Category Archives: Community Events

Pre-Crawl Post

Posted on April 18, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

No, not a Pub Crawl, although anybody who knows me might be forgiven for thinking so.  I am about to embark on Herkimer’s Spring Shop Crawl.  We get to go around to participating businesses and check them out.  Many are running specials for the day. In any case, I will get to say hello to my favorites and hopefully discover some new places for shopping and blogging purposes.

Can’t wait to stop here!

The event is hosted by To Niche Their Own and Renewed and Rescued. Renewed and Rescued is a long-time favorite of mine, and To Niche Their Own has been a favorite since I discovered them.

And if I get hungry along the way.

I just scrolled down the Facebook Event’s Discussion and looked for other participants whose picture I might have in my Media Library, and here is Paradise Eatery.  I am charging my phone in hopes of taking pictures at each stop. This may be good for days and days of blog posts!

I see Herkimer College (known to locals as HCCC or “H-trip-C”) is also sponsoring a vendor fair.  I intend to walk during my initial foray into the Crawl, but I may return home for my car to check out what’s up the hill (YES, I try to run up the hill on a regular basis, but that is not the same thing, surely you can see that) (and I will call you Shirley if I decide to).

Well, time, as they say, is a-wasting.  I need to get crawling and shopping.  I encourage any local readers to check out the Spring Shop Crawl.  All others may tune in later for blog posts about same.

 

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Feeling Murderous on Lame Post Friday

Posted on April 18, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Decisions!  Choices!  If only dithering burned calories, how skinny I would be!  Never mind that, I want to make a blog post, Lame Post Friday or not and I decide to go with a Post-Rehearsal Post and share some pictures of last night’s rehearsal of A Revolutionary Murder, the murder mystery we are presenting to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society next Saturday.  We had a fun rehearsal and I am greatly optimistic about the performance.

That face!

Regular readers may recognize some of the actors from previous murder mysteries.  I do love my regulars!  This time I also have two people I have worked with on other plays, and they are doing marvelously.

She is setting them straight on a few things.

One of my actresses showed up in a spangly gown she intends to wear as her costume.  I love it!  Costume does help one get into character.  I at least try to wear the shoes I intend to have on.

A wider shot.

As you may notice, we are rehearsing in Herkimer Elks Lodge,  where the performance will take place.  The Elks are very generous with letting us use their space.  It is so helpful to rehearse where we will actually perform.  Additionally, I like to purchase a glass of wine after rehearsal.

Almost everybody is in this shot!

I guess I have not said much about the mystery, but I feel this is all to the good.  I would not want to give away any salient plot points; I like my audience to be surprised.

A Revolutionary Murder will be presented Saturday, April 25 at Herkimer Elks Lodge, 124 Mary St., Herkimer, NY, doors open at 5, dinner at 6.  Tickets are $45 for individuals, $80 per couple, available at the Historical Society at 406 Main St., Herkimer, or at the Elks Lodge.

 

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Ah, Murder In Springtime!

Posted on April 12, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have been at the Herkimer County Historical Society twice in the last two days concerning the next murder mystery, A Revolutionary Murder, which will be presented on Saturday, April 25 to benefit the Historical Society. I thought I might give a little teaser about that.

Wednesday when I stopped by, it was for dramatic purposes.  Without going into too much detail, a character reports that a cell phone was blown clear and landed in a bush.  In fiction (and probably real life too, but I don’t know too much about that), it is nice to be exact. Not just “a bush” but “an azalea bush” or “a hydrangea bush.”  So I stopped to ask what kind of bush grows around the historical society.

Oh, no, not that kind of bush!

I guess by two weeks from now the bushes will not really be that far along, but I hardly think the audience will call me out on that.  Several bushes that will be there as spring and summer wear on, and I think I am going to settle on Bleeding Heart, just for the reference to blood (you should see the fliers!) (which you can see on the Historical Society’s Facebook page).

Aren’t they cute?

Yesterday I stopped by to see if they had some tickets I could bring to the Elks Lodge, in case any members wanted to purchase them.  On the way out, I took the two pictures I just used as illustrations.  I mostly took them because I tend to take pictures of everything I see growing.  I try not to let winter drag me down, but oh, do I love the rebirth of spring!

Funny to be enjoying rebirth when I am about to kill somebody off for fun and non-profit, but so it is.  A Revolutionary Murder will be presented Saturday, April 25 at the Herkimer Elks Lodge, 124 Mary St., Herkimer, NY, doors open at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m.  Tickets are $45 for individuals, $80 per couple, available at the Historical Society, 315-866-6413.

 

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It’s Probably My Age

Posted on April 3, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I continue to feel tired and dull.  I could blame yesterday’s colonoscopy (do NOT say Too Much Information!) or my age, but then I thought: perhaps I am still tired from the Elk of the Year Banquet last Saturday. I did dance a portion of my butt off.  This gives me an excellent opportunity to share the rest of the pictures I have from that memorable evening.

Not as good as the other two pictures, perhaps.

Here I am dancing with the man of the hour (and the year, of course), my friend Joe.  It was lovely to see him so honored, and also a thrill to dance to the music of my favorite band, The Posers.

They rock down, yes they do!

At one point, a guest artist joined them on the bandstand (yes, I know, it was just a corner of the room; I was trying to sound impressive).

She was adorable.

A young girl who had been having as much fun as I was dancing took over on the drums for a short time.  She didn’t do too badly.  My great-nephew Sheppy is taking up percussion.  Maybe if he joins me for one of the Posers’ gigs, they will let him sit in for a number.

I guess I do not mind being tired, although I hope if I make a few sensible lifestyle changes I can get some energy back.  Then again, when have I ever done anything sensible?  At any rate, I will try for a few Mohawk Valley Adventures and hope you will tune in to future blog posts.

 

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Monday Night Flights

Posted on February 24, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was at the Ilion Elks Lodge when I remembered I did not make a blog post today.  That was OK, though, because I was about to partake in an excellent subject for a blog post: Monday Night Flights.  I have attended Monday Night Flights before but thought I would not make tonight’s, because I had to cover the Ilion Village Board Meeting.  Imagine my delight when the meeting did not last very long.

I was happy to walk in and see some friends.  They were happy to see me, too.  I ordered a glass of wine, because there were no flights in sight.  Jackie, the bartender, gave me a beautiful glass.

Alas, I did not get the best picture!

You can’t really tell, but there are flamingos on it, and the base has polka dots.  Eventually Jackie poured the flights.  We sampled three cocktails: Cherry Rose Mudslide, Very Sexy Martini, and Tiffany Mimosa.

I thought they were all pretty good, but my favorite was the Cherry Rose Mudslide.  A regular Mudslide is kind of like a chocolate shake with a kick.  This one had hints of cherry.  I later found out they use Tequila Rose in it.  I seem to remember sampling Tequila Rose some years ago but do not remember it very well.  I liked the Tiffany Mimosa better than the regular kind.  I found out I have been making Mimosas wrong to begin with.  Apparently you are only supposed to  add enough orange juice to change the color.  A fellow flight sampler told me that.  I guess I don’t know if it is true.

The Very Sexy Martini was interesting, but I prefer a regular martini, perhaps a dirty martini.  However, this martini had champagne in it, which I found interesting.  I guess I like to drink straight champagne, but to each their own, as the old lady said when she kissed the cow.

They were selling turkey wrap sandwiches, so I ate one of those, which helped me not get tipsy.  The flights were not large: enough to let you taste the cocktail but not enough to get you drunk.  I meant to take a picture of the three little glasses but foolishly forgot.

I highly recommend Flight Nights as Ilion Elks Lodge.  You can follow their Facebook page to see when the next one will be.

 

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I Get my Wish for Fish!

Posted on February 21, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

All week I looked forward to going to Fish Fry at Herkimer Elks Lodge.  I got the fish to go several times last year and, YUM!  This year, I planned to dine in and sit with friends.  My parents may join me later in the season.  I encourage anybody who likes fish to check it out!

Who doesn’t love fish fry? I guess somebody somewhere, but I love it!

Being an Elk Lodge member, I showed up early and had a glass of wine at the bar before eating.  When we sat down, I was hungry!  In fact, I did not get fried fish but, with calories and my finicky stomach in mind, asked for the baked. Dinner included fish, cole slaw, fries or baked potato, and a roll with butter.  I opted for the baked potato.  Mmmm… sour cream!

Such a good meal!

I hope to get the fish fried another Friday, if my stomach is feeling good, but I will probably stick with the baked potato.  Dinner is $17.  For an additional $4, you can get clam chowder.  Cash bar is available.

Herkimer Elks Lodge is located at 124 Mary St., Herkimer, NY.  Fish Fry runs Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. during Lent.  You can eat in or take out!  Call 315-866-1439.

 

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Yay! Books!

Posted on November 19, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I just got back from the book sale at Ilion Free Public Library.  Yay!  Books!

Picture taken last year when I went to the sale.

I heard about the sale yesterday, at the Ilion Village Board of Trustees meeting.  Regular readers may recall my side hustle of covering some meetings for Sentinel Media.  I like to include a picture with the story so thought a couple pictures of the book sale would be nice.  The fact that I could also purchase books was strictly by the way.

Lots of books!

The books are donated by patrons, not just discarded books from the collection, so there are a lot of new and like-new books available.

And the price is right!

Last year I found some biographies of famous figures from the American Revolution.  This year I lucked out on fiction.  I try not to read a whole lot of fiction, because I have a hard time putting it down once I start reading, but I love it.

Another angle.

The sale continues through Saturday, Nov. 22.  They keep putting out more books as books sell, so even if you have stopped by, you might like to check back.  I hope to do so later in the week.

Ilion Free Public Library is located at 78 West St., Ilion, NY, phone number 315-894-5028.

 

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Ilion Honors Vets

Posted on November 11, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Ilion has a proud tradition of service to the country in the armed forces, from the Civil War to the present time, Mayor John P. Stephens said at the Village of Ilion Veteran’s Ceremony Monday, Nov. 10. That tradition is recognized at the Town Hall Auditorium with the names of Ilion Veterans on the Memorial Wall, grouped by the conflicts in which they served. On Monday,  22 names were added to the Wall.

The high school students added gravity to the ceremony.

After Mayor Stephens’ welcome and introductions, the ceremony opened with the Presenting of the Colors by Central Valley (CVA) Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and a rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” by the CVA Chamber Choir under the direction of Mark Bunce.

Mayor Stephens is very proud of Ilion’s tradition of service.         

The reading of the names was followed by a Choral Tribute to the Armed Services by the CVA Choir, a medley of tunes famously associated with each branch of service. 

They were awesome.

I was very impressed with the choir and the JROTC students.  The harmonies of the choir were incredible, and the military bearing of the soldiers was excellent.

Stephens concluded the ceremony by mentioning a number of village employees who had also served and again praising Ilion’s long tradition of service.

“If you see a vet, thank a vet,” he said.

 

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A Little Local Music for Me

Posted on August 26, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Earlier tonight I made a short top at the Herkimer Downtown Chowdown, the weekly food truck festival in Meyers Park, to hear a little bit of K.O. Grainger.  It could only be a short stop, since I had to attend the Ilion Village Board meeting, but it was worth it.  For one reason, I got a hot dog from The Corner Office.  Yum!

They rock!

 

I first heard Matt Grainger playing acoustic guitar at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort (you may have seen a couple of my blog posts mentioning him).  K.O. Grainger is a two-man band with him and his brother, and they are awesome!

A closer view.

I sat at a picnic table and ate my hot dog, tapping my feet. I had to get up and dance to one song.  Nobody joined me, but at the Chowdown, people don’t judge (that I can see).  The audience was enjoying the tunes, clapping and singing along.

There are not many weeks left of the Downtown Chowdown, which runs Mondays in Meyers Park, starting at 4 p.m.  According to their Facebook page, September 1 and 8 are the last two this year.  If you like food truck food and live music, I suggest you check it out!

 

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I Bounced Over to the Block Party

Posted on July 30, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last Saturday after the second performance of Four Old Broads on the High Seas (you knew I wasn’t done mentioning that play, didn’t you?), I went home to Herkimer and caught part of the block party on Main Street.  Other events had been going on earlier in the day, but of course I missed them due to my drama fixation.  Still, I walked down, took a couple of pictures, and thought I would just mention it in a post.

I bet he’d like to meet Bonita!

The first thing that caught my eye was the skeleton hanging out behind the band.  Every band should have such a cool groupie!  Or was he a roadie?

I didn’t catch their name, unfortunately.

Here is a shot of the band.  They were playing some pretty dance-able country music, but nobody was dancing at the time. I busted a move or two as I moved in for the photo.

The next step after Bounce House.

I checked out a few of the vendors, then noticed the Bounce Obstacle Course.  It looked fun.  I asked a couple people, and they said yes, some grown-ups had gone through it.  Brock was in front of the End Zone (he is the proprietor) and agreed to watch my bags.  I kicked off my sandals and went for it!

It was fun!

It was not beyond my meager athletic prowess!  But I did end up going down the final slide head first.  I had a good laugh at myself, and I hope other people saw me and had a laugh as well.  Since Brock was nice enough to watch my bags, I went into the End Zone for a glass of wine.  Sitting on a bar stool is really more my speed!

 

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