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Volume 213, No. 32
COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND Lost letter has town looking for ‘Nana’ A letter addressed only to “Nana, Springfield Center,” from her relative “Graham” has the town of Springfield searching. According to officials at the Springfield Center Post Office, attempts to locate Graham’s Nana have been unsuccessful so far and their hope is a larger audience will help ensure letter delivery.
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AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE
STAFF REPORT Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation in a televised address Tuesday, Aug. 10, effective in two weeks. While the governor denied accusations that he was intentionally inappropriate with anyone, he said that the “politically motivated” allegations against him would plunge the state into disarray. The three-term governor has been rocked by sexual harassment allegations which included unwanted kisses and touching, as well as retaliating against a whistleblower.
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will become the state’s next governor. Reactions to the resignation were swift and it was met with approval. “While we can now turn to rebuilding our state, it does not mean the end of multiple investigations into the departing governor and his retaliatory enablers,” State Sen. Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, said in a statement. “The brave women who stepped forward to tell their stories deserve justice, along with those who lost their lives needlessly due to the governor’s irresponsible COVID nursing home directive,” he said.
“Gov. Cuomo finally stepping down is ultimately for the good of New York and something I am glad to see finally happening,” Assemblyman Brian Miller, R-New Hartford, said in a statement. “This resignation is a definitive new beginning. We deserve a better leader.” “New York now has a chance to move forward and build a new culture of leadership,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, in a statement. “Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is an exceptional public servant and will be an excellent governor. I look forward to working together to continue serving the people of our great state.”
►MASK MANDATE: Oneonta restores mask requirements inside city buildings. ►HArtwick LEGENDS: Hartwick College names its new class of Athletic Hall of Fame members. ►COVID UPDATES: As the Delta variant spreads Upstate, follow the latest numbers.
“Gov. Cuomo’s resignation is welcome news for all New Yorkers,” said Assemblyman John Salka, RBrookfield, in a press release. “He has finally acted in the best interest of the people,” Salka continued. “His actions have been disturbing and inexcusable. I am pleased to see the governor step aside and allow government to function properly. I will continue to stand with these women and fight to hold the governor accountable. “Congratulations to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul,” Salka concluded. “I look forward to working with her in a positive and bipartisan manner.”
Fair days Cheryl Clough
Lights from the swing ride illuminate the night sky Tuesday, Aug. 3, as darkness begins to fall on the first day of the Otsego County Fair. The fair closed Sunday, Aug. 8, after nearly a full week of rides, attractions, good weather and a vaccination tent that county officials deemed pleasantly successful.
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Local politicians cheer as Gov. Cuomo resigns
An East Orange New Jersey Black Lives Matter Project takes center bay at The Art Garage on Saturday Aug, 14 with an opening from 4 to 6 p.m., at 689 Beaver Meadow Road. The opening is free and everyone is invited to attend.
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Art Garage to host Black Lives Matter project from N.J.
►Back to SCHOOl BLUES: Otsego County school officials discuss how to conduct classes this fall, while the Delta variant of the coronavirus begins to surge. Page A2. ►CCS HIRES: Cooperstown hires a SUNY Oneonta graduate and a CCS alum for administrative jobs. Page A3. ►EARLY BIRDS: Annual swim held at Fairy Spring Park. Page A8. ►Celebration: Huntington Memorial Library hosts anniversary party. Page A8: ►SWIM CHAMP: Cooperstown’s Ted Mebust looks forward to his senior season in college. Page A7. ►GAME CHANGER: Charley Vascellaro looks at the legacy of Hall of Fame inductee Marvin Miller, baseball’s bestknown labor leader. Page A7.
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Fenimore Art Museum looks at 25 years of ‘Arthur’ By PATRICK DEWEY Television shows, books and the artwork in them have the power to teach life lessons and transport viewers back in time. This is the case with the children’s TV show and book series “Arthur,” about a talking aardvark, his sister, D.W., and his classmates. The Fenimore Art Museum is marking the 25th anniversary of “Arthur,” a cartoon TV show, with the exhibit “Believe in Yourself: What We Learned from Arthur,” The exhibit opened Saturday, Aug. 7, and is on display through Dec. 31. The Fenimore worked directly with author and series creator Marc Brown on all aspects of the exhibit, according to museum officials.
© Marc Brown
Director of Exhibitions at the Fenimore Chris Rossi said the exhibit will give insight into Brown’s creative process through illustrations and sketches. Rossi said visitors should come ready to interact. There will be opportunities to hear recordings of Brown guiding visitors through his
work and reading from his stories. In addition, fans will be able to create their own art. Rossi said this exhibit is not just for kids. “There are so many positive messages in the series and I think everyone who visits will find something helpful and uplifting,” she said. The exhibit will also feature a sneak peek at “Believe in Yourself,” a book by Brown slated for release in 2022 about life lessons from Arthur. According to the PBS website, the first Arthur book was published in 1976. According to NPR.org, the show first aired in 1996. NPR recently announced the television show will be retiring, with the final season airing in winter of
2022. Rossi said the “Believe in Yourself” exhibit had been in planning with Brown for the past few years and the timing of Arthur’s Fenimore appearance had more to do with the 25th anniversary than the show’s retirement. “Working on this exhibit is bringing back fond memories of how important Arthur was to us and our children,” Rossi said. There will be a range of on-site and virtual activities scheduled during this exhibit’s stay. These will include art projects and a children’s reading event by Brown. “Exhibits like these foster a great deal of joy, nostalgia, and creativity in visitors,” said Kevin Gray, manager of arts education. Go to fenimoreartmuseum.org for more information.
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 12, 2021
A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Schools prepare for Delta variant Otsego County Board approves new With the Delta variant of the coronavirus virus causing jumps in cases across the county and the country, some Otsego County school districts are gearing up to welcome kids back to classes with masks on. This is based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, which has labeled Otsego County as a “substantial transmission” area where, in theory, masks are recommended indoors regardless of vaccination status. COVID cases have been on the rise across the country. In Otsego County, as of Aug. 9, there were 72 active cases and four hospitalizations. In Cooperstown Central Schools, while instruction will be in person, there will be a universal indoor mask policy as well as three-foot social distancing while maintaining cleaning and disinfecting at the schools. New Cooperstown Central School middle/high school Principal Karl O’Leary said School Superintendent Sarah Spross will present the reopening plan to the community at the school board meeting at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 18. O’Leary and Spross were not with the district during the past two years of pandemic learning, but O’Leary said he thinks Cooperstown will be able to respond to the Delta variant and any other changes in the school year. “It is like anything anywhere you have been, you reference your past experiences and you learn and grow from them,” he said. However, O’Leary said Cooperstown’s current plan is to return to normal as much as possible, until told otherwise by local, state and national health officials.
School sports practices are scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 23, and the state has scheduled fall competition all the way through the state playoffs. Oneonta Central School District is also taking a similar position, requiring masks for all those who are indoors. Oneonta Superintendent Tom Brindley said masking was something school officials feel is necessary. “I think it’s in everyone’s best interest that we follow the recommendations of those who make those decisions,” Brindley said. “It is unfortunate. I was hoping we weren’t going to have to go back to wearing masks, but we’re educators, not healthcare professionals.” Schenevus Central School Superintendent Theresa Carlin said her school hasn’t made a decision regarding masking, but had sent out a survey to the community asking its members’ opinions. “I’m waiting to see what
that survey says. I’ll be waiting for my board and making a decision on that,” Carlin said, who speculated that they probably wouldn’t have a decision on this for a few more weeks. Worcester Superintendent Tim Gonzales said his school is in “a holding pattern” and waiting for guidance from the Department of Education, who told him they would be sending out an email within the next few days about how they would be proceeding with COVID guidelines. Gonzales said initially they were told they weren’t going to be getting any guidance. “We are waiting to see what that looks like,” Gonzales said. “The Delta variant is a concern. All of us are wondering now whether we’re going to get guidance.” The schools said they will continue to update their communities as information changes.
mask mandates, ambulances purchase By GREG KLEIN COOPERSTOWN — Otsego County’s Board of Representatives approved new mask mandates for county employees in county buildings Wednesday, Aug. 4, because of the rise in COVID cases from the Delta variant. Employees must all wear masks when interacting with members of the public or when within six feet of other people for 10 minutes or more. Vaccinated employees may obtain a “green tag” from the NYS Unified Court System by providing proof of vaccination. Employees without a green tag will have to wear masks at all times within county buildings. Those with green tags may take off their masks at their desks or when not in close contact with other people. In other business Wednesday: • The board unanimously approved repeals of the purchasing and hiring freezes, which
were enacted last spring during the height of the pandemic shutdown. • The board unanimously approved the purchase of two Crestline CCL-150 ambulances to supplement emergency services to county residents. Board members as well as members of the E-911 and Emergency Services departments have been sounding the alarm for months about a crisis in rescue services. The two vehicles will cost no more than $434,337, according to the resolution, with the money coming from federal COVID funds. • The board discussed preperations for the Hall of Fame Induction on Wednesday, Sept. 8, with several members saying the Hall estimates 30,000 to 40,000 fans attending. The meeting was held in the board’s meeting room in Cooperstown for the first time since March 2020. Last month, the board met at the Meadows Complex in the town of Middfield. It met via Zoom during the pandemic.
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
VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM
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By KEVIN LIMITI
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.
Your Safety is Our Priority ,I \RX DUH WKLQNLQJ DERXW ÁHHLQJ DQ DEXVLYH VLWXDWLRQ FRQVLGHU SUH SDFNLQJ DQG VWRULQJ WKH IROORZLQJ LWHPV LQ D VDIH ORFDWLRQ ,GHQWLÀFDWLRQ 'ULYHU·V OLFHQVH %LUWK FHUWLÀFDWHV 6RFLDO VHFXULW\ FDUGV 3DVVSRUW Financial Information: %DQN DFFRXQW LQIRUPDWLRQ &UHGLW FDUGV 'HELW FDUGV Legal Papers 2UGHU RI 3URWHFWLRQ 'LYRUFH DQG FXVWRG\ SDSHUV 0DUULDJH OLFHQVH Personal Records 'HHG WR \RXU KRPH OHDVH &DU UHJLVWUDWLRQ DQG LQVXUDQFH SDSHUV +HDOWK DQG RWKHU LQVXUDQFH SDSHUV 0HGLFDO UHFRUGV 6FKRRO UHFRUGV Other (PHUJHQF\ PRQH\ 0HGLFDWLRQ ([WUD VHW RI NH\V 3D\ DV \RX JR FHOO SKRQH 6HQWLPHQWDO LWHPV DQG YDOXDEOHV 3LFWXUH RI DEXVHU ([WUD FORWKHV IRU \RX DQG WKH NLGV NLGV WR\V RU EODQNHW ,I \RX DUH D YLFWLP RI GRPHVWLF RU GDWLQJ YLROHQFH VH[XDO DVVDXOW RU DQRWKHU YLROHQW FULPH 9,3 ZLOO OLVWHQ KHOS \RX PDNH D SODQ WR VWD\ VDIH DQG FDQ FRQQHFW \RX WR FRXQVHOLQJ OHJDO DVVLVWDQFH PHGLFDO FDUH DQG RWKHU VXSSRUWV 7KH\ FDQ DOVR KHOS \RX REWDLQ DQ RUGHU RI SURWHFWLRQ This project is supported by Grant No. 2018-WE-AX-0020 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, US Dept. of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Dept. of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3
Alum, SUNY Oneonta grad take CCS jobs By GREG KLEIN Cooperstown Central School has new leadership in its middle/high school again. The school’s Board of Education has made two hires in the past month, picking Karl O’Leary as the new principal and Shirley Tyler as the new coordinator of athletics and extracurricular activities. O’Leary started his career as an English teacher and served as principal of Moravia Central School for two years and most recently as assistant high school principal at Middle Country Central School on Long Island. He graduated from SUNY Oneonta in
2002 and then got advanced degrees from SUNY Cortland and University of New England. O’Leary said he knew during his earlier time in Otsego County that he could settle down here. “I did my student teaching at Cherry Valley-Springfield,” he said. “I always loved Cooperstown when I was here. I loved biking around Otsego County.” O’Leary replaces Ann Meccarello, who left mid-year in 2020-21 for a superintendent position and interim principal Teresa Gorman. He said he echoes new superintendent Sarah Spross — who took over at CCS in March — when she said the goal is to bring long-term stability to the district.
O’Leary will get help in that goal from a local who has served Cooperstown in many different roles. Tyler is a 2004 CCS graduate, who did a Rotary year in Brazil and graduated from SUNY Cortland in 2009. She worked in public relations with the Cooperstown Hawkeyes, in education at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and most recently as the coordinator of special events at The Clark Sports Center. Tyler said she is thrilled to return to her roots at CCS. “I knew I wanted to Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal get back to working with children,” she Shirley Tyler and Karl O’Leary have been hired as said. O’Leary said the school will be hiring Cooperstown’s director of athletics/extracurricular activities and high school principal, respectively. an assistant principal soon.
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Perspectives
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL editorial
Playing Russian roulette with kids
Just as the country thought it was safe to get rid of masks, COVID-19 has made a sudden, startling comeback. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the seven-day moving average of new cases for the week ended Aug. 6, stands at nearly 123,000 per day. The Associated Press has reported more than 44,000 people were hospitalized in the U.S. last weekend, a 30% increase from the prior week and four times the number in June. Daily deaths hover around 500, nearly twice the rate of two weeks ago. Of those hospitalized, 97.5% are unvaccinated, a group that represents 99% of deaths. An unvaccinated person is 300 times more likely to die from COVID than one who is vaccinated. One infectious disease expert recently pointed out that for the unvaccinated it is “Not a matter of if you will contract the virus, only a matter of when.” It has been proven that the vaccines are safe and highly effective and while a tiny number of “breakthrough” cases do occur, the vaccines afford a very high level of protection against severe disease and death. According to the Cleveland Clinic, only 0.005% of fully vaccinated Americans have experienced a breakthrough case resulting in hospitalization or death. So, while it’s not impossible to experience a breakthrough case or even accompanying symptoms, the odds of serious illness in vaccinated people remain minuscule. People, no matter how misguided, have the right in a “free country” to follow the demagogues and science deniers by rejecting the vaccine, just as people who are interested in protecting others and staying alive themselves have the right to take the shot. However, this is largely a choice available only to adults. Children under 12 do not have that choice, as no vaccine has yet been produced for their use, and children aged 12 to 17 most often must follow the guidance — or misguidance — of their parents. With the current surge, vaccination rates among adults are finally beginning to rise, but as they do, children make up an increasing share of new cases. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, cases among children accounted for 19% of new cases reported in the last week of July. The New York Times has reported that in the first week of August an average of 216 children with COVID were being hospitalized every day, a rising number. Think you are safe in the country? Think again. There have been 2,580 cases of COVID in Otsego County so far in 2021 – a number that by year’s end will easily far surpass the 2,011 total cases here in 2020. On Monday, there were 72 active cases in the county – up from just one case two weeks ago. With a current positivity rate of 3.1 percent, the future for the unvaccinated looks grim. In approximate numbers, according to the 2020 census estimates, there are 9,400 children under the age of 18 in Otsego County. Of these, 2,500 are under age 5, and 3,700 are between ages 5 to 11, for a total of 6,200 for whom no vaccine is available. Of the 3,200 children aged 12 to 18 for which a vaccine is available, with a vaccination rate in the county of 53%, if applied to this age group, then approximately 1,700 may be vaccinated, leaving 1,500 unvaccinated. That means 7,700 children under the age of 18 are unvaccinated and vulnerable, nearly 13% of the county’s entire population. With a seven-day average positivity rate of 3.1%, 238 unvaccinated and highly vulnerable children could contract the virus in any given week. These are incredibly frightening numbers. What is the risk to our children when nearly half of the local population remains unvaccinated? How many sick or dying children will it take before unvaccinated people stop playing Russian roulette with our kids?
The OLD BADGER
The Badger contacts the aviators First published in The Freeman’s Journal August 2, 1978 “They tell us at the drugstore that since the aviators came here, the business done in lip rouge, ordinary rouge, and other forms of calsomine has almost doubled. And Schneider and Raubacher, who do most of the clothes cleaning say that the way the officers’ uniforms catch up talcum powder along the sleeves and shoulder is something awful.” — The Freeman’s Journal July 16, 1919 The year of “the flyers” in Cooperstown was 1919. (Pete Hollis sat up and looked around that year, too. Maybe that had something to do with it.) Almost 500 handsome, young aviators were housed in the village that summer, some for a few weeks, others for much longer – officers and gentlemen of the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army who had been ordered to Cooperstown for rest and relaxation before being mustered out of the service after World War I. But let’s go back to May of 1918 and
this announcement in The Freeman’s Journal: “The Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital is to be the main institution in the United States for the recuperation of aviators suffering from nerve shock caused by flying at high altitudes. Men suffering from contagious diseases will not be brought to Cooperstown but will be treated at the regular Army hospitals.” Even though the Bassett Hospital was unfinished at the time, Edward S. Clark had offered to rush one wing to completion for the care and hosting of the flyers, under government supervision, of course. Our own Thanksgiving Hospital on Grove Street was busy enough with the local customers. The newspaper announcement continued: “Physical Directors will be supplied who will outline a plan of rest and recuperation. Alfred Corning Clark Gymnasium, the Village Club (the present library building) and the Golf Links will be thrown open to the aviators the majority of whom will be officers, and everything possible will be done to make their stay enjoyable.” The aviators began to trickle into
the village in January of 1919 but the hospital wasn’t quite ready. Some of them were temporarily housed in the Village Club, some in the Jordan house, but by May, one hospital wing was ready to receive them. They moved in and their orderlies were billeted on Pioneer Street next to the American Hotel which had recently become the Tunnicliff Inn. The year-old Chamber of Commerce welcomed them. Bill Smalley, with his infant movie business, welcomed them. Len Rayner at Golf Links was pleased. So was J. Harry Cook, with his new automobile business. Mrs. F. de Puyster Townsend welcomed them, and early that winter set up a Red Cross hostess center at her home on Brookwood Point. Roaring fires, teas and cakes, and sympathetic hostesses welcomed the young heroes. But not for long. The April papers tell us that the Red Cross hostess center was peremptorily closed and moved from “Brookwood” to “Glimmerglen,” apparently the first of many social rumbles in town. Subsequently Mrs. Townsend’s See BADGER, Page A5
TERRY BERKSON L ife sketches
Learning to sink or swim at Perkins On my way home, while passing over the Elmer Sitts Road that links Monticello to Hyder Road, I always note a sign that marks “The Stauring Retreat,” which amounts to several small camps situated in the woods. Invariably, I think, “what ever happened to Chick Stauring?” I haven’t seen him in more than 50 years. I don’t even know if he uses the retreat or if he lives anywhere near Richfield. I do know that I am and will always be deeply indebted to him. When I was about 12 or 13, all the kids used to go to swim at Perkins on Canadarago Lake. There was a long dock that took you out into deep water and beyond that a large float on which we played innumerable games of tag. At that time there was a gas pump, boat rentals and a store up by the road where the Perkins sold everything from fishhooks to hamburgers. I was new to the lake and new to swimming but that didn’t stop me from trying to teach Nina Hill how to tread water. She was my age and her family lived in an apartment in back of my Aunt Ruta’s house.
Nina wasn’t really interested in learning how to swim, but I assured her, while pulling her away from the shore, that the deeper the water, the easier it is to float. She did the usual amount of screaming for girls her age
but I didn’t let it discourage me. Soon, we were in water up to our shoulders and I truly believed that when she had to, Nina would swim. As we advanced, the lake bottom dropped away and See SKETCHES, Page A5
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
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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.
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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 Subscription 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.
Richard DEROSA U p on H awthorn H ill
Walking unveils a world of hidden wonders Two days ago, after visiting a friend in the village, I walked home, a jaunt of about five miles. I am a walker by nature, but it has been a while since I have taken a walk of any substantial length. Most of our walks around here are two to three miles. That, coupled with working in the gardens and doing chores up here on the hill, usually serves as a worthy, and tiring, supplement to longer walks. However, that walk a few days ago reminded me of the salutary rewards of a long, leisurely walk, a walk Thoreau so sagely described as a ‘saunter.’ As I started my way up Pink Street, a neighbor stopped briefly to chat. After a bit of neighborly catching up, he observed I had two walking sticks. At that moment I was only using one, saving the other for the uphill climb ahead. I informed him of my wife’s encouraging me to walk with two sticks, believing it might help improve my posture. He paused for a second, I suspect to gather up his philosophical wits and, with respect to my wife’s concern for
my posture, said, “that’s why I don’t have one.” One of life’s enduring options. A walk, this walk at least, drew an eclectic array of thoughts and opinions out of that place in the brain where stuff dwells that we are rarely conscious of until, for whatever reason, an invisible gate opens up and we are forced, like it or not, to confront whatever it might be. I spend a lot of time botanizing while on my walks, but this walk blended the botanical with the political and existential. What does it mean to be free? Too few people understand that there is no such thing as complete freedom. Living in a free society requires the relinquishment of some freedoms to insure that those freedoms most essential to our individual lives are protected. Reading Mill’s “On Liberty” and Peter Singer’s recent essay on the anti-vaccination issue would help. That is, if one reads either with an open mind. Unfortunately, open minds are rare these days. The partnership
that democracy requires asks that individuals, while not relinquishing their basic freedoms, give some thought to the general well-being of others. Wearing a mask does not infringe on anyone’s essential rights. Not wearing a mask, thus jeopardizing another’s life, is an abridgement of another’s right to life, liberty, etc. Besides, one of our most treasured freedoms, the right to speak freely, is not inhibited by a mask. Guns. I have several. I am not against gun ownership, hunting or recreational shooting. However, why, in a civilized (are we still?) society is there a need for anyone to own assault rifles or any other kind of firearm designed for warfare? Unfortunately, given the epidemic of gun violence in this country, one cannot help but worry about some sort of apocalyptic showdown. I hope it does not come to that. If I am required to wear a seat belt, insure my car, and obey a host of rules and regulations aimed at the general See HAWTHORN, Page A5
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5 VIEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
New York abandons schools in time of need Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
210 YEARS AGO
Quoted from the London Courier – “It is well known to the world that his majesty’s government (partly from the contempt in which it has held the men who have so disgracefully conducted public affairs in America) have not heretofore thought it expedient to resent their marked ill will and injurious acts towards Great Britain. These provocations on the one side, and forbearance on the other, have served only to encourage their aggravated repetition, until at length the American government has ventured to commit a direct act of war. It is fully ascertained that the action with the Little Belt was not accidental, but the consequence of special orders from the American government intended to produce an action with a British ship of war. What have the advocates of these republicans to say now?” August 10, 1811
185 YEARS AGO
The indications of popular sentiment in all quarters of the Union, are decidedly favorable to an increase of the democratic strength. The jugglery and cheater of the leaders of the coalition of federalists, nullifiers, and anti-masons, only serve to give additional energy to men of honest principle, and in Vermont, Delaware and Maryland – states heretofore under the yoke of bondage to federalism, there is good grounds for believing that the democratic tickets for presidential electors will be successful. In Otsego, we do know of numerous accessions to the good cause, by which the majority will be very considerably increased. August 15, 1836
160 YEARS AGO
Otsego is not to be altogether unrepresented on the battlefield. Within the past few weeks quite a number of army recruits have been obtained in this county. On Wednesday morning, about 40 men left this village to form a company in the Van Guard Rifle Regiment. Previous to their departure they were addressed in a neat and patriotic speech by L.J. Walworth, Esq. They were mostly from Milford, Laurens and Fly Creek. The officers are: H.S. Chatfield, Captain; F.D. Slocum, Lieutenant; and Nelson Bowdish, Ensign. They are to go immediately into camp on Staten Island. On the same day Lieutenant Herington of the regular army passed through here with about 50 recruits mostly obtained in Oneonta and that vicinity. August 16, 1861
135 YEARS AGO
Sixty years produce a great change in the life of an individual, and the village of Cooperstown with its surroundings has in that time undergone a great change. Natural growth, intellectual development, with many other influences, change the man from youth into a condition of grave thoughts, a weakened body, and a rather somber look. But it is not so with the growth, development and changes of a place like Cooperstown. It looks more youthful, more attractive, more cheerful than it did sixty years ago. It seems to be just getting out of its teens, putting, assuming the grace and dignity of a well bred and cultivated town, and having no thought of growing old, somber, or sinking into a state of desuetude. Cooperstown is is a garden full of luxuries; it has many trees of goodly fruit. It has a lake of unrivaled beauty, fringed with mosaic hills, and circled with a carriage road surpassing in picturesqueness any road in this land. It has church and educational influences of the highest order. Nature, art and wealth are making of Cooperstown a Garden August, 1911 of Eden. August 14, 1886
110 YEARS AGO
85 YEARS AGO
Miss Ruth Thompson, formerly of the grand opera company at the world famous La Scala in Milan and now a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York City, is to give a concert at the Holiday House of St. Christina School at Five Mile Point on Monday evening, August 17. The various offerings, which will include numbers from roles which Miss Thompson has sung in Milan, Rome and Naples, and which she is scheduled to sing this coming season at the Metropolitan, will be presented in costume and with scenic effects suited to the music. August 12, 1936
60 YEARS AGO
Richfield Springs is a beehive of activity these days as everyone is preparing for the huge centennial celebration, August 24-27, according to event co-chairmen Burrill W. House and John A. Losee. Pre-celebration activities will include the Grand Centennial Cotillion Ball to be held at Canadarago Park Skating Pavilion on Tuesday, August 22. The Centennial will open on August 24 with the crowning of the Centennial Queen with her court. This will be followed with a flower show, window displays and a carnival in Spring Park. Special exhibits, baseball games and the Centennial Parade, the largest ever planned in Richfield, will follow during the weekend. August 16, 1961
From: The Albany Times Union Editorial Board One could almost detect a faint “nyah-nyah” between the lines of last Thursday’s announcement that, now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has lost his sweeping pandemic emergency powers, school districts are on their own when it comes to reopening in September. So there. Health Commissioner Howard Zucker didn’t put it quite that way, of course. Instead, he couched his abdication of duty in more bureaucratic terms, issuing a statement that “with the end of the state disaster emergency on June 25, 2021, school districts are reestablished as the controlling entity for schools.” Opening plans are up to them. For further questions, consult the Centers for Disease Control and local health department. School districts are looking to resume in-person instruction in less than a month and were awaiting guidance from the Health Department on how to proceed. Then came Dr. Zucker’s stunning announcement Thursday that, sorry, it’s not my job. The state Education Department reminded him that his department
“is charged with exercising control over and supervising the abatement of nuisances affecting or likely to affect public health as well as supervising and advising any local unit of government and the public health officials thereof within the state in the performance of their official duties.” And, as if this even needed saying, it pointed out that “currently, there is no greater nuisance affecting public health and safety than COVID-19.” As we’ve seen around the country, what ought to have been fairly straightforward, relatively minor and minimally painful lifesaving measures like social distancing, wearing masks and getting vaccinated have become political and ideological flashpoints. The result in some places, particularly the South, has been yet another surge in coronavirus cases that threatens to wallop our society and economy yet again. Which, on a smaller scale, is what Dr. Zucker’s laissez-faire attitude sets New York up for. The more than 800 school districts in New York aren’t islands; they cross municipal lines, their employees in many cases come from outside the district, and
their students and staff interact in sports and other events. School boards, superintendents and principals are all vulnerable to the sorts of political pressures that have led governors and legislatures in some states to issue reckless decrees like bans on local mask mandates. The situation cries out for the kind of statewide consistency that only the Department of Health can provide. Delaying this constitutionally required response until the Assembly Judiciary Committee’s bloated impeachment inquiry has exhausted itself and the taxpayers’ legal bills is no longer an option. The lesscompromised staff of the Executive Chamber deserve a workplace free from Cuomo’s toxicity. And New Yorkers deserve a governor who can devote their attention to the job instead of to their own appetites. We realize the CDC encourages frequent washing of hands, but really now. The health of New York’s 2.7 million schoolchildren — and their teachers, aides, custodians, nurses, administrators, parents, grandparents — isn’t something Dr. Zucker can simply wash his hands of.
LEtters
State should mandate vaccinations for its employees
The unions representing New York state troopers and public school teachers oppose a mandatory vaccination requirement for their members. At the same time, more and more private employers are requiring vaccination by their employees as a condition of continued employment.
Conservatives regularly argue that government should emulate the private sector in its employment practices. A vaccination mandate is a good place to start. For those state troopers and teachers who choose not to be vaccinated and thereby to ignore the
risk they pose to us taxpayers and children with whom they come in contact, I suggest that they have at least two other choices: 1) find another line of work; 2) move to Florida or Texas. John A. Rudy Cooperstown
Sketches: Good Samaritan saved the day during a lake accident
Sketches/from Page A4 suddenly we were both in water over our heads. Nina clung to my neck like a boa constrictor as I stood on the bottom holding my breath. Her head was out of the water but she was choking me while kicking frantically. In a short time, I was out of air and had no choice but to break away from her and swim to the float. When I looked back, she was going under water and flapping like a bird. By the time I climbed onto the float, I could see her standing on the bottom, her arms working but her body resting there like a stone. I began to yell, “Help, she’s drowning! She’s drowning!” I guess most of the kids thought I was fooling around but Chick Stauring, an athletic guy who was a few years older than me, was standing on the beach and took my pleas seriously. He ran down the dock and dove into
the water. In a short time he was pulling Nina towards the shore. He set her down on the grass as she coughed up what looked like a gallon of water. I was frightened and worried and felt like a coward for abandoning her but at the time I wasn’t a strong enough swimmer to carry her. I knew she would have taken us both down. Later, I thanked Chick for saving her but he made light of it. To my surprise, Nina wasn’t mad at me. Nevertheless, I got on my bike and peddled like hell to get home before her so I could casually tell her mother she had swallowed a little water that day. I hate to think about how things would have gone if Chick didn’t save her. I don’t think I’d be living in Richfield Springs today. I would never have been able to forgive myself. How could Nina’s family
ever have forgiven me? In the past, I’ve seen a whole town turn on someone who was responsible for doing something like what I almost did. I wonder if Chick Stauring even remembers how he saved two lives. I see Nina at social gatherings from time to time. Invariably, the near drowning comes up with a chuckle from both of us. To think, I almost snuffed out a whole constellation of life’s roles: wife, mother, grandmother, caretaker of many, many children — and friend. It blows my mind. I am really indebted to Chick who I recently learned passed away several years ago. Related to the subject of drowning, I once saw Chick drink a glass of water that went into his stomach but not down his throat — but that’s another story.
Hawthorn: walking through the issues of our day provides clarity Hawthorn/from Page A4 health and well-being of the community, why not require that gun owners be licensed and undergo safety training? That, coupled with adequate background checks, might go a long way to curb gun-related violence. Tribalism. Tribes have been with us always. People tend to live with and hang out with people most like them. After living in Vietnam for two years and then mostly hitchhiking my way to Paris over the course of a year, I witnessed discriminatory behavior of all sorts: religious,
racial, ethnic, etc. You name it. While walking, what kept coming back to me was this: tribalism, or some sort of human sorting mechanism, will always be with us; it always has been. I suggest reading Matt Ridley’s “On the Origins of Virtue.” We live individually and as members of families, but we inhabit larger groups with whom we share certain common existential expectations. However, that is no excuse for treating others badly. We have our humanity in common. To treat others inhumanely and deny them the dignity as human beings they
deserve is a moral atrocity. And quite selfish. Condescending, too. I love white wood asters. There is a nice stand against a maple tree on Pink Street. They temporarily shifted my mood to pleasanter musings. I stopped to identify an unfamiliar tree. It turned out to be a Pagoda dogwood. What a great name. What can be more beautiful than coneflower blue chicory blossoms glistening in the sunlight? Saw a brown thrasher dash across the road 10 feet in front of me. Wish Gabby had been with me. I suspect her walking thoughts might have been shallower.
Badger: when the aviators landed it was good for Cooperstown
Badger/from Page A4 “boys” published a poem of gratitude and appreciation for her hospitality, but henceforth the official activities took place at Hyde’s – and the unofficial activities took place at The Otesaga and the golf links and the tennis courts – and in boats and cars, or at the dance halls, or in the woods or in the houses of our residents. But who were our residents? ... Our residents were typical of any small resort in that day – laborers, farmers, merchants, brokers, a few professional men and here and there a millionaire, all jostling for
positions of advantage in whatever pack they were running with, all “getting on with it” in the unusual untidy fashion. Cooperstown had sent 200 young men and women to the war. But now the war was over and 170 would return. The German scare was over. (The Busch property was no longer threatened by the Alien Property Custodian. The wireless hidden in the chimney at River and Main was no longer an issue.) Food and fuel shortages were over, too. Main Street was being paved. People were starting to install telephones. The
last livery stable in town had closed, and automobiles were “the rage.” The “movies” had appeared, and the dance orchestras were playing – “For Me and My Gal,” “There’s a Long, Long Trail a’Winding,” “I Don’t Want to Get Well, I Don’t Want to Get Well, I’m in Love with a Beautiful Nurse.” When an aeroplane flew over town, it rated a headline in the paper, and then, along came 500 dashing young aviators with pay in their pockets and nothing to do but have a good time.
“I own no interest and no party, but my country.” –
Banner motto of The Freeman’s Journal, 1823 to 1827
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
OBITUARIES
Dr. Robert D. Moynihan, 85 June 26, 1936 – July 23, 2021
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
Dr. Robert Duncan Moynihan, professor emeritus of English Literature at the State University of New York Oneonta passed away on the 23rd of July 2021 at the age of 85. Robert was deeply loved by his family and close friends from all over the world. He was born on the 26th of June, 1936, in Denver, Colorado. His early childhood and adolescent years were spent there, as well as Grand Junction, Durango and Aspen where he won a scholarship to a summer program for the arts
igniting a lifelong passion for classical music. Robert graduated from Regis College in Denver Dr. Robert D. Colorado Moynihan and then completed a master’s degree in English Literature at the University of Colorado, Boulder. After earning a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona Dr.
Moynihan went on to do his post-doctoral work at Yale. In the late 60s Robert began teaching at the State University of New York Oneonta where he taught English Literature for over 40 years. Dr. Moynihan was widely admired by his colleagues and students for his erudition and commitment to his profession. Robert’s writing has been published in local papers and in the New York Times. He was a dedicated classical pianist and a committed supporter of the arts in his
community and beyond. His brilliant mind, generous nature and creative spirit nurtured so many. Robert was a true renaissance man. Robert is survived by his wife of 23 years Vesna Moynihan, his daughter Moira (Frank) Napolitano, daughter Brigit Moynihan, and granddaughter Claire Napolitano. A memorial will be planned for the fall. In lieu of flowers the family requests gifts be made to an arts institution of your choosing.
Joseph A. Sapienza, Sr, 94 April 18, 1927 – August 7, 2021
COOPERSTOWN – Joseph A. Sapienza, Sr. passed away peacefully at age 94 on August 7, 2021 in Holy Spirit Hospital, Camp Hill, PA. He was born in Cooperstown, NY on April 18, 1927. Joe was preceded in death by his parents; Santo and Santa Sapienza, brothers; Sam (Mary) and Jack (Rosie) Sapienza, sister; Jenny (Sam) Curcio and nephews and nieces Butch, Joey, Gloria, and Barbara. He is survived by his children Gail A. (John) Killeen and Joseph A. Sapienza, Jr, grandchildren; Keri (Kevin) Sapp, John T. (Heather) Killeen
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Notice of Formation of a NY Incorporation
Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company
Name:
Name:
The Sweet Life Animal Rescue Inc.
C & R LAND HOLDINGS LLC.
a non-Profit
Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 6 August 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 365 Morton Rd, Cherry Valley, NY 13320. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.16
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on ‚May 11, 2021’. Office Location: Otsego County. SSNY Designated as agent of Inc. upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 310 Dimmock Hollow Rd, Morris, NY 13808. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.16 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: LB & TM ROSEBOOM FARM LLC. Certificate of Conversion filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 21 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 114 Roseboom Road, Westford, NY 13488. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.16
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company. Name: RDT OTSEGO ENTERPRISE LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 6 August 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 125 Filor Hill. Rd, Morris, New York 13808. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.16 Legal nOtice
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Notice of Formation of The Dayton Family Honey Farm LLC. Filed with SSNY on 3/5/2021. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 577 Naylor Corner Rd Laurens NY 13796. Purpose: any lawful 6LegalSept.16 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: 4 E’s & AN S LLC.
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of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 192 Main St, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.16
be served and is directed to forward service of process to 15 Main Street, East Worcester, NY 12064. Purpose: any lawful activity, 6LegalSept.9
shall mail to: 1515 County Highway 12, Mount Vision, NY 13810 Purpose: all lawful 6LegalSept.9
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: HAWES@SUMMIT LAKE, LLC.
Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 2 August 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 192 Main St, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.16
Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 2 August 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 LLC 211 County Highway 18C, West Edmeston, NY 13485. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.16
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Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company
Notice of Formation of
Name:
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
TRUE DILIGENCE MANAGEMENT LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 2 August 2021. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent
V, Marissa (Steven) Moeck and Christopher Sapienza, great-grandchildren; John T Killeen VI, Connor Killeen, Avery & Anna Sapp, Emma Rose & Stevie Moeck, nieces; Santa Morris, Gracie Barker, Sandy Fritch, Lucy Robertson, Mary Mullins, Sharon Curcio and many grand and great-grand nieces and nephews. Joe served in the Air Force at the end of WWII. He was a photographer for a high school and the surrounding local area. Retired from ABC Television Network, he had a long and fruitful career as a cameraman technician. He
364 Main Street Otego NY LLC
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Notice of Formation of
Notice of Formation of
DY NEURO MEDICINE LLC,
Allen Lake Rentals 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 LLC, 1 Carson Rd., Oneonta, NY 13820. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. 6LegalSept.9
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 Notice of Formation of
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RELIANCE WELD SERVICES, LLC.
TBUTLER HOLDINGS LLC
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
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
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Knarich Family Farm LLC
Notice of Formation of
Filed 5/5/21 Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process &
KNOTTED BIRCH HOME IMPROVEMENT, LLC
won five Emmys for 1976 Olympic games in Montreal, 1981 NY Marathon, 1 9 8 4 Olympic Joseph A. g a m e s Sapienza in Los Angeles, 1999 One Life to Live soap opera and the Indianapolis 500. His career included filming MLB baseball, NFL football, College football, Golf, Wide World of Sports events, Summer and Winter
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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 formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Brookside Groundskeeping, LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 4/16/21.
Olympics from 1968 through 1984, News, the Dick Cavett Show, Jimmy Dean Show, Joey Bishop Show, inaugurations, riots at the Chicago Democratic Convention, the march to Selma and many more events. An avid photographer and DIYer, if he thought it, he could do it. He also loved baseball and music. Friends and family enjoyed stories of his involvement in the world of baseball both as a player and photographer and loved when he shared his musical talents by playing the organ/ piano/keyboard by ear. He will be missed.
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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 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
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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 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
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OTSEGO.sports
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7
Mebust hopes to close swim career with NCAA run in swimming at Cooperstown, and also won a 15th section title as One of the top swimmers in the part of the golf team in 2017, both region has been training for his numbers thought to be unprececollege senior season with a goal dented in school history. in mind, the NCAA Division III The youngest of three swimchampionship. ming brothers, Ted has always Ted Mebust, a 2018 Cooperstown been in the wake of Erik and Sean, Central School graduate, missed who swam in college before him almost a year of swimming at at SUNY Geneseo and Amherst Bowdoin College because of the College, respectively. Ted’s times coronavirus pandemic, but he and have been faster sometimes, even his fellow 2021-22 captains have knocking his brothers’ times off been planning to make up for it the “best boards” that hang around their senior year. local pools. “We’re all living together. Cooperstown had We’re all close as a team. So, never had a male we have been talking about swimmer in the state how to establish or reestabswim meet until Sean lish a team camaraderie, so and Ted teamed up to speak,” Mebust said in with Ian Robinson and the phone interview with Michael Kern to finish The Freeman’s Journal on sixth in the state in the Monday, Aug. 2. 200 free in 2015. By When he was last in Mebust the time he graduated, a competitive meet — Ted had made the state Bowdoin, in Brunswick, Maine, meet four years in a row, topping had students on campus in the out at third in the state in the 50 spring and the Polar Bears had a freestyle in 2018. He also made short training season, but no regu- the final heat in his other event that lation competitions — Mebust had year, finishing eighth in the 100 the best meet for his team at its backstroke. conference tournament, the New Sean, a 2016 CCS graduate who England Small College Athletic graduated college last year, also Conference Championship, Feb. had a legendary college career, 20 to 23, 2020, in Williamstown, peaking at fifth in DIII in the 200 Massachusetts. Mebust placed breaststroke as a junior in 2019. second in the 50 backstroke, third He placed second in the 200 breast in the 100 back and seventh in the at the 2020 NESCAC, and also 50 freestyle. took third in the 50 and 100 breast The NCAA Division III meet events. a month later was one of the first In true Mebust fashion, Sean cancellations because of the coro- already had a pool record at navirus pandemic. However, at the Bowdoin, when Ted arrived on 2019 DIII championship, Mebust campus. “It was oddly comforting,” had his highest finish with a 400 he said. “Our names on the board medley relay team, placing 13th. is always how it has been in our Mebust won 14 Section III titles family.” By GREG KLEIN
Cheryl Clough
Ted Mebust swims during a Cooperstown meet in 2018. Mebust graduated with 14 section titles in swimming and made four trips to the state swim meet, both school records.
Sean still has his name on the Bowdoin board for the 200 breaststroke, but Ted now has his name on the board for pool records in the 50 free, the 50 back and the 100 back, as well as with four relay teams. Mebust said he had great coaching in high school and at the club level, but his times began dropping consistently when he got to college and began a different regimen.
“My first two years, my drops in times have been a result of longer training periods,” he said. Mebust said it is hard to let go of the disappointment of losing a yearplus of his college career, but he understands his brother and many of their friends and teammates sacrificed more. Sean is working in Boston now and is hardly in the pool at all, he said, while Ted is training for his senior year, which
looks promising. “This past year was a little bit of a letdown, because we had a good year set up,” he said. “(This year) is going to be really exciting,” he continued. “We have a big roster, almost 30 guys. I am excited to wrangle this group of people who know each other, or some of them don’t know each other, to come together and help us be competitive.”
Miller changed baseball in ways that improve players’ lives charlie Vascellaro the baseball lifer
A recognition long overdue for one of the game’s good stewards
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Former MLBPA President Marvin Miller enjoys a game in this undated photo.
By CHARLIE VASCELLARO Marvin Miller, the first director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, was elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Modern Era Committee, along with catcher Ted Simmons in December 2019. The cancellation of the Hall’s 2020 Induction ceremony because of the coronavirus pandemic postponed their inductions, along with Baseball Writers’ Association of America selections Derek Jeter and Larry Walker, all four of whom will be enshrined when the ceremony returns to the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in the town of Middlefield at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 8. Miller who passed away Nov. 27, 2012, gained induction to the Hall posthumously on the eighth occasion his name appeared on a Veterans/Era Committee Ballot and will occupy a unique corner of the Hall as the first labor leader to be enshrined. Elected as the head of the Major League Baseball Players Association in 1966, Miller succeeded former president Bob Feller (1956-1959) and player agent Frank Scott (1959-1966) in the first year the organization was recognized as a union. Miller was born in the Bronx on April 14, 1917. His mother, Gertrude Wald Miller, was an elementary school teacher and a member of the New York City teachers union (now the Union Federation of Teachers) and young Marvin joined her in a union organizing drive picket line. Prior to his involvement in baseball, Miller had served as principal economic adviser
and assistant to the president of the United Steel Workers, participating in contract negotiations. In 1968, Miller successfully negotiated MLBPA’s first collective bargaining agreement with team owners, earning players a more than 40% increase in minimum salary, from $7,000 to $10,000 and increased expense allowances. In 1970, he ushered in baseball’s arbitration process, meaning contract disputes would be heard by a non-partisan three-member arbitration panel rather than MLBs commissioner. The arbitration process eventually helped achieve free-agency for players. When Miller retired in 1982, the average player salary had increased by about 20 times what it was when he began his nearly 20-year tenure. Miller’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame represents a change in attitude among baseball’s hierarchy and the Hall of Fame’s committee electors regarding his legacy and contributions to the game. Upon learning of Miller’s election, MLBPA boss Tony Clark issued the following statement: “Players are pleased that Marvin will now take his rightful and long overdue place in the Hall of Fame in recognition of the monumental and positive impact he had on our game and our industry.” Fellow inductee Ted Simmons, a direct beneficiary of Miller’s work at the time it was happening, also expressed joy. “I could not have handpicked anyone better to go with me into the Hall of Fame,” Simmons said.
Legendary comedian Groucho Marx once famously quipped, “I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.” Perhaps the most reluctant inductee among the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s 333 members, Marvin Miller, former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (1966-1983), gained election to the Hall posthumously. Miller, who died in 2012 at the age of 95, previously expressed his disdain for the process in a letter to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America after being rejected on a Veterans Committee ballot for the third time, in May of 2008: “Paradoxically, I’m writing to thank you and your associates for your part in nominating me for Hall of Fame consideration, and, at the same time, to ask that you not do this again,” Miller wrote, adding: “The anti-union bias of the powers who control the Hall has consistently prevented recognition of the historic significance of the changes to baseball brought about by collective bargaining. As former executive director (retired since 1983) of the players’ union that negotiated these changes, I find myself unwilling to contemplate one more rigged veterans committee whose members are handpicked to reach a particular outcome while offering the pretense of a democratic vote. It is an insult to baseball fans, historians, sports writers and especially to those baseball players who sacrificed and brought the game into the 21st century. At the age of 91, I can do without farce.” Miller is arguably acknowledged as one of the most important and impactful figures in professional baseball history, turning the MLBPA into one of the most successful unions in the United States. He transformed the balance of power from management to labor, eliminating baseball’s draconian reserve clause tying players to their teams indefinitely at their owners’ discretion. He ushered in the era of free agency and arbitration, raised salaries and pensions, and he helped improve working conditions
for all players. Few have had greater impact on Major League Baseball and yet have received less recognition from the game and its Hall of Fame than Miller. During the previous seven times his name has appeared on various ballots considered by Veterans and Era committees consisting of 12 or 16 members, a large enough percentage of voters included owners and executives that were formerly his rivals in labor/management negotiations, creating a natural conflict of interest. After Miller was snubbed for the seventh consecutive time on the 2018 Modern Era Committee Ballot, Hall of Fame slugger Hank Aaron exclaimed, “Miller should be in the Hall of Fame if the players have to break down the doors to get him in.” While former players have been unanimous in their support of Miller’s candidacy, it seemed a forgone conclusion that management types would vote against his induction and as long as they comprised more than 25% of the committees, Miller remained outside looking in. Former major league hurler and author on baseball’s most celebrated memoir Ball Four, Jim Bouton referred to the process as laughable, “How did these people vote, and why are their votes kept secret (a practice still in place)? And why aren’t there more players on that committee? Hank Aaron, Jim Bunning, Bob Gibson, Ferguson Jenkins, they’re all on the committee for reviewing managers and umpires. Essentially the decision for putting a union leader in the Hall of Fame was handed over to a bunch of executives and former executives. Marvin Miller kicked their butts and took power away from the baseball establishment — do you really think those people are going to vote him in? It’s a joke. … I blame the players. It’s their Hall of Fame; it’s their balls and bats that make the hall what it is. Where are the public outcries from Joe Morgan or Reggie Jackson, who was a player rep? Why don’t these guys see that some of their own See BASEBALL, Page A9
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
A-8 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Early bird special
Contributed
More than 30 people, ages eight to 80, were able to enjoy Otsego Lake as the fog lifted at Fairy Spring at the Friends of the Parks 7th annual Early Bird Swim on Thursday, Aug. 5. Top left: Lachlan Morgan, 10, Evan Price, 10, and Paxton Hazzard, 8, enjoy the water. Top right: Caretaker Jacob Zangle and lifeguard Laurel Zangle enjoy their muffins.
YMCA teaches water safety to children By KEVIN LIMITI ONEONTA — The Oneonta YMCA, along with the Lyden family and the city of Oneonta’s Wilbur Pool, hosted a four-day, free workshop for kids on how to be safe around the water. The workshops, which were held between Monday, Aug. 2, and Thursday, Aug. 4, taught children some essential lessons on how to be safe in the water, with the intent of preventing drowning. The history of the workshop has tragic roots, but is a passion that continues to this day. The segments being offered included learning about pool rules, what to do if a boat capsizes, learning to help rescue someone in the water, how to deal with air pockets and other safety lessons on water safety. About 80 kids have participated in the program and it also provided on the job training for being a swim instructor. Stephanie Kozak, head lifeguard, said there was a lifeguard shortage throughout the country and, because of COVID, kids didn’t get swim lessons last year and, possibly as a result, drowning deaths are up. The Safety Around Water workshop, sponsored by the YMCA, was started eight years ago by Stephen Lyden, who passed away at the age of 20 in January 2015, as a result of drowning. For Kristen Lyden, his mother, doing the water safety workshop is a personal way of carrying on his legacy. “We wanted to do something to celebrate his life,” Lyden said. “He was
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Kevin Limiti/The Freeman’s Journal
Class participants learn boat safety Thursday, Aug. 5, at Wilber Park.
very passionate about safety around water, being a lifeguard and working around kids.” Outside of the pool, there was an activity area that had games and t-shirt decorating in order to “bring in more kids.” Stephen Lyden was a junior at Hartwick College when he died. “He had a million nicknames,” Lyden said. “He was Coach Steve, he was Bat Steve.” Lyden and the group promotional materials said drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for kids age one to four and the second cause of accidental death for kids one to eight. Lyden and the YMCA officials said
they are hosting this program in the hopes of saving lives that could be lost to drowning. Lyden and everyone involved make sure that everybody can have access to these workshops, regardless of their income. “We think it’s really, really important for kids to have safety lessons, especially since not everyone has access to a pool,” Lyden said. Frank Russo, executive director of the Oneonta Family YMCA, said he thought the project was important and doing it was a labor of love for all of the partners involved in the classes. “It’s one big family that puts this together,” Russo said.
Huntington hosts anniversary party By KEVIN LIMITI ONEONTA — The Huntington Memorial Library in Oneonta celebrated its centennial anniversary Saturday, Aug. 7, with an outdoor celebration at Huntington Memorial Park. Cupcakes on top of books, free drinks provided by Stewart’s and plants were given out at the celebration. The library turned 100 last year. However, because of COVID, the celebration got delayed. Mayoral candidates Mark Drnek and Len Carson were also on hand, with Drnek providing the PA system for the event. Drnek, whose ward covers the Huntington Library, said that the library was a “quality of life thing.” which is a key part of his platform and one that he hopes will attract people to the city. He said he is hoping to use “targeted marketing” to attract people from metro areas. “There’s nothing more quality of life than what the library does,” Drnek said, who mentioned the library hosting a car show on the same day. “It doesn’t seem like a library kind of thing to do. It’s an outreach kind of thing to do.” Oneonta historian Mark Simonson gave a lecture about the history of the Huntington Library. “I imagined what the mayor thought when he got the letter from Henry Huntington,” Simonson said after his lecture. “I took a
lot of things that I read in publications and wanted people to visualize what this looked like 100 years ago.” Huntington Library was founded by Henry Huntington after drafting a letter in 1917 to the then mayor of Oneonta where he donated his family home for the library. Simonson, who has been the city historian for 22 years, said his lecture included showing how the neighborhood and environment around the library has changed from 100 years ago. He pointed out the development taking place across the street on Dietz Street and how, throughout its history, there had been developments on that same block. Mary Ann Barnes, who attended the event, said that she was “a frequent flyer of the library” and that she loved everything about the library from the computers to the staff, who she said were always willing to help. “I’m here somewhat in memory of my husband,” Barnes said. “Mark Simonson was his hero and he had all of his books. He would’ve been here with bells on, because he was all about Mark and what he was about.” Library Director Tina Winstead thanked everyone for coming and said that the community does a “great job” for sharing its love of books and plants. “It’s our mission to continue (Huntington Memorial Library’s) legacy and improve this place and make it worthy of Oneonta,” Winstead said.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-9
Miller’s legacy will be on display while labor negotiations loom
Reopening day Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal
BASEBALL/from Page A7 get on these committees? That’s the least they owe Marvin Miller. Do they think they became millionaires because of the owner’s generosity?” said Bouton to writer Allen Barra in a November 2007 article. This 2019/2020 Modern ERA Committee consisted of 16 members including Hall of Fame players George Brett, Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith and Robin Yount, as well as writers and historians Bill Center, (San Diego Union Tribune), Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau) Jack O’Connell (Hartford Courant) Tracy Ringolsby (Inside the Seams) and executives Sandy Alderson, Dave Dombrowski, David Glass, Walt Jockety, Doug Melvin and Terry Ryan. Assuming all six players and four media members voted for Miller, two executives would have to have broken ranks for Miller to receive the 12 votes he garnered to gain election. While it may have been a little too little and a little too late for Miller to participate in the ceremony, his plaque will be accepted by his heir as executive director of the MLBPA, Donald Fehr, who should have plenty to say about Miller’s long-time exclusion and eventual election. On the eve of contentious negotiations with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire Dec. 1, 2021, it seems ironically appropriate and perhaps fortuitous that Miller’s contributions are finally being acknowledged. Charlie Vascellaro is a freelance baseball writer who follows the game around during the year.
A sign at The Fly Creek Cider Mill announces the reopening of the store that dates back to an 1856 mill. The mill closed at the beginning of the year, as the coronavirus pandemic hurt tourism and sales, but owner Bill Michaels announced the mill’s reopening this summer. The mill will reopen Saturday, Aug. 14, and will have its normal slate of fall activities. Go to www.flycreekcidermill. com for more information.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
A-10 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Otsego County Fair winds up with Sunday sundaes and packed rides By KEVIN LIMITI MORRIS — Loud screams filled the air at the entrance of the Otsego County Fair on the closing day, Sunday, Aug. 8, as thrill seeking people enjoyed the rides. The smell of fried foods, the sound of vendors hawking blooming onions, elephant ears, funnel cakes and other types of fried fair food and the invitations by the game vendors to try your hand at a shooting games and ball throwing games permeated the atmosphere. At the entertainment tent, people in Old West attire danced to the sounds of country and rockabilly. The line for the box office stretched around the corner and the sounds of the demolition derby was so loud that nothing could be heard in that radius. The fair was crowded with all types of people, young and old. If it wasn’t for the news headlines, nobody would think that we are in the thralls of a pandemic. The pandemic was far from the minds of the people attending who were hoping for some fun and perhaps an escape from the daily drudgery of everyday life.
One couple from New Lisbon, who sat eating ice cream outside of the demolition derby event, said that they had been coming to the fair for almost 30 years. “My grandson was pulling a truck last night,” Tarry Moore said in between bites from his sundae. “I can’t believe he’s old enough to do that.” Barbara Moore said that coming to the fair had always been a family tradition. “You meet people and you have different food,” Barbara Moore said. Dan and Sam Goeldner and their son, Bishop, 6, had been coming here for three years. Bishop said he had been on the carousel, the Ferris wheel and the fun house. “I love it because it’s fun and there are lots of rides and I get to go on them,” he said. The Otsego County Fair is a tradition that has been going on, in some form or fashion, since the late 19th century. Canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, many fairgoers said they were happy to be back enjoying the Otsego County tradition.
Kevin Limiti/The Freeman’s Journal
Above: Tarry Moore, left, and Barbara Moore enjoy ice cream Sunday, Aug. 8, at the Otsego County Fair’s closing day. Bottom right: Jeffrey Meyers and his mother Lucille Meyers dance Sunday as Dirt Road Express plays in the background.
Cheryl Clough
People walk on the midway during the opening day of the Otsego County Fair on Tuesday, Aug. 3, in Morris.
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Things to do in Greater Cooperstown
Dreams Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021
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B-2 Summer Dreams
Thursday, August 12, 2021
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Summer Music Festival returns, Hartwick to host tractor pull
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The Cooperstown Summer Music starting at 1 p.m., for a meet and greet Festival is back with the Grammy with him and the animals. Summer -nominated wind quintet “Imani reading award will also be presented. Winds.” They are known for dynamic At the Huntington Memorial Library, playing, adventurous programming 62 Chestnut St. in Oneonta at 5:30 p.m. and outreach programs, which have Friday, Aug. 13. Call 607-432-1980 or inspired audiences of all ages and visit facebook.com/hmloneonta/. backgrounds. The cost is $30/person. • At The Otesaga in Cooperstown at 7 Spend an evening on the grass with p.m., Sunday, Aug. 15. Call 877-666- The Three Bonz performing “Acoustic 7421 or visit cooperstownmusicfest. Americana.” The concert will include org for information. original as well as traditional blue• grass, country blues, and rural rock. Come support the Hartwick Fire Admission is $10. At the Dutch Department, Co. #1. There will be Windfall Barn, 2009-2019 county a tractor pull, food, a bake sale, and Route 80, near East Springfield, at local vendors. Held at the end of Wells 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14. Call Ave. in Hartwick, beginning at 9 a.m. 518-774-0134 or visit windfalldutchSunday, Aug. 15. Call 607-293-7741 or barn.com. visit facebook.com/hartwickfireco1/. • • Join photographer Kevin Take an evening stroll things Gray for a photography walk/ around the Sixth Ward with to do! lesson around Otsego Lake. historian and Oneontan Dr. Bring your camera and be John Nader. prepared to learn a thing or Nader will be speaking two about how to capture the about the diverse people in sunrise on Otsego Lake. The the ward in the 20th century, cost is $17/person. Presented how they lived and the places by Fenimore Art Museum, and institutions they created. near Cooperstown, from 6 By donation, no reservato 7 a.m., Monday, Aug. 16. tions required. Meet off Call 607-547-1400 or visit River Streeet in Oneonta at Larissa Ryan fenimoreartmuseum.org. 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14. • Call 607-432-0960 or visit This week at the golf course, oneontahistory.org/event/sixth-ward- enjoy a performance by The Last Horn walking-tour/ for more information. Jazz Trio. Stay in the car, wander the • trails or bring a picnic blanket to enjoy a Bring the kids and their teddy bears relaxing evening out. At Meadowlinks for a fun concert “Teddy Goes on a Golf Course, 476 county Route 27, in Trip” with the Oneonta Community Richfield at 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 16. Concert Band. Presented in memory Call 607-432-4026 or visit facebook. of Marilyn Roper, principle flutist com/Oneonta-Musicians-Associationand president until October 2020. At AFM-443-281548775389405/. the pavilion in Wilber Park, Oneonta at 3 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 15. Call 607-376-7485 or visit facebook. ►ON THE COVER com/oneontacommunityconcertband/. Rustic Ridge Winery and • High Burl Brewery in the town Bring the kids together to celebrate of Burlington. the end of the library’s summer reading program with Dan the Snake Man. Photo by Greg Klein Dan will be available before the show,
Thursday, August 12, 2021
Summer Dreams B-3
Kevin Limiti/The Freeman’s Journal
Holly Bennett, bartender at Rustic Ridge Winery, holds one of their bottles of sweet white wine.
Craft beverages enjoy business boom in Otsego New places are popping up along the Beverage Trail with interesting takes on classic locally sourced fare By KEVIN LIMITI Otsego County is famous for its Baseball Hall of Fame, art museums, hiking trails and more but there is also another thing that draws people to the region, its craft beverages. Otsego County has its own beverage trail and is home to the internationally known Ommegang Brewery. But new places are popping, each with their own unique history, many of which source their ingredients locally. Two of these places is Rustic Ridge Winery and the High Burl Brewery, which are on state Route 80, nestled between adjacent farms. The brewery and winery dogs, Ruger and Jake, greet the patrons as they beg for animal crackers and popcorn. Inside is a homey place filled with wine and good vibes, and bartended by Holly Bennett, no relation to the Bennett family who owns the winery. “It’s a big family get-together here,” Bennett said and the winery/brewery pairing is the only one in the area with both that she knows about. The brewery is new and opened by Ryan and Jess Bennett, both of whom
are occupational therapists. The beer is handcrafted on site and contains all local products. Prior to this, Rick Bennett, who owns the winery was “always kind of playing with wine” and had grapes growing in the back of the winery when he finally decided to give it a try. The Wild Cat wine tastes like apples even though, surprisingly, there are no apples in it. It is very sweet but not overwhelming. The Sweet Little Blonde is also very sweet and has a very unique taste to it that is perfect over ice for a warm summer day. Meanwhile, south of Cooperstown, a new winery with a history in Upstate opened recently. The Montezuma Winery, which apart from wine also sells mead and honey-based vodka, opened in June and is renovating SPCA’s old thrift shop building on Route 28. It will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday, Sept. 25, with the hopes of getting the Chamber of Commerce involved in some way. Its sister restaurant in Seneca Falls is extremely popular, but tasting room manager Anne Tandle said a lot of See CRAFT, Page B5
B-4 Summer Dreams
Thursday, August 12, 2021
Staff Picks
Our best bets for local dining
Diners, good Chinese food top picks Tara Barnwell Publisher Roma’s Ristorante and Pizzeria A friend invited me for lunch a little further south than I usually go, but I’m so glad I did! Roma’s Ristorante and Pizzeria was well worth the drive to Sidney. The staff, as well as the owner, Mike Barone, are genuine and so is the food. It’s a relaxed atmosphere, very Italian motif, and all of the ingredients are fresh. I had an antipasto salad that was so loaded with meats and cheeses, I came away with a doggy bag, and the garlic knots were to die for. A lot of people were ordering the calzones and the pizza that was going to other tables looked delicious. That’s what I’m having next! Hint: call ahead when you go to see if Tommy Joy is performing…what a treat! Roma’s Ristorante and Pizzeria 25 Union Street, Sidney 607-563-8888 Greg Klein Publisher Plaza Diner We had one of our first committee meetings for Film COOP at the Plaza Diner and it has a special place in my heart ever since. When I was working in Oneonta, I used to order lunch or dinner from Plaza at least once a week and the diner was my go-to place for a burger. The staff always seemed happy to see me and appreciated my support, which is a nice thing for customers to think about a restaurant staff. One of my board members had a Monte Cristo that looked amazing and I keep forgetting to try. He said it was his go-to order there. The price is right for a diner, too.
The food is always good and the favorites keep my board members and I coming back. Plaza Diner 122 Main Street, Oneonta 607-441-3933 Kevin Limiti Reporter China 19 It’s very difficult to find a good Chinese place, especially after you’ve been forced to move. This has happened to me several times, so I was lucky to find China 19 in Oneonta. It has exceptional Beef Lo Mein for a good price and with relatively speedy delivery. I’ve also had General Tso’s Chicken and Sesame Chicken from there, which were both good. I would highly recommend checking this place out if you haven’t before. I know I am glad I discovered it. China 19 100 Main Street, Oneonta 607-433-8888 Kathleen Peters Graphic Designer Round Top Bar-n-Grill Just opened in Richfield Springs, Round Top is a beer and burger kind of place. I am not sure what it was previously, but the new owners have transformed an old beauty into a new, classy joint with painted brick walls, tin ceiling and a large brass chandelier in the center. The Husband had the Classic American burger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion and a Blue Moon. I had the Dirty Harry burger with onion rings, candied jalapeños, pepper Jack cheese and barbecue sauce, and a glass of the house Cabernet. They both came with fries and a pickle.
All good! Round Top Bar-n-Grill 43 Lake Street Richfield Springs 315-858-6329
Thursday, August 12, 2021 Summer Dreams B-5
Hops has been an Otsego staple CRAFT/from Page B3 people were looking to the new location as a quicker way to get the Montezuma experience. George Allen, president of Northern Eagle Distributors and an owner of the Cooperstown Brewery, said breweries in the area use a combination of grains and hops, some of which are locally sourced. He said
crafting beer has always been a tradition in the area of Otsego County. “This has always been a large hop growing area,” Allen said. “If you drive around the county, you’ll see hops that have been growing like weeds for 100 years,” Allen said. Go to www.cooperstownbeveragetrail.com for more information.
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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
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what’s fun in OtsegO COunty
►ThurS., Aug. 12
PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come appreciate the photographs and flowers of the Lake & Valley Garden Club photography show. The theme this year is “Sunrise, Sunset.” Free, open to public through Aug. 13. At Templeton Hall, 63 Pioneer Street in Cooperstown. MAKE & TAKE – 11 a.m. to noon. Bring the kids for a make-and-take craft to celebrate the exhibit, “Is This Heaven” about the baseball movie, “Field of Dreams.” At the Baseball Hall of Fame, Main Street, Cooperstown. WORD THURSDAY – At 7 p.m. Opens with open mic, followed by presentation by “Seeing Things” chapbook poets Vicki Whicker and David Bachner. Online only. Suggested donation is $3. Presented by Bright Hill Press & Literary Center. Call 607-829-5055.
►Friday, August 13 BLOOD DRIVE – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donate blood, help save lives. At Community Bible Chapel, 577 Greenough Rd. near Cooperstown. Call 800-733-2767. PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. See Thursday listing. FIRE PIT FRIDAYS – 7 to 10 p.m. Enjoy a fun night around the fire with friends, drinks and music. This week features funk rock performed by Gridline. At Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Route 33 in Middlefield. Call 607-280-2900.
►Sat., August 14 SALE DAY – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join the West End and West Oneonta communities for a fun sale day. Presented by Destination Oneonta. Call 607-432-2941.
LAKE ASSOCIATION – At 9 a.m. Hop on Zoom and learn about Otsego Lake, from invasive species to the research buoy. Includes historical talk with Cindy Falk, “When Natty Bumpo and the Mohican traversed Otsego Lake.’” Annual gathering by The Otsego Lake Association. Visit www.otsegolakeassociation.org. BAKE SALE – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop by for delicious homemade pies and more. All proceeds support the Otego EMS and Otego Food Pantry. In front of Rubera’s Restaurant, at 360 Main St. in Otego. Call 607-988-6661. IROQUOIS MUSEUM – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Allegany River Indian Dancers often encourage audience participation and feature intertribal “Pow Wow” style dances. Included with museum admission. At the Iroquois Indian Museum, 324 Caverns Rd., in Howes Cave. Call 518-296-8949. TERRARIUM – At 3 p.m. Join the Oneonta Federated Garden Club and make a take-home terrarium. $20 includes soil, substrate, terrarium, decoration and plants. Registration is required by Aug. 13. At Southside Wesleyan Church, 5308 State Route 23, Oneonta. Visit facebook.com/Oneonta FederatedGardenClub. ART OPENING – 4 to 6 p.m. Third entry in the ongoing art series “High Alert, Artists Speak Out on Social Justice.” Enjoy a preview of a 2021 inprogress documentary on the creation of a 9,000sq-ft mural in New Jersey. At The Art Garage at 689 Beaver Meadow Rd., near Cooperstown. Call 607-547-5327. LIFESKILLS – From 4 to 6 p.m. Teens are invited to learn to cook with Lynn. Menu posted to Facebook. Seating limited, reserva-
tions required. Presented by The Oneonta Teen Center. At 50 Dietz St. in Oneonta. Call 607 441 3999.
►Sun., August 15 FRANKLIN MARKET – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find delicious local produce, everything from bread to beef to plant seedlings and more. Also, enjoy music in the market from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. featuring Mike Herman performing country blues. At the Franklin Farmers Market in front of Chapel Hall at 15 Institute St. in Franklin. Visit franklinlocal.org. SUMMER SUNDAYS – 1 to 3 p.m. Learn how to dowse for water with dowser Susan MurrayMiller in a hands-on class. Masks required. Bring your lawn chair. On the front lawn of the Swart Wilcox House Museum in Oneonta. Visit swartwilcoxhouse.wordpress.com/ 2021-summer-sundayseries/. STRING QUARTET – 3 p.m. The Friends of Music of Stamford present multistring quartet Invoke. Known for a genre-bending mix of classical music, bluegrass, fiddle tunes, jazz, more. The performance features original works. Admission by donation at Churchill Historic Park District, 158-170 W. Main St., in Stamford.
►Mon., August 16 BLOOD DRIVE – 9 a.m. 2 p.m. Donate blood, save lives. Briggs Hall, Main Street Baptist Church, 333 Main St., Oneonta. 800733-2767 or visit https:// www.redcrossblood.org/ RABIES CLINIC – 2 - 5 p.m. Free rabies vaccination for cats, dogs, ferrets. Scheduling to follow social distancing. First come, first serve. Susquehanna SPCA, State Rt. 28, Cooperstown. 607-547-4230.
Thursday, August 12, 2021
Summer Dreams B-7
Central New York’s Best Gastropub! 5418 State Highway • 28 Cooperstown 607-282-4525
Authentic Italian Food!
5438 State Hwy 28 • Cooperstown 607-282-4031• boccaosteria.com
Serving you for over 70 years! Online Restaurant Curbside Delivery Catering Gift Shop Sauce Production
Thank you for your patronage!
new york pizzeria
Brick Oven Pizza! 75 Chestnut Street Cooperstown 607-547-2930 126 Main Street Richfield Springs 315-858-0405
www.brooksbbq.com 607-432-1782 5560 NY Rte 7 Oneonta
B-8 Summer Dreams
Thursday, August 12, 2021