Cavalier podcast host spearheads upcoming TEDxCavalier event
Apr. 12—CAVALIER, N.D. — Jeremy Ratliff, host of the podcast "Rendezvous Region Today," uses the platform to tell stories focusing on the northeast region of North Dakota. Some of his guests include music duo Tigerlily Gold, snow sculptor Josh Zeis and members of the Red River Regional Council.
The goal of the podcast, Ratliff said, is to tell local stories and celebrate local history. While some guests do live outside the region, his target audience is those within it. For him, the podcast is a way to show people an area he considers a "very well-kept national secret."
"It's easy to spread the news of this region because there's so much good happening here," he said. "There's so much opportunity. It's been a fantastic experience and I personally love going to the grocery store, going to the post office, going to all these local places. Every time I leave home, it's conversations, and I love that."
One of his favorite episodes is his first, covering the flooding in Pembina County in 2022. Being a radio reporter himself, he saw the way Cavalier residents reacted to the flood and thought it was something that should be documented. He specifically recalled how Pastor Bill Crosby talked about people filling sandbags during a church service.
"There was a little bit of a call to action," Ratliff said. "I went to go help after service. It was one of the coolest experiences I've ever participated in. It was a ton of people all working together, all laughing, and even during the flood fight as that was happening, people taking off work. But, you didn't hear any complaints. It was just very much a 'that's what we do' approach, and I'm like, 'this is amazing and this needs to be documented.'"
Another way Ratliff is working to showcase the lives and perspectives of those in the region is through a new event he spearheaded — TEDxCavalier.
TEDx is an independently run program and part of TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design), an annual conference featuring TED Talks, discussions about science, business, education, arts, global issues and more. TEDx is meant to create a similar opportunity and format for local communities. According to TEDx's official website, more than 3,000 of these events are held each year.
Ratliff decided to bring a TEDx event to Cavalier, reached out to the organization and applied for a license. He has been working on the event with the help of a team of regional residents Crosby, Chris Berry, Rachel Morrison, Gwen Zorn, Kyle Gagner and Dawn Mandt.
"It's moving along great," Ratliff said.
Ratliff wanted to bring the program to Cavalier and feature local voices, he said. He found many people who could be speakers. It was difficult for him to say "no" and stop adding people, each of whom will bring something different to the event, he said.
"There's a lot that Cavalier has to offer," he said. "It's a really great hosting venue for it and I just feel like it would be a really cool, unique experience for this market."
The TEDxCavalier event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at the Cavalier Cinema, with a lunch break at noon. Ratliff said he planned for the event to take place during a business day so those attending can go shopping and eat at local places while in town. Ticket sales opened Friday, April 5, at a cost of $50 each.
Seakers that have been announced for the event include:
* Rebecca Undem, an inspirational speaker, host of the podcast "The Growing Small Towns Show" and founder and executive director of the Growing Small Towns nonprofit.
* Frank White, a retired sociology professor from UND, who has also taught internationally and has hosted regional and national speaking presentations.
* Eva Robinson, the only competitive sled dog musher in North Dakota, who recently competed in the Junior Iditarod.
* Chelsey Wald, an entrepreneur and digital creator.
* Ginny Priem, host of the "Drinking With Gin" podcast, author of "You're My Favorite" and "I'm My Favorite: A Guided Journal for Your Path Forward" and motivational speaker.
* Tara Emerson, a farm business manager.
* Kari Helgoe, an NDSU Extension family community wellness educator.
* Peter Loewen, the owner of a Country Cycle, a bicycle business, and developer of the race program "Praire Fire Racing."
* Jim Springer, a retired business leader.
* James Zorn, a registered nurse turning a five-acre farmstead into a sustainable food resource and affordable housing ministry campus
Those interested in the TEDxCavalier event can visit its official
Facebook page
or website at
. Those who want to listen to Rendezvous Region Today can visit its official
Facebook page
, or listen to it through multiple sources, such as Spotify or Amazon Music.
