Coming to you this week from the Ravinia Pavilion in Highland Park Illinois, A Prairie Home Companion welcomes special guests, American folk icon, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, crafty Wisconsin singer-songwriter Jon Troast, and singer Prudence Johnson. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio: Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman, The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band with maestro Richard Dworsky, and harmonica master Howard Levy. Tune in this Saturday for these fine guests, The News From Lake Wobegon, and more, in an all-new broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion from the Land of Lincoln.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, we'll visit the majestic open air Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, where the no smoking policy is now enforced with high-pressure water cannons and helicopters loaded with foam. With us this week are piano man Randy Newman, the California kid Martin Sheen, comedienne Paula Poundstone, and cellist Meta Weiss. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Acting: Tim Russell, Sue Scott, Fred Newman, and Erica Rhodes, The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band with Richard Dworsky, The News From Lake Wobegon, and much more, coming up this week on A Prairie Home Companion.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion we're headed down to the Rhubarb Festival in Lanesboro, Minnesota. Where, with a few samples of the coveted "BeeBopAreeBop" recipe, we'll pucker the pie holes of purists from Pigeon Falls to Plainfield. Joining us, Texas honky-tonk legend Joe Ely with guitarist Rob Gjersoe, local ladies The Rhubarb Sisters will sing some songs about the beloved Rheum, plus longtime duo Bob Bovee and Gail Heil will pitch in a tune or two, and Rich Dworsky and The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band will kick up a cloud of dust out on the Lanesboro softball field. Also with us, The Royal Academy of Radio Acting: Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, The News from Lake Wobegon, and much more coming up this Saturday on A Prairie Home Companion.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion we're broadcasting live from the Filene Center at Wolf Trap, America's national park for the performing arts in Vienna, Virginia. With this week's special guests, poet laureate Billy Collins, Canadian singers and songwriters The Wailin' Jennys, and joining The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, the amazing "Shoe Horns" of Dave Bargeron, Jon-Erik Kellso, and Scott Robinson. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Acting: Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman, The News From Lake Wobegon, and much more. Coming up this Saturday on A Prairie Home Companion.

Coming to you again this week from the glamorous State Theater in Minneapolis, we'll welcome a Texas singer, songwriter, and fearsome fiddler, Carrie Rodriguez with Hans Holzen and Kyle Kegerreis, and Sun Records legend Cowboy Jack Clement. Also with us, heartland holubtsi hero Peter Ostroushko, poet Louis Jenkins, The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band with Andy Stein, The Royal Academy of Radio Acting: Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, and the News From Lake Wobegon, where there's a whole lot of deep fried walleye left over from the opener. It's all coming up this week on A Prairie Home Companion.

Coming up this Saturday, Prairie Home comes back to Minnesota. We'll be taking up our two week residency in Minneapolis at the State Theater. Come join us from the big theater in the big city with some big guests—Wilco will give us a taste of their new album Sky Blue Sky. Andy Stein will sit in with the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and up-and-comer Becky Schlegel will be dropping by as well. And as always, we'll have the venerable Royal Academy of Radio Actors: Sue Scott, Tim Russell and Tom Keith.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion — a special springtime poetry show with Allen Ginsberg reading the words of Walt Whitman, Meryl Streep reading the words of Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver, and Billy Collins and Rita Dove reading their own words. The poetic Randy Newman is on, along with Gillian Welch, Greg Brown and Bob Dorough. Plus, the story of another Bob: a younger, struggling artist with an iffy sense of meter and a tendency to slouch. Join us Saturday for all this and more on a special poetry home companion.

Coming to you this week from the beautiful state of Georgia, where spring has sprung like a bell's been rung, we'll welcome special guests, the "first couple" of old-time country music, Norman and Nancy Blake, performing with old-time master fiddler James Bryan and his daughter, guitarist and singer, Rachel Bryan. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors: Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman, the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band with Richard Dworsky, and the News from Lake Wobegon. It'll be all peaches and cream this week on A Prairie Home Companion.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion it's the PITTS, or rather, our first annual People In (their) Twenties Talent Show. The six finalists, and all hope for the future are as follows... From Burlington, VT old-time string band The Powder Kegs, from Brooklyn, NY country band The Sweetback Sisters, from Big Rapids, MI singer/songwriter duo Daisy May Erlewine and Seth Bernard, from Somerville, MA singer-songwriter Chris O'Brien, from Nashville, TN, country/pop duo Karg Boys, and from Kaplan, LA country singer/guitarist Jaryd Lane. Also with us this week, the great ivory hunter, Butch Thompson, the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band with maestro Richard Dworsky, the Royal Academy of Radio Acting, and the News From Lake Wobegon. Vote early, and tell your friends: the future of democracy and talent hangs in the balance this Saturday, live from the Fitzgerald Theater.

This week on A Prairie Home Companion, we're back home at the Fitzgerald Theater in chilly downtown St. Paul, with very special guests, everyone's favorite Finnish-Norwegian seven-piece progressive folk explosion, Frigg. They're here to help get the stoics among us in the mood for summer. Music therapist Todd Schwartzberg will talk with us about the recuperative powers of your favorite tunes. Prudence Johnson will chime in with a few songs, and John Niemann sits in with the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band. Plus the indefatigable Royal Academy of Radio Actors, (Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith) the News from Lake Wobegon, and more, all from the corner of Exchange and Wabasha this Saturday.