Canton, NY, Jun 06, 2011 — It was a perfect sunny day Saturday, and Canton was out in force for the annual tradition of the Dairy Princess parade. There was dairy royalty, lots of tractors and floats, and plenty to satisfy the sweet tooth. David Sommerstein was there and sent this audio postcard...  Go to full article

Canton, OH, May 19, 2011 — Traditional Arts In Upstate New York is celebrating 25 years of showcasing the folk culture and living traditions of the region. As part of a year long anniversary, TAUNY hosts its "TAUNY at 25" fundraising auction next Thursday in Canton, including a collection of hand-carved birds by the late Hazel Tyrrell of Pierrepont. Todd Moe talks with TAUNY's executive director Jill Breit about the organization's 25 years of collecting, preserving and interpreting customs and traditions of the North Country. Breit says Varick Chittenden was the founder and first director of TAUNY in 1986.  Go to full article

Feb 14, 2011 — Saranac Lake's Winter Carnival closed yesterday with a cascade of fireworks over the ice palace on the shore of Lake Flower.

While the castle is the centerpiece of the 114 year old carnival, one of the most revered traditions is the annual parade.

It's a showcase of all the energy, joy and creativity that the village has to offer. Brian Mann was on hand for this year's festivities and sent an audio postcard.  Go to full article

Dec 08, 2010 — Folk balladeer Lee Knight joined Todd Moe in the studio this morning to share
some favorite Christmas music with roots in Appalachia. Knight, who grew up in Saranac Lake, lives in North Carolina and has dedicated his career to preserving traditional music in the Adirondacks and the Appalachians. He became familiar with the cultures of both regions in college and learned the stories and music from traditional sources -- the people who had them as part of their community for generations.  Go to full article

Nov 05, 2010 — Roger Huntley died this week at age 82. He was the sixth generation of his family to work their 300-acre dairy farm in the St. Lawrence County Town of Pierrepont. He was a fixture in his local hamlet of Crary Mills: active in the commmunity center located in the old Grange Hall, and as the proprietor, with his wife, Ann, of the Crary Mills "Mighty Mall."

But over the years and throughout the region he was best known as an auctioneer, a trade he took up in the late 1950s. Traditional Arts of Upstate New York named Roger to its honor roll of North Country Masters in 2000.

We profiled him in May of that year, when he was busy conducting the premier old-time sales of the northern Adirondack foothills and St. Lawrence Valley. Here's that profile, produced by Joel Hurd.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Sep 30, 2010 — NCPR is media sponsor for the 9th annual Remington Arts Festival in downtown Canton. The event begins Friday night and continues throughout Saturday with a focus on Frederic Remington, art, history and culture. It includes an art sale on the village green, 5K run, music, children's games and horse-drawn carriage tours of the village with stops at significant historical landmarks from Remington's life. Todd Moe talks with TAUNY's Carol Pynchon about the event. She helped organize the first Remington Arts Festival.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Sep 29, 2010 — In parts of St. Lawrence County, Amish buggies and horse drawn wagons commonly share the roads with cars and tractor trailers. Failing modern farms have been reclaimed. There are roads that take you back to the 19th century, not just to the next "English" town. The migration to St. Lawrence County, and now parts of Franklin County, began about 35 years ago. Now they are neighbors.

A new book, "New York Amish, Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State," traces the long history of Amish communities in New York, and opens a window on the diversity of the contemporary Amish communities. Martha Foley talks with the author Karen Johnson-Weiner, professor of anthropology at the State University of new York at Potsdam.  Go to full article

Sep 22, 2010 — The Adirondack North Country Association's annual meeting at Great Camp Sagamore Thursday will focus on arts, cultural and historical groups as economic engines in the region. Small business owners, community leaders, and arts and cultural non-profits will share how their work is building communities and local economies. Todd Moe spoke with ANCA executive director Kate Fish and consulting crafts program coordinator Nadia Korths about digging deep into the issue of the arts and economic growth.  Go to full article

Summerstown, ON, Sep 14, 2010 — Last weekend, hundreds of people gathered outside the arena on Cornwall Island for the Akwesasne Pow Wow. More than 200 dancers from across the Iroquois territories competed. David Sommerstein spoke with two smoke dancers for today's Heard Up North.  Go to full article

Jul 27, 2010 — Drew Benmore, a music professor and Malone native who works at Adirondack Bean-To Coffee and spends his summers in Saranac Lake, explains how to make a "dirty chai" iced drink for a hot summer day.  Go to full article