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The recent sale of a home in Scipio is believed to have set a new local real estate record.
The four-bedroom, four-bathroom house at 35 Fire Lane 24 sold in April for $2,150,000, which may be the most expensive sale of a home on Owasco Lake in history.
The Cayuga County Office of Real Property Services told The Citizen it has no higher sale prices in its records.
According to the office, the previous most expensive sale of a home on the lake was 6653 E. Lake Road in the town of Owasco, which sold for $1,200,000 in 2007. The home at 363 Cottonwood Lane sold for $1,125,000 in 2015, and was sold along with the neighboring property at 367 Cottonwood Lane, which sold for an additional $300,000.
Karissa Thompson of The Real Estate Agency sold the home on behalf of previous owners the Buhl family. They custom-built the 4,200-square-foot home in 2013, the agency told The Citizen. The family put the home in the market in hopes of downsizing, and after 46 days the home went under contract to a couple from New York City with ties to the area.
Other highlights of the Scipio home include views of Owasco Lake through floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors, as well as 154 feet of waterfront. The home also has solar panels, a covered porch and deck, an outdoor shower and a double-sided fireplace. In its listing, the Real Estate Agency called the home a "truly private sanctuary and oasis."
The sale closed as the real estate market continues a surge that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the New York State Association of Realtors, median home sale prices reached $480,000 in May, an increase of 35.2% from the previous year and the 25th straight month the figure has increased year-over-year.
The home at 35 Fire Lane 24 in Scipio, overlooking Owasco Lake, recently sold for $2,150,000.
Mike Fantasia had just wrapped "Top Gun: Maverick."
In the Auburn native's 30-plus years as a Hollywood location manager, the Tom Cruise blockbuster was maybe his biggest, most challenging production yet.
Now, well into his 60s, Fantasia was ready to retire.
He considered hanging up his camera before scouting the deserts and mountains where "Maverick's" thrilling flight scenes were filmed. But the movie was so satisfying, he decided to make it his last.
"Everything you want in a movie is in that movie," Fantasia told The Citizen over the phone Tuesday from Los Angeles. "Every day, I wanted to go to work."
Then he got a call from a friend. Then another call. Then another, and another.
They wanted to know if Fantasia was interested in working on the next movie by Martin Scorsese.
Retirement would have to wait.
"How does a Sicilian guy from New York say no to working with Martin Scorsese?" Fantasia said with a laugh.
The movie, the crime drama "Killers of the Flower Moon," is scheduled for release in November. Due to COVID-19, it took two and a half years to make. Production finished in Oklahoma in September, followed by one scene in May that Scorsese wanted to film during springtime. Amazing as it was to work with the director all that time, Fantasia said, the work itself was arduous. From the delays of the pandemic to the 110-degree heat and unbearable humidity, the production finally made him say to himself, "I'm done." As soon as it wrapped, he filed his retirement papers.
With that, the 66-year-old Auburn native concluded a career that since 1989 has spanned 36 movies, taken him to 25 states and 20 countries, and brought him into the company of Cruise, Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Robert Redford and more legendary filmmakers. Looking back on his life in Hollywood, Fantasia said it's the people, famous and non, that he'll miss the most.
"Making movies is tough. Most of us are just blue collar people," he said. "It's a very collaborative process, even with the Spielbergs and Scorseses. It's our job to help them accomplish their vision."
After graduating from Auburn High School in 1973 and attending what's now Cayuga Community College, Fantasia was working for the U.S. Forestry Service in Libby, Montana, when his movie career started. Spielberg came to town to film his 1989 fantasy drama "Always," giving Fantasia his first credit as the service's liaison to the production. Meanwhile, he got to know its location manager. Realizing he had the skills for the job — appraising property, reviewing legal agreements — he said he "bugged her for awhile" about helping him break into the industry.
Fantasia resigned from the Forestry Service in January 1991. Most of his first movies were filmed in the Northwest, such as "A River Runs Through It" and "Free Willy," but before long the world became his workplace. His first production with Cruise was "Jerry Maguire," he won a California on Location Award for "Memoirs of a Geisha," and he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with "Ant-Man."
Among the movies Fantasia is most proud of is "Catch Me If You Can," one of five collaborations with Spielberg, which the Auburn native called "almost a perfect film." Other highlights include "Seabiscuit" and "3:10 to Yuma." The latter required him and the crew to remove hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of a record New Mexico snowfall from what was supposed to be a desert set.
There are some movies Fantasia is less proud of, he said with a laugh, but none he completely regrets.
"If I'm not proud of the whole movie, I'm happy I worked on it for various reasons," he said. "There's something about every movie that brings a smile to my face."
Between "Always" and "Ant-Man," the tools of location managers changed greatly with technology. When Fantasia started, he would take photos with a 35 mm camera, paste them into panoramas and FedEx them overnight to the director. He wouldn't get their feedback for days. With digital photography, cellphones, Google Earth and more, though, that remove would all but disappear.
Likewise, the technology of green screens and LED video walls has been perceived as a threat to the work of Fantasia and his peers. But that perception overlooks just how the technology works, he said. On 2014's "Godzilla," for instance, director Gareth Edwards hired Fantasia to spend a year researching and scouting not locations for filming actors, but backgrounds for visual effects.
"You still have to have something to put on top of the green screen," he said. "So you still need locations."
Mike Fantasia stands on the set of the Hard Deck Bar from "Top Gun: Maverick." Next to him is a picture of his father, U.S. Army Air Corps Tech Sgt. Emilio Fantasia, that the filmmakers included in the set, which was built on the beach at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
For "Top Gun: Maverick," Fantasia navigated both the older and newer ways of doing his job. He chose the sequel over retirement for a few reasons, he said. Along with him being a major fan of the first "Top Gun," his father, Emilio Fantasia, flew 33 missions over Europe as a B-24 nose and waist gunner during World War II. Any last convincing he needed came from his wife, Judy.
Once he boarded the production, Fantasia began working closely with the Navy to figure out flight paths. The movie's story called for specific topography for each aerial scene, he said, and he had to find that topography in a 300-page book of every low-level military training route in the country. So he plotted coordinates in Google Earth, obtained clearance from the Navy and took to the sky in a 120 mph helicopter. A crew on the ground created storyboards using the video Fantasia captured, and sometimes guided the pilot toward geography they thought would look good on screen.
Fantasia's mission was locating the most visually incredible scenery possible for the production to safely film Cruise and his castmates in flight. That scenery would include Death Valley, China Lake and other parts of central California. The climax was set near North Cascades National Park in Washington, the result of a harrowing wintertime helicopter ride over millions of desolate acres.
For all the technology used to scout those locations, few scenes in the movie used green screens. Cruise insisted on being in the cockpit of his F-18, Fantasia said, at 600 mph.
"I came to really appreciate the kind of filmmaker Tom is. He knows what audiences want," he said. "I've worked with thousands of filmmakers and nobody works harder than him."
If the work Fantasia contributed to "Maverick" didn't make it one of the most rewarding productions of his career, the overwhelming response to it did. The sequel has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide so far, and received almost unanimously positive reviews from critics. Friends who work in movies have been approaching Fantasia with raves as well.
He made many of those friends on sets, he said, and as part of guilds and other industry groups. In retirement, he looks forward to seeing them more. He and Judy plan to travel, and split time between their homes in California and Montana. Fantasia also looks forward to returning to the Finger Lakes for the first time in a few years. There's no better place to be in the summer, he said.
If anyone knows that, it's a Hollywood location manager.
"I know how lucky I am," he said. "There aren't a lot of 66-year-old location managers running around. It's a young person's game now."
Mike Fantasia stands on the set of the Hard Deck Bar from "Top Gun: Maverick." Next to him is a picture of his father, U.S. Army Air Corps Tech Sgt. Emilio Fantasia, that the filmmakers included in the set, which was built on the beach at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
Mike Fantasia on the set of "Always" in Montana in 1989.
Mike Fantasia at Tom Ford's Ranch in Galisteo, New Mexico, working on "3:10 to Yuma" in 2007. The area had gotten the most snow in decades, forcing Fantasia and the crew to remove hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of snow from the set and replace it with dirt.
Mike Fantasia speaking at an Association of Film Commissioners International Locations Show.
Mike Fantasia in a rock pile during the filming of "Seabiscuit."
Mike Fantasia working on "Top Gun: Maverick."
Mike Fantasia working on the Empire State Building.
A 24-year-old racing competitor from Pennsylvania was killed in a crash at Weedsport Speedway on Saturday night.
Ryan Varnes was racing in an American Flat Track series event at the speedway in Cayuga County when he was involved in a crash, according to AMA Pro Racing, the Daytona Beach, Florida-based organization that operates the series. Emergency personnel responded and transported Varnes to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where he was pronounced dead.
“The Varnes family has been a staple in the flat track community for decades, and they need our prayers during this difficult time,” said Gene Crouch, chief operating officer of AMA Pro Racing. “Ryan was the class of the field, both on track and off track. His bright smile, perpetual optimism and loyal friendship will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
AMA said Varnes "had made the selfless decision to register as an organ donor. His spirit will live on not just in our memories and in the record books, but also by extending the lives of others in dire need."
Rookies of '79, a charity that support injured motorcyclists, has established a memorial fund in Varnes' name. Visit rookies79.com to learn more.
“We extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the Varnes family, all of their friends and everyone that has been affected by this situation,” said Al Heinke, owner Weedsport Speedway.
From Auburn to Fair Haven, Owasco Lake to Lake Ontario, the Fourth of July will be celebrated all this weekend in Cayuga County.
Festivities in Fair Haven will begin Thursday, June 30.
Highlights of the celebration, presented by the Save Our Fourth Association, will include a mile-long parade along Main Street at 7 p.m. Thursday, the Bayside Cruisers Classic Car Show on South Lake Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the traditional wall of fire at 9:15 p.m. Saturday, fireworks at 10 p.m. Saturday and the traditional boat parade on Little Sodus Bay at noon Monday.
Musical performances in the northern Cayuga County village this weekend will include Prime Time Horns from 8:30 p.m. to midnight, Skipping Stones from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and the Larry Kyle Duo from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, all at the Church Street pavilion. There will also be a band concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at Village Park.
Saturday, the busiest day of the celebration in Fair Haven, will begin with the annual 5K and walk to support Hospice of the Finger Lakes at 9 a.m. at the Church Street pavilion, with signup beginning at 8 a.m. for all ages. The day will also include a children's parade at 12:30 p.m. beginning at the fire department.
Additionally, the Save Our Fourth Association will present food trucks and a beer tent from 4 p.m. to midnight Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Church Street pavilion. Also at the pavilion will be a chicken barbecue at 5 p.m. Thursday, 4 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. In Village Park, there will be a craft fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. And a carnival with ride specials at the pavilion will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.
For more information about the Save Our Fourth Association's July 4 events in Fair Haven, visit facebook.com/fairhavensofa.
Fireworks at Emerson Park in 2021.
In the Auburn area, Fourth of July festivities will include the traditional symphony performance by Symphoria at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 3, at the Emerson Park Pavilion. The event's rain date is July 10. It will be the first year since 2019 the fireworks have taken place the eve of July 4, as last year the event was postponed to August due to COVID-19. For more information, visit cayugacounty.us.
On July 4, Paul Saltarello, of Auburn, will host his annual radio concert celebrating Independence Day from 9 a.m. to noon on WDWN, 89.1 FM Auburn and 97.7 FM Fulton. The program will consist of traditional John Philip Sousa marches, Broadway showtunes, Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" and other classical selections, all with a patriotic theme. It will be broadcast from Cayuga Community College as a community service. The program will also be available on wdwn.fm and on Facebook. To contact the station during the program, call (315) 253-0449.
Also July 4, the Owasco Fire Department at 7174 Owasco Road will host its annual chicken barbecue and parade from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu includes chicken, barbecue beans, salt potatoes and a cookie for $15, and food will be available until it is sold out. The parade will begin at 1 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church. For more information, visit facebook.com/owascofd.
That night, Owasco Lake will have its own ring of fire, as a new effort titled "Light Up Owasco Lake" is encouraging property owners to illuminate the shoreline with LED flares and bonfires at 9:30 p.m. The effort is being organized by the "Owasco Lake, NY Homeowners' Community" Facebook group, which said in a news release that such an effort has not been done for several years.
LED flares are available at Wegmans, and $1 from each sale will be donated to the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council. Spectators are also welcome.
For more information, email lightupowasco@gmail.com.
Symphoria performs before the fireworks display at Emerson Park.
People clap at the end of a piece during Symphoria's performance before the fireworks display at Emerson Park.
Symphoria entertains a large gathering before the fireworks display at Emerson Park in 2021.
Boaters wait for the fireworks at Emerson Park.
Kids pass the time playing soccer as they wait for the Emerson Park fireworks display.
Jerry Sheridan plays with a sparkler before the fireworks display at Emerson Park held Aug. 8, 2021. The county rescheduled the show from the traditional July 3 date due to state COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.
Glow sticks before the Emerson Park fireworks display.
Emily Renahan watches the fireworks with her mother, Jennifer, and her brother, Jake, at Emerson Park.
Fireworks at Emerson Park in 2021.
Gwen Rosekrans watches the fireworks with Steffan Saxby, kids Avery and Leia and the family dog, Stella, at Emerson Park.
Watching the fireworks at Emerson Park.
Golf success is often determined by consistency, and few possess that quality to the same degree as Union Springs' Luke Parker.
While most at his age — or any age — would be happy to score in the 40s, such a card would be considered an off day for the Wolves sophomore.
Thanks to his play, Union Springs was able to capture the IAC and Section IV championship for the first time in 40 years. The Wolves' IAC victory was also their second straight, a first-time accomplishment for the program.
Round after round this spring, Parker turned in his scorecard with a total somewhere in the 30s. In 13 regular season matches, he was Union Springs' medalist nine times.
Parker said his strength on the course differs from week to week. The key to his success, Parker thinks, is his mind.
"I'm not that consistent of a golfer, but I think (my strength) is my mental game," Parker said. "I don't get too mad. I just tell myself to stay patient and know I'll figure it out."
Coach Todd Salls' scouting report on Parker is well-rounded. He complimented his ability as a ball striker, but believes he's at his best around the greens and with his putter.
His personality, according to Salls, is that of a quiet leader.
"If the other kids on the team are looking for guidance, they go to him. If they're looking for someone to golf with, he's who they go to," Salls said. "In the summer I know he's the catalyst in getting some of the guys out to play. It's great to have a leader like him.
"He's always been a real hard worker."
For many high school golfers in New York state, early-season scores can be unpredictable as the weather limits preseason practice time. Arguably the two worst rounds of Parker's regular season came in the first two matches of the year, when he scored a 43 against Odessa-Montour on April 5 and a 45 at Southern Cayuga on April 20.
Only once in the remaining 11 regular season matches did his score reach the 40s.
Salls pinpoints two specific matches when Parker impressed him the most, and both came against Dryden. Parker matched up with the Lions' Patrick O'Neill, whom Salls called one of Section IV's top golfers, and outplayed him. He carded a 36 for even-par in the first meeting on April 26, and shot a 38 the next time in May.
"I like when our golfers go against other good individuals and rise to the occasion," Salls said. "He shot in the high 30s in both matches and I was proud of him for that, standing up to a senior and outscoring him both times."
With Parker leading the way, the Wolves reeled off 12 straight wins to start the regular season. It wasn't until the regular season finale against another unbeaten team, Lansing, that Union Springs suffered its first loss.
At the IAC championships at Soaring Eagles Golf Club in Horseheads, Parker finished second overall with an 86. Sectional play, to his own admission, was more of a struggle. Though the Wolves exited Delhi the team championship, Parker's score dipped to a 91.
"No, my score wasn't what I wanted. It was a rough day," Parker said. "That course you've got to have a lot of patience. It takes 18 holes of golf. I need to get off to a better start."
With his junior and senior seasons still ahead, Parker will have more chances to excel at individual sectionals. Though Salls declined to make specific predictions regarding Parker's future — including potential state championship appearances — he expects the pristine work ethic to continue.
"I know Luke will work hard to be the best golfer he can be," Salls said. "He'll do as well as he can, I know that."
First responders from multiple agencies worked together to rescue five people from a burning apartment building at 42 South St. around 11:00 p…
Read through the obituaries published in The Citizen
Read through the obituaries published in The Citizen
Read through the obituaries published in The Citizen
Read through the obituaries published in The Citizen
Read through the obituaries published in The Citizen
Read through the obituaries published in The Citizen
Browse through recently listed homes in the Auburn and Cayuga County real estate market and find your next home!
Read through the obituaries published in The Citizen
The Citizen's top five most-read stories of the work week.
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