Shows / Under Rocks
Under Rocks
What’s so great about the Midwest? WNIJ’s Under Rocks podcast isn’t afraid to dive into that question head-first every month. In fact, our team won’t leave a stone unturned when it comes to hunting down the most interesting people, places, and events in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.What are you excited about? We’re always looking for a shove in the right direction, so send us on our next adventure by messaging us at Rocks@niu.edu.
Episodes
Under RocksThe roots run deep in Illinois' pioneer cemeteries | Under Rocks podcast
There's a good reason people have been dragging shovels, poison, and sharp objects into tiny Illinois cemeteries this month: They're restoring remnants of some…
Under RocksCarl Sandburg, pawpaw poet? This and other pawpaw oddities & mysteries | Under Rocks podcast
Poet Carl Sandburg knew blue collar culture – You know, “hog butcher for the world” and all that. Maybe that’s why he latched onto the lowly pawpaw, the “poor…
Under RocksThe art of the bale: Strawfest, Mt. Morris | Under Rocks podcast
Encore Mt. Morris has a mission: To create a unique rural arts environment in northwest Illinois. And boy, did they nail it with the annual Straw Sculpting…
Under RocksTest Site: The Art of Praxeology | Under Rocks podcast
We learn about Rockford's Test Site on this latest edition of Under Rocks.
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Little bits of magic: Mysterious Toynbee Tiles appear in Rockford | Under Rocks podcast
Toynbee idea in movie 2001. Resurrect dead on planet Jupiter. What? And why is this message on a tile in the streets of Rockford, Illinois? The Under Rocks…
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Restoring the Geneva Grotto's glory | Under Rocks podcast
Thousands drive past it every day, but only a few lay eyes on it. It's the Geneva Grotto. And nearly a century after it was built by local Catholic priests…
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Dirt-fishing with the Driftless Digger | Under Rocks podcast
The Under Rocks team goes on a treasure hunt with a real life detectorist.
Under RocksMrs. Fisher's by the bag, by the bucket: It's always better to be the chip person | Under Rocks podcast
If you grew up anywhere near Rockford, Illinois, in, oh, the last century or so, you probably have eaten at least a handful of Mrs. Fisher's potato chips. This…
Under RocksGood curling II: The never-ending bonspiel | Under Rocks podcast
Curling fever doesn't have to end on the Olympic medal podium! Join your local curling league and the next four years will fly faster than a granite stone…
Under RocksTogether for eagles, arts, and environmental education | Under Rocks podcast
It’s been just over a year since Northern Illinois University closed its outdoor education campus high above the Rock River in Oregon, Illinois. While its…
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A feast for your ears! Our favorite food shows | Under Rocks podcast
The Under Rocks team is thankful for all the fine food and drink here in northern Illinois. So pile your plate high as we revisit some of our favorite culinary…
Under RocksLeave the ghost light on: the spirits of DeKalb's Egyptian Theatre | Under Rocks podcast
Who’s haunting your local theater? The Under Rocks team goes in search of theater ghost lights…and finds a whole lot more.
Under RocksSixty years of printmaking, one more show | Under Rocks podcast
A new exhibit at Northern Illinois University’s Art Museum is an ambitious look at the school’s vaunted printmaking program, which is in its 60th year. It also…
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A stalwart friend: Revisiting the Rock River Trail ride | Under Rocks
In June of 2018, two brave correspondents set out to make history. WNIJ's Carl Nelson and Dan Libman would be the first to bike the Rock River Trail. Pedaling…
Under RocksThe Luthier Next Door | The Under Rocks podcast
In a quiet wooded neighborhood on the south side of Rockford, there’s a man making magic in his basement workshop. Tom Asher uses the tools, knowledge, and…
Under RocksHiding history, preserving our past | Under Rocks podcast
2000 called and wants its phone book back. And now it's in the hands that last touched it 25 years ago. Join Northern Star reporters past and present as they…
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Inside the snow globe: Putting Edith back in the Farnsworth House | Under Rocks podcast
One of the world’s most precious architectural gems rests on the banks of the Fox River in northern Illinois. Maybe you’ve seen the Edith Farnsworth House in…
Under RocksWhere the cities meet the cornfields: Who's preserving our stories? | Under Rocks podcast
There's a museum around every corner in Illinois. The Under Rocks team explores three of them near us to see how they are preserving our histories. Got a…
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Vexed! The Illinois Enthusiast vs. The Illinois Flag Commission | Under Rocks podcast
Does Illinois really need a new flag? Or is the old "seal on a bedsheet" good enough? In this Under Rocks Extra, we call on our favorite expert…
Under RocksHere we go again! Groundhog Day in Woodstock | Under Rocks podcast
Thanks to a small town in northern Illinois, Groundhog Day is bigger than one chubby rodent and its shadow dropping a dubious weather forecast. In Woodstock…
Under RocksThe Napa Valley of Corn | Under Rocks podcast
Craft distilleries are the new craft breweries: There’s a growing number of these small operations in northern Illinois, offering their own take on the art of…
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The End of Things II: A walk in the woods at Lorado Taft | Under Rocks podcast
We say goodbye to a field campus that meant a lot to northern Illinoisans during its decades of serving students interested in the environment and the arts…
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There's always a cemetery | Under Rocks podcast
There's a big sprawling graveyard in northern Illinois where the people of Belvidere have been laid to rest for nearly 200 years. In the heart of the Belvidere…
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A Game of Action and Exercise, or: How I stopped worrying about the Sox and learned to love vintage baseball
As this year’s season winds down, some unhappy White Sox fans turn to another era for their baseball fix. The Under Rocks team heads to Creston, IL for a…