famous half-moon cookie recipe inside! FREEMAGAZINETAKE ONE!

JANUARY 2014

Bird Nests of WinterWINTER FARMERS’ MARKETS

EXPLORING THE ARTS, CULTURE & HERITAGE OF OUR VALLEY

MOHAWKVALLEY LIVING

Our Local Guide

The 1912 Little FallsTEXTILE STRIKE

hot rodsin marcy

“Spruce Creek Winter”by Little Falls Artist Bob Willman

frankfortheritage

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Wounded Warrior Project’s purpose is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members; to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other; and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. Learn more or find out how you can help at woundedwarriorproject.org.

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Wounded Warrior Project’s purpose is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members; to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other; and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. Learn more or find out how you can help at woundedwarriorproject.org.

© 2011 Wounded Warrior Project® All Rights Reserved

Next Issue:February 1stAvailable at our sponsors and your closest Stewart’s Shop. Visit our website for a complete list of pick-up locations. Yorkville & Herkimer New Hartford

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MOHAWK VALLEYLIVING MAGAZINE

PUBLISHERVincent R. Whitney

EDITORSharry L. Whitney

DESIGNERLance David Whitney

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Howard, Suzie Jones, John Keller, Frank Page, Susan Perkins, W.C. Pope,Matt Perry, Gary VanRiper, Gary Price,

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Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of

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Printed at Vicks in Yorkville, NY.

January 2014

contentsLittle Falls Textile Strike Farming is a BusinessNewport Historical CenterWinter Farmers’ MarketsMossback Mule BandAfraid of Yoga?Half-Moon CookiesTucci Hot RodsLocal AstronomyMade HereArtist: Vartan PoghosianNest of WinterBasloe LibraryOur First Year 1974Gallery GuideDid You Know?Musician: Rocky GrazianoHistoric Herkimer Co., FrankfortWinter Training for HikersNatural Provider: White PineMV ComicsMV Flash Lit

We have received many calls and letters over the years from people who have moved away from the Mohawk Valley area who “come home” every week by watching our TV show on YouTube. Now we’re getting calls from people who are getting our mag-azine in the mail sent from their parents or children. I received a call just last week from a gentleman in Minnesota after his daughter had mailed him a copy. He had grown up in Little Falls. I spent the next 15-20 minutes talking with him as he reminisced and tried to “stump me” by naming places in the area he recalled as a kid. His childhood memo-ries were fond, perhaps made more so by the many miles that separate him and his home-town. My husband and I have often had the dis-cussion—especially over the past few years as our boys leave the “nest”—about how go-ing away is a good thing. Sometimes that’s the only way someone can appreciate what they have here at home. If people never leave, they can spend their whole lives wondering what’s better “out there.” I am fortunate because I’m often remind-ed, when I hear from people across the coun-try, about all the great things we have here at home—what we often take for granted—as seen by those on the other side of the fence.

The Greener Side by Sharry L. Whitney

58

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Steet-Pontea u t o g r o u p

On the Cover:

“Spruce Creek Winter” Image 14” x 24” Watercolor on paper by Bob WillmanSigned limited edition prints available at the Willman Gallery. Call 315-823-1987 or email bobwillman@rocketmail.com or www.willmangallery.comPainting is in the collection of Ray Hulten and Judy Mijares.

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Clashes between police and striking workers, suppression of Constitutional rights, outside political agitation and national media coverage, the 1912 Little Falls Textile Strike had it all when it came to industrial age human drama. This is the 100th anniversary of the strike and what follows is part of that story. To best understand this important lo-cal historic event, we must go back half a century to the Civil War and trace forward two arcs of American history, the rapid industrialization of the late-19th century and the advance of the American labor movement.

LATE 1800s: AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MIGHT

The Civil War fast-tracked America’s industrial development. Both the Union and the Confederacy needed to upgrade their industrial output to supply their armies with munitions and materials. Railroads had to be built and improved to better move sup-plies and soldiers. The industrialized nation that emerged from the Civil War was quite different from the more agricultural nation

that entered it. Gilded Age America (1870s-90s) was dominated by an unregulated capitalist economic system sometimes referred to as robber baron economics after the industrial tycoons who engineered its growth; John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan were idolized by the general pub-lic. Presidents and Congress bent to the whims of industry; the press and law enforcement followed suit. Industry held sway as America spread its wings across the continent and its navy across the oceans in search of territory, resources and markets. Labor was seen as a resource to be exploited in the reach for profit. Workers had few rights and low-skilled factory la-borers were easily replaced by ever-arriving immigrants. Such was the case in turn-of-the-century Little Falls. Labor unions were fledgling light-weights compared to the industrial might wielded by robber barons. By the late 1880’s, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) had replaced the Knights of Labor as the nation’s largest labor union repre-senting factory workers. Federal and state

lawmakers routinely favored the interests of capital over labor. In the early 1900’s organized labor began to flex a little more muscle. In 1905 the International Workers of the World (IWW or Wooblies) emerged as the most radical edge of the organized labor movement. Socialist by nature, the IWW was committed to direct action and the philosophy of “one big union” of both skilled and unskilled workers. In pre-World War I America the strug-gle was on between owners and workers to divide the profits of industry and between moderate and radical labor unions to repre-sent the interests of factory workers. These same forces moved front and center during the 1912 Little Falls Textile Strike.

CAUSES OF THE 1912 TEXTILE STRIKE

Beginning on October 9, 1912 and continuing for three months, these two arcs of American history collided on the streets of Little Falls. The interests of capital and labor brought to the surface by strike events divided the community along socio-eco-

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5

Part 1 by Jeffrey Gressler

The 1912Little Falls Textile Strike

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nomic and ethnic lines. Occurring between more highly publicized industrial strikes in Lawrence, Massachusetts and Paterson, New Jersey, the 1912 Textile Strike began as a local event but soon became one of the largest strikes in state history. Many residents favored the capitalist interests of the mill owners. Others felt sympathy for the down-trodden workers. City officials and local law enforcement attempted to keep the factories open and laid the groundwork for the introduction of outside political forces. By 1900 Little Falls was an industrial hub in the central Mohawk Valley with a fast-growing population and over 60 man-ufacturing interests. The primary industries were textile concerns, with the Gilbert and Phoenix knitting mills being the largest companies with the most employees. Most of these textile factory workers were immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, principally Italians, Poles, Slove-nians, Slovaks and Czechs. The majority of these workers lived in squalor on Little Falls’ south side where most were crammed into crowded tenement dwellings. State inspectors found living conditions for Little Falls factory workers to be as bad as anywhere in the state. As was true in much of early 20th century America, these “new” immigrants were often resented and marginalized by earlier immigrant groups. By 1912 Little Falls was a microcosm of national industrial age forces with the interests of labor and capital in opposition and a mixed bag of often quarrelsome eth-nic groups. The spark that ignited the 1912 Textile Strike came from Albany. In 1912 the NYS Legislature enacted legislation reducing from 60 to 54 the number of weekly hours that women and children could work in factories. In part, the Jackson Bill had been a response to the horrific 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in NYC that had claimed the lives of 145 mostly female workers. The law’s impact was immediate in Little Falls.

OCTOBER 1912:THE TROUBLE BEGINS

The owners of the Phoenix and Gilbert knitting mills cut the pay of their workers in response to the reduced workweek and the response of their employees was immedi-ate: Short pay envelopes were the impetus on October 9, 1912 for 80 mostly female employees of the Phoenix Knitting Mill

and, a week later, 76 workers at the Gilbert Knitting Mill to walk off the job and into history. Desperate people had been driven to desperate action. Key figures in the Textile Strike included public health nurse turned labor sympathizer Helen Schloss, labor organizer Matilda Rabinowitz, Little Falls Police Chief James “Dusty” Long, Schenectady socialist Mayor George Lunn, and IWW co-founder William “Big Bill” Haywood, but the real heroes were the strikers them-selves. What followed was a bitter and at times violent labor strike against both the Phoenix and Gilbert knitting mills involving over 600 workers and putting Little Falls in the middle of national labor movement events. The initial response by Little Falls city officials and law enforcement was to side with the mill owners. Chief Long said: “We have a strike on our hands and a foreign element to deal with. We have in the past kept them in subjugation and we mean to keep them where they belong.” This type of response by city officials drew ever-widening attention and pub-licity, even from the national media. The refusal of public speaking permits and the breaking up of peaceful labor gatherings in Clinton Park in the early days of the strike inadvertently put out the welcome mat to political activists far and wide. The strikers and their sympathizers had been turned into media martyrs. The IWW and socialists of all stripes came to Little Falls to side with the strikers. Among them were Mayor Lunn and IWW heavyweights Rabinowitz and Haywood. These individuals saw Little Falls as an opportunity to advance national organized labor causes. The Journal and Courier October 18 headline read: “Arrest Mayor Lunn - Sche-nectady Socialist in Little Falls Lock-up.” Arrested in Clinton Park for inciting to riot, Lunn had been doing little more than trying to address an assembly of striking workers. The right of assembly and free speech had seemingly been revoked on the streets of Little Falls. On October 24, 1912 striking workers held a mass meeting and voted to join the IWW; the radical union had become the organizing force behind the Little Falls strike. A strike committee was formed and Little Falls authorities were accused of deliberately inciting riots and then making arrests. One strike committee strategy was

to goad police into making mass arrests so that city jails would be swelled to beyond capacity. Helen Schloss had been brought to Little Falls in May 1912 by the Fortnightly Club to study and help treat tuberculosis outbreaks in the city. By the time of the strike, Schloss had been so taken with the struggles of the working poor that she resigned her post, threw herself into strike activities and became a central figure. October 30, 1912 was a day of con-frontation. The violence ensued when a combination of Little Falls police and special policemen, hired through the Hum-phrey Detective Agency in Albany, clashed with strikers near the entrance of the Gilbert Knitting Mill. A number of strikers were savagely beaten, one policeman was shot in the leg and another was stabbed. The strikers then withdrew across the Mohawk River, with many heading to their strike headquarters at Slovak Hall on today‘s Flint Ave. The police followed, destroying some of the building’s contents, roughing up more people and perhaps firing shots into the basement before fanning out across the city to arrest individuals connect-ed with the strike. By day’s end, the entire strike committee, including Schloss and Ben Legere, were in custody. The stakes had been raised and what followed was a two-sided media blitz and more confronta-tion.

Continued next Month. . .

Bicentennial Writing SeriesA Collection of Articles Composed and

Contributed by Little Falls Residents

Past and Present

Towards Our Bicentennial

1811 - 2011

Little Falls Historical SocietyLittle Falls, New York

This article is also available in a recent history book. “Towards Our Bicentennial 1811-2011, Bicentennial Writing Series” is a brand new book containing highly personalized stories. Some of the stories are about wars, some about athletic teams, and others about youthful neighborhood experiences. The book can be ordered by phone at (315) 823-9217, 823-0620, or 823-2799.

7

On the farm, life takes on a whole dif-ferent pace during the winter. Yes, we still have chores to do—animals must be fed, eggs gathered and washed. My husband will make cheese almost every day. On our neighbors’ farms, the cows still get milked twice a day, every day, despite the bitter cold and snow. But our goats and sheep are not due to have their babies for another few weeks, so my January days are spent filling the woodstove and planning for the coming year. It is easy to forget that farming is a business. The iconic image of the farmer

by Suzie Jones

family. I know from experience that come tax time, I will tally our sales, subtract our expenses and in the end, wonder how we managed to pay our bills. Every purchase must be agonized over, every line of busi-ness scrutinized. Our goats, for example, are our least profitable business. In a bad year, expenses can outstrip income by thou-sands of dollars. That means each animal’s performance and contribution to the bottom line must be measured and hard decisions made. Farming itself seems to be at a cross-roads. The average farmer in America is a 58-year-old male. Of the farm kids we know, maybe only a third of them want to follow in their parents’ footsteps. They’ve watched their own parents struggle, work-ing a job whose milk check often does not cover the cost of making that milk. More-over, most farm families we know have at least one parent working an off-farm job. Imagine for one moment how tough that is. My friend Angie gets up to milk the herd with her husband and kids, feeds the fam-ily, and then goes to her nursing job. At the end of the day, she helps milk again, feeds the family, and maybe cleans the house, pays bills, and shops for groceries. An off-farm job helps make ends meet and often provides health benefits—something many farmers go without. According to the USDA, the vast majority of farm house-holds need off-farm income to survive. Even large farms (those with greater than

On the farm with Suzie:

farming is a business

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8

and his family working the land and living the simple life is classic and all-American. Before we moved here and started our farm, I dreamed of life at a slower pace. Folks often remark how lucky we are—es-pecially our children—to connect with the rhythms of nature and live life “simply.” These things are true to a certain extent, but I think to romanticize farming is ultimately unfair to farmers, consumers, and the fu-ture of our communities. Like so many things, the truth is much more complex, and infinitely more interest-ing. Our own farm business has been (and

will continue to be) a work in progress. We’ve had to figure out what we’re good at, what works or doesn’t work using the re-sources we have, how our custom-ers respond to us and our prod-ucts, where and what we want to sell and then how we navigate the regulatory landscape. And, in the end, it has to provide a liv-ing wage for our

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*For commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit qualifi cation and approval by CNH Capital America LLC. See your participating New Holland Dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Offer good through December 31, 2013. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Capital America LLC standard

terms and conditions will apply. Taxes, freight, set-up, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in price. Offer subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2013 CNH America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland and CNH Capital are registered trademarks of CNH America LLC. New Holland Construction is a trademark of CNH America LLC.

Clinton Tractor & Impl CoMeadow Street Rt 12b

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Suzie Jones and her husband, Peter, own Jones Family Farm in Herkimer. Together, with their children, they produce specialty goat cheeses and gelato. Find them at local farmers’ markets and at: www.anotherjonesfamilyfarm.com

$250,000 in gross sales) earn 25% of their in-come from off-farm jobs. Which brings me to wonder what our farm business, and

others like ours, can do in the coming year to

adapt—to not only survive, but thrive. I find myself want-

ing every Mohawk Valley resi-dent to care where their food comes

from. Unfortunately, labels aren’t always easy to read. For ex-ample, dairy products made in New York State have a plant number that starts with 36. Anything else is from another state. How could I possibly buy butter from California and then ask Angie how her day at work was? Awareness has made me more thoughtful about my food purchases. For me, farming is not just a romantic, idyllic lifestyle. It is a business that needs constant tending. And as a business, it is an important piece of our community’s economic and social

fabric. We farmers need to do a better job of reaching out and educating consumers. And we need to be willing to adapt so future generations can see their own op-portunities as farmers. Government and non-profits

can play a role in putting consumers in touch with farmers and heightening awareness, too. Ultimately, we are all

consumers whose everyday purchases will affect our local economy and the strength of our community for genera-

tions to come.

“...we need to be willing to adapt so future generations can see their own opportunities...”

EVENT:“So You’ve Bought the Farm…Now What?”

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We’re making room for the new 2014 models with special offers on a wide range of current-year New Holland tractors and equipment. So if you’ve waited all year to buy, now’s the SMART time to get the equipment you need and save. Don’t wait, the Year-End Clearance Event ends December 31, 2013.

STOP IN TODAY!

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*For commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit qualifi cation and approval by CNH Capital America LLC. See your participating New Holland Dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Offer good through December 31, 2013. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Capital America LLC standard

terms and conditions will apply. Taxes, freight, set-up, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in price. Offer subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2013 CNH America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland and CNH Capital are registered trademarks of CNH America LLC. New Holland Construction is a trademark of CNH America LLC.

Clinton Tractor & Impl CoMeadow Street Rt 12b

Clinton, NY 13323(315) 853-6151

www.clintontractor.net

GET THE SAVINGS BEFORE THEY’RE GONE.We’re making room for the new 2014 models with special offers on a wide range of currentyear New Holland tractors and equipment. So if you’ve waited all year to buy, now’s the SMART time to get the equipment you need and save.

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Clinton, NY 13323 (315) 853-6151www.clintontractor.net

Thought of starting your own farm enterprise but don’t know where to start? Or have you pur-chased a piece of land or an old farm but have no experience in agriculture? If so, attend this one day educational workshop Saturday, February 1, 2014 at the Richfield Springs High School. Registration is $20.00 per person with $5.00 per additional family member. Deadline is January 25, 2014To register or to receive a complete brochure,call (315) 866-7920 Find the full details at: www.cce.cornell.edu/herkimer

10

A visit To The

newportHistorical center

Historic Village of NewportNewport was first know as the “Bowen Settlement” named for its founder Ben-jamin Bowen of Rhode Island who purchased the land around 1788. The West Canada Creek was a source of power and soon Newport became both a dairying and industrial center with a tannery, wagon shops, a tool factory, canning and milk condensery, an opera house, and it’s own newspaper.

iolinShoppe

The

Buying, Selling,Renting and Repairing

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Hours by appointment

The Octagon House and Yale Lock Factory located on North Main St. in New-port was built by Linus Yale, Sr., in 1849 as a gift for his daughter, Chlothil-da. It was listed on the Na-tional Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Yale Octagon

The Newport Stone Arch Bridge, which spans the West Canada Creek in Newport, was constructed in 1853. It was listed on the National Register of His-toric Places in 1992.

Stone Arch Bridge

On display: antique fans from 1856-1910, including fans that belonged to the Wilcox sisters who traveled from NYC to their summer home, the octagon house in Newport.

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Linus Yale, Jr. was born in 1821 in Salisbury, NY to an in-novative family. His father, Linus Yale, Sr., was a successful inventor who owned a lock shop in the village of Newport. After his father died in 1858, he became more involved in the family’s lock business, developing one of the first mod-

ern locks that used a pin-tumbler mechanism. Most modern locks are still based on Yale’s ingenious design. In 2006, Linus

Yale, Jr. was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

The Key to Yale’s Legacy

Newport Historical Center

Drawing InspirationGrace Paull was born in Cold Brook, NY in 1898. She authored and illustrated many children’s books, often depicting local scenes and using her niec-es, nephews, and neighbors as mod-els. She returned from New York City in 1954 to work in her studio in Cold Brook focusing on her watercol-ors and oil paintings. She created a special collection of lithographs of historical plac-es in the Utica area.

Overlook Mansion

55 Douglas Street, Little Falls www.overlookmansion.com

A Spectacular Setting

315-823-1907

B&B Weddings Meetings Special Events

“Women of the Kuyahoora Valley” A new book available

at the Newport Historical Center!

the GrapevineHealthy Gluten-free, Vegan,

Halal specials, homemade soups & authentic Mediterranean cuisine

Thanks for a great 2013! See you in the New Year!120 Genesee Street, New Hartford Shopping Center(315) 733-0257 Open Mon. 10-3, Tue - Sat: 10-9www.grapevinenewhartford.com Like us on facebook!

Artist, Grace Paull

by Sharry L. Whitney

winter farmers’ markets

What do farmers do in the winter? Livestock farmers are as busy as ever, tending to their animals every day all winter long. For crop farmers, the pace is bit slower-giving them the chance to do repairs on the home, barns, tractors, and other farm equipment. They also use the time to do bookkeepingand recordkeeping—evaluating data and crop yields looking forresults and trends. And now, due to the ever-increasing number of winter farm-ers’ markets, many farmers are tending winter farm stands. The growing interest in local produce has resulted in many year-round markets like the one at Clapsaddle Farm in Ilion. The Ilion market began out of owner Jim Parker’s desire to help his Amish neigh-bors through the harder winter months by giving them an outlet to sell their goods. Now, Amish and non-Amish vendors set up at the farm weekly. Many farmers, encouraged by the growing locavore move-ment, are extending their growing season with winter greenhouses and/or adding preserves and other added-value products to their offerings as well.

Cooperstown Farmers’ MarketSaturdays, 10am–2pmJanuary-April101 Main Street, Cooperstown

Hamilton Farmers’ MarketThird Saturday of the month, 8am-NoonNovember-AprilParry’s, 100 Utica Street, Hamilton

Morrisville Winter MarketFirst Saturday of the month, 9am-1pmNovember-AprilMadison Hall, 100 E Main St, Route 20, Morrisville

Oneida County Public MarketSecond Saturdayof the month, 9am-1pmJanuary-AprilUnion Station, Utica

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Pashmina, wool, and cashmire blend scarves galore!Incredible, beautifully designed ponchos!

Visitors cross an old plank bridge to visit the year-round Clapsaddle Farm in Ilion, first settled in 1737.

The Poolville Winter Farmers’ Market, in the beautifully restored Poolville Community Center, highlights local chefs as well as 20+ local producers.

The new Oneida County Public Market brings the ener-gy of a bustling marketplace to Utica’s Historic Union Station.

12

Sisters, Nora, Claire, and Annelise Jensen shop for candles for their teach-ers at L'ouvrière Beeswax Candles, one of the vendors at the Cooperstown Farmers' Market open every Saturday throughout the winter.

Some vegetable farmers, like Seth Heller, stay busy year round. At Heller’s Farm CSA in Bainbridge, they grow greens and mushrooms in their 35,000 square feet of greenhouses.

You can buy pickled just-about-anything at Parker’s Clapsaddle Farm in Ilion. The Zook family, an Amish family who moved from Lancaster County, PA, settled in Little Falls seven years ago. They sell jarred goods, sauer-kraut , and baked goods at Clapsaddle Farm.

Jim Parker enjoys experimenting with new products at Clapsaddle Farm in Ilion, first settled in 1737 by his 6th great-grandfather. His latest concotion is apple cider syrup.

Oneonta Farmers MarketSecond and Fourth Saturdays January-May9am-1pmMain Street Plaza, Oneonta

Parker’s Clapsaddle FarmFriday Noon-6pm and Saturday 10am-5pmOpen Year Round437 Otsego St., Ilion

Poolville Winter Farmers’ Market2nd and 4th Saturdays, 10am-Noon November-April (No market in January)Poolville Community Center7484 Willey Road, Poolville

Westmoreland Winter Farmers Market1st Saturday of the month, 9am-NoonNovember-AprilWestmoreland Firehouse, Station Road, Westmoreland

“We deal in cars on a small scale”A Hobby Shop for Car Nuts

2007 GENESEE STREET, UTICA, NY 13501-5648 527-1637

UPTOWN AUTOMOTIVE

Scale Model Vehicles forBuilders and Collectors.

Auto Sales Brochures, and More.

Buy a New Car for less than it costs to change

your oil!

THE AMERICAN HOTEL

Dinner Thursday to Sunday Hourly from 5pm

Sunday Brunch 8am to 2pm

Sunday Afternoon Meals 11:30am to 4pm

Reservations recommended

518 284 2105192 Main Street

Sharon Springs, NY 13459www.americanhotelny.com info@americanhotelny.com

3rd AnnualOPEN HOUSE

Fri., Jan. 31st, 9am-6pmSat., Feb. 1st, 9am-4pmFree coffee and tastings of all products.

Tours of the factory.Fresh bread made daily.

Homemade granola.10% off everything storewide!

Locally ProducedFreshness Guaranteed

Just 10 miles south of New Hartford on Summit Road between Routes 12 and 8

Run by the same family since 18728689 Summit Rd., Paris Station (315)-839-5740 www.lincolndavies.com

Lumber, Building Supples & Hardware

Ronald E. Jones

Lumber • Building Supplies • Hardware8689 Summit Road • Paris Station, NY 13456

Phone: (315) 839-5740 Fax: (315) 839-5380

lincolndavies@frontiernet.netwww.lincolndavies.com

Wood Pellets

Topics:Plant identificationBioregionalism & living with the seasonsHerb growingWildcraftingHerbal energetics

Intermediate Apprenticeship-Level 1 For self and community-creating healing and resilienceGain a deeper understanding of Traditional Western Herbalism and the initial steps of creating your own herbal practice.Covers the more subtle skills of medicine-making and the dynamics of herbal medicine and how it is woven into human health. Six 2-day weekend meetings beginning in April 2014

For more info and to register go to: www.hawthornehillherbs.com or call Lisa @ 315-845-1562

Beginner ApprenticeshipHerbal Medicine for Self, Home and FamilyAn introduction to the world of Traditional Western Herbalism and the medicinal plants of the Mohawk Valley.Six monthly meetings beginning in April 2014

Making herbal products & preparationsEdible wild foodsHome remedies for common ailmentsEthics and conservation

Available at a store near you or direct from our dairy store:6300 Skinner Rd., Vernon Center, NY (315) 829-4089

Open: Mon-Thurs 9-5, Fri 9-6, Sat 9-1www.stoltzfusdairy.com

Gift Boxes!

Order Online or in Our Store

The 70s and 80s were a prime time for music in this area. Every weekend there was a band in every café & bar. Each night the venues were at capacity. Live music was the life blood of bands, bar owners, and fans. People listened, danced, and followed the bands place to place. The bands knew most, if not all, of their fans by name. Some of the more popular bands were Mr. Edd, Alecstar, 805, Zen, The Dust Devil Band and The Mossback Mule Band. Of these, the Mossback Mule Band is ‘still kickin.’ One of the members of Mossback is Bob Fleming. I asked Bob about his career in the band and beyond. Are you from Central NY, originally? Yes. I’m from Lee Center, but have been in Camden over 40 years. So, more or less a native.What were your earliest musical experiences? First bands? The thing that sticks with me is my mother always playing Glenn Miller and Johnny Cash records. I liked them both a lot. And of course then came the Beatles! That sealed the deal! My first band had a strange name and I don’t remem-ber why. It was with a guy you probably know, Orin Domenico (Domenico’s Café, Utica). We called ourselves The Dry Heaves of all things!How and when did The Mossback Mule Band form? I’m thinking that officially it was around 1973. All the guys were childhood chums and had played together forever. I was the newcomer. I showed them Country music and they showed me the Blues!Who were the original members? Who is in the present band?

The original lineup is actually the same as today. Members of the band are, me on guitars and vocals, Dave Liddy on piano, Steve “Mule” Quenneville gui-tars and vocals, Hal “Mousee” Kent on bass and Dave Pallas on drums who is a new addition. When we have a bigger show Jeff Baker comes up from Atlanta to play harp with us. All original members except the drummer We had no drum-mer at the start, although our buddy Larry Kent played drums with us before we were really an official gigging band with a real name.Most exciting band moment? It would have to be the night that Charlie Daniels came to the Oasis in Westmoreland and joined us on stage! That was incredible.Worst experience? We had a show with the great Freddy King and had to miss his part of the show—although we did get to meet him—because we had a book-ing in Oswego. Or so we thought. The club dou-ble booked and the other band was playing when we arrived so we never played nor did we get to hear Freddie. He passed away shortly thereafter.Are there recordings by Moss Back available? In the 70s, there was a 45 released called ‘Feeling Like an Outlaw’ and it actually got radio play. Other than that, nothing official, although I have a lot of my own and other members do as well. Some of it, although primitive by today’s standards, sounds pretty darn good. I really need to put something together, but it’s more or less finances that keep it from happening. Do you know any rich people?

During the ‘heyday’ of the band, what was the local music scene

like? Oh man, back in the day I can remem-

ber playing every night for weeks until we were begging for a break! There was so much great local music at the time. There still is today, al-though not as many people go out and support it anymore. I don’t know if it’s because it’s old hat, indifference, drinking laws, or a combination of those things. I don’t want to admit that maybe it’s because we are getting older.Any advice to offer newer musicians? Play for the love of it and the passion. For-get about getting rich ‘cause the money is not there anymore. It doesn’t matter what kind of stuff you like to play as long as it’s from your heart and soul. I tell my kids that all the time. I have some great musician kids. My son Tommy Fleming is an awesome drummer, my son Joey Fleming is a good guitarist, singer and writer, and my daughter Erin Fleming sings like an angel. My late stepson Jason Wilhem was a fabulous drummer and we all miss him terribly, but he is always with us when we play. That is something I totally believe! My ex-wife Tammy Fleming (Ja-son’s mom) plays with my buddy in Boxed Set and it’s awesome.

Find the Mossback Mule Band on Facebook.

Local musician, John Keller, is the owner of Off Center Records in downtown Utica, NY.

Lucky Mey’sAuthentic Asian Market

Exotic Fruits and Vegetables

Fresh Fish

All Kinds of Noodles

1633 Oneida StUtica, NY 13501(315) 735-5963

OPENEvery Day 9-7

15

The Music never stops:

Bob FlemingMossback mule bandBy John Keller

“I showed them Country music and they showed me the

Blues!”

16

by Kristy Caruso

elevated heart rates, stress hormone levels, and an overall feeling of discontent. Whether or not you can touch your toes today is irrel-evant. You can benefit today from slowing down your body and breath, and shifting your awareness away from your constant inner chatter. Modern science is now catching up to the ancient wisdom that our minds are respon-sible for our wellbeing, and you don’t need loose hamstrings to address your mental and emotional landscape. With time and practice, we become more physically flexible as well as more mentally flexible. Body and mind are tended to simultaneously, and the illusion that they are separate dissolves. Everyone has stress in varying degrees. It’s how we react and respond to our stress that makes the difference. As the New Year un-folds, set the intention to give Yoga a try. Each of us needs a self-nourishing practice as part of our wellness puzzle. To achieve true balance we must balance activity and inactivity, doing and undoing. Yoga gives you the opportunity to work with both states of being, in a friendly, relaxing, and safe environment.

the impression that they are lacking something, (for example flexibility), and wouldn’t fit in or enjoy the practice. The truth is, Yoga will meet you right where you are. The physicality of Yoga has been overemphasized in our culture, leaving out the elements of Yoga that defined and characterized the practice thousands of years ago. Yoga gives you the unique opportu-nity to better familiarize yourself with the var-ious ways you operate and move through the world. It offers you tools for managing the ups and downs of life and the stresses that are so pervasive in our society. Through the various techniques of Yoga, you gain insight into the causes of your stress and suffering, and gain new perspective on how you can cultivate the conditions for your suffering to lessen. There are no physical prerequisites for this type of inner work. The practice of Yoga postures nourishes

the body and all its interconnected systems. Some postures are simple and relaxing, others are more dy-namic, allowing you to gain strength and stability. More important than what poses you are exploring is how you are practicing them. By slowing down and deepening your breath and movement, you shift into the parasympathetic nervous system, a mode of functioning that allows you to digest, rest, and heal. Many of us go through the day locked in the fight-or-flight mode, using our sympathetic nervous system, with

Who’s Afraid of yoga?

The practice of Yoga has stood the test of time, evolving and diversifying through the ages. What was once a mystical and geo-graphically isolated practice, Yoga can now be found in just about any small town across the U.S. Locally, Yoga is offered through MVCC, the YMCA, small studios, health clubs, and even in local art galleries and museums. Yoga instructor Jennifer Kemp-Quintana recently began teaching classes at Body by Design in the village of New Hartford and at the Kirk-land Art Center, a clear sign of Yoga’s grow-ing acceptance in the world of wellness care. Although more prevalent than ever, many are still reluctant to roll out a mat and give this an-cient practice a try for the first time. After over a decade of teaching Yoga, I’ve come to better understand what holds people back from stepping into their first class. Many misconceptions surround Yoga, giving people

Kristy Caruso teaches Hatha Yoga at Saint Stephens Church in New Hartford, Hamil-ton College in Clinton, and MVCC. She lives in Sauquoit with her husband and two sons. Find her on Facebook or at: kristycarusoyoga.com.

Whether or not you can touch your toes today is irrelevant. You can benefit today from slowing down your body and breath. . .

Candy & Snack ShoppeHome of Chocolate-

Covered Bacon!290 East Dominick Street, Rome

315-533-6361Tues-Fri 9- 4, Sat 10-2

Something Good & a Lot of It

Brenda’s Natural Foods236 W. Dominick St., Rome

(315) 337-0437Natural Groceries - Supplements - Local Foods

Health Foods - Organic Produce & Plants

www.brendasnaturalfoods.comHours: M-F 10-6, Saturdays 10-3

Rocco Gualtieri’s Italian Market

294 E. Dominick St., Rome (315) 337-3370

Shop in Italy today, & cook up an Italian dinner tonight!

Downstate there are cookies called Black & White cookies. These are NOT to be confused with the Utica born Halfmoon Cookies! Black & Whites are more cookie like with fondan icing, while halfmoons are more cake like with thick, fluffy frosting. Half-moons are believed to have originated in Utica at Hemstrought’s Bakery in the 1920s when Harry Hemstrought opened a small bakery on Columbia Street. Al-though Hemstrought’s Bakery closed a few years ago, they still make the famous cookies for local grocery stores.

Half-Moon CookiesFor the cookies:Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Ingredients:3 3/4 cups flour3/4 tsp. baking powder2 tsp. baking soda2 1/4 cup sugar1 cup butter, cut into pieces3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted1/4 tsp. salt2 eggs1 tsp. vanilla extract1 1/2 cups milk

Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl, set aside. Put sugar, butter, cocoa, and salt in bowl of stand-ing mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat. Add half the milk, then half the flour mixture, beating after each addition until smooth; repeat with re-maining milk and flour mixture. Spoon or pipe batter onto parch-ment-lined baking sheets, making 3-inch rounds 2-inches apart.

Bake until cookies are set, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove from parchment.

For the fudge icing:3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate3 1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate1 tbsp. butter4 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted2 tbsp. corn syrup1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt bittersweet and semisweet chocolates and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water over medium heat. Add confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and 6 tbsp. boiling water and mix to a smooth, stiff paste with a rubber spatula. Thin icing with up to 8 tbsp. more boiling water. Icing should fall from a spoon in thick ribbons. Keep icing warm in double boiler low heat.

For vanilla buttercream icing:7 cups confectioners’ sugar1 cup room temperature butter, cut into pieces1/2 cup vegetable shortening7 tbsp. milk1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Put sugar, butter, shortening, milk, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on low speed to mix, then increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy.

Frost cookies:Using a metal spatula, spread about 1 tbsp. of warm fudge icing on half of the flat side of each cookie. Spread the other half of each cookie with 1 heaping tbsp. buttercream icing.

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recipes

Half-Moon Cookies

1607 Genesee st | Utica, nY | 315.624.2528 | leafloafandladle.comPHoto BY maRRone PHotoGRaPHY

Ho. Ho. Hum.

Nobody plans a party, or goes to one, looking forward to the same old thing. This holiday season have Chef Mike Cappelli & Host Debra Richardson help you create an unforgettable menu that’s exclusively yours. Whether you’re planning an intimate gathering or a corporate event, require on-site, full-service or to-go catering, Leaf, Loaf & Ladle will prepare and present a taste experience that will be remembered. It’s your party, don’t settle. Call Debra at 315.624.2528 or email drichardson@rcil.com

Really? On your wedding day?

Leaf, Loaf & Ladle understands that it’s your wedding. It’s a day when every detail is a personal expression, so choosing from a few standard menus may not be what you envisioned.With over 30 years of wedding experience, Leaf, Loaf & Ladle can help plan your reception, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner and day-after break-fast or brunch. Choose your own space, or we can host your event in our stunning historic hall. Our location can accommodate weddings of 175 and cocktail style receptions up to 250. Whether it’s a simple request or a completely custom adventure and theme, your food will be as unique as your day.

Contact Debra Richardson at 315.624.2528 or email her at drichardson@rcil.com

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local business

tucci hot rods

I started my business, Tucci Hot Rods, in 1997 after many years of customizing my own classic cars as a hobby in my small garage. People started coming to me to have small jobs done on their cars and as this increased I real-ized I could make a business out of it. That’s when we built our 6000 square foot facility just for designing and building custom cars. We specialize in sheet metal forming on pre-1949 cars as well as the design and fabricating of any and all aspects of a custom car. I started by working many local cars, one car in partic-ular was a 1939 GMC pickup we built for Fred Burrows. I received worldwide attention when we debuted the vehicle in 1999 in Columbus, Ohio at a national car show. At that event, we were asked to take the truck all over the coun-try to display at various indoor and outdoor car shows. We were also invited to be on a few TV shows and were featured in and on the cover of 7 different magazines all over the world. This exposure and recognition brought in requests from people around the country who wanted to bring their vehicles to us so we could design

Dave Tucci was born and raised in Marcy, NY, but is know all over the world for his custom hot rods. His automobiles have appeared in, and on the covers of, numerous national car magazines. He is most proud of the business that his small two-man shop brings to other area businesses in his hometown.

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and build their dream cars. We have realized that this area is capable of supplying us with the necessary parts and materials we need to complete our custom projects. We utilize at least 10-15 local companies almost daily to supply us with these components. This saves us time and money by not having to go outside of the area to buy products and at the same time generates business for our local suppliers. We’ve proven that people do not need to have a custom car built on the west coast. The Mo-hawk Valley has everything we need to build our custom cars here.

www.tuccihotrods.com

Before:

After:

Thanks for a Great 2013!See you in the Spring!

North Star OrchardsClosed for the season

Rte. 233, Westmoreland 315-853-1024www.northstarorchards.com

20

by Vincent R. Whitney

vatory features a roll-off roof, with a 20’ x 20’ telescope room. Using a small motor, a large section of the roof rolls horizontally off the build-ing, revealing a wide view of the night sky. The building is one of the largest roll-off roof observatories in the US. The room houses two main telescopes, but has 6 concrete-paver pads for members to bring their own telescopes. The Seif Telescope, their largest telescope, is a 16-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain. Their newer telescope is a state of the art 12-inch Ritchey-Chrétien, which allows them to take amazing photos with a rela-tively large field of view. Members of the Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society can operate the observatory on their own, once trained and qualified. This can allow those interested in astronomy 24/7 access to the facility for their own observations. Their monthly meet-ings are open to the public and fea-ture speakers that present a variety of topics, from current NASA missions

York since May of 1989. They are a non-profit or-ganization dedicated to the study, understand-ing, and appreciation of astronomy. They were formed in a classroom at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. At their first public viewing they had a great com-munity response, with 60 people in attendance! A few months later they started their monthly newsletter, Telescop-ic Topics, which pro-vides a summary of their meetings as well as featuring local astronomer’s observations and current events in the larger scientific community. Their new observatory,

the Barton-Brown Obser-vatory, was completed

in June of 2013 and is located at the

Waterville Public Library. The Bar-t o n - B r o w n Obse rva to ry

is a partnership between Waterville

Public Library and the Mohawk Valley Astro-

nomical society. Made pos-sible by grants from the Edward

Barton Trust and the New York State Department of Education Pub-lic Library Construction Fund, the observatory was built with the help of many local artisans, tradesmen,

and the Waterville Rotary Club. The building itself is not only unique by design, but also in

how it functions. The obser-

The View From Waterville

Amatuer astronomers have always played an important role in astrono-my. With how large our sky is, it is important to have many different observers in order to cover such a massive scope. Many discoveries in astronomy have been made by these hobbyists, such as the discovery of Uranus. Today many aspiring as-tronomers can make discoveries sim-ply by looking as data collected by NASA, whose technological instru-ments bring in far more data than the scientists could ever analyze on their own. This, coupled with the fact that telescope and camera advances have made astronomy more affordable, many individuals and groups make their own observations and discover-ies. Fortunately for us in the Mohawk Valley we have The Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society. The Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society has been observing the skies

of Central N e w

Pictured are Jim Dulak, Faith Thompson, and Dan Szabo. Past and present presidents of the Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society. They are pictured in front of their newest tele-scope, a state of the art 12-inch Ritchey-Chrétien.

The Andromeda Galaxy is similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy and is part of what is called the “Local Group” of Galaxies (a group of gal-axies clustering near the Milky Way). Some astronomers believe that the Milky Way and An-dromeda Galaxies will collide in about 4 billion years, perhaps merging together and forming a much larger galaxy. Photograph by local astron-omer Chuck Higgins.

9

Complimentary Gift Wrapping!Gift Registry Available

Open Monday 12pm-4pm, Tuesday - Saturday 10am-6pm20 West Park Row, Clinton, NY 315.853.3650www.kriziamartin.com

DiCastro’sBRICK OVEN

Call 33-PIZZA615 Erie Blvd. W., RomeOpen M-Thurs 11-9, Fri & Sat 11-10, Sun 12-9

Our Wood Fired Brick Oven, along with the freshest & finest ingredients, make a rustic, neapolitan-style pizza

that is the best you will ever taste.

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to explaining different astronomical objects and events. These meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm at the Kirkland Senior Center in Clark Mills. For more infor-mation please visit www.mvas-ny.org.

The Barton-Brown Observatory Located at the Waterville Public Library. The observatory features a roll-off roof that exposes a 20x20 foot observation floor.

The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion’s Belt in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. Photograph by local astronomer Chuck Higgins.

The Lagoon Nebula (left) has many dark globules, which will eventually condense into new stars. The Trifid Nebula (right) is both an emission and reflection nebula, with thin clouds of dust obscuring parts of the starlight. While they may appear as whispy clouds, these are actually massive collumns of cooler particles, light years in diameter. Photograph by local astronomer Don Yacco.

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Made in RomeThe city of Rome has a long history as a center of trade that can be traced back to when it was known as Deo-Wain-Sta (The Great Carrying Place) by the Haudenosaunee people. It is also where

Revere Copper Products, Inc., one of the oldest manufac-turing companies in the United States, was formed be-

tween 1928 and 1929.

rome

Made Hereproducts created or manufactured in our region

Spreading the GreenYoung mothers Amber Spadea and Sarah Walker have a passion for “spreading the green” and have been working together the past year to bring homemade “green” products to their neighbors. Amber’s company, Tumblewool, features woolen goods made in Clinton, NY, including handmade, natural Tumblewool dryer balls. Dryer balls can be tossed in the dryer for an eco-friendly way to expediate the drying process while making clothes soft and

static free. Available online at: www.tumblewool.com and at Stu-dio 8 Fitness in Clinton and Whims-n-Doodles in New Hartford.

www.tumblewool.com www.myessential8.com

clinton and new hartford

Famous for BreadThe Friendly Bake Shop, owned by the Viti brothers, has been a part of Frankfort since 1961. The business got a facelift in May 2013 when celebrity bakery owner, Buddy Valastro, featured the bakery (and its makeover) on his TV show, “Bakery Boss.” The bakery now has an updated look and some new products, but the Viti boys still make the Italian bread they’ve always been famous for! 122 E Main St, Frankfort

The Friendly bake Shop

Frankfort

Hubbard Tool & Die Co.Manufacturing still thrives in Rome today. Hubbard Tool and Die Co. began in a small barn back in 1949, today it occupies 14,000 square feet and employs over 30 peo-ple. They now have customers for their cross head tooling throughout New England, the South, the Mid-West, Spain, Australia, and soon South America. Brothers Eric and Ran-dall Hubbard got their start in mechanical technology at

MVCC, eventually returning to run their family’s company in Rome. 401 Mill St, Rome, www.tipsanddies.com

www.tipsanddies.com www.r-tronics.com

Subscribe!MVL Magazine is FREE to pick

up every month, but subscriptions and back issues are available.

Visit our website for more info: www.mohawkvalleyliving.com

January Blues got a Hold on You? STOP at

for some retail therapy!

SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE!

11 W.Park Row, Clinton • 853-5299Jan/Feb hours: Wed-Sat 11-5, Thurs til 6 • Like us on FB @ The Village Crossing

And now at 11 Lebanon St in Hamilton Evergreen Gallery • 824-0897

Sarah’s company, Essential8, features her own line of organic products for home and body. Made in New

Hartford, NY, her products include, handcrafted cleaners, liquid soaps, baby products, reusable wipes, bug spray, scrubs, and pet shampoo. Shop her online store: www.myessential8.com.Also available in Forestport at The Station Coun-try Store; in New Hartford at Barnes & Noble,

Life Discovery, and Village Toy Shop; and at Old Forge Hardware.

R-tronicsAnother business in Rome that supports the wire industry is R-tronics specializing in the manufacture of custom and proto-type cables, wire harnesses, elec-tro-mechanical assemblies, and RF applications. Established in 1991, R-tronics has made significant in-vestments in automated wire preper-ation and crimping equipment. 222 Erie Blvd E, Rome, www.r-tronics.com

Two brothers,a shared passion.

Classic Old Italyand Nouveau Mediterranean

with an American twist.

Restaurant and Pastry Shop1 Campion Road, New Hartford (315) 733-6592

Complete menu & catering information: www.cafecanole.com

Silver Season 1988 - 2013Twenty-Five Years of Music, Th eater & Dance!

Box Offi ce information and tickets

(315) 859-4331

www.hamilton.edu/college/performingarts

Doug Varone and DancersPresented by the Mohawk Valley Dance PartnershipSaturday, January 25, 7:30pm

“Mr. Varone’s superb dancers are always worth seeing.” Th e New York Times

Register Now!Pen & Ink

Figure Drawing

Mini Masters PreSchool

Pottery

Art Boot Camp for Teens

Dance

Afterschool Arts & Crafts

Zumba!

Yoga

Digital Photography

Community Draw-inJanuary 6 - February 1

Coffeehouse January 10, 8pm

9 1/2 East Park Row, Clinton(315) 853-8871 www.kacny.org

Become a member and receive our weekly newsletter, coffeehouse and exhibition postcards plus discounts and all classes and tickets!

Utica ceramic artist Vartan Poghosian creates pieces of art that seem both modern and ancient. His work tells a story, but its inspiration and origin has been a mystery to him, he just knows he has to create it. He regulary travels back home to Armenia (a mountainous country east of Turkey and north of Iran) to visit his family and to explore the region. But there was a time not too long ago when he wanted nothing to do with his home country. “I just wanted to get out,” says Vartan, when he describes his feelings as a young man in Armenia. “I was in the right family but in the wrong place. I felt like an outsider in my own country.” He left his country 17 years ago to come to the United States and until recently avoided anything connected to his homeland. Born in 1976 to working-class parents outside the city of Yerevan, he grew up in a time when Armenia was on the verge of independence. He remembers the dark times immediately following his country’s secession from Russia in 1990. He remembers soldiers and shootings. Then, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the power was cut off to his country, halting public transportation, closing shops and bakeries. He recalls the hunger that followed. He also remembers the art studio, that was nourishing his passion for art, was closed. His Aunt Shogher, a talented seamstress, had taken him to the studio a few years earlier. She saw how important art was becoming to her young

nephew so she introduced him to her artist friends who would become his teachers. A whole new world was opened up to Vartan as they introduced him to new art, music, books, and

ceramics. But his country continued to face a deep depression and increasing starvation. By the time he was 18 Vartan was resolved to leave

Armenia. His ticket out was his art and an acceptance letter to the Rhode Island

School of Design in the United States, but before he could

Local Arts:vartan poghosian

13

Echoes of Armeniaby Sharry L. Whitney

Vartan Poghosian overlooks the high-altitude Lake Sevan in Armenia on a recent visit to his homeland.

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Experience all that the arts have to offer at Rome’s only multi‐arts facility.  Open year round! 

 

live music  •  art galleries  •  workshops  •   community events  •  festivals  •  summer camp 

•  historic tours  •  rentals  •  and more! 

  www.romeart.org 

Full Buffet and Salad Bar Served Mon-Fri 11:30-2:30

Wednesday night Buffet 4:30-8:30Serving lunch and dinner Mon-Sat

Enjoy authentic Lebanese Cuisine

623 French RoadNew Hartford (315) 733-2709

Subscribe!Although we encourage fans to pick up MVL for free, we do offer subscriptions. Visit our website for more info:www.mohawkvalleyliving.com

leave he was captured at his home and sent to the eastern Armenian border (Armenian men age 18-27 have a conscript military service obligation.) “It was a traumatic experence,” he says, “and I became angry with my country.” A year and a half later, when his military service was over, he left Armenia for the United States. He traveled around the United States from Maine to California, until an opportunity to study bronze and sculpture brought him to Utica. Vartan continued exploring his art and discovered a passion for ceramics. He enjoyed the endless possibilities of the medium and the ability to make it appear as different materials like metal and stone. His passion for ceramics led him to formulate and experiment with his own glazes in search of just the right colors. The art he was creating was unusual with motifs he didn’t completely understand. He was overwhelmed with the images that were in his dreams demanding to be expressed. On a visit to Armenia to see his family he realized he didn’t really know his own country. He visited the neighboring villages

and mountains “then something clicked,” Vartan recalls. He visited a mountain village where his great grandparents had lived, one of five families who had come from Turkey and settled there. He explored the neighboring villages, monasteries, cave paintings, pre-Christian religious sites, and

places like Karahundj, an ancient astronomical site. He realized, “this is where the images are coming from, the colors, the symbols! I felt a connection to my country.”

He understood that the art he was creating was bigger than he was. “It’s in my genes, part of my DNA.” “I learned that maybe being angry at your country

is not a good thing.” Vartan now looks forward to his visits to

Armenia not only to visit his family but for artistic inspiration. He explores

the surrounding mountains and villages like a tourist in his own country. “My art is only a tiny drop of what I want to describe. It’s like a seed inside!” Vartan works out of 4 Elements Studios, his studio in Utica and also teaches classes at Upstate Cerebral Palsy in Utica. See his work at: www.vartanpoghosian.com

The colors and textures of a 9th century monastery in Armenia echo through Vartan Poghosian’s art.

Tuesday - Friday 10:00 am to 5:30 pmSaturday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

This may come as a surprise, but Jan-uary is an excellent time to look for bird nests. Very few birds are actually in the pro-cess of nesting at this time of year, but their old abandoned nests from the spring and summer remain, ready to be found and ex-amined. During the summer when the trees are all leafed out it’s just about impossible to locate these nests without investing a lot of time in the endeavor. Of course, the last thing you want to do is disturb an active nesting bird, so waiting until the off-season is a good all-around policy. It’s true that in wintertime deciduous trees and bushes hold few secrets and the nests of many songbirds become easy to pick out. Some may be harder to identify than others depending on their construction and how they’ve held up after several months’ worth of weathering. However, distinctive nests like that of the Baltimore Oriole tend to keep their shape. The Baltimore’s nest

usu- a l l y resem- bles a tennis ball hanging in a gray sock from a high branch of a shade tree. The nest is actually a woven bas-ket hanging by the rim of its long neck. For materials, the female oriole weaves together long strips of bark, but she will also utilize long animal hair as well as discarded string. This method of construction makes the ori-ole’s nest more durable than most, which is important since it is intended to hold 4 or 5 raucous nestlings for up to 2 weeks. The rim of the nest is securely fastened to a high branch, and the branch itself is most often one that reaches far out from the tree’s truck. This more isolated location on the tree helps to keep the nest out of reach of predators. Elms and Willows have long overhanging branches and orioles have traditionally fa-vored them as nest trees, but I’ve also found oriole nests in Aspens and Sugar Maples.

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Fortunately not all bird nests are of the same shape or made from the same mate-rials, so it is possible to discern the build-er without actually seeing her, and in most cases it would be a “her” since with many bird species it’s the females who handle the heavy work of nest building. The males’ job is usually to defend the territory and to look pretty. The nest of the Red-eyed Vireo is an-other one that is easy to identify. It appears as a small, well-formed cup and is attached by its rim to a forked tree branch. This vireo most often places her nest from 5 to 20 feet high in a forest dwelling tree. The materi-als of the nest are many; they include grass, rootlets and papery leaves. Spider silk is used on the outside of the nest which lends the structure some elasticity and helps to bind it all together. The outside of the nest is also decorated with lichen in order to pro-vide some camouflage from predators. Like

Story & Photos by Matt Perry

This AmericanGoldfinch nest holds two abandoned eggs.

This is a fresh goldfinch nest from the summer.

The nests of winter

that of the Baltimore Oriole, the nest of the Red-eyed Vireo is durable and so it tends to remain intact through at least the early part of the winter. The nests of songbirds will not be used again–at least by songbirds. However, other animals may repurpose them. If you ever find a bird’s nest that looks like it has been filled with cotton, then most likely that nest has been taken over by a mouse. At Spring Farm’s Nature Preserve I can usually count on finding a few old bird nests that have had cottony roofs put on them. In most cases the work has been done by a White-footed Mouse. They will collect the silken parachutes of Common Milkweed plants, cut them up finely and create a very soft, well-insulated living chamber in the heart of the bird nest. Sometimes a mouse will use a bird nest as a site to cache food. The nests of Gray Catbirds are large, relatively well-built, and low to the ground and so they provide the per-fect storage places for mice. I recall finding one a few years ago that was filled to the brim with berries. Our Bluebird boxes often provide the best opportunity to examine bird nests in the wintertime. These nests are protected from the weather and so virtually no degradation takes place. Interestingly, one single box may contain several discernable nests, one right on top of the other. Most of the nest boxes placed in open fields contain the used nests of Tree Swallows. The Tree Swallow constructs her nest with dried grass to which she adds feathers from other bird species. In this way the Tree Swallow presents us with the added challenge of determining what kind of birds those feathers came from. The Tree Swallows are known for their preference of using white feathers when available, but feathers of a great variety of colors and sizes may be used. Like dif-ferent interior decorators have their different styles, different swallows also have their own individual bents. Some may just add a few feathers and place them haphazardly around their nest, while others go in for more flamboyant designs. Occa-sionally I’ll find the nest of a Tree Swallow that contains doz-ens of plumes including the long iridescent breeding feathers of wild ducks. If upon opening a nest box you find what looks like a mas-sive jumble of twigs, it is undoubtedly the work of the House Wren. The male House Wren usually starts several nests and then one of his mates (House Wrens are polygamous) will be left to decide which one she prefers. Once she makes her choice she will go about deconstructing the male’s “work” and then begin building a real nest. Her finished nest will utilize some of the male’s rough twigs as a support frame in which she embeds a cup made of finer materials including grasses,

27

A mouse repurposed this Gray Catbird nest for food storage.

Back in the early summer this oriole nest was alive with activity.

Found in winter is a well preserved Baltimore Oriole nest, though this one lacks the typical long neck.

A White-footed Mouse looks out from beneath his bird nest home.

This Tree Swallow nest is lavishly decorated with turkey feathers.

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The male Baltimore Oriole is likely basking in a tropical paradise right now.

rootlets and feathers. In winter there may remain an infertile egg at the bottom of the nest. I always look for these. The eggs of the House Wren are small and thickly patterned with cinnamon-brown spots. Another interesting nest to look for in bird boxes is that of the Black-capped Chickadee. The female chickadee makes a soft mattress from moss, cocoons and other soft fibers. This construction fills the entire floor of the nest compartment. On top of this she puts down another layer of mostly ani-mal hair and in the center of this she makes a cup-like depression. This is where she lays her eggs. In wintertime, when a mouse invariably takes over the chickadee’s box, it will rearrange the nest materials and in-corporate them into its own nest, adding its own cottony plant fibers and making a soft,

well-insulated home. It’s important to realize that when scan-ning the trees for nests not everything that looks like a bird’s nest is in fact a bird’s nest. For instance silk from moth larva like the Fall Web Worm will sometimes trap leaves. When seen from a distance this mass can resemble a bird’s nest. There are also the large leafy nests of Gray Squirrels which are sometimes mistaken for the nests of crows or even hawks. Since neither hawks nor

crows tend to use more than a few leaves in their constructions, it is easy to rule out those possibilities. When embarking on a cold January hike, be sure to look for some of these nests, and when you see one, try imagining the col-orful plumage of the birds that made them. Most of them are no doubt relaxing in 70 degree temperatures in some tropical para-dise. Perhaps that thought may just take your mind off of your frozen toes.

Matt Perry is Conservation Director and resident naturalist at Spring Farm CARES in Clinton. He manages a 260 acre nature pre-serve which is open for tours by appointment. Matt is also regional editor of “The Kingbird”, which is a quarterly publication put out by the New York State Ornithological Association. Matt writes a week-ly blog about the nature preserve, which can be found at: talesfromthewilds.blogspot.com

The Black-capped Chickadee nest sits on a bed of soft moss.

This chickadee nest was repurposed by a mouse – milkweed silk was added.

In wintertime the leafy nests of Gray Squirrels are easy to see.

A swallow used Cedar Waxwing and Blue Jay feath-ers in this box.

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times when my computer was down. You can print pages for ten cents a sheet, although the printer was down last Saturday when I was there. I was hoping to be there for the Guitar Group, which meets Saturdays at eleven. Anyone can show up with their acoustic guitar or other instru-ment and play and sing along. I just go to listen, although sometimes I can’t resist singing along with a particular song. They haven’t kicked me out yet, but I sing softly just in case. Basloe hosts appearances by lo-

dog particularly likes to walk through the park when we are out for a stroll. We often see people sitting on the benches. Sometimes they are on laptop computers; sometimes they are just en-joying the space. Of course, that isn’t so common in the winter, but I enjoy the library year-round. “Did you know that libraries offer more than books? Movies, music, in-ternet access and community events can all be found at the library. I uti-lized Basloe computers before I had a computer in my house and a couple of

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The Everyday Adventures of Mohawk Valley Girl:

A visit to Basloe Library, herkimer

One of the greatest assets in any community is its public library. I love books and I’m always looking for free or inexpensive ways to entertain my-self. So the library is a perfect desti-nation. Last Saturday I took a trip to Frank J. Basloe Library in Herkimer. Basloe is located on N. Main Street. Parking is available on Main Street or in the parking lot on Prospect Street, one block over. From Prospect,

one walks through a nice small park to get to the library. My Anyone can

show up with their acoustic guitar and play and sing along.

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cal authors as well as other special programs. To find out about the pro-grams, you can visit their website or stay connected by ‘Liking’ their Face-book page. However, my favorite thing to do in a library is to browse the shelves. I walked up and down, looking at fic-tion, biography, history, and more. Saturday I picked The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, Crawford’s Men by Jane Ellen Wayne (Joan Crawford was notorious for her sex life), and The Sheppard Murder Case (later fictionalized as The Fugi-tive) by Paul Holmes. Before I left I spent a short time browsing the ongoing Friends of the Library sale. I couldn’t resist purchas-ing just one book and one video. I know, who watches videos anymore? But this was Rooster Cogburn, a TV movie starring John Wayne and Kath-erine Hepburn that I remember watch-ing years and years ago. It was a blast

from the past. The book was Bandits by Elmore Leon-ard, in case any-body was wonder-ing. I love Elmore Leonard. I could have stayed longer at Basloe, reading my books or work-ing on my day’s blog post. If I had, I might have gotten a hot beverage. They have a coin op-erated Keurig machine and offer cof-fee, tea and cocoa. I had to hurry away this time, but I may go back soon. A hot beverage surrounded by books. Sounds like a great way to spend a couple of hours.

The Frank J. Basloe Library245 North Main St.Herkimer, NY 13350(315) 866-1733 www.midyorklib.org/herkimerMon-Wed: 10am – 7pmThurs & Fri: 10am – 5pmSat: 10am – 2pm (Closed Saturdays in July and August)

Cynthia M. Quackenbush, a.k.a. “Mohawk Valley Girl,” writes a daily blog about her everyday adventures in the Mohawk Valley.

Follow her frugal fun at: mohawkvalleygirl.wordpress.com

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by Peggy Spencer Behrendt

Part 4WINTER ADVENTURES 1974

Cold winter days have a shade of blue as if the sky has been drawn down by the cold; muted and subtle, but filling the air with its ephemeral hue. I put a candle on the floor to look for my boots, but it blows out from the air blowing through the cracks between the floorboards. I find them anyway and go out to chop a hole in the ice to fetch wa-ter. It’s my turn. Meanwhile, before it gets too deep, Tim is shoveling a path down our road to where the plows pass by on Pardeeville Rd. a half mile away. Every day the ice over the creek gets thicker, creating an frozen well that makes it hard to maneuver the hatchet. The last blow dislodges the entire patch of ice, splash-ing icy water all over me. I wish we had a blade on a long handle. We bring in extra buckets to do laun-dry inside. I heat the soapy wash water on

the wood stove, scoop the ice chunks out of the rinse water, and plunge the clothes with two clean toilet plungers. We wring it out by hand. The laundry dries quickly on hangars in the loft. I wish I could press some items, but the “sad” iron doesn’t get hot enough on the wood stove. Millard Brenning (our 90 year old friend) stops by and tells me about an old fashioned, kerosene cooking burner they used to use. I’m going to look for one. He teaches me how to trim the wicks of our kerosene lamps in a gentle curve to keep the flame clean and bright. The glass globes need to be washed every day. Someone’s been in my diary! “Peggy, sometimes I love you (ac-cept, respect, enjoy and care). You don’t have to believe it though. Timmy, Tim, Timothy” I’m sitting on the roof in the sun while Tim is splitting wood. I “chew him out” for writing in my diary. I’m just mad because I’m embarrassed. He’s ruining my self-image of feeling hateful and re-pulsive. I had a beautiful day yesterday. We took turns singing songs to each other through the woods with just sounds, no words. It was fantastically beautiful. Both our songs were unique and perfectly “us” in all our myriad of scared, embar-

Our First Year: 1974Shawangunk nature preserve, cold brook

In 1974, Tim and Peggy Spencer Behrendt set off on an adventure. They began a new life in the woods of Cold Brook, NY, with-out modern conveniences like electricity or indoor plumbing. Their goal was to expe-rience a worthwhile existence while mini-mizing harm to the environment. These are excerpts from Peggy’s journal chronicling their first year.

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rassed, happy, loving, etc., feelings. This morning I was so excited to see a bobcat! It was right outside the kitchen window. Tim got a quick glimpse before it hurried off. I take a long walk through the forest all the way to our mailbox over a half mile away. Sometimes I crouch in the snow for a while, the sun overhead, and just look around me. The tree trunks are decorated with filigree mosses, chickadees are call-ing cheerily, a gentle breeze trembles dry beech leaves tenaciously clinging to their birthplace. The temperature drops. Suddenly, it’s 40º F below zero. We hear blasts like gun shots near-by, even though it’s dark. We bundle up and go outside to investigate. The intense cold makes our chests hurt if we breathe too deeply. We hear another “BOOM!” It echoes throughout the forest. Anoth-er “CRACK!” further off. “POP!” from a little tree next to us makes us jump. All around us, trees are exploding. Each one echoes and reverberates through the woods in a vibrant diminuendo. The sap

has frozen in the trunks before it could de-scend to the roots, where it would be pro-tected from deep cold by the insulating earth. The rapid expansion of ice inside the trees causes wood fibers to rip in sud-den blasts. It sounds like fireworks going off, or a percussion symphony. Awe, and the cold, make me catch my breath. I pull my scarf up to warm the air I am breathing. It makes my glasses steam up. I feel like I’m on a different planet. Tim announces; “It’s so cold, we need to start up the truck in the middle of the night or we might never get it started again the next morning when we have to go to work.” I am horrified! “You’re telling me I have to get up in the middle of the night when it’s sub-ze-ro, hike a half mile through the snow in a dark forest to the end of the road and sit in a cold truck while it warms up? You are not serious!” “Afraid so, Peg. If we’re going to get to work, we’ve got to do it. We can take turns.” My turn comes at 2am. I consider the

option of di-vorce…but first I would have to get the truck start-ed anyway…so I grumpily hurry into layers of clothes and trudge wearily out the door with a dim flashlight. (They are al-ways dim.) Once my blood starts circulat-ing and my cheeks aren’t freezing I start to notice the brilliance of the stars. I’ve never seen so many! I feel like I am in a magical world of pale, bluish, white dia-mond carpets where I can see into eterni-ty. I finally reach Isaiah, cold and asleep in the wonderland. I turn on the key and press my left foot on the starter button. Isaiah is as grumpy about waking up as I had been but manages to rev up for me and I am very grateful. I return home invigorated, delighted with my visit into the silent mystery of a deep winter night. The cottage isn’t much warmer than it was outside, but my bed is

“I consider the option of divorce...

but first I would have to get the truck started anyway...”

warm, my partner is warm, I am content, and cancel the divorce plans. Sometimes we have to do it twice in one night, to make sure we can get to church early in the morning. It always begins in groans and complaints, but transforms into an awe inspiring journey through a magically mysterious wonder-land. We get unexpected visitors. A young couple we met last summer hike in and want to get married. (Editor’s note: Tim is a minister.) After a simple ceremony and a Cham-paign toast we ask; “Where do you plan to spend your honeymoon?” We are tired now and hinting that it’s time to leave, since it’s getting dark. “Um, we were hoping you’d let us spend the night here. We don’t have any extra money for a motel and it’s too far for us to get home tonight.” “We’ll take the cushions off the couch and lay them on the floor. Peg will find some blankets,“ Tim offers. They’re happy with that and we climb to our loft. Tim is worried about them get-ting hypothermia. The cottage gets colder and colder thru the night ‘til by dawn it is close to freezing inside, as usual. I wake to the soft sounds of our newlyweds discretely con-summating their marriage. At first I think; “How sweet!” Then I panic; “What if Tim wakes up suddenly and wonders what’s going on? Should I wake him myself and clue him in, or just wait and hope for the best?” I wait. Wrong decision! He hears them, wakes with a jolt, and calls out in alarm and concern; “What’s wrong? Are you folks ok?” “Yes, we’re ok, Tim,” the groom wea-rily replies, “We’re just making love.” “Oh, so sorry!” he apologizes softly and with great embarrassment, retreating quickly back under our covers. “I was afraid one of you was suffering from hy-pothermia and you were trying to resusci-tate or something.” I giggle. It finally warms up but now we’re in a snow storm. I don’t want to go to church but Tim feels he must go. He makes it to Salisbury Center and has a nice service as the storm increases. On the way home he gets stuck in the notoriously deep drifts blowing across Barto Hill, barely getting out of them by rocking the truck forward

& back or gunning the engine. He turns into the drive of the last farmhouse at the top of the hill. “May I park my truck here until the storm is over?” He asks the farmer, when the surprised man answers Tim’s knock. “Of course, of course!” he replies. “You can stay the night. No one can get over Barto Hill today!” “Thank you, no” Tim an-swers, “I need to get home. Thanks for keeping my truck. I’ll be back as soon as possible to pick it up.” And he walks back out into the storm. He knows I’ll be worried, and we have no phone. He’s not properly dressed for this, but he loves ex-periencing the power and majesty of the fierce, frigid, snow-driven winds so intimately. He fol-lows the telephone poles because the road has disappeared under the chaos of white. He skirts some drifts, climbs over others, slowly descending this great Adirondack foothill to the Kuyahoora Valley five miles below where the winds are gentled by protecting hills. Here he’s able to hitch short ride along part of the eight mile trek along the West Canada Creek from Middleville to Poland. Exhausted and cold, he goes into a town bar and orders a beer. He is almost as white as a snowman and his full beard and moustache are stiff with ice from his breath. Wearily, he slides onto a bar stool, sa-voring the heat inside as he starts melting and dripping onto the floor. “Hey! How ‘ya doin’, Moses?” a man nearby taunts in an unfriendly way. At this time, most men are afraid they’ll look radical if they allow their sideburns to grow below their earlobes. Tim doesn’t answer. He keeps looking straight ahead, sipping his beer. He’s not in a good mood. The bar room becomes silent and the atmosphere gets tense. The men seated nearby start moving away like a scene in an old western. For-tunately, nothing more is said and Tim leaves quietly, leaving a puddle of snow for remembrance. He hikes to the home of our friend

Spencer Prindle who braves the storm, giving Tim a ride as far as he can, but he’s still almost three miles from home. I find my husband hiking in with a big log on his shoulder. He thinks it will be good for the fire. He wants to get warm. I tell him I’ve got a fire going and he should leave it for later. He has hypothermia, is exhausted, and isn’t thinking clearly, but he recuperates in a few days with frostbite scars to remind him of his hike through the blizzard over Barto Hill. Winter here is a big challenge. But it is sumptuously, magically, ethereal-ly beautiful; a wonderland of crystalline mosaic patterns. It gives the impression of eternal, impregnable, frozen stability, even though it is actually in constant flux with the temperature, wind and sun. The Eskimos have many different names for snow, and we who live in the North Coun-try understand why.

Peg at the front door with her new, home made afghan.

The Shawangunk Nature Preserve is a deep ecolo-gy, forever wild, 501©(3), learning and cultural cen-ter. Tim and Peggy still live there and can be contacted through their website.

www.Shawangunknaturepreserve.com

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January

GAllery Guide

Dinotopia at the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie

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Community Draw-In, Elemental ElementsJanuary 6–February 1, 2014Community artists and non-artists are invited to come to the KAC and draw on white and black paper-covered gallery walls, using black and white and shades of gray, with a variety of drawing materials provided—or bring your own! Creation: January 6–February 1 during gallery hours and by appointment.Community Draw-In Celebration: Saturday January 25, 5-7pm

Kirkland Art Center9 1/2 East Park Row, Clinton, NY(315) 853-8871 www.kacny.org

Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James GurneyThrough February 9, 2014

James Gurney’s Dinotopia brings the worlds of science and the imagination to life by chronicling Arthur and Will Denison’s remarkable experiences on a lost island in vibrant color and meticulous detail. Recounted in words and pictures in the best-selling book series, Dinotopia.Arkell Museum2 Erie Boulevard, Canajoharie, NY(518) 673-2314 www.arkellmuseum.org

Featuring the works of Linda Bigness-Lanigan, Kimmy Harvey,and Wendy CarboneThrough January 31, 2014

Rome Art & Community Center308 West Bloomfield Street Rome, NY (315) 336-1040 www.romeart.org

Winter AirJanuary 18–April 27, 2014A juried group exhibition of visual works that convey the very distinct but intangible sensations of walking outside on a cold winter’s day.

View3273 State Route 28, Old Forge, NY (315) 369-6411 viewarts.org

Art Into the New YearJanuary 10–February 26, 2014

All art teachers related to the MVCA and their students are invited to come together for a special exhibition featuring the art of you and your students as an opportunity to show and possibly sell your art.

Art delivery dates: Tuesday, January 7 and Wednesday, January 8, Noon-3pm Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts401 Canal Place, Little Falls, NY(315) 823-0808 www.mohawkvalleyarts.org

Swing City by Linda Bigness

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The recreational stereoscope was a pop-ular source of Victorian entertainment. It was derived from scientific research in the 1830s that proved humans have binocular vision. The stereo-views on accompany-ing cards show left and right eye images for the same scene. By looking through the lens of the stereoscope, the two imag-es are seen as one 3D picture.

by Brian Howard, Executive Director

Did you Know?from the Oneida County Historical Society

Are these folks going to a graduation? Or to a concert? How about the circus? For over fifty years the Utica Memorial Auditorium has played host to a myriad of events and several sports teams. Built atop the old Erie Canal in 1959, the ‘Aud’ was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2001. Most recently the Utica Comets hockey team has made its home here, continuing a tradition that dates back to the venue’s opening in 1960.

36

On Exhibit: Before 3D Television…

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To make butter in this early 20th century wooden butter churn, you need to move the long handle up and down and side to side. Inside the churn, the handle connects with

an X-shaped dasher, which agitates the cream. You don’t need to go fast, you just need to keep the cream in motion. Want to try making butter at home? All you need is a jar and some heavy cream from the grocery store. Pour the cream into the jar, filling it about 1/3 full. Screw the jar lid

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The first stereoscope was introduced in

1833 in Great Britain. This was before

photographs! The first ones used drawings.

THE ‘AUD’

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After World War II our nation entered the Jet Age and flew (literally!) into the future. Trav-el by passenger train and by steamship plummeted as the ‘greatest generation’ embraced the airplane and the automobile. Oneida County’s airport in Oriskany bustled with activity while downtown Utica hummed to the drone of autos from Detroit’s ‘Big Three’—Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Spurred by the construction of the interstate highway sys-tem during the 1950s, our region embraced new methods—and a new scale—of travel that altered our landscape and our fortunes through the rest of the 20th century.

1608 Genesee Street, UticaOpen Mon.-Fri. 10-4, (315) 735-3642

www.oneidacountyhistory.org

Oneida County Historical Society

How We Moved

Ray Benson Chevrolet, 1968

Utica Chrysler, Plymouth, 1968 Oneida County Airport, 1968

Thruway I90 construction.

Genesee St., Utica, 1968

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NY FarmNet helped our familyprepare a working transfer of

ownership that builds equity forour sons and a future for us.

Thank you NY FarmNet!

NYFarmNetBrightening the Future of NY Agriculture Since 1986.

A project of NY State Department of Ag and Marketsthrough the Dyson School at Cornell University.

100% FREE and 100% Confidential No obligationrequired. FarmNet is unbiased, our only interest isthe success of the farm family.

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Rocky Graziano is a multi talented multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and actor. Aptly named, he looks like he could box and he rocks. His father, the late Joe Graziano, was a well respected saxophonist and radio personality in the Greater Utica area, known for his popular “Cuppa Joe” show. Growing up in a family that appreciated music, Rocky was never discouraged from following his dream. He has played gui-tar since he was 17 and has written and recorded songs since 1993. In addition to his solo performances, he has played in the Blob Mob, Showtime, and with his band, the Bourbon Mothers. He has also written and played bass on local guitarist Rich Fortuna’s 2009 re-cord, Burnt Shadows. Rocky has released two solo albums, The King of Prince Street and Simple and Cold, touring the northeast and midwest to promote their release. His band, Bourbon Mothers also released an album that is recommended if you like the Foo Fighters, Counting Crows, and Tom Waits.

GENESEE JOE’S LIVE & LOCAL:

rocky graziano His influences range from The Clash, Prince, and Bow-ie, to Springsteen and Johnny Cash. Lo-cal musical influences include Touris, Todd Hobin, and Vinny and The Butchers. He has also played rock acts in indie films by Mad Angel Films with music credits in the pro-ductions as well. “I’ve always wanted to write and record music that people can re-late to and find familiar,” he says. “It’s easy to write about moments that have touched your life. The trick is to get those things expressed in three or four minutes. That’s fun for me.” Catch Rocky Graziano on Friday, January 10th at 9:00pm at The Celtic Harp Pub, 805 Varick Street, Utica. Visit: www.rockygraziano.com for upcoming performances and search Rocky Graziano on ReverbNation.

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by Susan R. Perkins

HistoricalHerkimer COunty:

Frankfort

The Hollywood Theatre was located at 104 South Frankfort Street in Frankfort. The theatre was built in 1931. Those were the days when you paid five cents for a matinee and ten cents for the evening show. This photograph is dated 1939 and the marquee shows the featured movie, “St. Louis Blues” starring Dorothy Lamour and Lloyd Nolan. Robert L. Jenner was the manager when this photograph was taken. The theatre was put up for sale in 1962. Today it is apartments.

The Hollywood Theatre

The Whipple Winckel Company was located on the cor-ner of Litchfield and Pleasant Avenue. George H. Winckel (1843-1923) was born in Germany and immigrated in 1888. Sometime after 1910 George moved to Frankfort from New Jersey. In 1913, George Winckel and Fred Ashenhurst (1874-1941) were in the plumbing business known as Winckel-Ashenburst. George then went into partnership with John D. Whipple (1875-1958) sometime after 1913. They ran a supply store which was called the Whipple Winckel Company. Both Winckel and Whipple are buried in the Oak View Cemetery.

The Whipple Winckel Company

This photograph is dated May 18, 1942 and shows “I Am American Day” in Frankfort, New York. In 1939, William Randolph Hearst created a holi-day to celebrate citizenship through his chain of daily newspapers. In 1940, Congress designated the third Sunday in May as “I Am An American Day.” In 1994, it was promoted though the United States Immigration and Nat-uralization Service. A 16-minute film was shown in American theaters as a short feature. In 1948, governors of all 48 states had issued Constitution Day proclamations. On February 29, 1952, Congress moved the obser-vance to September 17 and renamed it “Citizenship Day.”

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The Gates Match Factory was founded in 1844 by William Gates. William invented and patented match-making machines. The patent was obtained April 4, 1854 for a machine that would manufacture friction matches. It was the first continuous match machine ever built. William Gates was born in 1809 in Mechanivlle, Saratoga County, NY. He mar-ried Mary A. Due in 1832. In 1843 they moved to Frankfort. It was in 1844 that he began the manu-facture of phosphorus matches. The business started in a twelve square foot room on the south banks of the Erie Canal. It had grown by 1870. Gates bought the land that is now Lehman Park located on South Litchfield Street. The water power from Moyer Creek was used for a 40 horse power engine that was used for the match industry. William died in 1877. Gates three sons, William B. (1840-1900), George W. (1843- 1918) and Frederick Gates (1848-1942) ran the business. Note George W. Died in Oshkosh, WI. He went there in 1881 to take charge of the J.L. Clark, which was a match factory that had been ac-quired by Diamond Match Company. There is a monument to deceased fireman which was erected in 1952 in the south section of the park with the Gates Memorial occupying the north sec-tion. The Gates Memorial reads, “Site of the Wil-liam Gates Match Factory, 1844. Peddled matches in Utica, 1854. Invented the first continuous match machine, 1855, inventor of the first phosphorous match. Erected by the Town and Village of Frank-fort, November 1956.”

The Gates Match Factory

Sue Perkins is the Executive Director of the Herkimer County Historical Society and historian for the town of Manheim.

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Winant’s hotel was located on the busy corner of West Main and Litchfield Streets in Frankfort. It was formerly the Frankfort Hotel owned by Wil-liam Brown. Two brothers from Mo-hawk, Harvey (1818-1875) and Jacob (1820-1892) Winant, purchased it from Brown in 1865. Besides being a hostel-ry pubic auctions and political meetings were held here. It later became the site of the Central Hotel.

Winant’s Hotel

The New Book

Timeline for the property up to 1929:1844 William Gates starts thematch company1877 Gates dies, son takes over, renamed William Gates’ Sons1881 Six match companies merge into one and are called the Diamond Match Company. The factory stayed in Frankfort.1893 Diamond Match Company moves to Oswego1897 Frankfort Linen Company. It was sold to Ward P. Munson. in 19021902 property is vacant1907 Duofold Underwear Co.1914 Wicks, Hughes & Co. Paper Mill1921-25 Litchfield Paper Co. Inc.1929 Frankfort Paper Products Corp. takes over.

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What do you do during the winter to stay in hiking shape? It was July in 2006, and I thought my hike up Seymour Mountain in the Adirondack High Peak wilderness would be my last. Despite climbing a few of the “easier” peaks in the past and running two to three miles nearly every day for years, I simply did not have the strength and

stamina required—for what was originally supposed to be a three-day backpacking adventure with The Adirondack Mountain Club—to conquer the four-mountain Seward Range. Leaving the group to pack out the next morning, I thought, “That’s it. Over 50. Too late. Too old. I’ll never be able to finish all 46 of the Adirondack High Peaks.” It didn’t take long to forget the pain and try to figure out what I could do to give it one

more shot. The new plan? Each day, I would ascend and descend the 46 stairs behind our middle school while wearing a pack loaded with 12-20 pounds and do a total 2400 stairs, followed by a brisk one to two mile walk around the school track. With a summer of that routine

behind me, I joined another group in September of that same year for a day-hike up both Esther and Whiteface Mountain. Result? Flew up and down both mountains. Left the trailhead at 9:05am, arriving on the summit of Esther at 11:45am. From there we could see the summit of Whiteface encased by clouds. Leaving Esther at 12:15pm, we made the Whiteface summit at 2:30pm. After enjoying the view from the top of that fifth highest peak in the Adirondacks and admiring the wall that runs along the Memorial Highway from the trailside, all of us were back at our cars by 5:45pm. Encouraged with the outcome, and despite some raised eyebrows, I shoveled a herd path down those school stairs all winter to maintain that routine, and in the spring hit the ground running. Between May and October of the following year, I had finished climbing my remaining 32 peaks to finally become what is called, “a 46er.” Now seven years later, I continue that same workout and continue to enjoy hiking with others who aspire to climb one or more of those incredible mountains just a one-to-four-hour drive from our Tug Hill backyard. Be sure to check with your doctor

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and get approval for any exercise routine you might be considering to maintain hiking shape. Just don’t let your age alone discourage you from dreaming and asking. I’ll leave you with this: a few autumns ago after summiting Snowy Mountain—a fire tower mountain at Indian Lake, NY—I met a guy at the top who was sitting on the grass and enjoying the view. Joe, from Utica. We talked for a bit and I learned he had undergone a hip replacement operation just one year earlier. Then he told me he was 81-years-old. “Joe,” I told him, “You’re my hero.”

Gary VanRiper is an author and photographer. He has written 13 children’s books with his son, Justin. Find out more at:www.adirondackkids.com

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White Pine, or Pinus strobus, is the tallest tree native to the Adirondack forest, growing up to 150-200’+ with up to an 8’ diameter. It was considered sacred by the First Nations of the Haudenosaunee (Ho-deh-no-shaw-nee) and was named The Great Tree of Peace. The White Pine was widely overharvested and more or less clear cut by Europe-an colonists but, thankfully, there are still several small old growth forests left in the mountains. These are also easy trees to grow and cultivated in any backyard in the Northeast, although they do best in acidic soil and, in fact, the needles are highly acidic when they fall (ph3.5) helping to create the necessary conditions for its survival. This will limit the growth of any plants below it with the exception of acid loving plants such as blueberries. The best way to identify White Pine is to count the number of needles in a bundle.

by Lisa Ferguson Crow natural provider

The White Pine will have 5 needles to a cluster and are approximately 3-5” long. The cone will be thick and 4-8” long. This tree is not only tall and majestic, but is an excellent source of medicine especially for the upcoming winter months. It is considered

a food source and is highly nutritious, but mostly used as a last resort starvation food by the First People. The inner bark can be eaten and both the bark and needles are high in Vitamin C. The nutritional value of White Pine was not widely known by

the first European settlers. When they arrived

White Pine

Words from the Peacemaker:

“I will plant the Great Tree of Peace. And it will be so tall that it will pierce the sky. And it will be the symbol of sharing, the symbol of brotherhood and the symbol of peace in the world. And the roots will be so big and they will be white, one to the north, the east, the

south, and the west. And they will carry peace to the world. And those roots are white, so they

can be noticed by all. And when people see the white roots, if they want peace, they can follow them. And they can make their mind

know where the Tree of Peace was planted, in Onondaga country. And there they will seek to sit in peace, in the shade of the tree, with all of

us Iroquois nations.” From the book, And Grandma Said.....

Iroquois Teachings as Passed Down Through the Oral Tradition, by Tom Porter

Illustration (right) courtesy of John Fadden (Mohawk). See his work and the work of his son, David Fadden, at Six Nations Indian Mu-seum in Onchiota, NY. www.sixnationsindianmuseum.com

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in North America many of them died of scurvy beneath the very trees that could have saved their lives! I have heard many variations of myths from the First People about the White Pine. It is commonly thought that word “Adirondack” means “bark eater”. I was taught by an ecology professor that there was no food growing beneath the Pine forest and so people and other large mammals couldn’t have lived in the mountains. But, according to the stories of the first settlers to the Adirondacks, there was plenty of food due to many acres that were cleared as a result of beaver dams and forest fires. I was also told a story by Abenaki elder Joseph Bruchac. He tells of a standoff between the Kanienkeha/Mohawk (gan-yun-GEH-ha) and the Abenakis at Lake Champlain. The standoff went on long into the winter and the supplies of food became scarce. The Kanienkeha warriors survived by eating the inner bark of the White Pine. The Abenaki used this information to taunt them and called them “bark eaters.” I listened to Bear Clan Elder of the Mohawk, Tom Porter (Sakokewnionkwas), tell the story of how the White Pine became known as The Great Tree of Peace. The Peacemaker was born into a time of great war and destruction for the Iroquois people. Through his efforts peace came,

and he used the image of the White Pine and its roots as a symbol of the peace treaty that had been created between the five nations. It is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever heard of the human capacity for cooperation, compassion, and unity. As I sat listening to this luminous man convey his peoples’ profound legend, tears filled my eyes at the thought of the peace that came to the people and land here. This is surely hope and evidence that this choice can be made again. The chemical compounds of the White Pine include flavonols, proanthocaynidins, resins, bitters, tannin, Vitamin C, and volatile oils. It is used as an herbal remedy for its anti-inflamma-tory and antiseptic qualities. I use White Pine needles for any upper respiratory infection, but it seems particularly useful when there is green phlegm. It is considered a tissue stimulant as it will stimulate the elimination of mucus by increasing oxygenation to depressed, bogged down, mucus entrenched membranes. It also re-laxes by soothing, cooling, and calming irritated and inflamed sinuses and lungs. White Pine can both warm and cool, as it is anti-inflammatory and reduces infections by cooling the tissues and allowing for tissue repair and pain relief. This makes it a great remedy for bronchitis, sinusitis, and flu. It also opens the chest and sinuses releasing heat, and can be used for asthma to relieve wheezing and related tight-ness in the chest. It warms through its stimulating properties increasing circulation that will carry oxygen to affected areas and remove waste and stagnation. White Pine’s affinity for the lungs was known during the tuberculosis epidemic. The Pine forests in the Adirondacks contained many famous havens for those with tuberculosis and hosted many sanitariums amongst these great beauties as a source of much relief for those afflicted. “Frequent morning walks in pine woods are very invigorating, particularly for consumptive people.” ~Lydia Child I make tea with the needles any time of year and make tincture in the spring from the fresh

shoots. Below I have shared my Pine Tea recipe. This tea is great for colds, flu, bronchitis, sinus infection, chronic coughs, whooping cough, tonsillitis, laryngitis and fever. The inner bark can be used but I have not felt that I have needed to do so as the needles work splendidly without having to damage the tree.

Lisa Ferguson Crow is a community herbalist in Newport. She has been practicing herbal medicine for more than 20 years. For information go to: www.hawthornehillherbs.com

White Pine Needle Tea Gather a handful of White Pine needles Cut them into 1/2 inch pieces Pour 1 cup of boiling water over them Steep for 20-30 minutes Strain and enjoy! Drink 2-3 cups per day for coughs or colds. Honey may be added!

Editor’s Note: Last month’s issue of MVL Magazine featured a photograph of the rugosa rose hip in-stead of the multiflora rose hip. Although both are edible, multiflora rose hips are smaller (about ¼ inch in size) and require little, if any, drying.

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The information in this article is not intended to, and should not replace, professional advice by your doctor or healthcare practitioner.

MV Comics

46

With Rome artist & “Bob the Squirrel” creator, Frank Page!

night was nonexistent. The roadway was ours. My six year old sister sat in the front of the sled, I wedged in the middle, and our father fit himself on the back, his long legs on either side of us to reach the steering bar. He pushed off on the icy road with his gloved hands, and we began to move. We started slowly, but soon picked up speed. The only sound was that of the crunch of metal runners as they bit into the frozen snow sending thousands of tiny sparkles twirling into the air alongside of us. I could feel the frigid wind rushing against my face, and the sting of the tiny ice flakes as they reddened my cheeks. Faster and faster we slipped down that long hill in the silence of the winter night. The inky black of a heavenly sky crowded with brilliant pinpricks of starlight seemed to surround us stretching right down to the edges of the snow covered fields. The thrill and majesty of it all nearly took my breath away. The road flattened out into a gentle curve at the bottom, and our sled gradually glided to a stand-stil. On the way back, my sister and I took turns walking or hitching a ride on the sled as Dad pulled it back up the hill, all our breaths com-ing in frosty puffs. A happy glow kept me warm all the way home, and the memory of that magical, moon kissed Christmas Eve sleigh ride will warm my heart forever.

It was a crystal clear night with the dark sky brimming in stars. It had snowed heavily the day before, and now a full moon reflected off covered fields turning the scene into an illusion of a black and white world. It took a special event like Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve to be able to stay up this late. My father, mother, my younger sis-ter and I had just returned home after attending the midnight ser-vice at St. Bernard’s Church in Waterville, and the scent of waxy candles and refrains of Silent Night were still playing through my eight year old mind. We tumbled sleepily out of the warm car to go into our house. The full moon must have worked a spell over my father, because he turned to my mother and said, “How about you go on in and fix us some hot chocolate while I take the girls for a sleigh ride.” My eyes opened wide in amazement. A sleigh ride at this time of night? But when he came out of the garage carrying our long wood-en sled, the one with the red runners, we knew he meant it. He carried the sled to the snow packed country road that ran by our house and set it down in the center. I looked at the slick downward stretch that lay before us, and my heart beat faster with the tingle of excitement. Traffic on the road at that time of

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Joan O. Scharf is a member of the Utica Writers Club and a member of Hodges University Critique Group. Books: Hanging on a Twisted Line published 2009, Valentine Tales published 2013.

Thanks to the Utica Writ-er’s Club for selecting this month’s MV Flash Lit. The club meets the 4th Wednesday of each month at the Kirkland Town Library at 6pm.

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