SPOKANE, Wash. – Two local women who work at a retirement community have a podcast about Expo ’74 and are using their platform to keep Expo stories alive even longer than the people who tell them.
They sit down with seniors at the retirement community where they work and hear stories of those who saw Expo ’74 firsthand.
They do it so they can learn about Expo and because they know those who tell the stories could lose those memories before they tell them again.
Sheila Fritts and Deena Budono work with dozens of seniors on a daily basis; many of whom were in the area during Expo.
The average age of those who live in this retirement community is 89 and they typically stay there until they pass away.
Fritts and Budono know from speaking with these seniors that they have some incredible stories about the history of Spokane and the impact of Expo.
They created this podcast less than a year ago to share those stories before they are forgotten, and to use this as a time machine to go back and experience Expo ’74.
“We had what I call, and I don’t know what the word is but it’s like FOMO (fear of missing out) for things you’ve already missed,” said podcast host Sheila Fritts. “So, we needed to get in a time machine and go back. So, the way that we got in a time machine and went back in time was by asking the people who really knew.”
Now Fritts and Budono are about to meet with a senior who is losing his memory to tell his Expo stories before they are forgotten.
At Expo ’74’s opening ceremony on Saturday night, TJ Shane recognized Fritts’ voice from the podcast so they took a picture together.
Shane is 26 and has been listening to their podcast since it was first posted over a month ago.
Shane is fascinated by Expo which is why he listens to the podcast and to his grandpa’s stories.
Unfortunately, his grandpa is starting to lose his memory which is why Shane wants his grandpa’s story to be recorded before it’s forgotten.
Thankfully, that’s one of the reasons that Fritts and Budono started their podcast in the first place.
By working at a retirement community, they see first-hand how common it is to lose your memory.
“Everybody we ask has a story,” said Fritts. “They’ve all been touched by it. They’ve either had a family member or a friend or a spouse who has suffered, or they’ve personally had some involvement, and we never know who that is until we ask.”
The good news is that Fritts and Budono are planning an episode with Shane’s grandpa, to make sure his stories are heard.
Their podcast is on Spotify. They are planning to continue at least through July 4th because that’s when the Expo ’74 50th celebration will conclude.
A link to their podcast can be found here.
