Townie: Polar Bear Jump, film screenings, author talks, and more
Best bets for Feb. 15-22: Four free author talks and poetry readings, four free film screenings, Glockabelle's Lovefest dance party, jazz, yoga, a vintage market, psychic readings, and a Japanese tea
Editor’s Letter
Over the weekend, I attempted to eat 17 bowls of chili at CANO’s annual Chili Bowl, one of the highlights of winter in the Oneonta area. I sampled about nine different versions from professional chefs in the area before I called it a day. Congrats to juror and/or people’s choice winners Paper Birch Properties, Azul, B Side/Autumn Cafe, SUNY Oneonta, and Schneider’s Bakery. All excellent versions.
Another beloved chilly annual event is this weekend’s Polar Bear Jump, which for 26 years has been raising money for area children and families in need. It’s a completely volunteer-run effort organized by Brenda and Jamie Waters and is always a good time, whether you’ve raised money to jump into a hole in the ice of Goodyear Lake or you’re there as a spectator.
Once again, I found myself having to stop adding more events to this week’s Townie, because so much is happening. This week features talks by authors, journalists, and poets:
New York Times investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Mark McIntire
Songwriter and poet John O’Connor of Franklin
New York Times finance reporter and author Emily Flitter
Poets Julene Waffle of Laurens, Vicki Whicker of Exeter, and Lisa Wujnovich of Hancock
Plus, a slate of film screenings:
“Blazing Saddles” (50th anniversary screening and costume contest)
“A Roadhouse Coup” (locally produced film about Eva Coo)
“Garrow” (locally produced film featuring actor Mark Valley, known for “Boston Legal,” “CSI,” and, where I recognize him from: “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce”)
“Pollock” (Cooperstown Film Society’s February film, about troubled American painter Jackson Pollock—see one of his massive works at Munson Museum of Art in Utica (shameless plug for one of my marketing clients)).
Other flavors of fun this week include a multiple-DJ dance party, salsa night, jazz concert, yoga, annual tea with an expert in Japanese culture and horticulture, and more.
Enjoy!
Cassandra
Cassandra Miller is the editor of Townie, a publication of Culture Rally Communications. Connect with her at: 💌 townieny@gmail.com
Namaste in Love Yoga
Thursday, Feb. 15, 5 p.m. | MPower Studio, Oneonta
Led by Ally from Healthy Living Wellness, this couples yoga flow for Valentine’s Day begins with a heart-opening meditation that transitions into heart-expanding asanas and couples poses. Namaste in Love is designed to deepen bonds through shared movement and breath. $25 per couple. To register, email oliviathecreative@gmail.com.
Writers Salon with John O’Connor
Thursday, Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. | CANO, Oneonta
Franklin songwriter and poet John O'Connor will read from his recent chapbook, Mystery Station (Hegel Creek Press), an exploration of his upbringing in an Irish Catholic family. John's first book of poems, Half the Truth, won the 2015 Violet Reed Haas Prize for Poetry. He's worked as a laborer, a union organizer, and a musician, and these experiences infuse his work.
Talk: ‘The White Wall: How Big Finance Bankrupts Black America’
Thursday, Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m. | Bushel, Delhi
Womxn for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity present an evening with New York Times finance reporter and author Emily Flitter, whose book "The White Wall: How Big Finance Bankrupts Black America" explores systemic racism in the American financial services industry. Wine and cheese will be served.
Film Screening: 50th Anniversary of ‘Blazing Saddles’
Friday, Feb. 16, 6 p.m. | Foothills PAC, Oneonta
Costumes are encouraged for this 50th-anniversary film screening of “Blazing Saddles,” the classic spoof of the Western genre by director Mel Brooks and starring Brooks, Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, and Madeline Kahn. The event, presented by Film Otsego and Foothills, is by donation and for those 18 and older. A cash bar will be available.
Salsa Night
Friday, Feb. 16, 6 to 9 p.m. | Ommegang Tap House, Cooperstown
I appreciate the winter theme nights Ommegang is offering this season. This weekend, it’s hosting a salsa night with dance lessons from 6:30 to 8 p.m. by “instructor Veronica” (no last name) and music by DJ Raphael.
Hartwick Faculty Showcase: ‘Picnic Suite’ by Claude Bolling
Friday, Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m. | Yager Museum at Hartwick College, Oneonta
At Hartwick College’s Yager Museum, Music Faculty Wyatt Ambrose (guitar), Ana Laura Gonzalez (flute), Ryan Hamme (drums), Evan Jagels (double bass), and Fideliz Sta Brigida (piano) will perform “Picnic Suite” by Claude Bolling, a jazz pianist and composer with crossover appeal whose 1975 album, “Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano,” spent more than 10 years on the Billboard classical album chart.
Glockabelle's Lovefest
Saturday, Feb. 17, 6 p.m. | American Legion, Delhi
Glockabelle's Lovefest is an annual dance party and “celebration of joie de vivre (lust for life).” The party includes performances by DJ Spooky, Yuka Honda, Glockabelle, Dan Derks, Marcus A DJ, and special guests Doom Dogs. Glockabelle is a Casio VL-Tone and glockenspiel shredder (and sometimes DJ) who invented a unique technique for playing the glockenspiel: not with mallets but with eight sewing thimbles. She has performed at The Toronto Film Festival, Miami Art Basel, SXSW, The Montreux Jazz Festival, and Lincoln Center and has toured with Lightning Bolt, The Space Lady, Mdou Moctar, Kaki King, and The Go! Team.
Cabin Fever Market
Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 17-18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Strawberry Hall, Worcester
The market features vendors from the Eastern Otsego Farmers’ Market and several collections that are being liquidated. Steamstress & Co will offer costumes, “steampunk’ish” items, antiques, and “personal geek collectibles.” Worcester local Rich Cook will offer rock ’n roll and pop music memorabilia, antique/vintage items, and “generally super cool stuff.” Pipe Fox Shoppe of Amsterdam will have 3D-printed gaming and lifestyle items. Refreshments will be available from Drippy Sips.
26th Annual Goodyear Lake Polar Bear Jump
Saturday, Feb. 17, 12:30 p.m. | Goodyear Lake, Maryland
The Goodyear Lake Polar Bear Jump has been a unique and heartwarming highlight of winter in the Oneonta area since 1996. Completely volunteer-run, all money raised by the event goes to different worthy recipients each year–this year, nine local children with chronic or severe health conditions have been chosen to as recipients. The event attracts hundreds of participants who raise a minimum of $100 to jump into the icy waters of Goodyear Lake. It’s a festive, party-like atmosphere that jumpers, donors, and watchers can all feel good about. (Real polar bears will NOT be present.*)
Cabin Fever Spirit Fest
Saturday, Feb. 17, 1 to 4 p.m. | Southside Mall, Oneonta
Psychic mediums Diana Friedell, Susan Owens, Kimberly Winsor, Connie Lull, Ally Sutton-Pyle, and Renee Ranke will offer readings at the mall for participants to see what their “spirit guides and departed loved ones are trying to show [them] that would help [them] with [their] life path,” according to the event description. Reservations are required and start at $25 for 25 minutes.
More information and registration
Double Feature: ‘A Roadhouse Coup’ and ‘Garrow’
Saturday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m. | Foothills PAC, Oneonta
Actor Mark Valley (above), who stars in “Garrow,” will be at the Foothills screening.
Two locally produced films about murderers will be screened this weekend. “A Roadhouse Coup” by local filmmaker Lori Bailey, depicts the true story of Otsego County brothel owner Eva Coo, who in 1935 was executed by an electric chair at Sing Sing Prison after being tried and convicted of murder. Starring roles are filled by local dignitaries, including Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek, Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl, and retired State Senator Jim Seward. “Garrow” focuses on North Country serial rapist and murderer Robert Francis Garrow who had unknown victims between 1960 and 1978. “Garrow” actor Mark Valley will make an appearance. The event is recommended for those 18 and older.
Poems and Stories
Sunday, Feb. 18, 1 p.m. | The Gatehouse, Morris
The Gatehouse is hosting Julene Waffle of Laurens, Vicki Whicker of Exeter, and Lisa Wujnovich of Hancock for a poetry reading and book signing. All three have had works published in numerous journals and anthologies.
Annual Tea and Japanese Microseasons
Monday, Feb. 19, noon | St. James Church, Oneonta
Oneonta Federated Garden Club will host its annual tea and potluck and an introductory class on Japanese seasonal culture. Topics covered are the ancient Japanese lunisolar calendar system, the history of seasonal culture in Japan, haiku, kigo, and saijiki. Instructor Alexis Agliano Sanborn is a specialist in East Asian culture and producer whose documentary “Nourishing Japan” won best short at the Toronto Food Film Fest in 2020.
Film: ‘Pollock’
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m. | Cooperstown Town Hall
The Film Society of Cooperstown will present a screening of the 2000 biopic “Pollock” starring Best Actor winner Ed Harris as troubled American painter Jackson Pollock and Best Supporting Actress winner Marcia Gay Harden as Pollock’s wife, abstract impressionist Lee Krasner.
Talk: ‘Investigative Journalism and Democracy’
Thursday, Feb. 22, 4 p.m. | Anderson Center at Hartwick College, Oneonta
New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Mark McIntire (Hartwick College ‘85) will cover the importance of investigative journalism in maintaining a strong democracy and draw from his investigations on issues such as the hidden financial incentives behind police traffic stops, covert Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, and obtaining and reporting on Donald Trump’s tax returns during the 2020 presidential campaign.
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