Things You Can’t Do in Utica and Rome Anymore

Remember the days of eating blizzards at Dairy Queen in Rome, watching local bands at the 4 Acres in Marcy and buying cassettes at the Last Unicorn? Here's a look back at a few things you can't do in Utica and Rome anymore.

Have Dinner at Stampede Steakhouse

Steak dinners at Stampede Steakhouse, formerly Joel's in Verona, is a thing of the past. Fire burned the restaurant to the ground in January. All that's left is the iconic bull that amazingly wasn't touched by the flames.

Enjoy a Manny's Cheesecake

Speaking of fires, a Utica landmark for over 40 years went up in flames in the summer of 2011. Manny’s Cheesecake, at the corners of Pleasant and Oneida street is now a parking lot but you can still make their infamous cheesecakes at home with this recipe.

Watch a Movie at West Rome Drive-In

60 years of enjoying movies at the West Rome Drive-In came to an end in 2014 when it closed for good. The drive in opened in 1951. A second screen was added in 1985. The Davidson Auto Group bought the property in 2011 and tried to keep it open but changes in technology and a decline in sales forced the closure.

Attend a Utica Blue Sox Game

Fans once enjoyed watching a Utica Blue Sox game at McConnell Field in the 1940s and Donovan Stadium from 1977-2001. Blue Sox manager in 1945, Eddie Sawyer once said, "We had great ball clubs in a bad ballpark." Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn remembers the odd field, with center field to the west. "The sun would set over it. I never got a hit up there in the first five innings in 150 games, and I still hit .300."

Cal Ripken, Jr. bought the Blue Sox in 2002 and moved the club to Aberdeen, Maryland.

Concerts at New York State Fair Grandstands

If you asked any Central New Yorker what concert they remember from the New York State Fair grandstands, almost everyone will have a memory. Those memories went up in smoke when the grandstand was demolished in January to make room for upgrades to the nations oldest fair.

Fair concerts are now held at the new Lakeview Amphitheater across the street.

Air shows at Griffiss Air Force Base

Griffiss Air Force Base broke ground in the summer of 1941, opening in February of 1942. It became the perfect place to hold air shows before the base closed in September of 1995, transitioning into a Business and Technology Park.

Check out footage from the archives of the San Diego Air and Space Museum of the air show at Griffiss in the 19502.

Shopping at Charlestown USA Mall

The CharlesTown USA Mall in Utica started as a manufacturing plant during WWI and WWII. It turned into an outlet mall in 1982 but was closed in 1991 and became a business complex.

Have suggestions on what we should highlight next? Send your ideas and/or photos to Polly@BigFrog104.com.

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