Toonie Loons Podcast

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Toonie community!The pilot episode of Toonie Loons is officially here. Hosts Jordan Schilling and Tom Vrem kick things off with a long-anticipated first conversation, setting the stage for a new historical podcast focused on Mattoon’s past, present, and the stories that connect them.The episode features a special guest, local historian Chris Surdieck, who joins the show to discuss his newly released book, The Big Dig. The book explores the arrival of the railroad in Mattoon and examines the classic chicken-or-the-egg question: did the railroad create the town, or did the town create the railroad? As the conversation reveals, the answer may be both.Coming up next week:Episode 2 with more from Chris Surdieck and Jordan and Tom check in with local resident Bernie de Buhr.Link to Chris Surdieck's Book 'The Big Dig':www.mattoonlibrary.org/the-big-dig