Summer

2016

Editor Nancy DiPace Pfau

Photo by Bruce Button, Staff Photographer!

Number 30

LONG AWAITED THE SPA REVITALIZATION BEGINS

On Wednesday, June 1st, Sharon Springs Inc. hosted a groundbreaking
ceremony at the former Imperial Bathhouse on Main Street. Mayor Doug
Plummer and Supervisor Sandra Manko gave speeches welcoming the project.
SSI President Kyu Sung Cho spoke about the impact the new spa will have on
the area while Kevin Lee, project manager, talked about the plans for the $9
million construction of a Korean style spa blending the historic elements with
a modern interior space. A crowd of enthusiastic people then toured the site!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO BRUCE BUTTON AND LEE PUBLICATIONS FOR THEIR
CONTINUED SUPPORT IN PRINTING THE CHATTER!

JOSH KILMER-PURCELLS THOUGHTS ON THE NEW SPA

(Editors note: I love how Josh takes the theme from my book, Sharon and Sharon Springs, to
trace the history of diversity here.]

You've all heard us say repeatedly: "It takes a village to make a village."
Please help us congratulate Sharon Springs Resort & Spa on the official
groundbreaking ceremony yesterday with a hearty: Hi Neighbor! This Korean
investment group purchased several properties in Sharon Springs a few years
before we arrived, and have been working diligently on a business plan to restore
the bathhouses and several other Sharon Springs hospitality projects. (This is a
$9M+ complicated project, so it wasn't going to happen overnight. Initial work on
the properties actually began last year.) The result is going to be one of the most
luxurious and beautiful Asian-style spas in North America; that still respectfully
retains the historic character of Sharon Springs. Yesterday they shared their vision,
and it's incredible. Huge. Beautiful. And most importantly...backed by a sound
business plan. They are building on the efforts to save Sharon Springs' Main Street
pioneered by businesses like American Hotel, Cobbler & Company, Black Cat, and
others, who re-discovered and re-invested in Sharon Springs long before we
stumbled into town. Many many people have asked us what we think makes tiny
little Sharon Springs successful when so many other small towns are dying. One of
the important reasons, we believe, is that it has always sincerely embraced
diversity, and the new thinking & ideas that come with it. From the early days
when warring Native American tribes used Sharon Springs as a neutral meeting
place; to the arrival of the first settlers; to the 1800s appearance of wealthy New
York City Society spa visitors; to Jewish spa shift in the 20th century; to the
growing population of LGBT folks since the 1990s; to our newest Korean
entrepreneur neighbors....Sharon Springs has always been open to new ideas. We
don't believe Sharon Springs' success is pure coincidence. Very few small towns in
America have welcomed as many diverse populations throughout their history as
Sharon Springs has. In fact many small towns actively discourage "outsiders," and
new ways of thinking. We don't believe that embracing diversity and listening to
"outsiders" is simply "political correctness." We *know* it's good business.
Welcome Sharon Springs Resort & Spa! (scheduled opening: Summer 2017.) Not
bad for a village with a population of only 547 people!

Photo by Doug Plummer

VISTA VOLUNTEERS HELP WITH RENOVATION OF

CHALYBEATE

To add to the excitement in the village, work continues at Chalybeate Park.
Mayor Plummer writes, I got a call from SALT, Schoharie long term recovery.
Asking if we had any projects for their VISTA Volunteers . So on Tuesday, May
17th, 12 energetic volunteers showed up and completely gutted the changing
building. They were amazing! The next brick/ paver pad will go in in June, slow
but steady! Pacers are still for sale. All the trees and shrubs survived except one

burning bush that was felled by a lawn mower, thanks boys

. There may be
a chance that the VISTA volunteers will be able to paint the changing building as
well, fingers crossed. Joe Todd has suggested a lovely medium grey with a light
green in it with bright white trim. I think it's beautiful, and would really make the
Temple stand out. It's also time to really brainstorm about a use for the building.

 Photo by Bruce Button, Staff Photographer

Above is the lovely new quilt square, designed and painted by our own Joe
Todd! Unveiled during this years successful Garden Party Weekend, May 28
and 29 a great time was had by all who braved the heat and humidity!

MORE RESTORATION TO CELEBRATE:

Zenas Guest House
by Jane Busch

In August 2015 I purchased the house at the end of Pavilion Avenue that I
still call Zenas Guest House in honor of Zena Mende, who ran a boarding
house there for nearly fifty years. The house was likely built in 1838, when
Robert Stott a stonemason from England purchased the two-acre parcel
from Roswell Mallet of Canajoharie. In 1860, Stott and his wife Mary adopted
infant daughter Anna. Mary deeded the property to Anna in 1879. Five years
later, Anna married Fred Eldredge and the couple had four children. They
raised the rear ell of the house to two stories and probably began taking in
boarders. Fred died in 1902; Anna lived until 1929. The house remained in the
Eldredge family until 1946, when Angelina Damato purchased the property,
selling it a year later to Zena and Irving Mende. So, for the better part of
nearly 180 years, the house has been home to just two families.

The house was in poor condition when I bought it, particularly on the south
side where there was a hole in the roof. Friends have called my plan to
rehabilitate the house courageous (others say crazy), but it could never
happen without Steve Zerbys skill and expertise. He said he could repair the
house except for the badly deteriorated south wing and rear woodshed; he
and Drew Meka are making great progress. Steve and his associates will
replace sills, replace major sections of the framing, and install all new utilities,
just to name the biggest of the many tasks involved. What makes it
worthwhile is the original or early features that remain and will be restored,
including doors, windows, trim, hardware, floors, stair railing, and clapboard
siding. Target date for completion is summer 2017 wish us luck!

Photo of Zenas Guest House, then known as Eldredge House,

submitted by Jane Busch. Courtesy Sharon Historical Society.

HOPS FARMING by Sue Fink

Back to the future in Sharon Springs. Hops are growing again in New York.

My son, Conrad, became interested in growing hops in 2013. After attending hops-related
conferences and talking with the experts, he started a field on the top of my Alta Vista Farm
hill in 2014.

He began by planting 300 hops rhizomes in three cultivated rows, each about 300 feet long.
Each row of hops was planted with a different variety to determine which grew best in the
soil. He spaced four feet tall poles among the plants and then stretched wire between the
poles. Then long strings were attached to the wire and hung down to give each of the hop
vines something to cling to and wrap around as they grew. The plants did so well that first
year he eventually had to put up taller poles and the vines still grew taller than the poles.

Harvest time came that first year in late August. There were three of us picking the hops
while Conrad was busy organizing a hop-drying system. Those of us picking found the
hops extremely sticky things to pick an ended up having to wash our hands frequently. The
first-year yield was four pounds. The form of kiln for hops drying Conrad devised
consisted of wood frames about 24 x 24 inches square with mesh screening attached to the
bottoms. The hops were spread into each box and electric heaters were placed under them
with fans blowing the heat up to the hops. It was a laborious effort, but it worked for the
amount of hops we harvested.

Conrad took the dried hops to Green Wolf Brewing Company in Middleburgh and later
bought some of the beer made with his hops.

In 2015, with the help of two former Georgetown University students, he extended the
hops field to two and a half acres by putting up poles 24 feet tall and increasing the rows to
23. Four feet of each pole went under ground to provide stability for the overhead wires
that eventually would support the growing vines. Good friends and neighbors, John read
and Alden and Steve Witham, assisted with mechanical and physical power.

The hops that second year came from the first three rows planted in 2014. The best hops
come after a third tears growth. The twine the hops grew on were cut top and bottom and
taken to a place near Oneonta where a machine stripped the hops off the vines. Conrad
then constructed a big wooden box, an oast essentially, with a heating arrangement for
drying the hops.

After the hops were dried, they were taken to Northern Eagle in Oneonta to be converted
into pellets. The hops were run through a machine that chopped and minced them until
they were the proper consistency to convert into pellets. The pellets when finished looked
the size and shape of some medication from a pharmacy, or rabbit food. He then sold the
pellets to a brewer.

This year he has replaced the occasional plants that did not make it through the 2015
season. Again, he has helpers. This year there are hard-working SUNY Cobleskill
agriculture students interning as helpers. We expect and hope all the work produce a
great crop.

All involved have learned a lot from this endeavor. Including me. I am the gofer!

Photo by Kathy Read showing the Withams and Conrad putting up the hops poles.
Mechanics and Muscles!

A RECIPE FROM DAN WOOD AT EDGEFIELD B&B

Blueberry season is ahead! This dessert is a delightful combination of cooked and

fresh blueberries and is included in The Sharon Springs Community Cookbook
available at Cobbler & Co, Beekman Mercantile 1802, The Black Cat, Grahams
Goods, Spring House Sa, The Teepee, The Plaid Palette in Cherry Valley, and
Amazon.com.
ELSIES BLUEBERRY THANG
Crust
1 cup flour
cup butter
1 T vinegar

2 T sugar
Pinch of salt

Combine in food processor and press into bottom and up sides of 9 springform
pan.
Filling
2 c. blueberries, rinsed but not dried
cup sugar
2 T flour
tsp. cinnamon
Mix together and pour into crust. Bake at 400F for 50 minutes. Cool completely.
On top, add one cup (or more) of blueberries, rinsed and dried.
Dust with powdered sugar.

ROSE MARIE TRAPANIS ARTICHOKE CROSTATA

Our friend Rose Marie's Artichoke Crostata is a fairly simple to make and
incredibly satisfying dish.
Prep time: 15 Min
Cook time: 40 Min
Total time: 55 Min
(recipe continues on next page)

INGREDIENTS:
1 can quartered artichokes-drained
1 6oz. jar marinated artichokes-drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella
cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 cup sour cream
1 envelope Knorr vegetable soup mix
cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
cup oven dried plum tomatoes-chopped (substitute rehydrated sundried tomatoes)
1 pie crust

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Spray a 9inch spring form pan with olive oil spray. Coat pan with about 2
tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
unroll pie crust into pan.
In a large bowl mix all ingredients except marinated artichokes and rest of
breadcrumbs.
pour filling into crust. Arrange marinated artichokes on top and sprinkle rest of
breadcrumbs over them.
Fold edges of crust around filling. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 35-40
minutes.

Sharon Springs Cooking Diva, Rosemarie Trapane, with her lovely daughter,
Faye, at this years Garden Party.

CELEBRATING MEMORIAL/DECORATION DAY MAY 30TH

Photo by Bruce Button, Staff Photographer

This years Sharon Springs parade was enlivened by the presence of Abraham
Lincoln and his Union soldiers. Lincoln, aka Pete Lindemann, gave a
heartening speech using Lincolns writings. It was a day of remembrance with
a special presentation from Sharon Springs Central Schools FBLA, a check for
$425 given to the American Legions Tony Desmond to be used for
rehabilitation of local veterans.

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Schoharie County-wide Fourth of July Celebration

What better place to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend than in Schoharie County! Events are being
planned all throughout the county. The extended weekend event is being coordinated by the Sharon
Springs Chamber of Commerce. While Cobleskill has traditional hosted the Fourth of July event, due to
th

street construction and the fairgrounds not being available of the 4 , the schedule has been changed and
this year, events are being spread throughout the county. The traditional fireworks celebration is still
being held but has been moved to Saturday, July 2

nd

at the Fairgrounds in Cobleskill, along with a Family

Fun Day being planned at the Fairgrounds during the day on Saturday. Below is a partial list of events
that are being planned.
July 1st - Middleburgh - First Friday Night Event
July 1st - Schoharie - Friday Night Event
July 2nd - Cobleskill - 1 PM - Family Fun Day with Music - Fairgrounds
July 2nd - Cobleskill - Evening Fireworks - Fairgrounds
July 4th - Sharon Springs - 10 AM - Countywide Fourth of July Parade
July 4th - Dr. Best Museum - Middleburgh - 11AM, Forged with Fire and Iron; 12:30 PM,
Appraisal Event
July 4th - Sharon Springs - 11:30 AM - Picnic and Music In Chalybeate Spring Park
July 4th - Old Stone Fort - 1 PM to 4 PM - Living History Events
July 6th - Sharon Spring - 7 PM - Arts Council Concert - Chalybeate Spring Park
(Many more events to be added to this initial list.)
For more information on the extended weekend event, please visit
www.sharonspringschamber.com/fourth-of-july-weekend-in-schoharie-county/
or contact Ron Ketelsen, Sharon Springs Chamber President.

Other events worth noting:

Antique tractor show at Sunnycrest Orchard, June 19th
Glimmerglass Festival Opening Night July 8th

SHARON REPRESENTED AT COUNTY REMEMBRANCE

At Old Stone Fort, Schoharie, Abby Reynolds of SSCS read the following poem
dedicating it to the memory of her Great Grandfather, Anthony DiPace, killed
in action at the Battle of the Bulge, December 26, 1944.

A Box Comes Home by John Ciardi

I remember the United States of America

As a flag-draped box with Arthur in it
And six marines to bear it on their shoulders.
I wonder how someone once came to remember
The Empire of the East and the Empire of the West.
As an urn maybe delivered by chariot.
You could bring Germany back on a shield once
And France in a plume. England, I suppose,
Kept coming back a long time as a letter.
Once I saw Arthur dressed as the United States
of America. Now I see the United States
of America as Arthur in flag-sealed domino.
And I would pray more good of Arthur
Than I can wholly believe. I would pray
An agreement with the United States of America
To equal Arthurs living as it equals his dying
At the red-taped grave in Woodmere
By the rain and oak leaves on the domino.