Author: Fieldstone Farm Resort

How did Cooperstown become the spiritual home of baseball?  Take a look at the video below from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to get a glimpse into the history and the myth.  

Regardless of the origins, the Cooperstown area is fortunate to have baseball so closely integrated into the community.  The Hall of Fame celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, having opened its doors for the first time in June of 1939, and has a full slate of celebration activities planned to mark the event.  

• The Hall of Fame Classic Weekend (Friday, May 23 – Sunday, May 25), honors baseball legends of past and present with a Legends Game at historic Doubleday Field along with other showcase activities.  
  

• 75th Anniversary Birthday and Member Celebration (Thursday, June 12 – Saturday, June 14) reflects on the historic events in 1939.  Special guests and programs will take place through the weekend with special recognition of participants in the Membership program who have helped to support the organization over the years.  
  

• The Hall of Fame Awards Presentation (Saturday, July 26) will feature the presentation of the Ford C. Frick award for baseball broadcasting excellence to Eric Nadel, the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award to Joe Garagiola and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing to Roger Angell.

• Hall of Fame Parade of Legends (Saturday, July 26) will feature members of the Hall of Fame riding down Main Street in trucks provided by Ford Motor Company (6pm) concluding with a red carpet arrival on the Museum steps as Hall of Fame members make their way to a private reception.

• Induction Ceremony (Sunday, July 27 at 1:30pm) will take place on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center.  Unlimited free seating, water provided.  
  

• 75th Anniversary Celebration Concert (Saturday, August 2) features music icons, celebrities from the world of film and television, as well as baseball heroes for a two-hour salute to the Museum’s role in American culture.  Highlights include the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, former big leaguer Bernie Williams and twelve-time GRAMMY Award winner Paul Simon.  
  

For complete details on any of the upcoming events, please visit the Hall of Fame Website.  For your lodging needs for these featured events weeks and others, contact Fieldstone Farm Resort.

Otsego Lake, coined Glimmerglass in several of the literary works (known as The Leatherstocking Tales) of James Fenimore Cooper (son of Judge William Cooper, founder of Cooperstown), is truly a centerpiece for Otsego County.  The lake and its surrounding areas offers many attractions, opportunities for lake recreation, local wildlife viewing and a glimpse into the “solemn solitude and sweet repose” of past days.  

“On all sides, wherever the eye turned, nothing met it, but the mirror-like surface of the lake, the placid void of heaven, and the dense setting of wood…. “
James Fenimore Cooper, The Deerslayer

Otsego Lake is located in Otsego County and is the source of the Susquehanna River.   Although not considered to be a ‘finger lake’ due to its higher elevation, it is similarly long and narrow; nine miles in length from its north to south boundaries.  The Village of Cooperstown, home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, rests at the southern shore.

Around the lake are many of the area’s local attractions including Glimmerglass State Park on the northeastern shore.  Adjacent to the park is Hyde Hall, a National Historic Landmark built in 1768 by George Clarke representing one of the finest examples of neoclassical country architecture in the U.S.  The western shore is home to the Glimmerglass Opera Festival where world class operatic and musical performances are held each summer with featured programs for young artists, drawing an international audience to the rural setting each year. Along the southwestern shores are The Farmer’s Museum, The Fenimore Art Museum, the Otesaga Resort Hotel and the Leatherstocking Golf Course, properties that are operated by the Leatherstocking Corporation.

Recreational activities include fishing, swimming and boating during the summer months as well as ice fishing during the winter.  Natural history exploration and wildlife watching activities are available throughout the year.  

Fieldstone Farm Resort is located less than 7 miles from Otsego Lake and is the perfect location for your Cooperstown Area family vacation as well as a great base of operations for families of Cooperstown Dreams Park teams.  

From the New York State History Day Website:

What is History Day?

National History Day, a year-long educational program sponsored in New York State by the New York State Historical Association, encourages students to explore local, state, national, and world history.  After selecting a historical topic that relates to an annual theme, students conduct extensive research by using libraries, archives, museums, and oral history interviews. They analyze and interpret their findings, draw conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, and create final projects that present their work. These projects can be entered into a series of competitions, from the local to the national level, where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators.

Each Spring, The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown hosts the State Contest for National History Day.  This educational outreach program is sponsored by the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA).  Students who have won their regional competitions are invited to participate at the state level by presenting their projects in Cooperstown.  The projects for 2014 revolve broadly around the theme of Rights and Responsibilities in History.  Winners selected at the State competition will go on to participate in the National competition.  

The event marks one of the first times each year where the village streets fill with people from out of town and is not associated with a spring break.  Close to 500 students will attend the State competition.  Many travel to the area with their families, arriving on Saturday or Sunday and often staying through late Monday or Tuesday.

Student entries are judged from 9am-4pm on Monday, April 28 in the Louis Jones Center at the Farmers’ Museum and awards are presented from 5pm to 6:15pm at the Cooperstown Central School Auditorium.  

This historic, water-powered cider mill has been operating for 157 seasons and is soon to open it’s doors to another year as one of our area’s best attractions.  Fly Creek Cider Mill provides country charm in a warm and inviting atmosphere coupled with lots of good food and an abundance of samples available for tasting.  More than 40 specialty food samples are provided fresh every day including mill-aged cheddar, apple and corn salsas, fresh Mill-made fudge, zesty salad dressings and a wide array of marinades, hot sauces, preserves and finishing sauces. It’s always a treat for your palate when you browse the aisles!  Mix these up with hard cider and Fly Creek Cider Mill’s own wines for the perfect pairing for any occasion.  

When the weather is nice, visitors can sit at one of the picnic tables behind the mill that overlooks the banks of Fly Creek.  Enjoy the fresh air and watch the local ducks, or take a walk to see some of the historic tractors on display.    Or, enjoy a hot lunch and a milkshake at the restaurant.  In addition to their beautiful retail establishment with lots of tasting options, the restaurant and bakery (open once the weather is warm enough for outdoor dining) is filled with mouth-watering menu items.  Anything served in a bread bowl is top on our list!  Purchases at the store usually earns a free donut along with a discount on bakery purchases.  

This active local business puts together a busy schedule each year, running their own events as well as hosting special community organizations for their special fundraisers: 

• The “Taste of Fly Creek” is an ongoing series of workshops and events that typically center around Fly Creek Cider Mill food products and often are partnered with some great retail specials
• The Cider Run 5K and 10K supports at-risk youth programs
• The Big Squeeze weekend provides free mammograms
• Ciderfest Weekend showcases traditional pressing methods on the Mill’s water-powered cider press  

Check their website for a complete schedule of events as well as coupons to use for your visit, and   consider signing up for the Flavorful Rewards program to earn points with your purchases.  Whether you live in the area or not, the online store is always open.

No matter when you visit the Cooperstown area, plan on making a stop at the Fly Creek Cider Mill.  We look forward to their opening and wish them a great 158th season!  

St. Patrick’s Day is perfectly situated midway through the month of March.  In Central New York, it comes at the time of year that you really want to see green – even a patch of green grass – or maybe even the rare early crocus that pokes up from beneath the snow.  The bottom line is that we are all just tired of the white stuff – which is now more than a bit dirty – and we are eagerly looking forward to longer days, some warm sunshine and yes, green grass, spring flowers and tree buds.  

In our area in Cooperstown, traffic begins to pick up after the winter months and we once again see out-of-state license plates on the roads and in the parking lots.  Businesses that close during the off season begin preparing to open their doors back up for the year in anticipation of a great summer.  

The following Cooperstown Area attractions open in just a few weeks.  I’m sure they have been busy preparing new exhibits and merchandise.  View their websites for details on their upcoming season!  

• Fenimore Art Museum – Opens April 1st

• The Farmers’ Museum – Opens April 1st

• Fly Creek Cider Mill – Opens April 10th

• National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum – Open Year Round – check out the events to celebrate their 75th year!