News Briefs Part II: June 27, 2024

Franklin Stage Opens Season

FRANKLIN—Franklin Stage Company will open its 28th season with a production of Alice Childress’s award-winning comedy “Trouble in Mind” at Chapel Hall, 25 Institute Street, from July 5-21. The play follows Wiletta Mayer, a successful middle-aged Black actress who finally gets a break from stereotypical or typecast roles with a big Broadway production.

“It’s moving, illuminating and surprisingly funny,” said FSC Artistic Director Patricia Buckley, “but it’s also a play about work, race, and what it means to be an ally.”

All evening shows begin at 7:30, and there will be Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. and Sunday shows at 5 p.m. Admission is free, although a donation of $25.00 is suggested. For more information or to make reservations, visit www.franklinstagecompany.org.

Plein Air Painting Event Set

HARTWICK—Otsego Land Trust and the Cooperstown Art Association announced that they will welcome artists and aspiring artists to their third annual Plein Air Painting Weekend from 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 13 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 14. The outdoor painting event will take place at the Parslow Road Preserve, 127 Parslow Road in Hartwick. The $60.00 fee covers instruction and continental breakfasts and boxed lunches both days. For more information or to sign up, visit https://otsegolandtrust.org/events/plein-air-painting-at-parslow-rd-preserve.

Hall Has Historic Feller Bat

COOPERSTOWN—The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will display a historically significant bat belonging to legendary Cleveland pitcher and World War II hero Bob Feller in the museum’s Babe Ruth exhibit through 2025. Ruth held this bat in the world-famous Nat Fein photograph from his number retirement ceremony at Yankee Stadium on June 13, 1948. Entering the stadium through the visitor’s dugout, the terminally-ill Ruth—who would die two months later—picked up Feller’s bat to use as a cane. Feller kept it at his museum in Iowa for many years and left it to the Cleveland Guardians after his passing. It is on display with the uniform that Ruth wore the same day.

Yager Hosts Summer Events

ONEONTA—Hartwick College’s Yager Museum of Art and Culture announced its summer hours and programming for June and July. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, through July 31, and will close for July 4. The museum’s popular “Crafternoon” programs for children ages 5-12 will return on Wednesdays from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in July. Summer exhibitions include “No Child’s Play: Impressionist Paintings by Anna Richards Brewster,” “Velocity and Position: The Human Figure in Motion and at Rest,” “A Deep Dive in a Large Ocean: Tradition, Tourism and Transformation in Micronesian Cultures,” and “Masterpieces of European and American Art.”

Falk To Lead Walking Tour

FLY CREEK—Dr. Cindy Falk will lead an Otsego 2000 walking tour of Fly Creek focusing on rural entrepreneurism at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 7. The group will gather at the Fly Creek Grange, 208 Cemetery Road, where the Fly Creek Area Historical Society and Museum will be open from 2-3 p.m. for tour participants to enjoy beforehand. The tour costs $10.00, or $8.00 for FCAHS members; register in advance at otsego2000.org or (607) 547-8881.

Summer Series Announced

ONEONTA—The Swart-Wilcox House Museum recently announced its 2024 Summer Sunday Series of educational programming, held on the museum’s shaded front lawn from 1-3 p.m. on Sundays in July and August. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, and tours of the historic 1807 house are available before and after the events. Each talk is free and open to the public.

Frank Antonucci will present on the 121st New York Volunteer Regiment, a Civil War unit recruited in Otsego and Herkimer counties that distinguished itself in 25 battles, on July 7. Tom Morgan will perform selections from his plays about Gilbertsville’s Empire Hotel on July 14. There will be a talk about the Central New York Fair, a major annual event in Oneonta in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, by Wayne Wright on July 21. Connie Tedesco will present on the beauty, importance and convenience of native plants in gardening on July 28.

Terry McMaster will speak about the early settlement of Sidney by his sixth-great-grandfather, Rev. Johnston, in the 1770s on August 4. Hanford Mills Museum Education Coordinator Ryan Jones will share his extensive knowledge of the long history of New York State water power on August 11. Local historian Jim Loudon will present on the history of local railroads and labor organizing on August 18. Finally, Mark Simonson will offer a history of Oneonta community celebrations and special events on August 25.

Groups Host Film Screening

WORCESTER—The historical societies of Westford, Worcester and Maryland will co-host a screening of the locally made local history film “A Roadhouse Coup” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. There will be a parade at noon, followed by a 1930s costume contest and local history exhibitions and activities. The screening will take place in the Wieting Theatre, 168 Main Street in Worcester. Free tickets through Otsego County Community Events are available by calling (607) 638-9343. Donations are welcome.

New Charity Hike Underway

COOPERSTOWN—Tom Walsh, a 66-year-old hiker, cancer survivor and volunteer, announced his next major charity hike following last year’s 200-mile journey through every town in Otsego County. He departed from Thatcher State Park in Voorheesville on June 17 for a continuous through-hike of the 360-mile Long Path to 175th Street in Manhattan. Walsh will raise money to support patient services at Bassett Cancer Institute and for Otsego Outdoors. He aims to raise at least $5,000.00. One-time donations may be made at otsegooutdoors.org, while per-mile pledges may be made by contacting outdoors@otsego2000.org. Walsh has hiked more than 1,000 miles and raised more than $20,000.00 on four previous hikes. Updates on his progress will be available on the Otsego Outdoors website and Facebook page.