Prime Times

Stronger Than Ever

At 93, Bob Martin is Still

Sharing His

Strength With Others

In 2009, a colleague here at the Ithaca Times wrote a Prime Times piece about Bob Martin’s busy schedule as a fitness trainer, and many people remarked how inspired they were that a 77 yearold man was still so active, and engaged.

A few years later, I wrote a sports column that drew more than a few laughs when it pointed out that Bob — then 83 years of age — was working at Island Health and Fitness and training a few clients that were several years his senior.

In March, I visited Bob at the small fitness center he operates out of his home, and when I called to set up a time to stop in, he said, “Well, I am seeing two clients today, and if you would like to speak with one of them, you may come by around 2 o’clock.” Bob — a decorated Korean War veteran — had turned 93 two days earlier.

I got my first glimpse into Bob’s commit-

By Steve L awrence

ment to fitness 40-plus years ago, when I was employed by Cornell Athletics. He was juggling a few tasks at Cornell - he had been the men’s gymnastics coach, an assistant golf pro, and

he was teaching a Physical Education class on weight training. To my 25 year-old self, Bob — who was coming up on 50 — redefined “middle-age,” and I noticed how square his shoul-

ders were, how his posture was so straight, and that he seemed genuinely interested in helping students learn the right way to lift weights. He had also been running a gymnastics club

Bob Martin has trained generations of Ithacans to stay fit. At 93, he’s still at it.

(Photo: Provided)

Still working out of his home for a small group of select clients, Bob Martin shows them the right way to stay fit. (Photo: Mark Syvertson).

Ithaca's highly-trained budtenders are here to advise and point you in the best direction for your

in the 1970s, and in the 80s the word was out that he had transitioned the place into a ﬁ tness center, and that the facility was the Center of the Universe for anyone who wanted to test out out the best new equipment, or put on some leg warmers and try out one of those aerobics classes.

In 1987, I took a job as a ﬁ tness trainer at the Ithaca Fitness Center, and Bob became a mentor, and a friend. I knew I could learn how to teach new members — many of whom were far out of their comfort zone when stepping

into such a place — how to use the equipment by reading a book, but watching Bob interact with members was a Master Class in customer service. He was so sincere, so generous in allowing people to keep working out if they were having ﬁnancial di culties, and he exuded genuine compassion for those trying hard to make some lifestyle changes, or reclaim their sense of self-esteem. Of course, in any sales environment, what is really being sold is the experience, and at the I thaca Fitness Center,

continued on page 16

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Retiring. Again

Norbert McCloskey Leaving the Ithaca Free Clinic Better Than He Found It

By Marjorie olds

After many successful years in their business,

Anne and Norbert

McCloskey’s “retirement

plan” included travel to spend time with their grandchildren scattered around the country. In 2012 they came to Ithaca for a visit with grown children and one grandchild. For their arrival, we Ithacans can thank our lucky stars!

Their Ithaca daughter and son-in-law had news: A new baby was on its way, and the young parents both had demanding new jobs… Perhaps Anne and Norbert could stay a bit lon -

ger and hang out and care for both children, since their daughter’s job also required major travel, shortly after the upcoming birth?

And so, they did. And after a few wonderful years of really getting to know their Ithaca family, including from Day 1of their new granddaughter Riley’s arrival, Ithaca has also been buoyed up by 9 years with Norbert at the helm of the Ithaca Free Clinic,

an Ithaca Health Alliance lifeline program.

Norbert: “While caring for Riley and her older brother I took fascinating classes that Scott Heyman arranged for the Human Services Coalition. What a boon HSC is for not-for-profits in Ithaca!..One day Scott called me and suggested we talk about a wonderful opportunity.”

“I met with the gang at the IHC and realized this was an excellent short term opportunity

Norbert McCloskey put off retirement for a “short-term” sting helping and leading the Ithaca Free Clinic. Nearly a decade later, he is finally moving on. (Photo: Provided)

Norbert McCloskey.

to “give back” and contribute to something really good, that could outlive me, something bigger than what I myself could leave for others—to provide access to health care for anyone seeking care…And I hoped that by the time I left the U.S. would be providing healthcare for all.”

“I became the director of the innovative, renowned Ithaca Free Clinic, which was an early creator of a blueprint for communities to provide free medical care to those who have no medical insurance.” (mzo: see https:// www.ithaca.com/opinion/columnists/community_connections/ how-it-all-began-ithaca-free-clinic-andnorbert-mccloskey/ article_e87c3dd6f371-11ed-ab04-fbca4507b43d.html

“Any one of us can suddenly ﬁnd ourselves without health insurance, or unable to pay for ever higher co-pays and deductibles. At the Free Clinic, no questions are asked. If you come in our door, we will help you to the best of our ability. We will use our resources to help in any way needed.”

“For-proﬁ t health care providers are

tasked to expand their shareholders’ value. Insurance companies thrive when services are denied, so long as monthly premiums from insured members ﬂow in, often deducted from paychecks…While members can appeal insurance company

denials, many rejections of reimbursement are never appealed…Harried working parents, single parents, disabled elderly may not have time for the endless calls, paperwork, persistence to pursue the increasing frequency of denials. When denials

for reimbursement of medical care go up, so do shareholder proﬁ ts.”

“When we look at the miraculous impact health and human service programs have documented like HeadStart, prenatal and early continued on page 16

Campus Club at Cornell

Connecting Ithaca’s Women For 125 Years

By Maddy Vogel

In a community like Ithaca where people are always searching for ways to connect, the need for “third spaces”—environments that are neither home nor work—are vital to establishing a support system. For thousands of women in Ithaca, those critical connections have been made through the Campus Club at Cornell, a women’s social organization that is celebrating its 125th

anniversary this year. First established in 1900, the Campus Club at Cornell (CCC) was initially a place for Cornell-affiliated women, typically the wives of Cornell faculty, to establish connections and find purpose. Back then, formal teas and organized community service opportunities were at the core of the club.

The club’s founding came at a time when only 6% of married

Campus Club Board Members gathered at Christmas in celebration of the club’s more than a century of service. (Photo: Provided)

Campus tours and fellowship are part of the Cornell Club which started in 1900 as an organization for campus wives and now is open to any residents who want to join the club and its more than 20 activity groups. (Photo: Provided)

women worked outside the home. The club was a chance for women to become involved in the community and ﬁnd fulﬁlling work outside the home.

Since then, the club has grown and evolved past extraordinary circumstances.

Although Cornell is in their name, the Campus Club has been open to all Ithacan women–lifelong residents and newcomers alike–since 2013, when they dropped the connection to Cornell as a requirement for membership.

But it wasn’t an easy path to get to that point. Despite their diminished connection to the university today, changes to membership eligibility were controversial throughout the group’s history.

Slowly but surely,

the group’s membership requirements lessened and their e orts became less service-based as it became more socially acceptable for women to have full-time jobs. The club’s initiatives became more connection-based, forming groups for the

various interests of women in the CCC.

Today, the club has over 20 activity groups, ranging from book groups to hiking and cross-country skiing, and even their aptly named “friendship group.”

President of the club Ellen Harrison ﬁrst

became involved in the CCC when she was retired and a friend suggested she join the club’s hiking group. She soon became more involved with the club, joining the executive board as the assistant social chair and eventually stepping continued on page 10

The Winter tea is an opportunity for old and new friends to get together. (Photo: Provided)

Campus Club

continued from page 9

up to be president.

Harrison’s story mirrors the journey of many women in the club who join through a shared passion and

develop friendships, many of them following her similar trajectory of blossoming into a leader on the board.

“The Campus Club attracts lively women,” Harrison said, describing some of her fellow club members who she has formed connections with. “I think it’s a way

for somebody to gain entry into a community of interesting women.”

Harrison emphasized the importance of the club for people who are experiencing significant life changes that lead them to seek connection.

“It’s been extremely useful to newcom -

ers,” Harrison said. “Newly retired people or people who have just moved to Ithaca.”

An organization that survives for more than a century in Ithaca is rare, especially considering that the club was able to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, the club endured by holding social events on zoom and hosting outdoor events.

Today the Campus Club has 375 members, 112 of which are new this year, surpassing their pre-COVID membership in 2019.

“I think we’re very proud of the fact that over all of that time, including during COVID, the club was a strong, positive way for women to come together,” Harrison said.

Despite their lessened Cornell affiliation, the university has archived historic documents and materials, preserving the club’s history and legacy.

“That’s an important connection that we really appreciate,” Harrison said.

Adaptability has been central to the group’s continued success. Despite shifting societal norms and

continued on page 18

It’s a Plane

The Tommy Plane Flies in the History of Ithaca

By Charlie Githler

The first thing that grabs your attention when you walk into the exhibit space at the Tompkins County History Center is a World War I-era biplane. It’s the “Tommy Plane”, an original Thomas-Morse Scout S-4B, first built right here in Ithaca in 1918. It’s one of a few hundred made; for a time they were used to train virtually every World War I pilot.

The plane is bigger than you might imagine, and meticulously, exquisitely restored. You can even see it from Bank Alley on the Commons, if you peer through the window.

T he Tommy Plane is actually on permanent loan to the History Center from the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation (IAHF), which is the organization that, over the course of 14 years, located and acquired the plane, and spent countless hours restoring it.

It enjoys a perma -

nent spot in the exhibit hall. Also, there’s no obvious other place to put it. Regardless of the theme of the current exhibit, the Tommy Plane is part of the landscape. With a 5-step raised platform, allowing visitors to look inside the cockpit, it’s a favorite item, particularly for kids. As luck would

have it, the current 2025 exhibit (“Planes, Trains and Automobiles”) is focused on the theme of the evolution of the various modes of transportation in Tompkins County, so the plane is in its glory.

The first sustained heavier-than-air airplane flight was, of course, by the Wright Brothers in December 1903. It

lasted 12 seconds, covered 120 feet at a maximum height of 10 feet at 7 miles an hour. It was a glorified manned kite with a lawnmower engine, but obviously an earth-shaking achievement. To look at the Tommy Plane now, the word “contraption”

continued on page 12

The Tommy Plane, was built in Ithaca in 1918, A recreated version is on permanent loan to the Tompkins County History Center in downtown Ithaca from the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation which — over 14 years — located, acquired and restored the World War I plane. (Photo from the Tompkins County History Museum)

It’s a Plane

continued from page 11

springs to mind, with wooden struts, a system of alarmingly narrow-gauge guy wires, and an open cockpit. The technology was absolutely state of the art for its time, though, miles beyond the Wright Brothers’ first plane from 14 years earlier, and reliable enough to change the nature of warfare in World War I.

Aviation technology has always been a work in progress, and at the beginning of World War I, barely a decade after that first airplane

flight, flying was still a precarious enterprise. In August 1914, aviator Baxter Adams planned a flight from Hammondsport to the Ithaca fairgrounds (where Wegmans is today), a distance of 45 miles. It was an event noteworthy enough to make the newspapers. The stunt was postponed three days in a row due to weather, and when he finally made the trip, he briefly got lost in the clouds over Lamoka Lake. Once here, he stayed for a couple of days, putting on displays and doing tricks like the ‘Loop the Loop’, but

during one of his flights over the city his engine disintegrated, raining parts down on West Buffalo Street. He was somehow able to coast back to the fairgrounds, and left town the next day with the remains of his aircraft on a train.

War has an accelerating effect on the evolution of technologies that can be useful in the fight, and by 1917, there had been significant improvements to airplanes. There was also a sudden demand. The Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation was started by brothers William and Oliver Thomas

in Hammondsport in 1910, and was originally called the Thomas Brothers Company. After being invited to relocate to Ithaca, the company merged with the Morse Chain Company on South Hill in 1917, and began making and selling airplanes to the U.S. Army. Manufacturing went on at a plant on Brindley Street in addition to the South Hill factory. It was the fourth largest airplane factory in the country during the war, and was a major local employer. The actual artifact selected by our esteemed archivist

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Donna Eschenbrenner isn’t the plane itself, though, it’s the documentation of the restoration project. The records are fairly voluminous, ﬁlling over a dozen boxes. It’s a remarkable story. When members of the IAHF began the project of locating a Thomas-Morse Scout with the idea of restoring it and bringing it back to Ithaca, there were only 15 planes left worldwide. In 2010, though, fate smiled on the project in the form of a Dr. William Thibault of Newport Beach, California, who was willing

to donate his vintage Tommy Plane. It arrived back ‘home’ in Ithaca in May, 2010, and it was arranged that the restoration would take place at the Emerson Power Transmission plant on South Hill, formerly the Morse Chain plant — the exact location where the plane had been constructed

100 years before. In fact, the volunteers on the project used some of the same tools from the original factory. When that facility closed down in 2011, the restoration project was moved to the Signiﬁcant Elements building downtown, another site where

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Thomas-Morse planes were built. For the next seven years, IAHF members completely dismantled and re-built the plane, ﬁnding the parts and knowhow to complete the project from hundreds of sources.

The project culminated in a successful ﬂight on September 29, 2018, with an earthbound audience of more than 3000.

If one were to make a film documentary about the Tommy Plane, or write a book, or take on a similar project (all good ideas), the documents in the archives would be an excellent place to start. There are minutes of IAHF meetings, correspondence about acquiring the plane, financial records, every detail about every component of the plane from parts specifications to drawings, brainstorming notes about how to transport the plane across the country, and ten thousand other details. It’s all there, which is an essential function of the archives: preserving the records that can explain and fill in the whole picture about an item.

Sometimes, what’s preserved in the archives is more than the artifact itself, but the story behind the artifact.

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The Breakfast Club

This Group Supports and Unites Men With Cancer

By BoB RiteR

It’s a club that no one wanted to join, but its members love it.

It’s called the Men’s Breakfast Club and meets every Friday morning at the Royal Court Restaurant in Ithaca. Attendees share one important characteristic — they’ve all been diagnosed with cancer.

The club began meeting in 2010 and was initiated by Skip Hewitt and Bob Riter. Both were cancer survivors who were in regular contact with other men in the area with cancer. Bob was then the executive director of the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes (CRCFL), and Skip was an active CRCFL volunteer who routinely met with patients in radiation therapy at Cayuga Medical Center.

They knew that men with cancer wanted to talk and liked to eat, so they decided to get a group together for breakfast and just let things develop. It began at a sin -

gle corner table. As attendance grew, more tables were added.

Today, some 12-16 men attend on any given Friday, and there’s a roster of about 24 guys who attend on a regular basis.

Several guys weren’t enthusiastic about attending a support group of any sort, but did so at the urging of a loved one or a CRCFL volunteer

or staff person. Skip Hewitt, a talented salesperson, would sometimes close the deal by saying, “If you come this Friday, I’ll buy your breakfast. You can’t lose.” These guys would laugh, attend, and come again the next week.

For many, the group provides an opportunity to talk openly about what’s going on with their health. As one

Every Friday at the Royal Court Restaurant in Ithaca, a group of men with cancer share stories and support. (Photo: Provided)

Bob Riter.

member put it, “It’s the only group where I can describe everything that’s going on and not worry that I’m freaking people out. I don’t need to censor myself.”

First time attendees often come with questions because they are likely to have been newly diagnosed. They want to hear from guys who have “been there.” For example, men with early-stage prostate cancer may learn from their physicians that surgery, radiation, and active surveillance are all reasonable options for them to consider. There are men at the breakfast table who can share their personal experiences with each of those options. It’s invaluable to get a variety of experiences and perspectives all at once.

There’s always a “check-in” where people provide an update about their health and what else is going on in their lives, but conversations are wide-ranging. If new attendees are present, the focus is on cancer and addressing the questions and concerns of the newcomers. On other days, people talk about literally anything, but a common theme is humor.

People on the other side of the restaurant sometimes ask the

server, “What’s all the laughter about over there?” They’re surprised when she replies, “Oh, that’s the cancer group. They’re always like that.”

Guys continue to come even long after their cancer questions have been answered because they appreciate the sense of community. And the range of that community is broad — farmers, mechanics, professors, ﬁreﬁghters, salespeople, etc. One professor noted, “I enjoy this group so much because it gets me out of my Cornell bubble.”

That sense of community carries over throughout the week. If a regular misses a couple of weeks, someone will check on him to be sure everything is okay. There’s a true connection.

Spouses often tell members that they’re so much happier and lighter (in spirit) after attending a breakfast. They encourage continued attendance

because it’s good for them as well.

The Breakfast Club is a program of the Cancer Resource

continued on page 18

Stronger Than Ever

continued from page 5

Bob Martin — and his three daughters, Cindy, Connie and Robin and the rest of the staff — set a very high bar in creating a positive and empowering experience.

Bob had developed quite an entrepreneurial spirit over the years, and when IFC had exploded in membership, he not only continued to pack the place with the finest equipment, he also undertook several other ventures. He opened another fitness center in Cortland, he bought property and created a fitness trail of sorts, at which members would hike from one small shed to another, stopping at each of them to use a piece of workout equipment. He bought a 9-hole golf course, complete with a small clubhouse and restaurant. That business was holding its own, but when a fire ruined an entire row of golf carts, it was just one of the several setbacks he would face. Martin would eventually sell the golf course, but several years later, wanting to maintain some connection to a

g ame he enjoys, Bob hopped on his tractor and carved out a little 18-hole course behind his house in Newfield. Bob would stay in the fitness game by working at Island, and he ultimately put several pieces of weight training and cardio equipment in his basement. When I visited, he told me, “I have my own complete system, and I am currently working with three people.” He added, “I’m not ‘in business,’ I just really enjoy helping seniors.”

While I got my minitour, Mike MacAnanny — a retired engineer in his mid-70s — interrupted his workout to say hello, and he said, “I never thought about using a trainer, but I was at a gym doing crunches one day and I saw a fellow older than me training people. Bob just came over and offered input on my technique. I saw him working with some other seniors, and he invited me over for a workout and we have become friends.”

After finishing a set of bent-arm pullovers, Mike said, “I see Bob as being very sensitive to peoples’ needs, and he has really helped me with some back issues

and with a rotator cuff i njury.” Nodding toward Bob, a sweaty and smiley Mike offered, “He’s a Marine, and I tell him that he sometimes gets into ‘Gunny Mode.’”

Sounding much like he did several decades ago, Bob dispensed more wisdom, saying, You know, for seniors, it’s most important to work on maintaining heart and lung function. I customize all my programs, and I will say it a hundred times, safety is the number one factor in any exercise program.” Keeping a watchful eye on Mike’s workout, Bob added, “Technique is most important, and my research is constant. I work with clients on maintaining good balance, and strengthening their cardio capacity.”

Mike wrapped up his workout and said, “Getting old is tough, and I’m training to fight off old age. My goal is to maintain what I have, and to dance a jig at my granddaughter’s wedding.”

Bob — who recently became a great-grandfather — grinned and said, “I do light workouts three days a week now. The Lord gave us an unbelievable body, and we should use it.”

continued from page 7

inter vention for babies, and so many local, state, and federal programs that fill gaps, we can see that investing in our community members has verifiable positive results. We can say providing health care really works!”

At a time when federal agencies and federal funds which underpin state and local agencies are being decimated, the rate of uninsured people is increasing. “When I became IFC/IHA director in 2016 the Affordable Care Act had played a powerful role in providing healthcare to many previously uninsured. Expanded Medicare provided during COVID also provided greater access to healthcare services. In communities like Ithaca and in many rural hospitals, critical lifesaving services are available to a large number of people because of Medicaid. With the loss of Medicaid, these services will no longer be available and hospitals will see a significant reduction in patient numbers, while

ER’s will see a signiﬁcant increase in uninsured patients needing care, which results in large uncompensated reimbursements…I hope in my lifetime America will accept the economic advantages of a single payer health care program for all people of all ages and all walks of life.”

“Those who are senior citizens now have lived through times of peace, where areas at warfare in the world were marginal, and times when there was a less steep divide between the very very rich and the very poor. The current turnaround seems

as if our abundant, much loved country is eating its own liver, as the very rich buy power, at the expense of the rest of us…Capitalism in the US once was regulated with strong guardrails, where intergenerational inheritance was limited. We see now that unregulated capitalism may progress to feudalism.”

“With more generous community support we hope to continue o ering medical care, as well as holistic health, including vision care and acupuncture. We can also help people obtain lifesaving medications, insulin, and steroid inhalers. Our team also advo-

Katherine Wouters Director of Nursing

cates and negotiates to help reduce accumulated medical debt.”

“As dramatic changes a ect healthcare in America, we will need additional medical volunteers. We welcome Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, RNs, LPNs, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Herbalists, college students and community members, who can share just four hours a month to help those in need.”

Financial support to the Ithaca Free Clinic comes entirely from local foundations and donors. Gifts can be provided in a

number of ways: Consider Planned Giving: Create a small endowment and have a room named in honor of someone you love. One popular way is to make a donation from IRA distributions, which reduce your tax liability for those RMD’s. And you will know that while reducing your tax liability you are enhancing a neighbor’s opportunity to get healthcare needed, and otherwise inaccessible. That’s a two-fold gift! You beneﬁ t and someone who needs medical care beneﬁ ts at the same time.”

continued on page 18

Hailey Murray Administrator

Campus Club

continued from page 10

changes in how women allocate their time, the club’s membership has steadily grown in recent years. The group has fostered an invaluable number of friendships for Ithaca’s women.

“To have an organization that’s been able to continue to provide something so valuable and evolve with the times, I think is noteworthy,” Harrison said.

The club has an upcoming 125th birthday bash celebration,

open to members. Campus Club 125th Birthday Bash

Date/Time: Saturday, April 26, from 3 to 5 p.m.

Location: Foundation of Light, Turkey Hill Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850

For more information on the Cornell Campus Club, visit blogs.cornell.edu/ campusclub/social/.

The Men’s Breakfast Club

continued from page 15

Center of the Finger Lakes, an a liate of the Cayuga Health

System. It meets every Friday from 8-9 a.m. at the Royal Court Restaurant, 529 South Meadow St. Newcomers are always welcome.

Co-founder Skip Hewitt passed away in 2023. A fund created in his honor — The Skip Hewitt Welcome Fund — continues to buy breakfast for ﬁrst-time attendees.

Norbert McCloskey

continued from page 17

Other ways we can support free medical care for those in need:

Help the Clinic to upgrade our computer equipment, so we can move to Windows 11, when Windows 10 is no longer supported in August of this year. Drop o unopened supplies, supplements, and prescriptions — Call or email Clinic to make arrangements. Visit our website for contact information: www.ithacahealth.org

Mzo: Dear Readers, join with me and many many other IHA/ Ithaca Free Clinic Norb Fans in wishing Norb and Anne a wonderful next chapter, as they begin to imagine their next adventure.

Thursday May 1

Ages 8 to 108 Board Game Club | 5:00 p.m. |

Are you between the ages of 8 and 108 and love playing board games? Then come join our board game club at TCPL! We meet in the Borg Warner Room on Thursdays from 5 to 7pm.Tompkins County Public Library 101 East Green StreetIthaca, NY

Crafting the Art of Play Theater Class | 6:00 p.m. |

Co-Taught by AJ Sage and Elizabeth Seldin, take a deeper dive into theater with Scene Study, Physical Acting, Playwriting and Devised Play Creation.Whimsey Mercantile 2075 East Shore Drive Lansing, NY

GO ITHACA Open Hours | 2:00 p.m. |

Join GO ITHACA for Open Hours at TCPL! GO ITHACA is proud to help transform transportation in Tompkins County! Our program makes sustainable commuting accessible and affordable for everyone. With our membership, you get: A free 30-ride TCAT pass at signup 50% off TCAT and Ithaca Bikeshare passes A $50 credit for Ithaca Carshare Discounted parking passes for carpoolers and Emergency Ride Home benefits

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca.

Play It Again Theatre Troupe | 2:00 p.m. |

$5 drop-in fee, requires annual Lifelong membership. Sliding scale annual fee from $20-40 for individuals. All monies fund programming for seniors throughout Tompkins County. Scholarships are available.Join other members of the Play It Again Theatre troupe as we write and perform stories from our lives as living history theatre.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca Singer Songwriter Night | 6:00 p.m. |

Hosted by Dan Forsyth of Driftwood. Come sing a song or hear local songwriters every 1st Thursday at Hopshire. This is an opportunity for songwriters to share their craft with each other. Bring a song you are working on, it doesn’t have to be complete, to get input from your peers. All are welcome to come listen respectfully. Hopshire, 1771 Dryden Rd., Freeville

CALENDAR

Strength Training | 12:30 p.m. |

$5 drop-in or members eligible to pay $35/ month for unlimited H & W classes.

Resistance exercise strengthens bones, increases muscular endurance, and improves coordination and balance.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca, NY

Tenzin Chopak at South Hill Cider | 6:00 p.m. |

Join us for a glass of Cider, local beer, a coctail, Farm to Table Food, and live Music

Tenzin Chopak returns to the tasting room for another night of beautiful music!! 550 Sandbank Road, Ithaca

Friday May 2

Conversational French Social Group | 11:00 a.m. |

There is a $2 drop in fee, payable when you come.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Conversational Hungarian | 5/2/2025 9:30 a.m. |

Practice speaking Hungarian in a relaxed setting. Open to all levels.

Starts January 10.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Driftwood w/ The Tan and Sober Gentlemen – Night 1 | 8:00 p.m. |

$25 ADV/$30 D0S/$40 Both nights//18+//8pm Deep Dive

Deep Dive 415 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

Enhance Your Fitness | 10:30 a.m. |

$5 drop in, membership required but with membership $40/month unlimited Health and Wellness Activities eligibility.

Classes focus on stretching, flexibility, balance, low-impact aerobics, and strength training.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Enhance Your Fitness Trumansburg | 10:00 a.m. |

$5 drop in, membership not required but members eligible to pay $35/month for unlimited H&W activities.

Classes focus on stretching, flexibility, balance, low-impact aerobics, strength training, and deep breathing exercises.

Trumansburg Fire Hall 74 W Main Street, Trumansburg

Gallery Night Ithaca – First Friday of Every Month | 5:00 p.m. |

Gallery Night Ithaca is a walkable tour of art openings and other special cultural events in and around downtown Ithaca, New York from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. With upwards of twenty venues to visit and explore each month, there is sure to be something that will catch your eye, whether you’re a seasoned collector or a first-time browser.

171 The Commons, Ithaca

Spring Fling with Radio London | 6:00 p.m. |

Open to the public! Join Lifelong for a evening of wine, cheese, and danceable tunes by Radio London! $10

Lifelong 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Square, Round, & Line Dance | 2:00 p.m. |

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Standard Time: First Fridays Residency

Standard Time Jazz Sextet presents “It’s A Hard Bop Life” First Friday Residency Downstairs.

The Downstairs, 121 E M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca Tai Chi | 12:45 p.m. |

Using precise, fluid movement, dissolve tension, increase your strength, cardiovascular fitness, and overall sense of wholeness.

Lifelong 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Tai Chi | 10:30 a.m. |

Using precise, fluid movement, dissolve tension, increase your strength, cardiovascular fitness, and overall sense of wholeness.

Lansing Community Center, Lansing

Saturday May 3

Cornell Baseball vs Princeton University | 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. |

Cornell Baseball vs Princeton University, Ithaca

Driftwood w/ The Tan and Sober Gentlemen – Night 2 | 8:00 p.m. |

Deep Dive, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

Five Cents a Can | 5/3/2025 1:00 p.m. |

A multimedia exhibition exploring the lives of the “canners” who make their livelihood

collecting recyclable beverage containers. The exhibition is curated around current lobbying to pass the Bigger Better Bottle Bill in Albany. A panel discussion will help citizens understand the issue and what they can do to help.

Ithaca Arthaus, 130 Cherry St., Ithaca Guided Tours of the West End Diorama | 2:00 p.m. |

Join the Diorama’s creator David Fogel at the Cherry Gallery for a “guided tour” of his scale-model recreation of Ithaca’s West End neighborhood circa 1953.

Ithaca Arthaus, 130 Cherry St., Ithaca

Jazz Ensemble at Ford Hall | 8:15 p.m. | Free, open to the public.

View on site

Ford Hall, Ithaca College, Ithaca

Open Doors English Benefit Dinner | 5:30 p.m. |

Join Open Doors English for a delicious community dinner fundraiser.

All proceeds will benefit our adult ESL program, which provides English language classes for immigrants and refugees and is a safe haven of kindness and welcome amidst a national climate of intense anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions. This event is open to the public, but seating is limited! Please reserve seats by visiting opendoorsenglish.org/events This event centers around a sit-down dinner featuring a delicious menu of food from Afghanistan and a variety of international desserts. Payment is completely by donation. Cash, checks, and credit cards accepted.

Open Doors English is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

First Presbyterian Church, 315 N. Cayuga, St., Ithaca So You Think You Can’t Dance? | 9:00 a.m. |

Spring Session- Saturdays 9 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. April 26th through May 31st – Learn Choreography each week!

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Tulip Trot 5k | 10:00 a.m. |

4495 CO Route 6, Mecklenburg

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Calendar

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Sunday May 4

Cornell Baseball vs Princeton University | 12:00 p.m. | Ithaca Dance Church | 11:30 a.m. | Foundation Of Light.

Come 391 Turkey Hill Rd., Ithaca

Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers at Ford Hall | 4:00 p.m. |

Free, open to the public View on site

Ford Hall, Ithaca College, Ithaca Jazz Jam | 6:00 p.m. |

The Downstairs is located below The Watershed

121 E M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

Knitting 101 | 12:00 p.m. |

Learn the foundations of knitting with Alyssa Welty! Offered on the first Sunday of each month from 12-2 p.m. Optional: Stay for Sewcial Knitting afterward for an extra two hours of supported practice! Note: Please specify the month of the class you will be attending at checkout. Thanks!

Materials:

Students are welcome to bring their needles and yarn or to purchase a material pack at the class with a skein of yarn and corresponding needles ($6 and up depending on the yarn).

Sew Green, Press Bay Court, 112 W Green Street, #5, Ithaca

May The Fork Be With You: A May The 4th Star Wars Day Brunch for Adults | 12:00 p.m. |

The Ultimate Star Wars Day Brunch Experience for Adults

This May the 4th, trade in your lightsaber for a mimosa.

May The Fork Be With You is Ithaca’s exclusive adults-only Star Wars Day brunch, blending themed fun with elevated brunch vibes. Fun and interactive Star Wars trivia with prizes

Exclusive giveaways throughout the event

Great music, immersive atmosphere, and a grown-up crowd

Come as you are or in subtle Star Wars flair — the vibes will be with you either way NRE Space, 402 W. State St., Ithaca, NY

“Praise Hymn” Concert with Recording Artist Sherry Anne | 2:30 p.m. | Free admission, love offering invited.

Etne Community Church, 1 Upper Creek Road, Freeville

WVBR Radio Fest | 1:00 p.m. |

171 E. State St./ Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Ithaca, NY

Monday May 5

Bingocize! | 9:30 a.m. |

Bingocize combines the game of Bingo, nutrition education, and fall prevention exercises into a fun, interactive 10-week workshop. This evidence-based program is endorsed by the U.S. Administration for Community Living and the Department of Agriculture.

FREE; Class minimum: 10; maximum 16; Instructor | Susan Weiner

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Chair Yoga | 10:00 a.m. |

Using breathing techniques, basic yoga postures, relaxation, and focus, you will become more in tune with your body and improve your breath awareness and control.

Lansing Community Center, Lansing Conversational German | 9:30 a.m. |

Practice speaking German in a relaxed setting. Every other Monday from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Enhance Your Fitness Trumansburg | 10:00 a.m. |

Classes focus on stretching, flexibility, balance, low-impact aerobics, strength training, and deep breathing exercises. Presented by Lifelong

Trumansburg Fire Hall, 74 W Main Street, Trumansburg

Jazz Mondays with MAQ @ South Hill Cider | 5:30 p.m. |

Join us every Monday for cider, food, and live jazz with some of the best local musicians!

MAQ is a musical ensemble based in Ithaca, NY comprised of some of the area’s best seasoned jazz and Brazilian-music musicians. Its members have individually toured throughout the United States and Europe, in venues from concert halls to clubs, performing everything from classic and modern jazz to Brazilian bossa and folk music.

South Hill CIder, 550 Sandbank Rd., Ithaca

Panel by Panel Graphic Novel Book Club | 6:30 p.m. |

Join us to discuss The Library Mule of Cordoba by Wilfrid Lupano

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Playful Yoga | 6:30 p.m. |

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Poetry & Prose Open Mic | 7 p.m. |

Come share poetry, prose, share a story, perhaps a brief performance or just to enjoy the night and meet others with a love for language and expression.

The Downstairs is located below The Watershed

121 West Martin Luther King Jr Street, Ithaca

Strength Training | 1:30 p.m. |

Resistance exercise strengthens bones, increases muscular endurance, and improves coordination and balance.

Lifelong

119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Strength Training Varna Community Center | 9:30 a.m. |

Resistance exercise strengthens bones, increases muscular endurance, and improves coordination and balance.

943 Dryden Rd., Ithaca

Symphony Orchestra at Ford Hall | 8:15 p.m. |

Ithaca College, Ford Hall, Ithaca

Tuesday May 6

Clay Studio 2 | 10:15 a.m. |

Explore your creativity in clay.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St. Ithaca

Cultivating the Art of Play Theater Class | 6:00 p.m. |

Spring Session – Tuesdays 6 p.m.-7:15 p.m. April 22nd – May 27th. Deep dive into sound, movement, character creation, collaboration and creating original work together!

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Improv Night | 7:00 p.m. |

Come see some improv at Liquid State! Third Place Theater’s house teams will perform improv sets of never-before- and never-again-seen live theater.

Liquid State, 620 W Green St., Ithaca Meditation and Mindfulness | 5:00 p.m. |

Join Anna Salamone of FireFly Farm Retreat for a monthly meditation and mindfulness practice. Anna is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher, and has experience facilitating a variety of mindfulness, meditation, and stress-reduction classes.

Tompkins County Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca Moving For Better Balance (24 sessions) | 5/6/2025 9:30 a.m. |

Improve your balance with this 12-week Tai Chi-based class modified for falls prevention.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca.

Open Mic Stand Up Comedy Night | 5/6/2025 |

The Downstairs is located below The Watershed

121 E M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

Lyric Theatre and Opera Workshop | 7:00 p.m. |

Hockett Family Recital Hall

Ithaca College, Ithaca

WenDo Women’s Self Defense 5 Week Series! | 5:30 p.m. |

301 S. Geneva Street, Ithaca, NY World Cinema XV | 1:30 p.m. |

Join us for a cinematic tour of 12 great films from around the world, including “Pleasantville” (Gary Ross), “The Milky Way” (Luis Buñuel), “Paisan” (Roberto Rossellini), “The Importance of Being Earnest” (Anthony Asquith), “The Big City” (Satyajit Ray), “Orchestra Rehearsal” (Federico Fellini), and more.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Wednesday May 7

17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival | 6:00 p.m. |

The Community Arts Partnership’s 17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival features 40 free literary events featuring over 100 writers. Events are live in downtown Ithaca from May 7-11,

Multiple locations, Ithaca Al-Anon Meeting | 1:00 p.m. |

Seeking support for the problem of alcoholism or addiction in a relative or friend?

Join the South Hill Higher Ground Al-Anon Meeting. Anyone is welcome-students, staff, faculty, and community. In-person once again!!

Muller Chapel, Ithaca College, Ithaca Kitchen Theatre 2024-25 Season | 7:00 p.m. |

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

Latin Wednesday | 9:00 p.m. |

Ithaca’s longest running and hottest weekly dance party

Lot 10 Bar and Lounge, 106 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca

Letters From Max by Sarah Ruhl | 7:00 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

Thursday May 8

17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival – May 7-22 | 6:00 p.m |

The Festival shines a light on the abundance of literary talent in our region. Events include panels, readings, performances, happenings, and workshops that are of interest to established or emerging writers, and/or the literary-loving general public.

Multiple locations, Ithaca Board Game Club | 5:00 p.m. |

Are you between the ages of 8 and 108 and love playing board games? Then come join our board game club at TCPL!

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Brewhouse Blues Jam | 6:00 p.m. | 1771 Dryden Rd., Freeville

Crafting the Art of Play Theater Class | 6:00 p.m. |

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

CU Music: Annette Richards, organ recital | 7:30 p.m. |

548 College Ave., Ithaca

Healthy Eating Support Community | 4:30 p.m. |

Changing our Diet: Will Power or Something Else? The Healthy Eating Support Program is a free program that provides peer-to-peer support for sustained healthy eating within the Tompkins community.

Cornell Cooperative Extension 615 Willow Ave., Ithaca

Letters From Max by Sarah Ruhl | 7:00 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatrem 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

Play It Again Theatre Troupe | 2:00 p.m. |

Join other members of the Play It Again Theatre troupe as we write and perform stories from our lives as living history theatre.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Rena Guinn at Community Concert Series | 5:30 p.m. |

South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

Friday May 9

17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival – May 7-22 | 12:00 p.m. |

The Festival kicks off with one long weekend of twenty-three live events from

Wednesday, May 7th to Sunday, May 11th

at four locations: Buffalo Street Books, the Tompkins County Public Library, and (mostly) the Downtown Ithaca Conference Center. Seven Zoom events are scheduled on weekday evenings from May 15th through May 22nd. Nine writing workshops continue through September.

Check out the amazing event line-up at SpringWrites.org!

Multiple locations, Ithaca

The Analogue Sons at Golden Hour Concert Series | 5:30 p.m. |

South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road, Ithaca

CNC Spring Concert | 2:00 p.m. |

Ithaca, NY

CU Music: Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards Salon with Gabriel Merrill-Steskal | 5:00 p.m. |

A.D. White House, 27 E Ave., Ithaca

CU Music: Experimental Sound Project 2025(2) | 12:30 p.m. |

Experimental Sound Project 2025(2): The Experimental Sound Project is a student run concert series that brings together experimental music makers at Cornell. Featuring Cornell students, faculty, staff, and members of the Ithaca community, ESP celebrates experimental music in its different forms, colors, & shapes. This concert will showcase new & newly-interpreted work by Chenghao Michalis Li, Matías de Roux, Sasha Loayza, Spencer Hadley, Matt Madden, Lydia Geodert, María Bulla, Michael Pisaro-liu, & more.

147 Ho Plaza, Ithaca

DJ Dijon | 8 p.m. |

Downstairs, 121 E M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

Letters From Max | 7:00 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

NYS Baroque presents Marches & Minuets | 7:30 p.m. |

Join us for music of the French court from around 1700 for rustic outdoor oboe bands and for quieter inner chambers. Music for oboes, recorders, bassoon, viola da gamba and theorbo.

First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, 306 N. Aurora St., Ithaca

Queeraoke | 8:00 p.m. |

Friday night “Queeraoke” returns to the Rhiner this week!

632 West Seneca Street, Ithaca

Slow Flow Yoga | 4:00 p.m. |

This is an all-levels Slow Flow style yoga class, adaptable for people with different levels of fitness Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Saturday May 10

Better Together Fest | 11:00 a.m. |

A festival of free activities for all ages, designed to help prioritize mental health. Mindful movement, dance, live music street performances workshops and free food offerings.

Stewart Park, Ithaca

The Bones of J.R. Jones | 8:00 p.m. |

Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

Guided Tours of the West End Diorama | 2:00 p.m. |

Join the Diorama’s creator David Fogel at the Cherry Gallery for a “guided tour” of his scale-model recreation of Ithaca’s West End neighborhood circa 1953.

Cherry Gallery, 130 Cherry St., Ithaca

Letters From Max | 2:00 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street Ithaca

Little Feat: Strike Up the Band Tour | 7:00 p.m. |

State Theatre, 107 West State St., Ithaca

NYS Baroque presents Marches & Minuets | 7:30 p.m. |

Join us for music of the French court from around 1700 for rustic outdoor oboe band and for quieter inner chambers. Music for oboes, recorders, bassoon, viola da gamba and theorbo.

First Congregational Church of Ithaca, 309 Highland Rd., Ithaca So You Think You Can’t Dance? | 9:00 a.m. |

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Sunday May 11

17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival – May 7-22 | 12:00 p.m. |

The Festival kicks off with one long weekend of twenty-three live events from Wednesday, May 7th to Sunday, May 11th at four locations: Buffalo Street Books, the Tompkins County Public Library, and (mostly) the Downtown Ithaca Conference Center. Seven Zoom events are scheduled on weekday evenings from May 15th through May 22nd. Nine writing workshops continue through September.

Check out the event line-up at SpringWrites.org!

Multiple locations, Ithaca Dance Church | 11:30 a.m. |

Foundation Of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd., Ithaca.

Letters From Max | 2:00 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca Schubert Octet | 3:00 p.m. |

The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra finishes its Chamber Music Series for the season with one of Schubert’s greatest chamber works, the Octet. The work, performed by woodwind and string players, consists of six movements and is based on the 18th-century serenade.

307 North Aurora Street, Ithaca Tina Naponelli in “Tapestry Unraveled: The Music of Carole King” | 7:00 p.m. |

The Hangar Theatre Presents: Tina Naponelli has captured the true essence of Carole King and brings to you a unique and unforgettable tribute experience.

Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca Women’s Distance Festival 5K | 10:00 a.m. |

The Finger Lakes Runners Club presents a celebration of women’s distance running, held on Mothers Day! W. Lake Rd., Dryden

Monday May 12

17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival – May 7-22 | 12:00 p.m. |

Check out the event line-up at SpringWrites.org!

Multiple locations, Ithaca Bingocize! | 9:30 a.m. |

FREE! Bingocize combines the game of Bingo, nutrition education, and fall prevention exercises into a fun, interactive 10-week

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workshop. This evidence-based program is endorsed by the U.S. Administration for Community Living and the Department of Agriculture.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Jazz Mondays with Dave Davies RhythmMaker | 5:30 p.m. |

South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Rd., Ithaca Playful Yoga | 6:30 p.m. |

Join Elizabeth for some playful, yet relaxing, yoga every Monday.

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Tuesday May 13

Cultivating the Art of Play Theater Class | 6:00 p.m. |

Deep dive into sound, movement, character creation, collaboration and creating original work together!

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing Freeing Your Voice 6 Session Class April/May 2025 | 5:30 p.m. |

Join us for a six-session singing class. This Freeing Your Voice series runs

Registration in advance is required. New and returning students are welcome!

First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, 306 N Aurora Street, Ithaca

Wednesday May 14

Al-Anon Meeting | 1:00 p.m. |

Seeking support for the problem of alcoholism or addiction in a relative or friend?

Join the South Hill Higher Ground Al-Anon Meeting. Anyone is welcome-students, staff, faculty, and community. In-person once again!!

Phillips Room in Muller Chapel, Ithaca College Ithaca

Jazz Night at Deep Dive: Firefly Trio | 6:30 p.m. |

Deep Dive, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, NY

Latin Wednesday | 9:00 p.m. |

Lot 10, 106 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca Letters From Max | 7 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

Thursday May 15

17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival | 6:00 p.m. |

The Community Arts Partnership’s 17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival features 40 free literary events featuring over 100 writers. Events are live in downtown Ithaca from May 7-11.

Multiple locations, Ithaca

4 Seasons Book Club – “Mothers and Sons” by Adam Haslett | 6:00 p.m.

Join us for a discussion of Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett!

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Ages 8 to 108 Board Game Club | 5:00 p.m. |

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Crafting the Art of Play Theater Class | 6:00 p.m. |

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

GO ITHACA Open Hours | 2:00 p.m. |

101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Letters From Max | 7 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

Play It Again Theatre Troupe | 2:00 p.m. |

Join other members of the Play It Again Theatre troupe as we write and perform stories from our lives as living history theatre.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Third Thursday Artist Alley Open Studio | 4:00 p.m. |

Join us for a monthly outing every third thursday from 4-7:30 p.m. at Artist Alley’s Open Studio Night!

Artists Alley, 950 Danby Rd., Ithaca

Friday May 16

17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival | 6:00 p.m. |

The Community Arts Partnership’s 17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival features 40 free literary events featuring over 100 writers. Events are live in downtown Ithaca from May 7-11,

Multiple locations, Ithaca

Garden Fair and Plant Sale | 1:00 p.m. |

Ithaca Farmers Market, 545 Third St., Ithaca

Letters From Max | 7 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

New Planets at Golden Hour Music Series | 5:30 p.m. |

Other-Worldly, Party Music of the Past, Present and Future, New Planets is an ever evolving cast of singers and players.

South Hill CIder, 550 Sandbank Road., Ithaca Slow Flow Yoga | 4:00 p.m. |

This is an all-levels Slow Flow style yoga class, adaptable for people with different levels of fitness

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Saturday May 17

A Derby Affair: Fashion Show | 5:00 p.m. |

A fundraising event, presented in partnership by Runway for a Cause and Women’s Opportunity Center, Featuring a fashion show and Derby Day elegance to benefit and empower the women supported by Women’s Opportunity Center. Women’s Opportunity Center, 330 East State Street, Ithaca Guided Tours of the West End Diorama | 2:00 p.m. |

Join the Diorama’s creator David Fogel at the Cherry Gallery for a “guided tour” of his scale-model recreation of Ithaca’s West End neighborhood circa 1953.

Cherry Gallery, 130 Cherry St., Ithaca Letters From Max | 7 p.m. |

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

Nattali Rize | 8:00 p.m. |

As part of her 2025 International ‘LIBERATE’ ALBUM LAUNCH tour, Nattali Rize and her showstopping band from Jamaica & Australia make their way to the USA for a select run of shows to unite the people with Music.

Deep Dive, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

New York State Boater Safety Course | 8:30 a.m. |

8 hours of instruction with 1 hour exam

– ongoing breaks with 45-minute lunch break (dine in or out) – students bring own snacks, meals, non-alcoholic beverages –pay by cash or check at event start

U.S. Coast Guard Auziliary, 508 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca Rootstock Youth Celebration | 12:00 p.m. |

Bernie Milton Pavillion, 171 E. State St./ Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Ithaca So You Think You Can’t Dance? | 9:00 a.m. |

Hammond HIll, 100 Hammond Hill Rd., Freeville

Sunday May 18

Thom B Trail Runs | 7:00 a.m. | Finger Lakes Runners Club, Dance Church | 11:30 a.m. | Foundation Of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd., Ithaca Dance Church | 2 p.m. |

Letters From Max

Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality.

Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street ,Ithaca

Monday May 19

Bingocize! | 9:30 a.m. |

FREE! Bingocize combines the game of Bingo, nutrition education, and fall prevention exercises into a fun, interactive 10-week workshop.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca Mondays with MAQ | 5:30 p.m. |

Join us every Monday for cider, food, and live jazz with some of the best local musicians!

MAQ is a musical ensemble based in Ithaca, NY comprised of some of the area’s best seasoned jazz and Brazilian-music musicians.

South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Rd., Ithaca Playful Yoga | 6:30 p.m. |

Join Elizabeth for some playful, yet relaxing, yoga every Monday.

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Tuesday May 20

Cultivating the Art of Play Theater Class | 6:00 p.m. |

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Freeing Your Voice 6 Session Class

April/May 2025 | 5:30 p.m. |

Join us for a six-session singing class. This Freeing Your Voice series runs Registration in advance is required. New and returning students are welcome!

First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, 306 N Aurora Street, Ithaca

Musical Memories Café | 12:00 p.m. |

Musical Memories Café is a compassionate, joyful, shared musical experience designed to enrich the lives of care-givers and care-receivers, as well as isolated adults. We offer a simple meal, professional musical entertainment, and a welcoming space. Musical Memories is open to all at no cost, yet pre-registration is required. Interested?

Please call Lifelong at 607-273-1511. We’ll reach out with more details as they arrive! Bi-monthly, starting in March: Library Place, 105 West Court St., Ithaca Stand Up Comedy Open Mic | 7 p.m. |

Kenneth McLauren hosts Open Mic Stand Up Comedy Night

The Downstairs, 121 W M.L.K. Jr. St. Ithaca 17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival –May 7-22 | 6:00 p.m. |

The Community Arts Partnership’s 17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival features 40 free literary events featuring over 100 writers.

multiple locations Ithaca

Wednesday May 21

Latin Wednesday | 9:00 p.m. |

Ithaca’s longest running and hottest weekly dance party Meet new dancers, learn new moves

Lot 10, 106 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca 17th annual Spring Writes Literary Festival – May 7-22 (Live & Zoom) | 6:00 p.m. |

Thursday May 22

Ages 8 to 108 Board Game Club | 5:00 p.m. |

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Comedy UnCorked: Trumansburg’s Open Mic Comedy Nights | 7:00 p.m. | Join us as we build a vibrant comedy community right here in Trumansburg, NY. It’s not just about the comedy, it’s about the

connections we’ll make. Your laughter, our stage. Let’s create unforgettable memories, one joke at a time!

Cedarwood, 9632 NY-96, Trumansburg

Crafting the Art of Play Theater Class | 6:00 p.m. |

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing Good Dog and The Lost Marys | 5:30 p.m. |

South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Rd., Ithaca

Healthy Eating Support Community | 4:30 p.m. |

The Healthy Eating Support Program is a free program that provides peer-to-peer support for sustained healthy eating within the Tompkins community.

Cornell Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Ave., Ithaca

Play It Again Theatre Troupe | 2:00 p.m. |

Join other members of the Play It Again Theatre troupe as we write and perform stories from our lives as living history theatre.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Friday May 23

Destiny La Vibe Plays | 6:00 p.m. |

Destiny La Vibe is a NY-based sultry & soulful New Soul artist with unique vocal textures that range from thrilling saxophone-like high notes with rich middle & low notes that flow like honey.

South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road, Ithaca

Max Childs 80s Dance Party | 8:00 p.m. |

Deep Dive.

415 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

Queeraoke | 8:00 p.m. |

Friday night “Queeraoke” returns to the Rhiner this week!

The Rhine House, 632 West Seneca Street, Ithaca

The Roast of Ithaca, presented by ComedyHOF | 8:00 p.m. |

Ithaca, it’s time to take your lumps! No landmark, tradition, or inside joke is safe in this no-holds-barred roast of the city we love (and sometimes love to complain about). From Collegetown’s chaos to the eternal road construction, our comedians are locked and loaded with razor-sharp wit. Kitchen Theatre, 417 W. State / W. MLK, Jr. Street, Ithaca

Slow Flow Yoga | 4:00 p.m. |

This is an all-levels Slow Flow style yoga class, adaptable for people with different levels of fitness Tompkins County Public Library.

101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Saturday May 24

Brave Strangers: A tribute to Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band | 6:30 p.m. |

107 West State St., Ithaca, NY

Guided Tours of the West End Diorama | 2:00 p.m. |

Join the Diorama’s creator David Fogel at the Cherry Gallery for a “guided tour” of his scale-model recreation of Ithaca’s West End neighborhood circa 1953.

130 Cherry St., Ithaca, NY

So You Think You Can’t Dance? | 9:00 a.m. |

Learn Choreography each week! Have fun! Move your body! All levels welcome – show up, break a sweat, have fun!

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Sunday May 25

Dance Church | 11:30 a.m. |

Foundation Of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd., Ithaca

Dance Church

Jazz Jam | 6:00 p.m. |

Jazz Jam First & last Sunday of every month at 6pm With DeWayne Perry! It’s all about the music. The Downstairs below The Watershed

121 E M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

Monday May 26

MEMORIAL DAY

Jazz Mondays with Dave Davies RhythmMakers | 5:30 p.m. |

South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Rd., Ithaca

Playful Yoga | 6:30 p.m. |

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Tuesday May 27

Cultivating the Art of Play Theater Class | 6:00 p.m. |

Whimsey Mercantile, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Freeing Your Voice 6 Session Class April/May 2025 | 5:30 p.m. |

Join us for a six-session singing class. This Freeing Your Voice series runs Registration in advance is required. New and returning students are welcome!

First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, 306 N Aurora Street Ithaca

Wednesday May 28

Casual Splash | 6:30 |

The Downstairs, 121 W. M.L.K. Jr. St., Ithaca

Jazz Night: Firefly Trio | 6:30 p.m. |

Deep Dive, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

Latin Wednesday | 9:00 p.m. |

Ithaca’s longest running and hottest weekly dance party

Lot 10 Bar and Lounge, 106 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca

Thursday May 29

Ages 8 to 108 Board Game Club | 5:00 p.m. |

Tompkins COunty Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca GO ITHACA Open Hours | 2:00 p.m. |

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca Ithaca Festival | 5:00 p.m. | Downtown Ithaca, Ithaca

Play It Again Theatre Troupe | 2:00 p.m. |

Join other members of the Play It Again Theatre troupe as we write and perform stories from our lives as living history theatre.

Lifelong, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca

Friday May 30

Ithaca Festival | 5:00 p.m. |

Center Commons, Ithaca

Slow Flow Yoga | 4:00 p.m. |

This is an all-levels Slow Flow style yoga class, adaptable for people with different levels of fitness Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Saturday May 31

0-60 Get Growing Challenge & Seed Swap | 11:00 a.m. |

A power-packed 1-hour class to kickstart your garden with confidence! Covering location, soil, and garden setup, this session is perfect for beginners or anyone looking for a no-nonsense guide to getting started. Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca

Belle Sherman Elementary 5K | 9:00 a.m. | Ithaca

Ithaca Festival | 5:00 p.m. |

Downtown Ithaca, Ithaca

So You Think You Can’t Dance? | 9:00 a.m. |

All levels welcome – show up, break a sweat, have fun!

Whimsey Mercantille, 2075 East Shore Drive, Lansing