- Tonight on WPBS Weekly, inside the Stories multi-talented artist, Cassidy Thomas stops by the studio to share her path as a self-published author.

Then at King's Lock Craft Distillery, every bottle tells a story crafted by hand using local certified organic grains and sustainable practices.

Also learn about a powerful music festival that brings unheard stories of the Erie Canal to life.

Your stories, your region.

Coming up right now on WPBS weekly, inside the stories, - WPBS Weekly inside the stories is brought to you by - When you're unable to see your primary care provider.

A Carthage Walk-in clinic is here for you.

Located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and Healing close to home when you need it most - North Country Orthopedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us North Country Orthopedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

- We are the north country where protecting one another like family is who we are and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the north country Strong, at claxtonhepburn.org.

Today, - Select musical performances are made possible with funds from the statewide community Regrant program, a REGRANT program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York state legislator administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.

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

I'm Michael Riecke.

At a young age, Cassidy Thomas always had a passion for storytelling, whether it be writing a novel, capturing a moment on a vintage camera, or taking trips with her dogs, Fernando and Sebastian, her artistry has taken her to New Heights.

Tonight, she visits the WPBS studio to talk about her art and love for all things vintage.

- Thank you, Michael.

And you know, it's always so much fun when we have an author come by the studios and today is no different.

I'm joined today by author and photographer from the local area, Cassidy Thomas Cassidy, thank you for coming to the studio today.

It's an, it's awesome to have you here.

- I'm super happy to be here - And I wanna get the ball rolling right away.

For people that are not familiar with you, gimme a little bit of background.

Who is Cassidy Thomas?

For those not familiar.

- Well, I live in Cape Vincent, I'm 25.

I've written over 10 books for children and young adults.

I love to do a little bit of everything besides write.

I'd love to do photography, whether it's film, photography or digital.

I have, I love VHS tapes and archiving, and I love to do scrap muddling and lawn mowing.

I just, I like to, I love to do a little bit of everything.

- You looked a lawn mower.

God, I have a lawn mower in a minute.

Oh my goodness.

Now I enjoy it.

There's a lot of avenues to cover and that place alone.

But let's start from the author perspective.

You've got a couple of your books right here.

You're a children's author, but you're also a fiction author.

So I wanna start by asking you about your books, your children's book series, the event, the Adventures of Fernando and Sebastian.

First of all, who are Fernando and Sebastian?

- Well, they are my two plush puppies.

- They are?

Oh, oh, look at them.

They're - So cute.

They are.

They're happy to be here.

Look - At them.

Oh my God.

- Hey, where's his heart?

On his feet.

Is that Fernando?

That's Fernando.

- Fernando, how you doing?

Is this your first time on camera?

- Yes.

It's, oh my goodness.

Yep.

That's Fernando.

This is Sebastian.

- What about you, Sebastian?

Are you excited to be here today?

- Yep.

- Video.

- Yeah, they're, they're old puppies.

They are, well, well over the age of me.

25.

They're 36, about, about to be 37.

Wow.

And, well, they go on old fashioned adventures.

You don't see any technology in the books.

They just go on little fun.

We go around the area, we kind of go outta state at times and they just find the little places.

- Do you have a personal favorite adventure that that Fernando and Sebastian have gone on?

- I found a little bit of a favorite in everything.

I think when I'm with my grandparents is the best fun.

I think it's just the joy when I, when I just set them somewhere or I just like, it's the people that you're with and you see the smile on their face and then people ask about your books and then if they read a book or you tell them about it, it just makes their day.

And it's like one little comment can help out someone.

- And now you're also a, a fiction author.

You've got a couple of your books here, like Knights in Black and Blue Seagulls That Dance by the Sea.

I wanna know when, when you start making your books, whether the Adventures of Fernando and Sebastian or these books, where does it really begin for you?

Where's the inspiration come from?

- That starts way back when I wrote a story in kindergarten about snakes.

I just kept writing ever since.

And I just, I never really, I was more into writing than friendships, I'd say in elementary school.

And I just started writing and writing little stories.

And then finally when I was in ninth grade, I just saw this bad stuff going around all around the world.

I thought, you know, I wanna write a story and make sure that somebody knows in the world that something's okay.

So at 15 I began nights in black and blue.

And finally in 2020, late 2020, I found I do self-publishing through Amazon.

So I finally wrote my book and I wrote a series on it so far.

And it's like 16 on up.

I wanted to make it realistic.

I wanted to make it raw and yeah.

And - Now you're also working, are you working on any books currently that you'd like to share with the public?

Right now - I'm working on a few from high school actually, that I still had like in like paper.

I've got like paper everywhere.

And I just wrote, wrote one recently.

It's so new that I don't have it out.

It's called Pine Memories in an Elegant Box.

It is based off of a short story that I wrote senior year, and it was, the title of it was that two people in a room and we had to create and create a writing class, two people in a room.

And I thought, you know, I'm gonna make a whole book on this.

And I changed it up a little bit 'cause it was kind of like a ghost story.

So I just made it about this, this guy that's like a, these guys in a band.

And he goes up north and he finds an old book in a box.

- Interesting.

And now I wanna also dive, I wanna start diving into your, sorry, you're photography a little bit.

Where'd the inspiration for that begin?

- I just saw, I'm always, I live out in the country.

I saw this nature and I always saw how like you can capture a memory just once.

It's like a sunset.

You can't capture a moment again.

That same way with, with with the person that you're with too.

So I thought, you know, I'm just gonna take hundreds and hundreds of photos.

That camera that I brought with me today, that's probably had over 10,000 photos with it since 2018, since I got it.

Wow.

And I also do film photography too.

- Ooh, that's fascinating.

Tell me a little bit more about your film photography.

What's some of the stuff you shoot on film versus on digital?

- I kind of try to get the same perspective, but I love how grainy it is.

Like I just, it captures what I really love, just old fashioned stuff.

And it can kind of fool people at times.

Like, yeah, that was taken in 2025, but it was really like, not the camera's, 1995, you can pull people, - Don't worry.

No one's gonna know.

It's gonna be a secret.

This was actually taken in 1925, not 2025.

Don't, don't confuse it.

Yeah.

Now you also have a YouTube channel.

I do.

What is this about?

- So this tape right here is one of my many.

I got started with that since my, my obsession came from, well, my second obsession from writing books.

I began watching the movie Shrek over and over again.

It was my favorite movie.

And I thought, I wanna preserve this.

And I found out we had even more recorded tapes.

That is a PBS tape.

- Oh no kid.

Yeah, I'm seeing some programs on here.

You got no Nova?

Ooh, that's a familiar one.

It's a Zoboomafoo.

- Yeah.

Like Kratt Brothers.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I wrote it kind of really quick so you can't see it too much.

But I was just, I, I love how you, it's like a picture.

You can't get that same footage twice.

So I thought I'm gonna archive this.

And my late third great uncle recorded a lot of these for family and for him.

So I thought, you know, in his memory, I wanna put it out there, these old commercials.

And I've had local people telling me, Hey, thank you for that.

And - What other, what other vintage tech do you use for like, stuff like this?

- Oh, I have VHSC also those little tinier ones.

- I've never, What is VHSC?

I've never heard - Of it.

It's like, it's a tinier version of like, it's like on a camcorder mostly.

And there's like other devices you can put into a VHS tape to watch.

It's just another camcorder basically.

- So you're pretty much like an every woman from YouTube to VHS tapes, to authors, to photography.

And you know, Fernando and Sebastian are like glowing right now.

Is 30, 60 average life expectancy for a dog?

- No.

- Darn.

No.

Yeah.

You guys are, you guys are living like long, - I mean, they've got brothers and all that that are like, I mean, they're probably like from the fifties, but they're not that old yet.

They, they might get embarrassed by their age, but - Do they get to, do they get to, do some of their siblings get to show up in some of your books?

- Yep.

They're in the future.

Yep.

We got a, they got a sister that's all white and we keep her kind of safe because she gets dirty very easily.

These boys - Are get in mud.

- Yep.

- Now, you know, I'm hearing a lot of what you're doing and what I really want to know is, you know, for somebody, the aspiring artist, somebody who wants to get into this field but doesn't know where to start, what's some words of encouragement you would suggest to get started in writing?

- I would say to keep going.

Don't give up on it.

You gotta just keep going and you'll find your niche.

It might not be now, it might not be tomorrow, but keep going because you'll find somebody like it's all for you.

Like just whether you wanna self-publish or you wanna go out there, like there'll be, there's opportunities all around you no matter where you are.

Whether you're in a, a bad home, a good home, there's, there's a light somewhere.

You're gonna find it.

There's gonna be people that'll help you.

- And for people who are curious about your books, where can people go to purchase your books and learn more about you?

The author, the photographer, the VH s enthusiast.

- You can find me on Amazon.

You can find me in some local libraries like Kate Vincent.

You can find me at the farmer's markets in Chaumont mostly, but I'm also seen in Cape Vincent.

- And where can and what can people expect in the coming few, in the coming days?

Coming months for Cassidy Thomas?

- Well, I'd like to be a little bit everywhere.

I like to travel just a little bit further, have different ideas for books, whether it's my puppies or the chapter books.

I just, as my book says, you have to do a little bit of just do your own thing, dance by the sea.

- Well, Cassidy, this has been so much fun.

Folks at home, you know exactly where you go, where to go.

If you're curious about Cassidy or her books or even if you wanna learn more about her VHS collection, I don't know if that's on your YouTube.

YouTube, have you - Taken a little bit everything?

- Are you going through a tour?

- Yeah, I still got so many more tapes.

I try to do a little bit of each, but if you're interested in old commercials, whether it's Watertown or there's even old Canadian commercials, you can find me as C Cucumber.

- That's a fun name.

- Yeah.

Good.

Well, - Cassidy, we appreciate you coming to our studios today and thank you so much for your time.

This has been awesome.

- This has been great.

Thank you so much.

- At Kings Lock Craft Distillery, the contents of every bottler crafted by hand using local certified organic grains and sustainable practices as Ontario's first certified organic and kosher distillery, this family run operation does what few others do?

They distill their spirits entirely in house from scratch.

100% Canadian made and deeply rooted in community and care for the environment.

This is craft distilling done right.

- King's Law Craft Distillery stands apart by owning every step of their process, literally from seed to spirit.

Their generational family farm supplies, the distillery with organic grains creating a rare and authentic grain to glass experience that few can match.

- When we took the farm, we wanted to make sure that we could do something with what we were growing on it.

Yeah.

So that was really important to us and that's why, you know, we grow organic crops.

And then I think that, you know, there was, we had some interest in distilling.

Rob definitely had an interest in distilling and, you know, the comprehension of the process, knowing that he could actually, I think the best way to say it is make it better than a lot of commercial product that was available.

So one of the things I say to people about small batch, having a pot still instead of a continuous still efficiency isn't high.

It's not terribly low, but it's not high.

If I'm a big producer, I'm gonna run a continuous still to get the maximum efficiency every drop of alcohol because I, I'm looking at the books, I'm worried about the numbers here, we're much more about the flavor, about the connection to the land, about being local.

- This flexibility is what allows for creativity in every drop.

With small batch distilling, there's room for experimentation, whether it's trying new techniques, using local ingredients, or just playing around with flavor profiles.

And that's something that resonates with those who appreciate the artistry of distilling.

- It's not what it was 30 years ago.

There's a lot of, I think, new flavor profiles that come out.

And a lot of, I think the benefit of craft distilling is we have the flexibility to literally test something.

So we'll do, we'll do a test, then we'll actually make up one batch not too large.

We'll see how it sells.

We'll get consumer feedback, you know, we may tweak the recipe a bit and then, and, and work on again.

Or we, for instance, we had a product, it was okay, but it didn't compete as well as our other liqeurs.

So now we're like, maybe we should come up with a new summer liqueur.

So we're like, we're we're gonna play with something different.

- The spirit of their craft begins long before the distillation process starts.

Owners Rob and Laura don't just work in the distillery.

They live on the family farm where they grow most of the grains used in their spirits.

This deep connection to the land shapes the character of their products and brings a level of authenticity that's hard to replicate.

- Organic liquor was something that was lacking in the industry and there was a niche.

We talked to a few people and everybody was like, yeah, we can do this.

We did a lot of tours.

We went to a lot of small distilleries also.

We're good friends with a bunch still actually, and they're all trying to do the best they could.

There was no one who was organic.

One of the big things was the linking the organic and, and the organic was, it is the, one of the, the biggest focuses of what we're doing here.

And we do our very best to make everything completely organic.

We're growing our own organic garlic, like to make sure we have our own garlic.

So we have almost 3000 plants at the farm to do our garlic vodka.

And actually we're so farmer based and so locally rural based is like a, it should be a standout of what it is.

- Like many true small batch distillers, King's lock embraces a touch of mystery.

Each batch is a handcrafted living creation, never exactly the same, always reflecting the subtle influence of season grain and craft.

It's this variability and the ability to adapt that makes small batch distilling so exciting and unique.

- Yeah, there's a consistency to the types of ingredients for sure.

We operate at such a small scale and in such a agriculturally dependent sort of environment that it's impossible to say that it's the kind of grain, the quality of grain when every year by year the rye that we grow on the farm is not the same every year because the year's not, there's no two years are the same.

So it's hard to say that it's exactly, but there are, you know, there's quality standards about, you know, mold and things going wrong and the storage part of it that you have to adhere to, but then you just can't expect it to be perfectly identical.

That's just not something we do.

It's a sensory experience, right?

So there's something about it that is like, it has to be at least in some level, enjoyable, right?

Making a new make whiskey is the, it still has to smell good, it still has to taste good in some ways.

So there's always things like that where like there is, there is good and there is bad and we've had bad things that have happened and that's just, there's some things like that that it has to be at the very least on some distinct level, you have to find some part of it that is like crystally good, great even that you have to be finding.

And then from there you can kind of work your way to the final product, which might be seven years away.

But - They also believe that great spirit should speak for themselves.

King's Lock makes it easy for customers to taste before they buy.

Participating in nine farmer's markets and offering regular tasting hours at the distillery.

A commitment to transparency, community connection, and the pure enjoyment of their craft.

- You can sample here, you can sample at a farmer's market.

That's always we say is we don't want people to buy something and not have had the chance to taste it.

Not everybody likes the same thing.

So we've tried to make sure there's a broad range to try to have something that can appeal to everyone's unique taste.

I want them to like one thing and I want them to, you know, like something that they enjoy.

I think the other thing we always like to say is don't drink more, drink better.

And so, you know, come in, taste something then when you want that little sort of spirit or nip or whatever you wanna call it, you know you've got something there.

You can put in a glass and feel really confident and comfortable with what you're consuming.

- At King's luck, it's all about knowing where your spirits come from, who crafted it, and the care that went into every poor here.

Every sip tells a story, one rooted in family, hard work, and a true love of the craft.

For WPBS weekly, I'm Gail Paquette.

- You can learn more @klcraftdistillery.ca.

While 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal, we're celebrating this technological marvel with a multi-part special series tonight, the Albany Symphony and Partnership with the New York State Canal Corporation commemorates the bicentennial of the canal through music and stories, raising more voices to tell untold stories about the past, present, and future of the Erie Canal.

- We're really trying to shine a light on these amazing historic and cultural artifacts, but also on the, the, the immediacy and the beauty of, of the canal and, and all this water that runs through our, our lands, our our places.

- It was a late stark and rainy night, a solitary figure hunches over a desk, a composer surrounded by silence, grappling with an unusual theme for a new composition.

The eerie canal.

- Water, music, New York is one of the things that we at the Albany Symphony are most excited about that back in 2017, we had had a number of conversations with the New York State Canal Corporation because I happened to know that the beginning of the bicentennial of the Erie Canal was going to be on July 4th, 2017.

That was when the first shovelful was dug in Rome, New York in 1817.

And so we developed this incredible project to float the orchestra, essentially down the canal from Albany to Buffalo over a week around the July 4th holiday, celebrating the bicentennial, the kickoff of the bicentennial.

And so we began conversations a couple years ago with the Canal Corporation and the Power Authority, and they very much wanted us to come back and do a sort of similar thing, but we, and they very much wanted to make it a little bit different.

We call it now, water, music, New York more voices.

The idea being that there are so many stakeholders and historical figures and populations whose voices and whose stories really haven't been heard or haven't been told.

So we're really focusing particularly on, on the, the, the stories and the voices of women, immigrants, people of color, indigenous Americans who obviously occupied this land long before the canal was built.

And the, the voice of the environment of, of nature.

We're doing these five little really fascinating popup events, one of which is right here in Schore Crossing Park.

- This is a very beautiful and unusual place.

It's where you can see all three versions of the canal, but it's called The Crossing Because of that beautiful aqueduct behind me that was built in 1841.

I can't think of a more peaceful setting to be able to sit here and to reflect and to imagine what it was like when the canal was going at full bore, both in 1825, but later in the 1860s and the 1870s when literally hundreds of boats were going across the aqueduct.

And to have it set to music is just a beautiful thing.

So I'm really looking forward to enjoying the evening.

- I speak with grace to you, my water flowing from mountain carrying - My spirits for my name is Clarissa Saad and I'm a composer and performer originally from Brazil.

Today we are premiering a piece that I wrote called Earth and Water.

And the idea for this piece came from a conversation I had with Kay Oland and she is a member of the Mohawk Nation and she told me something so beautiful.

She said that the oldest spirit that they believe in and they care for is Mother Earth, right?

And she also said that water was mother earth's blood.

So the species is a composition that it's a conversation between earth and water, earth being worried about everything that's happening to, to them, right?

Manmade structures, things like that.

And there are introductions where I am the composer.

So you literally see like where I stopped my thought, train of thought and there's narration.

It's like, from here on you continue.

And I have an idea and I feel, so it's like as if I was writing the piece in real time, - Right?

Then the composer paused, taking a long breath and letting the air flow into the lungs, carrying oxygen to every cell silently.

Thanks.

Were given to all plants, the phytoplankton, the atmosphere, - And of course the earth itself.

This is a very important program.

And with the support that we're having from local communities, right?

We're coming together to make this happen.

I think this is fantastic.

We're building a strong community for people to have their pieces heard, for the audience, to listen to new works that they haven't listened.

So I think it's just, it's a very important thing.

We need that more in the world.

- Who to inhabit this place?

Why other canals have been built?

- What sets this one apart?

These popups are a little different from what we normally do in that they're for, you know, fairly small ensembles, quartet quintet, four or five musicians plus singers for plus speaker, et cetera.

So, but, but it's the same exercise as bringing the whole orchid's a little more manageable with a smaller group, but it's all about celebrating and connecting to our communities and all the communities around us and, and who feed this incredible culture that is, is the capital region in New York state.

So, so we feel this is like the most important and the most exciting and original work we do.

- That does it for this Tuesday night.

Join us next time for a fresh look inside the stories from running a small business to representing the north country assemblyman Scott Gray shares the unexpected lessons that shape how he leads.

And you've never heard the Erie Canal history like this one woman's lifelong connection to the Erie Canal told from her home beside one of the locks.

Meantime, if you have a story idea you'd like us to explore, we'd love to learn more.

All you need to do is send us an email at wpbs weekly@wpbstv.org and let's share it with the region.

That's it for now.

Everyone have a safe night.

Until next time, take care.

- WPBS weekly Inside the stories is brought to you by - When you're unable to see your primary care provider.

The Carthage Walk-in Clinic is here for you, located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and Healing close to home when you need it most - North Country Orthopedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us.

North Country Orthopedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

- We are the north country.

We're protecting one another like family is who we are and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the north country Strong, at claxtonhepburn.org.

Today, - Select musical performances are made possible with funds from the statewide Community Regrant program, a REGRANT program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State legislator administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.