Off the Path
Davis Dunavin is back with another amazing season of Off the Path! Join him on his summer road trip through northern New England where he explores beautiful, historic—and even mysterious—sights. Learn what brought iconic poet Robert Frost to Vermont, who first thought up the idea for the Appalachian Trail, and why this graffiti appears on a rock in New Hampshire: “Chicken Farmer, I Still Love You.”
In the tradition of great storytellers, Davis is approaching this season’s Off The Path in serial form. He’ll explore each subject in 2 or 3 installments, and then combine them into a single podcast episode. Here, you’ll find those individual installments--which we’re calling “Mile Markers.” Enjoy the ride!
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Take a look through your medicine cabinet — from skin cream to body wash and deodorant. Many of these products share an ingredient: witch hazel. And the witch hazel industry has deep roots in the Connecticut River Valley.
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The first colonial governor of Massachusetts planted a pear tree in the 1600s. It’s now believed to be the oldest cultivated fruit tree in the Americas.
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A few LGBTQ families met up on the tip of Cape Cod one summer in the mid '90s. Their fun beach week had a bigger impact than they expected. Family Week — as it’s called — has helped redefine ideas of marriage and family for more than 25 years. And it still takes place every summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
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One of America’s most beloved artists kept a secret. Andy Warhol — pop artist and gay icon — was also a lifelong Catholic who went to mass regularly at a church in New York City’s Upper East Side.
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A few years before the Stonewall riots, a protest took place at another New York City gay bar, just about a block away. It didn’t draw as much attention, but in its own way, it was a milestone for gay rights.
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Musician Nicole Singer, the organizer of Youth Traditional Song Weekend, which took place online this month due to the pandemic, is trying to bring young people and non-traditional audiences into folk music.
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Sea shanties have enjoyed some renewed attention on social media. A lot of them have strong ties to New England’s maritime culture and whaling industry.
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A group singalong has hopped from bar to bar in New York City for years — and in the age of the pandemic, it lives on Zoom. It’s called Exceedingly Good Song Night.