August 4, 1989 - MPR’s Dan Olson interviews Nancy Brataas, Minnesota state senator; and Phyllis Kahn, Minnesota state representative. They discuss their thoughts and experiences at National Women's Caucus being held in St. Paul. Brataas and Kahn also answer listener questions.
August 9, 1989 - MPR’s Kate Smith reports on Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium, also known as MECC, which is being placed up for sale by the state. The corporation has helped Minnesota schools with software at cost, but legislators are looking to sell the company.
August 17, 1989 - On this Midday, local author Howard Mohr answers listener questions and reads from his book, A Minnesota Book of Days (And a Few Nights). The book is a humorous almanac that chronicles Minnesota life through 366 daily entries.
August 24, 1989 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews State Fair curator Gale Frost about the many changes in public interest over the Minnesota State Fair’s history.
August 24, 1989 - MPR’s Karen Boros reports on politicians doing more than people watching. Boros interviews numerous Minnesota politicians on the importance of meeting, talking, and even dancing with fair attendees.
August 25, 1989 - Lee Atwater, chairman of the Republican National Committee, speaking at Minnesota Meeting. Atwater talks political campaigns, and his role in helping elect George Bush to President of the United States. Following speech, Atwater answers listener questions. At end of program, Pat Forciea, who ran Dukakis campaign in Minnesota, provides a follow-up commentary. Minnesota Meeting is a non-profit corporation which hosts a wide range of public speakers. It is managed by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
August 25, 1989 - MPR’s Kate Smith reports on the final year of the carousel at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. It has been a fixture of fair since 1914. The carousel was sold in 1988 to the non-profit organization Our Fair Carousel, with plans to preserve and relocate in St. Paul.
September 2, 1989 - Hyman Berman, history professor at University of Minnesota, discusses Minnesota's colorful labor history and the context that provides for current labor issues. Berman also answers listener questions.
September 8, 1989 - Mainstreet Radio’s John Biewen presents the documentary “Dancing on Beat: Portrait of a Reservation Family,” which follows the daily life of an Ojibwe family on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota.
September 8, 1989 - MPR’ Euan Kerr profiles Rufus Harley, a jazz musician whose instrument of choice is a bagpipe. Harley says the bagpipe has deep roots in many cultures, including North Africa.