KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

The Greatest Minnesota Athlete To Run On Four Legs from MN90 One of Minnesota's greatest athletes was Dan Patch , a harness horse from the turn of the 20th century. Yep, one of the main drags at the state Fair is named after him. But very few of us actually remember who he is. Great Pumpkins from Next Generation Radio A story of people who dream about pumpkins... pumpkins that weigh over a thousand pounds . Lindsey Larson went to an annual pumpkin weigh-off in Toppsfield, Massachusetts. Do What You Fear And Fear Disappears by Sarah Boothroyd Sarah visits a "fun house" for some screams, thoughts on fear, spooky music, and more screams. A Nighttime Fair Audio Collage by Jason Rayles Every fair is essentially two separate events - one bright and sunny - full of cuddly animals and babies; the other dark, hormone-fueled and ambiguously dangerous full of oddballs, oddities, misfits, and shysters. We’re visiting the later. Fireworks from Mystery ...

Part two of our tribute to tape hobbyist, media guru, sound designer, and pioneering advertising theorist, Tony Schwartz . Mr. Schwartz would have celebrated his 89th birthday this past weekend; he died in 2008. Sounds of My City by Tony Schwartz We'll hear an agoraphobic expressing his love for his zip code. Released on Folkways Records in 1956, Sounds of My City was an audio snapshot of NYC; full of vivid scenes that documented modern life. Tony narrates the album parsing into loosely organized sections and painting us a portrait of urban splendor and diversity. At the root of the album, i t's an aural love letter . "The best thing about radio is that people were born without earlids. You can't close your ears to it." - Tony Schwartz

If you love people who love radio, don't miss this show. It's a profile of "the wizard of sound," Tony Schwartz , an innovative and inspired sound gatherer. Mr. Schwartz would have been celebrating his 89th birthday on August 19th; he died in 2008. Favorite Sounds by Tony Schwartz From the Recorded Sounds Reference Center at the Library of Congress , we'll hear Tony asking speakers from the Jewish Guild for the Blind to describe their favorite sounds. A montage of recordings of some of these sounds follows. 30,000 Recordings Later by The Kitchen Sisters For over 55 years Tony assembled a vast collection of audio-visual materials from other folklorists all around the world . Along with collecting tape he recorded a lot too - a genuine radio pioneer. He is said to have created the first portable tape recorder. Schwartz’s life-long interest in people, events, and music led him to record hours of the sounds of urban life. The Kitchen Sisters comb throug...

Couscous and Cultural Diplomacy by Andrea Wenzel What's it like to be the only Muslim in the only US town named after an Arab Muslim? Frederique Boudouani certainly knows. He & the town of Elkader, Iowa felt the impact of September 11th in unique ways.  That's partly because Elkader was named after a 19th century Algerian jihadist named Emir Abd el-Qader . Since the " War on Terror " began, some residents have wanted to change the town's name, but others have been drawn to explore the town’s Algerian connection -- including Frederique & his parter, Brian. This openly gay couple that decided that it'd be a great idea to start an Algerian-American restaurant on Elkader's Main Street. Our story charts their adventures with cultural adaptation, American identity, and small town politics.

Anne Frank left behind a stunning document which has provided the world a powerful reminder of the horrors of war . The maturity, sensitivity, and courage displayed within the pages also serve as a testament to the human spirit. August 1st, 1944 is the last entry in the diary. We will mark the occasion by playing selections from an album released by CMS Records in 1968. Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl is read for us by Elinor (Basescu) Randal and was produced by Leon Golovner. Initially, Anne wrote her diary strictly for herself. Then, one day in 1944, a member of the Dutch government in exile, announced that he hoped to collect eyewitness accounts of the suffering of the Dutch people under the German occupation. As an example, he specifically mentioned letters and diaries. Anne decided that when the war was over she would publish a book based on her diary. Because she did not survive, the task fell instead to her father . Anne's diary has now been publis...

Teen Contender from Radio Diaries Boxing has been an Olympic sport since the time of the ancient Greeks. But only men have taken part. This year, that changes . For the first time ever, women will step into the ring at the 2012 summer Olympics in London. One of the contenders is 16-year old Claressa Shields , a junior at Northwestern High School in Flint, Michigan. We follow Claressa as she prepares for her Olympic trial. Kicking Ass and Changing Names by Shea Shackelford Amanda Storm (A.K.A. The Queen of Pain, The Storm Bringer, The Black Widow) is a woman wrestler in Maine, but she is also known as Alexandra at her day job as a truck driver. After 10 years chasing bright lights and bruises from coast to coast, Amanda figured out a few things about professional wrestling along with herself . Now 40, wrestling mostly in the state of Maine, she’s doing things her own way. Boulder County Bombers by Maeve Conran We'll end with a profile of The Boulder County Bom...

Glass Not Glitter from This Land Press Neighbors of the Murrah Federal building recall the 1995 bombing that altered the life and culture of Oklahoma City. 22nd of July   by George Drake, Jr. On the 22nd of July, 2011,  terror struck the capital of Norway  in the form of a car bomb followed by a shooting massacre on a nearby island youth camp. On average, Norway has only 30 fatal gun killings each year, but the man behind the twin attacks,  Anders Behring Breivik  managed to nearly triple that number in 3 hours time. Eight young Norwegians retell the events and discuss their feelings about the the day that changed Norway forever. A Fresh Look at the OK City Bombing  from This Land Press Andrew Gumbel, co-author of the book " Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed -- and Why it Still Matters " with Roger Charles, expounds on the connection between  Timothy McVeigh  and  Elohim City . In his book, he alleges that government a...