Ben Parks

A conversation with Elizabeth Pakravan, the founder and executive director of Martha Root Community Building, a nonprofit that equips children and their parents in underserved communities. Originally from Paraguay, Pakravan spent several years in Oregon before moving to Amarillo two years ago. She is a member of the Bahá'í faith, and her work reflects the promotion of unity and betterment of society that are central to this fast-growing global religion. Pakravan tells host Jason Boyett about her work, her appreciation for Amarillo as her family's new home, and how locals respond to her religious tradition—especially given the pervasive Christian beliefs of the Texas Panhandle. This episode is supported by SKP Creative, Storybridge, and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Matthew Wright, an Amarillo-based Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Texas. This past summer, Wright argued a landmark case before the U.S. Supreme Court, United States vs. Rahimi, related to firearm possession by individuals who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders. And though the Court decided against his client, the outcome made headlines across the United States. In this episode, Wright tells host Jason Boyett why he became a public defender, how the work brought him to Amarillo, and how it ended up taking him all the way to the Supreme Court. This episode is supported by Shemen Dental and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Ben Parks, the founder and "sound wrangler" of American Cowboy Radio and a former locomotive engineer for BNSF Railway. American Cowboy Radio streams worldwide from West Texas, with the goal of preserving and promoting what Parks calls "the authentic American cowboy way of life." Prior to this career and his locomotive career, Parks spent part of two decades managing the legendary Amarillo restaurant Char-Kel. He shares with host Jason Boyett about Char-Kel's heyday, why the business ended in the 1990s, how his cowboy radio idea developed and why Amarillo remains his home base. This episode is supported by PestTex Pest Control, Wolflin Square, and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Lora Brown, a long-time Amarillo stylist and the owner/operator of The Salon by Lora Brown. Brown grew up in Amarillo, started her career at 17, and opened her first salon in 1996. With nearly four decades in the industry, she has built a reputation as one of the city's best luxury salons. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Brown shares about her early entrepreneurism, how her industry has changed over the years, and why helping educate and coach her stylists is so critical to what she does. This episode is supported by Amarillo Angels, Amarillo Habitat for Humanity and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Jeff Jarnagin, a veteran performer at Amarillo Little Theatre and the social media manager for Brick & Elm Magazine. Jarnagin grew up in Wildorado and spent 17 years on staff at ALT before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 40 to pursue an acting career. After two years in Hollywood, he began feeling "off," and returned to Amarillo to a cancer diagnosis. Since then, Jeff has endured testicular cancer, kidney failure and dialysis, and finally, a successful kidney transplant that stemmed from a local tragedy. He tells his story to host Jason Boyett, and explains how the memory of Emerson—his kidney donor—continues to shape his life. This episode is supported by Storybridge, SKP Creative, the Amarillo Tribune, and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Abby Moldenhauer, a former circus performer and the founder of Flying Fitness in Amarillo, a fitness studio which teaches aerial arts. Moldenhauer grew up in Canyon before leaving to join the circus—literally—after having trained to become a performer specializing in aerial silks. She traveled for years with Ringling Bros. and other shows until injuries sustained in a carjacking forced her into a new career. She tells host Jason Boyett about her path into the aerial arts, life with a traveling circus, and why local fitness enthusiasts are drawn to her gym when they get tired of treadmill cardio. This episode is supported by The Shops at Wolflin Square, La-Z-Boy of Amarillo, and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Ruthie Landelius, a local chef, culinary educator, and the proprietor of Black Fig Food. She's also a food contributor to Brick & Elm Magazine and the Flavorillo email newsletter. A self-taught chef, Ruthie is known for her visual and artistic approach to food, for using food to build community, and for the elevated menus she creates for local events—from intimate weddings to enormous fundraising banquets. She shares with host Jason Boyett how her early failures helped make her the cook she is today and what it's like to plan, schedule and execute meals for enormous groups of local people. This episode is supported by Amarillo Angels and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Andy Justus, a long-time broadcast journalist and the co-anchor of Studio 4 and KAMR Local 4 News at 5, 6, and 10. A graduate of West Texas A&M, Andy has been in local news since he first joined KAMR in 1997. In this episode, he tells host Jason Boyett about growing up in poverty, moving constantly during childhood due to evictions, and how he convinced his single mother that he needed to go to Boys Ranch. In fact, if not for the structure he found at Boys Ranch, Andy says he would either "be in prison or be dead.” Along with those harrowing details, he also shares why he has such gratitude for the Panhandle area and its people. This episode is supported by Habitat for Humanity and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Naomi Vang, the owner/operator of S.E.A. Market Oriental Food in Amarillo. A refugee from Myanmar (Burma), Vang arrived in the area as a child after her family faced displacement due to political instability and oppression from the military regime that gained control over their country. Her family is part of the Chin ethnic group from the mountainous part of western Myanmar. She tells host Jason Boyett how she and her siblings made it to Texas, what it was like to grow up in an unfamiliar culture, and how the public has responded to her Asian market near 34th & Georgia. This episode is supported by Storybridge, Amarillo Angels and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Jason Mays, Fire Chief of the Amarillo Fire Department. An Amarillo native, Mays grew up in the River Road community and has been with AFD since 1999. He is the 10th fire chief in the history of the fire department, which dates back to 1897. He succeeded Fire Chief Jeff Greenlee in April 2020, and prior to this position had served as Deputy Chief of Operations. Mays shares with host Jason Boyett how he found his way into his career after struggling in high school, what most residents don't understand about the department today, and how AFD prioritizes the mental health of its firefighters. This episode is supported by Shemen Dental, the Shops at Wolflin Square and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.