American Countryside

Today we begin a series of programs as we look back 25 years to the events of 9-11.  Our guest is a man who was a firefighter on site that day... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most taverns are places were you can sit down and get a strong drink.  That’s what makes this tavern quite unique, for it served no alcohol and became an important spot for another secretive operation... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you were one of the most well-known players in major league history, perhaps it would be hard to come back to your small town and live a normal life.  This man returned to the farm and today large crowds, including some of the best pitchers in the game, come to honor him each year... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The best baseball pitcher in each league receives this award – an award named for arguably the best pitcher to ever throw a baseball... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This well-known baseball pitcher got his name because of what his throws did to the family’s barn... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kansas is the Sunflower State, so it shouldn’t surprise you that in Goodland, Kansas you’ll find a very, very large sunflower... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us have heard of cow chip throwing contests.  Maybe you’ve even been a part of one.  The novelty event today is actually tied to an important means of survival when settlers were heading west... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maybe you once watched old shows like Rawhide and Gunsmoke.  Those shows depicted cattle drives in the late 1800s.  What you may not realize is those shows were tied to the changing routes that cattle were moved north to market... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most cemeteries are peaceful memorials to those who have passed.  That was the case here, until one of the newly interred brought so many visitors, he had to be moved... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the first pioneers set about buildings homes and towns they often looked for a good water source to sustain the settlement.  That’s the case here, and the water source even became the very name of the town... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can still find the mansion and the hotel here in Del Rio, Texas of a once prominent and controversial doctor who touted his cures around the world.  His chicanery brought him riches, but also brought him to the courts... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are thankful for the many stations that air our broadcasts every day, but nothing could match the power of this renegade station and the man behind it.  He was the doctor with a million watt station... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the hometown of the creator of Garfield, Jim Davis…but it’s the other hometown hero that gets the big celebration... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was just 24 years old when he died in a traffic accident…yet for the annual celebrations of his life and career in acting, one might think he lived for a century... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some describe it as a hunt for lost treasure.  Others think it would be like hitting the lottery.  It’s a unique hunt through the lost luggage of the airlines to see the valuable and not-so-valuable items we’ve left behind... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who would pack a surfboard in their luggage to go on an airplane?  Someone did, and then lost the surfboard.  Someone else took a pair of McDonalds golden arches – and then there’s the person that lost the guidance system to a F16.  The unique menagerie all wound up here... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where does lost luggage go?  Perhaps you’ve wondered that if you’ve ever landed at an airport and your bags didn’t arrive.  Today we tell you where that luggage most likely gone if you don’t soon locate it... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If someone makes a difference in the world, we may say they’ve left their mark.  Well this spot is known today for the literal mark one man made on it.  It’s the equivalent of graffiti in the early 1800s, but because of who wrote it…it’s historic... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark journey.  Although he didn’t make the entire trip, he ended up having one of the biggest landmarks on the trip named for him... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran…there are many labels that may be placed on churches.  However, during the early years of this church, the label was either “British” or “Revolutionary” and those who stepped inside the building were most likely not going to hear a sermon... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just outside of New York City proper, yet well within the urban corridor, there sits a church in the suburb of Mt. Vernon, New York.  It looks out of place as business and industry surrounds it.  However, the reason it remains is because it is a symbol of the struggle for freedom that took place here... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eighty years ago the first Olympic gold medal basketball match was played.  You can bet the scene back then is far different than anything you’ll find now.   It was all a surprise the to Americans when they arrived in Berlin back in 1936... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What would the game of basketball be without the dunk?  You have some unlikely folks in central Kansas and one New York sports writer to thank for the rim bending slam that is commonplace today... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s Olympic athletes may be able to devote many hours to training for their big event.  Eighty years ago, this group of Olympians was first simply focused on having a job during the Depression... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses may use a variety of ways to get their name out to the public.  In the first half of the 20th century, one sport provided a way for companies, large and small, to advertise via the teams they backed... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.