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Middle America
6 p.m. Fridays through May 21

“Middle America” is a podcast and radio show using history, storytelling, and music to discuss the world that surrounds us. Narrated by the fictional protagonist Wendell Bauer, episodes give both true history of the Central Illinois area and fictional memoir of a resident. Locally created music complements the stories to provide further emotional impact and insight.

Topics discussed by “Middle America” thus far have included Illinois abolitionists, the French origins of the Midwest, philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley, Chicago’s earliest settlers, Prohibition-era gangsters, and comedian Richard Pryor, among others. Along the way there are outlaws, adventure, murder, mutiny, loss, charity, love, and finally progress.

The story of “Middle America” is the story of every city and the everyman.

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