News Briefs: August 17, 2023

OLT Gets Preserve NY Grant

COOPERSTOWN—Otsego Land Trust received $14,780.00 as one of this year’s 19 Preserve New York grants to fund structural analysis and condition assessment at Brookwood Point. The study will consider restoration work of the historic property and evaluate ways to improve public amenities while maintaining the “secret garden” atmosphere.

“We are delighted to be partnering with the Preservation League of New York State to address the weathering of historic features at Brookwood Point,” said OTL Executive Director Gregory Farmer. “Brookwood Point is our flagship property, the most visible and most accessible of our six public properties.”

OTL will use the structural analysis report to understand the scope of restoration and repair required on the key features of the property.

“The historic Garden House, the Icehouse, the Pump House, the stone walls and the fountains are all more than a century old and show the effects of weathering and winter storms,” a release said.

The PNY program is a regrant partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts and the Preservation League, made possible with the support of the Office of the Governor and the NYS Legislature. This year, the independent grant panel selected 19 applicants in 17 counties to receive support totaling $279,936. Many of the grants will support historic district designation or expansion. Since 1993, PNY has provided more than $3.7 million to over 500 projects.

FAM Celebrates Iroquois

COOPERSTOWN—Fenimore Art Museum will present Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) history and culture in a special event in the Lucy B. Hamilton Amphitheater behind the museum from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday, August 19. The event is free and open to the public. The afternoon begins with the regularly scheduled “Otsego: A Meeting Place” tour at 2 p.m. A museum educator will lead a tour of the Otsego Lake shoreline and provide information about the early inhabitants of the Susquehanna watershed and their cultural, economic, and political legacy. Noted Mohawk scholar Darren Bonaparte will present Haudenosaunee history using recreated wampum belts to demonstrate records of important political agreements at 3 p.m. Chris Thomas and Friends, traditional dancers from the Onondaga nation, will demonstrate a social dance at 4 p.m. Crafters will be on-site to sell their works from 2-5.

Otsego Lake Remains Clear

SPRINGFIELD—The SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station conducted limited water testing on Otsego Lake on Thursday, August 10. Samples were taken at the primary open water site, near the Yokota Lab buoy, and from the Main Laboratory dock. No surface accumulations or shoreline scums have been documented or confirmed yet this summer. Water clarity decreased slightly since the previous survey on Monday, July 24. Microcystis, the genus of cyanobacteria responsible for last year’s harmful algal bloom, was present in the surface waters at a relatively low abundance. Sample analysis is under way to determine levels of mycrocystin toxins. The next sample collection will take place at some time during the week of August 14.

‘Messiah’ Auditions Aug. 31

ONEONTA—Catskill Choral Society will hold auditions for new singers to perform their holiday concert of Handel’s “Messiah” with full orchestra and soloists, to be performed at the First United Methodist Church on Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2. Auditions will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 12 Ford Avenue, on Thursday, August 31, beginning at 5 p.m. They will be by appointment only; contact ccs@catskillchoralsociety.com to set up a time. Regular rehearsals begin on Thursday, September 7 and will run each Thursday at 7 p.m.

“We last performed the ‘Messiah’ in 2012, and we look forward to kicking off the holiday season with this beloved choral masterpiece,” said former Society President Chris Shields. “Our spring concert will include ‘Carmina Burana’ by Karl Orff, plus the group will once again collaborate with the Catskill Symphony Orchestra in May, so a busy, exciting year is planned.”

“We seek singers with some prior choral singing experience, plus talented high school and college age singers,” Shields said of the auditions. For more information, visit www.catskillchoralsociety.com or contact Shields at (607) 435-7008.

Chamber Event Open to All

HARTWICK SEMINARY—The Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Barnyard Swing Mini Golf and Family Fun Center to host a mini golf tournament and after-hours networking event from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, August 25. Early bird play begins at 4, followed by the main tournament at 5:30. The event is open to the community. There will be prizes for the top two team scores and a blindfolded hole-in-one competition. All participants will be entered into a raffle to win two Savannah Bananas tickets.