Small-Town Talents from 1996

Featuring Emily Shackelton, The Freight Hoppers, The Griffin Family, and more.

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People We Meet Along the Road:

Neil & Jennifer

Neil has been listening to Prairie Home since the mid ’70s, while Jennifer is a late bloomer, discovering the show In the early ’80s. They traveled to Wilmington to meet up with friends they met on one of their eight PHC cruises. And they are traveling into Greensboro for Garrison’s solo show. There, they will re-create their first date to celebrate their 40th anniversary by visiting the same restaurant and seeing Garrison live. One of Neil’s favorite memories is meeting Garrison in the infirmary and receiving the commentary from GK after his second trip, “a happy wife is a happy life.” They are wearing matching Lake Wobegon map shirts.

Join us along the road and we hope we can capture your listening story! There are a mix of A Prairie Home Companion shows with solo shows and trio shows featuring either Heather Masse or Prudence Johnson. Check our dates here.

Listen to the Talent from Towns from Under Two Thousand Contest

A classic show from the archives from March 30, 1996, performed live from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, it’s the Second Annual Talent from Towns Under Two Thousand Show with Fly Creek Philharmonic, The Freight Hoppers, The Griffin Family, Rich “Eureka” Jones, Emily Shackelton, and The Smith Brothers. Listen to the show.

The Smith Brothers are Greg Becker and D.A. Calaway, from Reeds Spring, Missouri (pop. 411).

Emily Shackelton, a 10-year-old singer from Biwabik, Minnesota (pop. 1,428).

The Fly Creek Philharmonic, a 13-person group of performers playing toy instruments. They’re from Fly Creek, New York (pop. 350).

Rich “Eureka” Jones, a blues singer and guitarist from Eureka Springs, Arkansas (pop. 1,900).

The Freight Hoppers, a southern mountain string band from Bryson City, North Carolina (pop. 1,556).

The Griffin Family — Richard, Erma, and son Buddy — an old-time trio from Flatwoods, West Virginia (pop. 324).

Emily Shackelton is all grown up now. She attended Berklee College of Music and won the prestigious John Lennon scholarship award. She continues singing and songwriting for BMG. Her songs have been recorded by Reba McEntire, Jennifer Nettles, Sara Evans, Jana Kramer, Cassadee Pope, Lauren Alaina, Mickey Guyton, David Cook, and more. She has also had several songs featured on TV shows like American Idol and ABC’s Nashville, including “Love Like Mine,” sung by Hayden Panettiere and featured on the gold-selling season-one Nashville soundtrack. Here she is with Carly Pierce, performing at the 2023 ACM Country Music Awards.

SPOTLIGHT Kent State University:

Join us next week in New Philadelphia, Ohio, for an evening of poetry, limericks, songs, and stories — plus a sing-along where Garrison attempts to build a thousand-person choir. The Garrison Keillor Tonight shows are truly a unique experience — more than two hours, including a special Lake Wobegon story or two. It’s a pretty good way to spend and evening. Get tickets > > >

From Our Store:

Stand proud and tall, like the water tower on this Lake Wobegon hat.

CLICK HERE to buy this handsome cap today!

In Boom Town, Garrison Keillor returns to his hometown of Lake Wobegon, which is in the midst of a rising economic tide driven by millennial entrepreneurs.

CLICK HERE to buy today!

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