Humans of Rapid City

It's been a long time since Humans of Rapid City has released any new episodes!  With so many irons in the fire, it's easy to lose focus.  But I wanted to release this great interview with Brian Mathis, who works for Behavior Health Systems in Rapid City, South Dakota.  This episode was also graced by the presence of Thomas Golden.  Brian and Thomas both share a lot of history together, both having served in the Navy and also worked together at the Cornerstone Rescue Mission.  I'll let the interview speak for itself, but we had a great time chatting with one another!

It's my intention to start releasing more episodes as we march on— might not be every week... I'm super humbled and thankful for the following we've had.  Even though we've gone EIGHT months without a new podcast release, we still have had hundreds of downloads per month along with a strong following on Facebook.

Be sure to like us on Instagram too!

Until next time— cheers, Rapid City!  And thank you for listening and supporting this podcast!

If you've ever been to a theatre production in Rapid City, chances are you've probably heard some mysteriously loud cackling coming from the back of the theatre.  That's Jacob Roman.  He's a local actor here in Rapid City (well, by now he has moved onto bigger things in Nebraska, and eventually Boston, Massachusetts!) who has been in countless productions such as The Rocky Horror Show, The Little Mermaid, Love, Sex and the IRS and many more.  Too many to count.

On this episode, we discuss a lot of fun stage stories we have from our experience in theatre.  Oh how things can go wrong when doing a live show.  We also talk about his experience being the Education and Outreach Director of Cherry Street Players at Black Hills Community Theatre. 

Also, this episode was enlightened by the presence of Tyler Millslagle who provides some much needed laughter.  In fact, all three of us have distinct laughs.  So prepare yourself for a bit of a hot mess of a podcast with a symphony of obnoxious laughs.

Please note that we do not censor ourselves on this podcast, so expect some adult language.  We're only human!

Enjoy!

Nik is a local singer/songwriter whom you may have seen play at various locations around town.  He is also a dedicated family man (who recently welcomed in his second child into the world!) and an all around great guy.  Support his music!  Check out www.nikharrmusic.com

I had the opportunity to get two local musicians and educators, Jacqueline Kriebel and Joseph Weseloh, in Studio 1-A along with Tyler Millslagle (you might remember him from our previous episode) to dive into what exactly it takes to be a music educator in Rapid City and what kind of influence you have over children's development, especially when you include the use of music in your teachings. 

Jackie, Joe, Tyler and I are all apart of the cast of The Robber Bridegroom, which is currently playing it's final weekend at the Firehouse Brewing Theatre.  We talk a bit about that in this episode, along with plenty of other non-sequiturs. But Jackie, Joe and I share a unique bond in that we are all making our live band debut in a musical.  We talk about our experience in that show, with music in general and the four of us share our common bond with growing up with music.  Whether we stuck with it or not.

All in all, it was a fantastic time to get to know these two fantastic human beings and definitely look for Tyler to join us on more episodes as we progress!

Vonnie Houchin is an amazing human being, plain and simple, and also one of the busiest people in Rapid City!  She's always on the go, going from one rehearsal to another, from one meeting to another but always has time to be home with her family.  She is the master of healthy work-life balance and is an inspiration to many.

Vonnie teaches 6th grade at Southwest Middle School, is the music director for First Baptist Church, a very talented pianist and can be found music directing for the Firehouse Brewing Theatre and the Black Hills Playhouse.  Often times she will play for many musical theatre auditions around the area.

Check out the latest episode with local pipe and tobacco enthusiast, Thomas Golden! We candidly discuss a variety of subjects including Thomas' experience working as Executive Director of the Cornerstone Rescue Mission, his time in the Navy, his struggles with PTSD, being a partial stay-at-home Dad and, of course, all the juicy details concerning his pipe carving.

This one is a supersized episode.  The first half, I have the pleasure of hanging out with Tyler Millslagle and hearing about his story.  The second half, we "nerd out" over nerdy things.  Fun was had.  Things were learned.  Lives were changed.

Some adult language in this one— sorry, folks!

Thanks for listening!

Ben and Leslie Villa have the honor of being the first married couple on Humans of Rapid City.  Aside from being two very talented actors in the area, they are also vital members of our community.  Ben is a Personal Banking Representative at Great Western Bank and Leslie teaches Second Grade at Wilson Elementary School.

The lovely Candi Fender also happened to join us in Studio, which provided the insightful questions that Jeff could simply not come up with on his own!

Thanks for listening!

Elizabeth Heuerman is the owner of Jayde Tree Salon here in Rapid City.  Jayde Tree is definitely not your average salon!  You'll want to check them out once you're finished listening to this episode.

Elizabeth is full of love.  Love, love, love, love.  She is inspired by so many different causes, people and stories around the area— and she returns the favor to the community by being equally inspiring.

Check out Jayde Tree Salon by visiting http://jaydetree.com/

Gregg Hemmen is the pastor of First Baptist Church (FBC) in Rapid City, South Dakota.  Nate Sales servers as the Youth Minister of the same church.  While there may be some bias in this statement (since I am a member of FBC), but they are incredibly influential and down-to-Earth ministers, with very unique way of connecting to people— whether they are Christian or not.  Gregg and Nate remain to be two of the most important people in many people's lives and have changed the way many think about Christianity.

In the podcast, we discuss their history in ministry and how they hope to shape the church as they continue serving the community of Rapid City.  We also discuss the stigma that sometimes is attached to those who serve God and how Gregg and Nate are both breaking those boundaries in our community.  While this podcast focuses on God and ministry, our intention is to not come across as trying to "sell" our listeners on Christianity, or First Baptist Church, but rather discuss how Gregg and Nate are shaping the way Christians interact and help the community of Rapid City.

Disclaimer: This is an early recording in our production timeline and the sound levels may be unbalanced.  We have corrected the issue since then, but just know that you may have to adjust your volume accordingly.  Sorry about the sound balance issues!