Hello Sourcers!

Lots to discuss this week, so let’s dive right in!?

🥛 Glass!

🔴 Cranberries!

🎞️ Films!

First up, on Friday night, the Corning Museum of Glass kicks off celebrations for their 75th year! As a public radio station that turned 50 this year, WSKG nods with respect to our elders. There will be events throughout the year to celebrate this milestone, but it begins with CMoG75, a ticketed event with live glass-blowing demos, live music, food and bevvies for sale, and a community-built balloon art sculpture with a Tiffany theme.

This happens to coincide with Cabin Fever in the Gaffer District, an annual sip-and-stroll style event in downtown Corning. Wine and beer pairings with various downtown businesses designed to aid our recent thaw in helping you emerge from winter. Although, you know, don’t pack those scarves and mittens up just yet.

For something a little quieter, you might want to check out this month’s installment of the Cranberry Coffeehouse, a monthly folk event at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation Church in Binghamton on the third Saturday of each month. The Cranberry Coffeehouse has been running since 1972—which makes it younger than CMoG but slightly older than WSKG FM; not that it’s a contest. This month, they’re featuring folk singer Mike Agranoff.

Also this weekend, Cornell Outdoor Education brings the Banff Mountain Centre Film Festival to Cornell’s Bailey Hall for two nights of mountaineering-themed films. The Banff Film Festival launched in 1976 (which means it’s the young ‘un of today’s mentioned organizations) and has had a touring component for over 30 years. Each night’s program features six short films.

Just a couple things to keep you busy over a mid-February weekend. And to those of you parents with kids home from school this week: we’re halfway there, my friends.

See you soon, Sourcers!

Yours,

Bob Proehl

Locally Sourced editor

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Good day, travelers! I’m glad to see you’ve made it to the next Waypoint in one piece. It’s dangerous to go alone, so you take this guide with you to find your favorite (or new favorite) spot for tabletop gaming, supplies, community, and more!

This week, I traveled just over the border to Sayre, Pennsylvania (making sure to pass through Waverly for a nice lunch at Soprano’s first) to find Keystone Cards and Games. While I’m not normally one to note the designs of buildings, I have to note the front and interior have pleasant wood paneling, making it feel  more rustic and wholesome, which lends itself to a fantasy aesthetic for a gamestore. Once inside, the space felt comfortable, with tables spread throughout the store for games, without feeling crowded or awkward to navigate.

One of the top things that makes Keystone stand out from other game stores I’ve been to is its selection of sports cards. Normally, these kinds of stores only focus on games: TTRPGs, TCGs, European-style boardgames, etc. But it makes sense that a game store that collects and sells trading card games would also deal in sports trading cards. While I didn’t rifle through their entire selection, there were boxes dedicated to these kinds of cards, including baseball, football, and basketball.

Still, the store’s main focus is on tabletop games, and that focus is further refined to trading card games. While there were a few assets for TTRPGs (primarily Warhammer, from what I saw), the store’s selection hinges primarily on games like Magic:The Gathering, Pokemon, and Lorcana. Similarly to the mass quantity of sports cards, there were several—and I mean several—boxes of bulk. One of my favorite things is sifting through stacks of cards, seeing what gem I might stumble upon, and it’s also perfect for tossing together a deck on the spot to play a few quick games, or better yet, grabbing a couple friends and make an evening of drafting the bulk and showing off what you managed to scrape together. But just to note, they do offer an online, searchable collection, plus a few expensive staples in cases, making it easy to check their inventory and order singles you might be searching for.

Perhaps the coolest aspect of Keystone, at least in my opinion, is its focus on community engagement. On one of its walls is a big calendar, displaying upcoming events to plan for, ranging from card game tournaments to D&D sessions for both kids and adults. On that same calendar was Keystone’s points system. Yes, points system; they’ve gamified visiting the store, where whenever you take part in events, bring a friend to an event, or place well in said events, you earn points. At the end of the month, everything is totaled up, and the three people with the most points earn cool promotional prizes. I thought this was a fantastic way to have even more fun, on top of already having a good time, and I love how it simultaneously incentivises participation, connection, and friendly competition.

So if you’re a local tabletop gamer looking for a new haunt, or maybe you’re a bit farther away but still want to make the trip out to a new scene, then definitely check out Keystone Cards and Games. Both the staff and players were very friendly and helpful, so don’t be scared to check it out!

Until next time, safe travels, and I’ll see you at the next Waypoint!

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Welcome to the latest edition of Put Down The Tablet! The column where my six-year old daughter Josie and I roam around the WSKG coverage area looking for fun things to do that don’t involve screentime or brainrot. 

Our latest adventure took us to the Discovery Center of the Southern Tier to visit one of Broome County’s longest-running educational outposts. Founded in 1978 as the region’s first ‘hands on’ children’s museum, the Discovery Center moved to its current location at Binghamton’s historic Ross Park in 1987. I have always been impressed with how the Discovery Center melds educational activities that connect with the history of our region and that tradition continues nearly 50 years into their existence.

Josie’s first stop was the EcoKids exhibit, where she found herself inside of a tree learning all about Broome County’s environment. She was relieved to discover that spring and summer will return. From there she donned a chef costume and prepared a ‘meal’ for our family in the Plum Dragon Diner–who knew she could make so many different dishes from eggs!

We used giant chopsticks in the Asian Celebrations exhibit, and then immediately went for a tooth cleaning in the Dino Dental section. Josie also took care of some of our four-legged friends in the Pet Vet section and even got to play a life size version of the children’s game ‘Operation!’

I am sure some of our readers grew up watching Action News for Kids on WBNG and they continue to have a presence at the Discovery Center with a weather station complete with green screen and cameras that allows children to see themselves on TV! Josie will be ready whenever WSKG decides to hire a weather anchor!

A trip to the Discovery Center wouldn’t be complete without a visit to their famous Bubble Stand, an exhibit that has been on display since 1984. Guests raise a hula-hoop that has been sitting in soapy solution over their body to create a giant bubble that surrounds them (well theoretically). We went back four or five times as Josie enjoyed this bit of hands-on science and now I have to figure out how to build one in the basement of our house!

In addition to all the activities inside the Discovery Center there is also the fantastic Story Garden, which was established in 2008. While too cold and snowy to explore on this visit, Josie will be back when it opens in Mid-April! The Discovery Center of the Southern Tier is open seven days a week and is located on 60 Morgan Road in Binghamton. Visit thediscoverycenter.org for hours of operation and to get more information about seasonal exhibits!