WEBVTT 00:00:14.250 --> 00:00:17.469 Hey everybody, welcome to Seneca Lake Mysteries, 00:00:17.469 --> 00:00:21.769 the podcast exploring the unusual, strange, and 00:00:21.769 --> 00:00:25.550 unexplained on New York's largest finger lake. 00:00:25.789 --> 00:00:28.550 There's no other way to say this except that 00:00:28.550 --> 00:00:32.770 it's time for me to end the podcast. So this 00:00:32.770 --> 00:00:35.369 episode, unfortunately, won't have any more stories 00:00:35.369 --> 00:00:38.990 for you. Instead, I just want to say a few things, 00:00:39.170 --> 00:00:42.770 including a special recommendation. before I 00:00:42.770 --> 00:00:46.789 sign off. Now, as I mentioned a couple episodes 00:00:46.789 --> 00:00:50.590 ago, the podcast was never meant to continue 00:00:50.590 --> 00:00:54.670 indefinitely. When I started it, I really didn't 00:00:54.670 --> 00:00:58.070 have much of a plan. I just felt that it was 00:00:58.070 --> 00:01:01.710 time for me to share some of the stories I'd 00:01:01.710 --> 00:01:05.709 gathered over the last 10 years or so. I figured 00:01:05.709 --> 00:01:10.090 it would last as long as it was meant to last. 00:01:10.939 --> 00:01:14.060 And now it feels like it's time to call it a 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:17.379 day for the podcast and redirect my energy into 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:22.159 other aspects of the Seneca Lake Mysteries project. 00:01:22.920 --> 00:01:26.000 It's really not more complicated than that. For 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:29.700 the first bunch of episodes, it came quite easily 00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:32.439 and naturally, but now it just doesn't give me 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:35.280 that same feeling of effortlessness. I'm not 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.739 feeling negatively about it at all. It's just... 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:43.379 It's just time. So although there have only been 00:01:43.379 --> 00:01:47.239 15 episodes, it's still long enough to make me 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:50.260 feel a little bit sentimental. So I've really 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:53.219 had a blast doing this. And far and away, the 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:56.959 most rewarding part is finding out just how many 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:00.980 of you also enjoy these stories. I'm so grateful 00:02:00.980 --> 00:02:03.879 for all the support, the feedback, the emails. 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:08.400 the messages, the comments, the stories you've 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:11.639 shared with me, and the guests who've been willing 00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:15.939 to come on the podcast. So thank you all again 00:02:15.939 --> 00:02:19.439 from the bottom of my heart. And as I mentioned 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:22.740 in a previous episode, I'm not going away, and 00:02:22.740 --> 00:02:26.840 I have other ideas to continue spotlighting the 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:30.539 unusual, strange, and unexplained on Seneca Lake. 00:02:31.789 --> 00:02:34.430 Tops on that list is the book that I've been 00:02:34.430 --> 00:02:38.009 plugging away at for the past several years. 00:02:38.610 --> 00:02:42.289 And really, I'm more of a writer than a podcaster, 00:02:42.349 --> 00:02:44.949 to be honest. And it's the right time for me 00:02:44.949 --> 00:02:50.189 to refocus on finishing the book. Now, the format 00:02:50.189 --> 00:02:53.569 of the podcast has been to tell several different 00:02:53.569 --> 00:02:57.580 types of stories. in every episode in order to 00:02:57.580 --> 00:03:01.060 kind of keep it engaging and interesting each 00:03:01.060 --> 00:03:05.419 time. And what's really been exciting to me in 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:07.659 putting together the book is arranging these 00:03:07.659 --> 00:03:11.599 stories in a way so that they flow and they connect 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:16.020 to make it feel like it's one. big story and 00:03:16.020 --> 00:03:18.300 that's really been my goal for the Seneca Lake 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:21.520 Mysteries project all along to try and help other 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:25.340 folks feel the same way that I've felt over the 00:03:25.340 --> 00:03:29.099 last decade or so when researching these stories. 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:33.319 Now taken individually the stories are wild and 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:35.840 weird and compelling enough but when they're 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:38.819 woven together and kind of seen in their entirety 00:03:38.819 --> 00:03:41.759 over the course of hundreds or even thousands 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:45.139 of years The mysteries of Seneca Lake make me 00:03:45.139 --> 00:03:49.639 feel like I live somewhere that is enchanted 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:53.199 and magical and mystical. And that all of the 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:55.919 stories connect and that we're all connected 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:59.939 to it and we're all part of it. So writing the 00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:04.460 book for me is the only way to really effectively 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:08.280 communicate that message and that meaning and 00:04:08.280 --> 00:04:12.060 that feeling. So the book will have... Many of 00:04:12.060 --> 00:04:13.759 the stories that I've covered on the podcast 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:16.519 and many that I haven't. And I hope that when 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.019 it's published, you'll check it out. And while 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:22.279 I'm going to be focused on finishing up the book 00:04:22.279 --> 00:04:24.939 in the coming weeks and months, if I feel the 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:27.079 need to put out some other content, whether it's 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:29.540 a video or an article on the website, whatever, 00:04:29.740 --> 00:04:32.800 I'll be doing that too. So I invite you again. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:36.120 to sign up for the mailing list at SenecaLakeMysteries 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:39.579 .com and follow Seneca Lake Mysteries on social 00:04:39.579 --> 00:04:44.439 media to stay up to date on what I'm doing. And 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:48.360 before I sign off, I'm going to offer up one 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:51.120 recommendation for all of you. It's actually 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:54.660 a piece of music, a song that, when I first heard 00:04:54.660 --> 00:04:58.639 it, was a huge source of inspiration for me and 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:01.379 the Seneca Lake Mysteries project, including 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:07.120 this podcast. The song is by one of, to me, one 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:09.120 of the most important and talented musicians 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:14.139 to come out of the Seneca Lake area, former Watkins 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:17.480 Glen resident Willie Watson. Now, if you haven't 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:19.839 heard of Willie Watson, he's one of the founding 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:23.779 members of the Grammy -winning iconic Americana 00:05:23.779 --> 00:05:27.819 string band Old Crow Medicine Show. Old Crow 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:32.470 formed in the late 90s. and first recorded in 00:05:32.470 --> 00:05:39.730 1998. Their debut major label album OCMS came 00:05:39.730 --> 00:05:43.569 out in 2004, eventually reached gold status, 00:05:43.610 --> 00:05:47.709 and it included the hit song Wagon Wheel, which 00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:52.889 is a truly iconic tune that reached platinum 00:05:52.889 --> 00:05:57.519 status in 2013. Wagon Wheel's been covered several 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.360 times by other artists, most notably Darius Rucker 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:04.839 in 2013. It's one of those songs that's instantly 00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:08.759 recognizable to millions upon millions of people, 00:06:08.819 --> 00:06:12.240 whether they're country or Americana fans or 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:18.480 not. So Willie Watson wrote and performed on 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:21.430 the first four. Old Crow Medicine Show albums 00:06:21.430 --> 00:06:24.970 between 2004 and 2012 before he left the band 00:06:24.970 --> 00:06:29.170 to pursue a solo career. And since that time, 00:06:29.170 --> 00:06:32.589 he's released two critically acclaimed folk albums. 00:06:33.269 --> 00:06:36.750 He won a Grammy, won an Academy Award, appeared 00:06:36.750 --> 00:06:39.750 in the Coen Brothers film The Ballad of Buster 00:06:39.750 --> 00:06:43.050 Scruggs, performed at the Newport Folk Festival. 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:48.040 And then in 2024, he released his first album 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:52.420 of all original songs entitled Willie Watson. 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:56.360 Now that's just a really brief summary of the 00:06:56.360 --> 00:07:00.019 remarkable career that this kid from Watkins 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:02.879 Glen has carved out for himself over the past 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:05.339 couple decades. So I encourage you to dig into 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:09.100 his catalog yourself if so inclined. Willie Watson 00:07:09.100 --> 00:07:13.699 has a really unique and... moving singing voice, 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:15.839 something that fans and other artists always 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:19.439 rave about. He's insanely talented. And I hope 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:22.959 the people of Watkins Glen really feel a lot 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:26.620 of pride for their hometown artist. So anyway, 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:30.899 there's a song on his 2024 release, the final 00:07:30.899 --> 00:07:33.579 track on the album that many fans and followers 00:07:33.579 --> 00:07:38.040 talk about with almost a reverence. It's an old 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:42.220 time style folk song, mostly spoken word. And 00:07:42.220 --> 00:07:45.060 it's called Reap Em In The Valley. Look it up 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:46.560 and give it a listen. And I'll put a YouTube 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:50.300 link in the description, a link to the song so 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:53.240 you can check it out. It is really one of the 00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:57.079 most touching and meaningful songs I've heard. 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:00.399 I don't want to spoil it because if I describe 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.040 the song, it's not going to do it any justice. 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:08.300 So I'll just say that I found it stunning and 00:08:08.300 --> 00:08:13.660 moving and beautiful. Seneca Lake and the area 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:17.019 around the lake figure prominently in the song 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:22.220 in which Willie tells a story from his youth, 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:26.500 a moment that he describes as being a liminal, 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:31.480 informative moment in his life and career. And 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:35.100 if you read the comments and reviews from fans 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:38.539 and others about the song or listen to recent 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:41.120 interviews with Willie, you'll find out that 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:44.580 time and again people are deeply and profoundly 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:47.600 touched by this song, often being brought to 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:52.120 tears. And I'm one of those people. For me, when 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:55.340 I first heard the song last year, it was at a 00:08:55.340 --> 00:08:58.620 time when I was kind of feeling stuck when it 00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:01.120 came to writing the book and formulating whatever 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:04.779 Seneca Lake Mysteries was going to become. And 00:09:04.779 --> 00:09:08.419 when I heard Reap Em In The Valley, it made me 00:09:08.419 --> 00:09:13.049 feel like... Someone had, in a way, put words 00:09:13.049 --> 00:09:17.049 and music to whatever it was that I found so 00:09:17.049 --> 00:09:20.230 special and so magical about the Seneca Lake 00:09:20.230 --> 00:09:23.669 area. So I'm going to recommend that you check 00:09:23.669 --> 00:09:27.429 out this song. I'm not saying that it will move 00:09:27.429 --> 00:09:29.870 you the same way it moved me or the same way 00:09:29.870 --> 00:09:32.090 it moved other people, naturally, because it's 00:09:32.090 --> 00:09:35.570 art, after all. But at the very least, you'll 00:09:35.570 --> 00:09:38.480 get to hear a little bit of music. from a wildly 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:42.559 talented guy from Watkins Glen. And at best, 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:46.200 you might find yourself loving and appreciating 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:49.940 Seneca Lake and the people in the communities 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:56.240 around its shores in a new and deeper way. So 00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:59.059 again, thank you all for listening. You have 00:09:59.059 --> 00:10:01.580 my love and appreciation for everything. And 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:04.360 if you're feeling it, please stay tuned and join 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:09.720 me for the next step. in the journey to discover 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:14.240 and celebrate the unusual, strange, and unexplained 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:16.799 on New York's largest finger lake.