Along The Mohawk #11

 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 Whitney and performed by a cast of local voice actors. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_18 0:01

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

SPEAKER_17 0:10

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

SPEAKER_18 0:21

Good morning. Thank you for traveling along the Mohawk with me today. I'm Sherry Whitney, and in celebration of Mother's Day, I'm going to talk about a couple of my favorite subjects, nature and gardening. We'll walk the Kirkland Trails with Ernest Williams, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Hamilton College, and talk about some of the native plants you can see along the trail. And speaking of native plants, we'll visit the garden of my friend Maggie Riley, who has transformed her small suburban yard in New York Mills into a living example of what native planting can do! My friend Maggie Riley started introducing native plants into her gardens seven or eight years ago. It's amazing the difference one person and one backyard can make, though you won't be able to necessarily hear it. During my garden tour, the activity of birds, bees, and butterflies was astounding. All responding to the native plants she's reintroduced. Hi Maggie, how are you? Hi Sherry, nice to see you. Glad you came to visit today. Well, thank you, and the sun came out and everything. Your garden has transformed quite a bit over the years. You are introducing a lot of what is known as a native. A lot of different native plants. What makes something native? What does that mean?

SPEAKER_08 1:43

Basically, native plants are kind of like the plants that are supposed to be here. They were here before humans introduced and changed things, before Europeans settled here. All of those plants are the native plants. They evolved together. So we live in a certain ecoregion. We live in the Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands, and that's our ecoregion.

SPEAKER_18 2:11

How did you get interested in this? Where did this come from?

SPEAKER_08 2:14

Well, I had gardened for a long time and I started reading about the biodiversity collapse and needing to plant plants for the bees and the pollinators. And then I had a friend who told me that she was taking out all these invasive species out of her yard and replacing them with native plants.

SPEAKER_18 2:35

So what's the difference between if I have a plant that's a non-native, it still has nectar? I mean, do birds and bees recognize these? Are they just more in symbiosis with them?

SPEAKER_08 2:45

They do recognize them. The reason why these native species are so, so very important is I'll just give you an example, which is that popular example, the monarch butterfly. The monarch butterfly's host plant, as you know, is milkweed. They can only lay their eggs on the leaves of a milkweed. And the caterpillars can only eat the leaves of that. So that is what's called their host plant. And if they don't have that plant, as everybody knows, then the monarch declines as it has.

SPEAKER_18 3:22

So that's a great example, and that's probably the case of lots of other bugs and butterflies and all those other things.

SPEAKER_08 3:29

All pollinators and insects have that special relationship, and that's that native species. It goes back way far, and these guys have kind of grown up together, they've evolved together and they need each other.

SPEAKER_18 3:42

And I see here you live in a little community, a lot of a neighborhood, but I see lots of bees and birds and uh buzzing around here, so you are like a little oasis of native plants here for these pollinators looking for what they're looking for.

SPEAKER_08 3:58

Yeah, and I always ask, how do they find me? I am an island somewhat here in suburbia, but they do find it. I we have so many more species now. It really is a wonderful feeling to be able to support more than just what I like.

SPEAKER_18 4:19

How would someone start? Like, say I have interest in attracting more birds and butterflies and giving them what they need. Where's a good place to start?

SPEAKER_08 4:26

I tell everybody that every little action and every little native plant matters. And lots of people will tell me I don't have much space, and I'm like, don't worry about it. I live on this teeny little suburban lot and we have over 40 trees on this lot, and you wouldn't know it by walking around. You can start with a container of herbs like basil and fennel and dill and coriander that the pollinators and the bees love. Truthfully, if you want to know what plants are native, there is an organization that I'm part of called the Wild Ones, Mohawk Valley chapter, and we call ourselves Long's Gone Wild. Lawn's Gone Wild. Long's Gone Wild, but not too wild.

SPEAKER_18 5:13

Well, thank you. This is fun. I'm excited about this and looking forward to learning more about what we can do in our own little backyard.

SPEAKER_08 5:20

And you're invited anytime, Sherry, you want to come or anybody wants to come and see what this actually looks like and how easy it is and how much you get from it. I'd like to continue our tour. How good!

SPEAKER_18 5:32

Thank you. To learn more about Maggie's Garden and the local chapter of Wild Ones, visit our website, alongthemohawkradio.com. There you will find information about upcoming plant sales, talks, and garden walks. After the break, we walk the Kirkland Trails with biologist Ernest Williams, and we go a little bit country with the Jesse Kay Band, so stay tuned.

SPEAKER_17 5:56

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_11 6:04

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_10 6:36

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SPEAKER_13 6:51

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_09 7:01

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SPEAKER_13 7:11

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SPEAKER_18 7:29

Today I'm meeting Ernest Williams, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Hamilton College at the Trailhead of the Kirkland Trails, just south of the village of Clinton on Dugway Road. He has worked as a volunteer with the Kirkland Trails, photographing the flora and fauna and producing a regular newsletter and nature blog about the trails. Well, thank you for joining me on this cool May morning.

SPEAKER_07 7:57

Well, if it had been sunny and warm, as I hoped it would be, it's nicer being out here. Well, this is a good time for birds. Yes. So there, Red Wing was just calling. Good marsh birds. I hear goldfinch. But here. Are you gonna use your cheat? Sure.

SPEAKER_14 8:22

I use it all the time.

SPEAKER_07 8:23

So let's see what Marlin is finding.

SPEAKER_19 8:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 8:27

Well, I heard a red wing there.

SPEAKER_19 8:31

There it is.

SPEAKER_07 8:34

Oh, that was yellow warbler. Did you hear that? Sweet, sweet, sweet, and sweet. Yeah. That's good. We have the warblers coming in. Good time for them to be back here. You can see areas where the canal had been, and there are a couple of old locks. So it's pretty interesting. You're looking at some of the history of the area with the Shenango Canal. But the canal was effective something like 30 years and then replaced by the train. So we're walking on what was the rail bed and why it's flat and straight, and every once in a while you see old railroad ties.

SPEAKER_18 9:09

Now, when did this idea to make this more accessible and become an actual trail for the public?

SPEAKER_07 9:16

So the trail really first opened in 2018. We knew about this trail, we looked into it. This was still New York State land, so we could get it. Kirkland Trails organization started and got it underway. And now we've got nine benches along here, so there are places to rest. It's not paved surface, but it is a flat cinder surface. There have been people with walkers that come out. Well the wheelchair if it was uh and strollers, families come with strollers.

SPEAKER_19 9:49

So how has the use of it been?

SPEAKER_07 9:52

It has become really a gift to the community.

SPEAKER_18 9:55

The long-term vision is to connect it with all the other established trails.

SPEAKER_07 9:59

Oh, wouldn't that be great?

SPEAKER_18 10:01

Yeah. I mean you could get to Utica and Rome.

SPEAKER_07 10:03

But also in this direction connects directly to the Marshall part that goes down towards the quarry. So right now you've got about six and a half miles of very good open trail.

SPEAKER_18 10:15

Now this trail is great because it it can give people a path that doesn't have the risk of going on the road. What other benefits are there to have these trails?

SPEAKER_07 10:25

First of all, it's very it's pretty safe, and you're not in tick infested area. You're away from the vegetation right here. So it's a place people can bring dogs, for example, without them getting full of ticks. Now, of course, we're hearing geese. Also, you see the bench right there, that's a pond. And so we want to be quiet coming up to the pond because there often are different uh birds around the pond.

SPEAKER_19 10:51

Okay, I'll try.

SPEAKER_07 10:53

So we go cautiously.

SPEAKER_19 10:59

Is there a name for this pond?

SPEAKER_07 11:02

No, we call it uh pond 10. We've marked distances from Dugway. This is a thousand yards from Dugway. We're going to get up to a part here that we call the glade, an open spot with a lot of things in flower around it. So here you're seeing marshmalligold. A lot of marshmalligold, and this will uh certainly be out next week.

SPEAKER_19 11:28

Well, it's amazing. The trail looks like it's been lined with the white trillium. It looks like it was planted.

SPEAKER_07 11:35

Well, trillium is a native wildflower here. And this is trulyum grandiflorum that the large white trillium does very well.

SPEAKER_19 11:43

Oh, there's the apta.

SPEAKER_07 11:44

Mayapple. Mayaple. That's it. I was gonna go see if I can see blossoms? Not a single leaf. But look where they're paired leaves. Uh stems with two leaves. That's where the flowers develop.

SPEAKER_19 11:57

They're very pretty leaves. Domed little umbrellas.

SPEAKER_07 12:00

Yes, right. Little umbrella shape. Okay, so we're almost to the glade. Fern relative. What is that again? Uh scouring rush. And they're called scouring rush because they've got a lot of silica in them. Campers needing to clean out pots could use these to scour their pots. And of course, this is false Solomon seal that's soon to open.

SPEAKER_18 12:23

Now, why is it called false solomon seal? Because it looks like Solomon's seal, but it's not.

SPEAKER_07 12:29

Pretty good guess. But it's in the same family. It's in the same family.

SPEAKER_19 12:34

Oh, that's beautiful. Look at that.

SPEAKER_07 12:36

Wow. Yes.

SPEAKER_19 12:37

So many trillium.

SPEAKER_07 12:38

This is the glade. Here's more of the blue kohosh. We'll see. But this is always a nice spot. And there's several different violets. I like the yellow violet as well as the blue and the white. And there actually is another unusual plant I'm looking for. Wild ginger. And we sometimes find the wild ginger. So let me look here. This is wild ginger. It produces a small purple-colored flower. That's the flower that's right down on the ground level. Interesting how the flowers are tucked right down in there.

SPEAKER_19 13:15

Oh, this is nice with the marsh down there.

SPEAKER_07 13:18

Yes. We're starting to get raindrops.

SPEAKER_19 13:21

Yes, well, it is still spring.

SPEAKER_07 13:25

And it will take a while to get this trail through the village of Clinton because that will require the use of roads and sidewalks to connect to the trail north of Clinton. Just opening up Golden Alexanders. Alright, so we're getting to the railroad monument. As the town was working on the trail, they came across one of the old markers, and there it is, and it shows that we are 263 miles from the end of this line. This was really done for the benefit of the community, and the community really is using it. We see people here all the time walking, walking dogs, biking, running, as you saw this morning. So it is well used. It has been a real benefit.

SPEAKER_19 14:18

Yeah, mentally and physically. Yes.

SPEAKER_07 14:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_19 14:21

Well, thank you very much, Ernest.

SPEAKER_07 14:22

Oh, you bet. Happy to talk with you. Happy to walk with you.

SPEAKER_18 14:26

To learn more about the Kirkland Trails, to become a member, and or subscribe to Ernest's newsletter, visit our website alongthemohawkradio.com. When local musician Kel LeClaire, who is open for acts such as Montgomery Gentry, Eric Paisley, and Randy Hauser, found himself without a band, he began searching for a new lead singer. That search led him to Jesse Kay, a young local country artist who was looking for a band. Though the Jesse K band is only a few months old, they are already building a strong following as a cover band. They've recently also released their first original song, That Damn Girl, which is beginning to gain attention. I recently caught up with the busy duo before their gig at the bunker in New Hartford. When did you start singing and how did you get introduced to singing?

SPEAKER_04 15:21

My parents used to have karaoke parties when I was a kid. So I started singing karaoke from a very young age. And then I grew up in church too. So I also joined our church band that we had, and I learned to play the electric guitar a little bit. I got some lessons with that. Who are you inspired by? What musicians? I grew up listening to a lot of like Shania Twain, some Loretta, like older style country, 90s country, 2000s. My dad had like outlawed hip-hop or pop. So like it was pretty much classic rock or country. Now I'm influenced heavily by like Laney and Ella Langley and stuff like that. And Kale mentioned that you are interested in songwriting. Yeah. I had started thinking about writing in the last year. I had one guy mention to me if I did any songwriting. And I said, No, I'm like, I have no idea how to even write songs. And he's like, Well, you don't have anything that you want to say. And I was like, I have lots that I want to say. And so, like, that kind of spurred me to try songwriting more. Tell me about the song That Damn Girl You Just Recorded. So our friend Rich Basucci wrote that song about a not very long-standing relationship that he had had. He has been writing a lot of songs and he has a whole album that he's putting out. Well, Cal, I think you mentioned me to Rich, and naturally I was like, of course, this is very exciting. I want to do this. Okay, so recording's one thing, but being on stage, are you a natural on stage or did you have to learn to be a performer? Um, it's very difficult for me to be on stage. I do high vest, but I I have gotten stage phrase since I was a little kid. I remember like being up on stage some of the first times and like my kneecaps start shaking. It it kind of almost turns into a whole persona, like the Jesse K thing turns into a persona.

SPEAKER_18 17:02

So you have no fear of barrel racing horses, but being on stage scares you.

SPEAKER_04 17:06

Oh no, there's there's fear in barrel racing too. Uh-huh. If you're not scared going to the first barrel, then you're not going fast enough.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

I don't I don't think you're afraid of being on stage because when I watch you on stage, you're completely energized. I've been on stage a lot for years. But Jesse, you're the main gal on stage, so we'll we'll start a gig and uh we'll get ready to play and I'll get my guitar on. I'll say, Alright, Jesse, go grab that mic and tell them what's going on. And I'll watch her and she'll take a deep breath and she'll go, okay.

SPEAKER_18 17:37

So let's let's talk about so so Kale, you were looking for a band. You love performing, you've been performing, and you found yourself without a band. So you wanted to find a lead singer.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

So for the last six years, I was the guitar player for a band called the Beatle Brothers. The lead singer ended up retiring.

SPEAKER_18 17:54

So you're a guy with a guitar and no band?

SPEAKER_01 17:57

I'm a guy with a guitar and no band. But I've played with a lot of different bands over the years, and you know, I I've been very fortunate where every time I was a guy with a guitar without a band, I always had an opportunity come up relatively quick. That didn't happen this time, so I said, you know what? Maybe it's time to go out and build something of my own again. And I was on Facebook, I just happened to see a post in one of those Facebook groups. Jesse was looking for a band. I stalked her, saw the little, you know, the videos that she put up, and I thought to myself, wow, this is there's there's something to work with here. There's a lot of potential.

SPEAKER_18 18:30

So her vibe and her sound matched what you were looking for.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

Yeah, I've been a country guitar player for the last 10 years or so. I haven't been able to play with a female country singer. She brings in the Laney Wilson, Ella Langley vibe. Big Ella Langley fan. I think she's absolutely awesome.

SPEAKER_18 18:47

And who's your band?

SPEAKER_01 18:48

So the band is a four-piece at the moment. Um, we also do duo shows as we are here at the bunker. But the band, we have Brandon Baldwin on drums and his father John Baldwin, who are actually the rhythm section in the Beatle Brothers. We got our little county fair tour we're doing in August. We're playing Otsego and Delaware and Shenango and playing the Southern Tier Music Fest on July 4th, which is really cool because we're opening for national recording artist Jackson Dean.

SPEAKER_04 19:16

I just feel like in New York or this this area that we have, we don't have female country, and I just feel like this could be so huge for this area. And I know a lot of girls, they want to go out, they want to hear Gretchen Wilson. You know what I mean? They want to hear some stuff that'll get them excited, like some feel-good music for the girls because the girls like to go out and dance.

SPEAKER_01 19:37

Female country music really hits in a different way. The women in the crowd, the crowd in general, it's just a different response, and it's just it's positive and it's energizing. It makes me fall in love with wanting to be on stage and perform all over again.

SPEAKER_18 19:51

So I think you're onto something.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Absolutely. I hope so. Yeah.

SPEAKER_18 19:55

Well, good luck, guys. Thank you so much. To learn more about the Jesse K band, their tour dates, and to hear their new release, That Damn Girl, visit alongthemohawkradio.com.

SPEAKER_05 20:07

Let no one just watch her memory take him slow. He writes songs about that damn girl still. Like she's a stylist, he's trying to fill every minutes. All he thinks about is her again and again. So let's go wait for him.

SPEAKER_18 21:03

After the break, chapter 9 of Annie and the Loomis Gang, and Matt Perry's MB Soundscape, The Great Cat Bird and the Brown Crash.

SPEAKER_11 21:16

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_10 21:48

Since 1917, NGMs Flooring America has delivered quality floors and expert installations, save on carpeting, laminate flooring, ceramic tiles, and more. Plus, we offer 12 months of interest free. Financing for qualified buyers. Stop by our location today.

SPEAKER_13 22:03

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_09 22:13

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_13 22:24

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_00 22:35

Last week on Annie and the Loomis Gang, despite her better judgment, Annie O'Connor forms an uneasy friendship with William Loomis, nephew of the notorious Wash Loomis. Though William warns her to stay out of the swamp, Annie's curiosity continues to grow. Now, she's forced to confront a more immediate danger: the threat of losing her uncle's farm to Wash Loomis. Chapter 9. Wash's Claim.

SPEAKER_18 23:02

Annie wakes to the sound of the rooster and distant hammering. She looks out the window and sees William down the fence line setting a new post. She makes her tea, still caught between sleep and morning, with the swamp lingering at the edge of it, turtles slipping through dark water, and marsh birds rising through the mist, beckoning her. Drawn by the arrival of the hot pickers, she walks up the hill to the orchard to watch them come into the fields. Looking back, Jedediah is there now, speaking with William. She heads down to greet them.

SPEAKER_03 23:36

Good morning, William. Hard at work, I see.

SPEAKER_12 23:38

Good day, Annie.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

Good morning, Shadow.

SPEAKER_15 23:42

Mr. Marsh. May I ask you a question? Yes. Why does Annie call you Ganya? Ganya Tay is my clan. So your name isn't Marsh?

SPEAKER_12 23:52

I answer to that name also. A name does not decide the direction a person walks. I like that. Miss Anne, the past is set, but today is not.

SPEAKER_03 24:03

The present work. Oh yes, goodness. Thank you, Ganya. I'm off to the clerk's office. I must get going, William.

SPEAKER_15 24:09

Of course. Be careful on the road.

SPEAKER_18 24:11

Annie heads to the barn to saddle up Hunter.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

I'll save the side saddle debate for another time. The practical way today. I ride astride. Come on, Hunter. Yeah!

SPEAKER_18 24:21

Annie rides north to Sangerfield to the office of the Town Clerk of Sangerfield.

SPEAKER_03 24:26

Good morning. I'm Annie O'Connor. Has anything been filed against my uncle, Seamus O'Connor?

SPEAKER_16 24:32

Let me see. Yes, here it is. W. Loomis versus S. O'Connor. Debt on note. Judgment entered for the plaintiff.

SPEAKER_03 24:42

On what basis?

SPEAKER_16 24:43

A promissory note was presented. No response was filed, so the matter proceeded in default. No response. Correct. When a defendant does not appear, the court may enter judgment based on the record before it.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

My uncle has been missing for 18 months.

SPEAKER_16 24:58

The court would not have known that unless formally notified.

SPEAKER_03 25:01

And the amount? What sum was awarded?

SPEAKER_16 25:04

$870 with cost and interest.

SPEAKER_03 25:07

May I see the note?

SPEAKER_16 25:08

The court does not retain the original instrument once judgment is entered.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

Then who holds it?

SPEAKER_16 25:13

Mr. Loomis. The filing lists Samuel Whittaker and Elias Crowell have sworn to the note's validity.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

And if I believe the witnesses were mistaken?

SPEAKER_16 25:23

The two men are closely associated with Mr. Loomis. I see. Miss O'Connor. Yes. If you wish to see the note itself, I'm afraid you will have to speak with Mr. Loomis directly.

SPEAKER_03 25:35

Then I'll need his address, please.

SPEAKER_16 25:37

Uh, Miss O'Connor, Washington Loomis is your neighbor.

SPEAKER_03 25:41

I beg your pardon?

SPEAKER_16 25:42

His place lies just to the south of your uncle's land.

SPEAKER_03 25:46

Then I know where to find him.

SPEAKER_00 25:49

Next week, Chapter 10. The Loomis Lair.

SPEAKER_06 26:03

This is Mohawk Valley Soundscape for early May 2026. The chorus of spring is still building. Migrants return daily. Territories are being claimed, and the morning air fills with familiar voices. But among them are two that stand apart, not for who they are, but for who they can become. From the shadowed edges of thickets comes the loose rambling song of the gray catbird. At first, the song seems disjointed, phrases strung together without pattern. A robin's note, a wren's scold, the fragment of a warbler's trill, each borrowed, reshaped, and delivered in a conversational tone, and then, almost as an aside, it reveals itself, a sharp nasal mewing call, sounding more like a cat than a bird. Not far away, often from a treetop perch, another voice rises, louder, more insistent, the brown thrasher. Where the catbird improvises, the thrasher proclaims. Its song comes in paired phrases, each repeated once, then again, clear, deliberate, and far-reaching. A phrase and echo, a phrase an echo, building a repertoire that can number in the hundreds. These are not simple songs, but acts of memory and invention. Each male draws from the soundscape around him, shaping his performance from what he has heard. In this way, the soundscape itself begins to speak. Its species, its rhythms, its history, reassembled in living form.

SPEAKER_18 28:08

Happy Mother's Day to the mothers out there! If you plan to go plant shopping, consider adding some native plants to your yard. Hope to see you again next week along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_17 28:21

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