1991-2011

The chorus in the recording studio, Nov. 10, 1991.

“Christmas in the Valley” debuted twenty years ago this fall. With various nods to local culture and geography, the track quickly became Mohawk Valley favorite. First released on cassette in November 1991, the song sold all 1,000 copies in ten days with proceeds benefitting the Steven Swan Humane Society. It was released again the following year as a two-sided tape with along with “Take Care of Your Friends.” The track later hit the digital age with a CD release accompanied by both “Take Care of Your Friends” and “Love on Fire.” The track continues to be played by local radio every holiday season. In 2002, WUTR-TV filmed a music video starting with scenes from Utica and working outward to the outlying towns mentioned in “Christmas in the Valley.”

See the twentieth anniversary video here!

The track used a volunteer group of family and friends to record the chorus. It’s a type of harmony that cannot be replicated.

Praise for

Christmas in the Valley

“A family trip around the snowy hills of the Mohawk Valley is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon during the holiday season, and thanks to the local favorite holiday song "Christmas in the Valley," you can now take a trip from the privacy of your own home.

Some holiday classic songs just never get old, and "Christmas in the Valley" is one of those tunes. Written 11 years ago by Oriskany music luminary Mark Werchowski, the timeless track seems to be taking on a whole new fame this season. Mark has just completed a video that will be shown on local television this Christmas, featuring himself singing the song, with scenery from all over the Mohawk Valley behind him.

"When I got the call to do the video I was thrilled." Mark said. "It's been 12 years since I wrote it and this song has really taken on a life of its own."

Mark remembered sitting with his guitar writing songs, when suddenly the idea for the traveling tune hit him. He had the whole song written in 45 minutes, and enlisted a cast of scores of local musicians and radio personalities to record it. The first printing of 1,000 copies sold out immediately - raising over $5,000 for the Steven Swan Humane Society at the same time - and "Christmas in the Valley" remains a holiday staple to this day, largely because of all the familiar places its lyrics conjure.

The Christmas in the Valley disc makes a perfect present for anyone who has ever lived in the area, giving a great memento for any Mohawk Valley traveler. From Sangertown Square Mall to Dolgeville to the gates of Griffiss Air Force Base, on to Waterville, Camden, and Little Falls, and then through Oriskany, Boonville, and Ilion, the song logs almost as many holiday miles as Santa himself. The trip continues to Utica and the Riverside Mall, then to Rome, Schuyler, and Sylvan Beach, all places Mark is quite familiar with thanks to his many years on the local club circuit.

"These are all places I remember from driving home at four in the morning," the two-time ASCAP Popular Songwriter Award winner said. "I've played in so many of these towns."

Christmas in the Valley is available on CD for just $5.99 at Big Apple Music in New Hartford and both Last Unicorn stores, and the disc also includes Mark's "Take Care of Your Friends" and "Love on Fire," a collector's item nugget he recorded with former band Nighttrain in 1983. His full-length CD That's My Story... is also still available for a festive Mark two-pack.

Don't miss the video, tentatively scheduled in the Utica area on WUTR channel 20 at 11 PM on both Christmas eve and Christmas night and at 5 PM on Christmas day. It will also be broadcast in the Syracuse, Binghamton, Elmira and Watertown areas, so check with your local affiliates for more info. If they are not showing it, demand it, and don't forget to request the song from your favorite radio station too!

For more information, check out his WorldWideWerchowski web site at www.werchowski.com, and tell him Open Mike sent you!

"I just like the fact that people still enjoy the song, and I'm glad to be a part of the community's holiday celebrations," Mark said of his long-lasting contribution to so many area festivities. "This song has given so much back to me."”

-Mike Jaquay, 2002

Twentieth Anniversary