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Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, October 23, 2025
Volume 17, No. 52
Historic Gift Kicks Off Launch of Public Phase of 53 Pioneer Street Project Giving COOPERSTOWN he Cooperstown Art Association and The Smithy Gallery have received a transformative $1.25 million pledge from Brent and Laura Nicklas in support of the 53 Pioneer Project, the renovation and restoration of 53 Pioneer Street in downtown Cooperstown. According to officials, this gift, coupled with an additional $250,000.00 matching grant established by the Nicklas
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family over the next two years, brings the project past its initial $2 million fundraising goal while expanding the project vision to include enhanced elements such as the garden, alley, and elevator, as well as addressing rising construction costs. According to a recent press release, the restored facility will be named The Nicklas Building. Construction will begin pending final approval of a signed contract from the State of
New York for funds awarded as part of the NY Forward grant received by the Village of Cooperstown in 2023. With these milestones achieved, “the project now broadens its public fundraising phase, inviting an additional $250,000.00 in matched contributions from local businesses and community members to strengthen this exceptional investment in the region’s cultural future,” Continued on page 9
Nearly 2,000 Locals Join Saturday’s ‘No Kings’ Day of Protest By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
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OTSEGO COUNTY etween Oneonta and Cherry Valley, nearly 2,000 locals participated in the second “No Kings” peaceful protest this past Saturday, October 18. Demonstrators opposed what they described as President Donald Trump’s authoritarian takeover and breakdown of the rule of law. The Oneonta demonstration, held at 1 p.m. on the field next to the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center and then on Main Street, was organized by CooperstownOneonta Indivisible, Butternut Valley Indivisible, Cherry Valley Indivisible, Indivisible for Schoharie County, and the Otsego County Democratic Committee. Cherry Valley Indivisible organized its local event near the village’s Civil War monument at 10 a.m. “We are not out here today for ourselves,” CooperstownOneonta Indivisible leader Virginia Kennedy
Photo by Eric Santomauro-Stenzel
More than 1,500 people are estimated to have joined the No Kings protest in Oneonta on Saturday, October 18, filling the field next to the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center.
said from the stage in Oneonta. “We are out here today because we care about our country.” Demonstrators held a wide range of signs: “No Kings,” “Peaceful Protester,” “I Too Am Anti-Fascist,” “Hate Will Not Make Us Great,” “Nothing Is More American Than Opposing Dictator
B&B Closes After 38 Great Years
INSIDE ► young republicans snafu, page 2
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
► BLISS NOT RUNNING FOR OFFICE, page 2
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► fairy spring capital campaign, page 3 ► lots of letters, page 4 ► hartwick town council q&A, page 6 ► WALLER REACHES 300 WINS, page 8 ► PSC HEARS OBJECTIONS TO NYSEG HIKE , page 10 ► CDPHP ELIMINATES COVERAGE, page 13 Photo provided
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Trump,” “Healthcare Matters,” “Fire ICE,” and “Resist Tyranny With Compassion” were just a few. Many brought American flags, and some brought Palestinian ones. A handful wore costumes, including a dinosaur and a banana. Devon LaBoy and duo Keith Torgan and Barbara Siesel gave
musical performances. In the weeks leading up to the national protest, which is estimated to have had as many as seven million participants across more than 2,700 events, senior Republican leaders including Speaker Mike Johnson said the event was a “Hate America rally.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Democratic Party’s “main constituency” is “made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals.” Other national level Republicans described the protest as of the “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party or claimed protesters were paid by the Jewish billionaire George Soros. “You’ve heard it all, right?” Kennedy asked the crowd. “We are the opposite of what they are saying,” she said to applause. Several later speakers hit the same theme. Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek addressed the crowd. “On behalf of myself and the City of Oneonta and everyone who still believes in the Continued on page 12
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Suzanne Rudy (above) and husband John are ready for the next chapter in their lives.
COOPERSTOWN fter 38 years, the fabled Baseball Bed & Breakfast in Cooperstown has closed. Owners John and Suzanne Rudy, now in their 80s and ready to retire, say the time has come to close a chapter of their life that began shortly after a family trip in the 1980s. Since then, they have hosted thousands of people from across the country and world in their bright yellow home on Chestnut Street. While its name and theme is all about baseball, the couple said their guests have been coming to the area for all kinds of reasons, from the Glimmerglass Opera to a stopping point on trips further west. A map with pins for visitors’ hometowns—hailing
from all 50 states—eventually became so heavy it fell off the wall, requiring a second pin map. The Rudys said they became interested in the area after they and their three children came up from New York City to see Catfish Hunter’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. While continuing their vacation up to Canada, the kids still wanted to be in Cooperstown to use the batting cages. “It occurred to me, it was just so nice and pleasant,” John said of their stay at another bed and breakfast. “I had an epiphany.” Suzanne and the three kids agreed to run the B&B during the summer, sharing in responsibilities, with John coming up to help on the weekends. Continued on page 9
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