NCPR News Staff: Todd Moe, Morning Host and Producer

16 pianists from around the world are in Cape Vincent this weekend for the 8th annual Thousand Islands International Piano Competition for Young People. It's sponsored by the Cape Vincent Arts Council and the Chopin Society of the Thousand Islands. Co-chair Liz Brennan told Todd Moe that the competition will be held under a tent on the historic grounds of the Maple Grove estate.

A SUNY Potsdam alumnus successfully raised $20,000 this year to help build a school in a small east African community. Alex French travels back to Gembeltu, Ethiopia this winter to help with some of the finishing touches on the school, and to talk with government leaders who've promised to provide a small yearly budget and a modest salary for the teachers. Todd Moe spoke with Alex French for an update on his humanitarian work in Africa as part of our series, Moving the World.

Consider this: What if writing music was left to chance? A process where notes or chords are determined by the roll of dice or flipping a coin? Music that, essentially, writes itself. Decades ago, John Cage pushed the boundaries of writing music by using coin flips to decide where or how to place a certain note on a score.

A Potsdam musician is experimenting with this radical approach to creating music. Doyle Dean, former punk band drummer and filmmaker, invited Todd Moe to stop by his home studio to talk about his philosophy of music and listen to some of his latest work.

In an email tag, Dean quotes himself, "I set out to re-define popular music but discovered a new way to create extremely unpopular music instead." Todd spoke with him more about his utilitarian approach to pop/rock music.

Traditional farming will be on display in Madrid this weekend. Draft horses, antique farm implements and an old sawmill are part of the 20th annual Old Fashioned Harvest Days Exhibition at the St. Lawrence Power Museum. Museum president Roger Austin told Todd Moe that this year's show will feature a vintage cobbler's shop and gas station.

Local food advocates in Keene and Keene Valley will celebrate the lowly rutabaga this Sunday. You’re invited to sample the yellow turnip roasted, in soups and even desserts during the third annual Great Adirondack Rutabaga Festival, sponsored by Adirondack Harvest, the Adirondack Farmers Market Cooperative and the town of Keene. The day’s events also include the 5k Rutabaga Run, High Peaks Hula Hoop Championship and Coronation of the Rutabaga King and Queen. Tom Both, lives in Keene and is chair of Adirondack Harvest. He told Todd Moe that the rutabaga deserves a day of praise.

Celebrate music, community and food at the second annual Hobofest this Sunday from noon until 10 pm. Hobofest is a free all-day music celebration of the Hobo spirit. It happens on the lawn by the train station on Depot Street in Saranac Lake, against the backdrop of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. NCPR is media sponsor of Hobofest. Todd Moe spoke with Todd Smith, one of the organizers of the event.

Some people collect coins or stamps, others find joy in restoring vintage farm equipment. In the antique tractor world, collectors are divided into color categories: Farmall red, Allis-Chalmers orange, or John Deere green. Some collectors are sentimental and still want to use old tractors on the farm simply because it brings back the old good days. Others resurrect these metallic work horses to compete in tractor pulls. Todd Moe caught up with Jim McGraw, a St. Lawrence County classic tractor buff, as he was preparing for the annual Old Fashioned Harvest Days Exhibition in Madrid.

When school resumes next week, some North Country students will return to the classroom and the garden. Since last spring, students, faculty and parents have tilled, planted and tended to vegetable gardens from Cape Vincent to Keene Valley. The result is edible schoolyards. In many schools, gardens are being integrated into the educational curriculum to teach children not only about plants and nature, but other subjects as well. School leaders say gardens can teach children about economics, poetry, math and science studies. In Potsdam, the result has been more than just a pretty garden patch in the school’s courtyard. Fresh, school-grown veggies are being served at lunch. Todd Moe has more.

A visiting theater group will put a new twist on a classic Shakespeare play in Saranac Lake this Saturday night. Acted out as if being performed by a traveling band of gypsies, Theater Group Dzieci's performance of Makbet includes words, gestures, chants and dance-like movement. Three actors will play all the characters and the "stage" is a carpet in the living room of Franklin Manor. Todd Moe talks with director Matt Mitler about their production and Dzieci - an international experimental theatre ensemble.

The father/son writing team behind the popular Adirondack Kids books, and their fans, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the series this summer. Gary and Justin VanRiper live most of the year in Camden, in the Tug Hill region. They and the rest of their family also spend lots of time on Fourth Lake in the Adirondacks. The award-winning Adirondack Kids book series has become a regional best seller. But Gary told Todd Moe that the first volume wasn't really meant to be a book.