In time for Veterans Day, TSPR has produced a pair of military-related episodes of its Welcome to Forgottonia podcast.
Camp Ellis: Kind of like Brigadoon tells the story of a World War II military training camp that rose quickly from the farm fields and prairies of Fulton County, and disappeared almost as quickly after the war.
Camp Ellis housed tens of thousands of American soldiers. It also held German prisoners of war.
The podcast features first-hand accounts from one of the American prison guards and people who lived in the area during that time.
And the new podcast episode Smiles Day is about a tradition in Rushville dating back to 1919.
The celebration was initially called the Day of Smiles, and was held to honor those who served in World War I.
Today, more than 100 years later, Smiles Day in Rushville is partly a fall festival, partly a high school homecoming celebration, and partly a tribute to military veterans.
The episode features recollections of past Smiles Day events, and comments from today’s military veterans.