Charlie and Cedric

Charlie and Cedric

Author: Prairie Public March 28, 2026 Duration: 4:59
Exploring the sandhills countryside in search of something, I stepped into a white frame Lutheran church along the road and found, on a table in the entryway, for reason unknown, an old, slender booklet, unrelated to church business: Songs of Charlie and Cedric was the title. Never heard of them, but I took notes.

The written essays of historian Tom Isern, long enjoyed in regional newspapers, find a new voice in the Plains Folk podcast from Prairie Public. This isn't a sweeping historical documentary, but a series of intimate, thoughtful commentaries rooted in the everyday rhythms and deep memories of the North Dakota plains. Each episode feels like a conversation with a neighbor who has spent a lifetime observing and cherishing the details that define a place-the shared meal of a fall supper, the weathered boards of a homestead, the collective energy of a barn dance. The podcast moves beyond geography to explore the intangible character of the region, asking what it means to live and persist here. Listening, you'll hear stories that connect the past to the present, finding the extraordinary within the ordinary landscape. It’s a quiet celebration of the patterns, traditions, and people that shape this particular corner of the world, offering a gentle reminder that a sense of place is built from countless small, enduring things. The Plains Folk podcast provides a regular moment of reflection on the culture and society of the plains, one carefully crafted story at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 23

Plains Folk
Podcast Episodes
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It was a lovely spring morning when we arrived early for Sunday services at Bethany Church, in Tanunda, South Australia, in the heart of the Barossa region. I inquired after the congregational president, who was up in th…
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