Author: Kira Maddox

The Syracuse New Times began its second annual Ultimate Date Night contest in the Jan. 24 issue to see which local couples could get the most “likes” on social media. The event would send two lucky pairs out for a romantic, luxurious night on the town, with more than 15 local business sponsors donating dinners and prizes. A first-place winner quickly emerged: Ashlee Burgess and Nick Barbano, of Oneida. The pair’s inspiring story of strength after losing triplet sons in April 2017 resonated with Facebook users, and the young couple ended the competition with more than 600 votes. The activity-filled…

Anything goes during the seventh annual Blowout Fantasy Hairshow

The old Dietz lantern factory, 225 Wilkinson St. on Syracuse’s West Side, received a facelift last year. What was once a crumbling brick shadow of the manufacturing age has become a luxury, mixed-use building, with more than 90 loft apartments and more than 50,000 square feet of commercial space. One business taking advantage of the refurbished factory is O Yoga, located on the first floor. Owner Tiffany Cagwin closed her yoga practice in Rockwest Center, 1005 W. Fayette St., to reopen at Dietz. “It’s like a little neighborhood,” she said about her relocation to the new space. The front of…

Sahm Brewing, open at 203 S. Salina St. in downtown Syracuse, is “all about the beer,” mixing production brewing with a homebrew feel.

A crowd formed in the parking lot of Laci’s Tapas Bar on Syracuse’s North Side Saturday morning, Jan. 20. The group began as only a handful of women, but soon it swelled  to more than 300 as the time of the rally drew closer. The crowd was a mix of backgrounds and life experiences. Ages ranged from toddler to Vietnam War veterans. Some were native-born U.S. citizens, while others were immigrants. Decked out in iconic pink “pussy hats,” holding signs and chanting in unison, they all had a single goal: solidarity. “What does a feminist look like?” Roseanne Olszewski, a…

Renee McLain said she felt like she had been destined to open a wellness center for most of her life. She suffered from juvenile arthritis and thyroid cancer, and credits nontraditional medicine for her recovery. In 2015 when she was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a disease that caused inflamed tissue to grow on her lungs and heart, she was faced with heart surgery. “I just kept thinking, ‘I want to live, I want to live, I want to live,’” she recalled. “I heard that voice in my head say, ‘Well, then do what you came here to do.’” McLain had been…

Matija Popovic isn’t new to the bar scene: He worked as a bouncer and doorman while in college to make extra money. But Orbis Lounge, his new bar in downtown’s Hanover Square, is his first foray into business ownership. Popovic admitted he was impulsive when he decided to open the bar. But after previous tenant World Lounge and Martini Bar closed last summer, he said opening a new place in the same location just made sense. Customers familiar with World will see homages to the original sprinkled throughout Orbis. World map motifs dot the inside of the bar, on throw…

Climbing enthusiasts may have a new mecca at downtown’s Franklin Square. Central Rock Gym, featuring more than 16,000 square feet of climbing space, is the largest climbing facility north of New York City. Unlike some gyms where a rock wall is considered a bonus, it’s the main attraction at Central Rock. The gym walls are covered with colored grips. On the first floor is a bouldering island and wall, with spaces about 10- to 16-feet high where climbers move about freely without a rope. There are 25-foot walls for top-rope climbing, where people work in pairs — one as the…

Magic returns to the Onondaga County War Memorial Arena, 800 S. State St., when ice skaters take to the rink to dazzle crowds with Disney on Ice: Dream Big. The production runs Thursday, Jan. 4, and Friday, Jan. 5, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 6, 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 7, noon and 4 p.m. Tickets run from $15 to $50. Visit ticketmaster.com for information. The show follows eight princesses from the Disney animated movie features — Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Snow White and Tiana — jumping, lifting and twirling their way to adventure, as…

A new store in Armory Square sells menswear and a new way to think about clothing. It’s called “conscientious consumerism,” said Clifford Carey, owner of American Reserve Clothing Co., 208 Walton St. The idea is to be more aware of the greater impacts of buying habits and where our products come from. For instance, think about buying a shirt that was made locally by a small business vs. purchasing one that was made internationally and possibly under unsafe working conditions. “There are items in our store where I can tell you where the cotton was picked from and where the…

Martita Richardson lives near Camillus with her three children. She has run Nestico’s Too restaurant out of the Rite Aid Plaza along West Genesee Street for about 10 years. As both a local resident and business owner, Richardson felt the western suburb was lacking a hangout space. If you wanted to meet a friend, you usually planned to rendezvous at Wegmans. “I wanted to open a place where you can meet up with your friends or bring a date,” Richardson said, thus sparking her idea to start a coffee shop. After a year of planning, Richardson opened Rise & Grind…

The Tin Woodman’s Flask is open for business.

The Redhouse Arts Center has sat on the edge of downtown Syracuse for more than a decade, along South West Street between bustling Armory Square and the West Side. The venue opened in 2004, debuting with David Auburn’s drama Proof, performed in a theater with fewer than 90 seats. The Redhouse will close its doors following its performances of the musical I Do! I Do! this weekend. The theater is getting a new, larger home on South Salina Street, with a March 8 opening slated for On Golden Pond. “We need to grow because we need a larger house to…

“Come hang out” was the mantra for The Stoop when it originally opened in Armory Square back in 1994. The bar, located 24 steps above Trio Italian restaurant and Slices Pizza at 311 W. Fayette St., had a cult following because of its laid-back atmosphere and speakeasy feel, according to owner Eric Alderman. After more than a decade of business, Alderman shuttered all his Fayette Street businesses, when he couldn’t devote enough time to them while juggling his full-time job as a lawyer. The Stoop would remain closed as Alderman pondered its future. “What I really wanted to do was…

In a world full of superheroes, where does the average police officer fit? And what happens when one of these cops stumbles upon a conspiracy big enough to shake an entire city? Enter Officer Pigsley. These are the questions co-directors Kevin Losani and Michael Widger set out to answer in Officer Pigsley, which is ready for its close-up Tuesday, Dec. 19, at Eastwood’s Palace Theatre. The film “speaks to the true heroism that’s not about the fame and glory,” said Widger, who around 2007 won Syracuse Area Music Awards (Sammys) in his rapper guise DooWiTTle. The producers call their action comedy…