Coming Oct. 15, the Great Northern Radio Show!

Times are neither good nor bad nor normal here on the Iron Range. We seem to be going through a transition that no one fully understands. And it occurs to me that the rest of the country, even the world, might be doing the same.

So I could double down on my concerned missives on Range political topics. A couple hundred people would be mildly pleased with that. Or I could do something a little different. I could add something of aesthetic value to my community, fulfill a longstanding ambition of mine, and encourage people with doubts that we can forge our own hope from the light of the horizon.

To that end, I am proud to announce the Great Northern Radio Show, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 on the stage of the Hibbing Community College Theater. This will be live radio from 5-7 p.m. featuring a couple dozen musicians, voice actors and more. The theme of our first show will be “Hard Time Good Times.” I’ve got a jug band, Finnish folk musicians, a choir, a teenage singing prodigy and a few surprises in store.

I’ve already booked and written most of the show, but I am open to new ideas. If you’ll be in Hibbing that day plan to attend this free show at the theater. We’ll be taking free will donations and signing up new members for KAXE, which will be putting on their annual fall fundraiser that week. If you’re anywhere else, plan to listen live on 91.7 FM or streaming at www.kaxe.org or in one of the many scheduled rebroadcasts. This show will be made available to independent public radio stations all over the country so be sure to contact your local station to encourage them to re-run this show.

If the Great Northern Radio Show is successful we hope to do a few of these each year at different stages around northern Minnesota. We have affordable underwriting and cross-promotional opportunities for businesses and organizations. E-mail me or call KAXE at 218-326-1234 for more information.

And stay tuned, there will be more on this soon.