The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/148479
Editor's Note|By Emily Popek An Embarrassment of Riches It's that time of year again when there seems to be so much of everything that it's almost overwhelming. I knew we had reached that saturation point of high-summer abundance when two things happened. First, I came in to work one morning to find a zucchini the size of a small billy club on my desk. (This wasn't totally a Random Act of Zucchini; I sort of have a standing order with my co-worker, who has a vegetable garden.) Normally, I would just take it home and saute it, or maybe make up some zucchini muffins. But after reading about the incredible things they do with food down at Table on Ten, I'm inspired to try something a little more creative. Read all about it on Pages 16-17 — and be sure to check out Marguerite Uhlmann-Bower's detailed guide to wild food on Page 18. How about sauteed zucchini with sheep sorrel and ox-eye daisy? Second, putting together the Coming Events section for this month's issue took me, roughly, half my life. It is MASSIVE. See it for yourself on Pages 26-30. And I know there are still more events that didn't make it in time for my deadline. (Which, by the way, is usually the last Thursday of the month.) It's not just that there's a ton of opportunities to see live music — which there are. You could even just pick one venue, such as Belleayre Mountain, Susquehanna Trail Campground or the Earlville Opera House, and still see a tremendous variety of genres on display. And you can't swing a cat without hitting a free concert in some park or another, be it Lakefront Park in Cooperstown, Gaines Park in Sherburne or the pavilion at Pathfinder Village in Edmeston. (We don't recommend cat-swinging, though. It's much easier to find these concerts, and other events, by visiting thedailystar.eviesays.com.) There are so many other things going on, from comedy at Belleayre to Shakespeare at the Franklin Stage Co. (and in reprise at the Cooperstown Theater Festival), not to mention fairs, and festivals, and garden parties and workshops and summer camps and square dances. And, and, and. Yup, it's high summer. And as overwhelming as it can be at times, it's also something we should appreciate — nay, revel in — while it lasts. Sometimes abundance can be paralyzing. As Barry Schwartz wrote in "The Paradox of Choice," "We may suffer from what economist Fred Hirsch called the 'tyranny of small decisions.' ... By the time we're done with our search, we may look back in horror at all the alternatives we've considered and discarded along the way." But rather than retreating into the comfort of routine, high summer offers us countless opportunities to make some new choices, however tyrannical that process may be, and try something new — whether it's listening to a band we've never heard before, or taking that zucchini from our garden (or, in my case, a coworker's garden) and finding a new recipe to try. Because, just like the fruits of the season, this abundance won't last forever. CONTENTS August 1-30, 2013 2 Masthead 3 Editor's Note 5 New Music Notes | Laygirl Fashion 6-7 ARTIST OF THE MONTH — Wijnanda Deroo 8 CANO Show Features Worldly Trio 10 DIVERSITY SCENE — The Twilight Zone 13 A Golden Age For Women on TV 14 YOGA LIFE — Dalai Lama's Life Tips 15 Distillery to Serve up 'Schoharie Shine' 16-17 ON THE COVER — Table on Ten 18 PURE & SIMPLE — Star Treatment 19 A Beer Festival About Nothing 20 Shadows and Movement at WKC 21 Furthur Plays Cooperstown 26-29 — COMING EVENTS & CALENDAR 31 — ADVICE GODDESS Emily F. Popek can be reached at epopek@ thedailystar.com. August 1, 2013 O-Town Scene 3