“Tony’s Place” is a homespun world of community radio theater which posits a setting where Brazil nuts and root beer are the bane of prohibition efforts in this alternate Goldfield-centric 1940’s-ish world. The show is Radio Goldfield, KGFN’s, new community radio theater show, (approximately 18 episodes so far). Residents Tony Taylor and his mother, Linda Enlund, co-write the show.
The Governor, the Mayor ( assassinated a couple months ago) and various sheriff/deputy, gangster/brothel characters-thirty to date-make up the pantheon in this home spun comedic epic where community is paramount.
Taylor, 39, with dark, thick hair, warm tan and bashful but confident voice, says of his mother, “She has most of the ideas about where the show is going and then we work together to produce the finished product.”
“Anybody can be in the show.. ANYbody…It’d be great if every person in town played a character of their own,” declares Taylor. “…we need more bad guys.”
“Why bootlegging of Brazil nuts and root beer?” I inquire. “…’Cause everybody wanted it” is Taylor’s casual retort.
With a background in theater and rodeo (broncos), Taylor quotes the director of a touring stage production of The Odd Couple, that he performed in. “Acting is real life experiences in an imaginary world.” Anthony Perra, from Chicago, inspired Taylor to let his actors feel their characters’ roles, naturally.
Linda Enlund is currently making headway to re-open our only local cafe/gas station, which used to be called Dusty Fenders.
A few locals and a steak salesman come and go during the course of our interviews on a Saturday afternoon. We sit at the kitchen table at Carl and Patty Brownfield’s comfortable, little, wood-sided, Goldfield house. Conversation tends to land on the refrain of aliens/UFOs, ghosts, or military aircraft. The home’s stereo speakers air KGFN.
“Hey, who’s that on the radio?” asks Carl Brownfield, KGFN’s Program Director and guiding light.
He’s referring to the commercial, currently airing, for my own radio show, Audio Sorgfield. Brownfield goes on to tell us stories about the old days, before his leadership, while it was still a pirate station and yet later, once County Commissioner-by-day, radio station board member and on air personality-by-night, Dominic Pappalardo, invited the Brownfields to preside over the board of this sinking pirate ship and shape it up.
They said yes, and have since come into the good graces of the Federal Communications Commission, running as a legitimate non-profit corporation, accepting donations which keep operations running smoothly.
Nevada Senator, Harry Reid, had gotten the station back on the air since the Emergency Alert System is a necessary service that the station offers the Central Nevada area.
“It has never happened before. We’re the only station in the country ever given a license after being busted for pirating,” proudly proclaims Brownfield.
In previous years, a shack on top of Columbia Mountain housed the computer equipment running it all. “Back in those days, we had to climb the mountain to change the music or reset the broadcast or whatever was needed.” Brownfield, longtime Las Vegas cab driver, goes on with resonant voice and wise story telling panache to retell the raunchy joke that got him and Dusty Fenders kicked off the air in the station’s previous incarnation.—that joke will not be relayed here. Suffice it to say, Brownfield was inspired to keep radio airing in Goldfield.
“Carl, we’re up to 17 shows” crooned Patty, Mrs. Carl Brownfield, the station’s webmaster. She also has a show of her own, Old Time Radio Theater Hour, featuring vintage comedy routines, such as Red Skelton’s, and dramas like Chandu the Magician, a 30’s and 40’s magician/detective mystery. Patty has played a key role in making technology work for the station.
Keep an eye/ear on Radio Goldfield’s broadcasts. Dave Manning, a traveling musician, just performed a concert at our radio studio to an audience of 15 or so, with subsequent broadcasting on air. Also, bands playing the town’s August 17th event, Goldfield Days, were featured on air. Live broadcasts happened all day on Saturday, of the event, with live interviews from the sidewalk.
An extension for the radio tower was installed on Columbia Mountain thanks to donations received during Goldfield Days. More towers; we need more towers.
In the fall, students of Goldfield Elementary School started producing their own radio shows, using newly purchased broadcasting equipment, with the help of teacher Jan Larsen, and Tony Taylor’s instruction.
Taylor trumpets, “I don’t know about you, but when I stood in class I couldn’t even lift my head up to look around… I blossomed when I came to radio, so I know it will help the kids.” Regarding the technology, Taylor continues, “By the end of the school year, those kids are gonna’ be teaching me!”
Stream on the Internet: Tony’s Place, Old Time Radio Theater Hour, Audio Sorgfield, and the rest of our shows and programming.
See Schedules here:
www.KGFN.org
Related articles
- Virtual Tour of the Car Forest and the town of Goldfield (fishbowler.wordpress.com)
- Throughout rural Nevada, there are little oases of art worth visiting (fishbowler.wordpress.com)
Art of Sorg 
Chad, Id like to say you got your smarts from me but….wow! Love you son
We’ll be back!…someday. Virginia, we still love you!
Rick & Barbara
Thanks to you all ! Carl and Patty and everyone for keeping my dream going! I only left due to medical condition, called High Elevation sickness, requiring a half liter of blood extracted from me every month! Carl has invited me to up to Radio Goldfield for an interview on the early days of the struggle against the Government and the Corporate Borgs! Look forward to getting up there one day! thanks for your writings here! Sincerely Rod Moyes (Moses)
Oh thnx for chiming in Rod!