The following is a republished press release and NOT written by the Ithaca Voice … click here to submit community announcements directly to The Voice, or contact us at tips@ithacavoice.com.
ITHACA, N.Y. — Combine a unique place in Upstate New York, great events, and beautiful artwork and what do you get? The Tompkins County Coloring Calendar, a fantastic project that needs your help to get off the ground.
The Calendar is part coloring book, part love letter to Tompkins County. Each month will have major local events listed, such as Grassroots, Porchfest, and Ithaca Festival, as well as helpful hints like the opening day of farmer’s markets in Ithaca and Trumansburg, the likely period of peak fall foliage, and reminders to pick apples before the season runs out. Beautiful black and white drawings of scenes like the Newfield covered bridge, Stewart Park, and Taughannock Falls will accompany each month, eager to be colored in.
“This project was born out of a deep itch to create art that reflects the beauty of the region,” said Cassie Jenis, project creator. “It is important to me that this calendar communicates the character of the area and community, as well as inspire people to go out and explore as much as they can. It is both upsetting and exciting when someone who has lived here their whole life tells me that they’ve never been to Taughannock Falls or the Newfield bridge – upsetting because they have been missing out, but exciting because they have a totally unique, wonderful experience waiting for them.”
Cassie credits Mike Blaney of the Ithaca Voice for helping her put pen to paper – literally.
“We were having a conversation about entrepreneurship and I brought up the idea of a local coloring book as a ‘someday’ project. Mike got so excited about it – he said ‘You need to have those on the shelves by November.’”
This project is being funded through Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform for creative projects. Cassie needs to raise $3,000 dollars for the calendar dream to become a reality. To help out, click here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/525503046/tompkins-county-color-calendar and preorder a calendar for $15 plus shipping.