Tuesday
Santa Claus is scheduled to appear at the Cortland Water Works for three nights in a return to a beloved tradition that dates back decades.
Plant No. 1 at the Water Works off Broadway will be the backdrop for the visits from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, and from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
"We'll see how many kids turn out," said Mike Dexter, a part-time city employee who maintains the Water Works property.
Abby Speicher, 32, of Cortland stopped by the Water Works Dec. 5 with two of her three children, Kayden, 13, and Chayson, 3. Speicher said she planned to bring them and Khelsen, 11, to see Santa.
"All of us will be here," Speicher said.
She recalled visiting Santa with her siblings as a child.
"They used to give out stuffed animals," Speicher recalled. "They had hot chocolate."
Santa hasn't visited for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dexter, who noted that previously Santa had made annual visits dating back to about the late 1980s.
Saturday
Cortland Repertory Theatre’s 51st anniversary summer season from June 7 to Aug. 19 at the Little York Pavilion in Preble will feature the return of a show that had a shortened run this year because of COVID-19, and another that was canceled because of the pandemic, Producing Artistic Director Kerby Thompson has announced.
Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” adapted by playwright Ken Ludwig returns June 7 through 16. Due to COVID, the cast and crew were able to perform only two shows in the past season.
Thompson said the set, props and costumes are being stored and most of the cast have agreed to return.
Also coming in 2023:
Xanadu: CRT presents the musical “XANADU,” with a book by Douglas Carter Beane and music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar from June 21 to 30.
Unnecessary Farce: A revival of one of the most popular comedies at CRT. “Unnecessary Farce” is planned for July 5 to 15.
The Cake: “The Cake,” a new comedy by Bekah Brunstetter in which faith, family and frosting collide will premiere July 19 to 28. It’s another canceled production due to COVID from 2020.
The Wizard of Oz: The classic story of “The Wizard of Oz” will be presented to wrap up the summer season from Aug. 2 to 19 with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg.
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Cortland and Tompkins counties remained a low risk of coronavirus spread, the federal government reported Thursday, but the risk in Broome and Tioga counties was elevated to high.
The risk level remains low in Cayuga, Onondaga, Madison and Chenango.
Cortland County had 51 new cases of COVID-19 between Dec. 1 and Wednesday, giving it a rate of 107.19 cases per 100,000 people, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
The rates and risk, from the CDC:
Cortland: 107.19 — low
Tompkins: 107.65 — low
Cayuga: 67.91 — low
Onondaga: 61.89 — low
Broome: 135.97 — high
Chenango: 118.63 — low
Tioga: 120.32 — high
Madison: 73.30 — low
