How about that first weekend of ACC football, Orange fans?

Did you get into that first weekend following ACC football, Orange Nation? It was long. Mine started at 12:30 Saturday, when my alma mater Maryland kicked off — then kicked butt, putting up 40 points in the first half, thank you for coming back so ready from that ACL tear, QB C.J. Brown — and…

We wind up our New York State Fair 2013, and I get to talk to the goats

I checked off the last of my boxes Sunday as my dear wife Karen and I walked our way around the New York State Fair. My first two 2013 excursions were concentrated around the music at Chevy Court, and the shows by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Vince Gill both lived up to my…

Syracuse and Penn State ready to add a new page to long, dramatic football rivalry

College football sure moves fast these days. And I’m not only talking about the lightning speed in which the players motor toward and away from other, or the dash to the line of scrimmage without a huddle to start the next play. As Syracuse University followers count down to Saturday’s opener against Penn State down…

With Vince Gill playing his country, it’s a graceful good time at Chevy Court

Vince Gill is popular in our household. Just a couple hours back from her annual women’s getaway, I gently reminded my dear wife Karen that Wednesday also marked the occasion of the country guy’s show at the New York State Fair’s Chevy Court. And she wanted to go. Bless her heart. It was a quietly…

When it comes to movie trailers, are you getting too much information?

A couple of weeks ago, I sat in Shifty’s with some good friends waiting for the band Trainwreck to start playing. The talk turned to movies. Movie trailers, to be more specific. And Steven T. Winston, noted bass player and singer around Syracuse whose main gig is with terrific roots band Los Blancos, had a…

As skunk season returns, I begin to wrinkle my nose and fret

As soon as I opened the back door to let Ellie B out to the backyard to do her morning thing, the scent hit me. Faint, this time. But as distinct in my mind as a slap to the face. Skunks are back in my Syracuse city neighborhood. Or maybe a skunk, singular. I surely…

I get the digital postcard and remember when it took a stamp and days of waiting

Remember the golden age of postcards? Somebody you loved traveled to a faraway place. It could be an hour down the road by car. It could be at the end of days of travel by plane. The physical distance wasn’t the thing. It was the emotional separation that sparked the words scribbled on the back…

With the big man himself on stage, consider Toby Keith’s Syracuse joint officially opened

The beer and whiskey has been flowing, bologna frying, guitars twanging at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill at Destiny USA in Syracuse since spring. The official opening was at 4 p.m. today, Aug. 23. The big man himself strode from the wings, accompanying guitarist in tow, to perform three songs at His…

Maka Rouge discovers she’s got another round of ‘The Song Is Born’ in her future

When last we caught up with Maka Rouge, it was late July. The singer, songwriter and guitarist from Syracuse was preparing for her trip to Manhattan to take part in “The Song Is Born” competition. A month later she’s back home, still working hard on her words and music. At 5 p.m. this Tuesday, Aug.…

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals move the New York State Fair crowd to a joyful dance

Grace Potter had the big crowd singing and dancing with her Thursday night at the New York State Fair. Ooh-La-La, indeed. The singer, guitarist and keyboard player from Vermont led her oh-so-tight Nocturnals through a soaring set that hit all the right notes. The packed Chevy Court crowd was treated to a couple hours of…

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Mark Bialczak

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