Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Glen Miller – Musician and Soldier

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2015/03/18Mar15-Glen-Miller-3.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 4.1MB) He was one of the most famous Americans in the early 1940s…a man who was making up to $20,000…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Glen Miller – Hitmaker

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2015/03/17Mar15-Glen-Miller-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 4.1MB) Even if you are not old enough to have enjoyed this man’s music when he originally created it, there’s…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa

It Started with a Trombone

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2015/03/16Mar15-Glen-Miller-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.1MB)   The gentleman who ran a store in Grant City, Missouri could have never imagined what would happen when…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa

Hallowed Ground in a Field

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/11Feb15-Clear-Lake-Iowa-3.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:02 — 2.1MB)In northern Iowa you will find many picturesque corn and soybean fields dotting the landscape.  But one of these fields…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa

The Day the Music Died

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/10Feb15-Clear-Lake-Iowa-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:03 — 2.1MB)Don McClean wrote the song “American Pie” about the day “the music died.”  It was the night of February 2nd,…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa

A Night at the Surf Ballroom Over 50 Years Ago

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/09Feb15-Clear-Lake-Iowa-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:02 — 2.1MB)It’s been over fifty years now since a big time music tour rolled through the upper Midwest.  It was called…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa World War II

The 70th Anniversary of a Special Nativity Scene

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/23Dec14-Algona-POW-Nativity-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:01 — 2.1MB)This year in Algona, IA, residents will celebrate the 70th anniversary of a very special Nativity scene.  It was a…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa World War II

A Nativity Scene On Display Year-Round

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/22Dec14-Algona-POW-Nativity-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:02 — 2.1MB)During the advent season, many families and churches will set up Nativity scenes.  They figures remind us of the birth…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa World War II

Escaping a POW Camp in the Midwest

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/19Dec14-Algona-POW-Camp-4.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:01 — 2.1MB)If a soldier is taken as a prisoner of war, they may try to escape to freedom.  That was the…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa World War II

Enemy Soldiers Working the Fields of Home

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/18Dec14-Algona-POW-Camp-3.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:01 — 2.1MB)Imagine the pain of losing a son or daughter who was fighting in a war.  Now imagine hiring one of…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa World War II

A Shortage of Labor at Home During World War II

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/17Dec14-Algona-POW-Camp-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:01 — 2.1MB)When young men went to fight in Europe and the Pacific during World War II, many communities were left with…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa World War II

Experiencing World War II In a Unique Way

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/12/16Dec14-Algona-POW-Camp-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:01 — 2.1MB)During World War II, some U.S. communities experienced the conflict in a unique way.  They became the homes for foreign…

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Posted in American Countryside Best of Iowa

Rebuilding the Pine Creek Grist Mill

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/05/13Jun14-Pine-Creek-Mill-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:02 — 2.1MB)Retirees are often looking for a good cause to which to devote their time. Not many take up grinding flour…

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Posted in American Countryside Best of Iowa

The Pine Creek Mill

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2014/05/12Jun14-Pine-Creek-Mill-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:02 — 2.1MB)People near Muscatine have always known of a place called Pine Creek Mill, but for most of the 20th century,…

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Posted in American Countryside Best of Iowa World War II

A POW-built Nativity

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2013/12/16Dec13-Algona-Iowa-Nativity.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:02 — 2.1MB)It was Christmas 1945. German POWs at Camp Algona in Algona, Iowa would be returning to Europe the next year….

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Posted in American Countryside History Iowa World War II

Tractors of the War

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2013/06/17June13-Armored-Tractors-2.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 1.4MB)We may not think of ag equipment manufacturers having much to do with the U.S. military. However, during World War…

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Posted in American Countryside History Iowa World War II

Now THAT’S a Tractor

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2013/06/14June13-Armored-Tractors-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:00 — 1.4MB)If you think those high-tech gizmos on modern tractors are cool, you should check out a John Deere model from…

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Posted in Blog Iowa Montana

Big Bud – The World’s Biggest Tractor

If you want more information about Big Bud 747, featured in our latest show, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve gathered up some resources…

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Posted in Blog Illinois Iowa Kansas Kansas City Missouri Tourism Travel Wisconsin

Seven Great FREE Places to Visit with the Family this Summer

Here are seven places my family and I have discovered in the American Countryside listening area that are not only fun to visit, but also…

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Posted in American Countryside Iowa Podcast

From Lumber Company to Feed Company

http://americancountryside.com/wp-content/gems/2012/01/01Feb12-Kent-Feeds-1.mp3Podcast: Download (Duration: 2:59 — 1.4MB)It all began with a lumber yard in Indianola, Iowa.  Of course, today you don’t know this company for its…

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