Published: May 01, 2008 12:46 pm         

South Valley

By CAROL BRODIE

Our spring birds are continuing to arrive, as I was surprised to see the early arrival of our brown thrasher on April 22. We don’t usually see him until toward the end of May. I was even further surprised to spot two of them as I usually only see one each year. One sat in the top of the tree singing away while the other one was on the ground beneath the tree picking for food. Sharon Thompson says she also has a pair at her house; undoubtedly, they are the same pair. Sharon also reports that they have had a wild turkey out back near their pond every morning around 5:30, and a couple of Canada geese also visiting on their pond.

We also have had another eagle sighting, as Nancy Rackmyer saw her first bald eagle on Sunday, April 20, near her home outside of Pleasant Brook. Thanks, Nancy, for letting me know! I received a nice phone call last Saturday evening from Jane Ireland, of West Winfield. She had read my column where I asked my readers to let me know if they’d seen any phoebes, and she shared how they have a pair that arrive every spring. She reports that they arrived a while ago, and have been building their nest under the Irelands’ woodshed eaves. Thanks, Jane, for sharing! It’s neat to hear from people about their various birds. I’ve had numerous readers tell me they look specifically for this portion of my column each week, just to see what species of birds have been spotted. So keep those bird reports coming to me! I even had an email last Thursday morning from my sister, Donna, who lives in McGraw (near Cortland) sharing about her birds. She said they had both the male and female bluebirds checking out the nest boxes on April 11, but then they left. They came back two other days after that, but she says she hadn’t seen them in the past week, so she wonders if they will come back at all. She says their white crowned sparrows and a fox sparrow arrived on April 12 and the tree swallows on April 13. Schoharie County Maple Festival

We had an absolutely beautiful day for the 43rd Annual Schoharie County Maple Festival on Saturday, April 26. It was rather windy and outdoor vendors were constantly on their toes, attempting to keep their displays from blowing over, but everyone enjoyed the warm sunshine. Surprisingly, even with the price of gas, there were record crowds at this year’s festival. In all the years I’ve attended, I’ve never seen as many people there as this year. A couple people commented that it was more crowded than it is during the Cobleskill Fair! From hearing various comments made by people, I would say it was due to the long winter, and people wanting to get out and enjoy a relaxing day in the sunshine, and also the fact that there is free admission. It was terrific to have such a great turnout, but also terrific to see a wide variety of vendors with handmade items such candles, soaps, books, paintings, jewelry, kitchen towels and potholders, afghans, stained glass, woodworks and much more. Two of the most impressive to me were 3-D Artworks, with beautiful hand painted glassware and dimensional paintings, and Catskill Mountain Crafts, with creative wooden toys and lawn ornaments.

Many people also mentioned to me that they were glad to see more people there selling maple products, as there were four of us set up this year, including Brodie’s Sugar Bush, M&M Maple Farm, Stone House Farm and Wood Homestead Maple Syrup. All four of us, in fact, found out what the biggest seller is ... pure maple sugar, as we all ran out of it before the day was even up. As soon as we ran out of sugar, we started sending our customers to the other three vendors who were nearly out themselves. Although the festival itself is free, this year something different took place.

The Boy Scouts were at the gates to take donations if anyone wished to help with expenses of the festival. The response was tremendous, and board member Hope Coons was overwhelmed, saying they took in much more than they ever expected, and they are so grateful to everyone for the generous donations, whether large or small.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Birthday wishes go out to Madison Myers who will be six years old, Bonnie Thompson, Kayla Reiter, Steve Brodie, Marilyn Mollen, Melissa Mabie, and Nicole Young. A belated happy 40th birthday also goes to Daphne Thompson. Anniversary wishes go to Bruce and Michele VanDewerker and Jerry and Regina Miller.

Leland and Pat Mabie received a very nice early 50th anniversary gift when their daughter, Debbie Anderson, drove them to Virginia to visit relatives from Saturday through Tuesday, April 12 through 15. They enjoyed touring Washington, D.C. and visiting Arlington National Cemetery where they watched the Changing of the Guard. They also viewed the new World War II Monument. During their visit, they were houseguests of Leland and Pat’s nephew, Jerry and Ella Mabie, in Orange, Va. They also enjoyed visiting their sister-in-law, Gertie Mabie-Smith, also of Orange. On Monday evening, Ella prepared a delicious supper with lots of guests present. Pat says this gave her, Leland and Debbie the opportunity to see and visit with a lot of relatives and people they hadn’t seen in years. Among those present were Jerry’s sister, Missy Lam, and her son, Cody, and two of Jerry and Ella’s children, Melanie and Robert Sorrell, and Jerome and Denise Mabie and children, Anneliese and Hayden.

Bits and Pieces

It’s not everyday that you see someone from our local area on national television, but that’s where Gabriel Schechter, of Cooperstown, found himself when he was chosen to appear on the NBC game show, “Jeopardy.” The show was actually taped back in February, but was broadcast on Friday night, April 18. Mr. Schechter came out in the lead that night and was the champion, winning $19,600. He returned for the following Monday night edition to compete against two new contestants. That night, he was in top place, ahead of both contestants, until he answered the final question incorrectly. We congratulate him on his winnings and on a game well played.

Frank Brodie attended the Annual Vendor Meeting for the Pakatakan Farmers’ Market on Saturday, April 19. The meeting was held at the Margaretville Methodist Church, with a covered dish luncheon prior to the meeting. The Pakatakan Farmers’ Market will officially open for the season on Saturday, May 17, at the Round Barn in Halcottsville. It will be open every Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., until mid-October. Nancy Prill, Margaret Mabie, Betty Brown, Becky Brown, Jean Roy, Marion Schneegas, Marie VanSpanjie, and Kristie, Heather, and Holly Worden attended the Cooperstown Area Christian Women’s Club Luncheon, “Cutting Up With Aunt Bea,” at the Tally Ho in Richfield Springs on Monday, April 21. This month’s guest speaker was Mary A. Kayner, of Warsaw, with the topic, “I was Lonely, Confused, and Felt Empty Inside.” The special feature was “Aunt Bea’s Cookie Cutter Collection,” with Bea Worden of Richfield Springs. Special music, “Cookin’ Up a Tune,” was by Becky Brown of Roseboom. The cafe in Roseboom, formerly “Mama’s Kitchen,” is once again open and under new management, with a new name. The “Roseboom Country Cafe” officially opened for business on Wednesday, April 9. The cafe was reopened by David and Jennifer Miles, of Summit, and Jennifer tells me it is a family run business. I spoke to her about a week after they opened, and she was very optimistic, saying things were going well thus far. They kept busy with business during the week, but the first weekend especially was great, she reports.

It sounds like they have some really terrific menus, too. They are open everyday of the week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jennifer says that dinner comes with a full salad bar. Enjoy their fresh-baked bread and homemade soups. And I mean, homemade, not out of a can! They like cooking and serving homemade foods. For instance, Jennifer’s sister makes a delicious cake that patrons have really been enjoying. It’s a big hit and one of their most requested desserts. So if you’re looking for a great place to eat, be sure to give the Roseboom Country Cafe a try.

Jennifer says they must be doing something right, as she’s noticed quite a few of the same people coming in to eat in just their first week of being open.

And the cafe isn’t the only thing keeping the Miles family busy. They also have three very active little children that they are raising.

Have a great week, and be sure to keep all your great news coming to me! You can call me at (607) 264-3225.