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New year, new memories! Tune in to this week's Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast as Jennie and Dianne share heartwarming family stories from listeners who played our game "Family Tales" with us online as we closed out 2025 and ushered in 2026. It's not too late to play for yourself. Grab the free game on our website and start collecting your own family's stories!

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing

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What happens when medical progress clashes with public outrage? Body snatching, bloodletting, and a riot that shook America's founding fathers: join Jennie and Dianne on this latest episode of The Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery as they chat with writer Andy McPhee about his latest book "The Doctors' Riot of 1788". But the story starts earlier - at The African Burial Ground, where New York City's Black community had long been fighting against desecration. We'll explore the complex history of anatomy, ethics, and dignity in death, and why this 1788 riot still resonates today.

View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xbmtMzzJyeg?si=CkUAXc7IFn_EgTLg

To learn more, purchase Andy's book through your local bookstore by visiting: https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=The+Doctors%27+Riot+of+1788

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing

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Kick off the new year with The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery podcast! Join Jennie and Dianne for a delightful chat with Pamela McColl, author of "Wondrous Mrs. Claus: a Literary and Pictorial Review of the Christmas Character". As we bid farewell to 2025, let's take a moment to appreciate a true unsung hero of the holiday season, Mrs. Claus! Join us as we celebrate the woman behind the man in red and appreciate all the love and care she brings to this final festive season of the calendar year.

View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NeY4abu6j1Y?si=HfMC3MCoDyesM4LC

Purchase your copy of "Wondrous Mrs. Claus: a Literary and Pictorial Review of the Christmas Character" by Pamela McColl here: https://a.co/d/0eWM2Iw

Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

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Send us a text! We love hearing from listeners. If you'd like a response, please include your email.

“Hanukkah is about the freedom to be true to what we believe without denying the freedom of those who believe otherwise. It’s about lighting our candle, while not being threatened by or threatening anyone else’s candle.” Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l -- This week Jennie and Dianne invite everyone to cozy up with a cup of latke-friendly brew and join them as they revisit their first ever Hanukkah episode (#10!), exploring the connections between Hanukkah and the American Revolution through the stories of war heroes buried in Chatham Square Jewish Cemetery in New York City. We hope this episode inspires all our listeners to find their light in the darkness. 

Episode available on YouTube:https://youtu.be/X1NBLsOqIoY?si=eZSOGgFi4GBuDqQH

Family Tales: A free printable, is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

Support the show

Send us a text! We love hearing from listeners. If you'd like a response, please include your email.

This week Dianne and Jennie are getting into the holiday spirit with the heartwarming story of Colonel Harry Shoup, the Air Force officer who answered a mistaken phone call from a little girl looking for Santa. His kindness sparked a tradition that's tracked Santa for 70 years! Ever wondered how NORAD got involved? Tune in to hear the Ordinary Extraordinary, magical Christmas tale!

Episode available on YouTube:   https://youtu.be/7014a4Stt_0?si=RS2OobqhaCPFBxvC

It may not be Christmas Eve yet, but read stories, play games and more, and of course, track Santa with NORAD on Christmas Eve at:https://www.noradsanta.org/en/

Resources used to research this episode include:                                                    DME Interns. "Harry Shoup: The Santa Colonel ." https://news.va.gov/. 24 Dec. 2021. news.va.gov/98635/harry-shoup-the-santa-colonel/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.

Young, Olivia. "Colorado woman recalls phone call that transformed father into NORAD's "Santa Colonel" ." https://www.cbsnews.com/. 24 Dec. 2024. www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-woman-recalls-phone-call-transformed-father-norads-santa-colonel/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.

Multiple Contributors . "NORAD Tracks Santa ." https://en.wikipedia.org/. 6 Nov. 2024. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD_Tracks_Santa. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.

The Gazette . "Harry Wesley Shoup ." https://obits.gazette.com/. 18 Mar. 2009. obits.gazette.com/us/obituaries/gazette/name/harry-shoup-obituary?id=23024681. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

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This week on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery, Jennie and Dianne remind listeners the holidays are the perfect time to gather 'round the dinner table and record the tales of grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members. Whether you're a seasoned genealogist or just starting to explore your family's history, this episode includes tips and tricks for getting started with family history research and how to preserve those precious stories for generations to come. 

Episode available on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/_HugPmVxgmI?si=fWZjTixivXBFrezQ

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

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Get ready to dig into the fascinating world of alternate histories! On this week's Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast, Jennie and Dianne welcome back Research Historian Lynette Webber to explore how cemeteries can inspire and provoke our understanding of time and mortality. Just like George Bailey's poignant "what ifs" in It's a Wonderful Life or Marty McFly's wild rides through the Back to the Future timeline, cemeteries hold the whispers of real life what ifs, where families have stood before graves and pondered the roads not taken. We'll explore the butterfly effect of human decision making, and dive into the fascinating story of a mysterious mausoleum in England rumored to hold a time machine. Join the conversation and uncover the secrets of the roads not taken!

Episode available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UE8wrPs7QMo

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

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It's time for a new addition of Death and Dying 101. Join Jennie and Dianne, along with regular contributor Ryan Seidemann, as they dig into the dirt on some heavy hitters: the environmental impact of cremation vs. full body burial, the tricky business of handling cemeteries discovered during construction projects, Civil War burials, and the fascinating world of bone identification. Grab your shovels and join their grave talk!

Episode available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZrpRVTL2Pl4?si=jSZnadm5eUpop8EU

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

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Jennie and Dianne are thrilled to welcome Diana Kresnye, a passionate tour guide and historical interpreter at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio to the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast. Lake View Cemetery is a treasure trove of history, art, and nature, featuring a Level 2 Arboretum with thousands of trees, the final resting place of James A. Garfield (the 20th president of the United States), and the Wade Memorial Chapel, one of the few remaining interiors totally designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his studios. 

This episode is perfectly timed to coincide with the November 6 release of the Netflix miniseries "Death by Lightning," which dramatizes the life of President James A. Garfield and his assassin Charles Guiteau.

Diana believes that "cemeteries are among the best storytellers we have in our communities. They hold memory, mystery, and meaning—and invite us to listen." 

To learn more about Lake View Cemetery or to take a tour, visit their website: https://www.lakeviewcemetery.com/

You can also follow them on social media:      https://www.facebook.com/share/1BGwscJxTa/

https://www.instagram.com/lakeviewcemetery?igsh=cHpnanJxZmRtajA2

*All images of Lake View Cemetery provided by Diana Kresney and shared with permission.

Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com

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Join Jennie and Dianne for the 2025 "Beyond the Grave" episode of the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery, just in time to put you in a spooky mood for Halloween! Dim the lights, get cozy, and immerse yourself in Gaston Leroux's timeless masterpiece. With a special introduction by legendary silent film actor Lon Chaney, you'll be transported to 1880s Paris and the majestic Palais Garnier. Settle in and let the Ordinary Extraordinary tale of the Phantom of the Opera bewitch you. As Christine Daaé's voice rises to stardom, she must make an impossible choice: surrender to the Phantom's dark obsession or risk everything for a chance at true love with Raoul.

Gaston Leroux's classic novel was adapted and performed by phenomenally talented actors live at Evergreen Cemetery on October 3rd & 4th, 2025 in order to help raise funds for the preservation of  Colorado Springs' historic cemeteries, and now we bring it to you for your listening pleasure.

Find this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/26o4BIJq5Ws

Script adaptation written by
Jennie Johnson

Thank you so much to all the actors who lent their time and talent to bring this classic tale to life. The actors are, in order of appearance:

🎶Opera Singer (at event)... Quinn Malmstrom                                                               
 🎶Opera Singer (at event)... Kass Allen                                                                    
🎶 Lon Chaney (audio version)... Charles Johnson                                                           
🎶 Lon Chaney (silent film at event)... Jeremy Moskowitz                                            
🎶Carlotta... Ashley Arroyo
🎶Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny...Asha Hart
🎶Christine Daaé... Casper Johnson
🎶The Phantom... Solomon Abell

💀Beyond the Grave Spirits💀
💀Jair Garcia De la Cruz
💀Naomi Compo
💀Raine Mason
💀Zoe Guinto
💀Lark Tipton    

Music: "Death and the Maiden" by Franz Schubert 🎶 Recorded, produced and published by: Gregor Quendel 🎶 The Arrangement is based on the notes by: H. Fesefeldt 🎶 Courtesy of CLASSICALS.DE EXCLUSIVE RECORDINGS https://www.classicals.de/schubert-d810

Sound effects provided by www.pixabay.com

Photography by: Jeffery Heizer

Produced by Evergreen Heritage & The Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast

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