In May 1814, about 700 British troops came ashore in Oswego and ended up destroying Fort Ontario. It is hard to imagine the terror the residents felt. I love the book “The Great Rope” written by Rosemary Nesbitt. It is just one story about how local residents rose to the occasion and took part in the defense of their country during the War of 1812.
CNY Arts Center announces a change in performance dates for the final weekend of You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. The closing matinee on June 15 has been cancelled. You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown runs June 6, 7, 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. and June 8 and 14 at 3 p.m.
A few years ago, John and I were in St. Charles, Louisiana, where we visited the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. While browsing the displays I overheard someone say, “Claire Chennault! He is known by every school child in China.” It caught my attention. Claire Chennault, the commander of the Flying Tigers, a group of volunteer military men who trained in Burma, now called Myanmar, lived in St. Charles. The Flying Tigers helped defend the Chinese against the Japanese before the U.S. entered the war.
Author Pearl Buck called the Yangtze “The wildest, wickedest river on earth.” All that changed when the river was tamed upon the completion of the Three Gorges Dam in 2012. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the dam’s construction as I am sure there must have been similar concerns when the Hoover Dam was built. Thousands of people were displaced but the new towns created along the river looked very nice and there is no longer the danger of yearly flooding plus China needed the power to continue its rapid industrialization.
Hainan Island is China’s southern most province. It is their beach getaway. China has a long coastline but there are very few beach destinations so Hainan is their most popular sunny destination. We used 30,000 frequent flyer miles to fly from Bangkok to Sanya on the southern shore of Hainan so two one-way tickets only cost $66 – we have to pay the taxes. Sanya has a plethora of hotels in all categories with more in the progress.
Harry Houdini, the world famous magician, claimed Appleton, Wisconsin as his home even though he was born in Budapest. So it is only right that Appleton’s Museum at the Castle, has a major Houdini exhibit. When the museum opened its current Houdini gallery it caused a flurry among magicians when it was revealed that the exhibit would show how Houdini performed his famous metamorphosis illusion.
Titus Andronicus is a rock band that started in 2005. They are touring the east coast this summer and will be making an appearance in Oswego.
I love river trips and our eight-day cruise on the Mekong Explorer was wonderful. The Mekong Explorer is a beautiful teak and mahogany cruise boat that has a capacity of 34 but there were only about 20 on board making the crew to guest ratio about one-to-one. After my eight-day cruise on the Mekong Explorer I know the Mekong River between Nong Khai and Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand is serene with incredible sites to see along the way.
Lavishly costumed amid a gothic set, the classic Mel Brooks-Thomas Meehan musical-comedy spoof about the grandson of the original Dr. Frankenstein and his reawakened monster has two remaining performances: 7:30 p.m. May 3 and 2 p.m. May 4, at Tyler Hall’s Waterman Theatre.
CNY Arts Center announces the cast of its next production, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” set to open June 6 for a two-weekend run at the center, 357 State St. The musical favorite is being directed and choreographed by Amy Price (Willy Wonka, Jr., Adventures of Tom Sawyer).
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