WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE, featuring footage from the original college production. 

In the flickering lights of WART-TV 3’s Studio B, Lester Applebottom is fighting for a second act. Once a theater actor whose career ended in purple-and-gold tights and a five-year sentence, Lester has traded his orange jumpsuit for a bowling shirt and a "wack-a-doo" persona to host "The Storybook Playtime Show." When Zeke, the station's disgruntled one-man graphics department storms the set with a firearm, Lester must find a way to talk Zeke off the ledge before the 'Glen of Happiness' turns into a crime scene. Beaver bears the brunt of Zeke's "Video Toaster" frustrations, forcing Lester to improvise a rescue mission to save the kids and the broadcast.

Stick around for the aftershow as creator Bill Meeks reunites with his high school homeroom buddy and longtime collaborator, Justin McConnaughy (the man behind the mustache of Lester Applebottom). They'll reveal how they turned a college TV production final Bill created twenty years ago into a key piece of Everly Heights lore. They also reflect on their shared history in the local theater scene growing up, from performing as Dr. Gibbs and George in Our Town to the real-life mishaps at Brooke Hills Playhouse and Towngate Theatre. Hear the true stories of obscene backstage notebooks and the shared nostalgia for the regional kids' shows that inspired the Glen of Happiness like Wallace and Ladmo and the legendary Bozo the Clown.

NEXT TIME: How will Ricky deal with tragedy? A Very Special puppet show!

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CAST LIST

Justin McConnaughy - Lester Applebottom
Bill Meeks - Mr. Matheson, aka "Beaver"
Samuel Lewis - Nicky / Chris Lee
Sean Weiland - Zeke Thorne

Additional voices provided by my TV production class at West Liberty State College.

LINKS

Everly Heights
Original broadcast of The Storybook Playtime Show (2004, Digital Download)
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

In the podcast studio deep inside the Franklin W. Dixon Memorial Library, Jeremy Hahn is recording the latest episode of his Dogboy Adventures fan podcast "Greetings from Colta City." He’s invited his theater buddy Clara Danvers on to dissect Dogboy's "subversive" violence, but he didn't plan for the chemistry crackling across the studio in his meticulous show doc. While Jeremy hides behind his fandom, Clara derails the recording with a plot twist he never saw coming. A romantic story about the roles we play to protect ourselves and the courage it takes to make a move.

In the aftershow, creator Bill Meeks chats with Rebecca Johnson (voice of Clara Danvers, host of Supergirl Radio, and the voice of LeAnne Snyder on The Fakist) about their long history as creative collaborators, starting as rival Once Upon a Time podcasters before launching sister podcasts based on DC Comics TV properties. They look back on their history of "bringing the heat" to each other's projects, including the time Bill voiced the spectral Deadman for Rebecca’s Supergirl Radio holiday special. A celebration of the community hiding in the "clerical work" of fan podcasting and the joys of a creative partnership that spans a dozen projects and more than a decade.

NEXT TIME: A thrilling action tale set in the TV studios of local TV station WART-TV.

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CAST LIST

Bill Meeks - Jeremy Hahn / Lester
Rebecca Johnson - Clara Danvers
Nathan Beatty – Dogboy / Bronson Black / Mr. Horum / Dexter Stonehouse

LINKS

Everly Heights
Supergirl Radio
The Fakist
Fan Podcasting: The Complete Guide
Dogboy Adventures Collection
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

A reunion in a burned-out theater basement forces two former bandmates to confront the lives they picked and the song they never finished. When Marla Harmon returns to Everly Heights for a benefit show for Cornerstone Theater, she finds more than charred Fresnel lights and party snacks. Among the former Rocky Horror cast members in attendance? Calvin Hobbes, her ex-bandmate/boyfriend, now dressed as a man his younger self would label a "sellout." Between a hidden bottle of furnace vodka, a forgotten cassette, and an out-of-tune Stratacoustic guitar, their last unfinished song plucks the strings of the past and reminds them of who they used to be. Will Marla and Calvin grow up and move on from Classic Tragic Hero, or can they finally tighten up the bridge on their abandoned demo?

In the aftershow, creator Bill Meeks delivers a personal tribute to his late best friend and bandmate Stephen Carroll, the write of the song "In The Long Run" and the real-life inspiration behind the episode. Bill traces their friendship from teenage collaborations in high school computer labs to early YouTube attention as the basement band Classic Tragic Hero. Framed by Steve’s demo of “In the Long Run,” this aftershow confronts friendship, artistic guilt, and coming back together to make something new.

NEXT TIME: Can a fan podcaster find love in the Franklin W. Dixon Memorial Library?

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CAST LIST

Alex Mechanic - Marla Harmon
Travis Crawford (TV's Travis) - Calvin Hobbes

LINKS

Everly Heights
Classic Tragic Hero YouTube Channel
Stephan Carroll YouTube Channel
Classic Tragic Hero Music on Archive.org
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

Bill Meeks joins Tom Merritt (Daily Tech News Show) to address the "dark troll wizard" of the project’s history: the years spent fleshing out his six-year old creative writing project Everly Heights using advanced generative AI trained on his own artwork. Bill explains how the artistic community's reaction to AI tools caused him to rethink his approach and abandon them (for the most part) by leaning on his history in audio drama to tell new tales in Everly Heights. He also discusses his work creating custom models to generate character turnarounds, props, and animation assets. PLUS: Explore the real-world inspirations of Wheeling, WV, the geometry of DiCarlo's Pizza, and the"stank" early adoption of concepts (like The Fakist) and technology leaves behind.

DTNS Friday Hangout Full Episode (Video)
Daily Tech News Show

This bonus episode is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

W.E.I.R.D.E. agent Jim Colvin spends his days policing the multiverse, yet he can't find out what his new wife, Ramona, is hiding. His deepening paranoia finds a reluctant partner in Nosloo the Great, a refugee dark troll wizard from the war-torn Land of Fee-Nee who is desperate to return home and save his kingdom. But when Jim hatches a risky scheme to use the wizard to force a moment of radical honesty, the walls begin to close in—both from the secrets in his marriage and the coworkers determined to uncover exactly what contraband he smuggled home from the office.

In the aftershow, creator Bill Meeks chats with actor Dan Pavatich (voice of "Nosloo the Great") about the "We’ve Got a Secret" sitcom genre. They discuss their friendship's improv origins, the influence of ALF and other weird TV shows on the story, and the ethical nightmare of the episode’s Men in Black-inspired ending. Plus, Dan shares details on his own project, The Hustle Gods.

NEXT TIME: Whatever happened to Cornerstone Theater?

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CAST LIST

Dan Pavatich - Nosloo the Great
Bill Meeks - Jim Colvin / Hibboticus / Evil Jim / Ricky Special / Pirate / Carrot Top / Bob Ross / The President
Kate Sheridan- Brenda / Ramona / Kid
Andrea Lavender - Cynthia Postal
Sean Weiland - Bucky
Allison Cossitt - Susie
Travis Crawford (TV's Travis) - Plant / Dad
Dean T Moody – Intercom Announcer
Helena Geraci – Jennifer Special
Richard Reynolds – Lucian the Waiter
Wynn Mercere – Woman
Brice Bankard - Man

LINKS

Everly Heights
"Nosloo the Great" Pilot (2022)
Dan Pavatich
The Hustle Gods
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

High school teacher Bill Matheson lives for the logic of math, but his personal equation has become a mess of negative numbers. As the town’s resident workaholic, Mr. Matheson juggles teaching high school algebra, the daily grind at The Koffee Shop, and programming lights at Cornerstone Theater. Despite double-checking his work, he’s successfully calculated himself right out of his own marriage! Faced with an empty house and a fresh opportunity from the local tax man, Mr. Matheson must decide if he’s ready to stop “showing his work” and finally solve life’s most delicate equation by tweaking some variables. Will an optimistic man crack under the weight of his own long division?

In the aftershow, creator Bill Meeks breaks down the math behind the real-world work-life balance struggles that fueled the script and highlights the return of Season 1 favorites like Michael Special and Nosloo the Great.

NEXT TIME: Things get W.E.I.R.D.E. in Everly Heights!

Bill Meeks - Mr. Matheson / Jim Colvin / Ricky Special / Infomercial Announcer
Kristyna Zaharek - Angel Matheson / Brenda
Sean Siegler - Michael Special / Customer
Dan Pavatich - Nosloo the Great

LINKS

Everly Heights
Mr. Matheson's Arithme-TIPS
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

Peter Postal is five years older, a little wiser, and officially free from the state slammer. While working at the Everly Heights Community Center under the watch of Mr. Matheson, a chance encounter with a troubled teen forces him to confront the ghost of his illicit punk rock past.It's time for Postal to prove that even a broken record doesn't have to skip on the same track forever. Join us for the gritty, heartfelt conclusion to Season 1.

In the Aftershow, Bill Meeks celebrates the end of the season with a look ahead at the ambitious slate for Everly Heights Tales Season 2, coming January 2026.

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CAST LIST

Kaleb Deatherage- Peter Postal
Bill Meeks - Mr. Matheson
Wesley Bryan - Lucas

LINKS

Everly Heights
Everly Heights Holiday Bundle - Only $40 Until January 2
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

On this Very Special holiday episode, when eleven-year-old "90s kid" Abby Special is sent to bed early on Christmas Eve, she launches OPERATION: PULP DEFLECTION to sneak out for a late-night screening of Pulp Fiction. But Abby's clandestine Christmas takes a turn for the infringing when Abby gets trapped in an "As Seen on Fantastic Inventions" store with two bumbling crooks. Realizing she's in a "pretty obvious Home Alone homage," Abby defends the perimeter using a Salad Shooter, Ultra Tape, and other junk she's seen on TV to fight back so she can make it home for Christmas.

In the aftershow, Everly Heights Tales alumni Sean Siegler and Kristyna Zaharek join Bill to discusses returning to the sitcom world of the Special family, their favorite holiday films, and when they stopped believing in Santa Claus (who totally exists).

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CAST LIST

Kristyna Zaharek - Infomercial Woman / Abby Special / Police Officer
Sean Siegler - Michael Special / Vinnie
Bill Meeks - Infomercial Announcer / Ticket Clerk / Pulp Fiction Nerd / Lou

LINKS

Everly Heights
Everly Heights Holiday Bundle - Only $40 Until January 2
Kristyna Zaharek
Sean Siegler
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
The Totally Original Fakist Christmas Special
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

Experience the infamous broadcast that allegedly got Dogboy Adventures cancelled, presented exactly as it aired following WART-TV's Festive Greetings Holiday Parade. In the shadow of the rusted Curleyworld theme park, former carney Jon "Hot John" Pyre and his son Scotty scrape by in a freezing Winnebago, surviving on cold beans and hard truths. Desperate to give his son a better future, John concocts a yuletide lie to drive Scotty away, all while secretly selling his muscle to the Guild of Thieves. A gritty, tear-stained holiday noir about sacrifice, "bad" dads, and the lies we tell to protect the ones we love. Once thought lost, the episode was recovered in a YouTube video featuring the full parade, an interview with Full House's Jodie Sweetin, and the only known recording of "Hot John Hates Holidays."

In the aftershow, Bill Meeks reunites with Nathan Beatty, the original "voice of Colta City" who narrated the Dogboy audiobook series a decade ago. Nathan shares what it was like stepping back into the cowl after all these years and debates which character is more fun to play: the gruff Hot John or the verbose Osbert. Plus, Nathan shares his own most memorable Christmas in this special look behind the mask of Everly Heights’ favorite pulp hero. Includes several promotional video clips for the original book series.

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CAST LIST

Nathan Beatty – Dogboy / Bronson Black / Hot John / Osbert Collingwood
Bill Meeks - Mr. Matheson / Scotty / Curleyworld Announcer
Jodie Sweetin - Herself (via archival footage)

Archival footage of the the 1992 Wheeling, WV Christmas Parade  sourced from YouTube.

LINKS

Everly Heights
Infinite Tina: Worlds Apart
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Dogboy Adventures Audiobook/Ebook Collection
1992 Christmas Parade Wheeling WV Presented By Elbys Big Boy
Beyond the Deck Box
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube
Universe Box - Theater

Join us at Greco's, where the pasta is hot, the staff is snooty, and conversation is the best thing on the menu. Steve Loop goes to dinner with his high school tormentor Jerome Bentley to answer a question: can an old dog really learn new tricks? Over pizza and other Appalachian delicacies, these two former adversaries navigate the minefield of past grievances, high school swirlies, and the surprising power of Jolt Cola to turn back the clock and put right what once went wrong.

In the aftershow, Bill Meeks reveals how a casting call for Welcome, Freshmen alumni led to this unexpected pairing and shares the true story of his own college reunion with a high school bully that inspired this tale. Plus, get the scoop on the real-world inspiration for Greco’s and find out which other familiar faces are returning to Everly Heights this holiday season.

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CAST LIST

Samuel Lewis – Steve Loop (aka Steve the Geek)
Sean Weiland– Jerome Bentley
Richard Reynolds - Lucian

LINKS

Everly Heights
Infinite Tina: Worlds Apart
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Welcome, Freshmen
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube
Universe Box - Theater