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Episode 156 // Luke and Jennifer Mahin of Irrigation Ales

On today’s podcast episode we’re with Luke and Jennifer Mahin of Irrigation Ales in Courtland, Kansas (pop. 294). They’re sharing how they have built this business over time, starting with the Courtland Fermentation Club and the process of learning how to brew good, quality beer, as well as the cool story behind their branding.

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Episode 155 // Brett Hubka with A Mural Movement of Clay Center

On today’s episode of the Rural Revival podcast we’re with Brett Hubka with A Mural Movement of Clay Center, Kansas (pop. 4,123). Brett's sharing how a simple service project around one mural turned into a movement that has now brought 33 murals to their town. When this all started, the community had no public art. Now they're drawing in artists from around the nation and expanding their efforts beyond Clay Center to the entire county!

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Episode 153 // Eddie and Julie Flores of Nursing Back to Life

On today’s episode of the Rural Revival podcast we’re with Eddie and Julie Flores of Nursing Back to Life, which follows their restoration of an old house in Lincoln, Kansas (pop. 1,171) that is now their home. It all started when a free house in Julie’s hometown went viral and they decided they just might be the ones that wanted to save it!

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Episode 152 // Dakota Dawn Johnson of the Cowgirl Confessions Podcast

On today’s episode of the Rural Revival podcast we’re with Dakota Dawn Johnson, host of the Cowgirl Confessions podcast, in Mound City, Kansas (pop. 647). Dakota is a ranch wife, podcast host, and successful saleswoman and is sharing with us about her wonderfully wild and western life, as she likes to call it.

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Episode 138 // Shanda Mattix of Barnwood & Bling and M Arrow Ranch

Josh Smith started making knives at age 11 and went on to become the youngest Journeyman Smith and youngest Master Smith. Fast forward to two years ago and a meeting with country artist Thomas Rhett where he got the push he needed to quit his job and go all in with this business, and from there it exploded practically overnight.

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Depot Market and Cider Mill

In 1988 the train depot was moved from its location in Courtland to create their current storefront one mile north of town on 36 Highway. As time passed, interest in local apples began to wane and habits of canning and preserving changed.

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Snow Goose Lodge

About 20 years ago a resident of McPherson, Kansas by the name of Jim Elliott was a frequent visitor of Gamekeeper’s Marsh seven miles south of Courtland where he hunted ducks each season. Having noticed the ruins of a limestone house sitting on a rise to the east of the marsh, he thought it would be a great place to build a home.

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Building Community with Food at Adri's Family Restaurant

Adri and Chris first visited Formoso, Kansas in 2018 on a road trip, and this is when the seed hit the soil! At the time they were residing just outside of Denver in South Aurora. Adri a city lifer, having never lived anywhere outside a 10-mile radius of where she was born, and myself a former east-coaster.

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An Upland Hunting Experience with Heartland Gamebirds

Heartland Gamebirds was born out of a mutual love for two things, upland birds hunts and Courtland, Kansas. The dream of offering a fully guided, all inclusive hunting experience became a reality in 2019. The following year, they purchased two historic bank buildings on Main Street to restore as their lodge.

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Welcome to Courtland, Kansas

With a population of just under 300 residents, Courtland, Kansas stands out from other communities our size in a few ways. Our Main Street is full of small businesses, the school is maintaining its class sizes, and the median age of our residents is getting younger. Part of the cultural fabric of Courtland is coming together to create success.

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Episode 131 // Shanna Lindberg of Soul Sister Ceramics

On this episode of the Rural Revival podcast we’re with Shanna Lindberg of Soul Sister Ceramics in Courtland, Kansas. Shanna and her business partner, knowing nothing about how to make pottery, bought a kiln and became self taught pottery makers using Kansas clay from the Flint Hills.

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Episode 129 // Kim Ellenz of Old School Seals

On this episode of the Rural Revival podcast we’re with Kim Ellenz of Old School Seals in Tipton, Kansas. Old School Seals custom makes wax seals and stamps for people around the world — all from a small town — and today Kim is bringing us inside to tell us all about it.

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Episode 126 // Nicky Tiffany of The Territory Ballroom

On this episode of the podcast we’re with Nicky Tiffany of The Territory Ballroom in Council Grove, Kansas (pop. 2,140), where she’s sharing about her hopes and dreams for this business and building when the doors open — as an event space, co-working space, Airbnb, and more.

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Episode 125 // Michael and Sara Floyd of Bryarton Farm

On this episode of the Rural Revival podcast we’re with Michael and Sara Floyd of Bryarton Farm in rural Kansas. Together Michael and Sara shared a dream of owning a historic farmhouse in the country as a creative space for their art and design studio, and today they’re sharing about the adventure of bringing that dream to life.

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Abandoned Kansas Road Trip

Francesca Catalini, the photographer and storyteller behind Sierra Winds, dedicates her time and Instagram account to sharing some of rural America’s remaining treasures. She’s sharing some of her favorite abandoned places in Kansas — which you may want to check out, too.

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