Skaneateles Hosts Antique and Classic Boat Show—   
Wooden boats and barbershop quartets recall bygone era
 
Among the thousands of visitors to the Antique and Classic Boat Show in Skaneateles July 29-31 will be John Howard, of Pendleton, N.Y., who will be judging his 12th show in this Finger Lakes village.
 
Howard, who is head of the judging committee for ACBS (Antique and Classic Boat Society) International, has judged shows for more than a dozen ACBS chapters in the United States and Canada. But the Skaneateles show is one of his favorites.  
 
“The Skaneateles show is extremely well organized and nicely run,” says Howard, one of several judges for the show. “The boats are high quality, and there are a lot of unique boats—like the Penn Yan and the Lightning sailboat—that we don’t usually see outside central New York state.
 
“The Skaneateles show is a pleasure to judge,” he says, noting he looks forward to it all year long. “I really enjoy the people, the setting, the community, even the drive in from western New York.”
 
The show, in Clift Park, features land and water displays of some 80 antique and classic wooden boats, ranging from mahogany runabouts manufactured by Chris-Craft, Hacker and Gar Wood in the early 1900s to launches, sailboats, canoes, rowing craft and race boats—many restored to their original condition.

It is organized by the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society and the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation (also known as the Skaneateles Foundation), and presented by M&T Bank.
 
Hours are 3 p.m. to dusk Friday, 9 a.m. to dusk Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, and the event is handicapped accessible.
 
Judging of the boats, in 20 categories, takes place Saturday morning. Throughout the weekend, visitors to the show will cast their votes for the highly coveted People’s Choice Award, sponsored by Doug’s Fish Fry, which will be presented at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Fun for the entire family

“Our Antique and Classic Boat Show has become a tradition for exhibitors, families and visitors,” says Susan Dove, executive director of the Skaneateles Foundation. “With children’s activities, the boat parade, free concerts, historical tours—and shopping and dining opportunities afforded by the village’s unique boutiques, galleries and restaurants—there truly is something for everyone.”   
 
Activities throughout the weekend include:
 
• a performance by the Skaneateles Community Band, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday
 
• a display of antique model boats by the Syracuse Model Boat Club, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
 
• a book-signing by noted boat historian Tony Mollica, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the registration tent. His books, on vintage boats and the Thousand Islands, will be for sale at the Ship’s Store.
 
• an opportunity for children to paint toy wooden boats, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

• guided tours by the Skaneateles Historical Society, starting at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $10 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Historical Society.

• an a cappella performance by The Finger Lakes Chorus, the Geneva, N.Y., chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday
 
• the boat parade and fly-by, starting at 3 p.m. Saturday

• a cruise aboard the Judge Ben Wiles, for photographers and spectators, from 9 to 10 a.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children under 13 accompanied by an adult. The photo for this year’s boat show poster, by Lisson Photography, was shot at last year’s show during an impromptu photo shoot.

•  a performance by the Soda Ash Six,  noon to 3 p.m. Sunday
 
Throughout the weekend, raffle tickets will be sold for five big-ticket items, including a framed, three-dimensional water chart of Skaneateles Lake created by Lisa’s Chart Art of Webster, N.Y., and valued at $1,000. Other prizes are a cocktail cruise for four aboard an antique boat, a dinner cruise for two aboard the Judge Ben Wiles, tickets to the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, and a framed 2011 boat show poster. Tickets are $5 each, three for $10 or 10 for $20. Tickets can also be purchased prior to the show at the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce or Finger Lakes Photography, where the water chart is on display. Winners will be announced at the conclusion of the show, at 3 p.m. Sunday.
 
Can’t wait for the show? An antique boat is now on display at M&T Bank in the village. The 1954 Penn Yan Cartop was provided by Moravia resident Dick Curvin.

Contributing sponsors of the Antique and Classic Boat Show are Summit Auto, the Sherwood Inn, Lisa’s Chart Art, Delmonico Insurance Agency, Doug’s Fish Fry, Hagerty Classic Marine Insurance, Moro’s Table, The Sailboat Shop, Adams & Son Insurance, Bluewater Grill & Sweetwater Café, cate&sally, Inn at the Finger Lakes, John’s Body Shop, Johnny Angel’s Heavenly Burgers, the Mandana Inn, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Mid-Lakes Navigation, Realty USA and Wirth’s Automotive. Media sponsors are Group M Communications, Time Warner Cable, Scotsman Press, the Skaneateles Journal and WRVO-FM.
 
For more information, go to http://www.skaneateles.com or call the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce at 315-685-0552.

Austin Leads ‘Conversations With Judy’

Actress Laura Austin, founder and artistic director of the Redhouse Arts Center in Syracuse, will lead “Conversations with Judy,” an up close and personal discussion with Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Judy Collins, at the Skaneateles Library from 1 to 3 p.m. July 30. Later in the evening, Collins will perform at a concert at Stella Maris Retreat Center. Both events are sponsored by the Skaneateles Area Arts Council (SKARTS).

During the free public event, Collins will have a book signing for her book, “Singing Lessons,” which includes a musical CD inside. Her CD “Paradise” will also be for sale. In “Singing Lessons,” Collins reflects on her life and career after her son, Clark’s, suicide in 1992 and offers comfort to other survivors of personal tragedies.

The interviewer, Laura Austin, has distinguished herself in the theater and arts. Under her direction, the Redhouse Arts Center has hosted more than 300 events in theater, film, visual art and music. Over the last four seasons, Austin has overseen the production of 16 plays, where she assumed responsibility for casting, commissioning, directing, acting, promoting and fund-raising. Austin’s career has encompassed television and film work in Los Angeles, off-Broadway, and regional theater work throughout the United States and abroad.

The Skaneateles resident has been an adjunct professor of drama in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University and is an active member of the Screen Actors Guild. Her extensive study includes work at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, the Hartford Conservatory, Nikolais Louis Dance Theatre, Second City, Howard Fine Studios and Trinity College, where she earned the President’s Fellowship Award in Theatre and Dance.

SKARTS board member Heather Hawkins is chairing the event. Pre-registration is required; to register, go to http://skarts.org.

About the Skaneateles Area Arts Council

The mission of the Arts Council is to celebrate the visual and performing arts by creating an environment where cultural activity thrives in our community. The Arts Council presents cultural programming and issues community support grants to artists and arts organizations in the Skaneateles area. Winners of the 2011 Skaneateles Area Arts Council grants are: Auburn Public Theater, Becky Flannigan, Khoros Performing Arts Company for Kids, Joanna Manring’s Jane Austen Singing School for Young Ladies, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce, Skaneateles Figure Skating Club, Skaneateles Historical Society and Symphony Syracuse.

The Skaneateles Area Arts Council is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization. To contact the Arts Council, call (315) 685-2414.

Enjoy Dinner, Sunsets, Sightseeing on the Erie Canal
 
Father Fred Daley, pastor of All Saints Church in Syracuse, was looking to do something special for the church’s teachers of faith formation, to show his appreciation for their work over the past year. So, on June 21, he treated them and their spouses – 21 people in all – to a Mid-Lakes Navigation dinner cruise on the Erie Canal.
 
“The experience was just delightful,” says Kathy Meus, director of faith formation. “We couldn’t have had a better night. It was a great ride down the canal and the Seneca River—it was wonderful to see how the canal is now and appreciate what it was in the past. We saw birds along the shoreline, people waved to us, the narration was great, the staff was friendly and attentive to our needs.”
 
Through Aug. 30, Mid-Lakes Navigation offers a variety of daily cruises on the Erie Canal:
 
• Champagne dinner cruises, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m., $49 adults/$40 children
 
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que dinner cruises, Thursdays, 6 to 8:30 p.m., $44 adults/$38 children
 
• Lunch cruises, Fridays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., $28 adults/$23 children
 
• Sightseeing cruises, Fridays, 2 to 2:50 p.m., $12 adults/$8 children/$38 family
 
• Cafe brunch cruises, Sundays, noon to 2 p.m., $37 adults/$30 children
 
• Pasta dinner cruises, Sundays, 5 to 7 p.m., $35 adults/$25 children
 
All of the daily cruises are on the Emita II, a refitted Casco Bay ferry, and depart from Dutchman’s Landing in Baldwinsville. Mid-Lakes Navigation also offers day trips and two- and three-day cruises that travel the Oswego Canal, the Western Erie Canal, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and the Eastern Erie Canal.
 
Would Meus take another Mid-Lakes Navigation cruise? “In a heartbeat,” she says. “It was a magical evening.”
 
For more information, go to http://www.midlakesnav.com or call 315-685-8500.

Summer Adventure Day Camp continues in August, 2011
Send your children ages 4-14 to a camp adventure they’ll remember forever! Hiking and exploring 182 acres of woods including streams, ponds and meadows. Experienced certified counselors help your children learn about nature through hands-on, minds-on activities while they play outdoors. Before and after care available. FMI including registration packets, visit www.baltimorewoods.org.
12 Star Party: Perseid Meteor Shower 9-11 pm.
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the year’s best meteor showers and one of our most popular astronomy programs. The bright moon will blot out some of the fainter meteors, but many brighter ones should still be visible. In addition: how about views of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune? Bring a lawn chair or blanket to lie back and gaze for meteors. $5 for members, $15/family; $8 for nonmembers, $25/family. Back-up date: August 13.
20 Run for the Woods at Marcellus Park 7:45am
Co-sponsored by Marcellus Rotary Club, the run benefits Baltimore Woods and community service projects in Marcellus. Runners can choose the 5-mile or 4-kilometer run. Check-in and registration is at 7:45am in Marcellus Park. A 1K fun-run for kids starts at 8:30am. Call Phyllis Dank at (315) 463-9993 for more information.
27 Fireflies! 8:30-10pm
Fireflies know just what to do on a warm summer night. They have been delighting and mesmerizing people for time beyond measure. Come to The Woods to watch the light show and discover the fascinating and sometimes sneaky world of lightning bugs. Be sure to bring a flashlight. $5 for members, $15/family; $8 for nonmembers, $25/family.
Baltimore Woods Nature Center is located at 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus, NY 13108
Hours: Interpretive Center is open M-F 9am-4pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, closed Sundays.
The hiking trails and parking are free and open every day from dawn to dusk.

Baltimore Woods Nature in the City brings authentic natural science learning to K-6 grade urban school children. Supported by the Syracuse City School District and corporate sponsors, tied to the Syracuse City School District curriculum and New York State Science Standards, lesson content supports teachers while directly impacting students. Holding programs in parks and neighborhood green spaces as well as the classroom, students’ earliest learning experiences in the sciences are relevant, meaningful and fun.
Visit www.baltimorewoods.org for more information