WAMC to celebrate 45th anniversary with special concert

12:00AM / Wednesday, October 22, 2003Print Story | Email Story

WAMC's call letters recall the station's early roots. Established in 1958 by Albany Medical College of Union University, WAMC has grown to one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the United States, with over 300,000 monthly listeners and a signal reaching into portions of seven states. But there are still listeners and staff members who remember the old days, when WAMC served as a teaching tool for the Medical College. The station used to provide continuing education for health professions, broadcasting two-way medical conferences and lectures by physicians and other health professionals for hospitals across the region. According to Alan Chartock, "Every once in a while I still meet someone on the street who tells me, 'I love your station, but the best programming you ever had was when you could listen to some doctor telling you how to take out a kidney." WAMC/Northeast Public Radio will celebrate the station's 45th anniversary with a special concert featuring Arlo Guthrie at The Egg (Empire Center for The Performing Arts), in Albany, Saturday, November 8th at 8 PM. Folk music legend Arlo Guthrie, joined by Abe Guthrie, Gordon Titcomb, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion. Information and tickets are available by calling WAMC at 465-5233, ext. 4. A special donation of $100 will entitle ticket-holders to VIP seats and a special post-show reception with Arlo, Alan Chartock, and WAMC staff. Regular tickets are available for $50 and $25. All proceeds of the concert will benefit WAMC and the Guthrie Center. "It doesn't get any better than this," said Alan Chartock, WAMC's Executive Director. "Arlo has become a real part of WAMC folklore. We couldn't have a fund drive without his song, "Mother, the Queen of my Heart," and our Wanda Fischer has played "Alice's Restaurant" every Thanksgiving for as long as we can remember. You can bet I'll be there and I know this is one that we'll all remember for a long, long time." Arlo Guthrie was born with a guitar in one hand and a harmonica in the other, in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York in 1947. He is the eldest son of America's most beloved singer/writer/philosopher Woody Guthrie and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie and he grew up surrounded by musicians like Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Fred Hellerman, Lee Hays, Leadbelly, Cisco Houston, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. Guthrie gave his first public performance at age 13 and quickly became involved in the music that was shaping the world during the 1960s. The Guthrie Center, housed in the old Trinity Church (It was Thanksgiving 1965 that events took place at the church which inspired Arlo to write the song "Alice's Restaurant") is named for Arlo's parents, and is a not-for-profit interfaith church foundation dedicated to providing a wide range of local and international services. Its outreach programs include everything from providing HIV/AIDS services to baking cookies with a local service organization; an HD walk-a-thon to raise awareness and money for a cure for Huntington's Disease, and offering a place simply to meditate.

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Unpaved Cycling Event to Benefit Jimmy Fund

Community submission12:36PM / Monday, September 14, 2026

LENOX, Mass. -- The Pan-Mass Challenge will once again bring together hundreds of cyclists and volunteers in the scenic Berkshires of Massachusetts for PMC Unpaved, the organization’s charitable gravel ride and camp experience on Saturday, Oct. 3.

All money raised through PMC Unpaved goes directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 2026, the PMC aims to raise a record breaking $79 million.

The 2026 event marks the fifth annual PMC Unpaved. The experience will kick off on Friday, Oct. 2, as participants gather around a campfire at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac to enjoy s’mores, live music, and a shared mission to end cancer.

Cycling begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and includes three gravel route options spanning 20, 30, and 50 miles. Riders enjoy the paved and unpaved country roads of the Berkshires through western Massachusetts and even into New York state.

Immediately following the ride, the PMC Unpaved camp experience continues with live entertainment, activities for riders and their loved ones, and a speaking program featuring PMC leadership and members of PMC’s Living Proof community, riders and volunteers who were previously treated or are currently undergoing cancer treatment and who serve as Living Proof of the progress made through raising funds for cancer research and treatment.

Those interested in experiencing PMC Unpaved for themselves can visit unpaved.org for more information, including details about day-of registration.

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