Mohawk Valley Living #108 November 2022

Perspective

by Sharry L. Whitney

This past week I had the pleasure of having lunch with a young professional who had recently moved to Utica. She had never been to Utica before relocating for a job here. I enjoyed hearing her first impressions and what she liked most about her new, adopted city. She mentioned that it has a small-town feel though it is a city. I mentioned some of the treasures I discovered when I first moved to Utica as a young college student. I had never been to Utica either, though I grew up nearby on the Tug Hill Plateau.

Between talking with this recent transplant (and reading Suzie Jones’s article this month), I pondered people’s “worn” perspectives on where they live. When I first came to Utica, I explored the city: peeking inside old buildings, meeting people who hailed from all over the world, enjoying food that I had never tasted or even heard of. It became “my city.” It was fresh, new, and exciting. Now, 30 years later, do I still see the beautiful architecture? Do I appreciate the variety and quality of our local cuisine? Do I still gasp when I enter the Stanley Theatre?

Like most of us, I now take much of our region’s beauty and uniqueness for granted. Seeing it through the eyes of a newcomer was a refreshing reminder.

After our lunch, I walked this new Utican over to the city’s iconic “gold dome” bank. Though the glisten ing 23-karat gold exterior is hard to miss, I wanted to share with her the often-overlooked interior. It had been years since I’d been inside the bank myself. We walked past the giant Corinthian columns and through the re volving doors. I looked up at the beautiful murals that embellish the base of the intrados (inside) of the great dome—that magically seems even larger from the inside—and, I gasped. •

MOHAWK VALLEY LIVING MAGAZINE

PUBLISHERS

Lance and Sharry Whitney

EDITOR

Sharry Whitney

DESIGN & LAYOUT Lance David Whitney

ASSISTANT EDITOR Shelley Malenowski

CONTRIBUTORS

Peggy Spencer Behrendt, Carol Higgins, Suzie Jones, Melinda Karastury, Rebecca McLain, Matt Perry, Cynthia Quackenbush, Denise Szarek, 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 and television show that explore the area’s arts, culture, and heritage.

Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of Mohawk Valley Living, Inc.

It is always hard to conclusively say when the breeding season gets underway for the Utica Pere grines. That is, since our longtime resident falcon pair (Astrid and Ares) exhibit a certain amount of breeding behavior throughout the year. In that way, they are fairly unique among birdkind. As it happens, their extra-season breeding behavior is limited primarily to ledge displays (AKA “danc es”) and most of these take place at the nest site. It is the onset of other behaviors such as prey gifting, flight displays, and matings, that typical ly mark the actual start of the season. This year, it was February 21st when the pair began doing more than partaking in the occasional dance. That was the day of the first food gifting – when Ares provided his mate with her first complimentary meal. With the gift, the male falcon’s objective is to show off his abilities as a hunter and provider. Female Peregrines also need to audition for their mates and, on the same day as the food gifting, Astrid performed a flight display for Ares. Her performance consisted of a few dramatic dives by the nest box. Ares gave excited chirping calls as he watched from his perch. The flight display demonstrates the female’s fitness and agility –showing she is quick and agile and well able to defend the realm. It is interesting that after a full decade of being together the Utica pair still feels the need to prove something to each other. How ever, breeding behavior is innate and, regardless of the degree of their mutual devotion, they are obligated to follow the time-honored rules that evolution programmed for their species.

The most profound test for the falcon pair al

ways comes from intruders – foreign Peregrines that enter an established pair’s territory to claim it as their own. In the first half of the breeding sea son, intruders were vying for Astrid and Ares’ downtown territory nearly every day. On some days, there were multiple incidents involving more than one intruder. Just as catching prey and performing flight displays exemplify a falcon’s fitness, a falcon’s ability to ef fectively deal with an intruder demon strates to their mate that they can han dle the rigors of holding a territory and rearing young. Typically, Ares deals with the male intruders and Astrid deals with the females since they rep resent direct threats to their respective positions in the pair.

As the breeding season progressed and as we moved into March, an increasing amount of the falcons’ time was being devoted to breeding behavior. This even extended into the pre-dawn hours when we might expect all respectable day-active wildlife to be asleep in their beds (or on their perches). As it happens, during the breeding season, falcons are often awake straight through the night. Peregrines are normally high-strung animals, but during the breeding season, they become especially intense. This intensity mani fests itself differently in males and females. With female falcons, they become hyper-protective of the nest site – defending it against all types of in truders and being highly reactive to any perceived

threat. They also become absolute control freaks about caring for their young. With male falcons, they become obsessed about where their mates are and what they are doing at all times. During the breeding season, Ares keeps especially close tabs on his mate and tries hard not to let her out of his sight. For Ares, during the early part of the breed ing season, his mission in life was to get Astrid to come to the nest and lay eggs. Everything else he did, from food gifting to ledge displays, was all with this goal in mind. As far as he was concerned, the eggs couldn’t come fast enough.

On March 7th at 3:40 am, Ares arrived at the nest box with a food tribute for his mate. She wasn’t interested and ignored the gift. At 6:30 am

Astrid and Ares conduct a ledge display (dance)

he switched from giving short squeaking calls to long whistled calls and, once again, his angst was tangible. At that time Astrid was perched on the roof of the County Building, and he targeted his appeals in that direction. Five minutes later the pair had an aborted mating attempt on the Coun ty Building. Unfortunately, his angle of approach was too shallow. Perhaps he hadn’t compensat ed for wind speed. Not to worry, there would be many other successful attempts later on and in the following days. After the mishap, Ares came straight back to the nest and did some chores. Using his feet, he plowed out a shallow divot or “scrape” in the gravel. Scrapes are made by both the female and male falcon, and that’s typically where the eggs will be laid.

On Saturday, March 12, winter reasserted itself and we thought that might put the kibosh on breeding activities. The snow was blowing

sideways through the downtown canyon and the temperature was below freezing. At 4:15 am, Ares flew through the snow, wind, and darkness to get to the nest. He gave his trademark screeching cry as he landed. There he waited for his mate to show up. Astrid appeared almost two hours later and when she did the pair shared a ledge display. During the dance, Astrid paused for a moment to ingest some stones. Like other birds, Peregrine Falcons periodically ingest small stones to assist their digestion. At around 7:30 there was a food exchange at the box. The ice buildup on our cam era stopped us from seeing where Astrid took her gift. It looked like she disappeared into the snow storm.

Later that morning the pair did a classic incu bation switch at the nest box. Ares came into the box, got behind Astrid, she flew out, and he took her place. Indeed, it was a smooth changing of the guard; the problem being was that there were no eggs in the nest to incubate. What we had seen had been a practice run for an incubation switch.

Several days later, on the afternoon of March 16th (a much warmer day), Ares spent a con siderable amount of time throwing shade on the floor of the nest box. This time he was practicing his egg-shading technique. Shading is something falcons and other birds do to prevent eggs from overheating. Although shading behavior is not un common, “practice shading” is not a behavior we see very often with any birds.

In the early hours of March 29th, we were con vinced that egg-laying was imminent since Astrid

had been in the nest since the previous evening. It wasn’t until much later that Astrid laid her first egg of the breeding season. The new egg was red dish brown and wet and it glistened as it caught the rays of the setting sun. We had only a brief glimpse of it before Astrid tucked it beneath her and settled down for the night. Ares had already gone off to his night perch, so he wouldn’t see the egg until the following morning.

At 8 am on April 1st, Astrid became highly agitated. She called loudly as she hopped out onto the veranda platform on the side of the nest box. She was intently peering at something in the sky. A falcon intruder was flying above downtown and Ares was engaging it. A few minutes later Astrid joined the dispute, and soon all three raptors had flown out of camera view. Presumably, Astrid and Ares escorted the stranger out of the territory. Ares arrived at the nest twenty minutes later, and Astrid barreled in right after him. The pair then conduct ed a quick and rather intense ledge display. The falcons often dance directly following an intruder incident. It’s yet another way they declare their ownership of the nest site and reaffirm their pair bond. Despite her high level of activity, we knew that Astrid was due to lay a second egg. By then it had been 61 hours since she had laid the first egg. For Astrid, there is typically a 62-hour interval be tween eggs, so she had to be close. Sure enough, at just before 10 am she seemed to be bearing down. Ares is rarely present in the nest when Astrid lays eggs, but this time he was. As a matter of fact, he was right in her face and making squeaking calls

Astrid accepts a food tribute at the nest

while she produced egg number two!

On April 3rd we expected the third egg in the clutch to be laid in the late evening. Astrid spent the night on the nest but was uneasy. Surely something was afoot in the canyon. At just after 12:30 am, Ares began hazing a predator that seemed to be perched near the northwest corner of the State Building. We were unable to see this bird – only Ares’ reaction to it. He flew back and forth like a pendulum in an attempt to dislodge the intruder. The entire time he gave cackle-type alarm calls. Meanwhile, As trid stayed at the box guarding her two eggs. She was highly alert but didn’t make any sounds.

Astrid laid her third egg at 1:56 am on April 4th. The inter val between her second and third egg was 64 hours – fully two hours longer than Astrid’s average interval. The fourth and final egg of the clutch was laid at close to noon on April 6th. That time the interval between eggs was only 58 hours. At that point the pair had their full clutch, continuous incubation was under way, and the month-long wait for a hatch had begun. As a rule, male and female Peregrine Falcons share incubation duties. The male takes on roughly half of the daytime sittings, while the fe male handles the entire night shift. Generally, a male Peregrine defers to his mate and, without complaint, takes whatever shift she allows him. However, in recent years, Ares has become in creasingly assertive when it comes to getting his fair share of time on the eggs. He now has no qualms about barging into the nest and demanding his turn. He will even attempt to dislodge Astrid when she doesn’t leave right away. He uses the very same tactics she uses on him when he declines to go. Apparently, with falcons, turnabout is fair play! In the late afternoon of April 4th, Ares screeched to the box and asked for a turn on the eggs, but Astrid sent him on his way. He came back less than five minutes later and at that time he was determined not to take “no” for an answer. He went behind her and stepped on her tail and wingtips – the very tactic she has often used to oust him. Without getting up, she turned around and conversed with him in soft tones and the pair did some beak touching (beaking). This appeared to pla cate him, and he left the box. However, only two minutes later he was back with a food offering. Astrid hopped off the eggs and clambered over the cross perch to take it. She then darted off to have her meal.

Astrid comes in for a landing at the nest

On May 6th we had reached 33 full days of in cubation and hatching time was close at hand. Astrid seemed to know that. She was periodically jostling the eggs to induce the chicks inside to be gin the hatching process. For our part, we care fully monitored each time she came off the eggs or switched with Ares. We were looking for eggs that had been “pipped”. Pips are small holes in eggshells pounded out by the chick inside using a temporary egg tooth. Just after 10 am during an in cubation switch, as Astrid was leaving and before Ares came on, we could see a pipped egg! Astrid returned to take over only ten minutes later. She loathes being away from the nest when a hatch is imminent. Before she settled down on the clutch, we could just make out the rhythmic begging calls of a chick coming from inside the pipped egg. Ares had a turn sitting on the eggs in the af

ternoon, and at 3 pm when Astrid returned to take over, he refused to leave. It took her six minutes to convince him to let her take over. She tried being polite about it – gingerly tapping on his tail and wing tips with her foot and making soft “tu-tu-tutu” calls. Finally, when he still wouldn’t vacate, she plowed into him and pushed him off the eggs. It was clear that she wanted to be on duty for the hatch. At a few minutes before 8 pm, the pipped eggshell had developed a major crack and a hatch was underway. There was also a possibility that a second egg was pipped but Astrid was shuffling the eggs around so much we couldn’t keep track of which one it was. It was like a shell game. And then, at 8:15 pm Astrid moved off the eggs just enough to reveal a small, wet, pinkish chick. She soon tucked it beneath her and began eating the cast-off eggshell. At that point, darkness began to envelop the downtown canyon and our ability to see what was happening in the nest was fading. We could just barely make out the first feeding of the new chick that took place at 2 am. Ares had brought food to the nest. Astrid took it and conducted the feeding. After only five minutes, mealtime was over, and Astrid settled back down on the clutch. During the feeding, we were able to hear the begging calls of a second chick coming from inside another pipped egg. At just after 5 am, Ares came to the nest and relieved Astrid. As she got up to leave it was clear that a second chick had hatched. It was already white and dry, so the hatch must have taken place sometime in the pre ceding hours. Ares only had a moment to see the

two chicks before Astrid barged back into the box to take over. She immediately got back on top of the clutch and the viewing time was over. Ares was back at the box with another meal at 8:50 am. Astrid accepted the food and fed both chicks for almost eight minutes. Both appeared to be vy ing well and it was difficult for us to tell which one hatched that morning and which hatched the night before. The two looked virtually identical. By May 8th it was looking increasingly like there would be no additional hatchlings in the nest. Neither of the two remaining eggs showed pips, nor were we hearing any peeping calls coming from them. Astrid and Ares had only two chicks in the nest twice before, in 2016 and 2020, so it wasn’t unusual. On the positive side, a clutch of two would be easier for the parents to care for and to keep supplied with food.

Look for part two of the Utica Peregrine Fal con’s 2022 breeding season in the December is sue. •

Matt Perry is Conservation Director and Resident Natu ralist at Spring Farm CARES in Clinton. He manages a 260 acre nature preserve which is open for tours by appointment. His nature videos and photos can be found on the Spring Farm CARES’ Nature Sanctuary Facebook page.

We Need Pollinators Pollinators Need Us

by denise A. Szarek

Many of you know, my husband, Bernie, was a beekeeper for many years. He knows the symbiotic relationship between plants and pollinators. It’s why we grow using organic practices, use IP management on our farm, buy and sell local and support local farm ers and beekeepers. It’s also why we leave all our native milkweed in place on our farm and plant more to encourage monarchs to the farm. It’s why we grow a diverse variety of flowers and plants.

Without pollinators like bees, birds, bats, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants, we would have 1/3 less food to eat. Pollinators also sustain our ecosystems and produce natural resources by helping plants reproduce. Pollinating animals

travel from plant to plant carrying pollen on their bodies in a vital interaction that allows the transfer of genetic material critical to the reproductive system of most flowering plants.

This nearly invisible ecosystem service is a precious resource that requires attention and support - and in disturbing evidence found around the globe, is increasingly in jeopardy.

Hopefully, I’ve given you something to think about as you settle in with all those seed catalogs this winter. With the holidays upon us I have a great recipe to share with you that will help with your gift-giving and support local bees, beekeepers, and farmers... my Honey Butter!

by Denise A. Szarek

Charles F. Cleveland (1845-1908)

by Alecia Pendasulo

Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Charles F. Cleveland was born on August 14, 1844, to Daniel and Almeda Cleveland in Hartford, NY. The family moved to Utica in 1855. At the age of fifteen, Charles began working as a marble cutter, and was employed with marble worker R. C. Dodge until the outbreak of the Civil War when he enlisted in the Union Army.

On May 3, 1861, Charles became a member of Company C, 26th New York Volunteer Infantry. The first battle he participated in was the Battle of Cedar Mountain on August 9, 1862. He also fought in the battles of Thoroughfare Gap, Second Bull Run, the Battle of Chantilly, and South Mountain, but it was on September 17, 1862, at the bloody Battle of Antietam, that he performed the act of exceptional courage that earned him the highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor. He was honored with the award on June 12, 1895.

On June 7, 1895, an article in the Rome Semi-Weekly Citizen read, “By direction of the President, a Medal of Honor, in the name of Congress, has been awarded to Charles F. Cleveland of Utica, late private of Company C, 26th N.Y. Volunteers, for distinguished

Charles F. Cleveland of Utica earned the Medal of Honor for his courage during the Battle of Antietam.

Charles F. Cleveland is buried in Utica’s Forest Hill Cemetery. He was inducted into the Oneida County Historical Hall of Fame in October 2022.

gallantry at Antietam, September 17, 1862, in voluntarily taking the colors and carrying them in action after the Color Bearer had been shot.”

On the morning of September 17, 1862, the 26th New York Infantry filed out of the woods at dawn. Soldiers formed lines in a clearing and the regiment was quickly engaged. When the regiment’s color bearer fell from a bullet wound early in the battle, the orders to move forward came. Without hesitation, Charles threw down his musket, picked up the flag, and proudly held it high in the air while moving the men forward. In the process, he suffered gunshot wounds in his left forearm, left breast, and left foot. After only two months in a Baltimore hospital, Charles Cleveland rejoined his regiment.

After completing his service, Charles returned to Utica on May 20, 1863. He married Katherine Burns on November 22, 1865, with whom he had four children: Joseph Dickinson, Charles Franklin, James Vincent, and Stephen Grover. Charles began his career as a police officer on June 1, 1874. He was skilled in untangling mysterious crimes and tracking down clever criminals. One of whom was Rourke, a notorious train robber, who had stolen $23,000 from an express company in Rochester. Charles would eventually become chief of police.

Charles F. Cleveland passed away on September 29, 1908, after baffling Utica’s best physicians for more than a year. Although the symptoms from his ailment were indicative of cancer, even after repeated operations, his physicians did not believe that was the case. He is buried in Utica’s Forest Hill Cemetery and was inducted into the Oneida County Historical Hall of Fame in October 2022. •

Although fall doesn’t technically end until the third week of December, tradition ally it’s during November when we get our first taste of winter. In November, the decid uous trees that managed to retain their leaves through October finally shed them. There are exceptions, including most oak varieties, which sometimes don’t let go of their leaves until late winter or early spring. Interestingly, the oak leaves die like those of most other broad-leaf trees, but their leaf stems fail to sever from their branches. One might consid er this to be a dreadful survival tactic for a northern-hardy tree. Inevitably, at some point during the long winter, there will be a heavy, wet snowfall that will cling to those un-shed leaves and weigh the tree down. Excessive snow load is responsible for breaking many tree limbs and even for toppling entire trees. Counterintuitively, few oaks seem to suffer from this problem despite their penchant for retaining their leaves. I recall expecting the oak saplings and young trees in our reforesta tion fields to be broken to pieces after being weighed down by significant snow loads, but they rarely suffered substantial damage. In those early days, I would make my way through the tree fields, desperately shaking snow off each sapling. Some of them were bent to the ground. I soon gained a healthy respect for the elasticity of oak branches and trunks. Once shaken off, they would slowly

spring back to their verti cal postures. In subsequent years the trees grew too large for me to effectively shake the snow off them, but by then I knew the trees didn’t need my help.

A few American Beech trees will retain some of their leaves beyond November –some keeping them right through the win ter. In the Mohawk Valley, the beech foliage might become emergency forage for Whitetailed Deer or be used as bedding for squir rels. European Buckthorn trees, which are an introduced invasive species, are near-ubiqui tous in our overgrown fields and tree borders. The buckthorns are about the size of apple trees. They have dark, craggy bark, and of ten keep their leaves well into December. With branches and trunks not being nearly as flexible as those of the oaks, buckthorns are subject to being broken, split, and/or up rooted by heavy snow loads. Despite their vulnerability to disasters, the buckthorns are remarkably prolific, and the species remains a dominant one on the local landscape. The small black berries buckthorns produce in such abundance are eaten by birds, but usu ally as a food of last resort. The mild toxins they contain can make birds sick if they eat too many. Some birds, like Wild Turkeys, seem to mostly avoid consuming them. Wild Turkeys are typically not that dif

ficult to find on a crisp autumn day. In the woods, they might be encountered under beech trees, where they use their claws and beaks to rake the leaf litter in search of beechnuts. They are also fond of acorns and other tree nuts and seeds. In November, the turkeys travel and forage in segregated flocks. The adult females and immatures stay together, while the adult males comprise separate flocks. The males (or “Toms”) can be recognized by their reddish heads and by their beards. Their beards are comprised of long hairlike feathers that protrude from their chests and hang down like ponytails. Only rarely does a female turkey possess a beard. Also, Toms have claw-like spurs that jut out from the back of their lower legs, about two inches above their feet. These formidable-looking weapons are sometimes employed during battles between rivals. However, in the fall the males abide by a truce, and few squabbles take place among them. Turkeys tend to be more silent in the fall. Generally, outside of the breeding sea son, there is little need for gobbling calls or the other vocalizations associated with their springtime revelries.

I recall coming across Wild Turkeys for the first time in the Mohawk Valley in the

story

photos by Matt Perry

Male turkeys in competing displays

early 1980s. I was surprised and delighted to find such a large, enigmat ic, bird back on its historic range. As a child in the 1970s, I would come across Ring-necked Pheasants and Ruffed Grouse living in the areas where we find Turkeys today. Although the grouse can still be encoun tered, the non-native pheasant has largely vanished from the fields and hedgerows they once frequented. As it happened, the pheasants only persisted due to annual restocking programs sponsored by the State and by local sporting clubs. Although some groups continue to raise and re lease pheasants into the rural countryside to hunt them, the pastime has steadily waned in popularity. As for Wild Turkey, the species had been a victim of unregulated hunting and habitat loss during colonial times. They became regionally extinct by the first decades of the 19th century and were completely gone from New York State by 1844. A full centu ry later, in the 1940s, turkeys began making their way into New York via Pennsylvania. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation aided the species’ comeback with an active reintroduction program that got underway in the late 1950s. By 1990 it was estimated that over 60,000 Wild Turkeys were living in the State. By all accounts, it was a remarkable recovery story.

Were Wild Turkeys on the menu at the first Thanksgiving in Plym outh? Probably not, but it was at least conceivable since Massachusetts was well within the Turkey’s historic range. More likely, the Native Americans and Pilgrims feasted on deer, an assortment of waterfowl, and perhaps the Heath Hen. The Heath Hen is an extinct relative of the Prairie Chicken that formerly inhabited the coastal Northeast. It seems probable that the banqueters also partook of eels and mussels from the nearby bay which, purportedly, were easy to procure at that time of year. So, if you’re planning a truly traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, don’t forget the eels! Happy Thanksgiving to all! •

Mohawk valley astronomical society

racing into

by carol higgins

Last month, on October 4th to be spe cific, a milestone was reached with little fanfare. On that day in 1957, an event occurred that rocked the world and had a profound impact on the course of global events. It was the day the world’s first sat ellite launched into Earth orbit – the Sovi et Union’s Sputnik 1 satellite.

The price of items in 1957 was quite different from today. Sixty-five years ago, a gallon of gasoline was $.24, a loaf of bread only 19 cents, three cents for a post age stamp, and the average cost of a house was about $12,200. It was also the year the wildly popular rock and roll show Ameri can Bandstand went national, hosted by a young man named Dick Clark who began his broadcasting career a few years earli er at radio station WRUN and television station WKTV in Utica, NY. But the big news in 1957 wasn’t the cost of items or entertainment options, the launch was a technological achievement that escalated the ongoing competition and tensions be tween the United States and Soviet Union in their quest to be the first superpower to successfully send rockets, spacecraft, and eventually people into space. This rivalry was commonly known as the “Cold War”. Sputnik 1 was a shiny aluminum ball only 23” wide. It weighed 183 pounds and had four antennas about 7.8 feet long. Batter ies powered two transmitters that emitted a “beep, beep, beep” signal. Those audio radio signals were picked up by scientists

and ham radio operators around the world, including one member of our astronomy club who heard it on his radio from his home in Rome, NY. It followed an oval orbit around Earth, reaching 588 miles at its furthest point and only 142 miles at the closest point taking about 96 minutes to complete one orbit. The batteries worked for 21 days, silencing the audio signal on October 26. The satellite burned up in the atmosphere on January 4, 1958.

Compared to today’s satellites, Sput nik 1 wasn’t sophisticated, but it gave the Soviet Union bragging rights as they rightfully claimed the first successful deployment and operation of an orbiting satellite. And not only that, it sparked the imagination of many, including the gen eral public, scientists, engineers and as tronomers. But during those three weeks the accomplishment also had national security implications for U.S. government and military organizations and our allies, causing a marked increase in ongoing ef forts that were underway for America to launch its first satellite.

One month later on November 3, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2. The small spacecraft included a pressurized module and inside was a dog named Laika, an experiment to test life support systems and other scientific instruments. The dog only survived for a few days, and Sputnik 2 re-entered the atmosphere on April 14, 1958.

In the meantime, efforts in the U.S. continued and on January 31, 1958 the satellite Explorer 1 launched to investi gate Earth’s Van Allen Radiation Belt. The mission was a great success, and the race to space was fully underway. To cement our country’s commitment to fur ther space exploration and scientific and technology advancements, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established on October 1, 1958.

Today NASA and the Department of Defense monitor all objects orbiting our planet; over 47,000 of them according to a recent report. That includes the Inter national Space Station (ISS) and about 5,000 active satellites. The rest is debris (paint chips, metal shards and parts from collisions), old satellites, rocket bodies and spacecraft.

For a daily list of satellite spotting op portunities and fly-overs of the ISS, enter your location at the website www.heav ens-above.com

Wishing you clear skies! •

Hanny’s Voorwerp. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, W. Keel, Galaxy Zoo Team

Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1 Satellite Image credit: NASA

It’s particularly interesting to meet up with our grandson and his family when walking on our road. They have a regular entourage of pets that are likely to accom pany them, and it’s safe because there’s little traffic. There’s Doc the dog and four kitties. I almost expect some of their ten chickens (also with names) to join them one day. Their antics and interactions real ly add to the fun.

If we walk too fast, or a kitty lingers too long investigating some fascinating scent or interesting movement and gets left behind, we hear about it with yowls of angst which develop a kind of vibrato from the bouncing their vocal cords get when they run to catch up.

sometimes gently brushing our cheeks in an Autumnal kiss. For a few days, they lie flat and stretched out in full glory, creating vibrant color amidst the deep velvet of the evergreen branches that catch them. And they create delicious rustling when our feet swish through their accumulations on earth. Too soon, they shrink and curl up because they get too dry, but this is when the aroma of Autumn exudes its full essence. The air fills with fragrant musk from the decomposing leaves. I breathe deeply, savoring this ephemeral and unique fragrance, letting it permeate and replenish my soul.

In a way, we are in an aerial “fermen tation bath,” a concept I recently learned about which entails lying partially buried in a bed of composting wood chips and rice hulls. I first read about them in Entan gled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. The con cept originated in Japan about 40 years ago.

into a large wooden tub and ripened for anoth er week before I ar rived. The bath was now cook ing, heated by nothing more than the fierce energy of decomposition.”

all around us,

Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish the orange cats from the Autumn leaves that have recently fallen “because they just got tired of holding on,” Tim says. It’s a delight to walk through a windfall of leaves. It’s like being surrounded by col orful butterflies

He writes: “I lay in a mound of decom posing wood chips and was buried up to my neck by the spade full. It was hot, and the steam smelled of cedar and the fust of old books… The wood shavings had been moistened and piled into a heap. After two weeks of rotting, they had been shoveled

When I first read this, I got an uncom fortable image of placing myself amidst the decomposing plant material in my compost pile but realize that this is quite different and more sanitary. Nutritional elements are believed to be absorbed into the skin during these woody baths, much like putting herbs or scented soaps into your bathtub.

Another book I read recently was from the Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. I’d read them and other animal stories vo raciously as a youth and was pleasantly surprised to find that I still enjoyed the sto ry and content. It had adventure, a develop

swirling

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.

Tim shows a lamb to Amy Wilson, 1973

plot, and interesting information about different topics. It was a sweet visit with old friends, Alex, Hen ry, and The Black. Some consider such stories too anthropomorphic, but I believe that at their foundation is a powerful but strange and ephemeral sense of oneness with animals that reaches deep into our core of being, into the core of my being. This is why I so enjoy walks with our pets. Watching them draws me into their reality, and their interests, and it fascinates me. Except for these novels, I felt alone in this connection until I met Tim. His affinity

for other creatures was just as pow erful as mine and was manifested in him becoming a vegetarian when it was little understood and considered foolish by many. Some even thought it might be a contagious disease.

Ron Flores of Boonville wrote a small vegetarian cookbook and ded icated it to Tim “who loves all living things.” Such cookbooks were pretty much non-existent at the time (1972); Tim really needed it because he didn’t have a clue as to how to be a healthy vegetarian. When he was invited to dinner with a group of new friends at the house I shared with Beth Williams in Prospect, I had to be creative about the menu. My last attempt to impress a man was by cooking a turkey dinner earlier that year. It was an obvious failure, and so was the relationship, so it was just as well I didn’t need to try that again.

Natural food and vegetarian alter natives were just emerging as a side product of shops promoting men’s muscle-building products, such as the Health Hut in Yorkville. My favorite items at the time there were beauty products made with apricots. A group of people called the Hunza had been re

cently discovered who appeared to experi ence incredible health and longevity. They lived in isolated sections of the mountains of Northern Pakistan and a mainstay of their simple diet was apricots and apricot seeds which got good promotion here in various commercial products.

Then, a few imitation meat products began to appear in cans. I liked Loma Lin da hot dogs, but for this dinner, I chose something that looked slightly more beeflike because I wanted to make lasagna.

It was expensive, but effective, in my lasagna casserole. I didn’t think it really tasted much different than when I made it with ground beef, and the thought flashed through my mind; “I could have made it cheaper with real meat and Tim wouldn’t have known the difference…but that would be mean!”

I followed Tim through our buffet, and he was thrilled to have vegetarian lasa gna available for the first time. I also took some and he politely asked; “Oh, are you a vegetarian?” I briefly thought about it. Why not? And impetuously replied, “yes.” Little did I know that consequently, I was getting a friend for life, and a job as his personal cook.

That decision was life-changing, and a logical manifestation of how I’d always

felt about other animals. I think it’s wonderful that vegetarianism has spread incredibly since then, with even veganism becoming quite common. One of the big chal lenges though is how we co-exist and share communal meals with non-vegetarians. It’s idealistic, but unreasonable to expect others to be willing, or even physically able, to share this commitment, so our answer to this is to prac tice respectful tolerance and hope to receive it in return. We know couples in fifty-year rela tionships in which one eats meat and the other doesn’t. Yes, it can work.

The same is true in our rela tionship with meat-eating pets. I have a special connection with cats, but they ab solutely must have meat to survive. How can I be true to my vegetarianism and still have pet cats? If I don’t provide meat for them, they will instinctively strive to pro vide it for themselves by preying on wild life.

Most importantly, I give them adequate cat food, then focus on minimizing the im pact they have on wildlife. Under our bird feeder, we have a portable wire fence in a

large circle that has rectan gular holes big enough for birds and squir rels to get through but not a cat. A cat must jump over the fence to access anything inside, and this gives the wild creatures inside enough time to escape.

I also take them for a walk, morning and evening, of about a quarter mile or less. This gives them exercise and mental stimulation which helps minimize the in clination to hunt for fun. If we can’t walk, I

spend time playing with them. The most effective cat toys I’ve found are a bit of thick string to dan gle, a catnip mouse, and a rolled-up length of carpet remnant which they like to peek or dive through and kick with their feet. They come eagerly when I call them for our walk, leaping up the handrail along the path, enjoying being almost as tall as me. They explore the grasses and bushes, sniffing everything and playing with any thing that moves. It’s a very, very slow walk, but full of kitty adventures!

They really have a good sense of hu mor. It makes me laugh when one gets in a predatory pounce position, in plain sight of the other cat, waiting for the “victim” to get close enough for a playful attack. The potential “victim” pretends not to see the “predator” until the attack, then jumps in the air and runs in pretend fright, or they briefly roll together in non-mortal combat. I kick or toss pebbles for them to chase and catch. Occasionally, they suddenly dash full speed to a tree and climb up, practicing escape from a real predator, and there are predators here in the woods. Consequently, I’ve trained/encouraged them to stay close to home, and often keep them in at night, especially when coy dogs or owls are heard nearby.

When I do see that they’ve caught something like a little rodent or bird, I’ve learned that I can often save the hapless creature if I can get to my cat quickly

enough. I used to scold and even lightly strike them in this situation, but it just made them afraid of me and more likely to run and hide, making it impossible for me to save their prey. It works better to walk up calmly, speak softly and pick up my cat. My cat won’t run away be cause it’s not afraid, and the little rodent or bird can be dropped and moved to a safe place. However, sometimes I just have to accept that there will be some sad losses.

Whether we do or don’t eat meat needn’t be a big issue anymore at com munal meals because there are so many food products and recipes that can accom modate almost any dietary preference. Holidays and elections are coming up, with the excitement, joys, and stresses of communal meals and events, (particularly after the isolation caused by the COVID epidemic). It’s good to remember values that will help them go smoothly and hap pily. Here are some wonderful guidelines from the Unitarian Universalist Associa tion which I have slightly shortened and edited.

1. Respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person and animal.

2. Practice Justice, equity, and compassion in all relationships.

3. Accept one another and encourage spir itual growth.

4. Practice a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

5. Encourage the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process.

6. Promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

7. Respect the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. And whatever we eat, let it be done with gratitude and reverence for the sacrifices that have been made so that we may live. •

Workshops at Shawangunk Nature Preserve

Square Harvest or Pie Basket

Saturday, November 12, 10am until we're finished. at 217 Shawangunk Rd., Cold Brook

Using flat reed and twisted sea grass, we'll weave a sturdy, beautiful & useful square basket with a decorative handle that you'll be proud to hold your delicious pies, casseroles, or fresh vegetables & fruits for Thanksgiving. Please register by November 1st (315-826-7405) to assure that we order enough materials in time. We will have a few openings for latecomers. Bring lunch. Materials $25. Meet at 217 Shawangunk Rd. Cold Brook, NY (Whispering Pines)

Kissing Ball or Wreath Making

Saturday, December 3rd and 10th

Choose one-hour timeframe between 9am and 1 pm. This is our favorite workshop using fresh, fragrant balsam from the Shawangunk Preserve woven into a natural willow wreath. Pine cones will be provided, and you may bring additional embellishments. They stay fresh looking outdoors all winter and can often provide a bird nesting site if left out in the spring. Materials $15. Please register ahead. 315-826-7405. Meet at 255 Shawangunk Rd., Cold Brook

Coming soon at Peter's Cornucopia and Little Falls Food Co-Op!

Tales From Shawangunk, Book III

This will have all the articles and pictures by Peg from the fifth and sixth years of publishing in Mohawk Valley Living Magazine.

Across

1. Enjoy wine and jazz. Visit this wine room in Rome, NY. 4. The world’s fastest animal. 7. Used to line Genesee Street 8. Keep on the straight and ____. 10. Our food supply depends on these. 11. The Palatine Germans settled here, named for a level area of land.

13. This famous Utica couple has been “dancing” together for a decade. (2 words) 14. Need new floors before holiday guests arrive? Call this Floor Store. See page 28.

15. This quite possibly was served at the first Thanks giving.

16. Maple syrup makes great gifts for family outside of NY State. Try this local producer on page 30.

Down 1. Revered fruit in East Utica. 2. Utican who received the Medal of Honor and was inducted into the Oneida County Historical Hall of Fame. 3. Earth’s first artificial satellite. 5. What Murphy at the Utica Zoo might say? 6. Gary’s “Last Peak” of the season. (2 words) 9. This bird was extinct in New York until the 1980s. Two words. 10. Utica market famous for kielbasa. 12. Utica bakery famous for baklava.

by Suzie Jones

Todd Walker

A few short weeks ago, our youngest daughter acciden tally slept through her alarm and missed the morning bus. After a quick breakfast, we hopped into the car to take the 10-minute drive to school. The sun was just breaking over the horizon and wisps of fog were hugging the banks of the West Canada Creek.

Working full-time on the farm, I am rarely on the road before 7 am. Sure, I’ll run errands, leave for a farmer’s market or deliveries, but never quite that early. It seems I’ve been missing out on some spectacular scenery!

Our farm sits on a hillside just above the West Canada, facing the sunrise. We drove north on Route 28, winding alongside the rapids and through the fall foliage. The early sun glinted on the rushing waters, the boulders mid-stream creating mini waterfalls and a resting place for migrating Ca

nadian geese. The quiet of the morning made it seem like this scene was just for us.

My breath caught in my throat; it was all so beautiful!

Up on our pretty hill with its lovely views, I’ve grown ac customed to our surroundings and often take them for grant ed. But that morning’s surprise scenery reminded me of when we first moved here nearly 20 years ago—when everything was new.

When we first arrived, most long-term residents asked us the same question: “Why did you move here?” The doubt in their voices was unmistakable.

I remember my response as if it were yesterday: Look around you. Can’t you see how beautiful it is?

(I guess we all need a little reminder from time to time.)

Now the tables have turned, and I am in the unique posi tion of meeting lots of people new to the area. Despite a gen eral trend of New Yorkers moving out of the state, I see a con sistent flow of new residents coming to the Mohawk Valley. Some are escaping the flood-ravaged and hurricane-prone Southeast or the wildfires of the arid West. Others are relocat ing here for jobs at local colleges, hospitals, or chip factories.

Many of these newcomers are searching out local farms. They are trying to get their bearings in their new environs, and navigating the local food landscape is high on the to-do list.

I felt this need very keenly when we moved here from the North Shore of Massachusetts so very long ago. I was spoiled by the fresh seafood (several neighbors were lobstermen) and the many small restaurants. I shopped the local Market Basket and farmer’s market and kept a small garden in our backyard.

Finding myself in a new home, could I find the ingredi ents and foods I was accustomed to, or would I have to adjust my expectations? I was a little worried.

I soon found several farmer’s markets and became a reg ular buyer with favorite vendors. I met neighbors that could offer me a quarter cow or a whole pig, butchered to my spec ifications—a mind-blowing discovery I never even consid ered back in Massachusetts. I learned to keep chickens for eggs and meat and started a brand-new garden. It took a little time, but I learned to navigate our new world and appreciate the beautiful ingredients readily available here.

Our family moved here nearly 20 years ago, and it is in credibly easy to be complacent. We have our routines; we see the same old scenes day in and day out. It can become hard to see our Mohawk Val ley as special and uniquely beautiful. But believe me, it is! Sometimes we need to see it through the eyes of a newcomer to truly treasure and value what we have right under our noses. •

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 at www.anotherjonesfamilyfarm.com

One Last Peak

by Gary VanRiper

The plan was a day-hike to Lost Pond Peak in all its au tumn glory. (At under 4,000’, Lost pond is not a high peak. Shorter days mean shorter hikes. You don’t want to get stuck on a high peak in the dark unless you are prepared to camp.) We arrived at the trailhead around 7 am near Heart Lake greeted by crisp air, clear skies, and amazing early morning light. There was no way to fly past the lakeshore without taking a number of photographs, the surface of the water a mirror brilliant with reflections of the season’s classic colors.

After signing in at the register, we found the trail al ready covered with freshly fallen leaves, but the trees still far from barren. The cool fresh air was invigorating, and the first three miles into the wilderness area seemed a breeze.

Mark is a master with a map and compass, and as he has done for the past 15 years we have been hiking together, he selected a perfect spot for us to leave the trail and begin our bushwhack. First we crossed Indian Pass Brook and contin ued upward to the mountain summit. It did not take long to hear the rushing water of the brook, which grew louder with each step forward through the forest. There were a number of good places to cross and hike down to the brook, so we decided to hike the length of it until we reached what is known as Rocky Falls. And what a great decision that turned out to be!

The hiking conditions remained perfect all day. There were stretches that were largely dry and where the water was deep and rushing. We rock-hopped back-and-forth from shore-to-shore. There was navigation around some massive

boulders and discovery of an old trail that ran alongside the brook where rock-hopping was not possible. All along the way, autumn colors and deep blue sky were reflecting in the large and small pools, most littered with those freshly fallen leaves that still held hues of red and orange and burgundy and gold--all of which were begging to be pho tographed.

It was late lunch at Rocky Falls, the falling water modest this time of year, still providing a pleasant sound track during our rest. Probing the shoreline a bit, we discovered a marked herd path connecting to the main trail back to Heart Lake.

Four hours later, pulling into the drive way back home before nightfall with a cam era card full of great photos and a mind full of more wonderful memories, there was not a single regret that I was not still bush whacking down a peak that very hour with a headlamp in the dark! •

Gary VanRiper is an author, photographer, and pastor at the Camden Wesleyan Church. He has written 19 children’s books with his son, Justin. Learn more at: www.adirondackkids.com

Rocky Falls.

Heart Lake, Lake Placid

Advertiser Directory

please support Our sponsors, they make this magazine possible

Alpaca Products

Paca Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Antiques

Antiques & Art Westmoreland . . . . . . . . . 18

Attic Addicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Black Cat Antiques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Broad Street Flea Market . . . . . . . 19

The Bull Farm Antiques . . . . . . . . . . 19

Dawn Marie’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

The Depot Antiques . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Festival of Christmas . . . . . . . . . 37

The Gallery Antiques at Pinebrick . . . . . . 19

Little Falls Antique Center . . . . . . . 3

Madison Inn Antiques . . . . . . . . 19

Mohawk Antiques Mall . . . . . . . 20

Mohawk Valley Community Market . . . 20

The Potting Shed Antiques . . . . . . . 19

Showcase Antiques . . . . . . . . . 20

Valandrea’s Venture . . . . . . . . . 20

Victorian Rose . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Weeden’s Mini Mall . . . . . . . . . . 20

Whistle Post Antiques . . . . . . . . 20

Antique Auctioneers

Nye & Company Auctioneers . . . . . . . . 20

Art Galleries/Museums

Fusion Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

View Arts . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Art and Custom Framing

Fusion Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Art and Pottery Classes

Azure Arts Pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Auto Dealerships

Steet-Ponte Auto Group . . . . . . . . . 47

Automotive Repair and Towing Clinton Collision . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Bakeries and Pastry Shops

Caruso’s Pastry Shoppe . . . . . . . . 35 Karam’s Middle East Bakery . . . . . 15

Banks Bank of Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Bike Shops

Dick’s Wheel Shop . . . . . . . . . . 31

Books

Berry Hill Book Shop. . . . . . . . . 26 Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop . . . . . . . . 31 Treehouse Reading Room . . . . . . . . 27

Cabinets and Kitchens

Custom Woodcraft . . . . . . . . . 12 Knotty By Nature . . . . . . . . . 30

Candy

So Sweet Candy Shoppe, Utica . . . . . . . 37

Catering

B Blossom Catering . . . . . . . . . . 12

RoSo’s Cafe & Catering . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Willie’s The Original Bagel Cafe . . . . . . 17

CBD Products

Utica Hemp, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Cheese (See Produce, Local)

Christmas Trees

Naturewood Knoll . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Massoud’s Tree Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Clothing Consignment

The Queen’s Closet . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Contractors

Ed Smith Contractor and Handyman . . . . . . . 44

Delis

Deansboro Superette . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Meelan’s Meat Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Diners

Charlie’s Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Riverside Diner . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Sheri’s Eastside Diner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Wendy’s Diner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Dog Sitting

Barney’s Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Doors, Residential & Commercial JM Door Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Employment Opportunities

Collins Aerospace . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Estate

Sales

Attic Addicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

The Potting Shed Antiques . . . . . . . . . . 19

Events, Entertainment, and Activities

Clinton Shoppers’ Stroll . . . . . . . . . 25

Florissante Mansion Tours . . . . . . . . 36 Goodsell Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Hamilton College Performing Arts . . . . . . . 10

Old Forge Tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Richfield Springs Scenic Railway . . . . . . . 37

Ziyara Shriners Festival of Trees . . . . . . 37

Farm Equipment

Clinton Tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Hobby Hill Farm Sales . . . . . . . . . . 40 White’s Farm Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Farm Markets

Horn’s Family Farm . . . . . . . . . . . 14 North Star Orchards . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Financial Services

Van Meter & Van Meter . . . . . . . . . . 22

Flooring

Enjem’s Flooring America . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Mike’s Floor Store . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Florists

LaBella’s Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Food Scraps Collection Service

CNY Green Bucket Project . . . . . . . 26 & 46

Funeral Services

Prince-Boyd & Hyatt . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Furniture

Ironwood Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Jeff’s Amish Furniture . . . . . . . . . . 23

John Froass & Son . . . . . . . . . . 9

Shoppes at the Finish Line . . . . . . . . . 26

Furniture Makers

Custom Woodcraft . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Garden Centers and Greenhouses

Casler Flower Farm . . . . . . . . . 37

Green Lakes Home & Garden . . . . . . . 36

North Star Orchards . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Twin Orchards . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

General Contractors

Ed Smith Contractor and Handyman . . . . . . . 44

General Stores

Bonnie’s Country Store . . . . . . . . . . 26 Deansboro Superette . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Gift Shops/Shopping

The Artisans’ Corner, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . 25

Between Us Sisters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Fusion Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Krizia Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Shoppes at Johnny Appleseed . . . . . . . . 10 Shoppes at the Finish Line . . . . . . . . . 26

The Tepee . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Janice Wnuk Garden Mentor . . . . . . . . . 24

Grocery Stores, Co-ops, and Delis

Bosonne’s Sausage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Deansboro Superette . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Little Italy Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Olde Kountry Market . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Pulaski Meat Market . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Hardware/Lumber/Farm & Home

Lincoln Davies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Morgan’s Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Turner Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Wightman Specialty Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Health and Wellness

Vitality Fitness and Wellness . . . . . . . . . . 28

Insurance

HBE Group, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Turnbull Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Interior Design/Custom Window Treatments

The Added Touch Drapery . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Ironwork

Raulli’s Iron Works . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Jewelry

Alison’s Jewelry & Repair . . . . . . . . . 26

Fall Hill bead & Gem . . . . . . . . . . 13

Goldmine Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Lighting

Mills Electrical Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Liquor Stores and Wine

Ilion Wine & Spirits . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Prospect Falls Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Trenton Station Liquor & Wine . . . . . . . . 28

Maple Syrup (See Produce)

Local Meats Sunnybrook Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Media

Adirondack . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Monuments &

Yorkville Memorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Natural Food

Cooperstown Naturals . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Peter’s Cornucopia . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Optometrists

Towpath

Paint

Care . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Urbanik’s Paint & Wallpaper Co. . . . . . . . 42

Physical Therapy

Inertia PT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Pizzerias

DiCastro’s Brick Oven . . . . . . . . . . 15

Primo Pizzeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Tony’s Pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseed celebrates 5th Anniversary

ERIEVILLE—This year, The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseed celebrated their 5th anniversary.

Owners Florence and Erica Gilmore believe the most satisfying part of the business is the satisfaction of seeing an idea take shape. “When we opened, we had just four vendors. Over the course of the next year, it increased to 24, and by the end of our second year we had over fifty!

Open each weekend is The Apple Kitchen, which offers fresh-made soups, grilled sandwiches, desserts, and NYS craft beers and wines.

Johnny Appleseed is wheelchair accessible. You can view a list of current vendors at johnnyshoppes.com.

The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseed

3402 Old State Rd, Erieville, NY

Open Wednesdau-Sunday • (315) 235-9451

Mohawk Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Primitives

Between Us Sisters . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Butternut Barn . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Produce, Local

Ben & Judy’s Sugarhouse

. . . . . . . 12

Grassy Cow Dairy . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Horn’s Family Farm . . . . . . . . . . 14

Jewett’s Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Shaw’s Maple Products . . . . . . . . . . 30

Stoltzfus Family Dairy . . . . . . . . . . 7

Tibbits Maple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Quilt and Yarn Shops/Services

Tiger Lily Quilt Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Real Estate Agents

Howard Hanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Restaurants and Cafés (See also Diners)

Ann St. Deli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Black Stallion Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . 15

DiCastro’s Brick Oven . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Karam’s Middle East Bakery . . . . . . . 15

Killabrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Ohio Tavern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Phoenician Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . 16

RoSo’s Cafe & Catering . . . . . . . . . . 16

Route 69 Steakhouse . . . . . . . . . 16

Sammy and Annie Foods . . . . . . . . 16

Willie’s The Original Bagel Cafe . . . . . . 17 The Willows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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