Natural Choice Vacation

Try this word association exercise. Say the word “Cortland” to someone and see what response you get. More times than not, the response will be “apple”. And while the Cortland apple is one of Cortland’s claim to fame, not a single apple orchard of any kind, let alone Cortland’s, exists in Cortland County. But if it is apples you are looking for, you will find them by the bushels at the ultimate autumn destination, Hollenbeck’s Cider Mill.
Located on Rt. 392 in Virgil, Hollenbecks has been pressing cider for over 75 years. On weekends you can actually watch owner Bruce Hollenbeck go through the traditional hands on method of producing the cider. Layering the canvas sheets and chopped apples on pallet after pallet, once the stack is the right height the pressing begins and the cider flows. The demonstration never fails to impress the crowd and is of special interest to the little ones.
There is also the chance to watch the production of that perfect complement to fresh cider – warm donuts. A conga line of doughy rings make their way into the deep fryer to eventually surface as a warm donut that is hard to resist.
As if donuts weren’t temptation enough, the cider mill has a separate bakery specializing in the obvious – apple pies. Hollenbecks also has various cheeses, jellies, gift items and bin upon bin of every variety of apple imaginable.
Coupled with a drive through the hills of southern Cortland County, a trip to Hollenbeck’s Cider Mill is a great fall family outing.

That might be a slight exaggeration but even though Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, there are still some great events to come in Cortland County.

Say Marathon and most people think Maple Festival. Actually, Marathon’s 1890 Union Fair predates the Maple Festival and just might be the oldest festival in Cortland County. If you’ve never been, the Union Fair is a celebration of the county’s agricultural heritage. The festival features the largest horse parade in the northeast, a quilt show, baked and can goods, vegetables, flowers and livestock. Always the Saturday after Labor Day, this year the Union Fair will be September 11, a great opportunity to get reacquainted with our agricultural roots – so to speak.

Saturday, September 4th
The 4th Annual Ithaca Brew Fest at beautiful Stewart Park at the base of Cayuga Lake.
3 – 7PM
Sample beers poured by over 45 local, regional, national, and international breweries. Snack on sizzling and savory food from local eateries. Take in musical performances by Sim Redmond Band, Kevin Kinsella, and the Mutron Warriors! Tickets for General Admission are $35/ticket, and they can be purchased at all Wegmans Grocery Stores, The Ithaca Beer Co., the State Theatre box office, and online.

The Brew Fest will once again offer a VIP ticket for $75/ticket. This year’s VIP package includes VIP access one hour before gates open. From 2:00 – 3:00PM, VIPs will have a chance to meet the brewers, sample beers not readily available in the market, and nosh on gourmet food prepared by Wegmans. The VIP tent will remain open the entire Brew Fest and continue to pour craft beers

The Cooperative Extension of Cortland County and the Cortland County Convention and Visitors Bureau have put together a great, free, family event for Sunday afternoon, August 22nd. Here is your chance to stop in and visit some of Cortland County’s working farms and farm markets. The driving tour will take you to dairy farms, horse farms, organic farms and vegetable markets. Travel and tour the farms at your pace. You can visit one or visit them all.

For information on the Sunday Farm Tour and your map showing the participating farms, call 607 753-5077 or 607 753-8463.

This USA Triathlon-sanctioned event is organized by the Ithaca Triathlon Club. This triathlon features intermediate, sprint and youth race distances. Come experience Central NY’s premier triathlon in the heart of the Finger Lakes, just 8 miles north of Ithaca. Athletes swim in Cayuga Lake, bike the rolling hills of wine country, and run through a gorge that features a waterfall three stories taller than Niagara Falls. Race start is at 8am. For more information call 607-342-2170 or click http://www.ithacatriathlonclub.org/race/default.html

With the summer crop coming in to season it is the right time to start thinking about your fall vegetable garden. Cortland County’s annual Chautauqua is offering a program that can help with your fall garden plans .Master Gardner Elaine Norris will do a talk on fall vegetable gardens where you can “learn strategies and vegetable varieties that can keep you garden yielding till snow flies”.
The talk is scheduled for Sunday August 1 from 6:45 to 7:45. There is a fee for the program and pre-registration is suggested. To find out the specifics call 607 753-0002 – email CortlandChurches@aol.com

If you are looking to add some variety to your summer hiking plans how about a little urban trek. A lot of local historical societies offer self guided walking tours and the City of Cortland has a terrific one.
Provided by the Cortland County Historical Society “An Historical Walking Tour of Downtown Cortland New York” is a free brochure that takes you through the Main St. area of this Finger Lakes city. And believe it or not Cortland is a city – one of the smallest incorporated cities in New York State. The brochure lays out the route and includes snippets on historically significant buildings along the way as well as other architectural treasures in the immediate area.
So set aside a little time to come in off the trails and incorporate some urban hiking in your summer plans.
For a free copy of the Cortland Walking Tour brochure contact us at cortcvb@odyssey.net or 800 859-2227.

Bike Tioga 2010 is coming soon! This year’s Bike Tioga is on August 7th and 8th. If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so directly on our website (www.BikeTioga.com) or by printing off a registration form and mailing it to the Tioga County Tourism Office (80 North Ave, Owego, NY). If you register by August 4th you will receive a free water bottle. All of the route maps are online so check them out to choose your ride! If you have any questions please call our office at 607-687-7440/1-800-671-7772 or email tiogatourism@gmail.com. We hope to see you in August!