Tag Archives: Ilion NY

Back on Stage?

Posted on November 19, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Ilion Little Theatre is moving right along with their 2014-15 season. Noises Off still has another weekend to run (Nov. 21, 22, 23; catch it if you get a chance!), but they are already holding auditions for their next production, Busybody.

My public will be pleased to know that I auditioned last night. OK, I guess my public mostly consists of my husband, Steven, and maybe my Mom and Dad. Steven thought it was cool I tried out. So did I.

The theatre is located in The Stables behind Remington Arms in Ilion, NY. It is a short drive from Herkimer, where I live. It was pouring rain and I was nervous. What if I’d forgotten how to act? Worse yet, given the weather, what if I’d forgotten how to drive? I managed to arrive safely, so I trusted I would be OK on stage.

The director greeted me and introduced himself. Very polite of him, since I’ve known him for five years, ever since I joined the theatre group. I filled out my audition sheet, pausing only when I got to the “experience” section, because I couldn’t seem to remember my character’s name in And Then There Were None (good God, I think that was before I started writing a blog. Did I even have a life back then?) (Note to self: answer that question on Lame Post Friday).

Another auditioner was looking at the script.

“This smells awesome,” he said. “It smells like elementary school.” I just love a good description like that. Ilion Little Theatre gets the coolest actors.

When I checked out the script myself, I was more worried about sight than smell. I had neglected to bring my reading glasses. My regular glasses are progressives, but I like a wider reading area, just to give myself every advantage.

It turned out pretty OK. I think I did all right on the scenes I read. It seems like a really fun play. I’m looking forward to reading the whole script. Or, you know, seeing the show, if I don’t get cast. I hope I get cast. I’ll write numerous blog posts about it if I do.

For more information on Ilion Little Theatre visit their website at www.ilionlittletheatre.org, and Like their Facebook page.

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A Fun Saturday Night

Posted on November 18, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Saturday night Steven and I combined three of our favorite things: time with friends, dinner out and theatre.

First we met our friends Phyllis and Jim at Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner in Herkimer, NY. This is one of our longtime favorite spots, and I have given it several shout-outs. It is a regular destination for Phyllis and Jim as well.

After a delicious dinner and enjoyable conversation, we all headed over to Ilion Little Theatre for Noises Off, their first production of the 2014-15 season. Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) is another Mohawk Valley institution which I have given many a well-deserved shout-out. I love the historic Stables that houses it. I love the intimate size of the performance space. And I love seeing my friends from the theatre group on stage.

Noises Off features some players who are new to the ILT stage as well as returning players. All the actors are very talented and they had the audience laughing heartily. My favorite was Act II, which involved whiskey and an ax.

We had originally thought to go out for drinks after the show, to discuss the production. We’ve worked on plays with Phyllis and Jim, so we often find a lot to say about plays we merely watch. However, by the time the play was over, it was late and we were tired. We had a great time and plan to do it again. Perhaps at the next ILT production, if we’re not onstage.

For more information on Ilion Little Theatre, visit their website at www.ilionlittletheatre.org or you can Like their Facebook page. For more information on Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner, their website is www.crazyottosempirediner.com, and they also have a Facebook page.

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I Missed the Drama!

Posted on September 20, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last night Steven and I attended the monthly dinner meeting of Ilion Little Theatre Club. It was the first meeting of the 2014-15 season. Through one cause or another we missed all the dinner meetings last season, although we made it to all the plays. It was so nice to be back in the theatre again, reconnecting with our theatre friends.

Rehearsals were going on for the first production, Noises Off. We did not audition for that one but may audition for something later in the season. I’ve missed being onstage. Also, being in a play usually gives me any number of blog posts.

A new season always brings new projects and goals. One of the most exciting things I heard last night was the upcoming Save Our Tower campaign. Ilion Little Theatre, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, is in The Stables on Remington Avenue in Ilion, NY. It used to be the Remington family’s stables. It is a beautiful historic brick building. Like many historic buildings, it is in need of repair.

One of the most pressing problems is a crack in the tower. The Board of Directors has talked to a couple of masons about repair or, better yet, restoration. It’s a complicated process and it don’t come cheap. A number of ideas were mentioned, including forming a Fundraising Committee.

I hope to follow this matter, participate in some of the fundraising (I can’t beg for donations, but I could, for example, wash a car at a car wash), and of course write blog posts about it. In the meantime, I’m just happy to be back at the theatre and with a great group of people.

For more information on Ilion Little Theatre Club, you can visit their website at www.ilionlittletheatre.org and you can Like their Facebook page.

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Foggy Wednesday

Posted on September 18, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I apologize for having a Wuss-out Wednesday after my rather silly post on Monday. Um, and Sunday. Oh, I’m not going back and looking at how many lame posts I’ve had recently; the fact is today I haven’t written anything yet and I don’t have much to write about.

I drove through a lovely thick fog on my way to work today and thought I would write about that. We’ve had a lot of fog recently. I like fog. It is usually thicker in Ilion (where I work) than it is in Herkimer (where I live). This morning as I went out to my vehicle, I saw that the fog was pretty thick in Herkimer. I thought, “Awesome! It’ll be really thick in Ilion.”

Steven and I got lost in the fog on Higby Road once, but that is a big hill out in the country. I felt it was doubtful that I would get lost on my eight-minute commute to work. I drove at a careful speed (slower, but not too slow), looking around. The irony was not lost on me that I was enjoying looking at what I was not able to see. I took extra care as I went out German Street by the cemetery. I’ve often seen deer in that area. I would not care to hit a deer.

It was not too hard to see even once I got to Ilion. Walking from my vehicle to my place of employment, I continued to enjoy looking around, where I usually see buildings but this morning could only see streetlights.

Then I was at work, the sun came up, and the fog was over. I thought, “Huh. That wasn’t such a much.” So I didn’t write a blog post about it. And now I just did.

Sufficiently wussy, I trust.

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The Garlic Pickles

Posted on June 26, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Anyone who knows me knows that garlic is one of the guiding forces of my life. Regular readers of the blog may have noticed that garlic plays a part in nearly all my recipes (after I let it “breathe” for fifteen minutes, of course). Imagine my delight when I found garlic pickles at the Ilion Farmer’s Market last Saturday.

Parker’s Historic Cider Mill and Farmer’s Market on Otsego Street in Ilion, NY is one of Steve’s, Tabby’s and my favorite places to go. Naturally we like any place we can bring our sweet little schnoodle Tabby, and Tabby’s favorite places are those where there are many interesting smells and nice people to pet her.

I know I’ve given many shout-outs to the Ilion Farmer’s Market. It runs year round on Fridays and Saturdays in a barn built in the 1800s. I just never get tired of going there.

On this visit, we particularly noticed works by folk artist Jim Parker, prints, t-shirts, mugs and note cards. I have a t-shirt of a print of Ilion but I’ve had it for a while and I recently noticed some discoloration along the collar. I informed Steven I will be needing a new shirt, perhaps with a different print. Do you suppose he’ll make my wait for my birthday?

Allowing Tabby time to sniff and be petted, we made our way to the shelves at the end of the barn where I always check the canned (jarred?) goods for garlic pickles. A long time ago, I found some garlic pickles there and loved them. I have not seen them since.

Until last Saturday. Eureka! Hot and Sweet Garlic Pickles! I chose hot, telling Steven I would probably return the following week to purchase sweet.

The pickles are crisp, tasty and hot. I think they would be very good in a sandwich or salad. So far I’ve eaten them plain and in a bologna-cheese roll-up. Yum!

My only fear now is that local readers will all dash to the Farmer’s Market and buy up all the garlic pickles, leaving none for me. Oh well, if such a thing happens, at least I will have spread joy and happiness.

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Not Overboard Yet

Posted on May 30, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today’s post actually took place before yesterday’s post. At first I felt a little silly about that and wondered if I shouldn’t have made it all one big post. Then I remembered it is Non-Sequitur Thursday. Perfect! On with the post!

Saturday Steven got out of work early enough to do something fun. I had seen in the paper that Ilion Farmer’s Market was selling flowers and herbs, which I wanted for my container garden. Tabby is welcome at the Farmer’s Market. Our plan was set.

We got there around three. Right away we saw the small display of plants, but first we went into the barn to browse. A few of the vendors had changed, but the historic barn’s atmosphere was still warm and welcoming. Tabby found all kinds of interesting places to sniff, and a few people petted her. I did not let her go near the cafe. I may have to come by without Tabby sometime and enjoy a little of that good food.

Back out at the plant table we chose basil, dill and two different flowers. I don’t know what they’re called (have I mentioned today that this is not a real gardening blog?), but the big blooms were red, pink and white while the little blooms were purple. The herbs looked very healthy. I sure hope I can keep them that way.

Jim Parker, the folk artist who runs the Farmers Market, told us they would be getting in more plants. I said I might be back next week. I’ll try not to go overboard (as I said yesterday I tend to do with my container garden), but what’s wrong with leaning out a little over the rail?

Sunday we decided to supplement our Farmers Market purchases with a trip to T & J’s Fruits and Vegetables in Herkimer. I’ve stopped there for produce many times, most recently finding a wonderful hyacinth for my mother’s Easter present. I had noticed their greenhouse was full. All kinds of choices. They even had the leaves that grow straight up (I’m not describing them very well, but perhaps you know what I mean).

“That’s what you need for containers,” I told Steven. “You want the thrill, the fill and the spill.” I said it with gestures, demonstrating the contribution of each “ill.” I did not purchase any thrill, but I found some fill and spill. The fill included marigolds, and the spill some little yellow flowers I of course do not know the name of (some of you are probably surprised I recognized the marigolds).

As I said, I haven’t gone overboard yet. But it’s early days. We’ll see what the weekend brings.

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Not Down in the Mouth

Posted on April 9, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

This isn’t exactly a fun thing to do in the Mohawk Valley, but I thought I’d give a shout-out to my dentist, Dr. Vincent Bonvino.

When I was looking for a new dentist a year or so ago, I just went to the Yellow Pages and started calling Dr. Bonvino was conveniently located near my place of employment and able to give me an appointment at a time I wanted. Once I got there, I found out he is an excellent dentist.

I am a big huge baby about going to the dentist. Of course most people don’t like to go to the dentist, but I have a rather large phobia about it. For years I did not voluntarily go to the dentist. Now I have dental coverage and a desire to keep my teeth if possible.

Dr. Bonvino is very understanding. When I explained my phobia, he said he could pause periodically and give me breaks. Let me tell you, that helps. The amazing thing is he remembers it every time I go in. I think a medical professional could be forgiven for not remembering every foolish quirk of every patient, but he remembers mine. Or else he made a note of it in my chart, which is just as good.

The doctor’s staff is very good, too. The receptionist remembers where I work and when I like my appointments. The hygienist is just as understanding of my foibles as the doctor.

As I said, I’ll probably never find going to the dentist fun. But Dr. Bonvino and his staff make the process a little less un-fun.

Dr. Bonvino’s office is located at 12 Central Plaza, Ilion, NY. Phone number is 315-894-5330.

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About that Play…

Posted on March 23, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I apologize to local readers (if any). I really prefer to attend Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) productions opening weekend. That way readers of the post about the play have another weekend to catch the show. Didn’t happen this time. Then again, I often write about events that were one-shot deals, and people do still have two more chances to catch Don’t Talk to the Actors (if you act quickly, as they say in the infomercials).

We arrived at the theatre on Remington Avenue in Ilion, NY right around 7:30 p.m. last night (Friday, March 21). We wanted to get there early, in case the play sold out. It had played to very appreciative audiences opening weekend. We knew it had gotten good word of mouth. There were plenty of seats left, although we had to discommode people sitting on the end of the row. We like to sit in the middle, although at ILT there are no bad seats that I know of.

As we waited for the show to start, we perused our programs and, as always, looked around at the framed posters on the walls. So many plays! I love to look at the dates and look for names I know.

The director didn’t make the usual curtain speech. It was made by a character in the play, the most sought after stage manager on Broadway. A nice touch which pulled us right into the story.

It is a fun story for any theatre lover, especially ones like Steven and me, who have worked on many plays and perhaps harbored Broadway dreams of our own at one time (I’m not saying we actually did, but perhaps). A naive playwright and his innocent fiance are in New York City, where the playwright’s play is about to be produced. I did think it was kind of funny that Buffalo was treated as a small town, from which people came who had NO IDEA how to cope with the rat race of NYC. I always thought Buffalo was kind of a big city. Then again, I live in Herkimer.

I guess I don’t need to tell you that things do not go quite as expected for our hero and heroine (wouldn’t be much of a play if they did). It is a very funny and surprisingly touching story. I expected the funny, because of what I’d heard beforehand, but the touching was a nice surprise.

We laughed out loud in many places, as did a lot of the audience. We enjoyed some coffee and candy during intermission. Another highlight of my evening was winning the 50/50 raffle at intermission. Proceeds from the 50/50 go toward framing the posters I always admire on the wall. Some nice people donate their winnings back, but I greedily kept mine. Don’t judge.

I recommend the production and, like I said, if you hurry, you have two more chances to see it: tonight, Saturday, March 22 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m. For more information, check out ILT’s website at www.ilionlittletheatre.org. You can also Like their Facebook page.

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Maybe Tomorrow I Can Write About the Play

Posted on March 22, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was so certain my gyrations this afternoon would yield material for a blog post that I didn’t write a thing all day. Well, a letter to my sister. I know, doesn’t count.

And now I must quickly come up with something. You see, we are going to Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) to see Don’t Talk to the Actors. We were supposed to go last Friday to see it, but I had a headache. I mean a really bad headache. I may have written a blog post about it. Today I had a headache again. I guess it was a good headache, because it’s mostly gone now. Phew!

I’m looking forward to the play, as I do to any ILT production. This one I am especially anxious to see. It is directed by Steve Wagner, who played Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey year before last. I played his sister (in case you missed all my myriad blog posts about that production). He’s cool. The cast features a number of ILT veterans, including two who are returning to the stage. Goody.

So I spent all afternoon, thinking I have to go here, do this, hurry there, get that done and, oh yeah, think of something to wear. I thought at least the wardrobe would be worth a post (this is Lame Post Friday after all). But no, I drove around and did all my stuff without drama. I even figured out something respectable and not very exciting to wear.

I’m ready to go. I only have to publish my blog post. And here it is, boring but done.

The play, by the way, is at the Stables, Remington Avenue, Ilion, NY, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 21, 22, 23, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit their website, www.ilionlittletheatre.org, or their Facebook page (Ilion Little Theatre Club).

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Going Green for the Purple Dress

Posted on March 1, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m on a mission for style. I mentioned purchasing tickets for next week’s Wine and Beer Tasting sponsored by the Herkimer and Mohawk Police Departments to benefit K-9 Ape memorial and the Special Response Team officers and team members who responded to the tragic events of March 13-14, 2013. Naturally I am concerned about what to wear.

I have a fabulous purple dress I have never worn. It is my sister’s fault that I have it. We went to Dress Barn almost three years ago (eek! has it been three years?) to get me a good dress for her daughter’s wedding. I had not purchased clothes since my major weight loss, so it was quite fun (I wonder if I wrote a blog post about it? I’ll have to check). I got a little carried away and bought two dresses. I wore one dress once, to the wedding, of course. Both have been hanging in my closet since.

Could it be that I need to get out more?

Both dresses are sleeveless. Early March is probably not the best time of year to go sleeveless in the Mohawk Valley. However, I thought that with a jacket or a shawl, the purple dress just might do for next week’s event.

To that end, I began my search at the Salvation Army, sometimes known as Salvation Armani, in Ilion, NY. I found not one shawl and I stared at many jackets, quite unable to picture any of them with the dress in question.

I have a few other possibilities. In Herkimer, there is the HARC Goodwill store and a consignment store whose name escapes me. There is the New 2 You consignment store in Ilion, if it’s still open, as well as Cornerstone Consignments (I think that’s what it’s called), which I’m pretty sure is still open. Oh, and a consignment store in Frankfort whose name also escapes me. Will I have time to check out all these possibilities?

Side note: I wrote the above paragraph on my lunch break at work, fully intending to find out the names of the unknown consignment stores before typing in and publishing this. However, I was unable to do this due to a dreadful headache which I quite thought would be gone by now. Therefore, in the spirit of Lame Post Friday (which is today), I let the paragraph stand and hope to supply the information in a later post.

In addition to the sources mentioned, I THINK a dear friend of mine MIGHT have a shawl I could borrow. I’ll have to ask.

Retail minded readers may be asking, why don’t I just go to the mall or any number of respectable first-run clothing stores in the area? Well, I’m trying to be frugal. Since the dress (purchased new) has hung in my closet unworn for three years, I’m not sure how many clothing investments it is really practical for me to make. Besides, reduce, reuse, recycle. The dress is purple, but I always like to go green.

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