Thursday Thoughts: Small Towns. Big Celebrations. One Crooked Lake.™

Thursday Thoughts:

Small Towns. Big Celebrations. One Crooked Lake.™

Sometimes Mother Nature reminds us that even the best-laid plans need a little rewriting.

Today's script was supposed to include plenty of strolling through our favorite small towns, lingering in local shops, and soaking up another beautiful summer day around Keuka Lake. But Mother Nature had other ideas. Instead of gentle sunshine, she's ushering in a full-fledged heat wave. Around here, we've learned that sometimes the wisest thing to do is simply embrace the change and let the day write a new chapter.

So... new plans!

My partner in Keuka adventures is back from Pennsylvania, and we're kicking off America's 250th Independence Weekend somewhere that feels perfectly fitting—the Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport.

What better place to begin than by celebrating one of America's greatest innovators? Glenn Curtiss never seemed content with the ordinary. Whether it was a bicycle, a motorcycle, or an airplane, he was always looking toward what came next. His spirit of curiosity and invention helped shape not only Hammondsport's history but America's story as well.

After exploring the museum, we're turning the day into a little Keuka Roots™ scavenger hunt.

Just how many reminders of Glenn Curtiss—and his legendary June Bug—can we discover around Keuka Lake?

Will it be a monument? A historic marker? A mural? A museum exhibit? Maybe even a hidden reference tucked away where most people simply walk by without noticing. Sometimes the best adventures aren't the ones we carefully plan—they're the ones that unfold one discovery at a time.

And don't worry... we'll be sharing every clue we uncover along the way.

Later this afternoon, we'll make our way to the beautiful Point of the Bluff Vineyards for our Keuka Roots™ Meet-Up, where friends old and new will gather to celebrate everything we love about this remarkable region. Add live music by States Apart, great conversation, and a vineyard overlooking Keuka Lake, and I'd say that's a pretty wonderful way to begin Independence Day weekend.

As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of freedom, I'm reminded that our nation's story lives not only in famous cities and battlefields, but also in places like Hammondsport—where innovation took flight, where history still surrounds us, and where every small town continues to write the next chapter of the American story.

Here's to celebrating America... one small town at a time.

❤️🤍💙



Keuka Roots™ Meet-Up at Point of the Bluff

Help Us Kick Off America's 250th Independence Weekend!

🎶 Live Music by States Apart

Join us for an evening of music, conversation, and community as we celebrate everything we love about Keuka Lake.

✨ Stop by the Keuka Roots™ table to:

• 👋 Say hello

• 📖 Share your favorite Keuka story

• 🤝 Meet fellow Keuka lovers

• 🎁 Enter to win ONE OF TWO specially curated Keuka Roots™ Gift Baskets filled with some of our favorite locally made and locally loved treasures—everything Keuka!

Whether you're a lifelong local or visiting for the holiday weekend, we'd love to meet you.

📅 Thursday, July 2

📍 Point of the Bluff Vineyards

🕔 5:00–8:00 PM

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be announced during the event.

Stay Rooted. Stay Keuka.™

Click on the recipe cards to download! Here's to America!