News Briefs: October 17, 2024

Halloween Fun Day Slated

RICHFIELD SPRINGS—The Richfield Springs Community Center and Lions Club chapter will co-host a Halloween Community Fun Day from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, October 20. This free event will feature an escape room, bounce house, crafts, face painting, pumpkin carving, food vendors, a 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Costumes are encouraged, and attendees who donate a gently used costume for a student in need will receive an extra door prize ticket. It will be held at the Community Center, 6 Ann Street.

Book Talk on Civics Set

COOPERSTOWN—Friends of the Village Library’s first program of the 2024-25 season will be a book talk with Lindsey Cormack, PhD on her new book, “How to Raise a Citizen (And why it’s up to you).” Her research has shown that civics instruction receives the least K-12 classroom time of any subject nationwide. The new book invites a nonpartisan discussion on the importance of civics and the ways adults can help the next generation appreciate and participate in the democratic process. This program is co-sponsored by the Cooperstown PTA and the League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area. It will be held in the Cooperstown High School’s Sterling Auditorium at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 20.

Film Festival Announced

ONEONTA—Film Otsego will present its inaugural “Made by New York Women” Film Festival at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center March 7-9. Any woman in a key position (writer, director, producer, cinematographer, line producer, art director, etc.) and who hails from, lives in, or shot her film in New York, is eligible. This new initiative follows up on the commission’s four-day 2021 Women in Film Familiarity Tour, which connected more than a dozen cutting-edge filmmakers with each other and with Otsego County.

Submissions or questions may be sent to alysa@filmotsego.org; the application window is open through the end of 2024. There is a $50.00 application fee for feature films and $25.00 for shorts, with all fees waived for student films. PANO Network members will receive 20 percent off.

Additionally, Film Otsego reminds the public about the third annual Shock-toberfest, a full day of events at Foothills on Saturday, October 26. It will feature a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening and a variety of locally made horror films, among other programming. Tickets are still available at https://foothills.ticketleap.com/shock-toberfest-2024/. For more information on Film Otsego, contact Film Commissioner Greg Klein at greg@filmotsego.org.

Parade Planned for Oct. 21

ONEONTA—The Oneonta Rotary Club and Oneonta Parade Team announced that the ever-popular Halloween Parade will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 21. This annual community parade features school bands and students, floats, and marchers from Oneonta and beyond. Participants will assemble along Elm Street at 5 p.m. There will be prizes for students with the best costumes and floats. After the parade and before trick-or-treating, the public is invited to Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center for cider and donuts. Area schools, organizations and businesses will be contacted to register.

Thrift Store Reopens

ONEONTA—The SUNY Oneonta Thrift Store re-opened in its new location in the Hunt Union on Tuesday, September 24. It will be open to students, staff and the broader community from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, while school is in session. Everything in the store is available at a suggested donation, with all proceeds supporting a $2,500.00 scholarship awarded each year to the student most involved in campus sustainability initiatives. Since the scholarship was created in 2014, more than $15,000.00 has been awarded to students. New and gently used donations are always welcome.

Trick-or-Treating Planned

COOPERSTOWN—The Farmers’ Museum will host a “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” themed trick-or-treating event from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, October 26. Parents and caregivers can join children ages 12 and under as they go door-to-door in the museum’s Country Village. They will also be able to meet and take photos with the Headless Horseman from the classic Washington Irving tale. Admission is free for children 12 and under, while parents and guardians will be admitted with any cash donation.

Hawkeyes Soccer Update

COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown girls soccer fell 3-0 to Sauquoit Valley on Friday, October 11. Senior Brenna Seamon made 16 saves, but the Hawkeyes lost the division match to the returning Class C champions. Cooperstown rolled past Clinton for a 1-0 home victory on Saturday, October 12. Sophia Badgley scored on an assist from Claire Baldo 10 minutes into the second half, Seamon chalked up 11 more saves.

On the boys’ side, the Hawkeyes defeated Waterville 2-0 on Monday, October 14. Freshman Henry Ayers scored twice in the second half on assists by seniors Roland Gardner-Olesen and Riley Diamond. Junior Cooper Coleman recorded five saves.

Journalist To Speak

COOPERSTOWN—Longtime Washington, D.C. journalist and author Debra Bruno will give a lecture at the Fenimore Art Museum from 2-3 p.m. on Sunday, November 3. She will speak about her journey to uncover her Dutch-American family’s history of slaveholding in the Hudson Valley and how that history has been erased. That reckoning led her to a friendship with Eleanor Mire, a woman descended from people Bruno’s family enslaved, and the consequences of such friendships in modern America. Registration is required and costs $15.00 for members and $17.50 for non-members. For information or to sign up, visit FenimoreArt.org.

Bassett Hosts Trunk-or-Treat

COOPERSTOWN—Bassett Medical Center will host a family trunk-or-treat event in the Bassett Hall Auditorium parking lot, at the corner of Beaver and Pioneer streets, from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, October 25. Parents are invited to connect with neighbors while their children get treats. Family-friendly costumes are encouraged but not required.