ASK THE EXPERT – 3 p.m. Learn how the curators obtain artifacts for exhibit by donation, or loan from teams, players, and fans. Free, registration required for Zoom meeting. Presented by The Baseball Hall of Fame. Visit baseballhall.org/events/virtual-ask-the-expert-artifact-acquisition?date=0 for info.
All trussed up, the tree on the property of “Daddy Al” Dick is almost prepped for the long journey to New York City, where it will become the centerpiece of the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)
By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
WEST ONEONTA – As crews finish wrapping the 75-foot tall pine tree on “Daddy Al” Dick’s property here, state police have issued an alert of traffic delays and lane closures over the next tomorrow through Thursday on Route 23 here as the tree is cut down and prepared for the journey to Rockefeller Center, where it will become the most famous Christmas tree in the world.
According to Trooper Aga Dembinska, the area in the 3800 block of Route 23, north of Route 8 “may be experiencing higher than normal volume this week.”
Jenna Utter of Edmeston, the new Cooperstown village clerk, and her deputy, Pat Winsor, pause a few minutes ago from reviewing NYCOM’s Handbook for Village Officials. Today is Utter’s first day on the job at 22 Main; she succeeds Village Administrator Teri Barown, who retired at the end of October. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras Aug. 30 on his first trip to the SUNY Oneonta campus at the height of the local outbreak. (AllOTSEGO.com photo)
ONEONTA – In Albany Sunday, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras released a plan he said will allow campuses like SUNY Oneonta to safely return to in-person instruction in the spring semester.
The main components are:
The students’ return will be pushed back to Feb. 1 from Jan. 22.
All returning students will complete seven-day precautionary quarantines before arriving on campus.
On arriving, all students will be tested for COVID-19 on return to campus, and will be tested through the semester.
Masks must be worn at all times, even with social distancing.
In “plain language,” a “What Students Should Know” message will go to all students, so there are no misunderstandings.
Students will work through spring break to make up for late start.
If you could, you got outdoors today, as temperatures rose to 70-plus degrees across Otsego County. You may have notice Charlie Brooks, flag flying as he led a team of motorcyclists up Route 28 and into Cooperstown during the noon hour. Passing the Baseball Hall of Fame, Charlie, from Northampton, on Great Sacandaga Lake in the Adirondacks, was accompanied wife Thora Blackwood and the Townsends, friends of the couple from New Hartford. The good news is the weather will continue fine Monday and Tuesday, with highs in the 70 range. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
Milford’s Don Atkinson rolls out chain-link fencing this morning at the Village of Milford’s Wilber Park, where work is underway to complete a community dog park in time for its prospective dedication Thursday afternoon. Attaching the fencing are Don’s wife Kimberly, right, and Sarah Cummings, who lives in Milford but is active in Superheroes on Ripped Jeans, the Oneonta animal-care group. At left, the Atkinsons’ daughter Willow, 5, looks on. Inset, Sarah and Kimberly do some of the heavy lifting. The $3,500 project is being accomplished with the help of a grant from the Milford Rotary Club. It would be the first public dog park in the county, although other communities are considering similar facilities. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
FARMER’S MARKET – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Stop by for crafts & produce by local farmers and artisans. 3909 St. Hwy. 28, Curry Park, Milford. 607-287-2460 or visit www.facebook.com/groups/2048911982045357/
FARMER’S MARKET – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Come out for farm fresh produce, crafts by local artisans for sale in the fresh air & sunshine. For your, others safetyt, please obey all guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic. Franklin Farmer’s Market, 15 Institute St., Franklin. 615-592-1337 or visit franklinlocal.org/farmers-market/
A new sign rose this morning in front the Milford United Methodist. The crew consisted of church members, from left, Tom Rathbone, Brad Brooks, Terry Mattison, Al Dubreuil, Bill Triolo and Dave Meade. Al’s son-in-law, Jason Gaitz, Houston, Texas, fabricated at his shop there, Sign Worx. The sign is in front of the new church on Route 28 that was completed in June 2019. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
Caitlyn Thompson, Oneonta, a Girl Scout with Troop 3007, got to work early this morning with cans of paint and rollers as she repainted the helicopter landing pad at the FoxCare Center for her Silver Award project. Thompson, an eighth grader, is currently interested in helicopter rescue and hopes one day to become EMT certified. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)
Cooperstown firefighter Henry Stewart, top left, and Fire Captain Chris Satriano watch for flare-ups after a fast-moving fire leveled Kip Coburn’s barn this evening at 324 Williams Road on Christian Hill, Town of Otsego. Coburn operates Wood Bull Antiques on Route 28, Milford, and said today the barn was used to store overflow antiques from that operation; all were lost. Coburn’s son said the only animals in the barn were chickens, and they escaped to safety. Inset, Cooperstown’s second assistant chief, Kevin Preston, moves debris to allow the flames to burn out. Firefighters responded from Fly Creek, Hartwick, Hartwick Seminary, Schuyler Lake and Richfield Springs, as well as Cooperstown. “They toned us all,” said Cooperstown firefighter Frank Capozza. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
CHERRY VALLEY – Edward “Bud” Fitz Randolph Garretson of Cherry Valley, a former dairyman, pilot and father of four sons, passed before the dawn broke on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. He was 92.
He was born in Westfield, N.J., on July 22, 1928. His life changed when he took a job on a neighbor’s farm in 1945 and discovered a strong love for farming. In Stillwater, N.J., these farmers became cherished mentors to Bud and the skills they taught him became the foundation of his life.
CELEBRATION – 1 p.m. Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos on Zoom with Coop Graduate Program. Features storytime & craft activity. Pick up materials at the Library during 11/5 & 11/6 (3-5 p.m.). During the week public is invited to place a copy of a photograph of a deceased loved one on the ofrenda (altar) to celebrate & honor loved ones who are no longer with us. Cooperstown Village Library. Visit diademuertoscgp.wordpress.com
Geoff Doyle, Foothills Operations Manager, discusses the layout of the Oneonta Farmers Market, which opens in the atrium this weekend, with Meg Kennedy, market president, and Tanya Moyer, treasurer. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
ONEONTA – This Saturday, the Oneonta Farmers Market will find their new winter home inside atrium of Foothills.
“The walkway space we usually use for the winter market was too close for social distancing and improperly ventilated,” said Meg Kennedy, market president and owner of ARK Floral. “It wasn’t a safe space with the pandemic going on.”
ONEONTA – Retiring state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, will receive the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce’s Eugene A. Bettiol, Jr., Distinguished Citizen Award during a virtual ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.
“Senator Seward has been a strong supporter of business and manufacturing in the regions he serves, and he has always worked hard on behalf of the business community’s needs,” wrote Barbara Ann Heegan, Chamber president, in a press release.