Last week, the Parish Hall at St. James Catholic Church in Cooperstown was transformed into a rugged wilderness filled with adventure, learning and faith. During the morning on Monday through Friday, the parish presented their annual Fun & Faith Vacation Bible School program with tons of opportunities for fun and just as many for spiritual growth.

Last Tuesday, St. John Lutheran Church and School in Maribel was buzzing with activity and excitement. That day, the congregation hosted its first-ever Day Camp for local youth featuring demonstrations, projects, games, prayer and fun. The Denmark News stopped by that afternoon to see the faithful fun for ourselves.

Last week, we ventured out to Cooperstown for a visit to the area's premier camping destination. Devils River Campground, located roughly four miles southeast of the Village of Denmark, has been a favorite stop for campers for nearly fifty years. Although it is right in our own backyard, many readers probably do not know how much the local campground has to offer to visitors from near or far.

Last week, two dozen people from the Denmark area made a long journey across the country to help others and grow in their faith. From July 12 through July 20, 17 high school students and young adults as well as seven adult chaperones traveled from Denmark to Lake Charles, Louisiana, as they took part in this year's annual One Degree Youth Ministry Mission Trip.

Last Monday night, the Town of Glenmore Board of Supervisors hosted their monthly meeting in the town's Community Center near Shirley. Prior to the meeting, a Public Hearing was held to discuss a potential change to a Certified Use Permit (CUP) for a manure pit. After calling the hearing to order, Chairman Ron Nowak read the notice allowed before opening the floor to any questions or comments.

Last Monday, the Village of Denmark Board of Trustees hosted their monthly meeting in Village Hall. Following the call to order, Pledge of Allegiance and roll call showing all members in attendance, the board unanimously approved the meeting's agenda and the consent agenda before hearing the monthly disbursement report from Trustee Jim Steffek.

This Sunday, community members are encouraged to come together to support a local couple going through a hard time. That day, Gatherings 43 in Denmark will host a special benefit fundraiser for Eric and Beck Laundrie featuring food, fun, prizes and lots of opportunities to support a couple who have given so much for their community.

This week, parishioners from St. James Catholic Church in Cooperstown are busy putting the finishing touches on a celebration that is nearly two centuries in the making. Next weekend, the parish will commemorate its 175th Anniversary with a range of festivities honoring the congregation's history, heritage and faith. We spoke with some of the parishioners involved with the celebration to get the full story.

Next Sunday, one and all are invited to join together in the Village of Denmark for a yearly celebration of summer and community. That day, the Denmark Lions Club will be hosting their annual Parade and Picnic featuring a day filled with activities for all ages to enjoy.

Last Tuesday, members and supporters of the Denmark Knights of Columbus Father Platta Council 4735 gathered in the All Saints Parish Hall for an annual celebration of the organization's accomplishments. That night, the council hosted its yearly Appreciation Night featuring food, prizes, reflection and commemoration of all the efforts undertaken by the organization and its members over the last 12 months.

Last Wednesday, 141 Speedway was host to a vehicular exhibition not typical for the storied race track. While the venue usually features a variety of cars rocketing around its track at high speeds, last week saw almost 30 antique tractors driven by local farmers and enthusiasts descend on the raceway for a couple of laps. The drivers were part of the Titletown Threshing Club who traveled from Langes Corners that morning with their tractors to take part.

Last week, a local sports legend was recognized and honored for their years of commitment to all things softball. On Friday night, during this year's 25th annual Boys of Summer Softball Tournament, Darren Derricks was inducted into the Circle Tap Softball Hall of Fame in recognition of his decades of dedication to both Circle Tap and the game of softball.

Editor's note: This summer, we have partnered with OneDenmark to bring you a series of articles about their organization and their ongoing project to renovate the former Early Childhood Center into a state-of-the-art Community Center. For our first article in this series, we decided to update readers on the first phase demolition that kicked off at the end of June.

Over the course of the last month, readers have probably observed the sudden uptick in work being done on a longtime vacant lot at the southeast corner of the Village of Denmark. For weeks now, crews have been seen moving dirt, removing trees and crushing large rocks to apparently make way for some kind of construction.

In 1999, the village sought to rebuild the downtown parking lot which had fallen into disrepair. The parking lot had last been paved in 1979 and desperately needed to be redone.

This weekend, one and all are invited to make their way out to Circle Tap for another year of a beloved summer tradition. This year's Boys of Summer Fastpitch Softball Tournament will take to historic John Miller Field this Friday, Saturday and Sunday for three days of world-class softball action with fun to be had by all.

Last weekend, hundreds gathered in Sugarbush to celebrate this Independence Day with two days of motorsport action and fun. On Friday and Saturday, the annual Sugarbush Modified Truck & Tractor Pulls were held on the track behind Davister’s Bar and St. Thomas the Apostle Church on the corner of County Highways P and N.