Spotlight

Meghan Lawton graduated from Homer High School in 2003 and SUNY Cortland in 2007 and has found her way back to Cortland County. She recently took the Cortland County Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director position after Jim Dempsey retired after 25 years of service. Last week we turned over our Instagram account to Meghan and experienced Cortland through her eyes.   For someone…

Hollenbeck's Cider Mill celebrates its 86th cider season this fall. A trip to see the cider press, or to enjoy a freshly made donut is a fall must do in Cortland County.

Cheerful in Cortland County Ashley Pearson of Cheerful & Creative Art Studio took over the Experience Cortland Instagram and showed us her unique perspective on Cortland County. Ashley owns and operates Cheerful & Creative Art Studio in Historic Downtown Cortland since July 2017. She has lived in Cortland her whole life receiving her undergraduate degree in Art from SUNY Cortland and…

Trinity Valley Dairy is Udderly Exciting Trinity Valley Dairy Farm is a fourth-generation family farm in the beautiful East Homer valley. We got to explore it all from cows to their 2-mile long corn maze! Make a trip to Trinity Valley Dairy Farm a must do on your fall adventure in Cortland County.

Sinfully Sweet Café Chocolate truffles, chocolate covered bacon, chocolate, chocolate CHOCOLATE! We visited owner and chocolatier Stacey of Sinfully Sweet Café in the Village of Homer to learn more about her inspiration for the sweet stuff. Why not check it our yourself! Sinfully Sweet Café is located at 17 S. Main St. Homer, NY. HUNGRY FOR is a series giving an inside look at some of the local…

Trinity Valley Corn Maze There’s a massive corn maze growing out in Truxton, NY in Cortland County. Trinity Valley Dairy Farm has created a 2-mile-long corn maze adventure that is sure to get the entire family excited for the fall harvest season. Located on the farm, this maze takes you through twists and turns as you venture among the corn stalks. From above, your journey is in the design of a…

Marlo's Marvelous Adventure We turned over our @experiencecortland Instagram account over to Marlo Colletto from TC3 to give us her unique perspective on how she experiences Cortland County. See her posts below! Marlo Colletto, Tompkins Cortland Community College ? Hello from a hill overlooking Dryden! I'm Marlo Colletto with @tompkinscortland and I'll be taking over#experiencecortland this…

Cortland County Convention & Visitors Bureau Hires Former Cortland Resident as Next Executive Director   The Cortland County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, the official Tourism Promotion Agency for Cortland County, is pleased to announce that Meghan N. Lawton has been selected as the new Executive Director of the organization. “We had several candidates for retiring Executive…

We took an airplane over Cortland County for the Cortland Airfest. The Cortland County Airfest at Gen. Levi Chase Field draws hundreds of people to see planes up close from small charter planes to a Black Hawk helicopter courtesy of the US Army's 10th Mountain Division in Watertown, NY. You can also take an airplane or helicopter ride. We took to the skies in one of these airplanes for some of the…

2 weeks, 360 hours, 40 actors, 10 technicians, 1 show... Since 1972, Cortland Repertory Theatre has produced high-quality theatre in Cortland County. For two weeks, we took an inside peek at the hard work that goes into producing just one of these shows. Produced by: Max H Productions - https://www.maxhproductions.net/ Check out the rest of the summer season & see special ticket deals...

Seedstock Festival Celebrates its 10th Anniversary Seedstock Music Festival is celebrating its tenth year! We were curious about the work that goes into building its custom stage. Here's a timelapse!

Blueberry Picking at Hall's Hill Blueberry Farm With over 4,000 plants and different varieties of blueberries, Hall's Hill Blueberry Farm is a local favorite to pick your own! Located just a short drive from downtown Cortland, Hall’s Hill Blueberry Farm has 4,000 blueberry plants and several different varieties of blueberries. The drive is easy and well marked with blueberry signs as you climb…

From Church Services to Concert Shows How a community transformed a historic church into a multi-faceted performing arts venue better known as the Center for the Arts of Homer. On any given day, walking into the historic old church building in Homer, New York you’ll hear violins, a rock band, and dancing feet. You find a crowd of people enjoying the art gallery or you watch a crew setting up for…

Farm Fresh Food at Main Street Farms Main Street Farms has been around for eight years, but they are still seen as beginning farmers. The USDA recognizes a beginning farmer as someone who has been in business less than 10 consecutive years. While Main Street Farms is still technically in its infancy as a farm, they have established a great presence and focus on building community through food.…

How to Get the Most Out of Your Next Trip to the Farmers' Market By Gabrielle DiDomenico Project Coordinator, Seven Valleys Health Coalition It's that time of year when we celebrate the return of the sun and warmer temperatures--but that isn't the only reason to get excited by the arrival of spring and the coming of summer. Our local farmers' market season is upon us and that calls for a…

5 Reasons Not to Miss the New Exhibitions at the CNY Living History Center this Summer. The Flying Ace. Levi Chase was an American fighter pilot and double flying ace during World War II. This exhibition, curated and built by his grandson, Bill Chase, will share some incredible stories related to the 512 combat missions that Chase flew during three different wars. A Japanese Soldier’s WWII…

Making Whiskey with Dragonfyre Distillery “Watch for Low-Flying Dragons” “Watch for Low-Flying Dragons” is just one of the signs you’ll encounter at Dragonfyre Distillery. Nestled in the rolling hills between Marathon and Willet, Dragonfyre Distillery is a family owned distillery by Vince and Donna Pedini. Dragonfyre takes great pride in using local grains for the whiskeys and moonshine.…

Frosted Bakery is a delicious must stop for locals and non-locals alike. Serving up delectable baked goods, Frosted is family owned and run by third generated bakers (who remembers Lou’s Donut Shop?). Frosted Bakery has grown from a home kitchen to their shop in Historic Downtown Cortland. Check out Experience Cortland's latest video as we learn more. HUNGRY FOR is a series giving an inside…

You know Coffee Mania for…well.. the coffee! But do you know about their baked goods? From creative cupcakes to the scones (the scones!) and the delicious focaccia bread, we visited to learn more! We sat down with Bakery Manager Kate Smith and learned more about the bakery from her favorite thing to make, where she gets her inspiration from and more! See our latest Experience Cortland video as…

Nestled in the Historic Village of Homer is the Three Lil' Birds Cakery. Owner and founder Debby Starinsky grew up with a family of bakers and uses inspiration from her art background to create eloquent and elaborate cakes. The name for her cakery was inspired by her three children. From cakes, french macaroons, loaves of bread, eclairs, and baked (never fried!) donuts, Three Lil' Birds is a…