News and Views from the Empire State
The new boat launch site on Otisco Lake is complete and open to the public. Prior to the launch’s completion, Otisco was the only Finger Lake without a public boat launch.
With this facility, boaters will have a new option to explore the region and its fishing and boating-related recreational opportunities. [Read more…] about New Otisco Lake Boat Launch Opens
The new documentary by WXXI Public Media and the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, Journeys Through the Finger Lakes, celebrates a region deeply rooted in history, agriculture, social change, and sustainability. [Read more…] about New Documentary: Journeys Through the Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes Museum (FLM) has announced their 2020 program calendar, which includes guided kayaking events, kayaking lessons, woods walk and bird walk, timber framing, animal and leprechaun tracking, bird house building, and American Canoe Association kayak week with various skills trainings.
The Paddle Keuka 5K will return for its 5th year on the first Saturday in August. [Read more…] about Finger Lakes Museum 2020 Program Calendar
The Finger Lakes Museum & Aquarium and the Hampton Inn Penn Yan have announced Winterfest, a family-friendly, collaborative event held on Friday, February 22, and Saturday, February 23rd, from noon to 10 pm each day.
All activities will take place at the Hampton Inn in Penn Yan located at 110 Mace Street, and will celebrate winter in the Finger Lakes. [Read more…] about Winterfest in Penn Yan Feb 22-23
A lecture on the 1918 influenza epidemic in the Finger Lakes has been set for Thursday, September 6th at 7 pm, at the Cayuga Museum’s Carriage House Theater in Auburn.
Medical historian and retired professor Teresa Lehr will discuss the flu pandemic, and specifically its local effects. [Read more…] about 1918 Influenza Outbreak In The Finger Lakes
A lecture by John Crispin on the famed Willard Psychiatric Center suitcases has been set for Thursday, May 10th at 6:30 pm at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, led .
When Willard Psychiatric Center closed in New York’s Finger Lakes in 1995, an employee discovered a large collection of suitcases in storage in an attic. Many of these pieces of luggage contained the personal belongings of former patients. [Read more…] about Willard Suitcases Update: A Roosevelt Island Lecture
Chuck D’Imperio’s new book Upstate Uncovered: 100 Unique, Unusual, and Overlooked Destinations in Upstate New York (SUNY Press, 2017) shares an array of fun and amazing places in Upstate New York that the casual traveler might otherwise miss.
As one of Upstate’s most ardent advocates, D’Imperio has traveled the backroads and byways of the region seeking out the stories, tales, and folklore writ upon the landscape. He takes readers to one hundred small towns and cities from the Hudson Valley to the High Peaks of the Adirondacks and out through the rolling hills of the Finger Lakes region. Not only a reflection of “the road less traveled,” Upstate Uncovered includes pertinent information such as websites, photographs, personal interviews, and explicit directions to each of the included entries. [Read more…] about New Book: Upstate Uncovered
A September post on this New York History Blog had some examples of “putting history to work” – showing the value of history for revealing historical precedents, insights or parallels which help shed light on current issues. Demonstrating that value in varied, imaginative ways is an important strategy for building support and securing resources for our history progams.
Here are a few more examples: [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne: More Ideas For Putting History To Work
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he new book Fading Structures in the Finger Lakes: Images and Verse (Fast Pencil, 2015) by Michael W. Duttweiler explores 24 structures in the Central Finger Lake Region. These structures once stood strong, but have since been run down and abandoned.
Each image is paired with a poem conveying the allure and intrigue of the deserted structures. Poems by Conant, Kilmer, Frost, Dickinson, Whitman, Tennyson and other well-known authors are included.
Duttweiler hopes that by conveying the beauty of these fading structures, local organizations will be encouraged to support historic preservation. [Read more…] about New Book: Fading Structures in the Finger Lakes
The new book Finger Lakes Wine Country (2015 Arcadia Publishing), by Finger Lakes local author Sarah S. Thompson, is a photographic journey covering 150 years of viticulture and winemaking in New York’s Finger Lakes region, and its pivotal role in American wine history.
The book is a regional history of the wine industry, told through more than 200 vintage images from collections of area wineries, museums, historical societies, archives and passionate residents. [Read more…] about A Short History of the Finger Lakes Wine Country