Hello Sourcers!

Here’s what’s on the docket for today.

🤫 Insider info!

🎡 🎪 South of the border!

📚 All books considered!

🗿 All sculptures considered!

First off, I want to share something with you that’s just kinda neat. This October, WSKG will celebrate 50 years of broadcasting. I thought it would be fun if we could develop a retro logo to put on some stickers and shirts and the like. 

We found an incredible designer and illustrator, Jonathan Corby, and have been working with him for the past few months to get something that has a cool, mid century modern feel, but is also versatile enough we can use it in a bunch of different ways. And we’ve finally settled on one that we’re pretty excited about.

You’ll be seeing this out in the wild soon, but when everybody else is oohing and ahhing over it, you can say you saw it here first. Just one of the perks of subscribing to Locally Sourced!

Last week, a reader pointed out that we have yet to mention anything going on in Pennsylvania. And, you know, guilty as charged. One of the strengths and challenges of our station is that we have a large geographic footprint (although nothing compared to stations that cover their whole state). But unlike arrest warrants in a Bruce Springsteen song, radio waves do not stop at the state border. And darn it, neither does this newsletter.

(In my defense, I did have a PA thing already on my spreadsheet. And yes, I have spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are cool)

Next week is the Harford Fair in New Milford, PA. We’ve talked festivals a bunch, but so far this is the first time we’ve talked fairs. The Harford Fair is an all-week event, kicking off on Monday and closing on Saturday night with the Demolition Derby. There are midway rides, music, and lots of livestock. There are chainsaw carving demonstrations, and if you go Monday morning, there is a Baby Show and a mini-horse show back-to-back (no chainsaws, please).

I am also told that there is a food item called the Hot Wingie on a Pretzel, a phrase which yields no relevant Google results. My sources inform me that it is some sort of chicken in Frank’s Hot Sauce served on a pretzel roll. If any intrepid PA-based Sourcers can confirm this, it would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, a quick note that if you’re coming to the Ithaca Artists Market on Friday, I’ll be there with some Locally Sourced merch. I think we signed up too late to get a proper booth, so I may be floating in the inlet.

More soon,

Bob Proehl

Locally Sourced editor

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As the deadline for this month’s Books, Birds and Gardens got closer, all I could think about is how much public broadcasting has shaped my life, especially when it comes to that particular trinity. 

Like so many of us, I grew up watching Sesame Street, The Electric Company (the silhouettes were my absolute favorite), and Reading Rainbow. My local PBS station ran a summer reading competition. I was a ridiculously competitive ten-year-old with way too much free time, so I devoured more than 400 books in a single summer (they were short books, not War and Peace). My prize was a shiny new bicycle and a certificate from the city. I’m still a voracious reader, although these days, I average closer to a hundred books a year and there’s no bike at the end of it. 

Fast-forward a few years and NPR’s book reviews became my personal shopping list. Every time I heard an author on All Things Considered or Fresh Air, I thought, “Well, now I need that book immediately.” My wallet never recovered, but my bookshelf makes me look super smart.

My love for birds came from watching Nature, especially the episode about the albatross which I still think is one of the most amazing birds and the top of my ‘life list.’ And do you remember The Victory Garden show from the late 80s and early 90s? I sure do! It’s a show I religiously watched with my Nanny, who grew the most beautiful roses I have ever seen. 

These days, I’m the one doing the interviews, talking with authors about their books or telling stories about insect decline and how climate change is reshaping the places we live. And honestly, every time I step up to a microphone, I think about that ten-year-old me who stayed up too late with a flashlight and a library book. Public broadcasting sparked that curiosity and kept feeding it, year after year.

That’s why this fight to save public broadcasting isn’t just professional for me, it’s personal. I want every kid out there to have the same chance to fall in love with learning, to discover new worlds on the page, to notice the birds overhead, to get their hands dirty in a garden. We can’t let that light go out. So I’m hoping, truly hoping, we can keep this alive together—for the next little dreamer who needs it just as much as I did.

Next month, we’ll take a look at some spots to do a little birdwatching and some of the birds to look out for as the seasonal migration gets going. Plus, I want to know what you’re reading these days. I’m always looking for books to add to the TBR pile. Drop me a note to csarakas@wskg.org.

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Summer evenings are my favorite… birds singing sweetly in the distance, children laughing and riding bicycles down the street, the sun dipping below the tops of the trees, and warm golden light caressing the edges of leaves and buildings. (And maybe if you are really lucky, you have a dripping ice cream cone in hand). 

On nights like this, there’s no better time to take a leisurely stroll through the streets and parks of Broome County, New York, where sculptures emerge quietly from the landscape, telling stories in bronze, stone, and steel. These works of public art, scattered throughout the region, invite not just admiration, but reflection.

Starting at Recreation Park, you’ll find two sculptures by artist Charles Keck. Boy With Fish (1922) and a sculpture of George F. Johnson (1923) , the park’s benefactor. While there, you can also take a ride on the large carousel and admire the hand crafted beauty of 60 unique carousel horses. Nearby, find the newest addition to the park's statue collection, a tribute to Rod Serling, creator of the “The Twilight Zone” and Binghamton native. (Recreation park even served as the inspiration for the episode “Walking Distance”!)

Heading downtown, there are even more sculptural riches. Near the Washington Street pedestrian bridge, you’ll find The Skirmisher, by artist Robert Aitken. Erected in 1924 to honor veterans of the Spanish-American War, this large and dynamic sculpture towers over passersby. Moving north along the river, encounter a breathtaking new sculpture of Harriet Tubman by artist Zoe Dufour, installed in the spring of 2025, this portrait of the famous abolitionist, holds a lantern in the air, guiding those under her care. If you are able to catch a glimpse of this sculpture around sunset, it’s a moving sight. 

Continue along the river northward, and you’ll encounter an energetic statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proudly marking the head of the Peacemakers Trail. Dotted with benches and large trees, this walk leads you along the river to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Promenade, where a series of elevated plaques celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of civil rights activists. 

Moving inward downtown towards Hawley Street, it’s the large painted steel Venus (1972) by Arline Peartree. Evoking a sense of drama and emotion, this massive red sculpture is hard to miss! Nearby at the State Office Building you’ll see Masao Kinoshita’s I-Beam (1972) sprawling through the courtyard. When it was originally installed, the sculpture included a misting water feature which created the illusion that the beams were rising out of mist. Although these fountains no longer function, the work is still worth stopping to admire. 

And lastly on my summer walk, just across the parking lot from I-Beam, is the 9,000 pound Cono Tronco (1973) by artist Arnaldo Pomodoro that seems to protrude from the ground itself. This modern and evocative sculpture was the source of confusion and misunderstanding at the time of its installation, drawing criticism from even the Binghamton Mayor at the time. But I think this work is staggering in its beauty and power, and it seems to vibrate with energy.

These were just a few art pieces that I saw, and is by no means a comprehensive list of all the sculptural pieces that can be found in and around Broome County, but I hope that you will be inspired by this short article to go on your own sculpture tour. I would love to see what you find and hear about your favorite piece!

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