x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Tales of the Magic Skagit

Tales of the Magic Skagit is the podcast companion to the eponymous Meyer Sign series (meyersign.com/articles) dedicated to the people, places, and things that make Western Washington"s Skagit Valley a magical place to live. Through our stories and interviews we look at life in this beautiful place going back to the First Peoples of the Skagit -- the people of the River and the people of the Salmon -- up to the present.

society & culture places & travel

All Episodes

00:06:28

Share Your Fair: Jade's First Skagit Valley Fair

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/10/07

It takes a village to put on a fair -- and that includes not only exhibitors, performers, and volunteers, but vendors as well. While many in that latter category provide us eager fairgoers with our favorite "forbidden fruits" (don't get Don Wick started on deep fried Twinkies), there are also a variety vendors who sell us merchandise and mementos to be enjoyed long after the carnival leaves town. This Share Your Fair interview is with a young woman whose family has recently taken up the nomadic life

en

00:11:03

A Pioneer Family

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/10/04

Don Wick and I had the pleasure of interviewing Darci and Tom Toth while at the Meyer Sign Fair Memory Booth. We were interested in their experiences as long time members of the FFA. Then we discovered that Darci is the great, great, great granddaughter of the first full-time white settler on Fidalgo Island, and the conversation took a short detour into Magic Skagit pioneer history. It was well worth the trip.

en

00:23:06

Bruce McCormick and the Monster Book of Pioneers

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/29

Bruce McCormick, who turned 91 years young last December, is a living link to the Skagit Valley's pioneer past. And while he may not have written the book on local pioneer history, he just so happens to own a copy that he's willing to share with me and our Tales of the Magic Skagit audience. The book, published nearly 120 years ago, is entitled, "History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties Washington". I like to think of it, however, as the "Monster Book of Pioneers," for reasons you will soon discover

en

00:08:29

Share Your Fair: A Mother and Son Story

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/28

The very last interview that I did at Meyer Sign's fair history booth, "All in Love is Fair," was one that tugged at my heartstrings more than any other that Don Wick and I recorded over the four days of the 2022 Skagit County Fair. Kim Larson and her son Roman have been volunteer stalwarts at the Fair for years. Roman was adopted by Kim when he was four years old...and living in Ukraine. He is unable to hear, so during my interview about what the fair means to him, his mom would sign my questions

en

00:26:57

Beaver Tales Shares Coffee and Cultures

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/27

Beaver Tales Coffee & Tea, at 602 Morris St. in La Conner, Washington, celebrates its first anniversary in business this November 1. For owners and partners Michelle Calvin and Tony Cladoosby, its success as a local coffee hangout is due to more than the quality of the fair trade beans they batch roast. The venue itself, with its calming indoor and outdoor spaces, offers a visual bridge between the cultures of the First Peoples and the New Peoples that, along with some outstanding coffee and

en

00:03:55

Share Your Fair: Everyday is Fair Day for Heidi Fair

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/26

Heidi Fair won Don Wick's and my award for "Best Last Name for a Fair Attendee." It was a hands down decision -- and that was before we found out that this was the first time Heidi and her kids had come to the Skagit County Fair. When asked what they liked most about the experience, their answer delighted me. Find out just what it was in this memory from the 2022 Skagit County Fair.

en

00:12:17

A Bridge of Cultures

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/20

On Friday, September 23, artist Jay Bowen will present "A Bridge of Cultures" at the Shelter Bay Community Center, just across the Rainbow Bridge from La Conner, Washington. The event will feature Jay's art and insights as a member of the Upper Skagit Tribe, and will begin at 5pm with a seminar that he will co-host with author and anthropologist James Barrett. There will be music and a hosted wine bar, courtesy of Skagit Valley Winery, following the 90-minute presentation, which will include Jay's

en

00:09:14

Share Your Fair: The Canine Adventures of Christy Lyon

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/16

Christy Lyon was born and raised in Concrete, and her experience in 4-H stretches back nearly 40 years. She talks with Don Wick and me about what it takes to show a dog at the Fair, and why her time in the 4-H program has been so meaningful, both as a kid and now as an adult leader.

en

00:03:18

Share Your Fair: Finn's Faves

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/15

One of the great things about the Skagit County Fair is that we get to indulge our inner kid. And if you're a kid named Finn, there's plenty to love about the Fair -- even if the vulture wasn't here this year.

en

00:08:37

Share Your Fair: What Some Kids Will Do to Ride the...

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/11

What kind of a kid would play dolls with his little sister under the Mount Vernon tulip poplar, scale the backyard fence of the future lead singer for the Manhattan Transfer to get into the Fair, and scale the "Stokely Tower" to launch balsa gliders without his parents ever discovering his shenanigans? Allow us to introduce you to Fred Wright -- Mount Vernon's answer to Dennis the Menace.

en

00:25:44

Brian Young Is Not Your Average Type

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/09

Along with its wonderful tribute to the life and art of Lavone Newell-Reim (come to think if it, life and art were one in the same for for her), the Skagit County Historical Museum is also displaying a collection of vintage typewriters in an exhibit that is fittingly entitled, "Hunt and Peck." As a lover of vintage typewriters (he said, proudly), I was curious about the individual who had contributed the fabulous word machines on display...which is how I got to meet Mr. Brian Young -- a native of

en

00:11:03

Share Your Fair: Dorothy Elsner and Margaret Olson

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/09

Dorothy Elsner and Margaret Olson describe themselves as two of the heads of a three-headed monster (Fair Manager Aric Gaither having the distinction of being the third head) that propels the ag programs at the heart of the Skagit County Fair's identity. It might be more accurate, however, to think of them as parts of a three-headed energizer bunny. Learn why in this Share Your Fair interview with Don Wick.

en

00:06:13

Share Your Fair: Meet Carmen Hargis-Villanueva from...

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/07

You'll find lots of things besides treats and trinkets at the Skagit County Fair vendor booths. You'll also find folks like Carmen Hargis-Villanueva, who along with her fellow volunteer attorneys with Northwest Justice Project provide critical legal services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Don Wick and I talk with Carmen about what she does and why it matters...and how it happened that her previous address was in Guam.

en

00:19:58

Share Your Fair: Bonita Elfstrom -- Dog Handler, Kid...

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/09/05

During her half century relationship with the Skagit County Fair, Bonita Elfstrom has been at the forefront of the 4-H dog programs. In this interview, she recalls the history of those programs and what it takes to support them. She also remembers the year that Lassie came to the Fair!

en

00:06:26

Share Your Fair: Confessions of a Book Wizard

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/08/31

My goal at every Fair is to add at least one new thing to my list of "firsts." Last year it was mangonada (don't even get me started on how amazing that beverage is). This year I succeeded in achieving two "firsts." The first "first" was eating elote, a Mexican style of corn on the cob that may very well become a new FFS (Fair Food Staple). The second of my two "firsts" was meeting a genuine book wizard, Angelica Callis. It was an encounter filled with eastern pavilions, magical tales, and a

en

00:09:20

Share Your Fair: Brian Cladoosby's Race to the Bottom

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/08/30

Swinomish tribal leader Brian Cladoosby was at the Skagit County Fair with his wife and grandson when he stopped by to visit with Don Wick and me. Long time residents of the Magic Skagit will recognize Brian not only for his contributions to the Swinomish community, but for his overall leadership among tribal groups throughout the United States. Rather than reaching for the top, however, Brian has striven mightily for the bottom. "That's the position on the totem pole that supports everyone else,

en

00:10:17

Share Your Fair: What's the Buzz?

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/08/29

Brad Raspet got into bee keeping after he retired from Renton Fire & Emergency Services, and his life has been sweeter for it. For years now, Brad has been coming to the Fair to share his love of bees, and to increase our appreciation for how critical they are to our well being.

en

00:10:22

Share Your Fair: Take a Slow Ride with Sunday Speedtrap

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/08/28

Over the years that I've been attending local fairs, a performer that I've admired from the get go has been Chris Eric Parker -- better known to fans of rock 'n roll as "Sunday Speedtrap." Not only is he a super rhythm guitar player, but his vocals on what could be called The Great American Songbook of Rock (his repertoire numbers in the hundreds of top 40 staples) always convey the sense of urgency and freshness that make a four piece band superfluous. With Sunday Speedtrap, all you need is four

en

00:03:40

Share Your Fair: The Scones Tammy Wynette Would Kiss...

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/08/27

Back when Dee Shimkus was a 4-H leader of the Skyline Skippers of Anacortes, her club baked scones in the Fairground's kitchen that induced the First Lady of Country Music to bestow a kiss upon Dee's oldest boy. You're going to love this story. I sure did.

en

00:07:55

Share Your Fair: Kathy Silk Remembers

Tales of the Magic Skagit ·

2022/08/27

Kathy Silk has lived in the Magic Skagit, a moniker she recalls as a "child of the '60s," since 1958. In this interview she remembers not just the Skagit County Fair, but the distinct communities that rubbed shoulders every summer out at the fairgrounds. She also credits the Fair with checking a box on her "bucket list": winning a ribbon for art. By the time you finish listening to Kathy's memories, the fact that she did so will come as no surprise.

en

115 results

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger