Marauders Promise Mayhem Aboard Mid-Lakes Navigation Cruises

Step aboard, mateys!

Cruise-goers are encouraged to dress the part. Or, they can take advantage of the pirate garb and loot for sale. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes.

There may even be a takeover or two.

Openings are available on the following cruises:

• Lunch Cruise – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on the Erie Canal (leaves from Dutchman’s Landing, 7490 Hillside Road, Baldwinsville). Tickets are $19 adults/$14 children for the pirate lunch; $28 adults/$23 children for the regular lunch menu. Reservations required.

• Capt’n Hat’s Mighty Sights (sightseeing cruises) – 2 and 3 p.m. (leave from the Skaneateles dock).  $12 adults; $8 children.

• Pirate Dinner Cruise – 6-9 p.m. (leaves from the Skaneateles dock). $47 per person. Reservations required.

For more information, call Mid-Lakes Navigation at 685-8500.

The change of seasons brings a change in menus and expanded hours at Grammie’s Pantry Tea Room and Gift Shop, 1126 Woodworth Road, Skaneateles.

Grammie’s is known throughout the region for its six-course English Afternoon Tea, featuring fruit cup, a variety of scones and curds, Grammie’s Garlic Herb Feta Spread with crackers, and seasonal specials. The English Afternoon Tea is $23 and is designed for guests over the age of 12.

A la carte luncheons are also available, along with dessert and tea or coffee.

Grammie’s Pantry, now in its 19th year, is located in a one-room schoolhouse, 11 miles south of the village of Skaneateles, off Rt. 41 (East Lake Road). It is surrounded by perennial gardens and nestled in a wooded area with a small stream and pond.

“At Grammie’s Pantry, you not only have tea, you also end up leaving with some bit of inspiration,” says owner Susan Smith.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Reservations are required for the English Afternoon Tea and for lunch, and may be made by calling 315-636-8111 or online at http://www.grammiespantry.com.

By Sandi Mulconry, Group M Communications

No, you’re not seeing double. Starting March 29, Imagine and Imagine That…. will share the gallery’s quarters at 38 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, while the building in which Imagine is currently housed, 8 E. Genesee St., undergoes a yearlong renovation. To facilitate the move, both stores will be closed March 28.

On April 9, from 5 to 9 p.m., an opening reception will be held for an exhibition by Karen Thomas-Lillie. The reception, featuring entertainment by The Usual Suspects, an old-time string band, will also serve as April’s Business After Hours for the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce and celebrate the shops’ reopening.

Thomas-Lillie, of Auburn, is a graphic designer and painter with a degree in design and visual communications from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

“I paint atmospheric landscapes with oil bar, using only my hands,” she says. “I blur the edges between land, water and sky. Honoring these natural elements results in layers of meditative color that transcend time and place.”

Thomas-Lillie has had shows at the Grove gallery in Aurora, Limestone Art Gallery in Fayetteville, Delavan Art Gallery in Syracuse, Nachotta gallery in Portsmouth, N.H., the Adirondack Arts Center in Blue Mountain Lake, the Schweinfurth in Auburn and the Gallery on Chase Hill in Kennebunkport, Maine.

Three of her paintings—Beach Grass Series I, II and III—were shot for a scene of “The Joneses,” the David Duchovny – Demi Moore comedy opening April 16.

Also over the coming year, Imagine and Imagine That…—in conjunction with Green Hills Market—will adopt a platoon, and will send care packages and donations to Alpha Troop, 1st Platoon, 10th Mountain Division, which will be deployed to Afghanistan in late March. “My brother-in-law, Staff Sgt. Todd Doss, is part of that platoon, so this is a cause that’s near and dear to our hearts,” says Imagine That… co-owner Sarah Panzarella.

Imagine and Imagine That… are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call Imagine at 685-6263 or Imagine That… at 685-6264.

———————–

When Imagine opens its doors at 8 E. Genesee St. a year from now,

By Group M Communications

Grammie’s Pantry Reopens February 2nd, Offering Heart-to-Heart Tea.

Chocolate raspberry scones… Tea sandwiches… Corn chowder…

Hungry yet?

Throughout the month of February, Grammie’s Pantry Tea Room and Gift Shop, 1126 Woodworth Road, Skaneateles, will offer a seven-course Heart-to-Heart Tea Luncheon.

Also on the menu are tea or gourmet coffee, fruit cup, Grammie’s Feta Spread with crackers, a surprise entrée and chocolate cake.

The Heart-to-Heart Tea runs Feb. 2-27, Tuesday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Cost is $23 per person. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 636-8111.

Grammie’s Pantry is located 11 miles south of the village of Skaneateles, off Route 41 (East Lake Road). For more information, visit http://www.grammiespantry.com.

Contributed by Sandi Mulconry / Group M Communications

Ladies and Gents Nights Offer Sales and Specials:
What better way to spend an early December evening than gathering with friends and family to sing Christmas carols, strolling to the Gazebo for a tree-lighting, warming up with hot chocolate, and then attending openings at local art galleries?

Or, over the coming weeks, taking advantage of sales and specials designed specifically for local residents?

During Skaneateles Sings, Ladies Night and Gents Night, community members will have a unique opportunity to celebrate the season, while enjoying the beauty of the village’s Victorian Christmas.

Skaneateles Sings gets under way at the library at 6 p.m. Dec. 4, with Father Christmas and Mother Goose greeting children, reading stories and posing for photos. At 6:30 p.m., the Rev. Mark Luscombe of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church will dedicate the crèche in a candlelit ceremony.

Contributed by Sandi Mulconry / Group M Communications

Imagine That…, the fine arts and fine craft gallery at 38 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, will feature the work of ceramic artist Sarah Panzarella and printmaker James Skvarch throughout the month of December. Their show, “The Beauty Is in the Details,” opens with a reception Dec. 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. The Usual Suspects, an old-time string band, will perform; hors d’oeuvres will be provided by the Blue Danube.
 
Panzarella, of Tully, is co-owner of the gallery, which opened this past summer. Although she says nature is the primary inspiration for her work, she also draws from the Arts and Crafts Movement—and its focus on craftsmanship, function and quality—and the Art Nouveau aesthetic.
 
“I look at the grace of line and movement in nature to inform those attributes in my pottery,” she says. “The rich textures of natural forms embellish my surfaces, and my glazes call quiet attention to the fine nuances of my pots.
 
“I create bowls that suggest generosity and abundance; vases that embrace the delicate elegance of flowers they contain; ewers that speak of rich substances and special meals.”

Contributed by Sandi Mulconry / Group M Communications

Dickens Christmas opens November 27th, 2009. Close your eyes and imagine. It’s easy if you try. The year is 1842. You’ve just met Charles Dickens and Queen Victoria, strolling the village streets. They’re accompanied by Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, Fagin, the Cratchits, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, and assorted townspeople and street urchins—all delighted to meet you and draw you into their world.
 
The revels play. Visitors ride by in horse–drawn carriages. And there are free refreshments for all. In Skaneateles, it’s just a typical holiday weekend.
Dickens Christmas returns for its 16th year the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs noon to 4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 20, with a limited show (noon to 3 p.m.) Dec. 24.

Contributed by Sandi Mulconry / Group M Communications

Local residents have long enjoyed the breathtaking views of Skaneateles Lake, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Now, views of the lake and other village landmarks are available to all via Skaneateles’ new webcam, perched atop the Packwood House on Genesee Street. The site is at http://www.skaneateles.com.

“The SkanCam allows people to ‘be’ in the village 24/7 from anywhere around the world,” says Susan Dove, executive director of the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce. “They’ll be able to see Dickens Christmas, the high school graduation, summer band concerts, and other events taking place year-round in the village.

Contributed by Sandi Mulconry / Group M Communications

Imagine That…, the fine arts and fine craft gallery at 38 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, will host an opening reception Nov. 6 for ceramic artist Jeremy Randall, recognized by Ceramics Monthly as an Emerging Artist for 2009. The wine-and-cheese reception, from 6 to 9 p.m., will feature entertainment by The Usual Suspects, an old-time string band.

Randall, of Tully, is co-owner of the gallery, which opened this past summer. He also is a visiting professor of art and studio manager at Cazenovia College and an adjunct instructor of ceramics at Syracuse University.

Contributed by Sandi Mulconry / Group M Communications

As the holidays return to Skaneateles, so do all things Dickens. Starting Nov. 3, Grammie’s Pantry Tea Room and Gift Shop, 1126 Woodworth Road, Skaneateles, will offer a traditional Dickens Victorian Christmas Tea.

The menu, which is subject to change, includes tea or gourmet coffee, warm fruit compote, cranberry-orange scones with lemon curd and Devonshire cream, Grammie’s own cheese spread with crackers, squash puree, tea sandwiches, and a holiday dessert. As in past years, the cost is $19.95, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations 24 hours in advance are requested. The tea is designed for guests over the age of 12. Grammie’s Pantry is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., through Dec. 23. For reservations, call 636-8111.

The tea room will reopen after the holidays for English afternoon tea parties, by reservation.