The Big Alaska Show

We dedicate today's show to our men and women in uniform. Don Hartman was a musician in the Band of the Pacific during the Korean War. Laddie Shaw was a Navy SEAL in Vietnam. Ed Koontz was in the Air Force in the Korean War and Brenda Koontz was in the Coast Guard. Each with their own unique story with one thing in common. They put the good of their country first. We are grateful and thank you...

We pay homage to an Alaskan legend in our time. "Keys" as we called him, was the Bard of Spenard, and put Spenard, Spam and Sleaze on the map! He entertained all Alaskans and it was a must see for their visiting family and friends to see the Whale Fat Follies at his club, the Fly By Night Club. All of Alaska loved Mr. Whitekeys. For us, Keys was our friend who made a number of appearance...

Eddie Martinez and Steve Kari join us for a fun chat about Men Can Sing 2026 . Men Can Sing is a program designed to interest high school men in their choral programs and to promote the lifelong benefits our music educators and their music programs provide students. Eddie is a vocal/performance a Cappella coach that travels the country working with men's and women's barbershop choruses and...

Janet Henry is a barbershopper- BIG TIME! Janet is with one of the more creative and fun chorus chapters in Sweet Adeline International, Alaska Sound Celebration. Plus, Janet sings bass in her quartet, Bonfire Quartet [ https://www.facebook.com/BonfireQuartet ]! Janet's so passionate, even her email and license plate reflect singing! This show is for me and my barbershop buddies - pure barbers...

Meet violinist/performer, Chris Murphy, on tour in Alaska to promote his album "Songs From the Trees." Chris Murphy's official website: https://chrismurphymusic.com Chris Murphy's new album: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_noDmOyqgPJQtDj6KVZU7T2u4XGUvRw258&si=hT90Xvib8VwNRAMM Jon Bittner, President and CEO of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) dis...

Our Science Guy, Dr. Gordon Snyder covers AI, tree frogs, crickets, and wetlands. Science and biology with Gordon are always educational and fun! Gordon takes us on a tour. Check out our fun podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Check out this gold nugget interview from the past. Filmmaker, Bill Bacon, worked for Walt Disney for 20 years filming nature and wildlife movies that entertained millions. When Alaska became a state in 1959, Walt sent Bill to Alaska to capture the wild beauty of Alaska. Bill joined us in 2011 to share some adventures and laughs! Then Steve Rychetnik, a next generation filmmaker, joined us to...

AI Thought Leader, Elizabeth Edwards ( www.aiinalaska.com ), joins a great group of guests to help open the door to the next new way of thinking. AI is the new Frontier for doing - almost anything! Joining Elizabeth are Kristin Helvey with Helvey Communications ( www.aiinalaska.com ) and Perry Alexander with Moments Made Clear ( www.momentsmadeclear.com ), to cover topics from Alaska's AI Leadersh...

The 2026 Sweet Adeline International Gold Medal Champions are headlining Alaska Sound Celebration's show: Celebrate the Music: A Cappella Students and Stars ( https://shorturl.at/3Pp8q .) Besides being excellent musicians, entertaining and funny, 3 out of 4 are music educators and the 4th is an educator at heart. They are crusaders for the vital importance music means to our kids, families an...

Son of Walter Hickel. the late former two-time Governor of Alaska and former Secretary for the Department of the Interior under the Nixon administration, Jack Hickel paved his own legacy. Join us for this amazing odyssey with a man who searched for the most challenging place on the planet to offer medical and supportive health services. he found it! South Sudan a country torn by war, flooding, and...

Each year we air this tribute to the Alaska State Fair. Just like the State Fair filled with all sorts of attractions and fun, so does today's show! Plus, we have 3 Tall Alaska Tales! And it all starts with Micky Dolenz of the Monkees, and co-host Mike Ford introduced him! Check out our fun podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

t's our First Friday Tall Alaska Tale Off! On the first Saturday of the month, we test our listener's Alaskan history knowledge. Are these tales the truth, or a no good lyin' through yer tooth, Tall Alaska Tale? Like the Moose Pass Water Wheel (shown). Jerry Kaplan's Brewery Biker Team tried to sleuth the Bulchitna Brewery Tale. How did they do? You be the judge! Listen to our podcast! T...

Iditarod mushers Cindy Abbott, Syd Bahls and Vern Halter join us for a cup of jo to share stories and some laughs to give us a glimpse into their world that has literally gone to the dogs! Vern and Susan Halter own Dream A Dream Kennel( https://dreamsleddogtours.com/ ) outside Willow, AK and worthy a visit if you have the chance. Cindy Abbott's journey includes being the only woman to summit Mt. E...

Our guest, author Lois Simenson, shares exciting news about her latest romance novel,  Montana  Smoke   ( https://shorturl.at/sV36d )  and  The Butte Girls' Club  ( https://shorturl.at/9ylth ) , a coming-of-age story about four besties growing up together in the copper mining town of Butte, Montana during the 60s. Kennedy, the Beatles, Russia, the moon landing an...

Natalie Gelman: Mountain Mama Tour Song writer, performer, Natalie Gelman, joins us to talk about her Alaska Mountain Mama Tour. Joining Natalie is Josh Fryfogle and Larry Hansen with Make-A-Scene Media promoting the  Mountain Mama Tour.   Natalie's  resume  is an impressive montage where experience exceeds her age! Opening for Bon Jovi, performing on stage with well-known pop...

Today's show features Alaskans having made a BIG difference to enrich the lives of others.  Willie Hensley, an author, state legislator and Alaskan native leader, talks to us about his book: Fifty Miles from Tomorrow: A Memoir of Alaska and the Real People .  We remember Gary Olson, founder of the Alaska Moose Federation, to protect people and moose from accidents and dangerous encounter...

We've covered the World Championship Dog Sled Races, the Iditarod and now we're adding another canine-centric competition - flyball! We visited the 20th Anniversary Summer Solstice Flyball Tournament at the Alaska State Fairgrounds. There, we met flyball team members to fill us in. Btw, big thank you to Alaska Dogs Gone Wild ( https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaDogsGoneWild ) for hosting the event. As...

What better way to celebrate Father's Day and Solstice (longest day)! Matt Hayes, his dad, Rusty, and mother, Nana, join us! With backgrounds in hunting, fishing and guiding, they have some of the best stories - especially bear encounters! Plus, we honor dads with fun stories, some corny dad jokes and a Father's Day Tall Alaska Tale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Arts and Sciences converge on today's show. We caught up with Audubon Alaska's Communications Manager, Lauren Cusimano, at Discovery Day at Potter Marsh talking birds and wetlands. We asked our Science Guy, Dr. Gordon Snyder, to reflect on Lauren's observations and his thoughts about the slow turnout of wildlife so far.  To sharpen his music chops, Director of the Anchorage Midnight Sons...

Like aviators of the past, we ventured into the unknown! We record a segment of our show with an audience! The Midnight Sons Chorus was our house band, audience, did our show opening and commercials. Plus, closed with the Alaska Flag Song. Pure chaos - it was perfect! Time stamp We rounded the show out with interviews with author, Bob Bell, about his three books: Oh No! We're Gonna Die! , Oh No! W...

Author, Steve Levi, takes us into Alaska's whacky history of aviation history with his book: Archie Ferguson, Alaska's Crown Prince and Craziest Pilot in the World. Steve Levi makes aviation history fun, something his passengers were not experiencing, we can be sure!  Scott McEwen also joins us to talk about the 96th Merrill Field Aviation Celebration and Merrill Field's history. Ch...

Aviation built Alaska. Author, Steve Levi, joins us to talk about his book, Cowboys of the Sky: The Story of Alaska's Bush Pilots . Steve's entertaining approach to aviation history makes us forget just how crazy and dangerous it was! Check out the fun podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We take-off our aviation series with this classic show we did with Chuck Sassara. Joining Chuck is author and former editor of Alaska Magazine, Andy Hall. We feature Chuck's book, Chuck Sassara's Alaska: Propellors, Politics and People. You can find it on our Big Alaska Show book review section at https://www.bigalaskashow.com/book-reviews/propellers-politics-and-people?rq=chuck%20sassara . Hosted...

Our RV trip took us through Cannon Beach, Oregon to visit longtime friends, Dan and Lynette Sullivan. We enjoyed hearing previously aired clips from an interview with Dan from 2024. Great stories with an old friend and former twice elected mayor, Dan Sullivan! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Gordon Snyder went through a whale phase. We were fortunate to go through it with him. Today's show we're sharing interviews with our Science Guy on whales. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this podcast as much as we do! If you like whales, you'll like today's show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.