Bayoulands

For this episode we’re sharing guest contributor Jesse Doiron’s conversation with Felicia Villarreal from the prison ministryBridges to Life from this season of Bayoulands.Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing an excerpt of Jason Miller’s outpost tour of Adam’s Bayou from the first season of Bayoulands.Shangri La Gardens tour guide Ellen Rondomanski shares about The Survivor Tree, a Pond Cypress not normally found in Texas, that has existed for over 1,200 years along the waters of Adams Bayou that flow through the middle of Orange.For information about Outpost Tours at Shangri La Gardens visit shangrilagardens.org.Don't forget to follow the show - It really helps!

For this episode we’re sharing another story from the premiere of the 10th season of Bayoulands. Contributor Victor Albaine spoke with Sandler Weinberg, one of the producers from Lucky 8 Productions about their recent documentary "Love Ya, Bum!" about the legendary football coach Bum Phillips.Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing a conversation from the premiere of the 10th season of Bayoulands. Local historian Katherine Leister shares some of the stories from the downtown Beaumont walking tours she’s leading for Beaumont Heritage Society.Upcoming Downtown Beaumont walking tours are scheduled for May 7, May 22 and May 23 and more are planned for this fall. For more information and to purchase tickets visit beaumontheritage.org.Thanks for listening!

As we prepare for the 10th season of Bayoulands, we’re reaching way back into the audio archives for a story from the very first episode of Bayoulands in 2016. Jonathan Tippett spoke with Mark Dunn from the Bridge City Citizens for Historic Preservation about the history and significance of the Cow Bayou Bridge and their efforts to save the rare swing bridge, from demolition. Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing our visit to the historic Jefferson Theatre in Beaumont to speak with organist and organ restorer Tom Helms about the restoration of the Jefferson's original Robert Morton organ.For information about events at the Jefferson Theatre including upcoming silent film presentations, visit beaumonteventstx.com.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing contributor Jesse Doiron’s conversation with the honorable Judge John Stevens who presides over the Jefferson County Criminal District Court.This conversation was featured in the most recent Bayoulands radio show. You can hear an encore of the show featuring this story and much more on Sunday, March 22nd at 5pm on 91.3 FM or online at kvlu.org.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing a conversation between guest contributor Jessie Davis and family members of the late Kate Pate Walker, a member of the 6888 Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female Women's Army Corps unit to serve overseas in World War II.Jessie Davis is the founder of Sacred Spaces, an organization dedicated to preserving historic black cemeteries in Southeast Texas. You can find them on Facebook.An exhibit about the service of Kate Pate Walker is on view at the Museum of the Gulf Coast located at 700 Procter Street in Port Arthur. For more information visit museumofthegulfcoast.org.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing a sneak peek of our final radio show for this season of Bayoulands coming up on February 22nd. It’s a conversation with Kai Jai Conner and Carol Eddins about The Melody Maids Movie, a documentary about the all-girl choral group founded in Beaumont by Eloise Milam that performed for U.S. Troops around the world for 30 years. Stick around for the end of the episode to learn about upcoming opportunities to view the film.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing a conversation between guest contributor Andy Coughlan and LU alum and immigration scholar Daniel Chand about his grandfather’s own immigration story in which he became the first Indian-American citizen of Beaumont. The Texas Historical Marker featuring the story of PanditMehar Chand is located at 911 Crockett Street in Beaumont.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing our conversation with Jordan Williams and craftsmen, Steven Emery and Matthew Taft, working on the pipe organ restoration at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Beaumont from the most recent radio show.The radio episode featuring this story, along with the pipe organ restoration at the historic Jefferson Theatre, will encore on Sunday, January 25th at 5pm on 91.3 FM and online at kvlu.org.Please remember to follow this show on Spotify or wherever you listen. It really helps!Thanks for listening!

Happy Hannukah!For this episode Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode we’re revisiting a conversation with Laura Cochrane about the history of Temple Emanuel from season 5 of Bayoulands. Laura is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Art History and Visual Arts at Middle Tennessee State University in Murphreesboro who was awarded a fellowship with the Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast in 2021 to research and document the art and architecture of Temple Emanuel, a place of worship for the Jewish community of southeast Texas since 1923. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we're sharing a conversation from our most recent radio show between LU music student Vivian Siau and bass vocalist and Nederland native Tim Foust about his career in music as a solo artist and member of the viral sensation, all-vocal group Home Free.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing about the history of the Dutch in Southeast Texas from our most recent radio show, including conversations with historian Judith Linsley and Greg Allport from the Nederland Historical Society.Thanks for listening!

Welcome to another Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode where we are re-visiting early episodes from the podcast. For this episode we are re sharing contributor Jonathan Tippet’sstory about the history and restoration of the Orange Train Depot. It includes aconversation with Carrie Wolliver, President andFounder of the Friends of the Orange Depot along with remembrances from former depot employees RobertMitchell and Juanita Timberlake.

In celebration of artist Robert Rauschenberg, who would haveturned 100 this past October 22nd, we’re sharing guest contributor Andy Coughlan’s visit to the Rauschenberg Gallery at the Museum of the Gulf Coast from the most recent radio show. Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing contributor Jesse Doiron’s conversation with victim’s advocate Misty Craver from the mostrecent radio show. A brand new episode airs Sunday, October 26th at 5pm on 91.3 FM and online at kvlu.org.Thanks for listening!

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples Month, we’re sharing Jason Miller’s interview with Tim Seiter from Season 6 of the radio show. A 2022 Fellow with the Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast, Tim speaks about his research to uncover the hidden history of the Karankawa people along the Texas Gulf Coast.This interview is Part 1 of a larger exploration into the Karankawa. You can learn more about this fascinating history and how the legacy of the Karankawa continues today from our conversation with Karankawa descendent Alexander “Strong Wind” Perez located in the Bayoulands podcast feed. Thanks for listening!

In anticipation of the Lutcher Theater's upcoming season, we're sharing Jason Miller’s interview with Jim Clark who served as director for the Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts for 28 years before retiring in 2017. This conversation was featured in the debut season of Bayoulands in 2016.The Lutcher Theater will launch its 46th season on Thursday October 23rd with the hit Broadway musical, "The Addams Family". For tickets and information visit lutcher.org.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing a feature from the most recent radio show about Aimed Dance, an organization focused on fostering awareness of and value for dance in Southeast Texas which includes conversations with Dance instructor and Aimed Dance alum Jesus Acosta and Aimed Dance founder Amy Elizabeth.Thanks for listening!

For this Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode we are re-sharing Jason Miller’s conversation with historian Charlotte Chiasson about the history of the iconic Rainbow Bridge which has been a fixture in SETX for 87 years, celebrating its birthday on September 8th. Earlier this year, the bridge was shut down as the Texas Department of Transportation embarked on a months-long improvement project. So, we are opening this episode with a quick update from TXDot's Tanya Avila .Thanks for listening!

In anticipation of local Hispanic heritage celebrations in Southeast Texas, we’re sharing a conversation with Tony Ramirez from the Mexican Heritage Society of Port Arthur from season 7 of Bayoulands. The 57th annual FIESTA hosted by the Mexican Heritage Society will be held Saturday, September 13th from 9am to 11pm at the Bob Bowers Civic Center in Port Arthur. The City of Beaumont will host their own celebration VIVA Beaumont! Hispanic Heritage Festival on Sunday, September 14th from 3 to 8PM on Main Street in Downtown Beaumont.Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing a conversation from the most recent radio show, between guest contributor Dennis Kiel and Cathy Spence, a fine art photographer living and working in Beaumont, Texas. An exhibition of Cathy Spence's most recent work titled "Liminal" will be on view at the Redbud Arts Center September 6-27, 2025. An Opening Reception will be held Saturday, September 6th from 6 to 9pm. The Redbud Arts Center is located at 303 E. 11th St. in the historic Heights neighborhood of Houston.Thanks for listening!

For this Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode, we are sharing a conversation between guest contributor Will Stark and the late artist and visionary architect Charlie Stagg. Best known for his 'Glass Bottle House' in Vidor, Texas, a domed cathedral built from repurposed bottles, cans, andcement, Stagg was also a drawer, painter, and sculptor who's spiraling DNA-Helix-like works have been displayed in museums and art installations all over the world. This interview was conducted in 2009 prior to Charlie Stagg’sdeath in 2012 and aired for the first time, anywhere, on the Bayoulands radio show in 2016. Following the interview with Charlie Stagg, is a short discussion between Jason Miller and Lynn Castle, former director of the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, aboutStagg’s work and significance.Thanks for listening!

In honor of the recent passing of the legendary singer-songwriter and accordionist Flaco Jiménez, we’re sharing a story from 2022 about The Big Squeeze, an annual competition that focuses on nurturing young talent in the various forms of traditional Texas accordion music.Thanks for listening!

Prompted by the recent death of artist and sculptor David Cargill, whose work can be seen across Southeast Texas and far beyond, including the campus of Lamar University, we’re sharing Jason Miller’s conversation from 2021 with Kim Steinhagen, a Major Gifts Officer at Lamar University who also oversees LU’s public art collection. Thanks for listening!

In recognition of the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20th, we’re re-visiting a conversation with Sandra Tetley, the historic preservation officer for Johnson Space Center and members of her team about the restoration of Mission Control. At the time, Sandra, along with David Buchec and Adam Graves and an entire team of preservationists were working diligently to finish the restoration in time for 50th anniversary celebrations in 2019.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, guest contributor Jesse Doiron talks hometown journalism with managing editor forThe Examiner, Jennifer Johnson, from the most recent radio show. Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing Jason Miller’s conversation with Lamar University history professor and fellow with LU’s Center for History and Culture, Cassandra Broussard, about her ongoing research into the history of the LGBTQ+community in Southeast Texas from the most recent radio show. Thanks for listening!

June is Great Outdoors Month, so for this Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode we're revisiting our nature hike at Cattail Marsh in Beaumont led by Chris Draths from the Magnolia Garden Club.For more information about Cattail Marsh visit beaumontcvb.com.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing a conversation with Katherine Leister about the history of the woodwork in the W.H. Stark House in Orange. This is just one of the featured stories in the next radio episode which airs Sunday, June 22nd at 5pm.Fore more information about the Stark House and the other venues of the Stark Foundation visit starkculturalvenues.org.Thanks for listening! 

For this episode, we’re sharing a conversation between guestcontributor Jesse Doiron and poet R.S. Gwynn from the season 9 premiere of Bayoulands.An encore of the radio episode featuring this conversation and much more will air Sunday, May 25th at 5pm.Thanks for listening!

In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're revisiting our conversation with author Oanh Ngo Usadi from 2021 for this Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode.We spoke by zoom from her home in Singapore about her memoir "Of Monkey Bridges and Banh Mi Sandwiches: from Saigon to Texas," which details her experience as a Vietnamese refugee and immigrant in Southeast Texas.Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing my conversation with Byron Balentine about his remembrances of the late KVLU show host Tanner Hunt, better known to KVLU listeners as Corndodger Snopes, host of the long-running program "Saturday Night with the Folks," who passed away on April 6th of this year. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing a story from early in the Bayoulands series. Jason Miller and JonathanTippet visited Claiborne Park in Vidor to learn about Rainbow Trout stocking and fishing.Thanks for listening!

For this Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode we're revisiting our conversation with author Roger Wood about the legendary Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown plus a special introduction with KVLU music director Joe Elwell.Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we're digging deep into the Bayoulands series with a story from the first season. Back in 2017, we visited the apiary at Pinehurst Gardens in Orange County to learn about beekeeping from Brian Muldrow of Muldrow Bee Farm in Beaumont. For more info visit muldrowbeefarm.com.Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing a conversation between guest contributor Willie Carriere and longtime Southeast Texas news videographer L.D. Ray from earlier this season.Thanks for listening!

In honor of Texas Independence and Texas History Month, we are re-sharing a tour of the Sam Houston Regional Library in Liberty, Texas for this Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode.Alana Inman leads Shannon Harris through the exhibits at the Library that tell the story of this region of Texas from pre-history to the present. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing a conversation between guestcontributor Jesse Doiron and architect and art caretaker Rob Clark from the latest episode of the Bayoulands radio show. Rob is a contributor of public art in Southeast Texas where he and his partner Jerry Thacker have been instrumental in growing Lamar University’s public art program through gifts of artwork by nationally acclaimed artists. The two will be honored for their contributions to the arts at this year’s Le Grand Bal hosted by the Lamar College of Fine Arts on March 22nd. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we're sharing our conversation with Lareatha Clay, a direct descendent from the Shankleville Freedom Colony located in Newton County, one of more than 500 freedmen’s towns in Texas founded by formerly enslaved people who were emancipated after the Civil War. This conversation appeared on the most recent episode of the Bayoulands radio show.News and information from the Shankleville HistoricalSociety is available on their website at shankleville.org and on Facebook. For more information about Freedom Colonies in Texas visit thetexasfreedomcoloniesproject.com.Thanks for listening!

For this Back to Bayoulands BONUS episode, we're sharing Micah Leigh's conversation with Janis Joplin biographer Holly George-Warren, including a special introductory conversation with Tom Neal, director of the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur, Texas.Back to Bayoulands episodes will drop every 3rd Friday this year.Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing a conversation from the latest episode of the Bayoulands radio show… between Chair of the Department of Art and Design at Lamar University Stephanie Chadwick and acclaimed artist and native Southeast Texan Evita Tezeno whose exhibition titled Piece of My Heart is on view at the Dishman Art Museum through March 8th of 2025.You can hear the full most recent episode on Sunday, February 23rd at 5pm CST on 91.3 FM and kvlu.org.

For this episode we’re sharing Jesse Doiron’s conversation with Southeast Texas author and memoirist Gary Brice from the most recent episode of the Bayoulands radio show. Thanks for listening.

We are introducing a NEW bonus episode to the podcast to revisit early conversations from the podcast series. "Back to Bayoulands" episodes will drop every 3rd Friday in 2025. This Back to Bayoulands episode features the very first episode from the podcast: Jason Miller's conversation with animator and illustrator Kelly Asbury. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing our conversation with Ramona Young about her research into the Redbone community of Southwest Louisiana for the most recent episode of the Bayoulands radio show. Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we're sharing a conversation from earlier in season 8 between guest contributor Jesse Doiron shares and poet and author John Rutherford. Thanks for listening and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

For this episode we’re sharing a conversation with Katherine Leister from the Stark Cultural Venues about the Stark Family’s legacy at the University of Texas at Austin. For more information about the venues of the Stark Foundation in Orange, Texas, go to starkculturalvenues.org.

For this episode we’re sharing our visit to the Ice House Museum to speak with Susan Kilcrease about recent archeological discoveries along the Neches River. The Ice House Museum is located at 818 Earnest Ave in Silsbee. To learn more you can visit their website at icehousemuseum.org and follow them on Facebook and YouTube.

For this episode, we're sharing the first live recording for the Bayoulands series. Inspired by photographs documenting the war in Ukraine, KVLU station manager Jason Miller led a conversation with the documentary photographer and Lamar University alumnus Patrick Patterson and UlianaTrylowsky, a major gifts officer at Lamar University of Ukrainian descent. The opinions express in this conversation do not reflect those of KVLU or Lamar University.You can view the exhibition of photographs by Patrick Patterson titled “To Live” on view at the Dishman ArtMuseum through November 2nd. The Dishman Art Museum is located at 1030 E Lavaca St in Beaumont on the campus of Lamar University.Thanks for listening.