Patrick Newell

From the middle of June until the middle of August, the amount of sports news that crosses my desk dips significantly. I usually take my last vacation of the summer the second week of August – right before the first day of high school sports practices. When I return to work after vacation, I know the high school sports season is right around the corner, and I have about two weeks to gather information on the area’s high school sports teams for our annual Fall Sports Preview.As is the norm, I traveled to every corner of Chenango County, took countless pictures, called and re-called coaches, and finally spent countless hours writing approximately 13,000 words for the preview on 34 different sports teams. Thursday, the fruits of my labor will appear in a special supplement to our regular edition. I know some sports have already started their regular season, but to quote an old saying, “let the games begin!”

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One of the truest axioms is that time relentlessly moves forward, and eventually leaves us all behind. In the sports sense, one by one, the contacts with whom I have associated for over a decade and a half are slowly fading away. Not dying, but retiring from teaching and coaching.
I never looked at myself as a veteran reporter until one of my favorite coaches of all time retired. Bill Case was one of the first coaches I met during my initial days of my job. We became close professional associates, and ultimately good friends. Four years ago, Bill stepped aside as the longtime basketball coach of the Greene Trojans – my 12th year on the job. I had well over a decade of experience, yet it all seemed to move so fast.
One by one, my originals (those who have coached since my opening day) have stepped aside to move into the next phase of their lives. Most recently, I phoned Otselic Valley’s longtime teacher and coach, Dave Loomis. Loomis has coached three varsity sports since my opening day. He has remained consistently professional and accommodating from the first day I spoke to him. Dave told me earlier this week that he had retired from the school district, and was giving up coaching the soccer and baseball programs. He will remain, at least for this year, the varsity basketball coach. I thought Dave Loomis was the “coach for life” at OV, and it will be a bit strange not fielding his game reports.
Along the lines of time pressing forward. The hair on my head is much longer, the hair on my chin is much grayer, and two of my three kids are now in high school. My oldest is a member of the Norwich varsity soccer team, and I can legitimately place his name in the paper in complete absence of nepotism. My oldest daughter, who just celebrated her 14th birthday, was recruited by three different NHS extracurricular organizations. Unfortunately, she is so busy taking about 25 dance classes (slight exaggeration), she had to pass on the invitations.

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One of my oldest sports section contributors, Bob McNitt, gave me a call earlier today. He began his outdoors column in 1977, but had to go on hiatus the past few months for reasons that were not disclosed. Tomorrow, we disclose those reasons in a letter from Bob to the readers. Suffice to say, it was a relief to hear from Bob, and I hope to have his weekly column back on the sports pages fairly soon.

Jeff Genung

• I refuse to believe that August is over.

• Earthquake and a hurricane in less than a week? Never thought either of those would be on the front page of The Evening Sun in a local story, but the times they are a changin’. When I was a kid, the weather was a segment on the news. Nowadays, it is the news.

• Using words like “nowadays” makes me seem wise beyond my years, no?

• As you might have surmised from Brian’s column-long whine today, our little Lackawanna Ave. newsroom did indeed spring a nasty leak thanks to Hurricane Irene. What began as an annoying drip during the last spring thaw multiplied into a deluge over Mr. Golden’s cubicle on Sunday, temporarily making him a newsroom refugee. Not to worry, I saw guys with ladders outside the building this afternoon. That must be a good sign.

• Had a fantastic time under the big top last night as the Norwich BID and Friends of the Park finally cut the ribbon on the downtown parks renovation project. Talk about a long time in coming … in Evening Sun measurements, that story was four reporters long! Congrats to everyone involved who donated time, labor, money and inspiration along the way, and especially to Pegi LoPresti and Eric Larsen, without whose tireless work we’d still be looking at the same-old, same-old. Naysayers be damned, I think parks East and West look quite spiffy. Lush green lawns, elegantly-curved walkways, period lighting and a brand new, permanent stage … the heart of Norwich has never looked better.

• Oh, and they had scallops wrapped in bacon, which always guarantees good press, FYI.

• Are you a local sports fan? If so, you’ll want to get your hands on a copy of Thursday’s paper … Pat Newell’s coming out with his yearly Fall Sports Preview, highlighting the upcoming action in football, soccer, and … whatever other sports they play in the fall! Seriously, though … it’s an exhaustive and comprehensive effort on Pat’s part to make sure every team in every sport gets covered, and I know parents and fans look forward to it each September. Check it out on newsstands tomorrow!

Brian Golden

Well, it looks like I’m back in business following tropical storm Irene’s brief visit to Norwich (and The Evening Sun) this past Sunday. I’m not going to go into details at this point on exactly what happened, but needless to say, it’s good to be blogging once again. And if you’d like to know more, make sure and check out my column tomorrow, in which I’ll elaborate.

As for the past couple of days, let’s just say life has been a little hectic, what with my personal “office situation” (more on that tomorrow, as I said) and the fact that the Green Machine – my on-again, off-again method of transportation – is (sigh) out of commission … again. I can’t say I’m too pleased with that, considering I just got the (insert inappropriate language here) thing fixed. With that said, I have a sinking suspicion I’ll soon be in search of a new vehicle … and a way to pay for it.

On a brighter note, tonight I’ll be attending the BID’s ribbon-cutting ceremony in East Park, in celebration of its official unveiling. Patience is a virtue, they say, and the various people involved with the Park Project must be the most virtuous people on the planet. It’s been a long, strange trip, I’m sure, but the finished product was well worth the wait, in my opinion.

This past Saturday was certainly an interesting one (and that’s putting it mildly). I not only had a chance to visit my favorite recording studio of all time – Subcat Music Studios, in Syracuse – but I also got to perform live (with Master Thieves) while being broadcast onto the big-screen televisions located in the adjacent deli, coffee shop and bar. Definitely a first for me (and the rest of the band), but I must say it went off without a hitch. And after that? A trip to the New York State Fair, which I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting in over a decade or so. I even managed to win myself one of those gigantic, Jamaican bananas in a game of chance. Believe it or not, I only spent $5 doing so. The problem now? What to do with the damn thing.

Prior to Friday’s northern adventure, I had an opportunity (thanks for the tip, Jan) to visit with Bill Middleton, who lives just over the Chenango County border, east of DeRuyter. Speaking with Bill, a Vietnam veteran and the caretaker of his own, personal military memorial, was a real treat and – if you can find the time – make sure and visit this impressive site. The first thing to catch your eye – and I can practically guarantee this – will be the authentic Hughes UH-1 helicopter on display. Oh, and if you get a chance, pick up a copy of retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore’s book, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young.” Not a big reader? Not to worry, just find the Mel Gibson movie based on the book, “We Were Soldiers.” Why, you ask? Because Mr. Middleton was there in 1965 when the first major battle between the United States and the North Vietnamese Army took place. Both the book and movie detail this incredible event, and to meet someone who was actually there was – to say the least – absolutely inspiring.

Julian Kappel

I had an absolutely amazing weekend, and now I’m absolutely exhausted. Tired. Drained. Worn-out. Fatigued. I am bushed, whipped, tuckered-out and downright pooped.

Technically it started on Thursday with my first trip to the Miss Youth Days pageant in New Berlin. That was certainly an interesting experience. I have a feeling this next comment will garner some resentment from some fans out there, but I really have no appreciation for beauty pageants. By the way, that goes for all pageants with contestants of all ages.

I don’t mean any offense to the young ladies who take part, if that’s what you want to spend your time on, more power to ya’. However, I really have no tolerance for that kind of showboating, or any kind for that matter. I saw an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras once and it literally made me sick to my stomach.

Now wait, hold on just one second, let me finish: I know the type of pageant displayed on that despicable piece of trash show with those awful, disturbed mothers and their spoiled-rotten, disgustingly done-up children is completely different than what happens at the Youth Days pageant. I know there’s no false teeth, wigs or surgery and a blessedly scarce amount of make-up. I’m not saying the two are the same thing, I’m just saying I don’t care for either, although I can at least sit through the entire Miss Youth Days competition without emptying my stomach.

Anyway, despite my distaste for pageants, the girls did well and no one used their bouquet stem as a knife in a fit of jealous rage, soooo, that’s a plus I guess…

Friday was the usual flurry of excitement here in the news room for deadline, then working on a few videos for Facebook (which I promise will be finally up today) and errands in the afternoon (bank, grocery store, gas station, back to the grocery store, eye appointment, barbershop, grocery store one more time…etc.) all in preparation for what I knew would be a very exciting weekend.

The problem we encountered was that both my mom and I each had our own exciting agenda, and only one car to be split between us. I had four events to cover on Saturday, she was getting prepared for the opening of the “New York Remembers” exhibit at the Council of the Arts next week, and to top it all off my brother had to be moved into his dorm at New York University by today. It’s what my mom refers to as “the perfect storm” which was of course made all the more difficult by, yes, you guessed it, a gigantic storm.

The first big event of the actual weekend was a dinner at the Old Mill as part of the 150th anniversary Civil War commemorative weekend put on by the Historical Society and Council of the Arts. This one was easy to tackle due to the fact that my mom and I were both attending, she as executive director of the council and myself as intrepid reporter and braised beef lover.

We both agreed that it was a fantastic dinner which was at the same time relaxing and entertaining. At each of the tables sat at least one of the re-enactors who regaled their audience with tales of the soldiers and the adventures they themselves had undergone in discovering these stories.

All of the re-enactors obviously love an audience and relish a chance to share their knowledge of the men who have become their heroes. However, the gentleman at our table was obviously a story-teller among story-tellers because I doubt anyone else at our table spoke more than 5 words a piece the entire night. My mom and I agreed this was just fine as we’d been talking or asking questions all week and were perfectly content sitting back and enjoying the amazing spread provided by the cooks at the Old Mill.

Our soldier, I’m embarrassed to say I forgot his name but I believe it was Brian … or Tim, we’ll call him Eustace, had been a part of the group for nearly 20 years and he was able to keep us enthralled throughout the meal with tales both hilarious and tragic. My personal favorite was of the soldier whose woolen pants were held up with twine which unfortunately snapped during a battle and left the poor fellow scrambling through the mayhem with a pasty white target thrust into the air.

Of course I had to make my rounds so I also had a chance to talk with Jim the president of the group and Henry the historian. They also proved to be fantastic company and I found myself wishing I had more time to sit and get their amazing stories. It just so happened that as we talked they invited me to stop by for breakfast the next morning at their camp behind the Chenango Museum. I did not relish the thought of waking up at 6:30 on a Saturday, however, I told them I would seriously consider the offer.

Well, it just so happened that the next morning I was awakened by pinecones as large as my shoe dropping periodically on my roof and causing both myself and my cat to leap five feet in the air every ten minutes. I decided it must have been a sign and peeled myself off the ceiling for a trip down the street. It turned out to be a wonderful decision. Their coffee and biscuits with sausage gravy were fantastic and they were just as eager to share their stories and experience as the night before. It was the perfect way to start the day and I once again found myself reluctant to leave.

Unfortunately, there was work to be done so we parted ways and promised to keep in touch.

My next stop adventure took me to New Berlin where I arrived just in time to hear the start of the race. As the racers disappeared down the road I was left standing behind holding my camera like a rejected puppy. There was nothing to do but speak to some of my favorite New Berlin contacts and wait for the racers to return. Watching them approach the finish line, tense with the strain of the final stretch, their feet never seeming to touch the ground as they fly towards their goal, I had an intense urge to lie down and take a nap…

With that done, I returned home to prepare for the rest of the day. Errands, cheese and tomato sandwich, farewell to my brother, Chris, as he sets off for his second year in NYC (good luck, little brother!) and then a quick call to my friend to make sure we’re still on for the trip back to New Berlin.

Thus began a crazy sprint from one event to another which began to blend into a monstrous haze so warped and viscous that I found myself blacking out and waking up in a completely different town, at a different event, holding someone else’s baby…no, wait that’s not right. That’s from a movie that I watched last night, Limitless. It was pretty good.

So first there was the carnival. I took many pictures, rode a ride, interviewed a few officials. My friends left me with the car at this point, returning to a quiet afternoon at home. Meanwhile, I returned to Norwich to cover the Elks Lodge meeting in the park, then raced back to New Berlin for the parade, and finally made my way back to Norwich for the concert at the Arts Council.

It was a mad, desperate journey around the county and it was one heck of a time. I finally arrived home, just as the first drops began to fall, and collapsed to the sound of rain. Which was also how I woke up and spent all of Sunday. Listening to the rain, trying to get everything organized for the week, and glancing through the pictures I had captured of one crazy day dashing back and forth along Co. Rte. 29. Watch for them on The Evening Sun website so you can join in on the fun.

And of course, Happy Monday everybody!

Jeff Genung

• Oh look! I remembered how to blog!

• (Insert not-so-clever and far-overused earthquake joke here).

• OK, I’ll give people a pass on all those “I felt the earth move under my feet” references, since it’s certainly not every day we feel something like that in these parts (hasn’t happened on that scale since the 40s, they say). I was home for lunch when it struck, momentarily blaming it on my always-underfoot new puppy. As soon as I figured out the phenomena wasn’t Beagle-induced, I called Melissa Stagnaro to verify that the earth did indeed quake. She confirmed it, of course, in mid-text to emergency management guru A. Jones, who almost seems to know about these things before they happen. Anyway, much to our news-sense disappointment, there were no rivers of molten lava reported to have erupted in Chenango County. Still, though, I doubt there’ll be many times I get to put “Earthquake!” as my top headline. Hopefully.

• More good news on the job front from our friends at Frontier! Jim Currie told us yesterday that they’re adding 70-some new jobs in Sherburne, in addition to the 50 they just hired. These are good-paying, skilled jobs, too (not that I scoff at retail jobs, but still). Definitely good news for Chenango County, and for this growing, successful company.

• So I’m the one who alerted Brian Golden about that sign at Kurt Beyer pool. Brand new, with Andrew Cuomo’s name on it, it sure looked to me (and anyone who’d seen it since it went up recently, I’d wager) like the city got a new grant to fix the pool. Umm, no. Turns out the sign was a “requirement” of a previous grant – seven years ago – the city got to fix the pool, then. Why it took over half a decade to put up a sign, I don’t know. Confusion aside, Mayor Joe Maiurano says the pool will be open next summer, grants or no. Good. That’s a precious city asset that would be a shame to see go by the wayside.

• On a sad note, sorry to hear of the death of Mary Paino. Mary could always be counted on for a friendly smile (and a readily proffered opinion) both in her role at NHS and at my old favorite Hale Street haunt, John’s Hot Dog Stand. Rest in peace, Mary.

Brian Golden

Oh boy, it’s really starting to feel like autumn out there, an occurrence I could certainly do without for another month or two. You’d think I’d be used to our not-so-heavenly weather here in upstate New York, but – even after 30-plus years – I’m not. And I’ll tell you one thing, I’m definitely not looking forward to turning up the thermostat quite yet. That, in fact, could wait more like three to four months, and it’d be just fine with me.

It’s Tuesday, and that means one thing and one thing only … must … write … column. These days, I refuse to procrastinate when it comes to my weekly offering for page four of The Evening Sun. That’s not to say I’m unable to throw together a quick 20 or 25 inches first thing in the morning on Wednesdays, I simply don’t like to put myself through that sort of stress if I can help it. My column, I must say, is one of my favorite pieces to write every week and – believe it or not – I take it fairly seriously (even when I’m writing about alien invasions, the upcoming zombie apocalypse and the like).

In a totally unrelated topic (hey, it’s a blog, right?), I’ve managed to hold onto the sunglasses I purchased at the 19th annual Chenango Blues Fest for a whole three days, which is – sadly – pretty good for me. I don’t know what it is about me and shades, but I’ll be damned if I can ever hold onto the things for more than a week without a) losing them or b) breaking them. My all-time record? Twelve days. And yes, I also think that’s both sad and pathetic.

I must say I’m looking forward to this weekend’s trip up to Syracuse to hang with my fellow Master Thieves (band members, not professional pickpockets), not to mention my first trip to the New York State Fair in I don’t know how long. What can I say? It’s always nice to get out of town for a bit every once in awhile and my significant other and I always seem to have a great time up there. And just when I thought I was “faired-out,” it looks like I’ll have one more chance to stuff myself with fair fare (as in fried dough, french fries, pizza, wings, hot dogs, cotton candy, ice cream and all that other stuff that’s so good for you).

Okay, okay, I admit it … I haven’t been to the movies once this year, which is really starting to bug me. It seems like every couple of years or so I kind of forget the theater even exists. Which is sad because, once I realize that it is, in fact, still standing, I have a dozen or more movies – films that I was really looking forward to seeing – to track down on DVD. This time around? Well, let’s just say the list goes on and on – “Tron: Legacy,” “Captain America: First Avenger,” “The Deathly Hallows Pt.2,” “Green Lantern,” “X-Men: First Class,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “Thor,” “Super 8,” “Cowboys and Aliens” and probably more that I simply can’t think of right this minute. In fact, there’s probably another list – similar in length – of 2010 movies I have yet to see.

My only excuse? So much to do, so little time.

Julian Kappel

Preparations have been made; conditions are perfect. My bags are packed and my mind is made up. It’s been so long, too long, but I am ready. Nothing can stop me from fulfilling the desire that has kept me awake countless nights over the last two months. I will leave work on Friday and return to my home, don the proper attire, gather my gear and with the goal of gaining the perfect bliss, I will design to drain the desires of my Dark Passenger.

I must go camping.

The itch has crept up on me slowly the past few months. My new job can only keep the urges at bay for so long. My thirst must be quenched.

Alright, I’ve been watching a lot of Dexter lately. However, it’s no joke that I have been itching for a taste of the great outdoors. It has been amazing working here at The Evening Sun and I cannot begin to describe the satisfaction that I have derived from this experience … but it has been far too long since I have walked the trails of my favorite camping spots, foraged for wood, attempted to light a fire visible from Venus and subsequently fell asleep under the stars.

The days of summer are sadly draining away from us and my chances for a camping experience where I don’t have to pack a jacket are speedily slipping away from me. I must act quickly and this weekend appears to be perfect. Fair season is fading and the New Berlin Youth Days are in the near future, but not yet upon us. I have nothing of absolute importance this weekend other that grabbing my bags, hunting for my hiking shoes and making my way up the hill.

Last summer, a few friends of mine and I made it a weekly routine of jumping into a car and speeding off to one of the various local campgrounds. However, the past year has held many challenges and changes for each of us and we find ourselves in a much different day-to-day routine. I dare say we might be growing up!

And yet, the lives we lead now do not necessarily mean we must abandon our adventures, and trust me we have no intentions to do so, but there are different reasons for us to escape to the great outdoors and access our inner adolescents.

Everyone has their own avenue of escape and ours has been, and always will be not far from our own backdoors. Such is the beauty of living in the state of New York. You never have far to go to get away. I have been taking camping trips since my first trip to the Lake Michigan dunes with my father 14 years ago and I have no intention of stopping until the day I depart this beautiful world of ours.

That being said, I hope everyone who reads this blog takes the opportunity to scrawl a short sentence sharing their special escape, because as wonderful as this wide world of ours is, everyone needs that special something, or someplace where they can just simply escape …

(By the way, mine is camping …)

I look forward to your replies!

Melissa Stagnaro

There is, I believe, a fine line between not enough coffee and too much. And this morning, at the tail end of Commerce Chenango’s “Good Morning, Chenango” breakfast, I discovered just how fine. The hard way.

My day got off to a rather sluggish start. I’ll chalk it up to too much fun over the weekend, coupled with the dampening affect the gray skies always have on my psyche. But whatever the reason, I went through the first few hours of my day in a sort of caffeine-deprived fog.

I’m not really a morning person, so this wasn’t exactly a first. But normally, the typical stress of our morning deadline is enough to snap me out of it. Today, however, my routine was interrupted by the aforementioned breakfast presentation. So, instead of the frantic scramble at the keyboard, I found myself cozied up…with some scrambled eggs. And bacon.

Delicious perfectly cooked bacon. Which, while tummy-pleasing, regrettably does not have the same mind-sharpening effect as the fear of incurring Jeff’s wrath by missing deadline. In fact, it seemed to lull me into a food coma, thus making it difficult even more difficult to concentrate on the albeit very informative presentation.

Thankfully, I used to work for a company which employed the principals of Six Sigma, so I already had a general working knowledge of the concept or else I would have really been in trouble. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, however, I did what any self-respecting journalist would do in the situation – I started mainlining caffeine.

I struggled to give the subject matter my full attention while waiting for the restorative properties of this miracle elixir to kick in. But it never happened. At least not how I’d planned.

Instead of that gentle spark of energy I usually get from my morning coffee, I suddenly had the zing of a thousand espressos coursing through my veins.

There I was. Trapped. At the inside edge of a table, with no escape in sight.

I’d like to think that I kept my hyper-caffeinated state under wraps, but I can’t really be sure. There may have been some foot tapping.

Thankfully, though, it was near the end of the presentation, so I didn’t have too long to wait. But that few minutes felt like a century. I couldn’t wait to get up and start moving around.

My job wasn’t finished, of course. I still had the obligatory group photo – featuring a representative sampling of organizers and speakers – to take. I assure you that as soon as I snapped the requisite shot, I was out the door.

I could have really used a long walk back to the newsroom to work off some of that caffeine. But as luck would have it, the event was at Park Place. Moving at hyper-caffeine speed, I covered that half a block in record time.

It was only after I settled back in the office (or as settled as one can be when hopped up on that much coffee) that I realized I had someplace else to be. Namely, Norwich City Court. For which I was running late. Only a few minutes, to be sure. But that was enough to miss the one case on the calendar I was really interested in.

I knew I could get the information I was looking for, but doing so required sitting through all the other cases on the docket. Which, as entertaining as City Court always is, was something akin to torture to one as antsy as I.

But I got through it. Without any tapping incidents, I might add.

In fact, as I made my way back to the newsroom (at a much slower pace), I realized the caffeine buzzing through my veins had finally started to subside.

I decided to celebrate by indulging in what can only be described as manna from heaven: Hedonist Artisan Chocolates’ milk chocolate bark with sesame. My bestie Liz bought it for me this weekend while we were on a wine tour for her friend Emese’s bachelorette bash. (It was a fabulous trip, which requires a blog all of its own.)

The fact that I love chocolate goes without saying. But this is like nothing I’ve ever tasted before – the flavor of the sesame and an accompanying hint of salt is such an amazing savory compliment to the smooth sweetness of the milk chocolate. It is nothing short of delightful.

Before I knew it, I’d polished off a healthy portion.

And suddenly, an all-too familiar sensation was spreading through me. Only this time, it wasn’t caffeine induced.

Hello, sugar rush…

Follow me on Twitter … @evesunmelissa.

Jeff Genung

• All Faired out? As much as we love the annual Chenango County festival, we’re equally as glad when it’s over. All-fair, all-the-time can be taxing on our news sensibilities, not to mention our stomachs. As per tradition, I took the entire Evening Sun news team down to the Fair on Friday afternoon for lunch and … libation. Let’s just say we worked up a thirst watching Brian kick Julian’s $#% in the “Boot Camp” challenge.

• By all accounts, we’re not the only ones who had a great time at the fair. New additions like pro wrestling and an alpaca show drew in crowds, and event organizers were pleased with the week’s success. In case you missed any of the action, I’m pretty sure Frank Speziale captured every nanosecond of it in one of his 1,000 photos taken last week. Evening Sun subscribers get to see them all – just click on the Photo Galleries link on the front page.

• Looks like it was too late in the game for Norwich City Schools to reverse course and go back to semestering. While disappointing for the music students who will be hardest hit by the upcoming change, I have to say I understand the administration’s decision. That Hail Mary move by Mayor Bloomberg in reinstating the January Regents (for what may only be one more time) threw a wrench in things at the last minute … and at this point in the game, it really is the last minute. I don’t think people realize the amount of work that goes on at the schools during the summer. Just because your kids are on vacation, doesn’t mean your school is. And yes, I mean teachers, too. I know more than a few who spend days, if not weeks, preparing their classrooms and lesson plans for the upcoming school year. I love armchair quarterbacking as much as the next guy, but let’s give these guys the benefit of the doubt once in a while.

• In case you couldn’t tell by the plethora of sports analogies in that last paragraph, Pat Newell was on vacation again last week. Now, he’s back in the saddle preparing (along with Frank) for our annual Fall Sports Preview. Stay tuned for details.

• Up next? Blues Fest, this weekend. Brian Golden’s working on a pair of preview stories for later in the week – looks like an impressive lineup!

Jeff Genung

• I came, I saw, I ate a dog food bowl full of French fries. With sour cream, bacon bits and freeze dried chives. My Chenango County Fair 2011 experience has finally begun.

• It’s long been an Evening Sun tradition to “embed” my editorial staff  down on East Main Street during Fair Week, and I try to make it down to the fairgrounds a few times myself, if only to escape the Ivory Tower for an hour or two and mix it up among the little people. Seriously, I relish the chance to immerse myself in Chenango County-ness during this time of year. The fair is a spectacle to behold – and you can take that any way you’d like it.

• I prefer to take it covered in sour cream and bacon, apparently. And then deep fried.

• Tonight, it’s country star Andy Griggs (no, I’ve never heard of him, but I’d be hard-pressed to name five country “stars” anyway) at the fair for the annual “Guitars Under the Stars” concert. Read Brian’s preview here.

• Both Brian and Frank Speziale have uploaded tons of fair pictures into our Photo Galleries for Evening Sun subscribers already, with more to come throughout the week. I’ve put a sampling up on our Facebook page (and a few in print, naturally), but to see them all – well, it pays to be a subscriber!

• Want to experience the fair in video? Check out ES summer intern Jayne Jaramillo’s videos on our Facebook page too!