December 14, City of Cortland Tree Lighting Ceremony
6 pm, City Hall, 25 Court St. Join in the festivities as the city lights its holiday tree. Santa will be arriving in a fire engine, and hot cocoa and cookies will be available at the fire station, next door to City Hall. A Toys for Tots collection bin will be available for donations of new unwrapped toys for underprivileged children. For more information call the Mayor's office at (607) 758-8374.
December 8-18, City of Cortland Holiday Lighting Contest
5 - 9 pm, all wards in the City of Cortland. Lighting displays will be judged by ward, the week of December 8-14. Top 3 lighting displays will be put forth to the lighting committee at large, and then from 5-9 pm on December 15-18, the top 8 displays (one from each ward) will be judged by the entire panel of judges. Voting by the panel to take place Thursday December 19 in the evening. Results and prizes to follow. For more information call Linda and Richard at 607-753-9441 or e-mail cortlandcommunitygroup@yahoo.com.
December 12, Studio Snowfall Celebration
6-8 pm, Beard Gallery, 9 Main St. Refreshments and live music by Steve Romer. Purchase 6x6 miniature art works. $5, purchase tickets at cortlandarts.com, at The Picture House, 85 Homer Ave., and at the door. For more information call (607) 753-1188, e-mail staff@cortlandarts.com, or visit cortlandarts.com.
December 12, The Ithaca Brass Heralds in the Holiday Season
7 pm, Grace and Holy Spirit Church, 13 Court Street. The group will present a varied program ranging from seasonal numbers to arrangements for brass quintet of music by Martini, Strauss, Wolf, Bernstein, and Gershwin. Following the concert, audience members and the artists will converse at an informal reception. No charge, donations accepted. For more information call 607-753-3073.
December 13-14, Living Nativity Drive Thru
4-7 pm, Corner of Rt. 281 & Lauder St. Drive through and experience a live dramatization of the birth of Christ, explained by costumed interpreters - sponsored by many area churches. Costumed Characters, Live Animals, Free Food, Carolers, Gingerbread Village, Avenue of Christmas Trees, Live Music. Activities both inside and outdoors, all free. For more information call 607-756-7716, e-mail manager@bbc-cortland.org or visit our Facebook page.
December 14, A Christmas Seasoning
4:30 pm, 25 Church Street. The musicians and cooks of the United Presbyterian Church provide a spirited and spiritual celebration of the Christmas season with appetizers, dinner, dessert, and a full menu of musical delights. Open to the public, fully accessible, freewill offering. For more information call 607-756-5689, e-mail pifry48@frontier.com or visit unitedpresbyterian.net.
December 14, Holiday Hoopla
7-11 pm, Cortland YWCA, 14 Clayton Ave. Enjoy some holiday shopping or a night out while your kids enjoy swimming, games, snacks and supervised fun at the YWCA. This event is open to kids ages 5 and up. The cost is $10 per child, and $8 for additional siblings. Treat yourself to a night out! For more information, call the YWCA at (607) 753-9651 or visit www.cortlandywca.org.
December 14, “It’s A Wonderful Life” – The Radio Play
8 pm, Center for the Arts, 72 S. Main St., Homer. This American holiday standard is performed by Scarlet Rat in a radio-play format which will recreate the original environment of a radio studio of the 1930s with live music and vocals; live sound effects, old-time radio commercials, and even "On the Air" and "Applause" signs. This is a delightful night for the entire family and has become a Holiday tradition at the Center for the Arts. WXHC 101.5 FM in Homer rebroadcasts this performance on Christmas Day at 5 pm. You can listen to it on your radio or streaming live at www.wxhc.com. General Admission $20; Senior $15; Student $10; Under 18 Free. For more information call (607) 749-4900, e-mail info@center4art.org, or visit center4art.org.
December 15, Park's Alumni House Holiday Open House
1-4 pm, 29 Tompkins Street. Come and tour this Victorian mansion decked for the holidays. Enjoy holiday treats, hot chocolate and entertainment by one of our three fireplaces. Free event. For more information call 607-376-6227, e-mail richard.coyne@cortland.edu or visit us on Facebook.
December 16 - January 4, LEGO Creations Contest
The Cortland Free Library hosts this fun contest for youth ages 5-18, who are encouraged to design their own lego creations using legos at home to be displayed in Youth Services. Creations can be dropped off from December 16–20 from 3:30 pm until close. All creations will be on display from December 21 through January 4. The public is encouraged to vote on their favorite creation. Prizes will be given for different age groups. For more information call (607) 753-1042 or visit cortlandfreelibrary.org.
December 16, Symphoria Holiday Concert
7:30 pm, Cortland High School Auditorium. Celebrate the holidays with conductor Sean O'Loughlin and vocalist Nick Ziobro. This performance features old favorites and new selections that are sure to put you in the holiday mood. Tickets $5-$25. Kids under 18 are FREE! Tickets available at Frosted in Cortland and Origins in Homer, by calling the Box Office at 315-299-5598, or online at www.ExperienceSymphoria.org. For more information call 315-299-5598, e-mail info@experiencesymphoria.org or visit www.ExperienceSymphoria.org.
Lime Hollow Tree Sale
Monday-Friday 10-7 pm, Saturday 9-5 pm and Sunday 11-5 pm, at the Visitor Center of Lime Hollow Center for the Environment and Culture, McLean Rd. All sales support the center! For more information call (607) 662-4632, e-mail info@limehollow.org or visit limehollow.org.
through January 4, A Dollhouse Holiday
Weekends only, 1-5 pm, 25 Homer Ave. Cortland County Historical Society brings back a fondly remembered tradition from our past with a Dollhouse Holiday! View dollhouses of all kinds both from our collection and from the community and be amazed at these magical miniatures. Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-12 and free for children under the age of 6. For more information or to lend a dollhouse to be included in this very special exhibit, please contact us at 756-6071 or e-mail info@CortlandHistory.com. Visit us online at cortlandhistory.com.
Energy Challenge Program
The Challenge welcomes neighborhood groups, businesses, and community organizations to form teams to take action to reduce energy waste. Mayor Tobin has issued his own challenge to Mayor Gillen of Oswego to see which community can garner the most participants; the losing Mayor has agreed to make the trip to the opposing city and pick up the tab for dinner! May the best city win!
For the Energy Challenge, the greater Cortland community is encouraged to form teams of 5-8 households who work together through a 5-unit curriculum over a period of 6 weeks to learn about energy use and take energy saving actions within the home. The typical household in Central New York wastes about 30 percent of its energy consumption. The Challenge Team program is designed to reduce that energy waste. Participants’ energy consumption will be tracked over a period of months to determine how effective the overall program is for reducing energy consumption.
Single Family Acquisition/ Rehab Program
The City of Cortland will be submitting an application seeking funds to assist in the purchase and rehabilitation of single-family homes in the City sometime in the fall of 2013. If funds are awarded, the City will use them to establish a program for income-eligible, first-time homebuyers interested in buying a single-family home in the City. The City cannot apply for the funds unless they can show adequate interest. Persons who complete a pre-application assist the City in gathering information needed to justify the grant request, and will receive priority in the application process if funds are awarded. If the City receives funds, eligible pre-applicants will be provided detailed program guidelines and undergo a formal intake process. See details.
