Triple Cities Carousel July 2013

triple cities free

CAROUSELjuly 2013 vol. 1 issue 5

music. art. theatre. food. life.

July 2013 Triple Cities Carousel 3

editorial. contents.

TRIPLE CITIES CAROUSELP.O. BOX 2947

BINGHAMTON, NY 13902

Publisher/Editor-in-ChiefChristopher Bodnarczuk

Assistant Editor/Calendar GuruTy Whitbeck

AdvertisingChristopher Bodnarczuk

Staff WritersCharles Berman, Stacey Burke, Julian Kappel, Kaitlin Mooney, Maria Murphy, Taze Yanik

ContributorsBrian Kerins, Dan Spaventa, Carmelita Snickelfritz, Kristina Strain

PhotographyTy Whitbeck

Layout/DesignChristopher Bodnarczuk

Cover ArtClose-up of Jablon RiverWalk Mosaic- Susan Jablon

(photographed by Ty Whitbeck)

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Chenango Bridge, NY

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MUSIC.....................................................................05SPECIAL FEATURE: CAROUSELS.........................11POETRY...................................................................14ART..........................................................................15EVENTS CALENDAR..............................................16FACES AND PLACES............................................22THEATRE................................................................23FOOD AND DRINK.................................................25WELLNESS.............................................................27FUN STUFF.............................................................28EXPLOSIONS..........................................................29THE FAIR................................................................30

Last month, Carousel ran an article about a film screening in Binghamton, one where the Academy Award nominated director was going to be in attendance. Being the arts source we are, it seemed only fitting to interview the director and discuss the film. Well, that film was “Gasland: Part 2,” and it’s about fracking.

When I launched Carousel back in March, I made myself swear that it would not get political. I couldn’t give a damn whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, a Republicrat or and Democran… so long as you like good music and good art. It was, and still is, my feeling that an arts publication is the last place to be preaching about politics… with the rare exception of arts education funding and other notable issues effecting the arts community.

I tried to be non-biased in my article, tried to leave my (very deep seeded) beliefs about the issue at hand aside, tried to focus on the art at hand, and the fact that I was performing the most notable interview of my life (once I interviewed Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips in a bathroom stall, but that was notable for all the wrong reasons). Perhaps I stepped too far over my own line.

For the most part, reaction to our June issue was positive… hell, Wegmans even carries us, now. But, there were a few instances of outrage, and I want to address that briefly.

There is a small town within a half hour of Binghamton, one I love dearly. It happens to be a town that is entrenched in both sides of the fracking fight now, a town with many vocal voices in both support and criticism of the drilling method. There is a restaurant in that town that now has several members of the local community boycotting them… because of Carousel. Not even because of the article about Gasland: Part 2, but because of the advertisement for the film that was run on the inside back cover. The restau-rant did absolutely nothing wrong… they simply allowed us to distribute a free newspaper. And that free newspaper really pissed off some folks.

Here’s the thing: we are the media. We are, at some points in time, going to run articles that not everyone is happy with. And that’s fine. But, when you’re not happy with what we do, please, please…tell us. Write us nasty letters, unlike us on facebook, light a bag full of dog poop on fire on our front porch… but don’t take it out on our distributors and advertisers.

Carousel is a community paper, and we like to keep it in the community. It is through the grace of the many area small business owners that we are able to get the word out… they give us counter space, they fund us through advertising, they form our content. Each of those small business owners understands community, and aims to build it, just like us. They struggle to pay their bills, just like us. They have roofs to fix and children to feed, retirements to save up for and parents to take care of. They deserve the sup-port of the community. They certainly don’t deserve to be boycotted because they were nice enough to let a long haired freak with a stack of papers drop some off at their establishment.

I’m asking you all to go shop local. Eat local. Support our distributors and advertisers. Because that’s what community does…it keeps things in the community. We all have our disagreements. We may not always see eye to eye. But, we’re all neighbors. Let’s live together.

-Chris Bodnarczuk


music.

CAROUSEL PRESENTS: COUNTRY ROCK LEGENDSNew Riders of the Purple Sage. Photo by Lisa Law.

NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGEyear and criss-cross the country quite a bit. There are many standout moments, but one that I’ll tell you about here is the 40th anniversary of the Sum-mer of Love in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. There was something like 80,000 people there. There was around a thousand people back stage alone, I’m not kidding. Crazy road stories, I’ll leave that one alone. The real crazy ones we can’t talk about anyway.

How does the legacy of the shared history with the Grateful Dead effect the band to-day?

We try hard to stay true to the band’s history and legacy while moving forward; striking a balance be-tween old and new material. Being joined at the hip to the Dead is a great piece of the legacy. Re-member, before there was a San Francisco scene, a Grateful Dead, or New Riders, Jerry Garcia and David Nelson were playing in bands together. That’s how deep and far back it goes.

Last but not least, what can we expect from the show on July 3rd?

The show on the 3rd will be like all the shows we do these days… a combination of old and new songs. Some short 3 minute songs and some long jams. I like to say good old fashion Rock and Roll. Come on out you’ll have fun!

As of print-time, tickets for the July 3rd show have been going at an unprecedented speed. Due to the size of Cyber Café West, we are only able to sell a limited amount of tickets, and we do expect the show to sell out. That said, presale tickets are still available at the café for $25. They can be bought in person or over the phone. While you’re there, wish them a happy sixteenth anniversary, and grab a pint or two to celebrate. If you don’t make it for presale, there will also be a limited number of day of show tickets, available for $30. Cyber Café West is located at 176 Main St. in Binghamton, 607- 723-2456. The music starts at 8pm on the 3rd. Hope to see y’all there!

as his replacement on steel… and what many call the classic lineup was born. The band had a wild ride for a few years and sold millions of records. A book can be written about how the band evolved, so let’s just say it did, and after a while due to John’s failing health, it came to an end for a long time… till 8 years ago when we got it up and run-ning again.

NRPS is a band that has seen many lineups through the years. All things considered, you’re a relative newcomer to the band. How did that come about? Were you a fan during the early years?

Yeah, NRPS has seen many great musicians come and go. This lineup has been together now for 8 years. It started when our Drummer Johnny Mar-kowski was out golfing with Buddy Cage and sug-gested putting NRPS back together. Buddy said ‘you have to get David Nelson to agree to it.’ Long story short, he did. We booked 5 show on our own and had a blast doing them. We decided to see if we could keep it going. So, I called my friends at Blue Mountain Booking asked them if they would rep-resent us. They said that they were big fans and would love to. We’ve been playing 80 to 100 shows a year ever since.

You’ve played with many legendary musi-cians and groups through the years, most notably during your time with Hot Tuna. How does the NRPS gig stack up in comparison?

Well, I started playing with Hot Tuna in the early 80s and traveled the world with them for close to 20 years; I feel honored to have been in such leg-endary band. The same can be said about The New Riders. I love what we’re doing now with both the old songs and the new.

NRPS is very active on the East Coast festival scene. Do you feel most at home playing fes-tivals? Any standout experiences? Any crazy road stories?

We do spend a lot of time on the East coast, but do get out to the West coast at least once or twice a

We at the Carousel like to throw a show each month at the Cyber Café West, usu-ally to coincide with the First Friday Art Walk. Live music keeps us going.

Somehow, this month, we make the plunge from putting on a show to putting on a concert, as we welcome one of the most legendary country rock bands of all time, New Riders of the Purple Sage, to the cafe’s stage. We’re just as shocked as you that it’s come to fruition! While we do our best to put on a Friday show each month, we couldn’t say no to bringing in NRPS on Wednesday, July 3rd. The one-time Grateful Dead side project brought the world such hits as “Glendale Train,” “Last Lonely Eagle,” “Henry,” and, most notably, the drug fueled country honk psychedelia of “Panama Red;” selling millions of albums along the way and developing a devoted fan base.

While the band took a hiatus for much of the past few decades, they have been back on the road for about eight years now. The current lineup includes original members Buddy Cage and David Nelson, plus Ronnie Penque, Johnny Markowski, and former Hot Tuna guitarist Michael Falzarano. We caught up with Michael for a few questions as he packed for the band’s upcoming summer tour.

First off, give us a short history lesson on NRPS. How did the band form? How has it evolved through the years?

Well let’s go back to the beginning. Singer/song-writer John Dawson hooked up with some of his friends to start a band- most notably with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead on steel guitar, David Nelson on lead guitar, and after a short time, Spen-cer Dryden on drums (from the Jefferson Airplane) and Dave Torbet on bass guitar. After one album together with that line up, Jerry realized it was too much to do both bands and suggested Buddy Cage

Chris BodnarczukEditor-in-Chief

Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan . . . it’s seems that most of the women in jazz have been vocal-ists rather than saxophone players or trumpeters or drummers.

This has been changing in recent decades, and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s performance at BU’s Anderson Center on July 20th will provide us with an excellent example of this fact. It’s not that they set out to be an all-female big band. They’re just a hard-charging, powerful ensem-ble of 15 extremely talented and versatile mu-sicians in total command of their instruments who just happen to be women. They can’t help it- they were born that way. And there is a direct historical connection Binghamton too.

Sherrie Maricle, the drummer and director of DIVA, cut her teeth and got her BA in 1985 from BU, where she studied and played with jazz legend Slam Stewart. She moved to New York City and attended New York University, where she completed a Masters of Arts in Jazz Perfor-mance in 1986 and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Jazz Performance/Composition in 2000. The or-chestra was formed in 1992, and what emerged is the dynamic musical force that holds forth to the present day.

In 2006, DIVA was voted one of the best big bands in the world in DownBeat magazine’s an-nual Critic’s and Reader’s Polls. To fully grasp how wide the appeal is of this incredibly gifted ensemble, one has only to read the catalog of prestigious venues in which the band has per-formed, worldwide. Here is but a partial list: Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orches-tra, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland and the Apollo Theater in New York. International appearances Berlin Jazz Festival in Germany; Salzburg Music Festival in Austria; Bern Jazz Festival in Swit-zerland.

DIVA proudly boasts of a very impressive se-ries of recordings, the most recent of which is the critically-acclaimed Johnny Mandel: The Man and his Music, recorded live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and conducted by Mandel him-self. Without surprise, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra plays Mandel’s charts with the finesse of vet-erans who have played them night after night for years; the ensembles are flawless, and there are too many outstanding soloists to list.

Check it out folks. The DIVA Jazz Orchestra will knock your socks off.

Tickets for the July 20th show are $12 for lawn seats, and $25 for reserved indoor seating, and can purchased through binghamton.edu/ander-son-center, over the phone at 607-777-ARTS, or at the Anderson Center box office, open Mon-Fri, 12pm-5:30pm. The Anderson Center is lo-cated on the campus of Binghamton University, at 4400 Vestal Pkwy E, Vestal, NY. The music starts at 8pm.

Taze YanickStaff Writer

DIVA JAZZANDERSON CENTER

SHERRI MARICLE LEADS

ORCHESTRA AT

It’s summer and that can only mean one thing: Festival season.

There’s at least one for every genre scattered across the country but this July you won’t even have to leave the Binghamton area for a taste of the street festival atmosphere.

Beginning at 10am on July 12, 13, and 14, throngs of people will fill downtown Binghamton to check out artists, craft vendors, and booths promoting local sustainability, all while enjoying a variety of live performances. And the best part of the deal? Admission to the festival is absolutely free.

For 51 years, July Fest has integrated visual arts and music into a seamless celebration of creativity, ingenuity and beauty. This year it’s being taken to a whole new level with the introduction of a Riverfront section dedicated to educating the crowd about sustainability and community action.

“It’s about using music as a catalyst to bring people together for the purpose of networking, education and empowerment,” says Erik Defont, organizer of the riverfront activities. “We’re creating a platform for area businesses and community organizations to come together in an effort to build a strong, sustainable local economy.”

Starting at the brand-new round-a-bout and stretching right up to the riverfront, the streets will be lined with booths, tents and tables representing nearly every form of fine arts invented by mankind through the years.

Returning guests will have an idea what to expect, but Events Coordinator Ron Sall makes new experiences a priority every year.

“When we changed the format in 2004 we wanted to kick it up a notch... and that’s been our goal every year since,” says Sall, also the President of the Downtown Binghamton Business Association. “We always add things or do something different.”

The main stage, located in front of the court house, will alternate between local crowd-pleasers and big-name national sensations. This year’s musical roster includes returning group Cool Stuff (a Michael Buble Tribute Band), singer-songwriter Glenda Davenport, and the Binghamton High School Juice Blenders Steel Band.

In addition, festival-goers will be treated to acts such as internationally-acclaimed composer Eric Ross, Grammy-nominated multi-genre group Professor Louie and the Cromatix, and Splash!, making their July Fest debut.

Meanwhile, The Peacemaker’s stage will host local favorites such as Somerton Suitcase, N.Y. Funk Exchange, Peaches and Crime, Go For Launch and Defunct Radio Circus, introducing a diverse, new spectrum of genres to the festival that perfectly complements the overall message of community activism and social progress displays that will be filling the Martin Luther King Jr. promenade.

Visitors will have the opportunity to gather information about renewable energy, urban agriculture, social justice, and progressive action from groups such as the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition, the Peace Action Network, Binghamton Rising and the Many Hands Food Co-op. Organizations such as VINES will also be on hand to discuss their efforts to provide food for low income families and teach youth in the city how to garden and grow their own food.

“Between shows, we plan to host focus groups in order to give community members, students, musicians, artists, and non-profit groups a chance to discuss issues such as renewable energy, keeping students in the local area, and highlighting the potential of the Binghamton area,” says DeFont. “It’s a chance for education, idea sharing and meeting like-minded people who want to have a hand in improving their community and getting involved.”

Amidst the astounding assortment of auditory entertainment and the unprecedented influx of educational information, art abounds.

What better way to spend the time between the free performances than by perusing the nearly 100 stalls set up by talented artists and craftsmen, again both local and visiting?

Artists will put their talents on display in mediums ranging from oil paints and pottery to wood carving and photography. Dozens of craftsman will also sell their wares including, but not limited to: jewelry, soaps, scarfs, wood-designs, glassware, birdhouses and herbal tea.

“We have a lot of good artists in this town and many of them will be there with their work,” says Sall. “We get booths from Vestal, Johnson City, Endicott, Kirkwood and Owego.”

Artists by the riverfront will even provide “live art” so spectators can witness the magic of imagination blooming before their eyes. Early risers will also be given the chance to participate in yoga and meditation guided by local musician Cosmal before the performances begin each morning at the Peacemaker’s stage.

In addition, traveling artists from as far away as Idaho, Ohio and even Florida will provide variety to an already ecclectic mix of mastery.

Oh, and did we mention it’s free?

As if the arts and music weren’t enough, July Fest will host the 6th Annual Parlor City 5K run at 9am Saturday. It’s $14 to run and entry forms are available at julyfestbinghamton.com. The course is relatively flat, fast, and even takes runners through some residential districts for a little much needed shade. Following the 5K there will be a free run for kids.

Speaking of the kiddies, The Kidz Art Zone is a great place for the younger crowd to get involved with a little art themselves. Art projects, face painting and more will be available under a large tent in the middle of the festival. It will feature the Magic Paint Brush Project and is, once again, completely free.

“It should be an outstanding time and I hope everyone can come down and enjoy themselves,” says Sall.

For more information about the main stage performances, Kids Art Zone and 5K run, visit julyfestbinghamton.com.

“This is an all-encompassing event that draws on the many active community groups and community conscious people in the area to focus on education and awareness, revolution of health, nutrition, and community interaction as well as sustainable economies and environmental stewardship,” says DeFont.

He went on to explain that the River-trail expansion of the July Fest has been a labor of love and is still looking for support from interested sponsors. For more information about the Riverfront activities or to become a sponsor, contact Erik DeFont at (845)863-6358, or at [email protected].

Julian KappelStaff Writer

JULY FEST BRINGS MUSIC AND ART TO THE STREETS

6 Vol. 1 Issue 5

PICKIN’ AND GRINNIN’ ATBUSY BIRD BLUEGRASS FEST

Ty WhitbeckAssistant Editor

You can bet your ass it’s bluegrass! Com-ing back to Berkshire, NY for its tenth year is the Busy Bird Bluegrass Festival.

Just up the road from Newark Valley, a family of die-hard bluegrass enthusiasts has decided to keep a living legacy of the late “Busy Bird” Kithcart with a festival collective of dedicated pickers and grinners.

Way back when, in 2004, there was a woman with a dream. She had a passion for life and a strong distaste for stagnancy. Beverly “Busy Bird” Kithcart had one wish in her later years, and that was to host her own bluegrass festival. As if being a moth-er of nine wasn’t enough, she was an avid support-er of live music, and her all-encompassing family traditions made her a beacon of prosperity to the local community. Unfortunately, she was only able to attend the inaugural event before passing away, but her family has since turned it into a yearly event. In 2011, they handed control of the festival over to the Gwardyak family, who have been work-ing hard to preserve and continue the tradition of live music for the people.

And as some of you may know, with folk and blue-grass music festivals, the party doesn’t end when the sound guy packs up.

“The late night pickin’ is always a highlight. You can walk from camper to camper and find great musi-cians having a great time playing music,” says one of the festival organizers, Tim Gwardyak.

twist of country and is a crowd favorite, as is the Mathews Family Tradition,” Gwardyak notes. “And as always, Terry Patrick [Busy Bird’s daughter] and her band, Cannon Hole Rounders, will close out the festival as a tribute to the very reason the festival started.”

The list of performers for the weekend includes these acts, plus the Tioga County Heymakers, Mel and the Boys, Coal Town Rounders, Spare Parts, Chad Darou and Stealing Time, Rebecca Colleen and the Chore Lads, Louie Setzer and the Apalachin Mountain Boys, Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys, and Gospel Way.

There are a lot of different kinds of “grass” to be-come acquainted with, per se. You’ll get your fill and then some. The sound of music doesn’t stop until the break of dawn, and it starts right back up at 10am. The peepers hardly have a chance for their songs to be sung.

“Our property is 16 acres of rough camping, and a stream runs on the border. Campers like to park next to it and let their kids play in it,” says Gwardy-ak. “We also have vendors and have built a perma-nent kitchen. Some of the visitors say they don’t pack food anymore because we serve them such great meals at all 3 blocks of the day.”

Sounds like fun, right? Well, if you want to make a day trip or a whole weekend out of it, they’ve got you covered. The festival is happening from July 12th-14th at 231 Ketchumville Road, Berkshire, NY. That’s only 30 miles from downtown Binghamton, folks! Weekend passes are a very reasonable $35, and prices for day passes cost $8-$15, depending on the day. You can purchase tickets and find more information on their website at www.busybirdblue-grass.com.

Headlining Friday night is Jim Hurst. “Jim is an amazing solo guitarist and a great performer, and this is the first time that the Busy Bird has had a solo artist as a headliner,” says Gwardyak. This statement speaks volumes. In addition to the in-satiable groove of Hurst’s music, he is a fantastic storyteller who really lays down some history with his songs.

Saturday night, Iron Horse takes the main stage for an intimate metal performance in the style of bluegrass. While armed with finger blistering speed and ultra-tight vocal harmonies, Iron Horse shouts

at the Devil and brings forth a ruckus, summoning metal gods Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne, while also conjuring many originals. Their sound is infectious and dance heavy. I wonder how one would possibly manage their way around a bluegrass mosh pit; I assume it is similar to its counterpart but with more foot stomping and less punching.

The music starts early, and there are plenty of other options if a metal/bluegrass hybrid isn’t your bag. “The Band of Strings, from Binghamton, bring with them an accolade of being voted ‘The Best Blue-grass Band in the Southern Tier.’ Slewfoot adds a

Dave Tapia and Drew Gildea of the Tioga County Heymakers. Photo by Ty Whitbeck.

If you look at Mantraverse, you see four inscrutably eccentric-looking people- one windswept woman in elaborate patterned clothes surrounded by four men in thick beards.

If you ask Mantraverse exactly what they are (be-yond, of course, a band), you’ll hear rock, classi-cal, gospel, soul, jazz, and “jam band stuff” name-checked in just the first few sentences. But, as they rightfully point out- none of that is the point.

“I just like the looks on people’s faces when they first see us and then when we actually perform,” says drummer Greg DeAngelo. “Because jaws liter-ally drop. And that’s a great feeling.”

Keyboardist Kenny Mansfield, who met his band-mates at a party and never looked back, puts it simply and straightforwardly: “I like creating some-thing that has an effect on people.”

Mantraverse consists of lead singer L Rampage, guitarist Steve Piotrowski, Kennedy Mansfield on keyboards, drummer Greg DeAngelo, and bassist Ryan Cross. The Binghamton group has a casual look and a visual aesthetic that verges into the hip-pie, but that never successfully hides the apparent fact that these are four people who truly get their kicks from working on music- often harder and for longer than many mere mortals would have the pa-tience for.

Guitarist Steve Piotrowski does most of the talking, with a quiet, contained confidence that betrays an infectious faith in what the group is doing. He ex-plains, “It’s just been a lot of calling people, get-ting shot down by venues, getting shot down by festivals, annoying people on the phone, annoying people on e-mails, practicing two, sometimes three times a week, sometimes more, playing as many gigs as we can in front of two people, two hundred people, as many people as we can.”

But while Piotrowski has no lack of enthusiasm for the project or willingness to proselytize it, he equal-ly has no hesitation in giving credit where due by revealing that “it’s no secret that the secret ingredi-ent is this girl’s voice”- indicating lead singer L Ram-page. A powerhouse when she sings, she projects a soft-spoken earnestness in conversation. The band formed around her when, after a previous project with Piotrowski, “Greg, Ryan, and Kenny all came

from various different places in my life and every-thing fell into place.”

Rampage confesses, “I do it because all I know how to do is be in a band and play good music… I’ve truly tried being a secretary or going to school and I guess it worked out OK but I always ended up feeling really empty. And I don’t anymore.” It’s that kind of enthusiasm that has led Mantraverse to the point where they have release a complete studio album and are beginning a summer tour- followed by a trip to California starting in October- after no more than six months of existence.

Piotrowski explains an organic creative process that leads to a unified sound: “Each song definitely has its own process. At lot of the first stuff we started doing, [L] had written just on her own for piano and guitar and voice, and then we kind of learned them and adapted them to our own style, and added our

own touch to the songs. But recently, we’ve been kind of doing it collectively, where she’ll come up with the vocal melody, then we’ll all kind of con-tribute to the support for that melody and come up with different instrumental breaks. All we really do is just icing on the cake.”

But, as DeAngelo jokes, “I like to be the icing,” and having creative contributions from all band mem-bers means songs can be different at each perfor-mance and establish a jam-like vibe without having to go astray.

“Luckily this is in print, so you can’t tell how weird we’re being,” confesses Piotrowski.”The visual as-pect is just us being not normal.” But, it’s more than only a joke. Mantraverse’s members have the sense of humor and chemistry with each other that makes one feel like they’re well suited to a long tour per-forming together.

For DeAngelo, the magic moment onstage that makes everything worth it is when “No matter how hard the crowd tries [to look away] their eyes are locked. They can’t look away.” It’s the dedication to their pursuit of that moment that looks like the se-cret to their success. That or Rampage’s alternate suggestion- “we’re all just really bangin’ people.”

Mantraverse’s first album, “One” is available now and can be previewed at bandcamp.com, or pur-chased online and at shows. A second, which Ram-page jokes could be called “Three” is already in the works. They post their upcoming tour dates- includ-ing a big gig at July’s Upstate Boogie- on Reveb-nation.com. Updates are posted on their Facebook page and at http://www.mantraverse.us/.

THE SIREN SINGS IN MANTRAVERSECharles BermanStaff Writer

Mantraverse. Photo Provided.


8 Vol. 1 Issue 5

Rock n Roll is full of mythology.

Did Robert Johnson really sell his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for his musical gift? Did Jimi Hendrix really put tabs of acid under his head band so it would kick in when he started sweating during a show? Did Ozzy really bite off a bat’s head and piss on the Alamo? The answers are “yes, yes, and yes.”

Legend has it that three guys in northern Califor-nia were travelling around performing a capella versions of old Platters songs. They called them-selves the Doo-B-Doo-B-Doos. One day, a stranger approached them and handed them a joint. They smoked it, and it changed their whole approach. The renamed themselves the Doobie Brothers and started giving out free weed at their shows. And the rest is history.

This one is probably false. But like all rock n roll legends, it must have some element of truth, and it does.

Drummer John Hartman arrived in California in 1969, determined to meet Skip Spence of Moby Grape and join an aborted Grape reunion. Spen-ce introduced Hartman to singer, guitarist and songwriter Tom Johnston, and the two proceeded to form the nucleus of what would become The Doobie Brothers. Johnston and Hartman called their fledgling group “Pud” and experimented with lineups (occasionally including Spence) and styles as they performed in and around San Jose. They were mostly a power trio (along with bassist Greg Murphy), but briefly worked with a horn section. In 1970, they teamed up with bass player Dave Shogren and singer, guitarist and songwriter Patrick Simmons. Simmons, who had belonged to several area groups (among them “Scratch,” an acoustic trio with future Doobies bassist Tiran Porter) and also performed as a solo artist, was already an ac-complished fingerstyle player whose approach to the instrument complemented Johnston’s rhythmic R&B strumming.

The Doobie Brothers started gigging all over North-ern California in 1970. They attracted a particularly strong following among local chapters of the Hells Angels and got a recurring gig at one of the bikers’ favorite venues, the Chateau Liberté in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They continued playing the Cha-teau through the summer of 1975, although some of these concerts did not include all band members and were unannounced and completely impromptu

nature. In fact, they have had an ever-shifting per-sonnel throughout their history.

(In 1974 Steely Dan co-lead guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter- the guy who does that awesome solo in “Reelin’ in the Years”- learned that his band was retiring from the road and that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker intended to work almost exclusive-ly with session players in the future. In need of a steady gig, he segued into the Doobie Brothers as third lead guitarist in the middle of a tour.)

There is a set of early demos (since bootlegged on CD in 1980 as “Introducing the Doobie Brothers”) that features dual lead electric guitars, three-part harmonies and Hartman’s frenetic drumming and earned the rock group a contract at Warner Bros. Records. But, their first official, self-titled debut album departed significantly from that sound and their live sound of the period. The album, which failed to chart, emphasized acoustic guitars and fre-quently reflected country influences.

Then, a string of 3 more truly great rock n roll al-bums in 1972, 1973 and 1974 brought the Doo-bies breakthrough success, radio hits, and a solid place in the history of classic rock. Now with two drummers, killin’ guitar solos, three-part vocal har-monies, extended jams and great song writing… These are what put them on the map, with most of the songs we know and (I) love. Toulouse Street gave us “Listen to the Music” and “Jesus Is Just Alright.” The Captain and Me gave us “Long Train Runnin” and “China Grove.” The fourth album, What Were Once Vices are Now Habits gave us “Black Water.” You know the one: “Well I ain’t got no worries, ‘cause I ain’t in no hurry,” not just a classic rock couplet, but a motto worth aspiring to.

Things changed dramatically in 1976 when Michael McDonald joined the band as lead vocalist and song writer. It’s almost as if the Doobies are really two different bands. Sometimes called the “blue-eyed soul” period, the next couple albums helped define what became known as “soft rock,” emphasizing keyboards, horns, strong pop hooks and jazz-in-flected guitar stylings. Fortuitously, however, the new sound made them a crossover pop-R&B-rock sensation, bringing them even more fans and chart presence.

There was a hiatus in the 80s and subsequent re-unions. The band we will see at BU’s Anderson Cen-ter on July 1st includes two of the original mem-bers. But, what a great band they still are. Go.

The Doobie Brothers will be taking the stage at Binghamton University on Wednesday, July 1, at 8pm. Lawn tickets are $30, and indoor reserved seating is $65. The show is co-sponsored by The Whale (99.1 FM) and Star Motors.

Taze YanickStaff Writer

The Doobie Brothers. Photo Provided.

A SHORT HISTORY OFINSERT THINLY VEILED DRUG REFERENCE HERE:

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Oh sweet, sweet summer is here. The possibilities of enjoyment seem endless when the sun is shining.

Imagine relaxing by the river… hills of green grass… a gentle breeze… and the sounds of jazz, blues, and country tunes floating through the air. Sounds nice, eh?

Way back in 1988, gas was only 91 cents a gal-lon, Beetlejuice was a box office hit, Robert Palmer was likely blasting on your Walkman, and Owego’s Concert in the Park Series made its debut. Funded by the Town of Owego, the series was born out of a desire to bring the joy of live music to the community at no charge. They say the best things in life are free, and folks, they ain’t lying. Not only is the Concert in the Park Series free, but weekly, too! Each Wednesday in the month of July (and the first week of August), Hickories Park in Owego invites you to treat yourself to two hours of free music, with plenty of space to dance, relax or do as you please. There is a food vendor onsite for some traditional picnic eats, and plenty of grills along the park’s riverside banks and pavilions.

“Last year the concert series was held at Draper Park, but Hickories Park has reopened this year,” Don VanScoy shares. Hickories had been closed since experiencing devastating damage in the Sep-

tember 2011 flood, but thankfully, has since re-opened.

“We are very excited to be back at the Hickories” Abbey Hendrickson, Executive Director of the Tioga County Council on the Arts, says. She continues, “the concerts are for families and people of all ages to enjoy.”

What better way to smooth out your hump day this summer? The Concert in the Park Series kicks off on Wednesday July 3rd, 7:30pm- 9:30pm, with music by the Kirby Band, and will be followed by a celebratory fireworks display. On July 10th, the Dixie Kats from Ithaca will share some traditional Dixieland and Bayou Gumbo music for our listening pleasure, and on the 17th, one can enjoy the Royal Blues Big Band, performing a range of instrumental music. On July 24th, you’ll hear a variety of tunes with Four Eye Band on stage, and on the 31st, String of Pearls will provide some good ol’ fashioned blues. To wrap up the event on August 7th, Triple Play with Alice Detrick will twang up the park with the sounds of country, both new and old. With the exception of July 3rd, all concerts can be enjoyed from 7:00-9:00pm, the perfect time to bid the hot sun goodbye as it sets over the Susquehanna.

The Tioga County Council on the Arts also offers a variety of art- and music- centered Summer Work-shops, Square Dancing events, as well as a Kids Night Out (a weekly series in July held in the Court-house Square in downtown Owego – featuring pup-peteers, music, and juggling… oh my). For more information on any of these great things going on around town visit www.tiogaartscouncil.org/tcca.

Stacey BurkeStaff Writer

OWEGO HOSTS CONCERTS IN THE PARK

bass guitar, and Josh Arnold on drums and backing vocals. Hillcrest has officially been together for 3 years now. Dan joined us as our fourth member in late 2011 and Matt replaced our original bassist in late 2012. In the most general sense, we are an Alternative Rock band. However, most of our material right now could be considered Punk Rock. Our music has been often compared to Green Day’s style with a little Ramones, Descendants, and The Sex Pistols sprinkled in.

Who are your favorite players in the local music scene right now?

We are pretty good friends with the guys in Lila Ignite, and we really dig their stuff. We are also good fans of Completely Overrated, Herb and DK, The Jims, Shake Shake Shake, Bright and Early, Mobday, the list goes on! We really have a lot of talent in this area.

Have you played at the Beagle before?

We actually have not played at or even been to The Beagle before but we are really excited to get to know the place!

Will Hillcrest be playing a lot of shows in the area this summer?

Unfortunately, our summer is filling up with more out of town shows than local shows, but we are throwing an album release show on August 17th in Binghamton!

What is your experience is Sasquatch Presents?

This will actually be our first experience with Sasquatch Presents, but from what I have heard, I’m sure we are in for a pretty good time!

You can catch the show Sunday July 28th at 8PM. $5 at the door not only gets you entry to fantastic music but includes a 1 drink ticket (well mixer or select draft). The Beagle Pub is located at 85 CFJ Blvd, Johnson City NY.

Sasquatch Presents has done it again. The Owego based booking and promotion agency is rounding out July with a full line up.

Sasquatch Presents will be bringing Cattle Drums, Frameworks, Bad Dreams and Hillcrest to the Beagle Pub, the “Bar with the Backyard” in Johnson City.

Headlining the show is Oneonta’s Cattle Drums, who have been running rampant around the Northeast playing their unique mix of post-punk-pop/emo/melodic hardcore (just give them a listen and the genre label will make sense). Frameworks is stopping in on tour from Gainesville, Florida and will shake the walls of the Beagle with solid hardcore jams.

The local gems of this show are Bad Dreams and Hillcrest, key players in the Binghamton music scene. Bad Dreams describes themselves as “five friends making music about being sad,” and they bring to the line up some dreamy alternative rock. The band has been busy this year, releasing two albums, “I Didn’t Want This On My Mind” and “Choke,” both available for download on their bandcamp page.

Hillcrest’s earnest punk rock makes you want to roll down the windows, let the summer air in and drive for hours. Their first album, released this June, is available to stream off their facebook page. I was lucky enough to sit down with the band recently to ask a few questions about the music scene and the upcoming show.

First and foremost, a quick intro: Who is Hillcrest, how long have you guys been a band, and how would you describe your music?

Hillcrest is Tyler Fedoris on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Dan Clarke on lead guitar, Matt Glover on

Kaitlin MooneyStaff Writer

A NIGHT OF MUSIC AT THE BEAGLE PUBWITH CATTLE DRUMS, FRAMEWORKS, BAD DREAMS, AND HILLCREST

10 Vol. 1 Issue 5

Summer is finally here, and that means that the Avenue Summer Concert Series is coming back to Washington Ave. in downtown Endicott.

The series runs started in June and runs through August, with a day-long event each month featuring various musical artists and entertainment for all ages.

This event began five years ago as an attempt to bring people to downtown Endicott and eliminate any misconceptions there may have been about the area.

“We wanted to show people this is a safe, fun place,” says Brian Luby, Regional Vice President of Chakra Communications Inc. and President of Downtown Endicott Business Association. “We just want to get the word out that things are better and they continue to improve.”

The series will be benefiting the community on more than one social level, as all the proceeds for the vendor fees are donated to charities. This year they are going to Wendy’s Walk for Kids and the Boys and Girls Club of Western Broome.

It began on June 26th with a family night full of fun activities for everyone. The evening featured Frosbit Blue and performances by local dance groups. On July 24th, hit band UUU will be performing a great show accompanied by food, drinks, and other vendors. The series will close on August 28th with a free car show and concerts featuring legendary bands The Poets and Frankie & The Corvettes.

“We have a great team of people working on this and we’re hoping it will continue to grow,” says Luby.

These events are only one example of how downtown Endicott has been developing, with over thirty new businesses moving to ‘the Ave.’ in recent years. Along with that, arrest rates have decreased forty-seven percent.

“Things have changed a lot and it just takes a walk down ‘the Avenue’ to see it” says Luby.

So come take a walk down ‘the Ave.’ and see for yourself.

Concerts on Washington Avenue, Endicott begin at 5pm on July 24th and August 28th. For more info on the series, check it out on facebook (Avenue Summer Concert Series and Downtown Endicott Business Association).

AVENUE CONCERT SERIES IN ENDICOTTMaria “Murph” MurphyStaff Writer

During the Prohibition era, when consuming and selling alcohol was punishable to the fullest extent of the law, ‘blind tiger’ was a slang term used to describe an illegal drinking establishment.

Fortunately for the Blind Tiger Pub in Johnson City, Prohibition ended in 1933, and the drinking can now be done in public. One of Johnson City’s premiere pubs, the Blind Tiger offers a wide array of food and drinks every night of the week, with 24 beers on tap and live music almost every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The atmosphere is lively and casual, and some amenities include a large bar area, outside cabana bar, fire pit, dining area, and deck. The bar features several consistent local music acts who play monthly or weekly. For the sake of brevity, let’s focus on two of them:

On Friday July 26th, the Southern Tier’s own A Country Mile will take the stage at the Blind Tiger. The group plays regularly at the pub, and consistently delivers upbeat shows up and down the Southern Tier, and into northern Pennsylvania. As

the name suggests, the group focuses on country music, both modern and classic. Their takes on modern country songs fit the Blind Tiger’s relaxed and spirited atmosphere. Modern country acts such as Sugar Land, Jason Aldean, and the Zac Brown Band come to mind… music meant to “keep your dance floor full and keep your patrons happy.” This five-piece act will provide lively country tunes in a relaxed setting. If you like feel-good country music, get down to the Blind Tiger on the 26th!

Another act familiar with the Blind Tiger is Vermont Cheddar, set to take the stage on Thursday July 18th. A mainstay of the Binghamton music scene for the past two decades, one-man-band Vermont Cheddar has played many notable venues, including the Hickory Smoked Blues Festival, Rec. Park Music Festival, and the Endicott Performing Arts Center. Recognized for his intimate solo acoustic guitar playing and soothing vocals, his original material spans the folk and Americana sphere, and sometimes draws influence from the blues. Fiddle player Carol Simek, formerly of The String Band, will join the one-man band on the 18th for what is sure to be a memorable performance.

The Blind Tiger Pub is located in Johnson City, NY at 4402 Watson Blvd. For their full music schedule and more, check out btpub.com.

LOCAL SOUNDS AT THE BLIND TIGER Dan SpaventaContributing Writer

triplecitiescarousel.com

ch-ch-check it out.


special feature.

It began with a nickel. Well, without one, really.

A young George F. Johnson was on his way to ride a carousel in his home state of Massachusetts but, being from a poor family, he did not have the five cents required for entrance, and he was turned away. That one experience at the carousel remained firm in Johnson’s memory throughout the years as he grew not only into success, but also generosity. Years later, the father of the square deal and namesake of Johnson City was able to take his childhood misfortune and turn it into a gift for the community as he purchased the first of six carousels to be built for the children (and adults) of Broome County. His only condition that there was to never be a charge for admission. That carousel was erected in Binghamton’s Ross Park in 1920.

Johnson and his family purchased and donated five more carousels in the years that followed, placing them in parks all over the county: Ideal/En-Joie Park in Endicott (that carousel now resides in Highland Park in Endwell), West Endicott Park (Town of Union), Recreation Park (Binghamton), and CFJ Park (Johnson City). The sixth and final carousel was placed at Endicott’s George W. Johnson Park in 1934. All six were manufactured by the Allan Herschell Company and came equipped with Wurlitzer Co. military band organs.

As described in Jack Edward Shay’s book, Bygone Binghamton: Remembering People and Places of the Past, a group of over 1,000 children

these [carousels] is that we have been able to enjoy them and pass that down to our young ones.”

Ottman’s father was an electrician for Endicott-Johnson. She fondly remembers being a part of the E-J family, and the carousels stick out in her mind.

“Like so many other kids, I went to CFJ Park every day in the summer and, we swam in the pool and went on the merry-go-round.”

There are less between 100-200 antique carousels still in existence in the United States, and only 19 of them were made by the Herschell Company, which in its day was considered the best of the best. We have six of them here in Broome County. It has only been through the care and action taken by the community all these years that these six carousels have been preserved and running to this day.

“They are on the National Register of Historic Places; nationally recognized treasures in our own community,” says Ottman. “We just have to keep in mind that we have to take care of them... they have been entrusted to us.”

Not only are Broome County’s six merry-go-rounds some of only a few of their kind still standing, but they are also some of the world’s most unique. Rec. Park’s is one of the largest carousels in the world, and the one at CFJ Park has all the original murals on its outer rim and double crown center, as well as the most “jumpers” of any carousel known to exist: all seventy-two horses. “Jumpers” are the horses that move up and down on their poles- they are usually only located in the center rows of carousels, while stationary horses fill the outer rows. Johnson made it a point that all the horses on each of his carousels would be “jumpers”.

It is not only locals that venture out to see the

carousels. Believe it or not, tourists descend upon the Triple Cities from far and wide… we are, after all, the carousel capital of the world! Among these visitors are Lucy-Ann and Larry Spaulding, who drove seven hours one day in June from Booth Bay Harbor, Maine… just for a ride! They left their home at seven in the morning and started their carousel tour as soon as they arrived. The Spauldings wanted to ride all six carousels so they could collect a ticket from each one, to be sent in in exchange for their very own carousel buttons: proof they completed the circuit. For Lucy-Ann it was just a fun trip to the Southern Tier, but for Larry it was a nostalgic adventure from his childhood.

“As a boy, I would spend the summers with my aunt and uncle in Binghamton and walk to Rec. Park. All day I’d ride the carousels… it was great,” says Larry. “I thought it was so cool that it was free to ride and I can’t believe it still is!”

All six carousels are open during the summer months, and one is open during the holidays as well: CFJ Park’s is open Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm-8pm during the three weeks before Christmas. As such beautiful local landmarks, and symbols of a past to be treasured and remembered, our carousels are something that should be celebrated.

And on July 27th, CFJ Park will doing just that with the fourth annual Carousel Day from 10am to 6pm. The day will consist of vendors, musical entertainment, and of course the carousel. More info on that can be found in a piece by Brian Kerins on the next page!

Next time you find yourself driving by one of the region’s carousels, stop and take a ride. Whether it’s been a day, a week, or years since you last hopped on, a nostalgic smile is sure to show up on your face.

once paraded to Johnson’s home banging pots and pans together in joy, presenting a basket of flowers in thanks for their beloved carousels. He responded to them with a statement that represents what kind of man and business leader he truly was:

“If anything has been done for you that has made you a bit happier,” Johnson said to them, “hand it on to somebody else... that’s the way to keep square with the world... In the big park [En-Joie] across the street, there’s a merry-go-round and ice cream. Help yourselves.”

The carousels have certainly made us at the paper very happy through the years, and it is with that

in mind that this very publication was founded. We chose to call ourselves Triple Cities Carousel as a way to immortalize the region’s storied past, and to evoke a sense of childhood wonder to our pages (okay, and maybe to ride a bit on Johnson’s coattails).

Park Supervisor for the Village of Johnson City, Eric Putman, is a local that appreciates the carousels and what they symbolize, despite being born well past the Endicott-Johnson factory days.

“They’re a piece of the village history,” he says. “They represent what the

Southern Tier was founded on as well as George F. Johnson and his generosity.”

Of all the wonderful gifts given to the community during E-J era, the carousels (and many of the parks they reside in) are virtually the last remaining pieces that can still be enjoyed today. And with the preservation of the carousels, there has also been a memory and joy that has been preserved in the hearts of so many over the generations.

“I love the carousels,” says Janet Ottman, Johnson City Historian and native. “Part of the beauty of

CAROUSEL ON CAROUSELSMaria “Murph” MurphyStaff Writer

A SQUARE DEAL PERK GOES ROUND AND ROUND

Photos byTy Whitbeck

12 Vol. 1 Issue 5

Make sure to make your way down to C. Fred Johnson Park on Saturday July 27th for Johnson City’s 4th annual Carousel Day.

Residents of the Triple Cities will already know that this free event is never a day to be missed, as it marks a day of food, rides, and great music, espe-cially with this year marking the 90th anniversary of the park’s Herschell Carousel, the most ornate of Broome County’s 6 carousels.

The event is run and organized by the Johnson City Partners, in collaboration with sponsorship from the Chenango Arts Council and many local businesses. Julie Deemie, the President of Johnson City Part-ners and founder of Carousel Day, for which she received the 2012 recipient of the Broome Coun-ty ‘Heart of the Arts Award,’ “wanted to create an event that would instill a sense of pride in the resi-dents [of Johnson City].”

With the three great years that Carousel Day has provided so far, no one can question the success of her mission. She summed up the event as “a com-munity arts and educational event where children and adults can experience the arts in a fun setting. It is also a promotion of our heritage, a venue for budding artists to gain exposure, and a means of economic development.”

Local resident Miles Marvin described past experi-ences at Carousel Day as “definitely something that makes me proud of the community I live in.”

This year’s festivities will include an arts and craft sale, live pony rides (along with rides on the Her-schell Carousel’s fine set of stallions), classic & an-tique cars for viewing, a selection of games and crafts to entertain children, a book sale, and booths for food vendors, local inventors, and a history booth organized and run by Johnson City Historian Janet Ottman, that will feature photos and memo-rabilia from Johnson City’s history.

Of course, what would an arts festival be with-out some music to get everybody into the swing of things. The Penn Dixie Band will opening up the day by bringing the spirit of New Orleans to Johnson City as they play their upbeat and lively pan-cultural blend of music characteristic of the Dixieland tradition from 10-11 AM, and later from 12-1 PM and 2-3 PM. From 12-2 children and adults alike are sure to be entertained first by Chil-dren’s singer/songwriter Johnny Only, from 11-12 PM, and juggler Will Stafford, from 12-2 PM. Those who find themselves hungry for some serious jams from 1-2 PM can also groove out to the sounds of the Caribbean, courtesy of locals The Vertical Focus Steel Drum Band.

This year’s feature musical act will be the Irish folk quartet The Stoutmen. Starting at 3pm, these Bing-hamton locals will take you all way to the Emerald Isle with songs in the tradition of the Clancy Broth-ers & Tommy Makem and the Dubliners. Their fu-sion of traditional and modern Irish music will have you dancing all the way until 5 PM.

Carousel Day will take place from 10am- 6pm on Saturday, July 27th at C. Fred Johnson Park, on C. Fred Johnson Blvd, Johnson City, NY 13790. Admis-sion to Carousel Day is free.

Brian KerinsContributing Writer

CAROUSEL DAYRETURNS TO JOHNSON CITY

14 Vol. 1 Issue 5

poetry.POET OF THE MONTH:DOROTHY EAGAN SPENCERDorothy Eagan Spencer, 89, has written poetry over the last 30 years and has self-published several poetry books. Her verse focuses on marriage, current events, children, true stories, daily life, nature, etc. She is also known by many as “The Weed Lady,” due to her penchant for collecting and preserving “weeds” (wild flowers, pods, grasses, etc.) in her “Weed Barn” in Vestal. In addition to writing poetry, Dorothy also spends her days painting and illustrating “her” weeds. Dorothy is a mother to 7, grandmother to 17, and (so far) great-grandmother to 8.

The Independent Imp

The independent ImpThat is a part of me,Has an independent mindThat just won’t let me be.

When I want to give upIt stands up to fight.When I think I am wrongIt says I am right.

It eats what it likesWhen I know it’s a sin.It says I’m okayEven tho’ I’m not thin.

I wonder if maybe…It just might beThat independent ImpIs smarter than me!

The Stage of Becoming

I’m still in the stage of becomingSomeone that I long to be…An artist, a writer, a friendPerhaps I can be all three.

I will paint a picture with wordsAnd write a poem for a friendBut somehow, I know, I don’t wantThis stage of becoming to end.

I’ll Say Hello

I’ll say hello when I meet youBut if my greeting seems tameIt’s because though I’ve known youAnd loved you…I can’t remember your name!

Stirring the Pot

When the berries are ripe,And the sun is hotI’m stuck in the kitchenStirring a potOf crabapple jelly Or blueberry jam,Or zucchini relishTo eat with the ham.

I look out the windowAnd wish I could runAway from this potTo have some fun.I’d go picking berriesWhile the sun is so hotThen I’ll be back in the kitchenStirring the pot!

A Woman’s Dance

You can dance with your handsYou can dance with your feetYou can dance with your eyesWhen a friend you should meet.With a smile on your faceAnd your heart beating trueStand up and danceFor the woman in you.

Insomnia

I’m not too smart in the morning,At noon I’m still a little unsure.But I really get brightIn the dead of the nightAnd for this I am seeking a cure.

If you’d like to be considered for our poet of the month section,

please send a writing sample and short bio to:[email protected]


art.

COVER STORY: SUSAN JABLON MOSAICSA FAMILY AFFAIRTy WhitbeckAssistant Editor

It’s one thing to be the architect of an entire building, but to reface an entire structure using the creative mind’s eye and some de-molished tile is another.

It’s like putting to-gether a puzzle, and that’s where Susan Jablon Mo-saics fills in the grout between the jagged edges.

I was a thrilled a few years ago to see a group of kids and adults throwing tile and grout on a con-caved cement wall just after the Court Street Bridge, in Binghamton. I didn’t know it then, but someday, I’d grow to be familiar with these beautifully tiled mosaics that have been popping up in the area. (I actually just moved out of a house that showcased a custom Jablon back-splash.)

Susan Jablon, working with her daughter, Emily, has been at this mosaic thing for about a decade

now, and the pair’s work has taken them around the globe, doing custom tile work for casinos, TV and movie sets, pools, kitchens, floors, and univer-sally anything else, personally, that you want to see dappered up in multi colored glass.

If you have cable TV, maybe you’ve seen their work on FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” TLC’s “While You Were

Out,” and ABC’s “Extreme Make-over.” “It’s thrilling in the beginning, the first time you see your art on TV,” recalls Susan, “and not much is differ-ent if we’re doing a custom home blend.” Her work is totally influenced by what the cus-tomer wants, and thus, gets the ball rolling for a custom pattern that is one of a kind.

Susan Jablon Mo-saics uses every-thing from 100% SCS Qualified re-cycled glass tile to mirror tile, to color changing dichroic

glass and, to peer into the minds of madness of how all these colors are incorporated, they offer classes at their studio at 12 Alice Street, Bingham-ton.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Emily Jablon and her bulldog, Tank, for a tour around the studio

and got a quick glimpse into their ‘lab,’ where there were two other artists feverously working on pat-terns of their own.

“Let’s take a picture in here,” Emily says, as she picks up Tank and stands among the wall to wall spectrum of assorted colored glass fragments in fishbowls. This is the epicenter of cool in my book. This is the nebula in which all of their wildest ideas stem from. “We’re ex-panding this stretch of rooms here to accommodate Club Bling,” she says. Club Bling is one of Emily’s many con-tributions to the business, a way to explain the various community projects she and the tiles have become a part of.

You may have seen the many donated mosaicked planters from Club Bling on Hawley Street, and maybe the most re-cent work at Walnut and Gerard Ave, but you may not have noticed the giant tribute to Bing-hamton after the Court Street Bridge. That’s be-cause it’s facing the river and “feng shui’ed” enough to receive perfect sunlight against its mirrored tiles. It was donated as a gift to Binghamton, with hopes of prosperity and an upswing in community devel-opment. We put it on the cover of the Carousel this

month to honor that good juju, as it is very much that energy we try to bring as well.

So far, we’ve seen a takeoff in the arts, here in Binghamton, but aside from the galleries on Artist’s Row, beautifying the curb appeal and storefronts in our city is of importance. A beautiful city raises property values, inspires creativity, and, maybe even

makes someone that would other-wise pass by stop and consider the Parlor City for a minute or two.

Susan Jablon, her daughter Emily, and their crew of tile workers are hard at work with home installa-tions and beyond, but you can call the studio and talk about your dreams or you can touch base with Emily and sign up for one of their plethora of classes to suit your expertise. You’ll walk out with the know

how to tile the world and any of its surfaces and maybe an appointment to have your home rocked with some serious color. You can reach the offic-es at 1-866-939-1033 and on the map at 12 Alice Street, Binghamton. Classes are offered with more information on their website: www.susanjablon.com/classes.

Top: Mosaic installation at the Court St. Bridge. Bottom left: Close-up of Jablon mosaics. Bottom right, Emily Jablon and Tank. Photos by Ty Whitbeck.

JULY 2013triple cities carousel

sunday. monday. tuesday. wednesday.

Musicians Showcase (BRK)Fully Committed (CRT)

Spring Jazz Jam (GWT)Mosaic Class (JAB)

Open Mic (BEL)Open Gallery (JS)

Teen Summer Intensive Workshop: Fame (EPAC)Regional Art Exhibition Opening (ROB)

Fully Committed (CRT)July Fest (DT)

Busy Bird Bluegrass Festival (BSNY)Open Mic (CI)

Musicians Showcase (BRK)

Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Mosaic Class (JAB)


Summer Youth Musical Theater Workshop (BU)Musicians Showcase (BRK)

Damn Yankees (EPAC)Fully Committed (CRT)

Contra Dance Lessons (TTC)Beard of Bees (BOB)

Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Spring Jazz Jam (GWT)

Mosaic Class (JAB)Open Mic (BEL)

Open Gallery (JS)

Musicians Showcase (BRK)Open Mic (CI)

Sasquatch Show (BP)

Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Mosaic Class (JAB)


Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Milkweed (KNG)

Java Joe Jammers (CCW)







Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Open Mic (CORN)

Gleason’s Drift (CCW)Open Gallery (JS)

Concert in the Park (HP)

Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Jazz Jam w/Miles Ahead (LDC)

Thom Ormsby (BTP)Open Mic (CORN)

Jamie Willard (CCW)Open Gallery (JS)


Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Puzzled Players Comedy Improv Theatre (LDC)

Jan Bell and Maybelles (CCW)Open Mic (CORN)Open Gallery (JS)

Ave Concert Series (DTE)Concert in the Park (HP)


Rick Iacovelli (CCW)Open Gallery (JS)


Collector’s Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Auditions for Shakespeare in the Park (EPAC)

Doobie Brothers (AC)Mosaic Class (JAB)


Collector’s Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Speakeasy Open Mic (CCW)

Milkweed (KNG)

New Riders of the Purple Sage (CCW)Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)

Jazz Jam w/Miles Ahead (LDC)Open Mic (CORN)Open Gallery (JS)


07 14 21 28

08 15 22 29

09 16 23 30

10 17 24 31

03 02 01

JULY 2013 events calendar

wednesday. thursday. friday. saturday.Pasty White and Double Wide (FIVE)

Mean Streak (CI)The Blind Spots (BRK)

Mosaic Class (JAB)Fully Committed (CRT)Shantel Leitner (BOB)

Hung Like Horses (CCW)Live Music (FTZ)Five Prints (CG)

Open Gallery (ORA)


Gleason’s Drift (CCW)Open Gallery (JS)


Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Jazz Jam w/Miles Ahead (LDC)

Thom Ormsby (BTP)Open Mic (CORN)

Jamie Willard (CCW)Open Gallery (JS)


Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Puzzled Players Comedy Improv Theatre (LDC)

Jan Bell and Maybelles (CCW)Open Mic (CORN)Open Gallery (JS)

Ave Concert Series (DTE)Concert in the Park (HP)


Rick Iacovelli (CCW)Open Gallery (JS)


Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)InnerMission (CCW)

Hi-Way Fruit Market/Bike Night (CI)Fully Committed (CRT)

Vermont Cheddar w/Carol Simek (BTP) Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)

Enerjee Jazz w/Ayana D (LDC)The Cats/Bike Night (CI)

Damn Yankees (EPAC)InnerMission (CCW)

Gone Crazy (BOB)Fully Committed (CRT)

Artist Talk (CG)

Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Citizen 5/Bike Night (CI)

InnerMission (CCW)A Country Mile (BTP)

Troubadours (BOB)

Teen Summer Intensive Workshop: Fame (EPAC)Five Prints (CG), Band of Strings (CI)

Live Music (BBW)Voodoo Highway (BTP)Fully Committed (CRT)

July Fest (DT)Busy Bird Bluegrass Festival (BSNY)

Pete Ruttle (OUH)Ring of Fire (BOB)

The Moho Collective (CCW)Rooster & the Roadhouse Horns (FIVE)

Forward Motion (LDC), The Blind Spots (CI)The Tight Spots (BRK), The Revelers (BTP)

Five Prints (CG), Mosaic Class (JAB)Fully Committed (CRT)

July Fest (DT)Busy Bird Bluegrass Festival (BSNY)North Brewery Tap Takeover (FLZ)

Honey Struck (BOB)Kim & Chris (CCW)

Open Gallery (ORA), Live Music (FTZ)Teen Summer Intensive Workshop: Fame (EPAC)

Darwin (LDC)Live Music (BBW)

Damn Yankees (EPAC)The Beatles Band (BTP)Fully Committed (CRT)

Pete Ruttle (OUH)Owego Art Walk (DTO)

Chris Mollo/Ego Maniacs (BOB)Voodoo Highway (CCW)

Five Prints (CG)Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)

Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra (AC)Hi-Way Fruit Market (CI)

Damn Yankees (EPAC)Mosaic Class (JAB)

Rick Fry (BTP)Fully Committed (CRT)

Live Music (FTZ)Rum Runners (FIVE)

Five Prints (CG)Open Gallery (ORA)

Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)Abby Payne w/Very Special Guests (CCW)

Live Music (BBW)Acoustic Jam (EPAC)

Outer Reef (BTP)Pete Ruttle (OUH)Pawn Shop (BOB)

Splash (FIVE)Five Prints (CG)

Downtown Binghamton Martini Walk (DT)Butch Skeene and the 2nd Edition (FIVE)

Gordon Lightfoot (FT)Milkweed (LDC)

Beard of Bees (CI)Mosaic Class (JAB)

Highline (BOB)Live Music (FTZ)Five Prints (CG)

Open Gallery (ORA)

New Riders of the Purple Sage (CCW)Collectors’ Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)

Jazz Jam w/Miles Ahead (LDC)Open Mic (CORN)Open Gallery (JS)


Independence DayLutheran Skirtss Bekmar-B-Q (BEL)

Fully Committed (CRT)

First Friday Art Walk (DT)Collector’s Items: Leading By Example (BCAC)

Ultra Vibe (LDC)Live Music (BBW)Colfax (BOB)

Five Prints (CG)Rick Iacovelli (BTP)

Fully Committed (CRT)Michael McDonald (TD)

Pete Ruttle (OUH)InnerMission w/Super Bad Brad-16 years (CCW)

DJ Set (GR)

06 11 18 25 26 27

20 19 12 13 05 04

The Triple Cities Carousel Events Calendar is featured each month as a courtesy to our advertisers, however we welcome everyone to submit their events to [email protected] by the 15th of the month prior to publication. Space is limited, so calendar entries, which have no cost, are picked on a first come/first serve basis. Triple Cities Carousel reserves the right to reject any submission deemed to be non-arts related.

(AC)=Anderson Center(BBW)=Black Bear Winery(BCAC)=Broome County Arts Council(BEL)=Belmar Pub(BGL)=Beagle Pub(BRK)=Brackney Inn(BTP)=Blind Tiger Pub(BSNY)=Berkshire, NY(BU)=Binghamton University(CCW)=Cyber Cafe West(CG)=Cooperative Gallery(CI)=Choconut Inn(CORN)=John Barleycorn Tavern(CRT)=Chenango River Theatre(DT)=Downtown Binghamton(DTE)=Downtown Endicott(FLZ)=Feliz Wine and Tapas

(DTO)=Downtown Owego(EPAC)=Endicott Performing Arts Center(FIVE)=Number 5(FTZ)=Fitzies Pub(GR)=Grande Royale Hotel(JAB)=Susan Jablon Mosaics(JS)=Jungle Science(KNG)=Kingsley’s Pub(KNOW)=KNOW Theatre(LDC)=Lost Dog Cafe/Lounge(MR)=Martini Room(ORA)=Orazio Salati Gallery(OUH)=Old Union Hotel(RRB)=RiverRead Books(SPOOL)=Spool MFG(TD)=Tioga Downs Casino(TTC)=Tioga Trails Cafe

18 Vol. 1 Issue 5

Heejung Cho and Keun Young Park are university classmates that share not only a close friendship but, from June through July, will also be sharing an art space at the Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts Gallery.

The exhibition is called Material World and is featuring four other artists in addition to Cho and Park: Sungchul Hong, Sang Yong Lee, Kyung-Hee Shin, and Min Young Suk.

Material World is a collection of pieces from these six Korean artists and seems to gather its name from the variety of materials used by each of them, such as wood, paint, stone, string, steel, and paper. Like most artists, the six from this exhibition surely are drawn to each of their medias at this point of time; a true bond.

“I love the feel of wood in terms of its texture, color, and breathe,” says Cho, who has four sculptures in the show… models of New York City buildings, made from wood and overflowing with detail.

“Those places are where I lived and experienced with strong impression. I drew them on wood panel by my subjective eyes and personal memories,” Cho explains. “I think that one perspective of the street gives a sense of disappearing and forgetting by time. These works represent a vanity of our life and an anonymity of city life.”

Both Cho and Park are originally from Korea and now reside in New York City. This is their first time in Binghamton, not only for an exhibition, but ever.

They are very excited to be sharing their work with the community.

“I am so glad to exhibit my work in Binghamton with other talented Korean Artists,” says Park. “Please visit the gallery! I hope that people in Binghamton can get interested in Korean contemporary art through this show.”

“I’m so looking forward to experiencing the city and its art,” agrees Cho.

Although friends, classmates, and advisers for each over the past fifteen years, this is Cho and Park’s first time working together, and they seem to work well as a pair.

“We always talk about art and give and take advice for each other’s work,” says Park, “This is the first exhibition that we participated in together... we are so glad.”

Park has a very innovative collection of pieces in this exhibition that can only be best explained by the artist herself.

“In my recent work, the micro-collage or paper mosaic, I capture the tremor of unstable presence.” States Park, “I take pictures of parts of the body or face, change the color and saturation of those images by Photoshop and print them out on paper. Then, I tear the pictures and paste them back together piece-by-piece.”

Park finds her inspiration through philosophical thinking and deep contemplation; a great mix of the humanities.

“In my work, I reflect upon the static character of existence in the flow of time as well as the opposite sides of nature – negative and positive, construction and destruction, presence and absence, and life and death” she says.

Despite its title, Material World is anything but superficial. The materials manipulated by each artist are merely muses used for the expression of a deeper meaning contained within the heart of the artist and their journey through life, the creative process, and how they have been inspired.

As Cho concludes, “An artist has to find his/her own way in life and art as well.”

Material World is available for viewing from now through July 27th at the Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts Gallery (186 State Street, Binghamton) on Saturdays from noon to 4pm, on First Friday (July 5th) from 6pm to 9pm, and also by appointment. For more information or to make an appointment please call (607) 624-3406. Also be sure to visit AnthonyBrunelli.com (Follow on Facebook and Twitter as well).

MATERIAL WORLD AT BRUNELLI GALLERY:A COLLECTION OF KOREAN CONTEMPORARY ART

Maria “Murph” MurphyStaff Writer

Photo Provided.


ALBERT WHITENATIVE ART ATBUNDY MUSEUM Binghamton native Albert White has devoted his life to sharing the history of his people.

As with many cultures, the Mohawk Indians recorded life through music and art, which White has spent many years collecting and recreating, leading up to a display at The Bundy Museum during the month of July.

White attended the San Francisco Art Institute before returning to the east coast and attending The Maryland Institute of Art, from which he graduated with honors.

“Through this involvement he has seen and preserved, in paintings and memories, the struggles resulting in the resurgence of Indian pride and prominence,” his biography declares.

Many of his pieces reflect the struggle and pride of Indian civilizations, while others are representations of nature and its influence on his ancestors.

His artwork has been shown across the country and locally, and resides in a variety of permanent collections. He has also served as an exhibitioner, lecturer, and teacher at locations including Mansfield University, Harvard University and the Iroquois Indian Museum.

There will be an opening reception on First Friday, July 5 from 6-9 pm, and the exhibit will remain open until July 29.

As always, the exhibit is free and will be open to the public from Tuesday-Saturday 11am-5pm. The Bundy Museum is located at 129 Main St. in Binghamton. For more information contact The Bundy Museum at 772-9179 or online at bundymuseum.org.


‘PRINTS AND PRINTS’ ON DISPLAYAT COOPERATIVE GALLERY 213

In the art world, prints usually mean that an artist is capable of making multiple images.

The ability to create multiples can be very positive. Because there is more than one image, the price for each piece is much less expensive than for a single non-reproduceable work of art. Prints allow even those with modest means to become art collectors. Also, prints are still being made from negatives and plates that were made over 100 years ago, allowing museums and individuals to have access to artwork that may have deteriorated or been lost over time.

In the Printmaking Arts, there are many ways that plates can be made, and from these plates, multi-ple images reproduced. Lithography, etching, mez-zotint, Aquatint, block printing, collagraphy, and screen printing are only but a few of the methods available to the printmaker. Prints have been made by Rembrandt, Goya, and Blake as well as by mod-ern artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschen-berg, and Jasper Johns.

Polished pewter plates recorded some of the ear-liest images taken by a camera, before film nega-tives were invented. Both Rochester (Kodak) and Binghamton (Ansco) were part of the photography boom of the 20th century.

Some very special collections of prints will be on display at the Cooperative Gallery 213 (213 State St, Binghamton) in “Prints and Prints: Five Curated Exhibits of Prints,” running from July 5 through the 27th.

The curators and artists will be on hand for a re-ception, First Friday July 5th, and for artists’ talks on Third Thursday July 18th at 7 pm. Selections from two area collections will be open to the public, and the works of two photographers, and an ed-ucational display on Ansco’s contributions to Print Technology, will round out the exhibit.

The show will include a selection of American prints spanning from 1880 to the present day, with a fo-cus on women artists, showcasing the collection of Gil and Deborah Williams, plus the stunning pho-tography and Intaglio prints of Greg Chianis, dra-matic color and black and white images by Mike Ricciardi, and “Best of the International Mini Print Exhibition,” curated by Bev McLean.

For this exhibit, curators Gil and Deborah Williams have focused on American realism and figural piec-es. Gil’s abiding interest in prints began in high school when he made linocuts and continued with studies under Robert Marx, Michael Tanzer and Thom O’Connor. The couple has been collecting fine prints and other artworks since 1969, when they commissioned a John DePol original wood en-graving for their wedding invitation. Their collection includes a concentration of 1930s (WPA era) works and a strong emphasis on women artists. Selec-tions have been exhibited at the Johnson Museum at Cornell, Homer’s Center for the Arts, Elmira’s Arnot Gallery, and the Blue Heron Gallery in Wy-alusing PA.

The Mini Print International is a juried exhibition of prints no larger than 4”x4”. The Exhibition has been held biennially since 1985 and was founded and directed by Bev McLean, who sought to chal-lenge artists and provide an affordable form in which international art could be brought together. There have been 17 exhibitions that have toured throughout the US and abroad.

The Center of Innovation and Technology will also be on hand, presenting a slide show detailing the

many innovations of one-time Binghamton based company Ansco. Ansco’s innovations, like those of Kodak in Rochester, have advanced art photogra-phy, military intelligence, film technology, and space exploration. The Center of Innovation and Technology is the invention of Susan Sherwood, an indefatiga-ble collector, curator, and educator who is fascinated by the rich technological history of the Southern Tier.

Greg Chianis is a self-taught photographer (and a practicing architect) who has travelled extensively to “document the natural landscape and intriguing manmade objects.” His

website is www.chianis-photography.com.

Mike Ricciardi is a profes-sional photographer also associated with the Rod Serling School of Fine Arts. His site is www.ricciardi-photo.com.

The Cooperative Gal-lery has been a popular stop on the First Friday Art Walk and is regularly open Fridays 3pm-6 pm (First Fridays 3pm-9pm) and Saturdays 12pm-4pm, and by appointment. Sign up for weekly e-news at www.cooperativegallery.com. Contact the gallery at (607) 724-3462 [email protected].

via web

Top: “Hole in the Floor” by Greg Chianis. Bottom: “Hippie” by Naoko Matsubara.

BARBARA MINK SHOWINGAT SALATI GALLERY

For those that missed Barbara Mink’s stellar ab-stract exhibit this past month, have no fear! The show will be continuing through July at the Orazio Salati Gallery on Artist’s Row in Bing-hamton.

Displaying a mastery of abstract minimalism, Mink’s current exhibit shows a departure from the more traditional style she is accustomed to.

“I have chosen a radical new direction for my current work in my search for beauty and psy-chological depth in art. Previously muscular, vigorously chromatic, and heavily layered paint-ings have evolved in the direction of the spare, the muted, and the geometric,” says Mink.

Mink’s solo show will be on display through the end of July at the Salati Gallery, 204 State St, in Binghamton. The show can be viewed on First Friday from 6pm-9pm, and on Saturdays from 11am-3pm, or by appointment. For more info, please call the gallery at 607-772-6725.

Chris BodnarczukEditor-in-Chief

22 Vol. 1 Issue 5

faces and places.

The air is heavy with summer, and people are trying to purge their houses and closets of junk: an excellent time to start filling up yours! Summer is garage sale season, but for those who can’t spare the small window of time on Saturday and Sunday mornings, do not despair, there is another way to satisfy that secondhand fix! Binghamton (and the surrounding area) is a haven of thrift stores, consignment shops and antique marketplaces: you’ll never have to shop new again!

Part of the enjoyment of thrifting is the search. Sifting through racks of t-shirts, piles of books, shelves of glassware, and stacks of games until you find something that you can’t wait to bring home. Hidden in plain sight is Binghamton’s Nearly New Shop: a tiny concrete building on Main Street, it houses all sorts of treasures. The store caters to men, children, and of course, women. There are set prices on certain types of clothes, which are reasonable enough, though if the ladies at the counter see that you have a name brand item, they are known to inflate the price. Despite the tiny corner of the store relegated to men’s clothing, this is where the biggest steals are found. Here lays the really expensive stuff: Brooks Brothers’ coats and ties. Dior button ups. Best of all, the prices on men’s clothing are never inflated, because expensive men’s brands are less well known to the sweet ladies at the counter! It is not uncommon to see Stephen (local legend and proprietor of Stephen’s Vintage Clothing) perusing the racks for gems to feature in his tiny Washington Street shop. Stephen’s Vintage Clothing deals with women’s clothes, and like any store with vintage in the name carries a heftier price tag… but, it is well worth it, because every item in there is handpicked by the owner himself, and he happens to have an amazing eye for picking vintage clothing this is hot with current trends (high waisted jeans and sequins galore).

Another easy to miss thrift store is the Light House Rummage Sale, situated on the North Side of Binghamton. This hole in the wall store is brimmed full of Fabulous Finds (consignment store in Vestal) cast-offs, as well as donations. The quality is hit or miss, with mostly women’s and children’s clothes. If you dig deep you will be sure to find something worth your visit.

Taking up residence in the old Johnson City High School is Who’s Thrifty Thrift/Consignment (formerly Pieces). This store, unlike the others mentioned so far, is huge, stuffed to the brink with knick-knacks, art, books, glass bottles, clothes, jewelry, records, magazines, and for some seemingly unknown reason… a huge collection of turtle statues. The prices are dirt cheap (one week books were on sale for five cents, the next week a sign out front said ‘BOOKS FREE’), and the people behind the counter are some of the friendliest, warmest people in town.

Now, let us travel west. Deep in Owego is the Open Door Mission Thrift Shop. If you are looking to pick up cheap records, this is a must stop shop. One corner of the room is devoted to records, organized by genre… you won’t find anything that you can sell on ebay to flip a profit, but you will find a ton of seventies progressive rock (Yes, The Police, Genesis, etc.) along with a decent collection of Country music, Broadway show tunes, and Singer-Songwriters. The store also hosts a huge selection of clothes, books and furniture.

Then, there are the chain thrift stores: Salvation Army, Goodwill, the Thrifty Shopper and Plato’s Closet are present all over the country, and the triple cities are no exception. These stores are huge, and the prices are standard (with Plato’s Closet being a bit pricier). Noteworthy is the Thrifty Shopper’s vast selection of XXL clothing as well as a very well organized layout, organized by size and style rather than by color (the inefficient organization boasted in both Salvation Army and Goodwill). There are two Goodwill stores in the area (Vestal and Binghamton), and the stock is almost unanimously a mind numbing amount of last season’s Target clothes and sample Ann Taylor threads (many with “SAMPLE” written in chalk on the garment).

If you are not ready to dive into the world of thrift stores but have nothing against saving a buck or two, then Consignment Shops are for you. Enjoy Encores in Binghamton has an ever changing stock of clothes and housewares, and is by far the most reasonably priced consignment shop I’ve seen. Vestal is home to both Fabulous Finds and Alice’s Closest. Fabulous Finds is filled to the brim with baby, juniors, and women’s clothes. Guys (unless they are toddlers) won’t find much for themselves here. Across the street is Alice’s Closet (which is like Fabulous Finds’ classy older sister). The store features boast the motto “an upscale consignment for discriminating buyers” and only consigns top of the line merchandise (good luck finding any Old Navy or Forever 21 here). The store serves up only women’s clothes and is beautifully decorated and maintained. The prices are expensive in comparison to other stores featured in this article, but the clothes are of a high quality, stylish, in excellent condition, and a major steal when compared to their original price tag.

Antique dealers and lovers can rejoice at the sheer amount of Antique Shopping in the triple cities. Binghamton’s Antique Row on Clinton Street is well known, but the surrounding towns also have wonderful antique marketplaces to their name. Endwell’s Charlie Brown’s Antiques, Endicott’s Avenue Antique Gallery and the Early Owego Antique Center are home to hundreds of antique dealers who rent out spaces in their buildings. The Early Owego Antique Center is what you could call the newest of the old. Recently filling up the abandoned J.J. Newberry Co. Department store, this Antique Gallery embodies everything an antique marketplace should be, paying homage to an important landmark in Owego’s Historic Downtown.

Please enjoy all the wonderful stores our area has to offer. Hour and Addresses for Stores Featured in this article are to the right.

Kaitlin MooneyStaff Writer

BUSINESS PROFILE:

THRIFT STORES OF THE TRIPLE CITIES

THRIFT STORE DIRECTORY

Nearly New Shop100 Main St, Binghamton

Mon and Sat: 10-3, Fri: 10-12:30

Stephen’s Vintage Clothes141 Washington St, Binghamton

Mon-Fri: 12:30-4:30, Sat: 11:30-6

Light House Rummage Sale 65 Glenwood Ave, Binghamton

Wed-Sat: 11-5

Who’s Thrifty435 Main St, Johnson CityMon-Fri: 10-6, Sat: 10-4

Open Door Mission425 North Ave, Owego

Mon-Sat: 10-5 (except Thurs: 10-8)

Salvation Army3-5 Griswold St, Binghamton

703 E. Main St, EndicottMon-Sat: 9-9, Sun: 9-5

Goodwill3701 Vestal Parkway E, Vestal12 Glenwood Ave, Binghamton

Mon-Sun: 10-8

The Thrifty Shopper1139 Upper Front St, BinghamtonMon-Fri: 10-9, Sat: 9-9, Sun: 12-7

Plato’s Closet1708 Vestal Parkway E, Vestal

Mon-Sat: 10-9, Sun 10-6

Enjoy Encores33 W. State St, Binghamton

Tues-Fri: 10-7, Sat: 10-5

Fabulous Finds125 Rano Blvd, Vestal

Mon-Sat: 10-6, Sun: 10-4

Alice’s Closet100 Rano Blvd, Vestal

Mon-Fri: 10-5:30, Sat: 10-4

Charlie Brown Antiques100 Endwell Plaza, Endwell

Mon-Sat: 10-5:30, Sun: 11-5

Endicott’s Avenue Antique Gallery114 Washington Ave, Endicott

Mon-Thurs: 11-6, Fri: 11-5, Sat: 10-5, Sun: 12-5

Early Owego Antique Center43-45 Lake St, Owego

Wed-Mon: 10-6Everyday but Tuesday 10-6

PERSONSof interest

Each Month, CAROUSEL turns the spotlight on the people that make the Triple Cities what it is. Artists, musi-cians, cashiers, business owners, stu-dents, teachers... we are all part of the fabric of this town. Now, time for eleven questions!

Name: Ed Hickey

Occupation: I’m the Master of Mirth at the Belmar.

Location: Binghamton

How long have you lived in the region? All my life!

What do you love most about the area? The weather.

Favorite hangout? The Belmar, of course.

Favorite restaurant? Sach’s Tea House.

Favorite local music? Dr. EF and the Rudi-mentary of Sound

Hidden Gem? (See favorite restaurant)

How do you make this region a better place to live? Shameless plug...Elect Ed Hick-ey for Mayor!

What do you thing the Triple Cities are in most dire need of? Comprehensive youth programs.

Ed Hickey. Photo by Chris Bodnarczuk.

Please note, you don’t need to look like an extra from Heathers to shop at a thrift store. Photo by Ty Whitbeck.


theatre.

Looking back on all my past interviews I had never realized the connections I was making with my interviewees until I had the misfortune of losing one.

In May, fellow writer Ty Whitbeck and I had the pleasure of interviewing Angelo Zuccolo and his acting team: Ciano Briga and Jim Hull. Angelo passed away suddenly the next day in his home.

“His passing was so quick. It was so unlike Angelo,” says Dr. Francis Battisti, Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Broome Community College and close friend of Angelo.

Angelo was a writer and actor, as well as professor and theatre director at BCC for the past thirty years. He was loved by the community, on and off campus, all the while loving them right back.

“He just made everybody feel special, and it was sincere,” Battisti remembers. “He truly felt everyone was on the same level; a strong sense of right and wrong.”

As Ty and I experienced that evening in May, Angelo was a man who left a strong impression with everyone he encountered and, in one way or another, had an impact on their lives.

“I still thank him to this day,” says Rod Thorn, playwright and friend. “That’s what it was like working with him: mutual respect and reverence for the creative process... I trusted him implicitly.”

Thorn is the playwright for the show, “Son for Hire”, the same play for which I had interviewed Angelo.

Angelo said of the show, “[it] captures the Italian passion for living and joy!”

“I wrote it [‘Son for Hire’] with Angelo in mind. The lead part of Sal Indelicato was made for Angelo,” says Thorn, continuing, “there will never be another actor who can do Sal like Angelo Zuccolo. I love him and miss him dearly. And I expect he will let me know, somehow, that’s he’s expecting a new script from me any day now.”

Thorn went on to speak of what he admired most about Angelo:

“His capacity to give love. To his daughters, first. He taught me so much about being a father to daughters,” he says. “After his daughters, I’d say he loved life and everyone in it. He was a true Renaissance man, with a heart as big as the night sky... He was love and passion personified.”

As big of a personality and stage presence he may have possessed, Angelo had an even bigger heart. His friends and family spoke endlessly at his viewing hours of his eagerness to give: “generosity” was the most popular word of the evening. And it was made very clear that is love for the theatre was well overshadowed by his love for his family, especially for his daughters Angelique and Marielle.

“His daughters are the center of his life,” says Battisti.

Our interview in May was by far one of the longest I have ever done, but my notes were sparse because the five of us were so busy laughing, sharing stories, and connecting about life: it was like an Italian dinner without the food. I have a feeling that is what most experiences with Angelo were like, and I am honored to have had the fortune to meet him, even if only for an evening.

“He really left a legacy in a lot of ways,” says Battisti. “He touched a lot of people’s lives... and he is missed.”


REMEMBERING

ANGELO ZUCCOLOAngelo Zuccolo (c) the evening before his passing, with friends Jim Hull (l) and Ciano Briga(r). Photo by Ty Whitbeck.

Binghamton’s prominent Off-Broad-way playhouse, the KNOW Theatre, will host The Kennedy Center plays at 8pm on July 18-20 and at 3PM on July 21.

In 1969 Kennedy Center founding chairman Robert L. Stevens founded the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), a national program involving 18,000 college stu-dents from across the nation, in an attempt to catalyze growth and improvement in the quality of college theatre in the US. Each year, regional festivals showcase the best productions in each region. The program has expanded to include over 600 colleges and universities throughout the county. The performances give theatre departments and student artists a chance to showcase their work and receive marks from KCACTF judges, who are all experienced the-atre aficionados who seek to critique as well as to teach and nurture the talented young artists who are fortunate enough to be selected to the program.

A community in the truest sense of the word, the KCACTF provides a network of actors and directors a way to connect and celebrate each other’s work. Students and teachers alike can gain much from accessing the creative process of others, and in the process gain a truer appre-ciation for the art of the theatre (and the hours upon hours of hard work that go into putting on a superior production). The Kennedy Center plays allow participants to engage in a collabo-rative creative process, see one another’s work, and collectively inspire each other with their own insights into creating great theatre.

Over 400,000 college theatre students have participated in the program nationally, and over 16 million theatre fans have experienced the plays over the years. The national recogni-tion is a huge boost to students whose original theatrical works have never previously experi-enced this kind of exposure or notoriety. Re-gion 1 competition winners, who will come to Binghamton this July, comprise of the top four plays of thousands of entries from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, and Eastern New York. The KNOW seems a logical venue for these shows, as the theater’s own Artistic Director Tim Gleason has served as a mentor and director for the past 6 years for Region One of the Kennedy Center Festival.

The top four plays from the KCACTF Region 1 will be staged at the KNOW, and will include both performances and Q and A sessions with the student playwrights who brought the plays from a vision to a reality. Four performances are slated for July 18-20 at 8:00 PM and July 21 at 3PM at the Know Theatre, located at 74 Carroll St, Binghamton, NY. More info can be found at the KNOW Theatre website, www.knowtheatre.org.

DAMN YANKEESIN THE PARK“Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd!”

There’s still going to be a baseball team, but this ball game will be played at George F. Johnson Park in Endicott… and it will be in the form of a Broadway play.

The Endicott Performing Arts Center will host Damn Yankees at 8pm each night from July 18-21 as a presentation of their Broadway in the Park series.

Set in the 1950s, Damn Yankees is a musical comedy that presents the old Faustian conundrum in a new light… the stadium lights of a Washington Triplets pennant game.

We’ve all had desires that seem impossible despite every attempt to make it so; things that we would trade anything to achieve.

Shoeless Joe wants the Yankees to lose. An older gentleman whose biggest dream has always been to be a baseball hero, Joe offers his very soul for a chance to beat the Yankees in the pennant.

Enter Mr. Applegate, charming, handsome and willing to make good on Joe’s posited proposal: a chance at bringing down the Yankees (a win-win for the devil since a Yankees loss would mean thousands taking a pitch off a bridge).

Along with his alluring and irresistible assistant Lola, Mr. Applegate attempts to seduce and corrupt Joe as he makes his way towards the pennant and victory.

This will be the second Broadway musical presented in the park, and director Pat Foti hopes families will make it as big a success as its predecessor.

“It’s a whole different venue and atmosphere,” said Foti. “It gives a lot of people the opportunity to see a Broadway show in a slightly different element that they may enjoy better.”

Seating will be open and anyone attending is encouraged to bring a picnic basket and baseball paraphernalia. A concession stand will also be open with baseball themed treats.

“The Binghamton Mets have donated their old uniforms... there will be a lot of people who recognize the uniforms and get a tickle out of it,” said Foti.

According to Foti, the cast is made up of about 50 percent newcomers and 50 percent veteran performers.

In the lead role of Shoeless Joe is Aaron Sargeant, with Matt Gaska as Mr. Applegate and Lindsey Cuppelo as Lola.

Tickets will be $20 general admission and $18 for seniors and children under 12. They will be available at the EPAC box office, online and at the gates of the park.

“It’s going to be a great, family friendly show and I hope a lot of people can take advantage of the opportunity to be in an outdoors venue.

For more information contact EPAC at 785-8903 or online at EPAC.com.

KNOW THEATREHOSTS KENNEDYCENTER PLAYSDan SpaventaContributing Writer


24 Vol. 1 Issue 5

The Chenango River Theatre, a union es-tablishment in Greene, New York (about twenty minutes away from Binghamton) will be presenting Fully Committed, an evening of comedy centering around the stressful life of a reservation clerk at a gourmet New York City restaurant.

The play, which Time magazine named one of the ten best plays of 2000, should, in its big-city set-ting, contrast nicely with the pleasant small-town atmosphere of Greene. Written by playwright Becky Mode, who co-created it with Mark Setlock, a friend of hers from acting school, Fully Committed re-ceived positive notices on its New York premiere, with the New York Times calling it “an immensely entertaining, scaldingly funny play about the bad behavior that good food can inspire.”

The play is part of a certain tradition in drama, in which multiple parts are expected to be performed by one or more virtuoso performers. Marie Jones’ Stones in his Pockets was a notable example that had two actors taking fifteen roles; Fully Com-mitted promises one actor playing forty. This will include, along with the main character of the desk clerk, overbearing co-workers such as the chef and maitre d’, as well as various personalities- from mafiosi to politicians to supermodels to diplomats-

who want to book tables as the expensive estab-lishment.

The central character, Sam Peliczowski, is an out of work actor turned restaurant worker, and this allows the piece to be a bit reflexive about life for the theatrical professional even in the most the-atrical of cities. Sam’s expected professional prob-lem of many callers desperate to get a table at the restaurant is compounded by personal challenges presented by fruitless calls to his agent, the con-trasting success of his acting friend, and his father- whose wife just died and who is anxious for his son to come home for Christmas.

Mode wrote the play based on her own personal experiences working in restaurants while hoping to make it big in theatre in the “Big Apple,” saying she was inspired to create this first play because she had “a horrible job” and needed to “entertain her-self.“ Appropriately, it was the success of this play about the horrors of working for a restaurant that finally allowed Becky Mode to quit working in the food service industry. More recently, following in the theme of writing about New York theatre, she’s been the author of multiple episodes of “Smash,” for NBC television.

Brendan Burke directed the production for the Chenango River Theatre. Shows will run from June 28 through July 21, Thursdays, Fridays, and Satur-days at 7:30pm, with Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM. Tickets cost $20 Thursday, $22 Friday, $23 Satur-day and $21 Sunday, and may be purchased by di-aling the box office at 607 656-8499. The Chenan-go River Theatre is located at 991 State Highway 12, Greene, NY.

FULLY COMMITTED AT THECHENANGO RIVER THEATRECharles BermanStaff Writer

FOR QUOTES AND MORE,EMAIL [email protected]

MILKWEEDKINGSLEY’S PUB

TUESDAYS AT 9PM

HOLY $#@%


food and drink.

It’s summertime in the Southern Tier, and with that comes cold drink!

While I whole-heartedly advocate slow cooking on the spit, stocking up your bar and inviting the neighborhood over for good times, I have to ap-preciate our local eateries and beer establishments, for they are the ones who provide our good times away from home.

Over the last few years in the Valley of Opportunity, there has been an influx of places that serve up well-crafted cuisine; honestly, the selection of food from around the world is outrageous here. We have also seen an interest in professional beer making start to take shape in downtown Binghamton, En-dicott, and Montrose. All of these components are kneaded into the dough to keep the community supporting each other, because chances are some of these cooks and business owners have seen one another in different kitchens and shared drinks in the pubs around town.

Earlier in June, Rogue Brewery (Newport, OR) took over the dining room of Zona & Co. Grille (15 Haw-ley Street, Binghamton) for a VIP sampling/judg-ing, and I was lucky enough to attend. With each of the four beers judged, a tapas platter of fantastic food came out to pair it with. Us judges were then instructed to rate each beer from 1-10 and make any notes we deemed fitting.

I was joined by my comrade and fellow beer con-noisseur, whom, for the sake of anonymity, we’ll call “Murph.” We ponied up to a table with two gentle-

men, whom we made friends with and exchanged Untappd contacts with (Untappd is a mobile app that sort of acts as facebook for beer drinkers). We were to judge the beer based on aroma, ap-pearance, beginning and ending notes and overall rating.

Out came our first beer, the Good Chit Pilsner, which was paired with wild caught swordfish with peach marmalade and a poblano pepper salad over mixed greens. This beer scored decently. There were notes of honey and clover and it had a nice finish when combined with the seafood. Next came Rogue’s signature Dead Guy Ale, paired with spicy baked beans and a barbecued rib. This was a perfect combo. Each note and hop of the beer highlighted the spices used in the rub, sauce and the beans. Following that was the Irish Style La-ger, accompanied by a wild boar sausage… with a crab cake bun and barbecued apples in between. Wow. Everything was working here. This tasted like Louisiana and made me yearn for some two-step. Finally, we were served the Voodoo Chocolate, Pea-nut Butter & Banana Ale, delightfully escorted by a deep fried cheesecake burrito and the same barbe-cue cinnamon apples used earlier. I’ve never been more impressed with a dessert beer than I was with this. It’s totally balanced by the mouth feel of the peanut butter, leaves a good bitterness with the chocolate and the tartness of a ripe banana. I really wanted to dip my cheesecake into my flight glass, but I reluctantly held back. After the event, I spoke briefly with the Binghamton Rogue represen-tative, Dube, who assured me he has plans to make events like this a regular happening.

This type of thing isn’t so rare in our area. All around the Triple Cities, beverages are being show-cased, and master mixologists and brew masters alike are deep in their labs concocting their best work yet for an alcohol induced summer of love. In

fact, two such events are happening in July, and I’ll be sure to be there, imbibing with the best of ‘em.

NORTH BREWERY TAP TAKEOVER

Stepping up to raise the bar is the North Brewery, at 110 Washington Ave, Endicott. On Saturday, July 13th, brew master Zach Pedley is bringing an arse-nal of his kegs around the corner to Feliz Wine & Tapas at 1304 Monroe Street, Endicott.

Dubbed “The North Brewery Tap Takeover,” Zach plans to bring Blondie (blonde ale), Cerberus Bour-bon (bourbon barrel aged Imperial stout), and In-spirational Beer Breakfast (hopped brown ale) to the tap handles, and there will be more to come.

“This event is going to be awesome,” says Pedley. “Pairing up with my beers are the delicacies that make Feliz Wine & Tapas what they are.”

“For a $50 ticket, from 6-8pm, you’ll be served five beers and four plates of food to pair them with,” says Jerome Scott, Co-Owner of Feliz Wine & Tapas. “There will be t-shirts on sale as well, and following the pairing from 8-11pm, there will be a general tasting of the beers of North, with giveaways and discounted drink specials.”

DOWNTOWN BINGHAMTON MAR-TINI WALK

On July 27th, the Downtown Binghamton Martini Walk will celebrate its second year, and the or-ganizers have decided to up the ante a little bit. “Last year we had twelve bars on the walk, and

with this year’s event, we plan to have more,” says BingSpot’s Joshua Ludzki, one of the Martini Walk’s organizers.

You’ll be able to pick up a $5 ticket at four different restaurants (yet to be named) and all proceeds of the event will benefit a local business. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Pick us! Pick us!] Last year, they donated to the Discovery Center.

“At your first stop, wherever it may be, you can pick up a scorecard with all of the restaurants’ martinis on it, and after you’ve had your 1oz. sample, you rate it and can either stick around or move on to the next bar to do the same thing. At the end, all of the votes are tallied and a martini is crowned the winner,” explains Ludzki. Last year, Little Venice’s martini won it with their Chambord Gelato Milk-shake Martini.

Don’t feel bad if you can’t check off all of the bars on the list. “Most people only made it to 6 or 8 or the bars,” he says. Only the diehards turn in a wrung out, gin soaked scorecard at the end of their 12th bar.

There’s more to boozin’ than binge drinking Key-stone Light and there are some crafty local folk right here that take adult beverages to a different level. It’s time we celebrate them. Go forth and play with your food and pair it with a hoppy beer or cocktail!

North Brewery is open for free tastings and cheap growler fills Tuesday-Saturday from 12-8pm at 110 Washington Ave, Endicott and Feliz Wine & Tapas is open on Thursday 4pm-11:30pm and Friday-Satur-day 4pm-12:30am. You’ll be able to find more on the Downtown Binghamton Martini Walk at face-book.com/BingSpot.


SUMMER BOOZING IN THE TRIPLE CITIESPhoto by Ty Whitbeck.

26 Vol. 1 Issue 5

The setup at Chroma Café & Bakery is a bit unusual, compared to most eateries.

Sharing a space with Midtown Antiques, at 34 Chenango Street in Binghamton, the café and the collectibles create a Venn-Diagram within the build-ing. On the left is the bakery and kitchen, newly finished and painted to give it a sense of identi-ty within the confectionary laboratory; and on the right hand side is the long row of antiques: old vinyl records, nutcracker collections, even a large carou-sel modeled out of an Erector Set. Where the two sides meet in the middle is the small dining area, partitioned by what looks like an old exterior win-dow façade. It’s certainly different, and upon visit-ing, I couldn’t help thinking that this configuration is only temporary.

“As it stands, Chroma will be eventually taking over the space of the antique shop, to offer more seating and to expand the kitchen a bit,” co-owners Nancy and Heath Hauptfleisch explain.

Construction has already begun in the front of the house. Once this is complete, I feel the ambiance will take a turn for the better, and offer a more spacious and comfortable dining experience. This is not to say my time there was unpleasant by any means… I just see what they’re going for, and look forward to seeing it complete.

Once I decide what I want, I step up to the counter to place my order, but I keep getting temped by the giant case of muffins and cookies and pastries. I tell myself: “Self, after your Banh Mi and pulled pork empanada you can have all of the treats you can handle! Let’s just get through lunch first, okay?” I learned this in Overcoming Temptation 101.

The Banh Mi is a refreshing sandwich consisting of sliced seasoned roast pork dressed with pickled red onions, radish, cucumber and carrots, topped with a chili garlic mayo and cilantro on a hard roll, which

is baked fresh every morning, in house. Tradition-ally, it’s a Vietnamese sandwich that is inspired by the French baguette, hence the hard roll and the pickled vegetables with Viet spices on the pork.

This sandwich is served cold, and it offers enough heat to satisfy that part of my palate, and the pick-led vegetables and cucumber are kismet in this re-lationship. The pork is sliced about a quarter inch thick, and the veggies are piled high with just the right amount of chili garlic mayo, which is also very light.

With this sandwich gaining popularity after the public caught wind of it on some big time cable network, I’ve seen the Banh Mi pop up a few times on menus around town, though this happens to be my first time trying one: what a good introduction it was! I’d order it again in a heartbeat, but the rest of Chroma’s menu looks too good to go untasted.

They feature an empanada of the day, which today is stuffed with pulled pork. It comes out hot, and the crust is super flaky, moist and just ready for the taking. It tastes like a Memphis style ‘cue, with em-phasis on the vinegar and tomato, giving it a slight-ly thin, sweet and tanginess that is very pleasing.

I finish my lunch with great pleasure, and now I get to return to the dessert case. It seems this case is their pride and joy, hosting some rare gems. Ev-erything is handmade here, and it shows. I walk out with a slice of tiramisu cheesecake, a raspber-ry lemon tart and a pecan cinnamon roll to enjoy at home. I recommend the pecan roll… it’s packed with that homemade taste that only moms know how to achieve, so I knew not to ask for her secret. I ate as much as I could, before donating the rest to my editor, which he was eternally grateful for [EDITOR’S NOTE: So sticky! So good!].

It’s hard to compete with the quality of a family run business. Sure, they’re still trying to get their space situated, but in due time, these sweet ge-niuses will have a full on bakery in downtown, and I’ll be there as often as possible! For now, you can view their menu on their facebook page, and you can stop in for a bite. Tell ‘em I sent you. They’re open for breakfast and lunch from 8am-4pm, Mon-day-Friday.

Ty WhitbeckStaff Writer

CHROMA CAFE AND BAKERY

OFF TO A PROMISING STARTThose scones don’t stand a chance. Photo by Ty Whitbeck.

healthy

EATS

Summer is in full swing this month, meaning we reap the benefits of lots of fresh fruits, veg-gies and herbs. The Daring Gardenista, Kristina, fills us in over in her column with some info of the benefits of having cilantro growing in your garden. Culinarily speaking, this herb is used in a variety of cultures for distinct flavor – my fave is Mexican fare. Cilantro is a rockin’ source of Vitamins A and K, and is also known for its cleansing properties. I’ve combined this herb with a seasonal must have- glorious tomatoes. Full of lycopene and Vitamin C (to name just a couple of perks), these red globes of goodness are at their prime over the next two months, and you can seriously taste the difference in a summer ripened tomato picked right off the vine. My mouth is watering.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

2 cups fresh, diced tomatoes (any kind of your liking!)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 hot pepper, finely chopped/minced **

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash black pepper

**Choose a pepper type and amount based on your preference of spiciness- jalapeno, Serrano, chile, habanero, etc. Some people enjoy scald-ing their mouths, others not so much.

Directions: Chop all ingredients and combine in a large bowl, mixing well. Let refrigerate for at least two hours to let flavors marinate.

I recommend serving with guacamole, one of my ultimate weaknesses. And don’t be afraid to get creative… try adding or switching things out- garlic scapes and scallions bring fantastic flavor to the table as well.

Stacey Burke is a Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, and founder of New Roots to Health. She works with busy individuals whom struggle with stress around weight loss, cravings and low energy by supporting them in setting personal goals in balancing diet and lifestyle. How often do you get the personal attention you deserve when talking about your health and nutrition? Email her at [email protected] or visit her website www.newrootstohealth.com to learn more about programs that could change your life. Mention you read about her in the Carousel, and receive 25% off a 6-month, personalized program!


THE BEEF:REVISITING A WEST SIDE MAINSTAY

I’ve lived on the West Side of Bing-hamton for a good half a year, and now that I live right around the corner to famed restaurant, The Beef (for-merly What’s Your Beef?), I have more reason to frequent this fine establish-ment, located at 62 Leroy St.

From what I know they have a fantastic menu. It’s rather limited but what’s on it may be some of the best you’ll have in your red meat eating adult life.

Under the new moniker comes new ownership, a new menu and a renovated space. The exte-rior of The Beef stands out against the liquor store it shares a strip with. Adorned with stained wood shingles, fancy windows and awnings, there are two doors to the restaurant: one to the dining area and another to the bar. I choose the bar door, place my dinner order with the bar-keep and ask for a dram of his finest Single Malt Scotch with a side of club soda while I wait.

Since I’ve been to this steakhouse a few times before, I’ve found my niche and skip over the slabs of meat and opt for the barbecue pulled beef sandwich with provolone on a hefty rose-mary/salt Kaiser roll, along with a side of French onion soup. While I understand their steaks are damn good, I also know that ordering this sandwich and bowl of soup will make me a very happy man by the end of it. I don’t even know if it’s on the menu, but every time I order it, they bring it out to perfection.

My Scotch is a Laphroaig 10 year old Islay and it’s strong and peaty and the smoothest I can recall. Probably the most peat I’ve encountered with any Islay, which are known for their intense smoky, woody taste and aroma. I like my Scotch to taste like Band-Aids and Sharpie markers for some reason and the club soda just unlocks these notes tenfold.

The sandwich and soup make their way towards me, and I sit, bib in shirt, buzzed and ready for to feast. First, I puncture the thick layer of melted and bubbly Swiss cheese encrusting my French onion soup. There is good salty flavor to the broth, and the crusty bread swimming in it is dense, still. All these flavors mixed with the tanginess of the cheese makes for a knockout combo.

My sandwich is huge and easy to bite into. The softness of the roll and the tenderness of the beef made for a rewarding chew. The barbecue sauce is briney and most likely Carolina influ-enced; some of my favorite ‘cue comes from North Cackalacky. The provolone on it gives way for a nice bite, complementing the rosemary and salt of the roll.

If you’re looking for a steak cooked to your lik-ing, or just a damn good sandwich and bowl of soup, I encourage you to check out The Beef. It’s a small place but the atmosphere is inviting and the food’s spot on. Open Mon- Thurs 1pm-12am, and Fri- Sat 5pm-12am.



wellness.

Exercise. Working out. Physical Activity. Whatever it is you call it, there’s a good chance you don’t enjoy it.

And you are not alone. Most Americans get no-where near enough of the dreaded sweat-inducing stuff, even though we know how important it is. What is it about being active that turns people run-ning (well, speed walking) in the other direction?

We have this preconceived idea of what exercise or physical activity “looks like.” We imagine scales, treadmills, weights, pushups, going to the gym and feeling oh-so self-conscious, or even those awful at-home DVD workouts. Maybe it’s plummeting en-ergy levels, maybe it’s time we never have, or may-be it’s just that exercise is uninspiring and boring. Whatever the reason is, it seems there is always one to justify why we’re just not getting off the couch.

So here is a mind-blowing thought. What if it was actually fun to exercise? What if you were engaging in physical activity and you didn’t even realize it be-cause what you were doing was so enjoyable? Well, my friends, this is the secret. If you find something you adore, you’ll actually do it! Gasp!

This month I’m focusing on a must try idea that will get the blood flowing, muscles moving, and mind de-stressing: Stand-Up Paddleboarding, also known as SUP. Heard of it? If not, you are missing out… and trust me, I wouldn’t just say that! Carousel’s

editor-in-chief and I went on a recent excursion to check out what the seemingly new hype (but long-time sport) is all about. And we were blown away.

Brandon Cruz, founder of SUP Country Tours (and our guide for the day) explained that “as long as people have been paddling, they have done it sit-ting and standing. The sport as we know it today originated in Hawaii with professional surfers and is now considered the fastest growing water sport in the world.”

We had the honor of taking a tour with Brandon, and it opened our eyes to the joys of this exercise. I was a little nervous given I’d never done it before, but Brandon is an expert in the field (he has a Master’s in Recreation from Cortland and is also a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist and New York State Licensed Outdoor Guide… he’s also had training in water safety, first aid and CPR). He went step by step through the ins and outs of safety, how to hold and use the paddle, how to stand, turn, and what to look out for while on the water.

The tour itself was nothing short of awesome. That’s really the best word I can think to describe it. Absolutely awesome. Brandon took us to a fa-vorite location of his, Long Pond State Forest, and I certainly know why. The waters were calm, the scenery breathtaking, and we were fortunate to be graced with blue skies and beaming sunshine. I felt the therapeutic effects immediately upon getting out into the water, which is just one of the benefits of SUP Brandon shared with us.

“It gets people outdoors and on the water, con-necting with nature. Stand Up Paddling is also a great practice for balance training and core devel-opment. Paddleboards also make a great floating platform for swimming, stretching, practicing yoga

or just taking a nap. It is the ultimate on water leisure activity because it is so versatile.”

Once balanced on the board, I got the hang of it quickly (as opposed to our dear editor, who fell no less than three times in the first five minutes) and could see how this is a great full body and core workout, and something I would definitely love to do a lot more. I felt it similar to kayaking, but stand-ing on a surfboard like platform. We paddled out to deeper waters where we took some time to relax, swim, and soak in our surroundings. Connecting to nature instead of my iPhone was a much needed break, and a great reminder of the need to some-times just be ‘unplugged.’ By the end of the two hour tour, I felt completely rejuvenated, relaxed and pretty damn remarkable: reawakened and en-ergized. The next day, I definitely felt my muscles ache…in a good way! They were thanking me! This is one activity I could have stayed there doing for hours, and I will be back as soon as possible!

Through SUP Country Tours, Brandon offers a va-riety of tours, which include custom lessons (two hours- like the tour that I described above) and guided river trips, as well as out of town trips to the Adirondacks, and Paddlesurfing trips to the Jersey Shore and Outerbanks. There is something for ev-eryone, and you can find more information about how you can get up and Stand Up Paddle with Brandon via his website www.supcountrytours.com (also check ‘em out on Facebook).

SUP tours are just one of the many ways to stay active in the Southern Tier. An enjoyable alternative to aerobics or the gym, it’s a great way to get the heart pumping, muscles moving, and blood flowing. Maybe you prefer to hike or bike. That’s cool, too! Find something you love, and you’ll never think of exercise as a burden again. Get moving!


GET UP, STAND UPADVENTURES IN PADDLEBOARDING

DARINGgardenista

Each month we check in with KRIS-TINA STRAIN for advice on what we should be doing with our gardens. Kristina lives and gardens in Gilberts-ville.

This is a story about broccoli. Actually, it’s a story about cilantro, but it starts in the broc-coli patch. I love broccoli. My husband loves broccoli. My favorite preparation involves a glug of oil, a 400-degree oven, and a scattering of lemon zest and grated parmesan. This is how I’d prepared it three years ago, on a chilly au-tumn night, when my husband and I sat down to feast.

It was delicious. I felt the sweet warmth of cu-linary triumph. And then he found a dead cab-bage worm on his plate. He gave me a look, a patented mix of rue and understanding, and kept eating. He found another worm a minute later. And another. At which point, he looked crestfallen, and said gently, “I’m sorry, honey, I don’t think I can eat this.”

Two things: 1) Bless his heart, and 2) I had (I thought) de-cabbage-wormed that batch of broccoli. Of course I had. I used to spend hours over the course of a summertime picking green worms out of broccoli before dinner. And apparently even that level of preparation was inadequate.

Enter the cilantro. Last year, I decided to try something new. After reading up on cilantro’s near-mythical insect-repellant properties, I planted it all through my broccoli patch. It grew into a handsome, gangly, white-flowered forest. And I didn’t find a single worm all summer. The white butterflies that used to cavort over the garden (firebombing the crops with their egg capsules) were no more. This year I was really on top of the game, sowing cilantro seed three weeks before I set the broccoli out.

I guess it’s called permaculture—the way two crops form a frondy friendship—but I’m more inclined to call it magic. This cilantro stuff, man, whew. Good juju. It’s super easy and fast to grow, and if you let it flower it will obediently sow the next generation of itself for you. Does it get any better than that? In my garden, I cut the cilantro heads when they start to turn brown in late summer, then hang them to dry. In spring, my seed is ready to sow wherever I choose.

Now, I know that culinarily, cilantro is a load-ed subject. My husband finds it repulsive. (He now feels a puzzling kinship with those cabbage worms, who feel the same.) But if you are go-ing to eat it, make sure to check out Stacey Burke’s slammin’ salsa recipe in this month’s Healthy Eats column.

FILL THIS VOID!

[email protected]

Stand Up Paddling at Long Pond State Park. Photo by Brandon Cruz.

28 Vol. 1 Issue 5

fun stuff. B.C. by MASTROIANNI AND HART

WIZARD OF ID by PARKER, MASTROIANNI, AND HART

DOGS OF C-KENNEL by MICK AND MASON MASTROIANNI

DEAR RUMMYGot a question for Rummy? He is learned in many subjects, and he is more than willing to make it up the rest of the time. Send your question to [email protected]. Be sure to put ‘Dear Rummy’ in the subject! Check back in future issues to see if he’s an-swered you!

that the diet of the animal on the farm effects their taste on the dinner table, and humans, I would as-sume, are no exception. For instance… me! I smoke a pack of cigarettes every day, drink a questionable amount of whiskey, and occasionally load up on massive amounts of fast food before locking my-self in my bedroom to cry into the mirror. I would taste terrible. If you were going to get all munchy munchy on your fellow man, I could only suggest a vegan. Their veggie fed diet will surely make them taste better than your average Joe, and it would certainly curb the amount of Greenpeace petitions in my inbox!

All that said and done, I can’t help but noticing your claim that science has never failed us. I leave you with a short list of occurrences when it has: Cher-nobyl, The Hindenburg, The BP Gulf oil spill, The Challenger, Windows 8, Betamax Players, The Ford Pinto, Joan Rivers’s face, Star Wars Episodes 1-3, Crystal Pepsi.

Very truly yours, Rummy

Dear Hungry,

According to some accounts, genetically modified humans are already living amongst us. That said, all the mention I could find on such information came from debunked articles by trashy British newspapers and blogs written by people that spend their off-time making tin-foil hats and panic rooms. Don’t set the dinner table just yet.

I cannot condone your sick urge to munch down on humans, but it’s my belief that if you were to feast, you’d be better off with an all-natural human being. The verdict is still out as to whether or not GMO produce and livestock is harmful: it fills our gro-cery stores stateside, but much of the rest of the world has banned it, pending further study. While the GMO industry (namely, Monsanto) claims it’s all safe, many environmental activists fear the ethical dilemma posed by playing God.

That said, it seems like no matter whether the hu-man was organic or genetically modified, they’d probably taste terrible. Think of it... it’s no secret

Dear Rummy,

With all this fuss over GMO produce and livestock, do you think we will ever see genetically modified humans in our lifetime? I mean, I’ve been curbing my cannibalistic urges because I’m more afraid of commitment than imprisonment. Who knows what kind of diet and lifestyle my “organic grass-fed human” really had. At least with GMH, we’ll have science on our side, and science hasn’t failed us yet, right?

Respectfully yours, Hungry for Hair Pie

HOROSCOPESEach month, CAROUSEL features a guest horoscope columnist. For July, we welcome CARMELITA SNICKEL-FRITZ, who is certainly not using a fake name. And she is most certain-ly not the editor’s mother, nor did she blackmail him to be able to write these.

Cancer (Jun. 21-Jul. 22) Cut the crap, get real, eat chocolate, giggle in crowded elevators and stop lying to your mother. Be unique, wear a toque and waterski naked, but above all, don’t blend in with the crowd.

Leo (Jul. 23-Aug. 22) Humpty Dumpty made a mess, but you don’t have to. Aim high, but be considerate and wipe the seat if you miss.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Avoid pissing off significant others, insignificant others, or any-one who can give you a ticket. In the event this fails, smile nicely and undo your top button. If you are a guy, carry bail.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Jupiter aligns with Mars, the moon is in the 7th house, and the sex is great. Sing on the bus, dance in the street, talk to strangers, and be ready with a good ex-planation for the nice policeman.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Your senses will be heightened this month. A good time to take up nuclear physics or experimental dentistry. Take a chance, swing on a star, buy a new door mat, eat scones with whipped cream, and smile knowingly at the next person who gives you the finger.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) While it may be sweltering outside, it’s always a good time for casserole. Avoid unnecessary stress, get more rest, listen to some great local music while drinking heavily, and quit smoking.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) If you find a fly in the ointment, add salt and a dab of butter, and sauté on low. Crow is best eaten by some-one else, so keep your foot out of your mouth. Barring that, add garlic and cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Avoid stress, take the day off, and play with the dog. If you don’t have a dog, come play with mine– he’s bored (bring treats). A good month for a road trip to Trumansburg– there just happens to be a music festival there. My dog will not be there, but I will. (Bring treats).

Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20) Avoid smarmy people with slimy pickup lines. Remember that cheesecake cures a variety of ailments, and if you add a crouton, it counts as a salad. If you eat it with your eyes closed, it has no calories.

Aries (Mar. 21-Apr. 19) Chaos reigns su-preme. Give up and go with it. Take a vacation from reality. Avoid friends who mooch, peculiar relatives, and annoying lovers.

Taurus (Apr. 20-May 20) Let your balls hang low, let them wobble two and fro, but avoid barbed wire, hot motorcycle seats and sitting on gum. If you don’t happen to have balls, the sky’s the limit: sit on anything you want.

Gemini (May 21-Jun. 20) Unexpected bliss is right around the corner. The trick is finding the right corner. Get a map and hit the music and art venues first, as they are known to have lots of corners. Carousels are fun but have no corners, so save them for next month. Eat ice cream and drink brandy (preferably from the same bowl), and you’ll forget about the damn corners entirely.

FARMERS’ MARKETSBROOME COUNTY

Binghamton-Otsiningo Park Farmers’ MarketOtsiningo Park, Upper Front St, Binghamton

Saturdays 9am-1pmMay 4- November 23

Binghamton West Side Farrmers’ MarketPost 80, 76 Main St. Binghamton

Thursdays 11am-6pmNow through ???

Downtown Binghamton Farmers’ MarketCourthouse Square. Collier St, Binghamton

Tuesdays and Fridays 9am-2pmJune 7- October 29

Highland Park Famers’ MarketHighland Park, Endicott

Tuesdays 4pm-7pmNow through ???

Koo Koose Farmers’ MarketAcross from Village Hall. Deposit.

Saturdays 9am-12:30pmJune 22- September 7

Vestal Farmers’ MarketVestal Library Parking Lot. Vestal Pkwy East, Vestal

Saturdays and Wednesdays 9am-1pmMay 25- November 20

CHENANGO COUNTY

Coventry Famers’ MarketCoventry Fire Station. North Rd, Greene

Sundays 12pm-6pm. Tuesdays 3pm-6:30pmJune- November

Chenango County Farmers’ MarketEast Side Park. West Main St, NorwichWednesdays and Saturdays 8am- 1pm

June 8- October 30

TIOGA COUNTY

Newark Valley Farmers’ MarketVillage Green. 9 Park St, Newark Valley

Sundays 12pm- 4pmMay 19- October 27

Owego Famers’ MarketRite Aid parking lot, Owego

Tuesdays and Fridays 9am- 1pmJune 14- October 29

Waverly Farmers’ MarketMuldoon Park, Waverly

Mondays 3:30pm- 6:30pmJune 24- October 21

Spencer Farmers’ MarketRt. 34 (Park near pond), Spencer

Saturdays 9am- 1pmJune 8- October 1

TOMPKINS COUNTY

Groton Famers’ MarketCenter Village Court Apts. South St (Rt.38), Groton

Tuesdays 3:30pm- 6:30pmJuly 9- September 10

Ithaca Farmers’ Market (Dewitt Park)Dewitt Park. North Cayuga St. & East Buffalo St.

Tuesdays 9am-2pm and Thursdays 4pm-7pmMay-October

Ithaca Farmers’ Market (East Hill)East Hill Plaza. Pine Tree Rd, Ithaca

Wednesdays 4pm- 7pmJune 5- October 30

Ithaca Farmers’ Market (Steamboat)Steamboat Landing. Third St. (off Rt. 13), Ithaca

Saturdays 9am-3pm and Sundays 10am- 3pmApril-December

Trumansburg Farmers’ MarketVillage Park. Rt. 96 (Main St.) and Rt. 227, Tru-

mansburgWednesdays 4pm-7pm

May 15-October 30


Binghamton Binghamton Mets game on 7/3. Game starts at 6:35pm.

Fireworks to follow

Candor Parade down Main St. at 7/4 at 10am. Carnival/bbq to follow, 11am-2pm Kiddie Parade 7/5.

Fireworks: 7/6 at dusk

Endwell Celebration at Highland Park on 7/4 at 12pm. Food, crafts, vendors.

Fireworks: 9:30pm

Montrose, PA Parade on 7/4 at 11am. All day celebration with races, crafts, bbq.

Fireworks: 7/4 at dusk

Norwich Clinton July 4th Celebration, Chenango County Fair Grounds, 168 E. Main St

Owego 7/3, following the Concert in the Park Series at Hickories Park

Fireworks: 9:30pm

Thompson, PA 7/4 Thompson Hose Company. Dunk tank, games, food and beer. Rain date 7/6.

Fireworks: 10pm

Tioga Downs The Firework show begins immediately following live racing at approximately 9:45pm

directory.FIREWORKS!

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607- 221-0017

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wool and petting zoo not for you? Then grab a corn dog, big pretzel, or a drink from one of the various vendors and check out the Little Miss, Junior Miss, and Miss Broome County Beauty Pageants; sure to be a pretty sight!

Whatever it is you’re into there, will surely be something for you to enjoy at the Broome County Fair. So be sure to stop on by and see what you can find!

This year, the fair will once again be supporting and hosting “Special Kids Day,” benefits the mentally and physically challenged members of the community. The day includes free admission for these special kids, free lunch, snacks, and a stuffed toy. For information on how to support this day by donation or volunteer contact Tom Decker or Chuck Franklin at the Fair Office (number below). PayPal donations can also be made from the website (also listed below).

Full schedule, 4-H schedule, and directions to fairgrounds can be found at broomecountyfairny.com. For more information or questions feel free to call (607) 692-4149 or e-mail [email protected]. Also ‘Like’ on Facebook (Broome County Fair).

Come one, come all to the 139th Annual Broome County Fair, July 23-28 at the Broome County Fairgrounds in Whitney Point.

This event will surely be six days of fun for the whole family, so be sure to mark your calendars!

The fair begins on July 23rd at 6pm, with free admission all evening and pay-one-price $15 carnival rides. Gates open at 9am for the days that follow.

Each day will be chock-full of various activities for every age group.

Looking to see some real muscle move? Then come see the Diesel and pickup truck pull and ATV drags, or watch out for flying stirrups while checking out some real life bull riding, trick riding, and cowgirls.

Take the kids over for the Commerford Petting Zoo, and find yourself a new furry friend. Allergic to


139TH BC FAIR RETURNS TO WHITNEY POINT

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the fair.

Triple Cities Carousel July 2013

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Transcript of Triple Cities Carousel July 2013