves and Fishes expanded their operation by partnering with several community organizations and transitioning to serving to-go meals.

Culver said, “We ended up preparing up to 100 meals a day, Monday through Friday, for the clients of the St. John’s Community Services homeless shelter.” She added Loaves & Fishes also partnered with the Cornell Farm Workers Program and prepared “close to 100 meals a day that their people would pick up and distribute to migrant farmers and their families.”

Additionally, Loaves & Fishes contracted with the Department of Social Services to provide two meals a day for their clients that were put up in hotels to quarantine. Culver said that they also partnered with the Salvation Army to “bring meals to folks who were living in the encampment otherwise known as the Jungle.” ese partnerships were all in addition to serving their regular to-go meals provided at the door.

As a result of expanding the operation through these partnerships, during the pandemic, Culver said that Loaves

and Fishes “got up to serving 5,000 meals a month.” According to Culver, “We went from an average of 134 meals a day to an average of 250 meals a day.”

Regarding food insecurity in the community, Culver said that “it kind of continually increases, unfortunately.” Culver explained that when SNAP bene ts from the pandemic expired in March, Loaves & Fishes saw an increase in demand. “In April, we served 3,600 meals, and in May and June, we served over 4,000. at’s an average of 175 meals a day.” Several volunteers said Loaves & Fishes sees an increase in people coming in for meals at the end of the month when their SNAP bene ts run out.

“ at last week of the month here is crazy. We serve over 1000 meals the last week of the month because people don’t have any food because they cut the food stamps, and people are out of food stamps,” Mulehan said.

As the operation expanded, Culver said, “We never lowered the bar on the quality of meals we o ered.” She added that people “don’t just get a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a cookie, which is more typical from a community kitchen.”

Culver says that Loaves and Fishes volunteers prepare every meal from scratch and that there is always a vegetarian option. “We have a salad bar that rivals the Four Seasons hotel,” Culver said. Unlike many community kitchens that limit the amount of food an individual can take, people who eat at Loaves & Fishes are encouraged to take as much as possible to get themselves full.

According to Culver, “It seems that we’re serving more people who this is probably their only signi cant meal of the day because most people have seconds if not thirds, and some people have four plates stacked up.”

While Loaves & Fishes returned to holding in-person meals in May 2022, Culver said about 25% of the meals are still served to-go. “ at has allowed us to continue accessing people that we couldn’t before, like people who can’t make it physically to our building for whatever reasons,” Culver said.

Like many organizations that rely on volunteers, Loaves & Fishes has struggled to attract new volunteers since the pandemic. Culver said that part of the problem regarding attracting new volunteers is that

the organization “heavily relied on college students during the school year for their volunteering, but a er two years of COVID, we lost our history at both campuses.” According to Culver, Loaves & Fishes is now “starting from scratch” to form new relationships with both campuses. However, a dedicated sta of longtime volunteers has kept the place running smoothly.

Ithaca resident Liz Holmes has volunteered at Loaves & Fishes for the last two years. She said she started volunteering after retirement because she likes to be helpful, and the environment is “really fun.” Holmes added, “ ere’s a bunch of great people running the place…so once I got started, I wanted to keep coming back.”

Longtime Volunteer, Maureen Shallish, told the Ithaca Times that she started volunteering with Loaves & Fishes 22 years ago. “I just fell in love with everything that happened here,” Shallish said. She added, “ e fellowship and the work of the volunteers that come from all di erent ages, it’s just always been inspiring.”

According to Shallish, “With volunteers or without volunteers, the motto is that we get the job done.”

She continued saying that there has been an uptick in food insecurity, but the main factor contributing to the increased participation of the community at Loaves & Fishes is nancial insecurity. “People nd that this is a way to ease their nancial burdens at home to come here and have meals…they may not have what we consider food insecurity with empty cup-

boards, but they just need a little extra support,” Shallish said.

Nancy Scha is a former nurse who started volunteering at Loaves & Fishes following the death of her husband. Scha said that “All the volunteers are lovely people, and that’s why I keep coming back.” She added, “It’s comforting to be here, and it gave me a lot of meaning to my life again.”

Scha continued saying that she enjoys seeing the people who come to eat at Loaves & Fishes form relationships with each other and the volunteers. “It brings me joy, and it brings them joy…I love to see them come out of their shells and meet other people and talk to other people and get a network of people to help them,” Scha said. According to Scha , “If they’re homeless or need anything, we try to nd it for them. at’s a good thing about this place.”

e support

Loaves & Fishes provides has helped community members like Norman White, a 69-yearold former ICU nurse who su ered a stroke in 1992, nd access to stable housing a er living in his car for nearly a year a er moving to Ithaca. White told the Ithaca Times that “during that time, I ran into people that told me to come to [Loaves & Fishes} if I wanted something to eat, so I came by, and I really liked it.” According to White, the support sta at Loaves & Fishes quickly helped address his needs and helped him nd an apartment. He said that the one-year anniversary of living in the apartment will be coming up this October and that “I’m blessed; that’s all I can say.”

Loaves & Fishes has provided more than 1.5 million meals to people in need over the last 40 years of service. (Photo: Michelle LaMorte)

Ithaca resident Liz Holmes has volunteered at Loaves & Fishes for the last two years.

(Photo: Michelle LaMorte)

“There’s a bunch of great people running the place…so once I got started, I wanted to keep coming back.”

— Liz Holmes

“That last week of the month here is crazy. We serve over 1000 meals the last week of the month because people don’t have any food because they cut the food stamps, and people are out of food stamps.”

— Operations Manager Leslie Mulehan

Net Revenue

3 on 3 basketball tournament benefits GIAC

By Steve Lawrence

Some local fund raisers — like Women Swimmin’ and Racker Rivals Big Red — have been around for many years, and have brought in a signi cant amount of money for some beloved local organizations (Hospicare and the Racker Center). Another such event is really coming into its own, and for another beloved local agency — Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) — that is very good news.

e weather could not have been any nicer last weekend, as a huge number of 3-on-3 teams descended on Ithaca for the tournament. Event Manager Marshall Newman, who told me, “ is is my 18th tournament of the summer, and this particular tournament just keeps growing.” He added, “Last year, the Ithaca event drew 110 teams, this year it grew by 20.”

“

Newman is a former college player and is currently a high school coach and Athletic Director. He said,

ere are teams here from Binghamton, Bu alo, Rochester, and of course from Ithaca and many surrounding towns.

ere is even a team here from Michigan.”

ere are, Marshall explained, division for males and females, from 10U up to adult teams with players in their sixties. ere were middle and high school players, curremt collegiate players and some former pros. ere were sixteen courts in use, and games followed a tight schedule, starting every half hour. e rst team to 15 points wins, and if the clock ran out, the team leading at that time was the winner.

Travis Brooks and Rahmel Mack (GIAC’s Deputy Director and Recreation Coordinator respectively) took a few

minutes from the controlled chaos to share some details. Brooks said, “We do a lot to promote the Gus Macker Tournament, and from February — when we get the con rmation — until July, Rahmel is on it.” Mack added, “ e tournament’s purpose is to raise money for GIAC’s Recreation Program,” and he laughed when I asked him if he ever played in the tourney (which rst came to Ithaca in 2019). Travis laughed, and said, “Yes, he played in it,” and he nodded his approval for Rahmel to spill the beans. Modestly. Mack said, “ e team I played on — the Wolfpack — won

it last year. I picked a good time to retire as a player.” ( e Wolfpack was comprised of local guys Justin Yearwood, Luke Little, Dustin Jenney and Mack.)

Josh and Sarah were there to watch their daughter, Hannah, compete in the nals for her bracket. Josh said, “We have been watching her play since she was 8 years old, in youth basketball, and now she plays in college.” He added, “It’s a little risky, but it’s important to stay in shape over the summer.”

Continued on Page 15

Life

by Betsy Schermerhorn Director, Marketing and Admissions

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES

Transportation is vital to daily life, enabling individuals to access medical care, attend social events, and meet basic needs. However, transportation issues can be a significant challenge for elderly individuals, impacting their ability to maintain their independence and quality of life. Many seniors face mobility and health issues that make driving or using public transportation difficult. Lack of transportation can result in social isolation, reduced access to healthcare, and difficulties meeting basic needs such as grocery shopping. Community organizations and transportation providers are developing programs and services

specifically designed for elderly individuals to address these issues. ese programs can include accessible transportation options, such as doorto-door services and ride-sharing programs, to help seniors get to their appointments and run errands.

Kendal at Ithaca provides a positive environment for our senior residents. We foster a sense of community and treat residents like family members. If you have a loved one who requires nursing care, call the marketing team at (607) 266-5300 to schedule a tour to see our facilities and learn more about lifecare at Kendal at Ithaca. Find us on the web at http://kai.kendal.org/

Email: admissions@kai.kendal.org

Jalen Hardison, Luke Little, James Harris and Zay Henderson won their age group title at the Gus Macker 3 on 3 Tournament at GIAC. Photo provided.

Ithaca is Books Book Fest

A Celebration this Week of Community and Collaboration

By Christopher Walker

As a love letter to Ithaca’s bookish community, the Ithaca is Books Book Fest is returning for a third year from ursday, August 10th, through Sunday, August 13th. With the help of a number of collaborators led by Bu alo Street Books and through months of planning, the festival is now larger than ever before, according to its organizers

e Book Fest is four days jam-packed with literature-related events, ranging from book talks and panels to a competitive Wordle session and a Zoom call from Ukraine with Andrey Kurkov, a bestselling Ukrainian author displaced by the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Other events include a book fair at the Tompkins County Public Library, a poetry and prose open mic and a drag story hour.

e festival was created by Bu alo Street Books General Manager Lisa Swayze in 2020, with the goal of connecting to the community through literature while also supporting independent bookstores.

“In big part, it’s a love letter to our community. We love you and we want you to have these options and see these beautiful things,” Swayze said. “Also, being an independent bookstore is really hard. It’s very hard to make any money [and] it’s a challenge. So,

we’re always looking for ways to do things … that can also help support all of the local bookstores and keep us here so people have these beautiful spaces to visit.”

e 2023 Book Fest, which is comprised of 18 events scattered throughout 15 venues across Ithaca such as bookstores and restaurants, dwarfs prior iterations of the festival. is expansion from previous years was made possible by the Ithaca Retail Mini-Grant Program, which provides funding for marketing campaigns and strategies that enliven local small businesses, and through Bu alo Street Books’ collaboration with other local booksellers.

In the past, Swayze planned the festival herself, only inviting collaborators later in the process. is year, however, initial planning involved a number of local actors, namely Odyssey Bookstore, PM Press/Autumn Leaves, Story House Ithaca and the Tompkins County Public Library. Although the festival partners are technically competitors, in the spirit of Book Fest, community prevails over competition. Laura Larson, who founded Odyssey Bookstore in 2020, believes collaboration is to the bene t of local independent bookstores.

“When I came to town, I think some people thought ‘Oh, it’s competition, another independent bookstore,’” Larson said. “My own feeling was that … the goal was to work together to create a community where people do things locally, where they see the local space as a really vibrant bookish community– that is not something you do alone, that is always something you do in partnership with others.”

According to Larson and Swayze, Ithaca is the perfect place for an event such as Book Fest due to the city’s extensive history with bookstores as well as its large community of readers and writers.

“I saw other communities doing book festivals and I was like, Ithaca has so many writers, so many authors, so many books that have been set here,” Swayze said. “[It is] an ideal community to do something like this.”

For the future, Swayze and other event planners, like Bu alo Street Books Event Coordinator Nora Marcus-Hecht have dreams of continuing to expand the festival, among them bringing more of their favorite authors to Ithaca.

“I’m really looking forward to just seeing the book festival grow … It's been really great to see the way that it’s shaped up since the rst one that we did three years ago now,” MarcusHecht said. “I’m also really looking forward to seeing how it shapes up over the next ve, ten years to become just a much more community-wide thing.”

The Ithaca Is Books Book Fest begins on August 10th and lasts until August 13th

Thursday, August 10th

4:00 p.m. Kitchen Witchery Book Talk & Tasting at Bu alo Street Books

5:00 p.m. The Art & Business of Bookmaking (w/ demo) at Bu alo Street Books

7:00 p.m. Unionizing the Ivory Tower Book Talk at PM Press/Autumn Leaves

Friday, August 11th

5:00 p.m. Aimee Gibbs – Carnivale of Curiosities at Circus Culture

7:00 p.m. Jewish Noir book talk at PM Press/Autumn Leaves

7:00 p.m. Competitive Wordle at The Downstairs

Saturday, August 12th

10:00 a.m. Truth, Lies & Literature via Zoom call from Ukraine

11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Book Fair at TCPL BorgWarner Room

12:30 p.m. Tell Me a Story! Sing Me a Song! at TCPL Youth Services

1:30 p.m. The State of Young Adult Literature Today at TCPL Youth Services

2:30 p.m. Queer Romance Panel at Bu alo Street Books

3:00 p.m. Author Janie Bibbe at Odyssey Bookstore

4:00 p.m. Story Night at Liquid State Beer

7:00 p.m. Nationalism, Anarchism & Liberation at PM Press/Autumn Leaves

Sunday, August 13th

11:00 a.m. Drag Story Hour at Bu alo Street Books

1:00 p.m. Queer Feminist Publishing: A Historical Perspective in Ithaca at CAP Art Space

2:00 p.m. Ithaca-themed Poetry & Prose Open Mic at The Gallery

4:00 p.m. The Cry of Mother Earth and The Cargo Rebellion: Joint Book Launch at PM Press/Autumn Leaves

Arts & Entertainment

Bob Proehl & Isaac Fitzgerald, at the 2022 Ithaca is Books Book Fest.

Hello, Yellow Brick Road

Wizardry and puppetry animate Cortland Rep’s season finale

By Bryan VanCampen

It’s right there, center stage, as you walk into CRT’s pavilion theater space at Little York Lak to take your seat: Professor Marvel’s hand-painted magic traveling wagon, reproduced just about exactly from the 1939 classic family fantasy musical “ e Wizard Oz”. Marvel’s wagon is the scenic centerpiece that CRT’s new production literally revolves around. e vehicle can be rotated 360 degrees, with scenes playing out on all four sides from any number of pleasing angles.

Yes, this “Oz” is the 1939 version, with the same story structure and all the classic songs, even the lost “Jitterbug’ number in act two. But aside from CRT’s loving recreation of Professor Marvel’s traveling wagon, its season-closing production does a pretty amazing job at carving out its own approach and personality, so much so that when the cast takes its bows at the end of the show, you might nd yourself surprised at how much life, comedy and whimsy was created and carried by a cast of only nine performers.

Take Sally Shaw as Dorothy Gale, for instance. Sure, she’s clad in a pale blue

gingham dress, but she doesn’t opt for Judy Garland’s pigtails, and she has her own special take on the character, right down to her rendition of “Over the Rainbow”, which kickstarts the evening’s fun perfectly. Likewise it would be easy to just watch the DVD and copy the mannerisms of Jack Haley, Ray Bolger and Bert Lahr, but nobody does that here, nding the characters with their unique voices and gestures. With the exception of Shaw, the rest of the cast play all the ensemble roles in

“The Wizard of Oz”

Cortland Repertory Theatre

6799 Little York Lake Rd Preble, NY through August 19

$29-$46

by L. Frank Baum, based on the lm owned by Turner Classic Movies and distributed by Warner Bros; music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Yarburg. Codirected by and choreographed by Matthew Couvillon and Joseph J. Simeone; music direction by Nicholás Guerrero; scenic and puppet design by Matthew Couvillon and Joseph J. Simeone; costumes by Angie Andrea; lighting by Eric Behnke; properties by Taylor Barr.

addition to their main roles. Most of the actors in the ensemble are recurring intern performers seen earlier this summer in “Xanadu!” and “Murder on the Orient Express”: Aubrey Alvino doubles up as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch; Mia Caslowitz plays the Scarecrow and her Kansas counterpart Hunk; Jessica Cerreta plays Aunt Em and Glinda; Breanna Lemerise plays Nikko and other featured roles; Michael Hartman plays Hickory and the Tin Man; Trevor Shingler plays Uncle Henry and an Emerald City guard; Weston Pytel plays the Cowardly Lion and Zeke; and Mikey LoBalsamo from “Unnecessary Farce” plays Professor Marvel and the titular wizard.

If that weren’t enough, the directorchoreographers have designed and built a large number of puppets in the tradition of rod puppets, marionettes and bread-and-circus-style puppets that the ensemble operates to add even more of Oz’s bizarre fantasy characters and animals into the mix here. As a particular fan of imaginative puppet work, I gotta be honest here. ey had me at Toto, a delightful creation that really embodies the imagination and ambition of CRT’s season-closing production of “ e Wizard of Oz.”

Sat. August 19th and Sun., Aug. 20th 10 AM to 4:30 PM. Immaculate

Conception Church

at 113 N. Geneva St. Ithaca

The Vatican Eucharistic Miracles Photographic Exhibition recounts well documented miraculous occurrences of Jesus Christ’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. If you would like to understand more about Catholics’ core faith belief, this exhibit is a must see. All are invited to see it in our Parish Hall and our newly renovated church.

Sponsored by Ithaca Council

A cast of nine performs wizardry with the cinema favorite The Wizard of Oz.

Hie Thee to the Water’s Edge

Musical, Outdoor “As You Like It” Hopes You Will

By Barbara Adams

These dazzlingly sunny summer days woo us outdoors, and what better leisurely entertainment than a rollicking Shakespearean comedy performed amidst nature. Or almost — in a vast airy tent by the inlet’s edge. Within, the Cherry Arts recreates the Forest of Arden, complete with huge leafy branches overhead,

“As You Like It,”

by William Shakespeare, directed by Samuel Buggeln. Cherry Arts, 100 Cherry St., Ithaca. August 9-13 at 7:30 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35407/production/1164149.

Check

crunching wood chips underfoot, and a stag and lioness stealthily passing through, surveying the humans’ folly.

ese quiet creatures (Seth Koproski and Carolyn Best), in regal masks made of twigs, elegantly de ne the landscape that the city folk have invaded. Daniel Zimmerman’s rustic set, lit by Chris Brusberg, is backed by a dark red curtain awash in trees. Here we nd the banished Duke (Dean Robinson) and his rowdy troupe of exiles, dressed in tatters (Elissa Martin, costumes) but happy in their brotherhood.

If you haven’t yet recognized the scene, we’re deep into the realm of “As You Like It.” At intervals in the Cherry’s delightful production — shaped by artistic director Sam Buggeln — 10 more actors arrive, several assuming multiple roles. Robinson also plays the duke’s dictatorial brother, Frederick, who sets o the action by jealously banishing his niece, Rosalind,

because he fears her popularity diminishes his own daughter, Celia. Meanwhile elsewhere another envious relationship has a young noble, Oliver (Derek Powell), spitefully punishing his younger brother, Orlando (Benji Sills), with servitude, then trying to have him mangled and poisoned in a wrestling match.

When the world turns crazy, the hunted retreat to nature. Inseparable cousins Rosalind (Sylvie Yntema) and Celia (RJ Lavine) set o with the duke’s jester, Touchstone (Eric Brooks); Orlando manfully bears up his faithful old retainer, Adam (Carolyn Goelzer). Eventually all encounter the duke and his merry band, but by this time Rosalind has donned men’s clothes (right down to the padded jock strap, in one of the funniest scenes) — and the jokes on shi ed identities arrive in spades.

Opening on two brothers full of hatred, this tale turns to its real concern: love, in all its forms — familial, social, romantic. Above all romantic. Rosalind (now Ganymede) and Celia are squealing, boysmitten teenagers; Orlando is dithering and speechless before his beloved, then papers the forest with bad poetry to vent his emotion.

Every rank is subject to love’s upsets — the shepherd Silvius (John Drinkwater) is mush before his beloved Phoebe (the towering AJ Sage, who earlier played the wrestler). Phoebe coyly pursues Ganymede, who

Continued on Page 15

Orlando (Benji Sills) and Ganymede (Sylvie Yntema) in the Cherry Arts outdoor presentation of “As You Like It”.

Thai, Tapas & Duck

Mia on the Commons has tasty tapas treats

By Henry Stark

Idon’t answer the o asked question, “What’s your favorite restaurant?” It’s an apples-to-oranges query — how can one compare an Indian restaurant with an Italian establishment? However, one question I have no problem responding to is,

Tid Bits:

Note to allergy su erers: The “From the Grill” section has ve o erings, three of which are served with peanut sauce.

The menus clearly indicate Vegetarian (V), Vegan (VG), Gluten Free (GF) and Peanut Allergen (P) items. Three asterisks (***) indicate the dish can be prepared vegan. I would have much preferred it if they had used icons (red peppers?) to indicate the relative degree of spiciness of spicy dishes.

The restrooms are up a rather steep staircase of 17 steps. If you’re uncomfortable with the stairs, ask a sta member where the nearby out-of-sight elevator is located.

“Where do you go when you want a good duck dish?” I quickly answer, Mia’s.

Mia’s is Mia’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant on the Ithaca Commons, the h restaurant opened by Lex Chutintaranond, local entrepreneur and ai native. (His previous establishments were ai Cuisine, 1988, Just a Taste, 1991, Madeline’s, 1998, and Za Za’s Cucina, 2002). Mia features two distinct cuisines: small plate Tapas and a normal Large Plates Asian menu.

It’s a relatively small, and sometimes noisy place, seating less than three dozen diners, the majority of whom sit on a restaurant-length banquet with chairs facing a brick wall.

When I recommend the aforementioned duck, there are actually three preparations to choose from, all at $31. I never choose the Crispy Duck Lad Prig which is too spicy for me, served with a tamarind chili sauce and peppers, and I also

avoid the Panang Curry version which is prepared in a spicy creamy coconut milk sauce. e one I choose, is Crispy Half Duck served with Asian Greens, some-

times Gailan (Chinese broccoli) and sometimes Bok Choy, in a ve spice demi-glaze. Despite the description, it’s quite mild and not “gamey”. e skin is crisp and avorful while the meat inside is tender and juicy.

In the seafood section I’ve enjoyed the pan-seared Mediterranean Seabass served over a slightly spicy yellow curry sauce with tomatoes, potatoes, and onions ($21). As with everything else here, it’s beautifully seasoned and presented.

Delicious duck is the star of the show at Mia.

continued from page 3

departments — like human resources — to support their work. is plan will help the administrative side of the County organization better understand and meet the complex needs of the organization.”

Regarding the County’s organizationwide planning e orts, Tompkins County Commissioner of Planning and Sustainability Katie Borgella stated, “Some members of the public may be familiar with our Comprehensive Plan, the most recent one having been completed in 2015. is Strategic Operations Plan is di erent in that it looks internally at how Tompkins County can best operate to meet its goals and objectives as de ned within the Strategic Plan, whereas the Comprehensive plan sets a vision for the future of the community as a whole.”

Borgella added, “I see these two plans complementing one another, with our operations as a government supporting the vision for the whole community in strategic ways.”

“AS YOU LIKE IT ”

continued from page 13

faints like a woman at seeing Orlando’s blood-stained cloth, and so on — clearly, something has to give, but not before every comical note can be sounded on this tale’s twists.

Speaking of notes, the fast-paced action is moved along nicely by communal song and Drinkwater’s guitar playing. Several Shakespearean song-poems like “Under the Greenwood Tree” and “Wedding is Great Juno’s Crown” are handsomely set to music by local artists: Evan Friedell, Nate Silas Richardson, Jennie Lowe Stearns,

THAI, TAPAS & DUCK

continued from page 14

Also, from the large plates menu I’ve selected ai Mussamund beef curry with cashew nuts, potatoes, pineapples, and ginger. ($20). I counted eleven bite size beef pieces in a relatively mild creamy peanut sauce. I liked the dish although nding it rather unremarkable.

Regarding the tapas menu I recently ordered House Made ai Sausage with Sticky Rice ($11) and received a half dozen sliced sausage pieces that were tasty and mildly spicy. Also on the plate was a ramekin with a mildly spicy dipping sauce. I enjoyed the dish. Another tapas item was Chicken satay with peanut sauce. Satays are always skewered and this one was an improvement

ITHACA CAR-SHARE

continued from page 4

Assemblymember Kelles, ensured that the NYS Legislature unanimously voted to extend insurance coverage to Carshare and similar nonpro t groups around the State. Now, we only need Governor Hochul to sign the bill into law.”

Cantelmo added, “I know the Governor to be a strong leader on climate and municipal a ordability. I am asking her to sign this bill into law immediately, so Carshare can resume operations and continue to deliver alternative transportation options to the thousands of members served in our community."

“Time is of the essence,” said Tompkins County Legislator Anne Koreman. She continued saying, “I, with my colleagues at the Tompkins County Legislature, call on Governor Hochul to immediately sign this bill so reliable, a ordable, and equitable transportation is again available to our residents as soon as possible.”

Mandy Goldman, Sam Lupowitz, Maddy Walsh and Mike Suave.

at music (under the direction of Je eiss) o en features beats of a cajón played by Adara Alston, who provides full personality to a range of roles — an exiled lady, a content shepherdess, a court o cial. Overall, this is an inspired and extensive collaboration, and it’s tting that music (being the food of love, according to the Bard) permeates the show.

Every performer is charming, but Sylvie Yntema’s Rosalind just glows, a comic force of nature. It’s all great fun, for actors and audience alike. (And the Shakespear-

over the last time I reviewed the restaurant when skewers were not used. e chicken on the three skewers was extra tender and juicy with grill marks clearly visible on the surface. ere was some sliced, cold, red cabbage on the plate which neatly balanced the warm chicken. A third (out of ve “From the Grill” tapas) I ordered was a Cambodian style lemongrass and peanut marinated beef tenderloin ($11) which, too, was mildly spicy. Another tasty dish.

In writing this review I notice I’m frequently using the adjective “spicy”. To explain: On the Large Plates Menu the words curry, Panang, tamarind chili sauce, and ve-spice, appear o en, in fact: eighteen times. It’s roughly the same percentage on the Tapas menu. Yellow curry is the mildest, red curry quite a bit stronger, and

RED CROSS

continued from page 6

8/17/2023: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Vineyard Church of Ithaca, 23 Cinema Drive

8/22/2023: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., First Congregational Church of Ithaca, 309 Highland Rd

8/30/2023: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Tompkins County Library, 101 E Green Street

9/5/2023: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., St. Luke Lutheran Church, 109 Oak Avenue

9/5/2023: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Cornell Univ

Vet College, 930 Campus Road

9/7/2023: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Cornell Univ

Vet College, 930 Campus Road

Lansing

8/18/2023: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Lansing Town Hall, 29 Auburn Rd.

New eld

8/18/2023: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., New eld Fire Department, 77 Main Street

Trumansburg

9/2/2023: 7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Arthur E. Bouton Post 770, 4431 Seneca Road

ean delivery is quite accessible.) Only one somber tone among the gaiety: the malcontent Jacques, who can “suck melancholy out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs,” richly played by Carolyn Goelzer. And in her second role as the aged family servant, Adam, she’s heartbreakingly frail and dependent. It’s a sobering vision of Jacques’s seventh age of man, “mere oblivion…sans everything.”

All theatre-lovers seeking an enjoyable summer escape: Hie thee to the tent at water’s edge.

Barbara Adams, a regional arts journalist, teaches writing at Ithaca College.

Panang curry the strongest. Your server can guide you.

ere are a half dozen desserts at $9. I can’t comment on them because I’ve always found that I never want dessert a er one large plate or two tapas.

Among the beverages are a comprehensive selection of a half dozen domestic and a half dozen imported beers ($6-$7). ere is an excellent selection of wines by the bottle ($40-$111) and an adequate o ering of wines by the glass, ($10-$15) with four whites and eight reds. Despite the brevity of the by-the-glass section, whoever put it together selected the appropriate wines from the best areas of the world, e.g., Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina, and Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. New York State is also well represented.

CLOSING SENECA MEADOWS LANDFILL

continued from page 7

it won’t work as hard toward the goal of reducing the waste it generates.

“I think [passing this resolution] is an important step toward sustainability,” Pillar said.

Koreman agreed with Pillar saying, “[ is resolution] is trying to put pressure on the system, and by not passing, we’re losing this opportunity to put pressure on the DEC.” Koreman continued by saying that “I would hope if we had a land ll here, all the communities in the Fingerlakes would stand up and support us [in closing it].”

Ultimately, the resolution failed by a margin of 7-6. Greg Mezey, Veronica Pillar, Travis Brooks, Randy Brown, Amanda Champion, Susan Curry, and Anne Koreman voted in favor of the resolution. In contrast, Lee Shurtli , Mike Sigler, Deborah Dawson, Rich John, Mike Lane, and Dan Klien voted against it.

NET REVENUE

continued from page 10

“ is was a tough weekend,: Hannah said. “We played four games yesterday and three today.” She added, “ ere was quite a range in the level of competition... some was questionable, but some of it was really good.” Her, and one opponent did come within two points — the nal was 15-13 — but the team (made up of players from St. John Fisher, Binghamton Unversity, Daemen University and SUNY Cortland) went 7-0 over the course of the two days to claim the top trophy.

Several other Ithaca (or Southern Tier Athletic Conference) — based teams did well, as the Boys 17-18 bracket saw the rst and second place trophies go to locals. e Boys 13-14’s top entry took second, as did the 11-12 team, and the Girls 17-18 squad also won.

Rahmel told me a er the tournament, “It’s a lot of work, but we did very well. We raised the money we need for the Recreation Program, but we’re always looking to add sponsors and do even better. We appreciate everyone.”

e Gus Macker Tournament began in 1974, and currently holds both indoor and outdoor competitions annually in more than 75 cities, with over 200,000 players and 1.7 million spectators in attendance. For more info, visit www.macker.com.

Music

Bars/Bands/Clubs

8/9 Wednesday

Concerts on the Village Green: Doc Weismore w/ Real Country | | Village Green, Homer | Free

8/10 Thursday

Rye Makepeace | 5:30 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

Downtown Ithaca Summer Concert Series: Fall Creek Brass Band |

6 p.m. | Bernie Milton Pavilion, Center

Commons

Atwater After Hours -Oliver Burdo

| 6 p.m. | Atwater Vineyards, 5055 State Route 414 | Free

Music in the Park: Bad Alibi | 6:30 p.m. | Myers Park

Summer Concert Series - GoGone | 7 p.m. | Courthouse Park, Cortland

8/11 Friday

Summer Sundays Music Series: Brian Hughes | 5 p.m. | Wagner

Vineyards, 9322 State Route 414

Miss Tess | 5:30 p.m. | South Hill

Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

Waking April | 5:30 p.m. | Deep Dive

Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd

Three Stone Fire | 5:30 p.m. | Three Bears Park Gazebo, 7175 Main Street, Ovid | Free

Friday Night Music - The Bobcats

Band | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Farm & Brewery, 1771 Dryden Rd

Tink Bennett and Tailor Made |

6:30 p.m. | Fillmore Glen State Park , 1686 State Route 38 | Free

Newman BrothersPost Bail! w/s/g Well Worn Boot | 8 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd | $15.00

Synergy with DJs Priest & Apactor | | The Downstairs, 121 West M.L.K. Jr. St.

8/12 Saturday

Diana Leigh Quartet | 1 p.m. | Buttonwood Grove Winery, 5986 State Route 89 | Free

N’awlins Jazz Happy Hour with The Brass Machine | 4 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd | $5.00

Atwater After Hours - AstroHawk

| 6 p.m. | Atwater Vineyards, 5055 State Route 414 | Free

Hot Dogs & Gin | 6:30 p.m. | Boundary Breaks Vineyard, 1568 Porter Covert | $10.00 - $40.00

Davey Squires & Friends Band | | The Downstairs, 121 West M.L.K. Jr. St.

8/13 Sunday

Mandy Goldman - Album Release

| 6 p.m. | Deep Dive Ithaca, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd

Joe Eddie | 7 p.m. | The Downstairs, 121 West M.L.K. Jr. St.

8/14 Monday

Bossa Nova Duo Biba ft. Jessica Custer-Bindel & Lynn Wyles | | The Downstairs, 121 West M.L.K. Jr. St.

8/16 Wednesday

House Party with Park Doing |

8 p.m. | The Downstairs, 121 West

M.L.K. Jr. St. | Free

Concerts/Recitals

8/10 Thursday

Al Stewart & The Empty Pockets | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

8/12 Saturday

Ferrario Elmira Jazz Festival | 12 p.m. | Thorne Street Park, 504 Thorne Street | $50.00 - $60.00

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy | 8 p.m. | The Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca Street, Geneva | See WP below!

8/13 Sunday

SEEDSTOCK XIII | | Seedstock, 3336 State Route 215, Cortland | $25.00$70.00

8/15 Tuesday

Better Than Ezra | 8 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

Stage

ComedyFLOPs Presents All You Can Eat Improv | 7 p.m., 8/9 Wednesday | The Downstairs, 121 W. State St | ComedyFLOPs presents All You Can Eat Improv, a live, entirely made-up show based on your suggestions. We do our shows in support of local non-pro t organizations so join us for laughs and music as we raise money to support a local organization. $5.00 suggested donation. | $5.00

As You Like It | 7:30 p.m., 8/9 Wednesday | The Cherry Arts, 102 Cherry St | See WP below! | $17.00$55.00

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical | 8/9 Wednesday | Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, 6877 E. Lake Road | The Wizard of Oz | 8/9 Wednesday | Little York Lake Theatre & Pavilion, 6347 Little York Lake Rd | See WP below.

As You Like It - SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK | 6 p.m., 8/10 Thursday | Homer Village Green |

Art

Tuscan Impressions and Amsterdam Arias | 12 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | North Star Art Gallery, 743 Snyder Hill Road | Brian Keeler’s views of Amsterdam and Italy | Free Plein-Air Pastel Painting with Cynthia Mannino | 10 a.m., 8/14

Monday | Taughannock State ParkNorth Point | Rain date is August 15th. | $50.00

Film

Movies in the Park: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | 7:30 p.m., 8/11

Friday | Stewart Park, 1 James L Gibbs

Dr | The community is invited to bring a blanket or chairs to Stewart Park and enjoy the sunset while waiting for the movie to begin. All movies are FREE and family-friendly, and CNY Attractions will be onsite with movie snacks & drinks to purchase. | Free

Cinemapolis

120 E. Green St., Ithaca

August 11-17. Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes.

Theater Camp |The eccentric sta of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York must band together with

the beloved founder’s bro-y son to keep the camp a oat. | 92 mins PG-13

Shortcomings | A trio of young Bay Area urbanites navigate a range of interpersonal relationships while traversing the country in search of the ideal connection.| 92 mins R

Talk to Me |When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. | 94 mins R

Oppenheimer | 180 mins R Barbie | 114 mins PG-13

FingerLakes Drive-In

1064 Clark Street Road, Auburn Gate opens one hour before the movies begin. Schedule for Friday, 8/11 through Sunday, 8/13.

Meg 2: The Trench | 8:45 PM| A research team encounters multiple threats while exploring the depths of the ocean, including a malevolent mining operation. | 116 mins PG-13

Barbie | 10:30PM |Barbie su ers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.| 114 mins PG-13

Special Events

Tioga County Fair | 8/9 Wednesday

| Marvin Park, 50 West Main St. | $15

Unlimited Daily Access Pass - Includes Rides, Grandstand, and Parking.

Special Painted Post Champion Rodeo Event Tuesday 8/8. | $15.00

Schuyler County Italian American Festival | 12 p.m., 8/11 Friday | Clute Park, Route 414 | Music Friday night Rusted Bucks 7pm-10pm; Saturday night Right Turn Clyde 6:30pm9:30pm; Sunday Muirimage 1pm-4pm; Saturday Parade at noon on Decatur Street; FIREWORKS Saturday Night 9:30 pm | Free

Ithaca Artist Market | 12 p.m., 8/11 Friday | Ithaca Farmers Market, Steamboat Landing 545 3rd St. | See Weekend Planner below. | Free

Running to Places 2nd Annual Summer BBQ Bash Fundraiser | 1 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Large Pavilion at Stewart Park, James Gibb Drive | En-

joy a day of free music, great food, fun activities, & more! | $15.00 - $25.00

Fillmore Days Featuring Bathtub races | 10 a.m., 8/12 Saturday | Fillmore Glen State Park , 1686 State Route 38 | Family Fun for all. Bathtub races, parade, food, beverage and craft vendors. Family fun eld and pedal car and bicycle races for the younger set. Music by DJ Ashton. New this year, group of 4 can rent a tub for $20 to race. Visit friendso llmore.org for more information. | $1.00

Cornhole Tournament at Fillmore Days | 11 a.m., 8/12 Saturday | Fillmore Glen State Park , 1686 State Route 38 | Tournament by Scott’s Custom Cornhole Boards, register on SCOREHOLIO app or at https://scoreholio.com/cornhole/tournaments/ | $30.00

Books

Celebrate Ithaca is Books Festival this week with a variety of events across downtown!

Finding a Broader Context for Shaping your Narrative Poem | 11:30 a.m., 8/9 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | What quality distinguishes a good story told in a well-constructed narrative poem from a good story told in a well-constructed narrative poem that is likely to impart wisdom to its intended

Kitchen Witchery for Everyday Magic | 4 p.m., 8/10 Thursday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join BSB to help kick of the third annual Ithaca is Books Festival! Regan Ralston will be here with homemade treats and copies of her book “Kitchen Witchery for Everyday Magic.” | Free Writing Urban Speculative Fiction through Role Playing Games | 4 p.m., 8/10 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | TCPL is inviting teen patrons to a month-long role-playing game and world-building workshop!

The Art & Business of Bookmaking | 5 p.m., 8/10 Thursday | Bu alo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Laura Rowley from Illuminated Press and Claudia Fuchs from Graphicom will be at BSB discussing the business side of bookmaking and demonstrating the bookbinding process. This event is part of this year’s Ithaca is

YOU

The Cherry Arts,102 Cherry St., Ithaca | The Cherry Arts

over 75 local ne artists from the Finger Lakes region in one location at the 31st annual Ithaca Artist Market! Enjoy food, drinks, and jazz music with your art, or take in the surrounding natural beauty on the Discover Cayuga Lake boat tour. (Photo: Provided)

is thrilled to bring their signature adventurous, irreverent theatrical style to Shakespeare for the very rst time! The play is chock full of songs written by some of Ithaca’s most iconic songwriters, including Jennie Lowe Stearns, Nate Silas Richardson, and Maddy Walsh. (Photo: Provided)

Books Festival. More information on the festival can be found on our website. | Free

Unionizing the Ivory Tower with Al Davido | 7 p.m., 8/10 Thursday | Autumn Leaves Bookstore, 115 E. State St | Al Davido , the Cornell student leader who became a custodian and the union’s rst president, will be in conversation with longtime labor organizer and Labor Notes board member Ellen David Friedman. Cosponsored by Cornell’s Society for the Humanities. | Free

Amiee Gibbs: Carnivale of Curiosities | 5 p.m., 8/11 Friday | Circus Culture, 116 W Green St. | Aimee Gibbs will be in conversation with Katherine Kittredge to discuss her debut novel, The Carnivale of Curiosities. This event is part of this year’s Ithaca is Books Festival, with performances by Circus Culture’s very own Shekinah and a Q&A with the author. | Free August Poetry Open Mic | 6 p.m., 8/11 Friday | Ithaca Community School of Music and Arts, 330 East State Street | Read your own poetry or a poem from a favorite artist, or come to listen and stay updated on literary events and happenings at our monthly open mic. We feature poets on occasion. | Free

Competitive Wordle with Bob Proehl | 7 p.m., 8/11 Friday | The Downstairs, 121 West M.L.K. Jr. St. | A competitive night of your favorite New York Times word game. This Ithaca is Books Festival event is hosted by Professional Trivia Host and Noted Literary Hack Bob Proehl, and it is certain to make your most competitive side come out. | Free Jewish Noir Book Launch with Kenneth and Steven Wishnia | 7 p.m., 8/11 Friday | Autumn Leaves, 115 East State St. | The two volumes of Jewish Noir bring together dozens of new stories from literary and genre authors from across the globe—Jewish and non-Jewish alike—exploring both the light and dark sides of the religion and culture. | Free Truth, Lies, and Literature with Andrey Kurkov | 10 a.m., 8/12 Saturday | Bu alo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | This is a Zoom event with Ukrainian author and human rights advocate Andrey Kurkov. Kurkov will Zoom in from Kyiv. Please register for the Zoom presentation on the BSB web site. | Free

Book Fair at TCPL | 11 a.m., 8/12 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Join BSB at TCPL for the third annual book fair as a part of the Ithaca is Books

Festival! You’ll have the opportunity to shop small presses, meet local authors, and get your books signed!

| Free

The State of Young Adult Literature Today | 1:30 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Kalynn Bayron will be in conversation with Regina DeMauro, Teen Services librarian at TCPL, and Dr. Misha Inniss-Thompson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Cornell University, talking about the state of YA literature in the world today. | Free Queer Romance Panel | 2:30 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Bu alo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Romance Authors TJ Alexander, Leigh Hays, Aurora Rey, and LaQuette will be at Bu alo Street Books to discuss their experiences writing queer romanticals. With John Jacobson as the moderator, this event will give a new meaning to writing romance. | Free Poetry Reading with Janie Bibbie | 3 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Odyssey Bookstore, 115 W. Green St | Tompkins County Poet Laureate Janie E. Bibbie will be reading from her book Priceless Present as a part of this year’s Ithaca is Books Festival. This event will take place in Odyssey Bookstore’s private garden. | Free

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12TH AT 8:00PM Smith Center for the Arts, 82 Seneca St., Geneva | Enjoy an unforgettable night of swing music and excitement as the contemporary swing revival band celebrates its 30th anniversary! (Photo: Provided)

The Cry of Mother Earth & The Cargo Rebellion: Joint Book

Launch | 7 p.m., 8/13 Sunday | Autumn Leaves, 115 E, State St. | Join PM Press at Autumn Leaves Books for a joint book launch of two recent titles connecting environmental and human liberation struggles. | Free

CBC: A Survey of Limited Editions -- Comics, Graphic Novels, Portfolios! | 7 p.m., 8/15 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | At this week’s Comic Book Club meeting, we will look at a good cross-section of limited editions of individual comics, of graphic novels, and related items such as portfolios.

Kids

Story Night with Jennifer Savran Kelly | 4 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Liquid State Brewing Co., 620 W Green St | Come on down to Liquid State for a storytelling open mic hosted by Jennifer Savran Kelly and Story House Ithaca. Listen to local literati tell their stories and even have the opportunity to tell some of your own! | Free Nationalism, Anarchism, and Liberations: Then and Now | 7 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Autumn Leaves, 115 E. State St. | A conversation between PM authors Charlie Allison and Raymond Craib. | Free

Queer Feminist Publishing in Ithaca | 1 p.m., 8/13 Sunday | CAP Artspace, 110 N Tioga St | Join Je Iovannone and Nancy Bereano at the CAP Artspace in talking about Firebrand Books, Ithaca’s very own lesbian-feminist press known for publishing popular works such as Dykes to Watch Out For (Alison Bechdel) and Skin: Talking About Sex, Class and Literature (Dorothy Allison). | Free Poetry reading by Carolyn Clark at The Gallery at South Hill | 1 p.m., 8/13 Sunday | The Gallery at South Hill, 950 Danby Road | Poetry reading by Carolyn Clark from her new book of poems “Watershed” at The Gallery at South Hill. | Free

p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Just Be Cause, 1013 W. State St. | Join the Ithaca International Folk Dancers for fun and energetic folk dancing, primarily from eastern Europe and the Mideast. Most dances are taught, and no experience is needed. Free to all. | Free Line Dancing in “The Shire” | 6 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Hopshire Farm & Brewery, 1771 Dryden Rd | Get your country on at Hopshire! Line Dancing expert Karen Hayes will lead you through a fun lled night in our event space. All are welcome, bring your friends…the more the merrier.

Sing Me a Story! Read Me a Song! With John Simon & Cal Walker | 12:30 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Community reading heroes John Simon and Cal Walker bring songs that are stories and stories that are songs, to life in concert for young children and their families. | Free Drag Story Hour | 11 a.m., 8/13 Sunday | Bu alo Street Books, 215 North Cayuga Street | Join us at BSB for a very special Ithaca is Books Festival edition of Drag Story Hour with our very own queens, Coraline Chardonnay & Tilia Cordata. This event is a part of the Ithaca is Books Festival. | Free

Notices

Volunteers Needed at Loaves and Fishes of Tompkins County! | 2:30 p.m., 8/10 Thursday | St. John’s Episcopal Church, 210 N. Cayuga St. | Loaves and Fishes needs volunteers! Help greet and provide meals to the hungry. Volunteers are needed, especially for the 2:30-5:00 pm and 4:45-7:45 pm shifts on Tuesday and Thursday. You must be fully vaccinated to volunteer and wear a mask at all times in the building. | Free Hula Performance and Workshop | 6:30 p.m., 8/10 Thursday | New eld Public Library, 198 Main Street | Join us for an Intro to Hula Workshop to learn basic hula steps and one hula. | Free

Historic Ithaca Walk & Talk: Pleasant Grove Cemetery | 10 a.m., 8/12 Saturday | Pleasant Grove Cemetery, 184 Pleasant Grove Rd | Explore more than two hundred years of Tompkins County History on a guided walk through the Pleasant Grove Cemetery in the Village of Cayuga Heights. | Free Historical Society Tour of the Bement-Billings Farmstead Museum | 10 a.m., 8/12 Saturday | Bement-Billings Farmstead Museum, 9241 NY-38 | Reserve your spot for a special private tour of the Farmstead Museum in Newark Valley. We will learn about and have live demonstrations of blacksmithing, pioneer ber arts, culinary techniques, and will take a tour of the homestead and its natural setting. | $10.00

Hector’s 3rd Annual Fun Car Show | 12 p.m., 8/12 Saturday | VLH Fire Department, 5736 NY Route 414 | Fun Car Show with ALL proceeds going to the Valois Logan Hector Fire Department & EMT

Black Hands Universal Market | 10 a.m., 8/13 Sunday | Ithaca Commons |

Cybersecurity Basics for Seniors | 10 a.m., 8/14 Monday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street | Local seniors are encouraged to join Lisa Carrier-Titti for an interactive workshop discussing cybersecurity basics.

Alzheimer’s Association, Caregiver Support Group | 11 a.m., 8/16 Wednesday | First Presbyterian Church, Horseheads NY, 2943 Westinghouse Rd | Caregiver Support Groups provide a safe place for caregivers to ask question, share information and feel supported. | Free

THE WIZARD OF OZ SHOWS THROUGH AUGUST 19TH. CONTACT CORTLAND REP FOR SHOWTIMES.

Little York Pavilion, 6799 Little York Lake Road, Preble | Cortland Repertory Theatre closes their 51 st summer season with a unique stage adaptation of the classic MGM musical. This musical is based on the story by L. Frank Baum, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. (Photo: Provided)

THIS WEEK

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SPEECH THERAPIST

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School Nurse

OCM BOCES Special Education Department has a need for a School Nurse at the Cortlandville Campus in Cortland, NY. Possession of an RN or LPN is required. Apply online at: www.olasjobs.org/central. For more information, please visit our website at: www.ocmboces.org EOE

Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/central. For more information please visit our website at: www.ocmboces.org EOEsite at: www. ocmboces.org EOE

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ALL ABOUT MACS

Macintosh Consulting

http://www.allaboutmacs.com

(607) 280-4729

ANIMALS

LAND & SEA

FingerLakesAnimalRights.org

CLEANING SERVICES

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

JANITORIAL* FLOOR * CARPET

INDEPENDENCE CLEANERS CORP

607-227-3025 / 607-697-3294

FLYITHACA.COM

Convenient-Clean-Connected

For rates and information contact front@ithactimes.com 277-7000

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Looking to Boost your Business

is Summer?

Call Larry at 607-277-7000 ext: 1214

Find out about great advertising ad packages at: Ithaca.com & Ithaca Times

Men’s and Women’s Alterations for over 20 years

Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair.

Same Day Service Available

John’s Tailor Shop

John Serferlis - Tailor

102 e Commons

273-3192

Peaceful Spirit

Tai Chi **

Yang style all levels

Fridays 3-4 pm at NY Friends House

120 3rd St., Ithaca

607-272-0114

PIANOS

Rebuilt, Reconditioned, Bought, Sold, Moved Tuned, Rented

New, Used & Vintage Instruments & Accessories

ITHACA GUITAR WORKS

DEWITT MALL

607-272-2602

Ooy’s Cafe & Deli

201 N. Aurora Street

Ithaca, NY 14850

(607) 319-4022

Complete Rebuilding Services

No job too big or too small Ithaca Piano Rebuilders (607) 272-6547

950 Danby Rd, Suite 26 South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca

REAL LIFE

CEREMONIES

Every life story deserves to be told, and told well. Steve Lawrence, Celebrant 607-220-7938