News Briefs: October 9, 2025

FCAHS Lectures, Meeting Set

FLY CREEK—The Fly Creek Area Historical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 208 Cemetery Road on Wednesday, October 22. Oneonta City Historian Mark Simonson will give a presentation on the history of SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served at 7:30 p.m., followed by the business meeting.

Dr. Chris Kjolhede will present a talk titled “What Graveyards Tell Us about Life and Death” at the November meeting, 6:30 p.m. on November 19 at 853 County Highway 26. The next quarterly meeting of the FCAHS Board of Trustees will take place at the town building at 3 p.m. on January 7. The society also seeks new members for its Archives and Research committees. Visit flycreekareahistoricalsociety.org for more information.

Shock-toberfest Is Saturday

ONEONTA—Film Otsego and Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center will present the 4th annual Shock-toberfest at 24 Market Street from 3-10 p.m. on Saturday, October 11. The double headliner will be locally-made “Popeye the Slayer Man” at 6 p.m. and Metallica cover band “Obey Your Master” at 8 p.m. A block of six short horror films will be screened at 3 p.m., followed by “Hellbender,” a film made by Roscoe’s Poser-Adams family, at 4 p.m. There will be a horror festival in the Foothills atrium and parking lot, featuring axe throwing, food trucks, tarot, vendors, and more. Tickets are available at tinyurl.com/Shocktoberfest25. For more information, follow @filmotsego and @foothills on Facebook and Instagram.

CCE Event Schedule Released

COBLESKILL—Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie and Otsego Counties will hold its annual meeting at SUNY Cobleskill’s Upper Champlin Hall, 108 Otsego Avenue, from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21. In addition to education efforts and the annual business meeting, this free and open event will feature hors d’oeuvres and door prizes. Business matters include constitutional revisions and the election of officers. The business meeting will also allow virtual attendance. For more information or to RSVP, contact neh57@cornell.edu. There will be a cover crop field meeting at 48 Sayward Lane in Willsboro from 3-5:30 p.m. on October 21, with a rain date the next day. To register, contact eh528@cornell.edu. NY Farmnet will run an estate planning webinar for farm families with young children on Zoom from 1-2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5, with registration available at 1-800-547-3276.

Free Smart Energy Choices Weatherization workshops will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14 at 113 Park Place in Schoharie, at 11 a.m. in the Southside Mall Community Room on Saturday, November 22 and at The Gathering Place, 5506 State Highway 7 in Oneonta, at noon on Monday, December 15. For more information or a complete list of events, visit cceschoharie-otsego.org.

Cudmores Featured at Expo

ONEONTA—Author Expo 2025 will be held at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, October 12. Admission is free and a cash bar will be available. Attendees can meet up to 20 local authors, purchase signed books and meet local publishing leaders. Among the featured authors are father and daughter Dana and Libby Cudmore, known respectively for their historical work on Schoharie County caves and limestone quarries and for mystery novels.

Library Seeks Public Comment

ONEONTA—Huntington Memorial Library is creating its 2026-2030 long-range plan and seeks community input on priorities through an online survey. The survey is available at hmloneonta.org through Friday, October 31. Anonymized public comments will be used to enhance the library’s collection, improve services and plan for the future.

SUNY To Screen Documentary

ONEONTA—SUNY Oneonta’s Red Dragon Reading Series will host a screening of the documentary film “Calico Rebellion: The Anti-Rent War and the Second American Revolution” in HIRC Lecture Hall 4 at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14. Director Victoria Kupchinesky will present a talk after the screening, followed by a reception. Produced by local author Peter Hutchinson, the film examines a largely forgotten 1840s farmers’ revolt in Upstate New York that paved the way for the formation of Lincoln’s Republican Party. The screening is free and open to the public.

Tree Planting To Honor Phillips

COOPERSTOWN—The Village of Cooperstown will honor the memory of longtime resident Henry “Hank” Phillips with a tree planting, plaque dedication and mayoral proclamation at 92 Main Street at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 15. Alongside a college friend, Ed Badgley, Phillips purchased Withey’s Drug Store at 92 Main Street and operated it until 1992. Over the course of half a century, Phillips became an integral member of the community, helping the Cooperstown Lions Club to organize the first Winter Carnival. He passed away on August 31, 2024.

Kirk Memorial Scheduled

ONEONTA—HillCity Church will host a remembrance ceremony and celebration of life for the assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14. The free event will be held at 1796 County Highway 48 in Oneonta. For more information or to RSVP, contact organizer Tim Wormuth at bullpencatcher@hotmail.com.

Brandow’s To Hold Party

ONEONTA—Brandow’s Feed and Seed, 4119 State Route 7 in Oneonta, will host a Halloween Doggie Party from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, October 31. The headline event is a dog costume photo contest decided by popular vote on Brandow’s Facebook page. The winner will be announced on Monday, November 3 and receive a giant pumpkin full of prizes. The party will also feature refreshments, raffle baskets, trick or treating and store discounts. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes.

Sloan’s Buck Contest Returns

ONEONTA—Sloan’s New York Grill will accept submissions for its annual Best Buck Contest through Sunday, December 7. Sloan’s wildlife staff will judge entries based on the best photo rather than animal size. Only bucks taken in Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie or Chenango counties will be considered. Entries should include name, phone number and the location where the buck was shot. They may be submitted to Chris@SloansNYGrill.com or via Sloan’s Facebook or Instagram pages. The top three entries will receive prizes of $100.00, $50.00 and $25.00 grill gift certificates. Winners will be announced on social media on Wednesday, December 10.

WKC To Present Sequel

STAMFORD—The West Kortright Center and Arm-of-the-Sea Theater will present “City that Drinks the Mountain Sky: Part Two!” at Veterans Park in Stamford at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 12. This sequel to the company’s 1999 production continues the epic tale of New York City’s Catskill-based water supply into the 21st century through mask and puppet theater. The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, visit westkc.org/arm.

CAA Announces Holiday Show

COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown Art Association’s annual Holiday Show and Sale will run from November 15 to December 23 in the Village Hall galleries at 22 Main Street. Member artists may drop off work on Friday and Saturday, November 7 and 8, with pickup for unsold works available on January 2 and 3. Each artist may contribute up to six small two-dimensional works, with tighter restrictions on larger pieces or three-dimensional works. CAA will retain a 30 percent commission on all sales. For more information or to register, visit cooperstownart.com or call (607) 547-9777.

Delhi Celebrates Program Launch

DELHI—SUNY Delhi celebrated the successful launch of SUNY ASAP|ACE, a transformative new student retention and degree completion program, at a campus event on Thursday, October 2. Advancing Success in Associate Pathways and Advancing Completion through Engagement provide financial resources and wraparound support to students in associate and baccalaureate programs, respectively. Delhi is one of only a handful of campuses offering both pilot programs.