News Briefs: June 15, 2023

Oneonta To Resume Timed Parking Enforcement

ONEONTA—The City of Oneonta will resume downtown parking enforcement in time-limited spaces on Wednesday, June 14. Downtown residents, business owners and commuters are encouraged to park in all-day/24-hour spaces, which can be found in the Dietz Street lot and on Market Street and the Chestnut Street Extension. One-hour spots on Main Street and two- and four-hour spots on adjacent streets will be strictly enforced to encourage turnover. Additionally, Oneonta Public Transit will operate a free downtown shuttle loop connecting Neahwa Park to Main and Market streets. The shuttle will run continuously from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with stops at Damaschke Field, the parking garage, the transit station by Clinton Plaza and Main Street near Autumn Café. The lots by Damaschke Field and the Neahwa Large Pavilion can hold more than 200 vehicles. For more information, contact the city government or visit its Facebook page. (Graphic provided)

Trout Unlimited Announces Father’s Day Event

ONEONTA—The Dave Brandt Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its Father’s Day Fishing program at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 18 in Neahwa Park. All are invited. There will be a large aquarium to display the different species of fish caught. No license is required, and TU will provide loaner rods and bait to attendees. Volunteers will be on hand to help participants. Every child attending will be given a raffle ticket; the raffle winner will receive a new spinner rod and reel outfit. The drawing will be held at the end of the event, around 2 p.m., and the winner must be present. The Dave Brandt Chapter covers Otsego County and parts of Delaware County. It has about 150 members and holds meetings on the second Monday of each month at The Plains in Oneonta. Their mission is to conserve, preserve, and restore cold-water fisheries and their watersheds in North America. Father’s Day Fishing is their largest annual event.

‘Tales of Love and Transformation’

ONEONTA—Don’t miss the Mountain View Wellness Center Players in “Tales of Love and Transformation” on Friday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 17 at 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. The performance is free, with a $5.00 suggested donation. The show is directed by Barbara Gregson with music by Eric Porter. (Photo provided)

Otego American Legion Baseball Downs Vestal

OTEGO—The Otego Retrievers of the American Legion 19U District 6 Baseball League defeated Vestal Post 89 6-2 in their first game of the season on June 9. Braeden Johnson earned the win after throwing 18 strikeouts in a one-hitter. Seven Otego players recorded hits. Shea Barber and Brayden Nichols each hit two RBI.

Oneonta Outlaws Fall to MV Diamond Dogs

ONEONTA—The Oneonta Outlaws lost a hard-fought game to the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dogs, 8-6, on June 6. Each team hit two home runs. Oneonta nearly managed to come back from a 7-1 deficit, but the rally fell short. Justin DeCastro was stuck with the loss for the Outlaws.

Concert Series Announced

COOPERSTOWN—Live Music Cooperstown announced the lineup for the 2023 Cooperstown Lakefront Concert Series on June 1. The 18th season will feature live music at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in July and August. The July 11 concert will be the last-ever performance of local favorite alt-funk band Hanzolo. The Donna Tritico band will perform blues, rock and soul on July 18. Bluegrass group Poverty Hill Band is set for July 25, and Grateful Dead tribute band Grateful Upstate Toodeloo will perform on August 1. Atomic Rewind will play classic rock on August 8. The Cooperstown Community Band returns with big band-era style on August 15. Outlaw Country outfit Hop City Hellcats perform on August 22, and blues group the Fabulous Mojos conclude the season on August 29.

Yager Museum Sets Summer Programming

ONEONTA—Hartwick College’s Yager Museum of Art and Culture will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday from June 12 to June 29. After this, it will be open by appointment only until the fall semester starts on August 28. Featured exhibitions include “A Deep Dive into a Large Ocean: Tradition, Tourism, and Transformation in Micronesian Cultures,” and “Margaret Huntington Boehner: An Upstate Artist on Cape Ann.” June will be the last chance to see the museum’s popular exhibition, “Juxtapositions: Warhol and the Baroque.”

Continuing exhibitions include “Of Time and the River: 12,000 Years in the Upper Susquehanna Region,” which features many Native American artifacts collected by museum founder Willard Yager. “Masterpieces of European and American Art” is a permanent exhibition of works ranging from the Renaissance to the 20th century.

In addition, the museum will host two free children’s programs. “Half-Day Fun Week” will run from 12:30-3:30 p.m. on June 20-23, with a different craft activity each day. There will also be a “Crafternoon” from noon to 3 p.m. every Wednesday from June 28 to July 26. Crafters ages 5-12 can work on a wide range of activities.

Museum admission is free and there is ample parking near the first-floor entrance to Yager Hall. For more information, visit https://www.hartwick.edu/campus-life/arts-culture/yager-museum/.

Springfield Library to Host Local History Authors

SPRINGFIELD CENTER—The Springfield Library will host local authors Nancy Einreinhofer and Suzanne Goodrich for a discussion of their new book, “Around Springfield,” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 22. The book is a collection of more than 200 photographs illustrating the history of Springfield. At the event, the authors will highlight different periods, including the foundation of the town and the famous Fourth of July celebration.

“Around Springfield” opens with a brief introduction tracing the growth of the town from the earliest Dutch exploration of Central New York through the Revolutionary period to the rapid agricultural and Turnpike growth of the earth 19th century. Einreinhofer and Goodrich recount the rise and fall of hops and dairy farms in Springfield and provide lavish descriptions and photographs of Gilded-Age manors and estates that the young nation’s ruling class built in the area. However, they give at least as much space to the homes, libraries, stores, churches, offices and social spaces where the majority of people lived their lives. It also features entire sections on the Fourth of July celebration, other towns and infrastructure on Otsego Lake, and conservation efforts since the mid-20th century. “Around Springfield” is a complete history of post-settlement human activity in the town and its environs. Residents will be fascinated by the collection of photographs, especially those of surviving buildings and landscapes. Continuity and change are visible on every page. The book will be available for purchase, with all proceeds supporting the Springfield Historical Society. All are welcome to this free event. Call (315) 858-5802 to RSVP. For more information, contact Hanna at the library at sp.conbeer@4cls.org.

Freight Wheel to Host Housing, Population Talk

HARTWICK—Dr. Alex Thomas, professor of sociology and executive director of the SUNY Oneonta Program for Local Area Community and Environmental Science, will present data on regional population change at the Freight Wheel Café in Hartwick at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 22. The talk, co-sponsored by the café and the PLACES Institute, will cover the seeming paradox of dropping population and declining school enrollment combined with severe housing shortages in many Catskill-region communities. Seating is limited, so an early arrival is recommended. Participants should use street parking. The Freight Wheel Café is located at 3097 County Route 11.

Library System Announces Road Trip Challenge

VESTAL—The Four County Library System announced a summer road trip challenge beginning on July 1. Residents are invited to participate in the two-month challenge to visit all 42 member library branches in Broome, Chenango, Delaware and Otsego counties. Participants will discover unique buildings, valuable resources, and innovative programs and services. To join, simply pick up a brochure from any library and ask a staff member for a stamp at each location you visit. More information, as well as a map, can be found at https://4cls.libguides.com/roadtrip.

Cherry Valley Outdoor Games Add New Events

CHERRY VALLEY—The sixth year of the nationally-recognized Cherry Valley Outdoor Games, on June 16-18, will include two new events: speed climbing and log birling, also known as log rolling. As usual, the weekend will feature entertainment, food, crafts, hours of exciting lumber sports, archery and cornhole. For more information, visit the Cherry Valley Outdoor Games Facebook page.

NYSEG Enrolls in Butterfly Conservation Project

OTSEGO COUNTY—New York State Electric and Gas and Rochester Gas and Electric announced that they have enrolled in the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances, a voluntary U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program that addresses the needs of at-risk species before they become endangered. The companies committed to preserve monarch butterfly habitats on 18 percent of their above-ground rights-of-way across New York by promoting nectar plants and milkweed. All non-federal property owners are eligible to enroll a property or portion of a property in a CCAA. For more information on the process, visit https://www.fws.gov/service/candidate-conservation-agreements-assurances.

Antiquarian Book Fair Returns

COOPERSTOWN—The 29th Cooperstown Antiquarian Book Fair will be held at the Clark Sports Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 24. The fair will feature more than 25 dealers from the Northeast U.S. and beyond, and will host local authors for signings. There will be thousands of books, maps and ephemera of all sorts. There is a $5.00 cover charge to benefit the Cooperstown Foundation for Excellence in Education. For more information, call (607) 547-8363.

Homer Folks Hospital to Receive Historical Marker

ONEONTA—The Greater Oneonta Historical Society and Oneonta Job Corps Academy will unveil a historical marker commemorating the Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospital on the corner of West Street and Homer Folks Drive at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 29. It will be the first historical marker in the Town of Oneonta. The Homer Folks Hospital was a state institution that treated thousands of TB patients between 1935 and 1973. Its grounds are now occupied by the Oneonta Job Corp Academy and other organizations. The public is invited to the marker unveiling. Parking will be available on the Job Corps campus.

State Police Issue 13K Tickets Over Holiday Weekend

NEW YORK STATE—The New York State Police issued a total of 13,471 tickets statewide during the Memorial Day Weekend enforcement campaign. The special enforcement period ran Friday, May 26 through Tuesday, May 30 and utilized sobriety checkpoints and increased DWI and distracted driving patrols. According to a press release, troopers made 194 DWI arrests and investigated 839 crashes. Troop C, centered on the Southern Tier and including Otsego and Delaware counties, issued more than 1,100 tickets overall. No fatal crashes were reported. For the full report, visit https://www.nyspnews.com/state-police-issue-more-than-13400-tickets-during-memorial-day-weekend-enforcement-period.htm.

BCBS Recognized by American Heart Association

UTICA—The American Heart Association awarded Excellus BlueCross BlueShield national silver level recognition on its 2022 employee health and wellbeing scorecard. For more information or a full list of recognized organizations, visit heart.org/workforce.