Hometown Oneonta - The Otesgo-Delaware Dispatch

Let The Credits Roll

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

CHRIS McSWIGGIN

SPORTS BEAT

So the Oneonta High School football team’s 2008 season has come to an end. There are a lot of special players in this program and the banquet on Nov. 23 was the ceremony to honor the great student athletes in the OHS system. It was a beautiful ceremony; the guest speaker legendary Syracuse University Football Coach Richard “Dick” MacPherson.
But the highlight of the night was most certainly the memory of the seniors who “shaped” the program.
Head Coach Adam Hoover said in his speech, many years in the distance when Oneonta is dominating section 4 and winning all sorts of titles, everyone will look back at this team as the team that shaped the winning tradition. This team showed courage, heart and determination all year long and every single athlete on the team should have received an award. However, there were only so many to go around.
The cheerleader awards were first, followed by the junior varsity. Among the JV award winners were Ben Coe the sophomore O-Line and D-Line player who wore # 61 for the Jackets. Coe was regarded as “the only football player they could think of that would miss a football game to take the SATs.”
The next was Keegan “Duckwing” Trombley, the junior varsity sophmore quarterback who garnered # 6. Trombley moves up to Varsity next season, and the “Duckwing” nickname – given to him by the coaching staff about his arm motion when throwing – brought smiles all around.
Logan Pondolfino, the sophomore running back, who also played defensive back, got an award and Bryce Wooden, the stand out freshman running back was the final JV player to come up to the podium.
Then came the Varsity awards, drum roll please...
With individual achievement plaques filled out in their names Don Mitchell and Colbie Sangetti-Daniels won scout team defensive players of the year and Ian Clemens won scout team offensive player of the year. All three of these players played essential roles in the Jacket’s success this season.
The next award was the defensive line/linebacker award and went to Ian Kelley. The linebacker/defensive back award was given to Phillip Wright who recorded 77 tackles, 33 assists and 2 forced fumbles on the year.
The special teams for the Jackets were fantastic this season and the stand out player from that unit was Cory Hunter. The offensive line award went to John Lancto, who was revealed as a hidden gem in week five.
The hit of the year had many possible winners, but the award went to Brendan Pidgeon on his hit against the Norwich quarterback in the season finale. Offensive back of the year was given to Matt Marcewicz and the great story behind him.
The Justin Driggs Award went to Dalton Smith, who lit up the Windsor quarterback a few weeks before Pidgeon’s award winning hit and also was a touch running full back who provided an extra spark. throughout the season.
The final award of the night was the Ricky J. Parisian Award and that went to team captain and standout Brendan Pidgeon.
Overall it was a great ceremony and a tear jerking night as the players got their jackets and jerseys. Oneonta Football is a prestigious program and there is no reason why the winning shouldn’t continue. Congratulations to the seniors and Go Jackets!

Labels: 11-28-08, Hometown Sports, OHS Football, Oneonta High School

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:14 PM 0 comments

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Opera Alert

SAM GOODYEAR

ART BEAT

During my years in the military, stationed in the remote innards of Central Texas during the Vietnam War, one unbeatable way to get away from it all (and I mean all) was to get into my car on a Saturday afternoon just in time for the live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera and cruise through the magnificent panorama of mesas, endless horizon and big sky.
In addition to hearing the likes of Joan Sutherland, the young Pavarotti, Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price and many other legendary voices, there was immense comfort and pride in knowing that there was practically no corner of the United States where the broadcast was not available on AM and FM. At the time, Texaco was the sponsor, with improbably elegant commercials about “motoring” and “petroleum products,” endearing me even more to a state I had been sent kicking and screaming to.
The 78th season of broadcasts (the first live performance on the air was “Hansel and Gretel” on Dec. 25, 1931) kicks off this weekend, at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, with “La Damnation de Faust” of Hector Berlioz, a much-heralded production of a work infrequently mounted because of inherently challenging dramatic demands.
The closest transmitter to Cooperstown carrying the broadcast is WSKG 91.7 FM. Note the unusual starting time for the Berlioz: 12:30 p.m. For decades the opera has started at 1:30 EST. From now on, however, the normal starting time will be 1 p.m.
Slipped into the roster of standard repertory is “Doctor Atomic” by John Adams (Jan. 17), a must for those seeking to see opera grow and expand into contemporary relevance.
Also to be noted is Mozart’s “Magic Flute” two days after Christmas in a specially tailored “family production.”
The final broadcast of the season will be Wagner’s “Gotterdammerung” on April 25 and please note, in observance of the composer’s inability to make a long story short (thank heaven!), that broadcast will begin at noon.
If you’re interested in the Cooperstown angle of all of this, Hartwick-born Dwayne Croft will send soaring notes over the airwaves in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly’ on March 7, 2009.
Glimmerglass Opera notables include Mark Delavan in Tchaikovsky’s “Queen of Spades” on Dec. 13; and Christine Goerke in Dvorak’s “Rusalka” on March 14.
So tune into 91.7 on your FM dial on Saturday afternoons for the next few months. And, very confidentially, those broadcasts may soon be accompanied by the voice of someone whose voice you have only “heard” in print.
Keep your ear to the ground, if that’s where your radio is.

Labels: 11-28-08, Art Beat, City of the Hills, Sam Goodyear

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:11 PM 0 comments

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Dylan ‘Was Rocking’

EVAN JAGELS

NIGHT LIFE

“There’s only one I’ve met, and he just smoked my eyelids, and punched my cigarette.”

This was one of the few lines universally comprehended at Bob Dylan’s concert Wednesday, Nov. 18, at SUNY Oneonta’s Alumni Field House, aside from, of course, the refrains of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” performed as encores.
However, as one college student so aptly described Dylan’s performance outside of the men’s room, “I didn’t understand a single (expletive) word that he said, but he was rocking!”
This was true. The field house was packed with people of all ages, from Dylan’s generation to those young enough to be his grandchildren. By and large, everyone was pleased
He took the stage to the same amount of cheer, stylishly dressed with a white brimmed hat and yellow sash. His new touring band kicked it off in their down-home blues/rock and roll style, but when Dylan began to sing it was clear that he had lost a few notes.
Dylan is 67 years old, however, and one can’t expect his voice to not reflect that. It was coarse, and he was unable to sing many of the classic vocal melodies (the chorus of “Like a Rolling Stone” was reduced to a low 5th interval).
This is not to say that he was without enthusiasm and artistry. When he grabbed the harmonica during the second song and left his keyboard to take center-stage, the crowd cheered as though it were a remnant of the voice they knew from the classic albums.
I don’t want to treat his band as a “separate issue,” but I see no other way around it. They gave Dylan a more modern sound, bringing him up to volume. I say this not referring to their genre of playing, as that was reminiscent of 1950s music, but rather of their timbre and musicianship.
Dylan was anchored by bassist Tony Garnier, with whom he has toured since 1989. Garnier has also worked with Paul Simon, Tom Waits and was a longtime sideman of David Johansen in his Buster Poindexter persona.
Musician Larry Campbell was most impressive, actually switching between different instruments. Campbell played on Dylan’s album “Love and Theft” and has been an integral part of the live band for years.
After Bob Dylan returned for a three-song encore, he spoke the only three words of the whole night, “Thank you, friends,” before introducing the band.
After performing “All Along the Watchtower,” his song made more famous by Jimi Hendrix, he strapped on a hollow-body Gibson and sounded more like himself than at any point prior. He even took a guitar solo, and though it wasn’t as ‘good’ as the other guitarists’ solos, I thought it was better. And that’s the distinction that I look for in art and music and what drew me to Dylan in the first place.
It’s not all chops, there needs to be some heart – some struggle. Nothing great in rock and roll, folk, country or jazz is too polished, but the vocabulary is always there.

Labels: 11-28-08, City of the Hills, Evan Jagels, Night Life

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:08 PM 0 comments

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...THE GIFT OFLOVE

Here Are Dozens Of Ways To Help The Less-Fortunate

By JEANNINE BOHLER

“The Grinch hated Christmas. The whole Christmas season. Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.”

So begins the beloved Dr. Seuss tale, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” It is a children’s story, it’s true. But the message it carries is an important one, especially at the kick-off of a holiday season dampened by a sluggish economy, rising food prices and high fuel costs.
Main streets are awash with holiday glow. The pine trees, the twinkling lights. The decorated store fronts. Santa’s cottage. Busy shoppers. Eager children.
But this year, a palpable uncertainty runs beneath.
Hungry children. Cold senior citizens. Families about to lose their homes. This is not the stuff of Christmas magic.
Unless it becomes a chance to reach out and make some true, old-fashioned Christmas magic. The communities we live in are generous ones, with no shortage of opportunities for helping a friend or a stranger in need.
“The greatest gift of all, to give or receive, is to reach out to others with a helping hand,” Santa said in a rare, pre-season interview. Santa asked that people be particularly mind ful of food pantries this year.
Going hungry is the primary concern of many families this season, who find themselves unable to pay their bills and meet the rising price of groceries. Food banks are in need. The demand is growing, and many struggle to keep their shelves full enough to help families looking for assistance. Donations of non-perishable food items are imperative to keep the food banks open and families fed. A list of pantries and addresses can be found online at www.tri-countyny.net/flood/otsegofood.
Monetary contributions go the furthest, as food banks are able to purchase food from the Regional Food Bank at discounted rates. Checks can be mailed to specific food banks throughout the area..
Even in the toughest economic times, children have their Christmas dreams of a new toy or a favorite book left under their tree. Many too are in need of warm hats and mittens or a few new clothes to cover their ever-growing bodies.
The Salvation Army in Oneonta is collecting both food and gifts. New toys and clothing for children 12 and under can be dropped off at their operation on 25 River St. in Oneonta, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 432-5960 for more information. The need is great.
Opportunities for Otsego, made the difficult choice to forgo the Holiday Adopt-A-Family initiative and asks instead for contributions to their emergency fuel fund and Holiday Baskets Food Drive. Donations for the baskets can be accepted until Dec. 19. Donations to the emergency fuel fund can be mailed to Opportunities for Otsego, 3 West Broadway, Oneonta, NY 13820, or can be made online at www.ofoinc.org.
The Lions Club in Oneonta supports many community organizations and youth. Support their causes and buy a wonderful gift with a purchase of Koeze Nuts. View the catalog at www.koeze.com or call MaryAnn Wertam at 432-6253 for details.
Instead of another candle or silly coffee mug, how about making a contribution to a local nonprofit in someone’s name? There are as many unique nonprofit organizations in our communities as there are unique people. Why not make a donation to a local library, theater or musical venue, hospital, hospice, historical home, school parent teacher organization or environmental group in the community? With severe budget cuts under hot debate in Albany, many of these organizations will face harsh cuts to already tight budgets. These places are the heart of our communities. We need to work together to keep them viable.
But never forget the greatest gifts come from the heart. In season where money may be tight and spirits running low, reach out and help.

Labels: 11-28-08, Christmas, The City of the Hills

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:00 PM 0 comments

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THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS

Here Are Two-Dozen
Ways To Celebrate Season

By LAURA COX

As the snowflakes start to fall and stick around, the hustle-bustle of Black Friday comes and goes, and the search for the perfect gift begins, we find ourselves looking for ways to celebrate the season and find joy in our communities.
First, Santa Claus is coming to town, and coming to town, and coming to town. Read on.
The Southside Mall will be filled with children and their furry friends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29. for the Santa Paws photo opportunity. Bring your pets and get a picture taken with Santa. All proceeds benefit the Delaware Valley Humane Society.
Santa Claus and the Mrs. will be in attendance at the Oneonta Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4. The tree lights up at 6 p.m. and the candlelit Main Street will be nothing but magical. Main Street will be closed from Ford Avenue to Chestnut Street and a winter wonderland will unfold with horse drawn wagon rides, a live reindeer display, a Gingerbread House Contest display, music, and the Fokine dancers. Mrs. Claus will be found at the History Center at 183 Main St. reading Holiday stories to children from 5:30-7:30 p.m., at no cost to listeners.
Likened to the arrival of the “Polar Express” with snowflakes glistening in the air, Santa travels into Milford by decorated train at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7. Hosted by the Milford Rotary and the Milford Historical Association, Santa’s arrival will be followed by a reception at the Historical Association building where participants can enjoy a cup of hot cocoa or cider with Santa Claus.
Santa will not only be at his cottage in the Downtown Plaza in Oneonta on all the Saturdays from Thanksgiving to Christmas, he will also offer his companionship for a variety of meals in restaurants on Main Street throughout the season.
Mama Nina’s has the pleasure of welcoming Santa for lunch 12-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6. Parents may call 432-9800 for more information on this dining experience.
Santa can be found eating breakfast at the Corfu Diner 8:30-10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13. Call 643-0242 for more information. He will then be heading over to Athens for lunch, noon-1 p.m. Call 432-2140 for more information.
The following Saturday – Dec. 20 – kids may pass on the milk and cookies and share a slice of pizza with Santa at Joe Ruffino’s noon-1 p.m. Details, 432-7454.
“Sint Niklaas Visits the Brewery” between 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at Brewery Ommegang. St. Nik will make his annual visit loaded down with stories and treats for the tots, beer samples for the adults, sleigh rides for the family, and cider, hot chocolate and Belgian spiced cookies for all.
Second, lots of additional fun is available for kids. Read on.
Children can bring a non-perishable food item to the Oneonta Theater to get into the following features: “Alvin & The Chipmunks,” 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 29; “Space Chimps,” 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 6, and “Nim’s Island,” 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. Details, 432-2820.
Canadian Pacific’s Holiday Train rolls into town at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29, at the James Georgeson Avenue crossing, near Neahwa Park, featuring music by Tracey Brown, Shaun Verreault and Melanie Doane. Donate food and funds at that time, to benefit the Opportunities for Otsego Holiday Basket. Details, 433-8000.
The Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad’s Santa Express Trains leave at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 29-30, and Dec. 6-7 and 13-14, from the Milford Depot. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be among the riders. The Christmas Lights Trains will run at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, and Saturdays, Nov. 29 and Dec. 6. Seating is limited, so reservations and pre-payment are required; call 432-2429.
To keep your children occupied while you Christmas shop, the Upper Catskill Community Council on the Arts is planning Holiday Art Day Camps 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 13 and 20, at the Wilber Mansion on Ford Avenue. The camps are $65, and the UCCCA provides materials for the kids to create gifts for the rest of the family. Kids should bring bag lunch. To register, 432-2070.
Mrs. Claus will be telling holiday stories 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at the new Green Toad Bookstore, 198 Main St.
Adults can partake of the fun, as well. Read on.
The Adorn-a-Door Wreath Festival is 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, at the Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main St. More than 100 wreaths decorated by artists, craftspeople and local businesses will be up for silent auction. Bidding stops at 4:30 p.m., but there are seasonal treats and music all day. The top raffle winner – $10 tickets are available at the CAA and from members – will receive a multi-course dinner for eight paired with wine, courtesy of Matthew Grady of Stagecoach Coffee. Information, 547-9777.
The annual National Soccer Hall of Fame Festival of Trees Gala is 7-10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at the Hall of Fame in Oneonta. The $10 admission will include desserts, wine, dancing, decorated trees and a performance by the Folkine Ballet. The Festival of Trees is Dec. 6-14; go see the trees and enter the raffle to win one. For details on daily activities, visit www.soccerhall.org.
The Brookwood School’s 11th Annual Holiday Evening & Benefit Auction is 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, with a preview of auction items at 6. Admission is free; complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Childcare available, $20 if pre-registered; otherwise, $30. To register, call Lisa DeVincenzo at 547-4060. For information or to donate an auction item, call Cathy Andrews, 547-4060.
The Catskill Choral Society’s “Choral Songs of the Season” is at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at Saint Mary’s Church, 39 Walnut St., Oneonta. Timothy Newton conducts, accompanied by Timothy Horne. In addition to the CCS Girl Choir, special guests include soprano Colby Thomas and the Catskill Brass Quintet. Advance tickets are $17 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for students. For information, visit www.catskillchoralsociety.org or call 431-6060.
The Glimmerglass Opera Guild’s Holiday Dine-A-Round begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. Dinner participants will gather for cocktails at 6 p.m., then proceed to various homes for hosted dinners at 7:30 p.m. At 9:30 p.m., there will be desserts, coffee and after-dinner drinks at The Otesaga. Tickets, $85 per person. Seating limited; reservations required by Dec. 1; call 783-2272.
The Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas event – formerly, the Victorian Stroll – is 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. Activities include Holiday B&B and Inn Tours, 2-5 p.m., caroling on Main Street , a living Nativity in front of the Village Library, the Pathfinder Village Hand Bell Choir performing at 4 p.m. and more For details, visit www.cooperstownchamber.org or call 547-6015.
“The Nutcracker Suite” will be presented by the Folkine Ballet at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, and at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, at SUNY Oneonta’s Goodrich Theatre. Tickets, $16 general; $14 for students and seniors. Call 432-6290.

Labels: 11-28-08, Christmas, City of the Hills

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 4:56 PM 0 comments

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Hometown History

125 Years Ago

Local – A sketch of the “History of Oneonta” by D.M. Campbell, is for sale by Henry Saunders, W.W. Darbee and Geo. Andrews at the post office. Price, paper cover, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cents. A valuable horse belonging to Geo. L. Pratt, the Oneonta candy peddler, became frightened a few days since while being driven near the cars, and dropped dead in its harness. The weather of the past two or three weeks cannot be said to be at all healthful. Considerable fever prevails in the village. “Keep the bowels open, the feet warm and the conscience clear,” is the advice of an old physician.
November 1883

100 Years Ago

The basketball game at the Normal gymnasium last Saturday evening between the Alfred Corning Clark team of Cooperstown and the Normal five of this village was a fast hotly contested event in which the home boys were successful by the score of 25 to 10. The fastest playing was in the first half, in which the Normals scored 16 to 9 in favor of their opponents. The second half still further increased the lead. The Cooperstown five are a clean, fast lot of players who unquestionably with more experience will have a better record to their credit.
November 1908

80 Years Ago

The purchase of the stock of the Huddleston-Walton company of Oneonta by Spaulding Bakeries, Inc. of Oneonta was announced Tuesday. The Huddleston-Walton bakery currently distributes its products over a wide territory with a fleet of 15 trucks. Negotiations for the amalgamation had been underway for some time. The merger will result in substantial distributing economies as well as bringing the Huddleston-Walton plant under the successful mode of operation employed by the Spaulding enterprise. For many years, the Huddleston-Walton company enjoyed steady growth at Cherry Valley before opening their new plant 11 months ago in Oneonta. Consideration is estimated in the neighborhood of $300,000.
November 1928

60 Years Ago

The possibility of having an Otsego County airport was definitely killed Monday morning when the Otsego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to accept the report of a special committee. The committee found that the minimum cost of building and equipping a Class 2 airport in Otsego County would be $800,000. If such an airport were approved by the Federal government, a contribution of $400,000 might be expected. Operating expenses for the airport are estimated at $30,000 annually. Therefore, the minimum cost to Otsego County to be raised by tax annually for the next 10 years amounts to $75,000 annually. The committee believes that Otsego County cannot afford a Class 2 airport at this time and recommended that no further action be taken.
November 1948

40 Years Ago

Residents of Otsego County will soon have to pay the piper for the increase in social security benefits that went into effect this year. Beginning January 1, local wage earners and their employers will be hit with an increase in payroll taxes to finance the bigger pension checks that are now being issued. Working people who are covered by social security will begin paying at the rate of 4.8 percent on the first $7,800 of earnings. Matching contributions will be made by their employers. The new rate represents a rise over the 4.4 percent that has been in effect this year. For those who are self-employed the rate will go from the present 6.4 percent on the first $7,800 to 6.9 percent. The new maximum tax for the self-employed will be $538.20. Last year, the nation’s job-holders and employers turned over $25.5 billion to the Social Security Trust Fund. This year’s total will exceed $27 billion. Under the new rates, Otsego County’s share will rise to about $6,946,000.
November 1968

20 Years Ago

Six reasons why Otsego County needs to recycle: 1. Otsego County is running out of places to dispose of trash. 2. Energy supplies are diminishing and costs are rising. 3. Trash disposal costs keep climbing. 4. Natural resources are being depleted. 5. We need to protect family and the environment. 6. Recyclables can be sold to markets.
Anyone interested in listing property for consideration as a location for feature film, television or TV commercial production should send photographs and a detailed description of the property with contact name and phone number to the NYS Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and TV Development, 1515 Broadway, 32nd floor, New York, N.Y. 10036.
November 1988

10 Years Ago

What should you do if you spot a black bear in the woods? Just sit back and enjoy the scene, according to a wildlife biologist with New York State’s wildlife unit. “Bears are very timid animals,” he said. “They stay away from people. It’s amazing how few people actually see bears. There has been a bear hunting season in the state for more than 50 years, and the hunting is what keeps the bears wild and timid. In the last 25 to 30 years there have been only three reports in New York of bears attacking people. A young boy picked up a cub and tried to run away with it. The mother was there and she bit the boy. A photographer was enticing a bear with a can of tuna. When he walked up to the bear with the open can he was bitten. This past summer some people were chasing a bear with dogs. The dogs were barking up a tree, but the bear was on the ground and ran over a boy causing some scrapes and bruises.”
November 1998

Resources for Hometown History have been provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library.

Labels: 11-28-08, Columns, Hometown History

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 4:54 PM 0 comments

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Let’s Be Thankful For What Is – And For The Good To Come

Cutting cross-lots to Wells Bridge the other day, there was a sign above Milford at Tansey Hill Road: “Be thankful for what you have, and grateful for what you don’t.”
What better scene-setter for a visit with the Naples family, dad Dale and children Owen, 4, Gianna, 2 and Isaac. It was Isaac’s first birthday, and he and his brother and sister had lost their mom, Tanya, to cancer Thursday, Nov. 6, just a few days before Thanksgiving.
They were surrounded by dozens of family members and friends. What better reminder that, when our lives take a seeming turn for the worse, it requires to reconnect with things that really matter: the people who love us and we love. That, in truth, is the ultimate safety net.
Somehow – Dale believes this – things are going to work out.
•
Things do tend to work out, although not always as we might expect. That they do is worth pondering this and every Thanksgiving. That, however, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take sensible steps toward the greatest good for the greatest number. And – as SUNY Oneonta science dean Michael P. Merilan noted at the rededication of Science Building I on Oct. 18, quote Pasteur – “Chance favors the prepared mind.”
We’ve been told by some for decades now to “Think globally, act locally” and that makes sense as we try to come to grips locally with an economic tsunami that results from years of wrong economic thinking and has regional, national and international proportions.
While George W. Bush’s post-911 exhortation to Americans to shop was widely criticized, he wasn’t completely wrong. With consumer spending making up 70 percent of the U.S. economy, the collapse of consumer confidence has serious implications.
Nationally, there’s not much we can do about that, but it does make a lot of sense to think through what we might do locally to ease negative impacts on our neighbors. If prosperity is related to money moving from hand to hand to hand – every dollar, after all, changes hands seven times in a year – it’s a disaster if everyone simply decides not to spend; and if you’re going to spend, spend locally.
Instead of driving to Albany for a fine dinner, go to The Otesaga, The Farmhouse at Emmons, any one of Marty Paton’s restaurants – any number of fine local establishments. For that matter, we’ve been meaning to try the White House Inn in Worcester.
If you’ve been renting and qualify for a loan, now’s a good time to buy a house. Use a local bank or credit union; the money is more likely to be reinvested locally. The realtor will spend the commission. Fixing up the new place will help hardware stores and contractors.
Cars: Again, if you’ve got the cash flow, now’s a great time to buy a car. Just look at that low- (or no-) interest financing, the rebates, the lowered prices. When the economy comes back – inevitably, it will, although it’s hard to say just how soon – those prices and costs are going up.
And vacation: Instead of spending a couple of thousand bucks going to Florida in February, stick around, put that money aside and figure out how you can spoil yourself locally this winter – take in a play or a concert, or both, or twice or three times. Dine out. Spend a weekend at The Clarion, and explore what our towns have to offer on a weekend around here – go to an auction, cross-country ski, ice fish.
If Joe spends a dollar at Jack’s, Jack spends that dollar at Sam’s, and Sam spends that dollar at Mary’s, everyone benefits. If Joe keeps that dollar in his pocket, nobody does.
•
Our local institutions should be thinking local as well.
For instance, SUNY Oneonta President Nancy Kleniewski has imposed a hiring freeze and asked her administrators to look at cutting $800,000 in the next few months. This is undoubtedly necessary, but it’s not going to help anybody around here. Quite the opposite.
How about this: SUNY Oneonta has one of the most enthusiastic and supportive alumni corps in the state university system. Why not make a special appeal to alumni to create a fund to cover next semester’s $600 tuition increase for students who may have to drop out of school otherwise?
Undoubtedly the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown had no choice but to lay off eight staffers recently and impose other cutbacks, but that’s not going to help anybody either.
NYSHA has some exceptional exhibits in place until the end of the year – “Of, By and For the People: The Art of Presidential Elections,” is particularly intriguing as this point in our history, as is “Through the Eyes of Others: African Americans and Identity in American Art.” Why not reach out to political science or art history departments at the dozens – yes, dozens – of colleges and universities within 90 minutes from here and get those students through the turnstile. It’s a win, win, win – for NYSHA, which gets the revenues; for the community, where the visitors spend money, and for the students themselves, who benefit from soaking up the rich offerings of The Fenimore and Farmers’ museums.
•
Same with local government.
It was shocking to learn at the NYST&HA reception – that’s the New York State Tourism & Hospitality Association, NISH-tah – at The Otesaga recently that, while the county bed tax was doubled from 4 to 8 percent earlier this year, raising the take from $600,000 to $1.2 million, not a single penny of that additional money has been invested in bringing more tourists here. The allocation to the county Tourism Office remained at $225,000.
Rob Robinson, Otsego County Chamber president & CEO, reported studies have shown that every $1 spent on tourism brings in $28 additional dollars.
In that context, the county Board of Representatives’ using that money to come up with no tax increase at all this year is very shortsighted.
A chunk of that bed tax money – let’s say 50 percent – should be spent – or, more accurately – reinvested in getting more people to visit Otsego County. That, in turn, would increase bed-revenues, which could be reinvested to bring even more people here, and so on.
That is a win-win. Who wouldn’t spend a dollar to get $28? To do otherwise defies common sense.
•
We’ve come through an era when unrestrained greed – every pig for him or herself – has been the national credo.
The resulting shift in the national income – ordinary folks have seen their incomes stagnate since 2000, while moguls have bought $3,000 shower curtains – was unsustainable. Too much money – more than even the greediest of us might spend in a lifetime – ended up in the pockets of too few.
Anyone in the help-one-another business will tell you that people who can least afford it are the ones most willing to help out the neediest among us.
Let’s take a page out of these people’s books as we look for a new ethic for a new era.
Let’s think. We can do things that, long term, will help us by, short term, helping our community – our families, our friends and our neighbors.
While fresh challenges require fresh thinking, let’s remember that, in the eons of human history, there are few communities that have enjoyed such plenty as Otsego County, and few communities worldwide today that do.
Let’s savor that and, at the same time, be thankful for what we have as we come to grips with the new challenges – they are temporary and solvable – at hand.

Labels: 11-28-08, Editorial, Hometown Views, Opinion

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 4:48 PM 0 comments

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Hometown People

POLIO FIGHTER: Milford Rotarian Tom Rathbone, SUNY Oneonta assistant vice president for facilities, spoke to the Cooperstown Rotary Club Tuesday, Nov. 18, on Rotary International’s campaign to eradicate polio worldwide. Internationally, Rotary is seeking to raise $100 million to match the $100 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

SSPCA DIRECTOR: James Forbes of Oneonta was among the new members elected to the Susquehanna SPCA at the recent annual meeting. Patrick McBrearty of Milford was reelected president. Anne Keith, Cooperstown, and Deni Wicks, Pierstown, were elected secretary and treasurer respectively.

Labels: 11-28-08, Hometown People

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SUNY President Prepares Campus For Cuts

As she departed for Thanksgiving break, SUNY Oneonta’s new president, Nancy Kleniewski, asked her vice presidents to identify another $800,000 in savings, in addition to the cost-cutting measures taken to date.
“We feel these measures are both necessary and prudent at this time,” the president wrote in a Friday, Nov. 21, letter to the campus community, “to conserve financial resources now and prepare the campus for any further possible budgetary reductions or unfunded costs next year.”
When the SUNY trustees met Nov. 18, they raised resident undergraduate tuition $620 for the

spring semester, with proportionate increases for non-resident and graduate tuition, in response to a 14.3 percent reduction in state support for the local campus, Kleniewski had advised the campus earlier. That means a $2.4 million reduction this year and $2.7 million next.
A hiring freeze and related savings will be extended, the president advised in her letter. In addition to further savings, Kleniewski issued a “travel advisory,” asking faculty and staff to limit travel to “mission critical purposes,” exercising restraint when travel is necessary, and substituting e-mail or other electronic media for travel when possible.

Labels: 11-28-08, Front Page, SUNY Oneonta

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Hometown Views: Happy Thanksgiving

Here Are The Only 2 Original Sources

In “Mourt’s Relation,” Edward Winslow wrote the following about the First Thanksgiving Feast, at Plymouth Colony in the fall of 1621.

‘Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”

In “Of Plimouth Plantation,” William Bradford gave this version of the feast.

‘They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.”

Lincoln 1863 Proclamation Saw Hope In Midst of United States’ Worst War

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict....
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.
Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom ...
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

Geo. Washington Declared Nation’s First Thanksgiving

Editor’s Note: At Congress’ request, George Washington declared a Day of Thanksgiving during his first year as president.

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and affign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty.

Labels: 11-28-08, Hometown Views

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A Reason For Thanks

In Wake of Tragedy, Family, Friends
Gather For Boy’s First Birthday

By JIM KEVLIN

Nicole Fianchino was there with her husband, Nathan, and their baby Niara.
Jessica Kline – her husband is Nathan’s brother, although Nathan took Nicky’s last name – was there with two of their children, Payton and Leah.
The Cummingses were there from Spencer. The Napleses from Oneonta.
The host, Dale Naples, Mike and Jean’s oldest son, was there with his son Owen, 4, daughter, Gianna, 2, and baby Isaac. It was Saturday, Nov. 22, and it was Isaac’s first birthday.
The old Victorian a few steps north of Route 7 on County Highway 4 was full of the energy of toddlers, recent toddlers and toddlers to be.
You could hear the laughter and shouts, and the noise of kids going to and fro, as you went up the stone stairway out front and past the plaque, “Bless This Family,” by the front door.
There was a big missing piece to this happy crazy quilt of a party: Isaac’s mommy, Tanya Cummings Naples, 32, was missing from the festivities.
She had died Thursday, Nov. 2, taken from the midst of this family and these friends.
“I never thought she wasn’t going to make it,” said Dale, settling into an overstuffed chair, paying no mind to the whir of activity that surrounded him. “She never thought she wasn’t going to make it.”
Then he told a love story, but it was a love story bigger then just the two of them.
There was love of life, and love of family, and love of friends, many of them fellow lab technicians at Fox Healthcare, where Dale and Tammy had met when he joined the hospital in 2001.
A couple of years went by, and Tanya and a few of her girlfriends, Oneontans Nicole Fianchino and Jessie Kline among them, went to the annual Fox Gala together.
Over the course of the evening, giggling happened – “We were talking about boys, I’m sure,” Nicky recalled – and Tanya found herself on the phone, pouring out her innermost feelings about Dale to a surprised Dale.
Dale describes himself as somewhat unassuming, but his new-founded love filled in the gaps: “So many times,” he said, “she’d start talking to a stranger, and she’d be the best of friends in just two minutes.”
One thing led to another, and the two were married on Sept. 27, 2003, at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Waverly, where Dale, an Oneonta native, had worked for a year before coming home to Fox.
They wanted to have children right away, and learned by November that “we were pregnant.” Owen was born the following August, followed by Gianna 19 months later.
Then in August 2007, Tayna, pregnant with Isaac, was playing with the other children. One pinched her, and she felt a twinge.
She went down to Lourdes in Binghamton, where her midwife was located, underwent an ultrasound and biopsy, and by the end of September she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
A little while later, Tanya felt a lump in her neck: Hodgkins lymphona.
“So she turned out to be diagnosed with both types of cancer,” Dale said.
Facing a triple challenge – two types of cancer, plus the pregnancy – the couple went to a specialist at NYU. They were reassured chemotherapy wouldn’t harm the baby, and so treatment began.
On Nov. 19, 2007, Isaac was induced at 36 weeks, a healthy, happy baby. “She was very happy,” said Dale. “We were very happy. He even had a little hair.”
During that time, Tanya went five weeks without the A-C-T – the A-Adriamycin, C-Cytoxan, T-Taxol therapy. The “A” and “C” had shrunk the tumors, and the Napleses were quite optimistic.
Then Taxol. “That’s where we hit a snag,” Dale said. “It was starting to hurt her.”
All this was expensive, and the couple’s co-workers at Fox held two fundraisers to cover the gap between the CDPHP coverage and the full bill.
“The people at Fox have been awesome,” Dale said.
(Separately, Diane Iandiorio of Arnold’s Lake, a friend of the family, has arranged for all Wilber Bank branches to accept donations on the family’s behalf.)
In March, Tanya underwent a mastectomy. The chemo treatment was completed. Things seemed to be fine.
Nicky and Jess put on a post-chemo party for their friend.
The ladies ended up at The Sixth Ward Athletic Club. It sounds like everybody had a pretty good time.
Tanya talked Jess into trying a Pineapple & Malibu – juice and rum: “My favorite drink, now.” She and Tanya decided they would get tattoos, and designed them that night. Jess’s was to be a chemo-fairy.
Back home in Wells Bridge, life was good – for two or three months.
One day, though, as Tanya went out to get the mail, the back of her hand brushed against her neck, and she felt a lump.
“It came back with a vengeance,” said Dale.
Even then, the husband said, both faced the future fearlessly, rarely even talking about how the children would fare if their mother was gone.
“We tried to look at the positive at every step. I never thought she wasn’t going to make it,” said Dale. “She was fighting right to the end.”
And yet, on the night of Nov. 1, the couple were faced with the hard fact that their life together, the love, the fun, the children, would soon be over.
“I told her I’d be OK,” said Dale. “We had good family and good friends.”
The bereft husband was particularly thankful at the way Kathleen M. Pietrobono of Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono helped the children through those difficult days.
At her advice, Owen and Gianna saw their mother at the viewing.
“The two older ones know,” said the young father, holding the baby on his lap. “And they talk about mommy being in heaven all the time.”
Four priests concelebrated the funeral mass at St. Mary’s in Oneonta, and one deacon: Dale’s brother, Tim, now finishing his final year at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. He’ll be ordained next summer.
“It helps that I was there at the end,” said Dale. “I know she’s at peace. Because I know she was in pain.”
While he’s telling this story, and Jess and Nicky add their reminiscences, it’s like sitting in a sea of quiet concentration in the midst of little whirling dervishes.
The action moves to the diningroom table. Little boys are dribbling as much ice cream as they are eating; little girls’ faces are bright red with the frosting from Isaac’s birthday cake.
The cake is a fire truck with a big Number 1 on the side, a homemade creation by Danielle Johnson, a friend in Fox’s pharmacy department.
“Tanya always made the cake,” said Jess. “I wasn’t going to serve these children anything store-bought.”

Labels: 11-28-08, Front Page, Isaac Naples

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 3:47 PM 0 comments

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City of the Hills

OFFENDER WATCH: Otsego County Sheriff Richard J. Devlin has announced a program enables residents to locate and be notified through e-mail when registered sex offenders move nearby. Visit www.otsegocounty.com/depts/shf/ to learn more.

BETTIOL ON STAGE: Oneonta’s own Carleigh Bettiol will be center stage at SUNY Oneonta’s “2008 Terpsie Awards” Dec. 4, 5 and 6, the fall performance of the Terpsichoreon Dance Company will be at the Goodrich Theater. Tickets, $2 for students, $5 general admission, will be on sale at the SUNY Oneonta box office starting Monday, Dec. 1. They go fast, so get there early.

BOOK-SIGNING: Hartwick English professor Tom Travisano, editor of the highly acclaimed “Words In Air,” letters poets Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop exchanged over their lifetimes, will read from the recently published work and sign copies at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at the new Green Toad Bookstore, 198 Main St., Oneonta. The bookstore and HOMETOWN ONEONTA are co-sponsoring the event.

CRACKDOWN: State law enforcement agencies have announced a crackdown during the holiday period, through Jan. 1, 2009. Police will be out in force, utilizing sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to reduce drunk driving and help ensure the safety of our roadways.

ANGEL TREE: The Jail Ministry of Otsego County will be involved in Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree outreach program to provide gifts for prisoners to give their children. The Oneonta collection site is Main Street Baptist Church, 333 Main St., Oneonta. All gifts must be delivered no later than Sunday, Dec. 7.

Labels: 11-28-08, City of the Hills, Front Page

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