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9-06-2007 By MICHELLE MILLER Staff Writer A weeklong celebration is planned to mark the incorporation of the village during the week of September 8-16 and Grace Kull, bicentennial chairperson, is hoping everyone will be able to get out and have a good time. "We hope everyone gets enjoyment out of it," says Kull. "And we hope they will learn about the history of Cooperstown." Kull says she believes every event scheduled is somehow related to the history of the village and the best part about it is everything is free except for the cost of food one might buy at the events. The Bicentennial Parade will kick off Cooperstown's weeklong celebration on Saturday, Sept. 8 at noon. The Cooperstown Bicentennial Parade, "Cooperstown through the Years," will begin on Railroad Ave. and will travel down Main St. The parade will feature the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, marching units, bands, antique cars and floats, according to planning officials. Kull said she is hoping for a good turn out and says she believes the parade is going to be "super" because there are a lot of participants signed up. "We have a grand lineup for our Bicentennial Parade," says Kull. " I hope everyone will come and celebrate this historic occasion." Kull is encouraging the public to attend "Picnic in the Park" at Lakefront Park, which will take place after the parade. It will feature music by Skip West, a juggler, Irish dancers, fun games and activities for children, a town ball game, food and beverages and the presentation of awards to participants in the parade. The parade is the first of several free events that will be held Sept 8-16. Among the free events are a festival on the lawn of the Otesaga Hotel, an open house at the library, historical lectures, special breakfasts, concerts, fireworks and more, according to planning officials. For a full schedule of events, visit cooperstownny. org and link to History of Cooperstown or look for posters that can be found throughout the village. A 40-page keepsake program has also been printed. Cooperstown's historian Hugh MacDougall says he hopes the celebration will get people to become more aware of the village and he says he hopes they will learn more about the village as well. "Hopefully people will learn where we are now and perhaps get a better understanding of where we are going," says MacDougall. MacDougall says he has been the village historian for three or four years and says he does not think much has changed since the incorporation of the village. He says there have always been two aspects about the village. Cooperstown has always acted as a major commercial center for the county and has always attracted visitors, says MacDougall. "The community has been known world wide since the 1920s," says MacDougall. "It has also been known as a local community serving the local area." MacDougall says if it were not for the "double function," the town may not have survived. MacDougall also credits the Clark family for their commitment to the community. The Clark family moved the New York State Historical Association to the village, built the Otesaga Hotel, founded the Baseball Hall of Fame, which was dedicated on June 12, 1939, the Farmer's Museum, and the Fenimore Museum. The only real significant changes MacDougall says he has seen over the years is the increase of baseball oriented shops mainly on Main St. and the type of tourists who come to visit. MacDougall says the village has always attracted visitors for various reasons such as the village's scenery, James Fenimore Cooper's famous writings, the many museums, and more recently, Glimmerglass. However, he says he believes tourism has geared more towards baseball over the years. When visiting Cooperstown for a Hyde Bay Camp reunion, Russell "Rusty" Pickett, who is the grandson of the founder of the camp, said most of Cooperstown's growth has been south of the village. He said the Dreams Park has "really altered" Cooperstown. He also said he believes Main Street has lost a lot of its charm because of all the baseball shops aimed at tourists. MacDougall says he believes people's shopping habits have changed over the years. He says most customers prefer shopping at bigger retail stores instead of at the "ma and pop" shops that used to be very popular. "I think we have adapted very well" says MacDougall. "Just look at how well the village handled the approximately 70,000 people during the induction. That is just one example that shows we can deal with the wide range of visitors we now have." While looking at old maps of the village, assistant director of the New York State Historical Association Research Library Wayne Wright said he found it interesting that the village's streets were laid out almost exactly the same in 1811 as they are now. MacDougall says William Cooper laid out the town in a rectangular form. He says the streets were originally numbered from the Lakefront back. Much of the village's changes occurred after the fire of April 1862, according to Mac- Dougall. The fire began along Main Street wiping out a third of the business section. Mac- Dougall says Main Street rapidly rebuilt as a result, but buildings were built in the manner fashionable in the 1860s. He says although the names of the stores have changes and the buildings have become more modernized, the basic pattern was altered very little. MacDougall recommends three books for additional information about Cooperstown. They include "The Story of Cooperstown" by Ralph Birdsall, "William Cooper's town by Alan Taylor and "History of Cooperstown" by James Fenimore Cooper, Samuel H. Shaw, Walter R. Littell and Harold H. Hollis. MacDougall, who founded the James Fenimore Cooper Society in 1989, also encourages people to find more about the village's history by going to the website external.oneonta. edu/cooper/ with over 300 texts, reference documents, articles and papers. The society is dedicated to promoting the study of the life and works of James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) encouraging the enjoyment of his 32 novels, and appreciation of his ideas providing useful information to students, scholars, and readers, according to the website. There is also a special section devoted to the life and works of Cooper's eldest daughter, Susan Fenimore Cooper (1813-1894). The Bicentennial weeklong celebration will be brought to a close with a candle-lighting ceremony and fireworks at Lakefront Park on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. Kull and Mayor Carol Waller will also make short speeches. The Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownie members, 4-H members, and many adult groups have been invited to take part in the candle lighting. The public is also invited to light a candle, commemorating Cooperstown's 200 years as an incorporated village. Village churches will be signaled |
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