Now available, Bob Cudmore’s “Stories from the Mohawk Valley: the Painted Rocks, the Good Benedict Arnold and More”

Nestled in upstate New York along the banks of the Mohawk River are the communities of the Mohawk Valley. These villages, towns and cities have unique histories but are inextricably tied together.  The mills, railroads and the Erie Canal sustained early growth; the Painted Rocks beautified the landscape; and tales from the local Mohawk Nation still enrich the folklore.

Many remarkable individuals have called the Mohawk Valley home, including psychedelic philosopher Benjamin Paul Blood, actor Kirk Douglas, Fonda’s Queen Libby, “The Daiquiris,” bandleader Alex Torres, controversial Amsterdam mayor Theron Akin, singer Arlene Fontana, banker Pasquale DiMezza and the unofficial Polish mayor of Amsterdam Michael J. Wytrwal,.

For over a decade, local native Bob Cudmore has documented the interesting, important and unusual stories from the region’s past in his weekly Focus on History column in the Daily Gazette.  He has compiled over 40 of the best stories in the new book and included numerous photos and illustrations.

As Amsterdam city historian Robert von Hasseln states in the foreword, “Bob’s stories capture universal qualities, and because they do, anyone can see something of his or her own hometown experiences in them.”

Order your own autographed, numbered copy of “Stories from the Mohawk Valley” for $19.99.  Please include an additional $5.00 (Grand total of $24.99 per book) for shipping, handling and any sales tax.  Don’t forget to send your address, phone number and email, plus any autograph instructions.

Please make checks payable to Nero Publishing Company and mail to Bob Cudmore, Nero Publishing Company, 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, N.Y. 12302.

Add an additional $5 (Grand total $29.99) and we also will send an autographed hard cover copy of Bob’s 2000 book, “You Can’t Go Wrong: Stories from Nero, N.Y. and Other Tales.”

New Stories from Nero
Since publication of You Can't Go Wrong in 2000, Bob has written more than 15 new Nero stories for the Sunday Gazette in Schenectady. Check out a sampling of New Stories from Nero, New York.

Amsterdam Area History
Bob writes articles on Amsterdam area history for the Sunday Gazette, click here for the latest stories.

Amsterdam History Documentary
Bob Cudmore is co-producer of Historic Views of the Carpet City, the WMHT-TV documentary on the history of Bob's hometown, Amsterdam, New York.

Mary Cudmore Memorial
Also on this website is an ongoing tribute to Mary Cudmore, who died on March 4, 2001. We hope you'll add your memories of Mary to this special page.

Illustrations by Jeanne Benas

Bob Cudmore hosts the morning show, weekdays from 6-10 a.m. Eastern time on Lite 104.7 FM and 1570 AM WVTL in Amsterdam, N.Y. www.wvtlfm.com

Enjoy Bob Cudmore's humorous and poignant tales of life in Nero, a declining Upstate New York mill town, where the creek used to smell and the mills have moved south. It's a place where fault-finding is so common that "I don't blame you" is a compliment. The City of Nero was named for an arsonist Roman emperor because all the good classical names had been commandeered by other upstate communities by the time Nero was founded. You'll laugh and you'll cry when you visit Nero, the city where cheerfulness is not a common emotion.

Bob Cudmore's book about Nero, You Can't Go Wrong: Stories from Nero, NY & Other Tales, is available at retail locations and can be purchased by mail direct from Nero Publishing Company for only $5.

In You Can't Go Wrong, you'll find that people in Nero speak their own language -- "you can't go wrong," describes a $2.99 dinner special; "it never fails," acknowledges the inevitability of life's catastrophes and "you've got to take care of your own" are words to live by in any multi-ethnic location.

bobcudmore@yahoo.com