Shows / MinneCulture
MinneCulture
MinneCulture is KFAI’s award-winning audio storytelling program, exploring Minnesota’s art, culture, and history. We tell stories about musical sensations, small town heroes, cultural icons, local lore, and everything in between. We highlight the diverse experiences and lives of the place we all call home. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Episodes
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Twin Cities Skaters is bringing roller skating back, one pop-up rink at a time
Roller skating is making a comeback in the Twin Cities, but you don’t need a traditional rink to join the movement. One local skating collective is turning…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | More Than a Rock Shop
MoonStone Mpls is a queer owned small business in the Longfellow neighborhood in South Minneapolis. Owner Brenna Wernersbach is devoted to community…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Learning and Growing Through Music at Walker West
Saint Paul’s Walker West Music Academy is thought to be the oldest community music school in the nation founded by Black musicians. Opened in the 1980s during…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Discovering Fatherhood Through Hiking
Tristan Jurkovich grew up loving the outdoors, but he never thought he’d pass that love on to a new generation until he became a reluctant - at first - father…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | The Original Crash Test Dummy: Prof James ‘Crash’ Ryan’s work and advocacy for automobile safety
Look around your car and try to count how many safety features there are: seat belt, a padded dashboard. And then there are the hidden ones: air bags, crumple…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Ojibwe Singer-Songwriter Keith Secola Stays Connected to the Iron Range
Ojibwe singer-songwriter Keith Secola, known for his song "NDN Cars," has been earning national attention in recent years for his contributions to film and…
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10K Fresh Voices | Food Share Program Fights Hunger and Waste
Sisters Camelot is a collectively run nonprofit with a focus on sustainable living through food justice and waste reduction. They’ve been providing free…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | 140 Years Ago Mexican Musicians Made their Minneapolis Mark
In the 19th century, the Minneapolis Industrial Expo, an event intended to rival the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, made an impact on the history of…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | A Brief History of the Iron Range
Minnesota is home to three distinct iron ranges, each with a rich history of immigration, industry, and outdoor recreation. KFAI’s Rmay Rivard takes us on a…
- MinneCulture
10k Fresh Voices | Famous People Who Have Fallen Asleep in My Uncle’s Car
When you picture the life of your favorite author you might imagine some elevated life of thought and sophistication—but that’s far from the case when they’re…
- MinneCulture
The Road to the Special Olympics USA Games
This June, thousands of athletes and fans came to Minneapolis to take part in the Special Olympics USA Games. The games are held every four years in cities…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Musicians Form Bands and Bonds At Rock Camp
Many of us have dreamed about being a rock star at some point - to play the guitar or drums or to belt out songs with friends. But what if that wasn’t just a…
- MinneCulture
MinneCulture Presents: Inside Minneapolis’ Giant Pencil Festival
We have something special to share with you today - a story from the On Our Minds podcast and the PBS Student Reporting Lab. Reporter Divya Thamman brings us…
- MinneCulture
Finding Your Voice In Song
On Monday nights, about seventy people gather in a Lutheran church in south Minneapolis to sing. They’re part of Kith + Kin Chorus, a rock-and-roll community…
- MinneCulture
Your Land Is My Land
The White Earth reservation in northwestern Minnesota was created through a treaty with the federal government in 1867. The reservation was meant to be a space…
- MinneCulture
Harold and Maude at the Westgate
The film Harold and Maude is generally revered as a cult classic. But it wasn’t destined to be. In fact, it originally bombed at the box office. The film…
- MinneCulture
Cooperative and Community at May Day Cafe
South Minneapolis loves the May Day Cafe, a gathering spot rooted in coffee, pastries, and community. Last year, the workers converted the coffee shop into a…
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Submerged: The Roy Benn Case
For nearly sixty years, one man’s disappearance haunted central Minnesota, a mystery fed by rumors, dead ends, and a river that never gave up its secret. Then…
- MinneCulture
Jessenland, Minnesota's Oldest Rural Irish Community
When the Irish arrived in the brand new Minnesota territory, there were no cities waiting for them, no paved streets. Just prairie, timber, and a dream of…
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The Silent City's Newspaper
Stillwater Prison started publishing its own newspaper in 1887. All of it written, edited — even funded — by incarcerated people. It’s called The Prison…
- MinneCulture
MinneCulture season 10 coming soon!
Season 10 of the MinneCulture podcast is coming April 9th. This season we are exploring a decades-long Minnesota cold case, the two-year run of the movie…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Rock Ballet Brings New People into the Theater
What happens when you add electric guitar, high energy vocals, and upbeat percussion to your ballet? For ballet companies, they hope it adds up to a lot more…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Climbing to the top of the Highland Water Tower
If you’ve ever driven on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul, down by Highland Park High School, you’ve probably seen the Highland Park Water Tower, even if you didn’t…
- MinneCulture
10k Fresh Voices | Minnesota's Duck Stamp Dynasty
Each year, the federal government holds a unique art competition with a very specific goal: to choose the most compelling original painting to become the next…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Let it Linger: Memories of 93.7 The Edge
In the 1990s for a brief four years, the radio station 93.7 The Edge popped up and imprinted itself onto the minds and hearts of many young Minnesotans who…
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MinneCulture Presents | Winter at Lake Maria
We have something different to share with you today - though something squarely in the MinneCulture universe. One of our regular producers Alison Young…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | The Art of the Cover
There are many ways to cover a song—you can cover it in your own style or mix things up by playing it in a different genre. But there’s one way of doing that…
- MinneCulture
MinneCulture Presents: Fall at Blue Mounds
We have something different to share with you today - though something squarely in the MinneCulture universe. One of our regular producers Alison Young…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Finding Calm Through Sound
Sound baths are a meditative practice that uses resonant instruments like singing bowls, gongs, and chimes to create experiences that offer a unique path to…
- MinneCulture
MinneCulture Presents: Summer at Grand Portage
We have something different to share with you today - though something squarely in the MinneCulture universe. One of our regular producers Alison Young…
- MinneCulture
10k Fresh Voices | Mining for Equality with Lynn Henderson
Since the 1890s, the Mesabi Iron Range in northern Minnesota has produced an abundance of iron ore. The mines attracted all kinds of workers, including…
- MinneCulture
MinneCulture Presents: Spring at Lake Itasca
We have something a little different to share with you - though something squarely in the MinneCulture universe. One of our regular producers, Alison Young…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | Introducing Kids To The Wonders Of The Natural World
For the past twenty years, Project Get Outdoors — or Project GO — has been dedicated to connecting children with the natural world. Based in Wabasha, Project…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | A South Minneapolis Choir Welcomes the Whimsical and Weird
Every Tuesday night, Choir Walk with Me gathers to practice. The group’s name comes from the David Lynch film Fire Walk With Me. The small group sings a…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | When Augie Garcia’s Band Rocked the River Road Club
The Augie Garcia Quintet played rock ‘n’ roll in 1954 before they knew what to call it — Augie described their sound as rhythm-and-blues with a shuffle and a…
- MinneCulture
10K Fresh Voices | A Rock ’n Roll Hair Salon
Inspired by his love of punk and garage band music of the 1980s, Jon Clifford started a hair salon by Loring Park in Minneapolis in 2011. It’s a funky…
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MinneCulture Shorts: Seeds, Fashion, Cats
If you only know MinneCulture as a seasonal podcast, you're in for a treat. Between seasons, we make shorter stories that we call 10,000 Fresh Voices. These…
- MinneCulture
Seeking Freedom in Minnesota
When freedom seekers stepped off the steamboat in St. Paul, local people of color met them at the landing. Underground Railroad agents worked as barbers…
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Life on the Back Channel
The Mississippi River is one of the defining geographic features of our state. The river's headwaters begin up north in Lake Itasca and meander for 650 miles…
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Bring Me Your Cucumbers
The M.A. Gedney Pickling Company was established in Minneapolis in 1881 by a man named Matthias Gedney. The Gedney Company contracted with hundreds of…
- MinneCulture
As American As Chinese Food
Chinese food is a staple of the American diet. But the story of how Chinese food became popular in the United States – and specifically in Minnesota – is a…
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The Woman Who Helped Control the Spread of Tuberculosis in Minnesota
Tuberculosis is a highly contagious and infectious disease. As the Trump administration freezes foreign aid, tuberculosis is resurgent worldwide. In Minnesota…
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The Long, Dark Shadow of Minnesota's Eugenic Sterilization Program
Between 1925 and 1945, 2,204 people — 77% of whom were women — were eugenically sterilized in Minnesota. Minnesota's sterilization program targeted "sexually…
- MinneCulture
Ghost of the Upper Mississippi River
In the Mississippi River, between the Franklin Avenue and Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridges, sits an abandoned ruin. The ruin is almost invisible from the…
- MinneCulture
Season 9 premieres March 27!
Season 9 of MinneCulture drops on March 27. This season features: lots of local food history stories about life and commerce along the Mississippi River a…
- MinneCulture
'Sissy' as in Sister
In the 1970s, lesbian and feminist organizations popped up in cities across the nation. Minneapolis and Saint Paul were no exception. Here in the Twin Cities…
- MinneCulture
The Instant Theater Zeitgeist
Take a dive into comedic history in this story about the beginnings of the Brave New Workshop. The Brave New Workshop was founded by a former circus former…
- MinneCulture
The Phantom Caller of the Twin Cities
KSTP-AM is one of Minnesota’s oldest and formerly most successful radio stations. By the 90's, it had been mostly forgotten, as fans flocked to FM. While music…
- MinneCulture
Minnesota vs. Big Tobacco
Minnesota was the first state to take Big Tobacco to trial in 1998. The biggest lawsuit in the state’s history forced the tobacco industry to take down…
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Saving Minnesotan Old Time Music
Mike Sawyer fell in love with old folk music in his 20s, picking up the banjo and playing at festivals and jams around the state. But after a while, he began…
- MinneCulture
When Danger Strikes in the Boundary Waters
Every year, people on a canoe trip to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) need to be rescued from a dangerous situation. In modern times…
- MinneCulture
Lost in the Songs
Peter Jesperson is a music legend. Born in Minnesota, Jesperson was a seminal figure in the Minneapolis punk and new wave scene of the 1970's and 1980's. He…
- MinneCulture
Season 8 premieres Feb 22!
MinneCulture is BACK for season 8! This season, we are bringing you 7 brand new audio documentaries about the people, places, and cultural phenomena that make…
- MinneCulture
Women of the Fur Trade
In the most basic sense, what’s commonly referred to as “the fur trade” was a period of cultural and economic exchange between Native Americans and European…
- MinneCulture
BeatleMNia: The Beatles First (and Only) Visit to Minnesota
By 1965, the Beatles were the biggest music group in the world. They sold millions of records. They recorded songs that were not only popular but also took…
- MinneCulture
If You Knew All I Could Tell You
Archives tell an important story. The people in them—and the people left out—say a lot about our politics, culture, and consciousness. In the 20th century, it…
- MinneCulture
Dr. Ames and Mr. Hyde
Today on MinneCulture, we’re headed all the way back to 1900, when Minneapolis was a very different place than it is now. As the mill capital of the world…
- MinneCulture
A More Humane Society
The history of the Animal Humane Society offers a jaw-dropping glimpse into Minneapolis life in the late 1800s. This was a time when horses struggled to pull…
- MinneCulture
The African American Cultural Center: A History of Collaboration and Connection in Minnesota
reputations. Forty years ago, the two were part of the vibrant African American Cultural Center, a place where Black Art was being nurtured, rediscovered, and…
- MinneCulture
Like a Comet Streaking Across the Sky: The Investigative Journalism of Eva Valesh
Eva Valesh was only 22 when she first went undercover to report on women workers in the 1880s, under the pseudonym Eva Gay in the St. Paul Globe. Each week…