The Freeman's Journal 04-27-23

Village Awaits DOS Finalization of LPC

Strategic Investment Plan Follows Selection of Committee Members

By DARLA M. YOUNGS

COOPERSTOWN

The next seven to 10 months will be busy ones for the Village of Cooperstown, as officials work with the Department of State to identify projects that will be funded by a $4.5 million NY Forward grant. The award was announced on Thursday, March 2 during a special press conference held at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

According to the Village of Cooperstown website, the award implementation process begins with the development of a Strategic Investment Plan to develop and revitalize the village’s downtown. That plan will be the responsibility of a DOS-approved Local Planning Committee.

“The state will select a Local Planning Committee made up of community leaders and other stakeholders to lead these efforts, supported by a team of private sector experts and state planners,” the website reads. “The Strategic Investment Plan will examine local assets and opportunities to identify projects that align with each community’s vision and that are poised for implementation.”

According to Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, the DOS is currently working to finalize the Local Planning Committee.

“This process is very supported and guided by the DOS,” Tillapaugh explained. “Some names for the LPC were put forward in the Intent to Apply completed prior to the grant application. However, the DOS will more than likely suggest additional names and ultimately make the final decision. We are looking forward to their announcement.”

According to the original NY Forward application, possible LPC members included individuals who were instrumental in the creation of the application as well as those representing village government, Main Street businesses, arts and business organizations, non-profits, the Baseball Hall of Fame,

Continued on page 7

A Rags to Riches Story

HARTWICK—Scotch on the Rocks, shown here with proud owner Paula Kolka-Wart, was an unhandled stud colt purchased at auction for just $40.00 in 2013. Scotch recently competed at Oriskany Creek Farm in Clinton, bringing home the championship in the Green division. This is Scotch’s first show of the year and his third show ever. “I’m looking forward to what this auction pony can accomplish,” Kolka-Wart said.

Milford Grad Off to Strong Start with Red Dragons Bball

By WRILEY NELSON

ONEONTA

No one at Milford Central School is surprised by Martin Thorsland’s success pitching for SUNY Oneonta this season. Thorsland, a freshman right-hander from the Town of Maryland, has been part of an historic year for the Red Dragons. Oneonta’s 13-game winning streak in late March was the longest in program history. Their sweep against Fredonia on April 21 and 22 brought them to 22-9, their most regular-season wins since 2010, with eight games left to play. It is all but certain they will secure a spot in their conference playoffs.

Thorsland was a three-season star for the Milford Wildcats. He was named school Most Valuable Player and conference first-team allstar in soccer, basketball, and baseball. His coach in all three sports, Gregg Eggleston, has fond memories of Thorsland’s presence on and off the field.

“He’s just a genuinely good guy,” Eggleston said, reflecting on Thorsland’s constant hard work and support for his teammates. “He fixed our backstop, too, as part of working his way to Eagle Scout.”

Eggleston repeatedly expressed his gratitude that Thorsland has gotten an opportunity to continue playing, and that he’s making the most of it.

Thorsland strongly agrees. Throughout his conversation with “The Freeman’s Journal,” he rarely passed up a chance to say how grateful he is for his many opportunities to play baseball.

“I enjoyed basketball and soccer,” he said, “but baseball was my first love. I was lucky to do Little League with [coach] Dan Powers. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

Still, Thorsland continued, a full university

Continued on page 9

ONEONTA

The Community Arts Network of Oneonta will hold a benefit, “ReImagine the Local Arts,” in the historic Wilber Mansion at 11 Ford Avenue on Saturday, April 29 from 4-6 p.m. The impetus for this event is two-fold: to gather community members and leaders to talk over ideas on how to best meet the needs of Oneonta residents and visitors, and to raise funds for CANO to help expand staff, offer more artistic presentations, and continue educational programming. Along with lively conversation about the future of the local arts, there will be hors d’oeuvres, drinks, music and a silent art auction.

“There has been a recent shift in awareness of the importance of the arts in enhancing our quality of life and sense of community,” explained CANO Executive Director Hope Von Stengel. “In fact, CANO had increased community engagement at our events and more requests for arts classes in the past year.

“Yet, if we are to continue fulfilling our mission, we need to transition from an all-volunteer organization to one with several paid staff and volunteer support. As we do so, the Board of Directors and I

are asking residents for their vision of a vibrant arts organization so we can better focus our resources. And we are also asking our patrons for support, both monetary and personal, to help us succeed for the benefit of all,” Von Stengel said.

Guest speakers for “ReImagine the Local Arts” include: Hartwick College President Darren Reisberg; Oneonta City Councilwoman and artist Emily Falco; Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center Executive Director Geoff Doyle; Otsego Media Producer Alysa Blasetti; and artist/business owner James McIlroy.

Musical performances will be by Hartwick student Ben Hulbert and SUNY Oneonta student Lily Soleil. A silent auction will feature artwork by Charlie Bremer, Jamie Barnes, Karin Bremer, Diana Cozzens, Terry Fox, Madeline Silber, Joseph Von Stengel, and Richard Barlow, among others.

Tickets for “ReImagine the Local Arts” can be purchased at www.canoneonta.org/reimagine-thearts-benefit or at the door. Donation levels begin at $100 per person.

“CANO believes strong community support, citizen input, and local engagement can make Oneonta and the surrounding area one of the most

successful arts and cultural centers in upstate NY. We invite the city and community to join us, work with us, and support our mission to promote the arts, support artists, and engage the community,” Von Stengel said.

For more information, visit canoneonta.org.

Photo by Heather Henderson

Photo provided

Artwork by Madeline Silber is featured at CANO.

Ship Honors HoFers Who Served

By CASPAR EWIG COOPERSTOWN

As Cooperstown represents the best of Americana, it also represents the best of baseball,” Jane Forbes Clark noted in her address that accompanied the christening of the USS Cooperstown in February 2022. And she continued, “Baseball is our national pastime, and the connections between our Hall of Famers and our military are strong.” Thus it is that the USS Cooperstown represents both the village and the wartime heroes enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

‘Hullabaloo’ Happening in Gilbertsville

GILBERTSVILLE

Consecutive Sundays, April 30 and May

7, are the dates of the first-ever Gilbertsville Hullabaloo, which will feature live music, activities for all ages, and shopping opportunities in the Gilbert Block. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside 5 Commercial

Street, sites of the former Gilbertsville Value Way and bookstore. Twenty-two vendors, selling gourmet foods, vintage clothing, highquality crafts and more, will be set up to sell their wares. Hullabaloo will be a cash or check only event.

Besides shopping opportunities, Hullabaloo will offer a variety of activities.

JOIN US FOR LUNCH!

Come enjoy a hot meal and the company of others at any of our dining centers throughout the county. Residents age 60 and older are encouraged to have lunch, socialize and enjoy playing cards or a board game with friends and neighbors. Reservations must be scheduled 24 hours in advance by calling (607) 547-6454.

Locations include:

Cherry Valley Community Center – Mon and Wed at 12:00pm

Nader Towers Housing, Oneonta – Mon through Fri at 11:30am Richfield Springs Community Center – Tue and Thu at 11:30am

Suggested contribution: $350 per meal

Among them will be face painting, live music, goat yoga, and tarot card readings. Five Kids Bakehouse, also on Commercial Street, will remain open during Hullabaloo hours. Normally closed on Sundays, The Olde Stone House Emporium, Badger Face Beauty Company and the Dunderberg Gallery, all on Marion Avenue, will open their doors for both Hullabaloo Sundays. A free focaccia tasting will be offered at the Gilbertsville Expressionist Movement’s

Although that connection with military service is not often a part of the conversation when one is talking about Hall of Famers, it is not forgotten in the Hall of Plaques, which memorializes each player’s important stats. Below the plaque of every player who served in the military is a small medallion commemorating the particular military branch in which he served. There is an insignia for the Army, the Navy, the Marines, and even for service in the Civil War. The one veteran of that conflict is The Hon. Morgan G. Bulkeley, who subsequently became the first president of the National League.

In total, 70 of the 341

members in the Hall, or just over 20 percent of all players, coaches, managers, and other notable contributors to the baseball experience, served in the armed forces.

The military time interrupted their careers and, for some notables, such as Ted Williams, statisticians have attempted to formulate the probable statistics they would have achieved if those productive years had not been taken away

Some were drafted, and others, like Bob Feller, who was having a fantastic baseball season and who was entitled to a deferment, called up the Cleveland organization on the day after Pearl Harbor and simply told them, “Don’t expect me for spring training.

I just enlisted.” Because, as he later reflected, “I didn’t worry about losing my baseball career. We needed to win the war.”

So, like Ted Williams, who almost died flying combat missions in Korea, and Warren Spahn, who got his Purple Heart and Bronze Star while engaged in the Battle of the Bulge and other war theaters in Europe, Feller risked his life in the Pacific aboard the Battleship Alabama. And as a premonition of his subsequent baseball management career, Yogi Berra provided rocket support to the troops landing in Normandy on DDay, possibly including his fellow future Hall of Famers, Willard Brown and Leon Day, who were in the ground operation on that famous day.

An as an example of the sheer persistence he showed on the field, Louis Santop was

discharged from the Army during World War I as physically unfit due to a broken and misshapen arm, so he enlisted in the Navy. And with similar persistence, Jackie Robinson fought to be accepted at the naval Officer’s Candidate School, which was otherwise slow to accept a Black man.

These examples represent only a small portion of the combat exploits of Hall of Famers who entered the service, and the omission of any one is purely the result of necessary abbreviation.

Many players who either enlisted or were drafted ended up playing baseball for the various inter-mural service leagues. Yet their service was no less noteworthy, since morale is an essential element in any war, and the “normalcy” that a baseball game could create for the new recruits helped in easing their way into military service.

In the words of Navy historian Gordon Calhoun, “America’s game went to war and sacrificed right along with everybody else.”

The USS Cooperstown stands as a symbol of that sacrifice.

The official commissioning ceremony for the USS Cooperstown will take place on Saturday, May 6 in New York City.

LEADING HEART CARE

FOR HEALTHY RURAL

COMMUNITIES

Bassett Healthcare Network is proud of its cherished 90-year partnership with Columbia University, and now we’re honored to welcome cardiovascular specialists from Columbia to our heart care team. Together, Bassett and Columbia are embracing the latest in digital medicine to be at the forefront of rural healthcare.

Photo by Caspar Ewig

Below the plaque of every Hall of Fame player who served in the military is a small medallion commemorating the particular military branch in which he served.

Photo provided

Tracie Owen Martinetti is one of the organizers of Gilbertsville’s first ever Hullabaloo. Her vendor station will feature vintage planters with succulents, felted roses, and both tote bags and vintage flannel shirts with unique patching.

Town of Hartwick Approves Restaurant Application

By DARlA M. YOUNGS

The former pizza Hut building on State Route 28 south of the Village of Cooperstown may soon become a combination Dunkin’/Baskin Robbins.

last December, Town of Hartwick planning Board members reviewed the site

plan submitted by Todd Markevicz and Steven Songer of ADp Engineering and Architecture, determining that changes to the property at 23 Commons Drive will be minor. Those changes include: relocation of ADA parking and curb cuts; a new sidewalk; improved stormwater runoff and green space; resurfacing and restriping

of the parking lot; and new street lighting and signage. A new drive-through lane will also be constructed.

As use of the building will remain similar to that of the former pizza Hut, the New York State Department of Transportation has determined no traffic studies are necessary. Markevicz indicated at the December planning board meeting that the new facility could be open by summer.

The project application was declared complete by the Hartwick planning Board on March 7. A motion was made and passed by planning board members at

that meeting to designate the project as an unlisted action with a negative declaration under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. A public hearing was deemed unnecessary, as the building is changing over from one restaurant chain to another. Following the March 7 meeting, the application was sent on to the Otsego County planning Department for further review, where it was determined to have “no significant county-wide or inter-community impacts.” The project was unanimously approved by the Hartwick planning Board on April 4.

Railway Drawing Riders

By DAN SUlliVAN RiCHFiElD SpRiNGS

Just two miles north of the Village of Richfield Springs, a project unique in the United States progresses: railroad construction.

“Everywhere else in the U.S., railway activity involves tearing out track. Here, we’re building it,” said Ben Gottfried, owner and operator of the Richfield Springs Scenic Railway. in fact, the newest grade crossing in New York State— the first in many years—is at Dropp Road along the line. One and a quarter mile of narrow-gauge track is in use,

with another half-mile due to be built this year. And the venue attracts riders from far and wide.

Gottfried, with his three employees, operates weekend excursions throughout the year. Riders gather at the depot at 168 McKoons Road, where tickets may be purchased (online purchase is also available). Here they can tour the small but growing museum housed in an old creamery across from the train platform while they wait to board. The ride itself follows a route through the countryside that once served local dairy farmers and passengers alike. The branch

photo by Dan Sullivan

Ben Gottfried (left) enjoys a break with railway passengers.

it’s Not Johnny’s Bench, But He Can Sit On it

Early in the freezing morning of Saturday, November 11, 1961, a terrible fire began in a building on the northwest corner of Main and Pioneer streets in Cooperstown. Fires had long been a part of the history of the village, with some big enough to threaten its very existence, and others ending the existence of a plethora of shops, restaurants, and houses. One killed a resident; John Lippitt lost his life in 1938 in a house fire at 110 Pioneer Street.

This fire destroyed the printing plant of “The Freeman’s Journal,” next door to The Tunnicliff inn at 38 Pioneer Street, and rendered useless the adjacent building that housed the offices of “The Freeman’s Journal” and “The Otsego Farmer,” at 82 Main Street. The blaze was intense. Three fire companies and a host of volunteers fought it, in shifts, for 48 hours, with many on-lookers keeping a shivering watch from across Main Street. Volunteers, many of whom were kids, hauled out the records and archives of the then 153-year-old newspaper, which, typically, did not even miss printing the next week’s edition. For that first week, though, the paper had some outside help.

“The Freeman’s Journal” offices moved south on Pioneer Street, the ruined newspaper buildings were razed, The Scriven Foundation bought the resulting vacant lot on the corner and gave it to the village, and the village decided to make a proper park, to be called Pioneer Park, complete with a border garden, a smattering of shade trees, and a few beckoning and comfortable park benches. The Lake and Valley Garden Club helped; construction began in 1964.

Pioneer Park opened soon thereafter, but its name did not resonate with the village residents who took their daily strolls along Main Street. The inviting new meeting place was immediately redubbed Farkel Park, a name that came, no doubt, from the then-new and hysterically engaging skit, “The Farkel Family,” which appeared every week on the NBC hit show “Laugh-in,” most probably because somebody, or several somebodies, who frequented the Farkel Park benches bore an uncanny resemblance to the red-headed, freckle-faced, bespectacled Farkel kids on the show. (There is a dice game called Farkel that was doing the college rounds at the same time, but attributing this park to a dice game might have been a reach.)

Those benches were an immediate, and permanent, hit. They, like the other million or so benches across the world as well as those at Lakefront Park and Council Rock—which are used by many tourists and visitors— allow for a sense of solitude and, at the same time, community. They are sounding blocks for ideas and opinions. They are comfort zones for just looking and thinking. They are invitations to meet. Today, in Farkel Park, they are sat on by myriad people, and, yes, their myriad dogs, all of whom are for the most part familiar local residents who enjoy village life and lore and who are pretty good at disseminating that same stuff, pretty much all day long, pretty much in the rain, snow, sleet or sun, pretty much to anyone—and there are a lot—who will slow down, sit, and listen.

Every town should have a bench or two for their people, like those in Farkel Park, and when Johnny comes to town he can sit there, too.

TO THE

LETTERS

EDITOR

POLICY

“The Freeman’s Journal” 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, e-mail 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.

NiMBY is Not What it’s All About

The movement toward carbonfree energy production and our local and regional participation in that movement is complicated. Climate change provides an unquestionable sense of urgency to the issue. While the long-term solutions will include evolving technologies, the current tools available for expanding clean energy production are solar and wind. New York State has made a commitment to dramatically expand energy production from these sources.

Where it gets complicated is how sites are chosen to develop largescale solar and wind facilities and how the risk/benefit calculus is determined for the communities that host these sites. Climate justice suggests that the burden of paying for climate change should be proportionate to the contribution a group has made to the problem. This concept can be applied to communities which are asked to host industrial-scale solar or wind power projects. Those communities often do not consume high levels of energy—so the energy is transmitted to high consumption regions. That is the situation in which many upstate New York communities now find themselves.

Our neighbors to the north, in the towns of Columbia, Litchfield and Winfield, are engaged in a battle to stop the development of a massive industrial-scale solar energy facility. if completed as planned, the facility will encompass some 2,500+ acres of farmland and forest and will generate up to 250 MW of power, which will be sold by the developer, primarily to consumers outside the region at substantial profit.

The citizens of those towns have

Land Trust Efforts

To Be Applauded

Residents of Otsego County may take its breathtaking vistas—including the county’s forested hillsides, farmed fields and meandering waterways— for granted. i applaud the visionary efforts to preserve the integrity of the former site of Camp Henderson by the Otsego Land Trust. The collaboration between OLT, Senator Oberacker, the NYSDEC and the NYSOPRHP, and a dedicated group of residents, will help to protect an important swath of local land in perpetuity. i would like to thank all the people involved in this effort for not taking the future stewardship of the Crumhorn Lake site for granted, and for working tirelessly to achieve its protection.

Liz Callahan Cooperstown

CROP Celebrates After-school Staff

Creating Rural Opportunities

Partnership, or CROP, is celebrating After-school Professionals Appreciation Week, April 24-28, to recognize, appreciate and advocate for those who work with young people during out-of-school hours.

mounted a significant opposition to the project. Their group—Protect Columbia—has the support of a substantial majority of the citizens of Columbia. We at Otsego 2000 support Protect Columbia. Critics of the group label them as NiMBYs (Not in My Back Yard) and charge that they are unwilling to trade their viewshed for renewable energy production—a necessary component in the fight against climate change. We disagree—the issues are much more complicated and nuanced than that argument would suggest. NiMBY is a convenient pejorative term used to marginalize and vilify those who oppose local development. it implies selfish and self-centered motivation and a world view that is constricted. The arguments made by Protect Columbia, on the contrary, are expansive and community-centric. Yes, they do argue that the beautiful landscape that is upstate New York will be destroyed, but it is not the landscape that belongs to each of them alone, but the landscape that belongs to us all. That is not a selfcentered and constricted worldview.

Even more compelling, in our opinion, than the impact on the landscape is the issue of justice. New York State has instituted policy and passed well-intentioned legislation to expand the production of solar and wind energy. But the implementation of this policy has been expeditious rather than thoughtful. The decisions as to where to site these projects have been left to a newly created Office of Renewable Energy Siting, which in turn has employed developers to “help” them with the process. While lip service has been paid to involving the communities which will be

ects, clubs to inspire creativity, service learning opportunities, academic enrichment, and outdoor play. The CROP program is funded through the highly competitive federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. The program is a free resource for families.

We are joining the effort because research shows that after-school professionals make a profound difference in the lives of young people. We encourage you to join us in thanking after-school professionals!

#HeartOfAfterschool!

Heather L. Morse CROP Program Director Oneonta

Cannabis Sales Tax Revenues Needed

We here in rural Otsego County are facing the crisis of a shortfall in emergency medical services, a problem that is growing not only across our area but also across New York State. There is a documented decline in volunteer EMS workers, and state government must be urged by everyone to seize the opportunity to apply cannabis tax revenues where they are most needed, as is being done in other states where recreational cannabis is now legal.

impacted by the development, this involvement comes late in the process and the communities have no power to veto the decision of ORES.

The concept of “home rule” has been suspended for renewable energy development projects. Protect Columbia has argued that viable farmland will be taken out of service, food production will be threatened, wildlife habitat will be constricted, property values will diminish, and the tourism industry and economic viability of the region will be threatened. These are not NiMBY arguments. But in the end, they could be completely rejected in favor of the developers. This is not justice.

There are other options for solar and wind energy developers. Many thousands of acres of rooftops, parking lots and brownfields could be appropriate sites for renewable energy production. They would likely be more expensive to develop and might result in lower profits for the developers, but would be closer to the population centers where the energy is needed and would not result in the degradation of our rural communities.

Otsego 2000 supports Protect Columbia. Their argument in opposition to a 2,500+ acre solar facility in their towns is NOT NiMBY. it seems, instead, to be an argument that says, “Not in OUR backyard because it is not the right and just place for it.”

What is happening in the towns of Columbia, Litchfield and Winfield is happening across New York State. it is coming to us in Otsego County as well. Let’s not be NiMBYs. But let’s demand justice for our communities.

James Dalton is president of Otsego 2000’s Board of Directors.

state Assemblyman Angelino, state Senator Oberacker, and Congressman Molinaro, as well as U.S. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, asking for same. it will take many voices raised in unison to bring about this benefit from cannabis tax revenues.

Maureen Dill Morris

Safety of Visitors, Employees Important

As the owner of 103 Main Street, which houses KeyBank as well as other businesses and professional offices, i read with great interest the recent letter from a KeyBank customer who apparently missed a step in front of the building and fell.

First and foremost, we are very sorry this happened and hope he is doing well. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has reported to us a problem of this nature.

We intend to take a serious look at the front entrance of the building and will do whatever we can to ensure the safety of both our visitors and employees.

Perry Ferrara Cooperstown

Elizabeth Cooper, Maureen Culbert, Richard deRosa, Caspar Ewig, Daniel Francis, ian Kenyon, Joel J. Plue, Tom Shelby, Dan Sullivan, T. Stephen Wager, Teresa Winchester, Jamie Zvirzdin

Web Architect ivan Potocnik Historian Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Legal Counsel Jill Ann Poulson

Editorial Board

Tara Barnwell, Faith Gay, Michael Moffat, Elinor Vincent, Darla M. Youngs

An estimated 850,000 professionals work with children and youth during out-of-school hours, providing enriching experiences and academic support throughout the U.S. The CROP after-school program addresses several critical needs that help alleviate the challenges of living in a high-poverty, rural area. More than 1,000 local students each year in grades K-8 will have access to a safe and nurturing place after school hours and during the summer.

Locally, CROP employs more than 125 staff members in 14 school districts, including Andes, Charlotte Valley, Edmeston, Gilboa-Conesville, Hunter-Tannersville, Jefferson, Laurens, Margaretville, Milford, Morris, Roxbury, South Kortright, Stamford and Worcester. Staff provide homework help, art and theater proj-

Across our nation, state tax revenues from cannabis sales reached a high of more than $3 billion in one year. in many states, these tax windfalls are being applied to fire districts, public safety, health professions, police, public service, and veterans’ programs, in addition to the disbursement of cannabis sales tax revenues to county, city, and town governments.

i urge Otsego County residents to support the initiative to bring about the application of cannabis tax revenues where they are most needed before they can be wasted on frivolous plans or programs being proposed by lobbyists.

Please contact your county representative (in Otsego County, Board Chair David Bliss), urging the board to petition the state for such revenues. Also, in our district, please write

There’s Always Room for More Music

i think we can all share in my excitement and new-found appreciation for the growing arts community that surrounds us all. As the executive director of the Catskill Symphony Orchestra, i have been blown away by the dedication and enthusiasm that our board, staff, volunteers, musicians, and community partners put into this effort every single day.

The CSO has been around for almost 70 years, and we are proud to be a part of the fabric of this community. i’m sure that many don’t realize that:

1) yes, we have been here for 70 years, and;

2) we employ an average of 50 musicians every concert, all of whom live, work, and shop here in our

205 YEARS AGO

Fire! The most destructive fire that ever occurred in this village, took place on the morning of Friday last. Between 4 and 5 o’clock, it was discovered in the Hatter’s Shop belonging to Capt. R. Worthington, and had advanced to such a degree as to preclude the possibility of saving a single article from the flames. The inhabitants were prompt on the alarm and succeeded in clearing the adjoining buildings of the greater part of their movable contents—their endeavors, however, to check the progress of the fire were unavailing till the whole block of buildings from Cyrus Clark’s to George F. Craft’s, were entirely laid waste. The following estimates of losses sustained has been furnished us as being nearly correct: Cyrus Clark dwelling house: $1,200 [approx. $29,000 in 2023 per officialdata.org]; John H. prentiss building [The Freeman’s Journal]: $500 [approx. $12,000 in 2023]; George pomeroy Store (insured): $700 [approx. $17,000 in 2023]; Henry Olendorf, Goods and Grain in the pomeroy Store: $400 [approx. $10,000 in 2023]; Thaddeus lacy, Cabinet Work, Grain, etc.: $150 [approx. $4,000 in 2023]; R. Worthington Shop, Stock, Books, Notes (nothing saved): $8,000 [approx. $190,000 in 2023]; J.F. Ernst Jewellers’ Shop (articles and tools mostly saved): $600 [approx. $14,000 in 2023]; George F. Craft’s Store (insured): $800 [approx. $19,000 in 2023]; George F. Craft (loss in grain): $600 [approx. $14,000 in 2023]. April 27, 1818

180 YEARS AGO

Slave Trade—A Spanish Slaver escaped with impunity— A letter from on board the U.S. ship Vincennes states that last February, they overhauled a schooner with three Spanish Custom House Officers on board having Spanish papers and Spanish colors, which prevented their seizing her. She had 560 slaves on board—thirty-four had died, two jumped overboard in frantic despair. She was 28 days from the coast of Africa, making for Cuba. The vessel was built in New York in 1835 or 1836.

April 24, 1843

155 YEARS AGO

local: Spring has really come, for Trailing Arbutus—a harbinger among the flowers—is in bloom on the hills east and west of us. From the maples still dark and grey, not a single crimson bud has yet wakened from its winter sleep. But, under the soft mosses, covered and protected by the dead leaves, the creeping tendrils of Trailing Arbutus have wound their way unseen and springing into life with the first genial sun, have brought forth in full perfection the fragrant, tiny flowers. Some weeks ago we had a few clusters in blossom in our parlor. it is a fastidious little creature and will grow only in the locality it loves. it is a perennial plant with evergreen leaves and is found in the woods from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas.

April 24, 1868

130 YEARS AGO

The Ohio Wesleyan University has an unenviable notoriety for the outrageous “hazing” practiced there. last week, some of the young women students caught the hazing spirit and fell upon some of their sister schoolmates. About twenty young women got a strong solution of nitrate of silver and proceeded to brand six or seven of their school friends on their necks, breasts, arms and hands, for the purpose of disfiguring them that they would be unable to wear evening dress at the senior reception. They lay in wait for them until after midnight when the girls were returning from their society meeting. The victims have suffered greatly in mind as well as in body. A civil suit has been commenced by the victims of the branding for $100,000.

April 27, 1893

105 YEARS AGO

May Arrest Disloyal persons—Any American may bring to justice those uttering unpatriotic remarks. if you ever, on the street, or in a trolley car should hear some soft-shell pacifist or hard-boiled but poorly camouflaged pro-German, make seditious or unpatriotic remarks about your Uncle Sam, you have the right and privilege of taking that person by the collar, hand him over to the nearest policeman, or else take him yourself before the magistrate. You do not require any official authority to do this and the only badge needed is your patriotic fervor. The same thing applies to women. Every American, under provisions of the Code of Civil procedure has the authority to arrest any person making a remark or utterance which outrages public decency.

April 24, 1918

news from the noteworthy

Big Tobacco Must Stop Ruining Health, Environment

Earlier this month, a multi-state agreement was reached with ecigarette manufacturer JUUl labs for its role in the youth vaping epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, more than one in seven high-school students use ecigarettes as of 2022. E-cigarette use among teens can lead to some serious health impacts, since most vapes contain nicotine. Nicotine can harm teen brain development, and can also harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control. Besides potentially harming brain development, e-cigarette use can be harmful to the lungs, since the aerosols from vapes contain harmful substances—heavy metals such as lead, nickel, and tin; nicotine; volatile organic compounds; and cancer-causing chemicals. Scientists are still studying the long-term effects of vaping, but these are some of the alarming health impacts they can have on youth.

As a result of the JUUl settlement, New York State is to receive $112.7 million over an eight-year period, with funds supporting vaping and smoking prevention, cessation and surveillance efforts. This settlement also has strict restrictions on JUUl’s sales and marketing, which includes JUUl refraining from any marketing that directly or indirectly targets youth and not using anyone under 35 in promotional materials or funding. While this sends a powerful message to the tobacco and vaping industry, it is just the tip of the iceberg. There are myriad other more inexpensive, disposable e-cigarette products on the market that are continuing to attract and addict young people. One of the latest products, called Ease, looks like a Slurpee cup. How is this not marketing to youth?

And what happens to these used JUUl pods and disposable e-cigarettes? They end up polluting and harming our environment. We’ve known for years the environmental impact of cigarette butts, the most

littered item in the world. Cigarette butts are toxic to animals and people, leach toxic chemicals into the environment, and can contaminate soil and water. Ecigarettes pose an even bigger threat to the environment. Most vapes, including disposables and pods used in reusable devices, contain remnants of liquid nicotine which— when ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin— can be poisonous, especially to toddlers and animals. Most e-cigarette components, including the battery, are classified as toxic hazardous waste. As the battery degrades, its chemicals can leach into the environment and create fire risks due to heat exposure, especially if put into the trash.

Vapes also contribute to other environmental threats, including plastic waste. When vape components are discarded, the plastic eventually becomes a microplastic. Unlike an orange peel, these tiny plastics are not biodegradable, and end up polluting our oceans, lakes, and other water sources. Scientists say that humans may ingest up to a credit card’s worth of microplastics every year. According to Truth initiative, there’s no industry guideline for recycling e-cigarettes in the United States, and no baseline standards for disposal by e-cigarette manufacturers. E-cigarette manufacturers are getting away with making products that are not only a health hazard, but an environmental hazard as well.

How can communities fight back and protect both residents and the environment from Big Tobacco? possible solutions include strong tobacco-free policies that cover parks, outdoor recreation areas and grounds, as well as reducing the number of tobacco retailers within communities. For more information on how to get involved locally, contact us at Tobacco-Free Communities/Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie at www. gotobaccofreedos.org or call (607) 376-7910.

Lauren Sears is a program specialist with TobaccoFree Communities/Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie.

By MERl REAGlE It’s Punnerific… Another delegation from Groanerville

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

SPORTS SNIPPETS Compiled by Wriley Nelson

Unatego Graduate Is Named

SUNY Cobleskill Athlete of Week

COB l ESK ill

The SUNY Cobleskill Athletics Department named outdoor track and field athlete Shealinn Stevens of Otego a Fighting Tiger of the Week for the week ending April 9.

Stevens placed seventh in the long jump at the 2023 Cortland Red Dragon Open invitational with a mark of 4.71 meters. She also anchored the Tigers’ third-place 4x100m relay team, which finished with a total time of 53.29 seconds.

OHS Defeats Susq. Valley 13-0

ONEONTA—Oneonta High School baseball defeated Susquehanna Valley 13-0 on the road on April 10. According to Sports Director Nate lull of WCDO, freshman Brady Carr threw a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts. He also hit a double and two RBi

Marten Breaks Assist Record

ONEONTA—Sophomore Katrina Marten led Hartwick College women’s lacrosse in goals and assists against Utica University on April 12. Marten’s three assists put her at 49 for the season, breaking the program single-season record. The Hawks were unable to overcome an early deficit and went down 18-12, but not without a strong fight. They move to 9-2 overall and 3-1 in Empire 8.

Hartwick Men Defeat Utica 14-3

ONEONTA—Hartwick College men’s lacrosse rolled over Utica University for a 14-3 win on April 12. The Hawks scored seven times before Utica got on the board. Sophomore Garrett Frost led on offense with six goals. Goalkeeper Kyle McKee, a senior, made 14 saves.

Oneonta Women Beat Potsdam

ONEONTA—SUNY Oneonta women’s lacrosse beat potsdam 21-7 on April 12. Eight different Red Dragons scored; senior Megan Foiles led on offense with eight goals and three assists. Oneonta moves to 4-7 overall and 3-2 in SUNYAC.

CCS Softball Bests Oriskany

COOpERSTOWN—Cooperstown softball beat Oriskany 5-2 on April 14. According to the team Twitter account, senior Dani Seamon threw a one-hitter with eight strikeouts and went 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs and an RBi. Katie Crippen, Savannah Kirkby and Bella Reich made two hits each.

Oneonta Tennis Sweeps Delhi

ONEONTA—SUNY Oneonta men’s tennis swept SUNY Delhi 9-0 in a non-conference match on Friday, April 14. The Red Dragons moved to 5-10 for the season.

Softball Splits Doubleheader

ONEONTA—SUNY Oneonta softball split a SUNYAC doubleheader against Oswego on April 14. The Red Dragons dropped game one 5-1 before surging to a 13-4 victory in game two. Oneonta made 18 hits and had six players record at least two RBi in the second game. The Red Dragons moved to 11-12-1 for the season and 5-1 in SUNYAC.

Hartwick Impresses at Cortland

ONEONTA—The Hartwick College track and field teams posted great performances at the Cortland Upstate Alternative invitational on Saturday, April 15. Brynita Haas finished third in a highly competitive 5000m race, and was only 4 seconds behind the winner. The men’s 4x100 relay team of Corey Quomony, Quran Best, CJ Rogers, and Kevin Mason finished fourth. Many Hawks achieved personal records.

Women’s Lacrosse Beats Alfred

ONEONTA—After a slow start, Hartwick College women’s lacrosse ran away with a 22-6 victory over Alfred University on April 15. Sophomore Katrina Marten scored six times, reaching her 100th career point. Marten’s new milestone came one game after she set the Hartwick program record for single-season assists. Sophomore Kristen Vaccarelli made seven goals. The Hawks were just as dominant on defense, making 24 turnovers and picking up 25 ground balls.

Bertram on NIT Final Four Team

lAS VEGAS—The University of Alabama at Birmingham men’s basketball team made its first appearance in the National invitation Tournament championship game on March 30. Cooperstown Central School’s all-time leading scorer, Tyler Bertram, is a member of the team, which racked up a program-record 29 wins in the 2022-2023 season. UAB defeated the University of Southern Mississippi to advance to the NiT final four on March 14, and beat Utah Valley University in an 88-86 nail-biter on March 28 to advance to the finals. The UAB Blazers fell 68-61 to the University of North Texas. Bertram, a red shirt junior playing guard, transferred to UAB after spending two years at Binghamton and one year at Charlotte.

Game scores and highlights can now be submitted online at https://www.allotsego.com/sports-scores/.

Ai Renaissance: A Chance to Reduce Cheating, Revitalize the School Experience

Middle school is hard. it feels like the Dark Ages. There’s extra insecurity, boundary-testing, and of course, hormones. The pressure to perform well in school ramps up—as does the temptation to cheat. My 13-year-old son and his generation face an additional challenge: smartphones, online answer banks and now artificial intelligence services have made cheating very, very easy. And dishonesty in academics leads to dishonesty elsewhere, including in professional scientific research.

This isn’t a handwringing article about the moral decrepitude of cheaters, however; it is a wake-up call to teachers and educational administrators to change the game. Our expensive, competitive, performance-based emphasis on exams and grades have created a conflict-of-interest situation for students. it’s a system-design problem that continues right on into science circles, where fudging results equals grants and promotions. Researchers Nina Mazar and Dan Ariely found in their 2015 paper “Dishonesty in Scientific Research,” that even good people who value honesty justify cutting corners given these high-stakes situations. By reducing conflict-of-interest situations for students as often as possible, Ai can actually help us usher in a new age of academic enlightenment, where learning is once again a privilege and a pleasure. if science institutions follow suit, we’ll also have more accurate data sets and better scientists.

To give you a tip-ofthe-iceberg look at how systemic the problem is:

My son, who is in seventh grade, was taking his endof-year exams last week and saw a classmate cheat using a phone hidden in their lap. We have apps now where you simply take a picture of a math problem and it will display the answer. The kids—and the money-grubbers who prey on academic anxiety—have always been one step ahead of educators technologically: my son’s middle-school classmates have already figured out how to bypass the firewall on their school laptops to play games and access cheating sites when their teachers and parents think they are diligently working on their homework.

The cheating doesn’t stop in middle school. The anxiety around grades increases exponentially when you’re paying—or

borrowing—thousands of dollars for a course you can’t afford to fail. A young friend of mine in college admits to using online “Homework Help” sites like Chegg.com, where you can type in the exact question and get the exact answer. As a test—i have never used Chegg, nor will i i typed in a graduate-level physics problem from a final exam i took at Johns Hopkins, a problem i know my professor wrote in his own words. lo and behold, as the first search result, Chegg promised to give me the answer to that exact problem—if i paid for their service. What an absurd game: You pay thousands of dollars for a course to stresstest you to the point you feel compelled to find and pay for the answer online? This is not education. it is a broken system that rewards cheaters and punishes the honest seeker of truth.

This year saw the public release of ChatGpT and other Ai services, which stressed-out students now use to push cheating past the point of absurdity to pure stupidity. A friend of mine who teaches college writing expressed anger at how often she now sees the “blandly perfect grammar” of Ai essays, and i agree—good writing teachers can easily recognize ChatGpT’s writing voice. it is disheartening when students don’t have enough confidence to write with their own voice.

Since ChatGpT often makes up fake sources, my friend also knew a student had cheated when the essay cited a source written by “Jane Doe.” Other teachers say some students aren’t upset about cheating; they’re upset they lost points when an Ai chatbot gave them the wrong answer.

What makes student fear far worse, especially in science courses, are professors who elect themselves purifiers of their discipline. They are proud of their weeder courses. These self-annointed gatekeepers make homework and exams so difficult that students struggle to understand a fraction of the material.

A classmate told me her undergraduate physics teacher proudly whittled 75 students in the physics program down to six that actually graduated. This is not education either. it is Academic Hunger Games.

No matter how severe the consequences become for academic dishonesty, students will continue to bend over backward so they don’t fail. My Mathematical Methods professor at JHU told us of a student who hired a

professional test taker: The remote cheater-for-hire assumed control over the student’s computer and took a timed, online test for the student. That student was caught and disciplined, but many never get caught, and these are the ones who graduate with great grades and get great, high-paying jobs. They falsify science data and get grants and promotions. The dishonest win the game.

So it is time to change the game.

Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali polymath, poet, social reformer and testdisliker, wrote in his 1917 book “My Reminiscences,” “The main object of teaching is not to explain meanings, but to knock at the door of the mind.”

Teachers and professors can reject the taskmaster role and reclaim the far more enjoyable duty to inspire and spark curiosity in students. Administrators can back off from their obsession with metrics and reward teachers (maybe with fair pay and decent benefits?) who find clever ways to help students engage creatively with class material—using all available tools, including ChatGpT.

Khan Academy, for instance, is actively turning ChatGpT into an online tutor and teaching assistant named Khanmigo, which is brilliant. Similarly, teachers can invite students to write a class book together using ChatGpT—and odds are, such a book will be clearer and more concise than most textbooks. As someone who proofread science and technical textbooks for many years, i state from firsthand experience that academic textbook writing is often abysmal and arrogant, written for the professor’s own ego at the expense of the student’s comprehension and confidence.

Teachers can use Ai essays (which are not the best, but not the worst) as starting points for discussion: Write an essay about X using ChatGpT. Now let’s talk about the essay’s strengths and weaknesses: How can we improve word choice and revise the essay using our own writing voice? What personal examples or analogies can we add to strengthen the argument? Why is it wrong to use a source from “Jane Doe”? We can also redesign the educational game to allow failure and thereby reduce the motivation to cheat. in “How Humans learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching,” Joshua R. Eyler says teachers can provide “opportunities for

low-stakes failure so that students can take the risks necessary to enact deep learning.” Students must be allowed to “fail up,” as i like to tell my own science writing students. i ask my students to redo exercises, without punishment, if i see too many mistakes in them, and i’m grateful for teachers who did the same for me when i was growing up. it was in those classes i learned the most.

So i encourage educators and administrators to reexamine their systems, their assignments and exams. Flip the classroom. Ask students to teach something or follow a passion project. play “Stump the Teacher,” where students bring in difficult problems for teachers to solve; if they can’t, the student shows the teacher how. in this new era of deep machine learning, do not forget how our own deep learning actually happens: by feeling inspired, becoming curious and making mistakes. i don’t know a single person who loved going to middle school. Maybe some of that is an unavoidable part of growing up, but if we embrace new technology and reduce conflict-of-interest situations—if we can make school truly cool instead of cruelly cutthroat—perhaps we will bring new light to students who feel trapped in the shadow of perfectionism. perhaps we will find, as Getty medievalist larisa Grollemond argues, that there was no such thing as the Dark Ages; that the Middle Ages “were always the illuminated ages.” p.S. i wrote this article myself, found the resources myself. You can check it yourself using https://www.zerogpt.com/ (which is also, by the way, not always 100 percent correct). i invite teachers to borrow “Subatomic Writing: Six Fundamental lessons to Make language Matter” from their school libraries for more writing exercises to help students gain confidence in their own writing voice.

Jamie Zvirzdin researches cosmic rays with the Telescope Array Project, teaches science writing at Johns Hopkins University and is the author of “Subatomic Writing.”

plantings Spruce Up Main Street in Time for parade

By MARCiA KOZUBEK

ONEONTA

The annual Memorial Day parade has been a point of community pride in Oneonta, but empty planters downtown have had a lackluster appearance.

Complaints about the vacant garden plots caught the attention of Susan lettis, a member of the Oneonta Federated Garden Club. She said while the club remains committed to filling 36 downtown planters with annuals on June 2, those flowers would be too fragile to plant before the parade.

“it would take something hardier,” she said. in November, lettis submitted a $1,000.00 grant application to the Oneonta Community initiative, which

funds requests for small projects. Destination Oneonta administers those funds. The request was approved soon after, lettis said. Grant funds will also support a second project to install perennials in areas sectioned off by wrought iron fencing, lettis added. lettis praised public Works Director Christopher Yacobucci and his crew for readying the planters with fresh compost. After that, lettis met her volunteers at the Kim Muller plaza on April 10 to fill the planters. Now, parade goers will be treated to cheerful pansies, dusty miller and kale.

cITIzEN ScIENcE JAMIE zVIRzDIN

photo provided SHEALINN STEVENS

photo by Marcia Kozubek

Gabby Milewczik and Susan Lettis look on as Kathy Varadi plants spring flowers in downtown Oneonta.

lpC

Continued from page 1

Bassett Hospital, and the tourism industry.

“They will be augmented by other stakeholders as needed, all assisted by consultants and state planners,” the application reads. projects selected from the Strategic Investment plan that are deemed to have the greatest potential to jumpstart revitalization and generate new opportunities for long-term growth will be funded by the NY Forward monies. A number of possible rehabilitation, redevelopment, and adaptive reuse projects have already been identified in the Village of Cooperstown’s NY Forward application.

Business and economic development priorities identified are to: create a vibrant atmosphere with outdoor dining, public art, music, and entertainment; market the village to attract and recruit businesses; and to market the village as a year-round destination for tourists. One possible funding initiative

Anne Evans

1931-2023

COOpERSTOWN—Anne

Evans passed away peacefully on April 9, 2023, at the age of 92. Anne moved to Cooperstown in 1984 with her late husband, Gerald Evans, and was embraced by a wonderful community she came to love and cherish. Her surviving family—brother and sister-in-law paul and Jeanette; sons and daughters-in-law Charles and Ofra, James and Elissa, and Julian; grandchildren Mikell, Kate, Eloise, and Nicholas; and great-granddaughter Olivia— would like to thank you for being that community.

would be to provide grants and/or low-interest loans to support and improve Main Street facades and signage upgrades for underutilized buildings in key locations.

The village also seeks to encourage a mix of yearround housing types in a variety of price ranges— including rental housing options—to meet the needs of a wide range of village residents, among them families, seniors and the workforce. The creation of more workforce housing has been identified as a particular priority, and village officials proposed a funding initiative to assist the development of the upper floors on Main Street buildings to serve as housing spaces by providing funding to building owners to meet necessary safety upgrades.

Accessibility was also addressed in the village’s NY Forward application. In order to promote cultural diversity, improve handicap accessibility in the village, and improve sidewalk accessibility, village officials would seek to provide grants and low-interest loans to

businesses, non-profits, and other organizations with a public benefit in order to improve physical access to historic buildings. This would be accomplished through the installation of ramps, widened entranceways, lifts, and elevators in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic preservation.

Arts and culture are considered by village officials to be integral to the revitalization of Cooperstown’s downtown as well. They seek to continue to provide and expand opportunities to create a vibrant Main Street atmosphere—with outdoor dining, public art, and activities such as music and entertainment in public spaces—as well as to develop a program to make unoccupied/seasonal storefronts active and more appealing through the installation of public art and other strategies. Funding to non-profit organizations to further the development of art institutions and installations within the NY Forward project area is proposed. possible public improve-

ment projects outlined in the Village of Cooperstown’s NY Forward application include enhancing pioneerAlley access to the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market and as a connector to Doubleday Field; providing a safe route for pedestrians from Main Street and Chestnut Street to Doubleday Field; the marketing of Doubleday Field as a baseball and multiuse event venue; and further highlighting the viewshed and increasing access to lakefront park from Main Street.

According to Mayor Tillapaugh, interested individuals can check the NY Forward drop down menu on the village website, https://www.cooperstownny. org/new-york-forward/, for updates and further information. A link to the complete NY Forward application can be found there as well.

Hullabaloo

Continued from page 2 Sculpture park at 12 Commons Drive. “Mocktails” will be served at some venues. All monies received for vendor fees will be remitted

OBITUARIES

Association and served as the first president.

Dr. Rudolph (Rudy) Schuster 1934-2023

MAUI, HAWAII—Rudy Schuster, 88, DVM, of Oneonta passed away on Friday, January 27, 2023, in Maui, Hawaii with his loving wife, Gwen, and loving son, Chris, at his side.

Gerold D. Hill

1944-2023

FREDERICKSBURG, VA—Gerold D. Hill, 78, of Homosassa, Florida and formerly of portlandville, New York, passed away on April 15, 2023 in Fredericksburg, VA.

Gerold served for 30 years in the United States Navy. He was a retired chief petty officer and served in Vietnam. He was the owner/operator of Jerry’s Bait-n-Tackle from 1988 to 2008. Gerold enjoyed spending his time with family, hunting and fishing.

He is survived by his four children: Tammie (Jim) Brown of Otego; Charles (Natalie) Hill of Fredericksburg, VA; Sandi (Jim) Rowe of Oneonta; and Anthony (Courtney) Hill of Chili, New York. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Donald (Seneca) Brown; Kay-lyne (Jeremiah Craver) Brown; Breanna and Garret Hill; and lilli, lewis, and liam Rowe; lucy and Madison Hill; and three great-grandchildren, Haley, Hayden, and Miah.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosanne Hill, his parents and his siblings. A gathering at the Oneonta American legion will follow in May of 2023.

Rudy was born on July 22, 1934, in Mt. Hope, New York to German immigrants Emil Schuster and Clara Wiest Schuster. He is survived by his wife, Gwen; son Chris Schuster; daughter-in-law Judy Schuster; and his three grandchildren, Abigail, CJ, and Julia of Groton, Massachusetts, as well as several beloved nieces, nephews, and many treasured friends and neighbors. He was predeceased by his parents, and his two sisters, Clara Ernstrom and Betty Reynolds.

Rudy grew up in Afton, New York and graduated from Afton Central School in 1952. He was involved in many sports, was class valedictorian, president of student council and president of Future Farmers of America. As president of FFA, he was selected as a delegate to the FFA national convention in Kansas City in 1951 and was an FFA empire farmer. Rudy was a founder of the Afton Alumni

During summer vacations in high school and college, Rudy worked on his uncle’s farm and for a building contractor in Greene, New York. He later used his construction and carpentry experience to build two houses and his veterinary clinic in Oneonta, New York. Rudy loved agriculture and used his farming skills to create a massive garden that produced prizewinning dahlias grown each year. With a passion for his property’s upkeep, he was often seen riding his lawn mower or driving his tractors with lawn maintenance equipment in tow.

Rudy attended the College of Agriculture and graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1959, a campus that remained hallowed ground for him throughout his life. Following college, Rudy established his veterinary practice in upstate New York and founded Oneonta Veterinary Associates in 1970. In his practice, he treated all types of animals, from wrestling with large dairy cows as a young veterinarian to a myriad of small animals at his Oneonta clinic. Rudy was a member of the Cornell University Tower Club and was active in organizing alumni reunions for his 1959 veterinary school class.

A pillar of the Oneonta community, Rudy was involved with several organizations and boards. He was a life member of the Elks Club (52 years) and the Oneonta Country Club. He was also a member of the administrative council of the Catskill Symphony Orchestra and the vice-president of the Board of Trustees of the Oneonta plains Cemetery.

After retiring, Rudy enjoyed

to Gilbertsville’s Village Improvement Society, which owns and maintains the Gilbert Block, a series of Tudor-style buildings on Commercial Street.

Two relatively new Gilbertsville residents, Gina Gardner and Tracie Owen Martinetti, organized Hullabaloo. Martinetti grew up in England, where she attended art school. While she has lived in New York State for 30 years, she moved to Gilbertsville only 18 months ago.

“Gilbertsville reminds me of home. I like the charm and the artsiness of it. We hope that both Gilbertsville residents and people from all over will come and say hello to our local vendors and explore our beautiful village,” Martinetti said, adding that there are several attractive homes for sale in the vicinity of which visitors may wish to take note.

Gardner, who hails from Detroit, moved to Gilbertsville nearly two years ago. She attended art school in New York City and works for Otsego Now.

“I love Gilbertsville for

its quirky charm. I love being a part of a community like this. I wanted to find a way to support the Village Improvement Society and its maintenance efforts of the Gilbert Block. I wanted to bring in business and visitors and bring out residents,” Gardner said.

“Hullabaloo is an awesome concept. Community members are stepping up to promote Gilbertsville. people love living here and are happy to be here. Hullabaloo will allow community members to meet each other. They may discover they have common interests,” said Gilbertsville mayor Nate Talbot. Questions or comments regarding Gilbertsville’s Hullabaloo may be submitted to ginagardner96@gmail. com.

WE WANT TO CELEBRATE YOU! promotions, births, meetings, new hires, events, grand openings, milestones, and more. photos welcome, too. info@allotsego.com

hobbies that included downhill skiing and golf with his wife, Gwen. They also traveled extensively and enjoyed their winters in Maui, Hawaii.

A celebration of life will be held on Thursday, June 22, 2023, at 1 p.m. in Craven lounge, Morris Conference Center, SUNY Oneonta. A private burial service for the family will be held at Oneonta plains Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Oneonta Dollars for Scholars, pO Box 1083, Oneonta NY 13820, Attn: Schuster Scholarship; Friends of Bassett, Heart Care Institute, 1 Atwell Rd., Cooperstown NY 13326; or Super Heroes Humane Society, 697 Winney Hill Rd., Oneonta NY 13820.

Online condolences may be made at www.lhpfuneralhome.com, the website of Oneonta’s only family owned funeral home, lewis, Hurley & pietrobono at 51 Dietz Street.

1959-2023

CHANDlER, AZ— Nicholas J. Steckler, age 63, of Mesa, Arizona and formally from Richfield Springs, passed away April 21, 2023 while in the care of The Dobson Inpatient

Hospice Care Hospital Facility in Chandler, Arizona after a courageous fiveyear battle with colon/liver cancer.

Nick, also known as Nicky, was born on August 28, 1959. He attended and graduated from Richfield Springs Central School. Shortly after graduating, he moved to phoenix, Arizona and resided there until his passing.

Nicky was an avid bowler, winning many championship awards; bowling was his deepest passion. He was also a diehard fan of his phoenix Cardinals NFl. He will always be remembered for his quick wit and sense of humor—he always had a joke, no matter how sick he was.

Nicky was predeceased by his father, Nicholas (Nick) Steckler; his mother, Sophie; his brother, David; his grandparents; and his forever best friend in life, Greg Kries.

Nicky is survived by his sisters, Nadine (pete),

Michele (Randy), and Maria; his stepmother, Kate; his nieces, Trasi (Brian), Erica (Eric), Miranda (Brian), and Brittany (Dave); his nephew, Nicholas; great-nieces Alexa and Hannah; and greatnephew Benjamin.

In accordance with his wishes, Nicky’s ashes will be brought back to New York, entrusted to the care of his sister, Nadine. A celebration of life will take place sometime this summer here in New York.

At this time, we want to thank his friend and roommate, Scott Bruce, for all his help. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.

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

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

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

www.grummonsfuneralhome.com

Funeral Home

Dignity, Respect, Tradition

Dignified and Caring Service since 1925 Peaceful grounds. Home-like atmosphere. Suitable for large or small gatherings.

Peter A. Deysenroth

82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown | 607-547-8231

www.cooperstownfuneralhome.com

Nicholas J. Steckler

photo provided DR. RUDOLPH SCHUSTER

photo provided GEROLD D. HILL

photo provided

NICHOLAS J. STECKLER

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

public Notice is hereby given Under Sec. 182 NYS lien law, that property described as contents of storage unit, will be sold at public auction at 1:00 pM on April 29th, 2023 at Rt. 23 Self Storage of Oneonta, 8745 St Hwy 23, Oneonta NY. The sale of such property is to satisfy the lien of Rt 23 Self Storage of Oneonta on property stored for the accounts of:

Unit # 408 Mike Wilkie

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTiCE iS HEREBY GiVEN that the Historic preservation and Architectural Review Board for the Village of Cooperstown will hold the following public hearing on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at 5:00 p.M. or as soon thereafter as can be heard:

Meeting to be held in the Village Office Building, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown.

186 Main Streetdemolition of a garage

The plans for this project are on file with the Village Clerk’s Office at the Village Office, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York, and may be seen during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. public comments must be provided by email to the Zoning Officer at zoning@cooperstownny.org or by regular mail to the address below no later than Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.

Jenna Utter Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 Tele: (607)547-2411

Email: jutter@cooperstownny.org

LegaL nOtice

SUPREME

COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

COUNTY OF OTSEGO

SUMMONS: SPECIAL

PROCEEDING TO QUIET TITLE

index Number:

EF2023-61 in the Matter of the Application of DESTiNY OAKlEY, individually and as Administrator of the ESTATE OF AlAN A. MillER, plaintiff,

-againstTHE ESTATE OF ROBERT W. MARTENSON, KiRK AlAN MARTENSON, pENNY EliZABETH SANTY, CATHlEEN SUE MARTENSON, DOUGlAS STiRliNG MARTENSON, WAYNE WilEY MARTENSON, ASSOCiATED COMpUTER pRODUCTS, iNC. JOHN DOE, UNKNOWN SHAREHOlDER OF ASSOCiATED COMpUTER pRODUCTS, iNC., JOHN DOE #2, HEiRS AND ASSiGNED OF THE ESTATE OF ROBERT W. MARTENSON, ET. Al

And any other person or entities found to have an interest in the property subject to this action but not yet named. Defendants.

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS:

You are hereby summoned to appear in this action by serving a notice of appearance on the plaintiffs attorney within thirty (30) days after service of this summons is complete, and in case of your failure to appear, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint filed herein.

The object of this action is an Article 15 proceeding under the Real property Actions and proceedings law to determine claims to real property.

The properties in question are situate at 7348 State Highway 28, in the Town of Exeter, County of Otsego, and State of New York, currently identified on the Otsego County Real property Tax Maps as No. 67.09-1-38.00 and No. 67.09-139.22.

Dated: 30 March 2023

SCHlATHER & BiRCH pllC Attorneys for plaintiff

By: lauren Cady Glynn, Esq. 192 Main Street pO Box 391 Cooperstown NY 13326 (607) 547-5253 4legalMay.11

LegaL nOtice SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF OTSEGO; index No. EF2022-522

Filed 08/29/2022, plaintiff lAKEViEW lOAN SERViCiNG llC

V UNKNOWN HEiRS OF THE ESTATE OF EVA Y. TSAi; U.S. BANK NATiONAl ASSOCiATiON; NEW YORK STATE DEpARTMENT OF TAXATiON AND FiNANCE UNiTED STATES OF AMERiCA O/B/O iNTERNAl REVENUE SERViCE; JOHN DOE Defendants. pUBliCATiON TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: UNKNOWN HEiRS OF THE ESTATE OF EVA Y. TSAi YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above captioned action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a Defendant in this action may answer to appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME if you do not respond to this Summons and Complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the publication and protect your property. Sending payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action.

YOU MUST RESpOND BY SERViNG A COpY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE plAiNTiFF (lAKEViEW lOAN SERViCiNG llC ) AND FiliNG THE ANSWER WiTH THE COURT.

To the above named defendants: The foregoing publication is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Hon. Brian D. Burns, J.S.C, a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of N.Y., dated January 27, 2023 and filed along with the supporting papers in the Otsego

County Clerk’s Office. This is an action to foreclose a mortgage on the property located 18 Brigham Road, Oneonta, NY 13820 Section: 288.6

Block: 1 lot: 30 and Section: 288.00

Block: 2 lot: 1.61

Otsego County is designated as the place of trial based upon the location of the property being foreclosed.

Attorneys for plaintiff:

Stern & Eisenberg, pC, 20 Commerce Drive, Suite 230, Cranford, NJ 07016 T:(516) 630-0288.

4legalApr.27

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Rose property Services llC.

Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/23/2023. Office location: Otsego County.

SSNY is designated as agent of llC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 1080 Mill Creek Road, Otego NY 13825 purpose: any lawful act or activity.

6legalJun.01

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SOUTHSiDE VETERiNARY CliNiC pllC

3/31/23

Filed

Office: Otsego Co.

SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 2353 Swart Hollow Rd, Oneonta, NY 13820 purpose: Veterinary Medicine

6legalJun.01

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 141 iRiSH HOllOW ROAD llC

Filed 2/15/23

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 127 irish Hollow Road, Cherry Valley, NY 13320 purpose: all lawful 6legalJun.01

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 121 iRiSH HOllOW ROAD llC

Filed 2/15/23

Office: Otsego Co.

SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 127 irish Hollow Road, Cherry Valley, NY 13320 purpose: all lawful 6legalJun.01

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 207 FiSH AND

GAME ROAD llC

Filed 2/15/23

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 127 irish Hollow Rd, Cherry Valley, NY 13320 purpose: all lawful 6legalJun.01

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 4463 US RT 20 llC

Filed 2/15/23

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 127 irish Hollow Rd, Cherry Valley, NY 13320 purpose: all lawful 6legalJun.01

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Good Kitty llC

Filed 10/17/22

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to 29 pioneer St, Cooperstown, NY 13326 purpose: all lawful 6legalMay.25

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 87 limber pine llC

Filed 10/17/22

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to 29 pioneer St, Cooperstown, NY 13326 purpose: all lawful 6legalMay.25

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF RUSSO RENTAlS llC

Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/17/23. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of llC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 5 parish Ave., Oneonta, NY 13820, which is also the principal business location. purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6legalMay.25

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF NARROW GATE llC

Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 4/10/23. 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.

6legalMay.25

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SWEETS & CRAFTY CREATiONS llC.

Arts. of Org. filed 03/11/2023. Office: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: 559 Saunders Gulf Rd. West Winfield, NY 13491. purpose: Any lawful 6legalMay.18

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY UNDER NEW YORK PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LAW (“LLCL”)

1. The name of the professional service limited liability company (“llC”) is Connect physical Therapy of NY, pllC.

2. The date of filing of the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State is March 21, 2023

3. The County within the State of New York in which the principal office of the professional service llC is to be located is Otsego County.

4. The Secretary of State of the State of New York is hereby designated as agent of the professional service 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 professional service llC served upon him or her is: 107 Winney Hill Rd #5B, Oneonta, NY 13820.

5. The character or purpose of the business of the professional service llC is any purpose allowed by law.

6legalMay 18

LegaL nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Upstate Machinery Service, llC.

Filed 1/31/23. Cty: Otsego. SSNY desig. for process & shall mail pOB 203, Cherry Valley, NY 13320. purp: any lawful.

6legalMay.18

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Name: THE lUSK BARN llC.

Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 30 March 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 507 Cty Hwy 50, Cherry Valley, NY 13320.

purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6legalMay.18

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Name: DOUBlE R SOlUTiONS llC.

Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 30 March 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 308 McShane Rd, Richfield Springs, NY 13439. purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6legalMay.18

LegaL nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Name:

7 OlD MAiDEN lANE, llC.

Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 31 March 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 pO Box 108, Fly Creek, NY 13337. purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6legalMay.18

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY.

Name:

6 OlD MAiDEN lANE, llC.

Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 31 March 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 pO Box 108, Fly Creek, NY 13337. purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6legalMay.18

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A NY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Name: liNDENWOODNS llC.

Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 31 March 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 473 County Highway 40, Worcester, NY 12197. purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6legalMay.18

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Bass Auto & Machine Works, llC.

Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/25/2023.

Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the llC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 117 Buck Road, Fly Creek, NY 13337. purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6legalMay.18

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CApS OFF llC. Filed 2/6/23.

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: c/o Matthew F lorusso, 3522 County Hwy 11, Cooperstown, NY 13326. purpose: General.

6legalMay.11

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY UNDER THE NEW YORK LIMITED LIABILITY LAW

Name: GREYDEN DiApERS CO llC

Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on February 23, 2023.

Office location: Otsego County. SSNY shall mail copy of process to c/o Allison & Eric Jensen, 819 Dutch Valley Road, Edmeston, NY 13335 purpose: To engage in any and all business for which llCs may be formed under the New York llC law.

6legalMay.5

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF UpSTATE NY liViNG, llC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/7/23. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of llC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Dan Botwinik, 232 West Cannon St, Boston, MA 02116. purpose: any lawful activity.

6legalMay.5

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Moe’s Remodels, llC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 3/14/2023. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY Designated as agent of llC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 101 Buckhorn lake Road Unadilla, NY 13849 purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6legalApr.27

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Upstate Architecture pllC, Articles of Org. were filed with the Secretary of the State of New York (SSNY) on 06/22/2022. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the pllC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the pllC, 56 Center St. Oneonta, NY 13820. purpose: any lawful purpose.

6legalApr.27

LegaL nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Missink Toons llC Arts of Org. filed SSNY 2/21/23, Otsego Co. SSNY design agent for process & shall mail to Zenbusiness inc. 41 State St #112 Albany, NY 12207 General purpose

6legalApr.27

letters

Continued from page 4

community. We provide educational opportunities for young people through our annual collaboration with BOCES and we are able to offer free tickets to all students (and their parents!) thanks to an anonymous donor. The pandemic affected everyone and the Catskill Symphony Orchestra was no exception. We were forced to cancel our entire season in 2020, and our newly appointed Music Director Maciej Żółtowski spent more than two years waiting to conduct a full season. We came back this year with a bang, sharing a gifted pianist, brilliant violinist, and an accomplished jazz trumpeter alongside our world-class orchestra. Soon we will share our largest concert ever with the Catskill Choral Society, performing “Music from the Silver Screen.” (Shameless concert plug: This is May 13 at the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Field House—tickets are $40 and are available at catskillsymphony.org)

Transitions and new beginnings are on the horizon for us all as we look toward our milestone season. We embark on a new-found commitment to the legacy of the CSO with new partnerships, new fundraising and new faces. i have truly enjoyed this year working with Maestro Żółtowski and i will be thrilled to see (and hear) the work he will be doing with the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra. There is always room for more music, in my book. The CSO will welcome Glen Cortese, our interim music director, who joins us with excitement and a wealth of experience as the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra artistic director and close ties to the CSO through his work with the late (and beloved) Chuck Schneider.

Music should always bring people together. it provides a sense of joy and community, and it can help to lift people’s spirits. i believe that the future of live music in our community is bright, the legacy is strong, and i am excited to see what the future holds. A special thank you to everyone who supports the Catskill area non-profits so they can grow, thrive, create, perform and employ year after year.

in addition to the points mentioned above, i would like to add that there is room for more music, more support and more collaboration. i believe we can all work together to make the Catskills a thriving center for live music. Here are a few ideas:

• We can support local music by attending concerts and buying the performers’ music.

• We can volunteer our time.

• We can donate to local music organizations (like the CSO!).

• We can collaborate with other organizations to promote live music.

Ryan Geraghty Executive Director, Catskill Symphony Orchestra

Kudos to OLT for Crumhorn Effort

Thank you for your informative article and inspiring editorial about the former scout camp on Crumhorn lake in your paper last week.

i have been fortunate to have lived across the lake from the camp since 1981 and love the peaceful nature of the land and the motorless lake. For decades, the Crumhorn lake Association

and Boy Scout camp posted “Crumhorn Courtesy” signs around the lake, inviting the community to enjoy the lake in a quiet and respectful manner. Neighbors would come to swim, kayak and fish. Others would come to ride their horses or take a walk. We all loved when the scouts arrived for the summer, had their campfires, canoe regattas and “Order of the Arrow” ceremonies. Most of us on the lake had generations of family members who were both scouts and scout leaders.

When the camp closed several years ago, we were both saddened and concerned. The possibility of the camp property being protected through a conservation easement through the Otsego land Trust was such welcome news! Now we all need to join together to request that some of the funds approved in the Environmental Bond Act last year be allocated to save this sacred land in Otsego County. Thank you for raising awareness of this opportunity.

Lori Solensten Crumhorn lake

Thorsland

Continued from page 1

baseball program is a world away from his small highschool team.

“We just have so many more resources here than we did at Milford. Here i get a full breakdown of my mechanics and constant coaching. it’s easier to work on my pitching,” he said.

By all accounts, Thorsland lives and breathes baseball. He is a mathematics major and intends to move toward engineering or business for further studies, but his team takes up a huge part of his schedule. He has classes until early afternoon and then practice and workouts from 3-7 p.m.

“By the time i’m out of practice, it’s time to go to bed and be ready to do the whole thing over the next day,” he said. “i’m glad the team is so close, it makes it much easier. We do things socially together and i’m very close with some of the other freshmen. Everyone is part of the group and part of the team.”

During the off-season, Thorsland plays intramural sports obsessively to stay in shape. For much of high school, he commuted to Boston every weekend.

“That was my first experience of what i’d call ‘real baseball,’” he recalled.

“Everyone just cares so much about the sport at that level and at college. Everyone truly wants to be there and everyone really works hard.”

Thorsland will play for the Oneonta Outlaws this summer, alongside Cooperstown Central School graduate Chris Ubner.

Thorsland is cautiously optimistic about the rest of the season. The Red Dragons all but locked up a spot in the conference playoffs by sweeping Fredonia.

“We honestly beat ourselves against Cortland,” Thorsland said, referring to the series Oneonta dropped 0-3 on April 14 and 15. “They’ve historically been the real powerhouse in our conference and we psyched ourselves out. But we also beat Brockport 2-1 in a series and they won two of three against Cortland this past weekend. Now that we know that, and we know they can be beaten, it’s just a matter of going out and playing as well as i know we can.”

“i don’t want to get ahead of myself, but i definitely think we have a shot at the championship,” he concluded.

However this season shakes out, Oneonta will have a champion in Thorsland for years to come.

Railway

Continued from page 3

route originally extended from Richfield Springs to Bridgewater, a distance of 18.5 miles. At either end, connections were made to other rail lines. At the Richfield end, the lackawanna, of phoebe Snow fame, was the connection.

A recent “Afternoon Ramble” had 16 passengers aboard, hailing from as far away as East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The conductor/historian, Erin Dugan, provided commentary on both the landscape and the history of the rail line, which was first opened in 1868—a year before the driving of the “Golden Spike” that completed the Transcontinental Railroad. At the end of the current length of track, the train stops, allowing the riders to hike and explore further along the roadbed.

As the train headed back to the depot, Ben Gottfried read aloud a poem he composed for the occasion—something that frequently happens on these weekend rides.

Once the train arrived at the McKoons Road terminal, the riders stayed on, savoring the experience. A good time was truly had by all.

Temple Beth El To Present Concert on May 7

ONEONTA—“From The Shtetl To Broadway,” music from the Old World to the New, will be presented at Temple Beth El of Oneonta on Sunday, May 7 at 4 p.m. This family- friendly community event is free and open to the public. From the Eastern European klezmer folk tradition to swing standards and Broadway favorites, the concert explores the arc of immigrant music to that of established composers such as George Gershwin and leonard Bernstein, and concludes with a Yiddish sing-along. Robin Seletsky, a second-generation klezmer clarinetist who has appeared in venues around the country as well as internationally, will open the program with freylekhs and nigunim. The award winning Siesel/Torgan Duo will contribute several original songs from their project, “Now We Can Sing,” inspired by the emigration of Jewish composers from Nazi Germany to America. Vocalists Colby Thomas and Stan Fox will perform swing standards accompanied by a jazz trio, and Andy puritz will offer his version of Fagin’s showstopper, “Reviewing the Situation,” from Oliver. Other performers include Michael Bauer and linda Klosset. The event is made possible with public funds from the Statewide Community Regrants program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York legislature, and administered by The Earlville Opera House. Temple Beth El is located at 83 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. For more information, call (607) 222-5687.

Friends of Parks Asks for Help with Annual Clean-up

COOpERSTOWN—Cooperstown Friends of the parks seeks volunteers to assist with its annual cleanup of Fairy Spring park and Three-Mile point park. “The village does the heavy work to install the docks, the stairs, and to maintain the property, but our Friends always go the extra mile to help keep our beautiful lakeside parks clean for all residents and visitors. please help,” reads the press release. Volunteers are asked to bring their own rakes, gloves, etc. to assist at Fairy Spring park on Saturday, April 29 at 10 a.m., and/or to spruce up ThreeMile point park on Sunday, April 30 at 1 p.m.

‘HipHop4Life’ Gatherings To Be Held This Weekend

ONEONTA—The coming weekend will feature two multicultural gatherings to connect communities and faith, with a little bit of hip-hop to spice things up. Dubbed “HipHop4life: A Community Engagement Weekend,” the first event will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at the Oneonta Red Door Church, 381 Main Street, Oneonta (enter through the Walling Avenue door). The second gathering will be held the following day, Sunday, April 30, at Forest presbyterian Church, 4019 Center Street in lyons Falls, beginning at 10 a.m. These events are made possible through the efforts of the Rev. laDana Clark of ChurchNtheHood—a faith-based HipHop4life movement—First presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, The Utica presbytery and The Forest presbyterian Church of lyons Falls. programs will feature top area hip hop artists including BiGZU, Good Brothers United, Q’Moshyn, litty Gz, and the Rev. Clark—aka lADYJAM. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, call ChurchNtheHood at (803) 403.3763 or e-mail RevlaDanaClark@gmail.com.

photo by SUNY Oneonta Athletics MARTIN THORSLAND

►Thursday, april 27

ART SUBMISSION Take a chance and enter your artwork in the Regional Juried Art Exhibit. All submissions must be dropped off on Friday, May 12 or Saturday, May 13 at the Cooperstown Art Association. (607) 547-9777.

ART SUBMISSIONS

Artists are invited to apply to show work during the annual “Art By The Lake” Festival. Painters, photographers, sculptors and more will set up stands to display work, sell pieces, and do demonstrations. Deadline is May 31. Presented by Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. (607) 547-1400.

SENIOR MEALS

11:30 a.m. Seniors are invited to enjoy a delicious meal each Tuesday and Thursday. Suggested donation is $3.50 for seniors, $8.60 for guests accompanying a senior. This week, enjoy a lunch of chicken and biscuits, mashed potatoes, green beans and cookie. Richfield Springs Community Center, 6 Ann Street, Richfield Springs. (607) 547-6454.

T ZONE 4-6 p.m. Teens aged 12-15 are invited for this after-school program to de-stress, enjoy a nutritious snack and play games with their peers in a safe environment. Held Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Richfield Springs Community Center, 6 Ann Street, Richfield Springs. Visit richfieldspringscommunitycenter.org/programs/

TOASTMASTERS

6:15-7:30 p.m. Join Oneonta Toastmasters to practice public speaking in a supportive environment. Meets each 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month and may be attended in person or online. Held at The Green Earth, 4 Market Street, Oneonta. Visit

facebook.com/OneontaToastmasters

BEEKEEPING 7 p.m. Join Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association for monthly meeting, featuring lectures on “The Initial Spring Hive Inspection” and “Soft Set Honey Part II” with Richard Lercari. Presentations are followed by Q&A session. Held at The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown. Visit facebook.com/leatherstockingbeekeeping/

►Friday, april 28

BUSINESS SEMINAR

8:30 a.m. Join the “Resilience and Thriving” training to learn to identify stressors and coping mechanisms that relate to negative wellbeing and unhealthy habits, especially as related to the workplace. Interest meeting is presented at the KW Training Center, 31 Main Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-4500 ext. 2.

DANCING & BRUNCH

9:30 a.m. Enjoy delicious lunch, then work it off with some line dancing. Get Fresh On Main, 254 Main Street, Oneonta. (607) 267-4827.

CHILI SUPPER

4-6:30 p.m. Enjoy a delicious chili supper with friends. Eat in or take out. Support the Pierstown Grange, 137 Wedderspoon Hollow Road, Cooperstown. (607) 2372930 or (607) 437-4656.

CHICKEN DINNER

4-7 p.m. Support this local fire department and enjoy a meal of Brooks’ BBQ. Half chickens are $8; chicken dinners are $13 and include baked beans, macaroni salad, roll and dessert. East Springfield Fire House, US Route 20, East Springfield. Springfieldfiredept@gmail.com.

ART & MUSIC 5-7 p.m.

Celebrate opening night of Cooperstown Central School art exhibit, featuring art by local students aged K-12, with

live music and refreshments. Showing through May 12. Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 547-9777.

YOUTH ZONE 7-10 p.m. Students in grades 7-12 are invited for a fun night of games and activities each Friday. Games range from air hockey to Xbox games to board games, with arts and crafts, baking, movie nights, and more also offered. Held at The Richfield Springs Community Center, 6 Ann Street, Richfield Springs. richfieldspringscommunitycenter. org/the-zone/ CONCERT 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy a performance by the award-winning “Catalyst Quartet,” hailed as “invariably energetic and finely burnished… playing with earthy vigor,” by the “New York Times” for their Carnegie Hall debut. Presented by the Oneonta Concert Association at the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1589.

►s aTurday, april 29

FIRST RESPONDERS

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Unadilla community is invited to Coffee With A First Responder. Learn what it takes to join the fire department or the EMS, chat, set up an appointment to have a representative check your house for safety, and more. Unadilla Fire House, 77 Clifton Street, Unadilla. (607) 369-9150.

BABY SHOWER

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. New mothers are invited for this community baby shower featuring presentations, games,

vendors and prizes relating to learning about parenting a new baby. Southside Mall, Oneonta. (607) 432-4401.

GARDEN 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn how to extend the gardening season in this Hot Frame Gardening workshop. Cost, $120/non-member includes the kit, lunch, and a variety of handpicked seeds and seedlings to take home and get started. The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown. (607) 547-1450.

PARK CLEAN-UP

10 a.m. Break out your rakes and gloves, prepare to meet some neighbors, and come help the Friends of the Village Parks get Fairy Spring ready for the season. The village maintains the docks, but it’s up to the rest of us to make it presentable. Fairy Spring Park, 136 County Road 31, Cooperstown. (607) 5472411.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Otsego County Historical Association presents its 7th annual “Partners in Preservation” event, featuring historical societies from throughout Otsego County. This year’s theme is education. Free and open to the public; light lunch available. Maryland Historical Society, 25 Main St., Schenevus. RECYCLING Noon. Load up your recycling and drop it off at Brewery Ommegang, 656 County Highway 33, Cooperstown. (607) 5474488.

ARKELLEBRATION Noon to 5 p.m. Celebrate spring with a fun-filled weekend of arts, books, music and creativity. Art workshops include collage making, blackout poetry, a scavenger hunt in the Night Watch Gallery, more. The spring used book sale will be held both days. Free, open to all. The Arkell Museum & Canajoharie Library, 2 Erie Boulevard, Canajoharie. (518) 673-2314 ext. 113.

FAMILY HIKE 1-3 p.m. Bring the whole family to explore some lesser-known trails with Otsego County Conservation Association Education Specialist Liz Brown.

Look for signs of spring while hiking up the ridge above Oneonta Creek. Free, registration required. Wilber Park, Oneonta. (607) 547-4488.

AUTHOR TALK 1:30 p.m.

This author talk features Robert Benson reading from his book, “What Lightning Spoke: New & Selected Poems.”

Free, open to the public. No registration needed. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1980.

JAZZ NIGHT 5 p.m. Appreciate jazz with the Colonna Duo at the Dunderberg Gallery, 118 Marion Avenue, Gilbertsville. (212) 391-3950.

FUNDRAISER 6 p.m.

Come out for a fun night of music, raffles and more to support the Gary Johnson Memorial OHS Music Scholarship, featuring the JohnsonCarrington Family Musicians & Friends. Held at the B Side Ballroom, 1 Clinton Plaza, Oneonta. (607) 432-2053.

TRIBUTE CONCERT

6:30 p.m. Enjoy a performance by Dark Sarcasm, a tribute band to Pink Floyd, performing songs from “The Dark Side of the Moon” to “Wish You Were Here” and more. Admission, $30. Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center, Oneonta. (607) 431-2080.

CONCERT 7:30 p.m.

Join the Horseshoe Lounge

Playboys for a fun evening of original and traditional backwoods Americana/hillbilly music. Tickets, $16/adult. Walton Theatre, 30 Gardiner Place, Walton. (607) 8656688.

►sunday, april 30

BIKE RODEO 9 a.m. to noon. Safe Kids of Otsego County presents an event on bike safety. Get the kids’ helmets checked, sit them down to learn rules of the road, challenge them with the obstacle course, more. Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown. (607) 547-2800.

BBQ FUNDRAISER Noon until sold out. Enjoy a delicious chicken dinner featuring baked potato, baked beans, coleslaw and brownie. Eat in or take out. Dinners are $15. Hartwick Fire Department Company #1, 3088 County Highway 11, Hartwick. (607) 293-7741.

ARKELLEBRATION Noon to 5 p.m. Celebrate spring with a fun-filled weekend of arts, books, music and creativity. Art workshops include collage making, blackout poetry, a scavenger hunt in the Night Watch Gallery, more.

The spring used book sale will be held both days. Free, open to all. The Arkell Museum & Canajoharie Library, 2 Erie Blvd, Canajoharie. (518) 6732314 ext. 113.

PARK CLEAN-UP 1 p.m.

Help clean up a local park ahead of the summer season.

Bring your rakes, gloves, and a few friends. Hosted by the Friends of the Village Parks at Three Mile Point, 6266 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 547-2411.

WIND CONCERT 3 p.m.

The Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble presents its spring concert, “Encountering The Wild,” featuring centerpiece “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas” (1996) with “Boreal Pines” (2016), “Mystery on Mena Mountain” (1985), and more. Held at Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center, Oneonta. (607) 431-2080.

JAZZ NIGHT 5 p.m. Appreciate jazz with the Bogardus Duo followed by the Bill Farish Quartet at 7 p.m. at the Community Arts Network of Oneonta, Wilber Mansion, 11 Ford Avenue, Oneonta. (212) 391-3950.

►Tuesday, May 2

DINE FOR A CAUSE

8 a.m. Eat out at the restaurants of Otsego County and a percentage of the proceeds will go to raise awareness and support of local non-profit Helios Care. This week, dine at Social Eats Café, 546 Main Street, Oneonta. (607) 4326773.

COMMUNITY HIKE

9:45 a.m. All are invited for a group hike with the Susquehanna Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club. Please bring appropriate clothing, gear and enough water to stay hydrated, and be aware of your level of fitness. Contact hike leader for more information. This week’s hike will be at Betty & Wilber Davis State Park, 133 Davis Road, Schenevus, with hike leader Diane Aaronson. (607) 432-9891.

KIDS’ ART CLASS 3 p.m.

Children pre-K through 12 are invited to stop in and work on an arts and crafts project. Held 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month. Richfield Springs Public Library, 102 West Main Street, Richfield Springs. (315) 858-0230.

ART COLLECTIVE 6 p.m.

Teens and adults are invited for this quiet time to work on your art with likeminded company. Held 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month. Richfield Springs Public Library, 102 West Main Street, Richfield Springs. (315) 858-0230.

►Wednesday, May 3

ART WORKSHOP

6-7 p.m. Spring has sprung. Learn to make beautiful origami book flowers from recycled books and colored paper. Registration required. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1980.

►Thursday, May 4

MAKER CLUB 10 a.m. Bring your art, crochet, sewing, knit or other handwork project to chat, share and enjoy making. Held each 1st and 3rd Thursday. Springfield Library, 129 County Road 29A, Springfield Center. (315) 858-5802.