Reelfoot Forward

Having grown up in West Tennessee, Mark Laderman and his family capitalized on a combination of their natural southern hospitality and a unique blend of creativity and quality to create not one, but two award-winning dining experiences in Northwest Tennessee. If you are headed this way, no doubt someone will recommend you eat at Sammies or The Grind. In this episode, Mark and his son Alan share wh...

If you haven’t crossed paths with Union City socialite, regional-theater performer and business woman, Zoe Ramage, then it’s about time we introduce you. Zoe loves small town life and the sense of community that comes with it. In this episode, Zoe shares her passion for tourism and how it led her to become next door neighbors with Discovery Park as the director of sales for the hotels at Houser Cr...

While attending space camp as a young boy, South Fulton, Tenn. native, Jason Kelley, became inspired to dream of a career in aeronautics. His dream became a reality, and today he is an operations support manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. In this episode Jason, who was back home to explore Discovery Park’s “Astronaut” exhibit with his son, shares how he turned his childhood dream to w...

It’s not every day you get to hear firsthand what it’s like to buckle up and blast into space. In this episode, Dr. Larry DeLucas, a biochemist, principal scientist at the Aerospace Corporation and former NASA astronaut shares how he earned the nickname “Which Way” and how a spirit of exploration helped him make it at NASA even though he says he was made of “the wrong stuff.” DeLucas was a member...

If you live in West Tennessee and have even a passing interest in ducks, there’s no doubt you’re aware of—and possibly best friends with— the tornado of inspired creativity that is Seth Dortch. Part Ansel Adams, part Ernest Hemmingway and part Davy Crockett, he’s a photographer, videographer, copywriter, hunting guide, retailer and master of all social media. The scope and breadth of the impact Do...

The continuation of this special, two-part live episode, from the Tennessee Farm Bureau annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn. features the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the Tennessee Soybean Council, the Tennessee Pork Producers and Tennessee Sheep Producers Association. With all the misinformation and controversy around areas like agriculture today, it was great to have an opportunity to hear...

In the first part of this two-part, live episode, the Discovery Park team went to the Tennessee Farm Bureau annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn., to get to know some of the professionals working in agriculture today. With most people being three or more generations removed from a family farm, first-hand information is getting harder to come by, so this was a great information to hear about farming f...

By 2050, the global population is expected to reach more than 10 billion. This is going to present a major challenge in providing food, fuel and fiber for farmers around the world. Lee Maddox, director of communications for Tennessee Farm Bureau took a few moments out of his busy schedule at the organization’s annual meeting in Nashville to talk about this and other challenges facing those working...

Here’s an episode that will inspire anyone who hopes to march to the beat of their own drum while living in a rural community. While his friends were out duck hunting and fishing on Reelfoot Lake, Micah Barnes was teaching himself to play a number of instruments and perfecting his musical talents. He eventually studied bass at the famed Interlochen Center for the Arts, started the world fusion jam...

Today, most of us are three or more generations removed from life on a farm—therefore, we don't know how our food, fuel and fiber gets from the farm to our families. In this special episode, recorded live during Tennessee Ag Literacy Day at Discovery Park, listeners will meet and get to know farmers and others working in the agriculture field. By the year 2050, the production of food, fuel and fib...

A few years ago, Ana Edmaiston was on her couch watching “Cake Boss” when she had the realization that she, too, wanted to be the cake boss. She now owns her own business in downtown Union City called “Tiny Baker” that has sweetened the community since opening in 2018. Ana’s decision to pursue her dreams of becoming a baker eventually landed her where she always wanted to be: back home with family...

In June 1917, 1,250 men volunteered to become the first African Americans to receive training and begin military service in World War I. Many hoped that they would be rewarded with equal rights at the end of the war. Adam Wilson, the director of the University of Tennessee at Martin online and author of “African American Army Officers of World War I,” shares the difficult story of the impact of ra...

Charles and Crystal Meade changed the course of their family’s life when they purchased a Northwest Tennessee nursery that was in much need of some TLC. Today, Soleil Garden Center includes a nursery, a retail showroom featuring regional artists and a recording studio. In this episode, Charles and Crystal share what inspired them in the early years as they were “growing” their family-run small bus...

As a child, Karen Campbell looked down the road of her Northwest Tennessee hometown and couldn’t wait to get out and explore. Campbell, who today is the communications director for Weakley County, Tennessee Schools, shares her entertaining story of leaving home and of the exciting world she found working and writing for a variety of publications including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Star Telegram....

Have you ever wondered the importance that a cotton mill would have on a community? Danny Walden from Dyersburg, Tenn., who was on a previous episode about the missing town of Minglewood, joins Scott to discuss the impact the cotton industry had in the small community of Dyersburg right before the Great Depression and how the town continued forward even after the depression. He also gives us some...

Have you ever wanted to know what it was like behind-the-scenes before Discovery Park of America even opened? In today’s episode, Katie Jarvis stands in as the guest host of Reelfoot Forward and interviews Mary Nita Bondurant, who is the marketing director for the park. She gives some insider information on how it was working with Robert Kirkland as Discovery Park was being built, the team that wa...

Jason Stout grew up in Martin, Tennessee, and always knew he was talented in the arts. As a child in elementary school, his teachers would give his artwork a little bit more attention than the rest of the kids, and he soaked it up. His inspiration came from sitting at the railroad tracks in the car, watching the trains coming in from Chicago and observing the fun 80s graffiti that was displayed on...

What do the Eiffel Tower, catfish races and a missing resort all have in common? They call Paris, Tennessee home. Travis McLeese, the executive director of the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, discusses his passion for tourism, the love he has for his community, and the world’s biggest fish fry. And later, learn more about Mark-14 torpedo that is on display in our military gallery.

Born-and-raised Kansan Bill Minihan sang, danced and produced his way through the live entertainment business and now runs the Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. His high-energy recollection of how he found himself in show biz, from performing in Branson shows to renovating charming theaters, will keep your ears entertained. He tells Scott the day he met a man who just happened to be the...

Agriculture. It’s important not only in the West Tennessee area, but also for the rest of the world. Lindsey Parham, the supervisor of Career Technical Education for the Weakley County school district, stresses the importance of teaching students about agriculture. She and Scott discuss the benefits to students of Future Farmers of America (FFA), her new role in teaching education in Weakley Count...

Born and raised in Crockett County, Lieutenant General John “Glad” Castellaw (retired) always knew he would come back home to farm. He eventually came home after a successful 36 years in the United States Marine Corps, where he was the chief of staff for the U.S. Central Command at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, flew more than two dozen different aircraft, commanded the Marine Med...

Take a listen to today’s episode with Teena Lairy-Jarmon, who is the director of the Promethean Foundation in Obion County. Scott and Teena discuss her time growing up in Union City and how she found herself working at the Promethean Foundation, which was funded by Robert Kirkland. Find out why it is named after the Greek Titan Prometheus, how children from Obion County can benefit from this found...

Dr. David Coffey is chair of the department of History and Philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin. If the Civil War is one of your passions, you’ll love this episode where just one of the many topics is the six-volume American Civil War: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection to which Dr. Coffey contributed more than 40 entries. He also touches on other books, West Tennes...

From traveling around the world to finding his way back home in West Tennessee, Robert Spencer is a man who has done a little bit of everything. Robert lets us in on some secrets about how life was in the military, his appearances on Saturday Night Live while in New York City, his personal encounter with Burt Reynolds and more in this week’s episode. Later, learn about the history behind the charm...

The mission of Discovery Park of America is "to inspire children and adults to see beyond." The mission of the West Tennessee Regional Art Center is "to provide opportunities to participate in, and education through, the arts." These two powerful mission statements combined in this podcast episode make for a great conversation with the WTRAC’s executive director Bill Hickerson. Both Scott and Bill...