Dave Waldron
Dave Waldron began his radio career in 2000 as a volunteer DJ at UAA’s radio station KRUA 88.1, where he hosted a weekend music show. In 2004 he was hired as the station’s music director, and held the position until his graduation in 2007. He was hired by Alaska Public Media in 2008 and since then has worked as an audio engineer, editor, and producer. He currently runs his own small business AK Audio Pro, and is a host of Alaska Public Media’s Hometown, Alaska.
A New Year’s Resolution That Sticks
Today we’re sticking with our New Year’s Resolutions. This is the time of year in which many us, despite our best intentions, are already falling short on our resolutions.
But food and wine blogger Carolyn Kinneen picked an attainable New Year’s Resolution for 2014: To expand her wine knowledge.
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Anchorage Starts Reading Early
Elizabeth Nicolai is the Youth Services Coordinator for the Loussac Library, and right now she’s reading a dinosaur book to a group of very small children.
Recently the library expanded their second floor to include what they call the Play and Learn center. Inside of what looks like a massive fort of books there are toys, inspirational messages, and interactive art work on the walls.
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A Night of (Competitive) Spoken Word
Today we’re attending a spoken word show.
Nora Herzog has been performing spoken word for about a year now. She’s always enjoyed writing poetry, but could never find a good way to share it.
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Showing you #Lovalaska
Today we’re giving back. Since its introduction in 2009, Alaska’s Pick Click Give program has enjoyed major success, despite residents seeing diminishing Permanent Fund Dividends almost every year.
This year Pick Click Give is unveiling a new campaign and slogan for the project. The mantra is “Lovalaska.”
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The Best of Town Square 49 Radio 2013
Today we’re looking back at the top five Town Square 49 Radio stories of 2013.
How did we pick our top five stories? We tallied up your Facebook “likes” for each of our stories and came up with this list.
Now, let’s catch up with some of our favorite people.
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Learning to Deal with Cupcake Celebrity
Today we meet a cupcake champion.
Back in early November you may have heard about a born-and-raised Alaskan named Kastle Sorenson, who competed on the Food Network program Cupcake Wars. And won.
Getting Crafty with an Old Holiday Sweater
Today we’re getting crafty for the holidays. Natasha Price has been making handmade gifts as far back as she can remember. She’s been sewing since she was three, knitting since she was six, and documenting her DIY projects on her blog for about four years.
Price likes making creative gifts this time of year. So, together we're recycling my old Christmas sweater.
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Good Morning Moon Music Video
Today we’re checking out music videos. Alaskan songwriter Marian Call recently released the first music video for her 2011 album Something Fierce.
Call says the video began last year as part of her Kickstarter campaign, when she took a poll from her fans.
Ballet, Twerking and Everything In-between
Today we’re going to dance class. Three months ago in midtown Anchorage, Studio Pulse opened its doors as the cities newest modern dance studio. Stephanie Wonchala is the founder of the Pulse Dance Company, and runs the studio.
The classes offered at Studio Pulse are wide ranging to say the least.
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Thanksgiving Risotto: Highly Refined Holiday Porridge
Today we’re getting ready for Thanksgiving. Sarah Alvarez has been writing her food blog The Hungry Alaskan for about two years. And being a food writer, it’s no surprise she gets excited about Thanksgiving.
While risotto may seem like a simple dish, it does require constant attention; most of which is stirring.
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10 Years of Encounters with Richard Nelson
Today we’re looking back at 10 years of the public radio program Encounters with Richard Nelson. The show originally began as an interview segment that would sometimes take place outdoors. But, Nelson says he never got comfortable interviewing other people. So, he decided to try talking to himself.
The newest season of Encounters begins next month, and Nelson says it will mostly be re-airings of the show’s best programs.
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Honoring Alaska’s Unique Veterans
Today we’re celebrating Veterans Day. For a little more than a year now, Senator Lisa Murkowski and her office have been producing video profiles that they’ve titled “Veteran Spotlights.”
Veterans like Colonel Suellyn Novak, who was featured on the Veterans Spotlight program, and who also runs the Alaska veteran's museum in Anchorage.
Protecting Palmer Farmland in Perpetuity
Today we’re exploring farmland in Palmer. The Alaska Farmland Trust was formed about eight years ago in an effort to preserve agricultural land across the state.
Their work is creating conservation easements on Alaska farms, which will provide benefits to the land owner, but more importantly will guarantee the land won’t ever be developed.
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Planning Your Halloween Party Mix
Today we’re making a playlist. Halloween is around the corner, and many people already have their jack-o-lanterns, candy and spider webs ready.
But, how many of us have our music planned? For some advice on building the ultimate Halloween soundtrack, I consulted an Anchorage music expert - DJ Spencer Lee.
Searching for the Moon Over Alaska
Today we’re searching for the moon. Saturday was International Observe the Moon Night, and a group of staff at the Anchorage Loussac Library celebrated it for their third consecutive year.
Linda Klein is the youth services librarian at the Loussac, and is running tonight’s event. Right now, she's using a butter knife to scrape off different amounts of frosting on several cookies, displaying each phase of the moon.
More.
The Year-round Alaska Gardener
Today we’re starting a garden. Most people would probably assume that gardening season begins in early spring. But for garden blogger Jamie Woodside, the season never ends.
Woodside is already planning her 2014 garden, even though her current one is still producing vegetables.
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Hands-on Discovery in Portage Valley
Today we’re going to school outside. Douglas Causey is a Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and most days he’s teaching in a classroom like every other teacher.
But, the one he’s teaching today couldn’t be more different. This classroom is in Portage Valley. And the homework? Catching fish.
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Making A Batch of Cranberry Hooch
Today we’re making hooch. Town Square 49 contributor Connie Walker recently posted a recipe for her cranberry hooch on our website. She originally discovered the recipe in the late 60s after she had curled up on her couch with a copy of the Sunday paper.
Walker lives in Oregon today and says she hasn't made the hooch in decades, so I decided to track down an Anchorage cranberry expert to see if the recipe still held up almost 50 years later.
Welcoming the Fall with Local Food
Today we’re welcoming the fall season with food. The leaves are dropping, there's a chill in the air and Alaska's edible bounty is changing. Local food blogger Heidi Drygas knows just how to embrace that change, and she's starting at the Sears Mall farmers market.
Drygas writes the food blog Chena Girl Cooks, and her newest recipe entry is going to capture all that is fall.
How Many Shrews Can a Rainbow Trout Eat?
Today, we meet a rainbow trout with an unbelievable appetite. Mark Lisac is a fish biologist at the Togiak Refuge, and just a few weeks ago he and group of his colleagues were catching rainbow trout for a tracking project.
“I can’t say for certain that I’ve ever seen a well preserved shrew in a stomach analysis,” Lisac says. Let alone 19 of them.
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