Upstate Life Cooperstown Edition 2018

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COOPERSTOWN 2018

Money matters made simple Make every dollar do what it’s supposed to do

Author hits it out of the park

Trust in preservation

Book inspired by Mickey Mantle

Nonprofit dedicated to protecting the land for all

Go to the garage, Belgium comes to Cooperstown

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COOPERSTOWN 2018

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VOLUME 12

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Artists on exhibit out back

Upstate Life Magazine, Winner, New York State Associated Press Association First-Place Award for Specialty Publications, is published by: The Daily Star, P.O. Box 250, 102 Chestnut Street Oneonta, New York 13820 © 2018 - All rights reserved.

Belgium comes to Cooperstown

Publisher Fred Scheller

Money matters made simple Make every dollar do what it’s supposed to do

Go to the garage

‘Go around’ to Ommegang

Editor Joanne Arbogast

Author hits it out of the park

Graphic Designer Tracy Bender

Book inspired by Mickey Mantle

Advertising Manager Valerie Secor

Keeping an eye on things Photographer captures area in 3 books

Interested in advertising in Upstate Life Magazine?

Call toll-free, 1-800-721-1000, ext. 235

Family Day Trips

We invite you to email your comments to: upstatelifeeditor@thedailystar.com

Voyage to the bottom of a sea

Trust in preservation

On the cover

Nonprofit dedicated to protecting the land for all

Only Natural Beauty tips for fun in the sun

Business Directory Meet the locals

JESSICA GUENTHER BLUE WATER STUDIO

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Cooperstown 2018

Scott Curtis of Cooperstown Financial Services.

Captured by a cage CORRECTION In the spring edition, a story titled “Captured by a Cage” discussing the historic Andrew Mann Inn of Sidney, New York stated that the home was used as an “alleged drug den” in the 1960s.

Since then, descendants of former owners Philip and Alta Buker contacted the magazine to explain that the Bukers occupied the inn from 1939 to 1982, during which time it was their family home and definitely not a drug den.

Cover story

JESSICA GUENTHER

Scott Curtis, owner of Cooperstown Financial Services, stands in front of his 99 Chestnut St. office in Cooperstown.

are a lot of mergers and acquisitions out there, “There and things get bigger and bigger and less and less

personal. But you need to have that conversation and have it be eyeball-to-eyeball. The need for that personal connection will never go away. When you come into Cooperstown Financial Services, you’re not dealing with a frontline, entry-level employee… we’re small, nimble, quick and able to deal with customers directly.

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Money matters made simple ‘Make every dollar do what it’s supposed to do’

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STORY BY ALLISON COLLINS

cott Curtis, owner of Cooperstown Financial Services, Center. “But numbers came easily and I found as I got into LLC at 99 Chestnut St. in the village, has lived in financial services that it wasn’t so much numbers as language, Cooperstown most of his life. and that’s often what intimidates people.”

Unsurprisingly, he’s formed deep A teacher at heart ties with people, service groups Curtis, who launched Cooperand organizations therein. Today, as stown Financial Services roughly he helps people navigate somefive years ago, added, “As an times-murky financial waters, advisor, I excel at making that foundation of familiarity complex things simple. I and commitment to commuhave a teacher’s heart and nity underscores all he does.

I enjoy educating people “My dad always said, ‘It and seeing their response doesn’t matter what it is, be, ‘Oh, now I see what business is done on trust,’” you’re saying, this isn’t said Curtis, a registered really that hard at all. representative, licensed inThat’s what got me into surance agent and broker. “I the business – wanting to enjoy helping and educating demystify things for people people. The (Albert Einstein) and give them the benefit of quote that I think sums it up what I’ve learned. Now, I’m Scott Curtis, IBN registered representative, best is: ‘Everything should be essentially a personal coach or licensed insurance agent and broker. made as simple as possible, but no trainer for people, just in a financial simpler.’ That’s what most people want.” arena.”

JESSICA GUENTHER Pairing decades of coaching experience At Cooperstown Financial Services, Curtis with a lifelong aptitude for numbers, Curtis, 55, offers investment and insurance services for a dikeeps money matters simple while nevertheless offering diverse verse clientele. The majority of clients, he noted, reside within a services.

50-mile radius in Otsego, Chenango, Schoharie, Delaware and “In a sense, I started from scratch,” Curtis said, noting his Montgomery counties, though he does count customers “living previous 20-year career as athletic director of Clark Sports thousands of miles away.”

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Think about it According to Scott Curtis, the most important part of financial health, no matter the stage of life or income, is to simply begin thinking about it.

“Research has shown that, while there are a lot of factors that lead to investment success, the most important thing is to start,” he said. “Three-quarters of reaching your goal is just getting started.”

Another tip: staying focused on finances. Sounds simple, but easy to avoid in this day-and-age, Curtis said.

“Pay attention to this area of your life,” he said. “Many W-2type employees don’t think much about the financial aspect of their lives or are too intimidated to make a call to get started, so financial literacy is at a really low level. People are distracted and pulled in a lot of different directions these days, because there’s a lot more to know and pay attention to.”

Curtis advises seemingly basic financial rules that, he said, too often (and too easily) go unheeded.

“Be wise with debt,” he said, “and spend less than you make.”

A tendency to overspend, he said, may reflect decreasing financial literacy.

Wants and needs “My client base is varied, he said. “Part of that is by necessity, because Cooperstown is a town of only 2,000 people, and part of that is a function of the fact that I’m really well versed across the spectrum of services. “(I) focus on the wants and needs of the mainstream – the mass affluent as they are referred to in the industry,” he said. “There are more than a few dependable people out there who really need guidance in the financial arena, and it’s not always readily available.

“I do meet with folks to talk about budgeting (and) debt reduction,” Curtis added, “but primarily I am guiding and assisting with health insurance; life, home and auto insurance; long-term and disability insurance; and investments of all sorts.”

Noting that he enjoys shepherding millennials through early financial considerations as much as overseeing retirees, he said: “I like to make sure people are commanding their wealth and making every dollar do what it’s supposed to do.

I regularly say to folks, ‘Hey, you’re not a couch potato, so why let your money be?’ and that resonates. I’m making them aware of things they may not have thought of.

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“I think folks spend more because financial literacy is low,” he said. “Home economics is not part of many folks’ formal or informal curriculum, and I’m not talking about the old class in school – I’m talking about the economics of your personal finances.”

It’s important, Curtis said, not to let financial assumptions deter you from looking forward.

“I’ve spent hours with clients who had nothing,” he said, “but as they start to see strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, they become more motivated. There are many more folks out there who could use my services than not. People mistakenly think that you need to have hundreds of thousands of dollars to meet with an advisor, and that’s just not the case.”

Curtis’ last bit of advice: Give 10 percent; save or invest 10 percent; live off the rest.

“Giving is critical and if you don’t save and invest now, you’re not going have it later,” he said. “In all of life, you’re rewarded for being able to put off gratification. It’s important that I get that across – the time-value of money. If you plan, you’re a lot better off, and the time to start is now! This also helps you become more disciplined in how you approach buying and spending.”

“Clients are counting on me to have that technical expertise and be current with what’s available,” he said, “and to point out anything that looks awry. For some, that’s looking at portfolio construction and review, but I also get a lot of enjoyment out of getting clients who are in their 20s and 30s and haven’t done anything yet to begin a good habit. I know I can help them immensely in this way.”

‘Bloom where you’re planted’ Though Curtis began his financial services training and accreditation out of state, he said, bringing the business home felt important.

“I left Clark Sports Center and decided to pursue another path when I was around 43,” he said. “I took several stepping stones and ended up at John Hancock Financial Network in Florida and then, a few years later, I returned to Cooperstown.”

Following that homecoming, Curtis noted, he joined a corporate insurance outfit for five years and knew he’d found his niche.

“I was hired by Mang Insurance … and they ultimately closed that office, but by that time, I had a lot of experience, really enjoyed what I was doing

and I liked the idea of taking the mystery out of financial services,” he said. “And I grew up here, I have family here, I like it here and I’ve always ascribed to the idea that you bloom where you’re planted.

This is where I’ve been called to be and I’m committed to this area.”

Even as Cooperstown Financial Services experiences steady growth, Curtis said, he is committed, too, to keeping the business’ hometown feel.

“There are a lot of mergers and acquisitions out there, and things get bigger and bigger and less and less personal,” he said. “But you need to have that conversation and have it be eyeball-to-eyeball.

The need for that personal connection will never go away. When you come into Cooperstown Financial Services, you’re not dealing with a frontline, entry-level employee… we’re small, nimble, quick and able to deal with customers directly.”

When not crunching numbers, Curtis prizes faith, family and friends.

For more information, visit cooperstownfinancial.com, stop by the office or call Scott Curtis at (607) 322-4032.

Services offered through IBN Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA & SIPC, 8035 Oswego Rd., P/O Box 2365, Liverpool, N.Y.; (315) 652-4426.

Scott Curtis discusses financial options with recent Cooperstown Financial Services client Jaime Amaya.

PHOTOS BY ALLISON COLLINS

What clients say Scott Curtis’ clientele spans age, gender, financial and cultural demographics, as his services apply to everyday folks experiencing all of life’s stages.

For 34-year-old physician Jaime Amaya, a Cooperstown transplant from Honduras, Curtis provides advice as well as acclimation. “My wife and I came to get some advice about investments,” he said, “because we don’t know too much about business here in Cooperstown or the U.S., so we came to get some things right about what kind of business we can start and also some information about mortgage and loans, because we’re interested in buying a house.”

Amaya added: “We trust in his experience and we think he’s an honest person to get advice (from).”

For 70-year-old Cooperstown resident Robin Lettis, it’s Curtis’ longtime standing in the community, plus his expertise, that keep her coming back. Lettis said he provides her primarily with retirement management services alongside home and auto insurance.

“I have said more than once that Scott has to do well by me, because I know his mother and aunt,” Lettis, a semi-retired nurse said, laughing. “But I had previous dealings with him in insurance, and I think that’s the strongest reason. I knew him from years ago working at the gym and there is just that history there that makes it comfortable.”

In a written statement, Lettis added, “I am trusting him with my retirement. I think that says it all.” +

Scott Curtis sits opposite longtime client and Cooperstown resident Robin Lettis.

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Art

The third bay of Sydney Waller’s garage-turned-gallery features whimsical birdhouses made by Louis Sherry as a permanent exhibit.

Go to the

garage Artists on exhibit out back

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Cooperstown 2018

It’s a small space, but “ we all have rooms in our houses that are about this size and that’s part of why it’s as impressive as it is. The Art Garage works. Sydney is generous with artists and that generosity of spirit to the local arts community comes through and really attracts people.

Robert Seward

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Sydney Waller, owner of The Art Garage, looks at an installation by stained-glass artist David Wilson.

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STORY AND PHOTOS BY ALLISON COLLINS

estled between acres of picturesque Clark land and meticulous flower gardens sits the home of Cooperstown transplant and longtime art enthusiast Sydney Waller.

And in Waller’s three-bay garage at the top of her 689 Beaver Meadow Road driveway, you won’t find old lawn mowers or recycling bins.

About five years ago, Waller launched The Art Garage, a gallery-style space in her garage focused on showcasing contemporary and self-taught artists from near and far.

Waller, a native of Connecticut who grew up summering in Cooperstown and relocated upstate after college, curates about five shows annually alongside permanent exhibits and installations. She also represents the estates of late artists Lavern Kelley and Alice Hudson. The idea to bring art closer to home, Waller said, evolved from a career spent curating work for museums and art-focused organizations.

“I worked in Albany and Lake Placid … and I’ve always run small arts organizations,” Waller, in her mid-60s,

said. “I always enjoyed that, but at a certain point I thought, ‘I’m done with commuting’ and I just love this little farmhouse and my piece of property here.”

Opportunity knocks Ties to the Cooperstown-area arts community, Waller said, were formed during her management of the seasonal Pioneer Gallery on the second floor of the Smithy.

“I started my own nonprofit arts thing (known as Gallery 53) with other people, so I could have happenings year-round, (because) the Pioneer was only open in the summer,” she explained. “It was a little collective, cooperative … consortium of people in the community.” That was in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Now, Waller said, she draws on those connections and more to outfit The Art Garage.

“There are so many interesting people moving into the area and this area is quite supportive of the arts,” she said. “Because I’ve been here so long, I’m kind of aware of the artists. Obviously (selection) is a subjective thing and not all art will work well in this space, but I like to give opportunities to emerging artists. I think that’s really important … and they can be emerging at any age.”

Despite its rustic, raw-wood exterior and at-home situation, Waller said, The Art

Garage keeps apace with more traditional contemporary art venues.

“It’s what’s called a pop-up space,” she said. “It’s a garage and it’s not a garage – you open the door and it’s a professional art gallery. In terms of lighting and walls and everything, we take it very seriously.”

For patrons and artists alike, Waller said, The Art Garage has proven a hit.

“The response has been fantastic,” she said. “If I ever thought about maybe slowing down, I think that would be difficult now. I’m pretty busy and I’m just lucky to have the support of friends, the community and collectors.”

Cooperstown resident and former Tokyo-based professor Robert Seward, 76, participated in Waller’s June show “Paint, Clay, Glass,” marking a first for the selftaught artist.

Seward, who said he lives “around the corner” from Waller, where he crafts his slab-built, biomorphic clay-based ceramic sculptures, called The Art Garage a unique success.

Generous spirit “At first … you think, ‘How could such an intimate space work as a gallery?’ but in here, everything is on a human scale,” he said. “It’s Sydney’s genius to put these things in this room.

“It’s a small space, but we all have rooms

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In June, the work of sculptor Robert Seward and painter Lilian Vorhees filled the first bay of Waller’s Art Garage.

in our houses that are about this size and that’s part of why it’s as impressive as it is. The Art Garage works,” Seward said.

“Sydney is generous with artists and that generosity of spirit to the local arts community comes through and really attracts people.”

And while artist talks and show openings provide a continuous draw, Waller said, patrons also include tourists and, occasionally, even passersby.

“I get standing-room-only for all of my artists talks, which are free, because I think there really is a keen interest in how artists are thinking,” she said. “People always like openings … and people who are in town because of (baseball) know that, compared to prices downstate, these (pieces) are very affordable and I’m very careful about what I show.

“And people who know about Lavern Kelley know about me. The Fenimore Art Museum owns 12 of his pieces, so there’s word-of-mouth between the museum and here.”

Waller added, “I sold something last year because a runner was passing by every day. I have zero foot traffic in the traditional sense, but I do have people that just wander in and if people see that it looks open, they can just drop by.”

For Waller, The Art Garage feeds not only her personal passion, but furthers a wider mission of making art accessible.

“It means a great deal to me,” she said. “I think all of us need art in our lives and I am not artistic myself … but I just get enormous pleasure in seeing something that’s never been made before, especially in a world where there is so much uniformity and people don’t trust their own taste. To see something that truly doesn’t exist any place else is wonderful – it’s a great privilege to look at that kind of art and it is just a joy to me.”

For more information, call 607-547-5327, text Waller at 315-941-9607 or find “The Art Garage – Cooperstown” on Facebook. The Art Garage is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and daily by appointment.

CONTRIBUTED

This Ashley Norwood Cooper painting, “Poolside,” will be part of “Splash.”

Coming up

Through Aug. 22, The Art Garage is hosting a four-woman show titled “Splash,” featuring the work of artists Petey Brown, Ashley Norwood Cooper, Megan Adams Irving and Stephanie Marcus.

“Their work kind of makes a ‘splash,’” Waller said, noting that two of the artists are considered established and the other two emerging. “Some of it involves water in a literal sense and others have liquids or pouring. It’s just a fun, funky, high-energy style.”

The show will include two free artist talks at the gallery, happening Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. with Ashley Norwood Cooper and Petey Brown and Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. with Megan Adams Irving and Stephanie Marcus.

Following the Aug. 18 closing reception for “Splash” and the show’s Aug. 22 end, Waller said, will be “Poetica Obscura,” highlighting New York City artist Robert Ginder.

“We’ll be showing his concrete poetry,” she said, describing words burned into the convex interiors of eggshells. “It’s very contemporary and very conceptual and I think incredibly beautiful and evocative.”

From Aug. 24 to 26, Waller said, The Art Garage will host its inaugural summertime Taj Garage, a warm-weather installment of an annual December favorite by the same name.

“It’s like a bazaar,” she said. “You would think you were in India.” The sale, she said, will include artisanal Indian bedspreads, silks, cashmere scarves and more.

Upcoming show dates are announced on The Art Garage Facebook page. Waller said a dedicated gallery website is coming soon. + UPSTATE LIFE magazine

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Belgium comes to

‘Go around’ to Ommegang

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ummer, baseball and beer.

It’s a match made in heaven that brings thousands of people, from near and far, to Cooperstown each year … and Brewery Ommegang is bringing it all together with their Belgian-inspired farmstead brewery.

Following in Cooperstown’s history as the hotspot of hop production in the 19thcentury, Ommegang built its brewery in 1997 on more than 100 acres of land that originally served as a hop farm.

Over 20 years later, Brewery

Ommegang now offers some of the finest Belgian-style ales in the country, including seasonal and locally-inspired offerings (like their “Glimmerglass” and “Cooperstown Ale”), historical ales such as their luxurious “Aphrodite” and the “Belgian Independence Day” spiced Saison. There’s even a line of “Game of Thrones” beers with fun-themed blends like the “Iron Throne” blonde ale, “Fire and Blood” red ale and “Bend the Knee” golden ale.

For guests visiting Ommegang, the brewery offers tours, tastings and its own café to serve up a full-

Cooperstown

BY ANNA KRUSINSKI

scale sensory experience of their beers. The brewery also hosts an impressive array of events, including concerts with acts like Jack White and The Shins.

On Aug. 3-4, Brewery Ommegang will hold its annual “Belgium Comes to Cooperstown” event.

With a wide selection of food, music, live performances and — of course — beer, this festival is a new spin on the brewery’s namesake, the original Ommegang which was held more than four centuries ago in Brussels.

Hop to it

In 1549, the first Ommegang (Dutch for “going around”) was a

walk about the city of Brussels, to welcome Emperor Charles V. The Ommegang is still celebrated in modern-day Brussels, complete with acrobatic performances, jousting tournaments, historical costumes and even appearances from Belgium’s aristocracy.

For more than a decade, Brewery Ommegang has brought this rich Belgian tradition to Cooperstown in honor of the festival that is its namesake, by pairing the best Belgian and Belgian-style beers in the world with gourmet food vendors, live performances and plenty of fun activities.

BRYAN KORLESAR

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This year, the festival is expanding with even more opportunities to explore the brewery grounds. It all starts on Friday, Aug. 3, with a VIP five-course dinner with Beekman 1802 farm and mercantile of Sharon Springs to celebrate the release of the new cookbook, “A Seat at the Table” by Brent Ridge, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Rose Marie Trapani. Their collection of recipes honors the traditions of food in bringing communities together.

In this spirit, the VIP dinner offers guests a chance to connect and mingle while enjoying artisanal dishes expertly paired with Brewery Ommegang beers for a perfect summer evening filled with tasty local fare.

Get tickets early On Saturday, Aug. 4, the festivities open to all event ticket-holders with beer tastings where you can expect to choose from nearly 100 Belgian-inspired beers from across the country, as well as hard-to-find Belgian imports. A wide selection of food vendors will also offer up their selections, to pair with the world’s best beers.

Throughout the day, live performances will provide entertainment, with past

performers taking their cue from the Brussels Ommegang festival with acts such as fire spinners, aerialists and pogo stick daredevils. On the brewery stage, live music will kick off at 3 p.m. and continue until midnight, keeping the celebration going well to day’s end.

Festival tickets are available at the Brewery Ommegang website, but be forewarned that they are known to sell out quickly, so don’t wait long to save your spot! VIP tickets include access to the Friday evening beer pairing dinner, two nights of camping on the brewery grounds, a tasting at the visitor’s center tasting room, a discount voucher for the brewery store, early access to the Saturday beer tasting, and more. General admission tickets include access to the Saturday tasting event and entertainment, with an additional option available to include camping for Saturday night.

For more information about Brewery Ommegang, the “Belgium Comes to Cooperstown” event, and all of the breweries, beers, musical acts, food and activities at this year’s festival, visit www. ommegang.com. +

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Book of dreams

Author hits it out of the park

BY STORY LLINS N CO ALLISO

Baseball was our “lives, but we only went that once.”

Laughing, he added, “Maybe because we spent the rest of the time playing.

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or 62-year-old Binghamton native, former sports writer, author and baseball diehard Gary Kaschak, walking into Cooperstown was like walking

home.

The village — so steeped in baseball history — offered Kaschak an emotional trip down memory lane and the inspiration needed to move forward with his memoir, “My Name Was Mickey Mantle,” published earlier this year.

The book, Kaschak’s fourth, was inspired by a series of dreams and follows his childhood spent idolizing New York Yankee Mickey Mantle on and off the diamond. Though the manuscript came together in a swift nine months, he said, the story stalled for more than

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The bleachers in the original section of Doubleday Field.

Historic Doubleday Field, located just off of Main Street in the heart of the village.

a year until stepping foot on Cooperstown’s Doubleday Field.

“That gave me the final chapter,” he said. “I had finished the manuscript and thought I had a good ending, but something kept gnawing at me … so I put it down and did nothing for 15 months. All that changed when I came to Cooperstown.”

‘Baseball is a religion’ Kaschak made that momentous trip two years ago and, despite having begged his baseball-coach father to attend the 1965 Hall of Fame Classic featuring his beloved Yankees (and, of course, Mantle), it marked only his second time in the village.

“We went one time, in 1963 or ’64, when I was 8 or 9 years old,” he said.

Cooperstown 2018

This 1958 shot shows Gary Kaschak, 3, rea dy to play ball.

CONTRIBUTED

Gary Kaschak

Book inspired by Mickey Mantle

“Baseball was our lives, but we only went that once.” Laughing, he added, “Maybe because we spent the rest of the time playing.”

Kaschak’s two-day visit in 2016 was related to his role as researcher for the Hoy for the Hall Committee, a group dedicated to seeing deaf baseball player William “Dummy” Hoy inducted.

“I had plenty of time to kill, so I just wanted to get downtown and explore,” he said. “I didn’t realize that Doubleday Field was right there on Main Street and when I walked in, I just lost it immediately.”

Weeping as he took in the stands, the player plaques and the historic ball field, Kaschak said, his reaction was fueled by recollections of his 9-year-old self mingled with the sacred Doubleday air.

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“For me, baseball is a religion,” he said. “And stepping into the stadium and looking out at that field, memories of a day I had suppressed in 1965 all came back to me. I was asking my father repeatedly to go and we didn’t. That’s why my story became what it was.” He added, “From there, it just snowballed and became this unbelievably spiritual experience for me.”

A call to come But that hold on Kaschak’s imagina-

tion wasn’t limited to time in the stands or on the field. Rather, the village as a whole enthralled him.

“Cooperstown has that old-town feel to it,” he said. “The little shops, the quaintness, the stadium, the Hall of Fame itself, the people and just Main Street, that one little street – it’s enough for me. When I came up for those two days and had that spiritual episode, I did not want to come home. There was a part of me that just wanted to stay.”

Kaschak said the experience proved

not only productive for his book, but cathartic, too.

“It opened up my mind to the 1960s and going back in time releases you from your troubles,” he said. “I’m drawn there like I belong. The simplicity of Cooperstown and what it stands for is what I really believe in.”

Unsurprisingly, Kaschak, who calls New Jersey home these days and works as an optician, knows he’ll be back.

“Oh, my god, yes. I’m definitely coming up again,” he said. “It’s calling me.”

Mick dreams Gary Kaschak’s memoir, “My Name Was Mickey Mantle,” was published in February and, he said, has been well received. “(Reviews) have been really good,” he said. “It’s been just phenomenal.”

According to press materials, the book is “a coming-of-age story highlighting the naïveté of youth, the trials and tribulations (of) growing up and the realization that our bigger-than-life heroes may not be heroes at all … that takes the reader on an engaging ... journey from the sandlots of Binghamton (to) the hallowed grounds of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.”

The story focuses on Kaschak’s childhood as it parallels (sometimes surrealistically) Mantle’s life and career. The pairing, he said, was a natural one.

“Mickey Mantle was probably the alltime hero for most kids growing up in late ’50s and early to mid-’60s,” he said.

“As my dreams were coming and I started writing this story, I started asking (people) my age who their favorite player was and, no matter where they lived or grew up, Mickey Mantle’s name was always No. 1. Mickey Mantle just had this grip on everyone and he affected me the same way. He was who I pretended to be when we played all our games.”

Kaschak credits his research on Hoy with triggering the dreams that inspired his memoir.

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“I’m sure that concentration just opened this portal of memories and I had dreams for almost three straight weeks; dreams that began at the ending of the dream from night before,” he said. “They spun so realistically, it was almost as if I was spying on myself as a boy of 9 or 10. It was incredible. I just started taking notes and before you

Cooperstown 2018

know it, I had a book.”

Kaschak is at work on a fifth book, a satirical religious comedy.

“My Name Was Mickey Mantle” is available on Amazon and Kindle and was released as an audiobook in June.

The memoir was published by Black Rose Writing. +

Gary Kaschak in the base line during his 2016 visit to Doubleday Field.

CONTRIBUTED

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Keeping an eye on things

PHOTOS BY RICHARD S. DUNCAN

The castle-like Kingfisher Tower on Otsego Lake.

Photographer captures area in 3 books

BY JOANNE ARBOGAST

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f you live here, have lived here or plan to live here, let Richard Scott Duncan show you around, through his photographs. Since moving to the Cooperstown area two decades ago, Duncan has aimed his lens throughout Otsego County and hundreds of his photos are preserved for posterity in three massive hardcover books. Interspersed among his colorful shots are complementing old-time black and white images and historical accounts of how the 24 towns within the county’s 1,000 square miles came to be.

“The historical societies and numerous individuals were a great help in sharing their old photographs and pointing out places of importance in their villages,” he

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notes in the third book, “Otsego County Its Towns and Treasures.” He adds, “I could not photograph everything, but I hope we at least have captured the spirit of the towns and villages.”

The same holds true for the first two books, “Otsego Lake Past and Present,” published in 2005, and “Cooperstown” in 2006. “I just signed a contract to re-do ‘Cooperstown’ (which is sold out). I’m going to swap out some of the photos and bring it up-to-date. It should be ready by Christmas,” he says of the revised edition.

Each book, measuring 11 inches wide and a foot long, were published by The Farmers Museum, Inc., and printed by Brodock Press in Utica. “Otsego Coun-

Cooperstown 2018

ty,” the heftiest of the three, is at least an inch thick. Priced at just $39.95, it’s a bargain any way you look at it.

Be here now Stunning as the books are, the bespectacled photographer is surprisingly unassuming. Though one would think the success of the books and occasional gallery and museum shows might push Duncan, 74, toward ever higher heights, he’s content being in the here and now.

Living in the Milford woods with his partner, Pam, he spends his time taking in the scenery and doing odd photographic jobs here and there. “I’m doing what people need done,” he says, such as shooting the photographs in the 2016/2017 Otsego County Community

Guide & Business Directory.

“I have no need to market myself,” he says. “I’m here to serve.”

As he told Eric J. Hurwitz in an interview (www.visitingcooperstown.com) following the publication of the “Cooperstown” book, “I’m not totally ego-less, but it’s not inflating me. I’m just pleased I’m utilizing my talent.”

In other words, he says, looking back, “doing the book was my artistic photographic studies suddenly coming together, like a break-through.”

Getting there wasn’t easy -- but it was colorful.

Party favor Duncan, artistic from the get-go, spent his formative years going from one coast to

the other, in search of a landing spot. Once he settled into photography, he stayed with it but couldn’t quite make a living doing it. His longest career job was working as a janitor for 23 years at the Christian Science Reading Room in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass.

In 1998, after returning to Boston following a “lake party” in Cooperstown, he found himself evicted from his apartment.

Taking his bike, his camera and what little money he had, he turned around and came back to Cooperstown – to stay.

He made muffins and cleaned rooms at The Inn at Cooperstown and supervised lifeguards at Fairy Spring Park but his artwork was gaining attention. His photos showed up on the walls at The Cooperstown Art Association and the Smithy Pioneer Gallery. Among his admirers was Jane Forbes Clark. That connection led to a one-year photo project at The Farmers Museum, a display at the Fenimore Art Museum and a contract to work on the books.

“It’s not just taking photos,” he says of doing what he does, “but the traveling around. Otsego County has a beautiful landscape and a treasure trove of people who are walking history books.

“Every place has people who remember.”

As he thumbs through the books, he points to photos and recalls the stories he was told by people close to those subjects.

And he is reminded of how much places change over the years, sometimes due to age or neglect and other times out of plain disinterest.

“We need to preserve the buildings and the landscape,” he says. And in his own way, that’s exactly what he’s doing.

JOANNE ARBOGAST

These three books contain tons of photographs taken around the area by Richard Scott Duncan.

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Richard Scott Duncan.

Self-taught Born in Catskill, N.Y., Richard Duncan attended a one-room school house in Ithaca then later the Manlius Military (prep) School followed by a year at the Rhode Island School of Art and Design.

Heading west, he landed in San Francisco, where he studied drawing and painting under the guidance of renowned artist Jacques Fabert. Heading back east, he studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMOFA) in Boston yet found himself leaning more toward photography.

While in Boston in the early ’70s, “I taught myself how to do color photographs,” he says, adding that because he was the only one who could do it, he was then hired to teach photography at SMOFA but that only lasted a few years.

Most of the photos in “Otsego County” were taken with a Hasselblad using Fujichrome film and producing 2 ¼ by 2 ¼ inch transparencies but that film “is up to $25 a roll, with just four photos per roll,” he explains with a sigh. He also uses a digital Leica and “has fun with it,” he says, “manipulating photos to keep up quality.”

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Finding balance Updating photographs for the next edition of “Cooperstown” aside, Richard Duncan isn’t sure what job he’ll tackle next but it might be close to home.

“I have a basement full of old work I’ve done,” he says. “It’s probably getting moldy.”

What’s down there? Photos that reflect interests that captured his attention over time, like “vases of dead flowers, belly dancers and manikins,” he says with a smile.

“There’s also a collection of signed Aikido masters,” he adds, which include the son of Morihei Ueshiba, the O’sensei/grand teacher.

Seeking a healthier state of being and peace of mind, decades ago Duncan discovered Aikido, an Eastern martial arts discipline, and the healing ways of Taoism. He continues to study the importance of staying connected to nature and health maintenance techniques including how to move energy and balance the five organs, and has taught classes on the same in Oneonta.

He talks of the potential healing factor of fasting.

“Early man didn’t eat every day,” he points out. “Right now I’m reading ‘The China Story,’ a study of food and the effects of diet.” The book details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Taking care of the inside and being outside with a camera has proved to be a winning combination. “I use art,” he says, “as self development and self understanding.” +

Among the photos in “Cooperstown” is this one illustrating the Bassett Healthcare section. It complements a black and white shot of a surgery in a 1910 operating room. Richard Duncan’s color photo shows Bassett surgeons performing open heart surgery.

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Family Day Trips

W

Voyage to the bottom of a sea

e very much enjoy visiting the Cooperstown area. The museums are a big draw; they take us on journeys into our country’s past so that we can see the many American cultures that have passed before our own.

We are very big lovers of American art so Fenimore House is a must stop at least once every year. Then the Farmer’s Museum takes us back to the 19th century and its upstate rural life.

But our best journeys into the past are taken to the many natural outdoors “museums” that line the area highways, north and south of the village.

Have you seen any of these? They are outcroppings of stratified sandstones

and shales that are found all around Cooperstown. They take us about 385 million years into the past, and our journeys end up with us descending to the bottom of an ocean that lay right here all that long ago. Why don’t you come along and join us?

Before we leave, let’s repeat our claim. We are stating that there once was an ocean, right here in the Cooperstown vicinity! It had a name; many geologists call it “the Catskill Sea.” It was not an especially deep ocean but it was widespread; its waters lay west of the Appalachians and spread out all across our continent. But, can our outrageous claim really be true; was there actually a salt water sea right here? And we mean right here.

See the sea Look around you; if you are reading this anywhere in Otsego County then where you are now was once at the bottom of a salt water sea. The late astronomer Carl Sagan said it so well: “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” We can understand if you have doubts, so let’s go and see that evidence.

Pack up the family and jump into your car and drive north or south from Cooperstown. Pick an outcrop, any outcrop, and pull over. There are some nice ones just north of Cooperstown along Route 80. But, it is not safe to stop along this road and so we would ask you not to do so. Head north to Five Mile Point and turn left (west). At

BY ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS

Fossil brachiopods and clams.

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Fossil finds

The road at Five Mile Point.

the top of this road you should be able to safely park and get out.

Down the road is a fine long outcropping of shales and sandstones.

Walk down to the bottom of the sequence. Now it is time to look at stratified rock in a fashion that you likely have never done before.

First things first; notice that the rocks are, indeed, stratified. They are composed of horizontal layers of sandstone or shale. Climb up the bank a little and put your finger on one of those strata. You are actually touching the bottom of the Catskill Sea. That rock was once sediment and that sediment accumulated on the bottom of the old ocean.

Now it’s time to look around. It might take a while but, with just the least little bit of good luck, you will soon find a fossil or two. They are likely to be shellfish, invertebrate animals called brachiopods. Brachiopods lived the lives that clams live today; they sat on the floor of the ocean and filtered

food out of the passing currents. Not many brachiopods are still alive today, but they were abundant back then.

They were the most common animals on the floor of the Catskill Sea. There were clams on that sea floor too. One of them is the larger shell, left of the finger in our photo.

We geologists have a name for that time; we call it the Devonian time period. It began about 419 million years ago and ended at about 359. That’s a lot of time and, throughout all of those millions of years, the Catskill Sea blanketed nearly all of our state.

Now, look up into the sky. We think that, about 100 feet up, there was the actual surface of the old ocean. That is shallow enough so that some sunlight could easily have penetrated this far down. We have taken you back to noon on a windswept Devonian day.

Those breezes are blowing across the sea above, and are creating waves that are scattering the noonday sunlight.

We look up and “see” the sparkling.

One of our students spent quite a bit of time hunting fossils here, back in the late 1970s. She identified about 60 species of marine shellfish fossils right here. That was something of a revelation. Think about that. Now, stop and slowly turn a full 360 degrees. You are at the bottom of the Catskill Sea, as it was. All around you is a sea floor scattered with living creatures. This was a rich ecology, a diverse one as well. Turn those 360 degrees once again; you are witnessing the past.

If you walk slowly back up the road you can watch for more fossils. They are there. We think fossils become more common and diverse up the road.

And we think that the strata become thicker and sandier. We interpret this as being a shallowing sea. As it filled up with sediment it become shallower.

That made it more and more hospitable for an even richer marine ecology.

This may have been your family’s first real journey into the deep geological past. We hope you have enjoyed it and even have been a bit enlightened by it. In the future you might try your luck at other outcroppings. Some give us even more vivid images of the deep past; all are revelations. +

Contact the authors at randjtitus@ prodigy.net. Join their facebook page “the Catskill Geologist.” Visit their blog “thecatskillgeologist.com.” Learn more about the Devonian from their book “The Catskills: a Geologic Guide,” Purple Mountain Press, 4th edition.

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TRUST in preservation STORY AND PHOTOS BY ALLISON COLLINS

A Brookwood Point, protected by the Otsego Land Trust, is located at 6000 State Highway 80, West Lake Road, Cooperstown.

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Nonprofit dedicated to protecting the land for all

s 2018 marks 30 years of environmental conservation by the Otsego Land Trust, the Cooperstown-based nonprofit is focusing on promoting its Blueway Trail, ensuring the trust’s longevity, expanding outreach and continuing to professionalize.

Patricia Szarpa, executive director with the trust, said the 30-year milestone is cause for celebration, even as the group recognizes the weight of its long-term mission.

“It’s kind of exciting, and as we continue to mature as an organization, we realize what our obligation is,” she said. “When we say we protect land in perpetuity, which means forever.”

Noting the trust has a five-person staff, Szarpa added, “We are a small

organization that takes on large tasks, so it’s a year of really looking internally and saying, ‘We need to let the world know what we do.’ Making sure people understand (that) when they come to our lands … is part of this year’s march forward.”

The trust’s Blueway Trail is a reflection of its founding belief that “when people connect with the land and water, they will care for them more deeply and be more responsible for assuring that they are protected now and for future generations.”

“One of the most exciting things that intersects with the lives of people in our region is our Blueway Trail,” Szarpa said. “We have beautiful properties that … are there for the quiet enjoyment of the public and for water access.” Blue-

It continues to grow from being “regionally known. We have a lot of

regulars and they love it. And we get different school groups and garden groups for walks and talks. There’s a lot of opportunity for everybody locally, but it’s definitely a great place for visitors.

Patricia Szarpa

”

Brookwood Point, the largest of the trust’s properties, features the meticulously maintained Cook Foundation gardens.

way properties offer hiking, bird watching, paddling, fishing and relaxation.

“These properties are scattered about,” Szarpa noted, “and they are part of Otsego Lake or are tributaries that flow into the Susquehanna River.”

The Blueway Trail includes the Fetterley Forest Conservation Area, Deowongo Island, Oaks Creek Conservation Area, Parslow Road Conservation Area, Greenough Road Conservation Area, Compton Bridge Conservation Area and what Szarpa termed the trust’s “most significant property,” Brookwood Point.

“Brookwood Point is right on Otsego Lake and is considered a historic twomile point of the lake,” she explained.

“Over the last six years, we have taken care of it and it is beautiful.”

Calling Brookwood Point a “beloved place just north of the village,” Szarpa

said, the trust is working to expand access therein.

“It’s got an area right now that we are making sure is safe for future access to the entire north side of the property,” she said. “We’re replacing two bridges, doing stream-bank repair and a full stream assessment. That work has begun and we hope to be able to unveil the north side and get people out there next year.” She added, “We’re working feverishly with donors on campaigns to get that going.”

Funding needed Given Brookwood Point’s proximity to Cooperstown proper, Szarpa said, the site sees “quite a mix” of local and out-of-town visitors.

“It continues to grow from being regionally known,” she said. “We have a lot of regulars and they love it. And we

With more than 400 kayaks rented last season, kayak and paddle board rentals have proven popular at the Cooperstown site, says Otsego Land Trust Executive Director Patricia Szarpa.

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Turning point OLT’s founding board chair, Harry Levine, left his 12-year post earlier this year.

After more than a decade at the fore of Otsego Land Trust operations, Levine said, he was happy to pass the torch to incoming chair Caleb Wertenbaker.

The smooth transition, he said, was testament to the trust’s hard-earned professional status.

“Given the maturing and growth of the organization, which has been quite solid and very good,” Levine said, “it was a good time to turn the reins over.

“The trust has a long learning period for board members. There’s a lot going on and a lot of knowledge that one needs to be a really productive board member,” he added, “but Caleb felt comfortable, as did I and the rest of the board.” Wertenbaker previously served on the board for five years.

And while the transition, for him, felt bittersweet, Levine said, that was matched by his faith in the trust’s future.

“It’s always hard when you’ve dedicated a lot of your energy, hopes and wishes to an organization and you’ve watched its successes,” he said. “You always step away with some wistfulness. But my wistfulness is combined with my confidence. It’s a really good staff and a really good board.”

Wertenbaker said he, too, sees the changeover as proof of the trust’s evolution.

“The 30-year turning point is a nice line of demarcation of the trust’s true professionalization,” he said. “It began as most nonprofits do, as a volunteer organization, then grew to have half-time positions and … now it really is totally professional.”

Wertenbaker credited Levine with shepherding OLT to such solid ground. “It’s had a lot of success under Harry’s chairmanship,” he said. “It was really while he was chairman that the trust shifted from being volunteer-based to a professional, staffed organization.”

Wertenbaker, 46, was nominated for the role of chairman, which, he said, will mean overseeing six annual board meetings and ensuring the trust stays its course.

“I’ve tasked myself with having a clear vision – to continue protecting lands through conservation easements and growing the Blueway Trail. There’s a lot of energy right now going into the Blueway,” he said. “We’re growing both of those ways of protecting land.”

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Located just minutes from the village of Cooperstown, Brookwood Point offers panoramic views of Otsego Lake.

get different school groups and garden groups for walks and talks. There’s a lot of opportunity for everybody locally, but it’s definitely a great place for visitors.”

Annual costs associated with property maintenance, Szarpa said, are an everyday concern for the trust, but especially as its anniversary year means looking ahead.

“As we entered spring and started getting people on our properties,” she said, “there were a lot of properties that … we had to clean, do some projects (on) and there were a lot of things that we needed to make sure of safety-wise, so costs are at our forefront this year. We’re beginning the next 30 years and taking those obligations more seriously than ever before.”

Part of broadening OLT’s reach into the future, Szarpa said, is involving young, conservation-minded folks now.

“That’s another piece of the puzzle,” she said. “We want to really create that educational arm on our properties.

We created what we call a deep impact program and we’re doing that again this year, (with) environmental studies teams and (high school) students going out for two-week programs in summer.” The program, she noted, is open to 10th- and 12th-graders.

“We’re seeking additional funding to continue that in years to come,” Szarpa added. “It’s part of our way of letting people know more and more about what we do. It’s part of passing that torch and

getting people out and understanding that we are responsible for giving inspiration to the next generation that’s going to continue the work.”

Noting that 30 years is “sort of a turning point,” Szarpa said: “Every nonprofit organization probably reassesses every decade, but one of the big changes that’s just occurred is we’ve become more professionalized.”

Celebration coming up “When an organization is younger,” she explained, “board members have a lot of control and have to do a lot of the work. The previous board chair, (Harry Levine), stepped down and (Caleb Wertenbaker) stepped in, so that was a big change this year and that’s part of being a more mature organization: relying more on our staff to do the work and board members acting as advisers.”

A celebration that is equal parts commemoration and kickoff, Szarpa said, will be held at Brookwood Point in September.

“The community is invited to come out and hear about some things that have occurred,” she said, “and this is our way of honoring (Levine) and being at the forefront of our stewardship fund for the Blueway Trail.”

For more information on the trust, its properties and upcoming events, visit otsegolandtrust.org. +

Summer safety

Beauty tips for

FUN in the SUN

Only l a r u t Na

COLUMN AND PHOTOS

BY ANNA KRUSINSKI

S

ummer in the Catskills is a time to get outside and reconnect with the joys of nature. The sun’s warm rays beckon us outdoors to tend our gardens, venture out on a hike, hit the rivers and lakes on a boat or kayak, and take a dive in the local swimming holes.

Perhaps the biggest lure in this area is Otsego Lake, with its 20-plus miles of shoreline. There’s much to do, or do very little – head out for some fishing or just plant yourself at the water’s edge and enjoy the view.

Before heading out on your next outdoors adventure, think about packing some of these items to keep your skin protected from the elements: Sunscreen: Rule number one for summer skincare — always wear sunscreen before heading out to protect your skin from sun damage. Look for a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. And don’t forget to re-apply throughout the day!

Water bottle: Drink up! One of the simplest things you can do to keep your skin healthy and hydrated is to drink plenty of water, especially when spend-

ing a summer day outdoors. It’s recommended to drink at least 64 ounces of water per day.

Lip balm: The sun’s rays can be especially damaging to the delicate skin on the lips. To keep your lips hydrated and kissably soft, bring along a moisturizing lip balm to help counteract the drying summer sun.

Sun hat: A wide-brimmed hat will help protect your face, especially when the sun comes at an angle. (Plus, it gives you an excuse to rock that “beachy beauty” look!)

After a day out enjoying the warm summer air, pamper your sun-exposed skin with these soothing and rejuvenating skincare tips using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. * Did you know you can make your own nourishing facial mask using just yogurt? Plain yogurt contains lactic acid, which is an alpha hydroxy acid that helps to smooth dry skin, tighten the pores and prevent fine lines and wrinkles. If you are prone to acne, a yogurt mask can also help prevent breakouts due to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal

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Cooperstown 2018 | 31

Replenish sun-soaked skin with a nourishing yogurt mask.

Did you know you can make your own nourishing facial mask using just yogurt? Plain yogurt contains lactic acid, which is an alpha hydroxy acid that helps to smooth dry skin, tighten the pores and prevent fine lines and wrinkles.

properties. To make your facial mask, gently rub plain yogurt into your skin and leave on for 30 minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry. * After rinsing off your face mask, take a dip in a lukewarm or cool shower to tighten your pores, constrict the blood vessels in your skin, and reduce redness.

The colder temperature also helps to lock in moisture in your hair and skin. If you’re not keen to shower in cool water, try just a quick blast of cold at the end of your shower…even 10-15 seconds can

improve your skin health. * Finally, finish off your summer skincare pampering with a calming cucumber cream. To soothe and cool sun-exposed skin, simply juice a small cucumber and mix the juice with honey to create a creamy consistency. Apply to your neck, décolletage, and face (be careful to avoid the eye area). Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water. Follow up with your favorite face cream for a healthy, hydrated glow. For the rest of your body, apply a lightweight moistur-

Whether You’re Passing Through or Staying a While, Make The Southside Mall Your Shopping Destination!

REMEMBER TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

BY SHOPPING WITH US AT THE SOUTHSIDE MALL.

Follow Us for Updates, Events & More Information.

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Make your own calming cucumber cream to cool sun-exposed skin.

izer or a dry oil such as sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil. (A “dry oil” is an oil that absorbs into the skin quickly, without leaving you feeling oily or greasy — a great benefit year-round, but especially for the summer months.)

With these tools and tips at your disposal, you can feel confident to get out there and enjoy the great outdoors while keeping your skin safe, healthy, and nourished. Now go have some fun in the sun!

Kayaking on Otsego Lake this summer? Remember to pack a sun hat and sunscreen to keep your skin healthy and happy while you’re out on the water.

Summer in the Catskills is perfect for enjoying great hikes and gorgeous mountain views.

Outdoor events this summer in Cooperstown • Annual Summer Concert Series at the Ommegang 136-acre farmstead brewery. Call 800-544-1809 or visit www.ommegang. com • Baseball tournaments throughout the area, including at Doubleday Field and Dreams Park. Speaking of baseball, don’t forget about the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend July 27-30 with the annual induction ceremony 1:30 p.m. July 29 at the Clark Sports Center.

• Glimmerglass Festival. This year’s schedule include Jan Vogler and Friends, July 24; West Side Story, July 7-Aug. 24; The Cunning Little Vixen, July 8-Aug. 25; The Barber of Seville, July 14-Aug. 25; and Silent Night, July 15-Aug. 23. Visit www.glimmerglass.org/festival/2018-festival. + Source: www.thisiscooperstown.com

Anna Krusinski has been creating and selling natural bath and beauty products for nearly a decade. Contact her at anna@shopwillowandbirch.com.

Don’t forget the sunscreen before heading to your favorite swimming hole.

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Business Directory Meet the Locals Advertising & Media (Publishers, Public Relations, Marketing)

Construction & Building Services

Entertainment

(General Contractors, Construction, Engineers, Architects)

(Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Travel, Events, Museums)

(Banks, Financial Advisors, Insurance)

THE CHERRY BRANCH GALLERY

bieritz insurance

THE COOPERSTOWN

CRIER 4&37*/( 5)& /"5*0/"- #"4&#"-- )"-- 0' '".& 4 )0.&508/ 4*/$&

The Cooperstown Crier 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown, NY 607-432-1000 www.coopercrier.com

Tweedie Construction Services, Inc. 90 Crystal Creek Rd., Walton, NY 607-865-4916 • 607-865-4913

2 5 M A I N S T. C H E R R Y VA L L E Y, N .Y. 1 3 3 2 0 (607) 264- 9530 I N F O @ C H E R R Y B R A N C H G A L L E R Y.C O M

Cherry Branch Gallery

25 Main St., Cherry Valley, NY T H U R S607-264-9530 DAY - S U N DAY: 1 2 - 6 P M info@cherrybranchgallery.com

The Franklin Railroad and Community Museum

Windows & Doors Kitchens & Baths A&J’s Windows & Doors Kitchens & Baths

The Daily Star 102 Chestnut St., Oneonta, NY 607-432-1000 www.thedailystar.com

4189 State Hwy. 28, Milford, NY 607-286-7856 www.anjwindows.com

572 Main Street Franklin, NY 13775

The Franklin• johncampbell8@gmail.com Railroad and 607-829-2692 Hours Open: Last Sunday Community of Each Month, 1:00pm Museum to 5:00pm or by Appointment

607-829-5890 or 607-829-2692 572CallMain St., Franklin, NY Admission: Free Handicapped Accessible Find us on 607-829-2692 johncampbell8@gmail.com

Bieritz Insurance

(Automobile Dealers, Auto Body & Painting, Auto Clubs, more...)

61 South Main St., Oneonta, NY 607-353-7433 Carpetsplusoneonta@hotmail.com

Cooperstown Financial Services

Cherry Valley Hardware LLC

Cooperstown Financial Services Scott Curtis 99 Chestnut St., Cooperstown, NY 607-322-4032

Aqua-Tec Water Services Inc.

Cherry Valley Hardware LLC

38 Genesee St., Cherry Valley, NY 607-264-3489

Gilboa, NY 1-800-853-5453 • 607-588-9413 www.waterwellsandpumps.com

Leatherstocking Group, Inc.

Franklin Stage Company

Franklin, NY • 607-829-3700 www.franklinstagecompany.org

Matthew B. Schuermann 31 Pioneer St. #3, Cooperstown, NY 800-547-7948 • 607-547-5007 www.leatherstockingmortgage.com

Empire Toyota

264 Co. Hwy. 38, Arkville, NY 1-800-GO-TITAN • 1-845-586-4000 www.titanwelldrillingny.com

The Gilboa Musuem

122 Stryker Rd, Gilboa, NY 607-588-6894 • www.gilboafossils.org

Oliver’s Campers Inc.

6460 State Hwy. 12, Norwich, NY 607-334-3400 • www.oliverscampers.com

Teresa Millias

Local Author, Worcester, NY tmillias12197.blogspot.com

THUNDERROAD Collision & Restoration 110 Clarence Musson Rd, Gilbertsville, NY 607-783-2890 • www.thunderroadcr.com

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Cooperstown 2018

Cody-Shane Acres

90 Crystal Creek, Walton, NY 607-865-4913

Eternal Flame

GILBOA MUSUEM Titan Drilling Corp.

| UPSTATE LIFE magazine

CarpetsPlus COLORTILE

Ben Novellano 209 Main St., Cooperstown, NY 607-547-2952 • 607-263-5170 (Morris) www.bieritzinsurance.com

Residential Mortgage Financing

6281 State Hwy. 23, Oneonta, NY 607-433-0045 www.empiretoyota.com

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Home & Garden (Home & Garden, Remodeling Bath & Kitchen)

Leatherstocking Group, Inc.

Auto, Motorcycle & Campers

EMPIRE TOYOTA

Finance & Insurance

State Farm Insurance

Melissa Manikas 29 Pioneer St., Cooperstown, NY 607-547-2886

Farm Market Eternal Flame Farm Market 61 Conklin Rd., Walton, NY Call or Text: 410-459-9958

Business Directory Meet the Locals Home & Garden

Non-Profit Organizations

Restaurants

Shopping & Retail

Shopping & Retail

(Home & Garden, Remodeling Bath & Kitchen)

(Family, Community & Civic Organizations)

(Full Service, Casual Dining, Fast Food)

(Appliances, Clothing Apparel, Accessories, more...)

(Appliances, Clothing Apparel, Accessories, more...)

For Service Call...

TREMPERSKILL COUNTRY STORE P.O. Box 96 Gilbertsville, NY 13776

607-783-2289

Gilbert Plumbing &www.gilbertph.com Heating

PO Box 96, Gilbertsville, NY • Heating 607-783-2289 System Repairs & • Service• Contracts Available • Kitchen & Bath Renovations www.gilbertph.com • New Gas, Oil & Electric • Water Heater Installation Heating System Installation & Service Cleanings

• All Aspects of Plumbing

• Septic System Installation & Repairs

Heart of the Catskills Humane Society

Cooperstown Natural Foods

P.O. Box 88, 46610 State Hwy. 10 Delhi, NY • 607-746-3080 www.heartofthecatskills.org

Tremperskill Country Store

61 Linden Ave., Cooperstown, NY 607-547-8613

1024 County Hwy. 1, Andes, NY 845-676-3244

Plaide Palette

Clinton Plaza, Oneonta, NY 607-432-4862 www.wolfwilde.com

• AC Installation & Repairs

Hearths A’Fire

7352 State Hwy. 23, Oneonta, NY 607-436-9549 www.hearthsafire.com

Pure Catskills

Fiesta Mexican Grill & Cantina Susquehanna Animal Shelter

4841 State Hwy. 28, Cooperstown, NY 607-547-8111 • www.thesas.org

Yoder’s Quality Sheds, LLC

278 Atswell Rd., Richfield Springs, NY 315-858-0841

Wolf Wilde Goldsmith

Cherry Valley, NY 607-264-3769 • www.celticart.com

Personal Services & Care

Sports & Recreation

(Salons & Spas, Funeral Homes, Driver Training, more...)

(Golf Courses & Country Clubs, Sports Facility, Sports Team)

The Red Barn Clubhouse

44 West Street, Walton, NY 607-865-7090 www.purecatskills.com

Yoder’s Quality Sheds, LLC

19 Clinton Plaza, Oneonta, NY 607-431-9898 www.fiestamexicanoneonta.com

2322 Rt. 7, Cobleskill, NY 518-254-0275 • www.cobleskillgc.com

Secret Comix Cave

3200 Chestnut St., Oneonta, NY www.secretcomixcave.com

GOBBLER’S KNOB

Tuning In - Tuning Up

Oneonta, NY 607-433-2089 www.tuningin-tuningup.com

Gobbler’s Knob

3793 State Rt. 145, Cobleskill, NY 518-296-8008 • www.gobblersknob.us

Tiger Asian Cuisine

195 Main St., Oneonta, NY • 607-441-3396 www.tigerasiancuisineoneonta.com

Southside Mall

5006 State Hwy. 23, Oneonta, NY 607-432-4401 www.shopsouthsidemall.com

Meadow Links Golf Course

473 Co. Hwy. 27, Richfield Springs, NY 315-858-1646 www.meadowlinks.com

The Tepee

7632 US Hwy. 20, Cherry Valley, NY 607-264-3987 info@thetepee.biz

UPSTATE LIFE magazine

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Cooperstown 2018 | 35