Arts and Entertainment

New York City is often featured as the most iconic place to usher in the Christmas season. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Rockefeller Plaza with the huge tree and ice skating is a must-do at least once. The stress-free way to get to NYC is by train or book a bus trip. However, there are many places in Central New York to get in the holiday spirit that are less expensive. Start today (November 25) at Oswego Christmas, a daylong event featuring a variety of Christmas-themed activities and more.

The full moon in November is called the Beaver Moon. It was so named by colonists and Algonquin tribes because it was the time of the year when people would set traps for beaver ensuring they had enough furs to last through the winter. Beavers in our area were almost hunted to extinction because the pelt could be made into felt that was then made into top hats that were the must-have hat for the elite because it was waterproof. The beaver are making a comeback.

During the 1970s, the Cincinnati Red dominated baseball and became known as the Big Red Machine. The regular lineup included three future Hall of Famers: catcher Johnny Bench, first baseman Tony Perez, and second baseman Joe Morgan. Pete Rose, the all-time major league hitter led the team and was recently inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. The team won five division titles in seven years. Their frustration with inability to win the World Series ended in 1975 when they won 108 games and beat the Boston Red Sox in a dramatic seven-game series for their first World Series title in 35 years. They following year, they repeated and crushed the New York Yankees 4 games to none.

For years, John and I have been driving by the Oliver Stevens Blockhouse on Route 11 in Brewerton. It wasn’t until recently that I was able to visit the interior. Luckily, I saw an announcement in the local media about their two-day event with a Revolutionary War encampment. Fort Brewerton was built where Oneida Lake and the confluence of the Oneida River and Oswego River meet. Before the canals were built rapids necessitated a portage between the waterways. When Fort Brewerton was built by the British in 1759 there were four log blockhouses protected by five-foot earthworks and a moat plus a palisade of wooden logs. It was to defend the passage between Albany and Oswego.

Recently, John and I had a great two-day, one-night vacation. We drove to Utica where we checked into the Hotel Utica which recently reopened as a DoubleTree by Hilton after extensive upgrading. The hotel first opened its doors in 1912, just a few weeks before the fateful voyage of the Titanic. Walking into the two-story lobby with glittering chandeliers and a wraparound balustrade balcony where Judy Garland once sang to her many admirers, it is easy to feel the grandeur of its early days when the posh found it the place to stay in the Utica area.

New York State has published an extensive “Haunted History Trail” brochure. There are several places in Oswego County on the list. There are two in Mexico – Starr Clark Tin Shop and Underground Railroad Museum, and Casey’s Cottage at Mexico Point Park. Both are only open with prior reservations. Casey’s Cottage, designed by Dr. William Casey, a Columbia University professor spent his summers turning the carriage house at Mexico Point into an 11th century manor house. After his death in 1978 visitors reported hearing faint organ music, cries for help, candles jumping off the shelves and other unusual phenomena.