Good morning, Ithaca.

Newfield Old Home Days returns this weekend after a year off.

The festival starts today at 5:00 p.m. with fireworks, and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. a marker (from the Pomeroy Foundation) honoring fires will be unveiled outside Tioga State Bank on Main Street, with food vendors and a pie contest.

Maru Korea will revert its name to Maru Ramen after six months of rebranding and will bring back its authentic Japanese bone broth ramen menu for Ithaca customers.

Stationed At Home, a Binghamton-shot indie film directed by Daniel V.

Masciari and produced by Eliza VanCort—raised near Ithaca—is now streaming free on Amazon Prime Video for U.S. members after its July 15 inclusion. The film, backed by local investors + community venues, showcases strong hometown support.

The Museum of the Earth now shows a 19-foot Hadrosaur built by RIT graduate Andrew Bovenzi using a unique toolkit (chicken wire, insulation foam, plywood, and drywall saw).

The red-and-yellow sculpture has been on display since May and invites visitors to explore art and science.

Tompkins County lawmakers praised Hangar Theatre for its production of Dear Evan Hansen (with commendations from Greg Mezey and Shawna Black) and noted the venue will debut its comedy Eureka Day this weekend.

A Cornell doctoral student has co-designed NomadicPerch, a wearable perch for her pet parakeet Shiso + testing felt prototypes and sensors, and showcased the project at the ACM Designing Interactive Systems meeting in Singapore from June 13 to 17.

The work may inspire animal-inclusive design approaches.

Cornell research finds that managers who publicly oppose unionization boost effort and wages among workers preferring individual deals, while those favoring collective bargaining show no change; the study was presented at Columbia Management Accounting Conference (using experiments with college students).

Cornell University and the city are partnering to transform public parks under a 15-year MOU providing $4 million plus $100k annually; a public meeting at Stewart Park on July 15 gathered community ideas while students and faculty survey park spaces to guide sustainable improvements.

Eight new citizens took the Oath of Allegiance on Jul.

23 at Cornell University in Ithaca (including doctor Washdave and a family from Armenia). The ceremony featured personal immigration stories and a cover of Country Roads, and the new citizens now plan to build their lives as official Americans.

The Tompkins County Health Department released June inspection results, reporting 10 of 74 restaurants had critical health violations.

Toad's Too in Freeville had 6 violations, including 3 critical ones on June 1, while several locations recorded no issues.

Cornell researchers are studying psilocybin’s impact on brain connections to better understand its potential as a depression treatment — the lab found a 10% increase in neuronal links in mice and is testing flexible electrodes for tracking neural changes.

The Rocksteady Explosion 20-Year Reunion Show

Time not specified — Liquid State Brewing Company — Benefit concert — Celebrate the ska scene with The Rocksteady Explosion's 20-year reunion and more local acts.

Brassquatch! The Fall Creek Brass Band Musical

7:30-9 p.m. — Hangar Theatre — Tickets $12-$34 — Experience a family-friendly musical adventure blending brass, gospel, and pop as young heroes navigate identity and belonging.