riday, July 18 began in ashes in the Village of Milford. A fire had raged through four buildings located in the heart of the village, destroying a home, an abandoned building, and two central businesses within the community—the Milford Corner Store and Sybil’s Yarn Shop. Since then, residents of Milford, Cooperstown and the surrounding areas have rallied
together to provide support in the aftermath of the devastating blaze.
Children have raised money at a lemonade stand to help the families recover, and a GoFundMe page organized by Kate Joslyn has raised almost $5,000.00 to date.
Dog Wild Pet Supply, 4785 State Route 28, Cooperstown, will host a fund-raising event behind the store on Saturday, August 9, featuring music, lawn games, face painting and a silent auction.
The Greater Milford Historical
Watershed Supervisory Committee Moves Ahead with Plan To Combat Algal Blooms
By BILL BELLEN
COOPERSTOWN
For more than 30 years, the regulatory body of the Watershed Supervisory Committee has overseen the protection of the Otsego Lake watershed—a region that covers parts of the towns of Otsego, Middlefield, and Springfield. In the 1990s, this took the form of the committee organizing and implementing the septic system inspection program for lakeside properties, some of which, until then, had still been discharging sewage directly into the water supply. Though the group’s efforts have long been a success with regard to mitigating this pollution, a new challenge has arisen in the last few years that presents a much more complex conundrum.
The summer of 2022 marked the first major harmful algal bloom—or HAB—in Otsego Lake, resulting in the closure of the public beach at Glimmerglass State Park as well as the Village of Cooperstown-owned Three Mile Point and Fairy Spring parks. Though not to the scale that some New York State counties have seen, the negative effects of HABs on public health have been raising concerns.
Dr. Kiyoko Yokota, associate professor at SUNY Oneonta and scientific advisor to the WSC, shared information regarding the HABs found in Otsego Lake, and addressed public misconceptions regarding them:
“‘Harmful algal bloom’ is a generic name for different kinds of blooms of microscopic photosynthetic organisms, and the one that we are dealing
with at Otsego Lake is actually cyanobacterial bloom,” Yokota explained. “It’s caused by prokaryotic cyanobacteria, not eukaryotic algae. Cyanobacteria are a type of bacteria that photosynthesize, but they had been called, erroneously, blue-green algae, so that’s part of the reason that cyanobacterial blooms are still called algal blooms.
“The kind we tend to find in Otsego Lake blooms belongs to the genus Microcystis, which can produce toxins called cyanotoxins, and the group of cyanotoxins often tested detected in lakes and ponds [are] called microcystins.”
According to Yokota, yanotoxins are the primary cause of worry when these blooms begin to occur. Microcystins are hepatotoxins, meaning that in high
Continued on page 11
Association is selling T-shirts to support the Milford Fire Department and Emergency Squad, and Paul Singh is selling “Milford Strong” signs out of his Apple Food Store, 3634 State Route 28, Milford, the proceeds of which go to support victims of the fire.
On Saturday, August 16 at 8 p.m., the Stoddard Hollow String Band will perform at The Elm Inn, 104 East Main Street, Milford, as a benefit for fire victims.
Continued on page 13
Bob Would Be Proud
MORRIS—Emersyn Rowe proudly displays her Best in Show-winning painting on Sunday, August 3 at the Otsego County Fair. Rowe’s “Sunset Aglow” landscape was entered in the Fine Arts (K-4) Division for works in oils, acrylic and casein. It was inspired by the late Bob Ross’ “The Joy of Painting,” Season 26, Episode 12.
Oneonta Native Returns To Share First Published Book
By BILL BELLEN ONEONTA
The Huntington Memorial Library had quite the treat in store for its youthful visitors on Monday, July 21. Their programming for the day centered on a special guest presentation at 1 p.m. by certified child life specialistturned-author Raye Pietruszka regarding her newly published children’s book, “ONLY ILove-Yous!” Based on nightly conversations with her daughter throughout her youth, this story was the culmination of nearly a year and a half of consistent and persistent work on Pietruszka’s part to put together a piece she
had been dreaming of for years. When asked about her inspiration to pursue publication, Pietruszka said, “My children inspired me just because [“Ilove-yous”] became so much of a living mantra every night before going to bed. It was obviously something that my youngest was relying on as a coping [mechanism] to kind of get through sleep. I thought, well, this might be helpful for other families to use this kind of concept … A big part of my job is to help make the scary not so scary, and help them understand what is happening to reduce some of that fear, bring more of an awareness and a knowledge
Continued on page 11
Photo by Darla M. Youngs
Photo by Maria Griswold
Raye Pietruszka reads her book, “ONLY I-Love-Yous!”, to a crowd of children at the Huntington Memporial Library on July 21 as Children’s Coordinator Donna Foote looks on.
Sixth Ward Celebrates Unveiling of Latest Historical Marker
By BILL BELLEN
ONEONTA
In the early, rainy afternoon of Friday, July 25, a sizable crowd began to gather outside the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club. By 2 p.m., the group had amassed a total of nearly two dozen members, all coming together for one purpose: The celebration and unveiling of the city’s latest historical marker. The third of five markers being unveiled this summer, this marker does not focus on a singular person or location as others before it have.
“This marker is the first we have commissioned for a neighborhood in Oneonta, and for great reason,” Dr. Marcela Micucci, executive director of the Greater Oneonta Historical Society, explained via e-mail. “The Sixth Ward has a rich history, rooted in Oneonta’s emergence as a railroad town. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Oneonta’s immigrant community settled this neighborhood and created a wide array of social and civic institutions, businesses, and clubs. Many of Oneonta’s D&H employees and trolley line workers lived and worked in the Sixth Ward. The ethnic enclave was largely self-contained, and selfsufficient, with their own schools, shops, gardens, dairies, grocery stores, churches, and industries.
to funding historical marker installations, was not participating in its funding. Because of this, the commissioning process relied heavily on local fundraising and research efforts, much of which was spearheaded by Dr. John Nader. Nader’s position as former mayor of the City of Oneonta, and his status as an avid historian actively authoring a book on the history of the Sixth Ward, gave him ample capability to make the case for its historical significance.
a sizable portion of the gathering for the marker’s unveiling. Celebrations began with a brief introduction by Micucci about the efforts to install the marker and a thanks to the numerous sponsors and supporters of the Sixth Ward marker, including the Future for Oneonta Foundation, the Sixth Ward Athletic Club, and the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club. She also extended her gratitude to the City of Oneonta’s Department of Public Works for their assistance in the installation progress.
By 1915, nearly half of Oneonta’s 635 Italian, Russian, Polish and Lebanese residents lived in the Sixth Ward.”
Another factor differentiating this marker from those preceding it was the fact that the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated
“Over the past several months, we’ve been working to commemorate the Sixth Ward as Oneonta’s largest and most significant ethnic neighborhood; a community in a neighborhood that spawned recreational clubs, many businesses, athletic teams, and spaces,” Nader shared. “We’re losing some of that recognition of Oneonta’s very distinguished past, and we wanted to use this opportunity to celebrate Oneonta’s place—and the Sixth Ward’s place— as its most diverse ethnic community.”
As acknowledged by both Micucci and Nader, the descendants of many of these diverse families from the early 1900s still call the Sixth Ward home today. These “Lower Deckers”—a title residents of the ward have affectionately given themselves—made up
Nader spoke next on the history of the Sixth Ward and the importance of keeping its legacy alive. Then, with some “Sixth Ward staples,” as Micucci described them, standing by, Nader cut off the black tarp surrounding the marker, revealing another gleaming yellow and blue landmark along the streets of Oneonta. A round of applause followed as the event drew to a close, with the rain beginning to disperse in tandem with the crowds. Everyone at the gathering was invited to attend the Sixth Ward Shindig event later that day.
GOHS is unveiling its next historical marker at the Ford Mansion, now Community Bank, on Wednesday, August 13 at 1 p.m., recognizing that building’s notable role in the Underground Railroad.
Sixth Ward Shindig Tradition Revived
By BILL BELLEN ONEONTA
To conclude what seemed to be a continuous day of Sixth Ward celebrations on Friday, July 25, the Sixth Ward Booster Club organized a very special event for its community; one that would be a firstof-its-kind experience for those not lucky enough to attend the original gatherings it was based on back in July of 1967.
To the joy of the community, the first Sixth Ward Shindig in nearly 60 years began at 7 p.m. on the tennis courts of the Sixth Ward playground.
The overwhelming enthusiasm for this event was rooted in decades of pent-up nostalgia and a desire for communal connection. Cousins Becky Thomas and Frank Russo, two of the organizers of this year’s event, were just children when their fathers began to plan what ended up becoming a staple of the Sixth Ward each year.
“So when we were kids, our dads started doing tennis court dances here to raise money to [fund the building of] a big softball field with lights over there,” Thomas shared. “And then they were starting the Sixth Ward Athletic Club, so they used to do dances here to raise money to get those things off the ground. So when I was a kid, we used to come down here. They had big dances, and they actually had bands then, too.” Russo, president of the
Sixth Ward Booster Club and Lower Deck Events, recalled that funds from the original series of dances were used to purchase the old River Street School, now Oak Square Apartments. The property was then sold to developers, and the money raised from that sale was used to purchase and build up the Sixth Ward Athletic Club. For years, the fundraising efforts for such community-centric facilities helped to facilitate the lively atmosphere that surrounded these dances. It was this energy that Thomas, Russo, and Dr. John Nader looked to recapture with the revival of the event this year. With Russo at the helm of the Booster Club, the organization began to organize an initiative to bring the dance back. Thomas moved ahead with sending out roughly 350 “save the date” cards throughout the Sixth Ward. Sponsors began to pitch in funding for the event, allowing the Booster Club to accumulate enough money to host the dance entirely free of charge to both the club and attendees. This widespread appeal, in combination with a social media presence and strong word of mouth, spread knowledge of the shindig well beyond the bounds of the Sixth Ward. As the clock struck 7 p.m. and music began to play, the crowds started to gather. The rows of cars filled in, while many
Photo provided
On hand for the unveiling of Oneonta’s Sixth Ward historical marker were, from left: Bob Thomas, Sixth Ward Athletic Association Foundation; Tim McGraw, Oneonta Boys and Girls Club; Gary Herzig, Future for Oneonta Foundation; John Nader; Marcela Micucci, Greater Oneonta Historical Society; and City of Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek.
glimmerglass Offers a glimpse into the Art of Making An Opera
BY MONICA CALZOLARI
COOPERSTOWN
Friday, July 18 was the world premiere of “The House on Mango Street” at The glimmerglass Festival. The opera is based on the novel by Sandra Cisneros of the same name, which has sold 8 million copies since 1983.
This was the first novel Cisneros, age 70, ever wrote. More than 100 admirers came to the Pipeline Talk prior to the premiere to meet the author and composer Derek Bermel, with whom Cisneros collaborated to bring her story to life.
glimmerglass Artistic and general Director Rob Ainsley introduced the author and composer as well as Kelley Rourke, who has worked for The glimmerglass Festival for more than 14 years as a dramaturg and translator.
A dramaturg is a behind-the-scenes resource for directors, actors, and playwrights, providing context, research, and feedback to help improve the quality or accuracy of a production.
This was Cisneros’ and Bermel’s first opera. Cisneros said she had no idea how much work was involved in preparing a novel for opera.
SHOW & FLEA MARKET
Ainsley said, “When I read the libretto, I was very drawn to it.”
“We did not know what we were doing,” Cisneros admitted.
The COVID-19 pandemic gave Bermel, Cisneros and Rourke time to work on the project.
Cisneros, who now lives in Mexico, grew up in a Chicago neighborhood.
“I grew up with a father who spoke to me in Spanish,” she said. “My mother spoke to me in English.”
Her mother was of Mexican descent as well.
“I have a rebel of a Mom and a sweet, sensitive Dad,” Cisneros said.
“The House on Mango Street” is the story of the child of a Mexican immigrant told through the eyes of a girl named Esperanza. “Esperanza” means hope in Spanish.
During the question-and-answer period following the moderated discussion, Jennifer Trochez MacLean said, “I came all the way from Los Angeles to see this opera.”
Trochez MacLean is an elementary school teacher.
“I grew up in South Central Los Angeles,” she said. “My parents immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1960s. I grew up in an apartment. We
Bermel had originally popped the question to Cisneros, “Do you want to write an opera? She said yes immediately. Rourke and Ainsley were integral to the success of this collaboration.
would always dream about having a house of our own.”
Trochez MacLean said her neighborhood was “not an affluent” one.
“I can relate to the neighborhood Cisneros described as her neighborhood in Chicago,” she said.
She first met Cisneros when the author gave a lecture at Occidental College, where Trochez MacLean earned her degree.
“I have been following her on Instagram ever since. When she said she was working on an opera, I made a mental note that I would like to go to see it,” Trochez MacLean recalled.
Five LatinX came all the way from Chicago to see the premiere of this novel made into an opera.
Composer Bermel lives in New Jersey. He traveled to Cooperstown for the premiere.
“I grew up in New York,” Bermel said. “The characters reminded me of people in my neighborhood, even though I did not visit Chicago until I was 30 years old.”
He spoke about the universality of the messages in the novel and the libretto.
Rourke agreed—“I grew up in a very different neighborhood, but I think Esperanza is me!”
Cisneros smiled at this.
She said, “I hope this opera will introduce these characters to a new audience. These actors are on stage honoring the people in my book— people that would never
ordinarily make it into an opera.”
“The world is very divisive right now,” she continued. “No immigrant story is the same.”
Cisneros said she
hoped seeing the opera would help the audience to not lump all immigrants into one category. When Ainsley asked the novelist and the
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Free and Open to the Public. Donations Gratefully Accepted The Oneonta Community Concert Band presents Kerri L. Hogle conducting a
Teddy Bears’ Picnic Concert ”Teddy Writes a
T h i s u n
e i s h a l o n g w i t h a s p e c i a l k e y n o t e b y g u e s t s p e a k e r A n n e M a r i e G a r t i
HOMETOWN Views
GUEST EDITORIaL JULvOnnIa MCDOwELL THE MYTH-BUSTInG ECOnOMIST LaRRY MaLOnE
A Mother’s Plea: The Urgent Need for Conversations about Gun Violence
When I bought my 14-year-old son a crisp, navy suit with a yellow bowtie for his upcoming spring formal, I never imagined that I’d have to bury him in it just days later.
My radiant, joyful boy went over to a family member’s house, where he and his cousin found an unsecured gun in a drawer, hidden beneath a T-shirt. They started playing with it, not realizing it was loaded. Minutes later, JaJuan was gone.
The phone call we received that afternoon was every parent’s worst nightmare. And it was entirely preventable.
My husband and I had always been protective of JaJuan. We’d taught him as a child to look both ways before crossing the street and not to accept rides from strangers. And we’d always ask other parents the usual questions—about screen time, video games, and curfews—before letting JaJuan go to a friend’s house.
But we never asked: “Is there a gun in the house? If so, is it stored securely?” It never occurred to us that the thing that posed the greatest risk to JaJuan’s life would be a firearm. But gun injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States.
One of the things I’ve realized since my son passed away is that addressing gun violence and its impact—especially on children—doesn’t have to be a partisan issue. With our children and teens at the center of this crisis, it can’t be. A recent study from Johns Hopkins showed that gun injuries claimed over 2,500 children’s lives in 2022—more than car crashes, overdoses, or cancers.
Whether you’re a lifelong gun owner or someone who has never touched one, we all want our children to be safe, including reducing suicides and unintentional shootings—which in 2022 accounted for nearly 60 percent of all gun deaths.
To save lives, we need a cultural shift. That starts with conversations that help people understand how asking simple questions, practicing secure storage and understanding the signs of a mental health crisis can prevent irreversible loss.
For starters, ask other parents, friends, and relatives if they keep firearms and how they’re stored. It might feel awkward at first. But just like you’d ask about peanuts if your child has an allergy, asking about guns could save a life.
Similarly, parents—even the ones who don’t own guns—need to talk to their kids about firearm safety. Make sure kids understand that guns aren’t toys.
We also need to normalize open conversations around mental health. This is especially important when it comes to putting necessary time and space between a teen in a moment of crisis and a firearm.
And >8 in 10 Americans agree that productive conversations can help reduce gun injury and death among children and teens.
Sharing JaJuan’s story could help save another family from going through what we did. Talking about secure storage and crisis intervention doesn’t have to be controversial. It just has to be done.
Start those lifesaving conversations today. And for those who don’t know where to begin, information and resources to help start the conversation are available. We can all agree that we can all play a role in creating a safer America where gun violence is no longer the leading cause of death for children and teens.
Julvonnia McDowell is the mother of a son who died from an unintentional shooting and is an advocate for secure gun storage. This piece originally ran in “USA Today.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
“Hometown Oneonta” welcomes letters to the editor that reflect the writer’s thoughts on an article or other item appearing in the paper. They must include the writer’s name, address, email and telephone/ mobile number; the opinions expressed must be the writer’s own. Hostile, offensive, factually incorrect or excessively inflammatory content will not be published. Preferred length is no more than 250 words. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit letters for clarity and space. Please send letters to: info@allotsego.com.
Honoring Our Small Businesses
I’ve been sad about our economy recently, and I’ve found it difficult to write. The sadness came on from the enormous respect I have for small businesses in our region. Their owners and workers have taught me much, and helped make me more aware of the challenges they face on a daily basis.
Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, but we take them for granted and assume that large employers play a greater role in our livelihoods. Large regional enterprises like Bassett, SUNY Oneonta, Hartwick College, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Delhi, Springbrook, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Corning, Price Chopper, Hannaford, UPS, and New York Central Mutual provide employment to scores of local workers. But half of all workers in the U.S. work in small businesses that employ 49 or fewer people. The public sector—including government at all levels and schools—employs another 20 percent of the national workforce, which means that less than a third of Americans work in a setting with 50 or more employees.
Small business owners possess greater courage than most of us. They face enormous challenges, and anxiety about the future is constant. Their challenges and worries have intensified this year, from no doing of their own.
Small businesses have complicated supply chains. A supply chain is all of the steps, people, products, resources, and organizations that are needed to make and deliver what a small business sells. A chiropractor needs knowledge and hands, but also treatment tables, cleansers, lotions, towels, laundry supplies, and washers and dryers. They also need scheduling, record keeping and billing. And that’s a relatively simple business…think about what a natural food store, restaurant, dry cleaner, pizzeria or deli needs to open its doors six days a week.
Small businesses have a difficult time attracting workers. Part-time workers have their own needs and schedules foremost in mind when it comes to committing to hours for work. Full-time workers prefer employment opportunities that offer health and retirement benefits, both of which are difficult to provide in a small scale business environment. More restrictive immigration policies are now affecting seasonal hiring opportunities for agricultural and construction enterprises, and few permanent residents are willing to fill those roles.
Persistent inflation is driving up the cost of inventories and other items needed by small businesses, and those costs are passed along to customers. Even the most loyal customers will respond by seeking lower prices elsewhere, and elsewhere typically means Walmart or Amazon.
The latest challenge faced by our small businesses is artificial, and has nothing to do with how free markets work. It’s the misguided policy of imposing tariffs on imported items by our president. Tariffs fail on so many levels: They are the equivalent of pouring gasoline on fire when it comes to inflation, and tariffs are paid by both small businesses and their customers. Tariffs are essentially an invisible tax paid to the federal government as an upcharge to the price of an imported item. And when tariff dollars leave our purses and wallets for Washington they do not return. On top of this invisible new tax, government services are disappearing, and that means small businesses and consumers are paying more and getting less.
The final challenge faced by small businesses has always been present, and tends to be a greater hardship in rural America. I call it inter-generational succession—when ownership sells or gifts a viable and successful small business to the next generation of ownership. If there is no child or relative willing to continue the legacy of a business, the business will often close, since new ownership cannot afford to buy it and service the debt of ownership. Locally we can think of many examples of this in the demise of farms and dozens of other businesses in our villages and towns.
Finally, much of what I learned about the challenges of creating and operating a small business came from Debbie Annutto-Dauenheimer, an innovative small-business owner who passed away this spring. With her father, Continued on page 13
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Following the Sunday Hall of Fame Induction in Cooperstown, Cooperstown and Middlefield residents woke to find white nationalist recruiting posters hanging on the backs of stop signs and on utility poles. Both the Village of Cooperstown and Town of Middlefield told concerned residents that signs on telephone poles needed to be reported to NYSEG; otherwise, there was not much they could do.
Some of the almost 300 members of our CooperstownOneonta Indivisible group helped take the signs down. Others offered good advice on whom to contact about the posting of the signs, including suggestions to report the signage to the New York State Office of Counter-Terrorism.
Many residents were understandably upset and unsettled about seeing these signs in safe, quiet Cooperstown and Middlefield. Maybe even more unsettling is the fact that every long-term resident I have spoken to since
the signs were discovered has said some version of the same thing: “That has never happened here before.”
But now it has. It was inevitable. The posting of white nationalist signs in Cooperstown and Middlefield has followed other firsts for us as a country. Two examples of many: Mr. Trump’s pardon of violent cop-beating insurrectionists who viciously attacked our Capital to prevent the peaceful transfer of power in 2020 and masked ICE agents taking a working father from his family in our small rural city of Oneonta, even as he was legally pursuing an asylum claim.
Every day, the media is filled with administration officials speaking of immigrants in the language of degrading and racist stereotypes. This language accompanies simultaneous stories of hardworking members of communities being dragged by masked agents often with no warrants, from their jobs as farm workers, landscapers, healthcare workers and more; some are snagged while attending their legally mandated court dates to prop-
erly pursue citizenship; at times, naturalized and U.S. born citizens are caught in the dragnet.
We live here where it is beautiful and peaceful. Many of us have the luxury of safe housing, good healthcare, solid schools, and caring neighbors. The temptation is to put our heads down and ride out this administration’s abuses and harms with our hands on our ears and a vow not to read the news. Sometimes we claim we don’t talk about politics. But there is no “riding this out.” The passage of the socalled One Big Beautiful Bill is coming for our region as it is for all citizens. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, changes to Medicaid and healthcare eligibility mean 15 million people will lose health insurance; thousands of them live here in Otsego County. Rural families—our neighbors— who depend on Medicaid and SNAP will go without healthcare and without food. Their lack of healthcare funding will lead to the closure of hospitals and nursing homes. Jobs will be lost. Lives will be lost.
HeiTz/SHARoN STUART
90 YEARs AGo
Political satire has a way of flourishing in spite of governmental opposition, and in Germany no edict of Adolf Hitler seems powerful enough to check the “underground” manufacture of pointed jibes at the ruler of the Reich. The story goes that Hitler went to see a movie incognito by himself and took his seat unobtrusively in the rear of the house. When the newsreel came around and Hitler’s picture was flashed on the screen, everyone stood up and applauded and cheered vociferously. Hitler alone remained seated and quiet. Presently, the usher tapped him on the shoulder and said, “You better stand up, friend. We all feel the way you do about it, but it’s not safe to show it.” Another tells of Hitler’s visit to an insane asylum. one of the inmates asks: “Who’s that funny little fellow with the Charlie Chaplin moustache? Hitler, overhearing the question turns to the man and shouts indignantly, “Don’t you know me? I am Adolf Hitler, the leader of the whole German race.” To which the patient retorts, “That’s just how it started with me, too.”
August 1935
50 YEARs AGo
The total value of taxable property in the City of oneonta is $94,081,801. City assessor Calvert Bailey said the final figures were contained in computer print-outs received by the city. That is about $1.2 million less than the amount the city had estimated prior to the hearings on grievance days last month. The computer print-outs show that the full value of properties during the reassessment is $96,758,965. This figure, Bailey explained, is the value of all the properties assessed. Properties that are totally exempt such as churches, schools, and the two colleges, are not included in that figure, he said.
August 1975
40 YEARs AGo
New York’s law that will make the legal drinking age 21 goes into effect on December 1. City officials, merchants and residents have expressed some concerns over what impact the new law will have in oneonta where half of the population is college students. sergeant Carl shedlock of the oneonta Police Department said, based on his experience in the city, there will definitely be problems for the police. “You are not going to change the behaviors of that age group,” shedlock said. “The situation is going to be dispersed back into the neighborhoods. This is a part of college life, and they are not going to change that overnight. That is what the law wants to do. It has some potential for some pretty severe consequences – we could get an adversarial role with the students, and that is not going to serve anybody.” Peter Granger, owner of the Copper Fox Tavern said, “My problem is getting enough 21-year-olds in here to stay in business, an older crowd that gets us through the summer.”
August 1985
20 YEARs AGo
August 2005
Education, Professional Growth Important
As the summer winds down and the first signs of a new school year begin to appear, I find myself reflecting on the value of education and the many ways it shapes the lives of those in the springbrook community.
Graduation season is a time of joy and pride and, this year, we celebrate several outstanding achievements. From the seven students who graduated from The school at springbrook to the staff who earned college credits and advanced degrees, each accomplishment represents a powerful step forward in our mission.
Education is central to that mission. Whether through partnerships with institutions like sUNY oneonta and Hartwick College, or internal programs like springbrook scholars and EmpowerU, we are proud to build a culture that encourages learning, growth, and connection.
This year, 19 direct support professionals from springbrook earned microcredentials through the state’s new workforce training initiative, which was developed in collaboration with the office for People with Developmental Disabilities. These credentials not only validate their hard work and skill, but also represent a meaningful investment in the workforce’s long-term success. As Willow Baer, commissioner of oPWDD, noted, this program gives DsPs “a true professional career path” and the tools to “sharpen skills, think creatively, and really examine how to best support people with developmental disabilities.”
I could not agree more.
We are also proud to support professional growth through our springbrook scholars program, which currently has 17 enrolled participants. These staff members are pursuing graduatelevel study in areas like education, therapy and
By MERL REAGLE
nursing. Many are ready to put their talents to work in a meaningful way with their energy, fresh ideas and drive to learn, serving as an important asset to our organization.
In that same spirit, we launched EmpowerU in partnership with Hartwick College this year. EmpowerU offers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to experience college life, complete with classes, internships, peer socialization, and professional mentorship. This inaugural semester included studies in chemistry and economics, and students participated in job-skill internships aligned with their interests. The growth we witnessed—academically and socially—was nothing short of inspiring.
As we look ahead, I am especially excited for the official opening of our new day habilitation program, the Go Zone, on the sUNY oneonta campus. Launching this August, the Go Zone represents another bold step in our commitment to educational inclusion and community integration. Here, people will engage in campus events, volunteer in meaningful ways, and connect with students, faculty, and staff. This collaboration speaks directly to springbrook’s core values: education, opportunity and belonging. of course, none of this would be possible without our valued partners. I extend heartfelt thanks to sUNY oneonta, Hartwick College, and others who have embraced these efforts. As Mark Davies, dean of the school of Education, Human Ecology, and sports studies at sUNY oneonta, and a member of our Board of Directors, recently said, “This is just the beginning. We are committed to partnering with local organiza-
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Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’: a 400-Year-Long Conversation
Shakespeare wrote the tragedy “Hamlet” sometime around 1600 CE, a time of political uncertainty in England, as Queen Elizabeth I aged with no obvious heir.
The Glimmer Globe Theatre’s production of “Hamlet,” directed by Michael Tamburrino, offers a chance to delve into what is widely considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest masterpieces, often placing at the top of lists of his best plays.
While normally I only cover college productions at SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College, I looked forward to talking to Michael again (he had directed “On the Verge” in the spring at Hartwick). Plus, I wanted to go see this production with a little more insight than the first (and only) time I saw “Hamlet,” which was when I was in the seventh grade. To say I was hopelessly lost and confused throughout does not do justice to my ignorance.
It was at the Old Vic Theatre in London, and my one lasting impression is when my father dragged my little brother out part way through the show. After Hamlet (played by Albert Finney) gave a long speech, he bent to kiss Ophelia’s hand and, as he pulled back, a long spittle of drool hung between his mouth and her hand. My brother, like any respectable third-grade boy would, burst out, “Ew! Gross!” While I giggled, the British theatergoers around us were not amused. At all.
I used to think if I had seen the play again after being assigned to study it in my high school lit class, I would have been more engaged. However, since it has been numerous decades since high school (no, no need to count exactly how many decades, thank you very much…) I was glad to have a chance to talk to the director before seeing this performance. And Michael came through, leaving me more than ready to fully enjoy the play.
A quick recap of the story line (if there are any spoilers in here for you, you should have been paying better attention in your high school lit class!).
There’s this guy, Claudius, who murders his brother, the King of Denmark, and marries his brother’s wife, Gertrude. Claudius’ nephew, Prince Hamlet, is not only devastated by his father’s death and disturbed by how quickly his mother remarried, but also gets his knickers in a very tight twist when his father’s ghost informs him his Uncle Claudius murdered him. This takes the common understanding that “every family has that one uncle” to a whole new level. In his attempts at vengeance, Hamlet mistakenly poisons his girlfriend’s father—thereby sending his girlfriend, Ophelia, into madness—while Hamlet’s mother ends up dying when she drinks poison Claudius intended for Hamlet. Then Hamlet duels Ophelia’s brother, leading to both their deaths, but not before Hamlet kills his uncle. So, at the end of the play, Prince Fortinbras from Norway shows up and, with Hamlet’s blessing, takes control of the kingdom of Denmark.
“Hamlet” in its unedited version includes a number of scenes that set up the political scene, depicting the internal strife of Denmark and the decay of its body politic, and questioning what makes a ruler legitimate. That is to say that, in full, “Hamlet” runs over four hours long. Since I knew that, and considering that with a 15-minute intermission, Glimmer Globe’s production takes just over three hours, I asked Michael how he decided what to cut, whether he used someone else’s cut version, or did it himself.
“Well, I watched a lot of different versions that approach it in a lot of different ways. The Lawrence Olivier film version is, like, two hours and 20 minutes, but it cuts so much that it’s actually, I think, difficult to follow what’s going on. And, it makes some huge leaps. And my big thing was, I was trying to focus more on the family, and less on the geo-political,” Michael explained.
“When it comes to Shakespeare, I love his
works. But I don’t treat it as a sacred text, necessarily. I’m totally game for changing things if it’s in service to allowing the audience to have an easier time. The Lawrence Olivier version, it gets it down to two and a half hours, but it cuts the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern entirely, right, which also forces you to cut some really famous speeches,” he continued. “I was trying to leave enough in there, like the play within the play, the mouse trap, that Hamlet and the players put on to test Claudius’ guilt. Some of the ambassadors that come in from outside, I’ve cut them entirely... Scenes are shortened quite a bit. The grave digger scene is shortened a lot, and a lot of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern stuff is condensed. So, we leave the physical comedy and that sort of thing.”
In keeping with his theme of “allowing the audience to have an easier time,” Michael talked about how, once the actors are confident in their lines and their meanings, he focuses with them on ways to play the Shakespeare characters to make them interesting.
“It’s a long play. There’s so much stuff, but my big advice to them [the actors] is, it’s really easy to generalize emotions when you’re performing Shakespeare. If you’re doing a monologue and you’re like, ‘Oh, I know! I’m supposed to be feeling mournful here!’ and you just paint over the monologue with a broad brush of mournfulness, it’s boring. What I try to work with them on is [the idea] you’re always making an argument, right? You’re always trying to make a point or trying to influence something or influence someone, that’s what’s interesting, that’s what makes it engaging,” Michael said.
“Shakespeare was kind of revolutionary. He was one of the first to present characters who were not caricatures or archetypes. He presents fully formed, complex people who change dramatically over the course of a show, who lie, who contradict themselves. Like Hamlet says in his advice to the players in the show: The purpose of theater is to hold a mirror up to nature, to make something look realistic and believable. And that was not always the case with theater. The ancient Greeks and classical tragedies, they weren’t trying to look realistic,” he added.
Michael and I also talked about whether Hamlet’s father’s ghost is a literal apparition or a psychological project. (Michael believes the initial appearances are literal, while the final appearance is a psychological projection.) We debated whether Hamlet’s madness is feigned or real. (Michael’s take? “Where I lean is that it’s calculated. And he may lose control of it at certain moments, but for the most part, he knows exactly what he’s doing. I think that he’s just about always the smartest person in the room…Doesn’t mean he can’t get carried away.”)
All of this conversation made the show more enjoyable when I went. Especially as Michael went on to talk about his casting of the show. This is the 10-year anniversary of the Glimmer Globe, and the first time they have had an actor from out
of state—Jackie Madejski, who plays Hamlet. The theatre was able to hire Jackie thanks to a new partnership with Aunt Karen’s Farm, which allowed Glimmer Globe to offer housing as well as studio space, for which Michael was deeply appreciative. The rest of the cast and crew is comprised of community members and local talent, ranging from highschool students to veteran actors, including two names I recognized from writing this column: Lazaro Mahar (a SUNY O student who plays multiple parts in “Hamlet”) and Gary Burlew (a Hartwick faculty member who did set construction for this production).
Getting to watch the show with some of the director’s take in my mind—and the energy of a production featuring a healthy mix of outside and homegrown talent—made the three hours go quickly. Much faster than I remember from seventh grade!
Perhaps the most intriguing part of our conversation was when I asked Michael what he hoped audiences will take away from this production of “Hamlet.”
“My favorite thing about working with the actors, and something that I hope the audiences take away, is that Shakespeare is this living, breathing entity. There’s no definitive production of ‘Hamlet.’ Every ‘Hamlet’ changes and affects all other ‘Hamlets’ going forward. It’s like this ripple effect… there will, for better or for worse, be some choice that we make in our production that somebody seeing it will remember, agree with or disagree with, and then change how they think about ‘Hamlet’ in the future. And then that’s going to affect future readings of ‘Hamlet,” he said.
“It keeps trickling on down the line, it’s like a 400-year-long conversation, and it’s a privilege to be part of that. I want people to feel that it’s not this stuffy thing that’s set in stone. It’s changing and living and breathing,” he continued. “I want people to also think about the fact that it’s not this dark, nihilistic play about death. It grapples with some of the most fundamental questions that we possibly deal with as human beings! What does my life mean? What happens after I die? How do I live a good life? And that’s Hamlet’s journey.
“Hamlet matures, goes from a state of adolescent angst and vitriol to an understanding of his place in the larger cosmic scope of things. I think that’s something that happens to all of us to an extent, as we grow and get older. Hamlet feels at the beginning of the play, hopeless and betrayed; he doesn’t have control of his life. He finds himself in a play that he doesn’t want to be in. I didn’t audition for this, and here I am. I want to get out. I want to do something else with my life. And the play is a process of him trying to rewrite the ending of his own play.”
I enjoyed being part of this “400-year-long conversation; enjoyed a production that was far more lighthearted than what I anticipated, was stunned as I sat through it to hear how many phrases we quote in modern day conversation that come from this play (“neither borrower nor lender be,” “to thine own self be true,” “brevity is the soul of wit,” “the lady doth protest too much, methinks,” “I must be cruel, only to be kind”…), and appreciated, once again, how rich we are in the performing arts here in Otsego County.
I also walked away wishing my seventh-grade self had been able to speak to Michael before heading out to the theatre.
“Hamlet,” directed by Michael Tamburrino of Glimmer Globe Theatre, shows at the Fenimore Art Museum’s Lakeside Lucy B. Hamilton Amphitheater Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. The final performance is August 14. Tickets are available online and, in the event of inclement weather, the production is moved inside to the Fenimore Art Museum Auditorium.
Rachel Frick Cardelle covers performing arts at SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College.
Choral Society Announces New Music Director
Dr. Joseph Han, with his distinguished background in choral music and education, has been appointed the new music director of the Catskill Choral Society. According to a press release, Han, who holds a doctor of musical arts degree, “brings a wealth of experience and artistry to lead the choir in its musical endeavors.”
A versatile conductor, opera singer, and educator, Han
is recognized for his exceptional talent and international achievements, having reached audiences across the United States, Italy, France, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
“As a choral conductor with extensive experience in both academic and community settings, I am deeply passionate about fostering artistic excellence while nurturing a strong and engaged choral community,” Han said.
“He brings a dynamic
approach and passion for choral music that resonates with our artistic goals,” said Sue Beames, CCS board president. “He will undoubtedly inspire our singers and audiences alike.”
In his new role, Han will be responsible for selecting repertoire, conducting rehearsals and performances, and artistic planning. His appointment marks an exciting new chapter for Catskill Choral Society, officials said, and the choir eagerly anticipates the artistic growth and opportu-
nities under his leadership.
The upcoming season begins on Thursday, September 4, with auditions for new members to be held on Thursday, August 28. For more information, visit www.catskillchoralsociety.org.
The Catskill Choral Society, founded in 1970, is dedicated to providing opportunities for its members to perform choral music from all periods and styles, enhancing the musical life of the communities in which they perform.
Photo by Kevin Gray
the climactic duel in “hamlet,” as staged in the lucy B. hamilton amphitheater. front row, from left: Jackie madejski (hamlet) and carl loewenguth (laertes). Back row: sharon rankins Burd (gertrude), John melvin (claudius), carrie rowan (attendant) and tahya hurn (osric).
ONEONTA
Pboto provided dr. J oseph han
Shindig
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The crowd was comprised of people of all ages; some reliving memories from decades before, others being spun in strollers by their dancing parents, introducing a whole new generation to the tradition. Music including golden oldies, classic rock and even some modern pop saw the tennis court consistently teeming with dancers.
Once a sizable group had been amassed, Dr. Nader addressed the crowd, saying, “We are thrilled that you could join us. This has not been done since July of 1967. For those of you who remember—and there are some of us here—welcome back… For those of you who were never privileged to
be here, welcome. We’re glad you could join us.”
Nader then thanked the many sponsors of the event and passed the microphone back
to DJ Tom King so that he could get back to the dance floor.
Reception of the event seemed very positive, as smiles plastered the
faces of nearly everyone in sight. It seemed like every guest that walked through the gate of the tennis court was greeted and treated like an old friend. Steve Judd, an event attendee, shared this energy and expressed his gratitude for being able to return to a tradition that he had last been able to participate in in the 1960s. Nader, both at the earlier Sixth Ward historical marker unveiling and during the dance itself, spoke of the strong community
identity exhibited by the Sixth Ward.
The Sixth Ward Shindig was considered a huge success, with the proceeds from the concession stand going toward the maintenance of the Sixth Ward playground, and eventually the refinishing of the tennis courts.
“We have had several requests already to do it again next year and the turnout spoke for itself,” Russo wrote in an e-mail following the event. “My guess is we will
be hosting it again and the planning will begin soon.” With a second event likely on the way, it seems that this tradition—bridging nearly four generations together through one communal experience—is making a comeback. Those interested in staying up to date on events like this in the Sixth Ward can check out the Lower Decks Events Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/ people/Lower-Deck-Eve nts/100069163865791/.
Photo by Maria Griswold
Frank Russo, Becky Thomas and Dr. John Nader pose in front of the main banner for the recent Sixth Ward Shindig.
Opera
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composer about the art of making art, Cisneros said, “Writing is sacred, work meant to open our hearts.”
“I hope people can find a way in and feel empathy,” Bermel added.
Bermel is a three-time Grammy winner and the recipient of both a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright Scholarship. He has also won an Academy Award for his musical composition, which Ainsley described as “eclectic.”
Bermel said the work of a composer as very solitary. He creates music and turns it over to the producer.
“I usually show up and take my bow. That’s the role of a composer,” he explained, whereas “opera is such a collab-
orative art form.”
Rourke said of “The House on Mango Street, “It is a kind of unconventional opera. It has a lot of vignettes.”
There are 56 characters in Cisneros’ novel, and 44 vignettes. Her story had to be condensed for the stage—the operatic version features 22 singers.
The Pipeline Talk ended with a performance by returning Resident Artist Kaylan Hernandez, a soprano. She sang the grand finale piece from the opera, titled “A House of My Own.”
The song brought tears to the eyes of Trochez MacLean. She said she achieved her dream of owning a house in LA once she married. Her father still lives in an apartment. Her mom passed away before she realized her dream of home ownership.
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Cooperstown Pride Block Party Is Aug. 11
COOPERSTOWN
Cooperstown Pride and the Otsego Pride Alliance invite community members and visitors alike to support equality and celebrate diversity on Monday, August 11 at the Cooperstown Pride Block Party. Now in its second year, the event will take place from 5-8 p.m. at Pioneer Park, on the corner of Main and Pioneer streets.
According to a press release issued on July 28, last year’s block party raised more than $1,400.00 to support Cooperstown Central School’s Identity Alliance in what organizers hail as a powerful testament to what a united community can achieve.
“At Cooperstown Central School, the Identity Alliance is committed to building an inclusive and celebratory space where LGBTQ+ students, allies, and all young people feel seen, valued, and safe,” said Rebecca Burk-Sciallo, co-advisor of the
Identity Alliance.
“In today’s world, guidance and support for our students are more crucial than ever,” Burk-Sciallo said.
Attendees can also look forward to a dance party set from DJ Raphael, and collaborations are underway with Barnyard Swing Miniature Golf, Cooperstown Coworks, Friends of the Village Library, Glimmerglass Festival, Landmark Inn, Mohican Flowers, Rigby Handcrafts, Rick’s Hotdog Cart, Rudy’s Liquor Store, Stagecoach Coffee, The Local Bird, the Village Library of Cooperstown and other local businesses.
Mel’s at 22 is set to host the official Cooperstown Pride Afterparty, donating a portion of the day’s sales to support the CCS Identity Alliance. This all-ages event is free and open to the public. To learn more, visit www.cooperstownpride.com.
Yerdon-Putnams Celebrate 77th Reunion
Four generations of the descendants of Floyd and Myrtle (Putnam) Yerdon gathered on Sunday, July 27 for the 77th annual reunion at Fortin Park in Oneonta.
Sixty-five relatives enjoyed Brooks’ barbecue chicken and many homemade side dishes and desserts. Following the meal, an auction was held by family auctioneer David E. Yerdon, with his wife, Linda, assisting.
The eldest family member was David E. Yerdon of Cherry Valley, son of George Senior and Flossie (Kane) Yerdon. His great-grandson Avery Wooden, son of Bryce and Abbey Wooden and grandson of Kimberly (Yerdon) Wooden, was born on May 25, 2025, and was the youngest family member present.
Jim Madison, son of Raymond and Edna (Yerdon) Madison, husband of Althea (James) Madison, father
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of Jennifer (Madison) Protasowicki, and grandfather of Miah Protasowicki, passed away on October 1, 2024.
Traveling the longest distance, from Orlando, Florida, was Jennifer (Madison) Protasowicki, daughter of Jim Madison and Althea (James) Madison.
Other relatives attending were from Cherry Valley, Cooperstown, East Springfield, Richfield Springs, Oneonta, Syracuse, Delhi, Jordanville, Deerfield, Ballston Spa, Massachusetts, Selkirk, Cohoes, Fort Plain and Cobleskill.
The family with the most members present was the family of David E. Yerdon, with four generations and 20 members attending.
The Reunion Committee of Lori Rausch and Kimberly Wooden and family is already planning for the 78th Yerdon-Putnam Reunion on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
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ONEONTA—Film Otsego and Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center will host a Cannabis Culture Film Fest at Foothills on Friday and Saturday, September 5 and 6. Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday, with a screening of “The Big Lebowski” starting at 8 p.m. There will be trivia and costume contests, followed by a “Hippy Hour” with food from Sum Noodle Coop. Hippy Hour tickets are $25.00, while general event admission is free with a suggested donation. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, with a pitch contest at 1 p.m. and a “Creativity and Weed” panel discussion at 2 p.m. Doc Block starts at 3, followed by the Long Shorts film category at 4:20 p.m., Short Shorts at 6:15 and the feature film, “Astral Plane Drifter,” starting at 7:30. Comedian Rob Cantrell will host both days. For more information, visit filmotsego.org.
Zambello Named to Opera Hall
NEW YORK CITY—OPERA America announced that the Opera Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be inducted at the Awards Dinner at New York’s Plaza Hotel on March 20, 2026. Among the nine honorees is Washington National Opera Artistic Director and Glimmerglass Festival Artistic and General Director Emerita Francesca Zambello. She boasts an international career that has spanned decades and included 11 years at the helm at Glimmerglass, from 2011-2022. A full list of inductees, including Zambello’s biography, may be found at https://www.operaamerica.org/ get-involved/about-us/press-room/2025/operaamerica-announces-2025-opera-hall-of-fameinductees/.
Dunau and Phillips To Read
TREADWELL—Bright Hill Press and Literary Center of the Catskills will hold its next Word Thursdays at 94 Church Street in Treadwell on Thursday, August 14. Visit the Bright Hill Press Facebook page to view the livestream, which begins at 7 p.m. Featured authors this week are Mark Danau and Andrew Phillips. There is a suggested donation of $5.00. For more information, visit brighthillpress.org.
25 Main Calls for Submissions
CHERRY VALLEY—25 Main Collective announced a juried exhibition of work by local artists that will be on display November 7-30. “Inspired by a Book” will feature work in any medium that celebrates a specific book, with copies provided at the show by the Cherry Valley Bookstore. Interested artists should contact 25maincollective@gmail. com by Tuesday, September 30. Drop-off dates will be November 1-4. The display will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The gallery will hold an opening reception from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, November 7 and an artists’ talk at 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 30.
Fine Arts on the Lawn Returns
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown Art Association’s annual Fine Arts on the Lawn show and sale will return to the Village Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, August 30 and 31. Artist CAA members are invited to display up to five framed original works on the porch, with a registration fee of $15.00. Works for display can be dropped off from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, August 29. Artists may also apply for a 10’x10’ tent
Mary ‘Sally’ Campbell 1941-2025
BANGOR, ME—
Mary “Sally” Campbell (Winnie) died peacefully on Friday, July 18 in Bangor, Maine at the age of 84. Sally was born April 3, 1941 in Cooperstown, New York to parents Mary and Gordon Winnie. Sally graduated from Cooperstown High School with the Class of
display space on the lawn, open to works in any medium. There is a $110.00 booth fee and short application. CAA reserves the right to retain a 30 percent commission on all sales. For more information or to register, call (607) 547-9777 or visit cooperstownart.com.
Fetterman Nominations Sought
COOPERSTOWN—The Clark Sports Center seeks nominations for the 2025 Patrick C. Fetterman Award. Named for the long-serving associate director of the Alfred Corning Clark Gymnasium, the award recognizes an outstanding leader in local youth sports each year. Recipients are celebrated at a presentation and reception, and have their names added to a perpetual trophy sculpted by local artist Fred Blatt. To nominate a deserving individual, submit a letter outlining their qualifications to the Clark Sports Center, PO Box 850, Cooperstown, NY 13326, Attention: David Fontaine. For more information, including complete eligibility guidelines, visit clarksportscenter.com.
Blacksmith Demo is Sunday
MILFORD—The Greater Milford Historical Association will host two local crafters for a traditional blacksmithing demonstration from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, August 10. It will be held behind the David Sayre House Museum, 81 North Main Street. House tours and cold drinks are available, and there will be live fiddle music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free and family friendly. Donations are welcome.
Farm Day Expands to Weekend
NEW YORK STATE—By popular demand, Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie and Otsego County’s 13th annual Family Farm Day will now be an all-weekend event on Saturday and Sunday, August 23-24. Visitors will have more opportunity to explore open farms, meet local producers and sample products. More than 40 farms will participate one or both days this year, with full up-to-date schedules available at FamilyFarmDay.org. There will be a wide variety of interactive activities, tastings, demonstrations and products for sale. For everyone’s safety, guests are reminded to bring coolers or insulated bags for produce, stay within designated areas, wear appropriate footwear and follow all posted biosecurity protocols. Pets are not allowed.
‘Art
in the Park’ Is Sept. 7th
WEST WINFIELD—Upper Unadilla Valley Association will host an art exhibition and sale at the pavilion in the Town of Winfield Park from 13 p.m. on Sunday, September 7. Artists who live in West Winfield, Bridgewater, Unadilla Forks, Leonardsville, West Edmeston or the surrounding areas are invited to display. There is no cost to participate and no commission on sales. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact jlmcn@ frontiernet.net or (315) 855-4368.
Dance Festival Is Saturday
MOUNT VISION—The Visionary Stage for New and Explorative Art will hold its annual Visionary Dance Festival at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 9. Musician and composer Johnny Butler will lead an extraordinary group of dance artists in a series of visceral movement and sound performances in the black box-style theater. Tickets are $20.00 or
OBITUARIES
$17.00 for seniors and students. They are available at thevisionaryny.com or at the box office starting at 6:30 p.m. before the show. The theater is located at 2381 State Highway 205 in Mount Vision.
Walking Tour Explores Hartwick
HARTWICK—Otsego 2000’s Dr. Cindy Falk will lead a walking Historic Preservation Tour of Hartwick at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 10. The tour costs $10.00, with pre-registration available at otsego2000.org or (607) 547-8881. The Historic Preservation series will continue with tours of Roseboom on Sunday, September 7, Middlefield on Sunday, October 19 and Cooperstown on Sunday, November 16.
Festival Benefits Food Pantry
CHERRY VALLEY—The annual Cherry Valley Folk Fest for Food, a benefit for the Daily Bread Food Pantry, will return to Main Street in Cherry Valley later this month. Sam Whedon will open for The Currys on Thursday, August 14, followed by Gravel Yard performing on Thursday, August 21. Fan favorite Scattered Flurries will return for the final performance of the year on Thursday, August 28. Non-perishable food and monetary donations will be accepted at each concert or directly at the food pantry, 2 Genesee Street at the back of the Old School, during open hours. Checks may also be mailed to Daily Bread Food Pantry at PO Box 328, Cherry Valley, NY 13320. All proceeds from food and merchandise sales at the concerts will also benefit the pantry.
Fly-in Breakfast Scheduled
MIDDLEFIELD—The Middlefield Volunteer Fire Department will hold its next fly-in pancake breakfast at the Cooperstown/Westville Airport from 7:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 16. Allyou-can-eat pancakes, eggs, sausage, real maple syrup, and beverages are available for $12.00 for adults and $8.00 for children.
OLA Annual Meeting Is Aug. 9
COOPERSTOWN—The Otsego Lake Association will hold its annual gathering at the Otsego Sailing Club, 5992 State Route 80, on Saturday, August 9. Coffee service and the silent auction will open at 8:30 a.m., followed by a brief business meeting at 9 a.m. Presentations will cover this year’s ice-off, updates on harmful algae blooms, a review of student research and the winners of the inaugural “Reflections” photo contest. All lake lovers are welcome. Attendees are encouraged to bring a friend and a chair.
Hall Mourns Ryne Sandberg
COOPERSTOWN—The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum issued a commemorative statement following the death of Hall of Fame second baseman and manager Ryne Sandberg on Monday, July 28. The quiet, dignified defensive specialist played 15 of his 16 major league seasons for the Chicago Cubs, leading them to their first postseason since 1945 in 1984. He earned nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards and made 10 straight All-Star Game appearances. Sandberg retired with 282 home runs, 277 of them as a second baseman, at the time the career record at the position. The entire Hall of Fame mourns his passing. For more information on Sandberg’s career, visit baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/sandberg-ryne.
1959 and attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. She spent the later and greater part of her life on her beloved Cape Cod.
She enjoyed participating in chorus and band, was an accomplished medical transcriptionist, and an avid reader and crafter. Sally was a caring foster mom to many babies, giving them the best start to life. She was an active and dedicated member of the Episcopal Church in Barnstable, Massachusetts and volunteered as treasurer at the South Dennis Library. Sally traveled widely, including to Russia and Thailand (where she interacted with elephants, to her great joy).
Sally is survived by her sister, Jeannie Gulbranson, of South Dartmouth, Massachusetts; daughter Suzanne Anderson and her husband, Anthony,
of Dedham, Maine; son Richard Campbell of Milford, New York; grandson Dylan Moore of Bangor, Maine; and daughter-in-law Mary Minor of Portland, Oregon. She was preceded in death by son Michael Campbell and niece Sarah Neal Gulbranson.
A memorial is scheduled for Friday, September 5 at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Barnstable, Massachusetts, with a reception to follow. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Sally’s life. In lieu of flowers,
Grandma loved her farm, her family, and playing her old guitar.
Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home will take the time to find out what made your loved one special. Whether it’s finding just the right flowers, or finding a musician to play her favorite tunes on her old guitar, we’ll do what’s necessary to make her service as unique as she was.
Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home 14 Grand Street, Oneonta • 607-432-6821 www.grummonsfuneralhome.com
please consider sending a donation to the Harwich Town Band, Harwich, Massachusetts, or the Ovarian Cancer Institute at https://www.ovariancancerinstitute.org.
The family would like to thank the caregivers at Winterberry Heights and Bristol Hospice in Bangor for their dedication and compassion. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.
and Caring Service since 1925 Peaceful grounds. Home-like atmosphere. Suitable for large or small gatherings. Peter A. Deysenroth 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown | 607-547-8231 www.cooperstownfuneralhome.com
Photo provided
MARY ‘SALLY’ CAMPBELL
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC).
Name: Clover Field Landscapes, LLC
Articles of organization of Clover Field Landscapes, LLC were filed with the New York Secretary of State (SSNY) on May 14, 2025. The office location is Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to 809 Co. Hwy. 22, Burlington Flats, N.Y. 13318. The LLC purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF
FST PROPERTIES LLC.
Filed with SSNY on 06/11/2025. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 42 MEDALLION DR, OTEGO, NY 13825. Purpose: Any Lawful.
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HOLLY HOPS FLOWER FARM LLC
Arts. of org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/23/25. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 8200 W. Lake Dr., W. Palm Beach, FL 33406. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
6LegalAug.7
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF
Caleb Backus Farrier Service LLC
Articles of organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on March 14th, 2025. Office Location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom
process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Caleb Ley Backus, 190 Butternut Rd Unadilla, NY 13849. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
6LegalAug.14
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Hat Trick Homes, LLC, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on June 30, 2025. NY office Location: OTSEGO County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served upon him/her to: C/O Hat Trick Homes, LLC, 31 Pioneer Street, Suite 3, Cooperstown, NY 13326. General Purposes.
6LegalAug.14
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF GLEASON HOLDINGS LLC
Articles of org. filed with NY Sec. of State (SSNY) on 6/30/25. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 5445 Rt. 67, East Durham, NY 12423. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal business loc: 9 Elm St., Worcester, NY 12197. 6LegalAug.14
LegaL nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Name: TIM ELLIS & SON GENERAL CONTRACTING LLC.
Articles of organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 1 July 2025. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 341 Morton Road, Cherry Valley, New York 13320. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.
6LegalAug.14
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Name: TITCHENERS LLC.
Articles of organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 1 July 2025. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 15 South Street, Cooperstown, New York 13326. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.
6LegalAug.14
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF The Bremo Group LLC
filed Arts of org. on 07/03/2025 . Office: Otsego Co.
SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 418 Broadway STE N, Albany, NY 12207 USA Purpose: Any Legal Purpose.
6LegalAug.21
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Name: KD RISING LLC.
Articles of organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 11 July 2025. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 12 Commons Dr, Apt 201, Gilbertsville, NY 13776. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.
6LegalAug.21
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Mountainside Farm LLC
Office Location: Otsego County N.Y. articles of organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (“SSNY”) on July 3, 2025.
LEGALS
SSNY is designated agent of LLC upon whom process may be served and SSNY shall mail process to Mountainside Farm LLC located at 135 Chestnut Ridge Road, Cherry Valley, NY 13320. Any lawful purpose.
6LegalAug.21
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF
MBHHL, LLC, a Limited Liability Company (LLC)
filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on July 10, 2025. NY office Location: OTSEGO County.
SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served upon him/her to: C/O MBHHL, LLC, 295 Emmons Hill Rd, Oneonta, NY 13820. General Purposes.
6LegalAug.28
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Name:
CHERRY
VALLEY ORCHARD LLC
Articles of organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 22 June 2025. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 410 Oneill Rd., Cherry Valley, NY 13320. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.
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SuPPLEMENTAL SuMMONS AND NOTICE OF OBjECT OF ACTION
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF OTSEGO ACTION TO FORECLOSE A MORTGAGE
INDEX #: EF2024-916
MIDFIRST BANK Plaintiff, vs AARON
THOMAS LAPE
AKA AARON T. LAPE IF LIVING, AND IF HE/SHE BE
DEAD, ANY AND ALL PERSONS UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, CLAIMING, OR WHO MAY CLAIM TO HAVE AN INTEREST IN, OR GENERAL OR SPECIFIC LIEN UPON THE REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THIS ACTION; SUCH UNKNOWN PERSONS BEING HEREIN GENERALLY DESCRIBED AND INTENDED TO BE INCLUDED IN WIFE, WIDOW, HUSBAND, WIDOWER, HEIRS AT LAW, NEXT OF KIN, DESCENDANTS, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, COMMITTEES, LIENORS, AND ASSIGNEES OF SUCH DECEASED, ANY AND ALL PERSONS DERIVING INTEREST IN OR LIEN UPON, OR TITLE TO SAID REAL PROPERTY BY, THROUGH OR UNDER THEM, OR EITHER OF THEM, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE WIVES, WIDOWS, HUSBANDS, WIDOWERS, HEIRS AT LAW, NEXT OF KIN, DESCENDANTS, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, COMMITTEES, LIENORS, AND ASSIGNS, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES, EXCEPT AS STATED, ARE UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, CYNTHIA LYNNE MONCRIEF-LAPE AKA CYNTHIA L. MONCRIEFLAPE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON BEHALF OF THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, CAPITAL ONE, N.A., PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON BEHALF OF THE IRS JOHN DOE (Those unknown tenants, occupants, persons or corporations or their heirs, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, assignees, creditors or successors claiming an interest in the mortgaged premises.) Defendant(s).
MORTGAGED
PREMISES: 14 High Street Morris, NY 13808
To the Above named Defendant: You are hereby sum-
moned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Otsego.
The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises.
TO Aaron Thomas Lape AKA Aaron T. Lape Defendant In this Action. The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. Brian D. Burns of the Supreme Court Of The State Of New York, dated the Eighteenth day of July, 2025 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Otsego, in the City of Cooperstown. The object of this action is to foreclosure a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by Aaron Thomas Lape AKA Aaron T. Lape and Cynthia Lynne Moncrief-Lape AKA Cynthia L. Moncrief-Lape dated the October 31, 2017, to secure the sum of $78,339.00 and recorded at Instrument No. 2017-5328 in the Office of the Otsego County Clerk on November 1, 2017. The mortgage was subsequently modified on January 6, 2021. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed October 13, 2021 and recorded on October 13, 2021, in the Office of the Otsego County Clerk at Instrument Number 2021-5666. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed January 18, 2022 and recorded on January 19, 2022, in
the Office of the Otsego County Clerk at Instrument Number 2022-361. The mortgage was subsequently modified on April 18, 2024. The property in question is described as follows: 14 High Street, Morris, NY 13808 HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Department of Financial Services at 1800-342-3736 or the Foreclosure Relief Hotline 1800-269-0990 or visit the department’s website at WWW.DFS. NY.GOV.
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO STAY IN YOUR HOME DURING THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME UNLESS AND UNTIL YOUR PROPERTY IS SOLD AT
AUCTION PURSUANT TO A JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AND SALE. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN YOUR HOME, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY AND PAY PROPERTY TAXES IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE AND LOCAL LAW.
FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303
NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this Foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action.
YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.
DATED: July 21, 2025
Gross Polowy LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221
The law firm of Gross Polowy
LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose.
86689
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NOTICE OF PuBLIC SALE
Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell at Online Public Auction pursuant to New York State Lien Law, Article 8, Section 182, per order of North Street Storage, 14 North Street Oneonta, NY at www.bid13.com.
The personal property described as household goods heretofore stored with the undersigned by Dan Baxter, Unit 16 beginning on 08/11/25
All sales are subject to prior claim, postponement and/or cancellation.
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Name: Gothicville Enterprises LLC.
Articles of organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 12 April 2025. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 988 County Highway 38 Worcester, NY 12197. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.
6LegalSept.4
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF KEEZ Real Estate Group LLC. Filed with SSNY on 07/21/2025. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: PO Box 104 Laurens, NY 13796. Purpose: Any Lawful
6LegalSept.4 LegaL nOtice
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY:
The name of
enough quantities, they can cause serious damage to the liver. The New York State Department of Health heavily regulates their presence within bodies of water, with 4 micrograms per liter or less being the benchmark for the reopening of HAB-affected public beaches .
The WSC has been working hard to combat these threats to public health head on through a variety of endeavors. Since 2023, the centerpiece of this has come in the form of the group’s Nine Element Plan with New York State.
“It’s a lake plan,” said Jim Howarth, Cooperstown representative in the WSC and president of the Otsego Lake Association.
“It’s a plan that looks to council people for best management practices, working with homeowners, with farmers, with the state Department of Transportation for things like road salt and herbicides. It’s a plan over time to preserve and hopefully improve the quality of the lake water…probably a fouryear time plan, of which we’re two years into,” Howarth said.
Much of the work done so far has been research based. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Federation of Lake Associations jointly administer the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program, which has been spearheaded for three years locally by Doug and Rhonda Willies. In conjunction with the OLA, these two have volunteered roughly eight times a year to do scientific sampling of Otsego Lake’s water to collect and analyze data
in accordance with DEC protocol.
The CSLAP data also contributes to the ongoing effort of lake water quality modeling within the 9E Plan itself.
Working with the Upstate Fresh Water Institute in Syracuse and the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station, the WSC has been building a comprehensive model of the nutrient and sediment dynamics in the Otsego Lake watershed and basin to build a better understanding of changes in lake ecology that led to HABs and to help make more accurate predictions regarding them in the future.
The WSC has also been working closely with the governments of the communities that call the Otsego Lake watershed their home.
“The municipal assessment is required by the 9E Plan,” Dr. Bertine McKenna, WSC chair and Cooperstown representative, wrote via email. “Springfield did one early, but the other two towns [Otsego and Middlefield] and the village will do them as well. The purpose is to understand components of municipal workings that may affect the watershed.”
For those looking to get involved themselves, the OLA, Otsego County Conservation Association, SUNY Oneonta BFS, and WSC have recently joined together to launch an Adopt a Shoreline program for Otsego Lake. Modeled after the similar Adopt a Highway program, residents of Otsego County who live on or near the lake can “adopt” a designated segment of shoreline to monitor for pollution and warning signs of HABs. Officials involved in the execution of the 9E Plan hope this will encourage more engagement from
the community in maintaining the health of the lake, as well as benefit locals by teaching them more about the ecology of their surroundings.
With lake and watershed modeling underway, community interest and engagement on the rise, and substantive data on the horizon, the WSC will be playing a key role in a statewide mission to determine the cause and mitigate the threats of HABs in Otsego County, and statewide.
Those interested in monitoring HABs through the Adopt a Shoreline program can volunteer to become a shoreline monitor at https://www. occainfo.org/volunteer, or can report the presence of HABs directly through the HABs Notification System at https://otsegocountyhabs.us12. list-manage.com/subscri be?u=217389b6ee92995 17e1cde4a1&id=396bde 13e9.
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to help them understand on their level what’s happening.”
With these intentions in mind, she got to work. Since March of 2024, Pietruszka worked with a hybrid publisher to lay the groundwork for her book, and reached out and partnered with Abigail Hall, an artist from Scotland, on its colorful illustrations. With this infrastructure in progress, Pietruszka worked on putting together a story about a young girl named Elly with lots of worries, and the power of overcoming and seeing through these “you-know-whats and you-know-whos,” as she describes them. Whether it be the sweet words of her mother, or the warm comfort of her stuffed animals around her, Elly is able to overcome her anxieties by seeing the “I-
Help Shape Otsego’s Future: Open House on August 28
FLY CREEK
the Town of Otsego has contracted with the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District Inc. to update its 2008 Comprehensive Plan. A comprehensive plan is a foundational document that guides local policy, land use, and community development. Community input ensures that the plan reflects the needs and values of the Town of Otsego’s residents.
According to officials, this plan will guide future decisions on housing, the economy, natural resources, infrastructure and more. The Town of Otsego and MVEDD invite all Town of Otsego residents to an upcoming Open House on Thursday, August 28 at the Otsego Town Hall, 811 County Highway 26, Fly Creek. Folks can drop in anytime between 5-8 p.m., organizers said.
This will be an open forum for residents to learn about the comprehensive plan and provide input on what they want to see in the town in the future. Residents will have an opportunity to fill out an anonymous survey, speak with the town’s Comprehensive Plan
love-yous” that surround her instead.
“It was challenging,” Pietruszka said of her effort to get “ONLY ILove-Yous!” published. “Essentially for that full year, I wasn’t really a child life specialist in the clinical term. I was really an author. So I was writing [a] manuscript, refining it with the editor and researching illustrators and going through the drawing process with the illustrator. It was a year-long process of really putting it all together.”
Though her work as a child life specialist has at times kept her far from the city Pietruszka once called home—the past 14 years of her career being spent primarily in Saudi Arabia—the staff of the Huntington Memorial Library seemed more than happy to welcome her back to Oneonta for last Monday’s event.
Pietruszka read her
LEGALS
The Comprehensive Plan Committee is seeking feedback on a range of topics.
Committee as well as MVEDD staff, and voice their goals, concerns, and desires for the Town of Otsego.
“This event is all about hearing from the community,” officials said in a press release issued on Tuesday, August 5. “Please join us on August 28th to share what you love about the Town of Otsego and what changes you’d like to see. The more input we receive, the stronger the plan will be.”
The town’s Comprehensive Plan Committee is seeking feedback on a range of topics, including housing, tourism, economic development, natural resources, agriculture, historic preservation, parks and recreation, infrastructure, and public safety.
To view the current Comprehensive Plan, visit townofotsego.com.
Questions? Contact MVEDD at info@mvedd.org, or call (315) 866-4671.
book to a crowd of roughly a dozen children and adults, detailing a simplified process of how publishing works, and showing off the mistakes made along the way and how these mistakes helped her learn for the future. She answered what seemed to be an endless stream of questions for the following half hour, as a very engaged audience enthusiastically talked about aspects of the story with her.
Though her work as a child life specialist will continue, Pietruszka spoke to her newfound passion of writing for children, and of the important lens it allows an author to see through that might otherwise never be accessed.
“It feels great. I think just the ability to share something with the young ones and even for parents to create a story in their own mind or help
the child create a story in their mind … I think it’s my way of giving a tool to a parent to help a child through a hard time. So it feels good to share that child life part of me through a book,” Pietruszka explained.
“Yeah, it’s not really about the fame or the ‘Oh, I’m an author now.’ It’s more about trying to give tools to kids and to their parents to get through something that might be hard … [Being a children’s author] challenges you to really think of things in a different way. The population you’re writing for and stuff like that; it’s a challenge. It helps you grow,” she said.
For those interested in picking up their own copy, “ONLY I-LoveYous!” can be found on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites, or on shelves locally at the Green Toad Bookstore while supplies last.
from pg. 10
Nick’s BBQ & Creamery, LLC (the “Company”).
The date of filing of the Articles of Organization of the Company with the Secretary of State was July 24, 2025. The county in which the principal place of business of the Company shall be located is Otsego County. The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the Company upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the Company to Nick’s BBQ & Creamery, LLC, 1761 Covered Bridge Road, Unadilla, NY 13849. The purpose of the business of the Company is any lawful business purpose. 6LegalSept.4
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NOTICE OF JOINT PUBLIC MEETING OF THE VILLAGE OF COOPERSTOWN AND TOWN OF OTSEGO
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Cooperstown and the Town of Otsego Board will hold a joint, public meeting at the Otsego Town Hall, located at 811 County Highway 26, Fly Creek, NY on Wednesday, August 13th, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. to vote on an Intermunicipal Lighting Agreement.
Dated: August 5th, 2025
By order of the Village Board Village of Cooperstown
Jenna L. Utter, RMC Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 (607) 547 2411 (phone) jutter@cooperstownny.org (email) 1LegalAug.7
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
A copy of the agreement is available for inspection in the Village of Cooperstown, Clerk’s Office and at the aforesaid public meeting.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Board for the Village of Cooperstown will hold the following public hearing on Tuesday, August
19th, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as can be heard:
1 Beaver Street - Site Development Plan review for proposed daycare facility.
The plans for this project are on file with the Village Clerk’s Office at the Village Office, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York, and may be seen during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Public comments must be provided by email to the Zoning Officer at zoning@cooperstownny.org or by regular mail to the address below no later than Tuesday, August 19, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Village Office Building, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown,
New York. 1LegalAug.7
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY:
The name of the limited liability company is: FMQ Realty, LLC (the “Company”).
The date of filing of the Articles of Organization of the Company with the Secretary of State was July 29, 2025. The county in which the principal place of business of the Company shall be located is Otsego County.
The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the Company upon whom process against it may be served.
The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against
the Company to FMQ Realty, LLC, 300 W. 55th Street, Apt. 12Y, New York, NY 10019-5170. The purpose of the business of the Company is any lawful business purpose.
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Fly Creek Honey LLC
Articles of organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 1/10/2025.
Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 455 Keating Rd.. Fly Creek, NY 13337
Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Board for the Village of Cooperstown will hold the following public hearing on Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as can be heard:
217 Main Street - Site Development Plan review for proposed apartment building.
The plans for this project are on file with the Village Clerk’s Office at the Village Office, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York, and may be seen during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Public comments must be provided by email to the Zoning Officer at zoning@cooperstownny.org or by regular mail to the address below no later than Tuesday, August 19, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Village Office Building, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York.
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Jenna Utter, RMC Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326
Tele: (607)5472411
Email: jutter@ cooperstownny. org 1LegalAug.7
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF John Henle Architecture, LLC, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on July 23, 2025. NY office Location: OTSEGO County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served upon him/her to: John Henle Architecture, LLC, 176 Sweet Hill Road, Milford, NY 13807. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.11
►Need to publish a Notice of formatioN, public Notice, supplemeNtal summoNs, or Notice to bidders? Contact Larissa at 607-547-6103 or ads@allotsego.com and she can get you started.
terry berkson
Green Eggs and Hmmm...
More than 20 years ago, to legitimize calling our new home in the hills on the west side of Canadarago Lake a farm, we drove over to King’s Auction in West Winfield and bought a dozen hens and a rooster. When I described the chickens, six Rhode Island reds and six New Jersey blacks, to my friend, Charlie, back in Brooklyn, he said, “Sounds like you bought a couple of hockey teams.” The rooster was a very polite white leghorn who, when I’d refill the feeder, would always let the ladies eat first.
A dozen hens and a rooster don’t make a very impressive farm operation. Nevertheless, friends back in Brooklyn were calling us pioneers. I had originally wanted to buy some heifers, but I’d have to build fences and Alice, my wife, said that if I put any more energy into anything but fixing up the house, she was leaving.
So, besides carpentry, plumbing, and painting, I busied myself each morning feeding and watering the chickens and spreading a fresh layer of straw in the coop. For several weeks I was gathering as many as 10 or 12 brown eggs a day until one late morning three of the eggs I collected turned out to be green. I thought maybe it was because of all the dandelion leaves the chickens were eating when I’d let them out to free range, but neighbors assured me that eating weeds wouldn’t do that. There were only three green eggs and, after that, all the eggs in my daily basket went back to being a normal brown. I suspected that a friend had played a prank, but weeks passed and no one came forward with a laughing confession.
Meanwhile, Charlie from Brooklyn, who’s an antique and collectable dealer, sent me a 1941 Eshelman’s poultry and feed facts book which, he said, “has everything you need to know about raising chickens.” What I learned from the book was that the color of a chicken’s ear and not what she eats determines the color of the egg. To be sure of that, I phoned Roger Vaughn from Vaughn’s Hatchery just outside of town and told him about the green eggs. He said that someone had definitely placed them there, that there was no way reds or blacks would make green eggs.
I was thinking about who could have put those green eggs in my coop. There had been a lady from Skyland Farm in West Exeter at the Thursday farmers’ market earlier that summer. She told me she had Araucana chickens that laid green eggs. Coincidentally, her booth at the market was right next to a woman I like to call The Puffball Lady. She likes to collect the giant, spherical, white mushrooms for her husband, who considers them a delicacy. I almost caused her to have a heart attack by telling her young son
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Liz Fowler, a distinguished scholar in Health and Policy Management at Johns Hopkins University labels this, “the biggest cut to our social safety net in history.” Another first. In the meantime, Mr. Trump and his minions are working hard in the plain light of day to undermine federal elections in 2026 with first-time middecade gerrymanders of Congressional voting districts and other unprecedented actions. They are putting their hands on the scale and attempting to destroy the integrity of our elections.
Martin Luther King wisely asserted that “every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but
that he had to sneak up on a puffball. I did this to quiet the boy so that he, my son and I would have a peaceful walk in the woods—while looking for puffballs. My fabrication backfired when The Puffball Lady later “sicced” her son on a puffball that was sitting on “Posted” property. When near the prize, the boy dropped down on all fours and slowly headed for the mushroom as the puzzled Puffball Lady began to tear at her hair. I think, to get even for my misinforming her son, she bought some of those green eggs and had her husband drive up to the farm on his four-wheeler and salt my coop with them.
Now, I was going to have to find a nice puffball and place the temptation out in a forbidden “No Trespassing” pasture, maybe one where there’s a nice big bull grazing, and the Puffball Lady will no doubt see it and again go through the same “son-crawling” anxiety of having to poach it for her beloved husband.
To bend an old saying, revenge is best served on a green pasture.
Terry Berkson’s articles have appeared in “New York” magazine, “Automobile” magazine and many others. His memoir, “Corvette Odyssey,” has received many good reviews: “highly recommended with broad appeal,” says “Library Journal.”
we must all protest.”
If you have not already, it’s time to stand up and be counted in actively resisting the harms being imposed on our communities, our neighbors, our children and our democracy. There is no way around it; we are all in this together.
Virginia Kennedy Group Leader, CooperstownOneonta Indivisible
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tions serving people with developmental disabilities.” Together, we are building a future in which every person has the resources and opportunities to thrive.
To all the graduates, mentors, staff, and community supporters—congratulations and thank you.
Local Boy Who Made Good
John Schallert was born and raised on Bissell Road, here in the Town of Otsego. Along with his seven siblings, he grew up on the family farm and attended Cooperstown Central School.
John is the quintessential “local boy who made good.” He founded and operated his own business, providing very well for himself and his family. He moved a few miles away from the family homestead to Wileytown Road, where he raised his family: one son and two daughters. Over the years, he added onto his property on and around Wileytown Road.
John has always been very involved in, and generous to, our community. He has served as an Otsego Town Board member and as Otsego town highway supervisor. He has regularly donated his hours, equipment, money, and expertise to many of the organizations in and around Fly Creek. Years ago, the fire department was not housed in the modern building that it is today. John played an integral role in that. When the Fly Creek Historical Society needed to add bathrooms to its Grange building to make it more useful and viable as a community gathering place, they called John. John helped stabilize and repair the foundation at the Fly Creek Methodist Church.
John has also been involved with the Fly Creek Valley Cemetery Association and was elected as the board president this week. John was elected as president due to his history with both the community and the cemetery. When John was in his teens (more than 60 years ago!), one of his paid jobs was to dig graves by hand. His respect for the detail and work that goes into operating a cemetery is rooted in this experience.
John has many relatives buried in this cemetery, including his mother and father. His mother was Violet “Buster” Weir and a musical prodigy. She was an accomplished fiddler in a family of musicians and held a professional position at the Board of Elections at a time when mothers did not typically work outside the home. His father, John Schallert Sr., was also born and raised in the area. John Sr.’s family owned and operated the Toddsville Store and John served in World War
pArtiAL
Your work and dedication are helping us strengthen and build the Springbrook community. Let us continue to learn, grow, and make a difference for everyone in our community, and make a good life better, together.
Patricia Kennedy is the chief executive officer of Springbrook.
WE WANT TO CELEBRATE YOU Promotions, births, meetings, new hires, events, milestones, grand openings, sports results, anniversaries and more.
Photos welcome, too! info@allotsego.com
II. John was a logger and a farmer, and his children grew up with his strong work ethic.
Cemeteries serve as a sacred space for the final resting place of loved ones. They are a space which brings comfort to families after a loved one’s death. They are historic landmarks that represent a perspective of a community’s past. They can help us understand our roots by connecting us to our ancestry and community. They offer a sense of continuity, belonging, and pride and place in the world.
On Sunday, July 13, many community members, plot owners and past and current FCVCA board members gathered at the Fly Creek Valley Cemetery to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Also, the many efforts that went into having the gate archway restored were acknowledged. Sherlee Rathbone, John’s sister and a board member of the cemetery for more than 20 years, applied for a grant from the Community Foundation of Otsego County to do this work. When the CFOC generously awarded the cemetery a $5,000.00 grant, the board tag-teamed to administer the grant, commission the work, and plan this past weekend’s event. Special recognition was given to Christine Olsen, who has served as board president for the past two years. Past board member Walter Dusenbery and his wife, Irene, were also acknowledged, as they compiled a “Notable Burials” handout and marked the graves listed to allow for a self-guided tour.
The current board is a true community and bipartisan board. New board member Dave Hribar quipped, “We are all going to end up here, regardless of our political affiliation.”
Looking forward, John and the cemetery board have ideas and goals to assure the cemetery’s longevity and relevance. One of their first projects will be to solicit community and plot owner feedback and involvement. If anyone has suggestions or wishes to request information, please contact one of the board members, Sexton Wes Ciampo or e-mail flycreekcemetery@gmail.com.
Tabetha Rathbone is a local resident who lives, works and is involved in the Fly Creek community. John Schallert is her uncle.
The Dismantling of Science
From July 21–24, I participated in a Science Defense Fly-In hosted by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Earthjustice. Teams of scientists from across the U.S. met with a bipartisan mix of House members, senators, and/or their staff people. Our primary objectives were to increase co-sponsorship of H.R. 1106: the Scientific Integrity Act, to help the launch of a Senate version of that bill, and to rescue what’s left of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research & Development (with its vital Integrated Risk Information System) and the Centers for Disease Control’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
The Scientific Integrity Act is designed to ensure that agencies use robust and independent science in their decision-making processes, and that federal science and scientists are properly protected from inappropriate political influence. It would codify scientific integrity protections at the national level, establishing the strongest protections for federal scientists and their work that we have seen in modern history. Most importantly, the act vests Congress, not the Executive Branch, with authority over the conduct of federal science.
The EPA’s July 18 announcement of its plans to close the Office of Research and Development and the
Health and Human Services restructuring plan that pushed out practically everyone staffing the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health give evidence that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. have rarely, if ever, met a polluter or workplace abuser they could not support, all politspeak notwithstanding. Their actions were not only illegal (as these specific entities are mandated by Congress), but they are also guaranteed to hurt fence-line community folks and working people.
The second Trump administration set a record in its first six months by openly attacking American science and scientists more than 400 times. Some of those assaults, like forcing thousands of dedicated workers out of the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. Forest Service, produced immediate impacts on U.S. families in our severe weather and fire season. Executive appointments of unqualified leaders, disbanding of federal advisory committees, suppression of agency scientists’ voices, distortion or deletion of heavily used government web sites, and wholesale slashing of funds for peer-reviewed research projects are also on full display. Mr. Trump and his associates obviously
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Photo provided
When terry berkson found green eggs in his hen house, he had suspicions as to how they came to be there.
Photo provided
A puffball figured prominently in terry berkson’s “revenge” scheme.
the
observer
ronALd e. bishop
Science
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can’t stand inconvenient truths and the people who expose them—in many areas.
That’s reason enough to organize a science defense fly-in, but what compelled me to go to Washington last week?
As a baby boomer who started college in 1975, I was in the first generation of students who could major in chemistry without minoring in German. Why was that? German scientists had so dominated the field for more than a century that students before me had to read German to study chemistry. The Third Reich brought that dominance to an end by employing many of the tactics we see used by the Trump administration today: attacks on universities generally and on scientists specifically. If this continues, Americans will surrender the preeminence in science and technology that we have built over the last 80 years.
So, we face a choice: reverse this administration’s dismantling of federal science, or do nothing now, and then in a few years teach Mandarin to our children and grandchildren. They will need it to compete in the post-American world we leave behind.
Ronald E. (Ron) Bishop, of Bowerstown, earned a PhD in biochemistry from The West Virginia University School of Medicine and completed his postdoctoral training at
the National Cancer Institute. He currently serves as associate professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry at SUNY Oneonta. The opinions expressed here are his alone and do not represent SUNY Oneonta or the State University of New York.
Fire
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And on Sunday, August 17, the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad is holding a Milford Fire Benefit Train. All proceeds will go to the Milford Fire Victims Fund, which is being managed by the Milford Methodist Church.
Rigby Handcraft, 43 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, has also put together a fundraiser to support Jeanetta Osterhoudt, the owner of Sybil’s Yarn Shop, as she works to rebuild her business.
“We are doing a fundraiser for Sybil’s Yarn Shop, which burned down in the Milford fire, and we have been accepting donations from community members,” said Rigby Handcraft owner Emilie Rigby.
“We have more than enough—thank you!— but we are going to be reselling donated items at a low cost on Saturday, August 16 from 6-9 p.m. at the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market building,” Rigby said.
Donations include hundreds of pounds of both yarn and fabric, according to Rigby.
“We have hundreds of needlework kits, and an
entire tub of embroidery floss. We’ve got a bunch of big-ticket items: spinning wheels, looms, about 10 sewing machines. It’s been incredible. So many books, patterns, things like that. You can pretty much start whatever craft you want,” Rigby said.
During the sale, craft items will be sold at thrift-store prices. Some of the bigger ticket items will be raffled off.
“You can buy raffle tickets at Rigby Handcraft starting on Wednesday, August 6,” Rigby said. “There’s a Facebook event for the sale itself. Just look up ‘Fundraiser for Sybil’s Yarn Shop.’ We have updates there and pictures of a lot of the items getting donated.”
Rigby said her goal is to give Osterhoudt as much “no strings attached” money as possible, to show her how much she, and Sybil’s Yarn Shop, mean to the community.
“It’s where I hung out a lot for the last five years,” Rigby said of the store. “I moved here in 2020 after living elsewhere for a decade. It’s been a beautiful meeting place for people, and I’ve taken a couple of classes there. I go and just pick Jeanetta’s brain on what it’s like to run a business and she’s always been there for advice or commiseration. So yeah, she’s almost a mentor.
“Whatever we can make is awesome,” Rigby said of the upcoming sale. “We would love help setting up the sale, and taking down after the sale. But mostly, tell people to come to the sale.”
The Cooperstown Farmers’ Market is located at 101 Main Street, in Pioneer Alley.
Updates on current Milford fire relief efforts can be found at https:// www.facebook.com/ groups/milfordnystrong.
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Tony Annutto Jr., who also died recently, the Annutto family created a gem in our region. Staring down every dayto-day challenge, they built an unforgettable small-business experi-
ence for the customer. Rest in peace Debbie and Tony, and may we do better in easing these challenges to encourage others who might possess your remarkable courage and abilities.
Larry Malone is professor emeritus of economics at Hartwick College.
Farm
The successful candidate will be a steady, reliable worker and enjoy working outdoors year-round. Must have sufficient strength and manual dexterity to operate power equipment and lift 50 lbs. Experience with basic construction and carpentry a plus. Duties include: maintaining grounds, soil preparation and planting, plowing and shoveling snow, and cleaning and maintaining power equipment as well as performing light carpentry and repair jobs. This is a full-time position, flexibility necessary, must be willing to work occasional overtime. $18 - $20/hour. This position offers an excellent benefit package and pleasant work environment. To apply for this position, applications can be found at fenimorefarm.org Please mail or email application to PO Box 800 Cooperstown, NY 13326, or mary.myers@fenimoreart.org
Photo by Larissa Ryan
Emilie Rigby shows off some of the donated items that will be sold on August 16 to benefit Sybil’s Yarn Shop.
►Fri., August 8
BANNED
CLUB Read “The
on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros and discuss with the group on 8/20 at 5:30 p.m. Sunflower Cafe, 7629A State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (315) 9858096.
BOOK CLUB Read
“The Briar Club” by Kate Quinn and discuss with the group on 8/29 at 1 p.m. Springfield Library, 129 County Highway 29A, Springfield Center. (607) 547-4232.
BOOK CLUB Read
“All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me” by former guard Patrick Bringley, then discuss with the group at 4 p.m. on 8/21. Village Library of Cooperstown, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 547-8344.
LIBRARY 10 a.m.
Lemonade on the Lawn. Kindergartners and families celebrate. Village Library of Cooperstown, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5478344.
CONSERVATION
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “iSPY Invasive Species Paddle.” Presented by the Otsego County Conservation Association and the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership. Identify the invaders of the Susquehanna River. Three-mile paddle. Free; preregistration required. Bring your own or rent a canoe/kayak. Start at Crumhorn Fishing Access Site, Maryland. End at Portlandville Fishing Access Site in Portlandville. (607) 547-4488.
LIBRARY 1 p.m.
“Author Talk and Signing: Patrick J. Stewart.” Village Library of Cooperstown, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5478344.
OPERA 1 p.m.
“Odyssey.” Music by Ben More; libretto by Kelley Rourke. Homer’s epic tale led by two members of the Young Artists Program and featuring the Glimmerglass Youth Ensemble. Tickets required. Presented by The Glimmerglass Festival at the Alice Busch Opera Theater, 7300 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 547-2255.
LEGAL 3 p.m. “Estate Planning Seminar.” Presented by Lauren Glynn Law. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1980.
EXHIBIT 4-8 p.m.
“Lady Ostapeck Portrait Show.” Suggested donations apply. Continues 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 8/9 and 8/10. Fly Creek Area Historical Society, 207 Cemetery Road, Fly Creek. (802) 345-5406.
LIVE MUSIC 5:30-7 p.m. The Turnaround. Free. Al Gallodoro Memorial Stage, Muller Plaza, Main Street, Oneonta.
FIRE PIT FRIDAYS
6-10 p.m. Live music, food and more. Featuring music by Big Empty. The Tap House, Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33, Cooperstown. (607) 5441800.
MOVIE NIGHT 7 p.m.
“The Super Mario Bros.” Free popcorn, refreshments. Bring pillows, blankets or any comfy chair. Edmeston Free Library, 26 East Street, Edmeston. (607) 9658280.
LIVE MUSIC 7 p.m.
“Lyd X Nour’s On the Road Tour.” Presented by The Telegraph School. All welcome. Suggested donation applies. Old School Café, 2 Genesee Street, Cherry Valley. (607) 2643785.
THEATER 7:30 p.m.
“The Gazebo.” Presented by Bigger Dreams Productions. Tickets required. Also showing at 7:30 p.m. on 8/9 and at 2 p.m. on 8/10. Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center, 24 Market Street, Oneonta. (607) 4312080.
OPERA 7:30 p.m.
“Sunday in the Park with George.” Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; book by James Lapine.
A dazzling exploration of life, love and the relentless drive to create. Tickets required. Presented by The Glimmerglass Festival at the Alice Busch Opera Theater, 7300 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 5472255.
►sAt., August 9
DEADLINE Last day to register for “Kid’s Art Camp” with Nicholas Stein. Covering multi-media abstract self portraits, tape-resist city skylines, nature printmaking, color emotion wheels and collaborative mural on paper. Held 1-3 p.m. 8/11 through 8/15. Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5479777.
GATHERING
8:30 a.m. “Otsego Lake Association Annual Gathering.” Refreshments, short business meeting, then programs on the current state of the lake, an update on the HAB situation and more. All lake lovers welcome. Held at the Otsego Sailing Club, 5992 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. mickierichts@gmail.com.
CAR SHOW 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Car show to benefit the fire department. Dyno competition, prizes, Chinese auction and more.
Free to spectators. East Worcester Hose Company No. 1, 106 Brooker Hollow Road, East Worcester. FESTIVAL 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Summer Festival and Ice Cream Social. Presented by Destination Oneonta, Oneonta World of Learning and Stewart’s Shops. Fortin Park, Oneonta.
ART BY THE LAKE
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Market celebrating artists and their works, inspired by our region and its beauty. Held on the lawn at Fenimore Art Museum, 5798 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 5471400.
READING 10 a.m. “Summer Reading Program: Zoomobile.” Kinney Memorial Library, 3140 County Highway 11, Hartwick. (607) 2936600.
WORKSHOP
10-11:30 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. “Early Motion Picture Family Workshop.” Tickets required. Hyde Hall, 267 Glimmerglass State Park Road, Cooperstown. (607) 547-5098.
LIVE MUSIC 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Music at the Market: Jesse Cohen and Gail DeSilvio. Huntington Park, Wall Street, Oneonta.
MAKERS MARKET
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Back To School Market.” Markets held 2nd Saturday of each month. Southside Mall, 5006 State Highway 23, Oneonta. (607) 4324401.
PLANETARIUM Family-friendly shows open to the public. Fees apply. SUNY Oneonta Planetarium, Perna Science Building, Room 018A, 108 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta. (607) 436-2011.
• 10:30 a.m. “Worlds of Curiosity.”
• 11:30 a.m. “The Sky Tonight.”
EXHIBIT 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Samurai, Baseball and More: a Fine-ArtsLook-at-Baseball.” Open Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by appointment through 9/13. The Art Garage, 689 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown. (315) 941-9607.
REN FAIRE 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Medieval Renaissance Fair.” Music, magic, Hags, vendors, refreshments and more. Admission fees apply. Continues 8/10. Windfall Dutch Barn, 2009 Clinton Road, Cherry Valley. (518) 774-0134.
MILFORD STRONG
Noon to 4 p.m. Fundraiser to support the victims of the recent Milford fire. Featuring food, music, silent auction and more.
Held behind Dog Wild, 4785 State Highway 28, Cooperstown. (607) 5475261.
LECTURE 1 p.m. “Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, and the Art of Parisian Chic: A Lecture and Book signing with Justine De Young.” Fenimore Art Museum, 5798 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 5471400.
ART 1-4 p.m. “The Heavens Above: Clouds in Different Moods” with Abbey Koutnik. Presented by the Leatherstocking Brush and Palette Club. Fees apply; registration required. Springfield Community Center, 129 County Route 29A, Springfield. lbpceducation@yahoo.com.
OPERA 1 p.m. “Tosca.” Music by Giacomo Puccini; libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Follows the heroine as she saves her lover from a corrupt chief of police, but at what price? Presented by The Glimmerglass Festival at the Alice Busch Opera Theater, 7300 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 547-2255.
LIVE MUSIC
4-5:30 p.m. Ned Brower. Free. Al Gallodoro Memorial Stage, Muller Plaza, Main Street, Oneonta.
DINNER 4:30 p.m. Chicken Barbeque Dinner. Eat in or take out. Fees apply. Pierstown Grange Hall, 137 Wedderspoon Hollow Road, Cooperstown. (607) 2643069.
DANCE 7 p.m. “The Visionary Dance Festival.” Featuring Johnny Butler with a new group of extraordinary dance artists. Tickets required. The Visionary, 2381 State Highway 205, Mount Vision. (607) 638-5119.
FIREWORKS
9:45 p.m. “Goodyear Lake Annual Fireworks.” Celebrate the 1907 creation of Goodyear Lake. Watch from a lighted watercraft in the lake or from Route 28. Rain date is 8/16. Goodyear Lake, Maryland.
►sun., August 10
WORKSHOP
9 a.m. to noon. Handson morning of traditional blacksmithing, featuring a hobby blacksmith making hand tools from raw metal and a farrier demonstrating the art of horseshoeing. Includes live fiddle music, refreshments and more. Presented by the Greater Milford Historical Association. Free; donations appreciated. Sayre House Museum, 81 North
Main Street, Milford. (607) 286-4060.
SHOW 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. “Unadilla Gun Show and Flea Market.” Admission fees apply. Presented by Midstate Arms Collectors. Unadilla Rod and Gun Club, Butternut Road, Unadilla.
MEDITATION
11 a.m. “Sundays at Samye: The Practical Bodhisattva—How to Be a Spiritual Hero in Everyday Life.” Held Sundays through 12/21. Samye New York, 412 Glimmerglen Road, Cooperstown. (607) 547-5051.
OPERA 1 p.m. “The House on Mango Street.” Music by Derek Bermel; libretto by Sandra Cisneros and Derek Bermel. A coming of age tale following Esperanza, who discovers that storytelling is the medicine she can offer her community. Tickets required. Presented by The Glimmerglass Festival at the Alice Busch Opera Theater, 7300 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 547-2255.
LIVE MUSIC 1-3 p.m.
“Sunday Session with Trio Afinado.” Held each Sunday. The Gatehouse, 129 Main Street, Morris. (607) 285-4111.
PRESENTATION 1-3 p.m. “Mapping Otsego County.” Presented by Levi Anderson. Part of the Swart-Wilcox House Museum Summer Sunday Series. Free and open to the public; accessible facilities. Bring own folding lawn chair. Front lawn of the Swart-Wilcox House Museum, Wilcox Avenue, Oneonta.
COMMUNITY 1-5 p.m.
Free concerts, workshops and art. This month features Holland Belle performing at 2 p.m. West Kortright Center, 49 West Kortright Church Road, East Meredith. (607) 2785454.
SKATING 2 p.m.; doors open at 1 p.m. “Hill City Rollers vs. Parlor City Roller Derby Bout.” Final home game of the season. Entry by donation. Interskate 88, 5185 State Highway 23, Oneonta. HillCityRollers@gmail. com.
►Mon., August 11
DEADLINE Last day to register for Camp Forget-Me-Not, a free day camp for school-aged children and teens who have lost a loved one. Presented by Helios Care. Held 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 8/21 at Riverside Elementary School, 39 House Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-5525.
STEAM 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Mini STEAM’rs Summer Experience.” Half-day experience for children aged 4-6. Fees apply; registration
required. Held through 8/15. Fenimore Farm and Country Village, 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 5471450.
SENIOR MEALS—Seniors enjoy a delicious meal Monday-Friday. Suggested donation is $4 for seniors, $11 for guests accompanying a senior. Today, enjoy a lunch of lasagna, tossed salad, garlic bread and chocolate pudding. (607) 547-6454.
• 11:30 a.m. Each Monday-Friday. Nader Towers Housing, 2 Mitchell Street, Oneonta. • Noon. Each Monday and Wednesday. Cherry Valley Facilities Corporation Café, 2 Genesee Street, Cherry Valley. SUMMER FUN 1 p.m. Harris Memorial Library, 334 Main Street, Otego. (607) 988-6661.
HEALTHY SNACKS 1 p.m. “Summer Reading Program: Color Me Healthy Class.” Presented by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego counties. Held each Monday through 8/25. Kinney Memorial Library, 3140 County Highway 11, Hartwick. (607) 2936600.
POTTERY 1:304:30 p.m. Open Studio. Experienced potters work on personal projects. No instruction provided. Fees apply. Held Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and 6-9 p.m. on Thursday. The Smithy Clay Studio, 1 Otsego Court, Cooperstown. Gallery@ SmithyArts.org.
PRIDE 5-8 p.m. “Cooperstown Pride Block Party.” Family friendly activities, glitter bar, crafts, dance party, and more. Followed by afterparty at Mell’s at 22. All welcome; free. Any proceeds go to support the CCS Identity Alliance. Pioneer Park, Cooperstown. www.cooperstownpride.com.
CONCERT 5:30 p.m. Pathfinder Arts in the Community Concert. Live performance by the Small Town Big Band. Free and open to the public. Pathfinder Village Pavilion, 3 Chenango Road, Edmeston. (607) 965-8377. LIBRARY 6:30 p.m. Board Meeting. Edmeston Free Library, 26 East Street, Edmeston. (607) 965-8280.
CONCERT 7 p.m. “Music at Meadow Links: Romantic Summer Strings.” Popular melodies and classics. Free; held rain or shine. Dogs on leashes welcome. Meadow Links Golf Pavilion, 476 County Road 27, Richfield Springs.
