CLARA WELCH THANKSGIVING HOME NOTES

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Summer in upstate New York is truly a beautiful time of year. The same beauty is found here at the Thanksgiving Home, with its lush green grass, trees in their finery and our gardens, bursting with color and fragrance.
Frank and Gary keep the grounds looking lovely and our “Green Thumbs” Garden Club has done a wonderful job with the annuals, perennials and herbs. The veggie garden is progressing nicely and providing the kitchen with lettuce, onions and herbs, green beans and peas, and pretty soon tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
Our ever faithful morning chair aerobics pals, Fannie Navarra, Hildegard Parr, and Bert Kull Chapin keep in shape daily in the wellness room. The Fun and Fit trainers, Maureen Moglia and Amy Porter really do make exercise fun.
Bobby Mook, Peg Hage, Dotty Bly, Rena Lull, Margaret Reed, Art Laidlaw, Tarbie Hoes, Ruth Druse, Hilde Parr, Wanda Noyes, and Bert Kull Chapin have been in this enjoyable exercise class.
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July 22 Betty and Leonard Sohackie, Eucharistic ministers from St. Mary’s, offered communion and visited with some residents.
Hilde Parr took off downtown for shopping with Sandy Brigham, then later joined our Reading Aloud group which includes Fannie Navarra, Wanda Noyes, Bert Kull Chapin, Tarbie Hoes, led by Susan Kenyon, activities director. This group is now listening to “Ghost of Chance,” the memoirs of Peter Duchin, America’s top society bandleader for over 30 years.
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July 23 brought us a surprise visit from Rosemary and Frank Gould, who met with Alberta and Bill Bowes, Julia Gil, Fannie Navarra, Peg Hage and Martha Quinn caught up on news, old and new. They graciously presented The Home with a Norman Rockwell jig-saw puzzle.
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July 24 our staff and resident picnic at Camp Minnetoska was cancelled due to weather conditions, but Janet Saporito brought some rays of sunshine with “Laugh Lines.” Giggles “a-plenty could be heard from Ruth Druse, Peg Hage, Tarbie Hoes, Fannie Navarra, Hilde Parr, and Wanda Noyes as Janet told her jokes and funny stories.
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July 26 Natalie Laidlaw joined Judy Pooler for jewelry class and in the afternoon, “The Happiest Millionaire,” our Saturday matinee, was shown. On July 27 “It Happened One Night” was the Sunday movie.
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July 28 the garden herbs were brought indoors for a craft session led by Carol Affourtit and Judy Pooler. Bert Kull Chapin, Peg Hage, Fannie Navarra, and Natalie Laidlaw made “Tussie- Mussies”, which are small herb bouquets, tied with ribbon. The entire first floor smelled wonderful!
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July 29 Leon Rathbun, Bill Bowes and Bobby Mook took off for Lakefront Park in the evening to hear “Abbey Road,” “an exhilarating music production,” they reported to all.
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July 31 Nancy Rackmyer led the “Birdwatchers.” The planned field trip was cancelled due to rainy weather but the group gathered in the library instead. Peg Hage, Marguerite Pomeroy, Wanda Noyes, Bobby Mook, Fannie Navarra and Bert Kull Chapin looked at numerous framed prints of birds in their “bird book.”
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Felicitations!!! To our staff and residents celebrating birthdays: Alberta Bowes, Ruth Swart, Bobby Mook, Ruth Druse, Alexa Stanton, Chrissy Karpowich and Jan Scrafford. Sneaking in on Aug. 1, Happy Birthday to our lovely kitty, Ginger.

Labels: Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home Notes, Columns

175 YEARS AGO

Regimental Orders, State of New York – By order of Aaron C. Whitlock, Brigadier General of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division of the New York State Artillery, the Commissioned, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Musicians of the 12th Regiment in said Brigade, under the command of Col. Hezekiah B. Sprague, will rendezvous and parade for Artillery exercise and improvement at the house of John Brewer, in the village of Cooperstown, on Monday and Tuesday, the 26th and 27th days of August, at 9 o’clock a.m., precisely. A.W. Clark, Adjutant, 12th Regiment.
August 12, 1833

150 YEARS AGO

Ashamed of it! – We do not wonder that some friendly hand has been induced to daub “Bukanan Bridge” on the new hemlock structure over the Susquehanna – the Commissioners are ashamed of their child! If party has had anything to do with the matter, the public will not be slow to understand who did the “wire-pulling” with the Republican Commissioners. A cheap bridge has been secured – just at present the tax will appear light – and the thing answers practical purposes. But in the course of a few years, it will prove anything but an economical affair – while every man entertaining any feelings of pride in such matters, will condemn it.
August 6, 1858

125 YEARS AGO

An ice cream sale will take place Friday evening of this week, in the vacant store in the Schrom block, opposite the Ballard House. The cream will be made by Mrs. B.F. Beadle. The proceeds of the sale will be devoted to the Grand Army uniform fund. Show an interest by attending the sale, and give the Veterans a helping hand.

Willie Armstrong, aged four years, son of Geo. Armstrong of Fly Creek, while playing in the Old Chapel Cemetery with an older brother, on Monday last, had his right thigh fractured, and was otherwise injured, by the falling of a gravestone. Dr. Leaning reduced the fracture.
August 11, 1883

100 YEARS AGO

Those of our readers who have not experienced the sensation of being one hundred years old, can hardly realize the feelings of the editor of The Freeman’s Journal on Saturday last, August 1, 1908. For it was on that day this old newspaper passed its first century mark and launched out upon its second hundred years. The event was marked by no demonstration; in fact, the presses and other machinery hummed on as merrily as if nothing unusual had occurred; there was nothing to remind one of the many years, both of storm and calm, that have elapsed since somebody, way back in the primitive days, came overland with a press and type and began giving the pioneers of the Otsego Lake region the benefits of a local newspaper. There are in the Journal office now, some old curiosities in the way of type and material that may have been used in getting out the first edition. But even the files of those early days are missing, for the bound volumes in the office begin with the year 1820. George H. Carley, Editor.
August 6, 1908

75 YEARS AGO

Where Nature Smiles – It has been suggested that the excellent concerts by the Cooperstown band at Doubleday Field would be enjoyed to better advantage if the children would refrain from using the playground apparatus while they are in progress. Mayor Dunn, when questioned by a representative of this newspaper, stated that at the concert next Wednesday evening official action will be taken to prevent further annoyance of that kind. The steamer Mohican, recently purchased by August A. Busch to be transformed into a floating houseboat was towed by a motor boat to the new landing at the Fox Run Hill Farm at Three-Mile Point.
August 9, 1933

50 YEARS AGO

Editorial – Americans are practically unanimous in wishing to withdraw their troops from the Middle East (Ed. Note: American troops were in Lebanon). This applies to those who feel there was no alternative to the intervention as well as to those who feel a bit foggy about the whole matter. It applies to the reservist who wants no more soldiering, to the businessman concerned about taxes, and to earnest friends of Arab nationalism.
August 6, 1958

25 YEARS AGO

Plans for the new Clark Gymnasium are proceeding on schedule, Clark Foundation representative Edward Stack said Monday. “We’re right on schedule, and if everything goes as planned, we’ll begin construction in May 1984,” Stack said. “We might be able to start before that if we can get through the paperwork.” Stack said the gym, which will be located on the Iroquois Mansion property outside of Cooperstown would take approximately two years to construct. The new $7 million gymnasium will offer racquetball and squash courts, a full-sized gymnasium with bleachers, a 75-foot competitive swimming pool, a diving pool, eight bowling lanes, exercise and weight rooms, locker and shower areas and spectator galleries.
August 10, 1983


Bound Volumes is compiled from resources provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library. Tom Heitz is the Town of Otsego historian.

Labels: Bound Volumes, Columns

175 YEARS AGO

Advertisement – Eagle Tavern, Cooperstown – Isaac Lewis, having returned to Cooperstown, will be happy to accommodate the public at the “Bold Dragoon” stand formerly kept by Major Griffin. There have been some alterations in the establishment which will tend to contribute to the comfort of the citizen and traveler. All the subscriber asks, is that the public will try, before they censure him – “All is not gold that shines” – “The proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof.” Isaac Lewis.
August 5, 1833

150 YEARS AGO

That bridge (over the Susquehanna River at Cooperstown) has finally been erected (replacing an older dilapidated span) – and it is unanimously voted a disgrace to the two towns – for which the Commissioners are responsible. It is not only a mean looking structure, but we are assured by those competent to judge, that it is built of poor timber, which can last only a few years. It would have been about as well to have re-planked the old bridge.
July 30, 1858

125 YEARS AGO

With its present issue, the Freeman’s Journal completes its seventy-fifth volume, and our Junior has dubbed it the “diamond edition.” It has outlived most of its early contemporaries, and has attained what must be regarded as a “good old age” for a weekly newspaper. Probably of no other paper ever published in this country can it be said that two persons have conducted it for within a few months of 73 years. Col. Prentiss was its editor for nearly 41 years; he was succeeded by Daniel Shaw for something over two years; and in August 1851 it was purchased and has since been conducted by its present editor. If wisely conducted, it should be a “hale and hearty” county paper when a century old.
August 4, 1883

100 YEARS AGO

With its next issue, the Freeman’s Journal will complete its one hundredth year. A century of life! What an experience the Journal has had! When it was born, Thomas Jefferson was the President, and there were only 17 states – the original 13 and Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. The only way of getting about the country was by walking, rowing and horse-power. Fulton had just invented his first steamboat a few months before. There were no steamships, no railroads and hardly any canals. The Journal has lived through four big wars – the War of 1812 with England, the Mexican War, the Civil War and the War with Spain. What wonders will it witness in its second century? Nobody can venture to predict, in view of the enormous strides of civilization in the recent past. Probably the North and South Poles will be discovered, ballooning be made more practicable, and other modes of traveling much safer, speedier and more comfortable. It is hoped that medical science may make still further advances in the diminution of pain and the cure of “incurable” diseases. Very likely Cuba and Canada may be annexed to the United States. May The Freeman’s Journal be on hand to chronicle it, as usual!
July 30, 1908

75 YEARS AGO

The motion picture reels showing the Grand National steeplechase won in England last spring by Kellsboro Jack, owned by Mrs. F. Ambrose Clark, were shown at the home of Mr. Edward Severin Clark Sunday afternoon on which occasion Mr. F. Ambrose Clark gave a most interesting description while, with a pointer, he carried each one of the prominent starters through the race.
August 2, 1933

50 YEARS AGO

Joe Dovi, an 18-year-old apprentice at the Duke’s Oak Theatre, lost his glasses case the other day. So Henry Beckman and Cheryl Maxwell, operators of the theatre, loaned him one from the theatre’s lost articles department – one which had been lost in the theatre last season. Joe opened the new case, and much to his surprise found inside it a note indicating that it belonged to a Luigi Zaffiro of New York City. Zaffiro happens to be a friend of Joe’s. In fact, both were born in the same village in Sicily. Joe came to this country when he was nine years old. Mr. Beckman said that Zaffiro had no connection with the theatre, and apparently was a patron last season when he left his glasses case behind.
July 30, 1958

25 YEARS AGO

Nine people joined the Cooperstown Presbyterian Church on Palm Sunday according to pastor Robert Herst. They include Beth Kerr, Beth Hager, Kathy Marx, Sally Goodwin, Dorothy and Romayn Heyler, Adele and David Lott, and Walter Nagel. Miss Hager is the fourth generation of her family to be a member of the congregation. Her mother, Margaret McGown, her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. McGown, and her great-grandmother, Mrs. F. Hamilton McGown are also members of the congregation.
April 27, 1983

10 YEARS AGO

Letter to the Editor: The July 24 Freeman’s Journal included an editorial naming Cooperstown as baseball’s “birthplace,” and General Abner Doubleday as its inventor, among other misinformation. It is well known and documented that the Doubleday story is a myth, and that Cooperstown has no verifiable claim to being the birthplace of baseball. The so-call “Doubleday Baseball,” found in Fly Creek in 1935, had supposedly belonged not to Doubleday but to Abner Graves, the man who claimed to have been a school-chum of Doubleday’s when he invented the game in 1839. Doubleday, 15 years Graves’ senior, was actually at West Point in 1839 and couldn’t have been in Cooperstown unless he was AWOL. Bill Deane.
July 31, 1998

Bound Volumes is compiled from resources provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library. Tom Heitz is the Town of Otsego historian.

Labels: Bound Volumes, Columns

SAM GOODYEAR

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ART BEAT

This week we are considering two barns: The Windfall Dutch Barn, a pre-revolutionary restored structure in Salt Springville about eight miles north of Route 20 from East Springfield, and Glimmerglass Opera, hard to miss on Route 80 eight miles north of Cooperstown.
The Windfall Dutch Barn was used as a resting and feeding place during General Clinton’s wagon march to the Susquehanna River.
Noted architect Hugh Hardy used the barn structure and aesthetic as the starting point for his ingenious and moving Glimmerglass Opera house, which has taken to its rustic setting with increasing familiarity over its 21-year existence.
The Windfall Barn offers an annual summer concert series that is varied, pure, seriously stimulating, and criminally inexpensive. Ticket prices never exceed $8 and $3 (or even non-existent).
And yet on Thursday, July 24, there were far too many empty seats for a genial concert by the Leonata String Quartet and guest flutist Kyle Yacobucci.
I wouldn’t have minded if it had been amateurish and cacophonic
(which it was not), for the seductive structure itself invites reflection on how good life can be.
The second of Bach’s orchestral suites, a Mozart divertimento, Gershwin’s Lullaby, and Dvorak’s Humoreske satisfied the ear and the heart. There are several events left this summer. GO.
(518-993-2239/dalter@adelphia.net)
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Why is it that at vastly more costly tickets, the barn at Glimmerglass is usually teeming with hundreds of patrons? Is increased expense the way to go? It beats me.
I do know, however, that you get your money’s worth there, too.
The fourth Shakespeare production of this season opened Saturday, July 26, with Vicenzo Bellini’s telling of the Romeo and Juliet story, “I Capuleti e i Montecchi.”
Attending any version of Romeo and Juliet is a bit like going to a retelling of the Titanic catastrophe. Both are so well known, there is no suspense.
But the powerful melodies and vocal lines of Bellini make up for any flagging interest in the plot.
One hears his operas (“Norma,” “La Sonnambula,” “I Puritani”...) but rarely, because they are almost unsingable. Rare are the voices that can do justice to this master of bel canto.
Well, you’ll be rewarded and enriched by the performances in general, but assaulted by pleasure and wonder by Sandra Piques Eddy (Romeo) and Sarah Coburn (Giulietta).
The vocal pyrotechnics for which Bellini is famous are a potential crowd-pleasing trap, successful and worthy of note only if they serve the emotion of the moment.
When it’s a “look at me” undertaking, it betrays art, and insults the public. In this production, there is integrity, honesty and purity, real Bellini.
Grumblers deriding the “modernist” and rock approach to some of Glimmerglass’s productions, need have no trepidation in this case.
Nineteenth Century traditions are reverently observed, and the music, deceptively simple but exaltingly lofty, will carry you with it, even if you loathe opera.
It is a joy to be able to hear Bellini in the Alice Busch Theater at last!

Sam Goodyear’s column on the arts in and around Otsego County appears weekly.

Labels: Art Beat, Columns, Glimmerglass, Sam Goodyear

DAVID KENT

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BOOKENDS

Before I get to the subject of this week’s column I want to acknowledge the great work of the Friends of the Library on another successful book sale. There are three people in particular who deserve special recognition. If it weren’t for Linda Selover, Giles Russell, and Hugh MacDougal the book sale simply couldn’t happen.

• One of the most difficult tasks an author faces when writing about war is how to mix in a positive theme while describing all its horrors.
Recently I found a title that actually does find a way to describe the horrors of war yet not upstage what is in essence a warm-hearted love story. It is especially relevant because it’s about the Iraq War and gives the reader an idea of what our soldiers are going through over there. Since most people do not have a loved ones fighting in Iraq, and we haven’t really felt the effects of the war (except perhaps with the price of gas) the book takes on added significance.
“From Baghdad With Love,” by Jay Kopelman, is the story of a Marine officer’s attempt to transport his adopted puppy out of Iraq to the United States. It’s easy to become endeared to the mutt just by looking at the book’s cover. Who doesn’t love a cute puppy? The whole effort is complicated from the start because there is a military regulation that forbids the adoption of pets. It doesn’t take long to understand why.
The story begins with the Marines on patrol in Fallujah going house to house to clear out Iraqi insurgents. They’ve been trained not to trust anybody or anything. The insurgents will use any means to kill our soldiers, including boobytrapped animals and mentally handicapped human beings. In one house the troops hear a movement and have their rifles cocked. Instead of an insurgent or booby-trapped animal what appears is an innocent little puppy (stray dogs are very common in Iraq).
Thus begins the story of Lava (so named after the battalion’s moniker) and Kopelman’s quest to transport him out of Iraq. Two mitigating factors are the constant attempts to hide Lava, and Kopelman’s upcoming transfer stateside.
Besides the suspense of whether Kopelman actually succeeds in rescuing Lava, the backdrop of Iraq provides the reader with exactly what our soldiers are dealing with in a war zone. It is not pretty. But the book also illustrates how something as innocent as a puppy can provide relief from the stresses of war, and allow even battle-hardened veterans to exhibit a softer side. “From Baghdad With Love” is more than just a cute story about a dog and his devoted master. It is a description of war in a way that most of us can’t comprehend but does so by playing on our fuzziest of emotions. It’s a different way of telling a war story and one that I highly recommend.

Labels: Bookends, Columns

BRENDA BERSTLER

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ON YOUR HOME PLATE

Bill Elsey called the other day to ask if I had any use for his bumper crop of rhubarb. He may as well have asked if he could unload a few winning scratch-off tickets.
True to his tempting offer, he and his better half, Vi, appeared at my back step a few days later, arms laden with the coveted rosy stalks. In recent years, rhubarb has become a gourmet favorite and, while we may take the humble “pie plant” for granted here in our cool Upstate climate where it thrives, it is mighty scarce in Southwestern markets.
Versatile rhubarb mates beautifully with strawberries, apples, pears and most berries. It can also cuddle up with onions and peppers, combining for distinctive chutneys and meat condiments.
Sugar is included in nearly every recipe, to offset the plant’s considerable tartness. Rhubarb freezes easily, to enjoy throughout the winter.
Like tomatoes, rhubarb suffers from identity confusion. Just as tomatoes are fruits masquerading as vegetables, rhubarb is a vegetable that usually functions as a fruit. Unlike tomatoes and every other vegetable except asparagus, rhubarb is a perennial plant. Once established, it prettily heralds spring year after year, usually forgiving green thumbs that are a few shades off emerald.
Rhubarb’s broad (albeit toxic) leaves also make a showy addition to landscaping and help keep bedding soil moist. The stalks are the only edible part of the plant, their color varying from green to speckled pink to deep red. The flavor is basically the same, regardless of hue.
Rhubarb leaves and roots are heavy in oxalic acid which, if eaten in sufficient quantity, can cause tissue and kidney damage. This may explain deer aversion to them. The roots of a specific variety can be used medicinally as a laxative; yet another compelling reason to enjoy the stalks only.
Although rhubarb is an Asian native, the name is widely believed to be from the Greek words “rha” and “barbarum”. “Rha”, refers to the Volga River, where the plant proliferated on its banks; “barbarum”, means “barbarian”, indicating the esteem in which the Greeks held the Russians.
Here’s the recipe for a pink, sweet and refreshing rhubard cocktail on a hot day.

RHUBARB SLUSH

6 cups chopped rhubarb, with enough water to just cover
2 cups sugar
1 six-ounce can of frozen concentrated orange juice, thawed
1 six-ounce can of frozen concentrated lemonade, thawed
1 cup gin (optional, but if using get a gin with a pronounced juniper flavor, such as Tanqueray)
3 cups water
Sprite, tonic water, or club soda

Place rhubarb in a large saucepan. Add enough water to barely cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until tender. Drain and puree in a blender. Stir together the rhubarb puree, sugar, orange juice concentrate, lemonade concentrate, gin and water. Freeze. Place scoops of the frozen mixture into serving glasses, and fill with Sprite, tonic water, or club
soda. Garnish with a New York State strawberry.

Brenda Berstler of Cooperstown, a partner in Savor New York, is author of Home Plate, a Cooperstown cookbook

Labels: Brenda Berstler, Columns, Glimmerglass, On Your Home Plate

ELIZABETH BUCHINGER

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THIS WONDERFUL LIFE

It is often said that money cannot buy happiness. It does, however, take a bite out of financial anxiety, a condition that seems to be blooming into a full-scale global pandemic.
And now there’s a little science to back up the money-happiness connection. A study that had been charting national happiness statistics worldwide since 1981 determined that financial prosperity and democratic government combined to make citizens happier.
CNN reported on the study: “Researchers at the University of Michigan said Denmark’s prosperity, stability and democratic government placed the country at the top of the rankings,
with Colombia, Canada, Puerto Rico and Iceland all in the top 10.”
The U.S. came in at 16, out of the 97 countries studied, and Zimbabwe came in last. So while you’re celebrating America’s birthday, get yourself one of those big foam hands with a #16 on it, and chant, “We’re 16, we’re 16!”
Every morning, as I drive 27 fuel-burning, carbon-footprint-spreading miles to work, I listen to National Public Radio’s daily account of just how bad things are. School districts face rising food bills and reshuffle their menu plans to economize.
Some schools – those with fullservice kitchens – are eschewing the frozen and pre-made
stuff for meals prepared from scratch at a much lower cost.
Stocks, consumer confidence and housing starts keep falling, while college tuitions, foreclosures
and blood pressures keep rising.
Fuel is so expensive that even the government is responding: Some state and local governments are moving to four-day work weeks, and the Pentagon is sweating armorpiercing bullets over the cost of keeping jets in the air, tanks on the ground and ships in the water.
It looks bad. But if there is one thing I’ve learned from The Greatest Generation, including
my grandmother (who continues to improve, thanks for asking), it’s that bemoaning your condition won’t put food on the table. Sometimes good, old-fashioned hard work won’t
put much on the table, either.
That’s why there were so many downright rollicking songs that came out of the Great Depression. When you can’t eat, sometimes it helps to distract your mouth by singing.
“Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries.”
“We’re in the Money.”
“Happy Days Are Here Again.”
You can call it denial or irony or a plain old self-deception, but those songs have a common
thread of looking on the bright side of things, laughing willfully in the face of uncertainty
and wresting happiness from the jaws of despair.
I’ve decided to start looking on the bright side of the morning newscasts. For example, being 16th in world happiness is pretty darned good. At least we’re not in Zimbabwe, where their
leader bullied his opposition and his supporters in the election, threatened violence, gave
democracy the finger and stole the presidency.
Yay.
And that whole price of food thing? Maybe we can finally solve our national obesity crisis.
Good for us.

And economic collapse might not be such a bad thing. Families will have to move in together, just like in my grandmother’s youth. We’ll all be so much closer. And, with lay-offs and such, we’ll get to spend much more time with family. Aren’t we always saying we wish we could spend more time with the kids?
Problem solved.
Now for that fuel price thing. Hmmm. That’s a tough one. Our country is really dependent
on fuel, so one way or another we really have to buy it, no matter how much it costs. So
where’s the silver lining? I’ve got it – if you were smart enough to be born into a family whose wealth is derived largely from the oil industry, this is a total win for you!
Score!

Elizabeth Trever Buchinger has a lot of what it takes to get along. She can be reached at VillageWordsmith@gmail.com.

Labels: Columns, Elizabeth Buchinger, Glimmerglass, This Wonderful Life

175 YEARS AGO
Advertisement – Mr. Wooding from New Haven, respectfully informs the Ladies and Gentlemen of Cooperstown and vicinity, that he will open a school on Monday, the 15th of July where he will faithfully teach Carstair’s incomparable system of free, elegant, Expeditious, and permanent Writing; applicable to general purposes, and attainable by persons of all ages – No matter how bad the writing of either sex may be, old or young. Lessons given at the house of Isaac Lewis, from 8 to 10 o’clock a.m. and from 8 to 9 p.m. Terms extremely moderate. Improvement guaranteed. Henry H. Wooding.
July 15, 1833

150 YEARS AGO
Mars and Venus – The two planets, Mars and Venus, are now both visible in the heavens, on every fair evening. The former is in the southerly section of the heavens, reputed to be fifty millions of miles distant from us. When at his extreme distance from us, he is a mere dot of light; now he is large and brilliant. Venus is far distant from Mars in the western heavens. They may be easily distinguished.
Caught! William and Gilbert Bronson, two of the prisoners who escaped from the jail in this village on December 28, were arrested at Ilion, Herkimer County, on Tuesday last.
July 9, 1858

125 YEARS AGO
Writes Doctor J.T. Wallace of Oneida: “I have read The Freeman’s Journal since I first learned to read, and must have it still. I well remember with what eager expectation I used to wait for it when a boy, living on old New Lisbon’s hills. In those days no music was sweeter to my ear than the tooting of the carrier’s horn, as it heralded his approach on his weekly round with the much-prized newspaper. And now that the faithful carriers, John Perkins, “Uncle Jared” Gardner, and their successors, have all passed away, and New Lisbon Center, the home of my early childhood, has donned the more euphonious name of ‘Welcome,’ and is regularly served by one of Uncle Sam’s mail coaches, instead of the carrier on horseback; and the boy has grown to be a man nearly 47 years of age; still the weekly visits of the Journal are as welcome and as anxiously looked forward to as in days of yore.”
July 14, 1883

100 YEARS AGO
The new summer hotel to be built by Mssrs. S. and Stephen C. Clark, is as yet without a name, and Mr. Stephen C. Clark stated on Tuesday that while many names had been under consideration, none had yet been accepted as exactly suitable. He furthermore said that suggestions would be gladly received, and gave The Freeman’s Journal authority to invite its readers to express their ideas on the subject. The name, in our opinion, should be one known in local history, in local Indian lore, or in Cooper’s tales. It should be a familiar name, one easy to pronounce and one that would in itself be in keeping with the dignity of such a hotel, and, at the same time, convey something of the charms of this environment.
July 9, 1908

75 YEARS AGO
Construction of new post office buildings in Cooperstown, Boonville, Dolgeville, Ilion, Hamilton, Mohawk, Canastota and Rome are included in the public works program laid before President
Roosevelt for his approval on Thursday of last week by Donald H. Sawyer, temporary Public Works Administrator. Bids for the buildings will be asked at an early date after purchase of the sites. The limits of cost set for the Cooperstown building is $95,000.
July 12, 1933

50 YEARS AGO
Duke Ellington, America’s foremost composer of modern music, and his famous band will appear at the Otsego County Fair in Morris for two performances on the night of Saturday, August 2.
At the Otesaga Hotel this summer guests will be treated to a public fashion show and luncheon in the main dining room on Thursdays, sponsored by the Smart Shop. Dancing to live music by the house band for house guests and the public will be held on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights in the informal Templeton Lounge.
July 9, 1958

25 YEARS AGO
Donna Jeanette Eissler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Eissler of Springfield Center, was married June 4 to William Anthony Hribar, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hribar of Fly Creek. The double ring ceremony was performed by the Rev. John Sise at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Cooperstown. Debbie Hribar of Fly Creek, sister of the groom, was maid of honor. Bridesmaids were Alice McLean of Richfield Springs and Denise Richards of Springfield Center. The flower girl was Susanna Ehlers of Cherry Valley. Frank Hribar, brother of the groom, was best man. The couple honeymooned in Vermont, the Adirondacks and Lake George.
July 13, 1983

10 YEARS AGO
The Otsego Sailing Club is offering a sailing program on Otsego Lake for community juniors and adults. The instructional program has been designed to introduce the concepts of sailing and sailboat racing while building on previous sailing experience. While covering a large volume of material, the program will preserve the feeling of camp-type activity in the junior program and provide a way to learn to sail with dignity in the adult program. Kurt Ofer is the Sailing Program Coordinator.
July 10, 1998

Bound Volumes is compiled from resources provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library. Tom Heitz is the Town of Otsego historian.

Labels: Bound Volumes, Columns

175 YEARS AGO
Post Office Notice – The Post Office in this village has been removed to the Black Store, directly under the office of The Freeman’s Journal. The Mails will be closed at 8 o’clock p.m. of each day. On Sundays, the office will be open from 8 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 5 p.m. J.H. Prentiss, P.M. (Editor’s Note: Prentiss was also the owner and editor of The Freeman’s Journal)
July 8, 1833

150 YEARS AGO
Abner Pier, residing in the northeastern part of this town, was most brutally assaulted and beaten by one John P. Bunn, a near neighbor of Mr. Pier’s, on the evening of June 24, and left lying in the road a few rods from the house of Bunn – where the injuries were inflicted
– from 10 o’clock in the evening until 4 o’clock the next morning. The only provocation was that Pier threw a stone at Bunn’s dog – but it is said he owed P. an old grudge. Pier’s skull was fractured, his nose and jaw broken, and he was otherwise terribly injured. Coroner
Edwards arrested Bunn, after which he was admitted to bail in the sum of $1,500 by Judge Turner. Pier’s recovery is considered doubtful.
July 2, 1858

125 YEARS AGO
The village (Cooperstown) was never more healthy than now. In the past eight months – from November 1 to July 1 – on this corporation there have been only 19 deaths – 13 of them adults, of whom only three were under 50 years of age. Two were young persons
of 18 each and four were infants. What other village with 2,300 population can show such a record, and embracing those months of the year which usually show the highest death rate?
July 7, 1883

100 YEARS AGO
Grover Cleveland is dead. His demise came suddenly Wednesday morning of last week, and the body was laid at rest, with little ceremony, on Friday. Flags throughout the nation were at half-mast, and expressions of tribute and condolence came from every part of the world. The only living
ex-President, having served two terms in the greatest office in the gift of his countrymen, he retired to private life several years ago, and became America’s
foremost private citizen. Cleveland’s rise to the Presidency
was the result of his own integrity. He was a plodding attorney in Buffalo when the city chose him for its Mayor; then the county of Erie wanted a fearless sheriff, and the state of New York an honest governor
with a mind of his own. In all these positions Mr. Cleveland
fulfilled every righteous expectation.
July 2, 1908

75 YEARS AGO
The last of the first quota of applications for licenses to dispense
legalized beer in Otsego County was acted upon by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board last week bringing the total number of applications received
up to 127. Eleven of the applications received have been rejected by both county and state boards. Rejections were made of nine restaurant applications,
one hotel and one grocery store. In all, 97 applications have been made under the classification
covering restaurants, hotels, beer gardens, etc.,
July 5, 1933

50 YEARS AGO
Residents of the Town of Otsego
overwhelmingly approved legalization of bingo within the township at a special election held Friday afternoon and evening of last week at the Village Hall in Cooperstown.
July 2, 1958

25 YEARS AGO
Members of the Cooperstown High School graduating class of 1953 gathered on June 25 for a cocktail party at the Fly Creek Cider Mill and a banquet at the Hickory Grove Inn. Those attending the gathering were Glen Lane, Norma Talbot, Joan Armstrong, Leonard Price, Mary Lee Andrews, Vern Huff, Paula Hargrave, Ernest Whitaker, Jane Natalie, Dorothy Bland, Arthur Blessing, Stewart Talbot, Vard Hotaling, Gary Roseboom, Charlie Dewey, Leona Tillson, Charlie Dimick, Bill Van Nort, Charlie Michaels, Clara Hill, Fred Knapp, Bob Talbot, Arthur Smith and Bernie Renner. Not shown in the photograph – Fred Lee and Donald Noakes.
July 6, 1983

10 YEARS AGO
The former Corvette Americana
Hall of Fame building, located
on Route28, has been sold by Wilber National Bank to Greystone Manufacturing, Inc., a Norwich-based manufacturer of machinery to process paper, foil and film for the printing, converting and packaging industries. Company founders Michael and Carol Manno and President Steven Manno are all now Cooperstown residents “We just fell in love with Cooperstown,”
says Steven Manno. “It’s a great place to live.”
July 3, 1998

Bound Volumes is compiled from resources provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library.

Labels: Bound Volumes, Columns

BARBARA MULHERN

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COOPERSTOWN CHRONICLES


Editor’s Note: During the Monday, June 30, press conference announcing a $100,000 state grant to help restore 22 Main, Mayor Carol B. Waller praised Barbara
Mulhern’s historical findings. Here are excerpts from her report.

Cooperstown’s Village Library Building at 22 Main St. is located in the center of some of the village’s historical and architectural treasures. Directly across the street is the former Otsego County Bank, built in 1831 in the Greek Revival style. It is thought that its stone structure and columns were the architectural inspiration for the library building.
For many years the two parcels of land at 20 and 22 Main held shops and taverns, the last of which burned as an aftermath of the Great Fire of 1862. The 1868 atlas shows the area as one large lot.
Soon thereafter a syndicate called the Otsego Lake Building Association began construction of a large hotel on the site. The hotel was never finished and stood in its unfinished state for almost 20 years, until 1889, when Alfred Corning Clark bought the property and had the structure demolished and the lot cleared.
In April 1897, construction of the present structure was begun. The Clarks had chosen Ernest Flagg (1857-1947) of New York City as the building’s architect. Flagg had studied architecture at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and designed St. Luke’s Hospital on Morningside Drive. He later went on to design the 45-story Singer Building, Scribner’s bookstore on Fifth Avenue, and the chapel and Bancroft Hall at the Naval Academy.
In August 1898, “the new stone building erected by the Clark family at the corner of Main and Fair streets to be used as a YMCA, library and museum, was formally opened with a ball given by Mrs. Alfred Corning Clark for her son, Mr. Robert Sterling Clark, who had lately reached his twenty-first birthday. Parlati’s orchestra of Albany furnished the music and the supper was served by Sherry of New York.”
This building was officially called the Village Club and Library and its original primary function was as a men’s club. The YMCA moved there from its temporary quarters in the bank building across the street.
The library was in the big room on the right. The room on the left was used for pool and billiards. Directly behind that was a card room and the office of the manager. Dinners and banquets were held frequently in the ballroom upstairs.
The Village Club’s affiliation with the YMCA ended in 1911. Apparently there was still interest in athletics at the Club because
two squash courts were built behind the main building in 1914.
In 1939, the “members of the Village Club voted to dissolve the organization and accept an invitation from the Alfred Corning Clark Gymnasium to use facilities there, including a new lounge and reading room being fitted out at the gymnasium.”
According to the early records, there was a library in Cooperstown as early as 1797. There are sporadic mentions of a library in the intervening years, but the true beginning was after the move into the building at 22 Main in 1898. The library was an integral part of the Village Club until
1932, when Robert Sterling Clark gave the building to the Village.
“The next year the Women’s Club of Cooperstown appointed a standing committee
to support the library, and in l939, assumed total responsibility for its operation.”
In 1949 the Village took over the Library’s operation and it became an officially licensed public library for the residents of Cooperstown and students of the Cooperstown Central School.
In 1964, the Library joined Broome, Chenango and Delaware counties to form the Four County Library system, which permitted the present coordinated cataloging,
book ordering and interlibrary loan services.
In 1974, the Library took over the rooms on the west side of the main building for its children’s room, director’s office and a reading room. Books on tape and CDs, DVDs, and computer access are now available. A volunteer organization, the Friends of the Library, operates an annual book sale, which raises money to provide ancillary services as well as to furnish and maintain the entire library area.

Labels: Barbara Mulhern, Columns, COOPERSTOWN CHRONICLES, Opinion

175 YEARS AGO

Sunday School Celebration – The several Sunday Schools in the County of Otsego, are requested to meet at the Old Mansion House in the village of Cooperstown on the 4th day of July at 10 o’clock A.M., where, after serving some refreshments, a procession will be formed, which will proceed to the Presbyterian Meeting House, in said village, under the direction of General Walter Holt, Marshal of the Day. A number of addresses, suitable to the occasion, will be delivered. By order of the Committee of Arrangements. Thomas Fuller.
July 1, 1833

150 YEARS AGO

Patriotism appears to be rather at a discount in this county. We hear of no arrangements being made to celebrate the approaching Anniversary in any of the towns. This is not as it should be. The good old custom of celebrating the “Glorious Fourth,” in a rational and proper manner, should be kept up. Boys, what are you about? Will not the citizens of the County or Town raise one or $200 for a national salute and a fine display of Fire Works? Will they show even that amount of enterprise and liberality – and invite their country friends of the adjoining towns to come in on the evening of Monday, the fifth. It would gratify a great many people, old and young – and should be done. Who will move in the matter?
June 25, 1858

125 YEARS AGO

Electric Light – A gentleman connected with the Fuller Electric Light Company of Rochester, was in town last week, laying the matter before our citizens with a view to the organization of a company for producing and furnishing the light to those of the village who might desire it. A number of citizens met Mr. Andrews, the representative of the company, Friday evening last, when the benefits of the system were discussed, and the probable cost of the enterprise estimated. The light furnished by the Fuller mode is designed only for large rooms, the streets and parks; not for private houses. In talking with Mr. Andrews, he said it was probable that future improvements would adapt the light to all purposes. We reiterate the opinion expressed in these columns a few weeks since that the time is not far distant when Cooperstown will be lighted by electricity.
June 30, 1883

100 YEARS AGO

Mssrs. B.G. Johnson, H.P. McDonough and W.M. Bronner, who were recently appointed a committee to organize a base ball team to play a series of games with Richfield Springs, announce that the first tryout of the new team will occur Saturday afternoon when a game will be played with the Monitor team of Schenevus. The season proper will open July 4, with two games – the first at Richfield Springs in the forenoon, and the second one on the Athletic field in this village in the afternoon. Season tickets are being sold by B.G. Johnson. The price is $5 each.
June 25, 1908

75 YEARS AGO

A meeting of the Cooperstown Community base ball club was held at the Chamber of Commerce building on Tuesday evening of last week with President George H. Maus presiding. The season will open on Saturday, July 1, at 2:30 o’clock at Doubleday Field when the locals meet the Whitesboro Independents. For the Fourth of July there will be games both in the morning and afternoon with Buck Ewing’s celebrated Colored Giants. Donald H. “Tuts” McBride will once manage the locals.
June 28, 1933

50 YEARS AGO

Mr. and Mrs. Cyril T. George, who operate the Hitching Post restaurant here, have leased the east portion of the Schneider block adjacent to their place of business, and have renovated the spot as an addition to their restaurant. It is called “The Coach Room,” and was opened last week. The new annex has a seating capacity of 56, bringing to about 150 the total seating capacity of the restaurant which was opened a little over a year ago.
June 25, 1958

25 YEARS AGO

Members of the Fly Creek Boy Scout Troop 7 are now traveling throughout Maine and Canada on a 300-mile bicycle trip. Their bike trip will take the group to Acadia National Park, where the scouts will climb Cadillac Mountain, take part in fresh and saltwater fishing and swimming, perform a service project of historical interest, and take guided sea cruises. The scouts will camp out each night of the trip. The 16 scouts and their three leaders will be featured in the August issue of Boys’ Life Magazine. Participating scouts are Todd Baker, Kirk Denny, Paul Geertgens, Patrick Gurian, Chris Johnson, Philip Johnson, Graham Jones, Keith Lamberson, Kevin Lamberson, Peter Matsuo, Bill Michaels, Noah Guyot, Matt Savoie, William Vaules, Bill Waller and Tim Iversen. Robert Iversen, Dennis Savoie and Bruce Guyot are scout leaders.
June 29, 1983

10 YEARS AGO

An Otsego County Board of Representatives subcommittee began the process of constructing a new care facility for the elderly by voting to solicit requests from area firms interested in serving as project coordinator for a new building, the cost of which has been projected at $16 to $18 million. Subcommittee chair Carl Higgins called for the development of a cautious and deliberate strategy. Dr. William Streck, president and CEO of Bassett Healthcare, attended the meeting to affirm Bassett’s interest and offer technical and program expertise.
June 26, 1998

Bound Volumes is compiled from resources provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library. Tom Heitz is the Town of Otsego historian.

Labels: Bound Volumes, Columns

JOHN KOSMER

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JUST A THOUGHT

We have been in our new home since last June and have not yet ordered TV service. Let me say just say that there are many good things on TV, if you can find time to watch them or make time to find them.
Some people just like being able to say they don’t have TV. As a former TV addict, I am not one of them. Not having TV may be an unfolding trend just like increasing numbers of people do not have land line phones and have opted, instead, for solely using their cell phone.
Every fall I would get that special annual issue of TV Guide with the map of prime time programming. I would chart out all the programs I would watch from 7:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. for all seven days, making sure no time slot was overlooked. The most trouble I had were with shows that aired in the same time slot or ones that overlapped time slots. No video recorders, TIVO, DVR or computers then. You made your decisions and lived with them.
But we live in a different world today. In the golden age of television, prime time shows were produced and sold to the networks – a costly process. Today, in an effort to save money, the airwaves are full of less expensive reality TV, news magazines and other types of “soy” used as cheap filler. When you add to that soy the writer’s strike (with no new episodes for months), it became a perfect storm for giving up TV.
The road to no TV started innocently enough when we tried to get cable from Time Warner. We used to have cable TV and broadband in our last home. Time Warner wanted over $6,000 to run a line to our home – a line they would own for any future use. They said that included a booster they had to install on Route 28. Well, that was about $6,000 more than we were willing to spend, so we declined their offer.
The reports we got about satellite were mixed and you needed a separate satellite connection for broadband. The reports on satellite broadband were mixed too, none coming close to cable’s speed and reception. So we started innocently enough, simply having dial-up and no TV until we were able to sort things out. A funny thing happened. We got used to it. In our last home sometimes the TV would just be on, without our really paying attention to it. Now the silence is quieting.

John Kosmer ranges the Otsego Lake region from his hilltop home outside Fly Creek.

Labels: Columns, John Kosmer, Just a Thought, Opinion

ELIZABETH BUCHINGER

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THIS WONDERFUL LIFE

When I was a kid, I used to cope with the possibility of disaster by employing the same method we were taught at school: Fire Drills.
My logic – if you had asked me – was that you prepare for the unthinkable by, well, thinking about it, practicing for it. At school, that meant recognizing the fire alarm, calmly closing books and lining up behind the teacher at the door. The teacher would demonstrate the prudent way to open the door, checking it first for heat with the back of her hand before touching what could be a searing metal doorknob. Once in the hallway, we would file quickly, but carefully to the nearest exit. Once outside, the teacher would perform a head count to be sure we were all safe.
When confronted with something both horrible and inevitable, I would run through an emotional fire drill, imagining how I would find out about the tragedy, how I would react, what I would do, how I would get safely out of the building.
Once, when my parents took me to a Pink Panther movie that, as a 9-year-old prude, I felt was far too racy for me to be watching, I became convinced that the authorities were going to burst into the theater and arrest my parents. I fire-drilled it. The cops would haul them away. I would beg them not to take my parents, and do my best to convince them that none of us knew just how sexy Dyan Cannon was going to be on screen. In the end, they would listen to me, and my parents would be so grateful, they would finally let me have a phone in my room.
I also used to fire-drill my grandmother’s death. This is unsurprising because a.) I’ve always been very close to my grandmother and b.) she has been fire-drilling her own death for as long as I can remember.
For at least 30 years, Stormy has been giving instructions about what I am to do when the Lord finally takes her. She has even provided me with a helpful roster of who is and who is not allowed to shed tears at her funeral. To be honest, now that she is going on 96-years-old, much of that list is a moot point.
Two weeks ago, I got word that she was in Richmond, where my aunt lives, battling a case of shingles. A day later, I got word that she had fallen in her room at the assisted living facility and was in the hospital. Stormy wasn’t eating, she asked the doctors not to treat her. She wasn’t even interested in her favorite subject, politics, and, according to my aunt, it looked like it was time to say goodbye.
The next morning, I packed my suitcase and raced to Virginia as quickly as state speed limits would allow. When I saw my grandmother, I was shocked. In just a few months, she had aged exponentially. The hair that remained thick and dark well into her 70s was thin and white. She was absolutely skeletal – probably not even 80 pounds. And she was in terrible pain as a result of both shingles and a possible fracture in her lumbar spine.
I held her hand and stroked her head and was grateful, for the first time, that she is no longer able to see, because I did not want her to see how I cried, leaning my head on the bedrail and letting tears pour onto the white, waxed floor.
This was never in my fire drill. When my grandmother was 2, her Irish grandfather nicknamed her Stormy, and his descendants have agreed with his insight for generations. My grandmother is tough as nails, stubborn, tenacious and willful. When her husband became abusive, she raised four children by herself in the 1950s, and then went on to practically raise one grandchild and a great-grandchild.
I never expected her to go gently into that good night – I expected her to go with great force of will and commitment. I expected she would wake up one morning and tell the Lord, “It’s time,” and that, like everyone else who knew her, he would listen.
When I saw her in that hospital bed, utterly vulnerable to such wrenching pain, running her thumb across the crucifix of the rosary beads wrapped on her wrist, I got stormy myself. On my way to get coffee for my aunt and cousin, I stopped in the chapel, sharing what must be familiar sentiments of unfairness.
Over the next two days, her pain seemed to subside, and as it did, she became more aware of who was visiting her. We had real conversations. I had a chance to thank her for being good to me, and she replied with a shrug, “Well, I always loved you.”
Although I wished I could stay to help my aunt, I had to come home, where I would rely on daily updates. The first day was grim – her doctor wondered if it was time to shift goals from treatment to comfort.
Then the next day, she seemed a little stronger. Another day went by, and she asked for lunch. Three days later, she ate an entire plate of spaghetti.
As of press time, she has been released to a rehab facility, where she’s proving just how Stormy she can be.

Elizabeth Trever Buchinger remembers to stop, drop and roll. She can be reached at
VillageWordsmith@gmail.com.

Labels: 062708, Columns, Elizabeth Buchinger, This Wonderful Life

DAVE KENT

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BOOKENDS

What a crazy time of year! And I’m not talking about the influx of tourists from the Dreams Park. This time I’m referring to the library and all the changes that are going on. We just got new carpeting installed in the adult and children’s areas and the result is a brighter future (literally).
Anyone who has experienced moving (who hasn’t?) knows what a nightmare it can be. We were fortunate. The only nightmare we experienced was self-inflicted but I’ll get to that later. The moving of books and bookcases, the installation of new carpets by Krazy Tom’s, and the putting back of the materials could not have gone smoother. The library is blessed by a community that really cares about its institutions.
We had several volunteers arrive on Thursday, June 5, to help box books. We allowed ourselves two days to fully pack and move everything. Instead it took less than two hours! Talk about efficient!
The return of the books to their rightful place went just as well. Much thanks goes to Tom Steele, the village building maintenance man, who almost single-handedly moved some of the bookcases himself.
But special citations go out to the many volunteers, including Carla and Roger MacMillan, Andy Timmerman, Sally Trossett, Sally Goodwin, Rebecca Weil, Carl Quimby, Betty Davidson, Sandy DeRosa, Mary Brodzinsky, Katie Lambert Suzanne Stack, May-Britt Joyce, Lois Edwards, Lang Keith, Dottie Hudson, Ann Marie Bascio, Hugh MacDougall, Lin Vincent, Nancy Herman, Barb Harmon, Peg Leon, Maureen and Melissa Schuermann, and Debra LeCates.
Special thanks go to the Scriven Foundation and the Village of Cooperstown Trustees for funding this project.
I also want to compliment Brian Clancy for his assistance, and also my staff (Martha Sharer, Claire Ottman, Mary Nolan, and Sarah Wilcox) for their enthusiasm during this process. Their efforts helped the move proceed like a dream.
Now for the nightmare…
The adult room required little in the moving of books as only the mysteries were shelved on movable bookcases. In order to save time later (yeah, right!) yours truly decided it would be a good time to re-shelve the mysteries in with the general fiction. This idea required removing a bookcase-and-a-half worth of non-fiction out of the stacks where they were currently located.
All I can say is that we will get this “mess” cleaned up eventually. For my sake please just admire the new carpeting and avoid tripping over a pile of books.

Labels: 062708, Bookends, Columns, Dave Kent

CLARA WELCH THANKSGIVING HOME NOTES

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With only four men living here at the Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home, Father’s Day may have gone by virtually unnoticed had it not been for Leon Rathbun’s 90th birthday falling on the same day. He had a nice gathering for dinner with family in the Alcove Dining Room. We hope Leon had a nice Father’s Day and birthday.
•
We hosted the Senior Bridge Group at The Home on June 10th. We hope they had a nice time, but were sorry they had to wrap up early due to the heavy storms headed our way. We welcome them back..
•
Alberta Bowes, Bert Chapin, Ellen Hankin, Art Laidlaw, Natalie Laidlaw, Rena Lull, Maureen Micek, Hildegard Parr, and Leon Rathbun all listened to Peter Hujik on June 11th give an interesting presentation on the Otsego Land Trust. We thank Peter for coming.
•
Bill Bowes, Leon Rathbun, Marguerite Pomeroy, and Ruth Druse enjoyed the Baseball Hall of Fame Game Day Parade on the 16th. It turned out to be a nice day for the parade, but not so nice come game time. Bill and Ruth went to the game and were luckily seated in the Grandstand, thus staying dry through the storms. It is too bad that the last MLB game had to be cancelled due to the weather.
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Thursday, June 19, brought another significant milestone for some elders at the Home. Art and Natalie Laidlaw celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. We wish them many more happy years together. On the same day we had our June birthday party honoring residents Leon Rathbun, Tarbie Hoes and Betsy Hawn, and staff members Jackie Renwick, Dee Bouck, Mary Butler, Frank Miller, Jane Eldridge, and “resident child” Ireland Gable.

Labels: Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home Notes, Columns

BETH ROSENTHAL

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SUSTAINABLE OTSEGO

At my house, dinnertime discussions often begin with the idea of whether or not we could feed ourselves if our industrial food chain were to disappear.
Although I’ve been interested in native plants and have been growing them for many years, my interest was ratcheted up several notches after reading a new book by entomologist Douglas Tallamy, “Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens.”
Tallamy writes about the “unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife” and how when native plants disappear, so do native insects. Without insects, humans would quickly vanish – they are our pollinators after all – so ensuring a habitat that sustains insects in turn sustains humans.
He continues, “In too many areas of our country there is no place left for wildlife but in the landscapes and gardens we ourselves create.”
He further says, “All plants are not created equal, particularly in the ability to support wildlife. Most of our native plant-eaters are not able to eat alien plants” – Tallamy considers all non-native plants “alien” – “and we are replacing native plants with alien species at an alarming rate.”
Who doesn’t love something showy? I know that the big, the bold and the beautiful easily seduce me. Who can resist a plant labeled “pest-resistant”? No fuss, no muss and instant gratification. But plants labeled pest-resistant can’t support native insects; they are unpalatable to them. Everytime we plant one, we reduce already limited food sources.
At the same time, the mail brings an announcement plant guru Lee Reich will be talking about native plants at Catskill Native Nursery.
It was somewhat serendipitous, because along with our discussions on whether we could feed ourselves, we’ve been talking about what kind of fruit people ate before apples and pears. What was here natively, in upstate New York before “alien” fruits were widely planted?
From Reich, we discovered a plethora of fruits and nuts that are native to North America, many which will grow well in our area. Familiar berries are blueberries and cranberries. Other edible berries include gooseberries, mulberries, currents and loganberries.
Many of these were popular before the transcontinental journey of foods changed the way we eat, but have since fallen out of favor. Joining the berry roster are persimmon, paw paw and native crabapples.
We brought home a persimmon tree and a hickory tree as well as viburnum prunifolium – yes, the viburnum fruit is edible. We also snagged sassafras, Kentucky coffeetree, hickory and pagoda dogwood, these for habitat rather than food.
We are building beds for berries and planting trees for the fruits and nuts they will bear in the years ahead. My perspective and definition of garden beauty is evolving. The idea of perfection in the home garden landscape is an out-dated one.
Our next road trip is planned for the end of June when we visit a native plant nursery in the Ithaca area. Those of us interested in sustainability often talk about secure food sources and eating locally. I think that planting and eating native foods is one way to promote that idea.

Beth writes from Roseboom.

Labels: Beth Rosenthal, Columns, Opinion, Sustainable Otsego

175 YEARS AGO

Honor to the President – The citizens of the County of Otsego, convened at the house of Mr. John Brewer, in Cooperstown, on the evening of June 19, adopted the following resolution: “The citizens of the County of Otsego, justly appreciating the patriotism, integrity & high moral and political worth of Andrew Jackson, President of the United States, and from the respect due to him as Chief Magistrate of this Republic, therefore, resolved, that Jacob Morris, Lebbedus Loomis, Samuel Nelson, Robert Campbell, Levi Beardsley, John Russel, Sherman Page, Isaac Hayes, James O. Morse, Thadeus R. Austin, Peter Collier, Willard Eddy, Paschal Franchot, Peter Magher, Sumner Ely, Ivory Holland, and William Campbell, be a committee to wait upon the President on his return to the State of New York, to invite him to visit the County of Otsego, and to make arrangements for his reception in case he shall be able to comply with such invitation.”
June 24, 1833

150 YEARS AGO

Rivers & Derious Grand Dramatic Equestrian Company and Gymnastic, Acrobatic Ballet Troupes will exhibit at Cooperstown Saturday, June 19. Afternoon performance at 2, Evening at 7 o’clock. Price of admission 25 cents. No half-price admission. Among the novel performances will be presented a Grand Equestrian Spectacle entitled “Mutiny in India or The Siege of Lucknow!” with appropriate costumes &c., &c. also, Astonishing Gymnastic Feats and Acrobatic Exploits by the following performers – Richard Rivers, E. Derious, F. Rivers, G. Derious, C. Rivers, Mons. Letort, Mons. Gimino, E. Woods & the Motley Brothers, Monsrs. J. & T. Bordean.
June 18, 1858

125 YEARS AGO

Hello! Communication with the following places can now be had by telephone from Cooperstown: Oneonta, Delhi, Franklin, Croton, Meredith Hollow, Meredith Square, West Oneonta, Laurens, Mt. Vision, South Hartwick, Hartwick, Oaksville, Fly Creek, Snowden, Burlington Green, Burlington Flats, Phoenix Mills, County House, Hartwick Seminary, and Milford.

Bottling establishment – C.R. Hartson has one of the neatest, cleanest and most complete bottling establishments in the state. It is located in the buildings on the bank of the river, near the outlet of the Lake. He has lately added a bottle washing machine, which cost about $200, and this is run by a water motor.
June 23, 1883

100 YEARS AGO

Advertisement – Corsets – Demonstration of CRESC CORSETS, all this week at Bundy & Cruttenden Store. All ladies are cordially invited to come in and see the New Models, especially those who are troubled with their corsets breaking. These corsets are disconnected at the waist, so they cannot break, and they give perfect ease. Remember – this week only at Bundy & Crittenden Store.
June 18, 1908

75 YEARS AGO

The students of the Cooperstown Union and High School, from the children of the Kindergarten to the grave and reverend seniors, paid a unanimous and well-merited tribute to their principal, Prof. M.J. Multer, Friday morning of last week, when they assembled in the gymnasium and presented him with a fine Hamilton white gold watch, chain and pen knife, and a scroll which bore the signatures of every one of the donors, as tokens of their respect and affection. Professor Multer is retiring at the close of the present school year after 28 years of devoted service at the head of the school. The event was carried out as a complete surprise to the principal.
June 21, 1933

50 YEARS AGO

The Cooperstown Indians climbed to a fourth place tie in the Tri-County League standings beating the Stamford Blue Jays 3-2. Jim Bell, who hurled two consecutive no-hitters in his last two starts, was deadlocked in a pitchers’ duel with Stamford’s Jack Stivers until the ninth inning when the Indians’ centerfielder Bump Wilder clouted the first pitch of the frame over Doubleday Field’s left field scoreboard to end the game. Bell and Stivers each yielded six hits. Bell fanned eight and walked three. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the third, CCS tied the score when Paul Lambert singled, moved to second on an error and scored on Carroll Munson’s single.
June 18, 1958

25 YEARS AGO

The Cooperstown Central School quiz team finished their 1982-83 undefeated season by winning the “Answers Please” championship on June 17. The “Answers Please” is a high school quiz program aired by WRGB in Schenectady. Members of the quiz team include Mary Ann Armstrong, Matt Saha, Eric Schermerhorn, Chris Franck and Chris Iversen. Quiz team advisors are CCS faculty members Tom Good and Jim Austin.
June 22, 1983

10 YEARS AGO

Cooperstown High School Physical Education teacher Jerry Townsend was honored with the Patrick Fetterman Award during the Cooperstown All Sports banquet Friday night. Townsend, the fifth recipient of the award, said: “I was definitely surprised. It’s not anything they’ve done before at the Sports Banquet, so I wasn’t expecting it.” The inscription on the Fetterman Award, which is sponsored by the Clark Sports Center, reads: “Given annually in memory of Patrick C. Fetterman to the person dedicated to serving youth, especially in the area of athletics.”
June 19, 1998

Bound Volumes is compiled from resources provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library. Tom Heitz is the Town of Otsego historian.

Labels: Bound Volumes, Columns

JIM KEVLIN

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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Friends,
It’s a paradox. The world is swimming in the richest ocean of media options in the history of humankind, yet daily newspapers – or so you read in those self-same dailies almost daily – are drowning.
Emphasis on daily. Because weekly newspapers are growing and thriving. You may be interested in knowing that, overall, community weeklies like The Freeman’s Journal saw their penetration rate nationwide rise from 81 to 83 percent in the latest National Newspaper Association survey.
The Freeman’s Journal penetration in Cooperstown is an astonishing 110 percent – we sell 991 newspapers weekly in a village of 902 homes; indeed, everybody in Cooperstown DOES read The Freeman’s Journal. Overall, we’re selling 2,500 weekly, up 38 percent in two years.
(Meanwhile, daily-newspaper penetration generally continues slouching toward 50 percent, and below.)
You read that the Web is a threat to newspapers. Actually not. It’s only a threat to the 30-percent profit margins chain dailies have been required to generate for the past quarter-century.


These thoughts are brought to mind by the latest incarnation of The Freeman’s Journal Web site, www.thefreemansjournal.com – it’s our friend, not the enemy. If you haven’t visited for a while, make a point to do so.
While The Freeman’s Journal is a supremely effective weekly clearinghouse for local news, ideas and advertising, Cooperstown – lacking a radio station or a daily newspaper – is at a disadvantage in that it has only limited ways to communicate within the community between editions.
The new approach reflected in www.thefreemansjournal.com is designed to fill this need and – given that 90 percent of local homes have access to the Internet; and everybody has it through the Village Library of Cooperstown – should be able to do so.
The architect of this new approach is webmaster Michael Popek of Oneonta, a very bright guy who otherwise is a partner with his dad in the bookstore and antique barn that bears the family name.
In newspaper parlance, www.thefreemansjournal.com can “take the top” off stories that occur between publication dates, be it Jill Ghaleb’s swearing in as county judge, a fatal ATV crash in New Lisbon, or rising gas prices at local pumps.
The new home page was particularly useful on Hall of Fame Game Day, when the weather situation was changing minute to minute. We ran the early forecast, heralded sun breaking through, covered the parade and, finally, recorded the game’s cancellation.
That evening, the Rashkow family’s home was struck by lightning on Greenough Road, near Toddsville, and we were able to post the details the next day: The news when you want to know it.
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Going forward, our goal is to expand the concept to create a virtual meetingplace, marketplace, agora, quilting bee – what have you – to ensure the community – your community, our community – can talk to itself with ease, efficiency and effectiveness.
Keep going back to see how things are evolving. And, please, e-mail me – jkevlin@thefreemansjournal.com – with the guidance and suggestions I know you’ll have.

Labels: Columns

CLARA WELCH THANKSGIVING HOME NOTES

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. Time passes so quickly. The lilac trees around the patio have been so beautiful. Many elders take daily walks to enjoy the wonderful weather and the beautiful scenery around the Home.
Susan Kenyon, activities director, reads twice weekly. The book she is reading is “Tracy and Hepburn.” The corresponding matinee movie was “Desk Set” featuring Tracy and Hepburn. Both were enjoyed by several elders.
Joe Langan had brought pictures of his wife and Army pictures to Happy Hour bringing up different memories that many people reminisced about.
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As always, people were coming and going to and from the Home.
Ruth Druse with her brother Leon Rathbun traveled to Baltimore Maryland for a wedding. Julia Gil and Fannie Navarra spent time with Julia’s daughter Veronica Seaver. Brenda Ayers and her dog Max were in to see Brenda’s mother Sue Stevens. Ellen Hankin was visited by her son David Butler. Margaret Rees’ son Dave and his wife Helen had lunch with Margaret last week as well.
On Memorial Day several elders went out to watch the parade.
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The Home has started a new exercise program for the elders called “Fun and Fit” led by Maureen Moglia and Amy Porter. The exercise will help the upper and lower body for strength, flexibility and balance. Each exercise will be personalized to the elder’s ability.
Several elders visited the Butterfly Conservatory in Oneonta with LPN Nancy Rackmyer. They saw many beautiful butterflies from all over the world.
Tom Heitz gave a presentation on “150 years of advertising with the Freeman’s Journal”. This program was enjoyed by many.
The movie matinee for May 31st was “The Sound of Music” and “Hello Dolly.”
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There are always activities going that different individuals enjoy. They continue to make teddy bears to give to Bassett Hospital. You can find Tarbie Hoes and Bertha Kull Chapin painting. And the elders enjoy jewelry making with personal care aide Judy Pooler.
I will leave with a quote from Albert Einstein: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

Labels: Columns

D. STEPHEN ELLIOTT

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THE PARTIAL OBSERVER


Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from the address Steve Elliott, president of the New York State Historical Association, delivered to the CCS Senior Class Breakfast Tuesday, May 27 at The Otesaga.

#10. LEARN. College, or your first real job, may seem to you now like something you just have to do and check off to be able to get on with your life. Well, rethink that. You will never again be as free to soak up everything you want to learn about. Sure, you’re going to be having fun, but along the way, ask yourself if you’re taking full advantage of college and newness, when you can ask all the dumb questions.
#9. DO YOUR BEST. Do every project