MONTOUR FALLS--The annual Falls Harvest Festival will take over Main Street in Montour Falls on Saturday, Oct. 1, from noon to 7:00 p.m. Live music from Still Kickin' will headline this year's event that also features a kids' zone entertainment area and craft and food vendors. Organizers expect to welcome several thousand people to the Festival, which is an opportunity to welcome autumn.

YATES COUNTY--A handful of Yates County leaders are in full planning mode. Yates County will be 200 years old in 2023, and the community plans to celebrate.
Led by Yates County Historian Len Kataskas, the high-profile committee includes Kristen Burch, from St. Mike's School; Kathy Waye, from Keuka College; Alex Andrasik, from the Penn Yan Library; Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike; Yates County Legislator Carlie Chilson; Jessica Bacher, from the Yates County Chamber of Commerce; Marsha Devine, Yates County Treasurer; and Tricia Noel, from the Yates County History Center.

State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen and Commissioner Jackie Bray of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services announced Saturday, Sept. 24 that a contingent of 50 state troopers left for Puerto Rico. The group will help the island nation as it recovers from the devastation left behind in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. The first wave of 50 troopers, along with 69 New Jersey state troopers, flew out of JFK airport bound for Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight was donated by Jet Blue Airlines.

NEW YORK STATE--State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball announced New York State Grown & Certified farms will be getting a promotional boost with the launch of a new marketing campaign that will be seen by consumers across the state. The campaign highlights New York's diverse array of specialty crops and encourages consumers to "Look for the Label" and find New York State Grown & Certified products, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey, maple, and more at retailers across the state.

At the Tuesday, Sept. 20 Watkins Glen village board meeting, trustees heard from village department heads and discussed several issues that needed resolution.
The current contract with Seneca Lake Kayak ends in September. Owner Paul Deiseroth proposed amending the current contract, revising the payment terms, and renewing for an additional three years. Village trustees resolved to develop a one-year agreement with Seneca Lake Kayak that sets payment at $5,000 for the summer of 2023. The agreement can be re-evaluated for future years.

WATKINS GLEN--The Watkins Glen board of trustees briefly discussed the possibility of instituting a license requirement for businesses in Watkins Glen during the Tuesday, Sept. 6 board meeting. As it currently stands, the board of trustees does not have the ability to reject a proposed business in the village, an issue that has come up repeatedly since the opening of a marijuana sticker shop.

YATES COUNTY--Yates County Administrator Nonie Flynn provided the following update on several programs currently in development or underway in the county.

ALBANY--The New York State Public Service Commission met Thursday, Sept. 15 to decide on a range of issues, one of which was the requirements to transfer a power plant from Fortistar North Tonawanda Inc. to Digihost International Inc. The agenda item received statewide attention as Digihost is a British Columbia company that is publicly traded and primarily focused on cryptocurrency mining.

NEW YORK STATE--New York state announced last week that the applications portal for the first-in-the-nation Seed Funding Grant Program, created as part of the FY2023 budget, opened on Sept. 14. The program provides flexible grants to support early stage, micro and small businesses. The program seeks to assist small businesses that opened shortly before or during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Got food? Thank a farmer. This coming weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24 and 25, you'll have an opportunity to do just that on the third annual Farm Tour Weekend. Nine farms in Schuyler and Yates County, representing a variety of agricultural products and styles are opening their doors to visitors, with the farmers ready to answer questions, let you get up close and personal with some of their animals, and give you a capsule experience of the farming life. There are actually a dozen farms participating, but a few are buddying up to offer more than one product at one location.

SCHUTLER COUNTY-At the Monday, Sept. 12, meeting of the Schuyler County Legislature, more than 30 resolutions were approved. Among actions taken, / legislators declared the week of Sept. 18, as Sheriff's Week. The recognition pays tribute to the Office of the Sheriff's distinguished heritage and evolution into a modern, professional, full-service law enforcement agency, staffed by fully trained police officers who use state-of-the-art technology. A second resolution authorized the creation and filling of one full-time correction officer position.

YATES COUNTY--The Yates County Legislature held its regularly scheduled meeting, Monday, Sept. 12 in the legislative chambers. Following an ad hoc committee meeting in August to explore the possibility of Yates County designating itself as a "Constitutional County," it was announced on Monday that the idea will not be pursued further at this time.

PENN YAN--With less than a week before the final edition of the Chronicle-Express was set to publish, it was announced Friday, Sept. 9 the New Jersey company CherryRoad Media had bought the property and several others in Massachusetts. Those papers will join three recent acquisitions in Michigan, as well as over 60 newspapers in 10 states that the company began acquiring in 2020.

BRANCHPORT--The Finger Lakes Museum (3369 Guyanoga Road, Branchport) is hosting its annual open house on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is open to the public with complimentary admission. During the event, the museum will introduce attendees to the 11 Lakes Traveling Exhibit, created to honor the museum's founder, John Adamski.

SCHUYLER COUNTY--For many Schuyler County residents, Watkins Glen is synonymous with the Squires. Throughout the years, hundreds of area performers participated. Others knew someone who marched with the Corps. From the mid-'60s through the early '80s, the Squires kept the beat, locally, regionally, and nationally.

When quilts are sewn, the beauty of the fabric and design are apparent. In addition to the fabrics for the decorative and lining side, most quilts enclose a warm middle layer. Of course, it takes time and skill to sew and finish any quilt. And there are hidden ingredients not listed on the label--each quilt has a story to tell, and every quilt is made with love.

WATKINS GLEN--Approximately 600 classic cars, including a team of Mustangs, will roar into town this weekend for the 29th annual Grand Prix Festival. Held Friday, Sept. 9, with much of the activity on Franklin Street, the Festival is presented by Chemung Canal Trust Company and produced by Watkins Glen Promotions. The annual event is open to the public with complimentary admission and parking. Organizers believe approximately 25,000 people turned out for the 2021 Festival.

SCHUYLER COUNTY--Empire State Development and Cornell University's Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA) have announced the 20 finalists selected to take part in year four of Grow-NY. The campaign is a food and agriculture business competition focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage, and agriculture innovation cluster in central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. Grow-NY will award a total of $3 million in prize money to seven winners from among the finalists, including a $1 million top prize, two $500,000 prizes, and four $250,000 prizes.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Penn Yan, Dundee, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the Sept. 28 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Penn Yan, Dundee, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the Sept. 21 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Penn Yan, Dundee, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the Sept. 14 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Watkins Glen, Odessa-Montour, Penn Yan, Dundee and Hammondsport. These results appeared in the Sept. 7 newspapers.

WATKINS GLEN--Watkins Glen International hosted the NASCAR Go Bowling at The Glen last weekend. The 2.45-mile track has been the home to NASCAR consecutively since 1986 and has seen a number of repeat winners over the years. The 2022 edition was no different with Kyle Larson and A. J. Allmendinger going one-two in both the Cup and Xfinity races.

WATKINS GLEN--As the regular NASCAR season comes to an end and the playoffs are set to begin in September, the top racing series in America will visit Watkins Glen International this weekend. The Go Bowling at The Glen will feature 90 laps of the historic road course in Schuyler County with a 3 p.m. start time on Sunday, Aug. 21.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Penn Yan, Dundee, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the June 8 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Dundee, Penn Yan, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the June 1 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Dundee, Penn Yan, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the May 25 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Dundee, Penn Yan, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the May 18 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Watkins Glen, Odessa-Montour, Penn Yan, Dundee and Hammondsport. These results appeared in the May 11 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Penn Yan, Dundee, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the May 5 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Watkins Glen, Odessa-Montour, Penn Yan, Dundee and Hammondsport. These results appeared in the April 27 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results. These writeups appeared in the April 20 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Dundee, Penn Yan, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the April 13 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Dundee, Penn Yan, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the March 9 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Dundee, Penn Yan, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour. These results appeared in the March 2 newspapers.

FINGER LAKES--Please click the 'Read More...' link to see the weekly sports results for Watkins Glen, Odessa-Montour, Penn Yan, Dundee and Hammondsport. These results appeared in the Feb. 23 newspapers.