The Mountain Eagle

9/28/25

Clarification

Written By The Mountain Eagle on 9/28/25 | 9/28/25

Last week, part of two sentences were cut off in our lead story about senior transport. We apologize for the omission. Please find the remainder below:

Authorize the Schoharie County Director of Public Transportation to submit an application to become Article 19A certified and any other authorities or operating licenses necessary to run the system and authorize the chairman to sign.

At the start of the meeting, moments of silence were held to mark 24 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and honor the victims, and also for recently murdered Christian conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

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Forest Ranger Presentation at SUNY Cobleskill

COBLESKILL — Public Outreach: On Sept. 11, Forest Ranger France spoke to dozens of students at SUNY Cobleskill’s student chapter of the Wildlife Society. Ranger France talked about his career as a Ranger and what goes into becoming a Ranger.

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Grand Oneonta Opry 2025 Country Music Benefit Concert for Helios Care

ONEONTA — Friday, October 10th; Doors open 5 pm/Show at 7 pm

Foothills PAC, 24 Market Street, Oneonta

$25 Advance $35 Door

Tickets 607 432-6773

HeliosCare.org/events

Featuring Nashville star Elijah Wise, John Thompson and the Driftwoods joined by regional artists Bill Pentzien, Ken Wilber, The Horseshoe Lounge Playboys, Jessie Kay, Al Hotaling, Jr. and Doug Decker. There will be a cash bar, fun food and silent auction.

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Another Great Year for Harvest Festival

On Sunday afternoon at the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival, the excitable Hilltop Hags featuring a few Happy Hags, performed with shrieks and smiles all around! Photo credit: Aaron Pencar.

With fantastic weather, Harvest Festival patrons enjoyed a variety of food truck options and a beer garden too with Back Barn Brewing & Middleburgh Winery “reppin” it up. Photo credit: Aaron Pencar.

By Alexis Pencar

The Sharon Springs Harvest Festival was this past weekend on Saturday, September 20th & Sunday September 21st. The Village of Sharon Springs was full of visitors and locals alike!

This ever-important annual “bucolic” event is the long running celebration for the bounty of the area, with this year's event showcasing local many farms and talented artisans that help make Upstate NY so special!

This event always “takes a Village” to pull it all off and this year was “highly successful” according to many returning vendors.

The weather the whole weekend was great, everything went smooth, and the Sharon Springs Chamber of Commerce and in turn Sharon Springs Harvest Festival Committee behind it all, had it under control throughout, making for an enjoyable festival for all: visitors, vendors, and residents! The live music groups throughout the weekend in the ‘Chalybeate Park Temple’ were a very popular attraction both days.

The Event Organizers would like to thank all the Sponsors for the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival with another BIG thanks to ALL the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival Committee Members who put so much into this! And the biggest special THANK YOU to ALL the vendors who participated this year!

Interested in participating next year? Please visit sharonspringsharvestfestival.com to find out more! Remember to tag your own photos from the weekend on social media @sharonspringsharvestfest.

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Lawyersville Church to Host Rummage and Bake Sale

COBLESKILL – The Lawyersville Reformed Church Women's Ministries (RCWM) will host a rummage and bake sale on Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4. The event will take place at the Lawyersville Reformed Church Hall, located at 109 Philip Schuyler Road.

Sale hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Organizers ask attendees to please bring their own bags.

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Minor Electrical Repairs Needed in Summit

By Karen Cuccinello

SUMMIT — The regular October Summit town board meeting opened as usual precisely at 7pm and included a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk.

The highway superintendent was not in attendance but it was mentioned that he gave the Board an inventory of equipment, the roads to be oil and graveled were done and the 550 is in service.

There were no additional comments from the Board pertaining to supervisor or department reports.

The report from Dog Control Officer, Jillian Smith, listed seven issues; the main one being a loose dog that could not be caught on Bear Gulch Rd.

The Board of Appeals, Chairman John Foote, submitted a report listing the reasons they denied a request for a variance to build a house and garage on a one acre Mud Lake Rd. property. One of the reasons for the denial was that it is a non-conforming lot under five acres.

The Town Clerk, Allison Wilson, listed activities handled over the past 30 days: 26 dog license renewals, two building permits, three building permit extensions and two searches, eight hunting/fishing licenses, one genealogy search, one dog redemption fee and four handicapped parking permits.

Assessor Dave Jones reported all is going smoothly

Code Enforcement Officer, Jesse Wilcox, reported he is keeping up with the usual building inspections and training classes.

Historian, Karen Cuccinello, reported she received a 1936 list of Summit Registered Voters and old photos from Jefferson then posted some on the Summit History Facebook page, figured out where a photo of a house (2850 State Rte. 10) was and wrote about the owners then posted on FB page and mentioned doing a program about Old Summit Farms on September 19.

Georgia Shafer reported that the Revitalization Committee is making progress.

Bookkeeper Charley Spickerman and Supervisor Harold Vroman mentioned that they attended a workshop pertaining to the updated Schoharie County website.

The town hall had an inspection that found some electrical issues needing to be rectified. Some outlets need to be replaced and additional outlets need to be installed so that there will be no need for power strips. Work should be done by December at a cost of less than $1,000.

A date was set for a budget workshop on October 9 at the town hall 7pm. All are welcome to attend.

The board and Dave Jones went into executive session at 7:15pm.

Next board meeting October 16 at 7pm.

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Planes, Pancakes at Airport Breakfast

COOPERSTOWN - The last "Fly In" Breakfast of the season was held Saturday morning at the Cooperstown-Westville Airport on Route 166.

Numerous vintage planes were on display and a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sausages was served. The next breakfast is May 2026. Photos by David Avitabile.

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BBQ for a Good Cause

Sharon Springs' Dan Cornwell and Jesus Merced during Sunday's BBQ at Ace Noble Hardware in Cobleskill for the Sharon Youth Commission fundraiser. The food and lemonade were great. Photo by Matthew Avitabile

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Schoharie County Arts to Host Mystery Author M.K. Graff

COBLESKILL – Schoharie County Arts will present an "Authors' Hour" with award-winning mystery author M.K. Graff on Sunday, October 26, at 2 p.m. The event will take place at The Community Library in Cobleskill.

Graff will conduct a reading and talk about her novel, Death in the Orchard. The book is a Trudy Genova mystery set in Schoharie, featuring family intrigue and a cold case.

Death in the Orchard is the winner of the first-place Mystery & Mayhem award from the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

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“Sharon Things - Local Happenings for Sharon Springs”

By Alexis Pencar

Hey Neighbors!

Happy Fall! This past week we celebrated the Fall Equinox on September 22nd, 2025 at 2:19 PM. The equinox is recognized at the precise instant (time) the Earth, in its orbit around the Sun, is positioned so its axis is not tilted toward or away from the Sun, and the Sun's center passes directly over the Earth's equator. This alignment also means that the Sun rises due East and sets due West from all locations on Earth. Very cool!

After a shift into a wet last week Wednesday through Friday, we’re back to more dry and crisp Fall weather, with an expected cool down Tuesday through Friday next week. Highs will be in the 60s with lows dipping back down into the low 40s.

Make sure to continue to support your local farm stands and small businesses too! There are still plenty of local events coming up in October so look out for those here. Without the local support, these unique offerings simply cannot exist!

Your local Sharon Springs Food Pantry is an excellent local resource for all! Located in the United Methodist Church on Route 20, across from SSCS (511 US Route 20, Sharon Springs, NY 13459). They are always in need of donations of food or even unopened personal care items! The pantry hours are Thursday 9:00 -10:30 AM & 5:00 - 6:30 PM. For more information please contact (518) 284-2687 or (518) 852-1193.

The Village of Sharon Springs holds their Regular Board Meetings on the 3rd Thursday of each Month at 6:00 PM located at 129 Main St, Sharon Springs, NY 13459. The next meeting is scheduled for: Thursday, October 16th. The Village Mayor is Denise Kelly and the new Village Clerk is Hope Bayes. The Office Hours for Village of Sharon Springs are Monday & Wednesday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Thursday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. For more information please call (518) 284-2625.

The Town of Sharon holds their Regular Board Meetings on the 1st Wednesday of each Month at 6:30 PM located at 129 Main St, Sharon Springs, NY 13459. The next meeting is scheduled for: Wednesday, October 1st. The Town Supervisor is Sandra Manko and the Town Clerk is Melissa Olsen. The Office Hours for the Town of Sharon are Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM or by appointment. For more information please call (518) 284-3010.

Sharon Springs Free Library News: Story Time is at 10:00 AM on Thursday mornings and includes a story, craft, and snack. The Library is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays from 3:00 - 8:00 PM, Mondays & Thursdays from 10:00 - 6:00 PM, Saturdays 10:00 -1:00 PM, and Sundays - Closed. For more Library information please contact (518) 284-3126.

Worship Services

The Sharon Reformed Church (6858 State Route 10, Sharon Springs, NY 13459) offers weekly service at 10:30 am. Contact at (518) 234-2387 for more details.

The Sharon Springs United Methodist Church (511 State Route 20, Sharon Springs, NY, 13459) offers weekly service at 10:30 am. Contact at (518) 284-2200 for more details.

Grace Episcopal Church (24 Montgomery Street, Cherry Valley, NY 13320) offers weekly Holy Eucharist at 11:00 am. Contact at (315) 858-4016 for more details.

The St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church (24 Maple Avenue, Cherry Valley, NY 13320) offers weekly mass at 10:00 am. Reminder: confession is available 30 minutes before every mass. Contact at (607) 264-3779 for more details.

The Zion St. John’s Lutheran Church Seward (114 Mesick Ave, Cobleskill, NY 12043) offers weekly service on Sundays at 9:00 am. Contact at (518) 234-3222 for more details.

Cornerstone Baptist Church (7274 Route 10, Ames, NY 13317). Sunday Service is at 10:00 am. All are welcome. Contact (518) 673 3405 for more details.

Sharon Sr. Congregate Meal Site

Local residents are invited to enjoy good company and a noon-time meal year round (except holidays) at the Schoharie County OFA’s “Spa Ritz” Sr. Congregate Meal Site at the Firehouse at 137 Beechwood Rd. M-W-F. 8 oz of 1% milk is served with each meal. Orders for meals must be called into the OFA office at (518) 295-2001 before 2 p.m. for the following day. Effective January 1st the suggested donation for those 60 years old and older is $5.00 per meal. Under age 60? You’re welcome to participate for a fee of $7.50 per meal.

To share community news, upcoming events, business specials, adjusted hours, birthdays, anniversaries, or even an outstanding resident, please contact me directly at (772) 971-1410 or alexis.pencar@gmail.com. Have a great week! Thanks!

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Seniors Learn About Helios Care

Sharon Silver & Gold Senior Club participants listened attentively to a recent Helios Care presentation at the September Luncheon.

By Alexis Pencar

Thirty-two Senior participants at the September 12th Sharon Silver & Gold Senior Club luncheon meeting learned a lot about hospice and palliative care resources available in Schoharie, Otsego and Delaware Counties.

This monthly group at the “Spa Ritz” welcomed Tammy Christman, Director of Community Outreach and Volunteer Services at Helios Care, based in Oneonta, who presented valuable information about the expert and compassionate in-home palliative and hospice care the organization provides to support area patients with serious illnesses and their families. Tammy started her career with Helios Care (formerly called Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care) in 2005.

Helios Care’s services and support emphasize compassion, choices, and dignity. Sharon Silver & Gold Seniors were “pleasantly surprised” to learn about the wide variety of resources that Ms. Christman highlighted in her presentation including volunteer opportunities, adult grief support groups, bereavement counseling for individuals, and for families, a free “coping kit” for children and teens as well as Camp Forget-Me-Not with sessions in spring, summer and fall.

Tammy also shared information about The Five Wishes document, a legal living will which helps individuals express their preferences for end-of-life care including medical, personal, emotional, and spiritual needs.

This was another excellent opportunity for Seniors to learn more about the important resources available right in our own community. Everyone left knowing much more than they did before. To learn more about Helios Care, please call (607) 432-6773 or visit HeliosCare.org.

Area seniors interested in more information about the Sharon Silver & Gold Senior Club, located at the Office for the Aging’s Congregate Meal site at the Sharon Springs Firehouse, please contact President Anne Lennebacker, at (607) 547-9055.

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SSCS Senior Class Seeking Vendors for Faire

SHARON SPRINGS – The Senior Class at SSCS with their advisors, invite you to submit an application to our Holiday Craft & Vendor Faire! We are excited to showcase the areas’ vendors, crafters and small businesses before the Christmas holiday. This will be open to food vendors, farmers’ market items, crafts, gifts and other homemade items for our community to purchase. The Senior class will also have lunch items and snacks for sale as well!

Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025

Location: Sharon Springs Central School Gym

Time: Set up: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Faire: 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Clean -up/ take-down: 3-4p.m.

-All vendors will be provided a 10x10ft space for $25.00 (payable that day).

We will be able to provide folding chairs, but are limited on tables and outlets.

-All vendors will provide proof of insurance as well.

- Vendors are also reminded that alcohol, tobacco and vaping products are not allowable.

We hope you can join us and we look forward to this event!

Sincerely,

Anne Allen and Dan Cornwell

Class of 2026 Advisors

Sharon Springs Senior Class

Holiday Craft & Vendor Faire Application

Business name: _________________________

Owner/representative: __________________________

Contact info.- Address ______________________________

_________________________________________________

Phone: __________________________ email: _______________

Products that you would like to sell: (Please describe)

Would you be willing and able to donate basket raffle item? (not required, but appreciated) _____________________

Space/spaces needed _________ @$25.00

Need electricity? ______

*RETURN THIS FORM BEFORE NOVEMBER 1ST TO:

DAN CORNWELL & ANNE ALLEN- Sr. Class Advisors

Sharon Springs Central School 514 US Highway RTE 20/ PO BOX 218 Sharon Springs, NY 13459

aallen@sharonsprings.org or dcornwell@sharonsprings.org

Thank you in advance for your support!

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New Member of SCHOPEG Board

Dr. Son Tran, a professor of business and entrepreneurship at SUNY Cobleskill with Mountain Eagle publisher Matthew Avitabile Friday. Dr. Tran joined the board of the SCHOPEG public access channel

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Work Continues on Joshua Project HQ

Our own Bob Vedder sent us this picture of the rapid project at the future home of the Joshua Project along Route 145 between Cobleskill and Middleburgh. A spaghetti dinner hosted by St. Christoher's Episcopal Church in Cobleskill raised money for the Joshua Project, which aids hundreds of families in the county and beyond on Saturday.

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[Meet Your Hospital Board Members - Michael Cioffi

MARGARETVILLE — Michael Cioffi joined the Margaretville Hospital board in 2022 after being asked by Fred Marguiles and Emilie Adams. The owner of the Phoenicia Diner is a weekender in Margaretville who said that when he was looking for an “escape place” to come from New York City, he sought a community with a supermarket and a hospital. Margaretville fit the bill.

Cioffi utilized his experience as an “aging adult” to bring in more interest in the hospital. He and his wife each have an aging parent and sought a way to help the community. Cioffi’s parent in assisted living and the journey his family had to take in order to place her there caused him to "focus on my healthcare future, and got me interested in trying to make it easier and more transparent to folks my age." His time on the Margaretville Hospital Board has given him “a lot of insight.”

Cioffi’s main priority on the board from a community standpoint is to “try and guide” and “give back to the community.” He hopes to represent the community on the board.

The new helipad is a major topic that piqued Cioffi’s interest. When he found that the Margaretville Auxiliary Thrift Shop was part of the fundraising effort, he did more research. One of his friends had a medical incident that required a helicopter trip to Albany. This further solidified his determination to bring the improved helipad to the hospital.

He said that through fundraising and grants, the board has been able to make major progress toward its construction.

Cioffi specially thanked Adams for her skill.

“She’s an amazing leader,” he said.

Cioffi also spoke highly of other members of the board, describing them as having “lined up goals.” He said that the effort looked to “increase the diversity on the board so that we have full representation of the county and the community.”

The board member hoped for increased visibility for the hospital and the board. He described a “revelation” 30 years ago coming from Brooklyn and hoped that COVID visitors and those since would be able to discover more about the area and the hospital. He said that there is a need for further awareness of the hospital and what it has to offer. He describes the hospital as a “little jewel” that could be utilized for care nearby.

As a business owner, Cioffi added that he is able to remind members of the public about the services offered by the hospital.

“As the son of an aging parent and as someone who is aging out as well, there are facilities there that people can tap into,” he said.

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A Local's Efforts To Help Ukraine - Raising Funds For Jamming Equipment

By Mary A. Crisafulli

FLEISCHMANNS - Halcott local Michael DiBenedetto has traveled to Ukraine three times, assisting with various tasks as the Russian army pushes its borders. He gave a presentation on his time there at the Skene Memorial Library on Sept. 20.

Space was tight as roughly 40 individuals squeezed into the library to listen to DiBenedetto describe the condition of Ukraine. Although many buildings close to the border were in dire condition and rubble, people are still living there. Sometimes, he said, there were people living in the basement of damaged structures.

DiBenedetto spent the majority of his time delivering food and supplies to those living in areas close to Russian-occupied territories. He noted the villagers' resilience, organization, and strong sense of community. Each community visited had a leader who would organize a time and a central location for supplies to be delivered. During one such delivery, DiBenedetto thanked God for the delay in reaching the village, as the area they were to meet had been blown up just before they arrived, and the residents had not yet gathered.

In wrapping up, DiBenedetto noted that drones are the most widely used military equipment. He called for visitors to donate in support of purchasing jamming equipment, which will neutralize the frequencies of Russian drones, limiting their targeting abilities. Once enough funds are raised, DiBenedetto plans to purchase the equipment for a fellow volunteer still assisting in Ukraine.

DiBenedetto has previously been successful in raising funds to purchase three vehicles now used to deliver supplies in Ukraine. One such vehicle is used as a mobile medical unit, which is set to receive the jamming equipment if purchased.

To donate, visit donate.volunteersforukraine.org/b/00gdTO87n3v99Mc4gk

Send a check made out to Michael DiBennedetto, indicating it's for a donation, and send it to 85 Hubbard Rd, Halcott Center, NY 12430, or email DiBennedetto at vlywaterman@gmail.com.

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Clarification

Written By The Mountain Eagle on 9/28/25 | 9/28/25

Forest Ranger Presentation at SUNY Cobleskill

Grand Oneonta Opry 2025 Country Music Benefit Concert for Helios Care

Another Great Year for Harvest Festival

Lawyersville Church to Host Rummage and Bake Sale

Minor Electrical Repairs Needed in Summit

Planes, Pancakes at Airport Breakfast

BBQ for a Good Cause

Schoharie County Arts to Host Mystery Author M.K. Graff

“Sharon Things - Local Happenings for Sharon Springs”

Seniors Learn About Helios Care

SSCS Senior Class Seeking Vendors for Faire

New Member of SCHOPEG Board

Work Continues on Joshua Project HQ

[Meet Your Hospital Board Members - Michael Cioffi

A Local's Efforts To Help Ukraine - Raising Funds For Jamming Equipment

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Written By The Mountain Eagle on 9/28/25 | 9/28/25

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