While attending the Radically Rural conference in Keene, New Hampshire last week, three themes stood out as particularly relevant to Oneonta: “Reweave our social fabric,” “Re-engage the next generation,” and “Reframe the narrative.”

Like many small towns and cities, Oneonta faces challenges—shifting Main Street dynamics, a shrinking population, and occasional incivility. But what’s important is how we respond.

One of the benefits of living in a rural setting is the strength of our social bo...

The Oneonta Downtown Renaissance helps make it easier for community members to realize their visions, like the Oneonta Storefront Project that fills vacant windows with art, Oneonta High School student artwork on rubbish bins, and the interactive face boards created by local artists that were on full display during this past weekend’s City of the Hills Festival. I put my dog through one of the holes in the pizza-themed board in front of Nina’s so she could be a fluffy little pepperoni.

In a time when building consensus is difficult, it’s been easy to get behind the vision for downtown Oneonta to be a destination for both residents and visitors. The city-funded Oneonta Downtown Renaissance kicked off in June with the explicit purpose of attracting people downtown.

It’s especially exciting to see how the Downtown Renaissance has sparked a wave of community-driven initiatives, such as the Oneonta Storefront Project, which fills vacant storefronts with art, and downtown busines...

While watching a recent episode of The Bachelorette, an ABC2 commercial announced the Baltimore open casting call for The Bachelor at Maryland Live Casino on July 7. I texted my friend, “I’m going.”

I thought about wearing my Baltimore magazine “Top Single” button from February’s party, but thought, “Too much. Don’t crush the hopes of the other women at the casting call.”

The casino seems like a perfect place to find the next “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette.” So many lights! So much excitement! S