21: Varied and Vital: What Women Contribute to the Country
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
"Too often, the women were unsung, and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achivements, leadership, courage, strength, and love of the women who built American was as vital as that oft eh men whose names we know so well." -- President Jimmy Carter, 1980 proclamation announcing Women's History Week. Since our country's founding, women have been at the forefront of community service and community engagement. American women contribute to the workforce: they are teachers, artists, engineers, scientists, ranchers, politician, and everything in between. Listen in as women talk...
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20: Love Makes the Difference
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
In addition to our families, we also share ties that bond us with friends, neighbors, and companions in shared interests like religious, cultural and civic groups. These ties are on prime display in small towns and neighborhoods all over the country. We rely on each other, no matter where we live. We carry a package mistakenly dropped at our door over to our neighbor. We gather together to help families and friends in times of need. These strong bonds are built around a deep love of the people and places around us. It's not romantic love, but community is a special kind of love. Listen in as...
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19: Having Fun in a Small Town
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
"How do people have fun in your town?" was one of the most interesting questions Stories from Main Street asked of rural Americans over the years. Never let anyone say that life in small towns or rural communities is boring. While a community may look quiet from the outside, there's a ton of life bubbling within -- from town events to enjoying the natural landscape to swimming with an alligator. (Wait, what? Just listen!) Unsurprisingly, football comes up a lot when people answer this question. Communities will always come together to show their support and appreciation for their hometown...
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18: The Food (and Memories) That Unite Us This Holiday Season
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
Welcome back to the Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street! It's the holidays, and for many of us, that means food. Our foodways connect us in intimate ways to our families, to history, and tradition. In this episode, we're going to hear from people around the country who see food as a way to remember the people they've lost, and to continue valuable traditions from their ancestors. You might even gest some ideas for some new recipes! Sit back and cozy up for some wholesome goodness. Take a trip down memory lane that will have you ready to gather round with some good food with your friends and...
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17: Shapeshifters, Ghosts, and Red-Eyed Dogs: Spooky Tales and a Rich Heritage
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
Welcome back to Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street! We're relaunching this series during an introspective time of year, with Halloween just around the corner. Come join us around the campfire for some spooky, eerie, enchanting stories from rural America. Our storyteller today is Joe Perry, a member of the Choctaw Nation in Poteau, Oklahoma. Joe was born in 1956 and remembers a childhood running in the woods and fields of his rural home. Joe takes us into a world of adventure and mystery where we encounter a number of unexplained incidents that will leave you wondering what really happened....
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16: Special: "Hopefully, My Generation Will Be the Ones to Change It"
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
Young people throughout the country bring new perspectives and attitudes to our history and our culture. But often, they don't feel welcome to the conversations that adults have about community and culture. Since 2012, the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street has been working with small towns that want to highlight youth perspectives. Young people explore topics related to history, culture, and change in their communities and then create multimedia projects that tell their hometown's story. The result is that youth get an important opporunity to show that they are interested in the direction of...
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Preview: Youth Voices
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
Here's a sneak peek at our next special episode! Give a listen to the voices and the work of the next generation of rural Americans learning about their communities. Young people living in rural America are just like other American youth: interested in change, thinking about their futures, and ... sometimes feeling like adults aren't interested in what youth have to say. Our episode celebrating youth voices in rural America will be released on March 27.
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15: Good Relationships Build Stronger Communities
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
You've got to have friends! Personal and professional connections are critical to the development of healthy communities, whether they are rural or urban. In this final episode of our Spark! series, we're examing how two communities innovated around culture and heritage to overcome stagnation and division. In Helper, Utah, the city came together to design their own revitalized main street and plan a future after the coal industry left. In Franklin, North Carolina, the town had to face the past to reconcile with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians so the two communities could work together to...
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14: Great Things Happen Here
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
In this episode, we're taking a closer look at two very different rural communities that embody technological innovation. In Taos, New Mexico, solar energy is used to power high-speed internet and a jobs training hub for locals that want to stay local. In Chenango County, New York, there's a long history of innovative companies, from aerospace parts manufacturers to Chobani, the famous yogurt brand.
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13: Comebacks and Ripple Effects
Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street
Rural America is full of places of innovation--towns where people work together to conceive new ideas and spark engagement by the community to implement them. Journey with us in this first episode in our look at rural innovation to explore two stories of social innovation, visiting towns that took risks and dreamed big to revitalize their downtowns, and show the community what was possible when they worked together. First up, learn how Hillsboro, Illinois, brought energy and commerce back to Main Street. Then, hear about the creative ways Bethel, Vermont, reinvigorated a sense of community and...
info_outlineOur waterways are one of our most precious shared resources. But in some places, we risk losing them to pollution, climate change, or overuse. In this episode, we hear from folks around the country talk about why their local waterways matter and why they believe in protecting them.
Stories used in this episode:
Violet Spolarich on fighting pipelines and protecting water in her rural community
Climate Change at the White Earth Reservation
The Singing River Has the Blues
Grandpa Bill's Big Lake Mistake
Visit the Museum on Main Street website's story portal to share your own water story!
Explore the Women Mind the Water project.
Thanks to our storytelling partners at the Peale Center! Visit their website, The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture.
This episode was produced for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service by Better Lemon Creative Audio. Produced, written, narrated, and edited by Hannah Hethmon.