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Snow was in the weather forecast for the first time this week. The fall colors are remarkable. This would be a good weekend to hit the road and visit some apple orchards and pumpkin patches. If you have never been to “The City on the Pond”, New London, Minnesota, you are missing a real gem. The Goat Ridge Brewing Company is having a party tomorrow night. Their outdoor space is on the river and there is even a band stage. “The Brothers Burn Mountain” are headlining at 8 PM. Details are at www.goatridgebrewing.com

In March of 1974, Garrison spent a week in Nashville writing a piece about the Grand Ole Opry for The New Yorker. The Opry is the oldest radio show in the country. It made him think of starting a radio show in Minnesota. That night, in the Sam Davis Hotel, Garrison made a list of musicians that he might invite to join him on stage. Vern Sutton, Bill Hinkley, Judy Larson and Butch Thompson all came to mind. Garrison went home and talked to Bill Kling about the idea. In Garrison’s words: “ He took it hook, line and sinker – no committee meetings, no exchange of memos, no long discussions, just a plain yes – and A Prairie Home Companion went on the air July 6, 1974”. The first broadcast, the musicians and crew outnumbered the audience in the hall.

Tomorrow at 5 pm, the last re-broadcast of a show will air before the new kid, Chris Thile, takes over on October 15th. It is a trip back to 2014 and the October 4th broadcast from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Ellis brings a batch of songs across the river from Minneapolis, including “Red Light” and “I’ve Got a Thing for You,” and bluegrass ambassadors The Gibson Brothers play “They Called it Music” and “Eastbound Train.” Plus: Dusty and Lefty tangle with Big Messer in a “state capitals” contest; a visit to the Cafe Boeuf St. Paul; and in Lake Wobegon, the Lutheran Church holds its Senior Banquet. Enjoy the show.

“Some Saturdays when the show drags, the jokes fall flat, the musicians struggle, I consider that I may have been cut out to be a listener. I’m a good one.” Garrison Keillor from his “5th Anniversary Album” jacket.