Southern Tier Life

Southern Tier

Life

Covering Your Friends & Neighbors

EX-PATS: NASA ASTRONAUT AND OWEGO NATIVE DOUG HURLEY QUARANTINE 19 AND HOW WE LOSE IT MINDING YOUR BUSINESS: CARD CARRYING BOOKS & GIFTS CHEF’S BEST: THE CELLAR - OWEGO

PA R K C H U R C H

ITS ROLE IN THE UND ER GR OUND R AIL R O A D Volume 01. April 2021

ISSUE 002

SOUTHERN TIER LIFE MAGAZINE STAFF

Editor In Chief Randy Reid Editorial Assistant Dee Reid Advertising Randy Reid Contributors A’Don Allen, Chris Brewster, Sheri Hughey, Sky Moss, Bob Thomas Contact news@southerntierlife.com Address P.O. Box 704, Elmira, New York 14902 Publisher Reid Media Group, LLC

Reid Media Group LLC is a NYS Certifed Minority Business Enterprise Southern Tier Life is published by Reid Media Group. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved

TABLE OF CONTENTS The Quarantine 19 06 Hidden Gems 08 Upstate Geechie 10 Park Church - Cover Story

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Minding Your Business 18 Chef’s Best 20 ExPats 24 For the Love of beer

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Hot Shots 28 Local Book Authors 30

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Hidden Gems This month we begin to explore the Hidden Gems across the Southern Tier. Read more on this beautiful spot on page 8 SOUTHERN TIER LIFE MAGAZINE 2021

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Centuries of Experience.

A Name You Can Trust.

thedunngroup.com

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Editorial The feedback from our first edition was pretty good. It was our inaugural launch and focused on COVID One Year Later. As expected, readers gravitated to our new digital format throughout the month. They shared and commented on our stories and that is what we want. Feedback is always good and helps improve the product.

This month we look at the impact that Park Church has had in our community and in particular my family.

How is that Quarantine 19 going? We take a look at the impact that COVID had on our weight and you will learn ways to take it off.

Craft Beers or Microbreweries are on the rise in the Southern Tier. Learn how two men have turned their passion for craft beer into a hobby.

We are always on the lookout for Hidden Gems and Chris Brewster discovers Nichols Park in Spencer, NY. Learn why this park is the talk of the town.

Finally we take a trip to Owego for our Chef’s Best Feature and we go out of this world and catch up with Owego native and NASA Astronaut Doug Hurley for our ExPats column.

RANDY REID SOUTHERN TIER LIFE MAGAZINE 2021

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The Quarantine 19 Written By: Sheri Hughey

Spring has sprung, and while some of us are shedding layers of bulky winter-wear, others of us may be looking to shed “The Quarantine 19.” Remember the freshman 15 -those unaware, but who cares, extra pounds we were awarded after settling into our first semester of college and discovering 25-cent draft night? The expression, quarantine 19, has gained popularity to refer to weight gain during the covid-19 pandemic. One year later, even with restrictions gradually being lifted, the struggle continues to be real. The weight of it all…

Quarantines, closures, lockdowns, remote learning, and remote working obligated us to the confines of our homes; our daily routines interrupted or dismantled. Stress, related to the pandemic, showed up in our behaviors. Being confined to home, we were cooking more, exercising less, and snacking more.

According to the American Psychological Association, 61% of adults reported undesirable weight changes during the COVID-19 pandemic; the average overall weight gain among adults was a whopping 29 pounds, and the average weight gain specifically for men was 37 pounds. Even if you were not a gym-junkie or exercise fanatic prior to COVID-19, unconsciously and

Photo Courtesy of Journey Fitness Note: Photo taken pre-COVID

unintentionally, you could, at the very least, count on burning calories merely from routine activities, at the workplace or outside the home. You know, the kind of exercise that is not considered traditional exercise. Low hanging fruit. What a bummer. Those were freebies.

So here we are and, well… baby got back! But don’t be too critical or hard on yourself. The shift to a more sedentary lifestyle, compounded with stress of an unprecedented and puzzling pandemic, it is understandable that we indulged in food for comfort; after all, we couldn’t get a hug from a friend, right? Take heart; you are not alone, and there is absolutely no value in feeling ashamed. The good news is there is common sense, basic strategies to

get baby back on track.

Jeffrey Case, former Insanity Coach, former Beachbody Coach, and current mega coach at Journey Fitness in Horseheads says that of all the efforts to bounce back from COVID-19, it is the small victories that have the most impact towards your goal. (For some reason, my mind takes me to the animated movie, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, and Kris Kringle is singing, “Put One Foot in Front of the Other.” But I digress. Kinda.) According to Coach Case, (re)-establishing routines is key; routines are something that an individual has control of. “Getting up at a specific time, making your bed, getting dressed and having breakfast seem like such small things, but it is something you can control, and

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establish as a routine,” Case explains.

He continued, “Every day, we wake up, we have the opportunity to take care of ourselves.” Coach Case is firm in his belief that we set ourselves up for success when we establish routines, especially when we are looking to make healthy lifestyle changes. “If you want something different, you have to do something different,” he says. This might mean leaving our comfort and safe zones that were created during the pandemic. There is research that connects weight loss to behavioral patterns and personal discipline. Challenge yourself to start (yes, create a new one!) or re-start routines, be it a morning routine, evening and/or sleep routine, eating routine, exercise routine, or a relax and chill routine (is that chillaxing?).

Are you ready to move? Move your body, that is? Coach Case encourages us to “find something that gets you moving, even if it’s going up and down the stairs; just move!” Exercise is always in the equation for weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. As Case puts it, “Movement is medicine.” Any physical activity that you can fit into your day will be helpful in keeping your weight in check and boost your mood. So maybe you’re not a gym rat or an avid runner, put on some uplifting or funky music in the comfort of your home and dance like no one is watching (Elaine from Seinfeld just popped in my head; again, I digress), or commit to an hour a week with the grands and take them to the park, or volunteer/join a community clean-up group; just move! So maybe you are a gym rat or former gym rat, but you are not ready to return. An option for you may be virtual coaches and streaming exercise platforms like Peloton and Mirror, that offer gym workouts and classes at home, and are more popular than ever. You-

Tube also provides a variety of exercise options depending on your level of fitness.

Probably the simplest and easiest form of exercise is walking.

Walking is free and a great way to get moving and gradually increase your physical activity. A thirty-minute walk will kick-start your metabolism and help burn calories. You must start somewhere, and wherever you start, that is a great place because you simply started.

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Photo Courtesy of Journey Fitness Facebook page

The most effective method to lose weight is a healthy diet and adequate exercise so let’s examine some healthy eating strategies. First, consider food journaling or logging. You’ll get a better picture of what you’re eating, how much you’re eating, and your caloric intake, among other things. You might be surprised with what you discover and be motivated to make some adjustments. It’s your accountability tool and it can be effective with proper use. Second, eat smaller meals and consume them frequently; include 3 healthy snacks per day as well. Coach Case advises eating more energy foods, especially protein, to provide needed fuel and avoid sluggishness at any given point of the day. Third, do more home cooking; you get to control preparation, portion, and price. Also, cooking involves movement! We love movement! Lastly, authorities always recommend cutting back on sugar and processed foods, increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, and don’t forget your water! Consuming half your body

weight of water in ounces is the goal each day.

It is clearly not the beginning of a new year, a time when goals and resolutions regarding health and weight loss are declared with temporary conviction, but it is Spring, the season of new beginnings, and the perfect time to reset with new-found purpose, drive, and initiative. Baby, bounce back.

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Beauty Surrounds

Every community has its hidden gems – those cool places very few people outside of those who live there actually know about. With the pandemic forcing us to find different activities closer to home, many of these are being discovered and appreciated for the beautiful escape from everyday life that they are.

I’ll be spotlighting some of these areas throughout our five-county region, starting with a national-recognized treasure hidden almost in plain sight.

Written by: Chris Brewster

Historic Nichols Park

Photographs by: Chris Brewster

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Nichols Pond Park, Spencer Anyone driving through the center of the Village of Spencer in Tioga County can’t miss the pond across from the Shurfine grocery store on Route 34, and the gazebo and picnic tables on the Main Street side of the park.

But the trail around Nichols Pond, paved and spruced up by village residents a decade ago, stretches back to a covered bridge, rock wall and garden, a rock sculpture creature known as Evinrude the Swamp Monster, and the grounds that annually host the 110-year-old Spencer Picnic and house one of New York’s oldest baseball grandstand structure.

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“Growing up in the area, I wasn’t aware of the history of the park,” said Abbey Hendrickson, Community Development Specialist for Tioga County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning, who helped compile the application. “Through the process, I learned so much.”

park, mostly overlooking the pond.

The trail follows west around the pond, then crosses a small brook via a wood-framed covered bridge, constructed in 2011. Close to the covered bridge is a picnic bench and a large folk-art sculpture entitled Evinrude the Swamp Monster.

The park covers approximately 23 acres, which includes the area around the pond. The stone-dust path wraps around a natural habitat for wildlife such as birds, amphibians, and fish, while marshy sections serve as a nursery for native aquatic plants. It

At its westernmost extreme, the path passes the area where the baseball field and dugouts, grandstand, concession stand, and other built features are clustered. Six rows of horseshoe pits are located directly behind the concession stand, surrounded by a low chain-link fence.

The trail then passes the Spencer-Van Etten Middle School to the north, before completing its circuit on a southeasterly course to the starting point, the eastern parking area.

There are also a host of great fishing spots, benches all around the grounds, free community concerts in the summer and beauty as far as the eye stretches, all year around.

Nichols Park was named for John Avery Nichols, the first recorded owner of the property. The park dates back more than 150 years as private grounds that were taken over by the Village around the turn of the century.

And as of this winter, the park is part of the National Register of Historic Places, thanks to a nomination from the Village of Spencer.

features a fountain on its eastern side, towards the dock area.

Beginning at the eastern entrance, a paved 18-space parking lot is in front of the east side of the pond. Interpretive signage and a wood gazebo are adjacent to the lot, beyond which is a wooden dock.

Along its course are four contemporary benches and 16 wood panels used by the Spencer Library as a book walk display. There are a total of 17 benches scattered throughout the

Over the years, the park was used for a variety of community activities, which continues to this day. The huge wood-framed baseball grandstand dates back to the early 1920s.

By the 1960s, the pond had become overgrown with weeds, and several projects over the years – including one that concluded in 2011 with the construction of the covered bridge and clearing of a designated pathway around the pond – have kept it the gem that it is today, in large part due to efforts of volunteers.

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My Grandma Taught Me to Watch Birds

by Sky Moss

My grandmother’s name was Eloise Foster.

My youngest daughter shares that beautiful, old Pennsylvania name. My grandmother had family named, Esther, Edith, Edna….

Originally my grandma Eloise was not comfortable with me and my brother. She spent most of her life not seeing, knowing

black people. We grew on her. (side note….

I learned to write reading Reader’s Digests in her bathroom). My Grandmother Eloise could bake, sew, cook Goulash and whoop your ass; in the same hour. She was patient and observant, kind and wise.

On days I had a fever, a cold, mom took me to Grammy’s. I feigned sick. On winter Thursdays we baked bread and made cinnamon buns. The yeast smelled cool and

the oven warmed the room.

Outside the three panel kitchen window the bird feeders adorned tree limbs. Two maples, a birch and crab apple tree hosted the guests. Every season the visitors changed… Grand Budapest Hotel… some are regulars, most are. The aberrations and new arrivals kept me peeking out the window. There were various feeder types, homemade, hummingbird specific, suet pinecones, anti-squirrel joints. They hung like edible wind chimes across those four trees. Grandma kept bird books to reference the visitors.

Sparrows, chickadees, Tufted Tits, Cardinals, bluebirds, wrens, goldfinches, my favorite friends, they pull up and say, “what’s good?”

I operate off two feeders (2021).

One is designed purposefully; it is bully proof. Big obnoxious birds aint welcome……

Oh, Ima name names…. It took some thought and imagination to negotiate that.

The seed you offer is important too.

Niger sunflower is Sky Moss is an Associate Professor at Corning the best for song Community College

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birds, little birds… Larger seeds equals larger birds. I am not opposed to them but most are bullies, pillagers and miscreants.

The stability and distance from the ground are important feeder considerations.

Squirrel firewalls should also be considered.

Suspending feeders is my preferred idea, a strong anchor with a 90* appendage optimal. I put them arbitrarily in trees, on posts: feeding birds is cool to me. My primary feeder is selfish.

It hangs in front of my kitchen window so I can see every arrival. I pour my coffee and after April 1st I can watch my friends @ daybreak; b4 I ride out to work.

always watching birds. Hate Robins although they will be back soon. Bluebirds are a spring favorite. I saw one bobbing and rising over Fitches Bridge 3/4/21…. The last two years we had a two week June visitor, a Baltimore oriole.

Majestic…..

My grandma Eloise taught me to look out the window for birds. I miss her. School was boring at age 8, she was not. She also told me after 5/1 stop feeding, unless you are humming birding. Birds are so capable. Send bird pics to the site.

The bullies…. Listen Blue jays gotta eat too but they Hutt Clan. A syndicated predicated on the idea of extortion. Hate em. Starlings, crows and ravens, cowbirds… we have an agreement.

I am convinced those birds have souls and will stalk and haunt you. There is actual research. My outer feeder appeases them, I think, like blue jays they are Yakuza. We cool.

Male cardinals are aggressive, the occasional woodpecker and spring chestnut warblers too (Glee).

I am always doing dishes. Which means I am

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PARK CHURCH & THE ROLE THEY PLAYED IN THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Go to the steps of Park Church today and it still shows its inclusiveness and acceptance it displayed back in 1846.

Today you could see the gay pride flag and a welcoming message for all visitors. Back when the church, first known as The First Independent Congregational Church, later named Park Church, incorporated in their bylaws that: No person shall be admitted to the church, or allowed to remain therein, who practices or approves of the buying or selling of human beings, or holding them in slavery.

Today Park Church remains a beacon for human rights and inclusiveness in the region.

Park Church has stood up and filled

WRITTEN BY RANDY REID

the gaps for marginalized people in our community since 1846. The church is steeped in history from the Langdon Family to Thomas K. Beecher to those 42 brave people who decided to start this church.

My family remains grateful for Park Church. If it weren’t for their abolitionist thinking my Great, Great, Great Grandfather John Muldoon would not have been free. My relative escaped slavery in Virginia around the mid-1840s. He was pursued by his slave owner, with the last name Muldoon. Our family historian was our own Aunt Jennie Dunmeyer, who I video taped in 1991 during a family reunion. Hearing her tell the story of our family was enthralling and a bit

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STATUE OF THOMAS K. BEECHER PASTOR OF PARK CHURCH

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sad at the same time. I’m glad John was able to outrun his slave owner and win his freedom.

When John made it to Elmira, using the Underground Railroad, members of Park Church found him a place to hide.

The next stop for John was Canada where many freed slaves settled. John was taken in by a Livery Stable owner with the last name Reed. His stable sat at the foot of Church St across from Newtown Creek. After a few days passed and his overseer was gone, John began working for Mr. Reed. After a few months John decided to stay in Elmira and take on Mr. Reed’s last name. Over time John decided to change his last name to Reid and the Reid Family history began.

Park Church helped hundreds of slaves find freedom whether it was here in Elmira or on a train to Canada. Jervis Langdon one of the founding members of Park Church was a huge abolitionist in our area. Mr. Langdon also owned the railroad from Elmira to Ontario Canada.

Learn how Jervis Langdon and John Jones worked together to help escaped slaves.

Jenny Monroe, Historian for Park Church

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To learn more about how Thomas K. Beecher came to Elmira and led Park Church click his photo and watch Jenny Monroe explain.

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A Journey of a Thousand Miles A degree in just about any field can prepare you for opportunities in many fields you may not have even thought of! Cybersecurity skills can be applied to applications in marketing, publishing, manufacturing, and more. As just about every industry, and every job, relies on properly using, maintaining and securing computer data -- cybersecurity is more than just stopping hackers. It is as vital a skill as working a telephone. That’s one of the best benefits of community college – you can explore a pathway that may seem pretty narrow but you can apply that knowledge in unimaginable ways later in life and career.

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Why did you start your business?

In 2017, Randi and her good friend, Sarah Blagg, were in a feminist book club together. The group hatched the idea of a “feminist clubhouse” that would be on Market Street, our city’s main street full of retail and restaurants.

They thought ideas of gender equality belonged on “Main Street,” as did those about racial equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. The idea of a feminist bookstore was born from that discussion. They wanted a place that the community could use and meet in, a home for resources for activists, and a safe space – right in the middle of town – for people who the culture seemed to be marginalizing at the time.

Tell us about your business: Card Carrying features books for people of all ages, including fiction, children’s books, non-fiction, Young Adult (YA), and more. We carry best-sellers as well as off-the-beaten-path titles by and about women, non-white people, and LGBTQ+ people. We also feature gifts with activist or tongue-in-cheek themes including stickers, mugs, socks, etc. We offer four monthly subscriptions with different content and price points for adult and YA readers. We host author and activist events (event during the pandemic, we’ve been able to stay active in virtual settings), and a Teen Book club.

Who are your customers?

Our customers are avid readers, tourists, parents, professionals, activists, and kids who are looking for books that center people who historically have not been front and center in literature.

CARD CARRYING BOOKS & GIFTS

Minding Your Business

What did you do differently during COVID that kept your business alive?

As soon as the shutdown happened, we knew we had to do something differently or we would be out of business. Luckily, our customers and our community responded with overwhelming support. We immediately started talking up our subscription kits, which have grown over the past year. We also offered curbside service, home delivery, shipping, and virtual, private shopping where we would video-conference with customers and help them pick out their next reads, gifts, whatever – via FaceTime or Zoom. Customers said to us over and over, “We want to make sure you’re here when this is all over. What can we do?” And we just said “Keep reading.” We also increased our social media presence significantly. A closed group called the “Card Carrying Book Club” on Facebook now has more than 450 members Owner Randi Hewit (L) poses with Sally A. Nuamah, author of and features info on new “How Girls Achieve,” and Card Carrying co-founder Sarah Blagg after a reading and book signing event featuring Nuamah. releases, discussions on Instagram @reidmediagroup specific titles, and just a lot of general “book love.”

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2019’s first ever Pride Festival, which Card Carrying sponsored and helped plan -located right outside our back door in the city’s Riverfront Park.

Summary

Instagram @reidmediagroup

Many people in our area have been focused on supporting small businesses during the pandemic.

Card Carrying can order from most major publishers, so please ask us if there’s something specific you’re looking for. We also support book clubs so if you are a member of a group and want to order your books from us, just send us the title and we’ll get to work. And finally, we support corporate/business needs as well so if you need large quantities of a title or titles for a conference or meeting, we can help with that as well. Bottom line: just ask! We’ll do whatever we can to help you with all your book needs. www.cardcarryingshop.com

The front entrance to Card Carrying Books & Gifts, located on Block 2 of Corning’s historic Market Street.

Insta

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by Bob Thomas

Growing up, Owego, New York, was the town we passed through while riding in the “wayback” of our Ford LTD County Squire on the way to visit relatives near Newark Valley.

It was the point in the trip where we turned off Route 17 and our arms got a break from trying to get the big rigs to blow their horns as we passed.

It also started what felt like the longest 15 miles to the farmhouse where aunts, uncles and cousins were gathered for whatever holiday du jour we were celebrating.

For me, Owego has never been a destination, but more of a passthrough. Luckily, that changed this week as “Chef’s Best” -- or Google as it turns out -- brought me to the little hamlet nestled along the Susquehanna River.

The concept of “Chef’s Best” is simple. Find a restaurant and ask the chef to make their best appetizer, entrée, and wine pairing. I have no say in the meal. My role is to eat and tell you what I think. My wife, Marisa joins me for these adventures.

Truth be told, she is the one with the Culinary Degree, mine came courtesy of 20-plus years watching the Food Network.

As I am not super familiar with Tioga County, I searched the Web, which is how I found The Cellar Restaurant & Bar on the River on Front Street in

downtown Owego.

This dinner had an added benefit as it allowed me the opportunity to explore the town and learn a little more about this passthrough from my childhood.

The entry into the Courthouse Square is unique – a 90-degree turn left or right will take you down Front Street, but we opted for the quick jog to the right and back straight, onto Court Street, just past the Tioga County Historic Courthouse.

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escorted us to the first booth in the Riverside Dining Room. It was close to a lively bar and busy kitchen, but still quiet enough to enjoy what would be an amazing meal and great conversation with Sandy Layman.

She pointed us in the direction of a 2018 Pinot Noir from Estancia Vineyards in Monterey County, California, as the wine for our meal.

“It goes with just about everything,” she said knowing they were still deciding the fate of the rest of my menu. The wine had subtle stone fruit notes, was soft and pleasant, but not over-powering.

This is the Owego I remember; quiet and unassuming. In contrast Lake Street, just off the square, offers a collection of unique shops, with storefronts housed in wonderfully preserved and revitalized buildings.

Full of life and opportunity, it is the kind of a street that invites windowshopping and slow strolling.

We started at the north end, in the overflowing Early Owego Antique Center, housed in a former Newberry’s store. Walking south past gift shops and a few other restaurants, we grabbed a craft beer at The Farmhouse Brewery before crossing Front Street and landing at The Cellar’s doorstep for dinner.

Overcoming adversity is a constant theme for the Town of Owego, and The Cellar Restaurant & Bar stands as a testament to that fact. The Cellar is housed in a Greek Revival building, rebuilt after fire destroyed all shops in what was then known as “Riverow” in 1949.

Flooding besieged the location

multiple times in the 2000s and again in 2011. Bob and Sandy Layman purchased the restaurant in 2003 and immediately learned how to survive and thrive at the location. They bought the building after the third flood in 2006, moving the restaurant above ground, but keeping the traditional Cellar namesake.

The couple worked at the Cellar for years before making the decision to buy it. Sandy Layman was a server for 11 years while her husband worked as a part-time chef, an experience he refers to as “learning to start playing with food.”

Bob Layman started cooking while earning a degree in sociology from the State University of New York at Cortland and then never stopped.

He has worked in a variety of fine dining restaurants, even honed his short-order skills at an IHOP. His talents are now on full display with a broad menu and creative daily specials at The Cellar.

We were greeted with a smile and

What I did not realize at the time was their selections for me would be based, in part, on what my wife ordered. They wanted to make sure I had their best -- which was not just one dish – and knew that my tasting would not be limited to my own plate.

For her appetizer, Marisa ordered the daily special, Pottage Soup, a butternut squash and potato soup that was rich in flavor and velvety in texture. This “poor man’s soup” is fulfilling with subtle sweetness but is only offered on rare occasions.

My appetizer – the Chef’s Best – is a restaurant signature, Reuben Balls with homemade Guinness mustard. This is bar food elevated to new heights, kind of like a palmsized Rueben sandwich. There are great texture contrasts between the house-smoked pastrami with sauerkraut and the crispy breaded coating. What set this over the top for me was the Guinness mustard, stone ground with zero grit and just enough of the bite I like from mustard.

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“We don’t just run down to the store for mustard,” Layman said.

“This is one week in the making.”

Before moving to the entrees, the salad course needs to be mentioned. While often an overlooked part of the meal consisting of random greens and a vinaigrette, at The Cellar, it is yet another highlight of the overall mean. Marisa chose the House Salad, while I was presented with the Caesar. Both were hand-crafted, made to order and complimented by an order of bread and Bob Layman’s herbed olive oil.

Sandy Layman’s years of working the front of the house and paying attention to how guests progress through a meal were evident in the timing of our service. The courses flowed into each other without us every feeling rushed or having to wait for the next dish.

On to the main course.

The Cellar Restaurant and Bar on the River

Address: 196 Front St, Owego, NY 13827 Phone: (607) 687-2016 URL: thecellarrestaurant.net FB: facebook.com/CellarRestaurantOwego

I think he took that as a challenge as I was presented with a Petite Surf and Turf featuring a 4-ounce Gillette Filet Mignon with Smoked Salmon, served with root vegetable mash and green beans.

Writer Bob Thomas and hs wife Marisa

I know my way around a restaurant filet, but this was no ordinary piece of beef. The filet was well-seasoned with a perfect sear served at a perfect medium rare, topped with a blue cheese peppercorn butter which was offset by the freshness of a red pepper pesto bed.

Marisa chose the Seafood Platter which included prosciutto wrapped shrimp and gnocchi, pan seared scallops with a jalapeño cream sauce, and a seafood cake with lemon aioli.

The gnocchi’s rice-paper-thin, crispy coating from butter basting yielded to delicate, pillowy centers that will make you swear off any grocery store freezer gnocchi. The jalapeño cream had just enough zing to balance the sweetness of the scallops while the seafood cake featured the crab and shrimp perfectly.

It has been ten days since our visit to The Cellar and I am taken back to that meal, eating that superb steak, with each word I write.

On a call prior to our visit, Bob Layman asked about my food preferences. While I did not want to say anything to influence his choices, I did want to be honest about my ordering habits.

When you go out to eat, you want to be wowed. You want an experience, not just a meal. Bob and Sandy Layman provided an amazing culinary adventure. It is one that I anticipate repeating.

“Typically, if I was going to go to a restaurant, I would just order what I think is fancy, something I wouldn’t make at home,” I said to Layman.

“So that is usually a filet mignon.

My hope with Chef’s Best is to experience things I would normally not order myself.”

I encourage you to jump in your station wagon and enjoy everything Owego has to offer including a meal at The Cellar Restaurant and Bar on the River.

And while meat might have been my star, the surf part of the dish was also one to remember. The smoked salmon filet was cool, flaky, and full of flavor; impressing my wife, the New Jersey smoked salmon expert.

One taste took her back to childhood days visiting delis in New York City for bagels and lox.

When you dine just ask for the Chef’s Best!

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Still there for our seniors in need during COVID Donate mealsonwheelschemung.org

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FROM OWEGO TO OUTER SPACE “Life choices made me competitive” says Owego native and NASA Astronaut Doug Hurley. Southern Tier Life spoke with Doug Hurley about growing up in Apalachin and attending Owego Free Academy.

Doug remembers as a Junior at Owego Free Academy meeting a Navy Recruiter and discussing ROTC scholarships. He said this was his “eureka” moment as high school student trying to figure out what is next.

By this time Doug was already fascinated with flying and remembers seeing a few of the Space Shuttle launches. This encounter led him to graduate from Owego Free Academy in 1984 and pursue a degree in Civil Engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Being part of the ROTC at Tulane led him to being a test pilot in the US Marine Corp.

Early Influences Like most people, teachers and coaches are the most influential people in a student’s life. Doug spoke about the influences three teachers had on him.

Robin Seward along with Ben and Linda Frisbee had an impacted on him while in school. Doug also mentioned that Bob Fenton, baseball coach and Jim Angel, soccer coach, played a role in helping him being competitive in a team environment. “It helped me greatly being a team captain in the military, just that team aspect paid huge dividends in my military career and in general” said Hurley. Doug goes on to say, “Those people don’t realize the influences they have on getting you to work as team is hugely beneficial to you later life.”

NASA Career Hurley was selected as an astronaut in 2000. A veteran of three spaceflights, he was the pilot on STS‐127 and STS‐135 and Spacecraft Commander on the first crewed test flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, the Demo-2 Mission, during which he also served as a Flight Engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 63. (read full bio) Hurley’s last mission in space, as part of the SpaceX Crew, had him in space for 64 days. This longer flight allowed him to soak up being in space. While

his mission wasn’t any less busy than his previous two missions, “The ability to be up there for a while and experience life on the space station and weekends in space were pretty special” said Hurley.

The Future of Space Doug shares his thoughts on the future of space travel and where he sees it fitting in. Hurley says we’re in a neat era of space flight right now. CLICK to listen.

Hurley says he does get back to the Apalchin area at least once a year to visit family. Doug is married and has a son.

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Apples and Tomatoes

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For the LOVE of Beer A’Don Allen Rieslings. Chardonnay. Cabernet.

Catawba. Concord. Niagara. These are all the vernacular of the Finger Lakes Region of the Southern Tier. The Finger Lakes Region is Wine Country and home to over 100 wineries. Finger Lakes Wine Country is well renowned and known across the world. In fact, some may say only Napa Valley in California is more well-known for American wines, than here in the Southern Tier. If you travel in the Finger Lakes Region these days however, you are beginning to see a new explosion joining Wine Country. With new terms to add, such as IPA, Hops, Rice, Lagers, Barley, Flights and so many more. Beer, Craft Beer to be exact has exploded across the world and especially here in the Southern Tier with over 75 micro-

breweries in the Finger Lakes alone.

Now if you think craft beer is a new thing, think again. In 1979 then President Jimmy Carter signed legislation making home brewing legal. Cam Lavallee, co-host of “What’s On Tap”, says that most of the pop-up breweries did indeed, begin at home. “Everywhere we’ve gone to we’ve heard different stories about people taking their love of beer, as well as the creating process, and starting out in their homes or at a similar small scale then, they realized what they were making was actually a really good product.

Typically, they had a lot of positive feedback from those who tried it and convinced them it might actually be a worthwhile endeavor to try and brew on a larger scale.”

So what makes craft beer so appealing?

Why is it so different from your traditional beers (Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc.)? The traditional beers are mass produced. Whereas Craft Beers focuses more on flavors and nuances and often has higher alcohol content than regular beer. Does this mean that craft beers are becoming more popular than traditional beers? Numbers suggest maybe. According to brewersassociation.org, overall U.S. beer volume sales were down 2% in 2019, whereas craft brewer sales continued to grow at a rate of 4% by volume, reaching 13.6% of the U.S. beer market by volume. Craft production grew the most for taprooms.

Retail dollar sales of craft increased 6%, up to $29.3 billion, and now account for more than 25% of the $116.0 billion

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U.S. beer market. So will we see a day didn’t turn a profit for the first 3 years.” where craft beers a more popular than Upstate is one of the first local brewersay, Budweiser? “I mean, you’re still ies and they currently have their beers always going to have those guys in the in bars and restaurants across the state. game. Says Lavallee, They’ve gotten to that level for a reason. You’re always With the growth and the opening of so going to have people who swear by many breweries, Cam Lavallee and his Bud, Coors, or Miller. Now, it seems co-Worker Eric Webler, decided they like they just need to find a way to wanted to try different local beers. So adapt to the beer scene and its constant in the summer of 2020, Cam and Eric changes. I feel like that’s why you’re premiered their Vlog, “What’s On Tap”, seeing such a strong push for the hard Cam and Eric want to showcase the seltzers from the major brands now. breweries and the beers that they make.

They’ve realized that selling one style They have visited different breweries won’t cut it any more. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the next few years, you start to see those companies begin experimenting more in the IPA game, or another easy-to-drink style. Nothing crazy, but something to keep everyone happy.” Tom Brown, CEO of Media Barker and host of the 2020 Beer Festival, says that while Seated (L)Cam Lavallee, (R) Eric Webler he doesn’t see craft beers overtaking the big dogs, taste and diversity is the big game changand reviewed different beers and the er. “When you try something like a stories behind them. “Eric said he had Budweiser or Coors or Miller Genuine been watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Draft, yeah…that gets you there, but Dives the night before and wondered if you have something that’s an interwhy there weren’t any shows in that esting challenge to your palate, and it style for breweries. ”Says Lavallee. “We happens to be local, that’s going to pull had only recently found out how much off from the others.” we liked beer and became friends, but he was about two or three sentences in While the Craft Beer Explosion is pick- and I was sold. And from there, we just ing up steam, it’s not relatively new, and started mass emailing any breweries we it definitely wasn’t overnight. Upstate could find through Google in the area.

Brewing Company opened its doors in We wanted to start in the Binghamton 2011 and at the time was brewery num- area, so we were thankful to be able to ber 1650 in the United States. There get Farmhouse, Water Street, Beer Tree, are now currently over 8,000 breweries and The North all onboard very early in the country. Mark Neumann, owner on. And once other places started to of Upstate says it’s definitely been a see what the show was about, it became labor of love. “We started in 2011 with easier to pitch it to places, and we even 2 beers; we now have over 60 different started to see suggestions from viewers beers. But it wasn’t overnight. We about where to go next, as well as hav-

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ing a few places reach out to us, which was pretty cool.” Lavallee says the best part has been meeting the people.

Hearing the stories about how they got started in brewing, and how they were able to open up their own shops, and many of them said they went into it with a “betting on themselves” mentality. It inspired the co-hosts to try and brew their own craft beer! “Well, as of now, we’ve only brewed one beer, a Holiday Ale, and while it may not have come out exactly as it should have, it was a really fun experience. We spent several hours going through the whole process, learning little tricks to help make things work better and faster.”

Lavallee went on to say… “The biggest thing we struggled with was getting the wort to cool down quickly. We had it on my back porch in about 15 degree weather, with the pot surrounded by snow, and it still took close to 2 hours to get to the temperature we were looking for. So, a really big lesson learned on the first try.”

Cam and Eric have caught the Craft Beer Bug! They are a part of the Craft Beer Phenomenon, which is right here in our backyard. You can see Cam and Eric and What’s On Tap on YouTube, and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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APPARATUS Content Coordinator: Steven Bigness

CO O P E R S P L A I N S - LO N G A C R E S F I R E D E PA R T M E N T The Department has the following response vehicles: 2019 Ferrara MVP Rescue Pumper 1000gal/2000gpm 2008 KME/Freightliner Pumper Tanker 1800gal/1000gpm The Coopers Plains-Long Acres Fire Department. was incorporated in 1953.

One truck started it all, a 1936 Ward LaFrance/Ford Pumper, combined with portable pumps provided by locals who wanted to have a fire department.

The fire department building, located at 210 Main Street, Coopers Plains, NY, has five truck bays on ground level, and a second floor which includes a kitchen and community room. The current Fire Chief of this all-volunteer Department is W. Todd Hall.

The Coopers Plains-Long Acres Fire Department has 20 current active volunteer members and a Board of Commissioners.

1999 E-One Cyclone II Pumper 750gal/1250gpm 2013 Chevrolet Silverado K3500 Quick Response/ Command Vehicle 2005 Chevrolet K2500 Brush Truck 2004 Chevrolet/Swab Wagon Co. EMS Response Vehicle 2001 Kawasaki Mule 3100 UTV

For More information: cplafdmembership@gmail.com facebook.com/CPLAFD/

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The fire district includes all Long Acres and Coopers Plains, which is NYS Route 415 from the Village of Painted Post line to the Campbell Town line. In addition, the district includes Aurene; West Hill Road; Smith Hill Road; and the portions of Beeman Hollow Road, Erwin Hollow Road and King Hill Road in the Town of Erwin.

Cooper Plains-Long Acres Fire Department currently has a bottle and can donation fundraiser, simply drive through Rey’s Redemption in Riverside (Tops Plaza) to donate your bottles and cans. Amazon Smile Charity also offers two ways you can help. Simply shop at smile. amazon.com/ch/80-0286613 and AmazonSmile will donate to Coopers Plains - Long Acres Volunteer Fire Department, at no cost to you.

You can also purchase needed items directly for the Department. Shop their AmazonSmile Charity Lists at smile.amazon. com/gp/ch/list/800286613* to support their mission.

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Collection:

LOCAL AUTHORS Love of history leads to new book by Watkins Glen writer

By CHRIS BREWSTER

Her second try met with better results – the Watkins Glen native’s book “Murder & Mayhem in the Finger Lakes” was published last September through Arcadia Publishing.

At age 5, Rikki Marcin wrote and illustrated her first book. Her first stab at publishing, at age 10, was unsuccessful.

Marcin, the editor of The Watkins Review & Express and The Observer, found her book subjects through her jobs.

Author Rikki Marcin “Part of my job consists of searching through newspapers from 150, 125, 100, 50 and 25 years ago for The Review’s “From the Files” section,” said Marcin, who has degrees from Elmira College (BA in languages) and Binghamton University (MA in French Literature).

“Often I would encounter paragraphs about murders that took place in nearby counties, and my curiosity was piqued. I researched them in greater depth, and when I learned there were no publications on the subject of murders in the Finger Lakes, I considered the possibility of assembling a number of cases for a book.”

From there, Marcin reached out to the History Press, which has published a number of books on various local and regional history topics across the country, including – luckily – notorious murders. “In March 2019,” she said, “I submitted a chapter I’d written on

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George Crozier, the first person in Yates County to be sentenced to death. The acquisitions editor liked the idea and sent me a 10-page proposal to fill out.”

Though she started by writing fiction, Marcin’s interest in history has influenced her more recent work.

“I have always been interested in history, local and otherwise,” she said. “Though I started as a fiction writer, my recent writing projects have included topics such as the Davenport brothers (19th century mediums from Buffalo), Krampus, streaking, a translation of the surrealist French play ‘Victor, ou les Enfants au Pouvoir,’ and an unpublished manuscript on the McKinley assassination.”

Marcin is working on another collection of murders in the

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Finger Lakes, and said she hopes to that most of these murderers are start gathering those from the South- not deviants or monsters,” she ern Tier as well. said. “They’re people who found themselves in circumstances that The current book, she said, points out spun out of control. They’re motihow most murders aren’t committed vated by very relatable emotions by those we might expect. such as jealousy and grudges that were held for years.”

“Our culture is so focused on serial killers; I think that it obscures the fact

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