Life in the Finger Lakes magazine freelance writer and photographer John Adamski and I went back and forth numerous times, trying to decide what is the best time of year to publish an article about the turkey.
As most of you know, the iconic image of a turkey gobbler with its tail fanned out and it’s colorful head is a common theme for Thanksgiving, which of course is celebrated the last Thursday in November in the United States. Many people through the years have had the misconception that the turkey looks like this during autumn, but the truth is that the gobbler poses like this during mating season, which occurs in the spring.
Spring is technically the best time of year to “talk turkey” because of the mating season, but the bird has become such a part of the holiday season that we decided to go with popularity and present an article in the November/December issue. John’s knowledge of the outdoors is surpassed by a few, and his in-depth article on turkeys is a must read (see page 50).
To go along with a holiday theme, Nancy McCarthy gathered the work of 12 regional artists and wrote a piece called “Twelve Days of Christmas: A Dozen Handcrafted Holiday Gift Ideas. (See page 18). Unique artwork and crafts make for special and creative gifts that can’t be found in a big box store. A purchase of a gift from one of these artizanns can add the special qualities of the Finger Lakes to your holiday celebration.
The 16th Annual Photo Contest has again inspired photographers from all over to contribute some truly wonderful work. I’ve had photographers relate to me that the yearly contest motivates them to hone their photography skills in order to take that one special image that may be an award winner! There are hundreds of entries that are excellent, yet there are only a few awards available. This always makes for a challenging time, because I’d like to have everyone win some kind of award.
This year, I’d like to publish my Editor’s Choice award. The above photo was taken by Dick Berry of Rochester and depicts people looking up at a glowing balloon at the New York State Festival of Balloons in Dansville. Most of the balloon is not shown, but the implied object of what everyone is looking at lends a sense of mystery to the image.
It is a privilege for us to publish this magazine for our readers. We’ve had an enjoyable year and we’re looking forward to the possibilities for 2018.
by Mark Stash, mark@lifeinthefingerlakes.com
