Plains Folk

The Archives

Plains Folk, a commentary devoted to life on the great plains of North America, is now a special weekly feature on Hear It Now. Written by Tom Isern of West Fargo, North Dakota, and read in newspapers across the region for years, Plains Folk venerates fall suppers and barn dances and reminds us that “more important to our thoughts than lines on a map are the essential characteristics of the region–the things that tell what the plains are, not just where they are.” You can hear Plains Folk once a week during Hear It Now, weekdays at 3 pm CT with a repeat at 7 pm CT.

To read more Plains Folk commentaries, click on the “archives” link.

Recent Shows

On the Prowl in German-Russian Country

In recent months I’ve had the pleasure to meet and work with a cadre of people from Emmons, Logan, and McIntosh counties of North Dakota, talking about the potential for grassroots heritage tourism in what we are calling German-Russian Country. With the rise of the independent traveler in 21st century tourism, it becomes ever more [...]
The Mysterious Monument of Pembina County

You can’t really not notice it as you drive through Pembina County along Highway 18 east of Crystal, North Dakota. It’s a 20-foot-tall obelisk in the middle of St. John’s Cemetery, directly across the highway west from St. John’s Lutheran Church. It stands out in the level potato country of the Red River Valley like, [...]
Kid in a Candy Store

On May 24, 2007, when United States Senator Kent Conrad rose to recognize the community of Pisek on the occasion of its centennial, there were certain bases he had to touch. He touched on St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church, although he neglected to mention the Alphonse Mucha painting in the sanctuary. He made reference to [...]
Restoring Lady Liberty

Driving north on Highway 281 across Smith County, Kansas, we looked left at the usual place, by the Gaylord Turnoff, for Lady Liberty. And she was gone. This was preposterous. Who would steal the Statue of Liberty? Maybe we better go back to a more basic question, which is, what is Lady Liberty, or [...]
The Bugler of Lisbon

“Taps” is played mournfully over the prairies of Lisbon, North Dakota, every day, but no one hears it. The bugler of Lisbon, you see, is carved of Vermont granite, and he plays over the graves of veterans of the Civil War who lived out their days in the nearby Old Soldiers Home. I know his [...]