Hometown Oneonta 06-15-23

Springfield Announces 2023 Fourth of July

Parade Grand Marshal

By ANDREA HOUSE

SPRINGFIELD

Fred Culbert, the voice of Springfield’s Fourth of July Parade for 30 years, will be taking a break from announcing parade entries this year to lead the parade as grand marshal. For Springfield’s Fourth of July Committee, Culbert was an easy choice for the honor, not only for his dedicated service to the parade over the years but also for his countless other contributions to the Town of Springfield.

Born at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown and raised in the Village of Richfield Springs, Culbert received his certification in secondary education at the University at Albany and in 1965 took a job teaching social studies at Springfield Central School’s grade seven to 12 building in East Springfield, where he taught until 1989.

Culbert’s good nature and diligence have often earned him extra duties, and this was the case at the school, where he took shifts driving a school bus as needed and eventually took over as school principal and administrator, as well as serving as

chair for the Committee on Special Education, all while continuing to teach.

An Eagle Scout himself, Culbert served as Eagle Scout Merit Badge Counselor for Citizenship Badges in Home, Community and World.

As a social studies teacher, Culbert encouraged his students to attend town board meetings as he did himself, to understand the workings of local government and to be informed citizens. A knowledgeable and well-known presence at the meetings, it was only a matter of time before Culbert won a seat as Springfield town councilman, where he served for 12 years.

Culbert has also served on Springfield’s Zoning Board of Appeals and currently holds the office of Springfield town historian.

A member of the Springfield Fire Department from 1968 until this year, Culbert has served 54 active years as a volunteer firefighter.

Due to his keen interest in local history, Culbert has been involved in the Springfield Historical Society since the 1970s and currently serves as

Continued on page 13

Jensen Reaches State Podium

By WRILEY NELSON COOPERSTOWN

Cooperstown senior

Claire Jensen rounded out her high school athletic career with a fifthplace finish at the New York State Track and Field Championship on June 9.

Jensen placed in the Division II (small school) 400m. Her time of 58.09 was a top-50 time statewide for the season. Victoria Guerrier of West Hempstead won the event with a time of 55.65.

Jensen racked up nine Section III Class C titles in her career with Cooperstown track and field. She was also part of team sectional

Continued on page 13

County Clarifies Emergency Declaration

By CASPAR EWIG OTSEGO COUNTY

What we’ve got here,” said the jail warden in “Cool Hand Luke,” “is failure to communicate.” According to Steve Wilson, Otsego County administrator, this comment aptly describes the present state of affairs resulting in the county’s issuance of the State of Emergency Declaration and Emergency Order No. 1 with regard to housing migrants in Otsego County.

Long-forgotten Mementos Unpack Soldier’s Personal, Military History

By DARLA M. YOUNGS ONEONTA

Ifound these fascinating treasures in a box of things left behind by my grandmother, Gertrude Fuller, when she passed. They are pictures and letters from my grandfather when he was overseas fighting in World War II,” wrote Lori Bailey in a recent e-mail.

Sgt. Harold L. Fuller was a rear gunner pilot killed in action in 1944. According to Bailey, his final mission was aboard a B-24 Dogpatch Raider on February 3, 1944. There were 53 ships out of the 193 Airborne that abandoned their mission over Zuiderzee due to high cloud cover. The B24 41-24192 (Sgt. Fuller’s plane) was struck by enemy fire and crashed at the Royal Air Force station in Hardwick, England, killing nine of the 10 aboard.

Fuller was a self-taught carpenter, a jack-of-alltrades, and a talented ice skater and barrel jumper. According to clippings provided by Bailey, he was training for the Olympics when he was called to serve his country in World War II. Fuller’s dream of competing was never realized. The Olympics were cancelled

that year and he joined the Army Air Forces.

“He was also a song writer and was being asked to appear on radio and early TV,” Bailey wrote.

A newspaper clipping from the “Adirondack Daily Enterprise” dated November 26, 1940, boasted of Fuller’s musical accomplishments: “A penchant for writing songs in his spare time may augur a composer’s career for Harold Fuller of this village, who has received a copyright and the interest of several music publishers for his waltz, ‘Starlight and Moonlight.’”

The article goes on to say that Fuller’s waltz would make its formal debut later that week, when it was to be introduced by Bryce Lavigne and his orchestra, “after it is orchestrated and polished up.”

Harold Fuller was 20 years old when he married Gertrude L. Sessions in 1930. They had one child, Janice L. Fuller, who later married Richard Kelly in Oneonta, where they resided until their deaths. Lori Bailey is the daughter of Janice and Richard.

“One of the letters here is signed by our President Johnson,” Bailey wrote of the mementos she uncovered.

“There is a handmade ring that he made for my grandma out of nickels. You can also see in one pic that he was training for the Olympics, skating and barrel jumping. I should look into having one of his songs recorded. And, yes ... one of the photos is of Hitler with a little girl at his tea house. It was smuggled out of Germany at a time when that was a real no-no.”

Other artifacts in the grouping include a photo of Fuller and the men he served with on his final mission, handwritten songs including “Starlight and Moonlight,” information about his Purple Heart, notification from the

Continued on page 8

“Our actions were a response to the extremely chaotic situation created by the way New York City was handling the migrant crisis,” Wilson added. “No one reached out to us and gave us any indication of what we might be faced with.”

He said the only information that was available to the county was that which was published in the newspapers, and what appeared in Governor Kathy Hochul’s Executive Order 28 declaring a state of emergency for New York State.

“Added to the existing migrant flow, we were faced with the expectation that elimination of Title 42 would make it worse,” Wilson explained. New York City officials denied that they failed to reach out and ask other counties to share in the responsibility to house migrants. In a litigation filed on June 7 against 30 upstate counties seeking to overturn their exclusionary policies— including Otsego County— city officials allege that the office of Mayor Eric Adams “emailed a letter addressed to ‘Mayors, County Executives, and Municipal Leaders’ describing the City’s efforts to address the sudden influx of asylum-seekers and asking for their assistance.”

However, Wilson stated he, as administrator, had not seen such an e-mail, and neither Otsego County Board

Continued on page 8

Photo by Lori Bailey

As we celebrate Flag Day and the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777 by Congress, Lori Bailey is learning more about her grandfather’s accomplishments as both a soldier and an individual. His plane was shot down by enemy fire in 1944.

Photo provided SGT. HAROLD L. FULLER

A Salute to Oneonta’s Dollars for Scholars

Oneonta Dollars for Scholars Board of Directors honored scholarship winners recently. Ninety-three scholarships to sixty-seven students were presented. Over the last 32 years, more than $1,000,000 has been given to support local students. The Dollars for Scholars program seeks to financially assist local students with the increasing costs of higher education and lessen the amount of debt from their respective schools.

Ava Aikens

Oneonta Teachers Association Scholarship

SUNY College at Oswego - Oswego

Noah Ashe Dolores O. and Daniel G. Noonan

Family Scholarship

Oneonta Rotary Breuninger/Forman Scholarship

American University - Washington

Sadie Baskin

Fran and Jean N. Harris Family Scholarship

Reverend Richard H. Frye Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Geneseo - Geneseo

Louis Bonnici

John K. Miller Memorial Mathematics Scholarship

Hudson Valley Community College - Troy

Galvester Bratcher

Oneonta Dollars for Scholars Scholarship

Undecided

Maleah Brockington

Bruno and Vera Talevi Scholarship

Temple University - Philadelphia

Owen Burnsworth

Bruno and Vera Talevi Scholarship

Bentley University - Waltham

Dakoda Buzzy

Samuel Bertuzzi Memorial Scholarship

Pennsylvania College of Technology - Williamsport

Jesse Castillo-Cruz

Winifred Marcley Scholarship

SUNY College of Technology at Delhi - Delhi

Megan Cleveland

Frank W. Getman Sr. Memorial Scholarship

Oneonta Dollars for Scholars Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Oneonta - Oneonta

Dustin Coe

Samuel Bertuzzi Memorial Scholarship

Alfred State - Alfred

Annemarie Crotts

Brooks’ Bar-B-Q Charitable Foundation

Scholarship

SUNY College at New Paltz - New Paltz

Valeria Cruz

Anonymous Donor Scholarship

Richard A. Murphy Memorial Scholarship

Robert R. Warner Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Fredonia - Fredonia

Hua Cui

Susan R. Hughson Scholarship

The Patricia Pantaleoni Memorial

Music Scholarship

Cornell University - Ithaca

Cassandra Daum

James C. & Mary Louise Austin Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Fredonia - Fredonia

Anna Delberta

Daniel & Jean Rothermel Memorial Scholarship

Dr. Rudolph & Gwen L. Schuster Scholarship

University of Vermont - Burlington

Madeline Dening

023 First Responder Scholarship

West Virginia University - Morgantown

Aidan Dugan

Janice “Denny” Lennox Memorial Scholarship

Oneonta Dollars for Scholars Scholarship

Hartwick College - Oneonta

Leighton Eastman

James & Carol Baker Family Scholarship

SUNY College at Oneonta - Oneonta

Olivia Enck

Future for Oneonta Foundation, Inc.

William & Esther Fink Memorial Scholarship

SUNY University at Albany - Albany

Jordan Forbes

George H. Lambros Memorial Scholarship

Oneonta Rotary Community Service Scholarship

Georgetown University - Washington

Brandon Gardner

James & Carol Baker Family Scholarship

SUNY College at New Paltz - New Paltz

Tiffany Gardner

Alice S. Clark Memorial Scholarship

Josiah and Mary Louise Lawson

Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Oneonta - Oneonta

Aidan Gelbsman

George A. & Isabelle L. Niles Scholarship

SUNY University at Albany - Albany

Evan Gould

Bruce Rowe Memorial Scholarship

Oneonta Dollars for Scholars Founders Scholarship

SUNY University at Albany - Albany

Isabella Gracias

Margaret Getman Bagnardi and Margaret Lynch Getman Nursing Scholarship

Hartwick College - Oneonta

Kaden Halstead

Walter J. & Anna H. Burchan

Vocational/Technical Scholarship

Hudson Valley Community College - Troy

Sara Hendley

Stan & Linda Syvertsen Family Scholarship

SUNY College at Fredonia - Fredonia

Porter Holmes

Robert W. and Joan Moyer Trust Scholarship

Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge

Cameron Horth

Pasquale & Mary Leone Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College of Technology at Delhi - Delhi

Michael Iannelli

Future for Oneonta Foundation, Inc. Scholarship

PDQ Service and Supplies Scholarship

Mohawk Valley Community College - Utica

Tanner Jennings

Margaret W. Ouimette Memorial Scholarship

Clarkson University - Potsdam

Nicholas Kahl

Michelle R. Goodhue Memorial Scholarship

The Daily Star Scholarship

Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester

Zeshaan Khan

Helen Stam Memorial Scholarship

SUNY University at Binghamton - Binghamton

Katie Lewis

Talevi Family College Scholarship

University of Delaware - Newark

Emily Lobb Forgiano Family Leadership Award

Oneonta Rotary Scholarship in Honor of Selean “Sam”Koury Ithaca College - Ithaca

Peyton Mackey

Shane Robert Marmet Memorial Scholarship

Thomas M. Hughson Scholarship Endicott College - Beverly

Liam Marlatt

Edward and Florence Ostrowski Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Purchase - Purchase

John Moore

John and Catherine Gallagher Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Geneseo - Geneseo

Emily Morell

Robert W. & Joan F. Moyer Scholarship

The Dewar Foundation Scholarship

SUNY College at Oswego - Oswego

Avery Morse

Steven A. Lutz Memorial Scholarship

Ithaca College - Ithaca

Joseph Moussa

Frederick A. Puritz Memorial Scholarship

Hofstra University - Hempstead

Magdalena Nealis

Eugene Francis Murphy Memorial Scholarship

Vassar College - Poughkeepsie

Anna Noorlander

Clifford A. & Elizabeth P. McVinney Memorial Scholarship

University of Utah - Salt Lake City

Claire O’Donnell

Anonymous Donor Scholarship

First Responders Scholarship

SUNY College at Oneonta - Oneonta

Jesse O’Donnell

Sixth Ward Athletic Club Association, Inc.

The Hon. Robert A. Harlem Scholarship

Hartwick College - Oneonta

Finlay Oliver Talevi Family College Scholarship

Stony Brook University - Stony Brook

Eva Palm-Leon

Angie Bertuzzi Memorial Scholarship Ithaca College - Ithaca

Kai Phillips

The Pontius Family Scholarship

Hartwick College - Oneonta

Abigail Platt Charles T. & Doris B. Gallagher Memorial Scholarship

The Jim Konstanty Memorial

“That’s a Good Start” Scholarship

SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville - Morrisville

Vicky Poon

C. James & Lois S. Herrick Memorial Scholarship

Susan Remillard Memorial Scholarship

SUNY University at Albany - Albany

Abigail Rood

Brooks’ Bar-B-Q Charitable Foundation Scholarship

SUNY College at Brockport - Brockport

Shailee Sailer

Christine M. Schermerhorn Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College of Technology at Delhi - Delhi

Sabonne Schuman

Rosalie A James Scholarship

SUNY College at Geneseo - Geneseo

Simone Schuman

Anonymous Donor Scholarship

Steven A. Lutz Memorial Scholarship

Canisius College - Buffalo

Garrett Seeley

The Willies Family Foundation Scholarship

St. Lawrence University - Canton

Chloe Segar

Robert W. and Joan Moyer Trust Scholarship

Ithaca College - Ithaca

Owen Shultz

Douglas Parsons Memorial Scholarship

Wayne & Janet Kniskern Family Scholarship

Union College - Schenectady

Cameron Sitts

Anonymous Donor Scholarship

Walter J. & Anna H. Burchan

Vocational/Technical Scholarship

SUNY College of Technology at Delhi - Delhi

Anya Sloth

Lindsay Marie Harvey Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Plattsburgh - Plattsburgh

Amiah Spoor

Frances E. Rowe Scholarship

Genesee Community College - Batavia

Sarah Szantyr

Jared S. Trotti Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Oneonta - Oneonta

Christine Tom

Robert Squires Memorial Scholarship

The Zuretti Family Scholarship

SUNY College at Oneonta - Oneonta

Elena Tompkins

Frank G. & Ethel E. Becker Memorial Scholarship

SUNY College at Plattsburgh - Plattsburgh

Briegha Truesdell

Nancy Weeks Memorial Scholarship

Talevi Family College Scholarship

SUNY University at Binghamton - Binghamton

Max Wilms

Walter J. & Anna H. Burchan Scholarship

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry - Syracuse

Tyler Zakala

William R. Pirone Scholarship

SUNY College at Oneonta - Oneonta

Del-Chen-O Women’s Bar Association Celebrates Judge Lucy Bernier

ONEONTA

Del-Chen-O Women’s Bar Association

hosted a successful dinner event at Bella

Michael’s Restaurant in Oneonta on the evening of May 25, to honor Judge Lucy Bernier for her outstanding career of firsts in the legal profession. Judge Bernier spent 18 years as the first woman elected to the Oneonta City Court Bench. Her other important roles included partnering with her mother to form Pantaleoni & Bernier, a mother/daughter law firm, believed to be the first in New York; serving for six years as the first woman Oneonta city prosecutor and spending six years as an assistant district attorney for Otsego County.

Multiple members of the judiciary were in attendance, including Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, 3rd Dept., Hon. Elizabeth Garry; Hon. Joseph McBride; Hon. Robert Gouldin; and Hon.

Claudette Newman. They were joined by many members of the legal community and community leaders, including the former Mayor of Oneonta, Kim Muller. Judge Bernier was joined by her husband, Joseph Bernier, her sister, Alice Pantaleoni and partner Mark Lubell, and close friends Rick and Michelle Eastman.

Judge Bernier has left an indelible mark on the legal community through her trailblazing legal career and commitment to justice and fairness.

“This dinner event allowed us to honor a remarkable woman in the legal profession and express our sincere appreciation for all of her accomplishments,” said DelChen-O President Kathleen S. Campbell, Esq. “We are grateful to all the attendees who helped us make this evening a night to remember

and we want to also extend our heartfelt appreciation to our sponsors, Coughlin & Gerhart, Counsel Press, and Campbell Real Property.”

Justice Elizabeth Garry, presiding justice of the

Appellate Division, 3rd Dept., who traveled from Albany to be in attendance, remarked, “When we founded the Del-ChenO chapter of WBASNY, we recognized the importance of

Splash Path 5K a Colorful Success, Raises $30K

EDMESTON

For a decade, Pathfinder Village’s Splash Path 5K and Fun Walk has colorfully celebrated community and offered an inclusive athletic event for people of all ages and abilities. On Saturday, May 20, the color run and festival achieved a new fundraising milestone, $30,000.00, in support of the Pathfinder Produce Mobile Market and vocational programs for adults with intellectual disabilities.

“Saturday’s tenth annual event was a wonderful celebration of how the public, businesses, athletes and nonprofits can collaborate to support meaningful programs and services that benefit our entire community,” said Event Chair Monica Clark.

“Over the 10 years of Splash Path, we’ve invested over $160,500.00 in communityfocused inclusion projects and wellness initiatives. We’re grateful to our loyal sponsors and participants who have made Splash Path such a success.”

Splash Path 5K proceeds and health-focused grants have been the chief revenue sources for Pathfinder’s food distribution and fresh produce prescription programs to help address community health and food insecurity issues in our area. Pathfinder Produce, founded in 2013, and its Mobile Market, started in 2018, are vital microbusinesses operated through the Village’s Adult Day Services, which provide communitybased training and vocational opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities throughout our area.

More than 450 runners and walkers registered for the 5K. Special recognition was paid during the color burst ceremony for sponsors, participants and volunteers who have contributed to the event’s success consistently since 2014. Recognized community sponsors included—10 Years: The Landers Family and Ryno Graphics; 9 Years: Aqua Valley, NYCM Insurance, and Gordon B. Roberts/One Group; 8 Years: The Bonadio Group, Chobani, Preferred Mutual Insurance, and Prolifiq Sign Studio.

Recognized participants included—10 Years: Nancy Knorr; 9 Years: Lucille Adsit, Angela Benson, John Knorr, and Zoe Curtis; 8 Years: Brenda Crowder, and Erin and McKenzie Stevens.

Recognized volunteers included—10 Years: The Edmeston Fire Department, Monica Clark, Caprice Eckert, Lori Grace, and Paul Landers;

9 Years: Brandon Clark and Kathy Landers; 8 Years: Zoe Curtis ZUMBA Fitness.

Direct Support Professional

Cheryl Winton of Pathfinder’s Adult Day Services was recognized for her outreach in working with area businesses from the communities of Edmeston, New Berlin, Sherburne, Cooperstown, Oneonta, Norwich, Hamilton, and Utica in support of the Splash Path ticket auction.

Other sponsors, The Bonadio Group, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, JPMorgan, NBT Bank, NYCM Insurance, One Group, and Preferred Mutual Insurance, also provided

items for the participants’

SQSPCA

goodie bags. Complimentary Chobani products and special 10th anniversary cupcakes from Pathfinder Bakery were served at the 5K finish line to Splash Path visitors. A custom commemorative quilt made from all prior years’ Splash Path T-shirts, created by Kathy Landers of Cooperstown, was also displayed.

Title Sponsors this year included Brown & Brown of New York and Directive IT, Oneonta.

For a complete list of event sponsors visit Pathfinder’s website at https://pathfindervillage.org.

AllOTSEGO.

dining&entertainment

celebrating noteworthy members of the legal community—and I am so glad we are gathered here this evening, with such a great turn-out, to celebrate Judge Bernier, who had such a noteworthy and remarkable career of service to this community!”

In introducing the Honoree, Del-Chen-O Vice President Willa S. Payne, Esq. remarked that “Judge Bernier’s legal accomplishments are exceptional. Her career is a career of firsts for women of a generation that were blazing the path and breaking down barriers to the legal profession.”

Payne added, “Judge Bernier, we thank you for your years of service that provided justice for countless members of the community and opened the door for the many women who will come after you.”

In accepting the recognition, Judge Bernier gave an inspiring speech that commented on her remarkable accomplishments, thanked all those who have supported and championed her along the way, and recognized the challenges faced by women in the legal profession. She also talked about the joys found in retirement.

Judge Bernier remarked, “I am tremendously humbled to receive this recognition from the Del-Chen-O chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, whose work to promote the advancement of women in society and the legal profession, as well as the fair and equal administration of justice, is so important. It is truly an honor.”

Del-Chen-O Women’s Bar Association is an organization dedicated to advancing the professional development and empowerment of women in the legal field.

Willis Monie Books

Wh IT e SPonSorS & DonorS

Barnyard Swing

Bassett healthcare Brewery ommegang

Cooperstown Distillery

Cooperstown natural Foods

Cooperstown Wine & Spirits Council rock Brewery

Doubleday Café

Grand Union hyde hall

J&J Wine and Liquor

Karen Katz Studio

Kate’s Upstate

KeyBank

KFC, Inc.

Mel’s at 22 Metro Cleaners Mohican Flowers national Baseball hall of Fame natty Bumppo’s origins Café/Carefree Gardens

Spurbeck’s Grocery

Wal Mart

To date, while also building an endowment fund, CrF, a 501 (c)3 foundation, has provided over $38,000 in allocations to organizations including the Michael Mayne Scholarship, red Bursey Playground Fund, Catherine Davis Black Scholarship, edge of Seven (school in nepal), Cooperstown Food Bank, rotary end Polio now Fund, Growing Community, new Life School in Masaka, Uganda, Gender Wellness Center and Village Parks.

Photo by Brenna P. Baker

The Hon. Lucy Bernier (third from left) is shown with Del-Chen-O Co-founder and President Kathleen S. Campbell, President Elect Alicia Rohan and Vice President Willa Payne.

Photo provided

Youth runners smile with their medals at the 10th annual Splash Path 5k and Fun Walk, held at Pathfinder Village on May 20.

EDITORIAL

HOMETOWN Views

Farewell to a Friend

ll of us here at Iron String Press were saddened last week to hear of the death of Edward W. Stack, one of our village’s most committed, industrious and indefatigable supporters, on Sunday, June 4. His passing has left a plethora of memories in our community, and we are extremely thankful for the commanding legacy, rich and fruitful, that he left us.

His home base was Glen Head, as he spent most of his time at the Clark Estates office in New York City, but he and his wife, Chris, spent their summers in Cooperstown with their three children. It was here that Ed did so much for the Village of Cooperstown and its surrounding Otsego County. The National Baseball Hall of Fame, with its museum and library, took a large part of his time; the revered organization was expanded and renovated, in terms of its missions—becoming both a collecting and exhibiting museum as well—its square footage, and the rules of election to the Hall of Fame. Ed fought successfully for a rules change that disqualified any player on baseball’s permanently ineligible list from being considered for a plaque in the Hall.

Ed was also very supportive of the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, offering ideas and negotiating space for the fledgling project, and of Hyde Hall, Hartwick College, Pathfinder Village, and the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital. In 1987, Glimmerglass Opera Festival moved into its new theater and undertook filling its much-expanded audience space. As a trustee, Ed was at as many performances as his schedule allowed, and it was he who famously said, repeatedly, he so much wanted the little company to survive. He also devoted much time to the Fenimore House (now Fenimore Art Museum), and among the many projects he endorsed there, the Thaw Collection of Native American Art and its new wing were major objects of his attention. Ed’s sense of community service, his dedication to education and charity, his interest in new and evolving ideas, his determination to see them survive, his respect and enthusiasm for every person he met and for our upstate struggling not-for-profits, and his profound, unwavering sense of humor were all part of the man we so admired for half a century.

He was also a sincerely devoted father, helping his three girls navigate their futures, and running across the fields and through the forests with them to find the errant bullfrog or owl pellet that was missing from the annual scavenger-hunt list.

Among the many recipients of contributions that may be made in Ed Stack’s memory are the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Friends of Bassett and the Glimmerglass Festival. It is difficult to say which of these worthy organizations was his favorite, were he to admit to one; he worked energetically, for many years, for them all.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

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Publisher / Advertising Manager Tara Barnwell General Manager / Senior Editor Darla M. Youngs

Smoke and the Hidden Threat to Public Health

Ed spent his youth on Long Island, which included a nasty bout with polio in 1949 (which left its mark) and graduated from Pace College (later Pace University) on a Friday in June 1956. He began working for the only organization he was to work for, the Clark Estates, the following Monday, and spent 44 years in New York City and Cooperstown, supporting as many institutions as he could get his hands on, amusing us with many stories, encouraging us to laugh, and making things right. We laughed a lot.n regard to our scientific response to the pandemic, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha has noted that we got the biology right and the social science wrong. As someone who spent three years as part of a consortium of researchers from Bassett Research Institute, Utica University, and my own SUNY Oneonta studying COVID, I can sadly attest to the accuracy of his statement. Our recent bout with smoke from the fires in Canada is a case in point.

I

Complex systems are composed of individual agents: Think of a single cell in your body or an antelope that is part of a herd. In social systems, each individual agent (a fancy way of saying “person”) has a unique perspective, set of beliefs, biological characteristics, etc. Through interaction with other agents, a logic that governs the system as a whole emerges in a process called, well, emergence. Simply stated, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Because complex systems have a seemingly infinite number of interactions among individual agents, they are notoriously difficult to predict. Scientists can understand the process of their evolution, but beyond a certain time frame our ability to account for every variable is limited. This is largely a measurement issue: With current technology, we simply cannot know the position of every atom in the atmosphere, the thought of every person at every point in time, or which new horrifying combination of traits will emerge on the virus that causes COVID-19. Instead, scientists in these fields turn to dynamical system modeling to understand how these systems operate.

For example, in order to understand the COVID outbreak on our campus in fall 2020, Greg Fulkerson and I used a model for understanding disease spread called a SIR model (SIR stands for susceptible, infectious, recovered). Ours was quite simple, but it shows the impact of the campus leaders’ decision to test every student on campus. With no mitigation, our model predicted more than 2,000 cases in a two-week period,

each with the potential to start a new outbreak somewhere else. Because university officials chose to test every student on campus, effectively changing the environment in which the virus could spread, the actual number of cases over that same period was 673. Although we have a good knowledge of how the virus spread, the populations dynamics involved with spread, and its interaction with individual behavior, the best we can do is model the spread, and if one of our assumptions is slightly off, the whole model changes.

When most people think of science, they remember the splayed-out frog from biology class or turning water into beakers of hydrogen and oxygen. These are the building blocks of our world, but our reality is further organized into what scientists call “complex adaptive systems.” All complex systems have roughly similar properties, and understanding them is what unites meteorologists, evolutionary biologists, and sociologists (like me) in a common cause.What does this have to do with smoke and public health? Consider the Air Quality Index. It is based on a compilation of measurements of various pollutants in the atmosphere, but as with any complex system, it is only as good as the data going in.

AirNow, the federal government website, has a set of air monitors around the country, the closest one to us being in Utica. They feed the measurements into a computer and use a set of algorithms to model what the AQI is in Cooperstown. For the most part, this is also how private companies calculate the AQI, using a different set of air monitors and algorithms. Unfortunately, each website or app reports the AQI for a specific location, giving the impression that the figure reflects a direct measurement of air quality when it is actually a product of data analytics. As you can see, because each agent has a different set of inputs and algorithms, the values reported can be wildly varied.

The direct effect on public health messaging is obvious: The appropriate actions for dealing with air pollution are different when AQI is 91 as opposed to 186, and more accurate information is needed.

There is another, more ominous, threat to health messaging: seeing such variation in reported AQI for the same location at the same time, a member of the public has good reason to question the numbers. If people learn to distrust a seemingly unassailable quantitative measure, it will lead to greater distrust of science and scientists in general. Since public health messaging requires clear messaging about complex scientific issues, this can only complicate matters. It is fair to say that none of these companies want to mislead the public, and given their unique measurement structures and algorithms, they can each have valid results that nevertheless contradict each other.

As with other social phenomena, even if every firm has positive intentions, unclear guidance and a fostering of distrust emerges from the system as people interact with multiple apps. If we want to improve messaging about public health issues, scientists across all disciplines need to better convey the benefits and limitations of what we can and cannot do.

Fig. 1. Left, top: A simple SIR model used to understand the dynamics of the SUNY Oneonta outbreak. Bottom: The effect of testing every student is reflected in the red line representing the actual number of cases, compared to the black line which represents the expected number of cases based on the SIR model. This is called “flattening the cure.”

Fig. 2. Above: An assortment of conflicting AQI values for Cooperstown at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7. From left: The Weather Channel, AirNow, AccuWeather, Weather Underground Alex Thomas is professor of sociology and executive director of the PLACES Institute at SUNY Oneonta.

Assault Weaponry Has No Place with Citizenry

W

hen will enough be enough?” is the question that has been underneath an all-too-regular lament of the congregation and leaders of The First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, joining other such cries from communities around the state and country.

with a broader voice, starting with our particular faith community.

Following the mass shooting in March of 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee at a preschool connected to a “cousin church,” the Session (the elected, governing body) of First Presbyterian sent an overture to our regional governing body, The Presbytery of Utica, to pass a resolution to be distributed on behalf of the presbytery to our elected officials.

In the wake of tragic news story after tragic news story, at the sight of every flag lowered to half-mast, in the midst of every gathering for prayer and solace while we grapple with the awareness of communities broken apart by gun violence, this question has been underneath it all. “When will enough be enough?” we constantly find ourselves wondering. Eventually, we reached the point when we could no longer let the question go unanswered. Members of our congregation have written to our elected officials individually; it was time to speakAnd in the midst of this process, our country sat through more mass shootings, along with a string of shootings due to heightened fear and suspicion (for instance, a car of teenagers turning around in a driveway after they mistook it for the address they were looking for). And each time, the question echoes in our broken hearts, “When will enough be enough? When will the loss of innocent life

outweigh our country’s desire to uphold a right that was established before we had a standing army? Before assault-style weaponry could fire a multitude of bullets in a matter of life-changing seconds?”

Web Architect Ivan Potocnik Historian Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Legal Counsel Jill Ann Poulson THE PARTIAL OBSERVER ALEx THOmAS

The intent of this resolution from our Session is applied specifically to assault and assault-style weaponry, the kind that was created for military use due to its capacity to do little else than take mass amounts of life in a matter of seconds. Our belief is that there is no justifiable reason for such weaponry to be in civilian hands. Our resolution to the presbytery, and our message to elected officials, is solely to find a way to keep this particular weapon out of citizen hands. Nothing more, but also nothing less.

We know that there are other social issues and ills which need

Continued on page 13

Compiled by Tom HeiTz/SHARoN STUART with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art museum Research Library

135 YEARS AGO

In some of the large cigar-making centers the industry is being seriously injured through the general stagnation of the trade. Thousands of cigar-makers, including all branches of the craft, are idle, while many are on the verge of destitution. The prospects for future employment are not bright, either. One employer recently told a committee of employees who waited upon him that it was his opinion that, within three months, the rolling and bunching machines would almost eliminate manual labor from the trade. Inventive genius in the way of labor-saving machinery is rapidly displacing even skilled cigar-makers. The bunching machine was developed under the pressure of continual strikes and is more than any other device reducing mechanics to penury. Before bunchmaking machines were introduced, a bunch-maker was able to make $2.00 and $2.80 for a thousand scrap bunches. The machine which supersedes them works longer and faster and costs less to work. It is called the “Iron Scab” among the cigar-makers. One girl is all that is necessary to operate it, and it produces from 4,000 to 25,000 bunches a week.

June 1888

110 YEARS AGO

Local News—George O. Ellis of the Brook View farm on Upper West Street has put in use a new milk wagon. During the 11 years of his serving a milk route in this city he has not missed a delivery and no one will deny that he is entitled to the best wagon he can get.

South Main Street is again open to traffic after having been paved. The street is one much used by heavy traffic and cuts off a considerable distance for hauls to certain sections of the city.

June 1913

90 YEARS AGO

Local Mention—Good progress has been made with the tar treatment section of the oiling program for the city streets according to Superintendent of Public Works Emerson H. Bull. The unusually warm weather this spring, coupled with a light rainfall, has given an early start and the work done has been most satisfactory. Work on Lewis Street, Otsego Street, Hazel Street, part of lower River Street, part of Prospect Street and Division Street has been completed. It is hoped that Ford Avenue, part of Walnut Street and Union Street can be covered during the present week.

June 1933

70 YEARS AGO

Oneonta’s Department of Public Works yesterday requested residents on Walnut Street to watch out for an oiling project which starts today. Residents should park their cars off the street to facilitate the work in the early morning. DPW crews led by foreman Harold Jacobus have been giving Oneonta streets the oiling treatment for the past week. Streets thus oiled have included Spruce from Myrtle to Clinton; upper Woodside Avenue; Lower Bugbee Road; East Street from the city line to Hazel; Richmond Avenue; Telford and Thorn Streets; Railroad and Stapleton Avenues, Susquehanna and Frederick Streets, North Fifth and Sixth Streets and part of Moffet Street.

June

20 YEARS AGO

news from the noteworthy

Community-wide Giving Day Will Benefit Nonprofits

The Community Foundation of Otsego County is partnering with the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties on “Mohawk Valley Gives,” an existing and highly successful nonprofit giving day that launched in 2022. In 2022, the first year of Mohawk Valley Gives, the community came together and raised more than $630,000.00 in 24 hours. One hundred percent of participating organizations in Herkimer and Oneida counties received a donation.

This year, the Community Foundation of Otsego County is honored to be part of the event, and is excited to work with Otsego nonprofits, businesses, donors, board members, and community residents to make its first-year participation a success.

The idea is simple: Otsego County nonprofits, with CFOC assistance, will engage the community in a 24-hour Otsego County communitywide giving day on September 20. Donors will be prompted to give via an online website, givemv.org, to support their favorite Otsego County nonprofits. Nonprofits wishing to participate in Mohawk Valley Gives should go to givemv.org by July 31 and complete a brief nonprofit registration survey. Upon approval, organizations then move to build out their nonprofit profile where donors will go on September 20. There is also a bank verification process to accept donations. Registration is free and all donations received on the giving day go directly to the nonprofits.

CFOC recently hosted its second Nonprofit Breakfast at SUNY Oneonta, with more than 80 representatives from 50 Otsego County nonprofits in attendance to discuss the giving day concept. Jeff Katz, CFOC executive director, said that 25 percent of the nonprofits

By MERL REAGLE

attending signed up within a few days. ”People were excited after the breakfast, and I’m certain many more will join in. Last year’s event was a huge success, and we look forward to participating this year.”

Katz also said, “This is a remarkable opportunity for Otsego nonprofits to increase the visibility of the important work they do. It is also a perfect occasion to use social media, websites, and e-mail promotions to engage current donors and simultaneously encourage new donors to participate.”

He noted that it is an excellent way to exercise peerto-peer fundraising, and allow supporters to fundraise on the nonprofits’ behalf, including leveraging donations through offering matches and challenges.

Finally, Katz said, “What is nice is that nonprofits large and small can participate. They may not all have large donors or an extensive communications presence, but they can each make the most of in their own way.”

For more information, e-mail contact@cfotsego.org.

We Get Letters… Celebrating the individual

Photo provided

more than 80 attendees were on hand for the recent CfoC nonprofit Breakfast.

LOCALS: PeOPLe & BUSIneSSeS In THe neWS

english (City of Oneonta) received the SUnY Chancellor’s Award for excellence in Professional Service; Maintenance –Custodial employee Lynda Craft (Milford) received the SUnY Chancellor’s Award for excellence in Classified Service; Associate Professor of Mathematics Marius Munteanu (Delaware County) received the SUnY Chancellor’s Award for excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities; Melissa Rose “Rosie” Garrecht, an adolescence education: Spanish major from east northport, received the Chancellor’s Award for Student excellence; Jamie Crique, a criminal justice major from the Bronx, received the Chancellor’s Award for Student excellence; Robert C. “Bobby” Lang, a business economics major from Schoharie received the Chancellor’s Award for Student excellence; and Professor of english George Hovis (Middlefield) has been appointed to the prestigious rank of SUnY Distinguished Teaching Professor.

HOLZMAN HONORED: Seventeen years ago, master carver Gerry Holzman donated the empire State Carousel to The Farmers’ Museum and on June 3, he returned to celebrate his 90th birthday—surrounded by family, friends, as well as his masterpiece. In 1984, Holzman became the head carver and executive director of the empire State Carousel Project. Created over two decades by more than 1,000 volunteer carvers, quilters, painters, and woodworkers from across new York State, the empire State Carousel features a variety of original carvings, paintings, and quilts, each of which has been specially designed for the project. The volunteers not only carved and painted the riding figures and panels, but also restored the carousel mechanism and raised funds to keep the project going. The carousel opened on Memorial Day in 2006 with great fanfare. It is fitting that Holzman chose to celebrate his milestone birthday by taking a memorable spin on the carousel, a living legacy of his esteemed career as a teacher, artist, and raconteur. Through the carousel, he has shared his love of new York and the magic of this oneof-a-kind masterpiece with generations of riders. Holzman believes that everyone who gets on board can feel like a kid again. His favorite carousel quote: “every time you ride a carousel, one more day on earth shall you dwell.” In honor of Holzman’s special day, Cooperstown Mayor ellen Tillapaugh proclaimed Saturday, June 3 as Gerry Holzman Day in recognition of his role in creating the empire State Carousel and donating it to The Farmers’ Museum. Happy 90th birthday, Gerry!

Above, Holzman (center) is shown accepting Mayor Tillapaugh’s proclamation from museum President and Chief executive Officer Paul D’Ambrosio while his wife, Arlene, looks on. (Photo by Todd Kenyon)

ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS: More than 50 SUnY Oneonta students received an Academic Achievement Award on May 10 during the 35th annual recognition reception on campus, including four from Oneonta. each academic department chooses one to three students who stand out from the rest of their peers in their major to receive this award annually. Oneonta residents recognized were: Jacob Aubrey, Talia Casimir, Abigail Hubbard and nathaniel Schwed.

CELEBRATED SPEAKER: Coretta Scott King honorwinning storyteller, filmmaker, artist, and digital media producer Greg neri was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts at SUnY Delhi’s 105th Commencement on Saturday, May 13. neri also delivered the event’s keynote address to the college’s more than 435 graduates and their families. The honorary doctorate is the highest form of recognition offered by the State University of new York to persons of exceptional distinction, in this case, celebrating neri’s contributions to young adult literature, encouragement of diverse voices in popular storytelling, and efforts toward emphasizing scientific exploration through artistic expression. neri has authored 16 books for young people, ranging from novels and graphic novels to picture books and poetry for grades 3 to 12. His works cover a wide array of topics, from urban fiction to music biographies, but what connects them is that they are all inspired by true life. His 2011 novel “Ghetto Cowboy,” inspired by the real-life inner-city horsemen of Philadelphia and Brooklyn, became the netflix film “Concrete Cowboy,” starring Idris elba. His books have been translated into multiple languages in more than 25 countries.

AWARDS ACCORDED: Three students and eight employees were recognized for their achievements and success during SUnY Oneonta’s 134th Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 20. Professor of Management Mine Ozer (Broome County) and Associate Professor of Spanish Maria Montoya (Otsego County) received the SUnY Chancellor’s Award for excellence in Teaching; Reference and Instruction Librarian Sarah Rhodes received the SUnY Chancellor’s Award for excellence in Librarianship; IT Specialist with the Office of Facilities, Safety and Physical Plant Phillip Bidwell (Town of Laurens) and Director of Customer Support Mark

LAUDED FOR LEADERSHIP: Felicia Gonzalez of Oneonta was recently recognized for gold- and silver-level leadership milestones through SUnY Oneonta’s LeAD (Leadership education and Development) program. Gonzalez earned this distinction by a commitment to improving oneself and enhancing knowledge by exploring leadership opportunities, participating in campus organizations and service to the campus community by taking on recognized leadership roles. Completion of this level requires attending 19 events designated with a learning outcome (three must be diversity events), actively participating in four recognized organizations, completing three online courses (Foundations of Leadership, Personal Development, Organizational Development) and serving as an officer in a club or organization for at least two semesters (average of 219 hours to complete). Gonzalez is studying biology.

DOCTORAL DEGREES: Seven of Bassett Healthcare network’s nursing leaders earned Doctor of nursing Practice degrees from Case Western Reserve University. This degree is recognized by the American Association of Colleges of nursing as the highest level of preparation for clinical nursing. Six of the cohort received their degrees on May 19, while a seventh member is expected to receive her degree this summer. The doctoral recipients are: Tammy Aiken, MSn, Rn, SAne, DnP, director of emergency and trauma services, Bassett Healthcare network, director of critical care, Bassett Medical Center; Jan (Jeanet) Calhoun, MSn, Rn, eMT, DnP, program manager, emergency and trauma services, Bassett Medical Center; Daniel endress, MS, Rn, CMSRn, DnP, director of nursing and operations, O’Connor Hospital; Susan Oakes Ferrucci, MSn, Rn, CnS, DnP, vice president, chief hospital executive and chief nursing officer, Critical Access Hospitals Division—Cobleskill Regional Hospital, Little Falls Hospital, O’Connor Hospital; Joan MacDonald, MSn, Rn, DnP, chief nursing officer, vice president of patient care services, vice president of operations, A.O. Fox Hospital; and Paula Moshier, MSHA, BSn, Rn, CPHRM, DnP, vice president of quality and patient experience, Bassett Medical Center. The doctoral candidate is Julie Hall, MSn, Rn (DnP candidate), chief nursing officer and vice president of patient services, Bassett Medical Center. “I think the most important message is how grateful we are that Bassett supported us as a cohort to pursue this education. I look forward to the future of Bassett with so many doctoral prepared nurse leaders,” said Ferrucci.

“I am forever grateful to Bassett for this opportunity, and I am grateful to my cohort. We helped and supported each other and kept each other moving forward to meet our goals and deadlines,” Calhoun said. The rigorous doctoral program leading to this highly respected degree is designed to expand the focus of the participants in practice leadership, educational leadership, and executive leadership. The university’s website states: “nursing doctorate graduates apply their education and expertise in leadership roles on the front lines of nursing, in clinical practice, administration, teaching, systematic improvement, and health policy design and development.”

TRACK MEET TEAM: Seamus Catella, Olivia Litzinger and Graham Wooden, all of Oneonta, were among 62 SUnY Oneonta students assisting the Sport and exercise Sciences department and Special Olympics to host a regional track and field event at Oneonta High School on Sunday, May 7. The event allowed area individuals who have varying intellectual and adaptive disabilities, including clients at local organizations Springbrook and Pathfinder Village, to showcase their athletic ability in a competitive setting. Athletes ranged from ages 10 to 53, and the day included an opening ceremony with remarks by City of Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek and SUnY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle. Lecturer of Sport and exercise Sciences Andrea Fallon-Korb and her two interns organized the event. The interns were the coordinators for the student volunteers, 28 Special Olympic athletes and three adaptive athletes who participated in the day-long competition. Student volunteers fell into three categories: those who helped run the track meet, those who organized an obstacle course and outdoor activities through the exercise Science Club, and those from an exercise science course taught by Assistant Professor of Sport and exercise Science Dr. Katie Griffes. The students from Dr. Griffes’ class helped by hosting pre- and post-competition workshops and education sessions.

CANDIDATE CONFAB: Twenty people gathered at Get Fresh on the Main café to hear candidates for Oneonta City Council, the Otsego County Board of Representatives, county clerk and town highway superintendent address the Oneonta Democratic Club on Saturday, June 10. Led by MacGuire Benton, candidate for Otsego County clerk, the councilpersons and candidates—both Independents and Democrats—introduced themselves, discussed their backgrounds, addressed the crowd on a variety of issues and answered questions from the audience for two hours. For more information, visit the “Oneonta Democratic Club” Facebook page. Pictured above, from left, are: Councilman Luke Murphy; nora Mendez, County Board candidate; Shannon McHugh, Oneonta City Council candidate; Councilperson Kaytee Lipari; Jim Hurtubise, superintendent of highways; former Village of Cooperstown Trustee Benton MacGuire, candidate for county clerk; Councilperson emily Falco; and Don Garrison, candidate for Oneonta City Council. (Photo provided)

DEAN’S LIST DESIGNATION: Annika DeVries of Burlington Flats, Morgan Stoecklin of Hartwick and Leah Woertendyke of Oneonta have been named to the Spring 2023 Dean’s List at nazareth College. Located in Rochester, nazareth College (University as of June 1, 2023) is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who, for nearly 100 years, have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good.

CASTING CALLS COMPLETED: The Glimmerglass Festival has completed casting for the 2023 Festival with ensemble artists drawn from Cooperstown and the surrounding communities. These artists will be featured in the 2023 productions of “La bohème,” “Candide,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “The Rip Van Winkles,” this season’s world premiere youth opera, which features young people from 6 to 17 years old. While a handful of these artists will be making their Glimmerglass debuts, many have previously performed in Glimmerglass productions and are excited to return to the Alice Busch Opera Theater. Local and regional adult performers are: Reece Bernard, Utica; Allison Hill-edgar, Cooperstown; W. Morgan Hill-edgar, Cooperstown; elijah Gebers, Cazenovia; Kara Grady, Cooperstown; Lilly Grady, Cooperstown; Joelle Lachance, Rochester; Holly McCormack, South Glens Falls; Jocelyn Reynolds, Little Falls; and Ying Wu, Utica. Youth performers include: Arianne Ajakh, Cooperstown; Layla Buttermann, Oneonta; Malena Buttermann, Oneonta; nadia Buttermann, Oneonta; Carly Rae Carillo, Milford; nora Craig, Cooperstown; Avery Croft, Cooperstown; Caleb J.A. Crowder, Utica; Genevieve DeLanoy, Oneonta; Cordelia Dziuban, Bridgewater; elizabeth eckel, Cobleskill; Seton Davis Fralick, Cherry Valley; Gus Frederickson, Jefferson; Toby Frederickson, Jefferson; Johnny Ford, Utica; Anmo Geng, new Hartford; Anqi Geng, new Hartford; Kian Grady, Cooperstown; Julieanna L. Iglesias, VanDeusenville; Maya LaCoppola, Palatine Bridge; Cate Speed Leinhart, Fly Creek; Jierui Lin, Utica; Yuan Lin, Utica; Annika Murray, Cooperstown; Gialina Ploutz, Oneonta; Danniella n. Rivera-Litz, Sauquoit; Anais Summers Robbins, Austin, Texas; Callum D. Torruella, Sauquoit; and eleanor Walker, Cooperstown. The Glimmerglass Festival was created by local opera aficionados who joined forces to bring opera to their community. “I’m thrilled that we have such talent—and such passion—in our back yard,” said Artistic and General Director Rob Ainsley. “Our annual Youth Opera provides an important opportunity for local youth to perform alongside world-class production artists, and quite a few alumni have gone on to prestigious music schools across the country.”

PRESIDENT’S PICK: Heather Morris of Maryland has been named to the Bismarck State College President’s Honor Roll for the Spring 2023 semester. Students must maintain at least a 3.50 grade point on a 4.00 scale while enrolled in at least 12 semester hours of classes to qualify for the BSC President’s Honor Roll. Bismarck State College is north Dakota’s polytechnic institution.

HONOR BOUND: emrys C. Odell of Cooperstown has been selected for Gryphon & Pleiades, Clark University’s senior leadership and service honor society. Odell, who majors in global environmental studies at Clark, is one of only 12 members of the Class of 2024 selected on the basis of their outstanding record of academic achievement and service.

County

Continued from page 1

Board Chairman David Bliss nor Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek found such correspondence in their official e-mail folders. Cooperstown Mayor ellen Tillapaugh did not confirm or deny receipt of an e-mail from new York City officials, but said general updates on the migrant situation were made by the governor via weekly phone calls arranged by the new York Conference of Mayors.

In the end effect, Wilson said the county’s concern was that an orderly process be established to address any

LegaL nOtice

SUPReMe COURT OF THe STATe OF neW YORK COUnTY OF OTSeGO InDeX nO. eF2022-793

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS

Mortgaged

Premises: 39 RIVeR STReeT, RICHFIeLD SPRInGS, nY 13439

Section: 24.08, Block: 1, Lot: 27.00

MORTGAGe ASSeTS

MAnAGeMenT, LLC Plaintiff, vs.

BOnnIe L.

HOUGHTALInG STARR, AS HeIR

AnD DISTRIBU-

Tee OF THe eS-

TATe OF MAXIne

A. ARMSTROnG;

SAnDRA K. MAX-

SOn, AS HeIR

AnD DISTRIBU-

Tee OF THe eS-

TATe OF MAXIne

A. ARMSTROnG;

JOAn AMeS, AS HeIR AnD

DISTRIBUTee OF THe eSTATe OF MAXIne A. ARMSTROnG; HAROLD ARMSTROnG, AS HeIR

AnD DISTRIBU-

Tee OF THe eS-

TATe OF MAXIne

A. ARMSTROnG;

KenneTH ARMSTROnG, AS HeIR

AnD DISTRIBU-

Tee OF THe eS-

TATe OF MAXIne

A. ARMSTROnG; PATRICIA LYnn

RAY, AS HeIR

AnD DISTRIBU-

Tee OF THe eS-

TATe OF MAXIne

A. ARMSTROnG;

BRenDA J.

eLMeR, AS HeIR

AnD DISTRIBU-

Tee OF THe eS-

TATe OF MAXIne

A. ARMSTROnG;

UnKnOWn

HeIRS AnD DIS-

TRIBUTeeS OF

THe eSTATe OF MAXIne A. ARMSTROnG, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of

influx of additional persons who would be homeless. At present, Otsego County already relies on a number of motels to shelter the county’s existing homeless population, and there is a real concern that bringing in additional homeless people and having the new York City possibly paying higher housing rates would disrupt the county’s operation.

Furthermore, as Chairman Bliss noted, while public reports stated that new York City was prepared to absorb the living costs of the migrants for four months, those unofficial statements were lacking details and did not address what steps might

such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; SeCReTARY OF HOUSInG AnD URBAn DeVeLOPMenT; OTSeGO COUnTY DePARTMenT OF SOCIAL SeRVICeS; neW YORK STATe DePARTMenT OF TAXATIOn AnD FInAnCe; UnITeD STATeS OF AMeRICA, “JOHn DOe #1” through “JOHn DOe #12,” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants.

Plaintiff designates OTSeGO as the place of trial situs of the real property

To the above named Defendants

YOU ARe HeReBY SUMMOneD to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you.

be taken to avoid a stress on the county’s resources thereafter. That stress is unavoidable under the law, since asylum seekers are prevented from filing for a federal employment authorization document for six months after requesting asylum and because it takes an additional two to five months for such authorization to be approved.

It was for the purpose of controlling and overseeing those potential future commitments that Bliss’ emergency Order no. 1, issued last month, provided for a licensing procedure. Under that order, no hotel, motel or multiple dwelling

would be permitted to contract with new York City to house migrants without satisfying the licensing authority (in this instance, the Otsego County Department of Health). It stipulates as well that new York City would support, and have the means to support, the migrants during their stay in Otsego County as well as to assure their exodus after the funding support expired.

Wilson emphasized that even prior to being advised of the lawsuit, Otsego County did not intend to avoid its obligations. County officials, he said, had been in the process of establishing a

LEGALS

THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $112,500.00 and interest, recorded on December 05, 2011, in Instrument Number 2011-5679, of the Public Records of OTSEGO County, New York., covering premises known as 39 RIVER STREET, RICHFIELD SPRINGS, NY 13439.

The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

OTSEGO County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county.

NOTICE

YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home.

Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property.

Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

Dated: May 12, 2023

ROBeRTSOn, AnSCHUTZ, SCHneID, CRAne & PARTneRS, PLLC

Attorney for Plaintiff Matthew Rothstein, esq.

900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, nY 11590 516-280-7675

4LegalJun.15

LegaL nOtice NOTICE OF ORGANIzATION OF 3692 COUNTY HIGHWAY 35 LLC UNDER SECTION 203 OF THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LAW.

1. The name of the limited liability company is 3692 County Highway 35 LLC.

2. Articles of Organization of 3692 County Highway 35 LLC were filed with the new York Secretary of State on June 5, 2023.

3. The county within this state in which the office of the limited liability company is to be located is Otsego County.

4. The street address of the principal business location of the limited liability company is: 215 Tuscan Road, Worcester, nY 12197.

5. The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the limited liability company upon whom process against it may be served. The post office address within or without this state to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the limited liability company served upon him or her is: 3692 County Highway 35 LLC, 215 Tuscan Road, Worcester, nY 12197.

6. The limited liability company is organized to carry on all lawful activities.

6LegalJul.20

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF ORGANIzATION OF DANGCA LLC UNDER SECTION 203 OF THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LAW

1. The name of the limited liability company is Dangca LLC.

2. Articles of Organization of Dangca LLC were filed with the new York Secretary of State on May 26, 2023.

3. The county within this state in which the office of the limited liability company is to be located is Otsego County.

4. The street address of the principal business location of the limited liability company is: 257 Townline Road,

working group consisting of the heads of the health, social services, and various other county departments whose purpose is to explore and make recommendations as to the capacity of the various towns and villages of Otsego County to house and support migrants.

“I am sure if a group of migrants arrived, the people of Otsego County would rise to the occasion. But we also want to make sure local residents don’t get hurt in the process,” Wilson added.

Such willingness of Otsego County municipalities to assist and welcome migrants is reflected in a resolution by the Cooperstown Board

of Trustees passed in 2016 and revised and readopted in 2019 that decried any discrimination against immigrants and refugees.

Soldier

Continued from page 1

U.S. War Department regarding Fuller’s final resting place, and the flag that widows placed on their doors after they learned of the loss of their loved one. Sgt. Fuller’s remains were committed to the Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridge, england—plot B, row 5, grave 7. He was 34 at the time of his death.

13326.

Laurens, nY 13796.

5. The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the limited liability company upon whom process against it may be served. The post office address within or without this state to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the limited liability company served upon him or her is: Dangca LLC, 257 Townline Road, Laurens, nY 13796.

6. The limited liability company is organized to carry on all lawful activities.

6LegalJul.20

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF ORGANIzATION OF CLAPPER’S MAPLE RIDGE RANCH LLC UNDER SECTION 203 OF THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LAW

1. The name of the limited liability company is Clapper’s Maple Ridge Ranch LLC.

2. Articles of Organization of Clapper’s Maple Ridge Ranch LLC were filed with the new York Secretary of State on April 10, 2023.

3. The county within this state in which the office of the limited liability company is to be located is Otsego County.

4. The street address of the principal business location of the limited liability company is: 184 Reservoir Road, Oneonta, nY 13820.

5. The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the limited liability company upon whom process against it may be served. The post office address within or without this state to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the limited liability company served upon him or her is: Dana Clapper, 184 Reservoir Road, Oneonta, nY 13820.

6. The limited liability company is organized to carry on all lawful activities.

6LegalJul.20

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Culture Rally, LLC.

Articles of organization filed with SSnY on June 5, 2023. Location: Otsego County. SSnY is designated

as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSnY shall mail process to 16 Hazel St., Oneonta, nY 13820.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

6LegalJul20

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Kato en LLC.

Filed 1/16/23.

Office: Otsego Co. SSnY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: Kato Family, 266 Copes Corners Rd, South new Berlin, nY 13843. Registered Agent: Hiroaki Kato, 266 Copes Corners Rd, South new Berlin, nY 13843.

Purpose: General.

6LegalJul20

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY CORPORATION

Melissa Fallon-Korb LLC filed with the Secretary of State of nY (SSnY) on 5/10/23. Office location: Otsego County. nYSS is designated as agent of this LLC upon whom process may be served and SSnY will mail process to 53 Fair St, Otego nY 13825.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

6LegalJul20

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF FAITHFUL CARe AT HOMe LLC

Filed 5/25/23

Office: Otsego Co. SSnY designated as agent for process&shall mail to: 33 north St, edmeston, nY 13335

Purpose: all lawful

6LegalJul13

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF MALLOCH MAnAGeMenT, LLC, a domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State on May 25, 2023; The office location within new York is in Otsego County. The Secretary of State is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process

against the LLC served upon him/her to c/o THe LLC, 4485 County Highway 18, new Berlin, new York 13411.

Purpose: acquire, own, hold, develop, lease, manage, operate real property or to engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalJul.13

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Hoppin Hogs LLC

Arts of Org. filed SSnY 5/23/23, Otsego Co.

SSnY design agent for process & shall mail to Zenbusiness Inc. 41 State St #112 Albany, nY 12207

General Purpose

6LegalJul.13

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF K & A Roofing & Construction, LLC, a nY limited liability company (LLC).

Arts. of Org. filed with nY Sec. of State (nYSS) on 04/11/2023.

Office: Otsego County.

nYSS designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. nYSS shall mail process to: K & A Roofing & Construction, LLC, 149 Weeks Road, Springfield Center, new York 134682313.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalJul.6

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF AUSTIn eLeCTRIC nY LLC

Articles of Org. filed nY Sec. of State (SSnY) 5/23/23. Office in Otsego Co.

SSnY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served.

SSnY shall mail process to PO Box 446, Oneonta, nY 13820.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalJul.6

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WOODSIDe PROPeRTY

SeRVICeS LLC .

Filed: 3/17/23 .

Office: Otsego Co.

Org. in DeLA-

WARe: 07/29/2022.

SSnY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to its

foreign add: 16192 Coastal Hwy, Lewes, De 19958. Arts. of Org. filed with Secretary Of State Jeffrey W. Bullock, 401 Federal St., Ste 3, Dover, De 19901.

Purpose: General. 6LegalJun.29

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Turner electric, LLC

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of new York (SSnY) on 4/14/2023.

Office Location: Otsego County.

SSnY Designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSnY shall mail copy of process to 333 State Highway 7 Sidney, nY 13838.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalJun.22

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Chestnut Hill estates, LLC.

Articles of Organization were filed with the nY Secretary of State on 7/6/2021. The office of the LLC is to be located in Otsego County.

The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him to: The LLC, 832 Winney Hill Rd., Oneonta, nY 13820. The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalJun.22

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMULATION OF A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

name:

BReTT JOHnSOn COnSTRUCTIOn LLC.

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of nY (SSnY) on March 5th, 2023.

Office location: Otsego County. SSnY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSnY shall mail copy of process to 230 Murdock Rd. Cooperstown, nY

Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under nYS laws.

6LegalJun.15

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

name:

Uncommon Threads LLC.

Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSnY) was 16 April 2023.

Office Location: Otsego County. SSnY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSnY shall mail copy of process to The LLC, 158 Camp Rd, new Berlin, nY 13411.

Purpose: any lawful purpose.

6LegalJun.11

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 114 WOODVIeW LLC, filed with the Secretary of State on 04/25/2023. Principal Business and Office Location: 211 Main Street, Cooperstown, n.Y. 13326, Otsego County, n.Y.

The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail process to 211 Main Street, Cooperstown, n.Y. 13326.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

6LegalJun.15

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Pufftopia, LLC.

Filed 4/20/23. Cty: Otsego. SSnY desig. for process & shall mail 5381 St Hwy 7, Oneonta, nY 13820. Purp: any lawful.

6LegalJun.15

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Work of Art Construction LLC.

Filed 3/29/23. Cty: Otsego. SSnY desig. for process & shall mail 4276 St Hwy 28 S, Oneonta, nY 13820. Purp: any lawful. 6LegalJun.15

Father’s Day Remembrances: ‘A Sky View of Dad’

One spring morning, I deliberately made myself late for school so that Dad would have to drive me in his taxi. I knew the teacher would be angry and wouldn’t believe any of my usual excuses, resulting in detention during recess—but the ride was worth it. I ran down the back steps and over to the garage. In order to get the stick out of the hasp on the door, I had to jump up and grab at it a few times. Bugsy came down the driveway as I was dragging the door open.

“C’mon!” I called.

“Gimme a hand!”

He had a tie on and Keds sneakers, and his ears were shining. He liked to ride in Dad’s taxi too, even if it meant being late for school.

My father came out of the house and walked up to us. It was late March and the air smelled of thawed earth and decayed dead leaves from the fall.

“Bugsy, old man,” he said to my friend, who threw his head back revealing his skinny neck and smiling so that his red-freckled nose spread across his face.

Dad went into his, “It’s nice to get up in the morning” song, his one good eye smiling. He had lost the other in a street lot game of kick-the-wicket when a stick lodged just below his left brow. Years later he had

memorized the vision chart in order to pass the chauffeur’s test. Bugsy, who was always enthralled with Dad’s put-on Barry Fitzgerald brogue when rendering a ditty, buried his face in his hands.

“Let’s go,” I said, pulling on my father’s pants pocket. “It’s late!”

My friend and I jumped in the back and threw down the folding seats while the car was warming up. There was plenty of legroom. Up front, the seat on the passenger side had been removed so that no one could ride there. Only the trip meter occupied that space. Dad flipped the flagshaped handle, which started the meter ticking and wheeled the red and yellow ‘48 DeSoto taxicab out into the street. each front fender stuck out separately, almost like a sidecar on a motorcycle.

“now, don’t touch that crank,” my father warned.

Edward William Stack 1935-2023

PORT WASHInGTOn

Wilma M. Dodge

1926-2023

Wilma M. (Skellie) Dodge, formerly of Cooperstown, entered into rest on May 28, 2023. Wilma was born the 28th of December, 1926, in Mt. Vision, new York, daughter of David W. Skellie and Angie (Tilley) Skellie.

Wilma is predeceased by her parents, a brother, Harold, and a sister, Vida Gregory. She is also predeceased by her husband, Harold Dodge Jr.

Wilma is survived by a son, Richard Dodge of Utica; a daughter, Gail McManus of Florida; grandchildren Jonathan, Michael, and Shannon McManus, and Richard Jr. and nicholas Dodge, both of Utica. She is also survived by great-grandchildren and a special grand niece, Molly Gregory.

Wilma worked for new York Telephone and Otsego County before retiring. She was active in OtsegoHartwick Arbutus Chapter #201 OeS, Campus Star Chapter #878 and Pierstown Grange. Wilma was an active member of the Fly Creek Methodist Church and enjoyed many afternoons with their quilting group.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Wilma’s memory may be made to OtsegoHartwick-Arbutus Chapter #201 OeS c/o Diane Graf, 3857 County Hwy. 33 Cherry Valley, nY 13320 or the Fly Creek Methodist Church. A celebration of Wilma’s life will be held at a later date.

Walsh Begins Another Charity Through-Hike

OTSeGO COUnTY

“Last time it rained and I had a flood!”

He was referring to the handle that operated the Sky View window in the roof. It was somebody in Detroit’s brainstorm—people riding in the city cab would be able to see the tops of tall buildings. Dad viewed the innovation as a leaky nuisance, a target for pigeons.

Bugsy took his hand off the crank that would make the glass retract into the roof like a turtle’s head into its shell. Some stragglers watched us go by in the taxi. We stuck our tongues out at them. A bar of sunlight shot between two apartment buildings and through the window in the roof. We stopped on the corner by the school, where the crossing guard stood. My father turned the flag on the meter, which made our ride official and sat waiting behind the wheel.

“You forgot something,” I said.

“Oh.”

Dad reached for his leather change sack and pulled out one shiny dime, my allowance.

“I thought we were supposed to pay you,” my friend said, looking bug-eyed at the pouch. “Doesn’t that thing ever run out of dimes?”

“Of course it never runs out of dimes. Right, Dad?”

“People stop tipping, maybe.” We got out of the taxi with our heads cocked and strutted across the street like millionaires. The crossing guard with her white belt, pea coat and cap—and a mouth full of chewing gum—yelled, “Wow! A taxi to school!” It made me feel like a celebrity.

“Don’t ya be takin’ any wooden nickels!” my father called to Bugsy’s delight as the transmission ground into first gear. The DeSoto, with a bow of letters spelling out Sky View on the door, pulled away and headed for Manhattan, where it would ferry passengers around town. About eight in the evening Dad would head toward home—with tomorrow’s dime safely secured in the leather change sack.

Terry Berkson’s articles have appeared in “New York” magazine, “Automobile” magazine and many others.

OBITUARIeS

edward William Stack, 88, beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend and humanitarian, passed away on Sunday, June 4, 2023 in Port Washington, new York with his family by his side. ed was born in Rockville Center, new York on February 1, 1935 to edward Henry Stack and Helen (Leitner) Stack. Raised in Sea Cliff, new York, ed graduated from north Shore High School in 1952 and obtained his BBA from Pace University in 1956. In 1967, ed married Christina Hunt of Dahlgren, Virginia, and they settled in Glen Head, new York where they raised their three daughters, Amy, Kimberly, and Suzanne. In 1949, at age 14, e d was stricken with polio in what proved to be the defining event of his childhood. e d spent nearly a year in St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, n ew York where, sensing that it was not his nature to be idle, the Sisters put him to work. He happily did their secretarial work and was soon writing letters to national figures, urging them to reach out and communicate with the children in the hospital. One could already see the beginnings of the man who would devote his life to the service of others.

Upon graduating from Pace, ed joined The Clark estates, Inc. in new York, new York, the office that manages the financial and business services for the Clark family and the major charitable foundations and nonprofit organizations supported by The Clark Foundation. The Clark family’s mission of supporting social, educational, and charitable institutions was a perfect fit for ed and he remained with them his entire 44-year career, even-

tually retiring in 2000 as president and director.

During his tenure with the Clarks, ed oversaw the growth and development of several important organizations in Cooperstown, new York and the surrounding area, most notably the national Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Fenimore Art Museum, The Farmers’ Museum, Bassett Medical Center, Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home, Hartwick College, Pathfinder Village and The Clark Foundation’s Scholarship Program for high-school students. elected to the Board of Directors of the national Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961, ed was president of the institution from 1977-2000, a period of tremendous change and expansion.

ed’s life was rooted in his strong sense of faith

and he devoted himself to improving the well-being of others. On Long Island and in the greater new York area, ed served for many years as a director or trustee of the SCO Family of Services, Mental Health Association of nassau County, north Shore Kiwanis Club, Sports Angels, The Salvation Army’s nassau and Greater new York Advisory Boards, new York State Trooper Foundation, United Methodist City Society, and the United Methodist Church of Sea Cliff, where he was a lifelong member. ed received many awards over the years including a Congressional Achievement Award, executive of the Year Award from the U.S. Baseball Federation, and Citizen or Volunteer of the Year awards from more than a dozen organizations that he was involved with. He was also awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Hartwick College, Pace University and Long Island University.

In retirement, ed and Chris moved to The Harborside continuing care community in Port Washington, where he continued his life’s mission of serving by joining every committee possible, including the Resident Council. One of his favorite activities in his

Grandma loved her farm, her family, and playing her old guitar.

Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home will take the time to find out what made your loved one special. Whether it’s finding just the right flowers, or finding a musician to play her favorite tunes on her old guitar, we’ll do what’s necessary to make her service as unique as she was.

Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home 14 Grand Street, Oneonta • 607-432-6821 www.grummonsfuneralhome.com

Tom Walsh of Worcester, a 65-year-old hiker and cancer survivor, set out on a 200-mile charity fundraiser through-hike of Otsego County on June 1. He plans to visit all 20 state forests, five Otsego Land Trust conservation areas, and all 24 towns in the county. Walsh is using the hike to raise funds and awareness for Otsego Outdoors and the Hannah-Lee House, a residential home for Bassett Medical Center patients and family members.

“Kudos to Tom Walsh for this remarkable venture. We are extremely grateful to Tom for supporting the Hannah-Lee House and the comfort it provides to our patients and their families,” said Bassett Healthcare network President and CeO Dr. Tommy Ibrahim. “We are proud to call beautiful Otsego County our home base, and salute Tom for supporting Otsego Outdoors.

“There’s three reasons I do this,” Walsh said. “One is to raise money, two is to raise awareness about the Hannah-Lee House and Otsego Outdoors, and three is a personal challenge.” He noted that his route calls for him to walk about 12 miles a day for three weeks. “Hiking 12 miles a day for days in a row will be a challenge,” he said. He said that knowing people have pledged to donate funds for each forest he reaches is a motivating factor. “It helps keep me going, knowing if I reach the next forest, that means more funds go to the HannahLee House and Otsego Outdoors,” he said.

This is Walsh’s fourth charity hike. Last year he hiked to all state parks and state forests in Otsego County and raised funds for the Bassett Cancer Institute and Otsego Outdoors. He aims to raise $5,000 this year, and as of June 1 was about halfway to this goal. Walsh was delayed by the air quality crisis on June 7-9, but got back on the road on June 10. As of June 12, he had passed through the Hartwick State Forest and was approaching the Texas School House State Forest, the halfway point of the hike. He has completed his circuit through the northern half of the county.

For more information, updates on Walsh’s progress, or to donate in sponsorship of his walk, visit https://otsegooutdoors.org/200miles/

last years was scootering around the building in his electric wheelchair acting as a volunteer notary. He enjoyed going to other residents’ apartments to notarize their documents, but what he really loved was talking to and getting to know the person. Aside from working and serving, ed loved people. He never met a person he didn’t want to get to know. He was blessed with an innate ability to make people feel at ease and he loved telling stories. ed was truly a friend to all and he will be missed by many. ed was predeceased by his parents, edward H. Stack and Helen L. Stack; his siblings, nancy H. Stack and Richard L. Stack; and his nephew, Brian Aasheim. ed is survived by his wife, Christina; his daughters, Amy, Kimberly, and Suzanne; his grandchildren, Kara, Lucille, and McGill; his sister, Barbara, and brother-in-law, Richard; his niece, Lynn (Fred); and nephews, Thomas (Laura) and Robert (Kelly); and his grand-nieces and nephews,

Kristen, Kaitlyn, Alexia, Cole, and Luke.

Visitation will be held at Whitting Funeral Home in Glen Head on June 14 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. The funeral service will be held at the United Methodist Church of Sea Cliff at 10 a.m. on June 15 with the Rev. Miyeong Kang and the Rev. Bill Shillady officiating. Burial will follow at the Brookville Cemetery in Glen Head.

Contributions may be made to: United Methodist Church of Sea Cliff, 63 Downing Ave., PO Box 190, Sea Cliff, nY 11579; SCO Family of Services, 1415 Kellum Pl., Suite 140, Garden City, nY 11530; Mental Health Association of nassau County, 16 Main St., Hempstead, nY 11550; The Salvation Army for Services in nassau County, 65 Atlantic Ave., Hempstead, nY 11550; United Methodist City Society, 475 Riverside Dr., Suite 1922, new York, nY 10115; Friends of Bassett Healthcare, One Atwell Rd., Cooperstown, nY 13326.

Funeral Home

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LIFE SKETCHES

TERRY BERKSON

Photo provided WILMA M. DODGE

Photo provided EDWARD WILLIAM STACK

“Nothing can ever take away a love the heart holds dear.”

NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by Wriley Nelson

Yager Museum Sets Summer Programming

OneOnTA—Hartwick College’s Yager Museum of Art and Culture will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday from June 12 to June 29. After this, it will be open by appointment only until the fall semester starts on August 28. Featured exhibitions include “A Deep Dive into a Large Ocean: Tradition, Tourism, and Transformation in Micronesian Cultures,” and “Margaret Huntington Boehner: An Upstate Artist on Cape Ann.” June will be the last chance to see the museum’s popular exhibition, “Juxtapositions: Warhol and the Baroque.”

Continuing exhibitions include “Of Time and the River: 12,000 Years in the Upper Susquehanna Region,” which features many native American artifacts collected by museum founder Willard Yager. “Masterpieces of european and American Art” is a permanent exhibition of works ranging from the Renaissance to the 20th century.

In addition, the museum will host two free children’s programs. “Half-Day Fun Week” will run from 12:30-3:30 p.m. on June 20-23, with a different craft activity each day. There will also be a “Crafternoon” from noon to 3 p.m. every Wednesday from June 28 to July 26. Crafters ages 5-12 can work on a wide range of activities. Museum admission is free and there is ample parking near the first-floor entrance to Yager Hall. For more information, visit https://www.hartwick. edu/campus-life/arts-culture/yager-museum/.

Springfield Library to Host Local History Authors

SPRInGFIeLD CenTeR—The Springfield Library will host local authors nancy einreinhofer and Suzanne Goodrich for a discussion of their new book, “Around Springfield,” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 22. The book is a collection of more than 200 photographs illustrating the history of Springfield. At the event, the authors will highlight different periods, including the foundation of the town and the famous Fourth of July celebration. “Around Springfield” opens with a brief introduction tracing the growth of the town from the earliest Dutch exploration of Central new York through the Revolutionary period to the rapid agricultural and Turnpike growth of the earth 19th century. einreinhofer and Goodrich recount the rise and fall of hops and dairy farms in Springfield and provide lavish descriptions and photographs of Gilded-Age manors and estates that the young nation’s ruling class built in the area. However, they give at least as much space to the homes, libraries, stores, churches, offices and social spaces where the majority of people lived their lives. It also features entire sections on the Fourth of July celebration, other towns and infrastructure on Otsego Lake, and conservation efforts since the mid-20th century. “Around Springfield” is a complete history of post-settlement human activity in the town and its environs. Residents will be fascinated by the collection of photographs, especially those of surviving buildings and landscapes. Continuity and change are visible on every page. The book will be available for purchase, with all proceeds supporting the Springfield Historical Society. All are welcome to this free event. Call (315) 858-5802 to RSVP. For more information, contact Hanna at the library at sp.conbeer@4cls.org.

Freight Wheel to Host Housing, Population Talk

HARTWICK—Dr. Alex Thomas, professor of sociology and executive director of the SUnY Oneonta Program for Local Area Community and environmental Science, will present data on regional population change at the Freight Wheel Café in Hartwick at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 22. The talk, co-sponsored by the café and the PLACeS Institute, will cover the seeming paradox of dropping population and declining school enrollment combined with severe housing shortages in many Catskill-region communities. Seating is limited, so an early arrival is recommended. Participants should use street parking. The Freight Wheel Café is located at 3097 County Route 11.

Library System Announces Road Trip Challenge

VeSTAL—The Four County Library System announced a summer road trip challenge beginning on July 1. Residents are invited to participate in the two-month challenge to visit all 42 member library branches in Broome, Chenango, Delaware and Otsego counties. Participants will discover unique buildings, valuable resources, and innovative programs and services. To join, simply pick up a brochure from any library and ask a staff member for a stamp at each location you visit. More information, as well as a map, can be found at https://4cls.libguides.com/roadtrip.

Cherry Valley Outdoor Games Add New Events

CHeRRY VALLeY—The sixth year of the nationally-recognized Cherry Valley Outdoor Games, on June 16-18, will include two new events: speed climbing and log birling, also known as log rolling. As usual, the weekend will feature entertainment, food, crafts, hours of exciting lumber sports, archery and cornhole. For more information, visit the Cherry Valley Outdoor Games Facebook page.

NYSEG Enrolls in Butterfly Conservation Project

OTSeGO COUnTY—new York State electric and Gas and Rochester Gas and electric announced that they have enrolled in the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances, a voluntary U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program that addresses the needs of at-risk species before they become endangered. The companies committed to preserve monarch butterfly habitats on 18 percent of their above-ground rights-of-way across new York by promoting nectar plants and milkweed. All non-federal property owners are eligible to enroll a property or portion of a property in a CCAA. For more information on the process, visit https://www.fws. gov/service/candidate-conservation-agreements-assurances.

‘Tales of Love and Transformation’

OneOnTA—Don’t miss the Mountain View Wellness Center Players in “Tales of Love and Transformation” on Friday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 17 at 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. The performance is free, with a $5.00 suggested donation. The show is directed by Barbara Gregson with music by eric Porter.

Photos provided

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

ROB AINSLEY

Glimmerglass Geared for Great Season

Greetings from The Glimmerglass Festival. It is hard to believe we open our 2023 season in just three weeks! This year, our productions offer thrilling stories of romance, joy, tragedy, discovery and laughter. The tale of young artists losing their innocence in “La bohème,” the tragic destinies of the young lovers in “Romeo and Juliet,” the questions about life in “Candide,” and a young knight’s battle to reunite with his beloved in “Rinaldo” serve as poignant reminders of the struggles and idealism of youth. I like to envision our season as a form of time travel—a collection of masterpieces so evocative that they become portals through which we can directly engage with the past. From the Latin Quarter of 19th-century Paris to the vibrant Broadway of the 1950s, our productions transport us and refresh our perspectives with their relevance and immediacy. The theater is like a workout for the soul—come to a show and leave invigorated!

Our season is also a celebration of innovation. On one end of the spectrum, we have the Pavilion project “Love & War,” where some of our finest artists will transport you to the very origins of opera when setting dramatic text to music was just becoming a concept. On the other end of the spectrum, we proudly present “The Rip Van Winkles,” a world-premiere youth opera that takes a comedic look into technology’s profound role in our lives today.

A significant aspect of the festival’s mission revolves around nurturing youthful idealism. The Young Artists and Apprentices who grace our campus each year have dedicated considerable effort to honing their talents. The opportunities and training we provide them often serve as launching pads for successful careers. One example is this season’s Artist-in-Residence, the exceptional countertenor, Anthony Roth Costanzo. Anthony’s journey began as a Young Artist at Glimmerglass. now, he returns as a GRAMMY winner to portray the title role in “Rinaldo” while mentoring our talented Young Artists. It is a gift for them to benefit from his mentorship and a treat

for us to witness his remarkable talent and charisma again. Don’t miss their captivating cabaret evening in “An evening with Anthony Roth Costanzo.”

Glimmerglass has always been rooted in this community. The tradition continues, with this season featuring the talents of more than 40 regional performers. We are also proud to offer a free lunchtime concert series, Midday Music. The series showcases the personal stories of our Festival Artists and their favorite pieces. You can catch a lunchtime concert (they all start at noon) on June 29 at Artworks in Cherry Valley, Christ Church in Cooperstown on July 13, on July 27 in the ballroom of The Otesaga Resort Hotel, and on August 10 in the Fenimore Art Museum auditorium. each concert is a surprise, announced from the stage—discover what the stars love to sing when they are given carte blanche!

These are the hallmarks of The Glimmerglass Festival—our commitment to fostering young talent and cultivating new works, the spirit of innovation that permeates our productions, the breadth and diversity of our repertoire, and our unwavering belief that opera is for all. The festival is one of new York’s most fertile grounds for promoting artistic excellence. With our Alice Busch Opera Theater nestled on the banks of Otsego Lake, Glimmerglass has captivated generations—enchanting them into its embrace (including me!). I stepped into the role of artistic and general director in September. The months leading to this summer have been a time of transition, learning, laughter, challenge, welcome and awe. I can’t wait to share this season—my first—with you. I’ll see you at the festival!

Rob Ainsley is the artistic and general director of The Glimmerglass Festival.

Oneonta To Resume Timed Parking Enforcement

OneOnTA—The City of Oneonta will resume downtown parking enforcement in timelimited spaces on Wednesday, June 14. Downtown residents, business owners and commuters are encouraged to park in all-day/24-hour spaces, which can be found in the Dietz Street lot and on Market Street and the Chestnut Street extension. One-hour spots on Main Street and two- and four-hour spots on adjacent streets will be strictly enforced to encourage turnover. Additionally, Oneonta Public Transit will operate a free downtown shuttle loop connecting neahwa Park to Main and Market streets. The shuttle will run continuously from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with stops at Damaschke Field, the parking garage, the transit station by Clinton Plaza and Main Street near Autumn Café. The lots by Damaschke Field and the neahwa Large Pavilion can hold more than 200 vehicles. For more information, contact the city government or visit its Facebook page.

Trout Unlimited Announces Father’s Day Event

OneOnTA—The Dave Brandt Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its Father’s Day Fishing program at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 18 in neahwa Park. All are invited. There will be a large aquarium to display the different species of fish caught. no license is required, and TU will provide loaner rods and bait to attendees. Volunteers will be on hand to help participants. every child attending will be given a raffle ticket; the raffle winner will receive a new spinner rod and reel outfit. The drawing will be held at the end of the event, around 2 p.m., and the winner must be present. The Dave Brandt Chapter covers Otsego County and parts of Delaware County. It has about 150 members and holds meetings on the second Monday of each month at The Plains in Oneonta. Their mission is to conserve, preserve, and restore cold-water fisheries and their watersheds in north America. Father’s Day Fishing is their largest annual event.

Otego American Legion Baseball Downs Vestal

OTeGO—The Otego Retrievers of the American Legion 19U District 6 Baseball League defeated Vestal Post 89 6-2 in their first game of the season on June 9. Braeden Johnson earned the win after throwing 18 strikeouts in a one-hitter. Seven Otego players recorded hits. Shea Barber and Brayden nichols each hit two RBI.

Oneonta Outlaws Fall to MV Diamond Dogs

OneOnTA—The Oneonta Outlaws lost a hard-fought game to the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dogs, 8-6, on June 6. each team hit two home runs. Oneonta nearly managed to come back from a 7-1 deficit, but the rally fell short. Justin DeCastro was stuck with the loss for the Outlaws.

Open position: Sexton

28 hours/week

Requirements and a full job description at https://www.ceccoop.net/sexton apply at rector@christchurchcooperstown.org

Fenimore Art Museum and The Farmers’ Museum have an opening for:

Full Time Groundskeeper

The successful candidate will be a steady, reliable worker and enjoy working outdoors year-round. Must have sufficient strength and manual dexterity to operate power equipment and lift 50 lbs. Experience with basic construction and carpentry a plus. Duties include maintaining grounds, mowing, clearing roads and pathways of debris and tree limbs, soil preparation, planting, weed removal, plowing, and shoveling snow, cleaning and maintaining power equipment, and performing light carpentry and repair jobs. This is a full-time position, flexibility necessary, must be willing to work occasional overtime. This position offers an excellent benefits package and pleasant work environment. Covid-19 vaccination is a requirement of employment.

Applications are available at fenimoreart.org or farmersmuseum.org. Send letter of interest and completed application to Human Resources, Fenimore Art Museum, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326, or email to hr@fenimoreart.org.

Fenimore Art Museum

Custodial Position

Fenimore Art Museum has an opening for a full-time Custodian. This is an entry level position with room to grow. Experience helpful, but not necessary. Excellent benefit package and a pleasant work environment. This position is 40 hours per week, with one weekend day required. Some flexibility and occasional overtime necessary. Covid-19 vaccination required.

Applications are available at fenimoreart.org or send letter of interest and resume to Human Resources, Fenimore Art Museum, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326, or email to hr@fenimorart.org.

Photo by nina Westervelt

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Parade

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president of the Historical Society along with his wife, Maureen, who is vice president. According to Culbert, “If we don’t know what has come before, it becomes very hard to make decisions about the future.”

This year, the Springfield Historical Society’s Annual Fourth of July Open House will feature a special display commemorating the lives of two beloved members of the Springfield community; former Historical Society President noel Dries, and former Springfield Town Historian Jane Prior. The recent passing of both has left the town bereft of a wealth of knowledge and wisdom.

The Springfield Historical Society also plans to introduce a new book this Fourth of July, “Around Springfield,” a pictorial history of the Town of Springfield authored by nancy einreinhofer and Suzanne Goodrich and produced by Arcadia Publishing. The book includes a chapter dedicated to Springfield’s parade, the second-oldest Fourth of July parade in the nation.

The Springfield Fourth of July Parade, now in its 109th year, will kick off at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4 in Springfield Center. This year, ernie Whiteman and Tom Mabie will be announcing parade entries from the judge’s stand, and Lyman Johnson and Jordan nott will announce near the Community Center.

Following the parade, a celebration will be held at the Springfield Community Center, with music by the Camden Continentals Fife and Drum Corp and the Cooperstown Community Band, Brooks’ chicken barbecue, homemade pie and hot dogs by Springfield Presbyterian Church, breakfast burritos, baked goods, and coffee by St. Thomas Church, and lemonade sales by the Cherry Valley-Springfield Class of 2028. Other highlights include the Springfield Historical Society Open House, a Revolutionary War-

era exhibit by the Fort Plain Museum, and farm animals by the Springfield High Meadows 4H Club, along with various raffles by the Springfield Fire Department, Springfield Baptist Church, Pierstown Grange, and CV-S endowment Foundation, and more.

An invocation by the Reverend Kyle Grennen of St. Mary’s episcopal Church will be followed by a flag raising ceremony in honor of Jane Prior.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Glimmerglass State Park, a free Fourth of July evening Concert by the Council Rock Band will be followed at dusk by a fireworks display.

On Sunday, July 2 at 4 p.m., the Glimmerglass Festival will present its annual “Springfield Appreciation Concert,” previewing performances from this season’s productions at the Alice Busch Opera Theater. Tickets for the concert are $5.00 each and are available at the Convenience Corner Store in Springfield Center. Springfield Fourth of July T-shirts with this year’s parade theme, “Salute to Lady Liberty,” are also available for $10.00 each. All proceeds from concert ticket and T-shirt sales support the Fourth of July Parade and Celebration.

The Springfield Fourth of July Parade welcomes all individuals, families, groups, and businesses to join the procession. Registration is free, and an online entry form can be accessed by clicking the “Sign Up” button on

‘Sons of Baseball’ Author To Speak

By WRILeY neLSOn COOPeRSTOWn

Mark Braff, author of the newlypublished “Sons of Baseball: Growing Up With a Major League Dad,” will visit the Baseball Hall of Fame for a Q&A and book signing at 1 p.m. on Father’s Day, June 18. The book features a foreword by Ken Griffey Jr. and interviews with the sons of 18 former major-league players, including Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera, Roger Maris and Larry Doby. It explores the unique parenting experience of professional athletes through the eyes of their children.

“Sons of Baseball” examines the perks, pressures and frustrations of growing up just outside the spotlight. The stories run the gamut from humor to family drama, from the enlightening to the tragic. One major-league son stole the Cleveland groundskeeper’s cart and drove it into the upper deck of Municipal Stadium, only to have the battery die; another adult son revealed that his famous father has never accepted his sexuality. Braff adds his own meditations and draws out common threads across the interviews and biographies.

Braff was a highly-regarded public relations professional for more than 40 years before he retired in november 2020.

the Springfield 4th of July Parade and Celebration Facebook page.

Parade prizes will be awarded for floats, fire departments, veterans’ organizations, school bands, junior marching organizations, musical performing groups, antique vehicles, horses and equine units. Judging will be based partly on use of the theme, “Salute to Lady Liberty,” which participants are free to interpret in any way.

Children are encouraged to register to ride their decorated bicycles in the parade, and each registered bike rider will receive a $10.00 prize, with trophies awarded for the best decorated. Helmets are required while riding in the parade.

For more information, email the Springfield Fourth of July Parade Committee at springfield.july4@gmail. com or contact Committee Chair Debra Miller at (315) 858-0304.

The Springfield Fourth of July Parade and Celebration is sponsored in part by the Otsego County events Grant Program.

Homer Folks Hospital to Receive Historical Marker

OneOnTA—The Greater Oneonta Historical Society and Oneonta Job Corps Academy will unveil a historical marker commemorating the Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospital on the corner of West Street and Homer Folks Drive at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 29. It will be the first historical marker in the Town of Oneonta. The Homer Folks Hospital was a state institution that treated thousands of TB patients between 1935 and 1973. Its grounds are now occupied by the Oneonta Job Corp Academy and other organizations. The public is invited to the marker unveiling. Parking will be available on the Job Corps campus.

State Police Issue 13K Tickets Over Holiday Weekend

neW YORK STATe—The new York State Police issued a total of 13,471 tickets statewide during the Memorial Day Weekend enforcement campaign. The special enforcement period ran Friday, May 26 through Tuesday, May 30 and utilized sobriety checkpoints and increased DWI and distracted driving patrols. According to a press release, troopers made 194 DWI arrests and investigated 839 crashes. Troop C, centered on the Southern Tier and including Otsego and Delaware counties, issued more than 1,100 tickets overall. no fatal crashes were reported. For the full report, visit https://www.nyspnews.com/state-police-issue-more-than13400-tickets-during-memorial-day-weekend-enforcement-period.htm.

BCBS Recognized by American Heart Association

UTICA—The American Heart Association awarded excellus BlueCross BlueShield national silver level recognition on its 2022 employee health and wellbeing scorecard. For more information or a full list of recognized organizations, visit heart.org/workforce.

Weaponry

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addressing: hunger, homelessness, human and child trafficking. These issues, and more, are a calling upon the church and other faith communities to address. We will. But before we could go any further, we needed to answer the question of “When will enough be enough?” with our answer of no more.” no more school shootings. no more grocery store shootings. no more rampant or wanton death. no more families and communities destroyed because someone had access to an AR-15 and decided that was their best option. no more. This resolution is one step we’ve taken to ensure that

enough is enough; and we know that we are not alone.

The Presbytery of Utica continues to engage these efforts, inviting neighboring presbyteries and other faith communities. We know this won’t solve everything. But it will mitigate the capacity of death. In this, we choose life. What step will you take with us?

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titles in track (2022) and basketball (2022-2023).

“We had a really great team this year,” Jensen said.

“My relay team in particular had several younger students coming up… The track teams always have good personalities and a lot of energy, so that makes it fun.”

“I first had the idea for this book 20 or 25 years ago,” he recalled. “Long enough that I don’t remember specifically when it first came to me. I had been thinking about the link that baseball provides between parents and children, especially between fathers and sons for my generation, and suddenly wondered what it was like for children of major-league players.”

Braff was unable to write the book while working full time, but returned to it as a retirement project. He began setting up interviews in January 2021.

“What really struck me is that most of these guys grew up with the same issues as everybody else,” he said. “It was the same mix of family happiness, divorces, success, failure, comedy and tragedy as you’d get with other groups of people. What was different was the setting, especially if the kids were younger when their dads were playing. A lot of them grew up with major league stadiums as their personal playgrounds and with other famous players as extended family. They grew up with access that most people hardly dream of, and it was nothing to them.”

There were serious downsides to this kind of childhood, of course. Many of the fathers were away from home for half the year. Others found it difficult to make time for

their children. Autograph seekers, journalists and other forms of unwanted attention made it difficult to live a normal life in public. Braff said he was particularly disturbed by Gil Hodges Jr.’s report that he learned of his father’s death over the radio. Many of the interview participants said that they felt undue pressure, attention and comparison in their own childhood athletic pursuits.

The book is a balanced, emotionally enlightening new perspective on Major League Baseball. The public is invited to attend Braff’s event at the Hall of Fame on Sunday, June 18. Copies will be available for purchase and signing.

“The book will make a great Father’s Day gift for procrastinators,” Braff said.

“Sons of Baseball” was published on May 10 and is available wherever books are sold. The publisher, Rowman & Littlefield, has also released e-book and audio editions.

Book Fair Returns

COOPeRSTOWn—The 29th Cooperstown Antiquarian Book Fair will be held at the Clark Sports Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 24. The fair will feature more than 25 dealers from the northeast U.S. and beyond, and will host local authors for signings. There will be thousands of books, maps and ephemera of all sorts. There is a $5.00 cover charge to benefit the Cooperstown Foundation for excellence in education. For more information, call (607) 547-8363.

Jensen reflected on a season of success in sprint and middledistance events and with a dominant relay team.

“The sectional championship is usually my favorite meet,” she said. “There are, of course, some very motivated runners and the strong competition gives it a different feeling… my 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams did great.”

Jensen will attend Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and will run for the indoor and outdoor track programs. Williams is an opencurriculum liberal arts school and students do not declare a major until their sophomore spring; Jensen said she intends to explore several departments and is particularly interested in visual arts classes.

Photos by Andrea House

Fred Culbert, far left, has been the voice of Springfield’s Fourth of July Parade for 30 years. Fred and wife, Maureen, are shown below.

Photo provided

Author Mark Braff presents a copy of his book to his father, Milton Braff, 94.

►Friday, June 16

TECH CLASS 9 a.m. “Online Safety and Security on the WWW.” Learn to use the Internet safely, protect your personal information/passwords. Taught by Tam Rutenber, certified Google education trainer. Arrive at 8:30 a.m. for assistance with devices; Google/Gmail account required. Free with suggested donation of $10 to Angel Network of Cooperstown. Freight Wheel Café, 3097 Co. Rt. 11, Hartwick.

NATURE HIKE Noon to 1:30 p.m. Explore Emmons Pond nature trail. Visit the pond, identify trees, play games and watch for birds. Free, open to the public. Registration required. Hosted by Otsego County Conservation Association at Emmons Pond Bog, 2028 White Hill Road, Oneonta. (607) 547-4488.

OUTDOOR GAMES 12:308 p.m. Cherry Valley Outdoor

Games, featuring speed climbing, log burling, lumberjack ream relays, and bounce houses and climbing walls for the kids. Continues all weekend with the lumberjack competition, cornhole tournament, youth log rolling, more. Alden Field Center, 2 Genesee Street, Cherry Valley. Continues Saturday & Sunday. nathanwaterfield@gmail. com visit cherryvalleyoutdoorgames.com/ for full schedule

CRAFT FRIDAY 3:30 p.m.

All ages are invited for a fun afternoon to make a kaleidescope. Worcester-Schenevus Library, 170 Main Street, Worcester. (607) 397-7309.

THEATER 6:30 p.m. Enjoy production by the Mountain View Players of “Tales of Love and Transformation.”

Admission, $5. Presented by the Mountain View Wellness Center and The First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 895-6032. Also showing

Saturday at 3 p.m.

FIREPIT FRIDAY

7-10 p.m. Get together for music, a bonfire, and some beer. This week, enjoy rock, soul, and alternative country music by Bourbon & Branch band. Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33, Cooperstown. (607) 5441800.

JAZZ NIGHT 7 p.m. Enjoy Jazz music with Rich Mollin. Admission by donation. Doors open 6:30 p.m. Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center, Oneonta. (607) 431-2080.

AUDITION 7:30 p.m.

Women and girls in teens to 80s are invited to try out for production of “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” by Nora & Delia Ephron. No preparation necessary. Held by Bigger Dreams Productions at the

Production Center, Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center, Oneonta. Visit foothillspac.org Also held Saturday at 2 p.m.

►Saturday, June 17

EXPLORATION DAY

8 a.m. Visit Hanford Mills Museum and learn about birds that can be seen in the area. Part of the annual Exploration Days, birders of all experience levels are invited. Free, pre-registration appreciated. Presented by the DelawareOtsego Audubon Society at Hanford Mills Museum, 51 County Road 12, East Meredith. (607) 746-7396.

VOLUNTEER TRAINING

9 a.m. to noon. Enjoy hiking the trails of Otsego County? Learn what you can do to help take care of them, too. Sign up with the Otsego County Conservation Association to adopt a trail and learn how you can keep it useable. Training covers the basics of trail maintenance and some practical experience. Free, registration required. Held at Basswood Pond State Forest, Burlington. (607) 547-4488.

FARMERS MARKET

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Otsego Farmers Market and Strawberry Festival. Strawberry Hall, 174 Main Street, Worcester.

BOOK GIVEAWAY 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kids receive up to three free books from the library, while supplies last. Made possible by Lisa Libraries. Worcester-Schenevus Library, 170 Main Street, Worcester. (607) 397-7309.

BOOK COLLECTION 10 a.m. to noon. Bring books

needing new homes to the Friends of the Village Library for its Summer Book Sale. Use the side entrance at Village Hall, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 547-8344.

ART WORKSHOP

10 a.m. to noon. Students with experience are invited for this advanced relief print making class taught by artist Matthias Kern. Two-day workshop will cover image to block, carving methods with hand tools, hand printing, registration for multi-block prints, more. Cost, $265/nonmember. Includes materials and tools. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. (607) 547-1400.

LITTLE LEAGUE 10:30

a.m. & 1 p.m. Join the Oneonta Little League for its first annual “Murph Cup” and cheer on the players. Doc Knapp Field, River Street, Oneonta. Oneontalittleleague@gmail.com.

FATHER’S DAY 11:30

a.m. Children are invited to Father’s day craft time followed by a concert on the veranda. Cooperstown Village Library, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown.

DEBUT CONCERT

12:30 p.m. The Cooperstown Children’s Choir presents its first concert ever. On the veranda at the Cooperstown Village Library, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 304-1359.

FAN CLUB 1-6 p.m. Join the Lou Gehrig Fan Club to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lou Gehrigs’ MLB debut. Begins with a greeting followed by a presentation on the Gehrig artifacts, a Q&A session with Gehrig book authors and other presentations throughout the day. Minimum donation $85/ticket. All proceeds to be donated for ALS research. Held at the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown. Visit lougehrig-

fanclub.bpt.me

MUSIC ON MAIN

1-3 p.m. Small Town Big Band performs tunes new and old in big band style, with sax, horns, & rhythm galore. Pioneer Park, Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5479983.

WRITERS GROUP 1:30 p.m. Join online group to work on writing prompts, share current work and get some feedback. Presented by the Huntington Memorial Library, Oneonta. Register at hmlwriters@gmail.com

THEATER 2 p.m. Arm-ofthe-Sea Theater presents “A Riparian Rhapsody: How the Forest Sings to the Stream,” a puppet extravaganza that dives into the ecology of the Catskills and the intricate interactions between forest and stream. All age groups are invited for this free outdoor performance. Bring your own seating. Presented at the West Kortright Centre, 49 West Kortright Church Road, East Meredith. (607) 278-5454.

►Sunday, June 18

MEMORIAL DUCK

HUNT All day. Keep your eyes open. Hidden throughout Cooperstown will be a collection of rubber duckies for the children to find and adopt (or gift for Father’s Day). Part of the collection of the recently deceased Kernan Cross, CCS Class of ’65, this duck hunt continues his game of hiding his collection of ducks for friends and strangers. Happy hunting!

FATHER’S DAY FISHING

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join the Dave Brandt Chapter of Trout Unlimited for a fun day fishing with Dad. No license required, loaner rods provided. There will also be a large aquarium featuring local species, a raffle, more. Neahwa Park Pond, Oneonta. Visit facebook.com/DaveBrandtTU

SUMMER SUNDAYS

1-3 p.m. Enjoy an exhibit of the diaries of Henry Wilcox and the Swart-Wilcox Barn Project, part of the I Love NY “Path Through History” trail. Swart-Wilcox House Museum, Wilcox Avenue, Oneonta. swhousemuseum@gmail.com.

CONCERT 3 p.m. Friends of Music of Stamford presents acclaimed pianist Andreas Klein performing a program of works by Chopin, Bach, Beethoven and Prokofiev. Admission by donation, suggested $12. Masks encouraged. First Presbyterian Church, 96 Main Street, Stamford. (518) 918-8003./ LECTURE 3 p.m. Learn about the only paid female keeper of a water-bound lighthouse on the East Coast during her time (1848-1931). Kate Gortler Walker worked the Robin’s Reef lighthouse in the upper New York Bay, where she rescued mariners, raised a family and tended the light by hand. Admission, $10; refreshments available. Windfall Dutch Barn, GPS location is 2009 Clinton Road, Fort Plain. (518) 774-0134. PRIDE CONCERT 4 p.m. Celebrate the talents of local LGBT+ artists in a concert, “Happy Sad Music—Emerging Voices Pride Fest,” featuring indie music performers Awksymoron, Chris Riffle and Moppy. Bring your own seating for outdoor concert. General admission, $10. The West Kortright Centre, 49 West Kortright Church Road, East Meredith. (607) 278-5454.