Finding Ulysses is a center of news, opinion, reflection, exploration and debate for residents of Trumansburg and the town of Ulysses, in the heart of New York State's Finger Lakes region
It’s been a dark, dank first day of the Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance 2007. It rained so hard this evening that I could hardly see the apple tree just 40 feet outside the window.
Watch out, Grassroots attendees. Though the Taughannock Creek waterfalls under the bridge on route 96 are a great place to take a dip and get refreshed when the water level is normal, it can get dangerous quite quickly, especially when there’s a sudden surge of rain like the one we had tonight, which comes down too quickly for the ground to absorb.
Last summer we had quite a few people swept away to their deaths in gorges around Ithaca. Please, no wet corpses with tie die this weekend.
People here often complain of divisions within our community, and while some divisions exist, it’s important to put them in perspective. Tonight, there’s a chance for the people of Trumansburg and Ulysses to get a bigger window on what truly deep community divisions can look like
This displacement is something that Marino Cordoba has personal experience with. In 1996, Marino was kicked out of his home by paramilitary soldiers.
Cordoba will be speaking and responding to questions at 7:00 tonight at the Trumansburg Fire Hall. The event is free and open to all who wish to attend.
The Village of Trumansburg Board of Trustees will be holding a public hearing on the issue of the proposed annexation of land owned by Bill Auble this week. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 11th at 7:00 PM, and will be held in the auditorium of the high school.
Because this is a public hearing, there will be ample opportunity for citizens of Trumansburg to ask questions and express their opinions about whether the annexation should take place.
I will, alas, be out of town on the day of this meeting, as I was on the day of the first annexation meeting. I’d love to hear about what happens at the meeting from those of you who will be there.
Starting with the Bubba George String Band and ending up with Donna the Buffalo, the Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance starts in just eleven days. Arrested Development is a big name band I easily recognize. I’m not a big fan of music, however, so I really don’t know - Are any of the other bands expected to be big draws?
The Grassroots web site states, “Videotaping your family and friends is also always okay. However, any videotaping of bands must be strictly for home or personal use and may NOT be sold or broadcast for any reason without the explicit permission of both the festival and the artist.” If you look online, however, you’ll see a good number of videos of the music from last year’s festival.
For up to date information, you can visit the Grassroots blog, from Megan Romer, the marketing director of the festival.
YouTube users continue to provide more short films of life in Trumansburg. This one is of the Trumansburg Creek, filmed back in March of this year.
With the more recent weeks of bright, mild summer weather, the dark and murkiness of March 2007 seems remote now. Thanks to “skiptic” for this picture of our common creek.
Donna Beckwith sends out a reminder that there will be a Peace Potluck tomorrow at the Perry City meeting house out on route 227. Bring a dish to pass and share in the feast. Afterwards, there will be a showing of the film “Shut Up and Sing”. For more information on the film, which features a discussion on freedom of speech centered around the backlash against the Dixie Chicks, visit the film’s web site.
All are welcome. The dinner starts at 5:30 PM. The film and discussion starts at 7:00 PM.
The early-July season is bringing us its bounty here in this corner of the world. I have not been to pick strawberries at Allison’s, but, they are there to pick; I did drive up the lake to attend the Cobblestone Winery Cherry festival, where I picked a LOT of sweet cherries (and have, since then, been eating a lot of them!). Also saw Peter Penniman (former Ulysses/Enfield Town Rep on County Legislator) and wife Sue there… and congratulated our fine neighbors of Cayuga Creamery on nearly selling out of delicious ice cream at the festival….
At home, the gooseberries are ripe, and, if it would stop raining, I’d pick them, along with the first blackcaps. Coming up this Saturday, John Wertis will be hosting the NY Nutgrowers Association (no pun intended, they are fine folks and serious nutgrowers!!) annual summer meeting at his Ulysses farm, to look at his Carpathian Walnut seedlings, then go get a tour of Dryden’s new RPM treegrowing business. Contact him if you are interested in attending.
Other signs of the season: trips to Taughannock involve seeing many more people, including lots who speak other languages, or speak in English in heavy accents. They think the water is cold, I don’t; that is a sure sign of being from Ulysses– swimming in the lake comfortably at 68 degrees…. At the falls overlook the other day, we saw a whole busload of …. were they Poles or Hungerarians? Hard to tell…
A lot of BBQs washed out by the rain yesterday, I suppose; don’t let it get you down, go get some cherries or berries and celebrate the season. You get to live here– the rest of the world only visits!
