o ... To organizers of the 18th annual Summer Art Workshop in Gilbertsville.

The event was sponsored by the Gilbertsville Baptist Church and the Village of Gilbertsville Summer Recreation Program. The theme of the weeklong program, which was open to all, was "Light and Shadow."

The classes, which cost $25 for children and $30 for adults, were not meant for professional artists, but designed to help develop artistic skills in anyone who has the desire to learn. The program was led by the Rev. Randolph Palada, with help from guest artists and interns.

The 55 participants were divided by grade level, ranging from kindergarten to adults, organizers said.

The program offers local residents a good way to express themselves and maybe learn something new over the summer.

We applaud Palada and everyone else who made the workshop possible.

o ... To the village of Sidney for again making it to the state level in the best-tasting municipal water competition.

The village won the county competition held by the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce in July. It beat out Cincinnatus, Trumansburg and Endicott in the regional competition earlier this month.

Sidney, which won the state competition in 1989, will face the other regional winners at the New York State Fair today.

Last year, there was no local competition because of area flooding. To be at this stage a year later, Sidney water superintendent Jim Nordberg said, "It’s kind of nice."

We agree. We say "good luck" to Sidney today.

o ... To the Oneonta Historical Society for its recent panel discussion, "The Past, the Present, and the Future: What Should We Be Saving Now?"

Organizers said they hoped strategies of preservation or perhaps ideas for projects could result from the event.

Dominick Reisen, president of the Otsego County Historical Association, said now is the time to weigh what and how things should be preserved, whether the mundane objects of daily life, buildings with historical significance or the vistas seen from area roadways.

Reisen said he doesn’t believe that everything old should be saved. "We don’t necessarily need to preserve every house of the common farmer," he said.

It’s important to balance preserving our history and fostering growth. We hope the discussion continues.

o ... To Nelson Stiles, support magistrate for Otsego and Delaware counties, who retired earlier this month.

As a support magistrate for more than 21 years, he worked through counties’ family courts, deciding issues of paternity and child support.

Stiles, a former assistant Chenango County lawyer who lives in Norwich, said a support magistrate’s decisions are binding, although they may be appealed to a family court judge.

Stiles, 64, said it is a difficult job.

``You’re dealing with people in conflict,’’ he noted, ``and it’s hard to please everybody.’’

We wish Stiles the best in retirement, and thank him for his more than two decades of service to the area.