Author Tony Wood on “Snow: A History of the World’s Most Fascinating Flake”

/ Strathmore Speaker Series / Leave a comment

Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with Anthony R. “Tony” Wood, a reporter and editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of the 2021 book, “Snow: A History of the World’s Most Fascinating Flake.” In his presentation, Mr. Wood will provide an entertaining look at snow in all its delightful and fearsome manifestations. His talk will delve into science, history, economics, and popular culture to examine snow’s enduring hold on the imagination. He will discuss the making and removing of snow, the psychology of winter, and the history of snow in literature, art, and popular culture. Finally, Mr. Wood will consider the impact of global warming on snowfall and the potential for causing a water crisis in the West and major losses in the winter recreation industry. A brief Q&A will follow the presentation.

This event will be held on Thursday, March 21st at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.

You can register for this event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtf-GhqT4iGteIaCsXWIA12UFOlPAQ4P_r

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

About Tony Wood

Tony Wood, Photo from the Philadelphia Inquirer

Tony Wood, photo from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

I have been a reporter and editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer since the 1980s. I specialize in writing about weather, although I also have written and co-written series on topics that include coastal overdevelopment, the Gulf Stream, the Jet Stream and property taxation. I have been nominated for Pulitzer Prizes four times. (Never won, no hard feelings.) I previously had worked at United Press International and was a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow at the University of Michigan.

I’ve spent time in Syracuse (I have in-laws up that way), and once wrote an article comparing Syracuse’s snow removal with Philadelphia’s (such as it is).

I am the author of Snow: A History of the World’s Most Fascinating Flake. That was the publisher’s title. Mine was Snow: The History, Science and Metaphysics of Snow in America. The publisher said “metaphysics” has to go. (My wife asked what might be the second-most fascinating flake, dandruff?) Our younger son is one avid winter hiker. He’s done Mount Mansfield at least 10 times. I did it once, by Gondola.

More from Tony Wood:

On Point Radio: What we lose if snow disappears

City Cast Philly: Why Philly’s Snow Drought Just Ended

The Economist: The peculiar allure of snow

Matt Read and Alex DeRosa on Spatchcock Funk

/ Strathmore Speaker Series / Leave a comment

Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with Matt Read and Alex DeRosa of Spatchcock Funk. Spatchcock Funk is a cooking and partying experience show that began on YouTube and expanded to CNY Central in Syracuse and WUHF Fox Rochester. They have created a new show that will soon be airing on WCNY in Syracuse and on PBS stations across the country. This show is a culinary adventure that shines a light on social issues, and how to have a great time. You don’t need a special occasion to have a great party, just people you love. You bring your friends, they’ll bring everything else. A brief Q&A will follow their presentation.

This event will be held on Monday, February 26th at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.

You can register for this event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUlfuiorjMiGdUeAjp2FTC2NO2XOskONjk0

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

About Matt Read and Alex DeRosa

Inspired by their love of food, art, and culture, Matt and Alex launched Spatchcock Funk as a way to break down barriers and bring people together. Guided by their motto, Dope Food + Strong Drinks = Good Stories, they focus on showing viewers how to throw parties that feel exclusive but are totally inclusive – providing all of the recipes, cocktails, tips, and tricks needed to throw the best dinners, parties, and adventures with friends. They’re launching a half-hour PBS show that will air in Syracuse, Portland, OR, and a bunch of cities in between. They’ve written recipes for Tito’s Vodka and worked with Sam Adams, Wisconsin Cheese, and a lot of other fun food and beverage brands. Their backgrounds include working for global brands and ad agencies. They love talking about how to be true storytellers and build strong, passionate brands.

Getting hungry just thinking about this event? Here are some of the fun and tasty recipes Spatchcock Funk has been making:

Chicken Riggies

The Charred Vinyl (a cocktail)

Our Fried Chicken Sandwich

Author Adam Goodheart on “The Last Island: Death, Discovery, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth”

/ Strathmore Speaker Series / Leave a comment

Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with New York Times bestselling author Adam Goodheart, who will discuss his latest book, The Last Island: Death, Discovery, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth. The book tells the story of North Sentinel Island, home to a tribe believed to be the most isolated human community on earth. The Sentinelese people want to be left alone and will shoot deadly arrows at anyone who tries to come ashore. As the web of modernity draws ever closer, the island represents the last chapter in the Age of Discovery–the final holdout in a completely connected world. A brief Q&A will follow their presentation.

This event will be held on Thursday, November 2nd at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.

You can register for this event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcld-CgrT8uG91Yti_mbLqERep5wqstDefE#/registration

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

About Adam Goodheart

 Adam Goodheart is a historian, essayist, and journalist and the author of the New York Times bestselling book 1861: The Civil War Awakening, which was published by Knopf in hardcover and in paperback by Vintage Books. The book received wide critical acclaim; a cover review in the New York Times called it “exhilarating” “inspiring,” and “irresistible,” adding, “1861 creates the uncanny illusion that the reader has stepped into a time machine.” Goodheart’s book was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in history and was named Book of the Year by the History Book Club; the audiobook edition won the Audie Award for best history title of the year. Among its other honors, 1861 was cited among the best books of the year by the New York Times, The Atlantic, Kirkus Reviews, Slate, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. President Obama invited Goodheart to the Oval Office to recognize 1861’s role in having Fort Monroe, Va. – in which part of the book is set – declared a national park. 

The recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Award, Goodheart is also an elected member of the Society of American Historians and the American Antiquarian Society. His articles have appeared in National Geographic, Outside, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, Politico, and The New York Times Magazine, among others, and he was the recipient of a Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers. He has made many broadcast media appearances, including on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Morning Edition,” and “All Things Considered,” as well as on the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, C-SPAN, and the History Channel. 

Goodheart lives in Washington, D.C., and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he is director of Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, an institute for fostering innovative approaches to American history and culture. 

Goodheart’s next book, The Last Island: Death, Discovery, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth, will be published by Godine in September 2023. He is currently at work on 1865: A Nation Reborn, under contract with Knopf and Vintage. 

About The Last Island: Discovery, Defiance, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth

In November 2018, a zealous American missionary was killed while attempting to visit an island he called “Satan’s last stronghold,” a small patch of land known as North Sentinel in the Andaman Islands, a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean. News of the tragedy fascinated people around the world. Most were unaware such a place still existed in our time: an island unmolested by the advances of modern technology.Twenty years before the American missionary’s ill-fated visit, a young American historian and journalist named Adam Goodheart also traveled to the waters off North Sentinel. During his time in the Andaman Islands he witnessed another isolated tribe emerge into modernity for the first time.

Now, Goodheart–a bestselling historian–has returned to the Andamans. The Last Island is a work of history as well as travel, a journey in time as well as place. It tells the stories of others drawn to North Sentinel’s mystery through the centuries, from imperial adventurers to an eccentric Victorian photographer to modern-day anthropologists. It narrates the tragic stories of other Andaman tribes’ encounters with the outside world. And it shows how the web of modernity is drawing ever closer to the island’s shores. The Last Island is a beautifully written meditation on the end of the Age of Discovery at the start of a new millennium. It is a book that will fascinate any reader interested in the limits–and dangers–of our modern, global society and its emphasis on ceaseless, unbroken connection.

Preorder the book here.

Personal Trainer Pete Haley on “Strength for Life”

/ Strathmore Speaker Series / Leave a comment

Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with Personal Trainer and Nutritional Coach Pete Haley who will discuss what it means to be strong for life. Pete’s presentation will cover the value of movement and exercise, and the difference between the two. He will also discuss the impact of discomfort, pain, and injury and how to move while dealing with them, the value of consistency/quality vs. quantity, and the impact of nutrition on how we move, feel, and perceive pain. His presentation will include a demonstration of movements and exercises that attendees can try at home. A brief Q&A will follow his presentation.

This event will be held on Thursday, October 12th at 6:30 pm in-person at Onondaga Free Library. We are also planning to livestream this event on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.

You can register for the in-person event at the library here:

https://onlibonondagafree.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=12722&nomobile=1&backTo=List&startDate=2023/10/07&endDate=2023/11/06

You can register for the Zoom event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcscOmsqD0pHddJsh_5v00eLj-mIcOeCXED

About Pete Haley

Pete Haley is a personal trainer and nutritional coach who has worked for Edge Strength and Conditioning for nearly 10 years. He graduated from the University at Buffalo in 2011 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and has been certified as a personal trainer by NCCPT and NASM since. He is also a Level 1 nutritional coach certified through Precision Nutrition. 

The importance of good health and wellness became a priority in Pete’s life after graduating from college. Since then, he has focused on developing a greater understanding of movement, fitness, and nutrition and how they best integrate. For Pete, there is no greater joy than to be able to enhance the current quality of a client’s life through training and educating. But even more important has been the impact on one’s long term health and lifestyle. Helping others develop the most optimal plan for their preferred lifestyle continues to be his primary focus as a personal trainer and he enjoys working with individuals of all levels of fitness and readiness. 

The Cadleys on “Folk Music in the Salt City”

/ Strathmore Speaker Series / Leave a comment

Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for a live music event featuring celebrated local folk musicians, John and Cathy Cadley and John Dancks. The Cadleys have been entertaining audiences throughout Upstate New York and New England for many years with their powerful mix of traditional bluegrass, “new acoustic” a la Alison Krauss, and numerous original folk composition. Through the power of their music, the Cadley’s will share with us their experience of the Syracuse folk scene, its storied past, and its increasingly bright future. A brief Q&A will follow their performance. 

This event will be held on Thursday, September 14th at 6:30 pm in-person at the Onondaga Park Firebarn. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.

About Our Performers

THE CADLEYS

The Cadleys’ music has been captured on six CDs—two with John and The Lost Boys, two John and Cathy duet albums, and two solo projects featuring John’s songwriting. Many of John’s originals have been recorded by national artists such as Jim Hurst (five-time IBMA guitar player of the year), Missy Raines (five-time IBMA bass player of the year), Grammy-nominated and world renowned banjo player Tony Trischka, Washington, DC, recording artist Dede Wyland, Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters, famed guitarist Richard Kiser, and Lou Reid, who, with his band Carolina, took John’s song “Time” to the #1 spot on the bluegrass music charts, where it remained for three months and was performed by Lou, Vince Gill, and Ricky Skaggs on The Grand Ol’ Opry.

Their live performances bring it all to life. Joined by mandolinist extraordinaire Perry Cleaveland and award-winning bassist John Dancks, The Cadleys deliver a show that offers everything an audience comes go see: hair-raising harmony singing, virtuoso musicianship, entertaining audience rapport, and the feeling that they’ve enjoyed a truly special night of music.

JOHN CADLEY

John began playing guitar at the age of 13 after hearing a recording of the Kingston Trio—and he’s been performing ever since. Beginning in folk music, he moved on to bluegrass and then country music, playing with such seminal Northeast bands as the Down City Ramblers, Cross Creek, Texas Hots, and The Lost Boys.

John has been a touring road musician out of Nashville, and his songs have been recorded by national bluegrass artists such as Tony Trischka, Jim Hurst, Missy Raines, Amy Gallatin, Richard Kiser, the International Guitar Duo, and Lou Reid, who took John’s song, “Time,” to the #1 spot on the national bluegrass charts for three consecutive months. John was recently inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Hall of Fame.

CATHY CADLEY

Cathy discovered a passion for the guitar at age 11 when she began taking lessons from her uncle, international touring singer/songwriter Ed Hamell.

Since then she’s studied a variety of genres, including classical, jazz, flatpicking bluegrass, and clawhammer banjo. One of the highlights of a Cadleys concert is seeing the audience response when Cathy breaks from her mesmerizing singing, developed over 20 years as the director of a church vocal and instrumental ensemble, to deliver a fast, soulful acoustic guitar solo. It’s a rarity to have both those talents, plus a third—i.e., her ability to connect instantly with an audience. Taken together, they make Cathy Cadley a powerful live performer.

JOHN DANCKS

John (JD) Dancks has been a fixture on the Central New York acoustic music scene since his days at Syracuse University, when he played with banjo great Tony Trischka in the Down City Ramblers. He has also played with renowned guitarist Russ Barenberg and in the national touring act Country Granola with singer Danny Weiss.  

JD is first-call bassist for anyone playing blues, country, rock, jazz, and folk. So much so, that he has been inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Awards “Hall of Fame.” He’s added his solid, tasteful playing to many studio sessions as well, recording both locally and for national labels such as Rounder Records.

JD is also a resident of Strathmore.

Learn more about the Cadleys here.

Jim McKeever and Nina Wickett, “Providing Hope at the Border”

/ Strathmore Speaker Series / Leave a comment

Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with Central New Yorkers Jim McKeever and Nina Wickett, both of whom have made several volunteer trips to the US-Mexico border to work with migrants and the organizations that support them. They have volunteered in Tijuana and San Diego, and Jim has also worked with Team Brownsville in Texas. In this insightful talk, Jim and Nina will share their experiences, including working alongside migrants in a community kitchen in Tijuana, escorting recently released ICE detainees to the San Diego airport to reunite with loved ones across the U.S., placing life-saving water and supplies in the desert, and delivering groceries to shelters in Tijuana. Jim and Nina say they have witnessed the extraordinary courage, resilience and gratitude of the migrants who are hopeful that the U.S. will welcome them. A brief Q&A will follow their presentation.

This event will be held on Thursday, April 13th at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.

You can register for this event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rce-srz0uE9RjymaPSk84ngyI1QHuLLJh

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

About Jim McKeever and Nina Wickett

(L-R) Jim McKeever, Nina Wickett, and two young men who are migrants and who work at a community kitchen in Tijuana. Photo from ArtRage Gallery.

Jim McKeever was a staff writer for The Post-Standard in Syracuse for more than 20 years and has volunteered at the US-Mexico border numerous times since 2019. He is a co-founder of senseofdecency.com and shares the stories of asylum seekers and other migrants, including many who live in Central New York.  

Nina Wickett spent most of her career in finance and accounting.  She was the bookkeeper for the Syracuse Peace Council for 10 years. She volunteers with local immigration assistance efforts and since 2019, has been going down to the border with Jim McKeever to help asylum seekers.

(L-R) Jim McKeever, Nina Wickett. Photo provided.