The town of Newark holds so much history that I find myself constantly returning and researching it. A short drive to many of the Finger Lakes attractions and historical sites, you definitely need to consider visiting. There is so much history in this town that was once the industrial and retail center of the county,…
Finger Lakes
The Best Upstate New York Apples For Baking
Guys, it is apple season! Ok, I might be rushing it a teensy weensy bit. But I have been getting some early variety apples from a friend, and I am pretty sure I read Starbucks will be selling pumpkin spice lattes soon, so it’s not far! New York grows more apple varieties than any other state,…
New York State Produce Auctions
I love auctions! They are a mix of shopping, social hour, and festive event that I just can not get enough of, and today I am going to let you in one a little secret,New York State Produce Auctions . They are not just for businesses, although most buyers and sellers are, they are open to…
Phelps Sauerkraut Festival
Post Updated 8/1/2017 Nestled in the Finger Lakes region just north of Geneva in Ontario County is the small village of Phelps. First settled in 1793, today Phelps is a charming little community that once was the largest producer of sauerkraut in the world. I can only imagine the olfactory experience Phelps must have been…
Finding Sour cherries in the Finger Lakes Area
Sour or “pie” cherries, are tart in flavor and bright red in color, and as far as I am concerned worth their weight in gold. Sour cherries have an incredibly short season, and it can be hard to get your hands on them. But it is worth the effort of finding some, nothing compares…
Upstate New York Summer Food Bucket List
Summer is a time to relax, enjoy the weather and eat some really good Upstate New York food. To help you really get a taste of summertime in Upstate New York, I have put together my list of Upstate New York Summer Food Bucket List of favorite regional summer foods. Beat the heat with an…
New Store in Palmyra: Farm House Fabulous
I love to share an inside scoop on fabulous local finds, and I am very excited to introduce you to a brand new local store that I know you are going to love! Just opened yesterday, Farm House Fabulous in the village of Palmyra is THE place to buy the beautiful “shabby chic” or “chalk painted”…
Upcoming Public Tour of Willard Asylum for the Insane
updated 4/22/2016 Willard Asylum for the Insane In a nutshell Willard officially opened in 1869. By 1877 Willard, at 475 acres (1500 patients) was the largest asylum in the United States1 . In 1995 Willard Psychiatric Center closed its doors, but a portion of the campus is a New York State Department of Corrections rehabilitation facility for inmates. Obviously,…
Book Review: A Taste of Upstate New York: The People and the Stories Behind 40 Food Favorites
I remember when I first learned that salt potatoes are a regional dish. I was shocked that the rest of the country is oblivious to what is clearly the best way ever to prepare potatoes. Salt potatoes are so popular in Upstate New York I can not imagine a family picnic, carnival or fireman’s chicken barbecue…
Spring 2015 Snow Geese in the Finger Lakes
I look forward to seeing this every year. I know I wrote about it two years ago, but it never gets old, and two years is an eternity in the world of blogging. Every year snow geese pass through our area, and they usually stop over in one of our corn fields to graze on the leftover…
Amish and Mennonite Food Stores in New York
Upstate New York is home to a growing community of Amish and Mennonite families. Drawn to the area’s fertile soil and available farmland, they have become a pleasant fixture here. It is very common to see horse-drawn buggies on the roads, young Mennonites in their late teens and early 20′s are often seen riding…
I’m Guest Posting Over at Exploring Upstate!
I just wanted to pop in really quickly to let you know that today you can find my latest blog post about a local deteriorating barn and its historic past over at Exploring Upstate. This large crumbling cow barn was once the center of a lively farm operation, and now is one of the few…
Lawrence Mocha to be Memorialized May 16th, 2015
Lawerence Mocha, the Willard Grave Digger will be given a proper memorialization May 16, 2015! After years of work the Willard Cemetery Memorial Committee, with the help of John Allen of the Office of Mental Health, has made contact with a relative of Lawrence Mocha and the family has given their consent to proceed with a…
Lawrence Mocha: The Willard Grave Digger
When a reader recently emailed me suggesting I update my Willard posts to correct the name of the Willard grave-digger and patient from “Lawrence Marek” to his actual given name Lawrence Mocha. I was happy to make that correction, even happier to learn that Lawrence Mocha will most likely be properly memorialized in the cemetery to…
Seneca Falls: George Bailey’s (It’s a Wonderful Life) Bridge
I wrote this article in the summer of 2013, but because watching It’s a Wonderful Life is part of our Christmas tradition and with the upcoming 68th Anniversary Festival of It’s a Wonderful Life in Seneca Falls next week I wanted to share this again. This was not on my Summer Bucket list, but I…
Local Shopping for the Syracuse Fan At Herb Philipson’s
It’s the most wonderful time of the year to buy local! I have spent many-a-holiday-seasons working at one store or another at the mall, and here is what I know for a fact: Local stores do the holidays better Better attitudes, better service, and better products, and all that makes for a better shopping experience…
Vacation in Branchport, NY
I did it. We actually got away on a vacation this summer. After all the calves have been born, and first cutting of hay was tucked away into the barns, but before corn picking and weekend farmers markets. We dug the boat out of a barn, packed an impossible amount of stuff and kids into…
New York Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women, at Newark, N.Y.
After my visit to Willard I started thinking the old Newark State School grounds and buildings are very similar, in style and layout. I decided to dig around in Google and see if that was a asylum at one time or another. Guess what, It was! New York Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women, at Newark,…
Lady In Granite, Penn Yan, NY
I am excited to have a guest writer today! The local legends surrounding the mysterious face of a woman showing in a white marking on a granite gravestone in Penn Yan is shared here by Chris Clemens, a local history buff, and friend I almost met at the Willard Tour. Thank you Chris for sharing this!…
Willard Tour: Grandview building
This post is part of a series. To see all the buildings I visited on the Willard Tour click the links below. Morning at the Asylum by the Lake Grandview (You are here!) Hadley Hall The Morgue Elliot Hall Brookside The Bleak House The Cemetery The first stop on the tour was the Grandview…
