News & Events from CCE Tompkins County

Spring Garden Fair & Plant Sale

Mark your calendar for the Garden Fair & Plant Sale! The highly-anticipated annual gardening event has been organized since 1982 by CCE Tompkins and our Master Gardener Volunteers. The 2024 Plant Sale will take place Friday, May 17, from 1 to 7 pm at the Ithaca Farmers Market.

Over 30 vendors will offer specialty plants, gardening advice, delicious food, and info on home and community gardening. Plants for sale include organically grown and heirloom vegetable transplants, colorful annuals, fragrant herbs, hanging baskets, small flowering shrubs, hardy roses, fruit crops, trees, evergreens, and specialty perennials.

Visitors are encouraged to bring carts or wagons to aid in transporting their plant purchases to their cars. Admission is free! Check out the list of participating vendors at CCETompkins.org.

Healthy Cooking Basics — Free Nutrition Class Series in May

Join SNAP-Ed Thursday evenings in May for cooking classes covering the basics of cooking and healthy eating. Each week will focus on different topics to simplify nutritious eating. Over five classes, you will get hands-on, in-depth cooking instruction.

• 5/9: This week is an introduction to the course and a focus on knife skills and safety and how to season foods. Recipe: Skillet Chicken Breast and Apple & Chicken Salad
• 5/16: This week will focus on making healthy meals with half a plate with fruits and vegetables. Recipe: Veggie Stir-Fry
• 5/23: Learn how to incorporate whole grains into you diet and how to properly measure ingredients. Recipe: Banana Oat Pancakes w/ a Any Berry Sauce
• 5/31: Learn how to choose healthy protein options and safe food handling. Recipe: Salmon Cakes w/ Mango Cucumber Salsa

Register online for the Healthy Cooking Basics series — and join us in person in the CCE Tompkins Teaching Kitchen!

SNAP-Ed is funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Contact SNAP-Ed Nutritionist Kris with questions by emailing kam444@cornell.edu.

Insider Tips: Used Car Buying Class

Interested in buying a used car? At 5:30 pm on Tuesday, May 7, you can learn from an auto & finance expert about negotiating strategies, borrowing with bad credit, loan vs. lease, and electric vehicles at our free, virtual Insider Tips: Used Car Buying class.

Jerome Emanuel, Community Development Director at Alternatives Federal Credit Union, has has 20 years of experience in the auto industry, holding roles from salesman to general manager. Now, working for a credit union, he uses his insider knowledge to help people avoid high-interest predatory car loans.

The class will be co-presented by Holly Payne of CCE Tompkins' Way2Go electric vehicle education program. Holly will share current information about purchasing and operating costs (for both new and used EVs and EV home charger installation) and the generous state and federal incentives available to US residents.

Register to join the class on Zoom or contact Holly at hp67@cornell.edu.

Tour the PowerHouse Education Center & Tiny Home

Free tours of the PowerHouse, CCE Tompkins' energy-efficient tiny home:

On Wednesday, May 15 from 5:30-6:30 pm, CCE Tompkins' PowerHouse Educator, Jack Wright, will be leading a tour of our solar-powered and electrified tiny home. This PowerHouse encapsulates the aspects of energy-efficient homes that can save folks money on utility bills and make their homes more comfortable including solar panels, insulation, air sealing, and more. Visitors will leave the program with ideas on how to make their own homes more comfortable and save money on utility bills, including accessing state funds to pay for the upgrades!

Join us at 5:30 on May 15 at 615 Willow Ave. Please register using this form.

For questions about the event, please email Jack (ww497@cornell.edu) and Leigh (lvm9@cornell.edu).

Sign up for the Family Play Group! Caregivers and their children ages 1-4 will get together 9:30-11:30 am Thursdays, May 16 - June 20, for baby doll circle time, story time, free play, songs and movement, healthy snacks, nutrition information from the Expanded Food and Nutrition Program, and more.

Each family will receive a free gift! Sign up online at cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bf4lmcyd2MDZDoy.

Thank You for Making the Return of the Duck Race a Success

We'd like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU from all of us in 4-H to everyone who helped make the return of the Duck Race a huge success. There were fun games, delicious food, engaging activities, real fuzzy ducklings, informative tabling outreach, and whimsical rubber duck racing! 

The rain even held off (until the end), and there were throngs of people at CCE, at Cascadilla Gorge, and following the race down the creek. All funds raised will directly benefit 4-H positive youth development programs in Tompkins County. You can find a link to a list of winners here.

We couldn't have asked for a better event. Once again, thank you to everyone who made it possible!

4-H ducks pass by onlookers at Thompson Triangle Park

The starting point at Cascadilla Creek Falls

4-H Little Bunny Foo Foos & Sweets & Treats club tables

Keeping Backyard Chickens

Keeping Backyard Chickens (Online Class)

5:30-7:30, Tuesday, May 21

Learn practical advice for how to successfully raise chickens for home egg production. This class will explore topics including sourcing healthy birds, determining which laying varieties are best for your needs, options for housing and nutrition, common illness and pest prevention, and the joys of living with chickens! This class is online only; a recording will be sent out afterwards but those needing a certificate must attend the live Zoom class.

Please note: our class meets the requirements for receiving a permit for the residents in the Villages of Trumansburg and Dryden who wish to keep chickens.

Registration is $20 per household, but all are encouraged to pay what they are able. Sign up online at ccetompkins.wufoo.com/forms/rd6ga0e13ce49p.

Safer Families: Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Youth

The May Coalition for Families meeting, Safer Families: Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Youth, will be an interactive presentation from 12-1 pm on Wednesday, May 29, that aims to educate families about the LGBTQIA+ community and the adversity LGBTQIA+ youth face. Together we will examine the intersectionality of identity, consider cultural responsiveness, and better understand our role in creating safe and inclusive environments.

With an emphasis on steps we can take to create safe and inclusive spaces for our LGBTQIA+ youth, this coalition is geared to support parents whose children are questioning or exploring their identities, parents whose children are identifying as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and for parents and professionals who wish to promote allyship.

Join in person (with free food) or on Zoom. All are welcome! There is no cost to attend, but registration is required: ccetompkins.wufoo.com/forms/may-2024-coalition-for-families.

Step Out with the Walking Club

Join SNAP-Ed and Tompkins County Whole Health for walks in the park at 10 am every Friday in May! We will meet at the Ithaca Children's Garden, take a short walk, and sample a healthy recipe. We’ll share info on tick prevention and staying safe this summer. There is no charge to join in, and all ages are welcome.

SNAP-Ed is funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.

Do you have questions about home gardening this season? Trained Master Gardener Volunteers can answer your questions on flowers, fruits, herbs, houseplants, lawns, plant health & nutrition, plant identification, pruning, soils, trees & shrubs, vegetables, wildlife and more! 

With access to our large group of Master Gardeners, CCE Tompkins staff, and resources from Cornell, the Growline can help find solutions to your gardening needs.

Find more information and contact information here.

Tompkins Families: Stronger Together & Youth Game Club

Tompkins County families are invited to join us for free family fun!

Our Youth Game Club is an opportunity for youth ages 7+ to play games provided by the Finger Lakes Toy Library and share their favorite games with their peers. Gluten- and dairy-free snacks are provided in an inclusive and welcoming space. Caregivers must stay on site.

Youth Game Club meets monthly on the first Saturday — join us from 10 am to noon on May 4! Sign up online at ccetompkins.wufoo.com/forms/may-youth-game-club.

Stronger Together invites families to come together for free dinner and family fun. Mark your calendar for 4-6 pm on Saturday, May 18! With food, crafts, and an opportunity for community and connection, together we can make our families and community stronger.

Register online at ccetompkins.wufoo.com/forms/rno6ie1tgk91d.

Thank You for Joining Us at the Earth Day Festival!

Our Energy and Climate Change team want to share you all a sincere thank you for joining us at the 2024 Earth Day Festival. It was great to see so many organizations represented, as well as so many folks from the community at the event. Hundreds of people passed through to talk with us and community partners about clean energy, composting, gardening, and the many ways that sustainability can be a community practice.

This was our first time coordinating the Earth Day Festival and we'd love your feedback! If you have questions or comments, please don't hesitate to reach out. Our staff left the event feeling energized to continue the important work we're doing — and we hope you did too.

Board of Directors President Ann Michel on the microphone

Way2Go shares transportation information

The PowerHouse energy education tiny home

Master Composters provide community education

The City of Ithaca collected sticker "votes" on priorities

Energy educators led "Cornhole Cooperative Extension"

Better Together for Mental Health

Embrace Mental Health Wellness at Stewart Park on Saturday, May 11, from 11 am to 3 pm! Join CCE Tompkins and dozens of local community groups for an uplifting day of FREE activities for all ages, designed to help you prioritize your mental health every day. Participate in mindful movement, dance, live music, street performances, workshops, indulge in free food offerings and much more.

CCE Tompkins will be there with nutritious snacks, giveaways and fun activities for families, free seed planting from our horticulture program, Way2Go transportation information, and more!

Learn about the Better Together for Mental Health celebration at www.bettertogetherithaca.org.

CCE Tompkins will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 27.

Work at CCE Tompkins

Open Positions at CCE Tompkins County:

• 4-H Administrative Assistant
• 4-H Dryden OURS (Opportunity Understanding Respect Success) Senior Program Manager
• Urban Outreach Program Educator

Visit https://ccetompkins.org/jobs for more information and links to apply!

Primitive Pursuits, a non-profit 4-H program of CCE Tompkins County, is hiring for open positions including:

• Assistant Overnight Camp Director
• Day and Overnight Wilderness Instructors
• Overnight Camp Nurse
• Kitchen Manager
• Camp Kitchen Assistant
• Internships and more!

Learn more about our unique opportunities and how to apply at PrimitivePursuits.com/Seasonal-Employment.

You can also sign up for the CCE Tompkins Garden Post, Family Matters, or Ag & Food Updates or updates from the Energy & Climate Change team.