The Roadhouse

Musicians Rich Mattson and Germaine Gemberling joined Ann and Will live from their home and studios in Sparta, Minnesota.  Listen to the audio below to hear the performance, or click here to view the archived Facebook live video.

This spring, Minnesotans are reading "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo for the One Book One Minnesota book club. Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary of publication, the book is geared for youth but appeals to all ages. 

Kate joined Ann on the Roadhouse ahead of the statewide book discussion she will host on Wednesday, May 20 at 1 pm. as part of the One Book One Minnesota book club.

During this stay-at-home time, many people are sitting around more and being less physically active in general. How does this affect our health, and what can we do about it? To learn more, Will spoke with Dr. Beth Lewis, director of the school of kinesiology at the University of Minnesota.

Dave and Amy Freeman have spent much of their married life traveling the world's wildest places - including a year in the Boundary Waters.  Will chatted with Dave and Amy about how their time in isolation traveling together has prepared them well for staying at home now.

So many things have been changing in the past weeks, and among them is that dog owners are spending more time home with their dogs. Dr. Christy Hoffman, animal behaviorist and director of the Anthrozoology Master’s program at Canisius College (Buffalo, NY), joined Ann to tell us about how dogs react to having more time together with their humans.

Bump Blomberg joined Will and Ann on The Roadhouse to make history, the first virtual performance!  The performance took place on the air, as well on our Facebook page.  You can find the video replay here.

Matthew Ecklund is the captain of the Hjordis at North House Folk School, and has built a long and interesting career combining sailing expertise and boatbuilding with education. He has plans for his next adventure, which if all goes to planned, could be his biggest yet. He joins the Roadhouse to talk about the prospective circumnavigatory trip, how it will be used to benefit students in quarantine, and how it's being both helped and hindered by the global pandemic.

Bob Janssen is one of Minnesota’s top birding experts. He has been leader of the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union and consults for the Minnesota DNR, among many other roles. He’s just out with a revised edition of his landmark book “Birds in Minnesota.” Bob joined Ann to tell us more.

During this stressful time, we've had some requests for advice on staying calm and reducing anxiety.  Ann reached out to Dr. Sarah Metz, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco, to gather some information and tips on what we can do. For more resources from UCSF on staying mentally healthy during the coronavirus outbreak, click here.

Goat grazing is gaining popularity as a way to help remove invasive species. However, there are concerns that goats may actually be spreading the invasive species they graze on via their feces.  University of Minnesota researchers recently studied this topic.  Will spoke with study lead Katherine Marchetto, a postdoctoral associate in the  College of Veterinary Medicine to find out what they learned.