Published: May 15, 2009 09:51 am      

The village is coming alive

By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer

Cooperstown is very seasonal. In the winter it appears to be much like a ghost town while in the summer people wearing baseball caps, uniforms, and t-shirts swarm the streets. As restaurants, shops, museums and other tourist attractions open, finding a parking spot can be almost impossible.

According to Mike Butler, regional president of AAA, tourism numbers are down in most areas, with the exception of the village of Cooperstown. He says he believes Cooperstown is a bit more resilient than other tourism destinations because the village has a “built-in following.”

This year might be a little different, according to Butler, because of the cancellation of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Game. Although the game will be replaced with the Father’s Day Classic, Butler says it is hard to determine whether or not that game will be as popular.

Baseball Hall of Fame official Brand Horn, says he is optimistic about what is in store for the Hall. He says interest for the Classic, which will debut over Father’s Day Weekend on June 21, has been incredibly strong.

``We have fabulous programming planned for the entire weekend and feel confident the game will promote tourism,’’ says Horn.

The first-ever Classic Weekend will feature Hall of Famers and former major leaguers in a seven-inning exhibition fame. The first pitch is slated for 2 p.m. on Father’s Day. The game will be preceded by the Cooperstown Game Day Parade on Main Street at noon and a hitting contest featuring several former major leaguers at 1 p.m. at Doubleday Field.

Before the game on Saturday, Horn says families will get the chance to play catch at Doubleday Field from noon to 2 p.m. A limited number of participants can register for the event. Registration will begin on Tuesday, May 26, exclusively for members by phone by calling 547-0397.

A youth skills clinic will be open exclusively for members ages 12 and under beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Doubleday Field. Registration will begin on May 26 by calling 547-0397.

A special Father’s Day edition of the ``Voices of the Game’’ program will take place on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Grandstand Theater. Tickets will first be made available to members on May 26 by calling 547- 0397.

Also as part of the weekend festivities, the museum will welcome Harold Theurer Jr., author of ``Hey Dad! Let’s Have a Catch,’’ at 10:30 a.m. for a museum program on Sunday. At 10 a.m. on Sunday, the museum will feature a special reunion of Steve Wulf of ôESPN The Magazine’’ and Pat O’Donnell, whose story of leaving behind an image of his dad in the museum became the basis for a ``Sports Illustratedö piece in 1994 on fathers and sons. Both events are first-come, first-serve admittance and are included with museum admission.

``We feel confident that the closer we get to Father’s Day Weekend, the excitement will continue to build,’’ said Horn. ``We think this year will be a great start for future years to come.’’

Horn says he is also very confident that this year’s Induction Weekend will draw a fairly large crowd. He says although it is a little early to tell, phone calls and membership inquiries indicate that attendance numbers will be good.

This year’s inductees will include two left fielders — Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice. Henderson wore nine different big league uniforms, while Rice just wore one— that of the Boston Red Sox.

Horn says because Rice was such a ôlegendö in Boston, which is within driving distance to the Hall, he believes this will help draw people to the Induction Ceremony. He played his entire career with the Sox, so he has quite the fan following, says Horn.

Although Henderson’s plaque will feature the ‘A’ that he wore in green and gold for parts of 14 of his big league season, Horn says he also had very productive years with the New York Yankees. Horn says the Hall’s outreach is national, but he believes because both players had good years on teams within close proximity to the Hall, this will be an added bonus when attracting people to Induction festivities.

Horn says the Hall is a convenient driving destination to five boarding states, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Vermont, which he says is another positive.

According to Horn, the Hall of Fame is starting the season off with a bang by giving baseball fans more reasons to visit Cooperstown. One thing the Hall is doing earlier in the season this year, is featuring more Hall of Famers, says Horn.

For example, on Saturday, April 25, Hank Aaron served as the guest of honor for the unveiling of a permanent exhibit based on his life, titled ``Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream.’’

With our new exhibits and special events and programs we believe a very exciting spring and summer are on the horizon, says Horn.

Orlando Cepeda, one of nine Latin American-born players to be elected to the Hall of Fame, will appear at the opening of the Hall’s latest exhibit, ``Viva Baseball!’’ on May 23. ``Viva Baseball!’’ will celebrate the history of baseball in the Caribbean Basin and the contributions of Latin American and Latino ballplayers to America’s National Pastime.

The day will include a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. and programs all day.

The Hall of Fame has liked with the York State Historical Association (NYSHA) to offer a reciprocal member admission during the month of May. Active members of the Hall will be provided complimentary admission as afforded by their membership level to the Farmers’ Museum and Fenimore Art Museum and active members of NYSHA will be provided complementary admission as afforded by their membership level to the Hall. Members of wither museum will need to show their membership card and another form of identification to receive these benefits.

D. Stephen Elliot, president and CEO of New and the Farmes’ Museum, says his staff has had to make cuts to accommodate the changes in the economy, but one place they are not cutting is in marketing. Elliot says the marketing budget has been increased and people will soon be seeing brief television clips and billboard advertisements in areas within a day’s drive such as Albany, Binghamton and Syracuse.

``We feel it is a good time to strengthen out marketing approach,’’ says Elliot.

Elliot says the mission is to deliver once people arrive. ``We work hard at tweaking the quality of the visitors’ experiences,’’ he says.

``It’s important in this environment to continue good things.’’

Elliot says although money could have been saved by pulling back on or not replacing existing exhibitions that is not going to be the case this year. He says the Fenimore Art Museum is organizing the first major exhibition on the topic of American artists’ deceptions of the 19th-century Rome called, ``America’s Rome: Artists in the Eternal City, 1800-1900.’’

The exhibition, inspired by the work of William L. Vance in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Dr. Vance’s landmark book, ``America’s Rome,’’ is scheduled to open May 23 and will be on display at the Fenimore until Dec. 31. The exhibition, which Elliot says will eventually travel nationally, contains about 80 paintings and details three themes that run throughout these paintings.

An exhibition called ``Wild Times! A New York State Animal Vacation,’’ will also open on May 23 at the Farmers’ Museum. This exhibition is inspired by the Empire State Carousel at the Farmers’ Museum and showcases some of the animals of the carouse by exploring their natural history, mythology, social history, art history and use in pop culture.