Big Blend Radio

Fall is teasing us across the country, and California's Sequoia Country — home to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Sequoia National Forest, the Giant Sequoia National Monument, and the welcoming communities of Tulare County — is right on the edge of the season's first cool breeze.
In this episode of Big Blend Radio's "California Sequoia Country" Podcast, Sequoia Tourism Council members Suzanne Bianco (Visit Visalia) and Holly Streit (Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks), talk pumpkins, changing leaves, dark skies, and the harvest season events that make fall one of the best times to visit.
Suzanne shares the local countdown to fall starting with Vintage Press's stuffed pumpkin dish in Visalia, and points listeners to cooler-weather hikes at Kaweah Oaks Preserve, Mooney Grove Park, and the Woodlake Botanical Garden loop around Bravo Lake and more.
Holly talks changing colors in the giant forest, the importance of dark skies for migrating birds and bats, and previews the Sequoia Parks Conservancy's Dark Sky Festival (September 11–13) which will features a keynote from the scientist behind Wowsabout, the Jim Henson Company's preschool special exploring Sequoia National Park and the science of awe.
The conversation covers shuttle schedules (Memorial Day–Labor Day), the foothill hikes at Potwisha and Paradise Creek, and giant forest trails including Congress Trail and the North Grove Loop. Then it's on to fall festivities: the Tulare County Fair, Visalia's Taste of Downtown (October 7) and Taste the Arts Festival, First Friday art walks, mixed-media artist Toni Best's gourd art, and early holiday-shopping tips through the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.
🌲 Plan Your Visit: https://www.discoverthesequoias.com/ 🌲 NPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon: https://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm 🌲 Sequoia Parks Conservancy: https://www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org/ 
🎧 New episodes of California Sequoia Country air every first Thursday on Big Blend Radio. Follow the Show: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-s-sequoia-country-podcast 📖 Explore Big Blend Radio's "California's Sequoia Country" Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-s-sequoia-country-magazine 

Wine culture starts long before the glass is poured — it's rooted in family, food, and the stories we carry with us. On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Wine Time with Peggy" Podcast, Peggy Fiandaca is joined by Julia Coney — writer, educator, speaker, consultant, and luxury travel advisor, and founder of Black Wine Professionals and co-founder of A Privé Journeys, a bespoke travel company specializing in curated wine and culinary experiences around the world.
Julia and Peggy dig into what "wine culture" really means, why tasting rooms can feel intimidating, why local American wine deserves more space on restaurant lists, and how pairing wine with your favorite snack (Reese's peanut butter cups included) can change everything. 
Julia shares the story of bringing a 30-person travel group to LDV Winery, and the episode closes with each guest's ultimate wine, meal, and movie pick — plus a very unconventional New Year's morning tradition involving bubbly and licorice.
🌐 Learn more about Julia Coney: https://juliaconey.com 🍷 Learn more about LDV Winery: https://ldvwinery.com 🍝 Get Peggy's Family Sunday Sauce recipe from this episode: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/peggy-fiandaca-family-sunday-sauce🎧 Follow Wine Time with Peggy: https://wine-time-peggy.podbean.com/ 📖 Explore Big Blend's "Wine & Bites" Digital Podcast & Recipe Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/fmlb/ 

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Wander the World" Podcast, travel writer Sharon K. Kurtz takes listeners on a personal Austin staycation, joined by fellow Austinite and travel writer Marika Flatt, travel editor and associate editor of Texas Lifestyle Magazine. 
Staying right on the UT Austin campus at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center, Sharon walked to the Texas State Capitol, the Blanton Museum of Art, and the Bullock Texas State History Museum, caught a live taping of Austin City Limits, and ended her trip watching over a million bats stream out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge. 
Together, Sharon and Marika swap tips on live music venues, hidden-gem hotels, Lady Bird Lake, and the best spots for margaritas, museums, and shopping — everything you need for your own Austin getaway.
🎙️ Tune in on the first Wednesday of every month at 12pm CST: https://wandertheworldwithsharon.podbean.com 📖 Check out the Big Blend Radio "Wander the World" Digital Podcast Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/gyoy/#p=1 🌍 Learn more about travel writer & photographer Sharon K. Kurtz: https://sharonkkurtz.com 📰 Read more from Marika Flatt at Texas Lifestyle Magazine: https://texaslifestylemag.com 

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Adventures in Asheville" Podcast, Steve and Karen Wilson chat with Dawn Bankson, owner of Star Watch Night Vision Tours, about exploring Asheville's night sky in a whole new way. 
Using military-grade PVS-7 and PVS-14 night vision goggles, Dawn takes guests out to dark-sky locations around the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mount Pisgah to spot meteor showers, satellites, and unexplained "travelers" in the night sky. 
Steve and Karen share their own experience catching the Perseid Meteor Shower, and the conversation wanders into UFO sightings, Bigfoot lore, and why fall and winter are the best seasons for stargazing in Western North Carolina. Plus, hear what's on tap at The Lion & The Rose Bed & Breakfast this season, and get the scoop on their in-room beer keg package for Beer City USA visitors.
Follow Dawn & Star Watch Night Vision Tours:* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057159232266 * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starwatchnight 
Stay at The Lion & The Rose Bed & Breakfast: https://www.lion-rose.com 
More Adventures in Asheville:* Podcast Channel: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/adventures-in-asheville-podcast * Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/adventures-in-asheville-magazine 

Award-winning journalist and author Michael J. Seidlinger joins Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts" Podcast to talk about his satirical horror novella, "Brokeula." It's a story of James Sugre, a vampire who's been broke for centuries and finally cracks under the weight of it, launching a multi-level marketing scheme to turn humans into vampires for a fee. 
Michael talks about flipping the classic vampire trope of old money and aristocracy into a story about financial strain, greed, and late-stage capitalism, and how the idea came together during a joking conversation with his brother-in-law and nephew about immortality and being broke. 
The conversation also digs into AI hype and marketing, the psychology of MLMs and scams, Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend," and why horror is such a good vehicle for social commentary.
"Brokeula" (CLASH Books) is out now. Learn more at https://michaeljseidlinger.com/ 
Read our Big Blend Radio Review o "Brokeula": https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/author-michael-j-seidlinger-brokeula 

Jeannine Wolfe, CEO and founder of Soulmate Quest, joins us on Big Blend Radio to talk about what it really means to work with a professional matchmaker. 
Jeannine shares how her own search for love after becoming single at 35 turned into a career, why she describes her process as "an executive search for your heart," and how she blends matchmaking with relationship coaching to help clients move past their own blind spots.
The conversation covers dating app red flags, the rise of AI-generated fake profiles, why meeting the family matters, how politics and values factor into compatibility, and Jeannine's take on "uncoupling" before you're ready for a new relationship. 
Jeannine is also the author of Soulmate Quest: A Matchmaker's Guide to Find True Love. Get it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GGB1YX1Y 
Learn more about Jeannine Soulmate Quest at: https://www.soulmatequestmatch.com 

Travel writer Eva Eldridge joins Big Blend Radio's "Parks & Travel Podcast to share her firsthand visit to Crater Lake National Park, Oregon's only national park and home to the deepest lake in the United States. 
Hear how the caldera formed after Mount Mazama's eruption 7,700 years ago, why the lake has no inlet or outlet, the striking clarity and blue of the water, hiking trails around the rim, the volcanic Pinnacles, and how Oregon's lush west side gives way to high desert on the east. 
Eva and host Lisa D. Smith also swap stories about accessible ways to experience national parks, snowy encounters at Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Pacific Crest Trail. It's a great listen as National Park Week 2026 comes to a close.
LINKS & RESOURCES:- Read Eva's full article on Crater Lake National Park: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/crater-lake-national-park-2026 - Plan your visit to Crater Lake National Park: https://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm - Learn more about Eva Eldridge and her writing: https://evaeldridge.com/ 

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Getting to Know You" series was recorded back in April with Phyllis Bitner, Chair of the Miners Hall Museum Foundation in Franklin, Kansas.
Phyllis shares how Miners Hall Museum grew out of the 2003 tornado that leveled the town's community center, why the museum's twelve exhibit categories focus as much on the immigrant experience as the equipment, and the story behind the Page 618 Walking Dragline — a massive, one-of-eighteen-ever-built machine now being moved piece by piece into a new free public park along the Jefferson Highway. She also talks about the historic 1.7-mile Franklin-Arma sidewalk, the site of the 1921 Amazon Army March, and why the museum's research library keeps surprising visitors with their own family history.
Then Phyllis plays a round of our Lucky Seven Questions — sharing her spirit animal, her NASCAR bucket-list dream, a life lesson from her father, and more.
P.S. — Phyllis will be one of four storytellers at "Night at the Friendly Tavern" on September 3rd, part of Pittsburg, KS's 150th birthday celebration, and Miners Hall Museum is a featured stop on the Jefferson Highway Association's "Miner's Drive" caravan, September 17–19.
Resource Links:- Miners Hall Museum: https://www.minershallmuseum.com/ - Night at the Friendly Tavern Tickets (Sept 3):  https://memorialauditorium.ludus.com/show_page.php?show_id=200542773 - Jefferson Highway "Miner's Drive" Caravan (Sept 17–19): https://jeffersonhighway.org/event-6661501 - Jefferson Highway Travel Guide — Miners Hall Museum page: https://www.jeffersonhighwaytravelguide.com/travel-directory/kansas/miners-hall-museum