Hey, LaGrange!

This week’s episode comes from the Azalea Storytelling Festival. As an official partner of the festival I am glad to have recorded part of the presentation. Specifically, from the first session on Sunday morning. The one that was free and open to the public.

The recordings start with about 5 minutes of the Dulcimer Troupers, followed by Michael Reno Harrell, followed by Bil Lepp. Those 3 are followed by Kim Weitkamp. Then the podcast closes with Andy Offutt Irwin.

Each storyteller is distinct from the other and unique unto themself. Each has his or her own style, rhythm and flow.

I was incredibly impressed by each teller and can’t wait until next year. I even went out of my way and purchased Bil Lepp’s book “The Princess and the Pickup” but forgot to get him to sign it! Hopefully, he will listen to this and reach out and replace the one I bought with a copy dedicated to my children. Unlikely, but one can hope, no?

If you’re interested in just skipping past the Dulcimer Troupers, the music presentation is 5 minutes and 47 seconds long (you’re welcome). So on that note I’ll get to the stories and music.

Hey, LaGrange!... My interview this week is another Azalea Storytelling Festival storyteller. His name is Bil Lepp. Bil hails from West Virginia and is an ex-Methodist minister. However, he’s a minister in the same way John Green was an episcopal chaplain. It was just for a short time, and he was completely unordained.

Lepp also won a lying competition. Shocking, I know right! I won’t steal any more of Bill’s thunder though.

This week’s interview is VERY short. The shortest I’ve done yet. Both Bill and I were pressed for time so we had to snap it out quick.

I did include an excerpt of his tall tale from the lunch at the First Methodist Church for your listening pleasure and amusement.

Hey, LaGrange!... This week’s interview is an extension of my partnership with LaGrange’s 24th annual Azalea Storytelling Festival. I interview singer/ storyteller Michael Reno Harrell from western North Carolina, in town for the ASF. The interview took place Monday night before his concert at Pure Life Studios.

The interview itself was lighthearted and funny. He deadpanned a lot of jokes that I didn’t realize until I was editing. Regardless, it was a fun interview.

I tried to keep it short to respect his time setting up. Because of that though I’ve included a song from the concert at the end of the podcast, after the break.

Hey, LaGrange!... So last night was kinda weird. I got a message on insta from a fan who wanted to meet up and talk about my transition from an “educator to a storyteller.” He happened to be 1/2 of the brains behind Humans of LaGrange, so I obliged.

Never being one to miss an opportunity, I recorded the conversation. I intended it to be me interviewing a random LaGrange citizen for the first time in the history of the podcast, but it turned into something entirely different.

After a brief introduction, I transitioned over to him because he wanted to ask me some questions and I never got control of the interview back!

Obviously, I’m ok with it or you wouldn’t be hearing about it right now. I’ve often wondered what would happen if I was interviewed and didn’t have a written script in front of me, like I do right now.

It turns out I repeat myself a lot. I liken it to a car stuck in the mud, rolling back and forth in the rut to get out. I need to sometimes repeat myself a few times to get my idea out. I’ve been assured it’s a common feature among survivors of traumatic brain injuries.

So, I learned that I can do an interview. I learned that my charisma is somewhat coming back, with practice of course. And I learned that Hey, LaGrange! has a dedicated fan base. I’m excited for all those things!

As a bit of technical issues: the interview was done outside Starbucks on the evening of 2/26/20, so there’s a good bit of road noise that’s coming from behind us. I also left the recording a bit more “raw” than usual; I didn’t delete the little conversations between questions and banter like I usually do. This was an artistic decision to fit the gritty feel of the background noise.

Hey, LaGrange!... So this is the first time I went way off script. In this week’s interview we don’t get to the LaGrange component of Hey, LaGrange!

My interview this week was with Dale Jackson of Jackson Services. Our conversation focused primarily on Dale’s advocacy for his son, Collin, who has an ASD (autism spectrum disorder), and medical cannabis to treat ASD’s and other medical issues, such as seizures (which the host suffers from following his craniotomy in December 2014).

Overall, the podcast goes a bit longer than usual. It is all quality too. It just doesn’t get to Dale’s favorite spots in LaGrange, his favorite foods, etc.

This interview goes a bit more personal than others I’ve done. Dale gets choked up as he contemplates the future healthcare for Collin, and Collin’s future in general. I didn’t mean to spend so much time on medical cannabis, but I don’t regret it.

Hey, LaGrange!... So this week I interview the owners of taqueria Estrella roja or red star tacos for those of us who don’t want to brutalize the Spanish language. This interview was especially eye opening for me for a handful of reasons. The first and foremost was that I was able to see LaGrange through the eyes of someone who moved here from conditions far worse, not once but twice migrated! And, for her, LaGrange was and is the home of the American dream. For her LaGrange is where she is making her dreams come true. That was uniquely astounding to an entitled person like myself. I definitely found myself having to reevaluate my priorities and values after this conversation.

Another theme that came forward from my time interviewing the owners of Red Star Tacos was the amount of dedication it takes to make a restaurant successful. The owners, Ender and Ada, eat, breathe and sleep that restaurant and it’s success. They are truly dedicated to making a go of it.

Overall, this was an enlightening interview that I found deeply moving. Hopefully, you do as well. This was the first time I’d ever had someone cry during an interview, it wouldn’t be the last. But I was deeply moved here and I hope that Ender and Ada’s stories move you as well.

I’m releasing this on a Friday because it’s really only 3/4 of an interview. My listeners deserve more than that for a full episode. So tune in Monday to see who’s the next guest to be profiled!

This is the third and final part of the interview with “golden boy” chick Donovan. Honestly, I think everything else he says in this 17 minutes is overshadowed by what he says about his time as the Wrestle Reader. He lit up when he talked about it so much and it brought such happiness to him. I don’t think he’d been asked about it in this format in a long time, if ever. So that’s my takeaway from this and my crowning achievement. I’m so glad that listener Jake Mathews told me to ask about it because had he not I wouldn’t have had the foggiest idea what it was. So well done Jake and here’s the interview...

In this second of three parts “golden boy” chick Donovan opines on wrestling and life in general. He details his life opening a gym, working for 15 years as a paraprofessional for the Troup County school system, and wrestling Andre the Giant in a Battle Royal. This was a great and eye opening interview as most of this information was completely new to me, and perhaps will be to you as well.

My interview this week is Paranormal aficionado Lewis Powell IV of Strange LaGrange Tours. Our conversation extended from hauntings in the archive building to the dialectal nature of people in the Bible Belt when it comes to believing in ghosts. Overall, this was a mysterious interview (not really). In fact, it was a lot of fun and we sat around of the record and talked a bunch after the interview was over too- sorry you aren’t privy to that conversation...I assure you it wasn’t salacious. 😂

This week is a special week. It is the first of 3 parts. My interview this week is with LaGrange celebrity “Golden Boy” Chick Donovan! In the first of three parts he details his introduction to pro wrestling and his current role in LaGrange. This was a treat for me and I hope it’s a treat for you as well!