News Briefs: November 21, 2024

‘Gift of the Magi’ Reading Set

ONEONTA—The 37th annual Friends of Christmas Community Dinner, presented by Saturday’s Bread, will once again host a staged reading of the classic O. Henry holiday tale “The Gift of the Magi.” The touching story is adapted for stage reading by Jon Jory and will be directed by renowned actor, playwright, and screenwriter Patrick Breen. It will be performed at the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3. Admission is free with donations graciously accepted to support the Community Dinner. The dinner itself will be held at the same location from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 21. It is intended to ensure that no one must spend the holiday season alone. To reserve a dinner, sign up to volunteer or donate, visit www.friendsofchristmas.org or call (607) 431-8025.

CAA Wreath Festival Returns

COOPERSTOWN—The Cooperstown Art Association’s ever-popular Adorn-a-Door Wreath Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 30 in the upstairs ballroom gallery at 22 Main Street. It will feature about 100 wreaths by local artists and businesses to be sold by silent auction. The event is open to the public with a suggested donation of $5.00. “Dinner’s On Us,” a package of gift certificates to local restaurants valued at $400.00, will be raffled off at 4 p.m. All proceeds support the CAA and its scholarship fund for area high-school seniors.

Art Garage Exhibit To Open

MIDDLEFIELD—The Art Garage will hold an opening reception for its final exhibition of the year, “Multiples,” from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, November 22. The new show features ceramics by Marcie Schwartzman of Cooperstown, animal wood carvings by Lavern Kelley of Oneonta, stained-glass tabletop “light boxes” by Trevor Wilson of Hobart, photographic collages by Gail Peachin of South Worcester, and brushless paintings by Michael Fedorov of Maryland. It will be on view through January 25. The gallery is open for regular hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and by appointment any day of the week at (315) 941-9607.

Kendi Film To Be Screened

COOPERSTOWN—The Race, Equity and Justice Series will present a screening of “Stamped from the Beginning” in the upstairs ballroom of the Village Hall, 22 Main Street, from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, December 8. The film is based on the award-winning book of the same name by Ibram X. Kendi and examines the history and evolution of anti-Black racism in the U.S. Rev. Mike Coles of the First Baptist Church will lead a discussion afterwards, and pizza and beverages will be available.

Craft Fair Benefits Class of ‘28

MARYLAND—Schenevus Central School’s Class of 2028 will hold a holiday craft fair fundraiser at the school from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 7. In addition to local vendors with a wide variety of holiday shopping, there will be a raffle table supporting the class directly.

‘Legends’ Game Date Slated

COOPERSTOWN—The annual Cooperstown Central School alumni soccer match will kick off on Lambert Field at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 28, rain or shine. The Legends Game has been played on Thanksgiving Day each year since 1990, except for the COVID-19 cancellation in 2020. All former Cooperstown soccer players, including current seniors, are invited to join. Participants will be divided between Team Youth and Team Experience based on their ages. Youth defeated Experience 8-0 in last year’s match, led by MVP Colby Diamond’s three goals. The younger team has won three of the last four matches after securing their first-ever victory in 2019.

Walk/Run Will Benefit CFP

COOPERSTOWN—A Thanksgiving Morning Walk/Run to support the Cooperstown Food Pantry will begin in the Clark Sports Center parking lot at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 28. All participants may choose their own speed and distance. Monetary donations may be made online or in person. For more information, contact Dee at (607) 282-0626.

Chamber Seeks Tree Sponsors

ONEONTA—The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Festival of Trees at Southside Mall is open for sponsorships from local businesses. Sponsors will have the chance to showcase their organization to the public, engage with the community and support chamber events across the region. Participants can either provide a six-foot artificial tree with lights, decorations, skirt and topper, along with the $50.00 entry fee, or sponsor a tree for $200.00 and let the chamber do the rest. Festival setup will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., December 1 through 5. For more information, contact Karen Laing at klaing@otsegocc.com or (607) 432-4500.

Local ADK Plans Excursions

ONEONTA—The Adirondack Mountain Club, Susquehanna Chapter, recently released its schedule for December. They will hike Bramley Mountain in Delhi, a steep and difficult trail, on Tuesday, December 3. Excursion leaders Tom and Roberta Austin may be reached at (607) 435-8107. Carolyn and Jim Austin, available at (607) 437-5734, will lead a hike at Gilbert Lake State Park on Tuesday, December 10. There will be a woodland hike in Jefferson led by Betsy Cunningham, (607) 437-3758, on Tuesday, December 17.

Contact the group leaders listed or Diane Aaronson, (607) 432-9391, or Linda Pearce, (607) 432-8969, for outing information and meeting point locations. Participants must have the proper clothing, equipment, and fitness level for each type of activity, including sufficient water, and carpool participants are asked to contribute toward gas costs.

Free Concert Announced

HERKIMER—Herkimer College will host a free holiday concert featuring the Modernistics at 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 7 in the Sarkus-Busch Theater. The Modernistics are an acclaimed singing and tap-dancing group led by Ted and Pamela Powers, backed up by jazz virtuosos Peter H. Bloom, Mark Leighton, and Dave Zox. The free concert is made possible by the Robert H. Wood Great Artist Series.

AAA Projects Record Travel

UTICA—AAA projects that a record 79.9 million Americans will travel 50 or more miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday period, an increase of 1.7 million over last year and 2 million more than pre-pandemic travel in 2019. For the first time, the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day were included in the forecast to better capture the flow of holiday travelers. A record 71.7 million people are expected to travel by car, taking advantage of gas prices that remain more than 40 cents lower than the same time last year. The report noted that traffic conditions will be at their worst on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.