The Beat

The Empire State has become a world-renowned destination for farm-based, small-batch craft beverages utilizing local ingredients to enhance everything from ales and ciders to spirits and meads

NEW YORK - April 16, 2018 – New York State’s craft beverage industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, with unique and imaginative offerings being produced statewide. New York State now has more than 400 breweries alone, the highest number since 1876. Nationwide, New York State ranks first for number of hard cider producers, second in craft distillers, third in breweries and fourth in wineries. Capitalizing on the growing interest, craft beverage producers are building tasting rooms and offering tours, inviting the public to visit their operations and sample their beverages.

AAP Picked as Best NYS Attraction in I LOVE NEW YORK’s Annual Contest

Harpursville, N.Y. – April 4, 2018 – Mark another W in the books for Animal Adventure Park! AAP, home to world-famous giraffes April, Oliver and Tajiri, has been declared the winner of I LOVE NEW YORK’s bracket of New York State attractions.

Animal Adventure Park acquired tens of thousands of votes and came out on top in four successful rounds of the contest, which began with 16 New York State attractions.

Cooperstown, N.Y. – There is an online substitute for just about everything these days, but there is no substitute for the unique magic of a live performance. Regular concertgoers and first-time attendees alike can experience the thrill of being up close and personal with world-renowned artists at a Cooperstown Summer Music Festival concert.

The 20th Anniversary season of the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival, under the artistic direction of flutist Linda Chesis, offers spring and summer concerts in landmark Cooperstown venues. Featured artists include returning Festival favorites—the American String Quartet, harpsichordist Bradley Brookshire, violinist Joseph Lin—and new faces such as jazz guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, the Argus Quartet, and pianists Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee.

Corning, NY, March 15, 2018—The Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG) today announced the schedule for GlassBarge, which will offer free public glassmaking demonstrations at each scheduled stop during its four-month tour, launching on May 17 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. It will then travel north on the Hudson, then westward along the Erie Canal before making its way to the Finger Lakes. It will stop at ports in Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Albany, Little Falls, Sylvan Beach, Baldwinsville, Fairport, Lockport, Buffalo, Medina, Brockport, Pittsford, Seneca Falls, and Watkins Glen. A ceremonial last leg of the trip will take place by land, concluding in Corning with a community-wide celebration on September 22.

Scheduled for Saturday, March 24

Utica, N.Y. - Joe Kelly's Sesquicentennial Scrapbook celebrates Utica's history in a series of fun and entertaining vignettes. The booklet was originally written for a weekly column in the Observer-Dispatch to commemorate the city's 150th anniversary. A lot has changed in since the city’s sesquicentennial, but Utica’s history hasn’t. Join Joe Kelly to discuss and sign copies of the 35th Anniversary Edition of his popular book. This program takes place in the Oneida County History Center’s main gallery on Saturday, March 24 starting at 1:00 PM.

Utica, N.Y. – Janet Dangler, Town of Marshall Historian, will discuss the Brothertown Indians; a Christian group of Native Americas who settled the Deansboro area in the 1770’s and later relocated to Wisconsin. The Brothertowns formed by choice from several northeastern tribes to preserve their common culture and identity. Dangler will discuss the group’s history, share stories of several well-known Brothertons, including Samson Occum, Asa Dick, and Romance Wyatt, and address issues facing the Brothertown Indians today.

Cooperstown, N.Y. – A new year has brought an entirely new team to Otsego County’s Destination Marketing Corporation (DMCOC). The organization’s mission is to actively promote and market Otsego County for the purpose of encouraging overnight visitation, thus contributing to the economic impact of tourism in our community through the generation of occupancy tax revenues. This is accomplished by creating overnight stays – “heads in beds” – by marketing outside the area, to potential visitors within at least a three-to-four hour drive from Otsego County.

Renovations to I-81 Rest Area in Broome County Include Larger Taste NY Facility and Refocus the Center on Southern Tier Tourism

Investment Complements "Southern Tier Soaring" - The Region's Comprehensive Strategy to Revitalize Communities and Grow the Economy

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that work is complete on a state-of-the-art Southern Tier Welcome Center rest area on Interstate 81 northbound in Kirkwood, Broome County, approximately two miles north of the Pennsylvania state line. Building on the success of the Long Island Welcome Center, which opened last fall, the revamped Southern Tier Welcome Center will encourage travelers to visit new tourism destinations across the state and region, and promotes New York's world class food and beverage products at an expanded Taste NY facility. The renovation project complements "Southern Tier Soaring," the region's multi-billion-dollar investment to support economic and community growth.

Peterboro, N.Y. – The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) commemoration ceremonies for the 2016 inductees to the Hall of Fame will be held Saturday, October 21, 2017 at NAHOF, 5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro NY 13134. The inductees are Rev. John Gregg Fee, Beriah Green, Angelina Grimké, and James W.C. Pennington. This is the last year of the two year induction-commemoration cycle. Beginning in 2018 inductions and commemorations will be completed in one year.

Evening concerts August 4 and 6, and Daytime Family Music Fest on August 5

Cooperstown, N.Y. (July 23, 2017) – The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival will present three concerts the weekend of August 4-6, featuring the Jasper String Quartet, pianist Gilles Vonsattel, and flutist and Festival artistic director Linda Chesis.

On August 4 at 7:30 pm at Christ Church in Cooperstown, the Jasper String Quartet will perform a program called “Paysages,” featuring four works that convey a sense of place. Winner of the prestigious CMA Cleveland Quartet Award, Philadelphia’s Jasper String Quartet is the Professional Quartet in Residence at Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians. The Jaspers (J Freivogel and Sae Chonayashi, violins; Sam Quintal, viola; Rachel Henderson Freivogel, cello) have been hailed as “sonically delightful and expressively compelling” (The Strad) and “powerful” (New York Times).