It was never our guest's intention to own a pig farm, but things kept falling into place for him and his family to keep going. Matt Weik of YKer Acres joins Christa Lawler and Brooks Johnson on the podcast this week to talk about their recent move to a new farm in Carlton and how the farm-to-table business model best suits them and the Duluth restaurants they supply. 

Weik also shares some insight on life on the farm and how tough it was when one of their very first sows, Minnie, passed away last week. "My good friend and I have talked about this a lot and he says, 'If it's not hard then you shouldn't be doing it.' And I totally agree with him on that," Weik said. 

This week we have with us a local business owner who looked at a vacant liquor store and saw a good place to spend his retirement. Bob Dobrow of Zenith Bookstore - which sells new and used titles - has been operating the popular West Duluth shop for about a year. Dobrow, who accumulated over 15,000 books before opening the shop, tells us how the stars aligned to make his dreams of owning a bookstore a reality. He also shares what new books and events are coming up this month. 

Long time local DJ, perhaps the longest-running FM DJ in the city limits, Christine Dean joins Christa Lawler and Barrett Chase on the podcast this week. Dean is music director, webmaster, and host of KUMD's Music Throughout the Day and Live from Studio A, which includes interviews and in-studio sessions. 

Dean shares her favorite behind-the-scenes stories from interviewing and recording with local bands in the studio, some of which made the liner notes in Volume 1 of KUMD's Live from Studio A album. 

In 2015, Jared Munch spent 50 days circumnavigating Lake Superior on a stand-up paddle board. More recently, he performed the first SUP descent of the Steel River Loop in Northern Ontario.  

Jared shares what life has been like since paddling around Lake Superior, how he got interested in whitewater stand-up paddle boarding and what other adventures he has in mind.