PHARSALIA – A stone bench to honor Ed Sidote, aka Mr. Finger Lakes Trail, was set along the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) in Chenango County. A dedication will be held on Saturday. The public is invited; participants will meet at 10 a.m. in the lot behind Howard Johnson’s in Norwich.

Sidote has been involved with the Finger Lakes Trail for a long time. An early advocate, he also helped identify the trail’s location in and around Chenango County. He is constantly promoting hiking and the FLT, speaking to school and community groups and setting up displays at events. Ed is an End-to-End FLT hiker, number three of what now a list of 300 individuals, and has been chair the FLT End-to-End program for many years. Ed founded the FLT Bullthistle Hikers in 2004 with a bunch of other hiking enthusiasts, and served as Chair from 2004-2010. One of the FLTC named hikes is named for him and happens here in the county every July, and the section of trail through Chenango County has been dedicated in his honor. He is also involved with the Chenango Land Trust, the Chenango Bird Club, and at least a dozen other hiking organizations. At 93, he is still found trekking the trails and encouraging others.