Ithaca’s top 10: Get treated to Wizarding Weekend, Halloween on the Commons and more – Ithaca Journal
Several spooktacular events in the coming days will get in you in the mood for Halloween. Plus, two weekend concerts will spotlight African-American spiritual music. Find out more in our roundup of 10 great events happening in the Ithaca area this week:
1. Wizarding Weekend returns to downtown Ithaca
A fan-driven and community celebration of all things magic and fantasy, Wizarding Weekend will return to downtown Ithaca this weekend. Running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, the street festival will offer a variety of themed activities, including a fan art show, costume and cosplay contest, food and craft vendors, live entertainment, the GorgeKeep School of Magic, and much more. Admission to the festival is free, but donations are welcome. Magical Passports, which offer access to exclusive activities and merchandise, are available for $30. See the website for a full schedule of events, including the Mystic Arts Ball held at 9 p.m. Saturday at Liquid State Brewing. (wizardingweekend.com)
2. Celebrate Halloween on the Commons
On Friday, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance will host its annual “Halloween in Downtown” event, featuring trick-or-treating inside shops, ghoulish games, activities and snacks to follow inside Center Ithaca. Festivities will run 4 to 6 p.m.; participating shops and restaurants offering candy to trick-or-treaters will have a sign in their store window or in the doorway. (downtownithaca.com)
3. The Cherry to host ‘Listen to Her’ mini-festival
The Cherry Artists Collective will present “Listen to Her: A Mini-Festival,” featuring three shows presented in repertory over two weekends at the Cherry Artspace. “Asylum,” written and performed by Cherry Collective Member Elizabeth Mozer, is based on stunning true events connected to the deserted Binghamton psychiatric hospital known as “The Castle.” “The Belle of Amherst” is a beloved classic about the iconic, reclusive poet Emily Dickinson performed by Ithaca College acting professor Kathleen Mulligan and directed by Norm Johnson. The English-language and U.S. premiere of “The Saint” brings the work of beloved Argentine playwright Santiago Loza back to the Cherry stage, starring Jennifer Herzog under the direction of Amina Omari. Performances run Oct. 24 to Nov. 3. (thecherry.org)
4. ‘Aunt Mae’ premieres at the Kitchen Theatre
Fitz&Startz Productions’ new musical “Aunt Mae Comes to Town” will debut at the Kitchen Theatre. With book and lyrics by Rachel Lampert and music by John Coyne, the show tells the story of Aunt Mae’s monthly trips to visit her grandniece Martha, always bringing her huge photo album stuffed with years of experiences and all the stories to go with them. The cast features Natasha Bratkovski, Mike Cyr, Benno Ressa, Mwape Sokoni, Eric Brooks and Rachel Lampert (Aunt Mae), with direction by Lesley Lisa Greene and music direction by Travis Knapp. Performances are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for kids under 14. (fitzandstartzproductions.org)
5. Circus Culture to present spooktacular circus show at Hangar Theatre
Circus Culture, Ithaca’s very own circus school, will present “Trick or Treat,” a full-length circus production made by young artists and designed for audiences of all ages. Performances are at 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday at the Hangar Theatre. The show features 25 young people who have created their own acts on a myriad of disciplines ranging from juggling to aerial fabric and everything in between. Tickets are $12 for youths, $17 for adults, and all proceeds go toward the school’s scholarship fund. (circusculture.org)
6. Fisk Jubilee Singers come to Cornell
Cornell University’s Atkinson Forum in American Studies will present the legendary Fisk Jubilee Singers in a free public performance at 8 p.m. Saturday in Statler Auditorium.
Comprising vocal artists and students at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, the group continues the tradition of singing the Negro spiritual to audiences everywhere, sharing this rich culture globally while preserving this unique music. No tickets are required for the show. (americanstudies.cornell.edu)
7. Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers to present concert of spirituals
The Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers (DCJS) will present an afternoon of African-American spirituals at 3 p.m. Sunday in Ithaca High School’s Kulp Auditorium. The Ithaca-based group, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to preserving the spirituals’ themes of sorrow, despair and hope to promote racial healing and social justice; and to furthering civil-rights leader (and longtime Ithaca resident) Dorothy Cotton’s message of freedom and hope through music. The concert is free with a suggested donation. (dorothycottonjubileesingers.com)
8. Draw-a-thon Café returns to Trumansburg Conservatory
The Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts will host its annual Draw-a-thon Café from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The international event is for anyone who loves to draw, as well as those who think they can’t. This year’s offerings include rotating still lifes, scientific illustration, a self-portrait station, library salon, kid’s activities and costumed models from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., as well as drinks and light snacks. Drawing materials are supplied, and all skill levels are welcome. Free to attend, but donations are welcome. (tburgconservatory.org)
9. Get lost in space at ‘Museum in the Dark’
The Museum of the Earth will stay open late Tuesday for “Museum in the Dark,” co-hosted by Cornell’s Astronomy Graduate Network. From 6 to 8 p.m., look at space in a spooky way, as astronomy students will have stations throughout the museum dedicated to space exploration. Come dressed in costume and get candy treats. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and college students, $6 for kids ages 4 to 17, and free for kids 3 and younger. (priweb.org)
10. Silent-film classic ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ to screen at Cornell
Cornell Cinema and the Department of Music will celebrate Halloween with a free screening of the chilling 1923 silent film classic “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Newly restored from the remaining film elements, the film stars the horror icon of silent film, Lon Chaney, as Quasimodo, looking as if he had just stepped out from the original illustrations of Victor Hugo’s novel. This special screening takes place at Cornell’s Sage Chapel, with a musical score performed live by Dennis James on the chapel’s organ. (cinema.cornell.edu)
Published 10:00 PM EDT Oct 22, 2019
