CANO Gallery

CANO Gallery --By Jesus Santana (Oneonta, NY)



The Community Arts Network of Oneonta (CANO) is a non-profit organization founded in 1970 to support the local artists of Oneonta by providing them with a social, creative and economical environment for them to exhibit their art. One of the primary goals of founding CANO was to help the community become better educated, or as the current gallery manager Bhala Jones put it, "more sophisticated" about art, in order to help the artists possibly get their work sold.

CANO Gallery, formerly The Wilber Mansion
Located on 11 Ford Avenue, Oneonta, NY 13820

Today, CANO helps facilitate art exhibits that traffic thousands of people from around the region. Some of the events that CANO puts on include Monthly Art Exhibitions, which open every first Friday of each month and display work by different groups of artists in every exhibit. These art exhibits range from very representational work to the most abstract. CANO also puts on Monthly Writers Salons and Monthly Music salons, which also feature local artists from the region. 

CANO's October Writing Salon, Jesus Santana (c)

Major events that CANO tends to put on each year include a Chili Bowl Fundraiser, where local artists create bowls to sell to the event attendees, in which they then get to try a variety of different chilis, cooked by professional chefs, and at the end of the event one of the chef gets awarded the Best Chili of the Year title. Another very well known by the Oneonta community is the February Quilt Show and the City of the Hills Art & Musical Festival, which takes on main street during the middle of the summer. 

The Wilber Mansion has been coined to be one of Oneonta's downtown visual focal points, and CANO does a great job at maximizing its artistic capabilities. 

CANO Gallery Fall 2016

Eddie's Restaurant: The Fabric That Holds a Community Together





Eddie's Restaurant
(C) Haunted History Trail 

Tyler Kimball (Oneonta, NY)- Approximately 40 minutes east of Syracuse, NY sits the small, seasonal community of Sylvan Beach. Striving mostly off from locals and “tourists” from early spring to late autumn, Eddie’s Restaurant has been serving up breakfast, lunch, and dinner for more than 80 years. The story of Eddie’s Restaurant is long but not complicated. But the one thing that remains the same, year after year, and season after season, is that the locals have always found Eddie’s Restaurant as a home away from home.



Owner and operator Rick Stewart says, “When people come here we see grandparents bringing kids, we have people that come in here that remember standing in line when they were younger and now they’re older and bringing their kids and grandchildren here. So yeah, there’s a long, long history with Eddie’s Restaurant”.



Eddie's Logo
(C) Eddie's Restaurant

But as new restaurants and business’ continue to open up in the small community, Eddie’s has started to see little drop off from the locals. To those who live around the area, and those who come back to visit in the summer months, Eddie’s is an important piece of their youth and even their lives today. Even though Eddie’s has had to make some small changes to adapt to the changing cultures, Stewart says, “there’s different things that you got to do, but the tradition, you know, is Eddie’s Restaurant”.

It was Bob Dylan who sang, “the times, they are a changing”, but for Eddie’s some things will never change, and for many, that’s the way they like it.



Jeff Kies Auto Sales

Jeff Kies Auto Sales

By Casy Kies (Oneonta, NY)- Jeff Kies Auto Sales, how they got here and the future ahead.

“Our name means a great deal.” This slogan is well known around the Binghamton area, as Jeff Kies Auto Sales has been a family run, small business for the last 30 years.

Jeff and his two sons, Chad and Adam, run this business and expanded it from what it has been in the past. 30 years ago Jeff started with one car, and a dream. Buying an old building that had previously been a gas station in the small town of Apalachin, NY, Jeff bought, cleaned, and sold the cars all by himself. Currently working with his two sons, they have expanded with a secretary, and three shop workers whose job is to detail and manage the 130-150 car lot.

Working with family everyday can be a difficult task no matter what business you are in. Fortunately, this family see the positive in that they are fortunate enough to be able to see each other everyday as not all families are able to. “For 99% of the time life is good” says Chad. Although they might not agree

on every decision, they have agreed not to clash heads, and trust one another.

Chad Graduated from Nazareth College in Rochester in 2008 as been at the business ever since. Getting a degree in Business Economics, this has brought more skill and ideas to the office. “Even though coming into a family business I didn’t need a resume or college degree, but in the long run it has strengthen this business” Chad explains. Now with an excellent website and mobile app, a lot of there sales, and leads come from online and they now make sales all over the country. “Being able to buy and sell through online, and our app, saves us time as we don’t have to go to the auction as often and can focus on what is going on here at the office” States Chad.

This small business works very well in the Binghamton area mainly due to their reputation. Being there for 30 years gives them a lot of repeat and referral customers. The great online reviews as well as great customer service has driven people back to the Jeff Kies Auto Sales dealership.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/DSWKZsV-GQk

Find a Furry Friend at Fin and Feather

By Cassidy Kramer (Oneonta, NY)--

Fin and Feather is a tropical pet shop located in the Clinton Plaza in downtown Oneonta.  It opened about a year ago and its success has been growing ever since.  Business owner Sarah Bettiol takes great pride in the store that she has opened with her husband.

 "It was always a dream of mine to open up a pet store and now it's a reality." -Sarah Bettiol


Sarah and her husband happily take care of every animal in their store.  Customers can find animals such as snakes, rabbits, iguanas, fish, birds and more at their exotic pet shop.  When first entering the store, customers are even greeted with a hello from Kiwi, the talking parrot, and can find Molly, a 23 pound rabbit, at their feet.

Molly the Rabbit

Booming Business

The Bettiols get business from lots of families in town as well as some college students from Hartwick and SUNY Oneonta.  Sarah says that their best sellers are typically fish and reptiles.  She loves taking care of the reptiles in particular because they're her favorite.  The boa she keeps at home was even the inspiration for opening this store.  It took her husband some getting used to, but now he is fully on board with his wife!

Looking Ahead

The Bettiols have divulged their plans for future expansion.  As of now, their 2 year plan for adding cats and dogs to their repertoire is in full effect.  The Bettiols are just getting started, but they are growing in popularity more and more each day.  They are sure to continue to find good homes for these animals for years to come!    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JnGC69oXwo 

  

A Hidden Gem in the Capital District of New York

Copyrighted iloveny,com

     On the corner of North Pearl Street and Clinton Avenue in the city of Albany is one of the city's more unique venues. The Palace Theater, an entertainment venue opened in 1931 for entertainment and community events, is one of two homes for the Grammy Award winning Albany Symphony Orchestra. Partnering with not only the Palace Theater, but also the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Rensselaer County, the Albany Symphony Orchestra is the oldest and most widely known orchestra in the Capital District and the surrounding counties of Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and Saratoga Counties. Founded in 1930, the Albany Symphony use to be called the People's Orchestra of Albany.

Copyright dailygazette.com

     The Albany Symphony has been an integral part in the music scene and culture of Albany. As its mission statement, the Albany Symphony continues to perform new works by modern composers, thereby exposing audiences to a new generation of orchestral music. The Albany Symphony continues to provide an output for new composers to gain the experience of hearing there music performed by a live, large, modern orchestra. Continuing the Orchestra's tradition of conducting new compositions, the conductor David Allen Miller began conducting the orchestra in 1992. Coming up to his 25th season, the world renown conductor and orchestra has won many awards, including recently the Grammy Award for the Best Classical Instrumental Solo in 2014 and for its recording of John Corigliano's Conjurer - Concerto for Percussion & String Orchestra with soloist Evelyn Glennie. 

Copyright aplususa.com

     The Albany Symphony continues to hold its tradition of playing new music by not only educating the schools of the surrounding communities, but also by holding its annual American Music Festival. Teaming up with communities in downtown Troy, Albany Symphony held its most recent festival in the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There, people were introduced to a series of works and compositions of varying form from new young composers. Performances were also shown through the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, and other small venues in and around Downtown Troy. The Symphony's commitment to entertaining and educating the surrounding communities, and commitment to engaging with old and new classical music makes the Albany Symphony one of a kind in the state of New York.

College Student's Living On Top

Hillside Commons: Anything but Common

By: Samantha Johnson (ONEONTA, NY)---

Hillside Commons is Oneonta’s newest off-campus housing options for students. The apartment complex opened up just three years ago and houses over 300 residents. There are seven different layout options for students to choose from. The complex has been open for three years now.

Hillside Commons
Hillside Website(c) 2016

The building is filled with various amenities that are available at the resident’s convenience. There is a state of the art gym open 24 hours a day, along with a tanning bed. There is a moving theater room equipped with an 84-inch TV and a lounge with both ping-pong and pool. When the weather permits, residents can grill outside with their friends. Free waffles are available every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A private shuttle transports residents from Hillside to campus every 15 minutes.

Hillside Shuttle
Hillside Commons Website (c) 2016

Each apartment is fully furnished, has a full kitchen with Whirlpool appliances, and a washer and dryer. Each resident has their bedroom with an attached or detached bathroom as well.  Hillside resident Catherine Morrone said, “I really love the fact that I have my own kitchen now. Instead of being at the dining hall, I can cook whatever food I want and I can eat at any time of the day, which is great.

Kitchen
Hillside Website(c) 2015

Hillside staff members are available on Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday’s from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday’s from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Hillside staff member Alyssa Spiconardi said, “Hillside is a very welcoming community and residents never hesitate to ask for help.” There is also a maintenance group available to fix any issues in the apartments as well as assist with any questions residents may have. Hillside offers tours during their office hours for any perspective residents. As its motto says, “Hillside Commons is anything but common.” 

Hillside Cafe
Hillside Commons Website(c) 2016

Hillside Commons Video Package

Changing Up the Game at Serenity Hobbies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06q61umBKBE

One of the best parts of living in Oneonta is the abundance of small local business that offer a variety of consumer options to locals and visitors. From restaurants to pet stores, you can find many things by exploring downtown Oneonta along Main Street. The unique options provide convenience to consumers by being located in a central location not too far from SUNY Oneonta, Hartwick University, or other parts of Oneonta. One of the business’s that some don’t know of is Serenity Hobbies. Originally known as Technoir, Nate Roberts and Steven Howard opened the game store in September 2013 off of Main Street. Serenity Hobbies specializes in board games, card games, comics, and more. They offer a variety of services such as local area network gaming on various video game machines, card tournaments for different card games, and even computer repair to private and commercial clients.

Online advertisement for Serenity Hobbies

When asked why Mr. Roberts decided to open a game store, he had replied, “…it’s kind of a dream to come in and just play games all day, talk about games with strangers and try to sell games that they would be interested in.” “The satisfaction of them actually liking it, and it’s a challenge, but it’s something I really enjoy.”

An inside look of the comic book area.

Mr. Roberts has always wanted to own and run a game store. “I’ve always pictured myself retiring into this business and not doing it while in my prime.” Mr. Roberts plans on owning and running the business for the foreseeable future. “I could die behind that counter. I could also take a check.” Roberts responds with laughter.

Nate Roberts (left), owner, and a customer.

What sets Serenity Hobbies apart from many of the game stores in the area is the location and space of the business, as well as the services. The gaming side of the business and the retail side are separated by the layout of the shop which is unique and hard for many small businesses to achieve.

The store is located on 254 Main Street but does not hold main street class, according to Mr. Roberts. If available to do so, he would like to see that change by relocating to a bigger office space that included its own sign that hangs above the shop door for passerby’s to see.