F R E E A p r i l 12 , 2 0 17 / V o l u m e X X X V I I I , N u m b e r 3 3 / O u r 4 5 t h Ye a r
Online @ ITH ACA .COM
Budget Diss State punishes county for its cost-saving efforts PAGE 8
Smoke ‘Em
young
A War to end
County Considers Raising Tobacco Purchase Age
A Local Effort To Spur Youth Entrepreneurship
A Look At The Johnson’s Visceral New Exhibition
PAGE 3
PAGE 4
PAGE 13
While You Got Em
money
all wars
No cheap
Thrills here
Reading For fun
Thriftworks Brings Ithaca’s Pulitzer Prize A Sonic Safari Winning Author’s To The Haunt Latest Work PAGE 15
PAGE 21
Save
ithaca com
40 OFF
$
isered powby:
the Suggested Retail Price of
eveRY TUXeDO ReNTaL!* • Tuxedo and suit rentals available. • Great selection of matching bow ties, socks and suspenders. • Your prom specialist. *excludes budget tuxedo
B P Lifestyle Clothing For Men
and Finger Lakes Community Newspapers
607-273-1371 120 E. State Street Ithaca On The Commons www.benjaminpeters.com
All here at The
MARKETPLACE
www.triphammermarketplace.com
Located off Route 13 at Triphammer Rd.
PRECOR FTS GLIDE in the Triphammer Marketplace, ITHACA
Treadmills, Bikes, Ellipticals, & Accessories from the top brands in fitness HOURS: Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm
607.257.2107 A D V A N TA G E F I T N E S S . C O M / S T O R E
Shipshape Service
ITHACA BAKERY
WHERE LOCAVORES,
From point A to point B, and beyond!
omnivore�,
• Document Printing • Office and Shipping Supplies • Fax, Copies & Printing
VEGANS, VEGETARIANS
& DESSERTARIANS
2255 N. Triphammer Road
Find Common Ground
In the Triphammer Marketplace. Minutes from campus.
607-379-6210 TripPackNship.com
2
The
I thaca Time s
FRESH, LOCAL INGREDIENTS, FAIR TRADE COFFEE, AND COVERED COURTYARD DINING
400 n. meadow street 607.273.7110 • triphammer marketplace 607.257.2255
/
Ap r il
12–1 8,
2017
Newsline
VOL.X X XVIII / NO. 33 / April 12, 2017 Serving 47,125 readers week ly
Victims Of Our Own Success... 8
City Of Ithaca
How the state is screwing Tompkins.
A New Plan To Cure Ithaca’s Infamous West End Exchange
The War To End All Wars...... 13 The Johnson’s timely new exhibition.
NE W S & OPINION
Newsline . ................................ 3-7, 11-12 Sports ................................................... 10
SPECIAL SEC T IONS
Real Estate . ....................................... 24
ART S & E NTE RTAINME NT
A
rea residents are being a sked to voice t hei r opinions on proposed road design changes as the city grapples with the vaunted ‘Octopus’ traffic pattern on Inlet Island. A n o p e n e ve nt w i l l b e held 4-6 p.m. at City Hall on Wednesday, April 12 where the public can learn more about the two designs from city officials. The proposed changes are aimed at improving safety
“They desperately stick their nose into the adjacent line of traffic and drive as slowly as possible until someone who does not have ancestral roots in New Jersey lets them into the lane. This kind of thing makes everyone miss a few light changes.” –Ithaca Times:Aug. 2016
conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists along the corridor. The city government named three objectives for changes to the 1,080 foot section of road in 2014, while applying for Transportation Enhancement Program funding from the state: to enable pedestrians to safely cross West State Street, between the bridge and West Seneca Street, improve safety and comfort of pedestrians and bicyclists on West State Street, and “address geometric deficiencies to improve traffic flow and safety and facilitate traffic operations at the West State Street/ continued on page 4
Art . ....................................................... 14 Music . ................................................... 15 Music...................................................... 16 Film ....................................................... 17 Books .................................................... 21 TimesTable ..................................... 18-21 Classifieds..................................... 22-24
Tompkins County
Photo: Jaime Cone
Smoked Out: Will Tompkins Limit Tobacco Sales?
A
t a meeting last week, members of the Tompkins County Legislature engaged in a lively debate about young adults’ rights and whether or not they outweigh the health risks of smoking, ultimately voting to hold a public hearing April 18 regarding raising the legal age of sale of tobacco sale from 18 to 21 years old. The public hearing is the last step the legislature is required to take before it can bring the matter to a vote. The board voted four to eight to move the hearing forward, with legislators Carol Chock (D-Ithaca), Will Burbank (D-Ithaca), Peter Stein (D-Ithaca) and Mike Sigler (R-Lansing) voting against.
“The age to drink – they moved that up to 21, and to me that was the wrong decision,” Burbank said. “I think it should have remained consistent. Distinctly in Ithaca I think it probably reduced the number of people who can legally drink, and that’s probably good thing in terms of public safety, but [raising the age for sale of tobacco] just struck me as fundamentally wrong.” Sigler agreed. He said the health concerns raised are valid but cited taking out student loans, getting married and giving a kidney as life-changing things 18-year-olds are currently allowed to do. “If I wanted to have an abortion, there’s no age limit in
New York State to make that, again, life-changing decision,” he said. “What is it, only 20 percent of the of the population smokes now? So it’s an easy target,” Sigler added. “We’re going to eat away at that one because it’s easy. Well, no. I don’t agree with that.” (According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 percent of Americans over 18 smoked cigarettes in 2015.) The resolution was moved by Anna Kel les, Tompk ins County Health and Human Ser vices Committee Chair. Kelles said that according to scientific studies, certain parts of the brain that are still underdeveloped between the ages of 18 and 21 make individuals in that age range more vulnerable to developing a life-long nicotine addiction if they begin continued on page 12
T a k e ▶ Academic Plus the after school program at Beverly J. Martin, is introducing the brand new MakerPlace at an open house on Wednesday, April 26 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. MakerPlace is a learning space where a professional comes in weekly to teach students about the tools and technology to bring their wildest ideas to life. ▶ Southside Community Center is starting a new series
N o t e
called Real Talk, a series of events designed to engage teenagers and young adults of color but open to those of all backgrounds interested in empowering the marginalized and addressing systemic racism. The first program will be held April 15, from 11:002:00 p.m., with lunch provided. ▶ Cornell’s Big Red Marching Band will be holding their spring concert this Saturday, April 15, from 12:00-3:00
p.m. on the Commons. Following a march down the walkway, the band will finish off with a concert at the Bernie Milton Pavilion. ▶ The Electric Avenue Music Festival kicks off on the 600 block of Buffalo Street on Saturday, from noon to four. Lots of awesome bands will be playing WVBR Studios, Loco Cantina and the Carriage House Café, with all proceeds backing Loaves & Fishes of Tompkins County.
Th e
Cover Design: Marshall Hopkins Cover Photo: Casey Martin
ON THE W E B
Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 N i c k R e y n o l d s , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 224 E d i t o r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m K e l l y Wa t e r s , F i n g e r L a k e s M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 223 Edito r@Flcn.o rg J a i m e C o n e , W e b E d i t o r , x 232 S o u t h R e p o r t e r @F l c n . o r g M a t t B u t l e r, S t a ff R e p o r t e r R e p o r t e r @I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m C a s e y M a r t i n , S t a ff P h o t o g r a p h e r p h o t o g r a p h e r @I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m C h r i s H a r r i n g t o n , E d i t o r i a l a s s i s t a n t , x 217 a r t s @I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m C a s s a n d r a N e g l e y, S p o r t s E d i t o r , x 227 sports@Flcn.org St e v e L aw r e n c e, Sp o rt s Co lu m n ist, St e v e s p o r t s d u d e @ g m a i l .co m M a r s h a l l H o p k i n s , P r o d u c t i o n D i r ec t o r / D e s i g n e r , x 216 P r o d u c t i o n @I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m G e o r g i a C o l i c c h i o, A cc o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 220 G e o r g i a @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m A l e x i s C o l t o n , A cc o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 221 A l e x i s @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m L i s a B i n g a m a n , A cc o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 218 l i s a @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m S h a r o n D a v i s , Cy n d i B r o n g , x 211 A d m i n i s t r a t i o n Chris Eaton, Distribution J i m B i l i n s k i , P u b l i s h e r , x 210 j b i l i n s k i @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m F r eel a n ce r s : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Nicholas BogelBurroughs, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Christie Citranglo, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Vaughn Golden, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Rich Heffron, Peggy Haine, Les Jinks, Cassandra Palmyra, Jennifer Schulte, Lori Sonken, Elizabeth Williams and Bryan VanCampen.
T he ent i re c o ntents o f the Ithaca T i mes are c o p y r i ght © 2 0 1 7 , b y newsk i i nc .
All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $69 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classified. Advertisers should check their ad on publication. The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 607-277-7000, FAX 607-277-1012, MAILING ADDRESS is PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. The Ithaca Times was preceded by the Ithaca New Times (1972-1978) and The Good Times Gazette (1973-1978), combined in 1978. F o u n d e r G o o d T i me s G a z e t t e : Tom Newton
I th a ca Times
/
Apr i l
1 2 – 1 8 ,
2 0 1 7
3
N e w s l i n e
INQUIRING
Octopus
contin u ed from page 3
PHOTOGRAPHER
West Seneca Street/Brindley Street intersection.” There are currently two different plans, or “alternatives” being discussed, for which the city is seeking the public’s opinion. Two other initially considered alternatives, bridge widening and inaction, have both been ruled out. Construction would be limited to the stretch of West State Street between Floral Avenue and Taughannock Boulevard.
By C a se y Mar tin
Besides The Commons, where do you guys like to hang on a nice spring day?
“The Waterfront Trail. Great people watching!” — Gale Plunket and Sherri Hicks
City Of Ithaca
Spurring Innovation In Ithaca’s Young Entrepeneurs
U
“The swing benches at Stewart Park. Overlooking the lake.” —Netta Anggia and Ben Kahn
“Cascadilla Falls. It’s very pretty down in that area.” —Zoltan Gombas and Jasmine Cuevas
“We LOVE the Farmers Market!” —Shana Gamble and Patrick Benson
“Ithaca Falls and Fall Creek!” —Maddi Carroll and Sequoia Allison
4
The
I thaca Time s
/
m e e k Ad a m s h a s a vision. Adams, a 17 year old who attends New Roots Charter School, is in the early stages of creating a non-profit based around selling T-shirts. The money from the shirts will go toward supporting the Sankofa Council, a group of New Roots students Adams belongs to that he wants to lead to more involvement with area protests and activism. “Sankofa” is a word from the Akan people of Ghana, that roughly translates to “go back and get it,” generally meant to convey that it is never too late to turn back for what one has left behind. Partially through his business , Ad a ms’ is c u r rent ly focused on starting a discussion about implementing a participatory budget process in the city, in which Ithaca’s citizens would vote on budget allocations instead of the Common Council. His overall motivations lie more in a desire to sustain the community rather than turning a profit. “I want to be an entrepreneur in general, but I really want it to be for the community, I want to be giving back and not just taking,” Adams said. “That’s my main goal about doing this, is finding that balance between the two.” While he has begun to make good on his intentions, Adams’
Ap r il
12–1 8,
2017
entrepreneurial drive is also shared by the dozens of local youths who gathered Saturday morning at REV to learn about the basics of starting and running their own business. The event, termed a Youth Entrepreneurs training session, was organized to educate anyone from kindergarten to high school about some of the technical and practical aspects of launching a company, from preparatory business plans to setting incremental goals to maintaining operations. Ethan Ash, a local restaurant owner who organized the event along with Michael Mazza, said the initial idea for the session was spurred by a similar program in Buffalo. The group was split by age, with high schoolers discussing the business figures they would like to emulate in their own ventures, while the younger kids worked on and talked about their business proposa ls and how to actually achieve them. Product ideas ranged wildly from foam swords to clothing to dolls, each student eager to receive feedback on their idea. After the event, which featured a presentation from the founders of Emmy’s Organics – a local company whose products are now sold in Starbucks stores nationwide – Ash said he was happy with how things had turned out, especially the enthusiasm shown by the youth
Ethan Ash (center) leads the young entrepeneur group at Rev last Saturday. (Photo: Casey Martin)
community to get up on a weekend and talk about business. As the effort to create a beneficial business environment for the multitude of young talent in Ithaca: not only for those in the colleges but among the youth as well. Ash said they plan on holding these training sessions potentially twice a year, one near the end of the school year and another during winter. “We want to offer a community for kids who are interested in entrepreneurship to connect with each other and to learn about opportunities,” Ash said, noting they have started a Facebook page as a resource for young people looking for a chance. “We want to continue to act as a community for these kids and their parents, and make training and opportunities more available to them.” A follow-up training session will be held on April 29, where business plans and proposals will be submitted. Ash expects to hand out around $100 to 30 youth businesses each, thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation’s Lane Family Fund to jumpstart their efforts, as well as leveling the playing field for kids who might not have the means to buy necessary materials. Next, the Youth Entrepreneurs and Kids Market will be held on May 20, giving participants a chance to test their product’s appeal to the public at Press Bay Alley. –Matt Butler
Alternative 1 This plan would call for a 10 foot to 12 foot wide mixed-use path along West State Street’s south side, with a concrete barrier for protection that would lead to three travel lanes instead of the current four. A westbound bike lane would also be added, from West Seneca Street to Floral Avenue, with a mid-block crosswalk. A new traffic control signal would be installed at the intersection of Floral Avenue and Hector/ West State Street. Total project cost: $817,000. Alternative 2 This option provides a 10 foot sidewalk along the south side of West State Street, and two 5 foot bike lanes on either side of the street. This would also include the elimination of one lane of traffic, though there is no concrete barrier. Similar to its aforementioned counterpart, Alternative 2 would bring a mid-block crosswalk and a new traffic control signal at the same locations. Total project cost: $714,000 Bot h a lternatives wou ld be slated for completion by April 2018. The Draft Design Report also mentions a future intention to make the current Brindley Street a bicycle and pedestrian use only space, relocat i ng Br i nd ley St reet to intersect with West State Street across from Taughannock Boulevard, creating a four-way intersection. That project would occur at t he same time as whichever alternative is chosen. That general area has faced scrutiny as Ithaca’s efforts to become more walk-friendly have intensified, previously undergoing construction in 1997 and 2013. –Matt Butler
N e w s l i n e
Tompkins County
Tompkins County
Two Progressive Candidates Declare For Legislature Race A Credit To
A
pair of local activists er turned freelance writer, for the seat he would eventuwith progressive cre- according to her biography on ally vacate. dent ia l s a n nou nc ed her campaign website, ChamAfter consulting with other t he i r c a nd id a c ie s for t he pion is new not just to running members of the legislature as Tompkins County Legislature for office, it seems, but political well as the leadership of the last week. action in general. She first rose local Democratic committee, A ma nda Cha mpion a nd to prominence in the greater Champion decided a run for Shawna Black, two local pro- community when, in January, office was the right thing to gressive organizers, Champido. have a nnounced on gained So why run for their intention to run notice the county legislafor two separate seats as orgature, as opposed to on the legislature repnizer of a some other level of resenting the Town rally that community particiof Ithaca. Champion attracted pation like school will be running for thousands board or the Ithaca Town Board, which District 12 for a seat of people is also open to chalrecently abdicated by to downlenge t his fa l l? It longtime legislator town comes down to the Will Burbank, while Ithaca in Amanda Champion Shawna Black level of inf luence, Black will be aimarguably Cha mpion said, ing for 84-year-old t he largincumbent Peter Stein’s seat in est political event to take place work ing for “different and District 11, a seat which he has in the city. It was after that, she new things” that can forward not officially declared he will be said, when she and Burbank a more progressive Tompkins making another run for. first spoke to each other about County. A one -t i me p a rk r a ng- the possibility of her running continued on page 11
Tompkins County
Annual Count Sees Fewer Local People Homeless... Sort Of.
A
Homeless and Housing Task Force meeting was held Wednesday morning, updating the community on the ongoing struggle to support and assist Tompkins County’s homeless population. This year’s Point-in-Time Count, a yearly charting of the area’s homeless population taken via overnight ride-around obser vat ions a nd su r veys, revealed a significant decrease in the number of homeless on the county’s streets. Last year, the number of people who were homeless, imminently homeless (such as couch-surfing), or have unstable housing via survey was 51, while 2017’s search yielded 22. Richard Bennett,
who runs the Rescue Missions, said the drop was at least partially a result of lower response rates and a changed definition of “unsheltered” conditions. In total, this year showed just under 80 homeless people recorded on the day of the count, compared to over 100 in 2016 and slightly more in 2015. Numbers can also be skewed by homeless respondent answers when contacted, which are volatile. There was also a lack of response from school programs about how many youths are homeless or on the borderline. Meanwhile, Bennett said from his own experience of the last year, emergency shelter usage stayed fairly consistent from 2016 to 2017, though on the specific count night there was a decrease seen. Another major caveat with the lower numbers exists, however. The count was taken during the night of January 23, and though this winter was unseasonably warm for the most part, that particular night was ridden with low temperatures and slushy snow precipitation that carried over into the morning. These kinds of conditions can make it more likely that the homeless population had found temporary shelter for the night, and were more
difficult to detect. “If you would have came to my house last night and looked through the window, you would have seen my two daughters get done with their homework early, actually get ready for bed on time and go to sleep relatively easily,” Bennett said. “That would not be a fair depiction of what my house usually looks like. It’s really important recognizing what this is, a snapshot of a single night in Tompkins County, and what it tells us about our population.” In terms of those staying in transitional housing, the overall number stayed steady from last year, though its composition was slightly different. Less families were staying in transitional housing, though individuals seeking transitional housing were up. Bennett said his organization does not choose the date and that the weather circumstances were an unfortunate outcome. The federal government’s Housing and Urban Development department selects a week during which the count must take place, and the Rescue Missions chose a Monday night to avoid bar traffic on the Commons. –Matt Butler
Encourage Ownership?
I
s Tompkins County ready for a tax exemption that wou ld encou r a ge more owner occupied dwellings? That was the question raised at the Government Operations Committee of the Tompkins County Legislature last week when the committee asked County Assessor Jay Franklin to research Real Property Tax Exemption 421. Should Tompkins County pass a local law enacting RP-421, any increase in the assessed value for renovations and improvements made to qualified multiunit dwellings would be exempt from taxation for one year with the amount of the exemption decreasing each consecutive year. The main caveat: The exemption only applies to multiple unit dwellings undergoing reconstruction, alterations or conversations that would serve to transform the building back into an owner-occupied one or two-family residential property. For legislators, this brought to mind the old houses in Ithaca that used to be family homes but have been converted into college student housing. Franklin said that hypothetically the law would help create more owner occupied properties within the county. “It would encourage the restoration of derelict multi-unit properties and hopefully help return them to their former glory as a single home,” he said. There is a potential downside; turning a four-unit apartment building into a one-family single unit means taking three units out of the marketplace, which he said won’t necessarily be a bad thing if the corresponding new units are coming onto the market as well. The law would have to pass the New York State Assembly and the State Senate and then be signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo before coming back to the Tompkins County Legislature for formal adoption.
Ups&Downs ▶ The Commons Fountain A sure sign of spring popped up this week when the longawaited final piece of Commons construction made its season debut. It may not be everybody’s ideal $466K downtown decoration, but at least it’s pumping some water now. We can enjoy that, right? ▶ The IHS Tattler Staff For a phenomenal piece on the school board’s use of executive session in its board meetings in the paper’s April issue. In an era where now, even high school newspapers are writing important stories, its great to see even young journalists in the fight for transparency. Excellent work guys.
Heard&Seen
▶ The Town of Ithaca has 1,776 trees along its roadways. How do we know what? Thanks to local consulting firm NewLeaf Environmental’s latest survey, analyzing the trees’ health, growth patterns and future maintenance needs. However, the survey found diseases could cause changes in the forest during the coming years if they are not addressed. We certainly hope they are. ▶ Mayor Svante Myrick and City Attorney Ari Levine continued their campaign against President Donald Trump’s travel ban, joining several other cities across the country in filing briefs contending the legality of the administration’s executive orders. You can see a full detailing of their actions over the last few months, plus the briefs themselves, at Ithaca.com.
If you care to respond to something in this column, or publish your own grievances or plaudits, write upsanddowns@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”
question OF THE WEEK
How favorable would you be to a proposal to combine all municipal services in Tompkins? Please respond at the Ithaca Times Web site www.ithacatimes.com. L ast Week ’s Q uestion : D o you think a visitor focused economy would be good for Tompkins County ’s future?
52.6 percent of respondents answered “Yes” and 47.4 percent answered “No.”
–Jaime Cone
Th e
I th a ca Times
/
Apr i l
1 2 – 1 8 ,
2 0 1 7
5
OurOpinion
A Learning Weekend In Saratoga L
By Nick R ey nol d s ast weekend, like we do every year, part of the team that brings you the Ithaca Times each week – myself, our production designer and our publisher – took a long drive to the luxurious confines of the Gideon-Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs to attend seminars, receive laser-engraved plaques for the year’s past efforts, and eat family style meals with other soldiers fighting in the struggle for truth or, at the very least, a passable special section with plenty of well-designed coupons to bait the reader into grabbing a copy on the way to Tops. It’s a truly festive way to spend the weekend, an extravaganza of networking and professional development opportunity filled with people of immense stature in the journalistic world giving you chances to rub shoulders with those whom you admire from afar (I’m looking at you, City & State) to the editors of the most podunk little publications you could possibly imagine. But the New York Press Association’s worth – beyond a trade show and phenomenally put together nerd party – is a chance to rejuvenate, to remind yourself why, despite an overabundance of jobs in public relations (growing up to 6 percent in the decade between 2014 and 2024, often paying $20,000 more per year than a journalist’s salary) you still commit yourself to that big fight of truth, virtue and – what it sometimes boils down to in my role here at The Times – making sure everybody in the community knows you can
pet a goat on the Commons this weekend. For me, that reason was one topic which, no matter what subject the lecturer touched on, seemed to be at the root of everything a journalist does. Whether it’s a deep dive into happenings in the local school board, choosing a photo of a local tragedy and doing so in a way that does the least amount of harm all the way to even knowing the laws and using them, to set a precedent that we as American citizens have rights given to us by the constitution of the United States, and goddamn anyone that tries to take them away from us. That topic was community. Some things I heard confirmed that, in my job, I understand the idea of community well. In our newsroom, for instance, I always ask of every reporter, before beginning a story, to ask themselves a simple question of themselves: “What’s the point?” Why is this the piece we’ve set out to write? What good will it do? Will there be any collateral damage? This weekend, I learned that might not be the right question. It’s too ambiguous. In a seminar on conducting effective interviews, for instance, I learned not just how to get the most information as possible from a subject, but got a lesson in sensitivity from a woman who, by her own accounts, had gotten thrown out of three funerals, had the door slammed in her face countless times and had people beg her, sobbing on the other line, not to publish something they had divulged to her on the record. And, as a room full of reporters, we
Ithaca Notes
Still In The Building By St e ph e n P. Bu r k e
I
For forty years, bootleg n 1978 the Rolling Stones released tapes of the concert have circulated a song, “Respectable,” about their widely among fans. Many consider it image changing from bad to good the best show ever by the band, among simply due to longevity. thousands, and it is one of the most They’d existed about 15 years. That famous rock concerts of all time. was a long time in music then. The show is well-covered now by At that time, Jerry Garcia was expeofficial anniversary releases. There is a riencing the same thing with his band. vinyl edition, on five LP records. There’s They’d gone from acid-tripping outcasts a five-CD edition, with three other conto “the good old Grateful Dead,” a subcerts from the same sequent sobriquet. week, and a three-CD “They chatted with Garcia used to say set, for the minimalthat even the town workers as if we were ists, such as they are. madam becomes famous, too, or as if There’s a new book respectable if she about t he concer t. they weren’t. They sticks around long were surprised to find Yes, a whole book. It enough. is released by Cornell The Dead out we weren’t getting University Press and played a show at paid. They asked about there is some hoopBar ton Ha l l at la about a ll t his in Cornell and how we Cornell in this era, liked it. They asked if Ithaca. and I was there, R h i no Re c ord s , a nd I t houg ht, we had any requests.” which released t he good for t hese new recordings, is coguys, still doing it sponsoring an “Official Celebration” after all these years (that is, a decade or at Ithaca’s State Theater on the exact so: again, time is relative). anniversary date of the show, May 8. It Forty years later, Garcia is dead and includes something called “an official the band defunct, but it is practically 5/8/1977 listening party,” a “unique” iconic to a group of music fans that silent auction, “very special guests,” and might be limited in scope, but is large live music by Dead cover band Terrapin in number, long in memory, and loathe Station. to let go. The first official recording Advance tickets are $6.50, the same of the Barton Hall show has just been released. contin u ed on page 7
YourLetters
On Tuesday, we received a deluge of letters (4) to the editor within an extremely short span of time. Upon further investigation, we found they were likely written by local junior high school students. So here they are and, if you are their teacher who encouraged them to write in and be heard, we commend you and would love to hear about your class.
Are Chromebooks In School A Good Idea?
I
6
The
I thaca Time s
/
Ap r il
12–1 8,
2017
n the fall of 2015, the ICSD issued Chromebooks to every student in 6th through 12th grade. Was this really a good idea? The popular opinion is that technology is helping kids prepare for their adult lives and futures, but in my opinion, technology is just causing trouble. First of all, technology in classrooms wastes valuable learning time. If a teacher is trying to get at least twenty students to open their chromebook and go to a certain website, there are bound to be technical difficulties. This wastes the teacher’s time trying to fix a chromebook when they could be teaching. In my personal experience, it has taken over half of the class time to get everyone set up going to a certain website. This year the ELA state tests were taken on chromebooks. I opted out of the test in protest against it being on the chromebook but i have many close friends who took the
test. They told me that there were many confusions. I talked to a student that took the ELAs who said that the instructions were unclear. I also talked to a teacher who proctored. He said that there was a script that told the teachers a lot of information about the Chromebooks and the test. This was slightly overwhelming for students and caused a few confusions/problems. This probably would not have happened if the test was on paper. Second, technically having a Chromebook is an option, but to me it doesn’t seem that optional. Most of my teachers require all assignments to be typed so even if you don’t have a chromebook you would have to use a computer of some sort (and then you would still be using technology). Even if your teacher allowed you to not type your assignments it just makes your life harder, trying to figure out how to transfer everything on the chromebook onto paper For example assignments and readings. Another reason technology shouldn’t be in classrooms is for medical reasons. Many studies have shown that looking at a screen too long can strain your eyes and give you headaches (I personally get headaches when I look at my screen too long). One last reason is that Chromebooks can become complicated regarding checking in with how students are doing. I spoke to my English teacher Mike Levy, and he told me that although students have an email, making it easy to
ithacaNotes contin u ed from page 6
price as the 1977 concert. I worked at the concert, with the ticket takers and security, and remember it as a good show. It surprised me when it turned into this whole thing, which it did fairly quickly, with Dead tape cultists coveting recordings of the show pretty much right away. I get quoted in this new book a bit, an experience which is always slightly horrifying (I’m a veteran of media interviews about other things - no others about this), because they always get things wrong, at least a little (and sometimes a lot): not just tone and context, but actual facts. That’s the case with this endeavor, too, but one mustn’t mind. Writers aren’t perfect to begin with, and don’t have forever to correct and refine their work. One co-operates with them for the sake of the effort, and hopes they’re at least good. The main thing I remember about the day is how friendly the Grateful Dead were. At soundcheck before the show they chatted with workers as if we were famous, too, or as if they weren’t. They were surprised to find out we weren’t getting paid. They asked about YourLetters communicate in some ways, Mike often feels powerless while students are using their chromebooks, unable to see how far along everyone was (if they had finished something or hadn’t started) behind their screens. With the Chromebooks, Mike has less of a sense of what students are doing. In t he f uture, I hope t hat maybe Chromebooks do not go completely away, but schools can focus more on hand writing assignments, and connecting with each other again. –Raquel McGarry, Ithaca
Downtown Development
I
love big cities, but I’ve always seen Ithaca as a tiny city. Hopefully the development doesn’t change Ithaca. Downtown Ithaca has been developing quite a bit in the last couple of years. The new Marriott and the new The Hilton have been built.There will be more hotels and apartment buildings in the near future. I’m happy it’s developing, but I think we’re developing in the same general area like The Commons. We shouldn’t develop is the same area because It’ll make it crowded with cars and pedestrians. Secondly the more buildings we build the taller they’re going to be. The Commons is a nice sunny place and the sun won’t shine there anymore. Lastly the Ithaca Festival is right Downtown and if we keep building there, we won’t have any room for it. We should develop new buildings in a space that isn’t so tight and narrow. I really hope that the building in Ithaca expands further. –Ciana Ellison, Ithaca
Jail Expansion; Why it’s Not a Good Idea
I
understand that in fact we already added 18 extra beds to the jail, risking inmate health and well being, so I get why a
Cornell and how we liked it. They asked if we had any requests. They played the soundcheck with bright sun streaming into Barton. They sounded great and it was nice: usually you don’t see bands in daylight. That night there would be thousands in the hall, but right then we were just a few score. When the show was over that night and we left the hall it was snowing, a big surprise considering how warm it had been all day, and that it was the second week in May, just six weeks until summer. There were a lot of surprises that day, and I think that’s what I value most, and something no recording can bring back. You can’t be re-surprised. For that you need new things. Meanwhile, I guess there’s nothing wrong with honoring the past, and people who bothered to come around and bring surprise in the first place. We should be so lucky more often, though it’s not really luck. It’s inviting good things and making them happen. Stephen P. Burke is a columnist for The Ithaca Times and occasional tickettaker/ security person, as it turns out. His column, Ithaca Notes, appears biweekly. jail expansion would be in consideration. I think because of what people are incarcerated for, we could think of a better solution, and I have one in mind. As of 2016, out of 1,351,000 people in state prisons, 212,000 people were in for drug offenses. Sure, putting them in jail takes care of the problem for as long as they are sentenced, but once they are let back out it’s not that hard to get back into drugs. This jail expansion would cost an estimate of almost a million dollars, which could be put to much better use. I propose that the estimated $910,000 go towards a rehab center, or mental health institute. Getting a ticket or being arrested isn’t a prevention from doing drugs or trespassing. This would cut down the jail population, releasing the need to expand our jail and if we had a rehab center people could actually have an opportunity to turn their lives around. –Athena Baker-Cogan, Ithaca
Chromebooks: No Fun At All
I
think that because school is doing more work on chromebooks some people are liking school less and less. For example testing and writing is now done on chromebooks. Also portfolios and some math. I like working on paper because there aren’t all these different sites and stuff doesn’t need to load. Also on paper. sites never crash and you don’t need internet. Kids could also play games on their chromebook without their teachers finding out. Science shows that writing with a pencil helps you recognise how to spell and write things, which will help you do better on tests and in school. These are the reasons why I think we should do less work on chromebooks and more work on paper. –Gabriel Ferwerda, Ithaca
OurOpinion
contin u ed from page 6
discussed the ethics of all this, of minimizing harm, the whole shebang written in the Society of Professional Journalists ethics code. In the end, we all came to the conclusion that there’s no compromising on the truth, whether it’s talking to someone’s family about the character and true nature of their troubled kid after their death or a difficult case of abuse. We went with publishing it because, by speaking out and being brave, you do a service to the whole community by connecting it to somebody who may have felt the same pain they’ve felt. You reveal to the world the type of person the subject really was. This concept of community can be used for the benefit of the news organization as well. In another session, I had the great honor of listening to ProPublica’s Terry Parris Jr. on ways to organize the community into assisting in bringing large scale investigations to life. He did so using one series – ProPublica’s extensive, survey-driven study on the effects of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War – to explain how, using a well-crafted survey for veterans across the country to fill out and tirelessly connecting online communities and VA clinics to it, Parris’s team generated a powerful dataset created through the power of community in order to present a visual, powerful statement on war and its devastation on American communities. Seeing those two examples in contrast, I see it goes both ways: not only can journalism help the community, but communities can help journalism. With the Ithaca Times acting as a medium, I want to find a way to explore that concept. So, in the coming weeks, me and my staff will be meeting to discuss new ways to bring the Ithaca community into our newsroom. Whether it is physically inviting people in to visit (which we love, and is something you should do more) to hosting surveys of our own, we want to better serve the community by using that community. I did this earlier this week, when I went to visit with some folks in local community organization who, upset over some wording I used in a piece about them, invited me to talk with them about it. We both left that meeting with a better understanding of each other’s work and, dare I say, a level of respect and cooperation we never would have had if that conversation didn’t go down. As journalists, we want to be good. Then again, we want a lot of things. We want feedback. We want letters. We want to tell you about our jobs and what we do, we want to hear what bothers you, we want to hear about someone incredible you know or something you did that, if connected to the right audience, could be a story strong enough to change someone’s life. We want your help to do the type of thing newspapers were invented to do: to serve as an extension of the communities they serve. We want your help to create the type of impactful work that can change our community for the better. We want your help to keep doing the type of job that keeps us turning down that $20,000 pay raise every year.
Week Of 4/3-4/10 By Vaughn Golden Barbara Lifton NY State Assembly & Tom O’Mara NY State Senate New York state reluctantly shoved its budget through the keyhole late last week. The assembly and senate fought for a week after deadline to keep their provisions in the bill. In the end-game, the budget allocates for $136 billion in spending. However, what are making the largest headlines are the additional allocations to programs such as the Excelsior Plan, which provides for free college tuition and “Raise the Age” legislation to increase the age that one is considered an adult when on trial for state crimes Senator O’Mara blames the Governor of the delay in helter-skelter nature of the budget. “There has further been a vacuum of leadership from the Governor who is in the driver’s seat on every budget.” Both the assembly and the senate are enjoying the warmer weather during their recess this week and next.
Tom Reed U.S. Congress Many members of Congress have taken stances and published statements on President Trump’s decision to launch a missile strike on an airfield in Syria following a chemical gas attack in the days before. Here’s Congressman Reed’s stance: “We support the limited missile strike to disable President Assad’s ability to use chemical weapons on his own people. Use of weapons of mass destruction where innocent civilians, including women and children are killed, cannot go unchecked unless we risk the unfettered escalation of such weapon’s use in the future around the world. It is the right thing to do, as is our commitment to continue to search for diplomatic ways to bring peace to the region.” Reed also formally joined the house Bipartisan Climate Caucus, which stands to educate other house members and the public on ways to reduce the effects of climate change. The caucus is comprised of 17 Republicans and an equal number of Democrats. The Congressman as remained firm in his stance in support of an “all of the above” energy solution which encourages the development of renewable energy solutions while also continuing to develop fossil fuel sources. The Congressman also sponsored a bill this week to declare April Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. “Having a network of support will reassure victims at their most vulnerable time. They need to know that if they decide to come forward, we will believe them, and will hold their attackers accountable for their crimes,” Reed said in his statement introducing the bill. See more online at Ithaca.com
Email responses to editor@ithacatimes.com Th e
I th a ca Times
/
Apr i l
1 2 – 1 8 ,
2 0 1 7
7
I
n a meeting of local mayors and town supervisors last week Joe Mareane, the county administrator and chief accountant, rolled down the projection screens of the county legislature chambers. He put on a powerpoint filled with a number of bullet points essentially telling county leaders that soon, the very way local government is organized may soon very well change. In the upcoming state budget, a number of politically-inspired provisions inserted in the bill have been subject to much controversy and debate, from a law to raise the age of criminal responsibility in the courts to the approval of ridesharing in upstate. But for all the controversy and rabble this year’s budget has raised, it turns out that one of the least sexy headlines coming out of it might be the one with the most profound impact on Tompkins County: a cost-saving mandate to consolidate services between municipalities which, theoretically, serves as a final push to the recession-era efforts of local governments to get creative in how they serve their residents. So far, reaction has been harsh. The proposal has been criticized by local leaders, Dutchess County’s executive Marc Molinaro telling the Poughkeepsie Journal that it is “disingenuous” for the governor to mandate that local municipalities share
services without taking responsibility for the taxes he forces on those same municipalities. In Jefferson County, the chair of the legislature was quoted in the Watertown Daily Times saying he would not support fulfilling the mandate’s August 1 deadline, saying it was implemented too quickly.
Victims Of Our Own Success
8
The
I thaca Time s
/
Where there is dissent is at the local level – to the boon of places like Tompkins County – is the proposal actually punishes the counties which have made cost-saving efforts through consolidation of things like community colleges and public transit (which Tompkins has done), boards of election (like Tompkins) and assessment departments (like, you guessed it, Tompkins). This is accomplished primarily by the mandate of forcing each county to submit a whole new proposal, different from what they’d been doing before.
Ap r il
12–1 8,
2017
Essentially, the county has to hire a consultant to create a plan to consolidate various services that cannot look anything like what is already in place: a basically redundant proposal that only causes additional headaches. The county has actually faced this in the past when, in a previous shared stud-
How Exactly Could Tompkins County Adopt A Shared Services Plan Better Than The One It Already Has? By Nick Reynolds ies mandate in 2015, the county attempted to resubmit its current efforts as its own plan, which was rejected. According to Mareane, the county at that point ended up working with the state budget office to draw up a new plan, ending with the county’s withdrawal of one part of its proposal and substituting another cost-saving measure – law enforcement shared services – which the state accepted. What makes this new mandate difficult for some towns to wrap their heads around is the one-size-fits-all suggestion
of consolidation across the board that, while maybe acceptable for more straightforward, dense counties like Nassau or Westchester, could prove difficult for rural counties (like Tompkins) whose borders are grayer as far as resource allocation goes. “From our perspective, each and every day that officials go to work, they’re there to deliver the most efficient form of governmental services they possibly can,” said Stephen Acquario, a lawyer and director of the New York State Association Of Counties. “It’s inherent in the position itself.” What leadership in New York State often has to deal with at the local level – which the state seems to overlook – is the very nature of how the regions they govern are organized. It all goes back to the years following the Revolutionary War where, to repay its soldiers, state governments created a grid of towns and 100 acre tracts within those towns which later, became the basis of the local tax structure: a system intended to provide local services within a particular, convenient boundary that was easily understood. But over time, as American life became more complicated, how things were funded and how the structures of government were maintained began to outgrow the town and county system, blurring the lines between what roles individual municipalities should play and what they shouldn’t. What partly caused this is New York State’s tradition as a “home-rule state,” a protection under the constitution which dictates that as long as state or federal law isn’t breached, village, town and city governments can govern
themselves as they see fit. Oftentimes, this means the “inefficient” practice of maintaining their own town governments, their own highway departments, sometimes even their own police force. But to save money, like is done in many cases throughout the state, these governments often look to other towns – or other counties – to see what can be shared between them, like the trend of school districts replacing school houses in the early-20th century, for instance, or Tompkins County creating a risk pool for health insurance encapsulating the public em-
Tompkins County Services Already Consolidated Community College Public Transit Solid Waste/Recycling Board of Elections Economic Development Public Safety Communication Assessment Water and Sewer Health Benefits Youth Recreation
Already Shared Town plowing contracts Emergency management GIS services Records management Law enforcement technology SWAT
Possible Additional Cost-Cutting Tax collection Code enforcement Planning (circuit rider) Information technology Permit system Purchasing Grants management Fleet management Personnel assistance Training Workers comp Investment pool
ployees of six surrounding counties with its public health consortium, a critically acclaimed healthcare structure in government circles. “It’s well-settled in the state that we are a ‘home rule’ state,” Acquario said. “What’s not well-settled is how it happened. From my perspective, the establishment of the towns, the cities, the counties, was largely organized as taxing jurisdictions to respond to local and communitybased needs that the state of New York was not providing.” Where the simple solution to all this would be to have a one-county system where everything is handled by a topdown, overarching bureaucratic system, politics – and community pride – tend to throw a wrench into the equation of efficiency. This is why, today, deals and memorandums of understanding between villages and towns are often drafted in order to meet local needs and cut costs: these are initiatives that selectively choose which offices to share and which to maintain themselves, helping to preserve a local identity and pride that, in many cases, has existed for the better part of the past two centuries. The data supports the idea that, despite prospective savings, this is a priority for many communities: referendums to dissolve municipalities and combine with others for efficiencies sake have failed about 95 percent of the time. This is something Joan McPheeters, a local consultant and former director of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, has noticed throughout the years as consolidation talks have picked up. There are numerous problems and many bullets to bite in the process of consolidation, naming as an example the continued split between the city and town of Ithaca, which has explored consolidation in the past, that was turned down in part because the residents of the town stood to see an increase in their taxes, while the city would benefit most from an increased tax base. With nothing to gain, why would the town even consider consolidating with another municipality? But the interesting side of all this is when you consolidate services, McPheeters said, they begin to cost more, like they would in the instance if one municipality which pays $15 an hour for building inspectors merges with another which pays $18: you suddenly have to pay the higher wage for a larger staff. Where governments often expect to save their money is through reduced administrative costs, the thought being you could handle 2,000
customers as easily as you could handle 1,500. Statewide, this is a move that very few governments take, a 2013 Cornell University survey finding, despite many municipalities sharing services between one another, only a small portion of sharing was reported to be in administrative services. In Tompkins County, which has elevated the level of services it shares, the savings it had implemented were oftentimes massive,. A 2015 study conducted by Cornell’s Johnson School of Management found $3.8 million in savings at the county level each year credited to its various cost saving initiatives. The reality for why we haven’t gone further, McPheeters said, is that this introduces the fear communities will lose hyper-local control of the functions of their local government. Building inspectors are a prime example of this, where a county-level inspector might not respect ‘the way we do things in Dryden,’ for example, while highway departments headed by elected officials at the local level – rather than the county level – offer the opportunity for locals to complain to a person they elected, rather than dealing with some sort of county-level bureaucratic machine, where accountability may feel lacking. “That’s the concern,” McPheeters said. “Sometimes it’s just about power. They like having that role in their community. You see this with school districts all the time when they try to consolidate. Practically 100 percent of the time, it gets voted down. I think that’s primarily because of football teams… it’s about a loss of identity, the possibility of losing opportunities for our children.” Striking a balance between the emotional connection to government and what works best for everyone isn’t an equilibrium easily achieved. But, McPheeters suggested, there are ways to strike compromise moving forward that may serve to create a greater cohesion between local and county governments. From boosting funding to or even, in some cases, creating a planning staff could prove to elevate the coordination between different governments. But is efficiency all we should care about in a system that, despite the home rule law, seems to be governed from the top down? That’s a different conversation but, at the very least, Tompkins County has, over the years, crafted a somewhat workable system that is quintessentially representative of the values and priorities of Tompkins County. Th e
If forced to craft a new plan, it should be crafted in similar fashion, McPheeters said. “The things we should really think about combining are the things that require expertise and training and which we feel well-represented by others,” she said. “I’m glad we’re looking at a police study, because I think that absolutely requires training. I think the same with fire – most of the county is protected by volunteer fire companies who deserve our great praise, but more and more they are under regulation about everything from uniforms to their equipment. It’s a terribly unsafe job, and how will that get done when most people aren’t working at home on farms anymore, like they were when our current way of fire protection was created?” With the kicker to all this that, at the end of the day, there actually is really no form of enforcement from the state for a refusal to comply with these efforts, the question stands: “Why do anything at all?” as Danby Town Supervisor Ric Dietrich posed at last week’s meeting. It could be seen as a move ahead to modernize local governments, to encourage them to look past the tradition of home rule in an effort to lower property taxes from the bottom up, something Acquario said Governor Cuomo should be credited for: his style of governance is well-established and, through legislation, he is attempting to work around the law in order to implement something he sees as a fix to the state’s onerously high property taxes. The problem with this is it is an affront to the similar maneuvering which, for years, has taken place at the local level. “There’s a sense of ‘we don’t need the state to tell us how to run our governments,’” Acquario said. “We are wellaware of how to keep our taxes low and take care of our people and if we’re not doing that, the electorate we serve will vote us out. It’s a constant check and balance here and there’s a distrust at the state level. But there’s always something we could do better in the public sector and there are always ways to become more efficient, and we have to keep open minds about that and try to find where they are.” But, he added, more should be done at the top. “From our perspective, we are slowly losing our ability as a local government to respond to the community needs because of a vast amount of our tax base going to Albany,” Acquario said. “There should be a multi-pronged effort to reduce property taxes.”
I th a ca Times
/
Apr i l
1 2 – 1 8 ,
2 0 1 7
9
sports
Mud, Sweat & Cheers By Ste ve L aw re nc e
I
love the idea of community fundrais- honor, along with the Tompkins County ers, and it warms my heart when folks Sheriff’s K-9 Unit. The unit just welcomed step up for a cause that means some- a new member – a puppy that will need a thing to them. I have done quite a few lot of resources for the long training periof them myself (from leisurely softball od – and the collaboration seems fitting, tournaments to a grueling 3-day bicycle given local law enforcement has done so ride), and I will admit that few of them much to honor Chris’s legacy, support qualify as what I would call a the Bordoni family and carry “spectator event.” “It’s not how on the mission. Not so w it h t he Mud I call the event “a spectator you start, Sweat and Cheers 5K and 5K event,” given that teams of it’s how you Extreme Fitness Challenge, four to five participants tackscheduled for April 29th. The le seven fitness stations with finish.” fifth annual event (hence the names like Terrible Twenty, V) honors t he memor y of Final Countdown, Rope Burn, Ithacan Chris Bordoni, the local Marine Life’s A Beach, The Tank, Hellish Hill and that lost his life serving in Afghanistan, Medical Leave. The teams are made up and supports the scholarship event in his of various groups of military personnel,
Love and Acceptance As we look forward to the joyful celebration of Easter, We pray for peace, and freedom from fear, for our Jewish and Islamic friends and neighbors. Members of the First Baptist Church in Ithaca A Welcoming & Affirming Congregation
Worship: 10 am Sundays
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES HOLY WEEK SERVICES Immaculate Conception Church (Ithaca)
www.immconch.org Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper @7pm Good Friday, Celebration of the Lord’s Passion @3pm Saturday Easter Vigil Mass @8pm Easter Sunday Masses @ 7:30am, 9am, 11am
St. Catherine of Siena Church (Ithaca)
www.stcathofsiena.org Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper @ 6:30pm Good Friday, Celebration of the Lord’s Passion @3pm; taize Prayer around the Cross @ 7pm Saturday Easter Vigil Mass @ 8:30pm Easter Sunday Masses @ 9am, 11:30am
All Saints Church (Lansing)
www.holycrossdryden.org Easter Sunday Mass @10:30am
St. Anthony Church (Groton)
www.holycrossdryden.org Easter Sunday Mass @ 8:30am Holy Thrusday. Mass of the Lord’s Supper @ 7pm Good Friday: Stations of the Cross @ 2:30pm Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion @ 3pm
Holy Cross Church (Dryden) www.holycrossdryden.org Easter Sunday Mass @ 8:30am
Parish of Mary, Mother of Mercy marymotherofmercy.com
Saturday Vigil 8:00 pm St. James Church, Trumansburg EaSTEr Sunday MaSSES 8:15 St. Francis Solanus Church, Interlaken 9:30 Holy Cross Church, Ovid 11:00 St. James Church, Trumansburg
10
The
I thaca Time s
/
Ap r il
12– 18,
2017
law enforcement groups and people wanting to be a part of something awesome, and teams go out i n waves ever y 15 minutes. Te a m s w o r k together to navigate the course with each member completing two to three fitness challenges at each station. The goa l is “to have every team sta r t, race a nd f inish toget her so that no one is left behind.” There will be a specia l g uest at the event, as R ich ie Mor a n, the retired Cornell lacrosse coach will be sig n i ng copie s of his autobiography “It’s Great To B e H e r e ! ” early in the day, (so please arrive between 8:00 – 9:30 am if you’d like a book). This event is dear to Richie’s heart, as he too served in the United States Marine Corps, and he will be donating the proceeds from the book sales to the cause. Event Coord i nator Ter r y Ciaschi wants to thanks everyone who works to make this event happen, especially main sponsors Advantage Sport and Fitness, Maguire Family of Dealerships, Sprague and Janowski, Cayuga Medical Center, Tompkins Trust Company, The Computing Center and Chemung Canal Trust Company. At this writing, there are more than 40 teams signed up (including seven teams from Ithaca Coolege’s athletic department) and there is still room for a few more. There are also numerous military teams taking part, including about two dozen teams from Fort Drum. Ciaschi says there are several new obstacles that will make the course even more interesting and challenging, and he encourages those interested to sign up as soon as possible by going to www.islandhealthfitness.com. (Donations are, of course, welcome whether or not you are able to attend.) I’d like to congratulate the Cornell men’s lacrosse team on reinventing itself and turning the season around. After an excruciating 0-5 start, the Big Red has bounced back to win three of their last four games, and their win at Harvard put them at 2-2 in the Ivy League. When a team faces such a rough start, it can be easy to say “We’ll get ‘em next year,” but Cornell is a very young team this still
Chris Bordoni (Provided Photo)
finding its chemistry, and the program’s deep tradition would never allow them to give up at any point in any game or season. Broadcaster Barry Leonard is “the voice of the Big Red,” and he told me that Cornell has been open to making the necessary adjustments and moving players around, and that their turnaround has been a great thing to watch. Leonard has been in the booth for every game, and of the Big Red’s rough start, he said “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” Right now, Cornell is focused on getting into the conference tournament (the top four Ivy teams get in), and continuing to improve every game. So far, they are doing just that. The Bordoni Fitness Challenge, on Saturday, May 11, is a great team effort for families, friends and colleagues. It will push you, make you sweat, laugh, cry, and get a little dirty while bringing out the best in you and your teammates. Five person teams will be challenged by strength, cardio and obstacle activities at 5 stations along the trail starting at Island Health & Fitness and finishing at the future site of the fitness trailhead along Park Road at the south end of the Cass Park Trail. To register, visit www. raceit.com/Register/groups/default. aspx?newgroup=true&event=39679.
Special Events
Hunting About Town For Easter Activities
F
or many, Easter is an enjoyable time with its brightly decorated eggs, hidden candies, and story telling that make children and their parents look forward to Easter weekend. It is also a time of reflections. This weekend in Ithaca, the Museum of the Earth at 1259 Trumansburg Road, will have a special Dino Eggstravaanza on April 15, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will have (a candy free) egg hunt throughout the museum exhibits, which is included in a regular admission. Members are free. And according to Maureen Pickley, the museum education manager, “we focus on the egg and it’s history more than the Easter event. Animals like frogs are coming out during Spring – so we focus on life. It’s more science based. We hope to educate on life sciences during the event.” The EGGstyraordinary event will also have a touch table to learn about eggs from the present and the past. The long history of painting hardboiled eggs during springtime seems to pre-date Christianity. In diverse cultures around the world, the egg is a symbol of new life, fertility, and rebirth. For thousands of years, Iranians and others
have decorated eggs on Nowruz, which is the Iranian New Year that falls on the spring equinox. In the Mexican tradition of Easter, cascarones, are hollowed out egg shells filled with bright confetti, and crushed or smashed over a person’s head. It is thought to bring good luck and used during holiday events such as Easter weekend. Another Easter egg hunt will be at the 1890 House Museum on 37 Tompkins St., in Cortland. The event will have refreshments, children’s stories, and candy, on April 15, from 10 to 11 a.m. The event is free, but visitors, including children, are required to have a ticket. Registration is online at The1890House.org, go to the events page to register. The activity will be entertaining and says Meg Hutchins, the museum director: “we do this event every year, it’s one of the purely free events that we do at the museum, and it’s a great way for us to connect to the community.” The upcoming event will have Easter stories read to the group, they will have finger foods served up and then the youngsters can go to the back lawn and collect eggs. “It’s also a nice time to take pictures in the house and in their Easter outfits,” she adds. Hutchins also says that the Easter bunny will make a special appearance. So whether it’s an Easter egg hunt, celebrations with family, or a time of reflections, “Easter weekend is a time of joy,” says Father Chumo, of Ithaca’s Immaculate Conception Church.
Candidates
contin u ed from page 3
Thus far, her platform is more ideological than concrete in its policies, Champion’s literature so far advocating for equal rights and choice for women, civil equality aligning with the causes of Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ rights and for environmental protection. Admittedly a newcomer to politics, she states on her website that while she “certainly doesn’t have all the answers,” she’s dedicated to learning and, consequently, says she will be looking toward engaging as extensively with the constituents of the 12th district as possible in order to figure a way to best represent their voices on
the legislator. A prescriber to the “Knock On Every Door” movement founded by former staffers for former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, Champion has committed herself to a listening campaign, working to stay visible and accessible among those she hopes to represent. By the end of this month, she wants to begin literally knocking on every door and holding small-scale, living room chats over coffee or tea as well as begin to place op-eds in various media outlets around town to raise her profile. But the biggest thing for her in such a diverse district, she said, is just to talk to people. And the earlier on she does it, she said, the more prepared she’ll be to represent the interests of those people continued on page 12
CMA DERMATOLOGY
Welcomes Dermatologist Brad A. Yentzer, MD, FAAD Accepting new patients •
•
– G.M. Burns
•
NOW LEASING! Brand new apartments Spacious floor plans Elevator Laundry center Fully equipped fitnes s room Controlled building access Accessible for people with disabilities
Located in the heart of Ithaca, Conifer Village at Cayuga Meadows is a brand new senior apartment community offering energy efficient one and two bedroom apartments homes for individuals 55 and older. Cayuga Meadows has set aside nine units for those with disabilities and an additional three units for hearing and visually impaired. The community will offer many amenities along with breathtaking views of Cornell University and the hills of Ithaca. Qualified Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee impacted residents will be given priority for the first 90 days of rent up.
CALL NOW FOR MORE INFORMATION! (607) 216-9808 [TTY] (800) 662-1220
CONIFER VILLAGE AT CAYUGA MEADOWS
200 CONIFER DRIVE, ITHACA, NY 14850 [E] cayugameadows@coniferllc.com
[P] (607) 216-9808
www.cayugameadows.com *income restrictions apply
•
Senior Clinical Research Fellow at Center for Dermatology Research, Wake Forest Baptist Health (Winston-Salem, NC) Dermatology residency at Wake Forest Baptist Health (WinstonSalem, NC) – Dermatology Areas of medical specialties include: treatment of acne, rashes, excessive sweating, infections, itching, moles, rosacea, skin cancer including melanoma, urticaria (hives). Offering comprehensive patch testing for contact allergies. Areas of surgical specialties include: skin biopsies and cancer surgery, cyst removal, mole removal, and skin tag removal
2 Ascot Place | Ithaca, NY | (607) 339-0456 Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. cayugamedicalassociates.org
Experience Health Care that Cares about You. In partnership with Cayuga Medical Center Most insurances accepted
Th e
I th a ca Times
/
Apr il
1 2 – 1 8 ,
2 0 1 7
11
Smoking
contin u ed from page 3
smoking during that time. The new law would also prohibit the sale of smoking paraphernalia to individuals under 21. Several legislators stressed the fact that the legislature was not voting to pass the law but rather to hold a hearing to get input from the community before voting the law up or down. Ted Schiele, planner/ evaluator for the Tompkins County Health Department, held up the example of Needham, Massachusetts, as a success story. In 2005 Needham, a Boston suburb with a population of 30,000, upped its sale of tobacco age to 21. “Despite being tightly surrounded by other suburbs, the effect was powerful,” Schiele said, quoting an article by the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation. A study by the MetroWest Health Foundation of 20 Boston suburbs found that Needham, the only town to raise the age of sale, showed a 48 percent drop in the 30-day prevalence of tobacco use in students in its school district. The declines nearly tripled those in surrounding communities, the study found. Schiele said that it’s too early to tell whether there has been a similar effect on New York counties that have raised the tobacco age to 21. (Suffolk, Albany, Orange, Schenectady, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Cortland and St. Lawrence). The proposed local law does not prohibit the possession of tobacco products and paraphernalia for
people under 21; in fact, Tompkins County Attorney Jonathan Wood said that he does not expect that the average person who appears to be under 21 would be stopped or ticketed even if he or she was observed purchasing tobacco products by a law enforcement officer or a Department of Public Health official. “I can’t imagine a scenario where law enforcement would deem that enough of a priority,” agreed Department of Pubic Health Director Frank Kruppa. The the emphasis of the law is on the seller rather than than the purchaser. It would be almost entirely enforced by the Department of Public Health through compliance checks, Wood explained, though the proposed law does state that any peace officer or police officer within the county would technically be authorized to enforce the law. According to Kruppa, periodically the department would send a person between the ages of 18 to 20 into retailers to make sure that the purchase of tobacco is refused. A store that fails the check would be subject to a civil penalty of $300 to $1,000 for a first violation and $500 to $1,500 for each subsequent violation. Kelles said that, typically, raising the age of tobacco sale to 21 decreases the sale of tobacco by about two percent in an average municipality. She acknowledged that it might be as high as four percent in Tompkins County because of the large college student population but said that the effect on sales is generally “quite minimal.”
To celebraTe a Major reModel you will find alMosT everyThing in The sTore is on sale
%
20-50 off!
Popular brands like LEEs, TIGRESSA, and MARMOLIUM To name a few! Qualified buyers can also enjoy NO INTEREST FINANCING!
12
The
I thaca Time s
/
Ap r il
12– 18,
2017
Jim Wells, owner of the Commons Market in Ithaca for 50 years, said that having a consistent alcohol/tobacco age would make checking IDs simpler. He’s been concerned about the increased number of stings as of late, and though it would effect his profits he does not believe the increase in the age of sale would make or break his business. “A lot of people buy cigarettes here, so it’s going to make a difference,” Wells said, “All in all it will hurt a little bit, but it’s not that catastrophic.” From what he has observed, most of his customers tend to be area office workers and the employees of the many nearby bars and restaurants. Most days Wells works at the small North Cayuga Street convenience store in in the morning and again in the late evening. “I sell both times, but most of the time I’m doing stuff other than waiting on customers,” he said. Theresa Giroux, 22, who was running the register at the market last Friday afternoon, had a different assessment. “I would say most of the people who come in here to buy tobacco products are between the ages of 18 and 21,” she said. “We definitely have a younger crowd.” She said the grape, cherry, wine and “twisted berry” varieties of cigars and cigarillos are popular, as are the 99 cent Black & Mild brand cigars. “Everything here sells,” she said, waving her hand across the vast array of colorful packages. “We wouldn’t have it if it didn’t sell.” –Jaime Cone
Candidates
contin u ed from page 11
come election day. Black, also a Democrat, already has serious progressive credentials as founder of the local network of activists known as Rise Up Ithaca (now more than 1,800 members strong, Black said) and, like many in the wake of last year’s election, fired up enough about the state of politics today to want to do something more. These solutions include addressing the housing needs for seniors and the middle class and – an area informed by her time as a recruiter for TCAT – stable, accessible transportation options through TCAT. Though the conversation has been occurring for decades on who should pay and how much (nearly three quarters of TCAT ridership is from Cornell), Black said she wants to work to advocate for programs such as targeted shuttle service as well as more park and ride lines. But, a parent of three children, Black also wants to work to improve the scenario for daycare in the area, building on the number of resources currently out there and working to lower the costs for newborn care, which she said lacks subsidy and, as a result, is extremely expensive. With time at Brookdale Senior Living and The Southern Tier AIDS Program under her belt, Black said she has the type of multifaceted experience to credit toward her own diverse breadth of her perspective. –Nick Reynolds
BISHOPS
grand re-opening
sale
World War I retro at the Johnson The War To End All Wars: Artists and World War I, Johnson Museum, Through June 11
W
ar is beyond surreal, causing such vast and insurmountable effects, that individuals and their totality are reduced to nothing. It is the expression of instance, and the end of existence. War is immense, and the question of its necessity is answered by forces indifferent to the individuals it affects the most. The Johnson Museum has been very sophisticated with its choice of exhibits this year, each one pulsing with urgency. Escaping The Ordinary (through June 11) is a reflection of mankind’s barbaric and monumental past. Identity Crisis (through June 11) visits the effects of Western plutocracy, highlighting the way technology can be used in earnest; and Empathy Academy (through August 6) indulges in the physical background that makes up the motions of perpetual movement. The War To End All Wars (through June 11) is the ultimate compliment to these outstanding shows. It concentrates on the power and illusion of propaganda, and its relationship to the wholeness of individual and collective indifference. The exhibit touches on the maximization (and corruption) of human emotion. War has certainly shaped human history. And its billowy hymn has heavily damaged a large number of progressive and humanistic movements. Art has, and always will be, war’s perpetual counter. The exhibit showcases a wide range of work from individual artists, veterans, private collections, Cornell’s Wortham Military Museum, and the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives. It’s a vivid show, with an eerie sort of pressure hissing around it. The dynamic of creation and destruction is on full display here. John Sloan’s, Heroes of Peace (1932), is a graphically swift notion on the individual in relation to the greater mechanisms of war and society. Namely, that the individual is simply a means to a more prosperous and in-human goal. Sloan’s illustration shows a former soldier on his knees with his dog in the midst of a fast
by Christopher J. Harrington
moving crowd. The dog carries pencils on its back as the man walks on all fours. The two are a sales team, and the equalization of aftermath. The man is dog, and the dog is man. Sloan created the piece as a reaction to the way soldiers were treated after the war. Otto Dix’s lithograph, Blinder (1923), is
German “New Objectivity” at its most bold. Dix is one of the great modern artists, and served as a machine gunner on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918, being injured numerous times. Blinder, is graphically superior, the intensity of it reverberates with a deep and harsh knowledge. A blind man is shown selling matches, and like the soldier in Heroes of Peace, he’s been transformed by the war, forgotten and reshaped. The bleak background is pure darkness, illuminating the pain of the broken man. Dix was famous for his harsh and horrific
(Below) James Montgomery Flagg’s “Be a U.S. Marine” (Photo: Johnson Museum of Art)
illustration of Weimar society and the overall viciousness of war, and Blinder is pure rage. -------------Many of the abominations committed by war’s instigators have a convenient way of being forgotten about by the subsequent round of abominations. George W. Bush seems to have found his calling as painter in chief, but least we forget the insane and pre-emptive war he championed. War, for Donald Trump, is in its linear stage. The instant he ordered missile attacks on Syria, a sort of gateway of clarity immerged. Forgotten, if only for a moment, was the calculated swindling he’s currently enacting on the American people. Trump’s real war is on the poor, the middle-class and minorities. That is, the majority of American citizens. Furthermore, war on the grand and military scale, draws from the same mindset. It depends on, and manipulates, the same poor, middle-class and minorities that are bludgeoned by national policy. E.G. Renesch’s, Colored Man is No Slacker (1919), illustrates this fundamental procedure in its purest form. The green washing here is insulting, yet undoubtedly powerful. The poster subtly suggests, that for the individual in question to be a part of this great nation, he should enlist and fight for the same entity that shuns and victimizes him. James Montgomery Flagg’s, Be a U.S. Marine (1915), is pre-John Wayne nationalism in its most singular. A strong and exacting soldier stands confident and lean in front of the American Flag. The symbolism here is morphed—it’s more about cowardice with this poster, than heroism. The color scheme is almost blinding, and the production design is sort of hyperkinetically corrupted by the intention of the craft. Seeing these posters everywhere in 1915 must have been insanely condensing to one’s continued on page 13
Th e
I th a ca Times
/
Apr il
Arts&Entertainment
Beyond War
1 2 – 1 8 ,
2 0 1 7
13
art
Crossing Cultures
Two shows at the Handwerker engage By Ambe r D onof r io Nomads and Bright Specks: Women Artists At the Handwerker
T
here’s a peculiar mixture of works at the Handwerker Gallery this month, which comprise the gallery’s second show of the spring semester. From colorfully expressive video art to nomadic African tent design, the gallery is showcasing a joint exhibition through April 21 which includes Bright Speck — a group show of work by artists Desirée Holman, Anna Huff, and Michelle Murphy that explores themes of birth and the cosmos — and Made to Move: African Nomadic Design, a collection curated by IC professor Risham Majeed and a number of art students focusing on Nomadic women’s contributions to architectural design in the African Rendille (in Kenya) and Tuareg (in Mali and Niger) cultures. Bright Speck confronts you most readily and is impressive in its overall cohesion, an instance where the artists’ work surprisingly strengthens one another in both theme and presence. Desirée Holman’s videos stick out most prominently as they project onto three screens, music playing loudly. A loop of three works, each video is colorful and expressive in its unapologetic eccentricity. In Sophont, various performers in tie-dyed garments and metal hats constructed with tubes and switches stand together, perform-
ing various actions. They have Vs painted on their foreheads and streaks of paint down their lips, releasing colored powder into the air. At one point, images depicting nature, spirituality, and urbanization flash behind them, before the camera focuses on the faces of child participants. The video is odd insofar as it strays from what one might consider the norm, but it also presents a performance of togetherness. Reborn is equally as strange, but relates nicely to the other artists’ pieces in the show. In the video, women rock babies on their laps as a white substance (perhaps intended as milk) drips from their mouths, all while an out of tune lullaby plays on trombone in the background. It’s difficult to say whether the video is dismal or simply absurd. Anna Huff ’s playful Harold, Albert, Iggy, and Celestial includes life-size puppets made with the help of two-year-olds at the Lovely Day Preschool in town. Used in operas and performances, the figures are simple shapes with felt and fabric stuck to them and large, neon googly eyes. They appear representative of childhood or infanthood, beckoning back to the days of imaginary friends and experimental playthings. Meanwhile, Michelle Murphy’s work is two-fold, exploring cells and space, as well as birth, with a poignant perspective. One of her most intriguing pieces on display is
‘BEYONDWAR’ psyche. John Wayne spearheaded this sort of ideological “Americanism” on the big screen, post World War II. The National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis’s lithograph, Use your own cap, razor, towel, comb, brush, ect., as protection against syphilis and other diseases, strikes in abundance as pure design and bold minimalism. A dark and graphically dense print of a soldier scrubbing his arms subtly captures the essence of the artist’s ability to become real, even in the presence of such despair. Moreover, the contrast between artistic skill and commercialism, hints at the direction that would rule the graphic-verse for centuries to come. Kathe Kollwitz’s, The Mothers (1922), along with Dix’s Blinder, really demonstrates the gravity and power that printmaking had in the early 20th century. It was in many ways, the defacto artform for civil disobedience. And it still is. Think of street artists like Bansky and Shepard Fairey. These behemoths cut their teeth using printmaking as their ultimate ideological expression. Their work may pulse The
I thaca Time s
/
Ap r il
Video still from Desiree Holman’s “Sophont” (Photo provided)
conditions. The show presents a cultural anthropological slant, blending the line between art and utility, and it stands as an example of the diverse array of subject matter the Handwerker chooses to exhibit. The show is also important with its emphasis on cultures where women are viewed as integral, and in this case ones that are nomadic and thus require innovative thinking that allows for versatility. Admittedly, Made to Move appears a bit at odds with Bright Speck, the two shows separate and yet viewed in relation to one another thanks to proximity. The noises coming from Holman’s videos clashed with the African art, making it slightly more difficult to take the show in. But, at the very least, both shows are loosely linked through their emphasis on women artists and makers, crossing cultures and examining roles. •
(Far Left) Otto Dix’s “Blinder” (Top Left) John Sloan’s “Heroes of Peace” (Bottom Left) Kathe Kollwitz’s “Mothers” (Photos: Johnson Museum of Art)
contin u ed from page 13
14
entitled Disrupted Grid, Your Body, and a Projected Figure, in which a woman’s body (perhaps pregnant in relation to the rest of show, but not necessarily) is projected over black rolls of paper that cover the walls. Atop the paper, not entirely stuck down, is a haphazard grid of tape, dissecting her into pieces. Made to Move inhabits the second side of the gallery, in stark contrast to its neighboring show with its aged and wellused relics. Tuareg bowls and posts with beautifully intricate cut out and carved designs line the walls, along with ornate bags and leather containers. With its main focus on tent-making, the show includes a portion of the 1974 documentary Rendille, which presents women building armature tents. In the center of the gallery space is a hand woven perimeter wall for a Tuareg tent, which is interesting to examine with its complex design and purpose of mobility and adaptability to aid in various weather
in different modes than Kollwitz and Dix’s, but their work shows that in its essence, the fluidity and perpetual gravity of printmaking—particularly in a social and political setting—is perhaps the boldest of all visual art forms. I often think of Kurt Vonnegut’s magical novel, Slaughter House Five, and many of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre’s writings, when considering the relationship between essence and war, and free will and determinism. Existentialism broke through heavily after World War II; and it was the monumental destruction and pure disregard for human life that undoubtedly spawned its wide interest. The War to End All Wars plays mightily with the nature of existential thought. War is too immense to be about falsity and narcissistic power, and art has the power to shape a discussion about it. • 12– 18,
2017
music
Extensions of Light and Dark
Electronic musician is above and beyond the clouds By C hr i s tophe r J. Har r ing ton Thriftworks, Payam Imani, Solar Lion, Tuesday, April 18, The Haunt
B
erkeley, California based electronic musician and producer Jake Atlas — aka Thriftworks — is a progressively minded and wickedly contemporary force. The sonic soundscapes he weaves touch on styles and forms like glitch, ambient, dub-step and downtempo; but it’s his experimental and courageous demeanor that opens up his music to genres undefined and free. His latest release, The Feather & The Sword, is an
Jake Atlas, aka Thriftworks (Photo provided)
experience of depth and vision. The pace and architecture is organically technical, wide and spiritual. Atlas is prolific and his work is ever shifting. The Ithaca Times caught up with the artist while on tour. Here’s the lowdown. Ithaca Times: How’s the tour going, and what’s America looking like out there in this strange and troubling time? Jake Atlas: The Bone Roaster Express is really clocking miles. Shows have been fantastic with strong turnouts and enthusiastic people. I feel very blessed to be able to see so many happy faces from city to city, and at the end of the day that connection is what keeps the positive vibe on tour. As far as this strange time we’re currently in, things seem normal. I think we’re lucky to be wrapped up in such a passionate industry where there’s a communal goal that keeps us focused and helps to block out the bull----. IT What’s the process look like when you create a song—are there elements that need to be tactile as well as digital?
JA: Most of my compositions involve equal parts digital technology and tactile sorcery. A healthy blend of both is ideal. IT: Is there a visual side to the music you create, and when approaching a composition, is there a workshop phase to it? JA: Absolutely. There’s certainly a general all-encompassing theme to every work, broader than just the visual aspect. I think a feeling anchors the whole aesthetic first and foremost for me. Everything else follows naturally. Visual concepts certainly play a part per track and even more so, per album or EP. IT: When you moved out to California was there ever a defining moment of artistic realization? JA: During my first year in CA I was constantly making music on a third story apartment with a view of the San Francisco Bay and the Emeryville Amtrak. That year I focused on beatmaking more than I ever had on anything in my life. IT: Would you consider your music West Coast inspired and particular to that zone? JA: Definitely not. I was born in Tucson, AZ, and my hometown is Mechanicsburg, PA. I’m currently based on the West Coast and I think the origins of my music mostly stem back to the Tenochtitlan and the Aztec empires. IT: Do you collect a lot of sound and noise, and would you consider yourself an anthropologist of sorts? JA: Certainly. I regularly use location recordings and found sounds and scour the Internet far and wide for interesting paints to add to my pallet. Everything is fair game to me so long as it’s massaged to the point of reinvention. IT: The Feather and the Sword contains a lot of varying dynamics — is there a pattern that you use to break up the space in the songs? JA: The brightest light follows the darkest hour, and the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows. In the absence of sound I find some of the most punctual moments. The proverbial red iguana needs a hot rock to retain equilibrium. IT: Are there certain electronic artists that have heavily inspired of influenced you along your path? JA: Most definitely. Back in the days of MySpace I found a lot of instrumental beat-makers that were largely influential in finding an aesthetic. Also labels like Brainfeeder, Warp, and Ninja Tune have been true sources of inspiration. IT: Are there any ideologies or philosophies that are crucial to your approach and method when concerning both life and art? JA: Don’t take wooden nickels. •
ithaca com isered o p wby: and Finger Lakes Community Newspapers
now through Sunday April 30th
Dewitt Mall, Ithaca • 272-2602 Th e
I th a ca Times
/
Apr il
1 2 – 1 8 ,
2 0 1 7
15
music
A Hybrid With Space
IC grad brings his fusion project to The Haunt By C hr i s tophe r J. Har r ing ton Pink Talking Fish, 9 p.m. Thursday, April 13, The Haunt
C
hances are if you spent some time in college dorm rooms in the ’90s, you probably experienced a few nights where cassette tapes of Phish, Pink Floyd and the Talking Heads were all epically raged. It’s probable you listened to all the bands one right after the other, on the same mixtape. The black lights were on, the doobies were passed, and the ultimate ascension was reached. Enter the multiplex hybrid, Pink Talking Fish: an amalgamation of taste and joyous reach. “The years I was at Ithaca College I amassed a huge tape collection,” bassist and founder Eric Gould mused. “Tapes were so important to me back in the day. I mean, Ithaca College ’93-’97: you’re talking about the heyday of tape trading.” Those that lived through that highspeed culture of endlessly chasing the jam know the feeling. A section of experimentation from a particular tape or show could leave a brilliant and unfathomable impression.
16
The
I thaca Time s
/
“It’s funny,” Gould said. “Sometimes when I’m up front driving the band van and listening to an old Phish tape, I’ll hear something very particular and make the connection to a certain jam that we’ve actually tried to play. It’s such a circular process.” Gould, who is also the founder of the electronic and progressive rock band Particle and a graduate of Ithaca College, created Pink Talking Fish with the intent to merge three distinct and unique musical behemoths: three bands with a special connectivity, and a penchant for escapism. “The spirit of versatility — that’s the key to the whole thing,” Gould explained. “There’s a lot of originality in this tribute band, and we aim to create a fresh experience. We connect the grooves each band harnesses. We all write original music, but this band fuels us in a unique way. It fills a certain void.” Where the Talking Heads centered on post punk, new wave and avant-garde funk, and Pink Floyd harnessed the power of early progressive rock and heavy psychedelia, Phish is the wide-ranging lynchpin
Ap r il
12– 18,
2017
of Pink Talking Fish; the band that allows the group to tie everything together, and extend things in infinite ways. “There’s a flexibility to Phish that the other bands don’t have,” Gould relayed. “The creative setlists, the infinite scope — I mean we all love Pink Floyd and The Talking Heads, but we grew up in the era of Phish, and that’s the band that completes our construction and allows us to indulge in the fantasy.” Gould was a film major at Ithaca College and started his musical career at the space-aged looking establishment. The city’s an important piece to his totality, and he’s fond of the unique musical experiences Ithaca offered him. “There’s a huge place in my heart for
Pink Talking Fish chilling (Photo provided)
Ithaca,” he said. “I remember when the old Haunt was right downtown. Seeing Merl Saunders and Aquarium Rescue Unit in that sweaty little ballroom of a club was, like, life changing [laughs].” Pink Talking Phish is a new way of looking at tribute acts. The group’s an entity of its own admission, a band that can morph certain content in an individualized way. It’s about the way things fit and progress for these guys, a way to show that the magic in the universe is harnessed in infinite ways. And who knows, you could get something like a “Camel Walk” into “I Zimbra” into ‘Sheep” into “Letter to Jimmy Page” — anything’s possible. •
film
Those Were The Days
some great films from the past and more By Br yan VanC ampe n
T
he Family Classics Picture Show series rolls into its third year at Cinemapolis, its mission to bring back monthly screenings of the great films of the past. Ithaca City School District teacher Allison Andersen, who once worked behind the counter at Cinemapolis, created the series. Each month at 2 p.m. on Sundays, actor, magician and movie buff David Moreland introduces a film, dispensing a wealth of fun film his-
Doris Day and Carl Reiner in “The Thrill of it All” (Photo provided)
tory and trivia. The next three months in the series will bring us a Jules Verne tale, a great romantic comedy pairing Doris Day and James Garner, and a Western comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. Anderson and Moreland spoke to me about these three fascinating films. BVC: I must confess, I’ve only seen the 2008 Journey to the Center of the Earth with Brendan Fraser, but this is the 1959 version. Allison Andersen: All the films are chosen by committee. We get a list of films, and then we try to get a couple of people from the committee to watch each one so we’re in agreement. It’s a fun film; it’s probably a bit on the cheesy side by today’s special effects standards, but it’s really good. It stars James Mason as a professor who thinks he’s got the key to finding the Lost city of Atlantis. A competing scientist has left him some clues, and after that scientist dies, he decides to go for it and try to find it. He takes along a student of his who’s played by Pat Boone. And Arlene Dahl plays the widow of the scientist who insists on going with them. So they go through a volcano into the center of the
Earth, and adventures ensue. BVC: Then on May 21 you’re showing Norman Jewison’s The Thrill of it All (1963), a satire on advertising that many consider the best Doris Day comedy. AA: In 1960s Doris Day movies, you have to go in with the understanding that the role that she’s taking on is not one that is suitable to many modern women. Even though she’s a working mom [making TV commercials], there’s always the feeling that what she is a doctor’s wife who has stumbled into this career as a spokeswoman for soap flakes. So the whole tension is between being a wife and being a career gal. Carl Reiner is the writer, and he’s hilarious, so anyone who loves The Dick Van Dyke Show as I do, this is a movie very similar in vibe and humor. BVC: And on June 18, we get Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in Way Out West (1937). I tried to see it, but Netflix doesn’t have it in stock right now. David Moreland: I had a lot of affection for Laurel and Hardy from my youth, and I was so happy to discover this film. Little kids are just gonna fall in love with these two guys, Stan Laurel in particular. I have forgotten the plot, it’s just an excuse for a lot of set pieces with Stan and Ollie, and they’re really good. There’s a scene where a woman is trying to get an important legal document that Stan has hidden on his person. He becomes very ticklish, and he just starts laughing and laughing. And the sequence goes on for two minutes. You can’t not laugh along with Stan. He’s so funny, and so warm and loveable. And there are a couple of musical dance sequences that are just enchanting. Oliver Hardy is this huge man who allows himself to be the butt of jokes about how big he is, fitting through tight spaces or jumping over a fence. But then you see him dance, and you see how impossibly graceful he is. That is a joyful thing. •
Picture nominees for 1968 (and five films that are 50 years old this year): Bonnie and Clyde, Dr. Doolittle, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, The Graduate and In the Heat of the Night. Harris’ book finds the moment when, in his words, a movie star like Warren Beatty could become a producer and Dustin Hoffman, who looked like a producer, could become a movie star. The book is particularly skilled in its portraits of Hoffman, Sir Sidney Poitier and director Norman Jewison, among many others. Even better is Harris’ follow-up Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War. Harris profiles a quintet of first-generation film directors and their contributions to the war effort: Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, George Stevens and William Wyler. Harris is just as strong on world history as he is on film theory and criticism, and the book offers a fascinating prism — and much rarely seen footage — with which to examine World War II. While we wait for the documentary version of Pictures at a Revolution, Netflix offers up a captivating documentary series based on Five Came Back, directed by Laurent Bouzereau, who has made excellent behind-the-scenes films for directors ranging from Brian DePalma to Steven Spielberg, Harris has re-written his book for the new medium, crafting a historical narrative read by Meryl Streep. The Netflix series offers up detailed background on all five directors leading up to the war, the films they made for the war and the films they made upon their return
2017 JILL AND KEN ISCOL D I S T I N G U I S H E D E N V I R O N M E N TA L L E C T U R E
New York Times bestselling author
MICHAEL P O L L A N
OUT O F
----------This is going to start out like a book review, but trust me: it’s really about the movies. When it comes to this stuff, I don’t have a film degree and I failed the one film course I took at SUNY-New Paltz a million years ago. I am completely self-taught, and my house is full of books about film. One of the best books I’ve ever read is Entertainment Weekly writer Mark Harris’ Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood. Scrupulously researched and less gossipy than Peter Biskind’s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, Harris’ book unearths the birth of the ’60s New Hollywood by examining the development and making of the five Best
home. Some time ago, TCM ran a series of Five Came Back evenings, screening John Huston’s Report from the Aleutians (1943), about soldiers preparing for combat; and more importantly The Battle of San Pietro (1945), the story (censored by the Army) of a failure by America’s intelligence agencies, which resulted in many deaths. We also see footage shot by Ford at the Battle of Midway, the impact of the war so intense that the film jumps sprockets in the camera, adding immeasurably to the messiness of the spectacle. For a generation raised on black-and-white newsreels, the footage shot by Huston and Ford was the first color footage anyone had ever seen of a real war. Also examined at length are Capra’s Why We Fight series of propaganda films, and the animated adventures of Private Snafu in ribald training films that were far too blue for general audiences. Since Bouzereau has made outstanding special features based on Spielberg productions like Jaws and Back to the Future, and Five Came Back is a co-production of Amblin Television, the series offers up something unique that’s not found in Harris’ book: comments and war stories from film veterans like Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, Paul Greengrass and Lawrence Kasdan. You might love the Hellboy films and Pan’s Labyrinth, but you might not know that del Toro is a huge Capra fan, and you may not have had the pleasure of hearing Spielberg discuss Wyler with such relish and love. It’s an admirable side effect of an admirable series. •
T H E
GARDEN Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall
Thursday, April 27 | 5:00 P.M. atkinson.cornell.edu/iscol
Free and Open to the Public
Th e
I th a ca Times
/
Apr il
1 2 – 1 8 ,
2 0 1 7
17
music by Weckmann, Froberger, Mozart, and Hassler. Cornell University Chorus | 7:00 PM | First Congregational Church, 309 Highland Rd, Ithaca | Features music about stars and the aurora borealis, music from the northern countries, and music about jumping, as well as two new commissions from guest composer Mia Makaroff.
Music bars/clubs/cafés
4/12 Wednesday
Djug Django | 6:00 PM-9:00 PM | Lot 10 Lounge, 106 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | (Hot Club Jazz, Blues, Swing) Sacred Chanting with Damodar Das and Friends | 7:00 PM-9:00 PM | Ahimsa Yoga Studio, 215 N Cayuga St., Ithaca | www.DamodarDas.com. Wednesday Live Music | 8:00 PM | Rulloff’s, 411 College Ave, Ithaca | Featuring local bands, soloists, and other musical groups. Dopapod, Space Carnival | 9:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | (Rock, Funk, Progressive Rock, Fusion) Reggae Night with Crucial Reggae Social Club | 9:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | (Reggae, Dub, Roots)
4/13 Thursday
Gerard Burke | 6:00 PM | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | (Delta Blues) Polly Wood and Lora Pendleton | 7:30 PM | Casita Del Polaris, 1201 N Tioga St, Ithaca | (Folk) Devin Kelly Trio | 8:30 PM-11:00 PM | Madeline’s Restaurant | (Jazz) Pink Talking Fish | 9:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | (Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Phish Tribute Crossover Band. Rock, Funk, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock, Fusion, Jam)
4/14 Friday
Zydeco Trail Riders | 6:00 PM-8:00
18
T
h e
I
t h a c a
T
PM | Americana Vineyards, 4367 E Covert Rd, Interlaken | (Americana, Zydeco, Folk) Notorious String Busters | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM | HiVE 45, 45 East Main Street, Trumansburg | (Old-Time, Folk) Brews & Tunes w/ An Artist’s Depiction | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Heavily Brewing Co., 2471 Hayes Rd, Montour Falls | (Blues) An Artist’s Depiction | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Heavily Brewing Co., 2471 Hayes Rd, Montour Falls | (Alternative Rock) Noon Fifteen | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Grist Iron Brewing, 4880 NY-414, Burdett | (Progressive Soul Pop) Wild Adriatic, Leopold and his Fiction | 8:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | (Rock, Funk, Blues, Hard Rock) Ironwood | 8:00 PM | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | (Country, Roots, Blues, Folk) Jason Kahn, Sarah Hennies, Ben Owen | 8:00 PM-10:30 PM | Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, 139 W State St, Ithaca | (Experimental, Sound Collage, Noise) The Analogue Sons | 8:00 PM-11:00 PM | Two Goats Brewing, 5027 State Rte 414, Burdett | (Dub, Soul) VooDoo Highway, Deveroe | 8:00 PM | Ransom Steele Tavern, 552 Main St, Apalachin | (Blues, Rock, Southern Rock) Kitestring, The Ilium Works | 9:00 PM | The Range, Ithaca Commons, 119 E State St, Ithaca | (Rock, Soul, Indie Rock) Venissa Santi Quartet | 9:00 PM | Casita Del Polaris, 1201 N Tioga St, Ithaca | (Jazz) Pollen | 10:00 PM | Lot 10 Lounge, 106 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | (Indie, Folk)
i m e s
/
A
p r i l
12–1 8,
4/15 Saturday
Brews & Tunes w/ LED Foot | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Heavily Brewing Co., 2471 Hayes Rd, Montour Falls | Brews & Tunes w/ LED Foot! Chris Smither | 7:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | (Folk, Blues) Los Finsteros | 7:00 PM | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | (Acid-Jug, Americana, Folk) Led Foot | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Heavily Brewing Co., 2471 Hayes Rd, Montour Falls | (Blues, R&B, Rock) Snail Mail, Lady D & The Shadow Spirits, Kyra Skye | 7:30 PM-11:00 PM | Emerson Suites, Ithaca College, Ithaca | (Indie Rock, Folk Rock, Folk, Ithaca Underground Presents) Bridget Kearney, Fit Club | 8:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | (Indie, Folk, Rock, Pop) The Sweats | 8:00 PM-11:00 PM | Two Goats Brewing, 5027 State Rte 414, Burdett | (Blues, Rock, Country) Bendher | 9:00 PM | Ransom Steele Tavern, 552 Main St, Apalachin | (Rock, Hard Rock) Barroom Philosophers | 9:00 PM | The Range, Ithaca Commons, 119 E State St, Ithaca | (Rock, Reggae, Progressive Rock, Funk) Viva Mayhem, Palonegro, Dreamt | 10:00 PM | The Nines, 311 College Ave, Ithaca | (Ska, Funk, Rock, Indie Rock) Thunder Body | 10:00 PM | Lot 10 Lounge, 106 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | (Soul, Funk)
4/16 Sunday
Mary Ott Band | 11:00 AM | StoneCat Cafe, 5315 Rt 414, Hector | (Folk, Jazz) Al Hartland Trio | 6:00 PM-10:00 PM | Maxie’s Supper Club & Oyster Bar, 635
2017
W State St, Ithaca | (Jazz) Open Mike | 9:00 PM | The Nines, 311 College Ave, Ithaca | Hosted by Ken Shea.
4/17 Monday
Sheer Mag, Green Dreams, Escuela | 8:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | (Punk, Rock, Sludge, Progressive Rock, Grindcore, Ithaca Underground Presents) Galactic Monday: Fabi | 9:00 PM | Casita Del Polaris, 1201 N Tioga St, Ithaca | (Folk)
4/13 Thursday
Shin Hwang: Fortepiano | 8:00 PM | Barnes Hall, Cornell, Ithaca | Fortepianist Shin Hwang will present a recital performing works by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) on a copy of
The Blue Flames | 8:00 PM-11:00 PM | St. Pauls United Methodist Church, 402 N Aurora St, Ithaca | The Blue Flames is a blues-based band with a satisfying West Coast Swing groove. But they can also rock out with classic swing and rock and roll . There’s almost no dance style these fine Ithaca musicians can’t play. Vance Gilbert | 8:00 PM | Auburn Public Theater, 8 Exchange St, Auburn | (Folk, Singer Songwriter) Xak Bjerken, Renee Jolles, Steven Doane | 8:00 PM | Barnes Hall, Cornell, Ithaca | Features trios by Beethoven, Schumann, and Mikhail Gnessin.
4/16 Sunday
4/18 Tuesday
Cayuga Blue Notes | 6:00 PM-10:00 PM | Maxie’s Supper Club & Oyster Bar, 635 W State St, Ithaca | (Blues, Swing) Tuesday Bluesday with Dan Paolangeli & Friends | 6:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Blues, Rock, Every Tuesday. Thriftworks, Payam Imani, Solar Lion | 8:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | (Electronic, Ambient, House, Glitch) Professor Tuesday’s Jazz Quartet | 8:00 PM-10:00 PM | Madeline’s Restaurant, 215 E State St, Ithaca | Jazz. Fabi | 9:00 PM-11:00 PM | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | (Solo Acoustic, World, Folk, Afro-Latin) I-Town Community Jazz Jam with Greg Evans | 9:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Jazz. concerts
4/12 Wednesday
Midday Music for Organ: David Yearsley | 12:30 PM | Anabel Taylor Chapel, Cornell University, Ithaca | The Organ Contests of Dresden features
Written and directed by the master of Japanese animation, Hayao Miyazaki, “Howl’s Moving Castle” is one of the director’s most lush and magical films. Set in a fictional kingdom where both magic and 20th century technology exists, the film is inspired by the USA invasion of Iraq in 2003, bending hard philosophical and ideological metaphor. (Cornell Cinema, Thursday, April 13, 9:40 p.m., Saturday, April 15, 7:00 p.m.) (Photo provided)
an Anton Walter fortepiano (ca. 1800) built by Paul McNulty in 2002.
4/15 Saturday
Big Red Marching Band Spring Concert | 12:00 PM-3:00 PM | Bernie Milton Pavilion, The Commons, Ithaca | (Big Band) Student ensembles from Cornell Baroque Orchestra, Viol Consort, Recorder Consort | 2:00 PM | Anabel Taylor Chapel, Cornell University, Ithaca | Features early music selections from the Renaissance and Baroque.
WVBR Bound For Glory: Davy O | 8:00 PM | Anabel Taylor Hall, Cornell Univeristy, Ithaca | (Folk)
4/17 Monday
Senior recital: Patrick Braga, composer with members of the Cornell choirs and orchestras | 8:00 PM | Barnes Hall, Cornell, Ithaca | Includes a collaborative string quartet on the theme of the Flint Water Crisis and microtonal variations on a Floridian folk song, among other complete works and fragments.
The IRS calls it a tax refund.
We call it a down payment on a dream. Getting a tax refund this year? It may give you the perfect opportunity to buy a home. So talk to us. Apply online or talk to one of our mortgage experts. Call 888-273-3210. Or visit TompkinsTrust.com
Locally focused. A world of possibilities. All loans subject to credit approval and to income and all other qualifying guidelines
Film 4th Annual Centrally Isolated Film Festival | Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, Cornell University, Ithaca | Runs Friday, April 14, at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 15, at 2:00 p.m. The festival will showcase short films created by students from the central and upstate New York region. Salt City Horror Fest | 11:30 AM, 4/15 Saturday | Palace Theatre, 2384 James Street, Syracuse | Featuring the films The Mutilator, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Belly Timber, An American Werewolf in London, H.P. Lovecraft’s From Beyond and Re-Animator, Creepers and Phenomena. Features celebrity guests, special talks and more. Cinemapolis
Friday, 4/14 to Thursday, 4/20. Contact Cinemapolis for Showtimes Franntz | In the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious Frenchman who visits the fiancé’s grave to lay flowers. | 113 mins PG-13 | Kedi | A profile of an ancient city and its unique people, seen through the eyes of the most mysterious and beloved animal humans have ever known, the Cat. | 80 mins NR |
T2 Trainspotting | After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie. | 117 mins R | Your Name | Two strangers find themselves linked in a bizarre way. When a connection forms, will distance be the only thing to keep them apart? | 106 mins PG | The Zookeeper’s Wife | The Zookeeper’s Wife tells the account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the German invasion. | 124 mins PG-13 | Raw | When a young vegetarian undergoes a carnivorous hazing ritual at vet school, an unbidden taste for meat begins to grow in her. | 99 mins R| Cornell Cinema
Wednesday, 4/12 to Tueaday, 4/18. Contact Regal Cinemas for Showtimes The Pillow Book | As a young girl in Japan, Nagiko’s father paints characters on her face, and her aunt reads to her from “The Pillow Book”, the diary of a 10th-century lady-in-waiting. Nagiko grows up, obsessed with books, papers, and writing on
bodies, and her sexual odyssey (and the creation of her own Pillow Book) is a “parfait mélange” of classical Japanese, modern Chinese, and Western film images. | 126 mins NR | Hidden Figures | The story of a team of African-American women mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the US space program. | 127 mins PG | Howl’s Moving Castle| When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle. | 119 mins PG | The Last Waltz | A film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band. | 117 mins PG | Metropolitan | A group of young upper-class Manhattanites are blithely passing through the gala debutante season, when an unusual outsider joins them and stirs them up. | 98 mins PG-13 |
ride. Li’l Bit takes us on a no-holdsbarred trip back in time to her adolescence in 1960s Maryland and her complicated relationship with an older man. A deeply compassionate look at how we are shaped by the people who hurt us, How I Learned to Drive masterfully veers in and out of personal memory and deftly traverses comedy, drama, and farce. Winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Sleeping Beauty | 7:30 PM, 4/14 Friday, 2:30 PM, 4/15 Saturday | The State Theatre of Ithaca, 105 W State St, Ithaca | Runs Friday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 15th at 2:30 p.m. This classic and much beloved ballet is based on the traditional fairy tale and features a luscious score by Tchaikovsky, original choreography by Marius Petipa,and additional new choreography and staging by Cindy Reid. For more information about Ithaca Ballet go to www.ithacaballet. org.
Stage
Solutions Forum for NYS Manufacturers | 8:30 AM-12:30 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | Binghamton University, 85 Murray Hill Rd., Vestal | Solutions Forum for NYS Manufact urers: Southern TierApril 12, 2017 • Binghamton University (in the
How I Learned to Drive | Through April 23 | Syracuse Stage/Drama Complex, 820 E Genesee St, Syracuse | Buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy
Notices
Rotunda)8:30AM-12:30PM85 Murray Hill Rd., Vestal, NY 13850This event is for you if you’re a manufacturer or product developer based in NY’s Southern Tier. Register now to take advantage of a morning of one-on-one targeted meetings with experts from New York’s business, manufacturing, and innovation ecosystems.Registration required : https://fuzehub.com/ nyevents/ Candor Food Pantry | 3:00 PM-5:30 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | Candor Food Pantry, 1 Water Street, Candor | Candor Food Pantry is here to help you with food supplies you may need. All you have to do is bring proof of your residence in Candor. Ithaca Sociable Singles Dinner | 6:00 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | Bravos, 17 Railroad St, Freeville | RSVP chefrbs56@ icloud.com Beginner Bird Walks | Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca | Guided bird walks every Saturday and Sunday morning, sponsored by the Cayuga Bird Club. Targeted toward beginners, but appropriate for all. Binoculars available for loan. Meet at the Cornell Lab of Ornitholgy on Sapsucker Woods Rd. by the front of the building. For the meeting time and more information, go to the club’s website: www.cayugabirdclub.org/calendar Register Now for Spring Writing through the Rough Spots classes | Writing can help create clarity about challenging situations. For further info: www.WritingRoomWorkshops.com Trumansburg Senior High School Award | Each year, Trumansburg Senior Citizens gives a $500.00 award to a Trumansburg High School graduate. The award is presented at the High School award ceremony. The graduate does not have to be headed for college. The only requirement is that they are a good citizens through volunteering or serving within the community. Pick up an application at the school guidance counselor’s office. Applications need to be in by May 6, 2017. Application for Ithaca Artist Market | Information and Applications are available on www.artspartner.org for artists of all mediums. The event is a juried show and sale of art, with food, wine, beer, and jazz at the beautiful Farmers Market. Deadline: June 20th. Finger Lakes School of Massage Evening Lecture Series: SPIRIT: A Plan For Miracles Workshop | Rothschild Bldg, 215 E
State St, Suite 203, Ithaca | Runs Wednesday, April19, from 6- 7:30 pm. Do you long to live at the level of the Divine? To release your blocks and experience firsthand the miracles you truly deserve? Join Susan Norton of Shamanic Services by Susan as we enter the world of the sacred and explore together techniques and practices from the transformational program SPIRIT: a Plan for Miracles. Tai Chi for Arthritis | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM, 4/13 Thursday | Candor Emergency Squad, 58 Main Street, Candor | Over 30s Basketball | 4:30 PM-6:00 PM, 4/13 Thursday | Henry St. John’s Gym, 301 S. Geneva St., Ithaca | Every Monday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. SAGE Upstate Social | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, 4/13 Thursday | The Cortland LGBTQ Center, 73 Main Street, Cortland | Looking to socialize with aging LGBTQ adults and their allies? Check out SAGE Upstate’s Cortland social. This month we will be learning more about what SAGE has to offer. The American Legion Auxiliary Friday Night Fish Fry | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, 4/14 Friday | Candor American Legion, 90 Spencer Road, Candor | Fish, mac n cheese, coleslaw, and more.. Potluck, Worship and Teaching Series | 6:00 PM-7:30 PM, 4/15 Saturday | Halsey Valley Victory House, 387 Hamilton Valley Rd, Spencer | 6 pm fellowship dinner (potluck), 7pm Worship, and 7:30 Winds in our Midst teaching series with Paul & Amy Estro. Easter Sunday Country Style Breakfast | 7:30 AM-11:00 AM, 4/16 Sunday | Mecklenburg Fire Station, 4495 County Route 6, Mecklenburg | Pancakes, French Toast, Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Homefries, Toast, Juices, Coffee, Door Prize, Easter Egg Hunt. Over 30s Basketball | 4:30 PM-6:00 PM, 4/17 Monday | Henry St. John’s Gym, 301 S. Geneva St., Ithaca | Every Monday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tai Chi for Arthritis | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM, 4/18 Tuesday | Candor Emergency Squad, 58 Main Street, Candor |
Learning ESL Snack and Chat | 3:45 PM-5:00 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | BorgWarner Room, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | These informal, drop-in sessions will offer a relaxed setting for practicing conversation and listening skills. The meetings
Cornell University, Fri, April 14 and Sat ,April 15
Medusa Tattoo Studio, Through April
Hip Hop is the future, the past and the present: a bold and gritty form of expression and hope. And it is universal and all encompassing. Cornell University and Ithaca College present the 3rd Annual Hip Hop Festival: Zero Ground Given this weekend, with workshops and live performance designed to teach people aspects of Hip Hop culture. Beginner dance workshops, a dance competition, and much more awaits.
Graphic and fantastical Illustrator, Jen Lightfoot, is a bold and expressionistic force. Her drawings are light, yet emotionally dense, the duality creating a sense of freedom and pureness, even when her subject matter is on the grotesque and horror-end of the spectrum. Her newest show “Sweet Darkness” is a brave extension and delights in an earthy sort of naturalism. Check this thing out!
T
h e
I
t h a c a
T
i m e s
/
A
p r i l
1 2 – 1 8 ,
ThisWeek
Zero Ground Given,
Jen Lightfoot,
2 0 1 7
19
will help participants discover and access language-learning resources at the Library and in the community and provide a forum for information sharing. For more information, contact Teresa Vadakin at (607) 272-4557 extension 272 or tvadakin@tcpl.org or Stephen Salino at 607-272-4557 extension 249 or ssalino@tcpl.org. Gluten-Free Pasta | 7:00 PM-8:30 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | GreenStar Cooperative Market, 700 W Buffalo St, Ithaca | Join Chef Betsy Clasby to learn how to make chick pea pasta - both gluten-free and vegan. Registration required - sign up at greenstar.coop, at the store or call 273-9392. Spring 2017 Barbara & David Zalaznick Reading Series | 4:30 PM, 4/13 Thursday | Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, 132 Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca | The Eamon McEneaney Memorial Reading featuring Poet Eamon Grennan. Creating a Pure & Simple Spring Look | 2:00 PM-4:00 PM, 4/14 Friday | GreenStar Cooperative Market, 700 W Buffalo St, Ithaca | Class size is limited to 8 participants. At this makeup lesson by Aesthecian Lisa Kramer-Lape, learn how to place your product properly and what shades are best for your skin type and coloring. Purchase of a Pure & Simple Kit from GreenStar is required to participate in the class. Registration required - sign up at greenstar.coop, at the store or call 273-9392. Yuri’s Night Crowd Funding Campaign | 7:00 PM, 4/14 Friday | Fuertes Observatory, Cornell University, Ithaca | The evening will feature astronaut food, tours of the museum and observatory, and, if the night is clear, astronomical observing. There will also be a talk by Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor of astronomy and director of Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute. Seed Starting Workshop | 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, 4/15 Saturday | GreenStar Cooperative Market, 700 W Buffalo St, Ithaca | Andrea Salzman from Greentree Garden Supply and Joy Mathews from GreenStar will demonstrate basic seed starting methods and care of seedlings from package to garden. Registration required - sign up at greenstar.coop, at the store or call 273-9392. Poetry for the People | 10:00 AM, 4/17 Monday | BorgWarner Room, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Free writing workshop in celebration of National Poetry Month. Facilitated by Tompkins County Poet Laureate Irene Zahava,
As a member of Lake Street Drive, Bridget Kearney’s experienced a plethora of quickening success with highly regarded albums and epic live performances. Her first solo record, “Won’t Let You Down”, is an enthralling affair. Lush, full, and classically refined, the record wades in Fleetwood Mac and art pop sensibility, engaging and perpetually honest. If you haven’t heard of her yet, check her newest video, “Wash Up” (from “Won’t Let You Down”) on You Tube. I Guarantee you’ll be humming the smooth and capable tune all day long. Don’t miss her celebrating her new album this Saturday, 4/15, at The Haunt at 8:00 p.m. (Photo provided) this workshop will provide a safe and stimulating atmosphere for participants to create and share poetry. It is designed for experienced poets and novice writers and will feature a variety of fun and inspiring prompts. To register, contact Zahava at (607) 273-4675 or zee@twcny.rr.com. Building Diverse Relationships, Teams & Partnerships | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, 4/18 Tuesday | BorgWarner Room, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Develop your skills and confidence to intentionally build and strengthen diverse relationships, while furthering your organization’s mission and work. Governing the North American Arctic: Sovereignty, Security, and Institutions | 4:30 PM-, 4/18 Tuesday | Olin Library, Cornell, Ithaca | Book Talk by Dawn Alexandrea Berry, Ph.D. For more information visit booktalks. library.cornell.edu. Toastmasters.org Cayuga Club Meeting | 6:00 PM-7:00 PM, 4/18 Tuesday | Riley Robb Hall room 205, 111 Wing Drive (Cornell Campus), Ithaca | Toastmasters clubs help their members gain skill and confidence in public speaking in a mutually supportive, friendly, fun
T
h e
Special Events Zero Ground Given - Hip Hop Festival | Friday, April 14 , 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., Saturday, April 15, 2:00 p.m | Downtown Ithaca, Center ithaca, Ithaca | Cornell University and Ithaca College present the third annual hip hop festival, Zero Ground Given. With dance workshops, a dance competition, and a community showcase event centered around hip hop, Zero Ground Given was created to teach people about the various aspects of hip hop culture. Community Altar of Love & Loss by Art Club | 5:00 AM-10:00 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | DeWitt Park, , Ithaca | Community Altar of Love & Loss by Art Club. DeWitt Park, Ithaca. March 21 - April 17. Visit and contribute your own offering to the community altar during park hours (5am-10pm). Loss is universal. The community altar is for everyone. For more information see the calendar page at yourartclub.com.
Solutions Forum for NYS Manufacturers | 8:30 AM-12:30 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | Binghamton University, 85 Murray Hill Rd., Vestal | Solutions Forum for NYS Manufact urers: Southern TierApril 12, 2017 • Binghamton University (in the Rotunda)8:30AM-12:30PM85 Murray Hill Rd., Vestal, NY 13850This event is for you if you’re a manufacturer or product developer based in NY’s Southern Tier. Register now to take advantage of a morning of one-on-one targeted meetings with experts from New York’s business, manufacturing, and innovation ecosystems.Registration required : https://fuzehub.com/ nyevents/ 11th Annual Celebrity Chef Pasta Nights | 5:00 PM-8:30 PM, 4/13 Thursday | Glenora Wine Cellars Inc, 5435 State Route 14, Dundee | Pasta Night returns for its 11th year! Join Glenora Wine Cellars for their favorite winter tradition and enjoy fresh pasta dishes prepared by local celebrity chefs every Thursday at Veraisons. Reservations Strongly Suggested. Reserve a table online or call 800.243.5513 Dino EGGstravaganza | 10:00 AM-1:00 PM, 4/15 Saturday | Museum
VEnissa Santi Quartet,
ThisWeek 20
environment with great mentorship. Come visit a meeting (or several) and learn how to develop your communication skills and leadership potential.
Casita Del Polaris, Friday, April 14, 9:00 p.m.
Trained in Jazz, and schooled in the sacred/secular musical visions of her ancestral homeland of Cuba, Venissa Santi is a wave of fluidity and culture. The singer has journeyed wide and far to realize her contemporary presentation, being a 2008 PEW Fellow and signing with Sunnyside Records. Growing up on the sounds of Ravel, Celia Cruz, jazz and Michael Jackson, Santi presents a personal and refreshing take on an original form.
I
t h a c a
T
i m e s
/
A
p r i l
12–1 8,
2017
of the Earth, 1259 Trumansburg Rd, Ithaca | Get ready to have an egg-cellent time at the Museum of the Earth at Dino EGGstravaganza! Take part in a (candy free) egg hunt throughout our exhibits. 11th Annual Six Mile Creek Cleanup | 11:00 AM, 4/15 Saturday | Cayuga Street Bridge over Six Mile Creek, , Ithaca | Gather at the Cayuga Street bridge over Six Mile Creek and work your way west along both banks of the creek to Route 13, picking up trash along the way. All are welcome to participate. Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves if they have them. Trash bags and hauling will be provided. 1st Annual Electric Avenue Music Festival | 12:00 PM-4:00 PM, 4/15 Saturday | Various Locations, , Ithaca | WVBR 93.5 FM and Electric Buffalo Records are proud to host the 1st Annual Electric Avenue Music Festival, benefiting Loaves and Fishes of Tompkins County. The festival takes place at WVBR-FM’s Vinyl Room (604 E. Buffalo, Ithaca, NY), The Loft at the Carriage House (305 Stewart Ave, Ithaca, NY) and Loco Cantina (308 Stewart, Ithaca, NY). Food, music and more. To learn more, visit www. facebook.com/electricbuffalorecords/ The New Jim Crow Community Read | 5:30 PM-7:30 PM, 4/17 Monday | BJM gym, Buffalo St., ithaca | The final Community Read event, “Taking Action to End the New Jim Crow” - Next steps for addressing mass incarceration locally. refreshments and childcare provided. Climate Change at the Crossroads: Environmental Justice in the Age of Trump | 7:00 PM-9:00 PM, 4/18 Tuesday | Textor Hall, Room 102, Ithaca College, Ithaca | Dr. Sandra Steingraber, will be joined by a panel of experts and activists to discuss the intersectionalities of climate change and the future of environmental activism in the current political climate, with a special focus on local initiatives. Dr. Steingraber is a distinguished scholar in residence at Ithaca College. She is a biologist, author, and activist.
Kids
For more information, contact Teen Services Librarian Regina DeMauro at rdemauro@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 274. Baby Storytime | 10:30 AM, 4/14 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | During these fun-filled 30-minute sessions, Library staff will share books, songs, rhymes, baby signs and early literacy tips. Baby Storytime programs are followed by hour-long Baby and Toddler Playtimes, which encourage socialization and learning through unstructured play. For more information, contact the Library’s Youth Services Department at (607) 272-4557 extension 275. Dino EGGstravaganza | 10:00 AM-1:00 PM, 4/15 Saturday | Museum of the Earth, 1259 Trumansburg Rd, Ithaca | Get ready to have an egg-cellent time at the Museum of the Earth at Dino EGGstravaganza! Take part in a (candy free) egg hunt throughout their exhibits, explore their EGGstraordinary touch table to learn about eggs of the present and past, and play away in our special play room. Family Storytime | 11:00 AM, 4/15 Saturday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Children of all ages and their caregivers are invited to celebrate reading and build their early-literacy skills at Family Storytime. All children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. For more information, contact the Youth Services Department at (607) 272-4557 extension 275. Spring Break Camp | 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, 4/17 Monday | Cayuga Nature Center, 1420 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Runs Apr 17-21, 2017. Come join the Cayuga Nature Center for a week of outdoor adventure as we explore and observe the annual reawakening of forest and fields. We’ll learn about the beautiful and secretive spring ephemerals, search and survey our emerging amphibians, and get our hands dirty planting beneficial seeds for our local pollinators! There’s no limit to what we can see and do in this exciting season of change. Toddler & Preschool Storytime | 11:00 AM, 4/18 Tuesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Caregivers and children ages 24
Teen Writing Workshops | 4:45 PM, 4/13 Thursday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Young adults are invited to exercise their creative muscles during weekly teen writing workshops.
Online Calendar See it at ithaca.com.
Sleeping Beauty,
State Theatre, Fri, April 14, 7:30 p.m, Sat, April 15, 2:30 p.m. Ithaca Ballet’s season finale closes the year out in stellar fashion. “Sleeping Beauty” is a classic and much beloved ballet with a dynamic and lush score by Tchaikovsky that stirs the magic and passion of life in one’s heart. This feature will showcase original choreography by Marius Petipa, and additional new choreography and staging by Cindy Reid. Reid has arranged the ballet for audiences and families for every age, so grab everyone and get out to this thing. You’ll be dazzled and lifted.
months to 4 years are invited to TCPL for early literacy-based stories, songs, finger plays and much more. After storytime, stay for an hour of play and social time.
Books Poetry Salon Fundraiser | 6:00 PM-7:00 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | CAP ArtsSpace, 171 The Commons, Ithaca | Featuring poems by Stacey Murphy & Rob Sullivan. The reading is a fundraiser for the Community Arts Partnership. Amy Dickinson | 7:00 PM, 4/12 Wednesday | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Amy Dickinson is a nationally-syndicated advice columnist and author of The Mighty Queens of Freeville, invites you to an evening of stories, songs, prizes, and fun in celebration of the release of her new book, Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things. Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution | 4:00 PM, 4/13 Thursday | Mann Library, Stern Seminar Room 160, Cornell University | Book Talk by Anurag Agrawal. For more information visit booktalks.library. cornell.edu. Mat Callahan | 5:30 PM, 4/14 Friday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N Cayuga St, Ithaca | A reading from Mat Callahan’s book, The Explosion of Deferred Dreams: Musical Renaissance and Social Revolution in San Francisco, 1965-1975.
Art Alice Gant’s Banners | 5:00 PM-6:30 PM, 4/13 Thursday | HiVE 45, 45 East Main Street, Trumansburg | A collection of quilted banners by Trumansburg artist Alice Gant will open in April. Cupcakes will be served during the opening reception, in addition to Hive 45’s beer, wine, cocktails, and regular dinner menu. Alice Gant uses a technique of her own design called neo-reverse applique. For more information on art shows at Felicia’s Hive 45, contact hivefortyfive@gmail. com or call 607.209.4229. Watercolor Painting with Jim Hardesty | 6:00 PM-7:30 PM, 4/13 Thursday | Edith B. Ford Memorial Library, 7169 N Main St, Ovid | For more information, or to register, contact the Ford Memorial Library in Ovid: 607-869- 3031 or ovidlib@rochester.
HeadsUp The best thing to do by Jenny Schulte
I
n the foreword of her new book Reading for Fun, Alison Lurie writes, “Lately I keep meeting people who believe there are two kinds of fiction: important literary stories and novels that you read not for pleasure, but out of a sense of duty: because they are good for you, like kale or brown rice, and stories and novels that are like ice cream: delectable, often irresistible, but probably bad for your intellectual and moral health.” It’s this mindset that Lurie, now 90, aims to combat in Reading for Fun, a collection of some of her favorite book introductions and reviews she’s written throughout her career. Lurie, a former Cornell University professor and now Frederic J. Whiton Professor of American Literature Emerita, has been one of Ithaca’s most popular writers for years. She’s written 11 novels, including national best sellers The War Between the Tates and Foreign Affairs, which won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Reading for Fun will add to Lurie’s list of nonfiction works, which includes another bestseller, The Language of Clothes. She will launch the new book at a reading at Buffalo Street Books on April 22.
rr.com. Community Altar of Love & Loss by Art Club | | DeWitt Park, Ithaca | Community Altar of Love & Loss by Art Club. DeWitt Park, Ithaca. March 21 - April 17. Visit and contribute your own offering to the community altar during park hours (5am-10pm). Loss is universal. The community altar is for everyone. For more information see the calendar page at yourartclub.com. \ongoing Benjamin Peters | 120 on The Commons, Ithaca | Landscapes, Carl Schofield. Landscape scenes from the finger lakes region and other areas. Framed prints on waxed canvas and laminated paper. Bufalo Street Books | 215 N Cayuga St, Ithaca | Gwendelen Lippitt, Bombastic. Somber poses meet dog ears and neon colors. This collection goes out of
Reading for Fun covers 16 novels written by prominent American and British authors of the 20th century, including Henry James, Alice Munro and John Updike. Having written many introductions to reprints of novels and reviews in The New York Times and The New York Review of Books, Lurie had no shortage of options for texts to include. She said, though, that she was limited by being a woman while working as a reviewer, since she was mostly assigned to cover female writers. On the other hand, Lurie is now happy to feature nine female authors in Reading for Fun. “I do think that as time passes a lot of really good women writers get forgotten about,” she said. In general, Lurie tried to include articles that ventured beyond the typical scope of a book review. “I picked articles that began as ideas I’d been having and things I observed,” Lurie said. “They were the longest and most serious, and most of all, they were ones in which I used the book review to talk about something I wanted to talk about.” A perfect example is her review of The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud. Messud’s novel is focused on a young woman who’s depressed due to a lack of fame. Lurie said she and her friends never came across such a problem while growing up, and the novel helped her think about the role of technology in young people’s lives today. “We might have been miserable because we broke up with our boyfriend or we were failing chemistry,” she said. But in time without cell phones,
its way to not take itself too seriously, gently poking fun at classic portraiture by including images of feet and iconic objects. Cornell Lab of Ornithology | 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca | Free Spirits: Bird Photography by Marie Read : Acclaimed local wildlife photographer Marie Read celebrates the beauty of birds with an exhibition, Free Spirits. Marie’s exquisite, story-telling images have appeared in magazines and calendars worldwide, as well as in her four books. She travels widely but also works extensively in her Freeville backyard. Community School of Music and Arts | 330 E State St, Ithaca | Dennis Bertram, “Skyships”. The oil paintings of Dennis Bertram, of Buffalo, NY, feature “skyships” or tightly formed visual constructions built from smaller images evoking houses, churches and other buildings. Elevator Music and Art Gallery at
Lurie said it never occurred to she or her friends that anyone would be upset about not being famous. “You didn’t want to become part of an entourage,” Lurie said. “It wasn’t important for you to know these people and to follow them. [Messud] can show us how poisonous it is for us to think this way.” With this approach, Lurie’s reviews and introductions have a much more analytical and educational tone than a critical one. “I never review a book that I dislike,” she said. “Because I don’t think there’s any purpose in that. There’s only so much space in newspapers and magazines, and there’s no point in stamping all over an author.” Lurie decided to put some of her reviews into a collection mostly for preservation’s sake. “Over the years I’ve written a great many articles and reviews and a lot were published in magazines,” she said. “They disappear into the cloud, or the older ones are just crumpled paper in library stacks somewhere. You could find them if you knew they existed, but you wouldn’t know how to do so.” Reading for Fun allowed Lurie to reprint some of her favorite analyses of literature right in one book. At the Buffalo Street Books reading, Lurie will give away five of the novels discussed in Reading for Fun to the first
New Roots School | 116 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca | Nuevo Durango by Caroline Snyder. Nuevo Durango is a small Maya village located deep in the tropical dry forest of southern Mexico. A few years ago, I went on a biological research trip there with the New Roots upper-school science teacher, David Streib. eye Gallery | 126 E State St, Ithaca | Eye Gallery reopens after a winter respite with “Curiosities, Oddments, & Gifts from Soldiers”, featuring internationally known Josh Charles Hart, Paul Chathem, & Jim Garmhausen. Works include original paintings and sculptures. Show runs from April 7 – 30th. All artwork will be available in-house and online. Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University | Central Ave., Ithaca | “Empathy Academy: Social Practice and the Problem of Objects” (through May 28) / “Escaping the Ordinary: Artistic Imagination in Early Modern Prints” (through May 28) /
five people who buy the book. That way, “at least five people will read at least one book I’ve written about,” she said. In the end, Lurie’s main objective while writing reviews and putting together Reading for Fun has been to give great reading recommendations. “I wanted to include pieces that would tell [readers] about wonderful writers they might not know of,” she said. “I hope it will encourage people to read these excellent books.” •
Identity Crisis: Reflecting On Public and Private LIfe in Contemporary Javanese Photography” (through June 11) / “The War to End All Wars” (through June 11) / Leo Villareal “Cosmos” (ongoing) | www.museum. cornell.edu Hilton Garden Inn | 130 Seneca Street, Ithaca | Ron Boehner, “Simply: Untitled” Lifelong | 119 W Court St, Ithaca | Calming Effect: Regina McGriff: Regina has been painting about a dozen years. She started in watercolor and now incorporates many of those techniques in her acrylic paintings. The exhibit will be up through March and April. Lot 10 | 106 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | Angelo Peter: Space Fruit | Paintings. Medusa Tatoo Studio | 126 W State St | Jen Lightfoot, “Sweet Darkness”. Part horror film, part pinup fantasy, Jen Lightfoot’s drawings strive to bring together the grotesque and the erotic in a nightmarish embrace
Got Submissions? Send your events items – band gigs, benefits, meet-ups, whatever – to arts@ithacatimes.com.
Sheer Mag,
Sacred Root Kava Lounge, Friday, April 14, 8:00 p.m.
The Haunt, Monday, April 17, 8:00 p.m.
Some individuals are capable of grand experimental vision. Jason Kahn is one of them. Kahn uses his voice as a propulsive endeavor the way many of us grumble and hiss when no one’s looking. His technique and form is wide-ranging and original. Elements of noise, sound collage, the avant-garde, and retraction, are Kahn’s signature movements, but nothing can really describe the live experience. Check it out for yourself.
With a penchant for ‘70s rock escapism, punk rockers Sheer Mag are totally divine and original. They’re a band that’s fun, tough, real and so strangely unique, that you can’t help but fall for every riff and bridge they forge. Check out their “Fan The Flames” video on You Tube. Grindcore legions Escuela and grunge punkers Green Dream open up for what’s sure to be the best frigging Monday night you’ve had in a while!
T
h e
I
t h a c a
T
i m e s
/
A
p r i l
1 2 – 1 8 ,
ThisWeek
Jason Kahn,
State of the Art Gallery | 120 W State St Ste 2, Ithaca | Time and Motion, Patricia Brown and Barbara Mink. “Time and Motion” explores the freedom of line and vibrancy of color in the work of Patricia Brown and Barbara Mink. Through the placement of diagonal, gestural and directional lines, both women use motion to imply the passage of time.www.soagithaca.org Sunny Days of Ithaca | Ithaca, 123 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | Carla DeMello, “Feathered” Carla DeMello is an artist who lives in Ithaca, NY. All her life, she’s worked and played with any material that catches her eye—colorful, sticky, natural, malleable, goopy, or beautiful.
2 0 1 7
21
Town & Country
Classifieds
In Print
|
On Line |
10 Newspapers
277-7000
15 words / runs 2 insertions
buy sell
250/Merchandise
CFCU and others
Goodyear Ultragrip Snow Tires size 215-65-R15. Plenty of tread. $40.00 each. Call 607-319-1249
SAWMILLS from only $4397.00 - MAKE & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmillcut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info /DVD: www. NorwoodSawmills.com 1-800-578-1363 Ext. 300N (NYSCAN)
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL SCHOOL Lafayette, New york PositioN avaiLabLe 2017-2018 school year LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST assigned to the onondaga Nation school effective september 1, 2017 NYS Teaching Certification required school library experience preferred salary Per Negotiated agreement iNteresteD CaNDiDates aPPLy to: vanessa tryon, Secretary to the Superintendent Lafayette Central school District 5955 Route 20 Lafayette, New york 13084 315-677-9728 vtryon@lafayetteschools.org application available online at www. lafayetteschools.org also on oLas www.olasjobs.org DeaDLiNe for aPPLiCatioNs Until Position is filled eoe 22
The
I thaca Time s
/
Free Ads: Lost and Found and free items run at no charge for up to 3 weeks. Merchandise for Sale, private party only. Price must be under $100 and stated in ad
Fax and Mail orders only
140/Cars
Donate your car to Wheels For Wishes, benefiting Make-A-Wish. We offer free towing and your donation is 100% tax deductible. Call:315-400-0797 Today! (NYSCAN)
Headlines: 9-point headlines (use up to 16 characters) $2.00 per line. If bold type, centered or unusually spaced type, borders in ad, or logos in ads are requested, the ad will be charged at the display classified advertising rate. Call 277-7000 for rate information.
MERCHANDISE $100 - $500
Ap r il
12– 18,
GARAGE SALES
19.
$
19. 25 words
00
$
buy sell
employment
270/Pets
LOCAL DRIVERS WANTED
Pointer puppies for sale; tails docked, dew claws, vaccinated. Ready:May 29, 2017; $800 607-273-4491
Be your own boss. Flexible hours. Unlimited earning potential. Must be 21 with valid U.S. driver’s license, insurance & reliable vehicle. 866-329-2672 (AAN CAN)
410/Business Opportunity 320/Bulletin Board Irish Settlement Road Campsites
2 acre sires, call for details, 607-2622239
MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY
Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get Help! It is time to take your life back! Call Now: 855732-4139 (AAN CAN)
400/Employment J&F Farms Inc.
Derry, NH needs 4 temporary workers 5/1/2017 to 11/10/2017, work tools, supplies, equipment provided without cost to worker. Housing will be available without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract. Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the workdays during the contract period. $12.38 per hr. Applicants to apply contact Scott Koblich, NH Employment Security at 603-229-4407. Or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #145025. Worker may perform any combination of tasks related to the planting, cultivating, and processing of fruit and vegetables crops including, but not limited to, driving, operating, adjusts and maintains farm machines, preparing soil, planting, pruning, weeding thinning, spraying, irrigating, mowing, harvesting, grading, packing all by hand. May use hand tools such as shovel, pruning saw, and hoe. 1 months experience in duties listed required.
2017
You Can PL Your Ads O ACE N at Ithaca.c LINE om
Employment / Real Estate / Adoption: $59.00 first 15 words (minimum), 30 cents each additional word. Ads run 2 weeks.
MERCHANDISE UNDER $100
GERMAN SHORTHAIR
Apply for online financing. VW/Audi (used) Sales, Service, Parts. 36 years. Open 7 Days a Week. Leather Theater Seats, Keurig Coffee, WiFi 315-789-2200 www.SelectEuroCars.com Routes 5 & 20 Waterloo
25% Discount - Run your non-commercial ad for 4 consecutive weeks, you only pay for 3 (Adoption, Merchandise or Housemates)
| 59,200 Readers
FREE
Automotive
Line Ads: $18.50 for first 12 words (minimum), 30 cents each additional word.
Internet: www.ithaca.com Mail: Ithaca Times Classified Dept PO Box 27 Ithaca NY 14850 In Person: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm 109 North Cayuga Street
Phone: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm Fax: 277-1012 (24 Hrs Daily)
Special Rates:
Ithaca Times Town & Country Classified Ad Rates
AIRLINE CAREERS
Start Here - Get trained as FAA Certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call AIM for free information 866-296-7093. (NYSCAN)
430/General
00
employment Rota-Spring Farm
Sterling, MA needs 2 temporary worker 4/29/2017 to 11/15/2017, work tools, supplies, equipment provided without cost to worker. Housing will be available without cost to the worker who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and subsistence is
begin here - Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN)
Part Time Summer Help
Applications are now being accepted for Part-Time Summer Help for the Village of Candor. Duties include park and lawn maintenance with a maximum of 20 hours a week at minimum wage. Must have valid & clean NYS driver’s license and be 18 years of age. Obtain application from Candor Village Clerk, 138 Main Street, Candor NY during regular office hours: Tuesday 11-5 pm; Wednesday 1-6pm; Thursday 8-2pm. Applications accepted only until April 27, 2017 at 2pm.
15
$
per week / 13 week minimum
employment Sales Representative
Join our team and reach your potential. Perfect position for the person who enjoys working independently, and being rewarded for the energy they put into their work every day and help Local Businesses grow. Base, Commission, Bonus & Benefits and a great work environment. Send cover letter & resume to: jbiliniski@ ithacatimes.com
provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract. Work is guaranteed for 3/4 of the work days during the contract period. $12.38 per hr. Applicants apply at, North Central Career Center, 100 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA. 01453, 978-534-1481 or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #8570613. Plant, cultivate, and harvest various crops such as, but not limited to vegetables, fruit,
AIRLINE CAREERS
SERVICE DIRECTORY
horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools such as but not limited to, shovels, hoes, pruning shears, knives and ladders. duties may include but are not limited to, tilling the soil, applying fertilizer, transplanting, weeding, thinning, pruning, applying pesticides under the direct supervision of a certified applicator, picking and cutting, cleaning, sorting, packing, processing, and handling harvested products. May set up operate and repair farm machinery, repair fences and farm buildings, also may participate in irrigation activities, requiring workers to bend, stoop, lift and carry up to 50 pounds on a frequent basis. Duties may require working off the ground at heights up to 20 ft. using ladders or climbing. 1
The City of Ithaca
is accepting applications for the following exams: Receptionist #68-661: Currently, there is one vacancy in the Ithaca Housing Authority. Min Quals & Spec Reqs: visit website. Residency; Applicants must be residents of Tompkins County or one of its 6 contiguous. Salary: $11.59/hour. Application Deadline: 5/11/17. Exam Date: 6/24/17. Entry Level Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations #2017-6 : Currently, there are two vacancies in the Department of Public Works. Min. Quals & Spec Reqs: visit website. Residency: Applicants must be residents of Tompkins County. Salary: $33,774-$42,078. Application Deadline: 5/11/17. Exam Date: 6/10/17. City of Ithaca HR Dept., 108 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY 14850 607-274-6539 www. cityofithaca.org The City of Ithaca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversifying its workforce
Give the Gift They’ll Love!! UKES starting at $40...
month vegetable experience required.
with strings attached!
Tax Foreclosed Real Estate Auction SENECA COUNTY
Wednesday, April 19, 2017 Registration: 6:00 PM� • Auction Start: 7:00 PM
25+ Parcels Available
Sale Location: 1 DiPronio Dr, Waterloo, New York 13165
County Office Building, within the Office for the Aging Department. Parking will be in the South Lot For complete information, visit www.auctionsinternational.com or call Auctioneer RJ Klisiewicz, AMM at 800-536-1401 ext. 110
www.AuctionsInternational.com • 1-800-536-1401
Selling Government Surplus Daily at: www.AuctionsInternational.com
DeWitt Mall
272-2602
www.guitarworks.com
employment
real estate
services
1040/Land for Sale
Westward Orchards
Harvard, MA needs 2 temporary workers 4/23/2017 to 11/1/2017, work tools, supplies, equipment provided without cost to worker. Housing will be available without cost to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day. Transportation reimbursement and sustenance is provided upon completion of 15 days or 50% of the work contract. Work is guaranteed 3/4/ of the workdays during the contract period. $12.38 per hr. Applicants apply at North Central Career Center, 978-5431481 or apply for the job at the nearest local office of the SWA. Job order #8590756. May perform any combination of tasks related to the planting, cultivation and processing of fruit and vegetable crops, including, but not limited to, driving or operating farm machines, maintaining buildings, preparing soil, planting, pruning, weeding, thinning, spraying, irrigating, mowing and harvesting. May use hand tools such as shovel, pruning saw, and hoe. 1 month experience in duties listed required.
520/Adoptions Wanted PREGNANT?
CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living Expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 877-362-2401. (AAN CAN)
695/Vacation OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND. Best selection of affordable rentals. Full / partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800638-2102. Online reservations: www. holidayoc.com (NYSCAN)
LAKEFRONT LAND LIQUIDATION!
805/Business Services Four Seasons Landscaping Inc. 607.272.1504 Lawn maintenance, spring + fall clean up + gutter cleaning, patios, retaining walls, + walkways, landscape design + installation. Drainage. Snow Removal. Dumpster rentals. Find us on Facebook!
6-acres - $99,900 Cortland Co in the
Finger Lakes! Unspoiled lake, wooded privacy, great fishing! Ideal country
homesites! Call 888-701-7509, NewYorkLandandLakes.com (NYSCAN)
LAND WANTED
Cash buyer seeks large acreage 200+
acres in the Central / Finger Lakes and
Catskills Regions of NY State. Brokers welcome. For immediate confidential
Ron Brewer Masonry
all types new or repairs, foundation, sidewalks, beam replacement, french drains, jacking and leveling, basement water problems remedies, free estimate, Ron 607-427-4725 or Josh 607-354-6940
info@NewYorkLandandLakes.com (NUYSCAN)
You Can PLACE
Hard Money/ Bridge Loans, No Documents - Stated Income Loans, up to 90% RP, 100% Rehab, purchase-refinance, One-Four Units, Mixed Use, Commercial Buildings 1-888-565-9477 (NYSCAN)
720/Rooms Wanted
• Rebuilt • Reconditioned • Bought• Sold • Moved • Tuned • Rented
Complete rebuilding services. No job too big or too small. Call us.
Ithaca Piano Rebuilders (607) 272-6547 950 Danby Rd., Suite 26
South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca, NY
By Peg g y Haine
A
woodsy magic prevails on the 3+ acres surrounding this cozy Cape Cod, perched on the side of a gentle sloping hill with paths to explore, an egg-shaped pond alive with the calls of spring peepers, and woodland daffodils just beginning to bloom, a perfect perch for enjoying spring’s arrival. The home’s wrap-around, multi-level deck provides a tree-house-like setting ideal for engaging with nature, while the pond invites sauna luxuriators to cool down. The sauna itself is a glassedin structure off by itself, high above the
WINDOWS
REPLACEMENT A FULL LINE OF VINYL Manufacture To InstallWINDOWS REPLACEMENT WINDOWS We DoREPLACEMENT It forAll Call Free Estimate &
WINDOWS VINYL Professional Installation A FULL LINE OF Custom made & manufactured AREPLACEMENT FULL LINE OF VINYL WINDOWS by… REPLACEMENT WINDOWS Call for Free Estimate & Call for Free Estimate & 75 Turkey Hill Road, Ithaca (Photo provided) Professional Installation 3/54( Professional Installation Custom made & manufactured Custom made & manufactured 3%.%#! by… by… 6).9, 3/54( 3/54( 3%.%#! 3%.%#! 6).9,
Romulus, NY 315-585-6050 or Toll Free at 866-585-6050
www.SouthSenecaWindows.com Romulus, NY Romulus, NY 315-585-6050 or 315-585-6050 Toll Free at 866-585-6050 or Toll Free at
866-585-6050
Ithaca’s only
hometown electrical distributor Your one Stop Shop
PIANOS
Privacy on 3.85 Wooded Acres with Pond & Sauna
at Ithaca. com REPLACEMENT
6).9,
ALL AREAS - ROOMMATES.COM. Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates .com! (AAN CAN)
A Home to Dream in
Your ads ONLINE
1010/Commercial FIX’ N FLIPS
response, call 607-353-8068 or email
real estate
Since 1984 802 W. Seneca St. Ithaca 607-272-1711 fax: 607-272-3102 www.fingerlakeselectric.com
Ithaca WebsIte DesIgn
Do you have a business? are you starting a business? Let Us help You!
the dining room look out over the pond, giving the place even more of a treehouse feel, and the lower level offers well maintained hardwood floors. Two mainlevel rooms could be bedrooms, but they have been used most recently as offices or libraries by the sellers. The living room offers two bay windows, one set above built-in bookcases, the other with a cozy window seat, and a warming woodstove. Several first-floor sliders let in light, especially in winter, when the trees are stripped of their leaves. Lots of replacement windows and smooth-railed sliders insure you’ll have plenty of light and warmth in winter. In the leaf-bearing season, cooling shade and privacy make the place especially comfortable. With all the ready comforts of municipal life – municipal water and sewer, natural gas, hi-speed internet – the place feels as if it’s in a far-off forest. Nevertheless, it is within walking distance (in good shoes) of Monkey Run, woodsy paths, and a TCAT bus stop. Returning from your hike, your wood-burning stoves, upstairs and down, provide warmth and comfort on chilly days and evenings. Located on the northern end of Turkey Hill Road, it is near to both Route 366 and Route 13, for easy access to both Cornell and to Lansing shopping, and a stone’s throw from the Antlers, for quiet evenings out. •
pond – oh, the views! The house’s exterior shows off a new coat of cool pale grey paint, and the deck seems to be in great condition. Indoors, it is bursting with possibility. The sellers, who have occupied the home for many years, turned the upper Before you set foot in that first open level of this former two-unit dwelling house, get prequalified for a mortgage into a huge, loft-like bedroom with its At A Glance and know exactly what you can afford. own bath and clever built-ins. The bedPrice: $219,000 room picks up on the treehouse theme, Location: 7 5 Turkey Road with an aerie’s view of the pond. With We offer plentyHill of loan Ithaca, NY programs for the replacement of kitchen appliances, options and special it could once more be let as a second Schoolfirst-time District:homebuyers. Town of Dryden, Ithaca apartment, with its own outside access, Schools or could be leased out as an AirBnB-type MLS#: 309461 decisions take minutes, not days. rental. Sellers say it’s zoned for two-fam- And Contact: Karen Small and Frank ily homes. And the upstairs carpet could shopping.* Martinez.Happy Licensed NYS Real Estate benefit from replacement. Salespersons Downstairs, the kitchen, with plenty Apply online or talk to one of our Phone: 607.229.6487 and 607.279.2654 of oak cabinets, top and bottom, and
Mortgage Officers today.
more than 100 years
We have been in business since 1980 specializing in streaming House shopping? audio and video. Our team of experts can build you a website with features such as search engine optimization, tracking of mortgage experience web site visitors, listing on Facebook. Check us out on in the www.ithacawebsitedesign.com Tompkins County region. Call us at 607-272-9175 we are open Monday to Friday 9am. to answer your questions.
Home is where the prequalified mortgage is. 607-273-3210
RE 5X1.5.indd 1
Th e
TompkinsTrust.com Member FDIC
I th a ca Times
/ Apr il
* Loans subject to credit approval and to income and other qualifying guidelines.
1 2 – 1 8 ,
3/11/09 1:46:55 PM
2 0 1 7
23
BackPage
For rates and information contact Cyndi Brong at
Independence Cleaners Corp
Papa Johns
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
Load it up Special
cbrong @ ithactimes.com
Janitorial Service * Floor/Carpet
277-7000 p h o n e 277-1012 f a x
High Dusting * Windows/Awnings 24/7 CLEANING Services
Any large pizza with up to 5 toppings plus cheese only $12.00 with Community Cash Coupon Regular $20.49 * Save $8.49
607-697-3294
273-Papa (7272
Buy, Sell & Consign Previously-enjoyed
)
4 Seasons Landscaping Inc.
FURNITURE & DECOR
It’s Your Funeral
MIMI’S ATTIC
Will it be What You Want?
607-272-1504
430 W. State St. (607)882-9038
lawn maintenance
Get unbiased funeral planning information
Open Every Day!
LPs 45s 78s ROCK JAZZ BLUES
drainage dumpster rentals
Angry Mom Records
Find us on Facebook!
115 The Commons Basement
Real Life Ceremonies
www.fingerlakesfunerals.org 273-8316
Honor a Life like no other
info@fingerlakesfunerals.org
with ceremonies like no other. Steve@reallifeceremonies.com
Love dogs?
319-4953 angrymomrecords@gmail.com 5.00 OFF any $25 purchase or more
Les - 607-272-9175
of the Finger Lakes
PUNK REGGAE ETC
snow removal
Latest Technology. Affordable
Funeral Consumers Alliance
* BUYING RECORDS *
landscape design + installation
with a Camera Surveillance System
and price comparisons from
spring + fall clean up + gutter cleaning patios, retaining walls, + walkways
Protect Your Home
Save 10% at
Check out Cayuga Dog Rescue!
Tokyo Hibachi & Asian Bistro
at Ithaca Ace Hardware
“CLEAR IT OUT”
Adopt! Foster! Volunteer! Donate for vet care!
with Community Cash Coupon
Kitchen & Bath Center
Basements, Barns, Garages & etc.
www.cayugadogrescue.org
722 South Meadow Street
Reliable and Affordable
www.facebook.com/CayugaDogRescue
277-8888
Triphammer Market Place 607-319-4002
Richard F. Vogt Call 387-4190 water1945@live.com
AAM ALL ABOUT MACS
MAGIKITCHEN.NET
http://www.allaboutmacs.com
Trip Pack N Ship
Same Day Service Available
Triphammer Market Place
John’s Tailor Shop
607-370-6210
607-227-4624
Affordable Acupuncture Full range of effective care for a full
with Community Cash Coupon
Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair.
Put some Class in Your Kitchen
(607) 280-4729
10% OFF any Service
for over 20 years
Custom Cooking Classes
Macintosh Consulting
Ship for Less
Men’s and Women’s Alterations
John Serferlis - Tailor
Spring Break Yoga for Kids!
How will you be remembered?
102 The Commons
Budding Yogis: Workshop for ages 6-10
Award-winning writer works with you to
273-3192
Saturday, April 15 * 2-4pm
range of human ailments
Rates online
Peaceful Spirit Acupuncture
craft a factual bio with charm and pathos
Anthony Fazio, L.Ac., C.A.
Free five-year update
Not Just Any Guitar Lesson
www.peacefulspiritacupuncture.com
PeggyHaine.1@gmail.com
www.GuitarLessonsIthaca.com
607-272-0114
HAVE THE LAST WORD!
This week at GreenStar we have 3,778 local products...
like bianco brie-style cheese from Kenton’s Cheese Co.
607-222-3166
Save $5 when you sign up before April 7th!
MIGHTY YOGA Voted Best of Ithaca Visit www.mightyyoga.com 272-0682
LOCATED
13.6 miles
from GREENSTAR
www.greenstar.coop We define local as products or services that are produced or owned within 100 miles of GreenStar. 24
The
I thaca Time s
/
Ap r il
12– 18,
2017