News Briefs: January 16, 2025

King Celebration Is Sunday

ONEONTA—The Oneonta Area NAACP will present its annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 19 at 12 Ford Avenue. The event, “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Non-Violence,” will feature speakers and participants including Rev. Stacey Mitchell of the Unitarian Universalist Society, Poletta Louis of the NAACP, Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek, historian and retired Hartwick Associate Dean Harry Bradshaw Matthews, Monet Rothenberg and Pastor Mike Coles of the First Baptist Church of Cooperstown. There will be live music and refreshments.

ZumbaThon Set for Jan. 18th

LAURENS—Laurens Central School will host the second annual ZumbaThon in memory of Linda Reeves from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 18. Instructors will lead participants in fun fitness and dance routines. Tickets are $10.00, with all proceeds supporting the American Cancer Society. For more information, call (607) 432-7521.

CAA To Host Watercolor Class

COOPERSTOWN—Local artist Emily Falco will lead an introductory watercolor class at the Cooperstown Art Association’s upstairs classroom space in the Village Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 15. The class is designed for beginners and those with some watercolor experience, and will be most rewarding for those with experience drawing from life. Materials are provided, but participants are encouraged to bring preferred supplies. There is a $125.00 fee for CAA members ($130.00 for non-members). To register, contact gallery@cooperstownart.com or (607) 547-9777.

New Medical Center To Open

RICHFIELD SPRINGS—Private healthcare practice will return to Richfield Springs after almost 40 years when Glimmerglass Medical and Wellness opens at 68 West Main Street on Saturday, January 25. Led by Dr. Jeffrey Bailey and Dr. Alexis MacDonald, the new clinic will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. The community is invited to attend.

Gallery Issues Call for Shows

CHERRY VALLEY—25 Main Collective gallery has issued a call for a wide range of local artists to participate in its 2025 shows. Priority will be given to those who have not exhibited at 25 Main before, or who are working in a new medium and have not yet displayed it. There are proposed show themes for each month, including “Color and Reflection” in February and self-portraiture in April. Opening receptions will be held from 5-8 p.m. during Cherry Valley First Fridays. Applications are due by March 2; contact 25maincollective@gmail.com for more information.

Civil Rights Leader To Speak

ONEONTA—SUNY Oneonta’s 2025 Black History Month Distinguished Lecture will be delivered in the Hunt Union Ballroom at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 27. Bettie Mae Fikes, a lifelong civil rights activist and singer widely known as the “Voice of Selma,” will be the keynote speaker. She worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s Freedom Singers. Fikes has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival, the Library of Congress, the 1964 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions, and the 2020 funeral services for her longtime friend and comrade Congressman John Lewis. The lecture is free and open to the public, and parking is available.

FAM To Offer Winter Virtual Gallery Tours

COOPERSTOWN—Fenimore Art Museum will present live, virtual offseason tours of its collections from 2-2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays from January 21 through February 18. Women artists will be highlighted on February 4. Museum staff will present the Fenimore’s new American Masterworks Collection on January 21 and February 11. James Fenimore Cooper, Thomas Cole, and the Hudson River school will take center stage on January 28 and February 18. All tours are free of charge, but donations are highly encouraged. Visit www.FenimoreArt.org for more information or to register.

Otsego DAR Hosts Talk on Bassett History

COOPERSTOWN—The Otsego Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution held a meeting at the Thanksgiving Home on Saturday, December 14. Maureen Fitzgerald Murray, a Bassett Medical Center nurse from 1973-2014, spoke on the history of nursing at Bassett. Dr. John S. Davis, a retired Bassett physician and author of “Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, New York: 200 Years of Health Care in Rural America,” was also in attendance.

CADE To Assist Beginning Farmers

ONEONTA—The Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship announced that it will offer a Beginning Farmer Business Boost Program to seven beginning farmers in New York State in 2025. Participants will receive an individualized development and marketing strategy, lifetime access to a suite of financial management courses, a one-year membership to the National Young Farmers Coalition and a $150.00 gift card to an agriculture publication. Priority will be given to farmers from disadvantaged backgrounds, those practicing sustainable farming techniques and those with existing business plans. Visit www.cadefarms.org for more information. Applications are due on Sunday, February 9.

Umpires To Meet, Recruit

ONEONTA—The local chapter of the Schohanna Board of Baseball and Softball Umpires will meet in Hodgdon Instructional Resource Center lecture hall #5 at SUNY Oneonta at 9 a.m. on Sunday, February 2. It will be both a business meeting and an open interest meeting, with all current and prospective umpires invited to attend. There is a critical shortage of umpires for youth athletics, and the board seeks new members. For more information, contact Steven Andrews at (607) 287-3537.

FCAH Meeting, Talk Slated

FLY CREEK—The Fly Creek Area Historical Society will host its monthly meeting at 852 County Road 26 on Wednesday, January 22. Debra MacKenzie will present on historic leaders and legends of Otsego County at 6:30 p.m., followed by refreshments and the meeting at 7:30.

Ice Harvest Announced

EAST MEREDITH—Hanford Mills Museum will hold its annual ice harvest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 25. Visitors will see the traditional process used to harvest ice before the days of widespread refrigeration. Admission will be by donation rather than the usual rates. For more information, visit www.hanfordmills.org.

For additional news briefs, including updates on Cooperstown Central School sports results, visit AllOtsego.com.