The first Salt City Club boat went out Saturday evening, off Dutchman's Landing and up the Seneca, everybody aboard a reader. Two more go out this week, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30, and both still have room.
The Scottish Games hit their 83rd year at Long Branch Park on Saturday, the Mets are home all week, and Shakespeare in the Park opens Friday in Thornden, free. Out in Cazenovia, the village starts deciding tonight how to spend $10 million from the state, 3 years after it lost its college.
Salt City Club out on the Seneca River with Syracuse Boat Tours
Here's what's on our radar:
TL;DR:
The Lineup: Our next two boats go out Wednesday and Friday, and the CNY Scottish Games hit 83 years on Saturday.
Live Music: Lake Street Dive at Beak & Skiff on Wednesday, Fetty Wap at the Landmark on Friday, and two free outdoor shows at Middle Ages.
The Tab: Hangry Chicken, halal Nashville hot chicken on Thompson Road. Get the 3 Tender Combo.
The Spotlight: Omar Alsafadi slept in a portapotty to get in front of a rapper, and he's now building Aria, a music platform with 13,000 users.
The Build: The last 2.3 miles of Loop the Lake, and it's the hardest stretch on the whole trail.
The Block: Cazenovia, where there's a plan to turn the closed college campus into apartments and offices.
The Scoreboard: The Mets are home for 6 straight, with fireworks 4 of those nights.
THE LINEUP
Events this week — what's on, where, and how to get in.
Featured Event
Salt City Club × Syracuse Boat Tours: Cocktail & Mocktail Cruise — Wednesday, August 5 and Friday, August 7 · 5:30 to 7 PM · Dutchman's Landing, Baldwinsville $41.04 a ticket after taxes and fees · 21+
90 minutes on the Seneca River, and the whole boat is Salt City Club readers. Full bar aboard for cocktails, beer, wine and mocktails, and the first round is on us.
The first boat went out Saturday and we had a blast. Thanks to everyone who came out, it means a lot. Both of these still have room.
These are founding member events. If you come to one, you get first access to whatever we roll out next.
Our first Salt City Club event was a blast! Thanks to all who joined us.
This Week
Tuesday, August 4
National Night Out — Long Branch Park, 3813 Long Branch Rd, Liverpool, 5 to 8 PM. Free. K-9 demos, vehicle displays, face painting and food trucks with the Sheriff's Office. Details
Open Mic Night and Karaoke at the Makerspace — Central Library, 447 S Salina St, 5 to 7 PM. Free, ages 12 and up, registration required. Register
Thursday, August 6
315 Thursdays — Hanover Square, 5 to 9 PM. Free. DJ Joey D at 5, Ashley Cox with an Alanis Morissette tribute set at 6, and Fleetwood Mac tribute The Seven Wonders 7:30 to 9. Details
Friday, August 7
Taco & Margarita Festival — Syracuse Inner Harbor, 328 W Kirkpatrick St, 4 to 10 PM Friday and noon to 10 PM Saturday. Tacos, margaritas, live music and fireworks, benefiting La Casita Cultural Center. Details
Brew at the Zoo — Rosamond Gifford Zoo, 1 Conservation Pl, 5:30 to 8 PM. 21+, $55 ($53.50 members). The zoo closes to the public at 1 PM that day to set up. Tickets
Shakespeare-in-the-Park: The Taming of the Shrew — Thornden Park Amphitheater, 5:30 PM Friday and Saturday, 2 PM Sunday. Free, with premium seats $28.03 and donation tickets $12.43. It runs again August 14 to 16. Tickets and details
Saturday, August 8
CNY Scottish Games & Celtic Festival — Long Branch Park, Liverpool, 9 AM to 8 PM. $18 adults, $15 seniors 60+ and veterans, $13 kids 6 to 12, free under 6. The 83rd annual: pipe bands, heavy athletics, Highland dance and clan tents across 11 hours. Tickets and details
Towpath Day — Camillus Erie Canal Park, 5750 Devoe Rd, 11 AM to 4 PM. Built around America's 250th this year, with food vendors, kids' activities, fire trucks and raffles along the canal. Details
Recycled paper making — Green Lakes State Park, 2 to 3 PM. Free with $10 park admission, drop-in at the Rolling Hills Campground playground. Details
1UP Wrestling: Solvay Slam '26 — Woods Road Park, Solvay, first bell 3:05 PM. Free. The local promotion brings in former WWE wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr., part of Solvay-Geddes Field Days. Seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair. Details
Sunday, August 9
Civil Air Patrol pancake breakfast — the EAA hangar at Oswego County Airport, 2326 County Route 176, Fulton, 7:30 to 11 AM, rain or shine. $12 adults, $10 veterans and seniors 65+, $7 ages 5 to 11, free under 5. Details
City Market Sunday — Everson Community Plaza, 401 Harrison St, 11 AM to 4 PM. Free. Vintage vendors, local makers, food trucks and music, with the Everson pay-what-you-wish during it. Details
Monday, August 10
Four years of Central Current — Harvey's Garden, 1200 E Water St, 4 PM. The nonprofit newsroom marks its fourth birthday. Details
Meet the Author Book Club: Little One — Fayetteville Free Library, 300 Orchard St, 6:30 PM. Free, walk-in. Details
Live Music
Tuesday, August 4
Lilly Hiatt — The 443 Social Club, 443 Burnet Ave, 7 PM. Nashville singer-songwriter, guitars up front. Details
Wednesday, August 5
Lake Street Dive with The Dip — Beak & Skiff, 2708 Lords Hill Rd, LaFayette, 7 PM, $72. Pop and soul, big harmonies. Tickets
Thursday, August 6
CNY Jazz in the City — Syracuse Community Health, 930 S Salina St, 6 to 9 PM. Free, walk-in. Details
Cole Swindell — Beak & Skiff, 7 PM, $75. Mainstream Nashville country. Tickets
Friday, August 7
Kat Riggins — The 443, 7 PM. Blues, with a powerhouse voice. Details
Happy Together Tour — Crouse Hinds Theater, 411 Montgomery St, 7:30 PM, from $52. A package bill of 1960s pop acts. Tickets
Eggy — The Westcott Theater, 524 Westcott St, 8 PM, doors at 7. Jam-band rock, long sets. Tickets
Fetty Wap: Nostalgia Tour — Landmark Theatre, 362 S Salina St, 8 PM, from $40.50. Ten years of hits, 2016 to 2026. Tickets
Saturday, August 8
Mojohand — Middle Ages Brewing, 120 Wilkinson St, 4 to 7 PM. Free, no tickets required. Country-soul rock out of Brooklyn, outdoors on the loading dock, all ages. Details
The Novak 5 — Critz Farms, 3232 Rippleton Rd, Cazenovia, 5 to 8 PM. Part of the farm's Summer Music Saturdays series, with the tap room open. Details
MSJR and Reggaelar People — Funk 'n Waffles, 307 S Clinton St, doors at 7, show 8 to 11 PM. Reggae fusion, 18+. Tickets
Sunday, August 9
Clint Bush — Beak & Skiff 1911 Tasting Room, 2 to 4 PM. Free with the tasting room, a regular on that stage. Details
Sunday jazz jam — Funk 'n Waffles, 3 to 5 PM, doors at 2. All ages, and the open mic follows at 7. Details
Lady In Red — Middle Ages Brewing, 4 to 7 PM. Free, no tickets required. Jam band, outdoors on the loading dock, all ages. Details
Coming up: the Syracuse Latino Festival at Clinton Square on Saturday, August 15 (free, noon to 10 PM), Billy Idol at the amphitheater the same night, the Endless Fires Festival at Sharkey's across August 15 and 16, and the Cazenovia Triathlon on Sunday, August 16.
That’s just the short list
We track way more than we can squeeze into The Lineup. Refer 2 friends to the Club, and the full calendar unlocks:
THE TAB
One food or drink spot a week — what's new, what's worth the trip, and what to order.
Hangry Chicken
6325 Thompson Rd · Monday through Thursday 10:30 AM to 9:30 PM, Friday and Saturday until midnight, closed Sunday
Halal Nashville hot chicken on Thompson Road, in the old Señiora Pizza space which was once a gas station convenience store, so don’t be confused by the pumps. Still a soft open with a small crew, and the Where Syracuse Eats group has been filling up with reviews.
Hangry Chicken Fries pictured on the bottom (photo by Kat K)
Order the 3 Tender Combo, $13.99. Fries, Texas toast, cluck sauce, a soda, and your choice of coleslaw or mac and cheese. There are 4 heat levels: Original, A Little Heat, Nashville, and Piss Me Off. Nashville is the house style and the one to get. Reviews say the top step starts mild and builds, so know your tolerance before you go up there.
The one people keep posting about is the Hangry Chicken Fries, $14.99, which the group has been calling their garbage plate: tenders, cheese sauce, pickles and mac and cheese piled on the fries.
Online ordering goes off sometimes. They say that's deliberate, that they "believe in quality, not quantity," and they keep serving walk-ins. If it's off when you check, just go. Menu
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THE SPOTLIGHT
A deeper look at one person, place, or project in Syracuse.
He Slept in a Portapotty to Meet a Rapper
Omar Alsafadi once spent a night in a portapotty outside a Syracuse show so he'd be there when the tour bus opened. He got to the rapper Wiz Khalifa, then to Khalifa's manager. It went nowhere, and he knew exactly why: he was a kid with an idea and nothing to trade for it. He kept collecting contacts anyway, betting he'd eventually have something worth offering.
Alsafadi is the founder of Aria, a music platform he describes as Substack for music. Fans follow an artist for free or pay for a channel with unreleased tracks, a group chat, and a direct line to the artist. Artists keep up to 90% of what comes in, he says. It has 13,000 users.
He grew up here, the youngest of three. His father came to the U.S. with less than $7, worked whatever he could find, and saved until he could buy a corner store in Syracuse. He was killed not long after it opened, and Omar never met him. His mother is in remission from ovarian cancer and has built 1.4 million followers on TikTok, most of that from telling young women to get checked and not brush off small symptoms. His brother has cerebral palsy. He put himself through Syracuse University and jokes that he came out with a PhD: poor, hungry, driven.
Before Aria there was Snail Runner, a mobile game he built in 2016 that borrowed Flappy Bird's one-button loop and put a snail in it. It reached 52,000 downloads and carried characters based on the rapper Lil Yachty and the comedy creator Chicklet, who was the bigger draw. Then the App Store tilted toward paid placement, small studios stopped ranking, and he shut it down.
Music was where he went to escape, and he came to believe that listeners gravitate toward artists who grew up the way they did. Aria is his attempt to turn that pull into something an artist can actually get paid for. He raised his first $50,000 at the end of 2022, left for Miami, and has raised just under $400,000 since. He moved back to Syracuse at the start of this year.
What he wants to do here is specific. A touring act plays Syracuse, and from 3 PM until the 8 PM headliner, every opener is local: a rapper, a country singer, 15 or 20 minutes each, QR code on the screen behind them. People drive in from Buffalo and Albany for the headliner and leave having found four artists from their own region. He'd like Aria to help sponsor it.
He needs 100,000 users to unlock his next round of funding. Music funds have told him that's the number. If you make music in this city, the openers he's describing are you.
Aria is free on the App Store. Musicians can set up their own channel there. For anyone who wants to hear what Syracuse is making, following an artist costs nothing.
THE BUILD
Construction and development around the city, in plain English.
Finishing the loop around Onondaga Lake
The Loop the Lake trail does not loop yet. The gap is 2.3 miles, between Onondaga Lake Park and the Inner Harbor, and it is the hardest stretch on the whole route.
County Transportation Commissioner Martin Voss told legislators what the route has to dodge. "We literally are doing ballet on this to avoid icky spots that we don't want to touch like gas lines, utilities, sewer pipe, railroad tracks, highway on-ramps, and the salt ponds." The salt ponds are historic and can't be disturbed, so a plank boardwalk goes over the top of them.
The red portion of the map is where the trail needs to still be built (photo from localsyr.com)
The tightest point is the railroad bridge over the parkway, where the road already drops to one lane each way. Voss thinks they can get "a six-foot trail under that railroad bridge and still have safety and still have room for traffic," and he wants the parkway narrowed there regardless, because Liverpool has volume problems already.
Down by the mall it's the opposite problem. The boardwalk that dead-ends on Murphy's Island runs a few hundred feet further, then up over a bridge across the tracks and back down by the I-81 on-ramp.
Some of it runs through a courtroom. The county is asking a judge to shift the right-of-way from CSX so the trail can drop onto the parkway under that railroad bridge.
Tens of millions of dollars and years of work, starting as soon as next spring. The state environmental approvals are working their way through the county legislature now.
Close it and you can start at the Inner Harbor, go the whole way around, and get back to your car without ever walking a shoulder.
Per WAER, July 27, and NewsChannel 9, July 24.
THE BLOCK
One neighborhood at a time — what's there, what's changing.
Cazenovia
Cazenovia College, founded in 1824, closed for good on June 30, 2023. Enrollment had dropped 40% from a peak near 1,000 to 560 full-time students. President David Bergh put the college's annual impact on the regional economy at $55 million and called it "the heartbeat of this village."
An investor group called 9Fresh bought the campus for $9.5 million in December 2025, and the plan is housing and offices. Shove Hall becomes age-restricted 55-and-over housing, Farber and Park become market-rate apartments, and Joy Hall becomes office space. The campus is still zoned as a college, so rezoning, public hearings and an environmental review all come first.
Cazenovia College prior to closure in 2023 (photo from Spectrum News 1)
The village also has $10 million from the state, awarded in March through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. That money is for downtown rather than the campus, and the first public workshop on how it gets spent is tonight, Tuesday, August 4, 5:30 to 7 PM at Village Hall, 90 Albany Street.
On Albany Street, every storefront on the north side from Cazenovia Abroad down to Twig salon is now women-owned. Nine businesses in a row, as of a July 22 piece in the Cazenovia Republican.
The village has been there since the 1790s, settled by John Lincklaen, a Dutch naval officer who bought the land for the Holland Land Company and put it at the foot of the lake. Around 1807 he started building Lorenzo, the Federal mansion overlooking the lake, and the Lincklaen and Ledyard family occupied it continuously until the property and its contents went to New York State in 1968. The village core went onto the National Register as a historic district in 1986.
Spots to check out in and around Cazenovia:
Dave's Diner — 35 Albany Street. Breakfast and lunch, Wednesday through Sunday, 7 AM to 2:30.
Purpose Coffee Co. — 35 Albany Street, connected to Dave's Diner. Open at 7 AM, and bean proceeds go back to the growing regions.
Carter's Creamery — 3 Sullivan Street, inside Dave's Diner. Ice cream, open daily from noon.
20|EAST — 85 Albany Street. Local art, food, flowers and gifts under one roof.
From Scratch at Loka Leaf Tea Lounge — 76 Albany Street. Farm-to-table Sunday brunch, 9 AM to 2 PM, walk-in. Supper Club select Fridays, by reservation.
Cazenovia Artisans — 39 Albany Street. An artist-run cooperative gallery going since 2002, selling handmade work by local makers, with a guest artist rotating through every month. Open 7 days.
Ink & Paper Bookstore — 7 Lincklaen Street. New fiction, a children's section and bookish gifts. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
HeartStone Artisan Bakery — 11 Lincklaen Street. Naturally fermented breads and pastries, with produce from their own farm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
The Brewster Inn — 6 Ledyard Avenue, out on the lake.
Meier's Creek Brewing — 33 Rippleton Road, a drive from the village core.
Madison County Distillery — 2412 Route 20. Vodka, gin and rum from local grain, with free tastings in the barn. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Critz Farms — 3232 Rippleton Road. A working farm with a brewery and cidery, a sunflower labyrinth, and live music out back on summer Saturdays.
Delphi Falls County Park — 2006 Cardner Road. A two-tiered waterfall, 54 feet upper and 62 lower, open sunrise to sunset. Lower falls are wheelchair accessible.
Lorenzo State Historic Site — 17 Rippleton Road. Grounds are free, dawn to dusk. Mansion tours $5.
Cazenovia Public Library — 100 Albany Street, and it has an Egyptian mummy. Hen arrived in 1894, is roughly 2,000 years old, and has been on display ever since. Free during library hours.
Lakeland Park — 11 Forman Street, the village beach. Open dawn to dusk, no swimming unless a lifeguard is on duty. Swimming hours are Monday through Saturday 10 AM to 7 PM, Sunday noon to 6.
THE SCOREBOARD
Local sports — what just happened and what's next.
The Mets are home for 6 straight against the Columbus Clippers at NBT Bank Stadium, Tuesday through Sunday, with fireworks after 4 of them:
Tuesday, August 4, 6:35 PM — Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards and 1911 Established Night, koozie giveaway for 21+, fireworks
Wednesday, August 5, 12:05 PM — We Care Wednesday presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, a rare noon start
Thursday, August 6, 6:35 PM — Military Appreciation Night, flag jersey to the first 1,000, fireworks
Friday, August 7, 6:35 PM — Strike Out Stroke Night, fireworks
Saturday, August 8, 6:35 PM — Haudenosaunee Night, Haudenosaunee jersey to the first 1,500, fireworks
Sunday, August 9, 1:05 PM — Faith & Family Day
Every Tuesday, in your inbox and at saltcityclub.com.
Join the club.
— Salt City Club Team