Filmed Locally - 19 May 2024

YouTube Channel Explores Local History

By Bradley Towle

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — “History on The Road TV” is a YouTube Channel hosting a recently created video series exploring historic Route 20. Don Rittner and Justyna Kostek take viewers on the journey, making stops and exploring the rich history of the towns and villages along the way. Rittner, a prolific writer, filmmaker, and historian based in Schenectady, began the 11-part series in Albany, spending time in Duanesburg, Esperance, and Sharon Springs before finishing up in Cherry Valley. 

With Ritter’s relatively local roots, Justyna Kostek adds her European perspective to the stories and histories they discover. Ritter and Kostek’s stop in Sharon Springs, for example (a stop so rich in history that it encompasses five of the show’s episodes), the duo explores the Adler Hotel. The now abandoned structure looms over the village, and we see the inside of the massive and once-renowned destination as Don and Justyna explore the ghostly interior. Ron Ketelson of the Sharon Springs Historical discusses the hotel’s history with hosts. Popular with Jewish travelers as a summer resort, the German government specifically funded retreats to the Adler as a form of reparations for the Holocaust. Rittner reveals that Steven Spielberg visited the Adler while researching for Schindler’s List to interview Holocaust survivors. Justyna shares her perspective as a Poland native and her grandmother’s experiences during the Nazi atrocities. 

Don and Justyna continue westward on The Great Western Turnpike toward Cherry Valley, stopping along the way at The Tepee to touch on the rich history of the American roadside shops and oddities synonymous with mid-20^th century American travel. The series concludes in Cherry Valley, with the pair examining the old village’s beatnik past and visiting the grave of Andy Warhol’s trans-actress-icon Candy Darling. Don and Justyna talk to filmmaker James Rasin by phone while at the grave. Rasin, a Cherry Valley resident who helmed the 2010 documentary “Beautiful Darling: The Life and Times of Candy Darling,” describes the history of Candy. Don and Justyna take a “detour” to New York City to interview the since-deceased Jeremiah Newton about how Candy came to be buried in the small village along Route 20, far from where she had lived in her short lifetime. 

There is scant room to describe all of the fascinating stories and characters Don and Justyna discover along their journey. Don Rittner’s personal motto is, “I may not know everything, but I’m working on it!” The 11-part “History on The Road” series is evidence that he and Justyna are enjoying the process, and fortunately, they have decided to share it. The entire “History on The Road” series is available on YouTube.