God's Country

I grew up in what is known as "Upstate" New York - and that does not mean Westchester County. No, I'm talking really upstate - between Rochester and Syracuse in a village along the Erie Canal. It's often called "God's Country", more for its scenic beauty than for its history of religions appearing quickly and fervently.

My little hometown village of Newark, New York has less than 10,000 inhabitants. It's the kind of place where not only do you know your neighbor, you've probably had the same family living next door for years - if not decades. The Erie Canal, a technological marvel in the 1820's, runs through the north side of town and runs parallel to Route 31 - a road that will take you to the "big city" of Rochester if you head west, or to smaller towns and villages like Lyons (home of Jim Boeheim) and Clyde-Savannah. Newark is part of the "Finger Lakes" region, which in the past 20 years or so has become known for the large number of wineries that have grown up around the lakes, and is now the second largest wine producing area after Napa Valley.

Newark and the surrounding area was part of the "Burned Over District" in the early - mid 1800s. New religions and religious leaders sprouted up frequently, including one that we still talk about: the Latter Day Saints movement, which became The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, founded by Joseph Smith in nearby Palmyra. The Fox Sisters, practitioners of spiritualism, were scandalous for their day as they communicated with the dead. The house they lived in still stood north of Newark in Hydesville until the early 1980's. There's now a museum that houses the foundation to their house along with information about the sisters.

"The Lost Weekend" - a movie which was nominated for 9 Academy Awards and won 4 in 1946 (Best Actor - Ray Milland, Best Director - Billy Wilder, Best Screenplay - Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett) - was based on the book by the same name written by Newark native Charles Jackson. Though I don't know much about him per say, I imagine he was a relative of Albert Jackson, who co-founded Jackson & Perkins Roses with his son-in-law, Charles Perkins. Both the Jackson and Perkins families are well-known in Newark - my younger sister and brother and I all attended Charles H. Perkins Elementary School on West Maple Avenue, and Cecilia Jackson was the Village Historian for decades.

One of Newark's more famous residents was US Navy ADM Leslie Gehres. He was the Captain of the USS FRANKLIN, and his actions on 19 March 1945, for which he was awarded the Navy Cross and those of his crewmates, including two sailors awarded the Medal of Honor, are memorialized in a museum at the area High School.

Why am I writing all of this? Because the other day, while talking to my father - a third generation "Newarkite", he told me that little ole' Newark, New York was featured in an Atlantic Monthly article by Megan McCardle, the daughter of a former Newark resident who graduated from Newark High School the year after my father did. At first I laughed - someone actually wrote about Newark? Really??

But she did, and the article is a good one. I'm sure there are lots of places like Newark - they've seen better days, have their share of problems, but underneath that, generally a decent place to live. Sure the school system might not be what we have here in Fairfax County, but the cost of living is pretty inexpensive, and it's nice to think there are still places where going for an ice cream at Sal's is a treat on a warm summer evening, and where kids can still ride their bikes to get to ball practice or the park. So congrats Newark on your well-deserved spotlight - you've earned it!

Bonus: Erie Canal video- with Springsteen cover of "15 Miles on the Erie Canal"! And no, the driver of this boat is not my brother, though they bear more than a passing resemblance...