what’s shakin’ continued from page 8


Seat didn’t seem very busy, perhaps due to the $25-per-rider charge, while the price on the Eurobubbles inexplicably went up to from $6 to $8 for eight minutes rolling across a pool in a giant hamster ball. The Smart Cart, a back- pack on wheels, made a splash as a new item sold in the Center of Progress Building. Although workers made substantial prog-


ress during the Fair on construction of a new Iroquois Longhouse, it was still not complete by Labor Day. It’s something Fairgoers can look forward to next year. With completion of a very successful Fair,


staff can now step back, lift a glass of Finger Lakes wine in celebration and take a rest. Then it’s back to work with plenty left to improve, expand and freshen. They can start with traf- fic and parking. There are some legitimate limitations with parking accommodations and feeder roadways, but the Fair could do a better job getting people off the roads and into lots by changing patterns and using more efficient staffing. And it’s past time to put engineers to work figuring out how to add entrances and exits. The massive upper lot between Interstate 690 East and State Fair Boulevard, for instance, requires thousands of cars to use a single lane exit, creating an unmanageable bottleneck. With a new governor being sworn in with


the coming of the new year, speculation has already begun on what that means for the tenure of State Fair director Dan O’Hara. If a Republican is elected, he’s gone, but the polls show Democrat Andrew Cuomo with a


big head start. If Cuomo does move up from attorney general, he could retain O’Hara. The last Cuomo to serve as governor, the


AG’s father Mario, conducted a search before hiring an experienced fair professional, Texan Wayne Gallagher, in 1989. So this could turn into a case of like father, like son, especially if the younger Cuomo wants to start with a clean slate instead of a director who is widely mistrusted and often disliked by everyone from labor unions and vendors to the media and many dedicated fairgoers. —KEVIN CORBETT


Nowhere Man Mark Horvath left Binghamton in 1979


with his girlfriend and a one way ticket to Los Angeles. A drummer and a dreamer, his vision of fame and fortune in sunny California came crashing down to earth 15 years later when he found himself homeless and unemployed and out on the streets of Tinseltown. This week he returns to Central New York


as one of the pioneering advocates using social media to tell the stories of homeless people. Horvath, founder and director of www.invisiblepeople.tv, will be appearing in Auburn as part of his third annual “Road Trip USA” documenting and raising awareness about the problems of homelessness. The 49-year-old Horvath spoke to The New


Times from his hotel room in New York City, where he was spending several days doing what he calls his normal activities. “I go out and talk with homeless people and try to empower them to tell their own story,” he said. “I highlight dif- ferent organizations that are working with the


homeless and try to bring them some support.” He lets the home-


less speak for them- selves and then he uses his prominence in social media to bring attention to their lives. On the day we spoke he was headed to Tompkins Square Park in Man- hattan to look up a man by the name of Rashad, whom he had interviewed last year. “Rashad was at Ground Zero, working to help out and later clean up. He developed health issues there, and eventually he lost his job, he lost his apartment, and now he’s out on the street.” In each town this self-described “catalyst for


Wing and a prayer: “Angels and Such” provides a colorful respite during the Edgewood Gallery’s show that closes Friday.


Just what does Horvath want you to do? He


change,” “chief evangelistic officer,” “do-gooder” and “loud mouth” strives to steer his listeners toward organizations trying to work with the home- less. “It would be irresponsible,” he said, “to present a problem without offering a solution.” Using what he calls an inborn gift for marketing—he started his own record company at age 17—Horvath fills Twitter, Facebook, Flicker and his own website with the stories of the homeless. As you enter www.invisiblepeople.tv, there is a cautionary note: “Some content may be offensive. Our hope is you’ll get mad enough to do something.”


has organizations he promotes, but more than anything he wants the public and agencies to see the homeless with new eyes. From his own experi- ence he has a few pieces of advice. “Bureaucracy kills—the No. 1 obstacle for the homeless is bureaucracy. When I was getting out of homeless- ness I was beating my fist against the wall. I was aware that the system was broken, but not sure how to fix it. Not-for-profits get very territorial,” he observed. “They don’t like to talk to each other. In Los Angeles we had the county and the city suing each other rather than working together.” Fifteen years ago when he got sober and got


off the street, it was a faith-based group, the Los Angeles Dream Center, that helped him find his way. His gratitude toward them does not prevent him from critiquing such groups helping the homeless. “The faith-based people, they’re the army, but they’re not organized. Churches like to feed people, but when they go feed someone in a park they have to ask them- selves if they’re really helping, or if they’re just feeling better about themselves.” In May 2009, due to the latest recession,


Horvath lost his house in LA. That was when he started invisiblepeople.tv, as a way to stay sane and fill his days. The combination of tweeting and youtubing earned him the No. 7 spot in last year’s Forbes magazine list of most influential people in social media. The public is invited to a reception on


Thursday, Sept. 9, 4 to 6 p.m., at Cayuga County Homesite Development Corporation, 60 Clark St., Auburn. Admission is free but attendees are encouraged to bring a donation. Organizers said the best way to help with Hor- vath’s campaign is to bring a prepaid major credit card or store gift card to help him make his way across the country. This is unlike any national tour you have


ever heard of. His financing is as unorthodox as his career path. His stay in Auburn is being sponsored by Holiday Inn, which is host- ing him free of charge. The national tour is sponsored by, among others, Ford, Pepsi and Hanes. Here’s how the sponsorship works: “Ford lends me a car, and I use them as a megaphone to talk about homeless issues. Hanes comfort gives me socks to hand out. Hilton gives me a hotel room.” You can follow Mark Horvath’s trek across


the country by logging on to www.trackmy tour.com/2342#23385. For further information, contact Mary McLaughlin at 406-8068. —ED GRIFFIN-NOLAN


10 September 8 - 15, 2010 Syracuse New Times NEWS & OPINION FEATURE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS CLASSIFIED


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