You're getting it straight from the horse’s mouth: Finger Lakes pastures are definitely greener than any other pastures.

     I’m sure your first thought when you saw this was, “Really? A horse wrote an Insiders Diary blog for the tourism office?” I know you’re thinking horses can’t write, but all myths need to be dispelled at some point. (Do you remember Mr. Ed? If you do, and you believe a horse can talk, then you shouldn’t be surprised that a horse can write. If you don’t know who Mr. Ed is, then it’s time to get on Hulu, kids!)

     Before I tell you why I’m writing this, I have to tell you a little bit about myself. Like Mr. Ed, I’m also a Palomino, but I have no plans to head to Hollywood. I’m a Connecticut native. I was born and lived there for six years, so when I learned I was moving down the New York State Thruway to the Finger Lakes, I’ll admit, I kicked up my hooves; I wasn’t looking for greener pastures, so to speak.

     However, I did end up with a sweet brand new barn and a pasture with a perk I’d never expected. I get to listen to all of the concerts at CMAC, the local outdoor performing arts center! Even though my barn is about four miles away from the center (as the crow flies), thanks to my good horse hearing, standing in my pasture is like having a great lawn seat. I may not be able to see the performers, but I can hear them just fine.

      My humans hadn’t caught on to the fact that I’m a concert “hound” until a few weeks ago when they caught me bobbing my head and tapping my hoof along with Lady Antebellum. Since then, they’ve actually been “using me” as a kind of concert compass. Apparently it’s a dead give-away that there’s a concert when they see me standing at the fence staring north. They pull up chairs on their deck and listen along, too. 

     There’s not a blade of grass sweet enough to distract me from these concerts. Besides Lady Antebellum, so far I’ve enjoyed Yanni, Tim McGraw (yee-haw!), the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Summer Dance Party with the B52’s. (Yeah, I’ll admit it. I let my mane down for that last one. Hey (hay?), it was a party after all!) Apparently Dave Matthews pulled in the audience for his concert, too, but because he was playing acoustic, I didn’t get to enjoy the same heart-thumping volume. But I'm already looking forward to future concerts anyway. Right now I’m trying to get the beat going so I’m ready to rap along with Snoop Dogg in August, yo!

     Since moving here, I haven’t missed a concert. You can’t beat the variety of performers CMAC brings in: orchestras, classical music, country, rap, easy listening and rock and roll. Thanks to this new cultural opportunity, I’m becoming a well-rounded horse. (Well, I’m sure the grain adds a little bit to that “well-roundedness”, too.)

     Sometimes I think back to last year when my halter, bridle and saddle were packed and I was reluctantly hitting the trail for the Finger Lakes. I wish I’d known then what I know now: you can’t beat the Finger Lakes for plenty of entertainment. I googled CMAC Performing Arts Center to get the link to help you out so you can just click on the link and check it out, too. (Yes, I know all about Google, too!)

     If you find a concert is sold out but you still want to hear it, come on over to my pasture. There’s plenty of room along my fence. You can pull up a bale of hay and enjoy the concerts with me. They’re all tail-swishing great!

     Would I move back to Connecticut now and give up my front fence seats to all of these concerts? That’s a big “neigh”!