Siouxland Public Media Interviews and Features

Akron's 21st Annual Scarecrow Festival is Saturday, Nature Calls takes over the Convention Center, there's a Pride Parade Downtown and Pork & Bands in celebrates music and pulled pork in Sioux Center.

Late summer activities and the cultural scene shows no signs of slowing down. The Sioux City Railroad Museum bids adieux to their RR storyteller series for the summer. The Langley's play a Grandparents Day show at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and SPM want's you to tell us what you want to hear.

This is Jenn Delperdang, with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check It Out.

   Today I am recommending two books that weave together the events of one of the most traumatic days in U.S. History—The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff and Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff.  

A nationally acclaimed artist is putting her talent to work on a mural on West 7th Street in Sioux City. 

The mural is part of a multi-million dollar reconstruction project along the West 7th corridor between Wesley Parkway and Hamilton Boulevard.

The creation by Sarah C. Rutherford is the first of several that will be installed on the sides of buildings to help beautify the area. Sarah, who is from Rochester, New York, talked to Siouxland Public Media’s Sheila Brummer about the project.

This is Jennifer Havlik with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check It Out. 

Today I’m recommending All the Children are Home by Patry Francis. This recently released work of historical fiction is a heart-wrenching coming of age saga told from multiple perspectives and spans the 1950s and 1960s. 

Artsplash begins next weekend so we've got Erin Webber-Dreeszen in to talk about that. Also today will be the last Food Truck Friday of the summer. The Second River-Cade Comedy Competition will dole out its "Poultry-Themed Mini Monument to Mirth & Merriment" Saturday and Parallel Lives wraps up its run at Sioux City Community Theatre.

The Lewis & Clark encampment is happening this weekend on the Sioux City Riverfront, a big exhibition of wildlife photography by Thomas D. Mangelsen opens at the Sioux City Public Museum. Sioux City Community Theatre is back in action with a two-woman, many-character show and the River-Cade fishing derby casts out at Bacon Creek.

UnityPoint Health-St. Lukes’s recently appointed a new regional president and CEO. Lorenzo Suter started in his new role in Sioux City about a month ago after serving as a hospital administrator in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He takes over for Lynn Wold, who left in November after 18 years in the position.

He shares his philosophy on healthcare, inspiring history, and thoughts on the COVID-19 Pandemic with Siouxland Public Media’s Sheila Brummer.

This is Sarah Enright, with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check It Out.

 Today, I am recommending, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, a dual timeline tale packed with history, fantasy, deceit, poison, and murder.

Mary Hartnett briefly steps out of the newsroom to help out on this end of summer Cultural Continuum. The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center unveils a new exhibit, you might be able to sing in Carmina Burana and the Art Center is looking for ArtSplash volunteers.

African Night is going into its sixth year in Sioux City, one of the organizers of the event, Albert Okine, is also this week's guest host on Cultural Continuum. We'll also talk about Indigenous playing the last Downtown Live event of the summer, the Barstool Open on 4th Street and Marilyn Maye sings at the Pearson Lakes Art Center.

This is Kelsey Patterson with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out. 

Today, I’m recommending Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. I absolutely devoured this debut entry in her food-focused cozy mystery series.  

Laura Rain and the Ceasars plays Downtown Live this week. The Betty Ling Tsang Performance Series does Shakespeare and the Unity in the Community Block Party is Saturday at Cook Park.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the summer of 2015.

Author Sasha Issenberg explored the topic for his new book “The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage”. 

Issenberg is long-time journalist who worked for many publications including the Boston Globe, Bloomberg Politics, New York Magazine, and more. He is currently the Washington correspondent for Monocle. 

This is Jessi Wakefield with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out. 

“In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw.” With this opening line, Anna North’s newest novel Outlawed pulled me in and held me there for the rest of the ride.   

North writes of an alternate history in which a Great Flu wiped out 9/10ths of the U.S. population, the country fell apart, and a woman who could not bear children to rebuild the population was considered a witch, something that was a hangable offense. 

Downtown has a ton of stuff happening tonight with the Art Walk, a couple of grand openings and Downtown Live all taking place within a few blocks.  Sioux City Community Theater, Okoboji Summer Theatre and Boji Bantaam Kids Theatre all are on stage plus a chance to try kayaking, a Pride Prom and so much more!

Sioux City is transforming into an oasis for local artists. Later this afternoon a grand opening takes place for Art SUX one of the venues taking part in Siouxland Public Media's "Art Walk". Local artist and member of the Art SUX Gallery Betty Skewis-Arnett chats with Siouxland Public Media’s Sheila Brummer on the emerging art scene in Siouxland.

This is Jenn Delperdang with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out.  

   Today, I am recommending Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid—a book that checks all the boxes for a fun vacation read. Malibu Rising is a page-turning story about the Riva family—the triumphs and struggles of siblings Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit, the bad decisions of their rock star father Mick Riva, and his tragic love affair with their mother, June. 

Erin Webber-Dreeszen is this week's guest on Cultural Continuum. She and Steve Smith will be talking about a ton of outdoor events including Henhouse Prowlers for Downtown Live, and some theater opportunities in the Lakes Region.

This is Kelsey Patterson with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out. 

Mike Zito performs for Downtown Live this week, the Chicken Show is in Wayne, Okoboji Summer Theatre is fully up to speed with it's first show ending and next one opening and there are so many opportunities for kids to learn things!

This is Jessi Wakefield with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check It Out. 

Today I would like to recommend the unique and quirky All Iowa Reads Finalist, The Heap by Sean Adams. 

This is Jenn Delperdang, with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check It Out.

Once upon a time, he shot at surfacing German subs in the North Atlantic, tried to pick off the crews who were aiming anti-aircraft at Navy bombers whose depth charges could blow those subs right out of the water.

Alt-country, Rock, Jazz and Blues are all being performed at different places Downtown in Sioux City this weekend, plus Woodbury County Parks offers a chance to get to know our furry neighbors and Mardi Gras comes to Sioux City!

The League of Women Voters of Sioux City will sponsor a program including a panel discussion on the present and future reality of voting at the Betty Strong Encounter Center this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. 

The League’s President Dagna Simmons says last year the league focused on the Hard Won right to vote and the founding of the organization. And one of the leaders of the suffrage movement, Carrie Chapman Catt. 

If you’re looking for other things to do this summer, check out the book 100 Things to Do in Sioux City and Siouxland Before You Die. Author Lindsay Hindman shares a few ideas with Siouxland Public Media's Sheila Brummer. Hindman is also the the founder of Siouxlandfamilies.com.

Downtown Live is back, so is Ribfest take a listen to what's happening around the region with Steve Smith and Joanne Fox on Cultural Continuum.

This is Kelsey Patterson with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out. 

The bestselling author of Be Frank with Me—a book I absolutely adored—returns with her eagerly anticipated second novel. It’s a charming story of endings, new beginnings, and the complexities and complications of friendship and love, all set in late 1930s Reno. Today, I’m recommending Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson.    

Rib Fest takes place in Sioux City on Saturday, June 19th. This year's event supporting Camp High Hopes in Sioux City features one the top pitmasters in the world. Sterling “Big Poppa” Ball talked to Siouxland Public Media from his home in California about his career and life outside of BBQ.

See  Sterling “Big Poppa” Ball in action at Rib Fest for Camp High Hopes Saturday, June 19th from noon until 3 p.m. at Battery Park at Hard Rock in Sioux City.