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 Greetings!
Welcome to our spring issue of "Touring New York" e-zine. We are publishing four times each year, March, June, September and December, with information and stories about unique upstate New York tourism opportunities and destinations. We have kept all the first class programming from our print version which began in 2002. Now, via the internet, our e-zine reaches world-wide four times each year. We are giving our supporters the opportunity to advertise in our e-zine and you can find more information by visiting either of our websites and then clicking on advertising opportunities. Thanks again for your continuing support, we look forward to hearing from you at either website: www.herziggroup.com or www.touringny.comHere's to a great touring year, Spike L.B. Herzig President ___________________________________________________________________________ |
| Welcome to New York's Oldest Brewery |
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by Jan McGraw
Whatever the end product, the process of producing fascinates me.
When the end product is beer, it adds an element of entertainment.
As a native of the Mohawk Valley, I had toured the Utica Club Brewery, or the Saranac Brewery as it's better known now, some 20 to 25 years ago. A second trip was long overdue.
Tours are available seven days a week June - August. From September to May, they're available on Friday and Saturday afternoons and they request that you call 800 765-6288 ahead for reservations. Being a dutiful person, I called to make a reservation, although I envisioned taking the tour by myself the first Friday in May. Much to my surprise, there were a dozen other people who lined up with their $5.00 tickets (how reasonable is that?) at 1:00 p.m. in the gift shop.
Our guide, Greg, was a college student who had been working there for just a few weeks. He was however, knowledgeable and obviously well trained, not to mention personable. He had a great sense of humor, and was helpful with my several questions. The tour does take you up and down several flights of stairs, so be prepared for that. For those who are unable to do stairs, you can watch a video of the entire tour from the comfort of the tour center.
It's unusual for a business to remain a family-owned concern for 121 years, but the Matt family is proud of their long tradition. In 1888 the first F.X. Matt founded it as the West End Brewery. Matt's Brewery is now the oldest in New York State. Four generations of Matts have "brewed" on the Utica landmark. We ran into president Nick Matt twice on the tour.
I felt at home immediately as we paraded right through a sales meeting at the beginning of the tour. After a brief history of the Matt family, we were able to touch and smell malted barley, specialty malts used in Saranac Adirondack Lager, wheat malt, caramel malt and chocolate malt, prior to entering the Prohibition or Speak Easy room. Did you ever wonder what the breweries did to stay afloat during Prohibition? Well, Utica Club Brewery produced a malt tonic, a non-alcoholic near beer, and several soft drinks. It seems they were quite prepared for the repeal of Prohibition, as they were one of the first breweries in the country to obtain a license - 60 minutes after the 21st Amendment was signed! With license in hand, trucks were on the road immediately with beer deliveries!
The beer making process is made easier to understand on the tour by breaking it down into four major stages: brewing, fermenting, aging and packaging. Greg explained each step in the process as we moved through the factory.
 I remembered the huge copper kettles that are used in the brewing process. I didn't remember that they each hold 500 barrels (about 6,500 cases) of brew. The grain storage bins are four stories tall and hold 250,000 lbs. of grain each. Grain is brought in by rail from the west -- makes you appreciate trains more!
Next we walked past four of twenty-five refrigerated fermenting tanks. Fermentation takes about a week. This is where the yeast is added and it's the yeast that makes it alcohol.
The next stage is aging, which takes four to six weeks. The aging tanks hold about 1,000 barrels of beer each. Greg used the analogy that, "If you and nine of your friends drank one bottle of beer a day, it would take 88 years to finish off just one tank." (You can see that numbers give me perspective.)
The last stage, packaging, is the most animated part of the factory. Labels are attached to the bottles at a rate of ten per second. The bottles are labeled, filled and packaged while visitors watch from a mezzanine. It was mesmerizing (and noisy) to watch.
At the end of the tour, everyone is invited to the 1888 tavern for a couple of free beers or sodas. The tavern area was the maltmaster's home when an earlier brewery owned the building in the early 1800's. My favorite "brew" is actually Saranac Root Beer, so I sipped one while talking to the other visitors. One young woman had been taking pictures (which are allowed throughout the tour) and notes. Turns out she was writing a paper for a college course on nutrition. A couple of young guys were locals whose primary objective may have been the free beers rather than the tour. I also spoke to a couple of women from Syracuse who had driven down for an afternoon's entertainment. I think I convinced them to drive another 12 miles east to the Gems Along the Mohawk and Waterfront Grille in Herkimer for shopping and lunch.
 Then I went back downstairs to the gift shop where they offer everything from sportswear and trailwear to many of their beer and soda choices and their entire collection of famous beer steins, Schultz & Dooley being their "spokes mugs." I remember the Schultz and Dooley Utica Club TV commercials from the 1960's. Leigh D'Agostino, Tour Center Manager for 13 years, told me they were so popular TV Guide used to list when they would be aired. I couldn't resist purchasing a miniature Cousin Emma stein. Schultz's cousin was created in 1991 and she's cute as can be. You really have to visit their website www.saranac.com to realize the scope of their offerings. There's even a stein collector's club. Want your own beer labels? You can create your label on line -- they'll put it on the beer or soda of your choice and ship to you!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the company's commitment to the community. They sponsor Saranac Thursdays - "Utica's biggest happy hour of the summer" - June through early September. A portion of the proceeds are donated to the United Way. Leigh told me last year's donation was $30,000. Several concerts and activities take place each year on the premises (again, check the website). Saranac is the founding sponsor of the huge Boilermaker 15K Road Race post race party. The Race ends at the Brewery and literally thousands of people attend the party.
Saranac Brewery is located on the corner of Court and Varick Streets in Utica. The Varick Street neighborhood is considered Utica's "trendy entertainment district." The City is considering adding a pedestrian plaza for visitors and locals. It's a great little area to walk around, have lunch, and experience a truly welcoming feeling in a relaxing atmosphere.
photos: courtesy of Saranc Brewery
 Brewery Tours & Information
June - August , Mon. - Sat.
1 p.m. - 4 p.m.(on the hour)
Sun. 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Sept. - May, Fri. & Sat.
1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
Closed all major holidays.
Except for the summer months, we
do request that you call in advance
to make reservations for tours, which typically run 1 hour.
Directions: From the NYS Thruway (I-90) Exit 31 Take Genesee South Through Downtown to Court Street. Take a right and follow the aroma of fresh malts and Hops to the corner of Court and Varick Streets. You're at the Brewery! Free parking is available.
For more information
call: 315.732.0022 or 800.765.6288
The Brewery Shop
& Tour Center
830 Varick Street
Utica, NY 13502
www.saranac.com
Photos: Courtesy of Saranac Brewery |
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| Open Cockpit
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by Kirk W. House
Morning fog socked us in, but it was worth the wait. Definitely.
My appointment was for 10 AM, but it was a sunny noon when I stepped out onto the concrete runway to join Lee Bly in finishing his "walk-around" inspection of the 1942 Stearman. "See how this looks loose?" he asked, tugging at an unyielding screwhead. "Well, it's not. It only look that way." Lee finished his job checking every visible screw and bolt, manipulating each control surface, and declaring himself satisfied as Lee Robbins joined us, zipping up his coveralls and hefting his flying gear.
This Lee is an old friend, and there's nobody I feel happier flying with. Once one of my trustees when I was director at the Glenn Curtiss Museum, retired as chief pilot for Corning Incorporated and later chairman of the board at Wings of Eagles, he's taking me for my first open-cockpit biplane ride.
 Lee runs his own quick walk-around as Lee Bly guides me up onto the wing root to hop into the front cockpit, where he supervises my buckling in with waist and chest straps, cautioning me to keep my head in the cockpit... not that I could stretch it that far with all these straps anyhow. Lee Robbins and I check our headsets and microphones, Lee calls the tower, and he starts the engine.
For the first time, I feel a twinge of uneasiness as the prop spins before me. There's no fear, just the sense that I ought to be, well... doing something. But all I do is sit in the deep well of the cockpit, while the engine ahead of me and the pilot behind me do their jobs. We rumble out, speed down the runway past parked gliders, and, seconds later, slide into the air. WAHOO!
I no longer have any sense that I ought to be doing something, because I'm too busy rubbernecking as we easily rise above the aptly-named Big Flats, passing the tiny historic cemetery at the end of the runway, cruising over the tree-covered hills to the north. "I thought we'd head up toward Bath, Kirk," Lee tells me over the headset. "Sounds fine," I answer. Truth to tell, I'll go anywhere.
The stick and rudder pedals in the front cockpit are "live" -- this was once a training aircraft, and they're slaved to the instructor's controls in the rear seat, so I don't stretch my legs quite all the way out. We're bobbing up and down a little, much to Lee's surprise; he'd expected a smooth-as-glass flight after studying ground conditions. All the bouncing does is add a little flavor to the fun.
I see sheep and cattle below as we gain altitude, not to mention seeing cars and trucks along back roads and main highways. Most of the hills below are tree-covered; this is rural territory, and though I know our basic direction I have trouble relating to specific locations until we pass the "little lakes" of Lamoka and Waneta to our right and fly by the village of Bradford.
I snap the insulated vest that I'm wearing over my heavy shirt and my hooded sweatshirt. When the wing shades the sun, at these speeds you feel the cold, for all that it's in the seventies on the ground. There's not much prop wash, and I pull off my headphones to find that even the engine is not especially loud. Now and then I glance at the compass and the turn-and-bank indicator... the only gauges I actually understand, but on the other hand I'm a whiz with both of them. Studying the fabric-covered wing ribs, I try to imagine wing-walking, but decide that my imagination's not that strong.
 Minutes later we top the ridge of Mount Washington, and Keuka Lake stretches away, blue in the sunlight, to our right. Turning left along the ridge, we pass by my old stomping grounds at Curtiss Museum, with the huge "Commando" cargo plane (an exact contemporary of our little biplane) mounted out front. This is a very different view of the ridge than the one I got just three days earlier, climbing it on the Finger Lakes Trail. Ninety-six years before, Glenn Curtiss and his friends slipped and slid down the same slope with experimental hang gliders.
Banking right, we cross Pleasant Valley and double back toward Keuka, flying straight over the wooded Hammondsport Glen and low past the village itself. We're trundling through pioneer air, for this little town was a key center of fledgling American aeronautics before the Great War. Then the "west shore" vineyards, and the wineries of Bully Hill and Heron Hill, stretch out below us, proudly perched on high ground overlooking the lake.
Lee banks us right again, taking us across the lake just under the loom of Keuka Bluff, with its Wagener Mansion perched on top. After an overland hop we pass above Glenora Winery and its town-house accommodations, then bank right again, flying up Seneca Lake, where a lone sailboat slices through the water. Skirting Watkins Glen I look down into the cleft in the forest canopy as we pass over the gorge and the state park, where I walked earlier this season.
Approaching the airport our headphones again pick up the tower, bringing us back not to reality, but at least to mundanity. Passing over Arnot Mall we slide to earth, kiss the runway, taxi back to Lee Bly and the hangar. I check my watch: 45 minutes since takeoff. "Tremendous," I tell Lee Robbins, and I mean every syllable. Unbuckling the straps, I grasp the handholds in the upper wing's center section, raise myself from the cockpit, swing my right foot, then my left, onto the wing root, hop back to earth. Tremendous.
Wings of Eagles (formerly the National Warplane Museum) is at the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport in the southern Finger Lakes. Rides are also available in the AT6/SNJ "Texan" and in the Fairchild PT-19. The museum collection includes such aviation stars as a TBM "Avenger" (similar to that flown by the first President Bush in World War II combat), a "Huey" helicopter, an F-14, and an A-10 "Warthog." Museum tours include the restoration shop.
 Schweizer Soaring School and Harris Hill Soaring Corporation both offer glider rides. Costa's, the oldest air service in New York, gives small plane rides from its strip near Corning. The National Soaring Museum and the Glenn Curtiss Museum are both nearby, along with Corning Museum of Glass, Watkins Glen, and the Finger Lakes wine region.
Wings of Eagles
17 Aviation Drive
Horseheads, NY 14845
(607) 739-8200
www.wingsofeagles.com
Photos: Kirk W. House
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| History at Home: Elmira
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by Kirk W. House
You don't expect it in New York state.
The blue sky blankets the green grass as you step through low white markers, announcing birthplaces in Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, both Carolinas. Here are the names and the regiments of three thousand Confederate dead, laid to rest a long, long way from home.
New York sent more soldiers to the Civil War than any other state, and 34,000 of them were mustered in Elmira. Beginning in 1864, though, a reverse movement started; the city now hosted a camp for prisoners of war. Prison facilities on both sides were atrocious, and the new facility quickly gained the name of Hell-mira. Citizens bought tickets to watch the prisoners from high platforms, and the prisoners died, and were buried. Today you step through their ranks in the bivouac of the dead at Woodlawn National Cemetery. US soldiers lie here too. The space is quiet and green, and level in a hilly cemetery. Birds flit in and out of the surrounding trees.
Not far away, in another section of the cemetery, lies John Jones, the caretaker who laid the Confederate dead to rest with meticulous respect. His stone tells me that like my elder son, John Jones was born in Leesburg, Virginia. Had the rebel soldiers he buried come across him on their raids, they'd have returned him to bondage. Jones was an escaped slave who operated an Underground Railroad station in Elmira, passing 800 fellow escapers through on their way to freedom. There was plenty of sympathy locally. Thomas Beecher, whose sister wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, was pastor of the Park Church downtown.
A short walk from the Jones grave brings to a memorial stele rising to the height of two fathoms -- mark twain. Samuel Clemens married Elmira's Olivia Langdon, and the family summered in Elmira for 12 years. Clemens himself bore out his country's struggle with race and slavery, briefly joining a Confederate irregular unit before heading west to avoid the fray. In later years he wrote such works as Puddn'head Wilson and Huckleberry Finn, groping toward a new vision of a multiracial America.
 Huckleberry Finn he wrote in Elmira, along with Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi, The Prince and the Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. His in-laws created an octagonal study just for his use on a height overlooking the Chemung River. Elmira summers were his prime writing time, and it's a little spooky (in the best sort of way) to step through the door into the airy little space, now on the Elmira College campus. If there are magical places in American letters, this is one of them. In this room, on these very chairs, the American Chaucer found perhaps the first distinctly American voice. There's a clear view on seven sides, which much have pleased the former riverboat pilot who despised fussy, ornate expression.
Nearby Hamilton Hall on the campus hosts an exhibit space on Mark Twain's summers at the Langdons' Quarry Farm, and you can drive through the farm itself, though the house is closed. Downtown at Chemung Valley History Museum is other Mark Twain memorabilia, including an upholstered chaise that he was fond of lounging in.
The main part of the museum is in an old bank, with the huge vault doors still in place. New exhibits are constantly appearing in the Brick Vault Gallery, while the permanent space includes "The Personal Past," a thought-provoking section of objects treasured enough to be passed down -- quilts, kitchenware, a toy pistol, a cane. Other sections highlight Iroquois life, the Civil War, World War II, fun and entertainment, and the disastrous Hurricane Agnes flood in 1972, when over half the city's people were evacuated. A mammoth tusk found locally recalls the one that prompted Iroquois to name the river Chemung -- "Big Horn."
Humorist Mark Twain might have been pleased to know that native Elmiran Hal Roach, who lies not far from Mark in Woodlawn Cemetery, would become famed for producing dozens of early comedy movies, especially those starring the Keystone Kops. Visitors today can also turn into Eldridge Park to try out the antique carousel there -- beloved by generations of Elmirans, and recently lovingly restored.
As I leave the museum, a World War II SNJ "Texan" trainer airplane from the nearby Wings of Eagles rumbles overhead. On the other side of the ridge, gliders are soaring. Sunny skies, colorful carved horses, laughing children -- they're all part of history too. Feel free to make some of your own.
www.chemungvalleymuseum.org
www.elmira.edu
www.chemungchamber.org
Another nearby national cemetery, in Bath, includes the remains of 18 unknown soldiers from the War of 1812, discovered in Canada and reinterred with honors from both nations.
Photos: Kirk W. House
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Lily Dale: The World's Largest Spiritual Community
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by Emerson Klees
Lily Dale, the "World's Largest Spiritual Community," has as its purpose:
To further the understanding of the science, philosophy, and religion of Spiritualism.
To promote activities and discussions concerning modern benevolent, charitable, literary, and civic thoughts.
To promote a greater understanding of all mankind.
Lily Dale, which does not allow trances or Tarot card readings, is not a psychic fair. The 450 residents, who must be members of the 160-year-old National Spiritualist Church, are serious about practicing their religion. The community has over 20,000 visitors each year.
 Spiritualists founded Lily Dale in 1880 with the intent "to offer a series of events and experiences to bring information, enlightenment, hope, and peace, to those whose hearts are open to receive." Daily lectures discuss the wonders of psychic phenomena and the basic truths of God and Man which Spiritualists adopt as their standard for living. Mediums devoted to the service of visitors demonstrate clairvoyance at daily meetings.
 The Healing Temple is available for meditation and the renewing and uplifting of spiritual and physical energies. Spiritual healers work with those who desire individual healing energies. Classes on a broad range of topics such as Past-Life Regression, the Venus Mars Cycle, Angelic Messages, and the Universal Peace Shield of Truths take place throughout the season. Thought Exchange evenings give free interplay of information, besides answering questions. Demonstrations of mediumship take place three times a day during the week. Registered mediums make arrangements for private consultations.
Nestled on Cassadaga Lake and surrounded by century-old oaks, maples, and hemlocks, Lily Dale offers a very peaceful atmosphere. Most of the houses are gingerbread Victorian cottages on narrow lanes. A modest gate fee includes admission to about a dozen events. Two hotels, the Maplewood and the Leolyn, serve the community along with seven guest homes. Lily Dale lies near the village of Cassadaga, an hour south of Buffalo and a half-hour from the Chautauqua Institution.
The major facilities, as described in the Visitor's Guide, are:
The Auditorium
Built in 1883, the historic auditorium is a center of activities during the summer season. Sunday morning services take place here each week, with Lily Dale Spiritualist Church and Church of the Living Spirit taking charge on alternate Sundays. Each afternoon, seven days a week, an Auditorium service features a speaker and a clairvoyant, with topics relating to Spiritualism and other spiritual philosophies. Every Monday evening, Message Circles are held in the Auditorium, which is also the site of special events throughout the season.
Inspiration Stump
Inspiration Stump is a spiritual retreat at the end of a calm and peaceful trail through the Leolyn Woods. Visitors are invited to participate in services held twice a day in the grove. Demonstrations of mediumship give short messages to those in the audience. These services began in 1898; visitors are invited to renew their own spiritual energies while in an open and receptive environment.
 Forest Temple
Forest Temple is considered an area of tranquility. Approximately three dozen registered mediums deliver messages here, as well as those who are visiting or are students. The Temple opened in 1894; like Inspiration Stump, Forest Temple is an area of spiritual, emotional, and mental uplift.
The Healing Temple
Opened in 1955, the Healing Temple is dedicated to the principles of spiritual healing. It is a place of peace and solitude for all those who come to renew their energies through healing or quiet meditation and prayer. Visitors are welcome at the twice-daily services and are invited to experience the healing energies channeled through any one of the men and women who serve at the Temple.
Marion Skidmore Library
The Marion Skidmore Library contains the world's largest collection of rare Spiritualist and metaphysical books, including tomes on healing, mediumship, transpersonal psychology, and spiritual development. Because much of the material is irreplaceable, books may not be taken from the premises. However, a reading room is provided for research and study. A video presentation offers an overview of the history and philosophy of Lily Dale.
Lily Dale Historical Society
The Historical Society aims to protect and preserve documents and artifacts available for exhibit. The Society honors the founders of Lily Dale and preserves many items that record the history and heritage of the community, and of Spiritualism.
 A.J. Davis Memorial Lyceum
The Lyceum is a Spiritualist Sunday School teaching the fundamental tenets of Spiritualism -- its history, science, philosophy, and religion.
Lily Dale Bookstore
The bookstore has a wide variety of books, tapes, and pamphlets on subjects relating to Spiritualism.
Lily Dale Assembly
5 Melrose Park
Lily Dale, NY 14572
(716) 595-8721
www.lilydaleassembly.com
Photos: Emerson Klees | Poscards: epodunk.com & ancestry.com
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| America Flies Again |
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by Chuck Lyons
In the gentle hills of Steuben County, at the head of Keuka
(the "crooked lake"), history repeats itself.
America has flown again.
Volunteers at the Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport have created a full size reproduction of Curtiss's 1914 flying boat America, which was originally built to be the first plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The reproduction launched itself from the waters of Keuka Lake in September 2008.
When I visited the Museum during construction, two women volunteers -- one on the floor and the other on a gray folding metal chair -- were patiently stitching fabric to the biplane's lower wing. Meanwhile pilot Jim Poel and Art Wilder, a retired mechanical engineer and volunteer director of the Museum's restoration shop, were studying the wooden framework of the plane's 72-foot long main wing, working out the proper linkage for the two ailerons, small, panels that help control the craft.
 In the restoration shop, other volunteers were working on the wooden hull of the flying boat, which is powered by two original 100 hp Curtiss V8 engines. There are no plans or blueprints existing for the America, museum director Trafford Doherty said, so volunteers worked from sketches and detailed photos of the original plane, figuring out a lot of the construction details as they went along.
When the hull was finished and all the fabric had been stitched -- a lot of work -- the restoration was assembled on the Museum floor and any remaining construction or operational details worked out. It was then disassembled, moved down to the lake, and reassembled there.
"We have a history of making reproductions here," Doherty said, but the America project is "by far the biggest" the Museum has undertaken.
The Museum has already completed -- and flown -- a reproduction of Curtiss's 1913 Model E Flying Boat (world's first practical flying boat), 1911 A1 Triad (first naval aircraft), and a restored 1931 Curtiss "Junior" light plane. A full-size flying reproduction of Curtiss's 1908 June Bug is also on display as well as other reproductions, including other flying boats.
 The volunteers' latest projects are reproducing the 1910 airplane with which Curtiss flew from Albany to New York City, and restoring a 1920s Curtiss Fledgling. Work takes place on the Museum floor and in the Restoration shop, which is open to the public most days and included with Museum admission.
Glenn Curtiss, a native of Hammondsport and one of America's aviation pioneers, originally built the America with the intention of using it to make the first ever trans-Atlantic flight and win a $50,000 prize from the London Daily Mail. But that dream that was scuttled when World War I broke out. The plane was instead sold to the British who modified it and used it in anti-submarine warfare. The America in fact became the prototype for future anti-submarine flying boats
(The Navy Curtiss NC-4 Flying Boat would in 1919 be the first plane to cross the Atlantic).
The purpose of the America project, Doherty said, and the museum itself is to bring Curtiss's name before the public. An aviation pioneer, an inventor with dozens of patents, land developer, and entrepreneur, Glenn Curtiss is considered both the father of aviation manufacturing in the United States and the father of naval aviation.
He was born in Hammondsport May 21, 1878.
Obsessed with speed, Curtiss, originally operated a bicycle shop in Hammondsport, became a well-known bicycle racer, moved on to engine-powdered bicycles and motorcycles, and by 1902 was manufacturing his own motorcycles under the brand names "Curtiss" and "Hercules." On one of these -- powered by a V8 engine of his own design -- he set a world speed record of 136.4 mph at Ormond Beach, Florida in 1907. (Based on that performance, he held the title "Fastest Man on Earth" for four years).
The engines he had designed assured his success, and in 1904 one was used to power a dirigible, introducing Curtiss to the world of flight. On July 4, 1908, in the Curtiss-designed and -built June Bug, he made the first public-announced and witnessed flight in America, over one kilometer in a straight line. That feat was followed by other "firsts" and other records (including a world flight speed record of 46.5 mph in 1909), design and manufacture of other flying machines, one of which was the first to fly between Albany and New York City, the creation of the G. H. Curtiss Manufacturing Co. to produce motorcycles, airplane engines, and airplanes, and the manufacture of the famous JN "Jenny" trainer, on which 95 percent of all US and Canadian pilots trained at the time of World War I, as well as both Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh.
All these achievements are commemorated at the Hammondsport museum, which includes a 75-seat theater, a library, and a gift shop. The museum enjoys a reproduction of the June Bug, an original Jenny, exhibits on Curtiss's bicycle shop, his motorcycles -- including a reproduction of the bike used for his 1907 record run -- his bicycles, antique automobiles and trailers as well as the restoration projects. Other displays follow Curtiss through his days as a land developer in Florida and his work creating one of America's first travel trailers. There is also a World War I exhibit, some local history exhibits, and -- among other things -- a reproduction of the famous World War II P-40, flown by "Flying Tigers" of the China Theater.
Those fighters were manufactured by Curtiss-Wright, a company created by the merger of the Curtiss and Wright Brothers manufacturing operations in 1929. By the mid-1930's, Curtiss-Wright was second in size only to General Motors. During the war and pre-war years of 1939 to 1946, Curtiss-Wright, which still exists, manufactured 250,000 engines, 100,000 propellers, and over 28,000 airplanes, of which half were P-40's.
Glenn Curtiss's was cut short, however, when he died after surgery for appendicitis in 1930. He was 52 years old.
Curtiss is buried in Hammondsport near the site of the historic June Bug flight, not far from the museum that commemorates his life and his achievements, and close to Keuka Lake where, thanks to Glenn Curtiss Museum volunteers, America has flown again.
Directions:
To get to the museum take I-86 to the Bath exit (exit 38). When you leave the interstate and go into Bath you are on Rt. 54. Continue north on 54 about seven miles and look for the twin-propeller, silver-bodied C46 transport plane on the left, marking the turn into the museum.
The Glenn Curtiss Museum
is open seven days a week except major holidays.
Check the museum's web site at
www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org
for hours of operation and special events,
or call (607) 569-2160.
Admission:
is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 65 or older, $4 for children seven to 18. Under age seven is free. A family rate of $20 is also available as are special group rates.
Photos: Courtesy of Glenn Curtiss Museum and Joshua B. House
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| Shopping Special: Canandaigua is "The Chosen Spot"
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by Kirk W. House
Main Street slides steadily down the hill into Canandaigua Lake, making a fine walk and an impressive vista.
In fact, it goes literally INTO the lake, where Main Street becomes the City Pier.
But Canandaigua's Main Street has something even rarer than that -- a vibrant downtown shopping district.
Because of the mile-long steady slope, and the broad divided boulevard of Main Street, you can stand at either end and take in the whole view.
For 15 years we've enjoyed wandering from shop to shop, often starting with The Paperback Place, whose the selection includes hardbound books as well. As with any used bookshop the selection varies between one visit and the next, but there are always vast choices in the genres (science fiction, mystery, westerns, romance) with children's titles and rare books as well. We also usually prowl through Unique Toy Shop. Our kids are grown, but they're not the ones I'm thinking of when I admire the castle set up in the window. I want it for me.
 Joyce, who belongs to the Embroiderers Guild of America, ALWAYS shops at Expressions in Needleart. I usually poke around for a few minutes -- I like the designs, and I've learned a few things about the art, even if my poor fine-motor skills make actually DOING the work a terrifying prospect. Then I usually slip a few doors up the street into Coyote's Den for a superhero fix. The Den's selection is enthusiastically eclectic, but the main theme is "all things gaming" -- from Dungeons and Dragons to collectible cards and game board needs -- not to mention posters, books, movie DVDs, and more.
Although we're not really in a position to buy art, we do know what we like, which includes Canandaigua's Main Street, with its half-dozen galleries. When we last visited All Things Art we enjoyed an exhibit of nature photography, but you can find all media, subjects and styles if you slip from shop to shop. There are even two music shops, and we get a chance to peek at some antique instruments.
A hot dog pushcart anchors one end of the dining spectrum, while the New York Wine and Culinary Center holds down the other. In between are the full range of other choices... ice cream, Chinese food, Pizza Hut. We often take our lunch at the Villager, a family-operated sit-down restaurant popular with residents (and us). We feel right at home.
Main Street also offers:
- A day spa, therapeutic massage, and YMCA
- Four jewelers
- Eight clothing and shoe stores, including Country Ewe, Leather Depot, and Cinderella's Shoes
- The Inn on Main, the Inn on the Lake, and Bed & Breakfast at Oliver Phelps
- Five stores for furniture and home furnishings, plus several antique shops and stores for decorative items
- The Commons -- outdoor public space with free summer concerts
- Ontario County Historical Society -- we saw a fine exhibit of historic needlework samplers
- Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum -- 1816 mansion with western New York's largest collection of horse-drawn carriages and farm implements
- Offices for the Nature Conservancy and Finger Lakes Land Trust
- Captain Gray's (on the City Pier) -- boat tours, excursions, bicycle rentals
There is actually more to Canandaigua than Main Street. Just two or three blocks east lie Sonnenberg Gardens, a 52-acre estate with extensive formal and informal gardens surrounding an 1887 mansion. Roseland Waterpark is the largest waterpark in the Finger Lakes. Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center seats 5000 under cover and 10,000 on the lawn for concerts by name performers. Ontario County Fairgrounds is on the edge of town, and the whole city -- not just Main Street -- has extensive shopping. In the Seneca tongue, Canandaigua is "the Chosen Spot." Stop by for some shopping. You'll soon see why.
Canandaigua Area Chamber of Commerce
(585) 394-4400
www.canandaiguachamber.com
Merchants Association
www.downtowncanandaigua.com
Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance
(800) 548-4386
www.fingerlakes.org
Photos: Courtesy of The Visit Finger Lakes (Ontario County) tpa office
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| Freedom Fighters: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt
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By Kirk W. House
"I've got an easy question for you, and a hard one," says the volunteer guide, leaning on his cane.
"What state were you born in, and who was the President then?" Rhode Island. New York. Pennsylvania. Montana. Truman. Nixon. Eisenhower. "Gibraltar," says one woman to a wave of delighted approbation. "And it was Queen Elizabeth the Second." My son Erik, born during Reagan's first term, is perhaps the youngest one present. As a Truman baby, I'm in the oldest cohort. Of the entire crowd, only our guide has a life that overlapped with Franklin D. Roosevelt's -- but every one of us has lived in his shadow.
 When I was about ten years old, our family drove into the Roosevelt estate at Hyde Park, right up to the mansion's front door. "The Roosevelts lived here," our mother explained to my younger sister. "They were very wealthy rich people." This naturally became an instant family expression.
Mom's gone now, but at last I've made it back, and even inside, with Erik's company. We all crowd into a little articulated people mover and trundle to Sarah Roosevelt's rose garden. The flowers are lovely, the grass is green and perfectly clipped, the sky is bright and blue. Butterflies flit in and out, but all of our attention is on a large but simple marble block, inscribed with the names Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, and their dates. Here lie the two most influential (and controversial) Americans of the twentieth century -- along with their little dog Fala.
Around the hedge we come to the home, where Franklin grew up as a beloved only child. He adored both the house and the extensive grounds, and it's easy to see why; this part of America, with the Hudson lying below, has a peculiar beauty unique to itself.
We pass through the grand entrance, under a 48-star flag and the Presidential banner. Here Roosevelt hosted his neighbors on each of his nine election nights (he won eight times), and here welcomed dignitaries from across the globe. Here he was carried home in 1921, wracked and agonizing from polio but determined to triumph.
He grew up in the Victorian era, and the house is crammed, even cluttered, with Rooseveltian enthusiasm. Naval prints decorate the front hallway, and the living room is definitely "lived in," filled with comfy seating and one of Franklin's spare, home-made wheelchairs. Another wheelchair sits upstairs in the large dumbwaiter -- this is how he was hauled upstairs and down for 24 years.
One very nice bedroom was used at various times by numerous distinguished guests, including Winston Churchill and the King and Queen of England. (Roosevelt and his mother served them hot dogs on the front lawn. After having them explained, the royal couple dutifully worked them down.)
Eleanor's bedroom, on the other hand, is Spartan and sad, reflecting how ill at ease she felt in this house, under the disapproving scrutiny of Franklin's mother. Erik and I wandered out back of the house, where the ground slopes sharply down to the Hudson. Partially paralyzed, beset by the crises of war and Depression, Roosevelt lulled himself to sleep each night by remembering his boyhood days sledding down those slopes, trudging back to the top, then sliding back down, again and again and again.
After investigating the icehouse and the stables, we strolled to America's first Presidential Library, designed from sketches by FDR. This doubled as a Hyde Park office during the war years, and an exciting feature is the President's desk (also used by Hoover and Truman) from the Oval Office, cluttered with the same brick-a-brack and office supplies that adorned it on the day of his death.
 Downstairs we visit Franklin's Ford Phaeton. He bought it from a local dealer, whose head mechanic rigged up two large hand levers to operate the three pedals. Back in the main exhibit area, a backlit scrim gives us an intriguing look into the wartime Map Room. Special galleries give us the story of Franklin's youth, and Eleanor's long crusade for world justice -- in a letter to President Truman she thanks him for appointing her to a UN commission, and takes him to task for threatening Constitutional rights with his loyalty program.
Gallery after gallery describes the Presidential years, including anti-Roosevelt campaign materials, such as buttons reading "Two Good Terms Deserve a Rest" or "We Don't Want Eleanor, Either." Mostly, though, history has judged him favorably.
And, like Abraham Lincoln, who also died at the very end of HIS war, Franklin D. Roosevelt is enshrined in the hearts of his people. Near the end of the exhibit, an oversize front page announces FDR's sudden death, just on the point of victory in Europe. Another visitor reads through the story, repeatedly wiping her tears.
Also at Hyde Park
We started our visit at the Henry Wallace visitors' center, named for FDR's also-controversial second vice-president... the one who stepped aside for Truman, who succeeded to the White House three months later. As we pulled in, Erik barked out an excited "Look!" The entrance was decorated with topiary -- shrubs trained into the shape of Fala. A huge floor mosaic shows us around Roosevelt country in the Hudson Valley, and an orientation film runs throughout the day. In one corridor are murals painted as part of a New Deal program to adorn the new Post Office in Hyde Park. The gift shop offers Roosevelt (and anti-Roosevelt) memorabilia. A café is named for Eleanor's housekeeper, Mrs. Nesbitt -- sardonic humor on someone's part, as Mrs. Nesbitt's atrocious housekeeping was exceeded only by her appalling meals.
Eleanor and Franklin each felt the need sometimes to get away from the press of business -- and Franklin's mother -- and each other! They built Val-Kill and Top Cottage on the eastern edge of the estate (but not too close to each other) as personal hideaways. Both cottages, the main house with garden and outbuildings, the visitors' center, and the Presidential Library and Museum are open for visitation.
National Historic Site
(845) 229-9115
www.nps.gov/hofr
Presidential Library
(800) FDR-VISIT
www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu for your readers. Photos: Exterior of the Mansion courtesy of Roosevelt Home NHS and Interior courtesy of FDR Library.Back to top
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