Looking ahead to spring, and 2020~notes from the editor
Years ago, while working as an apprenticeship coordinator at The Learning Web, a human service agency in Ithaca, NY, I had the privilege, and horror, of interviewing musician Bobby Comstock, to explore his role as a youth mentor through our program. Being an introvert, meeting “famous” people put me ill at ease.
Prior to the meeting, my brother – who I also placed on a bit of a pedestal – had talked to me about his friend Bobby. He was a musical legend, and I knew it – going into the meeting I was terrified! I don’t remember the meeting, or whether or not my contact with Comstock resulted in one of our youth finding a meaningful apprenticeship. I do remember getting pulled into the Director’s office after Comstock expressed concerns about our meeting, at which he categorized me – rightly I suspect – as being “unable to communicate.”
I thought back to that time as I drove into Penn Yan on February 14th to meet and interview Tracy Mitrano. Many years have passed since the Comstock meeting; I have since then presented in front of large crowds of people, and talked to many people who, through time or circumstance, have reached “higher” societal positions than I have. Still, reflecting back on my missed opportunity to meaningfully engage with Bobby Comstock, I was a little nervous about meeting Mitrano. It turned out to be an enjoyable introduction and discussion.
As I write this, having just wrapped up a draft of the March issue, my son is on the way to a job interview; he moved back to the area from out of state last year. Unlike me, he seems more at ease in the world of people; I suspect he will do fine. Many of our rural communities are aging communities – I am part of that demographic. One reason fewer young people are staying is the lack of jobs. At times it seems we can’t win for losing. A case in point is the recent layoffs from Gun Locke in Wayland, NY. After receiving and implementing a “state economic development incentive package,” that including the installation of machines that boost productivity (translated as reduce the need for human workers), Gun Locke has thanked its workers by eliminating 30 positions and laying off an additional 70 workers – about the amount the incentives were expected to add.
The statistics do, at times, seem grim. Yet I am reminded again and again, as I interact with people all across the Finger Lakes, that demographic statistics leave out important parts of the story. There is something about our region that is drawing people or enticing them to stay, and there are new, exciting businesses in every small town. Sure, there are empty storefronts, barns falling into disarray, ghost houses and high property taxes. Still, interspersed within the stories of discarded workers and lost homes and farms are success stories. There are new successful businesses; there are former “city” people at or nearing retirement starting new lives – and businesses – in the Finger Lakes; and there are young people discovering all the exciting things that our area has to offer, including many new and innovative farmers.
Mostly, there is a spirit of hope, a spirit of renewal, a feeling that what we have in our region of New York is special and worth staying and fighting for. This starts with providing young people with opportunities to learn, and to explore careers through community apprenticeships. Back when the The Learning Web was new, years before I worked there, I was an isolated rural kid; I was also one of the program’s earliest paired apprentices. I still remember the two mentors: they were Casey Carr – a musician and caller who tried to teach me the banjo; and Steve Huber –a farrier. After serving as the program’s Rural Apprenticeship Coordinator for several years, I also volunteered with the program as a mentor to others. This circle of learning, of one person sharing what they know with others is alive here. We are all learning. I can’t wait to see what spring, and 2020, brings.
D.E. Bentley, Editor, Owl Light News