The O-town Scene

Scene the O-Town Vol. 1, No. 33 www.otownscene.com 102 Chestnut St., P.O. Box 250, Oneonta, NY 13820 (607) 432-1000, ext. 255, editor@otownscene.com EDITOR Cassandra Miller ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE DAILY STAR Adrienne Wise PUBLISHER Armand Nardi CONTRIBUTORS Mark Boshnack, Peter Eklund, Emily Ernsberger, Emily Greenberg, Matthew Harby, EDITOR OF THE DAILY STAR Sam Pollak Terry Ludwig, Jim Koury, Emily Popek, Lisa Ryther, James Derek Sapienza and Mark Simonson. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sean Lewis The O-Town Scene is published Thursdays by The Daily Star Inc. Free copies are distributed throughout Oneonta, as well as parts of Otsego, Delaware and Schoharie counties. Member of The Associated Press and CNHI News Service Editor’s Note We all get overextended sometimes. Recently for me, it’s gone something like this _ working a full-time job and two part-time gigs, event planning, visiting a boyfriend who lives 45 minutes away, being a groupie at friends’ band’s shows, not skipping boot camp classes, crying during Oprah’s final shows. My schedule is packed, and my friends and coworkers have similarly long lists of what fills their lives. I can’t imagine having children right now, let alone a dog. Baby wrens have just hatched in my strawberry plant, but I don’t really have to do anything except not touch them and avoid getting my eyes pecked out by Mama Wren. Life gets hectic for everyone, and cherry- on-top activities are necessary to balance stressful schedules. Summer in upstate New York is full of fun, fulfilling activities to keep up that easy pace of life we’re known for. With the input of friends and coworkers, I’ve complied a list of top upstate summer activities, which can be found on Pages 16 and 17. It includes activities I remember from my girlhood such as going to the Unadilla Drive- In, where we’d hide under blankets in back seats to avoid paying the $5 entrance fee, 2 O-Town Scene May 26, 2011 then socialize instead of watching movies like “Lilo and Stich” and “Road Trip.” Other memories include biking to Pie in the Sky to for its delicious ice cream; camping at the Sidney Dam with friends, sometimes skinning dipping at night; and going to the county fair, which was The Place to Be as a young teen. I haven’t been to a county fair in 10 years, but I’m planning to get back on the ferris wheel this summer. The drive-in and ice cream are on my list, too. Activities I’ve enjoyed in the two summers I’ve lived here as an adult include the fantastically unique Cooperstown Blues Express, the feel- good Ultimate Idol singing competition and the delicious debauchery of the annual Omme- gang beer festival. All of these activities have been godsends for entertaining my friends who have visited me from New York City and other well-populated parts of the country. Last sum- mer, baseball in Oneonta got even better with the addition of the Oneonta Outlaws “saloon” beer tent. I love watching baseball games under lights in the summer, but the addition of beer not only means that I can convince more people to attend games with me, but there will be even more cheering than usual. Woo! Upstate New York is glorious in the summer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I know I will. _ Cassandra Miller

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