Archive: Around Town

Lindsay Glasner has joined the Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau (FIYB) board, according to Jeff Love, board president. A native of the Ithaca area, she currently works as the K-12 Outreach Coordinator for the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Glasner graduated from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell and recently completed a master's degree through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She has volunteered in the past at the Sciencenter, Floating Classroom and Trumansburg Elementary School.

Glasner considers Ithaca home and is "eager to support the community, especially with developing youth. What better way to give back then to become part of the FIYB team!"

By Adam Kramarsyck

Hi folks, my name is Hyde. Whats big, orange, round, and available right now? Me! Oh yea, pumpkins too, I suppose. I'm handsome AND playful! What a combo! If you give me a minute to get used to your smell, then I would love to be pet. Wand toys are my favorite, and I have the most unique meow, you'll have to come and check it out for yourself!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Longtime Lansing resident Dennis Osika was named one of three 2019 recipients of the Catholic Diocese of Rochester's Vita Award. This honor is given to residents from within the 12-county Central New York Diocese who demonstrate a dedication to the Consistent Life Ethic in their personal and public lives and are outstanding in their contribution to and advocacy in multiple dimensions of the Consistent Life Ethic.

Osika was the honored guest at a dinner organized by Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga at All Saints parish hall October 4th. Two days later he officially received the award from Bishop Salvatore Matano at Sacred Heart Cathedral at the 11:15am Mass.

By Adam Kramarsyck

Meet Dragon! He doesn't breathe fire, unfortunately, but he does have enough fire inside to melt your heart. He's a gentle and old soul who came to the shelter with his buddy, Damon, so we imagine he might be okay in a home with other dogs. Dragon is a fan of gentle play, leaning in for attention, and sniffing his surroundings. Come visit him today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Cubs from Lansing Pack 48 and Scouts from Lansing Troop 48 working together
"Probably the most fun you will ever have in a hair net!"

It was true! If you passed St Catherine of Siena in Ithaca last week you will see many people wearing hair nets. They were there to help at the Ithaca MobilePack under the expert guidance of staff from the not-for-profit Feed My Starving Children. It is a Christian charity that uses donations to buy ingredients (rice, soy, veggies and vitamins), volunteers to pack food and partners throughout the world to make sure the food arrives in places where children are in need of regular nutritious meals. Over 100 members of the local Scouting community joined together on the evening of September 26th and followed the advice of the Scout Slogan, to "Do a Good Turn Daily".

Fire Prevention Week is October 6th – 12th. The theme this year is "Not every hero wears a cape. Plan and practice your escape."

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):

Seventy-one percent of households have a fire escape plan, but only 47% have practiced it. One-third believe they have at least six minutes before a fire becomes life-threatening. Only 8% said their first thought was to get out when they heard the smoke alarm.

A record number of musical instruments were put into the hands of children in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) this past year through the 'Play it Again, Ithaca' instrument-recycling program. "It was an amazing response," said Coordinator Suzanne Snedeker. "We reached out to the community, and the number of our donations tripled in 2018-19."

A program of the Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG), this instrument-recycling program urged community members to dust off and donate their unused instruments so that they could literally be played again. "By mid-summer, we had given 49 professionally repaired instruments, 12 accessories, and a number of new bows and cases to the ICSD for use in the district's music education and performance programs," said Snedeker.

A benefit to support The sanctuary space at the first Congregational Church

Saturday October 23
2559 N. Triphammer Rd.
6:30. Snack dessert or beverage to share

Suggested donation. $10 per person

The Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, in partnership with the Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG), an affiliate of IPEI, is offering a creative retreat for teachers of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) teachers and other districts in Tompkins County during the February and March school breaks. The program is designed to provide residency-type retreats for local teachers in the following disciplines: creative writing, photography/film/video, and painting/sculpture/visual art. The program is free to attend. Teachers are selected through a lottery system.


The Saltonstall Arts Colony offers a quiet studio, a beautiful setting and time for inspiration in Ellis Hollow. The Saltonstall Foundation and FABG support teachers in their creative work inside and outside the classroom.



A realm often overlooked, the incredible world of bees is at the Museum of the Earth's new special exhibit: "Bees! Diversity, Evolution and Conservation". Investigate bees' ancient origins, their immense diversity, and the ever-evolving drama between flowers and pollinators. The exhibit is up through June 1, 2020, at the Museum of the Earth.

Beyond the seven species of honeybees that people often think of first, there are over 20,000 bee species on planet Earth including solitary, social, and brood parasitic bees. The vast array of species include ground, wood, and stem-nesting bees, large bees (like the recently rediscovered Wallace's Giant Bee), tiny bees the size of a fruit fly, and strange and exotic species such as the vulture bees of Central America.

The Ithaca Rotary Club announced the awardees for its 2019 round of community grants. Eight grant requests were funded at a total of just over $7,100. The agencies were honored at a check presentation on Wednesday, October 9 during Rotary’s noon lunch meeting at Coltivare. Funds for these grants are raised through Rotary’s annual Little Apple Fall Follies (LAFF) event each October.

The 29th annual POW/MIA Watch Fire was at Myers Park Thursday night.  Here is the event in pictures, and click here for the story.

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