Volsteadland Blog

NEWS!! The History Theater has released their line up for the Raw Stages Festival and amongst the shows is....drum roll please AMERICAN GOLEM: THE KID CANN STORY By Ryan London Levin Dramaturgy by Jay Owen Eisenberg …

The reviews are coming in! For Ron de Beaulieu's book!!https://www.startribune.com/ron-de-beaulieu-isadore-blumenfeld-minnesotas-most-notorious-gangster/601325468Be sure to mark your calendar to come to our live show next month and meet her, ask que…

Join Amy and Heather, hosts of the podcast, Volsteadland to chat about Minneapolis' history of organized crime in the 1920s-30s, more specifically our most notorious crime boss, Kid Cann aka Isadore Blumenfield (or Blumenfeld). Special guests:Ron d…

This is the transcript from the episode Red Herrings and Scandal. Powered by RedCircle Volsteadland Mann Amy: Okay. So we are here with our friend,  Amoreena … Heather: Welcome. Amy: Yes. Welcome. Welcome to Volsteadland. We had a l…

This is our 17th episode, it's Season 2 Episode 4. “Red Herrings and Scandal”. We have a different format for you this time. We sat down with our friend Amoreena to chat about another famous person who was charged with the Mann Act, aka White Slave…

Movies: Trailer: The Cat’s Meow (2001)  The Great Dictator (1940)  Trailer: Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018)  Whole movie: Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018)  Chaplin (1992)  Trailer: Chaplin (1992)  …

Heather's Haiku I travel for work My favorite location Brandy Manhattan Brandy Manhattan by Heather 1 serving 2 ounces Brandy1 ounce sweet vermouth2 dashes Angostura bittersDrizzle of cherry juice from Amarena Cherries in Syrup by Fabbri 1905…

Here are the sources that Heather used for this episode. Maryville University: https://online.maryville.edu/ 10 Incredible Facts About the Criminal Brain: https://leelofland.com/10-incredible-facts-about-the-criminal-brain/ Biography on Charle…

Our very talented friend Amoreena create some new artwork for us for the latest episode. We love it so much!!! Here it is, as it appears on the podcast. Thank you so much Amoreena! You rock!

If you heard the new episode, you learned that Marilyn's fave song was "My Funny Valentine". If you listen to the lyrics and think of Izzy it's pretty funny...literally.   “MY FUNNY VALENTINE” LYRICSBehold the way our fine-feathered friendHis vir…

New Episode Alert! This time Amy is covering the life of Marilyn Ann Tollefson, the woman who at one time, loved Isadore Blumenfeld then ultimately took him down.  Listen here on the site, or on any podcast platform, or the link below! Izzy's Funn…

...and we’re baaaaaaack!!!!⁠Volsteadland: Season Two: Single Barrel Edition is officially out. ⁠Heather will be telling us the story of George “Machine Gun” Kelly. Not the one who is engaged to Megan Fox, the OG…literally https://stream.redcir…

This morning Heather (co-host) texted me with this photo saying this was what she saw in her Uber this morning! Then she sent me this one, the driver's uncle wrote this book! She gave him our card and asked him to reach out. He's a Minneapolis h…

Does anyone recognize this art piece or the photo in the middle? I found it in a stack of photos and I have no idea where it came from. My guess is it was in a drawer in one of our old houses and it just made the move with us. No one in my family re…

Meet Marilyn Ann Tollefson. She is the woman who is at the center of the White Slavery trial that took place in 1960 where Kid Cann (Izzy/Fergie et.al) was on trial for transporting this woman across state lines for “immoral purposes”.⁠ She was bor…

Normally on Fridays I post a cocktail that has something to do with the latest episode. But this week I’m going to tell you about tea. It’s the favorite tea of @melissaoliveri (our most recent guest). Her friend @foxescuriosity sent it to her. It’s …

If you heard the episode I released yesterday, The Spark, and you’re curious about the room in which Melissa “met” Kid Cann, this is the wall where she was looking at the wallpaper when he whispered in her ear. I sure loved this house! Listen he…

This morning I released a bonus episode for you! It’s the full version of my chat with Melissa Oliveri about how she “met” Kid Cann. If you listened to episode 4, Drunk Chickens, you’ve heard part of this, but this is the whole thing.  We also talk…

I ran into a friend the other night who said that they didn't see a super easy way to listen to all the episodes in order. I pondered this for awhile and it came to me....PLAYLISTS!! So I created one in Spotify (click here) Or just click below: …

I'm researching the so-called White Slavery Trial for an upcoming episode while we’re on hiatus. I can’t wait to share with you. This is the report of an interview with Marilyn Tollefson, the sex worker involved in the case. I have been pouring t…

This was from the St. Cloud Times February 5, 1945There has GOT to be more of this story. I have so many questions!They were found by her boss? Hmm.How do people die of carbon monoxide poisoning when the car is OUTSIDE?Did she have a relationship wi…

Last night I was looking on my local PBS channel for a film I'd seen about Skid Row (more on that later) and I found this gem. It's a documentary about First Avenue, our local iconic nightclub/music venue. It's soooo good. If you watch it, you will…

Today we're thankful for...YOU! Happy Thanksgiving. We want you to know how very thankful we are for you, dear listeners. We reached over 1300 downloads this week and have a bunch of new listeners. So WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! ⁠ We know …

Today we're thankful for...1950s recipes! One of the things I love about doing this research for the show, is that I find so many funny, cool gems in the old newspapers. I came across this recipe and I just had to share! It’s a “salad” (which in M…