Ep. 38 - Nanticoke Language Revival ● Dr. Keith Cunningham

Ep. 42 - 1950s-60s Trappe with Grandma Shirley

Back by popular demand! Grandma Shirley returned to the Slower Lower podcast for a conversation about her life in the tiny town of Trappe in Talbot County, Maryland, in the 1950s and 60s. Topics discussed: * Meeting a young man named Charles Diefenderfer in 1950 and going for a drive before camp meeting service. * Denton Pilgrim Holiness Camp in the 1950s. * Getting married and moving from Hurlock to Trappe; differences between the two communities. * A short stay in nearby Easton. * Interesting pronunciations of the name Diefenderfer. * Churches in Oxford and Cambridge. * Living next door to professional baseball legend Frank "Home Run" Baker. * Eating her first soft crab. * Steamed crabs, oysters, and Charles's boat. * Crossing the Chesapeake Bay by ferry, and the impact of the controversial Bay Bridge. * Reactions to the assassination of President Kennedy. * The role of church in the family's social life. * . . . . and more! Leave a comment or question for Grandma Shirley, and we'll be sure to share it with her.

Ep. 41 - Crabs n' Bollards - 1st Anniversary Episode

Chris and Crystal reflect on their first year of podcasting and several local news stories. Topics discussed: * Crystal's glowing review of the Red Roost outside Salisbury. * Imported crabs and unscrupulous crabhouses. * Should restaurants identify the source of their crabs as if they were oysters? * The hideous new bollards and boardwalk gate in Rehoboth Beach. * Delaware Governor Matt Meyer posted a Bible verse . . . . and cut the name of Christ out of it!? * Replacing words in movie titles with the word scrapple. * The top ten Slower Lower episodes of the past year. * Thanking past guests and discussing potential future guests (i.e., an archaeologist, a cold case detective, a waterman, and more). * Other podcast stats of interest. Thank you to everybody who has checked out the Slower Lower podcast. Here's to another exciting year!

Ep. 40 - 1930s-40s Hurlock with Grandma Shirley

This very special episode of the Slower Lower podcast features Chris's 91-year-old grandma, Shirley, who was born in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1934. In Grandma Shirley's first-ever podcast interview, she talks about growing up in the small town of Hurlock in the 1930s and 1940s. Topics discussed: * The Pike family's old house in the woods at Rhodesdale. * The sad poisoning of the family's dog, Jojo, by neighbors. * Moving to Charles Street in Hurlock in 1937. * Walking everywhere because they didn't have a car. * Taking the train to shop in Cambridge. * Shirley's first trip to Ocean City with a Sunday School group around 1939. * Beach and boardwalk attire. * A later trip to bustling New York City. * School, the exciting weekly visit to the library, and holiday festivities. * The Baptist and Pilgrim Holiness churches. * Getting blessed: Runners, walkers, and holy rollers. * Making clothes out of feed bags. * Grabbing a chicken from the backyard for a fried chicken dinner. * Food from the garden. * Christmas oranges and nuts. * Never eating crabs or crab soup!? * Ooter Harper's store and penny candy selection. * Shirley's first job at the 5 & 10 in Federalsburg in 1950. * What can parents of today learn from the parents of the 1930s and 1940s? Drop a comment or question for Grandma Shirley and we'll share it with her.

Ep. 39 - Shane Beard & Kyle "K.O." Owens

Delaware-based country singer Shane Beard returns to the Slower Lower podcast with his friend and musical collaborator Kyle "K.O." Owens. We're celebrating the release of Shane's new single "Would If I Could" and a very cool music video! Topics discussed: * A dude in Selbyville is upset about the stinky stuff farmers are spreading on the fields. * Chicken manure vs. cow manure vs. hog manure. * "Would If I Could" and the story and feelings behind the song. * How Shane and K.O. got connected. * K.O.'s rich musical background, including listening to classical music as a baby. * The writing process; starting with a melody and adding words, or vice versa. * The tension between wanting to share a new song with the world immediately and waiting months to release it properly. * Does Shane need a blue verified badge on Facebook? * Shane recounts taking his wife and daughter to see Nate Smith and opener Brandon Wisham. * Poppy's Jams. * Who Would Win In A Fight? Country music edition. Listen to "Would If I Could" on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/track/64tH1E4ki612IWgpr6KenM?si=e6f2d7bdb20b4ebd], Apple [https://music.apple.com/us/song/would-if-i-could/6767046657], iHeart [https://www.iheart.com/artist/shane-beard-32826487/songs/would-if-i-could-399994686?app=listen], Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0GZSGJVBT?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_RPYEsiGuQBlM4In0frBl9RPF8&trackAsin=B0GZSFRQNY], and other streaming platforms, and check out the music video on YouTube [https://youtu.be/P5z2c8s0jCg?si=gW74X-sMJxViyMnq]! Follow Shane Beard on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583910953627]and at shanebeard.com [http://www.shanebeard.com].

Ep. 38 - Nanticoke Language Revival ● Dr. Keith Cunningham

This is the second of two special episodes recorded at historic Rosemont (c. 1772) in downtown Laurel, Delaware. Chris and Crystal were joined by Dr. Keith Cunningham, a gifted and passionate linguist who is reconstructing the long-dormant language of the Nanticoke Indians. Topics discussed: * Greeting one another in Nanticoke. * Historic Nanticoke word lists from the 1700s. * Lydia Clark, the last native speaker of the language in the 19th century. * How sounds and words evolve across time and space. * The relationship between historical Nanticoke and languages like Lenape and Ojibwe. * Proto-Algonquian: The ancestral mother tongue. * The difficulty of translating place-names and personal names. * Local place-names including Tuckahoe, Rossakatum, and the mysterious Twokum. * Common English words borrowed from Algonquian languages, including raccoon, terrapin, and tomahawk. * Dr. Cunningham's brilliant dissertation. * An illustrated Nanticoke language primer for families. * Reviving a dormant language to honor living descendants of those who once spoke it. Learn more about the Nanticoke Language Project at nanticokelanguage.org [http://www.nanticokelanguage.org].