SUMMIT — Check out these upcoming events happening in Summit in the coming weeks.
FREE! Sunday 7/27/25 Pat Fowler Country music & 50's-80's music 12:30- 1:30. 2861 Rte 10, Summit, upper parking lot. 518-287-1660
FREE! Sunday 8/3/25 A Hytop View. Popular favorites- humorous songs 12:30- 1:30. 2861 Rte 10, Summit, upper parking lot. 518-287-1660
FREE! Sunday 8/10/25 12:30- 1:30. Don Williams Finger style guitar & voice. 2861 Rte 10, Summit, upper parking lot. 518-287-1660
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By Elizabeth Barr
COBLESKILL — There was a beautiful day and warming gathering at Locomotions in Cobleskill on Monday, June 21. Wall to Wall people inside and a long line extending all the way around the front of the building and several people deep were all here to honor and reminisce about the life of a dear friend, Son, co-worker and really special person, Tyler Shoemaker from Richmondville. Tyler drowned swimming in Schroon Lake during a late Fourth of July Celebration.
Tyler was an only child and is a father of two with Alyssa, three-year-old Killian and a daughter on the way in January. He had so many friends at the Celebration that his mother was overwhelmed by the beautiful stories and warm condolences she received. He was passionate and full of energy and was the life of the party with many people in the crowd. Tyler’s mom, Nadine Garreau, said he was a gentle soul and just one of a kind. People she never met before came up to her and shared stories about how Tyler touched their life. His friend Tina said he was a good kid and well loved.
Tyler was one of the characters at Night Terrors Haunted Farm in Central Bridge and previously worked for AT & T, and he also traveled with the fairs and worked for I Got It. Tyler was a music buff. Dave Matthews and the Grateful Dead were his favorite bands. One of his friends’ said Tyler was a character in a great way, he loved to have fun, he was like a brother from another mother. All I can say is The Party will never die, we will keep it going for him! Literally for his life, the party will never die with him.
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HOWES CAVE — As you may have heard, we are having a special fundraising event with author Robin Wall Kimmerer on Saturday, September 20 at the Iroquois Museum on Caverns Road in Howes Cave, titled Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. This event will begin at 5:30 pm. Robin is an indigenous author and Botanist from Syracuse. She has written Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry. We are also taking pre-orders of the author's books. We are charging $15.00 to members and $25.00 to nonmembers.
Since there is limited seating, we offered this event to our members first. On August 1, we are opening this event to the general public; so if you are interested in reserving your seat, please contact us at 518-296-8949 or visit iroquoismuseum.org/robinwallkimmerer.
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SCHOHARIE COUNTY — It’s 1988, and people in a rural community have been suffering grotesque fates, leaving a slime trail of bodies and a mystery no one can solve. After stumbling on the gruesome death of local drunk Ron Bell, health worker Mike Brady has a hunch, an admittedly wild one, about what might be happening. Brady is convinced that the bodies popping up all over town are not the work of a deranged serial killer, but murderous slugs with a taste for humans! Local authorities laugh off Brady’s theory (and who wouldn’t?!), but the carnage continues. Mike and his co-worker realize the locations of the murders line up precisely with the town’s sewer system, a fact augmented by the many animal carcasses they have discovered clogging up the sewers. Could it be that chemicals from the nearby abandoned toxic waste dump have created some kind of mutant slug?! Time is running out, and if the town wants peace, they may need to believe Mike’s crazy idea before it’s too late!
So goes the plot of Slugs, also known as Slugs: The Movie, a campy 1988 horror film directed by cult-film director Juan Piquer Simón based on a 1982 book of the same name by Shaun Hutson (who reportedly hated the movie so much that he never again allowed a film adaptation of any of his books). The English language Spanish production lists two official locations for its productions: Lyons, New York, and Madrid, Spain. However, rumors have swirled since the 1980s that Slugs also used parts of Schoharie County for its rural, small-town scenes, including storefronts and woods near Middleburgh and Cobleskill. Now, certainly, Lyons (in Wayne County) could offer the same small-town Upstate New York vibe as Schoharie County, but adding to the lore are accounts from residents who claim to have seen film trucks around and strange and mysterious props in the woods.
The full movie can be viewed on Hoopla, a free streaming service that requires a library card for access, and on YouTube through a less-than-stellar upload from a VHS, which might appeal to those nostalgic for the days of video rentals (and is perhaps fitting for the vibe of Slugs!). Do you remember seeing Slugs being filmed in our area in 1986? Can you identify a specific location by watching the film? If so, email me at mountaineaglebradley@gmail.com and let’s get Schoharie County added to the official location list of Slugs!
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HOWES CAVE – The Iroquois Museum in Howes Cave, NY, hosts its annual fundraiser Roots, Rhythm & Ale, on Friday August 1 from 5 to 9PM. The evening starts off with Becca Frame and the Tall Boys playing from 5 to 6. Dance lessons will be held from 6:00-6:30, taught by Ron Bruschi. From 6:30 to closing, the featured band RubberBand performs. High on the Hog, The Creative Connoisseur, and Serious Brewing will be supplying the food and drink. A silent auction runs from 5 to 8. Local artisans and organizations will be set up on the grounds. This event is rain or shine.
We thank Midtel for sponsoring the Rubberband. Thanks to Schoharie County Arts for funding Becca Frame and the Tall Boys and artists Casey Beal and Laura Milak, who will demonstrate their art forms.
This will be the Iroquois Museum’s 6th year! It is a fundraising event for our education department. With these monies, we buy supplies for the interactive area of the Museum and invite Haudenosaunee to teach special programs.
General public admission is: Adults are $10, and kids under 18 are free. For a $20 ticket, you receive a commemorative cup and a free beer. Admission includes the Museum.
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SHARON SPRINGS – Jean Hanff Korelitz, noted novelist, playwright, and essayist, will be talking about her latest thriller, The Sequel, as well as her other writings on Sunday, July 27 at 1PM at 204 Main, a bistro on Rt. 10 in Sharon Springs.
In 2024, The New York Times named her novel The Plot one of the 10 Best Thriller Novels. The Sequel, published in October 2024, is a continuation of that thriller. Her novels are thrillers, mysteries or puzzles and often feature writers or academia. Her plots are complex; she plays with ethical dilemmas such as plagiarism or identity; and her work can be suspenseful, satiric, and provocative.
Her first novel was a legal thriller, A Jury of her Peers, published in 1996. Other novels include The White Rose, Admission, You Should Have Known, The Devil and Webster, and The Latecomer. Admission was the basis for a film. You Should Have Known was adapted as an HBO’s limited series known as The Undoing and The Plot is in development for a Hulu limited series.
Jean Korelitz was raised in New York City and graduated Cum Laude from Dartmouth College. Before writing novels, Ms. Korelitz wrote poetry. She received a postgraduate degree from Clare College, Cambridge, England and won a major award for her poetry. She holds pop-up author gatherings, and she participates in many book festivals, podcasts, and interviews.
Authors Hour is presented by Schoharie County Arts. The afternoon includes time for questions and book signings. Refreshments will be served.
The mission of Schoharie County Arts (SCA) is to broaden and enrich the quality of life in the county by developing and strengthening the arts through promoting cultural and arts-related activities, educating the public, advancing individual artists and arts organizations, and utilizing arts-related technology while contributing to the cultural and economic growth in the County.
For More Information contact Lisa Ovitt, schohariecountyarts@gmail.com
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A Time honored practice with humiliating and sometimes lethal results was a favored form of punishment in the American Colonies.
Submitted by Louis Myers
Benjamin H. Irvin Brandeis University
In the spring of 1766, John Gilchrist, a Norfolk merchant and ship-owner, came to believe that Captain William Smith had reported his smuggling activities to British authorities. In retribution, Gilchrist and several accomplices captured Smith and, as he reported, "dawbed my body and face all over with tar and afterwards threw feathers on me." Smith's assailants, which included the mayor of Norfolk, then carted him "through every street in town," and threw him into the sea. Fortunately, Smith was rescued by a passing boat just as he was "sinking, being able to swim no longer."
Tar and feathers was a very old form of punishment, but it does not appear to have ever been widely applied in England or in Europe. Why Gilchrist and his allies chose to resurrect tar and feathers on this particular occasion historians can only surmise. Whatever their reasons, these Virginians inaugurated a new trend in colonial resistance, a trend that their New England neighbors would eagerly follow. Throughout New England, tar and feathers soon became the "popular Punishment for modern delinquents."
By March, 1770, at least thirteen individuals had been feathered in the American colonies: eight in Massachusetts, two in New York, one in Virginia, one in Pennsylvania, and one in Connecticut. In all of these instances, the tar brush was reserved exclusively for customs inspectors and informers, those persons responsible for enforcing the Townshend duties on certain imported goods. Indeed, American patriots used tar and feathers to wage a war of intimidation against British tax collectors.
During this period of economic resistance, the practice of tarring and feathering began to take shape as a kind of folk ritual. The participants in this ritual usually consisted of sailors, apprentices, and young boys---those members of society who could be readily mobilized by protesting merchants. In these early days the victim was sometimes fortunate enough to be "genteely" tarred and feathered, that is, over the outer garments. Within Whig ideology, these personal assaults were warranted only because the colonists had been denied all legal avenues of redress, and they were justified only to the extent necessary to deter enforcement of customs duties.
This first tar and feathers campaign proved very successful. In conjunction with the nonimportation movement, tar and feather terrorism reduced Townshend duties' revenues below the costs of enforcement. In 1770, the British government recognized that the program was an abysmal failure, and it repealed the taxes on all imports but tea. As a result, the tarring and feathering of these loathed individuals came to a virtual halt. This is not to suggest, however, that the practice of tarring and feathering ceased entirely. To the contrary, tar and feathers had proven an effective deterrent, and patriot leaders quickly devised a new use for it. Before the repeal of the Townshend duties, when the colonists began to galvanize in their opposition to British taxes, Whig merchants coordinated a series of nonimportation agreements. To enforce these agreements, they then invoked the threat of tar and feathers. During this second phase of tarring and feathering, the practice changed significantly. Most notably, Boston mobs began to tar and feather an individual's property and effects rather than his body. Several persons' homes were tarred and feathered, as was at least one merchant's store. In Marlborough, a crowd went so far as to tar and feather the horse of merchant Henry Barnes.
As the possibility of war grew imminent, however, Boston leaders began to feel that they could no longer control the violent impulses of the mob. In the wake of the incendiary Tea Party, tarring and feathering mobs nearly killed a crotchety old British official named John Malcom, and they also assaulted four men who had stolen hospital blankets. Meanwhile, back in England, King George III watched indignantly as impertinent colonists abused his agents and officials. In Parliament, where debates raged over how best to punish the Bostonians, one member argued that "Americans were a strange sett of people, and that it was in vain to expect any degree of reasoning from them; that instead of making their claim by argument, they always chose to decide the matter by tarring and feathering."
Recognizing that unrestrained violence could only bring the American cause into ill repute, Boston leaders called a halt to the practice of tarring and feathering. The town that contemporaries called a "seminar[y] in the art," and the "Focus of tarring & feathering," now laid the practice to rest.
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HOWES CAVE – Schoharie County Arts will be presenting a local rock group and two Schoharie County artists at the Iroquois Museum’s Roots, Rhythm and Ale fundraiser on Friday August 1, from 5 to 9PM.
To start off the evening at 5PM,, Becca Frame and the Tall Boys from Richmondville will be playing for the first hour. Becca has an incredible and powerful voice which is combined with the improvised guitar work by Brian Shafer, intoxicating dynamic rhythm by Steve O'Connell and Daniel Colón, and captivating keys by Brian Mangini. They blend rock, soul, and blues into electrifying live performances.
Meanwhile, Casey Beal and Laura Milak, both from Middleburg, will be demonstrating their art forms. Casey is well known for her hand painting and block printing on cloth as well as fine art paintings and murals. “I am constantly inspired and influenced by the study of the flora and fauna of rural upstate New York - from the native varieties that inhabit the landscape to the agricultural livestock and crops that sustain its human population. My exploration of our human ties to the environment tries to go beyond casual observation, to create items that not only celebrate the beauty of nature, but also encourage others to play an active role in its preservation. “
Laura is a felt artist creating 3-dimensional sculptures depicting mushrooms, fairies and gnomes all from naturally dyed wools. “My love of felting has evolved from my life experiences such as a career in horticulture, and pastimes like spinning wool and painting. I love processing fleeces from many different sheep breeds and then hand dyeing them in the delicious earth-tone colors that are found in nature. My felting goals for the next year are to increase my skills and explore new art forms such as bird making and wildlife wool paintings. It is my upmost desire to keep creating one of a kind pieces that seem to fuel my passion for felting artistry.”
The event takes place at the Iroquois Museum in Howes Cave, NY. Due to construction on the bridge over Cobleskill Creek, follow the yellow detour signs to Iroquois Museum. Besides music, the event features local artisans, tasty food, and a silent auction. Admission is $10 for adults, kids under 18 are free and that includes admission to the Museum. For a $20 ticket you receive a commemorative cup for a free beer. All proceeds benefit the Museum’s education programs. Rain or shine, we’ve got you covered!
The mission of Schoharie County Arts (SCA) is to broaden and enrich the quality of life in the county by developing and strengthening the arts through promoting cultural and arts-related activities, educating the public, advancing individual artists and arts organizations, and utilizing arts-related technology while contributing to the cultural and economic growth in the County.
For more information, contact Heather Livengood, heather@iroquoismuseum.org
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By Chris English
SHARON SPRINGS _ The Sharon Springs Joint Planning Board is considering a new resort on a 50-acre parcel at Main Street and Beechwood Road in the Village of Sharon Springs.
The JPB went over elements of the plan — mainly related to the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) requirements — at its Wednesday, July 16 meeting. Only two members of the board were present so the meeting was for presentation and informational purposes only and not to make any decisions.
The SSJPB — the lead agency for the proposal — will eventually consider signing off on a SEQR, hold a public hearing on the matter and consider approval.
According to a memo from Mary Beth Bianconi of Delaware Engineering, who is consulting with and advising the JPB on the proposal, Hoshino Resorts is proposing a Japanese hot spring inn for the site. The project, which will be open to resort guests and staff only, includes a shop, library, lounge, bar, multifunction space, all-day dining area, fine-dining restaurant, a spa including meditation baths and room for individual spa treatments.
The Bianconi memo continues that the facility will also include 30 guest room units, each with its own outdoor heated mineral water bath. Back of house operations will include staff housing, offices, laundry, storage, mechanical and maintenance facilities and other staff support facilities.
Also proposed are passive recreation trails and open space area, as well as infrastructure both on and off site to support the proposed project including but not limited to water, sewer, stormwater, transportation, lighting and landscaping.
At the July 16 meeting, a representative for Hoshino Resorts went over a long checklist of SEQR items and made comments indicating he did not think the project would have significant negative impacts in terms of traffic, air quality and several other items.
Bianconi attended the meeting and had several suggestions for the developer on things the JPB needs more information or clarification on. They included information on how the water will be heated and how microbiologicals will be protected against.
"Will this be in harmony with things around it?," said Bianconi, noting one question the planning board needs to answer for itself. "You want to make sure whatever is done here does not have a big impact."
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By Heather Skinner
SCHOHARIE - Did you know July 19 – 27 has been known as National Moth Week since 2012?
Many may be familiar with moth caterpillars of the Isabella Tiger Moth, which are commonly referred to as Woolly Bears. Many enjoy predicting how harsh or mild an upcoming winter will be based on their coloration; more orange indicating mild, more black indicating snowier.
Moths play an important role in our ecosystem. When you think pollinators, bees and butterflies may be first to spring to your mind. According to a DarkSky International post shared on Facebook by local author, Anita Sanchez, moths are the largest group of night pollinators carrying on that important work while we sleep.
What can we do to help moths in return for doing so much for us? The good news is there seems to be a pattern of the same response to this question, meaning what will help moths, will also help many other insects, animals, and plants in the process! Sanchez explained, “The best thing people can do for moths, I think, is to not use pesticides. Spraying ants or wasps, treating lawns with pesticides, getting rid of weeds with Round-Up, all could potentially harm moths, butterflies and other insects.. Another really important thing is to turn off outside lights. Moths need darkness to go about their business, and lights disorient and confuse them.”
Regarding lights, DarkSky mentioned in a YouTube video that switching to amber lights from bright, white lights can help prevent misguiding moths to circle them until exhausted instead of pollinating.
Sanchez has graciously shared an excerpt with us from the fantastic book by Sanchez and her husband, George Steele; Wait Till It Gets Dark: A Kid's Guide to Exploring the Night. More information about this book can be found at www.AnitaSanchez.com and it is available through Amazon:
“Darkness is in danger!
Humans have done such a thorough job of lighting up the night that real darkness has become hard to find. We tend to think of light as “good” and darkness as “bad,” but too much light can destroy the beauty and mystery of the nighttime. Without darkness we can’t see the Milky Way, or wish on a falling star. We need night so we can listen to katydids and coyotes, watch bats and moths swoop and dart, and enjoy firefly fireworks.
Wildlife need the night, too. “Light pollution” can harm animals as much as toxic chemicals do. Countless species need natural cycles of light and dark to migrate, hunt for food, and find mates. Even plants depend on light cues for growing and making seeds. When we light up the night, we lose the natural rhythm of light and dark.
Save the Dark
A light bulb is not always a bright idea! Much of the artificial lighting that humans use is wasted in uselessly lighting up the sky. Take a look at the outdoor lighting in your yard and neighborhood. Is there a way it could be more dark-sky friendly?
--Could your family use dimmer switches, timers, or motion sensors to cut down on outdoor lighting?
--Turn off lights, especially outdoor lights, when not in use (a great way to save energy and money, too.)
--For information on dark-sky friendly lighting, see the website of the International Dark-Sky Association: http://darksky.org/lighting/lighting-basics/
Find the Dark
Where can you go to explore nature at night? Your own backyard is the first place to start. Are there parks or playgrounds in your neighborhood that you can safely visit at night?
Then check out your local nature center or community park—do they offer night programs like owl prowls or night-time nature walks? A bird club might have guided walks to seek out nocturnal birds like woodcock, whip-poor-wills, and owls.
Also, look for local astronomy clubs—many organizations of astronomers hold “star parties” and welcome amateur star-gazers. They know where the darkest places are!
The International Dark Sky Foundation is an organization that works to protect nature’s darkness. They designate places, including state and national parks, as Dark Sky Preserves. Find out if there’s one near you at http://darksky.org.”
To continue learning about the natural world with Sanchez and Steele, many more of their books can be found on Amazon. In addition, Steele works at Landis Arboretum, which is located at 174 Lape Rd, Esperance, NY. Steele will be conducting a Discovery Tuesday Pond Exploration at 10 AM on July 29th at the Schoharie Library (located at 103 Knower Ave), and a weeklong exploration of art and nature through programs at the Cobleskill Community Library (located at 110 Union Street) starting on August 5th at 2 PM. Sanchez will be hosting a Geology Rocks! workshop for kids in grades K-5 at the Middleburgh Library (located at 323 Main Street) on August 7th at 1 PM (registration is required through the Middleburgh Library’s website event calendar for this event).
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By Chris English
RICHMONDVILLE — Unless more lifeguarding help can be found, the Village of Richmondville Swimming Pool will be closing for the season Aug. 10, about three weeks earlier than originally planned.
New Village Clerk-Treasurer Jenifer Fisher gave notice of the likely early closure at the Monday, July 21 Board of Trustees meeting and in comments made afterward.
Fisher said the Aug. 10 closing is not 100 percent certain and she is trying to find help but that, as of now, that's the way it will be. The pool normally stays open through the end of August.
Fisher, Village Mayor Carl Warner Jr. and the Trustees said trouble finding lifeguards is not unique to Richmondville but a problem at pools across the region. One of the disincentives to being a lifeguard is the approximate total of $400 it takes to get certified as a lifeguard every other year and be certified in CPR and First Aid every year, Richmondville board members said.
While Village Pool lifeguards are eventually reimbursed for those costs, it would be helpful if they didn't have that initial outlay, Trustee Robert Hyatt suggested. Warner added that maybe lifeguard jobs could be more aggressively promoted in Cobleskill-Richmondville schools. Trustee Lisabeth Kabel said it might be helpful to post information on and promote lifeguard jobs on Facebook.
Fisher said there are six lifeguards at the Richmondville Pool, two of whom also work at a pool in Otsego County and another who also works another job. The pool is normally open 1-7 p.m. every day but Fisher said the lifeguard situation has forced it to close on a handful of days this summer. Adding to lifeguard staffing challenges is the fact that many are college students who have to leave early to get back to their schools.
Richmondville Pool lifeguards earn $16 an hour, 50 cents more than the state's minimum wage.
In other actions from the July 21 meeting, Warner appointed Fisher as the new clerk-treasurer, succeeding Hope Bayes, who resigned last month after about five years on the job. Fisher's appointment was then approved by the full board.
She had been Deputy Clerk for the last three years and will serve as clerk-treasurer until December by virtue of Monday's appointment but must be reappointed in January to keep the job.
Warner and Richmondville Power & Light Director Tim Smith went over a list of bullet points supporting a rate case before the state Public Service Commission for a possible hike in RPL rates, something that has not happened in many years.
Among the bullet points and reasons for a hike are the costs of new equipment needed and the need to keep wages reasonably competitive with utilities across the state, among other reasons.
There was a discussion on revamping the quarterly village newsletter that is mailed to all RPL customers and is also available at the municipal building on Main Street. Kabel said the newsletter tends to be overly repetitive and among her suggestions was putting in more information on rules and policies that people moving into the area might not know and should be aware of. Kabel said she would be willing to work with Fisher and others on possible revisions.
Trustee Milan Jackson agreed to be part of a committee that will review several applications for a cleaning position in the village and help the board come to a decision on the best person for the job.
"These are all people in the village, so the job will help someone local," Warner said.
The board also voted to extend for a week a successful village arts and crafts program.
At the end of the meeting, the board voted to acknowledge receipt of a $78,995 bid from Air Cleaning Systems for a new exhaust system for the Richmondville Firehouse. It will be funded with a grant the village received.
The board will vote on actually accepting the bid after Fire Department officials check to see if it meets all guidelines and specifications.
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ALBANY/COBLESKILL – A Cobleskill-Richmondville graduate with an eye on a fashionable future got a leg up on his plans during his final project at Capital Region BOCES.
Global Fashion program Class of 2025 graduate Bill Bittner designed, manufactured and wore a pair of pants to school as part of a final project in the program at the Career and Technical Education Center – Albany Campus.
“It feels great. It’s something I have always wanted to do,” said Bittner.
Bittner graduated from the two-year Global Fashion program on June 12 and will attend Herkimer College in the fall in pursuit of a degree in fashion merchandising.
Thanks to attending BOCES, he has already earned some college credits and is looking forward to his future.
“I think I know more than the average person starting college for fashion,” he said. “I have learned the business side of fashion, and I have learned how to sew, make patterns, how to operate a sewing machine and draw a croquet,” he said.
Students in the two-year Global Fashion program at Capital Region BOCES study creative design and core business concepts and apply them to the world of fashion. They also learn about careers in fashion, merchandising, marketing, fashion drawing, textiles, how to use a sewing machine, foundation pattern making and sewing skills while taking part in work-based learning opportunities at area shopping malls to learn visual display and merchandising.
Bittner said the idea behind the pants he now wears was to develop a “baggy” style.
“I have always liked the look, and I like how they fit,” he said.
Asked what he would tell a student considering the Global Fashion program, Bittner was succinct.
“Do it. My class is a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend this class to future kids trying to get into fashion,” he said.
For more on the Global Fashion program, go to https://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/courses-programs/global-fashion-studies/
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