Raise Money For A Volunteer FD While Enjoying Planes and Pancakes

This Saturday, May 21st will be the first of five scheduled fly-in breakfast fundraisers for the Middlefield Volunteer Fire Department. The event will be from 7:30 A.M. until 11:30 A.M. at the Cooperstown/Westville Airport, 866 State Route 166.

“Attendance is heavily weather related,” said Rick Williams owner of the airport. “We’re expecting 200-to-300 people. This is the first fly-in in two years because of Covid, so it is hard to know how many people will attend.”

Weather is also a factor in how many planes will participate on Saturday.

“There could be four or five if the weather is not nice,” Williams said. “And we could have as many as 30-or-40 if the weather is better. On a nice day in June, July and August there could be as many as 500 people attending the fly-in breakfast.”

According to the department’s website, Middlefield Fire Department has 16 volunteer firefighters and no paid staff. Doug Roberts is the fire chief. The Middlefield Volunteer Fire Department will be sponsoring five fly-in breakfast fundraisers. They are held every third Saturday May through September.

The donation is $9 for adults and $6 for children younger than 12 years of age. The meal includes pancakes with real maple syrup, sausages, eggs and beverages.

Road Trip: 14 Ways to Make Your Next Trip to Cooperstown Magical

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Take a Walk Along These 12 Charming Upstate New York 'Main Streets'

Typically the heart of any community is its Main Street. Upstate New York is no different. While big box stores, strip malls, and franchise restaurants can now be found at the outskirts of most towns, here are a dozen really nice small town Main Streets that would make for a perfect afternoon stroll. Check them out!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Nostalgia Alert! 11 Awesome Vintage Upstate General Stores and Five and Dime Stores

We all have memories of those great little five-and-dime stores and general stores of our youth. They were the heartbeat of our communities. They sold just about everything, you could get a pretty good meal in most of them, and of course, the showstopper was always the rows of penny candies. Upstate still has plenty of these stores around (some of them 100, 150, 170 years old!). Here is a list to start you on your trip back to the general stores of your youth. They are all great!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

20 Upstate New York Museums That Will Have Your Kids Saying, "Wow! That Was Fun! Can We Go Back?"

New York State has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to museums. And we have featured many of them i previous galleries. This one takes a look at children's museums. Most kids will admit that a museum seems like an "old person thing to do." But these special places will have your kids saying, "Mom, can we go back? That was great!"

Here is a list of 20 New York State museums that kids and teenagers will enjoy to the fullest. They are all pretty much hands-on museums and all encourage interaction with the young visitors.

These museums lean heavy on hands-on science exhibits, play areas, and specialty programs for all ages. Take a look at this gallery and see which one fits your family's ages. From high school kids to programs geared to the littlest tykes you will find one that fits perfectly for your group.

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio