Cascade of History

Feliks Banel presents an encore broadcast of a special Christmas episode of CASCADE OF HISTORY, drawing on the archives of “The Holiday Express,” a live Christmas Eve show he produced and hosted on KBCS 91.3 from 1999 to 2004. Highlights include J.P. Patches reading “The Night Before Christmas,” and a 2002 recording of Seattle Mariners’ broadcasters Rick Rizzs and the late Dave Niehaus reading “Gi...

Feliks Banel presents a live broadcast featuring rare and one-of-a-kind Northwest Christmas radio and other audio gems, as well as a few national and international ones, too. We dig deep into the archives for songs and stories from J.P. Patches and Gertrude, Pat O'Day, Stan Boreson, Jeff Renner, Charles Herring and many, many more -- including the Garfield High School 1963 Christmas LP, vintage Un...

On the 53rd anniversary of the infamous skyjacking, Feliks Banel's guests on this encore episode of CASCADE OF HISTORY are Eric Ulis, D.B. Cooper expert, searcher and researcher with a lesson in 'D.B. Cooper 101,' and roving correspondent Ken Zick, who joined us live from the monument at rainy and windswept Alki Beach in West Seattle to mark the 172nd anniversary of the arrival of The Denny Party,...

On this special holiday encore broadcast from December 2023, Feliks Banel pits Everett, WA-born Stan Boreson against Tacoma, WA-born Yogi Yorgesson in a holiday smackdown of Scandinavian novelty Christmas songs; roving correspondent Ken Zick reports LIVE FROM THE SCENE of the abrupt closure of XXX Root Beer in Issaquah (before we knew Burgermaster would ultimately lease the space); and we hear the...

On this special holiday season episode of CASCADE OF HISTORY, we present Chris Wedes (better known as KIRO TV clown J.P. Patches) and Bob Newman (better known as J.P.'s pal Gertrude) in "A Homefront Christmas," an original radio play first broadcast on KIXI AM 880 in Seattle in December 2001. Wedes and Newman played a washed up vaudeville act who are coaxed out of retirement to put on a show to ch...

Feliks Banel's guests on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY include roving correspondent Ken Zick LIVE from the XXX in Issaquah where Burgermaster is now operating a food truck; John Mackie of The Vancouver Sun on the Skytrain cars from the original "Expo Line" of 1986 which will be taken out of service in the near future; Michael Sullivan on his discovery of vintage photos that show a 1920...

Feliks Banel’s guests on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY are Dylan High from the Washington State Historical Society on his work on a statewide project to inventory monuments and facilitate public discussion around the state; Mary Schaff, Northwest Librarian at the Washington State Library on the new online collection of Guy Reed Ramsey's history of post offices in the Evergreen State; a...

Feliks Banel’s guests on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY are a panel of expert local historians, researchers and authors who have been collaborating on a search for evidence of Peter Kirk's long-ago steel mill on Rose Hill, east of downtown Kirkland near the Costco. Matt McCauley, Kent Sullivan, Saundra Middleton (who is a descendant of Peter Kirk) and Michael Donnelly have been studying...

Feliks Banel’s guest on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY is Bob Blackburn, Jr., son of legendary "Voice of the Sonics" Bob Blackburn. The elder Blackburn was born on October 14, 1924, and this special program was presented in honor of the centenary of one of the most beloved broadcasters in Pacific Northwest history. Bob, Jr. shared memories of his father, and played highlights from a tre...

On this special LIVE REMOTE BROADCAST of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel is joined by co-host Lee Corbin to mark the centennial of the around-the-world flight which concluded at what's now Sand Point/Magnuson Park in Seattle, just a short distance from the SPACE 101.1 FM studios. Corbin and Banel interview historians and aviation experts - including Knute Berger, historian Mike Lombardi of Boeing...

Feliks Banel’s guests on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY are roving correspondent Ken Zick with a live report from China Harbor, the restaurant on Lake Union which is closing later this month; Ben Lukoff on the origins of his “Writes of Way” Seattle street-name blog; excerpts from the 1968 speech given by Governor Daniel J. Evans (who passed away Sept. 20, 2024 at age 98); and the third...

Feliks Banel’s guests on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY are Kent Sullivan of the Northern Pacific Historical Association on the convention which just concluded in Everett, WA (and the Great Northern convention which continues for a few more days in the same location); Elisa Law of Friends of Magnuson Park on the upcoming world flight centennial event at Sand Point/NOAA on Sept. 28, 2024...

Feliks Banel’s guests on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY are Jake Rehm and Bill Youngs of Eastern Washington University on this past May's Mullan Road Conference and Mullan Road history; and Richard Blumenthal, author of the new book "Maritime Names of Washington"; plus, a live bootleg from Saturday's performance by The Sonics at MoPoP; and the first installment in our listen back to Sta...

On this summertime edition of CASCADE OF HISTORY, we present audio from "Evergreen Radio: LIVE," a special event focused on the past, present and especially the future of radio in the Pacific Northwest. In this archival panel discussion, a group of radio professionals from around Washington weigh in on where the medium had been and where it was headed in 2015. Panelists include Ricardo Garcia of R...

On this summertime edition of CASCADE OF HISTORY, we present audio from a 60th anniversary commemoration of VE Day, the end of World War II in Europe. Panelists include Tuskegee Airman William Booker, US Army veteran John S. "Jack" Carver and US Army veteran and former POW Dr. James Warren (who was also the former MOHAI director). The panel was part of a series produced and moderated by CASCADE OF...

On this summertime edition of CASCADE OF HISTORY, we present audio from a 25th anniversary commemoration of the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Panelists include former public radio reporter Austin Jenkins, who (as a child) was rescued from an overnight camp near the mountain after the eruption; the late Grant Haller, photojournalist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer who captured award...

On this summertime edition of CASCADE OF HISTORY, we present a panel discussion from November 2001 with all living current and former mayors of Seattle. With the recent passing of Charley Royer, it’s a good time to share this vintage recording - which also includes Norm Rice, Wes Uhlman and the late Paul Schell and late Gordon Clinton. The moderator is Dave Ross of KIRO Newsradio for this event ma...

On this summertime edition of CASCADE OF HISTORY, we present a panel discussion marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II - VJ Day, August 14, 1945 - on the actual 60th anniversary in 2005. Participants included several local residents who were in the military, working in defense plants or otherwise supporting the Allied war effort as young adults in 1945. The panel was part of a ser...

On this summertime edition of CASCADE OF HISTORY, we present a 2003 panel discussion with a quartet of Pacific Northwest sports broadcasters who have all since passed away: Rod Belcher, Bob Blackburn, Lee Desilet and Ron Forsell. The panel was part of a series called "Talk of the Town" curated and moderated by Cascade of History producer/host Feliks Banel when he was deputy director of Seattle's M...

On this summertime edition of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel presents a audio documentary from the archives called "When The Lights Go On Again," as originally broadcast on KBCS 91.3 FM on June 5, 2005. The 2005 program marked the 60th anniversary of VE Day - the end of WWII in Europe - and looked at music, news and other homefront pop culture of the UK and United States. This episode of CASCADE...

Feliks Banel's guest on this episode of CASCADE OF HISTORY is historian and author David Nicandri, whose latest book is called "Discovering Nothing: In Pursuit of an Elusive Northwest Passage" (UBC Press). Nicandri served as executive director of the Washington State History Museum, but since retiring several years ago, he's been producing epic books about Northwest history - Corps of Discovery, L...

Feliks Banel presents on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY an archival recording of a 60th anniversary special commemorating D-Day, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe on June 6, 1944, and about the role of radio and pop culture in World War II. The 60th anniversary special originally aired on June 6, 2004 on KBCS 91.3 FM from Bellevue College. This LIVE broadcast of CASCADE OF HIS...

Feliks Banel presents on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY highlights from "BLAZERMANIA," an LP produced in 1977 to celebrate the Portland Trailblazers' NBA World Championship and narrated by legendary broadcaster Bill Schonely. Also, we speak by phone with Wally Walker, whose rookie season was with the Trailblazers in that championship season, and who joined the Seattle Supersonics in aut...

Feliks Banel presents on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY a live recording of the Young Fresh Fellows from August 5, 1985 at the Mural Amphitheatre at Seattle Center, a concert originally presented by late, great AM alternative commercial radio station KJET. Also, roving correspondent Ken Zick checks in with an anecdote about the time he booked YFF to play the 1985 Homecoming dance during...

As of Friday, May 10, 2024, the people of the Parkland Community Association in Parkland, Washington have successfully saved Parkland School and are turning it into a community center in the center of the community. To celebrate, Feliks Banel's guests on this encore episode of CASCADE OF HISTORY – originally broadcast LIVE across the street from Parkland School - include Wendy Freeman and Phil Edl...