This week on A Prairie Home Companion, a mix of two shows from a late winter run at the Fitzgerald Theater. Minnesota's first Poet Laureate Robert Bly reads four poems, Suzy Bogguss appears in an episode of Guy Noir as the tonally challenged Melody Marsh, and Sam Bush sings the "Workin' Man Blues." Pat Donohue sings the happiest song about misery (from Ramblin' Jack Elliot) called "Arthritis Blues," plus the Wailin' Jennys and The Boys of the Lough. America's consumer advocate/perpetual presidential candidate makes an appearance in the Lives of the Cowboys wearing a saddle seat belt and Garrison talks about yet another misguided Wobegoner who went to California in hopes of finding paradise.

Coming up this week on A Prairie Home Companion, a wintery mix of two Minnesota-grown shows. From the beautiful dance floor of the Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood, we'll hear Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson sing "The Barnyard Dance," Adam "Original Biscuit" Granger sings "The Sheik of Araby," and Guy Noir goes in search of a red shoe that holds the key to one man's happiness. From the University of Minnesota in the historic railroad town of Morris, a show from the well scrubbed P.E. Center (a.k.a. the gym), Tim Sparks and Pat Donohue team up in a pickin' frenzy to play "Freight Train", Prudence Johnson and Garrison sing Utah Philips, and Dusty and Lefty stumble into a BioMass Gasification Plant. Plus, in The News from Lake Wobegon, the story of Jellyglass Mortenson and His Six Hot Pickles.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, as our friends and family continue to injure themselves on the ice, we'll step very carefully back into the Fitzgerald Theater for our final show there this season. With special guests, the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, Peter Ostroushko, Andra Suchy, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors: Sue Scott, Tom Keith, and Mark Benninghofen, The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and much more coming up this week.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, we'll welcome the Grammy™ Award winning Cajun institution known as BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet, and prolific world jazz trombonist and composer, Roswell Rudd. In honor of the late, great jazz chanteuse Blossom Dearie who died last week, Heather Masse will sing "Peel Me A Grape" on the show. We'll also have opera legend Vern Sutton. And, since it'll be Valentine's Day, we're going to read the winners from our Valentine's Day Poem and Song Contest too. Also with us, The Royal Academy of Radio Acting: Mark Benninghofen, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and The News from Lake Wobegon. It's all live, this week from the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, we're live from the Fitzgerald Theater, where we'll welcome two Bluegrass veterans, Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, performing together in perfect harmony as Dailey & Vincent. Our favorite legendary Scottish Folk singer from Edinburgh, Jean Redpath will be there as well. Also with us, Andra Suchy, The Royal Academy of Radio Actors; Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, The Guys All-Star Shoe Band, with guest Shoes Joe Savage and Butch Thompson, and of course, Mr. Keillor and The News from Lake Wobegon.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, we'll return to the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul for our midwinter homecoming. With special guests, from the legendary Country Western Swing band Asleep At The Wheel, Ray Benson and Eddie Rivers, and the phenomenal vocal quartet of Maria Jette, Christina Baldwin, Dan Dressen, and Bradley Greenwald. Also with us, singer Andra Suchy, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors: Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, The Guys All-Star Shoe Band, and The News from Lake Wobegon.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, we're embracing the winter cold and heading up to the DECC auditorium in Duluth, Minnesota. We'll fight the frigid temperatures with some smoldering honky-tonk from Joe Ely and Joel Guzmán, and singer-songwriter Heather Masse will melt our hearts with a song or two. As always, we'll have the Royal Academy of Radio Actors with us: Sue Scott, Tim Russell, and Tom Keith; and of course, Rich Dworsky and The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band will be there too.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion we're live from the Palace Theater in Louisville, Kentucky. With special guests, honky tonk angel and 65th member of the Grand Ole Opry; Patty Loveless, and genre-defying Kentucky singer-songwriter Brigid Kaelin. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors; Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman, The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and The News from Lake Wobegon.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, the staff is on its annual ice fishing retreat to the mighty Lake of the Woods, and so we're revisiting two shows that we did from The Fitzgerald Theater. Roy Blount Jr. and Chuck Mead of BR-549 will give a talk on the philosophy of honky-tonk music, and Dusty and Lefty make an appearance at St. Paul's Winter Carnival. Plus, Nellie McKay's debut performance, Becky Schlegel, Suzy Bogguss and an episode of The Lives of English Majors.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, it's our Second Annual Year-End Rewind with a compilation of 2008's memorable moments. We'll revisit the debuts of Nick Lowe, Nellie McKay and tenor Raúl Melo. Yo-Yo Ma will toast the New Year, Martin Sheen will take on the role of James Joyce in an episode of The Lives of the Cowboys, and Brad Paisley sings a tune about leaving the toilet seat down. Guy Noir goes on Pope Patrol during the April 2008 papal visit to New York, and Ruth Harrison turns down a chance to sail the globe with a swarthy romance novelist. All that, plus we remember the Tollerud's trip to Costa Rica.