The Eagle 01-12, 2011

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Opinion 7 Around Town 9 Calendar 11 City Beat 6 Good Sports 14 Classifieds 17

theeaglecny.com

FREEJanuary 13, 2011 Vol. 1 Issue 26

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Look, Think, Share!Everson Museum of

Art recently launched a new interactive element to its website that allows virtual visitors to view and comment on select pieces of the museum’s permanent collec-tion. The “Look, Think, Share!” feature is avail-able at everson.org under the “Education and Programs” tab.

“ The exciting part is sharing

your interpretations and reading about what other people find in the art.”

- Pam McLaughlin, curator of education and

public programs at Everson Museum of Art, on

the new ‘Look, Think, Share!’ feature at everson.org.

The highest rating on a 5-point scale that have been awarded by self-proclaimed “Pizza Geek” blogger Mike.

Anthony’s Pasta Bar and NY Gianni’s Bronx Style Pizza are the only two (so far) to receive such high ratings.

Think you know where to find a five-point slice in Syracuse? See how your favorite ranks at pizzageek.wordpress.com.

Palace jams hard in January Farcical free-for-all Joan Vadeboncoeur remembered Page 4

Downtown After DarkBest Bets 'Rent' comes to Syracuse Stage Szozda Gallery celebrates grand opening Feinstein channels Ol’ Blue Eyes 2

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Behind the scenes, the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau makes an impression on travel writers interested in the Salt City.

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Mark Wright tribute planned for late January

Around 40 performers and speakers are on board for the tribute to the late director of the Cultural Resources Center Mark J. Wright, who died unexpectedly Nov. 12.

“Artistically Speaking: A Tribute to Mark J. Wright,” is planned for Jan. 30 to celebrate Wright’s life and the impact he had on others, particularly in the arts in Syracuse and beyond.

“There are so many stories,” co-orga-nizer Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell wrote in an e-mail. “Raymond Werts, my uncle, sent some remembrances he’d like to have read at the tribute about Mark as a member of his Boy Scout Troop.”

She and Vanessa Johnson are working on making the tribute a heartfelt event to honor Wright, and more details are ex-pected this week.

Check back online at theeaglecny.com or in next week’s issue of The Eagle for more information.

Coffee Concerts canceledThe Syracuse Symphony Orchestra an-

nounced today that the “Coffee Concerts,” originally scheduled for Friday Jan. 7 and 21, have been canceled.

The concerts were planned for 11 a.m. at the Crouse Hinds Theater at the Civic Center and would have featured abridged versions of the “Schumann, Beethoven and Strauss” concerts planned for Friday and Saturday Jan. 21 and 22, which were not canceled.

“It was a noble experiment,” said Paul Brooks, interim executive director. “Many of our patrons had asked that we provide daytime concerts for the community’s classical music enthusiasts. The weekday late morning hour seemed to be ideal. Regrettably, the response was not enough to offset the production costs of presenting these concerts.”

For refund or ticket exchange informa-tion or for other performances, call the Box Office at 424-8200.

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Bid high, bid oftenWCNY’s 16th annual Travel Auction

kicks off Jan. 14 on WCNY channel 24.1, and runs from Jan. 14 to 16 and Jan. 21 to 22, from 6 p.m. to midnight each night.

The Travel Auction partners with hotels, bed and breakfasts, cruise lines and airlines to create more than 800 vacation packages up for bid. All proceeds from Travel Auc-tion 2011 benefit the programming and services offered by WCNY.

For a list of available vacations, visit wcny.org/auctions.

Bidders must be a WCNY member; call 453-2424 to join or renew.

- Ami [email protected]

In brief

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CNY’s source for news, views & things to doAmi Olson

Editor 434-8889 Ext. 335

[email protected]

David Tyler, Publisher, Ext. 302Colleen Farley, Associate Publisher, Ext. 315

Gary Catt, Executive Editor, Ext. 330Jennifer Wing, Managing Editor, Ext. 340Lisa Congdon, Business Manager, Ext. 303

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Office of Publication 2501 James St. Suite 100

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By Ami [email protected]

Everyone needs a cheerleader, someone to stand in their corner and shine a spotlight on their best features.

For the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County, that person is Danica Bryant, who leads the team responsible for showing the area in its most positive light, particularly when a travel writer is assigned a story that brings them to Syracuse.

Last year, a different travel writer visited Syracuse nearly every month; sometimes, more often. And when hundreds or thou-sands of readers will form an opinion of Syracuse based on one person’s experience, it’s important to leave one amazing first im-pression.

That’s a lot of pressure.

Behind-the-scenes cheerleader“Our goal is to put heads in beds in On-

ondaga County,” Bryant said of the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau, funded solely through a room-occupancy tax built into hotel and motel room fees.

Bryant is the communications manager in the SCVB’s marketing department, and while handling travel writers is just one of her many tasks, it’s an important one.

When a travel writer chooses to focus on Syracuse for an assignment, it’s up to Bryant and the SCVB to show them what we are all about.

That involves a lot of homework. When a writer reaches out to the SCVB for resources, Bryant first finds out exactly what the writer wants to focus on: outdoor adventure, farm to table foods, history... whatever.

Then Bryant creates an itinerary for the writer, detailing every aspect of their visit to Syracuse, including what they will do for their assignment, and what they’ll do for fun.

In the summer, she helped Julie Zim-merman organize a horseback riding trip at Highland Falls for an adventure travel article, but since Zimmerman was interested in the local food scene, they hit the downtown eateries, too.

“It comes down to building a relationship with the writer,” Bryant said.

Sister citySometimes, those relationships are formed

with entire communities. Bryant said in her three years at the SCVB, she has traveled often to Ottawa, Ontario to promote Onondaga County as a destination.

And it’s worked. Staffers at one tele-vision station have visited Syracuse five or six times to shop, Bryant said, and they keep coming back.

Syracuse’s relation-ship with Ottawa was strengthened last year when the SCVB host-ed freelance writer, blogger and photographer Andrea Tomkins and her family for a weekend.

“We all had a lot of fun in Syracuse,” Tom-kins said. “It was a wonderful opportunity to explore a city we’d never visited before.”

Their trip, which included a trip to the MOST, Rosamond Gifford Zoo and Dinosaur Barbeque, gave them a good feel for the city, she said. On her blog, Tomkins said she was curious about Syracuse, where her husband had often traveled for early-spring golf trips, and that her “perfect long weekend getaway” would involve taking her daughters, ages 9 and 11, back to the MOST, then a solo shopping trip at Carousel Center.

That blog post led to a contest for a trip to Syracuse, which brought another Canadian

family to ‘Cuse for a weekend. “It does work, when people come here and

write about it,” Bryant said.

Branding the regionThe success of this system relies heavily

on the SCVB’s relationship with local busi-nesses, too.

Through industry partners -- mostly ho-tels, restaurants and attractions throughout the greater Syracuse area who are willing to play host -- the SCVB is typically able to offer amenities for free to travel writers.

“It’s mostly free for them, but it’s invaluable for us because they’re writing an article and they’re a credible source, versus us buying advertising,” Bryant said.

Though advertising is a useful investment, too. In 2009, the SCVB hired Pickney Hugo Group to calculate how much the $357,000 spent on advertising the year prior had gener-ated in revenue through tourism.

The study determined 36,000 trips were booked to Syracuse as a result of the market-

ing campaign, and $4.2 million was spent by visitors in Syracuse.

In 2010 the SCVB partnered for the first time with Finger Lakes Tourism Promotion Agencies to hire New York City-based public relations firm Quinn and Co. to help promote the region to travel writers.

“They help us secure these travel writers and journalists, many from New York City, and we have an organized itinerary,” Bryant said.

“It’s an organized effort” to promote the region as a whole destination; since travelers generally don’t plan trips based on county and city boundaries, promoting the region is a win-win.

“We’re working as a team to ultimately brand the region, and we all benefit,” Bryant said.

The SCVB’s home on the web is more than a resource for tourists and out-of-towners -- locals can find an extensive events calendar at visitsyracuse.org.

Qualified writers inquire withinNot just anyone can get a free meal in Syracuse by offering to

blog about their experience. “We don’t welcome every writer who wants to write a story

about Syracuse,” Bryant said. “We need to qualify them, and make sure they write for a publication that we want to be featured in.

In the past, Bryant and the SCVB has worked with writers for Travel Squire, Insider Magazine, Examiner.com, and Town and Country Travel.

Not to mention one of the Travel Channel’s most recogniz-able foodies. Bryant’s team introduced “Man V. Food” star Adam Richman to salt potatoes when he visited the area last summer. Richman and show producers had never heard of the local treat.

Danica Bryant

Travel writers are Syracuse’s secret weapon

syracuse convention and visitors bureau

Travel writer Julie Zimmerman, top left, poses with a cowboy from Hill Top Ranch on her adventure travel trip to Syracuse, while writer Adam H. Graham, above, takes a behind-the-scenes tour of Empire Brewing Company from Tim Butler, left, and owner Dave Katleski, right.

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Cody to command Jan. 23 Jam Fest The Empire State rarely receives plaudits

for its contributions to American roots music, but we’ll set the record straight on Sunday, Jan. 23, when the January Jam Fest is staged at Eastwood’s Palace Theater.

Two of New York state’s best roots’n’blues bands – the

venerable Commander Cody Band and the vanguard Professor Louie & The

Crowmatix – will headline the Jam Fest also featuring ten area acts such as Isreal Hagan, Andrew Carroll, Mark Hoffmann, Los Blan-cos, Todd Hobin and Doug Moncrief, the Mojo Band

and Jeff Stockham & The Jazz Police. The music will fill the theater from 1 to 8 p.m., climaxing with a 7 p.m. jam session spotlighting members of the CNY Jazz Orchestra.

Co-sponsored by Eagle Newspapers, the January Jam Fest benefits CNY Jazz Cen-tral (formerly known as the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation) which presents jazz in con-cert, cabaret, scholastic and festival settings.

Admission costs $15 in advance and $30 VIP tickets are on sale now by calling 435-2121. Admission at the door costs $20 and VIP admission $35, ($30 for holders of CNY Jazz, JASS, WAER and student ID cards).

Cody & CrowmatixHaving risen to prominence as leader

of Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airman in Ann Arbor, Mich. in 1967, the Commander (a.k.a. 66-year-old keyboardist George Frayne) has lived in nearby Saratoga Springs since 1997. Cody’s big hit was a cover of Charlie Ryan’s “Hot Rod Lincoln,” but the Airmen also made their own contributions to the counter-culture with songs like “Stems and Seeds Again Blues,” named one of the top 25 pot songs of all time by High Times magazine.

The Commander’s newest disc is titled “Dopers, Drunks and Everyday Losers.”

Besides being a consummate roots rock-er, George Frayne is also a prodigious painter whose portraits of legendary musicians hang proudly in places such as Syracuse’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. A fine art raffle will be conducted at the Jam Fest, including original pieces by Commander Cody.

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix is a Woodstock-based band led by Hammond organist Aaron “Professor Louie” Hurwitz who hails from Peeksill. Each of the quintet’s members have Empire State roots, from Brooklyn to Troy. The band’s most recent release is “As The Crow Flies,” a compilation CD with new originals as well as popular songs from previous recordings.

Farcical free-for-allIf you dig slapstick, sexual innuendo and

endless action, you’ll find yourself right at home at The Locker Room when Not Another Theater Co. stages “Unnecessary Farce” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday Jan. 14 and 15.

At a Jan. 5 press preview the seven-mem-ber cast opened doors, slammed doors, wielded pistols and squirt guns, took off plenty of clothes and aimed video cameras at each other in compromising positions. Imbecilic action is clearly playwright Paul Slade Smith’s forte, but this cast, directed by the open-minded Meghan Leigh Pearson, created decidedly colorful characters.

Casey Callaghan brings a humorous Scottish brogue to his murderous, Tartan-clad Todd.

Justin Polly’s duplicitous Agent Frank draws huge laughs with a single syllable (“What!?”) as did Crystal Roupas as Of-ficer Billie Dwyer, but her four-letter word started with “S.”

Steve Rowlands and Kathleen Egloff ably portray the milquetoast Mayor Meekly and his wickedly winsome wife.

Michael Shanahan’s bumbling Officer Eric Sheridan falls hard for Katie Deferio’s lovely Karen Brown. Deferio gamely shows her gams – and most everything else – as she negotiates between her boyfriend cop

Russ [email protected]

Woodstock’s Professor Louie & The Crowmatix, above, shares the stage with a lineup of CNY roots and blues bands for the January Jam Fest, Sunday Jan. 23 at the Palace Theater.


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Downtown After Dark

Continues on next page.

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and various other would-be suitors and slayers.

The farce continues this weekend at The Locker Room, 528 Hiawatha Blvd. E., on the North Side. Couples can dine and catch the show for $55; dinner and show for singles costs $29; and tables of eight cost $199. For show only, you pay $20. For info, call 446-1461.

Joanie was our Bette DavisWhenever Joan Vadeboncoeur reviewed

a movie at a private press screening, she brought her own ashtray and chain-smoked through the entire film. She was a character who knew who she was and you could take it or leave it. She wore kids’ socks with im-ages of rabbits or offbeat stripe patterns. Whenever she reviewed a stage play, she’d be up out of her seat and out the door before the curtain call. Her affinity for cigarettes – having out-lived its politically correctness in recent years – was celebrated nonetheless by “Joanie’s Smoke Break,” a series of video interviews shot by Post-Standard feature writer Hart Seely.

Joan E. Vadeboncoeur died Jan. 4 at her

Cazenovia home. She was 78. “For me, Joanie was the last of those

great iconic newspaper dames I saw in the movie houses of yesteryear, and in the films she so loved she almost certainly would’ve had to have been played by the great Bette Davis,” said Frank Malfitano who worked with her on the 1986 tribute to Jimmy Van Heusen here and on the early-1990s downtown Walk of Stars. “No one else could have come close to captur-ing Joanie’s presence and power on screen. She was a giant and Hollywood would’ve had to cast a giant to play her.”

Joan was a ‘I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em’ gal. I’ll never forget when she dismissed some theatre gossip with, ‘It’s what I see on that stage

that matters.’ I’ve said that to myself ever since as it was an invaluable les-son and perhaps will be one of Joan’s legacies. Although sometimes intimi-dated by her, I loved her to pieces, and I shall sorely miss her. We have lost a great friend to theatre, and her passing truly marks the end of an era.”

- Chris Lightcap, Syracuse Talent Company, owner

She was more than a contact at the newspaper for Eileen and me...she was a friend who loved movies and theatre. I will miss

our weekly conversations and her inpact on movie going. After she stopped reviewing films, she would often come to the theatre when I ran a film through or on a weekend matinee.”

- Nat Tobin, Manlius Art Cinema, owner

“

Memories of Joan


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- Adam Rombel

The 2010 holiday-shopping season was a strong bounce-back period for retailers as consumers boosted spending on apparel, jewelry and other items.

National retail sales, excluding autos, rose 5.5 percent for the 50-day holiday season, measured from Nov. 5 through Dec. 24, com-pared to the year-ago period. That’s according to the SpendingPulse report issued Dec. 27 by MasterCard Advisors, the professional-services unit of MasterCard Worldwide.

The increase in holiday retail sales exceed-ed the 3.3 percent growth that the National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, had forecast on Dec. 14. And it was the biggest gain in holiday sales in five years.

Local retailers also said they saw sig-nificant improvement in the just-completed holiday period.

“It was better than last year, but last year was pretty brutal,” Kenn Kushner, owner of Kenn Kushner Designs, which sells high-end handmade jewelry from its storefront in Syracuse’s Armory Square, said of the holiday season. “Jewelry buying is pretty cyclical. If they don’t buy one year, they do the next.”

Kushner said his store’s holiday sales were up about 20 to 25 percent compared to the 2009 holiday-shopping period. He was actu-ally expecting even stronger sales. “It was OK, but wasn’t a smash,” he added.

Nationally, jewelers did well this holiday season, with sales rising 8.4 percent com-pared to the year-ago period, according to the SpendingPulse report.

Consumers also flocked to apparel, with sales growing 11.2 percent over the 2009 holiday-shopping period, when apparel sales fell 0.4 percent.

Kellie Misita, owner of Showoffs Boutique, a women’s clothing and accessories retailer in Armory Square, said she has not totaled her sales figures for the holiday season, but said her store received steady, strong customer traffic. That was especially the case in the final week before Christmas, with an influx of male shoppers buying gifts for the women in their lives.

“We saw a lot of men the last few days … they outnumbered the females,” Misita said.

She contended that men shoppers, who often like to do their shopping at the last minute, feel more comfortable at a smaller boutique store like Showoffs where they don’t face large crowds and can receive more personal attention.

Misita said she expects that when she’s finished tabulating her sales totals, she’ll find her sales for the full year in 2010 were higher than in 2009.

MasterCard’s SpendingPulse found that this holiday season, shoppers were clearly more confident to spend than they were in recent years, and they bought clothes, luxury goods, and did more shopping online.

“If last year’s holiday story was about gaining some stability, this year’s is about getting back to growth,” Michael McNa-mara, vice president of research and analysis for SpendingPulse, said in a news release. “The 2010 holiday period is categorized by strong year-over-year growth in apparel and continued strength in e-commerce. We also saw a noticeable return in spending in the larger ticket items, as exemplified by the solid growth in jewelry, luxury and even the furniture category.”

Adam Rombel is editor-in-chief of The Central New York Business Journal, where this article originally appeared. Reach him

at [email protected].

Holidays were hot for downtown retailers

erin Zehr/the central new york business Journal

Kellie Misita, owner of Showoffs Boutique, a wom-en’s clothing and accessories retailer in Armory Square, says her store received an influx of male shoppers near the end of the holiday season.


Get in on the ground floor for just ten bucks.It sounds like a scam, but it isn’t – when Salt City DISHES holds its first quarterly

dinner Sunday Jan. 23, participants will consider pitches for different community-based arts projects, then vote to fund one of the projects with a microgrant established that night from the dinner admission proceeds.

And the cost to eat, view the pitches, vote and help fund the resulting project? $10. (Or $15; admission is on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale.)

Salt City DISHES (an acronym for Dining In. Support Happenings. Enliven Syra-cuse) is based on the similar Brooklyn FEAST program, created by a friend of Salt City DISHES co-founder Rachel Somerstein. The low-cost quarterly dinners double as funding sources for arts-based community projects while contributing to the overall dialogue of public art, community revitalization and civic pride.

When Somerstein relocated to Syracuse last August, she saw a similar need for funding community improvement projects with a heavy dose of public art.

As of the Jan. 10 deadline for proposals, Somerstein said eight had been submitted and another handful were expected to sneak in.

She wouldn’t hint at what the potential projects entailed – they’ll be unveiled at the dinner – but did say she had hoped they would be thoughtful and creative, “and they are.”

Somerstein said the St. Clare Theater can hold around 130 people, and she hopes to raise around $1,000 to offer to the first DISHES project.

But since it’s a microgrant situation, who-ever wins the funding will be held account-able for following through on their project.

At the next DISHES dinner in May, whoever wins this month’s monies will present their progress. If it isn’t finished, and it ought to be, they’ll have to explain why – directly to the people who helped fund their work.

The DISHES steering committee includes Somerstein and co-founders Brianna Kohlbrenner and Stasya Panova; Sara Caliva, director of Northside UP; chefs Sarah Pallo and Luke Szabo; filmmaker Courtney Rile; photographer Robyn Stockdale and Jeff York, in charge of music.

DISHES runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday Jan. 23 at St. Clare Theater, 840 N. Salina St. Tickets will be available at the door, or in advance at Craft Chemistry, Second Story Café and Sound Garden.

The menu has not been finalized yet but the food (made with donated ingredients) will be prepared by two local chefs, while Rhode Island-based folk funk band Brown Bird entertains.

If you have an idea for a DISHES project, but missed the January deadline, sent your proposal in early for the May dinner; [email protected].

To learn more about the program, visit saltcitydishes.blogspot.com.


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City beat

The Salt City DISHES logo was designed by Damian Vallelonga of local graphic design firm Lock49.

The dish on DISHESNew community dinners pair arts projects with local microgrants to improve Syracuse

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Our view

Perspective

Crass is ‘cool’On a recent trip to Philadelphia, we

picked up the current issues of three weekly newspapers from the metro area, to see how they do what we do, down there.

The first thing we noticed was the unsavory language splattered through-out the pages of all three publications.

Not just a few of the “milder” curse words in an op-ed piece here and there, but actual F-bombs, all over the place! In movie and restaurant reviews, in news briefs, and in opinion columns. Apparently, that’s cool. (This was a few weeks after a fiery produc-tion-morning debate over our own decision to quote a local Twitter user’s “WTF” on the front page.

We couldn’t help but remember these Philly papers last week when news of the cleaned-up “Huckleberry Finn” first broke.

So we ask: are we the type of society that scrubs historically accurate dialect out of classic literature, then settles in with a stack of local lifestyle and arts publications weighed down with less than sophistacted syntax?

Of course, the “Huck Finn deci-sion” has been met with a firestorm of criticism and it is, like the Great Bird Die-Off of 2011, more media hype than anything.

But we still wonder why the F-word is so effing popular? Why can’t we just say it is “extremely cold” outside, or “very delicious pizza,” instead of the four-letter laden alternatives?

Our assumption here is that you’d still rather read a weekly newspaper where swear words aren’t a crutch for colorful writing. But hey, if we’re wrong, just effing send us an effing e-mail and say so.

Chillin’ with the PeepsI remember standing at the entrance of

Pan-African Village with then-Congress-man Jim Walsh as the Hillary Clinton entourage arrived. We were practically trampled by the crowd clamoring to get a glimpse of the Clintons, who were attend-ing the annual luncheon at the New York

State Fair.Congress-

man Walsh had no en-tourage. He was stand-ing alone observing

the scene. I looked at him and chuckled as the crowd squeezed by hoping for a peek at celebrity and politics merged into the “being” of one couple.

Having a President on the fairgrounds proved to be a logistical nightmare for some. You could scan the rooftops of the buildings to see people with guns, men on the ground with special ear pieces (this was pre-Bluetooth).

It was clear to all involved that security was the main focus. How do you keep a couple safe in a crowd of 90,000 people, especially a crowd so polarized?

Our local officials are not isolated politicians who sit on the throne unseen

by human eyes. These public servants go to the grocery store and have impromptu discussions at the milk cooler with their constituents.

Senator Nancy Lorraine Hoffmann would shop at the Westcott Big M even though she was close enough to stores where she could have purchased the same items cheaper. But she was “chillin’” with the “peeps.”

Over the last decade we’ve become caught up in the 24-hour cable television news cycle, and on radio, the incessant on-air yacking of angry Neo-Conservatives who want to “take their government back.”

On the other side are Liberals who want all or nothing and will lob inflam-matory names like “racist” and “intoler-ant” if there’s any disagreement with their policies.

I recall an invitation to a party and clearly marked on all the invitations was one simple request: “leave your politics at the door.”

It’s become so nasty that many people avoid discussions about politics all together and remain silent while the politi-cal extremist bullies both sides and take control of the body–politic.

The events in Arizona on Saturday Jan. 8, 2011 should be a wakeup call, regardless

of what caused a man to assassinate public officials.

Killed were a 9-year-old girl who was a newly elected student council member and a federal judge who just stopped by to say hello to his congresswomen. Congress-women Gabrielle Giffords’ constituent services aid was also killed.

Among the injured is the Congress-women herself, a symbol of our democ-racy, a member of our U.S. Congress or the House of Representatives (also called “the peoples’ house” because its members reflect changing attitudes of the public measured every two years).

The events of last year were foretelling when we were going through the so-called health care debate.

People were instructed to attend meet-ings only to yell and shout down members of Congress as they attempted to measure their district’s ideas for this massive bill.

The shouting has now turned into as-sassinations and our elected officials can no longer hangout with the “peeps” (the people). I’m afraid this is only the begin-ning, as a gaggle of people with issues will decide to take matters into their own hands.

Ken JacksonUrban CNY


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Viewpoints

Letters policyThe Eagle welcomes letters to the editor. All letters

must bear a daytime telephone number, for verification purposes only. We reserve the right to edit for space, clarification or to avoid obscenity, but ideas will not be altered. Letters should be no more than 500 words long. Letters used do not necessarily reflect the newspaper’s opinions. Anonymous letters receive no consideration. Send letters to [email protected].

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The Downtown Committee’s top 10 high-lights of 2010 focus on renovation, growth and development, and barbeque. You know, the basics.

Here is the DC’s list of the 10 biggest and best happenings of the last year, in no particular order:

Landmark Theatre renovations beginThe Landmark Theatre began its $16 mil-

lion stagehouse expansion project in Octo-ber, and is scheduled for completion this fall. A larger backstage area means larger touring companies, and is expected to double the number of nights the theater is in use.

Urban Outfitters opens Urban Outfitters opened its Armory

Square store, and its first CNY location, in August in the historic McArthur, Cooney and Wirth Building on Walton Street.

Downtown Revitalization Grants turn $230k into $4.2m

Here are the numbers: In 2010, 16 proj-ects were funded by $230,738 in revitaliza-

tion grants, which project to more than $4.2 million in downtown investment. An additional $225,000 was awarded to six projects currently under construction that total more than $7.1 million in downtown investment.

Downtown Farmers’ Market relocates The Downtown Farmers’ Market relo-

cated to Clinton Square, first temporarily while its former location was renovated. But the new Clinton Square location was so well received that it became the permanent home of the Downtown Farmers’ Market.

LEED-certified buildings crop up Washington Station and the CNY Philan-

thropy Center joined the Jefferson Clinton Commons as LEED-Certified buildings in downtown Syracuse. Washington Station opened in August and houses O’Brien and Gere; the CNY Philanthropy Center opened in November and is the headquarters of the Central New York Community Foundation, as well as other local non-profits.

Record volunteer effort in downtown

Spring clean-up efforts helped the Down-town Committee draw its largest number

of volunteers for a single event, ever. More than 500 trash bags were filled by the March 20 pre-NCAA and the April 17 Earth Day cleaning crews.

Downtown housing continues to growThe downtown housing market contin-

ued to grow in 2010, with more than 30 new downtown units completed and construc-tion on several more residential projects have begun. The 2010 Downtown Living Tour in May drew a record 1,800 visitors to tour examples of downtown living.

Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival celebrates 40th anniversary

Celebrating its 40th year in downtown Syracuse, the AmeriCU Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival welcomed 150 artists from the U.S. and Canada, and 50,000 visitors for a three-day showcase. Ready for next year? The 41st annual Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival will be Friday July 29 to Sunday July 31.

Downtown restaurants receive national attention

Downtown Syracuse dining institutions Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Kitty Hoynes were

the focus of national attention in 2010. Di-nosaur was featured on the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food program, while Kitty Hoynes became the first restaurant in the country to receive “A Place of Hospitality” certificate from a national restaurant industry consul-tant firm.

Demolition Begins on Common CenterCentro began demolition in October to

prepare for the new $16 million transfer hub at the corner of Salina, Warren and Adams Streets. The new facility will feature an enclosed climate-controlled waiting area, 22 route-specific bus bays, electronic LED, and a bus loading area out of the elements. Completion of Common Center is expected in late 2011.

What are your top 10?Tell us what events, projects, and

announcements made your year in 2010, or what you hope to see in 2011. E-mail [email protected].


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Downtown Committee names top 10 of 2010

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Local control of dog licenses shortchanges CNY SPCA

Since New York state’s Department of Agriculture recently dropped the dog license program, Onondaga County’s 19 towns and the city of Syracuse had to pick it up, effec-tive Jan. 1.

For years, the CNY SPCA and the On-ondaga County Health Department – un-der Animal Disease Control – have had a yearly contract to assist the non-profit with its programs. Out of an estimated $70,000, $30,000 was funded through revenue from dog licensing. But since the state dropped the program, the county doesn’t get the

$30,000, and consequently, neither does the CNY SPCA.

“That money is gone now,” said SPCA Executive Director Paul Morgan, adding those funds were specifically earmarked for the cruelty investigation department.

In come the city and towns: Morgan is asking that officials consider adding a $2 surcharge to their dog license fees.

Losing a hefty portion of county funding will affect its cruelty department, Morgan said, which now consists of one full-time employee and two part-timers, including Morgan.

A potential decrease in staff and services could further affect how many cases the

cruelty team can investigate. Towns have asked how they can justify

a surcharge for the CNY SPCA when it has nothing to do with dog licensing. Morgan has an answer. It’s to support the animal organization’s programs.

“It’s going to a good cause, it’s a not-for-profit, and it’s supporting our programs,” Morgan said. “If someone comes in and owns a dog, I don’t think it’s going to be an issue. One hundred percent [will] go back to the SPCA …

“And it’s not hitting people who don’t have animals,” he said.

According to records from the Onon-daga County Health Department, there are approximately 28,500 dog licenses issued in Onondaga County each year. If all mu-nicipalities agree to add a $2 surcharge, the CNY SPCA would exceed its $30,000 goal by approximately $17,000.

- Tami S. [email protected]


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Around Town

Around Town continues on next page.

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Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation d/b/a NationalGridPURPOSE: THE FILING OF A TARIFF REVISION TO

P.S.C. 219 GAS AS PROVIDED FOR INTHE COMMISSION’S ORDER DATEDDECEMBER 21, 2010 IN P.S.C. CASENO. 08-G-0609.

TEXT: In accordance with the New York PublicService Commission’s December 21, 2010Order in Case 08-G-0609, notice ishereby given that Niagara Mohawk PowerCorporation d/b/a National Grid has filed arevision to its Schedule for Gas, P.S.C.219. On July 31, 2010 in order to mitigatebill impacts on customers, the Companysubmitted a Petition to combine the resultsof the previously approved sub-groups forService Classification Nos. 1 and 2 for thepurpose of calculating the RevenueDecoupling reconciliation surcharge orcredit. The Commission approved theCompany’s proposal to combine the resultsof the two sub-groups within ServiceClassification No.1 finding that thepreviously approved methodologyproduced unintentional and inappropriatelyskewed results. The request to combine thesub-groups for Service Classification No.2, however, was denied. With thecommission’s approval, the proposedrevision and accompanying statement wentinto effect on January 1, 2011.

Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation d/b/a National GridCE-5

EPA-mandated water treatment plant takes hold in Elbridge

All municipalities that receive drinking water from Skaneateles Lake — which also includes the city of Syracuse and the village and town of Skaneateles — are required by Federal law to install treatment plants by March 2012. The newly constructed LT2 plant in Elbridge, located on Kingston Road, is the first of its kind

in Onondaga County. “We decided to bite the bullet and get it

done right away, so we’re ahead of the game,” said Fred Weisskopf, acting mayor of Elbridge. “We’re the guinea pigs.”

The mandate stems from the parame-cium Cryptosporidiosis, which sickened thousands of people in Rochester in 2005. The microorganism has yet to be traced to Jordan-Elbridge.

Water systems were evaluated based on size of population serviced. Elbridge was required to treat its water because it shares a water line with the city of Syracuse.

“If we had our own [water supply] — be-cause we have such a small population — we would not have to do this,” said Tom King, head of public works for the village of Elbridge. “But since we [were evaluated as] part of that population, we have to treat it.”

The project took unprecedented coordi-nation between the villages and town, who together obtained a New York State Depart-ment of State grant totaling $600,000. Each village received $90,000 toward the project in Onondaga County Community Development grant money.How it works

The LT2 facility in Elbridge uses two Trojan UV Swift light reactors — one of them as as a backup — to treat the estimated 40,000 cubic feet of water that comes through daily.

“It will alter the DNA so the virus or the bacteria can no longer reproduce, and then obviously it just dies,” said Trojan senior service technician Steve Birbaumer. “It doesn’t add any taste to the water,” he added, “it doesn’t change the water, there’s no by-product of using UV.”

By Ned Campbell [email protected]


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Around Town From page 9

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Thursday Jan. 13Trail Tales. 1 PM. Ages 3-5. Stories and

walk with a naturalist. Free w/park admis-sion. 638-2519.

Weekday Snowshoe Jaunt. 1:30 PM. Hour-long outing with a naturalist. Beaver Lake Nature Center. $3/snowshoe rental. 638-2519.

Harry Crocker and the Saucerer’s Stove. 6:45 PM. Interactive mystery din-ner theater presented by ACME Mystery Company. Spaghetti Warehouse, 689 N. Clinton St. $32.50 plus tax and tip. Acmemystertheater.com.

Friday Jan. 14 HOPE Club. 3:30-5:30 PM. Social group

for teens and adults with special needs. Northside Baptist Church, Liverpool. 243-8897.

Guided Moonlight Snowshoeing. 7 PM. Beaver Lake Nature Center. $3 snow-shoe rentals. Pre-register. 638-2519.

SU Women’s Ice Hockey. 7 PM. Robert Morris University. Tennity Ice Plaza. $. Suathletics.com or 443-2121.

Moonlight Snowshoeing and Skiing. Until 9 PM. Rentals $3/hour. Beaver Lake Nature Center. 638-2519.

Pops Series: The Sinatra Project. 8 PM. Syracuse Symphony Orchestra fea-turing vocalist Michael Feinstein inter-prets the romantic music of Ol’ Blue Eyes. Crouse Hinds Concert Theater, Mulroy Civic Center. $. Syracusesymphony.org or 424-8200.

Dinosaur Society. 8:30 PM. Salt City Improv Theater presents interactive comedy. Sears Wing, ShoppingTown Mall, DeWitt. $8; $6 for students. Saltcity-improv.com or 410-5471.

Saturday Jan. 15 Folksmarch. 8-11 AM. Family-friendly

fun walk sponsored by the YMCA. Oneida Shores. $3.50 for adults; $1 per child. Free for first timers. 676-7366.

Abracadabra! 10 AM-8 PM. Magi-cian Bill Gormont teaches kids tricks of the trade. Strong Museum, Rochester. Included with admission. 585-263-270.

SU Men’s Basketball Game. Noon. Against Cincinnati. Carrier Dome. $. Suathletics.com or 443-2121.

Magic Circle Children’s Theatre. 12:30 PM. Interactive children’s theater featur-

ing Sleeping Beauty. Spaghetti Ware-house, Syracuse. $5/person. Pre-register. 449-3823.

SU Women’s Ice Hockey. 2 PM. Against Robert Morris University. Tennity Ice Plaza. $. Suathletics.com or 443-2121.

Griffiths Trail Beaver Snowshoe Hike. 2-3:30 PM. Baltimore Woods. $. 673-1350.


Syracuse Crunch Hockey. 7:30 PM. Rochester Americans. War Memorial at Oncenter. $. 473-4444.

Well-Aged Words. 8 PM. Featuring Maggi Peirce’s Tales of a Belfast Child-hood. Open Hand Theater. 518 Prospect Ave, Syracuse. $20. 476-0466.

‘The Eye of the Heart Dreaming.’ 7-9 PM. Film screening followed by conversa-tion with filmmaker Christina Carney and film participants. ArtRage Gallery, 505 Hawley Ave. Free. Artragegallery.org.

John Cadley and the Lost Boys. 8 PM. Bluegrass. Red House, 201 S. West St. $15; $12 for seniors and students. Thered-house.org.

Pops Series: The Sinatra Project. 8 PM. Syracuse Symphony Orchestra fea-

turing vocalist Michael Feinstein inter-prets the romantic music of Ol’ Blue Eyes. Crouse Hinds Concert Theater, Mulroy Civic Center. $. Syracusesymphony.org or 424-8200.

White Woods. Doors at 7 PM, show at 8. With Auld Lang Syne, Family Dinner and Caleb Spaulding. Westcott Theater. $10. Thewestcotttheater.com.

Sunday Jan. 16Ski or Hike with the Dairy Princess.

Noon-3 PM. Ski or hike with the Onon-daga County Dairy Court and enjoy free hot cocoa. Highland Forest. $1/person, 21 and under/free. 469-4596.

Abracadabra! Noon-5 PM. Magician Bill Gormont teaches kids tricks of the trade. Strong Museum, Rochester. In-cluded with admission. 585-263-2700.

Sunday Showshoe Wanders. 2 PM. Brief instructional clinic on snowshoe technique followed by a short wander through the woods and wetlands. Am-boy 4-H Environmental Education Center. Route 183 between Routes 13 and 69. $3/person or $12/family. 963-7286.

Sunday Musicale: Guitar and Jazz Quartet. 2 PM. Guitar and jazz quartet featuring Steve Brown, Walter White, Dino Losito and Tom Killian. Fayetteville Free Library, 300 Orchard St., Fayetteville. Free.


A Concert of Early Baroque Mas-terpieces. 4 PM. Presented by Schola Cantorum of Syracuse featuring conduc-tor Alex Rakov. Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church, 5299 Jamesville Road, DeWitt. $15; $10 for seniors and students.

Syracuse Crunch Hockey. 4 PM. Adirondack Phantoms. War Memorial at Oncenter. $. 473-4444.

The Hang with RU HA. Doors at 5 PM, show at 6. Select Sundays in January catch RU HA with special guests. West-cott Theater. $. Thewestcotttheater.com.

Monday Jan. 17Adventure Day Camp. 9 AM-4 PM.

Children ages 5-12 spend the day play-ing and exploring the outdoors as well as participating in indoor activities. Balti-more Woods. $. Pre-register. 673-1350.

Cocoa and Crafts. 2:30 PM. For ages 6-12. Dewitt Community Library. Free. Pre-register. 446-3578.


Tuesday Jan. 18Animal Time. 10:30 AM. Animal-re-

lated story and craft for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Sciencenter, Ithaca. Included with admission. 607-272-0600.

Estate Planning Workshop. 5:30- 7:30 PM. Learn about the “7 Threats to Your Family Security.” Estate Planning Law Center. 5789 Widewaters Pkwy, Dewitt. Free. Pre-register. 446-3850.

Childbirth Prep Class for Couples. 6:30-9 PM. Sponsored by Doulas of CNY. Dewitt Community Library. $80. Pre-reg-ister. 455-6MOM.

Wednesday Jan. 19Civic Morning Musicals. 12:30 PM.

Featuring Susan Crocker, piano. Hosmer Auditorium, Everson Museum of Art. Free.

Cross Country Ski Basics. 1:30-3:30 PM. Participants must bring their own skis. Beaver Lake Nature Center. $10. 638-2510.

Teen Advisory Board. 6:30-7:30 PM. Teens can provide their input on library programs and book choices. Maxwell Library, Camillus. Free. 435-3827.

Get out: The guide

The ACME Myster Company presents “Harry Crocker and the Saucerer’s Stove” Thursday at Spaghetti Warehouse.

Irish storyteller Maggi Peirce tells of a childhood in Belfast in “Well-Aged Words” at the Open Hand Theater Saturday.


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Best Bets: Music

Best Bets: Galleries

Feinstein sings Sinatra hereExpect to hear plenty of great Gershwin

tunes when vocalist Michael Feinstein performs with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14 and 15, at the Mulroy Civic Center, 411 Montgomery St., downtown.

Known as the “Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” Feinstein will sing Sinatra classics and other timeless songs by composers such as Irving Berlin, Jimmy van Heusen and Cole Porter. Feinstein’s 150-plus shows a year have included per-formances at Carnegie Hall and the Hol-lywood Bowl, as well as the White House and Buckingham Palace.

Feinstein was introduced to Ira Ger-shwin in 1977, and he became Gershwin’s assistant for six years. Now Feinstein serves on the Library of Congress’ National Re-cording Preservation Board, tasked with

ensuring the survival, conservation and increased public availability of America’s sound recording heritage.

Tickets prices start at $15; call 424-8200, or visit syracusesymphony.org.

Lost Boys found at Red HouseJohn Cadley and the Lost Boys will

bring their original songs, hot picking and horrible humor to the Red House for a rare local concert appearance at 8 p.m. Jan. 15.

Henry Jankiewicz on fiddle, Mark All-natt on banjo and guitar, Ted Williams on mandolin, and John Dancks on bass. The Lost Boys have recorded two CDs, “Middle of Nowhere” and “Black Dog.” Both discs have received Syracuse Area Music Awards for Best Bluegrass Recording.

For Red House info, call 425-0405, or visit theredhouse.org.

Perry presents open mikesMarcellus songwriter Joanne Perry

hosts two open mic opportunities for acoustic musicians each week, with one in Tipperary Hill.

On Mondays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Perry runs the open mic at Driscoll’s Tipp Hill Café, 126 Milton Ave. at the corner of Ulster Street on Syracuse’s West End; 476-8637.

A bit further west, Perry hosts an acoustic open mic from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays at Creekside Books and Coffee, 35 Fennell St., in Skaneateles; 685-0379.

”These are opportunities to share your talents and presence, to make new friends, to encourage others, to try new material and to advertise yourself and your own gigs if applicable,” Perry said. “We are friendly and encouraging.” For info, call 214-9422.

Nasty Truth unveiled at Al’sSammy Hall of Fame guitarist Mark

Hoffmann presents a new line-up of his family band, Nasty Truth, at Al’s Wine & Whiskey Lounge, 321 S. Clinton St. from 9 to 1 a.m. Wednesday Jan. 19.

The revamped band now includes Tom Witkowski on keyboards, Kenyatta King on drums, Jeremy Allen on guitar, and the Hoffmann family -- Eva and Anna on vo-cals, Gus on bass, and Mark on guitar. The band is booked at Al’s (awful no longer) on the third Wednesday of each month. Admission is free; 558-1335.

- Russ Tarby

Submit “Best Bet” information for any arts or entertainment event

to [email protected].

Artists show no ‘restraint’ at Szozda GallerySzozda Gallery was featured on the cover of The Eagle back in December, but it celebrates

its official grand opening when it unveils “Without Restraint” with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday Jan. 14.

The show features distinctly different works by nationally published decorative artist and painter Phil Parsons and multi-media artist Barbara Conte-Gaugel, both of whom work from studies in the Delavan Center (where Szozda Gallery is also housed).

Conte-Gaugel named the collage-assemblage series on display within this show, “Remnants,” suggesting how the artist’s nostalgia for things old, rusty and ordinary combine with her desire to give her pieces “new life, one quite different from the former one, but no less important.”

For “Without Restraint,” Parsons chose pieces from three different se-ries, “Landscape,” “Black Forest” and “Acquisitions.”

The show will be up until Feb. 6.Szozda Gallery is located at 501 West Fayette St., in the former Delavan Gallery space. Park-

ing and admission are free. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 579-2805.

Barbara Conte-Gaugel, “Orth Drive-in,” Photography

Five artists showcased at Edgewood“Figurative Expressions” remains open

at Edgewood Gallery through Feb. 18, featuring the works of five artists who approach the figure with a creative and unique vision.

The show includes sculptures by Scott Estelle and Stephen Ryan, oil paintings by Vincent Fitches and John Fitzimmons, and

Stephen Ryan’s watercolors. The five differ-ent artists express their view of the human form in sharply contrasting ways.

Edgewood Gallery is located at Edge-wood Art and Frame, 216 Tecumseh Road, Syracuse. “Figurative Expressions” can be viewed from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Best Bets: Stage

‘Rent’ opens Jan. 18If you still don’t know what Broadway

blockbuster rock opera “Rent” is about, here is what you need to know: the story follows one year in the life of a group of bohemians in New York City connected by friendships, intimate relationships and chance. The show addresses love and loss, AIDS and drug use with a focus on the modern-day bohemian lifestyle. It’s emo-tional, powerful and immensely popular and is co-presented by Syracuse Stage and the SU Department of Drama.

For an added punch, when “Rent” opens Tuesday Jan. 18 at Syracuse Stage, the On-ondaga historical Association will celebrate la vie boheme with a lobby exhibit that follows the history of Bohemianism from its origin in the 17th century through its decline in the 1800s.

“From the struggle for gay rights, through the stigma of HIV and the contro-versy over needle exchange and rehabilita-tion programs, to the establishment of artist communities and affordable, appropriate housing, the exhibit covers the local aspects of the principle subjects represented in ‘Rent,’” according to Syracuse Stage.

“Rent” runs from Jan. 18 through Feb. 13, with a slew of special promotional days and the following extras: Prologue

One hour before every performance, except the Wednesday matinee, a cast

member will offer an insightful and enter-taining talk about the play. Supported by the Grandma Brown Foundation.M&T Bank Pay-What-You-Can Series

Watch the final dress rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. Sunday Jan. 16; $9 suggested dona-tion, tickets available at the door one hour prior to curtain.LGBT Pride Series

Food, music and friends one hour before the 7:30 p.m. show Thursday Jan. 20.LIVE in the Sutton Series

Live music following the 8 p.m. curtain Friday Jan. 21.Happy Hour Series

Half-price bar drinks and complimen-tary snacks on hour before 7:30 p.m. show Thursday Jan. 27.Welch Allyn Signed Performance Se-ries In Memory of Susan Thompson

At 3 p.m. Saturday Jan. 29.Actor Talkback Series

Following the 7 p.m. show Sunday Jan. 30.Wednesday@1 Lecture Series

At 1 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 9.Open Caption Series

At 2 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 9 and Sunday Feb. 13.

- Ami [email protected]


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ADVANCE sale ticketsGeneral $15VIP $30Call 435-2121 to order tickets

AT THE DOOR tickets (with re-entry stamp)

General $20VIP $35 ($30 w/current CNYJAF, JASS or WAER cards)

VIP tickets include all-day access to upstairs lounge with full cash bar and cash menu, jazz jams and private balcony seating

COMMANDER CODY BAND

PROFESSOR LOUIE AND THE CROWMATIX

Los Blancos ~ The Mojo Band ~ Todd Hobin & Doug Moncrief ~ Isreal Hagan ~

Mark Hoffmann ~ Andrew Carroll Trio ~ The Jazz Police ~ Jeff Stockham ~ Joe Colombo ~ John Rohde ~ Joe Carello ~ Special Guest Sit-ins!

7843

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Best Bets: Music (outside the city limits)

Jazz guitarist Sunday in F’ville A guitar and jazz quartet will perform

for the Sunday Musicale hosted by the Motto Sheet Music Collection, at 2 p.m. Jan. 16, at Fayetteville Free Library’s reading room, 300 Orchard St. Admission is free.

The Guitar & Jazz Quartet features Ithaca six-stringer Steve Brown as well as Walter White, Dino Losito and Tom Killian.

The Joe Carello Quartet will perform at the library on March 6; 637-6374 ext. 328 or fayettevillefreelibrary.org.

Bells & Motley in L’poolThe husband-and-wife folk duo known

as the Bells & Motley Consort plays a free concert at 2 p.m. Sunday Jan. 1, at Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St. in the village; 457-0310 or lpl.org.

The kick-off for the library’s fourth an-nual Folk Music Series, Sunday’s concert will focus on British, French and Asian folk music traditions.

While familiar to most audiences for their work with Renaissance and medieval

music, the Bromkas have been exploring many forms of world music over the years. They play some truly exotic instruments such as hurdy gurdy, dulcimer, bagpipes, and Celtic Harp augmented for this concert with Chinese harp (guzheng) and fiddle (erhu), Turkish lutes (oud and baglama) Mideastern zither (kanun), and a raft of percussion.

For band info, visit bellsandmotley.com.

- Russ Tarby Bells and Motley Consort


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Black Knights hold off CNS, go to 6-1

Crunch revampedTrades, transactions transform Syracuse squad

By Russ Tarby

When the Syracuse Crunch returns to its home ice this Saturday night against the Rochester Amerks, it’ll be a much different team than the one which last played the War Memorial on Dec. 28.

While the Salt City’s American Hockey League team played a season-high seven road games from Dec. 29 through Jan. 14, a series of trades and player transactions has transformed the roster.

On Dec. 30, the Crunch demoted enforcer Jon Mirasty, a fan favorite, to the Elmira Jack-als.

On Jan. 1, Syracuse’s parent club, the Ana-heim Ducks, traded defenseman Brett Fester-ling to the Montreal Canadiens organization.

On Jan. 3, the Ducks sent playmaking center Nick Bonino back to Syracuse, which is a good thing because on Jan. 4 Anaheim traded Crunch top-scorer Trevor Smith to the Columbus Bluejackets for defenseman Nate Guerin.

The next day, Jan. 5, the Ducks promoted right winger Dan Sexton – arguably the

Crunch’s fastest skater – to the NHL.To take the edge off those significant losses

in the offensive zone, Anaheim reassigned rookie phenom Kyle Palmieri to the Crunch after his stint with the bronze medal-winning U.S. National Juniors Team.

While Crunch Coach Mark Holick con-tinues juggling lines to increase the team’s scoring punch, he’ll also have three recent call-ups from Elmira to fill in. The day after New Year’s left wingers Eric Lampe and Josh Brittain returned to the Crunch, and journey-man blueliner Guerin, 28, will be expected to fill in with his fists in Mirasty’s absence.

The Crunch lost two games on the road last weekend.

Despite the third two-goal performance of the season from Nathan Paetsch, Syracuse could not solve the Binghamton Senators and fell to their I-81 rivals by a 6-4 final Jan. 7, at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, snapping the Crunch’s three-game winning streak. The loss was the team’s fourth straight to Binghamton after winning the first game of the season series back on Oct. 16.

On Jan. 8, the Crunch were edged by the

Albany Devils by a 2-1 score at the Times Union Center. Goalie J.P. Levasseur, making his first start in five games, denied 26 of 28 Albany shots, while Eric Lampe scored his second goal in as many nights for the Crunch in the losing effort.

Syracuse concludes its seven-game road trip Jan. 14 against the Hamilton Bulldogs in

Ontario before returning to the War Memo-rial at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, and at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 16, against Rochester and Adirondack, respectively. The home team will be wearing new orange-and-white jerseys for each of this weekend’s games. Ticket prices range between $13 and $22; 473-4444; syra-cusecrunch.com.

syracuse crunch

Crunch defenseman Joe DiPenta (3) and goaltender J.P. Levasseur (31) couldn’t stop Albany Devil Adam Henrique’s shot Saturday night in Albany. The Crunch lost 2-1.

Good Sports

By Phil Blackwell [email protected]

Were it not for a rough finish against Utica Proctor on Dec. 23, the Henninger boys basketball team might have made it through its tough early-season gauntlet without a blemish.

As it is, though, the Black Knights’ 5-1 mark is quite impressive, a run capped off on Jan. 4 when it beat defending Section III Class AA champion Cicero-North Syracuse 59-55.

So far, Henninger has defeated CBA, Fair-port and CNS, plus won its fifth consecutive Mayor’s Roundball Classic with double-digit conquests of Corcoran and Fowler. And each time, it seems like a different player steps up and has a big night.

Kavon Delee did the honors against the Northstars. Delee had a season-high 21

points as he helped Henninger weather a rough opening stretch, then led the Black Knights’ second-half comeback and, for good measure, hit three key free throws in the final 11 seconds to put the game away.

In the game’s first three minutes, two starters, Tevin Chisholm and Marquies Young, both picked up two fouls. They sat most of the rest of the first half, yet Delee’s eight points helped Henninger hang in there, keeping CNS (who had beaten Utica Proctor on this same Joe Mazella Court Dec. 17 in the Peppino’s Invitational) from expanding upon its lead.

Down 29-23 early in the third quarter, Henninger turned it around with a 12-2 run, highlighted by Markel Stith’s dunk on a fast break. Not only was Henninger able to quicken the game’s tempo, it also clamped down on defense, dominating on the boards and holding Northstars standout Zach Cole-man to 16 points, just nine in the last three

periods.Henninger kept getting away, eventually

leading 53-42 with 2:15 to play - but CNS wouldn’t quit. Building full-court pressure, and getting key baskets from Elliott Boyce (who finished with 12 points) and Josh Wil-liams, the Northstars went on an 11-3 run, forcing Delee into making those late foul shots.

Helping out Delee, Tevin Chisholm got 10 of his 12 points in the second half, while Tom-mie Spinner had eight of his 10 points after the break and Stith finished with 11 points.

Henninger finished the week by routing Oswego 82-44, Delee again setting the pace with 18 points as the Black Knights were 6-1 going into games this week at Fayetteville-Manlius and Gates-Chili.

Meanwhile, Nottingham is 3-3 and Corco-ran is 1-3, with Fowler 3-4 after pushing three-time defending state Class A champion Jamesville-DeWitt hard in a 67-57 defeat. In

that game, former Falcon DaJuan Coleman surpassed 1,000 career points with the Red Rams.

Syracuse Academy of Science dazzled on Friday, surpassing the century mark in a 107-48 romp over Manlius-Pebble Hill to improve its record to 6-1.

The Atoms, no. 16 in the latest state Class C rankings, got 35 points from Ahmet Tunali against the Trojans as Jamon Haddon got 20 points. Kaleel Johnson (16 points), Joshua Guins (13 points) and Dakeem McLain (12 points) reached double figures, too, as SAS had its lone defeat of the season Dec. 27 to Watertown IHC.

Institute of Technology Central used a 62-31 win over Fabius-Pompey to improve its mark to 5-2. The Eagles, right behind SAS in the OHSL Patriot National division standings, had a deep, well-balanced attack as Saquan Dozier earned 15 points and Jebron Thomas added 11 points.

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“Seneca Federal Sav-ings and Loan Asso-ciation is not an average mortgage originator but it IS an average commu-nity bank,” said Katrina Russo, president-CEO of Seneca Federal Sav-ings and Loan Associa-tion. Sound community bank mortgage lending practices are not the source of problems that have turned the economy on its ear. Rather, the “big” banks who took part in the sub-prime lending with less than qualified applicants is what has contributed to the downturn of the economy. “It’s not all about making a quick buck,” said Russo. “Mainstream America has to start thinking beyond the all mighty buck and remember what is really at the heart of this nation, which I believe is what all communities bank’s think-ing boils down to. The dream of homeownership is a dream we help make happen and it can be done in a conservative manner and still render posi-tive results to many.”

Seneca Federal is proud to provide traditional, local home town lending with competi-tively priced mortgage rates. “We look to competitors daily, in part, to decide where to price our mortgage rates,” said Tammy Purcell, VP–lending. “We also respond quickly to pre-qualification requests and pride ourselves as local un-derwriters with timely com-mitments.” Seneca Federal has never used credit scores as a basis for loan approval but rather base loan com-mitment on actual consumer credit history. This ‘traditional’

and time-tested practice has worked well for the Associa-tion, which has a foreclosure rate near zero percent.

“A low foreclosure rate sometimes leads people to ask me if we are risky enough with such a low default rate,” said the president, adding that the low default rate has more to do with the rapport they have made with their customers during the underwriting pro-cess and less to do with not tak-ing risk. “Our loans are often tailor-made to our customer’s specific needs and we build a rapport with them from the beginning, indicating that we are on the ‘same side’. We are very thankful when a cus-tomer is willing to approach us when they are having dif-ficulty and before the loan is in default and we are able to work with finding a solution to get them through a rough time such as a job loss,” added Purcell. At Seneca Federal you always have the ability to speak directly with experienced loan underwriters who assist you in your mortgage loan application process from start to finish, including servicing throughout the loan.

The lending team is car-rying on with the philosophy of individualized lending that community banks thrive on.

“We are imbedded in our communities and want to offer competitive mort-gage, consumer and commercial loan rates for the benefit of our customers,” said Purcell. “We aren’t a ‘cookie cutter’ secondary mortgage market lender. We understand the needs

of our communities and want to provide a competitive prod-uct.” The mortgage servicing is always retained by us so our customers are assured they will work with us for the life of the loan.

One example of a loan that is often tailor-made to a customer’s needs is the construction to permanent financing mortgage loan with one loan closing and a rate that is determined at commitment, before the construction phase. This loan is popular since the rate can’t change when it ‘con-verts’ to permanent financing later and closing costs are only paid once, upon commitment. The risk of a higher rate later after the house is constructed is removed. Another such tailor-made loan includes a mortgage where a customer is purchasing a house in which projected renovations are included. The purchase and renovation costs are wrapped into one mortgage loan. Other features which add to Seneca’s appeal as a mortgage lender include no flood certification fees and no underwriting fees. “This culture of personalized service was instilled into us by our predecessors, so that Seneca Federal’s continued success is guaranteed for de-

cades to come,” she said. “We pride ourselves on

providing the best possible products with the lowest pos-

sible lending rates. As a com-munity bank, it is our job to increase the wealth of our members through low lending

rates and high savings rates, given the state of the economy at any given time,” according to Russo.

Seneca Federal President–CEO, Katrina Russo left, and Execu-tive Vice President-CFO, Wendy Bodnar

Seneca Federal is not an average mortgage originator

Why Mortgage LoansAre Better AtSeneca!

MAIN OFFICE35 Oswego St.Baldwinsville638-0233

LIVERPOOL105 Second St.Liverpool457-1280

ONLINEwww.senecafederal.com

NORTH SYRACUSE201 North Main St.North Syracuse458-6543

Each depositor insured to at least $250,000Temporarily increased from $100,000 to $250,000 through 12/31/2013

Here’s what makes Seneca FederalSavings & Loan unique

... an Ethical, Local Bank!

Rebecca SmithAsst. Vice President

Lending

Tammy PurcellVice President

Lending

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• We provide traditional, local home town lending• We offer competitively priced mortgage rates• We respond quickly to pre-qualification requests• We don't use credit scores• Our underwriting is based on actual consumer credit history• We have two local experienced loan underwriters who assist you through the entire loan process• Our loans are often tailor-made to our customer's specific needs• We offer construction to permanent financing with one loan closing• We underwrite mortgages for purchases AND projected renovations all in one loan• We have local servicing, which is never sold• We have NO flood certification fee• We have NO underwriting fee

Call Tammy or Rebecca today at 315-638-0233

Home & GardenJan. 13, 2011 19EAGLET

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The Eagle 01-12, 2011

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Transcript of The Eagle 01-12, 2011