Auburn on Main

Angee and Jonathan are joined by Jess Irvine and Amanda Jenkinson, two arts assistants at the Postmark Center for the Arts! The quartet talk about Auburn's greatest building (Postmark, duh) and all of the amazingly incredible things happening this spring. You can find a full list on Auburn's Community Calendar, which includes several free classes a week and a few symphony events on the weekends: auburnwa.gov/calendar.

They also talk about the power of art and how a truly remarkable piece can really reach out and grab you and refuse to let go (as is the case with Jonathan).

The finish up with Angee's Arena -- art and membership trivia in Auburn! Jonathan does terribly...but maybe you can do better????

Jonathan and Angee are joined this week by two (literal) rock stars from the Auburn Symphony Orchestra -- Exeutive Director Gabi Galloway and Music Director Wesley Shulz! If you've been to an Auburn orchestra show, you'll also recognize Wesley as the conductor up on stage directing the entire production. Wesley joins us for the second time in the podcast's history to talk about all the amazing things happening this year, beginning with a Rhythm and Rhymes Story Hour and Postmark Center for the Arts this Saturday at 10 a.m. and a FREE family concert at the Auburn Performing Arts Center on April 26 -- more details on the orchestra's website: https://www.auburnsymphony.org/

Listen to learn why and how live music helps us connect with the places we live, and stick around until the end to test your knowledge of Sim-Phony trivia.

Jonathan is joined today by cohost Angee Pogosian! We gave Chester the day off because in this episode we're sitting down with Zufishan Shabbir and Fadumo Salad, co-owners of Auburn's The Resort Medspa! Have you ever wondered what the holy trifecta of skin care is? (it rhymes with bends, liquidate and let's be ref) what about some tips on how to look younger (I could use that fr)? or how about some confidence boosters so that you, yes you, can walk into the Resort Med Spa and get started on your self-love journy. Zufi and Fatima opened the spa in April 2025 and have been humming along -- they're fun, approachable, and full of energy. I guess this spa stuff really does work????

Stick around for some wellness trivia and see if Jonathan has what it takes to best the....spa owners.

For the first time in Auburn on Main's history and perhaps the only time this will happen ever, we have a fan on the show! Katie Storm comes to us as a long-time listener who is deeply ingrained in the happenings at the City of Auburn. She's been a part of the Miss Auburn and Miss Washington organization for several years, and in 2024, participated in the City's Civics Academy! She learned a lot and had such a great time. She also competed this month in the Miss Auburn competition where she took home several hundred dollars in scholarships! Hear Katie's story and how a little civic engagement has made all the difference. Stick around till the end to test your City of Auburn civics knowledge.

Jonathan and Chester and Angee are joined this week by Alyssa Tatro, a senior planner at the City of Auburn! What's a city planner do? Well, just about everything! From setting design standards, to helping create policy that specifies width of roads, to sidewalk egress, to citywide and downtown design standards that set the look and feel of a city. Think of it like a Fortnight skin, except it's for the entire city.

Alyssa and her team have been hard at work planning and preparing for a series of open houses to talk design standards and the first one is TONIGHT at City Hall from 4 to 6 p.m.! Come share your opinions that will directly impact the downtown design standards at the City and literally make your voice heard.

Stick around till the end of the episode to test your planning and Valentine's knowledge -- or perhaps both???

Jonathan and Chester sit down with the newest addition to the Auburn Emergency Management family -- Camille Schuetze! Camille comes all the way from FEMA where she traveled the country (and world a little -- hello Guam???) doing emergency management and disaster recovery from everything to wildfires to floods (which we obviously coulda really used last momth Camille joined the City of Auburn in early January and is STOKED to get started. Hear about her journey, how she's settling into Auburn and her digs, and stick around for Emerging Cs, Seas and Seize trivia at the end. Will Camille best the Chest???

First of all -- we're sorry. We didn't mean to take off two episodes, but forgive us, the City of Auburn was dealing with a bit of uh...flooding, if you will. Perhaps you remember? It was a busy three-week stretch for us. SO, we had to put this on the backburner for a bit but...we're back!

For this episode, we're saying goodbye to the person behind the look and feel of Auburn's brand and printed communications -- Mr. Kevin McCoy! Kevin has been with the City of Auburn Communications Division since early 2023 and has had a hand in creating some of the city's most iconic brands and materials, like the Postmark Center for the Arts logo and the look and feel of the Auburn Magazine. His work can be seen throughout the city from hanging banners over Main Street, postcards in the mail, graphics on social media and websites, and so much more.

Oh also, we're happy to WELCOME BACK ANGEE! Angee has finally returned from her honeymoon and is back making all sorts of content on City of Auburn socials -- if you don't follow us, I recommend ameliorating that immediately because she's already going viral on Facebook and Instagram.

Well lads, we did it -- we got the big guy in red in the studio. It didn't take much, really, just a few well-placed milk and cookies sweet treats. We did have to make the breakdcrumb stretch from the north pole to Auburn, but as you can see and hear, it was all worth it. Santa joins us to talk about the OTHER City of Auburn Santa event on the horizon, Breakfast with Santa. He's joined by Parks Coordinator Ashley Gain who alongside Santa, makes sure all the kids and parents are well fed and leave happy and satisfied. While he was here, we couldn't help but ask him about the parade, which is this Saturday -- can't wait to see you along Main Street and City Hall Plaza.

Stick around for more Santa trivia. And breakfast. Cause why not?

Yes, I know, you're thinking -- Santa? Christmas? Boy, it ain't even Thanksgiving yet. Well, just calm down a second because much like Target or Walmart or even Winco, we gotta start preparing for the next season before the current one is over, and yes, that means getting ready for our Lighted Santa Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony. It's right around the corner on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 4:30 p.m. in downtown Auburn, and here to talk all about it is the City of Auburn's newest special events coordinator, Mackenzie Mullen! You might recognize that name because Mackenzie was on our show a few months ago as an intern! Well, she's back and freshly in her new full-time role, ready to talk about the parade and other events coming down the stream. Stick around to the end to test your holiday/Santa Parade trivia and we'll see in December!

Chester and Jonathan are joined this week by Matthew Colpitts, the City of Auburn's newest Emergency Manager! Matthew is a few months into the job and is already in the weeds of making sure the city is well-prepared for any and all disasters. Most accutely, the upcoming fall/winter seasons, namely any heavy rain, wind or snowstorms! Perhaps you remember the past two weekends, when we had atmospheric rivers in the Puget Sound region? Well, Matthew helped us prepare and manage that weather event and had it gotten partiuclarly ugly, would have helped manage the crisis and the clean up. His job doesn't stop there, either -- he's preparing us for the "Really Big One," the lahars from Mt. Rainier's eventual meltdown, and so much more.

Stick around to see if Matthew can Best the Chest on emergency preparedness trivia (hint: yes, probably, right? rightttt?????).