I was a little surprised to find police activity lighting up my Facebook feed last night, but by the time we drove down West Main Street, everything seemed quiet again. Five men were arrested when what started as a noise...
I can't make it this time, but hopefully you can: Dryden Open Gate Garden and Art Tour Saturday, July 14th, 9am - 2pm Enjoy four beautiful gardens with art on display and for sale in each garden! Starting point: Municipal...
Freeville's non-partisan races are usually uncontested, with vote counts in the teens. This year was different, with a challenge to the Mayor from Ron Szymanski. Preliminary results show incumbent Lotte Carpenter beating Szymanski 62-33. In both the villages of Dryden...
The villages of Dryden and Freeville are having elections today. Polls are open from noon to 9:00pm at both village halls. Freeville has a contested mayor's race and two uncontested trustees' races, and Dryden has two uncontested trustees' races....
I don't drink very much any more, and it's been an even longer time since I brewed my own beer, but it's great to see brewing come to Dryden. Bacchus Brewing, on Ellis Drive, will be opening March 24th, and...
Back in 2009, New York State designated Route 38 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway of Valor, with signs at the ends in Owego and Sterling. At a tribute ride that October, I asked Village of Dryden Mayor Randy Sterling whether...
This is perhaps a story better told through pictures, though fortunately I took a lot. I arrived in Dryden just a little too late Saturday morning and found parking spaces amazingly full, so parked on Union Street and walked over...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on local moves to ban gas drilling, with a focus on comments from Dryden's meeting Wednesday night. There's also a piece on the Southworth Library's Lincoln Center expansion, which sounds great. There's also a photo...
No, not this Dairy Day, though that's a good idea too. Dryden Dairy Day opens with a parade at 9:30am down Main Street in the Village of Dryden. From 10:00am to 3:00pm, organizations and vendors will be in Montgomery Park,...
A notice on the Southworth Library web site announces that: We will be closed June 6 through June 17 as we move collections into place and prepare the new space. The due dates for any checked out items that would...
On my way to last night's excellent Historical Society talk on early flier Paul Wilson, I stopped in Time Square and sat on one of the benches. I suddenly realized that it was confusingly quiet - there was no traffic!...
At last night's annual meeting of the Dryden Town Historical Society, President Betsy Cleveland said that attorney Mike Lane had called her and said he needed to talk with the Board of Trustees. She'd wondered "who on earth would want...
I've heard several times now of an armed robbery in the Village of Dryden, but the Ithaca Journal hasn't had a report and the Cortland Standard didn't choose that article as the one they posted for the day to their...
The villages of Dryden and Freeville held elections yesterday, all of them uncontested. Rachel Dickinson and Marco Cestaro were elected as Trustees in Freeville with 15 and 16 votes respectively. In Dryden, Mayor Randy Sterling was re-elected mayor with 70...
I can't say that I love the Ithaca Journal web site redesign, which seems mostly to make me scroll more and wonder where if anywhere the commented stories are. Performance hasn't improved, either - it's the only site I visit...
I noted earlier that Dryden police warned of thefts from cars, but yesterday someone apparently went further and stole a whole vehicle "containing pharmaceutical and medical items". In other news, the Tompkins County Council of Governments opposes the property tax...
The Ithaca Journal reports that Village of Dryden police are asking residents to watch out following a series of break-ins to residences and cars. All have been through unlocked doors, apparently. We talked a bit about this Thursday night at...
The Village of Dryden Planning Board unanimously approved a site plan for ten apartment buildings near Dryden High School, "Poet's Landing", including both senior housing and low-income housing. There's a lot to address in the approval: To mitigate safety concerns,...
The Village of Dryden Planning Board was going to vote last night, but now the vote will be January 6th: Board members said during Tuesday's special meeting they need more time to assemble conditions for the developers, Rochester-based Conifer Realty,...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Village of Dryden Planning Board will vote on a 144-unit housing development along Route 38 this Tuesday: Mayor Randy Sterling said site approval and the New York State Environmental Quality Review are complete....
An 1890s water line runs from the Village of Dryden along North Road to the TC3 Head Start building, and its slow collapse is causing problems. Because it's outside of the village, the village can't repair it; because there's no...
This is huge (I think that's 144 units total), and I hadn't heard of it before now. Anyone know more about it? I just stumbled on it at the Village of Dryden website. The Village of Dryden Planning Board has...
The Ithaca Journal had a nice piece on the expansion of the Southworth Library, and posted a photo gallery of the current state of things. There's also an article on last night's zoning conversation. It starts by focusing in on...
It's been a few years since there were horse-drawn wagon tours in the Village of Dryden - this should be great! Join the Dryden Town Historical Society and Historic Ithaca for: A Horse-Drawn Wagon Ride to see the carriage houses...
Saturday was a busy morning at the Dryden Community Center Cafe, with music, apple pie, chili, and the dedication of a new accessibility ramp and deck built by volunteers. Cafe board president Beth Peck speaks about the ramp. Rotarian Brian...
I'd heard that Dryden Mayor Randy Sterling was on WHCU talking about economic development because Stafford Chevrolet had a very empty parking lot - but couldn't find the interview on WHCU's site and missed the Cortland Standard article on it....
In an earlier post, I wrote that: The hamlet zoning density blasted up from a little over four to as much as ten units per acre, while still specifying, well, little vision for what a hamlet should look like. They...
The big celebration will be next year's dedication, but the Southworth Library will be highlighting the start of their new Lincoln Center expansion this Saturday, July 10, at 10:00am. If you'd like to see the beginning of a major project...
The Dryden Community Garden, behind the Dryden Town Hall (93 East Main Street, Dryden), is on its way to getting started. If you're interested in helping organize, they're meeting Tuesday, May 4th, at the Dryden Community Center Cafe at 7:00pm....
Last night, the Dryden Democrats gathered in Dryden's Village Hall to select two candidates to run for the two two-year Village Trustee positions that are up for election this March. Unfortunately, we didn't have any candidates this year, and for...
Two years ago, freezing rain kept me from seeing the Dryden Town Historical Society's Holly Tour of local houses, and I've been grumbling about it ever since. They're doing it again this year, though, with five houses open this Sunday...
Dryden had a full set of events from Friday night into Saturday evening. I started at the Sertoma Spaghetti Dinner and finished with a fine Turkey Dinner at the Freeville Methodist Church, but I think it's best to just tell...
On Sunday afternoon, we took Sungiva to see the fire trucks! At 18 months, I'm not sure she quite knows how exciting they are, but it's never too soon to get started. Spraying water from a fire hose. They had...
I don't even know what to say about this one: Dryden Police accused Frank B. Sears, 66, for trafficking in several types of prescription drugs, including more than 500 oxycodone, morphine sulfate, opana, vicoprofen and diazepam tablets and pills of...
I started my day by standing in line this morning. The Southworth Library is having its annual book sale today, tomorrow, and Saturday at the Dryden Fire Station - 26 North Street, Dryden (map). Today they're open until 8:00pm, tomorrow...
Yes, I know - it's already time for Dryden Old Home Days. I've foolishly sat on this collection of photos, though, and they need to see the light. Angelika took almost all of them, at the Dryden Dairy Days parade...
I'm not sure why the Ithaca Journal seems to have left this letter off its online opinion page for Thursday, but Village of Dryden mayoral candidate Wendy Martin wrote a piece that feels just right to me: Dragging on my...
It looks like Dryden will be getting its own micro-stimulus package, thanks to the record $3.44 million a buyer paid for the Lincoln victory speech they auctioned today. You can see more reporting on it here. I was worried about...
An event in New York City tomorrow may have some big reverberations in Dryden. Christie's will be auctioning the original manuscript of Abraham Lincoln's 1864 victory speech, for a hoped-for $3 to $4 million. The Southworth Library, owner of the...
It seems that the County Legislature has finally sorted out who's in charge and appointed committee heads. The bigger problem, though, isn't just who's in control, but the total process botch that made it clear that key legislative conversations happen...
This week's Ithaca Journal has had a few pieces on the Village of Dryden caucuses. Faced with opposition from Democrat Wendy Martin, Mayor Reba Taylor is stepping down and Republican Trustee Randy Sterling is running as the Republican candidate for...
In a decision that will doubtless make at least one recent commenter sad, but makes me very happy, the Village of Dryden will continue to clear snow from sidewalks. So says the January 21 Dryden Courier, which just arrived today....
I'm not sure why this hasn't turned up in the Ithaca JournalThe Ithaca Journal article somehow slipped by me, and the Cortland Standard hasn't put it online, but at least the AP reported it: Christie's is auctioning a handwritten copy...
Today's Ithaca Journal is fairly busy. As always, Cathy Wakeman has a lot on Dryden: The Freeville Harvest Festival will be this Saturday, September 13th, from 8:30am to 3:00pm. It's always a lot of fun, especially for food. The Dryden...
This morning's weather was kind to Dryden Dairy Day - just a few warning sprinkles, but no downpour. It was a great parade as usual, with a larger crowd than I remember seeing in the past. Sungiva and I marched...
Our efforts to eat locally keep reminding me just how important the connection between people and food is. Over the past century, our country disconnected itself further and further from the food foundations it started with. Starting in the 1960s...
The April 16th issue of the Dryden Courier leads with an article on the end of Village of Dryden police covering the Village of Freeville. Freeville had been paying $42,000 a year, but according to Dryden Mayor Reba Taylor, "Their...
It wasn't the official grand opening - that's ThursdayFriday - but the Dryden Community Center Cafe held a Grand Opening Gala tonight to thank its many volunteers and members this evening. Lots of people showed up for the party, which...
The Dryden Community Center Cafe is reaching reality. It's been open the past few weeks, and had a soft opening on leap day last month, but they're now ready for the big official "we're here!" moment, with food, drink, music,...
I'd been feeling a lot more optimistic about this race than the results suggest I should have been: CandidateVotes Charlie Becker (R)157 Don Norman (R)139 Mary Ellen Bossack (D)137 Fred Gentz (D)126 I'd like to stay hopeful, but the Democratic...
Mary Ellen Bossack and Fred Gentz At the Democratic caucus in January, I was delighted to see Village residents nominate a team of candidates with amazing strengths - and a delightful dose of modesty as well. Mary Ellen Bossack...
The polls are open at the Dryden Village Hall, 16 South Street, Dryden (map) from noon to 9:00pm today. Registered voters who live in the Village have a choice of four trustee candidates for two seats. The Ithaca Journal spoke...
Governor Spitzer announced his resignation; Lieutenant Governor David Paterson will be sworn in as Governor on Monday at noon. The Journal looks at the likely minimal local impact, and lets State Senator Jim Seward kick around the Upstate-Downstate theme that...
The Dryden Community Center Cafe is well on the way to becoming real. They had a "soft opening" last Friday, "leaping" into action. We were there at an off-time, stopping in at 6:00pm when the music started at 7:00pm, but...
Dryden Highway Superintendent Jack Bush is quoted in an article this morning about a shortage of road salt from Cargill's Lansing mine: With 1-3 inches of snow being predicted for today by the Cornell Northeast Regional Climate Center, Dryden highway...
Last night's Cortland Standard had an article on the challenges facing small-town downtowns, including the Village of Dryden. Village Mayor Reba Taylor gets the pull quote in the print version - "I think a thriving downtown is always a good...
As I noted earlier, it's a busy weekend for food in Dryden. Angelika and I started out with a trip to the Sertoma pancake breakfast at the Dryden Fire Station. Sertoma pancake breakfast. Then we went to the Dryden Community...
This weekend will be a busy one for supporters of the Dryden Community Center Cafe, according to Wendy Martin, its Director. On Saturday morning, Sertoma will be having its pancake breakfast, I believe at the Dryden Fire Hall, from 7:30am...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the latest from the Manos trial. Yesterday's testimony focused on Grace Manos' condition after the bathtub incident, and included testimony from the Varna Fire Company paramedics who treated her. There's also a report on...
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk reminds readers that the United States Military Academy Jazz Knights will be at the Dryden High School auditorium tonight, with a workshop for students at 6:00pm and a concert at 7:00pm. Wakeman also looks at...
This morning's Journal has a picture of the new TC3 Commons on the front of the Local section. (Update: Whoops - that was the athletic facility.) As Town Supervisor Mary Ann Sumner noted in comments here, the Town and Village...
It's hard for me to imagine that it's election season again, but village elections are in March, with caucuses to select candidates for the Village of Dryden this coming week: NOTICE OF CAUCUS There will be a caucus of the...
This week's Dryden Courier is overwhelmingly loaded with Dryden news. If you have a chance, I'd encourage you to buy a copy, since I can only get so much in here. (Rite Aid and the Mobil usually have it in...
The Cortland Standard reports that Village of Dryden and its police union agreed on a three-year contract....
Last night, the Village of Dryden lit its Christmas tree, with Santa arriving by fire truck. The Southworth Library, Methodist Church, and Dryden Community Cafe were all open to the large crowd. Santa descends into the crowd. Santa lands among...
The Dryden Community Cafe blog has a reminder that the Village of Dryden Christmas tree lighting will be this Friday, November 30th, at 6:00pm on the Village Green in Dryden, between the Methodist and Presbyterian churches on North Street. Santa...
(Thanks to Patrick Reynolds for this article - I was away on Saturday, visting my parents in Corning.) On Saturday, the Dryden Community Center Cafe hosted a chili cook-off for local organizations and a pie contest for individual chefs. With...
Saturday's Cortland Standard has a more detailed look at a strange problem with TC3 and the Cortland Road Sewer District: TC3 President Carl Haynes said Friday no one noticed the that the college's fifth dorm, completed during the summer, was...
Bake a pie! Make some chili! The Dryden Community Cafe is going to be having a pie contest and chili cook-off this Saturday, November 17th, from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. Pies have to be at the Community Cafe, 1 West Main...
I was a little concerned when I heard that the Dryden Community Cafe open house was Halloween night, at the same time as the costume contest and firetruck rides at the Neptune Hose Company. I needn't have worried - both...
The Dryden Community Cafe held another meeting last night, this time a business meeting. Business meetings tend to attract fewer people than "Hey, let's talk about this cool idea" meetings, but they still had around 35 people there. Business meeting...
The Dryden Courier seems to be arriving later and later every week. Thanks to the Labor Day holiday, I got my copy the day before tomorrow's issue comes out. There's a lot of good in the issue, though once again...
Following up on their energized meeting last week, the Dryden Community Cafe has launched a weblog. I'm sure there will be a lot more coming there....
This week's Dryden Courier just arrived. It reports on Dryden Schools Superintendent Mark Crawford's impending departure for his hometown of Hamburg, where he'll be taking the Superintendent's job.There's also an article on the Lower Creek Road curve that's been a...
Last night I saw more positive community energy at Dryden Village Hall than I've seen at any meeting in Dryden. I'm guessing around 80 people showed up to hear what might be coming and to share ideas for a possible...
I wrote about this earlier, but it seems a good idea to remind people that there will be a meeting tomorrow night about establishing a Village of Dryden Community Cafe in the former Charlie's Diner. The meeting will be at...
I came home last night to find my house without power, and apparently a lot of other people had similar problems with the weather. The night before last we'd watched a dead tree topple into our yard, so it's been...
Community center discussions in the Town of Dryden tend to polarize east-west. The west side has community centers, while the east side has schools and villages. On the east side, fire departments often provide space for community events, there's a...
Ever since the Town Board purchased a large chunk of land in the Village of Dryden for a new Town Hall, there have been rumors and occasional comments that it would be developed as parkland. Everyone loves recreation, but big...
by David Makar For Living in Dryden Tomorrow morning Dryden Dairy Day kicks off with a parade (9:30am) and then Dairy Day activities from 10am to 3pm. I'll be walking with the Dryden Democrats. Maybe I'll see you there? Check...
Christopher Ackley's dream of a skate park for Dryden was realized Saturday as the Town and Village of Dryden celebrated the opening of the Christopher Ackely Memorial Skateboard Park in Montgomery Park. There was a ceremony and skateboarding. The park...
People in Dryden frequently complain when you threaten to put a trail across their property. I was happy tonight to see that the Route 13/366 Corridor Study plan shows a new trail going across my lot, something I'd never have...
I'm a little surprised that the Journal doesn't mention yesterday's surprising Easter weather, except in an article from Atlanta. We went for a walk on the Jim Schug trail and found it covered in white snow, and there are still...
The Village of Dryden's "stance against livestock" seems to have found the support of the county legislature, which blocked an ag district designation in the Village while passing the rest. Ken Miller will still be able to harvest hay on...
The Project Dryden Child fundraiser event will be today from noon to 4:00pm at Neptune Hose Company, 26 North Street, Dryden (map). Sponsored by the Varna Community Association's New Moms Group, the event is raising money to help the little...
I seem to be getting the Dryden Courier later and later in its weekly cycle, and combining that with my being out of town Monday and Tuesday means that the issue I'm about to write about isn't the one in...
Yesterday's Cortland Standard has more on the perpetually delayed New York State Department of Transportation maintenance facility. Back in February 2004 the Village of Dryden annexed land on its northern edge to accomodate plans for the project, which needed to...
Today's Ithaca Journal is fairly quiet on Dryden, with only an article on the Village of Dryden's $400,000 housing rehabilitation grant. Hopefully that money will improve 15 to 17 properties in the village: Funds will go to residents who can...
This week's Dryden Courier has a picture of the snowless, and likely to stay snowless, Main Street in the Village of Dryden. The village may not be getting snow, but it's getting money through a Community Block Development Grant for...
This week's issue of Tompkins Weekly takes a look at the empty storefronts in the Village of Dryden. It's been almost a year since the stores at the four corners all seemed to empty out, and Anthony Hall reports that...
This past week's issue of The Shopper includes an ad from Thoma Development Consultants about a Community Development Block Grant that homeowners can use to rehabilitate their houses. "Priority will be given to those eligible applicants with the lowest income...
I've complained about the Ithaca Journal for a lot of reasons, but this is definitely the craziest thing they've done. Fortunately, they've contained the damage to their print edition, keeping the dangerous photos and text off their online edition. What...
The Village of Dryden tree-lighting will be tonight at 7:00pm, at the Village Green between the Methodist and Presbyterian churches near the intersection of Routes 13 and 38. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be coming in their usual fire truck....
A recent commenter wished that "we could draw good paying jobs into our town", and that wish seems likely to be fulfilled. This morning's Journal reports that Advanced Design Consulting is planning to move to 48 acres north of the...
Last week offered a Greater Ithaca Art Trail open house, and I knew there was one place on it that I'd wanted to see for a long time. I'd seen the work of Mary Ann and Terry Lutz in...
I haven't seen this in the paper, and it's not yet on their web site, but apparently Village of Dryden Trustee and Deputy Mayor Mark Strom has resigned. Mayor Reba Taylor has appointed Republican Randy Sterling, who came up short...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the New York Public Service Commission rejected NYSEG's proposals for electric delivery rates hikes and instead ordered a reduction and a rebate: The state Public Service Commission ruled unanimously that the Binghamton-based utility has...
On Monday, the Village of Dryden will be having a Memorial Day parade at 10:00am on Main Street, followed by a service at 11:00 at the Village Green (map)....
This morning's Ithaca Journal looks at the challenge of paving roads on a fixed budget when asphalt prices keep climbing: As major consumers of oil, which is used to create asphalt, highway departments have been heavily hit by increasing prices...
The Dryden Town Historical Society filled the second floor of Dryden Village Hall last night for its 25th annual meeting. After elections for trustees, Bob Watros introduced a new Historical Society publication, More than Names in Bronze, which looks at...
Writing about the Dryden schools' budget work this morning reminded me that I hadn't yet covered the Dryden Courier's March 22nd issue. It has an article on last week's discussion, which started by looking for a 7.5% spending increase budget....
If you live in the Village of Dryden or the Village of Freeville, you have an opportunity to vote tomorrow. Freeville's races are non-partisan and uncontested, while Dryden's are partisan and contested. Elections will be held at the Dryden Village...
As part of a three-day series highlighting Sunshine Week, the Ithaca Journal reports on how residents can participate in their local government meetings. It opens with one of the usual suspects who attend meetings: To Simon St. Laurent, being part...
I've been depressed enough driving past the empty storefronts on West Main Street, but apparently I'm not the only one who sees them as a sign that we need change around here. The Spitzer campaign's first commercial includes Charlie's Diner...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the Dryden and Freeville village elections. For Dryden, a contested race, the Journal talks with Democrats Mary Ellen Bossack and Jim Willer and Republicans Dan Wakeman and Randy Sterling. Incumbent Bossack and challenger Willer...
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk announces the Dryden High School production of Hello Dolly!, to be held tomorrow through Saturday at 7:00pm at Dryden High School. She also mentions the Photo History Day coming up this Saturday from 10:00am to...
I still haven't seen any news at all of Freeville's village elections, but ads about the Village of Dryden elections have been running in The Shopper for the past two weeks. A week ago, Democrats Mary Ellen Bossack and Jim...
I wrote about the empty storefronts in the Village of Dryden a couple of days ago, and tonight's Cortland Standard takes a deeper look. Ida Pease talks with store owners who've moved, and with the owner of Googer's Bakery, home...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that Janice Cortright, 70, was killed while crossing Route 13 at Livermore Road yesterday. I have enough trouble getting my newspaper and mail from across Route 366, and walking along 13 is even scarier. State...
This morning's Ithaca Journal is quiet about Dryden, but I haven't yet covered the January 25th Dryden Courier, which has lots of Dryden news. The lead story reports on the Village of Dryden tabling a resolution that would have imposed...
While I think the Town of Dryden as a whole is growing, both residentially and commercially, the four corners area of the Village of Dryden is looking pretty empty right now, after a few months of businesses moving. Empty storefronts...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Department of Transportation finally has its financing together for a 58,000 square-foot maintenance facility to be built on land the Village of Dryden annexed from the Town in 2004. $3 million of that...
This morning's Ithaca Journal was quiet on Dryden, but the current issue (January 4th) of the Dryden Courier has lots of news. Freeville United Methodist Church opened a food pantry again today after five years without Freeville having one. Distributions...
This morning's Ithaca Journal notes in Local Briefs that Village of Dryden Police Chief Margaret Ryan will be receiving the Michael Padula Award from the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission at a dinner on January 28th. The rest of the...
The Village of Dryden's Victorian Winter Festival ran from Friday at 3:00pm to yesterday at 4:00pm, with a wide variety of different events. I started out at the History House, then visited the Southworth Library and Googers, wandered down Main...
The Village of Dryden Victorian Winter Festival will be held today and tomorrow in the Village of Dryden. Here's a list of events for today: Main Street Open Houses 3:00pm - 7:00pm. Get 75% of your flyer stamped to win...
The November 23rd Dryden Courier has a story that hopefully won't be repeated: Village of Dryden Police responded to a 911 call on Lee Road, and no one answered. In making sure there wasn't a problem there, they caused $700...
I started to report on this week's Dryden Courier when I realized that I hadn't yet reported on the previous week's issue (November 16th), so thought I should do that first. The Courier led with an article on custodian Dave...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that complications involving wetlands at the proposed Town Hall site are likely to delay construction. The town has already worked around the largest wetland, but other patches in the property are causing problems. Environmental Planner...
This morning's Ithaca Journal has a lot from last night's Town Board meeting, with an article on Mike Lane's concession speech and another piece on possible development north of the Village of Dryden near TC3. One plan, proposed by Bill...
I missed covering last week's Dryden Courier, and there are only a few days left to get the current issue. I've chosen some especially unfortunate issues to cover late. If you want to get a feel for all the candidates...
I stopped by Neptune Hose Company tonight and was amazed by the number of explorers, Darth Vaders, princesses, pirates, and other unusual characters who had shown up for the costume judging. Gathering round for the costume judging. The event, sponsored...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the dedication of the Kenny Van Sickle Memorial Baseball Field on Saturday. The field, on Wall Street in the Village of Dryden, was a group effort: The village donated the land west of Brecht's...
This week's Dryden Courier leads with an article about Dave Perkins' fire truck collection, which at one point included 14 motorized trucks (now down to seven) and two buggies. There are pictures of the buggies on the cover and inside....
A. K. Fletcher, 97, the retired publisher of the Dryden Rural News (and a proud Democrat), came back to Dryden for a visit yesterday, gathering with friends at the Dryden Hotel for lunch. A. K. Fletcher talking with Elsie Gutchess....
I posted pictures of the Dairy Day parade yesterday, but I also took some pictures of the parade getting set up and of the festivities in Montgomery Park after the parade. Girl Scouts arriving to march in the Dairy Day...
I wasn't able to take pictures of this year's Dryden Dairy Parade, as I was in it with the Dryden Democrats, but Tracey took some pictures she was willing to let me share. Dryden Grange float, complete with calf. Stilt-walkers...
This week's Dryden Courier takes a look at Dryden Superintendent Mark Crawford's first year. A few of the key points are the formalizing of the HANDS program, creating an after-school program at Cassavant Elementary School, and the recent passage of...
It looks like there's another petition to annex property from the Town of Dryden to the Village of Dryden, this time along Route 392 at the eastern boundary of the Village. From the Ithaca Journal's legal notices: PLEASE TAKE NOTICE...
I stopped by the Dryden Hotel this afternoon, as it looked like it might be open, after a months closed for renovations after a flood caused by a frozen sprinkler system. They weren't open today, but they'll be open tomorrow....
An excellent article in this morning's Ithaca Journal about sewer systems (or their lack) around the county includes this bit of news I hadn't heard: The Claritas numbers indicate the towns of Enfield, Dryden, Caroline and Lansing are each expected...
My friend Jeff is a flight instructor whose house overlooks the Village of Dryden, with a clear view all the way to the airport. As a flight instructor, he gets to spend lots of time in the air, but not...
At the March Town Board meeting, Mike Hattery distributed a map with one possible scenario for annexing more property north of the Village of Dryden to the village. I've had a little trouble scanning it in so that it's readable...
Apparently the voting machines in the Village of Dryden race had problems early on, so inspectors collected paper ballots. In the new numbers, 240 people voted (20.5% of voters), and the results changed from the ones I reported the day...
Minutes are available for both the March 2nd hearing on the possible annexation of the Dryden Mutual Property to the Village of Dryden and the Town Board's regular meeting on March 10th, which I missed. The March 2nd minutes are...
This week's Dryden Courier has a must-read article on the March 11th auction of the Lakeview Golf Course, where it was purchased by its current owner, George Szlasa. It's definitely worth getting up now and going out to buy the...
Village elections held yesterday returned incumbents to their seats in both Dryden and Freeville. In Dryden, Mayor Reba Taylor and Village Trustees Bob Witty and Mark Strom were re-elected over new Village Trustee challenger Jerry Carbo, while in Freeville Tom...
I just got this past week's Dryden Courier, and should cover it while it's still available. It's also extra-appropriate today because it includes candidate questions and reponses for the Village of Dryden candidates. Polls will be open from noon to...
This morning's Journal reports that there are elections today in the Villages of Dryden and Freeville. Polls will be open from noon to 9:00pm at the the Dryden Village Hall (map) and the the Freeville Village Hall (map). Freeville's election...
County Legislator Mike Lane writes the Ithaca Journal today to endorse Jerry Carbo for Village Trustee in tomorrow's Village of Dryden elections: Jerry Carbo is running for one of the seats, and is well qualified. He has impressive experience in...
Thursday's hour-long information meeting on the land purchase for the new Town Hall brought over 25 attendees to find out what the town's plans were for the 47 acres the Town is purchasing behind the existing Town Hall for $100,000....
This week's Dryden Courier leads with an article on roadblocks to TC3's expansion. Governor Pataki's veto of funding for it last year has stalled it, but even with the money, there's another large problem: needed repairs for the Village of...
The Village of Dryden Trustees and the Town of Dryden Board held a joint public hearing on Wednesday night to discuss the possible annexation of a parcel of land owned by Dryden Mutual Insurance to the village. Mayor Reba Taylor...
This morning's Ithaca Journal is pretty quiet about Dryden-specific news, but absentee ballots for village elections are now available from the Tompkins County Board of Elections. Requests for mailed applications must be received by March 8th, though applications may be...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Town Board will be meeting tonight at 7:00pm in the Dryden Village Hall (map) for a public information session about the purchase of land for a new Town Hall and other possible...
I've been slack in covering the February Town Board meeting, and the minutes are now available if you want full details on what happened. Some key moments stand out in the meeting, so here are some highlights. I've bolded subjects...
This week's issue of the Dryden Courier includes a detailed story on the Village of Dryden's January Board meeting. There's some explanation of the continuation of the multiple unit housing moratorium extension and its future: Mayor Reba Taylor said Tompkins...
Jerry Carbo, running for Village of Dryden Trustee, has the first ad of the campaign season in this week's issue of The Shopper, and notes that the election will be March 15th from noon to 9:00pm. Looking forward to the...
There isn't any news or opinion about or from Dryden in the Ithaca Journal today, but their legal notices include this piece announcing the further extension of the Village of Dryden's moratorium on new multiple residence construction: ATTENTION VILLAGE OF...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on last night's public meeting to discuss the possible annexation of an area north of Dryden to the Village. Dryden Mutual Insurance has applied to be annexed to the Village, and there are large questions...
The survey in the 1968 General Plan for the Villages of Dryden and Freeville is stunning work, listing use for every parcel. I'll post Freeville this week, and here's the Village of Dryden for now. This graphic shows an inset...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Village of Dryden will have a contested race for Village Trustee on March 15th. Jerry Carbo will be running as a Democrat against incumbent Republicans Robert Witty and Mark Strom. Carbo, 32, makes...
This week's issue of The Shopper includes notices from both the Dryden Democratic Committee and the Dryden Republican Committee that they will be holding caucuses on Tuesday, January 25th to select candidates for Village of Dryden Mayor and Village of...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the Dryden Hotel, rebuilt after a 1995 fire, suffered significant damage when a sprinkler pipe froze and leaked. The sprinkler system's apparent evacuation called Dryden firefighters, who turned off the sprinkler system and evacuated...
This morning's Ithaca Journal catches up to the Victorian Christmas event the Village of Dryden held December 3rd, exploring how it and the wreaths along West Main Street came about. Cathy Wakeman celebrates a warm fire and a cup of...
Yesterday's Victorian Winter Festival in the Village of Dryden was a lot of fun, with all kinds of activity from 3:00pm on. Chestnut roasting, open houses at stores, exhibits at Dryden History House, caroling, wine tasting, story reading, and Santa's...
I've mentioned Friday's Victorian Winter Festival a few times (1 2 3), but as it's coming up soon, I think it's time to put together a schedule integrating everything I've seen. The earliest event I've seen advertised is a 10:00am...
This morning's Ithaca Journal is pretty well packed with news about and surrounding Dryden. Cathy Wakeman's Town Talk column looks at Eagle Scout Christopher Ackley's project, rebuilding the east entrance on the Dryden Veterans Memorial Home. Wakeman also offers a...
Tracey and I and some friends explored the Village of Dryden a bit, taking advantage of open houses at Wildflowers and Arnold's Flowers. We started at Googer's Coffee Shop, where I enjoyed a half moon cookie (my usual there) and...
This week's Dryden Courier leads with a Victorian Festival that businesses in the Village of Dryden will be sponsoring on Friday, December 3rd. Nineteen businesses have come together in the past three weeks to do this. Businesses will have open...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on last night's Village of Dryden Board of Trustees meeting. The Trustees discussed possible grants for housing rehabilitation, sorting out issues with the Town regarding the Cortland Road Sewer District, and Christmas decorations. (The decorations...
I seem to have read and enjoyed last week's Dryden Courier without reporting on its contents. The lead story is about people in the Village of Dryden riding lawnmowers on sidewalks for transportation and the problems it causes. The mowers...
It's Wednesday, so the Ithaca Journal's Our Towns section is focusing on Dryden and Groton. This week, there's lots of Dryden news. They lead the Our Towns section with an article on the 25th anniversary of Willowbrook, the senior-citizens' complex...
A new issue of the Dryden Courier will be out tomorrow, and I'm still catching up on last week's. (Unfortunately I missed the week before, but I'll track one down.) The lead stories are on the Dryden Central School District's...
This morning's Ithaca Journal examines the Village of Dryden's possible extension of its moratorium on multi-unit housing development. New York State has awarded the village a grant for executing a comprehensive plan, and the planning process is underway. I'll be...
It was a busy day for fundraising in the Village of Dryden this morning. At the Neptune Hose Company, Adam Pamel was working on his Eagle Scout project, Supplies for Success (51KB PDF), using a car wash to raise money...
This week's Our Towns section in the Ithaca Journal takes a look at the creation of the O.D. von Engeln Preserve in Malloryville, which hosts pitcher plants, carnivorous sundews, and native orchids. Its two miles of trails are attracting a...
I've been falling behind lately as work has been more and difficult, but fortunately the Dryden Courier is maintaining its weekly schedule. I just have to get around to reading it! This week's lead articles cover the retirement reception for...
I mentioned in an earlier story that the Town Board decided to focus discussion of a new Town Hall on the existing site. Since then, I've gotten some of the photos discussed at the meeting, of the existing site and...
This morning's parade had all kinds of floats, bands, and fun. Kids got lots of candy thrown from floats, and afterwards the crowd moved to Montgomery Park where tents offered ice cream, food, and all kinds of displays and games....
The Town Board is meeting tonight at 7pm at the Dryden Town Hall (map). The agenda is available. Highlights include two public hearings affecting the Route 13/366 overlap area, discussion of a new town hall, a report from Town Attorney...
The Dryden Veterans Memorial Home's Memorial Day parade will be held tomorrow, Saturday, May 29th at 10:30am in the Village of Dryden, with a memorial service at 11am in tribute to World War II veterans. Looks like a perfect day...
This week's issue of The Shopper includes an announcement for the Dryden Veterans Memorial Home's Memorial Day parade, to be held Saturday, May 29th at 10:30am in the Village of Dryden, with a memorial service at 11am in tribute to...
Unlike many of the buildings and businesses George Goodrich described in his 1897 Centennial History, Southworth Library still stands and is still a library serving the public. Southworth Library, around 1897....
[Note: I wrote this last week but held it for documents I'd requested from the Town under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Most of those are now enclosed, but there's one document here which the Town didn't have, and...
The period right before and during the Civil War seems to have been a good moment for the Village of Dryden, if not a great a time for the country in general. George Goodrich looked at development in the area...
The Town of Dryden Public Notices page announces that tomorrow night there will be a: Special joint board meeting with the Village of Dryden Board of Trustees to discuss matters pertaining to the Cortland Road Sewer District, and any other...
A lot of Thursday night's Town Board meeting was spent on infrastructure issues, ranging from sewer issues to cell phone towers to roads. The meeting included two public hearings on sewer districts, one affecting the area north of the Village...
The town has posted minutes for the joint meeting of the Dryden Town Board and the Village of Dryden Board of Trustees. Most of the minutes focus on the remarkable complexities of the Cortland Road Sewer District, north of the...
Once again I'm wishing that the Dryden Courier was available on the Web. This week's issue leads with detailed articles on the impact of budget difficulties on both the Dryden Central School District and the Village of Dryden, in greater...
Today's Ithaca Journal editorial praises Town Supervisor Steve Trumbull for improving relations with the fire companies and for the recent annexation of land to the Village for a DOT facility. There certainly does seem to be much less strife with...
Here's a biography of an early Dryden resident that's quite different from George Goodrich's earlier portrayals of John Southworth or George Robertson. It's also somewhat funny to note that Goodrich earlier cited the Lacy family for its regular fighting at...
Today's Ithaca Journal reports on the 11% percent increase in the tax levy proposed in the Village of Dryden, driven by a 7% increase in total spending and reflected in a 4.5% tax rate increase. Health insurance, retirement, legal, and...
The Journal reports that unofficially, 211 people voted in yesterday's Dryden village election and 21 voted in Freeville's uncontested races. In the Village of Dryden's only contested race, Republican Robert Witty defeated Democrat David Potter 132-76. In the uncontested races,...
Elections will be held in the Villages of Dryden and Freeville today from noon to 9pm. In the Village of Dryden, voting will be on the second floor of the Village Hall (map). In the Village of Freeville, voting will...
[This Thursday's Town Board meeting had enough to it that I'm going to publish a series of articles on what happened, focusing on specific topics, rather than try to cover it in one huge piece.] The Town Board resolved the...
There's an article examining the contested Village of Dryden race for a one-year term as trustee in today's Ithaca Journal, speaking with both Democrat David Potter and Republican Robert Witty. Witty, who was appointed to fill the seat when Michael...
Settling the division on the board over annexation of a parcel to the Village of Dryden, Supervisor Steve Trumbull voted for annexation. A lot happened at last night's Town Board meeting, and I'll be reporting it in detail over the...
Yesterday I looked at the populations of the Dryden portion of McLean and the hamlet area north of the Village of Dryden. The Draft Comprehensive Plan proposes an average density for these hamlet areas of eight units per acre, like...
The Draft Comprehensive Plan actually defines four hamlets within the town, though Etna and Varna are the two most frequently discussed. The other two hamlets are fragments, one being the Dryden side of McLean, which is largely in the Town...
I wish the Dryden Courier was more readily available. Its sister publication, the Ithaca Times, is widely available, both for free in the Ithaca area (extending out to at least the Route 13/366 overlap) and online, while the Dryden Courier...
I've been surprised by how little coverage village elections have had this year, though at least today's Ithaca Journal editorial mentions village elections. Even finding out who the candidates are has been a challenge, though yesterday's Shopper included a notice...
Today's legal notices state that the Village of Dryden unanimously passed the moratorium continuation at the public hearing held last week....
The Ithaca Journal reports on last night's joint meeting between the boards of the Town and Village of Dryden. The village provides services to about 5000 people in the town, including the Dryden High School complex and TC3, as well...
The Ithaca Journal reports that hundreds of firefighters from four counties paid their respects to Bret Neff, the Harford firefighter killed at a fire earlier this week, at the Perkins Funeral Home in Dryden. Firefighters marched through the village, led...
Today's Ithaca Journal legal notices include the following: ATTENTION VILLAGE OF DRYDEN RESIDENTS PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT_at it's regular Board meeting, held on February 19th, 2004, the Village of Dryden Board of Trustees approved the following: The expenditure of $6,800...
While the Town of Dryden Planning Board takes up revisions to the Draft Comprehensive Plan for hamlets tonight, the Ithaca Journal reports that the Village of Dryden will have a public hearing on maintaining their housing construction moratorium while discussing...
I'm not sure these anecdotes are as funny as George Goodrich seems to think they are, but I suspect that humor's changed a bit since 1898. The "swear your fill" one does makes me smile....
This week's Shopper contains Notices of Caucuses for Village of Dryden Democrats and Republicans, as both parties will be meeting to select candidates for the two 2-year and one 1-year positions for village trustees. The actual election will be in...
After visiting the weather station at Game Farm Road yesterday, I decided to go take some pictures of the weather station just north of Freeville, next to Cornell's Homer Thompson Vegetable Research Farm. The first picture shows the weather station;...
Just in time for the holiday, the three men apprehended after a robbery in Dryden were indicted....
At last night's discussion of land annexation by the Village from the Town of Dryden, adding water services to the parcel seemed to be the main reason people supported it - beyond the underlying purpose of putting a state DOT...
The last of the informational meetings on the Draft Comprehensive Plan will be held tonight from 7 to 9 PM at the Dryden Town Hall, 65 E. Main Street (map). I'll be at this one, finally!...
Cathy Wakeman reports in her Dryden Town Talk that Googer's Bakery and Coffee Shoppe will be opening today at 22 West Main Street. I've enjoyed the food at Googer's Cakes and Things on Route 13 very much, and I look...
A business dispute seems to have driven last week's robbery of the Song Tao restaurant in Dryden. It seems very strange - demand $150,000, take $500, end up in jail facing felony charges....
While looking through the Cornell Plantations Path Guide, I noticed the Cayuga Trails Club's 1971 Cayuga Trail map in the back. Though it clearly wasn't the focus on the map, two small labels stood out: "Ellis Hollow Rd. NY 393"...
It seems to be a busy time for police in the Village of Dryden. After yesterday's robbery, whose suspects are facing a hearing Monday, there's now a cocaine seizure and related arrests....
The Ithaca Journal reports this morning that police captured three Texas residents at a seat-belt check in Cortland shortly after a robbery at the Song Tao restaurant in the Village of Dryden. No one appears to have been injured, but...
The Ithaca Journal legal notices contain an announcement that: the Town Board of the Town of Dryden and the Village Board of the Village of Dryden will hold a joint public hearing on the petition of Konstantinos Katsiroumbas for annexation...
I stopped by the Dryden Historical Society today. They're at 36 West Main Street in the Village of Dryden, and they're open from 10-2 on Saturdays or by appointment. It's in a very nice building, one which was apparently moved...