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TIES THAT BIND: Wartime Baseball unites cooperstown with italian city, page 9 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 218, No. 25
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, June 18, 2026
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Oneonta Runner’s Dream Is Coming True By LIBBY CUDMORE
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ONEONTA n high school, Oneonta resident Teresa Berschwinger made her “bucket list.” “I wrote that I wanted to run the Disney World Half Marathon,” she said. “But if you had even suggested I would have run a full marathon, I would have thought you were crazy.” Now Berschwinger, a physical education teacher at South Kortright Central School, will run her first New York City marathon on Sunday, November 1. The race, which starts in Staten Island and ends near the Tavern on the Green in Manhattan’s Central Park, takes runners
26.2 miles across all five boroughs. A teacher at South Kortright since 2019, Berschwinger got her students involved in Rising New York Road Runners, a program that incentivizes kids to take up running as a sport and a hobby by offering different challenges and incentives. For every challenge, Berschwinger said, she had to submit a report in order to get the incentive. Her students have received t-shirts, water bottles and even 10 brand-new pairs of New Balance running sneakers. But one incentive really stood out—a chance to apply for a spot in the NYC marathon. “I filled out the information as soon as I got it,” she said. “And when I found out I got that spot, I almost Continued on page 14
Start the Bidding: Fairy Spring Fundraising Efforts Continue By ELIZABETH COOPER
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COOPERSTOWN hey say you can’t put a price tag on love, but when it comes to Fairy Spring Park, maybe you can. The local community has raised more than $250,000.00 to help pay for repairs and upgrades to the beloved watering hole on the east side of Otsego Lake. “It’s exciting how inclusive fundraising has been,” said Susie Knight, the member of Cooperstown Friends of the Parks who is spearheading the project. “We have gifts ranging from $20.00 to $50,000.00 and it really feels like the true definition of a community project.” The fund drive started about a year ago and the plan was to raise $250,000.00 over two years. The first 75 percent of that was raised in just five months and by spring the goal had been met. As often happens, the project’s cost has increased, due to in large part to changes in the costs of materials, so the fund raising will continue. That’s where a special gift from local artist Janet Munro comes in. Her art is in collections at the Smithsonian and the Museum of American Folk Art and will be the subject of an exhibit at Fenimore Art Museum this fall. INSIDE
► sANDLOT BASEBALL NEW IN town, page 2 ► PRIDE BLOCK PARTY COMING SOON, page 3 ► EDITORIAL ADDRESSES PUZZLING POSTS, page 4 ► CONCERTS VS. CAGE FIGHTS, page 4 ► SCARECROW DEADLINE LOOMING, page 5 ► oneonta america250 plans unveiled, page 6 ► expanded calendar of events, page 16 Follow Breaking News On
Photo by Tara Barnwell
This painting by local artist Janet Munro is currently up for bid in a silent auction, the proceeds of which will help fund renovations to Fairy Spring Park.
Munro, a septuagenarian, has been painting local scenes in her distinctive folk art style for decades and now she has created a painting of Fairy Spring, which is being auctioned for the cause.
The painting depicts a glorious scene of Fairy Spring at its finest, in hues of blue, green and brown. Children play and paddle in the water while adults talk on the pebbly shore. Families picnic above on red checked tablecloths, while others stand on the planned deck and gaze out upon it all. “I wanted to show lots of people using it,” she said. “Things you would see there. Mallard ducks. Everybody is doing something special. Families. All ages. All kinds of people having fun.” Most of Munro’s 5,000-plus paintings include water, whether a lake, snow, a river or a pond, and this one is no exception, but it is one of the few that doesn’t show the sky, she said. “Normally I would paint a horizontal landscape,” she said. “However, this had to be a vertical painting with no sky. I almost never do that, but I had to show the lodge and the lake, so it had to look up from the water.” That choice also helps convey the cool, almost murky quality of the pleasant little park. Munro said she had spent time with her family there when her children were young. “It’s extremely rustic and that’s a good thing,” she said, but added, “I think the new changes are going to be wonderful.” Munro, now 76, is in a wheelchair, and the project Continued on page 8
Tim Lord To Take Helm of Community Foundation
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SPRINGFIELD ave Rowley, board president of the Community Foundation of Otsego County, announced recently that Tim Lord has been appointed as the organization’s second executive director, effective January 1, 2027. Lord succeeds founding Executive Director Jeff Katz, who retires at the end of 2026 after five years of dedicated service to the foundation and the communities it serves, officials said.
To ensure a smooth leadership transition, Lord and Katz will begin working together in July 2026. “I am honored to be named the next executive director of the Community Foundation of Otsego County and excited for the opportunity to build on the fantastic work of founding Executive Director Jeff Katz and our small but mighty staff,” Lord said in a press release. A member of the CFOC Board of Directors since 2021, Lord brings
Photo provided
TIM LORD
a deep understanding of the foundation’s mission and impact, according to officials. As he transitions into his new position, Lord has stepped
down from his elected board seat and currently serves as an ex officio board member. “Having spent much of each year in Otsego County since 2020, he is committed to building on CFOC’s growth and strengthening partnerships that enhance quality of life throughout the county,” the release reads. Lord is co-founder of the Dream Yard Project, an award-winning arts and social justice organization in the Bronx that works with youth, families, and schools
to promote equity and opportunity. His leadership in education and community development earned him a 2019 Pahara-Aspen Fellowship, and he is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Before his work in the nonprofit sector, Lord pursued a career as an actor and director in New York City. He holds a master of fine arts degree from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. “When CFOC tranContinued on page 14
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD