Claim OwnershipA Prairie Home Companion: News from Lake Wobegon
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Revisit memorable performances of Garrison Keillor's signature monologue, The News from Lake Wobegon, from rebroadcasts of the live public radio program A Prairie Home Companion. Garrison created A Prairie Home Companion in July 1974 and hosted for 42 years, until July 2016. Enjoy classic tales from the town where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” Produced by American Public Media. Twitter: @prairie_home
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8"It's been chilly out there this week. It's been in the 30s ever since Wednesday night. Winter came in, it just came right in and the wind came up." Pastor Kohler continues a string of depressing sermons as his time in Lake Wobegon winds down, the town prepares for the upcoming holiday weekend, and Mr. Rosen discovers the meaning of Thanksgiving while deer hunting, in a November 2015 monologue.
"It's November, middle of November, and the trees are bare. We had a big wind here this last week, big rainstorm on Wednesday and Thursday. It's been chilly." Pastor Kohler leaves town after his email is hacked, Clarence Bunsen experiences an embarrassing medical condition, a group of deer hunting widows attends a male dance revue in Hurley, Wisconsin, and Mr. Hansen finally burns down an old outhouse, in a monologue originally from November 2015.
"So beautiful and warm this last week for the first week in November. Got into almost the 70s and almost the 70s is more than good enough for us. What a gift Wednesday and Thursday were." The school board debates requiring students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the town prepares for deer hunting season in a monologue originally from November 2001.
"Most of the leaves are off the trees, except a few yellow leaves there on the Aspen trees. Of course the corn is all combined, the beans as well. The fields are mostly just stubble." The town begins procrastinating as winter approaches, and Daryl Rasmussen instigates a memorable Halloween prank, a monologue originally from October 1998.
"Our show coming to you from my hometown Anoka, Minnesota, here on the Rum River, flowing into the Mississippi." Our host shares a few memories about his family's history in his other hometown of Anoka, during a special live broadcast from Anoka High School back in October 2015.
"This long, strange, warm fall is finally coming to an end. We're about a week away from frost and we're looking forward to that." A mysterious wedding takes place at the Lutheran Church, and memories of when Uncle Earl secretly bought a TV to watch Minnesota Gophers football games, a monologue originally from October 2015.
"It's not the New Year, you know, or anything of the sort, but September: a gorgeous, gorgeous time, and the leaves are turning and the smell of apples in the air." The host recalls a notable childhood moviegoing experience, Lyle Janske's 10th grade biology class learns about bears, and a few thoughts on the power of memory, in a September 2015 monologue.
"It's been beautiful, beautiful weather out there -- sunny and bright and highs in the 60s, it's been perfect. Farmers are combining the corn, and the soybeans as well, and the alfalfa is still green." The Lake Wobegon Leonards lose their big homecoming game against the Millet Marauders, the Lutherans brag about their church's new pastor, and folks in town react to fall and cooler weather settling in, a monologue from October 2010.
"It's been just the most beautiful fall that we can remember, thank goodness for memory loss. It's just been absolutely gorgeous, just sunny skies and warm days for people whose tastes run in that direction and then cool nights to remind us that it is fall after all." Town constables Gary and Leroy chase down a boat that was abandoned in the middle of the lake, crews rush to finish the summer road construction, and the Magendantzes add a concrete walleye to their menagerie of yard statuary, in a monologue from September 2007.
"It's been a beautiful week of winter. It got a little bit warm early in the week, but not so warm that we lost much snow, so it wasn't that bad." The host recalls the Native Americans, government agents, Unitarian missionaries, and hippie farmers who've lived in Lake Wobegon over the years, a monologue originally from February 1998.
"We've had this very warm September and the trees have not started to turn as yet, but the apples are ripe and there's a smell of them in the air." The host describes a memorable hitchhiking trip to Minneapolis, Pastor Kohler holds a viewing party for the super moon eclipse, and town constables Gary and Leroy pacify Mr. Hoppe with a few jokes, a monologue originally from September 2015.
"Beautiful, beautiful week of fall. Mists on the lake early in the morning, you wake up in the morning, your window is open, you've got a little extra blanket over you." Pastor Liz fills in while the Lutheran Church interviews replacements for Pastor Haugen, news of Marlene's interesting encounter with Father Wilmer spreads through the town, Mrs. Anderson holds a CD release party at the Sidewinder Bar, and the Tolleruds' rooster Ludwig comes to a sad end, a monologue from September 2014.
"The Minnesota State Fair was a big thing, along with Christmas, and the Fourth of July, and your birthday. It was enormous, and we always drove down for the day." A few stories about the host's Uncle Louie, who worked at the State Fair Midway, and other memories from the Great Minnesota Get-Together, in a bonus monologue from The Minnesota Show (hosted by Garrison at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on September 1, 2017).
"We've had quite a bit of rain here this past week, and that is just fine by us. If you grew up on a farm you never complained about rain." Daryl and Marilyn Tollerud plan a vacation, the Sons of Knute collect items for their annual rummage sale, and the Lutheran Church holds a graduation dinner, in a June 2010 monologue.
"Spring came uncertainly as spring always does. It just took one thunderstorm and green spears -- tulips poking up in the flower beds -- and all the winter clothes went away into boxes down in the basement." High school students attend Prom, Irene Bunsen buys a load of manure to prepare her tomato plot, and Clint and Arlene Bunsen reminisce about their young neighbor as she prepares for a summer job in Oregon, a monologue from April 2005.
"It has been fiercely, fiercely cold here this last week." Roger Hedlund visits the Chatterbox Cafe early on a cold morning and considers switching his farm from soybeans and corn to bluestem grass, a monologue from February 2001.
"It's that beautiful time of year. Blue skies, a little chill in the air, and all these leaves on the ground, if you want to interact with leaves." Sister Arvonne surreptitiously organizes Halloween activities, and a Lake Wobegon ghost story, in an October 2006 monologue.
"It's been hot out there this last week. It's been humid too, so that you wake up in the morning and there's a mist out over the meadows, beautiful mist with the sun shining through it." Gladys feels a longing for doomed love while listening to the opera, the Hansens' dove-breeding business goes awry, Judy Ingqvist searches for elegance, and a few verses of "Aften (Stille, Hjerte, Sol gaar ned)," in a monologue originally from June 2007.
"We had about two weeks solid of rain and cold. People are getting moody and owly. But then at last the weather broke and we've had almost paradise now since, since Wednesday." Memories of listening to the radio during tornado warnings, Pastor Inqvist gives a sermon explaining the Trinity, and Mrs. Smiley's dog develops an unnatural attraction to a porcupine after eating Guilford tomatoes, in a monologue originally from June 2004.
"It's been warm and beautiful there, the sun shone down. The tomatoes came up and the onions and the sweet corn and we sit in our backyards, the bushes thick and lush under the canopy of green" Kate Inqvist prepares to leave for her summer job as a camp counselor and her father, Pastor Inqvist, meets a woman tells him about a mystical experience at a Lutheran church in Minneapolis, a monologue from June 1996.
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The story of Mazie the black lab is one of my very favorites. I enjoyed hearing it again. I've known a few animals like that.
He is a fantastic story teller, but his old man "kids these days don't know the terror of my youth" is bs. Kids these days grew up with school shootings, terror attacks and a culture that increasingly praises violence and war. Childhood existential terror is not as bad as when Keillor grew up, it's far worse.
As a listener of over 40 years I am sad that Garrison’s live broadcast are a thing of the past. He is a national treasure and I am glad that the younger generation will be able to appreciate that through these podcasts.
last of a dying breed of storytellers.
Still some of the best stories being told as an art form ,you will laugh till you fuckin die ,from raw quaintness, a wholesome lifestyle, of the Minnesoteans .
This show used to be my absolute favorite all time show when I was in my 20s and 30s. I know all good things must come to an end. Sadly this man's iconic voice was silenced from the radio way to soon. And that's when I stopped listening to NPR.
hahaha
soooooooooooooo funny.
Fellow Comedy-Pod Lovers, I LOVE this show and to help you help yourselves, here is the list of the other similar shows I love!!! Here we go… ONE Superego TWO Mike Detective THREE The ManBuyCow Podcast FOUR As it Occurs to me FIVE Grownups Read Things they Wrote as Kids SIX The Thrilling Adventure Hour SEVEN Hello, From the Magic Tavern EIGHT The Adam & Joe Show NINE The News From Lake Wobegone TEN The Pod F. Tompkast ……Hope I’ve helped! UPVOTE my review and help spread the love!
I was tempted to give this four stars instead of five as encouragement to give us the entire weekly show, rather than just Lake Wobegon. But I couldn't do it. Even this snippet of a fantastic show deserves fives stars in it's own right. For those of us familiar with Northern Minnesota/North Dakota small town life, this is better than a trip through the nostalgic sepia-tone photo albums of our parents and grandparents. Those memories live and breathe again thanks to Garrison. It's sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy. But it's always comforting and hopeful. It's a little trip home without the troubles and impositions of relatives.
What a pleasure to be able to at last archive the weekly news coming out of Lake Wobegon. We look forwarde to visiting and revisiting with the all the folks we have come to know from our many years of listening to PHC. Having the episodes on our laptop will help make the miles melt away on trips between our home and our childrens' homes, as Garrison takes us back to the "quiet little town" he grew up in. Thanks for finally making the news availiable as podcasts!