Books, Hoops, and the City of Ames

Listen Here Now Originally broadcast 07/01/2016
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Matthew De La Pena, a 2016 Newberry Award winner for his book Last Stop On Market Street, took the time to stop by KHOI and speak with us about his works, philosophy on writing, and a little basketball. Pena is currently on a book tour, for which he made a stop at the Ames Public Library to do readings and signings.

Coming soon to Ames will be its very own Ames Public Piano Project, thanks to Patricia Izbicki, an Iowa State graduate student doing research on the neuroscience of music. Two pianos will be placed in Ames, one around campustown and the other by Main Street. These pianos will be open for anyone to come and play on.

Aside from warm weather, Summertime can mean a few things. Road construction is definitely one of them. Rudy Koester, a civil engineer for the City of Ames gave us all the insight and details we needed on the current progress of different construction projects around Ames. Accompanied by Susan Gwiasda, the Public Relations Officer for the City of Ames, we were also given insight into the upcoming Fourth of July events and the new Rummage the Road project taking place at the end of July.

Summer Sessions: Roosevelt Summer Sundays

June 29, 2016 - 9:00pm -- ron

Vinyl Vagabonds perform at Roosevelt Summer Sundays June 26, 2016KHOI is partnering with Roosevelt Summer Sundays to broadcast a selection of their Sunday evening concerts. The first ever Roosevelt Summer Sundays to be broadcast will be the June 26th performance of the Vinyl Vagabonds, a local R&B and Blues band that features heartfelt vocals, sweet guitar, harmonica, and a swinging but solid rhythm section. The concert was broadcast on Wednesday, June 29th at 9:00 PM. Additional concerts will also be aired on this Wednesday evening timeslot as they become available.

Roosevelt Summer Sundays are a weekly Summer concert series put on by Friends of Roosevelt Park. The Friends are a community, neighbor-to-neighbor, organization that has been keeping the music playing for 13 years (and counting). Concerts run from 7:00 - 8:30 PM every Sunday from June 3 to August 14 this Summer. The many attendees and other supporters fund the series and pay the musicians well for their services. The recent addition of a sloping roof over the stage has been beneficial for stage sound and musician comfort.

Doctor Murdock will perform at Roosevelt on July 17th, and the broadcast will be July 20th. Two other concerts are in the works at this time. Please support Roosevelt Summer Sundays with your attendance and donations.

Landowners vs. Bakken Pipeline, High Trestle Trail

Originally broadcast 06/29/2016
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Last weekend, approximately 100 people took to the Des Moines in kayaks and canoes, in a "flotilla" organized by the Bakken Pipeline Resistance Coalition to raise awareness about the pipeline's environmental hazards. Dick and Judy Lamb, who own farmland in Boone County, about 3 miles west of Ames’ city limits, participated in the flotilla and are suing the Iowa Utilities Board in an effort to prevent Texas-based Dakota Access LLC from burying the crude oil pipeline across their property. They describe the process of having their land "condemned" by the state for the pipeline and explain why they are opposed to the pipeline on Iowa land. Lamb's family has owned the land since the 1870s.

Matt Nissen, lead winemaker at Prairie Moon Winery, describes the Live from the Crib concert series held every Sunday afternoon at the winery during the summer, a family event with visiting musicians and pizza made in their brick oven. Prairie Moon Winery Schedule of concerts Lisa Hein of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation talks about the making and features of one of Iowa's flagship attractions, the High Trestle Trail, which includes the High Trestle Bridge with its spectacular sculptural night-lights.

Billy Sunday, 4th of July

Listen Here Now Originally broadcast 06/27/2016
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Author Craig Bishop, talks about Billy Sunday, evangelist and athlete born in Ames. Born in poverty, Sunday became a national figure and forerunner of modern-day Evangelists. Craig Bishop will come from Minnesota to give a presentation at the Ames Public Library on Wednesday at 7:00 PM and in Nevada at the Senior Center at 12:45 PM on Thursday. Both lectures are open to the public. Bishop wrote the book: Billy Sunday, the Baseball Evangelist (1862-1935).

Various heads of the Central Iowa towns' Chambers of Commerce describe their local business and entertainment features, while attending the 2016 Iowa Retailers Summit in Ames.

Allyson Walter from the Ames Convention And Visitors Bureau notifies us about 4th of July festivities in Ames and surrounding communities.

Nonsense, Gun Sense, and Road Sense

Listen Here Now Originally broadcast 06/24/2016
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Kim Weaver, Democratic challenger to Representative Steve King, joins us by phone to respond to the Congressman's proposed amendment to block the Treasury's plan to redesign the $20 bill to feature Harriet Tubman.

Victoria Szopinski and Anne Kinzel of the Ames Progressive Alliance bring in Jess Calhoun, organizer with the local group of Moms Demand Gun Sense in America , to discuss "gun sense" and initiatives local governments could take to prevent gun violence.

Finally, former Amesian Paul Doffing brings his collapsible guitar in the studio to play a song and talk about life on his ongoing bike tour. Paul has shows at 400 Pearson St. tonight, DGs Taphouse tomorrow at 5:00 PM and the Des Moines Arts Festival at 1:00 PM.

Children's Theatres

Originally broadcast 06/22/2016
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Today's show explored children's theatres and summer theatre camps in central Iowa. Story Theatre Company led the way with live guests Kivan Kirk (director), Todd Reed (production manager), Zander Reed (Grayleg), and Ben Siegel (Jaybird) telling us about their production of Honk! Jr. at Ames City Auditorium this weekend. Also this weekend is Into the Woods, Jr., Stephen Sondheim's musical adapted for children and presented by Boone Community Theatre. Director Stephanie Hammer was on hand with Homie Simmonds (technical director) and actors Zac Que (Baker) and Lily Hammer (Baker's Wife), who sang a duet from the show. Ankeny Community Theatre was represented by Cheryl Clark, director of A Tree With Arms, a play with very young cast (ages 8 to 11), who told us about the story of two competing tree houses, which is also being performed this weekend, June 24-26.

We closed out the show with a call to Loween Getter, frequent theatre correspondent from Webster City Community Theatre. This time it was our turn to congratulate her for winning the Distinguished Merit Award from the American Association of Community Theatres, with an unusual, and typically theatrical, backstory about why she can't go to New York to accept the award on July 7.

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