- [Joleene] Tonight on WPBS Weekly, Inside The Stories What's it like to work on a tall ship?

We'll take you to Brockville, Ontario where the Tall Ships Festival attracted thousands earlier this summer.

And, One World Kitchen is where it's at as we share a Tuscan soup recipe that really is out of this world.

Also, discover the music of Aaron Taylor and company.

The Fort Drum soldier shares his original music from a recording studio in downtown Watertown.

Your stories, your region, coming up right now on WPBS Weekly, Inside The Stories.

(bright lively music) - [Announcer 1] WPBS Weekly, Inside The Stories is brought to you by the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, the Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center, Carthage Savings, CSX, the Oswego County Community Foundation at the Central New York Community Foundation, the Richard S. Shineman Foundation, and The Badenhausen Legacy Fund at the Northern New York Community Foundation.

- Good Tuesday evening everyone, and welcome to this edition of WPBS Weekly, Inside The Stories.

I'm Joleene DesRosiers.

There is a certain beauty to a tall ship, rare to see but a marvel to take in.

These historic boats are a wonder.

So what's it like to work on one?

Director of Production Tracy Duflo takes us inside a tall ship for more.

(air whooshing) (whimsical music) - So the Sail Training Adventures Program is a program through Bytown Brigatine, which is the charitable organization that runs this program.

It provides an opportunity for youth, from ages 12 and up, to come to sea on either the sail trading vessel, Fair Jeanne, or Black Jack, and learn how to sail.

Learn how to sail in the traditional ways, square rig sails, and develop teamwork, learn something about themself, learn new skills, and at the end of the day, it's an introduction to the marine industry.

And you can learn how to, or develop, the skills necessary to have a career in the marine industry.

- Our smaller vessel, Black Jack, takes 12 to 14 year olds, and our larger ship, Fair Jeanne, takes 14 to 18 year olds.

And we really just try to keep the traditions of tall ship sailing alive, and teaching people all the lines and all the exciting stuff that goes on here.

- [Tracy] Jacob Griffin joined Sail Training Adventures at just 13 years old.

Since then, he's sailed with a program every summer for the past five years, working his way through many different positions on the tall ship.

- Yeah, so the experience was amazing.

My first experience was with Black Jack on the Ottawa River.

I've met people.

I've gone to places that I wouldn't go to before.

I've been all over the Great Lakes.

I've been up to as far as Georgian Bay.

Well, everything on this ship is something new to learn the first time you step onto it.

So I've learned all of the sails work aboard the boats, how all the machines work aboard the boats, lots and lots of stuff, and good life experiences too.

- So, some of the different programs that our teenagers and adolescents can take onboard range anywhere from being a deckhand to being, what we would call an engineer onboard, who looks after the engine and monitors temperatures and liquid levels, and can go on to actually receiving some Transport Canada certification.

For the more experienced crew, as they develop through the program, they become watch leaders and assistant watch leaders and watch leaders.

And, up to the point where they can become a mate or even a master.

In fact, some of our captains that we employ at times have gone through the program, and now are masters of vessels.

And yeah, so really it's a wide range of different programs you can take, and every year as your experience grows, you do a series of practical examinations that allow you then to move up to the next level.

- If you're coming onto the boat for the first time, you're coming on as what's called a trainee.

And that is our lowest level in our hierarchy, but you're in that position to learn, and to try and work your way up through the program to the different levels that we have.

So the first time you're on, you're not going to know very much, but it's the goal of the crew to have the trainees at the end of the session doing all of the sailing for the boat, which we tend to accomplish as much as we can, and it's always very fulfilling to see that for the crew.

My role aboard the tall ship Fair Jeanne is I am an SVMO, which stands for Small Vessel Machinery Operator, which puts me in charge of the tender for the boat, which are our small boats that we carry with us.

It also puts me in charge of watchkeeping for the engine, as well as maintenance for the engine, and maintenance for all of the systems onboard the ship.

So that's all the plumbing, all the electrical, the engines we carry, and various different pumps all over the boat.

- It's amazing to look at our youth and how they're able to adapt very quickly.

They may need a little prompting here and there, but you can really see a great difference, once they gain some confidence, in how they go about doing things and making an order, taking initiative to do something.

And it's all about becoming independent.

It's all about gaining that confidence to do things.

- [Tracy] The crew of each tall ship lives and works onboard for the summer.

- [Graham] It's, you know, it's not a very big sailboat.

It's 34 meters, so the quarters are a little tight.

You get to know each other very well.

As long as everyone is very respectful, and cleans up after themselves and works together, then it's like living in a large family in a small house.

- [Jacob] You get to know people very well as you're living in a confined space with lots of people for an extended period of time.

It's very fun though.

You meet lots of new people, make good friends.

- So a typical day would range from getting up in the morning normally around six o'clock.

All hands go to breakfast first thing.

Normally, we're at anchor overnight.

Right now, we're at anchor overnight.

So we wake up, breakfast, and then we get up, and we weigh anchor, hoist the sails, and start proceeding to our next port of call, wherever that may be, or anchorage area.

There is a challenge.

There's a lot of teamwork.

We have no modern wenches.

Everything is done by hand and block and pulling.

So it's a coordination.

If you don't coordinate, you could have one person pulling on a line while another person is pulling on a line, and they're actually counteracting each other.

So there's a lot of teamwork.

There's a lot of moving equipment.

And so the basic, the knowledge is needed to do that.

And we'll do as much sailing as we can.

We'll do several different types of seamanship events.

We'll practice emergencies onboard, as well as someone falling overboard.

We go to swimming stations frequently, especially in the summer when it's hot.

And we even, depending on the program carrier teacher, who is able to offer high school credits.

It's a fantastic experience.

You get out, you see wildlife.

You get to meet new friends.

You learn new challenges.

Climbing up a mast that's 80 feet high, is a challenge and we encourage everybody to try.

However, if they don't want to do it, then we don't force anyone to do it.

And there's no such thing as walking the plank or keelhauling anymore.

(camera crew laughing) (air whooshing) - Soup is good anytime, right.

Tonight, we share a classic Tuscan soup recipe that cries out for bread as it's companion.

From One World Kitchen, here's Vanessa Gianfrancesco.

(air whooshing) (whimsical music) (slow piano music) - Crispy pancetta, straight from the oven.

And it's a perfect garnish for my Tuscan bean soup.

I always make a little extra pancetta, because I can't keep my hands off of it.

Mm, salty little bite.

Will be the perfect little crunch factor for my soup.

And if you Googled Tuscan bean soup, I'm sure you'll find thousands of recipes out there.

I'm probably going to sound like my mom right now.

This is my recipe, and probably the best one.

(laughing) So I made my antipasto, which is tarali, and now onto my primi.

And primi in Italian means first.

First course in Italian tradition is usually something starchy, like pasta, or in this case, beans.

(bright lively music) Garlic has that really strong smell, so here's a tip.

Whenever you're chopping garlic, rub it on your tap.

It gets the smell out every time.

For my bean soup, I'm using cannellini beans.

A really big classic in Tuscany.

(water splashing) I like to boil them up, because they start off like little pearls, little dry beans.

And when I'm done with them, they turn into these tender little puffy balls.

But if you're in a hurry, you can use canned beans.

(laughing) (soft upbeat music) I love this bean soup.

A couple of simple ingredients, and this dish comes together.

And there's Soppresatta in here.

And Soppresatta is a dried cured meat.

Because growing up, my mom would always add in the little end of the dried cured meats that we had in the fridge leftover.

Too small to cut, so she'd throw them into the soup.

It gives that little salty bite that I love.

(soft upbeat music) When my dad was growing up, my grandma used to make him collect rainwater in buckets.

They said that when you cook the soup with rainwater, it tasted better.

I use chicken stock.

(laughing) I don't always have rainwater on hand.

(laughing) And my secret tip to this dish, a little Parmigiano-Reggiano rind.

I always make sure to keep it.

I tuck it into my soup.

And as the soup simmers away, Parmigiano-Reggiano melts off.

I always find a way to get that into the recipe.

(laughing) (soft upbeat music) Kale, I love this stuff.

Healthy, and I love it in this soup because it really stands up to that heat.

And in five minutes, the soup is ready to eat.

(soft upbeat music) The smell of this soup.

Ugh, I can't get enough.

My grandma always made the dishes by choosing all the vegetables first to make sure we got enough of our vegetables in.

And then we pour over that little magic, gold liquid.

Little extra Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Little snowflakes.

And that crispy pancetta.

(soft orchestral music) I'll put another one on.

Monday nights are always soup nights in my house.

Comfort food at its best.

I love these beans in this dish.

They're creamy, and they pop.

And I taste all those nice herbs, the rosemary and bay leaf.

Mm, and then the salty bite from the Soppresatta.

Ah.

Perfect.

This is my primi.

I can't wait to show you my secondi.

Mm mm, it's so good.

(upbeat music) (air whooshing) - WPBS is proud to share the history and heritage of Northern New York.

Tonight, we share an excerpt from our four-part docu-series, Discovering Jefferson County, as we explore the history of Carthage and Champion.

(air whooshing) (whimsical music) (air whooshing) - [Narrator] The town of Champion in Carthage was settled in 1797 by Noadiah Hubbard, the first settler in the area.

Hubbard came to the area after buying 2,000 acres of land from General Henry Champion and Lemuel Storrs, a pair of major landholders.

The price, along with the potential to make a profit, was too good to turn down.

The young entrepreneur settled in, and eventually built a limestone homestead on part of the acreage in 1820.

His eldest son, Hiram, lived there while his father lived in a wood-frame building across the road.

In 1831, Noadiah built a greystone house larger than any other in the area.

One would expect then that the town would be named after Noadiah Hubbard, but money talks, and such was not the case.

- Henry Champion also liked his own name.

And after Noadiah bought the land, a lot of people said, "Why isn't it Hubbardville?"

Well, General Champion said, "If you name the place after me," he said, "When you get your church, I will get you a bell for it."

Well, now, a bell is a big status symbol, and it's very expensive.

And it's not going to keep you warm in the winter.

It's not going to feed you in the summer.

It's not going to do any of those things that people need in the wilderness.

But it's status.

- [Narrator] Champion bought that bell.

At one point, it cracked and was sent to Troy, New York, for repairs.

Champion stepped up and added $100 of his own silver coin to be melted in with the rest of the materials used to repair the bell.

So you see, money really does talk.

- People said afterwards that it really did sound better.

(bell ringing) - [Narrator] Another town, known as West Carthage, has a more fiery history.

Because so many settlements were built of timber, fires were quite common.

The most memorable started on the morning of October 30th, 1884 in West Carthage.

Much of the village was destroyed, and quite a number of residents were left homeless.

The flames began at a mill in West Carthage, spreading quickly from building to building.

Previous fires in neighboring Carthage forced the village to purchase equipment to combat any future flames.

This included a steamer hand pump and over 50 feet of hose.

But West Carthage had nothing.

- Carthage came over with their steamer, and their hose pump, and two hose carts.

And they were working on trying to get the fire under control, until somebody realized it had already gone ashore in Carthage, and Carthage was on fire.

And they started ringing the bells over there, and the Carthage firemen had to pull out.

They had to leave, head back for the bridge, and get back over to the other side.

People in West Carthage were upset by that, but what they going to do?

You help your neighbor as long as you can, but then you've got to help your family.

- [Narrator] During the two-town blaze, a train arrived at the station, sending word that Carthage was aflame and in desperate need of help.

Watertown sent a contingency of men and equipment, a hand pump, and hoses on a flatbed via the railroad to Carthage.

The Lowville and Boonville fire departments also set help by way of train.

Despite the manpower, the fire burned all night, finally succumbing to the efforts in the early morning.

Over 150 buildings, houses, businesses, and mills were destroyed.

Close to 1,000 residents were left homeless, with a north country winter not far behind them.

- So a lot of people lost their home, their business, and their livelihood.

So, people helped each other.

When I talked to my fourth graders about this, I'd say, you know, "Would you be ready to take two other families into your house for the winter?

Share your clothes, share your food."

I don't think most people would be, but that's what had to happen, because there just wasn't a place.

But the interesting thing is four years later, all that you see on the riverbank and in the center of Carthage was rebuilt without any federal help.

- [Narrator] A second major fire occurred in Carthage decades later.

In 2002, the north side of the 200 block of State street was engulfed.

Likely caused by a malfunctioning wood-burning boiler in the basement of one of the buildings.

Once again, the village came together to help one another and rebuild.

The 1884 fire was greater as far as loss.

200 homes lost, 1,000 people displaced, and 50 businesses devastated.

70 acres of land were compromised.

In 2002, the fire happened over one acre.

Nine buildings were destroyed, and 150 people displaced, with eight businesses compromised.

No lives were lost in either tragedy.

- [Announcer 2] The historic piece you just watched comes from an original four-part documentary series called Discovering Jefferson County.

The series was produced right here at WPBS.

If you'd like the entire series at your fingertips, you can order your own copy, and enjoy all four parts in the comfort of your own home.

(air whooshing) - This is the part in our show where we share regional musicians with you.

Tonight, that musician is Fort Drum soldier Aaron Taylor.

We caught up with him in downtown Watertown where he recorded some original music with other band members.

Here is Aaron Taylor and Company with Let's Go Fly Away.

(air whooshing) (drum roll) (air whooshing) - My name is Aaron Taylor.

I'm a singer-songwriter.

So the motivation to start writing kind of came at the same time that I started working on piano and singing, which was later in my musical career, or journey, if you will, since it was both of those are secondary instruments for me.

(Aaron singing) But that was when the creative urges started coming, and started just having lots of ideas and writing them out and discovering just how to write songs.

And, that was a really fun time to be starting to write and learning how to write.

My process with writing music is normally starts with the chord progression, and then the melody comes next, whether it takes a long time to get it, or if it comes naturally.

And then the lyrics, putting the words to the melody, that's normally the last thing that falls into place.

That's the hardest thing for me to do.

So it's always the last thing, and sometimes the most dreaded thing sometimes.

So I found all these local musicians.

I serve in the army as an army musician.

The band at Fort Drum, I play there.

That's my day job right now.

So three of the other musicians in the band are also in the Fort Drum band, and then the other two, Joe and Joey, they're local cats.

And they're really great.

And I'm really grateful to be playing with all of them.

They're all working really hard and doing a really good job with these songs.

So, it's really exciting to play these songs live.

The song we're going to do is Let's Go Fly Away.

The lyrical meaning of Let's Go Fly Away is very simple.

The narrator and his partner, they're not necessarily in the most happy of places or situations, and they want to escape.

They want to fly away.

So that's what the song means.

I'm Aaron Taylor.

This is a song called Let's Go Fly Away.

(upbeat music) ♪ Let's try once again ♪ ♪ Let's go fly away ♪ ♪ Getting home early today ♪ ♪ You tell me to go and pack my things ♪ ♪ You're saying that you finally finished ♪ ♪ Our fiberglass set of wings ♪ ♪ You've been working on them now ♪ ♪ So long it makes me proud ♪ ♪ Now that we're trying them out ♪ ♪ They don't seem to be working after all ♪ ♪ I'll let you try one more time ♪ ♪ And let love find its place ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know you just want to escape ♪ ♪ So let's go fly away ♪ ♪ But now you know the problem ♪ ♪ And you just took all the weight off my chest ♪ ♪ You left your lucky penny under your pillow ♪ ♪ So we're out of luck I guess ♪ ♪ But it's worth a trip home ♪ ♪ 'Cause I forgot something of my own ♪ ♪ 'Cause with a little bit of luck ♪ ♪ I'm sure we'll get these wings off the ground ♪ ♪ I'll let you try one more time ♪ ♪ And let love find its place ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know you just want to escape ♪ ♪ So let's go fly away ♪ ♪ Can't explain just how I know ♪ ♪ This will work we're good to go ♪ ♪ Let's get this show out on the road ♪ ♪ If you're ready say so ♪ ♪ Let's go and get a running a start ♪ ♪ We'll lift these wings and spread them far ♪ ♪ We'll rid ourselves of all these scars ♪ ♪ Time to get a new start ♪ ♪ Let's try once again ♪ ♪ Let's go fly away ♪ ♪ I'll let you try one more time ♪ ♪ And let love find its place ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know you just want to escape ♪ ♪ So let's go fly ♪ ♪ I'll let you try one more time ♪ ♪ And let love find its place ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know you just want to escape ♪ ♪ So let's go fly ♪ ♪ Let's go fly ♪ ♪ I'll let you try one more time ♪ ♪ And let love find its place ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know you just want to escape ♪ ♪ So let's go fly away ♪ - And that does it for us this Tuesday evening.

Join us next week for a fresh look inside the stories.

In a study released in 2019, the World Health Organization called work burnout an occupational phenomenon.

A recent study shows it's only worsened.

We'll share how and why and what you can do about it.

And, what do you know about the bull salamander?

You might be surprised to know the species has only one sex.

Learn how they cross boundaries to procreate.

Also, singer-songwriter, Kay Miracle, visits the WPBS studios.

Her personal lyrics and powerful vocals just may resonate with you.

Meantime, we want to tell your story.

If you or someone in your community has something meaningful, historic, inspirational, or heroic to share, please email us at wpbsweekly@wpbstv.org, and let's share it with the region.

That's it for now, everyone.

We'll see you again next week.

Goodnight.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer 1] WPBS Weekly, Inside the Stories is brought to you by the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, dedicated to improving the wellbeing of communities by helping disadvantaged children and families.

Online at dmjf.org.

The Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center.

A free resource offering confidential business advice for those interested in starting, or expanding their small business.

Serving Jefferson Lewis and Oswego counties since 1986.

Online at watertown.nysbdc.org.

Carthage Savings has been here for generations, donating time and resources to this community.

They're proud to support WPBSTV.

Online at carthagesavings.com.

Carthage Savings, mortgage solutions since 1888.

Additional funding provided by CSX, the Oswego County Community Foundation at the Central New York Community Foundation, the Richard S. Shineman Foundation, and The Badenhausen Legacy Fund at the Northern New York Community Foundation.

♪ One more time ♪ ♪ And let love find its place ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know you just want to escape ♪ ♪ So let's go fly away ♪ (bright lively music)