2nd Annual
West End Waterfront Rhiner Festival
Saturday, September 11th, 2010
8:30am – 6pm (and later!)
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right this
way... for Ithaca's Second Annual Rhiner Festival!
Presented by The History Center in Tompkins
County and the West End Waterfront District Association of Ithaca,
this daylong street fair on and around Inlet Island celebrates the
fascinating "bad old days" of Ithaca's West End Waterfront area historically
referred to as 'the Rhine,' 'the Flats,' and even 'Sodom.'
This year's theme - "The Country Fair
Comes to The Rhine" – pays homage to the bygone days of traveling
fairs with family-friendly midway games, circus performers, old-timey
music, mystical fortune tellers, food-related competitions, vaudeville
performers, and an "after hours" speakeasy.
Grand Prize: A Tahitian Pearl and Sterling Silver Necklace designed by Gellner Pearls... retail value = $280... stop into The Jewelbox for a closer look!
Scheduled for Saturday, September 11,
2010, this community event welcomes the return of many of last year's
favorites, including free lighthouse cruises aboard the MV Columbia,
the Elizabeth Beebe Commemorative Soup Kitchen at Castaways, a silent
movie hall, belly dancing performances, a local artists market, and
an offbeat cast of costumed characters to help unfurl another interactive
"whodunit" mystery: One lucky sleuth who solves the carefully constructed
"crime" will win this year's grand prize - a black, south sea pearl
necklace designed exclusively for the festival by The Jewelbox.
New activities and events include the
debut public viewing of the Thomas-Morse S4 Scout plane and an antique
car show, a backyard children's circus, as well as a morning filled
with Dragon Boating and Cornell Crew Intersquad races. The day's events
wind down with a late afternoon, police-escorted parade down Taughannock
Boulevard to welcome the AIDS Ride for Life bicyclists' return from
their ride around Cayuga Lake. Following the parade, the Ithaca League
of Women Rollers will host the Rhiner Brawl, a "circus style" derby
bout between Ithaca's Sufferjets and BlueStockings at Cass Park Rink.
As nighttime descends, Old Taughannock
Blvd, aka 'Moonshine Island', will show its bawdier side with speakeasy
parties, live music, vaudeville performances, costume parties, and
games of chance.
Stay tuned for the festival schedule
to appear later in the summer!
See What Ithaca's Rhine Used to Look
Like!
On the day of the festival, Alternatives
Federal Credit Union will showcase their scale model of Ithaca's old
Rhine neighborhood, a detailed re-creation of the city's West End
as it looked before Inlet Island was created in the 1960s by the construction
of the flood-control channel and the notorious "Octopus" intersection.
The diorama's creator, David Fogel, will be on hand to show the model
to the public from 10:30am to 1:00pm on Saturday, September 11th,
in the 2nd-floor lobby of Alternatives, located at 125 North Fulton
St. Please take the elevator inside the front entrance.
Ithaca’s Aviation Heritage:
 The Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation
(IAHF) will have the Thomas-Morse S4 Scout, affectionately known as "Tommy," on
display from noon to 6pm on September 11th at the Rhiner Festival.
It is fitting that Tommy will be a part
of the celebration as Ithaca’s aviation heritage has its roots in
the West end of Ithaca and the south end of Cayuga Lake. It began
here in 1914 when the Thomas Brothers Aeroplane Co. moved into the
building on Brindley Street.
Ithaca’s Tommy is one of 600 manufactured
in 1917-18 as an advanced, high speed pursuit trainer used by the
U.S. Army Signal Corps at training bases throughout the U.S.
 Donation of this extremely rare and
well preserved aircraft by William N. Thibault of San Diego, CA has
fulfilled the dreams of the IAHF to return a Tommy to Ithaca and restore
it to flying condition. With a new set of wings being built at the
original Thomas-Morse Aircraft plant on South Aurora Street (now Emerson
Power Transmission), the restoration is underway and is scheduled
to be completed by the centennial celebration of Tommy's manufacture
in 2017.
Raising funds to complete Tommy's restoration
is the primary focus of the IAHF at this time. Anyone with an interest
in local history, in the history of aviation, or specifically in Ithaca's
significant role in the development of the aviation industry, is encouraged
to support this project with donations. The IAHF is a 501(c)(3) entity,
and so all donations are tax deductible. Please visit the IAHF website
at http://www.tommycomehome.org/ for more information.
Volunteers are needed to help with the
restoration. Chapter 811 of the Experimental Aircraft Association
(EAA) is partnering with the IAHF to support the restoration process.
Together we are looking for volunteers who have an interest in helping.
There will be members of the IAHF and
EAA Chapter 811 present to answer questions.
Hangar's History:
The Hangar Theatre invites Rhiner Festival
friends to stop by for Backstage Walking Tours—learn about the Hangar’s
history and future plans for our renovated, year-round home. Tours
last for approximately 45 minutes, including plenty of time for questions.
Tours begin under the Hangar Tent on Route 89 at the following times
on Saturday, September 11 : 10am, 11am, and 12 noon
For more information, contact Development
Director, Mary Beth Bunge: 607.273.8588x17 or marybeth@hangartheatre.org
  History | Produce
Contests | Pie Baking Contest | The Rhiner's Brawl | Event Locations | Performers | Mystery Game Cast | Parking
Read the Ithaca
Journal article.
For info, contact
The History Center
401 East State Street, Suite 100
Ithaca, New York 14850
Phone: 607.273.8284 ext. 6, Fax: (607) 273-6107
community@TheHistoryCenter.net
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