Townie: Tacoberfest, Dracula, and So Many Art Openings
Oct. 3-8, 2024: Top things to do in Oneonta, Unadilla, Sharon Springs, Cooperstown, New Berlin, Howes Cave, Cherry Valley, Delhi, Worcester, East Meredith
Townie is sponsored by Oneonta Downtown Renaissance
Editor’s Note
One of the best things about Oneonta is our community of creatives who put on unique events, like last Saturday’s Mopar Cams concert on the Autumn Café deck, where the band recreated the Beatles’ iconic 1969 rooftop show—wigs, fur coats, and all.
Looking ahead, Tacoberfest at Muddy River promises to be a delightful mash-up of Oktoberfest and tacos. And if you love art, this weekend offers plenty of chances to enjoy it, with exhibition openings in several towns and open artist studios in Cherry Valley.
We truly are an artsy, creative community, and here are my top picks for fun this weekend.
Hope to see you out and about!
Cassandra
Cassandra Miller is the editor of Townie, a publication of Culture Rally Communications.
Bigger Dreams Productions presents “Dracula: A Comedy Of Terrors”
Oct. 4-6, 11-13, various times | Foothills PAC, Oneonta
Bigger Dreams calls its production a quick-changing, gender-bending, laugh-out-loud off-Broadway hit by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen about Bram Stoker's legendary vampire. Five actors bring all the characters of Dracula to life in the production directed by Steve Dillon and Brooke Tallman, and starring Andrew Munro, Gina Fryer, Casey Thomas, Brooke Tallman, and Steve Dillon. Tickets are $15-$20.
Sharon Springs Dance Festival
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5, various times | Sharon Springs Central School, Sharon Springs
Klinkhart Hall Arts Center presents the third annual dance festival this weekend featuring Ephrat Asherie Dance, a company rooted in African-American and Latinx street and social dances. The festival includes workshops, demonstrations, and performances starting at 7 p.m. Friday and with events from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Classes range from children’s dance to belly dancing and dance for musical theater. Classes are free, but registration is required.
Trojan Horns
Friday, Oct. 4, 10 p.m. | Black Oak Tavern, Oneonta
The Troy-based New Orleans jazz band will perform a late show at the Oak this weekend. Trojan Horns plays original music, as well as brassy covers of pop hits like “This Love” by Maroon Five and Abba’s “Dancing Queen.”
Cherry Valley Art Trail
Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Cherry Valley
Visit artist studios, meet the artists, see what they are creating, check out their art for sale directly from the artists and in a gallery show at 25 Main Collective. Attendees can set their own pace for exploring. Maps are available at participating locations at cherryvalley.com
Photo from Hanford Mills Museum Facebook
Woodsmen’s Exploration Day
Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Hanford Mills Museum
Staff will highlight the importance of trees and forests, showcasing the skills of local woodcrafters and foresters. Demonstrations include log processing in the mill, lumberjacking demonstrations, and information on promoting sustainable resource use and combating invasive species. Other highlights include historic blacksmithing, solar power solutions, and honeybee education with products for sale. Union Grove Distillery and Brookside Maple & Farm will also offer tastings and products for purchase. Live music by Max Rainwater from noon to 3 p.m.
Photo from Muddy River Facebook
Tacoberfest
Saturday, Oct. 6, noon-4 p.m. | Muddy River Brewery, Unadilla
The original Muddy River in Unadilla is presenting a day of Oktoberfest-inspired activities at Tacoberfest. Activities include axe throwing with PAC’s Axe Throwing, beer chucking, and the classic German hammer game, Hammerschlagen, which will be available throughout the day. Competitions include the keg toss at 4 p.m. and steinholding at 6 p.m. Food offerings include homemade Bavarian pretzels and tacos from Ty’s Tacoria, available all day.
“Remember the Fallen: Oneonta’s Civil War Soldiers”
Saturday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m. | Oneonta History Center, Oneonta
Greater Oneonta Historical Society board trustee and local historian Frank Antonucci will present a talk on Oneonta’s Civil War soldiers. Riverside Cemetery is the final resting place of numerous Oneontans who served in the war, with 160 having fought and 27 memorialized by the Soldiers’ Monument. The talk, “Remember the Fallen: Oneonta’s Civil War Soldiers,” will focus on the significance of the monument, the Battle of Salem Church, and stories of notable veterans buried at Riverside. This event is free and open to the public.
Opening: “Quiet Tide: Paintings by Ali Cavanaugh”
Saturday, Oct. 5, 4-6 p.m. | Sam and Adele Golden Gallery, New Berlin
Watercolor artist Ali Cavanaugh has for two decades created a significant body of work that features portraits of her children and friends. “Quiet Tide,” an exhibition highlighting this work, will be on view Oct. 5 through Feb. 14, with an opening reception this Saturday. The event is free and open to the public.
image: Toni Brogan, Naturescape (detail), foraged dried plants, hemp, jute, silk, raffia, wax, tea dyed recycled fibers.
Opening: “Symbiocene Era: Artists Envision Environmental Symbiosis”
Saturday, Oct. 5, 4-7 p.m. | Bushel, Delhi
Guest curated by multimedia artist, activist, and educator Kathleen Sweeney, this show features the work of 11 women artists exploring collaboration with nature in their artistic output as painters, storytellers, artisans, interdisciplinary artists, found-object sculptors, photographers, and videographers who inhabit the rural area of the Catskills watershed in New York State. They are Sarah Bachinger, Susie Bellamy, Toni Brogan, Sharon Horvath, Christina Hunt Wood, Robin Kahn, Emily Johnston, Rachel Owens, Heather Phelps-Lipton, Christie Scheele, Kathleen Sweeney. Presentation at 5 p.m. at this free event.
Tell-Tale: Stories and Poems from the Macabre Mind of Edgar Allan Poe
Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 6, 3 p.m. | Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown
The program, created and performed by Michael Henrici, features full theatrical performances of Edgar Allan Poe’s most chilling stories and poems including “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Raven,” “Annabel Lee,” and more. Tickets are $10-$18.
Opening: “Unique & Individual: A Portrait of Autism”
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m. | Iroquois Museum, Howes Cave
The opening reception of the special exhibition at the Museum will honor Mohawk Photographer Angel Horn. In conjunction with World Autism Month in 2022, Angel photographed dozens of Mohawk children and young adults on the autism spectrum to increase understanding and acceptance in her community and awareness of the challenges faced by their families. Each portrait is accompanied by a narrative introduction by her subjects or their parents. The event is free.
Walking Tour of Worcester “Stepping Back to the 1880s”
Sunday, Oct. 6, 3-5 p.m. | 4 Decatur St., Worcester
“Worcester: Stepping Back to the 1880s” will be led by Dr. Cindy Falk of SUNY Oneonta’s Cooperstown Graduate Program and was researched and developed by the students in the program’s Historic Preservation class. The Worcester Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 because of its well-preserved example of a late 19th-century, small-town commercial center. The tour will focus on life in upstate New York in the late Victorian era and focus on Worcester’s Main Street. Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000, will have information on the Historic Home and Barn Tax Credits available to homeowners living in communities like Worcester that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The cost is $10.
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