Mohawk Valley Living #41 February by Mohawk Valley Living

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FEBRUARY 2017

2017 Season

Presenting World-Class Music, Theater, & Dance!

The Bad Plus

Friday, February 17, 7:30pm

“By any standard, jazz or otherwise, it is moving, mighty music… bad to the bone, hot players with hard-rock hearts.” — Rolling Stone Bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer Dave King explore a myriad of musical forms born of jazz that is uniquely The Bad Plus. They are an intensely collaborative trio that constantly searches for rules to break and boundaries to cross. Tickets: $20/$15/$5 Call (315) 859-4331

Symphoria

Sunday, February 19, 3pm Symphoria returns with conductor Lawrence Loh and violinist Elina Vähälä for a performance of Corigliano’s The Red Violin Concerto, Mackey’s Redline Tango, Barber’s Symphony No. 1, and Gershwin’s An American in Paris. Tickets: $20/$15/$5 Call (315) 859-4331

Special FREE Events - Open to the Public

Memories and Reflections

Shem Guibbory, violin, and Sar-Shalom Strong, piano, with photographic images by Peter Laytin

Saturday, February 25, 7:30pm

Guibbory and Strong give a recital of works for violin and piano. The evening includes Mozart’s Sonata in Eminor and Bach’s Sonata in B Minor and ends with Memories and Reflections: Georges Enesco’s Impressions D’Enfance accompanied by photographic images by Peter Laytin.

Vision of Sound: (making) PLACE Sunday, February 26, 3pm

Six upstate composers and choreographers will collaborate on new works focused on “place” and what that means and has meant in their lives.

Box office information and tickets (315) 859-4331

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contents 6 10 13 14 17 22 24 26 27 30 32 35 38 40 45 53 55 61 64 68 74 75 76

Oneida County Historical Society ADK Journal MV Astronomy Club Prospect Falls Winery Family Fun at Hamilton College Sweet Temptations Downtown Utica Classical MV Gallery Guide Ambasador Restaurant MV Nature, February On the Farm with Suzie MV Gardens & Recipes Toby and Riggie Matt Perry’s Nature Local Bands Restaurant Guide Antiques Guide Herkimer Co. Historical Society Tales from Shawangunk, Part 29 MV Comics Live & Local Music Scene Advertiser Directory

Happy Valentine’sWeek! by Sharry L. Whitney Lance and I celebrate our wedding anniversary this month. Our actual anniversary is February 14, though to avoid crowds we typically go out on any day but Valentine’s Day. We like to think of the week aroundValentine’s Day as our “Anniversary Week!” We notice that local restaurants have also extended the holiday celebration. People have busy schedules, so it’s great to have alternative dates to celebrate the holiday. While researching the origin of the date of Valentine’s Day, I discovered that it has a convoluted history. It may have come out of the ancient festival Lupercalia, a fertility festival celebrated February 13-15 dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture. Another origin story of the date of Valentine’s Day comes from the Middle Ages. It was believed that birds’ mating season began on February 14. Though I’m sure our naturalist, Matt Perry, would tell you birds are hardly that predictable. The romance associated with Valentine’s Day is also commonly attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer and his 14th-century poem “The Parliament of Fowls.” No matter when or how you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, check out our February Restaurant Guide. Many local restaurants are hosting special dinners and brunches all week long to celebrate what we like to call “Valentine’s Week!” Be sure to check out and “like” our Facebook page to be entered to win one of two $100 gift certificates to a Mohawk Valley Living restaurant! Deadline is Thursday, February 9th. Good luck!• Corrections: In last month's issue, we erroneously reported that George Washington stayed at Bagg's Hotel. Our friend and historian Dick Williams informed us that the blue and gold sign located at the site is incorrect. Washington was here in July 1783 on a brief tour of Fort Stanwix and the upper Mohawk Valley and Mr. Bagg didn't arrive until the early 1790s. We also wrongly indicated that Lu Corts was the owner of Tiger Lily Quilt Company. The current owner is Rita Craska.

MOHAWK VALLEY LIVING MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2017

PUBLISHERS Lance and Sharry Whitney EDITOR Sharry L. Whitney DESIGN & LAYOUT Lance David Whitney ASSISTANT EDITORS Shelley Delosh Jorge L. Hernández ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Susan Collea CONTRIBUTORS Peggy Spencer Behrendt, Carol Higgins, Jorge L. Hernández, Brian Howard, Suzie Jones, John Keller, Melinda Karastury, Frank Page, Susan Perkins, Matt Perry, Cynthia Quackenbush, Denise Szarek, Michelle Truett, Gary VanRiper CONTACT US (315) 853-7133 30 Kellogg Street Clinton, NY 13323 www.MohawkValleyLiving.com mohawkvalleyliving@hotmail.com Mohawk Valley Living is a monthly magazine & television show exploring the area’s arts, culture, and heritage. Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of Mohawk Valley Living, Inc. Printed at Vicks in Yorkville, NY.

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Contest!

Our mascot Riggie is roaming around the magazine again and is hiding in the advertising areas. Next to him will be a letter. Find all the Riggies and rearrange the letters to answer this month’s trivia question. Send in your answer by January 15th and be entered to win a $250 Gift Certificate to any advertiser you see in our magazine! New Hartford President’s Day Riddle:

The answer to last month’s “world-famous cuesta” is Tug Hill Plateau. Congratulations to all the correct answers despite having one too many ‘Ls’ last month! Our winner drawn from all correct answers is Carol Szatko of Whitesboro, who is spending her $250 at Peter’s Cornucopia.

We’ve elected 45 presidents since our nation’s advent, But there’s something odd with this tally, For only 44 men have been named president, Due to this one who lived in our Valley. Hint: 2 words, 15 letters

Send entry to address by mail or email. (Address on this page to right in credits).

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Roscoe Conkling Influential Politician

of the Gilded Age, part 2 By Lou Parrotta One of the most intriguing aspects of the Conkling career was his being offered a seat on the Supreme Court on three different occasions. In 1873, President Ulysses S. Grant offered the Chief Justiceship of the United States Supreme Court to Conkling upon the death of Chief Justice Salmon Chase. Grant, in offering the nomination, wrote, “When the Chief Justiceship became vacant, I necessarily looked with great anxiety to someone whose appointment would be recognized as entirely fitting.” Associate Justice Samuel Miller added “for the discussion of the law and the facts of the case, Mr. Conkling is the best lawyer who (would come) into our Court.” Conkling refused the nomination, but, in doing so, said: “I could not take the place for I would be forever gnawing at my chains.” Even though Conkling turned the nomination down, he was offered it again in 1874 after eight months had passed with no nominee. He refused it again and Morrison Remick Waite was appointed on Jan. 23, 1874. It would not be the last time he had an invitation to serve on the Court. President Chester Alan Arthur, whose relationship with Conkling was originally one of disciple to leader, offered Conkling

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a seat on the United States Supreme Court twice. Conkling was actually confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 3, 1882, his third nomination, but once again turned it down. The offer by President Arthur is widely believed to have been as a way for him to mend fences with Conkling after Arthur’s ascension to the Presidency upon President James A. Garfield’s assassination. Arthur, whose career began as a result of being a political appointee under Conkling’s powerful spoils system, began to strengthen the works of the Civil Service Administration in direct opposition to everything Conkling believed in. (Interestingly, the Supreme Court vacancy was created upon the retirement of another former Utica Mayor, Justice Ward Hunt, who was too ill to continue serving as a Justice.) In 1876, Conkling briefly sought the Republican nomination for President. Once it was obvious he was not going to get the nomination, Conkling threw his support behind the party’s eventual nominee, Rutherford B. Hayes. Conkling would have done anything in his power to prevent the other person seeking the nomination from getting it–James G. Blaine. When the results on Election Day were tallied, Hayes and Democratic Party opponent Samuel J. Tilden had tied in the Electoral College vote. An “Electoral Commission” was proposed and authorized to decide the outcome. It was Conkling’s idea. In the Compromise of 1877, which was hammered out under the direction of Conkling, the Presidency was awarded to Rutherford

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Detail of letter from Roscoe Conkling

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B. Hayes. The decision of the Commission was binding, and the end result was the election of Hayes as President. In 1880, Conkling worked diligently to get former President Ulysses S. Grant nominated by the Republican Party to run for a third term. (Hayes had agreed, under the Compromise of 1877, not to seek re-election.) Others who were seeking the nomination were James G. Blaine and John Sherman. James A. Garfield, who presided over the Republican National Convention in 1880, was instead chosen by the Republican Party to be their candidate for President, despite not even being a candidate for the position. Conkling, who wanted Grant to be nominated, was not happy, but was placated when Chester Alan Arthur, former Collector of the Port of New York City and a Conkling Stalwart, was nominated for Vice President. During Garfield’s brief administration, he and Conkling differed on how patronage should be and would be doled out. Conkling was so infuriated that he resigned his seat in the United States Senate. During that era, prior to the passage of the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, the state legislatures chose who the United States Senators would be, not the people of that state. Conkling believed the New York State Legislature would indeed return him to office to show their loyalty to him and his leadership. He was wrong. They were happy to be rid of the dictatorial ways of the Conkling Stalwarts.

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One of Conkling’s biographers wrote, “He was the darling of the galleries, with his flamboyant style of dress and speech, and he was the pivot of attention for great numbers of people who detested him and everything he stood for in politics. They hated him, but they missed him when he was gone--he took with him a sense of order in New York politics, leaving chaos behind--and they attributed all manner of schemes and stratagems to him long after he had ceased to care.” In 1884, James G. Blaine’s time finally came, and he was nominated by the Republican Party for President. He did not receive any opposition from Conkling, who was now in private life practicing law in New York City. Blaine’s opponent, it should be noted, was New York Governor Grover Cleveland, whose family resided in Holland Patent. Despite his retirement from active politics, Conkling would not let an opportunity pass to get back at Blaine one more time. He refused to actively support the Republican nominee, and despite the numerous overtures by Blaine to Conkling, Conkling could not forget what happened on the floor of the House of Representatives in 1866. As shown on the chart below, Conkling’s inactivity allowed Cleveland to win Oneida County and subsequently New York State, the pivotal state in the general election and notoriously Republican, by a plurality of just under 1,200 votes.

Had Conkling even made one speech on behalf of Blaine, he probably would have won New York State as the Republican defection in Oneida County to the Democratic candidate alone was greater than Governor Cleveland’s majority in the entire State of New York. Conkling won the war with Blaine. Roscoe Conkling died of pneumonia he contracted as a result of his stubbornness. During the Blizzard of 1888, Conkling stayed at his desk at the law office and worked instead of heeding the warnings of the severity of the storm. When he went to take a taxicab to his favorite lunch spot, the cab driver said the fare would be $50, obviously taking advantage of those who were at the mercy of the severe weather. Conkling balked at the price gouging and decided to walk. It took him over three hours to get home in chest-high snow. He was never the same. •

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Rattlers and BobCats and Bears, Oh My!

Deer are a nuisance along highways and can carry ticks associated with lyme disease, but are not a direct threat to humans in the forest.

Story and Photos by Gary VanRiper

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The famous bear, Split Ear, photographed at an open dump near Old Forge. Old Split Ear was finally shot in the mid1990s. Those dumps are now closed.

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The top two questions I am asked from people about hiking in the Adirondack high peaks wilderness area concern how often I see bears and why I am not afraid to hike in “bear country.” It is true with some 4,000 black bears the Adirondacks has the third largest bear population in the eastern United States. 1 Black bears are relatively shy, are emboldened by the presence of food, and like most mammals become aggressive when sensing a threat. I have not seen a single bear in the wild. The only bears I have personally seen or heard in the Adirondacks have been around the family camp and in the past when there used to be open dumps. From stories told to me by rangers, I am amazed more people have not been harmed by bears due to simple a lack of common sense. One story involved a photographer who went to one of those open dumps and covered himself with garbage to camouflage himself when the bears came to feed. I believe that story, as one time I went to photograph the bears at a dump for an Adirondack newspaper. I had my long telephoto lens pointing out the window of my vehicle

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and as the bears lumbered toward the large open pit I noticed a very large man with a loud Hawaiian shirt, shorts, straw hat, and wearing flip-flops tip-toeing with his tiny camera along a ridge in an effort to get close to his prey. How in the world he thought he could sneak up on anyone in that manner, much less the bears, was beyond me, and for a split second I thought, “This is not the story I was sent here to cover!’ Fortunately, he backed off and there was no incident. Another story the ranger told me was about an incensed father and mother who came to him to report an aggressive bear. The parents were trying to place their child on the back of a small bear for a photograph, and the mother bear growled at them. Now, can you imagine the nerve of that terrible bear! The most unusual black bear story I have heard involved the late movie theater in Inlet, N.Y. A former owner of the theater told me a black bear entered the back door of the theater and during the showing of a film walked up the center aisle and out into the lobby where it stuck its head in the popcorn machine, licked in clean, and walked out the front door! The black bear is not the most dangerous animal in the wilderness. Neither are coyotes or bob cats. Deer are most dangerous on the highways. And of the three poisonous snakes in New York, only the Timber Rattler is found north in the Adirondacks, and mostly around the higher elevations along Lake George and Lake Champlain. According to the DEC, “In New York there have been no records of human deaths attributable to

When hiking, what is the most dangerous creature in the Adirondack wilderness? Read article to find out.

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rattlesnakes in the wild in the last several decades.” 2 The creatures that are the greatest direct threat to humans in the wild…are you ready? Bees. According to a chart published by the Washington Post “The number 1 animal killers on an annual basis (throughout the United States) are bees, wasps and hornets, responsible for 58 deaths each year--mostly due to anaphylactic shock after a sting.” 3 This does not surprise me. In a past installment of “Adirondack Journal” I related my run-in with a swarm of these creatures during a bushwhack several miles and hours into the wilderness interior. Fortunately, after multiple stings, I had no allergic reaction. So, maybe the better question to ask someone who hikes in the wild might be: “Have you seen any bees lately?” • References:

1. ESF brochure: Adirondack Black Bears http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/ brochure/bears/bears.htm 2. DEC Timber Rattlesnake Fact Sheet www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7147.html 3. Christopher Ingraham in Chart: www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/ wp/2015/06/16/chart-the-animals-that-are-most-likely-to-kill-you-thissummer/?utm_term=.68f04585c75c

Gary VanRiper is an author, photographer, and pastor at the Camden Wesleyan Church. He has written 15 children’s books with his son, Justin. Find out more at: www.adirondackkids.com submitted photo

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Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io Geysers on Saturn’s moon Enceladus Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

part 2: It’s Too cold! by carol higgins

Welcome to part two of the series about the Goldilocks Zone – a region of space where a planet or moon could offer the right conditions to support life as we know it. Last month we took a look at some “It’s Too Hot” places, so let’s take a look at places that easily fit in the “It’s Too Cold” category. Speaking of cold, February’s average low temperature in the Mohawk Valley is 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest day ever recorded in Utica was -34.1 degrees on Feb. 9, 1934, while the record for the coldest day in New York State is -52 degrees in Old Forge on Feb. 18, 1979. That certainly is cold, especially considering the recommended temperature for your refrigerator’s freezer is 0 (zero) degrees! But compared to other bodies in our celestial neighborhood, our home is a tropical paradise. Here are some examples, starting with Mars. Inner planets Venus, Earth, and Mars are in the Goldilocks Zone in our solar system. So Mars should be a good candidate to support life, right? Well, Mars has polar ice caps and seasonal temperature fluctuations. The average temperature is -81 degrees F, with a low of -284 F. It is a barren planet with a thin atmosphere of mainly carbon dioxide. Surface formations show Mars was very likely a watery world around 3.4 billion years ago, and today there is evidence of water! NASA is working to send people to Mars sometime in the 2030’s and, for now, travelers will have to bring oxygen, water, food, supplies,

spacesuits, and a heated habitat. How about other planets? When it comes to cold temperatures, two of the outer planets are the champions of tough conditions with temperatures poles, and scientists believe there is a salty oceanImage below with to support averaging around -360 degrees F. Beautiful Hanny’s Voorwerp. Credit: NASA,the ESA,potential W. Keel, Galaxy Zoo Team blue-green Uranus is an icy gas giant. It’s a some form of life. NASA is in the early stagmass of slushy ices comprised of water, am- es of proposing a spacecraft to investigate. monia, and methane without a solid surface, But of all the planets and moons, which and an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium one has the coldest temperature? Believe that produces its color. Further out is bright it or not, it is our very own Moon! With a blue Neptune, a gas giant with a very deep thin atmosphere and no protection from the atmosphere of helium and methane that Sun’s energy, the surface reaches 260 detransitions to a layer of thick icy water, am- grees F, and drops to -280 degrees on the monia, and methane. Neptune is best known far side. But that’s not the coldest. NASA’s for its ferocious winds that can sometimes Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter found craters near the south pole that never receive reach 1,200 mph! There are at least 149 moons in our so- sunlight, and recorded an astounding -457 lar system, varying greatly in size and char- degrees Fahrenheit. acteristics. One of the coldest is Neptune’s Perhaps winter in the Mohawk Valley is moon Triton at -391 degrees F. Triton’s not so bad after all! • surface is mostly frozen nitrogen with water ice and other materials, and includes geysers spewing nitrogen gas and dust. Saturn’s moon Enceladus also has icy volcanoes. Join MVAS at the The cracked and frozen surface is -330 degrees F, with a large reservoir of liquid water below. Powerful jets of water spew far into at 7:30pm on February 18th space from fissures near the south pole, as Dress warmly for this evening of stargazing! shown in the inset photo. Jupiter’s moon Europa also has a surface of frozen water Location: 206 White St., Waterville ice. Its temperature is -370 degrees F at the

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(315) 765-6409 Open: Thurs & Fri: 9-6, Sat: 8-2, Sun: 8-12 13

The Everyday Adventures of Mohawk Valley Girl

prospect falls winery “Wine before Wilderness” is the tagline for Prospect Falls Winery. I confess, I enjoyed the wine and have yet to go on to the wilderness. Still, the wine was pretty good! I have been to Prospect Falls Winery a few times now, in addition to sampling their wares at an event at the Historic Russian Church and One Room School House last summer in Poland, N.Y. I was especially delighted the last time I was at the winery to be accompanied by my husband, Steven. We paid the tasting fee to sample again, to remind ourselves which wines we liked best. With all the wine we drink, who can remember? We opted not to pay a little extra to keep the glass, because I did that the first time I was there. Steven and I both enjoy dry wines, so we started with Roaring Falls Red, a blend of cabernet, syrah, and zinfandel. I am a big fan of blends, and this one immediately earned my ultimate accolade of “Yummy.” I will just interject here what regular readers of my blog already know: I am not a sophisticated oenophile (I don’t even pronounce that word properly). I thought the merlot had more bite than your usual merlot, but in a good way. The rougeon was listed as semi-dry. Rougeon is the grape, a European/ North American hybrid. According to my notes (I like to take tasting notes), it is illegal in France. Apparently, French laws discourage the growing of hybrid

Owner Nick Keblish and his nephew Stephen Keblish

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Middle Eastern Favorites!

Humous, Kibbie, Falafel, Babaghanoush , Taboulie, Grape leaves, Spinach pies.

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grapes. I thought the rougeon was fruity, but I liked the drier two better. The edelweiss was more sweet than I like. I noted that it was okay, but I wouldn’t want more than a glass. The Smooth Sailing, a blend of catawba and diamond was tasty but also too sweet for me. After tasting, and deciding to get a bottle of Roaring Falls Red, my favorite (that day anyway), we wandered around the tasting room, admiring the wine accessories and other items for sale. Locally-crafted artwork included lamps made from wine bottles and from tree branches. One lamp also featured a snowshoe! We also looked through some beautiful photographs The winery also hosts events such as the Thirsty Painters and Wine Tasting Extravaganzas. I’ll have to check out some of those. You can subscribe on their Facebook page and get notifications about upcoming events. •

Prospect Falls Winery

400 Academy St., Prospect, NY (315) 205-4045, Open Wed-Sat: 10-6., Sun: Noon-6 www.prospectfallswinery.com

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

February Events

Valentine Wine Glass Paint Night with BB Designs Wednesday, February 8, 6-8pm

A fun Valentines Night out! Create a pair of his & hers wine glasses. $45 includes glasses, instruction, snacks, & a glass of wine!

The Thirsty Painters

Adirondack Chairs on Barn Wood Friday, February 10, 6- 9pm

$55 includes barn wood slab, instruction, materials & a glass of wine! Call for info/registration: (315) 205-4045

The perfect blend of comfort, style and support Artisan Cheese handmade by the Felio Family and sold locally throughout the Mohawk Valley!

For locations visit: www.threevillagecheese.com Also see us every Saturday at the Oneida Co. Market at Utica’s Union Station!

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See us for your favorite treats!

Wedding & specialty cakes, Italian pastries, miniatures, and cookies. Also serving coffee, cappuccino, espresso, lattes, and pastries in our dining room. Manager - Jared Alesia, pastry chef C.I.A. Martin Alesia, cake decorator

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See us at the Farmers’ Markets! www.shawsmapleproducts.com

315-725-0547

• Electrical • Hardware • Tools • Plumbing • Paint Supplies/Stain • Automotive • Bulk Nails & Screws • Midwest Fasteners

Main Street, Poland Intersection of Rt 28 and Rt 8

(315) 826-8086

Mon-Sat: 7am-6pm, Sun: 11am-3pm

Mohawk Valley road trip

Creative Fun:

Wellin Kids at Hamilton College

Take a short drive around the Hamilton College campus to North Rd. off Campus Road to the Rogers Estate for a picturesque view of the village of Clinton.

Photos and captions by Melinda Karastury

Looking for creative fun in February? Take the kids to Wellin Kids, a free children’s activity at Hamilton College.

“Crazy, Colorful Tiles” Friday, February 24, 2-3pm

Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College 198 College Hill Rd, Clinton

www.hamilton.edu/wellin/education/programs-events

A pedestrian bridge leads to the Beinecke Student Activities Village building that was built in 1993. The copper top steeple and feather weathervane can be seen through the trees.

(L to R) Cohen Brockett, Lucas Crissey, Eliana Crissey, Alana Karastury, Kylea Palmer, Jonah Palmer, Kaydence Crissey, Gideon Brockett, and Lilian Crissey are ready to get creative!

The kid’s walk around and examine the LeFevre Studios medallion that depicts the Hamilton College campus.

Now in new location

CONSIGNMENT SHOPPE Quality pre-owned ladies, junior, & plus size clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry & household items. UticaZoo.org

(315) 896-2050

8024 Route 12, Barneveld

SZAREK’S Hanging Baskets Hydroponic Heirloom Tomatoes Vegetable Plants Fall Mums 7446 E. South St., Clinton 315.853.5901

Off-Center Records All things music - New & quality used Records, CDs, tapes, books, tees, memorabilia, guitars & accessories, drum accessories and more!

We are YOUR Downtown Music Connection! Hours M-Sat 11-6 116 Bleecker St., Utica, NY 13501 315-738-7651

Uncle Rob Karastury (Sauquoit) assists his niece Kaydence Crissey with her Wellin Kids Scratch Vase activity using the permanent collection of art and artifacts.

The Museum’s Archive Hall contains 27-foot-high glass cases that store a selection of art and artifacts that span millennia and cultures. The children’s activity, Super Scratch Vases, utilized the permanent collection for the project. Over 100 kids were each given a clipboard, orange construction paper, and a black oil pastel to draw vases. Then using a wooden tool they “carved” a design onto the vase.

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All Breeds Welcome! Baths • Nails • De-Shedding • Day Care Cat Nails • Teeth Brushing Pet Apparel & Supplies

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Professional Pet Groomers • 105 Main Street, Whitesboro • www.notjustpoodles.com

A treat after our craft project. Euphoria Smoothies opened at Hamilton College in 2010 and is located at the Sadove Center. The Wellin Museum is a teaching museum for the community, offering artist lectures, customized tours, educator workshops, and creative events for children. (L to R) Docent’s Grace Myers ‘19, Amber Geary Spadea (Andrew W. Mellon Educator for School and Community Programs), Sam Fogel ‘19, Sophie Menashi ‘19, and Irene Wan Lin ‘17

Euphoria owner Marc Brockett serves walk-in and takeout orders for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, and drinks..

Lucas Crissey and Jonah Palmer enjoy made-to-order Tropical Oasis smoothies.

J.B.'s

Small Engine Works (315) 797-4461 Downtown Schuyler, NY 2236 Route 5 • Open Mon - Fri: 9-5, Sat: 9-12

Now Accepting# Applications for our CSA! WWW.ANOTHERJONESFAMILYFARM.COM

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Take time every season to explore Root Glen. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover gardens, trails, ravines, streams, and sculptures. Root Glen is open to the public from sunrise to sunset. Use the shale paths only (the paths are not maintained in winter).

Root Glen at Hamilton College is open year round sunrise to sunset

Introduction to Backyard Chickens

(P101) Interactive Seminar Hosted by Steven Piacentino, Piacentino Farms Sat., March 25, 10am-3pm

$50.00 or $90/couple Great for beginners Includes hands-on stations with live birds Dunham Public Library 76 Main St #78, Whitesboro Call/email to reserv: (315) 939-3367 Piacentinofarm@gmail.com or @piacentinofarm

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Home & garden accents, fine art, photography, jewelry, clothes, accessories, soaps and candles, children’s items & much more! Open 7 days a week at 1 College St, Clinton

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The Everyday Adventures of Mohawk Valley Girl

Sweet temptations at honey brook hobbies in ilion I wanted to bring my husband, Steven, to Sweet Temptations at Honey Brook Hobbies for coffee and a treat. I thought it would be a fun date-type thing to do. Unfortunately, our schedules have not properly meshed lately. I finally decided to go myself, enjoying my coffee and treat with a notebook and pen for company. The treat was a brownie with chocolate and peanut butter chips, walnuts, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce on top. Oh, was it good! So much for my post-holiday weight-loss goals! Different treats are available different days: donuts, cupcakes, cookies, and more. Naturally, I intend to stop back to try other things. I had been in the store in December, looking for Christmas presents. I had found Matchbox cars for my great-nephew and an adorable Ty Santa Claus for Steven’s stocking (we believe you can’t have too many Santa Clauses or stuffed toys). Old-fashioned candy and other gift items are available as well, the most notable being beautiful signs with inspirational sayings such as, “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” After enjoying my treat, I chatted for a while with Juné Moynihan, who makes all the baked goods. She owns the store in partnership with her mother, Krystin Dedla, who makes the signs. The signs are all custom made and can be personalized. Some of the other gift items are handmade or upcycled items. I was especially taken by the champagne flutes with pink glittery stems. The store opened last June. Before that, Juné was working for other

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bakeries and selling wedding cakes and such out of her house. She said she and her mother went from talking about opening a store to looking at the space in one day. “We literally jumped into getting the place,” she said. Custom cakes and cupcakes can be ordered for events and special occasions. She also offers cookie bouquets. “I’m totally getting my husband a cookie bouquet for his birthday,” I said as soon as I heard that. I suppose it won’t be a surprise if he reads this article, but these things happen. Starting March 1, the store will serve sandwiches and soup. I’ll have to bring Steven for a lunch date. Juné said she would emphasize using local ingredients whenever possible. In fact, the coffee I drank was from Utica Coffee Roasting Company. One of my favorites! The store’s hours change by the season, and they try to stay open the day before major gift-giving holidays (such as Valentine’s Day!) for last minute shoppers. •

Sweet Temptations at Honey Brook Hobbies 4 East main St., Ilion, NY • (315) 444- 8254

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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downtown utica

what’s up downtown

Rich and Kory Dowe at the counter at Pantry 284

by michelle truett

NEW DOWNTOWN BUSINESS

Pantry 284

Background photo by Matt Ossowski

284 Genesee Street, Utica • www.pantry284.com This new, intimate cafe on Genesee Street (near Firestone) is owned by Richard and Kory Dowe. They recently moved back to the area with their two young daughters after spending 18 years in Rhode Island. They opened the doors to an eatery that brings in what they love and miss about Providence with food options that they enjoy eating... and you will, too! Rich is the “savory” heading up the culinary end and Kory is the “sweet” pastry end of the business. Their culinary backgrounds are impressive–read about this dynamic duo at www.pantry284.com/about Their menu is fantastic! They offer artisanal sandwiches, homemade soups, and fresh baked goods. It’s also the only place in the city to get yourself an Original New York Seltzer in a bottle. All of the meat served is slow roasted and hand-seasoned by Rich right in their downstairs kitchen. The chicken, sirloin, pork, and turkey you have on your sandwiches and salads are the real deal. They also offer a mean breakfast sandwich “the way breakfast sandwiches should be” – a made-to-order egg, applewood smoked bacon, and/or sausage and melted cheese served on a sandwich-sized English muffin that’s griddled for a fine finishing touch. They are starting to offer prepared foods and boxed lunches that are ready to pick up and go. It’s a “heat and eat” option for busy parents on the run or a quick lunch at the office. Keep checking back as they enhance their menu. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram, where the beautiful photos of their food tempt you to head down for a bite.

Book by Local Artist!

In a garden, amongst the beans and carrots, lives a young tomato who just doesn’t fit in. Follow his adventures as he wanders into the depths of the garden and learns about jealousy, appreciation, and fate from the other garden dwellers. Available at: Amazon Your purchase of this book helps www.barnesandnoble.com local author and artist Autumn Kuhn and www.rosedogbookstore.com pay off her student loans. (Rose Dog offers free shipping!)

Your Valentine’s Day Headquarters!

Cash & Carry Roses • Floral Arrangements • Dish Gardens Balloons • Candy • Plush • Gifts & Cards

Place Your Orders Early! (315) 737-8181

Special Valentine Hours: Mon. 13th 8-6, Tues. 14th 8-6 February Hours: Tues-Sat 10-5, Closed Sun & Mon

2774 Oneida St., Sauquoit • www.michaelsgreenhouse.com 33

ESTABLISHED BUSINESS

Body Alive Fitness Center

1301 Oneida Street in Oneida Square • www.facebook.com/pg/BodyAliveFitnessCenter Get your workout in right in Oneida Square. With Body Alive Fitness Center’s flexible hours, you can stop in on the way to work, during lunch hour, or after work. If you’ve driven through the roundabout, you surely haven’t missed their new window graphic of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the giant tire they have out when the weather is warm, or their body builder cut out. There’s plenty of parking a half a block away. Body Alive was founded by Bob Donnelly—a Utican who moved to Venice Beach California to pursue a bodybuilding career. With 40 years experience training on Muscle Beach you won’t find a more knowledgeable trainer. Some of the equipment was brought from Golds and is in their gym for you to use—the same machines Schwarzenegger, Robby Robinson, and Lou Ferrigno built their bodies on. Seeing is believing. From the street they may look like a small gym, but they actually have 22,000 square feet of workout space fully equipped with showers, plenty of cardio equipment, tons of free weights, machines, a supplement store, tanning, a juice bar, classes, and free parking. There’s also a 20’ x 80’ padded floor room available to rent for classes. While the gym is set up for every level of fitness, they are pumping out bodybuilding champions. Robert Pearson won the Mr. New York State Naturals competition this year, receivBob and Alice Donnelly in front of Body Alive in Oneida Square ing his pro card, and Melvin Ortiz won his pro card at a physique competition, going on to compete in L.A. When he’s not helping people get stronger, thinner, sculpted, and more healthy, Bob, along with others, is involved in working for the safety and development of the Oneida Square area. He would like to extend his appreciation to the Utica Police Department for the work they are doing and the presence they bring to the area. •

Find out more on Facebook: “Downtown Utica”

Your source for COMICS! 735-3699 Big Apple Plaza, New Hartford

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classical mv

Bruce Smith Hometown/current town: Grew up in Norwood, NY and Minetto, NY. Currently lives in Utica. Instrument: Organist and Choirmaster. He knew since childhood that he wanted to play the organ. Age when began music: Started piano lessons in third grade. Education: Attended Allegheny College in Meadville, PA Current employment/position: Full-time job at Utica’s Grace Episcopal Church as Organist and Choirmaster. Also serves as the organist for the Saturday afternoon Mass at the Parish Community of St. Leo & St. Ann, Holland Patent. Influence: His parents: always supportive and always kept the standards high. His closest family friend, Winnie: at 95, she still looks for community service opportunities. His college organ teacher: a great person and church musician. Steve Best, Minister of Music at First Presbyterian Church: the wisest, finest teacher he knows. Personal quote/artist statement (20-40 words): “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9. That verse always gets me excited and reminds who I am and why I do what I do. Opportunities to hear Bruce play: 10:30am Mass on Sunday at Grace Church, 6 Elizabeth St, Utica 4pm Mass on Saturday at the Parish Community of St. Leo & St. Ann, 7939 Elm St. Holland Patent

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february

GAllery Guide

Detail of a quilt made in Utica, 1889-1890. Bequest of Esther J. Cunningham, made of silk, velvet, paint, cotton, and metal. On display this month as part of MWPAI’s exhibit, American Quilts: Sewn Stories

Susan Sommer, Paintings Through March 3, 2017

Clinton Elementary Art Show

Over the last forty years Sommer’s work has been purely abstract, producing extended series of paintings as a way to explore a visual idea and its permutation in depth.

Through February 28, 2017

Artisans’ Corner

1 College Street, Clinton, NY artisanscorner.blogspot.com

Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery Utica College 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, NY (315) 792-5289 www.utica.edu/gallery

Artist Tanner Bauer

Fenimore Quilt Club Show

Photographs by Rita Lombardi

February 11 - 26, 2017

Through February 22, 2017

The exhibit features cliché verre work by artist Rita Lombardi. Cliché verre is a combination of painting and/or drawing with photography.

One of the largest and longest running quilt shows in the region displaying approximately 100 quilts and quilted items of all types, from antique to modern, professional to novice.

Cogar Gallery

Cooperstown Art Association

McLaughlin College Center Herkimer College, 100 Reservoir Rd. Herkimer, NY (315) 792-7819 herkimer.edu/cogar

22 Main Street Cooperstown, NY (607) 547-9777 www.cooperstownart.com

eflections Full Moon R Art Center et 80 Main Stre 13316 Camden, NY 9 (315)820-426

Kitchen & Bath Cabinets Hardwood Flooring & Countertops

Cabinetry for Every Budget!

FREE In-Home Estimates Installation Available Showroom Open Tues 11-6, Wed-Sat 11-4 or by appt. www.knottybynature.com

Reflect io Full Moon Art Cen Reflections ter 80 Main

Street

Cam ART CEN TdeEn, R NY 133 16 (3 15)820-4 80 Main St. Camden 269

(315) 820-4269 jwillson3@yahoo.com

315-822-0010

Corner of Rte. 8 & 20, Bridgewater

Full Mo

Cabinetry by Shiloh, Aspect & Waypoint

ery Art Gallsses Art Cla op Gift Sh

Manhattan Stretch-Warp Experience, Jon Iannitti

Twins: Rebecca and Renne Clark Photography

Through March 11, 2017

Hamilton artist Iannitti presents an energetic, distorted landscape, that challenges perspective.

February 1 - 24, 2017 Opening: Sat., Feb. 4, 4-6pm

Fusion Art Gallery

Earlville Opera House

8584 Turin Rd, Rome, NY (315) 338-5712 photoshoppeofrome.com

18 East Main Street, Earlville, NY (315) 691-3550 www.earlvilleoperahouse.com

COMIC-CON Art Show

American Quilts: Sewn Stories

February 1 - March 17, 2017 Opening: Wed., February 1, 4:30-6:30pm

February 18 - April 30, 2017

Sewn Stories explores the narrative quality of quilts made from the 19th century to today.

Gannett Art Gallery

Kunsela Hall, SUNY Polytechnic Institute 100 Seymour Road, Utica www.sunypoly.edu/gannett_gallery

Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute 310 Genesee Street, Utica, NY (315) 797-0000 www.mwpai.org

Sean Usyk Illustration

SYNTHESIZING

NATURE Roberley Bell Katrina Bello Tiffany Calvert Colin Edgington Abraham Ferraro

Nick Marshall Jonathan Ricci Autumn Richardson Richard Skelton Aaron Williamson

Dec. 3, 2016 - April 1, 2017

3273 STATE ROUTE 28, OLD FORGE, NY 315 369 6411 | WWW.VIEWARTS.ORG E

9th Annual Imagination Unlimited Adult Art Contest

Pratt/MWPAI Student Art February 3 - 25, 2017 Opening: Fri., February 3, 5:30-7:30pm

February 2 - 28, 2017 Closing Reception: Tues., Feb. 28, 6:30pm

The Other Side

Utica Public Library

2011 Genesee St. Utica, NY www.theothersideutica.org

303 Genesee St., Utica (315) 735-2279 www.uticapubliclibrary.org

Julia Jacquette, Unrequited and Acts of Play

Davana Robedee: Climates

February 18 - July 2, 2017 Opening: Saturday, February 18, 4-6pm

Through April 1, 2017

Using theoretical physics and spiritualism as inspiration, Robedee creates definitions for the nature of the Universe.

Exposing our seemingly insatiable longing for the ideal, the work of the artist focuses on commercialized objects of desire.

View

Wellin Museum of Art

3273 Route 28, Old Forge, NY (315) 369-6411 www.viewarts.org

Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Rd., Clinton, NY (315) 859-4396 www.hamilton.edu/wellin

Having an art opening? Let us know. Email: mohawkvalleyliving@hotmail.com Stop Searching For Parts. Call us First. Your place to go for lawn & garden power equipment, and more... We Service Most Major Brands & Carry Current & Many Hard-To-Find Parts.

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Find something special for your sweetheart! 315 733-7676 Tues-Fri: 10:30-5, Sat: 10:30-1:30

433 Coventry Ave., Utica

WINERY & TASTING ROOM 2 miles from Cooperstown in Fly Creek, NY

Stiefvater Distributors, Inc.

Store Hours:

225 Clinton Rd., New Hartford

Mon 8-7; Tue-Fri 8-5; Sat 8-2

Sweets For Your Valentine!

315-853-5581 www.sdoutdoorpower.com

Celebrating our one year anniversary!

Handmade Artisan Chocolates & Desserts • Chocolate Covered Strawberries Moscato Infused Strawberries • Dipped Wine Bottles Coffees & Teas • Special Events Catering

pailshopvineyards.com 607-437-6450 252 Genesee St, Utica

(315) 765-6084

Open Wed 3-8, Thurs 11-8, Fri & Sat 11-10, Extended hours 2/10-2/14 Offering delivery on 2/13 & 2/14 for pre-orders placed by 2/10! Purchase online at: www.squareup.com/store/sweetescape

mohawk valley food

the ambasador restaurant in utica

story and photos by Jorge L. Hernández If you feel that red is the color for your true love, then the Ambasador Restaurant on Albany Street in Utica is the place for you, especially for a cozy Valentine’s Day dinner for two. It’s a ride down memory lane with its red rugs and overall décor and both Frank Sinatra and Robert Goulet setting the romantic scene over the sound system. Owner Fadil Porcic of Utica says he wanted to maintain the back story of the restaurant, the closed Alpine known for its Italian setting and cuisine. “There was a lot of history in the restaurant, so I didn’t want to change much,” Fadil says. But he didn’t want the new restaurant to be known solely as an Italian eatery. Six years ago, he reopened and renamed it the Ambasador—the Bosnian spelling of ambassador—so as to be all-inclusive to the growing cultural melting pot of the Utica community. “I didn’t want to hurt anybody by leaving them out,” Fadil says. “I wanted the restaurant to be good to everyone, an ambassador of welcome. I want all to come to eat good food. I didn’t want to call this restaurant Italian or Bosnian or whatever. It was set up as an Italian restaurant, so I continued with that.” As the ambassador of good food, Fadil offers classic Italian fare of pasta, chicken, veal, and seafood dishes that are the popular dishes on Fridays and Saturdays. Those entrées are complemented by nightly specials that are more high end and international. The evening of this visit, Fadil wonders about our culinary preferences, and upon hearing that it’s meat, he says that he’s recommending just the thing. “We have rack of lamb for you,” Fadil says. “That will be perfect.” The eight small intertwined chops came succulent and delicious, sided with roasted potato wedges and straw onions. Recommending appetizers, Fadil steers us toward that evening’s triangles of mozzarella cheese, breaded and fried, served with marinara sauce and

BRIGGS

TAX SERVICE H 58 Years of Experience H 30

Tax preparation: Personal, Corporation, & Partnerships

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Guests at the Ambasador enjoy the friendly service of Veldin Husic

Ambasador’s rack of lamb entrée always impresses

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topped with crispy spinach. The second recommended entrée: Chicken Natalie, which turned out to be the full breasts of a chicken baked and covered with mushrooms, spinach, peppers, provolone and Marsala wine. It was an over-abundant and tasty plate that will be remembered for quite some time. Dessert included choices of cannoli, double chocolate gelato or lemoncello cake, which was light and airy and cleansed the palate after such a savory hearty meal. As satisfying and noteworthy as the food at Ambasador is Fadil’s own story. He immigrated to Utica from Bosnia as a 22-year-old with just the clothes on his back and little money in his pocket. “We started from zero,” Fadil says. He worked hard at factory jobs and took classes at the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees to learn English. When his last job ended, the family gathered and decided to invest in the restaurant. “We are just trying to make a living,” Fadil says. His wife, whom he met in Utica, and sister are the cooks at the restaurant. Future plans include growing the business and continuing to pay the bills. The upbeat Fadil says he delights in the people he meets at the Ambasador. “That’s the best part of the job,” he says. He remains hopeful for the future of Utica. “The city needs to grow opportunities for the kids,” he says. Meanwhile, as an ambassador in the Mohawk Valley, Fadil says he will continue to offer his tempting food in a relaxed reddish-glow setting fit for some enchanted evening that Sinatra or Goulet could croon about. •

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february In the mossy woods story and photos by Matt Perry The thing I like most about walking through the woods in February is that you can go almost anywhere. Snow and ice have smoothed over obstacles and even some of the more impenetrable brambles have been beaten down. You don’t need to worry about disturbing nesting birds, which is a major factor that limits my own woodland wanderings during the spring and summer. The fact is that if you have your heart set on checking out some otherwise hard to reach place in the forest, this is the time to go there. Of course, you might think there’s little of interest to be found in the woods in mid-winter, but that’s hardly the case. Exploring pieces of unknown terrain can

Baby-tooth Moss

give you valuable clues as to what happens in those places at other times of the year. You A Raccoon sleeps in a tree cavity may find a nest cavity you didn’t know existed and perhaps it houses (or will house) an owl or a raccoon family. in our area they seem mostly to inhabit You may find some species of tree that you wooded wetlands and boggy places, where don’t recognize and will need to revisit the I suspect the soil wouldn’t be as conducive site in spring in order to properly identify it to cultivation. After that initial discovery, I was surprised to find that Spicebush was by its leaves. I recall one such winter jaunt when I widespread in that whole section of forest. traveled well off the beaten path and came The reason I never noticed them before across a small and seemingly unassuming was that the plants were very small. In little wetland area. I found that it harbored fact, few attained a height of over one foot. a group of unfamiliar small trees. I wondered if they remained small due to Minus their leaves, the saplings over-browsing by deer or if the climate (or bushes) proved difficult for and/or soil conditions were just not optimal me to identify; that is, until I for the species. In the years since, I’ve notfound one that held a few scat- ed that Spicebush seedlings and saplings tered berries on its branches. often get killed back by cold springtime The berries were red and slightly temperatures. shiny and gave off a spicy scent Last February, I did some more explorwhen crushed. It was Spicebush, ing in that same little wetland area and I a small tree that grows mainly in found a great abundance of mosses and the South, but sporadically can other simple plants like liverworts. I had occur as far north as Maine. In already been marveling at how vibrant all colonial times, the species was of the mosses were and how they stood out used as an indicator of good soil in the winter woods like at no other time for purposes of agriculture, but of year. Just about everywhere I traveled

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in the woods this living upholstery covered rocks, snags, lower tree trunks, and even large areas of the ground. Adopting many different green hues the mosses made a stark contrast with the somber grays and browns that characterized that snowless winter day. Most mosses revel in this time of year when there is a leafless tree canopy and little to block the sun from reaching them. Unlike virtually all other types of plants that live in the forest, late fall, winter, and early spring provide mosses with their best opportunity to photosynthesize. This is also when most of them choose to shoot up their tiny spore pods and start their reproductive cycle. Sometimes it’s the differing shape and color of these structures that help us to distinguish one species from another. There is a long prevailing myth that mosses only grow on the north side of trees and thereby can be used to indicate what direction you are traveling in an otherwise trackless forest. However, a brief inspection of how and where

moss grows on trees can quickly disprove that lore. Moss tends to occur on the side(s) of trees that intercept the most rainfall. Some mosses such as the deep green Poodle Moss may completely encircle the trunk of a tree like a neat A stump covered by moss, lichen, and a few evergreen ferns skirt and climb up to a height of surface to cling to. Rough bark tends to about three feet. Another myth regarding moss is that retain moisture in its crevices and that’s they harm the living trees that they grow something that mosses can always utilize. These plants have no roots to take on, but they are not parasites and they obin water and must rely on moister in the tain no nourishment from the trees themselves. They simply use trees as an edifice air, melting snow or rainwater in orto gain access to sunshine and moisture. der to drink. One species of moss that Mosses prefer to grow on trees that have grows in the woods prefers to grow on craggy bark, since they provide the best the top surfaces of tree branches. This

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is the Crispy Tuft moss. The species is emerald green and grows in small circular pads. It often occurs alongside lichens and, between them these too very different organisms may almost completely cover a branch. Because they are normally so high off the ground, we don’t often get a good look at Crispy Tufts until a branch holding some breaks off and ends up on the forest floor. Mosses are widely used by animals of the forest as nesting materials. In February, I mostly see it being used in mouse nests and in the tree nests of Red Squirrels. Moss taken along with a layer of soil helps to hold the structure of a nest together while at the same time providing both insulation and good camouflage. However, the camouflage isn’t quite as effective in the wintertime and nests that I would never have noticed during the growing season suddenly seem only too obvious. Those nests, the mosses, and so many other normally hidden treasures of the forest are all there in plain sight and ready to be discovered in the February woods. •

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An Eastern Screech Owl does its best to blend in with the pine tree

Sphagnum Moss was found in the little forest wetland

Pleated Foxtail Moss is very shaggy and grows on tree trunks

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On the farm with Suzie

What’s in a Silo? by Suzie Jones

I pause to shake my hands and get the blood flowing again. My palms are sweaty and my legs feel a little rubbery. On top of that, my heart is pounding because I climbed the first 40 feet of our Harvestore fairly quickly—and maybe a little too confidently. I still had 20 more feet to climb! As I pause to catch my breath and look down, I foolishly let myself think of what would happen if I misjudged reaching for the next rung on the ladder. “You’re not afraid of heights,” I remind myself. “You’re just out of shape!” Perhaps you’ve had this same experience climbing a 60-, 80-, or even 100foot silo. But unless you’ve spent some time on a farm, you may not know much about these strange structures. Sure, everyone’s pretty familiar with the image—the tall, cylindrical building is a pretty classic piece of the iconic farm setting. But what are they for? The concept of the silo as a place to store bulk materials dates back to the 8th century B.C. On the farm, silos hold grains or fermented feeds. There are actually three main types of silos used in modern agriculture. First and most recognizable is the classic tower made of steel, concrete, or even wood. We have three of this type on our farm, one blue Harvestore and two concrete stave silos. Second is the bunker or “bunk” silo, a wide trench or bay with three (usually) concrete walls. The farmer fills the bunk with fresh forage and packs it down with tractors or skid steers and then covers it with plastic, oftentimes weighing the plastic down with old tires. If you’ve seen this and wondered

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what the farmer was doing with all those used tires, now you know! The last type is a bag silo, which is a large, long plastic bag that accomplishes the same thing its vertical cousin the tower silo does— except horizontally. This type is a relatively new and inexpensive option. Like so many things on the farm, silos have the potential to be quite dangerous. This is especially true during filling, emptying and repair or demolition. Filling a tower silo requires a PTO-driven loader or blower to carry the harvested crop from the ground level to the very stop of the structure. Any time there is a tremendous amount of activity—large trucks filled with grain or fresh forage coming and going plus whirring drive shafts—there is ample opportunity for an accident. Filling a bunk silo, too, can be dangerous. With each new load, the farmer must pack it down by driving over it with heavy machinery. The loose material can give way or simply be uneven enough for the machinery to roll, taking the farmer along for a potentially deadly ride. To feed their animals from a tower-type silo, farmers originally had to climb to the top of the silo with a pitchfork and toss the feed down. Later, machines were introduced that would “ride” on top of the feed, blowing it down to a feed cart below. The big blue Harvestore’s unloader is a powerful motor-driven chain that sweeps feed from the bottom of the silo. Of course, chains and motors can break and things can get gummed up. Our own Harvestore’s metal floor had once pulled up after getting caught on the sweeper arm. Fixing it meant someone had to crawl into a 3-foot high cave-like gap under hundreds of tons of feed to make the repair before it would work again. I literally could not watch. In fact, I might have hidden in the house until it was all over. Older tower silos, especially the ones made of concrete, can become unstable over time or are simply in the way of an expansion. In order to take one down, the farmer will first cut away the steel hoops keeping tension on the lower level. He will then hit the side of the silo with a sledgehammer, slowly breaking out a large section near the base on one side (the side where he

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wants the silo to fall). There are plenty of videos of this procedure online and I highly recommend watching one or two. But hold onto your stomach, it is extremely dangerous and hard to watch! A Different Type of Silo Well before I knew anything about silos in agriculture, I understood a very different definition of the word from my experience in the corporate world. Silo mentality or “silo thinking” is a term used to describe people in an organization or business that are strictly divided along department lines. People in these types of organizations are insulated and isolated from one another. They may be very good and focused on what they do within their department, but are incapable of looking outward and seeing themselves as a part of a much larger entity. The result is an “us-versus-them” mentality that has the potential to hold the business back in a variety of ways. The best, most nimble and forward-thinking organizations work very hard to ensure that “silo thinking” never takes root. I found myself doing my own bit of silo thinking a few years ago. As part of our local food movement, I have made many friends with the same passion of helping local agriculture to thrive. However, it was when the conversations turned to what was wrong with the rest of agriculture that I started to wonder if I was in a silo. When others in the local or organic food movement would use terms like factory or industrial farms, or compared seed improvements to Satan himself, I had to step back and reassess my position on these issues. Who did they mean when they said factory farm? Is it possible they were misinformed about the safety of GMOs? How “big” is “too big”? My list of questions went on and on. I only knew that the conventional farmers I know and love are good stewards of the land and their animals…and did not deserve to have their hard work and experience dismissed out of hand quite so easily. The push-back I heard from “big ag” against farm-to-table type farmers has been equally dismissive and, at times, inaccurate. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of silo thinking going on in agriculture today—local, organic, conventional—each one fairly isolated from the other. The root causes of this rift are many, but one good example is the documentary “Food, Inc.,” an inspiration to young newcomers to try novel approaches (a genuinely good thing), while causing tremendous dismay amongst other farmers and scientists by sharing a great deal of misinformation (definitely a bad thing.) The resulting “us versus them” mentality could be holding us all back from finding the best answers to feeding a growing planet. So, how did I get out of that “silo”? I made an effort to talk to all sorts of types of farmers, to read industry publications representing all corners of agriculture, and began following respected science-based organizations like The Genetic Literacy Project. As it turns out, it’s complicated, but I’m now more optimistic than ever about the future of farming. There are challenges, yes, but nothing thoughtful planning and cooperation can’t overcome. In other words, silos are great for storing feed… but that’s about it! • 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 online: www.anotherjonesfamilyfarm.com

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mohawk valley Gardens

Why Rabbits Don’t Need Flashlights! By Denise A. Szarek

As a kid, and well into adulthood, I hated carrots! Truth be told, I was a very picky eater. But carrots were the worst. I would spend hours at the dinner table pushing them back and forth hoping my parents would give up and let me away from the dinner table. But my dad had a way of getting me to try new things. One night at the dinner table, he noticed me trying to bury carrots under my mashed potatoes. He asked me if I wanted to see in the dark. Of course I did! Well he told me that rabbits eat carrots and that’s why they can see in the dark. I asked how he knew they could see in the dark and he replied, “Have you ever seen a rabbit carrying a flashlight?” Sorry, carrots are still not one of my top ten veggies. Now I have to listen to Bernie tell me how good they are for my diabetes and heart. I have found a great old

southern recipe for carrots that I just love and I will be sharing that with you this month. Carrots are an easy-to-grow cool-season crop. All you need is a bright sunny location with well-drained soil that is free of stones. Simply plant the seeds directly in soil that has been worked to at least the depth of the mature carrots size. Carrots are best grown from seed since once they germinate carrots do not like having their roots disturbed. It is important to thin carrot seedlings – allow 3 inches between each in a row. This allows enough room for the carrot’s roots to continue growing without crowding. Properly loosened soil is the trick to growing large, perfect carrots. Carrots are virtually disease and pest free, except for four-legged pests, deer, mice, woodchucks, rabbits etc. But for whatever reason, mulch is a good deter-

rent for these furry garden thieves. We use a straw mulch; it’s cheap and eventually decomposes into the soil. Before the 17th century, almost all cultivated carrots were purple. The modern-day orange carrot wasn’t cultivated until the Dutch growers in the late 16th century took mutant strains of the purple carrot and gradually developed them into the sweet, plump, orange varieties we have today. American cuisine did not include carrots for the longest time. It was accepted in American homes after World War I when soldiers returning home brought stories and seeds of incredible French and other European varieties. However, modern popularity of carrots and its presence in sweet and savory recipes can be traced to World War II England, where the government encouraged home growing of car-

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rots. Carrots may be eaten raw or cooked. While heating can often damage some of the delicate phytonutrients in vegetables, the beta-carotene found in carrots has been shown to be surprisingly heat-stable. In fact, carrot’s beta-carotene may become more bioavailable through well-timed steaming, but be careful not to overcook carrots if you want them to retain their maximum flavor and strong overall nutrient value. To quick steam carrots -- fill the bottom of the steamer with 2 inches of water and bring to a rapid boil. Slice carrots ¼ inch thick and steam for 5 minutes. Now you’re ready for this month’s recipe. By now you all know how much I love a good pickle. Well, a few years back we were at a dinner meeting and were served a salad called “Copper Pennies.” There they were--carrots--in a funky glaze with green peppers and onions--on my plate! To my delighted surprise, they tasted like a sweet and sour pickle. It was wonderful! I actually had two helpings. I headed home to research the recipe. The following is my take on this southern classic that is served at summer BBQs, potlucks, and church suppers all over the South. I suspect that it originated by the Campbell’s Soup Company as the original recipe called for a can of condensed soup. I have adapted my recipe to use tomato juice and I’ve reduced the sugar and oil used in the original recipes I found. •

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MVL RECIPES

Copper Coins By Denise Szarek

1 lb. medium carrots, washed, peeled cut in ¼ inch slices ½ medium Vidalia onion, sliced thin 1 lg. green pepper, sliced thin 5½ oz. tomato juice 2 T. olive oil ½ C. apple cider vinegar 1 T. Worcestershire sauce 1 T. prepared mustard Salt and pepper to taste Quick-steam the carrots: 2 inches of water in bottom of steamer, bring to a rapid boil, add carrot slices to steamer basket and steam for 5 minutes, set aside. In a small bowl combine the tomato juice, brown sugar, oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk well to combine.

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Txpoby&Ro aiwgVgie Little Falls! al ey E lore the M h k

STORY AND ART BY LANCE AND Sharry Whitney

The city was named for the rapids around which the city developed. The Mohawks called the area “Astenrogan” which means “place of rocks.” The Mohawk River was the “thruway” through the Mohawk Valley and Little Falls became a “rest stop” because travelers had to stop and carry their canoes around the rapids. In 1825 the construction of the Erie Canal made transportation easier.

Cheese wagon In the 1800s, Little Falls was a leader in the knitting industry and was also the cheese capital of the United States. In celebration of its cheese heritage, the city now holds an annual Cheese Festival in July.

Old cheese stamp from Bellinger Creamery in Little Falls

This year the little falls cheese festival is on Saturday, July 8, 2017. 40

Today the historic mills are filled with shops, but you can still see elements of the original mills that were once operated by harnessing power from the nearby river.

If you drink Salada or Red Rose Tea, it came from Little Falls. Redco Foods, the manufacturer of both teas, is located on Hansen Island and produces both teas. The factory was built in 1891 by Danish chemist Christian Hansen. You can visit their booth at the Little Falls Cheese Festival.

did you know?

Visit The Overlook on Sunday, February 12th!

Valentine Sunday Brunch Buffet at The Overlook Mansion hosted by Copper Moose Ale House President Ronald Reagan declared 1985 the “Oil Heat Centennial Year” because it marked one hundred years since Little Falls inventor and gentleman farmer David H. Burrell was granted a patent for his furnace. Burrell built a 26-room mansion high above the Mohawk River in 1889, known today as “The Overlook” 40

$27.95 for adults and $14.95 for children 12 and under. Tickets available online at: ticketpeak.com/res/ coppermoosealehouse

First American woman aviator solo flight was in Little Falls! Mary Myers a.k.a. “Carlotta, the Lady Aeronaut” flew a lighter-than-air passenger balloon from Little Falls on July 4, 1880.

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For more than 17 years, the centerpiece of our nature preserve has been our beaver ponds and our beaver colony. The work done solely by these large aquatic rodents has been transformational in many ways. They’ve taken what would otherwise have been a habitat of marginal ecological value and turned it into something diverse and quite extraordinary. Their system of ponds, dams, and canals has fostered the development of a complex web of life. It has become a place where both predator and prey species thrive; where dragonflies hunt midges and Great Crested Flycatchers pursue damselflies; where tadpoles, minnows, and salamanders try to evade the serrated bills of mergansers and the bayonet-like beaks of herons. It’s also a place where mink dive for crayfish and Snapping Turtles prowl the shallows like crocodiles. All these creatures and many more owe their livelihoods to the handiwork of beavers. In that last paragraph, I’ve tried to explain why beavers are considered to be one of nature’s keystone species, but that’s not all there is to them. Their own behavior is also worthy of study and appreciation, and that’s something I have dedicated myself to doing for more than 17 years. What follows is part one of a two part account of our beaver colony’s behavior and activities for the past year – the year of 2016. Last winter was no ordinary winter. It was comparatively mild and characterized by many thaws. This stands in stark contrast to how things were the previous winter when the ponds were frozen over for extended periods and the mobility of beavers was greatly hampered. By contrast, in 2016 at the onset of January, the ponds were ice-free and entirely open to beaver traffic. In fact, the beavers were regularly traveling between two of their more distant ponds – between Morton’s Pond and Secret Pond. In the afternoons in early January it was common for me to see Julia, the colony’s matriarch, leisurely swimming around in Morton’s Pond, surveying her domain and looking for fresh tree branches to nibble on. Sometimes, she was joined by her mate, GenLo, whose role in the colony was chief engineer and primary provider. Julia’s 5-year-old daughter, Tippy, and several younger offspring from the previous two years were also seen frequently at this time. At this early point in the year, the beavers seemed committed to residing in two separate lodges in two far-flung ponds. This was unusual behavior and would almost suggest that the beavers had some kind of inside information regarding the long-term weather forecast. Normally, the entire colony would spend the winter months in the same pond and in the same lodge; this would be the pond that held the colony’s underwater food supply (called a food cache). However, in the winter of 2016, the beavers seemed to be gambling on the fact that the weather would continue to be mild and they would be able to retain their inter-pond mobility throughout the season. Mind you, this is not normally a safe bet in Upstate New York.

chain of ponds (called May Pond) continued to present the colony with a serious engineering problem. The dam frequently blew out from a hole located well below the waterline. The situation is analogous to pulling out a plug in a bathtub. One thing was clear. This problem with the dam defied the beavers’ ability to make a permanent fix. When it blew out in mild weather, they had no trouble patching it with pliable mud and other material, and once they did so the pond’s water level would quickly be restored. However, when the plug came out during ice-over conditions, patching with mud was not an option and the pond would necessarily be left in its drained state. When the pond’s dam blew out during the January freeze, the thick sheets of ice that had formed on top of the water collapsed down into the pond’s empty basin and created a remarkable shattered landscape. The ice broke into large chunks and shards and resembled a broken dinner plate. The night after we removed the dead deer from the dam, the beavers, including Julia, had to navigate through this gauntlet of shattered ice in order to return to Secret Pond. I have no idea how they managed to get through. There were no visible tracks in the snow indicating where they climbed over the dam either. Perhaps they went through the very hole that keeps blowing out and draining the pond. However they managed it, by the next day the adults and most of the juveniles were back at Secret Pond. After that incident, Julia seemed content to remain there – for a few weeks anyhow. At this point in time I was still concerned about Julia’s left hind leg. I originally noticed she had a problem with it in 2015. I could see that she was using it in the water, but favored it when walking on land. I imagined the problem stemmed from an injury, but Julia was 9 years old and arthritis or some other age-related malady could be to blame. Despite her handicap, she was still fulfilling her role as matriarch. In fact, toward the end of January, I saw something that I have only rarely witnessed in our beaver colony’s long history – a mating. On January 30, with the pond about 90% iced over, GenLo appeared to be in an ornery mood. He was very purposefully touring the open areas of the pond, grumbling at kits and even half-heartedly chasing after them. For the

It’s important to remember that the consequences of betting wrong could mean that some colony members could become stranded under the ice at a pond with no food reserves to draw on, although they would be able to survive for a while on their own reserves of body fat. By the end of that first week in January, a big freeze-up occurred and all of the beaver ponds were covered by a thick sheet of ice. Complicating matters at this time, a dead deer had become lodged in the ice beneath the dam at Sarah’s pond. It was located at the base of a ramp the beavers regularly use to cross between ponds. The deer had died (probably) either from injuries sustained by a car collision or by being wounded during the hunting season. It’s not unusual for badly injured animals to survive for weeks or even months before finally succumbing. It’s also common for dying deer to seek water in the form of creeks or ponds. Overnight, coyotes had ripped into the deer carcass but were unable to access the underwater portion, which was gripped tightly by ice. When I arrived in the morning the crows were busy taking their turn, but footprints left at the site and the state of the carcass told me it had been an active night for scavengers. It was clear to me that as long as the deer was in place, its presence would discourage the beavers from journeying back to Secret Pond (and to the food cache). If they did, they would have to pass by the deer carcass and thereby run the risk of confronting the scavengers. As it turned out at least three beavers, including Julia, Tippy, and one of the kits, had spent the previous night at Morton’s Pond. That meant they were very likely to attempt to get back to Secret Pond by the next morning. I decided that an intervention was warranted. So, with a little effort we chopped the deer out of the ice and Grooming Beavers adopt the Yin and Yang posture dragged it clear of the pond system. This meant that the beavers could safely travel from pond to pond again (ice permitting) and the coyotes and other scavengers would be able to access the entire carcass at a different location. In 2016, the third pond in the beavers’

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The Beaver Lodge at Sarah’s Pond most part, the other beavers seemed to be giving him a wide berth. When he came up to Julia, he turned on his side, pressed up against her flank, and the pair mated. In the latter part of February, I witnessed two more matings take place between the pair. What I was most eager to know was if GenLo would also mate with Tippy. In 2014 and 2015, I noted that Julia and her adult daughter both possessed swollen mammary glands, but at the time I couldn’t be sure which one of them was reproducing. Were they both having kits? In 2014, six kits were produced; in 2015, three and in 2016, only two new kits were produced. Those numbers seem consistent with the diminishing reproductive ability of a single older female. So, at least for the last two years, the money was on

Julia as being the sole mother in the colony. The evidence all points to 5-year-old Tippy as being a non-breeding “helper” mother – a role that, I confess, I didn’t know was something beaver colony’s had. This is the kind information that seems to be lacking in the published literature on beaver behavior and is apparently something that can only be gleaned by long-term observation of a colony. For all we know, it’s a common occurrence with colonies that are allowed to live while experiencing only minimal interference by people. Granted, there are precious few colonies that fall into that category. Weather-wise, February was a roller coaster ride. The ponds froze up and melted several times. There were dramatic thaws that gave rise to spring-like flooding and, oh yes, there was the deepest freeze we’ve experienced in the history of the preserve. However, it was nothing that the beavers couldn’t handle. After all, they have been forged by evolution to withstand harsh environmental conditions. I encourage the reader to stop for a moment and consider what beavers put themselves through by living on strong flowing creeks. They are virtually guaranteed to take the brunt of some of the most extreme weather events. Their ponds and wetlands absorb a great deal of the impact from flash flooding events and for the most part, beavers take these trials in stride – barely altering their normal activities. During a major cold spell, which on one morning

featured a record-breaking temperature of minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit, I didn’t see Julia for a couple of days, but then she showed up safe and sound back at Morton’s Pond. Based on signs of food consumption (in the form of peeled twigs and branches), I suspected she was alone there and I also sensed that she liked it that way. Maybe she was trying to avoid GenLo’s attentions, or perhaps she wanted to be away from the rest of the family living in the lodge at Secret Pond. The only problem with Julia’s vacation plan was the lack of a food cache at Morton’s Pond. In mid-February, the pendulum swung back again with a vengeance; warm temperatures, heavy rain and melting snow brought the beavers’ home

Julia, the colony’s matriarch

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streams up to flood stage and caused a significant strain on the beaver dams. Water was gushing over the vulnerable new section of dam at Sarah’s Pond and, predictably, May Pond blew out again. During the peak of the flood conditions, and again without leaving any clues on how she managed it, on February 20, Julia was back at Secret Pond and reunited with family and food supplies. It seemed as though spring was eager to arrive at the nature preserve and the beaver ponds were once again becoming a major hub of wildlife activity. A red-coated female coyote was seen making a rare daytime visit to the beaver ponds and at least two muskrats took up residence in the shadow of the beaver colony. It’s likely that the dispersal of at least some of the 2-year-old bea-

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vers began at this time. Upon attaining the age of 2, juvenile beavers set out to find their own mates and territories. Sometimes, as was the case with 5-year-old Tippy, the rules are suspended and a kit remains part of the colony for an extended period of time. There have been other examples of this kind of thing happening in our colony’s history. However, it’s more typical for 2-year-olds to leave. In early March, ice had returned to the beavers’ domain. Julia was back at Morton’s Pond. This time, she had Tippy and at least one of the yearlings for company. A 2-year-old was also there and he proceeded to demonstrate the lean on/bust down method of ice breaking. Like a naval ice-breaker, he busted a navigable channel through the ice at Morton’s Pond. Beavers are able to break through pond ice (as long as it’s not too thick) using a variety of techniques, but their main method is to use their considerable weight to climb up onto the ice and bust it down. Mid-March marked the beginning of a nocturnal trend that the beavers adopted for a fair portion of the year. To an increasing degree, keeping tabs on the beavers had to be done by evening visits and by examining trail camera footage as well as interpreting their many tracks and signs. At this time, well-trodden ramps over the beaver dams were an indication plenty of activity was taking place in the overnight hours. At unpredictable intervals and without being prompting by events, beavers are apt to change

the times of day and/or night in which they are most active, and they may do this at any time throughout the year. I believe that they implement these seemingly random schedule shakeups in order to remain unpredictable to predators. The nature preserve’s resident Canada Geese returned to the ponds at about this time and even though the beavers and geese don’t always get along that well, I don’t believe temperamental waterfowl were the reason for the beavers’ most recent schedule change. However, it did seem that the geese had a legitimate grievance against the beavers, since it was their work on Morton’s Pond dam that brought water levels high enough to submerge the geese’s traditional nest islands. Of course, this same thing happened for the last two nesting seasons and so the geese shouldn’t

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have been too surprised. Although Secret Pond was still being used and the young beavers were sometimes seen there, Morton’s Pond and its lodge became the beavers’ main residence. This was made clear by a trail cam video showing bedding material (grass) being brought over the dam and into Morton’s Pond. This meant that a chamber inside the lodge was being lined and prepared to hold the season’s new kits. I had no expectation of seeing them any time soon, since after they are born the kits remain inside the lodge for an extended period. As April progressed, overnight work taking place on the dams meant that the ponds’ water levels would continue to rise. At Morton’s Pond the goose islands were now well below water and the ramp that beavers use to cross between May Pond and Secret Pond became an impressive waterfall. The falls remained a semi-reliable feature for a fair portion of the season. High levels at Morton’s Pond also made the ramp leading over the dam into Sarah’s Pond turn into a spillway. The ramp, which is normally a smooth shoot, had transformed into an obstacle course with branches (some quite large) strewn over much of its span. It was perhaps more of a chore for Julia to scamper over, given her greater size and weak hind leg, but video from a trail cam placed at the base of the ramp showed it wasn’t an easy climb for any of the beavers to make. Even so, the ramp remained cluttered for at least a month.

Evidently, in GenLo’s haste to make Morton’s Pond larger and deeper, he just kept ramming branches up over the dam with little concern for maintaining a clear ramp. I knew that one of our resident goose pairs had a nest somewhere at Morton’s Pond, but I didn’t locate it until after the first week of April. The male goose, in his role as nest site protector, would get anxious whenever I walked got close to the middle of the dam, so it was a safe bet that their nest must be there somewhere. Finally, I saw it, and it was on the inner edge of the dam at Morton’s Pond. Probably few people consider the plumage of Canada Geese to provide particularly good camouflage and in most situations they would be correct, but during nesting time a sitting female can be virtually invisible. The brown on her back, wings and neck are a perfect match for the branches and mud that make up a beaver dam. The white areas on the goose’s face and below the tail serve to break up the bird’s outline and effectively mimic the appearance of patches of snow on the dam. Despite the goose’s cryptic plumage, by mid-April it was clear that the nest had failed and had most likely been raided by a nest predator. The female didn’t mourn long; instead, she re-nested in May. This time she placed her nest against a fallen tree trunk on the south side of the beaver lodge at Morton’s Pond. Unfortunately, the second nest proved to be just as vulnerable to predators. It was soon discovered and the eggs were taken.

A Snapping Turtle makes its way to the Beaver pond

At the end of April, Morton’s Pond had reached a historic high – swelling to the point of engulfing one of the headwater ponds and further eroding the east shore where our blind is located. In fact the blind, which was already listing, was looking increasingly like it was going to become a raft and cast off into the pond. Erosion is something that beavers exploit in order to expand their ponds. They allow the pond edges to become soft and then they use their long claws to scrape away mud. The mud and turf is then used to bolster the dam. Through this period a trail camera on the ramp below Morton’s Pond continued to provide a window on the beaver’s activities – or at least kept track of their comings and goings. Other interactions were also recorded, including an instance of mutual grooming between yearlings. Often when beavers groom each other they

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adopt a shape that is similar to the classic Yin and Yang position – with each using their teeth to comb the other’s rear flank. Mutual grooming is not just limited to siblings or mated pairs. Any two members of the colony may take part. It’s thought to be an important ritual that beavers use to strengthen their family bonds. Near the end of May, Tippy started coming out in the afternoons and was eager to feed on any snacks that may be in the pond. She was partial to the flowers on the willow boughs that we brought over. When I got close enough to her I could see clearly that she had swollen mammary glands. This was another strong indication that there were new kits in the lodge. Whether Tippy was an actual mother was impossible to say at that time. Finally, on May 25, we had solid confirmation that there were new kits when the trail cam showed them being carried over Morton’s Pond dam and toward Sarah’s Pond. I couldn’t be sure which lodge they were going to since high water levels at virtually all of the ponds gave them a choice of several dwellings. Beavers carry their young very awkwardly and it was hard not to wince a bit when I watched the footage. They use their teeth to grip a kit by the skin of their flanks and proceed to lug them in a manner not dissimilar to how they carry logs. In the videos, the rubbery-looking kits slowly flail their arms and legs as they collide with branches on the dam. It certainly makes for an inauspicious introduction to the world outside of the lodge. At Secret Pond on May 29, Julia was finally

seen during the day again and, like Tippy, she had swollen mammary glands. Of course, this meant the kits had been transferred to the lodge at Secret Pond – or the lodge at May Pond. However, I was pretty sure that Tippy was staying at Sarah’s Pond, so maybe the kits were in that lodge? Obviously, there was much uncertainty. At this point in the season I had no way of knowing how many kits there were or whether or not both Julia and Tippy had reproduced. Thankfully, at least I was beginning to see the beavers more often – especially Julia and Tippy. I was also able to get good looks at Julia’s sore leg and she appeared to have nearly full use of it. A beaver expert told me that perhaps what Julia needed to get her leg back in shape was water therapy! Well, she certainly gets plenty of that! As June progressed, other beavers, including the three yearlings (born in 2015) were seen more frequently. At this time we decided to name the yearlings after plants that grow in and around our wetlands. We settled on the names Sweet Flag, Monkeyflower (yes, this is an actual plant name), and Winterberry. I confess to having had some difficulty telling these siblings apart, but they didn’t seem to mind. Since appearance-wise beavers of the same age are almost identical to each other, the best way to tell them apart is by behavior. In beavers it seems that distinctive personality traits tend to develop after their first year. Monkeyflower was the bravest of the bunch and Winterberry was more timid, and so those two were the easiest to distinguish. Mink and ermine were both seen at the ponds in early June as was a female Hooded Merganser and a female Wood Duck. Water levels at Secret Pond were the lowest of the main ponds, but despite that I remained certain that least some of the colony, including the new kits, were living there. However, after mid-June, the beavers tightened up Secret Pond’s dam and the water levels shot back up. In 2015 the beavers commandeered our observation shelter/canBeavers weren’t opy located at Secret Pond and bebound by ice for long gan building a lodge under it. Since in the winter of there was a chance that they realized 2015 - 2016 what they were doing and actually intended to build under the canopy,

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we let them have it and constructed a new shelter about a dozen feet away up the shore. Last year the beavers left that “proto-lodge” in a very incomplete state. However, this year they decided to turn it into to something more finished. They heaped branches upon it and slathered it with mud, and although it remained somewhat short of a proper lodge, it was a competent shelter for beavers to go into and have a snack or groom. It was primarily the younger beavers that used this structure, so it came to be known as the kits’ fort. Even though I couldn’t see what went on in the fort, I could hear everything quite clearly, and by the sound of it there was lots of squabbling and roughhousing. It was actually pretty hilarious to listen to the goings-on in that place. For a while Secret Pond hosted a large female Snapping Turtle that was partial to apples. She would wait for them to be thrown into the water and then, like a shark, she would approach her target fruit from underneath, chomp onto it and pull it down underwater. In my mind I could easily conjure up the shark attack theme from the movie Jaws whenever that happened. I had actually seen this behavior before with Snapping Turtles at other beaver ponds, but this was the first time I had seen it at our preserve. She did this for about a month and then I didn’t see her again. Believe it or not, it was possible that the beavers relocated her. At another nature preserve, members of that beaver colony were known to physically move Snapping Turtles to a different part of their pond. That seemed like a potentially hazardous venture to me! • Part two of this article will be included in the March issue of Mohawk Valley Living magazine. Please look for it. Matt Perry is Conservation Director and resident naturalist at Spring Farm CARES in Clinton. He manages a 260 acre nature preserve 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’s short nature videos can be viewed on the web. Look for Spring Farm CARES Nature Sanctuary on Facebook.

LOCAL bands

Auld Lang Syne By John Keller

Every now and then, you come across a band that completely defies everything you’ve heard so far. Auld Lang Syne is one of those bands. Exquisite harmonies, extreme musical diversity, poignant songwriting and just super nice people. Whether it is a duo or 6-7 piece ensemble, Auld Lang Syne will captivate the senses. Multi-instrumentalists Kathy and Timothy Dick lead the group. Tim is the main songwriter. His words are inspiring and layered. The songs take you places with vivid imagery. They incorporate bluegrass, folk, world, and Native American elements while remaining truly original. Kathy’s voice is cool, ethereal and angelic, yet an imposing force to carry each song’s emotions across. Her accordion accompaniment adds further depth to each tune she applies it to, adding an extra layer of listenability to our ears. I have had the pleasure to experience Auld Lang Syne in all configurations (duo to full band) as well as hearing Kathy solo at piano, and each time was incredible. The band groupings are loose and use different performers, but the results are never less than stunning. A few months ago in this magazine I reviewed their CD The Last of the Honeybees. This time I got a chance to ask Kathy Dick a few questions on what makes Auld Lang Syne. Where are you from originally? I am from Salamanca, N.Y., and Timothy is from Leamington, Ontario, Canada. We met at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester N.Y. in 1998. We became instant friends, college sweet hearts, and started writing music together. Timothy was a piano performance major, and I was a music education major with a piano and voice minor. You recently relocated to CNY. What prompted that move?

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W e moved to CNY recently to be closer to our friends, and because we enjoy helping out at Nancy Grove’s organic farm, Old Path Farm in Sauquoit. We also realized it would be a good time to record a new album, which is in the works. What other musical collaborations had you and/or Tim been in prior to Auld Lang Syne? As far as music collaborations go, it started out with Timothy performing in NYC with me ( as a duo), performing solo at open mics throughout NYC, and playing piano with a Delta Blues group called Delta Dream Box in Brooklyn. Timothy is a very accomplished pianist and can play jazz, classical, blues, ragtime, or more with music or by ear. I taught music in East New York at an elementary school at the time as well. How did Auld Lang Syne come about? How long has the band been around? We moved to Rochester in 2007, and were contacted shortly thereafter on Myspace by Joe Bushen and Mike Bushen, who became the guitar and bass/ accordion player for the first full band version of Auld Lang Syne. They had found our music and were interested in jamming, so we got together. It went amazingly well, and we started a band. The original idea was to have three song-

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writers. We had Timothy, our friend Timmy Gallogly, and our college friend Jonathan Miller as writers for the Midnight Folly album. It wasn’t long until we were invited to open for The Avett Brothers at Water Street Music Hall, which opened up exciting opportunities to join them on two mini tours afterward in 2008 and 2009. The Avett Brothers are wonderful performers and people; it was a huge honor to open for them. We also met David Wax Museum at the time, which we just opened for on our recent New Years tour in Fall River, Mass., NYC, and Philadelphia. How many instruments do you play and did you have any formal music instruction? In addition to piano, Timothy plays guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, accordion, and more. Since I also play piano, it was easy to learn accordion. I can also play a little guitar. Timothy and I both sing our own songs. Auld Lang Syne has a very fluid membership. Who are the regular members and who are the auxiliary members? What is the largest version of ALS that has performed on stage? As far as membership goes, it is hard to maintain a regular group of musicians due to life changes. We are fortunate to know many wonderful musicians to play music with, however. We adopted the concept of perma-culture that we learned through volunteer organic farming; we use what we have. We may have a duo, quartet, or seven-person band, depending on what is called for and who is available. The core of Auld Lang Syne has become Timothy and me; we are now the constant or primary members and songwriters. The musicians we are currently working with include Jason Schnitt, a wonderful songwriter from Utica, and Nancy Grove, owner of Old Path Farm. How many albums have you released and where can we find them? There are three albums available for sale at the Tra-

montane Café, sold by us at shows, and on line for download at our band camp page. Midnight Folly features the three original songwriters; There Are Roots Below features the original full band, a couple of my songs, and a couple of Jonathan Millers, again. Last of the Honey Bees is Timothy and me; Timothy provides most of the instrumentation himself and recorded it himself. There are songs of his and mine, which were greatly influenced by the Willing Workers on Organic Farms trip we took from 2011- 2012. Our latest album will be available this summer, and we have been performing some of the songs famiat shows already. It ly. When we do shows, will feature Timothy’s www.mohawkvalleyliving.com they are usually at and my songs and a few child-friendly venues, and different supporting musometimes the kids join us on sicians from Rochester and percussion. House show crowds Utica. We are recording a video have been especially welcoming of the for the NPR Tiny Desk Concert conchildren, and the children enjoy meeting peotest to be released on YouTube. ple and making friends with other kids. We Your songs are filled with great lyrics, per- always arrange to accommodate the needs of fect harmony, and passion. Who arrang- our family, working with friends and more. es the structures of the songs? Walk us What advice do you have for musicians through Auld Lang Syne’s song process. Timothy is the primary mastermind of wanting to follow in your footsteps? Auld Lang Syne, writes most of the songs, I would say to remain flexible. Offer arranges them, teaches the musicians their what you have to others, and try to minimize parts, and records. I also write and collabo- expectations. Music is meant to uplift and rate with Timothy at times. He has also been heal; often expectations enter into the mindset of a musicians due to culture pressures an amazing vocal coach. or the music business procedures itself. I You tour all across the country constantly. remember the ancient symbol of the KokoWho does the booking? How do you man- pelli found on many cave drawings. It portrays a person playing the flute and dancing. age to travel with all of the children? We have a very loose tour schedule to al- That sums up what we do for me. Offer and low for lots of time for our family. We have let it go; bring joy and healing to others. We three beautiful children who are in school at may not be financially rich or on the cover of the moment, also learning violin, cello, and Rolling Stone, but we are rich in experiences percussion. We have home and beautiful friendships. I am thankful for schooled previously and tak- the honor of playing music for others with en our whole family on tour. my family and building relationships everyI have an education degree, where we go. and enjoy teaching when I get the chance. Tours are loose- Where can we find information on Auld ly scheduled, a few shows a Lang Syne and where you will be permonth, include volunteering forming? at organic farms, homes- You can find us online; there many vidchooling Monday-Friday, eos and recordings. Shows are often posted and lots of exploring/ learn- on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/ http://auldlangsyning. We travel in our Toyota Auld-Lang-Syne or Dolphin RV, go to parks, eroc.wix.com/epk-auldls and https://auldmuseums, caves, organic langsyne.bandcamp.com farms, and even perform and stay at RV parks. We Thank you, Kathy! • love learning together as a

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Fresh & all natural ingredients Luisa Martinez - chef

1315 Genesee Street, Utica

(315) 864-3057 Open Mon & Tue 10am-10pm, Thurs-Sun 10am-2am, Closed Wed

westmoreland

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331 Genesee Street, Utica (315) 880-3502 • Open Mon-Sat 11-7

Open: Mon-Fri 9-2 185 Genesee St 2nd Floor, Utica

315 735-7676

Yorkville www.knucklheadsbrewhouse.com

Knuckleheads BREW HOUSE

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Happy hour every day 4-7pm featuring craft beers and a full bar.

Serving lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Open til 2am 7362 East Main Street, Westmoreland (315) 853-1351

KARAM’S Middle Eastern Bakery & Restaurant Traditional Lebanese fare for breakfast & lunch! Middle Eastern Specials and Groceries Pita and Flat Bread • Spinach & Meat Pies • Baklawa

Tues - Fri: 9am -5pm, Sat: 9am - 3pm

(315) 736-1728 137 Campbell Ave, Yorkville www.karamsbakery.com

mv living

antique shopping guide Celebrating our 18th year in business!

Attic Addicts The Queen’s Closet

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Specializing in estate sales, large and small.

Conducted with respect and dignity. We take the pressure out of estate liquidation, moving, or downsizing.

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Clothing Jewelry Household Items Furniture

BlackCat

ANTIQUES

Canal House Antiques

We’re letting the cat out of the bag! Black Cat Antiques is the destination for Antique Furnishings, Vintage Clothing, Jewelry, Accessories, and Primitive Handmade Gifts!

Multi-Dealer Shop

Specializing in antique furniture, glassware, jewelry, books, linens, and primitive rug hooking accessories

Mon-Fri: 10am-5pm Sat: 10:30am-3pm

Call for a consultation:

New consignment by appointment only

(315) 736-9160

22 Oriskany Blvd., Yorkville (315) 736-9160 www.thequeenclosetatticaddicts.com

(315) 893-7737

14 East Main St. Earlville (315) 691-5721

Winter Hours: Open Sat & Sun 10-4

6737 Route 20, Bouckville, NY

Open Tues-Fri: 9-4, Sat: 9-2, Closed Sun & Mon

Fort Plain Antiques & Salvage

Winter: Open by Request

A rchitectural Salv

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Over 30 Vendors!

Foothills

Mercantile

The BIG RED BARN filled with antiques & vintage pieces, collectibles, glassware, furniture, accessories. New items arriving daily. Visit our gift shop! Open 6 Days 10am-5:30pm • Closed Tuesdays 8124 Route 12, Barneveld (315) 896-2681

Little Falls

Antique Center More than 50 vendors on 2 floors! Canal Place, Little Falls Open Every Day 10-5 315-823-4309 www.littlefallsantiquecenter.com

NEWPORT MARKETPLACE

Main Street Gift Shoppe

Top Notch Garden Center

Newport’s Best Kept Secret for Country Primitive Furnishings!

7583 Main St., Newport, NY (315) 845-8822

Old Century Paint, Irvings Lighting, Curtains, Furniture, & More!

OVER 54 VENDORS! NEW ITEMS ARRIVING DAILY!

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antiques • vintage • re-purposed handcrafted items • unique gifts • honey • cheese • holistic & local food store • muck boots kombucha on tap • grass fed beef & pork • garden accessories

Re-Opening on Feb 3rd at 4pm OPEN: Wed thru Sat 11:30am til 8pm

FOR THOSE WHO CRAVE THE UNIQUE! Open M-F 9-5:30, Sat & Sun 9-5 • Visit us on Facebook!

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Over 160 Vendor booths and display cases!

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MOHAWK ANTIQUES MALL

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www.TheOnlineExchange.Net Registered user of ebay

Picker’s Dynasty

Estate Sales & Content Liquidation

Closed Tuesdays

ESTATE & HOUSE SALES APPRAISALS ALWAYS BUYING

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Tired of Winter? Come Join Us for our CABIN FEVER SALE!

Fri & Sat • February 24 & 25 • 10-5

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Visit my eclectic spaces located at Little Falls Antique Center & Mohawk Antiques Mall CALL: (315) 527-5707 • www.pickersdynasty.com

Inventory and our Estate Sale Schedule online: www.thepottingshedantiques.com

315-736-5214

Don & Nancy Hartman, 52 Oriskany Blvd., Whitesboro (Next to Kinney’s)

THRIFT SHOP We BUY merchandise!

Stop by and see what kind of treasures you can find! WINTER HOURS: Open Thurs, Fri, & Sat 11-3

(315) 831-5445 • 9605 Main Street, Remsen

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SHOWCASE Antiques of CNY

Terri’s Treasures Antiques, Shabby Chic, Recycled Furniture, Accessories, and more!

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16 Schuyler St., Boonville (315) 942-3330

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A great new location! 214 Oriskany Blvd, Suite 4 Whitesboro, NY

TREASURES

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Vintage items, consignment & décor Daina: 272-7700, Danielle: 941-0965 Open Tues-Fri: 10-6, Sat: 10-4

Weeden’ s ernon Variety Shoppes Mini Mall Antique & Variety Shoppes

5349 Route 5, Vernon (315) 829-2105 Open 10-5 every day

100 Shops Located under One Roof

Located 4 miles North of Sylvan beach 8056 Route 13, Blossvale (315) 245-0458 Open 10-5 every day

Village Basement CONSIGNMENT SHOP Large selection of preloved clothing, furniture and accessories at fantastic prices! (315) 733-4784

337 Genesee St., Utica (315) 738-1333

Open Wed - Fri: 11-5; Sat: 10-3

www.vintagefurn.com

70 Genesee Street, New Hartford Call for consignment terms.

A Multi Dealer Shop

Featuring 60 Dealers displaying a diverse array of antiques and collectibles.

315-337-3509 Open Daily 10-5, Closed Tuesdays

Vintage Valentine’s Day at Westmoreland Antique Center!

Come Spend the Day With Us! Route 233 Westmoreland, NY 1/4 mile North of NYS Thruway Exit 32 www.westmorelandantiquecenter.com

Herkimer county historical society

Herkimer Co. During WWI Part 2: american red cross By Susan Perkins, Town of Manheim Historian

On April 6, 1917, the United States joined its allies Britain, France, and Russia to fight in World War I. It wasn’t long after that the American Red Cross formed chapters in Herkimer County to help with the war efforts. At that time, there were four functions of the American Red Cross: 1) Service to the American Armed Forces; 2) Service to Allied military forces, particularly the French; 3) Limited service to American and Allied prisoners of war and; 4) Service to civilian victims of war, with an emphasis on the children of Europe. Mass meetings were held in the communities of Herkimer County to form chapters of their own or become an auxiliary of a larger chapter. The chairs in each chapter formed committees. They raised money through membership dues and through entertainment. There was a knitting committee that made socks, sweaters, mufflers, and wristlets. The sewing committee made comfort bags, hospital garments, pajamas, bath robes, hospital shirts, hospital undershirts, and hospital under drawers, helpers’ cases, shirts, and refugee garments. The surgical dressing committee made bandages. All of the items made were sent to the soldiers. The Red Cross Chapters also sent money and clothing to Belgium and France for the orphans. They also sent money to Halifax, Nova Scotia, after the explosion of two ships collided in Halifax Harbor on Dec. 6, 1917. One ship, the Mont Blanc from France, which had highly explosive munitions on it, collided with the Imo. The Mont Blanc exploded 20 minutes later after being hit. The explosion killed 1,800 people, injured 1,000 (blinding 200), and destroyed the entire north end of the city-1,600 homes were destroyed.

Celebrating our 10th Year!

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Gift cards available for your sweetheart!

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COMING SOON! 259 GENESEE STREET, UTICA, NEW YORK

Serving Central New York Since 1976

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bROAdWAY UTICA PRESENTS

SWEETHEART SWING

PIPPIN

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Wed | Mar 22 | 7:30 pm Thurs | Mar 23 | 7:30 pm

Sat | Feb 4 | 6–9 pm THE STANLEY PRESENTS

LOCAL HS MUSICAL PREVIEW 2017

FEATURING

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Sat | Feb 18 | 2 pm

Watch Mohawk Valley Living

Celebrating Our 12th Year on TV!

Sundays on FOX33 7:30am & 11pm WUTR TV20 11:30am

KESSLER PROMOTIONS PRESENTS

AN IRISH NIGHT

AT THE STANLEY

Fri | Mar 31 | 7:30 pm

TRAVIS WALL & bREAK THE FLOOR PROdUCTIONS PRESENT

bROAdWAY UTICA PRESENTS

AFTER THE CURTAIN

Wed | Apr 26 | 7:30 pm Thurs | Apr 27 | 7:30 pm

SHAPING SOUNd

Wed | Mar 1 | 7:30 pm NAC ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS

RIVERdANCE 3 Performances! Mar 7, 8 & 9 | 7:30 pm

RENT 20th

ANNIVERSARY TOUR

bROAdWAY UTICA PRESENTS

dIRTY dANCING

Tues | May 30 | 7:30 pm Wed | May 31 | 7:30 pm

See you at the Market! Winter Market 2nd & 4th Saturdays

Inside Utica’s Union Station Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

www.oneidacountymarket.com Visit www.cceoneida.com for a complete listing of local farmers markets.

The American Red Cross and the Army put out a call for nurses to serve where needed. Some of the nurses went overseas to France to serve in the Base Hospitals there and some stayed in the United States and served in the General Hospitals here. The following local nurses who served were: Isabelle â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christineâ&#x20AC;? Beebe was born in Constable, Franklin County, N.Y. (1988-1980), the daughter of Sheridan (1849-1926) and Eve B. (Dudley) Beebe (18631926). The Beebes moved to Cold Brook in the Town of Russia, Herkimer County, around 1915. Christine enlisted July 1918, at Camp U.S.A. General Hospital at Rahway, N.J. She served in the Army Student Nurse Corps. She also served at General Hospital No. 3 Colonia, N.J., Fox Hills Station Long Island and Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C. After the war she came back to Cold Brook. She was living in Palm Beach, FL., in 1945 and died there in 1980. She is buried in Lake Worth, FL. Bertha De Lunn (1888-1966) was born in Salisbury Center, N.Y., the daughter of Scott De Lunn (1955-1921) and Susan Daley (1866-1923). From the Utica Daily Tribune July 14, 1918: Bertha De Lunn has enlisted for active service as a Red Cross nurse. Bertha married Roma Nichols Jones (1896-1922) on June 27, 1921, in El Paso, TX. She lived in San Bernadino, CA, in 1940. I could not find where she died. Harriet Dexter (1893- ?) was born in Silver Creek, NE, the daughter of Clarence Dexter (18601934) and Lizzie 1867-1941). She was living in Little Falls, N.Y., when she was called into active service as a nurse on Oct. 26, 1918, from Civil Life. She served at General Hospital #19 Oteen (Azela), N.C., to Jan. 21, 1920, General Hospital #28 at Fort Sheridan, IL, to June 9, 1920, and General Hospital #21 at Washington University until discharge on Sept. 21, 1920. Harriet later married William S. Martin (1894-1975). They lived in Aurora, CO. She was a nurse for private duty in the 1930 Census. I was unable to find when she died. Clara Hurd (1877-1972) was born in Norway, N.Y., the daughter of Oscar Frederick Hurd (18461911) and Ellen Nichols (1849-?). Clara served as the Superintendent of the Herkimer Emergency Hospital; she resigned in 1905. She moved to Syracuse. In 1917, she was working at the Syracuse Hospital for Women & Children when Red Cross was signing up nurses to serve during World War I. The Herkimer Citizen of May 28, 1917, reported that Clara had offered her services as a nurse for Red Cross work and it was likely she was to go to France in the early fall. Her brother Peter was serving in France. In 1933, she was the Supervisor of Public School Nurses. Clara is buried in the Norway Rural Cemetery. Helen Bedford Huyck (1895-1938) was born in Tillson, Ulster County, N.Y., the daughter of Normand (1850-1965) and Mary Ellen Quick (1859-1891). The Bedfords moved to Ilion sometime between 1910 and 1915. Helen enlisted as a Reserve Nurse on Sept. 1, 1918 in the Army Nurses Corps. She was stationed at the Debarkation Hospital No. at Ellis Island, N.Y. She was discharged on July 26, 1919. She married Dr. Ralph Pryne Huyck in 1920 in San Francisco, CA. He served in the Army Medical Corps. They moved to Herkimer sometime between 1920 and 1925. She died in Florida, but is buried in Herkimer, N.Y. Clara F. Illig (1886-1968) was born in Ilion, N.Y., the daughter of Alexander (ca. 1841-1920) and

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

ANY 8 CHEESE CURD FLAVOR OZ

D ChEE EA S ST

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KEEP REFRIGERatEd Stoltzfus Family Dairy, LLC Skinner Road, (Mfg. at Plant # 36-1103) 6300 829-4089 Vernon Center, NY 13477 (315) www.stoltzfusdairy.com

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yt oy our f am

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air

lb CHEESE WHEEL

FAR M

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Continued in next month’s issue...

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Barbara (Kleemann) Illig (ca. 1845-1922). She was a graduate of Ilion High School in 1899 and a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing of 1906 in Baltimore, MD. “The John’s Hopkins Nurses Alumnae” Vol. 5 No. 1 Feb 1906 states Clara was in charge of the operating room at the Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. In 1909 she was the Assistant Superintendent at Faxton Hospital in Utica. In 1910 Clara was living in Utica and was Superintendent at a hospital. Clara enlisted in the American Red Cross and was one of the first nurses to go overseas during World War I. American Red Cross Base Hospital No. 4 (Lakeside Hospital Unit, Cleveland, OH) and she sailed May 7, 1917, on the ship the USS Orduna. Clara reported for duty on May 25, 1917, and took over No. 9 British General Hospital at Rouen, France. The hospital had 1,240 beds with an additional 300 crisis beds. As soon as the nurses arrived, they started treating the patients. Base Hospital No. 4 treated 82,179 patients. The Nursing Staff there consisted of 64 and 4 civilian secretaries. She was with the American Expeditionary Forces from May 8, 1917, until April 3, 1919. She was a reserve nurse relieved from active duty on May 26, 1919. In 1920 she lived in Ilion and was the Public Health Nurse. In 1930, she was living in Utica with her sister Elizabeth and in 1940 she was back living in Ilion with her sister Elizabeth. She served as the Superintendent of Camp Healthmore (1910-1950s), a tuberculosis camp that was first located on Higby Road in Utica, NY. Clara is buried with her parents in the Fort Plain, N.Y., Cemetery. Martha M. Karla (1895-?) was born in Dolgeville, N.Y., the daughter of Michael (1855-?) and Martha Karla (1856?). She graduated in 1917 from the Albany Training School for Nurses. In September 1918, Martha enlisted in the Red Cross nursing service. She was stationed at General Hospital No. 14 at Fort Oglethorpe, GA, from September 1918 until July 22, 1919. As a Reserve Nurse, she was relieved from active duty but was not discharged from service as noted at the bottom of World War Army Nurse Card. Martha was married to Leo Boles (1897-1982). They lived in Syracuse, N.Y. I was unable to find when she died. Marion Emily Knights Norton (1891-1975) was born in Russia, N.Y., the daughter of Edwin H. Knight (18511917) and Eliza M. (1848-1895). Marion went into active service as a Red Cross Nurse on May 15, 1918, from Civil Life. She was first at a mobilization station until to June 6, 1918. Then she was at Central Hospital #20 until Sept. 18, 1918. She went overseas and served at Base Hospital #114 in Savenay, Loire Atlantique, France, until March 1919 and then served at Base Hospital #121 at Beau Desert, Gironde, France, until May 23, 1919. Marion was then at Demobilization Station in New York until discharged on June 20, 1919. On May 4, 1926, Marion married Harry Loren Norton (1889-1973) in Yuma, AZ. They are both buried in Victor Valley Mountain Memorial Cemetery, Victor Valley, CA.

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Shawangunk nature preserve, cold brook

TALES FROM

SHAWANGUNK Chapter 29 by Peggy Spencer Behrendt

Peg holds hands with a chickadee

In 1974, Tim and Peggy Spencer Behrendt set off on an adventure. They began a new life in the woods of Cold Brook, NY, without modern conveniences like electricity or indoor plumbing. These are excerpts and reflections from Peggy’s journal chronicling their adventures and also her childhood memories growing up in Westmoreland.

With the return of below zero temperatures, Misty Brook has receded after the mid-winter thaw, gurgling somnolently once again, deep below the snow. A great sheath of fragile ice in spectacular patterns of foliated crystal remains suspended above. It looks like a quilt of crystallized moss and ferns, defying gravity with brittle, starched filigree. I want to mimic this ephemeral handwork by the Frost Queen in my next quilt project. While I feed the chickadees out of my hands, Tim carefully descends the bank to fetch water in a bucket, first cracking through

the ice at our water hole. It weakens the crystalline connections all along the ice mantle far from where he’s chipping. Long after he has drawn water and taken it into our cottage, I hear the consequence of his activity further upstream with reverberating cracks, crunches, and tinkling cascades of breaking ice crystals, as tiny molecular connections in Misty Brook’s frozen sheath begin to disintegrate. We celebrate our Valentine anniversary with extra time in the loft, sleeping, snuggling, and reminiscing about how we got together. I love the acquiescent dance we do while sleeping through these winter nights, gently changing positions, nudging, rotating, arms and legs entwining like morning glory vines. Occasionally, a wild dream will send my partner’s legs thrashing, and I curl myself safely away, letting him work it out. “Is he playing football, or battling some foe?” I wonder, as his legs finally

grow still, his breathing lengthens, and dreams turn to more placid fabrications. I imagine that deep beneath the snow and earth of our forest, in little burrows walled with sturdy tree root quilted with dry leaves and tufts of fur, there are other hibernating couples, chipmunks, bears, and mice that have this same experience of snug conviviality. What dreams might send their legs kicking? Considering all the variables, we realize that it’s a miracle that we were born, and even more, to find a life companion that is a kindred spirit. I think of my parents, my grandparents. I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t met, fallen in love, married, and worked hard to keep their relationship working. Tim tells me of a well-documented study that found that successful relationships have a ratio of at least five positive exchanges to every one negative exchange. We take this seriously

Bonding with chickadees on Valentine’s Day

and continually make a conscious effort to maintain something up to this level without actually counting. Along with this, physical affection and being able to call a meeting at any time to deal with a serious concern helps keep the stresses of life from overwhelming our relationship. My paternal grandparents, Martha Anne and Maurice Spencer, came from mill towns and were married in Yorkshire, England, in 1909, immigrating to Clark Mills shortly after, where my dad, Roland was born. The mills here, powered by Oriskany Creek, wove plush fabric used for upholstery in cars, cars my

maternal grandfather Joe Renew sold to customers from a store near the Uptown Theater in Utica. But first, he had to teach them how to drive. He and Grandma Ethel met at Savage Arms in east Utica. She was a pretty secretary, planning to become a piano teacher, and he, a handsome and charming Marine on his first job north of the Mason Dickson Line, with an ability to tell a lively story. He was fresh from the construction of the Panama Canal, where he was in the cavalry and taught machine gunnery. “I had a two-legged dictionary” he once told me, when I asked if he spoke Spanish, and “never tasted wheat bread until I came to Utica because where I grew up in South Carolina, we ate sweet potatoes and corn bread.” I’m sure that his story-telling ability helped make him a successful salesman. 1987: It’s beautiful, but the confinement and cold of winter is wearing us down. Our youngest child has turned 21 and we feel we can afford to take a train to go for a one-week vacation in Florida. We go to Kissimmee and are delighted to see green plants and flowers again. We are thrilled to be able to swim in the motel pool although the locals think we’re cra-

zy because it’s only in the 60’s. Compared to Black Creek in the summer, this is warm. We go to Disney World and it’s very nice, but we decide that hanging out in Florida is not for us. Before we return home, though, friends pick us up and take us to their home near the coast for an overnight. They want to show us the ocean. We pass places with names like “Barefoot Bay,” “Citrus Elementary School,” “Sandpiper Path,” “Pebble Road” and houses that are painted pastel pink, sky blue, yellow, and coral. Huge bushes of scarlet and magenta bougainvillea and other flowers add to the kalei-

A fragile ice mantle hangs over Misty Brook

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February 5th, Noon-4

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Grandpa Joe Renew sold cars like this in Uptown Utica doscope. They have fancy mailboxes in the shapes of dolphins, turtles, huge seashells, pelicans…. They would be destroyed by northern winters. We reach Rt. A1A running along the coast. It’s almost a onelane road offering an occasional peek at the Indian River on the right, and the Atlantic Ocean on the left, but mostly lined with a monotonous, thick hedge of spiky-leaved shrub palms on both sides for many miles. We turn into a sandy parking area and I’m delighted to see some tiny, wild marigold-like flowers smiling up along the edges. Our friends lead the way on a little trail over a peaceful sand dune, shaded with wind-twisted trees and bushes of sea grape with great, round leaves mottled with citron yellow, red, and green. We brush past rustling fronds of young palm trees and above them are masses of delicate, white, bell-shaped, wild yucca blossoms tottering on stems six to ten feet high above whorls of great, spear shaped, succulent leaves. As we progress, a murmuring in the distance gets louder and louder. Suddenly, the low trees give way to great carpets of succulent sedum ending with a seaweed-strewn beach and we find our-

Prices Valid February 1st - February 28th 2017

Alo Vera Drinks 16.9 OZ.

$5.99/lb. 25% Off

Reg. $7.99/lb.

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Bubbies Sauerkraut 25 OZ.

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6.49

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Mon-Fri 9-8, Sat 9-6, Sun 11-4

Peg Spencer’s Grandparents, Maurice and Matha Anne , married in England shortly before moving to Clark Mills

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when blinding blizzards of blasting frigid vortexes and swirling masses of snow wreak havoc everywhere, or when lightning marries wind and rain, blazing, flashing for hours with diabolic phosphorescence. Tim and I are speechless, delightfully shocked to be standing here, face to face with a raging world of infinite shades of aqua greens, purples, blues. How astounding it is that we can be so close to such powerful energy without being personally destroyed. Tim and I have the same reaction: We are in love. Back home again, we begin plans to return next year and stay longer, close to the seashore with camping gear, and thus begins a new kind of wintertime adventure. 1990’s: We rise early Sunday morning to travel to Watertown 75 miles away to do a church service. It’s dark and bitter cold, but we know that when we reach the plateaus north of Boonville we will have the pleasure of viewing broad expanses of snow-blanketed dairy farmlands, glowing in gold and pink from the rising sun, bordered with silvery ice-traced maple trees like lace fringe around a We head out to church with pink, winter sky valentine heart.

selves face to face with a force of nature that is overwhelming. A powerful wind is blowing, buffeting us with breath stealing gusts of salty, sandy, wet air and only a few yards in front of us is an infinite expanse of viscous energy heaving with a powerful surf of huge, roaring ocean waves. Waves toppled with frothing white water like whipped snow hurry toward us like a malevolent, angry Deity, surging, ebbing, and crashing about in an intense chaos of vehemence that ebbs to a tiny, alabaster froth just inches from our feet. There had been a storm last night, and the sea is still writhing from its lashing wind. We occasionally experience such natural power in the North Country

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As we begin the ascent out of Lowville my eye is caught by some discarded construction material in front of a house. “I want that!” I exclaim to Tim, looking back, with longing. “Huh?” he asks. His thoughts are on the upcoming service. “There’s an abandoned metal shower stall on the curb. We’ve been showering outside for 20 years and I’m ready for a change.” I reply with whiny assertiveness. “The Children’s Cottage has had an indoor shower stall for years. We have space for one now because of the addition we built for your brother when he was sick.” “What? You don’t want to shower outside when it’s 30 or 40 below zero anymore?” He asks, with a wry laugh. “Nope.” “Let’s look at it on the way back.” As usual, we’re the first to arrive at church so that we can review our material but there’s a new security code for the door lock. “Did you bring it?” I ask him. “No, I thought you did!” “I think I remember what it was.” “Well, shall we try it?” It’s wrong and it wants us to insert the correct code in the next 60 seconds or an alarm will go off. I don’t know what it is, and am

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panicked. Then, a siren goes off. It’s really, really loud! It goes on, and on, and on. We have no way to call anyone. Then, we hear more sirens in the distance and they are coming closer. A sheriff’s car, ambulance, emergency vehicles and two fire trucks appear over the crest of the hill with lights flashing, horns and sirens blazing, and they turn into our church. I skulk to our car and turn on the radio. I hate the music on this station but it’s better than the noise outside. I peek out and am horrified to see men hopping off the fire truck, pulling out axes, and hurrying toward the front door of the church. “Oh, no!” I moan. I am consumed with morbid dread. Tim, however, has braved the cacophony outside and manages to explain the situation to the rescue team before any real damage occurs, and the gallant volunteers of the Watertown Fire Department retreat without criticism of our folly. A church member arrives and we are finally able to enter the peaceful sanctuary, shaken to the core and in disbelief as to what has just occurred. Still, we must rally to create a sense of peace in our service. The pleasure of making music on their exquisite piano brings me comfort. On the way home, we get permission to take the old metal shower stall, and wonder how to tie it on top of the car? We didn’t bring rope. We find a few bungee cords and tie them together. “Hey, here’s some twine under the seat!” I announce, and secure a few more places. “Pretty good, but not quite enough.” Where can we get more rope without driving anywhere? Tim looks down at his feet. “Bootlaces!” And so, with nervous trepidation, we carry home the means of a monumental change in our lifestyle. We wrestle it into the addition and drill a hole into the floor for the short drain pipe, to allow the shower water to fall and filter through forest soil. Then we hang a stout hook in the ceiling to hold our 2½ gallon, metal sprinkling can of hot water. At last! It’s ready! I go first. It’s bitter cold outside, but the room is reasonably warm. I strip, lay a towel nearby, duck under the sprinkling can to enter the stall and pull gently on the spout. “Ahhh! Hot water. Plenty of time to scrub and soap up. No need to hurry before freezing temperatures sear my wet skin. This is luxury!” And my gratitude is magnified by the 20 years we braved frigid winter weather to shower outside. Going without, making do, being able to manage with less, has not only made us strong, but free, creative, tough, and supremely grateful for the comforts of life that are easily taken for granted. •

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

www.shawangunknaturepreserve.com 72

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Tales from Shawangunk by Peggy Spencer Behrendt 2016, 122 pages This memoir is a compilation of the first two years of articles first published in Mohawk Valley Living magazine about how Shawangunk Nature Preserve began. Well documentated with pictures, these true stories describe days of adventure, struggle, commitment and comedy that are sure to entertain and inspire.

Available at Tom’s Natural Foods in Clinton, Peter’s Cornucopia in New Hartford, Brenda’s Natural Foods in Rome Sunflower Naturals in Mapledale, Little Falls Food Co-op (all donations go directly to the Preserve)

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GENESEE JOE’S

live & local Brrr, but here we are in the shortest of all months! Let’s heat things up with a look at a few bands. Midnite Mike and the Bent Blinds is a group from Rome fronted by longtime guitar slinger Mike Grimaldi. Mike has had many bands with him through the years and done many great solo outings as well. I recently asked about the new group. Here’s what he said: “Midnite Mike and the Bent Blinds started out as a trio in the beginning and as time went on it grew with the addition of horns and other instruments. When I left Florida to return to Rome, N.Y., I took the name with me and before I knew it the New York Midnite Mike and the Bent Blinds took off all over again. When first in New York I asked Tim Slusarczyk, an amazing slap-style upright bass player, to join me in a duo. I sang lead and Tim harmonized with me. Between Tim’s rhythmic bass and myself playing guitar, harmonica, bass drum and high hat cymbal we soon became popular along Rt. 28 in the Adirondacks, also Rt. 12 from Boonville right into Utica, across to Rome and all points in between, and eventually being a regular at Van Auken’s Inne in Thendara. “Shortly after that I introduced Ed Meelan to the Bent Blinds mix at the Van Aukens Inne. Ed is a fine trumpet player from Raquette Lake. So we all started to play at Wakely’s Speakeasy located in the basement of the Van Aukens Inne, Jim and Andrew Moore’s creation from a dark basement renovated into to an upscale speakeasy that prides itself on having the most diverse brands of bourbon and music. Thusly, the Bent Blinds became the house band and has been playing there ever since. “We soon added the soulful Devin Garramone on saxophone, rocking Dave Palace on Drums, virtuoso Scott Rutledge on trumpet, trombone, and coronet, and then the fantastic Mark Klossner “the Stickman” on drums,

and finally the talented Nelson Rudiack on saxophone and endless bank of tasty Midnite Mike and the Bent Blinds riffs. Another fine Rome band is Guitarist Stan Premo and the Stan Premo Project. You may remember Stan from bands like Penny and the Loafers, Big Bad Dick, or his time in Dubonnet Here’s the skinny on the new band that Stan sent me: “The band consists of Stan on guitar and Aaron Card on the drums, and with John Jarvis on bass guitar. The band’s been together for about six months now and it’s been going great. I write a lot of originals and we have been playing quite a lot of them live and getting great response. Hopefully, God willing, we will have a CD out soon. The original songs are in all styles of music from country to rock, funk, pop, and even blues. A little bit of everything. We also play covers of modern country and classic rock and blues. We will be playing at the Hotel Solsville, in Solsville, N.Y., from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on February 5 and also we will be at Woods Valley Ski Area in Westernville, N.Y., on February 11. Look for the Stan Premo Project on Facebook.” Go check out some live music and see club dates at http://927thedrive. net/calendars/community-calendar Listen to Genesee Joe live on 92.7FM, The DRIVE.

Advertiser Directory please support Our sponsors, they make this magazine possible Antiques Attic Addicts, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Black Cat Antiques, Earlville . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Butternut Barn, Richfield Springs . . . . . . . . 61 Canal House Antiques, Bouckville . . . . . . 61 Foothills Mercantile, Barneveld . . . . . . . . . . 61 Fort Schuyler Trading Company, Utica . . . . . 9 Little Falls Antique Center, Little Falls . . . . . 61 Mohawk Antiques Mall, Mohawk . . . . . . . . . 62 Newport Marketplace, Newport . . . . . . . . . . 62 The Online Exchange, Dolgeville . . . . . . . . . 62 Picker’s Dynasty, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 The Potting Shed Antiques, Whitesboro . . . 62 Red Door Thrift Shop, Remsen . . . . . . . . . . 63 Showcase Antiques, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . 63 Terri’s Treasures, Boonville . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Treasures Lost & Found, New Hartford . . . 63 Vernon Variety Shoppes, Vernon . . . . . . . . . 63 Vintage Furnishings & Collectibles, Utica . . . 63 Weeden’s Mini Mall, Blossvale . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Westmoreland Antique Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Apartment Rentals Apartment Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Art Classes & Supplies Full Moon Art Center, Camden . . . . . . . . 27 Art Galleries Full Moon Art Center, Camden . . . . . . . . . 27 Fusion Art Gallery, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute, Utica . . 3 View, Old Forge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Art and Picture Framing Fusion Art Gallery, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Fynmore Studios, New Hartford/Boonville . . 35 Artists and Art Studios BB Designs, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Frank Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Attorneys Antonowicz Group, Rome/Utica . . . . . . . . . . 39

Coutlée, Health & Elder Law, Fly Creek . . . 4 Harris-Courage & Grady . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 18 Authors Local Grumpy Tomatoes, Autumn Kuhn . . . . . . 24 Stadtmiller, D. Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Auto Dealerships Steet-Ponte Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Automotive Repair Clinton Collision, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Precision Unlimited, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Automotive, Custom Fabrication Custom Fab, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Awards & Engraving Speedy Awards, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . 50 Bakeries, Pastry, and Candy Shops Bagel Grove, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Florentine Pastry Shop, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Heidelberg Baking Company, Herkimer . . . 56 Karam’s Middle East Bakery, Yorkville . . . . 60 Lizzy’s Cupcakery, New Hartford . . . . . . . 50 So Sweet Candy Cafe, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Star Bakery, Whitesboro and Utica . . . . . . . . 10 Wicked Sweets, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

7446 E. South St., Clinton 315.853.5901 76

Camping and Hiking Supply Plan B, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Catering A Moveable Feast, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . 57 Club Monarch, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Creative Chefs Catering, Oneida . . . . . . . . 59 Dominick’s Deli & Catering, Herkimer . . . . . 56 Gone Coastal, Lee Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Happy Sam’s Cocktail Lounge, Utica . . . . . 57 Knuckleheads Brewhouse, Westmoreland . . . 60 Maria’s Pasta Shop, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 RoSo’s Cafe & Catering, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Cheese (see Produce) Child Care Child Care Council, 1-888-814-KIDS . . . . . 42 Chiropractors Dr. Michael Tucciarone, Clinton . . . . . . . . . 51 Clothing Paca Gardens, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Queen’s Closet, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . 61 The Village Crossing, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Walk-in Closet, Barneveld . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Bike Shops Dick’s Wheel Shop, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . . 69

Coffee and Coffee Shops Fort Schuyler Trading Company, Utica . . . . . 9

Books Berry Hill Book Shop, Deansboro . . . . . . . 33

Community Organization Mohawk Valley Food Action . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Bowling Adirondack Diner and Lanes, Barneveld . . 55 State Bowl with Cosmic Bowling, Ilion . . . . . 39

Consignment Dawn Marie’s Treasures, Clinton . . . . . . . . 12 The Online Exchange, Dolgeville . . . . . . . . 62 The Queen’s Closet, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Treasures Lost & Found, New Hartford . . . 63 The Village Basement, New Hartford . . . . . 63 Walk-in Closet, Barneveld . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Brewery Woodland Hop Farm & Fermentation, Utica . . 10 Cabinets and Kitchens Custom Woodcraft, Munnsville . . . . . . . . . . . 71

SZAREK’S Hanging Baskets Hydroponic Heirloom Tomatoes Vegetable Plants Fall Mums

Knotty By Nature, Bridgewater . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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Child Care Child Care Council, 1-888-814-KIDS . . . . . 42 CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) Szarek Greenhouses, Clinton . . . . . . . . . 17 Debt Management/Student Loan Consultation Harris-Courage & Grady . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 18 Delis Olde Kountry Market, Vernon . . . . . . . . . 50 LaFamiglia Bosonne’s Sausage, Utica . . . . . 13 Dentistry Neighborhood Family Dentistry, Utica . . . . 31 Diners Adirondack Diner and Lanes, Barneveld . . 55 Charlie’s Place, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Wendy’s Diner, Cassville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Dry Cleaners M & M Cleaners, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Estate Sales Attic Addicts, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Picker’s Dynasty, Little Falls and Mohawk . . 62 The Potting Shed Antiques, Whitesboro . . . 62 Events, Entertainment, and Activities MWPAI, American Quilts Feb 18-Apr 30 . . . . 3 CNY Arts, www.cnyart.org . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Fly Creek Cider Mill, Fly Creek . . . . . . . . 45 Goodsell Museum, Old Forge . . . . . . . . . . 38 Intro Backyard Chickens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Old Forge/Inlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Remington Arms Museum, Ilion . . . . . . . . 37 Schambach Center, Hamilton College . . . . 2 The Stanley, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Utica Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 View, Old Forge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Farm Equipment Clinton Tractor, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Hobby Hill Farm Sales, Rome . . . . . . . . . . 48 White’s Farm Supply, Waterville/Canastota . . 80 Feed and Farm Needs Pohl’s Feed, Vernon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Financial Services Van Meter & Van Meter, Little Falls . . . . . . 15

Firewood and Wood Pellets Firewood delivered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Lincoln Davies, Sauquoit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Fitness & Gyms Curves, Herkimer and Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Flooring D & D Carpets, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Lincoln Davies, Sauquoit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Florists Clinton Florist, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Micheal’s Greenhouse, Sauquoit . . . . . . . . 24 Village Florals, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Funeral Services Nunn & McGrath, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Prince-Boyd & Hyatt, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Furniture Ironwood Furniture, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Jeff ’s Amish Furniture, Jordanville . . . . . . . 4 Furniture Makers Custom Woodcraft, Munnsville . . . . . . . . . 71 Garden Centers and Greenhouses Micheal’s Greenhouse, Sauquoit . . . . . . . . 24 Top Notch Garden Center, Newport . . . . . 62 Gift Shops/Shopping Artisans’ Corner, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Between Us Sisters, Munnsville . . . . . . . . . . 49 Butternut Barn, Richfield Springs . . . . . . . . 61 Cat’s Meow, Sherburne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Fly Creek Cider Mill, Fly Creek . . . . . . . . 45 Fusion Art Gallery, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Kountry Kupboard, Madison . . . . . . . . . . 69 Little Falls Antique Center, Little Falls . . . . 61 Main Street Gift Shoppe, Newport . . . . . . . . 62 Newport Marketplace, Newport . . . . . . . . . 62 Paca Gardens, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Remington Country Store, Ilion . . . . . . . . . 37 Rose Quartz Stand, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . . 10 Simply Primitives, Boonville . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Golf Courses and Driving Range Twin Ponds Golf & Country Club, NY Mills . . 42 Grocery/Convenience Stores The Country Store, Dolgeville . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Deansboro Superette, Deansboro . . . . . . . 14 Mohawk Village Market, Mohawk . . . . . . . 4 Olde Kountry Market, Vernon . . . . . . . . . . 46 Reilly’s Dairy, Inc., Sauquoit . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Hearing Consultants Hearing Health Hearing Centers, Rome . . . . . 46 Insurance Gates-Cole Insurance, New Hartford . . . . . 31 Farm Family Insurance, Boonville . . . . . . . 50 Marshall Agency, Ilion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Turnbull Insurance, New Hartford . . . . . . . . 7 Interior Design/Custom Window Treatments The Added Touch Drapery, New Hartford . . . 39 Iron Work - Architectural & Ornamental Raulli’s Iron Works, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Jewelry Alison’s Jewelry & Repair, Utica . . . . . . . 29 Fall Hill Beads & Gems, Little Falls . . . . . . 46 Goldmine Jewelers, New Hartford . . . . . . . . 6 Lighting Mills Electrical Supply, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Liquor Stores and Wine Ilion Wine & Spirits, Ilion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Trenton Station Liquor & Wine, Barneveld . . . 71 Manufactured and Modular Home Builders Bono Brothers, Frankfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Maple Syrup (see Produce) Massage, Therapeutic Time For Me Day Spa, Clinton . . . . . . . . 64 Zensations, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Meats, locally raised (see Produce) Media 92.7 The Drive WXUR, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 75 FOX33/WUTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Weekly Adirondack, Old Forge . . . . . . . . . . 10 WKAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Medical Supplies Connect Medical Supplies, Oneida . . . . . . . 22

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TREASURES

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Hardware/Farm & Home Lincoln Davies, Sauquoit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Pohlig Enterprises, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Pohl’s Feed, Vernon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Poland Hardware, Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Morgan’s Hardware, Waterville . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Turner Lumber, Barneveld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

LOST & FOUND CONSIGNMENT/RESALE SHOP www.utica-rememberwhen.com

Vintage items, consignment & décor Daina: 272-7700, Danielle: 941-0965 Open Tues-Fri: 10-6, Sat: 10-4

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Monuments & Memorials Burdick & Enea Memorials, Clinton . . . . . . 11 Yorkville Memorials, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Scoops & Sandwiches, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Wendy’s Diner, Cassville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Wigwam Tavern, Forestport . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Natural Food Stores Brenda’s Natural Foods, Rome . . . . . . . . . . 59 Cooperstown Naturals, Cooperstown . . . . . 49 Peter’s Cornucopia, New Hartford . . . . . . . . 70 Sunflower Naturals, Barneveld . . . . . . . . . . 33 Tom’s Natural Foods, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Produce, Local Ben & Judy’s Sugarhouse, West Edmeston . . . . 34 Fly Creek Cider Mill, Fly Creek . . . . . . . . 45 Jewett’s Cheese, Earlville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Jones Family Farm, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . . 19 Oneida County Public Market, Utica . . . . . . 65 Shaw’s Maple Products, Clinton . . . . . . . . . 16 Stoltzfus Family Dairy, Vernon Center . . . . 67 Sunnybrook Farm, Deansboro . . . . . . . . . 12 Three Village Cheese, Newport . . . . . . . . . . 15 Tibbits Maple, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . . 13 WintersGrass Farm Raw Milk, Sauquoit . . . 13

Novelties and Specialty Items Fort Schuyler Trading Company, Utica . . . . . 9

Quilt and Yarn Shops Tiger Lily Quilt Co, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Olive Oil ADK Olive Oil, Sangertown, New Hartford . . 43

Real Estate Century 21, Art VanVechten, Utica . . . . . . 65 Scenic Byway Realty, Richfield Springs . . . . 50

Snow Blowers J.B.’s Small Engine Works, Utica . . . . . . . . 19 SD Power, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Motorcycle Speed/Service Center

Optometrist Towpath Vision Care, Little Falls . . . . . . . 33 Paint and Painting Supplies Pohlig Enterprises, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Urbanik’s Paint & Wallpaper Co., Utica . . . . . 8 Painting, Interior/Exterior Dennis Polanowicz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Pet Memorialization and Cremation Burdick & Enea Memorials, Clinton . . . . . . 11 Pet Services Not Just Poodles Pet Salon, Whitesboro . . . . 18 One Paw at a Time, Whitesboro . . . . . . . . 37 Pharmacies Garro Drugs, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Photography Fusion Art/The Photo Shoppe, Rome . . . . . 29 Physical Therapy Inertia PT, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Pizzerias DiCastro’s Brick Oven, Rome . . . . . . . . . . 59 Primo Pizzeria, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Tony’s Pizza, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Portable Toilets and Bathrooms Mohawk Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Primitives Between Us Sisters, Munnsville . . . . . . . . . 49 Butternut Barn, Richfield Springs . . . . . . . . 61 Main Street Gift Shop, Newport . . . . . . . . . 62 Simply Primitives, Boonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Record Stores Off-Center Records, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Restaurants and Cafés Ann St. Deli, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Bagel Grove, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Bite Bakery and Cafe, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Black Cat, Sharon Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Chesterfield’s Tuscan Oven, Oneida . . . . . . 58 Copper Moose, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Club Monarch, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Country Store, Salisbury . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Delta Lake Inn, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 DiCastro’s Brick Oven, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Dominick’s Deli, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Fat Cats, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Gone Coastal, Lee Center . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Happy Sam’s Cocktail Lounge, Utica . . . . . 57 Heidelberg Baking Co., Herkimer . . . . . . . 56 Jamo’s Restaurant, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . . 56 Karam’s Middle East Bakery, Yorkville . . . . 60 Knuckleheads Brewhouse, Westmoreland . . 60 Lakeview Restaurant and Bar, Sherrill . . . . 59 Main Street Ristorante, Newport . . . . . . . . 62 Mi Casa, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Ohio Tavern, Cold Brook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Origlio’s Wagon Wheel Restaurant, Oneida 58 Pho Ever Noodles, New Hartford . . . . . . . 57 Phoenician Restaurant, New Hartford . . . . 57 Piccolo Cafe, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Raspberries Cafe, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Riverside Diner, Marcy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 RoSo’s Cafe & Catering, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Sammy & Annie Foods, Utica . . . . . . . . . . 60

Shoes Karaz Shoes, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Village Crossing, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . 46 Small Engine Repair J.B.’s Small Engine Works, Utica . . . . . . . . 19 SD Power, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Snowmobiles/ATVs Hobby Hill Farm, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Hudon’s Sled Salvage, Barneveld . . . . . . . . 9 Social Security Applications and Advice Antonowicz Group, Rome/Utica . . . . . . . . . 39 Specialty Wood Wightman Specialty Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Tax Services Brigg’s Tax Service, Whitesboro . . . . . . . . . . 30 Towing Services Clinton Collision, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Travel Agencies The Cruise Wizards, Whitesboro . . . . . . . . 71 Websites Utica Remember When . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Weddings and Banquets Club Monarch, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Twin Ponds Golf & Country Club, NY Mills . . 42 So Sweet Candy Cafe, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Windows RA Dudrak, Holland Patent . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Wineries Pail Shop Winery, Fly Creek . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Prospect Falls Winery, Prospect . . . . . . . . . 10 Yogurt Stoltzfus Family Dairy, Vernon Center . . . . 67

NYS INSPECTIONS • OIL CHANGES • TUNE UPS • COLLISION WORK • AC

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8207 Route 26 (315) 376-0300

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962 Route 12 (315) 841-4181

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*20% down, 0% A.P.R. financing for up to 84 months on purchases of new Kubota BX, B (excluding B26) and L (excluding L39/L45/L47) Series equipment is available to qualified purchasers from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory through 3/31/2017. Example: An 84-month monthly installment repayment term at 0% A.P.R. requires 84 payments of $11.90 per $1,000 financed. 0% A.P.R. interest is available to customers if no dealer documentation preparation fee is charged. Dealer charge for document preparation fee shall be on in accordance with stateKubota laws. Inclusion of ineligibleB26) equipmentL may result inL39/L45/L47) a higher blended A.P.R.equipment 0% A.P.R. is *20% down, 0% financing for to of BX, Series *20% *20%and down, down, 0% 0%A.P.R. A.P.R. A.P.R. financing financing forbeup up for toup84 84tomonths months 84 months on purchases purchases on purchases of new new ofKubota new Kubota BX, BBis(excluding (excluding BX, B (excluding B26) and and B26) L (excluding (excluding andCorporation, L (excluding L39/L45/L47) L39/L45/L47) Series equipment is equipmen low-rate financing may not available with customer instant rebate offers. Financing available through Kubota Credit U.S.A., 3401repayment Del AmoSeries available to qualified purchasers from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory through 3/31/2017. Example: An 84-month monthly installment term at available available to to qualified qualified purchasers purchasers from from participating participating dealers’ dealers’ in-stock in-stock inventory inventory through through 3/31/2017. 3/31/2017. Example: Example: An 84-month An 84-month monthly installment monthly repayment installment term repayment at Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503; subject to credit approval. Some exceptions apply. Offer expires 3/31/2017. See us for details on these and other low-rate options or 0% A.P.R. requires 84 payments of $11.90 per $1,000 financed. 0% A.P.R. interest is available to customers if no dealer documentation preparation fee is charged. 0% 0% A.P.R. A.P.R. requires requires 84 84 payments payments of $11.90 of $11.90 per $1,000 per $1,000 financed. financed. 0% A.P.R. 0% interest A.P.R. interest is available is available to customers to customers if no dealer if documentation no dealer documentation preparation fee preparation is charged. go to www.kubota.com for more information. **Only terms and conditions of Kubota’s standard Limited Warranty apply. For warranty terms, see Kubota’s Limited *20% down, 0% for A.P.R. financing for up to 84 months oninpurchases ofwith newstate Kubota BX,Inclusion B (excluding B26) and L (excluding L39/L45/L47) Series equipment is0% A.P.R.fee is Dealer charge document preparation fee shall be accordance laws. of ineligible equipment may result in aa higher blended A.P.R. Dealer Dealer charge charge for document document preparation preparation feemonths shall fee shall beon in be accordance in accordance with state with laws. state Inclusion Inclusion of ineligible equipment equipment maymonthly result ininstallment higher result blended inrepayment a higher A.P.R. blended A.P.R. Warranty at www.kubota.com orup authorized Kubota Dealers. Optional equipment may shown. © ineligible Kubota Corporation, 2017. may *20% down, 0% for A.P.R. financing for to 84 purchases of new Kubota BX,be Blaws. (excluding B26)ofTractor and (excluding L39/L45/L47) Series equipment is0%atA.P.R. available to qualified purchasers from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory through 3/31/2017. Example: AnL 84-month term

and low-rate financing may not be available with with customer instant rebate offers. Financing is through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A., Del Amo and and low-rate low-rate financing financing may may notof not be$11.90 available be available customer customer instant instant rebate rebate offers. Financing offers. Financing is available available is available through Kubota through Credit Kubota Corporation, Creditpreparation Corporation, U.S.A., 3401 3401 Del Amo available torequires qualified from dealers’ in-stock inventory through 3/31/2017. Example: 84-month monthly term ator3401 De 0% A.P.R. 84purchasers payments perwith $1,000 financed. 0% A.P.R.apply. interest available to customers ifus no dealer documentation fee options isU.S.A., charged. Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503; subject toparticipating credit approval. Some exceptions Offeris expires 3/31/2017. SeeAn for details on theseinstallment and otherrepayment low-rate