Ithaca Minute from 14850 Magazine

Running to Places Company's The Spongebob Musical runs tonight through Sunday at the State Theatre! Friday and Saturday evening shows, Saturday and Sunday matinees. Tickets are free but reservations are required.

Cornell men's basketball hosts Yale this afternoon at Newman Arena at 5 before heading to Columbia next week. Women's hockey hosts Princeton today at 6 and Quinnipiac tomorrow at 3 at Lynah Rink.

Winter Village Music is hosting a Friday Festival at La Tourelle this evening with bluegrass, old time, and original music featuring local favorites Richie & Rosie among others.

Betty's Ghost is playing at Little Venice in Trumansburg tonight at 9.

The Frank White Experience brings a Notorious B.I.G. tribute show to Deep Dive tonight at 8, followed by Practice tomorrow at 9 featuring Cactus Cathedral and Mill Bastards.

There's a Motherwort EP Release at Sweet Land Farm tomorrow at 5. Great show at the Upstairs the other night!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up, and the Greater Ithaca Activities Center is hosting their MLK event Saturday morning at the Beverly J. Martin Elementary School. State Senator Lea Webb is the keynote speaker, with a message from Attorney General Letitia James as well, workshops, and a lunch, and free childcare is available.

And the Danby Volunteer Fire Company is holding a pancake breakfast Sunday from 8-11 to raise funds to buy new Jaws of Life extrication equipment. 

Don't forget the Buffalo Bills kick off the playoffs at home with the wild card game against the Dolphins Sunday at 1. Squish da Fish!

Find more in the 14850 Happenings Events Calendar.

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As we roll into 2023 this weekend, we’ve heard about lots of fun events for New Year’s Eve, and some of them start a night early with both Friday and Saturday night gigs. All the events we’ve learned about are in the 14850 Happenings events calendar.

Driftwood has a pair of concerts this weekend at the Range in Downtown Ithaca, two 8pm shows on Friday night and Saturday night. Friday’s show will start with special guest Joe Crookston, and on New Year’s Eve, Dom Maytr is opening.

The Comb Down and Jimkata are hosting a two-night New Year’s Eve shindig at Deep Dive on the waterfront. Tickets are available for Friday night or Saturday night or both.

Bar Argos and the Argos Warehouse have a New Year’s Eve gala in both spaces plus their outdoor patios and fire pits, featuring live music from the Real Live Sextet at the Warehouse and MAQ at Bar Argos, plus Proper Philth spinning until 2am.

K-HOUSE Karaoke Lounge at Lansing Village Place suggests leaving the high heels at home and dressing comfy for their Karaoke Pajama Party. No cover in the bar and lounge area, and regular rates for their private karaoke suites.

Garrett’s Brewing in Trumansburg has a Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Party featuring live music from Bad Alibi, with beer specials and a champagne toast at midnight.

There are several restaurants open for dinner on New Year’s Eve, some (like Hazelnut Kitchen) with a celebratory tasting menu, and we’ve heard from a few (including the Antlers, Hazelnut, and Lucky Hare Brewing) with New Year’s Day brunch plans. Find all the holiday hours at 14850.com.

One of our favorite New Year’s Day traditions is the free espresso shot at Gimme! Coffee’s cafés! Don’t forget to tip your barista well.

If we’re missing any New Year’s Eve events, let us know at [email protected]! However you choose to celebrate, please find a safe ride home at the end of the night.

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Dozens of food and beverage producers and purveyors from around the Finger Lakes are coming together to offer tastes of their local fare to benefit food equity at this month’s Taste of the Finger Lakes event. It’s scheduled for Tuesday, June 14th at the Ithaca Farmers Market pavilion at Steamboat Landing.

https://www.14850.com/061126205-taste-finger-lakes-2206/

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Here's the Ithaca Minute from 14850 Today for June 10th!

A letter from Ithaca High School principal Jason Trumble was sent to staff, students, and families on Thursday to let the community know that “all is safe” after “a threatening statement was made by a student today during 2nd period” at the school.

“The situation was handled immediately,” according to Trumble’s e-mail. “We have followed up with the proper authorities, as per our safety plan. There is no credible threat to Ithaca High School at this time.” The message to the school community did not elaborate on the nature of the threat or how the student was handled. Students at Lansing High School were recently arrested in two similar incidents, and charged with making terroristic threats. Ithaca City School District officials and the Ithaca Police Department have not responded to requests for comment.

And this Saturday is the annual Trumansburg Porchfest, offering dozens of mini concerts on and around porches throughout the Village of Trumansburg. Like many, the event was canceled in 2020, but otherwise Trumansburg has held a Porchfest since 2017.

Saturday’s schedule features several performances each hour at 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm, and a 5pm set to close out the day featuring the Sim Redmond Band. Schedule details are at tburgporchfest.com.

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Here's the Ithaca Minute from 14850 Today for June 9th!

A series of union organizers, Starbucks Workers United members, local activists, political figures, and supporters spoke at a press conference outside the College Avenue location of Starbucks on Wednesday afternoon after the store closed for the day. Supporters called for a “Sip-In” this afternoon to show support for baristas who still haven’t gotten word from the company whether they’ll have jobs after the café, at one of Ithaca’s busiest commercial corners, is shuttered on Friday, and speakers at the press conference urged an Ithaca-wide boycott of Starbucks and its cafés until the company negotiates in good faith to keep the Collegetown store open.

Staff at all three Ithaca locations overwhelmingly voted to unionize in votes held this spring, and a Starbucks barista and union organizer who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation from the company said the College Avenue staff was the most vocal group in the unionizing effort.

Speakers at Wednesday afternoon’s press conference included union members and organizers representing staff at both the Sciencenter and Ithaca Health Alliance, two local non-profit organizations whose staffs are unionized.

Also speaking were Ithaca Common Council member Jorge DeFendini, Common Council candidate Tiffany Chen Kumar, and New York State Senate candidate Lea Webb.

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Here's the Ithaca Minute from 14850 Today for May 1st.

The Tops Friendly Market on Meadow Street in Ithaca’s southwest will close at the end of May, the company has confirmed to 14850 Today. “Tops has decided not to renew its lease,” but this decision won’t affect any other stores, the company says.

“The decision was not made lightly and is in no way a reflection of the performance or dedication of our associates at this location,” says Kathy Sautter, public and media relations manager for Tops. “There are no additional plans for store closures.”

“All of the impacted associates will be offered positions in other areas of the company,” Sautter tells us. The Citizens Bank branch currently in the Ithaca Tops will move to the Lansing location, she tells us.

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Here's the Ithaca Minute from 14850 Today for April 30th.

The City of Ithaca says manhole cover work and utility ditch work at the “Tuning Fork” intersection of Seneca Way and East State/MLK Street will affect traffic for most of Monday, May 2nd. Crews will be installing a new manhole ring and cover, and repairing asphalt around the manhole.

Utility work and street reconstruction in Collegetown will mean closures on Catherine Street and Mitchell Street beginning Monday morning. This week’s work is part of the ongoing College Avenue project that is slated to finish this fall.

And the City of Ithaca has 17 cars and other vehicles for sale next week pursuant to New York State’s “abandoned vehicles” law. Vehicle auctions will take place at three towing lots the morning of Friday, May 6th, and included in the car auctions this spring are sedans, SUVs, trucks, and motorbikes.

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Here's the Ithaca Minute from 14850 Today for January 10th.

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a Wind Chill Advisory for Ithaca and Tompkins County and surrounding areas, a Wind Chill Warning for Oneida County, and a Winter Weather Advisory for Onondaga and Madison Counties from 1am to 10am Tuesday. “Bitterly cold air moves into the region Monday night with widespread wind chill values below -10 F,” they say.

“Arctic air will begin to filter into the area Monday afternoon with temperatures in the mid teens across the area,” the National Weather Service says, and overnight lows will drop to near 0° across much of the area.

The NWS warns that extended exposure to such cold air could cause frostbite, and road treatments will be less effective, so roads will be slicker than usual even if snowfall is light.

And the American Red Cross says there's a dangerously low blood supply. They urge everyone who's eligible to donate blood. Those donating through January 31st will be entered for a chance to win a Super Bowl 56 getaway to L.A. There are several blood drives in Ithaca, Enfield, and Danby over the next few weeks.

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Here's the Ithaca Minute from 14850 Today for January 7th.

Ithaca musician Maddy Walsh, of Maddy Walsh and the Blind Spots, launched her new solo album "Humanmade Thing" at a sold-out Hangar Theatre concert back in November, and a reprise show was scheduled for Friday night, her birthday, at the Center for the Arts in Homer. With that show now postponed until May, the performer is hosting a free birthday livestream.

Ithaca College announced updates on Friday morning to its spring semester 2022 opening plans, including beginning the semester with a week of online instruction and moving students onto campus in phases, extending move-in by a week to January 30th.

Cornell University also announced a plan Thursday afternoon to expand the move-in period for students returning upcoming spring semester, and begin the semester with two weeks of virtual instruction.

And Cornell Athletics says Big Red women's ice hockey's game against Harvard on Sunday has been postponed, but Saturday afternoon's game against Dartmouth at Lynah Rink is still on.

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Several events in Ithaca and around Central New York will mark the 20th anniversary this Saturday of the September 11th attacks. That includes commemorative plans on the Cornell University and Ithaca College campuses, and events hosted by area fire departments.

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