The O-town Scene

Scene the O-Town Vol. 1, No. 36 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 Josh Baldo, Whitney Bashaw, Sam Benedict, Brian Haak, Terry Ludwig, Jim Koury, Genevieve Pedulla, EDITOR OF THE DAILY STAR Sam Pollak Emily Popek, Lisa Ryther, Mark Simonson, Sam Spokony, Jennifer Tighe, Danielle Tonner and Cecelia Walsh-Russo. 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 have some “summer tips” in this issue _ how to make natural insect repellent, how to be safe while running in the heat, how to not get alcohol poisoning at a barbecue, and more things to keep in mind while you’re hav- ing hot fun in the summertime. Bicycling is connected with lots of tips, from being safe while riding to the fact that you’re being green simply because you’re riding. I recently started riding a bicycle again _ brought it to be tuned, got a lesson on how to shift gears, bought a lock, and off I went. It’s a mountain bike a friend gave me a really good deal on a couple of years ago, when I tied a wicker basket to the front with plastic string I found in my parents’ garage. But, I haven’t ridden it much since the initial thrill of having a bike with a basket. I’m shaky, because riding a bike is not, as they say, just like riding a bike. Today riding to The Daily Star, I got a what-are-you- doing?! hand gesture from an older woman in her car. At work, I learned bicycling rules are the same as driving rules, and that bikes are considered vehicles. So, no more taking that short cut down the one-way street again. Sorry, ma’am, if you’re reading. 2 O-Town Scene June 16, 2011 Tip _ Know the rules of the road. Some people at The Daily Star still won’t let me forget my car accident with a bicyclist two summers ago. The press foreman recently brought out the news clip with “hit by the vehicle driven by Cassandra Miller.” Here’s what really happened _ a bicyclist rode his bike into my car while making a left-hand turn without signaling. Here’s the good thing _ the bicyclist was wearing a helmet and wasn’t hurt at all. He and the news clip still live on. So, there’s another tip _ helmets help pro- tect you when you run into cars. Bicycling was my main form of transporta- tion until I was well into my junior year of high school. It wasn’t exercise or a throw- back activity, it was just the way I got from my house to my friend’s and then to Pie in the Sky for ice cream. Now, it’s another way to enjoy summer. And I’ll probably be bik- ing to get ice cream sometime soon. _ Cassandra Miller Cassandra Miller is the founder and editor of the O-Town Scene. She can be reached at editor@ otownscene.com.

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