COOPERSTOWN—The Cooperstown Chamber is currently running its annual “Scoop It Up!” Online Auction, the proceeds from which go toward the chamber’s year-round efforts to support and promote the local business community.
More than 50 items generously donated by chamber member businesses are up for grabs, including memorabilia, gift cards, overnight stays, gift baskets, gift cards and more.
“The auction is a lot of fun, and we are so grateful to our members for taking the time to donate items each year,” said Chamber Executive Director Tara Burke.
“This is a unique way to holiday shop, and to often get deals on some great items, while supporting the local business community.”
Inspired by the Leatherstocking Brush and Palette Club’s ‘Cooperstown Arts & Crafts Show’, a Labor Day weekend tradition in the Village for approximately 50 years, the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce answered calls to revive the craft fair in 2017.
“In its new incarnation, the ‘Cooperstown Artisan Festival’ celebrates the flourishing creative spirit of our region today, and provides a venue for over fifty select regional artists and craftspeople offering a vast range of unique handmade goods to the public,” said Tara Burke, Executive Director of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce.
Live music, food trucks, artist demonstrations, and activities for children round out the event making it a fun outing for the whole family.
“It’s a two-day festival and will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4,” Ms. Burke said.
Shoppers are up against the hard deadline for getting their gifts from internet stores, so what better reason to visit Otsego County’s vast array of local and unique shops?
Aside from supporting neighbors and your community, local shoppers drive the sales tax dollars necessary to support Otsego County services.
“For every dollar we spend locally there are about 10 more local transactions from those business owners,” said Otsego County Treasurer Alan Ruffles. He said sales tax revenue goes in part toward safety and emergency preparedness such as 911 and ambulance services. Sales tax revenue also supports public services such as the Office for the Aging, addiction recovery services, and more.
Events such as Fall Fling, Arts on the Lawn
will showcase Otsego County’s shoulder season
By Kevin Limiti • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
The summer is winding down and with the change in season comes colored foliage, Labor Day, Halloween and fall hikes up the scenic mountains in the Catskills and Adirondacks.
The taste of apple cider, the increasingly crisper days and the feeling of waking up in autumn with a hot cup of coffee is something anybody can look forward to, especially now with all sorts of activities vying for the attention of Otsego County locals and visitors alike.
One of these events is the Cooperstown Artisan Festival put on by the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce. It will be at the Otsego County courthouse at 197 Main St. in Cooperstown during Labor Day weekend, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 4, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 5.
WRITERS SALON – 7:30 p.m. Open mic followed by presentation by Marly Youmans, author of eight novels, 2 Southern fantasies, an adventure in blank verse, and 4 collections of poetry. Free, open to public. Presented through Zoom by the Community Arts Network of Oneonta. 607-432-2070 or visit www.canoneonta.org/event/writers-salon-marly-youmans/?instance_id=1203
When the going gets tough, the entrepreneurs get going.
At the first “Coffee With Coop,” Glimmerglass Festival’s Francesca Zambello outlines plans for the Andrew J. Martin-Weber Lawn Stage, which will ensure a robust 2021 season, despite COVID.
A corollary: The entrepreneurial spirit isn’t limited to entrepreneurs. (Per Merriam-Webster: “A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater-than-normal financial risks in order to do so.”)
So it was telling to watch the Cooperstown Chamber’s first “Coffee With Coop” panel discussion via Zoom last Friday, March 19. Kudos to the Chamber, and Executive Director Tara Burke, who was also an adept emcee.
It was a little disheartening to hear a recitation of all the Hall of Fame cancellations, although the scope of its undertakings – an estimated 80,000 fans were expected at Derek Jeter’s Induction – make them particularly fraught, not to mention dangerous, in Time of COVID.
And yet, the entrepreneurial spirit lived in presentations by, first, Fenimore President/CEO Paul D’Ambrosio and then, in Glimmerglass Opera General & Artistic Director Francesca Zambello.
Tara Burke, new Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce executive director, pauses for a photo on her first day on the job, Monday, April 1. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
By LIBBY CUDMORE • The Freeman’s Journal & Hometown Oneonta
COOPERSTOWN – Even before she was named executive director for the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, Tara Burke was a big fan of the business community.
“My family loves the Fly Creek Cider Mill, and we always go to brunch at The Otesaga,” she said. “My brother is a big fan of ‘Game of Thrones,’ so we always have to go by Brewery Ommegang and get beer for him.”
Pathfinder Village‘s contingent last evening accepts the plaque marking the community’s entry into the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame with elation, but also reflection on the accomplishment of its founder, Marian G. Mullet, 91, who passed away on March 17. Pathfinder President/CEO Paul C. Landers holds the plaque, surrounded by his Senior Leadership Team. From left are William F. Streck, MD, chair of the Pathfinder Village Board of Directors;Kathleen Gozigian, chair of the Pathfinder Village Foundation Board of Trustees; Sally Trosset (behind Gozigian) development associate & executive assistant;Brittany Goodrich, Adult Day Services & Mobile Market coordinator (behind Landers); Kelly Meyers, senior director of admissions; Maura Iorio, Sr., director of education, and Tina Heyduk, senior director, support services. Pathfinder was one of six honorees at the chamber’s annual meeting at the new Ommegang Cafe, where Stacey Grady, Springbrook director of development, was elected board president. Also at the meeting, Tara Burke was introduced as the Chamber’s new executive director. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
COOPERSTOWN – Tara Burke, director of communications and program development for the Chemung County Chamber of Commerce in Elmira, has been selected at Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce executive director, effective April 8, it was announced today.
She plans to attend the annual meeting on March 28 at Brewery Ommegang, so members will get a first chance to meet her then.
