(Durhamville, NY – Jan. 26, 2012) Oneida-based state police charged an Oneida teen with Criminal Possession of a Weapon after he was stopped on Center Street in Durhamville Thursday evening.

At approximately 6 p.m. troopers were investigating a property damage motor vehicle accident on Center Street when a westbound 2008 Pontiac G6 drove around a marked patrol vehicle with emergency lights flashing and attempted to drive through the accident scene as a tow truck was removing a vehicle from the ditch and was blocking the roadway.

The Pontiac was stopped and its operator, a 16-year-old resident of Cottage Place, Oneida was found to be driving without either a valid driver’s license or learners permit.  While being interviewed, he was found to have a set of metal knuckles in his pants pocket.

He was taken into custody and transported to the Oneida barracks for processing and was charged with fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Verona Court on Feb. 12.

The vehicle’s passenger, a 16-year-old resident of Summit Ave, Oneida advised troopers that the vehicle belonged to his mother and that he gave permission for the youth to get behind the wheel and that he was helping to teach him to drive.  The passenger was issued a traffic ticket for Permitting Unlicensed Operation returnable in the Town of Verona Court.

(Durhamville, NY – Feb. 2012) The Durhamville Fire Department will be holding an All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, Feb. 5 from 8 a.m. to noon at the department, Church Street.

The cost will be $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 6-12; 5 and younger are free.

The meal will include pancakes, sausage, bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs, home fries, orange juice, chocolate and white milk, coffee, and tea.

Come support the department and enjoy a meal.

(Durhamville, NY – Jan. 2012) The Durhamville Fire Department will be holding an All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, Jan. 8 from 8 a.m. to noon at the department, Church Street.

The cost will be $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 6-12, 5 and younger are free.

The meal will include pancakes, sausage, bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs, home fries, orange juice, chocolate and white milk, coffee, and tea.

Come support the department and enjoy a meal.

(Durhamville, NY – Dec. 2011) The Durhamville Fire Department will be holding an All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast with Santa and Can Food Drive on Sunday Dec. 11 from 8 a.m. to noon at the department, Church Street.

The cost will be $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 6-12, 5 and younger are free.

The meal will include pancakes, sausage, bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs, home fries, orange juice, chocolate & white milk, coffee, and tea.

Canned goods will be collected to benefit the Verona Food Pantry.

(Durhamville, NY – Nov. 2011) The Durhamville Fire Department will hold an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 8 a.m. to noon at the department, Church Street.

The cost will be $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 6-12, 5 and younger are free.

The meal will include pancakes, sausage, bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs, home fries, juice, chocolate milk, white milk, coffee, and tea.

The department will also be collecting non-perishable canned goods to benefit the Verona Food Pantry.

(Durhamville, NY – Oct. 2011) The Durhamville Fire Department will hold an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast on Sunday, October 16 from 8 a.m. to noon at the department, Church Street.

The cost will be $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 6-12, 5 and younger are free.

The meal will include pancakes, sausage, bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs, home fries, juice, chocolate milk, white milk, coffee, and tea.

(Oneida County, NY – Oct. 2011) October 2-8 is National 4-H Week, and Oneida County is celebrating the 4-H youth who have made an impact on the community, and are stepping up to the challenges of a complex and changing world.

Recent findings from Tufts University’s 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate that young people in 4-H are three times more likely to contribute to their communities than youth not participating in 4-H. Notably, the Tufts research discovered that the structured learning, encouragement and adult mentoring that 4-H’ers receive play a vital role in helping them actively contribute to their communities.

In Oneida County, more than 300 4-H members and 120 volunteers are involved in 4‑H.  The Oneida County 4-H program reaches over 3000 total youth through after-school programs and other 4-H sponsored activities throughout the year.

Oneida county 4-H members are involved in a wide variety of projects from animals to robotics.  They actively participate in public communication events, community service and project specific shows and competitions.  4-H volunteers guide youth by using their individual expertise and mentoring them throughout the year.  An abundant amount of local, state, and national opportunities are available to those involved in 4-H.  These opportunities and more are available through the 4-H program and help us build our leaders of tomorrow.

Learn how you can become involved in 4-H by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County at (315) 736-3394, extension 122 or email Kristi Cranwell at kac292@cornell.edu

(Syracuse, NY – Sept. 28, 2011) The Central New York Region has everything a traveler could want out of a visit to New York State, from something old (historical landmarks, museums and rustic B&Bs) to something new (state-of-the-art science centers, modern theatrical performances and high-end spas). To emphasize the “something old,” the area is overflowing with quaint shops touting eclectic antiques and collectibles, offering a slice of the region’s rich past. It is truly a picker’s (and a historian’s) paradise.

For starters, the Madison-Bouckville area offers a year-round antique venue with over 30 shops featuring hundreds of dealers, plus the largest antique show in New York State every third week in August. This event, the Madison Bouckville Antique Week, draws more than 2,000 dealers for a weeklong show along one two-mile stretch of Route 20. Another superb find for antique hunters in Madison County is The Market at Oneida Commons, a neat little mall open year-round that’s packed with vintage items, crafts, jewelry, books, furniture, locally-produced Pride of NY foods and other odds and ends that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Cobbler & C. in Sharon Springs, Schoharie County, offers a treasure trove of antiques. Up on the second floor is a wide array of used, but “new to you” goods: a collection of old dishes, glassware, books, magazines and other collectibles.

In Oneida County, the Westmoreland Antique Center features 80 dealer spaces with a vast array of antiques and vintage collectibles like holiday merchandise, milk bottles, postcards and advertising collectibles, plus a vast selection of glassware, china and furniture.

Charlotte’s Antiques in Chenango County welcomes antique enthusiasts to pore over home décor, women’s clothing and jewelry, and rare collectibles, among other specialty items. For Iroquois artifacts, one-of-a-kind classics and various collectibles, Carriage Barn Antiques, Iroquois Antiques and Pheasant Farm Antiques are a few popular stops in the area.

The Little Falls Antique Center in Herkimer County showcases oldies but goodies from 18 dealers. Just a ways down the street, Stone Mill of Little Falls houses everything vintage from lighting, to clothing, to decorative arts and prints, plus local treasures like Oriental carpets from Erie Canal Carpets, sterling silver and cookbooks. The unexpected can be expected in the old factory atmosphere of this 1839 mill built on the banks of the Mohawk River, as the inventory is ever changing. Greater Binghamton’s Clinton Street, aptly named the “Antique Row,” is a hot spot for antiquing, hosting as many as 30 dealers at a given time. The locale makes perfect sense, as Clinton Street itself is an antique – it existed long before the city of Binghamton.

Cooperstown in Otsego County is saturated in antiquing opportunities. More than 50 shops line the area, from main streets to country roads, including NYS Route 7 corridor from Unadilla to Oneonta, the NYS Route 28 corridor from Oneonta to Cooperstown, and US Route 20, the road to the Madison-Bouckville Antique Show. For those seeking a myriad of vintage items, from china and glassware to historic textiles and furniture, shops like Barkley Barn Blue Ribbon Antiques, Lake Antiques and Antiques & Artifacts are must-sees. Even the antiquing venues themselves are fascinating and range from charming homes to old barns brimming with collectibles.

For some, a successful hunt for the perfect antique can take months or even years. The Central New York Region’s seemingly limitless supply of rare antiques and collectibles in dozens of shops across the area, however, can certainly help to shorten the duration of that hunt and make it quite enjoyable along the way.

For more antiquing opportunities and other information about the Central New York Region, check out:www.JustGoCNY.com.

To the Editor:

(Durhamville, NY – Sept. 2011) This past weekend, Sept. 17 and 18, Durhamville was a beehive of activity as resident and friends came together to celebrate the arrival of the first settler in Oneida Creek.

Yes, Durhamville’s first name back in 1811 was “Oneida Creek.” It was not until the 1830s that the hamlet was named Durhamville after Eber Durham, an early settler.

For the past 18 months a group of dedicated folks have been gathering on a regular basis to plan for this event and I have to report that for a “bunch of amateurs” the celebrations were first class.’

From the Bicentennial ‘Heritage Day’ parade Saturday afternoon until the spectacular fireworks display that evening it was just like our “Old Home Days” back in the 1950′s.

Sunday morning, our tradition ‘Durhamville Day’ brought forth the Durhamville firefighters who cooked and served their famous chicken barbecue until all were served.

The afternoon started with a ”Speakers in the Humanities” lecture in the old Union Schoolhouse by Raya Lee of Buffalo entitled: Erie Canal: Glitz and Glory. Following Raya, was a performance by the Oneida Area Civic Chorale directed by Kim Nethaway and at 4 p.m. the Durhamville Baptist Church presented ‘The Helmsmen Gospel Group in Concert’ in their church.

None of this could have happen without the cooperation of a number of organizations that included our Durhamville VFD, Durhamville Veteran’s Club, Town of Verona Board and Highway Department, NYS Division of Parks, Durhamville Post Office, V&J Graphics, Durhamville Baptist Church, St Francis RC Church, Peggy Visalli, (Durhamville Elementary School), Sconondoa Equestrian Center, Brad Comstock, (PA sound system), Iryna Juravich (Suzuki Violin School), Marjorie Hawthorne (6th Grade Band) and many others who we are forever grateful.

A very special “Thank you” needs to go out to our committee members who made it all happen which includes: Bob Laurin, Fire Commissioner, Mikki Hynds Baker, John Best, Leon Bronson, (our Veteran’s club coordinator), Paul Cox, Monica Patterelli, Joyce Cook Rossi (garage sale co-chair), Carol Swetmon (garage sale co-chair), Ed Trombley Jr., Allen Skellham, Tom Simchik, Dorothy Cmaylo, (Town Historian), Owen Waller, (Town Supervisor), Jim Cullen, Jean Brzuszkiewicz, Pastor Rob Casler, Walt Foland and Arlene Specht our hamlet historians.

If I missed anyone, please know that you are in our thoughts and we appreciate your help and support.

And, last by not least was the wonderful turnout of residents and friends, some of whom traveled from Ohio, Colorado, California and many points in between to spend the weekend on the “Banks of the Raging Erie.”

Lou Best and Durhamville Bicentennial Committee

(Verona, NY – Sept. 2011) Fred “Fritz” Scherz, Jr., Councilman on the Verona Town Board in Verona has scheduled two town hall-style meetings for Monday, Sept. 26 in the Town of Verona.

The first meeting will take place at 6pm at the New London Fire Hall, located on Cornell Street in Rome.

At 7pm, the next meeting will take place at the Durhamville Fire Hall, located at 5305 Church Street in Durhamville.

Fritz has also scheduled a town hall-style meeting for Wednesday, September 28 at 8pm at the Verona Fire Hall, located at1 Volunteer Ave in Verona.

“This is not a town board meeting, but rather an opportunity for residents to connect with me personally. Last year, I held my first town hall-style meetings and was pleased by the number of residents who attended and shared their concerns with me. Given that, I thought this would be another good opportunity for residents of the Town of Verona to stop by and share with me any of their ideas, concerns, and/or questions,” said Scherz.  “I realize it’s sometimes difficult for residents to attend the town board meetings, so this is just another way for me to reach out.  I’m honored to serve the residents of the Town of Verona and look forward to having some informative conversations with them.”

For more information, go to: www.fritzscherz.com, call Fritz at:  (315) 363-3509 and/or email him at: fritz@fritzscherz.com.