News Briefs: November 27, 2025

Legends Game Is Thursday

COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown soccer’s 2025 Legends game will be played on Lambert 2 Field at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 27, regardless of weather. All former male and female Cooperstown Central School soccer players are invited to participate, including graduating seniors. All community members are invited to watch.

Cookie, Crafts Sale Returns

ONEONTA—The Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta, 12 Ford Avenue, will hold its 38th annual Cookies and Crafts Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 6. Local vendors will offer hand-crafted jewelry, quilted items, pottery, stained glass, ornaments, handmade aprons, wallets, bags, scarves and more. In addition to the bake sale, corn chowder, vegetarian chili and muffins will be available for purchase.

Vols, Matching Funds Sought

COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown Friends of the Parks will roll out its Badger Park skating rink in memory of longtime board member Bill Ralston at 1 p.m. on Sunday, December 7. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a push broom and a friend. The group also seeks volunteers throughout the season to assist with the skate shack and ice maintenance; contact millerbu@yahoo.com to sign up.

Additionally, Friends of the Parks announced an anonymous $25,000.00 donation of matching funds to support renovations at Fairy Spring Park. The project will include an accessible viewing deck, ADA-compliant bathrooms, caretaker cottage upgrades and traffic pattern updates. Donations may be sent by check to Friends of the Parks, Attn: Project Fairy Spring, PO Box 1008, Cooperstown, NY 13326, or by Venmo @FOTP-COOP.

Garden Club To Lead Tours

RICHFIELD SPRINGS—The Garden Club of Richfield Springs and the Richfield Springs Historical Society will lead tours of the historic William E. Soeffling Mansion, 50 Church Street, on Saturday, December 6 and 13. The house will be decorated for the season and feature a wide variety of Victorian artifacts and holiday customs. There will be live music and light refreshments, and guests will receive a small complimentary gift for dressing in their Victorian best. Antique ornaments will be available for purchase, and visitors who park in the pavilion area of the Village Park can ride to and from the mansion in a wagon. Tours leave every 45 minutes from 5-8 p.m. Tickets are $10.00, and available at Ace Hardware, the Public Library, NBT Bank and Showcase Antiques.

CCE Announces Workshops

NEW YORK STATE—Cornell Cooperative Extension will hold a workshop for new and prospective small farmers from 6-8 p.m. on December 1 and 8. The first session will cover reading the land, value added, farm stands and soil health, while the second will feature information on small ruminants, fruits and vegetables, beef and swine, and beekeeping. Registration is available at blogs.cornell.edu/cceherkimer/2025/11/13/so-you-bought-the-farm-now-what/. There will be a farm disaster preparation certification course via Zoom from 6-9 p.m. on January 27 and 29. Participants must attend both sessions to complete the course. Middlefield Orchard, 2274 State Highway 166 in Cooperstown, will co-host a fruit tree pruning workshop from 12-2 p.m. on February 28. To view a full list of events or register, visit pub.cce.cornell.edu/event_registration/main/events.cfm.

Breen To Read Holiday Classic

ONEONTA—The Friends of Christmas Community Dinner will host its annual staged reading of O. Henry’s classic Christmas short story “The Gift of the Magi” at the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 2. Local actor Patrick Breen will lend his talent to the dramatic reading. Admission is free, but donations to the annual community dinner are appreciated.

Kane Swims at State Meet

WEBSTER—Milford Central School junior Emily Kane made her third trip to the state swimming championships on Friday, November 21, placing 36th in the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:18.76. Kane won the Section III B/C title in the event on November 1, then recorded a personal record time to win the State Qualifier on November 4. She and state championship cross country runner Evelyn Rhodes will be honored in a Cooperstown parade after press time on Tuesday, November 25.

Delhi Team Takes Second

ALBANY—A team of students from SUNY Delhi’s construction management program earned second place in the Associated Schools of Construction Region I Heavy Civil Competition in Albany. The competition brings together teams from 13 states for a demanding two-day test of industry knowledge and skills. This year’s challenge required a full response to an industry-grade request for proposals based on the I-540 loop project in Raleigh, North Carolina. Delhi’s team included seniors Daniel Carlos of Putnam Valley, Frank Caminitti of Mahopac, Luca Russo of Lynbrook and Riley Welsome of New City.

Plastic Recycling Event Slated

COOPERSTOWN—The League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area will host a “Healthy Homes, Healthy Holidays” program to highlight the problem of plastic waste and pollution from 1-2:15 p.m. on Thursday, December 4. It will take place in the Community Room of the Clark Sports Center. The event features home and personal care products, holiday gift ideas, information, and demonstrations of DIY personal care items. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit LWVCooperstownarea.org.

Relocation Project Underway

ONEONTA—The Swart-Wilcox House Museum has begun its relocation project for a historic English threshing barn that will be moved from Crumhorn Mountain to the museum grounds. The new foundation will be laid shortly. In a release, museum officials noted with gratitude that they are only $30,000.00 short of a $572,000.00 project fundraising goal. For further details or to support the project, visit https://swartwilcoxhouse.wordpress.com/.

Delgado Fundraiser Planned

ONEONTA—New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, former Congressman for Otsego County and candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2026, will hold a fundraising party at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10. Supporters are invited to enjoy an evening of conversation, with an open bar included. There is a suggested donation of $25.00, but all New Yorkers are welcome to attend. Register via ActBlue or on the Otsego County Democrats Facebook page.

Foster To Lead Sewing Class

COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown Art Association will host a two-day holiday sewing class for children ages 7-12 from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7. Betsy Foster will teach fundamental sewing techniques and help participants create holiday gifts and decorations. All supplies are included. The class is $90.00, with a $5.00 discount for CAA members. For more information, visit cooperstownart.com.

Blood Drive Is December 3rd

ONEONTA—A.O. Fox will host an American Red Cross blood drive in the Levine Conference Room from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments may be made in advance at 1-800-733-2767, via redcrossblood.org or by using the American Red Cross Blood Donor app.

WHC Hosts Gingerbread Stroll

COOPERSTOWN—Welcome Home Cooperstown’s December community gathering will be a festive gingerbread stroll beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 2. The Village Library will host holiday crafts and story time, and there will be a free gingerbread house decorating workshop in the upstairs ballroom from 3:30-5 p.m. while supplies last. Cooperstown Central School faculty and board members will join the decorating to meet new residents. The first floor meet and greet will feature live music by Polly Messenger, and the Cooperstown Art Association will open its Holiday Show and Sale for special evening hours. After the Village Hall, participants are encouraged to stroll up Main Street, where more than 20 local businesses and restaurants will stay open until 7 p.m. for holiday shopping. All community members are welcome.

CSO Concert Coming Up

ONEONTA—Catskill Symphony Orchestra will present its annual Poinsettia Pops Concert at SUNY Oneonta’s Goodrich Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 13. Jazz vocalist Jeanine Ouderkirk will make her CSO debut. Tickets are $25.00 for adults, with free admission for students and $10.00 tickets for their parents, guardians, and chaperones. Attendees are also invited to purchase a poinsettia to decorate the concert hall; pre-ordered plants are $15.00 each and will be given to the donor after the performance. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit catskillsymphony.org or call (607) 269-7501.

Adorn-a-Door Starts Saturday

COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown Art Association’s ever-popular Adorn-a-Door Wreath Festival will return to the upstairs ballroom of the Village Hall, 22 Main Street, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 29. More than 100 festive wreaths decorated by local businesses, artists and families will be available by silent auction. The drawing for the much-anticipated “Dinner’s On Us” raffle item, featuring a week’s worth of gift certificates to local restaurants valued at $400.00, will take place at 4 p.m. There is a suggested entry donation of $5.00. All proceeds support CAA and its scholarship fund for local high-schoolers. For more information, visit cooperstownart.com.

ORHA Receives State Grant

ALBANY—New York State Homes and Community Renewal awarded $16.2 million in grants to 11 nonprofits and local governments across the Finger Lakes, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, North Country and Western New York. Part of the 2025-26 state Enacted Budget, the funding will transform buildings with up to five vacant or distressed rental units into safe low- and moderate-income housing. It will support renovations at 230 housing units. Awardees include Otsego Rural Housing Assistance Inc., Delaware County’s M-ARK Project, Inc. and the Utica Neighborhood Housing Service, Inc. Applications are open for the third round of funding through January 15. For more information or to apply, visit hcr.ny.gov/vrp.

HoF Holiday Event Announced

COOPERSTOWN—The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will host its annual holiday celebration on Tuesday, December 2, coinciding with Welcome Home Cooperstown’s village-wide festivities. All local residents will receive free admission after 4 p.m. There will be a holiday bobblehead workshop near the Information Desk starting at 4 p.m., followed by a performance from the Pathfinder Village Bell Choir in the Plaque Gallery at 4:30. Guests are encouraged to participate in the village Stroll the Street event on Main Street from 4-7 p.m.

Open Eye Theatre Shows Set

MARGARETVILLE—The Open Eye Theater, 960 Main Street in Margaretville, will host its annual Elves Workshop after the village Holiday on Main parade, which starts at 4:30 p.m. All are welcome for arts and crafts, light refreshments and holiday games. The theater will present “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” at 7 p.m. on December 4-6 and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 14. Tickets are $25.00 for adults and $10.00 for students, with pay-what-you-will admission on Friday, December 5. For more information or to reserve seats, visit theopeneyetheater.org.

Gas Prices Inch Up a Bit

UTICA—New York State’s average price for a gallon of gas rose by a penny to $3.14 over the week ending Monday, November 24, AAA Northeast announced. Demand surged ahead of the Thanksgiving travel period, lowering northeast regional inventories to nearly 4.3 million barrels below the five-year average. Crude oil prices dropped to a four-year low of $57.00 per barrel, in part due to a growing prospect of peace between Russia and Ukraine, putting downward pressure on gas prices. New York’s price is three cents higher than a month ago and a penny lower than this week last year. To view the full report, visit gasprices.aaa.com.