Podcasts about decatur street

This hour, Scoot talks about men on Decatur Street yelling racist comments and making Nazi salutes, which leads to a deep conversation about racism.

On today's show, Scoot is joined by Michael Adams, Provost Professor of English, Indiana University in Bloomington & Author of "In Praise of Profanity," to talk about the use of profanity in art, entertainment, and expression.   Also, Scoot talks about the 50th anniversary of Parran's Poboys, the men on Decatur Street yelling racist comments and making Nazi salutes, and white supremacist groups that have started underground fight clubs to teach fitness and racism.

THE MAN IN THE RED BERET, 104min., USA Directed by Derek Bridges Chess Master Jude Acers has set up his “World Chess Table” on Decatur Street in the New Orleans French Quarter since 1981, where he continues to play all comers for $5 a game. This is his story. http://judeacers.com/ https://instagram.com/themanintheredberet/ Get to know the filmmakers: I wanted to learn how to make a movie, and I'd already written a long article about Jude Acers and I knew he would be a great subject for a documentary. And I was inclined to make a documentary rather other genres because it's perhaps the most forgiving genre when it comes to technical proficiency, which seemed important since I didn't know what I was doing. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it's only $3.99 per month. Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/ https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Christiana Martin wants to know how much short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, are exacerbating Vermont's housing crisis. We survey the data, and visit two Vermont neighborhoods — Decatur Street in Burlington and Gorham Drive in Kirby — to find out how communities across the state are responding to a growing industry.Thanks to Christiana for the great question. To explore the data from this episode, and see photos from Josh's reporting, check out our web feature.Josh Crane reported and produced this episode, and did the mix and sound design. Editing and additional production from the rest of the Brave Little State team: Angela Evancie, Myra Flynn and Mae Nagusky. Data guidance from April McCullum. Ty Gibbons composed our theme music; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.Special thanks to Howard Weiss-Tisman, Jacob Mushlin, Amy Ash Nixon, Madeleine Parkin and Jade Tinsley.As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it:Ask a question about VermontVote on the question you want us to tackle nextSign up for the BLS newsletterSay hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevtDrop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.orgCall our BLS hotline: 802-552-4880Make a gift to support people-powered journalismTell your friends about the show!Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public, and a proud member of the NPR Network.

511. Part 1 of our interview with Danielle Romero about her documentary, Finding Lola. Danielle lives in Nashville, Tenn., but has deep roots in Natchitoches Parish. A filmmaker, she is documenting the search for her great-grandmother, Lola Perot, who passed away before Romero was born. “She left the Natchitoches area of Louisiana in the 1930s and changed her name and race to hide her identity and attempted to pass as white in New York where I was born,” Romero said. Romero said when Perot left Louisiana with her Irish husband, John Donnelly, and moved to New York, she taught her children, including Romero's grandmother, that they were French and Irish. Romero made her first visit to this area in 2021 to find family and truth. “Where did Lola's family come from? What was she hiding, and why? It was time to find Lola, and myself. I've spent months interviewing elders and cousins and I am excited to share the journey of the complexity of Louisiana heritage — both in the past and today.” This week in Louisiana history. March 3, 1820. Slavery outlawed within the Louisiana Purchase territory north of 36°30' latitude (northern border of Arkansas.) This week in New Orleans history. The Washington Post printed on March 3, 1909, "The news comes from Louisiana that large areas of that State heretofore devoted to the growing of cotton will be planted to cane, because the boll weevil has wrought such havoc on the former crop. If this pest shall be the occasion of a diversity of farm crops at the South his presence in the cotton field will not prove an unmixed evil." This week in Louisiana. Women's Symposium Bayou Pointe Event Center 100 Warhawk Way, Monroe, LA 71209 As part of ULM's celebration of Woman's History Month, the Women's Symposium - in a panelist/moderator format - discusses issues women face every day: networking, inclusion, leadership, professionalism, and financial growth. What: Women's Symposium When:  Wednesday, March 14, 2023 Time: 12pm-4:30pm. Networking Social to immediately follow (4:30-6:30). Purchase Tickets Here: EARLY BIRD (Before February 16th): Students- free. Faculty/Staff- $20. Community- $35 February 16th and after: Students- free; Faculty/Staff- $25; Community- $40 2023 Early Bird (Through 2/16/23) Students- Free (all) Faculty/ Staff- $25 Community- $40 Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to twins singing a duet on Decatur Street in front of St. Louis Cathedral.Listen on Google Play. Listen on Google Podcasts.Listen on Spotify.Listen on Stitcher.Listen on TuneIn.The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.Like us on Facebook. 

Sherry Rosen had a feeling something bad would happen when she spotted five kids playing by the bank of Ellison Lake Wednesday evening. As she left for dinner around 5 p.m., Rosen called Kennesaw police after she saw one of the teenagers had walked onto the ice at the edge of the lake. When she got back home at 7 PM she saw dozens of fire trucks and police cars, and knew her worst fears had come true. Two 16-year-olds had fallen through the ice in the lake. While rescue personnel were able to successfully save one teen, the other died, Cobb Fire confirmed Thursday. According to Officer David Buchanan, a Kennesaw Police Department spokesperson, officers were dispatched to the scene around 5:09 p.m. Wednesday, arriving at approximately 5:20 p.m. Kennesaw police and Cobb County police were able to rescue one of the teens from the water before Cobb County Fire arrived, according to the fire department. But the second teen was not located and pulled from the water until approximately 6:50 p.m. Rescuers attempted to resuscitate on the bank of the lake before transporting him to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Four rescue personnel were treated for cold exposure, Cobb Fire said, and have been released from medical care. Surface water temperatures at Ellison Lake were recorded as low as 28 degrees, and rescuers were in the water for up to an hour and 20 minutes, according to Cobb Fire. One rescuer was taken to the hospital for hypothermia treatment, and another suffered abrasions during rescue efforts. Sheltering Grace Ministry, a nonprofit which provides services to pregnant mothers experiencing homelessness, is relocating its headquarters to Cobb County. The group announced this week it has sold its East Point location and will soon welcome clients to a new office on Franklin Gateway. An open house for the office is scheduled for next month. In operation for the last 16 years, Sheltering Grace Ministry says its aim is to provide shelter and support for homeless pregnant women, including life skills training to help women emerge from poverty. The organization is currently in the process of obtaining a new property where it can build a series of small homes to house expecting mothers, per a news release. Currently, Sheltering Grace Ministry has six staff and board members along with a team of volunteers. The open house at the new Marietta location will be held from 12 to 6 p.m. on January 16, at 1180 Franklin Gateway, Suite 100, near Delk Road. Most bills the General Assembly passes each year take effect on July 1. But a smattering of new laws enacted during the 2022 legislative session will kick in this Sunday, Jan. 1, including a bill making it easier for food trucks to do business and several new or expanded tax credits. The food truck legislation does away with a current requirement in Georgia law that food truck operators obtain a permit and inspection in every county where they do business. While the tax credit bills technically became effective last summer, they don't really become reality until New Year's Day, the beginning of the tax year. Three of the measures create new income tax credits. House Bill 424 will provide a tax credit to Georgia taxpayers who contribute to nonprofit organizations that help foster children about to age out of the foster care system. More than 700 young men and women age out of the system each year. Senate Bill 361, which was championed by Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, will provide a dollar-for-dollar income tax credit on contributions to public safety initiatives in the taxpayer's community. Law enforcement agencies will be able to use the money for police officer salary supplements, to purchase or maintain department equipment and/or to establish or maintain a co-responder program.  Senate Bill 87, the Jack Hill Veterans' Act, honors the late state Sen. Jack Hill of Reidsville, who died in 2020. It provides income tax credits in exchange for contributions to scholarships for service-disabled veterans through the Technical College System of Georgia Foundation. Another bill that will take effect on Sunday, Senate Bill 332, also known as the Inform Consumers Act, is aimed at preventing criminals from selling goods stolen from retail stores on any online marketing platform. It establishes financial and contact information requirements for high-volume sellers to online marketplaces and requires such platforms to establish an option for consumers to report suspicious activity. Pebblebrook High School's marching band is in New Orleans for one of college football's marquee matchups this weekend. The Mighty Marching Machine is one of the bands invited to play the Sugar Bowl contest between Alabama and Kansas State. Led by Director Eulas Kirtdoll, the band is performing in both the parade and game Saturday afternoon. The band reported on Facebook Thursday they'd loaded up their buses before dawn (call time was 4 a.m.) to make the trek down south. Later that day, they said they'd arrived safely in the Big Easy and were gearing up for Saturday's showcase after performing at Jackson Square downtown. After fundraising for months in the lead-up to the weekend, the band was helped along by a $15,000 donation from Atlanta's Witherite Law Group. This isn't the school's first rodeo on the national stage. In 2018, the band trekked to Chicago to perform in the city's Thanksgiving parade. The parade was yesterday, processing down Decatur Street along New Orleans' French Quarter and ending at Canal Street. The Sugar Bowl, meanwhile, will kick off at noon today and will be broadcasted on ESPN.   A procession of cars snaked down Ben King Road in Kennesaw Wednesday night as dozens of families came to revel in holiday lights. With hundreds of thousands of lights twinkling in the darkness, Lights of Joy remains one of Cobb's best light shows — including a tunnel of lights for holiday photo-ops. Lights of Joy can be found at 1510 Ben King Road and has been open every night from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m., with free admission. Its final night will be January 1, New Year's Day.   Amani Johnson scored 15 points to break the Kennesaw State Division I career scoring record as the Owls raced past Coastal Georgia 109-53 on Thursday at the KSU Convocation Center. Johnson, who broke the mark previously held by Alexis Poole, finished with her first double-double of the season, also dishing out a career-high 13 assists. The Owls also set a program record for points as six players finished the night in double-digits. Jah'Che Whitfield had a game-high 19 points, Bre'Lyn Snipes scored a career-best 16 points, Lyndsey Whilby and Keyarah Berry chipped in 11 points each and Stacie Jones added 10. The Owls will be back in action Monday as they face the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels. #CobbCounty #Georgia #LocalNews      -            -            -            -            -            The Marietta Daily Journal Podcast is local news for Marietta, Kennesaw, Smyrna, and all of Cobb County.             Subscribe today, so you don't miss an episode! MDJOnline            Register Here for your essential digital news.            https://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/  https://cuofga.org/ https://www.esogrepair.com/ https://www.drakerealty.com/           Find additional episodes of the MDJ Podcast here.             This Podcast was produced and published for the Marietta Daily Journal and MDJ Online by BG Ad Group   For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com                      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top Stories: -BREAKING NEWS: KCSO made an arrest regarding a deadly armed robbery at Gravity Tobacco -COURT WATCH: New information about last month's double homicide on Decatur Street-17's FOLLOW UP FILE: A vigil was held outside Sam's Market in Lamont, to remember the victims of a shooting four years ago

Top Stories:-Police are investigating a homicide in south-central Bakersfield-A fire erupted at the Trout's building on North Chester Avenue, near Decatur Street, in Oildale overnight-Police in Pittsburgh say 2 juveniles were killed and at least 11 others injured during a mass shooting yesterday during a party at an air BNB, where as many as 200 people had gathered

Kass and I went to New Orleans together when we were dating. It was achingly romantic and magical. We stayed at The Frenchman right on the southeast tip of The French Quarter. We befriended a bartender at a place called The Abbey on Decatur Street who had recovered from a stroke brought on by alcoholism. We called him "Strokey." That feels like a very New Orleansy thing. I had proposed to her soon enough after this. The band passed on this song for EUTAW STREET too! Harrumph. So this is "micro" in the parlance of the album SOCIETY FRINGE PLAYER.

Today in botanical history, we celebrate the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, an English botanist and a Patron Saint of gardeners. We'll hear an excerpt from a book by Tim Robbins featuring September in Louisiana. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that inspires us to make plants feel right at home in our homes. And then we'll wrap things up with a milestone moment in the history of Australia - the stunning loss of the Garden Palace that happened on this day 139 years ago today.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Curated News 2022 Garden Trends Report: From Crisis to Innovation | Garden Media Group    Important Events September 22, 1694  Birth of Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, English statesman and writer. He's remembered for his letters to his son and other notable people of his day. He once advised his son, l recommend you to take care of the minutes, for hours will take care of themselves… Yale University has Chesterfield's note containing the words to On a Lady Stung By a Bee.   To heal a wound a bee had made  Upon my Chloe's face, It's honey to the part she laid, And bade me kiss the place. Pleased, I obeyed, and from the wound Suck'd both the sweet and smart ; The honey on my lips I found, The sting within my heart.   September 22, 1800  Birth of George Bentham, English botanist, writer, and teacher. He was going to be an attorney but pursued botany after living in the country. His thinking was preserved in a diary, which he kept for over fifty years. George once wrote, I decided that my means were sufficient to enable me to devote myself to botany, a determination which I never…. [had] any reason to [regret]. George's longest professional friendship was with the botanist John Stuart Mills who had lived with the Bentham family as a teenager. A pragmatist, George finished his Flora of the British Islands by writing every morning before breakfast. He purposely used simple language so that his book could reach a wider audience. George wanted everyone to see fundamental differences in plants. The useful way he classified plants laid the foundation for modern taxonomy. Later in his career, George co-authored the three-volume Genera Plantarum with Sir Joseph Hooker. The "Bentham & Hooker system" was widely used and made plant classification easier. George also worked with Ferdinand Mueller to create an impressive nineteen-volume flora of Australia. In 1830, George discovered Opal Basil (purple) which is prized for its flavor and color. But the plant George is most associated with is an Australian sister plant to tobacco, Nicotiana benthamiana. The plant was named in his honor and is used to create vaccines for the Ebola virus and the coronavirus. George died two weeks shy of his 84th birthday.   September 22nd   Today is the Feast Day of Phocas the Gardener, a Turkish innkeeper and gardener who lived during the third century. A protector of persecuted Christians, Phocas grew crops in his garden to help feed the poor. His garden aided him in living his most-remembered virtues: hospitality and generosity. When Roman soldiers arrived in his village, Phocas offered them lodging and a homemade meal using the bounty of his garden. As they talked, Phocas realized they had come for him. While the soldiers slept, Phocas went out to the garden to dig his own grave and pray for the soldiers. In the morning, Phocas revealed his identity to the soldiers who reluctantly killed him. Although gardening can be a solitary activity, Phocas illustrated how gardens create connection and community. Phocas is the Patron Saint of flower and ornamental gardens,  farmers, field hands, and market gardeners.   Unearthed Words Louisiana in September was like an obscene phone call from nature. The air--moist, sultry, secretive, and far from fresh--felt as if it were being exhaled into one's face. Sometimes it even sounded like heavy breathing. Honeysuckle, swamp flowers, magnolia, and the mystery smell of the river scented the atmosphere, amplifying the intrusion of organic sleaze. It was aphrodisiac and repressive, soft and violent at the same time. In New Orleans, in the French Quarter, miles from the barking lungs of alligators, the air maintained this quality of breath, although here it acquired a tinge of metallic halitosis, due to fumes expelled by tourist buses, trucks delivering Dixie beer, and, on Decatur Street, a mass-transit motor coach named Desire. ― Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume   Grow That Garden Library Wild Interiors by Hilton Carter This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is Beautiful plants in beautiful spaces. And this book has one of my favorite covers ever! So hats off to the book designer who came up with that incredible cover. Hilton is a plant stylist, a plant whisperer, and a plant coach, and all of that comes into play in this inspiring book of home interiors that are full of life, style, balance, health, and of course, plants. Carter is a master of greenery, and his approach to creating a welcoming room is making your plants feel right at home. Carter uses his book to take us on a tour of a dozen different homes that all feature their own unique ways of incorporating plants into their interiors and design. Each space is thoughtfully laid out, super comfortable, and beautiful. This book is 224 pages of plants at home in the home - and what a welcome addition for each of us to make. Lots of plant styling inspo in this book! You can get a copy of Wild Interiors by Hilton Carter and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $17   Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart September 22, 1882  On this day, at 5:40 am, the iconic Garden Palace in the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney was destroyed in a fire that consumed the entire fourteen-hectare structure in forty minutes. The flames could be seen for twenty miles. Modeled after the Crystal Palace but constructed primarily with timber, The Garden Palace was built at a record pace and completed in just over eight months for the Sydney International Exhibition in 1879. It dominated Sydney's skyline for only three years. In its glory, a statue of the Queen stood beneath the palace dome made of thirty-six stained-glass windows. After the Exhibition closed, the Garden Palace was unfortunately used to store important records (including the 1881 census) and countless irreplaceable Indigenous artifacts. The cause of the fire has never been established. At the time of the fire, a French artist named Lucien Henry captured the fire on canvas. His assistant, George Hippolyte Aurousseau, recalled the moment in a 1912 edition of the Technical Gazette: Mister Henry went out onto the balcony and watched until the Great Dome toppled in; it was then early morning; he went back to his studio procured a canvas, sat down, and painted the whole scene in a most realistic manner, showing the fig trees in the Domain, the flames rising through the towers, the dome falling in and the reflected light of the flames all around. Today the Pioneer Memorial Garden rests on the site where the dome would have been. Built in 1938, the garden commemorated the 150th anniversary of European settlement in Australia.   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

One of New Orleans' greatest treasures are the legacy businesses that have kept locals wined and dined for generations. On this week's show, we learn about two institutions that share both an area code and the devotion of family required to keep a legacy going. We begin with Deirdre Barrow Johnson and her husband Kenneth Johnson Jr. of Barrow's Catfish. Deirdre is the third generation of the family that opened Barrow's Shady Inn, one of the longest-running Black-owned restaurants in the city. We hear the story of their family's legacy – one that began with a fried catfish sandwich sold from Deirdre's grandfather's barroom door. Then, we explore what it takes to move a landmark, when Tujague's Restaurant opens their doors to us at their new location, just five blocks down Decatur Street from where Tujague's called home since 1914. How do you move a historic landmark while retaining 165 years of charm and tradition? Owner Mark Latter shows us what he's been doing to make the change as seamless as possible, while taking the opportunity to revitalize the family business for a new generation of diners. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

One of New Orleans' greatest treasures are the legacy businesses that have kept locals wined and dined for generations. On this week's show, we learn about two institutions that share both an area code and the devotion of family required to keep a legacy going. We begin with Deirdre Barrow Johnson and her husband Kenneth Johnson Jr. of Barrow’s Catfish. Deirdre is the third generation of the family that opened Barrow’s Shady Inn, one of the longest-running Black-owned restaurants in the city. We hear the story of their family's legacy – one that began with a fried catfish sandwich sold from Deirdre's grandfather’s barroom door. Then, we explore what it takes to move a landmark, when Tujague’s Restaurant opens their doors to us at their new location, just five blocks down Decatur Street from where Tujague’s called home since 1914. How do you move a historic landmark while retaining 165 years of charm and tradition? Owner Mark Latter shows us what he's been doing to make the change as seamless as possible, while taking the opportunity to revitalize the family business for a new generation of diners. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Author Iris Cohen stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk with Brad about her latest novel, Last Call on Decatur Street. But, good people, she is the embodiment of GenX, punk rock, DIY writers and she's carved quite a path through the world! She grew up in the French Quarter, a place with almost no children but surrounded adults content with putting building an art scene. She dropped out of high school and college before she was 17. And she co-founded The Accompanied Library, a storied literary salon in New York City. All before getting her M.F.A. and becoming a novelist! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All countries matter and today ain't shit if you're BOYS. We took a little break because the time didn't feel right for our brand of irreverent comedy but we are back with a classic episode from the lost first season. This very unique episode shows you a day in the life of the essential worker. Come feel what it's like to be a real American hero.

The podcast event too big for one episode, BOYS XXX is finally here. In Phase One, we are reopening at 25% capacity with 100% of the laughs. What is everyone's favorite KoRn album? What is there to do on Frenchman Street? Has Mike actually become an iPhone? What's it like to eat horrible Italian food on Decatur Street during a pandemic? Are all 5 foot 9 Scorpios actual living monsters? How did Barbie meet Ken and how far apart in age were they when it happened? The big questions get answered once again so tune in!

This week, I'm interviewing local entrepreneur, author and friend, Akila McConnell. We're talking about Atlanta’s early cooking and restaurant history and this episode is packed with incredible stories you've never heard before. From Native American cooking techniques, the first food vendors, the first restaurants to our love of Decatur Street and how immigrants have always shaped Atlanta's food scene.    https://unexpectedatlanta.com/   Book: https://www.amazon.com/Culinary-History-Atlanta-American-Palate-ebook/dp/B07RN1D5ZT   Speaking Event: https://dekalbhistory.org/programs/lunch-learn-atlanta-african-american-culinary-history/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unexpectedATL/       Enjoying the podcast? Visit: www.patreon.com/archiveatlanta www.archiveatlantapodcast.com/ Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com FB: www.facebook.com/archiveatlanta IG: www.instagram.com/archiveatlanta T: www.twitter.com/ArchiveAtlanta

A history of a history of west OlympiaMusic in this episode:Frog In The Well by Lucas Gonze used with Creative Commons licensePaper Crowns by Ditrani Brothers used with permission.Sleep by Ronny Tana courtesy of 2060 recordsSwing Gitan by Ditrani Brothers used with permission.Feathersoft by Blue Dot sessions The following is a full transcript of this episode:Rob Smith: One thing I know about the last name Smith, is that it makes you hard to find. I've always seen this as a benefit, but now I'm trying to find a random Smith. Larry Smith. I've been thinking about this guy for several months now. Ever since I learned he helped write a book that's long been out of print. I found a copy of this book on eBay, bought it for $25. It's called How the West Was once a history of West Olympia.On phone: Hey, my name is Rob Smith, and I'm calling for a Larry Smith who used to be a English teacher in Olympia at Jefferson junior high school. And I have no idea if this is the right Larry Smith, but he wrote a book called With some students and I wanted to talk to him about that book that he wrote. So, if that's you, Larry, if you're the Larry Smith..Rob: Here's what I know. Larry Smith was an English teacher at Jefferson Middle School in West Olympia. In 1974, his last year teaching at that school, he assigned his eighth graders a collective writing project. How the West Was Once is the product of that assignment. On the phone: Hey, my name is Rob Smith. I'm calling for a Larry..Rob: The book is small. I'm holding it here it's about eight by five, and just under 100 pages, black and white. My copy has this blue binding material holding it together. The cover's yellowing and only slightly thicker than the books pages. It's clear it was made on a budget. And yet it's well done. Those hundred pages are full of accounts of life on Olympia's West Side, from the mid 19th to mid 20th century. It's not definitive by any means. Some of the stories read a little like legends, and there's a few cringy passages. But the book adds real personal color to the history of West Olympia, a place I learned, once known as Marshville. Ever since I got my hands on this book, I've been thinking about the people who wrote it. I wanted to talk to them. What sort of teacher takes on a project like this? A lot of what I like to do with my audio work is record stories of older people. I see it kind of like time traveling, or preservation at least, it struck me that that's exactly what this project was doing. 45 years ago, in book form.I pay for this service that I use to look people up. It's kind of amazing. You can get phone numbers, addresses, email addresses. The problem is there's a lot of false positives, old numbers, dormant email addresses. Most of the time, you're just reaching out to the wrong person all together. So I went to Jefferson Middle School, the place where this book was written over 45 years. ago, I talked to the principal. He'd never heard of the book. The one who worked there the longest, a woman at the front desk, said she must have just missed Larry Smith. She started in the late 70s. I was told to go see the librarian. She knew the book, had a personal copy herself, but didn't know what had happened to the teacher who orchestrated it. I called the district offices, talk to someone in archives. They had nothing. So I decided to go back to the book, knowing i'd have better luck finding one of the couple dozen students listed in the credits. The first page is a list of names. And at the top of the alphabetized list is Rick Aarts. AARTS. I looked him up, called him, left a message. He called me right back! Rick was great. We talked a while about the book. and what he remembered about his teacher. He said Smith left an impression Only had good things to say about him. I asked him if he knew what had happened to Mr. Smith. Rick remembered something about California. Maybe he moved there for health reasons. He couldn't remember. Rick didn't want to talk on tape, said he'd be a lousy interview. I disagreed. But he gave me another name. So I stopped bugging him.Ray Houser just turned 60 he was one of the eighth graders that put together How the West Was Once Ray Houser: I lived on Decatur Street, which was probably a block and a half from the elementary school, and maybe 8-10 blocks to the junior high. Walked to school pretty much my whole life - typically with my buddy Bruce and Rick and, you know, we built these and developed these relationships and it was back in an era where you could ride your bike anywhere you wanted and you coiuld stay out late at night and we'd go to the park and... It was a little Mayberry.Rob: Bella biagio was also a student of Larry Smith.Bella Biagio: I was considered basically, maybe the class clown. Just because I am who I am and I continued. (laughing) I just you know, I'm, you know constantly.. things make me laugh and everything's comedic to me. So sometimes that got me in trouble.Rob: Ray and Bella both remember Larry Smith as an exceptional teacher. Bella, who as an adult would be diagnosed with ADD found relief in his class.Bella: He was one of the people... if anybody, you know, you didn't think you were done. He... you know what I mean? I f you had that in your mind, that was completely eliminated when you were in his class.Ray: What was unique about Larry was, he was a younger teacher back then, and I was a younger student back then - and he really took a genuine interest in his students and knew something about his students and And genuinely cared about his his kids. Rob: I interviewed Ray and Bella separately on separate days,Bella: Even though I am who I am, and I have this personality and everything. I also am very insular and somewhat shy,Rob: But they both landed on the same word to sum up their eighth grade English teacher 45 years later.Bella: But he just, you know, he was able to like, just take you and just make you feel really safe. I think that's a very good word for him.Ray: It was safe, it was safe physically, it was safe intellectually, and it was safe emotionally.Rob: Obviously, many of their memories have faded. But this feeling of safety has stuck with them all these years. Other memories have stuck around as well.Bella: He had a very distinct smile, a very distinct nose. It's it's weird that I remember this. Like I remember some of the clothing he wore. Like he would wear shirts with the little tie maybe, sports jacket maybe, a sweater or something but he was just always so like... Look he's so cool! And just just like little, the twinkle in the eye and the smile and lanky, sort of tall guy and his wife was beautiful.Rob: Larry's beautiful wife was another clue I had. I knew her name was Nikki. I'd left about a dozen messages for people I thought might be Larry, but none of the contacts had a Nicki associated with them. Then finally, one night as I was making dinner, the phone rang. The caller ID said Smith, Larry. I answered. An old voice told me that he was indeed Larry Smith. And he really wished he was the Larry Smith I was looking for.That night in kind of a fit of desperation. I just googled something like Larry Smith, English professor, California. And as you'd expect, I got a lot of hits. But I found this one in LA, a teacher, an English professor at LA City College. I clicked on his rate my professor page - years and years of glowing reviews. I knew it was a long shot - I mean, Larry must be retired by now. But I emailed this professor and went to bed. The next morning I had a new email. I hit record on my cell phone just before opening it.Rob reading email: ...and just based on the subject line, I think I might have found him… Ha. Cool. "Rob, haha, you hit the jackpot since I’ve never had been on Facebook or MySpace. I'd assume I'd be hard to trace. After Olympia. My wife and I moved to San Jose for four years. On to Coos Bay, Oregon for 16 at a high school, with two in the middle to work in Papua New Guinea to give our three kids a true cultural experience. Paso Robles, California for six, California Youth authority prison, then down to LA area in 2000. Where I continued with high school and adjuncted at several colleges. Now I'm in my fiftieth year with no plan on retiring…. Phone message:Thank you for calling the Whittier Union High School District. Please listen closely to the following options as our menu has changed. Para Espanol oprima a nemero 8. If you are calling from a touch tone telephone and... # Wait while I transfer your call…Larry Smith:Hey, morning, Rob.Rob on phone: Hey, Larry. How you doing?Larry: Good. Great. Hey, let me go grab Patty. She had a she had an event and so she's around here somewhere. She's the one with a phone.Rob I got ahold of Larry Smith in his classroom. He recorded his end on a colleague's cell phone. Larry: Okay, we're on.Rob on phone: Okay, well, um, can you just start, Larry, by introducing yourself, and maybe where you are right now?Larry:Yeah, my name is Larry Smith. I'm a teacher. This is my 50th year. So I've been teaching starting in Olympia, Washington and now I am in Whittier, California teaching at an alternative high school, and Los Angeles City College and living in Pasadena.Rob: Larry grew up near Seattle. It's where he expected to start his teaching career after graduating from Seattle Pacific University. But he finished school during a big recession.Larry: Nobody was hiring. And so I just started going further and further south until I finally found a district that did have an opening and I found the first one in Olympia. And so I had literally never stopped in Olympia. I'd never been on the Capitol grounds. West Olympia, I had no idea what that was. So the first time I really saw where I was going to be living was for my job interview and ended up really enjoying the area, rented a house. It was on Plymouth Street, a two story house in West Olympia for $65 a month! That's how bad the house was and how the economy was in those days.Rob: Jefferson junior high, it was a junior high then not a middle school, wasn't in great shape either. Larry says./Rob: It was pretty rundown, actually, you know, there was like three trees on the whole property. In fact, I think my second year there, we did a big project where we got a bunch of trees donated and the kids planted them along the front of the school and on the side. And I believe if you drive by Jefferson today and see any fairly large trees along the front, they were planted by my eighth graders that year.Rob: I asked Larry what he did for fun. Like, did he go downtown?Larry: No, I didn't. Downtown, my goodness? No, that's where the Washington and Reeves kids hung out. And I wouldn't dare do that. No I was pretty much Westside. I mean, You know, I would eat probably three times a week at Bob's Burgers, which was right across the street from Egan's drive in, which had the worst worst ice cream in the history of humanity, which was so grainy that it would literally sand your teeth down and would go to Peterson's Food Town to buy my food. And then went to church at a little church actually was built during probably my second or third year there, Westwood Baptist Church.Rob: He still had friends and family up north. He'd visit them on the weekends.Larry: So I would jump in my Volkswagen bus, hippie mobile and drive into Seattle and then come back on Sunday for church and then, you know, kind of that was sort of the ritual but yeah it was pretty much West Olympia. Rob: Larry started teaching here in Olympia at 22. closer in age to his students than to their parents. Far from home for the first time, he just folded himself into the west side community. Larry: It was just pure fun. You know, and as a bachelor first year teacher I mean I lived right in the middle of where all my students lived and you know, my door didn't have a, my house didn't even have a lock and I would come home from school and five kids would just be hanging out in the living room and I would be invited to dinner all the time. And, I mean, it was just really a big family thing.Rob: The Bachelor days were short lived. In his third year teaching, Larry magically reconnected as he puts it, with a woman he was engaged to years before at SPU. Within three weeks, the two were married. over winter break, Nikki resigned from her teaching position in Santa Cruz.Larry: And then she moved up and shivered for a year and a half before she talked me into moving south.Rob: It was Larry Smith's last year teaching in Olympia that How the West Was once was written.Larry: I knew it was going to be my final year. I just wanted to try something really unique. And I just happened to be really blessed by an incredible group of kids and wanted to do more than just daily and weekly assignments. And so we just took on this virtually a year long project. Ray:He explained it to us and said that we're going to, we're going to write a book as a class and it's like, oh, okay, well, what does that mean?Rob: They had to decide what to write a book about.Larry: We listed all the possibilities, and I remember one of them was all the uses of ivy. But that didn't seem like a book that would really sell and might have been a parent came up with the idea that we should do a history of the local area because West Olympia is really a distinct geographical region from the rest of the city.Rob: Larry says the first topic was wild John Tourneau, a mass murdering man of the woods that one of his students had told him about. A story he'd passed off as legend. Larry: We looked it up. And sure enough, this guy was a real person who was killed in a gun battle. And so he became sort of our first story and then it just took off. Ray: Everybody in the class got assigned different, different jobs, editors, interviewers, researchers, etc. And we kinda launched into this giant project.Larry: Different kids got more involved. Some of them were involved in every single aspect. But nobody was uninvolved. It's like the entire class picked up the vibration and parents were actively involved. I would get phone calls from people just out of the blue suggesting somebody to go interview. You know, the kids didn't have cars. They were eighth graders. So, their parents would drive them out to the middle of nowhere up to the end of Cooper point or somewhere and sit in the car while the kids went in and did the interviews.Rob: This was all on top of the regular duties of eighth grade English - reading, writing vocabulary. A lot of the work on the book, like the interviews took place after school or on the weekends. Ray and Bella did some of those interviews. Ray: My role was to actually go out and meet with the elder community of West Olympia. They were so gracious and so interested and willing and eager to share their experiences and many who had lived there their entire lives. Rob: Ray remembers a couple of those interviews in particular. One was with an old man that lived near the water and mud Bay.Ray: He wasn't a curmudgeon by any means. But he talked about how the changes and the you know the bringing of new businesses had kind of altered the community feel. And then the other was just an elderly woman who like I say she had cookies and lemonade and it was just exuberant and excited and wanted to meet with us. It was a little intimidating. I was in eighth grade and I was with Larry and my buddy Rick. And we really enjoyed spending time with her and just very gracious and very interested in sharing her experiences.Bella: Oh, they just thought it was so great. I mean, they just thought it was so exciting that one, we we're writing a book and two, what it was about, because, you know, nobody was gonna ask them the history of West Olympia. And they were really excited about, I think, I think people really enjoy telling the history of where they've lived, probably all their entire life.Rob in conversation: Yeah. Some of my favorites are the personal ones like the guy that did the ark, built the ark.Bella:Yeah. Why did he built the Ark? I don't rememberRob in conversation: I think he was waiting for the second flood?Bella: Yeah, you know that really live in it up, didn't it? (laughing)Rob: Each chapter of the book is a different topic or story. There's a chapter on the different incarnations of the Fourth Avenue Bridge, The story of Harry Beechy, a hulk of a man who lost his arm working as a longshoreman. I love the story of the streetcar that used to run up Harrison Hill, and take a right on Rogers, how kids greased the tracks one year as a Halloween prank. Each account was recorded by the kids during the field interviews, some on tape, some handwritten notes. The stories were written up back in class, then edited. Larry says plenty of the work didn't make it into the book.Larry: Certain stories, we couldn't verify. And so they were eliminated. The stories that weren't as well written and we just wanted it to be a crisp, concise, only the very best. And so the story about Harry Beechy, the guy that built the ark, and the plane that crashed into St. Peter's hospital, you know, they made the cut and so we really focused on them. Bella: Here's the art guy! Here it is! Oh my god, (reading)“Bill started work on ark II in 1922 and worked on it for four or five years before he finished it” (laughing) "Bill was an average man except for one thing, he built an ark". Oh, that's great!Rob: When the writing was done, Larry's wife Nikki typed it all up. This project wasn't over yet though. Students helped collate the pages and learned how to bind the books. There was marketing. They built wooden display cases to put in shops around town.May 16 1974, the students finally had finished products to show for their work.Larry: We just sold it I think it was for $1.25, which probably today would be about $15. Of course, every kid in the class had family members who wanted to buy them and the Daily Olympian published a story about it. And that developed some interest.Rob: The book sold out in no time, 1500 copies before school was even out for summer. Summer was when Larry and Nikki packed up their house on Plymouth Street.Larry: I basically put a fairly large group of them in charge of whatever was going to happen with a book. And they authorized and supervised another printing, continued to sell, continued to meet and determine where the money would be distributed after I left the school. I mean, this group was so responsible and incredible. Rob: Larry didn't know it, but he wasn't done with this group just yet. The following year, they won an award.Larry: Yeah, it was, it was like a new author prize that was given every year for the entire state of Washington. And it was so exciting to them and I, of course didn't know about it, and this was way pre-internet and nobody had my phone number but I got a... somebody, I think I had a forwarding address probably in the personnel office. And so I got a letter from the kids confirming that it was me and once they knew it was they purchased and sent me down a round trip plane ticket from San Jose to SeaTac and back to attend the, it was a governor's reception at the Capitol, and all the kids, it was funny because there were just probably 10 other adult authors and then like 50 kids (laughing) at this thing, that were still actively involved in this book, and they all got some kind of a metal certificate. I can't even remember what. But it was great, you know, best reunion I've ever had, even though it’d only been a year to just see, see how these kids had grown and just continued to be an enthusiastic bright group.Rob: In the end, about 60 Kids helped in the production of the book. 2500 copies were printed and sold. And much of the money from the sales was donated to help local senior citizens. Bella and Ray, both tell me that they think often about this eighth grade project and their teacher, Larry Smith.Bella: He really just made this thing happen. Like we wrote a book.Rob: Bella - whose last name in the book is Sabella, by the way - Bella has made a career in the performing arts, both on stage and in the restaurant industry. She says that Larry's class, that feeling of safety, helped her out of her shell and gave her a feeling of accomplishment.Bella: You know, feeling so like important and proud that we did this, you know? And, you know, I think it's a really wonderful thing that we all had that opportunity. 'Cause I don't think a lot of people get to have that kind of opportunity. They just don't.Rob: Like Larry, Ray Houser went into public education. He's worn a lot of hats over the years. From teacher to assistant superintendent. One of his roles had him traveling the country researching effective teaching strategies. It gives him a unique perspective on Larry's approach to teaching.Rob: I gotta say, Larry was lightyears ahead of his time when it comes to effective teaching strategies. And I've, I've done a ton of research. The whole idea of relevance, real world experiences, collaboration opportunities, engagement strategies, it was, now that I look back on it, I didn't know then obviously, as an eighth grader, it was, it was pretty incredible that he had kind of discovered how to engage his students, how to ensure that their learning was, was relevant and required them to work collaboratively. That's, that's the stuff we've been focusing on for the last 10 years and we're still trying to get into most of public education, he was doing it 40 years ago.Rob: Larry was modest when I asked him if he had any secrets to great teaching.Larry: Yeah, the secret is when you teach Junior High they're, they're too clueless to really know how bad you are. And if you tell jokes and give fun assignments, they might like it. But, you know, I don't know. It's hard to tell. I mean, teaching in some ways is hardly, it's not like a job for me because, it's like the old saying that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. And it's… I got a, received a card from a student in that class that I tucked away somewhere that said "Mr. Smith promise you'll never grow up". And, unfortunately, my wife says that's the case.Rob: After the self deprecation. Larry got a bit more real.Larry: But really what it boils down to, it's kind of a 50/50 thing. You have to love the material and you have to love the students. And if you love the students, you're going to make sure they learn the material and if you love the material, you're going to make sure the students you know, have access, learn to love it as much as you do. And you just can't take things too seriously. When kids are in bad moods, you can't think that they're doing it because they're angry with you, but there's probably something going on in their home and, and a lot of that whole philosophy came in my very first year teaching probably three or four months into the year, a student who was a foster girl, her name was Valerie Good, was shot and killed by her foster brother in their home. And it just shook me to the core realizing how fragile life is and how special these kids are. And that stuck in my mind forever that you know, every single kid is really valuable and full of potential. And to this day, I think, after 50 years and probably 50,000 students I don't think I've met one kid who didn't have vast potential and some of them never realized it. Some ended up in prison, some ended up dying of drug overdose, some ended up suicides. But the possibilities were always there and, and since you don't know who's going to just blossom and potentially be the next, Michael Jordan or Barack Obama or, you know, great author, you just treat all of them as if that's going to happen.Rob: These days Larry and Nicky Smith live near Los Angeles. They have three children and six grandchildren. One of the things that Larry loves about Southern California is all the different cultures. He tells me that LA City College where he works is the most culturally diverse college in the world. Another obvious difference between here and there is the weather. Larry can't seem to get enough of the warm, sunny climate after his early years in the Pacific Northwest. Maybe this is the origin of the rumor that Larry and Nikki moved to California for health reasons. Despite the weather, Olympia holds a high place in Larry's mind.Larry: Of all the schools I've taught in, the class of 1974. Jefferson Junior High is the most memorable. It was that group that, I mean, all my kids in Olympia were great, but for some reason, it's like a convergence of the planets or something. But I still can look over the names and picture every single kid in that group. Great, great memories, and I wish I had been a more experienced teacher and had done a better job academically, but I'm sure if I could find out what you're doing. I would be so proud and so impressed and so amazed, and just, you know, blessed that I got to be a part of your lives for nine months, and that was the best nine months of my life. So thank all of you for sure. From the bottom of my heart.CREDITS:Rob: Thanks to Rick Aarts for calling me back. Thank you, Larry for checking your email. And on that note, Larry says if you're a former student of his, he'd love to hear from you. His email address is Smithoverseas@hotmail.com. Thank you to Ray and Bella, for allowing a total stranger to come into your homes and talk with you. Even if it was against the better judgment of your friend, Bella.Bella: My friend's like "hey, do you know this man?" I'm like, "No". he's like, "you're letting him in the house?" I'm like, "Yeah." He goes "Do you have something that if you need to kill him..." (Laughing)Rob: You heard music today by, in order, Lucas Gonze, two pieces by Northwest band Ditrani Brothers. The psychedelic track was by local artists Ronnie Tana, courtesy of Olympia's own 2060 Records. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions. Ending theme music by skrill Meadow. More info and links on all these artists in the show notes and welcometoolympia.com.I first came across the out of print book How the West Was once in the bibliography of a book that's very much in print. Understanding Olympia is a really funny and (smiling) mostly accurate guide to Olympia by David Shearer Water. You can buy it at Browsers, Orca Books, or online at buyolympia.com. Ending Theme Music by Skrill Meadow. With permission I posted the chapter on the ark builder, Bill Greenwood at Welcometoolympia.com. It's under the show notes for this episode. Also, this book wasn't the only extracurricular activity that Larry Smith did with his class. They also made silent films. Ray still has one of these and he shared it with me. Honestly, it's just a bunch of teenagers goofing around on the Capitol campus, but it was 45 years ago. Check it out. Welcometoolympia.com. It'll also be in the show notes. Finally, I thought it only fair that I give Egan's a second chance on Larry's behalf. It has been 45 years. I took my five and seven year olds recently. Rob at Egan’s: Does it taste grainy at all to you?7 year old: No, it tastes like ice cream a tiny bit melted with chocolate and vanilla mixed up together good.Rob: There you have it. I'm Rob Smith.

This story ends on March 11, 1879, around 6:40 pm. Lt. Col. Robert Alston lay dead on a sofa inside the home of Dr. Tabor, over on Decatur Street. He had been shot in a duel by his close friend, in retaliation for going against the prevailing beliefs of his time. Today, I am going to tell you about Alston’s life and how is ended in this tragic way.  Enjoying the podcast? Visit: www.patreon.com/archiveatlanta www.archiveatlantapodcast.com/ Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com FB: www.facebook.com/archiveatlanta IG: www.instagram.com/archiveatlanta T: www.twitter.com/ArchiveAtlanta

(Eden, NC) - Audio of the November 19, 2019 Meeting of the Eden City Council. The meeting was held at Eden City Hall.AGENDA1. Meeting called to order by: Neville Hall, Mayor2. Invocation: Rev. Colston Morris, St. John United Methodist Church3. Pledge of Allegiance: Led by Fire Chief Tommy Underwood4. Presentations & Proclamations:a. Proclamation – Small Business Saturday5. Roll Call:6. Set Meeting Agenda:7. Public Hearings:a. Consideration and approval of an incentive package for Gildan, appropriating an amount not to exceed $91,131 from the General Fund to be distributed to the company in annual installments following the project parameters. Mike Dougherty, Director of Economic Development8. Requests and Petitions of Citizens:9. Unfinished Business:a. Consideration of an updated report on the nuisance violations at the American Warehouse property located at 206 Warehouse Street. Kelly Stultz, Director of Planning & Inspections10. New Business:a. Consideration and approval of a façade grant program for historic and at-risk properties. Mike Dougherty, Director of Economic Developmentb. Consideration and approval to allocate Strategic Planning Commission funding to (1) create and adopt a Unified Development Ordinance; (2) to purchase four water fountains for Morehead High School; (3) for a Reynolds Brewery façade grant; and (4) for the creation of a Smith River otter habitat. Kelly Stultz, Director of Planning & Inspections and Mike Dougherty, Director of Economic Developmentc. Consideration to accept a bid on the sale of property located at 416 Decatur Street. Kelly Stultz, Director of Planning & Inspectionsd. Consideration to adopt an ordinance for the demolition of a structure at 105 Periwinkle Road under the City's Human Habitation Ordinance. Kelly Stultz, Director of Planning & Inspectionse. Consideration to adopt an ordinance for the demolition of a structure at 305 Victor Street under the City's Human Habitation Ordinance. Kelly Stultz, Director of Planning & Inspectionsf. Consideration to adopt an ordinance for the demolition of a structure at 605 Early Avenue under the City's Human Habitation Ordinance. Kelly Stultz, Director of Planning & Inspectionsg. Consideration to adopt an ordinance for the demolition of a structure at 626 Patterson Street under the City's Human Habitation Ordinance. Kelly Stultz, Director of Planning & Inspectionsh. Consideration to adopt an ordinance for the demolition of a structure at 110 Dameron Street under the City's Human Habitation Ordinance. Kelly Stultz, Director of Planning & Inspectionsi. Consideration and approval to change oversight of the city attorney.Terry Shelton, Interim City Managerj. Consideration to adopt five new policies (1) oversight of the manager's travel and discretionary expenditures; (2) annual review of the city manager; (3) monthly voucher list to Council; (4) annual review of the city clerk; and (5) annual review of the city attorney; and to revise one policy (6) requirement for direct deposit. Terry Shelton, Interim City Managerk. Consideration to amend to City Code Chapter 10, Personnel Ordinance (5.5 Employment of Relatives). Terry Shelton, Interim City Manager11. Reports from Staff:a. City Manager's Report. Terry Shelton, Interim City Manager12. Consent Agenda:a. Approval and adoption of the (1) October 8, 2019 and the (2) October 15, 2019 minutes. Deanna Hunt, City Clerkb. Approval of an amended contract between the Eden Fire Department and Rockingham County to provide fire protection. Tommy Underwood, Fire Chiefc. Approval of an Interlocal Solid Waste Disposal Agreement with Rockingham County. Erin Gilley, City Attorneyd. Approval and adoption of a resolution authorizing the disposal of personal property by public auction. Paul Dishmon, Director of Municipal Servicese. Approval of Budget Amendment #2. Tammie McMichael, Director of Finance & Personnelf. Approval of Budget Amendment #3. Tammie McMichael, Director of Finance & Personnelg. Approval of Budget Amendment #4. Tammie McMichael, Director of Finance & Personnelh. Approval of Budget Amendment #5. Tammie McMichael, Director of Finance & Personneli. Approval of financing for the purchase of two service trucks. Tammie McMichael, Director of Finance & Personnel13. Announcements:14. Adjourn:# # #

Unfiltered Sports Entertainment on Decatur Street in New Orleans. Wonderful aroma of cigarettes, turtle tonics, and Decatur Dancers. Back at the bay, Baywatch. Doing our best David Hasselhoff.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/HoldTheMayo)

"Yeah man, that really was my Aunt Mamie's cathouse I went walking by Decatur Street and I looked in with the purple walls, that was my house man, that was where I grew up." - Charlie Brechtel

Download Episode! Matt Landau         To many hundreds of independent vacation rental owners and VR managers, Matt Landau is the guru of the vacation rental market.  He translated his remarkable experience in Panama into a valuable VR knowledge base that continues to expand within the large, virtual community that he has created.  Matt’s experience, his sense for kind and appreciative personal relations, and his drive for professionalism make him a natural leader for other VR entrepreneurs.  Matt talks with Debi about his background, creation of his VR community Inner Circle, and why he involved gang members in his vacation rental business.  It was a triumph of conversion from a severe, dangerous  humanitarian loss into a unique asset. Debi finds out how Matt found Costa Rica, Panama, New Orleans, how he got his start, what his mistakes have been.  Despite Matt’s experiences and position at the center of the Inner Circle, he is a humble, genuine person who earns people’s trust honestly. Debi Hertert encourages Matt to share some of his experience with her audience. The following show notes are a full transcript, with time markers. LINKS: Matt’s heartwarming article in VRMB about the gang conversion https://www.vrmb.com/hope/ Matt’s Vacation Rental Marketing Blog:  https://www.vrmb.com/ Sense of Place TV show (also can find via the VRMB.com site):  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=matt+landau+sense+of+place [00:45] Debi Hertert introduces the audience to Matt Landau, his “Inner Circle”, and his YouTube TV series “A Sense of Place”. [05:00] Finding Costa Rica:  Using Matt’s Inner Circle members’ questions, Debi asked Matt about the “back story” – how’d he get started?  Matt studied economics in school – but might not have been that enamored with the major.  He chanced upon a story about a University of Richmond graduate who moved to Costa Rica and started an online travel agency, Costa Rica Vacations.  Casey happened to be in Charlotte, VA when Matt called him, and agreed to meet.  He made a 6-month job available to Matt in Costa Rica in 2006.  Casey asked Matt to write a book for Costa Rica Vacations that would be informative for guests, and not be available from any other source.  Matt traveled around Costa Rica to see the various partners that Casey worked with and was jazzed with the experience of traveling in the country, staying sometimes at vacation rentals, sometimes hotels and immediately knew he loved the vacation industry. [09:00] – Finding Panama:  Everyone he met in that first six months encouraged Matt to check out Panama – coincidentally, Casey was at that time interested in possibly opening a branch of his travel agency in Panama, so they checked it out together.  Matt started a blog “The Panama Report” which was one of the first Travel and Investment blogs for Panama, and he found a taste for the life.  On that very same visit, he found the tiny historic district of Casco Viejo: Matt: “I met two gentlemen from Holland, Paulus and Eric who were running the only accommodations in all of Casco Viejo.  It was called ‘Los Cuatro Tulipanes’ (The Four Tulips).  And it was a revolutionary experience for me.  I went into it nervous and uncertain and curious not only about the rentals but the neighborhood.  And it just blew my mind and I decided that this was a neighborhood in which I wanted to live.   Almost within the next 6 months, a series of events happened that I could have never planned but that ended up setting me up for where I am today.  It was a combination of the travel agency that Casey was opening up doing really well, and needing to place people in the evolving historic district of Casco Viejo, and Paulus and Eric determining they were going to leave Panama for some reasons that are probably worth a separate day. And they said to me ‘we are going to shut this business down unless we can sell it to one person and that's you”. Debi: you had you had not spoken to them about it? Matt:  “Not at all. I was helping them a little bit with their marketing after I had stayed. I was living in Panama in the downtown area but I just felt like it was an alignment of stars. And I found a small handful of business partners who were already involved in the neighborhood and on the real estate side of things and others were coming from the United States and we put together a little team. And next thing you know we are running a vacation rental business in Panama.  It was the only place to stay in town and if you had come to Casco Viejo between 2009 and 2013 there was nowhere to stay but with us. We just learned everything on the fly. Fantastic and there was nobody to take our place.” [13:00] Birth of the Vacation Rental Marketing Blog: Debi: and then while you were there you started the vacation rental marketing blog? Matt:  “So that was a really hilarious pivot in all of this in that we learned everything on our own in very much the same way all our colleagues have. I felt like I had a really good notebook of information of stuff that worked because I keep copious notes and I structured it a little bit and made it into the form of an eBook. And it was essentially like the best ways to market your vacation rental business but I wasn't sure that vacation rentals were the right demographic to buy the eBook. So I made four.  I've actually never shared this.  I made four websites: HowToIncreaseHotelOccupancy.com; HowToIncreaseResortSales.com; Bed and BreakfastAdvertising.com and VacationRentalMarketingBlog.com.  One page on each website; the same book for sale on each website with a different title.  The same price. It was an ultimate control versus variable experiment. I pumped probably like 200 bucks worth of add words into that experiment. I was driving traffic from Google to these four sites to see which ones worked.  And one of them blew the others out of the water: Vacation Rental Marketing Blog.   I dropped all the others and I said okay I guess this means I should focus on the vacation rentals.” Debi: Holy cow! On my computer I have a file folder that says ‘The Vault’ Matt:  “Yes!  Those were the original documents; like How to Boost Occupancy. And I refer back to those fairly often to see if they’re still good or not, has the industry changed, and most of the advice was pretty solid”. Debi: Can I ask you how old you are?  (35) So you started this when you were 25 years old? Matt:  “Yeah – right out of college” I would say it's fearless but it's really what everybody in our industry does at the beginning.  It’s just winging it. Debi: Honestly, all the dominoes falling in the right place all the right people came. The universe just looked after you beautifully! Matt: “and I think that's true. A lot of people got into this business. If it wasn't an accident it was some bit of alignment of stars adversity whatever you want to call it that brought this opportunity in front of them and they ran with it.” [15:30] “The Inner Circle” Debi: So what was your thinking when you started the Inner Circle? What was your goal then, and how do you see that you might have met or not met that? Matt:  “Well, before the Inner Circle I was creating one-off Learning Materials eBooks video courses, guides, things like that and I realized that I was putting myself at a bit of a disadvantage because even if someone absolutely loved my work and purchased the book or the video course or whatever, I needed to go and create more in order to sell to them and that was like a bit of a spinning wheel. So I decided to pivot the business model instead of selling one-off learning materials to build a small fee, monthly membership Community where you would have access to all the learning materials that are created on a regular basis but also get this community element that has that's kind of proven to be so unique.” Debi: Have you been in a community like that before? (No) So you really didn't know whether or not it was going to go. Matt:  “Virtually speaking, no. But guess where I was? Physically located in a community called Casco Viejo that was developing from scratch. We were solving our own trash problems, crime problems, we were dealing with like every type of neighborhood building challenge you can imagine.  And I all the sudden start seeing all these overlaps.  Like wait a minute, this is how we do it in real life, why shouldn't that work virtually? And what we have now I think in the Inner Circle is a very tight-knit Community. People who stand for the same thing but who happen to be located everywhere throughout the world. It's a cool thing to compare real life community building and virtual community building. It's a private community, so that kind of immediately rules out anyone who's not serious. The fact that you have to pay means that you will need to be committed to learning. It's one part learning materials, eBooks, courses, workshops. One part open forum - ask questions and get answers from people who have been through it before. And the Inner Circle membership also includes real life meetups. Last year we hosted 26. And you attended one yesterday and those are a chance to bring the virtual sides of our lives down to earth and actually meet each other in person and learn. That’s the value proposition but in general it's owners and managers who are serious and who want to grow.  And it's a very small minority of the general vacation rental population but we're okay with that.” Debi: You also have grown immensely in the last few years. How many members are there now? Matt: “842 - not that anyone's counting” [ [18:45] From Gangs to Esperanza (Hope):  Debi:  Rick Oster wants to know why you started the charity with the gang members? Matt:  “Necessity. This neighborhood that I had fallen in love with had a very serious problem which was prohibiting me and others from contributing, and that was gang violence.  And we had specifically 4.5 almost five street gangs who were constantly at one another and that made walking to the grocery store in the morning a bit of a challenge.  It also made running a hospitality business a little daunting. I wasn't even comfortable with guests walking to certain areas for fear that they would get robbed. So the first, real reason that we put together the program was safety. That's the number one thing about any community. If it's not safe nothing else can happen.” Debi: And did that ever happen? Did anyone get robbed? Matt: “Yes, on a regular basis. In the early days we had a map and we would draw very clearly where it was okay to walk and where was not okay to walk.  And of course, the adventuresome traveler who doesn't like to listen to instructions would venture off the beaten path and almost like clockwork get robbed. It was never a violent crime it was almost always petty stuff. But we had plenty of gunshots. The specific impetus for Esperanza was when we lost a little neighbor of ours named Kevin, who was eight, on the block right outside Tulipanes. I would say that was the breaking point.  We realized this is something needs to be done and no one else is going to solve this problem.  I also had the wonderful guidance of another mentor whose name is also KC, who had a vision. And that was to not only demobilize these gangs but to give their members a real opportunity to participate in the community. And that was something so fascinating to me it was almost beyond my comprehension. But I knew where I could be helpful. I knew how to mobilize the neighbors, all of whom were ready to be helpful. Again, ‘Community 101’. And once the program picked up steam it was almost just this epiphany of realizing that we could take a problem and actually make it part of a solution. And that ended up benefiting everybody in the neighborhood to the point that the very same gang members that were robbing my guests in the early days were at this point offering walking tours to the same tourists and being featured in Travel, and Leisure, and GQ, adding value to the community where they were formerly taking it away. It got started out of pure necessity but picked up momentum because of hope. And I think those are probably the two little factors that start most of these revolutions that are happening in neighborhoods around the world.” [listeners/readers – please do yourselves a favor and follow the link at the end of these show notes] Debi: So where do you see yourself going now? Matt: “San Francisco…my mom is going to receive an award and my whole family is going to celebrate that with her. But what I always like to say is that I know I'm not exactly sure where this is all going but I do know that I'm doing it with the right people. 23:30 New Orleans: Debi: And you're in your next phase, you’ve sold Los Tulipanos and you’re now living in New Orleans.  You’re renting so you're not quite settled Matt:  “Home base will be New Orleans and people ask why I chose New Orleans.  One, because I like the idea of spending some time in the States after almost 12 years living in Panama. Two, I wanted warm weather. I'm big on that. I’ve spent plenty of cold winter months in New Jersey. And, I wanted to be central to where most of my travel and my colleagues are located which is North America. And in some cases South America and perhaps most importantly I wanted to be somewhere with character. Which New Orleans has. That's my home base for the moment and I'll keep going back there in between my trips and I'll begin you know writing my address on Decatur Street on forms and things like that. I have a license plate. So I guess that qualifies as a home for the moment but I'm not sure where I'm going. I do know that I'm doing it with a lot of people that I admire.” [24:30] A Sense of Place Internet TV Show: Debi: Well in your phase includes the TV show or, would you call it a TV show? Matt: “Jessica Mosel just said it's an Internet TV show. It's a travel show that features vacation rentals.” Debi: And you got your blog still and you got your podcast that you say you’re reviving and the Inner Circle. So do you have to have plans for the Inner Circle?  I mean what I'm seeing you do is kind of pull all of this together into kind of one overarching support activity. Matt:  “The inner circle is certainly critical to my livelihood because it's where I generate dollars like that's my salary income. The other stuff tends to be a way to ultimately get someone to join the Inner Circle even though maybe only a small percentage of the people actually will.  But there's a general direction through the podcast through the blog through the show after most of the events that I like to support like this one where we are right now, the Vacation Rental Success Summit. To get my brand out there and my brand is primarily education and empowering these owners and managers with all the right tools and resources to do their own great work. And I believe that that kind of positive energy that style of help don't sell marketing will ultimately trickle back so we are indeed looking to grow the Inner Circle but slowly and surely and I think that's a nice recipe. You’re very much of a founding member there and people think I exaggerate but I consider all of my inner circle colleagues very much my mentors and my friends and we all bring to this community something so different from our former lives. And they were all looking to improve and grow.” 27:00 So what about Airbnb?   Debi: It’s just so charming to watch you grow! I remember not too long ago you were like really down on Airbnb, you didn't think Airbnb was ever going to make it or be a presence in this industry. What do you think now? Matt:  “They most certainly are I'll tell you that much if you close your ears off to reality you don't grow one bit that's for sure. That's a survival tactic!” Debi: So you’ve now stayed in Airbnb’s? (Many) Okay and so what do you think? Matt: “I think Airbnb is probably the most important thing to happen to this industry. I say this industry because they are very much synonymous with what we do. The gentleman in the lobby of this hotel asked ‘are you here for the Airbnb thing?’ (Oh dear) Of course I didn't correct him, I know exactly what he was talking about and that represents the general public.  Airbnb is synonymous with short-term rentals. I think that that kind of awareness is incredible.  I mean you could not have asked for a better explosion in this movement. That being said, I think with that comes a whole lot of responsibilities that Airbnb is still trying to figure out. And I also constantly go back to this question what is best for the greater vacation rental industry. And sometimes it will frustrate an independent owner because they don't think that we’re actually including them personally, but it also goes for Airbnb.  And when decisions are made that impact the greater industry, one bad apple in an Airbnb could affect a greater population. And I think there are plenty of challenges that come with that role in the community. It's changed a whole lot of people's lives. I think there's a huge gamut of players in the Airbnb ecosystem there's people that are as professional as any of the other vacation rental owners and managers we have here. I stayed in an Airbnb in Amsterdam two weeks ago that was one of the worst hospitality experiences of my life and it was 500 bucks a night. So I think again not unlike the greater industry, plenty of room for improvement but what you can't ignore is the scope of their role in all of this. And people like you, who just adopted the role of community leader and with the help of Airbnb, very much using it almost to get on the shoulders of giants in a way. I think that's a pretty amazing thing.  And really fun watching you go through that process. And I will just add this: I have also got to watch everyone in our community grow too. This is a relatively new industry only been around for 10 or 15 years. Some of us for more but the majority of us have started within that time. And I've had the pleasure of watching them become incredible vacation rental professionals just in the past five ten years. I think that's a really cool thing about our industry we've all got to watch one another grow and evolve and those of us that are still here doing something right.” Debi: And you know the home share [hosts] that I connect with, a lot of them don't really feel like they're part of the vacation rental industry.  They think ‘I'm just retired sharing this room.’  [They often deliver great hospitality, but] they don't really identify with the industry aspect. Matt: “I'm pretty sure they will because I believe the moment you're accepting someone's hard-earned dollars that could otherwise be spent at a local hotel, you’re accepting that you are entering the hospitality industry.  And if you don't, recognize that you're leaving open a lot of room for issues.  This place I stayed in Amsterdam it was a two-bedroom place. We had three people staying there, two people in one bedroom and me in the other and there was only two towels. There was hair in the bathroom and we weren't allowed to check in until 7 in the evening. It was not a lovely experience by any means and I knew that this person didn't necessarily do it as a business more so as a hobby. For that reason I get it. But I do think that if the greater industry again is to involve, every single stakeholder needs to understand that this is indeed a Hospitality business. If you feel like doing someone a favor or doing a little side gig do it on the side don't call yourself a professional vacation rental host, because you’re not. 31:30 Have you ever failed? Matt:  “Oh yeah I feel pretty much every day.” Debi: What is the is one of your biggest failures? Matt: I think I made a pretty sincere failure when I started and I entered with a partner who I was very much simply friends with at the time. We went to the same University. And we had our roles and responsibilities; I was more in charge of the marketing and the sales and branding. He was more in charge of the accounting and the operations side of the business but we never actually clarified it. We never actually wrote it out. Which seemed just like a silly formality”. Debi:  It sounds like a marriage. Matt:  “It was.  And we got divorced. If I had done that all over again I probably would have established roles and responsibilities up front. As well as a timeline just so that the communication was crystal clear. And it wasn't that one another's character or values or anything was being compromised but it became a relationship that wasn't working. In hindsight, I don't think necessarily it could have saved it or made it any different but it would have made it certainly clear and we would have had one less variable to worry about. So now when I go into any kind of partnership, I decide to be very upfront about who's doing what and sometimes it feels weird like even if it's a super close friend or someone at work with for many years. It feels strange to sit down and say you're responsible for this and that's so many hours and if you go over this hours you responsible for this.” Debi: And that's what makes you a good leader too because you know where your boundaries are. Matt:  “And I've seen plenty of spouses and couples in this industry learn this one too. And I'm not married nor am I engaged, don't even have a girlfriend but I hear that relationships are best when there's great communication.” 33:50 “Help, don’t sell” Debi:  Okay, I have a question for you here.  It’s from Terry from the Inner Circle. Where does your penchant come from to help people where you're nurturing nature comes from by continually putting people in a position to succeed? Which you do over and over well. He's a sweetheart. Matt: “He is a sweetheart” Debi: But you do help people. The whole ‘help don't sell’, recognizing people in their success mode, where does that come from? Matt:  “Probably the general generosity comes from my parents. My dad is probably the most generous person that I know. He never ever looks out for himself always someone else first. But I also think it's the path of least resistance when it comes to business. ‘Help, don’t sell’ and generosity in your marketing when it comes to business is the path of least resistance. And it's the most enjoyable path because no longer are you going against anything, trying to break down anything, trying to win over somebody. Rather it's a very passive style you're putting out there helpful things. Most of us have this helpful information within us already so it's merely the act of documenting it and distributing it. And being incredibly open about all of that and just giving it away. What ends up happening is it becomes almost addictive because you've got this momentum about your work and the most grateful people or the people who resonate with that bubble up to the top. And they say ‘you know like that I think I'd like to align myself with this business’. And that goes for all of our business vacation rentals. It is a great example, if you're giving away tons of helpful information about your area and not really caring whether or not the person takes it and runs off and does it on their own at your competitors vacation rentals on the street or not. It's less stress. It’s just like feel free to take this and run if what I'm saying resonates I'd love to speak with you further. It's just more lovely and I think that that common denominator of generosity of giving instead of trying to take. Like they say, all of philanthropy gives you back much more in spades.” 36:30 Vacation rental owners/managers as leaders:  Debi: Thank you so much for doing this with me. Is there anything else that you’d like people to know about you, about your business? Matt:  “Thanks for having me! But I know for a fact that I went through this process the exact same way that all of us have. And I may have been fortunate to stumble into a neighborhood that happened to be evolving, and I happened to have the opportunity again to find vacation rentals in a country that was exploding and these are all convenient factors. But at the end of the day the people who make up this vacation rental movement are all leaders. And I think recognizing that I try to remind people that all the time. The fact that you are very much a Pioneer in this industry, you represent the very cutting-edge, you are the Trailblazers of what has happened in the history here recognizing that and taking on that leader role that you so deserve. And that sometimes means helping others, sometimes means stepping up and taking risks. Whatever that means to you I think we all have it inside of us. I was very humbled just to be sitting here with you sharing my story. I feel a little bit awkward, because you could be interviewing one of the 250 people out there [at the VRSS conference] they all inside of them have a very similar Journey. I think the magic right now is about recognizing that. We have a number of Inner Circle members who are presenting at this conference, hosting panels, who are sharing their wisdom. I even if you go home and you're sharing your advice with other local competitors I think that is something that is truly special and I think it's what makes vacation rentals different from everything else.” Debi: Thank you Matt Landau. Matt: “Thank you Debi Hertert!” LINKS: Matt’s heartwarming article in VRMB about the gang conversion https://www.vrmb.com/hope/ Matt’s Vacation Rental Marketing Blog:  https://www.vrmb.com/ Sense of Place TV show (also can find via the VRMB.com site):  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=matt+landau+sense+of+place    

Like, Subscribe and Share! See the 85 South Show Live in Charlotte + Long Beach + San Diego! For tickets visit: https://www.85southshow.com/live The crew returns for part 2 of The 85 South Live Show from the House of Blues New Orleans. After the intermission, Chico Bean, D.C. Young Fly, and Karlous Miller take the stage for stand-up comedy sets in front of a sold out audience on Decatur Street. You’re gonna love the musical songs created live on stage like , “Deep Inside”, “New Orleans,” “Suck It Till It’s Hard” and so much more. The live band (hired off craigslist) check in to bring out the real New Orleans feeling. Plus, in this episode we After the show the fellas sign the wall to commemorate a sold out show at The House Of Blues. FOLLOW THE CREW KARLOUS MILLER - https://www.facebook.com/karlousm/ DCYOUNGFLY - https://www.facebook.com/DcYoungFly1/ CHICO BEAN - https://www.facebook.com/OldSchoolFool/ CLAYTON ENGLISH - http://www.claytonenglish.com/ JOE T. NEWMAN - http://www.ayoungplayer.com CHAD OUBRE - https://www.instagram.com/chadoubre/ LANCE CRAYTON - https://www.instagram.com/cat_queso/ J.O.N - https://www.instagram.com/heeeyj_o_n/ CRIAG GRAVES - https://www.instagram.com/craigshoots23/

In today's episode of Headlines With Headliners, our hosts Nate Jackson, Tehran Von Ghasri and Kanisha Buss welcome comedian Tony Rock in for an exclusive interview! Anthony "Tony" Rock (born June 30, 1974) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is the younger brother of comedian Chris Rock. Rock was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. The son of Rosalie Rock and Julius Rock (d. 1989), he grew up on Decatur Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City. He has seven brothers and two sisters. In the early 2000s, Rock hosted a short-lived game show entitled Can You Tell? for Oprah Winfrey's Oh! Oxygen network. He was also a correspondent for BattleBots on Comedy Central for the show's fifth season. Rock has appeared on radio and television shows including The Howard Stern Show and The D'Angelo Show. He performed in New York with Mark Curry and John Henton to highlight the Apollo Theater. He co-starred as