Jan 13, 2012 — This weekend in Blue Mountain Lake, the Adirondack Museum will host a lecture on the Chester Gillette murder trial. The 1906 murder of Grace Brown on Big Moose Lake was one of the biggest national scandals of its day. The case inspired "American Tragedy," one of the great novels of the 20th century. In the decades since, the story of Grace Brown and Chester Gillette has sparked more novels, operas, folk songs, Hollywood films and documentaries. In 2005, Brian Mann set out to travel from the Adirondacks to New York City, to trace why this particular murder case continues to hold such a grip on our imagination.  Go to full article

Upper Jay, NY, Sep 26, 2011 — When tropical storm Irene swamped the Ausable Valley, it erased the last remains of the Land of Make Believe in Upper Jay. The theme park, a popular destination from 1954 through the late 1970s, was built by legendary toy-maker and park designer Arto Monaco.

Monaco, who grew up in Ausable Forks, also designed the original Santa's Workshop in Wilmington, and contributed to parks in Lake George and Old Forge.

Most of his work is gone now, swept away by floods and by changing tastes, and Arto himself passed away in 2005. But before his passing, Brian Mann had a chance to visit him in his workshop in Upper Jay. Here's Brian's story, which first aired in 2002.  Go to full article

Apr 22, 2011 — Planting season is still weeks away in many backyards, but not all local food is cultivated. Sometimes it's nice to reap delicacies from nature's garden. A few years ago, Todd Moe headed into the woods near Canton in search of wild leeks.  Go to full article

Aug 18, 2010 — Baseball great Bobby Thompson passed away Monday at his home in Savannah, Georgia. He was 86. Thompson hit one of the most famous home runs ever in baseball history. It clinched the 1951 National league pennant for the New York Giants, and also was one of the most famous calls by a radio announcer. That home run came up in conversation during our Common Wealth, Common Wisdom project last summer. Teen and senior producers were paired up, exploring the concept of entrepreneurship during the Great Depression, and today's Great Recession. Kolby Weaver pitches for the Canton High School baseball team, and he's been a fan of the sport for as long as he can remember. From an era of steroid scandals and millionaire celebrity players, Kolby looks back to a time when the Dodgers still played in Brooklyn, and baseball was more than just a game.  Go to full article

Jul 28, 2010 — This week we're celebrating summer by getting outdoors in the North Country.

In this high-tech, busy world, the Laurentian Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club would like more families to move from desktop to mountaintop. The group sponsored its first season of hikes introducing kids to mountains and trails last summer. Family excursions included hikes along beginner mountain trails -- day trips into the outdoors with youngsters in mind. Todd Moe tagged along during a hike up Mount Arab and found families reconnecting with nature.  Go to full article

Jun 04, 2010 — Adirondack singer-songwriter Jamie Savage celebrates the release of his third cd, Back to Nature, at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake tonight (7:30). His newest album is an acoustic celebration of the beauty, culture and natural history of the Adirondacks. Tonight's concert will also feature Adirondack musicians Dan Duggan, Peggy Lynn, Dave Ruch, Celia Evans, Jeff Couture and a surprise guest. Jamie Savage joined Todd Moe in the studio for music and conversation.  Go to full article

May 05, 2010 — The North Country's legacy includes more than cultural traditions and historic homes. A St. Lawrence County gardener says her favorite heirlooms are horticultural treasures our grandparents loved -- roses.

Christine Zavgren says old roses, survivors of lost gardens, are special. She and her husband run Old Market Farm near Potsdam, a rose preserve, of sorts.

Over the last few years, she's found heritage roses on old farmsteads, roadsides and ditches, decades and even hundreds of years after being planted. They were brought over by European settlers.

As Todd Moe first reported last summer, Zavgren is on a mission to find, identify and rescue living reminders of our heritage.  Go to full article

Jan 22, 2010 — With all the politics and debate surrounding the Finch, Pruyn deal, the land itself can seem like an abstraction. It's hard to imagine all those tens of thousands of acres. So in 2008, Brian Mann traveled with scientists to a small part of the Finch, Pruyn lands, trekking through a remote wetland near Blue Mountain Lake. Here's his audio postcard.  Go to full article

Dec 10, 2009 — Commentator Paul Willcott and his wife, Ann, had long dreamed of the perfect Christmas tree. In 2002, when they became the new proud owners of a rambling old cure cottage in Saranac Lake, they got their chance. It was the right time, and the right place, for the perfect tree. Didn't seem like such a big undertaking. But the story of that first big tree didn't turn out quite as expected.  Go to full article

Ticonderoga, NY, Nov 26, 2009 — This is the time of year when towns along the Champlain Valley light up with the annual Holiday Train. Canadian Pacific uses the Christmas tour to raise money and food for local pantries in the North Country. Brian Mann was in Ticonderoga last year and sent an audio postcard.  Go to full article