Along The Mohawk #19

 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_04 0:02

Big Apple Music in New Hartford presents Along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_02 0:07

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

SPEAKER_04 0:18

Good morning, and thank you for traveling along the Mohawk with me today. I'm Sherry Whitney. It's deep summer, so today we're going to take a summer road trip east along the historic Cherry Valley Turnpike, Route 20. And on the topic of summer, a couple members of the cast of Annie and the Loomis Gang are recent college graduates. Congratulations, Aubrey and Kate. They have hit the ground running, and due to their busy schedule of educational and creative pursuits, chapter 17 of our radio drama is postponed until next week. Now we head to Rome, New York, where we learn that when we first uncover something from the past, our first impression doesn't always tell the whole story. Historians and archaeologists piece together clues to uncover how things were used and how people lived hundreds of years ago. Many children, when they first visit Fort Stamics in Rome, think of the ditch around the fort as a moat. But this dry defensive ditch, called a fossil was designed to slow attackers by forcing them down into the trench while defenders above had the advantage. Something many people may not know is that during the Revolutionary War, the ditch also provided shelter for some of the soldiers' families and even livestock. Park ranger Kelly Caldwell tells us the human story behind a curious artifact found in the trench and about life in the ditch.

SPEAKER_11 1:35

I see mystery item, but it's obvious what it is once you start looking at it. It's a scrub brush, but a lot of people look at it, and it's just the remains of the wooden piece and some of the fur that was stuffed into it to make it brushy. But I love this artifact because kids will walk up to it and it's like, oh, is that a cleat on a shoe? Or what is that? It looks like some weird piece of alligator skin. I've heard all sorts of strange answers. But then I tell them it's a scrub brush, and then they start to realize not everything was made out of plastic. The idea that something mundane that was just left behind could become an artifact and tell us about history one day. My favorite question for children is if you don't clean up your room when your parents tell you to after you move out, what will someone else find and consider an artifact?

SPEAKER_04 2:24

And what was it like for a woman during the Revolutionary War?

SPEAKER_11 2:27

It could be very tough. Dependent on your status in life, you could be safe home for most of the war, or you could end up following the Continental Army. Many people think of the revolution, and as we've said, it's kinda sterile. It's 250 years away. We talk in terms of British and Americans. But this was a fight that was going on in our own backyards, fighting where your home is. And many people ended up as refugees no matter what side they chose, if they even chose a side. So women in the Continental Army that would have been living out here were nurses and washer women for the Continentals. They had to take care of each other and the children. But even some of the officers, who in general would have been a little more well off, they're educated enough to be able to read and write and lead an army, they began to run out of money as the war continued, and many of them ended up bringing their families with them to live in places like Fort Stanwix. And I tell people that, oh, these people lived in the ditch, these civilians, and they're like, oh, that's horrible. But there's worse places to be. You could be hiding in a dugout root cellar a mile away from a battlefield while things are exploding around you. You could be traipsing through a swamp and sleeping there for the night because it's safer than camping out in the open field. You could be with George Washington's men at Morristown or Valley Forge. There are many worse places to be than in a ditch surrounding a fort that's pretty darned well protected.

SPEAKER_04 3:55

And when it's attacked, do they stay in the ditch or do they get to go inside?

SPEAKER_11 3:58

So if it's attacked, hopefully you're brought inside before anything happens. If you're stuck in the ditch, you're out of the line of fire. When the siege occurred here in 1777, just like the British were receiving word about what was the strength of the fort, the Americans were receiving word that the British were probably going to be attacking. So they packed up all of their women and children, minus at least one who was kept behind because she was too large with child, quote unquote. That means she was nine months pregnant. And on that very last night of the siege, which she didn't know was going to be the last day, she was wandering around the parade ground. I can only imagine stretching her bones with a child about to escape. And she was hit in the rear end by one of those exploding mortars and began to bleed and immediately went into labor. And both mother, child, and father survived the siege. It took us until about four years ago to discover all of their names. Dennis, Nancy, and their daughter Rachel McCarty.

SPEAKER_04 4:58

On the last night of the siege.

SPEAKER_11 4:59

Last night of the siege. So think of one of those exploding cannonballs heralding your existence. Thank you. That was great.

SPEAKER_05 5:13

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

SPEAKER_03 5:23

Welcome to 1988. I'm standing inside Woolworths in downtown Utica, and I've just ordered lunch at the counter. A grilled cheese, a cup of coffee, and of course, a slice of pie. Listen, you can hear the clatter of dishes, the hum of conversation, while the steady rhythm of downtown life on Genesee Street can be heard just outside the doors. Woolworths has been a part of Utica for generations. In fact, the very first five and dime store opened in Utica back in 1879, launched by Frank Woolworth himself. What started as a simple idea, fixed prices for everyday goods, grew into a retail empire across the country. By the 1950s and 60s, stores like this were bustling hubs. You could buy just about anything: housewares, toys, school supplies, even pets in some locations. And the lunch counter, it was the place to be, where shoppers, workers, and kids all met for a quick bite and a break from the day. But here in 1988, things are starting to change. Malls have pulled crowds away from downtown. Big chain stores are offering more choices, bigger selections, and places like Woolworths, well, they're starting to feel like a step back in time. Still, right now it's alive, familiar, comforting, a place where everyone seems to know the routine. In just a few short years, by the early 1990s, Woolworths in Utica would close its doors for good. Another chapter of downtown history coming to an end. But for now, the coffee's hot, the counter's full, and for a moment, Utica still feels exactly like it always has. Well, time to get back to the future.

SPEAKER_04 7:16

After the break, we take a road trip along Scenic Route 20 to historic Sharon Springs.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_12 7:30

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_03 7:45

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SPEAKER_09 8:18

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SPEAKER_07 8:33

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SPEAKER_10 8:42

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SPEAKER_07 8:53

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SPEAKER_04 9:08

It's the middle of summer, and there's no better time to take a leisurely drive along one of New York's great highways, Route 20, the Cherry Valley Turnpike. Long before the New York State Thruway, this was the road that carried travelers across the state. In the 1950s, there was a real desire to hit the roads and explore the USA in your Chevrolet, and highways like this became part of the Great American Road Trip. Twenty years ago, we explored this highway with our dear friend Richard Enders. He loved Route 20, but he always said he missed the farm stands that line the highway when he was a boy. I can't help think about how much he would have enjoyed this drive today. The farm stands are back, and while many of the old roadside attractions have disappeared, a few, like the iconic Teepee, still remind us of the golden age of the American road trip. Our journey brings us to the historic village of Sharon Springs. Beginning in the 1830s and reaching its peak in the late 1800s, people travel here from across the country to experience the village's famous mineral springs. It became a fashionable destination for America's wealthy and social elite. Over the last few decades, Sharon Springs has had a renaissance, attracting artists, makers, and creative entrepreneurs, inspired by its historic architecture and small town charm. In the center of the town is the Black Cat Cafe, a popular gathering place for over two decades, where people are greeted by the gregarious host and owner Tony Dow. I'm here at Black Cat Cafe on Main Street in Sharon Springs, one of my favorite places on earth, and I'm here with my friend Tony. Hey Tony, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 10:41

Hi, I'm here at the Black Cat Cafe in Sharon Springs with one of my favorite people around, especially from Clinton, New York, Sherry Whitney. How are you?

SPEAKER_04 10:51

Good, how are you? You you basically live here.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

I do, actually. Um we bought a weekend place almost a quarter century ago, and even though I've traveled the world, this is the place I've lived in the longest. And I lived in Manhattan. I lived in Beirut, Lebanon as a kid. And uh this is the most exotic place I've ever been. And what is it that drew you to Sharon Springs? Well, we've discussed this before. Many of us now old timers, we weren't we weren't then. We call it the cosmic vortex. I think it was coined by the former mayor of Sharon Springs, Doug Plummer, but many people say it. There's something about this place that is just magical. Is it the waters? Is it the air? Is it the healthy environment that brought the indigenous people and made this a sacred place for centuries before us? I have no idea. I've met tens of thousands of people in the 21 years we've been open and made a lot of good friends.

SPEAKER_04 11:55

What are your specialties here? What are you known for most in your food?

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Well, I'd like to think we're known for making real food with real ingredients that we do it simply. Most of our dishes have four or five ingredients. A lot of them are really happy, friendly. They make you feel good. For example, Sherry's favorite is what we call the Thanksgiving everyday. It's basically house roasted turkey, homemade stuffing out of the stale breadcrumbs that I grind up and season, real cranberry sauce on toasted white with real mayonnaise. Do you know when we sell the most of them? Around Thanksgiving.

SPEAKER_04 12:33

Well, I love them any time of year.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Aw, I love you saying that. That's why we called it every day. But I tell people, don't you have a life? And they say they don't leave the good stuff for us to make a sandwich with the next day. But this is basically um what we do. We make our own balsamics because when we first opened, we thought we should have our own salad dressings. So we made a balsamic vinaigrette made with a fig balsamic and a Lebanese lemon dressing. And people started bringing mason jars and saying, Can you fill it with that balsamic? And before you knew it, we had a business and we were selling tens of thousands of bottles of balsamic. We also are very well known for, believe it or not, fruitcakes.

SPEAKER_04 13:15

I do. My family does not think it's Christmas unless they receive their black cat drunken blonde fruitcake in the mail. They now I am stuck doing this for the rest of my life.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

This is my great-grandmother, was English, and this is her recipe, and she used to say it's a pound cake with half a pound of your best dried fruit soaked in brandy. That's really what it is. So it is a blonde cake. It's not dark and sticky, and with and you can identify every fruit, I guarantee it. And I also guarantee it will never be re-gifted once you taste it.

SPEAKER_04 13:48

Right, and that's the thing. When I first sent it out, my siblings laughed at me for sending them fruit cake because it was not their favorite thing. And now they look forward to that every year. Now, where did black cat come from? Why are you named black cat? That's usually considered unlucky.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

No, that's not fair. First of all, black cats have a gene which makes them actually more likely and healthier than many other cats. Number two, I think it's good luck and touch wood. I I'm somebody who has an evil eye on every other wall and I don't know. The superstition is kind of odd. It's sort of reverse good luck. But it's actually a cat whose name was Pinky, who adopted us when we were up looking for a place in Sharon Springs many years ago. She just walked across the parking lot of the American Hotel across.

SPEAKER_04 14:40

Did she cross your path?

SPEAKER_00 14:42

She sat on my boot. It was March, and she was rubbing against my leg and she was taking over. And the real estate, I tried to get her to go away, and the real estate agent said, She doesn't like a lot of people if she likes you. So I said, okay. And my daughter Isabella, who was I think six at the time, said, Daddy, Daddy, that's Pinky. Daddy, Daddy, I want him. So we didn't have a cat carrier. We got a carton box, and I picked up the purring cat, took him upstairs, and then I went to Walmart, got a cat carrier, and we took the cat back home. We were living in Connecticut. And every time we put the cat in the car in Connecticut, it would purr and rub against you. And then we'd come up here weekends and holidays for two or three years, and every time we put her in the car when we were going back from Sharon Springs, she clawed and thought that we had to keep using the cat carrier.

SPEAKER_04 15:35

Must be the Vortex.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Or she may have been the Vortex because when we decided to live here, Isabella and my son Sebastian and Nicholas said it's because of Pinky we're living here. So she's long gone now, but you know, she has a cafe named after her.

SPEAKER_04 15:51

Well, thank you. It's always great to be back here.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Well, I mean, you're only back because I asked you to.

SPEAKER_04 15:58

That is true, that is true.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

No, I'm joking. We love you, and we love all the work that you've done and all the time you've spent in Sharon Springs, and um, I'm glad you're back.

SPEAKER_04 16:10

Thank you very much. Always great to see you, Tony. Enjoy breakfast or lunch, indoors or out, at the Black Cat Cafe, open for lunch Thursday through Monday, with breakfast served on the weekends at 195 Main Street in Sharon Springs. You can also shop their products online. You'll find a link on our website alongthemohawkradio.com. For the next few weeks, we will be visiting with some of the many creative people who live in and have been drawn to Sharon Springs. Our first stop isn't far. It's literally right next door to the Black Cat Cafe, McGillicuddy's Naturals, at 197 Main Street in Sharon Springs. It's a hot one today, and I find shop owner Deb McGillicuddy pushing her luck, attempting to make goat's milk soap on such a hot day. I'm here at McGillicuddy Natural Soap in Sharon Springs talking to the owner Deb. So, Deb, how long have you been making soaps?

SPEAKER_06 17:09

I have been making soap since I was about 21. I actually bought a soap making kit from Sandy Main. She now owns Adirondack soap, and I just loved it. I had so much fun with it, and I just kept doing it and doing it, and then buying books and then trying this out. Yeah. And when did goat milk come into the picture? Actually, in the year 2000, when I moved here, I there was 130 dairy farmers. And I was like, oh my god, it's a world milk, you know. And so I started with plain milk, dairy milk. Why did you get into goat milk? Well, a good friend of mine, Lisa Fields, had goats, and she asked me to try to make soap with her milk, so I did. And I loved it. I mean, I love both of the milks, but goat milk is a little richer, it's higher in fat. And why does it make good soap? Because it is so high in fat, and like you'll see, it's a little overheating. That's the amount of sugar that is in the goat milk. So we use 34%. Most people might use 5%, and it wouldn't burn like this. Well, it's not burning.

SPEAKER_04 18:17

Well, you're talking about because it's so warm in July.

SPEAKER_06 18:20

It's very warm. It's added, but even in the winter, you can overheat your soap. So um, what are the benefits of goat milk soap? One thing it's chemical free. So we're 100% chemical free, and that is our main thing. If you get away from chemicals, your skin has a better chance of healing or not having a rash. But goat milk is very soothing. It is just excellent for your skin. Psoriasis, eczema, a lot of people that use it, their skin will clear up. And what are the variety of products that you have here in your shop? Oh my gosh. So we have goat milk, obviously. We have olive oil-based soap. A lot of people call it vegetable-based soap, but the main ingredient is olive oil. We have candles, they're soy. We have lotions. We do not have goat milk lotion because we would have to use a preservative, which would be a chemical. Massage oil, salt glow, salt, bath salts.

SPEAKER_04 19:16

And it smells amazing in here. What are all the fragrances we smell?

SPEAKER_06 19:19

Yeah, because they're all pure essential oils, and I don't think it matters what your blend is with pure essential oils, it smells fabulous.

SPEAKER_04 19:28

So you'd sometimes do classes.

SPEAKER_06 19:30

Well, our main thing with class again is to teach people about getting away from chemicals. There's a lot of chemicals in your bath products. So we do do that, and we do classes because they're fun. People love making soap. We did an olive oil class Saturday, and we did a goat milk class Sunday, which we really just started to do. Because it took me three years to get to this point where I usually make very good soap. But it's little things, it's little things like the heat, or you know, maybe I put in maybe the milk was a little too warm. You just, it's little things that I think the soap will still be fun. I just like it to look perfect.

SPEAKER_08 20:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 20:12

So, and then so classes are fun. The girl that was here yesterday was her fourth class, and and I kept thinking, yeah, you don't need me, you can do this, but no, it didn't go that way.

SPEAKER_04 20:24

Part is probably the community, but also it's probably relaxing with all this the fragrance.

SPEAKER_06 20:28

It is, it really is. And a lot of women come like like they come like there were six women, then they go and they have lunch, and then they go and they pick lavender, and it's a fun day. Where would they go for lunch? Oh my gosh, to the black cat next door.

SPEAKER_04 20:44

Yeah, I can see it right from here. I know, right? I think I can hear Tony.

SPEAKER_06 20:49

Can you? I I think I hear him in my head most of most of the day. Well, thank you very much. Thank you. It was so wonderful that you came. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 20:59

To learn more about McGillicuddy Soap, stop in at 197 Main Street in Sharon Springs. Or visit their website to shop online or look for upcoming soap making classes at MigillicuddySoap.com. After the break, Maggie's Minute, an MV Soundscape with naturalist Matt Perry.

SPEAKER_02 21:18

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_12 21:25

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_08 21:47

Hello, Maggie, how are you? Hi, Sherry. Good. How are you doing today? Good, it's getting a little sticky. It's a little hot today. We're in the middle of July and it's hot.

SPEAKER_04 21:56

Last week you talked about how important it is for birds to have. Have access to berries, and you said you were gonna take us down through some of the layers from the canopy trees and down into the shrubs and bushes.

SPEAKER_08 22:07

Yeah, so last week we talked about the service berry, an understory tree. The understory trees, you know, are a food source, but also we have those large bushes that provide habitat for wildlife and berries for birds. The large bushes in your landscape are extremely important for wildlife because that's where they can nest and hide out and the predators can't get them.

SPEAKER_04 22:33

And you were talking about how a tree is great, but under the tree, it shouldn't just be you called it a soft landing where there are things that grow under the tree. And I see in your yard you have undulating layers.

SPEAKER_08 22:44

We like to have a soft landing because all those native trees have a lot of caterpillars and for the moths and the butterflies, and when they land, it wants to be a soft landing. And we don't want people mowing under their trees because in the leaf litter that's where they're gonna overwinter and where they live. I planted some perennials, ground covers that are soft, but I've also used a lot of different textures, a lot of different sizes of large bushes, medium bushes, to actually create a hedgerow. And it's extremely biodiverse, but it also looks really nice. I use it as an enclosure of the yard. It's kind of like creating your own sanctuary. I come out here and nobody knows I'm out here.

SPEAKER_04 23:34

And we've uh fallen victim to this look of a tree and having it mowed around the base. And I know friends of mine who it's it's tough because you have to mow around it all the time. So then they do an edging and it becomes so much work as opposed to having things you can plant. So what are some things you can plant under either your canopy trees or your understory trees? Understory trees.

SPEAKER_08 23:57

It depends on whether the tree is mature or not. If you get planting all of this at the same time, and I do like to say that the trees and these large to medium bushes, they are the bones of your landscape. They're the structure. And so it would be nice if you could plant them all at the same time because then the big roots aren't there and you don't want to disturb the roots of a tree. If you're starting all out at the same time, they can be right next to each other. If not, then you need to be um cognizant of you know not hitting into the root structure.

SPEAKER_04 24:32

So if you have established trees, then you're going to have to start with a smaller, younger plant so that you can just tuck it in without disturbing it.

SPEAKER_08 24:41

Yeah, and truthfully, you want to start out with a smaller bush or a smaller tree because what they're doing in the first year is establishing their root system. They don't get as much shock. Then it will establish its roots and it will take off in year two and three and and you'll be surprised at how fast that will grow. So we just need some patience when we're starting out. Yeah. We can't have your backyard overnight. Right. And I I like when people ask me, Meggie, you want to start this tree, like an oak tree from a nut? And I'm like, look at the color of my hair. I cannot start with a nut, but I will start with a medium-sized tree or bush, and know that in three or four years it will be very large because I've got an area that we'll walk you over, Sherry. And it grew. I was trying to figure out the dates that we actually planted it because I'm like, did it really grow that fast?

SPEAKER_04 25:38

But it did. Well, thank you. For a list of native shrubs and bushes, and our extended interview with Maggie about them. Visit our website alongthemohawkradio.com.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

This is Mohawk Valley Soundscape. Among the most spectacular birds of the region is the Scarlet Tanager. From high in the forest canopy comes his rich caroling song, often described by burgers as sounding like a robin with a sore throat. The burry voice is distinctive, but it's the bird's appearance that has inspired generations of admirers. The adult male is brilliant scarlet, accented by jet black wings and tail, a combination so vivid that it appears tropical against the bright greens of a deciduous forest. The female is more subtly dressed, clothed in shades of yellow-green with dark gray wings, her colors blending seamlessly with the foliage around her. Despite the male's striking plumage, scarlet tanagers can be surprisingly difficult to see. They spend most of their lives high in the forest canopy, foraging among the leaves for caterpillars, beetles, and other insects. More often we hear them than see them. By midsummer, the adults frequently descend from their treetop nests to attend recently fledged young. Their sharp warning calls echo through the woods as they scold predators and tenaciously keep track of their offspring. And then, just as summer begins to fade, a remarkable transformation occurs. Before migrating to the tropical forests of Central and South America, the male begins a process of shedding his brilliant scarlet feathers and molting into yellow-green plumage. By autumn, the taningers will be gone, leaving only the memory of melodious songs and incredibly bright plumage. They won't return to the Mohawk Valley until late spring.

SPEAKER_04 28:00

Thank you for traveling along the Mohawk with me today. Be sure to tune in next week for chapter 17 of Annie and the Loomis Gang as our radio drama nears its dramatic conclusion. We'll also visit some fascinating artisans in Sharon Springs and much more. See you then.