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Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - “Davey Bee’s Hit Song Vault” is a new podcast where North Dakota Rock Country Hall of Fame bandleader and broadcaster Davey Bee visits with his recording artist/art educator son, John David, as they relive the music of our lives. They join us to introduce this fun new project. ~~~ Nicole Donaghy, executive director of North Dakota Native Vote joins us to discuss efforts to help native communities gain better voting access. She’ll also preview an upcoming “native legislative forum” that will feature several Native candidates running for office. ~~~ Tom Isern shares this week’s Plains Folk essay, “The Dakotas.”

On this date in 1904, a notice in the Fargo Forum and Daily Republican stated that “Miss Sarah S. Barton…has entered the Dakota Business College for special work in bookkeeping and penmanship during the summer months. These summer sessions offer excellent opportunities for reviews, and ambitious teachers might advantageously follow her example.” The college touted this as an excellent opportunity for a young teacher tired of teaching in public schools to change careers.

Wednesday, June 1, 2022 - Why does diversity matter in books? We visit with author and educator Dr. Dawn Quigley who recently presented on why she writes for the “We Need Diverse Books” collective. A citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, she spoke with young readers about her chapter book, Jo Jo Makoons. ~~~ Agriculture is a big emitter of greenhouse gasses – which are the biggest driver of climate change. But some farmers are taking on the issue by sinking the air’s carbon in the ground. Eve Abrams reports on how they do it. ~~~ Special Olympics North Dakota is sending 30 members to represent North Dakota at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, coming up next week in Orlando, Florida. Joining us is Braedan Hanson, director of sports, Special Olympics North Dakota.

June 6, 1944 is singular for the most memorable and significant event in the heritage of nations. In United States and world history, the day will always be known as D-Day.

Monday, June 6, 2022 - Author and environmentalist Taylor Brorby is out with a new book, Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land. It explores his love of the prairie, growing up in a coal-mining family, and being “the pink sheep” of the family.

Anyone who has ever played trombone or saxophone or tuba in a high school concert band knows the worth of making beautiful music in harmony with their band-mates. In Devils Lake, about 100 years ago, a “famous band” arose. This band, known as the Devils Lake Boy Concert Band, played throughout the region, from Bismarck to Bemidji; northward to Winnipeg, and westward to Montana.

Weed, or misunderstood plant? For Root Seller Sue, it's a prized plant.

Cheese and ice cream anyone?

Certainly there are others who, like me, wince at usage of the lumping term, “the Dakotas,” in news reports and popular parlance — especially, I think, those emanating from Minnesota, where “the Dakotas” is shorthand for “beyond the horizon,” “way out there.” (Similarly, I grind my teeth when I hear disparaging, or perhaps just thoughtless, references to prairie populations as “the locals” — as in, those quaint folks living their little prairie lives and clueless about the wider world.)

Today’s story takes us just south of the border to the Petrified Wood Park in Lemmon, South Dakota. The roadside attraction features pillars, spires, a miniature castle, and other creations made of petrified wood. There are also cannonball concretions, various other geologic specimens, and even several quartzite Dakota markers, originally installed in 1892 along the boundary of North and South Dakota.