Main Street

Tuesday, July 26, 2022 - Ashley pays a visit to the edible forest, which features 21 species of trees with 70 cultivars. It’s part of the Northern Plains Botanic Gardens in Fargo. ~~~ Plants do a lot for us, from providing food to purifying air. On July 27th, we’re encouraged to show them a little love for National Take Your Houseplants Out for a Walk Day. We visit with prolific gardener Jaclyn Weber who’s growing figs in zone 4. ~~~ Chuck Lura shares a Natural North Dakota essay titled “It’s Not Just Grass.”

Do you need a holiday between July 4th and Labor Day? How about National Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day?

Monday, July 25, 2022 - UND philosophy professor Jack Russell Weinstein joins us for Philosophical Currents, our monthly dive into the philosophy behind current topics. Today’s is a doozy … “What is a human right?”

A Lakota language and culture revitalization project is underway at a recording studio in Bismarck. Songs recorded more than a century ago are now being used to teach language and culture to Standing Rock Tribal members by re-recording them in a new and contemporary setting. Alicia Hegland-Thorpe has the story.

Friday, July 22, 2022 - A Lakota language and culture revitalization project is underway at a recording studio in Bismarck. Songs recorded more than a century ago are now being used to teach language and culture to Standing Rock Tribal members by re-recording them in a new and contemporary setting. Alicia Hegland-Thorpe has the story. ~~~ Native Americans have been growing food to feed their communities … and connect to their spirituality and cultures … for millennia. But colonization separated many Native Americans from their traditional foods. Now the idea of food sovereignty — or people having the right to control where and how they get food — is growing. And as Lauren Hines reports for Harvest Public Media… new formal programs to promote native foods are popping up across the Midwest. ~~~ Dave Thompson joins us for this week’s news chat. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “The Black Phone.”

Thursday, July 21, 2022 - Scotty Schlepp is kind of a renaissance man in Ashley, North Dakota. He renovated the loft of his barn into a playhouse and has been putting on shows since 2009. This year’s play is "Sagebrush Sidekicks," a story about a bunch of simple cowboys applying to be a sidekick for a mysterious western "legend." Scotty joins us to discuss “The Hayloft” theatre and this year’s play, which runs July 26-30. ~~~ Sue Balcom is talking about houseplants in today’s episode of Main Street Eats.

Wednesday, July 20, 2022 - VA Medical Centers and clinics help identify innovative therapies, practices and policies. In this excerpt from the Conversations on Health Care podcast, we hear from Dr. Ryan Vega, who leads Innovation Ecosystem within the Veterans Health Administration. ~~~ Tom Isern bemoans this year’s poor Juneberry crop in this week’s Plains Folk essay titled “Lament for Juneberries.” ~~~ Keeping grocery stores going in rural communities can be a real challenge. From Minnesota Public Radio, we hear about an imaginative approach – a self service store. ~~~ There’s no shortage of kitchen gadgets, but one you can’t live without is a knife. For those who know their way around a kitchen a sharp knife is a must. Josh Edmonson is a chef at Fargo’s Mezzaluna and he also has a booth for knife sharpening at the Red River Farmers Market.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 - Jackie Stebbins of Bismarck is the author of Unwillable: A Journey to Reclaim My Brain. It’s the story of her battle with autoimmune encephalitis, a rare brain illness. ~~~ Capitol Shakespeare is presenting the Merry Wives of Windsor, and they’re setting it in the 1950s! Here to tell us about it is artistic director Erin Weichel.

Monday, July 18, 2022 - “Reflections of a Psychiatrist” is a collection of essays from long-time North Dakota practitioner Zelko Leon. It’s a rich exploration of everything from the importance of relationships to the impact of emotional states on life and health. He visits with guest interviewer Carol Kapaun Ratchenski. ~~~ TellTale: Dakota Folklife and Stories are oral histories about experiences and lore of life on the North Dakota plains. They feature interviews with senior citizens, many of whom are in eldercare facilities. We have two episodes today. The first is titled “A God-Given Right.” Recollections of moonshine and prohibition. Our second piece is titled Magnetic Personality.

Friday, July 15, 2022 - The International Peace Garden is celebrating 90 years. It straddles the border between North Dakota and Manitoba near Dunseith. Here to tell us about the upcoming celebration and the latest developments at the park is Peace Garden CEO Tim Chapman. ~~~ News director Dave Thompson is here for our weekly news chat. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews ”Thor: Love and Thunder.”