High Plains Morning

Sam Burnett, the president of the Amarillo Area Transgender Advocacy Group (AATAG) and Sandra Dunn, founder of the Amarillo Area Transgender Support Group (AATSG), stopped by High Plains Morning to share about the 10th anniversary of the International Transgender Day of Visibility on Sunday, March 31st—and they’re hosting a first-ever

Dr. Marty Kuhlman is a Professor of History at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. He hosts a fantastic classic rock show called Psychotic Reaction on WT's student station in Canyon, TX, 91.1 FM (The One), every Friday night from 7:00 to 9:00pm CT, and he’s also teaching a cool continuing education class this April.

Andy Wilkinson is a High Plains artist, poet, songwriter, activist, educator, and storyteller—and this weekend he’s performing with the Amarillo Symphony during their 94th season. We hosted him live on High Plains Morning to hear more about the event, as well as his work at Texas Tech.

Having its origin in Central Asia, apples have come a long way. The first apples were a far cry from the big, juicy globes found in produce markets, orchards, and grocery stores. Today’s Growing on the High Plains will peel back the skin of this familiar fruit. From Egypt to Greece to Washington state, we’ll follow the journey and hear a little history, some ancient mythology, and a few crunchy cultural references.

Today we meet Adam Snow, an IT professional and multi-instrumentalist from the Texas Panhandle who’s hosting a Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditation on Wednesday, March 20th in Spearman, TX. This is a global celebration of the changing of the seasons, so he has four per year.

Who doesn't like garlic? Well, okay...a lot of people. But for those of us who hold a big place in our palate for this alabaster allium, "more garlic" is a familiar desire. So today's Growing on the High Plains will continue to peel back the shell on the allure of "the stinking rose" with part two of the series.

Thanks so much to Griffin Harrison, upright bassist for the Rock Bottom String Band, a bluegrass/alt-Americana group from San Marcos, Texas that’s playing GoldenLight Cantina TOMORROW, Thursday, March 14 at 9pm CT. They’ll be joined by the Tejon Street Corner Thieves from Colorado Springs. GoldenLight Cantina is located at 2906 SW 6th Ave. in Amarillo. For more info about the band, check out their website.

Thanks so much to sax hero, multi-instrumentalist, & composer, Matt Bauder of Hearing Things. He spent some time with High Plains Morning on the telephone, despite having a new baby girl. (Thanks, Matt!) Hear the "things" (i.e., our full interivew) by clicking the link below. The new album, Here's Hearing Things is out THIS WEEK!

Thanks so much to Alec and Mariah of Whole Milk for sharing their distinctive "surf jazz" sound on High Plains Morning today. If you're in the Texas Panhandle, you can check them out TONIGHT at Mariposa Eco-Village (1501 N. Soncy, Amarillo) or again on Tuesday night at GoldenLight Cantina (2906 SW 6th, Amarillo). Click below for our full interview and their in-studio performance. 

Thanks to author Katie Young Foster for sharing her work with us today on High Plains Morning. She's got a reading tonight, March 7th, at Burrowing Owl Books (419 16th Street) in Canyon, TX from 7-8pm CT. It's a free event.   

Thanks to Dr. Michael C. Johnson for stopping by High Plains Morning today, sharing information about the Bach's Lunch concert series, featuring organ recitals at churches across Amarillo every Friday during Lent. 

Fill your Friday lunch hour with live classical music. Just bring a “box” lunch and some friends with you.  The Bach’s Lunches are a wonderful time for Lenten reflection and good music among friends. 

Today's Growing on the High Plains will unfurl the history and lore of "the stinking rose," also known as garlic. Whether you love it or hate it, this potent bulb has a storied past that dates back 6,000 years. From their ancient medicinal applications to their post-WWII debut on American dinner tables, garlic has been a boon to humans and a bane to parasites (and vampires). But for most of us, it's nothing a sprig of parsley won't fix. Hear the full episode below. 

They say great things can come in small packages. The same applies to fruit and vegetable gardens, especially with the proper planning. Today’s edition of Growing on the High Plains explores several ways that clever gardeners can make the most of a small space – increasing the variety and bounty of home harvests.  If you don’t have a lot of land to spare, you can still cultivate copious crops by utilizing proven techniques like going vertical, growing in blocks rather than rows, and staggering the seasonal timing of what’s in the dirt at any given time.

Thank you to Jason Crespin of Amarillo Little Theatre / ALT Academy for stopping by High Plains Morning today to share info about the new show! ALT is very pleased to present the hilarious and heartwarming play Steel Magnolias as our fourth Mainstage production of the season. Every Southern woman knows there are few institutions on earth more important than the town beauty parlor.

Thanks so much to Stephanie Price, the Communications and Marketing Director at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, for stopping by High Plains Morning today to share details about their beer + art party this weekend! Crafts & Drafts is happening on this Friday, March 1st from 6-9 pm CT. If you like beer-themed food, music, crafts, & trivia, this event is for you!

Thanks to J. Spencer Portillo & Caroline Rippy Portillo for stopping by High Plains Morning today! They're kicking of 2019's HPPR Living Room Concert Series with a show TONIGHT at Chalice Abbey. This Texas-bred, husband-and-wife duo bringing "acoustic desert noir" to Amarillo. Their music is cinematic, ethereal, dark and romantic—and y'all will love it! Scroll down for a link to our full interview and their in-studio set!

Thanks so much for the free show—and it was a two-fer! High Plains Morning was thrilled to turn over most of hte 10 o'clock hour to these fabulous singer-songwriters, poets, and High Plains Heroes: Amy Coffman & Susan Gibson. They're both playing tonight in Amarillo with their bands, The DustJackets & The Groobees (well, former band...20th anniversary reunion show, anyone?), respectively.

Thanks so much to David Lovejoy for stopping by High Plains Morning today to share information about the Amarillo Branch NAACP's two fabulous events happening this weekend. All are welcome, so check them out this Friday and Saturday.

Keeping up with the botanical nomenclature can be a bit daunting for those of us who are a little rusty on our Latin. Thankfully, gardeners have a host of common names by which they can refer to their favorite foliage.

On today's Growing on the High Plains, I'll share a few of my favorite house plants—both their scientific name and the whimsical nicknames that often accompany them.

Thanks to Jill Ludington for stopping by High Plains Morning today to share info about her event, LIVE OUT LOUD, which is this Sunday, February 24th at WTAMU’s Branding Iron Theatre at 3:30p. This panel discussion and storytelling session is an opportunity for folks across the TX panhandle to engage with local leaders from the LGBT+ community. “This is an opportunity for members of the LGBT+ community, their family, friends, and allies to come to together,” Jill says.

As these long, dull winter days drag on, some of us High Plains gardeners get the itch for an early spring. They say patience is a virtue, but for those antsy to glance even the faintest stroke of color, I recommend the red twig dogwood. There's nothing as striking as the shrub's vertical chutes of warm crimson against the chilly monochrome of this season. Right now is when the bush's red twigs blaze brightest, a toasty tone of decorative bark.

High Plains Morning wants to thank Mary Jane Johnson, the General Artistic Director of the Amarillo Opera, for stopping by the studio to chat about Lift Every Voice.

It's happening this Saturday night at 7:30pm at the Concert Hall Theatre at Amarillo College's Washington Street campus. This year, the show features: Chana Smith; Devlon Jones + his group UNITY; and Hood Mass Choir led by Donnell Hill.

High Plains Public Radio wants to thank Tom McDaniel, Co-Founder and Chairman for the Songwriter Serenade, for his time this week. He joined me over the phone to share information about his exciting event, which takes place Saturday, May 4th in Moravia, Texas. (The contest is now open, though!)