On Palm Sunday morning
in Cooperstown, the streets
were cold, windy, and mostly
empty. Then, a miracle. As if
fire alarms had been pulled,
people poured out of four
major churches, marched
through the streets, and converged
into a congregation
of four hundred in the middle
of Elm Street. In two hundred
years, the village had never
seen its like of this.
As a member of a notably
small minority (the Quakers),
I got to march with the
Presbyterians. And during
the worship I got to read the
Gospel _ proclaim it, really
(with the help of good amps),
out over the smiling, shivering
crowd.
That street service was
astounding. Waiting in the
Presbyterians’ chapel to begin
the march, I glanced down toward
St. Mary’s and reported
to Katie Boardman, ``The
Catholics are massing down
the street!’’ Without a second’s
pause, she asked, ``High mass
or low?’’
Again, by the time all had
gathered, we had a crowd of
about four hundred, buzzing
with scores of happy conversations
carried on across
denominational lines. These
were Cooperstown friends
and neighbors, but they sharing
something more: joy in
commemorating Christ’s last
entry into Jerusalem; and foreboding,
too, with the darkness
of Good Friday gathering on
the horizon.
How wonderful! These
varied Christians had put
aside doctrinal clashes and
were melded in their common
beliefs, the really important
ones. And how different from
past times, when Christians
stuck to their own turf or
growled suspiciously at one
another like dogs across common
property lines.
But these people had all
marched out of their churches
to share, and then marched
back with a deepened sense
of their own beliefs. Who says
the Spirit no longer moves
among us?
The disparate Christians
did so at the leading of their
pastors, who’d gathered to
plan the event. I think the
hero of the day was Father
John Rosson of St. Mary’s. For
years he’d lobbied for such a
meeting, not of minds, but of
hearts and spirits. This year
he succeeded, God bless him,
backed by the strong support
of Christ Church’s new rector
Mark Martin and the other
clerics. Father Mark, a grand
addition to Cooperstown, was
the master of logistics, arranging
for chairs to be delivered,
a brass consort to accompany
the hymns, a program to be
distributed. And he got the
willing cooperation of Mayor
and police in closing off Elm
Street.
How stirring was the event’s
hometown pageantry! First,
the marching congregations
merged on Elm Street, right
in front of the McGoldricks’
house. (They kindly powered
Rich Brown’s amps for us.)
Those converging crowds,
said one wag, reminded him
of the film, ``Gangs of New
York,’’ in which rival mobs
meet in the streets to battle
it out. Except that these folks
didn’t converge for battle.
They met to embrace.
The United Methodists had
the longest walk, all the way
from Chestnut and Glen Avenue.
(They’d planned to bring
along a donkey, but it fell sick
at the last minute; they did
bring a Methodist lamb.) The
Episcopalians cleverly slipped
down the alley beside their
church, crossed Fair Street,
and cut through the Presbyterians’
cemetery to Pioneer. The
Presbyterians (with invited
Quakers) just walked out their
own front door and down Elm.
And the Catholics, bless them,
emptied their church right
onto Elm and walked down to
the site behind Father Rosson,
who held a rustic cross made
of birch branches.
The colorful part of the
pageantry was in the clergy’s
vestments. Leading the Christ
Church contingent, Father
Mark, a tall and dignified man
in a scarlet cope, looked like
Cooperstown’s cardinal archbishop.
He was preceded by
a crucifer, candle-bearers and
other robed acolytes carrying
the palms. Hands down, they
took best-in-show.
But Father John came in
second, in his own scarlet
cope and with that eloquent
cross, and with Deacon Randy
Velez to back him up. And
Dr. Miriam Hathaway, whom
Presbyterians have come to
love as their interim pastor,
came in third with her handsome
purple stole; her church
also gets the blue ribbon in
the banner category. Methodist
pastor Sundar Samuel and
yours truly were rather drab
entries; though, in sturdy
overcoats, we were the warmest.
I forgot to say that Father
Mark also had his censer
along; and so the blessing
of palms by all the clergy
took place in clouds of sweet
smoke, with Fathers Mark and
John also flinging holy water
over the big crowd. (I think I
saw some Calvinists flinch.)
Then, after a moving homily
by Bassett chaplain Betsy Jay,
the congregations parted and
marched off with their palms,
back to their own church
services.
And, oh, friends, a perfect
final touch: While palms were
being distributed, a group of
schoolmates, come together
from the different churches,
got hold of some big, leafy
palm fronts. And, lining up
alongside each other, the boys
did a stadium wave. How the
Lord must have loved it!
READ ABOUT Atwell’s book, From Fly
Creek, Celebrating Life in Leatherstocking
Country, at JimAtwell.com.
Columns
Jim Atwell: A blessed coming together
- Columns
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From Fly Creek: Revving up for spring
Time to bring you up to date on Fly Creek’s happy clambering into Spring. First, the eatery scene. “Is Jerry’s open yet?” The answer is, “Oh, yes!” The porches are freshly stained; the lawns a uniform green, and the hop vines are already climbing the posts on the covered side deck. Blue and I went up there to lunch earlier this week, and I celebrated spring with my traditional bacon, onion and Swiss cheese hamburger. We two sat on the deck, enjoying the broad view and some spectacular clouds marching across, up toward Schuyler Lake.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: More from 1986 ...
This week we continue with the discussion of telephone service from the pre-dial days. On March 12 we noted that: “No one has yet produced a telephone directory from pre-dial days, but Doug Preston of New Hartford recalls that some business (which one?) in the village had the phone number 7.”
Continued ... -
Home Notes: Celebrations abound at the Thanksgiving Home
April was a month of celebrations and much to appreciate. We had a 90th birthday celebration for Wanda Noyes on April 4 including her family and friends. Personal care staff Dee Bouck worked with residents to hand paint Easter eggs for the tree in the activity room.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: 1986 continues ...
This week we continue our journey through the columns of 1986 with the answer to the question “for whom, according to tradition, was Hannah’s Hill named?”
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Baseball book features local contributors
Baseball is part of the nation’s fabric. Most kids have a memory of the game either from playing Little League, attending a major league contest or meeting a favorite player. In Cooperstown that feeling is magnified since we are the official home of baseball. We get to see firsthand what has made the sport the national pastime.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: Ya really wanna know?
SETTING: Fly Creek General Store. CAST: Assorted seated geezers, drinking coffee. [Door opens, enter heavy-set geezer; walking slowly with wide stance, maybe prostatitis.]
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: Returning to 1986 ...
For the past several years now we have undertaken sharing some of the area’s oral history we have collected over the years that we have written this column. Therefore, this year, we would like to go back to 1986 to share that rather unusual year. Those who were here then no doubt remember that it was that year that the village celebrated the bicentennial of its founding.
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From Fly Creek: For reasons unknowable
[Jim’s reached back to 2002 to share one of his favorite columns.] My father was born as the last century began into a river village in tidewater Maryland. He told me once of a man there in his boyhood who, like so many, made a thin living tonging for oysters in the cold months and, in the hot and humid ones, crabbing and raising vegetables.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: CCS balancing act ... side two
Last week we shared a number of activities in which students at CCS can participate. We thought it was an impressive, if not overwhelming, list. And we are indeed pleased that the young people of our area have these opportunities. However, we think it is also important to keep in mind that these undertakings do have a cost associated with them. They are not free. In fact there are, no doubt, those who would say they do not come cheap.
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From Fly Creek: A graceful crowd
Make of this what you will, friends. I feel I’m really meant to share it with you. Despite good medication for my Parkinsonism, every four or five weeks I can sensethe symptoms building up on me, giving me more than ordinary trouble. Lately it’s been falls, and last week brought a typical one. I’d gone out to get the paper, moving along with penguin steps on the snowcoved ice patches, and usingmy spike-tipped cane the waya climber uses an ice axe. But circumstances overcame me. Parkinson’s wipes out the possibility of multi-tasking.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: This and that and the other side ...
We note that the CCS Class of 2012 is presenting its senior class play, “Snow White” by Tim Kelly, this week with performances 7:30 p.m Thursday and Friday, March 29 and 30, and at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31. All performances will be at the Nicolas J. Sterling Auditorium at the Middle/High School.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: That green thing ...
Of late we have noticed that our email inbox has been much busier than usual. In fact, we find ourselves hard pressed to keep up with all the various messages we receive. As a result we suspect we have not answered some in as timely a fashion as might be thought appropriate.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: What you need to know
In their last Sunday’s bulletins, all 84 churches of Otsego County were to have carried announcements of an important meeting; most of them did. But because the announcement is so important, and not just to the churched, here it is again.
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Living the magic of ‘Hoosier’
A lot of people consider “Hoosiers” the best sports film of all time. The 1986 classic follows the exploits of a fictional small town Indiana high school basketball team in 1952 as it attempts to achieve the impossible dream of a state championship. The story is inspired by the true life achievement of the 1954 Milan team, who with an enrollment of only 161 students shocked big city power Muncie Central on a last second shot to win the state title. It’s the kind of sports story that represents something that is hard to grasp unless you live in a small town.
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In These Otsego Hills: The most perfect village... home to heavy industry?
We suspect we would get a whole lot more accomplished if we spent less time thinking, pondering and musing about things. In fact, there is a good possibility we might actually have completed our goal of cleaning the basement if we only focused on the task at hand, instead of trying to figure out the world around us. It almost makes us wonder if it is possible to think too much about things. We certainly hope not because should that be the case, we are in deep trouble.
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Up On Hawthorn Hill: The past in the present
Clichés abound about the value of photographs. Most are probably true at least to a certain extent. What I do know about an image is that it represents something of the past that is not the pastitself. But that is the power of any image. It represents something that once was. The beauty of an image, revisited, is that it functions as a catalystfor reliving in the present a past experience. My own view, one that I thank the Spanish writer Jorge Luis Borges for, is that all we ever can experience is the present.
Continued ... -
Home Notes: Workshops held for Thanksgiving Home residents
We welcomed Linda Keller, Ph.D. of the Bassett Research Institute and Ida Baker of NYCAMH who presented a six-week workshop for residents and staff.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: Late-winter hamlet news
Well, at least I’m “guessing” it’s late winter now — in the winter that wasn’t. But, if not snow, I can provide a flurry of Fly Creek news to share with you, scooping Associated Press, Reuter’s, and United Press International, not to mention all local news services except our General Store.
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In These Otsego Hills: Waiting for spring to have sprung ...
Difficult as it to believe, both January and February seem to have flown by and we find ourselves turning the calendar over to the month of March, which we have long thought is one of the more dreary months of the year. Of course, as in the pastthere are signs of spring as reflected by the tapping of the maple trees. For many years, the trees sprouted buckets to capture their all important sap. However, we now know to look for the sap collection lines that are strung from tree to tree.
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Book Notes: Kennedy: a unique individual
It’s been almost 50 years since the Kennedy assassination shocked the nation. Since then much has been written about President John F. Kennedy and whether he would have achieved his destiny (whatever that may have been) if he had lived. It is said he inspired young people in a way that has never been equaled. And there is the notion of Camelot, espoused by his widow Jackie, that there will never be a time of hope and promise like that again.
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From Fly Creek: Revving up for spring
