News & Events from CCE Tompkins County | | Learn about 4-H and explore our programs at the Fall Festival! | | |
Tompkins 4-H Fall Festival
10 am-2 pm, Saturday, October 17
at 4-H Acres, 418 Lower Creek Rd, northwest of Ithaca
Fall Festival is coming up! Join us on October 17 for a pancake breakfast and a variety of fun family activities. People of all ages can:
- Make crafts
- Play games
- Meet 4-H animals
- Take guided nature walks
- And learn about plants!
4-H offers various clubs that youth can join as well as a variety of Rural Youth Services and Primitive Pursuits programs. Learn about all of these and enjoy a delicious, filling meal with other local families.
| | Grow Your Compost Skills & Knowledge This Month | | |
Fall Outdoor Composting Class
5:30-7 pm, Thursday, October 8
at CCE Tompkins, 615 Willow Ave
Outdoor composting skills can help you to manage large amounts of leaves, garden debris, food scraps and more. The compost you make will improve your soil, and your garden will thrive. Class topics include compost basics, options for outdoor composting, how to manage and troubleshoot, how and when to harvest, and the many ways to use finished compost. A portion of this class will be held OUTDOORS in the compost demo site, rain or shine. Please dress appropriately.
Registration is $5 per household.
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Fall Worm Composting Class
10 am-12:30 pm, Saturday, October 24
at CCE Tompkins, 615 Willow Ave
Learn how worms can make fast, rich compost for your garden while disposing of your food scraps. Take home the bin, a starter population of worms, and the knowledge to tend to your new pets year-round.
Registration is $12 per household (includes your starter bin), and space is limited.
| | Visit the PowerHouse at the Tompkins County Public Library | | |
The PowerHouse tiny home and energy education center will visit the Tompkins County Public Library from noon to 4 pm on Saturday, October 10! This event is part of TCPL's Community Read series on the novella A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers.
Stop by:
- 12-1 pm for Solar Tea and S'mores
- 1-2:30 pm for tours of the PowerHouse
- 3-4 pm to learn How to Read (and Lower) Your Energy Bill — bring a copy of a recent bill and review it with a Community Energy Advisor. Registration Requested
And you can meet Smart Energy Choices staff on October 3 at the Montour Falls Harvest Festival and Danby Resilience Fair!
| | Local Families Can Learn Cooking Skills Together | | |
CCE Tompkins is partnering with the Cornell student-run Nutrition Education Project (NEP) and the American Heart Association to facilitate nutrition and cooking classes with youth and parents at the Ithaca Free Clinic, GIAC, Beverly J. Martin Elementary School, and the YMCA of Ithaca & Tompkins County. The CCE Tompkins Nutrition team will provide training, advice, and community connections; NEP will be using an American Heart Association Curriculum.
NEP will also provide access to social service navigation screening tools to any adult participants who express interest. The program is advised by Angela Odoms-Young, Director of the Food and Nutrition Education in Communities Program (FNEC) and New York State Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).
To learn more, contact Nutrition Director Craig Livermore at cl2742@cornell.edu.
| | Training: Personal-Professional-Parenting Communication Skills | | |
Professional Development Training - PS: It Works! Personal-Professional-Parenting Communication Skills
9 am-4:30 pm, Thursday & Friday, October 22 & 23
at CCE Tompkins, 615 Willow Ave in Ithaca or online
The $350 registration includes:
- Training, lunch, and a snack (for those joining in person)
- Physical copy (for in-person attendees) or electronic copy (for online attendees) of our brand-new updated 2026 facilitator manual ($150 value)
- Facilitator online delivery PowerPoint (updated 2026)
- PS: It Works! Professional Development Certificate of Completion
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Professional Development Training - 2-Gen PS: It Works! Skills
9 am-4:30 pm, Friday, October 30
at CCE Tompkins, 615 Willow Ave in Ithaca or Online
Introducing 2Gen PS: It Works!, an adaptation of the successful parenting skills program specifically targeting youth ages 6-10 and their grownup. This training will focus specifically on the youth curriculum and attendees should have prior knowledge of the original PS: It Works! curriculum. The $250 registration includes:
- Training, lunch, and a snack
- In-person attendees will receive a physical copy of our brand-new 2026 manual, and online attendees will receive an electronic copy. ($150 value)
- 2 Gen PS: It Works! Professional Development Certificate of Completion
| | Native Plants in NY Parks | | |
Native Landscapes: Management and Planting Strategies at NYS Parks
5:30-7 pm, Tuesday, October 20
at CCE Tompkins, 615 Willow Ave or online via Zoom
New York State Parks is increasing the use of native plants in our shared public spaces, following a native plant policy that encourages using beneficial species in all landscaping and gardening projects. In this discussion we will go over management strategies that help horticulture staff balance aesthetic and ecological goals in landscape restoration and garden sites around the Finger Lakes state park region. The pros and cons of different planting and establishment strategies will also be discussed.
Instructor Max McCune has been a Horticulturalist at New York State Parks since 2018. He works to design, maintain and manage native plant restorations and gardens throughout the Finger Lakes region.
This class is offered either online or in-person. This program is valued at $20, however, please pay what you are able.
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Half of all New York households are now eligible for relief through New York State’s Energy Affordability Program. The Energy Affordability Program provides eligible customers with utility bill discounts they can count on each month. Millions of New Yorkers are newly eligible this year.
Learn more and apply at ny.gov/eap or by contacting your utility directly. Your utility can provide more information on eligibility and answer any questions about the application process.
| | Dried Herbs, Fruit Leather, Frozen Vegetables and More! | | |
Food Preservation: Freezing and Dehydrating
5:30-6:30 pm, Tuesday, October 13
at CCE Tompkins County, 615 Willow Ave in Ithaca
As the growing season comes to an end, come learn about the ways you can get the highest quality dehydrated and frozen food. Unlike canning, dehydrating and freezing can be done with very little specialized equipment. We'll discuss safety, logistics, and food quality with examples of how to put these skills into practice.
Aly Trombitas is the Agriculture & Horticulture Educator at CCE Tompkins. She is Master Food Preserver and started formally (and enthusiastically) teaching food preservation in 2023. She has many years of experience teaching all ages about food, environment, and agriculture.
This program is $20. A donation funds scholarships to keep our programs accessible to all. Subsidized rates are provided to support all community members' access. Please pay what you are able.
| | Ag Energy NY Hosts Tour of Tully Farm | | |
A gentle 9 mph northwestern breeze was all it took to activate the two wind turbines spinning at the Ed Doody farmstead on Saturday, September 12, as Ag Energy New York supported a tour of the farm. The site served as an example for community members curious about and interested in wind energy during our first renewable energy farm tour.
Discussion covered the operational realities of wind energy, spanning the distinct advantages, mechanical challenges, and long-term maintenance requirements of ownership. The Doody family has deeply integrated wind technology across their operations. Ed Doody and his two brothers each have a 15 kWh Bergey wind turbine at their neighboring homesteads. Depending on the season, these units offset most of their residential energy demands. Additionally, the main farmstead features a larger 30 kW Eocycle turbine, which generates approximately 40% to 45% of the 200,000 kWh the Doody dairy farm uses each year.
Through the Distributed Wind Program at CCE Tompkins, Ag Energy NY offers resources and information as well as one-on-one consultations to rural landowners across New York State interested in distributed wind. If you would like to discuss your wind energy possibilities, please feel free to contact jc3853@cornell.edu or call 607-272-2292 ext. 225. Learn more about sustainable ag energy options at AgEnergyNY.org.
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All 4-H Club registration is now open. Come learn about bunnies, plants, baking, and more! Contact vmt5@cornell.edu.
Since 1995, Rural Youth Services has given young people in Tompkins County’s rural communities a place to try new things, build friendships, and belong. RYS offers engaging after-school and summer programs primarily for youth in grades 4-8. Contact sjl44@cornell.edu.
Fall programs at Primitive Pursuits are underway! Don't forget to sign up for our School Break Days: PrimitivePursuits.com/School-Breaks.
| Connecting Farmers to the Land | |
Connecting Farmers to the Land Retreat
9 am-5:30 pm, Saturday, October 24
at the Dryden Center for Community, 9 E Main Street in Dryden
Join us for a day of conversations and presentations on farmland access, stewardship, and transitions. This event will bring together retiring farmers (and mid-career farmers), farmland seekers, and non-operating farmland owners. We will explore topics including cooperative farming and land access, conservation and environmental stewardship, legal considerations, and equitable land access.
This free event is brought to you with generous funding from the American Farmland Trust, and in close partnership with Khuba Internation and Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming.
| Upcoming Family & Parenting Workshop Series | |
Parents Apart®
6:30-8:30 pm, Mondays, October 19 & 26
Online via Zoom
Parents Apart® is an online workshop for parents who want to learn how to help their child(ren) adjust during their separation or divorce. The workshop is taught by parenting educators and focuses on how children react emotionally to their parents' separation or divorce, and what parents can do to help them adjust.
Registration is confidential, and parents of the same child(ren) are placed in different workshops. There is a $75-$150 registration fee to cover workshop expenses. The workshop is open to all regardless of ability to pay. Reduced rates available. No one will be turned away.
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PS: It Works! Parenting Skills Workshop Series
6-7:30 pm, Thursdays, October 22-December 17 (No class on November 26)
Online via Zoom
Many factors influence our children and how we parent. Every family, every child is different and unique. The five PS: It Works! communication skills — Encouragement, Can Do, Shared Decision Making, Self-Control, and Respecting Feelings — will give you a new way to approach your daily experiences, reduce instances of high stress, and add useful tools to your toolbox.
Join other parents and guardians to discuss issues that directly influence parenting and family life in this FREE 8-week series. Everything you learn can be applied to all of your life experiences — not just parenting!
| | Plaques up on the Thriving Futures Murals! | | |
Nearly all 19 Thriving Futures murals now have special plaques placed next to them introducing their lead artists and themes. A QR code directing visitors to the Smart Energy Choices website is available on each plaque so visitors can learn more about the lead artists from around the Southern Tier and their visions for what a thriving future looks like for their communities.
The above photos showcase recent murals by Terrence Vann (Ithaca Commons), Meira Robertson (Arthaus), and Margalo (Groton).
| | NYSEG Rate Case Stretches into Fall as Customers Await Answers | | |
"As another heating season approaches, NYSEG customers face continued concerns about affordability and uncertainty over future rates. The utility’s long-delayed rate case remains unresolved...
"For homeowners, [Tompkins County Chief Sustainability Officer Terry] Carroll recommended contacting Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County’s Energy Smart Communities program for information about efficiency improvements and energy-saving habits. Renters may have less authority to pursue improvements such as insulation, but they can still document problems and seek help if they suspect inaccurate billing.
Read the full article at TompkinsWeekly.com or contact a Community Energy Advisor from Smart Energy Choices.
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Tompkins County residents with diverse backgrounds and interests are invited to apply to serve as members of our Board of Directors. New board members would serve a 3-year term through December 2029, with an option to continue for a second term. The Board meets on the first Thursday of each month from 5 to 7 pm. This is an unpaid volunteer position, and there is no financial commitment required to serve.
For more information, visit bit.ly/CCETC-Board2026. Applications will be accepted until October 17. Please direct questions to tompkins@cornell.edu.
| CCE Tompkins will close for Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, October 12. | | |
About Us
The Community Toolbox is your monthly connection to classes and events at Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County. We hope you'll think of Cooperative Extension as your personal "toolbox" filled with reliable and useful information whenever there's something you'd like to know or learn! Explore our links, check out our upcoming workshops, then call us at (607) 272-2292, email tompkins@cornell.edu or drop by our Education Center in Ithaca which once again is open to the public during weekday business hours. We're here to help, with information — and people — you can trust!
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