(soft upbeat music) - [Man] Tonight on WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories.

There's goodness in Downtown Kingston, discover a nonprofit called Loving Spoonful that's feeding communities in need.

And we see you out there prepping your grills.

We'll share a perfect barbecue recipe to get you started for the grilling season.

Also, another brilliant musician is featured thanks to the legacy fund of Dorothea Susan Badenhausen.

He is Brian Dunbar.

He's more than just a flutist.

He's a change maker.

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

(upbeat music) - [Man 2] 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 Stephfond Brunson.

There's goodness everywhere, including Downtown Kingston, where one nonprofit organization is spooning up goodness for communities in need.

They are Loving Spoonful.

They provide programs in champion policies affecting food security, poverty, social inclusion and community health.

WPBS producer, Gail Paquette has more.

(people clapping) - [Gail] Loving Spoonful has been connecting people with good, fresh food in Kingston area, since 2008.

Working towards a healthier, more connected community.

They provide programs and champion policies affecting food security, poverty, social inclusion, and community health.

- [Melanie] So Living Spoonful works across the community in a lot of different ways.

We work with individuals.

We provide food to our fresh food market stands which are available, or it's a dignified way of accessing fresh food.

But we also provide fresh produce to over 40 meal programs pantries and shelters across the city.

So the ripple effect of every piece of produce that comes in through our doors is actually quite huge across the city and offsets the budgets of so many other social service agencies in the city that allows them to do more of the work that needs to be done.

- [Danny] Getting this food from Loving Spoonful is fabulous.

I mean, people look really forward to it.

They come in, you know, they say, well, when's it coming?

I tell them, they say, okay we'll be back.

And they do, and they grab a bag full and they just love it.

And it helps everybody because it's a rough time right now - [Gail] In Canada, one in eight households or 4 million people experience some form of food insecurity.

This ranges from people not having the money to buy enough food, to people who have to choose the cheapest and often most processed food available.

- [Melanie] I think this year, you know the last few years we've seen an unprecedented rate of inflation.

We all know when budgets get stretched, food is often one of the first things to go but within even that food umbrella, fresh food is the absolute first thing to go.

Processed foods are more inexpensive, more accessible and they last longer.

So, one of the things that we're always fighting against and trying to make accessible for the people of Kingston is to still be able to access those foods, even when times are tight.

- [Gail] Loving Spoonful staff and volunteers have engaged with thousands of residents and community groups through programs like their fresh food stands, urban agriculture initiatives, and community kitchen cooking classes.

Through the commitment of volunteers and partners, over $2 million of fresh food has been collected and delivered to over 52 locations.

- [Melanie] We have an amazing team and that team is comprised of really committed staff.

But part of that team is our volunteer family.

Those folks are really the ones who make the magic happen there.

They're out picking up, dropping off, working with different community groups in the agency making connections for us, really the gas in the car so to speak.

- [Peter] I've been with Loving Spoonful for about five years.

And I started out with food rescue and then sort of transitioned into fresh produce delivery.

So what I do is I go to a farm on Tuesdays and I come and I give it to the stands.

When you see the need out there.

When you see that you fill a stand on Tuesdays and you know by the end of the week it's empty, everybody you encounter says, thank you.

There's always a smile.

There's always a thank you.

No matter what their circumstances - [Gail] Patchwork gardens is certified organic and farms on rich soils unique to the Kingston region.

They have been involved with Loving Spoonful since its inception.

With a mission to sustainably grow the most nutrient dense, best tasting vegetables.

They have continued to donate thousands of pounds of vegetables, 12 months of the year.

- [Ian] Well, I got involved with Loving Spoonful right from the start.

We had a project through the National Farmer's Union that aimed at starting a couple kind of exciting endeavors in the Kingston area.

And one of them was Loving Spoonful.

They took it and ran with it and it's been amazing to watch it grow over the years.

Since then, it's been more just our relationship the farm and Loving Spoonful.

And they've always been well organized and positioned so that we're just makes it easy for us to hand off any surplus.

We're very grateful to have Loving Spoonful playing that role.

They're able to just do all the leg work from taking it off our hands and finding it at home through their programs, through their network.

'Cause that really is a labor intensive job.

- [Gail] Loving Spoonful is continually growing and impacting the community in so many positive ways.

Not only connecting thousands of people to good fresh food, but providing programs that educate and serve to expand the local food production.

- [Melanie] We all know that it's been harder to get things.

One of the easiest answers to that is shop local.

Visit your local producers, go to your farmers market, gardening your own backyard, plant your favorite things and share with your neighbors, donate to grow row, our garden for good program and share the love in terms of food.

We are Loving Spoonful and we couldn't think of a better name for the work that we do - [Gail] For WPBS Weekly.

I'm Gail Paquette.

- Speaking of good food who already has their grills fired up and ready to go.

If you're guilty like me, this next segment is for you From Gusto TV, here's Spencer Watts of Watts on the Grill with a tasty barbecue fish recipe.

(soft upbeat music) - People talk to me about barbecue fish all the time.

And they are terrified.

They say it overcooked.

They never know when it's done.

It sticks to the grill.

It falls apart.

And I say, no, all you need is a guide.

Let me do that for you.

And I will show you the tricks of the trade to perfect barbecue fish every time.

So the first fish up to bat is salmon.

That's my go-to fish.

And it's gonna go so good on the queue with a sweet smoky raspberry glaze, and look at the color of that fish.

This is Pacific salmon and it cooks up in a flash.

There's not a lot of fat into it but there's really good flavor.

That's a nice piece of salmon.

But check this one out.

This is Atlantic salmon.

It's a beast.

It's a lot thicker, there's more fat.

Does really good on the grill because you can get some char marks on it.

So I think I'm gonna grill the Atlantic.

(upbeat music) All right I love this salmon because the prep work to get it grill ready is dead simple.

So just a little bit of olive oil.

And I just simply season it with a little bit of kosher salt.

Barbecue worthy, grill ready.

Now the only other thing I need to make is a raspberry glaze.

You can use fresh raspberries if you like but I really like using frozen raspberries 'cause when they come out of the freezer and they have like more water in it and it's really easy to strain them a out and get the juice.

All right, this part's great.

Super simple.

Raspberries into a hot pan.

Raspberries are pretty tart.

So to sweeten it up, just a little sugar.

You can use sugar, anything that's nice and sweet.

Ginger.

Look at that color, it's so cool.

All right, so the raspberries are kind of tart, the white sugar's in there to sweeten it up.

The ginger's in there to give it a little bit of body and I want some heat smoked paprika.

It's barbecue baby.

(upbeat music) Everybody needs a little sunshine in their life.

Lemon juice.

You can use lime juice if you want even orange, but I think there's just something really romantic about lemon and raspberry.

There's a lot of good flavor in there.

And just one last thing to kind of heighten everything, rise the curtain on the big show.

Good pinch of salt.

That's barbecue ready.

So I like this barbecue to start high heat.

I want some char marks on the salmon, high heat is the way to go.

And I always oil the grill a little bit.

And soon as I put the fish on just a little bit of pressure, not much just a little bit of pressure really helps with the grill marks.

(upbeat music) That's ready for a quarter turn now.

Here's a great tip to get really pro char marks.

Just kind of like stand straight at it, grab the fish, lift it, quarter turn, back down, little bit of pressure, leave it alone.

Now green onions are pretty good on their own, but if you put a little char on the green onions, they go from ha I'm a green onion to hey, I'm a green onion.

Just simple, a little bit of oil massage it around and right onto the grill.

All right, salmon's ready for a flip and a glaze.

Ah yes, look at those char marks.

That's why you start at high heat, get a good char, doesn't stick to the grill and then you can turn the heat down a little and glaze.

I like to be pretty generous with this stuff 'cause it's quite tasty.

Full of flavor man.

That fish is gorgeous, sexy, finished.

That makes me happy.

All right, this is my favorite part.

I always save a little bit of sauce when I'm barbecuing.

It's great to put it on the plate.

'Cause it looks pretty and it's tasty.

Now you can eat the green onions long like this but sometimes they get like a little bit chewy.

So I always like to cut them up.

(upbeat music) See the middle of the salmon is kind of like slightly translucent.

For me, it doesn't get any better than that.

Yeah.

- As we continue our spring time tour of North country lighthouses, we take you to two different beacons this week.

Sister Island near Redwood and Galloo Island at the entrance of Sackets Harbor.

Both are privately owned, but can be seen during a boat ride (car honking) (soft music) - [Narrator] Constructed in 1870, Sisters Island Light was needed to market difficult channel on the Canadian side of the island.

However, with the commissioning of the lighthouse the river channel was moved to the American side of the island.

As part of this process, the river at that point needed to be deepened, which entailed the blasting of bedrock at the river bottom.

This was an extremely hazardous operation.

Divers working from a support barge, placed the charges into drilled holes.

Lightning struck the barge during a summer thunderstorm and the dynamite on the barge exploded.

Nine crew members were killed.

The tower which housed the light rises about 60 feet.

Sisters Island was originally three sisters islands or three islands that stood next to each other.

The space between the islands was eventually filled in and the islands connected.

Captain William Dodge was wounded in the civil war and given the post of lighthouse keeper.

He was appointed Sister Island Lights first keeper in 1870.

And served with his wife for 23 years, then passed the position onto his son who kept the light for 28 years.

Between the two, they logged 51 years as keepers of Sisters Island Light.

At first, the light keeper had to stay at the light year round, even though the light was not operated in the winter.

Later the keeper was allowed to go home for the winter months.

Around 1890, late at night the Dodges were awakened by a horrible crash.

The passenger steamer ocean had collided with the barge kent.

With a huge gaping hole in her side the captain of the ocean drove his vessel full steam ahead for the rocks at Sisters Island Light.

He wanted to get into shallow water knowing that his ship could not float for more than a few minutes.

The keeper, Mr.

Dodge was involved in the rescue.

When the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959 the lighthouse was replaced with a nearby buoy.

In 1967, the Wolos family purchased the property.

- It had been vandalized by everybody.

Most of the windows were broken.

Most of the window frames were damaged.

It was dirty.

We had to get custom made windows because it's odd size frames.

We had to replace the glass at the light tower.

My dad, when we came here my dad started with a broom upstairs, just kept sweeping.

By the time he got to the lower level we had two wheelbarrows full of dirt, literal dirt.

And apparently it was hit by lightning because there was a hole in the roof, there was a hole on the second floor, there was a hole in the first floor, right down to the ground.

And my dad and I did what you see here.

It's a family recreation area, yes.

My daughter comes, my son comes, my nephews come.

The whole family uses the place and we have a calendar deciding who gets what week, and we just work it out amongst ourselves.

- [Narrator] Sister's Island Light is now privately owned and is not operational.

The lighthouse cannot be seen from the American mainland.

(soft music) Operational in 1820, the Galloo Island Lighthouse is one of the earliest lighthouses on Lake Ontario.

It was placed on the Southwest end of Galloo Island to mark the outer edge of a group of islands and shores hazardous to vessels on route to the St. Lawrence river or Sackets Harbor.

In 1857, a new fourth order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower.

By then, the lighthouse was in need of extensive repairs.

A new 60 foot tall tower and dwelling was built in 1867.

Gray limestone quarried on the island was used to build the new structures.

A red brick fog signal building was added near the shore in 1897 and two 10 inch steam whistles were installed.

Most keepers on Galloo island stayed for just a few years.

With a few exceptions.

Keeper F Byron Johnson was keeper for nearly 30 years and keeper Robert C. Graves nearly matched him with 27 years.

The light was automated in 1963 and is now privately owned with no public access.

It can best be seen by boat.

- As part of the legacy fund left by Dr. Dorthea Susan Badenhausen, we'd like to introduce you to Brian Dunbar.

A talented flutist who teaches at SUNY Potsdam.

Brian stands out not only as an award-winning musician but also as a change maker for black artists in the music community.

(drum beating) - My name is Brian Dunbar and I'm the assistant professor of flute at the Crane School of Music.

I got started with the flute after witnessing my third grade music teacher perform a flute solo recital for us.

I knew at that moment I wanted to play the flute and I only had to wait three more years until I got into sixth grade to begin.

I was captivated by the flute by its shape, its shininess and the great fast music that my teacher performed for us.

As the assistant professor of flute, I am in charge of teaching the undergraduate and graduate flute majors their weekly lessons.

I also lead our weekly studio class and I also I'm the director for the Crane Flute Ensemble.

I enjoy teaching because it offers me the opportunity to share with students my experience learning and growing as a musician.

Class, if we're getting the octave higher, what is that telling us?

The advice that I would give to a student looking to begin a career in music is to think outside of the box.

Traditionally, we've thought of music as either a performance field, where you can start playing in an orchestra or be a teacher in the education field, but there are so many other options out there such as nonprofits, music business, flute repair or instrument repair.

And so, just know that there's many more options out there for you.

And it's not just cut and paste.

I'm very motivated by my students.

Being able to guide and be a part of and witness their growth while in school.

I'm also extremely motivated by the opportunity to create new works for flute and uncover works that have been performed less often than our traditional repertoire.

I really enjoy performing all types of music.

Often I get asked the question what is your favorite composer?

Who is your favorite composer?

For me, it's whatever music I'm playing at the moment.

That is my favorite.

I feel that I have no experience as a composer, and so my job is to make connections with composers and have works written for myself or discover new works, performing their new works.

I really admire the creative process that composers go through.

And also I feel that it's my job to bring those composers voices to life through the flute.

My latest project includes a consortium commission of a flute concerto for flute and orchestra by the composer Carlos Simon.

I partnered with Carlos last year in the midst of the pandemic to create this work, which will be written for again, solo flute and a small chamber orchestra.

Allowing orchestras large and small to participate in performing the work.

This will be only the second piece written for flute and orchestra composed by a black American.

And I look forward to bringing the piece to the North Country Community.

(flute playing) (upbeat music) - That does it for us this Tuesday evening, join us next week for a fresh look Inside the Stories.

Home buyers in Canada are gearing up for a busy real estate season.

But with home prices rising buying sooner than later might be the best option right now.

And the Canadian Tulip Festival celebrates its 70th year this month.

We'll take you to the gardens for a sneak peak at commissioner's Park.

Also meet Margaret Chalker an opera singer and assistant professor of voice at the Crane School of Music.

As we continue to showcase artists supported by the Dorthea Susan Badenhausen Legacy.

Meantime, if you have a story idea, you'd like to see us explore, or you are a poet or a musician and would like to be featured, email us at wpbsweekly@wpbstv.org.

Until then, goodnight my friends.

- WPBS weekly Inside the Stories is brought to you by The Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation dedicated to improving the wellbeing of communities by helping disadvantage children and families.

Online at dmjmf.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 watertowndotnysbdc.org.

Carthage Savings has been here for generations.

Donated time and resources to this community.

They're proud to support WPBS TV.

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.

(flute playing) (soft music)