TPIH - Special Third Thursday edition

An experimental conversation about summers, pets, and people in Hutchinson

A month or so ago I was visiting with my friend and producer Christopher Acker, and I raised the idea of doing a live podcast recording during Third Thursday.

We had done this sort of thing once before, at Crow & Co on Main, with a theme around Christmas memories. I was happy then with the turnout, and I really enjoyed the experience of setting up to record and the stories people shared in the moment.

That, however, was a specific setting and event. We’d never tried to do a recording as part of another event - like Third Thursday - where there are a lot of people strolling about and other vendors are hosting fun activities.

I’m lucky, though, that I have a number of people in my life who don’t think my ideas are off the charts, and who are willing to test those ideas in real life.

Last Thursday, Chris and I did something we had never done before - we set up a makeshift recording studio on Main Street and asked people to stop by to talk about their pets, their summers, or any story they wanted to share. Hutchinson, as usual, didn’t disappoint. So many people stopped and shared their stories!

To me there was something really special about this experiment. I naturally was excited to have so many people stop by and to get such great stories and insight from them. But there’s more to it than that. It’s just so refreshing and invigorating to have these very real, in-person connections with people in our community. There are some really interesting people, some people with great stories and experiences, and we’re lucky to share this space and place with them.

I will definately be doing this again. I have a big campaign event scheduled for September 19 at Sandhills Brewing - you should put that on your calendar because it’s going to be so much fun you won’t want to miss it. You can enjoy Third Thursday next month and then come join me anytime that night. I’d love to see all of you there. So, it won’t be September, but I’m already thinking about what we can do in October.

I hope you like listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. This one feels special - and that’s why we couldn’t wait to publish it for you.

You can listen to this special edition of That Podcast in Hutch here.