The following rural travel guide for Broome Art Trail 2020 was written by Connie Barnes, Artisan Gallery Retail Manager and Broome Art Trail Site Coordinator
After a very successful and pleasant drive last week, we struck out this past Saturday on the 2020 Broome Art Trail to explore a few more rural spots and then into Binghamton to begin our urban tour. It was another beautiful day when we arrived in Windsor to begin our trek. The Windsor Community House is a beautifully restored historic building and will be housing a group of 8 artists – The Knights of Art.
We left Windsor and headed to Diane Lia’s Studio on Saddlemire Road in rural Binghamton. It’s a bit of a trip (about 20 minutes from Windsor) but one where the trees and hills will be alive with vibrant color come October 3rd and 4th. So we headed west on 17 for just over 8 miles then caught I-81S (toward Scranton) for about 4 miles. We crossed over the Susquehanna River onto Conklin Road (NY7S) and right onto Conklin Forks Rd for about 3 miles. The route is simple with some guidance from a GPS or smartphone map app. Diane Lia’s studio is right on the intersection of Noyes Road and Saddlemire. Don’t miss her pottery demonstrations! Judy Zurenda will be there featuring her paintings as well.
After Diane’s, we headed southwest on Noyes Road for less than a mile and turned right onto Hawleyton Rd / Pennsylvania Avenue. Heading north, we followed Pennsylvania Avenue into Binghamton for about 5 miles. Aquaterra Park, former ski area known as Innsbruck USA, was on our left. You can stop by Lone Maple Farm for some fresh apple cider and donuts along the way! Those hills will be in their orange/yellow/red cloak by the time you’re driving the Broome Art Trail.
We headed to Sam Russo’s Woodworking Shop on Stone Road in Binghamton, via Moore Avenue. Sam’s shop is ready to receive visitors! He’s working on some incredible pieces and will be doing demos all weekend. And do be sure to check out his house – it’s a Frank Lloyd Wright design. Then turn around and capture the view of Binghamton from his house. Sam will be doing live woodworking demonstrations during the trail, and his very friendly dog will be in attendance.
From there, we dropped down into downtown Binghamton. You can start East at the Phelps Museum (3 artists), on to the KNOW Theater (1 artist) which is a former fire station. Back to Court Street and Artisan Gallery (on the roundabout) which will be hosting the art of Carol Arnold and Cherese Rosales, then on to Muckles Ink (1 artist and music). Right onto State Street and Gallery Row featuring Orazio Salati’s gallery (5 artists) and the Cooperative Gallery (6 artists). There’ll be plenty of music in and around these locations as well! Rebecca Austin’s studio, Parlor City Arts, is on Water Street, just past the DoubleTree hotel and the overhead railroad. From there, you can easily get to Front Street where Roberson Museum will be hosting a plethora of artists. Roberson Museum Clayworks will have live pottery throwing on wheels, and their annual fundraiser.
From Roberson, we headed down Riverside Drive to the Johnson City traffic circle and onto 201 North. We took the first exit off 201N to drive into Johnson City’s downtown. We headed to the Grapevine Café (1 artist and music) and then popped down Baldwin Street headed toward Floral Ave. Binghamton Brewing Company is currently on the move to 135 Baldwin Street. That building has some fantastic history and I can’t wait to get inside. They’ll be hosting 3 artists and more live music! Just be aware that their new spot here will be open for the Broome Art Trail only – not be ready yet for the brewing and pub business.
After stopping by Bing Brewing, we headed to Floral Ave., turned right and on to the Johnson City traffic circle and drove north on 201 to the Oakdale mall to visit FASST (The Fine Arts Society of the Southern Tier). They’ll be hosting 2 artists with a live painting demonstration. Back down to Harry L Drive, we turned right to Harry L/Watson Boulevard and stopped at Frank Longo Originals, where he’ll be hosting three artists including himself.
Are you tired yet? There are so many talented artists in the county, it takes awhile to see them all! But so worth the effort – you’ll never be disappointed! After we left Frank Longo Originals, we headed west on Watson Boulevard and sneaked under the railroad trestle to get to 17C and onto 17W. We took the Endicott exit and hit Washington Avenue where we caught EPAC (Endicott Performing Arts Center), hosting 1 artist and Equinox Press, hosting 4 artists, which will have a live printmaking demonstration at 1pm on both days. We drove south on Washington Avenue and onto Main Street, bearing right onto Lincoln Avenue where a total of 5 artists will be showing between the Endicott Visitors Center and the Endicott Meeting Room and there’ll be more music!
Head back to 17C/Main St and left onto Vestal Ave, over the bridge and turn left at Rt 434. In a few feet, you will be at the Vestal Museum host to 4 artists and music. They also have a Farmer’s Market in the same lot during that Saturday from 9am to 1pm! Finally, the last spot on our trek was to Nealy Van Dyke’s location on N. Circle Dr in Vestal (only about 5 minutes from the Vestal Museum, off Rt 26S)
In conclusion, there were lots of stops on this mostly urban trip. Plan your route ahead of time because it’ll be worth it! What a weekend the Broome Art Trail will offer, for sure! There are lots of great spots to stop for refreshment. Celebrate the arts of Broome County and support our artists. You might consider heading to the downtown Binghamton gallery sites on Friday night for First Friday. Most of the Binghamton sites will be open that night and it’ll lighten the load for you on Saturday and Sunday.
REMEMBER, we are honoring all COVID policies on Broome Art Trail weekend. Please remember your masks and to socially distance. There’ll be no food or drink served except in restaurants so plan accordingly.
Happy trails!!!!
