Red Pine Radio

Bob Tarkington always wanted to go to music school. So when the Frankfort summer resident retired, he decided to do just that. It took two tries to get accepted, but now Tarkington is a senior in a jazz studies program in Georgia. He says it’s easy to spot him in his school choir: just look for the student with a shock of white hair.

Mike Webb says he’s always been fascinated by balloon twisting – the shaping of ordinary-looking balloons into extraordinary things. The Benzonia resident is the self-styled "chief entertainment officer" for Balloon Dog Productions. In other words, he’s a professional balloon twister.

Wendy Intrieri trained dolphins at SeaWorld for a decade. Now she’s training horses in Leelanau County. Intrieri says she uses positive reinforcement techniques with her animals, a method that can be used with all kinds of pets.

Oligotrophic. It’s a word that describes the oxygen-rich, nutrient-poor environment of Grand Traverse Bay. Nutrients are the enemy of a healthy bay, says former Grand Traverse Baykeeper John Nelson. And he says everyone has a role to play in maintaining the cold, clean water.

If you have your wedding in a public park, don’t forget that anyone could show up. That’s what Lake Ann resident Rachel Jones and her husband learned – and they thought it was wonderful.

Imagine not always being able to recognize the faces of the people in your life. For Benzonia resident Cheryl Bartz, it's something she has to deal with daily. It's a condition called prosopagnosia – also called face blindness – and it's more common than you think. 

'This You Should Know’ is a new series from Red Pine Radio. 

Red Pine Radio is a group of community members who are learning to make their own radio stories. This community workshop is sponsored by Interlochen Public Radio.