Christmas Displays at Fountain Elms

Fountain Elms is the name of a lovely “living museum”: an historic house displaying the life of a wealthy patrician family who lived in Upstate New York in the late 1800s. There is no admission fee, and the home is open year-round. Next to Fountain Elms is Utica’s art museum, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, named for the family that lived at Fountain Elms. We have visited both Fountain Elms and the MWPI several times in the past. I wrote on the history of the building and of the family that lived there.

Fountain Elms usually all decked out for Christmas. I decided to go this time. The house is so beautiful, and the displays are very well done. You almost expect Maria or Rachel to walk into the front hall and invite you in for tea.

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Downtown Utica in December

What a difference a week can make. I took a drive to Utica, NY, last week and there was no snow (but it was cold and blustery). Today, we got snow– almost 5 inches in a very brief blitz. It has been 287 days without any snowfall until now.

On my way downtown, walking on Genesee Street, I happened to be in time for the raising of the city Christmas tree.

I was surprised the city workers allowed passers-by to walk down the narrow sidewalk to the left, as you can see in the photo. Read more

Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in Utica, NY

It was a warm, sunny afternoon in Utica, NY. As we strolled to our destination, we passed by this monument on Genesee Street. It’s of Mikolaj Kopernik, known to Americans as Nicolaus Copernicus, great astronomer.

Utica has had a very large Polish population, when large numbers of Poles emigrated to the United States during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This monument honors their most famous brother. Copernicus is buried in Poland (he died in 1543).

Schultz and Dooley are 50!

Schultz and Dooley– those interminable talking beer steins created for the marketing of Utica Club beer– are 50 years old! The steins are highly collectible. Schultz and Dooley first appeared in 1958, on television commercials for Utica Club beer produced by the FX Matt Brewery here in Utica, NY. The Matt Brewery also produces the very popular Saranac line of beers.

We toured the FX Matt Brewing Company in Utica, NY last year, and got to see how this famous brewery makes its brew and its ginger beer, among other products. We also got a peek into the old SpeakEasy. Utica Club’s claim to fame is that it was the first beer sold after the Prohibition (truth is, it never went out of production during the Prohibition!). The brewery and club was interesting to explore, and there were several steins on display in the bar room.

I remember all those old TV ads from the 1970s, so it is a walk down memory lane! The steins were memorable because they were goofy and funny, and I think Jonathan Winters did the voice (or voices) for the commercials. I found this goofy commercial, from 1962. This is a little before my day, so I never saw this one (I remember the ads being in technicolor). It’s so goofy! The Space Age was booming, wasn’t it; even the beer steins went to the moon!

Here’s another really cute one. Notice that Schultz speaks with a German accent and Dooley speaks with an Irish accent. lol.

There’s a whole organization devoted to Schultz and Dooley, and a birthday celebration was held Saturday at the brewery courtyard. The steins are collectible and have a very dedicated following. Happy Birthday, Schultz and Dooley!

The Utica Public Library, Utica, NY

We love the Utica Public Library. I don’t go as often as I’d like (I just hate city traffic), so when we do visit, it’s a real treat. The Utica Public Library just oozes history and gorgeous architecture. HOW on earth did they make such beautiful, enormous buildings 100+ years ago?! And why did they stop making them?

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