Jen joined the podcast to talk books, Windham, books, Main Street Community Center, books, and more books. 7 years ago, Jen found herself in need of a new book to read while at her home on Windham Mountain and quickly realized there was not only nothing in town, but there were no options even at a reasonable drive! Well one thing leads to another and within a few months the lease was signed and the boxes of books began flowing in. It did not take long for people to catch on to this new addition to Windham and new clubs, programs, and projects around reading, authors, and art have followed ever since. One of these projects, amidst Covid no less, was the birth of the Main Street Community Center (see our first ever podcast featuring the executive director Sadhbh Aborn).

Danny Hairston is the Founder/Executive Director of Snowboarders Help Reimagine Education or better know as SHRED. His journey from snowboarding 15 years ago to creating one of the best programs in upstate New York is extraordinary.

Steve joined the podcast to talk about EMS education, difficulties in serving a rural county, the structure of medical services in Greene County NY, some of the parts that work well and some that don’t, specific stresses on the system, and New York State Legislature discussions on possibly combining county wide services.

Mountain King established itself last year in 2024 and become the talk of the town. It has been several years since there has been a brewery in Windham. Bob and Owen's vision is going to bring great energy and beer to Main Street once again. Hear Here sat down with them to listen to their story and how the vision for Windham had come about. Before Bob found Crush Management he was touring around Germany with his band find his love for beer at local breweries. At another time Owen found his love for making beer when he was in Germany coach lacrosse. Together they were able to find a great combination to brew right here in Windham, NY. For any questions or event set ups contact their manager!

Stephanie Briggs

Mountain King Manager and Events

Cell: 6077608414

Email: stephanie@mountainkingbrewing.com

Hear Here Podcast sat down with Leah Waldron and Laura Potter to talk about community outreach, recognizing areas of need, building connections, the nonprofit world, grant writing vs fundraising and the specific areas they have chosen to focus on. The two meeting through work at a nonprofit has set the tone for their relationship and individual outreach efforts.

The Hear Here Podcast was joined by Brian Christman and Eric Goettsche to discuss managing family owned resorts in Windham, the continuous daily work load requirements, adapting to the changes in the industry as well as in the town, the advent of online marketing and reservation systems, and comparing the regulation requirements for resort owners in comparison to short term rentals.

The Hear Here Podcast host, Jesse Novak, and producer, Evan Goettsche, sat down to talk about the conversations that lead up to forming the podcast, the right people coming together, gathering the gear, choosing the direction and the support from our guests and community. In some form, the idea dates back many years to some stories Jesse heard from friends while traveling, which established the host’s love and understanding that every person has their own unique life experience and perspective.

Johnny O'Connor is a local legend that found his love of skating and snowboarding at the age of 7. Through his life, he has pursued the dream of becoming a professional snowboarder. Through the years he was featured in many movies with some of the biggest names in the industry. After several years he had to make a tough life decision that led him back to his hometown of Windham, NY, but his love for skating and snowboarding never left him. Over the years he has worked with the SHRED foundation and Adaptive Sports Foundation to spread his enjoyment of being on a board. Now he has started his own foundation called The On Board Initiative. A passion project that he has been wanting to do for years to show people what it feels like to be on a board. Johnny talks about breaking the barrier to entry for those who have never tried it before but want to learn, whether it is skating or snowboarding. Doesn't matter your age, Johnny just wants you to feel what he feels for the sports.