Time Out Briefs: September 21, 2023

Holiday Spirit

SMYRNA—The Wolf Mountain Nature Center, a preserve for gray wolves, Eastern coyotes, arctic fox and gray fox, will hold its “Honoring the Spirit of the Wolf” fall festival on Sunday, October 8. For more information, visit www.TheWolfMountainNatureCenter.org. (Photo provided)

BFS Offers Boating Course

SPRINGFIELD—The SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station will hold a free New York State Safe Boating Course on Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8 at the BFS Upland Interpretive Center near Sunken Island. The eight-hour class will run from 8 a.m. to noon each day. Participants who successfully complete the class will receive a safe boating certificate. Pre-registration is required and seats are limited; visit https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/203110.

Hamloaf Dinner Returns

CHERRY VALLEY—The First Presbyterian Church’s ever-popular fall hamloaf dinner will return on Monday, October 9 from 4-6 p.m. It is by takeout only. Each dinner includes hamloaf, creamed potatoes, squash, beets, a roll, and a choice of pie, and costs a donation of the diner’s choice. Pre-orders are appreciated; call (315) 858-1196 or (607) 264-3943.

New Holiday Event Planned

COOPERSTOWN—The Farmers’ Museum announced that it will hold a new holiday season event in November and December. According to a release, the new six-week light show extravaganza promises to attract thousands of visitors to Cooperstown each year. “Glimmer Nights” will take place on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from Friday, November 24 through Sunday, December 31.

“At outdoor venues like parks and botanical gardens across the country, holiday light shows are enormously sought-after family entertainment,” said Dr. Paul S. D’Ambrosio, president and CEO of The Farmers’ Museum and Fenimore Art Museum. “The Farmers’ Museum’s charming 19th-century village and farmstead are ideally suited for just such an open-air attraction with huge mass appeal. It only makes sense to learn from the existing models to create something entirely unique and unforgettable.”

Glimmer Nights will feature a self-guided walking tour of elaborate, multi-colored light displays. The path will wind through the museum’s Country Village and other areas, each with a unique theme. It is expected to considerably increase off-season visits to Cooperstown. Tickets will go on sale in mid-October. Visit farmersmuseum.org for updates.

CYNC Gears Up for Bike Race

GARRATTSVILLE—Central New York Cycling, Butternuts Brewery and the Butternut Valley Alliance have partnered to present the Butternut Valley Gravel Grinder bicycling challenge at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 7. Rides will range from 15 to 65 miles through fall foliage on dirt and gravel roads. It is a cycling challenge rather than a race and will provide ample opportunity to enjoy one of the most scenic rural areas in the state. However, riders will be placed and will probably be timed. All are free to ride at their own pace. Famed cyclist and Unbound Gravel winner Ted King will participate. Every entrant will be eligible to win a custom Rock Lobster bike frame. After the ride, there will be live music, food from the Empire House of Gilbertsville and beer from Butternuts Brewery; all are included with the entry fee, but participants must register by Monday, September 26 to be certain of receiving a meal ticket.

All participants must register by 5 p.m. on Monday, October 2. Proceeds from the event will support BVA, the Garrattsville Fire Department, CNYC and the Bassett Cancer Institute. For more information or to register, visit https://www.bikereg.com/butternut-valley-gravel-grinder. BVA is a community non-profit that protects and conserves the environmental, agricultural, economic and cultural heritage of the Butternut Creek watershed and its communities.

Beer Hike Is This Weekend

MIDDLEFIELD—Otsego Outdoors will offer a new fall event, the beer hike, at Brewery Ommegang on Saturday, September 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The trail is steep and will take most participants about an hour. Registration is free, but attendees must sign up for a specific start time in advance. After completing the trail, hikers will receive a beer token. The Otsego Outdoors Beer Hike is limited to 100 participants, so advance registration is recommended. Visit otsego2000.org for more information or to register.

The event is also the launch party for the Otsego Outdoors Fall Challenge, which showcases places to hike, paddle, cycle, and fish in and near Otsego County. People who complete eight of the featured activities (an octet) receive a free patch, sticker and listing on the Challenge Roster.

Center Accepting Group Trips

ONEONTA—SUNY Oneonta’s AJ Read Science Discovery Center announced that it is accepting requests for group trips. According to a release, the center offers free field trips that include time in the Discovery Center and a planetarium show; the field trips are intended especially for grades 3-5. The trips will offer a variety of engaging, hands-on STEM-related exhibits and demonstrations. Teachers or other trip organizers can visit https://suny.oneonta.edu/science-discovery-center to request a trip.

Fall Festival is October 1st

MIDDLEFIELD—The Town of Middlefield Historical Association will host a community fall festival at its headquarters in the Old School House building on County Highway 35 in the hamlet of Middlefield from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 1. The family-friendly event will feature fall vendors, live music, a church service, children’s activities, Middlefield Fire Department events to observe Fire Prevention Month and Jim Loudon with a presentation on the history of local trolley services. The festival is free and open to the public.

Unadilla Fall Festival Returns

UNADILLA—Covered Bridge Farm Market will host the Unadilla Fall Fest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 24. The event will feature more than 50 local arts, crafts, farm and small business vendors, non-profits, children’s activities, a corn maze, pumpkins, and live music. It will be held rain or shine, with free admission and parking. There is a wait list for vendors, and prospective vendors are warned of extensive scammer activity claiming to sell vendor spaces.

Katz Will Lead Doubleday Tour

COOPERSTOWN—The Village Library of Cooperstown will host a series of programs throughout the fall relating to the “Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories, with David Rubenstein” PBS series. It will begin with a local history walking tour of Doubleday Field led by Jeff Katz, author, former Cooperstown mayor and president of the Friends of Doubleday. The tour will be held at 9 a.m. on Thursday, September 28. The group will meet at the Doubleday entrance.

Family Fun Day is Saturday

MILFORD—Otsego County Relay for Life will hold a Family Fun Day at Wilber Park in Milford from 11 a.m. to dusk on Saturday, September 23. The J.D. Car Show will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A tri-county cornhole tournament will begin at 1 p.m., and the Relay itself runs from 4-8 p.m. Roundhouse Rockers will perform beginning at 4 p.m., and a children’s color run starts at 5 p.m. There will also be vendors, food, bounce houses, games and activities, fireworks at dusk, and more family fun. For information, or to sign up, visit https://secure.acsevents.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=relay.

New CAA Exhibits Set To Open

COOPERSTOWN—The Cooperstown Art Association will hold an opening reception for two new exhibits on Friday, September 29 from 5-7 p.m. The Central New York Watercolor Society will present their annual Members-Only Juried Exhibition in Gallery A. It will feature selected works by signature and associate members of the society and the opening reception will provide opportunities to meet with the artists. This year’s juror is Ken Call, signature member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, and other prestigious organizations.
Gallery B will host “Always Looking Up” by Judith Snedeker Jaquith of Worcester. She is an oil painter who is fascinated by skies and open spaces, and the selected art will examine the many variations of the sky. Both exhibits will be on display through Friday, October 27. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

UMC To Hold Rummage Sale

ONEONTA—The Oneonta First United Methodist Church, at 66 Chestnut Street, will host a rummage and book sale on Thursday and Friday, September 28 and 29. The sales run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and from 9-11 a.m. on Friday, with the rummage sale extending until 1 p.m. Friday will also feature a $2.00 bag sale. Visitors are warned to use street parking or the outer perimeter of the Dollar General/Smoker’s Choice lot; cars parked in the laundromat lot may be towed.

SUNY Art Exhibits Open Now

ONEONTA—The SUNY Oneonta art galleries kicked off the academic year with two exhibitions open through Saturday, October 7. “Between Wind and Water,” a solo exhibit of sculptures by Jefferson-based artist Richard Friedberg, is located in the Martin-Mullen Gallery.

“Friedberg’s work pulls from photographs of large-scale, natural occurrences but instead of focusing on the narrative, he distills the images into an evocation of transient beauty,” said SUNY Oneonta Gallery Director Sarah Simpson. “His choice of materials is an interesting, subtle contradiction; the scale and tone of the pieces suggest great weight, but they are surprisingly light and ethereal. Careful, active viewing of his sculptures may also allow you to identify the subjects—the tornadoes, plumes of smoke, tidal waves, and windstorms that he transformed into abstractions of shape, color, and movement.”

“Jean Parish Scholarship: 2022-2024” is a group exhibition featuring work by the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 student recipients of the Jean Parish Scholarship, on display in the Project Space Gallery. Displayed works include inkjet print photography, knitting, digital videos and animations, mixed media, and various canvases.

Faculty Emerita Jean Parish enjoyed a lengthy teaching career at SUNY Oneonta, and her love of working with students inspired her to leave behind a gift to provide financial assistance to students studying art. One of two endowed funds she set in place supports the Jean Parish Scholarship, distributed by the Art Department through a competitive process each fall. Art majors are eligible to apply during or after their first semester, and the department gives several non-renewable awards for the academic year.

Admission to the galleries is free and open to the public, and visitors can receive parking passes through the University Police Department. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

NAMI Classes Start October 5

ONEONTA—The New York organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will hold a free six-session program for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents with mental health conditions. NAMI Basics provides information about mental health, tools to support children and information on local resources. It will be taught by trained family members of mental health patients. For more information on the evidence and research base of the program, visit nami.org/research. Classes will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursdays from October 5 through November 8 at the Elm Park United Methodist Church in Oneonta, or on Zoom. Participants should register by Friday, September 29 by contacting (607) 604-4467, namidelawareco@gmail.com or smdu08@gmail.com. NAMI of Delaware and Otsego also offers Family Support Group meetings at 6 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month at Elm Park Church and at 6 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at United Ministry Church on the Square in Delhi.

Entries Sought for Car Show

HERKIMER—Herkimer College is seeking antique and classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles to participate in the 15th annual car show during Fall Fest and Alumni Weekend, noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 30. Vehicles will be registered upon arrival to campus and the show will be located in the Technology Center and Physical Education quad. Prizes are available to the winners of the event with a panel of judges on hand to award the best in show. Fall Fest is an annual Herkimer College tradition for students and alumni that is free and open to the public. For more information, visit Herkimer.edu/fallfest.

Museum Announces Metal Day

EAST MEREDITH—Hanford Mills Museum’s next Exploration Day program, Metal at the Mill, will be held on Saturday, September 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature the return of the Dan Rion Memorial Antique Engine Jamboree, featuring regional collectors of historic engines, tractors, doodlebugs, outboard motors, and model boats and other machines. The 1948 GMC Bovina Fire Department engine and pump will make its first appearance at the mill, and the 1957 Nash Metropolitan hook and ladder fire truck will return. The Catskill Conquest Rally of classic cars will roll through Hanford Mills on an afternoon stop. Hanford Mills staff and volunteers will display and demonstrate gas engines from the historic collection and the steam plant will run. Blacksmith demonstrations will also take place at the museum’s forge. Intelligent Green Solutions will be on-site to talk about solar power for homes and businesses, and the Stoddard Hollow String Band will play traditional music from noon until 3 p.m.