Sparks of Interest

In this action-packed episode, David and Dennis cover Nevada Day with special guest Lily. Learn about some of the history of the state of Nevada and the annual NV Day Treasure hunt! Do you think some laws are silly? Here are a few of the silliest laws in Nevada to make you scratch your head. And we talk a little about Halloween in 2020.

It’s all about the act of protesting and assembly in this episode of Sparks of Interest. Dave and Dennis cover the legal right to assemble as well as some of statutes of Sparks. A case from the 1800’s has long reaching consequences that even affected us until recently. A look into how boycotting is a form of peaceful protest. And we cover the riots that have occurred in 2020.

In this episode, things take a more lighthearted tone as Dennis and Dave share stories of growing up in Sparks. Hear about some of the changes in the area since they were kids and get to know our hosts a little better. As a real treat, Dennis and Dave share their time in ROTC in high school.

It’s an emotional episode as Dave and Dennis discuss the September 11th attacks in 2001.  We cover the timeline of events just before the attacks as well as our personal experiences in the following days.  As conspiracy theories fly, Dennis gets a little heated talking about them.  The world changed and we share how it has affected travel and security, along with an amusing story from when Dennis worked for an armored car company.  Lastly, the memorial for the victims in New York was going to be canceled this year, tune in to find out what happened!

During these trying times, we often overlook our spiritual needs. Whether you believe in a deity or not, whether you meditate or pray, your spirit is important and needs to be nurtured. David and Dennis speak with Pastor Louie Locke on faith in the Reno/Sparks area and what lessons have helped them in all aspects of life.

It’s that time of year again, the start of school! Dennis and Dave tackle the reopening of schools here in Washoe County amid the pandemic and the trials that await our community. We cover the plan laid out for in-person and distance learning.

It’s all about sports in Nevada in this episode of Sparks of Interest with special guest Nathan Shoup of The Reno Slant. Dave and Dennis dive into the effects the recent pandemic has on college sports, discuss the stadium for the Raiders built in the tiny town of Las Vegas and chat about Nevada’s own professional hockey team.  To round things out, Dave, Dennis, and Nathan share their experiences during the infamous “Miracle at Mackay” Wolfpack game!

Jeff, Dennis, and Dave have successfully taken the Sparks of Interest to episode 50! So to celebrate, we wanted to share some of our experiences and also reveal some news about change!

In this episode, Jeff, Dennis, and David discuss a favorite pastime of theirs: gaming!  Nevada is known for its gambling, but did you know there are a variety of non-gambling options available around the Reno and Sparks area?  Join as they cover the many local, and not quite as local, gaming venues for your enjoyment.

Jeff and Dennis welcome a new member to the Sparks of Interest team. And what better way to celebrate than to pour a round of beers and talk about local brewers. Planning on visiting Sparks and Reno? Maybe these are some places you should visit when you get here!

During the time of deciding if we should be lifting parts of the world wide lockdown, Jeff and Dennis decided it was time for a friendly debate on if we should or not. In this episode, you’ll learn where each one stands and why. 

A lot has happened and been affected by COVID, but one thing that we cannot forget about is how it’s affected education during these times. Jeff and Dennis dive into what their school district is doing and get as far as talking about other online education and what colleges are doing to solve this problem.

Dennis and Jeff are still stuck indoors at this point but that’s ok. But that also means Dennis has been spending a lot of time thinking about the entertainment industry and he gets Jeff involved in a conversation about how the COVID virus has been battling the Entertainment industry.

Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy have worked hard to bring you a seamless conversation, but behind the scenes, there’s nothing but mayhem. This episode covers some of the outtakes from past episodes and seasons. Listen to our bloopers and then enjoy a special never before released episode with a very special guest.

We are stuck at home because of the CoVid-19 virus, and many of you have been too. So we wanted to just talk about our experience since it’s certainly a topic that sparked our interest!

Are you prepared? In this episode Dennis wants you to just take in mind this quick short list of things you need to make sure you have. At the same time, this is for anything that could happen in the world. There are scarier things out there than the Coronavirus right now.

Every town or city, every state, even every country has some form of law enforcement. It’s a tough job and the fact that while people are running away from the situation, these fine men and women are running towards it.

In this special episode, Jeff opens up the flood gates and let’s the team go unplugged and censor free. In the last two years, the team has had a lot to say and a lot of it can’t be aired… or at least shouldn’t. So in this bonus episode, we let our hair down and share our thoughts. There is a lot of swearing and you learn just how un-classy we can be. Listener Discretion is advised as this episode’s content is not suitable for all listeners.

Season 2 has come to a close. Of course so has the 2019 year and the entire decade! So with so much ending the team at Sparks of Interest decided to do a reflection on a lot of things that have happened. There is also a little bit of foreshadowing on what to expect in the coming season 3!

Reno is proud to be a college town and are proud of being the home of the University of Nevada, Reno. You might be thinking about going to college in your home state or elsewhere. Or you may be deciding not to. Regardless, if college was or is on your mind, join us as we talk about our opinions on going to college.

Reno is Art Town! We are proud of all artists here and with such a diverse community of art, we wanted to share some of what we see here and everywhere else with you! We look at local artists and local events, then get into things that we see all over the place.

Some say that reading is becoming a lost art. More so, they say that libraries are a thing of the past now that we have the internet. Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy feel differently and will explain why. From Sparks, Nevada to around the world, libraries are still important to our society.

The team decided to do an episode on veterans even though it isn’t released on Veteran’s Day because they felt you don’t need just one day to appreciate the fine men and women who have served our country.

Do you understand what a Trust is? Can you tell the difference between a will and a trust? Well we sure couldn’t so we decided to bring in an expert. Cindy Armentrout Esq. joined the team in this episode to educate us and you on what a trust is as well as answer some commonly asked questions and myths.

There is a goal in our community to start reducing fatalities to a rate of zero. How are we going to do that? How can your community do that? In this episode Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy introduce to you a program that the City of Sparks is getting involved in called Vision Zero. Learn how it can help us and help you too!

Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers, and Millennials. Three generations and three levels of understanding in finances. But as we hear news about a new recession, do you know what that means? And do you know how to prepare your investments? We cover a lot of it in this episode so if Finances spark your interest but you don’t know what it is, then this episode will benefit you in some way.

Does your community have a Parks and Recs program? Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy decided to talk about the Parks and Recs program in the City of Sparks and want to share with you some of the things that you could benefit if you had something similar in your are

Jeff and Dennis get to dive into the abuse with modern smart technology. Joined by a very special guest, this episode will either educate you on smart homes and devices or only just make you want them less.

Do you have a hero in your life? What even defines a hero? The trio share their personal thoughts on the topic of heroes in one’s life and how to even recognize a real hero.

We’ve all done it, worked harder not smarter. So when it’s time to make your life a little easier, we try to hack it. Some things work great, others are just horrible ideas. Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy talk about just that. Listen in and let our life hacks change your life!

Do you support local businesses in your area? The Sparks of Interest Team sure does! Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy team up once again but along with special guest Dave Asher head of Buy Nevada First. Listen in and see why buying local is so important to where you live.

We talked about food in the Reno/Sparks area, but now it’s time to entice you, the listener, to check out some of the other fun stuff in our area when you aren’t eating. Fun for all ages can be found here and we highlight some places we feel you should check out!

Are you hungry? We dive into the best topic that sparked our interest. Food Trucks and some, just some, of our favorite restaurants.  So if you aren’t a local to the Reno/Sparks area, you will need to listen to this episode before you come and visit! Or else, you’ll go hungry.area, you will need to listen to this episode before you come and visit! Or

To celebrate our 25th episode we invited the hosts from the podcast, "Ghosts, or Whatever" to join us! Join Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy as we dive into what makes Ghosts, or Whatever tick. Ghosts, or Whatever is hosted by Cassandra, Charlie, and Brodie. We hope you enjoy! The hosts of Ghosts, or Whatever are: Cassandra Placious Charlie Chappell Brodie Roman You can find them on Facebook and find other links on how to find them: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsorwhatever/  

There are 50,000 children yearly who are adopted but there are more than that who need a family. This episode centers on Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy learning about adopting a child and what you can expect if you want to adopt yourself.

Nevada is well known for being a great place to get married, so let’s talk about getting hitched! This episode is all about getting married, being married, and how to survive it all!

Peggy takes the reigns again and helps educate the team and our listeners about pet adoptions in the community. How to go about doing it, what to expect, and Tips on integrating new pets into the family.

Are you ready to take control of your finances? Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy tackle the topic of controlling your finances, not letting your finances control you. There’s a lot of information in this one and a lot for your to think about.

In this episode Sparks of Interest talks about a topic every community suffers from, Drug Addictions and the use of Opioids. What it is, How it effects people, and Where you can go for help. The Trio are joined by Don from Wisconsin who tells a little bit about his struggles.

Do you like to run, walk, or crawl for a cause? Here in the Reno/Sparks area, Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy recognize there are sooo many different events throughout the year. Who knows, maybe you have something similar?

In this second part of a two part episode about keeping things green, Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy talk about recycling and cleaning up the place. In an effort to educate the community about how recycling works, this episode makes going green, be fun!

The trio, Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy, take on the first of a two part episode on what options there are in turning the community Green! In this episode they discuss renewable energy in all it’s clean glory. Take it all in and decide on what you think your community should do to keep our planet a cleaner place to live.

Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy finally tackle the long awaited topics regarding roads, mass transit, and infrastructure. They also finally have the highly anticipated answers regarding speeding and lay down some of their own facts and opinions that sparked their interest about that topic and much more.

It's the beginning of the new year and the team at Sparks of Interest wanted to start it off right with some advice on how you can stay healthy for yourself and how to maybe even save the lives of others. Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy are going to kick the new season off right, and you will enjoy the conversation!

Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy have enlightened you through the rest of 2018 and are taking one last opportunity to reflect on this year.  Plus they dive into some behind the scenes of the podcast, updates from previous episodes, and talk about what’s to come next season.

Volunteering and being involved in the community is important for Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy.  In fact so important that they are dedicating a whole episode to talk about local non-profits that make an impact in their community.  There’s a wide diversity of organizations and the ones mentioned in this episode are only the tip of the iceberg. Check out our show notes for a list of more local and nationwide nonprofits!

With the help of special guest Mary Webber, Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy tackle some common questions, myths, and up to date information about Marijuana in Nevada.  They cover some need to know info about the benefits of medical marijuana and what you need to know about having it in your community. You can also follow along with the show notes by going to: https://sparksofinterest.net/episodes/marijuana-in-nevada-012/

Jeff asks Dennis and Peggy to talk about some of the good, bad, and ugly when it comes to the holidays in their life. They share some family traditions during the holiday as well as favorite recipes. Joined by family and pets in the background, it’s sure to be a good, raw conversation, and a fun time for all!

Jeff and Dennis discuss a topic that may be hard for some to listen to, but is important regardless. Depression in our community is real and is not something you should ignore.  This goes for both those suffering depression or those who know of someone suffering depression. We also stress that if you or a loved one is at risk of suicide, please also call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

With the help of Dennis and Peggy, Jeff lays it all out when it comes to ways on protecting yourself and your identity online in this second of a two part episode discussing how you can protect yourself.  You can never be too careful and this episode covers some different ways to provide extra security when online. The trio then covers some phone and internet scams and shares an interesting discovery made by Jeff’s friend, Ashton Bingham over at Trilogy Media.

In this first of two episodes about protecting yourself, Jeff, Dennis, and Peggy introduce their first special co-host, 10th degree black belt Joseph Walker.  Joey helps us learn how we can better protect ourselves in the event of an active shooter as well as what we can do to feel safer when out on the streets and enjoying our day-to-day lives.