#the school I teach at is open year round so I’ve spent every weekday with those kids for the past three years

[heatherwitch]

Today I said goodbye to many of my preschoolers who I’ve known since they were itty bitty toddlers as they prepare to go off to kindergarten tomorrow. Such a wonderfully bittersweet feeling to watch them go out into the greater world beyond the cozy little school we’ve spent the past three years in together. My heart is breaking but so so full of love for them and hope for the future knowing the wonderful humans they are and will become are part of it. Each year it gets harder and harder to watch them go but what an honor it is to grow as a person with them for a while ❤️

[capricxs]

things you said when you thought i was asleep, vince & mags

sometimes, weeks in advanced, she’d ask vincent to take a weekday off. the summer was easy for her. she didn’t work. it was an extended vacation. since moving in, she’d mainly just spent her time walking the dogs, cleaning the place, doing every sort of errand she could think of, and then she’d come to work, bother him there, bring food, drag him to one of the far off aisles and ask to make out for a bit before curling into a nook and taking a nap.

that was fine for a regular experience over the summer. she liked the time to relax and develop her own projects to work on. truthfully, it was hardly anything. she didn’t read often, much to vincent’s dismay. she didn’t do much for redecorating around the house, since she didn’t mind vincent’s decor. vincent had all the plants he took care of, and watering the garden took all of ten minutes. she tried crafting. she tried it a lot. there were a couple of things she tried for her following teaching year, seeing what fun stuff the kids could make. however, you can only do that for a while before you’ve figured it all out. then came the pinterest projects, and she knew vincent was going mad with the glitter getting stuck in the carpet so she had to reel that back in.

needless to say, summer had it’s stressful time. hence the asking vincent to take a weekday off so they could simply be together. they didn’t need to actually leave. date night was separate. they could just sleep in together, make breakfast together, watch tv together. she could live out her day, just with him in the same house as her. in fact, she didn’t even need to spend every moment with him. it was nice coming to the kitchen for water to find him reading on the floor, both dogs curled around him as the sunlight poured on his face. it was neutral. it was simple. it was lovely. 

it was after having lunch she spotted him on that floor, casually reading. while she could have gone back to the room to do some more prepping for the conference she was going to in a few weeks, she leaned in the door frame, smiling.

it only took vincent a few seconds to realize she was staring, and he put his book down. “can i help you?” he smirked.

“no, you just keep what you’re doing.” she shakes her head. 

he adjusts the arm that rested under his head, a bicep on display for her. the other rested on the back of archie. “i’m just reading.”

“i know.” she shrugs. “i didn’t know someone could make reading look that good.”

“wanna try?”

“not really, no. i’ll just watch.” 

“i bet you’d look real good. you get a story out of it, too.”

“nah, that’s alright. you can read to me if you want, though. i’m going back to the bedroom.” she shrugs, “maybe i’ll catch the second hand sexy.” she calls back as she starts up the stairs.

it doesn’t take long for her to hear footsteps beside her. it makes her smirk as she turns the corner to the bedroom where she grabs her laptop, setting it on the bedside table and waiting in bed as she watches him crawl in. curling up right against him, an arm twists around her waist and she listens as he goes over the pages. 

it’s not that she hates stories. that’s never been the problem with reading. it just requires a lot of attention. attention she doesn’t have. but vincent has such a lovely voice already, she’d listen to him go on for hours. listening to him read was a breeze. 

however, that could never last long. his hand kept rubbing at her side and she kept getting lost in the vibration of his chest. after a while, she just reached up to take the book, lifting from her spot to straddle his lap, setting the book aside. “that’s done now.” she grins, hands on his shoulders.

“cool.” he nods, hands on her hips. 

after time spent tangled in sheets, with moans that didn’t hold back and hands that couldn’t pry away from skin, they had taken their shower, and carried on with their day. maggie enjoyed this part of the day. where there was no hurry. where they could let hands and mouths roam bodies and remember why they were so madly and lustfully in love. not like they forgot very much, but life was busy, and it was hard to have intimate moments feel organic.

there were many nights where he wouldn’t come home until late, and have an early morning to get up to, and their desperation for being together would turn to a very quick, but still very good, hookup in the kitchen. these days were nice. making each other feel good, being in awe of one another, being blissfully euphoric.

dinner was easy. vincent, far too exhausted from their rendezvous in the sheets, and taking the dogs for their evening walk, just offered to get a pizza, which was more than fine. with legs fit together, laying on opposite ends of the couch, and a pizza box between them, they watched a new movie. not one that required a lot of thinking or concentration. it would be hard to when a tickle match started after maggie’s toes started poking at his neck. she lost, which she always does, and there’s nothing wrong with being pinned under vincent, arms sprawled, chests heavy, laughter still in the air.

she asked him to fuck her and he did.

it ended with being back in bed, clothes gone, his hand rubbing her arm and her other arm looped around him. another round of sex and they finally settled to simple chatter, which lended itself to eventually falling asleep at an extremely reasonable hour. stuck together, tendering running hands across each other.

maggie woke up for water a few hours later, putting on a robe, going downstairs for a glass. she checked her phone as she drank her glass, flipping through emails until she landed on one she glanced over.

Maggie,

Thank you for your quick response, we are disappointed to hear your response, but we understand, wishing you the best of luck in future endeavors.

-- Theresa Shaw

clicking the phone back off, setting the empty glass in the sink, she made her way back upstairs, slipping back out of the robe and into bed again, her fingers floating right through his hair.

“weirdest thing happened to me the other day.” she says is such a quiet tone, she hardly even thinks she’s speaking out loud. her head rests against the pillow, watching vincent sleep as her fingers drift through the strands of his hair. “there’s a new charter school opening up in michigan and i got offered a spot to teach there.” it’s the only time she’s said it out loud. no one knew. but she felt no reason to tell anyone. “i’ve never been flat out offered a job before. and i’ve never declined a job so fast.” she’s smiling a little. there’s no remorse in her choice. no doubt. “the idea of leaving you was so far out of the question i couldn’t even entertain the idea of moving.” she licks her lips, looking over the lines of his face, even in the dark. “i’m gonna marry you, vinnie.” she whispers. “and i’m going to have your babies and i’m never going to leave your side no matter what.” she takes a moment to try and get the smirk off her face, but it’s next to impossible. “and i know i sound like a crazy girlfriend so i’m saying this now instead of you being away.”

she lets out a breath, letting a finger run down his face. “i want to be with you for the rest of my life.” 

[awkwardlyamusing-blog]

Weekday top 5: Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival changing name, Auburn drug bust, Auburn food truck wins prize | Local News

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Weekday top 5: Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival changing name, Auburn drug bust, Auburn food truck wins prize | Local News

Soft training: Union Springs man raises service dogs for children with autism

For Fred Horning, training emotional support dogs is about desensitizing them to everything except harsh behavior. 

“We’re much more focused on the behavior than we are the obedience,” he said.

Horning takes the five or six puppies in his care on road trips to Boston and the docks of New York City to expose them to the crashing of shipping crates. However, he makes sure to train them “soft,” without using a loud voice. That’s because Horning’s service dogs will be paired with children with autism, and the dogs need to be emotionally sensitive enough to reflect what the children feel.

“You can tell what the child’s going through by how the dog is. If the dog’s happy and boisterous, it’s a pretty good indication that the child is OK,” Horning said.

He breeds chocolate Labs at his farm in Union Springs every two years, and picks two out of every litter to train as service dogs for children with autism — which comes at no cost to the families. Horning said he works with an organization called Paws 4 Ability that chooses the children who receive the service dogs.

Horning chose chocolate Labs for their easy-going and nonthreatening nature, as opposed to another common service dog: German shepherds. 

“There’s almost no perceived threat to a Lab. So when you give someone a service dog that already has social anxiety, giving them a dog that keeps people away is not really a way to fix or counteract that social anxiety,” he said. 

Horning also tries to gradually breed his dogs to be smaller to better accommodate the families, and so the dogs can accompany the children in smaller spaces like planes.

The first thing Horning does to train his puppies is put them in a car to go on long rides, and bring along his four adult Labs to demonstrate calm behavior. The puppies also learn to track scents if their child ever goes missing, show their teeth with a disguised command if the child ever feels threatened, and bark at the scent of human urine.

Another part of the desensitization training involves hanging around a couple of barber shops in Syracuse so the dogs can get used to all kinds of physical, racial and cultural diversity.

“It’s very easy to raise a pup in your little nucleus of your world, and then the pup freaks out when it sees somebody that’s over six-and-a-half-foot tall or somebody that wears a western cowboy hat or somebody whose skin’s a different color,” Horning said. 

He’ll also put the dogs in the bed of his truck and take them around Auburn, where he often hears strangers’ stories about their own dogs: “They relay a story about loss or they relay a story about life, and I’ve gotten very good at redirecting people’s sorrow,” he said. 

One of the dogs in the pack, T.J., is Horning’s own PTSD service animal. Horning was electrocuted 13 years ago while on the job repairing telephone lines, and sounds of crackling and popping bring back traumatic memories. “I spent an unbelievable amount of time in a hospital bed, in my head,” he said.

But, once he got home, Horning’s dogs didn’t care about the physical changes that impacted his own sense of identity. He then went on to train PTSD service dogs before switching to his current training for children with autism. 

“I have a quote on my fridge and it says, ‘The meaning of life is to find your gift, and the purpose of life is to give it away,'” he said. “And that has been probably 90 to 95 percent of the driving reason why I do this. I want to know that I make a difference.” 

Autism dogs 5

Fred Horning trains dogs at his Union Springs farm to help children with autism.

Kevin Rivoli

Autism dogs 4

Fred Horning trains dogs at his Union Springs farm to help children with autism.

Kevin Rivoli

Autism dogs 3

Fred Horning trains dogs at his Union Springs farm to help children with autism.

Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen

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Fred Horning trains dogs at his Union Springs farm to help children with autism.

Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen

Autism dogs 1

Fred Horning trains dogs at his Union Springs farm to help children with autism.

Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen

Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival announces new name, 2020 season

Is it the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse? Or the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival?

As of about 7:30 tonight, the answer is neither. At his traditional curtain speech at opening night of “Working: A Musical,” Producing Artistic Director Brett Smock announced that the professional theater organization headquartered in Auburn has changed its name to The Rev Theatre Co. 

Speaking to The Citizen Tuesday, Smock said the change was a long time coming.

What began as the Auburn Children’s Theatre in 1958 and became the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in the 1970s rebranded as the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival in 2011. But while that most recent name reflected the organization’s expansion to additional venues in Auburn, Smock said, it didn’t reflect the educational services of what remained known as the Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre. The program tours 70-plus school districts across the state every year, and in 2018, began operating the West End Theater at the former West Middle School.

“We needed a new name that would allow us to not only house everything, but show respect for our legacy and continue that growth in the future,” Smock said.

As a result of that lack of cohesion in its brand, Smock continued, “People didn’t know how to refer to us. In this area, certainly in Auburn, it’s the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. But in New York (City), it’s Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. We’re almost exclusively known there as Finger Lakes, for short. And around the country it’s a blend of those two things. In London, it’s Finger Lakes.”

The organization began talking about its need for a more cohesive name in 2015, Smock said, and began working with a consulting agency and polling its audiences in 2017. Toward the end of that year, it hired The Martin Group, of Victor. After a few months of discussion, the communications agency came back with about a dozen name ideas.

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The Rev Theatre Co. was a variation on one of those ideas, Smock said, which materialized during conversations between the organization’s staff and board members. It’s not short for anything, nor an acronym. But the word “Rev” suggests multitudes, Smock continued, including the energy of an engine, the revolution of the former carousel at the Owasco playhouse and reverence for the organization’s 60-plus-year history. And it’s just short and easy to say, he said. It also lent itself to a bold new, purple-hued logo with a spotlight theme.

“I want anyone who interacts with us to immediately be able to identify our culture, our vibe, our energy,” he said. “And the logo reflects that.” 

Smock said the organization will spend the rest of the year and early 2020 overhauling its website and print materials, messaging the name change to school districts and the theater community, and otherwise rebranding the festival as The Rev. He hopes the transition will be complete by the time single ticket sales for the organization’s 2020 season begin in February or March. Smock also noted that the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse will remain the name of that theater, though the Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre is subject to its own new title.

Just as important as “The Rev,” though, is the “Theatre Co.” part of the organization’s new name. Unlike “Playhouse” or “Festival,” it captures the entirety of what Smock and his staff (20 full-time, 225 seasonal) do, he said, from shaping new musicals through The Pitch to bringing theater to elementary schools. And as The Rev, that artistic mission won’t change at all. 

“The Rev puts at the forefront that we’re a theater organization that operates two principal divisions — education and professional musical theater — and that our presence in this community is exactly the same as it has been,” he said. “There’s nothing else that changes.”

In his Wednesday night remarks at the Owasco playhouse, Smock also announced the first season of shows the theater organization will present as The Rev Theatre Co.

Leading off the 2020 season at the Merry-Go-Round will be “Rocky: The Musical” (June 10-July 1). Based on the 1976 boxing classic starring Sylvester Stallone, the show will be coming to a U.S. theater for the first time since its 2014 Broadway run. For an additional ticket charge, 60 audience members will be seated ringside, on stage, for the second half of the show, Smock said.

Next will be “Witness Uganda” (July 8-29), a true story about a young American man who volunteers for a teaching project in the African nation. It will be the fourth time the show has ever been performed, Smock said, and he called it “one of the most inspirational stories I’ve ever witnessed on a stage.”

As New York State Fair fever sets in, The Rev will bring “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s State Fair” to the playhouse Aug. 5-26. After that, from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3, Dixie Longate will return in “Dixie’s Tupperware Party.” The drag performer’s other show, “Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull,” “did overwhelmingly well” at the playhouse in July, Smock said.

Book ending the 2020 season will be a pair of old favorites: “Sister’s Christmas Catechism” (Dec. 13-15, 2019) a holiday production that will mark the organization’s first ever at the West End Theater, and “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” (Sept. 16-Oct. 7, 2020).

2019: ‘South Pacific’

Nellie (Sarah Ellis) celebrates being “in love with a wonderful guy” in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “South Pacific.”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2019: ‘Grand Hotel’

Flaemmchen (Samantha Sturm) and the Baron (Patrick Cummings) light up the dance floor in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Grand Hotel.”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2019: ‘Grease’

Sandy (Heather Makalani) and Danny (Michael Notardonato) lead the cast in the finale of the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Grease.”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2018: ‘Murder for Two’

The suspects (Noel Carey) make sure the detective gets all the information he needs to solve the crime in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Murder for Two” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2018: ‘Mamma Mia!’

Wedding-goers pose together for a quick snapshot in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Mamma Mia!”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2018: ‘Holiday Inn’

Ted Hanover (Benjamin Mapp) and Jim Hardy (Ben Mayne) perform in their song and dance act in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Holiday Inn.”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2018: ‘Beehive’

The ladies get ready to rock in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Beehive” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2018: ‘Anne of Green Gables’

Anne (Mckenzie Custin) spins wild tales on the trip to Green Gables with Matthew Cuthbert (D.C. Anderson).

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2017: ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’

Miss Mona Stangley (Sally Wilfert) and her girls explain the rules when it comes to living on the Chicken Ranch.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2017: ‘Parade’

Lucille Frank (Kristin Wetherington) and Leo Frank (Aaron Galligan-Stierle) rekindle their love and devotion over a romantic “picnic.”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2017: ‘Guys and Dolls’

Miss Adelaide (Julie Cardia) and her Hot Box Girls (Aimee Lane, Jessica Ice, Gabi Stapula, Jen Thiessen) shake their tail feathers on the night club stage.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2017: ‘Ghost: The Musical’

Molly (Sarah Ellis) thinks of her lost Sam (Derek Carley).

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2017: ‘Always … Patsy Cline’

Patsy Cline (Jacqueline Petroccia) soulfully embodies her iconic “country” image, fringe and all.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2016: ‘Treasure Island’

The cast sings of flashing daggers and waving swords, emeralds, silver, pearls and gold.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2016: ‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’

Michael Hunsaker is joined by Chris White, Denzel Edmondson, Cornelius Davis, and Gabriel Mudd while singing about his “Ruby Baby.”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2016: ‘Oklahoma!’

Will Parker (Danny Lindgren) keeps the other cowboys up to date after visiting Kansas City in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Oklahoma!” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2016: ‘Million Dollar Quartet’

Jerry Lee Lewis (Noel Carey), Carl Perkins (James Bock), Elvis Presley (Luke Linsteadt) and Johnny Cash (Justin Figueroa) harmonize to “Down by the Riverside” in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Million Dollar Quartet.”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2016: ‘From Here to Eternity’

Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Corey Mach) and Lorene (Paige Fauré) get cozy in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “From Here to Eternity” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2016: ‘Crazy for You’

Bobby (Sam Lips) is just a tad resistant of his fiancée Irene’s (LilyAnn Carlson) advances in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Crazy for You” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2016: ‘Austen’s Pride: A New Musical of ‘Pride and Prejudice”

Mr. Darcy (Gregory Mahue) and Elizabeth Bennet (Heather Botts) share a tense dance together in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Austen’s Pride” at the Callahan Theater at the Nazareth College Arts Center in Rochester.

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2016: “Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical’

Rosemary Clooney (Jennifer Swiderski) opens the show with “Hey There.”

Ron Heerkens Jr.

2015: ‘West Side Story’

Anita (Penelope Armstead-Williams) delivers a message to the Jets in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “West Side Story” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

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2015: ‘The Light in the Piazza’

Margaret (Sally Wilfert) and Clara (Heather Botts) join the citizens of Florence in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “The Light in the Piazza.”

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2015: ‘The Calamari Sisters’ Big Fat Italian Wedding’

“The Calamari Sisters’ Big Fat Italian Wedding” was a Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival production by Auburn Public Theater at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

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2015: ‘Sweeney Todd’

David Ludwig is Sweeney Todd and Christianne Tisdale is Mrs. Lovett in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Sweeney Todd.”

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2015: ‘Saturday Night Fever’

Tony (Sam Edgerly) and Stephanie (Jessica Lea Patty) have a stunning finish at the dance contest in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Saturday Night Fever.”

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2015: ‘Late Nite Catechism’

Nonie Newton-Riley is the nun in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival and Auburn Public Theater’s presentation of “Late Nite Catechism.”

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2015: ‘Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings’

Sparky (Caleb Damschroder) sings in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

Bjorn Bolinder

2014: ‘The Will Rogers Follies’

Tom Wopat performs a rope trick during the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “The Will Rogers Follies” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

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2014: ‘The Church Basement Ladies in the Last (Potluck) Supper’

From left, Becca McCoy, Sandra Karas, Lisa Myers, Teri Adams and Jessica Taige go over a scene from “Church Basement Ladies: The Last (Potluck) Supper” at the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s rehearsal space at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn.

The Citizen file

2014: ‘On the Town’

The Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival presents “On the Town” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

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2014: ‘Menopause: The Musical’

From left to right, Soap Star (Cherie Price), Earth Mother (Becca McCoy), Iowa Housewife (Teri Adams) and Professional Woman (Fredena J. Williams) wear their salon attire in “Menopause the Musical” at Merry-Go-Round Downtown at Auburn Public Theater.

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2014: ‘Mary Poppins’

Mary Poppins (Elizabeth Earley) reads an “advertisement” looking for a new nanny for the Banks family to Mr. (Patrick Oliver Jones) and Mrs. Banks (Lucy Horton) in “Mary Poppins” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

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2014: ‘Damn Yankees’

Richard B. Watson is Mr. Applegate in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s production of “Damn Yankees.”

Isaac James, Special to The Citizen

2013: ‘The Great American Trailer Park Musical’

From left, LilyAnn Carlson, Chelsey Whitelock and Kristen Gehling perform in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival’s “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” at Auburn Public Theater.

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2013: ‘Singin’ in the Rain’

Cody Walker is Don Lockwood in “Singin’ in the Rain,” on stage at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

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2013: ‘Neurosis: The Musical’

Frank (Danny Gardner) carries his Neurosis (Joseph Medeiros) in “Neurosis: The Musical” at Merry-Go-Round Downtown at Auburn Public Theater.

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2013: ‘Legally Blonde’

Libby Servais and Chico star in “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” presented by the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse.

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2013: ‘Hank Williams: Lost Highway’

Peter Oyloe and Katie Bruestle perform in “Hank Williams: Lost Highway” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

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2013: ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’

Ruth Pferdehirt performs as Lorelei Lee in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

 ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’; I prefer better musicals

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2013: ‘CATS’

Rumpleteazer (Amanda LaMotte) and Mungojerrie (Will Porter) pose at the end of their self-titled musical number during “CATS” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco.

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2012: ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’

The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Owasco presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

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2012: ‘Nunsense’

From left, Denise Nolin, Maureen Quigley, Agnes Humphrey-Copes, Sandra Karas and Maddy Apple perform in “Nunsense” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse.

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2012: ‘My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding’

Claire (Julie Dingman Evans) and Jane (Erica Schroeder) share a moment on a bench in “My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding.”

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2012: ‘My Fair Lady’

Rachael Scarr, far left, performs in “My Fair Lady” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse.

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2012: ‘Kiss Me, Kate’

Mary Claire King, left, and Ralph Meitzler star in “Kiss Me, Kate.”

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2012: ‘Fingers & Toes’

Danny Gardner, left, and Deidre Haran perform in “Fingers & Toes.”

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2012: ‘Cabaret’

Paige Faure, center, as Sally Bowles, performs with dancers from the Kit Kat Klub in “Cabaret” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse.

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2012: ‘Altar Boyz’

From left, Justin Robinson, Danny George, Justin Packard, Todd Adamson and Patrick Elliott perform in “Altar Boyz” at Auburn Public Theater.

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2012: ‘9 to 5: The Musical’

Judy Bernly (Lindsie VanWinkle), Violet Newstead (Marci Reid) and Doralee Rhodes (Shayla Osborn) go undercover at the hospital in “9 to 5: The Musical.”

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Two arrests made after Auburn drug bust nets nearly $5,000 in crack cocaine

Several bags of crack cocaine were seized in a drug bust that led to the arrests of two people in Auburn late Monday. 

The Finger Lakes Drug Task Force, along with the Auburn Police Department and the department’s K-9 unit, executed a search warrant at approximately 11:45 p.m. at 7 Grover St., Apt. 12, according to an APD news release. Inside, police found more than a half ounce of crack cocaine packaged in 72 individual bags. A small amount of cash and packaging materials were also recovered.

Police said the crack cocaine was packaged in a way to give it a street value of nearly $5,000. 

Swyn B. Nelson, 28, 10 Hoeltzer St., Rochester, was arrested and charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class B felony, and a misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia. 

Cierra M. Schroeder, 30, was charged with first-degree criminal nuisance, a class E felony. Police suspect Schroeder knowingly allowed Nelson to sell crack cocaine from her residence, said Deputy Police Chief Roger Anthony 

Both Nelson and Schroeder were arraigned Tuesday morning in Auburn City Court, and bail was set for both at $500 cash or $1,000 bond. They are due back in court again on Sept. 6 for preliminary hearings. The Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case, police said. 

Auburn company wins prize in NYS Fair 2019 Food Truck Competition

GEDDES — An Auburn caterer earned more recognition in the annual Taste NY Food Truck Competition at the New York State Fair. 

Tonzi’s Catering Company finished third in the People’s Choice vote on the first day of the competition, which began Sunday and continued Monday. The Auburn-based food truck served samples of its deep-fried chicken riggies. 

Last year, Tonzi’s won second place in the People’s Choice vote and received a new generator. 

With its third-place finish this year, Tonzi’s received a $250 Aldi gift card. 

Tonzi’s competed against 16 other trucks on the first day of the contest. The winner of the People’s Choice vote was Glazed & Confused, a Syracuse-based doughnut shop.

Glazed & Confused sold samples of “The Dizzy Pig,” a doughnut topped with maple glaze, a bourbon-sugar combination and candied bacon. It won a $1,000 Aldi gift card for finishing first in the vote. 

The runner-up was Massena-based Rapidz Restaurant, which served a Buffalo chicken slider. The food trailer won a $500 gift card. 

On Monday, 19 more food trucks participated in the Taste NY Food Truck Competition. The top vote-getter was Smokin Pete’s BBQ, a Rochester-area food truck that served “Loaded Tots,” tater tots covered in cheese sauce, pulled pork, bacon, barbecue sauce, sour cream and chives. 

Smokin Pete’s received a $1,000 Aldi gift card for its first-place finish. 

The second- and third-place finishers were The Meatball Truck, of Rochester, and Syracuse-based Limp Lizard BBQ. The Meatball Truck, which served its popular meatball in a cup, won a $500 Aldi gift card. Limp Lizard BBQ, which received a $250 Aldi gift card, was recognized for its smoked turkey slider. 

The food truck competition moved to a different location in 2019. In the first few years of the contest, it was held at Chevy Court. This year, the trucks parked at the Experience Festival grounds on the west end of the fair. 

There was also a change to the competition. There wasn’t a Judges’ Choice Award this year. Fairgoers could vote for their favorite food truck by texting the name of the truck to a designated number. 

Hazmat team sent to Auburn Correctional Facility after ‘unknown substance’ found

A hazmat team was called to Auburn Correctional Facility Thursday after a suspicious substance was found.

Auburn firefighters and an ambulance were called to the prison around 9:30 a.m. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said there was “evidence of a suspected unknown substance” at the prison, so a hazmat crew was called in “out of an abundance of caution.”

DOCCS referred questions for additional information to state police, which could not be immediately reached for comment.

The investigation was ongoing Thursday afternoon. Auburn firefighters were still at the prison after 4 p.m., and barrels had been delivered to the scene. Emergency radio transmissions indicated that some firefighters were undergoing a decontamination process. Auburn Fire Department referred all questions to DOCCS.

In 2018, a similar response took place at ACF when a white powder was found in the facility’s mailroom. That later was determined to be non-toxic.

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