Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Stan.
[00:00:02] Speaker B: And I'm Shen.
[00:00:03] Speaker A: And each week we bring you the Stan and Shen Show.
And each week we talk about fun things through our travels throughout the capital region. We touch on food, we touch on news, try to touch heavily on good news. And Shen's always available with hot takes.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: Yeah. So if you could follow along and listen to us every week on DailyGazette.com or on all major streaming platforms, we'd love to have you join us.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: Good afternoon, good evening, good day.
Stan here with the Stan and Shen show in the podcast studio a little bit early this week. Very excited because we have on the Cafe Gadda, president of the president of the board of directors of Freedom park and vice chair, Schenectady County Legislature.
There's no way that fits on one business.
[00:00:53] Speaker C: It doesn't. We have several business cards.
[00:00:56] Speaker B: Several business cards. They each go with a different hat.
[00:00:59] Speaker C: They do.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: They do. They do. And we are here primarily to talk about the awesomeness and the fun and the sounds and joy that are to come out of Freedom park from the Freedom park stage this entire summer that we saw a quick glimpse on Friday during the July 4th celebration in Freedom Park.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: So, yeah, that band was rocking.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: Thank you to what is the Stand and Shred Show? Need to see it up close and personal.
[00:01:30] Speaker B: That'll be a question on Jeopardy. One day.
[00:01:34] Speaker A: Who is the better half of the Stand and Shen show?
There is no wrong answer.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: No, the answer is what is who? Well, actually, do you say what is or who is? I think you would say who is?
[00:01:45] Speaker A: Who is?
[00:01:46] Speaker B: Who is? Because that's the proper way to ask.
[00:01:48] Speaker A: Is the Stand and Chen Show.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: No, you would say who is Shenandoah Overear?
It's nothing but love, Stan.
[00:01:56] Speaker A: So how.
What's how?
Just about you. How did you become involved with Freedom park and the board of directors and things like that? And then president. Did you miss a meeting?
That's church to how this happens. Oh, Kathy's not.
[00:02:14] Speaker B: It is.
[00:02:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
Honestly, you know, I lived in Los angeles for almost 10 years and. And lost everything in an earthquake and moved back home.
[00:02:28] Speaker B: How have I never known that?
I never knew that about you.
[00:02:33] Speaker C: I was there in a bad time. This was in the 90s. So it was the O.J. trial. It was Rodney King. It was mudslides. And I worked in Burbank, which is just like you see a layer of smog. And I thought, you know what? After I lost everything in that earthquake, it was a Northridge earthquake, and I thought I could do three months of winter that's okay.
I think I'll just take out the.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: Map and just go, I'm going there. And it was like, oh, that's Scotia.
[00:03:01] Speaker C: No, I grew up here.
[00:03:02] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:03:03] Speaker C: I grew up in Glenville, actually, and went to Burnt Hills schools and went to Ithaca College for music and. Thank you.
When I moved back, I was working at my sister's restaurant, the Turf Tavern in Scotia. We'll give them a little plug.
And Nell Burrows came in and she was the president of Freedom park at the time. And we were talking, I was bartending and she was talking to me and I said, do you know any place I can volunteer that's music related? And she was like, you are talking to the right person right now. So I got involved in Freedom park and then it just grew from there. I've been on since the 90s.
[00:03:44] Speaker A: I was going to say how this is. I mean, this is kind of beyond a sense of ownership, right?
[00:03:50] Speaker C: Yeah, 90s.
[00:03:51] Speaker A: I mean, this is.
[00:03:53] Speaker C: I should retire. Is that what you're trying to say?
Career hisses a career.
[00:04:00] Speaker B: Do it though, you know? You know, when you have someone who's been doing something for so long, you're just like, who could take it on after that? I think you're to that point that.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: That transition is so hard, though.
[00:04:11] Speaker C: Nell did it.
She transitioned.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: Are you hinting at something, Kathy? Yeah, announcements on here.
[00:04:18] Speaker C: I think I became president in 2003. Maybe.
Maybe, maybe.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: I don't know, park like in 2003. Because, I mean, the two of us have been down here for five years, so we only know it as the.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: Main stage, also known as the Brown Stage.
[00:04:36] Speaker C: Yeah, it's very, very similar. Very similar to what we're doing now. We do a lot of more, I guess, different things. Like, we had our opening night, which was the Halfway to Christmas festacular, and we gave away Santa hats and we had a snowball fight. So we're trying to think, oh, okay, I have.
[00:04:57] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: It's got. It's got Freedom park embroidered on it.
[00:05:01] Speaker B: I will be wearing that for the Schenectady Holiday Parade. With that, they're going to ask us to come back and MC again, putting that in there. Plug for ourselves.
Main stage, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
[00:05:17] Speaker C: But when it first started, we actually started in 1976, and there were, I think, a couple of maybe once a week, twice a week.
Now we do three days a week from the end of June to the end of August and almost 30 shows, about 30 every year.
[00:05:36] Speaker B: How do you find everybody? Like, how do you find all the different.
[00:05:39] Speaker C: It's all local musicians. And one thing I love about our series is that it's so different. All the variety that we have. You know, we've got Alex Torres with the Latin music. We've got a few Irish bands. Get Up Jack. We've got Maggie's Clan. This year we've got a couple of kids shows.
We're bringing in the Rock and Roll Playhouse for Bob Marley for Kids.
And we're gonna have a hula hoop jam. Where the. Where Ms. 360 is going to teach you how to hula hoop.
[00:06:13] Speaker A: It's a Sunday. You're in.
[00:06:14] Speaker C: Those are Sundays.
[00:06:15] Speaker B: All right. We're always pretty good at hula hooping, so just wanna. Just. Just FYI, I can do it on my arm, just let you know I can do two at once on my arm again.
[00:06:25] Speaker A: This is why we gotta be on Tick Tock if we're gonna.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: I can't.
[00:06:29] Speaker C: Oh.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: I used to be able as a kid to do it on my neck.
Yeah, do on my neck and then move it down.
Yeah.
[00:06:35] Speaker A: Anyway, Tick Tock, stand and shine look.
[00:06:38] Speaker C: For you could be the next Miss360.
[00:06:42] Speaker B: I don't know about all that. I have enough hats to wear right now.
[00:06:47] Speaker C: So. All things like that. And, you know, of course, we have our popular bands that come every year. Skeeter Creek Refrigerators, Grand Central Station.
It's just. I love the variety that we have. We have classical, we've got jazz, we've got country.
[00:07:08] Speaker B: What's the one you can't miss every year?
[00:07:10] Speaker C: The one that I don't miss every year is.
It's either Cersei or Screaming Orphans, which.
[00:07:18] Speaker A: Is the craziest thing because I know you looked at this evening. I did last year when I was making the list to put it up on our. On the Gazette website. I'm like, Screaming Orphans. I'm like, oh, my God. So I'm like. I'm like youtubing everybody to see what they're offering. And I'm like, they're incredible.
[00:07:31] Speaker C: They are fabulous. Yeah, they're. They are one of the only non local bands that we get. They consider themselves upstate New Yorkers, but they're from Dublin.
[00:07:45] Speaker B: So it's a little far.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: Upstate New York, they consider.
[00:07:48] Speaker C: They. They tour all. They're in Saratoga, you know, they're all over.
[00:07:54] Speaker B: We're from Dublin, but we consider our.
[00:07:55] Speaker C: State New York, and they're just fabulous.
One of the first years that I saw them, it was a really great, great crowd. And everybody was seated and singing along and. And then all of a sudden it started to rain. Not one person moved.
Usually, like, it starts to rain. You see a couple people getting up and like.
But not one person got up. They just put their hat, their hoods on and opened up some umbrellas and stayed put.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: Who gets the credit? I mean, are they booking from year to year? They come off the stage like, oh, my gosh, Kathy, it's so great.
Make sure we have us back next year.
I mean, is this because it's become kind of its own thing that it just re. Ups and you know, they've got. They'll send you dates, you send them dates. I mean, is this feeding itself, the success?
[00:08:54] Speaker C: Yes.
Every single band that when they're done, says, hey, we want to come back next year.
Unfortunately, the stack.
The list that I have of bands that want to come to play at Freedom park is extensive.
[00:09:12] Speaker B: That's a good thing, though, right?
[00:09:14] Speaker C: It is, it is, yeah.
And we have a committee that meets and we listen to their live performances and we go out and see people live just to see how they are and see if they'll fit.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Scotia's Got Talent.
[00:09:28] Speaker C: Yes. Well, they're all.
[00:09:31] Speaker B: It's.
[00:09:31] Speaker C: They're not just Scotia bands.
These fans are from all over the place.
[00:09:37] Speaker A: There's a final. We can. We can chime in.
[00:09:41] Speaker C: But.
[00:09:42] Speaker B: Giving you an idea for Freedom park, right?
[00:09:44] Speaker C: Possibly, yes.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: Go's Got Talent.
We certified judges right here.
[00:09:50] Speaker C: Okay.
I'll keep you in mind if you want to send me your pres. Kid and information.
[00:09:55] Speaker A: We'll get the. We'll get the intern on that.
[00:09:57] Speaker B: A little bit of talent, a little bit of crazy.
[00:10:01] Speaker C: We got enough crazy. But.
So it's just finding those really good bands that you haven't seen. And we, like, this year we have 14 new bands that have never been on our stage before.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: And that's kind of like my excitement when I saw the list come out. And we're talking about this.
Some of the people, some of like the known names, you know, Skeeter Creek, Refrigerators, Harvest, and Ross, I. I know are familiar. Screaming Orphans, things like that.
So then Alex Torres, I mean, of course.
[00:10:39] Speaker C: Yeah. You know, and the nicest guy you'll ever meet.
[00:10:43] Speaker A: So great.
[00:10:44] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: Grand Central Station, you know.
[00:10:46] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:10:46] Speaker A: Summer night.
Yeah, Freedom Park. So we're gonna plug again the Zorbas Trio, who we ran into last Friday. I'm on the stage and I see the kids, and I did a photo essay of them in the Lincoln Baths for a feature.
[00:11:01] Speaker C: Oh, really?
[00:11:01] Speaker A: Really. My first introduction to them. Had such a great time. So then I'm doing the photos, and I pull them up on YouTube and I'm like. I'm yelling, oh, my God, these guys are so great. Things like that. And they're so much fun. And we saw them on Friday, and I couldn't wait for their date to come up. And they had me like, where are we playing? I go, yes, I did point to the broad stage, and I did say, yeah, right over there, and things like that. So they're very excited.
[00:11:28] Speaker C: They were at. They were at fireworks.
[00:11:30] Speaker A: They were just hanging out.
[00:11:31] Speaker C: They were just to enjoy how fun.
[00:11:33] Speaker A: Check it out. From Saratoga.
[00:11:34] Speaker B: Yeah, we just happened. We happened to be up on stage, and they saw us.
[00:11:39] Speaker C: Oh, great.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: They're so great.
Insulin Willys, Bill Ackerbauer and I go back to Sarah Tash writing days. We know each other from there. And the success that they've had at Insulin Willie's.
[00:11:49] Speaker C: I saw them performing at Wolf Hollow Brewing Company, and I was like, you guys have to come to Freedom Park.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah, absolutely. It's so.
It's.
It's hard.
It's hard. But how exciting is it for you that, you know, you're not discovering these bands, per se, because there are. They're already talented. They're playing places.
[00:12:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:12] Speaker A: And you're just kind of like, are you just doing the Jenga, like, trying to fit them into their schedule?
[00:12:17] Speaker C: It's a lot of Jenga. It's, um.
And remember, we are 100% volunteer run. So I look for they. They have a. Bring in a good audience. They have a lot of followers on social media, and they're easy to work with because we are volunteers.
So is that. How can I. Is that. That's a nice way to say that?
[00:12:42] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:12:42] Speaker A: So we don't have to. So there's probably no answer to. What's the craziest writer you ever had for a.
[00:12:49] Speaker C: We don't have writers.
[00:12:50] Speaker A: So I, like, had it easy.
[00:12:51] Speaker C: Like, you don't have.
[00:12:52] Speaker B: That's like a rule of playing.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Rule number two.
[00:12:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
We want to bring it in. Crowd can't have rider.
[00:12:59] Speaker A: And we want to know that the places you played want to have you back because you weren't.
[00:13:03] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:05] Speaker A: And like that.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: So. So, you know, you've been doing this since the 90s. I mean, has the crowd grown over. Over the years? Have you guys been able to sort of start to build up the crowd more and more over the years? And what's that sort of. Obviously, you know, we always want to talk like economic impact and stuff. So it's the economic impact. I mean, if you're able to get in bands who, you know, they have a wide swath of fans, I mean, that means you're bringing in people to not only the town of Scotia, but perhaps sort of, you know, the city nearby or I said the town of Scotia, the village of Scotia, the town of Glenville, the city nearby. So I mean, that's got to be.
Is that part of sort of the process of like thinking through sort of what bands to bring and when?
[00:13:52] Speaker C: Well, we always.
We always want. It would be great if every single band brought in thousands of people.
Actually. I don't know if the Village would like that. That's a lot of work on our police department and our parks department. But it would be great. I mean, I'm sure the businesses in downtown which have. Which are great partners of ours. You'll. You'll notice that a lot of the sponsors for our shows are our local service. Yeah, I was gonna say.
And the lot of.
[00:14:23] Speaker B: A lot of very common names in there.
So. Ones we see time and time again participating in things in the Village.
[00:14:30] Speaker C: So anytime you can get people out and just appreciating the outdoors and the village of Scotia is such a great place to live and work and play and just anytime we can help in our local businesses, that's. That's why we're here. And improve the quality of life.
[00:14:49] Speaker A: What's interesting when. When you. When you look at this and. And the Daily Gazette Family newspapers is. Is a partner with freedom part. We're on page two.
[00:14:58] Speaker C: I double shark media sponsor B 95.5 Daily Gazette and Discover Schenectady.
[00:15:05] Speaker A: The.
Not only is the number of artists.
Well, the number is great because like I said, you're going three days a week.
So nobody. I don't think anybody's repeating this year.
[00:15:19] Speaker C: No.
[00:15:19] Speaker A: And then. But you also look at the sponsors and it's not always this known bank, this known grocery entity for the. You know, just seven times like God bless them, God forbid they leave.
So what's it. As everything falls.
What's that mean? When you can look at your sponsor list and not only is it local, but it's assorted like this where everybody's a part of this.
[00:15:45] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:46] Speaker A: What's that like?
[00:15:48] Speaker C: I love that. I absolutely love it. I love that all of our local service agencies are part of it. The Glenville Rotary, Scotia Rotary, the Elks, the Kiwanis Club, the Lions Club. You know, that means a lot to me.
But also, of course you know, Adirondack Beverages joined us this year. They're. They're in Corporations park in Glenville.
So we were happy to have them. But I mean, any. Anyone that wants to support us is okay in my book.
[00:16:24] Speaker A: Come on down.
[00:16:25] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: The.
And how did. When you make the schedule, I think Wednesday is a sweet spot because I know as we. We work on our master calendar of entertainment, weekends are hard.
[00:16:39] Speaker C: Weekends are hard in the summer because.
[00:16:41] Speaker A: You'Re looking at spac, you know, and that fills up that. And then you look at, you know, friendly competition, music, haven yourself, things like that going on. The weekends get really tight.
[00:16:53] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:16:54] Speaker A: But I like that Wednesday spot. Is that just.
It just works.
[00:17:00] Speaker C: It just worked because a lot of our bands. I mean, this was back when Burners UK was. I don't know if you guys remember Burners uk. Jay Yeager, who's coming back to our stage.
Junk Box Jukebox Rebellion.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: Oh, no kidding.
[00:17:15] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:17:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
But it was a day that they could give us. I mean, bands like Refrigerators, Grand Central Station that, you know, they're doing weddings. They're do.
[00:17:27] Speaker B: Oh, they do a lot in the summer.
[00:17:29] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:30] Speaker B: Every stage.
[00:17:31] Speaker C: So not only can do they usually have a Wednesday open, but it's usually a little less expensive.
[00:17:40] Speaker A: Understandable. And the other thing. And it was interesting because I was looking through it. I'm, you know, looking at my own personal schedule. I'm like, zor was a plane. The 19th and 19th. Yeah, that ringing a bell.
And yes, they go up against Dave Matthews second night. So Dave opens Friday, E18th.
I will be there out in the parking lot with shenanigans. I think Jack o' Callaghan will be with me as we have some fun in the parking lot with those people as the. Erica Miller will be doing the photo duty. But then Dave comes back Saturday on the 19th. But it works because the people that are at Dave may not necessarily come down. Different crowd. Yeah, a different crowd. Is that. I mean, do you look at this back schedule? Are you not gonna like, just. You're just like. No, no, we'll stand alone because of the base.
[00:18:27] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:28] Speaker A: And the following and things like that.
[00:18:29] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:30] Speaker A: On how that works. Yeah, the.
[00:18:33] Speaker C: I think it's also there's something that. Is that when Harbor. Harbor Jam, everything is. I think it's the 19th.
[00:18:40] Speaker B: Apparently that weekend we're. We're fully booked in this area wise. I think as much as.
[00:18:45] Speaker A: As much Shen talks about she wants a golf cart. I'm like, we may really be pushing it come that Saturday because it's it gets a little bit zooy for this guy.
[00:18:54] Speaker C: And honestly, I feel like Music Haven is so different from. From us. Boy, the. The lineup that she gets is unbelievable. It really is. And they're national acts, and they're a lot of world music, so it's just at a whole other level than Freedom Park. You know, we're.
Ours are all the local.
[00:19:15] Speaker B: The local.
[00:19:15] Speaker A: Are you looking to change Schenectady to the Schenectady area? Like, you know, Music Haven or is it Music Center? Because.
[00:19:28] Speaker B: Well, I. I was thinking, like, it's more along the lines with, like, the entire capital region. It's not just Schenectady itself. But, I mean, if you look at what Sarah. No, for sure. Definitely. We. There is so much music here in Schenectady. You plug that with having spack nearby with Cafe Lena and what they do and, you know, all the different sort of, like, not necessarily stages in Saratoga, but places.
Yeah, places that they play. You put that next to Albany, which also does music in the summer. You put that with Troy, and you kind of have sort of this, like. I feel like when I came here, this area was like, it's the Italian food. I don't think I. Yes, to a degree, but I think it's more music than anything now. Like, the music scene here is just so.
[00:20:17] Speaker A: I kind of like the Schenectady being the soundboard of music.
[00:20:21] Speaker B: Schenectady. The soundboard.
[00:20:23] Speaker A: Soundboard.
There's okay.
[00:20:26] Speaker C: Trademark that.
[00:20:27] Speaker A: Yep. Stamp that.
[00:20:29] Speaker B: Really electrifying things in this. In this county.
Wow.
[00:20:34] Speaker A: We sketchy. Still lights up the night with music.
[00:20:38] Speaker B: Oh, you just wrote there. You just wrote their. Their slogan.
[00:20:41] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:20:43] Speaker B: Schenectady lighting up the night with music.
[00:20:45] Speaker A: That's it.
[00:20:45] Speaker B: You better get GE As a sponsor. We just. We just planned the whole thing for you, Cathy. Like, you can bring that to the legislature. We'll let you use it. Okay. Thank you.
[00:20:56] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:20:56] Speaker B: As long as we get to do the first opening act intro.
[00:20:59] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:59] Speaker B: That's all we ask.
[00:21:00] Speaker A: And it doesn't. You know, and it's not limited to Wednesdays, which are like that sweet spot. Very easy. Want to do something going and like that. We're rolling out of, you know, Scotia celebration before the 4th, and then we go to this Thursday with 3rd on.
[00:21:19] Speaker C: The 4th, 4th on the 3rd.
[00:21:21] Speaker A: 4Th on the 3rd.
[00:21:22] Speaker B: Fourth on the 3rd.
[00:21:23] Speaker A: On 4th.
So there we go, Stan. A 4th on the 3rd.
[00:21:29] Speaker B: What's. Who's on 2nd?
[00:21:32] Speaker A: You want. You want to start doing. You want to start doing Elvis and Costello with Nate okay, so how that.
[00:21:41] Speaker C: Elvis and Costello.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness.
[00:21:45] Speaker A: And I say Elvis and Costello.
That's why you're laughing so hard.
[00:21:49] Speaker B: Okay, I was gonna let you. I was just gonna let you have that one.
[00:21:53] Speaker A: But, Kathy, I'm sorry.
[00:21:55] Speaker C: I'm sorry. I let second. I let. Who's on second go.
[00:21:59] Speaker B: Yeah, it's really. I. I knew I could. Yeah, I know. It's. Who's that? Who's on first? What's on second?
[00:22:05] Speaker C: I don't know.
[00:22:07] Speaker A: I'm the one who needs help.
Fourth.
[00:22:10] Speaker B: You're supposed to know this. I'm the younger one. Yeah.
[00:22:13] Speaker A: I can't remember what I had for breakfast. Fourth. On the third.
And then automatically rolling into Summer Night. So that's kind of the other hat, the other business card you've got to sort through. Like, which pocket is that in my jacket? Hang on. Am I. Which hat am I wearing?
As part of the Schipfeed county legislature? So it doesn't end. I mean, what does that just kind of, like, describe, like, how important music and entertainment is to the county?
[00:22:41] Speaker C: Yeah, well, like I said before, it's quality of life.
You want to live in a place where there's a lot going on.
I don't know if you guys have noticed, but after Covid, it's hard to get people out of their houses. You know, it's.
[00:22:55] Speaker B: It's.
[00:22:56] Speaker C: We've. I think a lot of people have been forced into becoming introverts, and it's just great to get out of the house and out with people and listening to live music and celebrating. The musicians we have to. The musicians we have in our area are just fabulous. So it's just great to see what's out there and have some fun.
[00:23:21] Speaker A: So there's one plug, and then there's something I just have to do for her.
[00:23:26] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:23:26] Speaker A: So, so excited that for Summer night, Lords of 52nd.
[00:23:31] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:23:31] Speaker A: Saw them at Harbor Jam. Love them.
Interviewed Liberty DeVito.
[00:23:37] Speaker C: Oh, great.
[00:23:38] Speaker A: He was so great. We've got a schedule coming in for one or two of the band members for Philadelphia Freedom. Saw them. Great.
Sydney Wordley.
We got to talk about Sydney.
[00:23:50] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:51] Speaker A: So I know Sydney because I'm very happy, and we're trying to. I'm trying to bring her on for an interview.
Won two Eddie Awards this year. So very thrilled for that. But last year, that's how I was first introduced to her at Freedom park at the Taylor Swift Sing Along.
[00:24:10] Speaker C: Yes. She was our opening act.
[00:24:13] Speaker A: Opening act. And it was one of those days. Like, are they even gonna run the Horses. It was so incredibly hot. And then it came down a little bit. And the amount of souls that were there seeing her sing and the Taylor Swift songs for this one.
And I did a video and I was. I was blown away.
[00:24:33] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:33] Speaker A: So because of Sydney, I became a little Taylor Swift fan.
[00:24:39] Speaker B: Oh, there you go.
[00:24:40] Speaker A: Taylor Swift fan.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: You need to be bigger.
[00:24:45] Speaker A: I'm gonna get in touch with City because I'm like, are you gonna do. Are you gonna do the Taylor Swift set?
[00:24:49] Speaker C: She's doing both. She's gonna do some of originals.
[00:24:53] Speaker A: Songwriter of the year.
[00:24:54] Speaker B: Yeah, Alvin.
[00:24:55] Speaker A: I mean, bring it.
[00:24:57] Speaker C: She actually did originals at Freedom park as well because I wanted her to. I didn't want her to just do Taylor Swift stuff. I want her to showcase what she can do and her songwriting abilities. So. Yeah, same at Summer Night.
[00:25:11] Speaker A: What's. Well, like I said, what's that like for you where you're in a sense, you know, you're pulling some of the strings and you're making the asks. And they go from the Freedom park stage to now opening on Summer Night. So it's hundreds to thousands.
[00:25:27] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:25:28] Speaker A: And they're a calendar year. What's that like?
[00:25:32] Speaker C: Well, my friend Jason Laqui, who's our director of special events for Senate City county, actually introduced me to Sydney. And he's the one that said, you got to check her out because I wanted to do a Taylor Swift sing along. And he said, oh, you gotta.
You gotta look at Sydney. So he actually introduced me to her and Bry brought her to. To Freedom Park. And then this year he's hiring her for Summer Night. And that's a great feeling. Just.
Just that they were at Freedom Park. You know, it. It happens the other way as well. Like we had Sawyer Fredericks after he won whatever that show is, the Voice.
[00:26:17] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:26:18] Speaker C: I can't keep those shows straight.
But we also had a. A fabulous band, Wild Adriatic, who's this just wonderful local band. And then I looked in there playing at Music Haven this year with a whole group of now nationally touring bands.
[00:26:36] Speaker A: And then Grand Central Station played the Holiday Parade.
[00:26:39] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:26:40] Speaker A: And now they're coming back. So it's kind of like within familia. It's.
[00:26:44] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:26:44] Speaker A: You know, all of. All of that.
So.
Yes. We'll have to ask Sydney what her favorite Taylor song is.
[00:26:54] Speaker B: You better have yours ready.
[00:26:56] Speaker A: I have mine ready.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: Okay. I have mine ready.
[00:27:01] Speaker C: What's your favorite, Marjorie? Oh, I love that one.
[00:27:05] Speaker B: That whole. It's actually my screen saver right now. Well, some of the lyrics from it is Actually, my screensaver. It's my favorite song.
[00:27:14] Speaker A: Okay, so there are gifts for coming on the Stan and Shen show.
[00:27:21] Speaker B: There are.
[00:27:22] Speaker A: There are, there are.
[00:27:24] Speaker B: We swear it won't pop out.
It's also. It's not car keys.
[00:27:31] Speaker A: Yep. Yes. We'd love to give away cars, but we're working on that budget.
[00:27:36] Speaker C: How great that is. Thank you.
[00:27:37] Speaker A: So you have the official Stan and Shenmug of which the co host does not have one.
[00:27:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't even have one.
[00:27:45] Speaker A: Her name's on it. I say, I'm like, really? I got your names on the damn thing.
[00:27:51] Speaker B: Just trying to promote.
Just trying to take photos, post my. My morning coffee on Instagram and help.
[00:27:57] Speaker A: Tick tock.
[00:27:58] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:27:59] Speaker C: I love that. Thank you so much.
[00:28:00] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely.
Okay, time for Shenanigans. Is there anything we need to add before we go into Shenanigans?
Anyone add anything else you want to plug anything?
[00:28:09] Speaker C: I do, I do. I know we mentioned the media sponsors, but I really need to thank Jumpin Jack's drive In for their.
Our seasoned sponsor each year and wow, what a great partner they've been for us.
And they're right next door. So it's nice. You get dinner and a show and.
[00:28:29] Speaker B: Get the Jack Burger. It's phenomenal.
[00:28:31] Speaker C: The Jack Burger officially endorsed.
[00:28:33] Speaker A: The. The official. Is it the official burger, the Stan and Chen show?
[00:28:36] Speaker B: It might be. It might be. Because that was my first time having coleslaw too.
[00:28:41] Speaker A: On a burger.
[00:28:42] Speaker B: No. In general.
[00:28:43] Speaker A: You've never had.
[00:28:44] Speaker B: No, because it always looks gross. But I was like, hey, it's on a burger. That might be good. And it was phenomenal.
[00:28:50] Speaker A: The first time having a cold. That's a whole nother.
[00:28:52] Speaker C: Learn something new.
[00:28:53] Speaker B: Which, which also if you go get the sweet potato fries and dip it in the strawberry shake. Dip it in the. Yes. Every seat. Get out.
Everybody. Everybody. I say when I said it in this office when I first got here and they sent me to do an assignment there because I had never been in houses. Like, it's an institution. You must go.
So I went and I. And I wrote this and I got backlash from people. People were like, I can't believe you do that. And I'm like, now I say it.
[00:29:21] Speaker C: To everybody in ice cream.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: It's the sweetness of the potatoes and then that. That sort of. It's a sweet tart with the strawberry. It's so good.
[00:29:30] Speaker A: And then she came around when we had Justin cook on friend of the podcast guest podcast about the sweet potato fries with the melba sauce because you were anti melba sauce. Then when we went sweet potato with.
[00:29:44] Speaker B: The melba sauce, which I now have to try.
[00:29:46] Speaker A: So that's on her list.
[00:29:47] Speaker B: So she's. She's indifferent to it. So we'll see.
[00:29:50] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:29:50] Speaker B: It's. I'm not with it with the mozzarella sticks. I'm not one of those people.
[00:29:54] Speaker C: No, I.
[00:29:54] Speaker B: No marinara.
I know. I'm just out where I stand on things.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: And then.
So shockingly, shenanigans usually. Sometimes it doesn't. Mostly involves food 99% of the time.
So.
Because we share a history of being on this earth compared to my co host.
[00:30:18] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:30:19] Speaker A: Top four albums. Back when we would buy albums and listen to albums.
I don't go into the whole album thing. But what's your experience?
[00:30:28] Speaker C: Albums.
[00:30:28] Speaker B: Yeah. We still.
[00:30:32] Speaker C: David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust, B.B. king, live in Cook County Jail.
Love that one. First album I ever bought with my own money was Fleetwood Mac Rumors.
[00:30:43] Speaker A: Oh, yes.
[00:30:46] Speaker C: And I would say anything. James Taylor. My first 45. Do you know what 45s are? My first 45 was James Taylor and Carol King. Mockingbird.
[00:30:57] Speaker A: Carol King. I. I gave her Carpenter's Greatest Hits as one of her two albums because my wife and I agree that every young woman needs to know that album because at some point in their life, they'll do songs or song that will mean something to them.
[00:31:09] Speaker C: Yes. So thank Apestry.
[00:31:12] Speaker A: That's. That was. That's in my wife's list was on there.
[00:31:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:31:16] Speaker A: So thank you. Wonderful choice of music. So now the next part of Shenanigans is.
[00:31:21] Speaker C: Oh, but it wasn't Carole King. It was Carly Simon. Well, yes, but Carole King, Tapestry. Taylor Taylor Swift. Oh, my gosh. James Taylor, Carly Simon doing Mockingbird. Sorry, I had to fix that.
[00:31:37] Speaker A: So Stewart's is one of your sponsors.
[00:31:40] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:31:40] Speaker A: For the Hula Hoop jam on the 20th.
[00:31:44] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:31:44] Speaker A: So there can be shenanigans going on this.
[00:31:46] Speaker B: That seems reasonable. Let's give them ice cream and make them spin around.
[00:31:49] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:31:49] Speaker B: This is gonna go well.
[00:31:51] Speaker A: So a huge fan of the Stewart's Flight.
[00:31:57] Speaker B: Actually, I have a whole story we're gonna run involving Colin, but I can't say what it is. But it involves Storts and it involves Colin and it involves ice cream.
[00:32:07] Speaker A: So it's the banana split dish.
[00:32:10] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:32:11] Speaker A: Okay. The container. And then you have a choice of three scoops of ice cream. So it's a flight of ice cream.
[00:32:18] Speaker C: Awesome.
[00:32:18] Speaker B: What are you going to get?
[00:32:19] Speaker A: What's your flesh?
[00:32:22] Speaker C: I am an ice cream aficionado. You might not know about me. We Go ice cream.
Anytime we're on vacation. We try as many different ice cream places as we can.
[00:32:35] Speaker B: That's how you do that.
[00:32:36] Speaker C: There are very few times that I say this is better than Stewart's.
I'll tell you what. Stewart's ice cream there is nothing like it.
[00:32:48] Speaker A: You don't like the New Yorker for the pizza. It's the milk. It's the cows.
[00:32:53] Speaker C: Maybe that's.
[00:32:54] Speaker B: I mean they are Award. Award. They have won awards for their milk too. So grass.
[00:32:58] Speaker C: But I.
[00:32:59] Speaker A: This is so big.
[00:33:01] Speaker C: I am loving this peanut butter caramel chaos. Oh, that is one of my scoop.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:33:12] Speaker B: I think that's in mine too. Okay. Yeah.
[00:33:15] Speaker C: I love a coffee base.
So I would do the.
[00:33:20] Speaker B: Oh, that's a good flavor combo therapy. Yeah.
[00:33:24] Speaker C: And then I. I also love the new. These are all the. The limited edition ones but they have the Boston cream.
[00:33:33] Speaker B: Oh, I haven't tried that one.
[00:33:34] Speaker C: Yeah, it's got cake pieces in it.
[00:33:36] Speaker A: That was the one we didn't do. We did like everything else.
[00:33:38] Speaker C: But that's delicious.
[00:33:40] Speaker B: Oh yeah.
[00:33:41] Speaker C: Just anything that dirt cake, caramel or that. That's my kind of ice cream.
[00:33:46] Speaker A: So our last question get you out of here was today we stopped by the corporate headquarters. I guess we can call it a bold.
[00:33:54] Speaker B: The flagship store.
[00:33:56] Speaker A: Flagship locate. I like the flagship.
[00:33:57] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't know that this a corporate headquarters.
[00:34:00] Speaker C: Headquarters. You didn't like going to hrs.
[00:34:02] Speaker B: We were in a conference room. So it's down the hall.
[00:34:05] Speaker A: I think it was. Oh, look at part of the executive board president. We had the CEO.
[00:34:11] Speaker B: Well, the CEO and a director there.
[00:34:16] Speaker A: So it's very exciting.
[00:34:17] Speaker B: I'm blanking on her title because apparently it just changed.
[00:34:19] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:34:22] Speaker B: Fast growing company though. Yeah. So yeah.
[00:34:24] Speaker A: Three states and it'll be part of the. The business editors outlook section coming up in the fall.
[00:34:32] Speaker B: Correct. Yes. Our foods, our special food section coming out in September. So excited about that.
[00:34:37] Speaker C: Great.
[00:34:38] Speaker B: But we were talking with you and you mentioned you've gone to the. The Glenville a little bit.
[00:34:43] Speaker C: Yeah. The Bold right in Socia Plaza on Saratoga Road in Glenville.
[00:34:49] Speaker A: So similar to the Stewart's flight.
What's your bowl?
[00:34:54] Speaker C: Oh, gosh, I don't know.
[00:34:57] Speaker A: What's your favorite stuff?
[00:34:59] Speaker C: I like the acai bowls.
[00:35:02] Speaker B: So good.
[00:35:02] Speaker C: I like anything with a sweet potato in it also.
[00:35:06] Speaker B: Yeah. You can't go wrong with a sweet potato. But.
[00:35:09] Speaker C: And I love their smoothies. The smoothies that when I go in and I say I'm feeling a little nauseous today or you know, I'm I'm. I got a headache going on. And they will always recommend. Oh, I'll give you this. It'll have ginger in it or turmeric or.
They're like bartenders almost.
[00:35:30] Speaker B: I'm excited to go back in the fall for the pumpkin.
[00:35:32] Speaker A: One pumpkin smoothie, they announced.
[00:35:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:35:35] Speaker A: Much to my chagrin, because we're July 1st and I'm already getting things about pumpkin spice.
[00:35:40] Speaker B: Listen, they mentioned pumpkin and eggnog. And eggnog smoothie. Right.
I'm ready for that.
[00:35:47] Speaker C: But the eggnog ice cream at Stewart's.
[00:35:52] Speaker B: You can have a smoothie and then you can go have ice cream. Yeah.
[00:35:56] Speaker A: So if you time it right, you get the smoothie at Bold and.
[00:35:59] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:36:00] Speaker A: By Jax for the French fries.
[00:36:04] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:36:04] Speaker A: There's your road trip right there.
[00:36:06] Speaker B: No, no, I'm getting the smoothie. I would get the eggnog smoothie to be healthy and then go get the eggnog ice cream ring to not be healthy. We call that a balanced lifestyle.
[00:36:16] Speaker A: All right.
[00:36:17] Speaker C: It works for me.
[00:36:18] Speaker A: Balance on the stand. And Shen show. We're just about balance. We're not fair. And balance. We're just balanced. We're just balanced. That's all we're going with.
So Freedom Park, Wednesday, Saturdays, Sundays, be there or be square, which you and I can appreciate. This one is Shaker and Crayon. She has no idea what we're talking about, but that's okay.
And we will see you, I don't know, about the third and the fourth.
[00:36:47] Speaker C: Fourth on the third.
[00:36:47] Speaker A: Fourth on the third. So you won't see me third on the fourth?
No way at all.
Possibly the fourth on the third, depending on where I'm at.
You will see us on summer night.
[00:36:59] Speaker C: But visit freedomparkscotia.com please to find out the full schedule.
[00:37:05] Speaker A: Absolutely. And all the music. And all the music continues to light up the night with music, light up the sky with music.
[00:37:13] Speaker C: And go to Schenectady County's website to find the information on fourth on the third and summer night on July 11th.
[00:37:21] Speaker A: Correct?
[00:37:22] Speaker B: Yes. Fourth on the third. Don't look for the third on the fourth. It's not happening.
[00:37:27] Speaker A: It's not going to happen. It's gonna be quiet.
The third and the fourth is going to be quiet.
It's gonna be kind of like a dud.
[00:37:34] Speaker C: On the 4th of July, we will be celebrating the 3rd of July.
That's it.
[00:37:39] Speaker A: That's it. That's what we'll feel like, because we're up.
[00:37:41] Speaker B: We're celebrating Independence Day Eve.
[00:37:45] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. We're a day behind. We went west or east. We're behind a day. I hope we go behind today.
I'm getting nowhere. And I'm just done on this one. I'm just like pulling dirt in.
[00:37:57] Speaker C: That's going to be a great event, though. You know, it's starting with the naturalization ceremony at 4:00'. Clock. And then some great music. The Nolanots, which are actually playing. They're actually playing at Freedom park as well. Some great New Orleans funk.
[00:38:10] Speaker A: Yep. Caught them in Gloversville. They do a whole parade.
[00:38:13] Speaker C: So great excitement.
[00:38:15] Speaker A: It's so. It's fun. Music is fun. It's designed to be. It's designed to lift you up or get you through things.
[00:38:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:38:23] Speaker A: As it may be. So thank you so much for coming on.
[00:38:26] Speaker C: Thank you for having me.
[00:38:27] Speaker A: We had you here and now we say goodbye. So you have any closing thoughts? Be.
[00:38:36] Speaker B: I don't today. Oh, wait, actually, yes, I do.
[00:38:39] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:38:39] Speaker B: Yes, I do. Just a friendly reminder. This might become my weekly thing.
[00:38:43] Speaker A: Smoke driving.
[00:38:44] Speaker B: No.
[00:38:44] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:38:45] Speaker B: To support your local media like you do your local businesses.
It's my. That's my. It's my new thing now. I'm going to repost that every week.
Yep. Because it does not hurt to remind people.
[00:38:59] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:38:59] Speaker B: Yes. We are local businesses. Like other local businesses, we too deserve support.
[00:39:04] Speaker A: We do have our own economic impact. Everybody who's employed here.
[00:39:08] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:39:08] Speaker A: God knows he eats local.
[00:39:10] Speaker B: Yes. We eat a lot of local food and.
[00:39:12] Speaker A: And shops local.
[00:39:13] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. So just a friendly reminder on that. Go check out the concert series this summer and check out all the various concerts going on ins Connecticut county in our areas.
[00:39:24] Speaker A: And post. Nippertown. Nippertown.com post and print in Nippertown. The DailyBizette.com dailies of family newspapers.
[00:39:31] Speaker B: And we will see you on the 11th for sure. Stan and I.
[00:39:35] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:39:36] Speaker B: Who knows what we will be up to?
[00:39:38] Speaker A: We don't have. We're still negotiating.
[00:39:42] Speaker B: I don't know. Negotiations might be over.
We're just there.
[00:39:46] Speaker A: You know me, I'm never done. I'll let you know on the 10th if. If we're done negotiating Friday morning to be. Jen. We're doing this here.
[00:39:54] Speaker B: Let me know on the 10th, not the 11th, right?
[00:39:55] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:39:56] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:39:56] Speaker A: Yeah. Unless you know on the 11th. On the 10th.
[00:39:58] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:40:01] Speaker B: Great.
[00:40:01] Speaker A: All right. For Stan and Shen. It's Stan and I'm Shen.
[00:40:05] Speaker B: Goodbye, everybody.
[00:40:07] Speaker A: Love your life. It's the only one you got.
