L I v I ng NN Y
M AR CH / AP R I L 2012
www.nnyliving.com
The state of the arts North country boasts burgeoning arts scene
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HOMES
Transforming a riverfront studio
FOOD
Spring means garden freshness
ARTS
Silversmiths create one-of-a-kind gems
HEALTH
Gastric bypass surgery growing
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MARCH / A PRIL 20 12 | N NY LIVING
>> Inside MAR /APR ’12
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24 20 | COVER |
38 | DESTINATION |
| FOOD |
38 AN EASTER TREAT Spring is in the air with the opportunity to add garden fresh vegetables soon.
20 A NEW NEIGHBOR 36 hours in Chicago are packed with outdoor fun.
| HEALTH |
24 SWEET SUGAR SHACK For one Watertown maple farmer, the best part of sap season is fun and friends.
40 WHAT’S OLD IS NEW Italian-American Club chef Geoff Puccia provides a tried and true recipe for the ages.
| ARTS |
| WOMEN’S WISE |
17 BACK TO BASICS Getting motivated is the first step to meeting major goals.
26 SILVER LINING A Lewis County couple passes down the tradition of making fine jewelry out of silver.
18 GASTRIC BYPASS A weight loss procedure is gaining solid traction in NNY with obvious results.
34 CRANE AT 125 Times have changed, but the Crane School of Music continues to innovate.
| MY NNY |
16 ASK A HEALTH PRO Is eating late at night bad for your health or waistline? A local doctor has the answers. | WELLNESS |
| THIS IS NNY |
44 OVERCOMING OBSTACLES In her new novel, Joleene Des Rosiers tackles the tough times she has experienced. 46 YOUR BEST SHOT A pastel sunset captured by a resident on Pleasant Lake.
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30 STATE OF THE ARTS Northern New York’s arts community is growing amid challenging times.
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CONTRIBUTORS Norah Machia is a veteran Watertown Daily Times reporter who lives in Watertown. In Women’s Wise, she writes about a north country woman who overcame addiction and adversity to find happiness in her life. (p. 44)
Gabrielle Hovendon is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer who lives in Watertown. In Arts, she writes about a couple who have passed down the tradition of silversmithing to their family. (p. 26)
Kyle R. Hayes is associate magazine editor for NNY Living. In our cover story, he writes about the state of the arts in Northern New York. He also looks at Crane School of Music at 125 years. (pgs. 30, 34)
Lenka P. Walldroff is curator of collections for the Jefferson County Historical Museum. She is a former museum specialist and conservator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. She writes about a social club for men founded in 1889. (p. 36) Varick Chittenden is founding director of Traditional Arts in Upstate New York and a SUNY Canton professor emeritus. In Modern Folklore he writes about local post offices and the personality they lend to NNY communities. (p. 14)
Katie Stokes is a freelance writer who lives in Hounsfield. She writes about the influence that always saying goodbye to Army friends has on both her life and the lives of her two young children. (p. 35)
MARKETPLACE
MARCH / A PRIL 20 12 | N NY LIVING
A New Attitude .....................................….. 13 Ameriprise Financial ............................….. 37 Arsenal Wine and Liquor .....................….. 39 Budget Blinds ..........................................….. 8 C3 Designs ............................................….. 48 Cartier Place Suites ..............................….. 23 Cheney Tire ...........................................…. 22 Clarence Henry Coach ........................…. 32 Clayton Opera House ..........................….. 29 Community Performance Series .........….. 29 Cozy Country Corner ...........................….. 48 Crouse Hospital ....................................….. 17 Essenlohr Motors ...................................….. 22 Farah Dermatology ..............................….. 19 For Pete’s Sake Entertainment ............….. 10 Geico ....................................................….. 37 Gerald A. Nortz .....................................….. 46 Immaculate Heart Central ....................….. 4 Little Barn Bulk Foods .............................….. 8 Macars ..................................................….. 42
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Midsummers Eve Masked Ball ….............. 47 Netto Fire Equipment …............................... 8 NNY Builders Exchange .......................….. 47 NNY Community Foundation …................ 15 NNY Living .........................................….. 8, 41 North Country Arts Council …................... 33 North Country Storage Barns ….................. 7 The Paddock Club …................................. 28 Powis Excavating .................................….. 48 River Hospital ….......................................... 19 River Rat Cheese ….................................... 15 State Farm Insurance …............................. 47 Three C’s Limousine …............................... 48 TPACC …....................................................... 2 Truesdell’s Furniture ….................................. 9 Watertown International Airport …........... 22 Watertown Savings Bank …....................... 41 WWTI-50 ...................................................….. 3 Yester Years Vintage Doors ................….. 28
IN OUR NEXT ISSUE n our May/June issue, we take you inside some unique north country homes and gardens throughout the tri-country area.
n GARDENING Art teacher Brian Hallett lends his very experienced hand in our new gardening column.
n FEATURE: An asparagus farm is sprouting in the hills of Rodman. We pay a visit to this unique operation.
n PLUS: Chef’s Table with the Ives Hill Country Club executive chef, Social Scene, Modern Folklore, Wellness, Ask a Health Pro, The NNY Life, History, This is NNY, Homes, My NNY and Women’s Wise.
n DESTINATION HUDSON-CATSKILL: We travel down the Hudson River Valley to take on an antiquing road trip, with a few small surprises along the way.
n FOLLOW US ON Twitter for updates at @NNYLivingMag and visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NNYLiving. Look for www.nnyliving.com coming soon!
Also coming in the May/June issue:
Publishers
John B. Johnson Jr. Harold B. Johnson II
General Manager John B. Johnson
Executive Editor Bert Gault
Managing Editor Robert D. Gorman
Magazine Editor
Kenneth J. Eysaman
Associate Magazine Editor Kyle R. Hayes
Advertising Directors Karen Romeo Tammy Beaudin
Circulation Director Cindy Werner
Photography
Norm Johnston, Justin Sorensen, Jason Hunter, Melanie Kimbler-Lago, Amanda Morrison
Ad Graphics, Design
Rick Gaskin, Julia Keegan, Brian Mitchell, Heather O’Driscoll, Scott Smith, Todd Soules NNY Living (ISSN 2165-1159) is published six times a year by Northern New York Newspaper Corp., 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601, a Johnson Newspaper Corp. company. © 2011-2012. All material submitted to NNY Living becomes property of Northern New York Newspaper Corp., publishers of the Watertown Daily Times, and will not be returned.
Subscription Rates Six issues are $10 a year for Watertown Daily Times and affiliate newspaper subscribers and $15 a year for non-subscribers. Call 315-782-1000 for delivery. Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to keysaman@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email kromeo@wdt.net, or call 661-2422 In St. Lawrence County, e-mail tbeaudin@ogd.com, or call 661-2512 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y. Please recycle this magazine.
| HOMES |
| ABOUT THE COVER |
42 RIVERFRONT LOFT LIVING Interior designer Peggy DeYoung takes us inside a Clayton studio that was once an auto dealership now turned into a comfortable, riverfront living space. | COLUMNS |
8 EDITOR’S NOTE 14 MODERN FOLKLORE
35 THE NNY LIFE 44 WOMEN’S WISE
| DEPARTMENTS |
9 UPFRONT 10 BEST BETS 11 12 13 16 17
CALENDAR BOOKS & AUTHORS SOCIAL SCENE ASK A HEALTH PRO WELLNESS
20 36 HOURS IN ... 24 THIS IS NNY 26 38 38 40 46
ARTS & CULTURE HISTORY FOOD CHEF’S TABLE MY NNY
Photographer Amanda Morrison captured Orchestra of Northern New York violinist John Lindsey, left, during a February performance in Watertown and Terry Burgess, right, during rehearsal for the Little Theatre’s “The Nerd.” Jason Hunter snapped a photo of Erin E. Godfrey, center, a junior at SUNY Potsdam from Kingston, as she worked on an oil painting for a class at SUNY Potsdam.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
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DURING 10 OF THE 17 YEARS I lived outside Northern New York, I had daily access to nationally acclaimed arts and cultural amenities that I enjoyed about as often as a Boston or New York City tourist might. For the latter, I sometimes kick myself until I complete a mental inventory of the ever-growing arts scene here in Northern New York. Sure, life in a metro Denver or Atlanta is full of opportunities to soak up first-rate orchestra, opera, Ken Eysaman theatre, ballet and world-class museums. It also comes with several other million people who cause gridlock that makes most north country highways look like a National Scenic Byway at their worst moments of congestion. When people ask me what I miss most about living in a major metropolitan city, I typically say Major League Baseball, which, despite all the best efforts of everyone who lives in the north country, will likely never set up shop here. But we shouldn’t be so quick to pack north country living with regrets for the things we don’t have. Instead, we should all celebrate the depth and richness of our region for the things we do have. Northern New York is ripe with arts and cultural amenities that rival some of the most populated regions of the country. From the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton and the Frederic Remington Museum in Ogdensburg that houses the largest collection of original Remington paintings and sculptures to the internationally renowned Crane School of Music, we don’t fall short on chances to experience the arts. Even more special is the number wholly unique and intimate venues that play host to performers from near and far. Opera houses in Clayton and Edwards, dinner theater at the Black River Valley Club, first-rate performance halls at universities in Canton and Potsdam and soon, “Screen on the Square” in Watertown’s beautifully restored Franklin Building, to name just a few. Each of these and other wonderful places that house the arts are made to come alive
even more by the dedicated professionals and countless volunteers who consistently give of themselves personally — in time and money — to ensure the north country is not a vast cultural wasteland. As we have seen with the dissolution of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, large performance companies often have to make bruising business decisions that can spell the end of operations. In smaller places like ours, people who really want to pull off something great come together to raise the curtain on a community theatre or, with help from businesses that value the impact of arts on our communities, bring larger acts to our cities and towns. It also is through the incredible work by organizations like the North Country and St. Lawrence County arts councils and Traditional Arts in Upstate New York that partnerships and programs for the arts are not only born, but nurtured, refined, and given back to all of us to enjoy. In this month’s cover story, which begins on page 30, Associate Magazine Editor Kyle R. Hayes examines the state of the arts in the north country. Enthusiasm for the arts is palpable. Now, to truly celebrate the arts, we must deepen our involvement as patrons of the arts, whether it’s attending a performance or visiting a museum. So much is here. Just wait and see. n
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NOW ONLINE — Since about November when this magazine first went to press, we have been working to develop a companion website for NNY Living and for our monthly business magazine, NNY Business, that features additional content as well as digital editions of our print issues. I am proud to report that on March 27, we turned the spigot on at www.nny bizmag.com and in the coming weeks will do the same at www.nnyliving.com. We look forward to delivering more information about business and the arts in Northern New York on each site. If you have any comments, suggestions or ideas for what you’d like to see online or in print, drop me a note at keysaman@wdt.net. Warm regards,
[ NORTH COUNTRY NEWS & NOTES ] Chamber seeks musicians for Potsdam Summer Festival
The Potsdam Chamber of Commerce has begun the search for musical talent for the 45th annual Potsdam Summer Festival from July 12 to July 14. The chamber is accepting applications for musical talent for the main stage for the three-day festival and for a few slots at the gazebo on Saturday. Soloists, small group ensembles and duos are welcome to apply. Application forms are available at the chamber office, 24 Market St., from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, by calling 274-9000, or requesting via email at potsdam@slic.com. Applications will be accepted until April 20 or until the schedule is full.
Turin farm accepting CSA members
White River Farm, Turin, is accepting 2012 Community Supported Agriculture memberships. Pick up sites for 2012 are at Open Sky in Lowville, the farm in Turin and a to-be-announced location in Brantingham. Pick up sites will be open between 4 and 7 p.m. every Thursday beginning the first week of July and lasting into October. Full and half memberships are accepted. How it works: Farmers offer a certain number of shares to the local market, a share is traditionally a box or bag of freshlyharvested vegetables. Shares are intended to provide a family of four enough vegetables to consume in a week, a half-share typically suffices two people. A 10 percent discount is applied to 2012 memberships when signed up before Sunday, April 15. Discounted prices are $405 for a full share, one box every week, or $225 for a half-share, a full box every other week. Visit www.whiteriverfarm.com to learn more.
Village of Potsdam offers arts grants
The village of Potsdam Economic Development Office collaborated with the St. Lawrence County Arts Council in late 2011 to create a program that provides grants for artists to support their businesses in the village. Beginning this spring, artists will be able to apply for grants between $5,000 and $30,0000 to start or expand their arts-related business ventures.
UPFRONT
Artists do not need to be Potsdam residents to apply for funding, but they must establish their business within the village to be able to receive a grant. Guidelines and application procedures will be available on the arts council website, www.slcartscouncil. org or by contacting the council at 265-6860.
NCAC looks to expand member benefits The North Country Arts Council is looking for local businesses to aid in expanding membership benefits to the council’s more than 300 members. Local businesses willing to offer a discount or coupon to members of the arts council, contact Hope Marshall at membership@NNYArt.org.
Boat museum opens May 11
The Antique Boat Museum, 750 Mary St., Clayton, will open for the 2012 season on Friday, May 11. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 8. Admission is $13 for adults, $11 for senior citizens, $6 for youth between the ages of 7 and 17, and free for children ages 6 and younger and for active military, their immediate families and retired military. For information about the museum visit www.abm.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/antiqueboatmuseum.
TI Arts Center class catalog available
The Thousand Islands Arts Center has released the class catalog for 2012 on its website, www.tiartscenter.org. The arts center offers pottery and weaving studios, exhibitions and a permanent textile collection at its campus at 314 John St., Clayton. Classes range from pottery and ceramics to children’s workshops and photography at a variety of different admissions fees. The popular Raku firing dates have been scheduled for Wednesdays, April 25, Aug. 15 and Oct. 10 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Dallas Brass coming to Carthage
The Carthage Central School Fine Arts Department is bringing internationally acclaimed “Dallas Brass” to Carthage High School auditorium at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased by calling Richard P. Weber, director of fine arts for the school, at 493-5945, or the night of the show.
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BEST BETS CARTHAGE
[ EDITOR’S PICKS ] POTSDAM SATURDAY, APRIL 14 n “Serenade,” 7:30 p.m., Helen M. Hosmer Con-
cert Hall, SUNY Potsdam. Presented by Orchestra of Northern New York. Featuring the Rumanian Folk Dances, Quiet City and the C Major Cello Concerto of Haydn with solos by Christopher Still from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Tickets: www.onny. org. Cost: $18; senior citizens, $16; students ages 13 and older, $10. Information: 267-2277.
SATURDAY, APRIL 14 n Comedy Night featuring Costaki Economopoulos
and Matt Rohr, mix and mingle, 5:30 p.m., dinner and show, 6:30 p.m., Carthage Elks Lodge, Fulton Street. Proceeds benefit Carthage Area Hospital. Cost: $35 per person. Reservations: 493-0114.
CLAYTON
SATURDAY, APRIL 21 n NPR’s “From the Top,” 7:30 p.m., SUNY Potsdam’s Helen Hosmer Hall. Sponsored by Community Performance Series. A showcase for America’s best young musicians. A 6:30 p.m. pre-concert lecture will also be held. Tickets: www.cpspotsdam. org or box office, 267-2277.
WATERTOWN THURSDAY, MARCH 29
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n “Soapmaking: A Passionate Perspective,”
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THURSDAY, APRIL 12 n “An Evening with Judy Collins,” 7:30 p.m., Clay-
ton Opera House, 405 Riverside Drive. Sponsored by the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund. Interpretive folk songs and contemporary themes with an extensive catalog ranging from the 1960s to present. Tickets: Reserved seats, $35; general admission, $30. Box office: 686-2200 or www.claytonoperahouse.com.
7 p.m., Arts on the Square, Franklin Building. Sponsored by North Country Arts Council as part of the Lucky Seven Lecture Series. Lecture by Louise Psarras-Bly, owner and soapmaker at Les Savons Des Loulou and co-owner of An Eclectic Boutique in Carthage.
SUNDAY, APRIL 21 n Irina Nuzova, Classical Piano, Concert, 7 p.m.,
Trinity Episcopal Church, 227 Sherman St. Part of the Trinity Concert Series. Tickets: $10 to $16; tickets in advance, $2 less; $2 discount for military and senior citizens; students, free. Tickets, information: www.trinityconcerts.org or 788-6290.
[ ARTS, MUSIC, THEATER, CULTURE ] CLAYTON THURSDAY, MAY 3 n “The Chocolate War,” 7:30 p.m., Clayton Op-
era House, 405 Riverside Drive. Presented by Open Hand Theater and the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund. Play addresses the issue of bullying and conflict resolution in a family-friendly production featuring original music, puppets, a magical dwarf and wistful moon. Tickets: Reserved seats, $10; general admission, $5. Box office: 686-2200 or www.claytonoperahouse.com.
series. Cost: $16 to $35, discounts for senior citizens and students ages 22 and younger. Tickets: www.ilovetheatre.org, 393-2625 or ocp@ogdensburgk12.org.
THURSDAY, APRIL 12 TO SUNDAY, SEPT. 16 n Frederic Remington Art Museum Juried Art Exhibit,
available for viewing during museum hours, 303 Washington St. Information 393-2425 or www. fredericremington.org.
SATURDAYS, APRIL 14 & MAY 12 TUESDAY, MAY 8
n Art Highlights and Tea Series, 2 p.m. both Satur-
FRIDAY, MAY 18
days, Frederic Remington Art Museum, 303 Washington St. April 14: Joe McDonald presents on the life and times of local artist Charles Chapman. May 12: Nancy Strickland presents. Lectures begin at 2 p.m., tea starts at 3 p.m. Free lectures, tea is $10 for members, $12 for non-members. Information: Shannon Ghize, 393-2425 or www.fredericremington.org.
n “Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes,” 7:30
THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 6
n Clayton Community Band Concert, 7 p.m., Clay-
ton Opera House, 405 Riverside Drive. Tickets: $5; children accompanied by an adult, free. Information: Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund box office, 686-2200 or www.claytonoperahouse.com.
p.m., Clayton Opera House, 405 Riverside Drive. Presented by the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund. Classic 1970s blend of rhythm and blues and street-level rock. Tickets: Reserved, $40; general admission, $35. Box office: 686-2200 or www. claytonoperahouse.com.
KINGSTON SUNDAY, APRIL 1 n Riverdance, doors open, 6 p.m., show, 7 p.m.,
K-Rock Center, 1 Barrack St. The touring Riverdance production will close in June so this is the last Riverdance showing at K-Rock Centre. Tickets: $45 to $65. Box office: 1 (877) 554-8399 or www.krockcentre.com.
LONG LAKE
n 29th Annual Elementary Art Exhibit, gallery open
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, Richard E. Winter Gallery, Frederic Remington Art Museum, 303 Washington St. Information: 393-2425 or www. fredericremington.org.
TUESDAY, MAY 15 n “Simply Sinatra” Starring Steve Lippia, doors open, 7:15 p.m., show, 7:45 p.m., Ogdensburg Free Academy, 1100 State St. Part of the Ogdensburg Command Performance series. Cost: $16 to $35, discounts for senior citizens and students ages 22 and younger. Tickets: www.ilovetheatre.org , 393-2625 or ocp@ogdensburgk12.org.
OLD FORGE
FRIDAY, APRIL 27 & SATURDAY, APRIL 28
THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 6
n “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” 7:30
n “Rock, Paper, Scissors” exhibition, 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Long Lake Town Hall. Presented by the Adirondack Arts Center Living Able program. General admission: $10. Tickets: 1 (518) 352-7715 or www.adirondackarts.org.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
POTSDAM
n Black River Valley Concert Series, 7:30 p.m.
THROUGH SATURDAY, APRIL 14
both Saturdays, Lewis County Historical Society blue room, 7552 S. State St. March 24: Nicole Johndrow, Broadway cabaret. March 31: Lipbone Redding, unique artistry. Tickets: $20 at the door, $18 in advance. Contact: 376-8957.
OGDENSBURG
n “Fancy Footwork” exhibit, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tues-
days to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, St. Lawrence County Arts Council, 51 Market St. Creative shoes and other works by Catherine LaPointe. Information: 265-6860 or www.slcartscouncil.org.
SYRACUSE TUESDAY, APRIL 3 n WISE Symposium, registration, 8 a.m., event continues until 4 p.m., OnCenter Convention Center. Keynote speaker: Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul and business expert seen on ABC’s reality show “Shark Tank.” Panel discussions, breakout sessions, networking opportunities. Cost: All day registration, $85; afternoon expo only, $30; students, $20. Register: www.wiseconference.com. Contact: WISE Women’s Business Center, 443-8693.
WATERTOWN FRIDAY, MARCH 30 & SATURDAY, MARCH 31 n 47th Annual Antique Show and Sale, 5 to 8 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dulles State Office Building. A portion of the proceeds benefit Credo Community Center Foundation. Free parking in parking garage. Admission: $4, good for both days. Information: Sherry Wilson, 782-8356.
THURSDAY, APRIL 5 n “Exploring Herbal Options for Mind, Body and
Soul,” 7 p.m., Arts on the Square, Franklin Building. Sponsored by North Country Arts Council as part of the Lucky Seven Lecture Series. Lecture by Sue-Ryn Burns, herbalist and owner at Hillwoman Herbs, Wellesley Island.
THURSDAY, APRIL 12 n “The Art of Visual Storytelling Through Documen-
tary Film,” 7 p.m., Arts on the Square, Franklin Building. Sponsored by North Country Arts Council as part of the Lucky Seven Lecture Series. Lecture by Matt White, director, photographer and editor, 4th Coast Productions.
THURSDAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 26-APRIL 28 n Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” 7 p.m. Thurs-
day and Friday, 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dulles State Office Building. Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice based on the book by Linda Woolverton. Directed by Dan Davis. Information and tickets: 775-8474 or www. watertownlyrictheater.org.
SUNDAY, MAY 6 n Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” 3 p.m., Trinity Episcopal
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
FRIDAY, APRIL 27 & SATURDAY, APRIL 28
n “Doubt,” doors open, 7:15 p.m., show, 7:45
n Verdi “Messa da Requiem” Performances, 7:30
p.m., Ogdensburg Free Academy, 1100 State St. Part of the Ogdensburg Command Performance
night is dress rehearsal, free and open to the public. Saturday performance requires free reserved tickets. Conducted by Ann Howard Jones with guest soloists Kelly Kaduce, Charles Temkey and Crane School of Music alumni Margaret Lattimore and Dimitri Pittas. Tickets: CPS Box Office, 267-2277.
p.m. both nights, Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall, Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam. Friday
Church, 227 Sherman St. Part of the Trinity Concert Series. Performance includes Sackets Harbor Vocal Arts Ensemble and Trinity Choir and Orchestra. Tickets: $10 to $16; tickets in advance, $2 less; $2 discount for military and senior citizens; students, free. Tickets, information: www.trinityconcerts.org.
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LOWVILLE
p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays, the View Arts Center, 3273 State Route 28. Annual themed exhibition around the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” Information: 369-6411 or www.viewarts.org.
CALENDAR
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BOOKS Top titles by checkout at Flower Memorial Library
The current top five book titles by checkout at Watertown’s Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library are: 1. “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson 2. “Now You See Her” by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge 3. “Split Second” by Catherine Coulter 4. “Smokin’ Seventeen” by Janet Evanovich 5. “Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues” by Michael Brandman
Top eBooks at Flower:
1. “The Help” by Katherine Stockett 2. “Now You See Her” by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge 3. “Crime Stories : 20 Thriller Tales” by Jack Kilborn 4. “For Love Of Livvy” by J.M. Griffin 5. “Smokin’ Seventeen” by Janet Evanovich
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Books of local interest
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Black River author Hope Marston has co-written a book with a young sled dog racer titled “Eye on the Iditarod: Aisling’s Quest.” Mrs. Marston wrote the book with Aisling Lara Shepherd of Norway, Maine. Since the age of 3, Aisling, now 11, has dreamt of racing in Alaska’s famous Iditarod dog sled race. The book explores Aisling’s obstacles along the way to her goal and how she dealt with heartbreak, loss and victories. The book also offers a look at the world of sled dog racing and the joys and challenges of caring for dogs. The book sells for $8.95 and is available through the publisher, Finney Company, at www.finneyco.com or by calling the publisher at 1 (800) 866-3045. n
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The Chicago center for Literature and
[ MOST READ, LOCAL AUTHORS ] Photography has published “Life After Sleep,” a novella by Mark R. Brand, formerly of Evans Mills and a 1997 graduate of Indian River High School and a 2001 graduate of St. Lawrence University. “Life After Sleep” was published as a special handmade edition and in electronic form. The science fiction tale concerns a device that immediately induces REM sleep, transforming society. The fates of four people are intertwined in the novella. Mr. Brand, of Evanston, Ill., is also the author of the novel “Red Ivy Afternoon” and editor of the multi-author collection “Thank You, Death Robot,” which was named a 2009 Chicago Author Favorite by the Chicago Tribune. “Life After Sleep” can be purchased at www.cclapcenter.com/lifeaftersleep. The handmade edition sells for $15 on recycled paper and $20 on cotton sheets. An electronic version is available through a “pay what you want” system. n
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Clarkson University professor Gary F. Kelly has authored the book “America’s Sexual Transformation: How the Sexual Revolution’s Legacy is Shaping Our Society, Our Youth and Our Future,” which was released by Praeger Publishers, an imprint of ABC/CLIO. Mr. Kelly is an adjunct faculty member in Clarkson University’s department of psychology and honors program. A counselor and administrator who came to Clarkson in 1973, Mr. Kelly was involved in the founding of the Clarkson School, subsequently serving as its headmaster for 22 years. He was also a student affairs professional, eventually serving as the university’s vice president for student affairs from 1998 to 2005. He retired from administrative duties at the end of 2005 to spend more time teaching and writing. He has taught Clarkson’s human sexuality course for 20 years and is
the author of one of the most widely-used textbooks in the field. The tenth edition of “Sexuality Today” was published by McGraw-Hill in 2011. A Chinese translation of the text was also published last year in China. Mr. Kelly and his wife, Betsy, live on Joe Indian Pond in Parishville. n
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Kendra Leigh Castle, a 1995 graduate of Immaculate Heart Central School, has released the second book in her “Dark Dynasties” paranormal romance series. The first in the series, “Dark Awakening,” was published in July through Grand Central Publishing. The latest one, published this month, is “Midnight Reckoning.” The third, “Shadow Rising” will be released in July. Mrs. Castle, Maryland, is also the author of the MacInnes Werewolves trilogy. Another of her books, “Renegade Angel,” was a finalist for the 2011 Romance Writers of America RITA Award in contemporary series romance in suspense or adventure. “Midnight Reckoning” is available at online bookstores and sells for $7.99 in paperback and Kindle editions. n
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Liza Williamson, Colton, has selfpublished, through PublishAmerica, the second book in her “Emily” series. “Emily to the Rescue” is a sequel to “Emily and the Magic Mirror,” published in 2010. In the new book, Emily must find her way back into a magic mirror to rescue a fairy named Cali. She also needs help from an ogre named George to find Cali, who is on a deserted island inhabited by a sea witch. “Emily to the Rescue” sells for $24.95 at www.publishamerica.net.
[ NCAC Annual Membership Dinner ] Black River Valley Club, Watertown
KYLE R. HAYES PHOTOS | NNY LIVING
Top, from left, JoAnn T. White and Christine E. Hoffman. Above, from left, Kathie M. Strader, Laura E. Wendt, Bruce C. Smith and his wife, Elizabeth P. The North Country Arts Council held its annual Arts Council Membership Dinner Jan. 28 at the Black River Valley Club. The membership dinner served as an introduction to incoming board members and new president, Michael C. Miller. Volunteers were also recognized for their efforts throughout the past year.
SOCIAL SCENE
KYLE R. HAYES PHOTOS | NNY LIVING
Top, from left, former North Country Arts Council President, Laura J. Oakes and membership director Hope A. Marshall. Above, from left, Tammie J. Miller, Kristyna S. Mills, Stacey L. Bristow, Patricia G. Gorman, Kathryn A. Kolton and Lori A. Sears.
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MODERN FOLKLORE
Small town personality lives at the post office
MARCH / A PRIL 20 12 | N NY LIVING
BY VARICK CHITTENDEN
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WHEN I WAS A BOY OF 10 OR SO in the 1950s, a daily trip to our little post office in Hopkinton was part of many townspeople’s routine. The mail would come in around 9:30 a.m., so on school vacations or Saturdays, I’d try to get there early, in case something really special would come. Maybe it was a letter from cousins in Iowa or a seed catalog in February. Better yet, it was a bundle of Grit magazines, which I would deliver on my Watertown Daily Times route, or a copy of Boy’s Life sent to me. But I was not alone. By the time letters, magazines, newspapers and ads were sorted into the 50 or so boxes, there might be a dozen people huddled together in the lobby. Actually, that’s a stretch. Our post office in those days was a room at the east end of Nona Weller’s house. Nona was postmistress for nearly 20 years. In those days, another load of mail would arrive around 2 p.m., and the scene would be repeated. The United States Post Office is an independent agency of the federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution. Now known as the United States Postal Service, it traces its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general. Since then, nearly every community — and urban neighborhood — in the country has had a post office to serve local businesses and households. The Postal Service reports that there are about 34,000 such brickand-mortar offices nationwide. For me, stories of the Hopkinton post office are still vivid. The first postmaster in town was Thaddeus Laughlin, a pioneer tavern keeper who began his duties in 1808, only six years after the town was
founded. From 1821 to 1975, my forebears ran a general store that included the post office in a separate room. My great-great grandfather, great-grandfather, and greatuncle were all postmasters; my grandfather, J.H. Chittenden, was postmaster from 1898 to 1930. I remember tales about men who would walk three or four miles to town in subzero weather to pick up their veterans pension checks or of housewives coming to mail letters to daughters who had moved away with their young families. A favorite story among the loungers in the store was of one man who would send an order out in the morning mail only to come back that afternoon to see if his order had arrived. Then there was a store customer who, thinking he would save lots of money, ordered 25 pounds of oleomargarine from a mail order house. When it came, he was too embarrassed to come pick it up and it melted in the post office, revealing his secret. Since its first years, for many the post office has been much more than a place to buy stamps or money orders or send a package. It’s been a gathering place and a social center in a lot of communities, especially in rural America. That’s why there’s been such hue and cry in recent months about the Postal Service’s costcutting decision to close as many as 2,000 post offices, with thousands of others under review for their viability. Small town newspapers everywhere — and even the New York Times and Wall Street Journal — have been following the story closely. In fact, given the present economic climate, we can understand the Postal Service’s dilemma: costs have skyrocketed and income has tanked. We’re told that there’s been a 20 percent decrease in first class mail volume alone in the last five years. To solve their problem, they also propose to fire employees, eliminate
VARICK CHITTENDEN is a folklorist, the founding director of Traditional Arts in Upstate New York and Professor Emeritus of Humanities at SUNY Canton. A version of this column previously appeared in Voices: A Journal of New York Folklore. Reprinted with permission of the New York Folklore Society.
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services and raise rates. For rural communities all over the country, however, the loss of their post offices would be significant. It’s not just about nostalgia. While rural households have long had mail delivery — RFD (Rural Free Delivery) began in some places as early as 1896 — the post office still provides some necessary services not met elsewhere. It’s true that more people today rely on FedEx and UPS for packages and on email for messages. But there are vast parts of America where courier service and broadband don’t, and most likely won’t, exist. In addition, for the disproportionately aging population in rural communities, the costs and conditions of traveling farther will not only make trips to the post office more inconvenient but more unlikely. Gathering at the post office was what I would now call “social networking.” And it was face-to-face and nearly instant. You could learn about whose barn had burned or the twins born to a neighbor’s daughter in the night before, about who needed help with their haying, or where to go to buy seed potatoes. You could plan for a church supper or start a flower fund for a deceased friend. If these institutions go, that kind of intimate exchange will be missed. Finally, the loss of a post office will be one more blow to small towners’ pride of place. As rural populations have dwindled, the vitality of these towns has suffered. Schools have centralized and closed; churches have merged and closed; retail shops and tradesmen have given up and closed. Main Streets are boarded up and people travel great distances to work and shop. With all these changes has come a loss of identity. ZIP codes, area codes, user names and passwords supplant our connections to real places. Without a post office and a postmark, we are like everybody else. My hometown post office closed in 1989, well before the current round in play. When it did, my feisty mother and some of her neighbors refused to submit so easily. Realizing that the Postal Service relied mostly on ZIP codes to deliver the mail — theirs had been 12940 — they continued to write “Hopkinton, NY 12965” on their letters, because their mail would be delivered anyway. A small act of rebellion is good for the soul. That’s what we may have to resort to now.
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HEALTH
Spring brings out pollen, allergies From midnight munchies to mono, Dr. Gregory Healey takes questions from readers With spring comes pollen and grass and I always feel the onset of allergies. What’s the best way to minimize the effects of allergies without something like allergy shots? Allergens and irritants like pet dander, perfume and smoke can be avoided. But good luck if it’s the family cat. Most pollens, mold spores and house dust mites cannot be completely avoided; but basic cleaning, removing broadloom carpeting and closing windows at night help. Dehumidifying the basement and humidifying the interior air in the winter helps, too. Drug therapy includes over-the -counter antihistamines such as fexofenadine, prescription drugs like Singulair and topical nasal sprays with steroids or antihistamines. Do not use over-the-counter nasal decongestants as your nose will become addicted to them. Allergy shots do work but they are time consuming and you will get to know every patient in your doctor’s practice as you wait the half-hour after each shot in the waiting room.
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When I get stressed, I often break out in hives. What’s the best way to stop the itch and help the swelling? Hives are a skin reaction mediated by histamine, so any antihistamine will do. The fastest acting is Benadryl but it can be sedating. OTC non-sedating anti-histamines such as loratidine are available. Keep cool as the hives will worsen with anything that heats you up. If ordinary life stresses are affecting you daily then consider seeing your doctor about it.
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What is a heel spur? I work on my feet all day and my feet are always hurting me. No matter how many inserts or sneakers I try, they don’t seem to help. The heel spur is a bad name for a common problem which is plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a tough canvas-like material that forms the sole of our foot and runs from the heel bone to the bottom of our toes. Walking on hard, unforgiving surfaces all day with hard and unforgiving footwear puts an enormous strain on the fascia and it gets inflamed. After time this inflammation leads to the X-ray appearances of a heel spur. The treatment-
quarantined because a cow got pink eye. Bacterial conjunctivitis is generally not that serious although we can treat it with antibiotic drops. Allergies and viruses can cause pink eye. The most serious causes include herpes that involves the cornea. This gives us a foreign-body sensation in the eye and/or affects our vision and needs to be seen by a doctor immediately. There was an outbreak of mono at my children’s school, what advice should I pass along to them to minimize their risk of contracting it? Mono is a viral illness that most of us endure before we reach grade school. It usually goes undiagnosed early in life because it tends to be a mild illness. If we do get it later in life it can render us quite ill; although the vast majority of cases resolve without incident. Avoiding mono is accomplished using the same techniques that avoid contagion in general: Hand washing, avoiding hand to mouth/nose contact and kissing only those we truly love.
BY GREGORY HEALEY, M.D. though is to relieve the injurious process by modifying our lifestyle and getting footwear that works. Physical therapy and cortisone shots may help; surgery is a last resort and seldom indicated. Is it true that children can outgrow food allergies? My son was once allergic to eggs but doesn’t seem to be so sensitive anymore. Allergies may develop at any time in our life and we may desensitize to allergens over time as well. Food allergies however are potentially very dangerous so I would be very careful about assuming that an allergy is gone. In the case of eggs we tend to be allergic to the protein in the white of the egg and cooking may mitigate that allergy considerably. A raw egg white might still be very allergenic. What causes pink eye? Is it something only children can get? Pink eye has a number of causes. Our children get sent home from school over fear of bacterial conjunctivitis. This fear is irrational and relates to a time when dairy herds were
I read recently that you shouldn’t eat after a certain time at night, say 7 p.m. Can eating late at night really contribute to significant health problems? This is a myth, right up there with “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Thank you, Madison Avenue. Lions do it, the Europeans do it and both those groups groups are healthier than us. Eat, sleep and then play and burn off those extra calories, you’ll be fine. I work a desk job and I don’t exercise enough. Could this affect my health? The good news about exercise is that it doesn’t take much to make a difference. Being completely sedentary is harmful, but modest exercise such as walking for 15 to 20 minutes daily seems to confer most of the benefit of exercising in terms of health and longevity. If you enjoy the six-mile run every day then go for it; but as a doctor, I’m very happy with the one-mile walk. DR. GREGORY J. HEALEY is a family physician in Canton. This column is provided for informational use only and not intended as medical care. See a licensed medical provider to address any health concerns.
WELLNESS
Remember basics to hit ‘big’ goal BY MICHELLE GRAHAM
GOING AFTER BIG GOALS CAN BE scary, overwhelming and daunting. Often people come in and ask how to accomplish these big tasks. Events like running a marathon, doing a long bike race or an extended swim. Even losing 50-100 pounds and working on getting healthy has its challenges. The question remains: How do we reach our goals? I always advocate starting with the basics before you can get the goods. If running a race is your goal, get running. Start with a small run first, perhaps a 5K, then progress to a half marathon and so
on. Check out “Cool Running,” “Couchto-5K Running Plan” to get you headed in the right direction. A good plan can get you the results you want. If riding a bike is something you want to improve upon, get to a spinning class, get outside and challenge yourself through hills and flats. Start with small rides and build on your weekly progress. Setting goals for longer distances and more challenging rides can help move you in the right direction. The Black River Adventure shop can connect you with riders in the area to take your rides to new places and levels. Visit their website at www.blackriveradventures.com. If improving on your swim is a goal, get in the pool. Work on stroke technique and timing. Perhaps a class or an excellent swim coach can help you improve upon these essentials to better swimming. The key to any success is to train specifically for the sport in which you want to participate. A personal trainer also can help motivate you and develop plans that are very specific to the goals you have set. Losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is never easy. Setting some short- and long-term goals is critical to a successful outcome. Start by implementing very basic strategies. Track food consumption with www. myfitnesspal.com. It can heighten your awareness of how and what you eat. If you want to change how you look, you
Take a class, enter a challenge, find a friend and get motivated to change. Little steps lead to big success. Remember to build a fabulous foundation. have to examine how you eat. Simply watching portions, eating more fruits and vegetables, decreasing fat intake and cutting back on sugary snacks and drinks are steps to healthier living and eating. Get moving. Start out slow with an exercise program that includes walking and biking at a moderate pace and slowly build on your time and intensity. Incorporate low intensity and higher intensities of exercise as you progress. Getting fit and losing weight is not a 100-meter sprint; it’s more like a marathon: slow and steady wins the race. Take a class, enter a challenge, find a friend and get motivated to change. Little steps lead to big success. Remember to build a fabulous foundation before you get the prize. MICHELLE L. GRAHAM, MS, is wellness director for Watertown’s Downtown YMCA. Contact her at ymca_mgraham@yahoo.com.
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HEALTH
JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY LIVING
Neil Katzman holds a pair of 5XL sweatpants he wore before he underwent gastric bypass surgery last summer. Mr. Katzman has lost 110 pounds in less than a year since his procedure.
A surgical path to health Increasing number of north country residents turning to gastric bypass surgery
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BY KEN EYSAMAN
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LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, NEIL Katzman tipped the scales at a rotund 355 pounds, a figure now so far in his past that even those who know him well have a hard time remembering him so heavy. After decades of trying — and eventually flat out giving up – traditional diets that yielded more ups and downs than a roller coaster ride, Mr. Katzman decided to follow the advice of his internist, and undergo gastric bypass surgery. It’s a procedure that more and more north country residents have turned to with impressive results. Nine months post-surgery, Mr. Katzman, who stands an unassuming 5-foot-7, weighs 245 pounds and has gone from a 56-inch waist to a 44-inch waist and from 5XL shirts to single extra-large. He is full of energy and is eager to share his story with anyone who has lost hope for weight loss. “It’s a second chance; a real gift,” he said. “When you get a gift like this you have to share it.” Dr. Collins F. Kellogg, Mr. Katzman’s
doctor and founding physician of Watertown Internists on Public Square, said that as the population of obese people in America blossoms, the number of those electing to head to an operating room for gastric bypass surgery also has climbed. “Certainly Upstate New York contributes to the trend,” he said, adding that like Mr. Katzman, “the vast majority of people who have had the surgery have failed multiple times” with more conventional weight loss efforts. In the past 10 to 12 years, Dr. Kellogg counts 43 of his patients who have had the surgery, 20 to 30 of whom have been in the past two years, a fact he attributes to much-improved care in the region as Syracuse is now home to a Bariatric Center of Excellence. “Now there is a place just an hour down the road that is of exceptional quality for this procedure that patients no longer have to travel great distances,” he said. A self-described “big man” for more than 30 years, Mr. Katzman ceded his existence to being heavy for the rest of his
life as side effects of his weight started to pile on with a diagnosis of diabetes and high blood pressure. It was news of diabetes that convinced him to listen to his doctor. His late father, George, eventually succumbed to the disease following severe complications. “Dr. Kellogg said to me, ‘Neil, you have got to do something about this. I don’t want to see you have to get on insulin like your father. You know the repercussions, you’ve seen it,’” Mr. Katzman said. Mr. Katzman was 58 when Dr. William A. Graber, who heads a Bariatric Center of Excellence in New Hartford, performed the surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center on July 13, 2011. Dr. Graber and his team of surgeons have performed more than 4,000 gastric bypass procedures on patients from across Central and Northern New York at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare in Utica, and St. Joseph’s. The only other location for gastric bypass surgery in the north country is in Saranac Lake at Adirondack Medical Center, which also has a Bariatric Center of Excellence. However,
The Neil Katzman file AGE: 59 HOMETOWN: Watertown, 193 Green St. PROFESSIONAL: Small businessman: Owner, Soft Water By George residential water treatment, well drilling, snow plowing, asphalt sealing and licensed real estate broker. WEIGHT BEFORE SURGERY: 355 pounds WEIGHT AFTER SURGERY: 245 pounds WEIGHT LOSS SINCE SURGERY: 110 pounds in eight months, an average of 13.75 pounds a month.
beef before pushing back from the table. “It’s still a shock every day,” he said. “Some days my eyes are bigger than my stomach. You just know now that if you overeat you get very uncomfortable.” Mr. Katzman credits the many local restaurants he frequents for accommodating his new limitations. “Cavallario’s, Ives Hill, Schuler’s, Art’s Jug, Pete’s, Sboro’s, Karen and Jasper’s; the local restaurants cater to me, but they’d do it for anyone. They have been unbelievable,” he said. KEN EYSAMAN is editor for NNY Living. Contact him at 661-2399 or keysaman@wdt.net.
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the wait for the procedure there can be more than a year. The 90-minute surgery was on a Wednesday and Mr. Katzman recalls coming out “a sick boy,” but with nothing Dr. Graber didn’t expect for a gastric bypass patient. “Dr. Graber told my mother and sister that I’d be in the hospital through the weekend to recover,” Mr. Katzman said. “I woke up at five the next morning and by seven I was telling my nurse that it was time to go for a walk. I never went back to my room.” On Friday morning, just two days after surgery, doctors cut Mr. Katzman off from his diabetes medication, though he continues to take blood pressure meds, which he expects to wane off in the coming weeks. His initial weight loss was unbelievable in the first six months. The first four to five months it seemed like it was just melting off at a pace of about four pounds a week. Since, his weight loss has slowed to a bit to two to three pounds a week. “In that first six months I lost 100 pounds,” he said. While the weight loss has been nothing short of phenomenal, Mr. Katzman said he has also made some dramatic changes in his lifestyle. Before surgery, he had never taken a vitamin in his life. “Now I take about six different vitamins a day,” he said. “With spring coming, I am getting outside more to walk and exercise.” Dr. Kellogg said an ideal candidate for the surgery is one who has a real commitment to make a major lifestyle change, adding that “people must be very motivated to do it.” “The surgery itself is not a panacea,” he said. “It’s a lot more than that.” Mr. Katzman dismisses those who might say surgery is an extreme approach to weight loss. “It’s a lot better than the other consequences I was facing,” he said. “It’s not a radical approach — it’s an intelligent approach. It’s a lot easier said to go on a diet
than to actually do it.” Since doctors rerouted his digestive system to create a much smaller stomach, Mr. Katzman has dramatically cut his portions at the dinner table but, rather surprisingly, he has not given up on much of what he ate before gastric bypass. “I still enjoy the same foods I enjoyed before the surgery, only now I just eat a lot less,” he said. A typical meal in his former days as a foodie would include a 16-ounce prime rib, a double side of pasta and bread and butter. Today, he often orders from the children’s menu but even then, he has a hard time finishing a four-ounce slice of
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Clockwise from top left: Cloud Gate — referred to by Chicagoans as ‘The Bean,’ — a public sculpture by British artist Anish Kapoor (Photo by Patrick Pyszka); Wrigley Field; night skyline from Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, the Field Museum, Chicago Lakefront Path, a dinosaur exhibit at the Field Museum.
36 HOURS
Take flight to a Windy City in waiting Metro Chicago calls with direct air from Watertown
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TEXT BY KYLE R. HAYES | PHOTOS COURTESY CITY OF CHICAGO / GRC
FRIDAY,9A.M.,YOU HAVE ARRIVED Once you arrive, make your way downtown and check in at the W Chicago — Lakeshore. Located right on N. Lake Shore Drive, the W is the ultimate escape from a long day wandering the city. The entire hotel is designed to be sleek and modern and overlooks Lake Michigan. Just steps from Navy Pier, a major tour-
ist destination, your weekend home is located within walking distance of shopping, food and a beach. The W hotel chain offers boutique-style hotel surroundings and service, but with the wallet-friendly price of a chain. W. Chicago-Lakeshore, 644 N. Lake Shore Drive, 1 (312) 943-9200. FRIDAY, NOON, LET’S ROLL Though you’ve spent all morning in and out of airports, being searched by security and hauling luggage, it’s time to see the city. And who wants to see the city from the back seat of a cab? For a unique way to take in the lake shore, head out to Navy Pier and visit the Bike and Roll store to rent a couple of bikes. Whether tandem bikes, adult bikes or carriages for kids, they’ve got rentals for everyone in the family. Also, there are 10 locations along the lakefront, so you can pick up and drop off bikes whenever you’ve had your fill of exercise or sightseeing. Bike and Roll Chicago — Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., 1 (312) 729-1000. FRIDAY, 1 P.M., UNDER THE SEA Now that you’ve got your bikes and
helmets, it’s time to roll. If you’re bringing children along for the trip, or if you’re just a kid at heart, then the first stop should be to John G. Shedd Aquarium. Heading south from the hotel, along the Lake Shore Bike Path, the aquarium is at 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive. The aquarium was the brain child of John G. Shedd, a marketing executive, who wanted to make a lasting impression on Chicago. First opened in 1930, the aquarium now features its own Caribbean reef, complete with moray eels, green sea turtles, parrot fish and sharks in a 90,000-gallon circular habitat. Throughout the summer there are up to six aquatic shows daily featuring dolphins and beluga whales. Show times and the number of shows vary daily, so check the website before making plans. John G. Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, 1 (312) 939-2438 FRIDAY, 4 P.M., JURASSIC PARK A step away from the aquarium, across what is called Museum Campus, is Field Museum at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. The museum bills itself as having 4.6 billion years’ worth of history inside, and that’s
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NORTHERN NEW YORK HAS A NEW neighbor. With American Eagle Airlines flying out of Watertown International Airport to Chicago-O’Hare, crossing lakes Ontario and Michigan takes less time than the drive from Watertown to Albany. Flights leave Watertown at 7:10 a.m. every day but Sunday and at 5:05 p.m. every day except Saturday. Booking a flight is as easy as visiting the American Airlines website at www.americanairlines.com. Founded in 1837, Chicago is celebrating 175 years of history, hot dogs, deep dish pizza and baseball. While winters can rival those in upstate New York, a spring visit will ensure gardens in bloom and mild weather to walk, or bike, the lake shore and city streets.
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no wise tale. Current exhibits include “Opening the Vaults: Mummies,” which runs until April 22, and “Genghis Khan” featuring historical information and artifacts about the Mongol emperor, which runs until Sept. 3. The mummies exhibit features mummies that have not been on public display for more than 100 years. Also living inside the historical walls of the museum is Sue. Sue is the most complete, best preserved tyrannosaurus rex fossil in the world. Since May 2000, when Sue went on public display, more than 16 million visitors have entered the museum
to see the fossil. To make the interaction with Sue even more life-like, the museum has produced “Wake the T.Rex 3D: The Story of Sue,” which plays in the Ernst and Young 3D theater until Aug. 11. The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, 1 (312) 922-9410. SATURDAY, NOON, TIME TO BREW A day of traveling, and braving the notoriously crazed crowds at Chicago’s O’Hare airport means starting day two in Chicago at a slower pace. Goose Island Brewpub has been producing local, craft
beers since 1988. The brewpub crafts 19 different beer varieties, from classic ales to the signature Bourbon County Stout, a dark and dense stout with notes of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke, not something for the casual beer taster. Sixty- to 90-minute beer tastings and tours of the Goose Island brewery are available by reservation only and depart at 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 1:30, 3 and 4:30 p.m. Sundays. For $10 per person, everyone tries six of the current beer selections and receives a souvenir pint glass. Goose Island Brewery, 1800 N. Clybourn, 1 (312) 915-0071, www. gooseisland.com. SATURDAY,2P.M.,CHI-TOWN LEGEND It wouldn’t be a proper trip to Chicago if deep dish pizza weren’t involved. A visit to the original Gino’s East of Chicago is in order no matter what time of year you visit. The company was started by two taxi drivers and a friend and has grown into a mid-west institution known for their deep dish crust and fresh ingredients. The “Meaty Legend” is made with Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, bacon and pepperoni, while the “Chicago Fire” has extra-hot patty-style sausage, fireroasted peppers and red onion. The dining atmosphere is a lot like the Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, with graffitied tables and notes from visitors written on the walls. 162 E. Superior St. between Michigan Ave. and St. Clair St. 1 (312) 266-3337, www.ginoseast.com.
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SATURDAY,3P.M.,SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP Spend the afternoon meandering down Michigan Avenue, also known as the Magnificent Mile. This avenue is a worldrenowned shopping, dining and hospitality epicenter. If you think you need it, it’s
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probably on the Magnificent Mile. From the Apple Store to Kiehl’s Cosmetics and Louis Vuitton, the Magnificent Mile is packed with something for the entire family. The Shops at North Bridge, 520 N. Michigan Ave., is a must-visit. Spanning six blocks, the Shops at North Bridge feature 20 restaurants and more than 50 stores, including a four-level shopping center anchored by a flagship Nordstrom store. To make shopping a little more festive, for the month of May the Magnificent Mile is lined with thousands of tulips to celebrate the onset of spring. www. themagnificentmile.com SATURDAY, 5 P.M., URBAN OASIS After an afternoon of retail therapy, or shopping overload, drop your bags off at the hotel and head to Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Avenue. This 24.5acre park was once an industrial wasteland, used by the rail industry throughout the 1900s. In 1997, with financial contributions from the private and public sectors, the park was transformed under the vision of Mayor Richard M. Daley and architect Frank Gehry. Today, the park is the
36 Hours TELL US WHERE TO GO n ‘36 Hours’ is a regular feature of NNY Living. To recommend a destination you’d like to learn more about, email Editor Ken Eysaman at keysaman@wdt.net or tell us on Facebook at Facebook.com/NNYLiving.
venue for more than 525 free events each year, including the massive Chicago Jazz Festival, scheduled for Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 this year. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, also designed by Frank Gehry, has a state-ofthe-art sound system the replicates indoor acoustics in an outdoor setting. Also housed inside Millennium Park is British artist Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate,” lovingly called “The Bean” by locals. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture reflects the city’s skyline and the clouds above it. 201 E. Randolph St., www.millenniumpark.org. SUNDAY, 10 A.M., BATTER UP No matter what time of year you plan a visit to Chicago, visiting Wrigley Field is necessary for any baseball fan. Built in 1914, Wrigley Field will host Major League Baseball for the 99th season this year, and has been home to the Chicago
Cubs for 97 years. Daily tours are offered on game days and non-game days for $25 per person, free for children ages 2 and younger. On non-game days the 75- to 90-minute guided tours include visits to the seating bowl, press box, bleachers, visitor’s clubhouse, Cubs’ clubhouse and dugout and offer a chance to step on the field. Game day tours don’t visit clubhouses, but include the indoor batting cage and offers early entry to the ballpark. 1060 W. Addison St., 1 (773) 404-CUBS (2827) http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/ballpark/index.jsp. GETTING HERE From Interstate 81, take Exit 46, NYS Route 12F / Coffeen St. Follow Route 12F three-and-a-half miles west to 22529 Airport Drive, Dexter. Airport parking is free, but uncovered and not gated. Flights leave Watertown International Airport at 7:10 a.m. every day but Sunday and at 5:05 p.m. every day except Saturday. Visit American Airlines online at www. americanairlines.com to book a flight. Airport information is available at www. WatertownInternationalAirport.com. KYLE R. HAYES is associate magazine editor for NNY Living. Contact him at 661-2496 or khayes@wdt.net.
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THIS IS NNY
A dentist’s sugary hobby Rookie mistake marks beginning of new passion
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hen Dr. Scott A. LaClair first began tapping trees on his property on Deer Run in the town of Watertown he made one small mistake: The hobby maple farmer tapped oak trees instead of maple trees. From that, his “Tapped Oak Sugar Shack” was born. Dr. LaClair spends most work days seeing patients at his dental firm, LaClair Family Dental, which has offices in Clayton and Carthage. During late winter and early spring, his evenings and weekends are centered on his sugar shack, spending time with friends and family tapping trees, testing and then boiling sap to turn into syrup. He doesn’t sell his syrup in any stores and sends visitors home with a bottle or two to try because it’s all a hobby. This year, at the end of tree-tapping season, Dr. LaClair and his family hosted a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at their home, complete with an abundance of fresh “Tapped Oak Sugar Shack” maple syrup. Clockwise from right, Dr. LaClair, left, and M.D. Mathys share a laugh as Jay Jones tests the final product. A sign hangs outside of Dr. LaClair’s “Tapped Oak Sugar Shack.” Maxwell Gray, 9, pours sap into a larger bucket for transporting as Hunter LaClair, 11, tries to drink sap out of the tap. Buckets to collect sap hang from trees that line the wooded area surrounding the LaClair home. The density of concentrated sap is tested prior to beginning the boiling process. A copy of “Backyard Sugarin.’” Syrup boils in an evaporator. — Kyle R. Hayes
Clockwise from top, photos by Justin Sorensen and Amanda Morrison.
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ARTS
A sterling family trade Couple creates world-class jewelry, passes craft to generations
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TEXT BY GABRIELLE HOVENDON | PHOTOS BY NORM JOHNSTON
I N T H E I R 35 Y E A R S I N B U S I N E S S , north country natives Patricia M. and Robert E. “Butch” Bramhall have created a treasure trove. There is a silver belt set with garnets and handmade silver flowers, a bird’s nest pendant with silver eggs, a pair of miniature silver snowshoes with real leather pads and an 18-karat gold basket no larger than the tip of a thumb. There are also rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and a foot-long sterling silver model of a fishing pole, complete with a silver creel basket, a woven wire fishing net, tiny tufted flies and a working 18-karat gold fishing line. Known as the Stonehouse Silversmiths, the Bramhalls have drawn attention over the years for the high quality and intricacy of their craftsmanship. Their work has been displayed everywhere from the Lake Placid Center for the Arts and the Colorscape Chenango Arts
Festival to Country Living and Gourmet magazines, where their pieces appeared alongside ones from Bulgari and Tiffany & Co. Lifelong residents of Croghan, the Bramhalls work from their home studio
with materials such as sterling silver, high-karat gold, lapis and turquoise to create their one-of-a-kind pieces – many of which sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Despite their sterling success story,
however, the Stonehouse Silversmiths had their start in scarcity. “I always wanted jewelry, and I couldn’t afford to buy it, so I made it,” Mr. Bramhall said. “That’s the reason I got started, I guess. I’ve always worked with my hands.” Originally a payroll accountant, Mr. Bramhall left his job and joined his wife in turning their part-time antiques business into a livelihood more than three decades ago. They then traveled around the country with their two children, seeing all 50 states and each Canadian province as well as several Central American countries. For several years, they collected antiques in Northern New York and sold them to a dealer in Texas before heading south to Acapulco, where they bought other antiques to bring back north and sell. In their spare time, they began to pursue their interests in metalwork. “In the beginning we didn’t have
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Patricia M. Bramhall displays two baskets woven from sterling silver. Mrs. Bramhall and her husband, Robert E. “Butch,� founded Stonehouse Silversmiths in Croghan.
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any money, so we Ms. Nortz attends 15 couldn’t afford to buy to 20 farmers markets silver,” said Mrs. Brameach year, and both her hall. She described how sons work with silver her husband would take as well. She explained broken bits of sterling that her parents taught silver antique t ines from her not only the basics forks and pieces of old of silverwork when she trophies, for example was young but also the and create new jewelry value of experimentafrom them. tion. “He was very inven “They gave me the contive,” she said. fidence to give it a whirl The Bramhalls’ skills and see what would are almost entirely happen,” she said. “It self-taught, with Mrs. was okay if it didn’t Bramhall applying her work – then you would knowledge of natural try something else. We fiber baskets to metal were brought up to be Pat Bramhall displays an intricate silver dreamcatcher made by Stonehouse Silversmiths. basketry around the willing to try something same time that Mr. new… I think that was Bramhall began making very valuable.” jewelry. Her creel and Adirondack baskets for the past decade, and she owns and The Bramhalls’ granddaughter, Emfollow traditional patterns and employ operates Silver Bench Jewelry a mile away ily Mae Widrick, also operates a jewelry handmade buckles, functional rivets shop in Croghan. Called Sterling Roots from her parents’ home in Croghan. and decorative handles, and she and “My mom and dad are really wonderful by Emily Mae and located six miles from Mr. Bramhall make the wooden lids and the Bramhalls’ home, the shop features silversmiths,” Ms. Nortz said. “My dad leather straps themselves. a range of mostly sterling silver jewelry would help me with anything I needed The Bramhalls have also passed on designed and created by Ms. Widrick. help with, but he was also very encouragwhat they’ve learned to their children “I’ve always done it growing up. I ing; he always encouraged us to give it a and grandchildren. Their daughter, Lisa would sit on Butch’s lap when I was a whirl on our own.” A. Nortz, has been a fulltime silversmith little girl and he’d show me how to make In addition to 25 or 30 craft shows,
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To learn more STONEHOUSE SILVERSMITHS n To see more examples of Pat and Butch Bramhall’s work or to contact them, visit www. patandbutchbramhall.com or call 346-1205.
things,” she said. “I think growing up and seeing what they could do with things has had a huge influence on my entire life and my lifestyle … I think that they are the two of the most inspiring, inspirational, coolest people I’ve met in my entire life.” In addition to passing on their skills to their children and grandchildren, the Bramhalls have never hesitated to share their knowledge of metalwork with strang-
‘‘
We’ve been doing what we want to do pretty much since 1964. I can’t think of anything I’d do differently. — Robert E. “Butch”Bramhall
GABRIELLE HOVENDON is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and a freelance writer who lives in Watertown. Contact her at ghoven don@gmail.com
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ers through demonstrations, presentations and regular classes. They have published instructions for weaving their metal baskets in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and Rock & Gem magazine, and they have given demonstrations at the Arts Center in Troy, the Rome Basketry Symposium and the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tenn., among other places. These days, though, the Stonehouse Silversmiths are beginning to slow down. They still make appearances at a handful of art and craft shows each year, including the Annual High Peaks Arts & Antiques Show in Keene Valley, and they sell pieces at their home and off their website to loyal clients and collectors. However, they have accumulated enough stock that they now only undertake to create what is in their hearts — a principle that has guided them throughout their long careers as silversmiths. “I worked for a living for a while, and I shouldn’t have done it,” Mr. Bramhall said. “We’ve been doing what we want to do pretty much since 1964. I can’t think of anything I’d do differently.”
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The Orchestra of Northern New York performs during the February “Bravo Bach!” concert at Watertown’s Trinity Episcopal Church. AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING
COVER STORY
An artistic community Arts continue to thrive in north country
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STORY BY KYLE R. HAYES | NNY LIVING future of the arts community to look like. “The arts council is taking our role very seriously as a council responsible for sharing information for all groups,” he said. “We want to be a catalyst for other people’s creativity in whatever medium they choose.” Promoting creativity and supporting the artists who help feed the success of organizations like NCAC throughout Northern New York is a sentiment echoed across the region, from Watertown to the river community of Clayton and into the throws of St. Lawrence County at the St. Lawrence County Arts Council. Hilary M. Oak is the executive director of the St. Lawrence County Arts Council. “We restarted the organization 10 years ago and I’ve certainly seen the appreciation of our local artists increase throughout that time,” Ms. Oak said. “We have more than 600 members and we’re growing all the time. The arts council represents more than 300 artists in our gift shop as well.” Ms. Oak makes it clear that the purpose of arts organizations is to support the arts community, not to capitalize on it. “We promote the arts, we realize we have incredible talent and we want to help the artist be successful in marketing their work not only within St. Lawrence County, but exporting it beyond our county,” she said.
Both the St. Lawrence and North Country arts councils are in the midst of major projects that will expand the array of performances, films and events open to those looking for something a little different. “The arts council is working with Clarkson University to develop downtown Snell Hall in Potsdam into a multi-arts center,” Ms. Oak said. “We have studios in old Snell Hall, a dance studio and pottery studio for classes; but we hope to have the addition of more theater performances open to the public by renovating that space.” Ms. Oak said the arts council and Clarkson are in the process of establishing funding, resources and staffing to ensure that the expansion of offerings at Snell Hall will be sustainable. “In these economic times, it’s difficult to develop large projects,” she said. “The development of Snell Hall was something that was considered part of the economic development plan for the north country. It is on the radar for long-term development.” A major goal for NCAC is Screen on the Square, a 60- to 100-seat independent, art and foreign language film and documentary theater in Watertown’s Franklin Building. “Screen on the Square would be a multifaceted space with infinite uses,” Mr. Miller said. “It will afford us the opportunity to connect via satellite to arts organizations
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WHEN TALKING WITH MICHAEL C. Miller, president of the North Country Arts Council, about the arts in Northern New York, it’s hard to get a word in edgewise. From development of Screen on the Square, the arts council’s latest major project, to celebrating a year in Watertown’s restored Franklin Building, promoting events, garnering membership and planning for the future, Mr. Miller has a lot going on. But that’s a good thing and he has a lot of skilled help, he’ll tell you. As a longtime supporter of the arts, and a Watertown native, Mr. Miller is passionate about seeing the arts council, and its members, fuel a creative future in the north country. Mr. Miller grew up in Watertown in the heyday of community-supported arts — when a community concert series packed the newly built auditorium at Watertown High School, and the Avon Theater on Public Square was an arts destination. “I saw my first opera at the Avon Theater,” he said. “It was a poor rendition of ‘Carmen,’ but it was still a wonderful opportunity.” Working with a 15-person board of directors, core groups of volunteers and with input from more than 300 members, Mr. Miller and the arts council have a keen grasp on what they would like the
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around the world, from Live in Lincoln building is set to open in spring 2014 next from Hosmer Hall and will again bring Center to the National Theater in London. door to the Crane School of Music and the Rebecca Kelly Ballet dance camp and I think it will be a great opportunity for house Potsdam’s Department of Theater performance in July. people in Watertown, and at a reasonable and Dance, forming an arts corridor on “The reason the arts scene is alive and cost. I hope this would be another reason campus. Also residing on campus is the well in the north country is that there is to make Public Square a destination.” Community Performance Series, led by no way we could bring the caliber of per The Screen on the Square space would Executive Director Amy L. Flack. CPS formances here if it weren’t for the fundalso be available for schools and groups of provides unique programming for both ing and support in terms of local busichildren to watch docunesses, sponsorships, mentaries, animated partnerships and ticket features and cartoons sales,” Ms. Flack said. from around the world When the Syracuse and in many languages. Symphony Orchestra Mr. Miller also said the filed for bankruptcy space could be used and ceased operafor meetings in which tion, a void was left business professionals in the music market could use the technolthroughout Jefferson ogy, audio and video to County and Northern connect with the rest of New York, according the world. to Rande S. Richard “We will have a oneson, executive director step stage in there, so of the Northern New it can be a small venue York Community for recitals,” Mr. Miller Foundation. said. “Music teachers “The commuin town are constantly nity foundation has looking for venues for a tradition of suptheir students and a port for live musical 400-seat auditorium performances in the isn’t what they want. Watertown area,” Mr. This will be an extraorRichardson said. “We dinary gift to the city.” had an endowment Mr. Miller said the to provide annual goal is to open Screen performances in the on the Square by area. We worked with JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY LIVING the end of this year. Orchestra of Northern Isabelle Marsala of Rhonda’s Footworks dances to the song “Photograph” during the March The arts council has New York before and Dance Xplosion competition at the Dulles State Office Building. worked with local they are of the north and Syracuse-based firms to establish adults and children with between 10 and country and seem to have a sustainable blueprints as well as audio, visual and 14 performances a year, as well as adminbusiness model.” satellite equipment plans for the $150,000 istrative and box office services for other The Orchestra of Northern New York project, he said. organizations, like Orchestra of Northern made a return to the Watertown scene in One large testament to the power of New York. October 2011 with its first concert in 10 the arts can be seen on SUNY Potsdam’s This year, CPS has brought NPR’s years at a Watertown location. In Februcampus. A $41 million performing arts “From the Top” program to broadcast live ary, the orchestra returned with “Bravo
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Bach!” and will celebrate its 25th annivertions and businesses jump at the chance to and Traditional Arts in Upstate New York. sary in 2013. support something like the opera house,” Looking at the economic impact of “Next year we are planning some pretty Mr. Gleason said. the arts on the state, the nonprofit arts exciting things,” Jared T. Carey, business In financial years 2011 and 2012, the advancement organization Americans for manager for ONNY, said. “We are in the New York State Council for the Arts the Arts in January 2010 stated that New planning stages now, but we’re (schedgranted $22,831 to the Thousand Islands York was home to 53,085 arts-related busiuling) a minimum of three concerts in Performing Arts Fund and the Antique nesses that employ 335,683 people. A 2005 Watertown, and many more throughout Boat Museum, Clayton. study facilitated by the same organization St. Lawrence County.” reported that $166.2 Joseph Gleason is only billion in total national in his second month as economic activity was executive director of the generated by the arts. Thousand Islands PerAlong with 5.7 million forming Arts Fund at the full-time equivalent Clayton Opera House. jobs, the nonprofit arts In two months’ time he and culture indushas been finishing booktry generates more ing the coming summer than $104.2 billion in season of shows and gethousehold income. An ting to know the opera updated version of the house and the commusame study, called “Arts nity that surrounds it. and Economic Prosper “Traditionally, the ity IV: The Economic opera house has done Impact of Nonprofit a bulk of the programArts and Culture ming in the summer,” Organizations and their Mr. Gleason said. “My Audiences,” will be goals involve expandavailable June 8. ing into the off-season One of Mr. Miller’s months and bringing goals for the future of entertainment into the the North Country Arts north country that you Council is to work with wouldn’t get unless you Jefferson Community travel to Syracuse and College on a regional Utica. There’s an opporsurvey to investigate tunity to do that.” the impact of the culAMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING Mr. Gleason said tural arts in Northern Conductor Kenneth Andrews leads the Orchestra of Northern New York during a February that funding for TIPAF New York. performance at Trinity Episcopal Church in Watertown. comes from a variety of “Getting a look at sources, including an endowment, gov That funding is one of the primary what needs are or aren’t being met helps ernment grants, ticket sales, community grant programs for arts organizations in us when creating programming, but it support and individual donors. As with the state. For financial year 2012, NYSCA also helps other nonprofits, too,” Mr. any organization, funding is necessary to contributed $273,965 in grant monies to Miller said. keep the doors open. organizations in St. Lawrence County, KYLE R. HAYES is associate magazine editor “We have great resources here in the including the Frederic Remington Art Mu- for NNY Living. Contact him at khayes@wdt.net north country and many local organizaseum, St. Lawrence County Arts Council or 661-2381.
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FEATURES
Kirk Severtson plays the piano as Kathleen Miller sings at SUNY Potsdam’s Snell Hall during an alumni composition recital for Crane’s 125th Anniversary. JASON HUNTER | NNY LIVING
Celebrating a musical milestone Potsdam’s Crane School of Music marks 125 years of innovation, education
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BY KYLE R. HAYES
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I N 1886, W H E N J U L I A E . C R A N E founded the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, there were no computers or iPads, no MP3s and certainly no auto-tune. In fact, Thomas Edison had just invented the carbon microphone less than a decade prior. When the Crane School of Music was founded, Ms. Crane was an innovator by a different definition. She created an institution that taught excellence in music performance and trained individuals to be specialists in teaching music in public schools. Today, the school has taken those core values and built upon them to offer specialized programming in musical studies, music education, performance and business of music. Celebrating a milestone anniversary this year, the Crane School of Music is commemorating 125 years in the tradition of innovation. Michael R. Sitton is the current dean for the Crane school. While having held
his position for just three years, he has ensured that the school continues to build on its esteemed history but tailors students’ education to the modern day. “Everyone knows it’s a challenging time for public education, but these changes have been underway for a while,” Mr. Sitton said. “We find students are taking advantage of opportunities at Crane to make themselves versatile.” Mr. Sitton said that an important aspect to celebrating the 125th anniversary of the school is to do a fair amount of interior reflection. “We look at what we do and ask how we can adapt that for the next generation,” Mr. Sitton said. “The music education faculty are thinking about the curriculum we offer our students and looking at how it needs to reflect the realities of the music education scene.” Crane has approximately 590 students enrolled and has a faculty of 70 professors specializing in anything from trumpet
to music theory. Admission to the Crane school is based on several factors. Students must first be accepted into SUNY Potsdam, and then will be asked to participate in an audition. Auditions are held both on campus and throughout the state and include an oral evaluation, a test to evaluate the student’s musical ear and their performance. “There are very healthy, talented and young students who are excited about entering the music profession,” Mr. Sitton said. “We continue to see talented students interested in college music study.” One program that was added to the Crane curriculum about a decade ago was the music business program. According to Mr. Sitton, many students gravitate toward the business program to expand not only their abilities but their experience at Crane. Carol “Kickie” Britt is coordinator for the music business program and executive director of the Crane Institute for Music Business.
Please see CRANE, page 45
THE NNY LIFE
Cherishing Army friends despite the sad goodbyes BY KATIE STOKES
They’ve had one too many close friends move away and lose touch. And I have to admit, the effect can feel cumulative when you’re within the emotional turmoil of getting used to someone else you loved being gone. I think another aspect is that it’s hard not to look at these friendships as an investment. We’re taught early on in life that, to be successful, we should spend our efforts where we’ll get back the maximum benefit. Time is money. Under those rules, emotional investment followed by loss after total loss will bankrupt even the richest heart. But, after a decade I can say, thank God we’re people, not numbers. In short, I believe the women I’ve let into my life are totally worth the hit I take when they leave. In fact, I feel maybe I am taking far more from them than I’m giving. I am far richer because of what they share. My military friends in particular are wise about life in a way I’ll probably never have to be. They not only shore up their homes and families, they take care of all the tiny details that many of us require a partnership to manage: filing taxes, vehicle maintenance, handling flooded basements, leaky roofs, dinner and soccer practice schedules, snow removal and school drama. They’re boundlessly creative in finding ways to shore up each other’s families too. And by opening myself up even though I am almost 100 percent positive there will come a point at which they’ll no longer be there to depend on, I’ve gotten some added bonuses. Just this week after my son, Hunk, came down with a terrible case of croup that sent us to the hospital in Syracuse, my friends didn’t just extend sympathy; they sent food. The biggest test I’ve encountered in implementing my sweet, dreamy little
Please see NNY LIFE, page 45
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IT WAS A FRESH AND GREEN summer morning in June the last time I said goobye to a dear friend I’ll likely never see again. I say the last time, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. It will. Again. And again. Something I’ve learned: You can’t live in the north country — military or civilian — without living your days braced against some impending separation. This friend is an Army wife with whom I share so much in common. We only had to meet a handful of times before we became close, trusted confidantes. That sundappled day on the Tin Pan Galley patio in Sackets Harbor we drank coffee, ate gourmet omelets and fought back tears as we chatted about nothing in particular because, what do you say? My friend was scheduled to move halfway across the world, to Spain, in just a few short days. An exceptionally exotic destination in this case, but I’ve shared similar goobyes with friends who moved to Maryland, Georgia, Alaska, Texas in much less picturesque spots: Mudrooms, sidewalks, kitchens and parking lots. Of course we made promises to visit — and Madrid wouldn’t be a terrible place to have a slumber party — but do I really think it’s going to happen? I have my doubts. Despite the fact that the friends I’ve met here in the north country — especially the military spouses — are the strongest, warmest, most interesting women I’ve ever known. I’m still only in touch with a handful who have moved out of the area but it’s not for lack of trying. We stay in touch on Facebook. We exchange Christmas cards and birthday well-wishes, we say we’ll take trips — and I have even caught up with a couple of them after they moved away. It’s never the same though. I’ve had more than a few “locals” tell me that they can’t handle it anymore.
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HISTORY
Phortknightly Klub members on Galloo Island during their yearly gathering. Former Secretary of State Robert Lansing is in the seated row, fifth from the right.
JEFFERSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
An esteemed gentlemen’s Klub Prominent men gathered first for academics then island getaways
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BY LENKA P. WALLDROFF
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SOCIAL CLUBS WERE POPULAR organizations during the 19th and 20th centuries. Initially segregated into men’s and women’s clubs, these organizations afforded like-minded people the opportunity to gather together and share common interests. Among these late 19th century clubs was the iconic Fortnightly Club. Still in existence today, active Fortnightly Clubs are sprinkled throughout the country. Watertown had its own Fortnightly Club that was started as a study group in 1889 by George Camp. The group’s membership was exclusive, with only 12 original members —many of whom would go on to become prominent citizens of Watertown. The original Fortnightly Club members were William Stebbins, Gary Jones, Charles Valentine, Fred Boyer, Robert Buck, Robert Lansing, Edward Smith, Samuel Upham, Stuart Lansing, G. Seymour Knowlton, Charles Parmelee and Matthew Bagg. However, the members were rarely called by their given names. Each member had a nickname by which he was referred to in all club paperwork, programs and on academic papers in lieu of his given
name. Nicknames included Captain Dan, Scare Crow, Sour Belly and Prince of Orange, as examples. Membership to the club was limited to 13 men in total, and was open to any white male over the age of 21. Membership for candidates was voted on by the entire group and had to be approved unanimously. Watertown’s Fortnightly Club gathered together for an academic purpose. The club president, an office that was regularly rotated among the members, chose the general topic and assigned subtopics to each man. Those assignments were presented during subsequent meetings. Fortnightly Club paper topics ranged from Windsor Castle to Social and Political Institutions of the Ancient World and world religions. The only barred topics were “Adam, Eve, Mirabeau, Colonne, Civil Liberty in Germany, John Luther, Martin Calvin, the Carthage and the Watertown and Sackets Harbor Railroad companies,” which were specifically banned by the club’s constitution. Each meeting had a program that listed that evening’s topic and by whom the address was given. These programs, highly decorated, were most likely done by club member and future Secretary of State
Robert Lansing, long recognized as the artist of the group. In addition to presenting papers on all manner of academic subjects, club members amused themselves by writing their own club songs, plays and poems, often composed using whimsical verses. The club’s constitution, written and strictly adhered to by its members, was fashioned with similar flair. This irreverent and playful love of language prompted the membership to eventually change the spelling of the club’s name from the proper “Fortnightly Club” to the “Phortknightly Klub.” The symbol of the Phortknightly Klub was the owl, which represented knowledge that the club wanted to spread and the combined wisdom of its members. Biweekly Klub meetings occurred between October and May, however, the highlight of the season was undoubtedly the two week excursion to the “Klubhouse” on Galloo Island. The trip occurred annually sometime between May and July. The excursion was limited to the members and specifically excluded wives and all female relations. These trips were carefully planned and detailed accounts were taken of all expenditures.
LENKA P. WALLDROFF is curator of collections for the Jefferson County Historical Museum. She is a former museum specialist and conservator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
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It is through these reports that details of the trips have been passed down to the modern day. While the men enjoyed swimming, playing baseball, fishing, gathering around the piano to sing Klub songs and sailing around Lake Ontario in their small yacht, the favored activity during these trips was undoubtedly the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol. The accounting for the 1909 event details that of $198.87 spent on trip provisions, a quarter of the budget, $54.34, was spent on “booze.” Adjusted for inflation, that is approximately $1300 in today’s currency. According to the 1909 report, 12 men consumed eight bottles of vermouth, 11 bottles of gin, six bottles of whiskey and 360 bottles of beer in a span of just 14 days. But it was not all fun and games at the Phortknightly Klub. While the men certainly shared a good deal of amusement, they also shared a strong bond of friendship. During the dark days at the close of World War I, Robert Lansing, who was by then secretary of state in Woodrow Wilson’s cabinet, wrote often to his P.K. friends, asking their advice and depending on them for support. Despite his pressing responsibilities and obligations in Washington, D.C., Lansing returned to the north country every summer for the Galloo Island excursion. The only exception to this was the summer of 1919 when Mr. Lansing was in France negotiating the Treaty of Versaillles. His letters to the P.K. recorded all manner of historic events − the atmosphere at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the behavior of the German delegates and a firsthand account of the celebration that took place throughout Paris after the treaty was signed. In subsequent letters, Mr. Lansing described his falling out with President Wilson and the circumstances leading up to his resignation as secretary of state. The final letter in the Jefferson County Historical Society museum archives from Mr. Lansing to his Phortknightly Klub friends urged them to make the 1920 Galloo Island trip the best in P.K. history. The date of the P.K.’s last meeting is a detail that has been lost. However, it is known that the majority of the original Phortknightly Klub members had passed away by the 1940s. Their passing marked the close of one of the most colorful social clubs that Watertown has ever known.
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FOOD
Signs of spring are here: Time for freshness Few things compare to garden grown ingredients
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BY BOO WELLS
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S P R I N G H A S S P R U N G . T H E W I N T E R T H AT WA S N ’T very wintery has finally morphed into a season of renewal. The signs are everywhere: Garlic I planted in the fall is sprouting up from its thick blanket of mulch. My chickens have begun laying eggs again now that the days are longer. Recipes for ramps or wild leeks are appearing in the food magazines and blogs to which I subscribe. If that isn’t enough, my friend Paul, the owner of Zoar Asparagus Farm, Rodman, is gearing up to harvest the glorious green and purple spears that are soon to emerge. Much like everything else in my life, it is the foods of spring that have me excited. Of course, in this day and age of high-tech farming and high-speed transportation, we have global access to eggs and garlic, even asparagus all year round. Like most things you buy directly from a grower, the difference between asparagus from Peru in December and asparagus picked the same morning you are eating it is remarkable. I have eaten asparagus that Paul has picked only hours prior to it reaching my kitchen. It is bright emerald green or dark purple, depending on the variety. It is crisp and full of moisture, the sound the stem makes when you snap it in half is a
The flavor of fresh asparagus has been enough to turn the ardent asparagus hater into a believer. It is delicate and mild, almost nutty. definitive indicator of how fresh the spears are. The flavor of fresh asparagus has been enough to turn the ardent asparagus hater into a believer. It is delicate and mild, almost nutty. There has been so much delicious asparagus in my kitchen that I have had the luxury of experimenting with how I cook it. I have grilled it, blanched it for salads and pasta dishes, pureed it into creamy soups, steamed it and covered it with a hollandaise sauce or lemon butter, tossed it with olive oil and kosher salt and roasted it in the oven, cooked it in a tinfoil pouch with goat cheese on the grill. Paul’s wife even makes pesto out of the delicate asparagus tips and serves it as a dip with crackers. Could it be possible to have too much fresh asparagus? By the time spring turns into summer, I have eaten so much asparagus, I wonder if I will remember how excited I was at the start of the season or if my glutinous behavior will have dampened my spirits forever — it seems unlikely. Spring is back and it is time once again to start cooking with food fresh from the garden or farmer’s market. The signs of nature’s rebirth are everywhere, the fields that seemed to turn bright green almost overnight, the return of birds that flew south in the fall, people out in their yards enjoying the sunshine and, of course, the stores full of pastel-colored candy and hot pink stuffed bunnies. BOO WELLS is chef and owner of the Farm House Kitchen, a catering company and cooking school in Sackets Harbor. Contact her at sacketsfarm housekitchen@gmail.com or www.thefarmhousekitchen.com.
Spring Niçoise salad with garden fresh asparagus.
JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY LIVING
Spring Niçoise salad Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 6 baby beets, greens removed and washed 2½ tablespoons red-wine vinegar; more as needed 8 artichokes hearts, quartered ¾ pound small, new potatoes ¾ cup plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt 1 clove garlic, pounded to a smooth paste 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 large egg yolk 1 pound Ahi tuna steak Freshly ground black pepper 2 not-so-hard-cooked eggs, peeled 1 handful arugula, washed and dried INSTRUCTIONS Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the beets
loosely in an aluminum foil pouch and roast until the beets can be pierced with a sharp knife, about 45 minutes. When cool, peel and cut them into ½-inch wedges, and toss with 1 tablespoon vinegar and salt to taste; let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Put the potatoes in a shallow baking dish or pan just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, season with a generous amount of salt, and toss well. Add a splash of water (just enough to create a little steam as the potatoes cook). Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a small, sharp knife, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Remove from the oven, vent the foil and let cool at room temperature. To make the vinaigrette, combine the garlic, mustard, 1½ tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk in the egg yolk, and then slowly whisk in ¾ cup oil. Thin the vinaigrette with a few drops of cool water if necessary.
Taste and adjust with more salt or vinegar if necessary. Set aside. Shortly before serving, halve or quarter the potatoes and season with about 1½ tablespoons vinaigrette. Set aside. Season the tuna on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Warm a large skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 3 tablespoons oil and place the tuna in the skillet. Cook, without moving, until seared and nicely browned, about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the tuna. Turn and cook on the opposite side for another 2 to 3 minutes. The tuna should be pink in the center. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Cut the eggs into quarters and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter about half of the arugula around a large platter or individual plates. Tuck the potatoes, artichokes, beets, and eggs in and around the greens. Slice the tuna with a knife and nestle it in and around the other ingredients. Drizzle about 1⁄4 cup vinaigrette over the platter and serve immediately.
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FOOD [ CHEF’S TABLE ]
Osso bucco ranks in top five Once-scoffed-at peasant dish now has ‘very elegant reputation’
MARCH / A PRIL 20 12 | N NY LIVING
BY GEOFF PUCCIA
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EVERYONE HAS A TOP FIVE LIST comprised of the best meals that they have ever eaten. This list changes over the course of one’s life, but like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron sitting comfortably in the top five of all-time home run leaders, there will always be one or two dishes that will endure the test of time on your list. I have had osso bucco on many occasions both locally and during my travels, each having its own unique twist to the classic preparation, but it wasn’t until I encountered this dish in its native region that it had an enduring affect on me. Maybe it was looking out over the endless rows of grapevines as I consumed their perfectly aged nectar, paired nicely with the company of my wife, but whatever it was that day, something became a part of me. I connected with the land, its ancestors and all the passion that for centuries existed within these people, and it was all transmitted down from the cosmos through this one single dish. This feeling has never left me and can be invoked by merely heating up the Dutch oven one day, putting life on hold for a few hours and living in
GEOFF PUCCIA | SPECIAL TO NNY LIVING
Osso Bucco with Farro and Gremolata Serves four
INGREDIENTS
4 2-inch veal shanks ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 medium yellow onion diced ½ head of celery diced 4 whole carrots diced 2 cups white wine ½ can tomato paste 4 cups veal or beef stock Flour for dusting Salt and pepper Shaved Pecorino Romano
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium to large Dutch oven, heat olive oil and butter to just before smoking point. Lightly coat veal shanks in flour and add to pot, turning once when golden brown. Remove shanks from pot and set aside. Add onions, celery and carrots along with salt and pepper to taste and cook for five minutes. Deglaze pot with white wine and continue to cook over high heat while scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon until wine is reduced by half. Return veal shanks to pot and add stock until veal is almost covered. Continue to cook on stove top until braising liquid is simmering. Tightly cover with lid and place in preheated oven at 275 to 300 degrees. Cook for two hours or until veal is tender and pulls easily with fork. When fully cooked remove from pot and let rest. Return pot to stovetop. Skim any fat that may be on surface. Place over high heat and bring to boil for 5
to 8 minutes reducing by 1/3. Stir in tomato paste and remove from heat. Consistency should be like thin gravy.
FARRO (prepare while veal is cooking) INGREDIENTS
4 cups of water 10 oz. farro 2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse farro in three changes of cold water. Add four cups of water to medium pot over high heat, add farro and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until “al dente,” adding more water if necessary. Remove from heat and add olive oil and coat to prevent sticking. Keep at room temperature.
GREMOLATA / INGREDIENTS Zest of 2 medium lemons 1 cup finely chopped parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
Finely chop parsley on cutting board and grate lemons over carful not to include the white pith. Incorporate with knife and set aside.
PRESENTATION
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully remove marrow from the center of the bones and add to skillet. Stir and cook for 60 seconds until dissolved. Add farro to skillet and toss to coat while adding salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Spoon farro onto center of plates, place veal shanks off-set and ladle thickened braising liquid over top. Generously sprinkle with gremolata and Pecorino Romano. Pair with a glass of Barolo or Barbaresco. Godere!
the moment. It is why this dish will always exist as one of the great ones for me, just like Ruth and Aaron. Osso bucco, which loosely translates from Italian as “pierced bone� is essentially a veal shank taken from the upper part of the thigh, quickly browned in a fat such as olive oil or butter then slowly braised at a low temperature in a liquid consisting of wine and stock. Braising is the key to this preparation as it will develop and bring a deep, rich flavor to the dish all the while tenderizing the meat by slowly breaking down its fibers. In its origins, the shank was a very
undesirable cut of meat because of its tough consistency when cooked. It quickly became a mainstay of farmers and peasants whose budget was limited to these lower cuts of meat. They perfected the method of slow cooking these meats, and by doing so a transformation took place that turned tough, undesirable cuts of meat into rich, succulent dishes. Osso bucco slowly started popping up on the chalkboards of Osterias, and the once-scoffed-at peasant dish now has a very elegant reputation that is second to none. Traditionally osso bucco is served over
risotto or farro topped with a sauce made from the reduced braising liquid and finished with fresh gremolata. With the anticipation of spring and warmer weather I have chosen the latter, which provides a lighter and healthier twist to this hearty dish. Farro can be found in your local natural food store, Italian market or sometimes in the organic section of the grocery store. If not available, spelt berries will make a comparable substitute. GEOFF PUCCIA is club chef at the Italian American Club, 192 Bellew Ave. S., Watertown. Contact him at 782-1080.
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HOMES
New York loft living — in Clayton Eclectic blend of new, old design spells ‘unique, unexpected’ BY PEGGY DeYOUNG
NORTHCOUNTRYTOWNSHAVEWONDERFULHISTORIC commercial buildings, often in good condition with beautifully crafted details. In Clayton, the downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The community offers the added bonus of being set on the shore of the St. Lawrence River. So, it is little wonder that the community reflects a national trend of reclaiming downtown buildings as live-work spaces. Around town, several commercial buildings have been renovated to include comfortable, stylish apartments. For the past eight years, I’ve worked to create a personal live-work space in Clayton. Today, the project is mostly complete. The reality is that a centuryold building is always a work in progress. It does, however, have a renovated retail space, design studio and apartment. When I first toured the building, the previous owner guided me down to the old basement and I was sold. The basement revealed the true character of the building with limestone walls, shagbark hickory posts reinforcing crossbeams and joists set 12-inches on center. It was built to sturdy and it was built to last.
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For many years, it was a car dealership, with Chevrolets displayed in its front window. For four decades, it was a clothing and shoe store. The showroom had been modernized 1960sstyle, with a suspended ceiling, level loop carpeting and rows of florescent lighting and paneled walls. Removing a century of improvements took three 30-foot Dumpsters and finally revealed a space with 12-foot high ceilings and plaster walls. Maple floors had been covered with concrete by the automobile dealership, so we installed new wide-plank yellow pine flooring that after a few years’ traffic now look like heart pine. Period light fixtures, refinished wall details and a restored front facade completed the storefront. Today, customers comment on how fortunate we were to find a store in its original condition. I accept the compliment quietly. Additional renovations have been made to the second floor “loft.” The space has a back apartment with a river view porch and a front retail space that is now an interior design studio. In the studio, the style takes on a new urban loft look. Walls are painted a soft gray with white woodwork accented in yellow and cobalt blue art and accessories. Wood pieces are made of reclaimed and recycled wood. Style is simple and uncluttered. Working on client’s projects, the room becomes a quiet background. Walnut brackets are salvaged antiques and give the open space some definition. The design studio is a great place to show clients a different approach to interior design in historic buildings. It features a color palette and furnishings that are very different, but still complimentary to those featured in the Porch and Paddle store below. I enjoy the eclectic blend of the new with the old; making the interior design unique and unexpected. It is great to be part of a national trend right here in the north country. Historic renovation is contagious. PEGGY DEYOUNG is a National Council for Interior Design Qualification certified interior designer. She owns the Porch and Paddle Cottage Shop in Clayton. Contact her at deerrun@twcny.rr.com.
AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING
Clockwise from top: The main living room of the studio apartment. Candles and a Russian impressionist painting adorn the walls and shelves. A back storage area. The studio is located atop the Porch and Paddle store on James Street in Clayton. A lamp inside the studio. The edge of a rug rests on the refinished hardwood floors.
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WOMEN’S WISE
Taking on life’s toughest challenges Former NNY TV reporter pens memoirs about personal journey BY NORAH MACHIA
MARCH / A PRIL 20 12 | N NY LIVING
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THESEARE THE STATISTICS THAT tell the first part of Joleene DesRosiers’ story — a list of addictions she has battled for most of her life: Eating disorder: 26 years Smoking: 24 years Binge drinking: 8 years But that’s only part of the story. The former television news reporter has written a book titled “Memoirs of Normalcy” that also gives readers an in-depth and personal look at her long road to recovery. Ms. DesRosiers was a television reporter for NewsWatch 50 in Watertown from 2001 to 2004 and Your News Now (at that time News 10 Now), Syracuse, from 2005 to 2010. She now works as a freelance writer, author and transformational speaker. “I wanted to take what I learned to help others” change their lives for the better, Ms. DesRosiers said. That meant overcoming her addictions, or “slaying my demons,” as she said, in order to find true peace and happiness in her work and in her life. “Fear can keep us trapped in a place that makes us feel dark and hopeless,” Ms. DesRosiers said. “By recognizing that we are all worthy of obtaining anything we want, including that dream job, we can find our way out of the darkness and into the light of a better, brighter life.” Many people choose to “stay in their comfort zone,” for example, staying in a job that they really hate, because they are afraid to take that first step, she said. “I want to help people move out from under the rock,” she said. “Change won’t happen overnight. There is no quick fix. But it can happen.” She knows firsthand. For decades, Ms. DesRosiers, 39, dealt with a number of addictions, including chronic dieting. “It all comes down to body image,” and in some cases, a genetic tendency toward that type of obsession with weight, she said. She had watched her mother struggle through many diets. She was worried about being in front of the television camera and the extra “10 pounds” that it could add.
Joleene DesRosiers is a freelance writer and transformational speaker who has written her memoirs.
“I would binge and purge, then I would be alright for awhile” she said. “Being in front of the camera kept me in that cycle.” Although Ms. DesRosiers said she liked many of the people that she worked with at both television stations, it was the work itself that she didn’t enjoy. “My first city council meeting brought me to my knees,” she wrote. “I probably should have paid more attention during ‘Participation in Government’ in high school because I was completely lost the first time I sat down to listen to the decision-makers in Watertown.” It was her time spent at the Watertown station that she realized reporting was hard work, involving more than just putting a microphone in front of someone’s face. “Reporters don’t know everything, despite the general public’s expectation that they should,” she wrote. “They have to read and study and ask questions about new topics everyday. That’s how they learn.” Although she was later hired by the Syracuse station, where she worked for several
years and won some reporting awards, Ms. DesRosiers was still very unhappy. “I didn’t like what I did for a living,” and drank a lot because of it, she said. Ms. DesRosiers also recalls taking many “secret bathroom breaks” to throw up while working at the news station. After her mother died in 2009 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Ms. DesRosiers decided she needed to make some significant changes in her life. For several months, she met with a therapist to help give her the courage she needed to make those changes. Ms. DesRosiers continued to work at the Syracuse news station, and finally made the decision in 2010 to resign, and take out the money in her retirement plan to pay bills. It was a move that she actually felt guilty about for awhile, because so many people were unemployed at the time, and she had walked away from a secure, well-paying job, Ms. DesRosiers said. But she had realized there was more to life than just existing. She needed to feel fulfilled. She had the support she needed from her husband, Mark M. Moody, a prosecutor with the Oswego County District Attorney’s office. “He has been the most loving, supportive husband,” said Ms. DesRosiers, who also has an 8-year-old daughter, MadisonMae Wilder. It was only last fall that she was able to finally get the help she needed to overcome her binging and purging. She spent seven weeks in a therapeutic day program operated by Centre Syracuse, which specializes in treating people with eating disorders. It was there she learned to change the way she looked at herself, and accept her body image without feeling the need to “always look better.” Because she had been binging and purging for so long, “I had messed up my hunger cues,” Ms. DesRosiers said. “I didn’t know when I was full.” Overcoming an eating disorder is one of several presentations that Ms. DesRosiers offers in her transformational speaking series. In that presentation, she uses the altered photos of models in
magazines, and then compares them to “real images of people,” she said. “The images we see in the magazines are not authentic,” Ms. DesRosiers said. Even she herself had gotten liposuction twice on her stomach and once on her chin in her quest to look perfect, she said. It’s a presentation that she would like to share with more people, including teenage girls. She has already given the presentation at several schools. But Ms. DesRosiers would also like to help women in their 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond who may have been battling an eating disorder for years, but never sought help because it wasn’t available or talked about when they were younger. Other presentations available include
Crane, from page 34
NNY Life, from page 35 philosophy about cultivating deep, meaningful friendships, then allowing them to be dismantled time and again is that I have two little children walking around with their own emotional lives. Diva, my 5-year-old daughter, has already made and lost as many friendships as me in less than half the time. To see her confusion and sadness after one of her friends moves on, never to be heard from again,
BOOK SIGNINGS n Tuesday, April 10, 6:30 p.m., Oswego Public Library, 120 E. 2nd St., Oswego. n Wednesday, May 2, 6-8 p.m., River’s End Bookstore, 19 W. Bridge St., Oswego. n Saturday, May 5, 2-4 p.m., Flower Memorial Library, 229 Washington St., Watertown. Visit www.joleenespeaks.com to order a book.
“Move Beyond Fear,” and “Change Your Perspective.” It was finding that fulfillment as a transformational speaker that inspired her to write “Memoirs of Normalcy,” Ms. DesRosiers said. Her goal was to show readers “how to
move from where they are to where they really want to be,” she said. “I don’t believe there exists what is known as instant gratification,” she wrote. “There is no book or workshop or television show that will change your life in five days or less.” Change “doesn’t need to be difficult or painful or daunting, regardless or what others have told to,” she added. “When you understand that it truly is a journey with lots of interesting and unexpected twists and turns, you’ll begin to open your mind to a life that is all yours to play with and mold.” NORAH MACHIA is a freelance writer who lives in Watertown. She is a 20-year veteran journalist. Contact her at nemachia@yahoo.com.
ing opportunity students in the music business program are exposed to is with the annual National Association of Music Merchants trade show in Anaheim, Calif. “People from all over the world come to display and showcase new products and thousands of people come to check it out,” she said. “We bring a group of students and they get to see what is new, current and happening in the music products industry.” The Crane school boasts a legacy of alumni who often return to guest conduct, offer knowledge to classes, seminars and symposiums or make donations for future programing. In February 2011, the estate of N. Brock and Jane M. McElheran gifted $1.6 million to the school to support the McElheran Visiting Artist Series, which was established in 1986 by a 1956 SUNY Potsdam alumna in honor of the couple. Without the gift, funding for the series would have run out. Another recent donation that has both Crane and SUNY Potsdam buzzing was made by Kathryn and Donald Lougheed to establish the Lougheed-Kofoed Festival of the Arts. From April 20 to April 29, the inaugural festival will coincide with the annual Crane Spring Festival. Mrs. Lougheed is a 1954 graduate of the college. Though the two festivals will occur
at the same time on campus, the programming will complement one another. “The Crane Spring Festival will focus, like it normally does, on the music, with choral performances and our various orchestras,” Mr. Sitton said. “The LougheedKofoed festival will broaden that scope with theatre, creative writing, visual arts and dance.” SUNY Potsdam is the first SUNY school to offer a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in creative writing and has a selective BFA program in fine arts, according to university spokeswoman Alexandra M. Jacobs. The university is also in the construction phase of a $41 million performing arts building project located next door to the Crane school. The arts building will be completed by the spring 2014 semester. “Crane is a vibrant and exciting music community,” Mr. Sitton said. “I feel honored to be a part of it. I have enjoyed getting to know the students and getting involved in its history.” According to Ms. Britt, Crane continues to grow and innovate every day. Each day is a learning experience for both her and her students. “What can I say? It’s all good,” she said.
and still defend the idea that “La-dee-dah — you’ll meet another friend who will be just as wonderful and important” attitude has been a struggle. However, it was my daughter who was there for me after that morning at Tin Pan. Throughout the rest of the day, I was withdrawn and preoccupied. When I told her that mommy was feeling grumpy because I was going to miss my friend, she patted my shoulder and said, “Don’t worry mommy. We love you. It’ll be OK.”
Those words and her little hand on my shoulder gave me such comfort. It makes me hope that all the investments my friends have made in me are paying off in spades by building up my most important assets.
KYLE R. HAYES is associate magazine editor for NNY Living. Contact him at khayes@wdt.net or 661-2381.
KATIE STOKES is an Oklahoma native who has called Northern New York home for more than a decade. She is a freelance writer and blogger and the mother of two children. Click on the “Welcome” tab on her blog, NNYLife.com, to read more about why she lives in NNY.
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The institute was founded by some Crane alumni, like me, who back in the 1960s couldn’t major in anything but music education,” Ms. Britt said. “For one reason or another, these alumni gravitated toward music products and they approached the college and presented the idea of giving students a network for internships and jobs outside of the music education world.” Ms. Britt has a storied history with SUNY Potsdam and the Crane school. “I received my bachelor’s degree here in 1969, taught for four years in Syracuse and came back to finish my master’s degree in 1975,” she said. “I met my husband and we went away for 27 years and then decided to move back and give back what we got out of the school. That was in 2002.” There are approximately 100 students currently enrolled in the music business program. About half of those students are music business majors, the other 50 are enrolled with music business as a minor. SUNY Potsdam students are able to take Crane music business classes as well. “Students would say that my favorite word is networking, but it is the people you know and situations you have the opportunity to take advantage of that bring you success,” Ms. Britt said. Ms. Britt said that the ultimate network-
‘Memoirs of Normalcy’
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MY NNY
‘Reflecting orange’ BY JOYCE MIELNIK / PLEASANT LAKE
MARCH / A PRIL 20 12 | N NY LIVING
DATE: September 2011 INFO: Before the chill of winter set in, this photo was taken in early fall 2011 on quiet Lake Pleasant outside Champion where calm evening waters reflected the pastel sunset on the lake.
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SHOT WITH: Nikon 18DX with Nikon SWM ED IF Aspherical, 09.45/1.48ft 67 lens. Give us your best shot. If you have captured a snippit of NNY through your lense, email it to nnyliving@wdt.net.
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