I was running really late on Saturday as I was trying to get to town to attend the open house at KTWH, Two Harbors’ local community radio station. It wasn’t necessarily my fault. You see, my washing machine has been trying to take flight every time it hits the final cycle. It shakes hard enough to rattle the house. I have been putting off getting a new one. My contingency plan? Holding down the buckin’ bronco in the final spin so it doesn’t put another hole in the sheetrock.
While I was waiting for the spin cycle to finish, and it was taking its sweet time, my husband walked in and asked what I was doing. I explained that I had to babysit the washer. Then he saw the hole, which he hadn’t noticed before. He said, when you get home from the open house, we are going to go get a new washer.
So I arrived late, but the atrium at Harbor Landing was still full of people. Musician Mark Wirly was just wrapping up, visitors were talking with the voices they hear on the air each day, and the tours of the updated studio still had folks wandering about. It was busy enough to feel lively, but not crowded, which meant I could easily visit with the new upcoming manager, John Krengel.
Krengel and his wife moved up from Iowa three and a half years ago. He told me how he first wandered into the station after seeing a sign for the Cabin Fever Reliever, how he started out on the air, then began selling underwriting, then joined the board, and now finds himself stepping into the manager’s role.
“I have found my passion,” he said.
We talked about the station’s footprint in town, the volunteers who keep it running, and the ideas he has for growing KTWH’s presence and finding new ways to serve the community.
Before I left, I stopped to meet the musician who had been playing throughout the afternoon. Mark Wirly smiled for a quick picture and joked that his grin was a little crooked.
“Those are the best kinds of grins,” I assured him.
I also had the chance to say hello to my old friend, Leo Babeu, who excitedly relayed the station’s emergency broadcast plans. He talked about the work volunteers do behind the scenes, the technology they’re trying to build, and the hope that KTWH can stay on the air during grid outages. The station streams online at ktwh.org, but he pointed out that in certain situations, radio may be more reliable than newer technology.
“We need people to have radios, and we need them to know they can tune them to 99.5,” he said.
The fall fund drive will help support the emergency generator capability they’re working toward, and he spoke with real gratitude for the support they’ve already received from Lake County and Co-op Light and Power.
People were still talking when I stepped out, the music settling and the afternoon winding down. I had come in late, but I left having reconnected with an old friend and made a few new ones along the way.
Later that evening, I made yet another new friend: my new washing machine. The matching dryer is on order. It is quiet, steady, and polite enough to stay in one place, which already feels like freedom after babysitting a spin cycle. It came with an app that asked for a name, and since he is helping me regain my laundry independence, we have dubbed him George Washingmachine.
Listen to KTWH at 99.5 FM and visit ktwh.org for streaming, replays, and lots of community news. The station is always looking for volunteers, and there are plenty of ways to help. Contact info@ktwh.org for more information about how to get involved.
