Grassroots Festival 2011nearby Ithaca, NY

      Today is the beginning of the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival 2011 of Music and Dance located in Trumansburg, nearby Ithaca, New York. Less than a five-minute walk from our Finger Lake bed and breakfast, this music festival brings in tens of thousands of attendees and numerous performers from all over the world. It is located on the Trumansburg Fairgrounds. 2011 marks the 21st year of this non-profit organization. Grassroots raises money primarily for the fight against AIDS, education and other community needs. It is held on the second to last weekend in July, Thursday through Sunday.
       Hundreds of people set up campsites in the sweltering heat and got ready to enjoy the music this year. This has been the hottest year of Grassroots that I can remember. Fortunately, volunteers were providing relief through the use of misting stations, sprinklers on the dance floors and a fire truck that roamed the grounds drenching anyone who needed it. It is no easy feat to have this festival each year and there are hundreds of volunteers who spend time putting this together before the festival and another large crew to break it all down.This morning tents were raised and trailers were put into place. The Dance Tent and other venues were set up a few days before the gates opened. People from all ages and generations come to this festival and are seen dancing at many of the stages all day and through the night. Grassroots is one of my favorite times of the year. I have noticed that more and more younger people are coming each year. I love the music, and I love to dance. When I am not at the Inn at Gothic Eves taking care of my guests, I am usually at the dance tent. Our guests come back every year so they are seasoned festival attendees, I usually get a chance to dance with them too.
       The music was scheduled to start at 1:30 today. Donna The Buffalo, a popular local band, is traditionally one of the opening acts because they are responsible for putting this festival on each year. They play twice more including closing Grassroots on Sunday evening. Their fiddle player, Tara Nevins, usually stays at our Bed and Breakfast. She graced us with a jam session two days in a row this year. It was awesome.

Each year the Grassroots committee does a great job of choosing music acts from sub-genres of Zydeco, Native American, rock, Irish, bluegrass, country, folk, reggae, pop, Latin, blues, and more. Personally, I enjoy most music but folk is one of my favorite and almost anything that is good for dancing. The Carolina Chocolate Drops played tonight (and will play once more on Friday) and they were my favorite group. The lead female singer had a voice that shook my soul and the bebop singer who imitated all kinds of instruments was amazing as well. This band was playing traditional black folk music. There are very few black performers still playing this music. They won a grammy for one of their CDs this year and I am not surprised. I had favorite band members but they all were extremely talented and I would have just listened to them individually if they had played.
       There are many musical reasons to attend Grassroots but the organizers have given me another reason to attend because they make an exceptional effort to eliminate waste. Compost, recycling, and trash bins are easy to access on-site. The "Compost Station" teaches people about composting and is where all of the compost is brought. They even have Compost Theater, a musical comedy act teaching the ways of composting. The vendors are also expected to have as minimal waste as possible. All utensils and other tableware are compostable. Volunteers sort through the recyclables. The proceeds from the return deposits go to the local program of giving holiday gifts for lower-income families in Tompkins County. We make a large effort to compost and recycle as much as possible at our Finger Lakes Bed and Breakfast so we are very aware the affect such a large event can have on our environment. There are many festivals who actually strive to have a zero foot print. Grassroots is approaching this effort and we hope to see more of this. One vendor had a solar panel to run their food stand which was mostly organic, local foods.  
       Speaking of food, at Grassroots the cuisine is delicious. If you do not see me at the dance tent, I am probably at one of the food stands. Many different cuisines are represented such as Mexican, Thai, Mediterranean, American, Cajun, and Chinese. One of my absolute favorite things to eat at Grassroots is the chocolate dipped frozen cheesecake on a stick. Yup, the whole slice is on a stick and it is as decadent as you can imagine. No guilt, I dance it off. I cannot wait for another day at Grassroots!

Innkeepers Rose Hilbert and Roman Pausch
POB 95, 112 E. Main St.
Trumansburg, NY, 14886
info@gothiceves.com
www.gothiceves.com
1-800-387-7712
607-387-6033

Deserving much recognition, Dano's Heuriger on Seneca near Watkins Glen, NY

Dano's Heuriger on Seneca is a Viennese restaurant near Watkins Glen, NY. A heuriger is an Austrian term meaning a restaurant with an emphasis on wine harvested during the current year. The wine served is mostly from the Finger Lakes region and from Austria. Traditional Viennese food is served everyday from their extensive menu. Some of my favorite item on the menu are their delicious goulash, schnitzel and sauerbraten. There are a wide variety of spreads to enjoy with their fresh breads. Their salads are unique and accompany the meats well. It is owned by husband and wife Dano Hutnik and Karen Gilman. Karen is the pastry chef and my favorite dessert is her apple strudel Dano has been a chef for many years and has dabbled in many things including jam but recently he is working on perfecting the art of hand-crafted cheese. This past winter, we were given a tour of his cheese projects and we were also given a cheese tasting. We found his cheese to be as good as his regular menu items, exceptionally done well with a eye for detail. Dano tends to be very critical of his food so by the time you are tasting it, it has gone through many trials before it is good enough to serve to his customers. This restaurant is on the Seneca Wine Trail which our Seneca Lake Inn is an associate member of for every year it has existed.

Dano's food is worth the trip alone but his restaurant overlooks Seneca Lake with large glass windows offering a spectacular view. Behind the restaurant is fresh herb garden which he uses in his salads and there is a large meadow and orchard to the side. The architecture of the building is modern with simple lines starting with very large doors for its entrance and tall windows facing the lake. Karen's large paintings hang on the walls to complete the modern look. On warm days, customers are invited outside to enjoy the food on the terrace.

One of my favorite memories of eating at this restaurant was when we went with a large group and ordered the "Chef's Table" which is a large sampler of Viennese food served family-style. We brought our own wine and spent an entire evening being served food from his menu. You must call ahead and make arrangements for this but he gave us a per person price and when we arrived the food started flowing and did not stop soon enough before I was full and whispering "uncle". I say whisper because I did not want the food to stop because dessert was next.

The summer hours are from 12-8:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. The restaurant is open to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. You can call (607) 582-7555 to make reservations. Reservations are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome too. The address is 9564, Route 414 in Lodi, NY. It is just north of Shalestone Vineyard. From our Finger Lakes Inn, the restaurant is a 20 minute drive.

Innkeepers Rose Hilbert and Roman Pausch
POB 95, 112 E. Main St.
Trumansburg, NY, 14886
info@gothiceves.com
www.gothiceves.com
1-800-387-7712
607-387-6033
fax 607-387-4035

Silk Naturals - Local Business, Natural Makeup in Trumansburg nearby Ithaca NY

The Ithaca NY region has many small entrepreneurs and Silk Naturals, a local makeup company is one of those businesses that makes our community unique. Even though we have Cornell University and Ithaca College in the Ithaca region who employs many people, I believe that at least a third of the population owns their own business. Almost everyone I know has more than one job and one of those jobs is a small business on the side. So it is no surprise that we have someone who is making their own makeup, Silk Naturals. They are a local makeup and skin care company located in Trumansburg NY. It is not as well known by the locals, however, it has developed a cult following online and across the world. Silk Naturals is sold at Sundrees and Funky Finds, both located on Main Street Trumansburg nearby Ithaca NY. The business is in walking distance from our Inn nearby Ithaca NY.

The owners stand out from other companies with their dedication in obtaining feedback from their customers. Also, the product line is made with as few ingredients as possible and they are natural and organic. The company also is owned by generous people during October, the profits go to organizations supporting cancer research. The company has also donated to The National Kidney Foundation, Engineers Without Borders, The Look Good Feel Better Program and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Not all of Silk Naturals products are silk-based. There is a vegan line that does not have silk powder in it. Primers, lip products, foundation, skin care, and face products are available with a different, vegan formula. With the exception of four products, everything is gluten-free. The brand has a patent-pending foundation that involves mixing bases of your choice to make the perfect-match foundation. If you tan, you can add more of a base to your foundation, and not have to buy a completely new foundation. There are many shades of lip products and eyeshadows available. There are over 200 eyeshadows that span the spectrum of the rainbow. There are over 100 lip products. Skin, body, and hair products can be purchased on their website. So when visiting the Finger Lakes Region of NY, check out this small local business for makeup needs. We can never have too much makeup, right ladies!


Innkeepers Rose Hilbert and Roman Pausch
POB 95, 112 E. Main St.
Trumansburg, NY, 14886
info@gothiceves.com
www.gothiceves.com
1-800-387-7712
607-387-6033
fax 607-387-4035