Why did I say yes? How could I have let myself be persuaded to compete to be the guest conductor of the Catskill Symphony Orchestra? Especially for the Cabaret concert, which is the symphony’s biggest fundraiser. Thinking back to my experience in the late 1990s, I can’t help but reflect and recall that without the extra money from this annual event, the symphony would have folded and our region would have lost a most valuable asset.
Classical music for families in rural upstate New York? The Cabaret concert is one of our region’s most prized annual events. Entire families dressed up and sometimes trudged through snow for this mid-winter concert, carrying beautiful picnic baskets with table cloths, special drinks, wine, and beautifully prepared hors d’oeuvres—and even desserts—with thermoses of hot drinks. Some concertgoers left their kids home and used this as a date night, or an excuse for a night out with friends.
PANCAKE BREAKFAST—8 a.m. to noon. Enjoy delicious breakfast to support the Laurens Fire Department. Breakfast is by donation and includes pancakes, home fries, eggs, sausage, juice, bacon, and more. Laurens Fire Department, 34 Main Street, Laurens. (607) 433-2906 or visit facebook.com/LaurensEMS
Soldier’s Angels Board Chair PJ Baunach works to register raffle participants alongside SA volunteers Terry and Bill. (Photo by Ted Mebust)
By TED MEBUST
In support of veterans nationwide, Brewery Ommegang’s recent Hops for Heroes event raised funds for Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit organization that provides aid to active military, veterans and their families. Participating breweries throughout the country produced a special Veteran’s Day batch, Homefront IPA, the proceeds of which exclusively benefit the nonprofit’s mission.
The Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society is accepting pre-orders now through 5 p.m. on October 23 for its Fall Bird Seed Sale. Proceeds support speaker fees for DOAS meetings, field trips, programs, and special events, as well as youth summer programs and the Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch. Product pick-up is set for Saturday, November 5 from 9 – 11 a.m. at VP Supply Corp., 69 Country Club Rd., Oneonta. Product details and the online order form are available at doas.us/2022-bird-seed-sale/. To learn more, call (607) 397-3815.
Joan Badgley, Cooperstown, mans the Basket Auction at past Spring Fling.
On Saturday, October 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Rotary Club of Cooperstown will hold its popular Fall Fling—a family-friendly event—on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center, 124 County Road 52 (Susquehanna Avenue), Cooperstown.
According to Fall Fling Co-Chair Sydney Sheehan, “Like Fall and Spring Fling in years past, Rotary is planning an event that brings our community together for a fun-filled day with local vendors, music, food, and much more. Fall Fling allows us to showcase the best that autumn in Cooperstown has to offer, from local pumpkins and hot cider to arts and entertainment.”
The Fly Creek Fire Company has announced their new annual fundraising campaign. The inaugural Holiday Card has been painted and donated by local artist Tracy Helgeson. “Ms. Helgeson’s barn paintings are a true reflection of Fly Creek and our surrounding communities, and we are honored that she has contributed her talent to the Fly Creek Fire Company,” officials said.
“My family moved to Fly Creek in 2003. I had taken a break from painting until I saw the beauty of barns in this region,” Ms. Helgeson said. “I’m proud to donate my work to the fire department.”
Pre-order forms are available on the Fire Company website, flycreekfire.com, and on the Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company Facebook page. Pre-ordered cards and holiday cards for purchase and will be available for pick-up on Sunday, October 9 from noon to 2 p.m., during Junior Firefighter Day, in conjunction with Fire Awareness Month.
The original Tracy Helgeson oil painting will be sold in a “silent auction” on that day.
THEATER – 7:30 p.m. The SUNY Oneonta Theater department presents ‘Nord-Ost’ (North East) by Torsten Buchsteiner, with translation by David Tushingham. A play in 3 parts about the 57-hour hostage crisis in Moscow’s Dubrovka Theatre and it’s shocking conclusion as told by 3 women present for the action who find their lives and families forever altered. General admission, $5. Hamblin Arena, SUNY Oneonta. 607-436-4500 or visit suny.oneonta.edu/theatre-department/season-shows
FUNDRAISER – Now Available. Stock up on bird seed and support the programs of the Delaware Otsego Audubon Society. Now through 5 p.m. October 23. Visit doas.us/2022-bird-seed-sale/ to order.
The “gang” getting ready to start off on the 100-mile Legacy Run. (Photo by Kevin Brown)
On Sunday, September 11, the American Legion Riders based out of Oneonta, had their Legacy Run.
“We do four to five runs a year,” said Chris Chase, Director of American Legion Riders. “We raise money for vets, pets or kids,” he said.
Every year they hold the Legacy Run on or around 9/11. “The American Legion Riders have a scholarship fund for kids of veterans who have passed away, or are 50% or more disabled since 9/11,” he said.
Catskill Choral Society’s Grand and Glorious Fall Fair saw several thousand people come down to Oneonta’s Neahwa Park for a day of live music, splendid offerings from 72 vendors, a performance by the Oneonta Community Concert Band, and great fun. (Photo by John Willis)
CONCERT – 6:30 p.m. Come enjoy a performance by the band ‘Lazy II’ for the Independence Day weekend. Followed by a bonfire and s’mores at 7. Under the Large Shelter, Gilbert Lake State Park, 18 CCC Rd., Laurens. 607-432-2114 or visit www.facebook.com/GilbertLakeStatePark/
FUNDRAISER – Noon – 4 p.m. Stop by for Chili bowl cook-off & fundraiser. Featuring delicious chili & hand-decorated bowls. There will also be live music from Hanzolo, Jump the Shark, and the Mansion Jam Band. Help support our local artists. Wilber Mansion, Community Arts Network of Oneonta, 11 Ford Ave., Oneonta. 607-432-2070 or visit www.canoneonta.org
We can think of no one other than Vladimir Putin, conspiracy theorists, or tin-foil-hatters who doesn’t support Ukraine these days. Otsego County has stood up large for a nation thousands of miles away, a noble testament to our region’s inherent benevolence.
This newspaper has published several reports about people doing good things on behalf of Ukrainians everywhere and, we’ll be honest, we’ve reported only after hearing about the events almost by chance. Maybe we saw a social media post or a flyer taped to a storefront and thought we could amplify the cause with a notice in our paper.
We rejected the one proactive release we’ve received to date: one dated April 4 from the Otsego County Democratic Committee announcing they had raised $5,000 to send to World Central Kitchen — that’s the group preparing hot meals for Ukrainian refugees.
A worthy cause and, well done for raising the cash. The release (now deleted from the party committee’s site, by the way), finished with this nugget: “Of course, our role as the County Party is to register Democrats, and support and elect Democratic candidates, but it’s also important that we help in non-partisan ways that make our community and world a little better. We are Democrats and we support Democracy here at home and abroad, in words and deeds.”
The make-the-world-a-little-better message, we thought, was a good one — until partisan politics reared its omnipresent head. We cringed a little at the blatant grandstanding and took a pass.
EASTER BUNNY – 10 a.m. – Noon. Bring the kids out to celebrate spring and meet with the Easter Bunny. Take pictures, enter to win an Easter Basket, enter the coloring contest, and each kids brings home a goodie bag. Foothills Performing Arts Center, Oneonta. 607-376-7599 or visit www.destinationoneonta.com/calendar
The Mamaroneck Historical Society succeeded in its ambitious quest to raise the funds needed to save James Fenimore Cooper murals from destruction, but more work remains as the group strives to rescue the artwork from the walls of Mamaronek High School.
The Freeman’s Journal / Hometown Oneonta first reported on the endangered murals as word spread of the high school’s plan to cover – and in some cases, destroy – eight Depression-era murals depicting scenes from James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking novels and his life as a resident of the Westchester County town. The murals stand in the way of the Mamaroneck High School’s plans to build new computer learning labs, and the Historical Society leapt into action to spare them from the wrecking ball.
“It’s good news but it’s different news,” Mamaroneck Historical Society’s co-president John Pritts said of the group’s success to date. “We had no idea until we started how complicated it would become to save the artwork.
ICE HARVEST FEST – 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Enjoy a traditional ice harvest featuring a chance to get on the ice and help saw away some blocks, ice carving, blacksmithing demonstrations, local exhibitors, more. Event depends on the thickness of the ice. The will not be a hot soup buffet this year due to the Pandemic. Check website for updates on ice conditions. Hanford Mills Museum, 51 Co. Hwy. 12, East Meredith. 607-278-5744 or visit www.hanfordmills.org
