Oneonta’s holiday parade brings Santa to town

Angel Tree Program

Angel Tree Program Accepts Contributions Celebrate The Spirit Of Christmas! The AllOTSEGO newspapers, The Freeman’s Journal and Hometown Oneonta, are joining with The Salvation Army to make a joyful Christmas for area families through its Angel Tree Program. This tradition dates back to 1921 with the creation of The Freeman’s Journal Christmas Fund by Editor & Publisher Rowan D. Spraker Sr. as a way for neighbors to help others enjoy a happy holiday. This week marks the 101st year of this community tradition, partnering with The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has gathered Christmas wish lists grouped by family which…

November 9, 2017

Bresee’s Santa Lives

Bresee’s Santa Lives Restored Five Years Ago, Jolly Elf Reclaims His Stature In Downtown By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Even Santa Claus sometimes needs a little work done. For the past five years, he’s been a Christmas Time treat at the Greater Oneonta Historical Society, but for many years after Bresee’s Department Store closed down in the 1990s, he was out of the public eye. “He had been in our warehouse, and we rescued him,” said Elaine Bresee, Milford Center, whose husband Marc was one of the last family members to manage the namesake downtown Oneonta department store.…

December 4, 2020

Farewell, Mrs. Claus!

Farewell, Mrs. Claus! By IAN AUSTIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – The end of the Christmas season will mark the end of an era for a Southside Mall mainstay. For over two decades, Vera Stewart, aka Mrs. Claus, has been volunteering for the Salvation Army by ringing bells and holding doors at her station outside of JCPenney, spreading cheer to holiday shoppers. Dressed in red velvet with white trim, the Southside Mrs. Claus has become a mainstay of the Christmas season to many visitors young and old. “When they first asked me to be a bell ringer for the Salvation…

December 23, 2018

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