Nationally known storyteller Tim Lowry will perform at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site on Sunday, August 28 at 6:00 PM as part of the annual Not Just for Kids Storytelling series. His performance will take place outdoors in front of the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY. The show will move indoors in case of rain. Guests are invited to chat and enjoy refreshments after the show. The event is free and open to the public.
With a Southern manner and droll side-wit, Tim Lowry is equally at home in an Appalachian log cabin, Mandan wigwam, New York Theater, or Texas ranch house. Lowry grew up in southeastern Kentucky where he learned the art of storytelling from Appalachian folk who spun yarns and told tales to entertain, teach morals, and pass along local history. Currently residing in Summerville, South Carolina, Lowry has been entertaining audiences with mixture of folk tales and personal narrative for 16 years.
The last performance of The Not Just for Kids Storytelling series takes place on September 11 when Margaret French will present a program entitled, “All Too Human, Stories of Laughter, Wit and Folly”.
Saratoga Arts made this program possible with a Community Arts Grant funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The program is also supported by Stewart’s Shops, L’Ultimo Restaurant, the Garden Bug, and Karen’s Produce.
For more information about these events and more, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit the Facebook page at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 60 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.
History is full of mysteries and lies, not just facts. Take the tour and see if you can guess which tale is NOT true. Join site staff David for an exclusive tour of Schoharie Crossing on Tuesday, August 16th from 6:30p-8:30pm and learn interesting bits of history as well as mystery along the canal. Test your intuition, detective skills, and see if you can spot the fib!
This 1.5 mile walk will take participants around features of the canal and through parts of a once bustling industrial town. After the tour, enjoy some refreshments in the Visitor Center as you check out the exhibit, “Little Short of Madness,” discuss with others which tale might be the lie, and then stick around for the reveal!
Pre-registration is encouraged as space is limited. A link to register online can be found on the site’s Facebook event page. For more information or to register contact David at (518) 829-7516 or david.brooks@parks.ny.gov.
For information about this event or the site, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, or email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov. For more information about New York State Parks, visit the website at www.nysparks.com.
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host environmental educator and author Anita Sanchez for a Wildlife Wednesday plant program on August 10th at 6pm. This walk will explore different areas of the historic site, identify both common and uncommon flowers, and discuss their interrelationships with wildlife, especially birds and butterflies. Sanchez will also talk about how people have used plants throughout history for medicine, food, and magic.
The walk will take place along the banks of Schoharie Creek and on historic site trails, which were formerly the towpath for the Erie Canal. The program will meet outside the Visitor Center at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter. There is a $3.00 suggested donation.
Anita Sanchez worked as an environmental educator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at education centers across the state. She now is a free-lance educator, providing programs for schools, libraries, museums, botanical gardens, and arboreta. Also a successful author and champion of unloved plants, she has written, “The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion” and most recently, “Leaflets Three, Let it Be! The Story of Poison Ivy”.
For information about this event and more, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit their Facebook page.
Internationally known storyteller Joseph Bruchac will perform at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site (opens in a new tab) on Sunday, August 7 at 6:00pm as part of the annual Not Just for Kids Storytelling series. His performance will take place outdoors in front of the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center. The show will move indoors in case of rain. Guests are invited to chat and enjoy refreshments after the show. The event is free to the public.
For over 30 years Joseph Bruchac has been creating poetry, short stories, novels, anthologies and music that reflect his Abenaki heritage and Native American Traditions. As a professional teller of traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, he has performed widely throughout the United. He has been a featured performer at such events as the British Storytelling festival and the National Storytelling festival in Jonesboro Tennessee. He is the author of more than 120 books for children and adults and has received numerous awards for his work.
The Not Just for Kids Storytelling series continues throughout August and into September. The following artists will be part of the series: Regi Carpenter, Aug. 14, Lyn Ford, Aug. 21, Tim Lowry, Aug. 28 and Margaret French, Sept. 11.
Wildlife Wednesday Walk
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host environmental educator and author Anita Sanchez for a Wildlife Wednesday plant program on August 10th at 6pm. This walk will explore different areas of the historic site, identify both common and uncommon flowers, and discuss their interrelationships with wildlife, especially birds and butterflies. Sanchez will also talk about how people have used plants throughout history for medicine, food, and magic.
The walk will take place along the banks of Schoharie Creek and on historic site trails, which were formerly the towpath for the Erie Canal. The program will meet outside the Visitor Center at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter. There is a $3.00 suggested donation.
Anita Sanchez worked as an environmental educator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at education centers across the state. She now is a free-lance educator, providing programs for schools, libraries, museums, botanical gardens, and arboreta. Also a successful author and champion of unloved plants, she has written, “The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion” and most recently, “Leaflets Three, Let it Be! The Story of Poison Ivy”.
Music Healer
Come learn the healing power of music with author Robin Russell Gaiser, a Certified Music Practitioner, in the Enders House at Schoharie Crossing on Saturday, August 13th from 6:30-8:30pm.
The author will be discussing the power of music as well as other topics in her book, “Musical Morphine: Transforming Pain One Note at a Time.” Gaiser is a trained specialist who provides therapeutic music to the ill, the elderly, and the dying in hospital critical care units and hospice settings. She tailors her live, acoustic music to the needs of each patient, offering a centering, often profoundly spiritual respite for them and their families, caregivers, and friends from the pain, fear, and confusion that frequently accompany the complicated process of dying.
She earned her B.A. in English at The College of William and Mary, where she also sang and played with a folk rock group, both on campus and in venues in Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, DC. After graduation she taught writing and literature in Fairfax County, VA; then, while raising her family, she gave private lessons in guitar and dulcimer and performed publicly under the auspices of the Fairfax County Council of the Arts. She also sang in classical choirs and joined The Mill Run Dulcimer Band, recording seven albums now included in the Smithsonian collection. With her children grown, she earned an M.A. in psychology from Marymount University and worked as a guidance counselor for eight years. After relocating to upstate New York and becoming caregiver—and bedside musician—for her dying father, Robin enrolled in a certification program for therapeutic musicians. As a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP), she is trained to provide live, bedside, one-on-one acoustic music to critically and chronically ill, elderly, and dying patients.
Pisgah Press and Talking Book, will release print and audio versions of Gaisers’ work this summer. For more on her work, visit: www.robingaiser.com (opens in a new tab)
The Enders House is located on Schoharie Street in Fort Hunter, NY 12069.
On the morning of July 9, 1781 the residents of the Currytown settlement did not know their lives would forever be changed. The farming community was abundant with crops. By the end of the day, the fields and buildings would be burned to the ground by a Mohawk Indian raiding party of 300 Iroquois loyal to the British and led by a low ranking Tory named John Doxtader.
With little options to hide, the residents of Currytown had only the stockaded residence of Henry Lewis to flee to or risk hiding in their attics and root cellars. For some, “Fort Lewis” was too far to reach. Many were killed, scalped, or saw the destruction of their homes as they went up in flames.
Colonel Willett at Fort Plain would see the smoke, pursue and overtake the Mohawks, but not before the Currytown families suffered tragedy. In the fall, a much larger force made up of British regulars, loyalists, and Mohawk warriors entered the valley, several hundred strong. On October 24, 1781, they once again “captured” Currytown, but did not burn it to prevent rising smoke from warning Willett and the militia of the raid. The raid was discovered by a pair of militia scouts and warning of their presence was spread throughout the county. Before Willett was able to organize the valley’s defense, the raiding party attacked a number of small towns and homesteads, burning buildings and killing settlers along the way.
During the weekend of August 27 and 28, 2016, an event to commemorate the 135th Anniversary of the Currytown Raids is planned for reenactors and sutlers on site selling their wares from the 1780s. On Saturday, August 27 the Colonial camps will be open for the public to see what life was like in the 1780s. The Root Historical Society (opens in a new tab) will be having a chicken barbeque at the Currytown Reformed Church, 665 State Highway 162, Sprakers. Serving will start at 2:00pm, $7.00 for half chicken and $9.00 for a full meal. On Sunday, August 28 the raid will commence at 2:00pm for spectators followed by an ice cream social at the Currytown Reformed Church starting at 4:00pm, $3.00 for ice cream and cake/pie. Additionally, commemorative buttons will be sold throughout the weekend for $3.00 each.
Off street parking will be available and marked on Darrow Road and shuttle service will also be available for those using the lots away from the camps. Please refrain from parking on State Highway 162. For more information, please contact Bill Maring, Town of Root Historian, at (518) 922-5606.
Schoharie Crossing will hold a one day Canal Camp program on Tuesday, July 26th from 9:30am to 2:00pm where children will explore the site and nature. This program is for children ages 7-12 and will feature a Nature & History Walk, crafts, and games. During the one mile walk, intern Haleigh will provide insights on plant and animal life along the trails as well as how the ecological system around us is impacted by our actions. Site Education Coordinator David will also explain the historical significance of the site, as well as some of the environmental impacts of the Erie Canal.
Crafts will include a pressing of wildflowers picked along the trail, and the games will be an active portion of the day. Children who are registered must bring a bagged lunch, wear proper walking footwear, and have sunscreen and bug spray applied prior to drop off. There is a $3.00 registration fee and space is limited. Guardians must complete the registration form when dropping of their child(ren). Pick up at 2pm. To pre-register, contact David or Haleigh at (518) 829-7516 or email, david.brooks@parks.ny.gov. Canal Camp will be conducted from the Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069.
For information about this event and the site, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov or find us on Facebook. For more information about New York State Parks, visit the website at www.nysparks.com.
The first Wildlife Wednesday program at Schoharie Crossing on July 13th at 6:00pm. George Steele will be there with a wonderful program, “All About Water,” that will focus on fresh water aquatic life. The program will take place on site and in the Enders House near the Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY. There is a $3.00 suggested donation for this event.
The program will compare pond water samples to those from the Schoharie Creek using a magnification system that will allow everyone to see what life forms are in the water. Steele is a lifelong educator. His unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm has turned thousands of children into science-lovers. For over 20 years he has been an independent education consultant working with schools, libraries, nature centers, and museums thought the Northeast, including the NYS Art Teachers Association, the NYS Outdoor Education Association, the Gifted and Talented Enrichment Program at Lafayette College and Lehigh University.
He is the former director of the NYSDEC Environmental Education Camp Program, recipient of the Conservation Educator Award of the NYS Conservation Council, the NYS Outdoor Education Association’s Gold Award for Lifetime Achievement and Outdoor Educator of the Year Award.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Forest Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, and has done graduate work at the Antioch/New England Graduate School in Keene, NH.
Wildlife Wednesday programs will occur monthly – the next will be on August 10th with Anita Sanchez and on September 14th George Steele will return for an autumn Bird Watch.
Schoharie Crossing will host Canal Days on July 9 & 10 from 11am – 4pm both Saturday and Sunday. This event is a free community festival celebrating the Erie Canal and the character of the people and towns along the way.
The festival will offer a variety of attractions and demonstrations including wagon rides, the Utica Zoomobile, magic performances by Jim Snack, Tri County Old Time Engine display, games, food vendors, and a garage sale. The Dudley Observatory will have a solar telescope to safely view the sun. There will also be two performances each day by J.D. Winslow Equestrian Entertainment. Various community organizations will be participating including the Fort Hunter Library, Montgomery Sheriff’s Department, Girl Scouts, Mohawk River Basin Program, Golden Fleece spinning and weaving guild, Run By Dogs, SPCA, Audubon Society and Forever Greyhound Adoptions. Upstate Kayak Rentals will be offering kayak demonstrations.
On Saturday the nationally known blue grass band Roosevelt Dime will have two performances. Local artists Cosby Gibson and Tom Staudle will also play and will offer a music workshop after their performance. In addition, The Friends of Schoharie Crossing will host a chicken barbeque. There will also be a wild life rehabilitation exhibit featuring live animals.
On Sunday, the program will feature the music of the exciting local swing band The Jump Daddies. There will also be a Rat Pack Cruzers Car show with prizes for best of show.
The festival is made possible with grant funds from Montgomery County. It is sponsored in part by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the New York State Canal Corporation, Alpin Haus, and Shorty’s Southside Tavern.
For more information about Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site and our events, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, visit the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Facebook page, or email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov.
Come tap your toes this Thursday at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site (opens in a new tab) as Putman Porch Music (opens in a new tab) will start at 6:00pm. This great series invites local musicians to come spend an evening on the historic Putman Canal Store porch to jam and enliven the vibe of the former Erie Canal stop off. Putman’s store building is located at Yankee Hill Lock on the grounds of Schoharie Crossing, 553 Queen Anne Road.
Musicians with an interest in American roots, bluegrass and folk music are encouraged to spend some time on the porch and be a part of a great experience. Much like a group of canawlers that happen to be stuck waiting at the lock, a few instruments and strong voices is all that is needed to pass the time.
Putman Porch Music each Thursday for the rest of June from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. These are free events open to the public.
The grounds for the site are open all year from dawn until dusk.
Encore performances and a Battle of the Bands are among highlights of the Mohawk Valley Collective’s (opens in a new tab) 2016 Summer Music Series at Unity Hall this summer. Five concerts are on tap during the nonprofit’s third annual series, which kicks off on Saturday, June 18, with Singer/Songwriter Night at 19 Center Street, Fort Plain.
Musicians from the local folk group, Stone Soup, and New York City-based singer-songwriters Leah Shaw and Aviva Jaye will be the first performers to take the stage that night. Doors open at 5:30pm, with music starting at 6pm. Tickets are $7.50 and can be purchased at the door. Once again, refreshments will be available for purchase, and the Erie Station Bar & Grill will be on hand to provide wine and beer.
Mohawk Valley-based Stone Soup, featuring the talents of Suzanne Bladek, Joe Sinchak, Pete Liljeberg, Nick Frirsz, and David Bladek, performs American Roots music with a blend of folk, blues, gospel, traditional country, zydeco and the like. A crowd favorite, the acoustic group performed “unplugged” the last time they were in Unity Hall’s second floor performance space – once the sanctuary of the Universalist Church. To hear a sample of their music, go to http://bit.ly/1VgGmxw (opens in a new tab) .
Also turning up that night are returning artists Shaw and Jaye, who often perform together. Jaye, a trained vocalist, employs her voice, guitar, piano, ukulele and harp “to share raw material with simple, haunting motifs and transparent lyrics.” Her influences include old movie-musicals, classical music, Motown and pop. For samples of her music or more information about her, visit http://avivajaye.com (opens in a new tab) .
Other concerts include the July 16 Battle of the Bands, which features $500 in prizes. The current lineup includes Phil Arcuri, Stanley Hall, Heathcliff and Front of the House. Interested performers are asked to contact the MVC at info@mohawkvalleycollective.com (opens in a new tab) or by calling (518)993-5506 in order to sign up.
On July 30, Pat Ruddy, Leslie Kubica and the Matchstick Menagerie, The Eugene Tyler Band, and the Screaming Rebel Angels will hit the stage for Matchstick Menagerie and More; and on August 13, the fourth annual River Through Time celebration in Fort Plain’s Haslett Park will take place from 12pm to 5pm. Performance groups include Christie Belanger, Cosby Gibson and Tom Staudle, The Kennesaw Mt. Boys, and Caitlin Bingham, whose performances are offered at no cost to the public. Also featured during the event are the well-liked raffle drawing, which features Kayak and bike giveaways, face painting, vendors and a pulled pork barbecue.
The series will conclude on August 27 as Tumbleweed Highway, Steven Albert Wood, and Aircrafting perform during New York Country Night.
The local musicians support the mission of the non-profit MVC to host arts and cultural events in Montgomery County. The organization is dedicated to the restoration and adaptive reuse of Unity Hall and one of the area’s other historic architectural gems, the former West Hill School in Canajoharie.
Funding for 2016 programs and the River Through Time event has been made possible, in part, through grants by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the NYS Canal Corporation, and additional funding from the Montgomery County Occupancy Tax administered by the Montgomery County Legislature, the Stewart’s Foundation, and the Dominion Foundation. Also partnering in support of the concert programming is the Erie Station Bar & Grill of Fort Plain.
Go to http://mohawkvalleycollective.com/upcoming-events/ (opens in a new tab) for more information, advance tickets (cost doesn’t include third-party ticket seller’s processing fees), links to performers’ websites, and schedules. All proceeds go toward future event programming and preservation efforts.
