Bound Volumes, Hometown History
August 17, 2023
50 Years Ago
The long-run viability of our dairy industry is threatened by a succession of events according to 27th District Congressman Howard W. Robinson who released a statement while attending the Delaware County Fair. “The price freeze has had an unanticipated adverse effect on the New York dairy industry. The after effects of Tropical Storm Agnes that resulted in shortages of feed grain and roughage and poor crop conditions this spring along with flooding in Delaware County and other areas, and sky-rocketing feed grain costs have come together to place the dairy industry in New York State in jeopardy. Milk production continues to drop as farmers, because of the high prices they can obtain for cows destined to be slaughtered, sell off part, or often all, their herds.” Congressman Robinson is calling for emergency hearings so dairy farmers can have the opportunity to present their case for increased prices.
August 1973
40 Years Ago
Construction of the new fitness trail in Wilber Park is right on schedule with 12 of the 20 exercise stations already installed. “We’re moving along fine,” said Lucia Colone, coordinator of the Oneonta Youth Employment Service Youth Center. Colone designed the six-week job-training program that put local youngsters to work constructing the trail. “The hardest part is digging some of the post holes,” she said. “In some sections of the park, the ground is rocky.” The remaining eight stations of the fitness trail should be installed within the next two weeks. During the last two weeks of the program, the youths will be involved with promoting the trail, as well as learning how each station should be used and the health benefits of the various exercises. The $3,600 job-training program, in which 10 youths are paid $60 a week, was funded by a $1,800 grant from the Oneonta Common Council and a matching grant from the State Division for Youth. The youths are paid $2.40 an hour and put in five hours a day. The project is supervised by the city engineering department.
August 1983
30 Years Ago
Speaking in Denver, Colorado on Friday, Pope John Paul II challenged U.S. bishops on Friday to take special care of young Catholics. He then sent them throughout the city to evangelize “the church of today and tomorrow.” The pope, on the second day of his U.S. visit for World Youth Day appeared in good spirits. The pope greeted American bishops summoned to Denver to show the Roman Catholic Church’s concern for a difficult-to-reach generation that has shown a declining interest in some religious practices. As American bishops left the cathedral to meet with young people from their home dioceses, the pope met briefly with youngsters at a high school. Then he retreated to the Rocky Mountains for a day of hiking and rest.
August 1993
20 Years Ago
A power outage that began shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday kept many area towns dark well into the night. Many outlying towns, including Walton, Sidney and Downsville didn’t have power as of 11 p.m. Thursday, and parts of Oneonta, Cobleskill and Norwich also were without power. In Oneonta, lower Main Street had electricity, as did parts of Chestnut Street and the Southside. But Main Street’s business district and many nearby residences did not. Kathy King, NYSEG’s Oneonta area spokeswoman said about 68,000 people across Otsego, Delaware and Chenango and parts of eight other counties were still in the dark at 11 p.m.
August 2003