Next week’s edition will be delayed one day in order to include coverage of the Wednesday, Sept. 8, Induction Ceremony.
County declares EMS emergency At a special meeting Thursday, Aug. 26, Otsego County’s Public Safety and Legal Affairs Committee voted unanimously to declare a county emergency with proper emergency medical services coverage. The declaration was scheduled to go before the full Board of Representatives on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Board Chair Dave Bliss said the motion is expected to pass. “It is unanimous that we need this,” Bliss said. “It is just a question of how do we pay for it.” The board voted last month to approve the purchase of two county ambulances. The EMS vehicles would cost no more than $434,000 and be paid for with federal COVID funds. However, long-term funding to run the supplemental EMS service is still needed.
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Midweek Induction brings questions about attendance, coronavirus safety By GREG KLEIN In the lull of the 2013 Hall of Fame Induction, when no living people were inducted and only about 2,000 die-hard fans attended on a rainy day, and some people speculated about the demise of the tradition, keen baseball observers knew the Yankees would be coming to Cooperstown eventually. When large class after large class started popping big attendance figures for inductions the latter half of the last decade — topping out at 53,000 for Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Alan Trammell, Jim Thome and Jack Morris in 2018 — keen baseball observers whispered, “just wait and see what the Yankee years bring.” The back-to-back inductions of closer unparalleled Mariano Rivera and “the captain” Derek Jeter, both homegrown Yankees who spent their entire major league careers in pinstripes, were expected to be a boon for Cooperstown not seen since the holy grail of inductions, the 2007 enshrinement of Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn.
The Hall initially estimated that crowd to be about 75,000 people, although later computer analysis of video and pictures from the event pegged the attendance at more like 82,000 people. Rivera, the first unanimous inductee, held up his end of the bargin in 2019. Surrounded by another big class typical of this era, he and Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina — another former Yankee — Harold Baines and Lee Smith drew about 55,000 people to the Clark Sports Center in the town of Middlefield, the second biggest induction in the Hall’s history. Jeter’s 2020 induction was expected
to top Rivera’s and perhaps even rival 2007. Jeter was literally scheduled to tour the Hall for orientation the week the state shut down in March 2020; his tour and media conference was one the first cancellations of the coronavirus era. Without Jeter and his fellow inductees Marvin Miller, Larry Walker and Ted Simmons, 2021 would have been a dull induction year with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America selecting no one for enshrinement. The 2020 class had been set for a traditional July date one year late and via a special made-for-television event. The easing of pandemic restrictions caused the Hall to move the induction to Wednesday, Sept. 8, first with the hope of hosting a small crowd and then with the expectation of holding a mostly normal induction, except on a Wednesday in September. However the flare-up of the Delta variant of COVID has made large gatherings uncertain again. Therefore, how many people will attend Wednesday is a complete mystery. Hall officials typically do not comment on attendance See INDUCTION, Page A2
Retirement parade
MORE 2020-2021 INDUCTION COVERAGE ►Tributes: A look at the Hall of Famers who have died the past year. Page A7. ►If you GO: Tips for getting into Cooperstown and to the Induction Ceremony safely and efficiently. Page A7. ►The CAPTAIN: Derek Jeter is the headline attaction this year for many fans. Go to tinyurl. com/AllotsegoJeter. ►The LABOR LEADER: Marvin Miller changed the game for players for the better. GO TO tinyurl.com/AllOtsegoMiller. ►ROCKY Mountain First: Larry Walker makes history for Colorado. Go to tinyurl. com/AllOtsegoWalker. ►QUITE A CATCH: Ted Simmons waited a long time to hear Hall’s call. Go to Tinyurl.com/ AllOtsegoSimmons. ►CRYSTAL BALL: Who are the top contenders for 2022? gO TO tinyurl.com/2022Hall. ►Autumn Dreams: Planning for an induction. Page B1.
Area businesses seek solutions to employee void
INSIDE ►GRANT GIVERS: Community Foundation gives out awards to local businesses. Page A3. ►CROSSING PROGRESS: Cooperstown apartment project passes through village boards without problems. Page A3. ►LOCAL SPORTS: Columnist Nate Lull writes about what he is excited about going into the fall season. Page A7. ►BANKLESS: Otego residents express anger about branch closure. Page A9. ►BEAUTY ALL AROUND: The Clark Foundation announces its 2021 Cooperstown Beautification Award winners. Page A10.
Plans could include refugee recruitment, resettlement By KEVIN LIMITI
Follow Breaking News On
AllOTSEGO.com ►Sports UPDATES: With high school sports starting, get the latest scores online. ►COUNTERFEITER CAUGHT: A phony bill at Schneider’s Bakery leads to an arrest. ►COVID UPDATES: Otsego County tops 100 active cases of coronavirus.
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After 32 years, Cooperstown Central School special education teacher Pat Hogan went out in style with a retirement parade around the elementary school Thursday, Aug. 26, in Cooperstown. Pictured are Hogan and her family, from left, sons Chris and Tom, and husband Jim.
A possible solution to worker shortages in Otsego County could be employing refugees and resettling them in Otsego County communities, some local leaders suggest. Al Rubin, CEO of the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, and Tom Armao of the Country Club Auto Group, said they are having preliminary discussions in finding ways to alleviate the problem of understaffing and the idea of resettling refugees came up extensively in their conversations. The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce sponsored a forum July 27 that discussed the issue of worker shortages in the county. Politicians Antonio Delgado, D-19, State Sen. Peter Oberacker, R-Maryland, Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, and Assemblyman Brian Miller, R-New Hartford, were among the local officials at the forum. “The consensus of the group was, among other things, we couldn’t get help,” Armao said. “There are 1,000 open jobs within 50 miles of Oneonta. The challenge becomes finding people to fill those jobs. Everywhere you go, there is a help wanted sign.” Armao brought up the possibility of using immigrants as a way of filling jobs in the area, See JOBS, Page A2
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, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Induction on a Wednesday leaves uncertainty in attendance estimates INDUCTION/from Page A1 estimates, but they do admit there is more uncertainty about Induction turnout this year than there has ever been. Local officials have said they have been told to prepare for between 30,000 and 50,000 people. And while COVID is a concern, Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh said she trusts the Hall will take precautions to make the event as safe as possible. “All I can do is say, ‘I think they are doing their best,’” she said. “They have cut down on the number of events and have held some events already at the traditional time. “I think they are really looking at this as a one-day event to a degree this year,” she said. Tillapaugh said she is aware of the spike
in COVID cases last month following the Sturgis, South Dakota, motorcycle week but she thinks the Induction is a different type of event, with less congregating in bars and less flaunting of COVID protocols. Otsego County Board of Representatives Chair Dave Bliss said he thinks the crowd will be about half the size it might have been on a normal Sunday in July. “The Hall normally has about 60 or 70 Hall of Famers attend the Induction, but they just annouced they are expected 30-something this year,” he said. “That is kind of the only expectation I am hearing in general. “You really don’t know how many people will be held back because of COVID or how many people will be held back by it being a Wednesday,” he continued.
Jobs plan looks at foreign workers
tion, the amount of immigrants and refugees fell drastically and the Oneonta group disbanded. To bring workers to the area, other factors to consider include housing, social services and, fittingly, employment. Otsego County would have to demonstrate it can meet the needs of new residents for the plan to work, Rubin and Armao said. Debra Marcus, CEO of Family Planning in Oneonta, was part of some of the original group that hoped to follow the Utica model in resettling refugees. A granddaughter of immigrants who escaped Russia during the pogrom, a systemic killing of Jewish people, Marcus said she would like to see Oneonta follow Utica’s example. “Look how the old city of Utica was energized and invigorated by people who wanted to work and bring their ideas and their enthusiasm,” Marcus said. “This would be such a win-win for not just refugees but for the entire community.” Marcus said she was putting everything in place and was working with the Center but when Trump came into power, those hopes were dashed as even Utica experienced a drop in the amount of refugees being resettled there. Utica was experiencing a downward trend in population until the Center came into existence. It is considered a successful organization in terms of resettling refugees and touts on its website its successes in stabilizing the city’s population and improving the local economy. “Shouldn’t we be welcoming people? Aren’t we a nation of refugees? We should be doing that in Otsego County,” Marcus said.
RE HIRIN A E
Rank Year 1) 2007 2) 2019 3) 2018 4T) 2016 4T) 1999 6) 2014 7) 2015
Inductees Estimated Attendance Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, 82,000 Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, 55,000 Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera, Harold Baines, Lee Smith Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman 53,000 Chipper Jones, Alan Trammell, Jim Thome, Jack Morris Mike Piazza, Ken Griffey Jr. 50,000 Nolan Ryan, George Brett, 50,000 Orlando Cepeda, Robin Yount Bobby Cox, Tom Glavine, Tony LaRussa 48,000 Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Joe Torre Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, 45,000 John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez Source: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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JOBS/from Page A1 referencing Chobani, which is a company that has a specific policy of employing refugees as part of their workforce. Rubin also spoke about the idea of welcoming refugees as a means of dealing with understaffing. “We need more people in our county,” Rubin said, who referred to the Center in Utica as a means of facilitating jobs for refugees. The Center, a refugee resettlement organization, is a group Rubin said he would like to see doing work in Otsego County. “A lot of workers are coming from there to surrounding areas,” Rubin said. “So why wouldn’t we want them to come here?” Between 2016 and 2017, a group was formed in order to resettle refugees into the Oneonta community. Temple Bethel, Red Door Church and the First United Methodist Church were among the participants, who wanted to copy the model that Utica had with the Center. The Center, formerly the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, was established in the 1970s to help resettle refugees from the Vietnam War. Throughout the group’s history, it has been involved in resettling people fleeing conflict, including those from Bosnia and Yugoslavia in the 1990s and Burmese populations fleeing Myanmar in modern times. Utica at the time had a positive relationship with refugees seeking work and new lives. A Cooperstown Central School extracurricular club even made an award-winning film about the city, “Utica: A Town That Loves Refugees.” However, during the Trump administra-
Best-attended Hall of Fame Inductions
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Seasonal School Picture Helpers Needed Fun, Fast paced job helping Jack Cole/Up Country Photo with school pictures this fall. Photo experience is helpful but not necessary. Needs to be a smiley, positive person that can be at work by 7 am. Some long days and some done by noon. Job includes loading and unloading van, set up of gear, record keeping and making sure kids have clean faces, among other duties. Will be standing most of the time. Ideal for, but not limited to, a recent LTA or Teacher retiree or someone taking a “Gap Year”. Competitive pay, overtime as needed, end of season bonus. Must be willing to comply with any covid protocol required by schools. Also may need an experienced person to photograph high school sports action on a per event basis, as needed. Could be combined with helper position. Email jackcole13820@yahoo.com or call 607-432-5311 if you are interested and tell a bit about yourself.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3
Work begins on Chestnut Crossing as project clears village boards By GREG KLEIN Two months after getting its special-use permit from the Cooperstown Board of Trustees, the Chestnut Crossing apartment complex at 10 Chestnut St. is mostly finished at the municipal level. According to village documents, the project has had public hearings and gotten approvals from the village committees that must approve various parts of the project, including its architecture, fencing, parking, sidewalks, streets, lighting and drainage. At the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting Tuesday, Aug. 3, a public hearing considered three variances the project architects requested: an 11-inch variance from the 30foot height limit; an area variance to allow trash and recycling in a side-yard setback; and a variance to waive a rule requiring a setback for parking spaces from roads or streets. There is a public access road that runs between Chestnut Street and Pine Boulevard that is to the south of the project, which is where the setback was requested. The ZBA granted all three variances. The Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Board met Tuesday, Aug. 10, to complete the review of the building’s exterior design. The committee approved the project at that meeting. Finally, at the Planning Board meeting Tuesday, Aug. 17, another public hearing was held and the board considered the remaining safety and design aspects of the project. The committee approved most of the details, but sent one question back to the village trustees concerning a tree that needs to be cut down. A review of documents seemed to indicate the tree was actually on village property and therefore needed village action.
Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal
Fencing has gone up at 10 Chestnut St. in Cooperstown as construction begins on a 13-unit aparment complex, ‘Chestnut Crossing.’ The project got a special-use permit in July from the village Board of Trustees and has had most of its details approved by the village’s oversight committees.
At both public hearings in August, there continued to be major opposition to the project, in particular from its neighbors on Chestnut and Pine. However, the village boards only consider details of the project and the power to green-light the project came from trustees, who voted unanimously Monday, July 12, to grant the special-use permit needed for the 13-unit building. Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh said she thought it was clear to the trustees once they applied the state’s criteria for issuing special-use permits that the project served village needs. “We went by the book and deemed it a special use,” she said.” Essentially, it was clear the project had to move forward when the village board went through those
16 criteria.” Tillapaugh said the village will have experts look at the boundary lines to determine how to finish the drainage and tree questions, but she expected construction would begin soon. A new fence went up around the project last week and project developers Josh Edmonds and Francesca Zambello have said it will be completed in about a year. Edmonds said he is excited to begin construction and he and Zambello hope to convince skeptics the project will benefit the village without affecting the quality of life for the complex’s neighbors. “We are doing our best to work with the neighbors,” he said. “I know a couple of folks disagree with the project, but I would not say that they are a majority.
“I hope when the project is complete they will see that it does not affect the neighborhood and they will see it as a positive thing for the village. Edmonds, a Cooperstown Central School graduate who runs Simple Integrity, a construction firm, and Zambello, the executive and artistic director at The Glimmerglass Festival in Springfield, said they teamed up on the project to meet a demand in the village for more professional housing. Chestnut Crossing will have eight two-bedroom apartments, four studio apartments and one one-bedroom apartment. All residents must sign leases of one year or longer and there are no subletting or short-term rentals allowed on the property, according to the
special-use permit the village granted the developers. As part of their outreach, Zambello and Edmonds held several meetings with village residents and spoke at several village meetings in the leadup to the vote on the permit. Several times they were asked if they were interested in taking on other local projects, such as a renovation of the Key Bank Building on Main Street. Edmonds said he is flattered that some residents have responded positively to his work and his and Zambello’s plans. However, they are not ready to take on new projects, yet. “Francesca and I are enjoying working together,” he said. “I don’t know what the future holds, but right now we have our hands full.”
Community Foundation of Otsego gives grants to three area businesses STAFF REPORT The Community Foundation for Otsego County announced several major awards this week and also announced that it continues to seek proposals from nonprofits operating in Otsego County for its 2021 Awards Cycle. The group has funding of up to $200,000 to build the capacity of the local nonprofit sector to address issues identified in the CFOC Community Survey, such as addressing food insecurity and promoting affordable housing, economic development, internet access, and other key community priorities the survey revealed. Awards may be
requested in any amount. Awards of $10,000 or less are reviewed by the group’s Initiatives Committee and approved by the Executive Committee, while requests exceeding $10,000 are considered in a special category and require the additional approval of the full board. Special grants have been given to Helios Care for $10,000, Family Planning of South Central New York for $7,250 and The Glimmerglass Festival for $10,000. There is no deadline for applications and awards are given out on a revolving bases. Go to www.cfotsego.org for more information.
Kim’s
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Karli Cadel/The Glimmerglass Fesivall
Decatur boy dies in ATV accident STAFF REPORT A seven-year old died Saturday, Aug. 28, as a result of an ATV accident on Fisher Road in Decatur. Hunter Hornbeck was riding an ATV when it crashed. He was airlifted to Albany Medical Center on Friday, Aug. 27, but later died from his injuries. Hornbeck, who lived in Decatur, enjoyed the outdoors, fishing and hunting. No foul play is suspected, according to State Police. In a letter to students and families on the Worcester
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Central School website, ·· Superintendent Tim Gonzales acknowledged the death of the second grade student. “Hunter will be remembered for all the incredible joy he brought to his friends, teachers and staff in our school community,” Gonzales said. “I encourage parents and guardians to talk with their children about this sad news. Discussing thoughts and feelings about 4316 County Hwy 11 this situation is important.” Cooperstown Gonzales said counselors 607-547-6038 would be available for any krazytoms.com staff or student who wants to sales@krazytoms.com Since 1962 speak to them.
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Perspectives
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL editorial
Friends with benefits
GREG KLEIN E ditor ’ s N otebook
Taking a vacation from COVID, but not for long
It’s no secret there is a significant labor shortage in America at the moment and we are seeing its effects clearly here in Otsego County. Help wanted signs are everywhere. While the problem touches most businesses, local restaurants appear to be particularly affected. Many have been forced to close multiple days per week; some have closed permanently. One local food service has become a food truck because of a lack of employees. At the end of June, there were about 9.3 million U.S. workers on the unemployment rolls at the same time as U.S. businesses were looking to fill 9.2 million open positions. There are those who understandably blame the extended unemployment benefits that add an additional $300 to the existing base, which in New York tops out at about $500 per week, a 60% increase that brings the weekly take to around $800 maximum. Undoubtedly, there are those who are taking full advantage of this windfall for a number of reasons, from the legitimate — fear of COVID, lack of childcare, etc. — to the questionable “why work when I’m making as much or more just staying at home?” However, there’s more to this. Federal programs have infused the economy with trillions of dollars in stimulus targeted directly to wage earners and their dependent children. This direct stimulus, along with the fact that people were likely to spend less money under lockdown conditions, resulted in a dramatic increase in personal funds throughout the economy. A good indication of where the cash ended up is in the country’s Personal Savings Rate (PSR), which is the percentage of disposable personal income. For decades, the U.S. PSR has languished below 10%, with a brief high-water mark of about 15% in the 1970s. In 2020, with the first round of stimulus checks, extended unemployment benefits and reduced spending, the PSR soared to nearly 35%, followed by later spikes of about 20% and 25% as successive rounds of federal largesse hit the streets. People have more options now, and possibly the time to look for, or prepare for, a job they want instead of having to settle. Certainly, back to the restaurant business, there are not many waiters and waitresses, bartenders or dishwashers, for whom that job is their desired career. Now some people have time and the liberty and opportunity of continuing their education or taking advantage of jobtraining programs or signing up for unpaid internships. We haven’t heard news of an intern shortage. There should be no shame in being unemployed because you don’t want to take a job you don’t want. If you have the ability to hold out, God bless you. And as understandable as it is that unemployment benefits and perceived laziness are the root cause of our labor problems, states that have ended the extended unemployment benefits have about the same labor shortages as those that have not. The problem remains, and the shortage of labor across the country is a serious matter and it is having a considerably detrimental effect on local economies. Meanwhile, down on the southern border, and fleeing from Afghanistan, there are hundreds of thousands of men, women and children yearning to build a new, safe and prosperous life in America, where one can rise to the full height of one’s opportunity and talent. Give those hopeful masses the opportunity to have a work-visa pathway to citizenship and, just as was experienced in past waves of immigration, our country’s labor problems may rapidly disappear.
Stewart’s Shops convenience store and gas station in Richfield Springs was moving to the center of town because its location didn’t provide enough parking. To make space, the building that was previously occupied by Kinney Drug Store and Patterson’s Chrysler and Oliver Dealership before that, had already been demolished and cleared off. All of this activity took place under the watchful eye of Lenny Homes, a retiree who spent much of his time keeping track of village happenings while occupying one of several benches situated along Main Street. From his seated position, which amounted to a stone’s throw across what is actually Route 20, Homes was deeply absorbed in watching workers excavate the bricklittered ground in preparation for new gas tanks. That’s when senior Ellen
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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.
About six weeks ago, we went on our first vacation since 2019. The teen has the benefit of a summer birthday and the best parenting idea we ever devised was birthday trips. Not only do we get to schedule some summer fun (and summer time off) but we have gotten to see the Empire State. And as a bonus, or perhaps this was by design, we avoided having to stage large birthday parties. Of course, the birthday parties would have ended by age 16 and we were still celebrating the teen in July, so I think we came up with a good idea. I certainly thought that last month. This year we discovered the Thousand Islands. And when I say discovered, I mean fell in love with. Of course, our pathways were limited by the border being closed but there was plenty to discover on the U.S. side. As I noted when we discovered — and fell in love with — the Adirondacks, Lake George, Lake Placid, Corning, the Hudson Valley and various Finger Lakes, there is a part of me that does not believe the
history of the state. Or, at least I snort when I come to the passage about Upstate tourism, which reads: for several hundred years, Upstate New York was a chosen tourist destination of New York City’s elite. Then plane travel took them to more exotic destinations and most abandoned Upstate completely. I wonder if the pandemic will change that? I am not suggesting a sulphur bath revival, but will air travel decrease? Could Lake George or Thousand Islands become a NYC thing again? I know it is the Upstater in me that says, “I hope not.” Let the Wall Street types have their islands in the Mediterranean. We’ll stick with the ones in the St. Lawrence River. I will say it was odd to be in the streets of Alexandria Bay when they were mobbed with people. Tourism returned there in a big way this summer and the local governments were hotly debating if that tourism should include marijuana dispensories. Six weeks later, we seem to be in a
different world. My early 2020 mantra about the coronavirus — nobody knows anything for sure and when we think we do know something, it changes — seems to be ruling the day again. Otsego County is a high-risk area for the transmission of the Delta variant and we all worry that the return of the college students, the staging of the Hall of Fame Induction and backto-school activities will bring a huge, unwanted COVID revival here. Personally, I know I worry about the soccer boys and the season we have been training them for most of their lives. And after two awful years of pandemic learning, I worry about my teen, too. Can we survive another year of distance learning? When your kid is in school for soccer and BOCES, how do you translate that to Zoom chats? Not long after we returned, I asked a friend who homeschooled last year for her lesson plans. Like my threat to run for the Otsego County Board of Representatives, it is probably an empty gesture, but I feel good See VACATION, Page A5
TERRY BERKSON L ife sketches
Watching progress from the nearby bench
Contributed
From their spot across the street, Lenny and Ellen watched the village change.
Jones put on her distance glasses, opened her unneeded sun umbrella and joined Lenny on his acrossthe-street seat. In a village of only 1,200 they were not strangers. She, too, was interested in the business change and all the construction activity involved, but when she asked her
bench partner a question about the earthmoving operation, he replied, “I’m too miffed to talk.” “Why, what’s the matter?” she asked. “I’d rather not talk about it,” Lenny said without looking at her. “Okay,” Ellen returned in a mildly insulted tone. “Sometimes things
happen that you just want to forget about.” “I understand,” Ellen flatly agreed. A few minutes passed in silence and then the watchful retiree said, “Well, maybe I do want to talk about it.” “I’m all ears,” Ellen responded. Lenny turned to her while resting his arm on the back of the bench. “I was watching the work across the street for a couple of hours when I thought I’d take a break and walk over to the Chinese restaurant for something to eat. There was nobody else in the dining room when the waiter brought me a bowl of wonton soup. I’m halfway through when this woman walks in and sits down at my table. All the other tables were empty but she sits down at mine. I don’t mind. She looks okay — and now I’m careful not See SKETCHES, Page A5
Reporting in fear from a foreign land Working as the only woman reporter at the morning paper in the capitol of New Zealand in the ’70s offered lots of challenges. I made a lot of my own excitement, too, by tackling stories that brought me to some places like a revue bar run by a transvestite in an era when this was illegal. Scary for a girl from Upstate New York who had never heard anything about that kind of club — or been inside a venue like that. What if I didn’t go? Figure out how to ask the right questions? What if I didn’t come back with a story — and a good one? What was worse than going into a dank, beer-smelling smoke-filled room with some wornout performers on a stage? Not getting the story and the right story. I had to get a crash course in the real world. After a while at The Dominion, I thought I could propel my budding career up a few rungs. Somehow I managed to get an offer from the NZBC — the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, which was the equivalent of the BBC. It is a scary move to become a TV/radio reporter. Have you ever thought of being on television?
I had never imagined being a performer. I thought I was God’s gift to written journalism — not the TV screen. I was not one of those gorgeous, 5'10" blondes who looked like she sauntered off a Vogue photo shoot. Not only was I a short brunette but I had the wrong accent. I had no idea what to do on TV — and I couldn’t afford to get fired. No one to rescue me. And I still wanted to make my mark as a journalist. Fortunately, the NZBC — a good government department — taught its performers. Before I could start work, I had to go through a training program. And not by myself but with all of the new recruits. That helped spell success for me. I didn’t want anyone to be better than me, so I focused. We spent a few weeks learning how to do pieces directly to the camera, how to do voiceovers, cutaways to make sure we had the right pictures. And in my outpost, we had to learn more. Our film (yes 16 mm film back then) was edited in Wellington. We had to hire an airplane for every TV story and edit the tape with shot notes we made in the field.
Not only did we learn all of the details of doing TV news reports but I was also going to be writing and reading the news for the local radio station. And sending stories to the radio network. Not only could I get fired if I didn’t make the grade — but that was not just an expression. How well we did determined our pay grade. Not like American commercial broadcasting. Government departments had pay grades. We were civil servants. Speaking directly to the camera made me shake. I couldn’t stand there reading a script. I had to look like I knew what I was talking about. I had to look right into the camera. After a few weeks of training, I was sent to Palmerston North, where I was stationed midway up the North Island. I learned new fears there. One gripped me for years. Fear of flying. How did that happen? New Zealand has a lot of rural areas and mountains. From the center of the island, TV reporters like me had to cover stories in some isolated, uninhabited areas. See REPORTER, Page A5
AllOTSEGO.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WELCOME • EMAIL THEM TO info@
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5 Views from AROUND THE STATE
A new Governor for a new day in New York Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
200 YEARS AGO
Taken Up – By the subscriber, on the 26th, near Lippitt’s Mills in Hartwick, a chestnut-colored horse, about ten or 11 years old, with white hind feet and a few white hairs in his forehead, and a white spot on the left side of his lower jaw — shod all round. The owner is requested to prove property, pay charges and take him away. Seth Hacket, Hartwick, August 28. August 31, 1811
175 YEARS AGO
We are glad to notice in our exchange papers that the attention of the democracy in several county conventions has been directed to the repeal of the law restraining private banking, and that they have, in each case, given their decided approbation of the measure. The effect of the proposed repeal would be simply to permit any private individual, who possessed the means, to discount and make loans, as the banks now do exclusively. It is not proposed to allow individuals to issue any paper to pass as money, but to confine them to the use of the existing currency – the notes of the state banks and gold and silver. In our judgment, no satisfactory reason can be assigned why individuals should be restrained from loaning their own money, which would not, with equal justice, restrain individuals from renting their land, or loaning any of their personal property. September 5, 1836
150 YEARS AGO
For the War – Messrs. Morris Foote, Marmaduke Cooper and Wash. B. Fairman, left this village on Tuesday last to join the People’s (or Ellsworth) Regiment at Albany. Cooperstown is now well represented in that Regiment. Twenty young men left Cherry Valley for the war on Monday last. Enlist! Young men desirous of joining the Army now have an opportunity of enlisting in the First Regiment, Oregon Rifles – now quartered at Williamsport, Md. One hundred mounted and 100 foot Riflemen wanted. Apply to Capt. W.T. Worrall or Lieut. D.W. White, Cooperstown. September 6, 1861
125 YEARS AGO
The sewer: The defective manner in which the work was done by the contractor who had charge of laying the sewer main in this village, especially along the bank of and in the river, is still further illustrated by the work now being done on about 700 feet of it, under direction of Mr. H.B. Walker, a civil engineer, by order of the village trustees, and at an expense of several hundred dollars. The pipe was laid in the mud and quicksand, and in the most slipshod manner, and of late it had parted in so many places and became so generally out of order as to be worthless as a drain for sewage. It is now being relayed in a plank trough. If the trustees had in the first place selected their own engineer, instead of allowing the contractor to do so, all this trouble and expense might have been avoided. September 4, 1886
100 YEARS AGO
Mr. Lawrence Trimble of the Vitagraph Company has arrived in town to make some preliminary arrangements for photographing in moving pictures the Cooper tales. He has engaged contractor Luther D. Robinson to build a float to represent Hutter’s Castle, and the services of Armine Gazlay have been secured to assist in the manufacture of suitable craft for the tales of pioneer days. Within two weeks the Vitagraph players to the number of 50 or more will be here. They will probably stop at the Five-Mile Point Inn on account of its close proximity to the lake and the Cooper scenes. Among the actors who will come are Miss Turner and James Halleck Reid, both of whom were here in July. Mr. Trimble and some of the company have been in the Catskills for the last few weeks doing some Indian dramas. The Boy Scout picture, which was taken here in July, is listed for release in October. September 6, 1911
75 YEARS AGO
During the month of August, Sheriff Fred F. Fox received 50 prisoners in the Otsego County jail at Cooperstown. Of these, 16 have completed their sentences and some are out on bail. At the present time, 26 are still confined. Owen Murphy of Richfield Springs was sentenced Monday by Judge Lee D. VanWoert in Children’s Court to serve 90 days for failure to make payments to aid in the support of his family. Merl Green of Midddlefield was arrested Monday night by Officer Arthur F. Choate on the charge of driving an automobile without an operator’s license. He pleaded guilty and was fined five dollars which he paid. September 2, 1936
35 years ago
From The Albany Times Union Editorial Board: In his farewell address Monday, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was true to the end in his disdain for democratic government. We hope Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn’t share that view. Cuomo, who once declared that “government is about action; it’s not a debating society,” revisited that theme in his defiant, self-laudatory address, stating, “We cannot go back to the old days when government talked, and government debated … but they never made a difference in people’s lives, and they never improved, and they never built.” It’s quite possible, though, to build, to improve, and, yes, to debate what exactly we want to build and improve. It’s messy, sure, but it’s democracy. If Hochul is looking to be a different kind of politician from Cuomo — and many governors before him — she could start by showing more respect for the legislative process and for legislators who are, after all, representatives of the people of New York. She should work with lawmakers to end the
routine use of “messages of necessity” to circumvent the three-day aging period for legislation required by the state constitution. Lawmakers and the public deserve time to absorb and discuss pending bills, especially the huge budget bills hashed out behind closed doors. And the budget should get back to being the budget, not a way for the governor to jam through legislation. We urge Hochul, too, to be more transparent than her predecessor, whose secrets in the last year caught up with him and helped spur calls on both sides of the aisle for his resignation or impeachment. The cover-up of nursing home resident deaths and his monthslong refusal to reveal the value of his $5.1 million book deal were part of a pattern. Whether it was information on gun registrations, time sheets for a campaign contributor’s son working for the state, or the names of people he pardoned, Cuomo had a long track record of hiding public information. Hochul needs to distance herself from the decisions about her State Police security detail, matters Cuomo insinuated himself into in order to both get rid of officers who
displeased him and bring in a female officer who was among the women who accused him of sexual harassment. This is a professional matter. And Hochul’s husband, William Hochul, senior vice president and general counsel to the gambling firm Delaware North, should step down from his position to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest for Hochul. The state Gaming Commission is part of the executive branch she now heads. On a matter of particular urgency, Hochul needs to light a fire under state government to get federal and state rental aid to tenants and landlords. The Cuomo administration was abysmally slow in spending the $2.7 billion in available funds, and even with a recent push has still reached only 65 percent. This money is critical to helping avoid an eviction crisis. Change has been forced on Hochul by Cuomo’s downfall. But she now has a chance to be an agent of change in the 16 months she has to finish Cuomo’s term. We hope she seizes the opportunity to be more than an accidental governor.
Getting around in a rugged land wasn’t easy for an Upstater
plunged and pitched. I grasped my microphone, talking REPORTERContinued from Page A4 One day the news chief in Wellington sent me out to all of the way so those who found the smashed ruins of cover damage from a cyclone which had not abated. A our plane would hear my last words. A heroic reporter. rugged mountainous area had been devastated and we Sacrificing her life for a story. And my parents would get needed pictures. But how to get those? To get this big a recording of my final moments. We flew between the two ridges of this range. As story? There were no roads. This was well before drones. The only answer was to hire a plane — with a pilot the stall warning light flashed, alarms signaling terrain too. That was a job in itself. The only pilot who would ahead blared. Not only was I terrified but my cameraman fly into this terrible weather was an American who was screaming. To make everything worse, as our steel had been a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. -nerved pilot struggled to keep our plane aloft, he turned a grayish green color. That was when I got really scared. Fearless. Tough. He worked for the Forest service. He had a vested Like riding on a bucking bronco, we plunged down a few interest in getting NZBC to cover the story. He wanted to hundred feet, then gained altitude only to plummet down have people see what happened and what had happened again. Over and over. Our wing tips almost got snagged before to worsen the tragedy. He hoped there would be on tree-tops. None of us thought we would make it money to rescue this mountain range out of that mountain range alive. It took me which was being devastated not only by “I was decades to get over that trip. Stories of jets the cyclone but by the possum and red terrified — small and large — crashing were more deer population. and my common then. What if the pilot on my next Deer and possums aren’t native to New flight wasn’t as tough as our white-knuckled Zealand. They were brought by British cameraman pilot? What if…what if. And I had a good settlers. Those settlers wanted to have the same creatures they had at home. was screaming” imagination. For years after every bump on a plane, Like Noah on the Ark they brought them with them. With no natural enemies these animals ate the rapid descent, flight buffeted by wind, with lightning plants that prevented erosion. They had lots of babies. flashing around put me back on that little single engine They destroyed the native forests — sometimes virgin plane with me clutching my microphone to record my last words. Dying, remembered as one of those reporters forests. Caused mountains to slide down to valleys. My story was not only to show the cyclone news who would risk everything for a story. But we got our story. As well as the attention our pilot but to spread the word about the deer and possum. To find support for an extermination program. Some other wanted for the plight of the mountains. Over the next few years those deer became an export — as venison. First solution? That pilot was determined that we would get great hunters were allowed to stalk deer in forest preserves pictures. Even on the ground cyclone force winds including those mountains. My story probably helped buffeted that little plane. Before the engine roared to life that effort to cull deer which eventually led to venison it seemed that it would be blown over. But my cameraman farming. The possums became fur hats and coats and and I clambered into the back of this little six-seater. The trim on coats. There were plenty of stories that had bad moments — cameraman strapped himself in with his lens pressed not many which made me sure I would meet my maker against the window. Even as the plane took off it seemed like a carnival ride like this one did. And that one kept me afraid for years — the kind on which you plead for mercy, for escape. It after. But never stopped me.
Six weeks ago the pandemic seemed over, but not anymore VACATION/from Page A4 knowing I have more options. Most of all, we worry about our Thanksgiving trip to see family in Georgia. Like many people, we sacrificed years of family trips for this pandemic. Like many other people, we have limited our social interactions to preserve the chance to see the people closest to us, includng a couple of relatives who are immune-compromised. Sadly, their state is doing much worse than ours; their governor is a COVID truther, so to speak, and we worry about trekking 1,000 miles to mix germs. I don’t know what we will do, to be honest. How could I?
That trip is 12 weeks away. Six weeks ago, walking around Alexandria Bay, it felt like the pandemic was over. (“Did you say over?”) Predict where we will be 12 weeks from now? I have a better chance of telling you where next year’s birthday trip will be, beause I know we found a region we want to explore more. So, I am grateful for the trip, the timing of the teen’s birth a miracle yet again. And I am grateful for the last Thanksgiving trip, 21 months ago. I have joked on our podcast (The AllOtsego Report, streaming everywhere) the theme of 2021 is “at least it is better than 2020” and I have to remind myself the motto is still true in a way we can all see.
Lenny and Ellen had some funny conversations about life SKETCHES/Continued from Page A4 to slurp. She orders wonton soup like me and in a little while we’re both finished. Then she calls the waiter and asks for another bowl and says give him — referring to me — another bowl of soup, too. Well, I think that’s very nice. We finish the second bowl of soup and while I’m trying to think of something friendly to say — she gets up and walks out. Without paying! And I’m stuck with the check!” “Who was she?” Ellen asked. “I don’t know. I never saw her before.” “What’s wonton soup like?”
“It’s a meat bouillon with these curly raviolis in it.” “Sounds Italian,” Ellen said. “No, I think the Italians copied from the Chinese.” Lenny answered. “Marco Polo brought back something like spaghetti from China.” “Is that right?” “Yes,” Lenny returned authoritatively.” “Well, you’ll have to introduce me to wonton soup sometime.” “Yeah,” Lenny said cautiously. “As long as we go Dutch.”
“I own no interest and no party, but my country.” September 3, 1986
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Banner motto of The Freeman’s Journal, 1823 to 1827
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
OBITUARIES Erna D. Richards, 97 May 6, 1924 – August 27, 2021
COOPERSTOWN – Erna D. Richards, forever remembered for her love of her family and her Norwegian heritage, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family early Friday morning, August 27, 2021, at her daughter’s home in Roseboom. She was 97. Born May 6, 1924, in Alversund, Norway, Erna Dagny Hovik was the youngest child of Hans Knutsen Hovik and Hanna Teodora Ekeland Hovik. At the age of four, she and her family immigrated to the United States and settled on Long Island. She grew up in Huntington, and always enjoyed telling stories of the fun times she had while growing up there.
She was first married to Thorbjorn “Toby” Haugland Bergene and they had four children: Theodore, Gregory, Steven, and Katrina. Following their divorce, Erna met and married Bruce J. Richards, a Cooperstown Native Son, and they enjoyed 25 years of marriage until his sudden passing on May 8, 1999. Erna started her working life at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City, and then spent the remainder of her career in the food services department at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. Always proud of her Norwegian heritage, she loved sharing stories of her native land. She was a
spirited Viking woman who four children, Theodore H. was known as mom, grandma Bergene and wife, Mary of and GG! Oswego, Gregory Bergene The most and wife, Susan important part of Cooperstown, of Erna’s life Steven T. was her family. Bergene and She loved them wife, Jeannette more than words of Apex, N.C., can state. She and Katrina always wanted A. Cade and what was best husband, Stanley for her children, of Roseboom; 11 g r a n d c h i l d r e n Erna D. Richards grandchildren, and great-grandChristopher children. A caring person, Bergene and wife, Sara, Jon she was always looking out Bergene and companion, for everyone’s best interests, Amy Glerum, and Kimberly and wanted everyone to be Franzt and husband, Dennis, happy and healthy. She was Kristin Ellen Bergene and truly an amazing person who fiancée James McDonald, will be thoroughly missed by Hanna Joy Bergene and every life she touched. partner, Henry Bauer, Erna is survived by her Karissa Dagny Bergene,
Kayley Rane Bergene and Kyle Thor Bergene, and Kassandra Cade-Laymon and husband, Craig, Joshua Cade and wife, Amanda, and Tyler Cade and wife, Erica; and 12 great-grandchildren, Collin and Brianna, Jenna and Mia, Sydney and Dennis, Caden and Eliana, Kristopher and Hunter, and Addilynn and Decan. Two stepdaughters, Deborah Lints and Mary Killmeier and their family further survive her. Her parents and all of her siblings preceded her in death; she was the youngest. Friends paid their respects Tuesday, August 31, 2021, at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street,
Cooperstown. A funeral service was held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown, with Rev. Ronald Fralick officiating. Interment followed in the Fly Creek Valley Cemetery in Fly Creek. Memorial donations may be directed to the Cooperstown Emergency Squad, PO Box 322, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
When Gary replied that there was no shortage of people who disagreed with him, Sandy said, “Good. This is America.” One of her proudest moments was, at age 89, accompanying her granddaughter Hannah to a rally for President Barack Obama. As luck would have it, the President stopped to talk with her on his way out. Charmed, the President gave her a kiss on the cheek — something she would never forget. Whenever asked, Sandy would say that she attributed her long life and good health to “doing whatever she damn well pleased.” Apparently, eating the foods she liked, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day for 40 years, and passionately avoiding any type of exercise all agreed with her. When someone in the family would go out for a run, she would invariably ask, “Who’s chasing you?” Sandy is survived by her son Gary Herzig, of Oneonta, N.Y., and his wife Connie; daughter Robin Herzig
Grace, of Fairfax, Vt., and her husband Thomas; along with grandchildren Hannah (Craig), Aidan (Rose), Sasha and Sophie (Jeffrey). She was recently blessed with great grandchildren Ava and Cameron. She is also survived by her nephews Irwin Seltzer (Allison), Terry Seltzer (Doryce), Mitchell Cohen (Morissa), and Todd Levy (Kimberly); and niece Debbie Macchia (Jerry). She leaves behind great nieces and nephews, Brad Seltzer (Julie), Janna Seltzer, Larry Seltzer (Naomi), Jeffrey Seltzer (Melissa), Seth Cohen (Joanna), Noah Cohen (Rebecca) and Raphael Cohen (Jessica), along with all their children. Sandy was predeceased by her parents, siblings, and lifelong friend Sunny Adatto. Sandy will be laid to rest beside her husband Hy at Wellwood Cemetery in West Babylon, N.Y. on Thursday, September 2. She will be greatly missed by her family and all those who knew her and loved her.
Sandra (Sandy) Herzig, 97 July 31, 1924 – August 26, 2021
ONEONTA – Sandra (Sandy) Herzig passed away peacefully, at the age of 97, on August 26, 2021 in Essex, Vt. Born on July 31, 1924 in New York City, Sandy grew up living with her parents Theodore and Gracia Levy and her siblings Jean, Victor and Murray in the tenements of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Both Theodore and Gracia had emigrated to this country as teenagers from the land now known as North Macedonia. As Sephardic Jews, whose ancestors had fled the Spanish Inquisition, Sandy grew up in a family whose primary language was Ladino — a dialect of Spanish influenced by a Turkish environment.
Proud of her Sephardic heritage, Sandy loved to cook traditional meals including such favorites as borekas (spinach and feta in phyllo dough), baklava and more. Sandy married the love of her life, Herman (Hy) Herzig, on June 28, 1947. Hy made up for what he lacked in formal education with a boundless entrepreneurial spirit. Sandy and Hy, along with their children, Gary and Robin, crisscrossed the country numerous times in search of the American dream of creating their own successful business. Sandy’s life, however, changed forever in 1967 when Hy died of a sudden heart attack. Returning to
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.
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the workforce as a single mom, living paycheck to paycheck, Sandy dedicated herself to ensuring the wellbeing of her two children. While never shy about expressing an opposing opinion, her greatest gift to her children was her constant and unconditional love. Her greatest legacy, however, will be the impact she has had on her grandchildren — Sasha Herzig of Troy, N.Y.; Hannah Grace Stender of Essex, Vt.; Aidan Grace of Sandra London, England; Herzig and Sophie Grace Laning of Providence, R.I. Weekends with grandma would always include waking up early for a place on the discount ticket line for a Broadway play. With limitless love, she made sure to instill in each of them, the confidence to be true to themselves. Her enduring message was to never allow anyone to tell
them what they couldn’t do or whom they should be. In 2009, Sandy moved to Burlington, Vt. to be closer to family. Leaving New York City, which she loved dearly, was not easy. Views of mountains and cows could not compete with sidewalks full of people and she greatly missed the energy, clamor, and diversity of New York. Sandy never hesitated to speak her mind in defense of the rights of all people and having had to return to work in the days before there were any protections from sexual harassment, she was particularly passionate about the rights of women. She would often make her feelings of concern known regarding recent events of discrimination, sexism or bigotry in our country. Recently, she asked her son, Gary, now the mayor of Oneonta, N.Y., if people followed his lead.
Fred G. Hickein, 94 July 27, 1927 – August 25, 2021
ONEONTA – Fred G. Hickein passed away on August 25, 2021 at A. O. Fox Memorial Hospital, Oneonta. Born on July 27, 1927 in Owego, N.Y., Fred Hickein was the son of Beulah Barnett Hickein and Fred Walter Hickein. When he was about 2 years old, they moved to Oneonta, residing with mother, sisters, uncle, great grandfather and grandparents. He graduated from Oneonta High School in June 1944. Joined the United States Navy in April 1945, released as a reservist in June 1946. Recalled to active duty with the United States Navy Reserve in November 1950 and released to inactive duty in May 1952. After graduating from Hartwick College in 1953, he joined the Howard E. Brown Insurance Agency, purchasing the agency and operating it until 1983. Fred also worked with AAA. Over 37 years he coordinated and
accompanied over 25,000 of Centennial Lodge I.O.O.F. sixth grade safety-patrol since 1974; chairman students to Washington, Oneonta Public Grievance D.C. and Gettysburg, Board 1970-74; member Pa. He served as executive of Oneonta Memorial vice president and manager Day Committee 1964of the Tri County Motor 1998; member of Oneonta Club (AAA) from City Centennial October 1981 until Committee his retirement in October 20071992. January 2009; Fred married Otsego County Eleanor (Ellie) Traffic Board Brown on June member, 19754, 1954 and they 1998; election recently celebrated inspector for 67 years of happy Otsego County life together as and for Oneonta Fred G. proud parents of School Board. Hickein four children. A c t i v e Fred has been member of First active in Oneonta and Presbyterian Church, serving county affairs. A member of as Ruling Elder, Clerk of American Legion Oneonta Session, and on Building & Post 259 since 1946, he served Grounds Committee. Sang in as Adjutant and Commander. the choir, He was director of the He was an active and Southern Otsego County devoted Freemason — a Chapter American Red Cross member of many Masonic 1963-64; Oneonta Kiwanis organizations. Among them Club member 1954-94; presi- are: Oneonta Lodge 466; dent 1977-78; active member F.&A.M., Worshipful Master 1962; Oneonta Chapter 277, Royal Arch Masons, High Priest 1963; Oneonta Council 87 Cryptic Masons, Illustrious Master 1971-72; Otsego Commandery 76 Knights Templar, commander 1971-72; dual member of Norwich Commandery 46; Martha Chapter 116; Order of Eastern Star, Patron 1988every life has a story. 89, District Grand Lecturer Otsego-Schoharie District everyone deserves 1999 and 2002; Grand a final appreciation. Master of Grand Council For more information send email Cryptic Masons of N.Y. to info@Allotsego.com, 1984-85; Grand Recorder or call Larissa at 607-547-6103. 1992-2000; American Lodge
MeMories to Cherish
of Research. Knights of York Cross of Honour; York Rite College of North America. Red Cross of Constantine; Allied Masonic Degrees of USA. He is survived by his wife and their children, Kelvin Hickein; Brent (Pamela) Hickein and their children William, Frederick, George & Mary; Mark (Maria) Hickein and their children Gonzalo, Natalie, Katrina, Maria, John Mark, Joseph & John-Paul; Cheryl (George) Berwin and their children Anthony & Andre. Three great grandchildren. Nieces & nephews Dorcas (Tom) Ross, Susan Miller, Mary Hartman, Caroline Wenck, Dawn (Tom) Davis, David (Lois) VanAlstine, Robert VanAlstine, and Ruth VanAlstine. Predeceased by his sisters Katherine VanAlstine, Elnora Miller and daughter-in-law Monica. A Masonic Service followed by a memorial service was held Wednesday Sept. 1, at First Presbyterian Church, 296 Main St., Oneonta. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to First Presbyterian Church, 292 Main St., Oneonta, NY 13820 or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105. Arrangements are by Oneonta’s only familyowned funeral home, Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono at 51 Dietz St., Oneonta, N.Y. www.lhpfuneralhome.com.
All
OTSEGO.sports
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7
‘In Memoriam’
Induction tribute will feature game’s best, Hall favorites By CHARLIE VASCELLARO Each year the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony begins with a roll call of members of the baseball community who have passed during the previous calendar year projected on a jumbotron video screen adjacent to the stage where the returning members of the Hall are seated. This year’s “In Memoriam” recognition stings with a particular poignancy in a continued season of mourning both across the country and within the baseball community devastated by an unparalleled loss of 10 members of the Hall of Fame since the last Induction Ceremony in 2019. The most recent and perhaps farreaching and impactful passing of this iconic group occurred when Henry Aaron, 86, died Jan. 22. Baseball lost its most significant elder statesman, diplomat, social activist and humanitarian. Aaron’s scope and realm extended far beyond baseball’s foul lines. He is recognized as much for his contributions to the Civil Rights movement as for anything he accomplished in baseball and used his platform Charlie Vascellaro as a star player to advance societal A feature at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum pays tribute to Hank Aaron, causes. who died in January at age 86. Aaron’s passing marked the 10th Hall of Famer to die in a nine-month major league debut at the age of passing on Aug. 31, the collective acquired in one of the most period from April 2020 through 18 on June 25, 1953, and spent the youth of the first generation of lopsided trades in MLB history, February. The other legends to pass entirety of his 22-year career with Mets fans faded further back into when the Cards snatched the this season were: the Detroit Tigers. the rear-view mirror. future single-season and career • “Mr. Tiger” Al Kaline, 85 on • “The Franchise,” and real “Mr. • Lou Brock, 81, died just one stolen bases leader from the April 6, 2020. Kaline was signed Met” Tom Seaver, 75, was the first week later, on Sept. 6. Brock was Chicago Cubs in 1964 for Ernie directly out of Southern High member of the team to be inducted also recognized as a franchise Broglio, Doug Clemens, Bobby School in Baltimore and made his to the Hall of Fame and with his player for the St. Louis Cardinals, Shantz and a bag of peanuts. Brock
spent 16 of his 19 big-league seasons in St. Louis. His stolenbase records were later surpassed by Rickey Henderson. • Cardinals fans were still reeling from Brock’s passing when 17year staff ace and all-time career leader in every pitching category Bob Gibson, 84, passed less than a month later, on Oct. 2. Leading the 1960s Cardinals to three NL pennants and two World Series championships, as big and strong and tough as Gibson was in his playing days, his death seemed unfathomable. • “The Chairman of the Board,” Whitey Ford, 91, the affable and beloved New York Yankees hurler who, together with teammates Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin, formed baseball’s version of the rat pack, died just six days after Gibson on Oct. 8. • It began to feel beyond surreal when “Little Joe” Morgan, 77, perhaps the biggest cog in Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine became the third Hall of Famer to die in October (11) 2020 and the sixth in the same year. A baseball lifer, who was in his second career as a broadcaster, Morgan was an outspoken conscience of the game. He served on the board of the Baseball Assistance Team, providing financial help for former major and minor leaguers, Negro league players and others affiliated with professional baseball. He also served on the Hall of Fame’s board of directors for 27 years. See MEMORIAM, Page A8
IF YOU GO: Take the trolley, pack sunscreen, water By GREG KLEIN If you are planning to attend the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Induction, here are some helpful hints: • Bring water and an umbrella: Things can get hot on the field at The Clark Sports Center, where there is no natural shade and attendees might be under direct sun for more than two hours. This is just as likely on a Wednesday in September as a Sunday in July. So, bring something to drink, apply lots of sunscreen and think about a hat, umbrella or other form of shade. Of course, it could also be mid-60s and raining, so ... bring an umbrella either way. If you don’t have VIP seating in one of the Hall designated areas up front, bring a chair or blanket, too. So many people leave their chairs after inductions, one local family organizes a collection of the chairs, followed by a yard sale to benefit the local school and its students. Speaking of the students, there will be lots of them selling concessions, too, either officially to raise money for their senior trips or along the roads to the Induction site, as budding entrepreneurs. So, bringing a couple of dollars for the kids is a good way to say hello to some locals and learn about Cooperstown. • Take the trolley: There are only a few ways in and out of Cooperstown and State Route 28 will be the busiest of File them. Village residents offer Induction parking, but the best The crowd walks up Susquehanna Avenue to a National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Induction parking spaces typically go quickly. Arriving early may be the key to getting in and out without traffic or other hassles. at The Clark Sports Center in 2015. The blue lot is accessible to people coming north on 28; the also known as Susquehanna Avenue. To get to the Induction, Walk north on Linden Avenue and then right on Walnut to red lot is accessible to people coming south on 28; the yellow walk south on Susquehanna, which begins at Chestnut Street get to Susquehanna. lot is accessible to people coming south on State Route 80. (aka Route 28), and also connects with Elm, Beaver and Induction activities begin at 1:30 p.m., but it will take time An all-day pass is $5 per person. Go to www.cooperstownny. Walnut streets. From Main Street, walk south on Pioneer to get there and more time to find a spot to sit. org/trolley-system/ for more information, Street or Fair Street until you get to Beaver Street and then Once the crowd gets to about 50,000, it becomes hard to • On a field in Middlefield: The Clark Sports Center is turn right and walk to Susquehanna. People will be walking move around or to find a spot. about a half mile outside of the village of Cooperstown, in in the same direction. The hill is a good alternative for late arrivees to find a the town of Middlefield, on 124 County Route 52, which is The blue lot is the closest trolley lot to the induction site. place to sit, but the best bet remains to arrive early. NATE LULL H I G H S C H O O L S P O RT S
Now more than ever, September holds a year’s worth of promises The last 18 months have been hard for all of us, but it has been especially difficult for high school athletes. The coronavirus pandemic ended playing careers early, dashed championship dreams and changed local record books forever. However, as this fall season begins, it feels like maybe we are getting a fresh start. Sure, we know it could all come to a crashing halt at any moment, but with the return of certain rituals like the first day of practice and getting in shape for pre-season, we can only hope that this fall will bring back a bit of normalcy. With the new season now upon us, here are a few things I am looking forward to:
• While some Otsego County fall teams didn’t get to play last school year, one of the teams that did was the Schenevus girls soccer team. With an undefeated spring season under its belt, this team will be the one to watch. Led by junior scoring phenom Angelina Competiello, the Dragons appear to be one of the favorites in the Tri-Valley League and in Section IV, Class D. Competiello has 81 career goals and is already the all-time leading goal scorer in school history with two seasons left to play. She is surrounded by a very solid supporting cast, including Taylor Knapp and Lily Competiello, who are two of the best-kept secrets. If you are looking
to watch small school soccer of the highest quality, make sure you make the trip to Schenevus. • Staying on the theme of mustsee soccer, I am also excited to check out the Oneonta boys and the Cooperstown boys teams. Oneonta lost a lot of talent to graduation, but they return with one of the best goal scorers in Finlay Oliver. There is no doubt that Oliver is ready to put on a show for local fans. His work with high level off-season travel ball should propel him to be arguably the best player in the area. On the flip side, the word out of Cooperstown is the Hawkeyes will have one of the most balanced teams in recent memory. A group
that has been coming up together since grade school, CCS could be ready to make Coop a soccer town for a few months this fall. • Another team I want to watch as the leaves turn is the Unatego girls soccer squad. The Spartans are a team that made the Class C state final in 2019 and are led by legendary local coach, Sue Herodes. Have they graduated a lot of talent? Yes. But can the Spartans reload? They have done it so many times in the past and I think they can do it again. As Delhi Coach Matt Albright recently told me, “the road to the MAC championship game always goes through Unatego.” I couldn’t agree more. With key players like
Alexa Lucia, Kylie Mussaw and Anabel Rommer back, I wouldn’t count out UCS just yet. So, as our local athletes prepare to get back to competition, make sure you get out and cheer them on. Nothing goes faster than the career of a high school athlete. As many kids have said to me over the years, “you think you have all this time then you blink and it is all over.” That is true now more than ever. These student athletes never know when their seasons might get cut short again, but for now it seems like our old rituals are back and we can focus on the promise of the season ahead. Nate Lull is the sports director for WCDO in Sidney.
THURSDAY, September 2, 2021
A-8 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Rarely has the Baseball Hall of Fame lost so many legends in one year MEMORIAM/from Page A7 • Phil “Knucksie” Niekro, 81, a master practitioner of baseball’s mysterious knuckle ball pitch, was a regular fixture in Cooperstown in the years following his Hall of Fame induction in 1997. Niekro had a sincere appreciation for Cooperstown and could be frequently spotted at the Hawkeye Grill or Cooley’s Stone House Tavern. He had many friends in Cooperstown and he was one of the Hall of Famer’s selected — Cal Rpiken Jr. was the other one — to cut the cake at the Hall’s 75th Anniversary party in 2014. He was also a long-time member of the Hall’s Board of Directors. Niekro’s passing Dec. 26, brought the number of Hall of Fame members to die in a calendar year to a record number of seven. • It may have been a new year but the hits to the Hall kept coming with the passing of long-time Los Angeles Dodgers manager blue-blooded Tommy Lasorda on Jan. 7, 2021. Throughout his managerial career and afterwards, Lasorda was also known as a candid and outspoken television personality and commentator on all things baseball. Lasorda was inducted to the Hall of Fame with Niekro in 1997, tying them together in another way. • Like the Cardinals Brock and Simmons, Lasorda, and 16-year Dodgers’ hurler Don Sutton, 75, became back-to-back Hall of Fame teammates to pass within less than a month of each other when Sutton died on January 19, 2021. While no other member of the Hall of Fame has passed since Sutton, it’s been a long and painful couple of years since the baseball National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum community last convened in Cooperstown. Phil Niekro displays his Hall of Fame plaque Here’s hoping we make it through the year after his induction in 1997. with the Hall of Fame’s roster unscathed.
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Legal nOtice NOTICE OF PROPOSAL Parallel Towers III LLC proposes to build a 195-foot Self Support Communications Tower. Anticipated lighting application is medium intensity dual red/white strobes. The Site location is Tax ID 95.00-122.00; 42.730000, -75.084444, Hartwick, Otsego County, NY 13348, Lat: 42-43-48, Long: -75-05-04. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Antenna Structure Registration (ASR, Form 854) filing number is A1199157. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS – Interested persons may review the application (www.fcc.gov/asr/ applications) by entering the filing number. Environmental concerns may be raised by filing a Request for Environmental Review (www.fcc. gov/asr/environmentalrequest) and online filings are strongly encouraged. The mailing address to file a paper copy is: FCC Requests for Environmental Review, Attn: Ramon Williams, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554. Legal nOtice LEGAL NOTICE OF ESTOPPEL The bond resolution, a summary of which is published herewith, has been adopted on March 24, 2021, and the validity of the obligations authorized by such resolution may be hereafter contested only if such obligations were authorized for an object or purpose for which the City School District of
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the City of Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, is not authorized to expend money, or if the provisions of law which should have been complied with as of the date of publication of this notice were not substantially complied with, and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity is commenced within twenty days after the date of publication of this notice, or such obligations were authorized in violation of the provisions of the Constitution. A proposition with respect to the bond resolution was approved by the qualified voters on May 18, 2021.
THEREOF.
A complete copy of the resolution summarized herewith is available for public inspection during regular business hours at the Office of the School District Clerk for a period of twenty days from the date of publication of this Notice.
Filed with SSNY on 7/15/2021. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 110 Sidney Court Yorktown Heights NY 10598. Purpose: any lawful 6LegalSept.30
Dated: Oneonta, New York, August 26, 2021. Regina Raniei McGuinness Regina Raniei McGuinness, District Clerk BOND RESOLUTION DATED MARCH 24, 2021. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF SCHOOL BUSES FOR THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK, AT A MAXIMUM ESTIMATED COST OF $247,520, AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF $247,520 BONDS OF SAID SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PAY THE COST
Class of objects or purposes: Purchase of school buses, including incidental expenses in connection therewith. Period of probable usefulness: 5 years Maximum estimated cost: $247,520 Amount of obligations to be issued: Not exceeding $247,520 bonds Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Red Community LLC.
Legal nOtice Notice of Application for Authority of Together Agency LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of Wyoming on 8/16/21. 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 1580 N. Northwest Hwy, STE 120, Park Ridge, IL 60068. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.30 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Incor-
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poration Name: The Sweet Life Animal Rescue Inc. a non-Profit Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on June 15, 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.23 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: C & R LAND
Reggie Jackson
From left, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson and Frank Robinson spend time together at The Otesaga Resort Hotel in this undated photo from a previous Induction Weekend.
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HOLDINGS LLC.
Purpose: any lawful 6LegalSept.16
Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company
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
Oneonta, NY 13820. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. 6LegalSept.9
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TBUTLER HOLDINGS 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 365 Morton Rd, Cherry Valley, NY 13320. 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 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.
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: 4 E’s & AN S 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 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: 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 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 Legal nOtice
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 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 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of 364 Main Street Otego NY LLC 364 Main Street Otego NY LLC (the “LLC”) filed Articles of Organization with the New York Department of State on 7/29/2021. Office location: Otsego County. The New York Secretary of State is designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and is directed to forward service of process to 15 Main Street, East Worcester, NY 12064. Purpose: any lawful activity, 6LegalSept.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Allen Lake Rentals LLC Articles of Org. filed with SSNY on 6/14/2021.
Notice of Formation of RELIANCE WELD SERVICES, 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 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Knarich Family Farm LLC Filed 5/5/21 Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 1515 County Highway 12, Mount Vision, NY 13810 Purpose: all lawful 6LegalSept.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of DY NEURO MEDICINE LLC, Articles of Org. filed with Sec of State of NY 4/21/2021. Cty. Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 1 Carson Rd.,
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name:
Articles of Organization filed by the Department of State of New York on: 06/28/2021 Office location: County of Otsego Purpose: Any and all lawful activities Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: The LLC 722 County Rd. 2 Unadilla, NY 13849 6LegalSept.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of KNOTTED BIRCH HOME IMPROVEMENT, LLC 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
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-9
Otego residents lament loss of local bank as Community closes branch By KEVIN LIMITI Community Bank has closed its branch in Otego, the only bank in the town, much to the dismay of residents and local leaders. In a letter dated June 22, F.J. Buzz Hesse, chairman of the village of Otego Planning Board, Otego Mayor Ernest Kroll and Otego Town Supervisor Joseph Hurlburt asked Hal Wentworth, senior vice president of retail banking for Community Bank, to reconsider closing the branch. “The intended closing of the Otego branch of Community Bank N.A. will be extremely detrimental
to both the bank’s Otego customers and the village of Otego itself,” the letter said. “In your letter, you state that with the closing of the Otego Branch, Community Bank, N.A. will ‘remain highly committed to our communities’ and will ‘effectively provide services to our customers.’ Surely, you must see that closing of the Otego branch demonstrates exactly the opposite. There is no commitment by Community Bank, N.A. to the Otego community that can possibly be perceived with the removal of your services from our community.” Wentworth replied to this letter on
July 2, saying although Community does not take closing the branch lightly they see the change as necessary “given trends in retail branch transactions and shifting customer behaviors.” Wentworth also said customers can continue to use the branch in Oneonta, which he said was six miles away from the Otego branch. A call to Wentworth for further comment was not returned. Hulburt said he wasn’t optimistic about the prospect of Community Bank staying in Otego. “I think it’s a done deal,” Hulbert said. “I don’t think they’re going to change their minds.”
Hesse called the closing of the bank a great loss for the community and said Community Bank was not forthcoming with its response. “I think (the closing) is going to have a negative effect, not necessarily on the community bank’s financial situation,” Hesse said, who called the presence of the bank an asset to the community where the workers were personable and familiar with Otego residents. Hesse also said there had not been much communication from the bank after the letter was sent. “I know numerous people who
have made phone calls to the principal parties,” Hesse said, but there has been “no effort” made by Community Bank or Wentworth. He said the responses they got were “patronizing at best and certainly hypocritical.” Hesse said he knew many people would be stopping their service with Community Bank including himself. “It’s a loss to the community,” Hesse said. Community Bank will also be consolidating its branch on Main Street in Cooperstown to its location on Route 28 in the town of Otsego.
HOFer Jenkins will host Pathfinder event
Harvest helpers
STAFF REPORT
Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal
A display at The Farmers’ Museum in the town of Otsego highlights scarecrows and summer blooms.
On the 30th anniversary of his Hall of Fame induction, Fergie Jenkins will return to the Cooperstown area in support of some long-time Central New York friends. Jenkins will serve as the celebrity host for the Pathfinder Village Baseball Hall of Fame Golf Invitational on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at the Leatherstocking Golf Course in Cooperstown. As the master of ceremonies, Jenkins — a 1991 Hall of Fame inductee who won 284 games and the 1971 National League Cy Young Award over a 19-year big league career with the Phillies, Cubs, Rangers and Red Sox — will finish the 18th hole with each participant at the Wednesday, Sept. 15 event and serve as the speaker at that evening’s fundraiser dinner. The Pathfinder Village-Baseball Hall of Fame Golf Invitational will begin with a noon shotgun start and features a chance to win team prizes worth more than $6,500, with amateur foursomes playing a two-best ball round on one of the Northeast’s most storied courses. For more information go to pathfindervillage. org/get-involved/tournaments/golf-tournament. Proceeds from the event benefit Pathfinder Village located in nearby Edmeston, a residential community dedicated to children and adults with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. Golf events have been the major source for scholarship funds for Pathfinder residents and students since 1982 and directly help the Village’s 90-plus residents and students. More than $2.7 million has been raised for Pathfinder Village through the years.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
A-10 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Contributed photos
Pioneer Patio, left, was the Category I winner, while Pete and Judy Henrici won the Category II award for their house on Pioneer Street, right.
Clark Foundation announces Cooperstown Beautification Contest winners STAFF REPORT COOPERSTOWN — Jane Forbes Clark, president of The Clark Foundation, announced Tuesday, Aug. 25, the winners of the 2021 Clark Foundation Cooperstown Beautification Contest. Held annually since 1954, village residential and business properties are judged on their horticultural beautification efforts in three categories. “Over sixty years ago, my grandmother, Susan Vanderpoel Clark, founded the Cooperstown Beautification Contest to recognize the tremendous time and effort so many of our residents take to make our village look welcoming and beautiful,” Clark said. “She would be so happy that this wonderful tradition continues to make our village even more special.” The 2021 judge was Anthonie Nederhand from Whitesboro. Born in the Netherlands, he graduated from The Royal Horticulture University and started his career as a rose grower in Great Britain and Canada. He ultimately became a partner and corporate officer at Baker Greenhouses, Inc. in Utica. His lifelong experience in the field of horticulture has continued for the past 16 years as an employee of the Express Seed Company in product development. Most Attractive Floral Display in a Business Setting was won by Richard and Kathryn Busse for their Pioneer Patio at 46 Pioneer St. “The abundant display of beautiful calibrachoa baskets and window
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boxes of complimentary blooms and accent plants draws you into a forgotten back alley,” Nederhand said. “An impressive dedication and commitment to maintaining plant material is evident.” Hard Ball Café on Main Street and Slices/Inside Scoop Ice Cream won second and third place, respectively. Most Effective Overall Planting Which Enhances a Residential Property, As Seen from the Street was won by Peter and Judith Henrici at 92½ Pioneer St. “This well-manicured front yard beautifully combines annual blooms with the existing perennial beds,” Nederhand said. “The inclusion of tropical plants on the front porch draws your eye to the house and adds additional interest and detail to the floral display.” Shawnee and Dana Sanders and James and Eileen Anania won second and third place, respectively. Most Appropriate Residential or Business Window Box or Boxes was won by Richard and Barbara Havlick at 94 Fair St. “Nice use of perennial plantings and well-maintained, colorful window boxes stretching to the sky – a perfect complement to the home and a beautiful view from the road,” Nederhand said. Robert Birch won second place and Anthony and Theresa Casale won third place. Winners received a $1,000 award for first place; second place $750; third place $500.00; and $400 for honorable mentions in each category.
Contributed
Richard and Barbara Havlick won the Category III award, for planters, for their house on Fair Street.
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Serving you for over 70 years! Online Restaurant Curbside Delivery Catering Gift Shop Sauce Production
Thank you for your patronage! www.brooksbbq.com 607-432-1782 5560 NY Rte 7 Oneonta
Join the Rothenberger Road to Brewery Ommegang presents Recovery Run in memory of Lucas the first BriteVibes Beer Festival. Rothenberger, for those who have The festival will feature more than lost a loved one to addiction, and to 30 breweries from around Upstate help raise awareness of the realities offering free samples of their products. of recovery from addiction. The event There will also be live music will feature a 1K fun run/walk, a 5K throughout the day, experiential color run/walk, and a 10K race. There exhibitors, artisan vendors, food will also be a virtual option. trucks and more. This event is only for This event is open to the whole people 21 and older. General admisfamily, children will be able to play in sion is $75 for the whole day. There Neahwa Park where there will be fun is a designated driver option for $50, and music. The run will be followed which will not have access to the beer by a post-race celebration with food, tastings or other alcohol. As always, refreshments, music and an awards use your best judgement and drive ceremony. Cost is $30 for safely. From 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., the 10K on the day of, $25 things Saturday, Sept. 4, at Brewery for the 5K, and $20 for the to do! Ommegang at 656 County 1K. The first 200 to register Route 33 in Middlefield. will receive a t-shirt and Call 607-544-1800 or visit a bracelet. All events will ommegang.com/event/britebegin and end in Neahwa vibes-festival/ for more Park in Oneonta. Day of information. registration is from 7:30 to • 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 4. Commemorate the 20th Call 607-267-4435 or visit anniversary of 9/11 with rothenbergerrun.itsyourrace. Otsego County Responders Larissa Ryan com for more information. and public figures. Will open • with flag-raising ceremony, Celebrate Labor Day weekend a capella group singing ‘God Bless with a performance from the Oneonta America,’ followed by a 5K and a 10K Community Concert Band. They run/walk. All ages, fitness levels, and will be performing “Music from the experience are welcome. Cost is $20 Hills,” which will include show tunes, with all proceeds going to the Stephen marches, folk music and more. This Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. is an outdoor concert, so bring lawn Begins and ends at the Fly Creek chairs. This free concert is supported Volunteer Fire Department, 832 Co. by the American Federation of Hwy. 26, Fly Creek. 9 a.m. Saturday, Musicians Local 443. Performance Sept. 4. For info: 607-547-5469. is at 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 5, on the Pavilion in Wilber Park in Oneonta. ►ON THE COVER For info: 607-376-7485 or Oneonta Musicians Association AFM 443 on Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Facebook. Photo by Tara Barnwell •
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Summer Dreams B-3
Cheryl Clough
Hall of Famers applaud 2015 inductees Jeff Bagwell, right, and Ivan Rodriguez during their Induction Ceremony.
Inside the Induction: Since 9/11 attacks, guarding baseball’s legends, fans, has become top priority for Hall, local officials By GREG KLEIN As with a lot of things in America, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Induction Weekend changed 20 years ago, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “Before, at Induction, you were thinking, ‘what if someone has a heart attack out here in the field?’ Suddenly, you had to think about a lot more things that could go wrong,” said Otsego County Board of Representatives Chair Dave Bliss. “Obviously, you have seen snipers on the rooftops, at The Clark Sports Center, and in the village on Main Street,” he said. “The FBI, the State Police, the Sheriff’s Department and the village police are all involved.” Before he was a county representative, Bliss was the town supervisor in Middlefield, where the Induction Weekend has taken place since 1992. He said the prep for each year’s event is led by the Hall, with heavy input from law enforcement. However, local officials are involved, too, he said. “I just talked with the Hall people (Thursday),” he said. “EMS, of course, and E-911 were involved.” Bliss said some of the matters were confidential, with the intent being a safe, incident-free ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 8.
“There are some things we discussed that I don’t know if I can say and there are some things we discussed that I don’t know if I should say,” he said. “There’s a lot of security and logistics where it is information I don’t think people would want out there.” Police from the state, county and Cooperstown will be directing traffic and keeping pedestrians safe most of the day Wednesday as crowds swell inside the village and then make the trek down Susquehanna Avenue to the Clark Sports Center. At 1:30 p.m., Baseball Writers’ Association of America selections Derek Jeter and Larry Walker, and Modern Era Committee selections Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller will be inducted in a ceremony projected to last about three hours. A year after the 2020 Induction was canceled, the mid-week, oneday 2021 event took form in June, as the coronavirus pandemic began to wane and vaccinations began to increase. Originally, the 2021 induction was envisioned as a television event, filmed from a top-secret studio location. The June announcement left the Hall’s Awards Presentation on its original Saturday, July 24, and it took place at The Glimmerglass Festival in Springfield Center. See Hall, Page B4
B-4 Summer Dreams
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Federal, state and local law enforcement officials coordinate for every Induction HALL/Continued from Page B3 However, Hall officials expressed hope a ticket-only, limited-seating Induction Ceremony could take place outdoors in September. As pandemic rules loosened statewide, the original small ceremony expanded to become a normal event and the plan has not contracted, even in the face of a spreading Delta variant of the virus. In June, Hall officials said the Wednesday date, midweek and at the start of the Jewish high holidays, was one of a limited two or three days that worked for the rescheduled event. No other options were on weekend days, and no options were as attractive as Sept. 8, they said. Rescheduling involved Hall officials, the existing Hall of Famers, the inductees and their families and state and local officials. Although the village will not host its normal activities this year, including awards presentation and Saturday evening Parade of Legends on Main Street, village officials
are still involved in the event planning. The village Board of Trustees approved the annual closing of Main Street from Chestnut to Fair, to allow pedestrian traffic to spread out on Main. The closures this year will be Tuesday and Wednesday. Cooperstown Central School will not be in session Wednesday and nearby Milford Central School will send its students home midday to avoid post-induction traffic. Bliss said county employees will mostly work from home, although the state courts will be in session and many county workers will have to report to the county’s Cooperstown and Middlefield offices. Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh said the Induction prep is normally a paint-by-numbers affair, but the change in schedule has complicated a busy week, when parents and kids are focused on backto-school issues. “It is kind of a well-oiled machine with the Hall taking lead on it,” she
said. “The difference this year is it is midweek, of course, and several events have either already taken place or been cancelled.” One aspect of the village planning that few people realized is the anti-terrorism prep that state and federal officials do to make sure Cooperstown is not hit by an attack. The Saturday parade is a good example. In the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, village officials started removing trash cans from Main Street before the parades to limit potential bomb locations. In 2019, the village upgraded to hightech trash cans that can be emptied and locked before events to prevent an attack. With the parade canceled, the trash cans are unobstructed, but merchants will hope the streets will still be full. Hall officials have said they don’t know what to expect, attendance wise, for this year’s induction. The pre-coronavirus predictions were Jeter’s Induction could rival the 2007
Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal
The village of Cooperstown’s new high-tech garbage cans can be locked to ensure no one can place bombs in them during the Legend’s Parade or during other Hall of Fame activities. Previously, village officials removed trash cans before the annual parade. With no parade this year, the trash cans will be open for business, according to local officials.
Induction of Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn, which drew an estimated 82,000 fans. No one is expecting that many fans Wednesday. Local officials said they have been told to prepare for 30,000 to 50,000, but those are vague estimates. A good or bad weather day, a good or bad week of Delta variant news could change things. Jeter being a New York hero means many of his fans can make day trips and can decide to drive to Cooperstown at the last minute, meaning late-breaking factors could play a bigger role for Jeter’s fanbase than, say, Larry Walker’s Colorado fans. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the MLB Network and MLB.com, as will a day-after Legends of the Game Roundtable. The Roundtable is usually a ticketed event held at Doubleday Field, but this year’s event will be without a crowd and only available for viewing online or on TV, Hall officials said.
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Summer Dreams B-5
Staff Picks
Our best bets for local activities Larissa Ryan Business Manager Family Farm Day in Otsego County After being cancelled in 2020, Family Farm Day returned last weekend. I spent about half my Saturday driving around the county visiting farms, getting lost and learning about the local agricultural industry. One of the popular farms was Hulse Hill Farm. They had a food truck, are located right on Route 28 to the west of Cooperstown and had a whole bunch of animals for everyone to see. My favorites were the Cashmere goats, the Silkie chickens and Bella, the Tamworth pig, who was wandering the property trying to ignore the crowds of people. They had samples of cashmere yarn, made from wool of the cashmere goats, which was produced into scarves and shawls. There were even fabric kits available at the farm stand for the crafty people among us. After Hulse Hill, I got a bit lost and instead of visiting farms, kept driving north until I found a road I recognized. From there I found a few more farms, which I had not visited in the 2019 Family Farm Day. One was Home Roots Farm northwest of Otsego Lake. They had beautiful mums for sale, decorative chili plants and a ton of tomatoes available. You could see where they grew the tomatoes, as well as a huge variety of other vegetables and flowers. It’s enough to make any backyard gardener jealous. They also kept chickens, from the classic Barred Rock and Buff Orpingtons, to a tiny and beautiful Sebright bantam. My final stop for this year was at Dreamweaver Farm in Richfield Springs, a new addition to Family Farm Day. It was up the road
from Home Roots farm and specialized in beef, grains and purple cauliflower. I got a good look at their farm store. If you want to go for a short drive through Otsego County you can stop by for honey, locally raised beef and other products at this local farm. As always, Family Farm Day is one of my favorite local events and this year did not disappoint. I look forward to purchasing produce from the farms for the rest of the year and returning for tours when the day rolls around again. Family Farm Day www.cceschoharieotsego.org/family-farm-day Tara Barnwell Publisher Glimmerglass Queen One of my favorite fall activities is to take a tour on the Glimmerglass Queen in mid-October as close to the last tour that they offer. The Queen is a boat that takes you on a beautiful 45-minute trip around Lake Otsego. Summertime rides are great, but the fall tours are the best because the oranges, reds, and golden leaf colors reflect on the quiet waters of the lake. This time of year is when I always remind myself of what a beautiful area we live in and how lucky we are to be surrounded by this natural landscape. Often, I sit atop the Queen and gaze into the hills, totally relaxed. After the boat ride, we usually go to the Lake Front Restaurant for an early dinner. This isn’t a strenuous fall adventure but it is certainly one of the best! Glimmerglass Queen 10 Fair St., Coooperstown www.cooperstownlakefronthotel.com/boat-tours 607-547-9511, ext. 247
Kevin Limiti Reporter Rail Explorers Rail Explorers are something new to the area and absolutely worth looking into if you want some light exercise combined with a scenic route on the old railroad in Milford. The Rail Explorers is one of only a handful in the entire country. It works like a bicycle in which a group of either two or four peddle to keep the cart moving on the rail tracks. If you work particularly hard, you’ll be rewarded with butterflies in your stomach. The ride is not super intense just as long as the main operator of the cart keeps working; if they slack off, the rest of the passengers will have to work extra hard. My father and I did the Rail Explorers while he was visiting and we both agreed it was a ton of fun and quite an interesting experience. They book up pretty quickly so I recommend planning ahead. This is a great group activity in the outdoors. Rail Explorers 136 E Main Street Milford 877-833-8588 Danielle Crocco Marketing Consultant Great New York State Fair Having lived in Raleigh, North Carolina almost my whole life, going to the North Carolina State Fair was something I had done for as long as I can remember. I was excited when I found out that the Great New York State Fair wasn’t too far from where I live now. I was eager to see how it compared to the N.C. State Fair. The first thing I noticed was how organized the parking was. Once you parked, you got on a short bus ride that brought you
right to the main entrance of the fair. The first thing I ate was sausage and peppers. Then I made my way to the Hollywood Racing Pigs, which I hadn’t seen before. It was a short but good show! The vendors were spaced six feet or more apart and there were not as many rides as the N.C. State Fair because of COVID restrictions. I saw an advertisement for a barbecue sundae. I got that but with beef brisket instead of pork. There was cornbread on the bottom layered
with pit beans, mashed potatoes, beef brisket and topped with cole slaw and a cherry tomato. So good! The wine slushies were also amazing and refreshing since it was in the 80s. I made a mistake and had no cash, so there were a few food items I wanted to try, but was unable to sample. The Great New York State Fair is definitely something to go experience! Great New York State Fair 581 State Fair Blvd Syracuse
VILLAGE OF COOPERSTOWN TROLLEY ADVERTISING
The Village of Cooperstown is happy to announce that we are offering Advertising Panels on the Village Trolleys for businesses and non-profits. The cost for the ad is $585 per year for a 24x40 exterior trolley advertisement that will be placed on one of three trolleys. Order now for the 2022 season and any time remaining in 2021 will be included. Advertising space is limited and will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. The design, production, and installation of ads are at the cost of the advertiser. We can recommend sign companies that have created trolley advertising panels in the past. Please contact us for the correct dimensions and material specifications. The location of the discretion of the Village. ATTENTION: The advertiser is responsible for all costs associated with installation and removal, in addition to any damage caused by the removal of panels. We will do our best to insure your ad remains in good condition. However, we cannot be responsible for normal wear and tear, abuse or theft, which is beyond our control. Please contact the Village of Cooperstown for more information at 607-547-2411, Monday- Friday, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Thursday, September 2, 2021
B-6 Summer Dreams
Burlington artist to give talk
Tom SHELBY The DOG CHARMER
Stories from a working dog’s life My two working dogs were Michelle and Mike, both Dobermans. Michelle found two people alive and some not alive. Mike tracked a woman 11 miles. They were search and rescue dogs. Readers, as you’re reading this you are dropping about 40 thousand dead skin cells a minute. You and I have about five million olfactory cells in our noses, Michelle had more than 200 million. The part of a dog’s brain that discerns what the smells are is about 40 times larger than a human’s, relatively speaking. When a person walks into a room and smells a chocolate cake in the making, your dog is aware of all the ingredients in the cake. When your dog smells where another dog peed, she knows the age, sex and health of the other dog. When you come home and your dog smells your pants, she knows where you were, who you touched and what you ate. It was Mark Twain who said, “If dogs could talk, no one would own them!” I should also mention what you can hear at 25 yards, your dog can hear at 100 yards. All my searches were memorable, but I’ll just mention the highlights of several. A father of two young children took a walk in the afternoon and didn’t return. By the time I was called, it was about 10 p.m. The house was filled with neighbors trying to help. I needed a clean scent article, something only touched by the father. He was a religious Jew, and the only reliably clean scent article was his prayer shawl at the top of a closet. Standing right next to the mother and two children, so Michelle could eliminate them as needed to be found in case they had touched the shawl, I scented her off it. She picked up his track on the door stoop (dropping all those skin cells every step) and headed to the right. I had her on a 40-ft leash attached to a harness. If she pulls hard that tells me she’s on his track. After more than an hour of tracking him through the suburban neighborhood, she took me into the middle of a street, and lost the track. That had me thinking he got picked up by a car. I went back to the house and restarted her, leaving the house, but this time going to the left, to let her air scent, off-leash, as the breeze was coming from that direction. A half hour later I was in a park when Michelle’s neon glow ring which was on
her neck, so I could see her movements in the dark started darting around instead of walking. She had picked up the scent! A few minutes later she came back and led me to him. He was lying on his back with a plastic bag over his face. It was now about 4 a.m. in November, and between the cold and my exhaustion, I was initially freaked out, thinking I was looking at some kind of alien, until I realized it was a plastic bag on his face. The cop with me said, “How come you’re acting so happy and giving the dog treats when we got a dead body?” “We found him because of the dog, she needs to be heavily rewarded!” was my answer. Next was the awful task of telling a wife and two kids of the find. Over my objections, it was ruled a suicide. Who kills themselves with a plastic bag? Once, during a bad snow storm in New Jersey, Michelle and a bloodhound were interested in a particular tree, but conditions were so bad at that point the search was called off until the blizzard abated. When we returned to continue the search we went to that tree to start, and the missing lady was a suicide hanging high in the tree. After that I made sure to include hiding up high in trees as part of the training regimen. We got a call about 8 p.m. for a missing lady. She and her husband were arguing about directions, at which point the husband said to the wife, “OK, you drive!” When she got out of the car, he drove off (to punish her?) and came back five minutes later to pick her up. But she was nowhere to be found, and the husband swore she had to have been kidnapped. I scented Mike off the car seat and he picked up her track immediately, which resulted in me being dragged 11 miles to her home. The wife was so angry she hid when the husband came back for her, and then proceeded to walk the 11 miles to her home. At least that one had a happy ending … well, a reasonably happy ending! Tom Cooperstown author Tom Shelby, also known as the Dog Charmer, will answer pet owners questions on training their dogs. Email your questions to dogsrshelby@msn.com.
Local artist Tom Nussbaum will present an Artist’s Talk at the Art Garage at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 3, at 689 Beaver Meadow Road near Cooperstown. Nussbaum’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country and internationally. Nussbaum has worked creatively since childhood. This show represents six decades of his work, beginning with the toys he invented in 1962 at age nine, and continues with a variety of colorful figurative and abstract work to his current series of inventive sculptures. Originally from Minnesota, Nussbaum is now based in Burlington Flats and East Orange. The show runs parallel to “The East Orange NJ Black Lives Matter Project” in the middle bay. That show features a five-minute documentary trailer about the creation of a 9,000 square foot mural, as well as artwork by five of the muralists, all women, who hail from the Newark area. The shows are open Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (except Labor Day weekend, when they will be closed). Or text or phone call: 315-941-9607.
Kaplan2104-B&BFreeman3.73_qr 8/23/21 11:07 AM Page 1
FRIDAY, SEPT 3, 7:30 P.M., SATURDAY, SEPT 4, 7:30 P.M SUNDAY MATINEE, SEPT 5, 2:00 P.M.
Once Again, Live Classical Music for Virtuosic and Intimate Pleasure featuring
THE MILLENNIUM STRINGS OF MAGIC MOUNTAIN MUSIC FARM
I don’t recognize you as one of us.
Welcome to The Final Concerts of the 28 year Series of SUMMERMUSIC CONCERTS
Are you kidding? I’m Charles Ives.
at
The First Presbyterian Church Gilbertsville, NY on Rte. 51
The three completely different programs are FREE TO THE PUBLIC and include works by J.S. Bach, Amy Beach, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Faure, Franck, Koussevitzky, Misek, Piazzolla & Sarasate THE SUMMERMUSIC 2021 concert programs are made possible with public funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Opera House Earlville. This event is also made possible with funds from voluntary offerings by the audience each night.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CALL 607-263-2304 or email us at musicfarm@mindspring.com MASKS ARE REQUIRED
_______
Thursday, September 2, 2021
what’s fun in OtsegO COunty
►ThursDAY, Sept. 2
New York STATE FAIR – From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. A 13day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education and technology. At the Great New York State Fairgrounds, 581 State Fair Blvd. in Syracuse. For info: 315-487-7711 or visit nysfair.ny.gov.
►Friday, Sept. 3 VOICES OF THE GAME – At 2 p.m. Listen to Gene Clines of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who is one of four surviving players of the Pittsburgh team that made history with the first all-Black line-up in MLB. Clines will discuss the significance of the line-up, his 10-year career as a player, and his work as a highly respected batting coach. Free, registration for Zoom required. Presented by The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. For info: 607-547-7200. EXHIBIT TOUR – At 2 p.m. Visit the Haudenosaunee cultural center at the reproduction Mohawk bark house and original Seneca log house for interactive exploration with a museum teacher. Meet at the kiosk. Fenimore Art Museum, 5798 State Route 80, Otsego. For info: 607-547-1400. WRITERS GROUP – At 6:30 p.m. Come practice and share your creative writing with a supportive group. Enjoy the fellowship, snacks and meet other local writers. Springfield Library, 129 County Route 29A in Springfield Center. For info: 315-858-5802.
►Saturday, Sept. 4 ART EXHIBIT – From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. View works in exhibits ‘Tom Nussbaum: Art & Objects, 1962-2021;’ and ‘The East Orange NJ BLM Project’. At The Art Garage, 689 Beaver Meadow Rd. in Middlefield. For info: 607-547-5327. LIFESKILLS – From 4 to 6 p.m. Teens are invited to learn to cook with Lynn. Menu posted to FB. Seating limited, reservations required. Presented by The Oneonta Teen Center. At 50 Dietz St. in Oneonta. For
info: 607 441 3999. MOVIE NIGHT – At 7 p.m. Join the Richfield Springs Library and the Community Center for a showing of ‘Scoob!’ At Richfield Springs Community Center, 6 Ann St. in Richfield Springs. For info: 315-858-0230.
Summer Dreams B-7
►Saturday, Sept. 11 FAMILY DAY – From 10
a.m. to Noon. Family fun all morning with the Springfield Historical Society. At Springfield
Library, 129 County Route 29A in Springfield Center. 315-858-5802.
It’s time! Chenango County has what you’ve been waiting for.
BACK & BETTER THAN EVER! SATURDAY 9/11/21 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM SUNDAY 9/12/21 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
►SunDay Sept. 5 ART EXHIBIT – From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stop by or make an appointment to view works in exhibits ‘Tom Nussbaum: Art & Objects, 1962-2021.’ See Saturday listing.
Colorscape Chenango is a free juried exhibition of art and fine crafts in an interactive atmosphere featuring artist demonstrations, literary, dance, music and arts activities for all ages; student art exhibit; and creative food vending. Entertainment on three stages.
►TuesDAY, Sept. 7 LAKEFRONT CONCERT – From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Come out to Lakefront Concert Series. This week enjoy a performance of local favorite, Hanzolo. In Cooperstown.
►WedNESDAY, Sept. 8 TRAP SHOOT – At 1 and 6 p.m. Bring your shotgun and shells for fun trapshoot. Weather permitting. Cost, $1/round. Follow all firearm regulations. Crumhorn Rod & Gun Club, 574 Crumhorn Lake Rd. in Maryland. For info: 607-638-9379.
►Friday, Sept. 10 SENIOR PAINTING – From 1 to 3 p.m. Seniors aged 60 and older and a guest are invited for a guided paint by the lake event. Supplies and refreshments will be provided. RSVP by Sept. 8. Presented by the Otsego County Office for the Aging. At Gilbert Lake State Park, 18 CCC Rd. in Laurens. For info: 607-547-4397. SUMMER CONCERT SERIES – At 6 p.m. Get ‘The Full Clarke Experience’ with an evening concert of flute and violin music from the Halls archives. Also, enjoy a dinner in the dining room featuring recreated dishes from the time, formal attire required. Cost for dinner & concert, $295. Cost for concert only, $20/adult. Hyde Hall, 267 Glimmerglass State Park Rd. in Springfield. For info: 607-547-5098.
2021 P E R F O R M E R S • N BT M A I N S TAG E
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
10:00......LJ Gates 10:45.......Opening Ceremony 11:00 .......Mustard’s Retreat 12:00 ......The Kennedys 1:00.........Vance Gilbert 2:15 .........Shanelle Gabrielle, Actor, Poet & Educator 2:30 ........Prof. Louie & the Crowmatix with the Woodstock Horns 4:00........The Slambovian Circus of Dreams
11:00 .......Answer the Muse 12:00 ......Alisa Amador 12:45 .......Shanelle Gabrielle, Actor, Poet & Educator 1:00.........The Kennedys 2:00........Bob Malone 3:30 ........The Slambovian Circus of Dreams
PLUS entertainment all weeked long on Peggy’s Stage & the Art Zone Stage!
Times are approximate. Subject to change without notice.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
info@colorscape.org • www.colorscape.org PO Box 624, Norwich, NY 13815 • 607-336-FEST Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival is made possible in part by the Broome, Chenango & Otsego Decentralization Program, administered by the Earlville Opera House and made possible by the NewYork State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Legislature.
Moving CHENANGO Forward facebook.com/ChenangoTourism
@CmrceChenango
www.visitchenango.com/events/ or call 607-334-1400
®NYSDED
Thursday, September 2, 2021
B-8 Summer Dreams
A Perfect Day on Otsego Lake The Blue Mingo Grill Lake Otsego’s only open-air lakeside dining spot offers creative grill cuisine on its Adirondack porches at the water’s edge. Inspired by a multitude of international cuisines, the Blue Mingo Offers an eclectic menu that The New York Times has calleD “the area’s most interesting dishes.” dinner reservations recommended (607) 547-7496
Sam Smith’s Boat Rentals
Spend some quality time on the lake in a rental boat at Sam Smith’s. .ZWU SIaIS[ KIVWM[ IVL Å[PQVO JWI\[ \W TIZOM IVL [UITT XWV\WWV JWI\[ ZMV\IT[ IZM available by the hour to a full day. Call for reservations (607) 547- 2581
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The Mingo Market a contemporary take on the classic country store, with a unique and wide-ranging offering of authentic products and provisions from around the world and around the corner. From gourmet foods, take-out lunches and locally-sourced grocery items and produce to kitchen and entertaining essentials, pet and garden supplies, treats for \PM SQL[ ]VQY]M KTW\PQVO TWIL[ WN PIZL \W ÅVL Q\MU[ IVL U]KP U]KP UWZM
All at one lakeside location 2 1/2 miles north of cooperstown on west lake road, 6098 state highway 80 general information: 607-547-2543 www.bluemingogrill.com