Dear Readers,
There is something about August in the Mohawk Valley that makes me want to get in the car, roll the windows down and take the long way home.
Maybe it is because August has a way of reminding us that summer does not last forever. Even when your own kids are grown, you can still feel that shift in the air. The fairs start, the farm stands are overflowing, calendars begin filling up again, and suddenly everyone wants to squeeze in one more dinner outside, one more ice cream stop, one more festival or one more ride somewhere that feels just far enough away to count as an adventure.
This month, we are so excited to bring you our second edition of The Great MVL Road Trip, and it really is one of my favorite issues we have put together. Not because it is about faraway travel or complicated vacations, but because it is about the kind of days that are right here waiting for us. The ones that start with coffee, include a few stops you did not necessarily plan, and end with everyone saying, “We should do that again.”
You can head toward Old Forge, make your way to Cooperstown, spend time in Little Falls, follow the water to Sylvan Beach, take a country road through farm country or simply choose a route because you have not driven it in a while. Sometimes the best part is not the destination at all, but the bakery you find along the way, the small-town Main Street you forgot how much you loved, the farm stand you almost drove past or the view that makes you pull over for a picture.
We wanted to create an issue you could keep in the car, leave on the kitchen counter and come back to on a Saturday morning when everyone wants to do something, but no one knows exactly what.
And because no road trip is complete without something good to eat, this month’s MV Eats celebrates our region’s from-scratch bakeries and the people behind them. I have always loved bakeries because they feel special the second you walk in. There is the smell of butter and sugar, the cases filled with beautiful things, the early mornings most of us never see, the family recipes, the trained pastry chefs, the self-taught bakers and the local favorites that become part of people’s routines and memories.
This month, we are spotlighting bakeries that are doing it beautifully, from elevated pastry shops to neighborhood places people swear by, and I already know readers will tell us who else we need to try next. That is one of my favorite things about covering food in the Mohawk Valley. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has a favorite, and almost everyone has a place they believe deserves more attention.
This issue also leans into the last days of summer with fairs, festivals, farms, music, family events, food and traditions that bring people together year after year. There is something about an August fair that never gets old. The midway lights, the fried dough, the animals, the tractor pulls, the music, the kids trying to win a prize and the parents taking pictures even when everyone complains, those are the kinds of moments that stay with us.
More than anything, this issue is a reminder of how much there still is to discover close to home. We have lakes, mountains, farms, villages, restaurants, bakeries, artists, makers, business owners and families who keep building something here, and every month we get to tell a little more of that story.
So before summer starts to slip into fall, take the drive. Stop for coffee. Buy the pastry. Go to the fair. Walk through the farmers market. Visit the town you have not been to in years. Leave room in the day for a detour, because those are usually the memories we end up talking about later. There is still time for one more summer day, and I hope this issue helps you find it.
See you on the road,
Carrie
