Homet
C O O PER
E COOP
M A
newspa
per
found
ed in
.com
AllOTSEGO
Volume 215, No. 23
M IA
1808
3
Cial
I
’s offi
E WILL
200 - 202 8
stown
DG
tch e Dispa OWN HOM&ETThe Otsego-Delawar
Cooper
I
1808 BY JU
ta on
wn one o
th
NDED
N
TA 15 anniversary ONEON
OU
founded in 1808
MEMORIAL DAY PHOTO CONTEST EXTENDED, page 2
O
•F
L
C
E WIL
WNA O T S R OOPE NEONT
GUID
DG
L IF E IN D O O G HE E TO T
JU
Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper
1808 BY
&
R
OUNDED IN
S NOW! R U O Y GRAB REGION’S THE IST GUIDE! UR BEST TO
•F
VISIT www.
AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, June 8, 2023
Newsstand Price $1
OCCA To Hold Meet, Greet Conservationist of Year To Be Honored SPRINGFIELD he Otsego County Conservation Association will host its “Mohican Meet and Mingle” on Friday, June 9 from 6-9 p.m., adjacent to the historic Ellen Biddle Shipman Garden at Mohican Farm in Springfield. OCCA Executive Director Amy Wyant, board members, and staff will be on hand to talk informally about the organization’s projects and initiatives in areas such as clean energy, environmental education, planning, conservation and more. “We believe that coming together for a meal, meaningful conversation, and camaraderie will be a fantastic way to keep our amazing supporters informed and involved in all we do. We also want to use this time to invite new supporters and people who are interested in environmental conservation to see what OCCA is all about. We hope you will join us on the 9th,” Wyant said. “Guests will be able to view the gardens as part of the event and the Mohican grounds and gardens should be lovely at that time in the evening,” said Shelby MacLeish, OCCA project coordinator. “As part of the ticket price of $25.00, guests will enjoy dinner, dessert and drinks. Red Shed Brewery is donating beer and we will have award winning ice tea from B Blossom Catering.” Along with the return of the organization’s annual gathering event comes reinstatement of the OCCA Conservationist of the Year award, which goes this year
T
INSIDE ► HESSE HOUSE A LABOR OF LOVE, page 2 ► hab tESTING sTRATEGIES for glimmerglass, page 3 ► regional water woes bear examination, page 4 ► scout camp should be protected, page 4 ► ANIMAL SHELTER EXPANDS reach, page 5 ► PAST, PRESENT RUGGLES WINNERS SPEAK, page 6 ► CCS SOFTBALL UPDATE IN Sports snippets, page 6 ► WORKSHOPS, HYDE HALL BLOCK PARTY, page 7 Follow Breaking News On
AllOTSEGO.com
to Milford Central School teacher Kim Burkhart. The Conservationist of the Year award goes to individuals who have made an outstanding, positive impact on Otsego County’s natural resources, either through direct action or by educating citizens about conservation. The award has been given out since 1989, with a brief pause in the program due to COVID. Nominations are accepted throughout the year, and the award is presented at the annual dinner. “The award has not been given out for the past several years and we are excited to revive the tradition in 2023,” MacLeish added. Burkhart was nominated by Kevin Kelly and Tom Trelease of the Dave Brandt Chapter of Trout Unlimited specifically for her work with the ‘Trout in the Classroom’ program. OCCA Board Member Trish Riddell Kent said, “Kim Burkhart has built an entire curriculum around the “Trout in the Classroom” program. She is teaching the next generation environmental stewardship.” Burkhart joins the ranks of an impressive list of previous Conservationists of the Year: 1989, Frederick V. Mecklenburg; 1990, Ellen Luchsinger; 1991, Martha Clarvoe; 1992, Irene Mozolewski; 1993, Rufus Thayer; 1994, Giles Russell; 1995, William Gengenbach; 1996, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert; 1997, Bonnie Canning Hofmann; 1998, Otsego Lake Watershed Council; 1999, Earle Peterson; 2000, Moira Goldfarb, Continued on page 7
Photo by Lexi Tucker
The Cherry Valley Water Project, the brainchild of Angelica Palmer (above), will feature artistic workshops and performances. To learn more, or to apply to be in the paid experimental performance troupe, go to www.thetelegraphschool.org. Applications for the troupe will be accepted until June 15.
CV Water Project Receives State Funding By ELIZABETH COOPER CHERRY VALLEY he spirit of creativity that has defined the Cherry Valley for generations is being renewed and rejuvenated in a new venue, and its director has now been selected for a $10,000.00 state grant to expand her work this summer. Angelica Palmer, who grew up in the village, is one of just 10 recipients of the New York State Council on the Arts’ competitive Rural and Traditional Arts fellowship. Her Cherry Valley Water Project is aimed at fostering a closer relationship between artists, community members, and Cherry Valley’s waterways, and will roll out over the summer.
T
“I am excited and honored to receive the NYSCA fellowship on behalf of myself and the sacred waters of Cherry Valley,” she said. “My hope is that through creative exploration with the water it will teach us its life-giving ways of connection, transformation and peace.” Linda Franke of the Arts Council for Wyoming County, which facilitated the granting process in partnership with NYSCA, said her panel had been impressed with Palmer’s focus on her hometown. “She loves where she lives and was celebrating that,” Franke said. “They really felt her energy and they liked that she was very thoughtful on the topic.” The water project will feature artistic workshops Continued on page 7
Riverside Students Plant Apple Trees, Help Restore Piece of Oneonta History ONEONTA n Friday, April 28, the City of Oneonta planted an apple orchard on the Swart-Wilcox House Museum property with the help of Riverside Elementary School students. The planting was made possible thanks to funds obtained by City Community Development Director Judy Pangman through a special “Tree Planting in Disadvantaged Communities after Ash Tree Loss” grant. The new apple orchard at the SwartWilcox House consists of several heritage varieties of apples, just like the Wilcox family would have had in the 1880s. As part of his farming activities, Henry Wilcox had an active business in both apples and cider. This is according to his daily diaries, which have been transcribed and are now available on the web for all to research at New York Heritage, a portal for learning
O
more about the people, places and events that contributed to the making of New York State, at https://nyheritage. org/collections/diaries-henry-wilcox A diary excerpt from August 24, 1880 reads: “I went out on the flat this morning and gathered two bushels of apples from under the big sweet tree.” Other entries recount activities all year long: May 5, 1879, “worked at trimming apple trees”; March 11, 1879, “cleaned the rotten apples from the cellar”; and, on January 9, 1882, “loaded up five casks of cider and got it ready to go…This afternoon I took the load of cider to the village and got an order for three casks more.” The Swart-Wilcox House Museum is located on Wilcox Avenue across from the Riverside Elementary School. At left, Riverside students Ilsa Mann, Meadow Luettger, Jackson Plymell, Mason Brown and Zoe Grabas work together to plant a tree.
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
Home of the largest indoor charcoal barbecue pit in the East! 5560 State Highway 7 • Oneonta brooksbbq.com • 607-432-1782