WRITERS SALON – 7:30 p.m. Hear readings and discussion from writers and poets local to the Catskills region. This week will feature local writer Iris Cushing. Free, open to the public. Community Arts Network of Oneonta, Wilber Mansion, 11 Ford Ave., Oneonta. 607-432-2070 or visit canoneonta.org/writers-salon
It’s interesting to see how populations have changed in our villages and towns. See below for changes for where you live.
Town of Burlington
2010 Population: 1,140, 2020 Population: 1,045
Percent Change: -8.3% (+95)
Town of Butternuts
2010 Population: 1,786, 2020 Population: 1,665
Percent Change: -6.8% (-121)
GALLERY TOUR – 5:30 p.m. Join Victoria Wyeth, granddaughter of Andrew Wyeth, for after-hours tour of exhibit ‘Drawn from Life: Three Generations of Wyeth Figure Studies’ featuring an inside look at her families life and legacy. Cost, $55/non-member. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. 607-547-1400 or visit fenimoreartmuseum.org
The Susquehanna Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will be hosting a press conference in support of the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill which will end the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in a retail setting while also allowing for collaboration with organizations to facilitate adoptions of animals. The conference will be held Wednesday, August 17 at 10 a.m. at the Susquehanna SPCA located at SQSPCA, 5082-5088 State Route 28, Cooperstown.
The polls have opened for the voters of Otsego County to vote on who should finish out the term in the office vacated by the now Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. The candidates are Pat Ryan (Democrat & Working Families) and Marcus Molinaro (Republican & Conservative) .
Registered Otsego County Democrats will also be voting in the primaries for the 19th Congressional District and the 21st Congressional District while registered Otsego County Republicans will be voting in the primary for the 51st New York State Senate District.
Early voting will be taking place at the following dates and times:
MUSIC FESTIVAL – 7 – 9 p.m. The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival presents a Musical Kaleidoscope featuring the Caroga Arts Ensemble who are known for their genre spanning performances. The group includes KASA Quartet, Treesearch, Geoff Saunders and more performing everything from classical to pop to bluegrass and more. Tickets are by donation. The Otesaga, Cooperstown. Visit cooperstownmusicfest.org
CONCERT FEST – 7 p.m. Enjoy the Tom Hovey Summer Music Festival. This week is a Aaron Brask and the Old Masters performing Classic Jazz. Free. Rain or Shine. Meadow Links Golf Course, 476 Co. Rd. 27, Richfield Springs. 315-858-1646 or visit meadowlinks.com/#5_News-and-Events
TORCH RUN – 10 a.m. Support the New York Special Olympics. The Law Enforcement Torch Run is to light the way for acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities. Purchase a shirt for $25 to support the Special Olympics. Run begins at The Clark Sports Center and concludes at Doubleday Field, Cooperstown. 607-547-2800 or visit cooperstownny.org
ART BY THE LAKE – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Join artists of upstate New York to celebrate the beauty of nature and Otsego Lake. On show will be pastels, watercolor, oil, acrylics, photography, and many more mediums with demonstrations throughout the day. On the lawn of the Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. 607-547-1400 or visit fenimoreartmuseum.org
Folk music legends Robin and Linda Williams will return to the area for an evening concert at Hyde Hall on August 20 at 6:30 p.m. They are known internationally for their harmony and songwriting talents. The couple has dedicated their career to making a blend of acoustic bluegrass, folk, and Americana with warm vocal harmonies with a humorous twist with insightful observations.
The husband-and-wife singer-songwriter folk music duo from Virginia met in 1971 and began performing in 1973. They have performed together for more than 40 years and appeared numerous times on film, radio, and at the Grand Ole Opry.
Jonathan Maney, Hyde Hall’s executive director said, “Robin and Linda Williams are world-class folk musicians with 24 personal recordings, thousands of concerts on three continents, a Robert Altman-directed movie, and hundreds of performances on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion. We are honored to host such amazing artists!”
Following a national search, SUNY Oneonta announces that Dirk R. Budd has accepted the role of Chief of Police for the college. His appointment begins Monday, August 15. Chief Budd takes the helm from Interim Chief William Henn, who served in the role for the past year. Henn will return to his role as Assistant Chief.
“I extend my gratitude to William. He has provided excellent leadership for the University Police Department” said President Alberto Cardelle. “I am pleased that our search for a new Chief has resulted in such a talented and experienced individual as Chief Budd.”
This past week The Glimmerglass Festival celebrated the world premiere of The Jungle Book with “A Day at The Festival.” Organized by the Glimmerglass Festival Guild, “A Day at the Festival” invited local children and students to the Glimmerglass campus to partake in Jungle Book-themed festivities before viewing the premiere.
As children and their families entered the theater, it was clear the outreach and connection with local youth has grown stronger each year since The Glimmerglass Festival premiered its first youth opera in 2015. The youth opera is written with young audiences in mind and performed by children. Now, at the 2022 Festival, the company premiered the sixth youth opera in a season where every single production also involves kids.
I am curious about what happened to the paper. We have been looking forward to our weekly drive to the bakery for donuts and The Freeman’s Journal but it seems that we don’t travel in the same social circles as your writers anymore.
Cute kids who learned how to tell port from starboard is a front page story?
There has to be something going on in Otsego County more interesting than that or a new garden for the posh opera people. I guess we are not good or wealthy enough to read the paper anymore.
We miss the days when we could read a good juicy story about happenings in places other than Cooperstown or read an entertaining column. I guess we will still come back once in awhile for the donuts. Schneider’s still has the best!
Drew Downie
Hartwick
“We are so happy to be included in the Special Olympics for the Law Enforcement Torch Run. The organization reached out to us to do a fundraiser for the Special Olympics and it’s this Sunday, August 14,” Cooperstown Police Chief Frank Cavalieri said.
It’s a fundraiser torch run and the torch gets lit at the Special Olympics.
“The fundraising helps to bring people in to these games with special needs. Ithaca College will host these games in 2023 and 2024. We’re trying to help out to bring in as much money. Law enforcement helps out and tries to collect as much money as we can,” the chief said.
It starts at the Clarks Sports Center at 10 am on Sunday, August 14, in Cooperstown and will be a 1.75 mile scenic course. It ends at Doubleday Field with light refreshments. For more information and to register, contact Michaela Darbyshire at mdarbyshire@nyso.org or call 315-625-3625.
The Glimmerglass production of The Sound of Music is a triumph. Without giving the stagecraft away, the song “Edelweiss” is put in its proper historical context: it’s a protest song against fascism. The Nazi regime was famously protested by officers, such as the real Baron von Trapp, a WWI war hero, by protest groups, including those let by the minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and student groups, the most famous of which were the Edelweiss Pirates. So when you go see the musical, remember that before the von Trapps fled the Nazi regime, they protested it. The song “Edelweiss” is a reminder of that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Edelweiss_Pirates
Chip Northrup
Cooperstown