A prairie

One of my favorite NPR radio shows (yes radio) is A prairie Home Companion. It's based out of Minneapolis, although it does travel a bit, and his hosted by Garrison Keillor. He sings, he probably dances (I'm guessing since it's radio), he tells jokes, but best of all, he tells stories.
Most of his stories involve the fictional town of "Lake Wobegon" Minnesota: "where the women are strong, the men are stronger, and all the children are above average". He speaks in slow, hushed tones and throughout his tales he gently makes fun of the Midwestern/Lutheran mentality. His satire is gentle though, and it is clear that although he makes fun of this way of life, he dearly loves it.
What is it that fascinates me about this show? Well, I remember visiting with my sister and bro-in-law, who are huge fans of the show. One of their friends was over, and we were cooking diner and just hanging out. When one of Garrison's "News from Lake Wobegon" stories came on, all of us stopped what we were doing, grabbed our beers, and sat around the radio to listen. His humorous, captivating, and bitter street stories drew us all in, and for 10 minutes, we silently sat and listened to the radio. Few TV shows that are that captivating. So, tune in on your local NPR station, or listen in from his website.
And of course, don't forget to stop by the Chatterbox cafe on your way through town.