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founded in 1808
OTSEGO COUNTY OFFERS EXPANDED mobile SERVICES, page 10 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 218, No. 33
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, August 13, 2026
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Cooperstown Business Owners Report Mixed Results for Hall of Fame Induction Weekend This year’s induction class, featuring Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent, brought baseball fans from across the country. Despite the crowds throughout the village, several business owners said the spending patterns and overall traffic did not match what they had grown accustomed to during one of Cooperstown’s busiest weekends of the year. Vincent Russo, owner of Mickey’s Place, said he noticed a large number of Puerto Rican fans visiting Cooperstown to celebrate Beltrán’s induction. Those visitors helped drive sales of World Baseball Classic Continued on page 7
By PEYTON CARTER
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COOPERSTOWN s approximately 12,000 fans gathered in Cooperstown to celebrate the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 during Induction Weekend, local businesses experienced a weekend that was far from the typical “busiest weekend of the year.” While some restaurants and specialty shops enjoyed strong crowds and steady sales, many retailers reported business was noticeably slower than in previous induction weekends.
Board Debates Policy Violations, Hears Update on New Property By BILL BELLEN
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OTSEGO COUNTY he August meeting of the Otsego County Board of Representatives began with Representative Andrew Marietta’s recognition of the semiannual recipients of the county’s Outstanding Employee Award. According to Marietta, nominations were able to be submitted by any resident who wished to recognize a county employee who exhibited a “commitment to outstanding service [and] a high level of productivity.” Kyle King, waste management and recycling coordinator for the Solid Waste Department, was the first of two recipients to be recognized. INSIDE
► FIELD STATION REMAINS ADAPTABLE, page 2 ► MARKET TURNS 35 THIS WEEKEND, page 3 ► ARE WE tOO DIGITALLY DEPENDENT? page 4 ► gOOD nEWS ABOUT THE sw BARN, page 6 ► FUN AND FOOD AT THE FAIR, page 8 ► SERIES MEETs GREAT EXPECTATIONS, page 8 ► THINGS TO DO AND PLACES TO GO, page 12 Follow Breaking News On
King has been with the county since March 2023. Marietta praised King’s work ethic and dedication to coordinating services that benefit the county at large. Laura Bryant was next to be recognized. A licensed practical nurse for the Department of Health who has been with the county since April 1998, Bryant worked for many years until 2014, when she was laid off following the sale of the Otsego Manor Nursing Home. She was later rehired by the Department of Health in 2017, where she has worked under a number of titles. Marietta praised Bryant’s initiative to continue providing services to the residents of Otsego County and the
Photo courtesy of Otsego County
Kyle King and Laura Bryant both received Otsego County’s Outstanding Employee Award at the August 5 Board of Representatives meeting. Above, King (right) is pictured with Board Chair Edwin Frazier Jr.
strength of her communication skills. Representatives Nora
Mendez and Jill Basile were both noted as absent, and no members
of the audience chose to speak during the privilege of the floor. Director of Building Services Tim Donahue and Otsego County GIS Coordinator Levi Anderson were invited to give a presentation on the newly-acquired property purchased by Otsego County. The land totals roughly 387 acres, largely encircling the county’s Meadows Complex. Donahue’s presentation included a detailed GIS map overlay of the property, which consists of 114 acres of open land, with an additional 162 acres of conservation easements and 194 acres of wetlands overlapping one another. Donahue began with a brief history of the prop-
erty, sharing that Otsego County originally bought the land 200 years ago in 1826 for the county courthouse. Upon the courthouse’s replacement, the property was sold in 1959, then repurchased earlier this year. Donahue ran through the structures on the property, including a house along County Highway 33 estimated to have been built in the 1820s. The grave of a Revolutionary War soldier was found nearby, though Donahue noted that it is unclear if there are other graves in the proximity. Closer to the Meadows Complex itself is the main farm, which has a number of older structures like the poor house slaughterhouse and newer ones Continued on page 9
Sybil’s Yarn Shop Receives State Phoenix Award By GAYANE TOROSYAN
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COOPERSTOWN rom the ashes of a devastating fire, Sybil’s Yarn Shop has found a new home in Cooperstown, its rebirth recognized August 4 with the New York Small Business Development Center’s Phoenix Award. The award, presented to owner Jeanetta Osterhoudt, honors businesses that overcome significant adversity and successfully rebuild. Less than a year after a fire destroyed Sybil’s Yarn Shop in Milford, state and local officials, NYSBDC representatives, customers, and community supporters gathered at the Pioneer Street shop to celebrate its recovery. Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh said the loss of the Milford business was felt throughout the region and praised
Photo by Gayane Torosyan
JEANETTA OSTERHOUDT
Osterhoudt’s determination to reopen. “Milford and Cooperstown, we are ... we work together on many things, and we were all so saddened about the terrible fire in Milford, and particularly about the loss of her shop, which was one that was really frequented and popular,” said Tillapaugh. “So, we are overjoyed that she is here as a female entrepreneur, on our Pioneer Street, right off our Main Street, so hopefully a lot of traffic. I know a lot of locals are super excited, and hopefully the business has been good.” “It’s been wonderful, absolutely!” Osterhoudt said. “I am very happy to be here. The fiber community came together to get me back in business. They threw a fundraiser for me, my neighbor Emilie Rigby founded that, and it quickly outgrew this space, which is where it was supposed to Continued on page 5
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
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