A Production of the Great Northern Radio Theatre. Nominated for Audio World's GOLDEN HEADSET Award for Best Multicast Spoken Word Production of the Year. Hear RealAudio of Episode 1 Episode 2

PERMAFROST - The Town PERMAFROST is an unincorporated (and entirely concocted) town on the logging road, off the gravel road, off the county road from Big Falls, in Koochiching County, Minnesota, on Dinner Creek. It went into the unusually hard winter of 1887-88, and never came out. Oh, it wasn't frozen in time, just frozen. There is what is called a "micro-climate" around Permafrost. About two square miles around the town and a lake are below freezing all year round. It doesn't get bitter cold even in winter, or warm even in summer. Just freezing, all the time. It's no wonder Permafrost is the ice fishingest place around. You'll meet Finch Shelmerdine, who tells the story, and her parents, Phyl and Elsie, who run the Frozen Filet Cafe. Finch has just started college way down in St. Paul. You'll hear from Bux Hootkins, who lives in Permafrost, but has a place in Texas that he visits in the summer, because he likes the extremes. He and Bertie Two Shoes have been building on their fishing shack out on the lake for as long as anyone can remember. Currently they're working on the catwalk, up there on the third floor. It's for the cats. Petey Pie is a musician and has a little FM radio transmitter in his trailer home. He is both entertainment and communications for Permafrost.		PERMAFROST - The Serial PERMAFROST, the audio serial is thirteen three-minute episodes in the life of the people who live and work in the town. Together they tell you one important event in the history of the town, getting their lake listed as the 10,000 and first Minnesota lake. And each episode tells a little part of this tale with a short story of its own. A VERY Minnesota program, with likeable characters, humorous situations and events. Richly produced with original music and sound effects. Written, produced and performed by Minnesotans. Available on Compact Disc. (39 minutes.) PERMAFROST is a Great Northern Radio Theatre Production. Written by Brian Price and Jerry Stearns. Directed by Brian Price. Produced by Jerry Stearns. Original Theme Music by Mike Wheaton. Radio music by Darren Callahan. Artwork by Ken Fletcher. Package Design by Jerry Stearns. Slideshow by Brian Price.
There's Bob Draft, unofficial town mayor and chief booster of the lake petition. And you'll find Melody McCleod, Permafrost's mail carrier and town gossip. (In a town this small there isn't always enough to gossip about, so sometimes she just makes it up.) And there is Les Decksia, town historian, who claims he remembers the "year the giant snowflakes fell" and the threat of a thaw back in '69. Edna Johnsen-Johnson lives in a house straddling the Permafrost micro-climate. Her kitchen's in winter, and her bedroom is in summer. And they are all a little nuts to live in a remote and frozen place like Permafrost, MN.		CAST: Finch Shelmerdine - Irene Ruderman Phyllis Shelmerdine - Donna Alexander Elsworth Shelmerdine and Bux Hootkins - Don Cosgrove Melody McCleod, Bertie Two Shoes and Senator Gloria Lunowsky - Rebecca Fay Les Decksia and Big Jack Tar Mack - David Hennessey Petey Pie - Dean Johnson Edna Johnsen-Johnson and Regreta Seeger - Carolyn Press Bob Draft - Mark Sulander Hardy Laughton - Jerry Stearns

For more information on Permafrost, MN you can E-mail to
Jerry Stearns (jstearns@mtn.org); 612 722-2907 or
Brian Price (bprice@brookings.net); 605 697-3025.