Big Spirit: Tales from the Iowa Great Lakes

This is a re-issue of the first episode of Big Spirit: Tales from the Iowa Great Lakes. It originally aired in January 2019. During 2021, all former episodes of the podcast (from 2019-spring 2020) will be re-released.Tyler Pedersen is the instrumental director of bands at Spirit Lake High School. He grew up in Spirit Lake and made a promise to return and teach in his home district and, in 2015, he landed the job of his dreams. I spoke with Tyler about what it was like to have such a strong goal early on in life, the time he bought an acreage and his plans to restore it, and how life in a small town can sometimes cause conflict for no reason at all.

Krissy Thiessen grew up in Spirt Lake, Iowa, and now owns and farms with her spouse at Cherry Lane Farms. They began growing microgreens in their basement and soon became a much larger local farming operation, adding more produce and distributing to restaurants and super markets in the tri-state area. Thiessen is also a board member of the Farmers Market at the Park; which had it's inaugural season summer 2019 and is gearing up for summer as this episode airs. You can find out more about Cherry Lane Farms by visiting them on Facebook or at www.cherrylanellc.com. And the Farmers Market in the Park (Arnold's Park Amusement Park) is also available on Facebook or by visiting http://farmersmarketinthepark.com. Big Spirit: Tales from the Iowa Great Lakes is produced with the help of JJ School of Music, the premier location for music instruction in the Iowa Great Lakes. Learn more by following them on Facebook or visiting www.jjschoolofmusic.weebly.com.

Gary Heady Jr. is a musician and sound engineer at the SAMI Center. A performing arts facility attached to the Spirit Lake Community Schools. While he grew up in the Iowa Great Lakes, he went off to the Twin Cities to follow his dream of becoming a musician; only to find his back home in the hectic world of audio engineering and facility management. Heady is a kind and hard-working person who is a joy to speak with. I think we could've spoken and laughed together for hours. Big Spirit: Tales from the Iowa Great Lakes is produced with the help of JJ School of Music, the premiere location for music instruction in the Iowa Great Lakes. Learn more by following them on Facebook or by visiting www.jjschoolofmusic.weebly.com. Summer Camp registration is now open!