The Freeman's Journal 08-05-21

COOP

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Volume 213, No. 31

COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND State grants include Coop Concert Series The Cooperstown Concert Series was awarded $10,000 through a state grant to support live music or theater performances. Other groups that got $10,000 include the Glimmerglass Festival, Chenango River Theatre, Franklin Stage Company and the Catskill Symphony Orchestra.

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AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE

Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, August 5, 2021

►ALBANY SCANDAL: Local, state leaders react to news about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harrassment case. ►LAke DROWNING: Mohawk man dies trying to secure his boat in Canadarago Lake on Saturday, July 31. ►COVID UPDATE: Nursing home closes over positive test, county averages climbing because of Delta variant.

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COVID era brings new mental health issues

By KEVIN LIMITI Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and more recently with the emergence of the Delta variant, people have been forced to change their lifestyles in order to stay safe and healthy. While the prolonged effects of social distancing are unclear, in Otsego County there are clear statistics regarding the effects these changes have had on the mental health of its residents.

According to the Otsego County Department of Health, there was a lull in people seeking care for the first few months of the pandemic, but by the end of 2020 there was a 5% increase in those seeking treatment.

The Otsego County Mental Health and Addiction Service clinics moved about 1,000 clients to telehealth, where medical staff provide services via phone, Zoom or other technologies.

Children and Family Services as

well as Addiction Recovery both experienced declines in service, but this was because referral services had either gone remote or weren’t operating under normal capacities.

“We experienced a significant jump in severity of impairment and risk in both adults but most dramatically in children,” Susan Matt, director of community services for the Otsego County Mental Health Department, said.

“Unlike many other counties, we

have not seen a significant increase in overdose deaths.”

Matt said in the first six months of 2021 her department had seen an increase in services and because of the pandemic, telehealth had become the “forefront for mental health and addiction services.”

According to Bassett Healthcare, school-based health clinics have experienced a tremendous uptick in the amount of children and teens See HEALTH, Page A2

Shakespeare on Otsego Lake Greg Klein/ The Freeman’s Journal

Danielle Henrici and Jason Francey take on two of their many roles, during a performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) on Friday, July 30.

The show, which is produced by Glimmerglobe Theatre and the Fenimore Art Museum, runs through Thursday, Aug. 18, at the Lucy B. Jones Amphitheater in the town of Otsego.

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County markets its natural beauty, activities

Artists are invited to participate in the Cooperstown Art Associations’ Fine Arts on the Lawn event Labor Day weekend in Cooperstown. Artists are allowed to display up to five works or apply for and maintain a 10' x 10' tent. Go to www.cooperstownart.com for more information.

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Outdoors in Otsego!

CAA invites artists to submit for ‘Fine Arts on the Lawn’

►AllOTSEGO PEOPLE: Brian Knapp brings generations of firefighting experience to Oneonta. Page A3. ►Fee DISPUTE: Village of Cooperstown, town of Otsego argue over death certificate costs. Page A8. ►Dream JOB: Incoming Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch discusses his plans for Cooperstown. Page A7. ►RIVER KEEPERS: Group takes on challenge of Susquehanna cleanup. Page A9: ►OPERA FIRST: Reporter Kevin Limiti discusses his first trip to the opera. Page A4. ►Good Sport: Cooperstown students plan to make baseball the state sport is finally approved. Page A7.

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Go to https://tinyurl.com/ Glimmerglobe for tickets and other information.

Coop alum, Schaeffer, releases book about school lunch

By CHAD G. WELCH Cooperstown Central School 1994 graduate Lucy Schaeffer’s first book, “School Lunch-Unpacking Our Shared Stories,” released Tuesday, Aug. 3.

The book pairs Schaeffer’s photographs with 70 different lunch stories “from people age six to 93; hailing from 25 different countries and all across the United States,” Schaeffer said in the book’s introduction.

Schaeffer’s subjects include family members, friends, celebrities and strangers. Schaeffer said all of the stories are written in first-person narrative to highlight the storytellers’ voices over her own.

Although it is the first book

as author for Schaeffer, she said her photographs have appeared in more than 50 books and cookbooks.

The project started in Au- Schaeffer gust 2016, when Schaeffer said she was brainstorming about what to make her daughters, Annie and Georgia, now 12 and 8, respectively, for lunches for their upcoming school year.

“I was sort of daydreaming and thinking it was so much easier for my parents. They just did peanut butter and jelly,” Schaeffer said. “It wasn’t like now, all these schools are nut-free and

you can’t do peanut butter anymore.”

Schaeffer said her mind started to wander about what previous generations of parents packed in their children’s lunches, which led to an idea to promote her business as freelance commercial photographer.

“I have to send out clever things to promote my business and I was going to do a back-toschool promo and, you know, interview a few people about their lunches and do a shoot to make a little printed piece and send it out to my clients,” Schaeffer said.

“I started asking people about their lunches and it was way more interesting than I thought it was going to be,” she said. “I See LUNCH, Page A3

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Mental health issues from pandemic affect children as well as adults HEALTH/from Page A1 needing mental health assistance.

Deb Schlesinger, a clinical social worker who works with children and teenagers as part of school-based health clinic with Bassett Healthcare, said she has seen how the sudden shutdown was experienced by young people and had adversely affected their mental health.

“That kind of thing never happened to any of us before,” Schlesinger said, calling the effects “jarring.”

“Their routine was suddenly changed,” Schlesinger said, with children and teenagers no longer be able to see friends, teachers and have lunch at school.

Schlesinger said she was offered by teachers as a therapist and worked primarily through telehealth.

“If we look at kids who did extracurricular activities, sports, getting ready to graduate,” Schlesinger said. “All of these things became uncertain.”

“To me, there was a certain adjustment and loss,” Schlesinger said. “I think (there was) a certain grief of ‘are we going to have a prom or not?’ … People may have had real grief and loss. People in their lives may have died that they couldn’t see. People were talking about (how) we can’t have our little ones hug our grandparents.”

With cases beginning to increase again in Otsego County, the Otsego County Department of Health is encouraging those who have not done so already to get the vaccine, because the new strain of the virus most significantly affects those who are not vaccinated.

Student News

Peter Weil of Cooperstown was named to the dean’s list at Bates College for the semester ending in May 2021. The distinction is earned by students whose grade point average is 3.88 or higher.

SUNY Delhi announced its dean’s list for the spring 2021 semester, a recognition for students who earned a 3.5 or higher grade-point average for the semester. The local students who qualified include: Jacob Weiner of Oneonta; Travis Bookhout of Laurens; Lucas Breakey of Oneonta; Carly Hill of Otego; Sara Kieru of Oneonta; Marissa Kupris of West Edmeston; Sean Murray of Milford; Colette Corkery of Oneonta; Nelson Mondaca of Cooperstown; Aidan Cutting of Unadilla; Kyle Martin of West Oneonta; Gavin Fetterman of Otego; Mark Smith Jr. of Schenevus; Elizabeth Brzezinski of Oneonta; Meghan Brigham of Morris; Tara Austin of Oneonta;

The

job scene To place effective employment ads, call 607-547-6103

The Cooperstown Central School District has anticipated openings and is now accepting applications for:

WELDER

Sportsfield Specialties is seeking a hands-on experienced WELDER who can work independently and/or with others as a production team member with good analytical skills. Candidate must be reliable and flexible with schedule during summer months.

Responsibilities/Duties: Weld aluminum, steel, and stainless steel using various weld procedures to include: stick welding, MIG welding and TIG welding. Setup and operate welding machines to build jobs to company specifications. Read measuring equipment and interpret blueprints. Create assemblies out of sheet metal and structural components. Cut metals with oxyacetylene or plasma.

RequiReD qualifications anD skills: Self-motivated. Ability to multi-task in a busy environment Ability to stand for long periods of time.

High attention to detail. expeRience/eDucation: Trade School, College and/or 1 year welding experience.

Willing to provide additional training.

High Growth Potential, Salary DOE, great benefit package includes but not limited to: health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, life insurance, flexible spending and paid time off. To apply, submit application online www.sportsfield.com, fax resume to (607) 746-3107 or send resume to: Human Resources, P.O. Box 231, Delhi, NY 13753. Sportsfield Specialties, Inc. is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.

Join Our Team of Dedicated and Caring Professionals

Residential Associates at OFO Shelters

Emergency Housing Coordinator Head Start Operations Manager WIC Nutritionist/ Breastfeeding Coordinator Head Start Data Coordinator

PROBATIONARY JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL & ELEMENTARY LITERACY TEACHER • Posions offer a competitive salry and benefits package.

• Appropriate NY State certification is required Details can be found on School website www.cooperstowncs.org.

Interested candidates apply on-line at www.olasjobs.org/southern

by August 13, 2021

EOE

The Farmers’ Museum and Fenimore Art Museum seek applicants for the following positions:

Marketing Assistant

Temporary The purpose of the position is to create content for the museums’ social media and websites. Skills required include graphic design (Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Rush); knowledge of photography and videography: photo and video editing (Adobe Photoshop, adobe Premier or Apple iMovie); proficiency in WordPress; and capability in working with mailchimp, Eventbrite, FAcebook, Youtube, Google Business, Twitter and similar platforms. Expertice in writing copy is essential. Candidates will be asked to demonstrate skills and share examples of their work. Compensation is negotiable and commensurate with skills and experience.

Flexible hours are available.

Maintenance/Ag Services Support

Looking for a unique gem of a workplace with a warm family atmosphere and lifelong on-the-job learning opportunities? The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown is seeking an all-around support worker to perform a wide variety of outdoor duties which may include but are not limited to painting, repairs, field and crop management, farm chores, event set up and break down, cleaning and light carpentry work. The successful candidate will have a diverse and demonstrated manual skill set, a friendly helpful and personable demeanor and a positive team attitude that will support and enhance the operation of The Farmers’ Museum.

Experience with livestock and other farm animals is a plus. Museum employees are expected to interact

with visitors in a helpful and friendly manner, and be cognizant of each season’s program : mary.myers@fenimoreart.org with school breaks and event offerings.

FT Head Start Positions & Summers off

Museum Interpreter

Love history? Looking for like-minded coworkers who share an interest in learning an demonstrating 19th century, trades, crafts and skills? The Farmers’ Museum is looking for Museum Interpreters to provide scholarly-based, creative interpretations of rural life, history, trades, crafts and environment of the 19th century, with special emphasis on Central New York.

Museum Interpreters must have excellent communication skills and be comfortable making presentations in front of large and small diverse groups of museum visitors. Holiday and weekend work may be required.

This is a seasonal position from April through October.

Bus Driver Assistant Teacher Center Associate Food Service Associate OFO is a family-oriented organization offering competetive wages, excellent benefits and opportunities for professional growth. For an application, submission instructions, benefit package summary and descriptions of all employment openings, visit

www.ofoinc.org/jobs

EOE

The leader in developing innovative solutions to promote healthy lives, thriving families, and caring communities since 1966.

To apply for any position contact Human Resources at 607-547-1462 or email mary.myers@fenimoreart.org.

EOE

Madilyne Kupris of West Edmeston; Kaylee Willmart of Oneonta; Carmen Booan of Cooperstown; Curtis Self of Morris; Ava Baker of Cooperstown; Kali Benedict of Unadilla; Audrianna Butler of Oneonta; Kayla Cimkowski of Maryland; Lauryn Fiaschi of Otego; Courtney Gilbert of Unadilla; Tracy Graney of Unadilla; Marisa Kanai of Oneonta; Cameron Kellogg of Burlington Flats; Amy Lee of Oneonta; Brooke Leech of Milford; Jessica Leveille of Schenevus; Taylor Lopez of Oneonta; Rachel Ouimet-Edson of Oneonta; Liza Rathbun of Cooperstown; Molly Watson of Cooperstown; Abigail West of Cherry Valley; Jacob Robinson of Oneonta; Janelle Harter of Fly Creek; Avalon Kubis of Cooperstown; Logan Osterhoudt of Oneonta; Alyssa Carey of Oneonta; and Spencer Brink of Oneonta.

NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM is currently hiring for full and part time seasonal positions, including:

SECURITY OFFICER (FT) RETAIL SALES ASSOCIATE (PT) MEMBERSHIP/TICKET BOOTH ASSOCIATE (PT) VISITOR SERVICES ASSOCIATE (PT) If interested, please visit http://www.baseballhall.org/employment for more inforation and an application.

For questions, please call Human Resources at 607-547-0207

EEOC

Sportsfield Specialties Inc., (SSI) is seeking a Contract Administrator to assist Sales/Customer Service through the bid, award, construction and close out stages of each project requiring a binding contract with the company.

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR Responsibilities/Duties include but not limited to:

Assist sales with pre-qualification paperwork and bid documents.

Review Contract language to ensure SSI is qualified to perform all aspects of the job.

Create legal binding subcontract and site agreements for Installer and all on project site under our direction.

Coordinate with Sales, installation timeframe from start to finish and scope of work.

Collect and submit certified payrolls, monitor prevailing wage and union requirements if applicable.

Complete project billings.

Responsible for tracking each project to make sure deadlines are met per contract agreement.

Review all change orders submitted by our Customer and Installers. Work directly with Insurance Company to obtain certificates of Insurance.

Review insurance requirements to ensure requirements can be met before project begins.

Complete OCIP insurance applications if projects require it.

Work directly with bonding agency for payment & performance and bid bonds.

Check all accounting aspects of projects. Our internal systems match the contract totals, install costs are recorded with associated revenues, reconcile accrued costs monthly.

Approve all vendor invoices charged to install expense.

Manage license and registration requirements for the company as it relates to the projects.

Complete all Close-Out documents as required.

Required Qualifications, Skills: Outstanding communication, organizational, attention to detail and problem-solving skills; Demonstrable initiative, creativity and flexibility; Must be able to meet deadlines; Ability to thrive in a team environment and collaborate successfully; Proficient in Microsoft Office programs; Data entry; Multi-state tax guidelines; Responsible for W-9 requests; Proven internal and external customer service experience required.

Experience/Education: Bachelor’s Degree required or 4 years of Contract/Executive Administration experience in lieu of.

Salary DOE, great benefit package includes but not limited to: health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, life insurance, flexible spending and paid time off. To apply, submit application online at www.sportsfield.com, or fax your resume to (607) 746-3107 or send resume to Human Resources, P.O. Box 231, Delhi, NY 13753.

Sportsfield Specialties, Inc. is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3

AllOtsego people: New fire chief credits parents with his success

By KEVIN LIMITI ONEONTA — The City of Oneonta’s new fire chief appropriately comes from a long line of firemen.

A Schenevus native and fourthgeneration firefighter, Brian Knapp started his position as the Oneonta fire chief officially Sunday, Aug. 1. “Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a firefighter,” Knapp said Monday, Aug. 2.

Knapp’s great-grandfather was a firefighter in West Laurens, and both his grandfather and his father were firefighters in Schenevus.

“It was part of the family, the fire service,” Knapp said. “It’s just always something I wanted to do.”

Knapp was a volunteer firefighter in Schenevus before starting at the

Oneonta Fire Department as an on-call firefighter in 2004. He became a part-time firefighter within six months and was promoted to full time in 2006.

“Everyone typically gets into this job to help people,” Knapp said.

The rescued people are “probably (in) their worst hours of the worst days in their lives and we’re there to help them with their problem.”

However, Knapp said he and his fellow firefighters use humor in order to deal with some of the stress involved.

“Joking around helps us through those rough moments,” Knapp said.

“A lot of times we refer to joking around to get through.”

Knapp said “training and education are top of the list” of things he would like to accomplish during his

said. “The only way we’re going to bridge that gap is to provide a lot more training and education.”

He also said he wanted to see the department keep going in the right direction.

“I certainly have goals for the department. That we’re going to be a top notch department, the best in the area, the one the community can rely on,” Knapp said.

Although he said he feels “pretty young for this prestigious position,” Knapp said he feels he is where is because of how his parents raised Kevin Limiti/The Freeman’s Journal him. “I am who I am because of my parents,” Knapp said. His Brian Knapp, the new Oneonta fire chief, is a fourth-generation accomplishments are because of, firefighter. “how they went about raising me, time, explaining that retirements “We’re in a unique position where teaching me to do the right thing, have taken a lot of institutional through retirement we’re going to being responsible, instilling values knowledge from the department. be a young department,” Knapp in me.”

Schaeffer’s book includes essays from Padma Lakshmi, George Foreman LUNCH/from Page A1 never did that promo, because I just realized it was more a subject that I wanted to dive deeper into.”

She enlisted the help of food stylist Chris Basrsh and prop stylist Martha Bernabe, whom she had worked with a lot professionally to do a test shoot.

Over the next couple years, Schaeffer said she did as many interviews as she could and then reached out to the stylists to do more shoots. Gradually, she said she started building a collection of stories and photos.

“It started as a personal project and it was probably a year or even over a year that it was just that,” Schaeffer said. “Then once I wanted it to become a book and sold it as a book idea, I think the challenge became, ‘how is this going to be cohesive?’”

Initially, Schaeffer said she was invested in a multi-generational idea, especially for people whose parents grew up in a different country, but as it evolved, she became less interested in present-day kids’ stories and the book became more about adults remembering their stories.

Schaeffer said she was living in Brooklyn for most of the time while she was making this book — she moved to Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County since then — which made it easy to find and talk to people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

About three years ago, Schaeffer said she decided she wanted to interview people completely outside of her extended network of connections, so she set up a photo booth in Union Square and offered free portraits to anyone who would pose for a picture and tell her their school lunch story.

“I got 80 people from that. I think I only put 10 or 11 of them into the book, but they were 10 or 11 that I don’t think I would have reached,” she said. “There was a homeless

man, a few international travelers that were just passing through. That got me some interesting people as well.”

Schaeffer said she had an arbitrary but specific list of different perspectives and stories she was interested in and wanted to feature people from as many different countries as she could find.

“I wanted a Hasidic Rabbi. I wanted someone who grew up in the circus. I wanted someone who was home-schooled. I wanted somebody who had food insecurity,” she said.

“But that said, the international stories, all of them, are still American stories. Everyone lives in the U.S. now which I think is part of our strength as a nation that we’re so diverse,” she said.

In the introduction, Schaeffer wrote, “Each story highlights our diversity while revealing our common experiences and our shared humanity. No matter where everyone came from or how divergent their childhood circumstances were, we are all Americans now. Our diversity is our strength. Now more than ever, this feels important to celebrate.”

There are stories from celebrities, including Indian-American author and actress Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef and Star Trek fame, and cookbook and food writers Melissa Clark and Gail Simmons, who are also judges on Top Chef.

There is a story from Instagram personality BrownBagDad who does really amazing artwork on his kids’ lunch bags, Schaeffer said. “It’s like taking a doodle or a note to like the highest degree. He does finished paintings on a lunch bag,” she said.

Former White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass, who also served as Barack Obama’s Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy and as executive director of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, remembered the lunch room as a trading zone.

“He was very mad. He said, ‘I had nothing to work with. Everybody else is trading and I just had applesauce. It was like nobody wanted it and I couldn’t do anything.

Not only did I want the junk food, I just wanted to be a part of that culture club,’” Schaeffer said.

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman told a story about how he used to blow up a paper bag, so that the other kids wouldn’t know that he didn’t have any lunch, Schaeffer said.

There are local stories, too. Schaeffer’s parents Bill and Paula, who live in Fly Creek where Lucy grew up, are in the book. (Paula was a CCS graduate from the class of 1963.)

So is Cooperstownian Annegrete Barnum, who was born and raised in Germany.

Schaeffer said one common theme among all the different stories she heard was a feeling of “lunch envy.”

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job scene

“Everybody seemed convinced that the other kids had a better lunch,” she said.

“Everybody was like, ‘oh so-and-so got Fruit Roll-Ups, and so-and-so got this drink in their lunch.’ A lot of people really remember.

They remember the first and last name of the kid who had the coveted lunch.

“But I have to say, in all my talking I never did uncover that kid or that adult who was like, ‘oh as a kid, I had the best lunch,’” she said.

“I would love everyone to be able to read this book and feel ‘Oh my gosh,’ that’s like my lunch, you know? That feeling of recognition and familiarity,” Schaeffer said.

“And then I also want them to feel surprise and curiosity and intrigue for the ones that are so different from their own lunch.

Because I think that really it has both of those cords. It has the familiarity, and it also has the unusual.”

If you or a loved one are experiencing interpersonal violence there is help. The Violence Intervention Program is fully operational and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 607.432.4855.

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Perspectives

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL editorial

KEVIN limiti

New joy in Mudville

R eporter ’ s N otebook

A novice’s guide to opera, Glimmerglass style

There seems to be a general feeling in this country these days that getting things done and making a difference is an impossible thing. When the United States Congress itself seems unable to get anything done, what chance do small groups or ordinary citizens have to make a difference? The odds are so stacked against that happening that most people wouldn’t even think of wasting their time trying.

But sometimes even legislative accomplishments come from the darndest places.

In 2017, Cooperstown Elementary School teacher Anne Reis was leading her fourth-grade class through a study of state government in New York. During a section on state symbols, the kids learned New York had no official state sport. They concluded there should be one and it should be baseball.

Reis inspired her young charges to dream big and take action and they got to work researching baseball’s influence in and on New York’s history, economy and culture.

They wrote essays on the sport’s numerous qualifications for official designation, and they sent them all to Albany.

Upon hearing from the fourth graders, then-Sen. Jim Seward championed the initiative and introduced Senate Bill S4288 to make baseball the official state sport and quickly shepherded the bill to passage in the Senate.

Following roadblocks in the Assembly and the retirement of Sen. Seward, his successor, Sen. Peter Oberacker, took up the challenge and the bill was passed in both houses during the most recent 2021 legislative session — the fifth session of the bill’s life.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law Friday, July 30, making baseball the state sport. This is only the 19th entry on the list of official New York things. We are only the 16th state to have a state sport. Following the signing, Cuomo tweeted “Thank you to the fourth grade class of Cooperstown Elementary School for stepping up to the plate and proposing this bill.”

The students, who are now in high school, have become something of local heroes and should be deservedly proud. Reis said their “following the legislative process and finally seeing the bill signed into law has been an exhilarating learning experience.”

For most of us, any attempt to recall our own fourthgrade accomplishments — getting to fifth grade may well top any list — is most often a fruitless exercise. The students in Reis’ fourth-grade class will not only carry the memory of this historic feat throughout their lives, but will doubtless be remembered in successive generations, passed on at countless future ballgames by children and grandchildren ad infinitum, as these local heroes take their rightful place amongst our many revered local legends.

Speaking of legends, there’s our own, beautiful Mudville, where new joy arrives as a local, homegrown effort by an inspired rising generation has brought with it a great new tribute not only to the sport but also to Cooperstown and its Hall of Fame, the spiritual and eternal home of our new state sport. Perhaps a place in the hallowed Hall could be made for Reis and her troupe of inventive, inspired and intrepid young trailblazers.

Watch out, Sandlot, there are new kids in town.

These students have learned from this endeavor one very valuable lesson: nothing worthwhile is a waste of time, and everything worthwhile is worth the fight. They have shown that even a slightly moribund government will respond when a request is earnest, heartfelt and justified.

Perhaps it’s time we grownups take note.

As a 30-something Oneonta resident who arrived from Brooklyn three months ago, it can be somewhat difficult finding things to do that don’t involve sitting at home and watching endless amounts of anime (for more information on this, see my previous column).

However, one of the first things I heard about upon arriving in Oneonta, and since I also spend a lot of time at The Freeman’s Journal office in Cooperstown, was The Glimmerglass Festival.

The Glimmerglass Festival, for those of you who might not be aware, hosts musicals, predominantly operas, at their huge property in Cooperstown.

In response to COVID, they are having “Glimmerglass on the Grass,” where shows are set on a large outdoor stage and where attendees can bring lawn chairs, snacks, wine or whatever else to enjoy the show.

I had an opportunity to go to one of these performances. It was “Songbird,” which is adapted from La Perichole and created by Eric Sean Fogel, James Lowe and Kelley Rourke.

I didn’t do a lot of research prior to attending this performance, because I had never attended an opera before and I wanted to go in with an open mind. The Glimmerglass staff made things easy for me though because they helped direct my car to suitable parking and made it easy to find my spot.

I was given a square socially distanced from other squares. I sat with a water bottle in one hand and my notebook in the other. The scenery at the outdoor stage was beautiful. It put me in a nostalgic mood from the time when I used to watch my aunt perform on outdoor stages on Long Island during summer stock.

I was already in a good mood by the time the play started and then I was delightfully surprised by the music that went along with the play.

The theme of the music is 1920sstyle jazz and ragtime, which makes sense considering the play takes place in the 1920s at a speakeasy in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I’ve always had a soft spot for this type of music. It makes me feel like I’m

James Cagney somewhere during the Prohibition Era. The play, co-directed by Fogel and Francesca Zambello, is about an artistic couple who are sick of being poor. One of them, Songbird, is approached by the mayor and offered a chance to be installed in his mansion. However, in order for this to appear innocent, they decide to marry her to a man, who just so happens to be Piquillo, Songbird’s partner!

The spoken dialogue was almost entirely in English, however, the lyrics sometimes jumped to French. There was a screen near the stage with translations, but in my opinion it is better just to try to listen as best you can.

Some of the other attendees around me were drinking wine and seemed to be having a good time, with the comedy of the opera occasionally drawing laughter from the crowd.

The music is the draw for this play, as it is important for all musicals and operas. The music is conducted by James Lowe and he does a fantastic job. During the performance the See NOTEBOOK, Page A5

TERRY BERKSON L ife sketches

Letting go of the past is a challenge at any age My son Jonathan called me the other night to tell me he missed the old house in Brooklyn. He had lived there his whole life, as I did mine, except for the Army and my longest winter in Richfield Springs.

I told him I missed the house, too, and described my last days there. We had sold to a builder, so I knew the old Victorian was going to be demolished. In the meantime, we rented a one-room studio apartment only a block from the school where my wife Alice was finishing up her last year as a teacher. Both our kids were away working or at school. All of the furniture had been moved into the studio or up to the recently purchased farm, but I was still holding out at the house, sleeping on a mattress on the floor and using cardboard boxes to replace tables and such. Alice stayed at the apartment, but old Rufus, our yellow lab, was an outside dog all his life and I didn’t think he’d do well in the confines of our temporary digs, so

I stayed at the house for as long as I could. It was late December, a few days before the closing date, when I had the gas, electric and telephone turned off. The main water valve, I could close myself.

“Dad,” my son continued. “Do you

remember when we’d get home from being away in Richfield all summer?

I had this ritual of checking out all the security measures you had made before we left, the bar across the front door, the timers, the note to a See SKETCHES, Page A5

LEtters LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

•F

OUNDED

IA

1808 BY

JU

R

IN

DG

E WIL

L

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

O M C O PE

The Freeman’s Journal 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. The length must be 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.

founded

in 1808

Tara Barnwell Publisher Greg Klein

Why do we treat sick people so poorly?

Recently, a friend and former colleague was diagnosed with cancer and subsequently hospitalized on Florida’s West Coast. Her initial surgical procedure was radical and she underwent many rounds of chemotherapy. She reached out to me by phone from her hospital bed two weeks ago to say she was anxious to obtain a second opinion regarding her condition and prognosis. Her physician and “hospitalist” were repeatedly rude and abrupt, absolutely refusing to

acknowledge her request for a review of her case and flatly disregarding her pleas to facilitate a “hospital-tohospital” transfer to Moffitt’s Cancer Center. Her siblings traveled to the Florida hospital from Massachusetts and Virginia, each of them witnessing the rude and hostile treatment their sister was receiving at the hands of somewhat arrogant professionals at the hospital. What on earth has become of compassionate care and empathy? It seems we treat our pets

— cats and dogs — with greater kindness and concern when they become ill or are near death. We need to promote legislation for “end-of-life choices” for men and women and their loved ones, rather than to leave people at the mercy of a healthcare system that appears ready to sacrifice the quality of one’s remaining days in favor of extending a person’s life and pain at any cost!

Maureen Dill Morris

Village money should improve lives of villagers

Editor

Larissa Ryan Business Manager

Kathleen Peters Graphics & Production

Kevin Limiti Staff Writer

Ian Austin Photographer

Ivan Potocnik Web Architect

Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Consultant

Editorial Board Elinor Vincent, Michael Moffat, Tara Barnwell, Greg Klein OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR Otsego County • Village of Cooperstown • Village of Milford Cooperstown Central School District MEMBER: National Newspaper Association, NY Press Association Subscriptions Rates: Otsego County, $69 a year. All other areas, $89 a year.

First Class Subscription, $155 a year.

Published Thursdays by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: (607) 547-6103. Fax: (607) 547-6080.

E-mail: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com Contents © Iron String Press, Inc.

In regard to the pier in the lake “viewing deck,” I urge the Board of Trustees to stop spending money on tourist attractions. Rather focus on our neglected community. Sidewalks, piers, etc., don’t make a village.

Its people do.

The viewing deck/dock may sound fun, but it provides little to the community. It is not environmentally friendly and poses numerous liability issues, not to mention potentially risking our water source. Oh, and the maintenance.

Covid-19 had a harsh impact on many members of our community mentally and physically. We have a

lack of outdoor play spaces and a lack of areas where older adults have the ability to enjoy children at play. I must point out that the community would greatly benefit if these funds were spent on our children and adults. A better playground, two tennis courts/ basketball courts located on the mutually owned village, Clark Foundation and school land. Or even a summer art program by the lake once a week directed by one of our marvelous not-for-profits. We need to focus on building a better community to attract and retain our healthcare workers and serve all walks of life.

The voters and taxpayers are provided so little. Stop looking gift horses in the mouth We are in fact throwing money in the lake!

The people living in the village matter too! Stop broad stroking projects because they feel good. Think about the citizens who probably are most likely unaware of this project as it was not in The Freeman’s Journal.

Let’s serve those who serve us!

Working for mindful spending and a stronger community, Mary-Margaret E. Robbins-Sohns Cooperstown

AllOTSEGO.com

LETTERS TO EDITOR WELCOME • EMAIL THEM TO info@

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5 VIEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

Governments need to refocus on coronavirus

By The Albany Times Union Editorial Board: Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library

210 YEARS AGO

Wisdom for the Merchant – Are you a merchant? Enter on your day book everything you let go on credit at the moment you dispose of it; never put it off till another time.

The memory is treacherous and you may forget the number or price. Post your books every Saturday. Look frequently at your accounts. He who looks at his books often, understands his accounts and turns to them with pleasure; while the man who posts his books but once a year, and turns to them but seldom, always does it with reluctance; he hates to settle an account, and had rather lose a few cents than draw of a bill.

August 3, 1811

160 YEARS AGO

Aid for the soldiers – A subscription was circulated in this village last week in aid of the sick and wounded soldiers, and about $250 subscribed. The Ladies realized enough at the sale on Wednesday evening to make the sum about $300.

The Golden Chain, a new work for Sabbath Schools, by Wm. B. Bradbury, containing a choice collection of popular melodies. Price $12 per hundred; single copies 15 cts. W.H. Ruggles & Co. August 9, 1861

135 YEARS AGO

110 YEARS AGO

A number of Mr. and Mrs. Marcus T. Hun’s friends enjoyed a unique entertainment at Willowbrook, their summer home, on Saturday evening, where they were invited to a charade party.

Syllables and whole words were acted out August 7, 1886 by the younger people to the great delight of the spectators and roars of laughter greeted friends in strange garments and comic actions. Those present were: Mr. and Mrs. D.H. Gregory, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Vanderpoel, Mr. and Mrs. Guy Van Amringe, Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Stokes, Mr. Henry Stokes, Mr. and Mrs. S.C. Clark, Mrs. F.A. Clark, Mr. and Mrs. F.L. Pell, Rev. and Mrs. Ralph Birdsall, Mr. and Mrs. W.J.A. McKim, Mr. and Mrs. P.J. McCook, Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Johnston, Mrs. W.F. Morgan, Mrs. J.E.J. Fanshawe, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Coppell. Mrs. Paul Cooke, Miss E.G. Patterson, Miss Fredericka Savage, Miss Doris Savory, Mrs. F. deP. Townsend, Mrs. Daniel Barkalow, Miss Grace Bowen, Miss Mary Bonner, and Mssrs. D.T. Johnston, Allen, Foote, Zabriskie, Cooke, Clarke, Torrey and Brown.

August 9, 1911

85 YEARS AGO

John Potrikus of this village was drowned in the waters of Otsego Lake Tuesday night at about 7:30 o’clock. Mr. Potrikus had been fishing from a boat just off Fairy Spring and in some manner fell into the water. Before he was brought to shore, life had departed. Attached to the same buoy was another boat occupied by two Herkimer fishermen, Ray Staley and Frank Metzgar. Mr. Potrikus, who had been fishing most of the day, had earlier remarked to the Herkimer men that he would show them how to fish. However, in the act of removing a fish from his hook, he suddenly lost his balance and fell overboard. The Herkimer men got into the Potrikus boat and discovered that the victim’s hook had caught in his clothes. By pulling slowly on the line, and rowing the boat, they managed to tow the body to shore.

August 5, 1936

60 YEARS AGO

Miss Beverly Ann Bridger, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd D. Bridger of Cooperstown, became the bride of Arthur C. Blessin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur O. Blessin of Cooperstown at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, at the First Baptist Church of Cooperstown. The Rev. Merlin W. Bradley, pastor, officiated at the ceremony. The bride wore a ballerina-length white satin brocade dress with long sleeves and carried a cascade of white feathered carnations. Theodore E. Lamb, brother-in-law of the groom, was best man.

August 2, 1961

35 YEARS AGO

Russ Bland, a Cooperstown accountant, has been appointed district chairman of Ducks Unlimited, the world’s largest waterfowl conservation organization. Bland will help D.U. raise money for waterfowl and other migratory bird conservation by overseeing and coordinating fundraising events in the Oneonta and Cooperstown area. “Ducks Unlimited” is successful because of volunteers like Russ,” said Dale Whitesell, executive vice-president of D.U., an organization with 560,000 members.

August 6, 1986

20 YEARS AGO

The Cooperstown major league All-Star team extended its winning streak to 11 games by claiming a home tournament championship in addition to two victories on the road. Team members include Kurt Bergfjord, Lucas Niedzialkowski, Phil Pohl, Frank Petroskey, Luke Banner, Mitchell Adsit, Wes Carroll, Luke Tirrell and Zach Sittler. “I am really proud of the job these kids are doing,” said head coach Bruce Pohl.

August 3, 2001

New York did a solid job beating back the coronavirus after it took hold here 16 months ago, and for all the sacrifice it took, the state has opened up again.

But now there are signs we are losing ground, as a state government that so ably fought the pandemic seems to have lost its laser focus, and too many unvaccinated citizens live in some kind of illusory state of immunity.

Those two problems were underscored by the revelation this week that the Cuomo administration sat for four months on $15 million that had been set aside in the state budget to address the problem of vaccination hesitancy. It’s an effort that was clearly needed months ago.

Barely 57 percent of New Yorkers

are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control, well below the minimum of 70%. We need more people to get shots to protect those who can’t avail themselves of the vaccine.

Yet only now is the state getting that money to community groups that will try to persuade people in areas where the virus is surging to get these life-saving shots. Most of them are communities of color or white conservative neighborhoods in New York City and on Long Island.

Had this been handled with the speed and urgency with which the Cuomo administration acted last year on many fronts, we might not be seeing such a sharp rise in cases — 145 percent in the past two weeks. Hospitalizations are up 27 percent.

The situation in New York and most of the Northeast isn’t as bad as in some other parts of the na-

tion, particularly the South, which has more than four times the rate of infection. The nation’s hot spots stretch mainly from Florida to Louisiana and up to Missouri.

But the rise in cases here is still cause for concern. With such a substantial number of people unvaccinated, the virus can spread and, even more concerning, develop variants that current vaccines may be less effective against.

It’s apparent that the pandemic remains with us and is still a fluid situation. The Cuomo and Biden administrations need to be as nimble as ever in responding. And those who have not yet gotten a shot should roll up their sleeves and get one, before they get deathly ill or become an unwitting incubator for the next mutation of this virus.

We must not squander the sacrifices of 2020.

We should not let anti-vaxxers hold us hostage

By The Buffalo News Editorial Board: On Wednesday, July 28, Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the big announcement. President Biden followed up with his Thursday, July 29. Now, lower governments, businesses, nonprofits and other entities need to follow suit and rachet up the effort to vaccinate employees – even seriously considering requiring the shots.

The country is being held hostage by the anti-vaxxers. There’s no reason to put up with it.

Cuomo and Biden gave their employees a choice: Be vaccinated or face routine testing. Businesses can go further. By federal rule, they are allowed to establish rules for employment. It’s time to move toward making vaccination against a dangerous and disruptive virus one of them.

It’s hard to understand what the anti-vaxxers are missing. Parts of the

country are again, and unnecessarily, descending into Covid hell and yet millions refuse to take the safe and simple step that could nail its coffin shut: Get the shots.

Especially in the South, where vaccine resistance is high and temperatures are forcing people indoors, infection rates are rising dangerously. It’s the price of stubbornness, ignorance and political manipulation.

Here, conditions are worse than they were just a few weeks ago, though still much better than they were early this year. But what will happen in the fall, as cool weather sets in and Western New Yorkers, like southerners today, move indoors? Infection rates could rise again based on the prevalence of the Delta variant, which is more easily transmissible – even by vaccinated people – and more severe.

More, and worse, variants remain a real possibility.

By and large, those who have been immunized are safe. A small percentage of them may become sick; like all vaccinations, the Covid shots aren’t perfect. But the risks of hospitalization and death rank somewhere between tiny and infinitesimal. That they exist at all falls mainly on the shoulders of those who refuse to be vaccinated.

It would be all right, though sad, if the resisters were threatening only themselves. But they aren’t.

They are a hazard to other unvaccinated people, to individuals with compromised immune systems, to health professionals who are more frequently exposed to the virus, to hospitals that should be dealing with other serious illnesses, to businesses that now have to worry again about the willingness of customers to enter their shops.

We are at a risky moment.

It takes time to feel rerooted after moving, to let go of our old places SKETCHES/from Page A4 potential crook on our most vulnerable window, Make My Day!” “I remember,” I said.

“I was always relieved to find that no one had violated our space.”

“Yeah, we were lucky.”

“Dad, this morning I woke up thinking about that and it made me very sad to think that the house was dead, all the living that we did there was gone.”

“It’s not gone, Jonathan. We’ll always carry the memories with us. I can see every nook and cranny in the house. I can walk through each room. It’s all in my mind,” I said.

“Me, too. But, when you were telling me about your last days there and you were cutting off the gas and electric, the house that we had so many Christmases in was dying. It was being taken off life support.”

“That’s very perceptive. I never thought of it that way.” I said.

“Now it’s gone and I just feel like I’m floating, not connected.”

“Now, home base is the farm,” I said. We’ll make new memories here. We already have. Your sister’s wedding! Everyone who came to the farm. It was like they used to come to the house in Brooklyn.”

“That’s only one memory.”

“There will be more.”

I told my son some last details of my stay at the house before the closing. Luckily the weather was relatively mild for December. The morning of the sale, I crushed my cardboard furniture and carried the mattress out to the front of the house where I leaned it up against the hedges that we planted to hide the trash cans. Then I locked the back door, looked around the yard for the last time and loaded Rufus into the station wagon.

The buyer wasn’t at the realty office when I arrived. An hour later he called to say there was some kind

Columnist Terry Berkson took this mantle out of his childhood home and brought it to his farm in Richfield Springs.

of a problem and the closing would have to be postponed. I looked out the realtor’s window. Dark clouds were threatening rain. I thought of the mattress out by the hedges and headed back to the house as fast as I could. It was drizzling as I dragged it up the front steps. Now, Rufus would remain in his own backyard until the buyer got his ducks lined up.

“It wasn’t just for Rufus, Dad.” You stayed there at the end to say good-bye to your father’s father’s house.”

“Yes, of course, but still, I knew it was time to move on. The neighborhood had changed. Almost everyone we knew was gone. It was like we were living in a different place without having moved.”

“But it was still home,” my son said.

“You’re right.”

Alice and I recently drove to Brooklyn and among other things visited the sight of our old home.

Five floors of condos now stand there. The realtor was having an open house, so we ventured inside and stood where our living room used to be.

I didn’t feel a connection. It was no longer the same place as the living room in my mind.

They say it takes five years to feel rooted after you relocate. (Speaking of rooted, last fall we buried Rufus in a hedgerow on the farm, a memory).

To make the adjustment a little easier I had taken the mantelpiece from the old house, some brass doorplates, stained glass windows and coincidentally a leaded glass window from Jonathan’s room.

Progress has been slow, but one day he will be coming up the road and he’ll see the old window from his room mounted on the south side of the “new” house and maybe I’ll just happen to be looking out at the time — to see my son coming home.

The Glimmerglass Festival is a discovery for transplant NOTEBOOK/from Page A4 orchestra was not visible but could still be heard.

The weather mostly held up, but it did rain heavily for a very short time during the performance. Most of the attendees were prepared with ponchos. I was the only one who wasn’t, apparently, but mercifully

the rain didn’t last long.

The play went on for about an hour. I was surprised by how short it was. However, I can’t say that this hour wasn’t a good use of my time.

I thought to myself often how cool it was that I was able to see and hear something like this near where I work and live and I vowed to do it again

sometime.

Other operas that are being performed at the Festival this summer include “The Magic Flute,” “To the World,” “Il Trovatore,” and “Gods and Mortals.”

Go to www.Glimmerglass.org for more information.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

OBITUARIES

George Edward Goetz, 90 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

George Edward Goetz, age 90, passed away peacefully with his loving family by his side at his home on July 25 in Shrewsbury, Mass.

George is predeceased by his father Henry E Goetz and Aureil Corkett Goetz and his love of his life, his wife of 61 years, Carolyn Lowe Goetz and his daughter Susanne Goetz, Kensington Md. where she lived with her husband, Patrick Maleze.

George will be missed by his sister Virginia and her husband Jim Wagner of Westerville and their children and their families, his daughter Linda Goetz and her husband Kent Wittler and grandson Ian of Newton, Mass. and Jeanne Vumbaca and her husband Dino Vumbaca and grandchil-

Founded Leatherstocking Theater Company

dren Max, Henry and Maya Vumbaca of Hopkinton, Mass.

George was born in Brooklyn N.Y. where he recalled many fond memories of family holidays with his family and friends.

George received his bachelors degree from Long Island University and was inducted in the Army in 1952 with Division 1, The Big Red One, in Germany where he played on the Army basketball team.

George and his family moved to Arlington Va. where George received his master’s degree at George Washington University and began his love of teaching at Washington and Lee High School where he met Carolyn Lowe, a fellow teacher, and fell in love and married.

George and Carolyn relocated to Piscataway N.J. where they raised their three daughters. George felt all education was important and many family outings were spent at museums, cultural and historical events.

George began his 30year career at Columbia High School where he was a beloved and dedicated teacher and school administrator. Both George and Carolyn enjoyed a very active retirement by traveling to Central America to explore and learn about the Mayans and throughout the U.S. and Europe. They purchased a time share In Cape May, N.J. and a lake home in Cooperstown, where the family has many wonderful memories.

George and Carolyn started the Leatherstocking Theater Company in Cooperstown which they and dear family friend Sam Goodyear ran for over 10 years. George continued to provide teaching at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. George and Carolyn relocated to Southgate at Shrewsbury to be near family after the devastating loss of their daughter Susanne.

George and Carolyn made many dear friends and became very active in the Southgate community.

A celebration of George’s amazing life will be scheduled at a later date. Donations may be made to the ACLU or a charity of your choice in George’s memory.

George “Wyatt” Greenleaf III

Celebration of Life Ceremony for Terrance O’Hara

April 17, 2020 George “Wyatt” Greenleaf III passed away peacefully in Randolph, Mass. He was surrounded by his special family of caregivers after suffering with dementia and complications from Covid 19.

He was born on September 20,1946, in Boothbay Harbor Maine.

He is predeceased by George W. Greenleaf II and Betty Madeline (Bell) Greenleaf. Wyatt graduated UE high school in Endicott N.Y., leaving behind true friendships that he valued for years. After graduating he proudly served in the

The family of Terry O’Hara will be gathered together to celebrate his life on Saturday, August 21, 2021. We invite those who wish to join us in remembrance of Terry to the Unadilla Rod and Gun Club, 566 Butternut Road, Unadilla, NY 13849 from 2:006:00PM. Join Cindy, Kelly, Conor and Casey, and share with us fond memories, stories, jokes, songs and raise a toast to his life. Food and beverage provided.

Please follow CDC mask guidelines

Legal

Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of

Legal

Notice of Formation of

364 Main Street Otego NY LLC

RELIANCE WELD SERVICES, LLC.

364 Main Street Otego NY LLC (the “LLC”) filed Articles of Organization with the New York Department of State on 7/29/2021.

Office location: Otsego County.

The New York Secretary of State is designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and is directed to forward service of process to 15 Main Street, East Worcester, NY 12064.

Purpose: any lawful activity, 6LegalSept.9

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/27/21.

Office: Otsego County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 106 Brooker Hollow Road, East Worcester, NY 12064.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalSept.9

Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of Allen Lake Rentals LLC Articles of Org. filed with SSNY on 6/14/2021.

Office: Otsego County, SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon who process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at 1006 Co. HWY 27 Richfield Springs, NY 13439.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

6LegalSept.9 Legal nOtice

Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of Knarich Family Farm LLC Filed 5/5/21 Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 1515 County Highway 12, Mount Vision, NY 13810 Purpose: all lawful 6LegalSept.9 Legal nOtice

NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Trustees of the Village of

Legal

Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York at a meeting thereof held on the 26th day of July, 2021, duly adopted pursuant to section 6-C of the General Municipal Law, a resolution subject to permissive referendum, the purpose and effect of which is to authorize an appropriation of $20,000 from Parks reserve fund to be used for the purpose of the Lakefront Walking Pier Project.

BY ORDER OF THE VILLAGE BOARD OF THE VILLAGE OF COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK Jenna L. Utter Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main St., PO Box 346 Cooperstown, NY 13326 Email: jutter@ cooperstownny.org Dated: July 27, 2021 1LegalAug.5 Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of DY NEURO MEDICINE LLC, Articles of Org. filed with Sec of State of NY 4/21/2021.

Cty. Otsego County.

SSNY has been designated as agent upon process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the

September 20, 1946 – April 17 2020

U.S. Marines from 1965-69.

His final assignment was in Portsmouth N.H. Naval Prison.

Wyatt spent his working career in beverage sales at Pepsi-Cola in Binghamton and later at Coca-Cola bottling in Oneonta.

Wyatt surrounded himself with like-minded people of all kinds and always with a smile. He carried himself with integrity, compassion, strength and had an amazing sense of humor. Always with a story to tell and willingness to lend a hand to anyone in need.

Wyatt is survived by his

leWiS, Hurley & pietrobono

loving wife Karen of 35 yrs, 4 daughters; Temple, Brandy, Lacee and Meghan.

He was predeceased by a daughter Noelle Leonard.

He leaves behind his brother Chuck (Lynne), Ocean City, Md. Brothers-in-law Jack and Mike McAndrew and sisters-in-law Debbie Blew, Annette Muska Maureen McAndrew and many nieces and nephews. Grandsons, Vaughn, Brando, and Hagan, and granddaughter Lilly Greenleaf Henry He was a true gentleman who loved life, children, and family. Prior to his illness Wyatt’s hobby was building

Heller & Skinner Funeral Home

Funeral Home

155 Main Street, Worcester 607-397-9711 www.hellerskinnerfh.com

51 Dietz Street, oneonta · 607-432-1511 www.lhpfuneralhome.com

Legal

LEGALS

LLC, 1 Carson Rd., Oneonta, NY 13820.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

6LegalSept.9 Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: TBUTLER HOLDINGS LLC Articles of Organization filed by the Department of State of New York on: 06/28/2021 Office location: County of Otsego Purpose: Any and all lawful activities Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: The LLC 722 County Rd. 2 Unadilla, NY 13849 6LegalSept.9 Legal nOtice

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 17, 2021 at 4:30 P.M. or as soon thereafter as can be heard:

Legal

• Meeting to be held in the Village Office Building, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York.

10 Chestnut Street - Applicant seeks site plan approval per Article VIII Site Development Plan Review of the Village Code 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 17, 2021 at 3:30 p.m.

Jenna Utter Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 Tele: (607)547-2411 Email: jutter@cooperstownny.org 2LegalAug.5 Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of KNOTTED BIRCH HOME IMPROVEMENT, LLC

Legal

Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State on 7/6/21.

The office of the LLC is to be located in Otsego County.

The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process agains the LLC served upon him/her to: The LLC, 221 Co. Hwy. 18C, W. Edmeston, NY 13485.

The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalSept.2 Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of The BeauBuilt Company, LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 7/14/2021.

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 115 Skaneateles Tpke., West Winfield, NY 13491 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalAug.26 Legal nOtice

Notice of

street r o d s having a talent and love for working with his hands.

He will be sadly George missed ‘Wyatt’ by many. Greenleaf, III There will be a mass of Christian burial at 12 noon on August 14 at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, Laurens N.Y. with military honors following.

Legal

formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Brookside Groundskeeping, LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 4/16/21.

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 8024 ST HWY 80 SPRINGFIELD Center NY, 13468.

Purpose: any lawful purpose.

6LegalAug.26 Legal nOtice

Notice of formation of 607Painting LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/28/2021.

Office location, County of Otsego.

SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 210 Wheaton Creek Rd, Otego, NY 13825.

Purpose: any lawful act.

6LegalAug.26 Legal nOtice

Legal

Notice of Formation of MARISA CHISM LMT L.L.C., Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/11/2021.

Office loc: Otsego County.

SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 2 Riverside Avenue, Oneonta, NY 13820.

Reg Agent: U.S. Corp. Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave., Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

6LegalAug.26 Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: BROADREACH FARMSTEAD LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 8 July 2021.

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 155 Beaver St, Cherry Valley, NY 13320.

Purpose is to engage

Legal

in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6LegalAug.26 Legal nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION of Breezy Acres Farm, LLC, a Domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC) with offices located in Otsego County, for the purpose of any lawful act or activity under the Limited Liability Company Law. The Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of the State of New York (SSNY) on April 16, 2021.

SSNY is the agent designated to receive service of process on behalf of the LLC. SSNY shall mail a copy of such service of process to Michael Burns, 372 Christian Hill Road, Cooperstown, New York 13326.

6LegalAug.12 Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of Alhambra Farms LLC, Filed 4/26/21.

Cty: Otsego.

SSNY desig. for process & shall mail 444 Goddards Rd, Mt Vision, NY 13810.

Purp: any lawful.

6LegalAug.5

All

OTSEGO.sports

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7

Rawitch didn’t think path would lead to Cooperstown

By CHARLIE VASCELLARO The first thing that came to mind upon hearing that 45-year-old Josh Rawitch was hired as the new president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (he was 44 when it was announced) is how young he seems to be.

Like his predecessor (once removed) and interim President Jeff Idelson, who was 43 when he first ascended to the position in 2008, Rawitch is a baseball wunderkind, having worked in the industry since his teenage years, beginning his career as an intern with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994.

“I don’t feel that young, maybe, because I was so lucky to start so young in baseball,” Rawitch said in an exclusive interview. “I was 18 years old when I got my first internship. Often, when my mom sees my bio and it says 27 years in baseball, she says, ‘how is that possible?’ and now I’m 45, and the answer is, I started when I was 18.”

Rawitch continued to work for the Dodgers for 15 years before more recently spending 10 years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, ascending to his most recent job as president of content and communications.

Rawitch said he did not see his career moving to Cooperstown from the outset, but he can see how his career path has changed during his time in the game.

“I do remember the first time I met Jeff Idelson and learned that his background was in communications and thinking that was interesting,” said Rawitch.

Idelson said he has known Rawitch for three decades and is thrilled with his new successor.

“I could not be happier with the Board of Directors’ decision to select Josh to lead the Hall of

‘ I wouldn’t say specifically that the Hall of Fame president’s job itself was one that I ever sought out or coveted. I think it really more kind of found me, I guess.’

— Josh Rawitch

Incoming president at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Fame,” Idelson said. “They chose an executive whose passion and respect for the game is of the highest caliber. After 27 years in baseball, he’s built an impressive resumé and is revered inside and outside the sport. More importantly, he’s a bright, kind and inspirational leader who is perfectly suited to lead the Hall of Fame. I look forward to welcoming Josh and his family to Cooperstown.”

Rawitch credited several people who served as mentors and role models.

“Working for Derrick Hall (Diamondbacks president) over the years and seeing someone who started their career in PR ascending to a president’s role, I think I’ve always had aspirations that someday I might be able to follow in those footsteps,” Rawitch said, “but I wouldn’t say specifically that the Hall of Fame president’s job itself was one that I ever sought out or coveted. I think it really more

kind of found me, I guess.”

Succeeding Tim Mead and Interim President Idelson, Rawitch is the eighth president in the Hall of Fame’s 82-year history.

“It certainly feels like (the greatest job in the industry) and I’ve had a number of people say that,” Rawitch said. “I share the sentiment, but it’s hard to believe at times that it’s actually happening.

I’m hoping it’s as good as I expect it to be.”

Idelson (2008 to 2019) and his predecessor Dale Petroskey (1999 to 2008) occupied the president’s office for a full decade. Rawitch is starting the job at similar age to both Idelson (43) and Petroksey (44) and said he is planning on staying for a while.

“That’s certainly the hope (to be there for a long time). We’re not doing this for a short-term move.

We really are fully committed to Cooperstown, raising our kids (daughter Emily, 13, and son

Braden, 11) here and having them go through their high school years here,” he said. “You hear from so many people about what a great place it is to raise a family and we certainly think that’s going to be the case.”

Like many people who work in the baseball industry Rawitch did not have many opportunities to visit Cooperstown during the season.

“I had been to Cooperstown three times prior to the recent interview process, 2001 with family when my niece was born in Manhattan,” he said. “I came back in 2014 with my father, and brother and nephew.

It was the ultimate trip to connect generations. It was also Joe Torre’s induction and I had grown up going to Joe Torre’s Baseball Camp and I worked with Joe so I wanted to see him get in and as it turned out we (the Diamondbacks) hired Tony LaRussa a couple of months before he was elected, so I was there for the two of them. I came back in 2015 for Randy Johnson with the whole front office.”

Rawitch will also be bringing a bit of Arizona baseball history with him from his previous 10-year home.

“One of the departments that I oversaw toward the end of my tenure was spring training, so I went by Salt River Fields to say goodbye to (facilities manager) Dave Dunne and his crew,” he said.

“He told me he had an artifact for the Hall of Fame; when they were testing out MLB Instant Replay for the first time it was here at Salt River Fields. This baseball was the very first baseball used in the very first instant replay trial in MLB history.” Rawitch showed it to Joe

Garagiola Jr. and he said, ‘this thing belongs in Cooperstown’ .

“I thought, how am I going to get it to Cooperstown?

Now I’ve got a way to get it to Cooperstown.

Garagiola handed it to me and now I’m going to deliver my first artifact.”

Fluent in Spanish, Rawitch has served as venue press chief for the World Baseball Classic on three separate occasions and conducted media relations for international series in Mexico, China, Taiwan, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Dominican Republic.

“My first year as an intern at the Dodgers, Robert Schweppe was Fred Claire’s right-hand man at the Dodgers and he told me if I really wanted to work in baseball, I’d have to learn Spanish,” said Rawitch.

With a generation of Latin American players becoming increasingly eligible for induction to the Hall. it is a skill that has served Rawitch well.

“There is no doubt that you get more out of them when they are able to express themselves in ways that they can’t in another language,” Rawitch said.

Working in the industry for the Dodgers and Diamondbacks for as long as he has, it’s only a matter of time before one of the players on his teams will be inducted to the Hall.

“My wife (Erin) asked me, ‘do you think we’ll still be there when Clayton Kershaw gets inducted?’ I would be very excited for anyone I worked with to get inducted,” he said, “but Clayton is an interesting one because I was there the day he got drafted, I was there for his big league debut, and just to see what he’s become is pretty cool.

CCS student proposal to make baseball state sport becomes law STAFF REPORT Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Friday, July 30, to make baseball the official state sport.

The bill had originally been sponsored by state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, after a lobbying effort by the fourth grade class of Cooperstown Central School teacher Anne Reis. The effort began in 2017; those students will enter the tenth grade in September.

Seward had gotten the bill passed in the Senate, but it did not pass the Assembly until 2021.

Seward retired in January and his replacement, Sen. Peter Oberacker, R-Maryland, took up the effort. He succeeded in June, saying on the Senate floor: “Baseball is much more than a game. Baseball is a force of nature and is more than deserving of this recognition as New York’s official state sport.”

Cuomo thanked the Cooperstown students in a Tweet on Friday, saying, “Thank you to the fourth grade class of Cooperstown Elementary School for stepping up to the plate and proposing this bill.

NY loves baseball!”

Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal

Cooperstown’s senior players celebrate with coaches Matt Hazzard, center, and Frank Miosek, left.

Biggio, Glavine, Griffey join Hall directors; Schilling to stay on ballot STAFF REPORT

Cheryl Clough

Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, waving to fans during the 2017 Induction Weekend activities, was recently named to the Hall’s Board of Directors.

Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, announced on Thursday, July 29, the newly elected Board of Directors.

Craig Biggio, Tom Glavine and Ken Griffey Jr. have all been elected to serve on the Board.

“We are thrilled to welcome Craig Biggio, Tom Glavine and Ken Griffey Jr. to the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,” Clark said in a media release.

“As players, Craig, Tom and Ken were each known for their passion for the game and their leadership. Since being elected as members of the Hall of Fame, they have all demonstrated their continuing commitment to baseball and to this institution,” Clark continued. “Their vision will help guide the museum toward the future while it remains focused on its mission to preserve history, honor excellence and connect generations.”

Jean Fruth In addition, Curt Schilling’s request to be removed Ken Griffey, pictured with Mike Piazza at their 2016 from the 2022 Baseball Writer’s Association of Hall of Fame media conference, will also join the Hall America ballot was denied in a unanimous vote. board.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

A-8 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Death certificates lead to CoopOtsego dispute

Sunflower power

By GREG KLEIN

A financial dispute over dead people has left officials in the village of Cooperstown and town of Otsego frustrated with one another.

The disagreement stems from services performed by the registrar of vital statistics, which is a job village officials perform town-wide. Registrar duties include birth and death certificates.

While there are some births outside of the village, most are at Cooperstown’s Bassett Medical Center.

However, it is the deaths outside of the village boundaries that have been costly to Cooperstown. According to materials provided at the village’s Board of Trustees meeting Monday, Tillapaugh July 26, the cost of providing death certificates to town residents has cost the village anywhere from about $1,300 annually to a recent high of $2,900 in 2015 when there were 290 death certificates prepared for residents outside of the village.

As per the old agreement, the town pays $250 annually and gets remitted the fees for certificates from its residents.

Kiernan The village must keep and maintain the records, but Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh said it is not adding up for village residents. “This is not sustainable,” she said. “This is a village tax, subsidizing service for the town of Otsego.”

This year the village billed the town for $1,500, which is an average of costs associated with the service. There were 194 death certificates for town residents from June 2020 to May 2021, Tillapaugh said.

In response, Town Supervisor Meg Kiernan wrote the trustees and said they made the request after the town budget had been prepared and the service had been provided at an agreed upon fee. “Asking for the amount to be raised after the job has been performed does not seem to be in good faith,” she wrote.

To show the town’s good will, Kiernan sent $750, which the village board unanimously accepted after a long debate.

With Kiernan and several town board members not running for re-election in November, Trustee Richard Sternberg suggested the village approach the new town officials and seek full reimbursements starting next year. The trustees agreed to bill the town based on the previous year’s costs in the future, which Tillapaugh said will allow the town to know in advance its share.

Kiernan, who was out of town last week, said she was surprised the village had to debate about accepting a check for more than it was owed by the town.

In a letter to the board, which was shared with The Freeman’s Journal, Kiernan said the town was incorporated first and village residents rely on the town for many services.

“I listened to the meeting online and was disappointed in the tone taken,” she wrote. “The future is in sharing services and doing what is best for residents.”

Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal

It is suddenly sunflower season, leading to lots of roadside pictures of this field in the town of Otsego.

Wenck becomes interim Milford superintendent Longtime Laurens Central School super recently covered same job at Cooperstown during 2020-21 year STAFF REPORT MILFORD — Milford Central School has named Romona Wenck as its interim superintendent of schools through Dec. 30. The school’s Board of Education approved the hire at its meeting Wednesday, July 7.

Wenck had served as superintendent of neighbor Laurens Central School for 23 years, retiring in 2020. In October, she took over as interim superintendent at Cooperstown Central School, serving until the spring, when Sarah Spross

was hired as the new superintendent.

Milford had its own long-time superintendent, Peter Livshin, who retired in 2016 after 19 years leading the district. Mark Place succeeded him but agreed to a mutual Wenck separation with the district at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

Dr. Catherine Huber, ONC BOCES

Art Garage to host artist talk on ‘Roots’ Contributed

STAFF REPORT Artist Marc Pelletier of Brooklyn and Pleasant Brook will informally discuss his paintings featured in the three-person show “Roots” at the Art Garage at 689 Beaver Meadow Road in the town of Middlefield at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 11.

The talk marks the finale of the show, which closes that evening.

Pelletier’s work can be seen in advance from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday Aug. 7, and daily with a text or phone call at 315-941-9607 or 607-547-5327.

Pelletier’s paintings are featured alongside vintage carved trucks by the late Lavern Kelley, and woven drawings by Nora Ashwood, of Roseboom and NYC. The show runs parallel to “Christina Hunt Wood: Reflections on Dissonance,” in the adjacent Middle Bay, which also concludes on Aug. 11.

Selected images can be found on ArtGarageCooperstown on Facebook.

According to a media release, Pelletier was born in Lewiston, Maine, received his BFA from the University of Southern Maine and his MFA from Syracuse University.

In 1979 he studied at Whitelands College, London, UK, then spent a formative summer at the Skowhegan School of Art, where he was awarded the Marguerite Zorach Scholarship in Painting. Pelletier has participated in numerous shows in NYC and the Cooperstown area.

He is presenting two bodies of work in

Untitled, c 14” x 12” oil on canvas

by Marc Pelletier is part of the ‘Roots’ show at The Art Garage in Middlefield.

“Roots,” according to the media release: “large and luscious abstract paintings, that radiate his lifelong obsession with a triad of concerns, painterly gesture, balance of composition and unity of form. Having spent much of the pandemic cocooned in Upstate, he also offers landscape gems, painterly abstracted views out the back door of his rural residence: striking trees, sunlit clearings and dazzling flowers.”

Admission is free. The gallery will open at 3:30 p.m.

As always guests are reminded to park on the gallery lawns, not on the town road.

Reservations recommended. For further information, or to make a reservation, call 315941-9607 or go to ArtGarageCooperstown on Facebook.

Got a news tip?

Let us know at info@allotsego.com or by calling 607-547-6103.

district superintendent, was serving as the district’s temporary superintendent and also leading the candidate search.

She will continue to help the district look for a new full-time superintendent.

In an unrelated move at its meeting Wednesday, July 29, the Milford BOE approved a fall sports merger with Laurens Central School for boys soccer.

The schools already had a merged track and field team. The board also renewed its agreement to allow its girls to swim and its athletes to play football at Cooperstown Central School in the fall.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

Lions, Rotary, other partners host annual river cleanup day STAFF REPORT COOPERSTOWN — The fourth Susquehanna River Cleanup took place Saturday, July 17.

Community involvement in this project has continued to grow with more than 35 people volunteering this year. The Cooperstown Lions Club, Cooperstown Rotary Club, Rotary E-club of Global Trekkers, OCCA and Otsego 2000 as well as some individuals all made financial contributions to assist with building three new improved rafts.

The Susquehanna River Cleanup project came about because John Rowley and Maureen Rowley would walk the riverside trail between Mill and Main streets in Cooperstown on a regular basis. They were dismayed by the amount of debris and garbage in that section of the river, including a large cattle-feeding trough.

Growing tired of seeing this, John proposed a clean-up project to the Cooperstown Lions Club, where he is a member and past president. Lions Club International Foundation had made environmental projects one of the club’s new initiatives.

The Cooperstown Lions Club embraced the project and set out to team with other organizations that would assist and guide the Lions with the project.

Then OCCA Director Leslie Orzetti, Program Director Jeff O’Handley and Jim Hill were a great deal of help, the Lions said.

The SUNY Biologic Field Station and Paul H. Lord, who coordinates SUNY Oneonta’s Biologic Field Station Volunteer Dive Team have been essential to the success of the program for the past four years, according to the Rowleys. They also received support and guidance from Dennis Elliot at the Cooperstown Village Water Plant, The Cooperstown Sailing Club provided the barge for the first year in 2018.

Financial assistance toward the cost of debris dumping came from then Otsego County Planning Director Karen Sullivan and the Otsego County Solid Waste Committee.

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-9

Meet me on Main

The first organizational meeting took place in March 2018 at the Clark Sports Center and the first clean-up was in August 2018.

“We learned a lot that first year and took quite a bit out of the river,” John said. “We didn’t get the big feed trough out until 2019.

Chuck Hascup Plumbing (and Chuck’s father, Dennis, a long-time Cooperstown Lion) brought his barge in 2019 and we were able to remove the large trough which had been the significant motivation that got this project started.”

In 2020, the mission moved below the Susquehanna Street bridge. The nature of the clean-up changed from deeper water to a relatively shallow river with pockets of deeper water, according to Rowley.

In addition, The Lions and Rotary clubs were working more closely together and it became a combined project of the two clubs, he said.

With moving downstream, the barges could no longer be used to transport the debris. Rowley said he built two floats from the floorboards removed from his house and blue-board insulation donated by Bruce Hall Lumber. They proved to not be sturdy enough or have the buoyancy for the large loads of tires and debris.

“We removed more than 70 tires in 2020 and were unable to get them all,” he said.

“With a cost of $5 per tire in 2020 and $6 per tire in 2021 for disposal, that was a significant part of the project cost.

“There were also large objects including three hot water heaters and an object we fondly call ‘the thing’ that had to wait until 2021,” Rowley said.

In 2021, “as we do each year, we had to become more creative with the use of a truck front end winch to pull out ‘the thing’ and the hot water heaters. We got two out of three and there is still one more to go,” Rowley said. “In the coming years, we hope to continue to grow this project. There is much more to be done. We hope to continue our work downstream and involve other Lions, Rotary and other civic organizations along the way.”

Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal

Main Street in downtown Oneonta was closed to vehicles Saturday, July 31, as it will be every Saturday for the rest of the summer as the city promotes its stores and restaurants.

Saturday’s festivities included music, on-street vending and an electric car show.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021

A-10 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Cooperstown Chamber will host Artisans Festival Labor Day weekend craft during the festival, including loom weaving by Lori Carter-Secreti of The Beginning Shop, yarn spinning by Priscilla Carroll of Mabel’s Cables, hydrosol distillation with Andrea Giordano of AromatheraChi and wood carving by Cooperstown’s own Emilie Rigby.

The Cooperstown Artisan Festival is just one of several events that will be drawing visitors to Cooperstown and extending the summer tourism season into September. The Cooperstown Art Association’s popular Fine Arts on the Lawn event at the Village Hall will take place concurrently with the Artisan Festival on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend, and the BriteVibes Beer and Music Festival at Brewery Ommegang is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 4.

Just a few days later, the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum will be presenting the long-awaited 2020 Induction Ceremony at the Clark Sports Center on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

The Chamber first organized the Cooperstown Artisan Festival in 2017, in response to calls to revive the Cooperstown Arts & Crafts Show which was initiated by the Leatherstocking Brush and Palette

STAFF REPORT

Club in the 1960s and ran through 2013. The original Arts & Crafts Show was also traditionally held on Labor Day Weekend along Cooperstown’s Main Street, before eventually being moved to the Clark Sports Center. With last year’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the fourth year of the Chamber-organized event.

The Chamber is working with the Otsego County Department of Health to ensure that all the necessary public health regulations are followed. As of now, there are no restrictions on attendance. Participants and attendees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be asked to follow CDC guidance and wear a face mask on festival grounds. The festival will be presented in accordance with all applicable public health requirements at the time of the event. Due to potential health concerns, there will be no organized children’s activities at this year’s festival.

For more information about the festival and its participants, visit www.cooperstownartisanfestival.info or contact the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce at 607-547-9983 or office@ cooperstownchamber.org.

The Cooperstown Artisan Festival will be returning to Main Street on Labor Day Weekend, the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce announced Friday, July 30.

The family friendly, twoday, festival takes place on the lawn of the Otsego County office complex on Saturday, Sept. 4, and Sunday, Sept. 5, and is free and open to the public. The event is rain or shine.

This year’s festival will be a celebration of the creative spirit of the region, showcasing a vast range of handcrafted goods from more than 50 artisan vendors.

For many local creators, the past year brought extra time to focus on their craft, and they have been looking forward with great anticipation for this opportunity to share their bounty. The level of artistry and innovation in this group of vendors is outstanding, and visitors will discover uniquely crafted goods combining beauty with functionality.

Craft categories include fine art and photography, pottery, jewelry, woodworking, textiles, bath and body products, candles, stationery, quilts, specialty foods and more.

Musical entertainment will be provided by The Neo Trio jazz band and The Insolent ·· Willies acoustic roots duo Sept. 4. Folksinger Warren Sieme, and The Council Rock Band will perform rock favorites Sept. 5.

Food on site will include grass-fed beef hotdogs and Quality sleep improves your hamburgers from The Green mental and physical health, plus Cow, a variety of hot sandyour quality of life! wiches, fries, and veggie specials from Outback Jon’s Exceeding expectations Bedding sale going on for over 100 years. food truck, and hot drinks, NOW! fresh-squeezed lemonade 4316 County Hwy 11 Open weekdays: and sweet treats by Pink 9 am to 5:30 pm Cooperstown Flamingo Lane.

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The Council Rock Band will perform at The Cooperstown Artisan Festival on Sunday, Sept. 5.

Clockwise from top left are Carrilu Tietz, Jim Duncan, Marc Spaziani, Ed Tietz and John Hodgson.

Otsego County Hazardous Waste Day August 20-21, 2021

Household Collections:

Friday August 20 – 8am – 11am, Unadilla Town Barn Saturday* August 21 – 8am – 1pm, Meadows Office Complex, Cooperstown *Saturday Only: Arrive by last name

A-H: 8:00am – 9:30am I-Q: 9:30am – 11:30am R-Z: 11:30am – 1pm

Small Businesses:

Friday August 20 – 2pm – 4pm Meadows Office Complex, Cooperstown First $100 subsidized Businesses must register before August 6th Accepted: paints, solvents, pesticides, cleaning chemicals, hobby & pool chemicals, fluorescent bulbs, batteries, and more* *Pharmaceuticals accepted at Cooperstown only Not Accepted: electronics, motor oil, syringes, explosives, ammunition, tires, items with freon For more information: www.otsegocounty.com/departments/solid_waste/ solidwaste@otsegocounty.com 607-547-4225

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T

he Otsego County Fair has Celebrate the 101st anniversary opened. Stop by for rides, of the Huntington Memorial Library games, food, livestock shows and its move to its current building and more. Events include the demo- after the gift by Henry Huntington. lition derby, tractor pulls (antique Learn about Huntington’s legacy and NYTPA), horse shows, karaoke and impact on Oneonta with city and more. Check the website for the historian Mark Simonson, as well as full list and schedule. At the Otsego his love of books, gardening and art.

County Fairground, 469 Mill St. The first 100 guests will receive a free in Morris. From 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., plant. At Huntington Park, behind the Thursday, Aug. 5 to Sunday, Aug. 8. library. Use the Dietz Street entrance Call 607-263-5289 or visit otsego- in Oneonta. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. countyfair.org.

Saturday, Aug. 7. Call 607-432-1980 • or visit hmloneonta.org.

Visit with the infamous • abolitionist and suffragette, things Gun lovers are invited to Lucretia Mott, as portrayed browse through guns from by a living historian. Mott to do! more than 100 dealers. Come lived in the 1840s and buy, sell or trade, just follow was an ardent abolitionist. the rules. There’s even some She became active in the stuff for the people who women’s rights movement aren’t interested in the guns. after being barred from the At the Unadilla Rod & Gun world anti-slavery convenClub, 566 Butternut Rd. in tion and meeting Elizabeth Unadilla. From 8 a.m. to 3 Cady Stanton. p.m. Sunday, Aug. 8. Call Refreshments will follow. Larissa Ryan 607-369-7575.

Admission is $5. Presented • at the Dutch Windfall Barn at Learn how the ice age 2009 Clinton Rd. in Cherry Valley at affected our region of the Catskills 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 8. Call 518-774- from the local experts on the subject.

0134 or visit windfalldutchbarn.com. Robert and Johanna Titus have three • published books including “The Catskill Puppet Theater presents Catskills in the Ice Age,” which is ‘The Villain’s Moustache’, an old-time now in its third edition. They also run melodrama set in the 1930s featuirng a blog on local geology. Presented at hobos, showgirls and an over-the- the Swart-Wilcox House Museum, in top villain. Audience participation Oneonta. From 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, is encouraged, whether it’s booing Aug. 8. Call 607-287-7011 or visit the villain, or shouting advice at the swartwilcoxhouse.wordpress.com/ poor, unfortunate heroine. A fun show 2021-summer-sunday-series/. for all audiences. Free, registration required. At the West Kortright Center, ►ON THE COVER 49 West Kortright Church Rd. in East File photo courtesy of Destination Meredith. Call 607-287-5454 or visit Marketing Corp. of Otsego County westkc.org/eventbrite-event/songbirdsessions-catskill-puppet-theater/

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Summer Dreams B-3

Contributed

An unidentified family enjoys miniature golf, an outdoor activity that draws a lot of interest in Otsego County.

Otsego ups its outdoor game

Marketing efforts switching to county, region’s recreational activities, including hiking, lake sports

By KEVIN LIMITI In response to the COVID crisis, many people have been seeking fun activities that can also be done safely with social distancing. Outdoor activities seems to be the natural solution and Otsego County has plenty of outdoor activities to do for those inclined.

Cassandra Harrington, executive director of Destination Marketing, is well versed in outdoor activities for Otsego County. She goes kayaking and said Gilbert Lake State Park is “one of my favorite places to go hiking.” She said she also plans on going skydiving with Just Jump at the Westville Airport.

So, when she was approached by people looking for things to do in Otsego County that are socially distanced and outdoors, she had the answer.

“During the pandemic, one of the trends people were seeking to do was outdoor activities,” Harrington said, explaining that Otsego County “has a ton of natural resources.”

Destination Marketing started an initiative called Cooperstown Naturally, which aims to introduce those in need of outdoor activities to the plethora of options that exist near

Cooperstown and in Otsego County.

Some of these activities include biking, hiking, boating, camping, fishing and more.

Harrington said that the online campaign has been successful and the website serves as a “reference point to where things are.”

At the hiking section of the website, you can search for trails and other activities by narrowing your searches down by town, amenities and activities. Some of the places listed include state parks such as Bear Swamp State Forest, the Cherry Valley State Forest and Neahwa Park in Oneonta.

“We’ve had more than 2,300 engagements on Facebook and Instagram,” Harrington said. “2,400 clicks on Pinterest.”

“Our major audiences for this were mostly people from New York,” Harrington said, who were “not necessarily travelling far because of the pandemic.”

Harrington said that the second largest audiences were people coming from Philadelphia and Boston.

If needed, there are also events and performances in Otsego County that don’t require physical activity. For instance, the Glimmerglass Festival has opera performances which See OUTDOORS, Page B4

B-4 Summer Dreams

Thursday, August 5, 2021

COLOR ODYSSEY Tourism efforts focus on county’s outdoor appeal OUTDOORS/From Page B3 on its website for farmers’ markets as well as a calendar of events. Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000, said it created the website Otsego Outdoors for the purpose of connecting people with various trails and activities in Otsego.

Pope said the website helps people “seek out trails that aren’t as well known.”

She recommends renting or

bringing a kayak for going on the Susquehanna River, Goodyear Lake or Otsego Lake.

“We don’t have a ton of white water but we do have a lot of lovely rivers and creeks,” Pope said. She said the Texas House State Forest is “really neat” and “right in the middle of the county.”

Go to www.otsego outdoors.org or www.thisis cooperstown.com/getouside for more information.

Emma Amos (American, 1937–2020), Equals, detail, 1992, acrylic on linen canvas with African fabric borders, 76 x 82 in., private collection

310 Genesee Street, Utica, New York • 315-797-0000 • mwpai.org Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

Many Thanks to our Exhibition Sponsors Lead sponsor: Gilroy, Kernan & Gilroy Insurance Associate sponsors: Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D., Alan and Linda Vincent, and M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund of The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties Emma Amos: Color Odyssey is organized by the Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, and is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Willson Center for the Humanities and the Arts, University of Georgia.

Summer

MWPAI E Amos Freeman's Journal ad.indd 1

Dreams

6/29/21 10:06 AM

Advertise what you’ve got going on in Summer Dreams!

Call 607-547-6103 for details!

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Summer Dreams B-5

Staff Picks

Our best bets for local dining

Larissa Ryan Business Manager SweetFrog Frozen Yogurt I went to SweetFrog Frozen Yogurt recently while doing errands. There were a variety of flavors of frozen yogurt available for selfserve, including mango and cookies and cream.

I chose to get a mix of cookies and cream and cake batter. Then I added brownie bites, mini MnMs, hot fudge and gummy bears, to cookies, sprinkles and caramel. I literally cannot fit how many options there were into this review. Definitely a place to check out when in Oneonta.

SweetFrog Frozen Yogurt 5006 State Hwy. 23, Ste. B2 Oneonta 607-433-2715

the water by lush, rolling grass. My dinner was a “create your own” dinner and I chose the crab cakes with herb-roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus.

We all topped the meal off with crème brulée. It was perfectly crispy on the top.

Everything about the evening, the company, the

GUN SHOW & FLEA MARKET 44th Annual

Unadilla Rod & Gun Club

566 Butternut Rd. Unadilla

Sunday, Aug. 8 8 am to 3 pm Rain or Shine!

BUy · SELL · TRAdE OvER 100 dealers on hand Great Stuff for the Girls too!

FREE AdMISSION

Tara Barnwell Publisher The Otesaga Resort Hotel We had the pleasure of dining with friends over the weekend at the Hawkeye Bar and Grill at The Otesaga. The views from the patio are breathtaking; you’re only separated from

Sponsored by Midstate Arms Collectors, Inc., Unadilla Rod & Gun Club

P R O F E S S I O N A L T H E AT E R O F T H E G R E AT W E S T E R N C AT S K I L L S

JULY 23-AUGUST 15

A Doll’sLucas House, Hnath Part 2 BY AN FSC PRODUC TION

A provocative and surprisingly funny debate about love, marriage, and the price we pay to be who we are.

OUTDOOR STAGE

•

ADMISSION FREE

For times and reservations: FranklinStageCompany.org

food and the stellar service, was a success.

The Otesaga 60 Lake St., Cooperstown 607-547-9931 www.otesaga.com Kevin Limiti Reporter Spurbeck’s Grocery This homey little grocery

has been a neighbor of The Freeman’s Journal for many years, and it has been my go-to place for lunch ever since I moved here.

They serve cold sandwiches throughout the day, but it’s really the specials that you have to keep an eye out for. They have lamb gyros, hot dogs with chili cheese

and, perhaps my favorite, barbecue pork paninis.

The staff is also extremely friendly and more than happy to make whatever you want.

I recommend the trip up the hill to Railroad Avenue!

Spurbeck’s Grocery 9 Railroad Avenue Cooperstown 607-547-8681

_________

B-6 Summer Dreams

what’s fun in OtsegO COunty _________

►Thursday, Aug. 5

ries From The Microphone.’

Free, registration for Zoom required. Presented by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Call 607-547-7200.

OPEN HOUSE – At 7 p.m. in OtsegO COunty Habitat for Humanity invites potential partner families to tour the most recent Habitat house. Deadline to apply is Aug. 16. At McFarland Rd. in Oneonta. Call 607-432-7874.

Thursday, August 5, 2021

THEATER – At 7 p.m. The Glimmer Globe Theatre presents ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)’ with three actors (in tights) performing all 37 of the Bard’s plays. Cost is $15/ adult. At the Fenimore Art Museum’s Lucy B. Hamilton Amphitheater near Cooperstown. 607-547-1453.

Continued on Page B7

what’s fun _______

BLOOD DRIVE – Noon to 5 p.m. Donate blood, help save up to three lives. At the Quality Inn, 5206 State Route 23, in Oneonta. Call 800-733-2767.

AUTHOR SERIES – At 2 p.m.

Celebrate anniversary of the first baseball game broadcast on radio with Curt Smith who will discuss his book, ‘Memo-

when the BoyS are BuSy…

147 Main Street, CooperStown • 516-996-9204

Thursday, August 5, 2021

_______ what’s fun in OtsegO COunty

Continued from Page B6

►Friday, August 6

ARTIST TALK – At 5 p.m.

Christina Hunt Wood will discuss exhibit ‘Reflections on Dissonance.’ Part of ‘High Alert Artists Speak Out’ series in which artists examine social or environmental justice issues. Free, registration recommended. At The Art Garage, 689 Beaver Meadow Rd. in Middlefield.

Call 607-547-5327.

IROQUOIS MUSEUM – From 5 to 9 p.m. Enjoy listening to jam band, ‘The Rubber Band,’ Haudenosaunee artist Mike Jones and vocalist Kari Kennedy. Local beers available for purchase. All proceeds go to the museum. Cost is $20 for admission, commemorative cup and a free beer. At Iroquois Indian Museum, 324 Caverns Rd. in Howes Cave.

Call 518-296-8949.

WRITERS GROUP – At 6:30 p.m. Share your writing with a supportive group. At the

Springfield Library, 129 County Route 29A, Springfield Center.

Call 315-858-5802.

BENEFIT CONCERT – At 7 p.m. Concert by Tim Grimm and the Family Band supports the Exeter Historical Association.

Admission by donations, which go toward erecting two historical site signs. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. At the Old Stone Church, 7370 State Route 28 in Schuyler Lake.

FIRE PIT FRIDAYS – From 7

Summer Dreams B-7 to 10 p.m. Get out and enjoy a fun night around the fire with friends, drinks and music.

This week features Power Twang music by the Woodshed Prophets. Brewery Ommegang, 656 Co.Hwy. 33, Cooperstown.

607-280-2900.

departing from the Milford Depot, 136 E. Main St. in Milford. Call 607-432-2429.

►Saturday, August 7 TRAIN ROBBERY – At 2 p.m.

Get in the spirit of the Old West with a train ride and some Wild West action with gunfights, explosions, and fun for the whole family. Refreshments available. Cost is $22/adult held at the Cooperstown Charlotte Valley Railroad,

BLUEBERRY PICKING AT ITS PEAK! Good size, good flavor and easy picking!

INGALLS BLUEBERRY HILL Cooperstown off of Route 28 • 607-547-2600

Robin & Linda

WILLIAMS FOLK MUSIC CONCERT

August 21st | 6:30

Tickets Now Available Historic Lighting and Cocktail Tour September 11th | 7:00 PM 21 + Event Sponsored by S. Rabbit Goody.

Food and beverage available for purchase from Ommegang at Robin and Linda

tickets available at

HYDEHALL.ORG

B-8 Summer Dreams

Thursday, August 5, 2021