Episodes
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Our 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.
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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
Why Are There So Many Weeds
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.
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We sometimes take for granted that we humans have figured out how to swim and dive, and travel across great bodies of water on boats. But it is really quite amazing when you think about it. In this episode, we soak in stories about swimming, diving, and boating ... and think about leaving our natural habitat behind to explore.
Download Episode Transcript
Stories used in this episode:
Hok-Si-La Municipal Park, Minnesota
Swimming with a Horse in Minnesota
Diving in Minnesota Lakes
Diving Beyond the Cliff, Caribbean Sea
Kayaking with Seals, Maine
Mississippi Gulf Coast Waterways
The Green Dean and Hurricane Gloria, Rhode Island
The Ocean as a Retreat, California
Canoeing Adventures in Minnesota
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.
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What is it about water that can instantly improve our mood, stir up joy, or awaken our inner child? In episode 4, we dive into the joy of playing in the water as we listen to stories of swimming in summer, splashing in puddles, and letting the waves lick our toes.
Download Episode Transcript
Stories featured in this episode:
One Dock at a Time, Maine to Florida
Summers at the River in South Georgia
A River Girl and Her Fly Fishing and Outdoor Business in Todd, North Carolina
Learning to Swim
Trout Fishing and the Love for Water
Building the Fish Pond with Dad, Hawaii
Camping on the Blue Earth River, Minnesota
Playing in the Mud, Virginia Beach
Catching Fish in Mud Puddles, Missouri
Baptisms at Games Lake
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.
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Simply add water and watch it grow! In episode 3, we dig into the ways water contributes to almost everything we need to survive, and drink in stories from the people who grow our food and tend to our gardens. How does water help sustain you and your community?
Download Episode Transcript
Stories used in this episode:
How Chester Worked: Cotton, Hogs and Dairy
DeKalb County Community Gardens, Illinois
Colonial Farming Practices
Seaweed Farming in Connecticut
Farming Near the Cobb River, Minnesota
Rhubarb Farming in Minnesota
Minnesota Fish Hatcheries
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These things are certain: the passage of time, the flow of water, and the labor of humankind. In episode 2, we navigate stories of work and the water, stories that highlight the wide range of livelihoods that exist for the water and because of the water.
Stories used in this episode:
Mississippi Gulf Coast Waterways
The Ancient Warren River Valley and the Vetter Stone Company, Minnesota-Donn Vetter
A Winding Career Path Leads to Water, Florida
A River Girl and her Fly Fishing and Outdoor Business in Todd, North Carolina-Kelly McCoy
Watermen Community of Crisfield, Maryland
Watermen: Observers of the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
History, Recreation and Preservation--Bruce Conmy Talks about Minnesota Lakes
Download Episode Transcript
Visit the Museum on Main Street Stories from Main Street to share your own water story!
Explore the Women Mind the Water project.
Thanks to our storytelling partners at the Peale Center in Baltimore, Maryland
This episode was produced for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service by Better Lemon Creative Audio. Produced, written, narrated and edited by Hannah Hethmon.
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Welcome to the water. In episode 1, join host and producer Hannah Hethmon as she explores stories that highlight the many ways water connects and defines us.
Stories used in this episode:
Take Me to the Water
Seaweed Farming in Connecticut
Violet Spolarich on fighting pipelines and protecting water in her rural community
History, Recreation, and Preservation--Bruce Conmy Talks about Minnesota Lakes
Baptisms at Games Lake--Carolyn Lange Hatlestad
From Bulgaria to Boston: A Water Journey
Angela's Memorable Encounter with the Dead Sea
Connections to Water in Greece
The Magic of Water
Spirit of the Water, New York
Water as Spirit in Minnesota--Mike Swan
The Need for Wetlands Restoration--Scott Glup
A Magical Encounter with Whales in Hawaii
Download Episode Transcript
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.
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Experience the voice of small-town America, one story at a time. Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street is a new podcast from Museum on Main Street, a program of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service that brings Smithsonian exhibitions to small-town America. Since 2011, people in rural communities have shared thousands of stories with the Smithsonian!
Season 1 explores stories about water gathered from towns that hosted the Water/Ways exhibition. Curated and hosted by podcaster Hannah Hethmon and produced by Better Lemon Creative Audio, Season 1 of Smithsonian's Stories from Main Street is a chance to slow down, hear from everyday Americans living in small towns, and think more deeply about one of our most precious shared resources.
