The Occasional Podcaster: Recent Episodes
Greg Mashburn
Retired broadcaster Greg Mashburn occasionally offers conversation and interviews with local community and business leaders focusing on topics of interest to the Muskogee area.
We visit with Executive Director Kathy Seibold and Marketing Manager Wendy Burton from the Eastern Oklahoma Library System. We'll discuss plans for an upcoming fundraiser for the Muskogee Public Library to update, repair, renovate, reimagine and repurpose the facility to meet the needs of today’s patrons as well as those of the next 50 years.
MAG president Leah Hays and art camp director Jamie Triplett visit with us about Summer Art Camps For Kids, with several different sessions scheduled throughout the last three weeks of July. Topics include Art in Mexican Culture; Art in Native American Culture; The Art of Me; Fundamentals of Drawing and many others.
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The 14th annual Bass Reeves Western History Conference, sponsored by Muskogee's Three Rivers Museum is scheduled for mid-June.
In this episode, we visit with museum director Angie Rush about the conference and other events happening soon at the museum.
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We visit with Sharon Ray, whom along with her husband Oscar, founded Oklahoma's premiere independent film festival just over 25 years ago in Muskogee, Oklahoma. With participants from around the world, the festival can proudly claim the title "International".
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Two interviews in this episode! First, we visit with local historian and author Jonita Mullins about her new book, a collection of articles, stories and columns about Ft. Gibson in advance of the celebration of that community's upcoming 200th anniversary in April of 2024.
Next, our guests Patricia Ridge Bradley and Jim Eaton, volunteers and members of the Muskogee Art Guild. We'll be chatting about the "Black & White" fundraiser open to the public and happening from later this month.
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The Occasional Podcaster introduces you to a new friend and colleague; Elvira Smith.
From her arrival in Oklahoma in the mid '80's to her work today here in Muskogee as a Spanish instructor for the Muskogee public schools, Elvira is deeply involved in culture and education.
In addition to teaching Spanish for the school system, she also teaches English as a second language for Muskogee Bridges Out of Poverty.
We offer to our listeners this friendly chat about her profession, her passion for education and the story of how she wound up here in Muskogee, Oklahoma. A world-traveler and a Spanish teacher, we chat next with Elvira Smith.
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My guests this time around are Fort Gibson Historic Site Director Jennifer Frazee and Author and Historian Jonita Mullins. We discuss the opening of the historic fort at what is now the Northeastern Oklahoma community of Fort Gibson and it's importance from its beginnings in 1824 up to today.
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This time around, we visit with Bryan Harris, representing Paradigm Shift as well as a second group, Muskogee Young Professionals. Paradigm Shift offers leadership development for secondary students from 6th to 12 grade, college students and for corporate entities. Muskogee Young Professionals is an offshoot of Paradigm Shift, offering a social atmosphere offering education in skillsets needed for today’s career professionals under the age of 40.
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In the final episode of this special limited series, co-hosts Greg Mashburn and T.S. Akers wrap up the story of Freemasonry in Indian Territory with a discussion of the "appendant bodies" of the craft; such as the Scottish Rite, The York Rite and The Shrine with a focus on, arguably, the most popular of these, the York Rite.
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In the 3rd installment of this special limited series of programs, co-hosts T.S. Akers and Greg Mashburn discuss the influence of Freemasonry in Oklahoma; specifically Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory as they merged to become a single state in 1907 and the eventual merging of two Grand Lodges into one.
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Co-hosts Brother T.S. Akers and Greg Mashburn continue the special limited-series "Traveling East", discussing the growth of Freemasonry in Indian Territory in what eventually became Oklahoma. In this chat, we find out just how the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory was formed; it's trials, tribulations and ultimate success.
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Tobi Ledbetter is a "Bored Okie"; in fact, that's the name of her business. After years of working for others promoting businesses, organizations and events, she opened her own business with her daughter and together, they develop and promote various events. "Okie Winterfest" is coming to the Muskogee Civic Center on Thanksgiving weekend.
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Episode 1 in a special series on The Occasional Podcaster. My co-host for this limited series is Brother T.S. Akers, a historian and Freemason. Over the next several episodes of the program, we will explore the introduction of Freemasonry to Pre-Oklahoma Indian Territory and its effects on the region.
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Due the listener interest in our original episode about Muskogee Bridges with Executive Director Treasure McKenzie, we are pleased to present a follow-up about the program.
This time, we visit with board chairman Dan Morris to learn more about the program with a focus on a special "adjunct program" designed to help successful Bridge graduates obtain reliable transportation and help build a positive credit history.
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Work Ready Oklahoma seeks to help those looking for employment or seeking re-entry into the job market after a time-out. To help their clients succeed, they offer 90 days of coaching; free co-working space and internet access for 90 days if needed; access to a pipeline of vetted "remote" and local jobs and help in accessing the benefits and other support for which you qualify. Sherry Pilant and Misty Grace from the Muskogee office discuss the program and how it can help you to be a successful candidate for remote, work-from-home employment or in-place work for local and regional employers.
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The Third Annual Hope Through Healing Trauma-Informed Community Summit is scheduled for July 28th at the Muskogee Civic Assembly Center. The basic idea of the summit is to inform the community about trauma and how to handle it when they see it. This is why Neighbors Building Neighborhoods is presenting the Summit. On this program, we visit with Chelsea Brown from Green Country Behavior Health and Lindsey Roberts with Neighbors Building Neighborhoods about personal trauma and the summit scheduled for July 28 at Muskogee's Civic Center.
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For the past seven years, Treasure McKenzie has headed up Muskogee Bridges out of Poverty; a social program aimed at addressing poverty and building a stronger community. It has a rich history and holds significant importance in the local community. It operates on the understanding that poverty is a complex issue influenced by multiple factors such as education, employment, health, and social networks. Individual empowerment lies at the heart of the program. It provides individuals and families with the tools and skills necessary to break the cycle of poverty.
Later this month, Bridges is hosting "Workplace Stability Workshop" a training conference for employers wanting create retention and higher productivity among their workforce. It is scheduled for June 21st and will be presented twice that day in your choice of a morning or afternoon session.
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This year's Bass Reeves Western History Conference is set for mid-June in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Our guests - Amanda Hunnicutt of Muskogee's Three Rivers Museum and conference volunteer Larry Hoffman - visit with us about the event, its roots, development and impact on Muskogee. Bass Reeves was a U.S. Deputy Marshal working for Fort Smith's "Hanging Judge" in the last part of the 19th century. With a record of over 3,000 arrests and less than 20 deaths resulting from those arrests, the Bass Reeves story and his exploits continue to draw new fans each year.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/greg-mashburn4/message
Guest Andrea Chancellor visits with us about the Muskogee Preservation Society, their work in the community and an upcoming conference dealing with the architectural history of Muskogee. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/greg-mashburn4/message
An artistic institution in Muskogee and NE Oklahoma since the late 1930s, the Muskogee Art Guild will be hosting their annual Black & White Bash fundraiser on May 11th from 5 to 7pm at their new location, 106 South Main Street. MAG members Becky Lucht, Julie Ledbetter and Patricia Ridge Bradley discuss the organization and the upcoming fundraiser on this episode of The Occasional Podcaster.
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We visit with Angie Rush, Director of Muskogee's 3 Rivers Museum, about the upcoming 21st Annual Railroad Celebration scheduled for May 6th.
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Award winning author, speaker, historian and preservationist Jonita Mullins will speak at a special lecture at Muskogee's Three Rivers Museum on Thursday, November 17 at 6:30pm. A renowned novelist of historical fiction, Jonita's works deal almost exclusively with storylines featuring the lives of Oklahoma's Native American population.
Her first novel series was "The Mission of Indian Territory" and included Journey to an Untamed Land, Look Unto the Fields and Come to Lovely County; telling the real-life stories of the first missionaries and school teachers in Oklahoma working at Union Mission among the Osages and Cherokees.
Since then, there have been more books including The Jefferson Highway in Oklahoma; The Historic Osage Trace sharing the roots of today's Route 69, the Granddaddy Road through Oklahoma and Oklahoma Originals, a collection of over 80 brief biographies of Oklahoma's famous and infamous men and women.
In celebration of Muskogee's Sesquicentennial as well as Native American Heritage Month, Three Rivers Museum will present Jonita lecturing about her new book Muskogee, The Indian Capital. Admission is free and the first 40 attendees will receive a free copy of the book. Three Rivers Museum is located at 220 Elgin Street.
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Scheduled for September 24 in Muskogee's Depot Green, the LocalMotion Fall Arts Festival promises a day of family fun, food, music and other entertainment.
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The 12th annual Bass Reeves Western History Conference is scheduled for Muskogee's Roxy Theater and the Three Rivers Museum in Muskogee, Ok from July the 21st thru the 23rd.
Starting with a "Meet n Greet" at the Roxy Theater beginning at 5:30pm on the 21st, attendees will be treated to two days of interactive events, including tours that will step you back in time to meet characters who lived in and were part of Bass Reeves time as a marshal in Indian Territory before statehood and a city police officer after statehood.
Guests on this episode of The Occasional Podcaster include film makers Shiron and Oscar Ray and historian and author Jonita Mullins.
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Barbara McAlister is our very special guest on this episode. In recognition of Women in History month, we present Barbara as a very important part of Cherokee culture; a winner of the Cherokee Medal of Honor in 1999; a world-class mezzo-soprano who has performed in countless operas and musical events around the world; now teaching her craft to a new generation of young students for the Cherokee Nation.
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Roger Bell is the historian for the Three Rivers Museum in Muskogee and the publisher of "Muskogee 150" on Facebook. In this episode, we discuss some of the people, places and events important to the foundation and early growth of the city as we acknowledge the 150th anniversary of the city's founding in 1872.
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Host Greg Mashburn visits with founder Victor Lezama and Information Officer Kaylin Riede about "The Barracks"; a veterans community center in Muskogee. After an opening stalled for two years by COVID, The Barracks had a "soft opening" in January of 2022.
Offering a gathering place for veterans, The Barracks offers many services including a self-serve kitchen and a laundry; a pantry and clothes closet; a library and a gym as well as an activities center and a chapel.
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In this episode, we chat with T.S. Akers of Oklahoma City. In recognition of Native American Month we’ll be focusing in on a rather different aspect of Oklahoma’s history… Native Americans and Freemasonry in Indian Territory.
T.S. Akers is himself a Freemason, and is the curator of the Masonic Collection for the Scottish Rite in McAlester, Ok. It is an interesting topic and sheds a little light on pre-statehood Oklahoma, our Native American population and our fascination with Freemasonry.
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Save Saturday, September 18 on your family evens calendar! The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame will be inducting world-class performer Ann Bell as it's newest member with a free outdoor concert beginning at 7pm that day, The induction and concert will cap off "Local Motion"; a day chock-full of events suitable for the entire family! Hall of Fame board member Andrea Chancellor is our guest to talk about the induction of Ann Bell, the concert and the all-day Fall Arts Festival on Muskogee's Depot Green.
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We visit with Joel Everett of the Muskogee Running Club about the upcoming "Port to Fort Adventure Trail Run"; in the second part of the episode, we have a conversation with Austin Patton, event coordinator for the 69th annual Cherokee National Holiday happing over Labor Day Weekend. COVID-19 has necessitated the need for a "virtual" celebration this year.
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Our guest is Wren Stratton from the Muskogee Art Guild. We'll chat about "LocalMotion", at fall arts festival scheduled in September for the new Depot Green in Muskogee.
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This episode's first interview features Melanie Merritt, President of the Porter Lions Club and Neil Guinn, Ms. Peach Queen for 2021 visiting about the upcoming 55th annual Porter Peach Festival.
In the second half of the program, we visit with Scott Otwell, President of Muskogee Equality about the group, its mission and supporters in the Muskogee area.
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One of Muskogee's most popular events, the Muskogee Exchange Club Chili and BBQ Cook Off is a sure sign that summer is here! Teams from near and far come to our community to compete for prize money and bragging rights. From the Cooks Party on Friday June 11 to the all day competition on Saturday June 12, Muskogee's historic Hatbox Field is the gathering place for this time-tested crowd pleaser. Our guest Robert Smith discusses the history and the future of the annual event with host Greg Mashburn on this edition of The Occasional Podcaster.
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ICTC's 50th anniversary is this Sunday on the Muskogee campus. We speak with Kathy Adair, Business and Industry Director, about plans and events at the celebration; also ICTC's history and impact on Oklahoma students in their seven-county area.
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A new podcast aimed at providing interesting and useful stories, interviews and information about events and programs of interest to our community!
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