Hello Sourcers!

Did you know that today is WSKG’s birthday? Well, one of them. We’ll get to it in a minute. Let’s check the docket for this week.

🎉 Anniversary Party

🧟‍♂ Philharmonic Frankenstein

🍺 Beer

☕ Coffee

As I mentioned above, on this day in 1975, WSKG first went on the air as a radio station. We already had seven years experience in television, but October 22nd marked our launch date for radio. It seems weird that radio comes after television, but the same thing happened nationally when it comes to public broadcasting: PBS is NPR’s slightly older sibling.

We’re celebrating this Saturday from noon to 4pm at the WSKG Studios in Vestal with a 50th Anniversary Celebration! There will be some kids activities, including screenings of episodes of our newest PBS Kids show, Weather Hunters. Carl the Collector will be visiting the studios. There will be a puppet performance by Lilypad Puppet Theater at 1pm, plus musical performances by Binghamton’s Tom Jolu (2pm) and Alyssa Crosby & Grown-Ups (3pm). Silo Food Truck and The Donut Lab will have food available, and Crooked Mouth Brewing will be on hand with the last 100 or so cans of our Public Media Pils!

And since you’ll be in the Binghamton area anyway, after our party you can head over to the Broome County Forum Theater for the Binghamton Philharmonic’s special concert, Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein, a screening of the 1931 classic with a newly-composed score written and conducted by internationally-renowned artist Michael Shapiro. Frankenstein was originally released without a musical score, so it’s exciting to hear what a full orchestra might add to this classic.

Now normally, I would be the guy that says, “Well actually, it’s James Whale’s Frankenstein,” because Whale was the director, and because I’m insufferable like that. But in this case, there’s good reason to highlight Karloff. Karloff’s daughter Sara will lead a panel discussion before the film, discussing her father’s performance and his lasting legacy.

The panel begins at 6:20pm, with an organ prelude following at 7pm, all leading up to the screening.

You can check out WSKG's Bill Snyder interviewing Sara Karloff and Michael Shapiro here.

If you can’t get enough of ol’ Frank, the new Guillermo del Toro version of Mary Shelley’s monster is in theaters too. I haven’t seen it, but I do love del Toro in full Gothic mode, so I’m hoping to catch this one soon.

Which brings us to our question for the week: what spooky movies are you curling up with between now and the end of the month? Lon Chaney classics? 80s slasher schlock? Young Frankenstein?

Hope to see you all on Saturday. Until then, stay scary, Sourcers.

Yours,

Bob Proehl

Locally Sourced editor

sponsors

Java Journeys: Cup O’ Joe, Endicott NY

This month’s coffee adventure came with a special guest — Peter, WSKG’s IT Systems Manager — because what’s better than one coffee opinion? Two totally opposite ones. He’s a hot coffee purist, while I’m all about the fun (usually iced) seasonal specials. I’ll let him share his take in a bit (though let’s be honest — mine will probably win😊).

We headed to Cup O’ Joe on Odell Avenue in Endicott — a cozy local favorite we’d both visited before, but this time we wanted to try something new. Naturally, I went straight for the seasonal menu. With fall fading fast, I couldn’t resist the Campfire Cold Brew — a perfect nod to those final bonfire days.

It didn’t disappoint. The drink had smooth notes of chocolate and marshmallow, giving that classic s’mores flavor without being overly sweet. It came black, but I loved their self-serve bar with cream, sugar, and even cinnamon — such a nice touch for customizing your cup.

The café itself is warm and welcoming, with plenty of seating and a little nook up front stocked with board games and toys. As a busy mom, I love finding spots that make space for kids — whether it’s keeping them busy while I order or letting them play while I sip my coffee (because somehow toys out are always cooler than toys at home).

Between the friendly staff, cozy atmosphere, and wide drink selection, Cup O’ Joe gets a big thumbs-up from me. Whether you’re stopping in solo, meeting friends, or bringing the kids along, it’s a perfect little Endicott gem.

And now, for the other side of the coffee spectrum — I’ll hand things over to Peter to share his (very different) take.

To me, coffee is always a hot drink, no exceptions, so while Marley ordered her seasonal cold brew, I eyed the Macchiato they had on the menu. A simple drink, with just a touch of added vanilla to balance it. This was the first time I got an espresso drink at Cup O’ Joe, the espresso shot was rich and well drawn, the foam on top melting away but not dulling the flavors, it was truly a perfect pick me up as a second coffee of the day.

sponsors

Hops Along: Personal Best

Personal Best Brewing in Ithaca knows what they are all about. Walking in, I immediately understood what the vibe of the place was going to be. No frills, open space, good music, stylish but comfortable seating… It's a place that is meant to be enjoyed, but looks darn good while doing it. 

As with any brewery I go to these days, I researched this a bit, looking at their social media and website to see what they pride themselves in or do differently than others. Right away the thing that stood out to me is that Personal Best has LUKR side pour taps available.

 

Something that comes with a good LUKR side pour tap is a Mliko or “Milk Pour”, where the valve is opened slightly to pour only foam and fill a typically tall and skinny glass. Unlike something like a Guiness, you don’t let this one rest, they are to be drunk quickly.

This was my first order of business at Personal Best, and the two bartenders gladly joined me in this, pouring three glasses of Touch of the Unknown, a Czech-Style dark lager (4.5%). We clinked our glasses, I tapped mine on the bar (something that I picked up from my grandmother, another story for another time) and we chugged. The foam was dense enough to pour, not sticking to the glass, a small amount already condensing into beer in the bottom to aid it along. The flavor of the beer completely changes, bringing out the most subtle of the flavors, and then it’s over, it’s all gone. A milk pour is something you have to try for yourself, if you see it on the menu, get one!

I also ordered a Cone Poem 2025, a Wet-Hopped IPA with Triumph and Rakau hops, it came out almost brass in color. Rich and balanced the flavor was delicately walking the line of citrus and bitter that makes a crowd pleasing IPA. At 6.2% it was on the lighter side of today's heavily hopped and hazy IPAs, and I appreciated that reservation, it went down smooth and easy, so much so I forgot to get a picture of it before it was gone!

For my last drink , my wife and I split a can of Sneaky Flute Music (5.8%), a sour ale with Strawberry, Pineapple and Kiwi. In Jocelyn’s words, “you can really taste every single one of those fruits, in that order”. And as always, she is right! It started with a small, strawberry sweetness coming across first, then pineapple extending that sweetness before the tart hit of sour, kiwi and that slight twitch at the back of your jaw, something I always look for with a sour!

I had never heard of Personal Best Brewing until our own Locally Sourced editor Bob Proehl told me about them, and I really can’t thank him enough for that because this is one that I will be making the effort to stop at any time I’m in the Ithaca area again, and I can’t recommend them enough!

Do you have a favorite brewery I should check out? I’d love to hear from you all what your favorite spots are so I can feature them here! Shoot me an email and tell me what you check out at pzayac@wskg.org.

sponsors