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Texas Country Reporter
September 29, 2022
Guardian of the Whooping Cranes
One of our most important TCR stories involved a surprise encounter with an early advocate of whooping crane conservation efforts.
Classics
Texas Country Reporter turned fifty in October 2022. Every week, we shared classic episodes from the show’s history and behind-the-scenes reflections from TCR’s creator and host, Bob Phillips.
Music
September 28, 2022
The Magic of Doug Smith
After a terrible car accident, the self-taught pianist’s reprise was nothing short of amazing.
Texas Country Reporter
September 22, 2022
The Crazy Kolache Lady of Calvert
Jody Powers ran a bakery with her grandmother’s kolache recipes, and when business would slow down, she would resort to unusual promotion tactics.
Texana
September 20, 2022
The Legend of Old Rip Was Pretty Unbelievable
I’m not sure I ever bought the story of the Texas horned lizard that survived thirty years in a courthouse cornerstone, but it’s a tale that reminds me why I love storytelling.
Business
September 15, 2022
Antique Auto Supply Had Nine Warehouses, a Million Parts, and One Memorable Owner
Stacy Brown of Arlington was just the character to reignite my love of muscle cars.
Sports
September 14, 2022
This Houston Nun Waited Decades to Root for Her Home Team
In 2007, Texas Country Reporter met Sister Damian, the Houston Astros’ most patient and faithful baseball fan.
Art
August 18, 2022
The Blind Sculptor From Beaumont Who Broke the Mold
Michael Gregory faced many hardships, and his unlikely path as a sculpture artist and teacher is a powerful story of resilience.
Texas Country Reporter
July 28, 2022
The Tiniest Bank in Texas Didn’t Deal in Change
For decades, Roddy Wiley ran the only bank in the small town of Oakwood, which happily resisted modern technology well into the twenty-first century.
Art
July 26, 2022
The Texas Artist Who Turns Dirty Cars Into Intricate Art
Scott Wade’s dusty windshield paintings are a temporary art form that makes a lasting impression.
Texana
July 21, 2022
This Quirky Hog-Callin’ Champ Was 100 Percent Herself
In 1998, Texas Country Reporter did an episode about Roxanne Ward, a champion hog caller who was quirky, kind, and so unapologetically herself we’ll never forget her.
Texas Country Reporter
July 19, 2022
The Last Graduate of Spade School
Sixteen years ago, a small town’s only public school closed its doors. But not before the final graduating class invited a former POW to walk the stage, finishing what he started nearly six decades before.
Texas Country Reporter
July 14, 2022
The “Garlicmeister” of Central Texas
Bob Anderson says the self-inflicted title is for amusement only, but the quirky farmer sure seems serious about garlic.
Business
July 12, 2022
The 175-Year-Old General Store That Came Back From the Brink
I’ve visited the T. C. Lindsey & Co. General Store multiple times over the years, but our most recent visit was a surprise in the best possible way.
Business
July 8, 2022
Mineola Was Home to the Oldest Female Barber in Texas
Getting a haircut in a small town used to be a story-finding strategy for Texas Country Reporter, but the tale of Blanche Harris is one of my favorites.
Small Towns
June 1, 2022
The Scrap-Metal Artisan I’ll Never Forget
Bill Richardson’s creations from discarded metal were featured numerous times on Texas Country Reporter, but our friendship remains near and dear to my heart.
Style & Design
May 31, 2022
An Inside Look at Lee Miller’s Legendary Boot Shop in Austin
The bookmaker apprenticed under the famous Charlie Dunn and is now training a new generation of talented craftspeople.
Texas Country Reporter
May 27, 2022
A Group of Veterans in Port Arthur Honors Those Who Served
Pastor Buddy Blake led volunteers who help step in for the Department of Defense to honor fallen soldiers with a proper military burial.
Critters
May 25, 2022
My Lifelong Dream Came True at South Padre’s Sea Turtle Inc.
Texas Country Reporter paid a visit to the world-class wildlife preservation center, where a rehabilitated Kemp’s ridley turtle made a return to the sea.
Texas Country Reporter
May 24, 2022
Three Brothers Bakery in Houston Is a Story of Survival
Founded by Holocaust survivors, the bakery is known for Jewish specialties rooted in 200-year-old family recipes.
Music
May 23, 2022
97-Year-Old Lucy Dean Record Is a Queen of Western Swing
The piano teacher turned touring musician from Lockney has been inducted into several halls of fame across the U.S.
Texas Country Reporter
May 20, 2022
You’ll Find Oodles of Noodles at the Wendish Fest in Serbin
The community 50 miles east of Austin celebrates its Slavic heritage each year with music, crafts, and lots of buttery, handmade noodles.
Texas Country Reporter
May 5, 2022
This West Texas Couple Has Gone Off the Grid—Pioneer Style
On a remote ranch south of Alpine, Bonnie and Dick Cain have carved out their ideal lifestyle, without electricity, refrigeration, or running water.
Texas Country Reporter
April 28, 2022
You Can Lead Cows to Water, But Can You Make ’Em Swim Across the Colorado River?
In Matagorda, the Huebner Brothers Cattle Company has been leading a semiannual cattle drive for more than a hundred years.
Texas Country Reporter
April 27, 2022
A West Texas Roundup, Without All That Hoopin’ and Hollerin’
After Becky Smith took over the B-C Ranch in Alpine, her all-women team took a different approach to wrangling cattle.
Texas Country Reporter
April 26, 2022
Chicken-fried Steak, Just Like Mama Made
After fifty years on the road, the host of Texas Country Reporter recalls his favorite dish at Mary’s Cafe in Strawn.
Texas Country Reporter
April 20, 2022
Frank’s Cafe in Hebbronville Is a 100-Year-Old Texas Treasure
The Gutierrez family still runs the South Texas cafe, specializing in Mexican recipes passed down for generations.
Art
April 19, 2022
For Enedina Vasquez, Life and Art Were Inseparable
Texas Country Reporter remembers the late artist, whose San Antonio house was covered from corner to corner in art, memories, and poetry.
Texas Country Reporter
April 18, 2022
The Best Fried Chicken in Beaumont Was an Underground Secret
In the courthouse basement, dozens of lawyers, judges, and jurors lined up for Esther Rollins’s famous fried chicken.
Business
April 7, 2022
In Abilene, Generations of Carpenters Are Behind Central Texas Tool Co.
The Carpenter family, featured in this classic episode from ‘Texas Country Reporter,’ has operated the industrial machine shop since 1937.
Texas Country Reporter
April 5, 2022
Forget the Trailer. Weldon Wilson Drove Cattle the Old-fashioned Way.
Across U.S. highways and country roads, Wilson was determined to move cattle in a way that honored the men that came before him.
Texas Country Reporter
April 4, 2022
Cane Syrup Isn’t Just a Thing of the Past
Every year, Floyd Boyett takes a break from his routine to gather with friends and participate in the old-world process of making syrup from raw sugarcane.
Texas Country Reporter
March 31, 2022
The Story of Buckshot Fuqua: King of Hot Carrots
On a farm in Grimes County, one man unexpectedly stumbled upon his life’s passion—double-aught, two-fisted, skull-and-crossbones, hot pickled carrots.
Texas Country Reporter
March 28, 2022
Lessons Learned From the Chicken Lady
Mary Ann Fordyce is a straight-talking chicken farmer calling for a return to country roots.
Art
March 22, 2022
Inside the Eclectic Home of Hill Country Sculptor Jonas Perkins
In Fredericksburg, Perkins’s creative approach to life can be seen in every inch of his one-of-a-kind retreat.
Texas Country Reporter
March 21, 2022
The Hardest-Working Man in Del Rio
For years, “Chito” Martiarena has devoted himself to mowing grass along public roadways.
Texas Country Reporter
March 18, 2022
Why Does the World Need Bottle Cap Art?
Years ago, I learned an important lesson from a family in West Texas—happiness can be found in the simplest places.
Texas Country Reporter
March 16, 2022
Meet the Mr. Rogers of East Texas
I’ll never forget Herman “Train” Gates, the man who collected junk on an empty lot in Carthage, helped fix bikes for neighborhood kids, and wrote poetry.
Style & Design
March 11, 2022
Colorful Quilts Crafted by an Artist Who’s Blind
One of the most inspiring subjects I’ve met in five decades of interviews is Diane Rose, an acclaimed quilter who sees life through the eye of a needle.