Send us your Stories

A life can be measured in songs cued, flags saluted, and nights under stadium lights. We sit down with radio mainstay Ted Tibbett to trace the winding road from a childhood spent in studios and parades to a draft notice in 1968, a detour to South Korea, and a homecoming that turned into four decades behind a high school press box mic. Ted’s stories are vivid and generous: a father who sang and read poetry on the air before World War II, a small-town talent show where Elvis Presley placed third, and the early shifts where cab fare cost more than the paycheck but the dream was worth it.

The conversation delves into what local radio brings to a town: companionship, context, and a familiar voice when the weather turns or the Tigers take the field. Ted shares lessons learned during a rookie hurricane broadcast about who calls the shots, the delicate boundary between personality and professionalism, and the grit it takes to keep a station alive.

You’ll hear outrageous, laugh-out-loud moments with a mercurial owner who once boomed “TIbbett! They’re naked!” at a Broadway show, along with tender reflections on veterans’ service, civic leadership, and why the national anthem still brings a tear.

We also pull back the curtain on today’s talk radio, including conservative news talk, the economics of satellite programming, and how to maintain a local heartbeat when syndication pays the bills.

Ted guests range from members of Congress to SEC legends. He also reveals why time, temperature, and the Powerball update still matter more than algorithms. If you care about media that sounds like where you live—Hattiesburg, the Pine Belt, or any town with a signal—you’ll find wisdom and warmth here.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Stories

This is a special (bonus) episode of Stories From Cold Springs. We've been asking our guest to share their favorite Christmas memories. Here are some of our favorites.

A castoff tree becomes a masterpiece. A heaterless Ford carries a homesick soldier down a freezing highway. A prank chair turns a nervous daughter-in-law into family. These are the moments that define Christmas in our world: kindness at midnight, laughter that sticks, and simple gifts that outlast their batteries.

We gather voices from across our first season (and upcoming second season) for a special holiday tapestry.

Dawn Beam remembers a year so lean that her family prayed for a tree that miraculously appeared, and made beautiful with cookies, popcorn, and borrowed lights.

Ted Tibbett relives 1965—stuck with a late radio shift, a chance meeting at a truck stop, and a dirt road rescue capped by two mules and a sunrise reunion.

Kym Garraway-Braley shares the infamous camo seat with the hidden remote, proof that humor can knit a family faster than any perfect present.

Father Tommy brings Irish cadence—Santa on Christmas Eve, church on morning, cards by the fire, and St. Stephen’s Day songs at neighbors’ doors—celebrations built on ritual, service, and shared delight.

Kristen Illarmo talks about finding her way back to wonder through her kids and the sanity-saving tradition of giving books.

Todd McCall maps the logistics of love across grandparents’ tables and a rotating family Christmas that waits for him to get home from college athletics.

Stubbs Lucus honors a father who couldn’t wait to give, handing out presents early so the kids had more time to play.

Host J. Stephen Beam closes with twin battery bulldozers, a crack in the hood, and a lasting lesson: joy doesn’t require perfect things, only present people.

If you crave stories that feel like a warm room on a cold night, this collection is for you. Press play, remember your own best Christmas, and share it with us. Subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell a friend who could use a little light today.

This episode was sponsored by MCS Homecenter, Bellevue.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Stories

A priest’s journey rarely begins at the pulpit. Ours starts on a small Irish farm in County Galway, where thirteen children, a barter ledger at the grocer, and a windowless scullery kept life running without cash or convenience. Father Tommy Conway opens up about a way of life built on chores, prayer, and community—then shows how Ireland’s commitment to free education and EU investment vaulted a rural nation into a global workforce. The contrast is striking: horses and harrows traded among neighbors become modern careers at Boston Scientific and Pfizer, yet the heart of that village life remains.

We explore pivotal moments that chiseled character: a house fire that flattened the family home during a church revival, the struggle of high school, the joy of seminary friendships, and the unexpected call to serve in Mississippi. Tommy recalls early assignments on the Gulf Coast, years as a university chaplain, and a habit of answering every hospital request without checking denomination. The story blends humor and candor—yes, bacon and cabbage, not corned beef—and paints a tender picture of homesickness that never fully leaves, even as new roots take hold in Hattiesburg.

The capstone is the founding of St. Fabian in West Hattiesburg: donated land with a name that honors a beloved nun, a bishop’s simple “You decide,” and a parish that now hums with dozens of ministries. Local artist Kim Garraway Braille’s 21-foot “happy Jesus” mural turns a sanctuary into a welcome, a landmark that signals joy to anyone walking through the doors.

Suppose you’re curious about Irish rural traditions, the power of education, Catholic ministry in the American South, or how a person builds communities. In that case, this story delivers a warm, grounded look at service and belonging.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share this episode with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find Stories from Cold Springs. Your support keeps these voices alive.

Be sure to listen on Christmas Eve for a special episode of Stories from Cold Springs. Your favorite SFCS guests share their favorite Christmas memories!

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Christmas Stories

What happens when a classically-trained violinist breaks her neck and loses her musical identity for over a decade? Alexis Frenette's remarkable journey takes us from a defining childhood moment in Connecticut to finding her place as a fiddle player in Mississippi.

Alexis shares the pivotal experience of discovering her passion at just five years old during a school assembly featuring young Suzuki method violinists. "I remember the exact moment that I decided I was going to play the violin for the rest of my life," she recalls with clarity. This decisive childhood moment set her on a path of serious musical training, eventually positioning her for a promising career.

Growing up with a Mississippi-born mother while living in the Northeast created a fascinating cultural hybrid. We explore how Alexis navigated between seemingly contradictory worlds: mastering the formal precision of classical violin while embracing the improvisational freedom of Southern fiddle playing. Her illuminating explanation of the differences between violin and fiddle playing offers listeners genuine insight into these distinct musical traditions.

The heart of Alexis's story emerges when she describes the devastating car accident that broke her neck at age 20, robbing her of the ability to play properly for twelve years. "It's like losing your identity," she confesses. Yet what follows is an extraordinary account of healing, perseverance, and rediscovery that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit and the profound connection between musicians and their instruments.

Today, Alexis runs a music school with her brother in Laurel, Mississippi, passing on their musical knowledge to the next generation. The episode concludes with her moving performance of "Ashokan Farewell," the hauntingly beautiful piece made famous by Ken Burns' Civil War documentary.

Whether you're a musician, a teacher, or simply someone who appreciates stories of triumph over adversity, this conversation will resonate with its themes of identity, healing, and the transformative power of artistic expression. Subscribe now and share your thoughts on this powerful musical journey.

WE WANT YOUR STORIES! Have a country or small town-themed true story for us? Please send it to our producer at hillary@hillkane.com. Put SFCS-Holiday in the subject line. By submitting your story, you are permitting us to read it on air. Please let us know if you prefer us to use your name or a pseudonym/alias. If we get enough stories, we can have a " Stories from Our Listeners episode!!

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Stories

Ever wonder how a Sunday sermon lands so close to home, it feels like it was written just for you? Methodist minister David Sellers takes us inside that mysterious, surprisingly creative, and sacred process in this warm and insightful episode of Stories from Cold Springs.

From his humble beginnings as a “surprise baby” in Mississippi to his hard-earned nickname “farm prone” (you’ll see why), Sellers shares a life shaped by calling, community, and quiet transformation. Whether he’s preaching to a packed sanctuary or a rural church where dogs join their dairy farmer owner in the last pew, Sellers brings humor, honesty, and a deep sense of purpose to his work.

At the heart of this episode is the sermon itself—how it’s built, breathed into, and brought to life. Sellers breaks down his weekly rhythm, from Monday’s scripture study to Sunday’s delivery. He shares how dyslexia shaped his process (spoiler: he dictates while walking outdoors), and why the best moments in ministry often come when you think you’ve missed the mark—only to have someone say, “That was exactly what I needed.”

Whether you're curious about spiritual leadership, the creative process, or simply love a good Southern story, this episode reveals that ministry isn’t just about preaching—it’s about listening, living, and loving people where they are.

WE WANT YOUR STORIES! Have a country or small town-themed true story for us? Please send it to our producer at hillary@hillkane.com. Put SFCS-Holiday in the subject line. By submitting your story, you are permitting us to read it on air. Please let us know if you prefer us to use your name or a pseudonym/alias. If we get enough stories, we can have a " Stories from Our Listeners episode!!

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Christmas Stories

Courtesy Content Notice: This episode contains true stories about hunting, animal injuries/death, and butchering animals for food. It is not unnecessarily graphic, but may not be suitable for individuals who are not comfortable hearing about such topics. Please use discretion; we respect your choices.

Stubbs (Lucus) returns to the Stories from Cold Springs podcast with a collection of vibrant tales that transport listeners to the backroads and rural communities of a bygone era. His natural storytelling ability shines as he recounts adventures with remarkable detail, humor, and authentic southern charm.

Take a journey to Arkansas as Stubbs describes an unforgettable road trip, riding six hours on the tailgate of a 1965 Chevy pickup with a Corvette engine, all to purchase a prestigious Finley River Chief coon dog puppy. The colorful cast of characters they meet along the way, including some modern-day "Cheech and Chong" types at a coon dog gathering, paints a vivid picture of rural Americana in the late 1970s.

The tension ratchets up when Stubbs recounts camping on Blue Mountain and being awakened by mysterious motorcyclists in the dead of night. With no weapons and plenty of adrenaline, Stubbs prepared to defend himself with nothing but a battery-powered spotlight, leading to what he and his friends would forever call "the Crucifying Cruisers" incident.

Beyond the adventures, Stubbs offers cultural insights about traditions like coon hunting, explaining its practical origins in protecting corn crops and the sport that evolved around it. His description of climbing trees to shake raccoons out so dogs could chase them again reveals how these rural activities were often more about camaraderie and skill than hunting.

The conversation takes a thoughtful turn when "Doc" shares his own powerful childhood memory of his first hog-killing experience and the unforgettable breakfast that followed: fresh sausage, homemade biscuits, and cane syrup. (What we city folk call molasses.) This exchange highlights how food traditions created lasting bonds and memories in rural communities, with Stubbs extending a heartfelt invitation to experience modern-day cane syrup making.

These stories preserve a disappearing way of American life, one where adventure was found in everyday experiences, communities were tightly knit, and simple pleasures were deeply appreciated. Join us for this authentic celebration of rural storytelling and the characters who made these communities so memorable.

Subscribe to Stories from Cold Springs to hear more tales that capture the heart of American rural traditions

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Stories

Authenticity and craftsmanship shine through every moment of our conversation with Daniel "Stubbs" Lucus, whose remarkable journey from rural poverty to HGTV recognition captivates from start to finish.

Stubbs (only his mamma calls him Daniel) takes us back to his childhood, where, at just 10 years old, he started his first business—growing and selling peas with help from his grandfather's mule.

His entrepreneurial spirit defined his unconventional path through life. When traditional education wasn't working, he convinced school officials to let him attend vocational training as an eighth-grader by threatening to quit.

Despite being told that "left-handed men aren't good at nothing [sic]," he discovered his talent for woodworking and began mastering the skills that would define his career.

The storytelling here is masterful as Stubbs recounts his evolution into one of the region's most respected cabinet makers, eventually landing him regular appearances on HGTV's "Hometown" show based in Laurel, Mississippi. Between tales of hunting adventures that led to hosting "Real South Hunting" for a decade and the hilarious accidental marriage proposal to his wife of 28 years ("The only thing I'd change about you would be your address"), we witness the authentic character of a man who built success through determination and skilled hands.

What resonates most is how Stubbs frames each challenge as an opportunity—whether paying for his children's births with watermelon farming proceeds or working 16-hour days to support five kids in his blended family. His story showcases the power of practical wisdom, an unwavering work ethic, and staying true to your roots.

Want to hear more? We do too; we've invited Stubbs back for part two in September. In the meantime, share and rate Stories from Cold Springs to help us delight even more folks with Mississippi's most authentic storytelling podcast.

*Check out Stubbs's craftsmanship on HGTV's Hometown or find his Real South Hunting channel on YouTube.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Stories

Garfield Moore didn’t set out to become a cellist. But sometimes the right moment finds you—and for him, it happened in a school assembly, when a beloved guitar teacher revealed she was, in fact, a cellist. That quiet surprise would tune the rest of his life.

In this moving episode of Stories from Cold Springs, Moore shares a remarkable musical journey—one shaped by legacy, resilience, and joy. Born into a family of groundbreaking Black professionals—his grandfather the first African American OB-GYN professor in Chicago, his father the first Black ER director in Berkeley—Garfield grew up surrounded by excellence. But perhaps no influence was greater than his mother.

When his parents separated in the 1950s, Garfield watched his mother—once a devoted housewife—build a career from the ground up in a world that offered few opportunities to women of color. She rose to become a professor at one of California’s largest state universities, and today, a full scholarship bears her name. “Her achievement is utterly superb,” Garfield says. “That’s something she did without help.” Her determination, alongside the examples of Dr. King, Leontyne Price, and his father, instilled in him a profound sense of responsibility and purpose.

From a 1979 Carnegie Hall debut with jazz legend Sarah Vaughan (“one of the greatest music lessons I’ve ever had”) to backstage encounters with Dean Martin, Lucille Ball, and Liza Minnelli, Moore’s career is a kaleidoscope of American cultural history. Yet his story is not defined by fame, but by perseverance.

He speaks with reverence about Leontyne Price, whose performance once gave him strength during a personal collapse. “When I left that theater,” he recalls, “I decided—if she can do this, I can do something.” That connection to Mississippi would become even more meaningful years later, when Garfield and his husband moved to the tiny town of Bassfield. What some might’ve seen as a step back became a return to purpose.

Now preparing concerts that span from Bach to Rock, Moore continues to teach, practice, and dream—including his goal of becoming the first American cellist to perform all six Bach Suites in Portugal.

Whether you're here for the music, the memories, or the legacy of those who paved the way, Garfield Moore’s story reminds us that inspiration doesn’t just come from the stage—it’s passed down, lived out, and kept alive through the act of telling it.

🎧 New episodes each month, right here in Cold Springs—where stories don’t just live, they resonate.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents