News Briefs: July 17, 2025

Early Bird Swim Is July 31st

COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown Friends of the Parks will hold their annual Early Bird Swim at Fairy Spring Park at 7 a.m. on Thursday, July 31. After the refreshing morning swim, there will be a dog paddle race, a light breakfast and drinks donated by Stagecoach Coffee.

Three Breweries To Partner

COOPERSTOWN—Brewery Ommegang has announced a collaboration with two other world-class breweries, Belgium’s Liefmans and Italy’s Birrificio del Ducato, to produce the Passport Royale Mixed Culture IPA. The 7.5 percent ABV sour IPA includes 45 percent Ducato’s Machete Double IPA, 50 percent Liefman’s Pale Sour and five percent Liefman’s Blueberry Beer. The brewers recommend pairing Passport Royale with aromatic cheeses, grilled salmon or summer berry desserts. Sold in 16-ounce four-packs, it will be available at limited locations through the end of July. For more information or to find a vendor, visit https://www.ommegang.com/beer-finder/.

Baseball Exhibit Now Open

COOPERSTOWN—The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum opened the new “Yakyu | Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game” exhibition on its third floor, exploring the 150-year history of baseball in the United States and Japan. Coinciding with Ichiro Suzuki’s long-awaited induction, the exhibit covers the extensive circulation of baseball concepts, players’ play styles, fan experiences, equipment and culture across the Pacific from the Meiji period to the present. Named for the Japanese term for the game, it covers more than 1,800 square feet of museum space. Special attention is given to transpacific team tours, including the 1905 Waseda University team tour of the U.S. and the massively popular 1934 tour of Japan featuring Babe Ruth. The exhibit also extensively covers the widespread exchange of MLB and NPB players over the decades, including major stars like Larry Doby, Warren Cromartie, Masanori Murakami and Hideo Nomo. It was announced last year at press conferences in Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles. For more information, visit baseballhall.org.