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Acoustic alchemy by Zingology Swingin’ string band plays at LPL Sunday By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer One of Upstate New York’s best acoustic bands has released a couple compact discs overflowing with joyful jive and jitterbug dance tunes. Zingology, an Ithaca acoustic combo led by guitarist Brain Keeler, will play a free concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at Liverpool Public Library. A painter and gallery owner, Keeler is one of the most accomplished visual artists in New York State. He’s also a gifted guitarist and an accomplished jitterbugger who has blended those two musical passions into a buoyant dance band. Last year, his swingin’ septet, Zingology, issued its second compact disc, this one a 12-track set called “On the Boulevard.” Inspired by the 1930s and ’40s music of Roma guitarist Django Reinhardt, Zingology features Keeler on guitar, Ted Caldwell on upright bass, Brian Earle on clarinet, Greg
Ezra on drums, Art Godin and Wayne Gottleib on guitar and Joanna Green on violin. The Django Reinhardt tunes they cover are the instrumentals “Douce Ambiance,” “Minor Blues” and “Hungaria.” While those non-vocal tunes let soloists such as the venerable clarinetist Brian Earle a chance to stand out, the band’s two singers breathe new life into other more familiar songs. Wayne Gottlieb croons “Bei Mir Bist du Schon,” “Black Orpheus” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.” Meanwhile, fiddler Joanna Green vocalizes “Exactly Like You,” “The Man I Love,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “What is This Thing Called Love?” and “Pennies From Heaven.” Pennies may be made from copper, but Zingology turns it all into gold. Sunday’s concert is part of the library’ fall concert series, Swing This. The series will continue with the Westcott Jug Suckers
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Zingology, an acoustic combo from Ithaca, will play a free concert of swing music in the style of Roma guitarist Django Reinhardt at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St. on Nov. 10, at the Soda Ash Six on Dec. 8. Presented in collaboration with the Liverpool Is The Place Concert Committee, the
series was made possible by the CNY Arts Regional Arts and Cultural Engagement regrant program thanks to a New York State Senate Initiative and ad-
ministered by the New York State Council on the Arts. For more information visit lpl.org or call 315-457-0310.
Town of Clay announces Community Solar Campaign Town Supervisor Damian M. Ulatowski, in partnership with PowerMarket, a clean energy company, today announced the launch of a Clay Community Solar Campaign, an initiative designed to bring the benefits of community solar to the residents of Clay. PowerMarket will manage community solar subscriptions and provide
customer support throughout the campaign. The campaign will raise awareness through the town of Clay’s website, along with letter-based outreach, social media, and flyers and posters. Residents can expect to receive a letter outlining the steps to voluntarily sign-up. “Partnering with the town of Clay is very exciting for us at PowerMarket,”
said Brad Tito, director of community energy. “We’re here to make a real difference - reducing energy bills and pushing forward a clean energy alternative. It’s all about tangible benefits for residents.” For any questions about the town’s involvement, please contact the supervisor’s office at the town of Clay at (315)
652-3800 ext. 179 and leave a message or email at supervisor@townofclay.org. For any questions about the enrollment process, please call 877-762-0507 or send an email to edprna@powermarket.io. To learn more about the Clay Community Solar campaign and to voluntarily sign up, visit powermarket.io/ clay.html.
Dot Foods named Great Place To Work four years in a row Dot Foods, Inc., North America’s largest food industry redistributor, is proud to be certified by Great Place To Work for the fourth year in a row. The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Dot Foods. Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. “At Dot Foods, we strive to be a great place to work by fostering a culture of respect, growth, and collaboration,” said Mandi Clark, vice president of human resources. “When our people feel valued and supported, they thrive and contribute to our collective success. Our commitment to creating a positive work environment is reflected in our continuous efforts to listen to and act on employee feedback. We are proud to have a workplace focused on shared grow and success.” Thousands of companies worldwide partner with Great Place To Work due to their Trust Index Survey©, which is used to compile the annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list and more than 70 Best Workplaces™ lists. This 60-question survey assesses five key areas of workplace
culture: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. By evaluating these areas through a proprietary “Trust Index,” Great Place To Work scores companies on the quality of their employee experience to determine if they qualify as a great place to work. To achieve certification, a company must score at least 68%. In 2024, Dot Foods scored 74%. “Great Place To Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience,” Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the vice president of global recognition at Great Place To Work, said. She said that certification is the sole official recognition earned by the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture. “By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that Dot Foods stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees,” she said. Over the span of four weeks this summer, more than 7,000 Dot Foods and Dot Transportation employees across the United States and Canada had the opportunity to complete the survey. When asked if they considered Dot a great place to work, 80% of respondents an-
Dot Foods was recently named a Great Place to Work for the fourth year in a row. swered yes. “We are excited to be recertified as a Great Place to Work,” Clark said. “The most valuable part of the survey process for us at Dot is the ability to gather so much feedback directly from our team. It allows us to understand what areas are most meaningful to our people and where we need to focus our attention moving forward. Every year we make changes through-
out our business that are the direct result of employee feedback. We truly want Dot to be a Great Place to Work and our annual survey is just one way we assess how we’re doing— and most importantly—where we can do better.” After the conclusion of the survey, Dot spends time analyzing the results and working with leaders at all locations and in all departments to develop
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action plans around the major themes identified in the employee feedback. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, Dot Foods is North America’s largest food industry redistributor, serving all 50 states and more than 55 countries with a product offering of 125,000 items from 1,020 food industry manufacturers.
Volume 131, Number 41 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
CNYspca pet of the week: Titan needs a home.
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sports: C-NS girls volleyball goes 3-0.
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