Author: Michael Davis

The annual Pride Parade and Festival lured a huge crowd to the Inner Harbor on Saturday, June 22. The event was a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, as well as a sunny opportunity for festivalgoers to showcase vibrantly colored, flamboyant fashion statements. tbcredit.ru

The Onondaga chapter of ABATE, a motorcycle rights organization, held its 36th annual event May 5 at St. Daniel’s Church in Lyncourt, as scores of cycles and their easy riders filled the parking lot for a blessing by Monsignor Eugene Yennock.

Downtown’s PressRoom Pub was the location for fun, frivolity and flashbacks as Syracuse New Times staffers past and present convened April 17 for a celebration of the paper’s 50th anniversary issue. The cast included arts writer Carl Mellor and longtime New Times writer Frank Malfitano; Shirley Zimmer alongside publishers Art Zimmer and Bill Brod; director of operations Deana Vigliotti and editorial director Veronica Westfall; the circulation team of C.J. Johnson, Tom Tartaro and Mark Angiolillo; Sara Minix with senior graphic designer Greg Minix; and editor-in-chief Bill DeLapp with long-ago production manager Lorraine Harper, who initiated the Syracuse New Times’ annual…

Temperatures were in the low 40s as the brand-new Syracuse Mets, featuring star player Tim Tebow took the field at NBT Bank Stadium during Opening Day festivities on April 4. So more than 8,000 bundled up accordingly, with some sporting a Mets trapper cap that was handed out to the first 2,000 fans. The Rumble Pony mascot from Binghamton dropped by, while Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon (top left) threw an opening-pitch fireball and one of the oldest fans (he’s 104 years young!) of the former Syracuse Chiefs also got into the action. Related: Let’s Go Mets: 9 things to…

A parade of pooches was on display during the annual Salt City Cluster Spring Dog Show, held March 28 through 30 at the New York State Fair’s Exposition Center. The pups showed off their agility, obedience and more.

Basketball continued over the weekend at the Carrier Dome, as Syracuse University’s women’s basketball team played the first and second regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament. All went well on Saturday, March 23, as the Orange defeated Fordham, 70-49, with Tiana Mangakahia, Kiara Lewis and Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi on the floor. But the postseason ended Monday, March 25, as the squad coached by Quentin Hillsman lost to the South Dakota Jackrabbits, 75-64.

Despite the cold snap that tamped down the usual crowds, many onlookers still lined up South Salina Street’s sidewalks to see former Sheriff Kevin Walsh trying to keep his lid on during the windy day and co-grand marshals Joanie and Bernie Mahoney, while others proudly displayed their Syracuse New Times 50th-anniversary pins.

Hundreds of Central New York musicians and music supporters flocked to the city’s Eastwood neighborhood Palace Theatre on March 8 for the 2019 Syracuse Area Music Awards ceremony. The gala-like event was studded with live performances, thank-you speeches and more as the most iconic contributors to the arts scene were honored and praised.

The Syracuse University men’s basketball squad looked impressive in the first half of the March 4 contest against No. 2 Virginia, with all signs pointing to an upset. Then came a boatload of 3-pointers (18 out of 25, to be exact) from the visiting team coached by Tony Bennett that quickly led to the Orange’s loss, 79-53. Among those in attendance was SU women’s basketball junior point guard Tiana Mangakahia with coach Quentin Hillsman; the junior from Australia is the first player in SU history to achieve a triple-double of points, rebounds and assists.

The Syracuse University men’s basketball team notched an impressive 69–49 victory against No. 18–ranked Louisville on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at the Carrier Dome, with plenty of excitement building for the upcoming Saturday, Feb. 23, Dome rematch with No. 1 Duke. 

It was a weekend of mushing for the Tug Hill Challenge, held Feb. 16 and 17 at Winona State Forest in Mannsville. Hosted by the Pennsylvania Sled Dog Club, the sanctioned event featured various breeds going the distance (an eight-dog sled traveled 6.4 miles) in competitions. And the frigid weather was obviously no problem for these frisky veterans, although onlookers surely had to bundle up.

Winter Fair 2019 was the first of its kind of the Expo Center, as event coordinators brought festive flair to wintertime in Syracuse over the weekend.