Reelfoot Forward

Jason Stout grew up in Martin, Tennessee, and always knew he was talented in the arts. As a child in elementary school, his teachers would give his artwork a little bit more attention than the rest of the kids, and he soaked it up. His inspiration came from sitting at the railroad tracks in the car, watching the trains coming in from Chicago and observing the fun 80s graffiti that was displayed on the cars. Now as an associate professor of art at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Stout encourages his students to not dismiss fellow students and the community if they do not understand art. Instead, he encourages them to be a bridge and connect the community with the art.

And later, listen as our in-house education specialist Russell Orr explains why you will find a little box on one of the trains at Discovery Park of America that was used to store torpedoes.

What do the Eiffel Tower, catfish races and a missing resort all have in common? They call Paris, Tennessee home. Travis McLeese, the executive director of the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, discusses his passion for tourism, the love he has for his community, and the world’s biggest fish fry.

And later, learn more about Mark-14 torpedo that is on display in our military gallery.

Born-and-raised Kansan Bill Minihan sang, danced and produced his way through the live entertainment business and now runs the Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. His high-energy recollection of how he found himself in show biz, from performing in Branson shows to renovating charming theaters, will keep your ears entertained. He tells Scott the day he met a man who just happened to be the owner of the famous Patti’s 1800s Settlement and how they were looking for some entertainment to keep their guests in the area. And as they say, the rest is history.

And later, learn how firefighters were alerted before the invention of the telephone and 9-1-1.

Agriculture. It’s important not only in the West Tennessee area, but also for the rest of the world. Lindsey Parham, the supervisor of Career Technical Education for the Weakley County school district, stresses the importance of teaching students about agriculture. She and Scott discuss the benefits to students of Future Farmers of America (FFA), her new role in teaching education in Weakley County, and how she plans to make sure the students in this area are equipped to be successful, no matter the field they choose after high school.

And later, learn all about the planting and picking of cotton in West Tennessee.

Born and raised in Crockett County, Lieutenant General John “Glad” Castellaw (retired) always knew he would come back home to farm. He eventually came home after a successful 36 years in the United States Marine Corps, where he was the chief of staff for the U.S. Central Command at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, flew more than two dozen different aircraft, commanded the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 264 and served his last tours in the Pentagon as head of Marine Aviation and overseeing the Marine Corps budget. After retiring from the Marines, he moved back to West Tennessee and started the non-profit Crockett Policy Institute, as well as Farmspace Systems LLC, which provides aerial (drone) services and equipment for the agriculture industry.

And later, learn a little tid-bit on covered wagons.

Take a listen to today’s episode with Teena Lairy-Jarmon, who is the director of the Promethean Foundation in Obion County. Scott and Teena discuss her time growing up in Union City and how she found herself working at the Promethean Foundation, which was funded by Robert Kirkland. Find out why it is named after the Greek Titan Prometheus, how children from Obion County can benefit from this foundation and more.

Later, join everyone’s favorite science and education specialist Russell Orr as he discusses the difference in refracting and reflecting telescopes, found here at Discovery Park of America.

Dr. David Coffey is chair of the department of History and Philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin. If the Civil War is one of your passions, you’ll love this episode where just one of the many topics is the six-volume American Civil War: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection to which Dr. Coffey contributed more than 40 entries. He also touches on other books, West Tennessee music, his contribution to Discovery Park and the favorite history-related vacation spots frequently visited by he and his wife, Dr. Julie Hill, when they aren’t working on their new historic event venue, Historic Ann's 1893, in Union City.

Then discover just what goes into caring for the reptiles, fish and other animals from the Reelfoot Lake region who call Discovery Park home.

From traveling around the world to finding his way back home in West Tennessee, Robert Spencer is a man who has done a little bit of everything. Robert lets us in on some secrets about how life was in the military, his appearances on Saturday Night Live while in New York City, his personal encounter with Burt Reynolds and more in this week’s episode.

Later, learn about the history behind the charming 1800s Chapel on the grounds at Discovery Park of America.

The mission of Discovery Park of America is "to inspire children and adults to see beyond." The mission of the West Tennessee Regional Art Center is "to provide opportunities to participate in, and education through, the arts." These two powerful mission statements combined in this podcast episode make for a great conversation with the WTRAC’s executive director Bill Hickerson. Both Scott and Bill discuss the importance of fine arts in rural communities, how the art center received works by Red Grooms, as well as the unique collection of frog figurines that was said to be the third largest collection…in the world.

Later, learn all there is to know about Prohibition, speakeasies and the whiskey distillery we have on display in the C. Grooms Smithy on the grounds at Discovery Park of America.

Do you like antique tractors? Have you ever wanted to know how to get involved in collecting these unique treasures? Scott interviews Wes Collier and Randy Deweese in front of a live studio audience and asks them how they got involved in collecting tractors, advice on how to start a collection of antique tractors, as well as how to instill the love of collecting these tractors in the next generation. They also pay kudos to the annual Antique Tractor Show that is held on the grounds at Discovery Park of America each August.

Later, learn about Alan Turing, who was a mathematician, computer scientist and a cryptographer and played a key role in breaking the code using the enigma machine. You can see an enigma machine on display in the military gallery at Discovery Park of America.