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What does it take to build a thriving local music scene? What happens when people decide to create the community they want to be part of?

In the first Common Ground bonus episode, I meet the people bringing live music and new energy to Geneva, New York.

I talked with Lindsay and Ella of Seneca Sounds about organizing a grassroots music festival, creating spaces for connection, and making things happen in a small city. Then, John Manion of Ponte Collective reflects on Geneva's musical history, the legacy of Whale Watch, and his vision for keeping local music culture alive.

Together, their stories explore what it means to build something from the ground up and why a thriving community doesn't just happen. People make it happen.

Adam Moody, founder of Finger Lakes Effect, joins me for a conversation about curiosity, community, and the hidden stories that make the Finger Lakes such a remarkable place.

From wetlands and railroads to highways and parks, explore how each generation reimagined Geneva's relationship with Seneca Lake.

Sources:

Historic Geneva

https://historicgeneva.org/buildings-and-places/genevas-lakefront-1904/

https://historicgeneva.org/buildings-and-places/genevas-changing-waterfront/

Finger Lakes Times

https://www.fltimes.com/lifestyle/looking-back-the-creation-of-genevas-arterial-highway/article_2f272cde-7d81-11ee-8f41-63b5164c4cda.html

https://www.fltimes.com/lifestyle/looking-back-the-convoluted-birth-and-death-of-genevas-lakeside-park/article_80a17b74-e52d-11ed-909e-df42b31d122c.html

Climb aboard for an audio journey through Lock 4 as we explore the engineering, history, and lasting legacy of the Erie Canal in the Finger Lakes. Special thanks to Finger Lakes Water Adventures and the On the Canals program.

Sources:

Historic Geneva

https://historicgeneva.org/digital_collection/seneca-cayuga-canal-seneca-lake/?highlight=eerie%20canal

National Park Service

https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-underground-railroad-and-canals.htm

Erie Canal Museum

https://eriecanalmuseum.org/education/the-erie-canal/

https://eriecanalmuseum.org/exploring-abolition-along-the-empire-state-trail/

ErieCanal.org

https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1906/contents.html

The History Channel blog

https://www.history.com/articles/erie-canal-construction-engineering-labor

I sit down with Geneva Peeps founder Jeff Henderson to talk about chickens, community, and what can happen when neighbors come together to build something new.

From aristocratic estates to suburban front yards, we trace the surprising history of the American lawn and explore how our ideas about the perfect landscape took root.

Sources:

National Wildlife Federation

https://blog.nwf.org/2024/04/why-we-have-lawns/

History Channel

https://www.history.com/articles/lawn-mower-grass-american-dream

Cornell Botanic Gardens

https://cornellbotanicgardens.org/explore/on-campus-natural-areas/native-lawn-demonstration-area

Gardens Illustrated Mag

https://www.gardensillustrated.com/features/the-history-of-lawns

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

https://dec.ny.gov/get-involved/living-green/sustainable-landscaping

NRDC

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/more-sustainable-and-beautiful-alternatives-grass-lawn

Farmers Almanac

https://www.almanac.com/grass-alternatives-lawn-replacements

What can removing an invasive plant teach us about history, patience, and the messy middle? In this episode, a battle with bishop's weed becomes a meditation on the landscapes we inherit and the work of changing them.

Welcome to Common Ground. In this first episode, host Kemi introduces the series and shares the story behind her move to the Finger Lakes, the restoration of her historic garden, and why gardening became a way to explore history, ecology, and the communities that shape the places we call home.