By Franci Valenzano

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 2012) The date of this year’s annual Winter Fest is Feb. 11. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing are among the planned activities during the sixth annual event, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 18.

Events, which are free and open to the public, will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Morrisville-Eaton Elementary School located on Eaton Street.

Indoor games, a presentation on survival tactics, and ice skating from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Morrisville State College IcePlex are also part of the festivities.

From 3-5 p.m., participants can visit the Utica ZooMobile, see a magician and watch “Talons! A Birds of Prey Experience,” which includes flying presentations and personal interaction with birds of prey.

The Skaneateles Newfoundland Club will also be on site with several Newfoundland dogs.

Chili, hot dogs, cookies, hot cocoa, punch and coffee will be served throughout the event. Students from various Morrisville State College student organizations will be assisting with Winter Fest.

The MAX campus shuttle service will be available for students and community members, and will also travel to Cedar Street Apartments and Wilcox Apartments.

Winter Fest is cosponsored by the Campus/Community Relations Committee, an organization comprised of local business representatives and faculty, staff and students at Morrisville State College who meet monthly to discuss and plan special annual events throughout the village such as the Halloween parade, Easter egg hunt, and Christmas tree lighting.

Franci Valenzano is Public Relations Associate at Morrisville State College.

Morrisville Public Library News

By Michelle A. Rounds

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 2012) The NYS Paranormal Research Group will be here this Friday Feb. 10 at 6:30pm to share the results of the night they spent here in the library.  Learn about some of their other investigations as well.

Come learn about Susan B. Anthony and how important she was in history on Wednesday Feb. 15 at 6:30pm.

Our next book talk will be Friday Feb. 17 at 12:15pm.  The book being discussed is The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard.  Copies can be picked up now.  Bring your lunch and join in the discussion.

Want to learn how to cross stitch?  We will teach you on Friday Feb. 17 at 6:30pm.  All materials will be provided.  See you then.

Kiddies Korner, our preschool story hour will meet on Tuesday Feb. 21 at 9:30am.  We will be hearing stories about Hats.  Bring your toddler or preschool child in for some fun and stories.

Our Annual Library Lock In will be Friday Feb. 24 at 8pm until 8am Saturday the 25th.  Bring your jammies and sleeping bag. Snacks will be provided but no meals will be.  Join us for stories, music, movies, games, karaoke, WII, food and lots more.  Bring the family in and join us for a night at the library.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Library Manager.  All children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult.

The Library Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday Feb. 16 at 6:30pm.  The public is welcome to attend.

Don’t forget you can pay off old fines with canned goods this month. Or you can just donate items to our canned food drive. All items collected go to the Morrisville Food Pantry. Help out your community today.

The Library will be closed on Monday Feb. 20 to observe President’s Day. We will reopen Tuesday at 10am.

Michelle A. Forward is the library manager. The library is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 12pm to 8pm, Tuesday and Thursday 10am to 8pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm.

Dave Evans, director of Nelson Farms, left, and Amanda Hewitt, right, product development manager, pose with Cazenovia resident and entrepreneur, Bob Rose, middle, at Nelson Farms.

 Pictured is Bob Rose’s Thermal Bar. (Photos by Nicolas Murphy)

Morrisville State College News

By Franci Valenzano

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 2012) You’ve heard about performance bars that give you energy and boost endurance. How about one that’ll keep you warm too?

Introducing the Thermal Bar—an edible performance energy product that enhances circulation to combat the cold. It’s the mastermind of Cazenovia resident Bob Rose, an avid outdoorsman who came up with the idea to help him stay warm while enjoying his favorite activities.

After a frigid day of ice climbing, Rose decided to take his venture into his own kitchen to experiment. He first researched spices that warm the body, then bought and cooked them up into different recipes.

When numerous trials started to produce desired results, Rose reached out for help to fine tune his recipe and move Thermal Bar into the production phase.

He turned to Nelson Farms—an entrepreneurial agri-business incubator and food processing facility, operated by Morrisville State College, that helps budding entrepreneurs turn their ideas into marketable products.

He signed on to become a client and was soon working alongside Amanda Hewitt, product development manager.

In October, Rose’s high-energy bar packed with organic grains, nutrients, anti-oxidants, omega acids and spices hit the shelves at 68 Eastern Mountain Sports stores throughout the country.

He’s heating up the shelves locally too, selling Thermal Bar at the Nelson Farms Country Store, at Buyea’s True Value Hardware on Albany Street in Cazenovia, and in the snack bar at Highland Forest County Park in Fabius. They are also available through the Thermal Bar website at thermalbar.com.

Becoming a business owner wasn’t in the plan for Rose who grew up in Syracuse and after college, pursued a career as an engineer. He joined the National Guard in 1968 and become a pilot flying fighter jets, then later piloted planes for Delta Airlines, before officially retiring in 2007.

But sitting idle has never been in the cards for the 65-year-old adventurer who’s still getting used to his role running a business.

“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit,” Rose said. “I’m an inventor and a dreamer and I had this idea (Thermal Bar) that I couldn’t ever give up.”

There were others who shared his tenacity. Among them, Nelson Farms, who he credits with taking his “out of the box” idea under its wing and working with him so it could take flight.

“You would not see my product on the shelves if it wasn’t for Nelson Farms,” Rose said. “Not once did anyone say it wasn’t possible or that I couldn’t do it. They jumped into the project with nothing but support and 100 percent encouragement all of the way.”

“We were working on three things at once: the flavor, warming effect, and making it something that would work with our equipment,” said Hewitt who’s been a part of the facility that’s helped nearly 600 businesses bring more than 400 products to market.

Hewitt, a graduate of Morrisville State College’s dietetic technician program, helped Rose tweak the recipe, working on scientific formulas and the taste. Additional staff at Nelson Farms also provided assistance along the way.

That support never waned even when Rose’s product exceeded Nelson Farms’ equipment capacity.

“We are very proud to assist our clients from the very start to finish to where they are able to get their products produced, packaged and into the marketplace and onto the store shelves,” Dave Evans, director of Nelson Farms, said. “But in this case, to meet these challenges to produce and package this very unique and unusual product, we did not have the exact equipment and therefore could not “fine tune” the product totally for sale. So we recommended a person who could possibly get this accomplished.”

That person was food chemist Dr. Danny Chawan of Srim Enterprises LLC, who further advanced the formulation of Thermal Bar.

“We are very proud to have been instrumental in getting Bob started from the beginning and to be able to work and support him through these years to see his Thermal Bar become such a success,” Evans said.

Word is out about the 230-calorie bar, a mix of carbs, anti-oxidants, omegas and protein that also contains Thermal Blend, a special mix of healthy spices, including grains, soy protein, nuts and oats.

“The effect of our warming spices is the breakthrough element and the basis for our unique performance,” said Rose who consumes a bar whenever he’s ice climbing, ski mountaineering, fishing, or involved in an outside activity.

But outdoor sports enthusiasts aren’t the only ones who can benefit from the bar wrapped in vibrant red and orange packaging designed by Rose’s brother, Don Rose. It’s for anyone who spends a lot of time outside in the cold: construction workers, landscapers, EMTs, hunters, sports fans and anglers.

Rose’s plans for Thermal Bar are heating up and include adding more flavors to his apple cinnamon line and marketing it as product that’s nutritionally beneficial year-round.

Nelson Farms is a unique combination of a business incubator, food product processing facility and hands-on academic classroom. Structured as an LLC of the Morrisville Auxiliary Corporation (MAC), Nelson Farms assists entrepreneurs including Morrisville students and existing private firms with product development, small-scale food processing, marketing and sales and distribution, and is also a Pride of New York distributor for the entire state.

It is located between Cazenovia and Morrisville in the village of Nelson on Route 20 and the corner of Nelson Road.

Franci Valenzano is Public Relations and Nicolas Murphy is marketing assistant at Morrisville State College.

Course Participants learn about large animal safety and management practices at the Morrisville State College Dairy Complex.

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 2012) Do you know youth who are 14-15 years old who want or do work on a farm? If so this course is for them!

The 2012 Agricultural Safety and Certification Program is scheduled to begin in late February. It is against the law for an employer to hire a person less than 16 years of age to operate farm tractors or machinery. An exception is made for the 14- or 15-year-old who has completed this approved safety course.

Even though family members and those over 16 are not required by law to take the course, it is a good idea for any potential new operator. The objective of this course is to reduce the number of injuries and deaths resulting from farm-related accidents, especially with young people in Madison County.

Those who satisfactorily complete the course will receive the certificate, which allows them to work for hire at age 14 and 15. Employers must request a copy of this certificate from young employees.

You must be 14 in order to take this course for a certificate.

Again this year, a special emphasis will be offered involving lawn mowers and other lawn, yard and garden equipment; information gained in this course is applicable to most home and yard work involving younger machinery operators.

In order to qualify for the certificate, participants must attend scheduled class sessions, complete the workbook provided, pass a written exam and complete the practical driving exam. The 4-H Tractor Safety and Certification Course class fee will be $10 for the manual and printed materials. The fee will be collected at the first session.

This program is a cooperative effort of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County, the Madison County FFA Agricultural Programs and Morrisville State College.

Pre-enrollment is required. Contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County 4-H Program, P.O. Box 1209, Eaton Street, Morrisville, N.Y. 13408 or call (315) 684-3001 to enroll or for more information.

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 5, 2012) In a thriller of a contest, the Morrisville State College men’s basketball team converted six straight free throws in the closing seconds to hand the visiting Penn State Harrisburg Nittany Lions a 77-68 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) loss Sunday afternoon in Morrisville.

Morrisville State bumped their record to 14-7 overall and remain undefeated in conference play at 11-0, while the Nittany Lions fell to 17-5 overall, dropping their first contest of the season in NEAC play (10-1).

Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) led all scorers on the day, hitting 6-of-9 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free throw line for a best 21 points, while adding 11 boards. Three additional teammates posted double figures in the victory, including Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y.) with 16, adding 13 rebounds, three steals and five assists in the double-double performance. Mickey Davis (Jamesville, N.Y.) posted 15 points, adding six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while teammate Hodges Sneed (Syracuse, N.Y.) tallied 11 points and grabbed five boards.

Four tallied double digits for the Nittany Lions, led by William Doyle with 17, who hit five from behind the arc. Steve Jones added 13 points and led Harrisburg on the glass with eight boards, also stealing three. Kenton Alston and Jordan Gatchell each contributed 10 in the loss.

Morrisville State got off to a slow start, managing just four points in the first four minutes of the contest, until Ater hit a lay-up to spark a 12-0 run over the next two minutes to claim the 16-8 advantage over the Nittany Lions.

The Mustangs maintained the narrow lead, until Doyle nailed his fourth three of the half to tie the contest at 32 with 1:45 showing on the clock. In a chaotic final 10 seconds of the first, Harrisburg posted a five point halftime lead, converting two free throws on a bench technical, and Doyle a three and the buzzer to send the contest into the break with a 37-32 score.

Harrisburg and Morrisville State played to a back and forth second half until 3:40 to go when Andrew Lucio (Solvay, N.Y.) nailed one from downtown to give the Mustangs the 67-66 lead.

With 54 seconds to go, Doyle converted two free throws to cut the Morrisville State lead to three, but the Mustangs pulled away in the final 36 seconds, as Davis hit both free throws and Ater 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, securing the conference win.

Morrisville State hit 27-of-57 from the floor and 18-of-23 from the free throw line in the contest, holding Harrisburg to just 34.7 percent from the floor in the contest, while controlling the glass 49-36 in the contest.

The Mustangs return to the floor Tuesday at Wells, with a tip scheduled for 5 p.m.

Women fall short in 65-62 final to Harrisburg

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 5, 2012) The Morrisville State College women’s basketball team made a second half comeback attempt, but fell short Sunday afternoon as visiting Penn State Harrisburg edged the Mustangs for the 65-62 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) victory.

Morrisville State drops to 7-13 overall, 6-7 in NEAC play, while Harrisburg improves to 14-6, 12-1 in conference play.

Sophomore forward Nijah Townsend (Bronx, N.Y.) tallied 26 points and gathered 10 rebounds to lead all scorers on the day, while two additional Mustangs posted double figures, including Jennel Paul (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with 17 and Nijee Scott (Bronx, N.Y.) with 10. Scott added seven assists and seven rebounds to the Morrisville State efforts.

Stephanie Yetter paced Harrisburg with 14 points, adding eight rebounds, as teammate Dorthea Dixon added 12 points, four assists and three steals. Monet Cunningham netted 11 points for the Nittany Lions, dishing out four assists while Brittany Guerre rounded out top team scorers with 10 points, five assists.

Morrisville State battled back from a seven point deficit in the first half to claim the 31-30 lead at the break, and got off to a slow start in the second as Harrisburg raced out to a 13 point advantage with less than nine minutes to go in the contest.

Scott cut the Harrisburg lead to three on a lay-up with 5:01 to go, but the Nittany Lions responded with a three to reclaim the six point advantage.

Tierra Hollins-Hill (Bronx, N.Y.) nailed a three to again bring the Mustangs to within three, and Scott added two quick scores to make it a one point game with 3:20 remaining on the clock.

With 10 seconds remaining on the clock, Harrisburg forced a costly Morrisville State turnover, in which Dixon converted both free throws for the three point lead with eight to go.

A three-point attempt by Scott at the buzzer hit off the back of the rim as Harrisburg held on for the conference win.

Morrisville State returns to the floor Tuesday, traveling to Wells College for a 7 p.m. tip.

Women’s basketball holds off Gallaudet University 64, 48

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) Sophomore forward Nijah Townsend (Bronx, NY) led to the Morrisville State College to victory Saturday afternoon over visiting Gallaudet University Bison in Northeastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action, netting a collegiate best 29 points in the 64-48 final.

The Mustangs are now 7-12, 6-6 NEAC while the Bison dropped to 5-14, 3-10 NEAC.

Townsend had a double-double adding 15 rebounds on the day while also having three assists in 34 minutes of play. Nijee Scott (Bronx, NY) knocked down seven points to go with six assists, two steals and 11 rebounds. Both Tierra Hollins-Hill (Bronx, NY) and Jennel Paul (Brooklyn, NY) chipped in eight points.

Britny Latham led Gallaudet with 19 points shooting 50 percent from behind the arc on 5-of-10 trey’s. Stephanie Weiss also chipped in eight points to go with five assists. Claire Tucker added five points in the Bison efforts.

Morrisville State led by one point going into half time 23-22 and came into the second half having a 40 percent field goal percentage and scoring 41 points, including a 9-0 run to pull away and seal the victory.

Hosmer scores lone goal in 8, 1 loss to Oswego State

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) Todd Hosmer (Scarborough, ONT) scored the lone goal for Morrisville State Saturday night in State University of New York Athletic Conference action against #2 Oswego State.

The Oswego State Lakers scored four unanswered goals in the first period with Paul Rodrigues scoring three. Chris Azzano (Oshawa, ONT) had seven saves in the period for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs put on a defensive effort in the second period only allowing one goal by Oswego as Colin Breen (Waterloo, ONT) recorded 26 saves between the pipes in the second period.

The only goal for Morrisville came in the third period from Hosmer, with the assist coming from Alex Tillaart (Ashburn, ONT) and Tom Longland (Dunnville, ONT) while the Lakers had an additional three goals to seal the deal.

Breen recorded the loss in net for the Mustangs recording 35 total saves.

All proceeds from the game event went towards the battle of Multiple Sclerosis.

The Mustangs next play next Saturday Feb., 11 against Manhattanville College at the Clinton Arena in Clinton.

Ater records collegiate best en route to 76-67 victory over Gallaudet

 By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) Sophomore forward Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) recorded a collegiate best 25 points as the Morrisville State College men’s basketball team collected a 76-67 victory over visiting Gallaudet University in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action Saturday afternoon in Morrisville.

Morrisville State improved to 13-7 overall, and remain untouched in conference play with a 10-0 record. Gallaudet drops to 10-10 overall, 7-4 in NEAC action.

Ater came off the bench to lead all scorers, adding 12 rebounds for the double-double, hitting an astounding 11-of-14 from the floor. Ater also recorded an assist and game high three steals. Mickey Davis (Jamesville, N.Y.) had 17 points and 15 rebounds in the win, while Hodges Sneed (Syracuse, N.Y.) and Kyle Gordon (Riverhead, N.Y.) each added eight. Andrew Lucio (Solvay, N.Y.) and Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y.) combined for 11 assists.

Four were in double figures for the Bison, led by Brandon McMillan with 17 points. Jocus Houston added 12, while Tony Tatum and Layton Seeber contributed 11 and 10, respectively.

Both teams got off to a slow until the Mustangs posted back to back scores to jump out to a seven point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first en route to a 37-28 advantage at the half.

In the second, Morrisville State increased their lead to as many as 19 with 9:35 to go, but Gallaudet chipped away and cut the lead to just six with 3:04 to go as McMillan drained one from downtown to cut it to 70-64.

After Hanks hit two free throws to regain a nine point advantage for the Mustangs, Houston converted a three point play for Gallaudet with just over 30 seconds to go in the contest, but Morrisville State was able to secure the win, as Lucio hit 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 3, 2012) Morrisville State’s Tom Longland (Dunnville, ONT) followed his own shot and tallied the game winning goal in the overtime period give the Mustangs a 6-5 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory Friday night over visiting SUNY Cortland in Morrisville.

The Mustangs are now 4-16-1, 3-9-1 in SUNYAC play while the Red Dragons dropped to 5-15-1, 3-8-1 SUNYAC.

Morrisville State had the lead 3-1 after the first period with Geoff Matzel (Chittenango, NY), Curtis Renaud (Carlisle, ONT) and Jamie Nelson (Stratford, ONT) each posting scores; Renaud and Nelson’s on power plays.

In both the second and third periods Cortland State out scored the Mustangs 2-1 with Chris Kaleta posting the game tying goal with 9:17 remaining in the third for Red Dragons.

The Mustangs began the overtime period on a power play and with 3:01 remaining, Longland scooped the puck into the back of the net for the win, with Todd Hosmer (Scarborough, ONT) and Jonathan Cristini (Mississauga, ONT) earning the assists.

Chris Azzano (Oshawa, ONT) recorded the win between the pipes for the Mustangs with 32 saves.  Jeff Molner had 47 saves in net for the Red Dragons.

Pictured from top are Meyer, Tinnirello and Key.

By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 2, 2012)  The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) announced its 2011 Fall SUNYAC All-Academic Team and Commissioner’s List, naming Morrisville State College field hockey student-athletes Rebecca Meyer (Morrisville, N.Y.), Julia Key (Newark Valley, N.Y.) and Alexis Tinnirello (West Islip, N.Y.) to its All-Academic Team.

To be eligible for SUNYAC All-Academic team recognition the nominated student-athlete must have a fall semester grade point average of 3.3 or higher.

Meyer started all 18 games for the Mustangs at forward and was second on the team in scoring this season, tallying four goals and four assists for 12 team points, earning All-SUNYAC Second Team honors.

The graduate of Morrisville-Eaton Central is majoring in criminal justice at Morrisville State. She is the daughter of Nancy Pistley and Ed Meyer of Morrisville.

Key appeared in 17 games for Morrisville State this season, starting three at defense.

The graduate of Newark Valley Central is majoring in criminal justice at Morrisville State. She is the daughter of Karen and Steve Key of Newark Valley.

Tinnirello appeared in 17 games for the Mustangs at defense this season, starting 16, while posting two defensive saves.

The graduate of West Islip High is majoring in food service administration at Morrisville State. She is the daughter of Irene and Alex Tinnirello of West Islip.

By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information

(Keuka Park, NY – Feb. 1, 2012) The Morrisville State College women’s basketball team got off to a slow start in the first half and was unable to recover as they fell 67-51 in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action to Keuka College Wednesday night in Keuka.

Morrisville State drops to 6-10 overall, 5-6 in NEAC play, while the Storm improve to 11-5, 9-3 in conference action.

Three netted double figures for the Mustangs, led by Dyshea Smiley (Harlem, N.Y.) with 12 points, nailing 4-of-6 from downtown. Smiley also added four assists and six steals in the Morrisville State efforts, while Nijee Scott (Bronx, N.Y.) added 11 points, leading the team with six rebounds, and stealing three. Nijah Townsend (Bronx, N.Y.) had 10 points.

Danielle Gravel led all scorers with 17 points on the night for the Storm, including three from behind the arc, while teammate Mariah Mouzon contributed 16 points and had a team high seven rebounds. Jessica Bandrowski had 10 points for Keuka, dishing out five assists.

Keuka raced out to an early 16-6 lead just six minutes in, and continued to dominate the Mustangs offensively as they held the 40-20 advantage after the first twenty, hitting 15-of-27 from the floor (55.6 percent) while Morrisville State converted just 9-of-28 shots (32.1).

In the second, Keuka quickly built up a 25 point lead, before Morrisville State rallied for a 10-0 run early on to cut the deficit to 15 in an attempt to make a comeback on the Storm.

Morrisville State’s efforts fell short, however, as Keuka held on for the conference win.

The Mustangs return to the floor Saturday, hosting Gallaudet University at 3 p.m. in the John W. Stewart Center for Student Activities Gymnasium on the Morrisville State campus.

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 1, 2012) Visiting Morrisville State College men’s basketball remained undefeated netting their ninth conference win of the season Wednesday evening, in an 83-53 rout of host Keuka College in Keuka.

The Mustangs are now 12-7 overall and 9-0 in Northeastern Athletic Conference play (NEAC), while Keuka dropped to 5-13, 5-6 in the NEAC.

Mickey Davis (Syracuse, NY) led the charge for the Mustangs scoring 25 points in 29 minutes of play; adding six rebounds and one block on the evening. Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, NY) and Ryan Jameson (Greenwich, NY) each added nine points while Ater grabbed six boards and two blocks.

Teddy Tuggles led the Storm in both points and rebounds with nine and eight respectively while Connor Boyer added seven points. Joe Tortolon, Coty Paige and Joe Johnson all had one block for the Storm.

Morrisville State led 17-16 nine minutes in before posting an 11-1 run midway through the first half en route to a 43-23 lead at the half, shooting 16-for-31 from the floor (51.7 percent).

The Mustangs opened the second half on a 9-2 run in the first two minutes of the period, with all nine points from Davis, as Keuka struggled to come within striking distance.

Morrisville State outshot the Storm 49 to 26 percent on the night, nailing 10-of-24 from behind the arc, and capping off 11-of-14 from the free throw line.

The Mustangs are back in action Saturday, hosting Gallaudet University in a conference game at 1 p.m.