251. 2010 Indiana State Fair Master: Wayne and Helen Drake, Hog Breeders (Wayne County) (05:35)

Date:
2017-08-01
Main contributors:
Wayne and Helen Drake (Masters), Jon Kay (Director), Joe Martinez (Videographer), The Woodstove Flapjacks (Music) Thomas G. Richardson (Project Coordinator), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
Starting with only 30 sows, Wayne and Helen Drake built what would become a multi-generational family hog breeding business now involving thousands of pigs. Far from being an isolated practice, Wayne says he learned a lot from other hog farmers. “I learned a lot from the old people, that’s what I called them. You’d sit around the pens, and chew the fat with them, and you pick up a lot of ideas, and exchange ideas. It was really educational for me as a 4-H kid.” Both Wayne and Helen Drake began showing at the State Fair in the 1940s and have continued nearly every year since. Their children, now running the family business, Drake Purebred Farms, have also been showing hogs their whole lives, and have amassed numerous awards and accolades themselves. For the Drakes, hog breeding and showing has turned into a family tradition with no signs of slowing down.

252. 2013 Indiana State Fair Masters: Mary Schwartz, Master Needlepoint Artist (08:10)

Date:
2017-08-01
Main contributors:
Mary Schwartz (Master), Jon Kay (Director), William Winchester Claytor (Videographer and Editor), Nathan Vollmar (Sound Recording), Kelly Totten (Production Coordinator), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
2013 marks Mary Schwartz’s 50th consecutive year of exhibiting at the Indiana State Fair. Active in 4-H as a girl, Mary started embroidering as a compromise with her mother: she could continue to show sheep if she participated in an activity her mother believed to be more feminine, such as embroidery. While Mary works in several different styles of needlepoint, her favorite medium is crewel embroidery, a technique that uses wool thread to create depths of color and shading. “I like the feel of the wool,” Mary said. “I was a sheep producer at one time – my family was – and so therefore I’m going to continue to support the sheep people.” Earning numerous blue ribbons over the years, Mary’s skill and artistry in embroidery represents just one aspect of her contributions to the Indiana State Fair. She has worked for the past several years as coordinator of the Antiques division in the Home and Family Arts Building. She enthusiastically supports her department, treating her co-workers as family and welcoming and encouraging new participants and visitors each year. The distinction of being named a State Fair Master is a highlight, said Mary, as she joins the ranks of the many distinguished and talented people that have preceded her: “It is really an honor to be recognized for the state. You stop and think about how many exhibitors are on this campus at one time, to be singled out and saying, ‘we recognize you for your years of servitude to us’ – it’s a big thing.”

253. Peter Burkholder and Doug McKinney (09:39)

Date:
2017-08
Main contributors:
Allison Quantz MSCH J460, Jennifer Bass
Summary:
Marriage Equality Collection includes audio and video files, photographs, historical documents and ephemera representing experiences of same-sex couples married in the decade of legal marriage in the U.S. Particular focus is on the experience of couples in Indiana. This archive is growing in both content and scope.

256. Champions on Both Sides of the Aisle (06:07)

Date:
2017-07-29
Main contributors:
Indiana Disability History Project
Summary:
"I don't know about you, Congressman, but it's important for me to know how to put my pants on every morning to keep my job here," was how John Dickerson paraphrased Congressman John Brademas in a memorable moment. The Congressman from South Bend, Indiana was one of the prime sponsors of historic legislation mandating special education. This video focuses on the role The Arc has played in educating legislative officials about disability issues, a compilation of interview excerpts from John Dickerson and Kim Dodson. John was Executive Director of The Arc of Indiana when he was interviewed in 2013. Kim Dodson had succeeded him in that position when she was interviewed in 2017.

258. Byron Smith - An Eleven-Year-Old Pioneer (06:08)

Date:
2017-07-28
Main contributors:
Indiana Disability History Project
Summary:
"She kept finding out that blind students were attending regular public schools in all of the surrounding states and she couldn't figure out why weren't doing that in Indiana," recalls Byron Smith of his mother. Having recently lost his vision due to due to congenital glaucoma, seven-year-old "Bikey" entered the Indiana State School for the Blind in 1951. Five years later, and after intensive advocacy on the part of his parents and community members, he returned to his home town of Bloomington to attend Rogers Elementary School. In this 2013 interview excerpt, Byron Smith describes how he became the first pupil to be transferred from the state school to a public elementary school. He also talks about the essential tutoring assistance he received from Indiana University's Delta Gamma sorority as both a high school and college student.

260. Jaime Cousins - Mapping Out My Life (07:38)

Date:
2017-07-28
Main contributors:
Indiana Disability History Project
Summary:
"I'm going to need to go to a college with a very highly rated psychology department." James Martin Cousins, who has autism, was a sophomore at a charter high school in Indianapolis when he was interviewed in 2011. He described his central role in creating his own Individualized Education Program (IEP) at Metropolitan High School. Jaime shares his educational goals after high school graduation and how he hopes to get his dream job doing research for the Lego company.

273. Talking Record Engineering, Production, and Podcasting with Paul Mahern (31:12)

Date:
2017-07-24
Main contributors:
Mahern, Paul, Shanahan, James
Summary:
In episode 56, we talk to Paul Mahern—rock and pop record producer, mixing and mastering engineer, singer, songwriter, and IU Media School instructor. Mahern has worked with acts such as John Mellencamp, Lily & Madeleine, The Fray, and Neil Young.

274. 2017 Indiana State Fair Master: Bill Bailey (08:58)

Date:
2017-07-23
Main contributors:
Bill Bailey (Master), Jon Kay (Director), Geoff Davis and Bill Bailey (Music), The Hayloft Gang (Archival Photographs), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
A fixture at the Indiana State Fair for many years, Bill Bailey coordinates the entertainment in the Pioneer Village, inviting musicians, storytellers, and other entertainers from around the state to perform on the village’s two rustic stages. His relationship with the fair began in 1991, when he played percussion with a band in the village—but Bill is no ordinary percussionist. A self-proclaimed “idiophonist,” he makes his rhythmic music with spoons, washboards, and a variety of other everyday items. Bill played percussion throughout his school years, but sold his drums when he went to college, remaining “music-less” for a while. Then in 1976, a couple that played old-time music moved next door, and he was inspired to try his hand at the mandolin, guitar, and harmonica—yet percussion continued to call to him. He picked up playing the spoons, and eventually began tapping out his syncopated rhythms on a washboard and a variety of other resonate objects such as a wooden shoe, triangles, and horse shoes. Before long, Bill was playing multiple styles of music including old-time, blues, and jug band. In 1991, Bill played with a couple of bands that were performing in the fair’s Pioneer Village. He was hooked. Each year he returned and played with a variety of musicians. In 2003, Gerry Gray, the original music coordinator for the village, chose Bill as her replacement. He continued to book the old-time and dulcimer music that had been featured at the fair since the 1970s, but he also expanded the program to include a greater variety of traditional music and other forms of entertainment. One successful program that he helped develop was a tribute to the WLS National Barn Dance, which featured the music and theatrical routines of the popular radio show in the early 20th Century. For six years, large audiences came to see this reenactment show. Besides his work at the Indiana State Fair, Bill serves as a musical ambassador for the Columbus Washboard Company, the last manufacturer of hand-built washboards in North America. Bill paints and outfits their boards, transforming them into musical instruments. The company sells dozens of Bill’s musical boards, which they ship all over the world. Each year, Bill also travels to Ohio to perform at their Washboard Music Festival to promote this unique musical genre. Today, in addition to his own musical pursuits, Bill continues to coordinate the entertainment at the Pioneer Village. From old-time country, bluegrass, gospel, and blues, to storytelling and fiddling contests, the stages at the village help create a nostalgic atmosphere where fairgoers can escape the pressures of contemporary life. And while he makes sure the Pioneer Village stage shows run smoothly, visitors can still find Bill Bailey tapping out his upbeat rhythms and entertaining audiences.

298. Sue Beecher - "Mandated to Close" (05:54)

Date:
2017-07-13
Main contributors:
Indiana Disability History Project
Summary:
“I came back on Monday and one of the clients had a broken limb and nobody knew how it had occurred,” explains Sue Beecher of a visit to Muscatatuck State Developmental Center. In 1998, Sue was working for Indiana Protection & Advocacy and was assigned to monitor Muscatatuck. She witnessed the care for residents became progressively worse. In a 2013 interview, she shares multiple stories of abuse and neglect she found during her visits to the institution. The Center located in Butlerville, Indiana closed in 2005.