Too Close to Home Podcast

127: The Menehune - Put Respect On The ‘Hune

We are continuing our trek through the Hawaiian islands by discussing a major part of their folklore... the Menehune! The Menehune are diminutive beings that were, and are still, believed to inhabit Hawaii, even predating the Polynesian migration to the islands. Nocturnal by nature, the Menehune are renowned for their feats of engineering and their mischievous nature, and structures purported to be built by them, such as the Kikiaola Ditch and the Alekoko Fishpond, still survive to this day. Are they firmly rooted in folklore, or are they a very real race of pygmy humans? 

126: The Haiku Stairs - The Mysterious Disappearance Of Daylenn Pua

The hit song "Stairway To Heaven" isn't the only thing with that name to be forbidden; take for example the Haiku Stairs, or Stairway To Heaven, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Once the home of secret United States Navy communication facilities, the Haiku Stairs used to be a popular hiking trail until its permanent closure in 1987; however, this didn't stop 18 year old Daylenn Pua from attempting the illegal hike in 2015. What follows next is a mysterious missing persons case that still remains unsolved to this day. What was the cause of Daylenn's disappearance? Was it due to a fatal fall from the stairs, or was it something more supernatural in nature? 

125: The Murder of Emmitt Till, Part 4 - A Sign Of The Times

We open this closing chapter on the murder of Emmitt Till with the quick indictment of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, the individuals responsible for his brutal murder, and what David Halberstam called "the first great media event of the civil rights movement". Their subsequent acquittal and admittance of guilt in Look magazine caused tremendous outcry, led to Mamie's career in education, and influenced the actions of notable civil rights individuals such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. We then see the karmic justice of the perpetrators and other involved individuals, and discuss reparations and the legacy that Emmitt Till left behind; a legacy that is still felt in the United States today. 

124: The Murder of Emmitt Till, Part 3 - Let The World See What I’ve Seen

We pick up Emmett Till's story with his journey from Chicago to Mississippi, where he learns very quickly that life is quite different, and the sharecropping life is not for him. In a time of kids being kids, a fateful decision to visit Bryant's Grocery would lead to a sequence of events which are still discussed and debated on today. We try to find the truth as we cover Emmett's last days and the murder which sparked the flames of the Civil Rights movement. 

123: The Murder of Emmitt Till, Part 2 - The Point Of No Return

We pick up where we left off with the infamous formation of everyone's most hated wizards, the Ku Klux Klan, during the Reconstruction era; this movement sparked a rise in hate crimes and lynchings for decades to come. As we enter the Jim Crow era, we see state and local laws worsen the societal divide by enforcing racial segregation and discrimination. The Great Migration sees the movement of African Americans from the South to the bustling cities of the West and the North, including Emmitt's mother Mamie, though it is not all sunshine and rainbows in these areas either; prejudice runs rampant, and Emmett Till's family is about to be at the center of it all. 

122: The Murder of Emmitt Till, Part 1 - Caucasity, Cotton, and Context

The infamous 1955 murder of Emmett Till rocked the Mississippi Delta region, and was a strong catalyst for the later phases of the Civil Rights movement. Importantly, his brutal murder brought renewed spotlight to the history of violent persecution of African Americans. We start this story by going all the way back to the beginning of the slave trade in 1619. We later see how slavery evolves over the next couple hundred years, taking us to the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Reconstruction Era. In order to comprehend Emmett's death, we first need to understand the abridged history which led to its occurrence. 

121: The Loveland Frog - Michigan J. Frog Could Neva

We have more fun cryptid surprises in store for you this week with a short yet sweet episode! Today we talk about the bipedal, wand-waving, small-town local legend by the name of the Loveland Frog! First spotted in Loveland, Ohio, the Loveland Frog is a famous and beloved mascot for its eponymous town. Remaining elusive with just a few claimed appearances since the 1950's, this amphibious wizard (likely a Hufflepuff) is sure to bring a smile to your face as we discuss its origins, sightings, and the parades and festivals the curious cryptid inspired.

120: The Flatwoods Monster - Hysteria Bouts

Imagine you are playing outside an elementary school, when suddenly a bright light flashes across the sky and crashes into a nearby hillside. When you go to investigate, you discover something terrifying... something otherworldly. We are talking about the Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia: A cryptid of an... "alien" nature. The stories surrounding this mysterious entity have captured the imagination of residents and businesses around Flatwoods for decades. But what exactly is the Flatwoods Monster? A barn owl? An extraterrestrial? Is it the butt-probing kind or the more friendly kind? Come and get wild and wonderful with us!