Episodes

  • Restoring the Geneva Grotto's glory | Under Rocks podcast

    Restoring the Geneva Grotto's glory | Under Rocks podcast
    May 28 2026
    Thousands drive past it every day, but only a few lay eyes on it. It's the Geneva Grotto. And nearly a century after it was built by local Catholic priests, the mosaic and stone structure is returning to serve as a connection between the faithful and their God.
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    25 mins
  • Dirt-fishing with the Driftless Digger | Under Rocks podcast

    Dirt-fishing with the Driftless Digger | Under Rocks podcast
    Apr 30 2026
    The Under Rocks team goes on a treasure hunt with a real life detectorist.
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    42 mins
  • Mrs. Fisher's by the bag, by the bucket: It's always better to be the chip person | Under Rocks podcast

    Mrs. Fisher's by the bag, by the bucket: It's always better to be the chip person | Under Rocks podcast
    Mar 26 2026
    If you grew up anywhere near Rockford, Illinois, in, oh, the last century or so, you probably have eaten at least a handful of Mrs. Fisher's potato chips. This regional delicacy started in Ethel Fisher's kitchen and still maintains that small-batch flavor, even as the company goes through 2.6 million pounds of local potatoes every year. So join Mrs. Fisher's vice president Chris Spiess as he takes the Under Rocks team on a tour of Rockford's salty treasure.
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    42 mins
  • Good curling II: The never-ending bonspiel | Under Rocks podcast

    Good curling II: The never-ending bonspiel | Under Rocks podcast
    Feb 26 2026
    Curling fever doesn't have to end on the Olympic medal podium! Join your local curling league and the next four years will fly faster than a granite stone across a sheet of ice. We revisit our 2022 curling adventure at the Waltham Curling Club in Triumph, Ill. Plus, our resident curling superfan recaps the 2026 Olympic highlights — and explains the shocking controversy. Good curling!
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    32 mins
  • Together for eagles, arts, and environmental education | Under Rocks podcast

    Together for eagles, arts, and environmental education | Under Rocks podcast
    Jan 29 2026
    It’s been just over a year since Northern Illinois University closed its outdoor education campus high above the Rock River in Oregon, Illinois. While its future is still in limbo, a group called Together for Taft is making progress in its effort to bring it back as an environmental education center. WNIJ’s Under Rocks podcast team stopped by the group’s fundraiser recently, which was held across the river from the shuttered campus.
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    33 mins
  • A feast for your ears! Our favorite food shows | Under Rocks podcast

    A feast for your ears! Our favorite food shows | Under Rocks podcast
    Nov 26 2025
    The Under Rocks team is thankful for all the fine food and drink here in northern Illinois. So pile your plate high as we revisit some of our favorite culinary adventures. Plus aspic! We hope you're hungry.
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    49 mins
  • Leave the ghost light on: the spirits of DeKalb's Egyptian Theatre | Under Rocks podcast

    Leave the ghost light on: the spirits of DeKalb's Egyptian Theatre | Under Rocks podcast
    Oct 30 2025
    Who’s haunting your local theater? The Under Rocks team goes in search of theater ghost lights…and finds a whole lot more.
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    28 mins
  • Sixty years of printmaking, one more show | Under Rocks podcast

    Sixty years of printmaking, one more show | Under Rocks podcast
    Aug 28 2025
    A new exhibit at Northern Illinois University’s Art Museum is an ambitious look at the school’s vaunted printmaking program, which is in its 60th year. It also marks the end of a chapter for the museum. In the latest Under Rocks podcast, curator Peter Olson takes us on a tour of the exhibit and clues us into what the future holds for the campus museum.
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    40 mins