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to be able to afford the increased costs of the medicines and vaccines we have to purchase so when these animals are adopted it’s with an absolute clean bill of health.”

Knowing that those who want to support Wanderers’ Rest all possess varying degrees of cycling aptitude and fitness, Ivers created three rides: a two-day, 90-mile Madison Meander from Chittenango to Hamilton and back; a casual 16-mile ride from that Madison County village to Poolville and Earlville and back, called the Tri-City Ramble; or a 13-mile Hamilton Classic, “for the racing crazies,” according to Ivers.

“There is a handful of cyclists who want to zip up and down. I don’t know why they’re in such a hurry,” Ivers joked. “Some people can’t give up two days and an overnight and they don’t want to do 90 miles of hills; I guess I don’t blame them.”

The first 45 miles of the Madison Meander begins on Saturday, June 25, near Chittenango Falls, overnights at Colgate University and returns to Chittenango on Sunday, June 26. Riders register for $25 and raise $250. The shorter rides require $50 in funds raised after a $10 registration fee.

“There is a lot of history on that ride,” Ivers noted of the Madison Meander. “We bike along a stretch of the Erie Canal from Wampsville to Canastota, through Peterboro, and onto Hamilton. I’m a Colgate alum; I love showing off the place. Madison County is just an awesome, beautiful, safe place to cycle. The scenery is ever-changing.”

While the ride does have its share of hills, nothing is too daunting, and a support van will always follow the group should problems arise. The van, driven by a registered nurse who is also a cyclist and a body builder, will set up water stops along the way and portage overnight bags to Hamilton. “If you break down, just throw the bike in the van and people will help get you back on the road,” Ivers noted.

The other two rides begin and end on the village green in Hamilton on Saturday. Signin is at 1 p.m., with the rides slated to begin at 2 p.m. All three rides will convene on the green for a barbecue from 4 to 6 p.m. with music from Tommy Hoe and the Barncats. To register, or for more information on all three rides, visit www.wanderersride.org.

—Georgia Williams

Bait Bait . . . Don’t Tell Me!

The expression “give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach him out to fish and he’ll eat forever” goes into practice this weekend when the state Department of Environmental Conservation holds free fishing days. Well, sort of: These days are catch-and-release events, and Onondaga Lake fish shouldn’t be eaten, but the skills learned can translate to other angling opportunities. Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, mark the seventh annual Free Fishing Weekend during which families can fish at Willow Bay in Onondaga Lake Park with no license required.

Saturday’s event features a carp tournament, while Sunday’s is the Family Fun Fishing Derby, marking 25 years of both catching lunkers and raising awareness of the gradual improvement to Onondaga Lake. Both events will be catch and release, with more than $2,000 in prizes awarded after the carp are weighed and measured.

“Fifty years ago, there were maybe five types of fish in Onondaga Lake,” said Albert Daher, who manages the weekend. “Now, there are approximately 50. We want to raise awareness and get people to reconnect to the community.”

That awareness is important for Central New York’s self-esteem. “You’ve heard the jokes,” Daher said, referring to those that trash talk the lake. “We not only have to restore the resources, we have to restore the pride.”

This year, new educational components on Sunday include DEC staffers speaking about conservation issues, and how people can help. A “learn to fish” table will also be set up in which tips on how to catch bass and carp will be shared.

In the past, this event has drawn 80 participants on average for the carp tournament, and more than 100 for the fishing derby. Others come just to enjoy the show and peruse the informational tables. Tickets are available at Griffin Visitor Center, 106 Lake Drive, Liverpool; Mickey’s Live Bait & Tackle, 715 South Bay Road, North Syracuse; or at the event. The carp tournament costs $10/adult, $5/under 15. Sunday’s derby is $2 and $1. For more information, call 247-4315.

—Emily Longeretta

The Name Game

In 1988, Sean Quigley started working at the tavern at 1417 W. Genesee St., in the Tipperary Hill basin and next door to The New Times offices. Then it was called Smitty’s No Place. It had previously operated as the Half Time, and would later be called Joker’s, JD’s, the Mill and Six Strings. After almost 13 years operating Quigley’s on Hanover Square, Sean is back working at the West Side location, hoping to bring it back from a decline to its former status as a good neighborhood bar.

“You have to be consistent with your hours, your service and pay attention to the clientele,” he reflected, reviewing plans for an upcoming grand opening. “If trouble comes in, let them know it’s not wanted here.”

At Hanover Square, Quigley’s, initially known as a “cop bar,” evolved into the most diverse clientele among downtown watering holes, especially at outside tables on warm summer nights. Quigley believes he can recreate that crowd on the West Side, attracting them with events such as pool tournaments, with four teams already signed up for the fall.

“The beauty of it is it has the same kind of atmosphere we had there,” added Sean’s wife Kim, “which was different than the usual downtown fare. What was different was ‘those people,’ as they were called. Every walk of life was welcome, from janitors to judges. And everyone got along. {This new bar} is a place where a 70-something can sit and have a beer with a 20-something, and they’re both learning from each other.”

According to Quigley, there will be a tavern menu at night, and lunch during the day.

Already an Internet jukebox is installed and functioning, allowing any musical taste to be satisfied. Problem is, the bar has no name.

“Back in the day,” Kim said, having talked with elderly gentlemen who were present at its founding, “when it opened it was raining, and neighborhood folks passing by looking to get a beer were saying, ‘any old port in the storm will do.’ So they called it the Old Port.” As a highlight of the grand opening, the Quigleys have announced a Name That Irish Bar contest, and have received more than 100 sug-