A Natural Life: Hillside Prairie Gardens, Brookings S.D.

Above, the backyard next to the gardens

*** Please note***

As of 10/10/2010 the recordings from this meeting will be marked as downloadable.

I will be removing the audio files from streaming at the end of October. If you would like to remain able to hear the recordings, please download the files. If you are reading this after October, you can contact me through email and I can send you the files. Thank you!

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I have a vested interest in twins, as I am busy raising a pair myself. I was excited to sit with twin brothers Andrew and Jacob Helling, and their partners Kirsten Hansen and Hanna Fetzer, at their house and learn a little about them. As Kirsten mentioned regarding the brothers relationship, when they talk on the phone "the conversation just continues... there is no hello." This is similar to the life of the garden their parents started twenty years ago. Hillside Prairie Gardens has moved to the next generation with Andrew and Jacob. I visited a beautiful self made home filled with delicious smells, friendly people and several kind, hungry-for-love dogs. This home was surrounded by the aptly named hillside gardens where the delicious (confidently written, as they handed me a basket full of vegetables to take and I ate tomatoes on the way home) fresh vegetables and fruit are grown. I continue to learn that the people whose stories I love capturing the most have the most humility and are the most reserved; all good things in life are worth working for. Please listen...

Hillside Prairie Garden visit Aug. 26, 2010 by Katie, PSS Admin

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. A farm that offers a CSA will usually provide a certain amount of ripe fresh vegetables and/or fruit to the people who subscribe to the farms program. A subscription would be a set amount of money per week or month paid for a set amount of time, during which the member gets weekly boxes of produce. For more information on CSA's, see http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csadef.shtml

Want To Get Involved?

Plains Story Share is looking for people who have ideas and are inspired to get involved in capturing stories in their community. Do you know a person who has a great story? Would you like to host a gathering, in your community or home, where people could share stories?

We are open to all possibilities! Please send and email to plainsstoryshare@gmail.com and let us know your thoughts and questions!

Plains Story Share Gathering, September 8th!

Vienna, South Dakota; Post Office Coffee Hour

*** Please note***

As of 10/10/2010 the recordings from this meeting will be marked as downloadable.

I will be removing the audio files from streaming at the end of October. If you would like to remain able to hear the recordings, please download the files. If you are reading this after October, you can contact me through email and I can send you the files. Thank you!

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Jess and I spent Saturday morning with people from the rural area around Vienna, SD. Each morning, the Vienna Post Office is open and stocked with sweets and fresh coffee by Myra Cluts, the local Postmaster. Twice a day locals come to the post office with cash for the donation can, ready to touch base with people in their community. We recorded a couple of conversational stories to share, as well as an interview with Myra about how the post office came to be the local coffee spot. Listen in to learn about South Dakota square dancing, getting stuck on water locked roads, territorial farmers and jackrabbit hunting in the '70s.

above. Myra Cluts holding donation jar at the PO.

"Frosty" (Bob) Frost, Randy Holiday and Art Fryslie Vienna, SD PO Aug.14 2010 by Katie, PSS Admin


Rod Valentine on South Dakota Square Dancing, Vienna, SD Post Office Aug. 14, 2010 by Katie, PSS Admin


Myra Cluts Interview Vienna, SD Aug. 14 2010 by Katie, PSS Admin

Thanks to The Post SD

Hanna Rice wrote this piece about us for The Post SD, a great source for local journalism.
Check out the story!

http://thepostsd.com/2010/08/13/plains-story-share-kicks-off-in-brookings-provides-outlet-for-local-storytellers/

Upcoming Plans

We have a couple of projects in planning and wanted to share so you know there is something to look forward to.

Aug. 14th Visit to the Vienna, SD Post Office which serves as the gathering place for coffee and sweets for the local community. We will be recording great stories by great people.

Sept. 8th Second Plains Story Share gathering at the Brookings Library.

Oct. 6th Third Plains Story Share gathering at the Brookings Library.

Sept. - Oct. We will be writing to deployed U.S. troops and asking for letters sharing personal stories from an experience they have had with their service. This will culminate in a story telling event where we will read the letters or have them read by a member of their family they chose to speak for them.


Let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions!

Audio Recordings From First Meeting - 4 Stories!

*** Please note***

As of 10/10/2010 the recordings from this meeting will be marked as downloadable.

I will be removing the audio files from streaming at the end of October. If you would like to remain able to hear the recordings, please download the files. If you are reading this after October, you can contact me through email and I can send you the files. Thank you!

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Last night was the first Plain Story Share gathering in Brookings.









From left to right. Jamie, Jess, Katie and Hanna



Speaker Katie Huff, Story 1, Aug. 11 2010 by Katie, PSS Admin


Speaker Jess Fryslie, Story 2, Aug. 11 2010 by Katie, PSS Admin


Speaker Jamie Neuroth, Story 3, Aug.11 2010 by Katie, PSS Admin


Speaker Hanna Rice, Story 4, Aug. 11 2010 by Katie, PSS Admin

Welcome to Plains Story Share - First Meeting Wednesday, August 11th at 7pm

At Brookings Public Library, Upstairs in Cooper Room B

Hopefully you have seen a flyer or been referred to this site and may be interested in telling a story. I have started this because I want a way to become "un-plugged" and hear interesting stories of others, in person. I am a woman; a mom, a wife and a somewhat isolated person who listens to a lot of talk radio and most importantly - I have a high quality digital audio recording device hiding in my cabinet just waiting to change my life and possibly give other people the chance to share their experiences and have an audio recording to archive.

Some links to peruse and see where the inspiration for this idea has come from:

www.storycorps.org
www.themoth.org
www.thisamericanlife.org

No matter how it happens, there is a priceless value in gathering and sharing and documenting our stories. If the thought of standing in a room and sharing a story makes you nervous, you are not alone. I encourage you to take a leap of faith with me and try.
I may end up standing alone in the reserved room at the Brookings Public Library on Wednesday night, August 11th, but I truly hope not.

Please join me! Support storytelling in your community.
I am asking that anyone willing to participate adhere to the following guidelines:

• Please come with open ears, ready to respectfully support fellow storytellers.
• Plan to spend 45 minutes to an hour.
• Send and email to plainsstoryshare@gmail.com to RSVP to the gathering, if possible. This is not mandatory and spontaneity is encouraged.
• Try to come with an idea about what you would like to share. An experience - losing a loved one, seeing your old home for the first time in years, anything that resonates strongly in you and wants to come out. Try to tell a 3-5 minute story.
• If interested in sharing an audio file of your story, please sign a release (in person at the gathering) to allow me to post your audio file to this website.
  

As a disclaimer: I have never done this before but I feel strongly about overcoming my fears of reaching out and doing what I love and constantly think about. This is all completely free, not for profit, and anyone sharing their stories owns their stories. If you have any questions at all, please email plainsstoryshare@gmail.com.