Long Haul: Public Radio Documentaries to Go!

The story you’re about to hear is, at its heart, is a love story — between two artists, and a whole lot of dogs. It’s also the story of what it means to follow a dream — and the difficulties that can bring. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister have the story of Vermont artists Stephen and Gwen Huneck, and their life’s work: a place called Dog Mountain. As you listen, tour Dog Mountain in an interactive website via www.longhaulpro.org.

A young Marine comes home after his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. His parents tell his story.

The Ivory Billed Woodpecker was thought to be extinct – until recently, when a bird was allegedly spotted near the small town of Brinkley, Arkansas. The sightings were big news in a community depressed by recession and population loss. Our story weaves the locals' reaction with an original song written and performed by musician Sufjan Stevens. Winner of the Sigma Delta Chi award for best national radio feature. The description is from the original broadcast.

For the past 60 years, people in northwest Tennessee have tuned each weekday at noon to a radio program on WENK/WTPR called The Swap Shop. For twenty minutes, listeners call or write offering to buy, sell or trade an item or a service in a radio version of the classified ads, things which range from a piece of used plywood, to a green cloth Berkline recliner, to a ten-acre farm. Long Haul sent Nashville-based musician Kurt Wagner (of the great band Lambchop) some program excerpts; he responded with a song, Paperback Bible. (Produced in 2006; description from the original broadcast.)

It's been 71 years since the "strike heard round the world" - when autoworkers in Flint, Michigan, occupied a General Motors plant and and jumpstarted the union movement in the United States. But in recent years, as the power of unions in the US has wained, sit-down strikes have been more common in Latin America, Europe, and even Canada. Things finally changed last December when immigrant Latino, African American, and white workers occupied the Republic Windows and Door Factory in Chicago. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister spoke with the workers and organizers at Republic about their decision to stand up by sitting down - the first American sit-down action since the 1937-38 Flint strike. Their documentary, "Si Se Puede" (Yes We Can), is an intimate account of the occupation told by the people who participated in it. It includes original music by Jesus "Chuy" Negrete. (Produced in 2009; this description is from the original broadcast.)

Since the 1930s, delighted throngs have gathered just outside Linesville, Pennsylvania, to toss bread to a writhing stew of carp and ducks at the Linesville Spillway. The carp are so thick that mallard ducks literally hop, skip and jump on the fishes' backs to compete for a slice of bread. Famous worldwide as the place “where ducks walk on the fish,” the Spillway draws as many as a half-million tourists a year, part of a small but critical tourism economy bolstered by the sale of day-old Wonder Bread from bread shanties that line local streets. But recently, the people of Linesville learned about some big changes planned for the spillway. Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister paid a visit and, in collaboration with musician Tim Fite, have the fishy tale of the fight for the right to throw bread - the latest in their Song+Story series. (Produced in 2008; description from the original broadcast.)

The small town of Baudette, Minnesota, sits on the U.S./Canadian border, about as far north in the contiguous U.S. as you can get. Famous for snowy winters and a giant concrete walleye that sits downtown, it's also home to a now-decommissioned Coast Guard navigational beacon, a LORAN tower built to guide people across and around the Great Lakes. The Tower is a Baudette landmark, rising hundreds of feet above the bog that surrounds town and signaling to drivers that they're almost home. But recently, it marked the sudden end of another traveller's journey. In the latest installment of their Song+Stories series, in which musicians contribute original songs that contribute to the narrative, Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister worked with the band Mountain Man. Together, they share this tale of avian navigation gone wrong. Produced in 2011.

Written and performed by Bonnie "Prince" Billy in 2011 for "The Natural State," a Long Haul Song+Story.

Faulkner County, Arkansas, has a whole lotta shakin' going on these days. Some of it is from the cash infusion brought on by the gold-rush like influx of natural gas fracking in the community, with over 3,000 new wells drilled in the area since the mid 2000s. But even more is due a mysterious wave of thousands of small earthquakes that have rattled the towns of Guy and Greenbrier since September, 2010. Long Haul went down to Arkansas to check in with residents about what's going on – literally – under their feet. And we then shared the tape we collected with musician Bonnie "Prince" Billy, also known as musician Will Oldham, who wrote an original song to contribute to the narrative. (Produced in 2011; this description from the original broadcast.)

A week in the life of a woman trying to leave her physically-abusive husband. The documentary begins three days after Anna's estranged husband has threatened to kill her and their baby at gunpoint. Anna keeps an audio journal of her attempt to have her husband, who she says beat her repeatedly before they separated, arrested. She tells of her frustration with the police and legal system and of her attempt to live a "'normal life." Produced in 1994. Winner: 1995 Robert F. Kennedy Award Honorable Mention; 1995 Clarion Award; 1995 Exceptional Merit Media Award.

In November 1995, journalist Rebecca Perl was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She learned had a tumor in her chest, six months after giving birth to a baby boy. Months of chemotherapy and radiation proved unsuccessful, leaving only one treatment possibility: a lethal dose of chemotherapy followed by a life-saving bone marrow transplant. This award-winning documentary follows her through the transplant. We also produced a film of this story, which was broadcast on HBO. Winner: 1999 duPont-Columbia Silver Baton Award; Edward R. Murrow Award; 200 National Federation of Community Broadcasters Award; 2000 Silver Hugo Award; 2000 New York Festival World Medal for Health and Medical Information Award. (Produced in 1998; this description is from the original broadcast.)

The story of two chronically mentally ill, homeless repeat offenders as they attempt to break the cycle that, for years, has spun them from jail to psychiatric hospitals to the streets and back to jail again. The documentary is a follow-up to "A Danger to Self or Others," which profiles the mental health division at Chicago's Cook County Jail. "Life on the Outside" tells the story of Colbert, beginning with his release from Chicago's Cook County Jail, and Richard, who's been arrested 137 times but who's managed to stay out of jail for more than one year. Winner: Public Radio News Directors' Award; National Federation of Community Broadcasters' Golden Reel Award (Produced in 2000; description from the original broadcast.)

"When All Else Fails" is a first-person account of a man undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as electroshock. Rob MacGruder tells of his lifelong battle with bipolar disorder and how ECT has repeatedly saved his life. The story follows MacGruder for almost a year as he falls into a severe depression, undergoes a series of ECT treatments and gradually recovers. During that time, MacGruder loses his job, and loses his children to the state. Produced in 2002. Winner: 2003 National Mental Health Media Association’s Media Award.

"Learning to Live: James' Story" is the story of an ex-felon's transition from prison to the free world. James, who narrates, is 38 and has been in and out of prison all his adult life. After completing a seven-year prison term for burglary, James comes to live at St. Leonard's halfway house for ex-offenders on Chicago's west side. Over three months, James goes through a rigorous education process that includes job training, drug counseling and twelve-step support meetings. His recovery is tested when his eighteen-year-old son, whom he hadn't seen in fourteen years, is arrested on a drug charge. After landing his "dream job" in customer service for a cable company, James leaves the halfway house having begun to "learn how to live." Winner: 2002 Edward R. Murrow Award; 2002 Third Coast International Audio Festival Public Service Award; and the 2002 Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award. Judges in the latter competition called it "a tightly straightforward report that skillfully wove actuality and narration, James telling his story as only he could. It was clear, concise and remarkably comprehensive." (Produced in 2001; this description is from the original broadcast.)

"A Danger to Self or Others" portrays everyday life inside Cook County Jail's Mental Health Division - the largest provider of mental health services in the United States. On any given day, there are 10,000 men and women held inside the Chicago jail, the largest of its kind in the United States. An estimated 10%, or 1,000, are suffering from some form of mental illness. In many cases, it's the first time their disease has been diagnosed. With fewer state mental hospitals and limited resources at the community level, jails have increasingly become a critical provider of mental health services throughout the country. The documentary leads listeners through various stages of treatment -- from "Receiving" where the staff must perform a kind of triage and make an immediate psychiatric assessment; to the "Acute Care Unit" where the mental heath team has just a few days to stabilize detainees; to the "Residential Treatment Unit" which offers longer term individual and group therapy; and finally to the release process which tries to link released detainees with mental health resources on the outside. "A Danger to Self or Others" sheds light on an institution that has become a critical link in America's vast and complicated matrix of mental health services. Winner: 2000 Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi award; 2000 Edward R. Murrow Award; 2000 National Mental Health Media Association's Media Award; 2000 National Federation of Community Broadcasters' Golden Reel Award. Produced in 1999; description from the original broadcast.)

Right now in Chicago, thousands of public housing residents are being forced to move as the Chicago Housing Authority systematically demolishes their notorious high-rise apartment buildings and plans to replace them with mixed-income developments. Since the redeveloped housing won't be available in most cases for several years, many families find themselves looking for an apartment in the private market -- many for the very first time -- using Section 8 vouchers. It's Janine Ingram's job to help find them a place, quickly. Long Haul spent a day with Janine; this is the story. (Produced in 2003; this description is from the original broadcast.)

In the fall of 2002, Catherine Means was living on the tenth floor of what she describes as "hell" -- Chicago's Stateway Gardens high-rise housing project. In September, she finally got out from under the "bricks" at Stateway and into her first private-market apartment. Her move was one that thousands of public housing residents are making, as the Chicago Housing Authority systematically demolishes its notorious high-rise projects in favor of redeveloped mixed-income communities and Section 8 apartments. Coco, who, like her mom and grandmother has never had a real job, argues the move will "get me off my behind" and force her to do something with her life. But do things really change when you change your address? Long Haul followed Coco and her kids for over a year, from Stateway to her new apartment on the South Side. Produced in 2003. Winner: 2004 Society of Professional Journalists' Award for Best National Radio Documentary.

The House of Pain was the gang name for a ten-story high-rise at Stateway Gardens, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) development that once sat across from U.S. Cellular Field (a.k.a. Comiskey Park) on Chicago's South Side. The building was demolished as part of an ambitious initiative to replace Chicago's notorious public housing high rises with mixed-income communities. Here, in the first of a three-part series following building residents through the CHA's "Plan for Transformation," families who once lived in the House of Pain try to figure out where they'll live once their building is dismantled. It's narrated by long-time building resident Andre Williams. Produced in 2002. Winner: 2003 Edward R. Murrow Award for Best National Radio Documentary.

Each year, more than 100,000 women use some form of doctor-assisted artificial insemination to try to get pregnant. Suzanne is one of these women. She's single, in her mid-40s, and has been trying for two years to get pregnant using a variety of methods. Team Long Haul follows Suzanne through her last in vitro fertilization attempt – her last chance to have her own biological child – and documents the story of how she got to this point. We continued to follow Suzanne after this broadcast; her story continues in "Dear Birth Mother." (Produced in 2004; this description is from the original broadcast.)

Over the course of eight months, Long Haul followed two hospice volunteers through their training and first assignments in patients' homes. Trained to provide "respite care," the volunteers set out to give family members a break from their caretaking responsibilities. And while one has a chance to reflect on her patient's life in a intimate setting, another gets to explore death in a rather unexpected way – a way that training never could have prepared him for. Produced in 2008.

American schools teach students that with hard work, they can realize their dreams. But some kids do everything right, only to graduate from high school and find the American Dream isn’t for them. Sam was brought to the United States by his parents as a young child, but his family overstayed their visas. They’ve lived here now for fourteen years, and in that time Sam grew from a small boy to a young man — taught in American schools, and churches, he grew up like any other American kid. But it wasn’t until he was asked to fill in his social security number on a financial aid form that he began to realize the consequences of being undocumented. We met Sam just before he graduated from high school and share his story. American Dreamer was produced in 2009 with help from the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media and the National Endowment for the Arts. Winner: 2009 Edward R. Murrow award for Best National Radio Documentary, 2010 Third Coast International Audio Festival "Radio Impact" award, and 2011 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism (Runner-up). We're grateful to KCRW's Independent Producers Fund, as well as longtime supporters and friends Katie Hangley and Howard Simon, for additional support of this work.

PART 4 of 4. Whether they are forced to, or whether they plan to, each year more and more seniors move into retirement homes. In 2000, Peg Collison was one of them. Peg left the town of San Mateo, California, where she'd been living for almost 35 years, and moved two hours away into a newly built retirement community in Davis, California. Peg's son, Dan, gave his mom a tape recorder and asked her document her transition. Together, Peg and Dan produced a four-part series on Peg's move and what it meant to her and her family. Parts one through three were produced in 2000; part four was produced five years later, as a followup in 2005. Winner: 2001 Clarion Award; 2001 National Federation of Community Broadcasters' Golden Reel Award.

PART 3 of 4. Whether they are forced to, or whether they plan to, each year more and more seniors move into retirement homes. In 2000, Peg Collison was one of them. Peg left the town of San Mateo, California, where she'd been living for almost 35 years, and moved two hours away into a newly built retirement community in Davis, California. Peg's son, Dan, gave his mom a tape recorder and asked her document her transition. Together, Peg and Dan produced a four-part series on Peg's move and what it meant to her and her family. Parts one through three were produced in 2000; part four was produced five years later, as a followup in 2005. Winner: 2001 Clarion Award; 2001 National Federation of Community Broadcasters' Golden Reel Award.

PART 2 of 4. Whether they are forced to, or whether they plan to, each year more and more seniors move into retirement homes. In 2000, Peg Collison was one of them. Peg left the town of San Mateo, California, where she'd been living for almost 35 years, and moved two hours away into a newly built retirement community in Davis, California. Peg's son, Dan, gave his mom a tape recorder and asked her document her transition. Together, Peg and Dan produced a four-part series on Peg's move and what it meant to her and her family. Parts one through three were produced in 2000; part four was produced five years later, as a followup in 2005. Winner: 2001 Clarion Award; 2001 National Federation of Community Broadcasters' Golden Reel Award.

PART 1 of 4. Whether they are forced to, or whether they plan to, each year more and more seniors move into retirement homes. In 2000, Peg Collison was one of them. Peg left the town of San Mateo, California, where she'd been living for almost 35 years, and moved two hours away into a newly built retirement community in Davis, California. Peg's son, Dan, gave his mom a tape recorder and asked her document her transition. Together, Peg and Dan produced a four-part series on Peg's move and what it meant to her and her family. Parts one through three were produced in 2000; part four was produced five years later, as a followup in 2005. Winner: 2001 Clarion Award; 2001 National Federation of Community Broadcasters' Golden Reel Award.

After waiting for Mr. Right – and after years of fertility treatments – Suzanne, a single woman in her forties, decided to adopt. She chose transracial adoption. We follow her through workshops designed to "teach white people to raise kids of color," baby-shopping trips with Mom at Target, a critical rendezvous with a young mother at a pancake house, and, finally, a magical night at a suburban restaurant chain. We followed Suzanne for several months as she waited to see if she would become a parent; she offered extraordinary access into her home, and really, into every aspect of her life. We first met Suzanne in 2004, and documented her last in vitro fertilization attempt in "IVF: Suzanne's Story." Produced in 2005. Winner: 2005 Third Coast International Audio Festival Gold Award for best radio documentary, and recipient of an honorable mention in the 2006 Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism Awards.

Most autism experts generally agree that early intervention beginning immediately after diagnosis can help a child conquer some of the most debilitating aspects of the disorder. Yet, society's approach when it comes to helping these children is slipshod. Some parents are lucky enough to live in areas where their public school districts have top-notch programs for autistic toddlers. Others have the means to provide what public schools can't. But even more have no means to cobble together something on their own - and for them, the prospects are especially daunting. Long Haul followed three families with young autistic children over the course of six months. These are their stories.

At one time, it was believed there were as many as five billion passenger pigeons in eastern North America. By the mid nineteenth century, their numbers began to decline sharply – killed by sportsman, commercial hunters and by farmers angry as the birds began raiding farm fields as forests disappeared to logging. Jon Wuepper, a naturalist and historian, documented the decline of the pigeon in southwest Michigan by scouring sixty-plus years of newspaper articles, beginning in the late 1830’s. He traced the decline through 1894, when the last bird was killed in the area. Wuepper tells the story, which was produced in 2007.

Eastern Montana is a land of extremes. The mercury can swing from 50 degrees below zero in the winter to over 100 in the summer. A recent drought has made life even harder on people relying on water for their livelihood – and on people like Roger Muggli, who runs the Tongue and Yellowstone Irrigation District near Miles City, Montana. Muggli's job, in part, is to determine how much water will be diverted out of the Tongue River into a separate canal which farmers, ranchers and homeowners use to irrigate their land. Roger is the third generation Muggli to run the irrigation district. His grandfather took over managing the T & Y district in 1934 – but neither his grandfather nor his father faced the kind of challenges Roger is forced to confront. Produced in 2007; this description is from the original broadcast.

This is the story of a good fish gone bad … an immigrant brought here with good intentions … a tasty fillet with a bad rap. A victim of stereotypes. Of fish profiling. A fish that can fly! And, a fish that could – if we let it – just rock our culinary world! Long Haul tells the story of the Asian Carp invasion in this 2010 story.

Twenty years ago, academics Frank and Deborah Popper wrote what they thought would be a little-noticed, four page article subtitled "A Daring Proposal for Dealing with an Inevitable Disaster," which argued that current agricultural use of much of the Great Plains is simply not sustainable. They advocated for a "Buffalo Commons," a return of large tracts of land back to native species, including buffalo, and a revisioned economy that encouraged ecotourism. To the Poppers’ surprise, their conclusions ignited a firestorm among residents, who labelled the Poppers as East Coast heretics. But over the past two decades, the couple's predictions have seemed more and more prophetic. Plains states have suffered dramatic population loss, and families have sold or even abandoned farms and cattle ranches through the region. The situation is particularly difficult in northeastern Montana, where Long Haul spoke with lifelong residents about a current plan very similar in spirit to the one the Poppers proposed in 1987. There, outsiders are purchasing large tracts of land with plans to reintroduce thousands of bison and other native species, restoring a pre-settlement landscape. Most residents don’t welcome the change – and those that embrace it, like South Dakotan Sam Hurst, are being forced to sell before their buffalo dreams can become reality. Produced in 2007; this description is from the original broadcast.

Every spring since 1989, bird lovers in Berrien County, Michigan (directly across the lake from Chicago), have taken part in a grueling competition to see which team can track down the largest number of species within a nineteen-hour time span. Teams kick off at midnight and go all out until 7 p.m.; they need only stay within the county limits. And because the event is held at the height of spring migration, there are literally hundreds of different birds to tally on the official checklist. Team Long Haul followed two of the 24 teams who took part in the 2006 event. One team – the Newsworthy Naturalists – was made up veteran birders who won the previous year's Birdathon. The other – Hairy, Two Downies and a Red Head – included younger, less experienced members. The results are definitely not for the birds.

About twenty years ago, some locals got together with The Nature Conservancy to buy about 300 acres that was slated to become a subdivision near the town of Dixon, Illinois. Since then, Nachusa Grasslands has grown to some 3,500 acres, much of it former cornfields that have been restored with native plants and birds. Most of the restoration work is being done by a spirited group of volunteer stewards, who manage large parcels of land with plenty of reverie. We profiled these volunteers in 2007.

Every year wild boar cause an estimated 1.8 billion dollars in damage to farms, lawns, and natural areas, primarily in the southern United States. Experts contend the roaming swine also carry a number of diseases that could infect commercial herds and seriously threaten pork producers. In recent years, rogue populations have sprung up in Michigan, where boar were brought in for commercial hunting. It’s now estimated that as many as 3,000 pigs are on the loose in Michigan, with most believed to be escapees from about 30 commercial hunting facilities. So recently, officials at Michigan’s DNR -- the Department of Natural Resources -- took action to get a handle on their “pig problem” before it spirals out of control. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister watched what happened next. (Produced in 2012; this description is from the original broadcast.)

The coqui is the national symbol of Puerto Rico: a tiny, but vociferous tree frog that's a beloved part of the Puerto Rican soundscape, lulling residents to sleep every night with the male's lusty “croak.” But it’s a different story on the Big Island of Hawaii. Coquis showed up on the island as stowaways a few years back, and because the frog has no natural predator there, they’re proliferating like a "plague of locusts" – competing with native birds and animals for food, and leaving many angry Hawaiians sleepless in paradise. In the face of sharply declining frog populations worldwide, Long Haul talked with residents in the only place in the world that's organizing to kill as many frogs as it possibly can. Special thanks to Hilo band Dr. Jerky and Mr. Huge for "Bad Vacation," their coqui-inspired song. Produced in 2007; this description is from the original broadcast.

For the past several years, detainees at Chicago's Cook County Jail have been reading to their kids. These parents in prison meet in one of the jail's small libraries, pick out a children's book and record it onto a cassette tape. The tape and the book are then mailed to the child. For some, it's the only way to connect with their kids through prison walls. Produced in 2002.

Team Long Haul follows the sentencing of a boy in Lansing, Michigan, who was 13 years old at the time of a murder in which he took part and for which he was convicted. The judge in the case had the option of sentencing Charles Lewis Jr. to life in prison without the possibility of parole. After the sentencing, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that life without parole for juveniles is unconstitutional. Produced in 2012.

On March 11, 1998, 47-year-old Jerry Lee Hogue was put to death for the 1979 arson-murder of an Arlington, Texas, woman. Unlike the lethal injection earlier that year of Karla Faye Tucker (the first woman put to death in Texas in 130 years), which drew hundreds of national and international reporters and demonstrators, Hogue's execution -- like most in Huntsville -- went largely unnoticed. Long Haul's Dan Collison spent the day of Hogue's execution interviewing Huntsville residents all over town: the mayor, city manager, and district attorney, none of whom was aware that an execution was scheduled that day. Neither did the regulars at the Cafe Texan, nor the women getting manicures at "Perfect Nails" on Main Street just a few blocks from the death house. At year's end, Collison appeared on 60 Minutes in a segment exploring the possibility Hogue may have been innocent. Winner: National Federation of Community Broadcasters Award.

Texas has the largest prison system in America, with more than 150,000 prisoners behind bars. The headquarters of the state's Department of Criminal Justice is in Huntsville, a small, conservative town that's home to nine state prisons. In the center of Huntsville is the Walls Unit. The oldest prison in Texas, it has gained notoriety in recent years as the location of Texas' famously-frequent executions. But another, less-known function of the Walls Unit is mustering out the Texas system's prisoners: every day, more than 150 men are processed, paroled and released. (Produced in 2001; this description is from that broadcast.)

The story of the worst homefront disaster of World War II -- an ammunition explosion that killed more than 300 men -- and what happened to the 50 African-American men who refused to go back to work loading ammunition after the explosion. On July 17, 1944, two Liberty ships anchored at the Port Chicago Munitions Case near San Francisco exploded, killing 320 men and injuring 390. It was the worst homefront disaster of World War II. A majority of the casualties were African-American sailors who loaded ammunition onto the ships at Port Chicago. Shortly after the explosion, the African-American munitions loaders who survived were transferred to a nearby base and ordered back to work. Shaken by the death of their workmates and afraid that another explosion might occur, 50 men refused. In the largest courtmartial in Navy history, they were all convicted of mutiny and sentenced to up to fifteen years of hard labor. In January 1946, only months after the war ended, all convicted men's sentences were suspended as part of a general amnesty. While these men were allowed to return to civilian life, they were left angry, ashamed, and afraid they would be fired from their jobs or worried that they would be seen as unpatriotic. As a result, some did not discuss the case, even with family members, for more than 50 years. Produced in 1996.

North Dakota's population is shrinking dramatically – so much so that many counties there now meet the U.S. Census' definition of frontier land, much as they did before homesteading began in earnest in the late 1800's. Kids are leaving; the rest are aging, dying. But in the Southwest part of the state, one man is fighting to save his hometown by building giant metal sculptures along a lonely strip of state highway. Gary Greff's dream is to make Regent, North Dakota, the metal art capital of the world and a top destination for tourists. Some think he's a little crazy – but he's also built some of America's most magnificent pieces of roadside art with little money and a shrinking volunteer base. We followed Gary for four years, and the story includes his own archival tape from the first days of the project. (Produced in 2005; this description is from that broadcast.)

Branson is home base for aging country and pop stars such as Mickey Gilley, Roy Clark, Wayne Newton, Tony Orlando, and Charlie Pride. With a population of 5,000, Branson boasts over 50,000 theater seats (more than on Broadway), four times more motel rooms than residents, and scores of restaurants. The "Branson Boom," as it is called, happened virtually overnight. "Branson Postcards" explores how and why the town went from relative obscurity to entertainment mecca and the social and economic implications of such rapid growth for the community and its residents. (Originally produced in 1995; this description is from that broadcast.)

Throughout America, a growing number of communities have selected their own poet laureate. Among the smallest is Three Oaks, Michigan – population 1,800 – located just across the lake from Chicago. Like countless other rural towns, Three Oaks' economy was decimated by farm consolidation and factory shutdowns, but an influx of artists and creative folks has given it new life, and the newcomers are fostering an unlikely, and sometimes cantankerous, rebirth. Long Haul discusses Three Oaks' reinassance with new residents who "came to make something here," and long-time locals who are coming to terms with the changing reality of their hometown. Produced in 2006; this description is from the original broadcast.

The presidential election of 2008 was particularly acrimonious in rural America. At Long Haul, we saw it first-hand in our own neighborhood when a neighbor, who'd had his sign stolen one too many times, encased his Obama for President sign in barbed wire. Thus, this story, produced in 2008.

The River Valley High Mustangs, in the southwest Michigan town of Three Oaks, lost eighteen football games in a row from 2003-2005. But it's not just the number of consecutive games the Mustangs lost, it's how soundly they were beaten. During this stretch, River Valley was outscored by its opponents by a total of 949 to 38, or an average of 53 to two per game. For a stretch of games in 2005, the team went 25 quarters without scoring a single point. Long Haul attended the Mustangs' last game of the 2005 season to see how the team, and their fans, held up under such adversity. Produced in 2005; this description is from the original broadcast.

Usually, the opening of a grocery store in a small North Dakota town wouldn’t get our attention. But in 2007, in New England, ND -- which had been without a grocery store for a year-and-a-half -- it was cause for major celebration. Long Haul has the story of the fall and rise of the ‘New England Community Grocery Store.’

From songs and literature, folklore and fishing, the catfish occupies a special place in American culture. It's also replaced cotton as the number one cash crop in many parts of the Mississippi Delta. Produced in 1994; this description is from that broadcast.

The Roxy, a private nightclub on the main drag in Lockport, Illinois, may be the only one of its kind in the nation. The club's sole clientele are people with serious mental illness. There, customers can socialize, dance, or just hang out without feeling self-conscious. Occasionally the Roxy holds special events; Long Haul spent an evening at the big Valentine's Day Dance, and produced this audio vignette in 2005.

For more than 25 years, Frank Pease was the primary portrait photographer in LaPorte, Indiana - a town of about 20,000 just south of Lake Michigan. Starting in the mid-1940's, Pease took tens of thousands of black and white photos at his Muralcraft Studio: engagement photos, baby pictures, family portraits of the people of LaPorte. Pease kept thousands of uncollected proofs in boxes, and when he died in 1970, they were left to collect dust, until the new owner of the restaurant downstairs purchased the building. Jason Bitner, co-founder of Found Magazine, happened across the photos at B & J's American Cafe; he compiled some of his favorites into a book, titled "LaPorte, Indiana." Long Haul spoke with Bitner, and tracked down some of the subjects of the photos. Together with musician Ted Quinn, who was born in LaPorte but left for California with his parents as a small child, they crafted this story about what's become of the people in these almost-forgotten photos. Produced in 2006.

On January 4, 1988, 63-year-old Emma Gresham became the first black mayor -- the first mayor in a half century -- of Keysville, Georgia, winning the election over her white opponent by ten votes. In the town courthouse, a trailer mounted on cinderblocks, a banner reads "Justice Knows No Boundaries," a constant reminder of both the town's troubled history -- residents live in extreme poverty, with seventy percent still hauling their own water -- and the vision for its future. Emma Gresham serves up a recipe of motivation, education, patience and political action, along with her famous biscuits, to lead this small, mostly African-American Southern town to realize the American dream of a better life. (Produced in 1989; this description is from that broadcast.)

"David Lynch goes into clean neighborhoods and finds the germs and bugs beneath; I go into dirty neighborhoods and find the life." That's how filmmaker Tony Buba describes his twelve documentaries about his hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Buba is the son of Italian immigrants, part of the wave of Europeans who came to America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to work in the steel mills of Braddock and other towns around Pittsburgh. Now the steel industry is almost dead, and Braddock is the prototypical post-industrial "'rust belt" town, a town where a person either lives by his or her wits or lives in poverty. Buba tours through the streets of Braddock, past the old Croatian and Slovak social clubs and through streets, now empty, that once bristled with activity. (Produced in 1992; this description is from that broadcast.)