Journey Back to Vietnam with Veteran Jim Reischl

In this installment of the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota from May 2013 Arts & Cultural Heritage Producer Jeff Carmack talked with Vietnam Veteran Jim Reischl about his recent journey back to Vietnam.

Jim, like many other Vets of that era, left over 40 years ago without any thought of returning. However, memories of places and a particular person drew him back into this continuing story.

SCSU Archivist Tom Steman Tells Stories of the University

In this installment of the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota. Arts and Cultural Heritage Producer Jeff Carmack climbs to the top of the Miller Learning Resource Center to talk again with SCSU Archivist Tom Steman about a student peace protest during the Vietnam War, a daring and now forbidden tradition involving SCSU students and the Mississippi, and a treasure trove of letters written by Sinclair Lewis.

(Pictured left) A man speaks, Day of Peace protest, St. Cloud State University, May 11, 1972

St. Cloud is Remembered on Facebook

In this installment of the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota, Arts and Cultural Heritage Producer Jeff Carmack talks with lifelong St. Cloud resident John Lund about a Facebook project that he’s begun documenting the history of our area.

It’s called “St. Cloud Remembered” and it contains a myriad of photos and stories collected through local historical institutions as well as from residents who have found some very interesting artifacts that they’d like to share. Over the first couple of months of its existence, the page has accumulated nearly 5,000 followers, and the online conversation is just beginning. This podcast originally aired on KVSC on April 18, 2013. 

Carnivale Revolver Reintroduces Burlesque to Central Minnesota

In this installment of the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota, Arts & Cultural Heritage Producer Jeff Carmack talks with artists Scarlet Revolver and Dottie St. James about exploring the history of taboo through burlesque.

 These local women are the driving force behind Carnivale Revolver, a dance group bringing a long absent form of entertainment back to St. Cloud. 

Pioneer Place Building Turns 100

In this installment of the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota; Arts & Cultural Heritage Producer Jeff Carmack sits down with Dan Barth at the Pioneer Place Theatre to talk about the historic building in which the Pioneer Place resides.

The building itself is turning 100 years old this year. During this interview Dan and Jeff talk about this history of the building, the upcoming major celebration this summer that the Pioneer Place is hosting, as well as how over the last 15 years the Pioneer Place has tied the past, present, and future together in downtown St. Cloud. This podcast originally aired on KVSC 88.1FM on March 28, 2013. 

St. Cloud Rox Baseball, A View From 60 Years Ago With Nick Chanaka

This time around in the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota, KVSC Station Manager, Jo McMullen, finds an untold story within a long time resident of St. Cloud, Nick Chanaka. Nick Chanaka originally came to St. Cloud in 1948 as part of the New York Giants’ Minor League team, the St. Cloud Rocks, and has been a part of the community ever since.  

Listen to this podcast to hear stories of the history of baseball in St. Cloud, a glimpse of the area’s atmosphere of 60 years ago, and what it takes to succeed in not only baseball, but in life, all from one of our older neighbors. The interview was conducted in December 2010.

The Historical Tradition of Quilts

In this installment of the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota, Arts and Cultural Heritage Producer Jeff Carmack keeps listeners nice and cozy and warm with quilts! The College of St. Benedict is celebrated their centennial in 2013 with a number of events including a pairing of the musical Quilters, which combines music, dance movement, and scenes of dramatic, historical intensity to depict the frontier life of pioneers from 100 years ago, with the visual arts exhibition The Quilt: The Art of Our Community, which features quilts from our local community and honors the women who have continued this historical tradition throughout the years. 

Melrose Area Museum Preserves History

In this installment of KVSC’s Legacy Funded “Untold Stories of Central Minnesota”; Jeff Carmack visits the Melrose Area Museum. Located across the street from St. Mary’s Church in Melrose, the museum is housed in an old convent and stocked full of memorabilia and artifacts. With items such as a Spanish American War uniform worn by an area resident all the way to Craig Schiffler’s bowling bag, shoes, and numerous 300 game commemorative bowling rings, the Melrose Area Museum gives the area’s rich history a clear and inclusive voice. 

SCSU Archive Launches Timeline

The SCSU Archive has just recently installed a new timeline component to their website, and Arts & Cultural Heritage Producer Jeff Carmack sat down with Tom Steman, the first full-time professional archivist at SCSU, to discuss this interactive tool that looks all the way back to 1869. Laid out throughout the timeline are photos and other information about notable people and occurrences such as the first principal of St Cloud State, Ira Moore; how armed forces veterans entered SCSU following World War II; and the wide array of concerts at SCSU featuring artists like John Denver, Louis Armstrong, and Pink Floyd. 

The Repurposed Bowling Alley of Cream City Tattoo

In another installment of KVSC’s Legacy Funded “Untold Stories of Central Minnesota,” Jeff Carmack visits a new St. Cloud tattoo parlor with a history hidden literally under their feet. Ryan Schepp, owner of Cream City Tattoo, has an interesting perspective on how the repurposing of a space can actually preserve the history of that space . . . and this is exactly what he’s done with the former bowling alley in the basement of the old Spaniel Hotel that now houses a business, art gallery, and creative social gathering zone.  

Restoration of the Paramount Theater

The Paramount Theater in downtown St. Cloud is one of our enduring community treasures. It first opened its doors on Christmas Eve in 1921 as the Sherman Theater and its stage has seen thousands of performances including Vaudeville, operas, rock concerts, Broadway road shows, movies, speeches, and, of course, wrestling matches.

The Paramount, however, has not always been in the good shape that it is today. During the 1960’s through the 80’s, its state of disrepair nearly ended its existence, but a group of citizens and the city turned that fate around.  This news feature (originally aired in December of 2012) comes from the Arts & Cultural Heritage funded program, the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota Art. Producer Jeff Carmack sits down with the Paramount Arts Resource Trust Executive Director Tony Goddard to discuss the fascinating history of the Paramount and its restoration.

History of Ferries in Central Minnesota

In this news feature that aired in November of 2012, KVSC's Jeff Carmack begun a new Arts & Cultural Heritage funded program: the Untold Stories of Central Minnesota. Through partnering with the Stearns History Museum, Carmack will be bringing KVSC listeners a series of features about parts of Minnesota culture that may have been lost within the mist of history.

In this podcast, Carmack talks with Steve Houle about his research on the history of Minnesota's system of river ferries and how this system ended up being the driving force behind where the cities and towns we now call home came into being.