Inclement weather has closed the COVID-19 testing site at the American Legion in Milford according to a press release from Victor F.C. Jones, Emergency Services Coordinator for Otsego County. The site will remain closed all day Monday, January 17 and will reopen Wednesday, January 19.
To make an appointment to be tested visit appointments.bioreference.com/nystatecovidtesting
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
WINTER WALK – 10 – 11:30 a.m. Enjoy the beauty of winter on this tree ID walk while you stretch your legs, get some fresh air. Dress appropriately for weather on this , bring your own water. Free, registration required. Presented by Otsego County Conservation Association at Robert V. Riddell State Park, Davenport. 607-547-4488 or visit occainfo.org/calendar/winter-walk/
SNOW TUBING – 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Get outside for some winter fun, gliding down a slope on a snow tube. Weather & staff dependent, call Friday for most up-to-date information. Glimmerglass State Park, 1527 Co. Rd. 51, Cooperstown. 607-547-8662 or visit www.facebook.com/GlimmerglassStatePark/
THEATER – 7:30 p.m. Enjoy theatrical production of ‘Honk Jr.’ as presented by the Starstruck Players youth troop. Cost, $15/adult. Foothills Performing Arts Center, Oneonta. 607-432-1800 or visit www.facebook.com/OrpheusTheatre/
SPRINGFIELD READS – 4 p.m. Bring the kids to listen to community members read stories of kindness. Presented at Springfield Library, 129 Co. Rd. 29A, Springfield. 315-858-5802 or visit libraries.4cls.org/springfield/
BLOOD DRIVE – 1 – 6 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 305 Main St., Oneonta. 1-800-733-2767 or visit www.redcrossblood.org
COVID-19 TESTING – 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Get tested and protect your friends and relatives. Appointments appreciated. Walk-ins accepted. American Legion, 86 W. Main St., Milford. Visit appointments.bioreference.com/nystatecovidtesting to sign up.
WALKING CLUB – 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Enjoy a fun walk on Mondays & Fridays. with friends old and new and listen to music of the 70s. Free for members, non-members aged 50+. Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown. 547-2800, ext. 109 or visit www.clarksportscenter.com
COVID-19 TESTING – 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Get tested and protect your friends and relatives. Appointments appreciated. Walk-ins accepted. American Legion, 86 W. Main St., Milford. Visit appointments.bioreference.com/nystatecovidtesting to sign up.
HOUSING – 7 p.m. Learn about the assistance available through the New York State Homeowners Assistance Fund, from housing counseling to legal and negotiating assistance. Learn about the program during the City of Oneonta Housing Commission meeting in the Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 258 Main St., Oneonta. Visit www.facebook.com/otsegocountyOFA/
COVID-19 TESTING – 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Get tested and protect your friends and relatives. Appointments appreciated. Walk-ins accepted. American Legion, 86 W. Main St., Milford. Visit appointments.bioreference.com/nystatecovidtesting to sign up.
ONEONTA – Mary M. Antonucci of Country Club Road, Oneonta NY died peacefully at Fox Nursing Home after a brief illness.
Born on May 24, 1924, Mary was the second of seven children born to Konstanty and Julia Sroczyk Guszcza. She grew up in Auburn, NY. Her parents were Polish immigrants who taught her the importance of hard work and helping others.
In 1944, Mary joined the Women’s Army Corps. She was stationed in Tampa, Florida where she met and married Air Force Sergeant Frank R Antonucci in 1946. Mary and Frank were both excellent dancers and enjoyed going dancing at parties and family weddings.
Frank remained in the Air Force and the family lived in Cleveland Ohio, Auburn, NY, Munich and Wiesbaden, Germany before settling in Oneonta in 1955.
Mary was a parishioner at St. Mary’s Church where she was a member of the Rosary Society. She was active in the American Legion where she was Secretary/Treasurer.
Governor Kathy Hochul responded to a request from Otsego County officials and will locate a new, state-run COVID-19 testing site in Milford.
The new site opens Wednesday, December 29 at the American Legion Post at 86 West Main Street; its hours of operation are as follows: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon.
To make an appointment, visit:
appointments.bioreference.com/nystatecovidtesting
SENIOR SOCIAL – 1 p.m. Otsego County Seniors (and a guest) are invited to test out their trivia on the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. Bring a team or we will make one for you. Prizes awarded for each round. Donuts and cider will be provided. Presented by the Otsego County Office for the Aging. American Legion Pavilion, Willow St., Otego. 607-432-3279 or visit www.facebook.com/otsegocountyOFA/
BLOOD DRIVE – Noon – 5 p.m. Quality Inn, 5206 St. Hwy. 23, Oneonta. 1-800-733-2767 or visit www.redcrossblood.org
LEGACY RIDE – 9:45 a.m. Raise money for scholarships for the children of post-9/11 veterans. Join the American Legion Post 259 and the Red Knights chapter 44 for this memorial motorcycle ride marking 20 years since that fateful day. Cost $20/participant, kickstand up at 11 a.m. Begins at The American Legion, 279 Chestnut St., Oneonta. 607-432-0494 or visit www.alrpost259.org/legacy
BLOOD DRIVE – 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Main Street Baptist Church Briggs Hall, 333 Main St., Oneonta. 1-800-733-2767 or visit www.redcrossblood.org
By KEVIN LIMITI • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
OTSEGO — As part of a way of respectfully destroying old flags that are no longer serviceable, veterans from the local Cooperstown VFW and American Legion held a ceremony at the Cooperstown Sportsmen’s Association just north of Cooperstown on Saturday, July 3, where they burned more than 1,600 flags,.
VFW Commander Floyd Bourne and American Legion Commander Bob Crawford led the ceremony which was followed by a gun salute and the playing of Taps on the bugle.
Bourne said the burning of the flags was a way to “consecrate to ashes” and although flag burning has a negative connotation, this is actually the correct way to dispose of flags, according to the United States Flag Code.
“We shall retire them with the respect they deserve,” Crawford said.
“We thank God for this country and our flag and for the liberty for which it stands,” Bourne said.
Jay Deitchman and his son Jonathan Deitchman, from Scout BSA Troop 168 in Worcester, came to help with the flag retirement. Deitchman said the retirement of the flags was something that was important to them. They said that normally they would’ve done this earlier during a scout camp, but because of COVID it got pushed back.
“It’s very important and it’s an honor to be a part of it,” Deitchman said. “It’s something most people don’t know about. A lot of people just toss them when they get old. It’s something that means a lot to us.”
Normally, flags are retired on Flag Day but because of COVID restrictions, the ceremony was pushed back. Bourne said the ceremony was also abridged because of the pandemic restrictions being in place when the ceremony was being planned.
By KEVIN LIMITI • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
ONEONTA – Despite the occasional rain and cold weather, hundreds came out for the Memorial Day parade and a wreath laying ceremony Monday, May 31, in Neahwa Park to honor the country’s veterans who died in service.
Participants in the parade included the Oneonta Fire Department, the Oneonta PD, the American Legion, the Rotary Club, the Boy Scouts and the VFW.
Fred Hicken, a WWII veteran, was the grand marshal of the parade.
The parade started on Market Street, adjacent to the Foothills Performing Art Center. It proceeded on Main Street and ended at the veteran’s memorial plaques in the park.
Mayor Gary Herzig gave a personal thank you to the veterans present at Neahwa Park.
“I had family members who lost their lives in the concentration camps,” Herzig said.
Herzig said that Memorial Day was important to “take the time to remember those who fought and particularly those who didn’t come home,” Herzig said. “Their sacrifice and their families’ sacrifice was also our entire communities’ sacrifice … We can only dream of what we could’ve been if we hadn’t lost those who didn’t come home. It’s a true loss not only for them and their families but all of us.”
During the ceremony at Neahwa Park, there was a short invocation to begin the ceremony that said a prayer for stopping the rain and allowing them to honor veterans. The Gettysburg Address was read, along with Gen. John Logan’s orders, which first designated Memorial Day as a time of honoring veterans.
Scouts BSA of Oneonta placed about 3,600 flags across the community.
The ceremony ended with a 21 gun salute and the bagpipes of Michael Woytach, an Iraq War veteran who is part of the VFW in Oneonta.
“It’s just to pay my homage for those who can’t be here with us today,” Woytach said.
Herzig summed up the day with his closing remarks.
“It’s a sad day and also a proud day,” Herzig said.