Barry Gordemer

Dec 24, 2024 | npr.org | Barry Gordemer

A holiday meal without mashed potatoes is like Santa Clause without a beard. It's obvious something's missing. "Potatoes, in general, are a beloved vegetable. When they're on the holiday table, they play so well with all the other dishes there," Dan Souza, the chief content officer for America's Test Kitchen, told Morning Edition. "Let's say you have a roast or turkey along with the mashed potatoes. It just brings it all together.

Dec 17, 2024 | gpb.org | Barry Gordemer

When it comes to regifting, almost everyone does it. Admit it, you likely have too. And because it's the holidays - and confession is good for the soul - NPR wants to know about a time when you got caught regifting a present that was given to you. We promise that no detail is too embarrassing to reveal. Tell us your gifting story in the form below. Your story might end up on NPR's Morning Edition. Please submit your story to us by December 23rd at 6 p.m. ET.

Nov 28, 2024 | opb.org | Barry Gordemer

The Dora the Explorer balloon gets pumped up for a flight over the streets of New York City in the 98th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thanksgiving comes only once a year. But for the artists and engineers who create the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thanksgiving is a year-round occupation and obsession. The parade takes a small army of sculptors, painters, seamstresses, carpenters and welders to put together the giant balloons, floats and elaborate costumes.

Oct 25, 2024 | whyy.org | Barry Gordemer |Jan Johnson

The Martin & Co. guitar factory and museum houses a vast array of storied instruments, including vintage guitars and ukuleles dating back to 1834 and the company's origins in Germany.

Oct 25, 2024 | npr.org | Barry Gordemer |Jan Johnson

Another reason Pennsylvania is a swing state has nothing to do with the electionPutting the swing in a crucial swing state, most of Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley cast ballots for Barack Obama. Years later, it switched to Donald Trump and then reversed itself again to assist President Biden's 2020 victory. But the region swings for another reason.