Mother, Father, Uncle, Aunt: Stories from Lake Wobegon (CD)

There's a reason all those children in Lake Wobegon are above average. It might be the clean prairie air. It might be the wholesome wheat that's grown by the Norwegian bachelor farmers. Or it just might be their strong, good-looking parents. This collection of "News from Lake Wobegon" monologues--all taken from live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion--is an extended meditation on the joys, sorrows, challenges, and humor of raising children. The tales include "Ronnie and the Winnebago" about a young man and his long struggle to earn his father's understanding; "Love While You Dare," the story of August Johnson, who, after losing his brother in a gambler's prank in Copenhagen, flees to America rather than face his mother--who later comes to visit him in Lake Wobegon; and six more splendid, unforgettable accounts of how, in Keillor's words, "the meek shall inherit the earth, and when we have done all we can with our children, it's time to step back and let them inherit it."  Music interludes from Rich Dworsky, Butch Thompson, Pat Donohue, Chris Thile, Dan Newton and more.

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Sorrell Stroll,  Ball Jars, Love While you Dare To, Say I Do, Saturday Morning in The Bon Marche, Family Trip to Yellowstone, Swanee

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The Flood, Faith River, Bob Anderson's Last Dance, Children Will Break Your Heart

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Summer's End, Ronnie and The Winnebago, Snag It, Carl's Christmas Pageant, Mamie's Blues, The Tombstone, Solitude