GaryOsberg.com

What a week! Minnesota Public Radio is celebrating 50 years of broadcasting all year long. On Monday, Bill Kling, Gary Eichten and Cathy Wurzer were in our studio to film a segment for tonight’s Almanac show on TPT. Almanac airs at 7pm. It was great fun listening to Bill and Gary reminisce about the first year and the start of what was to become the largest network of public radio stations in the world. The story about some guy strapping a grand piano on his back and carrying it up 3 flights of stairs was worth the price of admission alone. I am not sure when they removed the piano.

On Tuesday of next week, Cathy will be in Brother Willie’s Pub at 6 am broadcasting Morning Edition live until 9. Alison Young will broadcast Classical MPR from 10 am until 1 pm. `The Current’ host Jill Riley will be on the air from 3 until 6 pm with a live performance by Communist Daughter during the 5 o’clock hour. It will be MPR Day all day long on St. John’s campus, with studio tours from 11 until 2:30. Garrison Keillor’s “The Gratitude Tour”, sponsored by Eye Associates of Central Minnesota, will be performed live from Escher Auditorium at College of Saint Benedict at 7 pm. Details are at www.mpr50.0rg

The next day “Bring the Sing”, a free community choral event, takes place in the Abbey Church from 5 to 8 pm. All three SJU and CSB choirs will participate. G. Phillip Schoultz from VocalEssence will conduct.

The APHC show this week is a look back to February and the broadcast from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Amos Lee sings “One Lonely Light” and “A Change is Gonna Come”; Jenny Lewis performs “Just One of the Guys” and “Heads Gonna Roll”; and Nate Bargatze shares a few thoughts about dog medicine, time travel, and friendship. Plus: host Chris Thile will perform his Song of the Week, “Falsetto”; Noam Pikelny joins Chris to play “Waveland”; the story of country music legend Buddy Lee Bedford; and a message from show sponsor Le Poulet Chaud Café.

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind and the third is to be kind.” Henry James.