Upstate Life - Spring 2022

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SPRING 2022

Starry-Eyed Summer Fun Feeling on Top of the World: Delhi Woman Takes Yoga to New Heights

rtisans bound at Revived Afton Festival

Spring into Spring Clearing

AND MORE!

Upstate Life Magazine, Winner, New York State Associated Press Association First-Place Award for Specialty Publications, is published by: The Daily Star, 102 Chestnut St., Oneonta, NY 13820 © 2022 - All rights reserved.

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On the cover

ALLISON COLLINS

Yogis stretch in their silks during aerial yoga, one of dozens of classes taught at the festival.

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| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

EDITOR’S CORNER I can never quite pick a favorite season (though winter doesn’t even enter the running).

Every summer, I think that’s it; fall, the same. But spring, and especially this spring, brings with it a special kind of hope. It’s hard to see those brave first daffodils or tulips and not be gladdened.

This spring, school kids got to take off their masks and, in businesses, too, pandemic-related restrictions are lessening. Local infection rates are (at the time of writing, anyway …) low, and this timing seems fitting as the natural world brightens and livens.

This spring-y edition of Upstate Life offers ways to venture out, eat fresh, get clean and feel good during the coming months.

Find in these pages ways to detoxify your home cleaning routine while decluttering and reviving domestic spaces. As thecleaningauthority.com notes, “spring cleaning started as a way to clean away winter’s mess (because) … homes were heated by fires and doors were kept shut tight to keep the warm air in. This, of course, led to soot and grime accumulating.” Though this need for seasonal cleaning has faded, the urge persists, because, as the site states, “studies show a clean home makes people happier (and) cleaning can give a sense of satisfaction that puts you in a good mood.”

Find, too, a recipe using some of the season’s first and freshest offerings and a clever, crafty way to repurpose piling-up glass bottles. And, with the world waking up, it’s a great time to get moving. A hike at Kaatskill Falls, as highlighted in this edition’s Geology Corner, makes a picturesque, active trek; stargazing sites promise a bright time; the second annual Catskill Mountain Yoga Festival, happening later this year in Roxbury, is a great chance for the whole family to flex; and returning Otsego Dance Society contra dances promise accessible fun for all ages.

Hopefully this spring finds you invigorated, and the ideas and adventures featured within this edition match that feeling.

Allison Collins

SPRING 2022

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VOLUME 16

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ISSUE 2

5 8 Starry-Eyed Summer Fun 10 Artisans Abound at Revived Afton Festival Contra Dances Return, Promise Folksy Fun in Fly Creek

Contents

12 14 Beer Bottle Candle Craft

Cookin’ with Collins Spring Salad with Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette

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16 Art Meets Pastoral: 20 Performance ‘The Visionary’ Brings Theater Upstate 24 Spring into Spring Clearing

Feeling on Top of the World: Delhi Woman Takes Yoga to New Heights

The Olds Walls Talk: Oneonta’s Grafitti Wall at Crash Corner

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| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

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28 Geology Day Trip: Two Streams, 30 ‘Frozen in Time’ Business Directory 31 Meet the Locals

Contra Dances Return, Promise Folksy Fun in Fly Creek

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We’re trying to keep an American dance form alive with these dances and we think it’s very important for now, because every generation is split by the music they listen to and the clothing they wear, but this is for everybody.”

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

BY ALLISON COLLINS

fter a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus, the Otsego Dance Society is finding its groove again.

The group is relaunching its monthly contra dance series this spring and summer from Cornfield Hall in Fly Creek, a new time and location.

Society president and Oneonta resident Chris Burrington, 69, said contra dances have long been the group’s focus.

“March 2020 was our last dance, so we were anxious to get it up and running again,” she said. “The (society’s) contra dance started in 1985, but as a group we were a nonprofit institution in 1988, so we’ve been dancing since 1988. There were some women up in Cooperstown that got together and had experience dancing in bigger cities and said, ‘Why can’t we have that right in our towns?’ That’s one of the main reasons I can get a grant; because we’re a rural community and we need activities to bring us together.”

Dancing Down the Line The folk dances, Burrington and longtime society musician Peter Blue said, are centuries old.

“It did come with the colonists, and it was granges and places like that that would have dances, because they had the floor,” Burrington, 69, said. “I’ve read that it was a very popular form of dancing until like the ‘20s, when more couples dancing came in. We’re trying to keep an American dance form alive with these dances and we think it’s very important for now, because every generation is split by the music they listen to and the clothing they wear, but this is for everybody.”

“There’s some debate over how it survived, but it survived in pockets of New England and, in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s back-to-the-land movement and the hippies, they discovered the old dances,” Blue, 67, who has handled music and sound for the Otsego County group for roughly 40 years, said. “The time was right for a revival of interest in traditional music, and it was the TikTok of the day; it was cool to do something traditional.”

Contra dancing, Burrington and Blue said, is related to line or square dancing, but more user-friendly.

“It started in England and really it’s based on English country dancing, and the French named it contra dancing because (‘contra’) means opposite and that’s what it is, long lines of couples facing one another and dancing down the line,” Burrington said. “We have a caller, and he teaches a sequence of figures – there are six to 12 figures – and this is where you swing, do a gypsy, take somebody’s hand – then that sequence is repeated down the line.

“They’re different figures, and that’s why it is very unlike square dancing, because you have to go take lessons (for square dancing) and whoever knows it can get up and dance, but otherwise you’re lost,” she continued. “With contra dance, the caller always has a walkthrough and he teaches it. It’s mainly walking or swinging and there are no special swing dances, so it’s very accessible to the public, and the music is so interesting to listen to – it’s got Irish-Scottish origins, with Appalachian and Cajun music.”

“I started doing dances like 40 years ago,” Blue, an Oneonta resident, said. “My wife was living near Boston and said, ‘Would you like to go to a dance?’ and I said, ‘I don’t like dances, I can’t dance and I don’t like people, but OK, I’ll go’ and there was dancing and people and I had a good time. I got really interested in calling dances, so the way I learned was to go to dances.

“Around here, there was square dancing and it’s got a lot of the same figures and the same tunes and melodies,” he continued. “There’s a formula of the tune – it’s got 64 counts and it repeats after 64 – so it’s very predictable and there’s not a lot of figures, so it’s accessible.

Within a half an hour or with no instruction, you can have a good time at a contra dance. If you can walk, you can dance, and it is mostly walking at a predetermined tempo.”

Traditional Tunes Burrington and Blue said music, but specifically live music, is at the heart of contra dancing.

“At our dances, (Blue) plays some really interesting instruments,” Burrington said, noting his prowess on the nyckelharpa, button accordion, Swedish string instrument and Irish bodhran drum. “It’s Irish jigs and reels and very lively. ä SPRING 2022 | UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | 5

That’s important; the music is always live, because, with beginners, the caller can see what kind of audience he has and he can alter the dances so they’re easier and the musicians can play the music slower. They can alter things to make it more accessible.”

“I think it’s crucial,” Blue said. “I can’t think of any regular dances that use recorded music as a regular feature. Contra dancing these days is almost always to live music. During the pandemic, there was a bunch of online live music so people could dance in their living rooms. For me, it lacked the spark that makes contra dancing enjoyable: the community of people getting together that kind of live in the same area, because you need that in order to have a local dance. There’s a symbiosis that happens between the musicians and the caller and the dancers that makes it more enjoyable for everyone. If you play a fiddle tune, it’s a nice fiddle tune, but if you play the same tune to a room full of dancers, there’s a different energy and the percussion of people’s feet.

“The music itself is based in the Irish-Scottish-Appalachian-Celtic tradition and I play mostly the northern Quebecois French Canadian or New England stuff,” he continued. “There’s people composing new dances and new melodies and the figures of contra dance have evolved quite a bit to make it more active than it was when I first started, but there are dances that we still do that were done hundreds of years ago.”

Family-Friendly Figures Contra dancing’s accessibility, Burrington and Blue said, makes for broad dancer demographics.

“We don’t really have a membership, because it’s open to the public, but we have about … 85 people that we get in touch with, but we want the public to come,” Burrington said. “It’s a community dance. It’s mainly Otsego County (residents), but we do get people from Utica, Binghamton and Albany. And it’s a mix; children are invited and we include the kids, too, because it makes things easier for them to dance, and we do get teenagers, sometimes. We have a mix of ages, but I would say it’s predominantly older people. We want to start getting young families.

“We make sure, when we go to the dances, that we involve everybody,” she continued. “There’s more inclusiveness and we ask people to dance that we know are new and, if they came with somebody else, we try to split them up because everybody is supposed to switch. And we just say, ‘leaders/followers,’ we don’t say, ‘men/women.’”

“There’s a non-sexualized touching and physical contact with others which is unusual in our society,” Blue said. “And there’s, in Otsego Dance Society, people that genuinely like each other, so it’s gone on monthly, mostly, until COVID, because people like to see each other. A dance tradition – any kind of dance, but especially a vernacular dance – has to evolve to speak to the culture it finds itself in, otherwise people won’t come. You get there and you dance and people are chatting … and it is as much a social event as a dance. There’s something about a community dance where people get together from all walks of life.”

Tickets to contra dances, happening the first Friday of each month, May through September, Burrington said, are $8 for adults and half price for students; family prices cap at $20 and kids are free. Admission, she noted, goes toward paying the caller.

For more information, find “Otsego Dance Society” on Facebook or visit otsegodancesociety.weebly.com. + 6

| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Time to Dance Retiming and relocating the dances to Fly Creek, Burrington said, was prompted by the pandemic.

“We’re going to see if people like this, dancing during the summer,” she said, noting that the dances were previously held in fall, winter and spring. “I wanted to get the Cornfield Hall because, for years, we’ve either danced at the Farmers’ Museum or the First Presbyterian church hall (in Cooperstown) and now we’ve moved, because we feel, with the pandemic, a lot of people find dancing so close a safety issue. We thought having it during the summer at this hall, with all the doors and windows open and modified dancing and not swinging so close, that people will feel safer dancing. The music is good, the lights are warm, people are dancing and kids are running around; it’s just a nice thing to do on a Friday.

“We’re committed to bringing it back and we’re going to find out this summer if it catches on again,” Burrington continued. “I really hope we can revive this. I’ve had people contacting me already asking, ‘What is the dance society going to do?’ and they’re thrilled to death that we’re coming back. People are anxious to come back to dance.”

Dances will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Cornfield Hall, 655 county Road 26, Fly Creek on the first Friday of the month, beginning in May. For more information, call 607-9658232 or 607-547-8164.

Dance dates: May 6 June 3 July 1 Aug. 5 Sept. 2 Dances, Burrington noted in a written statement, “are made possible with public funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, administered by the Earlville Opera House.”

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Starry-Eyed Summer Fun

A member of the public stargazes using the observatory’s six-foot super planetary refractor in this undated photo. | CONTRIBUTED

BY CAITLIN OGDEN

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s the chill of winter fades and springtime sounds signal the return of warmth to our northeastern home, many people’s thoughts turn to how to enjoy summer. Among the plans for sports and summer camps, outdoor concerts and trips to the lake, it can be easy to overlook one of the most beautiful and accessible (and free!) summer activities: stargazing.

Stargazing has been a human pastime since the earliest days.

People have used stars to navigate, worship and tell stories. And, of course, to simply enjoy and marvel at the vastness of the universe and contemplate our place in it.

Look to the Sky If you live, or travel, just a few minutes outside of the population centers of our area, there is little enough light pollution to see all the season’s constellations with the naked eye. While stargazing is possible year-round in clear weather, there’s something about laying out on a blanket in mid-summer.

To know what you are looking at, there are free computer programs and phone apps available to enhance your experience.

Stellarium is open-source planetarium software showing the night sky and identifying constellations anywhere in the world on any day. StarWalk is a free iPhone and Android app that lets you point your phone at any celestial body or constellation and identifies what you are looking at by the name of the star, planet or constellation. Perfect for settling arguments such as “Is that Venus, or an 8

| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

incoming airplane?”

If you live in town or in a city center, stargazing will be more difficult due to light pollution, but luckily, in our region, we have access to more than one observatory with public programming. In Otsego County, the State University of New York at Oneonta features an observatory used for college classes, independent research and public nights. According to the school’s website, the observatory boasts New York State’s largest optical telescope, as well as two observatory domes with 16-inch and 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes and several smaller telescopes. The school hosts monthly public observing nights, where the dome telescopes and refractor telescopes are made available, as well as binoculars. Visitors may also bring their own equipment. For dates, find the calendar at suny.oneonta.edu/collegeobservatory.

Astrological Adventures If you are up for a day (or night, as it were) trip out of the immediate area, the Kopernik Observatory in Vestal, New York is a worthy trip. Located atop a hill and out of range of Binghamton-area light pollution, the Kopernik is part observatory and part science center. From March to mid-December, every Friday night the Kopernik hosts programs covering varied scientific topics, and always ending (weather permitting) with public use of the observatory’s two dome telescopes and binoculars. Like the SUNY Oneonta observatory, guests are welcome to bring their own equipment.

From left: A drone image shows an aerial view of Broome in this photo provided by the Kopernik Observatory. The 20-foot optical guidance system, Ritchey-Chretien Reflector, is pictured in its dome. | CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Admission to these events is $6 per adult, $4.50 for students and seniors, with a maximum fee of $20 per family.

Drew Deskur, executive director of the Kopernik, is an electrical engineer by trade who was born in the Southern Tier. After college and 25 years in Boston, he returned to the area with his family.

He joined the board of directors at the observatory, eventually becoming its director. While he doesn’t have a degree in astronomy, Deskur said, it is a hobby he’s always enjoyed, habitually stargazing in the early morning when he goes out for his paper.

Deskur said guests are typically over the moon about public nights.

“We put our scopes on Saturn or Jupiter, which is really what gets people jazzed,” he said. “Sometimes, we even look at the moons of Jupiter or see the shadow of a moon on Jupiter itself.” Deskur noted that, once viewers become accustomed to looking through the telescope, it becomes possible to see other things as well, such as the Andromeda galaxy or constellations found in the Milky Way. “My favorite constellation is Cygnus the Swan. Cygnus flies right through the Milky Way, and at its head is a double star called Albireo, made up of one orange star and one blue star. Blue stars are dying stars.”

Written in the Stars While not affiliated with a university, images captured from the Kopernik’s scopes have appeared in textbooks and publications, including several held by the Smithsonian.

Deskur noted that the growing number of satellites in orbit, such as those deployed for Starlink satellite internet, has made astrophotography more challenging. Because cameras must use long exposures to capture images of distant celestial objects, the photos often come out with lines streaking through, showing the path of the satellite.

“Now, photographers need to capture more images, so that they can stack them on top of each other and create a composite,” he said.

If you find, after some backyard stargazing, that you have a budding astronomer on your hands, the Kopernik offers summer

We put our scopes on Saturn or Jupiter, which is really what gets people jazzed. Sometimes, we even look at the moons of Jupiter or see the shadow of a moon on Jupiter itself.” programming, as well. Summer camps are available for children in second grade through high school. Like their Friday programs, camps cover a variety of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) topics, but one of the most popular is called “Welcome Aboard the ISS.” “This camp gets into what it takes to become an astronaut and includes talking with a real astronaut aboard the International Space Station using a HAM radio,” Deskur said, noting that campers get to ask the astronauts questions and receive real-time answers using the radio. Additionally, the “Girl Power” camp is tailored to young women, encouraging them to pursue STEM careers and connecting them to real female STEM professionals.

The Kopernik is a member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers, which means that a $60 annual membership to the observatory grants holders free admission to 350 science centers around New York State and the country, including the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse and others nearby.

As summer approaches, seek out some exciting displays in the night sky, including a total lunar eclipse in May that will be visible around the country, and the annual Perseids meteor shower in August, one of the longest and most active showers each year, not to mention the warmest. Whether looking to relax, embark upon a new hobby or learn and educate, the skies over upstate New York have a bounty to offer. All you need is a little luck with the weather, a little distance from bright lights and an appreciation for the vast beauty of our planet, our galaxy and our universe. +

rtisans bound at Revived Afton Festival

O we really wanted to have a classy, cultural experience – more than just a sale.

Back in October, there was really a push to have it back to its artsy roots.”

n Aug. 20 and 21, the arts are coming to Afton.

The Greater Afton Area Chamber of Commerce is revitalizing the Afton Arts & Crafts Festival, re-emphasizing the titular aspects of the event.

Judy Hinman, chamber secretary and chairman of the event committee, said, together with about 12 other members, she’s been planning the fest since October 2021. The restyled festival, she said, is returning to its roots.

“I remember going as a kid, and I’m 55,” Hinman said, noting newspaper articles detailing the fest in 1978 and ’79, though its inception is unclear. “In the ‘80s, it was really in its prime and we enjoyed seeing the artists. It was a different event – more culture, where you had artists on the street painting … and it was amazing. They’d sit right there and paint, and people would be weaving chairs and carving bowls; it was really cool to see. As with all things, it was there for a while, then dwindled down and became less popular with less people doing it, but, since COVID, people are starving to have entertainment and something to do.”

Hinman said the event, expanded to two days, will include artist and vendor booths, artist demonstrations, a juried art show, a car cruise-in at the Afton Fairgrounds and more.

The redesigned festival logo, released in March, highlights the event’s renewed focus on the arts.

Church took it over and tried to run it, then the chamber took it back … and we really want to bring it back.”

Recent Afton resident and event organizer Sheryl Roush said it was that sensibility that spurred her involvement. Roush, a longtime publicity and marketing representative and graphic designer, said she is handling the event’s “overall marketing concept.”

Curated Caliber

BY ALLISON COLLINS

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Organizers said a commitment to craftsmanship is driving the event.

“It had gotten so that it was a lot of multi-level marketing happening and not so many crafters and artists,” Hinman said. “Those events are wonderful, but we really wanted to have a classy, cultural experience – more than just a sale. Back in October, there was really a push to have it back to its artsy roots. For a while, Hope

| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Kimberly Wright, an Afton resident and owner of River Rock Soaps, is seen exhibiting at last year’s event.

Wright will be vending and offering soap-making demonstrations, organizers said.

“I moved out here from San Diego in November 2020 and I knew one person, (artist) Karl Fritz, who grew up in the village,” she said. “I came out here … and fell in love with the area – it’s absolutely beautiful – and for years, he’d been telling me about this festival that Afton always had, and he remembered growing up. I can do my business anywhere, but I want to be a part of this community and this community is beautiful.

“I thought, ‘I want to be involved in this,’ and Karl was telling me how it used to be,” Roush continued. “When I participated in the oneday event last year … and it had shifted from being an artisan event to being yard sale-ish, he said, ‘I wish it would come back (to being) artists painting on the sidewalks, bands, sculptors and really quite a big thing.’

I said, ‘Why don’t we be part of a movement to bring it back?’ and that’s exactly what’s happened. It’s part of our nature to crave what is homemade; there’s something so special about homemade, and the people here are so talented.”

Harking Back to Homespun Enthusiasm for the festival’s refocusing, Hinman and Roush said, has been catching.

“From the collective conscious, people are saying, ‘Whatever happened to that?’,” Roush said. “(People) would launch into telling me stories (of ), ‘I remember when …’ and naming artists, and it’s taking them down memory lane. They connect with that sentiment at the heart, and I think it’s really going to rejuvenate the area. So, it’s a renewed excitement regarding bringing back the true arts festival. All the items, vendors, exhibitors and demonstrations must be handmade. We’re going classy, and that’s how it was in the past. This event was highly revered, and people would look forward to it for months in advance … and it brought the whole family. That’s the whole thrust of this: bringing back a part of Afton’s cherished memories of this event and people are really excited about it.”

“They have been so excited, and we’ve gotten a lot of positive results,” Hinman echoed. “We did a survey (to determine whether to host a oneor two-day event), and people resoundingly said a two-day event.”

Painting the Town With such feedback, Hinman and Roush said, organizers are anticipating broad attendee and artist demographics.

“We are hoping to have artists from all over,” Hinman said, noting that the deadline for artist applications is July 28, with a $75 fee covering both days. “Of course, we want to highlight local artists as much as possible, but we’re hoping to get attendees from all over the area. We want to make this an event for people to attend, one of those must-sees.

“We are hoping to have at least 50 artists and we have a couple of painters, a couple of different wood artists and quite a few demonstrations,” she continued, noting wool-spinning, wood-working and soap-making demonstrations.

“What we’ve seen in the past for the one-day event was about 2,000 people in the village,” Roush said. “But, since expanding it from the village and our sidewalks into the fairgrounds and from one day to two, we’re anticipating upward of 5,000 coming in, and there are different events each day. That also attracts the artists coming in from far away, to make it worth their while.

“There will be something for everyone, and I think we’re going to be drawing people in from outside our area and outside our county,” she continued. “The reach is going to be pretty far and, right now, we’re working on the call for artists. We have connections with other arts councils and they’re generous to help support this. We’re in the beginning stages, but the sense we’re getting … is that people want to be a part of it.”

For more information or to participate, visit greateraftonareacoc.com or find “Afton Arts & Crafts Festival” on Facebook. +

From top: Artist Esther Brooks details her work to visitors of an earlier Afton Arts & Crafts Festival in this undated photo. Artist Nancy Luttinger is seen in this undated photo, taken at one of the festival’s earliest iterations. Vendor Bare Barr is seen in this mid-‘80s festival photo.

Afton Arts & Crafts Festival Aug. 20 & 21 PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

Spring Salad

Cookin’ WITH

Collins

with Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette

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BY ALLISON COLLINS

BACKGROUND ART BY create vil | freepik.com

his salad uses some of the season’s earliest crops, making it light, bright and springy. The sharpness of the toasted pine nuts plays well with the clean flavor of the lemon-mint dressing and the creamy avocado and cheese crumbles round it out. It’s filling without being heavy, and can be served as a meal or a side.

Arugula, spinach and radishes are all among easy-to-grow cold crops, with high nutritional payoffs and quick sow-to-harvest times. They are also frost-resistant and, because of their fondness for lower temperatures, less likely to develop pests. Peas, too, are some of the easiest to grow, with cornell.edu noting that “peas are one of the first crops planted and harvested in New York.”

And while asparagus fields require two seasons to produce and particular soil, once established, CCE notes, fields can “remain in production for 10 to 20 years.” The site also calls asparagus “a popular early-season vegetable, (with), approximately 200 acres grown on 129 New York farms annually.”

Mint is also easy to grow, though does require warmer ground temps if planting outdoors. But it does well inside, potted, and, when ready, can be moved outdoors. Once established, mint grows perennially and can be added to cocktails, teas, DIY bath products, pestos and more. Chickens love it and it’s great for keeping pests away. The Old Farmer’s Almanac suggests steeping mint and adding it to baths, using refrigerated peppermint tea as a sun burn aid and mixing mint tea with apple cider vinegar for a hair rinse. And, of course, it can also be chewed straight as a breath freshener.

As area farm stands open with the season’s initial offerings, stock up on the ingredients for this fresh, fragrant and fortifying salad.

Tips:  This salad pairs nicely with chicken breast or salmon, making it more of an entree. If serving salad with a protein, double the dressing amounts and use half as a marinade for the meat or fish.  Dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, though I would cut the mint just before using or marinating.

From left: Mint, garlic and lemon blend to make a light but flavorful dressing.

Chop and grate all dressing ingredients and shake to combine.

 If you can find watermelon radishes, they make a beautiful addition to this salad.  Freeze extra mint in ice cubes and add to lemonades, teas or water.

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| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

SPRING SALAD WITH LEMON-MINT VINAIGRETTE For the salad:

Directions:

6 to 8 c. washed mixed spring greens (baby spinach and arugula) 1 bunch of asparagus, quick-blanched and cut in pieces 1 c. quick-blanched peas (frozen or fresh) 3 to 4 radishes, thinly sliced 2 mini cucumbers, sliced ½ c. feta or goat cheese crumbles 1/3 c. toasted pine nuts Avocado, sliced Mint leaves, for garnish (optional)

Combine and shake all dressing ingredients in a lidded jar. Set aside.

To quickly blanch the asparagus, heat a small pot of boiling water and drop the vegetables in for about two minutes, then strain and rinse with cold water. I call this quick-blanching, because it doesn’t rely on the ice bath typical of a true blanch. This saves a little time, while still cooking the vegetables enough that they’re tender but crisp. Repeat with the peas and set both aside to cool.

Layer the greens, sliced radishes, cucumbers, asparagus and peas. Toss to combine.

Top with pine nuts and cheese crumbles, then reshake dressing and pour over salad. Lightly toss again to coat.

Just before serving, slice a ripe avocado and place on finished salad.

Garnish with mint leaves, if using. +

For the dressing:

4

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil Zest of one lemon 4 tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 lemons) Handful fresh mint, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped Kosher salt

5

Pepper 1. This salad uses some of the season’s first and freshest crops. 2. Chop and quick-blanch asparagus and set aside until ready to assemble. 3. Quick-blanch frozen or fresh peas and set aside. 4. Arrange salad components before tossing. 5. Toasting the pine nuts greatly enhances their flavor.

PHOTOS BY ALLISON COLLINS

2

3

Dress the finished salad just before serving.

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Beer Bottle Candle Craft

Following the Irish holiday in March, some of us may be wondering what to do with leftover beer bottles. This is just the thing to put those leftovers to good use and keep you crafting.

What you’ll need: To remove the sticker • Adhesive remover • OR boiling water, baking soda, dish liquid and a kitchen sponge What you’ll need: To cut the bottle and remove rough edges • A bottle or glass cutter and required tools • OR some twine and acetone with a source of ignition, such as a burning candle, match or lighter and a tub of cold water • sandpaper or another filing tool of your choice What you’ll need: To make and pour the candle • A grated brick or pellets of beeswax, soy wax or wax of your choice • A microwave and a liquid measuring cup • Coconut or essential oils and food dyes, if using • Dried ingredients, such as flower petals and leaves, if desired • Clothespins or centering device and candle wicks • A hot glue gun and glue sticks • A measuring cup and a kitchen thermometer

PHOTOS BY CHRYSTAL SAVAGE

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Directions: Step 1: Wash and rinse the inside and outside of the bottle Using warm running water, dish liquid, a kitchen sponge or other household ingredients, remove any beverage residue Step 2: Remove the label and adhesive (second method) Fill the bottle with boiling water up to, at least, the height of the label. Let bottle cool completely before removing as much of the label as possible.

Create a paste with the baking soda and dish liquid and apply to the bottle. Let set until hardened. Once hardened, run under warm water and scrub with the abrasive side of a kitchen sponge.

| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Repeat if necessary Step 3: Cut the bottle and remove rough edges (second method) Wrap twine around the beer bottle several times and tie at the desired height. Slide twine over the neck of the bottle and soak in acetone.

Put the string back over the neck of the bottle at the desired height and wash your hands of any acetone.

Prepare a tub of cold water to cut, then, holding each end of the bottle (top and the bottom), light the twine and spin the bottle towards or away from you, constantly, until the acetone is mostly burned off; the flame will have largely dissipated.

Place the bottle, neck up, straight into the tub of cold water.

If done properly, the bottle will split.

Check for any sharp edges and sand or file them as necessary.

Step 4: Make and pour the candle Begin by hot gluing the wicks to the bottom interior of the jar, then pour the amount of the pellets or grated wax of your choice into a liquid measuring cup for the microwave method of melting.

In 30-second increments, warm and test the wax with the kitchen thermometer until it reaches approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Add coconut and essential oils if desired, both at a 10% ratio to the wax, and melt solids until completely liquified.

Pour the candle and center the wick by feeding it through the center of a wick-centering device, clothespin or a pair of clothespins, depending on the diameter of the bottle.

Add any desired dry ingredients before the candle sets, as certain waxes harden quickly.

Let set for a few days before trimming the wick to half an inch. Once trimmed, burn the candle for a few hours the first time it is lit.

The candle recipe can be repeated in any glass jar with varying ratios. The glass-cutting techniques can be duplicated at varying heights, creating jewellery dishes, vases and more. +

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SPRING 2022 | UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | 15

Feeling on

Top World: of the

Delhi Woman Takes Yoga to New Heights

BY ALLISON COLLINS

Everybody seemed to really love the event and said they’d be coming back, and also that they had planned to extend their stay in our area, which I thought was really cool. I love to support local businesses, so I was happy to hear that people would be patronizing our community for longer.”

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| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

“Because I own the Cardio Club, I have to go to fitness conventions and always dreamt of running my own fitness convention,” Reed continued. “I thought, ‘OK, this is a blend of what I love to teach – yoga on the mountain, which is such a humbling, glorious, beautiful experience for all levels – but it also checks the boxes for me as a fitness instructor.’ And I got approved to offer continuing education credits to other instructors, so it’s like a convention, too.”

Summiting Success

R

aegan Reed, Delhi resident and owner of the Cardio Club & Delhi Dance Studio, is giving new meaning to mountain pose.

The 39-year-old will host the second annual Catskill Mountain Yoga Festival from atop Plattekill Mountain, 409 Plattekill Road, Roxbury, on Saturday, July 23, with a rain date of July 24. The daylong event will feature yoga classes, workshops, food, a vendor market, live music, free sky rides, an evening meet-and-greet and more.

Though conceptualized in 2019, Reed noted, the inaugural fest was delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a 2021 interview, Reed credited previous mountaintop yoga retreats with inspiring the event.

“A few years ago, (the brand) North Face contacted me and wanted to do a retreat at the top of Plattekill Mountain to teach their employees,” she said. “Then it was canceled due to rain, but I was like, ‘You know what, this was such a cool idea, I’m going to run with it.’ I ended up contacting Plattekill and doing ‘Yoga on the Mountain’ classes the past three summers … and thought it would just be a one-off, but they were really popular and people loved them and would look forward to them. That was when I started thinking, ‘We’ve got something here.’

The success of last year’s event, Reed said, cemented her commitment to its continuation.

“The response was excellent,” she said.

“Everybody seemed to really love the event and said they’d be coming back, and also that they had planned to extend their stay in our area, which I thought was really cool. I love to support local businesses, so I was happy to hear that people would be patronizing our community for longer.

“I have hosted a lot of events in my life, because I do a lot of fundraising stuff,” Reed continued, “but I was actually so surprised at the wonderful, warm, loving response. There were no complaints, everybody had a great time and nothing astronomical went wrong. We lucked out big time with the weather, the attendees and the instructors; it just felt really serendipitous, and it fell into place and overall went better than I could’ve ever expected.

I was elated and humbled. It didn’t matter what was going on, everyone had such a great energy and, honestly, the energy of the people is what really brought me up

to cloud nine. When you do all that hard work, to then have it come to fruition and have people excited and want to come back, that to me is the No. 1 reward you could as for.”

As a result, Reed said, planning for this year’s festival began immediately.

“I host dance recitals and fit days and, a lot of times, when an event is over, you’re so exhausted that you feel like you don’t want to think about it for a while,” she said. “But I was so inspired to start planning, I was literally taking notes that day and the next; sending out surveys to our participants and vendors and instructors to see the response from them, and we got some really great constructive criticism; and right away, I ordered more supplies. I couldn’t wait to dive right back in.”

Assorted Asanas The 2022 festival, Reed said, will feature returning favorites alongside improved elements.

“There were things I thought could be a little less formal and … any time you plan an event, you run with the things that worked really great and adjust the things that could be better,” she said. “The farmto-table dinner was excellent, but this time we’re going to do something different and offer the yoga festival participants some free refreshments at the end of the day, so more of a mix-and-mingle than a formal sit-down. At the end of the day, everybody wanted to mingle, meet the instructors and just talk about the day and network, so with the mixer idea, it will give people that ä opportunity.

From left: Instructor Nancy Forstbauer, of Stamford, leads yogis in a mountaintop practice focused on splits and hip mobility during last year’s festival. Erin Classby hangs upside down during an aerial class taught inside the ski resort last year. Ella Davison, assistant to teacher Bonnie Fiore of Fit to Be Tied Yoga in Cooperstown, demonstrates a stretch in her silk during last year’s event.

PHOTOS BY ALLISON COLLINS

“And even though the band was excellent … there was a small (concert) attendance, so we learned that the day was a bit long,” Reed continued. “We’re shortening the day, having the mixer and having a live musician during the day playing throughout the ski center.

We have some new vendors that haven’t come before, so that’s exciting, and a lot of the same that came from last year. It’s cool when you make the crowd happy, but it’s also cool to make the vendors and instructors happy.”

On the mat, too, Reed noted, yogis can expect new and returning highlights.

“We are adding more workshops and classes this year … and, based on the response from signups last year, a lot of the same instructors are coming back,” she said. “We have a few new instructors and some of the instructors are interested in doing the same (classes) and some are doing different, exciting classes. Nancy Forstbauer from Stamford is going to do ‘Twist and Unwind: A Detox Flow’ and that’s something new … and two of our instructors that taught last year, Laura Olson and Selena Reynolds, are not only teaching their own classes but doing a ‘Movement, Story and Song’ class together. And we have a new group, Sacred Sound Ritual, coming for the sound healing … and they’re really cool.”

Top to bottom right: Textiles are featured at the festival’s vendor marketplace. The vendor marketplace at the festival showcases artisanal jewelry. Reed said many of the featured vendors from last year will again showcase pieces at the July festival. Sky rides are among the free attractions at the festival.

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| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

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Purchase of a $150 VIP pass, Reed noted, entitles the holder to four classes and VIP parking, while the $125 general admission cost covers three classes. End-of-day refreshments, skyrides, hiking, weed walks, wellness workshops, guided meditations and the sound healing are available to all festivalgoers.

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Diverse Demographics

Festival attendees, Reed said, represented a broad stretch.

“We had 200 people,” she said, “and I was super impressed, because we were drawing from as far as California and Florida then, closer to home, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, West Chester, Albany, Saratoga and people from our own local communities and of course New York City. It was a good mix. I felt totally satisfied with the attendees, as far as the diversity between the ages, the levels of ability and the demographic.”

Attendees, too, said they appreciated the festival’s flow.

“I think it’s a great thing,” Elizabeth DeHaven, a Walton resident, said at the 2021 event. “I heard about it through Raegan and my women’s group and I think it’s cool … to get to do something at the ski resort. I’m doing the Thai massage.”

“I heard about it last year (in 2020), but it was canceled,” Laura Young, a New York City resident and upstate weekender, said in 2021. “I’m a trained teacher myself and I think it’s really nice. It’s the first one and I didn’t know what to expect, because I’m not that familiar with the yoga scene upstate, but it’s cool to do yoga from the top of a mountain. I didn’t think it would be this big, so it’s great for the area.”

This year’s festival, Reed noted, is being sponsored by several area businesses, with some grant funding from the Delaware County Economic Development Corporation, which she said has been “super supportive of this event and just such a cheerleader for all events and tourism in our community.”

For more information, to reserve a spot or view a list of classes and workshops, visit catskillmountainyogafestival.com or follow @ catskillmountainyogafestival on Instagram. +

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Look for the next issue of Upstate Life Magazine, publishing in June 2022 SPRING 2022 | UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | 19

BY ALLISON COLLINS

I

Performance Art Meets Pastoral:

nnovative theater has found a foothold in Mount Vision.

The Otsego County hamlet has been home to The Visionary, described at upsi-ny.com as “an exciting and unusual venue where new work is developed and performed,” since 2008. Owners Jamie Leonard and Pamela Rapp launched the project from a repurposed 200-year-old Baptist church.

“The parent company is Upstate Production Services, and that’s lighting, management, staging, audio – all that,” Jamie Leonard, 60, said. “Then, in 2004, I purchased the church with the intent of flipping it, then Pamela got the idea that, after so many years of not being able to sell it, we should do something with it. So, we took on renovating it and took on the artists’ residency program. At this point, we’re 12 years in and this will be our eighth season and it’s really grown into something much larger than what we intended to do.”

That growth has included adding associate producer Beatrice Georgalidis who, since joining in 2021, is helping expand The Visionary’s offerings and social media presence.

20

‘The Visionary’ Brings Theater Upstate

“First and foremost, we are a performance space for new and explorative works, and we present multi-media performances,” she said. “We are also expanding this year to arts education.

We have produced 28 events over seven seasons of what we refer to as new, innovative performance art.

“And we are an artist incubator space,” Georgalidis continued, “so artists come to us from all over the country and stay, on average, for one to two weeks and have the chance to get away from the hum-drum of their lives and their full-time jobs. They come to The Visionary and incubate and dive deep into their creativity. They’re able to breathe and put themselves on the schedules they need to to facilitate new works that are then presented, often in-process. But, no matter what, the performances are always polished and beautiful.”

Advancing Art

The Visionary owners, Jamie Leonard and Pamela Rapp.

| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Leonard noted that, though the organization has been a passion project, he hopes the artists’ residency program and resultant performances will transition The Visionary into a profitable model.

From left: ‘True Voyage is Return: an ambiguous opera’ by the Syndicate of Initiative is seen being rehearsed before its October 2021 performance at The Visionary. Dancers Gwen Gussman and Xenia Mansour perform ‘Warriors’ with musician Johnny Butler at The Visionary in July 2021.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

“(Artists) submit, we give them a fee to come up here and do their thing, then we do a performance where we sell tickets,” he said. “We curate our season to this goal we have of covering all the bases of performance art, not just one particular discipline, so it leaves the door open to a lot of different programs and mixing different media. We have a lot of people interested in doing an artist residence and we’re pursuing an avenue which is unusual, in that we are a for-profit business: we set out to provide a professional environment for people to incubate their ideas in and a safe environment to come up with new ways of communicating through art. Generally, there’s one performance, but we’re going to expand that and do multiple performances going forward.

“I disagree with the model where art has to be funded by the government and the not-for-profit status used in that way,” Leonard continued. “I think it does artists a disservice. I believe there is a profit model to what we’re doing and I think we can find that.

They call it show business for a reason. We’re blazing a new trail and living what we believe and trying to grow a business that supports that model. I think in a couple of years, we’ll be profitable and, until then, we’re really more about supporting artists.”

Setting the Stage Georgalidis said the growing roster of artists-in-residence reflects the founders’ deep industry roots.

“It’s been primarily Jamie and Pamela, through their professional world, and they curate the seasons,” she said. “Pam really has her finger on the pulse of avant-garde dance performances and it’s all word-of-mouth. They have roamed (New York City), made connections and really looked at what will create the most diverse, interesting season of performances for Mount Vision.

“With me coming on and my contacts and artistic relationships I’ve created over the years, it makes us more of a national organization, to be able to support not just our local community and our artists and artists from the city, but really beyond that,” Georgalidis

continued, noting that this year’s lineup includes representatives from the Minnesota Ballet; Lake Arts Project; and her own longtime Chicago-based dance teacher, Diane Rawlinson.

Georgalidis said that, though The Visionary receives “some small grants that support artists’ stipends,” the group is “currently seeking more fiscal sponsors whose missions are in line with (their) work.”

“To date, it’s been funded by Jamie and Pam,” she said. “That, and ticket sales which, with COVID, were bleak, so it’s really been a labor of love. We all throw in together to make beautiful art in Mount Vision.”

Admission to performances, Georgalidis noted, is typically $18, with discounts offered to senior citizens and students. Also, ushers or concession stand workers see shows free.

Community Culture

The community, Leonard and Georgalidis said, has proven reciprocally encouraging.

“We’ve been very fortunate and had a lot of great support,” Leonard said. “The local business developers and the county have been very supportive, and they all seem to really embrace what we’re trying to do. This is a great opportunity and a great faucet of knowledge and a fun opportunity for people to act, to express themselves and to see other people express themselves and it’s great for problem-solving. Live performances give us the ability to see things from a different view.

“I’m originally from Albany, so I’m an upstate guy, and I live in Westford, so I know the area and I’m firmly in touch with the beauty of the area,” he continued. “The reception has been great. I think art gets trained out of (people) and they don’t expect it; I see art every day, all around, and I think it makes the beauty of life so much easier to bear, but (Pamela and I) take that for granted and we wanted to share it, for everybody, and get them trained back into the idea that art is a very effective tool to get through life.” ä

We’re blazing a new trail and living what we believe and trying to grow a business that supports that model. I think in a couple of years, we’ll be profitable and, until then, we’re really more about supporting artists.”

“The response has been extraordinary,” Georgalidis echoed. “People come up to us after the shows to just say, ‘Thank you for doing what you do,’ and, ‘We’ve never seen anything like it.’

“People are coming,” she continued, “but we definitely need more people to know about us. We did ramp up our audiences last year, but this year, we’re looking to do even more to just let folks know we’re here.”

Leonard noted that audience and performer demographics cover “a very broad base.”

“Surprisingly, our name is getting out there and there are people seeking us out to come,” he said.

Georgalidis, who noted that audience members are “predominantly” from “Oneonta, Mount Vision, Hartwick and Cooperstown,” said The Visionary offers something unmatched in the area.

“Rural audiences in our mountains don’t have access to this kind of incredible echelon of artistry, from high-quality aerialist performers to clowns that have been performing all over the country and world … to a Grammy award-winning saxophone player, (Johnny Butler), who produced music … with Beyonce,” she said. “Our audiences are rural by definition, but beyond that, people around here have never seen anything like what we do, so it’s really neat to do and to be able to open people’s minds.”

Expanding Engagement This season, Georgalidis and Leonard said, they hope to deepen the group’s ties to the community while broadening its reach.

“We’re doing all-ages workshops,” Georgalidis said.

“One of our programs is a technical training program for production students at SUNY (Oneonta) and

Hartwick (College) or any students interested in stage and production work. We’re hoping to join forces with CDO Workforce to be able to provide minimum wage jobs for anyone ages 14 to 20 and provide high-quality theater (education) and, through me, social media and video marketing campaign (training). We want to partner with (the area colleges) and small organizations that offer arts programming to our youth and really get on the map of being able to offer high-quality arts education and professional training.

“And actually, this year, we are investing in the historic structure (of the church) and the town of Mount Vision itself,” Georgalidis continued. “Jamie and Pam are working on even more renovations; the upstairs of the church is a beautiful theater, and our seating is pews and the floor is a professional marley floor.”

“My 40 years in (New York City) have been great, but my focus is here now,” Leonard said. “We have a plan.

We are full steam ahead and we see growth in it as a business and locally. There’s talk of starting an arts trail through Otsego County and I think that would be really cool. And hopefully we’ll be acquiring another property to develop and expand into education programming, and we’re going to start with that this season.

“The benefit in education is quantifiable,” he continued, “and I am evidence of this. It’s amazing for people to find a character and identity and there’s also just a huge amount of work in the entertainment industry that nobody considers. The rewards are huge, we have a huge belief in what we’re doing and a love of the area and the people.”

For more information, find “The Visionary” on Facebook or visit upsi-ny.com. +

When to Watch: Becoming Whole: A look inside the Process of Lake Arts Project Healing through Art/Dance/Choreography Residency: June 5 – June 19 Performance: 8 p.m., Saturday, June 18 Annually, Lake Arts Project (2013 - present) brings together community groups and arts educators to workshop, cleanse, share and create. Collaborators include Feast of Crispian, a nonprofit organization bringing professional actors and veterans together to strengthen the emotional resources they need to overcome trauma and reintegration issues. Lake Arts Project also works with high school art students, including the Alliance School of Milwaukee, a year-round school and safe place for students regardless of sexuality, identity, appearance, ability or beliefs.

Not Silent Movies Johnny Butler & Alex Oliva Silent Movie/Music/Dance Residency: Aug. 14-27 22

| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Performances: 8 p.m., Aug. 26 & 27 In a world premiere, composer/musician Johnny Butler infuses silent films with original live music and dance. In 2021, Butler premiered an original score for the 1920 film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” using the house 1949 Hammond Model RT organ with an opening prologue by dancer-choreographers Michelle Thompson Ulrich and Caleb Patterson. This season, Butler returns to the Hammond, joined by dancer-choreographer Alex Olivia, to create a new, mysterious, immersive experience that bridges the gap from 1920 and 2020 and explores nostalgia for the past and anxiety for the future.

Invisible Landscapes GRAYSCALE Jessica Kondrath Collaboration Dance/Wearable Art/Film/ Video Mapping/Music Residency: Aug. 28 – Sept. 11 Performance: 8 p.m., Sept. 9 & 10

GRAYSCALE, a contemporary dance company based in Los Angeles under artistic director Jessica Kondrath, premieres an interdisciplinary piece combining dance, film, visual arts and architecture. Drawing inspiration from poems by Mary Oliver, Brian Eno’s “Oblique Strategies,” repetitive geometry and the juxtaposition of reality and imagination, Invisible Landscapes crafts an immersive environment for the viewer to investigate the narrative terrains that exist between each of us.

GRAYSCALE has an active roster of creative collaborators across many artistic disciplines. Invisible Landscapes features wearable art pieces by artist Marea Cordero, an original score by composer and percussionist Christopher Payne, dance film

by Taso Papakais and performers Ariana Daub and Meg Madorin.

For full descriptions of artists and performances, visit thevisionaryny.com.

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Spring into

Spring Clearing

BY CHRYSTAL SAVAGE

T

he winter months bring a season of rich festivities, including gift-giving, decorating and party hosting, all typically taking place indoors.

According to Retail Leader, the 10 busiest days in retail take place between Black Friday and Dec. 26, translating to the highest accumulation of clutter throughout the year and leaving us with a lot of organizing to do as the days begin to warm and lengthen.

Sue Story, owner of ClutterBusters in West Shokan, has been “creating order out of chaos” since 2000. Story got her start in professional organizing after helping a friend move their business. For years, Story was regarded as the go-to organizer among friends and family. However, it wasn’t until that move that Story considered turning her enthusiasm into a business.

Since 2000, Story has helped hundreds transform their homes and business spaces, and their lives.

“In a lot of ways, decluttering is like therapy; it can really turn a person’s life around,” Story said. “Whether you’re struggling with low self-esteem or self-destructive behavior, getting organized and improving the home and work environment translates into an organized life and improved energy. It changes your life for the better.”

Story called attention to a notable incongruence; when referring to spring cleaning

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| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

In a lot of ways, decluttering is like therapy; it can really turn a person’s life around.” we should be saying, “spring clearing.”

“Clearing and cleaning are different,” she said. “Cleaning is what you do when you use cleaners, rags, vacuums, dusters, mops and so forth. Clearing, however, refers to getting rid of clutter.” While different, Story noted, both block energy and prevent it from flowing freely throughout the space.

Story’s Steps for Success Story says the first step to clearing clutter is to do a walk-through of your house, listing and prioritizing the things that require attention. “The very act of making a list gives you focus,” Story said, noting that this plan of action can help mitigate feelings of being overwhelmed and even inspire the motivation needed to start the project.

According to Story, things that can and should be deprioritized include “controlled clutter,” or anything that may need sorting, like old photos or memorabilia, but is kept in a contained space, such as a drawer, bin or box. But it is important that this container is stored in a closet, spare room,

garage, etc., and not adding to the overall clutter.

Story recommends people make an appointment with themselves. “Pick a date, mark it on the calendar and keep it,” she said, explaining that committing to a date with yourself is an important part of motivating yourself to actually start the project.

Story recommends starting small. “This is by and large my biggest tip,” she said. “It is easy to be overwhelmed and discouraged when you try to tackle an entire room.

Isolate one thing that is most important, such as a nightstand, instead of the entire bedroom, and commit to just clearing and reorganizing that area.” Story suggests that these bite-sized tasks can be crossed off the lengthier list and prove a source of motivation for people to stick with the project.

While encouraged, Story recommends capitalizing on this momentum and making a second appointment with yourself to continue “clutterbusting.” However, she warns against getting so caught up in wanting to get it all done that you overextend yourself.

“You should never spend more than six hours in one day decluttering; four or fewer is really ideal,” Story said. “It is important to take breaks hourly and stop for meals. Importantly, if at any point you begin to feel overwhelmed, stop immediately, give yourself credit for what you did accomplish and resume another day.

Story’s Top Tips for Staying Organized

“Decluttering can be overwhelming for several reasons, including the amount to be done, frustrations along the way and even emotional triggers throughout the process,” she continued. “It didn’t get cluttered overnight, and it isn’t going to be decluttered that fast either.”

Story’s Top Tip for Getting Organized While this next tip might not be widely adopted among professional organizers, it is one Story believes has played a key role in the success of her clients. When clearing, Story recommends designating a box or bag for items to go elsewhere in the house.

“Many organizers would tell you, if it takes a minute to put it away, deal with it while it’s still in your hand,” she said. “While this philosophy may be a good one in theory, it can result in a huge waste of time when you are running from one room to another, and very little progress is made on the task at hand.”

Instead, she said, by placing items to go elsewhere in a bag or box, individuals can focus on clearing a given area and, upon completing that task, put everything back where it belongs.

“Those other areas may get worse before you start working on them, but it’s like plugging a hole in a dam: plug it in one place and it breaks in another. So, don’t let it distress you. It’s part of the process; it means you’re right on track.”

In addition to utilizing designated bags or boxes for separating donations, trash, recyclables, to-be-moved elsewhere items and more, Story recommends incorporating a staging area, such as a bed or countertop. “Bags and boxes work best on the floor so that the staging area can be used for sorting and organizing,” Story said, noting that before any items are returned to a surface, the latter should be cleaned, preventing any further blockage of energy.

Most of us struggle with staying organized. Story broke down some of the key issues she has witnessed throughout her career and how to stay on top of specific areas for improvement. Story cited stress, poor time management and procrastination among the top factors.

“When folks use all the ‘tools’ at their disposal to manage time, stress and eliminate clutter, they’ll find that the pressure is greatly reduced,” she said. “It can be so freeing.”

If You Struggle with Time Management If you struggle to stay on top of your morning routine, Story recommends you prepare the night before, “making better use of your time.”

“So many people go to bed and rush around in the morning,” she said. “Instead, consider spending a few minutes each night to put out the pots and pans you might need for breakfast, set the table, lay out an outfit and so forth. You’ll be surprised how smooth and stress-free your mornings become and how much unintentional clutter you prevent.”

To stay on top of paper clutter, Story recommends dealing with mail as soon as it comes into the home.

“Junk mail needs to be recycled immediately, without opening,” she said. “Mail such as bills should be opened right away and placed with other bills to be paid and envelopes should be recycled.” This takes only minutes, she noted, but eliminates piles of clutter and hours of sorting in the long run.

Story also said that other great time-savers include not accepting every invitation, saying “no” when you can’t or don’t want to do something, delegating chores to all family members and not volunä teering.

BEFORE

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

A home dining area in Hudson depicts Story’s impact.

A teenager’s bedroom in Stone Ridge is lightened and brightened by Story’s clutterbusting.

A Kingston office-kitchen area provides heightened accessibility to employees following Story’s help clearing and cleaning the space.

BEFORE

AFTER

A storage shed in West Shokan highlights how de-cluttering with Story’s methodology can reduce stress and increase overall productivity.

“This is another area where making a list and prioritizing everything on it will really help in time management,” she said.

“We’re almost guaranteed to discover that there are so many things that can be postponed, or even eliminated.”

If You Can’t Decide What to Keep or Lose “If you don’t absolutely love or need an item, get rid of it and don’t buy it in the first place,” she said. “Too often we buy something because we like it, maybe wear or use it once and then it’s just another thing adding to the clutter and needs to be thrown out or given away. If something only brings back painful or traumatic memories, get rid of it.” The “something in, something out” rule can be extremely helpful in avoiding clutter, she noted.

As it relates to holidays and the accumulation of items, Story suggests regifting.

“Regifting is far more popular and accepted now than it used to be,” she said. “If you don’t love it, consider regifting it to someone that would.”

If You Have Children “It’s important to teach children early on about respecting our environments, which includes keeping spaces clutter-free,” Story said. Story recommends allotting 10 minutes before bed in which children tidy up their own spaces and prepare for the next day.

“It is also important that, as parents, we set expectations for our children to take responsibility for their stuff, and that means

picking up anything that falls on the floor and putting away things after they’ve used them.”

For children opposed to helping in this process, Story suggests finding a reward system or system of positive reinforcement. “Setting the example and rewarding your child for demonstrating the desired behavior goes a long way,” she said.

In General Story recommends keeping a running list of things to be done, continuing to make regular appointments to clean or clear clutter, spending a few minutes each day putting things away and rewarding yourself, even if it’s just a pat on the back, for your efforts.

“Keeping a list and checking off completed items can give a fantastic feeling of accomplishment, which in itself is a great reward,” she said. “When you’re not overwhelmed, you’ll find it much easier to stay on top of the clutter, (while) living a better-managed and less stress-filled life.”

Story has taught the fundamentals of organizing in the continuing education divisions of regional community colleges and contributed columns on organization for several publications in Ulster, Columbia and Greene counties. Story has also been studying feng shui since 2001.

Sue Story can be reached at 845-657-6644 or info@clutterbusters.ny. Additional information is also available at clutterbustersny.com. +

Keeping Clean Comes Naturally According to Housewife How-To’s, “this non-toxic, homemade all-purpose cleaner costs pennies to make and leaves your household surfaces naturally clean.”

You’ll need: A cleaned spray bottle 16 fl. oz. of water 1 tsp. of baking soda ¼ tsp. of liquid dish soap 3-5 drops of essential oils, if desired Combine all ingredients into the spray bottle. Swirl bottle until contents are 26

| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

well mixed.

To use, swirl mixture before using.

Spray a light, even mist on surface and wipe away with a damp microfiber cloth; most surfaces don’t require a rinse.

Remember to prevent the transfer of germs and bacteria by using a new microfiber cloth as needed.

Store unused cleaner away from pets and children.

Discard any unused cleaner after one week.

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Oneonta’s at Crash Corner ‘Crash Corner’ is seen in early January 2022. | MARK SIMONSON

Welcome to ‘Crash Corner’

“It’s a generous offer,” then-Mayor Albert “Sam” Nader said of the church’s donation.

Commissioner James Catella said at the time that, once done, the work “won’t have to be done over again for a few years.”

The work neared completion in November. Costs amounted to nearly $4,600. A retaining wall was placed along where the bank of earth was removed.

Just when the first “artist” took to this new “canvas” is unknown.

While it could be debated that there are several intersections in Oneonta known for their bang-up history, the longest-running honor goes to the intersection of West and Center streets.

Since the former Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospital was built in the 1930s (today’s Job Corps Academy), and Hartwick College and the State University of New York at Oneonta’s growth in the post-World War II era, this intersection has seen more than its fair share of motor vehicle accidents.

Graduate Graffiti It is also celebrated as the home of the infamous Heffner vividly recalled a graffiti wall incident

BY MARK “Graffiti Wall,” which, if it could talk, would be quite around 1972 or 1973, when a group he described as SIMONSON the storyteller. Long has it been the spot for gather“overzealous seniors” brushed out a “rather gross mesings of groups with paint cans and brushes waiting to sage” to campus visitors. put up a new message meant to stimulate reactions and promote “The dean said he recalls the incident because he was asked at upcoming events or reunions around the area.

5 p.m. the next afternoon to clean up the wall within two hours Although painting symbols and markings on walls dates to the when parents were due to arrive.” It was graduation weekend. time of cave dwellers, nearly 50,000 years ago, it is hard to pin“Never seeing the message in question, he said he called one of point when this form of communication began. Likewise, when the dormitories and promised $25 to anyone who could clean up the wall at West and Center streets became a graffiti artist’s canvas the site by 7 p.m. is also uncertain. But it can be narrowed down to a decade.

“Heffner said he left home a little early that evening to check In a late 1970s Daily Star article, then Hartwick College Student the wall before parents returned from baccalaureate services at the Services Dean, Robert Heffner, said the wall established its reputaMethodist Church. tion in the late 1960s.

“The wall showed a glistening new coat of paint. This message he Plans for Prevention did remember. It read ‘Congratulations graduates.’”

With that spot already having a reputation as “Crash Corner,” It was also around this time that Hartwick College offered the several projects were devised to widen that area and increase mocity land along West Street and more near Clinton and Center torist visibility coming from the colleges and around the dangerous streets, “including the often-painted cement wall,” according to corner.

The Oneonta Star. This would reduce what was considered a dangerous grade at Clinton Street and reduce the sharp West Street Minor efforts were made in the late 1940s and ‘50s, but the first corner. round of notable improvements began in April 1962, when the Oneonta Board of Public Service voted to accept land offered to Apparently still not safe enough, a third round of improvements the city by the Lutheran Atonement Church, so the intersection was announced on Sept. 10, 1982. Unlike the previous two projects, this work was taken on by the New York State Department of could be expanded. Also, a bank of earth on city-owned property Transportation. was leveled to take out a blind spot to motorists.

The Old Walls Talk

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| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Some students have always joked that it wasn’t really a wall at all — just hundreds of layers of paint.

Paul F. Cooper Jr. Archives at Hartwick College

Above: The wall, seen in the 1990s, shows a slogan used often by thenHartwick College President Richard Detweiler. Below: Engaged couple Rich Meyer and Kelly Kraft stand by the wall in June 1989, where Meyer had his marriage proposal painted. Kraft shows off the ring.

See hanfordmills.org or call 607-278-5744 for our tour times, reservations, or to find out more about our new Exploration Days.

DAILY STAR FILE PHOTO

Work began in spring 1983. The graffiti wall was removed, and more land taken for widening the area to allow a left turn lane from West Street onto Center. The wall was rebuilt a bit farther back, much to the delight of students and local artists.

Some students have always joked that it wasn’t really a wall at all — just hundreds of layers of paint.

A heavier guardrail was installed in 1987 across from the graffiti wall along West Street. It came by request of Dr. Otto Sonder, then a professor of sociology and anthropology at Hartwick College, who owned the house. At a rate of about one a year, cars had gone off the road and into Sonder’s house since his purchase of it it in 1979. + City historian Mark Simonson grew up in Oneonta, but like many, left to explore opportunities elsewhere.

He returned in 1997.

Before returning, Simonson worked in public relations, marketing and broadcast journalism.

He worked locally in Norwich and the greater Binghamton area, and for a short time in Boston.

Simonson was appointed Oneonta City Historian in 1998.

Since then, he has been doing freelance research and writing for a twice-weekly column in The Daily Star. Additionally, Simonson has published books about Oneonta and local history in a five-county region.

Through his years of research, Simonson has come across many interesting stories about old buildings in the upstate region. He will share those stories in this and upcoming editions of Upstate Life.

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Two Streams,

‘Frozen’ in Time Geology Day Trip

BY ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS

A

re you familiar with the Hudson Valley School of Art? It was America’s first formal art movement.

The “school” dates to the early 19th century. Its founding artists included Thomas Cole (see our first illustration, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Cole explored the eastern Catskills and Hudson Valley, painting landscapes that, at the time, were still true wildernesses.

Cole and later artists found much great scenery in the vicinity of today’s NorthSouth Lake Campground. If you have never been there, then you should fix that; we think it has the best scenery west of the Rockies.

An Artist’s Ascent One especially fine place to visit is the top of Kaaterskill Falls and, very early in Cole’s career, he painted there (see our second image, also courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

We went to this site long ago and were truly excited to visit.

While there, we were able to find the exact spot from which Cole sketched. Though drawn there by the art and art history, we were surprised to find some awfully good geology.

Examine our third image, a photo shot from the very same location.

The deer is long gone, but it’s otherwise just as Cole saw it nearly two centuries ago. Our photo shows something that Cole likely missed; look just in front of where the deer would have been.

Do you see the strata, inROBERT TITUS clined to the right? This is called cross bedding.

Those strata are sandstones dating back to the Devonian time period, about 385 million years ago. A professional geologist will look at such structures and see sands in the channel of an ancient river.

Through Geology’s Gaze

Contact the authors at randjtitus@ prodigy.net or find them on Facebook at “The Catskill Geologist.” Also, read their blog at thecatskillgeologist.com.

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| UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Finding such features at this site was one of those revelations that only come to geologists. These river sandstones were part of an enormous, Devonian Age petrified delta deposit, something called the Catskill Delta. We stood at Cole’s spot and slowly turned a full 360 degrees, seeing things that he couldn’t.

We imagined viewing the top of that delta as it would’ve looked millennia ago: a flat landscape with a dense jungle of very primitive plants and a great mountain range rising above the horizon to the east. To the west, we envisioned a distant ocean – the Catskill Sea. But below us were two rivers: one of them from that Devonian delta, the other having flowed across the top of Kaaterskill Falls. These waters shared the same geological space, but belonged to very different times.

If you and your family find this Cole location, stay away from the edge of the falls; it’s dangerous. +

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SPRING 2022 | UPSTATE LIFE MAGAZINE | 31

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