Issuu

M O U N T A I N

HOME Pennsylvania & the New York Finger Lakes

Fine Art on the Ferment Finger Lakes Beverage Labels Adorn PicturePerfect Pours

By David Higgins

E FasRtheEwind Inn the Pink in Bath A Ridge with a View (on Life) Introducing the Cask on Seneca Lake

ide s In n io t c Se g in d ed OCTOBER 2026 W

HOME M

Volume 21 Issue 10

5 Last Great Place

Fine Art on the Ferment

By Gayle Morrow The winners are...

By David Higgins

14 Reframing the

Finger Lakes beverage labels adorn picture-perfect pours.

Rockwell

By Phil Hesser

Corning’s iconic museum turns fifty.

18 Glory Hill Diaries By Maggie Barnes A sacred mess.

6 Prepare to Be Amaized

24 Bath Is Inn the Pink By Karey Solomon

Lake Life Catering makes every meal a special event.

By Karey Solomon Celebrate October at these corn mazes.

26 Introducing the Cask By Mitzi Saul

Beerocracy brings a uniquely British style brew to FLX.

28 Avis’s Ghostly

Detectives

By Linda Roller

30 A Clean Start at From the Farm

Liberty Bookshop tells spooky stories.

38 High on the Mountain

By Joshua Allen

By Matthew Stevens

Esther Perry makes soaps that make a difference.

A ridge with a view (of life).

42 Back of the Mountain By Deb Young The frosty fringes

Cover Photo: ©Nathan Benn / National Geographic, Walter Taylor, Bully Hill Vineyards, Hammondsport, NY (detail), 1975, Rockwell Museum Purchase with In-Kind Gift by the Artist. 2021.9.12 This page (top) Walter S. Taylor courtesy Bully Hill Vineyards; (middle) Miller's corn maze courtesy Amanda Miller; (bottom) From the Farm by Wade Spencer. 3

m o u n ta i n h o m e m ag . co m Editors & Publishers Teresa Banik Capuzzo Michael Capuzzo Associate Editor & Publisher Lilace Mellin Guignard Art Director Wade Spencer Managing Editor Gayle Morrow S a l e s R ep r e s e n t a t i v e Teresa Banik Capuzzo Circulation Director Michael Banik Accounting Amy Packard Cover Design Wade Spencer Contributing Writers Josh Allen, Maggie Barnes, Phil Hesser, David Higgins, Linda Roller, Mitzi Saul, Karey Solomon, Matthew Stevens C o n t r i b u t i n g P h o t o g r ap h e r s Nathan Benn, Kurt Brownell, Cassandra LaCroix, Amanda Miller,Linda Roller, Karey Solomon, Mitzi Saul, Jess Spady, Matthew Stevens, Tai Sophia Photography, Deb Young

Contributing Artists Suzette Urbano

Endless Mountain

Stephen Gunzenhauser Ar tistic Director

Thank You

Thank you for your support and the opportunity to share our music with hundreds of new & loyal audience members at EMMF 2026. We look forward to seeing you next year.

EMMF 2027: July 16 - Aug 1

D i s t r i b u t i o n T eam Grapevine Distribution, Linda Roller T h e B ea g l e Nano Cosmo (1996-2014) • Yogi (2004-2018) ABOUT US: Mountain Home is the award-winning regional magazine of PA and NY with more than 100,000 readers. The magazine has been published monthly, since 2005, by Beagle Media, LLC, 39 Water Street, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, 16901, online at mountainhomemag.com or at issuu.com/mountainhome. Copyright © 2026 Beagle Media, LLC. All rights reserved. E-mail story ideas to editorial@ mountainhomemag.com, or call (570) 724-3838. TO ADVERTISE: E-mail info@mountainhomemag.com, or call us at (570) 724-3838. AWARDS: Mountain Home has won over 100 international and statewide journalism awards from the International Regional Magazine Association and the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association for excellence in writing, photography, and design. DISTRIBUTION: Mountain Home is available “Free as the Wind” at hundreds of locations in Tioga, Potter, Bradford, Lycoming, Union, and Clinton counties in PA and Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Yates, Seneca, Tioga, and Ontario counties in NY. SUBSCRIPTIONS: For a one-year subscription (12 issues), send $24.95, payable to Beagle Media LLC, 39 Water Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901 or visit mountainhomemag.com..

Last Great Place

The Winners Are... By Gayle Morrow

hat is an IRMA honor, anyhow? Is it an award like an Emmy, Oscar, or Tony? Not exactly, but they’re related. In the Famous Awards family to which the Oscars et.al. belong, you might think of IRMAs as a second cousin once removed. IRMA award recipients don’t get a statue, a red carpet, or fawning paparazzi, but they do get prestige, peer respect, and the satisfaction of a story well told. Renowned in creative nonfiction/regional publication circles, IRMA, the organization, is an acronym for International Regional Media Association (irmamagazines.com). Members believe in the importance and value of regional publishing, of community, connection, and collaboration, all the while celebrating the uniqueness of those regions they live in and love. IRMA’s beginnings were nearly seventy years ago, in 1960, when two circulation managers from separate regional magazines in the Northeast went fishing together and started sharing ideas about how to excel at regional publishing. Everyone does better when everyone does better? Hmmm… IRMA honored three Mountain Home writers and their work this year. Lilace Mellin Guignard received a Bronze Award in the General Feature category for “Going Off Script,” her behind-the-scenes account of unexpected love and marriage amongst the actors performing in Wellsboro’s Hamilton-Gibson productions. David O’Reilly’s “The Lost Trail of Tiffany” story revealed Louis Comfort Tiffany’s (yes, that Tiffany!) heretofore hidden but suspected connection with the stained glass in a Wellsboro church, and earned him a Merit Award in the Art and Culture category. Karey Solomon’s “Gina Pfleegor’s Warriors Wear Gowns” showcased her knowledge and love of local art, artists, and their creativity, and resulted in a Bronze Award in the Profile category for her story on the photorealist artist. If you’ve read them, go back and enjoy them again. If you haven’t— what are you waiting for?

Fine Art on the Ferment Finger Lakes Beverage Labels Adorn Picture-Perfect Pours By David Higgins

uch a little thing, a wine label…and yet so important. While their core purpose is to first catch the eye and then describe what’s inside that bottle, more and more they are being seen as an art form. And some of the most striking examples are right here in our own Finger Lakes. See Ferment on page 8

Original art work by Suzette Urbano 7

Ferment continued from page 6

Wine labels are as old as wine itself. The Egyptians stamped their clay wine jugs with elaborate descriptions such as year, type, region, and even guidelines for use, such as “wine for tax collection day” or “wine for dancing.” Greeks, Romans, and other civilizations followed suit. Medieval monks, in particular, were hardcore oenophiles; their labels were handwritten pieces of parchment tied with string or affixed to the bottle with animal-hide glue. A big change happened circa 1700 with the introduction of a thicker and stronger glass bottle that could survive the rigors of transport abroad, and the resulting explosion in trade meant that labels were suddenly the crucial interface between buyer and seller. A century later, the invention of chromolithography allowed for vibrant, multi-color printing, and Champagne houses pioneered the use of intricate labels featuring gold leaf, family crests, and detailed illustrations. Inevitably, this led to purpose-made art for labels. In 1945, Mouton Rothschild winery collaborated with the likes of Picasso, Dali, and Warhol, enhancing the pedigree and sophistication of the product (and, of course, its monetary value).

(2) Courtesy Bully Hill Vineyards

Goats in Space

Any look at the art of our own Finger Lakes labels must begin at Bully Hill Vineyards, the brainchild of the late Walter S. Taylor, fourth-generation scion of the family that first brought winemaking to the region. Walter was a large, raffish fellow with an outsize personality—a “biker bro” before the term existed—tamed only slightly by an early stint in military boarding school. He was a friend to the common laborer and disdainful of Bully for Us! pretense. He perfectly embodied the phrase, “they Two classic Bully Hill broke the mold when they made him.” wine labels drawn by In 1977, Walter turned to hand-drawn, Walter S. Taylor. whimsical wine labels—not as a planned marketing move, but as a defiant response to a bruising legal defeat. After a beverage colossus (one that rhymes with “joke”) squeezed him out of the family business, Walter started a new winery from scratch in 1970 on Bully Hill, just north of Hammondsport. However, a federal court barred him from using his own surname, his family’s winemaking history, or even his personal signature on anything sold under the Bully Hill Vineyards name. With the crucial summer selling season bearing down and no time to spare, Taylor leaned on a skill few knew he had: he was an accomplished artist, and he began illustrating his own labels as both a practical fix and a form of protest. The best-known result, Love My Goat Red, showcased his pet goat (named Guilt Free) and a now-famous line of defiance: “They have my name and heritage, but they didn’t get my goat.” What began as damage control became something bigger—a distinctive visual identity, born from adversity, that Bully Hill still carries forward. Walter drew and hand-lettered every label himself, with a quirky individuality that today would be quickly squashed by “marketing consultants” or “focus groups.” Formally, Taylor’s style is defined by dynamic hatching and fluid lines that give his compositions a lively rhythm. His work is based on solid draftsmanship but embraces a raw, folk-art spontaneity, layering colors and textures to create densely packed, whimsical scenes. Beginning in the ’80s, the Bully Hill labels took the strangest possible turn—to outer space. (Bear with me!) In 1978, Walter bought a vacation home on Florida’s Captiva Island and learned that a close

neighbor was none other than Pop Art pioneer Robert Rauschenberg, who ranks with Warhol as one of the top American artists of the twentieth century. Robert was an iconoclast who upended the established art world with a radical new form of mixed-media art, his “combines,” which forever changed how the world defines creativity. Bob and Walter—fellow outsiders, raconteurs, and visionaries— bonded almost immediately. When Rauschenberg was selected as an official artist for NASA, as befitting his “living legend” stature, he secured a commission for Walter, too. And so Walter found himself sitting in an armchair on the Cape Canaveral sands, sketching the shuttle Columbia mere minutes before its maiden flight in 1981. The original sketch ended up in the permanent NASA collection, but Walter’s enthusiasm led to a series of shuttle-related Bully Hill labels. NASA was initially leery of any association of the space program with alcoholic beverages, but ultimately had the good grace to let art win, for once. And so to the improbable story of Walter’s label for “Mother Ship Over Paris.” At the 1983 Paris Air Show, where the Columbia was the main attraction, Walter rode in a T-39 Sabreliner jet alongside the shuttle, and literally sketched the leviathan craft in mid-flight atop its jumbo 747 carrier, a “plein air” drawing undreamed of by Monet and Renoir. It’s top-shelf artwork. Walter nails the difficult perspective of giant ships in flight, yet incorporates his signature rhythmic hatching, and caps it off with weirdly inappropriate art-nouveau lettering. It breaks all the rules, and therein lies its appeal. Bully Hill, to this day, proudly hosts a spacious gallery chockablock full of Walter’s work. You’ll definitely get a sense of his inimitable personality, and the knowledgeable staff are his biggest fans. Right next door is the first wine museum in the US, established by Walter in 1972 in tribute to his father. There’s a good restaurant on the premises, and the view of Keuka Lake is unmatched.

CORNING, NEW YORK

“Great vibes, great art.” Stevan

KIDS & TEENS

FREE

Labels in the Q The wine label as art form reaches its peak in the work of Q (Quinn) Cassetti. Q’s lengthy client list spans international corporations (Tiffany, Estée Lauder), elite cultural institutions (Corning Museum of Glass), and major publications (The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker). And in 2014, the USPS featured her cut-paper valentine design on its iconic LOVE stamp series, bringing her widespread national recognition. Yet, as a self-described locavore with deep roots in the Finger Lakes (she works out of a historic Greek revival mansion in Trumansburg), Q shapes much of her modern practice around supporting nearby growers and farmers. One of Q’s many local clients is Lakewood Vineyards, just above Watkins Glen on the east side of Seneca. Her design for Long Stem Red, an award-winning but highly affordable semi-dry, is simple, clean, and memorable; it stands out on retail shelves and harmonizes with the winery’s portfolio. Q was inspired in part by the English arts and crafts movement, which celebrated the intrinsic beauty of skilled craftsmanship (and which once spawned a utopian American counterpart, the Roycrofters, based a little south of Buffalo). This label delivers at a glance; it does its job, and then some. But Q also excels in a distinctly different style, as seen in her label for Sidekick Spritz (see Mountain Home August 2023). At first you see a cute pup, catching a frisbee. The dog is Fizzy, an adorable Australian shepherd and official greeter at dog-friendly Lakewood, but See Ferment on page 10

WHAT’S ON | FALL 2026 Art at Work: Reframing Artists of the WPA September 6, 2026 – January 19, 2027 Rockwell Reframed: Director’s Choice On view: August 23, 2026 – January 4, 2027 Annual Gingerbread Invitational November 27 - December 31, 2026

111 Cedar Street Corning, NY 607-937-5386

@Rockwell Museum ROCKWELLMUSEUM.ORG 9

The FLX has it all from Lakewood’s wine and rosé spritzer (left going clockwise), to Blackduck Cidery’s wild-fermented black chokeberry cider and debuts by the youngest label artists in town, their daughters. Ferment continued from page 9

it’s not a photograph—it’s a geometric design, mathematically precise yet with the flow and nuance of water, achieving subtle gradations through overlapping angles. The effect is uncanny and arresting; it demands a second look, and then a third, and you are hooked. And now, let’s pivot to a different branch of the local beverage scene, and look at labels from a cidery and a brewery. Duck, Duck, Go for It Blackduck Cidery was established in Ovid by Shannon O’Connor and John Reynolds, beginning as a three-acre fruit farm in 2000 before launching its commercial beverage production in 2014. “We’re just working-class kids who took a gamble, and…so far, so good!” says Shannon. (They’ve been mentioned in the New York Times.) They specialize in wild fermentation using ambient native yeasts found on 10

the fruit. In addition to cider, they produce perry (pear cider) and raw vinegar, which is booming in popularity—not just for its distinctive flavor, but also for its health benefits. The moniker Blackduck has a twofold meaning: Shannon and John are just a little like “black sheep,” and it’s also a grateful nod to the ebony-colored Cayuga duck, a species native to the region and once a mainstay of every farm for both meat and pest control. Says Shannon, “Our ducks are like vacuum cleaners when it comes to eating up the bugs!” Many of their labels are the work of Vanessa Varjian, originally from Brookfield, Massachusetts. Though she has a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art (MassArt), she originally came aboard Blackduck as a humble orchard assistant. “I love to work outside with my hands, and farm work always sounded appealing to me,” says Vanessa. “I was looking for direction in life, plus a little adventure. The opportunity to design product labels basically fell into my

(3) Courtesy Blackduck Ciders

(2) Courtesy Lakewood Vineyards

For the Love of Labels

lap from working at the cidery and getting to know the family.” Her favorite label is the one for the 2023 vintage of Aronius, a wild-fermented, bone-dry cider incorporating native black chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa). Like most of Vanessa’s Blackduck labels, the artwork is made from a purpose-made (custom) handcarved stamp that is then printed with ink gradients and finished in Photoshop. “The labels that I put the most prep time and research into seem to always end up being the best ones,” notes Vanessa. “Just like anything else in life, the hardest work reaps the biggest benefit.” She sells original art and prints on her website, vanessavarjian.com, and a cute Airbnb cabin on the farm is decorated with her artwork. And while we’re still at Blackduck Cidery, let’s meet the youngest label designers in the Finger Lakes. They are Idunn (named for the keeper of the golden apples in Norse mySee Ferment on page 12

welcome to FINGER LAKES

75 Years of Hospitality

BREAKFAST & DINNER SERVED 7 DAYS A WEEK

World-famous Tavern Room - On Site Brewery Cabins • Chalet Style A-Frames • Motel

TV • WiFi • Air Conditioning

For reservations, call 607-535-2014

WWW.SENECALODGE.COM

412 N. Franklin St. • Watkins Glen, NY 14891 Open 9am-8pm • Sun 10am-8pm 412 N. Mon-Sat Franklin St. • Watkins Glen, NY 14891

Open Year ‘round www.famousbrandsoutlet.com *Subject to change based on NYS regulations.

607-535-4952 607-535-4952

www.famousbrandsoutlet.com

Famous Brands began in 1983, offering “famous brand” Famousand Brands in 1983, offering clothing footwear atbegan below retail prices. Since that humble beginning in a tiny storefront, we have grown to “famous brand” clothing and footwear at 30,000 sq. ft. covering 3 floors and half a city block, becoming abelow destination store for millions of Since visitors and localshumble alike. retail prices. that

beginning in a tiny storefront, we have grown 11 to 30,000 sq. ft. covering 3 floors and half a

Brad Leiby

I’m Only Drinking

Brad Leiby designed this funny bunny label for Lucky Hare Brewing Company. Ferment continued from page 10

Put joint pain behind you. As one of the largest orthopaedics and sports medicine programs in the nation, we know what it takes to get you back on your feet, faster. Our team of experts will work together to develop a treatment plan that’s tailored to you. We’ll provide care today so you can look forward to a pain-free tomorrow. Learn more at UPMC.com/NCPAOrtho.

DEDICATED SPORTS MEDICINE PROVIDER FOR

thology) and Pippin, Shannon and John’s two redheaded daughters, who grew up on the farm and have always participated in the family business. Idunn did the label for La Pompa, a Basque-inspired cider; the 2025 vintage will be released later this fall. Pippin was born on an auspicious day: Pi Day (3.14), right when the first bottling of the year takes place (usually a crab apple blend). It was an obvious choice (and good karma, besides) for her to draw the label for the 2024 edition of Pi Cider. The entire batch sold out. A Bunny, a Beatle, and Beer Beer labels—or rather, can designs—are a different kettle of fish. The brewery vibe is laid-back, and the demographic skews towards informality, humor, and novelty. Designs typically wrap around the can, and what’s needed is vibrant color coding and immediate shelf impact. It’s a growth field: since Wagner Vineyards on Seneca established the first regional brewery in 1997, the Finger Lakes Beer Trail now boasts over seventy-five family-owned craft, farm, and microbreweries. There’s a lot of competition, so the can had better be catchy. Brad Leiby is an up-and-coming designer with several breweries as clients. Though Brad’s work shares some attributes with Walter Taylor—the quirky individuality, the freedom from convention—he operates in a distinctly modern style. Brad is self-taught. His early career is noteworthy for the many murals he executed, often with a supporting crew, across Elmira and Corning. He works in an Underground or Dark Surrealism aesthetic derived from the outer

Kurt Brownell

Details Matter

Do the grape leaf veins in Lauren Turner’s award-winning label design for the Finger Lakes Community College contest remind you of anything?

fringes of pop culture, that receives little respect from established tastemakers. And yet it appeals directly to a rising generation whose orbit is social media and who are already beginning to collapse tired old boundaries. One of Brad’s clients is Lucky Hare, a thriving craft brewery founded in 2016 by Ian Conboy and Rich Thiel (see “On the Waterfront” in July 2025 Mountain Home). They have facilities in Hector and satellite locations in Watkins Glen and Owego, and cultivate a friendly, chillaxin’ ambiance. One of Brad’s favorite designs is for their small-batch IPA Float Upstream, inspired by John Lennon’s paean to laziness, “I’m Only Sleeping.” Brad recalls, “It was a group collaboration, and the only requirement was, obviously, that it feature a bunny. Rich and Ian had some loose instructions based on the song, and it was pretty natural to make a rabbit with Lennon eyeglasses floating on a psychedelic lazy river.” The IPA flew off the shelves, and at the end of the day, that’s what pays the mortgage. Brad is based in Dundee, and also offers a line of art and apparel, including disc golf gifts and books, on bradleiby.com. It’s a Process So, how does a wine label get made, anyway? Let’s follow the process through the experience of Lauren Turner, a self-described “wine nerd” who won the most recent label design contest in the viticulture and wine technology program at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua. See Ferment on page 40

(2) Jess Spady, the Rockwell Museum

Courtesy Rockwell Museum

Flashforward & Flashback Bob Rockwell and building; Rockwell Museum Executive Director Erin M. Coe at the gallery of "Rockwell Reframed: Director's Choice" (bottom left) grouping together recent acquisitions with works from the Museum's fifty-year history.

Reframing the Rockwell Corning’s Iconic Museum Turns Fifty By Phil Hesser

n the days before the opening of the exhibitions “Rockwell Reframed: Director’s Choice” and “Art at Work: Reframing Artists of the WPA,” there was also a lot of reframing happening at Corning’s Rockwell Museum. In the gallery where “Director’s Choice” is on view, the curatorial staff were mounting the last text panels. In “Art at Work,” the centerpiece study for a WPA mural had been installed, with more works to come. Both exhibitions were reframings, but what does that really mean? Reframing is the theme for 2026, the museum’s fiftieth anniversary. How does the word speak to the Rockwell’s half-century of existence and—more importantly—point to its future? A quick look at a dictionary gives us some help. Beyond enclosing an image, reframing is: looking at images, impressions, or relationships in a new or different way. Reframing has been a part of the Rockwell from its beginnings. Perhaps reframing his childhood memories working on his family’s Colorado cattle ranch, Robert F.

Rockwell, Jr., who ran the family department store in Corning, collected Western art and showed it in the store. After Hurricane Agnes flooded Corning in 1972, Thomas S. Buechner, director of the Steuben Glass division of what was then known as Corning Glass, successfully arranged for the city to sell its flood-damaged city hall for $1, this to reframe the Rockwell collection in a renovated building, with the costs to be covered by Corning Glass. Soon after, Paul E. Rivard, first director of the Rockwell, advocated reframing the museum toward mounting “community-oriented exhibits” and tracing the relationship between images of Native Americans with other items in the collection. Fast-forward to 2025 and the arrival of Executive Director Erin M. Coe, bringing with her decades of experience as a curator and museum leader via her time as director of the Hyde Collection in New York’s capital region and, most recently, at the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State. On her arrival in January 2025, Erin spent her first days listening and learning

through meeting with staff, trustees, and community stakeholders. She identified three takeaways: First, people loved the Rockwell as an anchor bringing the community together. Second, they asked, “Who are we?”—this from their recalling of how some visitors expected a Norman Rockwell or a Western museum. Third, how could a former city hall effectively function as an accredited art museum? The first year of listening and planning translated into a fiftieth anniversary theme of Rockwell Reframed. It is a celebration of what has been accomplished, all the while looking at the future with fresh eyes and to the conversations inspired by the museum’s diverse collection. To celebrate the fiftieth, Erin describes her focus on two projects illustrating “what it is to be a museum of American art for audiences today and in the future.” First, the forthcoming publication, The Rockwell Reframed: 50 Years of Collecting American Art, highlights some of the significant and beloved works that shaped the museum’s See Rockwell on page 16

welcome to

CORNING

All the Hand Knitting & Crochet Supplies you could ever want. 91 E. Market Street, Corning, NY 14830 woolyminded.com | 607.973.2885

ERLACHER World Famous GLASS SHOP STEUBEN GLASS

When delivery chains just can’t cut it, and you want a savory pizza loaded with great toppings, Rico’s satisfies your craving.

Huge variety including one of a kind Max Erlacher Custom Engraved Steuben Glass

Bath: 607-622-6033 Hornell: 607-324-0030 Corning: 607-962-2300

607-248-9139 • 26 W. Market St, Corning, NY

Always Open

Arnot Mall: 607-735-2330

RICOSPIZZA.COM

Horseheads: 607-796-2200

Giuseppes

RistoRante & PizzeRia 1020 S. Center Street, Horseheads • (607) 739-6395 giuseppesmenu.com

shop local shop. dine. explore. @GAFFERDISTRICT #EXPLORECORNING

211 W. 2nd Street, Elmira • (607) 732-5600 lightscoffeeshopandpizza.com

GAFFERDISTRICT.COM

SPONSORED BY

Giuseppes Italian Eatery

(607) 973-2024 Now open at 16 W. Market St., Corning; 15

Rockwell continued from page 14

All Under One Roof... SMALL ANIMAL • LARGE ANIMAL

W W W. T R OY V E TC L I N I C . C O M

SERVICES OFFERED: Healthy Wellness Exams Exams for Sick Pets Laser Surgical Procedures Portable Digital Radiology Acupuncture In-House Bovine Pregnancy Testing Online Store House Calls Available Pet Cremation Services Fully Stocked Pharmacies Pet Suplies: Flea & Tick Medication Food, Toys & Treats

Join us for a full weekend of Victorian Delights! Music & History

Friday, November 20 COMMITTEE OF PRESERVATION WILLIAMSPORT

Two events. Two perspectives. One wonderful evening. See website for details.

November 20, 21 & 22, 2026 TheTour

Saturday, November 21 Victorian Christmas invites you to explore the enchanting Victorian homes that line Millionaire’s Row and the surrounding areas.

Stars, Stripes and Victorian Delights where Victorian Grandeur meets American Tradition See website for a detailed Schedule of Events and our Food Around Town listings.

victorianchristmaspa.com 16

Artisan Market

Saturday & Sunday Visit the YWCA where you’ll find a wide range of juried hand-crafted articles. Including an eclectic selection of holiday décor and ornaments that cannot be found anywhere else.

collection and “helped define its evolving identity.” Looking at the themes of landscape, storytelling, people, and journeys, Rockwell Reframed reflects on the museum’s past experiences of collecting and stewardship, while demonstrating how the institution has reached an “inflection point” as a “catalyst for curiosity, connection, and creativity.” A second, more personal, look at the theme is the exhibition “Rockwell Reframed: Director’s Choice,” reflecting Erin’s “curatorial and leadership perspective [as] shaped by more than two decades of studying, interpreting, and stewarding American art.” Spanning a range of artists, media, and historical moments, “Reframed” spotlights groupings of recent acquisitions alongside other works reflecting the collections’ core strengths and institutional priorities. It illustrates what Erin calls “conversations” between works that show how reframing can spur “a new way of looking” at art. The Rockwell likewise celebrates its anniversary with two recent contributions—a $95,000 capital grant from the New York State Council on the Arts to support the design of a major gallery renovation and expansion, and an unprecedented $3 million cash donation from Rochester-based philanthropist Mary Spurrier to reframe what an American art museum can be for the next generation. According to Erin, these donations and the publication of Rockwell Reframed are “the wind in our sails” reflecting the takeaways of her 2025 listening and learning sessions. Addressing the limitations of the building will be the focus of a redesign of the second-floor galleries, including the addition of moveable walls that will provide greater flexibility for exhibitions. Another redesign will give greater prominence to the well-known and much-loved Kids Rockwell Art Lab, currently located at 36 East Market Street. The Art Lab will move to the space now occupied by the museum store, and the store will relocate to Centerway Square on Market Street. This change will more fully integrate the Art Lab’s programs for youth and early childhood education into the overall visitor experience at the Rockwell. The party has already begun in celebrating these initiatives, and it’s not over. A Community Block Party on September 19 included public tours of the fall exhibitions and the Alley Art Project murals. Next, the Rockwell Museum’s board of trustees and the staff invite you to masquerade at All that Glitters, the sparkling fiftieth anniversary gala on November 7. And after the events of the fiftieth? “The story is not finished,” Erin says. The listening, learning, and evolution will continue. The Rockwell’s identity will continually be reframed into 2027 and beyond—not only by the museum’s stewards, but by all who love to listen to its stories and refashion them in new and different ways. Meanwhile, after dressing up for and having a ball at All that Glitters, view the new exhibitions “Rockwell Reframed: Director’s Choice” through January 3, 2027 and “Art at Work: Reframing the Artists of the WPA” through January 19, 2027. Information on these exhibits and the Gala can be found at rockwellmuseum. org.

Plying Corning’s Gaffer District beat, Phil Hesser has written about (and followed up by running) the Wineglass Marathon.

Glory Hill Diaries

A Sacred Mess By Maggie Barnes

here is a specific kind of mess that blossoms in a home on the morning of a wedding. Usually, a house doesn’t have much to say about the activities of its occupants. You might get a groan from the furnace during a cold snap, that’s about it. But the day a child of that home, a child no longer, creates a new family, well, the house has thoughts on that. Despite a mother’s plea to stay organized and get an early start, the planned agenda finds an open window and sails away on the fragrance of the lilacs in the garden. And within the house, things seem to fly about the rooms with a joyous abandon not normally tolerated. An archaeologist would be fascinated

by the trail of clues that mark this day as different. Nests of wadded plastic that will defy all future efforts to go on that hanger again. Sales tags hastily clipped off new clothes. Shoe boxes and tissue paper that seem endless. A bow tie on the kitchen counter, dangerously close to the spilled orange juice. The “once in a while” makeup strewn across the bathroom vanity. A can of hair spray that magically disappears when needed. There’s evidence of a sandwich, a strategic move to stave off hunger since “real food” is hours away. As regular as a church clock, Mother calls out, “Whose sandwich is this? Can you eat it, please? Everyone ate, right? Did you all eat? No fainting today!”

On the back of a door hangs a suit bag that held the tux Father is showing off with the proud remark that it’s the same size as the last wedding. He seems to be clutching a sheaf of papers, heavily edited, but still not right. The growing pain in his heart is getting in the way. The boys were easy, maybe because the name was staying the same. But in a few hours, his little girl won’t have his name. The one he gave her the first time he held her, whispering in a tiny ear, while he felt the awe of her perfection. There are tote bags stuffed with water bottles, tissues, and comfy shoes because dancing awaits. Shiny black shoes and cuff See Mess on page 20

PLUM POINT LODGE a lakefront hideaway

Get the full Finger Lakes experience- just steps away from the Seneca Lake Wine Trail! With 26 rooms, 6 “glamping” YURTS & our farmhouse suite- there is a place for everyone here at Plum Point. Close by to Geneva & Watkins Glen, NY! Private Dock Space Weddings & Events Pet Friendly!

On-Site Restaurant Inground Pool Kayak Rentals

come stay with us! (607) 243-7535 info@plumpointlodgeflx.com plumpointlodgeflx.com 3482 Plum Point Road S. Himrod, NY

Book now

Discover Historic Wellsboro & Beyond!

Hop aboard Tony’s Trolley for a charming ride through Wellsboro’s gas-lit streets and rich history. Take in iconic architecture, fascinating stories, and breathtaking views of the PA Grand Canyon. Planning a Special Event? Our trolley is perfect for birthdays, weddings, and more! Experience vintage charm, adventure, and unforgettable memories with Tony’s Trolley Tours!

(570) 723-7777 • tonystrolleytours.com 19

Mess continued from page 18

links that get confused about which suit they belong with. Calls of “Where’s my…” crisscross in the air, which suddenly smells of Mother’s special perfume. Suitcases look like they exploded open. Wet towels are all the places they shouldn’t be. The sons and their families are staying here despite the lack of space. The house and Mother are delighted with the noise and energy of her favorite home ever. And having the grandkids in the CREDIT CARDS bedroom at the end of the hall prevents her from standing, hand ACCEPTED on that doorknob, bracing for the emptiness that only she will be MUMS • CIDER • PUMPKINS • SQUASH • DONUTS able to see. APPLES • 150 CRAFT SODAS • RETRO CANDY In her mind, this day is not possible. She half expects to see a CANNING SUPPLIES • POPCORN • BAKED GOODS • AND MORE! six-year-old girl coming down the aisle in an oversized dress with floppy shoes and too much lipstick. She knows the truth and it OUR NEW SLURP SHACK makes her happy. Still…there is a feeling, something that floats 35 YEARS 20 FLAVORS OF FAMILY FRIENDLY DRINKS through her chest, the dread at the daily quiet that awaits her. InOF HAUNTING stead, she envisions the hotel, the flowers and tables bedecked in crystal and light. Chairs in perfect lines that will be filled with the NOW most important people in her child’s life. She thinks of the twoOFFERING tiered cake, one flavor for her, one flavor for him, and she laughs out loud. They are different people, but she must admit, they fit toWEEKEND gether like laced fingers from two hands. She imagines the laughter HAY RIDES! and teasing of lifelong friends as they surround her girl. Silk and lace are handled reverently. All kinds of makeup to make a tomboy soul look a little more like a princess. Just for today. They really need to Something for Every Season! Season! get over there. “Did you all eat?” Open Daily 9:00 am to 7:00 p.m. • 1543 Maple Avenue, Elmira, NY And suddenly, the house falls silent. After a false start because someone decided to take that thing anyway because we might need 30th ANNIVERSARY BRADLEYFARMSELMIRA.COM it, the door is closed for real. The driveway is empty. The questions, yelled from room to room, have all been answered. The house sighs, contented to have helped its occupants find all the stuff and do all the things that such a day demands. But amid its pride, the house 30th ANNIVERSARY feels something else. No one will be hitting tennis balls against the 30 ANNUAL 30th ANNIVERSARY garage anymore, ponytail swinging like a metronome. No more feet OCTOBER running heavily down the stairs, “Like a herd of elephants!” A din10 , 11 & 12 • 10-5 DAILY ing table without “adopted kids” their kid had dragged home be21 ARTISTS cause the menu sounded better here. One less good morning. One 17 STUDIO less good night. LOCATIONS 30th ANNIVERSARY 30 ANNUAL • SUSQUEHANNA OCTOBER COUNTY, PA 30 ANNUAL 30th ANNIVERSARY Later, when its people return with swollen feet and cried-off 10 , 11 & 12 • 10-5 DAILY OCTOBER makeup, they sink into cushions and recount the heartfelt words 21 10 , 11 & 12 • 10-5 DAILY thARTISTS and music that carried a beaming couple into a new time of love 17 STUDIO 21 ARTISTS and devotion. That bow tie is tossed back to the very same spot near LOCATIONS 17 STUDIO 21 ARTISTS SUSQUEHANNA • 17 STUDIO LOCATIONS the orange juice spill. Though tired, the family does not want to COUNTY, PA LOCATIONS 30 ANNUAL www.artiststour.com let go of the day just yet. Sleepy grandchildren, who begged to stay SUSQUEHANNA OCTOBER COUNTY, PA 30 ANNUAL 30th ANNIVERSARY “five more minutes,” mumble something about cupcakes as they are 10 , 11 & 12 • 10-5 DAILY OCTOBER carried to bed. Mother and Father hold hands sharing a feeling of 21 ARTISTS 10 , 11 & 12 • 10-5 DAILY pride, of a job well done, all the while knowing that this sacred duty 17 STUDIO 21 ARTISTS never truly ends. LOCATIONS 17 STUDIO SUSQUEHANNA But for today, everything they did for their girl COUNTY, PA LOCATIONS Background Painting, credit: Amy Hoi Ngan Hsiao SUSQUEHANNA was reflected in her glowing smile. So, tonight they will COUNTY, PA 30 ANNUAL rest. And, even though it is still a mess, so will the house.

Be Sure to Check Out...

30 ANNUAL TOUR

OCTOBER

10TH, 11TH & 12TH • 10-5 DAILY

Background Painting, credit: Amy Hoi Ngan Hsiao

21 ARTISTS 17 STUDIO LOCATIONS SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PA

dit: Amy Hoi Ngan Hsiao

Maggie Barnes has won several IRMA and Keystone Press awards. She lives in Waverly, New York.

Background Painting, credit: Amy Hoi Ngan Hsiao

Tai Sophia Photography

Welcome to

MOUNTAIN HOME

WEDDING

License to Love Whitney and Michael Andreula wed on the Green in Wellsboro, November 4, 2023; Afterwards Tai Sophia Photography captured this moment on the Tioga County Courthouse steps. 22

Cassandra LaCroix

(2) Courtesy Lake Life Catering

Pleasant Is an Understatement Tyler LaCroix and Steve Stopka bought the Pleasant Valley Inn, which now serves dinner and caters special events.

Bath Is Inn the Pink

Lake Life Catering Makes Every Meal a Special Event By Karey Solomon

he cherry blossom-colored 1843 vintage farmhouse called Pleasant Valley Inn has it all—a great location (7979 Route 54 in Bath), spacious lawns, a small vineyard, and porches that invite relaxation. Inside, elegant rooms with vintage wide-plank floors offer multiple dining areas, there’s a lounge with a fireplace, and two pub rooms with small tables for conversation. Great food is a given. Beyond is a wellappointed kitchen, created by lifelong friends and business partners Tyler LaCroix and Steve Stopka to be their hub for Lake Life Catering. A closer inspection of the Inn reveals a wing with an upstairs suite that has two bedrooms, two baths, and a kitchen, plus four downstairs rooms with baths. Comments in the guest book give high praise for the breakfasts and dinners those guests enjoyed here, the thoughtfulness of their hosts, and the ambiance of their rooms. Tyler, pleased, admits he hasn’t had a moment read the register.

Most of the time, he’s busy cooking. Both self-taught chefs, Tyler and Steve grew up in Hammondsport cooking together. Later, each had the opportunity to work for wonderful chefs who were also great teachers. They started Lake Life Catering five years ago, then bought the Pleasant Valley Inn a few years later. Their plan at first was to use the kitchen they’d fine-tuned to their specifications as their catering hub, host guests in the hostelry’s rooms, and open the pub with a limited menu in the evenings. A few years in, they decided to open the dining rooms and serve dinners. “We wanted to draw more people to this space. And it worked!” he says. Ever since the Pub has been open Thursday through Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m. (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.) guest rooms are also filled more often. The dining rooms were, at one time, more formal, with French Provincial-style tables cloaked with white tablecloths. Tyler

and Steve decided that wasn’t their vibe, and went for more casual, natural wood tables, relegating the single large table topped with a tablecloth to the breakfast room. The original formal flocked wallpaper and the chandeliers suspended from gilded ceiling rosettes maintain the elegance. Their food is also available seasonally at two additional venues. From May to October, Steve is the chef at the Keuka Yacht Club, serving food for up to 200 diners a day several days a week. In the winter, he cooks at the Hunt Hollow Ski Club in Naples. Lake Life has a full catering schedule of weddings, special events, and regularly scheduled dinners at area venues. They currently have numerous dates already booked through 2027, though when they were asked to provide a meal for 125 for a midweek funeral, they took the job. “We say yes to anything we have available,” Tyler says. Having created meals for as few as thirty

MOUNTAIN HOME Weddings

or as many as 350, the duo is accustomed to building an individualized menu to accommodate a variety of styles, tastes, and special dietary needs. Each event they cater has its own custom-built menu. For the big ones, like weddings, a buffet can be the most economical. “It’s more flexible, takes less staff, and there are more things you can put out,” Tyler says. At the other end of the menu spectrum, plated dinners can be served. This requires a lot more staff, because it’s hard to get 100-plus meals beautifully arranged on plates and served while the food is still hot. Between these poles, and growing in popularity, is the more intimate family-style meal with every choice in its own serving dish at each table for eight or so guests. “It’s more expensive, but it’s a cool way to go,” Tyler notes. At the Inn, they have the benefit of their own fully-equipped kitchen and can seat seventy-five people inside. With a lawn big enough for a very large tent, the Pleasant Valley Inn grounds could be another amazing outdoor venue for a wedding with a few hundred guests, while providing a place for members of the wedding party to stay over. They’re currently working on an Inn-based wedding package. Offsite catering is a different story. There might not be a kitchen with appliances or running water. Before formulating a menu and a plan for food service, Tyler or Steve surveys the venue to determine what’s there—pots, pans, and other equipment, appliances, counter space, plates, cutlery—and what needs to be brought with the food. Tyler describes his wife Cassandra as their behind-the scenes superpower, managing their calendar and bookings, fielding emails and questions—it can take dozens of emails to fully plan the catering and make sure no detail is forgotten. In the excitement of an impending joyful occasion, some brides start planning and contact Lake Life before they’ve even finalized a date or a venue. Lake Life has a variety of potential menus where the star of the culinary show might be anything from short ribs and pasta with seafood scampi to barbecue or a casual taco bar, and a long list of vegetables and side dishes to choose from. Everything is made from scratch, all vegetables are locally sourced in season, and high-quality eggs are local, too. While the most popular menu for a summer wedding is barbecue, some guests require alternatives. “Dietary restrictions have become more prominent in the past few years,” Tyler says. “We take these things seriously.” They use dedicated prep areas to ensure diners with special needs can eat without worry. But occasionally the happy couple will have entirely forgotten some area of the food service, possibly beverages. Do they want iced tea? Lemonade? Bar service? For the last, Lake Life will arrange for necessary permits. Have they thought about appetizers? “I like a grazing table with meats, cheeses, and homemade pickles,” says Tyler. And what about a make-your-own sundae bar for dessert? “Nothing people can ask for surprises me,” he admits. Find them on Facebook, at lakelifecatering@gmail.com, or call Cassandra at (607) 569-2282.

Gustin’s Gallery Goldsmiths

6 0 7 . 9 3 6 . 3 5 6 8

71 E. Market St. Corning NY. 14830 g u s t i n s g o l d s m i t h s @ y a h o o . c o m

Karey Solomon is the author of a poetry chapbook, Voices Like the Sound of Water, a book on frugal living (now out of print), and more than thirty-six needlework books. Her work has also appeared in several fiction and nonfiction anthologies. 25

(2) Mitzi Saul

Courtesy Beerocracy

Pub Hubbub

People are making noise about the real cask ales made by native Brit Bradley Gillett (right) at Beerocracy, where Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated with a bonfire and The Snug can be rented for weddings and special events.

Introducing the Cask

Beerocracy Brings a Uniquely British Style Brew to FLX By Mitzi Saul

ranleigh, England, native Bradley Gillett had visited the Finger Lakes several times and loved the idea of living in a wine region. He’d spent years traveling around the world, working in his mum’s restaurant, running British pubs, and developing a technology platform for the corporate travel industry. Today he is living in the wine region, and he’s running an authentic, Tudor-style British pub serving cask ales and traditional British pub food. The Beerocracy, nestled on the west side of Seneca Lake at 4520 State Route 14, Rock Stream, is just minutes from Watkins Glen. How Bradley eventually landed here, with such a unique business, is a long and circuitous story. In the late ’90s, Bradley sold his tech platform and began working as a consultant for a company in Dallas, commuting from London a few times a month. After several years, the company sponsored him to come to the United States to work in their Dallas office. In 2012, a New York City company bought the platform and asked Bradley to

work for them. With a dream to live and work in the Finger Lakes, he negotiated with his new employer to live within five hours driving distance from the city. He rented a house in Horseheads, then, in 2014, purchased the property for Seneca Lake Brewing Company and his British pub, The Beerocracy. During construction, he moved into a small apartment he built for himself upstairs and continued to work for the company while completing the brewery and pub. In 2017, the platform was resold, again, this time to a company in Portland, Maine, that hired Bradley to consult. Working remotely and commuting once a month, he opened The Beerocracy in October 2017. “When the time finally came for The Beerocracy to open the doors it was a sense of relief, excitement, and anticipation,” says Bradley. “It was an awesome feeling to see what I had built turn to life and start welcoming people. There was also a level of nervousness, given the style and type of beer we

were brewing and offering, wondering how it would be accepted by customers who are used to drinking a cold and foamy brew. Thankfully, that fear was quickly replaced with joy and excitement when customers started coming in and our staff explained the style and differences between our beers and others in the area.” The Beerocracy’s cask ale is definitely one of its draws. “All of our beers are naturally carbonated and go through a secondary fermentation process [beers normally only go through one] where we add a touch of priming sugar to the beer which still has the remaining yeast and sediment in it,” Bradley explains. “The remaining yeast and priming sugar interact, creating natural carbonation which creates a smoother, softer mouth feel on the palate. A typical ‘keg’ beer has the forced CO2 added into the keg to give it its carbonation and bubbles. “The serving temperature of the ales is between 52 and 57 degrees which allows a customer to experience more of the flavor

MOUNTAIN HOME Weddings

and ingredient buildup in the ale, since the palate isn’t numbed [by a colder beer] with drinking the ale.” The Seneca Lake Brewing Company (senacalakebrewing. com) is New York’s only dedicated cask ale brewery. A few years ago, one ale drinker drove his camper from New York City to down half-pints of beer from one end of the bar to the other, spend the night in the parking lot, and leave early the next morning. Now that’s a fan! The Beerocracy story is still unfolding. In 2020, Bradley opened The Snug, a 4,000-plus-square-foot wedding and special event venue on the property. The indoor/outdoor venue accommodates weddings and receptions from twenty to 300 and includes a converted barn, covered pavilion, patio with fire tables, and massive lawn space. They allow outside caterers, but their own pig roasts are quite popular. Wedding and Event Manager Megan Tuttle handled fifteen bookings this year and is already booking for 2028 (snugwedding.com). Every May, The Beerocracy hosts the NYS British Real Ale Festival, a community gathering during which draws craft breweries from around the state. Food trucks, musicians, and other vendors join in the fun. Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated on the first Saturday after November 5. In true British fashion, a bagpipe-led torch procession and a huge bonfire finish off the day. Bradley’s favorite cask ale is Dunmore ESB (extra special bitter). It’s named for Alan Dunmore, the first Brit to buy a beer from him. Alan used to drop in for a pint every day—football (soccer) was a big topic of conversation. They became good friends and, “in essence, he became my US adopted Dad.” The first year the pub was open, he brought his son, Matthew, who, like Bradley, was a huge West Ham football fan. Several months later, Matthew gifted Bradley a West Ham scarf imprinted with the words “FA Cup winners 1980.” Bradley says Matthew told him, “That’s the last football game I ever went to before we immigrated to the US.” It was also the last year West Ham won that cup. In England, pubs are centralized meeting places for the community. Breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries work together for the betterment of tourism in the region. Bradley was thrilled to discover that sense of community among his competitors, and he has worked hard to create a community hangout for local pubgoers. He and other beer proprietors formed the Seneca Lake Order of Brewers, or SLOBS, meeting once a month to discuss their businesses, brainstorm ideas, and to host an annual beer festival in Geneva. On Friday nights, regulars sit at the bar commiserating about the long work week and sharing stories. Other frequent pub-goers include a group of “Brits of the FLX” who meet regularly. Bradley wants newcomers to feel welcome, too. “Come sit at the bar, engage with us, and enjoy the pub experience,” he invites. Bradley would be chuffed to bits to see you.

Weddings & Events Linens - 100+ Colors Round, Banquet, & Drop Linens Overlays, Napkins Table Runners Chairs - White, Black

Simple Elegance Since 1987 607-962-0830

42” Tall Cocktail Tables, Round Tables, 6’ & 8’ Banquet Tables

ccPartyCenter.com

Custom Designed Centerpieces

The Barn

at Hillsprings Farm

The ideal setting for any type of special event. The Barn is the perfect “all-in-one” venue that includes catering! Three packages to choose from with a wide-variety menu.

This beautifully restored barn is nestled in the serene hills of ADDISON, NEW YORK two miles north of Elkland, PA For information or to book your special event contact Amy at (607) 368-5092 or Dorotha at (570) 772-6876.

www.thebarnathillspringsfarm.com

Mitzi Saul is a marketing communications writer who moved with her husband to rural Hector, New York, in August 2025. She enjoys shopping at local farms, frequenting Seneca Lake wineries, pubs, and family-owned restaurants, and learning Schuyler County history.

Courtesy Swartz Paranormal

Boo Who?

Linda Roller

Vince Swartz (left) adjusts a meter designed to detect energy in the shop, and later DeVaughn Williams reviews words captured from ITC Apps.

Avis’s Ghostly Detectives Liberty Bookshop Tells Spooky Stories By Linda Roller

years, and when his paranormal team was “Eneey Meneey Chiliee Beanee…the established, we said that my shop—that’s Spirits are About to Speak!” the Liberty Book Shop—was on the list of —Rocky and Bullwinkle show, circa 1964 places to explore for ghosts. Team members, who all live in the ust search for “ghost hunting” on the in- Lock Haven/Avis area, include Vince ternet, and it’s clear that there’s plenty of Swartz, who is Tim’s husband, Pete Smith, interest in spectral phenomena. From shorts who is their ward, DeVaughn Williams, on TikTok to multi-season series, people are Kristy Basham, Millie Crawford, and Tami busy looking for “ghosties and ghoulies and Brannan. DeVaughn has always been interthings that go bump in the night.” Much ested in the paranormal “but I never saw of it is sensational, dramatic, and feeds that myself as a professional in the field. Now I creepy feeling we really crave. But the Avis- can’t imagine doing anything else.” Tami exbased Swartz Paranormal Investigations perienced encounters with people not preslooks at the paranormal in a far less sensa- ent, and it was her dad who saw a Bigfoot tional, and perhaps more realistic, light. and ghosts. “He made it okay,” she says, “a Talking to the team, all of them have perfectly normal thing.” had an interest in the paranormal and suAs for me, I live in a house that’s 100 pernatural for years. Tim Swartz, team years old, and a church that is the home for leader, was part of a paranormal team in my bookshop that was built 150 years ago. the early 2020s. In 2024, he left to form his The feelings and sounds of an old building own group. “I wanted a focused team that are constant companions. It was my grandinvestigated unexplained events with care mother who somehow, long ago, made the and professionalism,” he says. connection with energy and ghosts a norTim and I have talked about it for mal part of life. In the Liberty Book Shop, I

first noticed the sound of someone walking around, someone with one foot that tended to drag. It’s been here since I bought the place on Christmas Eve, 1999. “We investigate private homes, historic buildings, businesses, and outdoor sites,” Tim says. Generally, they choose sites with some history. It can be the age of a building or site, or it can be the reoccurrence of unexplained sightings, such as in a hotel built only forty years ago. The investigation starts with gathering information from the owner or manager of the place in question. I was surprised during the process when Tami would cross-check information received by other members of the team as being consistent with the history of the building that she had researched through county records and past news reports. Some of the places SPI have visited show a lot of activity. Sometimes it’s multigenerational activity, with stories handed down as the phenomenon mentioned is consistent—like my footsteps in the shop. In other cases, the energy is more active, es-

PINE CREEK VALLEY

pecially in places such as a certain hotel where a number of people have committed suicide. SPI uses the same team protocol for each place they investigate. Sensors are calibrated, and after a quick check of the environment to identify any interference that would trigger the equipment (like drafts, heat ducts, or electronic equipment that is throwing off electromagnetic energy), the team sets recorders and sensors. From there, it’s a waiting game. Unexplained energy is measured with meters, with night vision cameras, and thermal cameras, along with specialized equipment that senses motion and makes it easier for a thought from an energy to be audible. Kristy can check that type of data using dowsing rods—a traditional method of communicating with spiritual energy. Vince has designed much of the equipment, allowing the team to see energy shifts and precisely measure the change in electromagnetic and thermal energy. With Kristy, they can move into an area of activity and ask questions of whatever might be there. Millie works more often with thermal imaging and patiently uses equipment to document energy shift in a certain area. Her work has captured images of orbs and even sometimes a partial image of a person not physically there. So, what happened at the bookshop? Plenty, but nothing that is going to make a television show. SPI was there for two hours, and all the teams found energy in pockets. None of it was negative energy, though Tami encountered a man, probably a former pastor, who did not like her, me, or the bookshop being in the old church building. By the front door of the church/bookshop, the energy was from people who were once part of the congregation. Often young, they signaled to Kristy and Vince that they came with the building. One energy stated that they liked me but didn’t like the books. Tami and DeVaughn found energy in the middle of the building that was there before the church was moved. (It was built in 1876 and moved in 1907 from Woolrich.) In one case, it was a young woman who farmed the land before 1907. When this energy was asked about the church, she had no awareness of the building, only the land. One spirit seemed to be even older than that—perhaps Native American. The history of this property would support that, as this was part of an area frequented by several nations in summer and hunting seasons. Tim noted one odd thing about the space. I had several objects that seemed to radiate energy, though there was no communication from these items. In every case, it was something I’d been given by a person who loved it and did not wish to see it destroyed. And Millie? She recorded an image of a crescent moon above my walnut bookcase. Whether readers believe in spirits, residual energy, or simply the stories old buildings accumulate over time, the investigation revealed something undeniable: Liberty Book Shop occupies a place rich in history, memory, and human connection. For SPI, that is often where the most interesting discoveries begin.

Mountain Home contributor Linda Roller is a bookseller and writer in Avis, Pennsylvania.

Liberty book Shop 1 East Park St., Avis, PA 17721 • 570-220-2947 Follow Me on Facebook! Used, Rare and Out-of-Print Books. Your source for unusual books on any subject. Browse our in-stock selection of over 40,000 hardcover books and paperbacks.

HOURS: Thursday 10am - 6pm Friday 10am - 6pm Saturday 10am - 3pm

(or by appointment, feel free to just call)

Free National Search Service for books not in print. Worldwide shipping!

t Sl a

e Run Tackle Sho p

Wolfe’s General Store A unique store nestled among the steep mountains and gorges of Pine Creek!

Remarkable Gift Shop Fully Stocked Orvis Fly Shop Fabulous Deli Hundreds of great gifts for the whole family!

Open 7 days a week, 8am-5pm (Deli closes 1 hour prior to store closing) E-mail: wolfesgeneralstore@yahoo.com

Rt. 414, Slate Run, PA • (570) 753-8551 • wolfesgeneralstore.com

Located at the top of the 2.8-mile Pine Creek Catch-And-Release “Stretch” 29

Karey Solomon Amanda Miller

Courtesy Pine Creek Seed Farm

Fall for Fun

Visit the pumpkin patch at Pine Creek Seed Farm in Jersey Shore, Dan and his “company car” at Bradley Farms in Elmira, and Amanda Miller and her daughter Joanie at Miller’s Corn Maze in Columbia Cross Roads.

Prepare to Be Amaized Celebrate October at These Corn Mazes By Karey Solomon

nside a corn maze it’s a different world, insulated from everyday sounds and experiences. Look up and there’s blue sky. All around are gently rustling green stalks. Below and ahead are paths forking off in several directions. You might become temporarily lost, but at the end you’ll come out just fine. Sort of like life. Six years ago, when Jennifer and Chris McCracken bought Pine Creek Seed Farm at 204 Tiadaghton Avenue in Jersey Shore (pinecreekseed.com), they wanted to create an outdoor activity families could enjoy despite covid. They created a five-acre corn maze that became such a popular activity that people asked them to do it again the following year. The maze—and the event—grew. Because it was a huge effort, they decided on an unusual approach to the event, creating a nonprofit called the Pine Creek Seed Farm

Corn Maze. Jennifer is its director, and with a group of dedicated volunteers managing each weekend (this year’s five weekends began at the end of September) it’s become a bustling fall festival with all proceeds going to community nonprofit organizations. “Everyone comes up with a lot of ideas, and we try to use every idea that’s thrown at us,” she says. Two grain bins were renovated into serving bars and a kitchen. There are food and beverage trucks offering a variety of festive eats. “Always a coffee truck,” she notes, “and a winery, distillery, or brewery.” There’s continuous entertainment, with a tractor trailer renovated to become a sound stage, a pumpkin patch, a trolley ride pulled by Chris on a seven-minute loop, vendors, games, and something special every weekend. (Check their Facebook page for updates.) This year, eighteen organizations applied to become beneficiaries, and they’re help-

ing as many as possible. Their 5K and 10K race benefits the local high school basketball team. “This year’s main ones are the Jersey Shore Public Library, Clinton County United Way, Millbrook Playhouse, and the Avis Area Recreation Association,” Jennifer says. “Of course, we always give the Avis Fire Company the majority of the money.” They’re considering further seasonal expansion. • Dan Hurley, owner of Bradley Farms at 1543 Maple Avenue in Elmira (bradleyfarmselmira.com) shows off the rebuilt, Halloween-themed hearse in the Bradley Farms parking lot, introducing it as “the company car.” When he bought the venue in 1984, the farm sold the produce of more than eighty acres of veggies and fruit in season to people who canned, froze, and stored food for the winter. “A big part of things was U-pick. We See Amaized on page 32

welcome to

BRADFORD CO.

Power Mobility - Oxygen Home Medical Equipment Custom Braces - Diabetic Shoes • Hospital Beds • Oxygen • CPAP/Bipap Machines and Supplies • Incontinence Supplies • Power Mobility • Compression Hosiery • Braces - Knee, Ankle, Arm • Mobility Equipment • Ostomy Supplies • Bathroom and Home Safety Equipment • Wound Care Supplies

Visit Us Today! visitbradfordcounty.com

Thread Bare Farm Market

Join Us in Preserving a Piece of Important Local History!

Brown eggs • Raw milk Homemade soaps and pottery Grass-fed beef & pastured pork by the pound or order 1/4 or 1/2 pig or cow First Annual Troy Half-Shire Harvest Festival! Join us on October 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. See Facebook for more info!

Let Us Host Your Next Event!

15101 Berwick Turnpike, Gillet, PA • (570) 596-2100

$ave $ave yourself yourself some money some money by owning by owning your own your own propane propane tank! tank!

how do you build your walls?

TOP Quality is Our Priority!

Mini MiniSplit Split Systems Systems

Moon Hill fresh roasted coffee & Bentley Creek wood-fired maple syrup *We do not accept credit cards*

TOP Quality is Our• troysalebarn.com Priority! 50 Ballard St, Troy, PA • (570) TOP Quality is 337-0815 Our Priority!

Air-ToAir-ToAir AirHeat Heat Pump Pump Systems Systems

ring Featuown our

AirEase AiAi AirEase EE Pro Pro Series™ Series™

$ave yourself some money by owning your own propane tank!

Your Comfort Comfort Is Our Your Our Business Business AirEase Ai E Pro

Complete Comfort Comfort System Complete System Solutions Solutions Series™

Air-ToAir Heat Pump Systems

Heating ••Heating Cooling &&Cooling

•• Heat •• Natural Gas Heat Pumps Pumps •• Boilers •• Propane Boilers • Fuel Oil • Furnaces • • Furnaces Maintenance Mini Split ••Maintenance Systems • Generators • • Generators • A/C A/C Systems Systems Installation ••Installation • Electrical • Water • Electrical • Water Your Comfort is Your Comfort IsOur OurBusiness Business Service Heaters Repair Service Heaters ••Repair Complete Comfort System Solutions

Complete Comfort System Solutions Financing Available to Qualifi ed Available toGas Qualifi ed Buyers! Buyers! •Financing Heating • See Natural • Heat Pumps Dealer for Details. See Dealer for Details. Affordable financing options with rates as low as 0%

& Cooling

• Propane

• Boilers

570-673-4140 • Fuel Oil • Furnaces 570-673-4140 • Maintenance

/Abmasheatingandcooling PA 106961 • Generators • A/C Systems /Abmasheatingandcooling PA 106961 • Installation • Repair

• Electrical Service

• Water Heaters

When you build your walls you should expect to get more out of a building product. Buildings today demand reliable, energy efficient building envelopes that provide superior performance benefits to minimize energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, and maximize property value. NUDURA structures offer greater strength, sound, and fire resistance and are why developers and contractors across the world continue to choose NUDURA’s Integrated Building Technology as a proven alternative to traditional building methods. With NUDURA’s 6-in-1 building step, you can build faster and more efficiently, while offering your clients an eco-friendly structure with substantial benefits that contribute to long-term energy savings.

Change the way you build your walls.

HOOVER INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY

Hoover Hardware 570-297-3445 • 800-251-2156 816 CANTON STREET, TROY, PA MON-SAT 7AM- 5PM

nudura.com

866.468.6299

welcome to

POTTER COUNTY Amaized continued from page 30

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum 5560 US Route 6 West , Potter Co. (814) 435-2652 lumbermuseum.org

www.theCarpentersShopInc.com 2228 SR 49 West Ulysses, PA • (814) 848-7448

Stop in and visit us today!

• Custom Moldings to match your project (radius moldings availble) • Stair Construction including balusters and handrails • Cabinetry (custom kitchen, vanity, and more • Custom Doors • Solid Wood Tops to match your decor • Log Siding and Clapboard Siding • Hardwood Lumber for sale

I wish blessings for you from our Lord and Savior throughout the year! Live Edge Slabs available in various species and sizes

used to have fifty acres of sweet corn,” Dan says. “We’d pick 500 to a thousand dozen ears a day. But there’s been a rapid change in the past twenty years. People don’t eat as much sweet corn. The generation that did the canning and freezing is gone. A lot of the thirty-andunder crowd isn’t even cooking.” So, fifteen years ago, he began decorating a no-longer-used greenhouse for Halloween and created a corn maze. “It’s what we had to adapt to,” he says now. “We became entertainers.” And educators. Many kids in the school groups who visit the farm every year have no concept of where food comes from. Dan tells them. He also grows fields of sunflowers people can enjoy during the farm’s annual “Sunflower Daze” as well as pumpkins, winter squash, and field corn that serves as a corn maze before it’s harvested to feed his neighbor’s cows. Another neighbor lends goats for the general atmosphere. Food trucks are present on Friday and Saturday evenings; on the weekends they also make donuts here. The farm store features an array of pickles, pie fillings, and preserves. And don’t forget the “Coldbrook Curse.” No one will say precisely what it is. However, it can be experienced during one of the after-dark hair-raising hayless (allergy-free) hayrides (7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights) complete with live actors who augment the spooky atmosphere. “People love to be scared,” Dan says. The Halloween experience includes fifteen stations set up for selfies. The corn maze is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays with extended weekend hours. • This year, Miller’s Corn Maze at 931 Sopertown Road in Columbia Cross Roads (millerscornmaze.weebly.com) has a patriotically themed seven-acre maze design featuring a twenty-foot-tall Statue of Liberty. “A lot of celebrating America250 is happening, which makes it a great fit for our school tours,” says Amanda Miller, who adds it’s rumored Benjamin Franklin could drop by. Food available includes a cider and donut cart. “A lot of people come just for those donuts!” Food trucks are also on hand for more options. This year’s special events include a trick or treat night, a friendsand-family day, and a trivia contest around the maze benefitting Bradford County’s Suicide Prevention Center, which this year is raising awareness of how depression affects farmers. Active military and veterans receive a discount. The whole Miller family works on the corn maze: Amanda’s father, Jim Van Blarcom, drives the tractor for the hayrides; her two older kids help anyone stuck inside the maze; down to the youngest child, who helps the littlest guests with pumpkin painting. Amanda’s husband, Robert, works behind the scenes, keeping things running. And despite their more-than-a-month of endless work at the corn maze while keeping their own farm running, Amanda says, “I love watching families have a wonderful time! They’re together, they’re laughing, eating, away from devices and stress. I take real joy in the people!”

welcome to Homemade Specials Daily! Open daily 7am to 9pm!

Open daily 7am to 8pm 570-662-2972

2103 S. Main St., Mansfield, PA

Specialties include Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches, Chicken & Biscuits, and Homemade Pies!

570-662-2972

2103 S. Main St., Mansfield, PA

TIOGA COUNTY

Makers of Pure Maple Products Maple Syrup • Maple Cream • Maple Candy Maple Sugar • Gift Baskets Specialty Items • Glass Bottles Open year round Mon-Fri 10am-5pm & Sat 9am-3pm

Tours & Taste-testing Available

119 Patterson Road • Westfield, PA 16950 • 814-628-3751

WWW.PATTERSONMAPLEFARMS.COM

Barber’s

Firearms

& SPORTING GOODS STORE

FISHING SUPPLIES • LICENSES • BAIT

STOCK UP WITH US! OVER 1,500 GUNS IN STOCK - Buy • Sell • Trade Ammo & Reloading Supplies • Crossbows Scopes • Accessories PA Hunting Licenses Gift CertifiCates always available

7070 Route 249, Westfield, PA 16950 • (814) 367-2900 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 9am-3pm; Sun closed; Other Hours by Appt.

barbersfirearms.com • barbersfirearms@yahoo.com 33

(3) Wade Spencer

Eee-Yi-Eee-Yi-Oh! On this farm there are goats, and Esther Perry uses their milk to make healthful and whimsical soaps.

A Clean Start at From the Farm Esther Perry Makes Soaps that Make a Difference By Joshua Allen

“E

verything happens over this kitchen sink,” Esther Perry says, standing in her kitchen at her farm at 143 Marsh Creek Road in Wellsboro. Four empty rectangular molds rest on the counter beside the sink. She picks up a rod of shaped soap. It looks like a bear. She explains how she combines it with layers of color to make a diorama. When she cuts her cured bars of soap from the mold, the image will reveal a landscape with a black bear, an evergreen, and a wooden cabin. Esther says, “I put a lot of creativity into this, not just with the scents. I like to see what I can do.” Beside her molds are paper sketches of different designs. Esther began making and selling soap and other natural products as From the

Farm (fromthefarm.farm) in 2013. She’d heard that goat’s milk could help with some medical issues, so she purchased a doe, intending to drink her milk. Esther did end up feeling better. She fell in love with her goats, but that one doe ended up producing nearly a gallon of milk a day, more than she could consume. At first she fed the leftover milk to a hog she was raising. After the hog was butchered, she decided to try making 100 percent goat’s milk soap. She ended up with more soap than she could use, so her surplus became her product, and her business was born. She went from a few goats at the beginning to caring for three bucks and eight does. On her two-acre farm, she tends to the goats in the barn and uses some rooms in the farmhouse

as a storefront where she sells her soap and more. Beyond the kitchen, the rest of her home is warm and welcoming. Near the ceiling hang carefully placed string lights and fall foliage garland. Beneath them, the walls are lined with tables displaying various homemade products for sale. Her most wellknown products are her soaps, but she also sells (among other things) lotions, creams, deodorants, lip balms, and essential oils. In addition to beauty and self-care products, her home is filled with other locally made artisanal goods such as puzzles, jams, and canned food. Her kitchen serves as both a cooking and soap-making space, while the entryway displays products and the living room hosts events and product testing. See Start on page 36

welcome to

WELLSBORO

antiques • vintage • collectibles Wed, Thurs, Sun 10 to 5, Fri & Sat 10 to 6 9826 Route 6, Wellsboro, PA • 570-948-2388

GIFTS, GAMES, HOBBIES, AND FUN FOR ALL! 25 main st., Wellsboro • (570) 723-4263 • popscultureshoppe.com

Celebrating

37 years of making your landscape dreams a reality. Providing the largest selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials in the Twin Tiers

AUTHORIZED CONTRACTOR

Over 3 acres of inventory

Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm • Sat 8:30am-4pm • Closed Sundays 10941 PA 287, Wellsboro, PA • martinsgardencenter.com Office: (570) 376-2745 • Store: (570) 376-4411

Start continued from page 34

Stop in & see our wide selection of all your FAVORITE BRANDS!

Esther says she feels at home in the community, a community that became especially important during a difficult season of her life. In 2015, she went through a divorce, but it wasn’t until 2022 that the divorce was finalized. Through that season, she debated whether to stay or go. Ultimately, she decided to stay and grow roots in Wellsboro. “I’ve been growing roots for eleven years now,” she shares. She says her faith helped her endure and that her goats were her therapy. Now, she continues to give back through the opportunities available to her. Esther also shares her story on Facebook, regularly streaming to more than 10,000 followers. “I don’t have a million followers,” she says, “yet.” Viewers tell her that her videos are helpful and grounding. Esther posts content about her cooking and soap-making, and while she completes those tasks in the kitchen, she also shares devotions, teachings, and inspirations from her Christian faith. She says what she does is not simply a job or an ambition. It is purpose and survival. She describes her whole operation as less an entrepreneurial endeavor and more her way of life. “My business is in my home,” she says. Within the heart of what she does lies a passion for helping people, especially her local community. She loves to give back. When she makes food for different events, she takes the leftover goodies to the emergency room staff at UPMC’s hospital in Wellsboro. The products she makes are intentionally crafted to help people with their skin problems. Sometimes customers even request specific products, and Esther always tries her best to meet their needs. Her way of life is also an extension of her personal ministry. Esther says, “People need love.” She enjoys the meaningful conversations she’s had with customers and has offered to pray for certain customers because, “There are a lot of hurting people out there.” She wants to provide people opportunities to heal from past harm. Sometimes she donates one of her products, a small gift bundle called “Soap and Hope,” to churches for people in need. These bundles can also be purchased as a gift, and each one includes some soap, a soap saver, a washcloth, and a Bible verse. She says she’s experienced how an intentional cleaning ritual can help individuals feel safe and confident in their skin. She hopes that her quality soaps can provide that sort of comfort. Esther also hosts seasonal events on her farm. She loves to show people her goats and farm, and she welcomes other local vendors to set up and sell their crafts and products. She charges no vendor fee, and vendors can come and go as they please. The next event is a Fall Festival scheduled for October 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. She promises apple dumplings, affordable pumpkins, and cheese. Other vendors and a food truck are also expected to be there. Her Christmas in the Country event will be the weekend of December 3. Stay up to date with her events at From the Farm on Facebook.

Joshua Allen teaches English language arts for middle school and high school students in Galeton. Writing and poetry are his favorite pursued interests, but when not writing, he enjoys listening to music, hiking new trails, and playing board games.

754 Canton Street, Troy PA • 570-297-7770 HOURS: Monday-Saturday 8am-5pm hooverclothingstore.com 36

Fall & Holiday Events at the Deane Center NIGHT AT

THE RACES

NIGHT AT THE RACES

OCT 17

SATURDAY

5:30PM

MOONDANCE

OCT 23

FRIDAY

7:30PM

FRIDAY

STAGE FRIGHT

NOV 27

STAGE FRIGHT A TRIBUTE TO THE BAND

Starlite BIG BAND

7:30PM

STARTLITE BIG BAND

SATURDAY

DEC 12

7:00PM

Doors open at 6:30PM

SATURDAY WILLIAMSPORT CITY JAZZ ORCHESTRA

DEC 19

7:30PM

deanecenter.com | 570-724-6220 37

Matthew Stevens

High on the Mountain

A Ridge with A View (of Life) By Matthew Stevens

here is a bench overlooking the Pennsylvania mountains where, for a few weeks each autumn, you can sit and watch an entire landscape become something it wasn’t before. The deep greens of summer begin to surrender. Reds, oranges, and golds spread across the mountainsides. Leaves that spent months reaching toward the sun loosen their grip and drift quietly toward the earth. And we call it beautiful. I’ve always found that interesting, because when the same thing happens within us, we aren’t nearly as accepting. We spend much of our lives resisting change. We become comfortable with who we are, where we are, and the people surrounding us. We build lives around familiarity and quietly hope we can somehow convince time to leave things alone. But time has never listened. Children grow up. Parents grow older. Friendships change. Careers end and new ones begin. People we love enter our lives, and sometimes they leave them. The face staring back from the mirror slowly becomes different from the one we remember. Sometimes change arrives gently. Sometimes it tears through our lives like a storm.

Nature never promises us that change will be painless. It simply reminds us that change is inevitable. Perhaps that’s one reason I have always felt such a deep connection to the mountains. The forest never pretends to be permanent. Every season is a transformation. Every fallen tree creates room for something new. Every leaf eventually returns to the soil that once gave it life. Nothing remains exactly as it was, yet somehow the forest remains whole. Maybe there is something our souls can learn from that. We often mourn previous versions of ourselves. We miss who we were before heartbreak, before responsibility, before our children stopped needing us quite so much. We remember younger bodies, different dreams, people who once sat beside us. But the person we are today carries pieces of every season that came before. Like rings hidden inside an old tree, our lives are built from years of growth, hardship, abundance, drought, damage, and healing. None of those seasons exist separately. Together, they make us who we are. That October bench reminds me of this. Soon the brilliant mountains before it will become bare. Cold winds will move

through empty branches and winter will settle across Pennsylvania. But the forest will not be gone. It will simply be changing again. And months from now, tiny green buds will appear on branches that looked lifeless. Perhaps the art of living isn’t learning how to keep everything we love exactly as it is. Perhaps it’s learning to recognize when a season has ended, to carry its lessons with us, and to loosen our grip when life asks us to become something new. We celebrate autumn because we can see the beauty in a changing forest. Maybe, every once in a while, we should offer ourselves the same grace.

Matthew Stevens, a thirty-six-year-old Marine Corps veteran and lifelong resident of the rugged mountains of northern Pennsylvania, is the owner and photographer of High on the Mountain Photography. With a passion for capturing the natural beauty and untold stories of his home region, he specializes in portrait, event, and nature photography while also volunteering his time to shoot local school sports and community events.

welcome to

THE BEST

WELLSBORO

LOCAL COVERAGE.

THE BEST

REGIONAL PHOTOS.

THE BEST WRITING,

PERIOD.

1-Year Subscription $ 24.95

Name: ______________________________ Date: _______________________________ Address: ____________________________

Emerge Healing Arts & Spa emergehealingarts.com 570-360-8180

Bridal Parties at the sPa Make your sPecial occation MeMoriaBle

____________________________________ Email: ______________________________ Phone: ______________________________ Send Payment Payable to: Beagle Media, LLC, 39 Water Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901. Call 570-724-3838 or online at 10/26 subscriptions@mountainhomemag.com

Celebrate with luxurious spa service. Contact us to customize a package. 129 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA

welcome to NEW YORK Ferment continued from page 13

Locally Owned Since 1928 2351 Stannards Rd, Wellsville, NY 14895

(585) 593-1280

2027 Lake Road Elmira, NY 14903 Full Display Showroom Professional Installation Serving the Twin Tiers (607) 732-1537 classictileimports.com

Preserving, Educating, & Celebrating Boating in the Finger Lakes

OPEN DAILY 10am - 5pm

www.flbm.org 40

Lauren began working at age fifteen in the restaurant and bakery industry and has a culinary degree from SUNY-Delhi. After experiencing some career burnout—something fairly common in that demanding field—she decided to return to college and explore a longtime interest in graphic design. Lauren, who lives just outside Rochester, shopped for an online program that would allow her to build on her work experience, and found it at FLCC: “And so I found my worlds colliding in a cool and interesting way.” Under mentors Liz Brownell and Margaret Pence, Lauren and her fellow design students acted as “agencies” and presented their concepts to the viticulture students, the “clients.” Lauren followed the tried-and-true process of commercial art: research (gleaning through thousands of prior examples), brainstorming, sketching, refining, mock-ups, crafting the artwork, digital compositing, the summary presentation, and finally, the scary part—the judging. Lauren remembers, “I was at a restaurant when I got the [winning] phone call, and I literally ran around the parking lot in excitement!” She received a $500 scholarship, some significant validation, and a nifty entry on her professional resumé. The finished product is available at FLCC’s Viticulture and Wine Center in Geneva. Lauren’s winning design, titled Embracing Vines, offers strong graphic statement (that’s art-speak for “it stands out on a crowded shelf”). A lively script font plays against the colder informational fonts. The black grape leaf and vine is a block print that Lauren handcarved from a square of linoleum, a look in keeping with the intensive hand labor of winemaking, layered onto a subtle watercolor of pinkish wine rings. The overprinting gives it depth, as if you are peering into (and not just at) a ripening vine on its wooden trellis. And like many contemporary logos, it contains a hidden visual twist (similar to the arrow in the FedEx logo or the standing bear of Toblerone candy); here, the veins on the grape leaf are the fanlike silhouettes of all eleven of the Finger Lakes. That’s a thoughtful touch, for the lakes themselves, glacial remnants, are the veins running through our loveliest of upstate landscapes. Having found her true calling, Lauren plans to dive into even more illustration—labels, books, and even murals. “I’ve always been the ‘skeleton key’ type person, fitting into wherever I am needed,” she says. She has established a freelance page on Instagram called Curiosity Killed The Craft, and welcomes followers. We conclude with an invitation to all readers to visit an exhibition telling the story of the FLCC collaboration at ArtSpace36. Located on Canandaigua’s charming Main Street, ArtSpace36 is a retail art gallery and creative project venue sponsored by the college. The exhibition runs October 22 through November 28, with a reception and tasting on November 12. It features displays about the last ten winning labels while giving a peek at all of those created since the Graphic Design and Viticulture programs began their collaboration in 2011. Cheers.

David Higgins is an artist living in Corning. He has won Best in Show awards in the following exhibitions: the Gmeiner Regional (4x), Arnot Regional (3x), Susquehanna Regional (3x), Southern Tier Biennial (2x), and Made in NY.

Mountain Home SERVICE DIRECTORY Open 7 days a week!

FR E

E DRINKS

OR E

& E

7 Main Street Wellsboro, PA 570-724-4556

JON’S HYDRAULICS

BULK OR BAG COAL * DELIVERY AVAILABLE

288 Caldwell Rd., Trout Run, PA 17771

We will duplicate any tube or hose worldwide - Metric or American

3130 Rt. 414 Canton, PA 17724

Owner: Jon Groover (570) 673-4700

Have a nose for sales? COME WORK WITH US Mountain Home is hiring account executives in New York & Pennsylvania to sell advertising, provide valuable content to our readers, and help our clients prosper. This job has paid 60G-plus. Flexible hours. Family atmosphere. Mileage. 401K. Call (570) 724-3838 to join the team.

Dining Room, Bedroom, Sofas and much more!

morrischairshop.com

54 Windsor Lane Morris PA 16938 (570) 353-2735

B A C K O F T H E M O U N TA I N

The Frosty Fringes

By Deb Young

n a chilly October morning as I wandered around our front yard in Mansfield, I couldn't help but notice this frosty grass at the edge of our pond. Standing all by itself sparkling in the sun, these wild wetland reeds looked like an elegant headpiece for a ballerina, or maybe the reeds were the ballerinas. Either way, wherever you look, nature holds surprises.

WELLSBOROEQUIPMENT.COM

25 WHITNEYVILLE RD MANSFIELD PA 16933

NEED A NEED A MACHINE MACHINE, A A PPART ART O OR R A AG GUY UY W WHO HO K KNOWS NOWS A A G GUY UY? START S TART H HERE ERE. ,

SALES

RESIDENTIAL

RENTAL

PARTS

AGRICULTURE

GENERATORS

SERVICE

CONSTRUCTION

FIREPLACE & STOVES

CALL/TEXT: 570.724.6100

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Some Pictures Are Too Important to Miss

If you grew up taking photos with a disposable camera, you may be the right age to make an important appointment: your mammogram.

Schedule your mammogram this Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Guthrie by scanning the QR code, visiting Guthrie.org/Mammogram or calling 866-GUTHRIE (866-488-4743).