Hydro and seek: Check out high-speed aquatic racing at this weekend’s Hyrdrofest at Onondaga Lake Park.

From dukes and dames to wenches and beggars, the Sterling Renaissance Festival has a whole cast of characters to introduce this year. The festival’s 32nd season starts this Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 13, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., at its grounds on 15385 Farden Road in Sterling. Under new owner Doug Waterbury of Ontario Realty (owner of Santa’s Workshop in Wilmington), the festival will see new and more performances while retaining its old-world charm. Visitors who step back in time to the English Renaissance can enjoy the famous mile-high cakes and one-pound turkey legs, experience leather artisans and blacksmiths, and enjoy the festival’s many other sensory attractions. The festival runs every Saturday and Sunday through Aug. 17. Tickets are $22 for adults, $10 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for ages 5 and under. Call (800) 879-4446 for more information.

Mac’s Bad Art Bar, 1799 Brewerton Road, Mattydale (455-7223) has the area’s best live entertainment every Friday and Saturday night. Stop in Tuesdays for karaoke, Wednesdays for acoustic shows and Thursdays for open mike night. Mac’s kitchen is open from 3 p.m. to midnight and fetures Gooner’s famous popcorn chicken, a wide variety of wings, burgers, wraps and more. Half-priced menu Monday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Friday afternoons, 3 to 6.Band listings available at www.macsbadartbar.com, www.myspace.com/macsbadartbar, and in the Syracuse New Times Club Dates listings. We sponsor a wide variety of recreational league teams; ask us about your team.

Lebowski’s Sports Bar & Grill is the real deal. This neighborhood pub is home of the original grilled wings. Daily specials range from Mexican Mondays to fresh beer-battered haddock on Fridays in addition to the comprehensive menu. You won’t leave hungry. The entire menu is available for takeout or free delivery. In true neighborhood bar style, Lebowski’s, 6556 Lakeshore Road, Cicero (699-9410), sponsors leagues from softball to darts to pool. Five televisions and 30 cent wing specials during all games make it the perfect spot watch any sporting event. Karaoke on Friday nights and live entertainment every Saturday night.

Meghan MacMurphy’s is one of Liverpool’s newest additions. The food is excellent and they have an always-expanding menu, from homemade soups and classic reubens to mouth-watering steaks, you will be satisfied in any choice you make. We recommend the Chicken Tings. If you like the nightlife, you have arrived at the right place. We offer karaoke Thursday and Friday nights and live bands on Saturdays. Join us after work all summer long for our Party on the Patio with live bands and great drink specials. Meghan MacMurphy’s, 7990 Oswego Road (Route 57), Liverpool (546-2500), is a great place to relax and meet up with old friends. Cheers!

Consider the Gathering Lounge, 7871 Oswego Road (Route 57), Liverpool (652-9870), your home away from home. We have the best drink specials around. Join us for happy hour with a huge, free buffet every day or for free pool every Wednesday night. Every Saturday night is Team Annie Night, starting at 1 a.m. Come see what the fun is all about and get free stuff. Or join us the last Saturday of each month for our all-you-can-eat barbecue.    

The area’s premier live entertainment destination just four miles north of Great Northern Mall. The best bands flock to Monirae’s, 668 County Route 10, Pennellville (668-1248; www.myspace.com/moniraes), every weekend; classic rock, modern rock, country and more are featured. Two full-service bars and top-shelf bartenders to serve you. State-of-the-art draft beer system with six beers on tap daily. Hosting monthly comedy nights with hysterical comedians including Dr. Dirty, who insists on returning to the venue. If a quiet dinner is what you fancy, Monirae’s delivers with its cozy private dining room and full menu including prime rib, pasta, seafood and dessert. Takeout available. Pizza and sandwich shop serves home-cooked lunches daily.

 

 

Citrus flavors are just the beginning of beers that taste like they were brewed in an orchard By Tom Kahley Over the past 10 years or so, it’s become nearly impossible to walk into a coffee shop and order a regular “coffee-flavored” coffee without the barista first asking if you’d like to try a venti-sized java-chip raspberry tuna-flavored frappuccino, or something like that. And now, the last liquid frontier where men were still men, and women were more inclined to drink wine has merged into a full-blown metrosexual taste-land.

Go green at the same time you're going bar-hopping; you'll feel better the next morning By Deirdre Fulton

Why drink organic booze? Aside from fewer pesticides meaning healthier farms and healthier humans, there might be a more practical reason: fewer, or less-aggressive, hangovers. As someone who suffers from mean mornings-after, this is great news. Some medical experts say that methanol—a toxin, and a byproduct of alcohol fermentation—makes for more intense hangovers because it breaks down in our bodies as (toxic) formic acid. There are small amounts of methanol in all alcoholic drinks, but you’ll find fewer in organic spirits. So, those higher-quality ingredients aren’t just saving the planet—they’re also saving your liver.