Help Real People Media finish editing The Red Jacket Jamboree- America's new old-time radio variety show!   We have recorded 20 one-hour episodes of this fun and informative family show and have aired 10 of these episodes on Public Radio networks throughout Michigan.  We need to raise $30,000 to finish the mastering of Season one. (The first 14 episodes)  Completing season one will enable Real People Media to offer The Red Jacket Jamboree to national markets.    Please help us keep this program on the air!

​Real People Media has received a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council to bring storytellers, Bill Jamerson and Pete Griffin to Calumet, Michigan for public performances. 

Bill Jamerson, of Escanaba, will present stories and songs from the U.P. during the August 17th performance of  The Red Jacket Jamboree, a new old-time radio variety show performed and recorded in front of a live audience at the historic Calumet Theatre.  More information about the show is available at www.redjacketjamboree.org.   On August 18th, Bill will present a free family concert as part of the Pasty Fest celebration.  Families are invited to bring their chairs and blankets to the concert, which will be held on the south side of the Keweenaw National Historical Park visitor center, located on 5th street.  

For over a decade,  Jamerson has been sharing stories about America's past with his “History through Song” programs and school assemblies in a 12-state region across the Upper Midwest. He developed a love of history at an early age inspired by his grandfather's stories about life in the lumberjack camps and living through The Great Depression.

Jamerson attended the University of Michigan and was in the advertising business for 15 years when he decided to change direction in his career. In 1992 he wrote and produced his first major documentary for Michigan Public Television, Camp Forgotten - The Civilian Conservation Corps in Michigan, which aired on 58 PBS stations nationwide. He went on to produce ten other films on Michigan history including Grand Rapids furniture making, Mexican Farmworkers, General Motors, Herbert Dow the chemical pioneer and a history of winter sports in Michigan.

In 2002 Jamerson began presenting live programs about the Civilian Conservation Corps, lumberjack and iron mining history in schools, libraries and other venues. His programs included original songs played with his guitar. Most of the songs are based on stories collected from people with first-hand knowledge. Today, Jamerson presents his live programs across the Upper Midwest at a wide variety of venues.

Jamerson's presentation has been described as a cross between Woody Guthrie and Garrison Keillor. It's the oral tradition of sharing cultural and ethnic traditions with humor, storytelling, and song. The telling of these stories is more than preserving the past; they are a reminder of who we are, and how we got to where we are. And in this way, the stories are as important as they are entertaining. More information about Bill can be found at: www.billjamerson.com

Pete Griffin, known as the storyteller Ranger, will share some “spooky” Yooper tales during the October 4th performance of The Red Jacket Jamboree.  Griffin will also lead a storytelling workshop on October 5th and 6th for local historians, KNHP park staff, and heritage site interpreters. 

Pete, a native of Cedarville, started his career with the US Forest Service in 1973 as a wildlife biologist. When he was promoted to District Ranger on the Tongass National Forest in Juneau, Alaska
in 1999, he started recording short natural history vignettes for radio. Titled, Tongass Trails,
the essays documented his exploration of the temperate rainforest and eventually incorporated
Pete's  experiences growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The series, which ran for five years, received numerous public accolades.  Pete later narrated Shades
of Green, a Forest Service production of video stories about life and land of the Tongass as
told by the people who live and work there. Following his retirement from the Forest Service, he has shared his stories aboard the Disney Wonder, a 2600-passenger cruise ship, along the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska .  He performs for hundreds of passengers at a time, featuring unique aspects of some common and not-so-common species of plants and wildlife of Southeast Alaska.  For more information about Pete visit: www.thestorytellingranger.com.   

Real People Media is a 501c3 nonprofit organization helping people share their stories through the literary, visual, performing and media arts. More information about Real People Media can be found at the website at www.realpeoplemedia.org or email [email protected].  

The Red Jacket Jamboree, Calumet's old-time radio variety show, features stories, music and songs reflecting the history, landscape and culture of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The March show, which celebrates the CopperDog 150 and The Great Bear Chase,  features the band Breathe Owl Breathe and storyteller Pete Griffin.  

Hailing from Traverse City, Breathe Owl Breathe spends their time playing and touring around North America, bringing laughter and excitement wherever they go. Their songs blend the carefree playfulness of childhood with the darker realities of growing up and growing old. Their performance is pure fun, and the joy they exude from the stage will lighten your spirit and send you home smiling.

Nicknamed the Storytelling Ranger, Pete Griffin has been sharing his stories with thousands of people.  He started his career with the US Forest Service in 1973 as a wildlife biologist. When he was promoted to District Ranger on the Tongass National Forest in Juneau, Alaska in 1999, he started recording short natural history vignettes for radio, titled, “Tongass Trails.” The essays documented his exploration of the temperate rainforest and eventually incorporated Pete's experiences growing up in the U.P. (yes, he's a Yooper). The series ran five years, drawing public praise in the Capital City.  Pete later narrated Shades of Green, a Forest Service production of video stories about life and land of the Tongass as told by the people who live and work there. 

Following his retirement from the Forest Service, Pete shared natural history stories aboard the Disney Wonder, a 2600-passenger cruise ship, along the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska in its inaugural season.  On board he performed stage shows for hundreds of passengers at a time, featuring unique aspects of some common and not-so-common species of plants and wildlife of Southeast Alaska, in addition to spending hours on deck with binoculars talking to passengers about glaciers, bears, whales, and the forests they were seeing.  Pete will be sharing several stories during the show including “The Great Snowshoe Race.”

Every episode of The Red Jacket Jamboree includes performances by “The Copper Cats,” with Bill Carrothers on piano, Jerry Younce on guitar, Carrie Biolo on percussion and vibraphone and Harry South on bass; and humorous sketches by the Red Jacket Actors.

Real People Media was nominated for a Spark Plug award for The Red Jacket Jamboree, old-time radio variety show!  The nomination is for "Project of the Year"   The Spark Plug awards recognized individuals, businesses and organizations in a number of categories.

"We just want the community to recognize the businesses, the organizations, the projects, that help the community grow. It's just giving recognition to those that work hard and deserve it," said Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce member relations and events coordinator Whitney Warstler.

The annual award ceremony is Thursday, March 1st at the Bonfire Steak House in Houghton.    

Real People Media would like to acknowledge the staff and volunteers who have helped bring the Red Jacket Jamboree to life!  To date we have recorded 6 one-hour radio shows which share the stories, songs and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula with the rest of the state.  The nomination gives testimony to the hard work of these individuals. 

The Red Jacket Jamboree is presented by Main Street Calumet and Real People Media.  The 2017/2018 season is funded with a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, The Leo S. Guthman Fund, the Keweenaw National Historical Park, Philip and Marlene Glotfelty and private donors plus in-kind support from dozens of local businesses. 

Peg Carrothers is our featured vocalist for "Keweenaw Kiss" our Valentine Day Episode of The Red Jacket Jamboree held on February 10th. ​The February performance will also celebrate Michigan Tech's “Winter Carnival.”  

​The show will feature an eclectic array of  music by “The Copper Cats” with featured guest vocalist Peg Carrothers,  poetry by poet laureate of the U.P. Martin Achatz, and sketches by Red Jacket Actors: Ruby Birckelbaw, Noah Ekdom and Ralph Horvath. The show is hosted by Lena Dorey.  “ The Copper Cats” features  Bill Carrothers on piano, Jerry Younce on guitar, Carrie Biolo on percussion and vibraphone and Harry South on bass.

Peg Carrothers was born and raised in "Nordeast" Minneapolis. Her musical training began as a young child, learning songs from the family for every season and occasion. Her love for song and a music scholarship led her to pursue a music degree at St Catherine’s College and finish up at the University of Minnesota, studying in the classical opera tradition before vocal jazz was a developed curriculum.  It was during these early college years that she met Bill Carrothers, who suggested Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday for her thirsty young jazz ears. Turning to the jazz community, she built a standard repertoire, performing in local venues with many talented musicians. Along with Bill Carrothers she's shared the stage with Dean Magraw, Chris Bates, Jay Epstein, Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan, Adam Linz, and others and is featured on cellist Matt Turner's CD, "The Voices That Are Gone" (Illusions). 

The 2017/2018 season of The Red Jacket Jamboree is a production of Main Street Calumet and Real People Media, a nonprofit organization helping people share their stories through the literary, visual, performing and media arts.  The program is made possible with support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and private donors.  More information is at the website: www.redjacketjamboree.org.  The performance is Saturday, February 10 at 7pm.   The audience is asked to be in their seats 10 minutes prior to the performance.  Tickets for reserved seating can be purchased online at www.calumettheatre.org or by calling the box office at (906) 337-2610.