Author: Courtney Kless

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Courtney Kless is the Editor in Chief of Family Times. Courtney is originally from Maryland. She earned her Master’s degree in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from Syracuse University. Courtney began her career as a sports journalist, then spent several years working in higher education, before joining the company in August 2019. She enjoys traveling, reading and hiking, and recently adopted a Labrador Retriever, Bailey.

Are you looking for ways to keep your child learning while school isn’t in session? Karen Notte, the early literacy coordinator at the Fairmount Community Library, shares her picks for summer reading. Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi In this novel inspired by Hindu Mythology, Aru must save her mother and classmates from an ancient demon. Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals Through rhymes and letters, children learn what ingredients can (and can’t) be composted. Grandma’s Gardens by Chelsea Clinton and Hillary Clinton Chelsea and Hillary Clinton share…

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1. Attend a festival, fair or other special event. From the Syracuse Polish Festival (June 17-19) to Pirates Weekend (July 14-17) to the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival (July 29-31), there is no shortage of family-friendly events in Central New York during the summer months. And, of course, you can’t forget the New York State Fair, which will be held from August 24-Sept. 5. 2. Catch a baseball game. Nothing says summer quite like the crack of a baseball bat or the smell of popcorn and hotdogs filling the air. The Syracuse Mets’ season runs through September (the team completed…

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Father’s Day is June 19. Are you still searching for the perfect gift? These local (and non-local) products are great for any holiday or birthday. For the dad who likes food and cooking Locally-made hot sauce (SYRACHAC’USE) or infused salt (Syracuse Salt Company) BBQ accessories or cookbook Cutting board from Cazenovia Cut Block Eat Local New York card or gift certificate for his favorite restaurant For the dad who likes sports Tickets for a Mets or Crunch game Gift certificate for a local golf course Gear for his favorite pro or college team (Scholars & Champs has a lot of…

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Central New York is an area that is rich in history. One place that history can be seen firsthand is Oswego’s H. Lee White Maritime Museum. The museum, which opened in June of 1982, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. It was started by Rosemary Nesbitt, a former theatre professor at SUNY Oswego and city historian. “There was a group in town that really was trying to protect, preserve and highlight the history of the area,” said Mercedes Niess, executive director of the museum. “They had collected maritime artifacts, and said, ‘Ok, where are we going to put this stuff?’ So,…

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Sam Rao Florist Sam Rao Florist has been at its original location for more than seven decades. For Mother’s Day, customers can choose from a variety of floral arrangements – current owner Richard Bunce said they are usually his most popular item for the holiday. But that’s not all you can find in the shop. “We also have an extensive line of giftware, artificial arrangements and artificial wreaths. We do everything seasonal,” said Bunce. “A lot of times, when people hear ‘flower shop,’ they think it’s just fresh flowers, but we offer quite a bit more.” Location: 104 Myron Road,…

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Now that the weather is (finally) warming, are you ready to start planting your garden? Read on for some ways to ensure that it is a success this year. Choosing the Right Plants When searching for plants for your garden (or house), the first thing you should consider is the amount of light in the area. “Sunlight is important whether you’re doing a container garden or a garden in the ground, or even if you’re doing houseplants,” said Dawn Coffin, assistant greenhouse manager at Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market and Garden Center. “It’s very important to be aware of how much…

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Are you looking for somewhere to celebrate Mother’s Day? Are you in desperate need of a night out? No matter the occasion, Phoebe’s Restaurant & Coffee Lounge will leave you feeling satisfied. The restaurant, then called Phoebe’s Garden Café, first opened in 1976 at the intersection of East Genesee Street and Irving Avenue. It would expand a few times in the years that followed, adding the atrium dining room (1980) and coffee lounge (2004), and changing its name to Phoebe’s Restaurant & Coffee Lounge. Today, Phoebe’s offers lunch (Monday-Friday) and dinner (Tuesday-Saturday). The restaurant’s menus feature a variety of soups,…

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Hiking is one of my favorite ways to spend my spare time – and I am always looking for new parks and nature preserves to explore. That recently led me to Baltimore Woods. Located in Marcellus, the preserve is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “It was always set aside to be an educational space,” said Whitney Lash-Marshall, executive director of Baltimore Woods Nature Center. “That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to come to a program led by one of our staff members, but it’s meant to be a place where you experience nature firsthand and build your own personal…

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April is Financial Literacy Month, and what better time to teach your child – or teen – about saving and spending money? “The financial services world is complex; it uses a lot of terms that are not readily available or well-known by people,” said Thom Dellwo, a financial education coordinator at Cooperative Federal Credit Union in Syracuse. “The more ways you can give them realistic but safe versions of the real world and money management, the more likely they are to be successful and to not get taken advantage of.” Read on for some ways that parents can do exactly…

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Are you looking for a way to treat yourself – and to learn something new? A visit to Syracuse’s Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology will accomplish both. Then called the Discovery Center of Science, the MOST opened to the public on Nov. 15, 1981 (the museum celebrated its 40th anniversary in November). “It actually opened as just a small little storefront museum on Clinton Street not too far from where we are now, and it came about because parents and families and community leaders were really looking for something like a science museum,” said Lauren Kochian, president…

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