September 11th, 2023

Hello Friends,

    I have always loved the Finger Lakes region of Central and Western  New York State, starting as a young boy at Camp Stella Maris on the shores of Conesus Lake. It’s something that became ingrained in my being very early on.  The countryside, the agricultural setting, the lakes and the rolling terrain have also produced some incredibly interesting people… especially in the world of music.

     Back in the mid 1970s, when I was first beginning my love affair with the banjo, I landed a teaching job in the city of Canandaigua, New York, at the head of that fabled lake. I had heard talk that there were musicians in the area, and there was even rumored to be a family band that was quite accomplished in old time string band music!  I had heard of the Henrie Brothers, but it wasn’t till they opened up their little café on route 332, called "Sweet Basil" that I got to meet them in person. Legend has it that the family of eight children, five boys and three girls were home educated at the family compound in Middlesex, New York, near the southern part of Canandaigua Lake. Their father had bought the boys instruments, and they listened to a lot of the music that was being played from Ithaca to the Rochester area…groups, such as the Highwoods, and Swamp Root String Band, including Steve Slottow, Brian Williams and John Herman and many others. The Henrie Family Band had even won first place in a family band contest in venerable Galax, Virginia!

      In 1976 my three year old daughter Kara required emergency, open-heart surgery. Of course, as young parents, we were totally beside ourselves, but 10 days after the surgery she was climbing trees, and on her way to recovery. However, she had missed her third birthday party.  So we decided to have a special party for her at “Sweet Basil" complete with a carrot cake baked by one of the Henrie sisters. It was a memorable birthday, and we attended Sweet Basil, quite often until the placed closed. Fast forward to 1987 when Julie Schnepf and I decided to get married and meld our two families, we held a fine reception. And, for the entertainment, we had none other than the same five Henrie Brothers. They got everybody riled up with some Old Time string band music, but then, when folks wanted to actually dance and party, they put down the banjos and fiddles and picked up electric guitars, and reeled off some old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.  I wish that I had a video of Julie and I singing the Everly Brothers tune, "Dream, Dream, Dream" along with the brothers. 

     Today, only one of the brothers, the youngest of the family, the eighth born, Robert, "Henrie the 8th" is playing music for a living. He still resides in the town of Middlesex, which is 20 miles over the hill from Penn Yan. He keeps pretty busy playing with "Bobbie Henrie and the Goners" a great swing band and of course teaming with other Finger Lakes musicians trying to make a living. So it was on Friday night that I was sitting at my favorite watering hole, Laurentide Brewery. It’s just down the street from my home.  I was listening to singer/guitarist Garth Clark, another Finger Lakes treasure.… and I turned my head, I saw a very familiar face. On the way back from a gig in Watkins Glen, Bobbie was heading home towards Middlesex. He stopped in Penn Yan when he heard some music playing. He had never been to Laurentide, but he just was drawn to the music lo and behold…we couldn’t believe that we had run into each other! He said, "what are you doing here?" and I said, "I live just down the street…what are you doing here?" He said, "Well, I just live over the hill!". Needless to say, it was a great reunion, and we explained to the other folks at the bar our long history, which I don’t even think Bobby had realized….yes I’ve known him since he was about 12 years old! Friendships that goes back 50 years are not uncommon in this parts….it is the standard.

Sincerely,

John Bernunzio 

Looking west from the town of Potter

The Bristol Hills in the distance…

Today, we also reflect on those lives lost in the tragic events 22 years ago….especially those of the McCourt family.