Along the Mohawk #6

For the Mohawk Valley, Central New York region. 

Along the Mohawk features local music and interviews with musicians, storytellers, restaurateurs, and manufacturers and also features Soundscapes with local naturalist Matt Perry. The show will also include a short weekly old-time radio serial, Annie and the Loomis Gang, written and produced by Sharry and performed by a cast of local voice actors. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Steve Ponty Chevrolet and Herkimer, your local family-owned and operated Chevy dealer, presents Along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_06 0:10

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk, sharing the stories of the people and places where we belong.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Good morning, and welcome to our new Enhanced Radio Podcast, Along the Mohawk. I'm Sherry Whitney, and I'm glad you're here traveling with me today. Though this enhanced broadcast will premiere here every Sunday morning, don't forget you can take us with you anytime, anywhere you get your podcasts. Happy Easter Sunday! Because of the holiday, we thought we'd talk eggs and baby chicks. So we'll learn some new things about the Ukrainian tradition of Pisanke, and then we'll visit the baby chicks at Jones Family Farm. But first we'll learn about the historical figure, progressive Francis E. Spinner, from Herkimer County historian James Griner. I'm here at the Historic Four Corners in Herkimer at the Herkimer County Historical Society, a treasure trove of local trivia.

SPEAKER_19 1:12

Hello.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

He ran the original Herkimer County Trust, the bank. He was the under-sheriff at one point and the sheriff, then went to the New York State Assembly. Then we go right to Congress, where he's on a very important committee where he was rubbing elbows with another New Yorker, William H. Seward. When uh it came time for Lincoln to run for office, he switched parties immediately and became a Republican. And he campaigned vigorously in the Mohawk Valley for Lincoln. For this, Lincoln gave him his reward. He became the treasurer of the United States, meaning his fancy signature would be on all the legal paper money. Because there was a lot of counterfeiting in those days. His claim to fame here, too, is for women. There was a manpower shortage in the Treasury because of the Civil War, and he uh hired more women. They were very grateful to have the opportunity to work. Uh when he died, uh, these women are the ones that uh raised the money to have a statue of him erected in front of the Treasury building. That of course never happened, and it languished in the basement of the Corcoran Art Gallery for many years. Uh around 1901, something like that time period, uh, they brought the statue up, and it's placed in uh Myers Park here in Herkimer. And uh there's a nice quote something to the effect that the fact that I gave women jobs in the government is the most important thing I ever did in my life. And that's what we remember him here for.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

Read more about the fascinating history of Herkimer County. Visit the Herkimer County Historical Society and peruse the many books written by historian James Griner.

SPEAKER_15 3:11

Attention, listeners, your Mohawk Valley time travel experiment is about to commence. Stand by as we recalibrate the decades. Destination 1980.

SPEAKER_04 3:24

And here I am, Stangertown Square Mall in New Hartford. The place is buzzing just after its opening in 1980. Shoppers everywhere, kids, teenagers, families just wandering, nowhere special to be. Up ahead, J. Penny. Bright lights, racks to close, and that department store, huh? Across the way, steers, there's Hesses. Wow, remember Bradley's? Radio Shack, his walled in books, rows of paperbacks, magazines, and posters. So many posters, even blacklight ones. Cecilian Delight is here in 1980. Wow, I forgot they were part of it from the beginning. And of course, the record store. Final albums lined wall to wall. Cassettes for your walkman. You flip and flip, trying to decide what to spend your allowances on. People gathering and hanging out in the stunken food court. Just a Saturday at the mall. This wasn't just shopping. It was where you met friends, went on dates, spent hours doing absolutely nothing. And somehow it was everything. Stangertown Square, 1980. Well, time to get back to the future.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Coming up after the break, we'll talk to Anita Wellich about the Ukrainian tradition of Pisanke and visit the newly hatched chickens at Jones Family Farm. So please stay tuned.

SPEAKER_06 4:55

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_04 5:04

Big Apple Music in New Hartford has served Central New York and the best musicians since 1979. Guitars, amps, drums, sound systems, digital pianos, and school instruments, and providing sales, rentals, repairs, and musical instrument private lessons. Got an instrument that needs a little love? Let Big Apple Music repair it for you. Check us out for Sound System Installs and Repairs. The best brands for the best bands. Shop local, shop smart, shop Big Apple Music in New Hartford. Loving people for over 46 years. Check us out on Facebook and our website.

SPEAKER_11 5:37

Since 1917, NGMs Flooring America has delivered quality floors and expert installations. Plus, we offer 12 months of interest-free financing for qualified buyers. Stop by our location today.

SPEAKER_04 5:52

For 18 years, Primo Pizza Route 5 and Clinton has been making fresh dough daily for the best pizza around: New York style, upside-down, and cauliflower gluten-free pizza. If you live in their delivery area like Kirkland and Hamilton College residents, lucky you, you can have it delivered to your door. If not, stop by and pick up some hot, delicious pizza and crispy wings from Primo Pizza. Call 315-381-3231 or order online at enjoypremopizza.com.

SPEAKER_14 6:18

You work hard here in the Mohawk Valley. You make a difference. You leave your mark. You deserve a financial advisor who works hard to make a difference for your future.

SPEAKER_13 6:28

Investing for retirement, college, thinking about your legacy. We have spent most of our adult lives giving you straightforward answers for your financial decisions.

SPEAKER_14 6:38

We pride ourselves on being local, prudent, and trustworthy for you. Van Meter and Van Meter, with three offices to serve your financial future.

SPEAKER_04 6:49

Tom's Natural Foods in Clinton is a vibrant community food hub carrying local produce from area farmers like Jake's Guda, Jones Family Farm, Shaw's Maple, and Kingfisher Farm. Shop Tom's Natural Foods. Open Wednesday through Saturday at 3 Fountain Street in Clinton.

SPEAKER_02 7:14

I'm here at the Kirkland Arts Center in Clinton speaking with Executive Director Anita Welch. Anita, please tell me a little about the Ukrainian tradition of Pisankya.

SPEAKER_16 7:24

Right. So Pisankia, first of all, comes from the word Pisats in Ukrainian, which means to write. A very ancient tradition. It predates Christianity in Ukraine by hundreds, if not thousands, of years. So initially it was what we would call a pagan tradition. And then of course, when Vladimir the Great accepted Christianity in the year 988, that tradition then kind of rolled into a celebration of Easter and the resurrection, which is also a rebirth. It's coming back to life. How did you learn Pisankya? Oh, I grew up doing Pisankya. My father was a Ukrainian immigrant. He came after World War II, and this was a thing he taught us. And that's a little bit unusual because typically it's a tradition that is handed down by women. And the tradition in the villages was that the young women would take some eggs and they would give them to a young man that they were interested in as a gift. So it was a little bit of a courtship ritual as well. Why do you think it's important to carry on the tradition? So one reason is just the sense of Ukrainian identity, and not to get too much into politics, but in the war with Russia, Russia has consistently stated that Ukraine is basically just a colony of Russia and that their cultures are identical. And Ukrainians say, heck no, we have a rich tradition of our own, and Pisak is one example of it. The traditional designs vary from region to region in Ukraine. Further to the east, they're a little more floral. To the west, they're more geometric. Of course, nowadays you have access to many images, so you can do whatever kind of egg you want. But yeah, my the ones my father taught me are very much a Western Ukrainian designs. There's a legend that there is a dragon that represents all the evil in the world. And this dragon is chained to a cave. In a year when there are many Ukrainian Easter eggs made, the chain tightens. And he is drawn further into the cave. In a year when there are very few Ukrainian Easter eggs made, the chain loosens, and the dragon goes further out and can cause more destruction in the world. In a year when there are no Ukrainian Easter eggs made, the chain breaks.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

So you better keep the tradition alive.

SPEAKER_16 9:33

It's a mission. Exactly.

SPEAKER_10 9:43

Next up, live in the trim, it's Monica!

SPEAKER_19 9:53

You know I like to give options, so you get to pick. We're gonna do something about an octopus, Chicago, or something sweet. Octopus.

SPEAKER_18 10:06

Alright. Cephalompathy. Conscious thought happens within the brain. When I close my eyes, I feel my feet. While remaining between my ears. Sensation from afar, thoughts in one place. Here swims my brain. There I am. An octopus has the intelligence of a cat. Curious, material, sensitive, creatively sneaky. It too has a brain, but of a different kind. Much of its neurointelligence spreads into its legs. One arm literally thinks independently of another. So when in the darkness does an octopus exist at more than one place at a time? More than singularly governed, but octo-simultaneously aware, skin changing color and texture to camouflage any moat. How crazy brilliant is that? We dream fantasy of parallel universes, alternative realities, split personalities, multiple dualities. Does an octopus dream of quiet singularity? Of reduced sensitivity? Would she envy us or pity us? That dulled uni-aware myopathy. Something as drooled as humanity.

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Thank you.

unknown 11:49

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 11:52

That was Monica Reed presenting her poem Cephalo Empathy. On a warm rainy day this week, I ventured up Caldwell Road in Herkimer to Jones Family Farm to talk chicken with Susie Jones.

SPEAKER_20 12:16

Do you want to walk up there? Yeah, it's not raining. Alright, yeah, we'll walk up there today. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

Wow, it's nice it stopped raining.

SPEAKER_20 12:22

I know about five minutes. We'll have four brooders all going all at once. You should have 400 chicks all going at the same time. How long have you been raising chicks? We've been doing this about 20 years. So we started just raising them for ourselves. And then you start giving them to neighbors and see what they think. And you know, it's so nice when they love it. When you do something that people other people love.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Now you've been raising these for so long. Are they still cute and adorable to you?

SPEAKER_20 12:49

I mean they are very cute. So these guys right here are a week old. And already they're not as they're twice the size that they were a week ago. They grow so fast. Um and when they do come, they're just they're just little puffballs. Really, really cute. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:03

So when these when you set people up with raising chickens, what have you advised them that you didn't know and you prevent them from making the same mistakes?

SPEAKER_20 13:12

Yeah, you don't know what you don't know, right? Right? Right. So I often tell people, just start. That's the number one thing. You know, make sure that it's gonna be, especially if you're doing babies, you gotta have make sure that they're gonna be predator-proof. The little babies need to be warm. And there's a lot to read about it. You know, they need to be at least 95 degrees for the first week, and they they need the right kind of food. Don't skimp on the food. It needs to be the high protein in order to support their growth. Um, they need a lot of water, enough space for them to walk around, and uh hopefully they can get outside. That is a nice thing for to safely get outside. And um, so if you're raising chickens for the meat, what is the time period? So for chickens and the and the breed we raise, which is um uh Cornish Cross, it only takes six weeks until they're up to three pounds. Oh, it's like nothing. It's like nothing. Six weeks. Six weeks. I know, right? It's really fast. Called a Cornish cross developed at Cornell. Did that surprise you when you looked into raising chickens that it's a six-week? Yeah. Oh yeah, I had no idea. Now these guys really have been bred over time to grow, it's a larger breast. They call it like a double breast. And plus that it's kind of a weird thing to say, but they don't have like as many feathers, and they're white feathers, so they're easier to pluck, and once you've plucked them, there's really no evidence of them ever having feathers. If you think about kind of the now the mechanics of processing those chickens, which we do too.

SPEAKER_02 14:42

Now you process your own chickens.

SPEAKER_20 14:43

We do. We have a 5A slaughterhouse right here on the farm.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Now it's probably come a long way from like I hear people talking about their grandmothers and how they would process the chickens. How has that, I mean, how has it developed humanely?

SPEAKER_20 14:58

If you've ever held chickens, if you held them upside down, there's something about it they calm down. And a lot of animals, if you squeeze them just a little bit, it calms them down. Yeah, exactly. Then you do the deed and quickly.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

So that's now I know you didn't come necessarily from farming, and at one point you told me your bar for what is what I call something gross. Yeah, yeah, right.

SPEAKER_20 15:19

What I consider gross is like yeah, exactly as done.

SPEAKER_02 15:23

It's hard for people when they see these cute little fluffy chicks to think about that you're growing them for meat. But we eat chicken all the time and and we become detached from its source.

SPEAKER_20 15:32

First of all, I'd really love it when people use as much of the chicken as possible. Because, you know, this is this is work, and you know, we're creating a beautiful product, and hopefully people really, really enjoy it. I get very sad when people will only buy boneless skinless breasts. I think there's so much more to the chicken than that. So hopefully they'll they'll buy more. You know, it kind of comes down to what do you value? And and I know we all like to eat, we all have to, but um if we're not all in some way benefiting, including the chickens, you know, if they have a good life. I don't feel guilty about enjoying their meat.

SPEAKER_02 16:09

It's time for music along the mohawk, made possible by our friends at Big Apple Music in New Hartford. I sit down with the lead singer of the local band Not Robots, Adrian Stinger, over coffee at the Lucky Dog Bistro on West Park Row in Clinton. This band, Not Robots, has been together for 10 years, which is quite remarkable for a small town band. I ask Adrian about their early days and what's kept them together.

SPEAKER_03 16:37

With Not Robots, it's always what started out as to be an original band. Strictly original. It's like we were just always like, we're just gonna write our own stuff. Think anybody was like had any delusions of grandeur, like, oh we're gonna make it big or you know, do anything like that. We just kind of wanted to make our own stuff. Everybody shares maybe like a band or two that they're all influenced by, and I believe Pink Floyd, the Beatles, it kind of ended up being more of a classic rock that we all kind of gelled around. But we all have our own modern influences as well. Yeah, I love Radiohead, I love like the 90s, like uh No Nirvana and like SoundGuard and that grunge stuff, Allison Chains, that's a big influence on me. I think uh Nolan and as well. Coincidentally, the other three guys love fish, and I'm not really that much of a jam-band guy, but like it's so it is it's kind of weird how it all comes together, but you you build this camaraderie over, you know, you go to a show and then you you put the show on, and all these mishaps will happen throughout, and you come together, and it's just like this team building almost. So, like just over time you kind of like build up that rapport with each other, and then we just kind of got on really well, just all similar ages, you know, similar enough influences. Like we're all dads of like younger kids we were at that point anyway. You know, everybody's a little bit grown up now.

SPEAKER_02 17:51

Well, your first EP came out in 2021, and you won a Sammy.

SPEAKER_03 17:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 17:56

So, first time out of the gate, you win. What did that feel like?

SPEAKER_03 18:00

Incredible. I didn't expect anything off of that, but yeah, it was awesome, it was amazing, yeah. To be recognized by your peers, because that's all you're really gonna get in your little hometown, you know, is like if you think that you're doing something right. Yeah, you're doing something, yeah, you're doing good and your uh your music sounds awesome, then yeah, you're doing something right.

SPEAKER_07 18:16

So don't answer. Left hanging out you never lie. So will this time I found a bone innocent hill.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

So when people listen to your past EPs, what do you want them to feel?

SPEAKER_03 18:39

I obviously have things in mind when I'm writing the lyrics of, you know, subject matter and such like that, but I don't like to be like too on the nose with it. Obviously, I like everybody to get a little piece of whatever they feel, you know. Hopefully they'd just listen to it and and like it enough to listen to it again, you know.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

Is it loud? Like, do you listen to it loud?

SPEAKER_03 19:00

Uh yeah, all music deserves to be listened to loud, I think, you know, with the windows down and yeah, going fast on the on the road back rows.

SPEAKER_07 19:09

Rammy a stream of soiled with modern games.

SPEAKER_02 19:19

From 10 years, did you think it'd be here yourself?

SPEAKER_03 19:23

No, most local bands don't make it, you know, more than a couple years, honestly. Like if you I don't even know if I could count the bands that were around when we started playing that are still together today, right? That's it's hard to get longevity.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Oh, what do you got coming up?

SPEAKER_03 19:37

Um, oh I what I would say, Cat Stock 6 is coming up on May 9th. So everybody please come out to that. Not Robots, along with a bunch of other bands, will be performing, and this is a charity event for helping um cat shelters in the local area, Madison County, Ineida County area. And they do like an amazing, amazing job. Um, it's at Ineida VFW, uh, May 9th. Bring in a donation of cat food, cat litter, something like that, for you to get in, other than that. So yeah, it helps out the local cats of the community with near and dear to my heart.

unknown 20:10

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 20:11

Yeah.

unknown 20:12

Great. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 20:12

Yeah, no problem.

SPEAKER_02 20:14

To learn more and hear music by not robots and ticket information about Cat Stock 6 charity event, visit alongthemohawkradio.com. Here's a sample of their song, Go Peacefully, from their sophomore EP, Poltergeist.

SPEAKER_05 20:32

Crossover border lines in another life. You're the hero that we need.

SPEAKER_06 20:57

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_04 21:05

Big Apple Music in New Hartford has served Central New York and the best musicians since 1979. Guitars, amps, drums, sound systems, digital pianos, and school instruments, and providing sales, rentals, repairs, and musical instrument private lessons. Got an instrument that needs a little love? Let Big Apple Music repair it for you. Check us out for Sound System installs and repairs. The best brands for the best bands. Shop local, shop smart, shop Big Apple Music in New Hartford. Loving people for over 46 years. Check us out on Facebook and our website.

SPEAKER_11 21:37

Since 1917, NGMs Flooring America has delivered quality floors and expert installations.

SPEAKER_14 22:00

To make a difference for your future.

SPEAKER_13 22:02

Investing for retirement, college, thinking about your legacy. We've spent most of our adult lives giving you straightforward answers for your financial decisions.

SPEAKER_14 22:12

We pride ourselves on being local, prudent, and trustworthy for you. Van Meter and Van Meter, with three offices to serve your financial future.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

Steet Ponty Chevrolet in Herkimer, your local Chevy dealer, presents Annie and the Loomis Gang.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

Last week on Annie and the Loomis Gang, Annie O'Connor arrives at her uncle's farm in Waterville to find two men waiting at the gate. Told to return the next day, they come back early. On the hill, her horse startles and throws her to the ground. Down by the barn, Washington Loomis watches and laughs, stripping her of any advantage before the negotiation even begins. Episode 6. The Loomis Bargain.

SPEAKER_12 23:02

Woo! Woo!

SPEAKER_02 23:08

Washington Loomis and a tall, thin man in gray wait below by the gate. Hunter dashes frantically to the barn where Annie's late uncle's trusted friend and farm caretaker, Jedediah Marsh, waits. The horse runs to him and he takes the reins.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

Whoa, Hunter. Easy.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

Annie limps down the hill to the barn, pulling apple leaves from her auburn curls, trying to compose herself.

SPEAKER_09 23:30

Howdy neighbor, George Washington Loomis. A pleasure to finally meet you, Miss O'Connor. And good old Jedi, I reckon your Cayuga ancestors would be proud of you tending to Seamus' land after all this time. We owe the land. Sure, sure, let's talk business, Miss O'Connor. This is my nephew, so they tell me. Willie, say hi to the fine lady.

SPEAKER_02 23:51

The tall, thin man slumps forward. His watery blue eyes meet Annie's.

SPEAKER_08 23:56

Uh oh, it's you.

SPEAKER_17 23:57

Pardon? I don't believe we've met Oh, you're the man we passed in Mannheim yesterday. I believe we were heading the same way. Pleasure to meet you, Willie.

SPEAKER_09 24:06

William, please.

SPEAKER_17 24:08

William. My sister took you for a soldier.

SPEAKER_09 24:10

Ha! Willie, a soldier? I guess you could say that. Back to business. That's a feisty stallion you've got there. Quite a handful for a young lady, if you don't mind me saying.

SPEAKER_17 24:21

The stallion is not for sale. I'll be using him to travel back and forth to school to teach.

SPEAKER_09 24:26

My brother and I have an eye for quality. Land, horses, and other spirited sorts. I'm used to getting what I want, of course. Though perhaps we can focus on the draft horses for now. I do hope they haven't gotten too lazy.

SPEAKER_17 24:38

Jedediah has kept them well.

SPEAKER_09 24:41

Idle horses, idle land. I suppose your uncle's absence has left both waiting.

SPEAKER_17 24:46

Let's talk numbers, sir.

SPEAKER_09 24:47

75 each.

SPEAKER_17 24:48

I know they're worth, sir. 100 each.

SPEAKER_09 24:51

Well breadstock, indeed.

SPEAKER_17 24:52

I suppose good breeding shows itself in more ways than one, sir.

SPEAKER_09 24:56

Uncle? Are you sure we William, first lesson in business. Don't interrupt negotiations. You learn by watching, not talking, stand aside. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_17 25:07

I'll take no less than 100 each, and if that's too much for you, I'll sell them to the next interested party.

SPEAKER_09 25:12

You drive a hard bargain, miss, but I will take these horses off your hands. 200 it is. Jedediah, come help me fetch my new team. Pay the lady, Willy boy. Of course, I have it here.

SPEAKER_02 25:23

William pays Annie as Jedediah takes Wash Loomis to the barn. This will come in handy until I start teaching.

SPEAKER_17 25:34

I have my teaching, and I've never owned or even managed a hops farm. Thank you for the offer.

SPEAKER_10 25:38

My pleasure, Miss O'Connor.

SPEAKER_17 25:40

Annie, please.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

Wash Loomis rides up leading the draft horses. He tips his hat to Annie.

SPEAKER_09 25:46

Pleasure doing business with you, Miss O'Connor. Fair and square. But your uncle. I'm afraid he left a debt unsettled, and I filed a claim with the court. Until it's resolved, law's on my side, and I intend to take control of the farm myself.

SPEAKER_02 26:01

William mounts his horse, bows his head, and follows behind.

SPEAKER_09 26:04

Come on, Lily boy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

Annie stands frozen, clutching the bills tightly in her fist. The heavy realization spills over her that everything she had just gained and the farm itself could slip through her fingers.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Next week, Chapter 7. Rhoda Loomis.

SPEAKER_08 26:31

This is Mohawk Valley Soundscape for April 5th, 2026. Every week, beginning in early April, a few new voices seem to join the valley's chorus of songbirds. One of the more notable arrivals is the fox sparrow. This secretive rust-colored sparrow is noticeably larger than most of its fellow sparrows, and it carries an outsized reputation as a singer. The fox sparrow's song is subtle but distinctive, a series of whistles that often end in a loose jumble of notes. No two birds sound exactly alike. There is room in the song for individual expression. Yet one quality seems constant. The whistles have a slurred, almost tipsy character, as though the bird has been sampling fermented berries. Of course, it has not. Silent evidence that another northern summer has gone well.

SPEAKER_02 28:12

Thank you for tuning in today. We have many more adventures ahead, so please tune in again next week as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_12 28:22

As we travel along the Mohawk, sharing the stories of the people.