HABs Cayuga Lake, '73 Summer Jam, IC Olympics, X Ambassadors returned

Good morning and congratulations on making it through another week 🥳

It’s Friday so I’m spreading some local love your way later on in this newsletter.

If you have any Finger Lakes moments you’d like to share, send me your best photos and a short passage to JMack@gannett.com so I can share the love with other readers this Friday.

Click here to sign up for more daily briefings from the Ithaca Journal.

Without further delay, here’s an update on those paint-like harmful blooms returning to the Finger Lakes this year.

Harmful algal blooms on Cayuga and Owasco Lakes

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) were confirmed on Cayuga and Owasco Lakes on Tuesday, leading to the closure of bathing beaches at Camp Y Owasco and the Owasco Yacht Club.

“When the HABs are no longer visible at these beaches, water samples from the swimming area will be collected and sent for analysis. If the results are satisfactory, the beaches will be re-opened,” The Cayuga County Health Department said Tuesday. “Since HABs are quite prevalent on bodies of water during the warmer weather, we will not be issuing a press release on each occasion that HABs are present on bathing beaches.”

To stay in the know and safe when heading to NY beaches, contact the beach operator before arriving to determine if it is open for swimming.

Learn more about the blooms and how to avoid or report them here.

Here’s some more of what you need to know going into the weekend

• An Ithaca College graduate is boating in the Olympics: Learn about some local NY legends staking their claim in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games this year.
• Relive the iconic ’73 Summer Jam: More than 600,000 people filled the Watkins Glen racetrack for its Summer Jam in 1973, a rock festival that eclipsed Woodstock in sheer size and broke world attendance records. Live through (or relive) the festival with Corning’s Dale Brockway, who vividly remembers the event 51 years later.
• What flavor is the NY fav ?: Ice cream is more than a desert for many, also serving as a great way to stay cool in the summer heat. Learn which flavor most New Yorkers think is best in this article.

Finding friends in the festivities in the Finger Lakes

Photographer J. Claire took these wonderful shots of the recent GrassRoots festival filled with New York talent.

Speaking of talent, YouTube channel Public Opinion recently posted this video interviewing X Ambassadors on their return to Ithaca . It’s touching and a stunning tribute to the band, and Ithaca’s successes.

Learn about Ithaca’s theatric history thanks to this recent post from The History Center in Tompkins County, which also hosts a guided tour on the subject.

I hope these few tidbits help you remember just how special Ithaca is and how special it can be if you take some time to appreciate it.

That’s about all I’ve got for you this week, but check your inbox Monday for more updates and feel free to reach out to me at jmack@gannett.com regarding this newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: HABs Cayuga Lake, '73 Summer Jam, IC Olympics, X Ambassadors returned