The Four Corners String Band, members of the NYS Old Time Fiddlers Assocation, will be playing a mix of old-time, folk, Celtic, and bluegrass tunes. (Submitted photo)

OTSELIC VALLEY — Please join us on Saturday, May 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for South Otselic's annual Fishing and Heritage Day, a celebration of its industrial, recreational, and cultural past.

Located in northwest Chenango County, this rural hamlet, home to the world-renowned Gladding Fishing Line Co., today a leading manufacturer of rope products. Along with one of New York State's 12 fish hatcheries, these provide the anchors for this special community heritage celebration.

This year's offerings at the Fish Hatchery include youth fishing programs, fly tying, fly casting, an aquarium, exhibitors, corn hole competitions, and a special art demonstration with public participation welcomed. In the Town Park there will once again be arts, crafts and antiques vendors, live music, food, and numerous non-profit organizations sharing information and displays.

At Gladding, visitors will find a rope braiding machine powered by those wishing to pedal the bicycle, and a chainsaw carver, who has donated a 3-foot-tall bald eagle to be raffled on that day. In addition, the new Fishing and Heritage Day commemorative cancellation stamp will be available at the South Otselic Post Office until 11:45 a.m.

The Otselic Valley Grange will once again provide their annual beef barbecue luncheon, where an extensive collection of vintage looms, spinning wheels, and sewing machines will be on display, along with several colorful quilts. Vintage tractors will be displayed in the center of town, with some on parade beginning at 1 p.m. At the same time, the annual duck derby will float their way down the Gorge brook where those with the winning numbers will receive cash prizes.

New this year will be a special exhibit in the Town Hall about local resident Grace Brown, whose tragic death in 1906 made national headlines. Guided walks will also be given at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the nearby Valley View Cemetery, where Grace is buried.

This free, family fun event attracts hundreds of people each year from the surrounding region. So please join us on the 20th in this Otselic Valley community, once touted as “the fishing line capital of the world."

For a complete schedule and listing of activities and programs, please visit our website at www.ovfish.org.

This program is made possible with public funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Earlville Opera House.

-Information provided by OVFH Association