Stories From Graceland Pond

This is the 77th edition of Stories From Graceland Pond. Recorded LIVE on Tuesday, February 6th, 2024, at low power stations, WRHC-LP 107.6 FM Three Oaks, Michigan and WRHZ 93.5 Sawyer, Michigan. The show theme is  My Cherie Amour (love stories for Valentines).   Special guest, dyanmic and funny comedian, writer, Improv actor, and Second City teacher  Cheri Flanders joins us to tell a love story a...

This is the 75th Edition of Stories From Graceland Pond Recorded LIVE on Tuesday, January 9th, 2023, at lower powered stations,  WRHC-LP 107.6 FM Three Oaks, Michigan and WRHZ 93.5 Sawyer, Michigan. The show theme is  Reflections on Purpose for 2024   Special guest, author Robert Hudson joins us to talk about his new novel "The Beautiful Madness of Martin Bonham." Gregg Fraley and Robert talk abou...

This is the 6th Edition of Stories From Graceland Pond Recorded LIVE on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, at lower powered stations,  WRHC-LP 107.6 FM Three Oaks, Michigan and WRHZ 93.5 Sawyer, Michigan. This recording contains the original cast of SFGP. No guests. The show theme is  Irish Stories   Slainte! Edition #6 is themed "Irish Stories" -- Stories about the old sod, being Irish, of Irish ethnicity,...

This is the 57th Edition of Stories From Graceland Pond Recorded LIVE on Tuesday, February 28th, 2023, at lower powered stations, WRHC-LP 107.6 FM Three Oaks, Michigan and WRHZ 93.5 Sawyer, Michigan. The show theme is HARDEST LESSON I'VE LEARNED.   Special guests Ada Cheng and Holly Link join the regular cast. We have a five-story two-hour journey, with music. It's a cliche, but it's true: The har...

This is the 63rd Edition of Stories From Graceland Pond. Recorded LIVE on Tuesday, June 20th, 2023 -- WRHC-LP 107.6 FM Three Oaks, Michigan and WRHZ 93.5 Sawyer, Michigan. Theme: Planes, Trains, and Automobile Stories With Special Guest Storyteller, Janna Sobel Janna Sobel is a teacher, facilitator, coach, and performer, and notably has taught storytelling at Second City in Chicago for many years....

60th edition of Stories From Graceland Pond.    Originally recorded on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023   Show theme is Tipping Into Darkness   Author/musician Westley Heine , and musician Debra Sawyer join our regular cast of Nina Burkhardt, Mark Maguire Doug Stevenson, and Marijo O'Connell for this show.   Stories about that moment we all reach when you feel like you might lose it, or actually losing it....

Robert Swan was an actor, writer, and producer from Chicago who settled in southwest Michigan in his later years. He passed away on August 8th, 2023, and his friends and fans in Michiana will sorely miss his many contributions to the arts in our community. Stories From Graceland Pond host, Gregg Fraley, interviewed Robert for his old show Michiana Story Hour back in 2017. In this one-hour intervie...

This special show departs from the standard format of Stories From Graceland Pond. We're honoring our fellow cast member who died suddenly in January 2023. Joanna Trotter was and will remain a treasured colleague in storytelling and a dear friend. We treasure her memory and the fine art she created with her writing and performances.  This show features 11 storytellers who each provide a remembranc...

Recorded Live on-air Tuesday, November 15, 2022, airing originallyh on WRHC-LP, Radio Harbor Country, Three Oaks, MI Edition #50 of "Stories From Graceland Pond."    Theme:  "Reflections & Book Bans"   For two years, four storytellers and their host, Gregg Fraley, have shared their stories -- and souls -- with our audience. We are so grateful for their participation. Our featured story performers...

Recorded Live on-air Tuesday, March 2, 2021 WRHC-LP, Radio Harbor Country, Three Oaks, MI Edition #5 of "Stories From Graceland Pond."    Theme:  "Where You Hang Your Hat" -- Stories about home, temporary homes, unusual places you stopped over, and the kindness of strangers. As usual, the cast weighs in with their thoughts and stories.   * Doug Stevenson relays two stories of exceptional hospitali...

Recoded live on December 13th, 2022 on WRHC-LP radio. Episode #52 of Stories From Graceland Pond with Host Gregg Fraley.   Holidays are grand, and this season always brings a mix of emotions to the table. That's what makes for interesting stories.   Hear Marijo O'Connell (starts at 4:30) she tells a story about the tree that was Way Too Big,   Mark Maguire talks about his crazy process for hand-ma...

Recorded on February 16, 2021 Theme: Brushes With Greatness Special Guest: Fred Rubin Fred Rubin opens the show with a story about a mega-celebrity -- Muhammad Ali, whom he met while working in Hollywood as a sitcom writer. It's a diamond story, so good. Joanna Trotter talks about meeting a certain comedian who did some strange things while in her presence. Tune in at 40 minutes in. Marijo O'Conne...

This show was recorded on Tuesday February 2, 2021 at WRHC-LP, Radio Harbor Country   This is Episode #3   Theme: LOVE.     Stories for our LOVE SHOW from our cast of Storytellers: * Marijo O'Connell, has a story about young love, maybe even tragic young love. * Mark Maguire will muse on Venus and Mars, Cupid and Psyche, and that old bastard, St. Valentine. * Doug Stevenson, talking about how "Lov...

This is the very first episode of Stories From Graceland Pond. Episode #1's theme is "New Beginnings."  It aired on WRHC on January 5, 2021.  It introduces the cast that does written stories for the next two years. This pilot show features Marijo O'Connell telling a story about "Living By The Clock," which reflects on her teaching profession and how vaccines impacted her work. Mark Maguire tells a...

Recorded live on WRHC-LP on April 26, 2022   Theme: Music That Makes Me Cry   Special Guest: Jill Howe   Four Stories and associated Songs -- about how music can make you cry, laugh, inspire you, or just stir up something emotionally.   What are those songs for you?   Hear our Special Guest Jill Howe (Producer of Story Sessions in Chicago) open the show and talk about an Alanis Morissette tune tha...

Most Unforgettable Character Stories Edition #38 of Stories from Graceland Pond.   This program was recorded live on May 24th, 2022.   Four Stories and associated Songs -- about one of those wacky people we meet along our journey. You may recall that Readers Digest often had this theme as a regular feature, and those were marvelous examples of storytelling. Our Cast at Stories From Graceland Pond...

Tuesday March 1, 2022 at 9:30 EST, Edition #32 of Stories From Graceland Pond. LIVE March 1, Replayed March 8th.   Theme: The Fear Thing   Stories of various Fears, "The Fear Thing" is our content for this program.   Four fabulous, interesting, surprising, shocking, funny, and sad stories. By our cast, in this order: Doug Stevenson, Marijo O'Connell , Mark Maguire, and Joanna Trotter.   Music by C...

Edition #31 of Stories From Graceland Pond.    Theme: Love, Actually   True stories of love, romance, things gone wrong and more on this episode. Guest storyteller Rick DeHerder sends in a story of love lost, then we hear from Marijo O'Connell (first kisses), Mark Maguire (thoughts on the movie "Love Actually,  Joanna Trotter (unexpected traumas and a lifelong love) and close with Doug Stevenson (...

Theme: Vacation   In this episode the cast recalls memorable vacations. Crazy things happen, and big changes are often pre-saged or directly caused by vacations we take.  Romance, scary events, surprises, car breakdowns, gifted ticket to Europe, special guest Ralph Kerle pops in at the end for a chat about Vacations and all things down under.    Marijo O'Connell leads off, followed by Joanna Trott...

Edition #41 of Stories from Graceland Pond. Airled live on July 5, 2022 on WRHC-LP, Three Oaks, MI.   Theme: Humiliation and Embarrassment Stories. Things happen. Sometimes it's an accident, and other times we bring it upon ourselves, but we all have a story about being totally embarrassed or humiliated. These are stories about embarassment, baseball skills (or lack of them), violent assault, and...

Originally recorded on Tuesday, August 2.   Edition #43 of Stories from Graceland Pond.    Theme: Gone Fishin   Special Guest Storyteller: Rick DeHerder   In summertime, some of us leave work and leave a sign on the door that says "Gone Fishin." It may be a vacation, or it may be just a symbol that we need a break from the everyday. These stories are heartfelt!   Rick DeHerder leads off tonight wi...

Recorded Live on Tuesday Feb. 1 at 9:30 EST, Edition #30 of Stories From Graceland Pond.    Theme: Brush With Greatness   Fred Rubin returns in a guest appearance and leads off with a story about working with -- the Greatest! -- Muhammad Ali.   Mark Maguire, Joanna Trotter, Doug Stevenson, and Marijo O'Connell provide their spin on both the famously great and the un-famously great. James Earl Jone...

Stories from Graceland Pond, aired live on 1-4-22, Edition #28 Doug Stevenson leads us off tonight, followed by Mark Maguire and Marijo O'Connell. Joanna Trotter is a bit under the weather and we'll see her soon.   Theme: 2022, Now What? Wacky Observations...   Tonight will be more about live Talk and Wacky Observations. It might be funny, or serious, or dark, or helpful. Or all the above. Looking...

Edition #44 of Stories from Graceland Pond.   This was a LIVE radio show on August 16, 2022.   T heme: Big Lies, Tall Tales, and Pants-On-Fire Claims   This is not about the last election -- but the cast speaks out on stories that purport to be true but are Big Fat Lies.   Mark Maguire leads off, followed by Doug Stevenson, and Joanna Trotter closes the show.   Marijo O'Connell took this show off....

Theme: Summer Jobs or Crazy Jobs We Loved or Hated.   Four Stories about working nutty jobs tonight. Taxi driving, hard labor of construction and farming, and being humiliated while shaking french fries.   Mark Maguire leads off and talks about hacking in Austin, Texas (cab driving) Doug Stevenson tells tales of his toils on construction sites. Joanna Trotter talks about shaking that french fry ba...