13 Fireworks Shows Around Syracuse This 4th of July Weekend

Good morning, Syracuse

Fourth of July weekend is here and as expected we’ve got lots of locations to watch Fireworks. Fireworks are going off from Tuesday through Sunday across seven towns and counties. We rounded up every display we could find, times, locations, and a few worth making the drive for. Also this week: federal agents showed up at a Syracuse woman's door over an Instagram post about ICE, TTM Technologies just opened a $130 million facility in DeWitt, and Beak & Skiff's cannabis arm landed on Forbes. Let's get into it.

Looking for trivia nights this week? We just published a full guide to every trivia spot in Syracuse.

Clay Locks In $30 Million From Micron

The town of Clay struck a host community agreement with Micron that will send the town $30 million, instead of the $62 million in building permit fees Micron would have otherwise paid. Building permit fees can only be spent on administrative costs, so the new structure gives Clay more flexibility. Ten million goes into a fund for community projects, splash pads, parkland, a community center, and the remaining $20 million arrives in three installments. Held mostly in reserve to offset future tax increases. The deal still needs to clear two public hearings.

Federal Agents Tracked Down a Syracuse Woman Over an Instagram Post About ICE

Federal agents tracked down a Syracuse woman and demanded she remove an Instagram post about ICE activity in the area. The woman had not committed any crime. Agents had no legal authority to force her to delete the post, but the visit itself was the message.

TTM Technologies Opens $130 Million Expansion in DeWitt, Adding 400 Jobs

TTM Technologies cut the ribbon on a $130 million expansion at its DeWitt facility this week, bringing 400 new jobs to the area. TTM makes printed circuit boards for defense and aerospace programs. The expansion is part of a broader push to grow domestic production capacity in the defense supply chain.

Onondaga County Ended Its Child Care Waitlist

Onondaga County cleared its child care waitlist and opened nearly free spots for hundreds of families who had been stuck waiting. The program gives lower-income working parents access to subsidized child care. County officials said demand had been outstripping capacity for years, and new state and federal funding unlocked the additional slots.

Beak & Skiff Bet the Farm on Cannabis and Won

Forbes profiled how Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette made a big push into cannabis under their Ayrloom brand, and it paid off. Ayrloom is now the best-selling cannabis brand in New York State. The story traces how the third-generation farm family diversified from apple orchards and hard cider into cannabis and built what is now the state's top-selling operation.

County Picks a National Contractor for the $1 Billion Micron Wastewater Plant

Onondaga County selected a national contractor Kiewit Infrastructure to design and build the $1 billion wastewater treatment facility that will handle water from Micron's chip fabrication plants in Clay. Semiconductor fabs use enormous volumes of ultrapure water, and treating what comes out the other side requires a major infrastructure investment. Construction is expected to take several years.

If you've been to some of the local arts market and found yourself lingering over a table of ceramics longer than expected, there's a chance you've already crossed paths with Lowell Hutcheson's work.

Lowell is a ceramic artist and potter based just outside Syracuse, making handcrafted bowls, mugs, vases, crocks, and jugs that are functional, food-safe, and built for daily use. She works primarily with raw clay and natural slips, letting the material's own textures and tones lead. Living ten miles south of Lake Ontario, her practice draws from the lakeshore. Think erosion patterns, sediment layers, shifting shorelines, translated into layered surfaces with minimal glazing.

I have some of her pottery in my house and they are my favorite coffee cups. Her work is available online at lowellhutcheson.com and at markets around CNY. She'll be at the Syracuse Arts and Craft Festival July 24-26 if you want to see it in person.

If you have a business idea but not the capital to start it, this one is for you.

Good Neighbor Fund (GNF) is a micro-grant program that gives $1,000 to early-stage founders with no strings attached, no equity, no repayment. The idea is a small amount of belief capital can be the difference between someone's idea going somewhere or getting shelved. Since launching in 2023 in Buffalo, GNF has awarded over $34,000 across its chapters.

The CNY chapter officially launched on June 25th. Applications for the first quarterly $1,000 grant are open now through July 31st. If you're a CNY entrepreneur with a business idea and limited resources, submit your pitch.

Not a founder? You can still get behind it. Donations are tax-deductible, and there's an option to become an LP. Follow the chapter on Instagram at @gnf.cny or email [email protected] with any questions.

5820 E Seneca Tpke, Jamesville, NY 13078 - $649,000

Five bedrooms, four baths, 1.18 acres, and the Jamesville-Dewitt School District. The current owners put over $70,000 into a full kitchen overhaul in 2025 - quartz countertops, a farmhouse sink, a professional gas range, vaulted ceilings with skylights, and a big center island with bar seating. The family room has a gas fireplace and slides out to a wooden deck with views of the backyard. There's also a finished basement with a sixth bedroom if you need it - about 3,900 square feet total when you add it all up. Built in 1999, quiet neighborhood off East Seneca Turnpike, about 20 minutes from downtown. Listed at $649,000 and just went under contract as of this writing - worth watching if the deal falls through.

Carrier is hiring an Inside Sales Engineer at their East Syracuse office on Carrier Parkway to support commercial strategic accounts with pre- and post-sale HVAC technical support. You'll be reviewing plans and specs, making equipment selections, and responding to RFIs and RFPs for top-tier customers. Requires at least 3 years of HVAC experience (or 1 year with a bachelor's degree). Salary range $64,500 - $129,500.

SU's InclusiveU program - which creates pathways for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to attend college - is hiring an Assistant Director to oversee academic processes, supervise staff and student support workers, and provide technical assistance to other institutions building similar programs. Bachelor's in Education required. On-campus, full-time. Pay range $64,300 - $70,000.

Hidden Level, the Syracuse-based drone detection and airspace security company, is hiring a Senior Full Stack Software Engineer to build and expand their enterprise tools and customer-facing products. The stack is AWS, Python, Flask, and SQL. Five-plus years of experience required. Hybrid arrangements possible from their Syracuse office. US citizens only due to the nature of the tech. Salary range $112,500 - $140,000.

This week's pair comes from Helping Hounds Dog Rescue in North Syracuse, two dogs waiting on the humans who were supposed to find them.

Bo, a 3-year-old Chocolate Lab mix, weighs 83 pounds and loves every minute of it. He fetches, he swims, and he will absolutely park on the couch next to you at the end of the day. He's happy with adults and would likely do great with respectful kids - he hasn't been around any yet, but his personality says otherwise. He plays well with younger dogs and calm older ones, rides well in the car, is crate trained, and is working on his house training. At 3 years old with this kind of personality, someone is going to get very lucky.

Jackson, a 7-year-old Lab mix, has been at the rescue for 14 weeks. Don't let the age or the wait fool you. He walks 4 miles a day, loves the water, and rides well in the car. He's independent - not the cuddly type, just likes to do his own thing on his own terms. Very smart, very obedient, not super food motivated. He does best with kids 12 and up and needs a home without other pets. He's been in foster care and doing well, back at the rescue at the end of June. Have a processed application? Call Helping Hounds and they'll set up a meet and greet.

That's a wrap for this week! See you next Monday. If you have any comments or feedback, respond to this email!

Last year, a Van Gogh painting reportedly sold for $200 million. A Rothko for $195 million. A Frida Kahlo for $150 million. None of these transactions are in auction records or any public database.

For years, top auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s have been quietly running invitation-only private auctions for their wealthiest clients.

These huge transactions don't happen in a vacuum. This invisible market often influences the asking range for comparable works in the larger art market. 

That said, you don't need an invite to a private auction. Masterworks lets you invest in shares of blue-chip artwork. Their track record to-date:

Skip the waitlist here →

^{*Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. See important Reg A disclosures at masterworks.com/cd.}