L to R: Micah Wonjoon Kessel, Boston; Lisa Powell Graham, Troy; Anne Therese Gennari, NYC; Lisa Meschutt, Oneonta. Not shown, Rosalia Rivera.
Approximately 150 people gathered at the Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center for the eighth annual TedXOneonta on September 24, to hear five speakers share their “ideas worth spreading.”
The theme of this year’s event was “Tranformations.”
Micah Wonjoon Kessel described the transformative power of empathy in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion trainings he and his company design. According to Google research, “psychological safety” and feeling included are the key to what makes teams great.
Oneonta’s Barbara Doyle is now a full-time writer. “As of January 1, I committed to writing full time,” she said. “It’s great; I can travel and write anywhere I want.”
Ms. Doyle has published 15 books under the name B. Celeste. “It feels great, this is the one thing since I was a kid that I said I wanted to do,” Ms. Doyle said. “I’ve always loved writing and reading. I’m not cut out to be a teacher or a nurse. I feel I am meant to do something more.”
Ms. Doyle’s style of writing is the romance genre. “I write contemporary romance in fiction. That’s my niche,” she said. “I’ve always gravitated toward that. But this is more real-life romance. I keep it real.”
Charlie Waller, grandson of Bill and Carol Waller of Cooperstown and son of CCS graduate Scott Waller has won the IFA Futsal World Championship in Blanes, Spain. He played as a member of the U.S. team made up of members from across the country. His Under 14 team won every match, including the championship game against Scotland.
Maureen Kuhn, Family Nurse Practitioner, is retiring from Bassett Medical Center after 40 years.
Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) are nurses with an advanced degree who treat a full range of patient populations, from infants to the elderly.
“I came to Bassett as a float FNP, there were three health centers at the time, Cherry Valley, Edmeston and Morris,” Ms. Kuhn said. “I was hired to float between those three health centers,” she said.
Barry (Bearcat) Gray had his first hole-in-one during the Leatherstocking Golf Club Championship last week.
“I’ve been playing golf for over 40 years and this is a first!” Mr. Gray said. “When I hit it, I saw it go up and then I lost it in the sun. I didn’t see it land or go in,” he said.
“It was awesome, it was a great feeling,” he said. “I hope I don’t have to wait another 40 years to do it again!”
“I’m very excited to be here and in this new capacity. We are still moving in and getting a used to everything here. I understand we will need to make some changes but we are ready!” said Darren Reisberg, newly appointed 11th president of Hartwick College.
“We were in Chicago for 22 years, so it’s great to be back on the east coast. My family is from New Jersey so they are happy and appreciate we are back too!”
Mr. Reisberg has an impressive resumé. He’s been a vice president for Strategic Initiatives and Deputy Provost at The University of Chicago, He was also an executive director at The University of Chicago Institute of Politics.
This Cooperstown family has experienced the magic of The Glimmerglass Festival as audience members for decades. Now, they take the Glimmerglass stage together this summer.
The Gradys, or the Grady Bunch as they are lovingly called, are all singing and dancing in Glimmerglass Festival productions this summer. The Sound of Music, playing now, features parents Kara and Matt, as well as Gavin, 12, who stars as Friedrich von Trapp. But The Sound of Music isn’t the only show this father and son duo can be seen in during the Festival.
Tenor Overboard, a new opera with music by Rossini and book by Ken Ludwig, premieres July 19 and features Matt and Gavin as well.
“Folks should not be missing Tenor Overboard because the cast has been working incredibly hard,” Matt said. “Reworking, changing, and workshopping things to make it an amazingly hilarious, not-to-be-missed production.”
Standing in front of the new Cargo Net, these volunteers made it happen in Cherry Valley. L to R front row: Paige Thayer, Spencer Thayer, Zola Palmer, Angelica Palmer, Baily Thayer, Tucker Cornelia. L to R back row: Lyman Johnson, Michelle Johnson, Nancy Beale, Therijo Snyder, Nathan Emery, Marc-Anthony Polizzi, Ruth Doell, Jim Johnson, Ginger Thayer, Alzina Johnson, Dennis Doell, DJ Cornelia, Ashlee Cornelia.
A project that was started almost three years ago, the Cherry Valley Playground was completed this past weekend. It is finally ready to accept kids of all ages to come play!
It all began when two young ladies who are part of the Cherry Valley Girls Scout Troop wanted to get their Bronze Award. “You have to complete a journey in order to get a bronze award,” Zola Palmer, 11, said. “We had to think about what would make our community better. We had to figure out an active community service.”
“We really wanted to do something that would draw people to our community, since we’re so small,” Bailey Thayer, 12, said. “We thought if we made a playground, more people would come and visit Cherry Valley.”
Lilly and Stacey Haynes exploring Cooperstown and meeting new people on the way.
A small miracle took place this morning on Main Street Cooperstown. Lily, a recent rescue dog from Ohio, got to see the world for the first time after spending most of her 5 years in a puppy mill.
Lily took this walk with Stacie Haynes, the Executive Director for the Susquehanna SPCA, to seek out people to adopt her and the 5 other dogs rescued from the mill who are now being housed at the shelter.
With the shelter full to bursting already, they are seeking people to adopt these now-fortunate pooches.
Tonight, Friday July 15, the shelter is holding a ‘Singles Night’ for dogs who would do best in homes as the only pet. Stop by the shelter between 5 and 7 p.m. to meet the adoptable dogs. Singles will be marked with a rose on their kennel. Visitors will receive a coupon for a free beverage redeemable at Brewery Ommegang’s Fire Pit Friday. Visit https://www.facebook.com/SQSPCA/
CCS Class of 2022 graduate Madison Hayes at the Cooperstown Rotary Club meeting on July 5th where she received the Catherine Davis Black Scholarship to assist in her future studies at Colgate University. [l to r: Bill Hayes, Tim Hayes, Madison Hayes and Lindsay Hayes.]
The Cooperstown Rotary Foundation is pleased to announce that CCS graduate, Madison Hayes, is the recipient of the 2022 Catherine Black Scholarship. Madison was acknowledged at this year’s CCS Commencement Ceremony on June 26th and received the $1200 scholarship at the July 5th Rotary luncheon at The Otesaga. Madison along with her parents Tim and Lindsay Hayes were guests of the Foundation at the Rotary meeting and were joined by Madison’s grandfather, Rotarian Bill Hayes.
The scholarship was created in 2015 by the Foundation in memory of Catherine Black who was a founder and Charter Member of the local Rotary Club’s tax-deductible charity. Catherine was the first female president of the Cooperstown Club and went on to be one of the first female District Governors.
Christine McBrearty-Hulse takes a moment to check in with one of her farm’s North American Cashmere Goats
The chickens, Christine McBrearty-Hulse said, were “the gateway drug to farming” when she thought it would be fun to raise a few. Hulse Hill Farm, on Route 28 midway between Cooperstown and Fly Creek, still has chickens, but also pigs, barn cats, a rabbit, and goats of various age gathered in spacious fenced-in fields, with the farm’s North American Cashmere goat herd at the core of her farm products.
“It’s a true homestead farm experience,” she told The Freeman’s Journal / Hometown Oneonta on a tour of the farm, which includes a bed-and-breakfast (including a well-appointed ‘tiny home’), vegetable gardens, and farm stand with products from the farm and local artisans. “We looked at our options and took old ideas from farming and 4-H and it turned into all this.”
Along with the b-and-b, Hulse Hill offers at-the-farm events, gearing up for an April 16 Make-a-Posey Fiber Pin workshop, farm tours on April weekends, and two projects about which Christine is excited – a ‘native paw paw
Milford Central School freshman Jack Yorke has earned recognition as a “Borlaug Scholar” at Cornell University’s New York Youth Institute and a chance to serve as a New York Youth delegate at the World Food Prize annual event in Des Moines, Iowa, later this year.
The Ivy League experience requires high school students to research issues they care about and submit to a panel of Cornell experts and professors a paper proposing their ideas to solve grand challenges. Jack researched and submitted an innovative proposal to solve Food Scarcity and World Hunger and was among those selected as a “Borlaug Scholar.”
The honor is named for American agronomist Normal Ernest Borlaug, who led initiatives worldwide and was awarded multiple honors including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.
On Tuesday, the Be the Match bone marrow donor event took place at CCS High School. Several got swabbed, but just as important, students were stopping by that weren’t quite 18 yet to register. When they turn 18, they will get information sent to them on how to become part of the registry. “I wanted to volunteer at this event because I learned about it when we had a community service project we had to do. I’m in community health care and this is very important to me,” said Ariadne Hodgson. Left to Right: Back row: Ln Alessi, (Vincenza’s mother), Jennifer Pinder and Rebecca Burk-Sciallo, event organizers and teachers. Front Row: Students Ariadne Hodgson, 12th grade and Malachi Sciallo, 11th grade, volunteers.
Rich McCaffery displays his award with Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh
After logging decades of tireless service to his community, Cooperstown’s Rich McCaffery has become only one of 100 people across the country to receive a Certificate of National Recognition as a Civic Volunteer.
“Nominating Rich for this award was an easy choice,” said Village Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh. “There is no one more deserving.”
Cooperstown resident Liz Callahan will bring her more than 25 years of experience in leading non-profit organizations in the region when she steps in as Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties (CCE SO) on April 12.
“Cornell Cooperative Extension is all about community resilience,” Ms. Callahan said in a conversation with The Freeman’s Journal / Hometown Oneonta. “The entire staff has a deep commitment to help families, farms, and individuals find answers that will work for them. The healthier our smaller units – our families, for instance – the healthier the communities will be.”
CCE SO, affiliated with Cornell University as part of the national land grant university system, is a non-profit community education agency. CCE helps preserve the region’s agricultural heritage, protect ecological infrastructure, support families, and provide youth opportunities for community service and research-based education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Ms. Callahan grew up in Western New York, where she participated in 4-H, served as a VISTA volunteer, and moved to Cooperstown in 1991 to pursue her Master’s in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program.
“Cooperative Extension is so much bigger than its visible role in 4-H,” she said. “The resources we have aren’t solidly defined with sharp corners. We’re focused on figuring out what communities need; that’s something that will be different in the rural and less rural parts of our counties.”
“Using the talents of the professional staff we have on hand and the resources of the Extension system, I know we can provide practical and constructive responses,” she said.
CCE SO’s remit spans a spectrum addressing the needs of long-established family farms to start-up agricultural endeavors, from professional gardeners to home hobbyists, from families needing
Cooperstown resident Liz Callahan will bring her more than 25 years of experience in leading non-profit organizations in the region when she steps in as Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties (CCE SO) on April 12.