We are showcasing places, businesses and events

We are showcasing places, businesses and events in stories that run the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, in Action News Live at 5:30, and repeat the following Sunday in our 9am news..  If you have a story that's Uniquely CNY, e-mail and let us know about it!  Here is a list of previous stories:

 *CNY connection to Charlie Wilson's War:Pooches star in big motion picture (12/25)
Mia and Winnie are relaxing at their home in Madison County.  They have credits in 'Charlie Wilson's War', starring with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

*Madison County Greyhounds star with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts (12/24)
AUGUSTA, MADISON COUNTY -- Kathy Helmke calls it a once in a lifetime happening---last year, she got a call to let her greyhounds star in a big Hollywood production.  "When he first called," she recalls, "I thought he was a whacko."  But her family convinced her to give it a try, so she invited Bill Berloni to come visit, to see if it might work.   Berloni trained 'Sandy' for the Broadway production of 'Annie', which Mike Nichols--who directed 'Charlie Winter's War'--also directed.  Berloni couldn't find greyhounds in a shelter, so he went to the Greyhound Club of America, which directed him to Kathy and her champion obedience dogs.
They started training in October---the dogs had to float behind Julia Roberts, not easy for dogs trained to focus on and obey their trainer.  Kathy enlisted all her friends to stand in as Julia Roberts' double and the dogs learned that they had to follow whoever offered them a special treat.  Kathy's food processor also went to California to produce the liver-peanut butter cookies.
After a cross-country dirve, shooting took about 3 weeks, during which time they lived in a gated community, and had their own trailer on set, and a dresser who bought special collars for them ---the director would look at the collars and decide which was appropriate for what scene.
The greyhounds' job is to add texture to the film:  There are also paintings of  them, on the mansion walls (the dogs' scenes were all shot in Hollywood's Dorothy Chandler House, specially decorated). The toughest scene took a month of practice:  Winnie, who's seven, and her niece, Mia who's five, had to walk behind Hanks and Roberts as they went up a big staircase.  In the run-though, the director said it didn't look natural and the greyhounds, called 'the girls' by everyone, should bound ahead.  Helmke says, so much for the month of training.  But the dogs nudge the human couple apart---Hanks even turns to let the dog through, as they bound upstairs. 
Kathy says that the fact that the dogs stayed focused on what they were supposed to do, was good--and they were good dogs.
She was not allowed to take pictures on set, but a month after shooting was finished (last December) a FedEx truck pulled up, with a present:   two rhinestone collars with the girls' names, in rhinestones.

*CENTRO's Santa Bus: Making Holiday Impressions (12/11 & 16)
   CENTRO bus driver Ken Cameron says this is the best time of year for him:  he's been driving buses for 15 years, but for the past 12, he's been CENTRO's Santa.  The Santa Bus runs every December, making special runs with nursery schoolers and kindergartners, and other special groups.  The bus is holiday decorated, and on the trip he always plays Christmas music--the passengers usually sing along.  One stop is always the Clinton Square tree---it's a lifelong impression for most the youngsters. Many parents and grandparents accompany the children, and there's no shortage of picturetaking. Ken says he loves doing it for the kids, and that he wouldn't want to be any other place except Central NY, in part because of the Santa Bus.

*The Bike Man: Holiday presents thanks to donations (11/27 & 12/2)
   In the garage of the Carousel Center, people come in for more than parking to shop.  They're also dropping off bicycles, and Jan Maloff is usually there to thank them, in person.  The DeWitt Funeral Home director has been collecting donated bicycles, fixing them, and giving them away to the needy for 12 years.   Jan got the idea of doing the giveaway when he was a student at Charles Andrews School--now a senior's complex. He'd look down Salt Springs Road and see the children at Elmcrest.  'I would stay after school and let people ride my bike, 'cause they couldn't.  And felt when I grew up or got older, if i was able to do something, I would do it." Last year, they gave away 2,000 bikes and several thousand helmets to children and family members.  He hopes to do the same number this year--the helmets include 500 donated by Fayetteville Dodge, but the bikes, in all sizes and brands, and condition, come from the general public.  When Action News visited, Jane Baker was donating a bike she says she remembered learning to ride, then her children used it, and "now there's no one to ride it so it's good someone will use it."  The bikes are collected during Mall hours until December 15th.  Donations are tax deductible.
CAROUSEL CENTER, SYRACUSE -- They'll be distributed at Fowler High School on December 22.

*Helping the homeless: Marcellus Grange:Ugly Quilts are donated to The Salvation Army (11/13 & 18)
   It's a Thursday afternoon event:  for the past eleven years, a group of women has gathered at Marcellus Grange to create 'Ugly Quilts'--sleeping bags for the homeless and hurting in Syracuse. They turn out over 70 a year, made from donated blankets, sheets and mattress pads which are assembled on big tables at the Grange.  'Every dot is a knot' is one saying---after the layers are put together the bags are knotted to keep the inside materials from shifting.  And, 'ready to roll' is called out just before the final assembly.  Grange member Mary Widger says the completed bags are 'filled' with a sweater, hat, mittens, socks, toiletries collected from motel stays, and a devotional book.  And Phyllis Palmer says that then, the ladies all put their hands on the quilt and pray: "Lord, take the work of our hands and bless it, and in Thy name let the person who receives this gift know that he or she is loved."  The quilts are then rolled up, and tied with 'ugly necktiesties'  which are sewn into them.
All the materials are donated, says Mary Widger---raw materials, as well as knit and crocheted items, made in area homes, and even 'extras' like dolls, preemie caps, baby quilts and covers for wheelchairs and other medical equipment.
The quilts are all donated to The Salvation Army, Syracuse.  Other organizations get other handcrafted items.
"We are just thankful we can create, to help people who are less fortunate," says Phyllis.
--if you would like to donate either materials or finished items, you can drop off at Marcellus Grange weekday mornings.

 *CNY's Olympian getting ready for hometown appearance (10/23 &28)
  Olympic-calibre horses and riders from all over the world are on their way to the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, at the OnCenter Complex  October 31 to November 4.
Beezie Madden, the top-ranked American rider in the world, is among those getting ready. When we visited at her farm in Nelson, just east of Cazenovia, she was working 'Judgement,' the horse that won it all last year. And, we watched her share a carrot with 'Authentic,' the horse that took her to medals in the last Olympics.  Beezie's husband John, who is also her trainer, says the Syracuse show will be the start of Authentic's serious conditioning as he's aimed for the China Olympics.  The Maddens map out all their horses' warmup and show schedules on a yearly basis, and their international competitors are on even longer schedules to accomodate the once every four year events.
John Madden is also the show director for the Syracuse show, and is busy with those details--besides the world-class competition, there are lots of free family-oriented events, including seeing the Budweiser Clydesdales, watching the riders and horses warm up, and even a Halloween with Horses trick-or-treating event on the first night.
For more on the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, check their website at www.syracuseinvitational.com

*Town Line Road Bridge, Taylor (Cortland County)  (10/9 & 14)
   An 1888 Lenticular Truss Bridge over the Otselic River in eastern Cortland County is about to go on the State & National Registers of Historic Places.  "Too many things are disappearing in this world," says Taylor Historical Society President Pat Johnston has been doing the application since 2002. "Our ancestors did a great job of doing things like this, and it should be preserved." In its day, at the end of the 18-hundreds, the bridge was the farmers' direct link to a water driven mill that ground their crops. With the historical designation, they hope to get grant moneys to preserve the bridge--complete with wooden plank deck and ornamental finials (balls) on one end.  Town of Taylor Supervisor Dave Fuller would like to see the bridge opened to pedestrians, bicyclists and snowmobilers in the wintertime.  The bridge connects to a second, half buried bridge that was put in, in 1902 over the long filled in mill raceway. Taylor Town Historian Nancy Elwood says she hopes more people know about how things were done back then, especially young people--that it might be an incentive to keep them here.  They're all hoping the historical designation will bring more 'sightseers' to appreciate their nice, quiet community.  [Taylor is about an hour from Syracuse:  81 south to McGraw then east on 41 to Cincinnatus, then north on 26.  Town Line Road is just before the village: turn right at the Wesleyan Church---the road becomes unpaved just before the bridge.  The Fall scenery is worth the trip]

* Spartan Branch, ESM-NS Credit Union (9/25 & 30)
   East Syracuse-Minoa High School's main office houses the only student-run credit union in New York State.  Students  get hands-on experience by working as tellers and helping students, faculty and staff make deposits, withdrawals, or loans.  Bill Sweeney, CEO of the ESM-NS Federal Credit Union, says that since it opened in October of 2005, the student run venture has taught money management.  Brenda Almonte, who teaches the two-year money and banking class, says that students also learn mentoring: class members, mostly juniors and seniors, also go to the district's elementary schools to encourage saving.  Marketing students also produce 'commercials' for the district's tv system, aimed at teaching smart money practices, like understanding credit cards. The project is getting inquiries from all over the country, from others who want to use it as a model to teach money management.

* Altmar Fish Hatchery (9/11 & 16)
   Close to 4 million fish are spawned in the hatchery every year, but the real spectacle is in the fall, when mature Chinook and Cohoe Salmon swim up Beaver Dam Brook, a tributary of the Salmon River, and jump the fish ladders on the hatchery grounds to come 'home' to spawn.  Fran Verdoliva, the DEC's Salmon River Corridor Special Assistant. says 'You won't see anything like this outside of Alaska'---and you don't have to travel the 4 thousand miles to see it.  Besides the 1.8 million Chinook and quarter million Cohoe Salon, the hatchery also produces 400-thousand brown trout and 700-thousand steelhead annually, though the latter run and spawn in the spring. 
After the mature fish (many trophy size!) come back and spawn the hatchlings and fingerlings spend time in big indoor tanks, then are moved to outdoor runs, before going into the 'smolt pond' where they imprint the location they'll come back to.  They're then released into the river.  Feeding in the hatchery gets them bigger, faster--one year produces a fish the size of a two year old wild fish.
The hatchery relies on good water, and low water levels for various reasons, including this year's drought, are a concern.  Another big concern is VHS, a fish virus:  this year anglers are being required to take off waders, as a way of slowing contamination from outside sources.
The hatchery is open 7 days a week, 9am to 4pm til November 30th.  Best times to see the fish coming up fish ladders are til the end of October.  To get to Altmar, Route 81's Pulaski exit, go east to Altmar and follow the signs.

 * Longhouse Project (8/28 & 9/2)
   There's a replica of a 1600s longhouse being built at the State Fair's Iroquois Village.  Project Manager Jason Pragle says it's made a couple concessions to modern safety standards, but for the most part the workers are using old techniques to strip bark from saplings, and use that bark rope to lash the poles together.  The longhouse will not be finished til next spring, but Pragle says it's a great opportunity for people to come and watch, and see how it's constructed.  Once the structure is enclosed there are also plans to furnish it.

* Subscription Farming (8/14 & 19)
   Grindstone Farm, in Pulaski, has been in business for 26 years and organic since 1988, but it's found its niche in community sustainable farming.  People sign up, and pay up in advance, to receive regular deliveries of the year's crop---everything from asparagus to zucchini, according to owner Dick DeGraff, who says the system supports the farm and 6-8 fulltime workers.
Among the other innovations, aimed at farming 'smarter'--the tractors are running on biodiesel fuel, made of waste frying oil from Terrell's Potato Chip Company.  The farm gets four big barrels a month, from the East Syracuse company, and biodiesel project manager Jake Eichten filters it, mixes it with lye and racing fuel and produces the fuel that smells like french fries.  The biodiesel is not profitable yet, but DeGraff says it fits in with the farm's philosophy of being good to the ecology.  www.grindstonefarm.com

* Fritz's Polka Band   (7/24 & 29)
   The band was founded in 1978 and plays all over the Northeast. Fritz Scherz, his father Fred, Senior (The only New Yorker in the Polka Hall of Fame) and Gabe Vaccaro, who married into the family, are the original members---all are from the Verona area though band member Rick Szczyk commutes in from Ohio now.  As he says, 'We're not going to retire on this, but it's certainly worth it. 'Polka' may be in the band's name, but they also play rock and blues---an eclectic mix, as Fritz says, and that attracts fans from across the generations.  You can see more on their website, www.fritzspolkaband.com
 * Chittenango Canal Boat Landing (7/10 & 15)
   This living history museum along the Erie Canal Towpath shows Erie Canal life in the late 18-hundreds and early 1900s, when the site was a drydock and resupply store for the Canal.
Right now, master craftsmen are building a canal boat (it took just 7 weeks and $3500 back then)--but they're building it in sections so visitors can see how it was put together, and how it worked.  Visitors can also see 3 restored drydocks, a country store, and more.  Open daily through summer months, check their website,  www.chittenangocanalboatlandingmuseum.com

* Ice Sculpting (6/26 & 7/1)
   For Chef Chris Cesta, relaxing on a day off means spending time in the below-freezing temperatures of Holiday Ice, on Syracuse's Vine Street, carving a 300-pound block of specially prepared ice into a work of art that will become the focal point for a special event.
Cesta, who's normally at the Inn Between, carves 3 or 4 sculptures a month.  Each takes between one and three hours, and designs that he makes regularly include vases (with spaces for flowers on top), kissing doves on a heart, and eagles. A medium sized sculpture runs about $300. Cesta also carves in frigid Clinton Square for Winterfest, but prefers the inside environment.  His motorized wood saw does most of the work, but he also brings a series of chisels to the job.  Once the figure is rough-cut, he enhances it with facets to catch the light, to make what's left of the ice block into a piece of art.

* GE in Liverpool  (6/12 & 17)
   In 1944, General Electric announced plans for a 155-acre campus to build television sets.
They expected to employ 6200 people, but GE underestimated the popularity of tv, and at its peak Electronics Park employed over 20,000---bringing in raw materials and building tv's at the rate of 120 an hour.  Liverpool Library has produced a reminisce on the TV production at Electronics Park, and this summer will have another on GE's military operations there.
There's also an Electronics Park website
* Cazenovia Library's Egyptian Marvels (5/22 & 27)
   The library includes a library, and the centerpiece of the exhibit is a mummy, bought in Egypt and shipped back to Cazenovia by benefactor Robert James Hubbard in 1894.  The library has done extensive research since then, including x rays, ct scans and biopsies (you can see them all, too) to discover more about 'Hen' a wealthy Egyptian man who lived 2,000 years ago and apparently died from a leg tumor.  Library Director  Betsy Kennedy says she hopes the exhibits teach Egyptology, as well as the long-term benefits of a generous gift. 
* Carpenter's Brook Fish Hatchery  (5/8 & 13)
   The Elbridge hatchery raises brook, brown and rainbow trout--about 70 thousand fish a year are stocked into Onondaga County streams in April and May.  Most trout are one year olds, but 20-thousand are two year olds, at 15 inches or better.  Visitors can see and feed the fish in large outdoor ponds and raceways (net covered, to keep herons from feeding!), as well as the indoor smaller fish facilities.  The hatchery also has a playground, picnic area and archery facility on grounds.  There are special events including a Family Fishing Clinic on June 2 (8:30-11:30am or 12:30-3:30pm) with freshwater fishing basic instruction provided by DEC staff and local anglers. It's free, but signup at 689-9367 or cbfh@ongov.net 
* Cicero Historical Association  (4/24 & 29)
   The Route 31 museum is opening a new display building in June.  The Stone Arabia Schoolhouse used from 1854 to 1951, and a one room house moved to the site have just been put on the Federal Register of Historic Places.  Volunteers are needed to help give tours or maintain the museums---call 699-0308 for information.
* Sunshine Friends Pet Therapy  (4/10 & 15)
   Volunteers bring therapy dogs in to visit patients at Crouse and Upstate hospitals,
they also have other animals (including cats, birds, and ferrets) that visit area nursing homes.  To get involved, visit www.sunshinefriends.org
* Honoring Veterans & the Military (3/27 & 4/1)
  Students at West Genesee High School interviewed VA Veterans for a remembrance project that is to be logged at the Library of Congress, but it now has grown to the start of a documentary, plus a 'pants decoration' project and the adoption of a unit in Iraq---students involved say it helps them relate to those serving our country.
* Camillus Police Computers (3/13 & 18)
  Camillus police have a user-friendly website, www.camilluspolice.com to offer services and help fight crime.  The site also links to other safety services, like sex offender registries, for areas beyond Camillus.
*  Upstate Worm Farms (2/27 & 3/4)
This East Syracuse business focuses on food recycling with red worms (vermicomposting) and environmental education to advance smarter food recycling practices in our communities, municipalities and academic agencies. Brenda Lotito has a manual on worm maintenance, as well as bins in various sizes for composting activities.  She's at  brendalotito@yahoo.com
*  Zimmer Motor Cars (2/13 & 18)
Luxury cars are hand-tooled here in Syracuse by Art Zimmer and Sam's Auto Body owner Sam Vigliotti, who says that after working on wrecks, 'stretching' a Lincoln frame and custom building a one of a kind is a pleasure. 
*  Syracuse Grammy Nominees (1/23 & 28)
World-class pianist Andy Russo, SU Bands Director John Laverty and SU  Recording Engineer Jim Abbott collaborated on a CD, recorded at SU, and nominated for a grammy.  All 3 plan to be at the Grammy Awards---they say it shows how Central NY talent ranks with the best.
* Herkimer Diamonds (1/9 & 14)
They are dug out of the ground in the Mohawk Valley, and Tom Kapelewski has been mining them for 40 years---his son Joe has caught the bug, too and they have thousands of the gems in all sizes, which they show off at gem and mineral shows.