It's possible that you have never heard of Kel McBride. But, if you've been in Bloomington for any length of time, it's virtually impossible not to have heard of one of the many events that were her brainchildren. Here are a few: Eroticon, Bleeding Heartland Roller Derby, Bloomington Krampus Rampage and Bazaar, Ms. Lake Lemon Pageant. This is not an exhaustive list. She has also been a sex educator and a death and dying educator, having published The Death Changing Experience: An Oddball's Guide to Creating a Life and Death Plan. Currently, she teaches traffic safety for teens. Oh and by the way, one of her many concussions took place while having sex in a car.

Thank you to our sponsors, Gretchen and Ruth Nall and Bloomington Rentals and Realty for their support of the pod.

And thanks as usual to badknees

WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out!

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Content Warning: It is never our intention to hurt or offend people, and we plan to be mindful about not punching down. We are always open to feedback about this because we want to keep growing and evolving until we croak. However, we do like to joke around and we are middle-aged, so our sense of humor may not be for you.

In 1996, fresh out of high school, Ben Swanson teamed up with his older brother Chris and their friends Eric Weddle and Jonathan Cargill to start a record label. The label began in the Swanson's house. Their first release was that of fellow North Dakotan, June Panic, but the partnership that set them on their spiritual path was with Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia and, later, Magnolia Electric Co. Reliable legend has it that when the Secretly boys originally reached out to Molina, he told them they could put his music out on the condition that they show up at his performance in a NYC record store. Their subsequent road trip changed indie rock history. And it all started, and continues, right here in Bloomington, the town where everything is better than fine and nothing can go wrong.

Thank you to our sponsors, Gretchen and Ruth Nall and Bloomington Rentals and Realty for their support of the pod.

And thanks as usual to badknees

WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out!

Support:

Support Bloomington Stories

Contact & Follow:

Instagram

Facebook

Bluesky

YouTube

Threads

bloomingtonstoriespod@gmail.com

Content Warning: It is never our intention to hurt or offend people, and we plan to be mindful about not punching down. We are always open to feedback about this because we want to keep growing and evolving until we croak. However, we do like to joke around and we are middle-aged, so our sense of humor may not be for you.

"Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people," said Alvin Ailey, the visionary American dancer and choreographer. And yes MFers, we used a quote as the hook because it captures the philosophy we gleaned from Kay Olges, board president of Windfall Dancers, Inc. Kay took us from her early years pursuing a career as a ballerina in North Carolina to her many decades in Bloomington as a speech-language pathologist, mother, and lifelong dancer. We are also joined by our West Coast correspondent and former guest, Asher Waite-Jones, and Virginia Hojas, Josh's way-better half.

Thank you to our sponsors, Gretchen and Ruth Nall and Bloomington Rentals and Realty for their support of the pod.

And thanks as usual to badknees

WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out!

Support:

Support Bloomington Stories

Contact & Follow:

Instagram

Facebook

Bluesky

YouTube

Threads

bloomingtonstoriespod@gmail.com

Content Warning: It is never our intention to hurt or offend people, and we plan to be mindful about not punching down. We are always open to feedback about this because we want to keep growing and evolving until we croak. However, we do like to joke around and we are middle-aged, so our sense of humor may not be for you.