Wait Five Minutes

Buffalo Bill Brings the West to Florida

During his farewell tour, the great showman of the West, Buffalo Bill Cody brought his show to Florida. What did the show look like, and how did it change over its four decades of existence? That, plus Annie Oakley, 1940s musicals, and one scathing review!

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

Thank you to Jeremy Johnston from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West! Check out their incredible museum right here!

Read more about Annie Oakley in Florida right here!

Read more about Bill Cody's history right here!

 

All of the music was originally composed.

The 2023 Holiday Special

Happy Holidays! Today we dive into a handful of stories: of rebuilt schoolhouses and holiday decor, of festive slashers and a Florida Christmas tree all our own.

Thank you to the Sanibel Historic Museum and Village for having me!

Thank you to Rachel Williams from the Orange County Regional History Center for her story, and for joining the show this year!

Thank you to Tim Anderson from the Enzian Theater here in Orlando!

Thank you to Jack Prator from the Tampa Bay Times! Read his full story about Florida Christmas trees right here!

 

All of the music was originally compossed.

 

See you on February 5th!

When The Circus Came to Florida

In Sarasota, Florida, there is a historic home, an art museum, and two buildings dedicated to the circus all in one property. We dive into the Ringling, looking for clowns and trains and the incredible history of the Greatest Show on Earth.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

Check out the Ringling and plan your visit here!

 

All of the music was originally composed.

Photographers, Newsmen & Beauty Queens

This week, we go searching through a stack of magazines for new faces and new stories that reveal bits of Florida's rich and complex past. Topics include Spaceship Earth, a diving fin, circus photography, Civil War veterans, Apollo 11, Florida Citrus Queens, and Henry Flagler.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

Read more about Walter Cronkite and EPCOT here!

Read more about John Hinde in Florida here!

Read our friend Gabrielle Calise's article about alligators here!

 

I do not own the rights to the Walter Cronkite audio used in this episode. Below are links used in the episode.

You are There

Spaceship Earth Walter Cronkite

 

Unless otherwise stated, all music used in this episode is originally composed.  

The Town That Would Be Orlando

After the Second Seminole War, a man came to Florida to found a town that he would name after himself. His legacy would be one of violence, but his name lasts as the predecessor to Orlando. Plus, a mystery and a surprising connection.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

Thank you to Rachel Williams from the History Center! Plan your trip to the Orange County Regional Historic Center here.

 

All of the music was originally composed. 

An Ode to the Floridian Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving! For a special bonus episode, we're talking turkeys, bird lovers, and Florida natives. 

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

All of the music was originally composed. 

The Year Without Citrus

1977 was a bad year for citrus. It snowed in Miami, and by spring, a nationwide boycott equated Florida oranges with bigotry. How could the industry survive? And how did the Great Freeze lead them to this moment?

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

Listen to our previous episodes about Anita Bryant right here!

Orange Bird

Florida's Don't Say Gay Bill

Listen to our episode about The Great Freeze right here!

 

I do not own the rights to the Anita Bryant clip used in the episode. You can watch the whole video right here.

 

Unless otherwise stated, all music used in this episode is originally composed.  

The Secret History of Florida Postcards

This week, we talk postcards, cookbooks, and the joy of thrifting in Florida. We chat with our friend Gabrielle Calise of the Tampa Bay Times, who gives us recommendations, and shares her antique decor obsessions. Later, we uncover the fascinating history of postcard advertising style.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

Thank you to Gabrielle Calise for chatting us with us this week! Read more of her articles right here:

For 2 decades at Bern’s Steak House, this piano man has delighted Tampa

How a Florida punk rocker inspired her mom to get back onstage

 

All of the music was originally composed. 

The Spirits Who Haunt Florida’s Tombstones

Today is the first annual Wait Fright Minutes Halloween Special - stories of old ghosts, elaborate gravestones, and the residents of our many local cemeteries. Let's conjure the old Floridians between us as the veil is thin on this beautiful All Hallow's Eve.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

Read more about Elizabeth Budd-Graham in the Tally Guide here!

Read more about John B. Stickney in Weird US here!

 

All of the music and background audio was originally composed and created. 

Finding the Lost Ships of the Bermuda Triangle

This week, we dive deep in search of ships allegedly lost in the infamous Bermuda Triangle, in the waters just east of Florida. Michael Barnette finds ships like this - and debunks the myths that surround the ghost ships off our coast. 

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

 

Thank you to Michael Barnette for his time! Check out more of his work on his History Channel show, with new episodes starting November 14th!

 

I do now own the rights to the movie clips played in the episode. Watch the full clips here.

Discovery Of A WWII Plane (Opening Scene) | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Voyage

SS Cotopaxi In The Desert | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Voyage

 

Unless otherwise stated, all music used in this episode is originally composed.