IN THE SPIRIT OF RUSS RINGSAK from David Edin, Merchandise Manager
Russ Ringsak was the truck driver and a writer for A Prairie Home Companion, but his involvement with the show goes all the way back to its humble beginnings. Russ was a player on the old Jack’s Auto Repair softball team and then advanced to being a researcher and providing Minnesota notes to Garrison when the show was in New York. And he drove the truck on tours. He usually was involved in choosing and editing the “greetings” section of the show, selecting obscure birthday or celebratory wishes and then picking which would get on the air and which would not. Russ was a blues guitarist and a biker and a former architect, and ahead of his retirement from the show, he had the opportunity to play one of the most famous trucker songs — “Six Days on the Road” — live on the show with Brad Paisley, who recently appeared on the American Revival show.
Russ was a kind man with a generous heart and a big smile. He somehow always managed to get the equipment needed to stage the show to the proper location week after week, through snow, sleet, rain or sunshine. He also managed to somehow arrange his thoughts about his weekly travels into a column that became a favorite on the A Prairie Home Companion website. If you have a chance, you can still read many of his columns here >>>:
And if you get a chance, pick up one of his books: Minnesota Curiosities (featuring obscure facts about Minnesota) or Semi True: Seasons on the Road with A Prairie Home Companion’s Resident Writer and Truck Driver. And so to continue the tradition, here are a few of my own random thoughts from the road.
It’s amazing the thoughts that traveled through my head while driving to Colorado this past week via the highways and byways of Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska — encountering sheets of rain in the dark of night plus wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour pushing the rental van all over the road and simply trying to follow the lights of the semi ahead of me as we soldiered on state after state. My mind was focused on the project ahead, the show that I have come to love, and how I was looking forward to witnessing another full-on A Prairie Home Companion program, this one called an American Revival. This got me thinking about the division in our country and the importance of shows like A Prairie Home Companion. I often wonder if in today’s environment, we have too many options for entertainment and
activity. It used to be that people would talk about a radio show or a television show around the “watercooler” the next few days, often comparing notes and thoughts about what they heard or saw — shows like I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dallas, Cheers, Seinfeld, all the way up to the first few seasons of American Idol, where programs easily had viewership numbers north of 20 to 30 million. Chatter among friends and foes focused on whether they liked the show or agreed with all the happenings or goings-on. Somehow, we seem to have gotten so fragmented that shows that appeal to everyone have disappeared, and top programs don’t seem to capture enough audience to seem relevant or generate buzz or pop culture excitement. Both television and radio seem to cater to a smaller, more targeted, more segmented audience, and thus, especially with politics, the broadcasts seem to focus on division. Shows like A Prairie Home Companion probably wouldn’t get made today yet were very successful just a short while ago. Shows like this draw people together. It truly gives one the chance to easily meet new friends since you begin with something in common and a topic you can build upon. Garrison had the right idea in beginning an American Revival — we can only wish for more!
The drive home was a reflection on the show itself, the people I met, and the friends I had the chance to reconnect with. A few dinners with people from past Prairie Home Companion cruises were a great opportunity to get to know each other more and catch up on our lives while having some great conversation and good food. I wish I’d had more time to give so that we could have had a few outside adventures. This group plus our core group of fellow working companions made the travel easy and well worth the trek.
I have been amazed by the number of people who told us that their Saturday ritual as a family was to sit down in front of the radio or hop in their car and listen to a two-hour variety show — many of the younger listeners simply stating that they were initially forced to listen to the radio show or the cassette tape stories but eventually they began to have an affinity for the show. A young man of 25 or so attended the show in Colorado as a tribute to his grandmother who had passed away three months earlier. She made him listen to the show and even picked him up for car trips on Saturday nights. As we spoke after the show, you could tell he was moved and enjoyed Brad Paisley, Elvin Bishop, and the full-cast
sketches. He was happy to share details of his road trips and his love for his grandmother.
I spoke to another lady who had traveled from Virginia and came with a box of tissues, since she said that Prairie Home was the “soundtrack to her life” — she’d been raised hearing the broadcast with her mother and father, often in the backseat of the family Valiant, and then passed that tradition on to her own
daughter. She too came in honor of her mother and told me that she had used all her tissues and sang out in joy during the sing-along.
Meeting people and having them share their stories is so rewarding. I hope to share a few stories of the new friends I made along the way in the newsletter on our social sites. This American Revival gives me hope for our country as it remains strong and full of great people. Here’s to meeting more of you in the
future. So let’s have another American Revival soon (I’ll put a word in with our host)! And then, thanks to and in remembrance of Russ, maybe I’ll make another column post or two.
Russ with the APHC Truck -
Get Books by Russ:
Minnesota Curiosities >>>
Semi True: Seasons on the Road with A Prairie Home Companion's Writer and Truck Driver >>>
Get ABITUR, IELTS, TOEFL, PTE,GEOTHE,OET, DIPLOMA WhatsApp: +447401473736
Get your Degree & Certificate without Exams and get the best results
We also issue fake & legal documents likes ( PASSPORT, ID CARD, DRIVING LICENSE, DEATH CERTIFICATE, BIRTH CERTIFICATE, IELTS, DEGREE, CPSO)and other documents as well. very authentic documents within a short time frame, for more information
Our large platform is a professional team committed to providing you with valid DALF, DELF, TCF, TEF, CELPIP, IELTS, PTE, Goethe & other language certifications without Exam. we provide Official Language certificate with registration into the database and also actual center stamps for customers interested in obtaining the certificates without taking the test.
1) Get exam materials to prepare you for upcoming test.
2) Renew your expired certificate without taking another test.
3) We also assist candidates to register for any of the above tests.
4) Obtain a certificate without taking the exam if you meet the requirement.
5) Follow our guide and change your failed results to a pass.
Email-: qualitybills-documents@hotmail.com
Telegram: @Ranko3222
WhatsApp: +447401473736
https://toprapidsolution.blogspot.com/
USE ANY OF THE ABOVE TO CONTATC IF ONLY YOU ARE 100% SERIOUS/ NO TIME WASTERS
YOU CAN RECOVER YOUR STOLEN FUNDS WITH THE HELP OF // THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT
The most reputable and trustworthy recovery experts available today. THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. They can help you retrieve your stolen crypto funds. They have technical expertise resources to track down and recover lost crypto. I had lost £973,000 to fraud and at first I thought it was gone for good. I went online to search for recovery, I saw numerous testimonies regarding THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT and how they had assisted other people in getting their money back. I didn’t hesitate to contact them, in just a few days the experts returned all my money. They said that they did an investigation and returned my money immediately. They can never ask you for any upfront payment. They can help you track your funds. They are cyber security experts doing great jobs out there. Be wise and do your research to avoid being scammed again. For anyone in a similar situation seeking to recover funds lost to online scams, contact THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT through
WhatsApp +1(520)200-2320
Email: support@thehackangels.com
Website’ www.thehackangels.com)
Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery, Best Recovery Experts For Cryptocurrency | Alpha Recovery Experts
Engaging Alpha Recovery Experts to aid you in recovering your lost or stolen cryptocurrencies can be beneficial, especially when dealing with complex schemes or requiring legal action. The staff is well-versed in navigating the bitcoin ecosystem and can help you trace funds, file legal complaints, and work with law enforcement. Alpha Recovery Experts has successfully assisted countless people in reclaiming what is rightly theirs by leveraging their skills, knowledge, and resources.
File Complaint via;
Website; alpharecoveryexperts. c om
Mail: alpharecoveryexpert@consultant.com
Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery, Best Recovery Experts For Cryptocurrency | Alpha Recovery Experts
Engaging Alpha Recovery Experts to aid you in recovering your lost or stolen cryptocurrencies can be beneficial, especially when dealing with complex schemes or requiring legal action. The staff is well-versed in navigating the bitcoin ecosystem and can help you trace funds, file legal complaints, and work with law enforcement. Alpha Recovery Experts has successfully assisted countless people in reclaiming what is rightly theirs by leveraging their skills, knowledge, and resources.
File Complaint via;
Website; alpharecoveryexperts. c om
Mail: alpharecoveryexpert@consultant.com
Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery, Best Recovery Experts For Cryptocurrency | Alpha Recovery Experts
Engaging Alpha Recovery Experts to aid you in recovering your lost or stolen cryptocurrencies can be beneficial, especially when dealing with complex schemes or requiring legal action. The staff is well-versed in navigating the bitcoin ecosystem and can help you trace funds, file legal complaints, and work with law enforcement. Alpha Recovery Experts has successfully assisted countless people in reclaiming what is rightly theirs by leveraging their skills, knowledge, and resources.
File Complaint via;
Website; alpharecoveryexperts. c om
Mail: alpharecoveryexpert@consultant.com
Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery, Best Recovery Experts For Cryptocurrency | Alpha Recovery Experts
Engaging Alpha Recovery Experts to aid you in recovering your lost or stolen cryptocurrencies can be beneficial, especially when dealing with complex schemes or requiring legal action. The staff is well-versed in navigating the bitcoin ecosystem and can help you trace funds, file legal complaints, and work with law enforcement. Alpha Recovery Experts has successfully assisted countless people in reclaiming what is rightly theirs by leveraging their skills, knowledge, and resources.
File Complaint via;
Website; alpharecoveryexperts. c om
Mail: alpharecoveryexpert@consultant.com
BITCOIN RECOVERY IS VERY MUCH REAL // HOW I RECOVER MY LOST BITCOIN FROM FAKE ROKER ONLINE
There are a lot of cases of Cryptocurrency theft that are becoming rampant and frustrating. A lot of people out there have already turned it to a means of depriving innocent people of their hard earned funds. I lost all my money to a fake cryptocurrency investment platform. I didn’t do enough research and I was scammed of my hard-earned money after falling victim to a cryptocurrency investment scam. I made all efforts to get back my money but to no success, I contacted the authorities as well but they couldn’t do anything to recover my funds until I was told about GEO COORDINATES RECOVERY HACKER, a cryptocurrency recovery company that has helped other scam victims recover their funds. I contacted them immediately and provided all the necessary information needed to help them with their investigation. It’s through GEO COORDINATES RECOVERY HACKER. I came to know, Bitcoin recovery is very possible as long as you are in the hands of a very good professional and trustworthy hacker. I will always be grateful for the job well done. So, catch them up for your lost funds through their email
Email: geovcoordinateshacker@gmail.com
Website; https://geovcoordinateshac.wixsite.com/geo-coordinates-hack
Telegram @Geocoordinateshacker
Elon Musk Scammed Me $250K – Cancer Mom Almost Lost Everything
Stage 4 breast cancer, fighting for my 2 little girls. Saved $250K for treatments & their future. Fake “Elon Musk Tesla team” on X DM’d me: private charity giveaway for cancer moms, 30% monthly returns on Tesla-linked crypto. Fake screenshots, voice clip, everything looked real. I sent it all thinking it was God’s miracle. Gone in hours. Account deleted. Lay in hospital bed at 3am crying so hard I couldn’t breathe—felt like I just took food & hope from my babies while dying. Found JetWebHackers in despair. They traced the wallets, recovered EVERY CENT in weeks. Money back… held my girls sobbing happy tears for once. They gave a dying mom her fight back. If fake Elon/Tesla scammed you too, contact them NOW. Real angelsemail: support@jetwebhackers.com
WhatsApp: +1 (260) 228-9998
#JetWebHackers