Everly Heights Tales

It’s the late 90s, and the World Wide Web is turning Everly Heights into a digital minefield. Tina Infantino is heading for Space Camp, while her best friend Ken Sako is stuck in the Rust Belt channeling his grudge into the hit Game Creation System ZZT from Epic MegaGames. From the cash register at Convenience Market to the pixelated infamy of Princess Puke and the sickening spin of a Space Camp staple, this digital tragedy explores the roles we play to fit in, the buffers that can overflow if you don't clear the cache, and the tragic ease with which we can delete our truest friends just to survive.

After the story, stick around as creator Bill Meeks reveals the real-world "Space Camp kerfuffle" at Riesbeck's Food Market in the real Everly Heights (Wheeling, WV) where a missed phone call from a "strange man" may have cost him a trip to the star simulators of Space Camp. He also discusses the legacy of ZZT, the ASCII-based ancestor of Fortnite, and how its "digital clubhouse" offered a home to the weird, the queer, and the homeschooled creators of the 1990s.

NEXT TIME: Ken and Tina try to make amends in INFINITE TINA PART 1: WORLDS APART.

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CAST LIST

Mandy McCullough - Tina Infantino  / Ken Sako / Space Camp Instructor / Mrs. Infantino
Bill Meeks - Mr. Matheson / Ricky Special / Mr. Infantino / Evan / Misc. Voices
Shelly Meeks - Young Jeremy Hahn
Sean Weiland - Dick Armstrong

Additional voices by the Cornerstone Theater Players.

LINKS

Everly Heights
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Ultraware ZZT Game Pack (Windows)
Riesbeck Foods
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

In the shivering shadow of the 1994 "Storm of the Century," thirteen-year-old Marcus finds himself trapped in a drafty Ohio house that feels worlds away from his old life in Texas. From the rhythmic, soulless clicking of a Macintosh mouse... to the stubborn smudge of a colored pencil on a composition notebook... and the static-filled weather bulletins from substitute WART-TV meteorologist Mr. Matheson, a generational battle of artistic integrity unfolds. Marcus, a purist clinging to the messy "human touch" of his superhero character Detective Fang, faces off against his father, David, a graphic artist who has traded ink and charcoal for the efficiency of Photoshop and "Bezier curves." A tale about the friction between analog soul and digital convenience. Do the tools matter more than the human using them?

In the aftershow, creator Bill Meeks recalls the very real "Storm of the Century" that greeted his own family upon moving to the Ohio Valley from Texas. Plus: Bill reflects on the personal "generation gap" that emerged in his own home when his children began to view his career decisions as a "supervillain" turn and shares how their criticism is partially responsible for this audio drama existing.

NEXT TIME: Jim Colvin's W.E.I.R.D.E. world returns in our first trilogy. Come back in a few weeks to meet Infinite Tina!

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CAST LIST

Bill Meeks - Mr. Matheson
Pete Lutz - Old Marcus
Kaleb Deatherage- Young Marcus
Daniel Penz- David

LINKS

Everly Heights
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

In the wake of a sudden loss, Ricky Special is trying to balance the books on his grief. After delivering a shocking eulogy at his late mother Jennifer's funeral the young conservative retreats to the only place where things still make sense: the analytical sanctuary of Mr. Matheson’s math classroom. From the the relentless ticking of a classroom clock to the ghostly memories of painted triangles, Ricky is forced to find his own solution to the unquantifiable relationship between life, loss, and his mother's legacy.

In the aftershow, Bill Meeks takes us behind the scenes to show how he filmed his paper bag puppet short film in his own living room. He breaks down his DIY production process, detailing how he used a TV as his set and his actual living room curtains to frame the stage. He'll also plug the new Retro TV Simulator software he made for this episode to emulate that imperfect tracking-error-laden public access broadcast vibe in a modern studio environment.

NEXT TIME: The Storm of the Century hits Everly Heights. Can a father and son survive the snow with their relationship intact?

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CAST LIST

Bill Meeks - Mr. Matheson / Ricky Special
Sean Seigler – Michael Special
Howard F. Hulin – Preacher

Additional voices provided by the Cornerstone Theater Players.

LINKS

Everly Heights
Buy A Puppet from the episode and support the show
Retro TV Simulator
Join the EVERLY HEIGHTS ARTS BOARD and support the show
Everly Heights Tales Merch
Subscribe on YouTube

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