Hello Sourcers! I can tell you right off, the biggest news in my neighborhood is that the pool is open, so let’s dive right in!

🎨 Art!

🎶 Music!

🏳️‍🌈 Pride!

This week we’re beginning in the forests of Otsego County, as the Butternut Valley Alliance kicks off their On the Trail of Art festival, Saturday June 13 and Sunday June 14th. A half mile of trail in the General Jacob Morris State Forest will become an art gallery, as students and professional artists display their work embedded in nature. There will be wandering musicians, art demonstrations, and a crystal ball treasure hunt. 

In Elmira, one of our favorite local musicians, Pat Kane, is kicking off a weekly residency at the Hill Top Inn. You may know Pat’s work from his appearances on WSKG’s Expressions. From June 11th through September 3rd, Pat Kane & Kathay Snedeker will play the Hilltop from 6 to 9pm, bringing a mix of Irish, Folk, Swing Standards, Country, and Blues.

Finally, Pride events continue throughout the region. In Corning, the SoFLX Pride Festival kicks off its seventh year with Bloom Under the Moon, a flag-raising and dance party in Centerway Square from 6pm-9pm, and then continues from 11am to 5:30pm with a street festival, featuring musical performances, a drag show, and a cake auction, among other activities. 

Montour Falls hosts its first ever Pride Festival on Thursday June 11th at the Montour Falls Farmers Market from 4-6pm, and the one thing I love to see more than a Pride event that’s been going for years is one that’s firing up for the first time! 

And in Ithaca, the Ithaca Pride Alliance is holding events all weekend, beginning with the RainbowFest Rock concert, an all-ages show at the Nocturnal Cafe on Friday from 7pm til 1am. Things ramp back up the next day at 3pm on the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Commons, with entertainment, an opening ceremony, and a dance party. 3-4pm will be access hours, with no amplified sound, no stage lights, and masking encouraged.

On Sunday, most of downtown Ithaca will be on the Pride map, with performances and vendors from DeWitt Park to State Street. WSKG will be there too, so stop and say hi! Our table will be on the Commons and I’ll be there from 10am to 4pm with WSKG swag to give away.

That’s what the next couple days look like, Sourcers. Hope all is well with you, and hope to see you out and about!

Yours,

Bob Proehl

Locally Sourced editor

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Hello there, traveler! Hard to believe we’re already at the next Waypoint; why, it felt like only yesterday we were sitting around the campfire sharing stories of our adventures. It’s enough to make this explorer nostalgic.

Well, perhaps not nostalgic, but it certainly enough for me to reflect on just how far we’ve come. With that in mind, what better reason is there to revisit one of our previously discovered locations? And not just any from the list; I’m talking about the very first one!

Yes, Sidequest Games is a fond spot for me, but I’m not thinking back on it out of fondness. The store has received a massive update all thanks to its new location! There was quite the small-business shuffle in Owego over the past couple months, and Sidequest was one of many to find a new home in one of the many storefronts in the village. But worry not; it’s not far from its previous location—only half a block away!

In its new home, Sidequest has found plenty of room to stretch its wings, and stretch it has. As you might recall, this store solely focuses on European-style board games, and its new haunt, you’re not sure to forget that: the huge selection of games the store offers is displayed front and center, with several shelves right inside the door entirely filled up to help welcome you. Like its last location, the games are organized by learning difficulty, starting with a few titles oriented toward younger tabletoppers, slowly increasing in complexity until you’re almost breaking into RPG territory.

Unfortunately, Sidequest did lose its rentable dungeon in the move, but this new spot keeps the ye-olde vibes with creative decor like medieval rugs and chandeliers, plus wall art and hidden soot sprites. The store also makes good use of its new space with three play surfaces set up and ready for your gaming convenience (including a peculiar triangular table), all complemented by an open board game library that’s free to borrow from and play right in the store.

I even chatted with the owner on my stop in, and she took the time to explain the design philosophy behind the space, stating that it’s meant to be a spot for everyone, no matter the age, to come in and have fun. There’s a new kid’s section outfitted with plush chairs, crafting materials, and toys for young ones to indulge, making this place a great idea for adults who want to meet up with their other older friends or go on a double date for some quality tabletop gaming while still keeping the little ones close at hand and occupied.

As one last quick aside, Sidequest hosts plenty of ongoing events to check out, making it easy to get involved. (You didn’t hear it from me, but there’s also a Catan regional qualifier happening this weekend if you want to test yourself!)

So what are you waiting for? Stop in to Sidequest Games, perfect for finding your new board game fascination, meeting up with friends, or simply checking out the new space. Be sure to take notes; I’ll want to hear all about it next time we meet. I’m sure we’ll bump into each other at the next Waypoint!

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Hello and welcome to Put Down The Tablet! The column where I find local fun with my daughter Josie while we leave our devices on the charger. May was an exciting month as Josie and I took a quick trip to Fort Worth, Texas for her cousin’s wedding! It was our first time in the Longhorn State and it’s always fun to experience new things through the eyes of your child. We also planted sunflower seeds in our garden and have seen two movies in the theater. But our main attraction this month is a trip to State Street in Binghamton to visit the historic Roberson Museum!

Built in the early 1900’s by prominent local businessman Alonzo Roberson Jr. and transformed into a museum in the 1950’s, the mansion has been a staple of the Binghamton downtown scene for over a century. With a slew of expansions since the 1970’s, the current space houses permanent local history exhibits, art exhibition spaces and provides a great window into Broome County’s past while encouraging student learning for the future.

Our first discovery was the Heritage Gallery, which houses a huge model train set that recreates the Southern Tier from the 1950’s. We had fun learning about the history of all our local communities as well as trying to locate our Johnson City house on the model. Our next stop was Roberson’s “Miniatures” exhibit and Josie was in awe of the amazing details inside the six foot tall dollhouse that was the centerpiece of the display.

We next ventured to the Dickinson Gallery which currently holds two exhibits culled from Roberson’s robust archives. This was the first time Josie saw an artist's work displayed in an exhibition and she was amazed at the size of the pieces created by the late Binghamton University professor Angelo Ippolito. 

Roberson’s permanent display of Nature Trek is an exploration of the natural world we live in with the over 150 mounted specimens on display in this area. We sometimes take for granted that we live in such a rich natural environment and this exhibit puts the Southern Tier’s beauty front and center. We next blasted off to the museum’s second floor and landed in their Space Rocks exhibit, which puts you right in the middle of a meteor! 

For our last mission, we time traveled from the future of outer space back to Roberson’s past as we toured a recreation of the mansion as it was 100 years ago. We were impressed with the regal staircase and stained glass windows and Josie listened extra hard to hear the spirits that are rumored to be roaming the halls of the mansion. I also made a point to show her that children of the mansion had no tablets to play with.

I was a bit skeptical of Josie’s reaction to the Roberson Museum but she had a really fun time learning about the region’s history and investigating amazing artwork. With summer vacation approaching, please visit roberson.org for a complete list of the museum’s exhibitions as well as student summer programs available! Roberson Museum is located at 30 Front Street in Binghamton.