Human Interest Episodes

This episode of the Radio Sessions features extended conversations from the Shoreline Classics Saturday morning radio programs on July 21st and 28th. Part 1: My friends from the Huron County Historic Gaol, Sinead Cox and Benjamin Baker dropped by to talk about the history of this amazing local treasure and shared details of a big celebration coming our way on July 5th this year. Part 2 of this episode features a chat I had recently with Ivet Loder, the president of the newly formed Goderich Optimist Club.

My favourite thing about the podcast is when we have the chance to get to know people better and make new friends as a result of it. It happened again this week as we dug in a little with Steve & Mary from Steve & Mary’s OTS in Goderich. It’s a place I’ve eaten often and I love the casual, comfort food environment and the overall vibe which is just so welcoming.  Where they grew up, childhood dreams, how they met and how they ended up owning a restaurant in the prettiest town in Canada. We’ll find out all of that and how they manage to run a successful business while still offering themselves up to the community in so many amazing ways. All the highs and lows of restaurant life this time around on A Life That’s Good.

While scanning through some local news lately, I saw an old high school friend of mine getting some well deserved attention for retiring after an amazing 45 year career in nursing. I can’t think of a tougher job and yet, the accolades simply reminded me of a lovely human being I used to know along with her future husband Paul. A couple of truly wonderful people. This week it's an Everyday Hero (The Story of a Nurse) with Goderich native Wilma Duckworth talking about her family, friends, growing up in a small town and her amazing career in nursing at Alexandra Marine & General Hospital ... and we might reminisce a little about some wonderful times gone by.

A couple of months ago when I said goodbye to my radio career in Wingham, I mentioned that I'd left a few doors open. Were my intentions to retire? Well, yes but I was also aware that I love doing radio and I knew if I had a chance again someday, I might take it. I didn't think anyone would knock quite so quickly though. It was Nick Cadotte, manager of Shoreline Classics offering me a perfect opportunity to slow down a little without actually having to give up completely, something I truly love to do. Nick joins me today along with Shoreline Morning Man, Roland Archer to talk about our shared love of radio, how Shoreline came to be, their respective journeys and our mutual passion for community!

Welcome back to “A Life That’s Good” from our new home base in Goderich. We're learning a new way to podcast as the pod continues to grow and we experiment with a video version that will hopefully come your way in the not too distant future. Thanks to Fauxpop Media and the Staysh in Goderich for helping us out this week as we visited with a young man who grew up in Goderich and who, in recent years, has travelled the world, writing and performing thousands of songs! One of those creations recently won him a People's Choice Country Award!! His music has been heard by more than 1 billion people ... and no that's not a typo ... a Billion! Singer/Songwriter Adam Wendler is here!

In the words of sapient, poet/philosopher, Steve Miller ... "Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'." And, my goodness has it ever done that. I hope this episode doesn't come off as a little self congratulatory but to help me process the formidable challenge of wrapping up a radio career that I've loved for the better part of 4 decades, my friends @Julie Bullivant from The One Morning Show and Paul Dekker from Conway Furniture join me to reflect and reminisce about a life (and career) that's been truly good. (My last show here is this Friday, Nov 29th)

In this episode, I'm excited to chat with former high school teacher turned author David Yates. He's written several great books centering on Huron County history and we're going to discuss some of that, from the Land Bridge near Point Clark to the World Wars to the "Hang Man" to all kinds of interesting facts about this wonderful place we call home. Oh, and we'll find out which generation David thinks "won the lucky lottery of life" The highlight for this pre Remembrance Day episode is a disc...

Ever since my youth when I was a paperboy on Mary Street in Goderich, I've loved a good newspaper. They don't hold place in our world anymore with the advent of so much digital media and I get that the world is ever evolving, but to me, there's still nothing quite like holding real pages. Today we're going to talk about a great local paper that yes, you can read online, but it's also a rare, independent, community-owned newspaper, serving Huron County, that you can still hold a physical copy of....

Not that all our podcasts haven't been fun in some way but I feel like we laughed a little more than usual on this one. Siegfried Meier is a producer/engineer/musician/songwriter and Juno Award winner from the Goderich area who has worked with a long list of incredible talent including our other guest on the show this week, a former flight attendant turned rock star, Harley Olivia. We'll talk about childhood dreams, family, our pets, the music business, the Juno, what's really important in lif...

This week we go behind the camera to chat with CTV News journalist Scott Miller about his humble beginnings on the farm, a family fascination with the news, the toughest stories he's had to cover, a cancer diagnosis and a few surprises, like his guilty pleasure, which frankly, I'm still not quite over. He's one of my favourite journalists and people, and I think as you listen, you'll see why.

"The Streamliners", as per the Livery Theatre's Facebook page, is more than an original Canadian story filled with music and dancing. It captures a small moment in history, where four boys in a band become men in a span of a few years, through laughter, adventure, performances, and even darkness. They do it all - together. Director Duncan McGregor and cast member Rob Bundy are here this week to share all the details of the incredible story of "The Streamliners," hitting the stage just in time f...

I have so many good memories of the White Carnation in Holmesville. As a youth, I remember it as a place for wedding receptions, anniversary and birthday parties and the best place for an old fashioned roast beef dinner! It also turned into a great spot, for a kid trying to put himself through radio college, to earn a few bucks disc jockeying one of those events. When my old friend Heather Glenister called and told me she was working with Habitat for Humanity Huron County and that they had a fundraiser happening there and would I come sing and play ... it seemed like a perfect opportunity to do a little twofer In this episode we going to talk about The White Carnation then & now AND get the lowdown on an amazing charitable organization dedicated to improving lives through affordable homeownership. It's all win/win this week with Heather from Habitat Huron and the White Carnation's Corinne Bos.

Today on the pod you’re going to hear the heart of an artist. Our imaginative, passionate, and sensitive friend Bethany Davidson is here to chat about her art and to paint us some word pictures of what it all means to be a creative human. We’ll find out a little bit about who she is, how Polkaroo influenced her life ;) ... and we’ll discover the heart behind the very successful “Froggy Festival” that’s happening on the square in Goderich on Saturday (Sept 20th) We have lots to chat about so le...

We like to introduce you to places and landmarks in Midwestern Ontario but sometimes we also like to celebrate people and that's what we're going to do today! It's hard to imagine doing any job for 50 years let alone a back breaking, emotional roller coaster of a job like that of a paramedic. Our guest today though, has done just that! We have immeasurable admiration for people who make their lives about serving others ... and of course that includes First Responders. Huron County Paramedic G...

Hi there, and welcome back to A Life That's Good, after a wonderful summer break. We're so grateful for the response to the podcast the past few months and so excited to bring you some brand new episodes. :) Nothing says Fall in Midwestern Ontario, quite like the Blyth Steam Show, now in it's 63rd year!! In this episode, we're going to chat about how it started, some of its storied history and where it's all heading with President Cole McDonald, V.P. Laura McDonald, Past President Judy Sloan an...

It's that time of year again when most of us just can't wait to get outside and get all the pretty things growing again. As sometimes happens, a small labour of love can grow into a force to be reckoned with and such is the case with Greyhaven Gardens. It began more than 34 years ago as a small vegetable growing operation and greenhouse and has evolved into a MUCH larger and well loved independent, family run, garden centre. This week we're chatting with owner Michelle Greydanus about: humble beginnings, surprise careers, family, flowers, workshops, Mother's Day, Christmas, the new store, the future and ... Beavertails? Join us for a fun and enlightening chat about this beautiful oasis in Londesboro.

Milli had an idea to create a few podcasts under the sub-heading of "Pockets of Peace." To seek out some hidden, peaceful gems in Midwestern Ontario and I loved the idea. I'm sure it's no coincidence that the first place we thought of was Bayfield Lavender. We'd set out on a bit of a photo adventure one day last summer and through a series of fortunate events, ended up at this beautiful oasis just outside of Bayfield on Porter's Hill Line. We could feel the anxiety leaving our bodies as we strolled about this peaceful, sustainable, small scale lavender farm. We're excited to share it with you today as we sit down for a chat with owner operator, farmer, creator ... Gemma James Smith.

We've said it a lot over the years ... "If we all give a little, we all get a lot." Those words grow increasingly important in times like these. None of us will escape the need for health care of some kind in our lives and why would we not want it to be the best it can be? Our guests this week are three people who have been driving forces for their local hospital foundations over the years and who have, through the Radiothon become good friends of ours and of each other. Dale Franklin - Th...

I first knew Glen McNeil as my best pal's Uncle when I was a kid growing up on Mary Street in Goderich. My buddy Neil often invited me to his grandparents farm north of Goderich, to catch frogs in the crick and watch his Uncle Glen milk cows. These days, many people know Glen and Vanda McNeil for their dairy operation, Heather Holme Holsteins. Many more have come to know Glen as the Warden of Huron County for the past three years. In this episode: * A bit about the history of this amazing dai...

This week, we're going to stroll through the mind of our resident Millennial. If you've been wondering about some new music to listen too or what TV show you might like to binge this Fall, have a listen as we discuss that and a lot more. Also this week, a chat with our friend Christine Brandt about an amazing event that supports the Walkerton Hospital Foundation ... Run4Health, now in it's 13th year. We're all over the place but super glad you're here with us this week :)

I've interviewed many celebrities in my time so I was surprised when I found myself feeling a little nervous to talk with Loreena McKennitt. , platinum and multi platinum sales ... awards in 15 countries on 4 different continents ... Juno Awards, Grammy nominations, 14 million records sold or this induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Whatever it was, she had me feeling at ease in just moments and I think you'll hear why in our conversation. She's a delight and she's comin...

Growing up in a small town ... A few reflections this week with our very good friend Alecia Anderson. Ally A and Boomer are both Huron County kids ... Milli is Bruce County raised ...different or the same? We'll also talk about school friends ... church ... knowing all the police officers in town by their names ... dying to get out of town ... dying to come back ... and the time Boomer got caught stealing. Thanks for being here for this week's episode of A Life That's Good.

This week we (Boomer and Milli) kick off the show with a few memories of our recent honeymoon in Scotland. A lifelong dream for both of us :) And then ... an Irish guy walks into a radio studio in Canada to talk about a Scottish Festival :) Find out how that goes!! We're excited to welcome Tony Doherty to our studio to chat about the Kincardine Scottish Festival and Highland games which will happen July 7-9!

Fresh, locally grown food. It's the thing we do best around here. Thank you Farmers. I have a picture I love of my three kids picking strawberries at Morrisons Berries when they were little. It's not that it's a great photograph but it reminds me of the joy they were feeling as they picked: one for the basket, and one for them ... one for the basket and another one for them ... you know the routine ;) My guest this week is Emily Morrison of Morrison Berries. We will talk all about the Morriso...