Tag: Things to Do

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Homecoming Spot 2013 Review

SPOT hosts Hannah Lily and Will Strowe made their way on stage in sweatshirts and sweatbands, in a tribute to Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky”, to kick start the 2013 Homecoming SPOT this past Saturday. A new spin on the structure of SPOT featured student acts of talent along with the usual videos, skits, dances, and songs that elicited laughter – for the most part. This year’s addition of crowd questionnaires filled in the awkward gaps between acts and kept the crowd engaged, while the surprise stage visits of Houghton graduate celebrities “Beardo” and “Dreads” kept the audience on their toes. From ‘What Does the Fox Say?” to raps to German accents, SPOT displayed a broad array of talents and wit from faculty and students alike.

SPOTCAB was two for two in their video contributions; their “Valentine’s Day” movie trailer depicted the almost inexhaustible joke of awkward Houghton couples and revealed the identity of stars within our midst. Their “Valentine’s Day” video was followed up by a rendition of “The Hunger Games” in which Sodexo kept a careful eye on the fruit to student ratio. First year students were comforted in their fight against the freshmen 15 by Hanz and Franz’s “Buddy Workout” video. The final contender in the video section, a remake of the recently viral YouTube music video “What Does the Fox Say?,” did not disappoint in its ridiculous hilarity and continuously perplexing question: what does the fox say?

While the SPOT videos were largely accepted as solid contributions to the expected humor of the night, the skits faired a harsher fate. Alumni Derrick Tennant, ‘93, received a mixed reaction to his lengthy stand-up comedy act; half the time the audience was unsure whether to laugh or “aww” at the jokes that more often than not poked fun at his own partial paralysis. Other skits, while possibly written with good intentions of entertainment, made light of serious issues and events that crossed the line into rudeness and insensitivity.

The new inclusion of purely talent acts was most evidently displayed in the dance performances. The audience was impressed by the skills stepped, jigged, lept, and tapped across the stage, such as when a student trio performed a tap from the Broadway musical “Newsies.” And while there was no stepping, jigging, leaping, or tapping done by the goat brought in for Taylor Swift’s song “Trouble”, he was an automatic crowd pleaser.

An historical crowd favorite, Danny Kim came back to his former glory as a “big deal” with a rap performance that, despite slip-ups, was carried off with style by him and Cory Martin. “Matilda Jane” however displayed less style and more confusion – who is Matilda Jane again? And no doubt was left in anyone’s mind what dessert the Hardy twins ask for their birthday. Modified songs from Hercules, Veggie Tales, Pitch Perfect, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon vocalized the musical talents and creativity of various students; and Dean Jordan apparently originated from Mt. Olympus not Philadelphia, as previously understood.

While some acts fell flat of their intended comedic effect, resulting in boredom or downright offense, homecoming spirits created an atmosphere of camaraderie and geniality that encompassed both the audience and performers.

 

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Things to Do: Wiscoy Falls

Wiscoy Falls is one of those places that should be on every Houghton student’s bucket list. Set back a mile or so from the well-frequented Route 19, this chain of three waterfalls is a gorgeous sight to see and explore. To get there, simply drive 10 minutes north of Houghton on Route 19, and take a left at the sign denoting Wiscoy. As you follow its direction, you will come to a Y in the road, at which you should continue to the right. Very soon, you will reach the bridge that overlooks the first of the falls. Most Houghton students that expedition here will make use of the small dirt parking space next to the condemned mill building just past the bridge, and then proceed along the path that extends from there.

Courtesy of Maribeth Olson
Courtesy of Maribeth Olson

Visitors should follow this pathway through the woods, and then there is a hike across a firm dirt trail along the river. After dodging briars and climbing the dry sides of the waterfall’s shale, visitors can splash through the shallows on their way upstream. As they chase the river toward its source, visitors will encounter three waterfalls before finally being faced with the dam that spills the water down toward the Genesee. All three of these waterfalls are accessible to the adventurous expeditionary, and they all hold secrets of their own for the discovery.

As visitors approach the second waterfall from downstream, they will find the riverbed to be hazardously pot-marked with greater or lesser depressions in the rock. The deepest of these begins a short way from the strongest portion of that particular fall and extends right up to the crashing of the water. However, there is a ledge that can be traced from the right side of the falls (facing upstream) that will lead visitors along the edge of the falls. Visitors will be led to a point where their faces are stung by the spray of the water and they have no more ledge to trace, and it is at that point that visitors may let themselves fall into the powerful curtain of water and startlingly find themselves safe in an open cavern beneath that very curtain. This moderately sized cavern is my personal favorite place to explore when I travel to the falls when the water is warm.

Since it is only early spring, I would not recommend swimming at Wiscoy just yet. But you may still enjoy the picturesque scenery and take the opportunity breathe the clear air of a white-water Spring.

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Arts

Things to Do: Eat Ice Cream!

It’s finally warmed up in western New York, and that means it’s ice cream season again! There are plenty of places to go out for ice cream in the area, but I have a couple recommendations.

Courtesy of hotspoint.com
Courtesy of hotspoint.com

If you don’t want to drive very far, make your way south on Route 19 to Oramel and turn into Coffee Plus Cafe. They feature over 125 flavors of soft serve ice cream and have a nice patio where you and your friends can enjoy your cones in the sunshine.

If you are up for a longer drive, head to Arcade and stop at Delightfull’s. There you can find hard ice cream and soft serve in addition to sundaes, floats, and blizzards. The shop is quaint and the atmosphere pleasant.

For ice cream and a little entertainment, consider the Charcoal Corral. Their ice cream parlour offers soft and hard ice cream, and you can enjoy it while playing a round of mini golf for $5.

You could also see two featured films at the Silver Lake drive-in theater for $7. The films begin at dusk this weekend, and on the first screen The Croods and Oz: The Great and Powerful are playing. On the second screen you can see Oblivion and Identity Thief.

Wherever you choose to go, make sure you de-stress and enjoy a cone during the nice weather sometime before the end of the semester.

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Arts

Things to Do: Delectable Collectables

Some of our readership may not be aware that Houghton Safety and Security’s very own Gordon Arber is also a small business owner. He and his wife Debbie own Delectable Collectables, formerly The Old Garage next to the firehall in Angelica on West Main Street.

Courtesy of Gordon Arber
Courtesy of Gordon Arber

“I’ve been dealing in antiques and collectibles for at least 30 years,” Arber said. “I just love it.” Delectable Collectables offers a diverse selection of glassware, furniture, comics, toys, primitives, records, jewelry and art. The inventory is constantly changing.

“I always wanted to have my own co-op, and then this building was available in Angelica, so we tried it on a rent to own basis,” said Arber. This is their fourth year owning the business, and he and his wife were able to buy the building last year.

Delectable Collectables has around 25 vendors that rent space, and last year they were able to purchase 20 new display cases. They rent the display cases to vendors, and vendors can also pay for space in the store by the square foot. “Many of my vendors have sales periodically,” Gordon said.

I have had the opportunity to visit Delectable Collectables myself, and my favorite part of the trip was the $1 grab bag. After spending an hour browsing in the shop, it felt silly to leave with nothing, and this was a cheap but unique option.

Each grab bag is a surprise; after purchase you can open it and see what little treasures you are coming away with. My favorites were an old pin, a tiny address book, and a diva tattoo. It was exciting to discover what was in my grab bag!

Delectable Collectables is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. year round. “Like” their page on Facebook, and stop by the shop next time you are in Angelica to support a community member and a local family-owned business. As Arber said, “It’s a fun place just to come and browse and go down memory lane.”

Things to Do: Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art

Courtesy of ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu
Courtesy of ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu

Just 45 minutes south-east of Houghton on the Alfred University campus is the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art. According to the museum website, the museum “houses nearly 8,000 ceramic and glass objects, ranging from small pottery shards recovered from ancient civilizations to contemporary sculpture and installation pieces to advanced ceramics reflecting the cutting edge of ceramic technology.”

Unique to this museum is “The outstanding collection of graduate thesis ceramics created by Alfred-educated ceramists… [which] historically has formed the core of the collection. The permanent collection has grown to include works by internationally recognized ceramic artists,” as stated on the website.

The current exhibition is titled New Morphologies: Studio Ceramics and Digital Processes, and will be on display through April 5. According to ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu, the exhibit “highlights work that emerges from the encounter between the physical materiality of ceramic objects and the ephemerality of digital information. Working in Belgium, the U.S., Holland, and the U.K., the makers in this exhibition explore the intersection of digital technology with ceramic practice.”

Visit http://ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu/exhibitions/ for more information on current, upcoming and former exhibitions.

The museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is closed Saturday through Tuesday and some holidays. Oh, and did I mention admission is free? Now you have no reason not to go for a visit.

 

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Arts

Things to Do: Angelica Main Street

Courtesy of http://angelica-ny.biz/
Courtesy of http://angelica-ny.biz/

If you haven’t taken a trip to Angelica’s Main Street yet, shortlist it right now. If you have, you know you want to go back for another visit; I am willing to bet that you haven’t experienced everything the village has to offer.

West Main itself is a quaint little street with lots of small-town charm. You can stroll up and down the sidewalk peering into the local shops and restaurants and perhaps pop into one of the many antique stores for a look around. From old clothing and furniture to interesting books and knick knacks, I can assure you that you will find what you’re looking for.

If you are in the mood for some desserts, stop at the Angelica Sweet Shop. Want to check out some local hand-crafted pottery? Then the Three Clay Sisters is for you. For more local art, visit The Main Center gallery.

New in town is the Angelica Ink Letterpress, where you can purchase hand-pressed cards and stationery. Another new addition is The Village Closet, which sells new and recycled women’s clothing and accessories, among other various wares.

To break up your day of shopping and browsing, walk to the roundabout where there is a gazebo and a small park surrounded by a more residential area and numerous steepled  churches. You will most likely see local children laughing and frolicking on the swingset or the teeter totter in the playground.

And now we come to my personal favourite in the village, the Black-Eyed Susan Acoustic Cafe. I would recommend having a meal there on a Friday or Saturday when the restaurant features live music during evening dining hours.

I have always enjoyed the food I’ve ordered at the Black-Eyed Susan, and the music is definitely worth the trip in and of itself. It is nice to hear from local musicians outside of Houghton College every once in a while.

Tonight Pat Kane, an Irish and American performer and songwriter, will be featured. If blues is more your style, plan to attend Dallas Lucore’s gig this Saturday. Check out the Black-Eyed Susan’s website to find out more about these and future shows.

In addition to quality music, the restaurant features local artwork; the watercolors of Cuba native Lisa Robinson are currently on display. For a day exploring charming village shops and an evening listening to some great acoustic music over dinner, there is no better destination than the nearby Angelica, NY.

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Arts

Things to Do: Maple Tree Inn

Courtesy of wqed.org
Courtesy of wqed.org

If you haven’t yet eaten at Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn, add it to your bucket list immediately. Open this season from February 12 through April 14, there is only a limited time during which you can enjoy the Inn’s 100% pure maple syrup on its delicious unlimited buckwheat pancakes this semester.

The Cartwright family began producing maple syrup back in the 1850’s, and they opened the Maple Tree Inn restaurant in 1963. Since then, the restaurant has expanded, but the family has stayed true to the business’s roots.

According to the restaurant website, the Cartwright family “places approximately 8,000 taps each year” and produces the maple syrup on the premises. This is why the restaurant is only open seasonally.

After eating your fill of pancakes, and yes, for just $6.35 the waiter will keep bringing more until you are just about ready to burst, you can go down to the basement to see how the syrup is made.

Despite the Inn’s isolated location, customers from far and wide come to Angelica for the pure maple syrup and the homemade pancakes. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this great local restaurant while you are still living right down the road.

Stop by for a delicious breakfast anytime from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, or from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Please note that the Inn does not accept credit cards.

 

Things to Do: Vidler’s Five and Dime Store

It may be a bit far, but East Aurora is an inviting little village worth a visit sometime during your tenure at Houghton. Main Street has a certain small-town charm, with its old-fashioned theatre marquee and historic Five and Dime Store called Vidlers.

Courtesy of http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Courtesy of http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Vidlers itself is a unique attraction; it is the largest five and dime store in the world. Other attractions in the area include the Millard Fillmore House, the Roycroft Campus, and the Elbert Hubbard Museum.

Another fun fact: Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States, lived in a simple clapboard house in East Aurora for four years before beginning his political career.

Fillmore’s house has been designated as a National Historic Landmark, and according to the Village of East Aurora’s website, “The 1825 structure is restored to that period and features some original Fillmore furniture of the era, as well as items from Fillmore’s presidential years.”

The Roycroft Campus in East Aurora has also been designated as a National Historic Landmark, and it features guided walking tours, artisan classes and demonstrations, unique handcrafted artworks, and a copper shop gallery, according to its website.

The Campus is described at its website as “the best preserved and most complete complex of buildings remaining in the United States of the ‘guilds’ that evolved as centers of craftsmanship and philosophy during the late 19th century.”

To continue this historical journey through East Aurora, visit the Elbert Hubbard Museum, which “features an extensive collection of Roycroft books and Arts & Crafts pieces,” as stated on the Village of East Aurora’s website.

For those who enjoy the outdoors, the Sinking Ponds Nature Preserve “offers hiking trails and a natural habitat for migrating geese and other animals,” according to the village’s website. In addition, there is an outdoor ice skating rink in East Aurora that is open to the public on the weekends during the winter.

Spend a Saturday away from campus discovering the historic treasures and charm of East Aurora sometime during your stay in Western New York; the opportunity is a riveting one.

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Things to Do: Skiing

It’s that time of year again; Houghton’s campus is blanketed in snow (well except for the rain earlier this week) and the air has a harsh winter chill.

Houghton ski club. Courtesy of Graham Bitzer
Houghton ski club. Courtesy of Graham Bitzer

Many would consider this weather to be a nuisance, but as an avid skier I would encourage you to embrace the exciting sports that this season has to offer. After all, you wouldn’t have as much appreciation for the gentle melting into springtime and the bulbs stubbornly pushing through the snow without the ice and cold beforehand.

There are plenty of activities available to the adventurous Houghton student during the winter. To name a few, you can build an igloo or a snowman, have a snowball fight with friends, make snow angels on the quad, or go sledding down the Roth hill, sans cafeteria trays of course.
If you have a little more time on your hands, try renting snowshoes or cross-country skis from the gym; you can trek through the Houghton woods in a whole new way. If you’ve never been cross-country skiing before, find a friend who has taken a class and get a few tips. It is definitely a great form of cardiovascular exercise, and it is more exciting than going for a jog in the PEC.
Though downhill skiing and snowboarding don’t burn as many calories as, say, cross-country skiing, it can be thrilling to carve down the slopes and feel the wind on your face. If you have never gone before, Houghton is the perfect place to learn to ski or board; we have our very own ski hill, complete with a rope tow and ski shack.

The ski hill is open from 3 to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 12:50 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Ski and snowboard rentals are $5 at the ski shack; you can’t get much cheaper than that!

After taking a few turns on the bunny slopes here, you may want to try out the big-leagues. Swain Resort is about a forty minute drive east of Houghton, and offers approximately 100 skiable acres. Wednesdays at Swain are college days, with a $25 pass and $20 rentals available to anyone with a valid student ID.
At a comparable distance of 60 minutes from Houghton in Ellicottville, NY, Holiday Valley offers about 282 skiable acres, and college students can get night passes for $28. For the more experienced skier or boarder, I would definitely recommend a trip to Holiday Valley; in fact, the Houghton College Ski Club takes a trip there every Sunday, and transportation is free in the college vans.
So however you feel about the cold weather and snow that Western New York winters bring, try to make the best of the conditions by getting involved in winter sports and activities. You will have much more fun, I promise!

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Arts

The Riviera Theater

The Riviera Theatre and Performing Arts Center in North Tonawanda has a rich history; in fact, you can read all about it on the theatre’s website thanks to Bob Sieben.

I learned the Yellen family built the theatre in 1926, and they installed a Wurlitzer pipe organ in the same year.  The theatre’s organ, nicknamed The Mighty Worlitzer, began with 11 pipes and has since expanded to 20, requiring constant attention and tuning according to Sieben.

The Riviera Theatre
The Riviera Theatre

The North Tonawanda History Museum’s website states that the theatre, which seats 1,200 people, first showed silent movies accompanied by Wurlitzer organ music. It goes on to explain that the theatre fell into disrepair for a time after television replaced movies.

In 1980, the Riviera Theatre was placed on the Register of Historic Landmarks by the US Department of the Interior. In 1988, the Riviera Theatre and its organ were put up for sale, and the Niagara Frontier Theatre Organ Society (NFTOS)  set out to purchase the theatre through the help of a fundraising drive in the Tonawandas and Western New York.

Now the NFTOS and Western New York aim to preserve and share the heritage of the historic “movie palaces and their original ‘Mighty Pipe Organs’ ” through the restoration and upkeep of the Riviera Theatre, in Sieben’s words.

You can go to see this nostalgic theatre and organ for yourself; it remains active to this day, still presenting movies, live theatre, concerts and other special events. Coming up on Friday and Saturday February 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday February 3 at 2 p.m. is a performance of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s Broadway show I Do, I Do.

The pair are best known for The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical. Riviera Theater’s website describes I Do, I Do as the touching story of a couple’s journey through 50 years of marriage, eventually re-discovering how much they need one another.

Adult tickets for the production are $20, and they can be purchased online through the Riviera Theater’s official website. If you are a history buff or a theatre enthusiast, consider making the trip to North Tonawanda for this or one of the theatre’s later events.