Blowout Win for Bulldogs

Simon O'Neil #10 up for another two points in the beginning of this game. Bulldogs were off to a good start against Galway. Photos by Bob Duso. 

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Cayden Cernauskas #12 in the air without being blocked. One of the few times in this game. Galway was good with the blocking, take aways, and passing. Bulldogs dominated with their shooting ability.

Samual Reedy #50 was Galway's tallest player, seen here trying to block Cam Jackson #3 for the Bulldogs.

Galway's Hayden Flint #11 comes away with this rebound in the third period of play with a score at this point of 47 Bulldogs and 21 for Galway.

Nicah Hantho #14 send one up in this not so close match. Final score Bulldogs 74, Galway 36.

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Solid Win for Sharon Springs

On December 15th, Sharon Springs CSD Boys Varsity Basketball coached by Chris Smith, played a 7PM home game against Stamford. Despite the final score of 28 to 69, Sharon Springs' defense and passing game stayed strong and team pride was high! And congrats to the Boys JV Basketball team who won against Stamford in the home game they played right before this 7PM game! Photos by Heather Skinner.

Tyler Lyon (#20) kept vigilant and scored 7 points.

Kyran Krebs (#21) stayed focused under pressure and scored 8 points.

Hayden Belfance (#12) made scoring 13 points look effortless.

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Serious Brewing Hosts Seriously Good Time for Animal Shelter

Awards for the top four contestants. during the event Saturday for the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley. Through work together between the shelter, Serious Brewing, Sadie Lockman, and the Helderberg Mountain Brewing Company, more than $10,000 was raised for the shelter. Helderberg released the ASSV Adoptable Lager toward the cause.

Top three contestants Sage center, Pepper on the right, and Maggie. Not pictured is Sella who couldn't make it. Photos by Robert Duso.

Santa was played by the always delightful Larry Fort Sr.

Group photo. Like trying to herd cats!

1st Place winner is Sage who graciously accepted her award.

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Around the Neighborhood By Karen Cuccinello - Summit

Stamford Library Christmas party director Erika Eklund helping child write letter to Santa

WAA ceremony Charlotteville Cemetery

Merry Christmas

Now we play the winter games: will the roads be OK to get to town or to meetings or will it be snowing and blowing again and everything gets cancelled; but somehow we get through it all.

I wish we would get a foot of snow, lets say every other week instead of 3-6” every few days.

A few ice fisherman have been out on Summit Lake, burr.

Went to the Stamford Library Christmas party with my granddaughter and had a great time. Made a few ornaments and had some yummy goodies. Photo of Erika Eklund, director of the library, helps a child write a letter to Santa.

Wreaths Across America ceremony at Charlotteville Cemetery was attended by 10 hardy souls in windy 19 degree weather. Thank you to Georgia VanValkenburgh, Deb and Fred Soucia, Steve and Lori Fyfe and Judy Kramer for hanging up the wreaths. Charlotteville FD followed the ceremony by delivering goodies to seniors in town.

For my next Old Summit Farms book I wanted to find and take a current photo of the Peck farm house, to go with an old photo of the house from Lisa (Peck) Crapser. I could not find the house so stopped by Lisa Crapser’s and she told me it was at 683 Bear Gulch Rd., now Lee Benedict’s house. While there, we chatted about this-n-that including a wonderful story about her mom, Eleanor Peck’s engagement ring.

At some point before getting married on December 21, 1940, Eleanor Belle Rivenburgh had received an engagement ring from R. Douglas “Doug” Peck. The Peck’s ran a dairy farm and raised four daughters. When you have a farm and kids there is lots of laundry to be done.

The Peck’s had a Westinghouse washing machine that vibrated on the spin cycle. When Eleanor did the laundry/cleaning she must have put her engagement ring on the shelf above the washer. On one of those laundry days the ring evidently vibrated to the back of the shelf getting caught between the shelf and wall, tucked away safely, never to be seen by Eleanor again. Fast forward to 2024, Lee Benedict was doing alterations and removed the shelf in the area by the washing machine and found a paint covered ring stuck to the shelf. He cleaned up the ring then researched the previous owners of the house. Finally, he tried calling Lisa Crapser and asked if she knew of somebody losing a ring when she lived there. YES, her mother had always been on the lookout for her lost engagement ring! Lisa had her mom’s wedding ring that matched up perfectly, as they were a set, with the newly discovered engagement ring. Amazing that Lee found the ring at all, then researched previous owners and found one of Eleanor’s daughters 80+ years after Eleanor married Doug Peck. The Peck’s were later, owners of the High View Campground. Eleanor passed away in 2006 and Doug in 2010.

CESRPL Team and High Individual Match Scores 12/12/25  Match IX, Stamford/Richmondville beat Rockdale: 1099-14X to 1061-16X. High Stamford/Richmondville Scores were from: Gus Mueller 284-5X; Carl Tubbs 276-5X; Steve Baker 273-0X; and Jim Hitt 266-4X. Other Stamford/Richmondville Shooters were: David Ferris, Larry VanDeusen, and Maynard Vance. High Scores for Rockdale were: Rob Gould 273-5X; Pat Hawkins 263-7X; Jason Fleming 263-3X; and Rick Braun 262-1X. Other Rockdale Shooters were: Dave Dewey, Steve Ingalls, Tom Reese, Rick Jaycox, Cole Fleming, Jennine Noxon, Gloria Galley, David Smith, Dave VanValenburg, and Joe Ocas.

December 19 -Summit Community Center Winter Celebration with hot beverages & cookies 6-8pm at Summit FD. Bring a nonperishable food item to share with our local friends in need.

December 20 – Holiday Piano Sing-Along in Judd Hall, 163 Main St, Jefferson 3pm. Free and all welcome.

December 20 – CRCS Wrestling: Varsity Battle in the Valley versus multiple schools 8am at the high school.

December 21 – Winter solstice shortest day of the year 9 hours and 17 minutes. But never fear, on the next day we gain 3 minutes.

December 25 – Christmas

January 1- Happy New Year

January 15 – Summit Town Board meeting 7pm.

January 18 - Charlotteville FD Breakfast Buffet 8-11am at the firehouse. Includes pancakes, french toast, sausage, ham, home fries, eggs, biscuits, sausage gravy, juice hot chocolate & coffee; adults $12 and children $5, plus a 50/50 drawing. Buckshole Sugarshack real maple syrup.

January 20 – S.C.O.P.E. meeting at Carlisle Town Hall 7pm

History

December 22, 1910 Jefferson Courier- Charlotteville - Mrs. L.D. Smith has had a very sore time with the arm she so badly bruised falling out the sleigh some days ago. - About five o’clock last Tuesday morning Mr. and Mrs. John Gray were awakened by the noise of something dropping. Upon investigation the rooms upstairs were full of smoke and the cupboard full of books and papers, supporting one chimney, was rapidly burning. Help was summoned over the telephone and so promptly did the neighbors respond to the call that the fire, which had burned well into the attic, was put out before it reached the roof. - Eli Wayman and Everett Spurbeck went to New York city last week and disposed of a carload of Christmas trees.

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Around the Neighborhood - Seward

We are in the heart of December.  With this heart, the Marchand Manor of Sharon Springs is asking for your help. They have residents there asking to have gifts to open Christmas morning.  Many of them may not have family or funds to get their needs. I am sharing their list to reach out for help. It is located at 121 Main Street Sharon Springs. 

Ok folks, we asked residents about needs/wants for Christmas and boy do we have a list! 

Times are hard for everyone and we understand that,  but if you feel the holiday spirit to help us make our residents Christmas the best ever, feel free to donate new/gently used items for their Christmas enjoyment 

Size 8 ladies winter boots

Size 10 ladies slippers

2x ladies pants

Mens 3x winter coat

Mens large bathrobe

Mens large tshirts

Mens sneakers Size 9

Yankees baseball hat

Mets baseball hat

Writing paper

Pens

Colored pencis

Coloring books

Crayons

Body sprays

Cologne

Make up kits

Small stuffed animals

2026 calendars

Hard candies

Chocolates 

Stewart's cards

Pistachios

Nail polish

Ladies and Mens socks

Puzzles

Slim Jim's 

Scarfs

Scratch off tickets

I know its a big list but if you feel inclined reach out to the facility or myself, Kathy Woodbeck or even just share this post to spread the word 😀

Wishing you all the best of holidays ❤️

A business with a large heart is NBT bank! Each holiday the Cobleskill branch hides water bottles with a special note. Hand that in at the bank and get a prize! Larson was lucky enough to find a water bottle hid in town, on a snowy Wednesday morning. He handed it in and received a ham. The smile on his face was priceless! Thank you all for caring in our small town!

In my home we have two December birthdays! My husband's birthday  is Monday December 22! Happy birthday Babe! I hope we make your birthday as amazing as you. This man takes care of us all year long. We hope you know how much we love you!

The year is winding down, I would like to share some upcoming dates with you. I am a homeschooling mom, I have been for five years now. I take my kids out to weekly/monthly activities. We joined an amazing group at Clark's Sports center in Cooperstown.  We meet every Tuesday for $5 a child/week. You pay per semester.  My children love this. We do follow the Cooperstown  school schedule, so we follow closing and breaks. Also Interskate 88, in Oneonta,  has homeschooling skate. This is held on the second Thursday of each month,  1:00 p.m. -3:00 p.m. $5 to skate and extra to rent skates. If you are local to Schoharie County Kimberly Buck runs an amazing group! Thank you Kimberly for all the hard work you do!

If you have kids interested in the CRCS High school play, please see Mrs. Crewell. Try outs are happening right now. If you have kids interested in stage crew, Mrs. Lent asks that you show up on January 5, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. The play is in need of male roles and others who wish to act. Stage crew is in need of builders and movers. Homeschooling children join as this is a club.

Don't forget: THE VERY FIRST TREE LIGHTING IN SEWARD WILL BE HELD ON DECEMBER 23, 2025 AT 7:00 p.m. It is located in the pavilion in our town park. We would love to have a great turnout.  We will even have a special appearance by Santa and Mrs. Clause! There may also be another surprise! We will have hot chocolate and cookies for those in attendance.  

We have a local celebrity among us! Keith Baciuska- Cobleskill NY, Age 13

He has been riding bulls for 11 months.

Currently tied for First Place JR Bull Riding- New York State High School Rodeo

2025 Beat the Beast Tour JR Bulls Finalist, Finishing 3rd at the finals and 5th for the season.

Plays Modified Football and Modified Wrestling for Cobleskill Richmondville Middle School

Loves Hunting, Horseback Riding and Practicing Bull Riding!

Fav Song: The Gambler -Kenny Rodgers

Sponsors: Mom and Dad, Loomacres Wildlife Management,  Iron Skillet Seasonings, Kelsey Brook Farms, and Blake Baciuska!  I was able to perform his first ever interview on December 15, 2025. We chatted over messenger with dad, Cody, present. Keith is also a local dedicated athlete for CRCS.  Keith stays in shape all year by being part of the schools wrestling team, and football team. Keith goes to the practice pens during the winter months, three times a week. Keith attributed his riding passion to his friend Avery Brooks. Brooks has been riding since age 6. Keith was in 10 events this summer for the Beat the Beast Tour. He plans to continue riding. I wish him all the luck! If you wish to be a sponsor for this local rider please reach out to Cody Baciuska. 

Did you hear? NYFB celebrated a house win on December  15, 2025. The House passed The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. This was passed by the Senate last month. This will allow schools to carry the choice of 2%, 1%, skim, flavored and plain. This has overturned  the 2012 ruling that only allowed fat free milk. Big thank you to Duane Spaulding, and Ann for getting this to the finish line. They went to numerous events,  schools, and fairs. They educated the public and the legislature.  They served their community and we thank them! Your local Farm Bureau was very involved in this as well! They are always looking for new members to join! Please call 518436-8495 to join your local Farm Bureau,  tell them Angela Clapper sent you♡

Next week is Christmas and I will not get another chance to tell you all, MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MY HOME TO YOU! Christmas is different in every home and every season of life. I am thankful for Christmases I have shared with my family and friends.  Enjoy the moment,  take photos, eat too many cookies, play with the wrapping paper, drive to look at the lights. Do all the things that will help you enjoy this season of life. I know my children look forward to Christmas Eve night, this tradition started in my life in 1997, but then in my own home in 2020. I always went to my Aunt Joyce's house on Christmas Eve. I looked forward to this night all year! Old Country music Christmas songs, her baked ziti, french onion dip, turkey subs, and my family. Under her tree were wrapped presents fro. The dollar store you could win. We played Bingo and laughed so hard we cried. We have since lost my Grandma Nellie,  my Aunt Joyce, and my cousin  Kimmy. So I keep this tradition alive in my home. We play Bingo and win wrapped prizes. I have 10 of them, I buy random things to make them smile. I try to remember the one I really wanted, but I always  forget.  We make our menu( usually based on items they have loved growing up), and enjoy the game, food and laughter. God Bless you and enjoy the end of 2025♡

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Baciuska Shines in Albany

Keith Baciuska, 13, of Cobleskill, took second place at the NGBA Velocity Tour at the MVP Arena in Albany last Friday.

He has been riding bulls for 11 months.

Baciuska is currently tied for First Place JR Bull Riding- New York State High School Rodeo

2025 Beat the Beast Tour JR Bulls Finalist, Finishing 3rd at the finals and 5th for the season.

Plays Modified Football and Modified Wrestling for Cobleskill Richmondville Middle School

Loves Hunting, Horseback Riding and Practicing Bull Riding!

Fav Song: The Gambler -Kenny Rodgers

Sponsors: Mom and Dad, Loomacres Wildlife Management,  Iron Skillet Seasonings, Kelsey Brook Farms, and Blake Baciuska!

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Breakfast with Santa Brings Holiday Cheer to Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School

Members of the Rotary serve guests at Breakfast with Santa at Cobleskill Richmondville Central School.

By Elizabeth Barr

COBLESKILL — The holiday season kicked off in festive style at Cobleskill Richmondville Central School, where families gathered for the annual Breakfast with Santa.

Children were delighted as Santa and Mrs. Claus made a special appearance, greeting each child with holiday cheer. Mrs. Claus entertained the youngsters and handed out stuffed animals, creating magical memories that will last well beyond the season.

The Rotary Club of Cobleskill prepared a hearty breakfast that drew praise from attendees. From pancakes to eggs and bacon, the meal was described as “fantastic” by many community members.

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Capital Region BOCES to launch a new EMT program for 2026-27 school year

ALBANY/SCHOHARIE -- Area high school students will soon have a chance to earn certification as New York State Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) through Capital Region BOCES.

The Emergency Medical Technician program is a one-year course that will be offered on the Albany and Schoharie Career and Technical Education (CTE) campuses starting with the 2026-27 school year.

The program will prepare students to respond confidently and effectively in emergency medical situations. This hands-on, fast-paced program will combine classroom instruction, laboratory skill practice and real-world scenarios to develop the knowledge and competencies required for pre-hospital emergency care.

Students will learn to assess, treat and transport patients experiencing medical and traumatic emergencies while emphasizing teamwork, safety, communication and professionalism.

The course will align with New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) standards, and upon successful completion, students will be eligible to take the NYS DOH EMT-Basic (EMT-B) Certification Exam.

CTE Director Jeff Palmer said Capital Region BOCES expects the new program will address a critical state and national shortage of emergency medical technicians.

“Capital Region BOCES is always ready to rise to the occasion to help with workforce development in industries that are suffering shortages of skilled workers. There may be no more critical shortage of workers than in emergency medicine, where virtually every provider is in need of skilled workers,” Palmer said.

Indeed, the number of active EMS responders in New York state declined by 17.5% between 2019 and 2022, according to the NYS EMS Workforce Report, 2024. The decline jeopardizes the ability of communities to respond to emergencies effectively, especially as the demand for emergency medical care continues to rise. Additionally, nationwide, nearly 60% of EMS agencies report insufficient staffing to meet 911 call demands, leading to delayed response times and increased risks for patients in critical need, as revealed by the What Paramedics Want in 2024 report. 

“We hope that through these programs, Capital Region BOCES can provide the answer needed for the health and safety of the 911 systems in our region, and more importantly, of the citizens of our area,” Palmer said.

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2026-27 C-RCS Citizens' Budget Committee Seeks Volunteers

COBLESKILL – The Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District is seeking approximately twenty (20) community members to participate in the development of the 2026-27 school budget by serving on the Citizens’ Budget Committee (CBC). 

All members of the C-RCS community will have access to information about the budget development process through public presentations at Board meetings in February, March, and April 2026. However, serving on the CBC offers another opportunity for participation by providing feedback that will inform the budget development process. 

We are looking for parents, non-parent community members, and district resident staff members to participate and share their perspectives. Community input is important in developing a sound and responsible spending plan that best meets the needs of our students. Your feedback will provide us with a clearer understanding of the community’s expectations. Members of the CBC may be asked to provide written feedback in the form of surveys and questionnaires, the results of which will be shared with the Board of Education to inform their budget decisions. 

The CBC will meet three times to study and advise representatives of the Board of Education on the district’s general fund budget for the 2026-2027 school year. This year our committee is scheduled to meet, in person, on the following dates: 

Monday, February 2, 2026 5:00-7:00 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2026 5:00-7:00 p.m. Monday, March 23, 2026 5:00-7:00 p.m. 

No previous experience is required to serve on the CBC, but you must be a resident of the district to be eligible. Participants will also be expected to: a) attend all four meetings; b) review the material provided in preparation of the meetings; c) solicit input from friends, neighbors, and community; d) engage in constructive dialogue about the issues and elements of the district financial plan, and e) provide written feedback when requested.

Finalizing the 2026-27 budget will be challenging work, but with your participation we will receive ongoing feedback from district residents that will be helpful and informative. 

If you would like to be considered, please contact Lydia VanEvera in the District Office at 234-4032, extension 2000 or vaneveral@crcsd.org by January 9, 2025. You will be asked if you identify as a parent, non-parent community member, and/or district resident staff member. 

Depending on the number of applicants, not all volunteers may be selected to serve on this year’s Citizens’ Budget Committee. In that case, we will select interested individuals from each of the three stakeholder groups at random to ensure appropriate representation. 

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Cobleskill Refuses Sign Law

By Joshua Walther

COBLESKILL - On Tuesday evening, the Cobleskill Village Board held a public hearing for the extensive revisions to their local sign law. 

The revisions first began when concerns were raised by the public over the new Taco Bell sign on Main Street, with complaints rolling in about its size and illumination.

Since then, new definitions have been added and the entire document was restructured to avoid unnecessary confusion, but some members still weren’t happy with the result.

Member Ruth Van Deusen offered her thoughts, saying that she couldn’t figure out what had actually changed between each iteration of the law. 

“There’s no semblance to the original document, so I still have concerns about the format,” she said. “There should be a strikeout of what’s been deleted and a highlight of what’s been added.”

Mayor RJ Freitag shared some of her sentiment, admitting that what he heard from the consensus is that it was “a little convoluted,” but not everyone thought it was hard to understand.

Acting on the public comment period, a resident and business owner took to the podium, stating that she saw the law as “pretty standard for a code.”

“It’s not hard to follow from the perspective of someone who needs a sign,” she said, and further stated that it’s important to reach out to Village code officers so they can help business owners interpret the law and find out what they need to do.

This was reinforced by Zoning Officer Mike Piccolo, who said “We don’t expect someone coming off the street to understand all of the definitions. This is to make our job easier, the signmaker’s job easier, and to smooth out that process.”

Member Lance Rotolo backed his claims, noting “If a business comes in, has a question or doesn’t understand something, we have the code officers that are there to guide them and help them.”

“Sometimes with the way the laws are written, it’s difficult, and it’s nice to go to your code officer and get that explanation,” he finished.

However, the arguments did not sway one half of the Board. When Mr. Rotolo moved to accept the revisions, Howard Burt seconded, but the motion ultimately failed when the others weren’t convinced.

In other news, the Board also held a public hearing for the local law to disavow parking at any time on certain streets, a topic that was hotly contested in September. 

At that time, several residents of the Village came forward to voice their grievances, with some alluding to having guests over for the holidays while others didn’t believe the law could be enforced correctly.

Now, after resident John Jarvis publicly asked the Board where they stood on the matter, every member believed that it needed more work. 

“It’s more restrictive than I think some of it needs to be,” said Mr. Burt, alluding to the changes for no parking on St. Christopher Place. “That’s a tiny, dead-end road. I don’t think it’s justified on that street.”

With Mayor Freitag and Mrs. Van Deusen in agreement, the Board moved to table the topic, which was passed unanimously. 

Finally, the Board accepted a motion to contract with The Bonadio Group as an independent auditor for $30,000 to look at the Village’s finances.

“That’s negotiated down, so that’s a very fair price,” said Mayor Freitag. “It’s mainly because this is a new administration and we owe it to the people to have one done. It’s not something I want to do, but it’s absolutely necessary.”

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