Main Street

Friday, April 28, 2023 - Val Stadick owns Main Street Books in Minot, She was born in Minot and raised in Lompoc, CA. She came back to North Dakota in 1993. We welcome Val back to Main Street as we celebrate Independent Bookstore Day and get up-to-date on current issues facing independent bookstores. ~~~ During our member drive, we have some bird related premiums to offer. Would you like a new bird house? In keeping with that, we share a new episode of “BirdNote” one of the many features you can hear each day on Main Street. ~~~ Another avian thank-you gift we’re offering is “Birds of the Dakotas Field Guide.” With that in mind we visit with Kristal Stoner, executive director of Audubon Great Plains. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “Air,” the story of Nike signing Michael Jordan.

Thursday, April 27, 20223 - Our Monthly Journalists Roundtable takes a deep dive into the recent headlines with journalists from around the state. We visit with Prairie Public news director Dave Thompson and special guests Robin Huebner of Forum Communications and Joel Crane of KFYR-TV. ~~~ Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay: “One Day on a Territorial Homestead.”

Wednesday, April 26, 2023 - “Dust Yourself off: The Gravel Road to a good Life,” is a biography from NDSU Press about Muriel Henrickson Sandhei. She grew up in Fort Ransom and later moved to Valley City and worked at Valley City State. Joining us are the authors, Kathryn native Tricia Velure, and Tom Sandhi, Muriel’s son. They’ll be speaking Thursday night for the Barnes County Historical Society Lecture Series in Valley City. ~~~ Theatre B is staging a play about a silent retreat – a tricky thing to do a mostly silent play! We talk with director Crystal Cossette Knight about the power of words, and the power of silence.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 - Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day, a time to stop by your local bookstore, many of which have special events planned. Zandbroz Variety in Fargo is hosting readings from four local authors, including Clay Jenkinson. We re-air a conversation from June 2021 about Jenkinson’s book, The Language of Cottonwoods: Essays on the Future of North Dakota. ~~~ North Dakota State University Extension will offer a four-week webinar series on local meat marketing in May. Joining us with a preview are Isaac Brunkow, NDSU Extension graduate research assistant; and Travis Hoffman, assistant professor and Extension sheep specialist.

Monday, April, 24, 2023 - Jack Russell Weinstein joins us for a Philosophical Currents episode, where we discuss current issues of interest. Today’s theme deals with the importance of responsible news reporting. ~~~ “Anything But Typical” is an event educating people about neurotypical and neurodiverse brains. It’s coming up April 29th in Fargo. We visit with organizer John David Berdahl. ~~~ Are barn swallows nesting above your back door? They’ve adapted to living near humans as we hear in another episode of BirdNote.

Friday, April 21, 2023 - The Federal Trade Commission has been tracking scams that have cost Americans nearly $8.8 Billion in 2022 alone, finding that Impersonator Scams ranked as the top fraud in the last year, especially in North Dakota. We visit with Claire Stewart from the Midwest regional office of the FTC. ~~~ The Germans from Russia Heritage Collection at NDSU recently unveiled a new traveling exhibit called “Building Life and Home on the Prairie: German Russia Homesteads of North Dakota. Our Bill Thomas attended the opening. ~~~ In another episode of Poetry from Studio 47, Patrick Hicks profiles poet Bill Holm. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “Renfield,” a Dracula flick with Nicholas Cage as Dracula.

Thursday, April 20. 2023 - We check in with Cody Schulz, director of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department. With summer coming, we learn what’s new in the state park system and what recreational opportunities are available. ~~~ Saturday is Earth Day. We visit with Krista Erickson, owner of Red River Refillery. She has vendors from across the region providing eco-friendly toiletries and cleaning supplies. ~~~ An essay from Jessie Veeder of Watford City: “To Write It.”

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 - Howard Olson is the senior vice president of government and public affairs for AgCountry Farm Credit Services. He discusses climate change, water use issues, soil degradation, conservation, GMOs, organic agriculture and more. ~~~ With warmer temps in the air, we can finally see the earth and fill it with flowers. Baldwin Greenhouse and Nursery, north of Bismarck is celebrating 30 years in the business. This year, they’re opening for the growing season with new owners Jared and Ashley Stoll. Special Contributor Sabrina Hornung visits with Mary Podoll, Jared’s mother. ~~~ And staying on an agricultural theme, we hear from Bjorn Solberg of Hugh’s Gardens in Halstead, Minnesota, to hear about his business providing organic potatoes, with schools being primary customers.

Tuesday, April 18, 20223 - From refugees to religious minorities, Outcast is a podcast that develops local and global relationships. It’s a project from the New American Consortium for Wellness and Empowerment. We visit with hosts Marina Behm Semerikov and Ibtissem Belmihoub. Dr. Belmihoub is the center’s executive director. ~~~ J. Ryan Stradal is called the King of the Midwestern Novel. Drawing upon his Minnesota roots, his latest novel is “Saturday night at the Lakeside Supper Club.”

Monday, April 17, 2023 - The Chahinkapa Zoo in Wahpeton, the first zoo in North Dakota, is celebrating its 90th year as it prepares to open in May. Zoo Director Kathy Diekman gives us a tour of the zoo, home to over 200 animals ranging from bengal tigers, white rhinos, chimpanzees, zebras and more. ~~~ In the wild, the wrens are getting busy, as we hear in an episode of BirdNote. ~~~ Historian Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay, “Hand on the Plow.”