On Thursday, July 2, I'll be at the Oswego County Fair in Sandy Creek, New York presenting two programs. First, I'll be offering a PowerPoint overview about our area muck farms. Using stories and photos from my book, Of the Earth: Stories from Oswego County's Muck Farms, the presentation explains how this unique method of farming began and prospered. Join me at 2 p.m. or 6 p.m. in the Fair's Domestic Arts Building.

One of the stories I'll be telling is about John and Anna Fiumara, who are pictured with this posting. John was born in Italy and when he was 16, while serving his country as a Merchant Marine, he "jumped ship" in Baltimore, Maryland. From there, John traveled north to Fulton, New York, where he met Anna and established a muck farm in the Scriba area. John's story is an example of the lengths people went to establish a good life in the United States and that led to the success of muck farms.

At 4 p.m. on the same day, I'll be teaming up again with Matthew Wood and Gina Holsopple as we head back to the pop music of the '60s. I'll be sharing poetry from my latest book, Reach Out in the Darkness: How Pop Music Saved My Mortal Life, and Gina and Matthew will be creating great cover versions of some of those songs. It's a lot of fun to present and the audience participation is always topnotch. Join us in the "porch area" of the Fair's Agricultural Building.