On the Road Again...

The past 10 days have found us on the road again, first in Williamsburg, Virginia, and lately in Northeast Pennsylvania. Our friends, the Madeiras, graciously invited us to stay with them so we could experience life in Madeiraville first hand. Only a few of our memories can be captured on a blog, but at least you'll see a bit of what we experienced.


The Madeiras have been supporters of WRGN for many years, so a visit to the radio station's headquarters was high on our list of priorities.

This tabletop display proves that Mr. Madeira is recognized as one of the voices of the station, and we were privileged to hear him record his Friday afternoon music show. The Updykes founded the station 25 years ago and God has obviously blessed their dedication and innovation.

Here's Tim describing the equipment in the production studio in terms that us radio-ignorant people can understand. In this picture I believe he was in the process of explaining that the station is all digital now, and doesn't use the tape reels obvious to his right.

This is the broadcasting studio including all sorts of electronic equipment, much of which is controlled and coordinated by software that Mr. Updyke has written. This image is also evidence that Tim was made for radio broadcasting: look how wide he opens his mouth when he talks -- no mumbling for him!

Mrs. Updyke has been known to review books on the air, so publishers are prone to send her advance copies to generate publicity. What does one do with all those books? WRGN organizes them in a library complete with Mr. Updyke's software that helps you search and locate items. In addition to books, they also have DVDs, and for a small $5 membership fee, families can borrow items to their heart's content. Over 14,000 items are currently available.

WRGN's Share-A-Thon starts on November 18, so the staff has started organizing the donated goodies that will be used as thank you items for contributors.

The station is also fortunate to receive the support of local artist Sue Hand. This painting from Sue reveals what the call letters stand for: We Radiate Good News.

Speaking of Sue Hand, we were also privileged to visit her studio later that same day. This is the only image I have of the building, partly because it is difficult inside the building to actually capture all that goes on inside there. One can purchase Sue's original art here, and have it matted and framed by Sue's husband Joe in the same building. In addition, one can also purchase art supplies and take art lessons, taught by Sue herself. Sue's art can be found in countless locations around Northeast PA, and even in some private collections in Central Illinois.

I hope to post more highlights from our trip soon, so stop back soon, and thanks for visiting!