Along The Mohawk with Sharry Whitney
Weekly Radio Show & Podcast in the Mohawk Valley area of Central New York.
New shows Sunday mornings at 7am on 92.7FM The Drive and 9am as a podcast.
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.
Along The Mohawk with Sharry Whitney
Along The Mohawk #24
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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.
Big Apple Music in New Hartford presents Along the Mohawk.
SPEAKER_06Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk, sharing the stories of the people and places where we belong.
SPEAKER_14Good morning and welcome to Along the Mohawk. I'm Sherry Whitney and I'm happy to have you traveling with me today. On the show this morning, we'll learn about why we should support the pollinators in our world. And naturalist Matt Perry is in the field observing the swift woodland raptor known for its skill at hunting, the Cooper's Hawk. And we'll travel along Route 20 to a remarkable weaving mill in Cherry Valley, whose fabrics have found their way into historic landmarks and onto the silver screen. But first, we'll learn about the USS Oriskany, the legendary aircraft carrier named for the Mohawk Valley Battle, as we approach the 50th anniversary of her decommissioning. I'm here at the Oriskany Museum with Alexis Albright, and we're going to talk today about the USS Oriskany.
SPEAKER_11So the USS Oriskany was an Essex-class aircraft carrier that was originally supposed to be built for World War II. And the Essex class carriers at the time were named after Revolutionary War battles. So you get Yorktown, Ticonderoga, Oriskany as your aircraft carrier names. And Iriskany was C V-34. The USS Oriskany wasn't finished in time for World War II, so the ship didn't see service till 1950. It went on to serve in Korea and Vietnam before it was decommissioned for the last time in 1976. So this year in 2026, it's the 50th anniversary of the USS Oriskany decommissioning. So we're commemorating that with a car show trophy for a car that was made during the years the ship was in service.
SPEAKER_14As I'm sitting here, I see a picture of a young John McCain over on the shelf. Tell me how he's related to this.
SPEAKER_11So John McCain was flying off the decks of Iriskany when he was unfortunately taken as prisoner of war. He'd actually been transferred to the USS Oriskany relatively recently when that happened, and he'd just joined the flight squadrons on the deck just a few weeks before he was missing.
SPEAKER_14And tell us what it means to people today to the memory of it. And do you have anything here from the ship?
SPEAKER_11We have a lot of things from the ship. Everything from the radar unit up to the starboard anchor that's in the park, as well as the ship spell and plaques from different shops and rooms on the ship. We keep in touch with the veterans from the ship. Most of them are retirement age now since the ship has been out of service for so long, and a lot of them were stationed on the West Coast in the ship's later years. But we have uniforms, all sorts of different things that were made on the ship or were purchased on the ship. The ship was so big it actually had its own gift shop. So those things are always coming in to us from those veterans who help support the museum.
SPEAKER_14Do any of them take a pilgrimage here? Have you met any of the people on the ship?
SPEAKER_11Yes. The last time they were here were 2022. They have a reunion every year. This year they're in Colorado, but they travel around the country, so the different veterans all have an opportunity to meet up with people they served with or just talk about the ship and meet their families. Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_01Attention, listeners, your Mohawk Valley time travel experiment is about to commence. Stand by as we recalibrate the decades.
SPEAKER_02Welcome to August 1st, 1836. I'm in Utica, New York, and there's quite a crowd gathering here today. And for good reason, something brand new is about to arrive in town. The Utica and Schenectady Railroad. Until now, if you wanted to travel east through the Mohawk Valley, you could take a stagecoach or travel on the Erie Canal. But today, passengers are arriving aboard one of these new fangled steam trains. New Fangled is right. I take it you're not impressed. Give me a canal boat any day. Well, the Erie Canal has only been open 11 years, and already you've got some competition. Competition? That thing? It can't even haul freight. He's right about that. The railroad's charter doesn't allow it to carry freight. For now, this is a passenger railroad. In fact, New York won't authorize freight on this line until next year. See? It'll never replace the canal. I wouldn't get too comfortable. Ah, there it is! Imagine seeing this in 1836. Utica is a city of only about 10,000 people, and suddenly a steam locomotive comes rolling into town. And people have turned out all along the Mohawk Valley to see it. Contemporary accounts describe crowds gathering at the towns along the route, cheering as the first train passed. Nobody's going to want to ride that noisy contraption. Well, judging by the crowd, I think you may have lost that argument already. And this is just the beginning. Today, Utica is the western end of this railroad. But in just three years, another railroad, the Utica and Syracuse, will connect Utica with Syracuse, extending rail travel farther west. Syracuse. Syracuse. And eventually, these early railroads across New York will be joined together. In 1853, they'll become part of a new railroad with a name people around here are going to know very well: the New York Central. Never heard of it. You will. I'm sticking with my canal boat. Probably not a bad idea. The canal isn't going anywhere just yet. Here in Utica on August 1st, 1836, the Mohawk Valley is witnessing another transportation revolution. The Erie Canal transformed this region just 11 years ago. Now the railroad has arrived and it's about to transform it all over again. Well, time to get back to the future.
SPEAKER_14After the break, it's Maggie's Minute, and we'll visit Thistle Hill Weavers in Cherry Valley.
SPEAKER_06Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.
SPEAKER_04From the arts and education to community development and human services, we're proud to contribute to the hearts of our community.
SPEAKER_05We're proud to support the place we call home. Bank with Utica.
SPEAKER_03Sharon Springs has a way of drawing people in, and so does the Black Cat Cafe. Fresh, real ingredients, homemade baked goods, and a welcoming table where strangers become friends. Take the scenic drive along Route 20 to the Black Cat Cafe at 195 Main Street in Sharon Springs.
SPEAKER_02Big 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_16Every visit to Artisans Corner brings something new to discover. From original artwork and pottery to handcrafted jewelry, soaps, clothing, specialty foods, and thoughtful gifts, you'll find beautiful creations made by talented local artists and artisans. Whether you're searching for the perfect gift or something special for yourself, you'll always find something one of a kind. The Artisan's Corner, where every purchase has a story. Open every day, 10 to 5 at 1 College Street in Clinton.
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SPEAKER_14Hi Maggie, well, August is flying by, and you have been telling us over and over again about why you're planting all these plants to invite pollinators, and your place is teeming with pollinators. Why do we want pollinators?
SPEAKER_12Basically, they support the plant pollination of our ecosystem. They pollinate the majority of the plants that we eat. So they are basically supporting the food web and the local animals so that we can depend upon them so that we have food. Without them, we won't have a habitable earth because we will not have any food if we do not have pollinators. So no pesticides and don't be killing your bees.
SPEAKER_14It's not rocket science. We've known that this is how nature works. And I've noticed this awareness, or maybe it's because of the lack of pollinators, this new chore that farmers have where they are bringing in beehives into their apple orchards.
SPEAKER_12Yeah, especially the apple orchards, because the apple orchards need to be pollinated in order to get apples. We're talking about the native bees, the generalists and the specialists. So some of those specialists, like we talked about, the host plants, they need certain plants in order to survive.
SPEAKER_14So they can pollinate the flowers that we like, but we also need them to pollinate our vegetable plants and our fruit trees.
SPEAKER_12Oh, sure. And basically, they are supplying food for all the animal life on earth and the birds. I mean, they supply the caterpillars that all the birds need. And so basically, they are supporting the food web and local animals that we sow depend upon. We need them for a habitable earth. That's why the movement of creating and restoring native habitat is so very important, is because we have destroyed our habitat so much that we have a real decline in the pollinators, which means we're not getting the pollinators to pollinate our food.
SPEAKER_14And the alternative is I saw a special once about I think it was in China where they had to actually pollinate by hand using paintbrushes. So it's hard to duplicate what nature does.
SPEAKER_12Yeah, I don't think we could actually duplicate what we talked about last week that ruby-throated hummingbird putting its bill down into the tuber of the cardinal flower. We can't be a substitute for nature itself. But we'd have to have little tiny sippy straws. Yeah, and you know, I like doing all this planting and everything, but I'm not so sure. I want to go around with a sippy straw and be pollinating all my plants.
SPEAKER_14Anyway, so it is it's something we do because the joy of it, but it's also extremely important.
SPEAKER_12Oh yes. I do this because I have three grandchildren, obviously, that I want to improve the earth for it, but it gives me hope and it's also something that's extremely enjoyable, but it's very much needed. That's why I like using our property as a place to show others what they can do and how meaningful it is.
SPEAKER_14And it's like that baseball movie. If you plant them, they will come.
SPEAKER_12Yeah, because I am an island. I live in suburbia, and for some reason they must be out there talking to each other, going, hey, come to this lady's place because she's got a lot of good stuff.
SPEAKER_14Yeah, it is amazing here. Well, thank you very much. If you've enjoyed Maggie's minute this summer, be sure to stop by the Wild Ones annual plant sale this Saturday, August 29th, 10 to 5, at the Clinton Art and Music Festival. You can browse the wide variety of plants for sale and support your local Wild Ones Mohawk Valley and native pollinators. Today I'm visiting with Rabbit Goody, the founder of Thistle Hill Weavers, just outside of Cherry Valley. For more than three decades, Rabbit has been recreating historically accurate textiles for museums, historic houses, interior designers, and some of Hollywood's biggest productions, including Lincoln, No Country for Old Men, The Gilded Age, The Lion the Witch in the Wardrobe, and Boardwalk Empire, to name a few. How were you first intrigued, and how did you get into weaving?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I'm an original hippie from the 1960s, and the attempt at that time was to be more self-sustaining, to build your own house, grow your own food, make your own clothing. I was 16. I learned to spin with a stick and a potato. I immediately was given a loom and just knew how to put it together and weave.
SPEAKER_14And when did it become more than a hobby?
SPEAKER_00Uh unfortunately in my life, nothing has ever been a hobby. If I've been passionate about it, I've turned it into a business. Well, maybe I should say at this point in my life, music might be a hobby. But I play out and get paid for it. So no. I don't have hobbies. I just live a lifestyle and I get paid for parts of it. So Thistle Hill Weavers is about the fourth incarnation of my weaving businesses. We are a customer client-based driven custom and commission weaving business, which means we don't make anything to sell as a line of fabrics. We do jobs, we're a job shop.
SPEAKER_14What would be a client?
SPEAKER_00Right now, Independence Hall is a client. Longfellow House in Cambridge is a client, Potts Grove in Potts Grove Manor in Potts Grove, Pennsylvania is a client. So we do a lot of work for National Park Service. We've done a lot of work for the dead presidents. We do a lot of work for small historic houses, we do a lot of work for private individuals who have historic houses. We work for a very large architectural firm who does very modern work. But our ability to do short runs of custom fabric of almost any description is what makes us special.
SPEAKER_14Now, do you have to have a little bit of historian in you as far as replicating historic fabrics?
SPEAKER_00I have to have a lot of historic in me. That's what my training is, and that's what I teach.
SPEAKER_14Okay, so we're missing a step here. You went from a hippie who's weaving your own clothes to being his uh an expert in historic fabric weaving.
SPEAKER_00So I have museum training. Um I worked at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut as my first museum job. I wove in their weave shop, and I also was their shanty singer for a while. Um and I worked at the New York State Historical Association Farmers Museum for many years and was allowed to do a tremendous amount of research. But I have an extensive library, and because I was a curator in a well-known museum, I've been have access to lots of museums with great collections.
SPEAKER_14So you were drawn to historic fabric. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, I'm drawn to process. I I guess it'd be more fair to say I'm drawn to how things come into being. So if you hand me a piece of fabric, my two first questions, how do I reproduce it? And what was the process that it took to get that particular piece of fabric made? And that process is different in 1500 than it is in 2026.
SPEAKER_14Now I see all these old looms that you have out here with the name of the loom and where it came from. So when you recreate a fabric, are you creating it the way that fabric was created? Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00No, no, for certain periods of time we're not. So if you want the absolute best reproduction of anything, you need to use the tool that it was originally made on. These looms are 1890s to 1960s. We weave fabrics that are from the 1700s, and then we should be using a timber frame loom, a mechanical hand loom, not a powered loom. But it's difficult for people to afford that. Well, there's a there's they there's their point. There's that point. There's that point. So if you had like an ohm meter and you were saying, well, how close do we come? On some fabrics, we come very close. And on other fabrics, we don't come that close. But the question is, what are you looking for? Are you looking for it to optically look the same? Are you looking for it to act the same? In other words, drape or be in a position to be durable in the same way, or are you looking for a real recreation of everything from the fiber to the yarn to the method to the finished product? And most of our clients are someplace in the middle of this discussion. For our historic clients, our biggest are carpet, bed hangings, and window treatments.
SPEAKER_14But you also do fabrics. When we came here probably 20 years ago, you had worked on fabrics for Line the Witch Wardrobe.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh clothing, yes, we do. And we work with a lot of clothing designers who are very interested in sustainability today. And they're actually in New York State, and I'm part of a group in New York State that's trying very hard to help New York wool and alpaca farmers be able to get their wool out in the fashion market. So we're trying to brand some high-fashioned New York wool and alpaca. Mimi Prober, her line of custom clothing, really showcases New York wool. She goes to the farms herself. She chooses fleeces, she has them washed in New York, she has them spun in New York, and she has them either made into felts or woven in New York. So we work with a lot of really cool designers who are trying to help New York farmers do something.
SPEAKER_14Wonderful. Do you ever do like tours or we do tours all the time? Oh, you do? Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_00Um two things. We invite people to come to the mill, both groups and individuals. Uh, we're always happy to show people what we do. For groups, we like to do a real tour from start to finish. Sometimes people just drop in and want to see things. But we just had a couple weeks ago the Sharon Historical Society. So it's a perfect thing for a historical society to come. And then we went over to Hyde Hall and they got to see what our looms had produced. So that was sort of fun. For me to to do the research, produce it, get it constructed and installed from start to finish is really the sort of fun part.
SPEAKER_14Rabbit's passion for historic textiles also finds its way into print. Her new workbook, How to Date and Identify Historic Textiles, will soon offer readers a hands-on guide to understanding and identifying these remarkable pieces of the past. After the break, chapter 20 of Annie and the Loomis Gang, an MV Soundscape with Matt Perry, featuring the agile Cooper's Hawk.
SPEAKER_06Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.
SPEAKER_04From the arts and education to community development and human services, we're proud to contribute to the hearts of our community.
SPEAKER_05We're proud to support the place we call home. Bank with Utica.
SPEAKER_03Sharon Springs has a way of drawing people in, and so does the Black Cat Cafe. Fresh, real ingredients, homemade baked goods, and a welcoming table where strangers become friends. Take the scenic drive along Route 20 to the Black Cat Cafe at 195 Main Street in Sharon Springs.
SPEAKER_02Big 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_09Previously on Annie and the Loomis Gang, Annie secured a buyer for her hops and made an agreement with Washington Loomis to pay the debt or the deed to the farm is his. But Thursday night, William Loomis crept onto the O'Connor farm, and moments later, flames rose into the night. Chapter 20. High Noon.
SPEAKER_14It's a cool September night. Annie tosses beneath the quilt, waking and falling back into uneasy sleep. Tomorrow at noon, she will face Washington Loomis, pay the debt, then go to Sheriff Filkins to confess to her uncle's counterfeiting scheme. The confession will leave a blemish on the O'Connor name. But once the truth is told, she can begin the school year with a clean slate. Annie wakes again with a start, a chill of fear prickling her spine. Shadow? What's happening? Annie jumps from her bed, rushes to the window, and throws the shutters open.
SPEAKER_17No, no, no, it can't be. The Hob's house, a flame. The sparks flying towards the house? The barn? Hunter's inside. Everything Uncle Shay left me. All will be lost. Pa, why didn't I listen to you? You warned me about the Loomises. Why didn't I listen?
SPEAKER_14She rushes from the house. Heat crashes over her. The hop house is engulfed in flames. There, illuminated by the fire, stands a man, Jedediah Marsh, friend and steward of her late uncle.
SPEAKER_17You're here! Ganya, help me! Why are you just standing there? Ganya! Please, Jedadiah! Have you turned against me too?
SPEAKER_14Then, to Annie's horror, along the swamp, bathed in firelight, faces appear.
SPEAKER_17Faces moving toward me. Who's there? Ganya, help me! Please, Jedadiah!
SPEAKER_14More figures emerge from the darkness. What's happening?
SPEAKER_15My family and our neighbors, they are here to help.
SPEAKER_14They form lines between the water and the burning buildings. Buckets?
SPEAKER_15Is the upper flow open?
SPEAKER_17Barn line is steady, grandfather!
SPEAKER_15Keep the flow moving.
SPEAKER_14Water rushes from the hilltop cistern through wooden pipes, racing along the roof lines before spilling over the shingles. Pipes?
SPEAKER_15Aye, your uncle's work to protect the house and barn.
SPEAKER_17Keep it moving! Water! Hurry! Sparks are reaching the barn over here! Pass it down. Keep the line moving!
SPEAKER_15More buckets! Keep the flow moving!
SPEAKER_17The hop house!
SPEAKER_15Let it burn, it's too late.
SPEAKER_17What?
SPEAKER_15Hold what's yours.
SPEAKER_14The hop house is consumed by fire.
SPEAKER_17Work together! More water! Keep it flowing!
SPEAKER_15The house is safe!
SPEAKER_17Great job! The barn is still standing.
SPEAKER_15Hunter is safe.
SPEAKER_17But the crop is gone.
SPEAKER_15Yes.
SPEAKER_17The hop fire is coming this morning.
SPEAKER_15I know.
SPEAKER_17He was going to pay me.
SPEAKER_15I know.
SPEAKER_17And I promised Washington Loomis I'd have his money by noon.
SPEAKER_15I know what you promised.
SPEAKER_17But then I've lost everything.
SPEAKER_15Not everything. The house is standing. The land remains.
SPEAKER_17But this is your home too, Jedediah.
SPEAKER_15We'll manage.
SPEAKER_17No, we won't. I did this.
SPEAKER_15No, you didn't.
SPEAKER_17I should have listened to you.
SPEAKER_15Annie.
SPEAKER_17I thought I could fix everything. I thought if I sold the hog to paid Loomis and we did things my way.
SPEAKER_15Don't blame yourself for a fire if you did not start.
SPEAKER_17Washington will take the farm.
SPEAKER_15Not if you find another way. A farmer never counts on just one way. You are an O'Connor, like your uncle. He always kept another path open.
SPEAKER_14There is no other way. The first light of morning appears over the farm. Jedediah's family and the neighbors stand among the remains of the Burnhop's house kiln and the harvest.
SPEAKER_15You gave Loomis your word.
SPEAKER_14I did.
SPEAKER_15Then you know what you have to do. Go get it.
SPEAKER_14I'm sorry, Jedediah. The sun climbs higher in the sky. It is 11 a.m. Eli Harper has come and gone. He told Annie he was sorry for her loss. He told her he wished there was something he could do. But it is time to go. Exhausted from the devastating night of fire and loss, Annie cleans herself up and prepares for her meeting in Sangerfield. Hunter is saddled and ready to go. Annie slips the deed into her satchel. Then, with her decision made, she places the small wooden box of counterfeit bills into her saddlebag.
SPEAKER_17This is the only way.
SPEAKER_09Next week, Chapter 21. The Lesson.
SPEAKER_10This is Mohawk Valley Soundscape for mid-August. What you're listening to are the calls of Cooper's Hawks, the rapid, almost mad cackling of the adult, and the loud, plaintive whistled calls of immatures. By late summer, a family of Cooper's Hawks can be surprisingly vocal as the newly fledged young follow their parents through the woods, calling insistently for food. Of the raptors that inhabit our region, few are encountered more often or understood less than the Cooper's Hawk. For many people, their first encounter comes at a backyard bird feeder when a blur of wings suddenly sends every songbird diving for cover. About the size of a crow, Cooper's hawks are built for pursuit. Adults are blue-gray above with reddish barring across the breast, a long banded tail, and striking orange red eyes. Their short, rounded wings and exceptionally long tails allow them to twist between trunks and branches at high speed. Their principal prey is other birds, robins, jays, starlings, and doves, and they have adapted remarkably well to wooded suburbs, where both trees and prey are plentiful. By late August, this year's young are out of the nest, but still developing the challenging skills of hunting. During nesting, the smaller male provides most of the food, often delivering prey to the female away from the nest. She carries it back and feeds the young. After fledging, the parents continue to provide food while the youngsters practice the extraordinary aerial maneuvers they will need to hunt among the trees.
SPEAKER_14Thank you for tuning in today. Hope to see you next week as we savor the last weeks of summer. Hope to see you then along the Mohawk. Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk, sharing the stories of the people.