In our last Fireball Mail newsletter, I wrote an article about the recent grant awarded by the Wisconsin Humanities Council to SWBMAI and Hayloft Gang Productions. The grant will help with the production of a documentary on WLS Barndance. I received the following email from one or our members in response to the article and wanted to share it.

Karen,
I am always happy to receive my Fireball Mail. The March/April issue is especially welcome, however, due to your article concerning the WLS National Barn Dance. I grew up listening to WLS, “The Voice of the Prairie Farmer” and, in fact, appeared on the show twice circa 1949/50 as a member of our children’s square dance group. I recall being on stage with Minnie Pearl, String Bean, Bob Acher, Lulu Bell and Scotty, Rex Allen and others. It will be grand to relive the excitement of that experience through the documentary.

Thanks,
Dave Westlake

Thank you for sharing this with us, Dave. It made all of us at SWBMAI very proud!