Along The Mohawk #14

 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_12 0:01

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

SPEAKER_05 0:10

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

SPEAKER_12 0:21

Good morning. Thank you for traveling with me today along the Mohawk. I'm Sherry Whitney. Later in the show, we have Maggie's Minute about battling those local invasive plants. And we'll hear the sounds of beaver kits in their lodge on MV Soundscapes with Matt Perry. But first, we learn about Utica's connection to the potato at the Oneida County History Center with Director of Public Relations, Patrick Reynolds. So, Patrick, we're here in front of a display that says Potato Mania.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Sure, the Potato Mania is part of a larger agricultural exhibit. Specifically, this talks about a man named Chauncey Goodrich, who we consider the patron saint of potatoes. And every French fry or potato chip that you eat can be attributed to Chauncey Goodrich and his work in Utica, New York. And the story is he was working at the uh lunatic asylum as it was called at the time. He was the reverend, but he uh was an amateur botanist. And when the potato blight came, first it was America, then it was Ireland where it caused great starvation, but in America the potatoes were dying, so he sought to remedy the situation.

SPEAKER_12 1:29

What was causing the potatoes to not thrive?

SPEAKER_02 1:32

You know, well, this is kind of before there was real science, but he believed that they were being inbred too much because to grow potato, you take a potato from an existing plant and grow it. So he got potatoes from South America and crossbred them with locally growing potatoes, if you would, and develop a new variety called the red garnet chili potato. And that is the genetic ancestor to the russet potato.

SPEAKER_12 1:59

Is chili from where he got the potato?

SPEAKER_02 2:01

Exactly, South America. Because that's the word potatoes came from. They're a new world vegetable. His potato caught on Luther Burbank from California and Massachusetts made the russet potato, which is the most widely grown potato, and that's every French rye. And its great grandfather is right here from Utica.

SPEAKER_12 2:17

So you're saying if you go through a McDonald's drive-thru anywhere in the world, the potatoes can be traced back to Utica, New York?

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Exactly. They are. They have their genetic tests have been done, and it's he he basically saved the world because thousands of people were dying, and the food that it provided actually drove the industrial revolution, and all the changes we had can be attributed to Chauncey, Goodrich, and Utica. Potatoes are the most calories per acre you can grow, but they also provide vitamin C, which keeps you from getting scurvy.

SPEAKER_06 2:57

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

SPEAKER_13 3:32

Standing nearby is local farmer and breeder Samuel Welch. He watches the young horse carefully before offering a slight smile. A sturdy little Philly. Maybe she'll make a good road horse someday. It's a reasonable thought. After all, there's nothing about this small chestnut filly that suggests she is destined for greatness. She doesn't have a famous name, she isn't the talk of the horse world. In fact, she's simply one more foal born on a farm in rural Oneida County. But we know something Samuel Welch does not. In the years ahead, this young horse will become known as Flora Temple. Crowds numbering in the thousands will travel to watch her race. Newspapers across America will celebrate her victories. Artists will paint her portrait, and courier and Ives, the most famous printmakers in America, will immortalize her in colorful prints that hang in parlors and homes throughout the nation. Her fame will spread from coast to coast. Samuel gently pats the Philly's neck.

SPEAKER_15 4:44

Well, little one, let's see what you've got.

SPEAKER_13 4:47

If only he knew. Fourteen years from now, Flora Temple will become the first trotting horse in history to race a mile in less than two minutes and 20 seconds, setting a world record and earning the title Queen of the Turf. But on this spring day in 1845, none of that has happened yet. She's simply a newborn Philly, taking her first uncertain steps on a farm in Oneida County. And one of New York's greatest sporting legends is just learning how to walk. Well, time to get back to the future.

SPEAKER_12 5:30

After the break, Maggie's Minute in New York Mills. And we'll meet local musician Kelly Yaco working on a recording with famous drummer Bernard Purdy in Utica. And we'll learn a bit about the history of fashion at Thriftish in Clinton. So stay tuned.

SPEAKER_05 5:45

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_14 5:54

From the arts and education to community development and human services, we're proud to contribute to the hearts of our community. We're proud to support the place we call home. Bank with Utica.

SPEAKER_13 6:10

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SPEAKER_08 6:42

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SPEAKER_15 6:57

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SPEAKER_07 7:06

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SPEAKER_15 7:17

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SPEAKER_12 7:34

I'm back in New York Mills today in the gardens of Maggie Riley to talk about invasive plants. Some of these plants we call weeds, like the milkweed, which is beneficial. But there are things that are actual weeds that we classify as invasives. Tell me what the difference is between a native plant and an invasive plant.

SPEAKER_09 7:55

So a native plant is a plant that belongs here. It was here before humans started to introduce what we call exotic or non-natives. There are some that, you know, it's okay. They don't do any harm, they don't spread terribly. But then we have these plants that are categorized as invasives. And the reason we say it that way is because they will invade. They will take over your ecosystem. And remember, we really want biodiversity. We want a lot of different plants to provide nectar and pollen for our pollinators and birds and the bees. But invasives, they got introduced from another area, so they don't have any predators here. They take over the natives and they take their space. Kind of like I'm sure some of you have it in your yard, goutweed or bishopsweed. You'll see Japanese knotweed, buckthorn. There's all sorts of invasives, but some of the common ones for urban and suburban lots is that Bishopsweed. And you're gonna tell me that you have the answer to stop the Bishopsweed, and I can't wait to hear it. Tell me. Well, here are some advice, but it's really difficult to get it and get it to stay away, so you kind of just have to keep it at bay. We continually are fighting it and pulling it. My husband digs it out. It's a great stress reliever, I gotta tell you. This is a rhizome. Um, if you can't get the roots out, make sure you never ever let it bloom because that means it will send off its seeds and it will go even further. Some people, and I've even tried it, and it has helped to put a tarp over it, but it will go to the edge of the tarp and get itself out. Some of the invasives, like gooseneck loof strife, was easier to take out. I just went in with a shovel, took it out, and it was gone. But this bishopsweed can be a difficult one.

SPEAKER_12 9:51

So it's more of a management thing.

SPEAKER_09 9:53

It is. We've had it for over 30 years now. And the one thing I would recommend to people is don't be giving away plants that are in that bishop's weed unless you wash the roots. I've made it a pact with myself not to give people plants that are in that bishopsweed or transfer them around my yard to different locations. Thank you. You're welcome. Come back and we'll see what's blooming next week.

SPEAKER_12 10:19

To learn more about native plants and inviting pollinators into your yard, visit Alongthemohawkradio.com. Big Apple Music in New Hartford presents Along the Mohawk. Local musician Kelly Yacko teaches drum lessons at Kelly's drum lab in New Hartford. Sometimes when things line up, Kelly invites in famous musicians to inspire his students. Today he's at Big Blue North Recording Studio in Utica, working on a cover of a cover of the song Some Kind of Wonderful, with one of the world's most recorded drummers, Bernard Purdy. Okay, Kelly, we're here at Big Blue North Recording Studio in Utica. You've been in the music scene here in the Utica area for quite a while. Tell us a little bit about your background.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Well, I've been teaching privately for 40 years.

SPEAKER_12 11:12

Four?

SPEAKER_00 11:13

40. Yeah, as scary as that sounds, you know.

SPEAKER_12 11:15

So tell me a little about some of the bands you've been involved with over the years.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

Taurus and the Fulton Chain Gang would be probably my favorites that I played with.

SPEAKER_12 11:22

And what are we doing here today at Big Blue North?

SPEAKER_00 11:25

Just working on a project with um some students of mine, the singer that I really I really loved her voice, and I put some musicians around her, and then I wanted to put a famous drummer along with the project with her, because that's kind of like my crazy thing that I like doing.

SPEAKER_12 11:41

So you say you want to put a famous drummer. What does that mean?

SPEAKER_00 11:45

I got I don't know. It maybe it stems from when I was a child wanting to meet my heroes. I don't want to place myself in the project. I want someone better than me, like a pro, a real great drummer, because a great drummer can make or break the recording. It brings more out of them when you have someone like a special musician in the room with them, you know, especially the guy we have here today, Bernard Purdy.

SPEAKER_12 12:08

So um tell me a little bit about him and what he brings to this project.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Funk. That's what he brings. He's uh one of the most recorded drummers, played with Aretha Franklin, did some recording with Holland Oates, played on one of my favorite songs from my childhood, Hang on Sloopy. And then we were talking earlier, he played on uh Just One Look.

SPEAKER_12 12:30

So you're inspiring the local youth by bringing it in.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

I try to, yes. I give it my best shot. Yeah, I have some great students that have put the work in and they they grow from it, of course, you know.

SPEAKER_12 12:43

So today we're at Big Blue North because you're recording a song.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

Some kind of wonderful, you know the song, of course, right? I don't know who the person is who wrote the tune, but Grand Funk made the tune popular. I just thought it was the perfect tune for this singer that I'm working with. So I pitched it to her. She felt it and she enjoyed, you know, she could I knew she wasn't gonna have a problem singing it. I'm totally thrilled about putting it together, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_12 13:08

And who's all involved here? Who are the musicians?

SPEAKER_00 13:10

We have um Matt Kolick on guitar, who's also a drum student of mine. Lincoln Davis, the 13-year-old bass player, who's also a drum student of mine, and Alexis Reynolds is playing the djembe, and she's a drum student. Isabella Morella is singing, and Frank Tellerico, who's been playing around here forever, great keyboard player. You couldn't ask for anyone better than him to do this project with us.

SPEAKER_12 13:33

Great. Well, um, I would love to go in and hear a little bit of the rehearsal.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

Yeah, absolutely. Go in there.

SPEAKER_12 13:38

Thank you. We head into the studio where I was given the privilege to talk to Mr. Purdy. Mr. Purdy, why did you want to be a part of something like this?

SPEAKER_03 13:51

Simply because good music is hard to come by. It's harder today than it was a few years ago.

SPEAKER_12 13:59

And why is that?

SPEAKER_03 14:01

People who are spending the money because somebody keeps telling them you need more money for doing different things. It ain't necessary, but who am I? I'm just somebody that makes the records.

SPEAKER_12 14:15

You're here encouraging the next generation of drummers?

SPEAKER_03 14:19

Oh, musicians.

SPEAKER_12 14:20

Music all musicians.

SPEAKER_03 14:21

Yeah. I'm very fortunate that drummers appreciate what I'm doing, but I'm also fortunate that the other musicians love it as much. And that's part of my job.

SPEAKER_12 14:35

So what would be your advice to uh budding artist?

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Stick to your guns. Don't worry about everybody else. That's the worst thing that you can do. You have to work with yourself and think in terms that you can do the job. If you don't, it's not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_12 14:58

So what do you think of Kellyaco?

SPEAKER_03 15:00

Doing okay. Stubborn, but he knows what he wants, but he also knows what he's doing. When the music is happening, everybody is happy. And when you can enjoy the music, you become a hit.

SPEAKER_12 15:16

Have you had a chance to look around Utica, New York? Do you anything about Utica?

SPEAKER_03 15:19

Oh, I've been here many times. There's always, always good places to eat. And I'm loving it.

SPEAKER_12 15:30

Thank you.

unknown 15:31

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_12 15:34

Visit our website to learn about the release of the single Some Kind of Wonderful with special guest drummer Bernard Purdy coming soon. Thrifting is one thing, but thriftish in Clinton is a whole other thing. This fun thrift store features vintage clothing from the 40s to the 2000s. Yes, the 2000s are vintage. Owner Carlene Mahana has consciously curated vintage clothing and is happy to help customers find their own personal style. I'm across from the village park in Clinton, entering Thriftish. Hi Carlene!

SPEAKER_10 16:21

Hello, Sherry. How are you?

SPEAKER_12 16:22

Good, how are you? Are you busy? You you always are.

SPEAKER_10 16:26

Oh, crazy busy, always. But rather be busy than not. Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_12 16:31

Your shop is almost like a museum to fashion.

SPEAKER_10 16:35

This, what you're looking at, is a culmination of about 30 years of collecting vintage clothing. My grandmother was a seamstress and taught me how to sew when I was 10. For Sunday dinner, we were always had old movies on. So, you know, Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, like all of the divas of the 40s and 50s were my idols and were born too late. I was born too late. And I studied fashion. So I had a really deep interest in not just fashion as a way to express ourselves, but the history of costume and fashion. And I fell in love with it.

SPEAKER_12 17:09

Well, the colors here are the first thing you notice because some of these colors do take you back.

SPEAKER_10 17:15

Yes, they do. Um, and and it's very indicative of the different eras. Uh the psychedelic 60s. When you look at a 60s dress, you're gonna see hot pinks and lime greens and all these fabulous colors and prints, big flowers and and such. Whereas, you know, if you look at the 40s, it was wartime, so things are a little bit more muted. You're gonna look at grays and you know, neutral tans and beige and black. So it's really, really interesting in that way. My idol, the person that I really, really love so much was Iris Appel, and her whole philosophy was high and low. So buy something from one era, put it with a 299 Kmart top, mixing and matching. I try to tell the younger generation that come in because let's face it, for them, vintage is 90s and Y2K. But what is it about the 90s and Y2K that is interesting to them? I show them a dress from the 70s. I'll show them low-rise jeans because 90s took from the 70s. Nothing's new, everything's cyclical. Designers will take pieces from other eras, incorporate them into what's new today. Silhouettes will never change, but it's the fabrics and the way that we present them that changes. It's more important to find your own personal style. Because once you find your own personal style, then you can start to look at your closet and say, okay, this piece never needs to leave because this is a piece that I know is going to go with anything else I buy 10 years on. And that came from working for Jeffrey Bean. So Mr. Bean, Couturier, I worked for him for years in his couture division. And his whole philosophy was you buy a piece that might be $1,800 because it was couture, okay? But next season, I'm gonna have pieces that you could wear with that piece. But it's more important that you know what your style is, then you know what to buy, then you know what to add. We hear a lot about death piles that people have right now because they're constantly buying from fashion fashion because they want to stay on the trend. A lot of times they end up in your closet and you don't wear them because that trend isn't for you. And a lot of times that's how people fall into vintage because they have bodies that are reminiscent of a wiggle dress from the 50s. You know, their bodies might be more curvy, and so maybe something from today isn't gonna work for them, something from the 70s wouldn't work for them. But by golly, they'll see a 40s dress or a 50s dress, and they're like, oh my God, this fits me like it was made for me. And it was made for your body type. Well, you seem really passionate about this. I love it. You know, I'm very fortunate. I get to do what I love. There are days in the store where I might not make a penny, but I've had 20 people in here and it's like a community. Sunday was such a day. I had so many customers in here from different backgrounds, different ages. You know, I had a group of MBCC students who offered to do an Instagram story for me. I had another customer who comes in once a year who buys a lot of my Victorian clothing. So she was here. So it was just it's like a wonderful exchange of ideas, of energy. It's like the store is really my happy place.

SPEAKER_12 20:01

Well, yeah, but uh it must be hard because there's probably some pieces that you have a hard time parting with.

SPEAKER_10 20:06

A hundred percent. You I can't even tell they're like my children. And you know, because they're vintage, they're one of a kind. So there are pieces. There's this one dress, and she knows who, if she's listening, she knows who she is. It's from the 70s, it's like a long sheath dress, but down one side of the dress is a penguin that starts at your neck and goes all the way to your feet, and it's fabulous. It's my look, I have goosebumps talking about it. What they call the hostess dress in the 70s, it's something you would wear when you had your friends over for dinner, you know, just lounging around, you know, and that's all Halston's fault because Halston did that. Does it help that you know it went to a good home? Yes. Well, I also know where it is. So I always say to customers, if you find that you bought that for an occasion and now it's just sitting in your dress, bring it back to me. We'll work out something. Whatever. Bring my baby back home. That's what I say. Just bring my baby back home. And it's happened a couple of times, and I've been really I get so excited when I see them again.

SPEAKER_12 20:56

Visit Thriftish on South Park Row in Clinton and express or find your style. After the break, Chapter 12 of Annie and the Loomis Gang. And we hear the sound of beaver kits on MV Soundscape. So stay tuned.

SPEAKER_05 21:11

Along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_08 21:13

Since 1917, NGM's 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_01 21:31

Previously, on Annie and the Loomis Gang, Constable Jim Filkins gives Annie O'Connor a strong warning about the Loomis family and urges her not to deal with Washington Loomis alone. Rhoda Loomis invites herself to tea and leaves Annie a housewarming gift, a stolen knife, reminding Annie that warnings come with a sharp edge. Chapter 12 Sheamus' Secrets.

SPEAKER_12 22:00

Annie watches Rhoda Loomis's carriage disappear down the road. She stands still for a moment. Looking out across the field, she sees William setting a fence post. She turns toward the orchard where Jedediah waits.

SPEAKER_04 22:13

You wanted to talk about the crop.

SPEAKER_12 22:15

I did.

SPEAKER_04 22:16

Then let's walk.

SPEAKER_11 22:18

Rhoda Loomis came to the house.

SPEAKER_04 22:20

Shadow told me.

SPEAKER_11 22:22

She left a knife on the table.

SPEAKER_04 22:24

Then leave it there.

SPEAKER_11 22:25

Jedediah? Three acres cannot pay this many workers and leave enough to satisfy Wash Loomis.

SPEAKER_04 22:32

Maybe not.

SPEAKER_11 22:33

You say that calm as rain.

SPEAKER_04 22:36

Rain matters too.

SPEAKER_11 22:37

I am trying to understand what is left after drying, after wages. If wash truly means to collect.

SPEAKER_04 22:45

Wash Loomis means many things.

SPEAKER_11 22:48

Constable Filkins warned me the Loomises are dangerous. Rhoda shows up uninvited, and William comes every day trying to help. I don't know what to think anymore.

SPEAKER_04 22:57

You're carrying too many days. Think about today.

SPEAKER_11 23:00

Today won't solve the debt.

SPEAKER_04 23:02

Neither will worry.

SPEAKER_11 23:04

Someone has to do something.

SPEAKER_04 23:06

You are doing something. You're keeping the farm running, you're learning the work, you're preparing to teach.

SPEAKER_11 23:12

It's not that simple.

SPEAKER_04 23:13

I know, because he continued to chase tomorrow.

SPEAKER_11 23:16

How can I think about school when I might lose the farm?

SPEAKER_04 23:20

Because your uncle wanted both. The farm cared for, you teaching.

SPEAKER_11 23:25

I keep feeling like I'm missing something. Like Uncle Seamus knew things he never told me.

SPEAKER_04 23:30

Of course he did. You're still learning how to see it.

SPEAKER_11 23:33

Uncle Seamus trusted you. Why?

SPEAKER_04 23:36

Because when he first came here, he knew what he didn't know.

SPEAKER_11 23:40

What do you mean?

SPEAKER_04 23:41

They look at a swamp and see wasted ground. They try to force it to become something else. Most of them fail.

SPEAKER_11 23:48

And Uncle Seamus didn't?

SPEAKER_04 23:50

He listened. My people are Gayukono, Cayuga, people of the Great Swamp. We've lived with this land for generations. We know what it will take and what it will give.

SPEAKER_11 24:00

And Uncle Seamus listened?

SPEAKER_04 24:03

Yes. Most men try to control the world. Your uncle studied it.

SPEAKER_11 24:07

Studied what?

SPEAKER_04 24:09

Systems. Water, people, markets. He was always looking for another way to solve a problem.

SPEAKER_11 24:15

Did he find one?

SPEAKER_04 24:17

More than one. He never depends. I mean he never depended on a single way forward. He built systems.

SPEAKER_11 24:25

Ha, that sounds exactly like him.

SPEAKER_04 24:27

Your uncle planted for years, he would never see.

SPEAKER_11 24:30

You make it sound as though he expected trouble.

SPEAKER_04 24:33

Every farmer does. Drought, flood, insects, men.

SPEAKER_11 24:39

Men? You mean Washington Loomis.

SPEAKER_04 24:41

Men who take what isn't theirs.

SPEAKER_11 24:43

You don't think paying the debt will end this.

SPEAKER_04 24:46

If you feed a wolf, don't expect him to stop visiting.

SPEAKER_11 24:50

Then what am I supposed to do?

SPEAKER_04 24:52

The work in front of you. Live the day you're standing in.

SPEAKER_11 24:55

You really believe everything will work out?

SPEAKER_04 24:58

I believe your uncle put things in place.

SPEAKER_11 25:00

But that's still not much of an answer.

SPEAKER_04 25:02

It's the only one I have.

SPEAKER_11 25:04

I'd better get back.

SPEAKER_04 25:06

And Annie?

SPEAKER_11 25:07

Yes?

SPEAKER_04 25:07

The swamp teaches patience to anyone willing to listen.

SPEAKER_11 25:11

Did he learn that from you?

SPEAKER_04 25:13

No, he learned it from the land, same as I did.

SPEAKER_12 25:17

Jedediah leaves for the hops field. In the distance, Annie sees William setting a noob fence post while Hunter grazes nearby. She thinks about Jedediah's words as she heads down to close up the barn. Inside, sunlight cuts through drifting dust. Long shadows stretch across the floor. She notices a floor plank slightly crooked. She sees a glint beneath. She kneels and grips the edge and pulls it up. There, beneath the floor, rests a small wooden box.

SPEAKER_01 25:49

Next week, chapter 13, The O'Connor Name.

SPEAKER_16 26:03

This is Mohawk Valley Soundscape for early June 2026. These are the sounds from within a beaver lodge in spring. From the darkness come the thin, insistent voices of beaver kits. New lives only weeks old, calling from a chamber hidden behind walls of sticks, mud, and stones. To our ears, the sounds are surprisingly delicate, almost like a human infant. The kits vocalize frequently as they explore their small cave-like world. Beneath their calls are the deeper grunts and mewing voices of adults and older siblings. A beaver colony is a family, usually composed of a breeding pair, this year's kits, and offspring from previous years. Unlike many mammals, young beavers often remain with their parents for two years or more. The wetlands surrounding the lodge are not inherited. They are learned. Young beavers gradually acquire the skills that define their species, how to maintain a dam, where to place mud and sticks, how to respond to the sound of a leak, and how to navigate a landscape they are helping to create. And outside the lodge, the wetland is alive. Red-winged blackbirds call from cattails. Tree swallows chatter overhead. Mallards murmur on open water. Countless unseen creatures move through the marsh meadow and pond. These voices gather because the beavers are here. The lodge is more than a home. It is the center of a family, the heart of a wetland, and the foundation of an entire community of life.

SPEAKER_05 28:22

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