Listen With The Lights On

Every year, during the first weekend in December, a small Hudson Valley town carries out an old tradition. We traveled to Rhinebeck, New York, to see it unfold. The annual Sinterklaas festival is a  celebration that’s based the Dutch celebration of St. Nicholas Day. Dutch settlers brought it to the region over 300 years ago. Today it’s a colorful parade featuring costumes and puppets and paper lantern stars that draws crowds of thousands. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/LWTLO_Sinterklaas-FINAL.mp3 After dodging roving Grumpuses and decorating crowns and branches along the quaint streets of Rhinebeck- the branches are a modern day twist on the birch rod St Nicholas used to carry – we ran into Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk. And he was kind enough to bestow us with another seasonal tale. (more…)

Around the turn of the 20th century, the lumber industry spanned the continental United States, and lumber camps dotted the countryside. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/lwtlo_ep042_lumberwoods.mp3 When they weren’t harvesting timber to feed the booming post-Civil War industrialization, working lumberjacks could often be found sitting around campfires together, telling tall tales of creatures that supposedly lurk in the dark woods. (more…)

With more than one hundred thousand guests each year, the 27-year-old tradition of Terror Behind The Walls is scarier than ever. It is a fundraiser for Eastern State Penitentiary, located in the Fairmount neighborhood, in the historic city of Philadelphia, for the nation’s first penitentiary. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/lwtlo_esp_final.mp3 (more…)

Every theater has a story to tell. And not just onstage. Theater legends abound worldwide, from ghosts in the wings to phantoms of the opera. In this episode of Listen with the Lights On, we step into the historic Proctors Theater in Schenectady, New York. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/lwtlo_ep_039_proctors_web.mp3

The Original Albany Ghost Tour founders Maeve McEneny Johnson and Paul Nooney join us at the Olde English Pub in Albany for a seasonally appropriate discussion of Albany legends and lore. We touch on the Shadow People of the Lincoln Park Gully, the ghosts of area theaters and get a surprise story from an audience member who grew up in a certain legendary local house that has been featured on a previous episode of Listen with the Lights On. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/lwtlo_live_oldeenglishpub3_NEW.mp3

Every theater has a story to tell. And not just onstage. Theater legends abound worldwide, from ghosts in the wings to phantoms of the opera. In this episode, we step into the Cohoes Music Hall. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/LWTLO_Ep038_Web.mp3 Built in 1874, it’s the fourth oldest operational Music Hall in the country. The 475-seat theater stands in the heart of the Spindle City’s historical district. In it’s early days, it played host to many a famous Vaudevillian. Today, it hosts a wide variety of performances, from traditional theater to rock concerts and movie screenings. It’s an intimate space, featuring old-fashioned cushioned benches as well as traditional theater seats. The walls are adorned with much of its original gilded décor, or facsimiles of what was originally there. It’s also supposedly home to one of it’s original performers, famous early 20th century Vaudeville actress Eva Tanguay. We met up with the Music Hall’s event coordinator, Hannah Milkins, who told us more about Eva and the theater.

Hearing a good scary story can send shivers up your spine. And when it’s billed as a true story, the chills can be even more intense. We talked to novelist and writing instructor Barbara Chepaitis during a previous episode of Listen with the Lights On, in which we discussed the elements that make a story scary. She returns to the podcast now to share a terrifying tale that she experienced firsthand. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/LWTLO_Ep037_Chepaitis.mp3

The pair of ill-fated star-crossed lovers… is a tale as old as time. One Hudson Valley legend tells such a story… that of a English explorer in the new world and a Native American woman named Manteo. Once again… Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk joins us to discuss the Legend of Manteo. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/manteofinal_NEW.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

A bull. An animal known to most as a stalwart of toughness and resilience. As anyone who has tried to move a stubborn animal can tell you… it’s no easy task. Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk joins us to discuss the Hudson Valley tale of a farmer, a bull and a hill, in the Bull of Bullhill. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/LWTLO_Bullhill.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

Starting in Washington D.C. on April 21st the funeral train carrying President Abraham Lincoln’s body for his last journey around the nation left Union Station northward bound where it cut through Philadelphia, New York, Poughkeepsie, Hudson, Albany, Utica, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago, before arriving in Springfield Illinois on May 4th. The presidential procession traveled across the country so mourners from all over could see the President’s final ride. Just days earlier, the country was celebrating the Confederate surrender. One lesser known fact is that Lincoln actually signed the bill creating the secret service the exact same night he was shot in Ford’s theater. His body guard was not at his post but rather drinking at the saloon next door during intermission, supposedly the same saloon where John Wilkes Booth was drinking. On a recent visit to the New York State Capitol, we chatted with official Capitol tour guide Stuart Lehman about the infamous train’s alleged appearance in Albany… https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/lincolntrainlwtlofinal.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

New England Folklore blog author Peter Muise joins us for a few witchy tales from Central and Eastern Massachusetts, and to discuss the significant role that witch lore has played in New England history. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/LWTLO_Witches_Muise_Web.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

Perhaps the most recognizable of monsters in legend and lore is the witch. You probably already have an image of what a witch is in your head right? But the story behind this witch in the Hudson Valley describes one closer to a trickster, almost poltergeist character. Sit down and listen as Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk tells us the story of the Catskill Mountain Witch. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/LWTLO-Kruk-Witches-Final.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

The seat of New York state government is marked by a series of iconic, landmark buildings that stretch from north to south Albany, atop a hill that slopes gently down to the Hudson River. From the ornate Capitol to the stately governor’s mansion, it has played host to legendary figures like Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. It has served as the epicenter for major events in New York State politics for hundreds of years. It also has its share of legends. On this episode of Listen With The Lights On, we take a look at a few famous Capitol ghosts. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/lwtlocapitolghosts.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

Along the banks of the Hudson River, roughly halfway between New York City and Albany, lies one of the country’s most famous centers of culinary learning: The Culinary Institute of America. Countless chefs have passed through its venerable Roth hall, a signature behemoth of a building dating back to the early 1900s. Roth Hall houses a variety of classrooms, kitchens, dining rooms and administrative offices. And like many universities, it is home to its share of legends. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lwtloep30kitchenapparition.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

Today we bring you part 2 of Tales from the Tavern, our live event recorded at the great Olde English Pub in Albany, New York. In this episode you’ll hear us talk to live audience members about the stories from their childhood and around the region. We wanted to specially thank Maeve McEneny and Paul Nooney of the Original Albany Ghost Tour for joining us for the live event and Mark Graydon from the Olde English Pub for providing the space and his own story. If you missed Part 1 go back and give it a shot. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Tales-From-The-Tavern-2_mixdown.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

This week we bring you the first of a two-part special broadcast from our first-ever “Tales from the Tavern” live event. We hosted a two-hour panel at the Olde English Pub in Albany with special guests Maeve McEneny and Paul Nooney of the Original Albany Ghost Tour. We discussed regional lore both new and old to this podcast, including legends from the New York State Capitol building, tales from the days Alexander Hamilton frequented Albany and stories from the Olde English Pub itself. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/lwtlo-talesfromthetavern1.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

It’s an urban legend you’ve probably heard before in some form. You saw it play out in a movie, or read it in a book. It’s the one about the innocent couple who goes “parking” one fine summer night. They pull up to a discreet spot at the edge of a wood, a spot with a romantic reputation among locals, where the stars light the skies above and love is in the air. Suddenly, the scene is shattered by the crash of something impossibly heavy dropping on the car roof. The terrified lovers cower as they hear the sound of a metallic screeching, almost as if some being were dragging giant nails across the body of the car. Then, whatever it is jumps off the car and darts into the woods. Only a glimpse leaves them with the impression of something monstrous, something inhuman. What happens next depends on the story. Sometimes it’s merely an investigation of the damaged car afterward that confirms it was the work of a monster. Sometimes it comes to a bloody end, as the creature re-emerges from the woods to attack the lovers. In this episode of Listen with the Lights On, we’ll hear a version of this tale from Troy, New York. The Original Albany Ghost Tour leaders Maeve McEneny and Paul Nooney join us for a telling. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LWTLO-Ep-026-Frear-Park-Demon-REVISE.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

Much like the protagonists of the short stories that run in The Strand Magazine, managing editor Andrew Gulli likes a good literary mystery — and he has built a reputation as a man who can solve them. Periodically we check in Gulli after he has unearthed a new story from long-gone master. Today, he joins us to talk about “The Haunted Ceiling” by H.G. Wells, which runs in the latest issue. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/lwtlogullihgwells.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

Every year on Christmas Eve, millions of children around the world go to bed with the expectation of waking up to a house full of presents on Christmas morning. The bearer of gifts? A portly, white-bearded old man in a red suit with a cheery disposition and a herd of magical flying reindeer. Santa Claus. Father Christmas. Kris Kringle. Jolly Ole’ Saint Nick. He’s a legendary figure with many names in many cultures, and the star of many a Christmas story. The figure of Santa Claus, as we know him today, is a pure blend of history and lore. His origins can be traced in part to a real-life, 4th century Greek Bishop St Nicholas of Myra, who was known for giving gifts to the poor. Santa’s story is also a blend of British, Dutch, Belgian and German folklore about a gift-giving (or in some cases, gift-withholding) spirit that came out around Christmastime. Those tales reflect a mix of religious and pagan traditions. Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk joins us again on this episode with another story: How a dour old bishop became a jolly old elf. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/LWTLO-EP-25-Santa-on-the-Hudson-WEB.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.

Why is a baker’s dozen 13? There are multiple theories as to how it started. Some say it was a 13th century thing, when English King Henry the Third was annoyed by small loaves of bread. Some say the convention has more modern origins. Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk joins us once more to offer another take on the origin of the Baker’s Dozen, in the old Dutch colonial town of Beverwyck, just in time for the holidays. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/LWTLO_Ep_024_Bakers_Dozen_WEB.mp3 You can subscribe to Listen With The Lights On via wamcpodcasts.org or via iTunes, Stitcher, or the Google Play store.