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For this episode we’re continuing to celebrate HispanicHeritage Month with Jesse Doiron’s conversation with artist Ines Alvidrez. She shares about the inspiration for her work which hearkens back to her childhood in Mexico and theprogression of her artistry nurtured by her life in Southeast Texas. We hope you enjoy!

For this episode we’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Jesse Doiron’s conversation with Ricky Rodriguez, a LamarUniversity alum and founding member of Mariachi Proyecto, a group dedicated to making and sharing traditional Mariachi music. You can hear Mariachi Proyecto this Sunday, September 13th at VIVA Beaumont Hispanic Heritage Festival. The festival is free and will take place at Main Street Outdoor Plaza in downtown Beaumont from 3 to 8pm. Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing a conversation with Ellen Buchanan, a board member with the Big Thicket Natural Heritage Trust, on behalf of the Big Thicket Coalition, a group of organizations who are committed to protecting the Big Thicket. The coalition recently released "The Neches River: Wild Heart of East Texas," a documentary film that highlights the beauty, history, and ecological importance of the Neches River while celebrating the people dedicated to enjoying, understanding, and conserving it for future generations. Stretching 416 miles through East Texas, it supports wildlife, fisheries, working lands, agriculture, and local communities while remaining one of the last largely intact river and bottomland ecosystems of its kind in the United States. Since the recording of our conversation, the film has been made available online at nechesriverfilm.com. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing Jason Miller’s visit to St Anthony Cathedral Basilica. Volunteer docent Kay Arrington led Jason on a tour of the historic church, which first aired on the Bayoulands radio show in 2021 along with a conversation with Bishop David Toups, which you can also hear on this podcast. St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica is located at 700 JeffersonStreet in Beaumont. In 1980, the Texas Historical Commission named it a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing our visit to the Sabine Pass Lighthouse located just over the Texas-Louisiana border on the Louisiana side of the Sabine River in Cameron Parish. First lit in 1857, it was deactivated by the Coast Guard in 1952 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Cameron Preservation Alliance president, Andy Tingler led Shannon Harris on a rare behind the scenes tour, including abreathtaking view from the top, to see the work that is being done to restore this coastal icon. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing guest contributor Jordan Williams’ visit to the Morris-Booz house, better known as White Haven, a historic home located on Lakeshore Drive in Port Arthur, overlooking the Port Arthur Canal which connects to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Built in 1915 for Dr. H.D. Morris, an early Port Arthur physician and British Consul during the prosperity that followed the Spindletop oil boom when Lakeshore Drive emerged as one of the city’s most prominent residential corridors. Jordan was met by Judge Carl Griffith and Lori Ryerkerk who graciously opened their doors for an insider tour of the newly restored home, which now houses the strategic support firm Griffith, Mosely and Johnson. Check out 91.3 KVLU Public Radio on Facebook and Bayoulands on Instagram to see photos of the stunning restoration. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing a visit to the Stark Museum of Art in Orange to view the temporary exhibition The Color Orange, featuring works from the Stark’s extensive collection,celebrating the history, uses and effects of the color orange. Exhibitions Manager Ashley Thornton was our guide. The Color Orange will remain on view at the Stark Museum through October 3rd, 2026. On Thursday, August 27th from 5 - 7 p.m. the Stark Museum will host "Art After 5" featuring a slide lecture given by curator Sarah Boehme about one of the artists in the exhibition, Elizabeth Blackwell. In 1737, Blackwell published A Curious Herbal, a two-volume work identifying medicinal plants featuring 500 of her own illustrations to raise funds to free her husband from debtor's prison. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing guest contributor Jesse Doiron’s conversation with Felicia Villarreal from the prison ministryBridges to Life from this season of Bayoulands. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing an excerpt of Jason Miller’s outpost tour of Adam’s Bayou from the first season of Bayoulands. Shangri La Gardens tour guide Ellen Rondomanski shares about The Survivor Tree, a Pond Cypress not normally found in Texas, that has existed for over 1,200 years along the waters of Adams Bayou that flow through the middle of Orange. For information about Outpost Tours at Shangri La Gardens visit shangrilagardens.org. Don't forget to follow the show - It really helps!

For this episode we’re sharing another story from the premiere of the 10th season of Bayoulands. Contributor Victor Albaine spoke with Sandler Weinberg, one of the producers from Lucky 8 Productions about their recent documentary "Love Ya, Bum!" about the legendary football coach Bum Phillips. Thanks for listening!

For this episode we’re sharing a conversation from the premiere of the 10th season of Bayoulands. Local historian Katherine Leister shares some of the stories from the downtown Beaumont walking tours she’s leading for Beaumont Heritage Society. Upcoming Downtown Beaumont walking tours are scheduled for May 7, May 22 and May 23 and more are planned for this fall. For more information and to purchase tickets visit beaumontheritage.org. Thanks for listening!

As we prepare for the 10th season of Bayoulands, we’re reaching way back into the audio archives for a story from the very first episode of Bayoulands in 2016. Jonathan Tippett spoke with Mark Dunn from the Bridge City Citizens for Historic Preservation about the history and significance of the Cow Bayou Bridge and their efforts to save the rare swing bridge, from demolition. Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing our visit to the historic Jefferson Theatre in Beaumont to speak with organist and organ restorer Tom Helms about the restoration of the Jefferson's original Robert Morton organ. For information about events at the Jefferson Theatre including upcoming silent film presentations, visit beaumonteventstx.com. Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing contributor Jesse Doiron’s conversation with the honorable Judge John Stevens who presides over the Jefferson County Criminal District Court. This conversation was featured in the most recent Bayoulands radio show. You can hear an encore of the show featuring this story and much more on Sunday, March 22nd at 5pm on 91.3 FM or online at kvlu.org. Thanks for listening!

For this episode, we’re sharing a conversation between guest contributor Jessie Davis and family members of the late Kate Pate Walker, a member of the 6888 Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female Women's Army Corps unit to serve overseas in World War II. Jessie Davis is the founder of Sacred Spaces, an organization dedicated to preserving historic black cemeteries in Southeast Texas. You can find them on Facebook. An exhibit about the service of Kate Pate Walker is on view at the Museum of the Gulf Coast located at 700 Procter Street in Port Arthur. For more information visit museumofthegulfcoast.org. Thanks for listening!