A Prairie Home Companion from American Public Media




Phil Keillor (L.) chats with Sue Scott backstage
A Note from Garrison:
The show is to raise money for a park shelter on the shore of Lake Mendota in Madison, a city that loves its lakes and parks, as did my brother Philip. He was skating on the lake when he slipped, hit his head, and died twelve days later of severe brain trauma. He was 71.

We grew up on the banks of the Mississippi and from his earliest days he loved bodies of water, boats, and skating, and so Madison was a perfect place for him. It hurt us, loyal Minnesotans, that he became a loyal Badger, but he loved the city and the people so much, had a little sailboat anchored not far from his office at the University, took his children and his grandchildren sailing, worked for the University's Sea Grant program on research projects on Lakes Superior and Michigan, and had a wonderful life right up until he cracked his head.


Artist Rendering
His death has been painful, as you can imagine, and one way to endure it is to do good things in his memory. And so, my musician friends (whom he loved) and I will do a concert in a hall he enjoyed — we'll do some songs about rivers and boats and bodies of water, and also the blues — Philip was involved in starting a homeless shelter in Madison — and I'll tell a story about a memorial service beside Lake Wobegon that involved a boat. And from it we'll raise money for this beautiful park shelter, and we'll put a little brick in the wall that says "Philip Keillor 1937–2009". I am so grateful to Robin and Linda and Rich for doing this.



The New Tenney Park Shelter Web site >>

Donate to the shelter construction fund >>


From the Desk of Garrison Keillor

Garrison Keillor
Photo by Cheryl Walsh Bellville

Past Articles
  • Phil Keillor Benefit for the Tenney Park Shelter (04/17/09)
  • Bill Holm, 1943–2009 (02/26/09)
  • Happy New Year, Friends (12/29/08)
  • Talk of the Stacks (11/17/08)
  • What Makes St. Paul So Great? (09/03/08)
  • GK On Historic Preservation (10/05/07)
  • Welcome to St. Paul (09/23/06)
  • "Homegrown Democrat," Chapters 1-4 (08/10/04)
  • Sing the National Anthem—and Try it in the Key of G (07/02/04)
  • Holiday Greetings from Garrison Keillor (12/23/03)
  • Remembering Plimpton (10/01/03)
  • Crankiness in Decline, Says the Old Guy (04/19/02)
  • A Governor Works in Mysterious Ways (10/19/01)
  • In Praise of Laziness (09/10/01)
  • I Just Needed a Valve Job (09/13/01)
  • A Eulogy for Chet Atkins (07/03/01)
  • A Foot Soldier in God's Floating Orchestra (04/01)
  • Exile on Main Street (10/02/00)
  • Walking Down the Canyon (07/31/00)
  • The Mysteries of Prom Night (05/15/00)
  • How I Write (12/04/99)
  • The Christmas of the Great Flu (12/99)
  • Let Jesse Be Jesse (10/10/99)
  • The Rice, the Bat, the Baby (09/06/99)
  • Faith at the Speed of Life (06/14/99)
  • The Republicans Were Right, But (02/15/99)
  • Minnesota's Excellent Ventura (11/16/98)
  • The Dangers of Christmas (04/06/98)
  • Gasgate (11/10/97)
  • Talk Radio (10/97)
  • The Seven Principles of a Successful Christmas (09/08/97)
  • The Seven Deadly Sins—Envy (04/97)
  • You Say Potato (04/04/96)
  • The Poetry Judge (02/96)
  • With All the Trimmings (11/27/95)
  • In Autumn We Get Older (11/06/95)
  • Minnesota's Sensible Plan (09/11/95)
  • The Art of the Embrace (02/95)
  • The Voters are Angry (08/94)
  • Word Play (05/18/90)
  • We Are Still Married (12/18/89)
  • Elevator Tales
  • A Graduation Speech
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    Old Sweet Songs: A Prairie Home Companion 1974-1976

    Old Sweet Songs

    Lovingly selected from the earliest archives of A Prairie Home Companion, this heirloom collection represents the music from earliest years of the now legendary show: 1974–1976. With songs and tunes from jazz pianist Butch Thompson, mandolin maestro Peter Ostroushko, Dakota Dave Hull and the first house band, The Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Adam Granger, Bob Douglas and Mary DuShane).

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