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<\/a>Geneva, NY, sits at the northern end of Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.\u00a0 It\u2019s home to the Hobart William and Smith Colleges, many vineyards and some beautiful nineteenth century buildings.<\/p>\nI was there because my granddaughter, a HWS alumnae, has spent her summer running the Geneva Theater Guild Youth program. She produced Mary Poppins<\/em> with a large cast of kids aged ten to eighteen. The play, which ran for three packed performances, was staged in the Smith Opera House which opened October 29, 1894. The building was restored in the 1990s returning the original 1894 fa\u00e7ade and the interior to its 1931 eclectic art deco opulence. The theater\u2019s ceiling was also restored\u00a0 featuring twinkling stars in blue sky.<\/p>\n Mary Poppins<\/em> had a live orchestra, lovely sets with some rented painted backdrops and well-done choreography. The performers were terrific especially the kids playing \u00a0Mary P. and Bert, the chimney sweep, Just Us, a bunch of good old boys who play various gigs in Geneva<\/p><\/div>\n Getting from New York City to Geneva takes a little work. I flew to Rochester, NY and took an incredibly pricey Uber from the airport to Geneva\u2019s Hilton Inn. Arriving Friday evening I walked next door to an \u00a0adorable bar that had once been a gas station where a terrific country and western ban, Just Us,\u00a0 was playing. Much whooping, hollering and dancing.<\/p>\n Saturday I walked all over downtown first stopping at Stomping Grounds which sounds more like a coffee place than the old bookstore it is. Working Class Coffee provided a blueberry scone the size of my head. Sitting at the lake was lovely as was the Saturday Farmer\u2019s Market where I bought flowers from a Menonite The Saturday evening performance was a rousing success. Very early Sunday morning we managed to fit in breakfast with the producer whose plans included helping strike the set returning props and other production duties. (When not involved with theater she teaches elementary school.)<\/p>\n The whole weekend was great: the musical, the cute town (population 12,500) and the family time.<\/p>\n In keeping with the Mary Poppins<\/em> theme, the recipe builds on Just a Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Medicine Go Down. <\/em>Here\u2019s a recipe for easy sugar cookies:<\/p>\n Sugar Cookies<\/strong> recipe from Amber Brady at Dessert Now, Dinner Later<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Optional<\/strong><\/p>\n If you feel like putting in extra effort sprinkle the sugar over the cookies. If you don\u2019t just pass them. <\/strong>Points added if you know the Mary Poppins score and sing it while passing and eating. Points deleted if your audience asks that you stop singing. Spit spot and toast P.L. Travers who wrote the original book.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Geneva, NY, sits at the northern end of Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.\u00a0 It\u2019s home to the Hobart William and Smith Colleges, many vineyards and some beautiful nineteenth century buildings. I was there because my granddaughter, a … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2-Mary-Dick.jp2-g-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a> (Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyck in the original movie.)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Just-Us.pg_-169x300.jpg\")
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<\/a>family to give to my granddaughter post-show. My always-painful neck enjoyed a massage at a local spa before another night at the Hilton where my bed had all the stability of a bouncy castle.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Brown-Sugar-Cookies1E-200x300.jpg\")
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