Way Back When

Jefferson Highway Association’s Iowa Sociability Caravan

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Jefferson Highway" Show focuses on the Iowa Sociability Caravan that will take place a few days before the Jefferson Highway Associaiton Conference held June 7-10, 2023 in Mason City, Iowa. This special driving event will be similar to historic caravans of old. It begins in Lamoni, Iowa on the morning of Monday, June 5th and will have subsequent overnight stays in Des Moines and Iowa Falls before arrival in Mason City on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 7th. The tour will include visiting JH sites and communities in Iowa and will be designed to bring further awareness to the JH byway and its future as a Heritage Tourism portal. Full details: https://www.jeffersonhighway.org/Featured Guests:- Roger Bell, President of the Jefferson Highway Association- Diana Thies - Executive Director of Iowa Falls Chamber Main Street: https://iowafallschamber.com/- Jim Hamman - Iowa Falls Historian- Ashleigh Eckels - Executive Director of Osceola Chamber Main Street: https://theosceolachamber.com/- Evon Sallee - The Hotel Osceola (formerly Arlington-Howe Hotel that was built in 1884): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089245389879Created by the Jefferson Highway Association which was originally founded in 1915, the Jefferson Highway is an international highway, also known as "The Pines to the Palms Highway," that runs from Winnipeg, Canada to New Orleans, Louisiana. Learn more at: https://jeffersonhighway.org/Special thanks to the Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau who represent Louisiana's Oldest City, which is also on the Jefferson Highway. See: https://www.natchitoches.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Life and Art of Southwest Artist Ted DeGrazia

On this episode of Big Blend Radio, Lance Laber, Executive Director of the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, talks about the life and art career of famed Southwest artist Ted DeGrazia. Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia was an independent and creative spirit, that not only defied the rules by doing everything his own way–but he made money at it. He was well-educated, knew the rules, but decided to paint the way he wished to paint, on whatever surface he chose to paint, with whatever materials he wanted. He experimented tirelessly with different mediums and left a legacy of artwork, music, writings, and a gallery where his defiance can still be felt.Hear about his childhood in the mining camp in Morenci and then in Italy, his apprenticeship with Mexico artists Diego Riviera and Jose Orozco, and how he started and built his own gallery, a great reflection of his independent spirit and personality. The podcast also covers his protest against the inheritance taxes on works of art. His media presence most likely led to his “Los Ninos” oil painting being chosen by UNICEF in 1960. It was reproduced as a holiday card that sold millions worldwide. From that point on, his gallery thrived with thousands of people visiting and buying his work. He was an artist for the people.DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is a 10-acre historic landmark nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains in Tucson, Arizona. Opened in 1965, it is home to over 15,000 originals of Ted DeGrazia art pieces including oil paintings, watercolors, ceramics and sculptures. There are six permanent collections on display and several rotating exhibitions each year. More: http://www.degrazia.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Park in Natchitoches, Louisiana

This episode of Big Blend Radio's 3rd Tuesday "Go to Natchitoches" show focuses on Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Park in Natchitoches, the oldest city in Louisiana. Featured guests are park ranger Felicia Brand and Arlene Gould, Executive Director of Natchitoches Convention & Visitors Bureau. Plan your visit to Natchitoches at: https://natchitoches.com/Located on Cane River Lake in Natchitoches, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Park is a replication of the original Fort, which was set up just a few hundred yards away, by founder Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis in 1714. Get a sense of the French Colonial life on a tour through the fort, museum, and historic buildings. It's also the final destination on the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, and one of historic sites within the Cane River National Heritage Area. More: https://www.lastateparks.com/historic-sites/fort-st-jean-baptiste-state-historic-siteFollow Big Blend Radio's "Go to Natchitoches" show here: https://shows.acast.com/go-natchitoches-louisiana Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artist Victoria Chick - Art During the Civil War

On this episode of Big Blend Radio, artist Victoria Chick talks art covering America's Civil War (1861-1865), which was typically expressed visually through photography, engraving, and painting. See her article here: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/art-during-the-battle-between-the-states/Victoria Chick is a contemporary figurative artist and early 19th/20th century print collector based in Silver City, New Mexico. She appears on Big Blend Radio every 3rd Saturday. See her work: https://victoriachick.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author Matt Cost - Velma Gone Awry

This episode of Big Blend Radio's 2nd Wednesday "Writers & Authors" Show with Books Forward features award-winning author Matt Cost, who discuss his new and fast-paced historical mystery, “Velma Gone Awry: A Brooklyn 8 Ballo Mystery.” (April 13, 2023, Encircle Publications). The story is set in the roaring ‘20s and follows a PI on a surprising, peculiar case to find the flapper daughter of a wealthy businessman. The search will lead him to cross paths with Dorothy Parker, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Bugsy Siegel, Babe Ruth, and many more. WATCH THIS PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/YxTJCpyNKoY More about Matt Cost and his books: https://www.mattcost.net/ More about Books Forward: https://booksforward.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Photographer Jim Schlett - Fort Union Artist-in-Residence

This episode of Big Blend Radio's 1st Friday "Toast To The Arts & Parks" Show with the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) features photographer Jim Schlett who discusses his photography and month-long NPAF artist-residency at Fort Union National Monument in Norther New Mexico. Learn more about Jim and view his work at https://photomanva.zenfolio.com/ Fort Union National Monument, located in Mora County near Watrous, New Mexico, was the largest frontier military post and supply center of the southwest. It also was the hub of commerce, national defense, and migration at the final stretch of the Santa Fe Trail. The richly evocative remnants of a post-civil war era adobe fort became a National Monument in 1954 under the Eisenhower administration. More at https://www.nps.gov/foun/index.htmLearn more about the National Parks Arts Foundation and their unique artist residenty programs at https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Guardia and Steve Schneickert - Celebrities Who Served in the Military

From Lee Marvin and Clark Gable, and Ronald Reagan to Julia Child, this episode of Big Blend Radio features military history author Mike Guardia and Hollywood History podcaster Steve Schneickert, who discusses celebrities who served in the military and who went to war. Appearing on Big Blend Radio's military history shows every 1st Monday, Mike Guardia is an award-winning military historian, educator, and author of 25 military history books. His latest books are "Coyote Recon: The Forgotten Wars of Colonel Jay D. Vanderpool," and “The Combat Diaries: True Stories from the Frontlines of World War II.” More: https://mikeguardia.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women’s History on the Jefferson Highway

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Jefferson Highway" Show focuses on women's history.FEATURED GUESTS- ROGER BELL - Historian and President of the Jefferson Highway Association shares the story of Ada Kimbell from Shreveport, Louisiana. - JONITA MULLINS - Historian, speaker, and author of "The Jefferson Highway in Oklahoma," talks about Alice Robertson from Muskogee, Oklahoma. More: https://jonitamullins.weebly.com/ - PAT SCHULTZ - Educator and author of "Amazing Women of Early Mason City," talks about Carrie Lane Chapman Catt who lived Charles City which is near Mason City, Iowa. More: https://wrightonthepark.org/product/amazing-women-of-early-mason-city-book/ Created by the Jefferson Highway Association which was originally founded in 1915, the Jefferson Highway is an international highway, also known as "The Pines to the Palms Highway," that runs from Winnipeg, Canada to New Orleans, Louisiana. Learn more at: https://jeffersonhighway.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.