THEATER—2 p.m. Join the Catskill Community Players for their presentation of “Office Hours,” a biting look at how people get by in the modern world and the struggles of 16 characters intent on keeping their lives together by denying reality. General admission, $20. Presented in the Wieting Theatre, 144 Main Street, Worcester. Get your tickets at catskillplayers.org
CONCERT—7:30 p.m. Enjoy a performance by the award-winning “Catalyst Quartet,” hailed as “invariably energetic and finely burnished… playing with earthy vigor,” by the “New York Times” for their Carnegie Hall debut. Presented by the Oneonta Concert Association at the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1589 or visit oneontaconcertassociation.org
CHICKEN DINNER—4-7 p.m. Support this local fire department and enjoy a meal of Brooks’ BBQ. Half chickens are $8; chicken dinners are $13 and include baked beans, macaroni salad, roll and dessert. East Springfield Fire House, US Route 20, East Springfield. Springfieldfiredept@gmail.com or visit facebook.com/SpringfieldFireNY/
COOPERSTOWN—The 2023 Empty Bowls Luncheon will be held on Saturday, March 4 from noon to 2 p.m. at Christ Church Parish Hall, 69 Fair Street. The Empty Bowls project was begun in 1990 by Michigan art teacher John Hartom as a way for his students to raise money for a local food drive. Hartom and wife Lisa Blackburn, also an art educator, created a model for others to follow and the concept spread across the country. This is the 15th year the Empty Bowls event will be held in Cooperstown.
Potters at The Smithy Clay Studio have been busy glazing more than 300 hand-thrown bowls made especially for this event; local restaurants and individuals will donate delicious soups and breads. Guests are asked for a $20.00 donation for a simple soup lunch served in a bowl of their choosing, which they will keep as a reminder of “empty bowls” and hunger in Otsego County.
All money raised from the event is donated to the Cooperstown Food Pantry, every $1.00 of which enables the food pantry to purchase $10.00 worth of food from Feeding America. Located at 25 Church Street, the pantry is open six days a week. Visit www.cooperstownfoodpantry.org for more information. For further details on this event, contact Kathy Chase at (607) 547-2627.
‘Summer’ Concert Set for February 19
ONEONTA—The Oneonta Community Concert Band will perform its “Good Ol’ Summertime in Winter” concert at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center on Sunday, February 19 at 3 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public.
Conductor Kerri L. Hogle said the subtheme of this concert—supported by a generous grant from the Dewar Foundation—is “Oh, the Places You Can Go!” and alludes to the similarly titled book by Dr. Seuss.
“This year’s concert will feature music that references different places one might travel to during the summer,” said Hogle, who teaches band to junior and senior high school students at Cooperstown Central School.
Pieces on the program include “The Great Gate of Kiev” from Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” Sammy Nestico’s arrangement of “Loch Lomond” and Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malagueña.”
Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center is located 24 Market Street in Oneonta. For more information, visit the Oneonta Community Concert Band on Facebook or call (607) 376-7485.
ONEONTA
Community Arts Network of Oneonta will hold the 18th annual Chili Bowl Cook-Off and Fundraiser on Saturday, February 11 from noon to 4 p.m. at 11 Ford Avenue. Hundreds of locals come to purchase bowls handcrafted by local artists and taste delicious chilis. This popular Oneonta foodie competition is back in February, but has moved to the Saturday before Super Bowl Sunday.
CANDLELIGHT YOGA—6:30 p.m. Enjoy a relaxing evening of Vinyasa Flow Yoga by candlelight. Admission is by minimum donation of $15. Proceeds benefit the Violence Intervention Program of Opportunities for Otsego. Additional donations for OFO will be accepted at the event. Held at the Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown. (607) 547-2800, ext. 129 or visit facebook.com/clarksportscenter
BLOOD DRIVE—12:30-5:30 p.m. Save up to three lives with the American Red Cross. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 31 Elm Street, Cooperstown. Register at redcrossblood.org
GILBERTSVILLE
The Gilbertsville Village Improvement Society has begun an online auction through Lambrecht Auction of Bainbridge, the proceeds of which will go toward upkeep of the Gilbert Block. Eighty items are offered, ranging from “top shelf” treasures such as a complete set of German Rosenthal china to Instapots. Also featured are heirloom-quality furnishings, vintage décor and stained glass windows. Works by local artists—including ceramic artists Elizabeth Nields and Marcus Villagran, visual artist Alberta Hutchison, and collage artist Jane Higgins—are also available through the auction.
Those interested in viewing or bidding on auction items may visit www.lambrechtauction.com or www.laibids.com and scroll down to “Gilbertsville Improvement Society Fundraiser.”
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
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.
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.
Visit tracyhelgeson.com
All proceeds will benefit the Fly Creek Fire Company and the community it has served since 1948.
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.
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.