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Hometown Sports
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Thursday, October 2, 2008
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CHRIS McSWIGGIN
SPORTS BEAT
 The day was all about history. The Oneonta YellowJackets, coming off of arguably their biggest win of the season the week before against Chenango Bridge, squared off against a Verona-Vernon-Sherrill team that they hadn’t faced since 1972.
Before a Homecoming Weekend crowd Saturday, Oct. 4, OHS capped off a dominant 33-14 victory.
The Jackets (3-2, 1-0) are in first place in their division after Chenango Forks rallied the night before to beat undefeated Norwich. The Jackets are back, and their sting now is stronger than ever.
Oneonta blew a lead late in the game against Dryden, resulting in a loss, and then came out and got smoked by Johnson City. Staring mediocrity in th eface and posting a 1-2 record heading into Chenango, things didn’t look very good for the boys in blue.
However, something happened in that locker room.The Yellow Jacket football team made the transition from boys to men, deciding that they were tired of losing.
After upsetting Chenango Forks 18-15, the OHS football team walked onto Lloyd F. Baker Field against V-V-S as more than just a football team. They have found themselves and are confident, riding the wave of success into shore, hoping not the get stuck on the rocks.
Legendary football coach Lloyd F. Baker, whom the field is named after, was honored and the 2008 class of the OHS Athletic Hall Of Fame was inducted.
This class included current OHS athletic director Joe Hughes ’76. The whole ceremony was humbling, and I was honored to be a part of it.
On a football level, the players on the field provided a little excitement as well. For a team that normally runs about 90 percentof the time, the coachin gstaff decided to prove that Dan Broe had an arm and they aired the ball out on some electric pass plays.
One play that really had me jumping on the sideline was Broe’s Eli Manning-esque scramble to escape a sack and a big throw to # 3 Corey Hunter for a first down that got the team really rolling.
Brandon Pidegon, the all-star back who is looking to play football at Harvard or Syracuse next season, punched it in to make the score 20-0 with about 9:47 left in the second quarter.
Watching this kid play is a privilege, and the second sid eof the double edged sword Matt Marcewicz is a change of pace player that I feel will also be playing on Saturdays in the near future.
Homecoming is all about tailgating, good food, socialization and great football. The Jackets didn’t disappoint in any aspect. Dan Broe’s pass to Kasey Hogan in the first quarter really put OHS off on a good foot, and they never looked back.
They gave the ball to their playmakers in the backfield and began to run away with the game, no pun intended. Oneonta squares off against 2-3 Chenango Valley at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at home, and if the Jackets can pull off a win they would move their record to 4-2 and, pending any disasters, seal their spot in first place and in the playoffs.
Fire the cannons, the Jackets are back.Labels: 10-10-08, Football, Hometown Sports, Oneonta High School |
posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 9:19 AM   |
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In The City of the Hills
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Wednesday, October 1, 2008
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 Joan Uhlig Wenck holds up a copy of The Oneontan that she took to OHS Alumni Association Homecoming activities the weekend of Oct. 3-5. The newspaper was published every Friday at 123½ Main St. On the back is an ad congratulating FDR on his 54th birthday. Photo: Anita Briggs/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
BUS TICKETS: The Common Council struggled Tuesday, Oct. 7, with the rising cost of running a bus system; issues under debate included whether to raise the price of a trip to Cooperstown from $1 to $2.
MORE 100TH: Mark your calendar for the next Centennial event: at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, City of the Hills Chorus and Sweet Adelines present “A Century of Song” at Hartwick College. Call 433-1276 for tickets.
ART OPENING: Friday, Oct. 10, two exhibits – “Sidewalks and Storytellers,” paintings by Pati Airey, and “Style in Steel,” sculptures by Ernest Mahlke, plus John Hartman paintings and sculptures – will open at the Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts. Reception, 6-8 p.m.
MAN OF YEAR: Worcester forester Henry Kernan will be toasted as the Otsego County Conservation Association’s Conservationist of the Year at the OCCA’s 40th annual dinner Wednesday, Oct. 15, at The Otesaga. Kernan has given away more than 50,000 white spruce seedlings in the last 15 years. Reservations, 547-4488.
CATS AHOY: Otsego County’s third bobcat season – the third in a three-year experiment – is upcoming in December, and results so far show the big felines are thriving locally. Twenty or so were caught the first two years, and they were male, female and cubs, suggesting the population is well-established.
GHOSTLY HALLS: The state Capitol in Albany is haunted again, starting Wednesday, Oct. 8. “Capitol Hauntings Tours” will be offered free to the public weekdays at 2 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. Reservations are required; call 473-7582Labels: 10-10-08, Front Page, In The City of the Hills |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:23 PM |
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ON THE RECORD: HARTWICK COLLEGE PRESIDENT MARGARET DRUGOVICH
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Formula for Success: You, Me, US
Editor’s Note: Here are
excerpts from the address Dr.
Margaret L. Drugovich delivered
Saturday, Oct. 4, during
her installation as Hartwick
College’s 10th president.
I would like to share three reflections
with you today.
Reflection 2: Entitled
You, is about you.
Reflection 3, is entitled US.
Reflection 1: Me.
Journal: Thursday, Feb. 7.
Celebration. There is no feeling
in the world like the feeling
of truly being chosen. Great.
I can’t wait to get started. Oh
look, it has only been an hour
since my appointment and I
just got my first Hartwick email
from Trustee Erna McReynolds.
Journal: Sunday, February
17. The fog rolls in.
This is a thick, stick-yourhand-
out-into-it- and-get-noperspective,
Maine-coast-hugging-
fog. The kind that swallows
vacationing kayakers.
The currency of the academic
world is words, and my kayak
is swamped in the words that
have meaning here – but I don’t
know what these meanings
are. Some are people, some
are places, some are things
– I think. ZHD, HARTVIEW,
SMRs, Table Rock, the fishbowl.
I need a Wicktionary ...
Yikes.
Journal: Wednesday, Feb.
27. What do I not know? What
forces are in motion deep below
the surface, woven tightly into
the culture of this place? What
do people expect? What do
people hope for?
•
Reflection 2: You.
This fog of uncertainty began
to lift when I began to hear your
voices ...
I hear trustees like Fran
Sykes, with passionate insights
about the indelible nature and
character of this place;
I hear faculty like Jeffrey Pegram
of education and Stan Konecky
of philosophy and Carli
Ficano of economics and Lori
Collins-Hall of sociology – too
many faculty to mention – all
hungry for the deepest connections
and the most generative
context for their work;
I hear alumnae and friends
like Besty Phelps and Deb
French, who have hosted my
visits to their homes and communities,
so that I could meet
more alumni dedicated to Hartwick,
alumni who care deeply;
people just like them.
Alumnus Gordie Roberts
who sent me his 1945 letter of
admission, along with some
very pointed advice.
Alumnus, physicist and
research scientist Tim Canty,
Class of 1994, who has articulated
so crisply his view of the
absolute relevance of a liberal
education in the world of practice,
an alumnus dedicated to
marrying science with public
policy.
I hear staff like Brian Hagenbuch
and Matt Sanford and
Donna Cahill and Maggie
Arthurs – staff who simply do
what they do well, every day
– all with an inspirational passion
for this place.
I hear parents like Ken Horn
and Bill Fike who have shared
how their children have been
shaped by this experience and
their professors in ways that
these parents did not, perhaps
could not, imagine.
I hear students like Lisa
Sampson and Seth Lucas, Justin
Pederson, Jen Lonergan and
Jackie Hall, who invited me to
dinner on the second day of my
presidency and who have been
there to guide me every day
since.
And freshman Kevin Sinott
who asked if he could come
by and just “hang out on my
couch” and talk. You did,
Kevin.
And theatre major Ian Olsen,
the first student who came
to meet me on his own after
returning for the fall semester,
and later came back to invite
me to avante guard theatre at
Hartwick. I went.
Throughout the month of
September, individual faculty
departments accepted my invitation
to come to our home
to answer the question that I
put before you – how can I be
a good president for Hartwick
College? Some of you have
been at Hartwick for decades,
and some are as new as our
freshmen. You all came. And
I learned that not only are you
bright and thoughtful, and funny,
you are also resourceful and
often entrepreneurial, creative
and honest.
You describe this place as a
community, but you resist the
moniker family, because you
said that “family” implies a
patriarchal arrangement, a topdown
structure, where some
boss and others are bossed,
some give while others take.
You tell me that “community”,
for you, infers a more equitable,
collaborative arrangement built
on mutual respect. It is an important
distinction for this community,
and I am grateful that
you told me.
•
Which brings me to Reflection
#3: US
I know that we all have identified
“roles” that we are expected
to play, roles that come
with our “titles.”
Titles like president; and
professor, student, graduate,
trustee, administrator, staff;
Parent, neighbor, and friend.
Nice labels. Shorthands.
Loaded with expectation.
But this is what we really are:
Instigators, peace makers,
catalysts, allies, antagonists,
stewards, supporters, protectors
critics, thought makers, conservators,
progenitors, feeders
of the mind and soul, learners.
We are learners – all of us, all
the time; students of tradition
and of innovation; students of
the tangible and of the elusive;
students of success and of failure;
students of compromise
and of commitment; students of
the past and of the present.
It is in this most important
role – as learner – that we create,
we contribute, we build, we
add.
We question, we collaborate,
we reevaluate. We must.
We reshape. We must.
We define our collective future.
We must.
Jirka Kratochvil of music
recently brought these words
of Eckhart Tolle to me: “Success
is not whether I accomplish
my goals and whether my
plans will materialize. Success
is trusting the leap to the unknown.
Success is living in the
unknown. True success is trusting
and surrendering to each
and every moment.”
Often we will be successful,
sometimes we will not. Always
we must regroup, reconsider,
and go again.
You have asked me to add. I
promise to.
You have asked me to have
an open mind, a listening ear,
and a personal investment in
each of you and what you contribute.
I promise to.
You have asked me to inspire,
to advise, to collaborate,
to motivate. I promise to.
You have asked me to lead. I
promise to.
You have asked me to “just
be who I am.” I promise to, and
I am grateful to you that this is
enough.
Now, I ask you, to partner
with me. Work with me to
strengthen our longstanding,
core commitment to melding
liberal education and experiential
learning. We can be the best
at bringing education to life.
In this place, this Hartwick
College, we are able to employ
our considerable talents and test
our limits, we are safe to challenge
and to be challenged, we
have agency, we are free.
And so now comes the Big
Question – what will you do
with this freedom? Posing this
question is not just a challenge
to you. Remember – we are
partners. This is personal.
So this is our challenge, to
each other – What investment
will you make? What will you
do to reach out and meet our
expectations? How will you
make change ….and allow
yourself to be changed? How
will you honor the past and
bring the best of it forward?
We will not wake up one
day with the answers to these
questions. We should wake up
each day and ask ourselves this.
This is what I ask myself, and
I ask you to do the same: What
is best for Hartwick College?
What do I do to make Hartwick
better?
In my mind, there are no two
questions tied more directly to
our success yet to come. Me.
You. Us. With each generation,
each decade, each freshman
class we write a new part of our
story. It is now our turn and our
responsibility. Labels: 10-10-08, Hartwick College, Hometown Views, Margaret L. Drugovich |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 9:05 AM |
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Hometown History
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125 Years Ago
John Murphy was selling tin ware on the fairgrounds early in the
afternoon of Friday. It was observed that he was badly under the
influence of drink, it being with great difficulty that he maintained
his equilibrium at the side of his cart. At about two o’clock he lost
his balance, falling heavily backward, struck the ground four or
five feet below, almost on top of his head. He lay in a heap after
falling, and as he did not stir, he was soon picked up and carried
to the house of Erastus Couse, and a physician summoned. It was
found that his spine had been injured by the fall, and on Sunday
morning he died.
October 1883
100 Years Ago
James Shaffer of Oneonta was instantly killed at the D & H
shops last Sunday morning. Mr. Shaffer had been at Schenectady
for a couple of weeks and returned during the night from that city.
While descending from a train upon which he had ridden to the vicinity
of his home, the train made a sudden start, throwing him beneath
the wheels. The body was caught under the wheels and was
frightfully mutilated, the head being severed in part from the body.
Mr. Shaffer was 53 years of age and was a native of Sharon Hill,
Schoharie County. He was by trade a painter and paperhanger, but
has been employed by the railroad most of his life. He made his
home in Oneonta for about 20 years.
October 1908
80 Years Ago
Immediately after the final session of the Democratic state convention
was called to order at Rochester Wenesday morning of
last week, Mayor James J. Walker of New York placed Franklin D.
Roosevelt in nomination for the office of Governor of New York
State amid a demonstration of great enthusiasm. The nomination
was seconded by Mrs. Daniel O’Day, and by former Lieutenant
Governor George R. Lunn, himself a candidate for the office, and
was made by acclamation. No official word from Mr. Roosevelt
was received while the convention was in session. However,
Governor Smith, Chairman Bray, George W. Olvany, Tammany
chieftain, and John H. McCooey, the Brooklyn leader, promptly
declared that Mr. Roosevelt had given assurance he would accept
the nomination.
October 1928
60 Years Ago
Political Advertisement: Gov. Thomas E. Dewey – Republican
Candidate for President – “This nation faces two vital problems: 1.
To establish a just and lasting peace among nations and prevent a
threatened World War. 2. To establish at home stable and constantly
improving economic conditions and avoid a disastrous inflation
followed by collapse. Some people forget entirely about the world
and worry only about home problems. We cannot do either. On
November 2nd, go to the polls and get rid of the Democratic administration,
tired and petulant as it is to the point of abusiveness,
as our domestic and foreign problems increase day by day. Let us
rid our country of an administration that is tired out and tired of
nothing more than it is of itself; an administration that has turned
the government into a vast, mystic maze of some 1,816 overlapping
and inefficient bureaus and agencies. Let us stop playing on
the fears of the people and get down to the business of government.
Vote the straight Republican ticket.
October 1948
40 Years Ago
Cash benefits to residents of Otsego and Delaware counties under
Social Security totaled a record $1,222,577 during February
1968, the first month in which increased benefits provided by last
year’s amendments to the Social Security Act were payable.
The Otsego County branch of the Central New York Heart Association
will hold its annual meeting at the Oasis Restaurant in
Oneonta Thursday, October 10, at 6:30 p.m. Robert Meade of
Oneonta, chair of the Otsego County branch, said that the meeting
is planned to further heart program and service activities in Otsego
County in the year-round fight against heart diseases.
October 1968
20 Years Ago
Oneonta Locals – Oneonta resident Gordon B. Roberts has been
appointed chairman of the Western regional board of directors of
Key Bank. Mr. Roberts is a graduate of Hartwick College and the
founder of the Gordon B. Roberts Agency. Mrs. Mildred Barberio,
coordinator of clinical experiences in teacher education at the State
University College at Oneonta, has announced that 150 students
from the college have been assigned student teaching positions in
75 different schools throughout the Southern Tier, Central New
York, Capital District, and the Mohawk Valley. The student teachers
will be supervised by 20 members of the Oneonta faculty.
Those supervising student teachers in area schools include Russell
Klauk, Peter Mecca, William Swain, Raymond Tirrell, Carolyn
Young and Beth Benjamin.
October 1988
10 Years Ago
Green Party candidate Joel Kovel, 62, of Woodstock, a psychiatrist
teaching social studies at Bard College for the past 10 years,
called for a debate with U.S. Senate candidates and front-runners
Alphonse D’Amato and Charles Schumer on health care, election
reform and global warming. Kovel cites global warming as “a crisis
of incredible proportions.”
The Detroit Tigers will be the new major league affiliate of the
Oneonta franchise in the New York-Pennsylvania League and the
new team will be known as the Oneonta Tigers. Detroit’s former
NYP team, the Jamestown Jammers, will now have the Atlanta
Braves as their major League affiliate.
October 1998
Resources for Hometown History have been provided
courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library.Labels: 10-10-08, Columns, Hometown History |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 9:02 AM |
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Letters To The Editor
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Lambert Experienced In All 3 County Courts
To the Editor:
I want to take a few minutes
to tell you, the voters, why
I support John Lambert for
Otsego County Judge in the
upcoming election.
John lives in the Village of
Cooperstown with his wife
and three children; his familyoriented,
conservative values
make him the perfect fit for this
position.
John is the only candidate
with experience in all three
county courts, and as a chief
assistant district attorney, John
has prosecuted many violent
and white collar crime cases.
As a life-long resident of
Otsego County, he is keenly
familiar with the needs of our
community which will ensure
that we maintain and improve
upon our quality of life. His
unbiased decisions on the bench
will benefit all residents of our
county.
John is not just another politician
running for office, he is
involved in several community
activities and in his down to
earth, personable manner, can
often be found walking to work
while stopping often to answer
questions and just speak with
residents of our community.
Don’t just take my word for
it, please take the time to look
up John’s record and I’m sure
on election day you will join
me in supporting John Lambert
for Otsego County Judge.
RICHARD D. ABBATE
Cooperstown
Sitting ‘Judge Jil’ Most Experienced
To the Editor:
Judge Jil Ghaleb will have
been an interim Otsego County
judge for half a year by the time
the term ends. Why would we
not want to have all that actual
on the job experience when
electing a judge?
Of course, many may be
qualified, but Jil also has 17
years of prior experience as an
attorney in both criminal and
family court cases. Let’s vote
for the most experience and
also the one vetted and found
to be highly qualified and then
elected by a unanimous vote in
our State Senate. “Judge Jil”
sounds good to me!
MARY DUNKLE
Cooperstown
Autobiographies Illuminate Obama, McCain
To the Editor:
“Ecce Homo.”
In these contentious political times, I would
not venture to advise people how to vote. That
is a matter for the informed conscience.
The presidential candidates themselves will
give you multiple reasons to vote for them,
reasons largely crafted by advisors, handlers,
speechwriters.
And then there are the all-knowing talking
heads on television and the editorial writers.
However, I do have advice to offer. Read the
autobiographies of each of the candidates.
“Dreams of My Father,” by Barack Obama, is
a thoughtful and determined search for identity
by a man of mixed race, raised in Hawaii and
Indonesia, a man who earned degrees from
prestigious Ivy League universities, and whose
search led him to Kenya. He subsequently rose
through the rough and tumble of Chicago politics
to serve in the U.S. Senate.
“Faith of My Fathers,” by John McCain, is a
gritty tale of privilege and deprivation, driven
by the ingrained identity that comes from being
raised in an itinerant military family and in the
tradition of duty, honor and family, who, after 5
1/2 years in a Vietnamese prison, has served for
26 years in both houses of Congress.
Both books offer compelling insights into
the characters of their authors. In each case,
“behold the man.”
WILLIAM DORNBURGH
Cooperstown
Seward Smart, Thoughtful, Hardworking
To the Editor:
Last spring, when Jim
Seward asked me to co-chair,
with Alan Donovan, his campaign
for re-election, accepting
it was an easy decision.
I am not a registered Republican
and have never voted
along party lines, choosing
rather to align myself with
people rather than political
party.
From observing Jim’s performance
over my five years in
Oneonta and during my three
years prior to that working in
state government in Albany, I
am convinced that those who
reside in this district could not
have a better representative in
the state Senate.
By my observation, Jim’s
opponent is a fine person, but
he cannot improve upon the
kind of common-sense representation
already provided
by Senator Seward to the 51st
District.
Sometimes incumbency can
be a problem if it results in the
misuse of power or lack of responsiveness
to elected official
constituents.
With Senator Seward, neither
is the case. His concern
for the needs of local citizens
and organizations is in my
view exemplary.
In Albany, his integrity and
professionalism are beyond
question. Jim’s seniority also
allows him to play a key role
in Albany, and to do more for
those in the district.
Jim Seward is a smart,
thoughtful, hard-working senator,
he deserves re-election and
his constituents will benefit
from his continuation in office.
RICHARD P. MILLER JR.
OneontaLabels: 10-10-08, Hometown Views, Letters to the Editor, Opinion |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 8:57 AM |
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Springfield May Not Want Music Fest, But Otsego County Should
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EDITORIAL
One of the challenges Otsego County faces is that it – we?–don’t know what it wants to be. Sure, there are many niches with a pretty clear idea of what they want, individually.
The America’s Most Perfect Village™ crowd would like to see Cooperstown stay pretty much the way it is.
Likewise, the other big institutions– the colleges, the hospitals, the banks, Springbrook, Pathfinder Village, NewYork Central Mutual – have their own internal imperatives independent of what Otsego County as a whole may require.
There’s a farm community trying to find its way from dairy to something new to, with rising gasoline costs, perhaps back to dairy.
There’s a strong pro-environment lobby, for lack of a better word: the OCCA, Otsego 2000,the Land Trust, Sustainable Otsego, the D-O Audubon Society.
We have a sliver of wealthy people, primarily around Otsego Lake, something of a middle class, mostly in Oneonta, and widespread poverty; median family income countywide is $33,444, or 20 percent below the national media of $41,994.
The towns tend to be parochial. And Otsego County government isn’t vision-driven; it’s mostly focused on meeting its mandates in the least-expensive way possible. The Otsego County Chamber’s big-picture issue is broadband Internet access; there’s a malaise about anything being accomplished in high-tax, regulation-intense New York State.
But the niches don’t serve the whole.While the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce is in the midst of a search for an executive director, its president, Marc Kingsley – to his credit – has been making calls to Coffee County,Tenn., seeking to determine if its experience with the Bonnaroo Music Festival means Otsego County should encourage Madison Square Garden Entertainment’s plans for a three-day,75,000-fan music festival in East Springfield.
•Through those calls, Kingsley, who also serves on the Otsego Chamber board of directors, would have discovered a number of things:
• Economic Impact: Bonnaroo – it draws 80,000 people; the Springfield Music & Arts Festival is aiming for 75,000 – contributes $20 million ayear to the Coffee County economy through, primarily, sales tax. It also allows civic groups to staff the concession stands and pays them 9 percent of the take, about $300,000 a year.
• Traffic: Bonnaroo is five miles from I-24, accessible from there by at wo-lane road; there were huge traffic snarls Year One, but since then a temporary Interstate exit has smoothed the flow. East Springfield is 13 miles from I-90’s Canajoharie exit, but is accessible from multiple other exits, as well as I-88. The routes to most concert venues go from four lanes to two to even one as the crowds approach, the MSGE developers say; Route 20 from the east actually expand from twolanes to four as the site nears.
• Crime: Bonnaroo – and MSGE, according to plans – has its own security force that polices the grounds and, annually, arrests about 100 people (out of 80,000), mostly on drug charges, and turns them over to local authorities. The crowd, though, is describes as “aging hippies” and boisterous young people and even families, no one looking for a fight.
• Environment: As was observed when 75,000 people converged on Cooperstown in 2007 for Cal Ripken Jr.’s National Baseball Hall of Fame induction, the Monday after it’s as if Bonnaroo never happened. The 500 acres where it occurs – in East Springfield, that would be more than 1,000 acres – are still hayed.
• Noise: Coffee County Mayor Dave Pennington said nobody beyond the immediate vicinity even knows that it’s there. Locally, MSGE’s plans have the three main stages facing inward toward a granite outcropping. Certainly, folks in East Springfield,the hamlet of Springfield and alongContinental and East Lake roads will hear the music; beyond that, probablyfew. The Bonnaroo promoters give$1,500 VIP tickets to the neighbors,who either attend and enjoy or sell thetickets and go away for the weekend.Here’s an intriguing idea: MayorPennington said he hopes Bonaroowill spawn a local music-productionindustry, one of the few industries thatcan’t be sent overseas. Since Bonnarooarrived, the Louvin Brothers havemoved to the county, which is an hoursouth of Nashville, and so has CharlieAllen, who plans to bring his studiooperations there this year.
•Which brings us back to the start. In the past few years, SUNY Oneonta has developed the second- or third-largest music-production departmentin the nation, with more than 600 majors at any given time. You can seehow beneficial the synergies would bebetween MSG Entertainment – one of the largest concert producers in the world – and Otsego County, in terms of not just economics but – properly planned and sited – quality of life.
As Robert Barstow, SUNY musicproductiondepartment chair, pointsout, we have at least as many assets atBranson, Mo., had before the C&W industry discovered it, and arguably more: delightful summer weather,proximity to population centers andairports, and so on.
The question: Can we – as a community,not just a conglomeration ofinterests – form a working consensusthat would allow us to pursue this opportunity?How can we optimize the benefits ofa Springfield Music & Arts Festival forthe county as a whole?If local resistance in the Town ofSpringfield is too strong, or the sitelacking in some profound way, is therea preferable site, perhaps off I-88?Is there a way to facilitate a partnershipbetween MSG Entertainmentand SUNY Oneonta for the benefit ofboth?
Living in our delightful county,the immediate response to anything new is, leave us alone, don’t change anything.That said, there’s potential here forsomething big and beneficial for achunk of the county, something that– done right – would miniminally impact everyone else. County government, in combinationwith the Otsego Chamber, is the natural entity to take the lead on this. As it happens, county Rep. Jim Johnson, R Otsego, the Oneonta native who made a fortune in developing Central NewYork Radio, is chairman of the county Board of Representatives’ Intergovernmental Affairs Committee (and a pretty good guitar player).This would be an ideal task for him to undertake.Labels: 10-10-08, Editorial, Hometown Views, Opinion |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 8:45 AM |
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City Food Banks Await Rising Flood Of Needy
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Cooperstown Draws Line, Raising Demand Here
By LAURA COX
No one was blaming the Cooperstown Food Bank for declining to provide emergency supplies to anyone from south of Milford. Still, Oneonta’s food pantries were bracing for the impact that was already being felt in recent days.
“We are not making anychanges,” said the Rev. Kenneth Hunter, rector, St. James Episcopal Church, which operates a food bank for the needy.
“We are praying and will do ourbest to meet those needs.”
The Cooperstown Food announced on Wednesday, Oct. 1,that 60 of the record 169 families it served in August were from Oneonta, and it couldn’t meet the demand any longer. Specifically, it said it would no longer supply people from Oneonta, Otego, Worcester, Schenevus, Maryland, Portlandville, Colliersville and the Butternuts Valley.
While responding to initial impacts and preparing for theunknown, the generally tone of people familiar with the situation was one of understanding.
“What Cooperstown is requesting is not unusual,” said Terry Capuano, executive director of United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties. “…Cooperstown used to have resources for everyone who came, but that is not the case anymore.”
There are 12-15 sites countywide that provide emergency meals.“People have access to a free meal seven days a week in Oneonta, this will put more pressure on feeding sites,” said Capuano, who added nonetheless,“it won’t make people walk away hungry.”
Facing struggles with frequent access to food supplies from the Albany Regional Food Bank, representatives from Oneonta’s food pantries, soup kitchens, and United Way assembled together to form a Hunger Task Force, directed by Capuano.
“Many of the organizationsdo not have the time or vehicles to get weekly food supplies from Albany,” said Capuano,“the Task Force is discussing working together to pick up supplies for each other so everyone has access.”
Maj. James Smith of the Salvation Army, which operates an Oneonta Food Bank, said it is hard to say what type of long term impact the announcement will have on his operation.
“Every pantry has seen an increase, this summer we we reserving 120 more families than last year,” said Smith.
Likewise, Janice Hinkley, St. Mary’s Catholic Church outreach coordinator, said her food bank services people as far away as Bainbridge, Richfield Springs and Cortland. In September, St. Mary’s served their highest number of families ever, 157, for a totalof 586 people, including 6 or 7 families who used to go to Cooperstown.
“It’s going to be really tough,more and more families whocould barely scrape by now need help, the economy is affecting everyone including the people who usually make donations,”said Hinkley,“If people could donate evenone box of macaroni and cheese a week, every little bit helps.”
Major Smith believes community support is the answer:“Continued community support will help maintain stability, and food drives done by the boys scouts and mail carriers helped support the pantry.”
At St. James, Father Hunter said the food pantry need srice, cereal (unsweetened), small ketchups and mustards, spaghetti sauce, Saltines, toothpaste, small-sized dish detergent, adult and children’s shampoo, laundry detergent, diapers size 3 to 4T. Monetary donations help to purchase items unavailable from the Albany Regional FoodBank. St. Mary’s is always in need of staples such as peanut butter, canned fruit, canned soup, and pasta, Hinkley said.
For more information, call Capuano at 432-8006.Labels: 10-10-08, Food Bank, Front Page |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 8:29 AM |
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Friends, Ommegang Team Up In Bid To Save Chestnut Venue
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‘We’ve Lost Bresee’s; We Can’t Lose Any More Landmarks’ - Becky Mattison, Wife of Theater Concessionaire
EVAN JAGELS
REVIEW
 The subtleties of place and experience are
what, years later, provide the stuff of true
nostalgia.
I remember standing by my father’s leg at the
Chestnut Street Theater as he bought tickets,
following the curve of the red velvet rope with
an open palm as it swooped down from my
shoulder to my waist and
back up again, and approaching
the luminous
concession stand, eyeing
the Good n’ Plenty
candies with one thought, “Will he let me?...
tonight?”
Most of all, I remember that musty, mildewed
smell of the theater itself and the feeling of
sinking, one coil at a time, into the springs of its
antique seats.
Not much has changed since these childhood
memories were formed as I entered the theater
Friday evening, Oct. 3.
The red velvet rope still hung (a little lower
than I remembered it) and Good n’ Plenty candies
were still in stock at the
concession stand, manned as always
by Terry Mattison, owner,
and his wife Becky.
Terry has worked at the theater
since Dec. 26, 1974, an
impressive 34 years this holiday
season.
The inside of the theater retained
its smell and the springs
in the seats were as I had left
them years ago. You could
have blindfolded me and I
would have been able to tell
you exactly where I was.
This time, however, I was
not there to see a movie. This
was a truly special night for
the old theater. Brewery Ommegang
and the newly formed
Friends of the Oneonta Theater
(established this past February)
hosted a special concert to help
preserve the landmark.
Acoustic backwoods Americana
met improvisational rock
as the Horseshoe Lounge Playboys
and Jimkata played to a
crowded theater with no shortage
of three dollar Belgian style
ales.
In fact, the theater has been
more acquainted with live performance
than one might think
in its 111 years.
Although “Birth of a Nation”
was screened in 1913 as one
of the first movies, the theater
was actually built in 1897 by
Willard E. Yager, a prominent
Oneonta resident, as a venue for
plays and other live, traveling
entertainment such as Vaudeville
acts.
I certainly had no idea that
acts of Will Rogers and John
Phillip Sousa were among those
to have graced the historic
stage.
It is this diverse and accessible
entertainment (both live
and projected) that The Friends
of the Oneonta Theater wish to
secure in the state and national
landmark for years to come
with their hopes of restoration.
“I can’t talk about this theater
without tearing up,” expressed
Patrice Macaluso, The Friends’
chairwoman.
As the bluegrass thumped
below, we shared our memories
of the theater on the balcony
(closed off from the main stage
for a second screen) and Patrice
discussed opportunities for the
future.
She likes to think that the
theater can serve as a showcase
for the community, and even
integrate both audience and talent
from the two colleges up the
hill.
“Plenty of people need to
perform … We can provide that
[opportunity],” she said.
As a professor of technical
theater at SUNY Oneonta, the
mechanics of theater itself are
Patrice’s specialty; she runs
theaters, literally, and is both
delighted about the possibilities
for this theater and concerned
about the threat of losing such
an iconic space in the age of superplex
chains and cheap cyber
thrills.
However, we can all share
in the optimism of owner Terry
Mattison and wife Becky. Before
going in to enjoy some
quality live music, I stopped to
talk with the couple to find out
their perspective on the night’s
event.
“I think it will be a success,”
Terry said.
Becky cautioned, though,
“We’ve lost Bresee’s; we can’t
lose anymore landmarks in
Oneonta.”
As a potential hall for more
diverse entertainment for the
city of Oneonta, I could not be
more excited for the new hopes
to restore this landmark. It’s
more than an old theater; it
represents a part of American
culture and community that is
rapidly slipping away. I only
hope that in the next few years,
its musty smell resides only in
my memory.Labels: 10-10-08, Chestnut Street Theater, Front Page |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 8:29 AM |
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Dean Of American Musicians, Al Gallodoro, Dies In Oneonta
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Longest Playing Professional Remembered For Skill, Scope
By JIM KEVLIN
 Saturday, Oct. 18, he wasbooked at Justin’s on Lark Street in Albany.
Friday, Nov. 28, he planned to perform at the Bainbridge Theater.
But fate intervened, and sax legend Al Gallodoro will have his final appearance at 11a.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at the old Chestnut Street Theater, now Oneonta Theater 1 & 2.
Gallodoro, who died Saturday,Oct. 4 – as word spread, the City of Oneonta’s Centennial Parade was dedicated in his honor – was doing his thing, playing his music, almost to the very end.
Two weeks ago, he performed at Corning’s Jazz &Harvest Festival, “The Girl From Ipanema,” “I Got It Bad(and That Ain’t Good,” and“Cherokee,” that demanding jazz staple.
“We always had a jokeabout this song – I probably shouldn’t say this,” said Joann Chmielowski, his long-time accompanist and devoted friend.“He’d say, ‘You want me to play that; that’s going to kill me’.”
As it was, he began failing at the end of that concert andnever recovered.“He was born with the horns”– clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet – “and he died with the horns, almost literally,” saidhis friend. “How many people can say, ‘I did what I loved mywhole life’.”
Al was born in Chicago on June 20, 1913, to Antonio and Frances Gallodoro, He spent his childhood in Alabama andNew Orleans and was playingprofessionally by age 13, meaning his career spanned 83 years.
It’s a U.S. record, said Joann, possibly an international one, although she has no way to prove it. He eventually moved to New York, where his longest association(nearly four decades) was with the “King of Jazz” Paul Whiteman; Al’s brother,  Frank, is the last surviving member of Whiteman’s orchestra.
Musicians who played with him locally – Sal Salvaggio and Rene Prins among them – remarked on his ability to play both jazz and classical music.His played for Isham Jones, Arturo Toscanini, Leopold Stokowski, Alfredo Antonini,Leonard Bernstein, AndreKostelanetz, Johnny Green,Tutti Camarata, Arthur Fiedler, Percy Faith, Skitch Henderson and Dr. Frank Black.
And George Gershwin, VictorBorge, Dina Shore, Sid Caesar,Raphael Mendez, Les Paul,Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen, DukeEllington, Tommy Dorsey, MarioLanza, Frank Sinatra and Milton Berle.
He also recorded many movie and cartoon soundtracks. He had music composed for him: “The Gallodoro Serenade,”by Ferde Grofè, composer of the “Grand Canyon Suite”and “Mississippi Suite.”
Moving up to Oneonta a quarter century ago at the invitation of his daughter, Rita, he immediately joined Local 443 of the Musicians’ Unionand soon was playing in Prins’ Oneonta Community Band andwith the Catskill Stompers.
“He had incredible stamina,”said Salvaggio, a musician and Cooperstown Central School music teacher who often found himself “in the pit” with Al at Orpheus presentations.“...He always played with alot of feeling. He was a musician’s musician, the type of aperson who could play in any style and do it convincingly.”
Prins remembers Gallodoro, then in his 90s, at a party to celebratethe 100th anniversary ofthe Musicians’ Union: “He was friendly, charming, talking to everyone.”
He became a local fixture, receiving an honorary doctorate from Hartwick College in 2005,(a year after CBS’ “SundayMorning” had him on a segment.)
When the Sego Cafe closed earlier this year, Al performed at the requiem. But it’s unlikely anyone around here knew him bettert han Joann Chmielowski, who called herself “a fan gone berzerk”when she heard him playat the old Willow Grouse east of the city.
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” she remembered.“This is Oneonta, and I’m hearing this world class ... I was totally blown away by his talent and, also, his energy, the power of his music.”
She immediately asked to be his accompanist, but he was unimpressed – “maybe if you practice for a few years.” Then, a dozen years ago, “he was kind of stuck for a piano player,” and asked her to help out; the gig was a wedding in the middle of a cornfield.“I don’t care it I’m the last resort,” Joann said. “Of courseI’ll take the job.”That was the beginning of a growth curve, not the end.“He trained me to be what he needed me to be,” she said. “I just decided, ‘No, no, you’re not going to have any ego about this.’ Because he was the master.”Labels: 10-10-08, Al Gallodoro, Front Page |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:50 AM |
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