Montgomery County Executive Matt Ossenfort is Bob Cudmore’s guest this weekend on Magic 590’s Talk of the Town. Ossenfort is now opposed to a planned industrial park in the Montgomery County town of Mohawk, noting that the unemployment rate in his county has declined substantially because of previous business growth. Listen Sunday, May 12, 2019 at 6:30 a.m. on Magic 590 and 100.5 in Albany and 1410 and 96.9 in the North Country. Posted as a Podcast hear on The Historians
Mohawk Valley Weather, Sunday, May 12, 2019-A chance of light rain. Cloudy, with a high near 50.
Episode 265-Leader Herald newspaper history columnist Peter Betz has stories about a murderer who wanted to hang and a salesman who stole the goods he was supposed to sell.
Focus on History Link "The Daily Gazette" https://dailygazette.com/life/history
Focus on History in the Daily Gazette-Two music men from the Amsterdam area-high school bandleader Gerald Barnell and Stephen Lopuch of The Pals of the Saddle. In his 39-year career as a high school music teacher and bandleader, Gerald P. Barnell created traditions that still touch the hearts of Amsterdam natives everywhere.
The youngest of eight children, Barnell was born in 1909 in Amsterdam, where his father, a grocer on Florida Avenue, was a founder of Mount Carmel Church on the South Side. The Italian American family’s original name was Baranello.
In 1915, brothers Angelo, Charles and Anthony organized Barnell’s Concert Orchestra. The group played for Amsterdam’s well-to-do and performed at Saratoga casinos and the New York governor’s mansion.
The orchestra disbanded in 1922 when brother Anthony contracted a bone disease. Soon the youngest Barnell organized Jerry Barnell and His Society Orchestra, playing spots such as Jollyland, today’s Shuttleworth Park.
Gerald Barnell graduated from Amsterdam High in 1929 then earned a bachelor’s degree at Ithaca College. A violinist, he later did graduate work at Albany, Syracuse, Indiana and Columbia universities plus the Julliard School of Music.
He taught for a year at Cazenovia Seminary, which became Cazenovia College, and joined the Amsterdam schools in 1934. He taught music in the schools until 1973, serving as instrumental director leading the high school, junior high and elementary bands and orchestras.
Barnell also performed with Barnell’s Concert Orchestra and directed his own Union Orchestra. He was a member of Local 133 of the Professional Musicians Union.
He married Antoinette Morini, whose family owned a local coal and oil company, in 1940. Antoinette was an accomplished singer, dancer and actress. She and her husband frequently performed together. They had one son, Gerald Barnell, Jr., who pursued a career as a business educator at Schalmont High School in Rotterdam.
When WCSS radio went on the air in Amsterdam in 1947, Barnell produced a talent show, Youth on Parade, and hosted the Sunday Italian show with Salvatore Morini.
Barnell entertained children by making his violin sound like a bumblebee or train whistle. He had many private students, including popular Amsterdam guitarist and vocalist Rachelle Cotugno.
In the 1950s, Barnell melded the high school band with female cheerleaders and baton-twirling majorettes. Their signature number during football half time shows became “Lullaby of Birdland,” with majorettes forming a kick line reminiscent of the Radio City Rockettes.
Today’s majorettes no longer twirl batons but they still perform “Lullaby of Birdland” and other numbers with the band. The high school band is now known as the Amsterdam Marching Rams.
After Barnell retired in 1973, he taught music education at the College of Saint Rose in Albany. He died in 1998; his wife Antoinette died in 2001. During their life together they lived on Phillips Street near Henrietta Heights.
One of Barnell’s accomplishments was organization of the first All County Music Festival in Montgomery County in 1956.
DAIRY FARMER AND MUSICIAN
The Pals of the Saddle was a popular country music group of the late 20th century in the Mohawk Valley.
Stephen Lopuch led the band. Other members were Frank Lopuch, Joseph Lopuch, Eddie Jarvis and Adam Orleanski, known as Tex Adams.
The group was well known from appearances on WRGB television in Schenectady.
Stephen Lopuch also wrote songs for polka bandleader Jimmy Sturr, including Blue Jeans Polka. Sturr won two Grammy awards for albums containing songs written by Lopuch in the 1980s.
Lopuch was a native of Auriesville who lived in the town of Florida, where he was a dairy farmer and raised a family with his wife, Mary Ann.
Stephen Lopuch died in 2004 in a one-car accident in Rotterdam. He was 82.
Information for this story was provided by Joan Ready of Amsterdam. Monday, May 13, 2019- The Story Behind the Story Podcast focuses on the Daily Gazette column on Amsterdam music men Gerald Barnell and Stephen Lopuch. Tuesday, May 14, 2019-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette- Roger Bowman: From Amsterdam to the Majors 12-01-18 Wednesday, May 15, 2019- From the Historians Podcast Archives- Episode 125, August 19, 2016-Daily Gazette feature writer Bill Buell discusses how there are several vacancies in Schenectady area municipal historian positions. Footnote from today: Bill has now retired from the Gazette and will be Schenectady County Historian.
Thursday, May 16, 2019-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette- A baseball oracle 11-10-12
Friday, May 17, 2019-Episode 266-Bob Cudmore has stories from the Mohawk Valley: Amsterdam’s downtown movie theaters, a syndicated journalist from Fonda and a Civil War surgeon who was born in Root, N.Y.
After moving to a new location last year, Spring Fling is shifting it’s carnival-like atmosphere back to Amsterdam’s downtown later this week.
Amsterdam’s Spring Fling Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, May 18, 2019 centered around Main Street in downtown. The City of Amsterdam and its Tourism, Marketing & Recreation Department are presenting the annual event, which The Sentinel of Amsterdam has sponsored. Around 140 vendors are expected to be at the event alongside a variety of free entertainment, including amusement rides, bounce houses, arts and crafts activities, and live music By JOHN PURCELL RecorderNews https://www.recordernews.com/news/local-news/153422 Bob Cudmore bobcudmore@yahoo.com Bob Cudmore will speak to the Charleston Historical Society at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19, 2019 at the old Baptist Church, 390 Polin Road in Charleston, N.Y., just off Route 30A. Among Bob’s stories will be an account of a recent visit to Amsterdam N.Y. by a documentary filmmaker from the Czech Republic. The program is free and open to the public. Jason Subik Show
Amsterdam News and Talk
Thursday, May 9, 2019
https://www.facebook.com/jason.subik
Next Live Facebook Feed, Monday, May 13, 2019
Jason Subik Mid-Morning Program WCSS Radio Amsterdam 106.9FM and 1490AM
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