You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Community’ category.
I was a volunteer at the Ithaca Festival Parade tonight, and despite growing up here, it’s really the first parade I can remember attending. And if you ever want to capture a glimpse of the culture and soul of Ithaca, you should find a reason to visit this parade. I only had my phone camera with me, but I took a few shots because I wanted to be able to share. The parade is held every June as a kickoff to the town festival. It’s held after most students from Cornell and Ithaca College have left town for the summer. And what you’re left with, is a celebration of a very unique group of people…’Ithacans’. A few pictures and then a video of something I can’t quite explain. (You might want to keep your volume down when you watch it.)
In order of appearance in the slideshow: 1) Bagman. Apparently, he’s famous. He was yelling that the black bag represents oil. 2) Greensprings, Ithaca’s Natural Burial Preserve (yes, that’s a woman laying in a coffin.) 3) Not sure what these two were promoting, but I heard something about fiddles and dancing rainbows. 4) Yup, that’s the Tompkins County Amateur Radio Club (and of course he’s carrying an antenna!) 5) Go Ithaca Wastewater Treatment Facility! (That would be a walking toilet, connected to the walking treatment facility and finally, clean water) 6) And that? That’s just a man riding a penny-farthing.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The Art of Mangold Hurling
This is not a Dr. Seuss book, but a match made in the world of international root tossing. I’ve written twice now about my passion for the International Rutabaga Curling Championship at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. Well, this week, the commissioner of the Rutabaga Curl was contacted by the Acting Chairman of the Ancient Order of Sherston Mangold Hurlers. Nope, I’m not making this up. Apparently we’re not alone in our love for the sport of root vegetable throwing. However, unlike the 14 year history of Rutabaga Curling, Mangold Hurling dates way back to the 18th century. Sadly, despite this rich history, Sherston represents the only remaining functioning Order in the UK with an annual hurl.
Well not only did the Sherston Mangold Hurlers reach out, but they invited a delegation of Ithaca Rutabaga Curlers to visit Sherston for their competition in October, in exchange for a return delegation for our December event. And it sounds like the wheels are already in motion for the trip. How great is that? Thanks for the outreach Sherston. It’s nice to know that we have a brotherhood across the pond. We look forward to hosting you later this year.
A video of the 2009 Sherston Hurl:
If you’re avoiding seeing ‘Precious‘ because the movie seems too heavy or depressing, do yourself a favor and go anyway. Yes, it’s heavy. We saw it on Friday at Cinemapolis with an audience discussion after the film. And by the time the movie was over, Rachel had a splitting headache and the whole audience needed a collective deep breath. But as disturbing as the story is, it forced me to think about a side of our communities often overlooked as someone else’s problem. This movie strips that away. It forces you to look, and forces you to feel the emotion of domestic abuse. Our discussion after the film featured a school psychologist, a community organizer and a member of our local advocacy center for domestic violence. Nobody left the theater after the film. 20 people stood up and spoke about what this film meant to them. How often does a movie bring out that kind of reaction?
The film itself was incredibly well done. The acting across the board was outstanding. Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) and Mo’Nique (The Mother) deserve academy awards. Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carrey suprised me. My only complaint was with the casting of Paula Patton for the teacher. She’s beautiful, she’s a good actress, and she did a fine job with the role. But she didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the movie. She looked like she was ready for a modeling shoot in every scene. And then one of our audience members noted that in the book ‘Push’ which the movie is based on, the teacher is heavy with much darker skin and dreadlocks. In the book, Precious relates to this teacher in large part because of her looks. I wonder why the producer took the liberty to change the look of this central character so much. Perhaps because Precious herself wanted that type of body and light skin? Regardless, it came across as a mistake in an otherwise near-flawless movie. Oh, and the movie ends on a fairly positive note. So don’t worry about walking out and needing counseling. Just go see it. Two heavy thumbs up.
For the 12th year, Ithaca held the International Rutabaga Curling Championship. This was my second year as a participant, and I had high hopes for bringing the trophy home to my family after last year’s knockout in the championship round. I had a lot stacked against me this year. The dawn of fatherhood has completely thrown off my training and sleep schedule. I was down in NJ with the family on the morning of the curl and had to leave at daybreak just to make the registration booth in time. The temperatures were again in the single digits and I did not dress for the weather. But we made it to the curl in time for the opening ceremonies, the parade of nations and the turnip toss. (If you haven’t seen pictures of the event, see my post from last year)
The goal of the competition is to roll and stop your rutabaga as close to the target as possible. If you’re in the top 5 rolls of your round, you move on to the finals. For this year’s competition I was the 69th competitor in the field. When I stepped up to the line I felt good. I wanted to keep the rutabaga short of the target, as I was disqualified by rolling too hard last year (too much adrenaline, I think.) Well, the plan worked and my roll looked beautiful bouncing down the wood planks. But then like an act of god, the root took a heavy turn to the left. That turn cost me, as I ended up the 6th closest turnip of the round; missing the final by less than an inch. Oh, the drama.
Thanks to commissioner Steve for making this event happen every year. You really tap into the heart of something so ridiculous, so fun and so Ithaca.
My losing curl:
The Rutabaga Choir:
Downtown Ithaca Before 'The Commons' - Circa 1901
Initial concepts for the redesign of Ithaca’s downtown pedestrian mall were unveiled today by Sasaki Associates. The Boston firm, which designed the master plan for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was selected to provide recommendations and plans for a new Ithaca Commons. These initial plans focus primarily on the spatial layout and considerations for the subterranean infrastructure, and they are a big step towards bringing a needed facelift to this central part of downtown Ithaca. As a member of the Commons Advisory Board, I’m excited to see the city’s commitment to this, despite objections from a few groups that want the space returned to a street. If grants can be secured and funding provided, this redesign will have a very positive impact on the economic health of downtown Ithaca. It will bring the space back to its original conception as a community space for social exchange, entertainment and commerce. If the opportunity passes or the appropriate funding for a full redesign is not secured, then the minority is right and it should be returned to a main street. But what a loss that would be.
See the article from today’s paper here.
Rachel and I closed on our first home yesterday. It’s a farmhouse built in 1860, on Ellis Hollow Road in Ithaca. Here’s a picture from the listing taken back in the winter. I’ll send more seasonally appropriate pictures once I bring my camera up to the house. We’re spending the month of August doing some painting and other projects, moving in around Labor Day. Really? We own a house? In the words of the late Phil Rizzuto…Holy Cow!
We’ve been working on the new Cinemapolis movie theater in Ithaca for the last 5 months and on June 12th it opened its doors to the public. To open a non-profit independent film theater at a time like this is an ambitious project and a gamble for city development. But the new theater looks fantastic and it has immediately established itself as one of Ithaca’s new great artistic and creative homes. If the crowd from opening night is any indication, the gamble on this project will pay off.
Despite everything that a home theater, downloadable movies and popcorn on your sofa can offer, there is something about going to the movies that’s irreplaceable. And no matter how hard I try, I can never get my popcorn to taste as good as the kernels from Cinemapolis. Congratulations to Lynne, Rich and the rest of the Cinemampolis family.
Pictures from the final day of work and opening night below. For more information on the theater and movies click here
Ithaca Alderperson in the New Cinemapolis Theater
I’ve posted about this before, but downtown Ithaca has been going through significant development growth over the past few months, with several projects in planning and execution today. In the next few months, the city will be opening a new independent movie theater, several retail stores including Urban Outfitters and breaking ground on a $30 million hotel & $12 million luxury condominium. The city also selected Sasaki Associates a design firm that created the master plan for the Beijing Olympics to rebuild the downtown pedestrian mall (The Commons). Today’s local paper led with a story about the status of the projects and Ithaca’s resilience during this economic downturn. Read Here
Another music venue in Ithaca is The Haunt , a small club off the Cayuga Lake inlet. I bought tickets a few weeks back for Gomez and Josh Ritter, suprised to see both bands playing together in Ithaca. While Gomez was the headliner, it was Ritter that really impressed. Ritter has a stage presence and a look that makes you feel like you’re watching a high school kid getting his first break playing a live show. And I mean that in the best way possible. He had a smile from ear to ear during the entire performance, danced around stage, continually professed his appreciation to the crowd, his band and Ithaca. And it all appeared truly genuine. Gomez, on the other hand, came across a bit disinterested. Perhaps they were responding to the crowd, which appeared to thin a bit after Ritter. Or perhaps it was the TV playing basketball in the back of the club, which the band complained about halfway through their set. Regardless, seeing these two bands on a Wednesday night in a small club in upstate NY was pretty cool.
A few years ago, a local non profit organization saved Ithaca’s 80 year old State Theater from being demolished. Since then, the theater has gone through rounds of renovations and brought in a new Executive Director, Dan Smalls for their event promotion. Smalls brought years of concert promotion and booking experience to Ithaca, where he has pulled big names to this small upstate NY city. Just a few of the shows from the past two years have included: Andrew Bird, Government Mule, Emmylou Harris, Billy Bragg, Neko Case, Joan Baez, Crosby Nash, Gomez, Josh Ritter, Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett.
This weekend, Rachel and I went to two concerts at the State. Friday night was the African Children’s Choir, and last night we saw Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Both shows were great, but seeing a group of blind men in their 70s dancing, and singing with the famous Dixieland Jazz band from New Orleans was awesome.
Recent Comments