Cooperstown Rotary
Readies for Fall Fling
By Richard Sternberg
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.”
Coming out of more than a year of lockdowns and quarantine, the Rotary Club of Cooperstown is fortunate to be able to gather safely outside to celebrate our community and local businesses, Ms. Sheehan wrote in a recent press release.
“It is more important than ever for us to come together and support each other as community members, leaders, business owners, and families alike,” she said.
Rotary is an international service organization with 1 million-plus members in more than 160 countries. The Cooperstown chapter meets Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m., usually at The Otesaga Resort Hotel.
Fall Fling is the major fundraiser of the year for the Rotary Club of Cooperstown. One hundred percent of the profits go to supporting community organizations and local and international charities, such as the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Cooperstown Food Pantry, Cooperstown Community Senior Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Otsego and Schoharie Counties, and PolioPlus.
Ms. Sheehan said this is the sixth time the Rotary Club of Cooperstown has held the Fling.
“The first and second events were on Railroad Avenue in 2016 and 2017. It outgrew the space available there and moved to the Doubleday Field parking lot,” she wrote. “Still bursting at the seams with much more demand for vendor space than available at Doubleday, in 2019 the Fling was moved, with the Clark Sports Center’s generous offer and help, to the CSC grounds.”
In 2020, the Fling was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID again forced cancellation of the event in the spring of 2021, but Rotarians were able to regroup and move the date to October, where it will fall again this year, Ms. Sheehan added.
Post Fall Fling, the Rotary Club of Cooperstown will host Pancake Day on Tuesday, November 8.