LOCALadk Magazine

Sheasby General Store Bobsledders Alan Washbond and Ivan Brown at 1936 Olympics ing to libraries interested in adapting the project for their own communities. The most essential ingredient: a dig- ital platform. According to the Pew Research Center, 81 percent of Amer- icans go online daily. The same portion of us now own smartphones, which we use to get directions, stream mu- sic, watch T V, call or text—and now, explore Keene's histor y. Simply load myadirondackstor y.org— choose from categories like catastrophes, outdoor activities, people, daily life, arts and culture, natural and man-made envi- ronment, community, or work—and tap play. Local luminaries like artist Harold Weston and mountain guide Jim Goodwin are intro- duced by relatives. The same voices that greet you at The Mountaineer or the Keene Valley Hardware share the origin stories of these essential businesses. And people who lived through Tropical Storm Irene and the Valley Grocer y fire take you inside each incident, then share how town unity led to recover y. When these stor ytellers speak, listeners gain a better understanding of another's lived experience, and how com- munity and environment shape that person's narrative. Lou- is Bickford, a human rights professional with family ties to Keene Valley, understands how this works on a global scale. He founded Memria, an online platform, which works with non-government organizations to collect autobiographi- cal narratives and work toward social justice goals. Memria brings individual stories to a larger audience, illuminating a shared humanity across borders, language, religion, race, or class. Those stakes exist within our small town, too. With an aging population, it's imperative that we capture stories from our elders before we lose their voices forever. And as our society evolves, this project reveals the resiliency of our communi- ties, and deepens our connections to the people and places closest to us. We meet the families who have stewarded our hometown for decades, as well as the visitors, transplants, and youth who enrich our lives by introducing us to new iden- tities, customs, and beliefs. Perhaps these stories can even travel beyond the Blue Line and recruit new neighbors. It's an ambitious project, but a relaxed process. Imagine telling a stor y at the dinner table or from a bar stool. That's the vibe when stor ytellers sit down for an hour with Stor y Aide Bethany Garretson to craft and record their piece of histor y. First, the stor yteller speaks freely while Garretson identifies highlights and sketches an outline. After compos- ing an introductor y sentence and a final line, the stor yteller speaks from this loose script as Garretson keeps time. Any necessar y edits or directions are made, and the stor yteller slips under a pair of headphones to speak into the mic. A few clicks, and voila—the stor yteller's voice will be heard for generations to come. The speaker can be a full-time or part- time resident, a regular or one-time visitor. Ever y stor y adds depth and insight to the collection. There is only one universal trait among our gener- ous stor ytellers: They arrive ner vous, and leave inspired. That thrill leaps from the speakers when I press play. I hear Susan Doo- little read from her grandmother's di- ar y about an afternoon in 1886 when she lounged on Noonmark's summit while a friend read Socrates aloud. Linda Deyo recounts her life in Keene so far, including why she designed the Adirondack ecology course for KCS high school students—a class where I learned to identif y the birds and trees I still spot daily. Jo- anne Whitney brings us the backstor y of the red barn at the bottom of Spruce Hill, torn down in 2016. Tommy Biesemey- er, a 2018 Olympian in alpine skiing, takes listeners inside his career, while Charity Marlatt brings us to Germany in 1936, where her father, Alan Washbond, won Olympic gold in bob- sled. Adirondack Community stories have already been used at Paul Smith's College, where Garretson teaches the course "Politics and the Environment," as well in KCS librar y class- es. Keene students may even hear Bob Woughter tell how he learned he got the job as their principal when he checked his voicemail on top of Mount Marcy. Woughter hopes each cur- rent and future KCS senior will tell a stor y before graduation, a legacy that will speak directly to those who follow. That's how Adirondack Community carries individual voic- es across generations. When I think back to my inter view with Mrs. Brown, I can't recall the sound of her voice. Details about the people and events she held closest slipped from my memor y long ago. Now, instead of a fleeting glimpse at how one life connects with those nearby, I have an entire col- lection dedicated to strengthening my ties to the community where I belong. The best part? With each new voice, we add another vibrant chapter to Keene's never-ending stor y. Visit myadirondackstor y.org to hear the stories collected by Adirondack Community: Capturing, Retaining, and Com- municating the Stories of Who We Are. Contact myadiron- dackstor y@gmail.com to add your voice to the collection.

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