Does the fictional St. Gallen mirror Mohawk, NY circa 1985? Let Foster's 42 Unanswered Points take you on a walk down memory lane, only to realize that the names may have changed, but not much else.

     In Chapter 7 of 42 Unanswered Points, Foster writes some descriptions about places in Brandon Evans' hometown of St. Gallen, NY.  Foster describes an ice cream/grill restaurant called "The Shack" in which the owners open the establishment for the warmer months of the year and retreat south for the colder ones.

     On page 7 of Chapter 1, Foster describes St. Gallen's Main Street in the following way: "'Downtown' St. Gallen consisted of three blocks along Main Street. There were a couple of family owned businesses: One that sold furniture and another that sold household appliances and electronics.  There was a small grocery store, a pharmacy, a bank, a diner, and a convenience store/gas station.  To round out the commercial activity, there was a laundromat, a pizzeria, and a barber shop. . ."

     In 1985, when Foster graduated from Mohawk High School, downtown Mohawk did indeed included all of these things, and most remain today, albeit for ownership and some name changes.  Back then there would have been family owned businesses, Wright's furniture, Robinson Brothers Appliances, The Village Market, New York Pizzaria, a bank (Was is still Oneida National then, or was it Fleet Bank or another name?), Jarvis Pharmacy, Shibley's market and a corner gas station, as well as a diner located down by the fictional "The Shack" which can be none other than the former Lou's Diner.  Today, Furniture Weekend is housed in the former Wright's building, the Village Market and Robinson Brothers remains, as well as the laundromat.  Fasttrak, a smoke shop and Little Caesar's pizza stand where Shibley's, Jarvis Pharmacy and the corner gas  once stood.  Last, but not least, Lou's is now "Mrs. Shake's."

     When I asked Foster why he chose to present St. Gallen in a northern New York setting, as opposed to it's obvious setting within the Mohawk Valley, he responded by saying "I wanted the location to be remote and far away from any mid-sized city.  (It) makes it more plausible that such a talent (as the protagonist Brandon Evans') is undiscovered, given the setting.  Even Mohawk and Herkimer are close enough to Utica and Syracuse where such a (football) player would get out of town publicity."  This is why Foster chose to place St. Gallen near Potsdam, NY, as opposed to Foster's hometown in the Mohawk Valley, but it is still quite clear that the fictional St. Gallen is none other than Mohawk, NY.

     Interested in how Foster further describes St. Gallen? Check out 42 Unanswered Points from the Frank J. Basloe Library.  Not only will you support the library, but you will also be supporting an author with local roots. Don't forget to "like" Frank J. Basloe Library's Facebook page for a chance to win a signed copy of Foster's book.

Coming in the next installment of this interview: Where is Jason Foster now?