Open mic at the museum

Jim Black of "Land of the Waxhaws" (LotW) fame is trying to organize some open mic time for politicians, voters and businessmen over at the Museum of the Waxhaws tomorrow afternoon. Per a Facebook update:

ATTENTION...ATTENTION...ALL POLITICAL CANDIDATES..BUSINESS PERSONS..

OPEN MIC FRIDAY AT 1:00pm AT MUSEUM OF THE WAXHAWS...LIVE TV BROADCAST ON LOTW...WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE RUNNING FOR OFFICE??? WE SEE THEIR SIGNS...IF YOU KNOW A POLITICIAN, LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY CAN GET A FREE CONVERSATION...REPUBLICAN..DEMOCRAT...INDEPENDENT..LIBERTARIAN..COME ONE..COME ALL..FIRST COME...FIRST TALK...

Could this quickly morph into Waxhaw's first poetry jam? If so, it could be the most-watched LotW ever.

Larson remains with WBT

Per a Charlotte Observer article, he's signed a contract for an indeterminate amount of time. The nitty gritty:

A week after surprising his listeners with the news that WBT-AM (1110) had told him his contract would not be renewed, mid-morning host Keith Larson and the station came to terms late Wednesday on a new agreement to keep him on the air.

Neither Larson nor Rick Feinblatt, WBT’s general manager, would discuss the terms or length of the contract that keeps Larson in the station’s weekday 9 a.m. to noon spot.

Good new for him and Waxhaw. And I suppose maybe for those who want to hear more crazy tales about his neighborhood.

Keith Larson's 10th anniversary ride

Keith Larson had his 10th anniversary motorcycle charity ride this weekend. From what I can gather, there was a pretty large shindig planned with bounce houses et al. in Waxhaw at the end of the ride. Pictures and video are available at Keith's page at WBT.com

They were set to arrive in Waxhaw around 3pm but the aforementioned block party prevented me from checking it out.

In other Larson news, it appears he will soon no longer have a show on WBT, per a Charlotte Business Journal article and a Charlotte Observer article. I haven't had a chance to listen to his show for years, but generally enjoyed his show on the occasion I got to listen. Back in the day, he did Keillor-esque snippets regarding Waxhaw which I found interesting even before moving here. Combine that with an a good taste in music and similar philosophies, and I was a regular listener when the opportunity allowed.

Alas, I haven't listened in years since my job isn't amenable to listening to 3 hours of radio during the day, nor do I have an extra three hours to download and listen to the daily podcasts. I've always wondered if continues to highlight Waxhaw.

My favorite (and honestly the only one I recall specifically for obvious reasons) was when he talked about the prevalence of secret or not-so-secret swingers in his Waxhaw neighborhood, the crux being that he and his wife were never invited to the gatherings if my memory serves. No idea if it was true or not, but I'm sure it made life interesting in his neighborhood for a little while.

Anyone have any ideas if Keith Larson has still been talking about Waxhaw on his show in recent years?

Clarifying "Land of the Waxhaws"

I've linked to a handful of "Land of the Waxhaws" (LotW) stuff. For those who aren't aware, LotW is a local internet video broadcast run by Jim Black. Or I always used to think it was run by Jim Black. Actually, it's really a joint venture between Jim Black and our Mayor Daune Gardner.

Other than her frequent appearances on LotW, which I chalked up to her position as mayor and wanting to be in the public eye more, I had never seen any notice this was a vehicle for her other than noticing her business, Creative Plus, was one of the sponsors of the show.

But it turns out she's more than a sponsor and essentially a partner in the endeavor. I've questioned why so few candidates have appeared on the show. And the answer may be found in the fact that another of the candidates heads up the operation.

For the record, Daune stated that there was an open invite for candidates to appear free of charge on a segment if they agreed to allow her to interview them. While I think the odds are slim to none that Daune would take advantage of an opportunity to make the visiting candidate look bad (partially because I think this would rebound to reflect poorly on her), I can understand the other candidates' reluctance to provide her with more time looking gracious in front of the camera to help her campaign, especially Lisa Thornton and Gary Underwood.

If candidates chose to appear on their own segments (speaking with Jim Black instead of Daune), then they would be expected to pay the going rate of $50 per segment that is charged to local businesses.

However, that rate was apparently not set in stone as it appears different candidates were quoted different prices. For example, Martin Lane appeared on air with Jim Black so you would think he would be charged $50 for his troubles. But he paid nothing.

Gary Underwood and Mike Stewart were quoted the expected $50 price but declined to appear.

Lisa Thornton was quoted a $100 figure to appear before the candidates' forum at the Waxhaw Woman's Club.

Since we're speaking about LotW, Jim Black posted a last minute offer for candidates to appear on the show before polls close tomorrow. I'm not sure how much value it would be at this point, but here it is in case any are interested.

ALL POLITICAL CANDIDATES, IN WAXHAW, WHO WOULD LIKE TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES ON OUR INTERNET TV SHOW, CAN DO SO, BETWEEN NOW AND TOMORROW WHEN THE POLLS CLOSE... A FEE OF $50 FOR EACH HALF HOUR IS REQUIRED AND I WILL STREAM YOUR MESSAGE LIVE, FROM YOUR HOME, OFFICE OR ANYPLACE YOU DECIDE THAT HAS A WIRELESS INTERNET CONNECTION..SEGMENTS WILL BE SAVED FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT VIEW IT LIVE...
ALL OF YOU WHO SUPPORT CANDIDATES, PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO THEM...I CAN BE REACHED BY MESSAGE ON FACEBOOK, OR SEND EMAIL TO landofthewaxhaws@gmail.com
THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK TUESDAY.....JIM BLACK