Feliks Banel’s guest on this live broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY is Andrea Tucker, president of the non-profit Historic Everett on the group's effort to reach a common-sense compromise with the City of Everett to preserve the Clark Park Gazebo. Also featured on this episode is a tribute to the late Louis Larsen, the final surviving member of the executive leadership team of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, who passed away last month at age 99. Larsen was a good friend of CASCADE OF HISTORY, and we listen back to excerpts from interviews with him. And, since April 21, 2024 is the 62nd anniversary of the launch of the fair, we play some old "Century 21" novelty songs and theme songs, too. 

This LIVE broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY was originally presented at 8pm Pacific Daylight Time on Sunday, April 21, 2024 via SPACE 101.1 FM and streaming live via space101fm.org from studios at historic Magnuson Park – formerly Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Ep. 61: Clark Park Gazebo, Seattle World's Fair Music, Louis Larsen Tribute

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel speaks with Paul Bannick, author and photographer of "Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers." The book will be published September 1, 2025 by the Braided River imprint of Mountaineers Books in Seattle, Washington.

Mr. Bannick is the author of several previous award-winning nature books. This new title is lushly illustrated with dozens of photos taken by Mr. Bannick. Meanwhile, the text elevates the fascinating story of woodpeckers to its rightful place at the center of any conversation – or any deep thinking – about how humans and wildlife share the earth.

For more information about this book, author/photographer Paul Bannick other titles, and his upcoming author events:
https://paulbannick.com/

Information from "Woodpecker" publisher Braided River:
https://www.braidedriver.org/woodpecker

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms.

BONUS EPISODE: "Year In The Life of North American Woodpeckers" by Paul Bannick

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel speaks with Jared Webley, spokesperson for the private utility company Avista, operators of the Post Falls Dam on the Spokane River.

This is a follow-up to yesterday's BONUS EPISODE about stretch of the river that dried out completely earlier this week. This is not a side channel that has gone dry - it's about one-half mile of the main channel of the Spokane River, which runs 111 miles between Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho and the Columbia River in Washington. The stretch of dry river is in Spokane Valley, Washington a suburb east of Spokane, Washington.

Earlier episode with more details about the Spokane River:
https://soundcloud.com/cascadeofhistory/bonus-episode-spokane-river

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms.

BONUS EPISODE: Update on Spokane River from Post Falls Dam Operator Avista

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel speaks with Justin McElroy, municipal affairs reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - the CBC - in Vancouver, British Columbia.

McElroy recently led a public process over the airwaves to identify a symbol that best represents the province of British Columbia. Through a bracket and more than 500,000 votes during several weeks in July and August 2025, the effort generated interest and debate from Vancouver Island to the BC interior, and a single "best symbol" ultimately emerged victorious.

CBC website with information about the symbol:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/orcas-british-columbia-best-symbol-1.7609551

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms.


BONUS EPISODE: Thousands of British Columbians Help CBC Choose "Best Symbol" for the Province

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel speaks with Steve Lentini, Principal Hydro Operations Engineer for Avista Utilities. Avista is the private company based in Spokane, Washington which operates the Post Falls Dam on the Spokane River.

This is a follow-up to earlier coverage of the half-mile stretch of the Spokane River in Spokane Valley, Washington - east of the city of Spokane - that dried out completely earlier this week.

For more information, please listen to this earlier episode featuring an interview with Katelyn Scott of the non-profit Spokane Riverkeeper:
https://soundcloud.com/cascadeofhistory/bonus-episode-spokane-river

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms.


BONUS EPISODE: In-Depth with an Avista Utilities Hydrologist on the Dried Out Spokane River

On this END-OF-SUMMER BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, we present archival audio from the August 2023 live broadcast of The Wallingford Local, a summer series broadcast live each month from May 2023 to September 2023 from the Wallingford Farmers Market at Meridian Park in Seattle, Washington.

The Wallingford Local was produced by the CASCADE OF HISTORY team, and this episode was originally broadcast LIVE at 5:00 pm Pacific Time on SPACE 101.1 FM on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.

Guests include Ben Chandler of the Seattle Farmers Market Association; Seattle City Council District 4 candidate Maritza Rivera; musical guests Unleashed (Russ Johnson, harmonica; Andrew DeNance, guitar/vocals; Leroy Henry, percussion/harmonies; Lisa Lusk, ukulele/harmonies); Annie Quinn from St. Benedict's Wurst Festival; Jack McLaughlin of Wallyhood.org with the Trivia Challenge; Sean Demirel of Neo Art; and "Vendor of the Week of the Month" Maddy Ruhoy of Purdy Good Pickles. The Wallingford Local was produced and hosted by Feliks Banel with production and technical assistance from Laura Scott and additional production support from Rhonda Bush and Sarah Martin of Historic Wallingford. 

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms.


BONUS EPISODE: "Wallingford Local" Farmers Market Show from August 2023

Feliks Banel’s guests on this SUMMER ENCORE EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY are a panel of expert local historians, researchers and authors who have been collaborating on a search for evidence of Peter Kirk's long-ago steel mill on Rose Hill, east of downtown Kirkland near the Costco. Matt McCauley, Kent Sullivan, Saundra Middleton (who is a descendant of Peter Kirk) and Michael Donnelly have been studying archives, maps, photos and other materials to paint a vivid picture of the partial construction of the mill in the 1890s, the specific whereabouts of various buildings and structures, as well as the ultimate fate of the site (and of Kirk's venture) in the early 20th century.

More information: http://www.kirklandhistory.org/

We also played some vintage audio from Tony Ventrella, the beloved local broadcaster who passed away on Saturday, October 19, 2024 at age 80.

This encore broadcast of CASCADE OF HISTORY was presented at 8pm Pacific Time on Sunday, August 31, 2025 via SPACE 101.1 FM and streaming live via www.space101fm.org at historic Magnuson Park - formerly Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle. The original live broadcast was presented on October 20, 2024.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms and never miss regular weekly episodes of Sunday night broadcasts as well as frequent bonus episodes.


SUMMER ENCORE EPISODE: Ghosts of Peter Kirk's Steel Mill on Rose Hill in Kirkland

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel speaks with Michael Houser, longtime State Architectural Historian for Washington's Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP).

In this interview recorded on Friday, August 29, 2025, Mr. Houser talks about the unique aspects of the job, which includes managing multiple critical programs in support of historic preservation in the Evergreen State. We also talk about changes in historic preservation over the years - Mr. Houser has served in this role for 24 years - as well as current and future challenges.

For more information about DAHP and the online resource WISAARD (which Mr. Houser helped develop):
https://dahp.wa.gov/

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms and never miss regular weekly episodes of Sunday night broadcasts as well as frequent bonus episodes.

BONUS EPISODE: Interview with Washington's State Architectural Historian Michael Houser

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel speaks with John Cox, bell ringer at Saint Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral in the Cascade neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Sometime early on Sunday, August 31, 2025, thieves got away with three bronze bells, and Mr. Cox and others are trying to track down the bells before they're melted down for scrap.

The parish at Saint Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral dates to the 1890s, and the current building was constructed in the 1930s. The bells are much more recent, but would be very difficult to replace - given they were made in Russia as part of an acoustically matched set of seven bells (four of which remain at the cathedal), and because the Russian invasion of Ukraine makes importing anything practically impossible.

If you have any information about the bells stolen from Saint Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral, please call the Seattle Police Department.

Thank you to Jean Sherrard for his assistance with this episode.

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms.


BONUS EPISODE: Bronze Bells Stolen from Saint Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral in Seattle

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel speaks with three-term Republican former Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed about the history of voting by mail in Washington state.

Secretary Reed was in office from 2001 to 2013, and previously served as the elected auditor of Thurston County. In this earlier role, he was one of the first public officials to support efforts to adopt voting by mail in the Evergreen State back in the early 1980s. Washington became the second all-vote-by-mail state in 2011; Oregon was first a decade earlier.

With recent talk from the Trump Administration of a federal effort to end voting by mail – which, on its face, is likely unconstitutional –  it seemed like a good time to speak with Secretary Reed and learn some of the history and context for the practice in the state of Washington, and also look ahead to what might happen should the federal effort proceed.

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms and never miss regular weekly episodes of Sunday night broadcasts as well as frequent bonus episodes.


BONUS EPISODE: History of VOTE BY MAIL in Washington State with former Secretary of State Sam Reed

Feliks Banel’s guest on this BONUS “HERITAGE BARN” EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY is Kristin Darrow, who shares the exciting story of how she recently restored a heritage barn near the Walla Walla County community of Waitsburg, Washington.

Washington’s Heritage Barn Grant program application deadline is coming up on October 19, 2025, and hundreds of heritage barns in the Evergreen State are eligible for matching grants up to $75,000. Heritage Barn Grants are a program of the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) and are administered by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

For more information about eligibility and how to apply:
https://dahp.wa.gov/historic-registers/heritage-barn-register/heritage-barn-grants

CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms and never miss regular weekly episodes of Sunday night broadcasts as well as frequent bonus episodes.


BONUS EPISODE: Preserving a Barn - and Finding Community - in Waitsburg, Washington

CASCADE OF HISTORY is the only LIVE radio show presenting news and stories about people doing cool things with and for history in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. We talk about people, artifacts, books, maps, photos, places, landmarks, public lands, state and national parks, trails, highways, and the historic events that can bring us all together.

The show is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time on SPACE 101.1 FM (and streaming via http://www.space101fm.org ) from studios located on the shores of Lake Washington in historic Magnuson Park in Seattle, former site of Sand Point Naval Air Station (though sometimes CASCADE OF HISTORY originates from remote locations around the region). The podcast feed consists of the weekly broadcast, plus frequent bonus episodes with timely and topical interviews, vintage local audio or other Pacific Northwest history-related content - and sometimes even BREAKING NEWS.

Producer and host Feliks Banel is an Emmy-winning and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning broadcaster, and former deputy director of Seattle's Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI).

Send your questions, comments, guest suggestions, news tips and other correspondence to cascadeofhistory@gmail.com.

Ep. 61: Clark Park Gazebo, Seattle World's Fair Music, Louis Larsen Tribute

Cascade of History

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