Author: Bill DeLapp

The late rock’n’roll legend (and Syracuse University alum) Lou Reed will be celebrated with a Lifetime Achievement Award during this year’s Syracuse Area Music Awards (Sammys). The announcement was made during the Feb. 5 press conference held at Eastwood’s Palace Theatre, as light music from Mark Nanni and Monk Rowe (who was named music educator of the year at the 2018 ceremony) provided a smooth earful amid the bijou’s lobby filled with local musicians and fans.  Accepting the award for Reed (1942–2013) will be his widow, avant-garde composer and film director Laurie Anderson. Other inductees to the Sammys Hall of…

Looking to save on savory dishes this winter? Restaurant Week has come to the Turning Stone Casino, and with it a medley of savings and meal deals.

Daily thru March 13 Clinton Square Ice Rink. Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri. & school vacations 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Blade runners can enjoy the downtown fun at Clinton Square, corner of West Genesee and South Clinton streets. $3/adults, $2/seniors and children under 12, $3/skate rental. (315) 423-0129. Jan. 19-20 Salt City Winter Antiques Show. Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Warm up with antiquities during the annual show at the Center of Progress Building, New York State Fairgrounds, 581 State Fair Blvd. $7/adults, $8/weekend pass, free/ages 16 and under. (315)…

WSEN’s The Dinosaur, at FM frequencies 94.1, 95.3 and 103.9, will mark five years with a fundraising bash on Sunday, Jan. 13.

David Feldman Veteran Syracuse New Times scribe David Feldman died Nov. 26 in suburban Philadelphia at age 79. His career with the paper began in 1972 and continued with interruptions for 30 years. The principal theater critic from 1972 to 1987, and a frequent contributor after that, Feldman was also a car buff who looked upon coverage of Watkins Glen as one of his best perks here. Known for his wit, authority and also for savage treatment of what he considered mediocre, he was feared but highly regarded. Syracuse Stage founder Arthur Storch once greeted him in a curtain speech: “Hope you’re going to have a good time tonight, David.” Salt City Center for the…

The Christmas season is a time for touring acts to bring their yuletide shows to Central New York, with everyone from Donny and Marie Osmond to Jim Brickman on the concert slate. Yet for those who want to add some local flavors to their musical schedule, the History of Syracuse Rock’n’Roll music series will host its annual holiday shindig on Sunday, Dec. 2, 5 to 8 p.m., at the Holiday Inn, 441 Electronics Parkway, Liverpool. Series producer Ron Wray again partners with morning-drive radio host Nick Caplan from The Dinosaur 95.3 FM for the event, which differs from the series’…

Through Dec. 24 Art Mart. Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Original paintings, pottery, photographs, jewelry and textiles by local crafters for sale at 499 S. Warren St. Free. (315) 308-1772, artmart-Syracuse.com. Through Jan. 6 Gingerbread Gallery. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Friday, Nov. 23, 5-9 p.m.; Dec. 24 & 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; closed Dec. 25 & Jan. 1). The 33rd annual show features more than 30 original gingerbread creations. Erie Canal Museum, 318 Erie Blvd. E. $7/adults, $5/seniors, $2/children. (315) 471-0593, eriecanalmuseum.org/gingerbread. Lights on the Lake. Daily, 5-10 p.m. The 29th annual drive-through yuletide lights spectacular at Onondaga Lake Park, 6790…

Another cinematic smorgasbord of features and short subjects will be on display during the 15th annual Syracuse International Film Festival. Everything from new works by budding student filmmakers to classic cinema from the silent era will be presented, along with guest appearances by noteworthy industry movers and shakers. It’s no wonder that fest co-founder Owen Shapiro once admitted that mounting the event “was like orchestrating 10 different weddings over a single weekend.” This year’s fest, running Wednesday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 14, will take place at the Redhouse at City Center, 400 S. Salina St.; Shemin Auditorium, located in…

In interviews John Russo comes across as a friendly professorial type who is enjoying life as a senior citizen. But for many moviegoers he is also the architect of their nightmares: Russo co-wrote, with director George Romero, 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, the low-budget, black-and-white terror classic about carnivorous ghouls in search of human flesh. Russo, 79, will participate in the Living Dead Film Festival at Eastwood’s Palace Theatre, 2384 James St., on Saturday, Sept. 15. Night of the Living Dead, presented in a 4K digital restoration, kicks off the movie marathon at noon, followed by 35mm screenings of…

If you’re a longtime Central New Yorker, then you know longtime meteorologist Wayne Mahar. The former Maine resident came to WSTM-Channel 3 in January 1985 when weatherguy and ventriloquist Dennis Bowman left the market, and he’s been a local TV fixture ever since. Mahar also runs his Precision Weather Service business, with weather forecasts for clients that have included radio stations, school districts, ski resorts and even the Academy Awards, although he has been unable to predict any Oscar winners. And for one day every summer, Mahar is the host of Wayne’s Canine Carnival, one of the country’s largest animal…

As part of our annual Arts Issue, we’re looking at the winter and 2019 season for everything artsy in and around Syracuse. Want to know who’ll be jamming out around Central New York this winter? Take a look: Syracuse Downtown Syracuse venues gear up early for the fall music season, with David Byrne’s Sept. 12 performance at the Landmark Theatre. The Talking Head will be followed by Gaither Vocal Band (Sept. 15) and Bob Weir and Wolf Bros (Nov. 8). A few blocks over, the Onondaga County War Memorial Arena presents Thomas Rhett (Sept. 21), while the nearby Pirro Convention Center will…

The 2018 New York State Fair’s music venues kicked into high gear last week with Chevy Court performances from favorites including Blondie, LIVE, rapper Ludacris (who attracted an overflow crowd to witness his hour-long set) and newbie Ravyn Lenae. The new location at the Chevrolet Music Festival Experience Stage, on the fair’s west end, also saw lots of action. Power-pop act All Time Low’s show featured cannon blasts of confetti, while adolescents in the crowd were flinging brassieres onto the stage. Oh, to be young again.

The folks at the New York State Fair really want you to attend the 2018 New York State Fair. To entice true-blue fair fans, the state even offered 200 lifetime-pass coins (featured on this week’s cover) for $200 last May, and they sold out within minutes. That successful gambit was part of several new ideas that have been presented over recent months leading up to 2018’s 13-day fair run, from Wednesday, Aug. 22, through Monday, Sept. 3. See: “Workers ready for opening day of the 2018 NY State Fair (photos)” This year’s main attraction, however, is inescapable and overpowering with its sheer physical size. Looming like the Monolith in…

Debonair thespian Ronald Colman takes the center spotlight during this weekend’s 16th annual Capitolfest at Rome’s Capitol Theatre, 220 W. Dominick St. The fest will present 16 features and 11 short subjects, many presented in archival 35mm prints, from Friday, Aug. 10, through Sunday, Aug. 12. This year’s summertime salute to cinema’s rarest films from the silent and early sound eras will be more than just a five-flick Colman love fest, however. There will also be mini-salutes to women filmmakers’ pioneering efforts, the Marx Brothers’ initial filmdom forays during the 1920s, and director William Wyler’s early career. Wyler’s daughter, Melanie,…

Time flies when you’re having some swingin’ fun, so it’s hard to believe that the Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival will notch its 10th year this weekend. The musical anchor to the annual downtown Arts Week will take place Friday, July 27, and Saturday, July 28, at Clinton Square. Performers will include saxophonist and vocalist Marcus Anderson, who notched nine years with Prince and the New Power Generation; Toronto vocalist Barbra Lica; smooth sax (and hometown fave) Jackiem Joyner; and talented locals such as Root Shock and Madame Zz & Her Gentlemen. Sen. John A. DeFrancisco noted during the press…