County Chamber Of Commerce Announces Annual Award Winners
Image via the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce.CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY — The Chautauqua Center is one of several area businesses to receive annual honors from the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce.The county winners will be honored in a special presentation to be streamed on-line at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8.The winners include the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Persons of the Year Award, which will be presented to The Small Business Revolution Committee and the Business Selected for Season 5.The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Award will go to The Chautauqua Center. The Community Service Award Recipients from each Community Chamber of Commerce are as follows:Dunkirk Community Chamber – Roberto Fred FarmFredonia Community Chamber – Michele JoyHanover Community Chamber – Elizabeth ValvoJamestown Community Chamber – Russ and June DiethrickMayville-Chautauqua Community Chamber – Burl SwansonWestfield-Barcelona Community Chamber – James A. “Shaggy” RuchThe event will open with a virtual social hour at 5:30 p.m., and the awards presentations will begin at 6 pm. The keynote speaker for the evening will be Amanda Brinkman, co-host and founder of The Small Business Revolution.This is a free event. Those choosing to donate to the Chamber when registering for the event will be entered into a drawing for a Stay & Play package from Peek’n Peak Resort valued at $475.To register, or for more information, go to ChautauquaChamber.org. Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
A Raisin in the Sun received a Presidential visit and made its presence felt at the box office this week, with the Denzel Washington headlined drama one of the top five grossing shows on Broadway, joining perennial favorites Wicked, The Lion King, Kinky Boots and The Book of Mormon. It’s been yet another great week for the Mormon team, with the production once again securing the top spot by capacity on the Great White Way and also dominating the main musical categories at London’s Olivier Awards. This can only mean even more international productions for the hit musical: Hello, world! UNDERDOGS (By Capacity) 5. After Midnight (67.18%) 4. Once (62.95%) 3. The Bridges of Madison County (54.27%) 2. Mothers and Sons (53.18%) 1. The Velocity of Autumn (50.63%) * *Number based on 8 preview performances **Number based on 7 preview performances ***Number based on 2 preview performances FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross) 1. Wicked ($1,930,362) 2. The Lion King ($1,914,937) 3. The Book of Mormon ($1,586,091) 4. Kinky Boots ($1,422,291) 5. A Raisin in the Sun ($1,182,511) FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity) 1. The Book of Mormon (102.63%) 2. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (100.59%) ** =4. The Lion King (100.01%) =4. Aladdin (100.01%) 5. A Raisin in the Sun (100.00%) UNDERDOGS (By Gross) 5. Violet ($258,167) * 4. Mothers and Sons ($238,128) 3. Casa Valentina ($192,074) * 2. The Cripple of Inishmaan ($155,234) *** 1. The Velocity of Autumn ($100,056) * Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending April 13: View Comments
Tony nomination day is the best and worst day of the year. We’re thrilled for all the stars who received nominations, but how dare the nominators flat out ignore some of our favorite performances, plays and musicals of the year? From The Bridges of Madison County being snubbed to Daniel Radcliffe getting left out of the Best Actor in a Play category, we know you’re pissed. Which snub is the most upsetting? Cast your vote below! (Have this year’s nominations left you on the floor in a puddle of angry tears? Your favorites have still got a chance to win big at the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards—nominate them here!) View Comments
A drama about learning to start a new life by facing the one you left behind. The world premiere of Jeff Augustin’s Little Children Dream of God will launch the eighth season of Roundabout Underground. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, the play will begin previews off-Broadway on January 22, 2015, and run through April 5. Opening night is set for February 17 at the Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. The cast and creative team will be announced shortly. On a balmy night in Miami, a soon-to-be mother, Sula, floats ashore on a car tire. Having braved a perilous journey to escape her native Haiti, Sula is determined to forge a better life in America for her unborn son. She soon finds safety in an apartment building that shelters refugees in need, joining a diverse community of immigrants, each with their own unique dreams and dilemmas. But even though the life she has hoped for seems within reach, Sula knows she can’t outrun her demons forever. View Comments
Augustin is Roundabout’s Playwright-in-Residence. His credits include Cry Old Kingdom, The Last Tiger in Haiti and The Imaginary Life of Millo St. Jean. He is a recipient of the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award.
Boardwalk Empire alum Ben Rosenfield and Sound of Music Live!’s Sophia Anne Caruso will take on the roles of Woodnut and Iris, respectively, in the New York premiere of The Nether. Written by Jennifer Haley and directed by Anne Kaufman, the show will star the previously announced Merritt Wever, Frank Wood and Peter Friedman. The MCC production will play at off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre from February 4 through March 15. Opening night is set for February 24. Rosenfield launched his career in the leading role opposite Carey Mulligan in the off-Broadway play Through A Glass Darkly and featured in the final two seasons of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. His other screen credits include Greetings from Tim Buckley, A Most Violent Year, Song One, Affluenza, Louder Than Words and Jamesy Boy. Caruso has appeared off-Broadway in Ruthless, the Musical. She played Brigitta Von Trapp in The Sound of Music Live!; other screen credits include Jack of the Red Hearts, Smash and Celebrity Ghost Stories. The Nether follows a young detective who investigates an online network where those who plug in are coaxed into acting out their darkest fantasies with seemingly no consequences in the real world. Across the pond, the drama ran at London’s Royal Court Theatre and will transfer to the West End later this year. View Comments The Nether Related Shows Show Closed This production ended its run on March 29, 2015
Groundhog Day has already picked up a Best Musical win before its Broadway bow! The Andy Karl-led musical received the U.K. Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical following its world premiere at London’s Old Vic. With music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, a book by Danny Rubin and Matthew Warchus at the helm, the musical is set to begin performances on the Great White Way on March 16. Opening night is scheduled for April 17 at the August Wilson Theatre.In addition, the Broadway-bound Harry Potter and the Cursed Child garnered three awards, including Best Director (John Tiffany), Best Designer (Christine Jones) and Most Promising Newcomer (Anthony Boyle). No word yet as to whether Boyle, who plays Scorpius Malfoy in the play, will reprise his role on the Great White Way.Other winners included Annie Baker’s The Flick at London’s National Theatre for Best New Play, Tony winner Stephen Dillane’s performance in Faith Healer at Donmar Warehouse for Best Actor, Billie Piper’s performance in Yerma at London’s Young Vic for Best Actress, Glenda Jackson’s performance in the Old Vic’s King Lear for Best Shakespearean Performance and Charlene James for Most Promising Playwright. View Comments Andy Karl in ‘Groundhog Day’ at London’s Old Vic(Photo: Manuel Harlan)
When those inspiring athletes claim their Paralympic Games victories, they willcelebrate under the watchful eyes of 70 Georgia 4-H’ers who volunteered to help withthe Games.”4-H is the only youth organization recruited to work atany event,” saidJennie Jordan, 4-H and youth specialist with the University of Georgia Extension Service”That alone shows a lot of what people believe about4-H,” Jordan said. “After all, 4-H is an international organization, just likethe Paralympics.”The Paralympic Games is the second largest sporting event in the world. It’s secondonly to the Olympics.Disabled athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in 17 events in and aroundAtlanta Aug. 19-23.”This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for our 4-H’ers because the Paralympicsalways follow the Olympics at the same site,” Jordan said.Georgia 4-H’>ershave been learning about the Games since 4-H Council, a statewide event last June at theRock Eagle 4-H Center.The event was dedicated to the Paralympic Games. Competing athletes made speeches. Andthey simulated events that helped 4-H’ers see the skill and will of these world-class athletes, Jordan said.”These athletes are so inspiring,” she said. “Wethink it’s importantfor the 4-H’ers tobe a part of these events. They can see and meet people who have never let adversity slowthem down.”The 4-H’ers willwork at three venues: the equestrian events at the International Horse Park in Conyers,basketball in the Omni in Atlanta and shooting sports at Wolf Creek.They will be ushers, ticket-takers, cleanup crew, escorts and concession stand workers.They will be housed at Camp Fulton, a 4-H camp in Atlanta.Jordan will accept applications from 4-H’ers through April 1. The cost for meals, rides, rooms and other expenses is$75.Adult volunteers are also needed. Get applications from the county Extension office.”This is one of the most inspirational events our 4-H’ers will ever see,” Jordan said. “We’re also a little bit selfish. Wewant to show off to the world the incredible kids we have in the Georgia 4-H program.”
Vision problems may be a sign of advancing years. But your eyesight need not dim as thecandles on your birthday cake get brighter. Sometimes it’s just a matter of taste.The American Foundation for the Blind says almost everyone over 65 suffers some degreeof vision loss.”But a healthy diet that tastes good can help preserve your eyesight,” saysGail Hanula. She’sa nutrition and health specialist with the University of Georgia Extension Service.You know you need to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes. But why?The vitamin A value of carrots has long been known, Hanula says. The first sign ofvitamin A deficiency can be night blindness, the inability to see in dim light or adapt todarkness.”Our food supply in the United States is rich in vitamin A,” she says.”You can find it in animal foods, such as liver and milk fat. Dark yellow and leafygreen vegetables contain betacarotene. The body can convert this to vitamin A. And manyfoods, such as nonfat dairy products, are fortified with vitamin A.”The most common U.S. causes of blindness are cataracts and macular degeneration, Hanulasays. About 18 percent of 65- to 74-year-olds and 46 percent of those over 75 havecataracts.Macular degeneration, the breakdown of a tiny part of the eye vital to keen vision,affects about 25 percent of Americans over 65.”Scientists are studying the role of antioxidants in the diet, including vitaminC, vitamin E and carotenoids,” Hanula says. “Oxidative damage from the sun canlead to both of these conditions.”Vitamin C seems to reduce cataract risk the most. Vitamin E may also play a role.”A large clinical study reported that multivitamin supplements decreased onecommon type of cataract by 35 percent in those 65-74 years old,” Hanula says.”But vitamin supplements cannot replace all of the substances found in food.”Betacarotene is only one of many carotenoids found in food. Two others — lutein andzeaxanthin — are known to lower the risk of macular degeneration.”In one study,” Hanula says, “those with the highest carotenoid intakehad 43 percent lower risk for macular degeneration. Those with the highest intake oflutein and zeaxanthin had 57 percent less risk.”Collard, turnip and mustard greens are rich in these two carotenoids, she says.Eating your fruits and vegetables can offer a big payback. Studies have shown up to afivefold decrease in cataract risk for people who eat three and a half servings a day offruits and vegetables.”But only one in three American adults, and one in five children, actually eatthis many servings,” Hanula says.In the 1994 Nationwide Survey of What and Where Our Children Eat, seven of 10 childrenunder age 5 ate some fruit or fruit juice on any one day. But eating fruit declines aschildren get older. And fewer than 16 percent reported eating the nutrient-packed darkgreen or deep yellow vegetables.”Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables — at least five servings a day,”Hanula says. “It’sthe best way to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs for good health,including good vision.”To learn more about good nutrition, call your county Extension Service agent.
When one of Patton Smith’s patients ate a poisonous mushroom,the Monroe County doctor faced a dilemma: How could he treat the patient when he wasn’t sure what kind of mushroom he ate?”I have limited knowledge of mushroom biology, but itlooked like a death cap mushroom which is extremely toxic,”Smith said. “And his symptoms were very similar to that ofsomeone who has eaten a death cap mushroom.”To make matters worse, Smith’s patient didn’t speak English.The Malaysian man ate a mushroom he picked outdoors and becameill hours later.Never Eat Wild Mushrooms”It may be common practice to eat wild mushrooms in hiscountry, but it’s not here,” Smith said. “I was veryconcerned over how I was going to tell this man that his livermay begin to fail and he may even lose his liver.”Smith’s primary objective was to identify the mushroom so hecould quickly begin treatment. He first called the Georgia Forestry Commission, but was unable to get the answers he needed.”Then someone in my office said, ‘Call the Extension Service. I bet they’ll know.'” Smith said.The doctor called Monroe County Extension Agent John Pope, rushed to the hospital to take digital photos of the mushroom.Minutes later, Pope was back at his desk, downloading digitalimages into his computer. He e-mailed the images to Ed Brown, a University of Georgia plant pathologist in Athens. Brown viewed the images, but was unable to identify it because the sample didn’t include the stem.Viewing a Piece Wasn’t EnoughTo correctly identify it, Brown needed a picture of an intactmushroom and a microscopic image of the mushroom’s spores.”Dr. Brown needed a microscopic image of the mushroomin order to determine which of two toxic mushrooms it was,”Pope said. “Apparently two kinds are almost identical, but one is green-pigmented and one is white. Trouble is, you have to have a microscope to tell.”Pope headed back to the hospital to retrieve a better mushroomsample. In the meantime, one of the patient’s friends returnedto the site and picked an intact mushroom.To get the microscopic image, Pope traveled to the Extensionoffice in neighboring Jones County. “I knew Frank Sears, the Extension agent in Jones County, had a compound microscope in his office,” he said.Soon the new images were being transfered to Athens for identification. Once Brown had the new images, he consulted with UGA mycologist Charles Mims, and they identified the mushroom as Chlorophylum molybdites. The mushroom is highly toxic, but not as dangerous as the death cap mushroom.A Relieved Doctor and Patient”Thiswas my first mushroom case, so I was really relieved when Johncalled back,” Smith said. Earlier, Smith had thought he may needto transfer his patient to another hospital. “If it had beenthe death cap mushroom, he would have gotten sick much quickerthan he did. And, once John called me, he was beginning to showimprovement.”The digital cameras, county agents and UGA scientists thatsolved this problem are all part of UGA’s Distance Diagnosticsthrough Digital Imaging system. The system is now in 99 Georgia counties and is responsible for rapid diagnoses ofa number of agricultural and medical problems across the state.”The initial goal of this system was to improve the turnaround time in diagnosis to help farmers,” said Brown, one of the developers of the system. “This reducesthe amount of damage caused by a disease or a pest.”To use the system, farmers bring samples to their county ExtensionService agent, who sends a digital image of the sample to the appropriate UGA scientist for diagnosis. The problems rangefrom insects to diseases.”The added benefit of this system is that we can identifyproblems other than just agricultural ones,” Brown said.”I have identified mushrooms for years as part of my Extensionassignment. I don’t do it for medical reasons. I do it to helpcommercial growers.”Not The First TimeOver the past 30 years, however, Brown has identified mushroomsfor medical reasons for Athens-area hospitals.”I either go to a local hospital or someone brings ina sample,” Brown said. “I’m not able to go to hospitals200 miles away, but with the Distance Diagnostics system, I can provide the same help without leavingmy office.”Since the project began in 1997, distance diagnostics has helped in several medical incidents involving poisonous plants and animals. And in the first two years alone, the system saved Georgians more than $17.7 million through its primary purpose: fast agriculturalproblem diagnoses.
By Sharon DowdyUniversity of GeorgiaIn September, a series of one-day gardening workshops on how to grow, use and display annuals, perennials, herbs and medicinal plants and much more will be offered at the University of Georgia campus in Griffin, Ga.Participants will get hands-on instructions about container gardens, seed and vegetative propagation, hobby greenhouses, healing gardens, aromatherapy, said Bob Westerfield, a horticulturist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.The first workshop will be Sept. 12. It will focus on fabulous containers and include ways to create a mobile garden, an outdoor floral arrangement or a living sculpture using annual, perennial, succulent, tropical, herb, vegetable and other plants.The second workshop will be Sept. 19 and focus on herbs. From herbs like thyme and sage to medicinal plants like echinacea, goldenseal and St. John’s wort, this class will explore the history, biology, chemistry and uses of commonly found herbs. CAES experts will show how to grow, harvest, preserve and blend herbs to make flavorings, teas, salves and oils.The final workshop will be Sept. 26 and focus on plant propagation and hobby greenhouses. The class will cover basic plant propagation to methods and techniques in rooting perennials and woody plants. Participants will propagate ornamentals that are Georgia Gold Medal winners. They’ll learn about greenhouse structures, irrigation, temperature control and lighting, too.Registration for each individual workshop is $105 and must be received by Sept. 5. A discounted fee of $290 will cover all three workshops. For more information, call (770) 228-7220.