THIS WEEK’S “My Turn” column
is by Rachel Lutz Jessup. Jessup
is the assistant branch
manager at the NBT branch on
Wall Street, and the president
of Main Street Oneonta.
I have the good
fortune of being
involved with
many organizations
whose goals
are the continuing
improvement of
Oneonta and the
surrounding area.
This year, I am
honored to be the chairwoman
for one of these
organizations _ Main
Street Oneonta. It is an
honor to lead an organization
that has such
deeply imbedded roots.
Main Street Oneonta
started as the Downtown
Retail Merchants Association,
during the heyday
of Bresee’s Department
Store, when Thursday
nights downtown often
included dinner at the
Healthbar and shopping
until 8 p.m.
Downtown Retail
Merchants Association
became the Downtown
Oneonta Improvement
Task Force, under the
supervision of Mark
Drnek.
Main Street Oneonta
came about shortly after
that and was led by local
merchants and community
members, including
Nancy Scanlon, Karen
Woods, Michelle Eastman,
Grace Smith, Julie
Carney and Kathleen
Frascatore, to name a
few, and was supported
by a small group of very
dedicated volunteers.
We continue to serve
you today as Main Street
Oneonta.
We are so fortunate to
live in this community.
Even with the losses that
we have suffered over the
last year (the closing of
the National Soccer Hall
of Fame, the loss of the
Oneonta Tigers and the
challenges to the Foothills
Performing Arts
Center) our hills are still
bustling with a multitude
of activities.
Our downtown offers
a wide variety of stores.
You could spend a day
going shopping for musical
instruments, health
food, clothing and shoes,
outdoor apparel
and gear, hardware,
handmade
gifts, unusual
gifts, slightly
used clothing,
art supplies, pet
supplies, jewelry
and books while
you’re getting
your car serviced,
going to the gym, doing
laundry, learning how
to dance, taking taekwando,
getting coffee or
something to eat, visiting
your lawyer or accountant,
getting your eyes
checked, going tanning,
getting a haircut, going
to the spa, getting a tattoo,
admiring the talents
of our local artists and
performers or diving into
local history.
Who says there isn’t
anything to do around
here?
To top that off, the
volunteers of Main Street
Oneonta try to make all
of this more fun. We are
best known for our events
downtown that include
the Cruise-In’s, Sidewalk
Sale Festival, Downtown
101 and Halloween trickor-
treating.
Our holiday events
include the gingerbread
contest, Santa parade
and the tree-lighting
ceremony.
However, as an organization,
we strive for
continual improvement.
Some of our goals for
this year include teaming
with the city and the
county to move forward
with the result of the
branding study, the
installation of an informational
kiosk for downtown
and better signage
for merchants whose
locations are not directly
on Main Street.
We’re hoping to bring
back to life an “artwalk”
in conjunction with
entertainment in Muller
Plaza _ something we’re
calling “First Friday.”
And, in hopes of bringing
our organization up to
the next level, we have
brought Maggie Barnes,
former director of community
affairs for A.O.
Fox Memorial Hospital,
on board with the help
of our friends at Otsego
County. What a great
addition to our current
leadership and membership.
One of my favorite
quotes is by George Bernard
Shaw, which reads,
“I am of the opinion that
my life belongs to the
community, and as long
as I live, it is my privilege
to do for it whatever I
can.”
I believe this is a philosophy
that is instilled
in many of the people
who live and work in
Oneonta, but especially
in all of the people who
are part of Main Street
Oneonta. That’s the key to
what makes Oneonta such
a great place to be.
Thank you to everyone
who helps us be successful
as an organization. We
would not be who we are
without our dedicated
volunteers and leaders.
We would not be able to
do what we do without
donations from the community,
local businesses,
municipalities and
councils.
You don’t have to operate
an establishment in
downtown Oneonta to get
involved. Donations are
always appreciated (we
are a not-for-profit), and
we’re always looking for
volunteers.
Share your great ideas
at our meetings, currently
held the last Friday of
each month at 8:30 a.m.
at the NBT Bank on Wall
Street. For more information,
visit mainstreetoneonta.com.
TO WRITE for “My Turn,” contact
Daily Star Publisher Tanya
Shalor at tshalor@thedailystar.
com or 432-1000, ext. 214.
More “My Turn” columns can
be found at www.thedailystar.
com/myturn.
Columns
My Turn: Making Main Street Oneonta the best that it can be
- Big Chuck D'Imperio
-
-
My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
Ask any hospital administrators if they've ever heard of a closed hospital in New York state that has ever been re-opened. They will say, "Impossible." In a half century of going through records you can't find any.
Continued ... - Catching a whiff of 'Vermont Vapor'
- Selections from the virtual mailbag
- Recalling days of 'Doughnut King'
- Opera great's visit still a thrilling memory
-
My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
- Cary Brunswick
-
-
We've become our own worst enemies
The past month has been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
Continued ... - Plenty of blame to go around for Bangladesh horror
- Obama is going against his word on Social Security
- Reflecting on a Florida trip
- Those magnificent spies in their flying machines
-
We've become our own worst enemies
- Chuck Pinkey
- Guest Column
-
-
Records seizure is an insult to free press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
Continued ... - The evangelical view of same-sex marriage
- Manor's fate will be Otsego board's legacy
- A closer look at our economy - Part II
- Use fracking to fill budget gaps
-
Records seizure is an insult to free press
- Lisa Miller
-
-
A view from above
Fire towers in the Catskill Mountains have always been destination points, built to capture some of the region’s best views. These sentinel stations served an important role for the earliest possible sightings of forest fires in the remote mountain ranges. But the fire towers and those who manned them fulfilled a multitude of other roles as well.
Continued ... - Being a parent is a constant learning process
- Healthy doesn't have to mean expensive
- A family era ends with close of Potter series
- Independent stores make up for loss of Borders
-
- Mark Simonson
-
-
General Clinton Canoe Regatta got a new home in 1972
Ever since 1963, when Charles Hinkley and a group of Tri-Town businessmen came up with the idea for what we know today as the General Clinton Canoe Regatta, people lined the shores of the Susquehanna to watch the canoeists as they made their 70-mile trek from Cooperstown to Bainbridge.
Continued ... - Sunday movies in Oneonta finally shown in 1934
- Politics, fitness and landmarks dominated local news in May 1968
- Local people sought income in many ways in 1933
- Local windstorm in 1983 caused tense moments
-
- Rick Brockway
-
-
Kids have sparkle in their eyes
When I was in my teens, old Bill Naatz told me about a stream north of Lake George where a man had panned out enough gold to make his wife a wedding band. It was all rumors, but to his grandson and myself, it sounded like the makings of a great adventure.
- People make the outdoors even better
- Turkey season has ups and downs
- Spring air isn't always the freshest
- Adriondacks keep growing and growing
-
Kids have sparkle in their eyes
- Sam Pollak
- William Masters
-
-
Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
As the time to vote draws near, we need to remember how money can run politics more than we can. Raising funds is a prominent (if not the dominant) task of getting elected. Raising issues is also crucial, but those efforts are subject to distortion and fear-mongering.
- Republicans feelentitled to allthey can garner An entitlement is a legal benefit available from the government to individuals who are within a defined category of recipients, such as needing insurance for unemployment or health services.
-
Romney focuses on self; Obama emphasizes unity
Mitt Romney criticizes President Obama for saying a person's success is rooted in his community, and is not all his alone. Romney belittles this with his belief in individual initiative. He is better at the put-down than the push-up.
-
Romney shows little regard for common man
The Republicans in Congress have voted over and over, 33 times, redundantly and uselessly, to rescind what they call Obamacare.
-
Scouts' gay ban creates problem where none exists
The Boy Scouts of America's "emphatic reaffirmation" of its vow to exclude any and all homosexuals from its hallowed ranks is ill-considered and pathetic, especially in view of its having reviewed the matter for two years.
-
Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
