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AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE COMPLIMENTARY
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, November 23, 2023
Volume 16, No. 5
Otsego Pride Alliance Observes National Day of Remembrance By WRILEY NELSON ONEONTA tsego Pride Alliance hosted a solemn, moving memorial ceremony in Oneonta on Sunday, November 19. More than 30 people congregated at Green Earth Health Market to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance. The day of remembrance, which is held annually on November 20 nationwide, honors the memories of transgender and gender-nonconforming people whose lives were taken in acts of anti-transgender violence. OPA and community volunteer speakers offered tributes to the 77 known victims in North America in the last calendar year, including 47 victims of hate crimes. On average, one transgender person was killed in a hate crime every eight days. “It is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, especially Black transgender women,” one organizer said in a statement. “Eighty-eight percent of the victims are people of color, 54 percent are Black transgender women, 73 percent were killed with a gun, 47 percent were killed by a romantic or sexual partner, or friend or family member; 72 percent were misgendered and/or deadnamed by law enforcement, the media or families. We clarify that it is 47 known victims, knowing that many more have gone unreported or misreported by media, law enforcement and families.” According to Cleveland Clinic child and adolescent psychologist Dr. Jason Lambrese, “deadnaming” is the act of
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referring to someone by a name that they didn’t ask you to use. “A transgender person may decide to no longer use their birth or legal name,” Lambrese explained. “Instead, they’ll choose a name that better aligns with their identity. When someone uses their old name after being asked not to, that is what we call ‘deadnaming.’” Speakers gave a brief tribute to each victim, reading a memorial statement provided by friends or family and displaying a photo. The ceremony aimed to focus on the victims’ lives and their positive impacts in the world rather than the circumstances of their deaths. Organizers lit a votive candle as each name was read; by the end of the event, an entire small table was covered. At the close of each individual tribute, the speaker led attendees in a memorial litany: “We will say their names: [victim’s name]. We will remember.” The emotional impact of sitting with and processing the loss of dozens of individuals, many of whom were community leaders or children, and all of whom were unique and irreplaceable parts of their loved ones’ lives, was devastating. The small crowd, which included people from many backgrounds and ranged in age from a toddlers to seniors, was subdued and respectful throughout the ceremony. “Gender-based discrimination, legislative attacks, bullying, being rejected by friends, families and community; harassment by partners, family, police and public; denial of gender affirming Continued on page 7
Photo provided
Kevin Parrott, Cedric Hawkins, James Gordon and Peter Oberacker were inducted into the SUNY Delhi Athletics Hall of Fame last month.
Sen. Peter Oberacker Inducted into SUNY Delhi Athletics Hall of Fame DELHI enator Peter Oberacker of Schenevus was one of four new members of the SUNY Delhi Athletics Hall of Fame honored last month. The college’s 15th induction class included Oberacker ’83 (baseball and basketball), Kevin Parrott ‘84 (wrestling), Cedric Hawkins ‘94 (track and field), and James Gordon ‘00 (lacrosse). The quartet was recognized October 14-15 in numerous events around Delhi, including a special reception and a halftime introduction at the women’s soccer match.
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“We are deeply honored to have such a diverse group join our Hall of Fame this year,” said Director of Athletics and Committee Chair Bob Backus. “Through our four inductees, we have six SUNY Delhi athletic programs featured.” Oberacker was a dual-sport athlete, participating in basketball and baseball at SUNY Delhi from 1981-1983, and a standout pitcher. His freshman year showcased a strong performance, accumulating a 3-1 record with an impressive 2.50 ERA. In his second Continued on page 10
Bassett Healthcare Welcomes Fourth Security K-9 Unit
INSIDE ► COMMUNITY BANK SAGA CONTINUES, page 2
COOPERSTOWN ► angel tree program assett Healthcare Network has gets underway, page 3 expanded its K-9 security team to include a fourth dog and handler. ► HATS OFF TO OTSEGO DA, On October 3, the team welcomed Hutch, SHERIFF, page 4 an 18-month-old German shepherd, and his ► cv-s to HAVE its own partner, Officer Jeffrey Bever. Hutch and school-based health Bever will be stationed at A.O. Fox Hospital center, page 4 in Oneonta full-time in the evenings. ► PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES Bassett’s growing K-9 Security team, IN THE NEWS, page 6 a unique program in Central New York, ► a berkson tHANKSGIVING is possible due to the generous support of donors. Hutch joined Bassett’s Security TALE, page 11 Department following a gift to Bassett’s K► HALL OF FAME BALLOT 9 program from David and Susan Theobald. ANNOUNCED, page 12 The couple, who are dog lovers and were inspired by the program, met Bassett’s KFollow Breaking News On 9 dogs during a trip to Cooperstown and wanted to give back. “We are truly grateful to David and OTSEGO.com Susan for their generosity,” said Dr. Tommy
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Hutch recently joined the K-9 security team.
Ibrahim, president and chief executive officer of Bassett Healthcare Network. “Bassett’s K-9 program is unlike other hospital security initiatives. Our K-9 teams elevate the level of safety and security we provide to caregivers and our patients who entrust us with care.” Bever and Hutch have been training together since September. Hutch, along with Bassett’s other security K-9 dogs—Hudson, Coal, and Remi—work at Bassett’s hospital and clinic campuses to help meet the increased security needs healthcare workers face today. Bassett Healthcare Network, like hundreds of other health systems and hospitals across the country, has seen a significant uptick in violence against healthcare workers in recent years. K-9 units are often able to quickly defuse tense situations before they escalate Continued on page 10
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER EDDM PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ONEONTA PERMIT NO. 890
A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
THURSDAY, novEMBER 23, 2023 NEWS BRIEFS
Compiled by wriley nelson
Holiday Weekend Returns to Cherry Valley
Photo by Teresa Winchester
Morris area residents gather at the Morris firehouse on November 20 to discuss actions to be taken regarding the closing of the Morris branch of Community Bank NA, scheduled for January 19, 2024.
Residents Consider Actions in Response to Bank’s Closing “For more than 150 years, we’ve put our customers first. It’s how we do business and it’s what sets us apart. MORRIS n Monday evening, approxi- Our people genuinely care about their mately 40 people attended neighbors, and that shapes every decia meeting organized by the sion we make, from supporting local Butternut Valley Alliance and billed as causes to helping businesses and fami“an open forum for all members of the lies succeed.” Martin then expressed his own feelVillage of Morris and our surrounding ings about the relationship between the areas.” The purpose of the meeting, held bank and the community it serves. at the Morris firehouse, was to receive “Our money supports its (the bank’s) input regarding the closing of the Morris causes. Towns like Morris, Butternuts, branch of Community Bank NA, schedand New Lisbon depend on a brickuled for January 19, 2024, as well as and-mortar bank for service. The bank to develop strategies for either keeping should make customers more important the bank open or identifying alternathan the bottom line,” he said. tives. The meeting was accessible to the Those present had questions about greater public through Zoom. the legality of a rumored stipulation “We had over 50 folks attending via that the bank building cannot be sold to Zoom and participating in chat discus- another bank or to a buyer who would sion,” said BVA Vice-chair Maggie then sell to another bank. Ed Lentz, Brenner. BVA chair, who is also an attorney, Peter Martin, BVA board member, stated that it is legal to restrict the use community organizer and co-owner of of property after a sale. One attendee suggested that since Sunburst Reflections on Main Street in Morris, opened the meeting by quoting Community Bank is a publicly traded from the bank’s website, which states: company, BVA might consider sending a representative to a bank board meeting to point out the conflict between est. 1974 Holiday Open House the bank’s action and its Cooper Country Nov. 24, 25 & 26 ~ CRAFTS ~ stated values. Another Support your local Fine Traditional and Contemporary suggested the formaHandcrafts by Local Artisans businesses! tion of a local credit Pick a poinsettia for 10% - 25% off your total union to fill the void left purchase. A percentage of all sales will go to by Community Bank’s the local food pantry • Free Parking departure. Open 10 am to 5 pm daily • 607-547-9247 The possibility of 2 Doubleday Court, Cooperstown Continued on page 12 By TERESA WINCHESTER
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CHERRY VALLEY—Cherry Valley and its businesses will host the 33rd annual Cherry Valley Holiday Weekend from Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3. Festivities will take place from 5-8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a tree-lighting ceremony featuring Father Christmas and the Happy Haggs at 6 p.m. on Friday. The Big Unity Band will perform Friday night at Red Shed Ale House and the Cherry Valley Cadette Girl Scouts will host holiday karaoke during their Holiday Drink Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be raffles and workshops and activities. “We are so happy to reach this incredible milestone of the 33rd Annual Cherry Valley Holiday Weekend,” said Angelica Palmer, owner of The Telegraph School and one of the event organizers. “This event is a beloved tradition, organized by a long line of dedicated community members, from Nancy Erway and Jackie Hull to Noelle Adamochek and myself, among others. It brings our community together in the spirit of joy and celebration. We invite everyone to join us for a weekend filled with festive moments and gifts for everyone on your list.”
Job Corps Announces Workforce Event ONEONTA—Oneonta Job Corps released a save the date notice for a Future Workforce Event at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center on Tuesday, December 12. More information will be forthcoming. Contact plows.Jocelyn@jobcorps.org.
Bassett Recognized for Surgical Safety COOPERSTOWN—The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, representing more than 200,000 nurses across the country, has named Bassett Medical Center a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety. It is among the first facilities in the U.S. to earn the designation in Prevention of RSI, or unintentionally retained surgical items. The award signifies Bassett’s best practices and months-long comprehensive, evidence-based program. RSIs, which include any surgical item that is unintentionally left in a patient after surgery, have long been identified as the most common sentinel event in surgical or invasive procedures. AORN recognizes Bassett for its commitment to educating surgical team members in the prevention and consequences of RSIs. “We are very proud of our surgical team at Bassett Medical Center for obtaining this award,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive Dr. Angela Belmont. “It demonstrates the dedication of the team to reduce risks in the operating room. This is a testament to Bassett’s commitment to the highest level of patient safety.”
Reading of ‘Gift of the Magi’ Planned ONEONTA—Friends of Christmas Community Dinner will present a special reading of “The Gift of the Magi” with acclaimed actor and playwright Patrick Breen on Giving Tuesday, November 28, at 7 p.m. It will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street in Oneonta. Admission is by donation. More than a dozen local performers will participate in the reading. For tickets or more information, or to sign up as a caroler, visit www.friendsofchristmas.org/magi.
State OFA Offers New Caregiver Resources NEW YORK STATE—The New York State Office for the Aging announced new offerings for subscribers of New York’s Caregiving Portal, a powerful resource for any person in New York State providing unpaid caregiving support to a family member or friend. New resources include site-wide Spanish language translations, community chat rooms, mental health support for caregivers and their loved ones, and tools to help caregivers of children with special needs. For more information or to access the service, visit https:// newyork-caregivers.com.
Open Mic Night Is Saturday, November 25 SCHUYLER LAKE—Schuyler Lake United Methodist Church Coffee House and open mic will return at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 25. All genres of performance are welcome at the event, which is held at 128 Church Street. Light refreshments will be served and donations are welcome. Continued on page 12
AllOTSEGO.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3
Celebrate the Spirit of Christmas through the Angel Tree Program
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he Freeman’s Journal” and “Hometown Oneonta” are parnering with The Salvation Army again this year to help ensure a joyful Christmas for area families through the Angel Tree Program. This tradition dates back to 1921 with the creation of The Freeman’s Journal Christmas Fund by Editor and Publisher Rowan D. Spraker Sr., as a way for neighbors to help others enjoy a happy holiday. This is the 102nd year of this community tradition. The Salvation Army has gathered the Christmas wish lists, grouped by family, below. You can help Santa, and be an angel, by selecting a family to sponsor. Gifts should be both new and unwrapped (price tags removed, please), and received no later than December 8 (to allow the elves time for wrapping and loading). Gifts may be dropped off at the offices of “The Freeman’s Journal,” 21 Railroad Avenue, Cooperstown, or at the Salvation Army Chapel, 25 River Street, Oneonta. Questions? Call Santa’s elf Larissa at (607) 547-6103, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or e-mail info@allotsego.com. Family #1
Likes: boys’ toys, arts and crafts, board games 3-year-old female Size: 6 Shoe size: 10 Likes: baby dolls, little girl toys 3-month-old male Size: 6-9 months Shoe size: n/a Likes: baby toys, educational toys Family #3 9-year-old female Size: medium-large Shoe size: 1 Likes: crafts, Barbie accessories, board games 1-year-old male Size: 2T Shoe size: n/a Likes: learning toys, books, ageappropriate toys Family #4 9-year-old female Size: 10/12 Shoe size: 2 Likes: Barbies, girl toys
10-year-old male Size: 10 Shoe size: 8 Likes: anything, boys’ toys
7-year-old male Size: 10/12 Shoe size: 1 Likes: Army men, boys’ toys
1-year-old female Size: 18 months Shoe size: 5T Likes: age-appropriate toys, educational toys
3-year-old male Size: 4T Shoe size: 8T Likes: Paw Patrol, Hot Wheels, PJ Mask
Family #2 6-year-old male Size: 10/12 Shoe size: 4
Family #5 4-year-old male Size: 4T Shoe size: 8T
Likes: WWE, LEGOs, Play-Doh 1-year-old female Size: 18 months Shoe size: 5T Likes: baby dolls, Fisher Price people, Minnie Mouse Family #6 5-year-old male Size: 8 Shoe size: 13 Likes: cars and trucks, Spider-Man and Batman, matching games 4-year-old female Size: 6/7 Shoe size: 12 Likes: baby dolls, Barbies, makeup, girly things Family #7 1-year-old female Size: 2T Shoe size: 4 Likes: Minnie Mouse, Toy Story, Paw Patrol, Bluey 3-month-old male Size: 3-6 month Shoe size: n/a Likes: baby toys Family #8
Likes: Melissa and Doug brand toys, wooden baby toys Family #9 12-year-old male Size: 14/16 Shoe size: 7 Likes- PS4 controller, DreamGear Street Fighter 12-year-old male Size: 14/16 Shoe size: 6.5 Likes: Spaulding basketball/football, ice cream maker 8-year-old male Size: 8 Shoe size: 2 Likes: Pokémon cards, Hot Wheels set, remote control spider Family #10 7-year-old female Size: 10/12 Shoe size: 13 Likes: Pokémon, Switch games, arts and crafts, Barbies 2-year-old male Size: 3T Shoe size: 10T Likes: Pokémon, building toys, cars and trucks, dinosaurs
7-year-old female Size: 6/7 Shoe size: 13 Likes: educational toys 12-year-old female Size: 12 Shoe size: 9.5 Likes: sewing machine 1-year-old female Size: 12-18 month Shoe size: baby shoes
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HOMETOWN Views
A-4 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
BASSETT AT 100
EDITORIAL
Finally.
A
CV-S School-Based Health Center To Open
nimal cruelty laws nationwide have long been underenforced. Animal abuse often goes undetected and, even when discovered, is rarely prosecuted. According to animal law experts, here in New York State animal abuse and cruelty laws are hidden away in an obscure section of our legal framework (Article 26 of New York State Agriculture and Markets law), making enforcement and prosecution difficult at best. In Otsego County, though, we are seeing slow and steady improvement, beginning with the formation of the Otsego County Animal Cruelty Task Force in 2019. Several high-profile abuse cases prompted the partnership between the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl, Otsego County Sheriff Richard J. Devlin Jr. and area veterinarians. The following year, SQSPCA Executive Director Stacie Haynes was recognized by the Animal Legal Defense Fund as one of the top 10 animal defenders in the nation. Since then, county law enforcement and the SQSPCA have responded to 72 animal cruelty reports, rescuing and rehoming 94 animals— everything from dogs and cats to cows and horses. To be clear, the SQSPCA cannot seize or take people’s animals. When warranted, that falls under the purview of the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office or, in other cases, the New York State Police. And in September of 2022, evidence of animal abuse and neglect—including a dead llama left unattended on the property—led sheriff’s deputies to seize 23 animals from a Town of Butternuts farm: 18 horses, two pigs, one donkey, the surviving llama and a cat. The owner’s name doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the system worked. Neighbors reported their concerns regarding the animals’ welfare to local law enforcement. Sheriff’s deputies followed up with the owner and offered assistance. When conditions continued to worsen, the animals were seized and put under the care of the SQSPCA, at which time they received medical attention and other necessary services. Following a court appearance in October 2022, 12 of the horses were returned to the owner, who was later charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty. The SQSPCA continued to oversee the care of nine of the animals, awaiting the judge’s final ruling. That decision came on September 14, 2023, when the defendant was found guilty on two charges of animal cruelty. Two fines, albeit small, were levied. The other eight charges were dismissed, with the caveat that the remaining animals would be surrendered and rehomed by the SQSPCA. At first blush, this doesn’t sound like much of an achievement. But it is. This is a clear indication that when local law enforcement and animal welfare organizations work together, they can make a measurable difference for animals that are suffering. There are other signs, too, that the tide is turning. On December 15, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Puppy Mill Pipeline bill, which bans the sale of puppies, kittens and rabbits in pet stores throughout New Continued on page 10
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY “Hometown Oneonta” welcomes letters to the editor that reflect the writer’s thoughts on an article or other item appearing in the paper. They must include the writer’s name, address, email and telephone/ mobile number; the opinions expressed must be the writer’s own. Hostile, offensive, factually incorrect or excessively inflammatory content will not be published. The length must be no more than 250 words. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit letters for clarity and space. Please send letters to: info@allotsego.com.
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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch a publication of Iron String Press, Inc.
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ear Friends, Neighbors and Colleagues, Next month, Bassett Healthcare Network is opening its 22nd School-Based Health Center at Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School. Bassett will now serve families in 18 school districts across four counties. In this season of counting blessings and expressing thanks, I want to share my gratitude for our amazing school-based health program—the largest rural school-based health program in New York State and a service that is close to my heart. For those who are unfamiliar with the program—which just celebrated its 30th anniversary—Bassett’s school-based health centers are pediatric clinics within school buildings that provide comprehensive care to children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade at no cost to families. A patient’s only requirement for enrollment is being a registered student in the district. With a simple hall pass, kids receive medical care, preventive and restorative dental care, mental healthcare, nutrition counseling, some types of subspecialty care using telehealth (like pulmonology), and onsite amenities to draw laboratory tests. In rural areas, where homes and workplaces are spread out over a wide geographic area, transportation and travel time can be barriers to care. By operating full clinics in schools, students can attend all their important health appointments with minimal interruption to their academics—or their parents’ work schedules. Bassett’s program offers these services without any out-of-pocket costs to families. In New York State, nearly one in five children live at or below the poverty level. These children are among those least likely to receive routine healthcare, least likely to be insured, and most likely to require emergency medical services. If a student receives services at a school-based health center, Bassett bills their insurance, but thanks to grants and private donations, insurance copays and additional fees are covered. Bassett’s community navigators are also available to connect families with coverage plans that their families may be eligible for, like Child Health Plus.
School-based health centers provide essential healthcare to children and families, teaching young people how to be their own health advocates, establishing good habits early, and building habits and skills that will benefit students for a lifetime. In short, we are building the next generation of healthy community members—and nothing could be more important. Like all our school-based health centers, Bassett’s new location at Cherry ValleySpringfield Central School is a wonderful, welcoming space ready to provide safe, private, comfortable care to students. I am so grateful to our incredible partners and donors—including Ginny Joslin-Hastings— who have made our newest location possible. I would also like to thank Bassett’s amazing School-Based Health Team, including Jane Hamilton, RN, Bassett’s School-Based Health practice manager; Dr. Chris Kjolhede, Dr. Kerri LeBlanc, and Dr. William Fredette, Bassett’s School-Based Health co-directors and wonderful pediatricians; Tammy Loucks, Bassett’s School-Based Health operations manager; and, of course, countless other people—clinicians, nurses, counselors, dental staff, office staff, Friends of Bassett, school administrators, teachers, parents, and others— who are dedicated to this program’s success and to the health and wellbeing of our children. Finally, I understand from our Bassett team that a HUGE thanks is due to the Cherry Valley-Springfield administration—in particular, TheriJo Snyder, their superintendent, and Dave Mayton, their director of facilities. If you are interested in learning more about Bassett’s School-Based Health Program and how you can support it, visit www.friendsofbassett.org. To date, more than 7,000 students are enrolled in Bassett’s School-Based Health Centers across our region—and that number is growing. What a wonderful reason to give thanks. Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy holiday, Dr. Tommy Ibrahim President and CEO, Bassett Healthcare Network (and a proud School-Based Health dad!)
Letters to the editor … In their opinion
Clean Slate Bill Is Misguided I am writing to express my profound dismay at Governor Hochul’s recent decision to sign the Clean Slate Bill into law. This misguided legislation will automatically seal the criminal records of individuals convicted of certain crimes, including felonies, after a specified period of time. By shielding criminals from the accountability of their actions, the Clean Slate Bill will inadvertently facilitate recidivism and endanger our communities. I am supportive of giving individuals a second chance, but I am not okay with hiding serious crimes like manslaughter, gang assault, and armed robbery—to name a few. Existing mechanisms, such as certificates of good conduct, certificates of relief from civil disability, and expungement of records, already provide avenues for ex-offenders to seek rehabilitation and reintegration into society. The Clean Slate Bill merely simplifies the process for criminals to conceal their pasts and exploit unsuspecting victims. My Republican colleagues, law enforcement officials, and victims’ rights advocates have voiced their concerns about the potential impact of this bill on public safety. Most notably, this policy will place undue strain on law enforcement resources as they monitor offenders, hinder employers’ ability to make informed hiring decisions, and impede landlords’ efforts to safeguard their tenants.
Protecting the public is one of the most important responsibilities of government, however, here in New York the criminals continue to have the upper hand thanks to measures like Clean Slate. This law, like bail reform, is another blow to public safety in our communities. Senator Peter Oberacker 51st Senate District
WQCC Focus Was Countywide This is in response to WSC’s response to the recent editorial regarding the need to reestablish the Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee. Our past WQCC was a collaborative effort of various agencies concerned with the multitude of water issues facing our county. Under its aegis, it identified the need to protect Otsego Lake from septic runoff, and implemented the inspections and compliance needed for the 400 systems that WSC mentions. The various agencies comprising WQCC at that time brought to the table a wide range of knowledge and expertise that engendered a sharing of ideas that benefited more than just Otsego Lake. It also provided a well received outreach program open to any and all interested parties. While every water body in the county has its own particular needs, it is disingenuous to assume that we focus only on Otsego Lake and its close environs. Our focus needs to be countywide; our water
resources are finite and need to be addressed at the widest level. And that can be done— and well done, as it was in the past—by our county’s WQCC. Let’s all work together to bring it back. If WSC is interested enough to look to WQCC’s past work for its own use, then it should follow that WQCC can provide even more to the county in the future with the full support of the WSC. Vince Stayter Maryland, former member of the WQCC representing Goodyear Lake
Clean Slate Bill Is Disgraceful I am not only disappointed but absolutely disgusted that the Clean Slate Act has been signed into law. Hochul, Biden and their administrations continue to prioritize felons over the struggling, law-abiding, American people. Signing this bill should signal to you that Gov. Hochul does not care for the future and safety of you or your children. She only cares about advancing her political career. Simply put, this legislation is going to encourage criminal activity. It seems people can do whatever they want in New York and not have to face repercussions. The rule of law is being thrown away in the name of equity. This bill is disgraceful, and shame on anyone who has advocated for this bill. Assemblyman Chris Tague 102nd Assembly District
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5 news from the noteworthy
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Raising a Grateful Child Is Important Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
110 Years Ago
The national debts of the world now aggregate 42 billion dollars, having increased 20 percent in the last decade and doubled in the last 40 years. The interest and other annual charges amounted in 1912 to $1,732 million dollars, or an average of slightly more than four percent. The largest national debt is that of France at 6,284 million; Russia 4,553 million; United Kingdom 3,456 million; Italy 2,707 million; Spain 1,815 million; British India 1,475 million; Japan, 1,242 million; and the United States 1,025 million. November 1913
90 Years Ago
Former New York State Governor Alfred E. Smith urged private citizens to unite in stamping out bootlegging after prohibition repeal by conforming strictly to state regulations for the purchase of liquor. “It behooves every patriotic citizen to secure his supplies after December 5 in a thoroughly legal manner. It is inherent in every good citizen to desire to be obedient to the law. The people now have the opportunity not only to be law-abiding, but the opportunity to help their country by increasing the taxation revenue so that the budget can be balanced. Realizing that the government needs more revenue and that he can do his part only by buying his supplies legally, no good citizen will patronize a bootlegger after repeal.” November 1933
50 Years Ago
Specialists from Cornell University conducted an excellent seminar in Oneonta last week on natural disasters. The contention – natural disasters result in many different repercussions. For example, if Oneonta were flooded, we could expect fatalities, personal injuries, extensive property damage, power failures, disease epidemics and loss of water supply, to name a few outcomes. The question was asked: How would Oneonta cope? Those attending the seminar offered many suggestions including the stock answers of providing food and sleeping quarters for those evacuated from the deluge. Oddly, only one person mentioned the clergy near the end of the discussion. Ministers, priests and nuns could do an admirable job in such a situation. Is the clergy’s influence so weak in Oneonta that their suggested role in such a natural disaster comes as an afterthought? November 1973
30 Years Ago
20 Years Ago
November 1993
Burger King’s corporate policy now allows women to breast-feed their babies in its restaurants. The change comes just a day before a threatened “nursein” in a Salt Lake City Burger King where a nursing mother was told to take her baby to the restroom, or leave. The new policy says Burger King will welcome mothers who wish to breast feed their children. “We want to be a family-friendly place,” said Rob Doughty, vice-president for strategic communications. November 2003
Solution: “Words, Words, Everywhere” (November 16)
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iving your children the gift of gratitude can help to create a life that is more fulfilled and content as they grow. And, now that the holidays are upon us, this is the perfect time to either teach or reinforce the concept of gratitude. Gratitude is more than just saying thank you, though that is an awesome first step. Believe me, when a young person says thank you spontaneously (without prompting), I am immediately aware of how special that is in today’s world. And, a simple thank you is an amazing way to start toddlers off with the concept of gratitude. True gratitude is about finding ways to appreciate life’s gifts. Deeply instilled gratitude is Photo provided about the emotional ability to identify ways to Deeply instilled gratitude is about the emotionally be thankful, even when times are tough. There is healthy ability to identify ways to be thankful, even when times are tough. actually science behind it. But, for now, I’ll set that aside and just share some ways that parents verbal gratitude lists sets the tone for the words and other adults can boost their child’s emotional that will come from your young ones. wellbeing by embracing gratitude. Here are some potential gratitude activities you First, and most importantly, children learn can do throughout the holiday season (and beyond) gratitude by watching a grateful parent or caring to reinforce gratitude. Remember to keep them ageadults. When kids see parents thanking each appropriate. Very simple thank-you tasks for your other, or when parents express gratitude for their littles and more complex concepts for elementary children, it matters. It becomes just a way of life and beyond will keep these relevant. for the family. Grace at dinner, appreciation for 1) Create a gratitude advent calendar, counting completed chores, hugs that are “just because,” down the days. This can be as easy as a blank and consistent words that express thankfulness for calendar hung on the fridge that you visit and fill each other are powerful ways that model gratitude. in daily with your child(ren). Talk about things you are grateful for. We 2) Go on a gratitude scavenger hunt. This can can all fall into the trap of allowing our frustrabe in the house, around the house, or even a locations to spill over into the home, complete with tion that you go to. Have the kid(s) find and report complaining in front of our children. I cast no things they are grateful for. judgement. This is being human. The trick here 3) Start each meal time with an opportunity for is to balance out those spoken frustrations with everyone to share what they’re grateful for today. spoken gratitude. Talk about simple things that 4) Choose, as a family, to support a charity. make you smile, that warm your heart, or that Continued on page 10 remind you to be grateful. Making those short, By MERL REAGLE
Switching Places… Geographically speaking
ACROSS 1 Elevator sounds 6 Beatles song, “Don’t ___ By” 12 Jardine and Jarreau 15 Jackie Brown co-star 16 Expires 17 Poppycock 18 An all points bulletin to southwestern cops? 21 Hollywood honcho 22 Black-clad warrior 23 Low campaign tactic 24 Writer? 25 ___ good example 28 Announcement of a sort: abbr. 29 Certain NCAA scores 32 Friend 33 West Indian baths? 38 Handle, in Latin 39 Corridor effect 40 “Vive ___!” 41 Fix 44 Jane who played Daphne on Frasier 47 Chicken got ready to lay an egg for Zorba? 51 Lady of the house 105 Oscar org. 21 More malicious 52 Author Sinclair 107 A flower, not Mary 24 Sacred song 54 Greek letters 109 South American quiz show 26 Item in pop’s closet 55 Lowlife aimed at card players? 27 Type of dried Mexican 56 Mushroomed 115 Sniggler’s catch chile pepper (anagram of NACHO) 57 Crooner Perry 116 Constructed anew 29 ___ of Wight 59 Pathet ___ 117 Mar 30 Repair the holes in 62 Crafty 118 Paris street 31 Cloud of crud 63 European plumbing 119 Cartoon cat with a blue problem? nose 34 Of a mil. branch 67 Put on 120 Biscuit’s kin 35 From that place 68 Govt. check issuer 36 E rstwhile online search DOWN engine, ___Vista 69 Draft status 1 She had many bad-hair days 37 Melodies 70 Fashion magazine 2 Sam et al. 41 Sphere 71 Oft-licked cookies 3 Pakistani strongman, 1977-88 42 Distasteful 73 Peter Pan dog 4 Sheet music: abbr. 43 “No kidding!” 75 Scentsers? 5 Cologne, to a German 45 Prefix to “bonds” 77 Arthur of TV 6 Lahore’s region 46 Erupts 80 Predicted disaster, circa 1939? 7 Siam visitor 48 First 84 Nicoise and others 8 Compass pt. 49 Make up (for) 86 Have debts 9 Do a farmer’s job 50 Follow 87 Donor 10 Close-mouthed 53 “___ brillig ...” 88 Cry 56 F irst hit for the Moody 11 Are, in Arles Blues 90 New Haven students 12 Disney’s Little Mermaid 58 University of Maine city 91 Do well where it’s cold? 13 From around here 60 Pub orders 96 Shuttle launcher, familiarly 14 Tale 61 Stares at 99 Printing units 15 Mr. Hammarskjold 63 My Fair Lady composer 100 Intention 16 Get rid of 106 Down 64 Leather treaters 101 Letter opener 18 Salary extras 65 Flag 102 Kin of an alias 19 Suction device 66 Casablanca visitor 103 Archie’s better half 20 Yuletime, in ads
67 Play Pictionary 71 Mexican bear 72 Starch-yielding palm 74 Fool’s day: abbr. 76 Group Theatre co-founder 77 Poppycock 78 Paper job 79 State of India 81 Rampant 82 Bjorn contemporary 83 Scent of ___ 85 Albanian money unit 89 P enn. ball team, on scoreboards 91 Boarding site 92 To wit 93 ___ in the bud 94 Puff, for one 95 Guarantee 96 Not once 97 Good-bye 98 Move sneakily 104 ___ d’oeuvres 105 S omething to take from me? 106 Soapy stuff 108 Scot’s topper 110 Bumped into 111 Sash 112 Bible bk. 113 Tape deck abbr. 114 Aerial enigma
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
THURSday, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
LOCALS: PEOPLE/BUSINESSES IN THE NEWS
PROJECT PROUD: Over the past four years, Pierstown Grange members have completed a major foundation replacement project at the Grange. “Due to drainage problems, the north foundation wall was compromised and the entire foundation needed work. Contractors demolished everything that existed in the Grange Hall downstairs, including the kitchen, furnace, bathrooms, and handicapped ramp to the upstairs. The project—including an expansion for a new kitchen and handicapped accessible bathrooms— is now complete, except for the handicapped ramp, at a cost of $234,000.00. The project has been funded from our treasury balance, funds from generous community members, ongoing fundraisers, and a $70,000.00 loan from an anonymous lender. The Matching Grant Campaign was suggested to reduce the loan balance. The Pierstown Grange Building Committee thanks all the members and friends who donated so generously and to matching donor Susan Drake,” wrote Diane Richardson. Above, Pierstown Grange President Gail Lewis and Susan Drake at the check presentation for the matching grant loan reduction campaign. (Photo provided) MCKENNA HONORED: The American College of Healthcare Executives of Upstate New York, a regional professional affiliation for healthcare executives, announced recently that Dr. Bertine Colombo McKenna has been recognized as the Senior Health Executive Awardee. The recognition is an honor from McKenna’s peers celebrating her leadership and contributions to others in the healthcare profession. “We were extremely grateful for the service Bertine provided to our chapter board,” said Chapter President Matthew Van Pelt. “Bertine was instrumental in the strategic development of our chapter to help us develop programs and resources to benefit healthcare executives across upstate New York.” The award is given annually to senior-level executives, to highlight their accomplishments to the healthcare community. The American College of Healthcare Executives has also awarded Dr. McKenna the Healthcare Regents Award and the American College of Healthcare Executives Distinguished Service Award. SERVICE STAR:
On November 8, the Distinguished Service Award was given to Right Worthy Diane Graf (right, center) of the Otsego, Hartwick, Arbutus Chapter #201 Order of the Eastern Star, Otsego Schoharie District, at the Masonic Temple, 77 Main Street, Cooperstown. Graf has been a dedicated sister and member since 2004. Shown with Graf is Right Worthy Sister Karen Prager, matron of the Otsego, Hartwick, Arbutus Chapter #201, and Right Worthy Bruce VanBuren, district grand lecturer. (Photo provided) ACTIVE ARTIST: Victoria Villaverde of Oneonta was one of two SUNY Oneonta students whose artwork was on display at the Community Arts Network of Oneonta last month as part of the “Hartwick X SUNY Oneonta Student Show.” Villaverde and fellow SUNY Oneonta student Clayton Davis have had their artwork on display in multiple SUNY Oneonta exhibitions. Both are art and design majors, and Villaverde will graduate in December.
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DOG DAYS: There were 49 entrants across seven categories of friendly competition in the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ first Barktoberfest event in September. The day started at 10:30 a.m. with the “Steps for Pets” Community Dog Walk (1.5-mile) from Cooperstown Elementary School to the Barktoberfest festival site. Barktoberfest was 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the dog show running from 2-3. Attendance across the day’s events was approximately 350-400—with 60 individual community supporters who contributed time, money or in-kind services, products, expertise, and equipment—plus an additional nine local businesses for paid services. The event was made possible in part by a 2023 Community Event grant from Otsego County government and sponsored by Leatherstocking Region Federal Credit Union, Morris Garage, Leatherstocking Cooperative Insurance Company, T-Squared Custom Millwork, and Three Hour Farm. Event space was kindly provided by The Farmers’ Museum. Dog show top three finishers in each category were: Most Fabulous Fella—Poncho, Roger, Rambo; Loveliest Lady—Sandy, Belle, Lily; Best Rescue—Kellie, Fudge, Oliver; Special Senior— Bea, Truffles, Bogey; Best Trick—Brooklyn, Dexter, Bella; Best Dog/Owner Lookalike—Roger, Buster, Kovu; Dog With Waggiest Tail: King, Dexter, Bruno. OMBUDSMAN AWARDED: Schenevus resident Fiona Dejardin has been named 2023 Ombudsman of the Year by the New York State Office for the Aging. Dejardin is an active volunteer in Otsego County. According to NYSOFA, she works tirelessly for members of the community and many organizations, including significant volunteer hours with the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. In addition to her weekly visits at facilities, NYSOFA said Dejardin is always ready to go out to a facility when a case gets called into the office. Her compassion for the residents is always present and they look forward to her visits. The staff is very receptive to her quiet, diplomatic way Photo provided of getting to the bottom FIONA DEJARDIN of residents’ concerns. She works with the resident council to educate and empower them to speak up and make a change. She works tenaciously to help residents in her facilities. The seasoned residents will tell new residents: “If you have a problem, just turn to her—she gets results.” Dejardin has lived in New York State for the past 37 years, including 28 years as a professor of art history at Hartwick College and as the director of the Yager Museum of Art and Culture for six years. She and her husband of 36 years live in Schenevus in a home surrounded by gardens that she tends to herself. She is a master gardener and volunteers to share her skills through Cornell Cooperative Extension. Her hobbies include lamp-work, bead making, jewelry making, ceramic hand-built objects, art, museums, reading, cats, and traveling. Dejardin has been a volunteer for 12 years doing a lot of important work that keeps her very active. According to the announcement, she has been an ombudsman for nine years. “My work as an ombudsman is one of the most rewarding activities of my life,” she says. DEAN’S LIST: Emily Johnson of Richmondville has been named to the Ithaca College Spring 2023 Deans’ List. Founded in 1892, Ithaca College is a residential college dedicated to building knowledge and confidence through a continuous cycle of theory, practice and performance. Home to some 5,200 students, the college offers more than 90 degree programs. BUFFALO BOUND: Madeline Hansen of Oneonta and Jazmin Lapilusa of Mount Vision are enrolled in the University at Buffalo Honors College for the 2023-24 academic year. The Honors College program supports and challenges academically gifted students to help them develop their interests across the disciplines. 1,661 of UB’s 19,118 undergraduates are enrolled in the Honors College, and the newest class is the largest one in history. Honors students enjoy many benefits designed to foster academic and personal success, such as personalized advisement, faculty mentorship, priority registration, access to unique funding opportunities, specialized living communities, and a network of global honors alumni. The University at Buffalo is New York State’s flagship and the largest and most comprehensive institution in the SUNY system.
NEW POSITION: Richfield Springs resident Nicole Southard has been promoted to Central New York regional manager at Wayne Bank’s Bank of Cooperstown office. In her new role, Southard will continue to manage the Cooperstown Community Office, and will now oversee the Bank Photo provided of Cooperstown Oneonta nicole southard Community Office, as well as the Bank of the Finger Lakes Community Offices in Geneva and Penn Yan. Southard joined the bank in 2011 as a part-time teller and has held several positions during her tenure, most recently as community office manager. Jim Donnelly, president and chief executive officer of Wayne Bank, said, “Working with the bank for over 12 years, Nicole is very knowledgeable of the daily Community Office retail operations and is well-deserving of this promotion. Her expertise and commitment to our customers and local community have played a key role in helping to grow the Cooperstown market. Nicole’s new position will allow her to work more closely with not only the staff in both the Cooperstown, Oneonta, and Finger Lakes markets, but now also the customers as well.” Southard holds an associate’s degree from SUNY Cobleskill. She resides in Richfield Springs with her husband, David, and their dog, Hank. TOPS IN TOURNEY: Winners of the recent Otsego County Chamber of Commerce Third Annual Pickleball Tournament were: Women’s Division— Teri Basdekis and Maria Morgan; Men’s/Open Division—David Weaver and Brent Patry; and Mixed Division—Maria Morgan and Joe Sutaris. ON STAGE: SUNY Oneonta alumna Gabi Rose Feliciano is on tour with the Jonas Brothers. Majoring in Music Industry at SUNY Oneonta, Feliciano joined every ensemble imaginable and developed a passion for playing live shows. Now she’s performing in front of 40,000 people a night. Learn all about her career path, time at Oneonta, and what inspires her: https:// suny.oneonta.edu/people/gabi-rose-feliciano CHOBANI KUDOS:
The U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced that Chobani has been named an SBA Legacy Business. Chobani is one of 68 Legacy Businesses that got their start with help from the SBA and that were recognized nationwide as Photo provided part of the agency’s 70th HAMDI ULUKAYA anniversary celebrations. “Chobani is the perfect company to receive our Legacy Recognition in New York State,” said SBA Atlantic Regional Administrator Marlene Cintron, who oversees SBA in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Their business model has proven that you can do business within a community and build each other up by providing excellent products, service, and commitment to its workers and those who are food insecure. This ethic will ensure that Chobani will be celebrated and emulated for decades to come in many states of the union. Chobani is leading the way.” Chobani was begun in New Berlin by founder and Chief Executive Officer Hamdi Ulukaya with an SBA 504 loan, five employees and a mission to make better food for more people. Today, Chobani is a next-generation food and beverage company with a mission of making highquality and nutritious food accessible to more people, while elevating communities and making the world a healthier place. “On behalf of my brothers and sisters at Chobani, we are honored to be an SBA Legacy Business. Small businesses are the light of each community, and every business has the potential to reach the next level. Chobani is just one example of the magic that can happen when small businesses are given resources to see their dreams come to reality. The SBA loan we received in 2005 not only gave us the capital to become the number one yogurt brand in America, but allowed us to build the modern food business we are today, delivering high-quality, nutritious products at incredible scale, and flexibility to invest back into the communities we call home,” Hamdi said.
THURSDAY, November 23, 2023 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7
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Continued from page 1 care are also all acts of trans violence, often directly resulting in suicide,” a speaker continued. “For this reason we also will honor 28 suicide victims today.” According to leading LGBTQ non-profit GLAAD, Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. “Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to antitransgender bigotry and violence,” Smith told GLAAD. “I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people—sometimes in the most brutal ways possible—it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.” The transgender and gender-nonconforming community is a community under siege. It is in many ways reminiscent of queer communities at the height of the AIDS epidemic; a diverse group of people brought together by grief and a need for safety in world in which many suffer absolutely needless harm or death, and in which it is disturbingly socially and politically acceptable to ignore or even celebrate those deaths. Many public figures in many parts of the country and the world have made advocacy for violence against transgender people, including denial of gender-affirming care and trafficking in bigoted rhetoric that increases the likelihood of antitransgender violence, a foundation of their political careers. Much of this anti-trans rhetoric—accusing gendernoncomforming people, many of whom simply want to live as themselves in peace, of sexual predation—repeats verbatim the claims of homophobic political actors arguing against gay marriage 20 or more years ago. Findings from the “Injustice at Every Turn” report conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National LGBTQ Task Force showed alarming rates of violence and harassment experienced by more than 6,000 transgender respondents across a variety of contexts, including educational settings, at work, in interactions with police and family members, at homeless shelters, accessing public accommodations, and in jails and prisons. As murders of transgender people often go unreported, and the identity of transgender murder victims is often misreported, there is no way to know accurate numbers. Additionally, statistics from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network show that in
schools, 16 percent of transgender students report being physically assaulted as a result of gender expression, while more than 32 percent experience physical harassment. The victims listed in Oneonta held professions ranging from programming to retail to teaching; they participated in hobbies ranging from game design to fiction writing to gardening; they were people’s brothers, sisters, parents, children, partners and friends.
The
Research by UCLA’s Williams Institute found that 1.6 million adults and teens in the U.S., or 0.6 percent of the over13 population, identify as transgender. Statistically speaking, it is likely that most Americans know at least one open or closeted trans or gendernonconforming person. At a time when antitransgender rhetoric and violence is approaching all-time highs, it is more important than ever for cisgender people to stand in support, political and
personal, of the people they may know and love. “We are now going to read the names of these people, their true names, because they deserve to be remembered and honored with dignity, love and respect,” a speaker in Oneonta concluded. “To all of these victims, we are sorry that we failed to create a safer world for you and we proudly say your names.”
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PAYROLL SPECIALIST Sportsfield Specialties is seeking a Payroll Specialist, for our Delhi, NY location, to ensure timely and accurate recording and processing of weekly and bi-weekly payrolls and perform daily payroll related administrative tasks. Responsibilities/Duties incluDe but not limiteD to: • Collect timesheet data, check for accuracy, and collaborate with supervisors on discrepancies/missing information. • Enter, maintain, and/or processes employee information into payroll system, including but not limited to; hourly rates, salaries, commissions, bonuses, time worked, paid leave, deductions/withholdings, address changes, etc. • Ensure proper processing of payroll deductions for taxes, benefits, garnishments, etc. • Verify payroll before final processing/ transfer. • Ensure accurate & timely processing of payroll updates including new hires, separations, and pay rate changes. • Prepare and maintain accurate record and reports of payroll transactions. • Respond to payroll-related inquiries and resolve concerns. • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll, wage and hour laws and best practices. • Support HR/Finance audits by providing records, report and other documentation as needed. • Maintain employee personnel and medical records. • Respond to employment verifications and employment inquiries. • Maintain the highest standards of accuracy, discretion, and confidentiality. • Complete mid-year and annual compliance testing. • Perform other duties as assigned REquIREd quALIfICATIOnS/ SkILLS: • Excellent organization skills and attention to detail. • Strong analytical, mathematical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to multi-task in a busy environment. • Ability to complete tasks in an efficient manner in a deadline-driven environment. • Must be able to communicate effectively at all levels within the organization. • Must have thick skin and be able to communicate and/or process constructive criticism. • Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and related software. • Familiar with payroll software, preferably ADP. EduCATIOn/ExPERIEnCE: • Associate degree in accounting or related field coupled with two years’ payroll experience. • Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. Salary starting at $47,000/year, DOE, great benefit package includes but not limited to: health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, life i nsurance, flexible spending, and paid time off. To apply, submit application online www.sportsfield.com, fax resume to (607) 746-3107 or send resume to: Human Resources, P.O. Box 231, Delhi, NY 13753. Sportsfield Specialties, Inc. is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Authorization to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment. We do not sponsor employment visas.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
A-8 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Raeder
Continued from page 9 Moore, Fran and Paul moved to Cooperstown. Paul grew up in Grand Gorge, so he was happy to be near his childhood home. Fran, a New York native, had more modest aspirations. She was quoted in a Friends of Bassett newsletter, “I wanted to live in a small town and I wanted to own a Victorian home. I was thrilled to find all that I’d hoped for in Cooperstown.” And Cooperstown was pleased to have her, as well! Upon moving to
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Legal nOtice NOTICE OF SPECIAL CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENDUM City School District of the City of Oneonta, Otsego County, New York PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Special City School District Referendum of the City School District of the City of Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, will be held on December 18, 2023, at which the polls will be kept open between the hours of 11:00 o’clock A.M. and 8:00 o’clock P.M., Prevailing Time, for the purpose of voting upon the following proposition: PROPOSITION Shall the bond resolution adopted by the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, on October 25, 2023, authorizing the reconstruction of and construction of improvements to School District buildings, including site improvement, original furnishings, equipment, machinery, apparatus and other improvements and costs incidental thereto, at a maximum estimated cost of $30,450,000; authorizing the issuance of not exceeding $30,450,000 bonds of said School District to pay the cost thereof to mature over a period not exceeding thirty years; providing that such bonds shall be payable from amounts to be levied in annual installments on taxable real property of said School District; pledging the faith and credit of said School District for the payment of the principal of and interest on said bonds;
Cooperstown, both Fran and Paul quickly immersed themselves in the community. They volunteered at Bassett Medical Center, St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Roman Catholic Church, and the Baseball Hall of Fame. They were also long-time supporters and active members of The Farmer’s Museum and Fenimore Art Museum. Throughout her life, Fran traveled extensively to all corners of the world, including her many trips to Poland to visit relatives. She loved all kinds of animals and shared her life with multiple dogs over the
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delegating powers to the chief fiscal officer with respect to the issuance and sale of bond anticipation notes and such bonds; containing an estoppel clause and providing for the publication of an estoppel notice, be approved? NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that the aforesaid proposition will appear on the ballot used at such Special City School District Referendum in the following abbreviated form: PROPOSITION Shall the October 25, 2023 bond resolution authorizing the reconstruction of and construction of improvements to School District buildings at a maximum cost of $30,450,000; authorizing the issuance of $30,450,000 bonds (30 year maximum maturity); providing for a tax levy therefor in annual installments; pledging the District’s faith and credit for debt service; delegating powers with respect to bonds and notes; and providing for an estoppel procedure, be approved? A copy of the bond resolution referred to in said proposition is on file in the office of the School District Clerk, located at the District Office, 31 Center Street, in Oneonta, New York, where the same is available for inspection by any interested person during regular business hours. The capital project described in the above proposition has been determined to be a Type II action pursuant to the regulations promulgated under the STATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY REVIEW ACT. NOTICE IS ALSO HEREBY
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GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots may be applied for at the office of the School District Clerk. Any such application must be received by the District Clerk at least seven days before the date of the aforesaid Special City School District Referendum if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before such Referendum, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. A list of all persons to whom absentee voter’s ballots shall have been issued shall be available for public inspection in the office of the School District Clerk not less than five days prior to the date of the Special City School District Referendum (excluding Saturday and Sunday) during regular office hours until the date of the aforesaid Special City School District Referendum. In addition, such list shall also be posted conspicuously at the place of voting during the hours of such Special City School District Referendum. NOTICE, is also given that any person, otherwise qualified to vote, who is currently registered for any general election, pursuant to Section 352 of the Election Law, shall be entitled to vote without further registration pursuant to Section 2014 of the Education Law. Military voters who are qualified voters of the School District may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the District Clerk. For a military voter to be issued a military ballot, the District Clerk must have received a valid ballot application no later than 5:00 pm on December 11, 2023. In a
years. Fran was an avid reader and was known to share “the good ones” with her family and friends. She treated her nieces and nephews like they were her own children, providing love, guidance, and support throughout her life. She was always the “cool aunt”—taking them on adventures they would not have experienced otherwise, such as sightseeing in New York City via limo, a river trip to Russia, and more. She was 94 years young; still vibrant and smart as a whip. She will be very missed! The family is extremely grateful for the excel-
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lent care Fran received from the Bassett nurses, doctors and staff. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband of 26 years, Paul B. Raeder, who died March 27, 2007; a sister, Stella Lewandowski, and husband, Joseph; and a brother, Edward Kurdziel, and his wives, Arlette Spinney and Joan Sierakowski. She is survived by nieces and nephews, as well as great-nieces and nephews. Fran’s family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. Saturday, April 27, 2024, at St. Mary’s “Our Lady
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request for a military ballot application or ballot, the military voter may indicate their preference for receiving the application or ballot by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail. The School District will transmit military ballots to military voters on December 11, 2023. Completed military ballots must be received by the School District by 5:00 p.m. on December 18, 2023 in order to be counted. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Education of the Oneonta City School District has fixed December 12, 2023 as the date on which the Board of Registration of said school district will meet at 31 Center Street, in Oneonta, New York, in said school district, for the purpose of preparing a register for each school election district for the Special City School District Referendum to be held on December 18, 2023. Said Board of Registration will meet for said purposes on December 12, 2023 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. At such hours and place, any person who has not permanently registered by December 12, 2023 or who did not register for the general election held on November 3, 2023 or who is permanently registered, but at the time of such registration resided in a school election district other than the one in which he or she presently resides or has not voted in an intervening election, must in order to be entitled to vote at said election, present himself or herself personally for registration. The register so prepared pursuant
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to Section 2014 of the Education Law will be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the School District at the Board of Education Offices at 31 Center Street, Oneonta, New York 13820 and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the district beginning December 13, 2023, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and each day, except Saturday or Sunday, prior to the day set for the election, December 18, 2023 and at the polling place on the day of the vote. Dated: Oneonta, New York, October 30, 2023.
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MORRIS LEGACY CONTRACTING LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/27/23. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 49 Main St., Schenevus, NY 12155, which is also the principal business location. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalNov.7 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Kelley LLC of Oneonta New York.
of the Lake” Roman to Angel Network of Catholic Church, 31 Elm Cooperstown, Attn: Street, Cooperstown. Matt Monahan, PO Box Immediately following 1186, Cooperstown, NY the visitation, a Mass 13326 or Susquehanna of Christian Burial will SPCA, 5082-5088 State be celebrated at 11 a.m. Highway 28, PO Box at the church with Fr. 267, Cooperstown, NY Michael Cambi, pastor, 13326. officiating. Following Arrangements are the Mass, all are invited under the care and guidto the Parish Hall located ance of the Connell, Dow directly behind the church & Deysenroth Funeral for a time of fellowship Home in Cooperstown. and refreshment. Fran will be privately Subscribe to laid to rest near Paul in AllOtsego.com for new Fairview Cemetery in from “The Freeman’s Grand Gorge. Journal” and In lieu of flowers, “Hometown Oneonta,” Fran’s family respectand for additional fully requests that news content each week. memorial donations in Call (607) 547-6103. her memory be directed
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filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/25/23. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 100 Spruce St. Oneonta, NY 13820, which is also the principal business location. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalDec.7 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY UNDER NEW YORK LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LAW
By: Regina Ranieri McGuinness, School District Clerk 4LegalNov.23
Notice of Formation of
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Chaco and Butler LLC.
Notice of Formation of
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/17/23. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: the Company, c/o GordonLaw LLP, Attn: Michael Gordon, Esq., 51 Bedford Road, Suite 10, Katonah, NY 10536. Purpose: any lawful activities. 6LegalDec.7
1. The name of the limited liability company (“LLC”) is 4109 Route 7 LLC. 2. The date of filing of the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State is October 24, 2023. 3. The County within the State of New York in which the principal office of the LLC is located is Otsego. 4. The Secretary of State of the State of New York is hereby designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The post office address to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him or her is: 4109 State Route 7, Oneonta, NY 13820. 5. The character or purpose of the business of the LLC is any purpose allowed by law. 6LegalDec.7
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Notice of Formation of 100 SPRUCE ST LLC
Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC)
Articles of Org.
Name:
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Renamiya LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/02/23. 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 218 Main Street, Ste. 4, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalDec.14 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of
Filed 9/6/23. Cty: Otsego. SSNY desig. for process & shall mail 12957 St Hwy 30, Downsville, NY 13755. Purp: any lawful. 6LegalDec.7 Legal nOtice
Legal
Strata-East Records, LLC Articles of Organization filed by the Department of State of New York on: 08/30/2023 Office location: County of Otsego Purpose: Any and all lawful activities Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: The LLC P.O. Box 36 New York, NY 10163 6LegalNov.30 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company. Name: BAW PROPERTIES LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 8 September 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 4978 US Hwy 20, Springfield Center, NY 13468. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalNov.30 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company. Name: WEBSTER FAMILY RENTALS LLC. Articles of Organization
Legal
filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 8 September 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 4978 US Hwy 20, Springfield Center, NY 13468. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalNov.30 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Ashley Hatzidakis, Family Health Nurse Practitioner PLLC. Filed 10/11/23. Office: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: 36 Kilkenny St, Unadilla, NY 13849. Purpose: NP in Family Health. 6LegalNov.30 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of ISGAR ENTERPRISES, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State on 10/10/23. 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, 145 Cliffside Cir., Maryland, NY 12116. The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity. 6LegalNov.23
THURSDAY, November 23, 2023
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-9
OBITUARIES
Photo provided
REBECCA GILLETTE-MYERS
Rebecca Gillette-Myers 1944-2023
ONEONTA—Rebecca “Becky” GilletteMyers, 79, passed away November 17, 2023 at home surrounded by her loving family. Becky was born on April 16, 1944 in Stamford, New York at Bathgate Hospital, the daughter of the late Griffin A. and Frances G. (McClelland) Brooks. She graduated from Stamford Central School in 1962 and Otsego Area School of Practical Nursing. She had wonderful memories of growing up in Stamford on a poultry farm and also worked hard with her parents in the establishment of their barbecue restaurant business. She was employed in New York City as a ticket agent for Mohawk Airlines. In later years, she received her LPN and worked in a nursing career. She enjoyed cooking, crafting, golf, and especially gardening and researching family genealogy. She loved the time spent with family and her special friends. Becky was predeceased by her first husband, Richard Wayne Gillette, who passed at a young age of 39 on June 16, 1978 in North Syracuse, New York. They had three children. Becky married Richard Warren Myers on April 11, 1986 in Oneonta, New York. Becky and Rich enjoyed many winters in Florida and also their home, friends, and neighbors in Oneonta. She is survived by her husband, Richard Myers; her three children, KimberlyA. and husband, Dean Marble, Griffin W. and wife, Dawn Gillette, and Brian L. and wife Susan Gillette; grandchildren Karlyn and husband David Mellor, Caitlin Marble, Kinsey and Brandon Gillette, Kendall and Peyton Gillette; step-children Todd Myers, who passed in 2020, Carey and wife Vicky Myers, Jennifer and husband Nicklaus Thomas; grandchildren, Kayla and husband Eric Chen, Mathew and wife Anne Myers, Daniel, Timothy, Benjamin, Clara, and Luke Myers, and Emily Thomas; great-grandchildren Caden, Liam, Noah Mellor, and Myles Naughton; her siblings, Phyllis O’Sullivan (Steve O’Sullivan predeceased), John Brooks (Joan), and Sharon Dawson (Wally); and her many beloved nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. until the funeral service at 11 a.m. on Saturday,
November 25 at the First Presbyterian Church, 96 Main Street, Stamford, New York, with the Rev. Dawn Richards officiating. The committal service will follow at the Oneonta Plains Cemetery. Friends and family will be welcomed at the Oneonta Country Club following the committal service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 96 Main St., Stamford, NY 12167 or St. Jude Children’s Hospital, www.stjude. org. Online condolences may be sent to www. lhpfuneralhome.com, the website of Oneonta’s only family-owned funeral home, Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono at 51 Dietz Street.
Elaine Moore Moffat 1930-2023
DANA POINT, CA— Elaine Moore Moffat of Cooperstown passed away peacefully on November 12, 2023, in Dana Point, California, due to complications resulting from a fall. She was 93. Elaine was born on January 21, 1930, the daughter of Isabel and Charles Lee. Elaine’s mother, Isabel Moore, was a very successful and prolific magazine writer, who would divorce her husband after a short marriage and go on to marry Don Moore, the fiction editor at “Cosmopolitan” magazine and later the co-creator and writer of the comic strips Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim. As the only father that young Elaine would know, she took his surname as her own. Educated at the Emma Willard School in Troy and Bennett College in Millbrook, the headstrong Elaine chafed under the rules imposed on proper young ladies in the 1940s. When officials at Emma Willard suggested that the only alternative to wearing the obligatory hat and gloves on campus was to withdraw from the school, she promptly packed her bags and called a cab. Throughout her childhood, Elaine was a passionate equestrian and received her training at the fabled Secor Farms in Westchester County under the tutelage of Gordon Wright, widely acknowledged as one of the most influential trainers in history. She began her training in 1940 at the age of 10 and was such a dedicated and talented pupil that it was only a year later that she was competing in the pres-
Photo from “Life” Magazine
ELAINE MOORE MOFFAT
tigious ASPCA Maclay final at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden. While she qualified for the Maclay final every year from 1941 to 1946 the National Horse Show had been cancelled during the war years until 1946 when, in a field of dozens of the nation’s most accomplished riders, she won the Maclay Trophy at the Garden, thereby reaching the pinnacle achievement for young equestrians. With her usual confidence, she later told an interviewer, “I was nervous, but we knew what we were doing.” Elaine trained for both the 1948 and 1952 Olympics despite the fact that women were not allowed in Olympic jumping competition until 1956. As the daughter and sister of successful writers, Elaine began work on a book on horsemanship and showmanship which resulted in the 1954 Little Brown and Company publication of “Winning Your Spurs.” Reviewed as “a superior book…[which] achieves a maximum of specific instruction with absolutely no confusion,” it was an immediate success and went through a dozen printings until it went out of print in the 1970s. Asked repeatedly by the publisher and others to issue a new edition, Elaine repeatedly refused, saying “It’s somebody else’s turn.” The success of “Winning Your Spurs” brought Elaine to the attention of the Knox School in Cooperstown, which in turn brought her to Cooperstown to run the school’s equestrian program. It was in Cooperstown that she met John Moffat, who shared her passion for horses and eventually eliminated the competition of several other suitors to make Elaine his wife. Together they established Cooperstown Stables at Maresfield Farm in 1959, where they bred thoroughbreds for the racetrack and the show ring. In addition to the breeding operation, the Moffats trained aspiring equestrians
leWiS, HurleY & pietrobono
and founded the annual Cooperstown Stables Horse Show, which grew into a major threeday event that received the highest “AA” rating by the American Horse Shows Association (now the United States Equestrian Federation). With more than 200 horses arriving for the long weekend, the farm was a beehive of activity all summer in preparation, and in the 1960s and early ‘70s a vast majority of the teenaged boys of Cooperstown spent their summers employed on the Moffat farm. The story of Elaine’s early life and the significant challenges faced by the Moffats at Maresfield Farm was chronicled in the 1965 book for young adults, “Elaine Moore Moffat—Blue Ribbon Horsewoman,” by Grace Walker. It was a book that Elaine was not altogether happy about, particularly because it created a years-long flow of young visitors who came, at all hours, to the farm to meet her. In 1968, John was recruited to join the faculty of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, to overhaul and operate the school’s equestrian program. At Elaine’s insistence and central to the agreement to take on the assignment, the school agreed to build a multi-million-dollar equestrian complex within which the Moffats operated a private business until 1986. In 1973, Elaine was training a young horse who tripped and fell, crushing her under its weight and breaking her femur. In a show of both her tolerance of pain and her frugality, when the ambulance workers prepared to cut off her tall, skintight riding boot, she urgently stopped them by shouting, “Do you know how much these [expletive] things cost? Just pull it off!” Anyone who has ever struggled to pull off a riding boot will understand how painful that must have been on a leg with a broken femur, and in the absence of any anesthesia. While Elaine continued to be a top-rated judge at horse shows throughout the United States, the crushed femur and the resulting three-month hospital stay in traction put an end to her riding— (“I’ve been pummeled and punished by these creatures all my life—no more!”). Instead, she began a very successful career in real estate in Naples, Florida, where the Moffats had a winter home. She never consid-
Heller & Skinner
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ered returning to the show ring until noted equestrians Mason Phelps and Jane Clark convinced her to enter a Classic class in Wellington, Florida, in 1992. The class was open to any rider who had won the coveted Maclay at the National Horse Show or who had been or was currently on the U.S. Equestrian Olympic team. At age 64 she got on a horse provided by Phelps and Clark—her first time in nearly 20 years—and came in second in the competition. Elaine was honored at the National Horse Show, along with Christopher Reeve, in 1996, as part of a fundraiser for injured riders and was Honorary Chair of the National Horse Show in 2014, where she presented the Maclay Trophy to Tori Colvin a full 68 years after having received it herself. Elaine travelled the world, visiting each of the seven continents at least twice. There were very few places on the planet she hadn’t seen. She was accomplished in all she set out to do; she was tireless and fearless in her pursuit of success and she was certainly never dull. She had a quick, sharp wit and when most of us say “I should have said…,” she always had the ability to say it and say it well. Her sense of humor was highly developed, and she used it like a saber. Once, when arguing with a haughty French woman in Paris who kept trying to replace the two Fs in Moffat with Ss—she said “No, No—it’s F. F as in Francophobia!” She is survived by her children, Pamela D. Moffat of Dana Point, California, and J. Michael Moffat (Cory) of Cooperstown; stepchildren Sarah M.
Calder of Newtown, Connecticut, and James M. Moffat (Amanda) of Brooklyn Heights, New York; grandchildren Slater H. Lawrence (Molly), Alexander S.B. Moffat, Campbell Moffat Gialanella (Julian) and Lillian S. Moffat; and a nephew, Kevin Kanarek, of Albany, New York. She was predeceased by all other known relatives. At Elaine’s request there will be no service, but the family will have a gathering of her friends and family at Maresfield Farm next summer. In lieu of flowers, donations in Elaine’s memory may be made to the Otsego Land Trust, 101 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326.
Frances K. Raeder 1929-2023
COOPERSTOWN – Frances K. “Fran” Raeder, 94, of Cooperstown, passed away Sunday night, October 22, 2023, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. She was born October 12, 1929 in Brooklyn, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Tecza) Kurdziel. For many years, Fran worked as an interior designer for Benjamin Moore in Hackensack, New Jersey. During her time there she handled many assignments, including choosing names for new paint colors and “colorizing” the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois. It was during her years with Benjamin Moore that she met Paul Beckwith Raeder, vice president of their eastern division. Fran and Paul were married October 11, 1980 in Harrington Park, New Jersey. In 1990, not long after retiring from their careers with Benjamin Continued on page 8
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
A-10 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
LEAF
Continued from page 5 This is a way to reinforce gratitude about having enough to share, no matter how small the gift. You may wonder why a person who works in the field of addiction is writing an article on gratitude. In short, emotional regulation, being able to steady ourselves in the midst of emotional upset or stress, is a crucial skill in the prevention of addiction. Grateful people are much more likely to be able to cope effectively with negative emotions. That is a gift worth sharing with every child! From all of us at LEAF, filled with gratitude for the joy of being able to do this work, we wish you and yours a very happy holiday season. Julie Dostal is executive director of LEAF.
Finally.
Continued from page 4 York State, effective December 15, 2024. According to the New York State Animal Protection Federation, Gov. Hochul also signed the Companion Animal Care Standards Act for Shelters and Rescues, which will raise the standard of care for homeless companion animals across New York; Return to Owner, which will allow animal and dog control officers to return a dog to its owner in the field rather than bringing the dog to the local shelter; and a bill banning homeowners insurance
discrimination based on the breed of dog one owns, closing a loophole that insurance companies thought they had found to deny coverage. All of this becomes especially relevant as a class action civil RICO complaint was filed against Rescue Dogs Rescue Soldiers on November 2. The suit alleges that the Cherry Valley-based rescue—which trains dogs to be companions to veterans—is defrauding donors and neglecting the dogs under its care. Local law enforcement received an animal cruelty report against Rescue Dogs Rescue Soldiers in August, at which time a deputy conducted a wellness check. Living condition issues for the 63 dogs housed there were addressed at the time by RDRS founder Elizabeth Keller and the case was closed on September 9. Our county officials have proven their commitment to animal welfare and demonstrated that the system can and does work. Moving forward, we have every confidence that Otsego County’s animal cruelty prevention partners will remain vigilant. If there is substance to this lawsuit, we trust the case will be reopened. Regardless, we thank Sheriff Devlin, DA Muehl, and the SQSPCA for making this county a leader in animal protection efforts and a growing force to be reckoned with.
achieving a remarkable 4-0 record and an outstanding 1.98 ERA, and contributing to the Broncos’ advancement to post-season regional play. Upon graduating with an associate’s degree in food sale and distribution in 1983, Oberacker harnessed his educational foundation from Delhi to establish his own venture, Formtech Solutions Inc. As chief executive officer of this international food ingredient and research development company, he has remained at the forefront of pioneering new and integrated products for the food industry. Demonstrating a strong sense of community, Oberacker has taken up pivotal leadership roles in government, including serving as town supervisor in his hometown of Maryland, as Otsego County representative, and currently as New York State senator. First elected to the state senate in 2020, Oberacker represents the 51st Senate District. Additionally, he is an active member of his local fire department and EMS squad, as well as the Masonic Lodge. “The recognition from SUNY Delhi was unexpected and incredibly heartwarming,” Oberacker said. “Sharing stories with my fellow inductees, comparing notes about our days in the Bronco uniform, and reliving our experiences on campus was a thrill. I can’t say thank you enough to everyone with the SUNY Delhi Athletic Department and Continued from page 1 the Alumni Association season, Oberacker con- for making the weekend tinued to excel on the so special for me and my mound as a captain, entire family.”
Delhi
K-9
Continued from page 1 simply by entering a room. They are also trained in tracking and other important protection techniques. “Healthcare workers are five times more likely to be victims of workplace violence than employees in any other industry,” said AJ Zuk, director of Public Safety and Transportation at Bassett, who helped develop the organization’s K-9 program. “All four of Bassett’s K-9 dogs—Hudson, Coal, Remi, and Hutch—are intelligent, resourceful, alert to everything going on around them, and know how to provide support in any given moment. Their proficiency and level of human connection is truly amazing.”
K-9 dogs are not therapy animals; however, they offer comfort to patients, visitors and employees across Bassett’s campuses. Like Hudson, Coal, and Remi, Hutch will have his own baseball-style trading card and stuffed animal available for patients and visitors who wish to collect them. Bever says Hutch is learning from his K-9 peers and progressing through training well. “Hutch and I are training with the other K-9 units on Bassett’s Security team,” he explained. “Hutch is quickly learning the ropes and is already demonstrating how well he can handle and deescalate tense situations. More than anything, these dogs offer a sense of calm and security to everyone around them.
Kids love him, too!” Bever, who is a retired patrol sergeant from the Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office, has worked in law enforcement for more than 25 years. He has served as a police officer in Canajoharie and Cobleskill and has extensive experience in corrections. Bever says his new position with Hutch at Bassett is a meaningful and enjoyable next step in his law enforcement career. “This job is such a privilege,” said Bever. “Not only do I get to spend every workday with my best friend—we’re also offering protection and compassion to many people who are in some of their most vulnerable moments. Hutch loves to work, and it is very honorable work that we accomplish with our team.”
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-11
Life Sketches
terry berkson
Turkey in the Saw: A Thanksgiving Hunting Story
S
everal years ago, two friends from Richfield, Tiger Goodale and Rudy Marriot, came up the drive with what they thought was a good story for me to write. They had been in the Genesee, one of the local watering holes, when this guy came in and told how he or another one-legged man—they didn’t make it clear—was up in a tree building a stand for hunting when his prosthetic leg fell off and landed on the ground right under the nose of his Saint Bernard. It sounded like a good story. In fact, it reminded me of celebrated writer Flannery O’Connor’s tale where a man romances a woman in a hay mow just so he can run off with her wooden leg. When I pressed them for details they told me I had better get them straight from the horse’s mouth and gave me a phone number to call, which I did, but there was no response, so I just left my name and number on the answering machine. Photo provided The man never called back and I was left to Nick Kleban shows off his hard-won turkey. wonder what happened to the guy stuck up in about my dilemma, he related a tree experience he the tree. How did he get down? Did the dog run had had nearly a decade before. away with the leg, or maybe just bury it like a “I was so frustrated,” he said. “After being on bone? Maybe the man had to wrestle the brute watch for hours!” for the “bone” and, to show he was serious, he He had been working the lid of his chalkbit the dog’s tail. Now, that’s news fit to print. Anyway, I never heard from the guy. I even went dusted turkey call box all morning when he finally called in and got a shot at a big tom, only into the Genesee and “accidently” kicked some shins, producing an “ow” every time, which told to have the bird take off and crash land in the top of a thorn apple tree. Kleban, hunting several me I hadn’t found my man—and almost got me miles from his home in Richfield Springs, stood thrown out. I guess he just didn’t want his story under the tree for a long time wondering what told, so I had to bark up another tree, which to do. He put his gun down and began to throw resulted in the following: fallen apples at the stuck-up bird. Then, he tried When I told 84-year-old hunter Nick Kleban
to shinny up the slender tree trunk but his 240 pound bear-like build worked against him. He shook the tree until every over-ripe apple fell to the ground, but still the bird remained wedged in a fork near the top. Then, completely frustrated, he picked up his Remington and walked a quarter mile through leaf-blanketed woods to the road where his truck was parked. When he got home, he related the problem to his wiry wife, Sophie, who said, “There’s no way you’re gonna get me to climb up that tree!” He thought of waiting for his son, John, to get home from work, but by then any number of varmints might have made off with his prize. After lunch, Kleban stretched out on the couch. He fell asleep thinking about the large bird that would’ve roasted to a golden brown for the Thanksgiving table. “You better brush the sawdust off your shirt,” his wife teased when he awoke an hour later. “That’s it!” he yelled, heading for the kitchen phone. He spoke briefly and then grabbed his coat off the hook in the hall. “Where’re you going?” Sophie called after him. Nick was too excited to answer. A couple of hours later, with permission secured by the phone call, Kleban walked out of the woods with his chainsaw in one hand and his Thanksgiving turkey in the other. Terry Berkson’s articles have appeared in “New York” magazine, “Automobile” magazine and many others. His memoir, “Corvette Odyssey,” has received many good reviews: “highly recommended with broad appeal,” says “Library Journal.”
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THURSday, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
A-12 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Bank
Continued from page 2 seeking help from elected officials was also raised. One attendee reported to have contacted state Senator Peter Oberacker’s office and was told “he couldn’t do a thing.” It was then suggested that pressure continue to be applied to Oberacker’s office and that other elected officials in the area—state Assemblymen Joe Angelino, Brian Miller, and Brian Maher, as well as Otsego County representatives Jerry Madsen, Margaret Kennedy, and Daniel Wilber, also be contacted. MacGuire Benton, who recently ran for Otsego County clerk, offered his efforts as a community organizer and suggested door-to-door petitions and letters to the editor as actions to take. BVA board member Glen Noto said the BVA had contacted the bank by letter and by telephone, requesting a meeting with bank decision makers. As of Monday’s meeting, no response had been received. Emily Boss, manager of the Morris branch, had been instructed by bank authorities not to attend the meeting, BVA officials said. A petition requesting that the bank remain open—distributed by Alison Boss and signed by more than 250 people—was handed over to the BVA. The petition had been placed in local venues, including the Gatehouse Coffee Shop, Sunburst Reflections and the U.S. Post Office. At the meeting, BVA made its own petition available. It stated,
News briefs
“If Community Bank proceeds with its plan to close the Morris branch, I commit to closing my account.” Twenty-one attendees signed the petition, according to Martin. BVA also devised a sample letter for people to use as a template, should they care to write the bank about its closing. The sample letter may be obtained by e-mailing info@butternutvalleyalliance.org. Impacts of the bank’s closing were also discussed. It was noted that the towns of Morris, Butternuts and New Lisbon do their banking at Community Bank and that town clerks and town courts will be most impacted because state law requires that these officers deposit monies received within one business day. After January 19, the nearest Community Bank will be its branch bank, 14 miles from the Morris branch, at 434 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. “Morris Central School moved all its money into Community Bank,” said Matt Sheldon, noting that the school’s accounts amounted to “$3 or 4 million.” Before adjourning, volunteers were sought to be part of a “formal, organized group committed to taking action.” Stepping up to the challenge were Maggie Brenner, Jim Tremlett and MacGuire Benton. Other volunteers will be solicited through an e-mail communication. The task force will meet on November 27 at 7 p.m. at a venue yet to be determined. Anyone interested in joining the working group may contact Maggie Brenner at brenner_maggie@ yahoo.com.
Compiled by Wriley Nelson
Winter Performing Arts Set COOPERSTOWN—Fenimore Art Museum’s Glimmer Globe Theatre announced its 2024 “NEXT! Readings of New Works by Regional Playwrights” and “Write Out Loud” performances, both planned to take place at the museum early next year. The museum is looking for submissions of plays, poems, prose and short stories for consideration. All submissions can be sent to submissions@fenimoreart.org and the deadline is Sunday, January 7. “NEXT!” has garnered acclaim over the last six years, providing a rare opportunity for playwrights in Central New York to workshop staged readings before an audience. The rehearsal process, audience feedback and talkbacks, and direct collaboration between playwrights, directors, and actors have helped numerous regional dramatists develop new work and move their careers forward. FAM’s Manager of Performing Arts Programs Mike Tamburrino will work closely with selected playwrights to assign a director, cast the show, run rehearsals on-site, market the event and execute the performance. Now in its fourth season, “Write Out Loud” mirrors “NEXT!” in many ways, but will be open to other written media, including poetry, prose, short stories and more. The Glimmer Globe leadership team will judge submissions individually and select those of exceptional quality for a special live performance in early 2024. Authors will have the option to work with Glimmer Globe to cast a regional actor or to perform their own work. All submission guidelines can be found at https://fenimoreartmuseum.org/submissions.
Legends Game Is Thursday COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown High School’s 2023 Legends Game will be played at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 23 at the soccer field by the baseball field. The annual game has been played every year since 1990, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams will be divided by age, with older players on team Experience and younger ones on team Youth. Experience won 7-3 last year. All former players are welcome and the friendly match will be played in any weather. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. sharp.
Reserve Seats Now for Helios 40th Gala COOPERSTOWN elios Care is wrapping up its 40th anniversary year with an evening of friends, food and fireworks on Saturday, December 2 at The Otesaga Resort Hotel. The organization’s “Dancing Around the Sun” 40th anniversary gala will kick off with a pre-gala wine tasting at 5:15 p.m. Cocktails and appetizers will be served at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m., with a silent auction throughout. There will be a short awards ceremony honoring Lisa Schmitz, the first recipient of the Dr. Yashiro Matsuo Compassionate Care Award and music by the Big Fish Combo. A fireworks show will conclude the
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evening at 10 p.m. This gala is in celebration of Helios Care and the staff, volunteers, and medical professionals that have dedicated time to the organization’s cause, as well as Helios Care’s patients and their families. Helios Care was founded in 1983, as Catskill Area Hospice & Palliative Care, on the concept of prioritizing patients’ needs by offering compassion, choices and dignity for seriously ill patients; that foundational idea still holds strong after 40 years. Members of the public are invited to celebrate this milestone event. Tickets can be purchased for individuals, couples or tables of 10 at www.helioscare.org/events. For more information, call (607) 432-6773.
Lawsuit Filed Against Local Dog Rescue By WRILEY NELSON CHERRY VALLEY nimal rescue donor Arlene Dean, of Ulster County, filed a Class Action Federal RICO and Charity Fraud lawsuit in the Northern District of New York against Rescue Dogs Rescue Soldiers and related persons and entities of Cherry Valley on Thursday, November 2. The complaint alleges that the respondents organized to defraud a large number of animal-welfare donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars with a sham dog rescue and that they used the donations for the personal benefit of the board and their friends, including amassing a million-dollar real estate portfolio for founder Elizabeth Keller. Rescue Dogs is a partner of the New York City Animal Care and Control shelter that receives stray dogs in Cherry Valley to train them as companions for disabled war veterans. It is a charity registered with the New York State Department of Corporations and uses a website and Facebook pages to solicit donations. “Donors in New York and nationwide made hopeful investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars for years believing the dogs received great care at a sanctuary and trained for soldiers to adopt, but there is no care, no sanctuary and no soldiers—just a living hell for the dogs that violates consumer fraud and state charity laws that should end this sham,” said Susan Chana Lask, a well-known animal rights attorney and activist who represents Dean. Otsego County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Smith responded to an animal complaint at one of the charity’s facilities in August. Executive Director Stacie Haynes of the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Animals told the Sheriff’s Office, “I am afraid of what we might find,” at the time of the complaint. Smith reported that he was “overwhelmed by the smell of ammonia/cleaner/urine” and noted 10 dogs, one of whom appeared underweight, in a barn. Smith then asked to see another one of the shelter properties and Keller initially wanted to delay the visit by a day or two. At that property, Smith found “multiple dogs outside in their own shelters” and “multiple dogs” in a barn. “Three dogs in the middle of the barn were living
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in really poor conditions as [the] housing area was covered in feces,” the report reads. “The dogs appeared to be healthy besides their housing conditions.” Fifty-four dogs, three donkeys and a number of cats were found at the location. Smith told Keller that the living conditions needed to improve and that she could face criminal charges. A follow-up visit by Deputy E. Lincoln found improved conditions and that each dog had access to food and water, but noted that none of the dogs were licensed or had proof of vaccination. The Sheriff’s Office closed the investigation on Saturday, September 9. Lask posted a collection of graphic photos from the sites as well as a collection of witness statements as part of the complaint; they may be found at https:// bit.ly/49ooeMb. The case number is # 23-01370, for more information. “No donor paid for these deplorable conditions and abuse, and this is no sanctuary,” Lask said. “These dogs remain unlicensed and unvaccinated. “Many of the rescue’s dogs are housed at Mossy Creek Kennel, which is a for-profit business. The website still lists the former owners, who had an excellent reputation in the area,” Lask said. According to Otsego County property records, the Mossy Creek property was sold to El-Liza’s Dog House Inc. by owner Kurt Schafsteck in July 2020. As of Friday, November 3, the “about us” page of the kennel website read, “Owners Ramona and Kurt Schafsteck live on the premises so your pet is never far from immediate attention, day or night.” The complaint seeks accountability for RDRS and El-Liza’s Dog House, named as a conspirator, and to hold board members personally liable, restitution of funds to donors, and to shut down the “sham charity and protect the dogs by removing them to a safe rescue.” Keller and other respondents denied the accusations and several refused to comment. Keller said that Lask has repeatedly harassed her. “We’ve never been sued before, but the truth will come out,” Keller said when asked for comment. “[Lask] definitely has an agenda and our dogs are much loved and cared for. Our side is going to prevail and we aim to release a more complete statement soon.”
Hall of Fame Releases 2024 Ballot COOPERSTOWN he 2024 Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot was released on Monday, November 20. Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer and Chase Utley are some of the more notable newcomers on the shortlist for next year’s Hall of Fame class, which includes returning candidates Todd Helton, Billy Wagner and Andruw Jones. Overall, 12 new and 14 returning eligible former players appear on the ballot, which will be mailed to about 400 voting members of the BBWAA later this week. The list includes an MVP and three-time batting champion, another batting titlist, three MVP runners-up, a Cy Young winner, a World Series Home Run record holder and the only pitcher to total double-digit complete games in a season in the 21st
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century. Candidates must be named on 75 percent of the ballots cast by selected BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years of MLB coverage to gain election. Results will be announced by Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch at 6 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 23. In addition to the candidates named above, the list includes Bobby Abreu, José Bautista, Carlos Beltrán, Mark Buehrle, Bartolo Colón, Adrián González, Matt Holliday, Torii Hunter, Victor Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Brandon Phillips, Manny Ramírez, José Reyes, Álex Rodríguez, Francisco Rodríguez, Jimmy Rollins, Gary Sheffield, James Shields, Omar Vizquel and David Wright. More information on the potential Hall of Famers and upcoming election events may be found at https://baseballhall.org/2024-bbwaa.
SQSPCA Campaign Starts Giving Tuesday COOPERSTOWN he Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is poised to launch “Promise for Parkie,” a special year-end annual fund campaign, on Giving Tuesday. From November 28 through December 31, shelter supporters Beth and Gary Glynn will donate an additional $5,000.00 to the SQSPCA for every $20,000.00 raised, up to $100,000.00. “This campaign is our biggest of the year, and it is what makes the difference as to what services the SQSPCA can provide,” said Executive Director Stacie Haynes. “The high-quality services we currently offer are only available because of the support of individuals, businesses, and foundations in our region who believe in what we do and who care about the wellbeing of animals.” “Thanks to this very generous matching challenge from the Glynns, we have the potential to earn an additional $25,000.00 if we can meet our $100,000.00 goal,” Haynes added. The Glynns’ matching challenge, “Promise for Parkie,” is a memoriam to their dog, Parker, one of several beloved Glynn family dachshunds who has crossed the rainbow bridge. The Glynns’ love of
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animals in general, and for their dachshunds in particular, is something really special, according to Haynes. Thanks to generous donors, the SQSPCA now provides monthly spay/neuter and vaccination services to the general public as well as veterinary services to other animal shelters in the region. “We have a full-time veterinarian on staff now, and a medical team to support her, so we have been prioritizing animal intakes of those that are sick and suffering,” Haynes explained. “It’s been mentally tough to see the distress these animals are in, but we are grateful to be in a position to help them. Often, those animals have nowhere else to go.” Because of their significant donation to the SHELTER US Capital Campaign, the SQSPCA’s state-of-the-art building-—which opened in July of 2021—is called “Fenton and Nanette’s House,” also named for cherished dachshunds the Glynns have loved and lost. Contributions to the “Promise for Parkie” campaign can be made safely and securely from Tuesday, November 28 through Sunday, December 31 online at www.sqspca.org/donate/, by mail at 5082-5088 State Highway 28, Cooperstown, NY 13326, or in person.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-13
what’s haPPENIN’ in OtsegO COunty _________ Send calendar items to info@allotsego.com
THURSday, NOVEMBER 23, 2023
A-14 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
►Fri., Nov. 24 BLACK FRIDAY HANDCRAFT—9:30 a.m. to noon. “The Leaf and Loom: Knitting and Handcrafts Group.” Bring knit, crochet, macramé or other handicraft to work with the group. Beginners welcome. Held every Friday. Harris Memorial Library, 334 Main Street, Otego. (607) 988-6661. OPEN HOUSE—10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Holiday Open House!” Shop handmade goods from local artisans and a portion of proceeds will go to the local food bank. Continues 11/25 and 11/26. Cooper Country Crafts, 2 Doubleday Court, Cooperstown. (607) 547-9247. HOLIDAY MARKET— 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. “Covered Bridge Holiday Market.” Holiday wreaths, greenery, decorations and gift items by local crafters. Continues 11/25 and 11/26. Covered Bridge Farm Market, 419 Covered Bridge Road, Unadilla. (914) 799-2078. NATURE HIKE—11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. “Get Everybody Outside: Day After Thanksgiving Hike.” Explore Panther Mountain with OCCA Executive Director Amy Wyant. Dress for the weather. Meet at Fetterly Forest Conservation Area, 302 Roses Hill Road, Richfield Springs. (607) 547-4488. POTTERY—1:304:30 p.m. Open Studio. Experienced potters are invited to work on personal projects. No instruction provided. $30/session. The Smithy Clay Studio, 1 Otsego Court, Cooperstown. Gallery@ SmithyArts.org. WINTER DÉCOR— 2-4 p.m. “Crafting Winter Decorations for the Library.” Cut snowflakes, craft garlands and make bows ahead of December decorating. Free, all welcome. Arkell Museum
and Canajoharie Library, 2 Erie Boulevard, Canajoharie. (518) 673-2314 ext.106. PARADE—5 p.m. “Santa’s Arrival Parade.” Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive to take up residence at the Cooperstown Christmas Cottage. All are invited to welcome them back. Pioneer Park, Cooperstown. Visit wearecooperstown.com/ events/santas-arrival-parade-3/ GLIMMER NIGHTS— 5-8 p.m. Holiday Light Show Extravaganza. Walk through a wonderland of holiday light displays in the country village and other areas. Tickets required. Continues 11/25 and 11/26. The Farmers’ Museum, 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 5471450.
►Sat., Nov. 25 SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY FAIR—9 a.m. to 3 p.m. “A Gift To Give Vendor Fair.” Holiday shopping while supporting local crafters, vendors and businesses of all varieties. Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center, 24 Market Street, Oneonta. (607) 431-2080. WREATH FESTIVAL— 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “Adorn-a-Door Wreath Festival.” View the creative wreaths made by local talent and bid on your favorite to support the Art Scholarship Program for high-school seniors. Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5479777. WRITERS GROUP— 1:30-3:30 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@
what’s haPPENIN’ in OtsegO COunty _________
gmail.com Library, 22 Main Street, VISIT SANTA—2-4 p.m. Cooperstown. (607) 547what’s haPPENIN’ Santa’s Cottage, Pioneer 8344. in OtsegO COunty Park, Cooperstown. POTTERY—1:30-4:30 OPEN MIC—7-9 p.m. p.m. Open Studio. Experi“Coffee House.” Singers, enced potters are invited writers, musicians and to work on personal projmore are invited to share ects and hone their skills. works. 10-20 minute No instruction provided. slots. Light refreshments $30/session. The Smithy available. Free, open to Clay Studio, 1 Otsego public. Held each 4th Court, Cooperstown. GalSaturday. Schuyler Lake lery@SmithyArts.org. United Methodist Church, ►Tues., Nov. 28 128 Church Street, Schuyler Lake. (315) 858- GIVING TUESDAY 2523. COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS—8-9 a.m. Net►Sun., Nov. 26 working group discusses HOLIDAY ART—1-3 Oneonta’s past, present p.m. “Ceramic Ornament and future. No agenda, Making with Diana Cozjust informal, nonpartisan zens.” $48/non-member. conversation. All welPre-registration required. come. Held each Tuesday The Art Studio, Comat Green Earth Health munity Arts Network of Market, 4 Market Street, Oneonta, 11 Ford Avenue, Oneonta. Oneonta. Visit canoneonCOMMUNITY HIKE— ta.org/the-studio 9:45 a.m. Hike with the VISIT SANTA—2-4 p.m. Adirondack Mountain Santa pictures with pets. Club. Bring appropriate Santa’s Cottage, Pioneer equipment and water, and Park, Cooperstown. be aware of your level of ARTIST TALK—4 p.m. fitness. This week’s hike “TEACH” gallery show will be to Robert V. Riddell artists discuss their State Park, Davenport. background, process Contact hike leader Linda and future projects. 25 Pearce, (607) 432-8969. Main Collective, 25 Main KIDS’ ACTIVITIES— Street, Cherry Valley. 10-11 a.m. “Preschool (607) 264-5340. Tuesdays.” 1-hour program for toddlers and ►Mon., Nov. 27 their families, featurCYBER MONDAY ing story time, gallery tours, active play and art BREAKFAST WITH projects. Fenimore Art THE BOARD—8-9 a.m. Museum, 5798 State Casual meet and greet Highway 80, Cooperstown with village board to (607) 547-1400. discuss local projects, ART WORKSHOP— agenda items, more. 10 a.m. “Macramé Includes coffee and Gnomes.” Harris Memodonuts. All welcome. Vilrial Library, 334 Main lage Board Room, Village Street, Otego. (607) 988Hall, 22 Main Street, 6661. Cooperstown. FLY CREEK QUILPLAY & LEARN— TERS—10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 10 a.m. Supervised play Fly Creek Area Quilters session for children under meet to cut, sew, tie, bind 8. Cooperstown Village and have a good time
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working on quilts. Fly Creek Methodist Church, County Route 26, Fly Creek. OPPORTUNITY— 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Free Seven County Virtual Job Fair.” Connect with employers from Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Chenango, Delaware and Otsego counties. Registration required. Presented by the Workforce Development Board. Visit working-solutions.org/news/free-virtual-job-fair-tuesday-nov28-2023 TAI CHI—11 a.m. to noon. Richfield Springs Public Library, 102 Main Street, Richfield Springs. (315) 858-0230. LIBRARY WORKSHOP—11:30 a.m. to noon. “QR Codes Demystified.” History of QR codes, recent popularity and how to make one. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1980. SENIOR MEALS— 11:30 a.m. Seniors are invited to enjoy a delicious meal. Suggested donation is $3.50 for seniors, $10 for guests accompanying a senior. Today, enjoy a lunch of beef stew with vegetables, biscuit and apple crisps. Richfield Springs Community Center, 6 Ann Street, Richfield Springs. (607) 547-6454. DINNER—4 p.m. “Dine Out for a Cause.” A percentage of the proceeds will go to raise awareness and support for Helios Care. The Hidden Inn, 10860 County Road 18, South Kortright. YOGA—6 p.m. “Tuesday Evening Yoga Classes” with instructor Wanda Hunt. $10/class. Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School, 597 County Highway 54, Cherry Valley. (607) 264-3265. SPECIAL READING— 7 p.m. “The Gift of the Magi,” directed by actor/ playwright Patrick Breen.
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A special benefit for the 36th Annual Friends of Christmas Community Dinner. Refreshments. Free with donations accepted. First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut St., Oneonta. www.friendsofchristmas. org/magi.
►Wed., Nov. 29 STORYTIME—10 a.m. Bring the children down each Wednesday for a story read aloud by library staff. Cooperstown Village Library, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5478344. KNEEDLECRAFT— 10 a.m. Seniors are invited to spend time together and work on knit, crochet or other fiber project. Beginners welcome. TriCounty Senior Center, 43 Pearl Street, Sidney. POTTERY—1:304:30 p.m. Open Studio. Experienced potters are invited to work on personal projects. No instruction provided. $30/session. The Smithy Clay Studio, 1 Otsego Court, Cooperstown. Gallery@ SmithyArts.org. TEEN CRAFT—3:304:15 p.m. “Teens Make Air Dry Clay Ornaments or Teen’s Choice.” Open to ages 12-18. Registration required. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1980. CROCHET CIRCLE— 3:30 p.m. Bring a crochet project and work with friends, learn to crochet, more. Held each Wednesday. Worcester-Schenevus Library, 170 Main Street, Worcester. (607) 3977309. LIBRARY—6 p.m. “Library Paint & Sip.” An evening of painting and warm drinks with Andra from Art N Alcohol. $15. Registration required. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1980. SIP & NIP—6-8 p.m. “Mosaic Tree Class.” Taught by Wendy Reich of Don’t Tell Stella Studio. $38, all materials and complimentary glass of wine included. 25 Main Collective, 25 Main St., Cherry Valley. Reserve by calling (607) 264-5340. FIGURE THIS—6-9 p.m. Practice drawing from life in the studio with models. Professional artist Jonathan Pincus will be on hand to answer questions. $18/session (cash). Cooperstown Art Association. (607) 5479777.
►Visit allotsego.com/ otsego-county-events-calendar/ for the full calendar
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